The Fair

The fair. We have a love/hate relationship.

Loves:
*How close it is.
*Watching the girls on all the rides. Megan even had a wrist band and was able to dabble in a few rides this year. A big THANK YOU to Grandma and Grandpa for always being so generous and getting the bands for the girls. Plus, Kelsey tried out some big kid rides including the ferris wheel, airplane flying, tornado, and the big pirate ship. She even referred to some of her favorite rides from last year as "baby"rides.
*All the yummy food! Would you believe one of Kelsey's favorites this year was french fries with gravy and cheese curds? Weird, but delicious.
*The great entertainment!  We heard bands, watched puppet shows, piggy races, a lumberjack show, and especially some polkas :)
*Kelsey getting to play real restaurant by helping Grandma in the Elk's booth.
*We usually have a close place to park at Great-Grandpa's house.
*Seeing all the animals. The baby giraffe and baby kangaroos were adorable!
*Meeting up with tons of family and friends.


Not So Much Love:
*How much food I eat during the week! Oofda!
*To eat this deliciously bad for you food, we go through money rather quickly.
*Pushing the double stroller through the buildings. LOVE our stroller, not so much having to maneuver it through the crowds.
*It means summer is almost over :(

Ok, so I guess there is a lot more love than not. My girls do enjoy it very much. And me, too. We are pretty lucky to have it right here in our town and get to experience a lot at it.

Comments That Make Me Smile

Kelsey had a sore in her mouth and after checking it out, I told her it looked like a canker sore. Later that day she said, "My kangaroo sore really hurts."

After falling down and hitting her back, Kelsey asked me to check and see if her back was swallowing. (AKA swelling :)

This morning Kelsey was talking about the fair a few weeks ago and how the man who was walking on the ferris wheel was "so not safe" and she was not "impress"by him.

Finally, Kelsey told me that going to dance class was "a great opportunity" for her coming up.

That child makes us smile :)

Skala Dells Weekend

We ventured to the Dells with the Skala family this weekend. When we arrived on Friday, we went right to The Wilderness resort where we took in the water right away. Kelsey was pretty timid and down right scared when we first went in so we weren't quite sure what we were in for. To be honest, she pretty much screamed like we were physically hurting her and others were staring at us to paint a little more clear picture. Megan on the other hand loved it from the very start. Wilderness is HUGE and we attempted to try out as much as we could while we were there. Friday night we did all indoor stuff. Kelsey did warm up to the water more but wanted it to be on her terms and she pretty much stuck to things she has done before. We were just happy she stayed in the water at all. We made our way to our AMAZING resort room around dinner time and spent the rest of the night vegging out, having a few cocktails, playing games, and sharing some laughs. Saturday brought a full day of waterpark fun. We did all outdoor stuff today. Megan once again was loving it and was pretty much content with whatever we took her on. She is so easy! Kelsey also flipped a major switch and OMG, she was a water nut! She went down waterslides by herself, dunked her head, and tried big rides like the tubes and raft ride. I don't know what happened overnight, but it was like a completely new child! She even got Mommy to go on some rides with her. It was such a fun, fun day! By the time the evening arrived, the kids were all pretty tired. Both big and little kids ;) I must admit, I fell asleep on Friday evening and missed some pretty good entertainment from what I heard, so I held strong on Saturday night and was definitely not disappointed because it was pretty funny. On Sunday, Kelsey got to build sandcastles on the beach before we left our resort. She has been wanting to do this all summer. Next, we went to the arcade for some fun before leaving the Dells. We stopped for one last family picnic lunch together before everyone drove home. It was a very fun weekend with lots of good times!

 

Barbie Party

We celebrated Kelsey's birthday with a Barbie party this weekend. It was a picture perfect day which allowed the majority of the party to take place outside. We played a few games to start including pass the Barbie, Barbie relay races, and the dice and chair game. Next, we filled our bellies with Kelsey's choice of pizza. She made it easy on Mama this time around :) After we were all filled to the brim, Kelsey opened her presents. She is such a lucky little girl! Everyone was so generous as usual. Of course, the party would not be complete without cake and ice cream. I attempted to make a Barbie cake. It looked pretty good until about the bottom 1/4 where the icing refused to stay on even though I begged and pleaded it to! However, sweet Kelsey girl said it looked good and that is all that mattered. Plus, it tasted pretty yummy so I'll call it a success. The remainder of the evening the kiddos played outside until it cooled off and got dark enough for the party to move inside where a few hands of Smear broke out amongst the boys. It is hard to believe Kelsey's birthday has come and gone already. One last HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our big 4 year old! May this year be filled with fun and happiness.

I Got My Ears Peered!

As part of Kelsey's birthday present for turning 4, she got her ears pierced. I have been dabating when is the right time to do this. When I brought it up to her awhile ago, she was extremely excited and so we decided that while she was anxious to have it done, we would take advantage and do it. Kelsey had a hard time saying pierced and kept referring to it as getting her ears "peered." When the big day arrived, she got her hair cut and put up first. Then it was time for the main event. She sat very still and didn't shed a tear. She definitely jerked a little in shock, but was so brave! Afterward when they showed her the earrings in the mirror, she got a huge smile! Her ears are "peered"!

Before

During

After

Happy 4th Birthday, Kelsey!

Happy 4th birthday to our beautiful, Kelsey! She started her special day with her pick of breakfast--eggs with ham and cheese and pancakes. Chef Daddy obliged and whipped up her breakfast of choice. Next up came her first round of presents. She was pretty lucky and got many of the things she asked for :) The day continued with a trip to the Mall of America. She even got to bring along her "best buddy Ava" as she calls her. The girls were pumped to ride the rides! They were awesome about it all and such troopers for the day! We were lucky to have Molly and the girls join us for some rides, too! We took a break for lunch and a stop at the Disney store. How fun to watch the joy in their eyes as they walked through all the princess stuff. They even both got princess dolls to take home with them. Next, we went on more rides to round out the afternoon. Would you believe they even went on the big ferris wheel and the log ride? There was also a meet and greet with Dora to top it off. You would think that after all that hullabalu they would have fallen asleep instantly, but no! They were chatter boxes on the way home until about 30 minutes into the car ride. And was the day over when we got home? Nope! Kelsey picked to eat out at Applebee's. So off we went. Grandma and Grandpa joined us, too. Kelsey's eyes lit up when they sang to her and brought her ice cream. It was pretty cute. What a fun day!
Kelsey--You are an amazing little lady! We are so proud to call you our daughter. It is so fun to watch you grow and learn new things everyday. This year is going to be no exception of more firsts for you as you begin preschool. We know the possibilities for you are endless! You are a beautiful little girl both inside and out. Here's to another year of watching you grow into an incredible young lady. *We love you to the moon and back billions of times. You rock my socks. Pinkies forever.*



The day we brought you home from the hospital