Easter

We had a fantastic Easter with our family. The weather was gorgeous and we had our egg hunt outside! Then we played at the park. It was a terrific day.

Victorian Easter Egg Roll

We had so much fun at a Victorian Easter Egg Roll at the Landing! We wove baskets, decorated eggs, made thaumatropes, and played old-fashioned games like graces, hoops, bunny hop relay and egg and spoon race. Thankfully, the weather cooperated and it was a beautiful morning!

Fun to learn how to make these baskets!

The competition was fierce!  

  
There were plenty of spills.

We were proud of Willa who worked so hard at hoops and finally mastered it!

Jia spent a LONG time practicing walking on stilts until she got it! We were proud of her perseverance!

 We love playing Graces and other old-fashioned games.

Coloring eggs naturally.

 
Willa's thaumatrope was a rider on a horse and Jia's was a bird in a cage.

Willa's Family Day

Today marks six years with Willa! We've celebrated by toasting with bubble tea (which also originated in Taichung, Taiwan), giving her a present that we bought for her there, and eating cake that she made! She decorated it with a saber-toothed tiger, because she felt like it. Willa is a sweet, charming, spirited little girl and we are so thankful to have her in our lives!

Outings

We went to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts for family day. We learned all about Matisse!

 

Willa took a shoe tying class at Nordstrom and like new math, there is a new way to tie a bow! You now make two loops and tie them together. Jia learned the traditional method at her shoe tying class there a few years ago. 

Willa was very proud of her new skills, and her new shoes!

Papercut!

We went to the Papercut exhibit at the American Swedish Institute and it was spectacular! We loved hunting for all the hidden objects and doing our own paper cutting. Playing in the bakery and riding the Dala horse were also hits as usual!

The artist, Karen “Bit” Vejle, does amazing work!

 

 Finding hidden items.

 Making her own cutting.

  

They LOVE this bakery and they served us many times. 

  
We met the maker of this horse!

Passage to China

The girls had a great time at the Passage to China at Mall of America. They did a terrific job performing lessons and songs on the stage and we were so proud of them. They also had fun making crafts, winning pandas, buying Chinese folk art, and eating yummy food!

Getting ready to flip their characters.

Making music!

 Jia made this lantern.

They made terracotta warrior heads from clay molds!

Willa was very excited to win this panda!

 

More panda fun!

 

April Fools!!

We had fun as usual on April Fools' Day this year. I can't really trick the girls with fake food anymore, but I try anyway.

The girls were not so enthused about my brown e's: