Happy Birthday, Papa!

Lincoln called Papa on the morning of his birthday to say, "Happy to youuuu, Papa!" Then he handed the phone over to Ava. Papa asked Ava how old she thinks he is and she guessed forty-five. Silly kids.

I know I've mentioned it before but Ava LOVES birthdays and celebrations in general. She couldn't wait to make Papa's birthday dessert. She wanted to make a bus cake for him because, "he just loves buses so much." We looked on the internet and decided to go with these school bus cupcakes instead.

She enjoys decorating cupcakes...

Focus....

Sugar high...

Ta da!

The finished product...

We went over to Honey & Papa's house for the big birthday dinner. It was an exciting night because this was their first time making Paella at home since their class last month! What fun!

Getting started...

Look at all those pretty colors!

Chris was the (handsome) time keeper...

Everyone helped...

Ta da!

Happy Birthday, Papa!

Snapshots

It's already been a super fun family weekend!

Nice enough weather for a bike ride...

And a walk downtown...

Such a gentleman...

Candy Land!

This was funny. We were in Target and I asked Lincoln (and Ava) to help me pick out a St. Patrick's Day card. He brought the one on the left over to Chris and said, "Ewww!"

Unfortunately, I didn't move fast enough to photograph him staring at the cover of Sports Illustrated and asking, "What's that?" True story.

Oh yeah, and he likes to stand just like Daddy...

Have I mentioned how nice it is to have Chris present on the weekends again? Hooray, again, for being done with his MBA! Phew...

Iron Chef

Look out, Mario and Bobby!  There's a new man in the kitchen!

Helper Parent II

I was helper-parent again in Ava's class!  Here are the pictures...

Having a helper-parent is a pretty big deal in this class; it means you get to be the Line Leader AND the Snack Helper!

They're like sponges just soaking up information and feeding their hungry brains...

Exercise 101...

Zsa Zsa!

Zsa Zsa was kind enough to come up and visit with us for her three-day President's Day weekend! We did all sorts of fun stuff...

We took a family trip to Freedom Park where there are miles and miles of hiking and biking trails and the botanical "Ellipse Garden" featuring more than 800 species of Virginia vegetation (most of which were dormant during our visit). The park is called Freedom Park because it's the site of one of the nation's earliest Free Black Settlements in America. It includes three historically accurate recreated cabins that are furnished with items authentic to the period (1803-1850).

This is Chris' self-portrait from the trail...proof that he was there, as he says (he had to know this was going to end up on the blog)...

Ridiculously adorable Lincoln among the pinecones (he really likes pinecones right now)...

The kiddies on the Freedom Park trail (I'm still pulling pine needles from Louis' velcro-like fur)...

We also walked over to our neighborhood playground and this is when Zsa Zsa learned about Louis' love for swinging (even if it made his sensitive little dog stomach vomit)...

Good times!

Birthday Present for Ava

We've been getting a lot of requests for birthday gift ideas for Ava. Here it is. This is what she wants. Seriously.

To learn more, click here.

Music

After about five classes Lincoln has finally warmed up to music class!  Now he actively participates and enjoys every minute!

When nature calls...

Lincoln has started learning the bathroom ropes...

Here's hoping it clicks...

Ava didn't get over the cold that we all had three weeks ago.  She ended up with a sinus infection.  She never complained but she seemed terribly uncomfortable.  As usual, she was a super trooper at the doctor's office.  

When Uncle Jeff asked Ava how it made her feel to know that she has a sinus infection she answered with, "Weird."

And, she picked out her outfit.  She's on a roll with those leggings!  

Field trip!

I was the helper-parent at Ava's school when we took a field trip!  Much to my excitement the trip was to a local restaurant.  We got a tour of the restaurant and the kitchen from the Executive Chef and then we got to make chips.  It was almost too much excitement in one day for me!  Ava had fun too.

the restaurant...  

the kitchen...

the walk-in fridge (of course, the boys weren't cold)...

following a recipe to make the seasoning for the chips...

teamwork...

shaking the seasoning and chips...

snack time (mmm, chips)...

I just love preschool!