These kids just get so fun to watch. This morning the kids were playing a new game, which I will call 'Hide', in which someone hides under or behind something. I'm pretty sure you already know how to play this....and then the other will look for them. So this morning Julie and Isabelle got on the couch, and put a blanket over them. Out of sight, but not too hard to find. David didn't see where they went, as he was on my lap begging for a bite of my cereal. Then I said, "Where's Mommy? Where's Isabelle?"

David gets a big huge smile on his face and then immediately wants to investigate the large blue lump on the couch. As he gets closer, Julie and Isabelle know he is approaching, and with a bit of anticipation and a bit of silliness, try not to make any sudden movements or giggles, which of course, produces both. David gets really excited that he is about to discover them, and he does this little dance that I think only children can do. He gets on his tip toes and does a miniature running in place, combined with erratic hand movements in a circular pattern. I think he even lets out a squeak, before barreling into the blue couch lump.

Then one of them will run to another part of the home, and wait. With big, albeit quiet, smiles on their face for round two.

Here's David telling me, "No photos please. I'm busy sweeping!"



And Isabelle being, well, darn cute!

This last weekend was, of course, Mother's day. We got together with everyone for lunch, which was fun. As always happens though, one end of the table doesn't know what's happening at the other end. And the kids don't really know what it means to wait for food, but we planned ahead and brought some snacks to hold them over until the restaurant food gets to the table. Unfortunately, when we do that, they are invariable done by the time we get our food. Oh well. They were great though, and everyone enjoys seeing them. They also liked to play out in front of the restaurant where there was a big fountain.

Speaking of mothers day, we also went to a local festival of artists and musicians on Saturday which the kids really liked. Lots of stuff to look at, and potentially break or run around with! There was also a lot of really good food available throughout the festival. It turns out David really likes Thai Jasmine rice, and Isabelle really likes Asian spring rolls. Oh, and the huge strawberries again!




They both did a little bit of dancing to the music. But David really just wanted to run around like a little dog off leash, making sure we had to work to catch him. Isabelle also tried a little hula hooping, but the ones available were a tad too big. David also really enjoyed a solar energy exhibit which was powering a little fountain. He was just having fun with it, but other kids were trying to figure out how such a thing could happen, and how I could make the fountain stop just by leaning to the right.

Isabelle loves to ride her tricycle. But her tricycle has become a little small, er, Isabelle has become a bit too big for the little tricycle. So a couple of weeks ago I picked up a second hand bicycle for Isabelle. It's all girly and everything, with pink paint and glitter highlights. But it had been neglected for a little while. So I finally got it all cleaned up, fixed the tires, and added a little more fun kids stuff - handlebar streamers, in pink, purple, and white. I also picked up a helmet for her, and put on some training wheels.




And off we went!



Isabelle didn't like the training wheels too much. Actually, she didn't like the way the bike rocked from side to side. I told her it was so she wouldn't fall over, but she still gets that feeling that she is going to fall when the bike first starts to trip one way or the other. We had a good few minutes out on the sidewalk getting the feel of it. Of course, the pedals are not on the wheel, as she is used to from the tricycle, and when pedaling backwards, the wheels don't stop right away, as the brake has to engage and slow the bike down, which is also unlike the tricycle. So she's going to have to practice a little bit more, as we all did, before she starts enjoy riding on her own.

A few weeks ago Grandma Jeanne came for a visit. She was here for a weekend, and Isabelle was having a great time with Grandma Jeanne. We went to the local farmer's market in the morning, which was a little too windy, but I think the kids still had fun. They got to eat some fresh bread and hummus, and they always enjoy the big fat fresh strawberries.




Later, after nap time, Isabelle and Grandma Jeanne had a wonderful tea party. Isabelle is quite attentive to detail, and mad sure every pour was just right. I think they had another tea party on Sunday too. The kids also received a few new books from grandma which they all read over the weekend.

Isabelle is also getting much better at being potty trained. She hardly ever wears a diaper during the day, only at nap time, and again at hight time. And she's been dry after naps too, so we might start to keep the diaper off at nap time too!

So the other day I had one of the biggest laughs in a long time. I was just sitting down on the couch after doing something I can't remember, and Julie was also sitting there. I looked at the floor, what little I could see of it, and remarked with a little elevation in my voice so it would travel to the bedroom clearly, "What happened in here?" And I think Julie said something like, "I don't know. It looks like there was a toy explosion!"

So from the bedroom we hear, in a cute little girls voice, "Oh what happened? What happened?" And she comes running out of the bedroom to see what happened, since as we all know, she was being all innocent and had nothing to do with the distribution of toys in the living room. And she comes out with her snow hat on, and matching mittens, still in her pajamas, and a look on her face like she was going to see the biggest birthday cake ever made placed on a platter covered in chocolate and berries. I wish I had a camera at that moment to capture the expression, but instead both Julie and I could only laugh.