The Doodle and The Bug

The Bona Fide First Grader

2011-09-15T09:37:00.008-05:00

I can hardly believe it myself. Miss Doodle started first grade last week. The proof is in the ~~pudding~~ photos*:

If you are thinking that the entryway looks different from last year's first day photo, then you would be correct. I made a difficult decision. One which, at the moment, I'm not so sure was the right choice. I switched her to a closer school. This saves forty minutes of driving each day.** Which is great for me since I don't like driving. And I know it will be especially nice once the snow starts flying, but the adjustment hasn't been the easiest. I had hoped for the best, but it isn't going exactly the way I had expected. It turns out the curriculum at the new school is slightly different and there are different characters that she needs to learn. So we've been working hard to try and get her caught up.

I've got my fingers crossed (yet again) that she'll be able to, not only catch up, but also thrive at this new school. And the sooner the better, because the Regime is upset. I think he might want me to put her back in the other school, or worse, to quit Chinese immersion all together.

*And our tired eyes. We aren't morning people over here. It's seriously gonna take some time to get adjusted to our new routine.

**I love our house and neighborhood. But sometimes I wonder if we rushed that decision. Maybe we should have rented a place near the previous school until we could find a house in our price range out that way. Ugh. Too late for that now.

Our Summer Whirlwind

2011-09-14T21:00:00.011-05:00

I'm still in disbelief that our summer vacation is over. We had a wonderfully fun and relaxing summer. I loved every day of it and I was very sad when it had to come to an end. I love spending time with my girls and doing fun activities with them, so adjusting to the school routine, and Miss Doodle's absence has been hard.

The following is a quick photo recap of our summer.*

We made it to the MN Zoo. It's fun to act like animals there.

We made some wonderful new friends over the summer. We met at the splash pad and hit it off right from the start. We stayed in touch and made a habit of going to Library Storytime with them. Here's Miss Doodle with the Big Bad Wolf:

The pictures below are from the end of season T-Ball picnic. They all got trophies, a pink flamingo statue (their mascot), and necklaces with their team number and name engraved on them.

We got to take a trip, with good friends, to Como Zoo. We've known these friends for five years. So they have grown up together. We have lots of happy play date memories from years past. And it's fun to stay connected. (Thanks again, Lisa & Shannon!)

We visited my dear friend, Mary Jane, at her workplace. She made us some delicious drinks. Hot chocolates for the girls, and a Caramel Macchiato for me. Yum, yum. She's the best barista ever, in my opinion. (Thanks again, Mary Jane!)

It's also nice to have friends who live in a condo with a pool. Especially when they invite you over to go swimming! (Thanks again, Danielle!)

This sunglasses shot was taken after we went swimming at Elm Creek Swimming Pond. Also known as the "fake lake." We didn't get up there as much as I had hoped, but the two times we went were lots of fun.

We helped one of Bug's friends celebrate her third birthday by going with them to the MN Children's Museum. We all had a blast. (Thanks for inviting us along, Anne!)

There were many bike trips up to our local playground. I'm glad I finally remembered to bring the camera along.

Bug mastered sliding down the pole this summer.

Miss Doodle took a swimming camp at Foss. Her swimming skills improved dramatically. I was very impressed. Here she is learning to float:

The Regime took Monday, August 29th off so that we could enjoy a day at the MN State Fair. It was a gorgeous day, perfect for the fair. We made sure to stick to our traditions. Visiting the barns, riding rides at the Kidway, the Giant Slide, Little Farm Hands, visiting the Art Building, a little shopping at the International Bazaar (the girls bought fans, again), and the Space Tower. And, yes, of course, we enjoyed lots of delicious food along the way.

The following pictures were taken on August 31, 2011. It was our Big City Adventure day. We started at the Sculpture Garden, and then crossed the bridge to play at Loring Park, but we didn't stop there. Nope. We walked to Nicollet Mall and explored all along the way there and back. It was unforgettable. I felt like a tourist in the city next door. (Thanks again, Dawn!)

Miss Doodle took lots of pictures along the way. Including this one, which I love:

*And that was just a small sampling of our summer fun. There were many times when I forgot to get the camera out. Like when we visited the local Aquatic Center, and splash pads. Or when we went to a drive-in movie, visited our old neighbor Helen, had fun at the Penny Carnival, went to a parade, saw fireworks, rode rides at Nickelodeon Universe, picked raspberries, saw Bill the Juggler at the library, played with friends at Adventure Peak, saw a play at Stages, enjoyed an outdoor concert, went to a T-ball pool party, and visited Grandma & Grandpa. Phew! (No wonder the time flew by.) We also slept in. A lot. It was awesome. Some of the best days of my life and I'll never forget them.

Summer Road Trip, Last Leg

2011-08-30T12:30:00.004-05:00

We had been so busy enjoying our time at the beach that I didn't make our hotel arrangements, for the trip home, before we left OBX. The other reason this task hadn't been accomplished was due to my holding out hope that we might be able to stay at my grandfather's house, free of charge, one more night. Going to his house would've simply changed our route slightly, but only added about fifteen minutes to the travel time. (In reality, probably, not really. We got stuck in traffic around D.C.) Too bad my holding out didn't work. The Regime was dead set on trying to get further down the road on that Friday, June 24, 2011.

I didn't really expect it to be a problem. They have lots of hotels along the Pennsylvania turnpike, right? So I thought this was just a little, and easily fixable oops. Sadly, I was wrong. It turned out to be a bigger problem than I had imagined.

My first clue to the severity of having no reservations was discovered, when we found a place with free Wi-Fi, after we got back into Virginia. The kids needed food, so they had some pizza at this stop, while I tried Priceline. Previously I had used Priceline to negotiate very cheap hotel rates. (And because it was so easy before I just assumed it would continue to be easy.) Regrettably, I tried and tried for an hour. And even when I tried bidding higher and higher I still had no luck, so we had no choice but to give up. We had already wasted an hour of precious daylight driving time.

By the time we got to the area where The Regime wanted to stop it was very late at night. Actually it had turned into very early Saturday morning. I got a travel brochure from one of the pit stops and tried calling all of the hotels in the area. There were no vacancies, at all. Turns out there aren't a lot of hotels along the Pennsylvania turnpike. And it was a Friday night during the busy summer traveling season. (On our way down we needed hotel stays on less busy Sunday and Monday nights. And previously we were staying in metropolitan areas, which have many hotel options, both times. But you know I didn't think of any of that until after the fact.)

Finally, around 2 am (with our eyes barely staying open) we decided that our only option was to pull off at one of the stops and sleep in the car. Which really was no problem for me and my husband, we are seasoned road trippers, but with the kids it was slightly more difficult.

I had Bug cuddled up on my lap so that I could lay my chair back. And Miss Doodle was actually the luckiest of the bunch. We were able to make a little bed for her on top of the suitcases and cooler that were filling up the side of the van. So we were able to get somewhat comfortable and fall into a deep sleep.

Unfortunately the sleep didn't last very long. I was awakened by, what felt like, a real life nightmare, the sound of retching around 4 a.m. I jumped up out of my sleep and took Miss Doodle into the bathroom, where she got sick some more. I washed her off at the sink the best I could. And I found her some clean clothes to change into. (Later the Regime admitted that he was totally out of it during this fiasco. He was amazed by my quick acting reflexes. I think being a mom gives you this skill.)

