observation day

Now we know where she gets that swagger. Today was "observation day" at Scout's dance school, so I was able to see first hand where she picked up that little sashay in her step...

I must say, though, watching four year-olds swish around the studio is almost as much fun as watching four year-olds on the soccer field. Scout has her first recital in a month, and I can't wait to see how this goes down. I'm more nervous at the thought of hair and make-up (gasp!) preparation than whatever could possibly go wrong on stage (because is there really anything this age group can do wrong...or right?).

a bug's life

We've been waiting for a rainy afternoon in Austin for Tillie to work on her bug costume that arrived this month as part of the Koala Crate subscription her cousins gave her for her birthday. Although there have been several threats of rain recently, in true Austin fashion, the rain has not come to fruition (at least not during the waking hours).

By Saturday mid-morning--after Scout's drizzly soccer game--I announced it was officially rainy enough to bring out the box and make a bug. Tillie was thrilled. She was so excited about the project that she even let her siblings help "decorate" the cape. Once it was time to put it on and run around the house pretending to be a bug, however, Tillie forgot all about the whole sibling cooperation thing. She insisted she was the only bug in the house (except the one that Catcher reminded us we "caught" earlier that morning). She was a pretty cute bug; I wouldn't squash her.

view from the top

Almost as exciting as Catcher losing his first tooth this week was the girls getting a bunk bed. And almost as exciting as getting the bunk bed was the three children and me assembling the bunk bed. Not to brag, but Catcher and I did most of the work while the girls jumped around on the mattresses laid out on the floor. It took us a little more than three hours from start to finish, but that time could have been cut in half if I hadn't started the project by screwing one of the guardrails to the wrong side three times in a row (thank you, Catcher, for keeping count).

The bed felt a bit "woggoly" (Tillie's word) at first, but I counted all the pieces before we put it together--a first for me--and there wasn't anything left over, so I figured we were good. I was first to climb to the top. I told the girls it was because I wanted to make sure it wasn't too woggoly, but the truth is that I'm the younger sister, so I was always on the bottom in childhood bunk bed scenarios. I wanted a view from the top. It was pretty sweet; I totally get why Tillie wants to sneak up there. However, this is technically Tillie's first "big girl bed" (excuse the lame expression) now that she's free from the toddler bed, so she ended up having a ball on the bottom bunk when she was exiled from the top.

first one out

It is no exaggeration when I say this is the most exciting thing to happen around here this week. And I might have gotten a little misty-eyed in the moment:

With no training or preparation I have suddenly become the tooth fairy. I haven't studied the market and have no idea what the going rate for a bottom baby tooth is these days. Anyone?

easter shenanigans

Before snapping this picture of Catcher--the girls were not cooperating...neither was he, I guess--on our way to the Capitol before church for the great Easter butterfly release we did this:

woke up early and raced around the house searching for the 30 eggs the Easter Bunny strategically hid in the living and dining rooms (side note: there is still one egg missing because the Easter Bunny doesn't remember every place the Easter Bunny hid an egg at 11:00pm last night). It was a chilly and drizzly morning, and it honestly felt more like Christmas than Easter inside our dark house when Catcher came sneaking upstairs to wake me at 6:30. It's amazing the fervor a little egg hunt can create...

After our living room egg hunt and after breakfast (after candy appetizers) and after releasing butterflies on the Capitol lawn, I never managed to get that adorable Easter photo of the compliant children dressed in their Sunday best. I suppose we'll have to remember Easter 2015 as the year Tillie put on bunny ears and licked Peep sugar from the floor (it happened).

another day, another egg hunt

Since we like to take holidays to the extreme when given the opportunity, we couldn't pass up an invitation to Alex's stepmother's mother's (you got that?) retirement community for another egg hunt this morning. There was all the usual pomp and circumstance you would expect from an Easter extravaganza--giant bunny, ponies, face (or arm if you wish) painting, balloon animals (or baskets), candy, cotton candy, cookies, cupcakes and bunch of kids running around wild amongst the old folks. Alex was nervous that toddlers would careen with walkers and cause mass destruction, but the wildest thing that happened to us was having Tillie step in pony poop.

I'm going to overlook the fact that all my children had for lunch today was cupcakes and cotton candy. I'm also going to blame the sugar load for their terrible attitudes this afternoon and hope that tonight they will all sleep the grumpies away. Then I will quietly remind myself that we haven't even made it to Easter yet. I hope the Easter bunny brings healthy treats this year. Except Peeps. I wouldn't mind having some Peeps myself.