Say Hello to my Little Friend (5-12)

This picture and the title of this post were Cook's idea.

That's a big dart gun for such a little monkey.

Ama's 6th Birthday! (5-12)

 On Ama's real birthday (which was on a Wednesday this year) we had a family party with presents and a mini cake, and she brought mini cupcakes to school. Then she had a party on the weekend and invited six friends from school to our house. They cracked open that cupcake pinata and played with water balloons in the yard, and they also did a craft project where each kid make either a bracelet or necklace out of wooden beads.

Ama picked out this monkey for her birthday balloon. She had princesses on her paper plates, and Dora on her napkins, and Hello Kitty treat bags. She said she wanted her party's theme to be all of her favorite things instead of just one thing. It was a great birthday! Love you so much, darlin!

Here is a video of the Party Rock dance party that spontaneously happened during her birthday party:

Rowan loves the bathtime!! (5-12)

Rowan is such a water baby and she loves taking baths! She is six weeks old in these pictures, and is already almost too big for that little baby tub. The moment she discovers how to splash, we'll have to find a better spot for bathing than on the dining room table, but for now she just sits there quietly and relaxes while we wash her.

Ugly Cute (5-12)

This bow was given to Rowan by her Grandma Marilyn. Do you think she likes it?

Como Zoo and Conservatory - May Day! (5-12)

The last weekend that Grandpa and Grandma were here we went to the Como Zoo and Conservatory together. They had been staying with us for about 8 weeks and had become so much a part of our daily routines and had helped out so much with baby Rowan that it was hard to see them go.

The conservatory is one of our favorite places to go. They had just changed the planting in the sunken garden, so mom and dad bought us some castoff bulbs that the were selling in the gift shop. We got lilies, tulips, and hyacinth, and planted them all over the front yard! It made Chris's day! It will be awesome to see everything come up next spring.

Roadtrip to Bismarck! (4-12)

We took a quick trip to Bismarck a couple weekends ago so the kids could visit Daniel. It was Rowan's first road trip and considering that she was not quite 6 weeks old, she handled it like a champ. We visited Spence and the girls one day. Satori was so interested in holding Rowan and sharing stuff with her! Both Satori and Demira had just gotten new bike helmets...

We also visited the Waneks, and they gave us lovely baby presents. Aria gave Rowan and I hats that she had knitted herself! And she also tried her hand at holding the baby...

We stayed at Chris's parents house, even though his parents weren't there. We did get to hang out with Mike, Andy, and Kiren. And guess what? Kiren got a chance to hold the baby, too...

Cook and Ama got new Pokemon stuffed animals from their dad that made the ride home much more fun! They each got a bag of cracker jacks, too! By the end of the trip, Rowan's patience with her car seat was running a little thin, but we made it home in one piece. Good trip, everybody!