Jay and Julie: Easter, Face Painting, My Singing Monsters Cupcakes

Miri got her first loose tooth and she's only 5. Theo was almost 7 before he got his first loose tooth.

On Palm Sunday I sang in a musical fireside. I was asked to sing My Redeemer Liveth from Handel's Messiah. Miri has been really excited to hear me practice and asked over and over when I'm going to sing it. Her siblings were very excited for the dessert potluck after. Theo baked a cake.

My mom often plays the organ at church and during the prelude or postlude, I let the girls go up and give her hugs. At the fireside, she got up to accompany a man singing The Holy City by Stephan Adams, and Miri asked to go up with her. I stopped her and explained it was a performance of a difficult piece. She couldn't bother Grandma right then!

As my solo neared, I told Miri to stay on the pew with grandma.

She looked at me in surprise, "But Mommy, I'm going to sing this song WITH you!"

I explained that I had been asked to sing this song as a solo, but would she like to sing a song with me in church soon, after we practice?

She did and luckily we didn't have a tantrum right as I was going up to sing. My song went fine and I think she wants us to sing "He Sent His Son" together.

Easter Sunday at church she learned the choir song and sang that with the choir, and then also sang I Wonder When He Comes Again with the primary. She would have liked to have sung a duet with me too, but I told her it's not time for that yet.

The girls love to play "You're The Boss" which is where you let 1 kid boss you for 10 minutes, with some limitations.

Today Miri asked to play Candyland for her time, but she wanted to draw everyone's cards and tell them where to go.

Pretend play is fun to listen to.

Wendy told Miri that she could take care of her stuffed tiger. Miri started rocking the tiger and singing, "Go to sleep!"

Wendy snatched her stuffed animal back and lectured, "She can go to sleep by herself. She doesn't need a sleeping song!"

Theo: You smell funny.

Miri: No, I don't. You smell funny!

Me, from the other room: Oh, gosh Miri hasn't had a bath since Daddy used olive oil to take the band aid off her face.

Miri: Yeah, that hurt a lot. Daddy said it wasn't so bad, but he was wrong. It was SO bad!

Miri then told us taking the bandaid off hurt worse than when she got hurt -- she ran into the counter corner and cut right by her eyebrow and urgent care glued it back together. The bandaid was because she rubbed her face against something and the glue started coming off and hurting, so the bandaid was to keep the glue on until it was ready. But the bandaid was in her eyebrow and that was terrible to remove.

Also, Wendy brought me the celery from the fridge and asked for some with Ranch and to make sure it had the top leafy part on it.

I usually only use that in soups, but I got it for her.

She told Miri, "This is so good. It's called cilantro."

No, not quite. But cilantro is green and leafy, too.

One day I suggested that the girls spend an hour playing separately, since they have been bickering a lot, purposely knocking over domino creations, and just pestering each other.

Wendy was completely on board. Miri was less enthusiastic. I went to the bathroom and came back and Miri was gone from the living room. Then I heard her voice from the bedroom where Wendy was playing. They were playing pretend together, happily. Miri has since come out and needed more help, but I think it's good for the girls to have time to start missing each other.

We've since had quiet time a lot of days. Wendy is usually perfectly happy to color or play with Duplo by herself. She loves time to her self and her art.

Today we opened our "Yum Boxes" where the kids made yummy snacks for their cousins on Jay's side and we Zoomed and enjoyed them together.

"The sun is TOO bright!"
So we went into the shade and the camera told me it's battery was exhausted. So Jay took a photo with his cell, so we need to ask him to share.

Theo showing Sam and Ira how to bake a cake from scratch and then use frosting from the freezer.

Jay gave Wendy this box. She said it was a treasure box and immediately started cutting out circles and coloring them gold.

Sedona taught them some gymnastics.
Miri said, "You know you're doing the splits because it hurts."

Face painting at Theo's school event. It was included in the $5 entry fee.

Our old TV burned out, so we put it facing the wall. You see something big, in the way, that needs to be gotten rid of? Wendy sees a new place to arrange dominos.

"When can we ride a city bus?"
"Uhhhh, let's go soon before it gets really hot." So we did.

Tree mural at the pediatrician

Dogs made by the kids for yum box

Theo wanted to make the stuff for yum box by himself, but the girls helped too because it just looked so fun.

Funtastics ride!

Theo is way up there on the ropes course. Thanks, Sam, for letting him borrow your tennis shoes. We brought crocks for the water park and thought they'd be fine for everything.