Eating is Fun

Emmy is starting to catch on to this eating thing.  She now opens her mouth for food, helps the spoon into her mouth, and squeals with delight!

Sleeping Beauties

Sooooo sleepy!  Reese, Emmy, and I all took a nap in Reese's bed this afternoon.  Aren't they beautiful when they're sleeping?  Of course they're beautiful when they're awake too!

Memorial Day Games

Happy Memorial Day.  We spent the day in Rockford attending some of the community festivities.

Reese had fun playing games at the historical Stork House.  Our friends Carly and Ellie were there too.

She concentrated very hard during the egg race!

Then relaxed on the swing.  Ahhhh, this is the life.

Go Twins

Reese and Daddy went to the Twins game today.  They had a lot of fun, despite the 90+ degree heat.  The highlights for Reese were riding the bus and eating lots of food!  She ate an entire hot dog with chips and ice cream with M&Ms and sprinkles in a waffle cone -- a 3-year-old's dream.

Emmy and I stayed home to do some laundry, the dishes, and other household chores. I think we got the short end of the stick!

Picture with Mommy

I'm usually the one taking pictures, but I finally had the opportunity to be in a picture with my girls.  One of my few pictures and THIS is the face Reese gave.  We'll try again another time.

Lessons

Half day Fridays began at General Mills this week, and it was so nice to have Daddy home.  He spent the day with the girls.

The softball lesson did not go well.

The music lesson was more successful.

My Girls

I had a fun day just hanging out with my girls at home.  We have been trying to do a lot of tummy time with Emmy.  Her neck seems very strong, but we're trying to help her build up her arm strength.  She seemed to enjoy tummy time this morning without any pants on.  I love those buns!

This afternoon we enjoyed a picnic on the lawn.  I love how the girls are starting to interact with each other.  Reese loves to entertain, and Emmy seems fascinated with her sister.

Finally, we noticed today is a special day for Reese.  She is 3 years, 3 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days old!  I asked Reese if she wanted to make cupcakes to celebrate her special day.  She said. "No, maybe I'll just have pickles."

Tunes and Toupee

Our typical Tuesday starts with our Music Together class.  Reese has been attending for over 2 years, and now Emmy goes too.  Emmy never sleeps through class and really seems to enjoy it!

This evening we made dinner, including our first sweet corn of the year.  Reese took her job of peeling corn very seriously.  She got every strand of silk, then gave them to Emmy to use a toupee.  Ha!

New Roommates

Ugh, Emmy is going through another rough patch with her sleeping.  She's been waking nearly every hour for the past 10 nights.  We have broken down and are now having Emmy sleep in our bed.  So, we all have new roommates -- Emmy with Mommy and Reese with Daddy.  I wonder if this new arrangement will last until the girls are in their teens?!?

This is a picture of Emmy at 3am.  She really doesn't like a pacifier, but I was desperate and trying to get her to take it.  While she looks peaceful here, no luck with the paci.

Rain Out

We were excited to celebrate our friend Todd Hedtke's 40th birthday at a St. Paul Saints baseball game.  The forecast called for rain, but skies were sunny when we arrived for the fun.

I know this isn't exactly appropriate, but I found this picture so funny.  Reese sitting by Daddy's beer while we went through the food line.

They had lots of activities for the kids, including making your own bracelets.

The skies soon changed and we were caught in what seemed like a hurricane.  Luckily we were under a big tent, but the wind and rain still whipped through.  Not exactly a fun experience with two little kids (both were crying!), but it was an adventure. 

In the car on the way home, Reese declared, "That was fun!"  Wow, who would have through this experience would actually HELP her fear of the wind.

Happy birthday, Hedtke!  We'll never forget this celebration!

Bathroom Humor

Two hilarious conversations with Reese this week, both centered around bathroom humor.

While playing one morning...
Reese: "Mom, let's play dress up. Do you want to be a princess, witch, or poop stain?"
Mom: "I want to be the princess."
R: "No, I'll be the princess. You can be the witch."
M:  "Who is going to be the poop stain?" (I dared to ask)
R: "Daddy!"

Reese walked in on Todd peeing standing up...
Reese: (looking amazed) "Daddy, how do you do THAT?" (referring to standing and peeing)
Daddy gave a very brief explanation of the different male and female anatomy
R: "Well, I have to get one of those!"
Sorry dear, you'll never be able to pee standing up, but I will teach you the art of squatting some day.

Play Time

Play time is so much fun..
.

Especially when Emmy's favorite playmate joins her...

Sucking ALL her fingers is one of her favorite pastimes...

Rice and Roll

It was a big night for Emmy!  She ate rice cereal for the first time!  I think she actually ate only 2-3 spoonfuls, but she seemed to enjoy the new experience.

A video of her first bite.

And another video because it is cute!

Then, when I was changing her diaper before bed, Emmy rolled over!  She rolled from back to front, and was not very happy when she found herself on her front. That rice must have given her some power!  Good job, big girl! 

Tickle

Here's a video of Emmy's ticklish tummy!

Busy Wednesday

We had a busy Wednesday. 

This morning, we trashed the house.  How does this always happen?  I swear the family room was clean at 9:00 this morning, but this is how it looked at noon.  I asked Reese to clean up before we left the house.  She decided the best way to clean up the Chocolate Cheerios she spilled was to step on them so they stuck to her feet, then eat them off her feet.  Disgusting... and a long process that tested my patience.

We then went to the house of our friends Kara, Haper, and Tatum.  Of course I forgot to take a picture while we were there.  The 4 little girls are so adorable.  Reese loved playing there and could not stop talking about Harper.  Thanks for the bibs and burp cloth for Emmy and foam castle for Reese - her ponies love their new castle.

