Ed and Jen's Family Blog

Work it

2012-01-23T16:20:00.002-06:00

Adelaide turned 3 months old this weekend and got to try out the exersaucer for the first time, or, as we call it, her "office"

It took her a little bit to figure out all the stuff around her.

But she was certainly entertained!

It's exciting to see her get so big and try out new things. And here's her bald spot, just like Evelyn's!

Jolly Happy Soul

2012-01-16T11:55:00.004-06:00

The girls are enjoying playing in the first snow of 2012. It was too cold to be outside the last couple days, but they waited patiently for the mercury to rise just enough. They built their first snowman today, complete with hat, scarf, carrot nose and wood chip eyes. They had a blast building their little guy and were singing "Frosty the Snowman" all the while.

If it fits, it ships

2012-01-13T14:08:00.001-06:00

Updates on Adelaide

2012-01-12T15:43:00.004-06:00

Adelaide is nearly 3 months old now. She's showing an interest in her toys and follows our voices when we talk around her. She can grasp and shake her rattle, enjoys her bath, is sleeping and eating well and starting to sit in her bumbo seat.

At her 2 month check up on December 16 she was 23.5 inches long, 12.1 pounds and had a head circumference of 40cm. She's up there on the Gustafson Girl Growth curve and has nearly doubled her birth weight already, you'd never know she started out small by looking at her!

She's fully out-grown her newborn clothes and is now in 0-3 and 3-6 month outfits, depending on the cut. She's a very alert baby who seems to enjoy lively surroundings and is generous with her smiles and has a very expressive little face. Her rare big frowns crack me up and she still has a bit of an elvish look about her.

Her dark hair is falling out and she has a bald spot on the back just like Evelyn did. Her brows and lashes are still very blonde and her eyes are still grey-blue for the moment. I imagine her hair will come back blonde just like Evelyn's did, but I'm not ready to make a guess about her eye color.

The Christmas Post 2011

2012-01-06T13:09:00.005-06:00

After trimming the tree, we started the Christmas season with my (I thought) clever plan of taking pictures of the children sleeping for the Christmas card so I wouldn't have a repeat of 2009.

Things began cherubically

but sleeping big kids are kind of disheveled.

and the flash made Evelyn grimace.

So, I moved on to posing some shots.

Again, Adelaide was pretty easy, although quite committed to my original "sleeping child" idea

I'm in a stocking.... zzzzzzzzzz.

Evelyn loves to take pictures, but is also easily distracted. Here she's trying to figure out how to put Santa on the sleigh.

This was adorable but we ultimately decided it was too bare for the US Postal Service.

There we go! Matilda did a splendid job posing for the card this year and I let her eat the candy cane when we were done.

The first Sunday of Advent our church hosted an Advent wreath making brunch after the service. The kids enjoyed donuts and fruit and Matilda really loved helping to make the wreath. It was a bit more challenging with Evelyn, the event lasted much longer than her attention span, but she did help put a few decorations on our family wreath and she loved lighting the candles at dinner time, singing happy birthday Jesus (every night for 28 nights) and blowing out the candles.

After collecting the supplies, Daddy showed the girls how to put the greens into the floral foam

Matilda did a great job sticking the boxwood and assorted greenery into the wreath and really seemed to enjoy herself.

Evelyn was much more interested in running around, hiding under the table and tickling Daddy with the wreath supplies.

Tada! Thats our wreath! We put the candles in at home.

Silly Evelyn!

In mid-December, Ms. Nina, the director of the Little Cherubs church choir, hosted a "Happy birthday, Jesus!" party following choir practice. There were little tables set up in the youth lounge, a buffet with cheeses, fruit, veggies, meatballs, deli meats and lots of sweets, fancy candy canes at each place, punch, and even a birthday cake. Ms. Nina invited the siblings to attend too and made (and wrapped!) a blanket for every child (even the siblings who are not in the choir!) The kids sang songs, read a story, unwrapped their blankets and enjoyed the goodies. After the party, we took the girls to visit Santa at our neighborhood store. He was a jolly santa with a real beard!

Evelyn was scared and pulled a Randy.

Matilda was determined to be VERY good.

Matilda and Santa chatted for just a minute.

She assured him she was a good girl and asked for a princess doll.

We did so many fun things getting ready for the big day! We purchased a large Advent calendar from noel eternelle in Montreal last July and put a candy in each door for the girls. They loved opening the doors to find their treat and count down to the big day! We read tons of Christmas books--we added a few to our collection this year, including How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The girls watched Charlie Brown Christmas and Frosty the Snowman a million times along with some Christmas specials of their favorite pre-school shows, but Matilda found the Grinch movie to be too scary. I watched Polar Express with them as well, but there were some parts Matilda found too frightening and we had to fast forward.

We baked cookies... LOTS of cookies. And we worked on Christmas crafts. The girls made Ruldoph, Frosty and Santa faces on paper plates with foam stickers, created plastic snow globes, decorated gift bags, and helped make hot chocolate gift sets for Kim and Eric and Grandma and Grandpa to put under the tree. With Kim's help, they also made penguin ornaments. Daddy and Adelaide made a little footprint ornament for her first christmas and I put together a photo ornament for her as well as a calendar and framed some of her birthday pictures for the family.

Matilda's cherub choir sang twice this December, once on the 18th and again at the Christmas Eve service. Kim and Eric arrived on Christmas Eve and the whole family attended the service followed by a nice dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's house. After dinner, we went home to get cleaned up for bed and feed Adelaide. Then Daddy read Twas the Night Before Christmas to the girls and we opened the last day on the Advent calendar where the girls found an extra special candy--chocolate covered marshmallows! The big girls hung their stockings by the fireplace and went to bed. Kim, Eric, Ed and I stayed up until midnight wrapping presents, filling stockings and getting the house ready for guests the next day.

Christmas morning, the tree was absolutely stuffed with gifts from Santa, grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, and friends. We kept the girls upstairs until grandma and grandpa arrived, but they were so excited when they woke up and realized Santa had left a gift in their bedrooms. I was washing dishes when I heard Matilda yell "Santa came! Mommy, did Jesus find you!?" It was so cute. He left each girl a "Zhu Zhu Pet" which is just a little robotic hamster that rolls around and makes funny noises. Adorably, they seemed satisfied (until we got downstairs) with the idea that that might be all Santa got for them!

When they saw all the gifts they were a bit overwhelmed, I think. Matilda was delighted that Santa remembered to bring her a princess doll. There were so many gifts that the girls ran out of steam and stopped opening 1/2 way through and had to come back and finish later with Grandma. Everyone seemed pleased with their gifts and the trinkets in their stockings. It was a fun morning. Once the unwrapping was over and cleaned up, I made gingerbread waffles. Even the girls were brave enough to try them this year and it's a Christmas tradition I have no intention of abandoning!

There was plenty of food this year. Ed ordered a Jamon Serano from Spain, along with a stand and special knife to make the delectable delicate slices. There were also 100 oysters overnighted to our door that he and Eric expertly shucked, displayed on a bed of rock salt and slurped down. There were cookies and candies galore, cheese, olives, and dolmas. For dinner we served prime rib roast with port wine sauce, turkey breast, gravy, creamed spinach, potatoes au gratin and home made dinner rolls, accompanied by a Jeroboam of champagne (4 bottles) Shanti and Laura joined us for Christmas dinner and the conversation and company were delightful.

I am sure that there are pictures and videos somewhere of the advent calendar and

maybe cookies and the cherub choir and the ham and the whole family at Christmas Eve dinner...

but I can't find them. Once I unearth them, I'll add them here for posterity.

My gift from Jim and Joanne (photography backdrop and lighting kit) came in a bag so large we couldn't resist putting the family into it!

Evelyn is the only kid I know who is excited to receive clothing as a gift, here's one of the many princess nightgowns she got and wants to wear constantly.

In the days following Christmas the girls had a blast playing with their new toys and with their relatives. On the 29th, Jim, Eric, Kim and Edward went to Milwaukee for a basketball game and the girls and I had a quiet afternoon and evening at home unwinding from all the festivities. On the 30th Ed left for California to watch the Rose Bowl. My dad came out on the 31st to visit and help out with the girls.

By the 3rd of January our decorations were put away, our guests had all returned home, Ed was back in town and life has gone back to normal. It's always sad to see Christmas go, especially such a fun one that the girls were so excited about, but I know next year will be even better now that Matilda and Evelyn are old enough to remember what we did this year. It's wonderful to be building our family traditions and lovely memories for years to come.

First Day of School

2012-01-05T15:08:00.003-06:00

Evelyn had her first day of school on Tuesday, January 3. She and Matilda are in the same class this semester. There were no tears for the drop off and they both had a great day. They met new friends, talked about their favorite things, had snack, played and learned about the letter F, the days of the week and the months of the year. Thursday, they practiced the letter F and calendar skills again. When I arrived to pick them up, Evelyn didn't even notice I was there, she was so busy building letters with special "handwriting" blocks.

When we got home from their first day of school I set up my new photography backdrop stand from Jim and Joanne to take some pictures of the girls in the outfits Kim and Eric picked for them. Evelyn is a little ham and enjoys being in front of the camera.

Matilda is a more difficult subject, she doesn't like to keep still and she makes funny faces but, with practice she'll get used to having her portrait taken.

Of course, we had to get a picture with Adelaide!

Everyone wants to hold her though, so you don't get much time to snap a good shot before the big sisters lose patience and just want to play with baby Adelaide.

Trimming the Tree

2011-12-20T10:34:00.002-06:00

We brought up the tree the day after Thanksgiving and the big girls were so excited to help decorate!

This is the "Safe Tree" that has mostly non-breakable things on it. I gave them a box full of christmas balls, bells and other trinkets (and candy canes!) to put on the tree themselves. At first, the tree was pretty bottom-heavy in decor, but then Evelyn got this bright idea:

She is really impressed with her efforts. She and Matilda still get excited every day when I turn on the lights.

The "Safe Tree" also has all our travelling ornaments on it. Whenever we visit a new place, Ed and I try to pick up an ornament or bauble to put on the tree to remember the trip. We're only missing 6 cities: Orlando, New Orleans, Charleston, Wellington, Madrid, and Montreal.

