Holi-dazzling, the "two's" continue

On Friday night we went to Macy's and Holidazzle with Sheri and Ashley. I have no idea why some people waited in the skyway for over two hours to watch the parade from up above. Being outside is what it's all about! It was a beautiful night and we had a great time. We liked Macy's, but I might not bring a toddler next time. Ours weren't very happy with the "look but don't touch" aspect of it, but they seemed to enjoy it overall. Of course, you can't tell from Elsa's face. She's the worst picture-taker lately! She always makes a sour face on purpose. Everything's a power struggle. So, here's the best of the photos I have. I'm sure I'll laugh about it later on, but for now i'm a little disappointed.

Elsa posing at the Macy's display. To get her to not make a face, I honestly had to say,"Don't smile for me - do it for daddy!" And then I only got this, which I guess I have to be grateful for.


She doesn't look very happy to be seen with me. I didn't expect photos like this until she was in her teens.


The Santa float at the Holidazzle. Elsa loved it and said,"Elsa wants to see more trains!" I had her on my shoulders and everyone - including complete strangers - said she was smiling from ear to ear. Of course I never saw that, but at least I know she had fun.


On my shoulders at the Holidazzle. And again with the face.


In the car with Ashley, and again the face.


Saturday we had a big snowstorm. Tim took Elsa outside after dinner and they went sledding for awhile. And again, with the face!


Little tiny baby! I want to eat her up!


Lila in her jumper. She loves that thing.


Last Monday night Elsa suddenly spiked a fever of 103. When she woke up the fever was gone, and she seemed fine except for a cough. She had obviously been pretty hot, as her hair had crusted into a giant sweaty mess of curls.


Last weekend Elsa and Lila went sledding together for the first time. Elsa doesn't acknowledge her sister that much, but you could tell she was surprised that she was sledding with her, and thought it was cool.



Wow, this photo shows how big our backyard really is!


Lila's first time sledding.


Next post: Christmas! Over and out.

Growing Pains

I'd say the terrible two's are in full swing. Elsa is starting to do things we never thought she'd do. Pouring milk all over her dinner, having a breakdown when I bring out the camera, flinging hand soap all over the mirror, slamming doors, etc. I have to keep reminding myself that it's a normal part of growing up. But it certainly does try my patience. She's still a sweet kid, but the Terribles tend to show up more than i'd like. Here she is saying, "NO!" when she sees the camera.


Tim has been taking Elsa outside after he comes home from work. They take a ride in the sled and she helps him shovel. Here's a picture of her admiring Tim's giant mittens. I decided not to show the one where she collapsed into tears because I wanted to take a picture of her all bundled up. She's not a fan of the camera lately.


Last week we started Lila on veggies. So far she's had squash, peas, and carrots. She loves 'em all! Lately she's been waking up about 4 times a night, and we've finally realized that if we ignore her the first time (hard as it is to let her cry for 20 mins!), she'll only wake up once or twice after that.


All in all, things are going well. We're out of the difficult newborn stage. Both kids can stay occupied while we get stuff done around the house. They're great in public, too. One time while Elsa was with the grandparents, we took Lila to Applebee's. She was courteous enough to wait until after dinner to fill her diaper. Good baby!


Lila's a little behind in the photos department, so here's a couple of her just looking cute.

Lila, 5 months old

The first few months were tough, but we made it. It's all smooth sailin' from here - until she turns 2. Lila smiles all the time, loves her jumper, rarely cries, takes 2-3 naps a day (still wakes a few times each night, but anyway...), and is super cuddly and sweet. She loves attention, and to get massaged. Just last weekend she added a high-pitched "dih dih dih!" to her vocabulary. She rolls a lot, and can sit for a few seconds on her own.
A few of her nicknames:
1. Minnie. We must use this one a lot, because Elsa told Santa that was her name.
2. Butterball. This one leads up to...
3. Double Dimps, because her left cheek seriously has one dimple above the other.

Lila during our Christmas photoshoot today.


Lila and daddy at dinnertime.


Here's video of Lila laughing, and later you hear her "huuuh" sound that Elsa loves to copy.


One of my favorite recent Elsa quotes:

The other week, after she'd asked for a snack, I said,"What do we say?"

She thought a second, then said, "I mean it!"

jump around

The only piece of baby equipment we've ever been without is a jumper. Elsa was always so content to simply sit and observe; she was practically sitting alone by the time she was 4 months old. Lila can't sit still. I try to make her sit and she flies backward, forward, sideways! I finally bit the bullet and bought a Jumperoo off Craigslist. She loves it. Here's some video. Note that her tongue is always out, like a little puppy. Maybe a teething thing?


Ahhh, yes. A sign of what's to come, minus the,"Mah-om! Elsa's using me as a hat rack again!".


Sleeping babies are my favorite kind.


Elsa knows the camera, and therefore knows it's more fun to run from it. I got her! Our holiday photo shoot should be interesting.


Lila has been playing with her feet for months, but finally - just today - started chomping on them. It's funny to watch her get her hand in there and get her thumb and toes confused for a minute.


The sisters. Now more than ever, when I look at pictures of them together at this age I can barely tell them apart. I'd better get this stuff marked so I know what's up when I'm 80.

holiday weekend

This weekend we celebrated the holidays early. We headed to Richfield for Thanksgiving with my family, and on the way we stopped in Edina to see Santa at the mall. There was no line, yet it took us a full hour to get out of there. Right away we had to hit the family bathroom with both kids, where I was introduced to the toddler stall. Check it out:

Elsa in the fancy toddler bathroom at Southdale.


Elsa's jacket was hastily thrown into the sink, where it "automatically" soaked it through without us noticing. Then I ended up forgetting my jacket in the stall... it was a mess. Two kids are definitely more distracting than one.

With Santa. I guess he was feeling weekend casual.


Elsa with the fun wax lips grandma brought.


Lila suddenly digs car rides.


She's also very adept in the art of hair grabbing.


Lila in her squirrel outfit. How can she look any cuter? Grab feet!

Duluth

Last weekend, Tim and I headed to Duluth for a wedding. We left the kids with my parents overnight. It was hard leaving, but to be honest, once we left we had so much fun and so many distractions that we didn't worry about them much. And it turns out they were so good, there was no need. We had a great time! The wedding and reception were beautiful. Here are a few photos of the ballroom where the reception was held:

The lobby.


Tim at dinner. Check out the ceiling!


Us girls at our table - note the excessive glassware.


All of my pictures of the bride and groom turned out super dark, but trust me, pictures don't do them justice anyway. Congrats to Matt and Krista!

And of course, here's some pics of the kids. Elsa at school on her favorite teeter-totter thingy on the playground.


We put her lawn chair away in the garage, but she found it and sat in it and stared at the lawn mower. I feel the same way - summer lives on.


Lila likes to lean out of her bouncy chair and see what's happenin'. We should probably retire it soon before she falls out. She's an active one. Hi-ya!


Lila feels lucky to be sitting in her Bumbo chair. Usually Elsa claims it as hers, and can actually fit in it really well.

11-4-08

Halloween recap

Halloween day. We had a conflict of interest. Tim wanted us to eat the delicious breakfast he'd just made, I wanted Elsa to sit on the potty, and Elsa wanted to watch the special Halloween episode of Super Why. We compromised. Elsa ate breakfast while sitting on the potty and watching Super Why. Everyone's happy.


Halloween Eve. We're running late. We quickly eat dinner, then Tim rushes to carve pumpkins with Elsa. She loved watching and looking at the "guts".


You think you know someone, then you realize you have no idea they can carve two pretty awesome pumpkins in less than 10 minutes. Impressive.


Lila with the pumpkins.


Elsa trick-or-treating. The plan was to go to just a few houses since she doesn't really eat candy. It ended up being too fun, so we stayed out for 1 1/2 hours! It was a beautiful night. She had a couple pieces of candy and liked it, but said her favorite part was the nighttime stars.

Happy Halloween...

from the ghouls!


Elsa ladybug


Lila lamb

Quick update

I have to post this quick. When I put up the picture of Lila in the exersaucer, I knew there was a photo of Elsa that was similar, but I was too lazy to find it. Luckily, we have Melinda! She sent me the picture of Elsa when she was 4 months old that looks so much like the one of Lila. Crazy cute! I just love comparing them.

Lila, 4 months:


Elsa, 4 months:


In other news, Lila sat up in her bouncy chair today. I had just set her in it, totally reclining, and 2 seconds later she was smiling at me and nearly falling out the front. Abs of steel! She doesn't get that from Momma, that's for sure.

Just to prove I can't do a quick post, here's some cute video of Lila doing her signature sound. It's like a cross between a prehistoric bird and an asthma attack. This video doesn't do it justice because it's only once. She does it all the time, sometimes until she starts coughing. It's hilarious. You'll know when you hear it. Too bad the hiccups stop her from doing it more.