March Madness

The Month of March is off to a roaring start!  We've really had a nice start to the month full of friends, family, and fun together...

My friend, Loria, pitched her product, The Tot Tote during a Shark Tank style event here in Bentonville.  She was among 30+ participants, all pitching various products and she WON the People's Choice Award for best product.  I was thrilled to be there cheering her on and am pretty proud of all she's accomplished.  Check her out: http://thetottote.com/wp/!  I personally can't wait for these things to hit the shelves of local boutiques!

Back on the home front, Harper is still chugging away at school... gosh, she's already working on the songs she'll sing at preschool graduation.  How is this possible?!  She has gone to the same school almost her entire life- same friends, same routine, mostly same group of teachers... I think it'll be a teary day for this momma when the Pine Crest chapter closes ;(....

...but for now, I'll enjoy the goofy pictures I get like these throughout her school day;).

...and the goofiness continues at home as well.  She dumped all the toys out of these baskets, and played in her 'fort' for hours one evening!  In this picture, she's 'on the phone' with Papa- ha!

 

Big sister is also back in swimming lessons.  One of her past Pine Crest teachers, Mr. Alex, is the coach.  Safe to say she was pretty excited to have a teacher she knew- and she's improving on her skills each session.  Hoping this summer she'll be swimming on her own;)- here's hoping!!

Giving a thumbs up after her Kindergarten physical {but before the shots- ha}.  She's was so brave, but gosh... am I REALLY registering her for 'Big Kid School' next week?!?!  We celebrated being ready for Kindergarten with a new outfit and Mommy-Daughter Date Night.  I took Harper to her first play, and had a blast seeing Cinderella.  She was cracking me up, kept saying, "Gosh won't the prince just kiss her already!"  HA!  Although she was slightly bummed she couldn't give Cinderella a hug before we left, she loved it so much.  

We had so much fun together and I found myself thinking why hadn't we done this before?!  Needless to say, I think there will be more plays happening in this one's future. 

And a big thank you to Daddy for surprising his girls with the tickets- good times for sure.

 And speaking of winning in the Daddy department, these two went to the Princess Ball together last night.  Harper was BEAMING to be able to dress up and spend an evening having her Daddy all to herself.  She even came in and asked if he would be her prince.  Melt.  My.  Heart.

...and as much as I was pooped and not super excited to do the little ones dinner and bath routine by myself: who couldn't smile at these dirty yet happy faces.  We had a pretty good evening as well... hehe!

Thank you, Pete... for being so good to our little ones.  It's those little moments that I know mean the world to Harper... she ALWAYS remember how special her 'prince' made her feel- thank you.

And check out Maggie Lou getting stronger each day!!!  So proud of her.  She definitely is on Maggie's terms these days with just about everything, but she continues to progress her skills and impress us all with her feisty courage to do more and more every day.  When I got this picture while she was at therapy, I couldn't help but get a little teary-eyed.  I am up to my eyeballs in scrap booking- currently working on Maggie's NICU stay.  Looking at her tiny 1 pound self all hooked up to machines galore- than getting a picture like the one below from her therapists- just makes my heart happy.  She's come so so far these past two years.  Maggie Lou Magoo- you're amazing!

Sisters.  The two youngest are inseparable.  They remind me of twins these past few months.  Both mobile.  Both into each other's stuff.  Both entertained by the other and somehow talking each other into crazy shenanigans.  I LOVE it though... never a day they don't make me laugh.  How can I get too mad when they pull every spice out of the spice racks and use them as instruments when they're having SO much fun together?!

And then when big sister gets home, the shenanigans continue.  I began sister time during that crazy couple hours between snack and dinner time.  It was usually full of meltdowns, boredom, and being asked 28 times if they could have more snack.  Now, Harper entertains the littles while I clean up from the day and make dinner.  This particular day, she was teaching them the days of the week {insert laughing face}.  They had not one toy in front of them, but were totally content being students for a good 30 minutes- impressive, Ms. Harper- impressive.

The mister and I snuck in a date night too!  Double date that was, checking out a local restaurant's upgraded building and menu with friends.  So fun and great to eat a meal with just grown ups.  And who am I kidding, our girls were STOKED for time with Ms. Kaitlyn.  They love her like their older sister- so grateful for you, Kaitlyn.

Niki & Jared- thank you for a great night out- lets do it again soon?!

...and so it begins.  Another holiday is on the horizon.  So excited for spring time, St. Patrick's Day, and EASTER!  Easter is one of my favs: maybe its because the Hershey's Eggs (unwrapped kind) are back on the shelves (I may or may not be on my second bag- but who's counting?!?!) or that it signifies the start of warmer weather and the end of Maggie's 4-month-winter-runny-nose, but whatever the case- I'm ready... Happy ALMOST spring everyone!!