As a family home evening activity we decided to give the girls a haircut. I’ve been the girls’ beauty stylist since their first haircut and will probably continue to be until they are old enough to notice that I don’t do that great of a job. My initial thought was to just “trim” the girls’ hair, but I got a little overzealous with the scissors and pretty much lopped off their locks. I was actually sick about it at first, but then when I saw how thrilled both girls were with their new ‘dos I couldn’t help but be happy for them. I actually think their new coifs suit them. The fact that it is so much easier to brush their hair each day is also a huge plus.

Here they are fresh after their cuts.

As you can see, Annie’s is quite a bit shorter when all dried out. Cute though.

Violet was feeling left out. Since she can’t get her hair cut yet, I thought I’d put a bow in her hair instead. She had it back out in 10 seconds flat.

In other news, Violet now has four bitty teeth growing in. She has had the most difficulty with them as compared to all my kids. Fevers, fussiness, sleepless nights, and clinginess. Who knows if all this completely attributed to the new toofers, but I refuse to believe that my perfect baby is permanently changing into a stinker.

Violet is also venturing into the world of eating solid, finger foods. I have to say that Violet is my pickiest baby yet. She won’t dare even touch scrambled eggs, macaroni, or carrots. Graham crackers are fine though. But throw down some cat fur, and she’s in pure heaven.

We’ve been here for 3 summers now, and we’re only just discovering the coolest park located near us. On the way home from Mike’s work picnic last week I spied what looked like a huge and very fun park. I immediately found it on the googler when we got home and decided we needed to visit it ASAP. As usual, the Johnsons were also up for an adventure with us, so we made the trip on Monday. The park did not disappoint. Alyssa even declared that she thought it was better than the Dells and Six Flags combined. I can’t vouch for that, but I will agree that is was an awesome experience for the kids.

Annie’s favorite part of the park was the spider web. Mimi couldn’t get past the first level.

These tunnel slides were so long. Mimi was very afraid at first to go down. I kept seeing her pacing back-and-forth between to the 2 slides, then come down the stairs, and then back up. Finally after 20 times of doing that she braved her way into the tan slide and came screaming down the entire ride. Of course, she loved it and went back several times more. However, she was still fearful of trying the brown slide and asked me to go down with her. I said sure and after I pretended to sit down with her I shoved her down. Don’t judge; she loved every second of it.

The dish swings looked so fun that I wanted to try them out, too. Violet didn’t exactly feel the same way.

This contraption reminded me of a frisbee golf net (that was the theme for nephew Jimmy’s graduation). Doesn’t watching the video of them spinning make you dizzy? It does to me. Ugh, I’ve got to sit down for a bit. (Note: I know what I said sounds mean not wanting the new child to enter the scene, but I just wanted to finish the video of our kids only so that it would be internet safe.)

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kC4Bz1SSN4g

And I couldn’t resist snapping a picture of my girlies inside the log.

I didn’t think the park could get any cooler, but then they also had a splash pad. What a way to refresh oneself after getting all sweaty at the park.

Drying off in the sun.

Of course, the day would not be complete without some ice-cream afterward. Even Violet got in on the action.

Fun was had by all. We will definitely be going back and soon.

We finally made it to Utah on Monday afternoon. Our great friends, the Wallaces, offered up their vacation condo in Ogden as a place to stay. I must say it was beyond my expectations and was quite a luxurious way to stay in Utah. I can’t thank them enough for such a great opportunity. Where do I even begin to list all the stuff we did because we stayed busy each day with something new to do. Let’s list it, shall we.

1. Tuesday morning, bright and early, Mike decided it would be a great time to take a hike up in the mountains. We were just a few blocks away from the Beus Canyon Trailhead. The girls were complete whiners throughout the whole experience with comments such as, “I’m tired,” or “Can we turn back now?”, but Mike would hear nothing of it and kept us going for at least a mile up the trail. I must say it was quite an intense workout, but I certainly needed it with drippy sweat and all and kept my complaints to myself. On our way back down we had a couple of surprises. Annie spotted a little lizard that was cute and harmless. While Mimi and Annie were leading the group back I noticed a snake on the trail and grabbed the girls right before they crossed the snake’s path. At first I figured it was just a harmless snake, but then I quickly saw the rattlers. Mike did the brave thing and got a big stick to move/push it back into the woods. The girls were hysterical with fear and cried for several minutes afterward. My guess is that they may never want to go hiking again. In all fairness to Annie, I do think she felt pretty rotten throughout the hike. When she got home she vomited and had a fever for the rest of the day. Poor thing.

