Easter tradition.

I don't know if two years in a row makes it a tradition, but since we've kind of set it up that way for years to come (and renewed our zoo membership), we'll say that it does. Pretty sure Alla's favorite part was having our friends join us for the outing! Alla and Carter (R) and Canton (L) are best of friends.

After Fisher kissed this goat he said, "I wub goats!"

But, let's be honest, his most favorite part was the tractor ride to and from the farm area, and a close second will probably be the tractor just sitting outside of a barn for him to 'drive.'

Baby pigs just a few days old!

Until next year, my little hen. Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!

Our wee ones had a blast hunting for eggs in their jammies. I loved watching Big Sister scout them out from inside the house, then get everyone fired up to go out and find them. I loved witnessing her not steal them from her little brother, but run to one and then hand it over (in the end he had more because of her generosity). I loved how quickly Fisher caught on, how he'd put his basket down and run to an egg, dump one in, run to another one, repeat. The whole day was a lot for them - eggs, zoo, nap/quiet time, play outside, dinner, bath. It ended with near meltdowns. But I'm choosing to focus on the quiet fun of this morning. And maybe next year we should just hunt for eggs all day!

Friday Favorites.

Thought I'd share five favorites from California. This one was important to get. All three grandkids with Nana + Pappi. Fisher's excavator made it into the shot. That was the first thing he noticed about it, too!

And then there's the next two I really had to have. I don't remember the last picture taken of my brother and I with our Mom, but I love these. I wish we had the opportunity to take one like this on a regular basis, but then maybe because we don't, it makes these so special. On any given day, I look around and see my children and my husband, my community, my city, my friends, and feel connected to them in a way that says, This is where I belong. But when I look at these pictures I am reminded of where I came from. I look at my mother and my brother and see how they hold pieces of me that aren't here everyday, and that makes me feel such joy. I don't have a home to go back to, a childhood home that houses familiar objects and decades of memories. But I have a brand new photograph that brings all of those things right back to me in an instant.

Bunches and bunches of California.

Did you know that California is literally a wonderland of diggers? I mean they are just a-building every which way, and Fisher could not be happier that there were diggers around the corner from Uncle John and Aunt Jenn. I think he'd like to move there, just for the diggers.

He also liked the surprise birthday celebration.
It's hard to not enjoy watching your food-allergic diabetic child enjoy a perfectly safe birthday cuppycake.

It's also hard not to enjoy your little brother's birthday gifts. Vroom-vroom!

I didn't even try not to be jealous of the gorgeous white spring blooms. Wow.

The best part of a visit that involves other children is always bathing with them. Well at least to my daughter, not necessarily to my nephew.

Who is, by the way, SO cute.
And I can't get away from these photographs. Such lovely afternoon light.

Meet my nephew.

The kiddos are feeling much better today, which I could attribute to my incredible Mommy skills, but is most likely due to the surge of nice weather we're having (it's seventy degrees already!).

So let's get on with those California pictures.

Why did we go to California? Was it for the palm trees and sunshine? No, let's be honest, we just wanted to meet our nephew. It was lovely to see my brother and sister in law, and my mom and stepdad and have all of us together, la la la. But we really went to California to meet Ashton :)

My brother John and his first-born -
Ashton and his gorgeous Mommy, Jenn. Here's an interesting tidbit for those of you who've known me for many years: Jenn is, of course, Jennifer, and now her married name is Jennifer Fagan, which is my maiden name:) Ashton and his Aunt J.J. - Ashton and his Uncle Ron - Ashton and his Nana - What is the problem here? Going through these photos I realize I have a shot of Ashton with almost everyone, but none of Ashton with both of his parents. So I guess I'll be keeping the pre-wedding photo of them up on our wall for sometime.

Back soon with another batch of warm, sunshine-y pictures!

California on hold.

I have dozens of photos from our recent (ok, we've been back for almost two weeks now) trip to California, but the kiddos woke up with yucky colds this morning, so California is on hold for now. For now I'll share this one, a gem because it will always remind me of late afternoon California sunshine, and also because I didn't realize how much I took that happy smile for granted until this morning when it wasn't there. I'll be staring at this picture until her smile comes back from the depths of this wragged cold. Until then...

Ten on Tuesday: Birthday recap!

1. Birthdays are for surprises. For two year olds, who really don't even know what a birthday is, the whole entire day is awesome to plan because everything is special.

2. I left this gift outside his room so that when he woke up he'd find it, and as I'm looking at these I think I might be more happy looking at my daughter who is genuinely overjoyed to discover what this first gift is for her brother.3. His very own Mighty Machines DVD to watch on his birthday!4. The day before his birthday it was like 61 so they got to have marshmallows on the deck after lunch, which he then expected would happen on his birthday. Not so, with it being thirty degrees cooler. They settled for marshmallows anywhere.5. Birthday detritus.

6. The good thing about birthdays is that no matter who the gifts are for, both kids get to enjoy them.

7. Insert 5:46 pm official time of birth shot here. Mama didn't remember until six thirty-six. So I took this one.

8. And this one.

9. So I'll just choose one and put "5:46" on it, call it a day. Mama guilt sorta-over.

10. The next morning, Fisher opened the rest of his presents. Not sure if it's Fisher or Daddy enjoying the remote control recycling truck more?

We had a lovely birthday with you, Fisher Bisher:)

Joining the fun.

Guess who's just enjoyed his first Muffin Tin Monday?

And guess who gave him the muffin tin, as a special gift for his birthday? One little girl, one sweet sister, who wanted to share these special Mondays with her best friend.

My son is two.

Luckily I had this picture from our trip last week, saving me from uploading photos at the end of an exhausting, celebratory day.