The ornament Evelyn is looking at is a light house from our trip to Cape Cod. while we were decorating the tree, I told the girls about the trips associated with each of the special ornaments. For this one, I explained to Matilda that we took her to Cape Cod before Evelyn was born. Something was lost in translation, however, and it is now "The lighthouse where Evelyn was born." :)

Big Girl Bed

2011-12-17T18:58:00.003-06:00

It was bound to happen eventually. Evelyn has started climbing out of her crib. The tiny hotel crib stood no chance of containing her, and her successful escapes only emboldened her. So, on December 15, we converted her crib to a toddler bed.

She is such a wild sleeper, I was certain she'd fall out or just spend all night running around her room abusing her freedom, but she shocked me and went right to sleep and stayed in her big girl bed all night.

As you can see, she was pretty stoked. (I was too!)

Happy Baby

2011-12-06T15:59:00.002-06:00

Baby Adelaide is awake more often now and much of that time is spent smiling! She's such a happy baby and I love watching her socialize. She seems truly delighted to see us most of the time!

She started giving us a few smiles around 5 weeks old but now she's a pro.

Here she is hanging out watching me do some chores.

Those tiny toes are positively scrumptious too!

Sharing

2011-11-29T10:38:00.004-06:00

When Matilda is at school, Evelyn needs someone to play with!

Soon enough, Adelaide will know what to do with those dolls.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-27T19:23:00.002-06:00

We have so much to be thankful for this year. First on my list is three healthy beautiful children. We are thankful for our abundance, our family, and the love we have for one another, as well as all the things--big and little--that are too numerous to name but which enrich our lives daily.

Adelaide was in this picture, you just can't see her because Matilda shifted and blocked her in the frame. It's hard to take family pictures on your own!

For Adelaide's first Thanksgiving, we had a huge turkey, mashed sweet potatoes, bleu cheese mashed potatoes, sausage sage and apple dressing, turkey wine gravy, jellied cranberry sauce, cranberry apricot relish and pumpkin pie tartlets.
Matilda took one look at her plate, declared she was scared to try it, and ran away, preferring to spend Thanksgiving enjoying her own company.

Evelyn tried one bite of everything, loved the jellied cranberry sauce and ate almost 1/2 a can of it! She also enjoyed the home made whipped cream and pumpkin pie tartlets. We have plenty of left overs for soup and the freezer.

We have already decorated for Christmas and are making our menu plans for the big day with the Gustafson clan visiting.

One Month

2011-11-21T08:45:00.003-06:00

Adelaide is 1 month old now. Last week she had a check up and was up to 9 pounds 2 ounces; she has gained nearly a pound a week since we left the hospital. She's also grown 1/2 an inch in length and has nearly outgrown the newborn sized diapers. The 0-3 month clothing is still a little big on her, but her newborn pjs are getting too short.
She's a great eater, generally pretty happy and very tolerant of her sisters' incessant attentions.
And she loves to snuggle and be held.

Sweet dreams

2011-11-17T08:33:00.001-06:00

I'm so lucky to have 3 of the snuggliest cupcakes around!

Matilda's First Haircut

2011-11-15T15:53:00.002-06:00

Since Matilda refuses to wear clips now to keep her hair out of her mouth, I took her to the salon for her first hair cut.

She was really good and it came out awfully cute, but now she looks so much older!

They saved a lock of her hair for me to keep.

Splish Splash

2011-11-14T05:00:00.001-06:00

On Saturday November 12, 2011 Adelaide had her first tub bath.

Initially, she was a bit startled and upset, but she quickly calmed down and seemed to enjoy having her hair washed and resting in the warm tub having attention lavished upon her by her sisters, parents, and Eric and Kim.

She smells fantastic.

Who Can Do Anything?

2011-11-13T17:17:00.002-06:00

Matilda's choir, the Little Cherubs, performed at church again this week singing "Who Can Do Anything?"

Matilda seemed a little distracted this week, but was in a good mood and having a lot of fun. Also, cute as a button in her curls and silver tutu!

2 Weeks

2011-11-05T09:19:00.002-05:00

2 weeks in and we're all doing great. My gallbladder is hardly bothering me at all and I'm healing quickly and getting my energy back. Matilda and Evelyn adore Adelaide and love to get a chance to hold her and light up when she looks at them. Adelaide still has her days and nights mixed up a little (if I let her, she'll go 4 or more hours between feeding in the day but never waits more than 2 hours at night) but we're working on that and she's learning to be a more efficient nurser so I can feed her overnight in about 20-30 minutes instead of an hour.

We are so happy with our little family and so blessed that Adelaide is here and healthy.

Belly Button

2011-11-03T16:45:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, at just 12 days old, Miss Adelaide Vivienne became the proud owner of an adorable new belly button!

Matilda's first chior performance

2011-11-01T05:47:00.000-05:00

Matilda has joined the Little Cherubs choir at our church. It is a choir for 3-5 year olds that performs 10 times a year and is the most adorable thing you could imagine!

I missed her first performance because I was at the hospital still from having Adelaide, but Ed recorded the show for me and to share with all of you!

Matilda is at the far right of the front row wearing a pink striped dress and tights.

The song they sang was "A Great Big God"
Here are the lyrics:

You hung all the stars and named them one by one
You tolled out the moon and lit the sun.
Tipping up the mountains, pouring out the sea;
Then you turned around and you made me!

You're a great big God, a very busy God
But you take time for me.
You're a great big God, a very busy God,
But you take care of me.

You control the thunder, cause the wind to blow
Send the driving rain and silent snow;
Open every flower, color every tree;
Then you sit right down and talk to me!

You're a great big God, a very busy God,
But you take time for me.
You're a great big God, a very busy God,
But you take care of me.

You're always there; you really care
You're a great big wonderful God!

You're a great big God, a very busy God
But you take time for me.
You're a great big God, a very busy God,
But you take time for me!

Happy Halloween from the Gustafson "Ghouls"

2011-10-31T20:25:00.005-05:00

The girls have been so excited about Halloween this year! They have been preparing all month. They went to a farm to pick out pumpkins and painted them.

They got apples and made caramel apples with Daddy; we all went shopping together for Halloween costumes; checked a pile of Halloween books out of the library; watched Garfeild's Halloween special, It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, Barney's Halloween Party and Ichabod Crane; Matilda's school had a Halloween party; they wore glow-in-the-dark skeleton pjs; and were delighted to recieve adorable felt trick or treating bags from Mona and Joe.

Today was the big day. They got all dressed up--Evelyn was Little Red Riding Hood and Matilda was a witch.

Ed loaded them up in the wagon and they went Trick or Treating for over an hour while Adelaide and I handed out candy at home. They came home with their bags full of candy!

There is one house on a street near ours that goes all-out every year with spooky Halloween decorations. Matilda has noticed and has been talking about going there for weeks. They went door to door all the way there, but when they got to the much anticipated spooky house, they just couldn't get the nerve to go up to the door through the dark tunnel the home owners had constructed. Ed reports that both girls broke down in tears in the driveway of the spooky house and demanded to come straight home--they didn't even want to do any more trick or treating at other houses! Maybe next year they won't be so scared. But they had a fantastic time. And they thoroughly enjoyed having a few pieces of candy after dinner. And we had MANY more trick or treaters this year than we have before. I think we only have about 5 pieces of candy left-over from the 2 shopping bags full that we purchased!

Happy birthday, little Lulu!

2011-10-30T15:42:00.005-05:00

Evelyn turned 2 today! Late last night, when she was fast asleep, Ed and I blew up a bunch of balloons and covered her floor with them to surprise her when she woke up this morning. Matilda, Ed and I all burst in singing happy birthday first thing this morning, just to get things off on the right foot.

She kept busy playing with her balloons all morning while we got the house picked up and got ready for her little party. Grandma and Grandpa came over and we opened presents. She was pretty spoiled this year getting movies, books, stickers, play food, a "bilibo," and Jessie from Toy Story, but the highlights were her doll house, the baby doll cradle and rocking chair--complete with new doll who she sings lullabies to:

And a Dora the Explorer tricycle

After presents we had pepperoni pizza and oranges for lunch followed, of course, by birthday cake! I made a sour cream pumpkin spice cake with a swirl of brown sugar streusel, apricot filling and an orange glaze in a pumpkin shaped pan--with some sprinkles of course, it IS a birthday party! The whole time we were singing "Happy Birthday" she was trying to blow out her candles. When we were done, she successfully extinguished them--she is our first child to blow out her own birthday candles! She was so excited about all her new toys that she hardly had any cake. Although, I did give her the scraps from carving the cake the day before and it was judged "nummy!"

As the festivities drew to a close and nap time was near, we managed to get all three of the girls rounded up for a birthday picture--here they are: 3, 2 and new:

Evelyn is turning 2!

2011-10-29T05:00:00.006-05:00

Just 2 short years ago, we headed to the hospital to start an induction of labor to meet Evelyn. Hinting at Evelyn's active nature and enthusiastic personality, the labor and delivery were much faster than anticipated!

She had grown, learned and experienced so much in the last year.

In October, She dressed up as a bee and had her first experience trick or treating.

In November, she learned to walk, and she flew to Canada to visit friends with Mommy.

In December, her language skills really took off!

In January, she kept busy with housework, and weaned at the end of the month.

In February, she learned to pose for pictures with "CHEESE!" She got all 4 incisors in the same week, and she had her 15 month check up where she came in at the 90th percentile for height and weight at 27 pounds and 33 inches.

In March, she continued to climb on everything, from standing on top of her rocking horse to trapping her big sister under a laundry basket--I have yet to see a physical challenge she's not ready to try to best. We also found out in March that Evelyn would be a big sister!

In April, I was pretty sick, but Evelyn and Matilda stayed happy and busy dressing up as princesses, drawing, dancing, singing and watching princess movies. By this point, Evelyn was as heavily invested in princesses as Matilda. She was also learning to adore her baby dolls and enjoy longer more complex bedtime stories.

