mothers day

i had a really nice mothers day this year. we did something different. we left the family at home and just my mom and sisters got together. we went to the movies. we saw oz the great and powerful at the three dollar movie theater by my mom's house. i thought the movie was great. it has been a really long time since i have been in a movie theater and i was so excited to go. i didn't feel guilty at all leaving the kids behind with miles.

after the movie we had dinner at the yard house. yes, dinner and a movie! it is not a fancy place but the food is good and it has a nice atmosphere. they gave all the mom's a choice of a free dessert so we had a sample of each.

my kids are at an age now where they can make things for me. i love it. mason made me a sweet card with heart on it labeled with all his favorite things about me. they included playdates at the park, reading to him, and giving him healthy snacks. so sweet. dahlia made me a paper flower and gave me a plant that she decorated at the mommy and me day. connor gave me a big kiss and told me happy mothers day. i am so loved.

as for my mom, i found this pretty vintage apron and tea towel at sur la table. it was super cute. i also packaged little madeleine tea cakes with a custom tag for my mom and sisters. it was simple but sweet. happy mothers day!

mommy and me

dahlia had a mommy and me day at her preschool today. it was so cute. all the moms got to go to class for the last hour and spend time with their child.

there were various tables set up with crafts and projects. first we played with pink playdough cutting out shapes and decorating it with jewels. then there was another table set up with flowerpots for each child to decorate with markers and stickers. after you were done decorating you could take it outside to fill with a flower and some soil.

we enjoyed little chocolate chip cookies and pink lemonade for a snack. they had a painting station outside where dahlia painted a picture for me. we also looked at all her artwork around the room and played with some of the toys.

it was so sweet. i just love her school. it was such a fun day and i loved how proud she was to show me all the things she does there. i feel so lucky to have found such a wonderful school.

huntington gardens

we went to the huntington library today. we had tickets for their free day. jen and ray met us there with bodhi and kira. miles and i took dahlia and connor. poor mason was at school so he missed it. i got tickets for next month so he will be able to go then. it was crazy hot today. it was good we went first thing in the morning. by afternoon it was almost 100 degrees out.

we just walked around all the gardens. we never get to see the galleries. the kids are happy to be outside. it was beautiful. we went to the children's garden first. the kids love to play in the water and run through the rainbow tunnel. it has been a really long time since we have been there. we also walked around the chinese garden. connor loves to look at the koi fish.

i was so happy to go on an outing during the week. jen and ray stayed for the kids gym class and then we all had dinner together. it was such a fun day.

almost done

the treehouse is almost done. miles ran out of rope to finish off the front railing but other than that it is done. we let the kids play up there today. they tied a rope to a bucket and were pulling drinks up to the deck. so funny. miles is thinking now he will have to add a pulley and rope with a bucket so they have an easier time doing that. it was so fun to see them all playing together. they are so excited to have a treehouse. it is really pretty cool. you don't realize how high up it is until you get up there. you can see in the picture that it is pretty much level with the roof. yikes.

mason sings

mason's first grade class all sung today at the school assembly. i didn't get to go because it was at the same time that dahlia starts school. miles went and took video and pictures for me though. it was so cute. they sang this land is your land, america the beautiful, and it's a small world. they even sang a verse of it's a small world in japanese. mason sang the songs for me when i picked him up from school because i had missed the performance. he did not sing the japanese verse for me though. he said it was too hard.

school fair

we went to zena's school fair today. this is the last time we will get to go because next year she will be at a new school. she is in sixth grade. that is so hard to believe.

the kids had tons of fun. usually they don't want to play many games but this year they did almost all the games. they had so many stamps on their game card that they got to pick prizes before we left. we stayed until the very end. it was fun. even connor loved it. this year only dahlia wanted cotton candy. what a surprise. mason had some popcorn and connor didn't want any snacks at all. they had the most fun going on the various inflatable obstacle courses. connor went right along with mason and dahlia. it is nice that they are at an age where they can all do things together.

indoor picnic

dahlia has been obsessed with picnics lately. everyday she drags out the blanket and declares it is picnic time. today we switched things up and had a picnic on our kitchen floor.

she spread out the blanket and decorated the center with fake gold coins from our pirate bag. i filled little bowls with healthy snacks and the kids sat around eating and playing. who knew snack time on the floor could be so fun.