Does this hat match my shoes???

My girls are so in to dress up. We have tons of shoes, some gloves, hats and a few outfits. Most of the good ones are at Gigi's house so we can play dress up with Macy, too. Lately even Kiersten is in on the action. For a long time Kiersten was all about the hats and purses, but these days she is trying out the mini-high heels too! Leah calls them tappin' shoes...and of course they love to stomp (tap) all over the ceramic tiles and hardwood floors. Sometimes it is utterly adorable and others it just makes my head hurt that much more, but I know this stage won't last forever. I indulge them. This morning I put gloves on, they took gloves off, I put gloves on again...over and over. I'll continue to put them on again and again, because with girls this cute... who can say no?

Nurture out in Nature

I LOVE these pictures of Leah out on a hike! Mitch took her to Spitler Woods (Mt. Zion) last week and snapped these pictures with his phone. I thought that they were just too cute and I had to share them. He has wanted desperately to start doing outdoor things (camping, hiking) with the girls and with the excessive heat warnings that plagued us for most of July and August he is just now finally getting the chance.

Leah loved it. She threw a small fit because she wanted to wear her flip flops and we made her wear close-toed shoes but once they got there, Mitch said she did great. He didn't know it when they started out but they ended up doing a 2 mile trail and she was a trooper and finished on her own. Of course she had to stop here and there to pick up acorns, and she took a quick rest on a log so she could eat her granola bar and drink some water. BUT she finished...and fell asleep in the car on the way home. She asked Mitch a few times this weekend if they could go on a hike. Maybe it will become their daddy-daughter tradition. On the calendar this weekend is camping in Clinton...hopefully she will do just as well.

Steady as she grows

Oh my, Bug! You are the sweetest, mellowest, snuggliest baby EVER...I'm certain of it. I just can't get enough of your bug hugs and kisses. This morning we had your 18 month well baby check-up and the doctor was amazed by your brilliance. She said you tested off the charts for a 2 year old with your speech and she loved that you smiled and laughed the whole time and insisted on giving her a hug buh-bye. While we were there you used several two word phrases such as "these guys", "right there", "Yes, please" and "love you, mama" which is my personal favorite. She asked you questions and you always said "yes" instead of the toddler motto "NO" and you pointed to your ears, eyes, nose, mouth, head, toes, belly and chin on command. You mimicked all sorts of animal sounds, attempted the ABC's and Dr. Branham said you made her day when you blew her kisses good-bye after your shots.

Your measurements looked fantastic too! You weighed in at 25lbs and 2 ounces, just over the 50th percentile, your head circumference was in the 75th which are both consistent with your medical history but my girl was been growing SO BIG! Length was 33 and 3/8ths of an inch (why can't they just say half)...which put us in the 90th percentile for length...a step up from the 75th where we lingered for months. I'm just positive that my bug will be taller than me, along the lines of both her Aunt Laura and Aunt Lori. Overall, it was a great appointment and just pushed me further into the reality that my little baby isn't a baby anymore. But no matter what, she will always be my bug.

3's

Last week my baby girl started preschool. I didn't get emotional, I didn't cry...mostly I was just very happy for her. I was also very ready for the structure that it provides. She is attending St. Paul's Lutheran School, which is located in St. Paul's Lutheran Church here in Decatur. A church that we attend and enjoy. For Leah this is familiar ground. She was actually admitted when we moved here last April (even though she was only 2) and so she knows and loves the teachers already. To make it even more exciting, the first week of school she got to show the other kids how things are done and got to be Ms. Sarah's special helper since she already knows the ropes. Needless to say, Leah was VERY excited about this. Everyday when I pick her up she tells me what she did good and what she did that was not so good and then she proceeds to tell me all the things that the other kids do that are wrong (or naughty in her words). I keep emphasizing that she needs to worry about herself not others, but Leah is large and in charge...meaning her personality of course. She can run a room, that's for sure.

She is really growing up so quickly. She is writing her name like a champ, spelling small words with daddy, and can tell you her address, her birthday, her last name, how old she is, and this morning she pulled off mommy's phone number for the first time. She amazes me day after day...oh and she knows who Obama is now too and will point him out whenever she sees him on TV. I'm sure my dad was thrilled when she was asking him this weekend if he loved Obama, ha ha! Anyway, love my little Leah. The year is off to a great start and only going to get better!

Old Friends, New Friends

This is without a doubt one of my favorite pictures. It's me, Brandon Beever, Amy Best (Hannah), Shane Beever, Laura (my sister) Corey and Christina Babbs and Megan Dorjahn. The back of the picture says June 1983 which means we were all roughly 3-5 years old. Now in 2011 we are ALL married and most of us have kids of our own.

