What a Chore!

Grandpa and Grandma came to visit and lend a hand with babysitting so Aaron and I could go to a concert (Fun. Our first concert out in several years!!).  While they were down for the weekend, they took on the bulk of the childcare so Aaron and I could do lots and lots and lots of chores.  We also hit up Grandpa for some pro bono weeding in the garden... and our vegetables are looking much better thanks to his visit (biggest difference: you can SEE the veggies now!).

Here's Grandpa reading with Amita.  I can't believe they don't have the Little Bear book.  For some reason, that is Amita's favorite to read with Grandpa.

Amita showing off her cookies that she helped Grandma make.  They went perfectly with her new favorite shoes!

Ansel sitting like a big boy out on the porch.  He is getting so strong!

Amita loves chores and she relished the opportunity to help Daddy sweep!

And here's Amita playing a made-up game.  I'm not sure how she came up with this, but it provides a lot of entertainment for her and us!

New-sed Stuff

It is that wonderful time of year again... bargains abound!  That's right!  It's garage sale season!!  Possibly Mama's most favorite time of year.  I managed to score two large bins of clothes that will tide Ansel over until he hits the 2T mark.  How long that will be in actual months, we can't be sure.  But I know one thing: it will definitely be sooner than his sister hit that milestone!  He continues to grow like a weed.  Makes my investment of 67 cents per item seem pretty wise!

I came home with 5 bags of stuff for Amita one night too.  But out of all those things, the clear winner was her new flip-flops!  She adores these shoes and we have been hard pressed to convince her to wear anything else on her feet since I brought them home.  I might actually have to buy some more at retail in the next size up she loves them so much!

Here are 2 of the 3 laundry baskets of Amita stuff that I was sorting through.  She sure hit the garage sale jackpot!

And here's another vintage piece... it's a rocking chair that used to belong to Mama... and it belonged to Grandma Morehouse before me!

Amita was an instant fan and has been rocking since her special chair arrived.

Second First Tooth

Ansel finally got his first tooth to pop through... and just like his sister, he decided that one tooth at a time was inefficient.  So instead, he got his first 2 teeth at the same time!!  It brought all of us a little relief from teething, if only for a short while.

But growing teeth is hard work.  It sure makes a guy sleepy!

And here's Amita not showing off her teeth.  She must be smiling with her eyes.

Amita is making strides toward potty training and running around without pants was enough to get her to smile!

Party Crashers

In all our years of attending parties, this weekend was the first time I think I actually crashed one!  We even brought the kids along to assist in our illicit behavior.  We were technically invited, even though we didn't know the honoree (a lovely high school graduate!).  But this party was much more for the younger kids than the adults.  There was a bouncy house, a bubble machine, and a swing set.  It was like toddler heaven!!

Fortunately, our friends Kirsten and Matt and their sweet daughter Paige (who is roughly the same age as Amita) found us early into our party crashing and showed us the ropes.  They even helped us scam some food and drinks, which meant even Daddy had fun!

Matt had to climb the swing set to protect the bubble machine (and himself!) from the mayhem that ensued.

Here's Amita jumping in the bouncy house.  She wasn't sure about it when we first got to the party... and then she didn't want to leave once it was time to go!

Ansel got a lot of compliments on his shades.

Here's the girls swinging on a tire swing.

They had a blast!

Home Sweet Home

It's been great to be back home.  Life is still busy, but a little less busy than when traveling.  Whether we're home or away, the kids keep growing and changing.  For the most part it's great... but there are some milestones that are a little more bittersweet.  I guess that's all part of this parenting gig and we we wouldn't trade it for anything!

I found a fantastic horse at a garage sale that Amita seems to enjoy.  She has been galloping all around the house!

And Amita needed her first ever bandaid.  She fell down while walking on the road and cut her elbow pretty good.  I'm sure this is the first of many, but it was a big milestone for all of us.  She really is growing up quickly!

Showing off her summer cool!

The cats enjoyed having us home too.  They could get back to their packed schedule of eating and sleeping.

We have so many pictures of Amita in her high chair... but the below is the last one!

Now she's a big girl and sits at the table.  And can I just say that is a very nice looking chair she is sitting on??

 The dangers of eating while wearing a baby.  I guess it's ok - Ansel needed a bath anyway!!

Park and Ride

We also got to take all the kids to a park while we were in Minnesota (come on... you didn't think I only had a handful of pictures from the trip, did you?!?!?!).  The girls could run, jump, climb, and swing and even the adults had some fun there!

Here's Amita and Piper giggling and enjoying playing together.

Dada showing off his muscles doing a pull up with Ansel in the baby carrier.  Trust me... those extra 20lbs (of baby!) really are a workout, even if you're not doing pull ups!

Amita riding in a swing.  The girls loved riding next to each other.

Here's the gang bouncing on a bridge.  Amita managed to cross it by herself, and was even brave enough to do it while Piper bounced up and down!!

Next Stop, Everest!

While we were in Minnesota, the dads took the older girls to a kids climbing place.  It was a great place to burn off some energy and the girls had a blast!  The moms were tending to the younger babies, both of whom were napping for a large portion of the morning.

Here's everybody going down the big slide together!  Amita needed a little encouragement to try some of the equipment out, but once she got going, she really enjoyed it!

Both the girls taking the steering wheel.  Next stop, fun!!

Amita climbing up some squishy steps.

There was also a large gym area with all sorts of vehicles and balls to play with.  As you can tell from the look on Piper's face, the girls had fun in this area too!

Amita riding a bike.  She found a vehicle that was sized just right so her legs can touch the ground.

Amita pushing Piper on one of the many wheeled vehicles.  Growing up, my brother was always tricking me into doing things like this for him.  Is this what the next generation of that scenario looks like?!?!?!

Ansel's First Road Trip

We took Ansel on his first ever road trip last weekend so we could meet our newest niece, Priya!  The drive to Minneapolis wasn't that great... there was a lot of stops and a fair amount of crying (not to mention very poopy diapers the ENTIRE time we were on the road!), but we all survived and it was totally worth it to see that tiny peanut, as well as cousin Piper and my brother and sister-in-law!

Here's me holding Priya in my sling.  She is such a sweetie... she was quickly asleep as I walked her to a park - she sawed logs the whole time!

The girls got out all of Piper's musical instruments and put on an informal concert.  They both did a great job sharing and trying out each instrument.

Here's Amita stretching her legs and taking her pet cat for a walk during our third stop of the drive.

Riding a motorbike at a park in Minnesota.

Piper emptying out a storage box so she can fill it... with herself!!

The girls had entire conversations during mealtimes, even though all they usually said was "Hi!"

Amita trying out some tasty waffles.

Here's both of the babies together.  What a difference 6 months (and almost 10 pounds!) makes!!  Priya wasn't feeling up to a photo shoot at this particular moment... and like Amita, Ansel was LOVING some of Piper's toys.  He used the cookie jar shape sorter ALL weekend!