She walks!!!

Apparently Ellie read my last post about her lack of walking because this morning when she woke up, walking was the only thing she wanted to do - yay!  I knew this morning might be the start of something when she didn't cry and fall down the instant I let go of her (usually she falls down, throws her head back, and cries - such a drama queen).  Anyway, this morning we were walking around the living room when I decided to gently pry her fingers off of my finger, instead of the usual fit, she just stood there (this is a good sign).  So I inch back a little and hold out my arms and say, "come here El."  Her usual response would be to reach out as far as possible towards me until she does one of two things; either tip over, or cry - neither is a great option.  But today, she moved her little legs, and to everyone's amazement (mostly hers though), she walked!!  She looks like a baby Frankenstein, and isn't super stable, but at least she is doing it.  Of course when she made it the four or five steps to me, we all had to cheer and clap for her (she also claps for herself) like crazy people so she would do it again, and wouldn't you know it, that is exactly what she did!  Here is a quick clip of the little girl in action - go Ellie!

I'm thinking with a little more practice over the long weekend, she'll be up and at 'em full speed ahead by next week - guess that means it's time to buy her her first pair of real "walking shoes" (unfortunately for me, none of Lauren's "fat-footed" shoes fit Ellie's skinny little foot - no surprise there, that would have just been too easy!).

Safety first

So it's been pretty nice weather lately . . . the upside; we've been outside a lot enjoying it, the downside; Ellie wants to play with all the big kids but is still not walking.  My solution . . .

. . . a helmet (safety first is the motto at this house), a stroller (made for little ones learning to walk), and a baby (so Ellie has someone to push).  Thankfully this little idea has made our lives a whole lot easier - no more hunching over while Ellie walks in constant circles and then cries the minute you let go of her, no more sore backs, and most importantly, we're free to pay attention to the other kids - hallelujah!  Now, if she could just figure out the walking thing in general, I'm sure she'd be amazed at all the new things the world has to offer - we'll just keep waiting . . . (a little side note, Ryan didn't walk until he was almost 15 months so I'd just be happy if Ellie figured it out before then, if not, she'll have the wheels on that stroller worn out before summer is over).

When Ellie isn't walking, she's also taken an interest in all of the kids' riding and push toys.  Her favorite one lately is the Big Wheels - you'll notice she has her helmet on in this picture too.  Good news - she has never fallen while on a riding toy, bad news - she has fallen several times while walking with her stroller.  I'm hoping this will change in the future, it would really stink to have to wear a bike helmet on a daily basis just for walking.

And finally, here are a couple of pictures of the big kids.  Ryan has been enjoying soccer and t-ball.  We just had his name and number printed on his shirts tonight (we didn't do it last year because I was too cheap, then when I discovered it only cost $6, I went ahead and popped for it).  He choose to be number "6" because that is how old he is, and just wanted "Ryan" for the name because as he says, "what other name would I put on there, my name is Ryan."  He is pretty excited to wear the "new" shirts on Thursday for his first official games (they have just had practices the past two weeks).  And then there's Lauren.  She is my little helper this summer.  The poor girl gets dragged around to all of Ryan's events and other than a few little "tough" periods, she's done great!  She helps me keep the babies in line, doles out snacks when the babies are hungry, and is just an over all good sport about things.  I know she'd rather be playing soccer or t-ball, or climbing around at the park, but when that can't happen, she just hangs out and talks about how she'll get to do all these fun things when she is 5 - oh what a great year that will be for her!

She can never just take a "normal" picture - such a crazy little girl, I love it!

Another adventure!

I think (I hate to even write this because I am sure I'm jinxing myself), I have mastered the art of taking 2 babies and 2 kids on an adventure - yay!  This past Friday the kids and I met up with an old friend and her two kids to check out the local arboretum.  The place is gorgeous and most importantly, there is lots of room to run and play.  We  visited a coy pond (this was our first stop and I nearly had a heart attack every time one of the kids got to close to the edge), stopped to smell some pretty flowers, threw a couple of coins in a fountain, and ended the visit with a stroll through the maze made out of bushes and small trees - talk about fun, and exhausting!  In all, we were there for about 3 hours and other than a few minor fits, it was pretty smooth sailing.  The kids all got along well and Jen and I had a chance to catch up - all in all, a great day with great friends (new friends for the kids, an old friend for me).  Here are a couple of pictures of the kids taking a break to have a snack.

