The Roemke Review

Playmates

2012-01-11T12:08:00.000-05:00

The girls had playmates over this week. Their friends Madelyn and Mackenzie came over for a few hours.

Lena and Madelyn playing "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" game. They also played Uno Moo with Mackenzie and me.

Lunchtime! Macaroni and cheese was the unanimous vote.

Despite the living room full of toys and games, the girls' favorite activity was playing in Lena's bed.

Pretending to sleep. Apparently, the only way Lena could get her eyes to close was by force!

Playing in the living room blanket fort.

Lena and her bestie.

Eva was there too; she just didn't make it into the other pics!

Yes! Another convert!

I tried to get a good pic of all four girls. Take one: three girls looking and smiling, one not.

Take two: one girl looking and smiling, three not.

We all had lots of fun with Madelyn and Mackenzie. We hope they come back again soon!

December Pics and Videos

2011-12-31T15:07:00.000-05:00

Most of my December pics were contained in other posts, but I have just a few random ones to share.

Sweet sisters.

Lena likes to make "mud piles", which are actually blanket piles. We knew when she fell asleep in one, that she wasn't feeling well.

Sure enough, she had a fever. It broke overnight and she was fine the next day.

Darn winter coats!

Happy girl with her Dandy Bear.

Here are a couple of videos I took of the girls in December.

Lena dancing to the new "laptop" she got for Christmas.

Eva's working on her spoon feeding skills.

Eva putting spells on Mommy and Daddy.

Happy New Year!!

Christmas in Indiana

2011-12-30T11:03:00.000-05:00

Our trip to Indiana was delayed by a day due to a death in our congregation, but we were still able to make it down there and enjoy celebrating Christmas with our family. Here are a few pics.

First we had Christmas at Hilary and Scott's with my parents.

Lena with Uncle Scott and Noah.

Noah had fun loving on Lena.

Lena being attacked by the Noah monster.

Eva loves Aunt Hil's fridge farm.

Opening presents. Lena got some My Little Pony toys.

Grandma Sheryl excited about the mini food processor Hilary got her.

Lena asking Daddy to open up her toy for her.

Hilary and Noah.

Noah helping Daddy open his present.

Hilary got me some magnets with my cooking blog's logo and web address on them. Cool!

Grandma Sheryl watching Lena open another gift.

Helping Eva open her present.

Eva and Grandma Sheryl.

The girls playing with the singing snowmen.

Noah got some new bath toys.

Eva and me, amid a lot of Christmas mess!

Then we had Christmas at Aunt Amy's and Uncle Frank's with Grammy Tammy, Roger, and Great-Grandma Zink. (I didn't get as many pics there bc my camera battery died.)

Grammy Tammy made these cute animal hats for the girls. Lena's is a monkey. . .

. . . and Eva's is an owl.

So cute!

Lena with Uncle Frank and Cousin Dominic.

Eva scribbling on the new Aquadoodle mat.

Then we had Christmas with Grandpa Brian at his house.

Grandpa opening up a new game.

A pretty new dress for Eva.

Lena got a Happy Napper.

Eva watching Grandpa open his present.

The girls checking out their new Little People Noah's Ark.

Lena got her dream come true: a piano! She had been asking for one every day during December.

Testing it out.

Piano girl.

Eva wearing Grandpa's glasses.

Lena's turn!

And a few more pics of Lena hanging out with Noah.

We had a great time visiting our family in Indiana. Wish we could have stayed longer! Thanks to Hilary, Amy, and Brian for hosting and thanks to everyone for all the great presents!

Christmas at Home

2011-12-26T12:05:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas, everyone! We hope you had a wonderful holiday. We had a great Christmas this year. Here are some pics.

The Sunday before Christmas. Eva showing off her cute dress.

Checking out the ornaments.

I like this one, Mommy!

Christmas Eve: Lena helping me make chocolate-dipped pretzel rods with candy coatings.

Yes, that's chocolate in her teeth!

This year I made homemade vanilla extract to give to family.

Finished pretzel rods.

My girls all dolled up and ready for church on Christmas Eve.

So silly.

It's so fun having little girls!

Lena looks so big in this picture! I think it's because I was kneeling.

Eva in her pretty red dress.

Playing with that same ornament.

Lena saying, "No, no, Eva. Don't touch!"

Checking out the tree and the presents.

So pretty with all those presents underneath!

Our nativity scene.

We like cardinals; can you tell? :)

At the Christmas Eve service, Lena and the other kids of the church sang the first verse of "Away in a Manger"

After church on Christmas Eve it's finally time to open presents!

Lena's first computer!

Eva's not sure how to go about this unwrapping thing.

Luckily she has a big sister who is all to happy to help!

"I want to open this present, Mommy, but there is a sparkle on my hand."

Lena showing off her new hooded bath towel.

Cozy cozy cozy!

Eva's is a butterfly.

Ha ha, not sure that's how it goes.

Some pretty dresses.

Eva got a Pillow Pet.

A cash register!

Eva REALLY liked this bear.

She is saying, "Ooh, ooh!"

Christmas morning at church.

After church we came home and I made a nice big special Christmas Day brunch. Then the girls had fun playing with their new toys all day long.

Later this week we are off to Indiana to celebrate Christmas with our family.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Christmas Card Photo Outtakes

2011-12-19T07:10:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we had a little photo shoot for our Christmas card photo. I was waiting until we got some snow on the ground because I wanted snow in the background. Well, of course, because of that, we have had hardly any snow this season! We did get a light dusting last weekend, so I jumped on the opportunity. Most of the readers of this blog will be getting our Christmas card, but I thought you might like to see the outtakes as well.

Sun in their faces = not good.

Lena was big on the dreamy look that day.

This one's just weird.

Eva looks very concerned about something.

One looking up, the other looking down.

Daddy thought it would be cute to put them on the ground.

But I couldn't get their heads close enough together.

And finally we have a winner:

They're looking different directions, but hey, they both look happy, so I'll take what I can get!

Merry Christmas from the Roemkes!

Weekend with Grandma

2011-12-10T08:22:00.003-05:00

We enjoyed a visit from Grandma the first weekend in December. Grandma helped us put up all of our Christmas decorations and then we went Christmas shopping in Lansing. Here are a few pics; most of them taken by Mom.

Putting on the pinecones.

Lena trying to keep Eva out of the ornament box.

She was determined to get in there anyway!

Posing for Grandma.

Eva checking out her "Baby's First Christmas" ornament from last year.

Lena loves putting the angel on top.

So many pretty things; hard not to touch them.

Daddy thinks it's funny to put the diaper on Eva's head to make her look like a little Dutch girl.

