These past few weeks we have gone to Chicago for a job interview and did this while we waited for Running Man to convince someone to hire him...



And then we braved downtown Chicago traffic and headed to our favorite spot and did this to help us all blow off some steam...


We have made a few Easter crafts...(She REALLY wanted a bunny mask, but it was last on our project list for the day so she didn't have the patience to color it. Which resulted in it looking like this...)

And frosted Easter cookies with her BFF Little K.

They even found time to share in some sisterly love.

We <3 Spring. This should be a longer post but we are anxious to play outside! Have a great Easter weekend!

Spring Has Sprung

I think we can finally say SO LONG to winter here! (I'm hoping I don't eat my words...) It is GORGEOUS outside and we are loving every moment. We went for our first spring walk today and I snapped these cute pics of the girlies livin' it up! (Can I say now how I desperately want a nice/new camera? And to learn how to use it)!


And no walk by the river is complete without a trip to our favorite soda shop/candy store Lagomarcinos! Can I say yum?! They have a HUGE assortment of homemade candies to choose from. And we acted like...kids in a candy store.

(Running Man is a great dad and I love that he can do this with the girls)!
We also discovered my new fave store in the Village. It has incredible furniture and custom made pillows/shelves/everything you could ever want for your house. Sadly the couch of my dreams is a teeny bit out of my price range...Someday, right? :)

Banana started swimming lessons a few weeks ago and is doing great. We haven't had a lot of access to a pool since we...well ever. And she's always had a blast the times we've been able to go. But for the last few months she's started acting a little fearful anytime we brought it up, so we decided now would be a great time to nip that fear in the bud. I'm not a great example for her because i'm a lousy swimmer and harbor my own set of my fears. So I'm super motivated that it doesn't happen to her and I've promised her that I'm going to overcome my fear along with her. Anyhow...I snapped this one picture of her. It looks lousy because my camera was having issues, but she's floating on her back. It's hilarious to watch her because she fights her desire to cover/protect her ears, and her desire to really want to learn to do it right. Love it!
So here's to a fabulous spring!!

Much Ado About Nothing

I realized this past week that I have definitely lived in Iowa for too long when it is mid-thirties outside and I go out w/o my coat. And I didn't get cold! My children even went coatless for about five minutes then I felt like a bad mom and bundled them up. Then Banana begged to take hers off, so I did. Which made Em scream to take hers off, so I did. Then I was getting too many "Tsk, tsk" looks from old ladies in the grocery store parking lot so I put them back on. And then the girls flipped out. So I took them off again. And then I got a headache. :)

We are so excited for the warmer weather to be here and to be able to get OUTSIDE! There isn't any green anywhere outside but we don't care. This winter lasted far too long!
Graduation day is rapidly approaching and we are excited about some of the job opportunities that we might have. We are praying and crossing our fingers and toes that one of them works out! We hope to end up closer to home, but I think we'll go wherever there is a job!
Running Man was on a tiny break this past week so in between his time at clinic and our job we snuck in a few day trips. We went to Iowa City again to play at the Children's Museum (forgot my camera), and to Nauvoo (forgot it again). We had fabulous times at both places and are going back again soon. We are also headed to Chicago in a few weeks to meet up with a Doc that Running Man has been talking to. It's for a job in Utah, but he'll be in Chicago for a few days and wants to meet the WHOLE family. No pressure, right? I am already stressing!
I've been a horrible mom and taken practically no pics of my kids since Banana's birthday, but here are a few random ones I have managed to snap.
I had to throw these pics in here. If you look at the above two doesn't Em look like such a sweet little girl? Well she is a sweet little angel most days. But then...

She turns into the Hairy Scary Monster at night. That girl can flip switches so fast. I can't keep up with her mood swings and her different personalities. She keeps me on my toes.I also needed to throw this picture in. Running Man has been cooking for me a lot this past week and he does a pretty great job! This is only one of the AMAZING things he made. It's a homemade lemonade that has some not so usual ingredients in. Love it. I drank about half of that pitcher. In one sitting. And I am still craving it now.

The girls got to hang out with one of their best friends this past week and there was not one fight. Little K needs to come over more often because they LUV her.
Typical pre bedtime shot. The girls love to cuddle, and Dad is usually their own personal recliner. (And he totally loves it).

Crazy Little Thing Called LOVE

I think we're starting to feel the effects of our Bday/Valentines sugar high. There have been many meltdowns and lots of whining. (And I'm not just talking about the kids)! ;) We are most definitely ready for Spring at our house and are trying to enjoy the freezing tundra of a city we live in. Thank goodness it has snowed a few times this past week so we could get outside and play in the snow a bit. I am becoming a wuss in my old age and can't stand to be cold...yet I have failed to invest in appropriate winter gear and curse myself every time we go outside to play. We had a nice, relaxing Valentines Day and i loved being able to just spend time as a family and unwind from our crazy busy week. Banana is loving being 4 and thinks she is such a grown up now. I have accidentally called her a three year old a few times and she will always remind me that that's not the case. Running Man filled me in on a conversation he had with her while driving home from pre-school the other day. It went something like this:
Running Man: How was school today?
Banana: Oh, pretty good.
Running Man: Did you do anything exciting today?
Banana: Daddy, did you know there's a boy that goes to my school...And I think he looks kind of cute.
Running Man: Oh yeah?
Banana: Yeah.
Running Man: What's his name?
Banana: Brody. We even got to ride the see saw together! (Followed a big sigh).

Oh boy. So adorable, but slightly terrifying. This is the first time she's ever talked about thinking someone of the opposite sex was cute. But the next day she told me that Brody teased her at school so I don't think I need to worry about her crush lasting. :)




Valentine's flowers from Dad!

Dad also made us Heart shaped grilled cheeses for lunch!

Em clearly enjoyed her chocolate and spent the next three hours running around like a crazy woman. Ah...sugar.So what did I do an hour before bedtime? Gave her more sugar of course!

These girls LOVE each other. Em is finally at that age where she loves interacting with other kids and Banana loves playing with her. I love spending hours each day watching them play with each other. I am so blessed to have these two little girls in my life. I am so nervous about what lies in store for our little family these next few months, but getting to be a Mom to these adorable girls and a Wife to an amazing guy help keep me grounded. As long as they're by my side I know that I can get through anything!
On a parting note...I snapped this pic the other afternoon as Em was giving me quite the scolding for interrupting their play time. Her face says it all!

One Year Older and Wiser Too

The past week has been jam packed with so many fun things that I am just barely getting a minute to sit down and blog about them. We started off the week with Grandma W. coming into town for Banana's birthday! We are SO glad the weather cooperated and let her make it safely. Every day we have been running around trying to cram in as much fun as we could possibly manage! The girls have missed many naps and had way too much sugar, but it has all been worth it!

The highlight of the week was Banana's 4th birthday. I am still not so sure how I feel about her turning 4. I was going to list four things that I love about her, but there is no possible way I could stop at four. She is so caring and kind hearted. Her first concern is always about the people around her and she will do anything to make sure everyone is happy. If I'm having a bad day she is the first person to try and cheer me up and is always successful! She is a gorgeous little girl with big blue eyes that melt my heart, and get her out of trouble quite often. She loves learning and pushes me to learn more so I can be a better teacher for her. She has a hilarious sense of humor and loves to make people laugh. And when she grows up she wants to be a dancer/artist/pet holder (vet)/chiropractor/and a mommy. I can't wait to see what the next year brings and I am so blessed to be her Mom. She brings me countless hours of joy and the 24 hours of labor it took to get her into this world were worth it!
I have a ton of pictures from this week and had a hard time narrowing down my favorites....so you get to see most of them! :)

Banana had her pre-school Valentines party this week. She LOVED writing her name on all of her valentines and LOVED even more coming home with a box full of cards and candy!

We always start off birthday morning with chocolate chip birthday pancakes! And it gives us another excuse to sing "Happy Birthday"!

Running Man always makes a crepe paper number for the girls to get their picture taken in front of. And as you can see Banana has mastered the art of posing!

I had to throw in this pic of an ADORABLE Em. Seriously..could she be any cuter?!
After two years of her begging we FINALLY took her to Chuck E. Cheese for her bday. We only played the games, but we had such a blast. I forgot how much fun it is to just run around from game to game and just be silly. Both of the girls loved it and we're so grateful Grandma got to be there to help out!
And what restaurant did Banana pick for her bday lunch? RED ROBIN! Was there ever any doubt. That girl loves that place. Luckily we do too!