In May, we celebrated Easter. The girls went to a farm to hold chicks and bunnies and hunt for Eggs. The Easter Bunny left baskets full of goodies for them, Kim and Eric came to visit and we had a nice celebration at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

In June, we celebrated Father's Day... twice! Evelyn had a wonderful bike ride and picnic with Daddy and the next weekend we gave him presents and had ice cream cake! She also had her toe nails painted for the first time, continued to enjoy playing dress up and climbing everything in the house.

In July, we celebrated Matilda's 3rd birthday. Evelyn and Matilda also spent nearly 2 weeks in Door County. 1 week while Ed and I were in Canada, and then a bit longer for the family reunion. Evelyn had a wonderful time meeting her cousins and swimming in the hot tub, taking walks, and playing on the swing set. She even started coppying her older cousins by trying to drink out of big-girl cups! At the end of the month, I took the girls to the Shedd Aquarium while Ed was at the Big Ten media day luncheon. They had a great time looking at the animals and even watching a movie!

In August, Ed went away on a guys' trip and Grandpa Mike came to stay with us for a week to help take care of the girls. We all had a great time.

In September, Uncle Eric came to visit and go to a football game with Ed. Evelyn was so smitten with Uncle Eric. She and the girls had a fantastic time playing with him and loved not having to share him. 2 months later, Evelyn still asks "Where's Uncle Eric?" when she wakes up from nap and wants to play! She can't wait for him to visit again--and bring Aunt Kim! In September we also noticed that Evelyn was having skin reactions to disposable diapers, so we started using cloth diapers for her. She's showing interest in potty training and hopefully we'll be ready to give that a go this winter!

In October, Evelyn was invited to join Matilda's preschool for their first field trip and she and Ed went along to Norton farm for a hay-ride, pumpkin and gourd picking, and met a chicken! We have also been busy enjoying fall and Halloween activities--making caramel apples, painting pumpkins, shopping for Halloween costumes, sampling Halloween candy, reading spooky stories and watching fun kids' Halloween movies. And, the highlight of this month so far, baby Adelaide was born! Evelyn loves her baby sister and is very interested in what she is doing, making certain she's not crying, giving hugs and kisses and saying, "she's so cute!"

Tomorrow we will celebrate as my baby turns 2!

One Week Old

2011-10-28T15:47:00.003-05:00

Adelaide had her first check up today. She was 6 pounds, 15 ounces when she was born, but down to 6 pounds 5 ounces the day we went home. Today, she was already back up to 6 pounds 13.5 ounces, so she's growing really well! She's still a very content and healthy baby, is fitting in nicely and is getting cuter every day!

Adelaide Vivienne

2011-10-25T14:31:00.010-05:00

As you well know, this has been a difficult and complicated pregnancy. Once we got close to the end, I had frequent monitoring, and very suddenly had some concerning bloodwork and symptoms to point to me possibly having cholestasis like I did with Evelyn. For the baby's safety, my doctor decided to induce at 37 weeks.

The induction went smoothly. I recieved my first dose of pitocin at 4:00am on Friday, October 21st and 9 hours and just 1 push later, we welcomed our third daughter, Adelaide Vivienne Gustafson, into this world. She was 6 pounds, 15 ounces (the last ultrasound over-estimated her weight by more than a pound!) and 20.5 inches long. She has very dark brown, soft baby hair, dark blue eyes we suspect will turn brown, pale blonde eyebrows and a very pleasant pink complexion. She's long and thin but very healthy.

She took to nursing well right after birth and is generally a very sleepy and content newborn. Matilda and Evelyn absolutely love her and they want to look at her, touch her, hug her, hold her, kiss her and talk about her all the time. We are slowly adjusting to our new larger family and a more packed routine. I am recovering well and Adelaide continues to eat well, sleep, and be a perfectly happy healthy newborn despite being 3 weeks early. We are all so happy and blessed to be adding another healthy baby to our family.

2011-10-11T15:43:00.002-05:00

Matilda's school took their first field trip today and invited younger siblings to attend as well. The kids went to Norton Farm where they took a hay ride, picked out pumpkins, gourds and corn, met a chicken, and walked through a corn maze. They had a great time at the farm and brought home a bag of apples to make caramel apples with this weekend. We also plan to paint the pumpkins they picked out and display them on the front porch for the trick-or-treaters.

Althought it is uncharacteristically warm here right now, you can't help but be in an Autumnal state of mind when your kitchen table is covered in mini gourds and your cute little girls keep asking when they can go on a hay ride again!

Updates

2011-09-28T11:46:00.003-05:00

It's been a while since I've felt up to updating the blog, but I figured I should toss out some information and stats for those of you who still check in here.

TRAVELS and VISITORS:

In July, Ed and I attended a beautiful wedding in Ottawa while Jim and Joanne took care of the girls in Door County. After the wedding, we drove out to Montreal for 3 days and then made the drive out to Door County to get the girls and attend the Lampson Family Reunion at Jim and Joanne's house. We had a fantastic time at the wedding, and some supurb meals in Montreal, but my pregnancy complications made travel pretty tiring. It was wonderful to get away for a romantic trip, just the two of us, before the baby comes though. The girls had a great time with their grandparents, even though we know they were a lot of work; and it was lovely to see the whole family together--especially all 8 children!

In August, Ed went up to Bent's Camp in northern Wisconsin with his friends, Kian, Eddie and Hyong, for their annual guys trip. They had a great time fishing and doing "guy stuff" at the resort in the woods and became local ledgends at the bar. Ed caught a muskee and he and Kian were even chased by a bear, making the trip quite memorable! While he was gone, my dad came out to visit and help me with the girls. He really was a God-send, playing and having fun with the girls, helping prepare meals, cleaning up and really letting me get some rest. He also helped me get some organizational and handy-man projects done around the house. I'm so thankful for his help.

At the end of August, Mona and Joe came out to visit on their way to South Dakota. We had a great visit and Matilda and Evelyn had a fantastic time giving high-fives, twirling with uncle Joe, playing dress-up and playing with the magnetic paper doll Mona brought along. It was a short, but really nice visit.

Ed was invited to the Big Ten media day luncheon in down town Chicago this year, so we all went down town together and while he was rubbing elbows with boosters and coaches, I took the girls to their first trip to the Shedd Aquarium! It was my first visit too! They really enjoyed watching the 4D Dora movie and were enthralled with the dolphins, whales and penguins. We're looking forward to taking them back in the winter when it's not so crowded so they won't have to stay in their stroller the whole time and can really get a look at all the exhibits.

Ed and I went to the Wisconsin season-opener vs. UNLV. The seats are amazing up in a luxury box with private restrooms, temperature control and wait staff. We had a great time and I'm looking forward to the next game. Uncle Eric came out for the Oregon State game and the girls were absolutely delighted to see him. Evelyn is particularly enamoured and asks about him frequently.

MATILDA:

Matilda turned 3 this summer. She had her 3 year well-child check up in August and did a spectacular job. She was very polite, friendly and not scared in the least. She let the doctor check everything he needed the check and came out with a clean bill of health. She's 35 pounds and at least 38 3/4 inches tall (she kept ducking whenever the nurse brought the level down to her head). She is still very tall and very lean for her age. She and Evelyn are within 1 pound of eachother! She also recently had her first dental check up. She was exceptionally cooperative at the dentist as well and recieved tons of compliments on both her behavior and her healthy teeth!
Matilda's preschool started on September 12. She's in the 2-3 year old class twice a week and having a great time learning about the calendar and weather and letters and numbers and seasons and making new friends. Evelyn will join her in January.
Matilda has also started Sunday school at church and joined the Little Cherubs Choir. She's coming along nicely learning the new songs for church choir and she sits and behaves for 1/2 the church service now before being released to Sunday school which she enjoys so much she asks to go every day!
She is getting pickier about her foods and more eloquent in her attempts at persuasion. She is obsessed with the Toy Story movies and princesses and loves to "help" in the kitchen and around the house. She is day-time potty trained and learning to be more independant with dressing and undressing. She is getting really excited about the new baby and wants to check on the baby in my tummy daily. She spends most of her time engrossed in books and imaginative play with small dolls. She's becoming more and more social by the day and wants to talk to every other child she sees. And she's a sweet and wonderful big sister.

EVELYN:

Evelyn will be 2 in just over a month, but, looking at her, you'd think she was 2 1/2 already! She is tall and strong and fearless. She has a very friendly, engaging and outgoing personality. She's learning tons of new words every day--especially animal names. We're also working on colors and number recognition and she likes to sing songs with Matilda.
She absolutely adores babies. Pictures of babies, videos of babies, baby dolls, human babies... she squeals and gets all excited and just can't get enough! I don't think she's old enough to really understand that we are going to have a new baby soon, but I think she's going to be totally psyched when that new baby comes home to stay!
Evelyn isn't old enough to be in any organized activities yet, but she will join Matilda in preschool in January. Until then, she's content to have story time with Mommy, work on her flash cards for new words, sing songs, play with her dolls, run in circles and climb everything in sight.
This month we started cloth diapering her because the disposable diapers were giving her terrible rashes. She seems to feel much better now and the diapers are awfully cute. The new baby will wear cloth as well.

NEW BABY:
The new baby is growing well. At our 19 week gender scan we learned that she is a she, her organs and parts are all developing normally and she was in the 50th percentile for size. I'm still having complications with my gallbladder and not being able to gain any weight, so I've had to see the OB nearly every week (sometimes more than once a week) since 6 weeks along. At 27 weeks 3 days (August 15) we had another ultrasound to check her growth and she was up to the 70th percentile in growth! At 31 weeks, 3 days (September 12) I had to visit the high-risk doctors to talk about the weight problems, gallbladder issues and the cholestatis I developed with Evelyn. We had another ultrasound and she was up to the 78th percentile weighing in at 4 pounds 13 ounces! She is growing and developing beautifully. I go in to the doctor frequently to do a test to monitor her movements and heartbeat to make certain she's not stressed, as well as blood tests to keep an eye on my gallbladder and look out for cholestasis. We expect her to put on 1/2 pound or more per week until delivery. There will be at least one more ultrasound to check on her size, fluid levels and placenta function. I'm still pretty sore and having a really hard time eating and, in general, feeling terrible, anti-social and rather crabby... but I'm also so grateful that she is growing and developing appropriately and I'm getting really excited to meet her!
We're almost ready, we need to assemble the crib, buy a box of wipes for the hospital, pack the hospital bag and put all the carseats in the car. She'll be here in 44 days or less!

