Thank god for iPads.

Check out our new wine glasses! :)

Dipping our toes in Lake Superior

:)

Splash Park!

The girls and I met a couple of friends--Jenn and Crystal--and their kiddos at a splash park yesterday.  It was the best one I've been to.  It was so cute!  It was super clean and there was a regular park as well that didn't have any sand...just that really cushy stuff so we didn't leave covered in sand and dirt.  Always a bonus. :)  The girls had a blast running around...it was the perfect day for it.  I packed a lunch for them and they actually ate really well.  Usually when we attempt picnics, they eat a grand total of eight bites before they're over it...so I was very pleasantly surprised.  Another bonus. :)  It was so fun to watch them having such a great time and it was nice to get out of the house and do something different.  

Not sure how sanitary this is, but, ehhh...

Sister piggy-back ride! :) Nice change from trying to kill each other with Barbies.

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Ayla working on the computer. :)

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Aubree time!

Dean's parents took Ayla to the Farmer's Market and then the library so I decided to get Aubree out of the house as well. It's gorgeous today so we headed to Village Pointe to stroll around. We went into a couple of stores and then checked out the giant water ball and tossed some change into the fountain. It's always nice to have one-on-one time with the girls. I love being able to give all of my attention to one person and I know they feel special, too. :) I wish we could've stayed out longer but we had to get home for lunch and a nap!

Guess what time it is?

Yep, it's stay-at-home-mommy time again.  We're actually in the middle of it right now.  My parents left for Taiwan on the 4th and won't be back until the 21st.  Usually the first few days are just downright scary as the girls and I get used to being with each other 24/7.  However, last week went remarkably well.  I've made an effort to keep the playroom neat and picked up.  I honestly think this has been a lifesaver.  They will literally spend hours in there playing if I let them.  Before, it was so incredibly messy, you couldn't even walk in there. Actually finding what you wanted was completely out of the question.  Also, they've finally hit that sweet spot in their ages where they can enjoy playing with each other.  I still have to break up some battles here and there but they are thankfully becoming less frequent.  They finally like each other.  Most of their play is Ayla bossing Aubree around...but hey, whatever works.  I've been able to pee without four little eyes staring at me so I'm not complaining.

We've been trying to stay busy--we've gone to Hy-Vee probably 47 times in the last week and a half because it's currently the only store where they will behave like normal little human beings.  We've had a play date, friends over, and cousins over which always helps break up the day.  We drove all the way to our restaurant for lunch yesterday...I think we spent more time driving there and back than the time we spent eating.  We made a trip to the park a couple of days ago...I always think the park in our neighborhood is closer than it actually is.  The walk there isn't horrible, but on the way back, pulling 60 pounds of kiddo in a wagon reminds me how totally out of shape I am.  Could. Not. Breathe. By the time we reached our driveway, my legs were buckling.  Awesome.  Maybe if I did it more often, I wouldn't feel like I was dying every time.  We've done some fun arts and crafts projects that Ayla found in her Highlights magazine...they like to do projects, but I've found that they cannot take any longer than 15 minutes or they lose interest.

I know I say this every single time I stay home with them, but I'm going to say it once more.  Huge high-five to the parents who stay at home full-time.  It's hard.  Really hard.  I love that I get to do it a few times a year but I also love that I have a part-time job to go back to so I'm guaranteed to get out of the house and speak to other adults on a daily basis.  That's huge.  I love my girls more than anything, but I need those few hours away each day to keep myself sane. It hasn't even been two weeks yet that I've been off work, and there have already been some days where I thought for sure I was losing my mind.  Seriously.  Ask Dean.  I think he's convinced I have already lost it.  I know it's not a skip in the park for parents who work full-time outside of the home either and that they would love, more than anything, to have more time with their children.  I'm not discounting that for one second.  But it's a whole different world as a stay-at-home-parent.  It's 100% self-less...there is no me for a single moment of your day.  So to those of you who do it 24/7, 365 days a year--you are amazing. Truly.

So anyway.

I kind of went off on a tangent there.

Long story short, I love my babies but I also love having my little part-time job.  Best of both worlds. :)

Aubree's "smile" is getting worse by the second.  Haha!  I can't get her to smile normally. 

Lunch in the play room!

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My office. :)

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Love.

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Cute lil bubbly toes :)

I'm obsessed with cute little baby toes and feet.  (These are Aubree's.) Whenever I take pictures for other people, there are almost always a few of their kids' feet.  I kind of want to make a book of cute feet...is that weird?

Cousins!

Every time I clean up the playroom, it becomes the most popular room in the house. It was completely out of control so I decided to finally tackle it because I couldn't stand to look at it anymore.  I'm at home with the girls again for the next few weeks (parents in Taiwan) so I figured instead of being home all day and hating that room, I'd try to stay on top of it.  It's nice to see them actually enjoying the room and playing in there. Who knew? :)

Project! :) Kept the four of them busy for all of 12 minutes. Onto the next!

One more. He looks so comfy and content. :)

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My sweet 'ol boy.

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Trying to escape from all neutrals with little splashes of color. Baby steps. :)

Matching

Yep. I'm that mom. The one that likes matching clothes. :) Not every day...just once in a while.  I figure there's a very short window of time where I can dress them alike so I might as well take advantage of it.  Pretty soon, I'm sure Princess Ayla will refuse to wear anything remotely similar to her little sister. :)