Lighting the Advent candles.

Wearing Mommy's shoes.

Happy girl.

Coloring with Grandma at Steak n Shake.

Waiting patiently for lunch.

Being entertained by Daddy.

At the mall with Grandma.

We had a great weekend with Grandma. Thanks for helping us decorate and for going shopping with us!

November Pics

2011-11-30T09:59:00.000-05:00

Here are some random pics from November.

Fun with leaves.

Little girl, big stick.

Fun with a leaf blower!

It's fun to pile the leaves up too.

The girls had a picnic in the living room. Croissants, crackers, bananas, a piece of cake, and some cabbage. Yum!

Upside-down ottomans make awesome train cars.

My girls are so silly.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-28T16:09:00.000-05:00

We had a very special Thanksgiving this year. My Uncle Mark, Aunt Trista, and their two kids brought my Grandpa Gilbert out from Iowa and we all met at Hilary's for the holiday. I hadn't seen them since Lena was about 4 months old, and they had never met Eva or Noah, so it was a long overdue get-together. This post is a group effort; it contains pics taken on my camera, my mom's camera, and my dad's camera, oh and Hilary's phone too!

Hilary cooked her first-ever turkey. It was gorgeous and delicious! Pretty impressive considering she is in her first trimester of pregnancy! Our second nephew or first niece is due to arrive in July. :)

Eva wearing Noah's cool shades.

Noah and his daddy.

Eva "helping" Grandma load up the dishwasher.

Scott, Hilary, and Noah.

Us with our girls.

Our visitors from Iowa. My Aunt Trista, Cousin Lauryn, Grandpa Gilbert, Cousin Trent, and Uncle Mark.

Dad, Grandpa, Me, and Hilary.

Dad, Grandpa, Me, Hilary, and the Great-Grandkids.

Dad, Mom, Me, and Hilary.

Four generations with me and my girls.

Four generations with Hilary and Noah.

By the end of the photo shoot, we had to bribe Noah with candy.

Noah loved eating the whipped cream off of Aunt Trista's pie.

Noah and Trent.

Noah was fascinated with Lauryn's fold-up hair brush.

Eva loved this huge stuffed doggie. She kept throwing herself at it.

Noah loved playing with Trent and Lauryn.

Lena helping herself to the cheeseball. All. Day. Long.

Posing for the camera.

Mark was popular with the dogs; Hilary's dog Lucy and Mom and Dad's dog Ozzie.

Lena, Trent, and Lauryn playing on an iPad.

Noah enjoying his dinner.

Grandpa Gilbert.

Grandpa enjoyed spending time with the little ones.

We spent the afternoon watching the kids play on the Kinect.

Lena and me. Noah playing with diapers in the background.

Trista and Lauryn relaxing.

Trent must be like Jim; the tongue comes out when he's really concentrating!

Cuddling with Aunt Hil.

Squeezies!

Trent does this funny thing with his cheeks that cracked up Noah.

It looks like Noah is laughing at Grandpa Lee's feet, but I doubt that was the case!

Of course, the kids' favorite place to play was the kitchen.

Aunt Hil helping Lena play Kinect.

Lena warmed right up to her Great-Uncle Mark. No surprise there!

Three adults engulfed with toys and books!

We had a really great Thanksgiving. Thanks so much to Mark and Trista for bringing Grandpa out to see us. It was really nice that we could all get together for the holiday.

First Snow

2011-11-12T08:53:00.001-05:00

We got our first snow on Thursday.

It stuck around longer than I thought it would. It was mostly gone by sundown, but the next morning there was a fresh coat to take its place.

And so it begins.

October Pics

2011-11-12T08:17:00.001-05:00

Here are some pics from October.

One of the girls' favorite activities is dumping all the toys out of their tubs and playing in there. It's not uncommon for me to find the floor covered with toys and a girl in each tub.

Grandma came to visit us one weekend in October. I wanted to get a picture of her with the girls. Take 1: Lena is puckering and Eva is off in La La Land.

Take 2: I was so focused on getting Eva to look at me, and I thought this was a great pic, until I heard Lena say, "I made an angry face!" Yep, sure enough.

Take 3: Grandma's eyes are closed and Eva is looking down.

Take 4: Finally a winner! Lena looks so excited that one of her eyes is twitching.

Lena gets homework from preschool. She does a really good job with it.

While we're not big on Halloween, Lena had a dress-up day at school, so this is her first Halloween costume. Isn't she the cutest butterfly you've ever seen?

At school. Her costume stayed mostly intact, though the wings were a little bent and the sparkly balls kept falling off her antennae.

My girls dressed up in red for Reformation Sunday.

The rest of the pics are ones I took with my cell phone.

Lena doing her homework.

The girls being goofy while Mommy shops.

Riding the Penny Pony at Meijer.

Eva fell asleep on the living room floor.

We spent a day in Ann Arbor. These are the fun carts they have at Whole Foods, a neat grocery store that we shopped at.

A Hot Fall Day

2011-10-09T16:38:00.003-04:00

Hilary and Noah came up to visit us for the weekend. It was really nice, not only because we hadn't seen them since August, but also because tomorrow is Hilary's birthday, so it was nice to celebrate her birthday weekend with her. Yesterday we went to a state park in our county. We had never been there before, but it was really nice. It's been really warm here in Michigan; technically an Indian summer. Yesterday it was in the 80s, odd for walking through fall leaves, but nice not be all bundled up already!

Eva loved walking through the crunchy leaves.

The park is on Gun Lake.

Daddy decided it was warm enough for he and Lena to wade in the lake.

Lena showing me the shells she found in the lake.

Daddy and Eva.

Eva wanted to wade too.

We didn't think she would like it, but she seemed to.

Okay, I've had enough, Daddy.

Eva found a stump.

Then she fell in the hole.

So I got her out, then she insisted on climbing back up.

Almost there.

Made it!

There were swings.

Then my girls decided to pose nicely for me!

The girls and Daddy.

This one's kind of funny.

Hitchin' a ride.

Noah checking things out after waking up from his nap.

So cute.

Back to the lake.

There is a small, but nice, beach there. We even saw people in bathing suits in the water!

Eva hording acorns like a squirrel.

After Noah woke up a little bit, he was off and running through the woods. He and Lena chased each other for a while.

Lena wearing Daddy's hat.

Lena insisted Eva try it too.

Noah playing with something fun.

Makeshift slide.

We had lots of fun with Hilary and Noah. Thanks for coming to visit us! And Happy Birthday, Hilary!

Lena's First Field Trip

2011-09-27T15:39:00.000-04:00

Lena went on her first field trip last week. It was to the fire station. The kids had fun learning about fire trucks and what the firefighters do at the fire station. Here are a few pics.

