April

April was a ton of fun!

She made an Easter necklace

She has been taking a cooking class this past month, and has had a lot of fun there. These were taken on the first day.

making ice cream at her Kiddie Chefs class

Delicious!

We had these clothes sitting the closet for over a month because we hadn't had nice enough weather to wear them. So one morning I told her we'd have a fashion show and she went all in. The stuffed animals and dolls on her bed are the audience, and she even had music playing. So darling!

future model

posing

getting silly

taking it seriously

classic Jill--this captures her perfectly

We took a trip to Fire Station 21, I believe it was, to see Steve on the 2nd day of a 48 hour shift.

visiting Daddy at work

Another day, another school session...

we read 2 stories and made a Venn Diagram

We got our seeds started and our garden boxes ready!

Organizing the seeds

filling the cups with dirt

proud gardening helper

with the board she created that was later used to build the garden box

board in progress

It had been almost a year, so it was high time for a concert!

Caspar Babypants!

pretty sweaty by the end of a crowded show in a  SMALL space

Henny had an unfortunate accident while Jill and I were throwing the ball for her at the park. Jill was a champ and sat at the vet for 1.5 hours with NOTHING to entertain her while we waited for Henny to be seen. We eventually had to leave her there so I could get Jill fed and in bed, and we had a friend bring her home later since Steve was at work. Diagnosis: shattered 4th toe. Treatment: splint for 4-6 weeks. It's been really hard on her, but she's handling it pretty well. She's REALLY missing her daily runs!

Henny and her shattered toe

We played outside and tried to catch bubbles.

blowing bubbles

The many faces of Jill...

cranky

crazy

sad

saluting

Mom, take my picture!

We visited the Science Center again...

LOVE this face while holding the hermit crab

anemone toucher

building at the K'nex exhibit

Patron of the arts...

at another play, The Little Mermaid

Tulip Festival 2012

We went to the Tulip Festival on Thursday, and had a great time. Jill and I had never been there, though I drove right by it coming to and from college for four years! Her favorite events had nothing to do with tulips: running through the mud, and getting her face painted. It was such a fun day!

Getting started first thing

The finished product

Admiring herself

Little angel

Sorry for the weird guy, the cropping didn't take from iphoto to Blogger

Daddy and Jill

pretty girl and pretty flowers

gorgeous

trying to catch the kites in the field

mud lover

See you next year, Tulip Town!

Easter 2012

We started our festivities on Friday the 6th, because Steve had to work on the 7th.

coloring eggs before bedtime

about to put the stickers on the egg

I have to go to great lengths to get real smiles out of her

The following morning Jill and I headed to some friends' house for a Mexican fiesta, egg hunt, and lots of outdoor play in the sunshine. She wanted to find the most eggs, and was proud of her hunting skills.

posing with her loot

with our host, in his Easter bunny suit

all of the families in attendance were asked to pose for pictures with the bunny

Peter Cottontail came, and he left a note!

The next morning when Steve returned home, Jill embarked on the hunt for her Easter basket. I hid it after Peter Cottontail filled it, and provided her with clues hidden in eggs throughout the house. She had to solve each clue to find the next egg. She requested 10 clues, so 10 clues she got.

Yay, the basket! (Please excuse my disgusting laundry room.)

Peter was kind to her this year

I was pretty proud of the bunny pancake I made

there was a basket at Dee and Pop's house too!

hunting for eggs in Dee and Pop's backyard

watching Here Comes Peter Cottontail with Great-Grandma (she chose to snuggle there for the better part of an hour, but didn't want her picture taken)

After lunch, we were the only ones left, along with Great-Grandma, so we played tee ball in the sunshine. Here is Pop chasing Jill with his "tagging finger." Jill cannot chase someone without having her tagging finger ready, so we all did it.

running from Pop

running from Mama



Dee at bat

chasing Great Grandma

blackmail photo for her teen years

After cupcakes which Jill and I made the day before, we strapped her into Isabelle's Barbie jeep and skater helmet, and she had the time of her life. The rest of us had a few years shaved off of ours.

getting buckled in

ready to go



time of her life



speed demon