Next, Reese and I went in the water at swimming lessons while Heather watched Emmy (so convenient that Heather, Carly, and Ellie have dance class at the exact same time and in the building right next door to swimming).

We concluded our night by stopping for an ice cream cone.  Yum!

Exersaucer

Even though she can't quite reach the toys yet, Emmy likes spending time in her exersaucer. 

And here's a video of the exersaucer fun!

Hummingbird Moths

We have been invaded by little creatures, and I think they are called Hummingbird Moths.  I personally think they are ugly, and Libby has caught a few and does not think they are very tasty.  I hope they go away soon!

Happy 70th Birthday

Happy 70th birthday to Grandpa Haag!  We had a lot of fun celebrating today at the lake.

Reese was excited about birthday cake all day (ok, actually all week).  She had to chase Grandpa around outside as he was doing chores to ask him if we could FINALLY have the cake.  She caught him and convinced everyone to come inside to sing and enjoy.

I wonder how many pictures we have of Reese eating cake -- lots!

Grandpa liked the memory book we made him.  He'll be busy completing the book with stories about his jobs on the farm as a kid, the worst thing he ever did as a teenager, listing all the cars he's owned, etc.  We can't wait to hear all the stories when he's done.

Todd and Reese always seems to get exhausted at the lake.  Today they slept for 3 hours.  I think they just sleep to avoid picking up sticks, raking the beach, and other chores Grandpa has for them.  They are so alike -- always trying to avoid work.

The kids had fun playing all day and into the evening.  This picture was taken about 10 seconds before Brayden fell into the lake.  :)

Tea Party

Reese wanted to have a tea party this afternoon, and we decided to decorate for the occasion.  Our decorations soon started looking like a birthday party, but that's ok.  Reese kept saying, "This is the best day ever!!!"

Slide

Reese has made a miraculous recovery.  Her fever broke around 7pm last night after taking a 5 hour nap!  So, we decided to keep our plans to meet Troy, Brayden, and Aubrey at the Maple Grove Community Center.

We had the whole place to ourselves, so let the kids climb UP the slide.  The kids thought that was the greatest because they usually aren't allowed to do that.  It's the little things that bring such joy when you're 3 and 5 years old!

Urgent Care

We started off our morning with a trip to Urgent Care.  Reese had a fever last night, but we brought it down with Ibuprofen.  Unfortunately this morning the Ibuprofen was not working and her temp was staying up at 105 and she was acting lethargic.  I called the nurse line and they said Reese should be seen within 2 hours. 

So I quickly brushed my teeth, changed my clothes, and headed out the door.  This was not an easy task -- I put Emmy in her car seat (keep in mind that she HATES her car seat), carried Reese (who was basically limp and half asleep) downstairs where she threw up all over her clothes, put new jammies on Reese (left my shirt on which had just a little bit of puke), put both girls in the car, and sped our of the neighborhood.

We were at Urgent Care for 2 hours!  Luckily Reese fell asleep on the examining table twice and Emmy was a very good girl.  Reese was given some Tylenol which did finally bring down her fever to 102.  She was tested for strep and a urinary tract infection, and both test results were negative.  The doctor think she just has the "crud" that is going around.  We just have to keep her cool, hydrated, and rested for the next 24-48 hours and hope she recovers.  Feel better my little Reesie-Pie!

Reese always seems to spike a really high fever when she's sick.  Her temp would even get to the scary level of 105 when she used to cut teeth.  It scares me every time!

To top off the day, when Daddy came home he asked me, "Did you know you can see through your pants?"  Great.  I must have been quite the sight earlier today struggling to carry two crying little girls into Urgent Care (since I also did not have the stroller in the car - ugh!) all while you could see my polka dot underware.  At least we didn't see anyone I know.

Oh, and happy 4 month birthday to Emmy!  Sorry you had to spend your special day at Urgent Care!

Wind

Reese is dealthy afraid of the wind, and I have no idea why.  Maybe her breath got swept away in the wind one time.  Every time we talk about going outside, she looks out the window and says, "I don't know, the trees are moving a little!!!!" 

If it is actually windy when we're out running errands, Reese screams and cries and I have to carry her outside.  Ugh, it's so much fun when you're trying to carry an infant car seat, groceries, and a frantic toddler through the parking lot.

Awhile ago (hence the snow in the picture), in an effort to help Reese overcome her fear, Grandma Cipra bought her a kite.  Here's a video of the failed attempt to fly the kite.  Ha!  Run Grandma, run!

Crazy Cousins

Troy, Brayden, and Aubrey came over today.  Reese and Brayden were just WILD in the bounce house.  They should both sleep well tonight!  Click here to watch the video.

Seussical

We attended the play "Seussical Jr." in Rockford tonight.

Before the play started, Reese wasn't quite sure how a play by junior high kids would go.  But we were pleasantly surprised.  The actress who played Gertrude the bird was especially talented!

MOPS

Our friends Heather, Angela, and Kayla at MOPS this morning.  I just love Kayla's helmet bling - all made by her mommy!  She should open up a store on Etsy and sell it!

We have only one more MOPS session this year.  I'm really going to miss it over the summer!

Delicious

This doesn't happen often, so it's worth posting on the blog.  I made an asian salad recipe I found in an old Marshall Field's cookbook.  I chopped, and chopped, and chopped ingredients, and even fried my own wonton strips and made popovers.  It took me nearly 2 hours, but the end result was nothing short of delicious!

Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Cipra for watching the girls for 2 hours so I could have some fun in the kitchen.