Sisters - sisters!

Today we went to little park and the big park. On our way from the little park to the big park I caught this moment. Calli was holding one of Mari's hands with both her hands. Calli was singing a Sesame Street song - "la - la - la la la, la - la - la la la, la la la-la-la la" and Mari was imitating her "la la la la". It was so sweet! It is nice to see these moments of friendship. Also this weekend, they were both trying to grab a toy from the other and when Calli started saying "Mine, Mine!" Mari imitated with "Mah - Mah!". Lets hope for more of the former, and less of the latter.

Tip-toeing in the tulips

With tons of BEAUTIFUL tulips popping up all over, I can't help but try to capture some of these great photo oppertunities!Unfortunately, Calli is not at an age where she wants to sit still and pose for any length of time. And did I mention, she HATES looking at the camera. So we weren't surprised when she wouldn't sit with us for these shots. But the funniest part was when she stood behind Rich, using all my tricks to get ME to smile.



"Look Mamma", "Say CHEEEEESE", "How many fingers am I holding" and even "Look Mamma, Silly Hair". I was cracking up!




Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for picking out these adorable dresses! And thanks Tia Julie for living in Hawaii and introducing us to muʻumuʻu and Hawaiian attire.

Date with Jess!

By today, I was ready for a break. And luckily, Jess & I had our standing Thursday date. We went to Lincolnwood mall and on passing Gadzooks, I thought I would go for a look. I discovered tons of fun shirts with patterns and bold designs. Jess and I couldn't resist! Not only are these shirts fun: they are very affordable, and long enough for grown-up girls to wear!
Then we went to Ruby Tuesdays and discovered Ruby Minis. 4 mini burgers and fries, the perfect amount to split. Plus a nice strawberry lemonade with real strawberry chunks. That made my day! Thanks Jess!

Guess I'll go *watch* worms

So today, Calli's preschool was supposed to go on a field trip to the Emily Oaks Nature Center. I thought I would be a good mom and go along. Not only could I spend time with Calli, I could get to know the other moms. Well, the trip was cancelled because of the rain, but unfortunately no one told me. So I showed up there, with both girls, and decided we might as well walk the paved trail since we were there.
The paved path was nice except for the 3 huge puddles, a couple inches deep, that covered the entire path along the way. So we walked along listening to tons of birds (seeing none), pushing Mari, carrying Calli accross puddles, and me wading in my tennis shoes. This was not so exciting, until I pointed out the worms!
Calli loved looking for the worms, and then watching them crawl, and poking them with sticks! It was a good lesson for me to take advantage of less than ideal moments, and find something fun!

Reading

A moment of peace and quiet, with both girls reading on their own.

Another beautiful spring day

After this weekend, I thought we might have to be content with rain today, but no rain yet. So with Grandma's help - we headed out for an excursion.

Enjoying a picnic lunch at the "pirate ship park". I discovered this is a great park for my girls because Calli can do most things by herslef, and there are large surfaces for Mari to crawl on.

I discovered a new trick to get Calli to look at the camera. Then, after agreeing to ride in the stroller on the way to the park, she got her promised time riding her bike. And on her second day of riding a tricycle she was going all by herself!

In case you haven't noticed

* I have a hard time picking just a few pictures. I hope you aren't overwhelmed. But whenever I try to take 1 or 2 to post, I end up with a bunch. Oh well . . .

* On a totally unrelated note, did you know the PANIC button (which turns ON the car alarm) on our key ring has a greater distance reach than the UNLOCK button (which is used to turn oOFF the Alarm). I know this because Mari has recently discovered the PANIC button and thinks it is fun to push. So if you hear a car alarm, and see me running with Mari in one arm and my keys in the other hand, you'll know why :)

Did I mention they have a PlayPlace!!

The primary draw of "Old McDonald's" (as Calli calls it) is the PlayPlace.


It is huge, and just in the last month has Calli been brave enough to do it by herself.


But now that she has discovered it, she LOVES it!


The only tricky part, is Mari wants to play on it too. So far, I have had to limit he to a few stairs, but give her 6 months . . .

I'm loving it!

So we made a stop at the Golden Arches for lunch today.
I rationalize that if we get the chicken selects (white meat), apple slices, yougurt and cookies for dessert it is not really that bad for you.
I had to take this picture of Mari eating yogurt off a spoon I am holding. That has only happened 3 or 4 times EVER!!But she can still somehow get a little onto her hands, and into her hair :).

Two girls in a bed

After naptime today, Mariella and I went in to get Calli up. Mari and Calli both love playing in the crib together. Before I went to get the camera, Mari was on top of Calli giving her kisses and love, but of course was done by the time I got back.


Mariella, practicing standing up.
Calli - not quite ready to get up yet.


Today we borrowed some toys from Romeo. I thought Mari would be the only one interested in them - but Calli loves them too. Mari loves standing and pushing the buttons.
Calli walks around with "her cart" filled with whatever she can find: little people, little books, her sweater, rubber ducks, you name it. I actually got her to smile and say 'cheese' but none of the pictures came out with her looking at the camera.

I'm usually not a fan of peas

So today was my first Peapod experience.I like it. I have a hard time not getting the cheapest price for things :) that is the Dutch girl in me. I think I'll get my refridgerated goods there, but some paper goods and things from Target. But I think it is good because it is more difficult to impulse shop. You get what you came for, and that is it.
Well, unless you see a bunch of pretty tulips. I thought that would be a nice way to brighten the room. It makes me happy every time I see it there.

Free Cone Day

We are very grateful to Ben & Jerry's for making today Free Cone Day. So this afternoon the girls and I went for some ice cream.



I got Phish Food, and Calli & Mari shared a vanilla. (FYI - Phish Food and Vanilla are ranked #7 and #10 in terms of popularity.)
Calli ate more than Mariella, but Mari would protest loudly every time I got too caught up in eating my own cone to feed her. And unlike her normal particular self, she made no complaints about being fed off a spoon.


Fortunately, we got there right before a big rush - mostly students.


After our ice cream, we stopped in a cute Evanston boutique called lollie. Another "customer" talked to, read to, and generally entertained the girls. Her poor mother kept trying to get her to try on clothes, but she found the girls much more interesting.