While Franny was spending some one-on-one time with her grandparents, Cole, Delaney, and I took our way-too-ripe bananas and made banana bread.   It was a lot of mess, a lot of fun, and a lot of attempted tasting.  After explaining the 'no fingers in the batter' rule way too many times, they finally got their chance.  Once the bread was in the oven, they were free to taste what remained in the bowl as much as they liked.  And, they maximized it, for sure!

 For her birthday, Delaney was fortunate to be given very thoughtful gifts.  Among them was this Tinkerbell sleeping bag from her grandparents.  She has played with it every day and has slept in it every night since her birthday.  She twists and turns in all sorts of positions when she sleeps, so I was trying to persuade her to go back to sleeping with her blanket, but she was insistent about sleeping in her new sleeping bag.  It's hard to predict what is going to be a big deal to a three year old, but this is definitely it!

The pictures don't do this beautiful cake justice.  It was incredible!  The hand-made fondant flowers and leaves were so detailed and shimmery.  Pixie Hollow couldn't have produced a better cake!  Thank you Auntie Noelle!!!

Today was the last day of school for both Franny and Cole.  They both had great years, worked very hard, and are looking forward to some much-deserved free time, as well as a couple of camps.  And, as much as they are both thrilled about their breaks, Delaney is going to be just as happy--if not more--when she realizes her two best friends are going to home all summer!

 The kids had a great time at Franny's school carnival last Friday.  They all had their hair painted, and Cole even had his spiked up in a mohawk--very unlike him!  They had pizza, played games--including an Angry Birds game--jumped around in the bounce house, and rode the train.  Franny spent most of her time with her best friend Lily, while Cole and Delaney explored the carnival together.  I spent a crazy 45 minutes making cotton candy at my volunteer station...it is harder than it looks!  But, it was a great evening for everyone, and it was probably the first big event that makes everyone realize the last day of school is fast approaching.  What a great year it has been!

For Cole's birthday, we stayed at a condo right on Yaquina Bay.  It was wonderful to wake up to the beautiful view of the bay, and the kids loved staying right on the marina and seeing all the boats docked.  After spending the morning there, we moved on to Yaquina Bay State Park.  Unfortunately, the lighthouse was closed, but the kids had a great time on the beach and running down the dunes and crashing into the sand.  They could have stayed there all day!