Fun with friends

This afternoon we hung around outside and soaked in the gorgeous day with some great friends. These guys are more like family and it's incredibly laid-back, low-key with loads of laughs. They have spent the last 3 summers living just down the street from us and we're sure going to miss them as they move slightly further down the road this fall! Thank goodness it's not too far! 

Regan and Dooley posing for a cheesy picture. 

 Sidney in her bright orange, much too large, adorable swimsuit. She was draping herself around the upper part of the ladder as she posed for me and I commented that some day that could be a graduation picture. Not so fast sweetie, slow down that growing up process. 

 Ahhhh, but alas, she swims! Yes, our little 3 year old is swimming on her own. Not far by any means (a yard or two), but she's doing it and so stinkin' proud of herself!
We are too! 

 Addie, Annie and our girls taking a break from the crazy boys tossing balls around in the pool. 

 Smiley Addie was thinking Ryan was pretty funny 

Thanks again guys! We had a great afternoon!!

Perfect night for a fire

Friday night was a perfect night for a winter backyard fire. We gathered around, enjoyed the warmth (afterall, it was chilly) and some entertainment from the two energetic ones of the bunch. They tossed marshmallows into the fire, watched them pop and then moved on to giving us a dance/gymnastics show. 

And what backyard fire is complete without s'mores! 

YUMMY!!

We have a rider!

Regan had a playdate yesterday, and as Ryan went to drop off her tiny friend, Regan saw her friend pick up her bike (without training wheels) and whiz around the driveway. It was enough motivation for Regan to come home and beg Ryan to remove her training wheels. With much encouragement (as it was approaching 8pm), he obliged and the end result.......click HERE!!! It's official, we have a rider! I got quite the workout running up and down the block beside her, but it brought her confidence so I did it; oh the things we do for our children! These cooler temps have pulled us out of the pool so it was the perfect opportunity to practice, and today brought even more riding time. We're still working on braking, at this point she does a legs out straight and jump to the grass while screaming type of stop. 

I think my parents/brother remember that from me and my purple klunker too! 

Firsts

Today was a day of firsts. For the first time, we visited a local art shop 

 where the girls created their own masterpieces. Might I add that Regan is the perfect age for this, not to mention has a complete love for art. She was over the moon when she was allowed to pick out any piece to paint and then had paint and brushes surrounding her while she worked. I loved watching her determination (while trying to make sure Sidney wasn't spilling permanent paint on herself because she refused to wear a smock). 

For the first time, Regan participated in a talent show. click HERE or HERE to watch her group performances. Clearly she has absolutely no problems with being on stage in front of a group. Regan isn't our shy child, she'll try pretty much anything and being center of attention on stage is high up on her "love it" list. No stage fright for her!

And finally, for the first time, we visited a beach in Minnesota! I can't say it's their first beach experience entirely, but it's their first MN beach experience. The water was crystal clear! 

I thought Regan would be a little nervous once she swam out to the swim docks and noticed the fish in the water. There was a point where she hollered back "I don't want to hit a fish!". All I had to say was "they're more scared of you" and she hopped into the water and swam back! I thought for sure I'd be dragging her into the water kicking and screaming. 

Sidney was only slightly troubled by sitting in the sand but quickly got over it. I know the days have been successful when each experience this week has gotten a "can we do that again tomorrow?!" from them!

Busy bodies

Day 2 of my stay-cation was a busy one. We started off the morning with a playdate with Ryan's college buddy and his adorable infant daughter. The girls were IN LOVE with sweet Addie! All that playing sure wore them out as they took THREE hour naps! Yes, both of them. 

3. hours. 

wowzas! 

So as a jump start to their late afternoon, I took them here......

 Oh my goodness were they in love!! 

We had visited a similar place while vacationing in California, so when I happened across a frozen yogurt bar locally, the girls were right at home. 

 After picking their frozen yogurt and several toppings, they topped it off with sprinkles and DEVOURED their treats! Regan ate every last bite and then was bouncing off the walls. Literally.  

 So when they came home and asked to rake leaves (in August) to jump into, I handed them rakes and set them free! 

 And just look at that smile! 

Something tells me she had a great day :) 

Spring board

Official day 1 of my stay-cation part 3 of the summer was spent at a local water park. Logan joined us...THANK YOU LOGS! and we had a great time! Regan is the little dare devil, and walked right to the end of the spring board and was hooked. She desperately wanted to try the high board too and with a little coaxing and a demonstration from yours truly, she did it! Unfortunately, she attempted the zip line into water but the lifeguard told her she was too short this year. She's very excited to grow one more inch! 

