Whew! We have been busy these past few days. I just got the kids in bed (9pm!) and figured I’d ignore the kitchen until tomorrow (what are Sundays for, right?) and do some blogging instead.

Friday morning we had another “shirt situation” that resulted in a rough battle. I decided Lex would not be allowed to stay home from school because his two preferred t-shirts were dirty, and Lex decided to try his hand at pinching, hair pulling and neck squeezing! Eeek! I managed to get him in clothes and into the car with minimal damage to either of us or our surroundings. Then I left him buckled into his car seat for a few minutes while Eve and I took a few deep breaths. Thank god for that 5 point harness that he is not (yet) able to unbuckle! I brought him a bowl of dry cereal and he ate on the way to school, which I think helped him feel better. At school he said he was going to take his shirt off and I told him to have that discussion with his teacher. Sorry teacher! He cried and clung to me as I left, but I unpeeled him and his teacher shut the door behind me as I left. At pickup she said he settled right down and did great all day. I hope she’s telling me the truth. She is an awesome teacher. Eve and I made it through the grocery shopping trip and after we picked him up we got home to find sunny skies and blooming peonies. Despite the carload of groceries melting in the sun, I decided to take a few pictures of Eve as she stopped to smell the flowers.

After nice naps we headed to the science museum for a much anticipated playdate with a classmate and his sisters. The weather was perfect and the kids had a blast!

Playing in the bubbles

We had the good fortune of being there when a train went by. Always a crowd pleaser. Here are Lex and his friend watching the train. This guy will be in Lex's class next year.

The girls liked the train too. She will be in Eve's class too, when they are old enough for school!

Time to go. Aren't they cute!?!

This morning we made birthday cards for Grampy Don…

Making cards for Grampy Don.
Lex said, 'I made a heart for the O because I am making this card for someone I love.'

and signed “good bye” cards for our dear friends. :(

Eve ponders how best to express her sadness. It eventually came out as scribbles all over the front of the card!

We also did lots of baking in preparation for a going away party this afternoon. Really I did lots of baking and the kids took a much needed “at home” morning. They play so nicely together these days! They helped me a bit, ran around, played, built a fort, read each other stories, etc. It was really sweet.

After naps (I say naps although Lex has really been taking quiet time for the past week or so) we got dressed and went to a going away party for Michelle, Carl, Dylan and Caitlin. I have been ignoring the fact that they are moving in two weeks, with the hopes that if I don’t acknowledge it then perhaps it won’t be true. When I called yesterday and discovered their phone had been shut off, I was hit with the reality of it all :( Ashley, the organizer of the party, made a scrapbook and asked us all to contribute photos. I had a really nice time looking through old photos of the kids through the years. I found a cute one of Eve and Caitlin at Eve’s 1st birthday party and another of them at her 3rd birthday party.

At Eve's 1st birthday party

At Eve's 3rd birthday party

Dylan and Lex, about 18 months old

Sigh. We are going to miss them.

The party was fun though. The rain held out and everyone had a good time. She has a giant bouncy house in her basement so the kids played there for awhile and then made their way outside for some (ok, A LOT!) of running. The men drank beer on the back porch and the women chatted. It was nice.

The kids

The moms (and Eve)