Yep, still here

This weekend we hung out close to home and got stuff done. Tim painted more of the house and mowed the lawn while I spent time outside with Elsa. We went on lots of walks and ate spicy food, but to no avail. Hmph, i'm not surprised. Being late is what I do best; just ask my former co-workers.

For now, some new photos.

The wonder of packing peanuts.


Taking a break from reading about baby names to show off her fabulous halter top and ponytail.




Bike ride with daddy. I'm not sure who had more fun.


Bees! Elsa loves for us to draw her bees, over and over again. She's super into sidewalk chalk and our driveway is covered. Tim has his own signature bee character down to a T (pictured). Above his bee are a bunch of Elsa's little bees. She has the shape thing going on! Once and awhile she'll even draw a line coming out of it for the stinger.


I'm telling you all, WEDNESDAY! So don't be surprised if there's no action until then. If it doesn't happen by then? Woah. It'll be best not to talk to me until it does.

The Baby Ticker is a liar

The ticker is counting down to the supposed due date of June 29. For those of you who believe it, I say, HA! Elsa was late and I think this one will be late, too. My guess is July 2 at 10am. What's your guess? I can't offer much if you win, except your name up in lights (as the subject line of a blog post), along with other nice stuff about how awesome you are. Put your guess on the Comments page or send me an email and we'll see who the big winner is! Don't forget to include the time, too.

On to some photos. This weekend was the first time we were able to go swimming in the pool. Elsa cried at first because it was a little cold, but soon grew used to it and loved it. I loved how it made me feel like I took off a 30-pound fat suit.
Here's Elsa playing with the skip discs and eating snacks poolside.



We hadn't been to the Village Inn for breakfast in a long time, so we decided to go once more before the new baby arrives. Who knows how long it'll be before we have enough courage to go with 2 kids?


Here are some recent photos of our fun trip to Como Zoo with Julie, Henry and Violet.

The kids (none of them looking at the camera, of course).


Henry and Elsa are riveted by the sight of a napping buffalo.


The whole gang of us.


That's all for now. Send your guesses in!

Father's Day, 22 month update, and more

Dad and Elsa on Father's Day weekend. Whenever she's on his shoulders she hugs his head just like this and says,"Awww...":


Elsa and Auntie Emma on Father's Day.


Eyes on the prize. This is how she rides once the park comes into view:


I had to throw this picture in here. She's finally wearing shorts and seems pretty happy about it.


Elsa went to the doctor yesterday and everything looks great. Here are her stats:

Height: 35 inches (90th %)
Weight: 26 lbs. (50th %)

Elsa loves to color and draw more than ever. She's also become extra affectionate toward me and will run and hug my leg throughout the day. Sometimes she'll say "mommy" very dramatically and hug herself as if she's hugging me. And she suddenly wants me to do the bedtime routine and not Tim. Perhaps she can sense the changes that are about to come?
Her vocab is great - she strings together 4-5 word sentences, can point out all the letters of the alphabet and can count up to 6, then goes to 9. She's also started making up songs (that are mostly humming), and she'll go to the piano and sing/play away. She gets a kick out of rhymes and even has a rhyming song about her dad that she made up that goes,"daddy gee, daddy wee, daddy me, daddy see, daddy..." and she sings it super fast like she's rapping.

Tonight we went to Arts in the Park in Forest Lake. Here's Elsa and Tim on the dock at the beach.

The End.

Popsicles and a Good Hair Day

This past weekend it finally got hot outside. When Elsa gets even mildly warm, she gets bright red cheeks. We brought her inside and gave her her first Popsicle. Once she got the hang of it, it was gone within seconds.



Take a minute to notice her hair in the above pictures. Barrettes obviously don't work anymore - her hair is always messy and in her face. I never wanted her to have bangs, but she was gifted with daddy's hair (no cowlicks), so I figured what the heck. Around 10 am today, we headed to Great Clips. I explained to her the whole way there how neat it would be and exactly what would happen, which usually works - and it did. It really couldn't have gone any better. She flirted with a guy in a cowboy hat during our 10 minute wait, then sat patiently - if not suspiciously - as the stylist cut her hair. No fussing, no tears. Victory!

Getting hair cut by the "nice lady".


When we got into the parking lot, she looked up at me proudly and said,"Pretty new hair cut!"


A couple of cute after-shots. Whose kid is this?! She looks so different.



This is video of the chant Elsa always does when she's waiting to go outside.
Out-si-i-i-i-ide!

William O, Fawn-Doe-Rosa, and Mama takes a digger...

Last Sunday we went to William O' Brien State park and took a walk with Grandma and Grandpa E. It was finally shorts weather. Here's Elsa splashing in a puddle on a giant rock, and the two of us by the river.



This morning we went to Fawn-Doe-Rosa in St. Croix Falls, WI. The earliest memory I have of the place is when I was about 4 years old. Our parents brought us while they were looking at land to buy. I innocently stole a daisy ring from the gift shop. When we got back to Minneapolis and mom discovered what i'd done, she made me feel so guilty I couldn't stand to look at the ring anymore. Needless to say my shoplifting days were over. Elsa had a great time today, but I doubt it was as life-changing an experience as mine was.
On to the pictures...





Isn't this photo so Disney? Check out the deer with his leg perfectly bent in graceful splendor. Meanwhile, Elsa holds her arm up in a defensive pose to one that gets too close. We were pretty impressed at how many animals they had running around; it was better than the zoo.

Then, as we were walking away quickly from a mangy looking deer, my sandal got stuck in the mud. It slid forward - in slow motion - toward a huge mud puddle. My loss of balance made me fall sideways, and instead I hit the grass with my arm and knee (saving the belly!). Very lucky, but still - not a pretty sight as a hugely pregnant lady crashes to the ground like a rhino on roller skates. After Tim was done laughing, he was able to tell me that he was pretty sure nobody else witnessed the event. I can't wait until my ounce of grace returns in a few weeks to save me from future horror.