So, that is what everyone has been up to around here!

Curly Sue

2011-07-08T07:47:00.003-05:00

In my never-ending battle against Matilda's morning tangles, I've introduced a new (cute!) weapon of war, and am happy to report that I may be finally gaining ground!

The curlers didn't all stay in her hair all night long, but she was relatively tangle-free when she woke up with adorable little ringlets! And she seemed to actually sit still and have fun while I put the rollers in before bed. :)

Three

2011-07-04T20:05:00.007-05:00

Three years ago, today, at 5:58pm I held Matilda for the first time. Labor started on July 3, 2008 while at a movie (Wanted) with Ed after dinner at Red Robin. I refused to believe it was real labor. I was up pacing and laboring at home all night. Ed knew it was the real deal. He got a little sleep and we checked into the hospital the next morning. 10 hours later, just in time for dinner and after nearly 2 hours of pushing, my first daughter came into this world, face up, and we instantly fell in love.

For her first birthday, we celebrated with Grandma and Grandpa in Door County with presents and a pink lady strawberry cake with a pink strawberry coolwhip frosting. I couldn't make a traditional buttercream because she couldn't eat dairy yet. She wasn't even walking. She barely tasted the cake, mostly just rubbed it in her hair and enjoyed all the extra attention.

For her second birthday, we went up to Door County again and celebrated with Grandma, Grandpa and Grandpa Mike. She was not old enough to understand that her birthday was approaching or what that meant, but when we came into her room singing "Happy Birthday" that morning, she knew it was going to be a special day. She had a little party with tons of presents and I made her a yellow confetti cake with chocolate fudge frosting, which she couldn't wait to get her hands on. She tried both the cake and the frosting that year and had left overs the next day. That was also the first time Evelyn ever had cake. She didn't hesitate at all.

Today, she turned 3. She's been talking about her birthday for a month. We had a party at home with Grandma, Grandpa, Grandpa Mike, Uncle Chase, Aunt Natalie and Boston. She was excited to see the decorations I made. She was delighted with her presents wrapped in princess paper. I think her favorite present was the Princess Tiana Barbie doll Evelyn gave her. She knew today was special for her from the moment she woke up and she can tell you how old she is.

She had a chocolate fudge cake with ganache and raspberry filling and raspberry cream cheese frosting with a few gold sprinkles. She LOVED blowing out her candles and demanded that we put another candle on her slice of cake before she would try to eat it. She had a blast being surrounded by family and playing with her cousin and little sister. She told us this was her "best birthday ever!" I'm so excited about how much she has learned in just three years and delighted by the little girl she is growing into. We are more in love with her every day.

My darling girl, I hope all your wishes come true!

Happy July

2011-07-01T10:36:00.003-05:00

We're busy getting ready for someone's birthday party, but Evelyn is already having a blast!

Breakfast in our Suite

2011-06-28T10:03:00.003-05:00

Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa, we love our table!

I've been having more sick days than well days lately with my pregnancy complications, so it's getting harder for me to get around. This morning, we brought the girls' little table upstairs for them to have breakfast and snack on so I don't have to carry Evelyn up and down the stairs so many times. They absolutely love their little table and I'm so glad we thought of this so they could get even more use out of it. They sat so nicely and enjoyed their cinnamon toast and milk and chatted with eachother this morning. It was so cute. I didn't even have to tell them to sit, they were so excited to see their table up here that they just climbed right up onto their chairs before I even set their plates down! I can't wait to see all three of our little girls having "tea" at that table!

Fashion Plate

2011-06-27T10:58:00.005-05:00

Matilda found something in my closet that she likes.

Those are my favorite party shoes, and they're great and all, but look at her legs! They're a million miles long!!!

Here's a peek at her runway walk:

Father's Day

2011-06-25T11:25:00.006-05:00

I made a mistake this year and thought Father's Day was the week before it really was. I sent Ed and Evelyn out with instructions "Stay away for at least 4 hours while I try to potty train Matilda." I'm so generous. Anyway, they were determined to have a good day. He and Evelyn went on a long bike ride along the river and then stopped at a park for a picnic of sandwiches, cookies and watermelon before heading home to find a frazzled mommy and a wet Matilda. It was not the most successful attempt at Father's Day or at potty training, so I was glad when my own dad informed me that I was a week early, so I had a chance to do it better.

Evelyn enjoying her pre-Father's Day picnic after a nice bike ride,

wearing an adorable dress from Great Aunt Mona

that was Matilda's last year--they're growing so fast!

For REAL Father's Day, we started celebrating on Saturday. We went out for a family breakfast downtown and then walked to Island Park to enjoy the nice weather and play with the girls. They were really excited to walk on the long bridge all the way across the river and they had a great time playing at the park.

On Sunday, we let Daddy sleep in while the girls and I went out to get some special treats for Daddy. When we got home, we made a special breakfast of poached eggs and smoked salmon on toasted english muffins with home made hollandaise sauce to start the day off right. Later, after nap, the girls signed a card for their daddy and thought up a list of their favorite things to do with Daddy that they wanted to thank him for. Then, we gave Daddy the cards and.....

ICE CREAM CAKE!!!!

Really digging into that ice cream cake--you can see why it was served outside

The girls really enjoyed that ice cream cake, too, and Matilda actually picked out the design all by herself--it was a rectangular white cake with a bright red border and 2 mini ice cream cones on top.

After the girls went to bed, Ed and I watched a movie together while enjoying grilled lobster tails, grilled steak and home made tarragon butter using fresh tarragon from our own garden. We even opened a bottle of champagne. It was a nice day for the best dad I could ever pick for my beautiful girls.

And, since Matilda didn't make it into this post yet, here's a random clip of another Daddy-Daugther's day out:

What have the girls been up to?

2011-06-23T09:57:00.007-05:00

It's officially summer and the blog is way over-due for an update about the family.

Matilda will be 3 in 11 days. She's SO excited about the new baby and has been spending a lot of time giving my belly hugs and kisses and asking when she can hold the baby. She's still learning tons of new words and speaks so clearly about so many things. She has a very active imagination and it's wonderful to watch her play, especially when she's sharing and playing with Evelyn. Matilda is also working on using the potty like a big girl and is making some progress there. She says she wants to go to the zoo for her birthday and have a princess party with chocolate cake. We will oblige. She spends the rest of her time being hilarious or challenging authority. She's growing up so quickly and I'm impressed that she is trying to make jokes now. She asks me "Mommy, are you happy?" and when I say yes, she asks me if I am all the other dwarfs, one by one, and she finds it hilarious. Her other favorite "joke" is when I ask her for a handshake she says, "no! I'll give you a PANTS shake!" and then wiggles her little bottom as fast as she can. She is so hungry for information too, asking about everything around her from her stuffed globe to the life-story of all her dolls to how anything she sees works. Here's a movie of her talking about her flamenco dancer doll Ed and I got for her in Spain.

Evelyn is tall and strong and athletic. She remains fearless and has learned to climb just about every piece of furniture in the house and definitely keeps me on my toes chasing her around and makes me feel a little bit like a superhero since I save her life about 10 times a day. But she's no tomboy. She loves to play dress up, adores her baby dolls, worships Matilda and even let me paint her toenails the other day. When she's not climbing, sleeping, eating or narrowly avoiding a harrowing fall, she's wandering the house in various stages of dress and undress. She's also getting more and more chatty, has learned to say "no" VERY clearly and is starting to try to sing some songs. The way she runs and kicks a ball around the yard makes it clear that we'll have several summers of youth soccer in our future.

Fleece footie pjs, a princess dress with full tulle skirt and a winter hat... in June.

A little scamp in her birthday suit

Little Pink Toes

Both of my big girls love to chase eachother around, hide under blankets, play with stickers, and do absolutely anything Disney princess related. They have occasional spats here and there, but in general they get along and are good about sharing their toys, space and parents with each other and they genuinely enjoy the other's company and ask where sister is if one is out without the other.

And both Evelyn and Matilda were extremely excited last night when we informed them that we are expecting another girl! I am halfway through the pregnancy now and the baby is growing and developing perfectly and we are so pleased to be adding another little girl to our family!

Easter, 2011

2011-05-04T11:32:00.003-05:00

As most of you know by now, we are expecting our 3rd baby! I've been terribly ill and in bed for weeks now, which is why things have been so quiet around here. Luckily, I'm at the end of my first trimester now, starting to feel a little better, and ready to start sharing here again! The baby is doing well and is due 11/11/11.

We had a wonderful Easter weekend. Kim and Eric flew out from Providence to visit and Joanne and Jim hosted an Easter brunch. On Friday the girls spent half the day with the relatives while Ed and I went to a doctor's appointment and did some last minute Easter shopping. Saturday, Ed took the girls to a local farm to participate in the little kids' egg hunt and meet some baby animals--they saw chicks, a donkey, goats, and Matilda held a bunny!

On Sunday, the girls got dressed up in their Easter dresses (little matching sailor suits) and recieved baby dolls from Mommy and Daddy that had dresses that matched the girls' outfits. They really enjoyed those baby dolls!

Everyone met up at Jim and Joanne's house for brunch. The girls played with all the toys and showed off their little dolls.

Joanne got fancy dresses for the girls and Evelyn decided she needed to get a little more dolled up for this special occasion.

After breakfast, the girls spent some time playing outside.

By noon it was time for everyone to go--and the girls and I needed a nap! After nap, we let the girls sample a little Easter candy and gave them the rest of their gifts--some bubbles, a plush doll for Evelyn and a princess Belle barbie for Matilda. They were thrilled!

Pretty Pretty Princess

2011-03-07T16:44:00.002-06:00

I've mentioned Matilda's princess obsession before, and Kim and Eric sent Matilda and Evelyn 2 adorable princess dresses for playing dress up with. Here's a clip of Matilda examining and playing with her dress the night she got it.

She slept in the dress that night, she just refused to take it off!

And the song she is singing at the end of the video is Tale as old as Time from Beauty and the Beast.

Queen of the Mountain

2011-03-04T10:36:00.002-06:00

What is easy to see here? Evelyn being naughty and standing on an upturned laundry basket like it's no big deal.

