Community Center

We met Troy, Brayden, and Aubrey at the Maple Grove Community Center today for a swim.  The kids had so much fun.  Reese's favorite things were the lazy river and jumping into Daddy's arms.

I was paranoid that Emmy would get a sunburn, so we carried around a small umbrella in and out of the water.  It worked pretty well, but I sure wish someone would invent a sunscreen that is safe for little babies.  Staying out of the sun when Reese was a baby was no big deal.  But now that we have a toddler who wants to play in the pool, park, etc, it is more challenging and we have to get more creative.

After our swim we piled all 4 kids in the car and headed home.  I was suprised to see 3 car seats could fit in the back seat.  But don't get any ideas, 2 car seats are plenty for us!

Thursdays

Reese spends every Thursdays with our neighbors Heather, Carly, and Ellie.  I know I have mentioned them often on the blog, but Reese absolutely LOVES them.

Today, when I dropped Reese off, she told me, "I'll miss you Mommy, and I'll miss Emmy."  She was not sad when she said this, just very matter of fact.

This week, Carly and Ellie have swimming lessons, so Reese tagged along.  It's so cute and strange to see her out and about without us (Mommy and Daddy).  It's like she has her own little life, which is a bit sad and but awesome at the same time.  I have no idea how I'm going to handle her going to school some day.

After swimming lessons, the girls went to McDonald's for ice cream cones.

Burr! The girls discovered the hazards of eating ice cream in air conditioning! 

Thanks to Heather for texting me these cute pictures.

Emmy and I get to bond on Thursdays, all by ourselves.  It's nice to be able to give Emmy all my attention, but she seems to get a little bored and look around for her sister.

Ohhhhh, prickly grass is so interesting!

Beat the Heat

It's hot outside!  The heat index is expected to hit 107!  We went to the park to play this morning, but are staying inside trying to beat the heat this afternoon.

Emmy played with her toys and watched her big sister.

Reese requested to look at cookbooks to pass the time.  No surprise she always flipped to the dessert recipes.  I love how she's hugging the Betty Crocker Big Red cookbook in this picture. I may have to send this picture to my Betty Crocker team at work and see if they want to post it on the Betty Crocker Facebook page.  :)

Bouncin' Babies

I'm going to be a table leader for our MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group next year.  So, all the table leaders got together at our house for a playdate and to brainstorm our table names and gifts.

The older kids played well together, and the babies enjoyed the bounce house together.  Mila, Zachary, Kayla, and Emmy are such cuties!

Valley Daze Parade

Reese was super excited for the Valley Daze Parade.

Not only did she get to watch the parade and get TONS of candy.

She also got to be IN the parade with Grandpa Haag and his neat car!  She had fun throwing candy, waving to the crowd, and helping Grandpa squirt kids with a water gun!

After the parade, Emmy posed for a picture with Reese and Grandpa.  Next year maybe she'll ride along.

Reese's fun continued as she had her very first sleep over with Grandma Haag!  Reese has slept with other people in her bed and at other people's houses, but Mommy and/or Daddy have always been under the same roof.  But tonight, Reese was adament that she wanted to sleep with Grandma Haag.  When Grandpa got ready for bed, Reese exclaimed, "Grandma, I LOVE your jammies!"  It was so cute.  So, Reese stayed at Grandma and Grandpa's house while Daddy, Mommy, and Emmy headed to the cabin to sleep.  It was a big success!

Taking a Dip

The water was nice and warm, but we forgot our swimsuits at the lake. But that didn't stop us from jumping in.

And Reese took it to a whole new level by going skinny dipping!

Corcoran Lions Park

We went to a new park today for a MOPS playdate.  Reese was excited to see that her outfit matched the playground equipment perfectly -- all purple and teal!

I used to love this ride (I don't know what it's called - maybe a merry-go-round?) when I was a kid.  We had two at my elementary school, and everyone would always RUN to them at recess.  I had fun pushing Reese and some other kids on the ride, but I got very dizzy.  Why does that happen when you get older?  Rides never used to bother me, but now spinning makes me feel like I've had too many cocktails.

Emmy cooperated nicely by taking a long nap in her stroller so Reese and Mommy could play.

Campground

If anyone is interested in staying at a great campground, let me know.  The Haag campground on Eden Lake in Eden Valley, MN has some openings this summer, and are offering sites at a great price.

As an added bonus, the fish are really biting this year!

Hot Head

Poor Emmy had a fever of 102.  She was in pretty good spirits, but felt SO HOT.  We kept her in cool clothing, gave her luke warm baths, and Grandpa Cipra kept putting a cool cloth on her forehead (and he put one on himself so she didn't feel alone).

Her high temp lasted for more than 24 hours and Tylenol did little to help her, so I took her to the doctor to make sure there was nothing wrong.  Luckily her ears were crystal clear (no ear infection) and she checked out great.  Seems like it was just something viral.

Her fever finally broke and our sweet little girl is all better.  :)  This is the first time Emmy has gotten sick, and I'm glad she recovered quickly and easily.

iPad Master

Reese is still a master on the iPad, and has been since she was less than 2 years old.  She can find any movie she wants on the Netflix app, plays all sorts of preschool games, and can find her favorite videos on You Tube.  It's a little scary how well she can operate it, and she's already teaching Emmy how to do the same.

