Nightime Ritual

Even though Marci goes to bed earlier than Osten, we usually manage to have some time together to read books. Boy do they both love books! And Marci's new bed is a real hit right now, too. We haven't yet given it a whirl, but we have high hopes for this weekend.

As luck would have it, I was able to catch them in a good-night hug!

They even posed for two shots! (Don't be fooled by Marci's grin. She was in full-blown hysterics just minutes earlier in the tub when I removed the band-aids from her arm that had been there for DAYS!! She would not turn off the tears, and I finally broke down and gave her two new ones. She is developing quite the reputation at school for her first-aid accessories!)

Brace Yourself (formerly entitled Double Suspension)

So, we were getting ready for school this morning, and Osten decided to wear suspenders (a/k/a braces). He also decided that Marci needed a pair, too.

Of course, she was all for it! And well, it was Daddy's turn to take the kids to school this morning, so what the heck??!! (As it turns out, they paraded around the house in them and then stripped them off at the back door just as they were leaving!)

All Aboard!

We met Osten's friend, Billy, at the local train museum on Sunday and took a ride aboard a restored steam engine. Billy brought along his hat and some juice boxes and cereal bars in his Mickey Mouse lunchbox, and he looked like he was packed for a real trip!

We also toured a restored executive train car . . .

. . . and gave an old hand-crank train a try!

We even found some old luggage, and the boys had a big time hiding in it.

Noodle Fest

I made my favorite stir-fry for dinner tonight, and it was the first time the kids tried it. It was a real noodle fest!

Of course, noodles were EVERYWHERE, but it certainly made for a memorable, fun and successful meal.

In all of their noodle madness, they snarfed down their weight in whole-grain pasta (which I plan to pass off as the real deal for as long as I can get away with it!), carrots, broccoli and chicken.

Of course, I still haven't finished cleaning the kitchen, but luckily Wrigley is also a fan of stir-fry, so she's already worked her magic on the kitchen chairs and floor.

Sprinkles

Ah, the joy of sprinkles. They even make vanilla yogurt fun. We've started using them this week to help Marci practice her colors. Here Osten gave her the last of the jar. They both had a big time stirring the sprinkles into their yogurt and "sprinkling" them on the floor. Sigh . . . !!

Color Me Pink!

Guess who's become a fan of coloring??!! (She also digs bandaids!!)

And every color is pink!! She will reluctantly say "yellow," but she is definitely a pink fan.

Record Deal

At $1 a piece, I couldn't resist these recorders at Wal-mart yesterday. The kids broke into an instant duet!

There was quite a jam session in the kitchen followed by a musical parade around the house. We may need to take this show on the road. Heck, there could be a record deal in their future!