Normandale Bandshell

The girls needed something to do after eating all that sugar this morning so we headed over to Normandale Bandshell to burn off some energy. They had a wonderful time looking at the lake, exploring in the grass/flowers and dancing in the bandshell. I asked them to get together for a picture and as they sat down, I reached for my camera and by the time I pulled it out, this is the picture I got :) thanks girls!

We all laughed as they ran away, dancing the whole time. I guess sometimes it's easier just to do separate pictures of these two stinkers!

Bakery

I once read in a Parenting magazine that every child should get the chance to experience a real bakery (as opposed to those within a grocery store or coffee shop). So today, day #6 of my "stay-cation", that's exactly what we did. I took the girls to this place...

where there were rows and rows of yummy smelling, beautiful looking baked goodies! Regan wanted a cookie, but since we went there for donuts, I convinced her to move over to the next row of display cases to pick out her treat. She opted for a Big Foot, and giggled at the way it really did look like the foot of an animal. Digging into her treat, she told me "bakeries sure do make yummy treats!". Mission accomplished :)

Sidney choose a sugar donut, it's what she wanted so I didn't object or try to sway her decision. However, after a few bites, she must have been thinking "this wasn't a good choice, I'm getting all messy!" because she then opted to eat without hands, just pushing her face into the thing as it rested on the table. Eventually she gave into my pleas and let me hold it.

It was a great experience and we spent the hour talking about all the different things that are made at a bakery. Someday, I'd love to have the girls tour one to see what goes on behind the scenes! For now, they'll have to learn in our kitchen at home :)

Sheena!

My cousin, Sheena, has lived all of about 5 miles from us for the last year and this is the first time we've had a chance to get together! The girls had a great time trying out a new restaurant, at the request of Grandma Jan, and telling Sheena all sorts of silly stories (thank you Regan). By the end of the evening, despite feeling a little sleepy, both girls kept going back for another hug or kiss. Thanks for a fun evening!

I love the shadow of myself in this picture :) It was too precious to miss!

Weekend fun

We spent the weekend in New Ulm, hanging out with family, watching softball and being tour guides for Annie/Dooley :) It was a great weekend for the above comments, not such a great weekend for the littlest member of the party. She sleeps terribly when we're away from home; unable to settle in, despite my deepest efforts. So today, she was in rare form and completely unhappy at lunch. So after fighting with her to eat something, anything really (including pudding!), I gave up. I was hungry, not to mention completely tired from getting only 2.5 hours of sleep last night. She asked for the salt shaker and I gave it to her. And she poured. And poured. And poured out the salt. And I laughed because she was happy, which meant I could be happy too. (oh yea, and we were at a restaurant so I didn't have to clean it up!).

This adorable peanut was a saint for me today! She must have been able to see just how very tired I was. She obeyed without having to tell her up-teen times over again. And she was in her glory this morning at Hunter's game joining the girls on the bench, and if you look closely, you'll see she's hanging onto Hunter's dog, Halle's, leash (she was hiding in the shade). What more could a little girl ask for: surrounded by wonderful pre-teens and pretending to own a puppy!

PS: Daddy had a great time golfing this weekend! His first and second round of the year...that compared to my mom who already has 53 rounds completed! And yes, those are all 18 hole rounds.

.....?

We tried desperately to get a picture of the 4 little ones, but we were defeated. Hudson wouldn't even sit still, Regan tried hard to hang on tight while Paxton decided he'd go in for a big smooch with Sidney!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday T-Hud!

Despite the storms rolling in, we were able to help Hudson celebrate his 2nd birthday! The girls love parties more than anything, maybe it's because they get to eat a lot more treats at parties than any other day of the year :) Sidney was filthy by the time we left, having helped herself to cookies, blue icing, anyone's pop and everything else she could get her pretty little hands on! Maybe that's why she didn't sleep last night....

Sidney spent some time pointing out all the decorations to Annie. She's gearing up for her own Elmo party in September! (Sidney's party, not Annie's!).

And sometimes I wonder why we let these knuckle-heads out of the looney bin!

June storms

Like most of the rest of the state, we were hit with storms tonight. Thankfully we were well-prepared and knew they were coming so we could take cover (except for a few pictures of course!). The wind was blowing so strong that the rain came down sideways. While the sirens started going off, I had time to quickly take down all my hanging baskets and put them in hiding.

We anxiously watched the sky turn funky colors and then prayed the rain would slow down so our pool wouldn't cause a "flash flood" in our own backyard! It sure filled up tonight. Yes, that is the solar cover rolled up in the background, and no, we didn't cover the pool because this cover doesn't secure around the entire perimeter and with the strong winds, it surely would've ended up in the neighbors yard likely torn to shreds.

Regan stayed amazingly calm throughout the ordeal. We could talk her through it and reason well enough for her to understand there wasn't a tornado outside but "just in case" we needed to stay downstairs. Sidney, on the other hand, was so scared it was sad. She clung to me in fear and was shaking with uncertainty. She kept saying "nornado home" telling the tornado to go home.

We are safe and sound, no damage here. Not even hail that would could find.

Whew, made it through that one!

Lilies!!

When we moved, I told Ryan many times over that there was 1 thing I wasn't going to leave behind....my tub of lilies. Complaining about carrying a tub full of then dirt and tiny sprouts of lilies, he loaded them up on the trailer. I think today he'll remember why I couldn't leave them behind.

These two cuties are sure to share secrets for years to come; today the whispering in her ear made Sidney laugh so hard that Regan couldn't help but join in on the laughter. Both girls had a wonderful time playing with the flowers, smelling them and hiding behind them. I got to catch it all on camera.

Raspberry patch

Our little girls have a love for raspberries; Sidney's love is only newly acquired when she decided she didn't want to be left out of the fun. She really disliked them 2 weeks ago, now she can't get enough. Thankfully our patch takes up more than half the garden at the back of our property. That's a lot of raspberries! Everyday we hunt for those that are ripe....

And the girls fight over who gets the next one, and the next one, and the next one!

But they've learned that we take turns and share so that everyone is happy; except mom and dad who seem to get one, maybe two, out of each day. Oh the sacrifices we make.

Honesty

Our typical nightly routine includes some hugs/kisses between the girls before laying Sidney down. Tonight after what seemed like hours of bickering where Sidney was stolen from, picked on, pushed and tackled, she pushed away Regan's attempts at a hug and told her "no!". Regan, in her very dramatic 4 year old voice, pleaded for a goodnight hug. I reminded Regan that Sidney didn't want a hug probably because she had been so mean to her all night. Regan's response was...."well, I was mean, but I still want a hug!".

Thank you for your honesty dear; let's pray for a better day tomorrow. Good night!

Coaching debut

Regan had a tball game last night and since neither the head nor assistant coach could make it, we were asked to fill in their shoes!

We then prayed for rain so it'd be cancelled!

The rain cleared and it was Game On!

Ok, so coaching tball isn't exactly difficult; frankly I was more worried about the parents over the kids! My duty was to put the kids into positions and batting orders, no pressure there! I think it went well and all the parents seemed to be very happy.

Unfortunately, Regan takes direction better from Coach Melissa than Daddy.

After every game it's treat time! The kids (and their siblings) loved their grape juice drinks and animal crackers.

Happy Father's Day!

(Yes, I realize this picture isn't from today, but I wasn't able to get one of the two of them today....the little one wasn't in the mood when the camera was out).

This little cutie, however, was all about a picture as she snuggled up close to daddy!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO ALL THE DADDY'S OUT THERE!

All in a day's work...

It started with a patch of thick green grass and by tonight, it has a beautiful play set added to it in our wonderful backyard! The day went something like this....

By 9am, the crew (Jamie, Greg, Arnie and Ryan), were scurrying around the yard reading directions, fishing for the right hardware and digging to ensure a level surface.

Definite progress was made when construction on the roof started.
Regan took a dip in the pool while waiting, oh so patiently waiting, for the play set to be finished.
Cindy opted out of swimming and instead, took a position here to supervise :) Looks comfy!
The sun came out and construction was almost finished! Just need swings and a slide...details!
But at last, by almost 9pm, the swing was ready for some fun and boy did the kids enjoy it!
It was closer to 9:30 before the slide was finished, well after Sidney's bedtime. She'll be excited to see it in the morning and Regan became an expert tonight. She flies right off the end so I can only imagine Sidney might land down by the shed! Thankfully it doesn't go towards the pool or they'd end up in it!
It was a rough day! Ashley decided to eat straight from the cake pan tonight! Her exact words to me as I walked in were "don't even look!".
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! to Ashley, Jamie, Hudson, Paxton, Cindy, Greg, Sheri and Arnie for spending your entire Saturday getting this swing set both started and finished. We love you all for your amazing help!!! Next time you come up, it's just to enjoy!

Mr. Sun came out!

Finally, after what seemed like weeks of rain, Mr. Sun came out and sent us swimming! Regan is like a fish, swimming all over and never wanting to stop. She found goggles today and insisted on dumping the water over her head, "because I have goggles mom, and that's what you do". Suit yourself.

I, however, preferred to soak up some Vitamin D using this inflatable lounge chair. Regan enjoyed it for a few minutes, then hopped back in the pool and pulled me around like a boat!

Our pool has a diving board, not a slide :( ..... until today, when we got creative and found a new use for our backyard slide! Sidney loves it but Regan is too scared to even try.

Monkey see, Monkey do

Sidney wants to be just like her big sister so she takes Regan's lead in almost everything they do, including the way they sit (or lay in this case) to color. Don't worry though, Sidney sure knows how to hold her ground and won't let Regan walk all over her; she knows when to show who's the real boss!

A sign that Grandma Sheri shops too much

Same size, same tags, even from the same store! This is definitely a sign that Grandma Sheri shops too much! And I didn't even realize it when she gave them to Regan (separately of course) because I don't have enough hangers for all of her clothes so was just now getting around to hanging all of them and came across two of the same :)

We love you Grandma Sheri, but we still think you're a shop-a-holic!

Valleyfair!

Every year, we make a trip to Valleyfair with Ryan's family. Today was the day, dreary as it was. Thankfully, by 2pm, the rain had stopped and we were able to enjoy our time eating fried food and going in circles high up in the sky! Regan is our dare-devil, she'll go on all the rides and can't wait until she's tall enough to go on the "big kid" ones with Ryan!

Sidney, on the other hand, is our little chicken. Reading this, my family will immediately think "FORCED FUN!" and that's exactly what happened today :) I knew she'd love it once I got her on a ride. So when she asked to go on the balloon ride with Regan and Ashley, I got over my fear of feeling sea-sick and climbed aboard. By the time we buckled in, Sidney turned into a puddle of fear and tears on my lap. We started moving and she raised her head and was giggling; I KNEW she'd like it! And that, my friends, is the reason behind "forced fun".

This ride has always been one of Regan's favorite; surprsingly, she only went on it twice today!

Both girls devoured these over-priced Icees's....

...and so did Ryan!

See, forced fun really worked, she asked to go on the "neigh neighs" all by herself!

No trip to an amusement park is complete without Cotton Candy! Regan stuffed herself silly with the fluffy stuff while Sidney spit it right out onto Grandma's shirt-"yuck!", she doesn't like the texture is my guess.