Then I went back to the car to clean up. I had to throw away a pillow. The rest of the stuff was bagged up in an effort to contain the grossness until we could get home to wash it all. I felt very lucky (and grateful) that the man in the convenience store was kind enough to give me a large, thick plastic bag, from under their counter, because they didn't sell any there.

After that we decided to continue on the road. I was groggy and feeling very nauseous so my husband drove until he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. Lucky me, I got to take the wheel right before we entered the Chicago area's Saturday afternoon traffic madness. Despite being very tired and just plain ready to get out of the stinky car, I got us safely through to the north west suburbs. This is where we stopped for an early dinner and found another free internet connection so I could make a hotel reservation. We felt very fortunate to get a room at a deluxe Hyatt for only $50.

Here's Miss Doodle conked out as we drove through Chicago (I think this picture is a good representation of how we all felt at this point):

We had driven long enough so that we'd be able to check-into the hotel. It was heavenly to get in there and get Miss Doodle into the shower. The beds were also wonderful. After sleeping in the car they felt like the most comfortable beds on the planet. Of course the girls had been sleeping in the car on and off all night and day so they had plenty more energy than me and the Regime. Yet we still went to sleep very early, the Regime was out like a light way before the rest of us. And I dozed off while the girls watched a game show on tv before finally hitting the hay.

In the morning, before checking out, me and the girls loved relaxing in the hot tub and swimming in the pool. After that we packed up and headed back out on to the road. Wisconsin feels like it lasts forever,* but we eventually made it home. We unpacked and got the puked on stuff into the washing machine. Dorothy is right, "there's no place like home."

*Stopping for some delicious Dunkin' Donuts one last time, was the highlight there. Too bad they don't have any shops in Minnesota.

Summer Road Trip, Part Two

2011-08-20T13:55:00.003-05:00

When I found out that we would be taking a summer trip to the East Coast for my sister's wedding, I automatically hoped we would also make it to the beach. In Minnesota, everyone seems to go to the cabin on the lake, up north, for their family summer vacations. Where I'm from everyone goes to the beach! So I grew up taking summer trips to places like Virginia Beach and Myrtle Beach. And even after I moved to Minnesota I was still lucky enough to go every summer up until I was eighteen.* So every year that I don't get to the beach I know I'm missing out. Of course, I no longer take these trips for granted, as I once did. I soak up every minute, wishing the vacation would never end, whenever I am at the beach.

We hadn't taken a beach vacation (or any real vacation, for that matter) for three years.** You might remember our last vacation at the beach was when Bug was just a baby. So I think going to Kill Devil Hills in OBX was very well deserved.

Fortunately, my brother and his family, my sister and her two youngest children, my mom, and my youngest sister were all able to join us in North Carolina. I was so glad my kids got to spend some time with their cousins, aunts, uncle, and grammy. Too bad it can't happen more often!

One of the (many) things we really loved to do was walk on the beach as the sun was setting. As it gets darker, it's fun to try and spot all of the sand crabs running around on the beach. (We even saw people with nets and flashlights grabbing them up.) We did our best to walk around all of the sea jellies that had washed up onto the shore. Most importantly these times were great for talking and finding seashells.

The following pictures were taken during our enjoyable evening strolls:

My youngest niece did a great job modeling her beautiful smile for the camera. We got a couple of new camera lenses before we left. (Our original lens was broken, and I wanted another fun one to play with.) So I started learning how to use the 50 mm lens with her as my subject. I think I got some really fun shots with it.

And this next one (below) is my favorite. If you look at it closely you can see just how clear it is. (And I didn't do any editing. The lighting was just that good.) Doesn't she have beautiful eyes?!

I didn't get as many photos on the beach during the day because it's hard to bring the camera to the beach when you are going swimming and digging in the sand. I was worried about damaging the camera or new lenses with sand or salt water. So I only brought it on our last day at the beach, but as you can see from the pictures below, we had a lot of fun in the sun! Every day of our vacation was spent at the beach swimming, collecting shells, building sand castles, and riding the waves.

If you look closely at this picture of Miss Doodle you will notice something missing from her smile. It was pretty exciting for her to lose her first tooth while we were at the beach.:

Before we headed out on our long, arduous journey home, we had to take a few more family shots:

So we left the beach, sad to say goodbye, but happy as clams knowing that we'd had such a wonderful trip, with no hiccups. I was very anxious that something awful would happen on our trip. After all when you aren't in your safety zone, everything feels too risky. Car accidents, sunburns, drownings, shark attacks, bed bugs, getting sick, all of these feel like they could be one misstep away. Little did I know, the hiccup was yet to come. Dun, dun, duuuun!

To be continued....

*My dad still had custody rights, so my brother and I would go home to visit him for a few weeks each summer. And he always took us to the beach during our visits.

**I did go, by myself with Bug, to visit Maryland, when my brother and his wife had their first child. And I went to Virginia two years ago, by myself with the girls in tow, when my grandpa passed away. But neither of those really count as a vacation, in my opinion.

Summer Road Trip, Part One

2011-08-01T21:37:00.018-05:00

A few days after school was finished (June 12th, to be exact) we headed out on our first ever, long family road trip. We broke it into three sections and planned a couple of fun outings along the way. This made it a very easy trip down to my home state of Virginia.

The first day we drove from our home, just west of Minneapolis, to the suburbs of Chicago. We stayed the night there. After sleeping in a bit, packing up, and checking out we made our way over to Pirates' Cove. We had originally planned to go to the Legoland Discovery Center, but we changed our minds after reading many disappointing reviews on tripadvisor. We were happy with our decision, as depicted by the following pictures:

After a couple of hours of fun there we headed out and stopped for lunch at an Edwardo's Pizza Restaurant* along the way. We enjoyed our fabulously delicious lunch and then headed on to our next stopping point near Cleveland, Ohio. We enjoyed a good night's sleep and then headed over to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. We are currently members of the Minnesota Zoo which allowed us to get into the Cleveland Zoo at half price. Besides the location, which was a perfect next stopping point along our route, we also picked it because it had some animals we don't have at either of our local zoos. We got to see Australian animals such as kangaroos and koalas. Their zoo also had rhinos and elephants.

If you look closely you can see the joey in the mama's pouch.

After that adventure we were back on the road for the last leg of the journey. In the evening we made it to our destination city, Winchester, where we met up with my sister and her (at the time, soon to be) husband for a late dinner. After that we made it through the woods and curvy dirt roads all the way to my grandfather's house.

He was kind enough to let us stay with him for a few nights. It was great to visit with him, although it felt much too short. We had lots of things to do in town, in preparation for my sister's wedding. We had manicures and pedicures, a rehearsal dinner, and hair appointments. Then her big day came and it went wonderfully. It was a beautiful wedding:

The girls did a great job being flower girls!

My sister, Cassie, and her new husband, Dave.

After the ceremony it was time to celebrate!

I felt like I didn't get to see my dad much at all. Well, because honestly I hadn't. I got to sit near him at the rehearsal dinner, but that was about it. Fortunately, we were able to get together for breakfast the morning following the wedding. After our pancakes, eggs, and coffee we headed over to his new digs for a quick tour of the place. The Outer Banks of North Carolina were calling us, but of course we had to snap a few family photos first.

