The Week in Pictures (plus a video).

Monday. Went to school. We only have a few weeks left, so I thought we'd better get some photos.


Us moms leave the kids about halfway through class for our discussion group. Here are some of the kids lined up by the door, each with a ring to hold while walking down the hallway to the gym. Pictured: Cael, Elsa, Austin, and Emme.


Elsa went to visit with grandma on Tuesday, so I took Lila on a long walk down the bike path. It's so rare that I have alone time with her, unless it's in the middle of the night. We had a great time. I gave her a dandelion, so of course she did this:


After our walk, we hit the thrift store. She thought she was pretty cool being my one and only sidekick.


Another milestone: we put the kids in the tub together, without Lila sitting in her infant tub. They played happily and posed for photos.


Then we decided to hook up the bubble machine. Elsa had a blast, but Lila was a bit freaked out.


And finally, the kids playing. Elsa doesn't usually try play with Lila - she pretty much ignores her unless she's messing with one of her things. She'll holler at her to stay away from cords, not eat off the floor, etc. Once in awhile I'll catch her reading to her. Meanwhile, Lila adores Elsa and always wants to see what she's doing. She still cracks up at nearly everything she does. Here you can see Lila trying to get in on the fun, while Elsa looks to me for help.


Sharing. So far it's going a little like this: Lila discovers a new toy, has fun and acts adorable with the toy, and then...

We're working on it.

The zoo, playground equipment, a wedding, and more.

Last Thursday we had our first 80 degree day. We started off by going to Como Zoo with our friends Trinity and Sophia. The girls loved watching the seals.



Here they are posing on the giraffes.


Lila had a fun time, too.


After we got home, we spent the rest of the day outside.




Tim had band practice that night, so I had a pizza picnic with the kids in the back yard. Lila loved to slide her feet around on her plate, and crawl through it too. She was covered in tomato sauce! Then there was this: the top of Lila's head, covered in sand from the sandbox. Tim calls her baby fuzz the "hair tornado".


Needless to say they went straight into the tub.

Friday my dad came over and helped Tim set up our new swing set. It's so cool - I wish I could fit on it! Lila hung out in the cardboard box.


The finished product.


Elsa loves it.


Last night we went to a friend's wedding and left the kids with grandma and grandpa. It was at Minneapolis City Hall, which I'd seen a million times before, but never on the inside. Marble and stained glass everywhere - it was stunning.

Tim and I in front of the giant statue of "Mississippi - Father of Waters".


Today I went to a purse party and came home with a cool beach bag for summer. I love that it's large enough to carry all of my every day necessities, including small children.

Celebrating Great Aunt Kay

Last Tuesday, the kids and I went with my dad to the Cumberland Public Library. They created a new addition, and were having a special day to honor of my Great Aunt Kay. She was the librarian there from 1939-1979, and a fixture of the community.

Great Aunt Kay.


Elsa reading in the new children's section.


They had a blast. There were neat pillows to lay on, bleachers to sit on, toys on the wall, and books everywhere.


Lila can crawl faster every day, but she prefers to practice walking.


Elsa didn't want to leave, so she told my dad to lay down for just a "couple minutes". That's what she always says when she's stalling at bedtime, too!


For anyone who doesn't know, Cumberland and the surrounding area is where Al Capone and other gangsters liked to hide out back in the day. On our way home we stopped in Comstock, WI, at an Italian-owned cheese shop. I loved their parking lot signs. The unnecessary apostrophe in the word "Welcomes"? Not so much.

Outside, and a weekend wedding

Wyoming, represent!


We switched the double stroller to "stand" mode, so Elsa can either sit on the bench or stand up. She likes it.


Lila enjoys eating celery stalks, and pretty much everything else.


A ladybug landed on Elsa and she was fascinated.


Tim with a little glowing Lila.


Just this past weekend we went to Tim's cousin's wedding in St. Cloud. We brought the girls and stayed at the Radisson. My sister Jenny and her husband Shane were kind enough to come along and watch the girls after they went to bed, so we could enjoy the reception past the hour of 8 o'clock. We can't thank them enough.

The girls in the hotel room.


Elsa loved the fan in the hotel room and kept turning it on and off.


The lovely bride, Ruth, and her parents, Tom and Maureen.


Lila with her third cousin, Hannah.


Lila was very overwhelmed and upset a lot of the time. Here she is at the ceremony, keeping it together.


The morning after the ceremony there was a brunch in honor of the bride and groom. Elsa had so much fun playing with her third cousin, Ani.


Elsa asked for snacks the whole way home. Suddenly the asking stopped, so I turned around and saw that she'd finally OD'd on Ritz. You can see she's still holding onto them while she sleeps.


Other news of note:
Besides crawling, Lila just got her first teeth on Saturday.
Last night we finally moved her out of our room, and into a room with Elsa. So far so good.
Out of nowhere, Elsa now refers to me as "Mamba" or "Mambo", and Tim is simply "D". Not just sometimes, ALL the time. She makes up a lot of words and nicknames for things and I should really start writing them all down.

Lila is crawling! On video!

Lila started crawling today! Three days ago on Easter? No way, not even close. But today, here she is. She's still shaky and a little unsure and frustrated, but soon she'll be chasing Elsa all over the house.


Once I started recording Lila and her new milestone, Elsa just had to chime in and do a little showing off of her own. I guess without thinking she decided to recite from her new favorite book,"Tikki Tikki Tembo". Remember that one? Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo!

Big time blog update

A couple weekends ago we went to the Shine Circus with two of my girlfriends and their two girls. It was a blast. Elsa's favorite was the giant slide during intermission, which was funny because she couldn't really climb up it to slide down. It was very busy and bouncy and she didn't know what to make of it. She was kind of frozen there, getting trampled. She only made it down once, unless you count the time she almost made it to the top and then got jostled to the bottom. A very nice girl offered to help her. Thank you, nice girl!
Elsa is sliding in the pink shirt, and her friend Maddy (cute painted lion face) is at the bottom.


Me and Elsa at the Circus... still not a fan of taking photos.


Lila's first Easter photoshoot. Nearly every photo is a keeper with her at this age.


The most decent pic I could get of the girls together.


The day before Easter we went to Cumberland, WI to visit my Great Aunt Kay. She's still as sharp and interesting as ever; an all-around spectacular lady.


Elsa on Easter at Auntie Emma's swanky downtown loft. You can see the sugar high on her face, but she still manages to look elegant. Lila squirms with Grandma Vera in the background. We had a full weekend from Fri-Sun, so she was kinda done by this point.


It finally happened: Elsa got a new bed. Based on previous conversations with her, I thought she'd say it was cool and then refuse to sleep in it. I was wrong. She loves it. She's so proud. After two weeks, she's still telling us to come see her big girl bed. She actually naps in it too, without getting out. She sometimes runs out right after we put her to bed at night and asks for water, but then goes right back to bed. It's been very exciting for all of us, except when she decides to come wake us up at 6 a.m. instead of 7:30.


We've been going to the park a lot - sometimes twice a day. Can't wait for real summertime weather.
Elsa covers her face and protests nearly every photo, except when she's on her beloved swings.


Lila on the swings. She doesn't get all crazy happy on them, but seems to enjoy them enough.


Park explorers.


Unlike Elsa, I have to watch Lila closely to make sure she doesn't put rocks and sand in her mouth.


Elsa wasn't sure if she wanted to ride on dad's shoulders, but decided to take a crack at it. HEY OH!