April 26

It was another busy and fun day.

At 8:40 this morning, I leapt out of bed with a gasp - Chris had let me sleep in, which would have been great, except that the kids had tumbling class at 9:30. Whoops! They made it to class on time, and they did great. I don't think I blogged about their first class last week, during which they acted like complete weirdos. Caleb refused to participate, despite the fact that he desperately wanted to, and Daisy clung to me almost the whole time. It was embarrassing, and it was sad for them because they missed out on a lot of fun.

This time, however, they were ready. They were a bit shy at first, but they quickly warmed up and began participating. Caleb had been practicing his balance beam skills all week, and when he got the chance to use them, he rocked it! Yay, Caleb! Daisy was great, too. I had Lily with me, so I didn't take any pictures, but it was great. 

When we left class, we discovered that the Y had been transformed into a Healthy Kids Expo. Caleb and Daisy got their faces painted, made a healthy snack, got balloon animals, and Caleb even got to participate in a magic trick.Outside, the electric company had a cool demonstration truck set up, and there was an ambulance for the kids to explore. Since we were one of the first families there, Caleb was allowed to climb up in the driver's seat of the ambulance, honk the horn, and turn on the sirens!

It's a crummy photo, but I was holding Lily, my purse, a balloon animal, and two cups of yogurt. So really, it's a pretty impressive photo.

After the big kids went down for naps, Lily and I went shopping. We had lots of stores to visit, so the first place we stopped was Cotton Babies, where I bought something I've been wanting for a while: chew beads. They're necklaces made of baby-safe silicone, and they're intended to be cute for Mom and fun for baby. Since I knew Lily would be spending a lot of time in the sling today, I thought she'd enjoy having something to play with.

I was right! As soon as I put the necklace on, she grabbed it and started chewing. She liked it so much that every time I put her in the car seat, she cried until I took the necklace off and gave it to her. It was a bit pricey, but overall a great purchase. I just wish they'd been around four years ago!

Even several hours later, after dinner, Lily was still interested in the necklace.

It matches her outfit pretty nicely, doesn't it?

Chris put air in Caleb's bike tires today, and Caleb was convinced that he could ride faster because of it.

Did you notice that they both got new helmets for Easter? Their little heads are growing! Daisy chose her helmet, and Caleb was delighted that his matched his bike.

While the big kids rode, Lily found random things to eat. 

Like leaves.

Twigs.

Acorns.

Mulch.

She's a very curious baby!

Daisy tried out the balance bike, and even managed to glide for a foot or two at a time before she got nervous and put her feet down again. The girl is getting bold! (The green streak on her face is the caterpillar she chose at the face painting booth this morning.)

Hi, cutie pie!