From left to right: my dad, my step-mother, my aunt, Miss Doodle, me, Bug, my niece, and my brother.

*Edwardo's makes, in my opinion the best pizza. Ever. Albeit likely to be the most calorie laden. It was so worth it. I still wish they hadn't closed their Bloomington location, over ten years ago.

Kindergarten is so Yesterday

2011-07-31T20:15:00.006-05:00

In my head I hear The Beatles singing, "Oh yesterday came suddenly..." Those famous words ring so true to me now. We are already on the brink of August. Only a little more than a month until we start all over again.

I suppose every parent feels this way when they see their children growing so quickly, but I'll still say it, it is almost impossible to believe that my daughter is going into first grade. (Wow, I'm gonna be a mess when graduation time comes.) But before she actually starts first grade I wanted to share some photos* from the last days of Kindergarten:

Zhao Laoshi signing Miss Doodle's yearbook.

Miss Doodle proudly accepting her Kindergarten diploma.

We are very proud of you, Miss Doodle, and we hope that first grade goes just as well as Kindergarten did!

Truth be told, I'm nervous that it won't be as easy to adjust to. She's not a morning person, and we had afternoon Kindergarten, so we'll have to see how waking up early goes. And I get to adjust to packing two lunches** everyday. Yay.

*I tried to post a video from her year end celebration, where she was singing in Chinese. Alas, the file was too large. (That was at the beginning of July. Ugh. Can you tell that that frustration really zapped my motivation to blog?)

**I've faithfully packed my husband a lunch for every work day, with very few exceptions, for more than 12 years. Of course he's not as picky as Miss Doodle. He's happy to eat the same thing every single day. I'm hoping there will be a few vegetarian school lunches.

Batter Up!

2011-05-25T09:22:00.001-05:00

When Miss Doodle found out that her good friend Ava would be playing T-Ball this summer, and that Ava's dad would be one of the coaches, she was ready to play. So I inquired to see if they'd have a spot for her, and sure enough they did.

She has practice on most Sunday afternoons and games on most Wednesday evenings. So far she has been really enjoying it. She is learning the basic rules of the game. And she's picking up the skills needed to hit, throw, and catch. As well as the lessons of having great team spirit and encouraging others. As an added plus, I get to see my friend Lisa, and Bug loves playing at the playground with Ava's little sister.

Go team Pink!

The Girl's Got Potential

2011-05-24T20:06:00.001-05:00

The Regime doesn't believe in internet bragging. And for the most part neither do I. But I am making an exception. (My apologies, in advance.)

The thing is, I'm really happy and excited for our daughter. I am so very proud of her. If you were in my shoes, I'm sure you'd feel the same. And most likely you'd want to mention it somewhere online too.

It turns out that Miss Doodle is actually a Miss Smarty Pants. She had to complete some tests at school (all of the kids did, they are called NWEA tests) and her results were quite good. Good enough for the High Potential people at her school to notice. So they asked us if we would be willing to have her take another intelligence test. (Which we agreed to.) We also had to complete a questionnaire, which her teacher had to fill out as well.

Last week we got the results. She is eligible for all levels of the High Potential Services that they offer and can be a part of the program through fifth grade.

The Regime and I were in similar programs when we were in Elementary School. I remember how much I loved being in that program. The Regime enjoyed his immensely too. We are hoping it will be the same for her.

New on the Ice

2011-03-27T11:22:00.014-05:00

We signed Miss Doodle up for Ice Skating Lessons on Saturday mornings through May. She is just beginning and isn't super steady on the ice yet. Fortunately there is one other girl in the class who is brand new to the world of ice skating as well. Their instructor gives them both special attention. Meanwhile the other instructor teaches the rest of the, obviously very comfortable on the ice, kids in the class.

I had only taken Miss Doodle ice skating one time before this class. I'm not very skilled and have no knowledge of how to teach someone else to ice skate. Here's where not being a native Minnesotan becomes glaringly obvious. I learned to skate a little when I moved here at the age of twelve, and it wasn't too bad considering I'd had many years of rollerskating under my belt, but I'm definitely not a pro either. And I tell the Regime that although he was born and raised in Minnesota, he's not like a lot of the other Minnesotans. In many ways I think he acts more like a New Yorker, due to his dad's influence.

So I am sure that these lessons are money well spent. I think that at least one of us should learn skills that will help us to endure these long, cold Minnesota winters.*

*We've got a lot of the indoor playing skills down. Like lego building, reading, watching tv, and art. But none of us know how to ski (I went once and it was a horrible, terrible, awful experience), I went snowshoeing once (just this past February and it was a great experience, which I hope to repeat with the kids sometime), and The Regime has never gone ice skating. The little Bug already wants to learn how to ice skate. We'll be sure to sign her up once she's old enough. And by the way, for those of you reading from outside the state, it still feels and looks like winter out here.

Kindergarten Breakfast

2011-03-26T22:27:00.000-05:00

On Friday, March 11th we enjoyed breakfast and songs at Miss Doodle's school. The kindergartners performed for all of the parents and siblings present. Their repertoire included a number of songs, all about bears. (Thus the teddy bear pictured above.) They were super cute and did a great job singing for us.

The Brueggers bagels and coffee (or cereal for those not inclined to eat a bagel with cream cheese) they provided for us weren't too shabby either. We all enjoyed it and it made me glad that Miss Doodle convinced me to drag my tired self (and their tired selves) out of bed before 7 am.

Girls in White Dresses with Pink Satin Sashes

2011-03-20T11:33:00.007-05:00

My sister, Cassie, is getting married in June. I will be a bridesmaid and my two girls will be ~~wedding princesses~~ flower girls alongside one of their cousins.

A couple of weeks ago we headed over to David's Bridal to try on the dresses. Here are the photos so you can enjoy our fun too.

Bug in her gown:

Miss Doodle looking like a pretty, pretty princess:

Another cute shot of bug in her gown:

And of course we couldn't leave the store without trying on some shoes:

Practically A Year Overdue - Part Two

2011-02-28T22:53:00.008-06:00

Another excuse for my lack of entries would be the fact that school started. Our lives have been extra busy ever since. I am truly thankful for the fact that Minnesota allows open enrollment, therefore giving Miss Doodle the opportunity to learn Mandarin Chinese. But I am also learning the challenges of living outside of her school district.

Our drive to her school is between fifteen and twenty minutes. She is only there for two and a half hours in the afternoon. To me it doesn't really make sense to drive all the way home while she is there. So Bug and I rarely come home. We usually stay near her school. We often enjoy the nearby library. We also make lots of trips to Eden Prairie Center or Ridgedale to play in their little play areas. Other days we get the grocery shopping done or visit with friends.

Fortunately over the months we've figured out how to make it work. And Bug is mostly done with naps now. That is unless she's really tired and falls asleep on the way home. But that seems to be happening less and less often.

Yay! Now I will share some nice photos from the last six months and then I will be all caught up until next ~~year~~ month. (I'm really, truly going to try and post at least once a month.)

Miss Doodle on her first day of Kindergarten:

We made our annual trip to the apple orchard last fall. (If you are interested in seeing how they've grown, here are the links to entries about our past trips to the orchard: October 2009, October 2008)

I couldn't resist adding this one. It makes me laugh every time I look at it. Miss Doodle obviously, really wanted her sister to look at and smile for the camera.

