Children's Museum

Hi All,
We spent the afternoon at the GR Children's Museum yesterday. It was our first time, and we were so impressed with all it had to offer! Bree and Drew could have spent the entire day at our first stop - the model car. It took a lot of coaxing to lure Drew out of the driver's seat. There was so much to see and do, we could have spent all day and night there. Too many activities to list, but a few other favorites for our crew were the gigantic bubble station and the mini town, with a very expansive grocery store.

THE car! Notice I am the only one posing for the picture. :)

Drew takes the wheel, and Bree is amazed at all the freedom she has without a car seat.

Bouncing golf balls off obstructions was right up Jim's alley - hehe.

Drew wants to go fishing!

This was another display that Bree really liked. Not sure what to call it - a slot board I guess. She probably would have moved the slots over and over again all day if I didn't divert her interest.

Shopping cart from the biggest and best play store ever!

Miller Time

Hi All,
We were lucky enough to have our good friends the Millers pay us a visit this weekend. We scrapped all potential outings, but enjoyed each other's company in-house. With two sets of twins within six months in age and plenty of toys, no one had an issue keeping entertained.

 Tracy's Ipad was enthralling and kept the kids' attention for a long time.

The kids played really well together.

And so did the adults :)

D and B showing off their brotherly/sisterly love.

Evan and a new set of wheels.

 Aspiring Bike Model #1

And #2, I think they have potential!

Rind Around The Rosie - falling down on the bed is more fun than the floor!

Can't wait till our next "Miller Time"!

Two Year Well Visit

Hi All,
We visited the doctor today for the kids' two year well visit, and all in all, indeed all is "well"! The kiddos got their weigh in and height check. Then, we were off to talk to the doctor. We covered our questions regarding milk and vitamins. Regarding Bree, we discussed her finger sucking and got another potential solution to try when we are ready. 
Drew and Bree are doing great with language, as they both know well over a hundred words. (I made a list and stopped when I got over a hundred.) The doctor said they are supposed to have about twenty words at two years, and the only problem with knowing more is it may induce several disagreements with our independent two year olds! :) We also talked about the fact that Bree especially is beginning to put together two and three word phrases. Her latest phrase: "No way!" and "No way, Momma (or Brother, Daddy, Papa)". She started saying it this morning and hasn't stopped!
We talked about scribbling and the fact that both kids are still using both hands to color, which the doctor said is normal. Probably in the next year, we will begin to see more favoring of a particular hand.
We also discussed potty training a bit, and the fact that Bree is not too interested. He said language is a big component of it, and many kids will not be ready until two and a half to three.
Lastly, we got a Hep A immunization, and we are now done with immunization shots until kindergarten. Woohoo!


Here are stats from our 2 Year well child visit - March 24, 2011 Appointment:

Drew Weight: 29 1/2 lbs. (Unadjusted percentile = 70%)

Bree Weight: 25 lbs. 6 oz. (Unadjusted percentile = 30%)

Drew Height: 34 inches (Unadjusted percentile = 30%)

Bree Height: 33 inches (Unadjusted percentile = 25%)

Story Time

Hi All,
Drew and Bree enjoy their books any time of day.

Here is Drew displaying a new book that doubles as a purse (and a pretty pink one at that!)

And an update to the story "Bree Drops Kitchen Pot on her Big Toe". Bree is going to survive, but her toenail is not. It's all black and blue, and Daddy is nursing it here. She specifically asks for Jim to clip the top of the nail, because she knows Mama is a great big wimp in the injury department.

Story time is a MUST at bed time! Try to skip it, and you will pay with some very irate two year olds!

Here is Bree doing a little light reading of her own before bed. As an added bonus, Drew threw in some commentary (sorry about that!)

Butterflies are Bloomin'

Hi All,
We got to see all the butterflies in action today at Meijer Gardens. Oma accompanied us, and we all enjoyed checking out what the butterflies were up to. Drew and Bree kept us on the go and didn't allow for much reading, but Meijer Gardens has a very impressive display with a lot of information about the life cycle of a butterfly. And they also displayed live butterflies in all stages of the life cycle. Some of the neatest ones were the ones about to hatch!

