Donuts, Superdog and Swimming - who could ask for more?

What is it about people without kids and how they just love to feed kids junk food?? We had a great time playing with my friend Luci today, as she and her hubby were going through town as they headed north for the holiday. We spent the day at her moms condo on the beach and it was a blast. Luci does not get to see the kids often - she lives in Florida. So, this was a luxury for her and us!!

We pretty much jumped in the car right after breakfast so we could have as much time as possible. Once we got to Luci's, the girls enjoyed tons of munchkin donuts. Luci was showing them how to put them in their pockets to hide them and man did Ev love it. She has a sweeter tooth than Erin and probably ate 6 munchkins.

We then went to the beach and they had a blast playing in the sand and water.

Lunch consisted of more junk food - Superdogs!! The girls had their first official Superdog - yummy!!!

We really lucked out, as they even took a nap in the pack-and-plays I brought. We did not expect that to happen!! During their nap Luci and I went back to the beach and had a great time in the water!! Haven't done that in years!

It was also nice for the girls to hang with Christy's (Luci's sister) kids. She has 3 and the youngest is just a few months older than the girls. He just loved them - and thought he was way older! He kept telling Erin she had pretty hair - and she should never cut it! So funny!!

Don't know when we'll see Luci next - hopefully soon!!!

More Oral-Motor Exercises - Snacktime

More speech and oral motor info…

· Snack time is an excellent time to improve oral motor skills.

· Have child hold a thin pretzel or cracker in your lips. Now hold a fat pretzel in your lips. Can you hold it while I count to 5?

· Bit small pieces from a large cracker or long pretzel. Importance is to learn good biting skills.

· Take tiny bites from pretzel stick. Place stick in different places to practice biting with different teeth.

· Drink from a variety of cups. Try a different cup or mug every day. Sippies are great when a mess can't be made, but it is important to use regular cups every day to develop oral motor skills necessary for speech and sound production.

· Lick foods (pudding, yogurt) from lips.

· Drink through a straw. Drink pudding, milkshake or applesauce through straw.

· Hold a popsicle or lollipop about an inch form mouth and stretch tongue to lick it.

· Blow on warm food.

Eat a different texture every day.

· Smooth - pudding, applesauce

· Crunchy - crackers, pretzels

· Chewy - raisins, fruit snacks

· Lumpy - yogurt with fruit

The Cherry Tomato Caper

Of all the things I'm known for, my green thumb is not one of them - just not my strong suit. But, this year though I have not pulled a weed or done anything with out flower beds, I planted tomatoes and peppers - and by some miracle they are thriving!!

I am so thrilled about these botanical beauties that every few days I eagerly go out to my cherry tomatoes gently collect them to give them to friends and family. Going out to see which tomatoes will soon be ready is a highlight of my day.

Friday, before leaving to Lake Geneva I took a look at my tomatoes and they looked great. I knew there would be lots (30+) for me to bring to my moms on Sunday when we got back. She was going to love them and it would be a nice thank you gift for watching the girls all weekend long.

Sunday arrived and when we got home I got a big bowl to go a picking!!! And - every single red tomato was gone. Somebody came into our garden and stole all of my ripe tomatoes while we were gone. Can you even imagine taking on the bad karma of picking someone else's tomatoes from a private garden?? I can't imagine what happened, but I am not happy.

Birthday Weekend Getaway

In celebration of Nancy's thirty-(censored) birthday, we shipped the girls off to their grandparents and headed off to a weekend in Lake Geneva Wisconsin.

We stayed two nights at Roses, a B&B in town. One of the strange things about this place was that the bed in our room was really really high. There were literally step stools to climb into bed. Perhaps this was a sign of high society in Victorian times, but we were just a bit nervous about falling out of the bed.

One really great thing we did was take a Mail boat tour. Once a day a boat goes all around the lake and delivers the mail to the houses on the water front. The boat now sells tickets and talks about the houses and their histories as we go around the lake. As the boat goes up to a pier, someone jumps out of the boat runs onto the pier where homeowners put up mailboxes. They put in the mail and then jump back onto the boat without it ever stopping. It was so neat to watch this and learn about the 140 years of Lake Geneva history.

Nancy and I had a dinner at a great old fashioned fish fry on Friday night at a place called Mars. It was right on the water of Lake Como. Good food and a fantastic atmosphere at an old time Wisconsin joint (complete with lots of cigarette smoke, dark wood paneling on the walls, sticky floors and two illegal video poker machines in the corner). What a great time.

One of our goals on the weekend was to sleep in, but that really didn't happen because we kept waking up at about 7:00 AM all by ourselves and just couldn't go back to sleep. We did manage to take a nice nap on Saturday afternoon (who gets to take a nap anymore?).

It was a slow, relaxing, and sometimes even boring weekend where Nancy and I just got to hang out with each other and enjoy each other's company. It was something we'll remember for a very very long time.

An Evening Stroll...

