August 11- I thought this dinner was remarkable because of the variety of food M insisted on eating. She's got watermelon, bread sticks, pizza, peas, a hamburger bun, and meatballs. While she clearly didn't finish it all, she made a dent. And she was in the best mood the whole meal.

 August 10- Today was a big day! We started the day with a trip to Olbrich Gardens to see the butterfly exhibit, and then we looked (ran) around the outside gardens. Ama and Ada came along with us. After we had finished at the gardens, we had lunch at Ella's Deli, it was both girls first trip there and they were impressed.  It was hard to say which was E's favorite decoration, she had a great time looking at all of them. After lunch, we went for a ride on the carousal, E picked the bench as usual, but I sat M on a horse. We think it was her first time going up and down on a carousal, she smiled the whole time and said "weeee." After lunch, E, Ama, Ada, and I went out for ice cream and E discovered that she likes mint chocolate chip!

August 9- We start most of our weekend days with a breakfast picnic, sometimes our friends join us, but other days its just us. E and I made cookies this afternoon, and then E and dada went to church. We are trying to get E into the habit, since she'll be going to catholic school next year. So far, her biggest concern is that snack time seems to only be for the adults.

 August 8

August 5- Dada has some work to do today, and M was clearly helpful!

August 4- I cut my finger at work, and M insisted that she needed a band aid on her finger too.

Conversations with a Bean

E: After Costco, we're going to science class
A: Oh, sounds good
E: And, after science class, we'll go down to the other end [of her old daycare] and then go trick-or-treating
A: Ok, what are our costumes going to be?
E: I'm a princess, and I'm already in my costume. You are a vampire in a swimming suit, you're not in a your costume.

August 3- Today was Grandma and Grandpa's 40th wedding anniversary. We celebrated with they by attending church and having brunch with  them and dada's aunt and uncle. The girls had a great time, and were very well behaved. Although brunch was upstairs, and I'm guessing M and I walked up and down 20 times. After quiet time (which I spent sleeping on E's floor) E and I went to Costco and the grocery store. E had an elaborate snacking plan for Costco, which involved staggering our treat purchases (smoothie, ice cream, and churro) so that some could be eaten at home.

After only cooking once last week, we are ready to get back to the normal thing of having food around.

August 2- We went to the downtown farmers market this morning, which is a treat for E, since we always get a bag of popcorn bigger then her! We strolled around the square and snacked and shopped. After a while we stopped for a picnic and some running around.  M kept trying to run back onto the sidewalk into the crowd. We headed home for quiet time, M took a very short nap, she fell asleep in the car, and the transfer didn't work so well. We went back for more playtime and a picnic, Teddy helped with tubbies, and it was time to say goodbye.

August 1- Today, at long last, Teddy was here to visit. E has been asking every day this week when he would get here, and today it was! We started with breakfast at Mickies, and then the girls went to Ama and Ada's to play. They played all day, and wore Teddy out. When I got to Ama's they were playing in the sprinkler, and were having a wonderful time. We got to go out for fish fry (M likes fish) and then we played at Ama and Ada's just a bit more. We headed home for bedtime, and everyone was out quick!

I don't know why we didn't get the camera out with Teddy. M loves the dish washer for some reason, every time its open, she is right on it.

This visit with Teddy was a little different for E, usually it takes her a little while to warm up, but this time, she was ready for him right away. M on the other hand was ready to give hugs immediately. This is one of those personality differences I'm curious to see when they are older.

July 31- Things are starting to get back to normal around here. Today, M spent the morning at home, and the afternoon with Grandpa. Dada and E spent the day at home. The girls got to play with their friends this morning, and again in the afternoon. E finally got her Doc McStuffin's kit to check over her dada, and M likes to chew on the blood pressure bulb. Both girls helped me cook dinner, M sampling the red peppers and summer squash, E helping by doing the dishes.

