and little bit of this
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
She's Just a Lion
How do you ensure Daddy can watch the World Cup without interruption while at home alone with three little bored summer vacation turkeys?
and little bit of this
and little bit of this
Monday, June 28, 2010
Bad Parenting 101
I used to be so strict about everyone sleeping in their own beds. Baby Number Three, Summer Vacation, Life in General all got in the way. Lately, my best plans about bedtime have gone out the window.
Henry and Sophia fell asleep like this the other night, while Davis and I sat next to them and watched soccer.
And hair drama! Sophia chopped off Amelia's hair on one side. It's the same thing she did to herself. When Sophia was 3, she got ahold of some scissors and chopped her own hair. Usually I cut their hair myself, but I decided to take her in to get a professional to fix it. BAD idea - they "fixed" it by giving her a bowl haircut! Yikes.
Well, on Saturday Sophia did the same thing to her poor sister. So instead of another bowl, I decided to just cut Amelia's hair straight across and give her a little pageboy cut. I think it looks cute! This isn't a very good picture of it, though - that kid is HARD to photograph!
Maybe when the World Cup is over and we all start getting some sleep again, I'll be a good mom again.
Henry and Sophia fell asleep like this the other night, while Davis and I sat next to them and watched soccer.
And hair drama! Sophia chopped off Amelia's hair on one side. It's the same thing she did to herself. When Sophia was 3, she got ahold of some scissors and chopped her own hair. Usually I cut their hair myself, but I decided to take her in to get a professional to fix it. BAD idea - they "fixed" it by giving her a bowl haircut! Yikes.
Well, on Saturday Sophia did the same thing to her poor sister. So instead of another bowl, I decided to just cut Amelia's hair straight across and give her a little pageboy cut. I think it looks cute! This isn't a very good picture of it, though - that kid is HARD to photograph!
Maybe when the World Cup is over and we all start getting some sleep again, I'll be a good mom again.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Poor Man's Granola
That's what I call my new late-night snack.
Henry has been "reverse cycling" - when he's away from me during the day, he doesn't eat much, and then he makes up for it by nursing a bunch at night. It's kind of flattering, because it proves that he loves me more than a plastic bottle. Also, when I make the "milk" sign, right before nursing him, he starts flapping his arms and kicking his legs and grinning really wide. And then he dives for my milk and attacks me like a little baby bear. It's the best thing in the world.
That reminds me of a funny... When Sophia was Henry's age, I did the "milk" sign (opening and closing fist) every time I nursed her. I had read that some babies start signing as early as 6 months. Teaching my kids sign language helped us avoid a lot of pre-talking frustration in the young toddler stage, I'm convinced. Well, when she was not quite five months old, I told Davis "look at that cute hand thing she keeps doing!" She had this new adorable little habit of opening and closing her fists, and it took me two weeks to figure out that she was doing the sign that I had been trying to teach her!! DUH Mom!
But that's not what I was talking about. I was talking about how Henry's waking up at night again to eat, and I'm letting him because it means I only have to pump once at work instead of three times. But that means I'm HUNGRY in the middle of the night after feeding my voracious little baby bear.
And that's when I grab this and that and throw it in a bowl and call it Poor Man's Granola: walnut pieces, raisins, plain old-fashioned rolled oats, honey, milk. Yum.
Henry has been "reverse cycling" - when he's away from me during the day, he doesn't eat much, and then he makes up for it by nursing a bunch at night. It's kind of flattering, because it proves that he loves me more than a plastic bottle. Also, when I make the "milk" sign, right before nursing him, he starts flapping his arms and kicking his legs and grinning really wide. And then he dives for my milk and attacks me like a little baby bear. It's the best thing in the world.
That reminds me of a funny... When Sophia was Henry's age, I did the "milk" sign (opening and closing fist) every time I nursed her. I had read that some babies start signing as early as 6 months. Teaching my kids sign language helped us avoid a lot of pre-talking frustration in the young toddler stage, I'm convinced. Well, when she was not quite five months old, I told Davis "look at that cute hand thing she keeps doing!" She had this new adorable little habit of opening and closing her fists, and it took me two weeks to figure out that she was doing the sign that I had been trying to teach her!! DUH Mom!
But that's not what I was talking about. I was talking about how Henry's waking up at night again to eat, and I'm letting him because it means I only have to pump once at work instead of three times. But that means I'm HUNGRY in the middle of the night after feeding my voracious little baby bear.
