Minnesota Day 1

5 out of 7 members of our family recently went on a little mini-vacation. Daddy had some meetings in Minneapolis, so the two older girls, the baby and I tagged along for the ride. We dropped Bug and Boushka off with grandparents and made our way north around 8:45 AM last Wednesday. The trip was rather uneventful except for several miles in and around Madison County (yes, like the movie with Meryl Streep) Iowa. I think we stopped to potty, change a diaper, and nurse about 4 or 5 times within 10 miles.

The girls were sooooo excited to arrive. 

I was incredibly excited to have the chacnce to really focus on my big girls (and the baby of course). 

We made it to the hotel around 6:30 pm and immediately took in the views. Boy were the awesome. I don't consider myself a wanna-be city-dweller, but I can see the appeal it has in the eyes of many!

Even my little girls couldn't keep themselves from gazing out onto the cityscape!

Quite the view, huh? And this was only from the 6th floor. I can only imagine what it looked like from the 25th floor!

Once we stretched our legs and unpacked our bags, we decided to head to a local British pub. You can see the British flags that adorn the pub in the middle ground of the picture above. 

We didn't hesitate to represent our home state--actually, more like our home team!

And being cooped up in the car for 9 1/2 hours can make a sweet little girl want to be ornery and get rid of some energy. 

I couldn't blame her.... so I let the pillow fight ensue!

It was so nice to be able to do things there that we can't do at home. Having my big girls made life so easy for a few days (and no I don't want to get rid of my little girls by any stretch of the imagination, it's just sometimes more complicated to accomplish much when they're around).

I think we need to start having pillow fights at home just to get rid of some extra energy! It was so fun!

She was just posing cute before we jetted off to the pub! So naturally I snapped a shot!

They were in awe of how tall our building was... and in comparison, it really wasn't that tall next to the other buildings downtown. 

Upon stepping out of our hotel, a guy on a bike taxi said he gave free rides to princesses (he was just working for tips that night and the ride was free) so we climbed on and he took us to dinner. We could've walked, but we were trying to experience the city!

I took this shot while riding in the bike's back seat. I tried to sneak my camera out to take this picture because I didn't want to look touristy! But I don't think I fooled anybody!

Here we are on the taxi. Excuse my no makeup/sat-in-the-car-all-day face and hair!

Look at this Target. It's right next to Target HQ and it's two levels. This blew us away--us country folks ain't used to such high fa-lutent, fancy buildings and such!

We made our way to the pub and were seated immediately. They had the BEST somosas. All I remember about them is that they had smashed peas in them and came with a curry sauce. So freakin' awesome. I'd go back and order them again!

Somebody was trying to grab my food all night, so finally I stuck a fry in her mouth. No worries, she only licked it a couple times.

And they had this bowling lawn on their back patio. Unfortunatley, there was a private party going on so we couldn't join in the fun! But how cool does that look? 

We ended the night with a dessert and headed back to our hotel to call it a night. I didn't sleep well because hubs and I shared a double bed. We're used to our king and having our own island of comfort. Instead we kept kicking each other. Aw, hotel beds. Oh well. I got enough rest to get up in the morning and hit the shops... Stay tuned for day 2!

Birthdays

Well, as you can see from my previous post, a certain little Scrunchie turned 5 mos old. The next day, my husband and I both celebrated our birthday! It's kind of crazy to be married to a person you share your birthday, but it's pretty fun too.

We started the week on Monday with a dinner and gifts from my in-laws. They had the older three girls up during the day and a feast was prepared for us--complete with homemade cards and a dance, I might add. Pictures, you ask? Yep, I failed here!

Our actual birthdays were on Friday and it was a busy, busy day! After getting 3 whole hours of sleep, Scrunchie woke me up around 5:30 for a feeding. When I tried to go back to sleep... it was a no-go. So I told my husband I'd go make him some breakfast (this almost never happens--he usually doesn't even eat breakfast).

