I Dig Reading

While Veda was in Iowa City with Nana and Bull she participated in the public library's summer reading program. She was thrilled to get her worksheet and return to claim her prizes throughout her stay. I'm thrilled that Nana is her private tutor;)

Solo Mission

 Children's Museum with her new friend Joe.

 Happy to keep Bull company while playing games on his computer.

 Playing in the fountain downtown IC.

 

 Milking cows at the IC Farmers Market

A special brunch with Nana and Bull at Iowa River Power Company.

 

Veda got to spend an entire week alone with Nana and Bull in Iowa City. She attended vacation bible school at St. Andrews just like I did when I was little. Everyday was an adventure. When she and Nana weren't out having fun she was keeping Bull company while he was laid up in bed with his broken foot.

Nature Walk?

Todd took Veda on her first golf outing last weekend. It was a three par course and they walked it. After the 4th hole she decided she was tired... until Todd told her it was a nature walk and then she loved the next 5 holes. Predictable.

Minneapolis Parks

I can not tell you how awesome the parks are here. They are everywhere and they are clean and have something for everyone. I can't wait until the wading pools open. Almost every neighborhood park has its own wading pool and there are at least three within walking distance of our house.

Update: So two days after writing this post Todd showed me a USA Today poll that just came out ranking Minneapolis as having the best parks system in the US. I knew it couldn't just be me. This place rocks!

Cookout!

It's hard to believe we went from 4 inches of snow on May 3rd to blazing hot May afternoons a week later. Our backyard gets hot hot hot. Here the girls are with their friends Will and Amelia.

Tiny People

These two have started playing together. At least for a few minutes before someone gets hurt - usually Winston. They actually got into the basket on their own and they were pretty proud of themselves.

Kindergarten Round-up

Veda and I spent a morning at her new school. I filled out paperwork for an hour while Veda got to ride on a school bus and play with her new classmates. Wasn't our first choice of schools in the Minneapolis lottery system but I think we are going to like it here.

Filthy Mess

We've been doing a lot of projects in the yard. I finally gave up on trying to keep Winston out of the mud. He has probably eaten a full pound of dirt in the last day or two. Judging by the color of his diapers it must be packed with Iron.

See ya Fraser

Veda had her last day of preschool on Friday and we celebrated with her class at a picnic. These are her friends Hadley and Elsie. She started a marathon of summer camps today. First up - Fairytale Camp and they explored Jack and the Bean Stalk.

 

Soccer Stars!

Veda's last day with her buddies Will and Ava. The coach had the parents play against the kids and it got a little competitive;)

Front row seats

You never know what excitement you might find just walking down the street. The kids would have sat here all day.

Lovin' Aunt Kel

Veda loves her Aunt Kel. She is constantly telling me about the secret girls weekends that she and Kel are going to have in Madison. They are going to "get their nails done and snuggle" - but she told me not to tell anyone.

Catchin' Dinner

Thanks to the girls (and Papi;) we have brought home fish last few visits to the lake. Todd tried a new batter using pancake mix and lager - awesome! We had some of the best fish tacos I've ever had this week.

Bowling!

We were looking for a little rainy day fun when we were at the lake last week. Turns out 3 is not too young to bowl. Even the 16 month old knocked down more pins than Mom;)

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