And that's when I grab this and that and throw it in a bowl and call it Poor Man's Granola: walnut pieces, raisins, plain old-fashioned rolled oats, honey, milk. Yum.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Summer Vacation!
The girls and I sat down the first weekend of Summer Vacation and made our bucket list for the summer
We've crossed a few items off already - like getting ice cream from the ice cream truck (known previously as "the magic music van" - man, that was brilliant for about four years, but now the secret's out, and that's okay because of the glorious smiles that song brings to their little faces now!) and driving to Wisconsin.
Amelia also crossed Kool Aid Hair Dye off the list - as of last Sunday, she's got cherry smelling pink streaks in her hair. Sophia decided she would just provide moral support.
Me: Sophia, do you want to do it too?
Sophia: Let's just see what happens to Amelia.
Henry's big to do, which isn't on the list but should be - lots of tummy time!
We've crossed a few items off already - like getting ice cream from the ice cream truck (known previously as "the magic music van" - man, that was brilliant for about four years, but now the secret's out, and that's okay because of the glorious smiles that song brings to their little faces now!) and driving to Wisconsin.
Amelia also crossed Kool Aid Hair Dye off the list - as of last Sunday, she's got cherry smelling pink streaks in her hair. Sophia decided she would just provide moral support.
Me: Sophia, do you want to do it too?
Sophia: Let's just see what happens to Amelia.
Henry's big to do, which isn't on the list but should be - lots of tummy time!
Happy Summer!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
The What Ifs
I know I have blogged on this topic before, but for some reason it has been on my heart lately, so maybe someone out there needs to hear it...
Someone recently asked me at what point during my pregnancy with Henry I felt "safe," considering my previous miscarriages. There were all those reassuring milestones - getting beyond 6 weeks when I had lost the other babies, seeing his little gummy bear shape on ultrasound, hearing his heart beat... then there were all those scary moments - getting my initial lab values back, not being able to find his heart beat for so long that my OB brought out the ultrasound machine, being in preterm labor at 29 weeks... but really, those weren't the things that made me feel "safe" or "scared."
The minute I saw two lines on a pregnancy test, each and every one of those six times, my heart was instantly filled with indescribable happiness and indescribable fear. At that moment, I knew, I had so much to lose. And having so much to lose is awesome - because it means you have something incredibly valuable. And the truth is, once we become mothers, we will always have so much to lose. That happiness and that fear never goes away. I knew week 7 of my pregnancy wasn't a guarantee. But I also know another year with Sophia or Amelia isn't a guarantee.
Sophia's medical condition gives her up to a 1 in 4 chance of getting malignant melanoma, and up to a 1 in 3 chance of getting another condition that is fatal in up to 95% of cases with no cure. I could spend my days thinking about what if... I can stop writing this paragraph right now and break down in agony at the thought of losing her. Or. Or I can thank God with all my might that I have been given this precious soul to love and care for, that I am allowed to feel a love so great that I cannot fathom letting it go. Because I don't have a child with melanoma or neurocutaneous melanosis. I have Sophia, alive and well and sleeping soundly after a long day of playing and swimming. That is what I am given - this day, this hour, this moment. And it is so sweet.
And so it was with Henry's pregnancy. I knew this would be our last baby. I knew that nothing on this earth compares to the anticipation and joy and hopefulness that comes with pregnancy. And I vowed to soak up every minute of it. I prayed hard that the guarded feeling around my heart would go away, so that I could totally fall in love with that gummy bear. And boy did I ever! The thing is, as painful as those losses were, I never regretted loving the babies that I lost. I never regretted feeling excited and hopeful those days and weeks that I had them. And I knew that love given to a baby would never be wasted, regardless of whether I got to keep that baby or not.
And so, I continue to forge ahead into that wonderful, terrifying land of So Much To Lose.
Someone recently asked me at what point during my pregnancy with Henry I felt "safe," considering my previous miscarriages. There were all those reassuring milestones - getting beyond 6 weeks when I had lost the other babies, seeing his little gummy bear shape on ultrasound, hearing his heart beat... then there were all those scary moments - getting my initial lab values back, not being able to find his heart beat for so long that my OB brought out the ultrasound machine, being in preterm labor at 29 weeks... but really, those weren't the things that made me feel "safe" or "scared."
The minute I saw two lines on a pregnancy test, each and every one of those six times, my heart was instantly filled with indescribable happiness and indescribable fear. At that moment, I knew, I had so much to lose. And having so much to lose is awesome - because it means you have something incredibly valuable. And the truth is, once we become mothers, we will always have so much to lose. That happiness and that fear never goes away. I knew week 7 of my pregnancy wasn't a guarantee. But I also know another year with Sophia or Amelia isn't a guarantee.
