Growin' up

Alex is growing up. For a week now, he's been sleeping in a bed. Right now it's just a mattress on the floor in his room, but he loves it. Not only does he love that bed, but he also loves Lilia's bed. The two of them sleep in the same bed almost every night now. It's the cutest thing! They switch on and off. Some nights they sleep in Lilia's double bed. Other nights, like tonight they are crammed in Alex's twin bed. They love it and won't have it any other way! Lilia can "read" (by read, I mean memorize) two books and so she "reads" to Alex. I have to go in and turn out the lights to get them to go to sleep.

Lilia is growing up. We know where she's going for Kindergarten. Next year she will go to Spruce Hill Christian school. We knew she had been accepted months ago; we were just waiting on the financial aid information to make a decision. The paperwork came back and they are going to pay for 56% of her tuition!
Dave and I were both very happy. We both agree that it will be a good place for her to transition into Kindergarten. Right now she's only going to school 3 days a week for about 2.5 hours. All Philly schools are full day, so it will be a big adjustment for her.
I never in a million years thought I would send any of my kids to a Christian school. I like the idea of the public school equipping her to interact with the world, while at home and at church she is equipped with how to show the love of Christ to the people she interacts with. We really can't ever say "never" to God. He usually breaks that down, patiently and lovingly. Since we live in the city, there aren't a lot of good options and Spruce Hill seems like a great one. Dave and I are excited for her to experience her first year of school at Spruce Hill.

Azalea's in bloom

We spent the morning at the Azalea Garden. It's the beautiful section between the Art Museum and Kelly Drive's boat house row.
The sun was out and it was warm. The kids biked along the meandering path, ran through the grass and played in the trees and bushes.
I layed in the grass and soaked up some rays while the kids played. It was absolutely perfect!


While the kids were snacking, Alex looked at Lilia and said, "I like your beautiful dress Lilia."

My view while I lounged in the sun.

Pinterest Gardening ideas

 This is what I want our sunroom (the first room of the house) to look like...eventually.

This is made with pallets. If you follow Pinterest, everyone is using pallets to make everything right now.
I would like to make this for out back. It can be for gardening and other things.

This is so pretty. I love the vintage look of the ladder and the over grown look of the garden, yet it's still contained. This would be cool to do as well. Hmmm...must find an old ladder.

Bringing up Bebe

If you are a young mom or planning to be one; read this book. I just finished one of my (in my opinion) top 3 parenting books. It's written by a former New York journalist, Pamela Druckerman, who ended up living in France with her Brittish husband. Eventually they had 3 kids and raised them in France. 
I had read the following article, Why French Parents are Superior. Then the book came out and Dave rented it from the library for me. I soaked it up. It's filled with such great stuff. Stuff to remember and apply, but also stuff to take with a grain of salt.


Does this scene sound familiar:
"Bean (Pamela's daughter) would take a brief interest in the food, but within a few minutes she was spilling salt shakers and tearing apart sugar packets. Then she demanded to be sprung from her high chair so she could dash around the restaurant and bolt dangerously toward the docks."
"Our strategy was to finish the meal quickly. We ordered while being seated, then begged the server to rush out some bread and bring us our appetizers and main courses at the same time. While my husband took a few bites of fish, I made sure that Bean didn't get kicked by a waiter or lost at sea. Then we switched."
"I started noticing that the French families around us didn't look like they were sharing our mealtime agony. Weirdly, they looked like they were on vacation. French toddlers were sitting contentedly in their high chairs, waiting for their food, or eating fish and even vegetables. There was no shrieking or whining."


Order the book on amazon here.

Birthday disaster

 Dave's birthday was Monday. He had just got back in town the night before. He had the day off since he worked all weekend. He suggested we go to the Horticultural Center; a hidden gem. The kids rode bikes, played in the fountain, and we enjoyed the on-going blossoms of spring.
Monday was HOT! It was beautiful, but we weren't ready for hot just yet.

You gotta have adventure

It wouldn't be Dave's birthday without an adventure!