Can you find the ~~needle in the haystack~~ bug in the leaf pile?

Our neighbors have a huge Sycamore tree with ginormous leaves. Its branches overlap into our yard a bit. Its leaves made for an awesome pile to jump in!

Miss Doodle dressed up as Wednesday Addams. And Bug dressed up as her namesake.

Miss Doodle turned six. Yes, six! We had her party at Adventure Peak. (It's a really awesome indoor play structure.)

We visited our former neighbor. We really miss living close to her. She doesn't have any biological grandchildren so she kind of adopted us. And the girls' biological great grandmas (and great grandaddy*) live far away so it's nice to have her filling in.

We enjoyed a visit from my mom and sister. (You can also read about that visit in depth on my blog.)

Miss Doodle donated her hair to Locks of Love:

A clean and smiley bug:

A sleepy, dreaming bug:

Goofing off upstairs in the playroom:

A little fairy playing with Barbie:

Tag you're it!:

Joy on Christmas Eve:

Even more joy on Christmas Morning:

Bug had her first dental cleaning. You can tell she was prepared for it just by looking at her shirt. (Yep, that's a toothpaste stain all right.)

She did a great job of sitting nicely and opening wide. Just like her older sister. (Remember this post? It's the same dental office...different chair.) And those lucky girls were both declared cavity free.

Miss Doodle's school had a very fun Chinese New Year Celebration on February 11th. She even sang a couple of Happy New Year type songs in Chinese, along with her class, in front of a very packed gym. Here's a picture of her standing next to the rabbit she made. (It's the year of the rabbit, hence all of the rabbits.)

This was just last Wednesday. We made it to the awesome story time they have at the Ridgedale library. When that was done we had plenty of time to grab lunch at Chipotle, one of our favorites. Yum! After that we still had a few minutes to burn before it was time for Miss Doodle to go to school so I let them play for a bit.

Until next time:

*I had to throw that in for all of the Northerners who pick on me because we call him that instead of grandpa.

Practically A Year Overdue - Part One

2011-02-23T23:03:00.038-06:00

I look at this blog and I am proud of myself for my past efforts, but then I also get disappointed in myself for giving up the fight. It's been an entire year since I last posted here. And I really wish I'd been posting all along.

When I come here and look back I realize that without the documentation I would've easily forgotten all about those fun, cute, happy times. And it makes me really glad I took the time to post it. Then the pit of my stomach drops. I feel sad. A whole year lived but not recorded, and therefore not shared with friends and family far away, or well remembered.

I will do my best to explain...so I can live with myself. And anyone who still checks this will also, hopefully forgive my absence.

Either shortly before, or shortly after that last post (see I can't remember) we put our townhouse on the real estate market. Which led to a whirlwind of showings. Life was so busy trying to keep the place clean and ready to sell, that I had very little time for anything else. Fortunately, all of that hard work paid off and we managed to get a reasonable offer at the end of April. Then we had to find a new home, and get everything packed up in about a month. We were moved into our new home by the end of May 2010. Then came the unpacking, and learning the new neighborhood.

Did I mention it was summer by then? So all we felt like doing was enjoying summer, after the hectic spring we'd had. Most of the blog postings would have been about us ~~living the life of Riley~~ swimming, going to splash pads, playgrounds, zoos, feeding farm animals, or even collecting cicada skins. (They leave them behind when they molt, and there were tons of them in our new yard.)

This cicada is actually alive, not just a skin.

(Just in case you were wondering what they look like.

Don't worry I've got pictures of a much cuter bug below.)

They found it on the tree in our yard:

Well, last summer was so laid back that I didn't always remember the camera. Other times I chose not to bring it along so I wouldn't annoy the Regime. The final excuse is that the camera doesn't work properly very often, it has a serious focusing issue. (It is still on the fritz and we need to figure out how to fix it.) But here are some of the pictures I did manage to take last spring and summer. And yes we did go to the Minnesota State Fair and I would love to have pictures of that to end this post with. Alas, I found out my camera battery was dead only after we arrived at the Fair. So you'll have to make due with what I've got.

Bug helping with the move:

Como Park Zoo on our 11th Wedding Anniversary (5/16/10):

Wow do I look tired here.
Must have been all of the work involved in moving.
Yep. It was definitely that.

Bug in front of our new home:

Miss Doodle enjoying the swings, at the playground on the end of our block:

Visiting the farm at the MN Zoo:

Surrounded by goats:

Enjoying a mini vacation at the Ham Lake campground with friends:

MN Zoo again. This time we went with Grandma and Grandpa.
We had to go one last time before the membership ran out:

Bug hunting for butterflies:

I think they found some:

Our new house has a lego room. Yay!
Notice Miss Doodle in her swimsuit.
She practically lived in it last summer:

We even got a dog. (you can read all about that misadventure here):

P.S. - I promise to get part two of this post to you before this month is over. It will cover our fall and winter adventures...or lack thereof.

A Visitor!

2010-02-24T09:37:00.009-06:00

It's already been a month since Aunt Cassie left. And Bug still asks almost everyday, "Where'd Cassie go?" I'd say that my sister left a good impression. And I'm sad that we don't live closer. My girls (and me too) would love to have more family involved in their lives, and on a regular basis. But for now, we must make do with the visits that we are lucky enough to have.

I was thinking about it and realized that Aunt Cassie is the first person in our family to visit us, at our home, in almost two years. (This includes all of our family, no matter where they live. My mom and younger sister were the last to visit, back when Bug was born.) So you see, we don't get company very often, and when we do we are so happy!*

Aunt Cassie is in sales. She represents many different hair care companies and sells their products to salons. One of the companies that she represents is called Scruples. (Their White Tea Shampoo and Conditioner are excellent, by the way. Thanks Aunt Cassie for the full sized samples!) Their headquarters are located in Lakeville, MN. They were doing some training, so Aunt Cass had to come up to Minnesota in the middle of January. Fortunately, she was able to get some time off of work and extend the trip for a few more days, at no cost to her. Which was awesome for us!

Most of the time that she was here was spent lounging around. I had a full list of ideas, if she wanted to get out of the house, but she was pretty exhausted from the first half of the week. So laying around and cuddling with my girls was her idea of a grand ole time.

We did get to go swimming with her at the indoor pool near our house. And we also got to see my Aunt and Uncle who live in Blaine. As well as my cousin. And her daughter, who happens to be only two days younger than Bug. This was my first time meeting her daughter and she is super cute! I was so glad I got to see all of them and wish I could see them more often. The girls all played so well together.

It was hard to get a good shot cause they were always on the go!

We also made it to the Mall of America for a short while before Aunt Cassie had to catch her flight. Our visit was a good one, but of course it went way too fast. (As the rest of my life also does, I can't believe it's already been a month since she left.)

Aunt Cassie we miss you! Thanks for coming to visit!

*Well maybe not the Regime...perhaps he is the reason we don't get visits more often. At least it's easier for me to think it's him and not me. And we have seen our family more recently than two years. I made the trek to the East Coast twice last year. And we see my in-laws quite often, but we always have to go to their place.

Cabin Fever Leads to Shenanigans

2010-02-18T10:16:00.008-06:00

Also known as, cool tricks, if you are 5, or almost 2 years old.