Sophia's medical condition gives her up to a 1 in 4 chance of getting malignant melanoma, and up to a 1 in 3 chance of getting another condition that is fatal in up to 95% of cases with no cure. I could spend my days thinking about what if... I can stop writing this paragraph right now and break down in agony at the thought of losing her. Or. Or I can thank God with all my might that I have been given this precious soul to love and care for, that I am allowed to feel a love so great that I cannot fathom letting it go. Because I don't have a child with melanoma or neurocutaneous melanosis. I have Sophia, alive and well and sleeping soundly after a long day of playing and swimming. That is what I am given - this day, this hour, this moment. And it is so sweet.
And so it was with Henry's pregnancy. I knew this would be our last baby. I knew that nothing on this earth compares to the anticipation and joy and hopefulness that comes with pregnancy. And I vowed to soak up every minute of it. I prayed hard that the guarded feeling around my heart would go away, so that I could totally fall in love with that gummy bear. And boy did I ever! The thing is, as painful as those losses were, I never regretted loving the babies that I lost. I never regretted feeling excited and hopeful those days and weeks that I had them. And I knew that love given to a baby would never be wasted, regardless of whether I got to keep that baby or not.
And so, I continue to forge ahead into that wonderful, terrifying land of So Much To Lose.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Swim Lessons
The girls started swim lessons tonight. Sophia did really well - I'm so proud of her, because she's a little nervous around water (in a healthy way, considering she can't swim). Amelia is my little fish, and she scares me around water. In fact my recurrent nightmare is about her drowning, and I have been anxious for her to learn to swim, because she is a daredevil around water.
As we sat by the pool watching the lessons, my friend Ashley pointed out the lifeguard and said "that's kind of funny, how he's just hovering over those kids sitting on the steps." I said "oh, he's there for Amelia." Sure enough, about five minutes later, Amelia just jumped off the steps while the teacher was out in the water with another student, and the lifeguard had to jump in to pull her out. It actually scared her, which is good. I've never let her anywhere near water without floaties, so I think this was a good learning experience for her (I hope). We had to do some major cheerleading to get her back in the water, but she finished her lesson and was back to loving the water by the end.
It was 102 degrees and the sun was shining on us. I was in my black pants and sweater that I wore to work today, so I was dying on the side of the pool!
Because lessons are over right at dinnertime, I packed sandwiches and chips for us to eat on the way home. I made these awesome bagel sandwiches, adapted from a Pioneer Woman recipe - yum! The girls loved them, and they were perfect in this crazy heat.
As we sat by the pool watching the lessons, my friend Ashley pointed out the lifeguard and said "that's kind of funny, how he's just hovering over those kids sitting on the steps." I said "oh, he's there for Amelia." Sure enough, about five minutes later, Amelia just jumped off the steps while the teacher was out in the water with another student, and the lifeguard had to jump in to pull her out. It actually scared her, which is good. I've never let her anywhere near water without floaties, so I think this was a good learning experience for her (I hope). We had to do some major cheerleading to get her back in the water, but she finished her lesson and was back to loving the water by the end.
It was 102 degrees and the sun was shining on us. I was in my black pants and sweater that I wore to work today, so I was dying on the side of the pool!
Because lessons are over right at dinnertime, I packed sandwiches and chips for us to eat on the way home. I made these awesome bagel sandwiches, adapted from a Pioneer Woman recipe - yum! The girls loved them, and they were perfect in this crazy heat.
Everything Veggie Sandwiches
4 everything bagels, toasted
2/3 block cream cheese
4 scallions, white and light green parts sliced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced
1 avocado, sliced
1 handful spinach leaves, washed and dried
8 slices Muenster cheese
4 slices sharp cheddar cheese
Mix cream cheese and scallion pieces together and spread on top and bottom of each bagel. Assemble sandwiches: avocado, red onion, Muenster cheese, spinach, cheddar cheese, Muenster cheese, cucumber, top of bagel.
4 everything bagels, toasted
2/3 block cream cheese
4 scallions, white and light green parts sliced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced
1 avocado, sliced
1 handful spinach leaves, washed and dried
8 slices Muenster cheese
4 slices sharp cheddar cheese
Mix cream cheese and scallion pieces together and spread on top and bottom of each bagel. Assemble sandwiches: avocado, red onion, Muenster cheese, spinach, cheddar cheese, Muenster cheese, cucumber, top of bagel.