I made some eggs, hashbrowns and sauted some green pepper and onion, and shredded some cheese. I wrapped it all up in a (very local and very delicious whole wheat) tortilla and topped it with salsa and sourcream. He ate two and said they were very good. And since he's not much of a cake fan, I made him his favorite chewy chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. I think he gobbled up some before leaving for work.

The girls and I went about our morning and decided we'd take him his favorite lucnh--Chipotle! YUM! And yes, we also ate Chipotle--and to save time we ate it in the car. We figured it was easier to have him come out to the car than it was for me to carry the food, a toddler and a car seat full of baby (not to mention trying to keep the older three close by) into his place of work. The only problem...

I forgot forks (all but one of us had a rice bowl). So I found a restaurant down the road who let us take some plastic forks. Thank goodness!

 We left daddy at work and picked my mom up for a movie. She was taking all of us to see Smurfs! It was a cute movie and all 5 girls actually watched it--yes, even Scrunchie. She lost it during the last 10 seconds of the movie. Just as I was about to take her out of the theater, the credits started rolling--perfect timing, darling girl!

 Later that evening after hubby got home we opened presents (still need to try out my new cast-iron skillet) from my mom and then she took us to a Thai restaurant. I could build a meal off their appetizer menu--so good!

 Once the hooligans were getting wild and dinner was winding down, Matt decided he would take us all out to a local coffee shop for treats and live music. We ventured over there for chocolate cake, a latte, and some fun times.

 And just like the previous celebration--I didn't have my camera! Ugh, I'm pretty disappointed we didn't get pictures. But honestly, some days I'm just proud of myself for getting everybody to and from everywhere in one piece.

I also wanted to say thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday. Facebook is such a nice way to feel love on your birthday, but so is the good ol' fashion phone or a card--all of which I am grateful to have received! It's always nice not to feel like Molly Ringwald's characher from 16 candles :-) And thanks to our moms and some sweet friends who were extra sweet for my big 2-9! Love you all very much!

And now I'll go complete my birthday week (yes, I take a week to celebrate. Why not, right?) with some vino and Jersey Housewives!

Scrunchie is 5 months old!

Oh, my beautiful girl!

You are now 5 months old. Not to jump ahead much, but I'm freaking out that you are nearly a half a year old. WOW! How did that happen?

Well, first things first. I took your measurements today and you are

25 1/4 inches (45th percentile)and 15 1/2 pounds (60th percentile). I still adore your little leg rolls, neck rolls, 

and that beauty of a belly you rock!

Lately, you've been saying "no thank you" to nursing, and "bring it on" to the bottle. I hadn't planned on giving you any formula in the beginning. Then I realized it was a kind of necessary as we carry on with our very busy life--having four older kids who are still pretty young makes it kind of hard to nurse on demand during the day. And in this last week, you have been taking equal amounts of bottle and nursing. I'm not the biggest fan of your choice, missy! 

That being said, you are still packing on the pounds pretty nicely! You've nearly doubled your birth weight of 7lbs 15 oz. And you've grown over 4 inches.

You are still in 3-6 months clothing, and 6-12 month in Gymboree clothing. 

And today we decided you were ready for shoes. So we broke out one of the many pairs you were given at birth-- size 0/1. And they fit perfectly!

I also had to move you up to size three diapers. I think that is the fastest I have ever put one of my kiddos in a size three diaper!

You have rolled over. You did it the day you turned 4 months old. You do really well on your belly--pushing up so big and strong! You also sit for several seconds at a time. You've been doing this for a month and you keep getting stronger and stronger. The doctor says you'll be walking by 9 months with the way you balance when you stand and hold steady while you sit. 

Watch out world!

You inch along your playmat sometimes. I think we're seeing the beginning steps of crawling!

You moved into your crib during the past month as well. Right after you turned 4 months old, dad and I decided we all might sleep better if you were in your own room. 

You are perfectly warm in there (without our fan making you too cool), and it is quiet (no tv or snoring sounds from mom and dad). 

But your sleep still leaves a little to be desired. You go down around 7:30-8 still and then you get up at 12:30, 4ish, 6ish and 8ish. I should just get up with you at 6ish, but that might happen once you skip the previous two wake times. 

