Today at school we celebrated Madi and Emma’s Special Day. Madi and Emma were born in July and because their birthday falls over the summer, we celebrated it at school today. The girls were very excited about their special day and the crowns they got to wear and bring home. Teacher Christi also shared special information about each one and then we all sang them the “Special Day” song.
Chad and I had great lobster roles last weekend when we went to Frank’s Oyster House for dinner. They were so good, Chad had the great idea of making our own yesterday. We went and picked up 3 live lobsters, steamed them and made dinner. The girls love looking at lobsters or anything that has to do with lobsters. Emma really had fun watching daddy, tasting the lobster and picking them up. Madi liked to look and watch from her perch a few feet away.
This afternoon I was having a hard time keeping the girls entertained and happy. For the last 10 days, Daddy has been with us and today was the first day of going it alone. They woke up from their naps a little cranky and the afternoon began to drag on. I was ready to put them to bed at 6:00, I could have sworn it was already 8:00. I finally resorted to the dreaded playdoh. I tried to convince them to do it outside on the deck, but it was a no go. I just hate the mess of the tiny playdoh crumbs every where. Anyhow, Madi began walking across the kitchen with playdoh on a spoon saying she wanted to go downstairs. There was no way I was going to let her take playdoh down to the basement where it would get smashed in the carpet. So, I had the brilliant idea of bringing their little play kitchen up. I brought just the stove/sink part up and they happily cooked playdoh treats for quite a while. The best part was Madi’s attire. Madi has been known to give us quite a few laughs with the outfits she puts together. This afternoon it was no different. She was running around in her swimsuit top and a bare bum. Then she added the apron and chef’s hat to cook up her creations. 
This past weekend we celebrated my 33rd birthday. I still can’t believe how fast the years seem to fly by. On Saturday night, the girls went to Autie Katie’s and Uncle Ryan’s for a sleep over. Chad and I went out for a fantastic dinner at Frank’s and enjoyed the best lobster rolls before coming home to a quiet, empty house. Sleeping in my own bed and not having to worry about the girls in the morning was the best birthday gift ever. I slept in until 9:00 then Chad and I went to breakfast before picking up the girls. Later in the afternoon, Katie, Ryan, Kendra, Steve, Nana and Papa came over for a casual cookout. The girls had fun planting flowers with Nana and running around before helping me blow out the candles on my peanut butter pie. It was a wonderful birthday. I am so lucky and fortunate to have such a loving family to spend it with.
Last week, the four of us took off for a sunny week in Palm Springs. Thanks to the Karhan family we were set up in a great two bedroom unit with a wonderful pool set up and golf course next door. Chad was able to get up early and get a couple of rounds of golf in. The girls spent many hours in the pools splashing around. Emma especially loved swimming and would wake up and state “ I go swimming”. With the help of her ladybug puddle jumper swim jacket, she swam all by herself and loved every second of it. 
We had a great Easter. Nana, Papa, Auntie Kendra and Steve came over for brunch. The Easter Bunny snuck in and left the girls lots of treats. The sun even managed to shine for a little while, long enough for us to hunt for eggs outside.
Last Wednesday the girls and I headed north with some friends to Mt. Vernon to see the beautiful tulips in bloom. It ended up being a beautiful day, the sun was shining and the flowers were all out. Madi and Emma of course were in perfect 2.5 year old mode. They didn’t want to cooperate for my camera or follow any of my directions. I still managed to snap a couple cute ones. Someday they will learn they need to sit pretty and smile for my camera, right?
