Monkey Business

Sorry for my small hiatus...having computer/picture problems and I can't blog without pictures. I've been meaning to post this one for some time. It's about 3 weeks old, however this seems to be a frequent occurrence around here these day. Yes, Kiersten is sitting in the bathroom vanity. She does it upstairs...she does it downstairs and I can't seem to stop her. Now we have to leave the bathroom door shut. She climbs up on to the toilet and then proceeds to climb up into the sink. Sometimes she turns the water on, other times...like when she is upstairs she just wants a toothbrush to chew on. A sure sign to me that she has more teeth coming in but WHERE are they. Anyway, just wanted to share our new trick with everyone. Never a dull moment!

Pinkarrific Friday!

It was seriously THE BEST DAY EVER...well maybe not for me, but certainly for Leah and Macy. They were so excited and just seeing them excited and happy really made it a special day for Cynthia, Aunt Laura, Gigi and me. It was great. What a fun show!!!

We got to the Emerald City Theatre at Water Tower about 9:45 for the 10 AM show and the lobby was full of excited little girls all wearing PINK! They had a table set up where they could make green "pom-poms" and they were supposed to draw pictures of their favorite green foods. Leah drew some broccoli (she loves it??? I KNOW, right?) and Macy drew lots of green peas. Gigi and I headed over to the "Pinkalicious" Products table. I bought books for the girls and the show soundtrack so Leah could listen to it in the car. Gigi went overboard...she only bought them one thing each but it was the most extravagant. She got them custom, exclusive Pinkalicious American Girl dresses. No joke, the tag is numbered and signed. I figured a gift like that deserves it's own picture :)

We went into the theatre and we had fantastic seats...almost center, 3rd row up! The show was so fun and happy. Mom and I got the biggest kick out of Kiersten. She laughed and sang and danced to every song and when the music would stop she would applaud and say "YAY" to EVERY song. The little girl in front of us turned around and looked at her a few times...I think she was singing too loud, but it's a kid show so I let her :) Between every song Leah would look at me and say "It's not done yet, right?" She just couldn't get enough. The show only last an hour. Perfect for kids and when it was done we lined up to get autographs. Leah was so friendly to almost all of the cast. She got a little shy with Pinkalicious. I think she was star-struck. And it was so fun getting the picture of Kiersten passed out in her stroller with Peter. She clapped, danced and sang herself into utter exhaustion and Peter was so cute to pose with her in a picture. It was truly a super fun day! Thanks so much Gigi for treating us yet again. What wonderful memories we are making.

Hotel Fun!

It was even a treat for the girls to stay the night in a hotel. It's not something that they have gotten to do very often. We had thought that we would do the American Girl Tea and then have a late dinner, but we were so full and the girls go to bed so early (normally) that the timing of things just wasn't working out. It was after 5:30 by the time we got back to the hotel. Mom, Cynthia and Laura went back to Water Tower to shop a bit while I stayed with the girls hoping to get the Bug to take a nap...no such luck. By the time the grown-ups got back from shopping around 7:45 it was time for baths. All 3 of the girls jumped in the tub. Aunt Laura had ordered Pizza from Gino's East. She went down to get it, while the girls got pajama's up in their new pj's from GiGi. So we ended up having a pizza party in one of our rooms. The girls were happy and with full bellies and American Girl's in tow, they laid down for bed. Aunt Laura tried to crash with Leah and Macy...they made her move, they said she snored. I laid down with Kiersten. She wasn't having any part of it. I ended up taking her into the other room where she ran around and ate more pizza before finally crashing around 10 PM. We all got a decent nights sleep, of course Leah was up at 6 and I had to keep her quiet until Bug woke up at 7 and then we were up and at'em getting ready for another day. A very exciting one at that...to be continued.

American Girl Cafe'

What does every sophisticated group of ladies do when out to tea? Yes, you guessed it...Orange Slice smiles!!! Thanks, Aunt Laura for ALWAYS teaching the girls the appropriate way to act, ha! Everyone had to get in on the fun. We were so excited to have tea at the American Girl Cafe' and it did not disappoint. The girls were super excited to have high chairs for their dolls to join them, and Leah made sure that her new friend got plenty of tea. The "fare" did not disappoint either. The most wonderful little cucumber sandwiches, peanut butter and jelly, chicken salad and pizza popovers. And fruit cut into the shapes of little flowers...it was all a hit. We were happy as could be when they brought out dessert: Jello (in orange slices none the less), a wonderful strawberry white chocolate mousse and chocolate covered strawberries and marshmallows. The girls were in heaven and I think it is a trip they won't forget anytime soon. Leah asked me on Saturday if we were going to go back to the America Girl Restaurant..."No, honey not for quite some time." A big thank you to Aunt Laura for treating us all. It was such a special afternoon and we are so glad you could join us.

Gigi's Girls, do American Girl...Michigan Avenue Style!

