Firsts

The kids have been busy this past week with a few "firsts".

Last weekend provided us with us a touch of spring weather, so Bryant got his bike and trailer all hooked up and ready for Ali's first bike ride. Although they weren't gone too long, she enjoyed herself and thought it was pretty fun!

Christopher has now graduated to the exersaucer. His first time in, he thought he was pretty hot stuff:

Ali and I made chocolate chip cookies the other day. Although we've baked together, we've never made cookies together before so this was another first. Ali really enjoyed the fruits of her labor afterward, accompanied by a cup of cold milk:

And I just like these pictures:

Busy little girl

I can't believe my little girl will be two years old next month! I had one of those moments the other day when I looked over at her sitting on the couch next to me. She was able to crawl up on the couch by herself and sit next to me - her legs stretched out and she looked so big. She can say so many words now and the last few weeks have really just been an explosion of her vocabulary and personality.

Ali has been a busy little girl these days with baking, washing, entertaining her little brother, and shopping.

Here is Alison helping her mommy bake muffins. Squishing the egg shells between her fingers was her favorite part:



What's a mom to do when you run out of ideas on how to entertain your toddler when it's zero degrees outside? Fill a cake pan with soap and water, sponges and toys, and let her go at it! (I admit that I stole this idea from ECFE.)

Alison is having an in-depth, heart-to-heart conversation with her little brother:

We went shopping today and, as Ali's Nana Marlene would say, this hat "just jumped in my cart":

Getting ready for spring.

Ali's dad is itching to take her biking with him the minute the weather allows for it. We have a little trailer thing that hooks onto the back of Bryant's bike for Ali to sit in. We never used it last year because she HATED her helmet and refused to wear it. I brought the helmet out this weekend to see if it still fit, and much to my surprise it did. I was also surprised that Ali loved wearing her new "hat." What a difference a year makes!

TGFMOA

Thank goodness for the Mall of America.

Ali, Chris and I have spent quite a bit of time at the MOA this winter. It is the closest mall to our house and it is awesome during the weekdays. The amusement park area - which is not busy at all during the week - has been a great place to let Ali run around in addition to a good "teaching area" for her to learn how to hold her mom's hand.

We went again this morning. Our trip consists of us parking in the Sears lot (never a lot of cars there and always a nice, close spot - very important during these cold winter days). We then head to a Caribou (I have now memorized where each Caribou is on the first, second and third floors) where I get a coffee cooler and Ali gets a little strawberry smoothie. Okay, I'll fess up - we usually get a little banana bread or muffin to share, too.

Then it's off to Nickelodeon Universe. Ali gets excited when she sees the Dora ferris wheel and knows we are getting close. Or, if coming from the other direction, she sees LegoLand and knows where we're heading.

Here is Ali enjoying our day today at the mall:

... And she's off!

Her favorite "ride":

Ali's second favorite "ride" - the bus. (But don't put any money in it because it's certainly no fun when it actually moves!)

Playing at LegoLand:

Apparently the mall is just a girl thing. This is how Chris spends our time at the mall:

On a side note, Ali is officially a big girl and graduated from her high chair to a booster seat last night. She LOVES her new chair and, to her mom's surprise, can even climb in it all by herself.

A Tall Drink of Water

That's what our pediatrician call Chris: "a tall drink of water." Chris had his 4-month well visit today (which included four more shots...yuck). He is such a good little boy - and big sister Alison was also quite the trooper throughout this 1 1/2 hour long doctor visit.

Chris weighed in at 15 lbs 9 oz. He is 27 1/2 inches long. That puts Chris at the 70th percentile for weight and is "off the charts" for height. As a nursing mom, it's nice to hear that he's getting enough nutrition!

What a (BIG) cutie!