Sidney had fun too, she's practicing her skills and enjoying some bravery going down the kiddie slides. 

Thanks again Logan! 

Dancing Queens

Our sliding glass door gives the effect of a mirror. And lately, we catch Sidney looking at herself in any form of reflection she can get (Regan has done this for years....get her crying, and she loves to watch herself cry!). This afternoon, the girls were dancing around in my clothes (one with my shirt, the other with my cover-up). We had the music cranked and I looked over, to find them busting a move while checking themselves out in the door. They were really rocking it! 

Valleyfair 2012

Yesterday we went we some of Ryan's family on our annual Valleyfair trip (so far we only make it there twice/year and that is plenty for the kiddos). That said, we spent TWELVE hours going up and down, round and round!! 

Yes, TWELVE!!!

Sidney is at the age where she adores rides and could go on them for days in a row without getting bored. She went on the same ride multiple times in a row and giggled the entire time. At one point, she was mid-ride and yelled to me "hey mom, next I'm going on that ride", giving me a point. Seriously, did she just plan out her next ride while still going up and down!? That's my girl :) 

 Her and Paxton were inseparable all day long. She simply loves him. Thankfully Hudson was willing to switch strollers to allow Pax/Sid to sit together in the double while he rode solo in our single. It could have been a long day of fighting otherwise, considering all three were without naps. 

These two, however, not so inseparable. 

Going into the day, I knew Regan was now tall enough to ride all the big kid rollercoasters. Growing up, I had something called Forced Fun; we tried everything once. From Star Wars movies, to Monster Truck rallies to WWF cage-matches (yes, I'm that old), to rollercoasters. Had to try it. And now, so does Regan :) 

So with some prep work, and a little coaxing, Regan agreed to try the White Roller first. We headed towards the line and she said "I want to ride with Logan!"; whatever got her on the ride, I didn't mind. 

Just look at her eyes!! She was sooooo scared! 

Turns out, she LOVED it just as I expected. She proceeded to go on every coaster and her favorite, by far, is the Corkscrew! Guess that girl loves the loop-d-loop as much as her mama!

Regan wasn't the only one who liked Logan to ride with her...Sidney had so much fun with Logie!

Awesome idea Jamie....yes, it does look like they are at Hooter-land.

 What trip to Valleyfair is complete without a spendy face painting!? We had a great day, thanks again! 

P-A-R-T-Y!

The girls have been in a summer program 3 days/week each summer since Sidney was born. It's a slight break from school but enough structure to keep them on track with discipline, fun and building relationships. Today the program held their annual summer celebration with music, food and of course more fun! 

It was a Hawaiian theme and we joked last night that they were going to have a pig roast...unearth a pig in front of a crowd of 2-6 year olds. 

Thankfully they did not. 

Regan's favorite teacher, Miss Katie, does everything 100%. 

"Bright colors" was the theme.....she did well (rocking out to Kidz-Bop):

 I took my hand at stenciling  face painting butterflies and flowers onto the girls' cheeks. 

 And both girls made lei's out of cut straws and paper flowers. They proudly sported those lei's all night!

 The girls really excel in this program. The friendships they have created are like no other. I'm amazed that sweet Sidney has a group of friends she prefers to be with (and that she tells me who is her boyfriend as well as that of her BFF). Regan has been on more field trips than I could have ever imagined! From building their own burgers at Fuddruckers, to a behind the scenes look at Cub Foods to having a blast at local parks and  discovering indoor adventure lands. She really loves going on these big-kid trips and we love having her experience them all while learning as much as her mind can soak in. 

Seeing double

Regan has a set of identical twins who she has become good friends with over the past year. So when we invited them over for a playdate, we were definitely seeing double! They walk in and every time I ask "who is who!?". It all went well until they changed into swimsuits and I had to learn their outfits/suits all over again! 

 They included Sidney SOOOOO well, I was so proud of big sister Regan letting her 3 year old sister tag along for the whole day. Sure was sweet of the girls.

 Oh yea, and then they changed yet AGAIN into dress up clothes!? Keeping those two straight was next to impossible. I can pick out the daredevil of the two in the pool, but that was about it. 

And these 4 girls made a mess in no time at all! 

 Holy buckets was dinner loud! Four giggly girls, stuffing their faces and telling stories was near deafening. Sure was double the fun though! 

Regan dearest

Each night I lay the girls down for bed. It's a family event but I'm always the last to leave each girls' bedroom. As she gets older, I know my days are numbered for Regan to ask me nightly "will you lay with me?". So most of the time, I oblige. And lately, it's been more of a sense of "I have mom all to myself and I'm going to talk her ear off".

