updated again.

Twice in one week by popular demand! So. Last weekend we went to the Children's Museum. It was the first day of the Wizard of Oz exhibit, so we couldn't really miss that. This year was so different from last year since Lila could walk and explore a bit more.

The kids did some nice happy posing when we got there.


In the water room.


Bus driver, move that bus!


Dancing with guitars and watching themselves on TV.


Lila washing dishes in the My World kitchen.


The Wizard of Oz room.


Elsa stares longingly at Dorothy's ruby slippers. After everything we did, she said the ruby slippers were her favorite part! I found some at Target yesterday, so she'll get them for her birthday.


Lila petting and brushing the cowardly lion.


Sliding at the Wicked Witch castle.


Elsa spins the tornado in the window of Dorothy's house!


Elsa on top of the queen ant in the ant tunnels.


The girls played in the sandbox on the cool rooftop garden.


There was a Subway and McDonalds on the way out of the Museum, but we like to class it up when we hit the big city. We decided to go to one of our St. Paul favorites, DeGidio's, and sit in one of their dark loungy booths. The kids had milk in heavy low ball glasses with bar straws. The kids loved it and Lila stayed pretty quiet. Must have been the darkness. Either that or all the old gangsters.


Sunday was Grandma Vera's 89th Birthday! We went to her place to celebrate with lunch, and the girls ran around the outside garden patio. Lila got a bit tired, but Elsa was so wild I could barely capture a photo.



Last week we made S'mores in the microwave and it was Lila's first time eating them. It was just like eating a sandwich - she wouldn't keep it together. Mmm!

updated.

On Memorial Day weekend we all went to Maddy's 4th birthday party. It was a beautiful day. The kids ran around, swam in the kiddie pool, and jumped on the trampoline. The kids LOVE the trampoline. If anyone wants to pool their money and get them an awesome gift... trampoline!


Just about to dig into the cake. L to R: Violet, Ashley, Lila, Elsa, Maddy, Allie, Gracie.


Awhile ago this freakishly gigantic moth? butterfly? was living on our sidewalk. You can't tell from the photo, but it was bigger than Elsa's hand. It's body was grossly huge. It's wings had circles with holes in the middle. Cool, but kind of yikes.


For those of you who haven't heard... consider yourself lucky. I was recently obsessed with finding the kids a playhouse. I scoured craigslist for 4 agonizing days before I finally found this house for well-below the going rate. $40! Man, I love a good deal.


Lila takes the new kitchen floor for a test run. We also decided that we'd like to have more than 3 TV channels, so we finally ordered satellite. It's pretty much the most exciting thing since the birth of my children.


This is a goofy video of the kids making faces at the table. It's nothing big, just a little something so my sis stops harassing me.

First Haircut, Preschool Graduation, and everything in between

Tons of photos again. Summertime has way too many great photo opps.

A couple weekends ago we were invited to a BBQ at our friends' house. It was one of the first nice, hot days, and it was perfect because they live on a lake! Everyone had a great time, but we were seriously outnumbered.


The kids formed a gang and played chase with the dads.


Must-see video:


Elsa and Ashley take a ride. Elsa still loves this car. They had so much fun playing with their friends.


Last week we had a lunch date with Grandma E. at the Lindstrom beach. The kids loved it and didn't want to leave.


Last week we also took Lila to get her first haircut. Lila's baby hair before:


And her new big girl haircut now:

A baby bob! She looks like a little girl now.

On Sunday we went to the Moody farm. The Historical Society was having a little festival to raise money for a new roof on the round barn.


Lila was a wild child running around the old Moody house. We had to really watch them because the place was under construction. They liked running up and down the stairs and hiding in the upstairs closets. It was about 100 degrees in there.


Elsa loved the sheep, but they were too loud for Lila. About 2 seconds after this, she was clinging to Tim, her lip stuck out, and she started to cry. “I no like him! I no like the animals!” Except she stretches out her words so much, that "animals" sounds more like "an-uh-mo-uh-zuh". It made it sound extra sad and pathetic while she was crying.


My new garden and my garden helper. I don't have to worry about watering plants over here - the kids love to do it.


Yesterday Elsa had her graduation from preschool. She has one more day tomorrow, and then she's done for the year. We had a potluck picnic and played outside.


Before the graduation ceremony, the parents got to watch the kids do Circle Time with teacher Sherry. Here they are doing some yoga.


The graduate!



Afterward, we all played in the gym for awhile. Elsa was going wild. She likes having me there and showing me all the stuff she plays with.


We filled up the pool yesterday, but Elsa was the only one brave enough to go in.


It's been in the 90's and it's crazy hot, but Lila wasn't interested. She preferred to stick her toes in the mud.

leotards, dinosaur eggs, the usual.

Happy Mother's Day to me! I'm so glad I got a halfway decent photo of me and the girls this year. It wasn't easy, let me tell you.


My parents went on a road trip and brought back these dinosaur eggs for the kids. They look like they're made out of some kind of plaster. It takes them 48 hours to hatch, and then they slowly grow out of the shell from there. After that, you put them in fresh water and they grow some more. The kids think they're pretty cool. Elsa wants them to be real.


One day last week, the kids woke up way too early, demanded pancakes, then disappeared. I found them both back in bed! Not cool.


It's been super rainy around here, so we haven't been able to go outside. The other day we made homemade play-doh and the kids loved it. It was better than the stuff you can buy, plus, I could be totally cool with Lila chewing on it, which she did.



We signed Elsa up for gymnastics next month. I'd been trying to get my hands on some leotards, but then I found these in a box of dress up clothes I'd stashed away. Good thing I found them now, because they fit the kids perfectly. Elsa is really excited to learn about gymnastics.


Or perhaps the WWE is more her style?


Elsa had her preschool conferences today. Her teacher showed me the notebooks they've been working on all year. They wrote the whole alphabet, then drew a picture or made a little crafty project to correlate with the letter. O is for Octopus, made with Froot Loops! So cute. They also had to trace their name in their notebook every day. Here is an example of her drawing skills in October...


and again last month, in April.


There were other examples, like how well she could cut with a scissors compared to the beginning of the year, etc. Basically she's been progressing in all areas, which is what they want to see. It was great to hear so many nice things about her.

Tonight I was trying to get the kids' dinner on quick, but it wasn't fast enough. Elsa was clutching her stomach, saying, "Momma, I'm starving! Momma, it's late. It's ESS-ONE-SEVEN!" She finally dragged me to the oven, pointed up, and I saw 5:17. For the record, we had Lila's favorite: Teetaweenie (Tortellini).

May already

Lila and another new hat.


Lila is 22 months old. Getting so big!


Elsa lined up at school w/ her class. She's in the pink shirt with the blue jacket, just left of the teacher. I love taking school pictures. I think it's because soon I won't have access to spy on her as much. Next year there are no momma's allowed.


Climbing on the table. Lila can also get up into her booster chair all by herself, and she's been putting on her fancy slip-on shoes on her own, too! Elsa chose to wait awhile before she did that stuff, so it kind of amazes me.


While my parents were gone on vacation, we went to check on the house. The kids were really disappointed they weren't there and kept expecting them to show up. They finally got busy picking flowers and exploring by the lake. It was a beautiful day.





Elsa got her shoe stuck in the lake muck and fell into the mud. Good thing Grandma had extra pants.


Elsa on the dock w/ grandma and grandpa's house barely visible the background.


Awww!