He's a Funny Guy!

I just watched Obie grab his foot, lift it up to his face and then lick across the tops of all his toes. Now that's talent!

In the past couple of weeks he's also learned how to wave at people, will imitate or repeat sounds with me - like tongue clucking, and he can sit up by himself for a few moments at a time. His favorite activity is to sit between my feet and play with whatever toys the girls have left for him while I do whatever I can accomplish from that area. (This includes the few dishes that can't go into the dishwasher, folding clothes, and of course being on the computer.) He'll sit happily for about ten minutes that way as long as he doesn't suddenly pitch himself off in a wild direction and bonk his face. We also noticed a while back that he's passing things from one hand to the other - a big development milestone. He's also learned to clap! His most annoying trick right now is that he'll grab or knock over anything in reach. He's knocked a whole pot if pasta on the floor and broken one of our cereal bowls that way. So far he's only made messes and not hurt anyone. Well, he does also love to pull his sister's hair. But they're pretty tough about it.

Here he is being my gardening buddy and sitting up so big while I planted some flowers. He ate some grass, that big stick and a fuzzy dandelion head, but he was content to let me work, so I ignored that. He's my buddy and he's pretty much in tow wherever I go!

Friday Foto

The girls are pretending to be sleeping cats.  

Obie is so happy because he has Maggie's hair in a death grip.

Next week I'll make sure everyone is dressed!

Two Great Pictures

On the way back home from our So Ill trip, we stopped for dinner at an Irish Pub in Wabasha, called  The Old Triangle.  The food there is good and the beer is great, too.

Here are my two favorite guys waiting for dinner.

This picture has a story to it.  We were all done eating and the boys had gone to the van, but Maggie hadn't finished her pickle.  She asked if she could wrap it up and take it with her.  I said,"No way that'd just make a mess."  At that Bee threw her hands up and said, "Not in the Van!  It'd get All Pickle-y!!"

The Water Park

We have decided that everyone in our circle of friends and family needs to start vacationing in the Wisconsin Dells.  That way we'll have excuses to go back several times a year.  Yes - we had that much fun!  I think that there will be many many off-season visits to the Dells in our future.  The girls are already begging to go back.  We purchased one night at the resort and got to spend all that evening as well as the entire next day in the water park.  Believe me, it was a great deal for the price of a hotel stay.  At the water park the girls started off on the little baby slides, but is wasn't long at all until they were flinging themselves down the largest of the 100 pounds or lighter slides - all by themselves!  I was really amazed at their bravery.  Even water up the nose didn't stop them.  Not for long, anyway.

Here are the pictures from the second day:

The girls are very patiently waiting to go back down to the water park after a good night's sleep.  I took the obligatory "this is what they were wearing when last seen" picture.  Not that I expect them to get nabbed, but I always take one before we head out somewhere really busy.  I always make them smile, too, so that it's a nice picture for posterity.

I also took some touristy pictures while we waited for Rob to load the van...

I love this picture.  I can't believe that Maggie is that big!!

Beatrice doesn't look very concerned for her sister's safety!  That's a wooden alligator she's sticking her head in.

I love this action shot of Beatrice!  She was an absolute daredevil.  The first time I took her up to the top to ride the slide she practically vaulted across the "loading" platform and before either I or the lifeguard could grab her, she shot onto the slide - face first and arms out in front.  Just like Superman.  Or Aquaman.  The rules clearly state that riders must be on their bottoms.  Beatrice can't read yet...  

I apologized to the 15 year old lifeguard and we called it quits for the night and drug the girls back to the room.  But we were right back out there at 9 the next morning!

Rob tried to sneak off with just Maggie to ride one of the big slides.  Beatrice caught on pretty quickly.  Here she is yelling, "MAGGIE!!!"  

She got to ride with daddy by herself once, too.  Then all three of them rode it.  See all of those stairs going up the tower in the background?  Rob had to carry Bee up those.  Twice.  And see that big yellow tube?  That's what they rode down.

Mommy and Obie were worn out!  We snoozed by the pool while Rob and the girls rode the big ones.  Then we all spent a little time in the nice, bubbly hot tub and called it good.

The ride home was a bit rough.  Well, for Rob.  The rest of us slept the whole way...

Since We Missed Last Friday

Here's a little glimpse from our recent vacation. We ended a week of hanging out in Southern Illinois with a day at the water park! Obie also ended it with roseola. More pictures tomorrow...

