1st Quarter (ha) Report

I tried to set myself an attainable goal of posting quarterly (at least) this year. So far, I'm not doing so hot but I'm very very close! Since my last post was in September, I'll lead with last year's review via Shutterfly...

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We've covered a lot of ground since then.

In January, we broke the Christmas sled on the first run. Neither of us cried. Katy's more about the playground anyway and I'm not much for hauling her butt back up the hill multiple times. We saw The Mitten at Stages Theater in Hopkins. Highly recommend that theater for kiddos. Prices are reasonable and it was a fun show. I got a chance to enter the Winter Carnival Puzzle Contest with some friends and although we didn't come close to winning, we had a fun time. The veteran puzzlers are hard core, egads.

February rang in with a weekend getaway to The Depot hotel, waterpark and ice rink. Evi and Rachel came down to stay and Kat and Frances came swimming for the day (and the girls formed a band in the arcade). Lisa and Leo met us at Flamingo for Ethiopian food. Great food and comfortable atmosphere for our rambunctious kids (not Leo, he's an angel, just our two crazies). We celebrated Piper's birthday and then had another visit from Rachel and Evi to see The Hungry Caterpillar at the Children's Theater. Katy and I visited the Minneapolis Institute of Arts the week before for Family Art Day and also to get $10 tickets to the show. We also met some other single mom friends at the MOA for rides and Rainforest Cafe. Side note to that, never take a sensory avoiding child on a bunch of rides and then to a restaurant where it thunders and flashes lightening every few minutes. Melt. Down. The next day we were recovered enough to pop over to Geb and Frances's house for some light box fun. And still, winter marched on.

 Valentine's hair and sass. Because it's too cute to skip...

March we caught our breath a bit. Disney on Ice was a big hit and we didn't even use the headphones to muffle the sound! We also checked out the Auto Show and had a great time until we saw the mobile video game van and then had a Melt. Down. when we had to leave. Max and Adam took us to the Shrine Circus where there were also ponies to ride and cotton candy to eat and light sabers and balloons to take home and break.

 

We went up north to visit Rachel and Evi in April. It was a jam packed weekend as per usual. The girls sported their new elephant sweaters that I finally finished knitting at Zaria's birthday party (and yes that is a picnic table in the snow for depth reference). We had an awesome Pirate Bath and prepared to watch Frozen with dinner at Chilly Billy's. Yum. When it got dark we pulled out the Glow Stick Skirts! I had a lot of fun making them up and sewing them and I think the girls enjoyed them. Katy not surprisingly deconstructed hers after some encouragement to twirl a bit first. We wrapped up the weekend with our standard Big City Bagel breakfast and then some fort-making. whew! Easter came late this year and we celebrated with the Hansons at their 3rd Annual Easter Eggstravaganza. Not as warm as the first one but at least there was grass instead of a foot of snow like the second one. Katy raked in many eggs filled with treats.

May. Good lord, this goes on forever! If anyone is still reading, I'll keep going with our May adventures. We started the month with my birthday, which began with Riley's broken toenail and Blood. Everywhere. She recovered from the anesthesia at home while Kim, Max and Adam went with us to the park. She then went on to get Vestibular Syndrome, which is basically dog vertigo. Eyes zig-zag back and forth and she walks around drunk. Took two weeks but she's over it now. Still has a cone from the dumb raw toe though. ughA. Mother's day weekend Rachel and Evi came and we packed in too much, again. Friday was Katy's school carnival. Bouncy houses, cotton candy (when will we learn?), games and balloon hats. Super crazy and also fun! Saturday we did the "Besties" package with Laura Monahan Photography. Can't wait to see the pictures from that! Apparently we'll be on the bloopers page with Evi pulling Katy's hair. Yikes. We went from there to Broadway Pizza for a free birthday giant cookie pizza and got a pizza to go for the girls for dinner. Rachel and I left the girls under the charge of a new sitter and ran away went to dinner and a show. Plymouth Playhouse's Church Basement Ladies are a hoot! We came home to sleeping princesses and they had their first slumber party in Katy's room. I'd post the 'surveillance video' but I can't decide which part is the funniest. You'll just have to imagine. There were giggles, whispers, pitter patter of little feet and then some screeching. Sunday morning Glam Doll donuts breakfast and another Family Art Day at MIA. We nearly made it home safely without any Melt. Downs. but Evi saved us with a perfectly timed pull of sleeping Katy's hair in the car. Well, besides a bit of that, it was a great time!

And I'll finish this up with our latest adventure, Katy's new bike! We call her Wild Flower, mostly because that's what it says on the side of the bike. Katy loved it until the first few spills and now I'm pulling her on it. Baby steps. We needed to upgrade from last year's bike because she's grown probably 4 inches since then and it was tiny. Like a clown bike. I can't believe she's getting to be such a grown up girl!