And so we chat.

and chat

and chat

Tonight she told me for the second time, all about her day making banana splits (note to self: I need to make more stops at her summer program!). She commented at one point in her story, having just tried one of these at DQ "mom, they are exactly like the ones at Dairy Queen. Only different".

Yes dear, I'm sure they were exactly the same then!

After she was finished, she asked me to tell her all about the things I do at the hospital. I started telling her about various aspects of my work and then, when I got to the part about "some people have to stay in the hospital for a week, or even a month!", she replied about as clearly as my patients "I would NEVER want to be stuck in a hospital for a MONTH!".

No dear, no one does. Thanks for telling it like it is Regan.

Love you love you!

Splash pad

Tonight I took the girls to local splash pad, you know, one of those places that has water fountains galore shooting water in every directions along with buckets unexpectedly dumping water constantly...the girls were pretty excited! We met up with some friends and while I sat visiting (staying dry), the girls had a great time getting wet and running around with their friends like crazy kids.

On our drive home, they begged to come back tomorrow morning....success!

Minihaha Falls

The falls are one of our favorite places to visit in the summer, spring, winter or fall. We really try to hit them up at least once/season, if not more. The girls adore this adventure and as soon as we pull into the parking lot, they started describing our last time here, what we saw, and where we will venture this time. Today we did something new in renting a 4 seater bike. It was perfect weather for a bike ride, actually a little on the cool side this morning. Throughout the hour, the girls giggled like little school girls, Ryan wanted to push me off the side as his legs turned to noodles ascending the hills, and I tried to capture all the beauty that this place has to offer.....

and for the record, I was pedaling too! 

ENJOY our pictures!

HAPPY SUMMER! 

Raspberries

The crop is depressingly poor this year, but we continue to come up with a few here and there. Not enough to even put in a bowl for later, but a couple to eat straight from the garden. 

 Contrary to what it looks like, we do feed this girl. Sidney's back physique is incredible. Her muscles are accented with each move she makes. It's truly amazing. She eats mainly fruit, sleeps like crap and is on the move constantly so I'm not entirely surprised, though I'm completely jealous!

 Regan's tall enough to help reach any fruit on the top and loving the gift of height. 

 This picture went something like this: 

"hey mom, take a picture of this"

and the next second, it was gone. 

YUM!

Another Saturday

It's always playtime on the weekends around here. Whether it's a busy day of playdates, a trip to a local zoo or park or just sitting around at home, we do a lot of playing. The girls are very into imaginary play at the moment. Generally it is with their American Girl dolls, as they take them shopping, to the doctor, iron their clothes or whatever other adventure they create. Today, however, Sidney got interested in kitchen play. I mean REALLY into it! Chef hat, "mittens" and the whole 9 yards, we played for a very long time. She made everyone their breakfast (a few times over), washed up the dishes and served up dessert.

She might be the cutest little chef ever! 

 After nap it was off to one of her dear friend's birthday parties. Thankfully, she also has a sister about Regan's age who happens to adore Regan. So it was an afternoon of treats, juice, bouncy houses and more outdoor play. 

 This birthday party gave me a wonderful idea: instead of the traditional "bring a gift for the birthday girl", we were all told to bring a wrapped book for a book exchange. All the children then took part in the opening of presents and went home with a new book. How cool is that!? 

Something tells me the girls will sleep well tonight....boy I hope so! 

The girls

With Ryan working his tail off this summer, it's been a lot of just us girls. Thankfully Regan and Sidney are generally best of friends and we all have a wonderful time hanging out together. Tonight, like many nights, we hopped into the pool after a quick dinner. Pardon Sidney's face painting, she turned into a unicorn at school today apparently.

All grown up

Yesterday, Regan grabbed a sheet of paper and excitedly said "Mom!, I have to write a note to the fairies!, I need a diary!!" (more about the fairies later). She went on to tell me what a diary might look like, what it might have (ie lock and key) and what she might write in it. Then I asked her a question that I was afraid to hear her answer: "Regan, who can read your dairy?". I quickly prayed in my head that I'd be allowed inside....

Relief spilled over me when she said only a mommy and herself! 

I can't imagine, at age 6, what she will write, but I'm happy that she is still willing to share those thoughts with me. 

So tonight, the fairies delivered her diary and left a wonderful note as well. 

Oh yea, and those fairies....thanks to a sleepover a few months back, Regan has been writing to the fairies on occasion and asking for varies items. Usually it's a note that says "please leave me a present", to which the fairies oblige and will often leave a little home-made bead bracelet or a small piece of candy. I'm waiting for the day where she asks the fairies for a super big present....good thing that fairies are small, they just can't carry anything too heavy!