Maggie, Obie, and Bee

Kalahari Water Park & Resort, Wisconsin Dells

May 2009

Friday Foto

Well, we're on the road to Southern Illinois and I have a Friday Foto on this phone, but I don't know how to get it on here. In fact, I may never be able to retrieve it from the phone, so just imagine a picture of my adorable girls sitting in the back of my minivan patiently waiting for the next 8 hours to go by until they are at Grandma's house. They have glow sticks!! Oh, and Obie's toes are in the right hand corner. It's hard to get him into the picture when his seat faces backwards!!

I'll try to get some pictures up during our trip. Until then you'll have to be content with all the old posts. They're classic! Go reread them!

Finally, here's the picture!!

In Honor of Mom!

For Mother's Day this year Rob took us to the Shepherd's Harvest Sheep and Wool Festival featuring Llama Magic.  It. Was. Awesome!  Here's just s glimpse of what we saw:

This gnarly old guy is a Merino Sheep.  You know that warm yet inexpensive sweater you have?  It came from him.

These are the fat tailed Karakul Sheep.  Don't you just want to run your fingers through their wool?  They were gorgeous.

Leichesters.  A good all around sheep.

This Llama looks like a giraffe!  Notice how his body is definitely spotted, but the unshorn parts of him looks more splotchy?  I think it's pretty cool.

Alpacas!  Aren't they gorgeous?  I seriously want one.

These Llamas had the weirdest shave job.  It really looked like their necks were going to break at any minute.  And those puff-ball heads!  Crazy.

I missed the shot where Beatrice had her head all jammed up against the bars trying to get her arm just a little further into the pen to pet this guy.  All she asked all day was when could she pet the animals!

This Llama was about to get a new home.  His soon-to-be owner was taking him out for a walk.  He was pretty nervous about the crowd of little kids around him dying to get a pet and he kept dancing into people.  Beatrice was a bit braver than Maggie and would have stood there all day watching him.  She loves Llamas, too.

What could be better than petting an Angora Bunny? Seriously?  Nothing.  I think Mr. Silky has been bested.  I wanted to curl up and take a nap on this rabbit!

At the end of the day I restrained myself to one skein of llama yarn, a pair of llama socks, and a toy llama for Beatrice.  Maggie wanted a bag of kettle corn - which was awesome!  At one booth as I was petting the yarn a woman asked the seller if the yarn was dyed.  He said, no that is the natural color of the wool.  Then he said that particular yarn was a combination of two of his llamas and he called them by name!  Can you imagine?  If I'd been buying that skein I would have written down the llama's names and called whatever I knit from it by their names.  A scarf named Lucy or a pair of socks named Spotty and Plumb.  It's so awesome that I can't even describe it!

One day we'll live on a much bigger piece of property and it'll have a barn and a large fenced in pasture and I'll finally own a llama, and a drum carder, and a spinning wheel.  And then all of my clothes will be named after my llama who supplied them to me!!

I have a little bit of an infatuation going on right now.  I can't wait for next year's festival!  I'm going to start saving for it now!!!

In Honor of Rob!

Saturday was Rob's Thirtieth Birthday!  To celebrate, I asked him to bring home a couple of steaks to grill up and feast on.  Little did he know that he would be grilling them on his awesome new birthday present!

Me and the kids picked it up last week (it was pretty funny listening to Maggie try to give him hints but not give it away all week long!!) and Friday morning I hauled it out of it's hiding place to assemble it.  The directions specifically call for two people to assemble the grill.  Well, I accomplished it with me and three half-people.  We really surprised him!!

Here's the birthday boy and the inaugural firing up!

The Steaks!!

The Cake!!!

Yes, it was that tasty!

Obie didn't think so, though.  

After dinner we watched Dr. Who. It was a great evening.  

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ROB!!!

Friday Foto

This tree is HUGE!  So is this baby!

Lake Pepin, MN

Minnesota is Trying to Get on My Good Side.

We popped up to Red Wing last night for a pizza - delicious!! - and to check out our local dishwasher options.  It rained torrents while we were trying to get into a store, but on the way home we were chasing a huge beautiful rainbow and being chased by the most vibrant gorgeous sunset.  It was almost over by the time we pulled into the driveway, but here's what I captured of it.

If that's not magical and idyllic, I don't know what is!  And it was a million times more beautiful in person with the few raindrops falling and a cool breeze on the air.  See, Minnesota really wants you to come visit and enjoy this beauty, too!

Friday Foto(s)

Yeah, I know I had years of photo training, but I just couldn't stop myself at just one picture this week.  Each kid looks best in a different picture.  So, with apologies to Chuck Swedlund, I present 3 Friday Fotos.