Mulch

A new rake + our friend Steve Stang + 8 hours = mulch that is fluffed and looks like new! 

And Reese asked me to post this picture of a cute chipmunk who is also enjoying the fluffed mulch.

Peach Fuzz

Emmy's hair is starting to grow in a bit, giving her just a little more than peach fuzz.  But, that's enough to keep a few hair bows in! If you're looking for buy some great bows for any amount of hair, check out BittyBowsBoutique.com.

At this point it's hard to tell what her hair color will be, but I think it will be strawberry blonde like her sister and Grandma Haag.  I never would have thought I would have two strawberry blonde babies!

Squinkies

Reese has been a very good girl lately with no timeouts.  So, I rewarded her with a new toy.  I don't think there is anything wrong with bribery!  She was pretty excited about the new zoo for her Squinkies.  Here's a video.

Exciting

Emmy got so excited as she watched her ball toy!  Here's a video showing her excitement.

And some cute pictures of Emmy so happy in her chair.  She's such a honey!

Fun with Henry

Our friends Correne and Henry came over today for a play date.  The kids played well together and had a lot of fun.  They are so cute!

And Emmy had fun snuggling with Correne, too!

Queen of the Wave

Here's a video of Reese singing the theme song from the Barbie movie "A Mermaid Tale," one of her favorties at the moment.  I love her version of the lyrics and the surfing actions she includes.

In case this is not a favorite movie/song in your house, allow me to translate...

Queen of the wa-a-a-ave

Shaking on a groove

Going down

(pause for some vicious coloring)

 Hit it!

 Come on I’m a mermaid

 (jibberish I cannot make out)

Pop a wave

Side to side
Hang ten
Get it
Go for a ride

Catch that curl

Get into the tube
Do the mahi, mahi
Make your tail fin move

She’s the queen of the wa-a-a-ave

… goin’ down

Queen of the wa-a-a-ave

Hit it!

5 Months Old

Emmy is 5 months old today!  She now weighs 13 pounds 14 ounces and is 25 inches long   We don't like to compare much, but we looked back and Reese was the same weight and height at this age.

Here are some of Emmy's current "tricks":
- She has rolled over just a few times from both back to front and front to back.  Every time she was very proud of herself, so I hope she starts doing this more often.
- She still doesn't like tummy time, but is starting to tolerate it as long as we entertain her with toys, singing, and cheering her on.
- I think she's close to sitting up on her own. Her abs seem to be very strong and she really likes that position.
- She likes to laugh, and it's the best sound in the world.  She really squeals when you blow on or tickle her tummy or neck.
- She's really starting to interact with Reese and loves watching her sister.  I'm sure this will continue to increase, and I can't wait because it's adorable.
- She likes her rice cereal most days, but some days she has no interest.  I'm excited to try different foods, but think we'll wait until after her 6 month well visit with the pediatrician.
- She refuses to take a bottle or pacifier.  We really need to work on the bottle because I would like to be able to have a little time to myself and with friends...  and I suppose I should go back to work soon, too!  So far we have tried 5 different bottles/nipples, and she's not even slightly interested in any of them.  The next thing I'm going to try is a sippy cup specifically designed for little babies 4 months and up.  Wish us luck!

Outside Girls

Both Reese and Emmy enjoy being outside.  We haul lots of toys out to the deck every day to play, but Emmy's favorite activity seems to be relaxing and watching the leaves blow on the trees.

Snuggling

Libby crawled up onto my lap (and onto Emmy!) as she slept on my lap.  They both slept soundly like this for an hour.  So cute!

Dentist

Reese had her first trip to the dentist today.  I had such high hopes because we had been talking about the dentist for weeks, and even practiced examining our teeth and the teeth of our stuffed animals this morning.  But, no luck.  This picture was taken right before the drama began.

Reese FLIPPED OUT when they told her to open her mouth for the cleaning, so no cleaning.  She continued crying/screaming when the dentist examined her.  The dentist told me her front tooth was chipped just a bit.  I have no idea when that happened!  The only thing we accomplished during the visit (besides traumatizing Reese) was putting some fluoride on her back teeth (as I held her down and she screamed).   I'll rate this as one of our worst experiences yet.  We won't be going back to the dentist for a long time.

Gym Class

I came across these pictures today, and realized I forgot to post.  Reese and Daddy enjoyed going to a gym class every Thursday evening last winter and spring.

Reese didn't interact much with the other kids, but really enjoyed the activities.  She was excellent at throwing bean bags through hoops and walking on balance beams.  She refused to ride a tricycle and do somersaults - but I'm happy to report she has mastered those two things already this summer.

Mani/Pedi

Reese enjoyed her first manicure and pedicure.  I had been asking her if she wanted to go get her toe nails painted for awhile, and, to my delight, she finally said yes today!  (Ok, I'll be honest, the real reason I wanted her to get her toe nails painted was so I could get a pedicure too.)

She was super excited to pick out her paint color (purple, of course), sit in the special bear chair, and even got to watch a movie during the experience.  She loved it and kept smiling, laughing, and telling me how much fun she was having.  When we were done she told me, "We should definitely do that again!"

Maybe next time Emmy will join in on the fun!