July 30- It was our 9th anniversary today! Today M went over to Grandma and Grandpas, and E whet to Ama and Ada's. M got to go to the grocery store, and Grandma and Grandpa report that she loved sitting in the cart and looking for Grandma in the store. Once everyone was home, we played outside with water and all the little girls for a nice long while, we didn't have dinner until 7, which is pretty much unheard of for us! I recently bought us some more spoons and water toys, so they were getting a workout.

After our anniversary dinner, we had cupcakes (momma and dada) and the girls had cake pops. I offered E a cupcake, but she said she prefered the pop.

July 29- We had sort of a crazy day, M went to Ama and Ada's and E and dada stayed home. We started out the morning with E's last dance class, so it was a family watch day. It was a little hard with M there, she kept trying to get onto the dance floor. Then, I headed to work and took M to Ama and Ada's house, they said that she had a great time. After work, we played with water for a bit, before heading to HyVee for dinner. HyVee is our favorite restaurant these days, since its fast and everyone can get exactly what they want.

July 28- Today I got one of the scariest phone calls that I have ever gotten. I got back to my desk after a long all staff meeting, and dada's mom was calling to tell me their had been a car accident. Dada was in the emergency room, and the girls were at their grandparents house. I left work immediately, to the ER since the girls had been checked over and pronounced fine (I'm so grateful for car seats). Ama, Ada, and I spent most of the afternoon at the ER, and then cleaning out our totaled green van.

The girls handled (and are handling) things pretty well, apparently their was a woman at the scene with children, who knew how to talk to them, and the right things to say. It helps that M is too young to remember, and E doesn't understand what could have happened in that situation. Dada is ok, he is pretty banged up, but recovering.

July 27- Today was the last day of our staycation, we celebrated by having a nice day together as a family. We didn't do anything too out of the ordinary. But Ama and Ada helped us celebrate by having the girls over for a little while.

Also today, E moved out of a toddler bed into a big girl bed. Her toddler bed literally collapsed, so it was time. M had to play while the toddler bed was put together, she sat on the floor and sprayed herself with a water bottle in the face, she thought it was pretty funny!

July 25- I don't remember too much of what we were doing today, all I remember is that I asked M if she wanted to go outside, and she went and got her purse!

July 26- Today we were lucky enough to play with our friends all morning. When the weather is nice, we get out chalk, bubbles, or a bucket of water and pretty much play the day away. In the afternoon, we headed to the mall for a special visit with Princess Anna from Frozen. E was a little intimiated to meet a Princess up close.

M wasn't too interested, but she says Anna and points at pictures her. After the Princess, we had ice cream at the mall.

July 24- We had promised E a trip to the Disney Store, and since we didn't end up staying on Michigan Ave. we went to the one in Schaumburg. E did pretty well not asking for tons of stuff, but there were some moments. She had planned to get an Aerial doll and a Tiana doll, and the store didn't have Tiana in the small size, which caused a conflict.

M had a great time in the play area, the kids weren't too wild, so she really got to move around and explore without getting run into by big kids. After the mall, we headed home to begin our "staycation" which is a word E thinks is pretty funny.

July 23- Today we went to the Shedd Aquarium. I was a little surprised that E didn't seem very excited to go. She is hard when staying at a hotel, she usually wants to just play there, and not do too much vacation type stuff. We saw the dolphins and belugas, and lots of other animals. M's favorite part was the water play area (big surprise) and another area with a big table she could stand under.

After the Shedd we went to the Field Museum, E loved it, she and dada got to see the dinosaurs and most of the Museum. M fell asleep after a little while, and I ended up holding her. We left the Museum's in time to get back to the hotel for happy hour snacks and a swim in the pool. E has been wanting to take a "late night swim" and I tried to convince her this was it, but I'm not sure she bought it.

The Middle of July

 July 23- Tired girls after a late night

July 22- Today I had my big presentation in IL, so the whole family came along with me for some vacation. They dropped me off at the Conference, and then they went to Lego Land. It was lots of fun, E liked the scavenger hunt, building things, making mini-figures, and the experience. She didn't go on the rides, because they couldn't make it work with both girls.

