Potty Trained!

We finally got her potty trained at Age 3. The week of her third birthday she just decided she was ready and her she is showing off ALL her new princess underwear from Didi.

Dr. Sayre!

Ryan's graduation was yesterday and it was pretty amazing to witness. I think it's pretty obvious we are incredibly proud of him. He has spent YEARS reading and writing and talking about stuff I can't begin to understand. Seriously - I went to a presentation he did once on campus and he asked me what I thought afterwards... I couldn't understand a single sentence that came out of his mouth and here I was in a room full of Yalies who were entranced by every word.

For those of you who don't know he graduated with a PhD in Anthropology. His thesis was related to disaster preparedness in Japan - although I don't remember the exact title - and you wouldn't understand it anyway;)

Cheers to you Ry and all of your friends!

Sumo Wrestlers?

Just two chubby babies who are destined to be best buds. Hard to believe Hud is 6 months younger than Winston!

Happy Belated Birthday Didi!

We went to Clear Lake last weekend to celebrate Mother's Day and Didi's Birthday. The girls were so excited that they wanted to wear "birthday party dresses". We ate at the Landing and the girls enjoyed exploring around the hotel and restaurant. It's nice to not have to keep them on a leash anymore. A couple more years and we can sit back and enjoy a meal.

A Rare Moment

I'm high in the sky en route to Ryan's graduation from Yale. Todd and the kids stayed home so I'm enjoying some rare quiet time surfing the Internet and thinking about getting caught up of months of blog posting. You know how it gets when you let something go longer and longer and a little bit longer? Eventually it becomes a daunting task and you don't know where to begin. Ever since Winston arrived and we started storing photos in our phones - it has been harder for me to organize my monthly posting so it has become just another thing on my to-do list. But I'm committed - to catching up;) Here's a lovely picture Todd took last night. I am struggling with a mild case of the flu so Todd took the girls to our new favorite spot - Lake Harriet pavilion - to get them out of the house. I would be there everyday if I didn't have to keep Winston from jumping in the lake to tackle the geese. Nothing is easy with a one year old.

The Ultimate Juxtaposition

Adele, she is our ultimate juxtaposition in personality.  Obsessed with make-up, dancing and twirly skirts, yet can mix it up with the best of the boys - digging in dirt, garbage trucks and sports.  She's quite a handful, but we love her!

Easter Round Up

So these are super late, but better late than never.  Some pics from Easter weekend in Iowa City and Clear Lake.  The cousins had a great time hunting for eggs by the lake (in the snow of course).  And Nana always has great hunting parties for the girls + Bull's Easter feast, made it a great Easter Sunday morning.

Snow in May

Our first winter in Minnesota has unfortunately been one of the coldest, snowiest springs in recent history.  It snowed about 8" 10 days ago and it's snowing here again today, on May 3rd.  Hopefully this is the last of the year.

Shark Watching with Cousin Owen

A little behind on our blogging...last weekend, The Ehlers crew came to Minneapolis.  Veda, Adele and Owen were in seventh heaven.  The first night was full of craziness and running around the basement.  Day 2 we went to the Mpls Zoo for some shark watching and other indoor activities as the weather wasn't so nice.  Great seeing the little monkeys all get together.

Washable Markers

Veda asked us the other day if she could draw a heart on Adele's cheek before school.  Adele seemed excited, so we said yes.  Well, we lost track of them for a bit and this was the end product.  Washable markers don't exactly come right off the face, so we let her go to school with her tribal face print...

This picture was the first time that we allowed Veda to draw on Adele.  It was a lightning bolt for Super Hero week.  This was much more of a success than the one above. 

Mustache Man

Adele's 3 yr Stats

28 lbs (25%) 35 1/4 inches (10-25%) and BMI of 50%. She's a peanut but she's growing up so fast. On the day of this appointment we went cold turkey on the pacies... the "paci fairy" came and took all of them after the Dr. told Mom her teeth were bucking out. We had a couple rough nights but it was easier than I thought and of course I wish we had done it sooner. Oddly enough she also lost interest in her blankie once the pacies were gone. I washed it and put it away last week and she hasn't asked about it once. Kind of sad. AND we are finally potty trained. Took her until her 3rd birthday but she was really not ready - physically. Even now she has to take frequent trips but she is committed!

Winston's 15 Mo. Stats

Weight 24.11 (75-90%) Height 37 3/8 (95-98%) Head 18 7/8 (90%). Says Nigh Nigh when being put to bed, Mama, Dada, Sis'er, and Uh Oh! Climbs on everything! We now have to keep the bathroom locked and have a pin hanging on the wall in order to pick the lock. Winston will stand on the toilet, turn on the faucet and splash water everywhere.

Our cherubs...

Snow snow go away

Mid April and the snow is back. Taxes plus snow is not a good combination.

Weekend with the Nickells

We had a sleepover at our friends' house so the moms and dads could stay up late and visit... And pay for it in the morning;) The following day we walked lake Calhoun and enjoyed a blip of nice weather.

Waiting patiently

...for mom to clean my poo from the tub AGAIN.

Blowout

On our drive home from Iowa we needed to wake the kids up so we rolled down the windows...

Take your pet rock to school day

Veda and "Rocca".

Date Night

Other than a couple of cancellations due to illness and our trip to Mexico we have not missed a Tuesday night outing. We are lucky to have found an amazing babysitter that the kids love. We have made our Minneapolis rounds and had some amazing food. If the establishment allows - we sit at the bar - easy to get fast service when the bartender is always present and they are always good for advice and insight about the menu and drink list. The latest was the Smack Shack - here's my Lobster Roll. Heaven.

Sibling Love

The girls have never paid much attention to Winston. I guess it's good that they are more interested in each other. Lately Adele has found Winston to be a particular annoyance as he has gained interest in everything and anything that she is doing. Veda doesn't mind so much and has discovered that she can practice her Mom skills with her new subject.

Crazy Hat Day

These were the head dressings of choice.

Keeping Busy

A handful of washable markers and a landscape and they are good to go. This occupied a good hour of their time.

Scavenger

He is by far our worst eater. It is a struggle to keep weight on this kid. Take him out of his highchair and he'll eat anything but sitting down with a pile of food in front of him is just a disaster and it's sure to end up on the floor.

And of course he went straight for Bodie's dog food at our friends' house.

I'm Melting!

The snow is slowly melting away but it's nice to have warm enough temps to be outside enjoying what's left. Winston decided he liked this ride so much that he laid down while I was pulling him and faded into sleep. Must be nice;) The girls were making barriers or boundries or something like that for their kingdom.

Pre Easter = Preaster

We practiced our egg dying skills with Didi last weekend and then Todd practiced his egg salad making skills with the finished product.