Nothing in our house is safe. We childproofed. But we aren't Bug proof. She has managed to force her way into many of the supposed-to-be locked cupboards and drawers.

She also discovered the push a chair up to the counters and climb up trick. I had to find a new hiding spot for the candy. Because Bug has a serious sweet tooth, and she kept trying to get into that cupboard.

Here she is with two(!) stolen lollipops. Can you guess which Beatles song this makes me think of? (Hint: goo goo g'joob)

Um. That thing she is standing on is supposed to be an ab exerciser. To be honest, it gets more use as a toy.

And someone needs to get this girl into gymnastics already.

I swear I really can't turn my back. (Like I'm doing right now in order to write this post.)

She managed to use up all this lotion. On her face, in her hair, etc. And as you can see she found the markers shortly beforehand.

Controlled mess.

I thought she was too little for video games. Bug doesn't agree. She swipes big sister Doodle's DS*every chance she gets.

As you can tell, regular toys get old. Gotta come up with new and creative ways to ~~make a mess~~ have fun when you are stuck in the house for months on end. Spring, where are you? I gotta get these monsters outside!

*Which is actually mine, or was purchased for me, but they play with it more than I do.

Peekamoo!

2010-02-17T08:37:00.000-06:00

Who's hiding behind that curtain?

None other than my favorite little...

...~~Bug~~ Cow! She really loves this costume. She'd wear it everyday if I let her. (And I do, as long as we are at home.)

Just don't take too many pictures or you might get this look.

What's Been Goin' On? - Part 2

2010-01-11T15:15:00.005-06:00

December was, as it is for most people, very busy. But we also had loads of fun!

When I (finally) got the box of decorations out, Bug decided that the stockings should be used as hats instead.

The Regime had two weeks off from work at the end of December. So we enjoyed hanging out at home and the three of them (The Regime, Miss Doodle and Bug) built with Legos as much as they could.

I did manage to drag ~~Mr. Homebody~~ the Regime out of the house on a few occasions. For instance, our trip to see the Macy's 8th floor Elf display. We rode the Hiawatha line into downtown Minneapolis. Taking the light rail is great because it is fun for the kids, and you don't have to worry about paying for parking.

By the time we got all the way there it was already time for lunch, and the line to see the display was very long. So we decided to get lunch first.

This picture was taken right after we ate. I love how it turned out,* except for the lunch all over Bug's shirt.

Here they are next to the display. I couldn't get Bug to smile at the camera this time, because there was just too much to look at.

Including this pig, which she could barely take her eyes off of.

After the display, Miss Doodle got a cupcake with green icing. We saved it until we got home. And I'm really glad we did. Look at that mess!

On one of our many days spent at home we also decorated cookies. That was fun and delicious! Gotta love almond flavored frosting!

Finally the day to open the presents arrived! We all received oodles and oodles of good stuff. We had a blast opening all of the gifts. And lucky me, I got to have extra fun cleaning everything up afterward.**

*Yes, even that extra cheesy "Say cheese!" smile that Bug has started puttin' on for the camera lately.
**The Holidays are definitely for the kids! It's mostly just work to me due to the fact that I was raised without it. But I see how much the kids love it and it makes it all worth it.

What's Been Goin' On? - Part 1

2010-01-10T22:43:00.001-06:00

Where have we been? What have we been up to? Why haven't I updated sooner?

We've been all over. We've been up to all kinds of mischief. And I have no good reason for the lack of updates. I've just lacked the motivation, energy, and time. But I promise I'm gonna work on that. So lets play catch up and then I'll do my best to stay caught up for the rest of the year.

I was planning to start potty training Bug once she turned two. As usual, she had her own plan. In October, she initiated the process herself. She started asking to sit on the potty. So now she is in the thick of learning all about using the toilet.

Sometimes she tells me before she's gone. Other times she tells me shortly after she's gone. Here are some pics of her walking like a Sumo wrestler because her pants are already wet. Then making it to the potty to try again. (Have I mentioned she's in the, "I do it myself!" phase?)

At the end of October we made a neat discovery. Lilydale Regional Park in St. Paul is awesome! We went there to look for fossils. We didn't find many of them. But we did find a waterfall and a beautiful view of St. Paul.

In my opinion, Miss Doodle was a picture perfect fossil hunter. We can't wait for the next fossil hunting season to begin so we can go searching once again.

Bug was obsessed with cows and saying, "moo!" at the end of October. So that's what she was for our trick or treating adventures. And now that she has begun the 'dressing up and changing outfits 500 times a day phase,' I can assure you this outfit is still getting plenty of use. She's even used them as pajamas. I think that she's the cutest cow ever!

Miss Doodle found a beautiful masquerade ball costume. When she wore it everyone kept mistaking her for a princess. Which she couldn't understand. She kept asking me, "Why are they calling me a princess when I am not? I am a masquerade ball dancer!" (Talk about attention to detail.)

On November 8th, Miss Doodle turned five (!) years old. She had a fun party with her friends. I made her a strawberry cake with pink frosting and blue hearts, just as she requested. She also enjoyed making her very own little cake with the Easy Bake Oven that Auntie Cass sent her.

November was a surprisingly decent month. The weather was sunny and much better than it was in October. So we enjoyed some more family outings. Including another lovely trip to Fort Snelling's Pike Island at dusk. We especially loved running into a couple of deer. (Bug has been obsessed with deer ever since.)

The Apples Don't Fall Far From the Trees

2009-10-28T20:46:00.001-05:00

I wasn't sure if we'd make it to the apple orchard this year. With all of the sickness, snow and whatnot. So when we made it there last weekend, I didn't take it for granted. Not one little bit.

Saturday was decent. Almost warm compared to all of the other days this month. And everyone was feeling well so we hurried on down to Fischer's orchard. It has become our annual apple picking spot. It's very pretty there and not too far from our house. They also have some animals to feed and pet. Haystacks to climb and a wooden train to play on. Works great for us. Especially this year because there was hardly anyone there. (We don't really love crowds.)

Now if I could just find the time and energy to peel and cut all of those apples. And transform them into some delicious apple crisp.

More Fun at the Zoo

2009-10-11T14:12:00.005-05:00

We made our way over to the Minnesota Zoo once again. We wanted to get over there and see the farm animals before they were gone for the season. October is the last month for the farm exhibit at the zoo, so we made it just in time.

As you can see, the goats and Miss Doodle were eagerly awaiting the handout.

Last year they put in a new exhibit called Russia's Grizzly Coast. Every other time that we've been there the bears were either hibernating or resting. Last Sunday, was a rare treat, because the bears were very active! They were horsing around in the water the entire time we were there. We had a great view too.

Now that's what I call a bear hug:

Our last stop before heading indoors was the new Woodland Adventure playground, which was just installed earlier this summer. As always, a definite hit with the kids!

Thanks again for the membership, Grandma and Grandpa! We love it!

Working Out with Mom

2009-10-10T17:29:00.006-05:00

And Jillian Micheals. I think that Bug might be Jillian's youngest devotee.

It's very cute. That is until she starts grabbing my legs as I try to exercise, lays on my mat, or plays with the hand weights when I need them.

Turtles, and Stingrays, and Sharks, Oh My!

2009-10-05T16:43:00.006-05:00

Last Tuesday we made it over to the Mall of America for Toddler Tuesday. We were running late and only caught the end of it. But we still had fun.

