Did I really just do that?

I swore I would never do it. Then I had a kid of my own.

I made one of these for Elsie yesterday. She finished off the whole blender this morning. It took a few tries for her to really get into it, but once she got used to the flavor she kept asking for more "milkshake". I even got Alan to try a sip of it.

I'm not sure if I feel proud or ashamed...

Swimming

It was pretty hot out most of the time, so we went swimming quite a bit. It is always nice to have more hands around to watch out for the little ones. 

 Both girls love the floaty toy. We will definitely have to purchase a second one so they can each float around. Never mind my face in this picture, just look at the cute girls.

 I love this picture of the two of them. It is a little dark... hmmm, maybe I'll have to try and tweak it a little.

Walk about

It wouldn't be a trip to Wisconsin without a visit to the country's largest Farmers Market. It was hot and sweaty and humid, but we had a good time. We picked up some fancy popcorn, more salsa, fresh produce, and a loaf of spicy cheese bread.

 We all tried to stay hydrated. The water bottle was a little big for Alice, so we improvised.

Elsie starting singing to Alice during the car ride home. Can you tell what song she is singing?

Whew!

What a whirlwind two weeks it has been! Alan's family was in town visiting and my parents arrived as soon as they left. We have been having too much fun with everyone to waste any of that time blogging about it. Now that my parents are back out on the road, I get to play catch up.

Jeanine, Boyd, Eric, and Paul flew out to be with us for the holiday weekend. They had a horrific time getting here and back home; just about every plane they tried to board had some mechanical problem with it and was grounded. Flights delayed, connections missed, baggage lost... Just about everything that could go wrong happened to them. We are so glad they persevered and made it here despite all of the problems.

The first day was pretty laid back. They were exhausted from traveling and Alan was still at work. After dinner and a little relaxing, everyone was sent to bed. The next day we met Alan at work to take everyone to lunch and give them a little taste of Epic before the big tour.

Elise ran around and showed Paul and Eric one of her favorite places: The Tree Staircase.

 After lunch we explored a little bit around Alan's office, including the big rocking horse...

 ...And the slide.

Family in town!

Five months

Has it been five months already? Alice is a little ray of sunshine. She always has a smile and a snuggle for me when I am frustrated and fed up with the antics of her 2 year old sister. She sleeps well, she wakes up happy, and she laughs easily. Her favorite things to laugh at are her daddy tickling her, Elsie singing/dancing, and my hair. Alice still hasn't fully mastered rolling from her tummy to her back. She has done it a few times, but not consistently, so she still gets really frustrated when she rolls and gets stuck on her tummy. She has started scooting around. Not quite with purpose yet, but she is definitely traveling. Her preferred way is to lay on her back and kick with her feet until she scoots off the blanket or mat she is playing on. She is grabbing at everything, but her favorite thing to play with is Alan's tie on Sundays. She will sneakily reach out and grab it without Alan noticing and then eat it as fast as she can before he catches on and takes it away.

Dancing Girls