Earth Day!...?

We attempted an Earthy Earth Day but I'm not sure how successful we were. We did some errands in the morning and forgot our reusable shopping bags so it wasn't a good start but we were planning on going to Earthfest so I thought we could make up for it there. It was pretty chilly but we rode our bikes there (and got in for free because of it!). It was a pretty depressing scene when we got there. Some of it was regular carnival rides and food (not earthy) and then most of it was tables handing out pamphlets (also not very earthy). There was a petting zoo but the animals all looked very stoic. Good for petting but a little sad to see. We did learn a little bit about how windmills and solar panels work and there was a truck from NASA that I think we've been in before but long enough ago that everything was "new" and interesting.

Space!

More Space! Paige spent the longest time exploring space while we were there!

Standing next to a wind mill blade

It's harder to generate power than you would think!

Rain

Rain, rain, go away!

Dirty Rice

I don't remember how I came across this recipe for Dirty Rice but it just so happened to use up some stuff I needed to get rid of so I decided to try it last week! I would say it was successful. Everyone ate it but some bites were a little spicy for people. I think this is one of those dishes that tastes even better as leftovers and I love any recipe that is made in one pot! I left out the cayenne and just completely forgot to put the scallions on at the end!

Gift Baskets!

I had the opportunity to put together some gift baskets recently and I really like how they turned out! I'm putting them on here so I can reference what I did in case I want to replicate it in the future!

Pasta basket-I did this one for a friend's fundraiser for her mom who has cancer. It's kitchen towels, sauce, pasta, breadsticks and chocolate covered dried strawberries in a colander

This one was an Easter/Spring basket I made for family. It was a white kitchen towel, candle, succulent, chocolate bars, and some gluten-free snacks.

Easter!

The kids woke up decently early on Easter morning and were psyched to look for baskets! They both had canker sores through some odd coincidence which made it painful to smile so they look less than excited in some of the pictures! After baskets, we had an unsuccessful breakfast (underripe watermelon and a tatertot casserole that was much better as leftovers a couple of days later), and then went to church. It was beautiful out so we walked there and back before we got into the car to head to my parents house. We had seen Pat's parents the day before so we saw my family and celebrated Easter and also Lisa and Alex's birthdays! It was still really nice so we went for a long walk and then headed home, exhausted and full of sugar.

Super happy!

Owen was giving Paige a noogie

Posing with Dad...

Posing with mom...?

Easter basket scavenger hunt!

Found it!

Found it!

Happy birthday!

Props!

Hike!

The day before Easter was supposed to be filled with soccer and dance but everything got cancelled except for Paige's soccer! We decided to spend our free time hiking on a new trail around a lagoon we've passed by many times. We saw saw some wildlife and enjoyed the trail but the funniest part was when Owen got a crazy nose bleed in the middle and Paige and I had to run ahead to find something to clean him up with. He left a very bloody scene halfway through the trail and we couldn't help but wonder what people would think when they saw it!

Pat is just out of the picture, panicking about the kids falling in.

White bird far back but also a goose standing on one leg.

Bloody nose. Gross, but memorable!

Stopped on the trail for a picture!

Into the Cold!

It snowed and was so cold that we thought for sure Owen's first outdoor game would be cancelled but by the time the morning rolled around, the snow melted and it was just chilly. So...game on! After the game the whole team went for a quick meal at Denny's and then onto the second game. I don't think they ended up winning either but it was nice to see them play outside again!

Birthday Night!

Last birthday post! After we got back from competition, we were able to shower Paige with gifts, eat strawberry ice cream and watch a movie! Perfect end to the day!

Waiting with eyes closed!

Confusion about getting the card out...a dancing hippo card!

Owen picked out some supplies so Paige could play school with them!

Competition!

Paige's actual birthday was filled up mostly with a dance competition! Mini line was invited to participate in an optional competition and we decided to go for it since dancing is one of Paige's favorite ways to spend her time anyway:) This one was a lot more relaxed since we only had to bring stuff and prepare for one dance instead of 3. The dance was reworked a bit for people who weren't able to be there and they all did awesome with the changes! They won a bunch of awards and I have no idea what they mean but everyone seemed really pleased!

We had time to watch some other dancers

Ready and waiting!

These three are really good at posing for pictures!

Me: Paige, Don't forget to smile!
Paige:(this face)

That's Paige at the top!

What is this elephant for if not to pose on?

The whole group with their awards and medals!

7 years old and not too old for a nap!

Party People

Paige opted not to have a friend party this year because she wanted one special friend to come to the family party and sleep over after! The party went by really quickly between eating, making masks, superhero names, playing outside and chatting! I had everyone pose with the birthday girl in front of this superhero backdrop too!

Party Stuff

Paige was torn between a Descendants theme and a Batgirl theme for her party this year but finally settled on Batgirl. I printed off a ton of batgirl pictures to decorate with and made some batgirl logos. I also set up a table for people to make their own superhero names and masks! Paige chose a chocolate-covered strawberry cake and we surprised her with a macaroni and cheese bar for the dinner. Although, her and her friend were probably the only people to actually not mix anything into theirs:)

Hash

We had some friends over for dinner one night and decided to go with a breakfast theme. They brought muffins and fruit and we made Italian Sausage Quiche and Pat made this Spring Asparagus Hash. We made it without the pancetta because a dish with sausage and another with pancetta seemed a bit much. It was really good and we have leftover asparagus so I might be making it again very soon.

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