Dave and I were walking while the kids biked along a paved path. We spotted this cool structure in the trees. We followed a grassy path down into the woods. We could still see it, but we couldn't get to it. There were dense brush and a creek in the way. We doubled back and found another path. That led us down to the creek. The kids and I hung back while Dave discovered a way across. Once we all made it, we climbed up the short slope to a trail. The tree house was on our left now and easily reachable! 

The kids were a bit disappointed, but Dave and I thought it was cool. When you looked down you felt like you were in another country. Lush vegetation was everywhere, bamboo sprung up reaching tall.

After a rest and water break we followed the well groomed dirt path to see where it would lead. Well wouldn't you know, back to the original path the kids were riding on! Funny how we took the complicated way. Hey, it was more of an adventure that way!

Out for a stroll

So back to the "Birthday disaster." Dave was exhausted from traveling all weekend for work, plus we were all up at 6:30 Monday morning due to news helicopters. Add some heat and the sun in there and bam...disaster. I made a really yummy lunch and Dave went down hill from there. He felt awful. He couldn't stay awake, he felt sick. He tried to lay down, but the kids were all over him.
Finally he took a for real nap while we for real stayed down stairs.
Lilia suggested a walk around 4pm.
She said, "Mom let's go for a walk. I'll walk Emily (her baby doll) in my stroller and you walk Alex in the stroller."
Sounded good to me!
We went to the playground.
Lilia got too tired to walk home.
Alex was a sweet heart and let her sit while he walked Stinky Bear home.
Even after a long nap he could barely stand up and help with the kids. It was a little crazy. Dave went to bed on his birthday at 8pm. He even had a fever! Thankfully his body recovers really quickly (yeah, I'm jealous too) and he felt fine this morning!

Worst part

The worst part wasn't that Alex pooped in the bath tub 


tonight. The worst part was when Alex picked up the 


poop and handed it to me, "Here. Here mom."

Love

Love; isn't that what Easter is all about? 

It's about a Savior who was willing to step out of Heaven and to experience earth from a human perspective.

It's about a man who was willing to go through physical agony of our behalf; being nailed to a cross even though he was innocent.

It's about a Son who was willing to experience separation from God, the Father. A Father who had to turn his back on his Son in order for the wrath of the world to be put upon his shoulders.

It's about a job that was, "Finished."

But then the best part; the thing that puts Christianity in a class of it's own is the resurrection!

Jesus is the only God, of all other gods that are worshipped on this earth, who defeated death. If it wasn't for this, Christianity would be rules to follow, hoping we're good enough to make it into Heaven.

Rejoice! Rejoice I say because the Lord has risen indeed. Death and hatred could not stop God's plan of redemption. Love wins!

Easter Egg hunts

 My mom first did an Easter egg hunt for the big kids; me, Dave, Matt, AnnMarie & Karen. This wasn't just, "Oh find an egg full of candy." This was find camouflage eggs hidden in the bushes, there's only 10, and each contains a number linking to a prize.
Everyone took off for one side of the house and I took off for the other. None of us knew they were camouflage eggs, so I was looking for pastel or vibrant colors hidden where it might be tricky. Well NONE of the eggs were on the side I ran to. Plus when others found the easier eggs first they were hushed and not allowed to say they were camouflaged.
Needless to say, I found none on my own. I needed everyones help to find the last two. Some of the prizes were great, candy, lotion, a plant, candles, and gift cards to B&N, Starbucks & Panara.

After the adult/big kid egg hunt, Lilia said to my mom, "Um Nannie, can you please hide my eggs so it's not so hard?"

Family Portraits

Matt, AnnMarie & Ellie (9mo) 

Karen, Katie, Dave, Marilyn, Lilia, Al & Alex

Linda, Ellie, Lilia, Bob & Alex

Of course...Ladder ball

 I love that Dave is warming up for the Brindley vs Styles (kids) match in his Easter best.

Once we were done playing Alex grabbed the balls and started playing too. He actually got some on the rungs by simply throwing them over hand.

Fishing

 We met my brother and my niece Ellie for a fun day at Valley Forge. We started off the day fishing.
As you can see in the picture (right) Alex is holding the bait. Lilia wanted to hold it too, but as soon as she touched it she threw it on the ground.
Matt didn't catch a thing, the water was too shallow. The kids loved being by the river and out in nature.