Learning all about the fire truck.

Listening intently!

Her third day of preschool and she already has a bestie.

The firemen keep a ball on their truck! (No, it's not for playing with.)

Learning about the jaws of life. I always pictured them much bigger!

Standing in the firetruck.

Jumping on the couch in the "living room" area of the fire station.

Making herself comfortable.

The fireman dressed up in all of his gear.

Wearing a fireman's coat. It's a bit big!

This one fits better.

The class sitting on the front bumper.

The nice fireman gave out stickers.

Junior Firefighter Lena.

Lena's First Day of Preschool

2011-09-20T15:29:00.000-04:00

Our little Lena has started school! Hard to believe that time has arrived already! She was so excited she could hardly stand it. Here are a few pics from the first day.

Walking in with Daddy.

My big girl and her backpack. Can you see the excitement on her face?

Mama and Lena.

Her awesome new backpack.

A quick pic with Daddy before he had to go back to work.

She wasted no time making herself at home and playing until the other kids arrived.

The name marker above her backpack hook.

Lena loved her first day of preschool and has loved every day since. And she didn't cry at all when it was time to go home. I'm so proud of my big school girl!

Heritage Day 2011

2011-09-15T08:27:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday was Heritage Day in Middleville. While we usually spend Heritage Day riding on the church's parade float and manning the church's booth afterward, this year the church decided not to participate in the festivities. While it's always fun riding on a parade float and throwing candy to all the people, we really enjoyed getting to watch the parade ourselves and enjoying the day as a family. Here are a few pics.

Here's a video of Lena dancing to the music they were playing while everyone waited for the parade to start. She is so funny!

Trying to wait patiently.

Sweet little Eva happy to be out and about on a nice Saturday morning.

Daddy and Lena.

I had to post this. Much of the fun of days like Heritage Day is all the people-watching you get to do. We saw this guy sporting a faux-hawk with a great big ol' bald spot. He's seemed to us like one of those guys who tries to act/look a lot younger than he is. Sorry, dude, it's not working!

The beginning of the parade.

Waving to the firetrucks.

She got a balloon.

A tornado chaser.

Pretty beads.

The Girl Scouts had ponies. Neat!

The weather was nice enough to bring out the stagecoach and horses.

This one's for you, Dad. Even though our church didn't host its tractor show like usual, there were still a bunch of tractors in the parade.

My favorite part of the parade was when this lady's tractor died right in the heart of downtown.

A bunch of guys helped her push it through the rest of the parade route while she waved like a beauty queen from her seat!

After the parade we had lunch, then walked around the craft fair. Lena found a really nice doggie to pet.

A brand new clock was unveiled that day, 9/10/11 at 12:13 pm. We didn't make it down there in time, but I snapped this pic of them pulling the cover off.

The newest addition to the downtown streetscape.

Pretty!

Then we got ourselves some elephant ears.

This was Eva's first elephant ear and she loved it! She actually ate more of it than Lena did.

We had so much fun at Heritage Day this year. It was so nice just getting to spend the day as a family.

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-14T09:10:00.001-04:00

We enjoyed a nice quiet Labor Day Weekend at home. Friday was really warm, with highs in the mid 80s. We had already taken our pool down, so we decided to get out the sprinkler and let the girls play in it. This was Eva's first experience with a sprinkler. She wasn't really sure what to think of it. She mostly stood on the periphery. As you can see in the video below, anytime she would venture closer, the water would hit her and she would mutter to herself.

Random August Pics

2011-09-09T16:02:00.000-04:00

I know I've been kind of slacking on this blog lately. Part of the reason is that I have gotten much more serious about my cooking blog, Edesia's Notebook. I have been blogging 6 days a week and am working to increase my readership. I started a Facebook page for it in July and have already acquired over 150 fans. This week I took my blog to another level by purchasing my own domain name. I had always assumed that domain names were expensive, but recently found out that mine would only be $10 a year. I can handle that! So now instead of my blog being located at http://edesiasnotebook.blogspot.com, it's at www.edesiasnotebook.com. I think that's pretty neat! If you are on Facebook, I encourage you to stop by my page and give me a "like". I post links each day to my new blog posts, so it's a great way to keep up with what I have been cooking lately.

I took very few pictures in August. It was a busy month, but not busy with activities that are photo-worthy! Eva spent a healthy chunk of the month teething, getting three of her molars in one week and a few more sprinkled throughout the month. She didn't sleep well most of the month and wasn't herself during the day either. Then during the fourth week of August, we had a member pass away (our first in over two years) and then the next day Jim's Grandpa Zink passed away. So we had two funerals and a trip to Indiana in one week.

Here are a few pics I did take, other than the ones I've already posted.

Chef Lena cooking up something in her kitchen.

It looks to be a french fry casserole. Yum!

My sweet girls loving on each other.

Eva rocking outside.

Happy girl.

She does okay on the stairs now, but still goes down backwards.

Lena pulled the slide up on the deck.

Eva kept insisting that I put these sunglasses on her, but they kept falling off because one of the arms is missing.

What a goof.

It may look awkward, but it works!

Day at the Beach

2011-09-09T15:41:00.000-04:00

One day last month we met Hilary and Noah at South Haven for a day at the beach. The weather was perfect; not too hot and not too cold with a beautiful sunny sky. Here are a few pics.

It was Eva's first time at the beach.

Actually, it was Lena's first time at the beach too. Five minutes in and she's already covered in sand.

Beach babe.

Can you say "wedgie"?

Eva's favorite spot was right on the edge of the blanket. She did not like the sand at all.

Noah didn't mind it. He had lots of fun playing in it.

A short venture out into the sand.

The best pic I could get of the two of them. There was just so much to look at!

Eva wearing Hilary's sunglasses.

We had a great time at the beach. Thanks for suggesting the idea, Hil!

Two Dog Night

2011-09-05T18:27:00.001-04:00

Here are some pictures of an evening in July we spent at Hilary's with Mom and Dad. We were in Indiana for a few days, visiting Jim's grandpa who was really sick and his grandma who was in rehab facility after having surgery to repair a broken femur. Mom and Dad came over to Hilary's (where we were staying) and they brought their new dog, Ozzie, with them. Ozzie had fun meeting Hilary's dog, Lucy.

Taking a break from all their running around.

Lena loved having two dogs to play with.

Hilary with the little ones.

Throwing the frisbee.

Thirsty dog.

Lena and Ozzie.

Eva showing off the leaf she found.

Playing in water on the deck.

Action shot of Noah throwing water over his shoulder.

Eva relaxing on Grandpa Lee.

