Baby Want A Cracker?

At nearly 5 and 1/2 months, Willow is just about ready for solids. We're holding off longer than we did with Mila. Willow just seems a little more babyish at this point than her sister did...or maybe it's just us wanting to keep her that way.

We did let her try one of Mila's old favorites:

 Baby Mum Mum crackers.

She was pretty into them

and freaked out each time she dropped one...

which was often since she hasn't quite 

figured out how to use her hands to feed herself.

 Don't worry, sweet girl. 

Just a few more weeks and we will be using this bowl 

for food and not to entertain big sister (and ourselves) 

with funny photo ops. 

Phone Photos

After looking through the many pictures we take on our phones, I thought I'd share a few recent gems. They aren't always crisp, the light usually isn't great, and it would appear I never get the girls out of their pjs (I do, I swear!), but they are tiny moments of our day together. 

Little Miss loves to steal Mommy's 

slipper boots.

When Mommy needs a place to set Willow

down in the bathroom,

 her baby tub works just fine!

Mila kissing (eating?) 

her little sisters toes as 

she works on tummy time.

Willow is loving her exersaucer these days.

Mila thinks it is HI-LARIOUS

to put on Mommy's rain boots.

She calls them her "loco-legs".

It's a little dry in here...

Oops. Yeah...

not sure what exactly happened here.

Our Family Christmas 2013

We had a wonderful Christmas this year, 

our first as a family of four.

We opened our stockings on Saturday the 21st 

because we were heading to Michigan the next day.

Mila LOVES stocking stuffers

and pretty much ran the show.

 She opened Willow's stocking stuffers too.

 Her favorite stocking stuffer was definitely this

 little measuring tape.

She freaked out when she opened it and called it,

her "very own stretch!" 

Here she is measuring the door,

but she also told Mommy and Daddy 

to lay down so she could measure us.

She also really liked the chocolate "gold doubloons"

and a purple and orange whisk.

Willow was her usual sweet self.

This was the first year we left milk & cookies for Santa

(and snacks for the reindeer!)

Mila insisted we leave a note for Santa telling him

there was no eating on the couch, 

a new house rule she has taken very seriously.

In the morning, she opened her presents

 under the tree including those from her 

Uncle Brent, Aunt Crystal and cousin Hannah's 

family and from Grandma Lynn.

Santa left her two special presents as well:

A Jake and the Neverland Pirates guitar

and--her favorite gift of all--

 a Fur Real Friends Monkey 

named Cuddles.

Thanksgiving at Timber Ridge Lodge

Because of the new baby, 

and our recent busy schedules,

we decided to take a little family time 

for the four of us over Thanksgiving.

We headed up to Timber Ridge Lodge in 

Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

It's normally less than two hours away…

but leaving the city during rush hour, 

the day before Thanksgiving, is another story.  

After that drive we were even more excited 

to relax in the countryside.

Our room overlooked a horse pasture. Perfect!

Timber Ridge is part of the
Grand Geneva Resort,

which holds a special place in our hearts as
the place where Mommy & Daddy got engaged.

The indoor water park isn't as impressive as those in
The Dells, or even Key Lime Cove,

but it was perfect for our tiny bathing beauties.

Grand Geneva is a huge operation,
 and offered plenty of activities
 we could have partaken in...

…but hanging poolside was our main agenda.

The rooms at Timber Ridge have
kitchens, fireplaces, big Jacuzzi bathtubs,
balconies and a separate bedroom for Mom and Dad.

On Thanksgiving Day we swam

 and watched the parades on TV
before heading to the main lodge 

for a fantastic buffet lunch.

The lobby was bustling and beautiful, 

it even "snowed" inside.

The buffet took place in a banquet room,
but we had our own small table.

Mommy loved the snow crab legs, lox
 and peel & eat shrimp,

Daddy stuck with cheese, sausages and traditional Thanksgiving fare.

Mila went for seconds (maybe thirds) on the cinnamon rolls. 

Mila has been such a great big sister. 

She loves to kiss and cuddle Willow.

It was relaxing to just spend
family time together, 

without the distractions of home.

Arguably the sweetest part of the trip:

Two sisters all tuckered out,

no sounds except for the fireplace crackling 

and the occasional happy sigh from Mommy

 when she peeks over to check on them.

Track & Field aka "Race Class"

This week Mila finishes her fall track & field class through the Chicago Park District.

She took it at Smith Park last spring and loved it so much we signed her up again. 

For an entire hour Coach Frank keeps kids ages 3-5

running relays and obstacle courses around the gymnasium.

 Mila tries VERY hard. 

She has quite the competitive streak 

and wants to "be the leader" all the time.

Though it reportedly can be tough to get into the Park District classes,

we haven't had a problem. Mila has also taken

art & abc classes, soccer, tap dance, swimming and summer camp through CPD.

 Most classes are a small fraction of the cost you'd find 

in privately run businesses around the city.

 Sometimes you get what you pay for,

(one of Mila's arts & crafts classes was a total bust)

but overall we've been more than happy with her teachers and instruction...

…and especially with what she calls "race class!"

Picture Perfect???

Sometimes I feel guilty of "fake booking" --

 We don't tell lies on Facebook or this blog,

 but obviously life isn't always as perfect as our status'

and our photos may suggest.

Telling the world about the 

bratty, annoying, "Lord, get me out of here"

parts of our day...

…just isn't that exciting, even if they do

often outnumber the beautiful moments.

Here I was trying to get a nice picture of 

the sisters together…

but Mila wouldn't stop singing the Scooby Doo theme song

and Willow looks like she's DESPERATE to escape!

Last month Mila plopped down and pouted for a good 10 minutes

on a walk home after her Track & Field class 

because a 5 year old boy ran faster than her.

A cute little picture of Mila riding a kiddie train??

Kinda hard to get when she refused to open her eyes.

This is the only "smile" she'd give

when Mommy wanted to take 

a picture of her in new "big girl boots."

Over the summer Mila visited her cousins a few times. 

Her sweet cousin Henry put some candy under her pillow 

and said it was from a "Lucky Fairy."

 The above video is Mila sobbing her eyes out

when she came back home and discovered the Lucky Fairy doesn't visit here.

Oh the many joys of parenting!

Cousin Party

Mila just ADORES hanging out with her cousins in Michigan.

She had a riot spending the night at 

Abby, Henry & Johanna's house last Saturday.

When we saw her the next morning, 

she clearly had not missed us one bit--

we could barely get a hug out of her, 

she was so wrapped up in hanging with the kids. 

On Sunday we celebrated with family 

at Josh's 5th birthday party.

It is so wonderful to see the cousins together, 

they really are a great group of funny, strong-willed, adorable kids.

Sweet Willow slept in Aunt Rebecca's arms during the party. 

She was passed around and gushed over 

for much of the weekend--

what a lucky little girl to be loved so much!