The girls are getting a little older and summer is on its way out, so we thought it would be nice to start taking the girls on walks around the block when I get home from work. What makes these walks different is that the girls actually walk around the block - no stroller.

They get about 3/4 the way around the block before the whine, but they are getting further and further without whining every day - yeah!!

On our evening walks we've discovered neighbors walking dogs, trees to touch, bigwheels to sit on and airplanes flying overhead. Today we discovered a brand new thing-a-ma-bob -- our neighbors sprinkler!!! The girls have never been through a sprinkler before, so this was a brand new experience.

At first, Erin was just walking down the sidewalk - not knowing any better - when suddenly it showered on her. She was somewhat befuddled, not knowing what was going on. After looking to us for reassurance, she walked through it again and started saying "I am all wet!" Soon, Evie (who was trailing us) got into the act and she took it one step further - walked right up to the sprinkler and stuck her head in it. Erin followed suit - and they were drenched - and having a blast!!! They played in this sprinkler for about 15 minutes and by the time we walked home they were sopping wet!! The only way we could get them to leave was to promise they could play with our neighbor - Jack. They really like playing with Jack.... But, that is a post for another day.

It was really fun to watch them take such joy in splashing in the sprinkler and puddles - amazing how something so small can make them so delighted!!

Woo Woo...

Every night we put the girls to bed around 7pm. They drift off to sleep a little before 8pm. Then, we go visit them before we fall into bed - maybe 10 or 11pm - they are knocked out sleeping.

The other night we went in and there they were sleeping so peacefully. The night was very still. If you listened very hard somewhere pretty far away you could hear a siren. Our girls love sirens - and to make woo woo noises like sirens. We were standing at Ev's crib and could just barely hear this noise. All of a sudden, she opened her eyes and said wooo wooo wooo and then closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

It was the sweetest thing in the world. We are just so lucky to have such great kids.

The Best Lemon Bars Ever!!!

This is a recipe from my friend Erica. They are really yummy!!!

1/4 cup powered sugar
1 c flour
1 stick butter
2 eggs
1 c sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
3 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp flour

Mix powdered sugar, flour and margarine well; press into 8x8 inch pan. Bake at 350º for 20 minutes. Combine rest of ingredients; pour on top of crust. Bake 30 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar after baking.

Kayte's Wedding

Over the weekend, Nancy and I went to my cousin's wedding. It's pretty wild to think that my little cousin is old enough to get married. How is my mind you ask... is it blown? Ya, pretty much.

She married a really nice guy named Chris. Personality wise he reminds me a lot of Kayte's dad which I guess makes sense. The ceremony was lovely. It happened to be at St. Edna's where Nancy and I go to on Sundays. It was strange to go to St. Edna's on a day other than Sunday when the church was empty except for our family.

Kayte was an elegant and extremely pretty bride. I don't think I've ever really seen her all "dolled up". Sometimes you have to say the bride is so pretty just because that's what you do, but I could really mean it this time.

It was so cool to see so many people who we never see any more. My Uncle Pat and his wife drove in from South Carolina, and my cousin Steve and his wife came in from Georgia. There were lots of other relatives there too which we hardly ever see. They all live in the general vicinity but as our own families grow we just don't ever have the kind of opportunities to all get together like we used to.

So back to the wedding... Nancy was asked to do one of the readings during the ceremony. What's up with that? She married into the family. Blood might be thicker than water, but I guess that doesn't matter when you go and throw a bridal shower for someone. Nancy did a great job. She pronounced all the words correctly, didn't stumble up the stairs, sounded great, and even knew WHEN to go up for the second reading during the mass.

The ceremony was short and sweat. My Lutheran cousins were a bit worried that there would be a lot of standing and kneeling and other Catholic calisthenics but we didn't kneel at all.

The reception was at Maggiano's. I would have never thought to have a wedding reception there, but they had three banquet rooms that they all opened up together and had a dance floor and everything. The food was awesome, of course. There was Maggiano's salad, and chicken parmigiana, and salmon, and Rigatoni "D", and let's not forget the open bar!

Everyone was having a great time including the father of the bride. He was simply beaming although he was a blubbering sap at the wedding (it was very cute). Over the past could of months, my Uncle Mike has been very sentimental about "loosing his baby girl". He kept bringing up the Kozy Coup that she would ride in when she was 3, and all of these stories about when she was a baby.

I think Mike finally got pushed over the edge when he overheard Nancy and Kayte talking at the bar and heard Nancy as if she and Chris has a quickie in the limo on the way over to the restaurant. He literally stumbled back and did a spit take with his diet coke. Ahh, the good times!

Nancy and I finally got home after midnight and we were so tired. Not too many weddings left on my side of the family. This generation's wave is pretty much over. Kayte's sister Kris is the only one left but she's got a few years to go (most likely - but I guess one never knows).

Good food, good times, good people. Who could ask for anything more?

Fun in the Sun...

We are back from a great time in Lake Geneva. The girls had so much fun at the pool. We were there for about 2 hours on Monday and close to 3 hours on Tuesday!! My brother and his kids were there, so all the kids had fun playing together in the pools!!