Then, the picked me up for the hotel, and happy hour (lots of snacks for E and M) and we spent the night at the hotel. Hotel stays are always pretty stressful. E gets wild and out of control, and tonight was no exception. She was completely unable to settle herself down, and in the process was winding M up.

July 21- No picture
July 20- I realized that I don't have any pictures of M nursing.

 July 19- We went to the 3 Bears to meet up with Titi, Jenny, A and E. The girls had a great time swimming and had lunch together. M loved the water park, She had no fear of the any of it, and went charging up slides and steps like there wasn't anything to worry about. It was great, and a little scary to watch!

Where did July go!

July 17- M likes to wear everyone's shoes. The only problem is that she can't get them on by herself. So she is always walking around, pointing at her feet and saying "Eh Eh!" until someone helps her.

July 16- Here they are both in the drawer, I was surprised

that they could both fit!

July 15- We bought some cabinets for the laundry room, for some reason M thought that the drawers were so fun to play in. E's been washing dishes lately so that I don't have to. Its very sweet, except that she dumped in the entire bottle of dish soap. Dada and I weren't very happy about that one.

July 14- we have had this air mattress set up in the basement for a few days, we were going to use it to help with the night weaning of M, but instead the girls just love to bounce on it.

 July 13- We had brunch at Ama and Ada's house to visit with my cousin Jean and Nancy. It was the first time either of them had met M and the first time Jean had seen E. E was pretty funny the night before, she had all kinds of questions about Jean, like: what was her favorite color, did she wear makeup, what was her favorite food. It was an interesting look into how her mind works.

For dinner, we tried going to the Beer Bucket Restaurant, but it just didn't work out, the girls were antsy, the food wasn't very good, and things were just a little off.

July 12- We bought this purple wrap to try and keep M from picking at her elbow owie, but she just ripped it right off. E LOVES it though, and insists on being wrapped up on her owies.

July 11- M is getting good at finding electronics all over the place. She particularly loves dada's ipod.

 July 10- M has a thing for red hats, she is always bringing Ada his red hat, and this one of dada's she loves to play with. You can see she did quite a job skinning her elbow the other day. She was playing outside with me and fell off a chair, then she got it again, playing with dada

July 9- The girls and dada had a crazy busy day today! We started out by all heading to M's 15 month check up. She's doing great growth wise, she weights 20 lb 6 oz and is 31 inches tall. She hated her check up, she sobbed the whole time the doctor was with her, and things didn't improve with the shots. But, once we left she perked right up and got back to her usual self. The one bit of distressing news was the doctor identified a "torsion" in her leg, generally they go away on their own, but if not, she'll need surgery.

After the appointment, I got dropped off at work and the girls and dada headed up State Street to see the sights. They roamed all over the Capital building (dada says its still hard to be there since the protests) and then we got to have lunch together at the Union. E had her usual hot dog.

When they got home everyone took a nap, and then they came and picked me up at work to go see an artist at the comic book store. While dada was in line, the girls and I played at the park and saw a kitty (pronounced ditteeeeeee). After dinner at Hy Vee, and an icee pop it was bed time!

July 8- E had dance class today and M got to spend the day with Ada. They went to story hour at the library and played at Ada's house. M had been a little out of sorts lately, and I think she really enjoyed spending one on one time with Ada, it helped her get beck to normal.

When I got home from work, the girls and I headed to A's house for some coloring. M loves it there because they have two cats. Her favorite game is to take a gel window cling and stick it on the cat, she then claps for herself.

Dada and E made jello today, E was so excited for it, but it wasn't ready to eat before bed.

July 7-The girls had their first gymnastics class today, E loved it. M screamed the whole time, so she didn't get to participate. But, she did learn a move, she puts both hands on the floor and lifts up one leg, its adorable. The girls had a great time playing around the house today, they had little A over to play for a while, and after dinner E put on her mermaid costume and had a great time being an "Elsa mermaid"

July 6- I pulled the couch away from the window to give M a pathway to walk through, she really enjoys it. This morning M and I had some nice time while everyone else was asleep. We played with the sand table, went for walk, and played on the swings. As a family, we had a few quick errands to run, but basically were able to have a nice day around home.

