Part Human, Part Fish

The itty bitty mini Volcano slide.

Addie has informed me that she is a mermaid. "I'm part human and part fish. I'm a mermaid." After spending several days in the Dells, I believe it! Adam and his parents took the girls down to Wisconsin Dells last Friday night. I joined them on Sunday after a fun scrapbooking weekend. When I got there the girls had spent a good part of every day at a waterpark with their cousins.

That didn't stop them from wanting more!

Addie near the Wave Pool

On Monday morning both girls woke up asking if they could go to the pool. We headed back over in the afternoon and the girls had a blast. They played on the mini slides, rode jet skis (pretend ones) that shot water out (Daddy makes the best target!!) and played in the wave pool.

The waterpark was huge. It had 4 big rooms, each with different themes and things to do. We didn't really go down any of the big slides, although Adam did take Addie down the (semi) Lazy River. Every so often we would have to let Lily dangle her toes in the family hot tub because her lips would start turning blue. The family hot tub is meant for children older than 6, but I figured just having Lily's feet in the water wouldn't raise her temperature too high.

Lily's Cold Face - "I Cold. Brrr...."

Everyone had a great time, but it's nice to be home.

Bad Momma, No Pictures

I am a bad Momma. I'm sure some day my children will be in therapy because of it. However, hopefully they will go to a therapist who is a mother herself. That therapist will say something to the effect of, "But aren't there some nice things your mother did for you?" My children will then tell about the time that their mother hosted a Halloween costume party for 9 children, 5 moms and 1 dad (2 dads if you count the dad that showed up late).

Even though there is no photographic evidence, we had a wild time last night at our house. All the usual suspects were there, Elmo (2 of them!), Snuffleufagus, Spiderman, The Little Mermaid (2 of them!), Snow White, and Mariposa were all there. There was also a cow that was missing her costume. The kids, as usual, all played great together. It was that happy fun chaos where the moms all chip in to watch everyone else's kids at the same time that they are catching up with each other's lives.

The only part I regret is that I didn't get a group photo that would someday be in the graduation slideshow.

You Know You're Tired When...

As an adult, there are days when I would give almost anything to nap. I feel like I live for my coffee in the morning. But when you're little it seems like you'll do anything to fight off sleep. Addie plays harder than ever when she's tired. She'll start running around, spinning circles and basically get all crazy. Lily on the other hand will lay down but will thrash and twist and turn trying to find the right spot. Then, her fingers find their way up to her eyes where she'll press on her eyes or pull the lids down. Anything to keep from falling asleep. Each girl has to have their special thing to snuggle with. Lily needs her "Ellfant" and "bott" while Addie needs Strawberry Shortcake (and sometimes her new Curious George puppy.) If they don't have their particular routine, bedtime is difficult.

When sleep comes, it comes hard and fast to these two.

How tired do you have to be to sleep with your head bent like that?

Into the Woods

We had a busy day on Sunday. We started off going to the Homeplace to work on a tree stand for Dad. Addie and Lily were interested in everything in the woods, including something I suspected at the time was poison ivy. When your child picks up a leaf and immediately says, "my fingers are itchy," you really start to get paranoid! The girls had a great time looking around in the woods though.

After the Homeplace, we went to Grandma and Grandpa Nelson's house for lunch. My Grandma is a fantastic cook and she out did herself on this one. Two of my great-aunts were also there, one was visiting from Colorado so it was great to see her. The girls were very entertaining, Addie told Louise and Dony all about school.

After lunch we headed to the spot where Adam always hunts to drop off apples for the deer. Despite it being after nap time and both girls being exhausted, they had to walk with us to check out the stands.

Lily insisted on climbing over that log all by herself! She told me, "I a big girl, I do it myself."

Four Little Goblins

Once upon a time, in a land far far away, four little goblins went walking at the zoo. See The Kazel Imagination for more photos and a far better description. :)

Three of the goblins had treat bags. The littlest goblin was too little. She got to share with her Mommy and Superman.

Along the way the goblins got to see otters, tigers and polar bears - Oh My! The polar bear even put on a show for the goblins. He dove and waved and generally had a great time showing off for the kids.

This little goblin kept up with the big kids, occasionally catching a ride with Mommy. She loved going to each booth and saying in her tiniest voice, "Twick or Tweat," and "Tank You."

The highlight for the Goblin's Mommies was the Caribou Coffee booth. They were giving away free cups of coffee and for the Trick or Treaters, Caribou Coffee breakfast bars. This Mommy questions the intelligence of a company that gives Mocha flavored breakfast bars to preschoolers, but they were confiscated and redirected to the Mommy portion of the pantry. The caribou was a huge hit with my goblins... they each had to wave to the caribou and then give it a big hug.

Have you ever seen such a cute little cow?

Buh-Bye animals! We'll see you next time!

For Hire

I'm just going to say it, because really, I'm not shy. My kids would make great flower girls. If anyone would like to use the girls in their wedding, they would be available. Addie even has prior experience as a flower girl. She was a flower girl at age 2, in someones wedding that we barely knew! Addie is not shy and will follow anyone down the aisle. Lily will follow her sister almost anywhere so she's a pretty good bet as well.

How could you not want that face in your wedding photos?

The girls have even been practicing their dancing skills. They slow dance with Daddy (sometimes Momma, but only if Daddy is busy) and they can fast dance with the best of them. Honestly, you haven't seen dancing until you see Lily shaking her boot-tay. It's hysterical.

Addie and Lily go Ga-Ga over weddings. This weekend Adam and I put in the tape of our wedding; the girls were amazed that Momma was a BRIDE! There is something magical about the white dress and veil and little girls are certainly not immune to it. Every little girl dreams of being in a wedding. I know as you get older and all your friends are getting married that you get a little tired of going to all the weddings of your freshman roommate's sisters. However, think about the kids, think about your family that want to see you on this happy occasion.

Since 2 of our close relatives (each godparents of one of the girls) have eloped fairly recently, the girls haven't had a chance to be in a wedding. With this last one we're not even sure if they'll be having a reception to celebrate later. I know that this person has a niece and a nephew who could have been in the wedding but weren't also; but Lily is your Godchild, shouldn't that mean something?

Let us share in the joy of your wedding. And for God's sake, let my kids be part of it. :)