Fun in the Sand

The girls have been enjoying the warmer evenings and playing in the sand. They make the best soup and chocolate ice cream! Lilly jumps right in with Gabby and they have a blast. The bottom picture is of our new playset. Not sure if we will be able to keep it in the current location but we are working on it.

Party Weekend

I think summer is rapidly approaching! We have been in the mid-80's and it is wonderful but the next 3 days are supposed to be in the 90's! YIKES - I'm not sure I'm ready for summer yet.  Gabby had a fun weekend full of parties. We had a birthday party for her good friend Aliza on Saturday - at Gabby's favorite place - Dewar's. Gabby wore a party dress and had a good time.  Later that afternoon we went to a BBQ at the Cuper's (a classmate of Gabby's). When we get together, there is a group of 4 kids and they really enjoy playing together. Lilly had a good time as well and the food was delicious. We enjoyed a nice evening out and couldn't have asked for better weather.

Sunday was a recovery day...sort of. We hung close to home but enjoyed a nice walk in the morning, Gabby and Gordon went swimming, Lilly and I did chores and I hosed off the back patio. I'm sure to someone watching it would have been hilarious. I am cleaning off finger paint and chalk and Lilly is writing all over the wet patio with chalk and soaking wet with water and sand - what a perfect way to spend a warm morning. I wanted to get the residual Monty hair off the patio, put down new mats, and move the "small" play center under the shade.

I say "small" because we have been looking for play equipment for the girls for a couple of weeks. We found 2...one small and one big. The big one has 3 swings, a fort, rope climbing net, rock wall and slide. The small one has 2 slides and holes the girls can climb in. We are almost done putting them all together - we just need another strong set of hands to lift up the fort while we connect it to the swings. Any volunteers??? Anyways, we had a wonderful weekend and are excited to head to San Diego next weekend...Zoo here we come!

Getting Ready for Summer

The girls are ready for summer! Gabby is really into Doc McStuffins right now and has a medical kit...hence the stethescope around her neck at all times. It's nice to have a cartoon that has a good role model for kids and she is learning all kinds of medical terminology :) Grandmother Ann got her a new sweat suit and she had to wear it right away. She even wore it to school the next day!

Lilly LOVES ice - actually, both girls really like it. Lilly and Gordon stop at the clubhouse on the way home sometimes and grab a cup of ice (its the soft kind). It is great but she eats so much that then she is not hungry for dinner!! It is a favorite for both girls and there are worse things. With the warmer weather, both girls enjoy playing outside as soon as they get home from school. It is either straight to the swings, trampoline, chalk or sand. We have to work on the bike riding :) 

 Lilly has a bottom molar coming in and has been a little cranky at times but who can blame her? When I look in there her gums are swollen, red and look painful. She enjoys reading - not as much as Gabby did - but Gabby has an ability to listen to stories unlike most kids. Lilly likes Brown Bear and the Very Busy Spider still. Lilly is starting to form more words. She can definetly say "Bath time". She understands a lot and follows directions well. She shakes her head for yes if she wants something and she really is getting to be a big girl. She thinks that she is big enough to go down stairs forward facing...and she just isn't so we have to watch her closely. Lilly has learned to open doors so we frequently find her in the pantry trying to reach the chocolate raisins (her favorite). AND it is almost time for her 1st haircut. I'm just about done braiding her hair to keep it out of her eyes and it is a different color so it is probably time....plus her bangs are growing in and so is her side hair so I'm going to have to start doing more with it. It might really be time!

Gabby continues to excel at school and is 1 of 2 kids working on her math. She enjoys math - which is not a surprise since that seems to run in the Bigler family. She is working towards earning a tree house....that means she has to follow directions and have a positive attitude. Some days are better than others but it's all pretty normal for a 4 year old. We are getting ready for a trip to San Diego next week and she is very excited to go to the Zoo and the beach. She told Gordon today that we had to go for 3 days and that she could stay in the hotel that long. I'm not sure if Lilly and I will make the trip...we are playing it day by day.

A Few More Pics From Easter

I just got these pics from Grandmother Ann so I thought that I would share. Gabby LOVES this dress and everytime she goes to the farm, this is the first thing that she does - put on her dress. She does not take it off until we go horseback riding or home. Lilly had a good time hunting eggs and riding in the blue car. She ran wild and free on this day and we couldn't keep her glasses on! There is also a picture of Gabby with her cousin Gage - they have a lot of fun hanging out together when they are both at the farm.

Fun Evening...and Messy!

Yesterday afternoon/evening was relaxing and messy! It started when Gabby wanted to play in the sand and needed some water to make her soup. Gordon is such a softy that he put a whole bucket out there...who was the first one soaking wet??? Lilly....So I take all her clothes off and Gabby was not long after. Then Gabby wanted to do some painting and I figured why not? So we pulled out the finger paints and let the kids go to town. Rory was hanging out so he also enjoyed the painting as well. The makers of finger paint have marketed it as "sidewalk paint" now - amazing! What will they come up with next? I told the kids they didn't even have to stay on the paper - I don't care. It all comes off with water so why get upset about paint on the patio or them? They had their scooters out, the chalk out, the paints, the water, sand, and then kept going to the swings and the trampoline. Grandmother and Grandfather and Aunt Susan came over for dinner and it felt like the kick-off to summer! We BBQ'd tri-tip, had fresh veggies, fruit and salad YUM!

Rory, Gordon and Susan played a game of Horse on the trampoline. Rory takes trampoline at the gym where Gabby does dance and is thinking about competing (it is now an Olympic sport). I had never heard of Horse on the trampoline but one person does a move and then the next person has to do the move and then add a new one. Good times by all.