What's not so easy to see? She has Matilda pinned under there!

Don't worry, they thought it was as funny as I did.

Potpourri

2011-02-23T09:52:00.002-06:00

Just some random snapshots and updates today:

Matilda is absolutely crazed about princess movies now. Here she is, riding "Samson" (Prince Philip's horse from Sleeping Beauty) and carrying her magic wand. The princesses are never far from her mind. Her teachers at preschool say that she sings all the time. She is singing at least 50% of the time she's awake at home too. She can read double digit numbers now, and joyfully read all the aisle numbers to me at the grocery this week.

They are so cute wrapped up in their towels after bath. They also like to give each other hugs and kisses while we get ready for bed. They share stories now before bed and they both sleep through the night. Mostly. Evelyn had all 4 incisors come in last week, so that was a little rough.

Matilda likes to watch movies in a laundry basket now. Under that blanket, the basket is full of little balls. She thinks this is awesome. Evelyn thinks it's awesome too. Matilda does not think it's awesome when Evelyn tries to climb into the basket with her. She shouts for help and yells about being crowded and "Evelyn is in MY basket!" The words "my" and "mine" are appearing with more regularity around here now.

Evelyn loves to pose for pictures now. She brings me the camera and says "CHEESE!" and then gives me happy shots like this. She had her 15 month check up last week and she's just over the 90th percentile for height and weight, coming in at 27 pounds and 33 inches. She's sturdy and healthy and took her shots like a champ. She's also a little daredevil now, giving me heart attacks as she stands on her rocking horse or tries to climb on top of furniture or into windowsills. She has taken a fair number of bumps and spills recently, but it has done nothing to deter her adventurous spirit. She has also been channeling her viking heritage and loves to rampage through the house pillaging every shelf, bin or basket she can get her hands on with pure glee. Luckily, she's also showing interest in learning to put things away!

Also, this:

Culinary Adventure

2011-02-22T12:17:00.003-06:00

Ed has begun to make sausage! He has a grinder attachment for the mixer and has been studying two treatises on sausage making and charcuterie and has made a batch of Danish sausage and a batch of spicy Sicilian sausage. Next up, he plans to branch out from the world of fresh sausage making and try some dried, cured, smoked and fermented recipies including pancetta!

Sausage making is actually a much more complicated endeavor than I would have imagined, but he's studying and learning and so far having nothing but success!

A Very Happy Birthday

2011-02-09T11:02:00.017-06:00

Turning 30

Ed took me to Madrid to celebrate my 30th birthday! It was, by far, the best birthday I've ever had. Jim and Joanne watched the girls and we were able to spend 5 days in Spain.

We arrived in Madrid early on Sunday morning. We checked into our beautiful hotel, The Hotel Ritz Madrid, and discovered that no one else in Madrid seemed to be awake yet, so we took a nap until it was time for brunch! The Ritz Madrid was celebrating their centenial celebration this year featuring some special events and a centenial dining menu highlighting particularly successful dishes served for special occasions since opening in 1910. We had a beautiful room decorated in olive, ruby and sapphire, with high celings, mirrors and a huge window. There was a cornice above the bed that resembled a crown and held decorative drapes that surrounded the plush headboard. Fleur de lis were stenciled in pannels on the walls and the room was lit by a chandelier and sconces. It was exceedingly comfortable and we loved the old world elegance, as well as the extraordinarily attentive service. After brunch we took part in a centuries old Spanish tradition--the siesta--and ended up sleeping through the afternoon. We woke up just in time to walk through El Bario de las Letras and try out a handful of tapas bars around the Plaza Santa Ana before heading back to the hotel for a little more sleep.

Touristing

The next morning, I woke up feeling 50 IQ points smarter and well rested for the first time in 3 years. It was exhiliarating, and we were ready to really see what Madrid had to offer. And thus, began our daily routine in Madrid--enjoy the luxury of sleeping in, folowed by consulting the guide books before heading out to walk, shop, eat tapas, drink beers and people watch as we wandered all over the city.

Of course we didn't sleep and drink our entire trip away (although, that doesn't sound like a terrible plan!) We spent hours at El Museo del Prado viewing sculptures, paintings and sketches in the world's largest collection of Valazquez, Goya and El Greco works, as well as a stunning hall full of Rubins. We also took time to visit El Museo del Jamon where we enjoyed cervezas, jamon iberico and lomo and debated whether or not we should attempt to smuggle a whole Iberican ham back in our luggage. We decided not to. But I still sort of wish we had...

Jamon in it's stand, waiting to be sliced thin and devoured.

On the morning of my birthday, we got going earlier than usual. We walked to the Plaza Mayor and arrived while it was still mostly empty. We looked around before the shops opened, checked out the scupture and architecture, shivered a little in the cool morning (temperatures peaked between 45 and 55 every day, and it was pleasant in the sun, but cooler of course in the morning and evening) and moved on to visit the Palacio Real de Madrid. We didn't plan for it, but we arrived just in time for a very special changing of the guard ceremony. This solemn changing of the guard only happens 10 times a year (first Wednesday of the month except August and September.) The ceremony lasts 40 minutes, involves 450 people, 105 horses and a 5 song mini concert presented by the Royal Guard's Music Unit. We arrived just in time to watch the ceremony through the gates, get a fantastic view of the recessional parade, recieved the official program for the concert and enjoyed the music while having drinks and sharing a tasty grilled calamari lunch across the Plaza Oriente, soaking in the early afternoon sun, before touring the palace.

El Oso y El Madrono (The Bear and The Strawberry Tree, the symbol of Madrid)

After the palace tour, we ambled back towards the Plaza Mayor. We made a stop at the Mercado de San Miguel to look around. The market is beautiful. The high celings and glass walls give it a feel of an outdoor market although it is inside, and each small booth offers something unique and delicious--from fruits and fresh fish to cheeses and pastries. There is also a bar inside and most stalls have a tapas offering made from things they sell. Madrilenos stroll around the market sampling dishes and drinking beers or wines in the eveining, while earlier in the morning you'll find people doing proper shopping. We looked, but didn't stop to eat, there was only an hour or two of sun left in the day and we wanted to sit outside in it. So, we returned to the Plaza Mayor, which was now full of tourists and locals packing the sidewalk tables the bars and cafes had set up, enjoying lunch, tapas, wines and beers while watching street performers. We saw everything from Mickey Mouse and fat Spiderman to people dressed as statues and a beautiful flamenco dancer before we finished our drinks and continued our walk back to the hotel.

Marcado de San Miguel

On the way to the hotel we shopped or stopped whenever something caught our fancy. We took some pictures in Puerto del Sol including the statue of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree, which is the city's symbol, and the Tio Pepe bilboard--that cheery little bottle of sherry is everywhere, and is actually sold wearing a little red plastic matador jacket and a tiny hat. Ed tried a glass and didn't find the drink nearly and pleasant as the packaging, but it was everywhere!

Ed at Plaza Mayor

It was getting dark as we returned to the hotel. We had time to rest our feet a little and get cleaned up before our 9:30 dinner reservation at the Ritz. Ed was dashing in his suit and I enjoyed having a reason to wear my new evening gown. We began our dinner in the opulently appointed, candlelit dining room by opening a bottle of cava. For a starter, we shared a plate of semi wild jamon iberico. For dinner, I enjoyed one of the hotel's centenial specialties--a steak tartare that was delicately seasoned, perfectly balanced and delicious, and made to order--they even brought me a taste to check the seasoning before serving it! Ed ordered from the special seasonal wild game menu and enjoyed hare in an apple braise with a piece of seared foie gras on top. The braise was amazing. It was so rich and velvety, the hare was exceptionally tender, and you could still taste the apple in the braise--it was hearty and warm, but not at all muddled or dull. For dessert, Ed had an apple dish with thyme ice cream and a glass of jerez muy viejo while I indluged in a dark chocolate mousse--presented with a candle for my birthday! The whole meal was perfection, start to finish. Afterwards, we strolled across the hotel lobby to the fancy Ritz bar where we had a couple drinks before calling it a night. It was a perfect birthday. I can't imagine a better way to turn 30.

Another gastronomical highlight of our trip was visiting Botin, the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the world. The building has served as an inn since 1590 and been serving public customers since 1725 and is still using the same wood fired oven! We were seated in the cellar--the part of the building that has been serving food to paying customers the longest. The walls and arched ceilings were built of hand made bricks. It was warm, cozy and comfortable, and the white linens and waiters in white jackets lent the night a special aire. We were seated just above their ancient wine cellar. It was hard to refrain from asking to go down the tiny stair case, pull back the old iron gate and brush some dust off the aged bottles to see what treasures might be down there, but we contented ourselves with just a couple peeks. As soon as our food came, the wine cellar was all but forgotten. We ordered the house specialties--suckling pig for Ed and lamb for me. Each dish was rustic, filling and delicious! We rounded out our meal with a bottle of cava and a cream cake on the waiter's recomendation. A band arrived towards the end of the meal playing traditional Spanish tunes. We couldn't help but smile when they told the crowd they were playing to save up for law school before coming around with a hat for tips.

Botin

As the days went by, I became more confident in my meager Spanish I had managed to learn from studing the library's online program for a couple weeks and we didn't have any trouble getting around. We spent long afternoons walking through the city and enjoying plazas and the Buen Retiro Park; went out for tapas and drinks nearly every night (and savored the illicit pleasure of a Cuba Libre made with Havana Club 7 year rum, which is absolutely delicious, even if they use lemons instead of limes); and even went to Hemingway's favorite bar! It was a magical trip, a perfect birthday and a spectacular second honeymoon all in 5 days.

We had such a great time, we're already thinking about where to go next!

Stuffed

2011-01-28T08:00:00.001-06:00

Cuter than a Yugo full of clowns, but just as crowded:

Busy Baby

2011-01-26T09:02:00.002-06:00

Here's a clip of Evelyn in action. She does this forever, pretty much every day. As long as she doesn't get the cap off, everything is good.

My Children are Delightfully Strange

2011-01-13T15:25:00.002-06:00

Matilda requested a mustache the first time I told her she could wear some make up.

Who is that mysterious mustachioed munchkin?