Back to it, though, my son is two today. Two years old.

He's so very two. Feisty. Wants what he wants, when he wants it, lives in the moment. Says 'no' about a hundred and fifty million times a day. Awesome.

He stopped in the middle of playing with new birthday toys today, because on his birthday playlist I had put 'That's Not My Name,' and he just had to dance.

I just love this kid. He will smack you on purpose one minute, and the next he's giving you a tight squeeze with his arms and legs wrapped around you cause he can't stand to be away from you. (I like those moments better than the ones where I get smacked on purpose.)

He has favorite songs and books and toys and likes. I did not expect this. I know, I have a four year old so I've been through this ages and stages things, but I just expected him to be a bigger baby at this point. He is so much more, and I'm so amazed and surprised by him every day. I can't wait to see him each morning, to snuggle him and feel how warm he is and keep him close as long as he'll lay, until he's too ready to go go go on with his day.

I know what he'll go straight to in the morning: the new trash truck, which he's filled with tiny pieces of paper and a quarter. And then we'll eat breakfast, and then he'll want to watch Wall-E cause it's the weekend and that's when kids get to watch movies around here. But he won't watch the whole thing, cause he's two and he's never made it through a whole movie before.

I love the little bits of him.

I'm not so jazzed that he's two instead of one, but if my son has to be two years old, then I'm happy to say I've got the best two year old son.

Yesterday, today, tomorrow.

Yesterday: got to be the special reader in Alla's class. I read two of her favorite books: That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown and Billy Twitters and His Blue Whale Problem.Yesterday our family went out to dinner for the first time as a family since September 2008. Yes, you read that right - 2008! This momentous occasion probably deserves a post all its own. At 5:30 pm I had a salmon in the oven and brown rice in the rice cooker, when suddenly the power went out. At 5:50 it was still off, so we called our friends to see if they wanted to go to Red Robin. Ten minutes later we were in the car, without really thinking about it.

What's to think about, you say? LOTS: what will Fisher eat that is allergen-free? Will they make french fries in a separate fryer, because once he sees the other kids with them, he'll want them, too. How will I be able to figure out how many carbs are in his meal?

Fisher, for all intents and purposes, had never been to a restaurant. Last time, in September 2008, he was not yet eating solid food. I don't think he even knew what to expect - that they BRING YOU FOOD!

To answer the questions: yes, they cook french fries in a dedicated allergen-free fryer. The manager brought them out herself. The hamburger was just plain meat, no fillers. The manager brought us a print-out of their gluten-free menu, as well as a carb count for the french fries. It was completely enjoyable!

Today: I sauteed red onion and spinach and placed this in corn tortillas with a triangle of babybel cheese for lunch. No, not for the kids - for ME:)

Today: I dug through my stash of gift bags and packed us each a "junkful" (as Alla would say) of food (Fisher's all carb-counted and labeled) because...

Tomorrow: we get to meet Ashton, my nephew!

See you next [birthday] week!

Excuse me, sir.

Fisher loves this game, one Daddy invented a long time ago. It goes something like this - Fisher says, "Call Fisher," and we do it like this...

Excuse me, sir, have you seen my son? He has brown hair, brown eyes...

...two dimples...

...he's about this tall...

...and he has the silliest laugh. Do you want to hear his laugh? (Then we tickle him. He laughs.)

There's my Fisher!

Ten on Tuesday.

1. Maybe this will just be a Ten on Tuesday blog?

2. The thermometer officially says forty degrees. Although our snowman is still hangin' on out there in the front yard, Alla told me yesterday that 'his buns-hons melted.' So sad.

3. So, the problem with forty degrees, if you can see a problem with it being a balmy forty degrees on March 2nd, is that at five o'clock I'm outside watching my children delight in the joys of puddles and riding a bike for the first time in four months, instead of making dinner.

4. I need someone to make dinner every afternoon at five o'clock, so I can be outside with my kids.

5. Fisher came into bed with me yesterday morning and when I asked him if he was my Snugga-Bugga, he told me, Bess mommy. Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

6. Meet my handsome husband.

7. Doesn't he have a great smile?8. Both kids fell asleep at random times on Sunday. Fisher in my lap while reading a book to Alla.9. It was like when he was a newborn and so asleep that nothing could wake him and I could lift him up and watch his head fall to one side, while he slept on undisturbed.10. After Fisher's nap he gets to watch Mighty Machines, which is usually equally compelling for Alla. Not this one, I guess. I don't remember the last time she napped.

Ten on Tuesday.

1. An old friend forwarded me a recipe from Catherine Newman, who I'd lost touch with after the folding of Wondertime. I'm so glad to find her again, and am digging through all of her food files. Everything I've ever made of hers is Yum.

2. I have never roasted a chicken, but would like to.

3. It is getting awful close to Fisher's second birthday.

4. Suddenly he's noticing ABCs everywhere, and singing them, too. The poor second child has no completely intact alphabet puzzle to his name, however, so I put up a poster just for him. Then I checked that off the list, figuring he would just go about his day, and at least I could say it was there! But he really did go over and point to it and say random letters several times today. Score 1 for Mom.

5. We are eagerly awaiting a letter in the mail that will decide where Alla attends kindergarten next year.

6. A friend got me some body butter that has since run out but I'm hooked and must find more.

7. I love Shea Terra stuff, most especially the Shea Nilotica for my face. Super moisturizing, a little goes a very long way, and there's always a coupon code. Right now it's 30% off!

8. Fisher said this weekend, I love it when Daddy's home.

9. Which he certainly was not last week, all week, having gone on vacation to Puerto Rico. The nerve.

10. I'm kidding.