You will notice one member of our family is missing. Monty. We found a new home for Monty where I pray he will be loved and well cared for. With the pending arrival of one more girl, the reality that we really didn't have the time to give Monty that he deserved hit us. He has SO MUCH ENERGY that a couple mile run or walk never seemed to tire him out. Every time we went into the backyard he was there to greet us with so much enthusiasm that we had to crate him. It was not an ideal situation for him or us and as much as we love him and he is part of our family, it was time to find him a new home. We found a man that has a family and loves to go hunting and was looking for a new dog (his dog was getting old and could no longer keep up on the hunts) so we let him take Monty for the weekend. He took him hunting and said that he did a great job of flushing out birds and even retrieved one. That is what he was bred to do and it was a shame to let that talent go to waste. He now also has a playmate which I am sure he really enjoys. So, while I will miss him and he will always be remembered fondly, I can objectively say it was the right decision for us at this phase of life. It will be another couple of years before we consider getting another dog...I want the girls to be old enough to really enjoy it AND understand the responsibility of owning a dog. I have confirmed what I used to say "I don't want a dog that has a lot of energy...I want a small fat dog that wants to cuddle and lick"! Yep, I have 3 kids and a husband that provide all the reason to exercise, I do not need a dog that requires so much exercise. I also think that with girls, a smaller dog is more appropriate, not a lap dog, but a smaller dog. So this is my tribute to Monty. We have loved you and he was a great dog. We will always remember you and miss you but know that you are enjoying life to the fullest.

FACT Open House

Saturday our good friends Sabir and Scarlett let us know about CSUB's FACT Open House. We all went and had a great time. The kids got to see birds of prey up close - shown below is a barn owl. The kids enjoyed the scavenger hunt and just hanging out together. We then went for Dewars ice cream and all the kids wanted bubble gum...who invited that ice cream???? Not a parent of young ones...Anyways, Gabby had a good time and we learned about Falcons, Eagles and Owls. I had no idea this facility existed and it was a nice afternoon outing.

A Happy Easter

We had a wonderful Easter. I must apologize that I did not snap 1 picture on my phone! I was too busy chasing kids :) Saturday we went to the farm and had a wonderful time. The weather was perfect - high 70's and sunny. Lilly loves the bluw car there and just wanted to ride in the car. Gabby is an awesome swinger and loves to hang outside on the swings. Around 11 we had an Easter Egg hunt for the big and small kids. It was a success. Gabby had made sure to tell Grandma that she needed to have a "Golden Egg" and that she wanted to make sure she found it. We are trying to teach the lesson that one does not always win and that is OK...any suggestions are welcomed. Grandfather Russ found a Golden Egg and gave it to Gabby and she was very appreciative of that. After the egg hunt, we had a wonderful ham lunch with cheesecake and then everyone just hung out and chatted. It was a perfect day. We headed home at 2:30 and both girls were sounds asleep within 10 min of being in the car - exhausted and sunburned! Once we hit our driveway, both were wide awake and ready to go some more. So we went straight outside and played in the yard for another couple of hours - it was the first truly warm day of the year. Both girls LOVE to swing and jump on the trampoline. Lilly hangs in there with Gabby and has only fallen off the tramp once - which was enough to prompt Gordon to get the new net put on the tramp so that will not happen again!

Sunday was another fun filled day. It was cloudy and cooler but still nice. We opened Easter baskets, went for a family walk on the golf course, did a few chores, went to church, Sandy stopped by for a visit and then had friends over for dinner. It was a full weekend!

Gabby had Monday off from school so she spent the day with Grandmother Ann. Tuesday (below) she was ready to go back to school. She told me that she was ready to do the hard lessons again. Gabby is getting very good at sounding out letters and putting them together to form words. She knows several sight words and is expanding her vocabulary daily. We are reading Biscuit books in the evenings as well as our Fancy Nancy books. I am always amazed at Gabby's ability to recall a story. I read her a story one night and then on the way to school the next day she recited the book almost word for word. It is truly amazing. The picture below is from Tuesday...Gabby wanted to wear everything pink. I had put this outfit up in her closet because it is a little small but she insisted on wearing it. What am I to do? She loves pink...and to dress herself. We encourage her to pick out her own outfits - what do I care what she wears to school? As long as it is reasonable and within guidelines, I'm fine with it. You should see some of the outfits she wears!

Lilly is on a biting spree. Yep, we are those parents with that kid! The irony is that on Lilly's first day in day care she got bit. We couldn't imagine how that could happen. Now we sign reports on a daily basis that Lilly has bitten another kid. Ughhh. The school has sent home all kinds of paperwork on biting and I can assure you that Lilly gets a lot of attention and love and that we do not allow biting in our home. In looking at the reports, she tends to bite when another kid comes over to take her toy that she is playing with...what am I supposed to do about that? She has moved into a bigger pair of crocs (4-5) and is growing every day. She has a lot of sounds but no words that are clear (other than Bye, Mom, Dad, etc...). You can tell that she is trying and it won't be too much longer. Her attention span is not what Gabby's was at this age for books but we read them anyways! She LOVES to be outside and to go for bike rides. Gordon and I think that she may be left handed but are waiting to see and she has a good arm. She throws overhand and loves to kick the soccer ball around the house. She is starting to like baby dolls but really likes to take whatever toy her sister has just to get a rise out of Gabby. Lilly is a good eater and has actually encouraged Gabby to try more foods. Lilly loves peas and now Gabby eats her peas without a peep! Lilly insists on eating with a fork (which causes a little heartache for mom since it is a metal fork) but I figure as long as she is eating well, why rock the apple cart?

The two girls are doing great and we are gearing up for Summer. The pool is ready - just not warm enough yet to swim in and we have the outside toys ready. We plan to have an open door policy this summer so that the girls can come and go as they wish. We are getting a playhouse and slide for the yard so that will be the place to hang out. All are welcome!