4th of July!!

It's hard to believe that the 4th has already come and gone. In my book, the 4th of July signifies the halfway point of summer and because this summer hasn't been so great weather wise, that really stinks! On the flip side, the 4th of July also means a long, fun weekend - yay! We spent our time at Grandma and Grandpa Loken's house. The weather was nice and warm (which is perfect swimming weather), so we took full advantage and spent much of our time in the pool. Aaron, Ann, and Colton also joined in on the fun so there was a full house. By Monday (today), we were all ready to get back home and relax so after the parade in the morning, we packed up and headed out. As I type this, all three of the kids are sleeping (Ryan might be reading, but either way, they are all quiet) which is nice so Trav and I can both have a little time to relax as well before another busy week starts. Hope everyone had a safe and fun 4th of July!!! Here is a picture replay of the weekend.

Twins?

I can't count how many times I've been asked, "how old are your twins", or "what are your twins' names" in the past two weeks while we've been at Ryan's games.  I don't get it, Ellie and Colton look nothing alike (to me at least).  Ellie crawls all over the place while Colt just sits there and doesn't move (other than the occasional tip over), and Ellie is considerably bigger than Colt while in the stroller (her legs hang over the edge while his just barely touch the edge).  Even with all that evidence that clearly shows they are not twins, people still "ooh and aah" over my precious twin babies - whatever, I guess now I have a little insight into what it feels like to be a mother of twins (other than the sleepless nights and never ending crying that I'm sure comes with multiples) - thank god I just have "fake" twins.  Here are the "twins" doing what they do best, shoving food in their mouth as fast as they can so the other one can't have any.  Oh my God, maybe they really are twins - that sounds like sibling rivalry at its best!

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!