Violet was a great sport for the entire hike and did this for most of it. I envied her.

Mr. lizard.

Mr. Rattlesnake and his (or her perhaps) rattler

2. Temple Square was next on our list of must-do’s. I knew if I ever visited Utah that I’d have to see the Salt Lake Temple, the Tabernacle, and Conference Center all centered in downtown Salt Lake City. Unfortunately, Annie was still feeling pretty rotten that evening, so we had to make it a very quick tour. To make things worse it was a very stinking hot day and made for an uncomfortable walk for everyone, but I’m still glad we took the time to do it. It really is so beautiful and well-maintained and landscaped down there.

The temple.

The tabernacle, outside and in.

And the Conference Center. It seats a mere 22,000 people.

3. Park City. Mike’s sister Jenni and two of her girls, Rozzie and Maddie, were visiting Utah as well for various reasons. They were staying with their good friends, the Aldens. The Aldens are the family behind the company Skullcandy. We had the extreme pleasure of touring and hanging out in their magnificent home up in the mountains that day. I can’t even begin to explain how cool their house (can it even be called that) is, and I didn’t take pictures figuring it would be a little tacky to do that. Let’s just say that Jenni and the girls had their own wing in which they stayed, and there is a movie theater inside that place that we got the awesome opportunity to watch a movie in. After our grand tour of the place Jenni took us to a ski resort in town that has Alpine slides. We each got a ride or two (except bitty Violet), and had a lot of fun. After dinner we went a Ranger tour through the mountains. The Aldens live right on a ski trail, so it was quite an adventure for us.

I think Violet had the most fun of all of us though. Do we have a future adventurer?

Mike got a turn to drive. He was in heaven.

We made a quick stop and took pictures on the ski lifts.

5. Trout fishing. We made a quick trip to this trout farm. It was so funny watching the fish gather around us for a treat (cat food). The girls were able to catch a fish within seconds. It’s definitely an instant gratification for people who don’t normally like to fish.

Annie had no qualms about picking up the fish to put in the bucket after catching them. Mimi, on the other hand, not so much.

Violet and I just sat on the sidelines and watched the fun.

6. Our friends, the Richards, now live in Utah. Jon and Mike went to dental school together, and Jon also went to school to become an endodontist. Mike wanted to take the opportunity to tour his practice. In doing so we got to spend a couple of days with the Richards and their now large family (the last time we saw them they had only 2 kids but now have 5). We first met up with them at a migratory bird sanctuary and also spent time at Lacy’s parents’ home. Unfortunately, I had a very cranky baby to contend with at both places, so I didn’t get the chance to take any pictures except this one of the kids playing in the ditch. We were so glad to see and catch up them after not seeing them since dental school (Mike gets to see Jon annually at the conferences though).

So that sums up our Utah adventures. I’m really glad we took the time to take a vacation there finally. Mike had been wanting me to visit Utah with him for as long as I can remember, but we never had the chance to do it before this. Maybe we’ll get to go back one day. There is so much more that we could have done, but time always limits us.

The route from Lusk to the interstate was a wonderful morning of high sagebrush plains dotted with rocky relief. The girls were picking out Antelope as we drove by (Annie can spot an antelope leg hidden in sagebrush a mile away) and mom and dad were enjoying the open road (Mike made VERY good time through this stretch). As we were driving we noticed some “Mormon” roadside signs, Mike decided to pull off at one and we discovered it was the Martins Cove Church Historical Site. We spent about an hour (we did have to get going) there going through the visitors center and pulling handcarts. We even looked at the names list on the wall of the Martin, Willie, and rescue companies. It was a very interesting stop and great to get the kids learning some Mormon pioneer history. The couples missionaries at the site were very kind and patient with the girls and as always the church does a great job with keeping the center interesting, clean, and up to date. We are glad we decided to make the stop.

Violet led the pack.

These little girls have no idea what it must have really been like (neither do I) while dressed in their modern, cotton shorts and t-shirts.

Next up: the Utah leg of our trip.

For our big vacation this summer we traveled to Watertown, South Dakota for almost a week and then to Utah for another week. Watertown, SD is the town in which Mike wants to set up practice after he’s done with the Navy. He thought this summer would be a good opportunity to start fact-finding and getting to know the town we will one day call home. Our friends, the Arnolds, already live there and so graciously opened their home to us. They have the cutest boathouse, and it made great accommodations for us.

The boathouse.

While there Ryan and Shannon organized an event through the local dental association for Mike to meet up with some of the other dentists in town. It was a great chance to get to know some of the dentists and their families. We are ever so grateful for that opportunity. That night was also our first night away from Violet. I was so worried that she would insist in nursing and give the babysitter a rough time, but she actually did great and went to bed with no issues.

