3 weeks in to 2016

When Mia and Ava were born, I remember thinking ahead to 2016: the year they'd start kindergarten.  Of course, it seemed so far off, but I also knew it would be here in the blink of an eye.  I like to think that I have a pretty healthy relationship with time, refusing to wish it away or become overwhelmed by the speed at which it passes.  It's just a battle I'm not willing to fight . . . time will win and I prefer not to lose.  Instead, I choose to make the most of the time I have with the girls (except when I don't, because sometimes I just can't handle another round of Chutes and Ladders . . . those darn chutes . . . we were so close to the end of the game . . . so close).  Anyway, the long weekend gave us plenty of opportunities to enjoy our girls:
 

The little ladies and I went to tea.

 Mate took them to a birthday party while I headed to Playhouse Square to see Annie with my mom and niece:

 We took the girls to their first Croatian Mass and enjoyed lunch afterwards. They were pretty darn good for the whole thing, although they did request faster music next time. 

We spent the afternoon at the theater. Goodnight Moon quickly became Goodnight Eliana:

 We splurged a bit and went to see Disney on Ice for a second time since Mate couldn't come last week. 

 We also did nothing . . . which can be just as magical.

 I took the girls ice skating at Lock 3 in Akron . . . that lasted 5 minutes.  I knew it wasn't going to go well, but they really wanted to give it a whirl. 

 Thankfully, the Pop Up Children's Museum next door to ice skating was a big hit.  More on that in a future post.

 The cold winter weather gave us an opportunity to read stories by the fire.

We were supposed to volunteer with Caring Cubs on MLK Jr. Day, but a series of events kept us at home.  I felt quite guilty about that, so we made sure to spend a portion of our afternoon learning about the importance of the day.  

Here's to all the fast and slow days we have yet to enjoy . . .