Area family visits mall, takes video

Friday morning we went to the MOA to see the Underwater Adventures exhibit. The kids loved the sea creatures, but were equally enthralled with the mall itself. We got there at 9:30am and left at 1pm, without incident. A great day indeed.

Under the shark tunnel. I'd definitely recommend going early - look at all that elbow room.



At the end of the exhibit, they had little pools where you could pet starfish and things like that. Elsa humored me and posed for plenty of pictures.


We went to the Rainforest Cafe for lunch. It was loud and crazy, but there was so much to see. It kept the kids entertained and happy the whole time.

Lila at the Rainforest, looking innocent. And then...


Bathroom break!


Hey ohhh, it's VIDEO!

Elsa finds Nemo.


Seahorses!


The underwater tunnel was really cool.


And finally...
Lila will eat anything without protest. However, we gave her a chunk of banana a few weeks ago and she could barely choke it down. Observe.

Party time, excellent

Lila didn't win the Star Trib baby photo contest, but what can you do? We're surrounded by crazy people. Just look at that face! Thanks to all who voted.


When Lila is looking/doing something especially cute, we like to say, "How could somebody throw you in the trash?!" (A quote from Tim's grandma Vera, after hearing an unfortunate story on the news...)


Lila is pretty close to crawling. She can scoot on her butt quite a distance when she wants to go somewhere, which i'm hoping ends soon so the nickname "Scooter" doesn't stick.


Elsa playing with Lila in her Jumparoo. Lila gets a kick out of it, and Elsa turns to yell,"No pictures!"


This weekend we went to Elsa's friend Ashley's 2nd birthday party. A great time was had by all.
Ashley, Maddy, and Elsa feast on cake and ice cream.


Elsa and Violet have fun pushing their babies around.


Allie with Elsa. All the kids love Allie!


Next post, VIDEO! Stay tuned.

Vote for Lila!

We entered Lila in a baby photo contest sponsored by the Star Tribune. You can vote for her here.

http://startribune.upickem.net/engine/Details.aspx?PageType=VOTING&ContestID=5242&SubmissionID=534858&IncrementNumber=8#

Today only! Don't delay!

Spring

We suddenly had a nearly 70 degree day. We got outside before and after naps, and hit two different parks. This face says it all...


The kids were different people. What a difference the weather can make.
Lila enjoying the swings.


Elsa was noticeably more brave at the playground this year. She wanted to go on every slide, regardless of height. She even climbed a rock wall!


Yes, there's Lila chewing on some chemically treated playground wood chips. I had to set her down a few times to help Elsa up onto the swings and etc. What can you do? Strive to be first born. It worked for me.



It could still snow a measurable amount this month, I know. But it had better not.

Last but not least, the ever popular Elsa/Lila comparison. Both kids wearing the same outfit, both at the same age. Elsa has her classic thoughtful stare, Lila has her classic easy smile. They're so different, but still look so much alike.

Elsa, 8 months:

Lila, 8 months:

Girls and Dolls

Elsa is becoming more girly. She loves books about Disney princesses, and the other day she said she wanted to wear her frilly tutu. "I'm a princess, Momma!" she said. Which I think is totally cool. I really don't think that believing in a false royal lineage is going to screw up her self worth. Have fun dreaming, kiddo!
Elsa playing with letters in her tutu.


Lately she's back to not wanting to take pictures. So, this photo is simply known as "Elsa". She's really into reading books these days. As in, memorizing the pages word for word. I'll hear her and be so amazed that I say,"Yes Elsa, that's right!" She looks up and glares at me and says,"Not talk about that, Momma!" Like she's embarrassed or something.


This past Tuesday we met our friends for a play date. The kids had a great time. I was mostly thinking of how much fun Elsa would have, but Lila LOVED to be around the other kids! She especially loved Devin, who is only 3 months older than her. Whenever he'd come into view, she'd holler with delight.

Devin, Elsa, and Cael play with cars.


Devin and Lila chew on markers - the latest trend with the under 12-month set.


Lila is already an obviously striking and witty companion.


We have a lot of dolls around here, but Elsa isn't keen to share hers yet, and Lila LOVES baby dolls. I saw this one and thought, woah! That one actually kinda looks like Lila. You see it too, right? So as we were about to leave, Tim said,"Do we really need to get this? They need to learn to share." I said, "Yeah, but look..." and showed the doll to Lila. She kicked her feet and squealed with glee. I have to say I don't think I'd ever seen a guy melt into a puddle before that moment. If it would've cost a million dollars I think Tim would've bought it. Kids and their magical powers.


While eating dinner the other night, Lila started to do her signature "tired" pose. She doesn't suck her thumb anymore - it's her pinkie and ring finger. But she still grabs her fuzzy baby head! It's so cute.


Sometimes she just grabs her head with both hands. Something about this photo cracks me up. Her face looks so huge! It is on the bigger side, but still adorable. We just love that little butterball!


"Yeeeeee!" That's Lila's intense phrase and face. Might be a little more scary with some teeth in those gums, baby!

Hippo, school, and the Northland Mall

Last week at school we had a pajama day. The kids wore their pj's and brought their favorite stuffed animal. We made a wagon for them during art, which they used to carry their animals around in for the rest of the day. It was so cute!
Here is Elsa on her way to the gym.


With her friend Cael before we left for home.


The fun didn't stop there. We've been feeling pretty cooped up around here, so I decided we had to make a break for it. Where to? For some reason my answer was the barren wasteland known as the Northland Mall. They used to have little carousels the kids could ride for 50 cents, and I thought for sure the thrift store would yield some treasures. But no, it was bleak. The carousels were gone, and the thrift store was pretty picked over, what with these tough economic times and all. I decided to take some pictures of the kids thinking it would be funny, but it was just sad. We walked up and down the empty hallway and got some exercise at least.


"The Computer Shop". For real. Hand painted in flourescent.




Moving on.
This is from today. Elsa is insisting that Hippo come with to the grocery store. More and more, she's using Hippo to play pretend and tell stories. It's really cute, except she's also figured out how to use Hippo against us. If we tell her she can't do something, she says that Hippo said she could!