A short hike

 After fishing we went hiking on a short little trail. Alex took a pretty big spill as soon as we got onto this rocky trail so I carried him the while time. Hey, at least my arms are keeping tone!
Lilia did great. (I love age 5!) She happily hiked the whole time, even as we trudged up hill for half a mile just to get to the trail.

Shu Shu Matt is pointing out a woodpecker in the trees.

Sweet Ellie (9 mo)

Wildlife

We also saw many birds of prey flying over head, along with horses trotting by.

Grassy field

 Matt & Ellie had to leave, but the kids and I stuck around for a while longer. I laid out a big blanket and I just lounged while the kids ran around and played with some older girls. Their mom was painting a scene.

The perfect weekend

Dave and I just finished the perfect weekend.
We are spoiled by parents who live close by and love taking the grandkids for the weekend. Wow, it's such a blessing to us!
Following Dave's usual style, we ventured into Philly to try some place new.
Ultimo Coffee. Wow, now this place was a seriously amazing coffee shop. And I'm a tea drinker. (Their tea was just ok, but the atmosphere was an 11 on a 1-10 scale.)
We sat for hours studying the Bible, sipping our hot beverages. It was glorious.
If you notice the picture at the bottom of this post, it's how they brew your coffee. They place a filter in a cup, pour the grounds in, pour hot water over the grounds and it steeps into your cup. Ok, wow. Now that's cool!
Side note not about coffee: For Dave and I it always takes a weekend alone to remember that we love each other and that we're on the same team. It's like we fall in love all over again! There's no one nagging you or clawing for your attention while you're trying to have a conversation. It's weekends like the one we just had that are so clutch in keeping our marriage strong. So thank you Al & Marilyn, and Bob & Linda for helping to facilitate that. Thank you.

This is their process for individually brewing your coffee. (WHOA!)

The perfect touch

 Our old curtains needed some serious help. (not pictured) They were just sad. They add anything to the room at all. I had just had them up until the right thing at the right time for the right price came my way.
Well Saturday was the right time, shower curtains from West Elm were the right things. Also I had a gift card, plus they were on sale, which made them the right  price.
I didn't want to buy something to hang the curtains so I thought about what I could reuse. I had some fabric scraps in the basement and one was the right color. I cut 1in strips and tied them around my tree branch curtain rods. (Can you tell I'm obsessed with nature?)
I am CRAZY about them! I love them so much. They add so much to the room. I love waking up to the colors and the beautiful pattern.

Easter Egg craft

The really nice Pinterest version

I saw these on Pinterest and thought they looked easy enough. They are, but our didn't turn out as perfect. I made 18 of these for Lilia's preschool Spring Party last week. I thought it would be fun with the kids helping me, but not so much. You have to paint them well (fill in all the spots), use markers and a hot glue gun. I enjoyed it at least!

Painted egg cartons 

Our finished product

Outdoor Things to do in Philly

One of our family values is "fun." On the weekends we like to get out and explore the city. Dave has compiled a list of things to do in Philly. We'd like to share it with you in hopes that you discover a new part of the city and fall in love! (I've created each listing to link to their website so just click on it and learn more about it.)

Smith Playground
Rittenhouse Square
Franklin Square

Elfreth's Alley

Kelly Drive/Boat House Row
The Azalea Garden
The Horticulture Center
The Japanese House
Bartram's Garden
Fabric Row
Antique Row
Elfreth's Alley
Italian Market
Navy Yard
Philadelphia Zoo
China Town (We loved Lee How Fook's pan-fried chicken with lemon sauce or E Mei Resturant)
Taney Park (This is mostly a big, wonderful playground.)
Penn's biopond
Penn's Landing
John Hines Wildlife Refuge (It's located across the highway from the airport, but the park is huge and worth checking out at some point.)

WELL OUTSIDE OF CENTER CITY

Morris Arboretum  (Free entrance with a Penn ID card)
Cynwyd Hertiage Trail
Wissahicken Valley Park (I set the link up to Valley Green Inn because there is plenty of parking and you can choose from several different trails to hike, walk/run, or bike. We LOVE this place!)