Getting ready for spring, and 5th birthdays

Change is in the air for us this week.  Literally, in the sense that the weather has been positively May-like.  Or even June-like, really.  Several days this week have seen highs in the high 70s.  We've been sleeping with the windows open.  And the kids have been living it up in the backyard and playground.

But a few other, less meteorological changes have been happening too.  Tuesday, Eliza, Noah and I ventured over to the school district headquarters to register her for kindergarten for next year!  Wednesday, I baked (and froze) 30 cupcakes and a small cake with this recipe, in anticipation of Eliza's upcoming fifth birthday.  Thursday, I dropped Noah off at preschool, and for the first time there were  absolutely no tears or protestations (this is his second week of staying at preschool without me).  And today, we celebrated Eliza's birthday in school.  Tomorrow is her actual birthday and the day of her birthday party.

The weather certainly helped with the cupcakes.  The kids played outside for nearly 2 hours while I baked, Wednesday morning:
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This was the smile I got when I asked for a "nice almost-5 picture":


Yup, that's a lot of cakes!








It would appear that Noah is wearing two very muddy shoes:


When in reality, he's wearing one muddy shoe and one muddy sock!




But at least it's fun!

Ready for preschool!