To Grandma and Grandpa's House We Go

This past weekend, we visited Jan, Bruce and Michael in Madison, Wisconsin.  On the car ride over Mommy perfected her skills in manipulation.  What do you do if you have someone who intentionally drops the item you just handed them and then screams for you to pick it up again?  You develop a secret plot called "Kitty Time."  We have two girls that love kitties!  Any screaming or whining in the car meant that more kitty time was ticking away.  As soon as Emma found out about kitty time, the whining stopped and peace enveloped the car.

After arriving at the Maas home, we went out to the Union at the University of Madison.  The girls sat on the steps by the lake and threw bread crumbs to the ducks.  Emma even let the duck eat out of her hand.  There was a sign that asked us to not feed the animals but Mommy has to admit that feeding the ducks with my grandma was one of my fondest childhood memories.  She was so glad the girls had an opportunity to do this with their grandma.  After the bread crumbs were gone, we headed over to Michael's new house.  He showed us all of his current house projects (painting, carpeting, etc.)  Emma checked out his backyard and immediately saw a large red shed.  "Does Uncle Michael have a barn like Old MacDonald Mommy?"  But of course he does.  Emma is hoping that Michael decides to raise chickens in his "barn." 

 Memories were made here

On Saturday, we visited the local zoo and spent time at the playground.  We were able to hear a lion roar, saw grizzly bears play fighting and posed like the flamingos for a picture.  Although most animals were the same as those we see at the Como Zoo, we did get to see a peacock and a rhino.  One of the playgrounds we visited had a slide that was designed like the fairy tale story the Little Women who Lived in a Shoe.  Of course the girls loved the swings and spent a good majority of their time asking to be pushed.  In the evening, Michael stopped over and we had pizza.  Daddy and Mommy got a chance to go on a beautiful walk in a nature preserve while the girls listened to stories and drifted off to sleep.  Mommy and Daddy found a natural spring.  It was amazing to see how the water just bubbled out of the ground.

 If only we had one of these at home

 

Who knew there was an exact way to say the ABC song.  Uncle Mike and Emma may need to debate this issue further (but Mommy is pretty sure Emma will win every debate).

Bath time with Grandma is always the best

Sunday brought with it more playground time and a trip to the beach.  Emma and Daddy built their one of a kind beach bathtub while Ani and Mommy explored the potential for pouring water down a sandy hill.  By nap time everyone was exhausted.  We packed up and spent the majority of the car ride in nap mode (thank goodness!).  We arrived home in time for dinner and some serious unpacking.  Thank you to everyone who helped make our trip a wonderful one!

 Beans, thank you for putting up with so much this past weekend.  We hope you get lots of rest this next week.

The most beautiful picture Mommy can imagine

No Fireworks, But Had a Blast!

It was a great time to get out and enjoy some gorgeous weather over 4th of July weekend.  We started the weekend off by setting up the tent in our backyard and pretending to camp.  Both girls absolutely loved the tent and Emma referred to it as her playhouse.  We kept the tent up the entire weekend.  Dan and I got to use the tent as well to view the neighborhood fireworks after the girls went to bed.  Besides hanging out at home, we went to the lake for the 4th of July and then out for ice cream. 

 Mommy and Ani spent time building sand castles and sending princesses down rivers

While Emma and Daddy went for a swim

 And an inner tube ride

 Daddy:  "The fish is biting my butt."

 Emma:  "I want the fish to bite my butt."

 Swings are a great way to dry off

 Although Ani was resistant, Grandma made sure that she didn't miss out on all the water fun

Emma's Birthday

Although this post is over a month late, Emma had a wonderful birthday.  Over the weekend both sets of grandparents and Emma's Uncle Michael visited.  During the week, Emma had a celebration with her class.  Grandma Kathy and Daddy were able to attend the celebration.  Daddy read some favorite moments from Emma's first three years of life as she circled the sun with a little globe.  Emma went around the sun three times to represent her first three years of life.  Then each student gave her a stone for her bag.  With the stone, the student said something they wished for Emma in the coming year.  Emma also received handmade birthday cards from all of her classmates.

 

Not Available

Emma has Mommy and Daddy in hysterics with some of the comments she makes.  Last week Emma had a piece of clothing wrapped over her eyes.  This resulted in the comment, "I am sorry Mommy and Daddy I am not available right now."  Mommy and Daddy chuckle because this seems to be the story of Emma's life.  She always seems to be singing and observing interactions so closely that she forgets to continue about her daily tasks.  We often find her unavailable for listening to instructions.

The strange comments continued today when we were out in the garden, Emma asked when the light bulbs that we had planted would be coming up.  Perhaps Mommy forgot to mention that these bulbs we planted were going to become flowers.  Next time a picture of what the bulb turns into should be shown before we plant it.

After our inspection of the light bulb planting site, the family had a deep discussion over lunch about future professions. Emma declared she would like to be a doctor, but not just any doctor.  She would like to be Analise's doctor.  Analise run for the hills!

Emma's Handmade Card for Mommy's Birthday

 How did Emma know Mommy loves pictures of Dora and submarines?  

Lots of great family photos. 

Always on the Move

Analise has her own tricks up her sleeves these days as well.  Analise can respond to yes or no questions by wildly shaking her head from side to side or up and down.  Sometimes her whole body gets in on the excited response.  Ani also has learned to climb the stairs and point to the correct objects that she sees in pictures.  Mommy couldn't believe it when she asked Ani to find the rubber ducky or the blocks in the picture and she went right for the correct image.

Analise has also proved to be quite the escape artist when in church.  She sneaks her way to the end of the pew and then she is off on a mission to the alter.  Mommy's heart races every time she makes her mad dash.

Besides her quick pace, Ani is quickly moving into big girl territory as she attempts climbing walls at the playground, coloring pictures, playing with princesses and finding ways to annoy Emma.

Easter Celebration

After sitting down at the table last night and discussing everyone's favorite parts of Easter we came up with the following comments

Emma: "I liked grandma." and the "cake"
Analise:  Liked the bunny tree and walking around with the little egg ornaments.  She also loved the sweet potatoes.
Mommy:  I liked seeing the girls give food donations to those who are in need at church and watching Daddy be silly with the girls after brunch.
Daddy:  Liked watching the girls hunt for eggs and flipping them upside down