Evelyn LOVES underpants. She raids any underwear drawer she can reach. Imagine her excitement when she found Matilda's drawer full of training pants. Typically she just holds them, throws them, sling-shots them, or tries to put them on her head, but I think she looks just super like this.

to the rescue!

Unrelated: Evelyn had a quick check up at the Doctor today. She is 26 pounds (90th + percentile) and 33 3/4 inches tall (WAY off the chart!) Still a big, healthy, happy girl.

The Education of Matilda Gustafson

2011-01-12T19:37:00.003-06:00

Matilda started Pre-School on the 11th at Kids Play World in a twice a week morning Montessori program. We packed up her backpack the night before with her change of clothes and school supplies. She was so excited about her first pair of scissors and all the different colors in her bag. I dressed her in a plaid skirt for the first day of school and it was snowing. She wore he boots, french braided pig tails and her cute little pea coat--and of course her back pack!

She wasn't nervous at all. As soon as we walked in she said, "Mommy! Look at all the cool stuff!" and got right down to playing. Like most of the kids, she had no trouble when it was time for Daddy and I to leave. Only one little boy was upset and even his mommy was able to leave eventually.

On her first day of class they learned all the pupils names (there are 13 children in the class), played games, sang songs and made drawings tracing their hands. They also talked about princesses, Matilda has a new love for Cinderella and is apparently in good company with her peers!

She has class again tomorrow and is very excited to go and see Miss Stephanie and all her friends! I hope she retains this level of excitement about school for the next 20+ years she's bound to spend in it!

Look who's talking, too!

2010-12-15T11:35:00.002-06:00

Now that Evelyn has mastered walking, her vocabulary is growing daily it seems! In the last week she has learned to say "daddy" (instead of dada), "no," "ho ho ho," and "Laddie."

She has mastered mama for quite some time, as it seems to get her whatever she needs quickly.

She's also been trying out "Romper" and I have a reliable report that she's been working on "grandma" and "grandpa" too!

Party Girl

2010-11-30T10:39:00.003-06:00

I know the pictures are a little fuzzy but they were too great not to share. Please be sure to notice the little purse. She loves that little purse.

(and the glass is plastic, in case anyone was worried about that. Oh, and empty.)

Farming

2010-11-17T11:53:00.003-06:00

Evelyn got a farm for her birthday. It has little animals, a farmer and makes animal sounds.

She and Matilda love it!

We've done some "farming" of our own--that is the lone watermelon our garden produced this year.

Apparently, hers is not a watermelon farm.

Trick or Treat

2010-11-17T11:20:00.002-06:00

For Halloween, Evelyn dressed up as a bumble bee and Matilda was a pirate! They did a great job trick-or-treating. We visited about a dozen neighbors and at each house Matilda said "trick or treat?!" as well as, "happy Halloween," and thanked them politely. By the end of the excursion, her bucket was so full she could barely carry it. The girls shared some M&Ms when we got home and then Matilda jumped on our bed while cheering for about 3 hours burning off the sugar high. We ended the evening with dinner and a showing of "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown." Matilda is just now starting to accept that Halloween is over, and I'm sure she'll be even more excited as it draws near next year.

Anticipation

2010-10-29T18:30:00.001-05:00

Last year, at this time, I was headed over to the hospital to begin induction of labor. I knew we would meet Evelyn the next day. Tomorrow, she will be one. It seems impossible that a year has already passed.

The Retrospective

2010-10-28T09:52:00.000-05:00

You'll have to forgive me for making this a two part series instead of a 12 parter. All the goodies are still there, life just got busy.

When Evelyn was one month old, she attended her first Geneva Christmas Walk, she celebrated her first Christmas, we took photos for the Christmas card, and she met her extended family--the Greene family side as well as Aunt Kim and Uncle Eric, and her godparents, for the first time. She also smiled her first smile.

When Evelyn was two months old, she rang in her first new year, went out in the snow for the first time, started lifting her head, and laughed her first laugh.

When Evelyn was three months old, she mastered sitting in the Bumbo seat, celebrated Valentine's Day, and "played" with her sister.

When Evelyn was four months old, she was really getting big, she could roll over, got her first tooth,

When Evelyn was five months old, she started crawling, celebrated her first Easter with candy and a fancy Easter dress, met her Great-Aunt Mona, took her first trip to Door County, and enjoyed her first swim.

When Evelyn was six months old, she mastered sitting, celebrated her first Mother's Day, and took another trip to Door County where she got to try out the new swing set.

When Evelyn was seven months old, she spent a rainy afternoon playing in a fort with her big sister, she kept my on my toes by going over or through any obstacle--never around, she was baptized, she showed her sister how tough she is, she started pulling herself up to standing using furniture, had her first tastes of cheerios and fruits in her mesh feeder, her bald spot filled in, and she celebrated her first Father's Day.

When Evelyn was eight months old, she celebrated her sister's second birthday, she stole a fist full of coleslaw at a family fish boil and demanded to eat adult and baby foods from that point on, and started cruising.

When Evelyn was nine months old, she received and fell in love with a play kitchen, spent a hot summer day at the sprayground, attended brewfest and played in a fountain with her godparents, and was frequently reciting her first word: Mama!

When Evelyn was ten months old, she realized she was trapped, she learned to climb the stairs, started saying, "Dada," and started trying to clap.

When Evelyn was eleven months old, she got her first passport, she admired the pumpkin Daddy grew in the garden, she started hiding in cabinets trying to find Matilda when she was hiding, she got seven teeth, she started kissing, and took her first steps.

New

2010-10-18T19:54:00.003-05:00

This will be the first in a 12 day series revisiting Evelyn's first 12 months in the 12 days leading up to her birthday.

As a newborn, Evelyn did the standard newborn things. She slept, had her first bath, and celebrated her first Thanksgiving. Although she looked like her sister's twin at birth, it only took a day or two to realize we had a completely different baby on our hands. Evelyn was a great eater and took wonderful naps from the start. Sleeping through the night has never been her strong suit, but she hardly ever cried--only when she was hungry or wet. Her sweet, content nature has remained unchanged through this first year.

Fall

2010-10-14T10:38:00.002-05:00

Fall is here! The weather is finally cool and crisp, the leaves have turned (half the trees in our neighborhood are already bare!) and we just harvested our pumpkin!

Matilda is really psyched about Fall too. She loves seeing the pumpkins and can't wait for her sister's birthday and Halloween. She had a nice time running around at the farmer's market and picking flowers.

She particularly loves all the "baby pumpkins!"

Indian Summer

2010-10-11T13:30:00.002-05:00

The World at our Fingertips

2010-10-08T11:24:00.005-05:00

The girls have passports now! Passports for babies... it's adorable. Where should we take them?

Mommy's little helpers

2010-09-22T14:28:00.001-05:00

We've been busy doing chores today.

Another Evelyn Milestone

2010-09-21T09:52:00.002-05:00

Evelyn can now climb the stairs! She is completely fearless. One night she climbed one step and decided that of course she could climb them all. It happened so fast that we didn't even get a chance to record her maiden voyage, so this is a video of her second attempt at the summit. She is spectacular! However, she has absolutely no fear of getting hurt nor any concept of gravity, so she thinks it would be fun to turn around at the top and go down head first. Obviously, this presents a new supervision challenge and we are the proud owners of some brand-new gates to try to make our open floor plan a little less open so she can't sneak upstairs and maim herself while I make dinner.

Smush face

2010-09-02T15:18:00.002-05:00

Dancing Drama Queen

2010-09-01T13:29:00.004-05:00

Matilda had her first ballet class today.

It was drama from the start. She screamed as we put on her leotard, tights and shoes. She cried as I put her hair up. She sniffled and snuggled her lovies for a while before being ready to take the car trip over to her dance studio. Once we arrived, she was social, friendly, and interested! I was so hopeful! She kept talking about dancing and "music class." Before class started, she was having a great time running around in one of the empty studios.

But once class got underway, it was all tears. I had to sit in with her, and aside from one log roll and stacking up some tambourines, she was not enjoying herself at all. To be fair, there was only 1 other little girl in the class and she was crying too. They sort of just fed off eachother. Even when Matilda did stop crying for a few minutes she would tap me on the shoulder and say "Mama, I still cwying." But we're going to keep trying. We'll give it another go next Wednesday and if that doesn't work out, we'll switch to the (more full) Monday class that supposedly has braver girls in it.

And it was totally worth it--she's so stinking cute in her little leo and ballet shoes!

Baby's Got Back

2010-08-25T12:13:00.001-05:00

I went back and forth a little on whether or not to post this picture, but it has been making me giggle every time I see it for over a week now, and I thought I'd share the joy that only my chubby little cherub can bring. I'll post it again when she gets married.

Dancing in a Fountain at Beerfest

2010-08-24T14:32:00.003-05:00

We took the girls to visit friends this weekend and went to a beer festival. The kids had a great time playing in the fountains and keeping the heat at bay while the grownups spent some time catching up and tasting micrbrews--a rather nice way to spend a Saturday!

2010-08-15T08:26:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was another HOT August day in the Fox Valley. We have been trying to take the girls out early before the heat becomes unbearable. For a change of pace, we went to the Cosley Zoo! It's the perfect size for letting Matilda walk and explore. It is full of animals that she knows--farm animals, ducks, deer, birds, turtles, etc. She even pet a pony and a sheep!
It was small enough that we were able to see everything (at Matilda's walking pace) in about 30 minutes. Then we circled back around and let her visit her favorites again. She was so excited to see all these creatures moving around and doing their animal things. As you can see in the video, nearly all the animals (with the dignified exception of the turtle) were "EATIN'!"
We finished our visit just in time to get some lunch and head home for nap.
Matilda was so excited she was still talking about the zoo and the peacocks and the sheep and the turtle this morning.
With free admission for children and only $3 for adults, we'll surely return for another visit!

August

2010-08-13T13:29:00.006-05:00

I'll admit it, I kind of hate August. No holidays, it's super hot, and it feels like it's always been hot and always will be hot.
But, it's still part of summer, and summer is supposed to be fun! So, I turned to Go West Young Mom! to find something new and fun to do.