She doesn't look too happy to be wet.

Weekend in Wisconsin

2011-08-10T11:44:00.000-04:00

Last Friday we spent the day in the Chicago area. Instead of driving all the way home when we were done (at 6:30 CT that evening), our friends the Chrysts invited us to spend the rest of the weekend with them (they're about 2 hours north of Chicago). I didn't take very many pictures, but here are a few.

On Saturday all of us girls went to the park while Jim and Tom drove to Milwaukee to go to a store that was closed.

Eva loves to swing.

On the way back from the bathroom, Lena and I found a huge caterpillar.

Most definitely the biggest caterpillar I've ever seen.

He was a giant!

The Chryst girls decided to take him home to see what he will turn into. We think it's a tomato hornworm, in which case it will turn into a hawk moth.

Saturday evening after dinner and baths, Lena, Helena, and Morgan cuddled up on the couch and watched tv while Bailey went for a bike ride.

After passing by the Mars Cheese Castle at least a dozen times in the last few years, we finally decided to stop on our way home after church on Sunday.

They recently opened this brand-new building. The old one is going to be torn down because I-94 is being widened along this stretch. We were surprised to find the place absolutely packed. We didn't buy anything because we had trouble even walking around the place, it was so packed. Hopefully next time it won't be so busy and we can bring home some yummy cheese from our trip.

Zoo Trip with Hilary and Noah

2011-07-26T10:56:00.001-04:00

Hilary and Noah came up to see us for a couple of days. We all went to the zoo together. We had never been to the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, and Eva had never been to a zoo at all. We had lots of fun; here are a few pics.

Before the zoo: Lena and Noah playing together.

Lena checking out the pelicans.

Noah liked them too.

Having fun already.

It was a beautiful day.

Noah petting some wallaby fur.

Lena hanging out in the caboose.

Trying to catch a chicken.

Eva wanted to catch one too.

Petting a goat.

Brushing a goat.

Noah checking out the tractor.

Daddy and Lena in the birdhouse.

The stroller brigade.

Lena, Noah, and Hilary watching the monkeys.

They have really neat flamingos there.

We thought it was funny how this duck was hanging out in the shadow of the flamingo.

Noah having a staring contest with a monkey.

What a face!

Lena found something that's actually meant to be banged on.

The double-headed snake! (Just kidding; it's two snakes coiled together. But it really looks like a snake with heads at both ends!)

The babes got pretty tired by the end of the zoo.

Who would have thought that riding around in a stroller would be so tiring?

We had so much fun going to the zoo with Hilary and Noah. Thanks for coming up!

Eva's First Birthday Portraits and Portraits of Both Girls

2011-07-13T11:34:00.000-04:00

Last month we had professional photos of the girls taken. We've always had Lena's picture taken on her birthdays, and we decided since we were going to get Eva's done, we should also get some pics of both girls together. We did the together pics first, and Eva did pretty well with those. By the time we got to her solo pics, she wasn't really very interested in sitting still and smiling anymore. But we still got some good shots.

We are so blessed to have such beautiful daughters!

Maranda Park Party

2011-07-13T10:51:00.000-04:00

Last Thursday we got to go to one Maranda's Park Parties. Maranda Park Parties are thrown 6 times a summer at various locations around the Grand Rapids area. They feature lots of games and fun events for kids all for free, even including lunch. We didn't take advantage of the free lunch, but we enjoyed all the other free events. It was a beautiful day; sunny and not too hot. The newspaper reported that there were over 6,500 people there.

We have to use a hat with a chin strap if we want Eva to keep her hat on. Even with it, the hat ended up on the ground and got run over by the stroller.

The party was held at the Barry County Fairgrounds between Middleville and Hastings. It was huge!

Free ice cream!

Lena got to pet a pony. . .

and brush a pony. . .

and ride a pony! There's a video of her riding the pony on my YouTube channel.

Eva seemed really interested in the ponies while we were waiting in line, so we thought she would like to ride one too. The second I set her down on the saddle, she flipped out and started crying. I tried to calm her down, but it was a no-go. Maybe next year!

Even after the horrible experience of sitting on a pony, she was happy enough to wave to the camera. I have a short video of that on my YouTube channel too.

Lena loves pony rides. She was really good and didn't throw a fit when it was time to get off.

Eva was much happier back in her stroller with a graham cracker in hand.

There were lots of celebrities there. Look, it's Chief Wiggum!

Lena got to pet a pancake turtle from Africa.

And we saw a cool falcon.

Whenever we were standing still in a line, Lena climbed up on the stroller to entertain Eva.

The bouncy house.

Another celebrity who was there was Ronald McDonald. We tried to get Lena to go up and shake his hand, but she made it perfectly clear that she wanted NOTHING to do with him. She wasn't really acting like herself that day; kind of shy and not as excited about things as she normally would be.

Bouncing around.

Pile of kids.

There was a stage where bands played and weird people danced. The woman in pink is Maranda and the old guy with the oxygen tank is the mayor of Hastings.

Lena even got to sit in a Michigan State Police car! Let's hope the only time she sits in a police car is in the front like this!

She was sad that we had to leave the party when it was over. Luckily they were giving away suckers near the exit, so that helped smooth things over!

We had lots of fun at the park party. We're glad they came to our neck of the woods!

Fourth of July Weekend

2011-07-07T11:22:00.000-04:00

We had a really fun Fourth of July weekend. Mom came up for the weekend to visit us. Here are a few pics I took.

On Friday evening we headed downtown to hear the music in the park.

It was Eva's first time in the wagon. She loved it. She kept looking back at me and grinning, like she was saying, "Look, Mama! This is so much fun!"

Grandma pulling the wagon.

Apparently it was too much to ask to get a picture of Lena smiling while wearing a shirt that says "It's A Happy Day!"

The music that night was a band that plays oldies; perfect for Grandma!

Grandma and Lena.

Grandma and Eva.

That day Eva was interested in drinking out of everyone's cup but her own. Here she's going for Lena's.

Then she grabbed Grandma's.

Trying to do a headstand.

Lena stole Daddy's hat.

Some members of our church, Gary and Cheryl, sat with us.

Lena relaxing with Gary.

Daddy helping Eva dance.

What a cutie.

Lena ran around so much she wore herself out. Not really, she jumped right back up the second after I snapped this pic.

Then Eva found Daddy's cup.

A nice man let Lena pet his doggie.

Sunday after church. I had the girls all dressed up in patriotic outfits.

My little firecrackers.

The weather was hot and sunny so we did a lot of swimming in our kiddie pool.

Me and my pool buddy.

