Outdoor fun and an indoor birthday party

Pablo Pollack.
Pablo Pollack's goofy older sister.
McDonald's picnic lunch. Yum!
We knew it was going to happen at some point. . .Annika's first birthday party at a "party place." Annika is sitting next to the birthday girl (my cousin's 2 year old daughter) at the end of the table. Pizza, tokens, skee ball, and giant hippos spell FUN!
Future Nascar stars. Annika refused to participate until she saw Lauren having so much fun.

Easter Fun

Annika loved dipping the eggs and then re-dipping the eggs and then re-dipping the eggs, and then re-dipping the eggs. . . you get the idea. Hmm - I wonder why the eggs turned out brown?
Lauren learned quickly that she had to pick up the eggs in a hurry if she wanted any. Here she is looking over her shoulder to make sure the competition isn't too close. She ended up with 4 - just like her sister.
Easter Sunday dresses. It was too cold for outdoor photos.
This picture is out of order - sorry. The Easter Egg Hunt at our park. In less than 5 minutes all of the eggs were gone.

Random photos

Nightly teeth brushing ritual. Lauren stands on the potty and Annika stands on the stool. Annika brushes her teeth while Lauren chews on the toothpaste. Reading is always more enjoyable when sitting on a box of diapers. I couldn't believe my eyes. . . I finally stumbled upon something free! Any volunteers to help me transport it?
Is this seat taken?
Sisters.

March Happenings

The bridge near Art Hill. One of our favorite places in St. Louis.
Peek a boo!
Ringing the bells at the Botanical Garden.
Suson Park with "Aunt" Ashley. Notice that I chose not to position myself between the dog and the cow.
Hiking at Shaw Nature Reserve.

Perspective

Annika's birth announcement photo.
March 16, 2005
March, 2006
March, 2007
"Painting" fun. March, 2008

3 years ago today Annika was transferred to the floor from the ICU for the first time in her life. Dr. Foker had recently connected her esophagus and she was recovering from a 3 week drug induced coma. It was a horrible night of drug withdrawl and high fever - I actually missed the comfort of the 24 hour care in the ICU and, at 3 AM, tearfully begged to go back (I was denied). It would be another month before she would be able to leave the hospital.

Today our major challenge is with a 3 year old who refuses to poop on the potty. Despite my frustration, when I stop and reflect on how far she has come I cannot help but say, "thanks be to God." The pooping will come, right?

The Centurian

Loving life at a park in Omaha.
Wembley's couch.
A man and his dog.
One of Annika's favorite past-times.
Wembley is the best dog ever - lumps and all. Congrats on the big 100, Wembley! We love you!

The Eagles Have Landed

Can I have this dance? Okay - the bird is fake, but the sticks represent the actual height of an eagle's nest.
Lauren decided to make a break for it and look for eagles on her own. We are at the Melvin Price Locks and Dam on the Mississippi.
Whoops - I forgot to tell Annika the eagles are OUTSIDE the van.
One of about 50 eagles we saw. I had another beautiful, potentially award-winning photo of 3 eagles together but my computer ate it. Yes, I am still bitter.
Can you spy a nest AND an eagle?

V-day Fun

Annika and friend Olivia "helping" make cupcakes from scratch.
The cooks enjoying the beaters. Valentines Day is suddenly Annika's favorite holiday!
My friend Sage helping Annika make heart sugar cookies.
Does life get any better than this?
Craft time. For some reason 3 year old Annika and 2 year old Olivia have very short attention spans . . . so guess who ended up making most of the valentines. Thanks to my friend Mandy they actually turned out pretty nice.

MISS-ISS-IPPI River Outing

I want to go first!!!
Looks like big sister won that battle.
The Mighty Mississippi
A small lake nearby.
Nothing more fun than throwing rocks in the water.

This past weekend it warmed up to 52 so we went and explored a county park on the River. We were able to teach Annika the word "barge" and we did see get to see one Bald Eagle. Karl was most excited about being able to take Wembley along (now that we have a van to transport her in). The dog and the girls gave out at about the same time so it worked out perfectly!

Random photos from January

Once Annika got over her fear of the snow she was willing to stand next to the snowman (affectionately named "Lucy") she watched (from the deck) Mommy and Grandpa make. Lauren's first haircut! Annika suddenly wants to help whenever the mixer comes out!
Lauren likes the snow a little bit more than her sister, but she is still not a big fan.
Who needs Mommy anymore?