May Happenings

On Mother's Day we took a trip to the zoo and boarded the zooline RR (thanks to Gpa and Gma Pollack). Annika took this photo. Annika's class put on a special Mother's Day show for me.

I got to make a picture frame with Lauren as a Mother's Day treat.

Hmmmm. . .I don't think this is what Karl had in mind when he bought whiffle golf balls for Annika to work on her golf game.

Why does Audrey have her shirt halfway off? Well, Audrey had the camera, but Sami wanted the camera so she pulled Audrey down by the shirtsleeve and took the camera away. Another one of her tactics is pulling Audrey's hair (don't have that documented yet). These days, Sami gets what Sami wants. Definitely makes for some interesting drama.

A family trip to Forest Park for some biking.

Walkin' and Drivin'

This toy has been the biggest hit for all of our kids. A and S are now scooting around on it all the time. These big smiles from Sami are frequent and warm my heart every time.

Audrey loves books. . . especially if they have pictures of babies. She'll go to the bookshelf, pick out a book and walk around with it.

Sami is in that "walk with your arms straight up in the air" stage. We have taken down the "octagon" and let A and S roam the first floor. They are enjoying their new found freedom.

Fun with Grandpa and Grandma

A trip to the park is always a good time. Usually A and L are on their own at the park, so having Grandpa and Grandma around for some one on one was a real treat.

Grandpa and Grandma brought a wagon as a gift from a kind friend of theirs in Omaha. It was a BIG hit.

Audrey got into the "empty" box of crackers that was sitting on the floor. For some reason she doesn't look too bothered by the mess she made.

A and L love getting goofy with Grandpa.

Go Cards!

A couple of Saturdays ago we took the whole family and headed down to the Stadium for $5 tickets that are sold at 9 AM gameday. After morning naps we went back for the noontime Cards/Reds game. Annika and Lauren helped by pushing A and S to the Stadium.

We spent most of the game walking around. Here's Audrey clapping for Pujols.

An outing to the game isn't complete without a cake cone. Clearly, the individual who made these did not have much experience. A top heavy tall and skinny cone is a recipe for disaster.

Annika loved watching the game. . .the other 3 weren't so enthused.

A picnic lunch from Subway was our first stop when we entered the stadium. Did we see any of the game you ask? Well, we lasted until the end of the 5th inning, but we probably only saw 2 innings live. Next time we will get a sitter for the twins. . .

April Happenings

Annika and Lauren took swimming lessons at the Y. Annika literally had a smile on her face the entire time. Lauren, however, was a little leery (see sideways glance and jittery hands).

We took our San Diego kites out for a flight at the park. They worked much better on the seaside in San Diego. Glad the kite salesman wasn't around this time to laugh at us.

Hand-holdin' on our walk.

The Spricks dropped off Smokey for a few days. Despite the way she looks in the photo, Annika LOVED having a dog around. I had to do a double-take when we were out for a walk and a passerby exclaimed, "Isn't she cute! How old is she?" I was just about to say one year old twins, when I realized they were referring to Smokey.

We did our Easter egg dipping post Easter this year.

Bedroom with a view. . .the arch at sunrise.

The Spricks came to visit and this was the only photo I got. We had a great time hanging out over lunch.

We took a field trip to Westminster to join our friends for lunch.

What is it with toddlers and the dishwasher?

Ashley and Lauren hangin' at the Garden.

A trip to the Garden isn't complete without a stop at World's Fair Donuts.

Won't be long and they will be telling me how to work the computer.

The perfect Easter photo

So we came home from church and decided to try for the perfect Easter photo. . . The first thing Sami did was lean her head back and bonk heads with Lauren. Immediately, they both start crying.

Audrey sees her sister upset and decides she needs to be as well.

Forget having the little girls on the older girls laps. . .now if only they had their eyes open!

Now that she's not on Annika's lap, Audrey decided she wanted to crawl away. We put her back in position and stuffed a cheerio in her mouth (see enlarged photo). As you can see, it didn't work.

Audrey has now realized she has a cheerio in her mouth, but for some reason Lauren is touching her nose and looking at Annika.

Ahhh. . .the "perfect" photo.

Fun with Gpa and Gma

While we were at Sunday School, Grandpa and Grandma managed to get Audrey and Sami dressed, a picture taken, and still make it to church on time.

We had lots of help on our walk home from the playground.

Family photo outside the zoo.

1,2,3,4,5,6. . .whee! Yes, we count to 6 (or higher) instead of 3 - this kids enjoy counting and it gives our arms a break.

It's daffodil time at Shaw.

Racing Grandpa to meet the indians.

Looking for birds from the "treehouse."

Peek a boo!

The hike back to the van.

A child is never too young to learn about skulls.

4 happy girls . . hanging out with Grandma.