Road Trip 2010! Part 3
The trip home was fun, but we (mostly Davis and I!) were really ready to be out of the car by the end! The drive from Memphis to Little Rock is not fun even under the best of circumstances, and at 2 a.m. it's particularly sucky. It's also scary - there were weaving semis and I was terrified of drunk drivers. Also, what's up with cops in Illinois? Anyone? Every time I pulled over to nurse Henry (whether on the side a country road or a car wash parking lot) we had a police man or sheriff's deputy come by to see what we were doing.
First we drove around Appleton for a while, so I could show Davis the town where my cousin lives - I'm working on convincing him to move up there ;)
The first day of driving I had a migraine, and honestly I don't really remember the day - we just made it to somewhere in the middle of Illinois and then stopped at the first decent hotel with a pool. Henry and I went to bed at like 8 p.m. while Davis took the girls swimming (again, hotel pools = awesome). Then the next morning I took the girls swimming while Davis caught some soccer, and we were back on the road.
We booked it to St. Louis. The weather report said 50% chance of rain, so we decided if it was rainy we would go to a pirate or dinosaur exhibit in the city, but if it was sunny Davis wanted to go to Cahokia. I don't know if I've mentioned it, but Davis was an archeologist for 15 years, and Cahokia is the largest archeological site in the U.S. Well, when we got close, it was storming hard, but when we actually got to the site it wasn't. Davis said "ah, look how the blades of grass are blowing - there's NO WAY the rain will come this way." Famous last words. Seriously, I call Davis the anti-weather man. But still, we went to Cahokia, where we scarred Amelia for life.
In the museum at the site, there was a recreation of the Cahokian village, which was really cool.
BUT there was a model of a deer carcass with no head, which had fake blood coming out of it. Amelia FREAKED out. She called it "the blood animal" and she's still talking about it. No amount of explanation helped. Ooops.
Then Davis decided the girls had to walk up the tallest mound even though, you guessed it, it was raining heavily at this point. Lucky for me Henry got hungry, so I had to stay behind and nurse him in the car.
It was actually good, because the girls saw tons of wildlife from up there and it wore them out. Plus, it wouldn't really be a family vacation without a memory like "Dad made us walk up this Indian mound in the rain."
Then, back on the road. This was as close as we got to the arch. St. Louis is cool, and we're looking forward to going back to check out all the sights we didn't get a chance to see.
We decided to stop at a huge arcade pizza germ buffet nightmare place for dinner, just to make sure the girls really were worn out. I think Davis had the most fun ha ha!
At about 7 pm, we headed back home. The kids slept most of the way, which was the plan. I couldn't believe it when Sophia started asking to go on vacation again just two days later. But Amelia said "that Indian place with the blood animal - let's NOT go there!"
First we drove around Appleton for a while, so I could show Davis the town where my cousin lives - I'm working on convincing him to move up there ;)
The first day of driving I had a migraine, and honestly I don't really remember the day - we just made it to somewhere in the middle of Illinois and then stopped at the first decent hotel with a pool. Henry and I went to bed at like 8 p.m. while Davis took the girls swimming (again, hotel pools = awesome). Then the next morning I took the girls swimming while Davis caught some soccer, and we were back on the road.
We booked it to St. Louis. The weather report said 50% chance of rain, so we decided if it was rainy we would go to a pirate or dinosaur exhibit in the city, but if it was sunny Davis wanted to go to Cahokia. I don't know if I've mentioned it, but Davis was an archeologist for 15 years, and Cahokia is the largest archeological site in the U.S. Well, when we got close, it was storming hard, but when we actually got to the site it wasn't. Davis said "ah, look how the blades of grass are blowing - there's NO WAY the rain will come this way." Famous last words. Seriously, I call Davis the anti-weather man. But still, we went to Cahokia, where we scarred Amelia for life.
In the museum at the site, there was a recreation of the Cahokian village, which was really cool.
(sorry for the bad pic - no flash allowed)
BUT there was a model of a deer carcass with no head, which had fake blood coming out of it. Amelia FREAKED out. She called it "the blood animal" and she's still talking about it. No amount of explanation helped. Ooops.
Then Davis decided the girls had to walk up the tallest mound even though, you guessed it, it was raining heavily at this point. Lucky for me Henry got hungry, so I had to stay behind and nurse him in the car.