The other days in SD were spent fishing, swimming, throwing sticks in the water so that Bowser the Labrador would jump off the dock to fetch them, boating, and tubing (the Arnolds have their own dock and boat). Mike had to bribe (or force) the girls to jump off the dock into the water. Once they did it though they loved it. Ryan acquired a golf cart through clever means, and we got a little ride on it which the kids thoroughly enjoyed.

It was a wonderful time. We can’t thank the Arnolds enough for their generosity and the time they put into organizing the meet-and-greet for us. Thanks so much! We headed even further west on Sunday and made to Lusk, Wyoming that evening early enough for dinner and swimming in town. The next morning we made our final trek to Utah. Stay tuned tomorrow for the rest of our trip:)

Oh, how I’ve missed blogging. But, oh, how busy we have been this summer. I suppose you could say I was on a “blogcation” using my friend Erin’s term. Having all three kids home all day long adds a whole new dynamic to my world. How about a list of what we’ve been up to these past few weeks since summer began.

1. Another trip to the Milwaukee Zoo with our (now almost Japanese) friends the Gearys. We sure will miss them but wish them the best in Japan for the next 3 years.

2. The Kenosha County Dairy Breakfast with the Johnsons. So stinky but quite yummy and fun! See below for some random pictures from the event, sorry for the overload. Yes, they used dust pans to dish up the scrambled eggs (I really hope they were only used for that purpose). Notice how the girls always have scrunched up noses…LOL.

3. A trip to the Jelly Belly Factory with the Johnsons. Cruddy pics from the phone.

4.Fishing with the Gearys and Johnsons.

5. Hanging out at the park. I know you’ll be soooo disappointed, but no pics.

6. Hanging out at the beach. Again, more utter disappointment for no pics (you know tongue is firmly in cheek here).

7. Not doing any sewing or crafty projects. Sigh.

8. Not keeping the house tidy and clean because little girls are constantly making messes every time I turn my back.

9. Trying to keep up with an ever mobile baby (who’s almost not a baby anymore) and watching her little teeth grow in, too.

10. And lastly and most recently and still recovering from our trip to South Dakota and Utah. Just a quick rundown of what we did, but do expect a separate post soon (tomorrow hopefully): fishing, boating, golf cart riding, handcart adventures at Martin’s Cove, alpine sliding, hiking, encounter with rattle snake, ranger riding through the mountains, more fishing, touring Temple Square in downtown SLC, dealing with a sick Annie, dealing with a sleepless and teething baby, and more.

The girls don’t have nearly enough to wear especially in the dress department, so I was compelled to make them more (tongue is firmly planted in cheek here). Once again the Matilda Jane knot dresses have been the inspiration for me to make these dresses. I was very surprised at how easy they were to put together and cut out which is always the lengthiest part of the project. Many experienced sewists may gasp at this statement, but I used the rotary cutter for the entire cutting out of the pattern pieces. However, the front and back yokes were the only non-rectangular parts of the garment, and there was only one curve to those as well. My new serger also made the project much more streamlined and easier to proceed through the project (thanks, Mike, for my early birthday present). The girls were very excited to try on their new dresses and got to wear them to church today. I already have another project lined up to make for them, but I don’t know if I’ll have time this week to get them finished due to our upcoming trip to MN. Make sure to check out the gathered pockets I also added to each dress (the 3rd picture shows the detail).

Each year in Burlington, WI there is a festival devoted to one of my favorite foods–CHOCOLATE. Mike knew that this would be right up my alley when he heard about it, so he made sure to keep our schedules open for the Memorial Day weekend. Annie was super excited about going, too. She asked if we should pack up our bags the night before and get up to leave at 6:00 a.m. that morning (keep in mind, it started at 10am and was only a 45 minute drive). Annie was a bit disappointed when our entrance into the park didn’t produce chocolate covered EVERYTHING like she must have envisioned, but we all still managed to have a lot of fun. In reality, the festival is more of a carnival with lots of rides, food booths, games, and other vendors. There was an air-conditioned tent in which all the chocolate events occurred such as chocolate candy bar eating contests, candy wrapper fashion show, and lots of chocolate vendors. For $3 a patron could purchase a ticket to get a sample from 6 different vendors which we were all too glad to purchase. There was also a booth for a free Nestle Toll House cookie fresh from the oven. YUM!

Right at the entrance of the festival was a Marine booth with a pull-up challenge. Of course, Mike had to give it a go and resulted in 12 pull-ups. Annie did 1. Mimi and I didn’t bother.

