The Kiwi

Tonight at dinner we ate a kiwi. I can't remember if I've ever shared a kiwi with my kids before. I think of the kiwi as a rather exotic fruit, one that should be appreciated and savored. Two-year-olds and four-year-olds do not appreciate. They first snarf & then drool. So tonight, I held the small fruit up to the children and asked them what color they thought it was on the inside. I got no response, so I prompted them by saying, "It's a nice brown color on the outside, what color will it be on the inside?". Quinn said, "White.". Max nodded and said, "White.". I turned to Mae who goes, "Hmmmm, pink.". I smiled, cut the kiwi in half and Quinn yelled, "GREEN!". The other two were equally impressed at the emerald color. I passed out slices to everyone and they popped them in their mouths (Quinn reluctantly, as he had said just seconds before that he was sure he didn't like it....). After a few chews Max said he liked it. A few more chews and Quinn calls out, "I like kiweed, Ma!". Kiweed. I hope that one sticks. :)

Easter Fun

Easter did happen in Minnesota early April.....

I tried several times to get the kids to look at me while holding their newly-found Easter baskets, but the sticky Peeps, speckled jelly beans and chocolate covered marshmallow bunnies were too much for the little munchkins. Mae does get the award for "best effort" in most photos, the boys weren't even acknowledging my existence.

Can't you just hear Quinn's excited kid-growl-grunt over this amazing candy carrot?

We hid eggs in the backyard and around the house for the kids to find Saturday morning. The earth was still very much asleep at Easter time, so it was fun to see some egg-shaped splashes of color hiding in the bushes or in a hole in the ground, which is where Quinn and
Max are headed in this photo.

We did have a few green sprouts on the side of the yard to
hide a plastic egg in. I discovered that yellow eggs in
green flower stems are tricky to see.
Great hiding spot for a two-year old.
Mike captured this darling moment with Mae.
There was magic in the twins eyes when they found an egg.

The children and I found some plastic camouflage eggs at the store and decided they were just the thing for Daddy. He could spot a brightly colored egg from a great distance, but a green, black, brown camo egg?? Not so easy. :) I hid the eggs in his favorite spot, the garage.

We had fun watching him find all 8 eggs. I'm pleased to say that I stumped him with one of the eggs
for a good 5 (maybe 3) minutes!

Trying something new

It's supposed to be 78 degrees in Rochester today. 78! So I decide that it's time to truly break out the shorts and short-sleeved shirts for the kids. The Twins were totally on board with me. New clothes! I can see my knees! I have elbows?! Rushing air on my legs, strange, but nice!

Quinn on the other hand was not so OK with giving up his winter shirts and pants. When I pulled the spring/summer clothes out last week, he about had a heart-attack, "She's going to make me wear something....different! ARGH!!!". So, this morning I put three short-sleeved shirts out for him and left him (gnashing, crying and complaining) in the front room to choose. I made sure his trusty old jeans were part of his ensemble (don't rock the boat TOO much) and headed to the kitchen to pour some cereal. When I next checked on him, he was hiding behind the rocker, slowly putting one tenative arm through the short-sleeved shirt. I smiled and went to add milk to our Quaker Oatmeal Squares. He emerged from hiding, fully dressed, and gave me a small, un-sure smile. The short-sleeved shirt was on! This 4-year old has sucessfully conquered a major fear! Seasons can change, wardrobes may alter, but life is still safe and good. (sniff) He makes a Mama proud. :)





I am totally lovin' Max in this little sweater vest. He reminds me on his fashionable Uncle Marty. Shout out to you, Marty!

Little Ones, growin' Bigger

We turned TWO on March 28th!
Can you tell that Mama told us to, "Get close! Put your heads together!"??

We had a Rubber Ducky Birthday Party (the Rubber Ducky theme was a success for Quinn's 4th b-day on March 9th, so I thought, Hey, let's do 'er again!). Mike whipped up this fabulous birthday cake filled with our new favorite thing, ganache. We made Cafe Rio salads and drank fresh lime 7-Up drinks.

The Party Guests; Lindsay and Tyler

More Party Animals; Ryan and Kamrie

Max & Mae relaxing and reading a few of their new birthday books with Daddy.

Our one game was pin the beak on the ducky. It was so cute to see these little kids put on a sleeping mask, hold a cardboard beak, spin around until dizzy and walk/stumble towards a yellow paper duck tacked to our closet door. We all laughed when Mike or Ryan pinned the beak on the opposite wall or way too high! Dads are funny people, we love them! We were going to dance to the Ducky Song (really the Chicken Song/Dance, you know the one) but the kids were happy just playing with friends, so it ended up being a pretty low-key, easy birthday party.

Happy Birthday Max & Mae!
You continue to be Double the Fun!