It was actually good, because the girls saw tons of wildlife from up there and it wore them out. Plus, it wouldn't really be a family vacation without a memory like "Dad made us walk up this Indian mound in the rain."
Then, back on the road. This was as close as we got to the arch. St. Louis is cool, and we're looking forward to going back to check out all the sights we didn't get a chance to see.
We decided to stop at a huge arcade pizza germ buffet nightmare place for dinner, just to make sure the girls really were worn out. I think Davis had the most fun ha ha!
At about 7 pm, we headed back home. The kids slept most of the way, which was the plan. I couldn't believe it when Sophia started asking to go on vacation again just two days later. But Amelia said "that Indian place with the blood animal - let's NOT go there!"
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Road Trip 2010! Part 2
Gosh, I have had no computer time since we returned from our trip. Things have been incredibly busy at work, and then at night we've been watching recorded World Cup games at night. I grew up in Europe and Davis played soccer in Germany when he was younger and his family was stationed there, so the World Cup is a big deal at our house. I literally couldn't sleep most of last night because of yesterday's USA game!
Anyway, the rest of our trip to Wisconsin was great. My favorite part was just staying at my cousin's house - I love her and I love her family, and it makes me sad that we don't see each other more often.
This was everyone's first time meeting Henry, and he got lots of attention!
That's Ava in the middle. She's my Goddaughter and I love her to pieces! Sunday I stole her away for about an hour, so we would get a little one on one time together. We went to an arcade-type place and played and talked, it was great! Then Davis left to visit some friends in Lake Geneva. My cousin's husband was off camping, so it was my cousin and me and six kids - she said we were very outnumbered and she was a little worried about a mutiny ha ha!
It was funny when Sophia and Hannah came out wearing the same dress!
We went hotel-pool swimming again (have I mentioned how great hotel pools are?!) See those waves? My other cousin, Jeff, was there and he played with the kids - they had SO SO much fun!
But back to Saturday... one of the main reasons for the trip was to have a memorial dinner in honor of my grandmother, who passed away in January. So we met up with my dad's side of the family and some of my grandmother's friends at a German restaurant in Milwaukee.
To make sure the kids were well-behaved at the restaurant, we first went to the Betty Brinn Children's Museum. It was really fun, but VERY crowded.
Even Henry got in on the action
Then we headed to the restaurant for dinner
My dad brought the girls these dresses from Austria, and I LOVE them! I actually wore dresses like this when I was little. I'll have to dig out a picture and scan it in - my hair was as blonde as Amelia's too.
My grandmother loved having her picture taken, so we are blessed with many, many photographs of her. She was really beautiful.
My brother doing magic tricks for the kids - he's going to be the best daddy (to a baby BOY!! We just found out!) soon!
I was proud of the kids. It was a fancy restaurant that wasn't very kid-friendly, and it was a long dinner, but they did great. By dessert time, it was way past their bedtime. You can see Amelia here, getting sleeping, but braving her way through a cup of ice cream :)
Poor Henry was beyond exhausted. He had just been dragged around all day and just wanted to sleep.
But there were lots of people to love on him, and he made it through.
The cutest was when Aunt Brittany showed him his reflection in the mirror - he would lift up his eyebrowns and grin at himself. It was SO cute!
Our trip home - in Part 3.
Anyway, the rest of our trip to Wisconsin was great. My favorite part was just staying at my cousin's house - I love her and I love her family, and it makes me sad that we don't see each other more often.
This was everyone's first time meeting Henry, and he got lots of attention!
That's Ava in the middle. She's my Goddaughter and I love her to pieces! Sunday I stole her away for about an hour, so we would get a little one on one time together. We went to an arcade-type place and played and talked, it was great! Then Davis left to visit some friends in Lake Geneva. My cousin's husband was off camping, so it was my cousin and me and six kids - she said we were very outnumbered and she was a little worried about a mutiny ha ha!
It was funny when Sophia and Hannah came out wearing the same dress!
We went hotel-pool swimming again (have I mentioned how great hotel pools are?!) See those waves? My other cousin, Jeff, was there and he played with the kids - they had SO SO much fun!
But back to Saturday... one of the main reasons for the trip was to have a memorial dinner in honor of my grandmother, who passed away in January. So we met up with my dad's side of the family and some of my grandmother's friends at a German restaurant in Milwaukee.
To make sure the kids were well-behaved at the restaurant, we first went to the Betty Brinn Children's Museum. It was really fun, but VERY crowded.