Erin acted like a daredevil and went down the slide a few times. Ev tried it once, but I was not fast enough with the camera. They both thought it was great - and Dan's kids LOVED the slide!!

I think this photo of Erin looks like her cousin Annie. Maybe it is the eyes???

Yaya - Boo Boo - Sissy - Owie

Ev has an uncanny ability to push buttons. She knows just what to do to make her sister furious.

Well, Monday at the pool Erin slipped and scrapped her knee - no big deal. That is all she could talk about yesterday - her boo boo and wanting to show everyone the scratch. When we drove home from Wisconsin Erin was talking and talking about how she wanted to show Daddy.

So, Ev decided to sing a song about Erin's knee. In her soft and sweet voice she sang a scat including - Yaya - Boo Boo - Sissy - Owie. She went on and on with this song and it just drove Erin crazy!! Erin screamed at her - "Yaya no boo boo. No Sissy NO!!" This went on for a while. I think she did not like Ev taking any of her pain/pride in the scratch. Man, can Ev push puttons!

So funny!!

Day One in Lake Geneva

Every year for the past many many years my mom and I have gone to Lake Geneva, WI for a night. We took the girls last summer and are here again - girls only. We're having a great time and the girls are being very good sports.

We left pretty early this morning - before 9. Once we got here we went shopping in most of the main street shops (which is pretty tricky with a double stroller). We then had lunch at Popeye's. The girls were super good, but the concept of a high-chair on wheels really does not work. They had a blast rolling all over the place!!

Thankfully, we got an early check-in, so they took naps in our room at the Cove. Once they woke, we hit the pool!! Of course the kid pool closed about a minute after we got there - a kid pooped in the pool - yuck. So, we went to the big pool and they had a blast playing on the stairs and jumping in like Humpty Dumpty and Jack be Nimble.

After the pool, we went to dinner at a cute place. My mom was recently there with her friends and thought it was great. It was great - the food was excellent. But, I am not sure they get many 2 year olds. No high chairs and no plastic cups - I swear to god, they drank from wine glasses with straws. Can you imagine!! Thye were great - especially considering they ate way later than usual - and went to bed super late!!

Tomorrow will be lots more pool time - hopefully I'll get cute pics...

Can you feel it???

In case you have not noticed, Fall is in the air!! Dave and I have been very diligent about not having the air conditioning on this summer to save a few bucks. So, the windows have been open for some time and if yours are also open I am sure you can feel the chill in the air when you wake. I love Fall, so this is not a bad thing for me. I don't think it will be long before we are wearing jeans and long sleeves. I am looking forward to things slowing down in the Fall. But, I am not even thinking about winter - yuck.

Videos...

This might be a fun new dimension to our blog... If you are somehow still not connected to any high speed access, I am sure this won't work for you. But, if that is the case I highly recommend you call your provider and enter the digital age.

Tonight the girls had a lot of fun spinning in circles before bed. I captured a little of it.


The girls always enjoy Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear...


We also had a nice sing-along to Twinkle Twinkle...


Night Night.

Potty Time...

Over the weekend Dave and I had the girls swimming in our plastic pool. We had them swim in their Elmo underpants - swim suits are just a pain in the neck for backyard fun. Anyway - the girls loved their Elmo undies. And, now they know that if the don't use their diapers they can wear Elmo undies all the time - and they think that would be cool.

So, now all they do is sit on the pot. We must have spent an hour on the pot yesterday. Even Erin who would not sit on the potty for the past 2 months sat all darn day.

I don't consider us potty training - just exploring. I may never consider us officially potty training - just one day they will be out of diapers.

So, that's what I am up to.

The Weekend Is Over...

Well, Dave flew off for the week. He is in Sacramento and then Kansas City, so it is me and the girls!! We've got a fair amount of fun things to do, but it is always a challenge with him gone.

This past weekend was very busy. Dave's mom stayed with us to help with babysitting Friday and Saturday evenings. That means Dave and I could actually go out! We went to Ravinia on Friday with friends from church. It was a blast. We realized we have never been to Ravinia together. Definitely something we should do again!!

Saturday night was a friends 40th birthday party. His wife just went crazy and thought of every little fun detail for this party - it was amazing. The food was amazing - you can imagine this because she runs a catering company. But, it was really excellent - they even had a chef cook steaks to order for everyone. And, they rented a big golf driving range thing - and a big screen movie - and had tons of games everywhere. We had a lot of fun just hanging out and not having kids on our arms.

Sunday was really busy - we started out with church - then had lunch at Costco - then swam in the backyard plastic pool - then took naps (well, actually they just played in their cribs) - then had a long bike ride - play in the park - dinner - and bath. It was crazy! But, they had fun!!

So, I'll check in this week... sorry I've been slacking lately with my posts!!

We're in trouble...

Erin has figured out how to open doors by twisting the door handle. The world as we knew it is over.