We bought a membership to the Underwater Adventures Aquarium at the mall. It only cost $42 because they sell the memberships for half price on Toddler Tuesdays. What a deal! We can go to the aquarium whenever we want for the next year. In other words, we'll visit every time we stop at the mall. Man are my kids spoiled! (Me too.)

Splish, Splash They Were Takin' a Bath

2009-10-03T12:00:00.000-05:00

Our little Bug still loves to splash! And her big sister still hates to get water in her eyes. But thanks to Uncle Tim and Aunt Jenna, the Doodle now has a way to protect herself from her wild bathwater thrashing sister.

Gotta Get Out Before the Snow Flies

2009-09-28T15:34:00.010-05:00

Yesterday afternoon (before the frightfully gusty winds began) we enjoyed a lovely autumn afternoon at Fort Snelling State Park, or as Miss Doodle accidentally called it, "Snort Snelling." (Hee hee.)

I'd hoped to take pictures of both of the girls while we were there, but I only got pictures of Miss Doodle. There are two reasons for that. First, the Bug tripped on a rain spout near the visitor center, shortly after we arrived, and landed face first on the sidewalk. (Ouch!) A nasty case of sidewalk induced road rash ensued. It's not pretty. The Regime joked that she looks as if she'd been attacked by a badger. And second, I had Bug on my back almost the entire time we were there, and she slept for more than half of our hike.

So you'll have to make due with these shots of Miss Doodle at her finest.

We hiked all of Pike Island while we were there. So what was our word for the day, boys and girls? That's right, confluence. Because the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers meet right at the edge of the island.

In front of the Minnesota River.

Putting her feet into the Mighty Mississippi. (Yes, I understand how gross that is. But she begged, and don't worry, we washed her feet as soon as we got home.)

The Madness Begins

2009-09-15T21:55:00.007-05:00

Yesterday was "just another manic Monday." (Oh..woe.) And there will be plenty more to come. It was the first day of school for our household.

Miss Doodle will have preschool on Monday and Wednesday mornings at a local elementary school. She has to be there at 8:30 am sharp. I am proud to say that we made it there a few minutes early. (I know, I couldn't believe it either.) Hopefully tomorrow will go just as well.

After dropping the Doodle off, the Bug and I buzzed over to her first class. I signed her up for a young toddlers ECFE class which (conveniently) begins at 8:45 am on Mondays.

In our hurry to get out the door I yelled to Miss Doodle that she needed to find her backpack. Two seconds later and Bug came around the corner carrying one. I didn't even know that she knew that word. Fortunately it wasn't the new one I had bought for Doodle's preschool, but an extra (more worn) one. So she could carry it around as much as she wanted to.

So grown up! Already in her final year of preschool.

Miss Doodle also started soccer in the evening. It is a pre-soccer program for three to five year olds. They aren't really playing in teams, but in this program they are being taught the basic skills of the game. It was very entertaining to watch. Some of the kids didn't have a clue about what was going on.

Miss Doodle followed the instructions pretty well. She also got in some good, fun exercise.

Our Day at the Fair

2009-09-11T09:17:00.009-05:00

We made it over to the Minnesota State Fair on Thursday, September 3rd, the day after we got back from our trip to Virginia. It was a lovely day and we had loads of fun. It was only slightly less perfect than last year's trip to the fair. (And that's only because last year's visit was extraordinary.)

We enjoyed rides at the Kidway, the Giant Slide, the Little Farm Hands exhibit, too much yummy food, and seeing all of the farm animals. We must've had good karma again this year because people kept giving us coupons for free food. Score!

All About Our Trip

2009-09-10T15:00:00.008-05:00

Yes, we have been back for a little more than a week now. I've been meaning to share pictures of some of the fun we had on our trip. It's just taken a while because I've been feeling quite melancholy and unmotivated (more than usual) for obvious reasons.

I'm really glad that it worked out for us to take the trip. And overall we enjoyed our visit. Especially all of the time we got to spend with my side of the family. I think for the first time I might have taken too many pictures. It has taken forever to sort through them and post the highlights. Here we go.

The following photos were taken Thursday, August 27, 2009. We spent some time at the hospital to visit my grandpa, took a break at my dad's house, and then went out to eat for dinner.

Miss Doodle on Grandaddy's "country swing." (her words)

Bug and Grandaddy (my dad) goofing around.

My brother's super cute baby girl, hammin' it up for the camera.

Nana (my step mom), Uncle Tim, and baby Ivy.

My Grandma is about to turn 90. She looks really good for her age, wouldn't you agree? (I hope I'll be that lucky.)

Next up are pictures taken on Friday, August 28, 2009. We spent most of this day at the hospital, but also made time to go out for dinner with the other side of the family.

Miss Doodle with Grammy (my mom).

The Bug and the Queen (aka Auntie Cass).

Aunt Jess and cousin Madeline.

My sweet baby niece and me.

The Bug showing off her skills after dinner.

On Saturday morning we found out that my grandfather had passed away during the previous night. My father told us to go on over to my other sister's house in Maryland, he said that there was no need for us to stick around while they planned the funeral. So on Saturday, August 29, 2009 we made our way over to Aunt Crissie's house. Miss Doodle had a blast playing with her cousin Madeline and swimming in my sister's deluxe in-ground pool.

Grammy and all of her children and grandchildren. All in one place! Amazing.

Fast friends.

Three beautiful girls.

My sister Crissie's three kids and us. From left to right: Mason, the Bug & me, Miss Doodle, Mads, and Chris.

On Sunday, August 30, 2009, we stayed at my sister's place all morning, while the kids swam. Then right around lunch time we said our sad goodbyes and headed back to Virginia. On the way back we stopped at Harpers Ferry. We got some frozen custard and played in the water. It was a gorgeous day and a lovely location. I have many fond memories of childhood trips to Harpers Ferry and it was fun to go there with my own kids.

Pure bliss. I would be happy to sit at the water's edge all day.

Miss Doodle and Auntie Cass get their feet wet. Miss Doodle also soaked her pants while collecting shells from the river bottom.

The Bug was intrigued by the friendly goose.

A Bug on a rock.

On Monday, August 31, 2009, we made our way over to my Grandad's house. Poor Miss Doodle wasn't used to the hilly, curvy country roads and got a little sick on the way there. I blame myself. I was having a little too much fun joyriding on those beautiful back roads. I took the curves much slower for the remainder of the trip.

We stayed over that night. On the morning of Tuesday, September 1, 2009 we picked elderberries, and went for a short hike down to the pond. I also did some quick cleaning, and fed the birds and deer for my Grandad before leaving that afternoon.

We hated to leave so soon, but had to be on our way because the viewing for my grandpa who passed away was set for Tuesday evening, and we also had to get ready for our flight back to Minnesota, which left Wednesday morning, September 2, 2009.

Miss Doodle and Great Grandaddy (my mom's dad).

A Bug in the woods.

Miss Doodle in the woods.

The Doodle and the Bug enjoying the pond.

Our Bags are Packed

2009-08-25T22:37:00.003-05:00

We are all set to go to Virginia. We leave early tomorrow morning and won't be back until September 2nd. I won't have my computer with me. So I'll fill you in on our trip when we return.

Two Little Monkeys...

2009-08-25T22:23:00.003-05:00

...swinging on a treadmill.