Even Henry got in on the action
Then we headed to the restaurant for dinner
My dad brought the girls these dresses from Austria, and I LOVE them! I actually wore dresses like this when I was little. I'll have to dig out a picture and scan it in - my hair was as blonde as Amelia's too.
My grandmother loved having her picture taken, so we are blessed with many, many photographs of her. She was really beautiful.
My brother doing magic tricks for the kids - he's going to be the best daddy (to a baby BOY!! We just found out!) soon!
I was proud of the kids. It was a fancy restaurant that wasn't very kid-friendly, and it was a long dinner, but they did great. By dessert time, it was way past their bedtime. You can see Amelia here, getting sleeping, but braving her way through a cup of ice cream :)
Poor Henry was beyond exhausted. He had just been dragged around all day and just wanted to sleep.
But there were lots of people to love on him, and he made it through.
The cutest was when Aunt Brittany showed him his reflection in the mirror - he would lift up his eyebrowns and grin at himself. It was SO cute!
Our trip home - in Part 3.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Road Trip 2010! Part 1
We got back from Wisconsin at around 2:30 a.m. last night, I worked all day today (welcome home to 602 unread emails!) and then had a birthday party to go to with Sophia - I'm beat!
We were originally going to fly up to Milwaukee for the memorial dinner for my grandmother/family reunion, but total travel time with layovers would have been 10 hours, we would have had to rent a car, and flying these days is just such a pain... so we decided to drive. Yes, 14 hours each way. With three small children. We rock.
On the way up, we stopped for lunch in St. Louis, at Fitz's Rootbeer, which was awesome!
The girls had their first sodas
and got to watch the bottling process.
Henry just hung out. The food was seriously yum, but the root beer was the BEST!
Then we drove on to Peoria, Illinois for the night. Whoever invented hotel swimming pools is my hero. Even though the kids all took long naps in the car, after an hour in the pool, they were ready for bed!
Our hotel was right on the river, it was really beautiful. After our swim, the girls and I took a walk along the river to watch the sunset.
A little morning sibling love.
Then on Friday, we drove to Madison, Wisconsin. We went to the Henry Vilas zoo, which totally exceeded my expectations. It's a little free zoo, and it was GREAT.
This poor giraffe, she so badly wanted to reach that leaf!
We met up with Molly, Sophia's nanny from when she was a baby. She moved away when Amelia was just a few weeks old, and we've missed her so much. It was so wonderful to see her again! I tried to talk her into coming back to Arkansas to nanny for us, but she's finishing her Master's degree, and I guess she decided that was more important. Too bad for us.
Molly got the girls these cute masks.
We got to my cousin's house in Appleton Friday around dinner time. It was a little rough at times, when all three kids decided to have a meltdown at the same time in the car. We were all tired of being in the car by Friday night!
But we had a fabulous time, and I'll share more of the 378 pictures I took another day.
We were originally going to fly up to Milwaukee for the memorial dinner for my grandmother/family reunion, but total travel time with layovers would have been 10 hours, we would have had to rent a car, and flying these days is just such a pain... so we decided to drive. Yes, 14 hours each way. With three small children. We rock.
On the way up, we stopped for lunch in St. Louis, at Fitz's Rootbeer, which was awesome!
The girls had their first sodas
and got to watch the bottling process.
Henry just hung out. The food was seriously yum, but the root beer was the BEST!
Then we drove on to Peoria, Illinois for the night. Whoever invented hotel swimming pools is my hero. Even though the kids all took long naps in the car, after an hour in the pool, they were ready for bed!
Our hotel was right on the river, it was really beautiful. After our swim, the girls and I took a walk along the river to watch the sunset.
A little morning sibling love.
Then on Friday, we drove to Madison, Wisconsin. We went to the Henry Vilas zoo, which totally exceeded my expectations. It's a little free zoo, and it was GREAT.
This poor giraffe, she so badly wanted to reach that leaf!
We met up with Molly, Sophia's nanny from when she was a baby. She moved away when Amelia was just a few weeks old, and we've missed her so much. It was so wonderful to see her again! I tried to talk her into coming back to Arkansas to nanny for us, but she's finishing her Master's degree, and I guess she decided that was more important. Too bad for us.
Molly got the girls these cute masks.
We got to my cousin's house in Appleton Friday around dinner time. It was a little rough at times, when all three kids decided to have a meltdown at the same time in the car. We were all tired of being in the car by Friday night!
But we had a fabulous time, and I'll share more of the 378 pictures I took another day.
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