Zoo

Today is so beautiful - 85 and sunny. So I packed a picnic lunch and took the kids to the zoo. They were both PERFECT - it was such a great day. I tried to get some good pictures of Julia, but she's so darn fast that I would sit her down and try to snap a pic before she was gone. Luckily the flowers kept her in one spot for a little while...

To make the day even better, we got Dairy Queen on the way home :)

Aaahhhh sleep

As much as I love my days with the kiddos, I must admit I also love it when they are asleep in the evening. I love to peek in on them too, they look so sweet! Tonight I took a risk and snapped some pictures. They were both so tired I was sure they wouldn't wake to the flash, and luckily I was right!
Don't you just want to kiss those cheeks!
I'm glad Grant loves Boo Boo Bear so much - that was our "free" teddy bear from the ER visit in December. I think it ended up costing us around $350 :)
It was so beautiful this afternoon - about 85 degrees. So I put a skirt on Jules and shorts on Grant (the socks came off - I realize it looks rather dorky). I did my first "real" run with the jogger - I did 3 miles around the lake near our house and ran the whole time. The kids loved it too!

Junk Food tees

The kids both have Junk Food tshirts on today (that's what Gap calls them). Grant is wearing a Beatles shirt since, well, he loves them! Julia has Little Miss Giggles which is perfect since she is always so happy. I loved the Mr. Men/Little Miss books when I was little so I was excited to find they now make shirts! Oh the good ol' 80s...Here is a pic from dinner last night. And yes, Julia is not wearing pants :) She is cutting her top 2 teeth so the poor girl has been a little fussy lately. But of course, a "little fussy" for Julia is probably normal fussies for most babies :) But I will be happy when those teeth are through!
Julia loves Grant's chair. I put her in the living room and she crawls straight to his chair. Luckily Grant doesn't mind most of the time.

Landscaping

We also had some landscaping done in the back yard last week - it was a busy week! Here are some pictures of the finished (well, nearly - small things need to be changed) product. It really changed the way the back of our house looks. There is a firepit with a grill on top, and a sitting wall. We can't wait to roast some marshmallows! Oh - and the landscaping guys did all of this is only 2 days. I couldn't believe how quickly they worked!

Fun with the cousins

The same day mom and dad left, Joyce, Amy and kiddos arrived. We got the cousins pictures taken Friday morning (the girls had matching dresses, the boys matching shirts), then headed to the Amazing Pizza Machine. The kids had a blast!
Dax, Cady and Grant on the Frog Hopper

Grant and Cady on the roller coaster simulatorCady fixing Julia's hair

The kids acting like vegetables watching TV :)

Mom and Dad's visit

Mom and Dad came to visit for a few days last week. The kids loved seeing them!

Easter at the Lake

We went to Blake's parents for Easter. The whole family was home so we had a great time! The kids went to an egg hunt Saturday morning. Grant cracked me up because he would only pick up eggs, even though there was some candy just sitting on the floor. He's a ruler-follower! The weather was beautiful so the kids did some "fishing" with Grandma. Grandma put a worm on the hook and the kids took turns holding it, and shaking it in the water. I also tried out a wrap from Amy's friend - a new way to tote Julia around. We are trying to find a good way to transport here when we go to Mt. Rushmore next month since strollers won't be able to go on some trails. The wrap will work well, but would work better if Julia weren't so well fed...
Julia and Uncle Jake
Julia figured out she could throw this rattle and not only would it make a loud noise, but Daddy and Grandpa would love it and pick it up for her over and over!We have pictures of each grandchild on this truck. Dax was very excited about it!Here's the wrap. Julia loved it!

Easter Bunny

This morning I took the kids to see the Easter Bunny at the mall. Grant ran right up to him and said "I'm going to be at Glamma's" (not good with gr sounds yet) to make sure the bunny knew where to bring his basket. And Julia loved touching the bunny's fur. They were great and I was surprised I got a good picture!
Grant's thoughts on the bunny's looks: "He only has 2 teeth because he didn't brush the rest!" And why couldn't the bunny talk? "Because he was out of batteries."

Palm Sunday

Today is Palm Sunday so the kids carried palm leaves through the beginning of each service. Grant was so excited! During Sunday school, he made a crown so he wore it for the second service.

An update on Julia - she started cruising! She's been pulling herself to standing for a week now, but just took her first steps along the fireplace yesterday. We couldn't believe it! Also, today when Blake went to get her after her nap, she was standing in her crib. That's a first too. We moved her into her big girl carseat on Thursday since she has officially outgrown the infant seat at 29 inches and 22 pounds. Grant was barely 20 pounds at 1 year and Julia is only 7 months. She is starting to thin out though - her thighs are less, what's the word I'm looking for? - thunderous than they used to be. Still super kissable though! Oh - how could I forget to mention this! - she slept through the night every night this week!!!! I feel good!

The park and pizza

It was beautiful this afternoon so I took the kids to the park. I tried to get a picture of them on the slide together, but Julia was too interested in the sand. Can't say that I blame her - it's the first time she's ever felt sand.

It's hard to get Julia to look at the camera when Grant is around - Julia loves to watch her big brother!

After the park, we went to our usual Friday night pizza joint. Here's a little video of Julia talking.

And she stands!

This is Julia's favorite thing to do now - stand next to Grant's chair. Which Grant thinks is great, except when he wants to sit there. Luckily he's only pushed her over once, and Julia laughed. He knows he's never supposed to do it again, even though "she laughed, Mommy! She liked it!".

Grant - the artist

Grant drew this person on the driveway the other day. We thought it was pretty good, but when Blake and I asked him what it was, he said it was a person going poo. "See Mommy, there is the poo!" Oh, the pride Blake and I felt :)

The Clarks came to town

We had a great time with the Clarks and all our other neighbors who we haven't seen much this winter. Here are some pictures from Saturday - we went to the Amazing Pizza Machine which is where every grown man wants to go for his 34th birthday (it was Blake's birthday Saturday).