April 1 was Mio’s last day as a 3 year old. We had a fun playdate with her friends Hiroki and Chika at their home and neighborhood playground.
Holding hands and running together.
Mio running off ahead with Hiroki-kun
Mirei and Chika-chan riding together.
Cuties at the playground together.
Mio is the oldest of the bunch… she’s looking so grownup here!
She was so excited at bedtime about waking up as a four year old, that she couldn’t go to sleep! Mama, on the other hand, was an emotional mess… I always feel a little bittersweet on the eves of my kids’ birthdays, but I’ve been feeling more teary than ever this time… 4 years old just sounds and feels so big, and time seems to go even faster as they get older. Mio is definitely not a toddler anymore.
I will always look back on and treasure my memories of Mio as a 3 year old, as I will her other ages. Each age is so special, but three was so much fun because she really started talking a lot at this age and her personality really started coming out. I can’t wait to see what four has in store for us!
On Tuesday, the last day of March, my parents and I took the girls out for an outing to Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, as the weather is finally starting to warm up! It’s my Dad’s favorite local garden/park to go to, so it’s become a sort of annual tradition to visit a few times a year! He took a lot of photos, so I thought I’d share some here on the blog.
Grumpy-faced Mirei
Mio by the water.
Obaachan feeding Mirei snacks
Mio looking out at the geese from the interactive children’s garden
The girls with their grandparents
A video of the girls at the Interactive Children’s Garden area:
Look at those towering plants!
Mio loves this park too, and she was happily skipping and running all over the place!
Mio running ahead of my parents
Some videos from when we got to the gazebo:
The girls sitting in the gazebo. I love the plaque that reads, “We are all meant to shine.”
Such sweethearts.
Mio giving Mirei a hug! So adorable.
Sisters, but they look so different.
No more nice sister! Mio yanking the water bottle away from Mirei.
Taking a rest before heading back to the car.
I love this photo of a couple sitting by the pond, watching the geese. The gardens will be even more beautiful when all the flowers come into bloom!
We had such a great time at the Vienna Easter egg hunt last year that we knew we wanted to take her and Mirei again this year! The egg hunt takes place on the lawn of the Freeman House in Old Town Vienna, and there’s also an inflatable bounce house, an egg roll event, and an opportunity to take photos with the Easter bunny! Unfortunately, the day they picked this year was freezing, so we bundled the girls up and quickly participated in the egg hunt and photos with the bunny, and left pretty shortly afterwards. The girls still had fun, though!
Waiting for the egg hunt to begin!
Diving under the yellow tape when the egg hunt began!
Feverishly picking up the eggs
Mirei among the egg hunt madness, sporting her bunny hat for the occasion.
Here’s a video I captured of the girls during the egg hunt:
A photo with the creepy Easter bunny. Why are his eyes pink?
Even though it was extremely chilly and windy, Mio still wanted to get in line for the bounce house, so Dan took Mirei to warm up in the car while Mio got her bouncing in:
The girls back at home, after returning from the egg hunt.
Someone is quite giddy about all the candy they got!
Warm and cozy at home! Hoping spring weather is around the corner…
We were invited to celebrate Liam and Ellie’s joint birthday party to celebrate them both turning five! It was so much fun seeing our friends and getting our kids together for loads of family fun! There were lots of great food, a well-planned obstacle course, and exciting activities for the little ones. Thanks to the Jubb and Jenkins families for having us!
The spread for the party was impressive!
The kids running out onto the front yard for the obstacle course.
Waiting in line in their teams for the first part of the obstacle course…
…the egg race!
It was Mio’s first time competing in an egg race! She ended up being the last one to finish because her team got a late start and she was the last leg, and she kept dropping her egg, but the other kids cheered her on and she did great! Proud of her ♥
Mirei was too young to participate to participate in the obstacle course, so she stayed comfortable with Daddy.
Part 2 of the obstacle course: ball throw!
Part 3 of the obstacle course: a mummifying game, reminiscent of the toilet paper wedding dress game that’s often played at bridal showers. 😛
Setting up the pinata!
The finale of the obstacle course was the pinata! Here’s Mio taking a swing at it:
When the seemingly invincible pinata finally did get destroyed, the kids descended like vultures!
We have been getting a lot of snow lately! Here are some photos from Sunday, February 21, when we went outside and played in the snow! This was Mirei’s first time being in the snow, and she seemed kind of stunned and fascinated by it.
Mirei’s first time playing in snow
We built a snowman!
Showing Mirei the snowman
Mio loving the snow!
A video I took of the girls playing in the snow:
Mirei with a snowball. Ready to start a snowball fight?
Such a sweetheart ♥
Of course, you can’t have a snow day without a snowball fight! Mio joined in and had a blast!
