The Millington Fam: April 2014 Photos - Part 2 (G: 4 years, 3 months old / C: 20 months old)

I'm kind of loving the caption feature on pictures. It gives me hope that maybe, maybe, MAYBE, I can finally catch up on the blog.
So the plan...
Finish April 2014 Part 2, then do May and maybe June of 2014, then jump back to all those back posts (while also keeping up on current posts). Easy, right? Fingers crossed.
So, April 2014 Part 2 - here we go!

Carter got a horrible cut on his big toe (ripped off the entire bottom pad of skin). It took a good month to completely heal. It was wrapped in gauze and tape the first week and whenever he got a chance to look at his boo boo, he was very sad about it and also gentle, tender, and curious with it. He seemed to think blowing on it would help and he learned the words owie and ouchie from the experience. I took some pictures and a video of Carter examining his toe:

A new indoor trampoline center opened in Santa Barbara called Cloud 10. The kids love it! We went to a birthday party on a weekend and it was crazy but when we tried going during the 7 and under morning sessions it was a huge hit. Obstacle courses, bouncing sports courts, gymnastics rooms, foam pits, trampoline runs, you name it, they have it and the staff are wonderful with kids. Here are a few pictures and videos, but I'll probably share more later on if it continues to be a fun place to burn off energy:

Huge play structure.

Jumping into the foam pit.

High five!

Gymnastics obstacle course.

Dodge ball.

Carter double fisting it at PEP:

Carter baby in love with Elmo. He simply can't get into his high chair without taking Elmo along with him:

We had a GREAT time flying kites during some windy days. After trouble with difficult to fly kites and a mishap trying to fly in our backyard (which is way too small to fly a kite) we bought an 'easy-up' new kite and went to a wide open space. I took some pictures and a video. All was good until we needed to scale a fence and do some weed whacking to retrieve the runaway kite. Graham now has wrist bands to act as a backup if he accidentally lets go of the handle:

Check out how beautiful the view is!

Back for round two the next day.

Emeals is still a complete success for our family. We have homemade meals almost every night and it is something different every time. The kids try the meals but often end up have chicken nuggets or pasta as a backup. Graham is getting more adventurous and tolerant of eating new foods every day, so I'm not pushing our meals too much because I know he will start eating them eventually. Yesterday, Graham ate a tomato and snap pea, so I'm not complaining :) I have a few pictures from April but I've mostly stopped taking pictures because now these meals are the norm instead of a novelty:

Prep work for a corn shrimp chowder.

Summer gazpacho, tilapia with a lemon caper sauce, and crumbled goat cheese flatbread.

We love hanging out at BHY after picking Graham up from preschool. These days, we usually spend a good hour or two playing in the playground after the official pickup time:

One of the teachers found a hissing beetle!

Graham was so proud of his tall tower.

Carter loves the sandbox.

When we are not having fun at the BHY playground, we have lots of fun at the park:

Somebody loves peeking out of the holes in the tunnel.

Boo!

Carter's favorite (swinging on his tummy).

Graham learning to pump his legs and swing himself.

Birthday party season isn't crazy like it used to be, now that the kids are in preschool and are trending towards a smaller circle of friends, but we have some pictures from a few fun ones:

Kaden's party at his family ranch. Graham rode the oversized tricycle right up to the lunch table for a quick refuel before heading back out for more play.

How cool are these! They look like chocolate dipped ice cream cones but are actually filled with cake with a chocolate covered marshmallow top.

At Mia's party, Graham took the bowl of popcorn and walked around with it like it was his own private bowl.

Carter loved the mask decorating activity.

Graham happily decorated his mask (but on the back side).

Graham was the winner!

And we have made it! All that is left for April is miscellaneous photos. Enjoy:

Nick and Graham playing with the old pool pole before it went in the trash.

Graham listening intently and participating in a dance class at the library.

You'll never be able to see it, but trust me. This is a picture of a bobcat in our front yard (taken from the safety of my car).

Our dear friends Laurie and James Welsh welcomed baby number three (Everly Elle) and I got to meet her at only a few hours old!

At the park, Graham invited himself to join and eat from another family's picnic.

Racquet Ball! Their favorite activity after I pick them up from the Y. I take a lot of these pictures, so expect to see more in the future. Kids love it, while I'm watching every second to keep them safe.