Happy Mother's Day

Mother Nature treated us to a great of weekend of weather for Mother's Day. So, after three straight busy weekends (birthdays, birthdays, birthdays), we decided to treat ourselves to a relaxing weekend at home. (Well, as relaxing as possible with two very busy little girls.)

Early Saturday morning, the girls headed outside to play. Before long, the temperature had climbed into the 70's and the girls wanted to play in the water. The water table came first. But that wasn't enough, so out came the little pool. Once the little pool was out, well, that wasn't enough either. So out came the big pool, along with the swim suits and sunblock. At that point, it seemed more like Memorial Day than Mother's Day.  

Right on cue, Gwen has entered the dinosaur phase (or "di-no-no's" as she calls them).

Gwen is still getting the hang of blowing bubbles. She's a pro at eating bubbles, though.

Other than nap time, we spent the entire day outside on Saturday. We ate a picnic lunch. We played in the pools and sandbox in the afternoon (thankfully, not at the same time). The girls managed to wear every bathing suit they own. We ended the day with a cookout for dinner -- and after dinner, the girls triumphantly paraded around the backyard with their ice cream cones.

On Sunday morning, we got up early so we could beat the Mother's Day breakfast crowds at the Pop Shop in Collingswood. Ariella got her favorite (Eggs Benedict) and everyone else gobbled-up pancakes and eggs. But the real show-stopper at breakfast were the "Pancake Fries" pictured below --deep fried pancake strips with syrup and cinnamon cream cheese dips... Wow. Wow. Wow.

The girls spent the entire day outside again on Mother's Day -- and reminded us how much they're like their Mom. They showed off their kitchen skills (backyard-style) by meticulously cooking up batch of Grass Soup. Start with freshly picked weeds. Add water from the kiddie pool. Stir until thoroughly mushy. Add dirt to taste. Cook on pretend grill, stirring occasionally.

Just like her Mom (who was a competitive swimmer in high school, remember?), Morgan absolutely loves the water. Gwen still hasn't discovered the joy of swimming. She loves the water table, but just doesn't like getting her face wet (something we're reminded of every night in the bathtub). She'll come around eventually. It's in her DNA somewhere.

After another dinner cookout Sunday night (ribs... yum!), we capped off our Mother's Day with a trip to Rita's for water ice. Ariella treated herself to Red Velvet-flavored water ice. Morgan had tangerine. Andy had peanut butter & jelly. Gwen had vanilla custard. And everybody came home with technicolor red lips.