Yes, Gigi spoils them rotten...you don't even know the half of it. We planned this trip months ago, and this past weekend we finally got to go. Laura arrived in Chicago last Monday for a recruiting trip. On Thursday morning we loaded up my van with kids, luggage, snacks etc... and headed for the Wyndham Chicago. We arrived around 1 pm and were fortunate to get an early check in. About 2 pm we walked the quarter of a mile to WATER TOWER (I'm singing that in my Oprah voice.) where we started our adventure at American Girl. It was overwhelming to say the least. We perused through the first floor and the Historical Characters (Leah was leaning towards Rebecca, mom and I both though that is who she looks like the most) We checked her out and Leah was excited. I told her she couldn't have her yet. We went on to Bitty Baby...Big Mistake! Kiersten saw one and wanted it she started reaching and clutching from her stroller "BAYBEE, BAYBEE." So that was our first purchase of the day. However she calmed down and we didnt' take it out of the box immediately (yay!) I knew Bitty Baby would be a big hit, Bug plays with Leah's all the time.

Then we went upstairs. Macy wanted a "Just like Me" Doll...so naturally Leah did too...After me trying to coerce her back into Rebecca and after looking at a number of "Just Like Me's" Leah found the one that she wanted. BUT WAIT??? What about clothing and accessories?!? It was maddening, but fun at the same time. Macy got the Bridal/Confirmation Special Occasion Dress, A Kanani Hawaiian Dress, glasses, earrings and pajamas, oh and the Pink Hoodie for the "Just Like Me" Doll. Leah was much more difficult. She wanted, then she didn't...finally it was time to call it quits, we had cafe reservations. She got the Western Cowgirl outfit (She calls it Rescuing Rapunzel) and the Gold Sequin Dancing Star outfit. We were done, whew...exhausting. Then it came time to actually get them out of the box. Why do they make it so hard??? Aunt Cynthia was a pro so we let her handle it while I snapped pictures. Thanks, Gigi...You're the best and we love the new dolls.

Neigh, Neigh

While we were at Rockome Gardens all 4 of the girls got their first ride on a horse. Her name was Lady Jane. She was a mellow, calm beautiful being. As she walked the girls around the circle she saws the top of a log off and you take it over to the Blacksmith and he "burns" something into it for you. The girls got their names and he added a heart for them. What's crazy is that I remember doing this when I was a kid. Laura, Matt and I went with Uncle Brian and Aunt Trina when we were kids for the first time. Matt and Tiffany were babies but I rode that horse for the first time with my cousin too! I can't get over that. What fun, that we have shared that experience. Tara and I took our logs home and colored them with crayons to make them more "exciting". Kiersten was all excited about the horse and kept saying "Neigh, Neigh" One lap is free, so we put her up there for a ride around the ring with Lexi. She started out good, but by the end she was starting to tear up a bit. One round was just enough for my little bug. But I'm happy that the girls all got to share this first together.

Rockome Gardens

So here I am, WAY behind in my blogging again...I just can't get caught up. This summer has been Crazy and Fun, or Crazy Fun! But at least I am sitting her trying to catch up and write about things that we HAVE done, instead of someday sitting here writing about what I wish we had done.

Last weekend on Saturday (16th) we took our company to Rockome Gardens. We didn't want to spend a lot of time in the car after making the trip to St. Louis the day before. And their curiosity was peaked when we mentioned the Illinois Amish Community so Rockome it was. I hadn't been there in years, and had forgotten how beautiful it really was. I guess they just came under new ownership in April and the last owners let it get really run-down. But I still thought the place looked good. The flowers were beautiful...I can't imagine how they care for them, especially in this monstrosity of a heat wave we are in the midst of. We strolled through different gardens, entered a variety of museums and shops and played on the playground. My girls were so excited to do the petting zoo...evident by Kiersten's expression in the last picture. She just is the happiest baby I know and she can never contain her joy and excitement in new situations. It was interesting to share part of our new "home" with Aunt Lori and the girls and it was fun to take advantage of something so close to home. By the end Kiersten was getting tired so Daddy took the girls home for naps while the rest of us stayed and toured the shops a little longer. It was fun...and Thanks to Mitch for being such a trooper and taking his picture with me in the heart.

The Mighty Mississip!

After we were finished up at the Arch, we walked down to the River bank, and all went aboard the Tom Sawyer for a Riverboat Ride/Tour. The boats are named after Mark Twain characters...Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher. We went up to the top deck and it was HOT. When the tour started out the wind was in front of us, and was blocked by the "house" of the boat. Aunt Lori went down and got us ALL lemonades. They hit the spot, even Kiersten sucked hers down and was left trying to slurp up bits of ice water through the straw. It was pretty cute. We went downstairs for awhile, shoulders were getting pink. Mitch and I went back upstairs with Leah as the boat was turning around to head back and then it hit...The glorious breeze that hits out on the river. It felt great. The 3 of us sat up there for awhile. Leah was continuously looking for the arch, which didn't make much sense since she was terrified of it, but it was fun listening to her go on and on.

After the hour long tour, we started the long hot walk back to the parking garage. We stopped at Hardees for some very appropriate milkshakes on the way...Kiersten tried to drink those down too, but she had to share with her sister. Leah, Kiersten and even Lexi crashed on the way home. Mitch made another fantastic dinner. Homemade BBQ Pulled Pork that was in the slow cooker all day, sweet potato fries and broccoli...Sure seems like we ate a lot that weekend!?!?