Sunday evening we had a grill feast. Steaks, pork chops, sweet potatoes, corn on the cob, and a veggie salad all done on the grill. Rounded out with some fresh tomatoes and cottage cheese and cole slaw.

On the afternoon of the 4th, Eva got to go swimming for the very first time. As you can see, she loved it.

Me and my swimmy girls.

Eva with a rubber ducky in her mouth. I got her to say "ducky" yesterday.

We had a really fun holiday weekend. Thanks for coming up to see us, Grandma Sheryl. We always love having you!

Random June Pics

2011-06-30T10:31:00.000-04:00

June was a super busy month for us. But it was lots of fun. I have already posted pictures of the bigger events of June (Eva's birthday, our trip to Wisconsin, and Noah's birthday party/Father's Day), but here are some other pics I took in June.

Lena getting ready to enjoy dinner out on our deck on a lovely summer evening.

We really enjoy spending time on our deck.

New sandbox.

Soaking up the sun.

This month, Jim confirmed his second confirmation class, twins Zach and Zoey.

Going for a walk.

Lena enjoying orange sherbet at The Scoop.

Walking down Main Street.

Checking out the river.

Pretty baby.

Not really in the mood to have her picture taken.

We saw a really big turtle.

While we were in Indiana for Noah's birthday party, we visited our friends, The Deweys, who have little girls just a tad younger than ours. Here is Eva and Corinne.

Checking each other out.

Elizabeth enjoying the smoothie Lena made for her.

Cooking up something yummy in the kitchen.

On the 25th, our church had its annual German Vespers and cookout. Here Katie is letting Eva play in her cup of water.

John and Sandy were our grill masters.

Lots of food! The German restaurant in town donated three different kinds of potato salad, the pizza place donated soda, and The Scoop donated the ice cream.

Eva and her pal Justin.

The kiddie pow-wow enjoying their ice cream.

We had lots of fun in June, but are looking forward to a quieter, more relaxing July! That's the best way to enjoy summer.

Father's Day/Noah's Birthday Party

2011-06-29T17:06:00.001-04:00

We spent Father's Day weekend in Indiana. Our nephew, Noah, turned 1 on the 22nd and my sister and brother-in-law had his party on Father's Day. Here are a few pictures.

Eva stuck inside while Aunt Hil and Lena are having fun outside.

"Can I go out, Mommy?"

Lena helped Aunt Hil decorate for the party.

Jim and his girls on Father's Day. I love this picture!

The babies' favorite activity together was swapping pacifiers.

Playing on Aunt Hil's deck.

Gorgeous pic of Hilary and Noah. He's getting so big!

Hilary and the babies. Can't call them that much longer!

Eva talking to Grandpa Lee.

Birthday boy in his birthday hat.

Getting ready to open presents.

We got him a fun slide for outside.

Wooden toys.

Cake time! Noah got his own personal little cake. So cute!

Singing "Happy Birthday".

He actually didn't make too much of a mess.

Hilary and Scott made homemade ice cream for the party. Hilary made Eva a dairy-free sorbet. She made a really funny face when she took the first bite, but I didn't get a good picture of it.

Lena and Hilary having "girl talk" about owies. :)

The kids had fun playing with the balloons.

Birthday Boy and his mama.

Noah and his Daddy on their first official Father's Day. Noah was born two days after Father's Day last year.

We had so much fun celebrating Noah's birthday with him. He is such a special little boy and we always treasure the time we get to spend with him.

Happy Birthday, Noah! We love you!

Wisconsin Trip

2011-06-14T10:17:00.001-04:00

Last week we visited our friends, The Chrysts, in Wisconsin. Here are a few pics.

Both girls zonked out in the car on the way there.

The Chrysts had gifts for the girls. Helena helped Eva open hers.

Eva got a dolly like the one the Chrysts made for Lena when she was about the same age.

Eva's first pair of shades!

Brenda and the girls made these adorable plush fruits and vegetables. They're so cute!

Lena's turn. Her hair is wet because she just had a shower.

She got a creation ball. Neat! It teaches the order of creation.

The Chrysts were dogsitting this dog named Harley. Lena loved Harley and was either in her face or trying to lay on her back the whole time we were there.

Eva in her jammies.

Whenever our families get together, I like to get a pic of all five girls. This one is amazing! All five girls are actually looking at the camera AND SMILING! Incredible!

On Friday evening, Tom and Brenda watched our girls while Jim and I went to see the Cardinals play the Brewers at Miller Park in Milwaukee. Sadly, the Cardinals lost (were shut out, in fact), but we still had fun at the game.

We had great seats. We were behind the Cardinals dugout and up a level.

The racing sausages.

On the way home, we stopped in Hammond, Indiana, to get some lunch. We drove by this oddly-shaped welcome center and Lena called it a banana igloo.

We had so much fun visiting the Chrysts. They are always so welcoming and accommodating; we feel right at home there. It was so nice of them to feed us, let us sleep in their room, watch our girls, and let us invade their house for three days! Can't wait to see you guys again.

Eva's First Birthday

2011-06-12T15:14:00.004-04:00

My sweet little baby has turned 1! Eva turned 1 on June 3 and we had a fun weekend celebrating. Here are a few pics.

I have begun the tradition of making the girls "birthday pancakes" on their birthdays. So festive looking! And pretty tasty too!

We sang "Happy Birthday" to Eva and Daddy helped her blow out her candle.

Mmmm, pancakes.

The next day, on Saturday, we had a party for Eva. The theme of the party was "The Very Hungry Caterpillar." I served all the foods the very hungry caterpillar ate in the book, and even drilled holes in all of it to look like a caterpillar ate through it.

It was a really hot and humid day; it was about 94 degrees, which broke a record in Grand Rapids from the 30s. But we were just glad it didn't rain since our party was outdoors.

Fruit kebabs with apples, pears, plums, strawberries, and oranges.

My "Very Hungry Caterpillar" Cupcake Cake. Please keep in mind that this was my first time ever making a character cake like this and I really had no idea what I was doing!

The fondant sunk down into the crevasses of the cake a little bit.

Fruit kebabs and honey ginger fruit dip.

Honey mustard sausages.

Swiss cheese, salami, and pickles.

Watermelon. I didn't put holes in it because it was kind of crumbly.

Eva and Grandpa Lee.

Uncle Scott, Cousin Noah, and Aunt Hil.

Lena and Aunt Amy.

Happy Birthday Girl.

The older kids had fun playing in the grassy area next to the church parking lot.

Photo and gift table.

Honoring the birthday girl.

We set the tent up in the shady area of the church's yard.

Gotta love the birthday hat.

Digging into her first cupcake; see video below.

I love how she takes a bite, then turns to Daddy to tell him how much she loves it!

Lena and her buddy Justin.

Junebugs and their mommies. Noah turns one in just a couple of weeks!

Time to open gifts. Eva had plenty of helpers, as you can see! She got lots of nice gifts.

Eva and Grandma Sheryl.

Eva and Grammy Tammy.

Aunt Amy, Grammy Tammy, and the girls. Not pictured: Uncle Frank.

Eva worn out on the way back home after the party. She has now upgraded her carseat and gets to face forward!

We had so much fun celebrating Eva's first birthday. Thank you to all of you who were able to come to her party!

Random May Pics and Videos

2011-05-31T14:33:00.012-04:00

I've already done several blog posts for May, but here are a few pics that didn't make it into one of those posts.

So true.

We are reseeding our lawn on the east side of the house. It's filling in pretty well.

Goofy Lena smile.

Grocery shopper in training.

Silly girls.

Lena trying to teach Eva to play baseball. I love how you can see Eva's happy little face in the mirror.

Eva watching Daddy and Lena from the deck.

Bathtime baby.

Here are some short videos I took in May.

Lena surviving a "wind storm" and riding her tricycle on the deck.

Lena hitching a ride on Eva's walker.

I have started putting my videos of the girls on YouTube, so check out my "channel" at http://www.youtube.com/user/aseleener Subscribe to be notified of new videos I post.

Memorial Day

2011-05-31T08:16:00.006-04:00

We spent Memorial Day the usual way again this year, by walking out to our front yard and watching the parade go by our house.

Waiting for the parade to come by. Our house is near the end of the route, so we had to wait a while.

Eva's first Memorial Day. I remember watching the parade last year with a big belly and counting down the days till the 3rd of June!

Eva and Daddy playing while we wait.

She was quite interested in Daddy's hat.

Got it!

Farmer Eva.

Lena got a cookie from some nice people who sat in our yard.

Finally, the parade is here!

Lena got candy.

Waving at all the people.

Here's a short video of Lena dancing to the marching band's music. She's such a goof. The people sitting near us were cracking up at her.

The rest of Memorial Day we enjoyed just relaxing at home. I hope you all had a nice holiday weekend.

A Visit from the Stricklands

2011-05-24T17:04:00.001-04:00

Earlier this month our friends, the Stricklands, stopped by to see us. Christian was in Jim's class at seminary and he and his wife Cindy and their two boys are at a church in Minnesota. They stopped by to see us for a little bit while they were on their way to Frankenmuth, where Christian did his vicarage.

Christian, Cindy, Benjamin, and Micah.

Benjamin and Lena having a blast ringing the church bell. Lena had so much fun playing with Benjamin and Micah that she begged us to let her go with them when they left.

Playing in the church aisle.

I thought it was really funny how Jim and Lena wore matching outfits that day!

It was really nice to see the Stricklands again, if only for a short visit. Hopefully it won't be another four years until we see them again!

Hailstorm

2011-05-17T10:31:00.001-04:00

We had a hailstorm on Thursday. It happened right as Jim was trying to take Lena to gymnastics class. It got bad enough that he turned around and came home.

A pic I snapped out the office window. The hail wasn't very large, but even so, it's alarming to have chunks of ice pelting your windows!

The aftermath: Tons of little baby maple leaves everywhere.

The hail wasn't large, but it was enough to do some pretty good damage to all of the flowers we planted last weekend. Here's our sad-looking ranunculus.

And it really beat down the tulips in the front.

I counted at least 4 decapitated tulips. :(

And the ones that managed to keep their heads were all bent over like this.

These little purple annuals we planted in the front bed were more damaged by the rain than the hail. Along with the hail, it was raining buckets. The water overflowed from the gutter and just poured down like crazy in this flower bed. These little flowers were covered by at least 2 inches of water.

Our flowering tree outside the kitchen window was just starting to bloom. It lost a lot of blooms. The ground was just littered with them.

Hopefully our flowers can bounce back!

Mother's Day

2011-05-11T16:03:00.000-04:00

I hope all of you mothers out there had a nice Mother's Day. I did. The weather was beautiful the whole weekend so we went out on Saturday and bought some flowers and bird feeders to make our backyard nice.

Sunday after church. Our annual Mother's Day picture. Eva has recently learned to clap and does it all the time now. We had a hard time getting her to look at the camera because she was having so much fun watching cars drive by and clapping in glee.

We had to move to the backyard to get Eva to focus on the camera instead of the traffic. I love the look on her little face here.

We had lunch then got into some play clothes to have fun outside. Eva looks so cute in her little pink overalls.

Daddy helping her down the slide.

Lena kicking back on a beautiful spring day. Is it just me, or does she look really grown up in this picture?

Beautiful red tulip.

These are some flowers we found on clearance while shopping. They are called ranunculus. The blooms are really large. They are so pretty.

We got a pretty fuchsia hanging basket. They're supposed to attract hummingbirds.

Jim created a bird feeding station outside our living room window. I was afraid it was too close to the window and the birds would be scared to hang out there (especially since Lena bangs on the window and shouts excitedly every time she sees a bird), but we've had several bird visitors since putting it up and they really seem to like it.

Here is a rose-breasted grosbeak. We've named him Reuben. He let me get really close to take a picture.

This is his wife, who we call Ruby. I took this pic from inside; she didn't mind that I had the camera right up to the window to take it. We've also had cardinals and a goldfinch at these feeders, and we've only had them up for a couple of days!

Our pretty tulips out front. The tall white one is leaning like that because Lena stepped on it. :(

These are probably the prettiest tulips I have ever seen.

I love the white ones too. They are so tall it's almost freaky.

Some pretty white and purple annuals we got for our front bed.

Jim borrowed a power washer and is in the process of cleaning our deck for the first time since we've lived here. What a difference!

It's really slow-going, but it's going to look so much better when it's done. It's never been stained or anything, so we would like to treat it somehow to keep it looking nice.

Eleven Months Old

2011-05-06T16:30:00.006-04:00

Eva turned 11 months old on Tuesday. I put her hair in pigtails. :)

Lena loves her sister. And Eva loves her too. While Eva is a very happy baby and giggles a lot, nobody can make her crack up like Lena can. They are so adorable together.

Her hair is getting so long. I'm thinking of having it cut short for summer.

Daddy and Lena. Daddy is looking at Lena.

Now Lena is looking at Daddy.

Daddy and his girls. Yep, Lena is licking Jim. Sigh. . . .

Playing Outside (Finally!)

2011-05-05T09:03:00.006-04:00

We all spent the afternoon outside on Sunday. It only got up into the mid-60s here, but it was really quite warm in the sun. It was pretty windy, but we didn't let that deter us from getting out in the sunshine.