So, today, we went to the Sprayground on a playdate! The girls had a great time. Matilda took a little while to just size everything up, but before I knew it, she was running all over, trying out the water cannons and testing all the sprinklers and sprayers. The only thing she didn't try was the mist tunnel.

Even Evelyn had a good time crawling around for a while and splashing on the zero-depth rubber "pool" that this is on. After about an hour, the kids were ready for snacks and a little drying off on the traditional playground before stopping for lunch at McDonald's and then heading home for a nice long nap.

Oh, and did I mention the Sprayground is free? Yeah. That's awesome!

I feel pretty

2010-08-11T05:00:00.000-05:00

She's 2. She calls my makeup "treasure."

She loves to open up the Caboodles case and look at every little piece.

She picked out that dress to wear for a play date. She looked lovely.

Pizzzzzzzzzzza

2010-08-10T13:41:00.002-05:00

This is what happens when Matilda skips her nap. So tired she falls asleep eating her very favorite food.

Now We're Cooking!

2010-08-09T14:59:00.003-05:00

Grandma and Grandpa gave this wonderful kitchen to the girls last week and Matilda and Evelyn can't get enough of it! They play with it every single day, and they play nicely together. it's cute as can be and we all love it!

Sisters...

2010-08-04T09:03:00.002-05:00

are marvelous playthings.

Pinch?

2010-08-04T09:01:00.002-05:00

Get a load of these thighs!

She's totally going to be walking soon.

So Happy Together

2010-08-04T08:52:00.002-05:00

As Evelyn becomes more mobile, the girls spend more and more time together, whether Matilda likes it or not! (Usually, she likes it)

Evelyn's First Fish Boil

2010-07-21T08:27:00.002-05:00

Evelyn attended her first fish boil over the Fourth of July weekend in Wisconsin. The weather was perfect. The girls had a great time playing outside, hanging out with the grandparents, and watching the fish boil. Then it was time for dinner. If I haven't mentioned it before, Evelyn loves to eat!I brought along some graham cracker pretzels to keep her occupied, but that wasn't enough. As the bowl of coleslaw was passed around the table, Evelyn reached out and grabbed a fist full right out of the bowl and went to town! She ended up eating tons of coleslaw, all her graham pretzels and a little bit of fish. Which evens things out, I guess, considering that Matilda wouldn't touch her dinner.

Oscar The Grouch

2010-07-18T08:12:00.003-05:00

She ate avocado. I think she even got some in her mouth. Ed said she looked like Oscar The Grouch. It was turning brown before our eyes. She went straight to the shower after this picture was taken.

Matilda's 2nd Birthday

2010-07-17T09:09:00.003-05:00

We spent Matilda's second birthday in Wisconsin at the lake with Grandma, Grandpa and Grandpa Mike. The girls had a great time. In the morning, we woke Matilda up by coming into her room and singing "Happy Birthday" and covering her in kisses. She liked it so much that the next day she started singing it to herself when it was time to get up, and she still does sometimes! After breakfast we dressed the girls up in their party dresses and took tons of pictures outside, just like we did for her first birthday. She has changed so much. After pictures and play time, we opened presents. Matilda received so many nice things--a magnifying glass and kaleidoscope, lots of books, blocks, stuffed animals, play food, a singing cow, Wonder Pets beanie babies, and a really cool police pedal car! After presents, we had a birthday lunch of Matilda's current favorite foods--watermelon and pizza. Then it was time for cake. I made her a yellow butter confetti cake with chocolate fudge frosting. Joanne got a #2 candle and we blew it out together. Matilda was sticking her fingers in the frosting before I could even cut a slice for her. She was not interested in the cake, but loved the frosting. Luckily, Evelyn was more than happy to help eat the cake. It was a great day. That night, after the girls were tucked into bed, Ed and I made chateaubriand with bernaise sauce, chateau potatoes and champagne for a nice dinner to celebrate the Fourth of July and 2 years of being parents.

The whole weekend was lovely, I'll share more pictures soon.

Baby Cage

2010-07-07T07:58:00.000-05:00

California

2010-07-06T08:30:00.003-05:00

Ed took a trip to California with his buddies in June. The started in San Diego, went to L.A., visited Santa Barbara, drove up PCH1, camped in Big Sur, wine tasted in Monteray, and ended in San Fransisco. I'll let him caption the pictures for you:

La Jolla Cliffs

On Duty

Real manly men in Santa Barbara

Inland California

Salvang, the Danish town. Also, plenty of wine

Camping in Montana del Oro State Park. They warned us to watch out for Mountain Lions

Responsibly enjoying a breakfast beer before climbing the huge rock behind me in Montana del Oro

Elephant Nosed Sea Lions on the coast

We spent 3 days camping among the redwoods in Big Sur.

Climbing to Waterfalls in Julia Pfeiffer State Park

Enjoying a subtle drink in Monterray

a good friend

The California Pacific Highway was beautiful

and terrifying

Bigsby Bridge

A big Redwood in our Big Sur camp site

Posing with said redwood

My only photo of San Francisco, my least favorite town in california.

Happy Birthday!

2010-07-04T08:42:00.005-05:00

Dear Matilda,
Today you turn two! It’s both hard to believe that you’re already two, and hard to remember a time when you weren’t here. We love you so much and hope that today is really special for you.

It’s a little cloudy out this morning, and we all stayed in bed a bit longer than usual. At 8:30, Daddy, Evelyn and I all burst into your room to sing “Happy Birthday” to you. You were already sitting up in bed, talking to yourself and reading a book. For breakfast you wanted a cup of milk and to hold a banana. You held that banana for over an hour. Grandma, Grandpa and Grandpa Mike are all here to celebrate with you today. In a little while you’ll get a shower (or at least a hot tub!) to get cleaned up, and after nap, I’ll put you in your party dress and take pictures. We’ll give you presents and for lunch you’ll have pizza and watermelon because they are your favorites. I made you a cake. It’s a confetti yellow butter cake with chocolate frosting and red white and blue stars. This morning, I showed it to you and asked if you liked it. You assured me that it was a birthday cake and that you do like it. For dinner (which you usually aren’t too interested in) Daddy will make Chateau Briand to celebrate the 4th of July and 2 years of being your parents. We will spend all day thinking about you and I’ll probably come back to the blog several times just to look at your baby pictures.

You have grown and changed so much in this second year of life. We are so proud of you, the things you are learning, and the little person you are becoming.

You are smart. You are REALLY smart. You’ve been able to count to 10 for ages. You can also count to 10 in Spanish, you can almost count to 20 on your own, you can read Arabic numerals, you can count objects, you know your abcs, colors, shapes, at least 100 animals and their sounds, I think you might know more Spanish words than I do and you conjugate at least one verb properly. I have long ago lost track of how many English words you know. Hundreds? A Thousand? You speak in sentences now. You know at least 5 songs by heart and sing them in tempo with a pretty little tone. You know who is in your family and ask about them when they’re not around.

You are big! You are nearly 3 feet tall already! You wear 2 and 3T clothes and 6 ½-7 shoes. You have all your teeth except your 2 year molars. Your hair is long enough to wear in pig tails, but not quite in a pony tail yet. You hate it when I put your hair up unless I give you something really good to play with while I do it. I do it anyway because it’s so stinking cute. You love to swing at the park and to walk and run. You sing simple little songs while you do it “walk, walk, walk” and “run, run, run! It’s fun, fun, fun!” When we go on walks you like to stop and crouch down and won’t get up until we say “Ready, set, go!” and then you take off like you’re running a race. You can go up and down stairs standing up if we hold your hand and you have started taking some small steps (like off the sidewalk at the playground) standing up all on your own. You are careful and cautious, but are becoming more adventurous, you’re even beginning to go down slides on your bottom instead of your tummy. You like to dance, turn around, shake, and walk on your heels. You love to be tickled. You have been sleeping in a big girl bed for a couple months now, ever since you tried to climb out of your crib. You were singing while you did it. “I climb! I climb! I’m STRONG!” You love to play chase with Daddy; you yell “I’m gonna get you!” and the game is afoot! It's hard to believe that a year ago, you weren't even walking yet.

You are imaginative. Six months ago you loved Yo Gabba Gabba, but now, you adore The Wonderpets and you love to pretend that you are saving animals just like them. You tell me every day that “there’s an animal in trouble!” and “this. Is. Sewious.” You make and serve me pretend tea and cookies. You pretend to be cold and it always makes us laugh the way you ball up your fists, open your eyes wide, grit your teeth and try to shiver. Your baby dolls and stuffed animals and bath toys all go on adventures every day.

You are loving. You greet me and Daddy with heart-melting phrases like “I love you, Daddy, you’re my best friend!” and “I missed you, Mommy! I love you so much!” You are quick to tell me if Evelyn is crying and you try to comfort her, telling her that “it’s ok, baby.” You don’t mind sharing your toys or my attention with your little sister and she adores you. You love the dogs and share everything with Laddie—even your cookies and cheese!

You thrive on your routine. You wake up early every morning. You’re almost always the first one up. But you usually just play quietly in your room until Evelyn gets up. Then you start your day with a cup of milk and some cereal. You tell Daddy and me that you love us as you wander around the room and play with Evelyn. Every afternoon you nap from 11:30-2 before having a little lunch. You never eat very much, but you do have some favorite things—chicken, pizza, salmon, turkey mini meat loves, watermelon, prunes, cheerios, raisins, and of course chips and cookies! You like to color and go to the park and when Daddy gets home we all have dinner together. After dinner you and Evelyn take a shower. You like showers better than baths. Then you get your jammies and Daddy reads you stories and puts you down in your big girl bed. You love stories. Your favorites right now are Mr. Brown Can Moo and Go, Dog, Go! You hate to have your door shut. We put up a gate to keep you safe. Most nights you’ll try to get up a few times before you’ll really go to sleep. We walk towards your room and as soon as you see us, you run across the room and jump into bed. You think this is hilarious. Secretly, we do to, but we try to be serious about it.