Miss Doodle taught the Bug a cool new trick:

Tomato Soup

2009-08-22T08:15:00.001-05:00

Bug had her first experience with tomato soup. Do you think she likes it?

That's a resounding yes. She ate it all up.

Little Swimmer Girl

2009-08-21T11:32:00.001-05:00

Miss Doodle's final swimming lesson was earlier this month. At the last class they talk about safety and get to wear life vests.

Here she is being caught by the teacher after jumping in:

In the beginning of the class she would not jump into the water. More like hold the teacher's hand while being pulled in. I'm so proud of her because she made great progress. She overcame her anxieties, and by the end of her lessons she was jumping in with enthusiasm!

She passed the class with flying colors and gets to move up to the next level. The next classes don't start until fall. And I signed her up for soccer lessons in between. Hopefully she likes that as much as swimming, cause I'm getting tired of hearing, "When do I get to go to swimming lessons again?"

Starry Night

2009-08-20T08:24:00.002-05:00

We watched shooting stars last week. The Regime got a new pair of binoculars that are good for viewing the night sky. So he was eager to drive out to the country last Wednesday night for the Perseid Meteor Shower.

The Bug was totally asleep in her car seat. Meanwhile, Miss Doodle was so excited that she could hardly contain herself. Not only did she get to stay up way past her bedtime, but she also got to see her very first shooting star and many more. Lots of wishes were made.

We Went to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo

2009-08-19T08:00:00.001-05:00

Grandma and Grandpa came too, too, too.
We went to the zoo, zoo, zoo.

My in-laws were generous enough to buy us a new membership to the Minnesota Zoo. An excellent gift for our family because it's one of our favorite places to visit!

Due to my mother-in-law's health, she isn't able to get out much. So it was such a treat to have her with us. We hope that we'll be able to do it again when she's feeling up for it.

Here are some highlights from our adventure:

Like a Good Neighbor...

2009-07-31T18:00:00.000-05:00

...Helen is there.

We had the pleasure of taking our neighbor out for breakfast on Wednesday morning. We get to do this every so often. Miss Doodle loves it and so do I. I was really glad we were able to do it on Wednesday, especially after she told me that it was the six year anniversary of her husband's death. Going for breakfast probably helped get her mind off of her sadness. At least I'm hoping it helped some.

We've been good friends with her for most of the time that we've lived here in our townhouse. She loves kids, but she doesn't have any grandchildren of her own. So she often invites us over, at which point she feeds us lots and lots of yummy cookies, and tells us many things about her life. She is very kind and friendly, and we are happy to have an extra grandmotherly type around.

I'm glad I finally remembered the camera and got a picture of them together. I can't wait to give her a copy. I just know she'll love it and show it to everyone that comes to visit her.

A Lesson A Day

2009-07-30T14:31:00.000-05:00

Keeps boredom at bay.

The Regime bought this really great book: Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. He's been doing a lesson (almost) every day with Miss Doodle. Overall she is doing really well with it. It amazes me to see her learning so quickly. I also love that it is something she really wants to do.

Gotta love seeing them spend quality father and daughter time together. Great job guys!

Shoelace Skills

2009-07-28T16:32:00.000-05:00

Last night after a fun swimming lesson and a nice bath, Miss Doodle decided to practice tying shoelaces again. (She had tried previously, but had given up in frustration.)

I'm happy to announce that, SHE DID IT! All by herself. Way to go, Miss Doodle!

I can't believe she's so grown up. And now that she's mastered this new task, she's asking for a new pair of shoes. With laces, of course.

Toddler Etiquette

2009-07-28T16:25:00.000-05:00

Or lack there of. Somebody seriously needs to teach this girl some table manners.

Now the World is Her Oyster

2009-07-25T10:50:00.000-05:00

I just hope she doesn't kill (or injure) herself in the process of exploring it.

I've got a serious climber on my hands and she's mastered climbing onto all of the chairs (tables, window ledges, toy cars, plastic bins, etc.) in the house. Now nothing is safe. (Especially not her, or my mental health.)

My little Bug is such a daredevil. She manages to scare me at least once a day. Sometimes (close to) constant supervision doesn't even seem to be enough. How am I supposed to get my work done around here? Everytime I turn around she's about to break her neck.

Here are a few examples. All of these pics were taken on the same day. (And I could've had even more examples for you if I had my camera permanently attached to my body.)

Bug in a Box

2009-07-24T18:00:00.000-05:00

Sometimes the best things in life are free.

Dress, Dress

2009-07-23T11:54:00.000-05:00

My little Bug already has very strong opinions. (Hmmm, I wonder where that came from?) She even has a favorite dress. Already. She's only 16 months old!

Every time she sees the dress she ~~wants to~~ absolutely must wear it. (She won't take no for an answer.) She'll point to it and say, "Dress, dress." Lots of times she digs it out of the pile of clean laundry. Like this time:

Ha ha, I found it!

A little help, please.

Success. Beautiful success.

(With mom's help of course.)

Fun at Phalen Lake Park

2009-07-23T11:18:00.000-05:00

July 11th was a beautiful summery Saturday. We enjoyed part of it at the Dragon Festival in St. Paul. Here are some of the highlights:

Dragon Boat races are the coolest!

We also enjoyed watching the dragon wake up (but got there late...so we only caught the end...and I don't have a good pic for you), saw some Buddhist monks chanting, and performances by people dressed in traditional Asian costumes who played songs and danced. There was also lots of food. We enjoyed rice, veggie spring rolls, delicious momos, and (sinfully good) cream cheese wontons. There were also many booths set up with all kinds of interesting things to look at, buy, and win.

We went last year for the first time and had a fun time so we knew that we wanted to get there again. I'm really hoping we can make it again next summer. And that the weather will be just as nice.

This Too Shall Pass

2009-07-16T00:28:00.000-05:00

This, my friends, is the lovely view from our front window:

If I were a little boy (or if I had little boys living here) I'd be in seventh heaven. Alas, I am not a boy and I have little girls who are not really all that interested in diggers, dump trucks, and other road work equipment. (See, I don't even really know what these things are called, I bet my mom friends with little boys can list 'em off to you like nothin'.)

The beep, beep, beep of these vehicles backing up all day is enough to make me want to shoot something (and I'm a vegetarian.) Especially when it starts at 7 a.m. (No longer do I need an alarm clock.) How can the workers stand it every day of there lives? I wonder if their dreams are filled with beeping.

The other not-so-fun thing going on around here is the Bug's new discovery. The dreaded temper tantrum. As it turns out, this girl has a very healthy temper. Here she is falling on the floor, screaming, thrashing, just plain ol' havin' a fit!

I feel bad. But what can I do. I tell her that I'm sorry she's upset and then I just try to ignore it. She just gets so frustrated that she's not all grown up and can't do (or communicate) everything that she wants to. Of course, I've been trying to get her to use her words and sign to me. But she isn't having it. Boy do I hope this phase passes quickly.

She's also getting molars. Which could be part of the reason for all of the tantrums she's been throwing these last two weeks. One has come through. And there are two on the top that are about to pop. Her gums are swollen and one spot is an awful purpley blue color. It looks so painful. My poor girl! I really hope the suffering ends soon. (For both our sakes.)

