friends with hand-me-down benefits

today we had our friends kaylee & virginia (along with moms esther & camille) over for a fun fondue lunch / playdate. a couple of months ago, virginia was nice enough to pass along some very cute hand-me-downs to penny. with this in mind, penny today asked me (right in front of virginia, no less), "can i have that purple shirt one day?" i think penny just looks up to her friend, as you can see in the photos. :)

the dingo ate your baby

silly kids.

new green sneaks

zack's old pumas have been getting a tad snug on him. while at the mall the other day, we walked by the kids shoe section of nordstrom on our way out. i figured i'd just peek at what styles were out, but before i could even browse the selection, zack yelled out 'i want the green ones!" luckily, the "green ones" weren't a gazillion dollars. he seems pretty pleased with his choice, don't you think?

note: they're even GREENER in person. and he's now wanting to wear green daily. you know, to match the sneaks.

number 6

penny had her 6th laser treatment last friday to remove her port wine stain. she was a big girl, carrying her lunch bag (thank you, aunt essie) and cruising around children's hospital without a stroller. we visited her favorite sites, including the big rube goldberg in the lobby, the fishies, and of course, the bubble wall. penny caught on pretty quickly why she was there, pointing to the exam table and saying "mommy, i don't want to go up there, i want to go home!" she was a brave girl, though, and calmed down just seconds after the treatment (and in time to get her dora stickers).

back in business!

the little keenans finally have camera access again, thanks to mom & dad's new iphones. with a visit to the doc (for an incessant cough) for penny and a couple of time-outs for zack, our valentine's day wasn't all a bed of roses, but these heart-shaped pancakes (followed by heart-shaped cantaloupe, waffles, and sandwiches) sure cheered everyone up!many more posts to come soon!

zackers at school

every now and then, one of zack's teachers, mrs. knight, will send a note home to us with some photos tucked inside so we can catch a glimpse into zack's days at dean college children's center. it's been a great way to get a "fly on the wall" view of what he's up to.

this photo is from early fall: using markers and learning how to punch holes in paper

this photo is from the past week: helping to make waffles (special thanks to the woman who coordinates all the snacks so that they would be sure to be egg-free and not contain ingredients from a plant that processes nuts!) and reading in the cozy reading nook under the loft.
we have recieved other photos and often, zack is hanging out by the playdoh table, one of his favorite haunts. it's nice to see him exploring other things too!

next year, penny will join zack 3 mornings a week (leaving me with a total of 7.5 hour of "free" time per week - woo hoo!). i can't wait to see penny come into her own the way he has. also, i'll be able to volunteer at the school sometimes since both will be there at the same time!