Soaring

Today was a big day for our little girl. Aurora got her first Soaring Cardinal Award at Valley View!

She got the "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" Award, which was pretty exciting. The Principal stood on stage with Aurora and read the award word for word. So, you get it word for word too:

"Aurora, I can't tell you that you're going to be great one day, because you already are! You are a great reader, a fantastic artist, a wonderful writer, and a helpful friend to your peers.

With your inquisitive spirit, you have found the joy in learning and you know that reading can take you anywhere you want to go, including the deep sea, the country of Indonesia, and even outer space. You SOAR each and every day at Valley View and I love your enthusiasm and smile.

You have a wealth of knowledge and confidences that will take you far in life so don't ever give up and always reach for your highest dreams!

We are proud of you, Aurora and I'm so glad you're a Parolini Penguin!"

We certainly are proud of her too, and so glad she's a WADEY! We're also pleased that her award includes a free meal at All Star Burger and a free icee at Speedy Stop.

Fun

As predicted, Aurora spent just about all day Friday having fun with our neighbors, Vivi & Lizzy. Being that it was a snow day, we watched Ice Age and had hot cocoa.

Saturday morning I asked Aurora what she wanted to do, and she answered without hesitation - go to the Thinkery! We picked up Grandma & Grandpa and headed out. The weather was perfect so we walked around the pond next to the children's museum and Clark waved and said hello to every person, dog, and duck he saw. He didn't really want to pose for a picture, but he's such a sweet boy.

We had so much fun, and yes - our loving girl is just as sweet as her little brother. Of course, it's not all fun all the time with these two. I like having fun so I try to pack as much fun as possible into our days - but we do have our share of meltdowns. Aurora can be very sensitive and Clark knows how to throw a tantrum when he doesn't get his way. That said, I'm enjoying my time with them more than ever, even when they totally wear me out. I get so excited thinking about all the fun things we can do together during spring break, talking about potential birthday party themes, and even looking ahead to summer vacation. Being a kid is fun, but being a mom is probably the best thing ever.

Snow!

Today we woke up to a dusting of snow, lots of ice, news of 15-car pileups on multiple freeways, and school closures all over central Texas. We've definitely had more impressive snow and ice storms over the years, but hey - if we can all stay safe and warm at home together, I'll take it.

We actually had a special morning planned at Valley View which has been pushed to next Friday (yes, I'm leaving you in suspense!). Instead I foresee a day filled with neighbors, movies, laughing, crying, and perhaps a bit of working from home. Hooray for one day of winter in Austin!!! (this weekend temps will be back in the 70's).

3 Day Weekend

You already know how we spent most of our 3 day weekend - celebrating my mom's birthday! You probably won't be surprised to hear that we did a whole bunch more than that. Aurora had a Daisy troop meeting at this cool historic school house in Bee Caves, across from a pond and a new sculpture park that I had no idea even existed! There were tons of cool sculptures, but this was our favorite.

Actually, she told me that spending time with ME was her favorite! I'm pretty sure doing crafts with Presley was actually her favorite part of the morning. On Monday we took my folks to the aquarium. Clark is definitely a fan of the fish.

Then I took the kids to the Nature & Science Center to dig some dino bones. Aurora had a great time. Clark liked digging because Aurora was digging, but he doesn't really like getting dirty (huh?). He was happy to wipe the sand away and move on to some indoor activities.

Several of my friends have told me recently that they've never been to the Nature & Science Center, and it's one of our go-to fun, free activities. It makes me wonder what fun places our friends go that we haven't been; what other cool parks are out there that we don't even know exist! I'm hoping to find a few new places to explore during spring break and over the summer. Yes, I'm already planning that far ahead. Hey, we have to maximize our time off when it comes! If only every weekend was a 3 day weekend...

Happy Day

Today we had a great time getting ready for my mom's birthday. The whole family went food shopping, picked out a bouquet of flowers, I got her favorite soup going in the crock pot, Aurora and I baked and frosted a delicious cake, and we found some awesome party favors. Then Aurora and Clark made a great big birthday cake in the driveway that says "Happy Birthday Grandma" with sidewalk chalk. The angle may have been a little silly for picture taking, but I think she liked it.