New to Her

2009-07-07T23:21:00.000-05:00

Miss Doodle FINALLY got a bike. I'd been checking craigslist every chance I got. Bikes for girls seem to sell instantly. And I really didn't have time, energy, or (most importantly) the desire to take two kids, in and out of the car, while searching (hit or miss) garage sales.

Then last week I hit the jackpot. A bike for sale in Hastings. Which for most people, would be a pretty far drive. Fortunately, it isn't very far for us. Before we went I thought maybe we could go to Sam Kedem's to pick berries after picking up the bike, and I hoped it would be pretty close, since both spots are in Hastings. It turned out that the person selling the bike lives right next to (literally, right in their backyard) the strawberry patch. Talk about convenience! What a perfect set up.

So we got the bike, (and as I've already mentioned) we got the berries and everyone was happy. (Well, at least half of this family of four. And the people who made some money.)

Caught Red Handed

2009-07-03T13:45:00.000-05:00

We enjoyed one of our favorite summer rituals (yet again) yesterday afternoon.

It proved to be an excellent day for strawberry picking. As you can see below, Bug started out on my back. But was very curious and just had to be set free to roam, pick and ~~eat handfuls~~ have a teensy weensy taste of the produce.

Her hands, mouth, and dress were stained red with strawberry juice by the time we went to pay for the goods.

We also enjoyed looking at the chickens. I swear the rooster is saying, "You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?"

Take Me To the River

2009-06-30T23:32:00.000-05:00

The St. Croix River, that is.

We went camping at the Wild River State Park on Saturday and Sunday night. We even rented a canoe and spent most of Sunday on the water.*

We had a wonderful time! It was so refreshing. The weather was good except for one small downpour on Saturday evening. The quick shower was followed by a beautiful rainbow all across the sky, so I'd say that small hiccup in the weather was totally worth it!

Some other things that made the trip very enjoyable: very few mosquitoes, only one tick (on my husband's leg), and no bee stings. Nice State Park amenities - like clean showers, a fun visitor center, and beautiful hiking trails. Yummy food - blueberry pancakes, s'mores, and pb & j.

Hanging out with our good friends didn't hurt either. It was so great to see them and spend the weekend with them after months apart. I hope we'll do it again. Thank you Bodkes for a great weekend!

*No pics of that, cause I left my camera behind. I was too afraid it would end up at the bottom of the river. I also have very few pictures of Bug, and that's cause she was on my back in the Ergo most of the time.

Picture Proof

2009-06-26T11:19:00.000-05:00

Whee! Go Doodle, go Doodle, go Doodle, go!

Doodle can be a really wonderful big sis. When she wants to.

I love it when they are actually having fun together instead of trying to wrestle (bite, pinch, or steal from) one another.

Whose Glasses?

2009-06-25T22:50:00.000-05:00

Fuhgeddaboudit! (She's just doing her Sicilian heritage proud.)

These are actually Miss Doodle's sunglasses. But Bug just loves them. And she looks so ~~funny~~ cute in them.

In the Summertime

2009-06-24T09:50:00.000-05:00

When the weather is hot, you've got swimmin' you've got swimmin' on your mind. (Dee dee dee dee dee da da da da da.)

Yesterday it was hot, hot, hot. In the 90s and we had to cool off somehow. Unfortunately, I wasn't going anywhere, and our little inflatable pool has a hole in it and needs fixing.

So this is what we ended up doing to remedy our predicament:

Making the Sale

2009-06-23T00:00:00.000-05:00

Our neighbors across the street had a garage sale last Thursday, Friday and Saturday. They asked us to join in the ~~drudgery~~ fun. I got rid of loads of ~~junk~~ little treasures. And made a little cash while I was at it.

Doodle and Bug had fun ~~terrorizing the place~~ helping while I was working the sale. Bug was into everything and covered in dirt by the end of each day. (Garage floors in Minnesota get dirrrrtttty!) Our neighbors also have a black poodle, so you can imagine that Bug was in heaven everytime she got to see that dog. She's obssessed. In her own words, "Dog, dog. Woof, woof. More dog."

On Saturday, little Miss Doodle enjoyed working her first ever lemonade stand. I'm happy to report that she was extremely succesful. She even had some (kind) people give her quarters even though they weren't taking any lemonade. And at least one person gave her a tip because she was so helpful. When we got home we only had two lemonades left, out of a box of twenty. (Don't count how many lemonades Doodle snagged while she was working. Having a job is thirsty business after all.)

I think she is going to be a wonderful saleswoman one day. She is very aggressive. She would ~~follow~~ approach people and ask them if they wanted lemonade. And on the days that she didn't have the lemonade stand set up she was busy asking them if they wanted to buy her Dorothy book.*

*She had picked out something from her room to sell, and it was a copy of The Wizard of Oz. (Don't worry we have another, slightly different copy of it.) And yes, she did manage to sell it. Bless that nice woman's heart.

Bubbly

2009-06-15T22:21:00.000-05:00

Normally our yard is always very windy.* Today it was oddly quite still, with only the occasional small breeze blowing. Not only was it a great photo op,** but I'm also happy that my girls were actually able to chase after AND catch the bubbles.

*Like wind tunnel windy. Too bad our association probably wouldn't go for a wind turbine. Cause it would totally make sense in our yard.

**Would've been better if I had more hands. Imaging how hard it is to blow bubbles with one hand, quickly switch to the camera in the other hand, get the shot. And all while making sure you don't destroy the nice camera with bubble solution (or slippery fingers).

Fun with Chalk

2009-06-12T16:28:00.000-05:00

Somebody oughta tell her that you are supposed to draw with it, not eat it. (Oh wait, I do tell her that. Constantly.)

Don't you want to join our fun?

Sometimes I think I have more fun with chalk than they do.

And covering the driveway with chalk wasn't the only fun thing we did yesterday. We also went to see a Yo-Yo Master perform at the library near our house, had lunch at Noodles & Co., played at the park, went for a walk, and played some more at yet another park.

All of that and little Miss Doodle still complained when it was time to go in. Can you say spoiled? Rotten.

Who, who. who, who?

2009-06-10T17:48:00.000-05:00

Are they? (Cause you really wanna know.)

The Doodle is the big sister. She is four and a half years old. She loves (as the nickname implies) to work on art projects. Yes, much doodling goes on.

She is learning Mandarin Chinese and hopes to go to an immersion elementary school. She also takes swimming lessons, and loves the water. She's great at making up stories and has an invisible friend named, Monster. The Doodle begs to be read to, for sweets, to stay up way past her bedtime, and to watch T.V. (real original, right?) Like other girls she is in love with anything pink, ballerinas and princesses.

The Bug is the toddler of the house. She is going to be 15 months old this month. She's extremely curious and into everything. If you want to know whether or not something is childproof, she's your girl. (And yes, she is a girl despite the lack of hair on her head.) She can play well by herself (and take things apart), but also loves to cuddle.

Being outside is the Bug's absolute favorite thing. She's also a big fan of dark chocolate, dogs, cats, blueberries, climbing, screaming, wearing dresses and her blanket.

So that's a little bit about my girls. I will continue to update you about them. For this is a blog dedicated to them and their lives. Unlike my other blog, which is often more about me and my hippy mama, tree huggin', tryin' to save the world pursuits.

Hope you enjoy reading about their tales, trials and adventures as much as I enjoy experiencing them firsthand (at least most of the time).