Don't take my picture!

One of the privileges of being three-years-old is getting to come up with your own original games -- Abby has a new one I like to call "Don't Take My Picture, MOMMY!" 
She's so cute -- how can I resist taking her photo?  But sometimes she is NOT happy about it. 
Like in this photo. . . she did not want to be disturbed while devouring her handful of bank-drive-thru lollipops (the bank lady is VERY nice and sends about 10 dum-dums with our deposit slips, much to the girls' delight!).

Don't take my picture when I'm covered in ice cream!

I mean it!

This is 'the turtle' -- an alternative to 'don't take my picture'

She really means it this time!

But then she surprises me and while I'm taking a photo of something else (in this case, a tea set order I was about to ship out), she sweetly asks me to take her picture! 

And three-year-olds have very agile monkey toes!  Perfect for grabbing Daddy's ears.

Spring Snapshots

Headed to church last Sunday

The weather's been gorgeous!  We are loving our spring afternoons outside in the backyard.  Time for snowballs and ice-cream bars!

Mmmmm!!  Ice-cream lipstick!

One of Ellie's top front baby teeth is loose and it just won't fall out!  It's moved over, leaving a large gap between her teeth, and it looks sooo funny all crooked and sticking out!  We've tried and tried, but it's just not ready to be pulled. 

One afternoon, Tim and Ellie were at the garden center buying some new bedding flowers when Ellie discovered these!  She calls them her Lorax trees, just like the movie.  We have planted them in several pots around the backyard -- they are so whimsical and happy looking!

Our pretty girl!

Spring afternoons + new box of sidewalk chalk = Happiness!

Nature Walk

Our last little activity on our mini-vacation was a nature walk in the National Seashore outside Ocean Springs.  Here, the girls are learning about the life of a salt marsh.

Walking through the woods.

The marsh was so quiet and peaceful!

Hanging out at the end of the trail.

Abby needed a lift on the way home!  It was a long walk for her little legs!

Ellie decided her legs were tired, too!

Sweet girl!

Lynn Meadows Discovery Center Children's Museum!

While on the MS Gulf Coast, we spent a morning at the Lynn Meadows Discovery Center in Gulfport.  It was amazing!  Ellie and Abby (and Mommy & Daddy!) had a ball exploring the fun children's museum!

Captain Ellie on her ship

Ellie and Abby in the art room.  They did crayon rubbings, then painted them with watercolor paints.  We left them in the art room to dry while we explored the rest of the Discovery Center.

A submarine!

Little Bird!   This reminds me of Big Bird's nest.  Abby spent a while in the nest, reading books.

At the airport!  Ellie was an excellent gate agent and Abby flew the plane.

The Cajun Cafe!  Frying up a turkey, checking out the customers, and a crawfish boil!

This climbing sculpture was 3 stories tall!  Ellie climbed up to the very top all by herself.  She loved it and kept going back to climb up and down between floors.

Construction workers -- they used a crane to move sandbags from the truck to the loading dock.

The grocery store and seafood stand! 

Kayaking!  The girls climbed in the kayak (which was in front of a tv green-screen) and watched themselves going down a river.

The Hacienda -- cooking up Mexican food and serving it to Daddy!

The science area -- pulleys to lift your own body weight and watching a cartoon in the drum.

Victorian Era -- playing piano, a sweet tea party, dress up and an old-fashioned hotel!

Here's Ellie manning the cameras while Abby and Tim do the weather report!
(Tim finally found his calling -- he never misses the weather report on tv).

Outside the museum, there was a creek to explore and several playgrounds.

A treehouse, wooden train, and an old fashioned cabin!

 Kids Village -- big playhouses constructed by local builders.  Inside were displays on different forms of construction and building materials.  I'm still trying to figure out how we can get one of these gorgeous playhouses in our own backyard!

We had a wonderful morning at the Discovery Center!  We will definitely visit it again -- there was so much to see and do, we couldn't possibly see everything in one morning.  Even the parking lot was polka dotted -- so super fun!

Spring Break Mini-Vacation

During the girls' Spring Break, we took a little mini-vacation to the Mississippi Gulf Coast.  We didn't really make any plans, only hotel reservations, so it was fun to just relax and make our own schedule.  Abby entertained herself in the car with her gold coins (a true pirate princess never leaves home without her gold doubloons). 

And Abby was totally enthralled with the hotel!  It was a typical Hampton Inn, but she was fascinated with the idea of a fridge in our bedroom, the big giant bathroom, and going down the hall for a serve-yourself breakfast (so many breakfast food choices all at once!).  Seriously, if we had just camped out at the Hampton and done nothing else, Abby would've been completely happy!

Our first stop was downtown Ocean Springs.  It's such a quaint little town with several interesting shops.  We loved the Walter Anderson shop, and Ellie and I found a shop completely devoted to CHEESE.  Yum!  Cheese is our favorite food group, ha!

Then we went to the Ocean Springs pier and beach. 

Our little beach babies!

I love sandy toes!  My girls are half-Californian after all!

We saw a gorgeous beach sunset then headed back to our room to pile up in bed and watch lots of Food Network.   The perfect way to start our mini-vacay!