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!

18 months

Stella is 18 months going on 18 years. She is possibly already smarter than her parents and brother put together. Anything Elliot can do, she can - and will - also do. Running around the house, jumping on couches, climbing stairs and chairs, digging in dirt, riding a bike...

(not actually riding it, but she looks good, right?)

She loves learning new words and songs. The most recent example: when I change her diaper now we have to discuss whether or not she has pee or poop. I have also had to wipe the butt of a stuffed animal because she insisted that it had pooped.  Her new favorite song is Happy Birthday, which she requests by saying "happy to you?". We sing it several times a day now. Stella also loves to color/draw, have books read to her, and brush her teeth.

Stella is our little entertainer, trying to tell knock-knock jokes, peeking around a corner to say boo, anything for a giggle. She gets the most laughs when she uses a very deep, growly, voice and says "cooookieee".

18 months seemed like the right time to get Stella "off the bottle"... Apparently I am the only one who thought that was a good idea because now she will not drink any milk! She will drink any other beverage from any other dispenser, but milk can only come from a bottle. We're going to keep trying to get her to drink it from a cup, but in the meantime calcium will have to come from yogurt. This is the last picture I took of her with a bottle...

baby : milk

big girl : yogurt

And finally, the stats from the doctor visit:
weight: 22.5 lbs, 25%
length: 32.5 in, 75%

She is growing up fast and we are having a great time watching her learn and develop her fun little personality!

Hair Fun

The barrettes are my favorite but they don't last long before they are pulled out and politely handed back to me, so pony tails are our new thing. Now someone just needs to convince Stella that she could rock a headband. Girls are so fun!

Swimming update

Elliot has been getting much more comfortable with the water and has been having a lot of fun in class. Some days it is hard to talk him into getting in the pool, but once he's in, he has a great time.

he loves the song that the teacher sings when they do the backfloat

discovering the joy of goggles

running the teacher over with a raft

Today was safety day - the kids learned what it would feel like if they fell in the water with clothes on. Putting wet sweaters on preschoolers might have to be in the next Lawson Family Relay Race... it did not look easy.

Spring?

Sun, rain, snow - it's hard to convince E that Spring is here. But we've had a couple of nice days mixed in with the wintery ones...

On the days when the sun does come out, Elliot says "I think Spring is here today"; when it rains or snows, he says "the weather is playing tricks on us"... I feel the same way!

Room Improvements

We made a couple of improvements to Elliot's room this past weekend. First, we had Grandpa Mark help install a book ledge around Elliot's bed so that he can better see his choices for storytime. Reading three books before bed has been a favorite routine of his ever since he was little(er).

the book shelf also has enough room to hold several super heros and cars

Second, I decided to try and make the most of the laundry chute that is in his room. Rather than nailing it shut in hopes of keeping out surprise attacks from flying toys while doing laundry, we found a cardboard box that fit in it like a glove. That was all we needed to turn it into a Super Hero Hideout! 

new and improved laundry chute 

super heros... and all toys within reach