Her favorite present? Her Wii!! Lots of people have been giving us flack for getting her one and not believing that we bought it for her, saying that it's for us. No way! Thanks to her dad and uncles she is video game obsessed. She is having a blast playing it! She's been traumatized the last few weeks because Running Man sold the xbox and game cube to help pay for it, and she's been missing her Zelda. SO worth the tears when she saw the Wii!!

Banana picked a Rainbow theme for her party this year and her and I have had SO much fun planning everything we could do with it! She has been most excited about her rainbow cake. I loved making it and am super grateful it turned out!!
I also made her this rainbow banner, and she sent her friends home with take out boxes full of candy and fruit loops to make rainbow jewelry! I think I am in LOVE with planning parties now!
Thanks to an AMAZING friend Banana was surprised with these adorable cake pops! I found the idea on Bakerella and started them myself. Luckily Courtney came to the rescue when I was running out of time and stressing myself out! Courtney is amazing and I love the perks of having her as a friend! She also took a lot of pics with her super nice camera and I will post those pics as soon as I get them!
We are so sad that Grandma is leaving tomorrow and will miss having her around the house.
Oh! I almost forgot to mention one of the most exciting parts of the week for me! For the first time since Banana was born I spent a night away from the girls!! Running Man and I celebrated our anniversary/Valentine's Day and spent the night at a nice hotel. Loved every minute...especially the sleeping in part!! Thanks Mom!

Six

Running Man and I celebrated our sixth anniversary yesterday. There are many romantic, cheesy things I could say about him and how much I love him...but, I think I'll just give you a list of the six most important things I have learned about him over the years.

1. He is one of the only people I know who can get only four hours of sleep, and still function AND be pleasant the following day.
2. He LOVES working out. And not just your normal, I need to do the minimum to stay in shape (that'd be me). If I would let him he would probably spend the majority of his free time running/biking or at the gym. And...he thinks it's fun.
3. He can't remember the last time he was sick. He never remembers having a headache. And he hasn't thrown up since he was a kid. I think this works in my favor because he doesn't mind taking care of me during my worst pregnancy months, and it doesn't bother him to take care of the girls when they have the sickies.
4. He will do ANYTHING for me and the girls. He'll gladly be the girls' punching bag/bounce house/prince anytime. They have him wrapped around their fingers. And he'll be my punching bag/listening ear/prince anytime as well.
5. He loves me enough to sit through endless hours of Gilmore Girls/Ghost Whisperer/SYTYCD. I think he secretly likes all of those shows, but he'd never admit to it. :)
6. The most important thing I have learned is that he loves me more now than he did six years ago. I always thought that the most love you could ever feel was on your wedding day. I don't believe that's true anymore. We've been through a lot together over the last ten years and I think every trial and every moment of joy has brought us closer together and helped us fall more in love. He loves to surprise me at random moments with sweet gestures of love. He is an amazing man and I am blessed to have him as my husband!
(Sorry, I had to throw in a little cheesiness!!)

Then...
Now...

Bleh

This is what has been going on at our house. We're all sleep deprived. We're all cranky. And we're definitely not One Happy Family at the moment. :) I was talking to a friend a few weeks ago saying how blessed I felt that my kids were very rarely sick...and the next day the puking started. Then the runny nose, the cough, the fever, etc. The funnest surprise of all was when Em woke up yesterday morning looking like this...

Our first thought was chicken pox, but that was ruled out when none of them started blistering or scabbing. (And we literally have not been ANYWHERE for two weeks). I called the pediatrician's office and they basically told me to wait it out. It's not itching, and her fever is gone. Waiting it out is so EASY for me because I am definitely the kind of person who never panics about anything. Ever.
She tried some new foods the other day, so I'm crossing my fingers it's just an allergic reaction. I've spent too much time reading my parenting books and on the internet and imagined every worse case scenario. It looks a lot like fifths disease, but the rash isn't following the pattern they said it should...so we wait. And try and get some sleep.