Misc April Part 2

Yay, our tomatoes are starting to turn red! Ellie is our best customer, she eats the cherry tomatoes in handfuls. At the moment Willem doesn't like tomatoes anymore but he does like growing them for the rest of the family.

We had a special visit from Granta Pamela to celebrate my birthday and easter and after a year of living at the house we finally had dinner on our patio! We couldn't believe we hadn't done it sooner. Willem and I were most excited. The weather was perfect, warm with a nice breeze and it was a great way to kick off a weekend spent with family and friends.

Willem and Grandma made a customized birthday cake for me--Willem went around asking everyone if they wouldn't like sprinkles on their piece. He was quite disappointed when I declined.

Ellie sitting up by herself at Maw Maw's one day. Can't believe how big she is getting!

Misc April

In April we officially became members of the Phoenix Zoo and were excited to see the new orangutan exhibit. We all loved watching the family interact and play with one another.

The giraffes remain a family favorite.

Ellie is getting so big! She is still very independent, strong and coordinated. She likes putting toys into boxes, so she'll dump a box of blocks out and then put them back one by one quite gingerly.

Willem loves his new scooter grandma gave him for his birthday. He's gotten quite confident in riding it around the neighborhood.

At night we read our poems and Pajama Time with Ellie and Willem in the crib together. They both really enjoy being in their together and Willem loves getting Ellie to laugh by giving her kisses or tickling her.

Willem's track designs continue to get more and more complex. He really NEEDS more track so he can make his loop go to grandma's room and through the kitchen.

As you can tell, we are making the most of our Phoenix Spring and spending a lot of time outdoors.

Digging for worms is one of our new favorite activities and our garden area is the perfect spot for worm watching. Willem and Mom like finding worms and putting them back in the ground and then watching where it goes and trying to find it again and again.

Ellie chowing down at a friends bday party. They had Ellie's dream set up of snacks (jars and jars or puff cereal, cheerios and yogurt melts). Ellie was in heaven!

Willem is loving his swim lessons! He gains more and more confidence at each lesson. he now really enjoys backfloating and was really proud of himself when he received a ribbon for backfloating by himself for 5 seconds. He now attempts this feat in the bathtub at night and is running out of space.

Easter 2011

This year we celebrated Easter with friends and family. It was great having other kids to take part in the Easter festivities. Couldn't have asked for better weather and the Easter Bunny did a pretty good job hiding the eggs but we had some real pro finders on our hands. Next year we'll have to up the challenge:)

Family Fun Day

All dressed up for our outing to the Train Park!

Ellie loved riding the train with Dad. Was just taking it all in.

Later that day we decided to do something special with Ellie while Willem was napping and took her on a bike ride. She smiled and was very relaxed as we cruised around our area and explored new neighborhoods.

Happy 3rd Birthday Willem!!

We cannot believe our baby is 3 years old! This day couldn't have arrived any later for Willem who has been asking daily if he was 3 yet. Willem's request for his cake was simple: sprinkles and more sprinkles so the master chef helped Mom in baking and decorating his cake.

Willem's 3rd birthday was celebrated by family and friends and he had a blast!

Birthday morning cake--what a treat!

The last three years have been amazing, each morning Willem wakes up bounding with energy and ready to play with his family, read new books and learn new things. Everyday we learn something from Willem that makes us better people and hopefully better parents.

Willem's Preschool Bday Celebration

Jason was off the week before Willem's birthday so the entire family came to Willem's school to celebrate his Birthday.

Willem brought a special item to share with his friends and put it in the birthday box.

Desert Breeze Train Park

While Jason was in Alaska we met friends at a new train park and Willem was very excited to share the new park with Dad.

The hit of the park is this fire engine. Willem could have stayed on there all day long.

Ellie loved going down the slide with Oom rik

The splash pad was a hit!

Ellie was tuckered out