I bring you to our room in the middle of the night and you eat and sleep. And then I take you back to your crib. 

Pacies are still a "yes." Of all 5 kids, you have taken the pacie the longest. You still love your lovies--you have your zebra and your giraffe (stolen from Boushka). You are constantly shoving those things in your mouth. 

In fact, you shove just about anything you can get your hands on (including your own hands) into your mouth. You are incredibly slobbery and always drooling! Many people comment that you must be getting ready to teethe. YIKES!

 You seem awfully interested in big people food. You watch forks move from plate to mouth when you sit on dad's or my lap. Slow down!

I think we might give you a bite of avocado by the time I write your 6 month post. We'll see about that. 

You are a giggly and happy baby. You really only fuss so that you can have attention (or food). And attention (or food) you get!

Your sisters' attention is all you want sometimes. And sometimes you want mama to hold you close and play with you. And once I do, you instantly smile and giggle. And yes, that makes my day!

And sometimes you want your daddy's attention. He likes to make faces at you and you always smile. We love getting you to smile that precious, tootless grin!

You are an absolute joy and delight to have as part of our family. I can't believe how blessed we are to have such a healthy, delightful, strong, bouncing baby girl. You bring so much light to our lives. 

Hugs and kisses, baby Scrunchie!

Discovery Center Play

Since this summer has been quite the scorcher (several record-breaking days in a row) with 100+ degree temps, we've been seeking out the indoor activities. And thank goodness our discovery center opened a month ago. 

It has several areas to play in, but the girls all love playing in the medical office. 

They get and give check ups, walk on crutches, look at xrays, and complete a handful of other medical activities. 

We seem to be going there about once a week--it's a nice place to get out to. And with the membership bought, it's free--if that makes sense. 

And the area where they can paint on windows is another favorite. They can make all the mess they want with paint and paint brushes. I'm just happy there are aprons to put on them!

And they are always so proud to show off their beautiful artwork! And I'm proud, of course. 

It's been such a nice escape from our house and the heat, but I can only imagine that it'll come in handy during the snowy months as well.

Brownie's Date

I recently had a specail date with a very special girl. Her name happens to be Brownie. Her game happens to be Charming Princess! Can you tell by the way she is dressed that she agress--she is in fact, a real live princess. Ah, she melts me with that grin.

So dainty, this one, but she is so sweet. And I just adore getting only her all to myslef. I'm just selfish like that.

 

This is a picture of us as we were headed into the movie theater to see Rio-cute movie, by the way. We both loved sitting next to each other, munching on popcorn, junior mints and a brownie. It is such a treasure to just have one with me sometimes. We love getting to do things that we aren't able to do when there's so many of us, or babies crying, or toddlers being sent repeatedly to time-out!

Take this doll for instance. Since I had just one (big girl) with me and no baby or toddler, I was able to try my hand at the claw game. I actually won this doll for Brownie (you can actually see her holding in in the above picture) due to a mechanical error. A pin on the claw got caught in this dolls hair. So she stayed hooked to the claw instead of being released into the drop box.

Here's a shot from a few steps back. I shook it. Thought about sending Brownie in after it. Looked around for help. And I actually sent a janitor to customer service to find help--he offered. In the meantime I continued shaking the machine (yes, I was that mom) to no avail. I even called the 1-800 number which wit all the noise I couldn't here the recording anyway. Frustrated with the situation I just shook the H-E- Double Hockey Sticks outta that thing and what do ya know? She shook loose and my little Brownie had a prize! Definetly one of my finest and proudest MOM moments.

                                            Ummmm... I think she was proud too. Can you tell?

And as a bonus, we happened to be at Chick-fil-a on family night. So we were able to make Daddy a card at their arts and crafts station. And that made the night even more special.

Thank you, Brownie for our awesome date. I can't wait to have more alone time with you in the (very near) future! I love when we can spend time together just the two of us. I adore you and your sweetnesss and I appreciate getting to know your heart. You are just precious and your personality shines when you get to be alone with me. It's so fun getting to know what goes on in that pretty little head of yours.