Green with Envy -and- Happy Birthday, Mae Mae!

Alright, we're going to start with the important stuff.  Like finishing painting my kitchen (minus some edging touch-ups).  Voila!  It's Scotland Isle from Behr.  Available at The Home Depot (I'm putting a plug in for them because they were super nice and informative with all my rookie painting questions!)

I know the forest green of the stools looks hideous next to the paint color...one step at a time, my friends.  I can't build Rome in a day!

(They almost look like different shades of green in the two pictures...but I think the top picture had the truer tone.)

--------------------------------------------------------

The kids were pretending to be superheroes a few nights ago.  Dig Alayna's Easter chick hat from school, cape, and knee pads.  Two missing bottom teeth compliment the ensemble.

I love Isaac's pose.  Not much of a costume, but hey, he's only 4!

Recognize these things???  All the rage in elementary school in the 80s.  My mother-in-law found them in a time capsule (tongue in cheek) somewhere in her house and gave them to me because of my overwhelming girl population.  Maren, being the girly-pretty-girl she often is, wanted them ALL in her hair.  The kids have found other interesting pasttime uses with these jumbo hair yarns.

(I also have to add it's been nearly two weeks since she's used a binkie.  The pacifiers are gone from our life until Baby Sister comes.  Way to go, Mae!)

--------------------------------------------------------

A few weeks ago Derek's sister delivered baby Kinzie into the world!  Here are my kids posing with their new cousin.  They don't look happy, but really, they love the new baby in the family.  I think it's good Kinzie came a few months before our Baby Girl so the kids, Maren in particular, can get used to having an infant around gradually.  Welcome, Kinzie Aleene!

--------------------------------------------------------

A huge milestone for our family this month was Maren's 2nd birthday!  I can't imagine my life without this spitfire of a girl in it.  Everyone remembered her favorite being on the planet is Elmo so she was gifted with an plush Elmo doll almost as big as she is, another Elmo doll that blows kisses and says, "You're Elmo's sweetheart," and the creme de la creme was an Elmo jack-in-the-box, featured below.  Isn't she just beautiful???

Here's a video of her blowing out the candle.  Don't fall off your chairs at my expert cake decorating!

Maren's 2nd Birthday from Amy Beck on Vimeo.