Cut to now: This week we were fortunate enough to have my lifelong friend, Amy Best (Hannah), her husband Jeremy and two kids Alex and Heidi stay with us. And it didn't take long for Alex and Leah to become fast friends. They were in the backyard, inseparable for 2 days!!! They played in the sand table, they jumped on the trampoline...but mostly they cruised in Leah's Dora jeep. Alex was always driving and Leah was tickled to be along for the ride. One time when I went out to observe them Leah told me to leave them alone, they were going to the ice cream store for a treat. They spent hours...seriously HOURS out there playing together. When our time together came to an end we told Leah that we would be visiting Arizona sometime and she would get to see Alex and play again. Now she keeps talking about how we need to "Pay for a visit." She means -Pay them a visit, but it's so cute to hear her say it. So cheers, to lifelong friends...and hoping that even though we don't live close, our children can be friends too!

BEST.BIRTHDAY.EVER

Today is my wonderful husbands birthday: Happy Birthday, Mitchell! Love you sooo very much...in fact so much that I was able to pull this off: (Please excuse the fact that the picture is upside down, I've rotated and uploaded three times and it won't go in the right way...stupid computer).

And This (Thanks, Grandma Tootie)

So if you haven't figured it out, I got Bears/Vikings tickets so we can go see the game. Mitch is a die hard Vikings fan, and I am a lifelong Bears fan...in fact I joke that the one thing that truly bonds us is our hatred for the Packers, I kid...I kid (sort of). Being a lifelong fan though, Mitch has never seen the Vikings play. My dad was a huge help in pulling this off. He let me use his credit card so Mitch wouldn't see the tickets on our bill beforehand. Thanks, Dad. I recruited Grandma Tootie and Aunt Lori to find some Vikings gear for me and Grandma Tootie eventually found 2 shirts in Wisconsin?!?!?!? I know, weird...right?

Anyway on Sept. 6th, we had friends over; Amy and Jeremy Hannah and their 2 kids from Arizona and Ellen Burtschi (she was our roomie in Champaign and we LOVE her!). I cooked up a fantastic lasagna and made a birthday cake. Amy and I threw together a lettuce salad, she made some garlic bread and peanut butter cake balls...we had a party, drank 4.5 bottles of wine and a good time was had by all. Leah picked out a very special princess birthday card for her daddy, signed it herself, and then before he could open it told him it was a pretty princess card, LOL! I had wrapped up the 2 Vikings shirt to be the gift from the girls and then I gave him his gift from me. I bought a book and put the tickets inside as an extra suprise...the picture below shows the white of his eyes, I think he was happy! Although later he commented that he didn't want to go to Soldier Field, but beggars can't be choosers and I know we will have a great time...as long as the Bears win.

Big Girl, Little Name

I couldn't be prouder of my Leah! I've been meaning to post this for about 3 weeks now, and I saw another friend post something similar about her 3 year old and it was a reminder to get on it. Leah started practicing writing her name when we moved to Illinois in April (5 months ago). I'm not the best at staying on top of things like this, thankfully Daddy is. At least 3 times a week after dinner, he would remind her that it was time to start practicing her name. In that short time she has mastered writing it on the laminate trace sheet and even writing it free hand on her own. She has been signing birthday cards for her cousins Jameson and Spencer, and signs letters we put in the mail to our grandparents. Last week when we had preschool orientation she even sat down and wrote her name for her teachers. She is doing great and I love that she is so proud of herself for such a big accomplishment. Way to go, Leah. Big hugs to my big girl!

Uncle Brian's Birthday!

Since we were going all the way up to the Dells on Friday for the wedding, Mitch schemed up a plan for ALL of us to meet in Eau Claire on Saturday. We booked rooms and thought it would be great to just let the kids play and swim all night. We ordered Pizza and since this get together was on Brian's birthday, Mitch and I got a cake. We rarely get to celebrate birthday's with Mitch's side of the family. It just happened to work out this year that we were together for Shelby and Leah's back in May...AND for Uncle Brian's in August. Mitch couldn't remember the last time they were all able to celebrate Brian's birthday so I'm sure it was a nice treat for all of them. We stopped at Shopko and picked up a cake. I desperately wanted to right "Happy Birthday, BRAIN" on the cake and then put an XXX through Brain and correctly write Brian next to it (that's just the kind of sarcastic relationship that Brian and I have) but Mitch said he thought that was dumb...I thought it would have been hilarious and when I told Brian and Lisa that's what I wanted to do, they both laughed and said it would have been so funny...next time I go with my gut :)

Anyway, there were 5, yes FIVE weddings at the hotel the night that we were there. We still managed to get some good pool time in and had a great time in the Dining room near the pool for cake and pizza. It's always so great to see the girls with their cousins, and Mitch and I are super lucky that the cousins (Rylee, Shelby and Lexi) are so good with our girls. They do a great job looking after them and keeping them entertained which is not always easy to do with a 3 year old. So a big shout out to my nieces for all their help. Justin and Todd couldn't join us because they had to work, and somehow I don't have any pictures of Bradyn once we got to Eau Claire...that's a boy for you, dodging the camera. Anyway, it was a great time and always leaves us wanting more. Probably Christmas :(