Mall of America

It was another crumby day yesterday and with Ryan's soccer canceled, we didn't have much to do.  So, on a spur of the moment thought (I just needed to get out of the house), I packed the kids and headed out to the mall.  As we were driving, I suddenly remembered that Tuesdays are "Toddler Tuesday" days at the MOA so instead of going to our normal indoor "mall playground", we kept on driving and made it all the way to the big guy (aka "The Mall of America).  The last time I was here was when it was still just Ryan, Lauren, and myself on a normal day - so it has been at least 2 years.  This trip, it was Ryan, Lauren, Ellie, Colton, and myself.  To say I was a little worried would be an understatement.  The mall is huge, the kids like to run, and unfortunately, it was just me to keep them in order.  So off we went to check out the "Kiddie Karnival" in the mall's rotunda.  It took me about 2 seconds of seeing massive lines before I decided that we would not be attending the "karnival" (imagine strollers and kids everywhere - it was crazy and it was packed).  After that, I was a little discouraged and had to push back my thoughts of wanting to get back in the van and head out to our "safe" mall playground.  But because Ryan and Lauren were being great and wanted to stay, I came up with option two . . . RIDES!!  Part of "Toddler Tuesday" is a discounted wrist band for all the kid rides.  I wasn't a hundred percent sure on this option, but not wanting to disappoint, we went for it.  We had a rough start - Ryan wanted to go on the kiddie coaster, but Lauren wasn't tell enough to go without a chaperon.  I thought Lauren would be sad and start throwing a fit, but to my surprise, she just stepped out of line and watched from the side with myself and the babies - such a mature little 3 year old, too bad it doesn't always go that smooth.  After that hiccup, we hit our stride and the kids made it through 7 more rides before the babies let me know it was time to go.  By this time it was 12:30pm though and they had been in the stroller for a  hour and a half so there was no complaints from anyone.  It is amazing how content they were to just sit and watch all that was going on around (granted, the place was a zoo so there was lots to do and see!).  After that, we packed up, grabbed some lunch, and took long afternoon naps - a great wrap to a great day!  This little adventure proves that I'm still able to get out of the house and enjoy an occasional field trip with the kids - sure it takes a little more work and a lot more planning, but it is all worth it if the kids have fun!  We're planning another outing on Friday (assuming the weather cooperates) - hoping this one goes just as smooth as this one did!

Colton, Ellie, and her best friend (her thumb) hanging out - they were little troopers!

Happy Father's Day! (a little late)

Here is our "Happy Dad" on Father's Day (actually the picture was taken on Saturday, but he was still this happy on Father's Day).

Thanks for being such a good dad to our kids - they love you and so do I!

One more birthday party

We spent a nice, quiet weekend at the lake with Grandpa Doug and Grandma Connie this past weekend.  Our main reasoning for the visit was to celebrate Ryan's 6th birthday again.  It seems like Ryan, more than the girls, always has multiple celebrations for his birthday - lucky kid!  Anyway, the visit was great.  The kids had a blast playing with their "lake" friends and showing me all their tricks on the new trampoline Grandpa Doug bought for them.  A quick summary . . . presents, sparklers, and bouncing - what a great way to spend the weekend!  Here is the "quick summary" in pictures . . .

World travelers??

The kids now consider themselves "world travelers" which is justified if you are 6 and 3 and visited Duluth (Daloof in their words), Wisconsin (Osconsin to them - their teacher from the Y just moved to Ohio so I'm pretty sure they are just combining the states), and South Dakota (this one they actually say correctly) in a matter of a week.  Duluth was a trip with Grandpa Jim and Grandma Donna, Wisconsin was a few steps into the state while on the Duluth trip, and the South Dakota trip was with me.  On our way out to South Dakota the kids were talking about all the places they had been lately when Ryan casually says to me, "Mom, I think we should drive to Texas next, I'd like to see all the cowboys there and ride some horses."  Once Lauren heard, "ride the horses", she was in, too bad it wasn't that easy to convince me.  When I told them that Texas was too long to drive, they just said, "it's okay, we can do it."  So I guess we're off to Texas next! Until then, here are some pictures from their adventures . . .

Children's Museum of South Dakota pictures - really cool, hard to believe it is in Brookings, SD!  We could have spent an entire day there.

This is a picture of Lauren and I going to get our nails done before our travels started. What can I say, the girl likes to look good when she's got some place to go!

Speaking of traveling, my blogging has been lacking lately because I'm spending all my free time trying to put together the perfect "10 year anniversary" trip for Trav and I.  10 years!  Man, this trip is really going to have to be a good one!