Friday is daddy day

Friday afternoons are daddy time with the kids. They seem to do just fine, and I even have some fun too.


Anna is thinking... Is she really related to me?


Laura, no poking!


That's better.


Extreme closeup!


Daddy, see how pretty my hair is when mommy does it? You should do a nice job like mommy.


Uh oh, the smirk. 2 for 2 for kids with the smirk. Auntie Mandi is happy.


Anna, I hope you have a good sense of humor about your hair when you grow up.

George Lady Snack

This evening Emily was picking out a snack for Laura, and Laura says "George Lady Snack! George Lady Snack" Neither Emily nor I had any idea what she meant. Eventually, Emily realized she was pointing to the raisins. We have never given Laura raisins before, so she had no idea what they were, but she called them 'George Lady Snack'




Then it hit us: There's a PBS non-commercial for sun-maid right before her beloved George cartoon. Over the past few months we've pretty much weened Laura off the TV so she only watches one episode of George a week for a 'special treat'. We usually skip right through the non-commercials it on the DVR, but evidently she has noticed enough to know that's the 'George Lady'.

I generally regard educational television as an oxymoron, but I have a special place in my cold heart for George - he teaches math and science, after all. This just reaffirms how impressionable little eyes are - a 15 second non-commercial that we skip through on the DVR is enough to make her want to eat something she's never tried before.

Scary.

Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled photos:

Just Anna and Daddy tonight. Laura and Mommy are at ECFE to meet some new friends.


Anna loves the mirror - always a pretty little baby in there!


Hi Daddy, I'm pretty happy.


For those interested in the basement, here are some new photos:

Disc Dogs, Drywall, and Swimming

Another exciting weekend for Laura and Anna. It started off with some new 'boys working' who helped put in the drywall in the basement! A big step forward for my basement project, and it seems to be going very well. I've done just about all the work myself (my mom and dad helped me hang some soffets) but I thought I should have a pro do the drywall. They can make many of my imperfections go away with some expert tricks.

Before:


After:




It will be a great playroom for Laura and the gang.

Swimming Lessons went great this weekend. Laura was fearless as always and did a great job with her paddles and kicks. She is an good back floater and climbed out of the pool via the ladder all by herself. As you can see she loves every minute of the lessons.

Kick Kick Kick!


Paddle! Paddle! Paddle!


Ahh floating, Laura's favorite part.


Anna has had a good weekend. She is a lot more alert this weekend than last. She must have needed extra rest last weekend, but she's back to her curious self.



Here, she even sports a little smile.


We took Laura to the pet expo so she could see the disc dog demonstration put on by Dad's friend Josh. If you ever get a chance to see a show, they are a lot of fun, especially for young eyes. Click here for some more info. Oh, and click here.

Laura was great at fetching the discs.


Racing daddy. Man, he's fast!


Throw it? No, I want to fetch it like the doggies!


Learning some of the finer points.


There goes a doggie!

Just some pictures to get Mimi through the week.

Mommy and Laura



Laura really wanted daddy to wear the headband. Of course, daddy is game for this sort of nonsense.



Hey Laura, the 80's called, they want their leg warmers back!

(Sorry Emily, I couldn't resist)

Whew, busy weekend.

We always have to keep Laura and Anna on their toes. This weekend consisted of swimming lessons, a playdate with the cousins, ice skating on prior lake, a visit to the Underwater Adventures Aquarium at the Mall of America, and some quiet time at home.

While at the Mall, Emily was buying some supplies at Nordstroms giving me some free time with both kids. Well, not exactly 'free time', since I was pretty much chasing Laura around the store with Anna in the stroller. She stopped to see some shiny objects which happened to be in the watch counter. It was a slow morning for the watch seller, and she was VERY interested in meeting the kids. I tried to sneak away, but she left her post at the watch counter and cut me off at the pass.

So I endured an uncomfortable minute and let her fawn over Laura's dimples and Anna's little smiles. I was told having kids was a real chick magnet, but what they don't tell you is the chicks are 60 year old watch sellers.

Anyway, here's a set of pics from Laura's first chance to hold Anna. She was really excited, even if daddy helped her a little bit.


"Laura hold Anna?"


Anna's Heavy


Daddy still helping.


Hi Sister


This is fun! I like holding Anna.

Sisters

Yup, they are related. Anna at 81 days (left), Laura at 76 days (right).


Laura says cheese!


Yummy, Apple chips snack.


No smiling allowed!


I will smile until you press the button on the camera.

I slept through the night!

She did it! Anna slept through the night. As a slightly more experienced than last time, my only thought is: "Don't get used to it". I was foolishly optimistic after Laura slept through the night the first time - she didn't do it again for a very long time.

But I am savoring one full night of sleep. Good job Anna!


Laura also wants to show off her new haircut.