Taking the kids to the beach, although super fun, takes a lot of planning, packing and preparation. So on Monday I decided to improvise and have a “beach day” at home!
The girls and I kept busy all day pretending we were at the beach. We did lots of crafts, made some fun things to eat, had a “bike wash” and played in the sprinkler, and sandbox. We had so much fun that we completely skipped naps.
I’m sure our neighbors think I’m certifiably nuts, but don’t most people pretend to surf in their front yards in the midwest? I mean, it seems completely normal to me!
Today was Reese’s Big Day, she turned 2! She’s been into the Olivia the Pig Books so I thought I’d try my hand at an Olivia cake. I usually do a small test cake a few days beforehand, but ran out of time and was putting the finishing touches on Olivia’s bathing suit at 1AM! Yikes. I think she turned out OK…
We did a low-key family day; eating cake, opening gifts, playing with new toys (such a lucky girl) and grabbing ice cream at Cold Stone. Despite us telling Reese she’s only 2, she’s convinced that today was her 3rd Birthday. She’ll surely be in for a surprise next year won’t she?
Check out the B-day photos as well as a few extras from the last week when the girls and I made homemade crayons and celebrated National Lollipop Day (seriously)!
After finishing swimming lessons, Sloane (ever the busy-body) asked if she could try dance lessons. We checked classes at the YMCA and, for 3-5 year olds, they offer ballet. So, we picked up a pink leotard and some fabulous ballet shoes at Target, and were ready for our 5-week summer session. Sloane was the youngest in the class, but did a great job and had a lot of fun. Each week she would show us different dance steps and positions. Her favorite was the Arabesque!
The most difficult part was that parents weren’t allowed in the classroom! It was so difficult to sit outside and sneak peaks through a tiny window in the door. However, I did my best not to be “that” parent. On the last day of class the ballet teacher invited all of the parents in to see what everyone had learned. I was so excited because I had been dying to take pictures—it was super cute!
Although Sloane enjoyed the class, she in anxious to get back to swimming! She and Reese will begin swim lessons again next week. Sloane will be in a more independent class (sans parents) which is just crazy, and Reese will be taking a class along with Greg. Both should be interesting and make for some more great photo opportunities and posts! Stay tuned…
It’s been a few weeks since our last post and we’ve been busy inside the house gearing up for the new baby. Greg has done a nice job of painting the girls new shared room, assembling and disassembling furniture, hanging art work and making it perfect for two little (big) girls! We made the switch on June 28th and put both girls in the same room. We are making “tweaks” here and there as they get used to a shared space, but for the most part it hasn’t been too terrible. They are excited to be together and sometimes have a bit too much fun at bedtime, but I’m sure the novelty of it all will wear off soon (or at least I hope so)!
With the girls in one room now, we have been able to move forward on the nursery too. I’ve had a lot of fun going through our massive amounts of girls stuff and getting it all organized-again! Lucky for baby #3, she has just about everything she’ll ever need thanks to her big sisters. We’re just about finished and it’ll be more than ready for our new arrival in just about 8 weeks!
We cruised out to Chicago recently on a free museum day and toured the Field Museum. The girls got a kick out of seeing the T-Rex (Sue) and digging for fossils and dinosaur bones. There was a lot to see and do so we made a day of it and had a lot of fun. We have also managed to go blueberry picking, visit the zoo a few times and use our pool.
We hope everyone had a nice Father’s Day and Fourth of July and is enjoying a nice summer!
So, Reese was enjoying her breakfast at the table on Sunday morning when she noticed a squirrel scurry along our fence line in the backyard. This happens quite often and when the girls see it they alert us to the fact that we have squirrels in our backyard, and quickly turn back to look for the next one to zoom past. This time, when Reese didn’t see another squirrel scamper along, she started calling out for the first one, “Squirrel… squirrel… squirrel!”
Well, that wasn’t working so she resorted to the tactic that we all use with our children when we mean business and yelled out, “Squirrel Catherine!”
And now she knows how we feel, because that didn’t work either.
With the official start of summer just a week away and swimming lessons in full effect, we found a great reason to break out our new inflatable pool!
The girls could hardly stand the anticipation while they waited for the pool to fill with water. So much so that I had to take them back inside while it filled. Otherwise I think I may have had fully clothed children going for a swim.
After suiting up and grabbing some toys it was time to “dive in.” The squeals and screams of excitement could be heard down our street. I’m not sure if the screaming was from the excitement of the pool or how frigid the water felt.
The girls had a blast splashing and playing together and could have stayed out in the sun all day. Reese took an accidental dip at one point, but quickly regained composure and laughed it off (whew)! We’re looking forward to breaking out the pool again soon. It’s clearly a hit!
We took advantage of the extended weekend and headed to the beach on Sunday (aka: Lake Michigan). The temps were perfect, but the water was freezing! This did not deter Sloane from wanting to stay in the water the entire time (teeth chattering). It took Reese a while longer to warm up to the idea of getting in to the water, but once she did, she was all for it!
After splashing, swimming, digging for seashells and playing in the sand, we walked over to the new Silver Beach Splash Pad. It’s amazing the amount of water that constantly sprays up, out and all around. The kids, of course, loved it.
That was just part of our lovely holiday weekend. We hope everyone was able to relax and enjoy theirs as well!
Sloane and Reese had their first visit to the dentist today! Everything went well and the pediatric dentist we saw was great with the kids. Sloane was pretty comfortable with the dentist checking out her teeth but Reese was not pleased; all in all, she cooperated and got through it without getting too upset.
Everyone’s teeth are coming in well and they both got a thumbs up for their first visit. We’ll go back again in 6 months for another checkup and then Sloane will get her first cleaning at four!
The girls and I have been spending a lot of time outdoors, getting some sun, playing, and exercising. You’d think they would be exhausted but, usually, they’re asking for more!
Although I still get one nap out of Reese, I can’t think of the last time Sloane napped (maybe… 8 months ago?). She does still “rest” in her room for a little while each day, but after an hour or so, she gets up and is raring to go again. With all this extra energy, we’re taking advantage of Reese’s downtime to work on preschool activities, which she certainly enjoys. I get to drag out all of my teaching supplies, too! Right now, we’re working on the letter “S” (naturally).
We have lots of fun activities planned for the summer months, especially before we become a family of 5 and all of the “structure” we have goes right out the window! Eek!
Anderson Ave.