4th of July, the Zoo, and more!

July 5- Today E shocked us by sleeping until we woke her up at 9:30! I don't think she has ever slept so late. Dada and I had a nice morning with M, who woke up at 7. She got to take two solo (with a parent) walks outside. We played at the library and the girls picked up their first summer reading program prizes. Then it was home for nap. After quiet time E's friend A came over the play. It was a rocky beginning, although E wanted her friend over, she didn't actually want to share or play with here. We got through it, and the girls played Frozen and make beaded snowflakes. Then, E and dada when to a movie with A, A, and their dad. They saw Rio 2. M and I hung out together and took another walk, ran some errands, and blew some bubbles. Its official, M says Kitty and Bubbles in addition to Momma and Dadda.

After the movie E suggested a dinner party, so we had a lovely picnic with her friends by the swings and a little more playtime before wrapping up a great day.

A conversation at bedtime

E: Momma, what happened to your knee?
A: I don't know
E: Its wrinkled, its becoming a grandma and grandpa, that means I'm getting older

July 4- Dawned bright and early for us, the girls work up at 5:30 and were ready to start the day. Dada was nice enough to get up with them so I could sleep a bit more. The day started with decorating bikes for a bike parade (or in E's case, a running parade). M didn't make it far on her bike and I carried her through the parade. Then we had snacks in the clubhouse and headed over to the Rennebohm park party. M fell asleep in the car and napped through the first part of the party. E and M played on the playground, and had a nice picnic.

After long afternoon naps, we played at home, had a nice pizza dinner and then got ready for fireworks. This was the first time we'd taken the girls, E was nervous at first, but really enjoyed them. She kept saying how beautiful they were and that they looked like pixie dust. We were lucky enough to go with A and her family, and we ran into Ama and Ada there!

E and dada were going to camp out in the basement, but at the last minute E got scared and they slept upstairs.

July 3- The girls went over to Ama and Ada's house today. The picked fruit on the bike path, and E wanted to make a fruit salad, but settled for eating the fruit individually. We had a nice outdoor play session with our friends today, M was on the look out for all the dogs (some of our neighbors let her give the dogs treats) and E was pretending to be a pixie.

M has stopped trying to hug all the dogs, now she just runs up to them and then follows them around.

July 2- Dada took this picture, the bread had holes in it and M kept putting her finger through it and then spinning the toast. Dada and the girls went to the Geology Museum and Union South today.

July 1- M was helping me cook today, which is why she is wearing oven mitts. She is pretty funny, once she gets one on, she immediately starts looking for the second. E spent the day with Ama and Ada, and they remarked how independent she is.

June 30- No picture today, M spent the day with Ama and Ada, and when she and I walked in the door, the tornado warning sirens went off. We immediately went to the basement for a picnic and movie, we spent most of the evening down there. The warning stopped in time for bed, but it rained all night long.

June 29- We had a relaxing day today, after the big trip yesterday. It was a lovely Sunday, we had no plans and no responsibilities, so we hung out around the house, we all went swimming (M lasted about 10 minutes), played outside, and had a great time just being home.

I dressed up M, I just couldn't help it.

June 28-  We went to the Milwaukee Zoo today to celebrate dada's birthday and father's day. It was a memorable trip. We got soaked in a rain storm, E rode a horse, E and dada rode the skyway, and M asserted her independence. We stayed busy, we were able to wait out the rain in the big cat house. While we were getting rained on, M was wandering around into the landscaping, and she wasn't too happy about being scooped up!

The hippos and the elephants were the most active we've seen, and both girls loved getting up close to several animals, including tiger.

June 27- E wanted to play jewelry store today, so she got out her jewelry box and set everything out. I was supposed to the customer, but M was a much better one, she wanted all of it. Much to my surprise, there were no tears over it.

July 26- We've been working hard to get back into the tradition of "family walks" in the evening. In summer's past, we've walked with A and R's families, but that hasn't been working this summer. Instead, we play right when I get home from work, and then go our own ways in the evenings.