Building with Dad

Inventor

Harper was helping me remove some old tape from some boxes I picked up at the NDSU surplus sale.  She thought the boxes smelled bad so she got out her trusty nose-plugger.  It's actually awesome and very comfortable.  It worked great for keeping the nose plugged and the work going. 

Outside

We had a warm day last week.  Marc surprised us and came home early and we went for a bike ride together.  It was 53 degrees or something outrageous like that.  When we weren't riding into the wind it felt like spring might actually be here.  The next day it was back to the 30s and then it was freezing on the weekend.  But H&M thought spring was still here and because we went for a bike ride on Thursday we should be able to go for a bike ride on Saturday.  It felt cold to me so I suggested an extra pair of pants and several shirts.  We didn't last long.  It wasn't even 20 degrees.

Margo Wilson as Elsa

Margo loves Elsa.  She loves to listen to Let It Go and act out what is happening in the song.  She starts out by putting a white shirt on her head so she has hair like Elsa.  Then she gets a sensible dress on with long sleeves.  She puts a cape on over her dress and throws her hands in the air, palms up, and ice crystals shoot up into the sky.  Then part way through the song the cape flies off and there is a costume change, into the not-so-sensible dress.  This is my favorite part because she has to work quickly to be ready in time but she is not completely coordinated yet.  And she is so earnest about the whole thing I could cry. 

Singing along.

The Return of Feet Pictures: My Daughter's Feet

If I am the only one home putting kids to bed Harper takes advantage of the extra time she has and reads in our bed while I sing and carry on with Margo.  I found her lounging on a giant pile of clean laundry the other night.  I thought there was something so sweet about how her little feet were crossed.  Those little socks and ankles.  I couldn't resist immortalizing this moment.

Return of the Caterpillar

I haven't seen one of these caterpillars in thirty years.  I feel very old when I say that.  My mom made one of these for Halle's birthday one year.  She brought a bundt cake to our house last Thursday night and assembled the caterpillar in time for breakfast the next morning.

The After Party

 

Margo added pepperoni and speculoos to her pancake to make a really disgusting sandwich.  She ate most of it and didn't vomit later that day.

Pancake Party

We had a friend party on Saturday morning.  At 9:30 A.M.  Which is too early to have a party but it felt good to have a party and a clean house under our belts by noon on Saturday.

In honor of Margo's love for pancakes we had a pancake party.  I asked Margo if she knew what the garland was supposed to be and she couldn't say yes. Oh well.  Chalk another one up under Things Parents Do For Themselves Disguised As Things They Do For Their Children.

 

 

 

Margo picked this outfit out all by herself.  I started to convince her to change but decided not to bother.

We always seem to have a version of Pin the Tail on the Donkey at our parties.  Kids don't even really like it but we keep doing it.  This year it was Pin the Butter on the Pancake.

Special guests: James  Sam  Eliza  Brisa  Audrey  Harper  Margo  Olivia  Becky

At A Family Party

We made Margo wait 4 days to open her birthday presents.  She made it.  And so did Harper.  And so did I. 

This will be the last year I ask my children what they would like on their birthday cake.  Margo started off asking for a bluejay and a rainbow but then changed her mind and asked for a mermaid.  My pencil drawings of mermaids are not that good but I still thought I would be able to pull this off.  It turns out I was very wrong.  I should  just go ahead and submit this to that terrible cake decorating website now.

Here she is.  The hair saved it from being the most hilarious mermaid ever put on a cake.  Now it is just the most hilarious mermaid that most people have ever seen on a cake.

At 4 Margo won't wear pants, is deep into the imaginary world and can talk and play for hours by herself/with her imaginary friends, loves pre-school + her big sister, is very complimentary, is a very happy girl, loves to sit and listen to story books for hours (if someone would sit and read them to her for hours). Still loves pancakes the most, pepperoni is a close second.  Says "yuck" when Marc and I kiss but likes to watch other people kiss in movies.

Harper wanted to get something very special for Margo.  She settled on a red faceted heart-shaped key ring with XOXO on it.  Plus a pack of bubble gum.  And a homemade kit to make a heart-shaped pillow.  And a fabric unicorn wall hanging.  She wins the prize for making this a very special day for Margo.

Harper also made a special chair for Margo to sit on while she opened her presents.  When Margo decided to sit on the floor instead the special chair was designated as the place Margo should put her very favorite small present.  I think Harper was thinking "presumably, hopefully, it better be the little heart-shaped key ring I got for her."  And it was.