Why put off for tomorrow what you can do today? Here's a look at our day, which ended up being way more fun than we planned for! I know I owe Maggie and Abby updates about the month of May (and now June) but let's just enjoy today!

But first, a peek at Tuesday. I was at work, and Chris decided to stop by "World Market" at the mall. They are closing the store, so who can resist a sale? They bought a fancy tea set, and then had a tea party before bed.

Tea/apple juice/milk/graham crackers - Fancy stuff!

This morning, I took Abby to ZOO SCHOOL! We just love Zoo school, have we mentioned it? probably. Today the theme was Carousel - but really at 2, most classes are a variation on counting, colors, and just having fun.

The teacher asked the children to walk "SLOWLY" to put their velcro pieces on her felt board. Abby took it very seriously.
She created a Tiger to "ride" and then got to go out into the zoo to ride on the real Merry-go-round. She loved it, and so did I!
After coming home for lunch and naps, we decided to check out the "Member's Night" at Discovery World. We stopped for McDonald's on the way for a fast, crowd-pleasing car picnic and were one of the first families to arrive at the museum. We ended up staying for 2 hours and enjoyed a behind-the-scenes look at our favorite, the Aquarium! We were given a guided tour though the the kitchen, the holding tanks for quarantined fish, special tanks for growing coral, holding tanks for sick fish, and all the scuba gear for the divers who clean the tanks and feed the fish.


We then explored a few other areas of the museum, playing on the big boat, lifting with pulleys, and of course, starting the thunderstorm. Then we decided to watch their special Science show which featured "Fire and Ice" Who knew liquid nitrogen could be so fun! Or that boric acid makes fire a different color than magnesium?

We even snuck out on the private party deck for a great view and a quick picture.
All in all it was a perfect summer day!

It's amazing how fast a month can fly by. And it's amazing how much can happen in a month. May was a particularly busy month for Katherine, so let's look back at all of her excitement.

She's been busy working on her monkey bar skills. She's been advised by her older, wiser sister that this is a very important skill for a Kindergartener to have. So she has been practicing. Note that she was wearing a sweatshirt in this picture. Before we were able to leave the park that day, we were pelted with a mini hail storm. Crazy weather has been a theme this month.

4 days later, we went to KINDERGARTEN ORIENTATION! It's crazy to me that she is ready for Kindergarten, but oh, is she ready! She is practically counting the days until she can get on the bus with Maggie, she is quickly improving her reading skills, and she is busy mastering skills like monkey bars and shoe tying! For this event we spent the morning at school, visiting the classrooms, meeting friends, and taking a short bus ride.

(Crazy weather note, when we went in to orientation it was warm enough for sandals and sundresses, when we came out 2 hours later we needed jackets!)

A week later, we travelled to Evanston to celebrate Katherine's birthday. It was the beginning of a week of celebrations.
What could be better for a birthday than Stair-Ball and Cupcakes? It was a great day!

2 days later, for the first time in her life, Katherine walked into a room full of people to the music of "Pomp and Circumstance." (I'm hopeful it won't be the last time.) And yes, there might have been a tear in my eye. It was an adorable ceremony full of songs and fidgeting and little diplomas. Here's a video. I repeat, I can't believe she's big enough for Kindergarten!

Then, on Wednesday the 25th, it was HER BIRTHDAY! She'd been waiting and waiting, counting the days. Of course we did presents in pajamas, but she decided she just wanted a regular breakfast. So toast all around!
She was adamant that she needed to create a birthday crown for herself, so we spent part of the morning doing that.
We had planned to spend the rest of the day at a local park celebrating the end of school with the rest of her preschool. however, crazy weather alert, we had heavy rain and crazy winds, so the picnic was moved indoors to JumpZone. I've never been happier to be rained out of a picnic. Katherine has been BEGGING for a Jump Zone party, but I'm a mean mom and said no big party this year. So she ended up getting a party with all of her friends and I didn't have to do any of the work! Also, traditionally, this picnic is hot and very crowded, and it's hard to relax when you're worried about losing a child at the park. No worries at Jumpzone! It was perfect for her!
For her birthday dinner, Katherine announced that she wanted to eat at Texas Roadhouse. This took me by surprise until she told me that she had seen a girl riding a horse and getting ice cream for her birthday. So, we went and Katherine was indeed given the chance to sit in the birthday saddle, have the restaurant clap for her, and then eat a large bowl of ice cream. Who could ask for anything more?
Yes, it did seem anti-climatic to come home to birthday cake. But Katherine didn't mind a bit. She was thrilled to eat her birthday cake in her nightgown after a very busy 5th birthday!

Phew, I'm exhausted just re-capping all of this excitement! And there's still more! Last week, Katherine had her Gymnastics Expo! We were invited to come and see all of the amazing tricks she's been learning all year.
(Note the new-from-her-birthday leotard.Purple. Polka-dots. Perfect!)

It was actually impressive to see everything she was able to do. Oh, I have a video of this too! She really enjoys gymnastics, so we'll see, maybe she'll be back improving her skills next year!

