Flying home with my princess

Vivian was such a good girl on the flights. I kept her entertained with the ipad and the TV in the headset in front of us worked too at times. On the flight down she stayed awake the entire time from the excitement, but on the flight home today she slept for the second half, waking up in time for her favorite part of the flight.

This girl especially loved the unlimited snacks. :)

Visiting family and friends

The big bonus that came along with traveling to Sanibel for the writer's conference, was that it was 2 hours away from my Mom and Dad, Mike & Lindsey and Max, and friends of ours - the DiPietra's. When the conference finished up on Sunday morning, we headed back to Weston to have a playdate with Wyatt and Grant. They showed Vivi their rocket launcher and taught her how to play "Don't Wake Daddy" which was super cute and fun. It was so nice to catch up with Tony, Dotty, and Andrea and the boys since we only get to see each other once or twice a year.

Then it was off to Mike and Lindsey's to see Max and have dinner together. Max and Vivi had fun playing, but Vivi wasn't used to sharing with someone her size and thus threw several monster tantrums - complete with kicking and screaming while laying on the floor. This was a first for her. But it was awesome spending time with my brother and sister-in-law and I got to give her belly a little kiss. Can't believe that in four months we'll have another cousin in the family!!! And a girl for Vivi to play dolls with too! :)

Sanibel for the weekend

I took Vivian with me this weekend to attend a Writer's Conference on Sanibel Island. My wonderful Mother-in-law offered to watch Owen, and my parents offered to come with us to babysit Vivi while I attended classes and readings during the day. It was such an incredible opportunity and I met so many fabulous writers. Thank you to the grandparents and Ben for making this trip possible. You all are the BEST!

I had the chance to sit in on lectures given by published authors who were so inspiring and enjoyable to listen to. In the afternoons, there were readings where the authors would select essays or chapters from their books to read to us. I loved every single minute of the conference. Especially the people I met. The first day I met my conference buddy Dusty. He and I hit it off right away and hung out during the breaks in between sessions. He read my work (writing exercises that we were given during the lectures) and gave me the confidence to read one of my pieces aloud during a class. He's going to make an amazing professor in a few years. :)

It was such an awesome experience that when I came home, I immediately booked another one. The author who I was hoping to meet at the Sanibel conference actually didn't make it due to an illness she contracted the day before the event. So I checked out her schedule and found that she's the keynote speaker of a memoir writer's retreat in March and I managed to get one of the last early-bird tickets for a long weekend in Seattle. Cheryl Strayed, if you wanted to check her out. She's pretty amazing.

We voted

and cancelled each other's vote. That's just how we do it in our household. No matter how hard he tried, Owen couldn't convince his Daddy to vote for Mitt Romney.

This little miss was just happy to get a sticker.

The cootie show

Kayla and Ryan came over to play today and the kids got out Owen's Cootie game. They built their own Cooties and then did a puppet show for us. It was very cute. Love their imaginations.

I wish I had a mixer

This morning over breakfast, Owen told me that he wished he had a mixer for his kitchen. A real mixer. For his kitchen. To make things.

MmmmHmmmm.

Really, bud? What would you make with a mixer in your kitchen?

(chomping on a mouthful of cereal) I think I'd make some zucchini cookies, Mommy.

That's my boy.

Milk or Water?

She can't decide, so she has a little of each. :)

Vivian, put your shoes on please

No, sweetie. Your shoes, not your baby's shoes. At least she's trying which is more than I can say for her brother when I ask him to put on his shoes so we can get out the door.

Morning show

Most mornings, the kids wake up famished and must have food and milk or juice immediately. I am usually able to get a pot of coffee brewing (or if I'm lucky I set it up on auto the night before) before they start crying for their breakfast.

Because of this, I always feed them first, clean up after their mess, and then set them up with a show before I make my own breakfast. This ensures I will get at least 20 minutes of quiet time to enjoy my bowl of oatmeal and cup of coffee. :)

This morning they shared the beanbag while watching an episode of Backyardigans.

My loves.

Pomegranate

I learned how to de-seed one of these babies today. And that Owen LOVES to eat this highly time-consuming, yet delicious and healthy, fruit.