We took a walk, we sang, we ate until we couldn't eat anymore, then we acted silly until bedtime. Aurora wanted to play truth or dare, which was an interesting idea for a party game. She dared my mom to have the best birthday party ever, and it sounds like she did! Tomorrow's a day off and we have a few more fun plans in the works. I hope it's just as happy as today was.

Happy Birthday Mom and Maren!

Family Meals

I just admitted it on Facebook, so now the world knows... after 14 years of being a vegetarian, I've started eating meat. Have I said that here on the blog? When I was breastfeeding Clark, I realized that I needed more protein - and it was right around the same time my folks moved to town and started having family dinners with us - so, I started adding meat the rotation. I don't eat meat at every meal or even everyday, but it's been interesting to have so many new options. I also have a new oven, microwave AND a toaster (thanks Santa!), so now that we're back to our hectic work and school schedules, I've decided that it's time to get serious about meal planning again.

For the first time in quite awhile I went shopping over the weekend for an entire week's worth of dinners with variations for the kids and leftovers for lunches:

Sunday - green apple, basil and mozzerella pizza with white bean and tomato soup
Monday - spaghetti with garlic and basil, garlic bread and asparagus
Tuesday - chicken fajitas with onion, peppers, spinach, tortillas and cheese
Wednesday - baked potatoes with chili, cheese, and onions
Thursday - mac & cheese with chili for the grown ups

These kids are picky eaters. They like quesadillas, chicken nuggets, grilled cheese, all kinds of fruit, and a few other things - but they're hungry right when we get home so prep has to be fast. For awhile, Clark was hating his high chair so mealtimes were a struggle regardless of what I served. I just got him a hook-on high chair which puts him right at the table, and it's been working out pretty well!

I really want to do better meal planning and prep every week so that mealtimes can be fast, easy, and delicious in 2014. If you have any tips, tricks, or recipes that have worked for you - let me know! What are your favorite go-to kid-friendly meals?

What a week

Last week was a little too busy to think much about taking pictures or blogging. I was sick for a week and a half, still went back to work, got through intern orientation, took down all the Christmas decorations, had my girlfriends over for the Bachelor premier, got Aurora off to school, celebrated Presley's birthday, and somehow found time to eat, sleep, clean, and shop. Oh, and we took baths.

At 17 months old, Clark is as sweet and happy as ever, but he has a LOT of energy. Baths are like this just about every night and he spends most of his days climbing, running, reaching, grabbing, throwing things, copying his sister, screaming and laughing. As hectic as the life of a working mom can seem, we have definitely reached the stage where I am glad that he's in daycare! Of course, along with all the chaos Clark is also a great sleeper. He loves his naps, loves sitting on my lap to read, and goes to bed easy. Obviously, the boy knows how to wear himself (and his family) out!

Clark can do it

Clark just started copying Aurora and and mimicking words and gestures. Just yesterday he tried to participate with this book for the first time (usually he just watches) but couldn't do this as well as he did tonight. It's too much fun watching him learn and develop. Oh, and his hair. It's cuter when we actually comb it after bath time. I've been considering cutting it, as it gets in his eyes and is starting to look a little like a mullet - but it's so cute long! What would you do?

New Years Party

Honestly, this week hasn't been much of a party. I've had a fever and sinus congestion and it's been miserable. My mom's been sick too - ugh! The upside is, well, a week of only having gatorade and soup means I did not gain any holiday weight! We still had a pretty fun New Year. On NYE Chuck woke me and Aurora up just before midnight so we could countdown and watch fireworks from our balcony. The next day Aurora went to a fun New Years party with some other kinder girls - without us! Our neighbors have twin girls who just turned 6 today and they took her for hours both yesterday and today for their birthday party. It was awesome! I napped, I showered, and I cleaned the house while Aurora partied the New Year away with her friends.

Daycare's been open much of the week so Clark's been going to school, which is great. My work's open now but I'm taking a couple of sick days and Chuck's working from home. Yup, we do know how to party! I'm not one for resolutions but I certainly wish you all a happy, healthy 2014.