Thank you, Grandma!

The girls and I were so lucky to have Grandma here with us this week. I had ankle surgery on Tuesday and wasn't quite up for mommy duty afterwards. The girls had fun playing pattycake, learning to high-five, and showing off their crawling ability to grandma. Nanny Jenn also came to join in on the fun throughout the week. We wanted the girls to start getting used to her being with us as I start work on MONDAY!!! Yikes. Now, as Grandma makes her way back to Wisconsin, we are all wishing the week hadn't flown by so fast!

Update: Mia crawls!

Not 5 hours after I had posted video of Alli crawling, and commented how nice it was to just worry about one little scooter, Mia crawled! Her motivation? A soccer ball... I guess we named the right one 'Mia'! (Sorry about the close up video. I couldn't figure out the zoom fast enough...)

Destination Rudy...

Allison in on the move!!! She has been slowly perfecting the art of crawling over the last couple of weeks. Her mobility in the last few days has shown Shawn and I how much work is needed to baby proof the place not to mention how often we need to mop our floors. She seems particularly fond of dog toys, dog dishes, and dogs!

Mia is moving too, but seems to be stuck in reverse. Until she figures out 'forward', I'll enjoy this time when I only need to stress about where ONE little girl has gone to! I don't think it'll last long...

"I hate my teeth..." - Allison

Thursday Night Main Event...

Thursday night is softball night!
Mia and Allison watch Daddy run up the first base line...
though most of the game they were more interested in their books.

Swimmin' little women...

Auntie Amy and I took the girls to the wading pool. Despite Allison's "What you talking 'bout, Willis" expression, they LOVED it. We'll be wading more often!

Meet the Venzkes!

After the weekend at the cabin, Shawn returned to St Cloud for work, but I took the girls to Madison to get their pictures taken and to catch up with some friends. Mia and Allison finally got to meet Mr. Bruce and Ms. Jeanne, grandparents to 'Krissy and Dan's baby Jack'. Alli actually crawled a couple of steps forward while at their house! Though she isn't too consistent yet, I fear her cruising days are close at hand! (She also apologizes for her melt down... We left for St Cloud from their house and the crabby little thing was sleeping before we even got out of Madison!)

The "Chicken Dance"...

This year we were let in on what might be one of Wisconsin's best kept secrets, the "Chicken Dance"! A little church in Rudolph hosts a fundraising chicken dinner followed by a dance complete with a live polka band, bingo and lots of games for kids. Bryn and Henry had so much fun last year that they had been talking about the main event for weeks leading up to it! The chicken was great, the polka was fun, and Mia and Allison even got two new stuffed animals that their cousins won for them. (Shawn also hit the target to dunk a little girl into a cold dunk tank! He immediately felt remorse... :) ) Jay and Sarah have more pictures on their blog to truly capture the big event! http://www.affies.blogspot.com/

(Jay and Sarah have some must see video footage on their blog.)

My favorite quote came as we walked back to the car. When Henry asked Bryn if he could play with her new whistle, Bryn, who is always very good at sharing, replied, "This isn't for little boys. It's for big girls who wear a dress." So funny! I think she must have felt 12 feet tall after all the excitement of the day! We'll have to get the girls in dancing shape for next year.

To the cabin!

The girls and I survived our first 'girls only' road trip to the cabin last Friday! It took us two+ hours longer than normal, but we all arrived in good spirits, and very ready for bed... Shawn, who has been working like a dog lately, joined us on Saturday, as did Bryn, Henry, Jay and Sarah. It was Jay and Sarah's 11th wedding anniversary so we celebrated with swimming, tubing, playing, eating, and watching their wedding video. (My favorite part was the commentary from Bryn and Henry: "There's 'little Daddy'!" and "Where was I, Mommy?") The girls enjoyed their first boat ride and once again had so much fun playing with their cousins and snuggling their grandma, grandpa, auntie and uncle!