Visitors!

This past weekend we had Grammy and Papa in town, and it was the first time Papa got to meet our Rowan.  When Grammy was in town right after Rowan was born, Lyla requested to have Papa come out for his birthday so she could plan him a surprise birthday party.  He came, but the surprise party wasn't much of a surprise.  Or a party.  More like just dinner at Cheesecake Factory.  ;)

It was a fun and very busy weekend.  Rowan showed off all his cuteness and the girls showed off their screaming lungs and every range of emotions.  Sometimes I'm just a little surprised that people continue to visit us and our crazy.  Gotta love family.  :)

Here are some pictures from the few days.  Thanks for coming, and for all the help!!

- K

Meeting the boy!

Look at that smile.  So cute I could die.

Cheesecake Factory!

Sever's Fall Festival.  The chicks LOVE this corn pit!

Pig races at the Fall Festival

And camel rides!

Check out those legs and kicks.  So many heart eyes.

Taking Lyla to Kindergarten.  She repped the Broncos that day.  ;)

After school we headed to Lake Calhoun for the greatest adventure of all time.

Adventure #1: Duck chasing

Adventure #2: Baby turtle spotting

Baby turtle!

These little guys were crawling out of a hole in the ground and running for the lake water.  They were so cute!

Sis and her "turtle team"

Adventure #3: Peddle Boating

I could eat that boy.

Adventure #4: Kayaking!

Adventures not pictured: Trying to find a parking spot, lunch (always a fun adventure trying to get kids to eat), swimming at the beach, playing at the park, collecting valuable treasures such as sticks, rocks, and bird feathers.

Making pancakes before preschool with Grammy!  :)

I think Sis saw geese...I'm not sure what Lyla is doing.

Last morning with Papa before they had to go.

The Fairest Weekend (and Unfairest Blog Post) of Them All

OK, this is the deal.  A week or more ago I spent a precious 2 hours of time writing this blog.  I say a precious 2 hours because I mean a precious 2 hours.  Every minute counts these days in getting anything done, but instead of doing something I needed to do I did something I wanted to do...because sometimes you get to make that choice.  Then after those 2 hours were done the blog refreshed and...blank screen.  There was nothing.  No words.  No pictures.  Wasted Time. 

There was rage and fury on my part but I think I managed to hold back the tears.  I have not, however, been able to let go of my grudge towards this blog or the internet or modern technology in general.  The problem is, I can't just never post these pictures because I do want the memories recorded.  So I guess they're just not going to be as pretty as they originally were because (I don't think I've ever said this overused saying before but) I. Just. Can't.  #bitterpartyofone ;)

Anyways, here's the long and short of it:

A) Ryan's friend, Jeff, came into town.  We went to the State Fair and ate too many chocolate chip cookies.  It was very fun.

B) The next day Jeff left and Goan came to watch the handsomest tiny man in the history of the world so we could take his big sisters to Valley Fair (nearby amusement park) for one last hoorah before school started.  It was a blast and much deserved for those little cuties.  They've been the best little helpers, and have handled waiting around while mama tends to the baby and being quiet while baby sleeps and being careful because baby is a baby so much better than I thought they would.  It was so nice to get a little break from all that and just be silly and loud and crazy for an afternoon.

Here are some pics!  :)

- K

State Fair!

Valley Fair!

A Visit From Great Grandma!

Last week my grandma traveled all the way out to Minnesota to visit us!  Ryan had to go to Vegas for work (poor guy), so it was perfect timing.  We had a lot of fun, and I have to say I was quite impressed by her ability to keep up with my little wild things.

We crammed as much as we could into our few days with her.  We took her to our favorite donut shop before school one day, showed her around the fun kids area at the library, and Evie's gymnastics class.  Lyla got to order crab (her favorite) at Red Lobster, and both girls got their own cake slices at The Cheesecake Factory (oreo cheesecake for Evie and the biggest chocolate layer cake known to mankind for Lyla), and we even got to do some fancy dress shopping for the girls.  We finally did our obligatory sight seeing on the last morning, stopping by Minnehaha Falls for the first time for all of us. 

It was such a great trip!  We were all glad Great Grandma got to visit us out here in the Midwest.  Now we've just gotta get her back out here in the summer when it's warm and green!  ;)

- K

Donuts!  And not a single complaint from her teachers after school.  ;)

Checking out the lobsters at Red Lobster.

Coloring with Great Grandma.

Cutest gymnastics girl.

Cheesecake Factory!

After dinner at Cheesecake Factory we stayed out late to go dress shopping for the girls.  They were pretty excited to get in them first thing the next morning!

It was the first time we've ever done proper dress shopping where we actually tried several on to find the best option.  Lyla had so much fun posing in front of the mirror and said "it feels like I'm at the beauty shop!"  :)  (Gotta love that bed head.)

Last stop before the airport!  Minnehaha Falls.  The falls were pretty cool, but we didn't get to stay long and explore.  Next visit!