November Happenings

Grandma, the master multi-tasker.

Grandpa and his girls.

Grandma Pollack gave Annika a ballet tutorial DVD - she watches it over and over and over again.

A FUN visit from the Spricks! It's great to see our kids grow older and enjoy playing together.

Tea party at Maia's house, complete with princess outfits. I think Annika is wondering if this is what heaven is going to be like.

Miss fix it is helping Grandpa put up padding at the bottom of the stairs.

Who needs a work out video, when you can go to the zoo?

What goes on when I'm not around. . .

Karl and I were both downstairs wondering out loud. . .I wonder what Annika and Lauren are doing upstairs, it's awfully quiet. Karl discovered them in the cribs with only underwear on, the lights out and giggling in their "sleep." I would have posted a picture of Lauren too, but she had no blankets.

I was gone for a couple hours the other night and this is what I came home to. Daddy rocks!

Birthday Party

Since Grandpa and Grandma were here in between Annika and Lauren's birthdays, we decided to have a combo party. Making the "heart" cake.

The umbrella is Lauren's, but it seemed appropriate with her new ballet outfit.

The heart cake. . . Shanda got us an "easy cakes for kids" book that has some great cakes. I showed them to Annika and Lauren and they got to pick which one they wanted (granted, I did encourage one of the VERY easy cakes).

Taking a break for a leaf fight with Grandpa. These are the leaves from my favorite fall tree in Clifton Park. (No, it was not 80 degrees. Annika loves to wear sleeveless shirts and the 70 degree day in November seemed like a perfect opportunity.)

New jackets from Ashley, Deana, and Allison. Let's do the dance of joy.

An annual tradition. . .every year Ashley and Annika get together for a picture and hold up the appropriate number of fingers for the birthday. What will we do next year?

Mary and Laura's house

We spent a beautiful November morning at Shaw Nature Reserve. The sod house.

Nothing quite like a quiet, simple walk through the woods.

When the babies need to eat, the babies need to eat NOW.

There were lots of furry caterpillars on the path (about a third of them had been squashed by hikers but we didn't point those out).

Annika started running when she saw the teepee and "Mary and Laura's" house.

We happened to overhear one of the naturalists explain that a sod house (the only one in Missouri) is NOT what Mary and Laura lived in (they lived in a dugout). Oh well - Annika and Lauren still call it Mary and Laura's.

No need to take off shoes at the door. . .the floor is mud!

A couple of wild indians.

Both Audrey and Sam love being lifted up in the air by Daddy.

Grandpa was a trooper to carry Lauren on his back. Lauren loved every minute of it.

Working hard with Grandpa

Yes, Lauren has scissors in both hands. She was helping Grandpa cut back the weeds.

Annika took it up a notch and "used" the loppers to cut back the weeds. For those of you who have seen our backyard - doesn't it look a ton better? Thanks, Dad!

Annika had the great idea to jump in the yard waste bag and roll down the hill. It was a big hit. . .almost as fun as grass sledding!

A much-deserved rest!

Preschool birthday parties

At Union Preschool each child gets to have a parent come to preschool for a special birthday day at school. I was able to observe preschool in action. Story time in the Jungle Room.

To add to the excitement, Lauren was line leader for the day.

Bikes in the gym are one of Annika's favorite things.

Fall at the Garden

It was the last day the Children's Garden was open for the season so they had face painting.

A rare smile from Lauren!

Karl took this photo - hence, the artistic nature of it.

This is one of my favorite spots in the fall.

Halloween Fun

We bundled up the bee and puppy for a short trick or treat around the neighborhood. Everyone had a good time until one of the neighborhood teens jumped out to scare Annika - now why would you try to scare a 4 year old girl? Thankfully, she recovered enough to ask him for candy - that girl will do anything for some candy.

Audrey had a balance issue. . .I guess I would too if I had a doggie head on top of my head.

Photo complete with hand support for Audrey.

The two princesses - thanks to Allyn for their trick or treat bags.

Annika and Lauren had a Halloween parade at preschool. This is the first time EVER that Annika stayed with her class during a presentation instead of running to me. Way to go, Annika!