To the park!

 Another March day of gorgeous weather made it impossible to stay at home for dinner.  So, we loaded up the stroller with some food, and Baby Molly, of course, and headed to the park!

 It wasn't a perfect outing...  We took a different way to the park for the sake of sidewalks and encountered a ferocious dog barking.  Alli panicked and ditched her bike at the same time a car was coming down the alley.  We managed to get her bike out of the way before any incident.  We continued on...  A couple of houses down there was another ferocious dog that was barking and lunging at the fence.  The fence was only a couple of feet tall and sure enough the thing came bounding over the fence and immediately sunk it's teeth into Rudy's back.  Poor Rudy wasn't even barking or anything!  Allison was SCREAMING, certain she was next to be bitten.  I became Momma Bear in the situation and got the dog away from us. The neighbors came out of the woodwork to check out the spectacle, all but the owners of the jerk dog, and helped keep the mean dog away.  It took lots of consoling but eventually the girls got back on their bikes and we continued on the the park.  Shawn, who was meeting us all there, had to double back to find us since our 'running the gauntlet' took so long!  To top things off, Alli had to go potty once we were at the park.  Of course the bathrooms were locked so she had to improvise on a tree and proceeded to soak her sock and shoe. But, we had a yummy dinner, burned off some energy, and enjoyed each other's company.  I guess a wet foot and a wounded dog was just the price we had to pay?

NiNe MoNtHs!!!

 Our 'Little Foot' is now NINE months old!  Molly has changed a lot in just a short month.  She has figured out crawling now, but is growing impatient with not being able to walk.  She can pull herself up to standing and can balance standing on her own for almost 30 seconds!  She definitely prefers to be on her feet and can't wait to chase around like her big sisters.  Other skills include waving, giving high fives, saying 'all done' and 'down' and I think I even heard her say Rudy once!  She can make the sound 'dada', but still no 'Mama'.  We'll keep working on that one!  I'm not too offended though, as she has made it clear several times that I am her favorite. :)

No longer stuck in reverse...

Let the Festival of Lights begin!!!

It was finally time for the school concert!  The girls were looking forward to it, and especially getting dressed up for it, for quite a while because the original date was postponed because of the big snowstorm.  Both requested to have their hair like Belle's-  I interpret that to mean a bun with some hair hanging down in the back?  They knew it was a special occasion and wanted to look appropriately fancy!  The concert was awesome.  We could hear our girls' high soprano voices and this time around, we remembered to go potty before the performance!

 "Grandprofessors" Jim O'Neill and Judy Scott came to watch and help celebrate.  They were impressed with all of the Spanish that was spoken and sung throughout the concert!

 ...all that and Molly got to meet her future teacher!  Just a couple of years to wait!

On ice...

Checking out Uncle Tim's Alley...

Uncle Tim is the owner of the one and only Ely Bowling Alley and the attached B.A. Lounge.  We had to stop in for some of the best popcorn and a quick game.  Mia and Alli also loved playing photographer and stirring up the sand on the shuffleboard table.  Holding Molly while bowling seemed to improve my game quite a bit- though the bumpers may have been a factor too!  Thanks, Uncle Tim!!!

The Annual Ely Get-Away...

Once again we checked our phones, laptops, and other electrical devices (breast pump included...) and headed to "Steve's Cabin" in Ely.  The thought of no running water and no electricity always seems daunting at first.  Then when we get there, the simplicity of everything is so peaceful and enjoyable.  I even like the outdoor potty!  (The girls have so far refused it 3 years in a row...)  We warmed ourselves by the fire, bathed in the sauna, played in the snow, and really enjoyed each other's company!  We've already got it booked for next year!  

 I think it's true what they say about greater creativity in the absence of technology or actual toys.  We all had quite a lot of fun trying to figure out what this log/table thing could be.  I think Shawn won with this 'middle-school' caliber idea!  (Don't tell him I posted this pic!  :)  )

Empty Bowls 2012

We were planning to be out of town for the annual Empty Bowls fundraiser for the food shelf, so we decided to make a contribution beforehand and painted bowls to donate!

It's kind of exciting to know that somewhere in St Cloud people may be eating out of a Mia or Allison original!  We hope lots of people headed out for some soup, bowls, and a really good cause!  

Mia's creation:

 Alli's creation: