Christmas ornaments 2014

Each year we pick out a new ornament for the tree; one for each of the kids, and one for Alan and I. Here are this years picks:

Elsie scoured the shelves for every single princess. She carefully weighed how pretty the dresses were before settling on Sophia the First. She also tried to plan out what ornament she would get for future years so she could have all of the princess on the tree.

Alice did one lap around the ornaments. She saw Yoda, grabbed him, gave him a big kiss and proclaimed "I love Yoga so much!!"

I just found all of the soft squishy ornaments, held them up to Clark, and this is what he chose.

Five little stockings hanging by a cozy fire seemed to represent our year of being huddled inside from the polar vortex of last winter.

Twelve Months

I'm a little late in posting this, but the pictures were taken on time! Clark is on the go full time and getting into everything. Most of my kitchen cupboards are tied shut with bungy cords, and the ones that aren't are constantly being emptied. Clark likes to organize and put stuff away, so it is always fun to try and find the things I need. My tupperware drawer is full of cars, the fruit snack box is full of tupperware, the play kitchen is full of (clean) diapers... Don't ask me where my can openers are, because those are his favorite to carry around and put somewhere. Even though he is busy most of the time, he is still a Mama's Boy and always comes back to me for a quick snuggle before moving on to something else. He loves to follow around after his sisters and knock over whatever game they are trying to play. Even though he annoys them to pieces, his sisters still can't get enough of him and are always laughing at whatever he is trying to do.

We love our Clark and are so glad he's been in our family for the last year!

11 Months

A few days late in posting this, but better late than never. Clark finally got one tooth, and has one more on the way. With his new tooth, he is suddenly very interested in all the food and is finally eating more than just a little taste at meal time. He is getting very brave at trying to walk and will walk short distances between handholds. He is starting to mimic our behaviors - trying to dip french fries before eating them, putting clothes in the laundry basket (and then pulling them back out), trying to brush his hair (and his sisters). He is turning from little baby to little boy right before my eyes!

"Everything Is Awesome" Ward Family Dance

Our ward hosted a family dance the other night. Lots of music, lots of dancing, and lots fun was had by all. Clark was mesmerized by all of the colorful lights. Elsie loved running around the gym chasing the other kids. Alice, as seen in the videos below, is a dancing fiend.

Alice the story teller

Alice has always been a good story teller. Lately I've been recording her stories so I can type them up and save them. Alan managed to capture this little gem while I was out with Elsie. Somehow just the transcript doesn't do it justice.

"The elephant... and a kid one and a Daddy one and Mommy one. And a baby one. Everyone in the Jungle. Beware in the Jungle! And now you aren't! But there where these things! A happy face! But someone was walking to the jungle! But they juggled three balls! But somebody was looking at them. A happy face, a happy face, a sad face, happy face, a sad face. They were learning that very well like in class."

Milwaukee Labor Day Weekend: The Domes

Our last day in Milwaukee was wet and drizzly, so we headed inside to check out The Domes. They are three giant bio domes that house different ecosystems. The girls were excited to go inside the "big bubbles".

There just so happened to be a dinosaur display going on in the Jungle Dome. They were a little scary at first, but the kids soon warmed up to them.

Alice meeting an Allosaurus.

Dome number two was the Desert Dome.

We found some Jade plants!

The last dome was the Garden Dome. It had all sorts of flowers growing.

Outside there was a sundial. We had to wait for the cloud cover to break to get this shot.

Before we headed home, we stopped at Kopps frozen custard. I got a strawberry milkshake. Clark got his hand in someones ice cream, and as I was getting napkins, my cup slid off and dumped all over the floor. As I saw 3/4 of my shake spread all over the floor (that I paid a lot for and they didn't give me a new one (and was really good!!)), I started crying. The culmination of knowing that this was our last stop before our weekend was over and the next day Elsie was starting Kindergarten and was suddenly going to be away from home more than she has ever been... It was just too much. I tried to get it together as I sadly finished the rest of my milkshake and everyone else enjoyed their treats.

It was a fun weekend and we had a good time together before starting the routine of school. I feel like this might become a yearly tradition.

Milwaukee Labor Day Weekend: The Pool

We spent an enormous amount of time swimming in the hotel pool. Elsie was fresh off her summer swimming lessons and eager to show off her new skills. I didn't get any pictures of her without her floaty, but she spent plenty of time swimming with Alan without it. We were in the pool at least twice a day for anywhere between one to three hours at a time. We even offered to take them back to the beach one evening when it wasn't raining, and they both decided they would rather go swimming.

Clark didn't spent as much time in the pool as Elsie and Alice (sometimes he was napping while Alan took them swimming) but when he did get in he really enjoyed it. We brought his little boat and he loved splashing around.

Milwaukee Labor Day Weekend: Bookworm Gardens

We drove an hour(ish) north to Sheboygan to visit the Bookworm Gardens. It was worth the drive.

Alice was a little disappointed she didn't find Liz in the Magic School Bus.

The gardens were divided into several different sections. Around each section was a book cupboard with copies of the books that inspired that section. It was awesome. Lots of books were read and lots of fun was had exploring.

"He Came With the Couch" by David Slonim

"Hairy the Dirty Dog" by Gene Zion

"Horton Hatches the Egg" by Dr. Suess

"Playhouse for Monster" by Virginia Mueller

"The Three Little Pigs"

"Twitch" 

"Winnie the Pooh"

"Goldilocks and the Three Bears"

"Little House in the Big Woods" by Laura Ingalls Wilder

The scariest worm I've ever seen (not a book, just really freaky looking)

"Peter Rabbit" by Beatrix Potter

"Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" by Judy Barrett