Happy 4th of July!

Every year we hang our American Flag (thanks Janet!) in honor of our country's freedom, and especially in memory of those who have fought and died for our country. My Grandfather's birthday is on the 4th of July, and I want to make sure he knows how grateful I am for his life, his example, and his devotion to our country and our freedom. Happy Birthday Grandpa Sikich! We will have a birthday party on the 4th, I'll post some more pics later.

Hard-Headed Woman

Here's Elin in her new bicycle helmet... she always has been a little hard-headed (not from my side :) but we thought we'd better protect that little head when we go out on bike rides. She hasn't worn it on a ride yet, but she wears it plenty when she eats, watches TV, or plays. My Dad had a good idea... maybe we should just have our children wear these from day 1, we may be able to avoid lots of head injuries!

Giraffes and Jackals

Are you a giraffe or a jackal? The other night we had a lesson on talking like a giraffe (who is tall and can see the entire situation and speaks pleasantly and with understanding... "Could you please help me with this? Thank you for being so helpful.") or like a jackal (who is short and sees only his own viewpoint... "I want to do it now!"). The lesson went surprisingly well, and the kids wore their giraffe and jackal hats everywhere for the next couple of days.

Our TWO-year Old

So this morning was one of those mornings that moms just don't talk about. Nate had gotten up in the middle of the night just to talk to me. Why? I am really not sure. I wish I did know, then I could potentially rememdy the situation. He then got up at 6:10am and was so mad that I didn't want to talk to him in an animated conversation that he yelled loud enough that he woke Elin up. :(

Well, needless to say, by the time we were all dressed and ready for church we were all exhausted, and none of us were in the best of spirits. Elin, I will have to say, was the least happy about the entire situation. She in the past few weeks has turned into a full on - quite opinionated - little person. All evidences of baby are gone (except for her thumsucking at night). She knows what she wants and what she doesn't. The problem this am was that she wanted to wear her snap up floral shorty pj's to church. I might have figured out how to make it work - if they weren't covered in breakfast - which was yogurt with blackberries and raspberries. After attempting 4 outfits, and me seriously wondering if there really were gypsies to sell her too, we finally agreed on a dirty red shirt from the laundry and a skirt that sorta fits. We made it work thanks to the "pretties" Aunt Mary sent. So as to keep myself sane, I did what any good mom does in the thick of it - took pictures. :)

The room after the battle.

Seriously Mom - I am not talking to you.

After suggesting she smile about 20 times - I got a half smile.At least Nate was happy by then.

Zoo Time!

A couple days ago we spent the afternoon at a nearby zoo. It was supposed to rain, but turned out to be a great day for a zoo visit... despite the mud puddles (Elin's new favorite thing). This is a relatively small zoo with a surprisingly large number of wildlife guests, which makes for a great, densely-packed, not-too-much-walking, fun day. It even has a playground area toward the end, which seems to be all the smaller children's favorite part.

You can't see the fish, but Elin couldn't get enough of them.

Standing on our tip-toes for tortoises!

"Now how do I pick up this bunny?"

I thought I'd let Nate learn this lesson for himself...

This was always my favorite part of the zoo... lunch time.

Nate and Elin were ecstatic when we gave them permission to play in the mud puddle.

Our swinger...

and climber...

June 13th, 2009

Elin turned 2 years old on Saturday... Happy Birthday Elin! We had a little party that morning for her... breakfast, cupcakes and presents!

We started off with yummy pancakes... Elin's choice.

This was followed by chocolate cupcakes that Nate and Mom made together.

And topped off by some presents (with Nate's help, of course)

Last week April's Mom, Janet, visited for an afternoon and brought some cool presents for Elin. One was a CD of fun songs from Mimi. Each song had Elin's name in the lyrics... we were all dancing and singing. Good times!

The Fort

Nate and his buddy, Tyler, like to make forts. This is the second fort they've made (I helped a little), but I don't think it'll be the last. I think we'll have to get some more sheets.

"Fore!"

April and I visited the driving range the other day... this is April's FIRST TIME ever swinging a golf club! She did quite well... and even landed the ball near the "100" marker a few times. Go April! Pretty soon we'll be shooting 18 with our own clubs and in our Polo shirts.

City of Lights!

April and I were lucky enough to spend a few days in Paris this past week. It was a fabulous week of sight-seeing, culture-experiencing, time for April and I to be together, visiting some good friends, and a break from everyday work. There's no way I could tell you everything we did, so please just sit back and enjoy a little "tour" of Paris in our slide show. Paris is truly a wonderful city, full of so much history and a melting pot of culture. Hopefully some day we can return and experience more of it. Mom and Dad- thanks so much for your help with the kids!