Eva got to hang out in her walker, which she had never used before.

Jim borrowed a power washer and got to work cleaning up the side of the house. The north-facing sides of our house and garage always get really dirty. (Yes, he wrote "I <3 U" on the wall!)

Lena found some sand to play in. We would like to get her an actual sandbox this summer.

Eva happy to be outside.

Some pretty pink flowers.

Some pretty purple flowers.

Rhubarb.

Bleeding heart.

Our peony.

Tulip tree bud.

Eva conversing with the cute little girl in the mirror.

I was trying to get a picture of Eva, but instead caught Lena doing some kind of weird interpretive dance in the background!

Their first time playing in the play house together.

Eva checking it out.

This was the best picture I could get of her looking out the window.

Taking a rest and trying to decide what to explore next.

I let her crawl around in the grass a little bit.

Learning to use the walker on the deck. It took her a little while to figure out that she could walk in it.

Lena broke out the bouncy ball.

Mid-bounce!

Eva had fun watching Lena chase the ball around.

The deck was still really dirty because Jim hadn't gotten to it with the power washer yet, but Lena didn't let that stop her from playing with the ball. She would throw it to me and I would kick it. We spent quite a while playing that game.

I'm glad we got to spend that time outside, because the next two days we barely made it into the 50s! But I don't see anymore highs in the 50s in our 8-day forecast, so I think we're finally on our way to nicer weather.

Random April Pics

2011-04-30T15:44:00.000-04:00

Another month has come and gone. While we finally feel like spring has arrived, our average temperatures are still quite a bit below normal. And it has been raining a lot. I think were were able to spend time outside 3 days in April. The grass is nice and green though!

I don't have very many April pics that I haven't shared with you already, but here are a few.

Eva's new favorite activity is pulling all of the books off the bookshelf in the living room. She looks so proud of herself too! We spent lots of time this month walking over books because as soon as we would pick them all up, she would make a beeline to come pull them all off again. Finally Daddy got the great idea to tilt the shelf by putting one set of the pins that hold it up in a lower position that the others. So now the shelf angles down toward the back. She can still get books off it, but she can't pull them all of with one swipe like before.

Lena fell asleep on the couch a couple of times this month, which is unusual. Here she and Daddy fell asleep while watching a movie.

So cute!

Here she is showing off the "castle" she built.

What I woke up to on Monday, April 18, only 2 days before my birthday. Ugh! We got a couple of accumulating inches that morning, but the sun came out late in the afternoon and it was all gone by evening.

Another couch nap, this time her napping partner was Mia.

Looking forward to May!

Holy Week and Easter

2011-04-26T10:09:00.007-04:00

Holy Week is always busy at our house, but this year it seemed especially so. Eva finally got her first tooth on Monday and the girls and I all had yucky colds all week. Jim was really fortunate not to have gotten it! The busy-ness was helped by the fact that Grandma Sheryl came up to stay with us for a few days. She drove up on Wednesday to celebrate my birthday with me and stayed through Easter day. It was so great to have her help. She stayed with the girls while I went to the late evening services at church and was a great help while I was getting food ready to take to the church breakfast and for our own Easter dinner.

Here are a few pics from the week.

The beautiful tulips my sweetie brought me on my birthday.

The girls dressed in black for Good Friday.

Lena and Grandma Sheryl cuddling on the couch.

The girls playing in the tent together.

Grandma reading to the girls.

Easter morning. Despite how bad the weather was the week before, it was really very nice on Easter day.

Checking out the red tulips.

Daddy and his girls.

Our little family.

Me and my girls.

"Take my picture, Grandma!"

Grandma and her girls.

My pretty little Eva on her first Easter.

Grandma and Eva.

Lena with the Easter lilies.

Sisters.

Grammy Tammy, Aunt Amy, and Uncle Frank brought Easter baskets for the girls and hid them outside our house.

Found it!

Eva wasn't quite old enough to participate, but she enjoyed watching Lena from Uncle Frank's shoulders.

Lunchtime!

Easter baskets from Mommy and Daddy.

Eva got some fun teething toys and bunny socks. Lena got an Elmo shirt and socks. And they both got some new books.

But the grass was the most fun to play with!

Lena showing off her shirt and socks. This is now her new favorite outfit. She threw a fit when Daddy took it off to put on her jammies.

Eva's bunny socks.

Thanks to Mom, Tammy, Amy, and Frank for helping us celebrate Easter. Holidays are always more special when you get to spend them with the people you love. And thanks, Mom, for all of your help throughout the week.

Happy Easter, everyone!

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Summer in April

2011-04-11T10:04:00.007-04:00

The weather has been so weird this spring. Up until yesterday it still felt like winter, with highs only in the 40s. Then yesterday we hit 85! It was so weird; like we completely skipped over spring and went straight to summer. We actually saw a girl using a slip & slide in her front lawn!

We took full advantage of the opportunity by walking on the trail for the first time this year and visiting our favorite ice cream shop, which just happened to open for the season a few days ago.

Excited to be outside without winter coats!

Lena enjoying her free ice cream. The church gives out free ice cream vouchers to the kids on their baptism birthdays. I'm guessing Lena was probably the first one to redeem hers this year!

It was getting close to Eva's naptime, so we reclined her seat so she could sleep if she wanted to. That's the way to go for a walk!

We ate our ice cream out on the back deck of The Scoop. They were playing music out there, so Lena decided to get up and dance.

She's got mad moves!

Oh yeah!

Then we walked down to the trail. The river is on one side and Mill Pond is on the other. Mill Pond is filled with beautiful swans this year.

Giving Daddy a high-five.

Getting some energy out. We love the trail because we can let Lena run free with no worry of her running into the street. However, yesterday was so nice that the trail was packed with people and we had to teach her to stay out of the way of bikers.

We counted at least 15 swans out there. I remember a few years ago there were only two or three.

Looking to see what there is to see in the river.

There's a turtle!

Didn't take Eva long to get all relaxed and fall asleep.

Lena kept taking her hat off and waving it around. I asked her what she was doing and she explained that her head was getting hot, so she was catching wind in her hat and then when she put her hat back on her head the "caught" wind would make her head cool. What a goof!

She claimed that this fence post was her best friend.

Taking a little break before heading home.

After we got home we had a nice dinner of steaks on the grill. A lovely end to a lovely day.

I'm sure some people complained yesterday that it was too hot, but we were just glad we could get out of the house and enjoy some sunshine. It's back into the low 50s today, and we have a chance of snow next weekend.