Prior to getting on any rides we measured the girls,so we’d know which rides were appropriate for them. We got each girl and daddy an unlimited riding band.

The Spider was one of the first rides for them. Look how happy they all are.

This is the ride that did it in for Mike. The centrifuge-like contraption spins you around at a very high speed making it so your body sucks up to the wall. Mike was pretty much done for the rest of the day but did ride a few of the non-aggressive rides with the girls later that day.

I told the girls that this is the closest either one of them will get to ever riding a motorcycle.

Despite his nausea, Mike did manage to have fun on the bumper cars.

Violet discovered that she really likes snow cones. We were willing to share with her since it was such a stinking, hot day.

The life-sized, chocolate Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory display.

I kind of wish I had entered.

So fashionable.

This little guy was roaming around the park and talking to people along the way. Mimi had no problem mingling with it, but Annie was quite spooked and kept her distance.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8meCmn0wqM

It was a fun day!

The Memorial Day holiday never really meant much to me while growing up other than that it was a Monday off from school or work. However, sending Mike off to Iraq to serve his country made me take a much closer look at the occasion. Many wives never see their husbands return from their military duty during war. And so many children grow up without ever knowing their military fathers other than from stories or photographs. I have so much gratitude knowing that my husband and father of my children returned home safely after he fulfilled his commitment in the war zone. Each Memorial Day that I celebrate now is a special day where I am thankful for all the fallen serviceman/servicewoman who fought so hard for our freedoms that we enjoy every day in this beautiful and blessed country.

This is Mike with two of his closest, military buddies right before they shipped out to Iraq. Annie was only 18 months old and Mimi a mere days.

Another preschool year has come to a close for Mimi, but her days as a preschooler have come to an end. She will be heading off to kindergarten next year and will ride the bus to school just like Annie has been doing for the past 2 years. It’s hard to believe that I now have 2 elementary-aged children. As a celebration of this passage to the primary years Mimi’s preschool had a graduation ceremony. As much as Mike wanted to sit this one out (the whole refusal to celebrate mediocrity thing), I knew Mimi would not want to miss it. The event took a grueling 3 hours from the time we arrived until we headed home. To say the least, Mike was not pleased. However, it was quite evident that the teachers and students worked hard in preparation of the occasion. It was even catered with tons of great food and treats. I think when it was all said and done, Mike actually enjoyed himself most of the night as did the rest of us. And, surprisingly, Violet sat in her stroller the entire time without any complaints.

The ceremony was actually quite sweet and (don’t tell Mike this) brought tears to my eyes many times throughout the night. There were a lot of musical numbers by the students. In between performances the son of the director and owner of the school did some entertainment. He is so adorable (you’ll have to see for yourself later). I just have to say that the director and her husband are tall people which resulted in 4 VERY tall boys. Their oldest, the entertainer mentioned above, wears at least a size 20 shoe (that’s at least what I heard last year).

The intro to the show was a slideshow/video compilation of the kids throughout the year. They really do have a lot of fun at that school. Here are a couple of pictures of Mimi that I caught during the slideshow. Yes, they actually have the “graduates” dress up in cap and gown complete with tassels and sashes.

Like I said before, the kids performed multiple musical numbers, but this one really showcased Mimi’s personality. So much spunk from such a little being. I must apologize in advance for all the videos to follow, but they are really a lot of fun to watch:) Listen for Violet’s objection at the end of this video.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9iAZLmivZ0

The preschoolers did this number with the flags and “We are the World” being played in the background.

As a way to pass the time between musical numbers, the son of the school director charmed the audience with some balloon entertainment. The first thing he did was have an adult volunteer come up to be taught how to make a balloon octopus. It was fun watching the volunteer struggle, but the balloon man did a quick switcheroo to make it look like the volunteer had made a much nicer and larger balloon octopus.

I won’t post videos of all the balloon man’s routines, but I thought these might be enjoyed by everyone. The next thing he did was have 4 dads come up as volunteers, and he taught them a dance routine.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvyIbANXhFQ

And last, the balloon man did this feat (it’s broken up into 2 videos, but they are a must-see). You’ll hear Violet in the first video crying because I think she’s afraid of the machinery used…just watch to see what I mean.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tufdSACXPI

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRiRSJH6kKY

At the end of the show the graduates each got their “diplomas”. Here’s my little graduate who’s so proud!

Annie, Daddy and Violet sat so patiently throughout the entire event.

Afterward there was good eats. This cake was made by one of the moms. Wow!