Easter, and exciting news!

We had a great Easter this past weekend.  The weather wasn't the best, but Miriam still had a chance to search for easter eggs (both indoors and outdoors), and we had a fun time.  We took a lot of pictures, but we continue to struggle to get them to look at the camera at the same time (more often than not, Mathias is staring intently at Miriam!).  Miriam got a new bathrobe, a water bottle of her own (to use for biking), some bubbles, books, a bug kit and some candy.  She also found plastic eggs filled with pennies, which she was excited to put into her "college fund" (what she calls her piggy bank). Mathias got a swimsuit, some socks, and a couple of teething toys, which he is putting to good use - we are expecting teeth in the next couple weeks, based on the way he's drooling and chomping on things.  He's even started chomping on his toes, as he's discovered how to get them into his mouth. :)

In our exciting news - Mario has a new job at Weyerhaeuser that he'll be starting next month.  He'll be a team lead in AP (Accounts Payable), leading a team of 11 people.  On the side, he builds spreadsheets and data tools for me to use at school. :) And my big news - I'm planning on working part time next year!  We haven't figured out exactly what that will look like, as my school is getting a new principal next year, but I'm excited about continuing to work at school as well as have some more time at home and with the kids.

Here are some pictures from recent weeks, including Easter:

Baby track suit!

He's discovered his feet...and how well they fit in his mouth. :) 

Wearing her new bathrobe she got in her Easter basket. 

What a great weekend! (Lots of "firsts" for Mathias)

We have had a great, gorgeous sunny weekend, filled with a lot of fun family activities and lots of "firsts" for Mathias!

Mathias' first first - eating solids!  Mario and I tried feeding him some sweet potatoes while Miriam was napping, and he loved them.  He's been eyeing our food for weeks and attempting to grab anything we are putting in to our mouths, so we thought it was about time he tried some solid food of his own.  He didn't have any problems getting the food into his mouth, gumming it around or swallowing it.  In fact, within the first couple bites, he was grabbing my hand as I put the spoon towards his mouth and pulling the spoon into his mouth.  We didn't feed him much at first, wanting to see if he had any reactions or if his stomach got upset.  He seemed fine, so we fed him more with dinner, and he was loving it...just kept eating, opening his mouth wide, sucking on his fingers (and even as Bumbo!) as they both got progressively covered in sweet potato.  He had to go straight from dinner into the bathtub, but we are excited he (seems to) love food so much, and now we won't feel bad when he's just watching us eat dinner...we can feed him food at the same time. :)

His second first - a ride in the bike trailer!  He seemed to enjoy it when we wheeled it around the store (before we bought it) a couple weeks ago, but we weren't sure if he'd enjoy a true (longer, bumpier) ride where he had to wear a helmet.  He was happy all of the way there, looking around and holding Miriam's hand.  On the way back he cried and screamed a bit, but finally fell asleep just before we got home.  We found a nice new park just about a mile from our house, so its the perfect distance for a quick bike ride with the kids, but without having to get into the car to ride on a bike path.

Mathias' last first of the day - riding in the bucket swing at the park.  He rode side by side with Miriam and seemed to have a lot of fun!  He squealed and kicked his legs and gave me big smiles.  It is fun that he's big enough to sit in a swing, so both of them can swing together.

I planted a lot of our garden this weekend, including 40 strawberry plants.  I'm hoping to get a good amount of strawberries so that we can freeze a lot and use them throughout the year!

Miriam is doing well - she's a huge help to Mathias, loves to ride her trike around our cul-de-sac, always asks to play outside and go to the park, wants to pick out her own outfits every morning, loves to be silly and play jokes, and is just an adorable little girl all around.

Here are some pictures from this weekend:

Mathias hangs out in Miriam's bed in the mornings while Miriam gets ready

It is hard to get them both to look at the camera at the same time!  

Especially because Mathias is fascinated by anything to do with Miriam when she's close to him....here he's grabbing her hand.

Mathias would only look at Miriam...

First bite! (A bit unsure....)

Yum! 

Grabbing my hand and pulling the spoon. 

Bike trailer! 

Swing! 

Dinner (notice the sweet potato everywhere...)

Our sweet, happy girl at the dinner table!