When Easter Does Not Go As Planned!

Happy Easter!  Easter is one of those holidays that is just a little hard for me - at least these last few years.  Mr. M always has to work on Easter Sunday - sometimes a double shift - so I am always alone with the kids.  

Anyway, this year, I vowed it would be different!  Grandma Pat was supposed to come down yesterday to spend the weekend with us.  But then on Friday, I got strep throat - and wow, that's just not something I want to expose anyone to unnecessarily.

So, with Mr. M working long hours all weekend, I have been alone with the kids - shut off from the world, and surviving.  Not thriving.  At the moment, just surviving.  ;-) 

Yesterday, I turned Barney on for the girls on the computer so I could clean up - and I had to take a picture because they all sat and watched it together - for like TWO whole minutes!  Hahaha.




This is earlier in the week.  Ginger and Violet having a moment - they love each other so much. They were dancing together:




Ginger with her unstoppable energy.  She just goes and goes and goes!



This was last Monday, right before I had to wake up Violet to take Paprika to piano lessons.  She was sleeping soooo peacefully.  I even video'ed her sleeping - I don't think I did that with the other girls when they were babies.  So sweet!






With Mr. M working long hours, Daisy has been my little companion.  Everywhere I step, she's right there beside me.  She turns 2 in two weeks - I think we will have to have a birthday party for her!  ;-)







Baby Violet was playing the "one for you, one for me" game with Daisy.  She was just feeding her pretzels, so I let them bond over their mutual love of carbs.





Flowers from Ginger.  She makes me the most gorgeous bouquets every single day.  :-)





On Thursday, we stopped at the beach on the way to get Paprika at school.   We sat in the van with the windows rolled down and watched the surf roll into the shore.  You can almost hear the ocean from Paprika's classroom.  Lucky girl.  ;-)




Thursday night Paprika's swim team had a party  - so Mr. M took Ginger and Paprika, and they swam for two hours straight!  While they were at the party, Baby Violet and I went to the beach.  I had this great plan to walk on the pier and just hold her in the Ergo.





But Baby Violet wanted nothing to do with being in the Ergo.  She wanted to run. She kept pointing to the ocean and exclaiming:  Beach!  Beach!





So, I took her down to the beach and let her run.  She had the best time.  She kept running up to the waves, holding out her hands and yelling "Stop!"  Like she was going to stop the waves.  This girl believes he can do anything...  :-)  She kept running straight into the water, and I would swoop in and save her at the last minute before she got drenched.  I got soaked - but she stayed dry!




She had the best time running, and did not want to go home.  We stayed until dark - but then it was time to go home!  I had her say goodbye to the sand, to the water, to the birds, to the pier, to the people...and she waved and said goodbye to them all.  It was the sweetest thing.



On Friday, Paprika went to a classmate's birthday party - it was at 9am at the park.  How we managed to get Paprika to a 9am birthday party, well, I think it's a small miracle.  Haha.

So those are little highlights from the past week - at least the ones I captured on my cellphone camera!

Grandma Pat is coming down later this week for an Easter do-over.  :-)  As for me, I am hoping to feel better SOON - resting as much as I can - and enjoying Easter in my own way.  I guess after these past few years of being alone on Easter, I should start to think of it as a tradition.  ;-) 

I have spent my downtime these past few days reading about Jesus, the Resurrection, and all of the traditions surrounding Easter.  I am learning, growing, seeking, and finding.  I guess that is a pretty great Easter gift right there.

Happy Easter!

Crazy Adventures In The Middle Of The Night!

Today is Tuesday, which for me is the start of our weekend because of Mr. M's schedule on DWTS.  Except, if I talk about how excited I am that it's Tuesday Night...(not Friday night)...people look at me a little funny.  ;-)

So, our "weekends" (Wednesdays and Thursdays) are pretty packed usually - okay, always.  We inevitably try to fit in a gazillion park trips, errands, something cultural, plus all the regular stuff like Paprika's school, homework, and swim team. 

These pictures are all from last "weekend" (Wednesday/Thursday).  I guess I am a little behind!  Haha.

One of our favorite playtime rituals is to turn the music up and dance before bedtime. The girls love playing dress-up ballet in the living room and dancing to the music on the keyboard.  We have our own little dance studio happening now.  ;-)

I love watching the girls dance, and sometimes I can be persuaded to dance, too...just not in a pink leotard!  Hahahaha.



Playing at the park with Daddy.  Their favorite games to play with him are Wicked King and Hide and Go Seek.  Anything that gets them all running a lot is pretty awesome to get their energy out - but let's be serious...with my girls, nothing tires them out.  Nothing!




We squeezed in a trip to the library...even though it was really so that I could go talk to the librarian about the books we can't find.  I could have SWORN I turned them in on time...but you know how that goes.  ;-)  This is one reason I try to avoid checking out books (I know that sounds horrible) - but at this stage, my little swiper Violet is apt to lose a book or destroy it instead of READ it.  Ha!



