Stella's Golden Birthday!

Princess Stella turned TWO this past Friday, December 2nd! She seemed to be in denial of it all, getting a bit upset whenever we wished her a happy birthday (she'd say "Noooooooo!"). I can relate - I don't like getting older either. After opening a few presents throughout the day I think she started to see why birthdays are fun!

All dressed up and ready to party!

I attempted to make Owl cake pops... they tasted better than they look :)

Gramma Jill untangling balloons. It was easier once Stella stopped swatting them!

The tissue paper was as much loved as the presents. She put it on and called it a 'tutu'.

We like to dress up

Admiring her new gold shoes

Elliot's 5th Birthday

Elliot turned 5 today and celebrated with a "Wild Kratts" party at the Como Zoo! Wild Kratts is his favorite  PBS cartoon these days and teaches kids about animals and their different "creature powers". So the zoo was a great fit. Several of Elliot's fellow Kratt fans joined us for the fun...

the Wild Kratt line-up

the polar bears were HUGE 

mmmmm, pizza

like brother, like sister

cousin Mia. peace.

cousin Tate

Stella enjoying cake with grandpa's help

And we are compiling a list of things that Elliot can do now that he is 5. So far we have: doing the monkey bars - or practicing them more, zippering his own coat, and playing with a whole new realm of toys that are for Ages 5+...

Swimming x 2

Both kids are in swimming lessons this fall and loving it! They are like two little fish. Elliot is now learning how to swim without goggles, blow bubbles out his nose (instead of mouth), and can actually swim several feet on his own.

Stella is soooooo excited about swimming! She loves it more than binkies, puppies, kitties, cupcakes, cookies, and Dora. Swimming is the highlight of her week.

I am in the water with her during her lessons and can barely keep up!

The kids used to love taking showers at the end of the day, but now that they have new swimming skills to practice, we've gone back to taking baths :)

Apples

We had a great time at Minnetonka Orchards last week with our friends, Angie, Nora and Levi! Stella was in awe of the chickens, goats, llamas, and ducks. E had fun being king of the hay stack :)  And we all enjoyed picking our own apples! A big thanks to Angie for sharing her amazing photos...

Mr. Imagination

Elliot's imagination has kept us all very entertained this year.  Sometimes we are involved, sometimes we  just "have to watch something". And it almost always involves a lot of energy and a bit of dress-up.

He-Man of course (notice Battle Cat behind him)

"Rake Man"

He did not actually do much yard work

Batman

Made his own mask one day - I think the name was "BlueGreen Man" -  powers included turning things blue or green

I think this might have been an astronaut outfit for a trip to the moon

Super E at a Super Hero themed birthday party

My favorite: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle 

The turtle shell is our old baby carrier!

Finally, and most popular, Cheetah Man, who always wears his shirt pulled over his head so that he can show his muscles (aka rib bones). 

Cheetah Man is very intense but is really a delight to have around. One morning E was arguing about having to finish his breakfast. Ten seconds after I decided to let it go, Chettah said he would finish Elliot's breakfast for him.
Oh, and much like Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne, Elliot is never in the same room when these guys are around... It's a very strange coincidence.

Summertime Summertime

So much fun to squeeze into those three short months, who has time to blog about it all?  :)

Looking back at pictures, I think it's safe to say the kids spent most of their vacation in swimsuits...

It wasn't all wading pools and splash pads. There was also plenty of lake time, but alas, no pictures!