Finally, last week, on the first perfect weather day in a LONG time, we ignored all the things we should have done, like errands and laundry, and went to the Zoo instead. We met my friend Amy and her son Callahan and spent the morning enjoying the zoo. It was absolutely worth it!
So, now you know what's been happening with Katherine all month. Stay tuned for updates from the rest of the family!

My girls are so funny! Chris went to church tonight. The girls were having a little downtime with the TV while I cleaned up dinner. The doorbell rang, and when they saw that it was UPS, there were shrieks of excitement.

"It's for us Mommy, NOT YOU, Don't even come to the door Mommy!"

Of course I opened the door, but played along with them.

Maggie said "Don't even look or touch Mommy, I've got it!"

However, the box was too large and heavy for her to actually pick up.

After letting them try to figure out what to do, I offered to help. They were distraught; they needed help, but did not want to ruin my surprise.

"Ok Mommy," said Katherine, in her most serious voice,"you can help, but first, close your eyes."

So, I closed my eyes and they let me out onto the porch, and guided me as I bent down to pick up the box. Then I had very careful (but somewhat conflicting) directions on how to get it into the house and up to their room, where they were going to put it under their bed. I did as I was told, putting it down in their room and leaving without opening my eyes.

They've now been upstairs for a solid 10 minutes pushing this box around, trying to find the best hiding spot - it doesn't fit under the bed as planned.

"Not in there, she'll look in there!"

"But she looks everywhere, and she knows EVERYTHING!"

I just called up and suggested that they take a blanket and cover the box and leave it in the corner of their room.

"But you'll peek!"

I promised I would not peek.

Katherine was still hesitant, "Do you REALLY promise? Or are you pretending to promise but it's not really real?"

I gave her my word, my 'for real' promise.

Now they are fighting over which blanket works the best and how many blankets they should use. I am so amused by all of this! The box could be full of dirt and it wouldn't matter - this has been entertaining enough!

And, as long as I'm posting, in other adorable news, Abby came up with a new way to alert me that her nap was over today. She stood at her door, behind the gate, and sang "Are you sleeping, Are you sleeping, A-bi-gail?" (pause) then shouted "I NOT SLEEPING MOMMA!" It was hilarious.

Well, now I'm hearing more fighting than before, it must be time to intervene upstairs. Thanks for joining me in this live-blog event. Tune in Sunday to find out - what is in the box?

*update*

I didn't say a word about the box. I went up and helped the girls get into pajamas, but I pretended that the box wasn't there. It killed them. They just wanted to talk about it and have me guess what was in it. And, it's covered in at least 3 large blankets, all tucked carefully so the box is completely hidden. While Katherine giggled, Maggie barely took a breath as she explained "I mean, Mom, it's not for you anyway, the box says 'CHRIS SEPERSKY' and that's Daddy, not you, so it's not even for you, it's for Daddy, but if it WAS for you, I don't even know what it might be, I don't know if it's something for the kitchen or cooking, I just don't know what it would be, we didn't order it, so we don't know, but it's for Daddy, not for you!"

I love these girls!

I can't commit to doing a picture every day, but this one just seemed perfect today. Chris took this shot of Abby this morning. What was so terrible on this Monday morning? Was she depressed that Spring Break was over and everyone would go back to school today?

No, she was upset that Chris had retrieved her milk from the microwave and then attempted to hand it to her. She wanted me to do it. She refused to take it from Chris. He left it on the floor so she could pick it up once she calmed down.

Oh, it's hard to be 2!

So there are 4 hours left in the month of April. I have to get this blog updated in Abby's birthday month - since I didn't quite get it updated ON her birthday. Sue me!

Let's go back 2 weeks to Sunday, April 17. We decided to dye Easter Eggs as it was the only day all week that we'd all be home together. Just dyeing the eggs wasn't exciting enough, so Abby decided to taste the purple dye tablet. I called poison control and discovered that eating one tablet was not harmful, and I was advised to watch for color changes in her diapers. During clean-up we found some partially dissolved pieces of the tablet on the floor, so we believe it tasted so bad that she spit it out. We never saw any color changes in her diaper. As it turns out, the real tragedy was that Katherine's favorite color is purple, and she didn't get to have a purple egg.

Once the eggs were dyed, we were able to concentrate on the real holiday of the week - ABBY'S BIRTHDAY! Maggie and Katherine were especially excited and eager to make Abby's birthday special. Chris took them out to shop and they each chose a special gift for Abby. They also enjoyed baking and decorating her cupcakes and choosing a birthday balloon.
Abby was also very excited about her birthday. We started early in the day, because it was Holy Thursday, and we weren't sure if Chris would make it home between school and church that day. So when she came downstairs, she saw "PRESENTS!"
Then we had birthday pancakes and cupcakes for breakfast. She LOVED the candles and singing, shouting "More candles" after blowing them out.
The sun came out just long enough to enjoy some time outside on her birthday. There was a part of me that wanted to take her out someplace exciting, to make the day extra special. But really, at 2, all she wanted to do was stay home and play for the whole day. So we stayed home, played inside and out, and then had cupcakes again with our dinner.

Overall I think it was pretty great day for Abby. And it was only the first of her birthday celebrations. She had 2 more to go!The Easter Bunny arrived on Sunday, bringing lots of eggs and a few other surprises. The Hula Hoops were a big hit - though 3 girls with hoops got a little crazy in our living room.

Then we went to West Bend for the day where Abby had her second birthday party at Boom Boom's and the big girls got to hunt for more Easter eggs/treats.
On Monday we enjoyed the first full day of SPRING BREAK! The weather was just barely nice enough to head to the park and try the new kites that the Easter Bunny delivered. They weren't very strong though, so Chris was able to get them flying, but they both ended up crashing soon after take-off. As Maggie pointed out "They were only $3!" I think the Easter Bunny should check for price tags next year!
The rest of our week was spent hanging out. Gram and PopPop came up on Wednesday for Abby's third birthday celebration. Chris enjoyed cooking a true feast and we enjoyed eating it!
On Friday, the sun finally came out! We went to the Zoo in the morning to take advantage of the warm weather. I think that 1/2 the city was there too - everyone felt the need to come out from hibernation!

In the afternoon we picked up the new dresser for the big girls' room. As we transition Abby into a "Big Girl" room we've been moving some furniture around. The dresser is exactly what we needed in the room, but the mirror that attaches arrived with a crack down the middle. So we'll wait another 2 weeks for that project to be complete.

Finally, this morning I joined a few colleagues and participated in the March for Babies in Milwaukee. It was very windy, and cooler than we might have liked. But, since it wasn't raining or snowing (as it was in Iowa 2 weeks ago) we tried not to complain and instead just enjoyed being there, walking for such an important cause. Thanks to all of you for your support!

Last weekend, Abby had a terrible runny nose. It was constant and messy, both gross and adorable. Monday I had a stuffy nose; I was not adorable. Wednesday I lost my voice. And by Thursday night into Friday it was a full blown monster cold, the type I get usually only once a year. But the one that sends me to a doctor because of my asthma. I actually thought I was doing well, using my tricks to conquer this cold. I stayed home from work Friday, but thought I'd be able to go back today.

Until I woke up with pink eye.

So, instead of work, and instead of Palm Sunday Mass, I went to urgent care at 8am. With my 3 darlings. I left with Bronchitis, Pink eye, and so many compliments on my adorable, well behaved children, I wondered if they were really talking to me. I'll be fine.

But these well behaved children? At least one of them has been a real stinker lately!

That sweet face, who yesterday climbed over the guard rail between the upper bunk bed and the wall, "just because" and got completely stuck.

Or how about today, after a trip to the Doctor and the Pharmacy, and after a special treat of McDonald's for such good behavior (and let's be honest, limited lunch mess for me to deal with.) I was on the couch, resting. The girls were happily playing. I overheard Maggie and Katherine decide to see how far they could throw a small ball. I interrupted them before they could find out, and asked them the questions that have been used quite a bit lately, "WHY?" followed by "What did the little voice in your head tell you about that?"

Maggie hung her head and replied that her little voice had told her "We're not supposed to throw things in the house, this isn't a good idea."

Katherine looked me straight in the eye and reported that her voice had told her "Mom's eyes are closed, She won't know, go ahead and do it!"

*sigh*

The birthday girl, Abby, she'll never be sassy like that, right? Look how grown up she is with her mini-laptop. She'll always be mature and easy to handle, right?

WRONG! Look what happens when I let Katherine outside to play before Abby, while Abby was happily coloring at the table.....

She took the container of crayons and dumped it on the table. And when I turned around and said "ABBY, what did you do?" She looked right at me and used her hands to push the crayons all onto the floor.

*sigh*

Maggie is grown up enough to be trusted, right? Look how studious she is at Science night, studying the colloids that she and her friend Clare made with the "Mad Scientist"

We won't discuss how moments after arriving home with "SLIME" in a jar, (which the scientists strongly advised to keep away from carpet,) she opened her jar and slopped slime all over the living room carpet.

*sigh*

I guess it's a good thing that they are usually so adorable. Last Sunday it was nice enough to wear summer clothes and sandals to Church. When Maggie learned that she didn't need to wear tights or a coat, she shouted, "I feel like a brand new kid!"

Abby wasn't quite ready to give up wearing her winter hat. In fact, she continues to pull it out almost every day. Earlier in the week she did NOT need it, but we had snow yesterday and more in the forecast for overnight tonight, so we haven't put our hats and mittens away yet.

Katherine is improving her reading quite a bit. She is sounding out words, but also memorizing a few of her more favorite books. Still, she is quite proud to take Abby and read to her "Like a real big sister." And earlier today, while I was on the couch, she brought me 2 books and told me "Mom, I'll read to you, because you read to me when I don't feel good."

Yes, I'd say, even at their worst, I'm pretty lucky to have these beautiful girls in my life.