Ten Months Old

2011-04-03T15:48:00.002-04:00

Eva is ten months old today.

The happy girl showing off the back of her throat. ;)

She likes to get close to the camera.

Also loves chewing on things. Still waiting on those first teeth to pop through.

Eva is doing great. She crawls all over the place and is starting to walk along the furniture. She's also learning to wave and Lena is now trying to teach her to clap.

Hard to believe our baby will be a year old in just two short months!

Quick Trip Home

2011-04-03T15:31:00.005-04:00

This weekend we took a quick trip to Indiana. So quick in fact, that we were there less than 24 hours. I didn't take many pictures, but here are a few.

Our first stop was Jim's Grandma and Grandpa Zink's. His grandpa was recently diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing chemo, and we thought a visit from the girls would cheer him up a bit. He did seem to really enjoy seeing them.

They had some toys out for the girls to play with while we were there. Gotta love the classic Fisher Price toys.

Lena showing Great-Grandpa the measuring tape.

Measuring Grammy Tammy's finger. Whenever we asked her how long something was, she would answer, "Three!"

Then we had dinner with Grandpa Lee and Grandma Sheryl.

We spent Friday night and Saturday morning with Hilary, Scott, and Noah. Here is Noah having a snack when we went out to breakfast.

Lena got a cool straw that you could tie in a knot.

Chatting up Uncle Scott.

The babies had fun playing with each other. The first thing they did when they saw each other was a pacifier swap. We sure enjoyed seeing Noah again. He changes so much in between our visits. He is the fastest crawler I've ever seen! And he dances all the time; it's so cute.

Lena and Noah.

We're glad we got to go home, even if it was for a short amount of time. We wanted to squeeze that in before things got too hectic with Easter coming up.

Random March Pics

2011-03-31T21:03:00.000-04:00

Another month has come and gone. It would be easier to believe if the weather didn't still feel like February! We've been hanging out at 10-15 degrees below average for the last couple of weeks, and they say it will be at least another week or two before it warms up any. I was looking at my pictures from last March, and there were several of Lena playing outside in short sleeves. Not this year!

Here are a few random pics I took in March.

Eva after her bath.

Happy girl.

She absolutely loves Lena's sippy cup. Sometimes she drinks out of it sitting up. . .

. . . sometimes laying down. . . .

. . . and sometimes a weird combination of both!

Playing with the kitty. They were both batting at each other.

She still likes to crawl into the bottom of this thing.

Learning to wave.

Jammy time.

What a serious look!

Her outfit is so true: I do say all the time that she's the best baby ever!

She's been sticking her tongue out a lot lately.

Lena's "tower." I think it looks more like the Great Wall.

Lena got her first watch last week.

She can't tell time yet, but when we ask her what time it is, she says, "It's time for lunch!"

Lena has been going to gymnastics classes on Thursday evenings. She loves it, of course. She didn't sleep well last night, so when we got home from gymnastics, she was exhausted. She fell asleep cuddling with Daddy on the couch, which never happens, so she must have been really tired!

Eva didn't care that she was asleep.

This picture is kind of blurry, but you can see Eva trying to pry Lena's lips apart. She also had fingers up her nose too.

We're ready for April and some spring weather. Tomorrow we are going to Indiana for a short two-day visit.

Opening Day!

2011-03-31T20:39:00.000-04:00

Today is the opening day of baseball season. There were always all kinds of celebrations going on that day when we lived in St. Louis, but now I have to settle for dressing my girls up in Cardinals gear (or colors), and having a photo shoot.

Eva was really intrigued by Lena's barrettes.

Making goofy faces at each other.

Trying to get them to both look the same direction.

Same direction, but not at the camera. I'll take it!

Then Lena laid down and Eva started crawling all over her.

Showing Daddy how silly they are.

Attack of the baby!

Determined to get those barrettes.

Cute little face.

I also celebrated Opening Day by buying tickets to see the Cardinals play the Brewers in Milwaukee June 10. We went to Miller Park for the first time last year and really liked it.

GO CARDINALS!!!

St. Patrick's Day and Tricycle

2011-03-17T16:11:00.001-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I had fun snapping pics of Eva in her St. Patrick's Day onesie.

Peek-a-boo!

This is closest I've ever gotten to capturing her full grin.

Lena didn't have a St. Patrick's Day shirt, but settled for a green one.

My silly girls.

Not only was today St. Patrick's Day, but it's also the first day of the year we hit 60 degrees! It's so nice out. We took advantage of it by opening all the windows, self-cleaning the oven (stinks too much to do it w/windows closed), and take Lena down to the church parking lot to ride her brand new tricycle for the first time outside.

She couldn't wait to get going.

Getting a few pointers from Daddy. She has a hard time learning how to turn. Every time she needs to turn, she stands up, moves the trike in the right direction, and sits back down again. She will need some more practice in the church parking lot before she's ready to ride on the trail that goes along the river. But I think she'll get the hang of it in no time.

Eva had fun watching Lena ride around.

Eva and Daddy.

She had a blast.

And now it's off to gymnastics class. She went for the first time last week and loved it so we signed her up. She'll go every Thursday evening for the next 9 weeks.

Fat Tuesday

2011-03-09T08:54:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was Fat Tuesday (the day before Lent begins). We have a New Orleans themed restaurant here in Middleville that makes a big deal of it. They serve a special breakfast, Bananas Foster over french toast, and they have Mardi Gras beads and live music (a trumpeter).

Daddy and girls outside with the lady.

Lena loves the beads.

And the "pennies." She brought one home and later in the day it evolved into a "quarter".

Lena and the jester.

Eva on her first Fat Tuesday.

Silly girls.

Getting crazy!

And so begins the busy season of Lent!

Nine Months Old

2011-03-09T08:39:00.002-05:00

Eva turned nine months old last week. She is doing great. She's crawling all over the house (and fast too!) and she has gotten really good at pulling herself up to standing. She likes to crawl to wherever Daddy and Lena are playing and try to get in on the action.

She's still toothless. We've had some fussy days and nights, and whenever that happens I am just sure I will see a tooth start to poke through, but nothing yet. Both girls and I came down with colds last week, so that contributed to part of the fussiness.

Hard to believe Eva will be turning one in just three short months! I'm already starting to make some plans for her birthday party.

Dr. Seuss Day

2011-03-04T11:45:00.002-05:00

Wednesday was Dr. Seuss Day. We celebrated by watching The Cat in the Hat marathon on PBS, reading Dr. Seuss books, coloring a picture, and having green eggs and ham for dinner.

I made the eggs green by stirring pesto into scrambled eggs.

Lena showing off her coloring page and her Cat in the Hat doll.