Nana and Pappy Visit

Although you won't find any pictures of Nana and Pappy in this post, they did indeed visit.  We just need to occasionally get a different photographer when they come visit so Nana isn't always taking pictures but can be in the pictures every once in a while along with Pappy!

While they were here Ava and Reese got to dress up in their new dress-up dresses that Nana got them, they had plenty of trike-riding time, we got to go to the Aviation Show at the Johnson County Airport and play at the park.  Mommy and daddy got to enjoy a date night with two other couples which meant that Ava and Reese got some play time with their buddy Nolan so his mommy and daddy could go too!  What fun!

Nana and Pappy's visit had to come to an end but don't worry, we are still staying busy.  These girls are always up to something...

Like playing at the Rainbow Swing Sets indoor "showroom" on a cold and rainy day (with their buddy Nolan again)...

And watching an occasional episode of Doc McStuffins or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse...

A Wonderful Easter Weekend

As the title of this post says, we had a wonderful Easter weekend.  Saturday morning we headed down to Crown Center to check out the Wizard of Oz exhibit.  We also visited Kaleidoscope while we were there.  The weather was beautiful so we spent the rest of the afternoon and evening outside playing with friends and riding trikes.  This morning the Easter Bunny left some eggs for the girls (filled with marshmallows and change for piggy banks) as well as new baseball gloves, a bat, and a tee.  Then we got all "dolled up" and headed to church for a great service.  Then late afternoon and evening was spent with our great friends and neighbors, the Southards, along with some other families who don't have extended families in the area.  The major highlights from the evening were the egg hunt and the real live baby chicks that were brought for the kids to see and hold!!!  We couldn't have asked for a better weekend.  Jesus is alive and we pray that others have Him in their lives too!

St. Louis Adventures

We recently did an overnight in St. Louis to do some fun things with the girls and have a little spring adventure.  We arrived in time for lunch and then met mommy's good friend Laura and her two daughters, Elise and Audrey, at the awesome Magic House Children's Museum.  We had so much fun exploring, climbing, splashing, and pretending.  Then we spent the rest of the evening at our hotel swimming and chowing down on pizza.  Reese was showing off swimming "by herself" which basically was sinking before we would lift her up.  She loved it and came out of the water with a huge smile on her face every time.  Ava was a little more reserved with putting her face in the water but mommy and daddy made sure to get her under a few times regardless of her wishes.  This was the first time the girls have been in a hotel without pack 'n plays so sleeping was interesting.  Ava and Reese started in the same bed but after Reese continued to whisper "Ava's touching me," and "Ava, stay on your side," we changed it up and Reese shared a bed with Daddy and Ava shared a bed with Mommy.  We knew it could be an interesting night and we reminded ourselves that it would only be one night!  The next day we went to the (FREE!!) St. Louis Zoo to see zebras, monkeys, and elephants before heading to the Cubs vs. Cardinals baseball game.  The game was ugly for the Cubs but definitely a fun time taking the girls to their first Cubs game.  Here are some pictures of our little trip...

Other happenings with Ava and Reese....

Reese is doing a great job of coloring inside the lines!

Lots of "check-ups" around here...

A couple weeks ago Ava and Reese, along with great friends Payton and Colton, ran in the Bitty Bug Run.  They got special super hero capes and then of course got goodies after the "long" run (probably 40 meters)!  Cotton candy, bagels, granola bars...  The race was in its 2nd year and was started by the family of a little boy named Jadon who was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) and has surpassed most SMA baby's lifespan, now 4 1/2 years old.  His dad was actually the Santa Claus who came to our house when the girls were pretty much home bound during their first two years.

Got Salsa?

Nana and Pappy are here for a few days and we are staying busy.  We went to our favorite Mexican restaurant tonight and let's just say the girls showed us how much they love salsa.  They couldn't get enough...

This is typically what we do with our cereal bowl when the cereal is gone and we drink the milk.  I guess it works with salsa too!

Shopping at Stein Mart...

Of course bath time is always fun when someone else gets to watch us swim in the water!

We got cool new Mickey Mouse cups from Nana and Pappy who were just in Florida.

Playing our Dr. Seuss matching game that we got from our nanny Laura for Christmas...

Playing at the Great Mall!

One last video of Reese reading one of her favorite books from Grammy last week...if you don't know Pete the Cat you are missing out!