In your second year, you have been on a car trip to South Dakota in August to visit your great grandma Shirley. We flew out to Rhode Island for Uncle Eric’s thesis defense (he graduated in May). We went to Cape Cod for a week and 3 weeks after we got home, you became a big sister! You’ve been a sweet and gentle big sister from the start and have shown very little jealousy at all, it’s been wonderful to see you get to know each other. We spent Thanksgiving at home just the four of us, and Christmas in Geneva with Grandma, Grandpa, Eric and Kim. Grandpa Mike, Natalie, Chase and Boston came to visit in December and you loved playing with “Bossy.” In March, Grandpa Mike retired and we went to Indianapolis to have a party and you got to play with Boston again. In April and May we visited Door County. In June, Daddy took a trip to California and Beth came to visit us and then we went to Indianapolis to see Great Grandma and Great Grandpa. Every couple of weeks, we have play group and you play with your best friend, Sam. He’s a few months older than you, but you guys have a great time together and are always happy to see each other. And Sam’s mommy makes yummy snacks that you love.

You have changed our lives. They are so much richer now with your hugs and kisses, play time and chatter. Even with the “terrible twos” I’m excited to see you every morning and it’s such a joy to watch you grow and explore. We love every little thing about you, always have, and always will.

Happy Birthday, sweet girl!
Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Already

2010-07-03T06:24:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow I will no longer be the mother of "two under two." My first baby is turning into a little girl before my eyes. She wears pigtails! They make her look so big!

She is so big!

She's barely a baby anymore.

8 Months

2010-07-02T08:04:00.003-05:00

Evelyn is 8 months old now. She can crawl so fast that I occasionally lose track of her, she can pull herself up to standing on furniture. She is beginning to cruise. She has 5 teeth and loves Cheerios, but has not had any babyfood yet. She is over 20 pounds! She is still a full-time nurser. She does not sleep through the night. She has perfect skin and looks great in bright colors. She is cheerful and easy to please and smiles and laughs more often than not. She is vocalizing all sorts of sounds (including Mamama and Da!) She loves to see Matilda and will follow her just about anywhere. She pulls my hair almost every day, but mostly leaves my glasses alone. She knows her name. She likes to take showers and she rolls around on the shower floor, squeaking and squealing in the most amusing way. Changing her diaper or her clothes is like a wrestling match--one I sometimes think she's going to win! Her eyes are still blue. She still has a birthmark on the back of her arm. Her bald spot has completely filled in with downy hairs. I still can't tell what color hair she's going to have. Her eyebrows are still dark but the majority of the new hairs on her head look white. She is fearless and will crawl through anything, never around, she takes on obsticales head first! Often, she will work so hard getting to where she is going that she will start panting! She likes to be under things too. She crawls under the bed, under the piano, under the play set, under Matilda's chair. Sometimes she gets stuck. She loves to stand at the coffee table and just bang on it. She blows raspberries all day long. She loves to taste fruits from her mesh feeder (Matilda hated it.) She has never been interested in a pacifier, or her thumb. She sleeps on her tummy with her bottom in the air and no blankets. Everyone who meets her remarks on her pleasant disposition. She is not shy. She wears 12 month clothes and size 3 diapers. She is a difficult companion on long road trips. She likes the show "Blue's Clues." She loves to look at books. She is very tall. She is sweet as sugar and growing way too fast.

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-20T08:15:00.003-05:00

To a wonderful husband and father who we can always count on for support,

to protect us while showing us the world,

and with whom we always have a good time!

Peek

2010-06-20T07:55:00.002-05:00

The Toddler Bed

2010-06-17T11:22:00.006-05:00

We converted Matilda's bed to a toddler bed and she has been crib-less since Memorial Day. More often than not, I find her here though.

It could be worse. At least she is sleeping, isn't destroying her room and seems to be spending more time in her bed this week than last week. Hopefully she gets used to it soon.

The Underdog

2010-06-16T08:49:00.000-05:00

Her first Sacrament

2010-06-11T09:47:00.002-05:00

Evelyn was baptized on Mother's Day. She behaved perfectly and looked absolutely cherubic.

She outgrew my old gown by the time she was a month old, so she got a new gown of her own to wear. Ed chose this beautiful, cheery lace for her.

For those of you who were unable to join us, here is a movie of the ceremony.

Her Godparents were Shanti and Laura who stood up with us for the ceremony.

My dad also came to celebrate with us.

We are grateful to have such wonderful friends who are willing to take on this duty and see it as an honor. Evelyn is a lucky little girl.

And of course Jim and Joanne were with us for this special day as well!

Under

2010-06-10T08:08:00.003-05:00

Evelyn is quite the little mover now. She can go under, through or around just about any obstacle. And she's cute while she does it.

Over

2010-06-10T07:50:00.002-05:00

Romper is never happier than he is when he's up in Door County. Something about the trees, the lake and the weather just brings out the champ in him. He did this climb more than once.

Welcoming summer

2010-06-08T08:01:00.001-05:00

Hi there!

Zoom

2010-06-08T07:48:00.002-05:00

When we told Matilda it was time to get in the car because we were going on a road trip, this is what she picked. She has taste!

Just another 14 years, baby girl. Well, technically, in 14 years and 26 days she'll turn 16 and probably start complaining that she will have to wait another whole day to get her license because I so selfishly gave birth to her on a holiday that will close down the BMV. At least it will be a Thursday. I shudder to think what that weekend would be like if her sweet 16 fell on a Friday!

And just a little note to my sweet girl--no, your first car will not be this cool. It will probably be nothing like this.

Fort Bliss

2010-06-07T16:44:00.003-05:00

While we were on vacation we set up a fort as a special treat for the girls one evening. There was a big pillow to lay on, a lantern for light, blankets, snacks and their little dvd player. They had such a good time in there that Ed and I even got to watch a show of our own!

Happiness

2010-05-29T17:21:00.009-05:00

Ahh, vacation! It is so relaxing. Everything is quiet and peaceful. As soon as you step outside all you hear are the waves gently lapping against the shore, the distant bell of a bouy, occasional breezes rustling throught the trees, and some birds chirping away.

When we woke up on our first morning here, the weather was lovely--mild, sunny, a light breeze. These cheery little blue flowers are popping up everywhere.

After spending a little over 8 hours on the road the day before, the girls were eager to get out and get moving. We took them out to try the new swingset first thing in the morning--Evelyn was still in her jammies!

With Ed's help, Matilda tried out everything thing. She climbed, slid and traversed tall bridges.

She was very brave giving it all a thorough inspection. However, she has now decided that the climbing is too scary. She's very very happy in the swings, and she likes to slide. Every time she goes down the slide she says, "it's FUN!"

Evelyn tried the swings as well.

At first she was pretty surprised:

But later she found it so relaxing that she fell asleep!

Matilda thinks the swings are an absolute joy.

After all that fun outside, it was time for a snack while Evelyn played with toys.

The lake was too beautiful to resist for long though.

Daddy took Matilda and Laddie and Romper out to see the beach.

The boys jumped right in and Matilda was happy to kick around; her swim had to wait another day though.

2010-05-20T07:52:00.002-05:00

Evelyn can sit really well now.

She has proven her stability, so she got her first sink bath on the 18th.
She loved it! She played with toys and splashed and splashed and splashed some more!
Look at the chubby, blurry arm--she was just splashing away like it was her job!

Little Monkey

2010-05-10T11:34:00.002-05:00

I should be posting today about Mother's Day, or Evelyn's baptism, or her six month check up... but this just happened and had to be documented. The other topics will be addressed in due course.

That's Matilda in the baby swing. For a few weeks now, she's been able to climb into the exersaucer herself and then yell, "Mama! I stuck!" when she's ready to get out. It's hilarious. But today, she climbed up into the baby swing by herself, leaned over to push the button to turn the swing on, and then picked out some music.

She definitely had a good time, and I have a feeling it's going to happen again. Luckily, she's not very heavy!

Art Appreciation

2010-05-06T13:33:00.002-05:00

Matilda painted for the first time yesterday with her finger paints. It was pretty exciting for both of us. She told me all about the colors she was using, and then was amazed when orange and purple showed up on her paper. She pointed to them and shouted, "orange! purple!"

She made a rainbow and a more abstract piece and when she was done with each she said "it's a PAINTING! All done!"

I'm sure she ate more paint than she should have, and if you look closely, it's even in her hair, but she did have a good time and we'll do it again soon.

Matilda's art:

Evelyn also worked on a little project. With "ultra washable ink." Yeah... sure.

A Tisket a Tasket...

2010-05-05T12:04:00.002-05:00

I swear she did it to herself rolling around on the floor! I just had to take a picture before I helped her out of it.

Fluff 'n' Fold

2010-04-29T07:47:00.002-05:00

The girls "helped" with the laundry yesterday.

Cushy Tushie

2010-04-28T05:00:00.000-05:00

You might ask, "how is it possible to make a baby as chubby as Evelyn any more squeezable?"
Simple, my friends. Put a soft cloth diaper on her tush!

Awww, I've got to go pinch her now.

Relaxation

2010-04-27T16:22:00.002-05:00

When they weren't swimming, baking, or going on walks, there was plenty of time for the girls to just relax and hang out with grandma and grandpa.

Evelyn is such a little snuggler!

That's Matilda in her red coat enjoying the view.

Bathing Beauties

2010-04-26T07:26:00.002-05:00

Evelyn went swimming for the first time on our vacation. Isn't she cute in her polka dot suit?

Matilda got in on the swimming and the polka dots as well

Vacation

2010-04-23T11:25:00.003-05:00

Well, taxes are done, spring is here, and we had our first family vacation of the year up in Wisconsin.

I'll share some of the highlights over the next few days.

Here is Matilda making cookies with Grandma (oatmeal raisin!)

Mona!

2010-04-07T20:59:00.003-05:00

Mona came out to visit and meet Evelyn.
She brought some funny gifts:

And lots of hugs and giggles.

It's been wonderful to see her and the girls have been having a great time too.
We'll miss her when she goes home.

Spring Dresses

2010-04-06T05:00:00.000-05:00

Easter Morning

2010-04-05T10:56:00.000-05:00

Random Silliness

2010-04-02T07:56:00.003-05:00

I've been a bit under the weather and lax in my photo taking responsibilities, so all I've got for you today is some random silliness from the girls.

Snug as Bugs in a Rug

2010-03-26T10:40:00.003-05:00

Matilda likes to pretend it's nap time.

Evelyn likes to be with Matilda.

They love each-other.