Whenever I pick up Ginger, baby Violet practically LEAPS into my arms.  We were dancing around the kitchen when Mr. M reminded me that we had promised Paprika we'd go to the Griffith Park Obeservatory...at 8 PM...on a school night.   I'm like:  Are you serious?! 



So, we did!  We went back to the Griffith Park Observatory again (second week in a row).  Paprika really really wanted to go (she keeps saying it's her favorite place on Earth).  The Observatory is open until 10pm, so we got in the van and made the trek.

The girls were so excited.  Because it was a weeknight, we practically had the whole place to ourselves this time.


































We stayed until the Observatory closed!  Eeek!  Then we got home and remembered that Paprika hadn't done her homework yet (due the next day).  So at midnight, I was up with Paprika doing her homework.  Parents of the YEAR, I tell ya! ;-)

But I would like to think that our girls remember these crazy adventures we have - and that it's more important to sometimes be spontaneous, throw caution to the wind, and live life a little less ordinary.  I don't ever regret the times we get out of the house - sometimes it seems like those are the BEST times because I'm able to be completely present.

I mean, I am also present at home - but when we go to the park, or out on a little Field Trip - I am reminded to be WITH my kids - and not worry about the dishes that need to be done, or getting everyone bathed, clothed, fed, etc. 

I know it's a balance, and I am constantly dancing that dance - and hopefully learning the moves as I go!  :-)


The End!

Girls' Weekend!

Mr. M is back working at DWTS - so that means that he is working every weekend.  Since the show airs on Mondays and Tuesdays, the weekends are some of their busiest times getting ready.  It's a little surreal to me for most everyone else to have their weekends "off" and for me, they are just regular days - except of course that there is no school! 

So - I kinda feel off-kilter for a few weeks when DWTS starts up, just getting used to the schedule being thrown.

But, I am finding that with three little ones, the schedule is always kinda getting thrown...if you know what I mean!  Ha!





Even so, we kept ourselves well entertained and busy.  Paprika had a birthday party to attend on Saturday - surprise, surprise! Ha!  I thought it was another day, and then last minute realized that I had the day wrong.  Oops!  But it all worked out in time.

Ginger went over to Paula's house for most of the party, since just Paprika was invited to the party.  Ginger had the best time - they made frosted cupcakes (with sprinkles!) and Paula read Ginger all her great children's books.  Ginger had the time of her life and was so sad to go pick up Paprika at the party.  Haha! 

The party was nearby at an aerial gymnastics studio (think Cirque du Soleil).  They had lots of activities for the kids, including trapezes and flying using silks.  Paprika is afraid of heights (truly) - so she was pretty apprehensive about all that.  But she did have fun with all the games they played on the ground (which was most of the party). 

This is the little card that Paprika made all on her very own for the birthday girl:



And the inside:




The girls played in the backyard a lot this weekend and brought me flowers every two seconds.  Many of the flowers were dandelions - haha.  But they were so beautiful just the same.  This was my Friday afternoon bouquet - by today (Sunday), the cup was filled with flowers.  I just keep adding to the floral arrangement.  Can any florist top this?  I don't think so! ;-)



Lunchtime Quesadillas (note Violet still in her pajamas - that's how we roll on these lazy Sundays):







After weeks of rearranging things in the "guest bedroom" - we now have a little "office" for Paprika.  My quiet, thoughtful, introverted artist needs some space of her own - so we set aside this corner for her when she needs a place to think and create.  This is especially true for homework - she had been doing that at the dining room table, and that was NOT working with the three ring circus going on around her (Ginger, Violet and Daisy!)  ;-)

The painting on the left is by my mom (present to Paprika when she was 2) - and the painting on the table is by my brother, Robbie, when he was 6 or so.  We are working on a better desk...but so far we haven't found the right one, and we had this table in the garage and well...it works great!



Paprika spent a few hours this morning making a little bag of gifts for Riley.  She wrote her a book, made a bookmark, and a few other surprises.  Here is the little letter she wrote - I had to take a photo of it :




Today (Sunday), I took the girls to the park for a little fresh air and change of scenery.  Plus, I had just cleaned my whole house and I wanted it to stay clean for more than ten minutes...which doesn't happen when we are home.  Ha!





I love catching these two having their moments together.  So much love:



Ginger has really stepped up to be a big sister to Violet - she loves pushing her on the swings, and I can't help but think it was just a blink ago that Paprika was pushing a baby Ginger on the swings:




We stayed until sunset.  It was too pretty to leave!




Ginger insisted on wearing her ballet outfit and shoes to the park.  She loves her fashion and knows just what she wants to wear.  Paprika thought Ginger looked so cute, so she took a photo of her with her camera.  So, I had to take a photo of Paprika taking a photo.

My photo:




Paprika's photo:



Hanging out in bed:



And, last but not least...Goodnight!




The End!