Late February Fun

Jesse is going away in a few days and I'm on a mission to catch up here before he goes. That way he can see new stuff while he's away instead of reliving what we did while he was with us. So, wrapping up February . . . 

We went to the Magees' house for brunch on a sunny Sunday. Elliott "helped" Tim feed vegetable scraps to the chickens.

Laura held a chicken so Elliott could pet it.

Lucy had her Nexus interview in Niagara Falls, NY. Nexus is a frequent traveller card for the US/Canada border. Getting one requires a background check and interview. Lucy's interview was very intense (insert sarcasm tone). We made a family trip of it and went to see the falls.

It was a very chilly day to be there.

Beautiful and frigid.

But we had fun! We will have to go back when it is warmer outside so Elliott can really understand the magic of the Falls.

Holly works in Niagara Falls so we met her for lunch!

Lucy rolls all around these days. She does not limit herself to the activity mat.

Apparently the ottoman is very fun and she needed to get closer to it.

We've been working on the potty a little bit more but not with any consistent success.

Just sitting and reading a book. (Yes, I did attempt to strip the wallpaper and paint the bathroom over TWO YEARS AGO. No, it was not completed.)

Happy girl!

Dinner with the Ortmans

I talk to Holly on the phone almost every day. A day without talking to each other is an anomaly. However, we really don't see each other that often. With kids, work (for Holly), school (for kids and Holly), etc., our lives get away from us. We made a point to have dinner at our house a couple of weeks ago. Madness? Yes. Fun? Most definitely.

Elliott was excited to wear his safety glasses and apron again while the boys were playing with cars.

These boys love being together. But they get CRAZY! 

Oh!

My beautiful Lucy and me. It was a treat to have Holly grab the camera and take some pictures.

Mike got some snuggles with the girls. Penny was still getting over a cold and a black eye so she looks a little rundown.

Penny going in for a kiss.

Cousin love.

Aggressive hugging.

The boys were being wild after dinner. One of the adults had the brilliant idea to turn a movie on. It worked like a charm.

Mostly naked babies. Getting the girls ready for bed.

Hey, Lucy, want to taste my finger?

Sizing them up. Penny still has two pounds and a few inches on Lucy. Lucy is definitely ahead in waist and thigh circumference, much of that is age and mobility.

Getting to know Lucy's feet.

These two are going to be great buds.

"Why Emily doesn't have four kids."

Lots of love for Uncle Mike.

"Why Mike doesn't have four kids."

My kids are fans of their uncle.

Look at these cuties. The girls look a little unhappy here.

We had a great evening with the Ortmans. Thanks for coming over!

Home and Garden Show and Other Fun Stuff

A hodgepodge of pictures from a couple of weeks ago and the Home and Garden Show.

We visited Vanessa at her shop. Elliott LOVES "Miss Essa."

They drew owls together.

Random house shot. Jesse and I built this headboard for our room. Pretty exciting!

Elliott helped empty the dishwasher. He's a very useful boy (like Thomas is a Very Useful Engine).

In action.

Jen got us tickets to the Home and Garden Show at the Fairgrounds. This is the same venue as the animal fair and the train show. Elliott went there three weekends in a row! He loved this big playground on display.

Lowes had a hands-on kid area. Elliott was really excited to wear the safety glasses and apron and play with the claw hammer.

Safety first!

Jesse and Elliott built a birdhouse together.

Lucy watched from the other end of the table.

Elliott's favorite part of the show was the John Deere display from a local dealership. We insisted he wear his seatbelt.

He took this "candle log" home. "Candle log" sort of sounds like "catalog."

Back at home, Lucy sat in the bumbo and grabbed onto the flowers.

Attacking the flowers!

Lucy - 5 months

At five months, Lucy is a very happy girl. She loves rolling over - she will travel across a room by rolling front to back and back to front. She is smiles most of the time. She is quite talkative - usually happy but impressively loud when she wants to be. She has delicious little laughs when you tickle her belly. She drools enough that we wonder if there are teeth coming soon. 

Elliott - 29 months, Lucy - 5 months

Silly kids.

He put his arm around her.

Love.

Lucy really wants to sit up on her own but she's not quite there. We joke that she does baby pilates when she holds a V-sit on the floor.

I propped her back up.

Tipping . . .

I'm going down!

And I'm down.