Drew taking it all in

These mini pots had something enticing in them!

Posing in the butterfly chair

And the car ride home

Butterfly watching can sure wear you out!

The Lake is Back!

Hi All,
It appears spring has sprung! After a couple of days of thawing ice, yesterday we woke to an ice free lake. Today, we have all sorts of wildlife abounds - ducks, geese, birds, and even our swans are back! (I know you can't identify them in the picture, but there are two swans on the far shore, which I always find exciting.) It sure is lovely to see signs of spring. We are ready!

A Walk (and Swing and Slide) in the Park

Hi All,
We have a favorite park around here, and we were lucky enough to get a nice day to enjoy it today. (Winter has been way too cold and long.) And better yet, Gra Gra and Papa came along! I just love seeing the smiles that all the park fun brings!

Drew and Bree's Barnyard Birthday Bash

Hi All,

WARNING - this is going to be lengthy picture post! I drew up a list of pics that I wanted to share from the kiddos second birthday party, and it is more than I've ever included in one post before. But, I put a lot of thought and hard work into all the party details, so I want to share them with you (and keep it for Drew and Bree to enjoy someday). 

Drew and Bree's second birthday party was a few weeks after their birthday. This worked out well, as Bree was sick on the actual day. With a lingering cold that passed from Bree to Drew, I don't think they were quite at 100% yet on party day. Drew took a nap in the middle. But they still enjoyed the festivities along with the rest of the crowd.
So, without further adieu, I will present to you the party in pictures....

The Birthday Tutu
Bree was not at all happy to wear her birthday tutu. This is one of the few shots I have of it, because it didn't last long. Oh well, how many tutus do you see on the farm anyway?!?

Down on the Farm Crafts

Here is Conner working on a model at the crafts table. We had tractors and other vehicles, along with farm animal refrigerator magnets to assemble.

Jim's Feeding Stable

Here's our very own stable, complete with hay bales and all! Tables were brought in for the convenience of our human stable dwellers.

Wholesome Garden and Farmyard Grub

We served up garden fresh grapes, berries, and veggies, along with pigs in a blanket, pulled pork, veggie pizza, potato salad, deviled eggs, corn and baked beans.

Barnyard Balloons
The kids loved the barnyard balloons - decked out in cow, pig and chicken decals.

Tractor Pull

Okay, we didn't actually hold a tractor pull, but our kid size model did get a fair amount of pushing and pulling throughout the day.

A Few of our Farm Animals

Our nephews were transformed into farm animals with these nifty visors....

The Cake
Need I say more? Our cake lady did a fabulous job on our cake! Not sure how long I can get away with it, but I will from here on out be a fan of cupcakes because they don't need to be cut to be served. :)

And Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches
I vowed never to endeavor to make these again, because they were a serious amount of work. (A failed batch of cookies for the sandwich top and bottom did not help.) But, they received such rave reviews that I fear it is inevitable they make another showing!

Partaking in the Cake
We sang two rounds of "Happy Birthday" - one for each birthday kid. Then we all dug in!

Presents!
Drew and Bree got some really cool gifts and they immediately had a great time playing with all the toys. And, as expected, it was pretty impossible to convince them to pose for any pictures at this point!

Guests of Honor Photo Opps

Out to Pasture
Not sure if it was the meal, the cake, or all the fun and excitement that did them in, but not everyone made it through the day without a snooze. One of the Joes gets a break for being up all night the previous evening with an energetic bunch of Boy Scouts!

Feed Bags for the Parting Guests
As we bid our guests farewell, we sent them away with an assortment of feed bags to enjoy later....

Post Party Fun
Drew had some fun after the party with some of the extra stickers. He thought they looked good on Jim's face.

We had a very nice day, and I wouldn't change any of it. I take that back. I did plenty of party prep, but I would start everything sooner, so that I could get more than two hours of sleep the night before the party! :)