Relay for Life

My school held a mini Relay for Life event tonight. We had a dance from 5-7, then the luminarie ceremony and walk from 7-8. Since it was a beautiful night and Allan was at work, I decided to take the girls and help chaperone. Delaney hadn't taken a nap, so she was a little overwhelmed and clingy at first, but Harper was a party animal. She danced with a lot of my students and roamed around the football field fearlessly!

We had sold Relay for Life t-shirts which I was wearing and I dressed the girls in purple (which I think is the pediatric cancer color).

Once Delaney warmed up, she had fun running on the track.

Harper taking a break from dancing.

Both girls running on the track.

Daddy Day

I always love to come home on Tuesdays to hear the stories and see the pictures that Allan has taken of his day with the girls.

Today they played outside, but first Delaney had to clean the slides and swings of bird poo.

Then the girls played in Harper's crib for about 20 minutes.

Then Delaney talked Allan into letting her take her nap in the crib. She slept for two hours.

Guess Who?

I got Delaney the Guess Who game at a yard sale this weekend. I can't tell you how many rounds of it we've already played! She's getting pretty good at it and is starting to learn "deductive reasoning" skills. Her only problem is that she doesn't just answer with a yes or no. For instance, if someone asks, "Does you person have blonde hair?" she answers, "No...white". She doesn't realize that she's giving her Mystery Person's identity away!

Tonight Boo and Grams came over for dinner and got talked into playing a couple games of Guess Who? Delaney played once on Grams' team and once on Boo's team and miraculously won both times. Hmm...I wonder how that happened?

Cool Dude

After church tonight, a couple of our friends came over to have some ice cream. Landon decided to put on a fashion show featuring Delaney's pink Barbie glasses and Allan's flip-flops. It looks like all the cool people will be sporting their sunglasses upside down this season.

Weekend in Des Moines

Allan's nephew, Ross, had a baseball tournament in Des Moines this weekend and Iain and Julie invited us to come watch. They live in Minneapolis, so this was a good meeting point for a much-needed visit. Allan's parents also went. It took us 6 hours and 45 minutes to get there. I was pretty nervous about the drive because Harper doesn't like to be confined in her carseat and isn't really into videos yet. Delaney is a great traveler and a video fiend, so I didn't anticipate her being a problem.

We lucked out and Harper fell asleep within 15 minutes for a 45 minute nap. For the remainder of the trip, I was basically turned around in my seat offering her books, snacks, and toys to keep her occupied.

My sweet baby. She liked having this pillow on her lap while she slept.

In spite of all the noisy toys, laptops, play phones, etc, that I brought, the thing that kept Harper occupied most is taking the crayons and markers out of their baggy and putting them back in. The blue marks on her face were worth the 20 minutes of entertainment.

Ross's first game wasn't until 11 on Saturday morning, so we were able to hang out for a while after breakfast. This is my best attempt at getting a picture of all the cousins.

Corinne and Delaney hanging out by the indoor pool. We swam there in the afternoon, but I didn't get any pictures of it.

Not very good quality, but the only picture I captured of Papa Paul playing with Harper. Mama, Papa, Aunt Julie, and Corinne were so helpful in keeping the girls entertained at the games!

Ross at bat. He is 10 and was invited to play on an 11-year-old team for this tournament which is quite an honor. We're so proud of him!

Corinne and Delaney played at the playground during every game. Is it totally inappropriate for me to point out Delaney's pole-dancing skills in this picture?

Allan took this picture of Mommy and Harper.

Corinne, Delaney, and Harper playing in the dirt. We didn't discover this spot until the 3rd game. They had a lot of fun there.

A rare moment of Harper sitting still on Aunt Julie's lap. We bribed her with her snack cup. When Delaney was watching the game, she was a great cheerleader. She knows more about the game than I do!

Ross is an excellent 3rd baseman!

A cute picture of Delaney sleeping on the way home. She only slept for 45 minutes, which was not nearly enough, and ended up having a melt-down that lasted 35 minutes! It was resolved when Allan offered her some licorice - go figure.

Overall, we had a really fun trip. Both girls slept great in the hotel once they fell asleep and they were so well-behaved at the games and restaurants. It was so nice to be able to visit with our family and we couldn't have asked for better weather!

Playdate at Cate's

My best friend, Debbie, invited a few girls and their daughters over for a playdate to celebrate Cate's birthday (that happened in February). They have a perfect backyard for kids complete with a sandbox, playhouse, and trampoline. We couldn't have asked for better weather! Everyone had a great time!

Naturally, Harper was fearless on the trampoline.

Gabby, Brady, Cate, and Delaney eating lunch.

Harper loved the sand and spent a lot of time emptying that bucket handful by handful. Of course, a few handfuls also made it to her mouth!

Delaney, Grace, Harper, and Claire bouncing.

Delaney and Cate

New Playhouse

I've been wanting to get the girls a Little Tikes outdoor playhouse for about a year and I finally found one on Craigslist. It needed some TLC so Allan power-sprayed it, we ordered a new stovetop because the old one was faded, and Grandpa Ed fixed the doorbell. Delaney originally said that this could be Harper's house and the swingset playhouse would be hers, but that she would "visit" Harper sometimes.

Right now, their favorite thing to do is cook food on the stove.

Harper tries to make a phone call.

Delaney serves her first "customer" at her restaurant.

Harper Update

Just a quick Harper update. Dr. Hulsen's milk suggestions worked and she is drinking whole milk out of a cup regularly and without complaining. Also, she is sleeping through the night, only occasionally waking at 5:30. When she does wake she doesn't need a bottle, just a paci and a snuggle to get back to sleep until about 7. I think it's time to pack up the bottles to donate! Maybe I'll just keep one for emergencies.

Here are some cute pictures I snapped of her this past week:

Enjoying some quiet time.

Peeking at me under the table. Doesn't she have the sweetest smile?

And look who's a climber now? Doesn't really surprise you though, does it?

First time playing with play-doh.

Cochran Easter 2010

At 5:30, we headed over to Doug and Lori's for Easter with the Cochran's. We always have a great time there with delicious food and good conversation. Delaney loved it there so much, she wanted to sleep over!

Lori and Harper

JoHanna and Delaney

The Men

Easter 2010

**Editor's Note - sorry I accidentally posted this earlier when it was not complete**

Here are some pictures from our Easter celebration at Mom and Ed's house:

Opening gifts from Honey and Grandpa - clothes and books.

Getting ready for the egg hunt.

Can I just tell you how much I LOVE these dresses?!? I got them on sale at Gap Kids for $13 each! I love the color and the style so much. I really want someone to get married in the next couple of months so they can wear them again. BTW, Allan thinks they look like Thing 1 and Thing 2 from The Cat in the Hat.

I thought this was a neat pic of Delaney standing by the tulips that match her dress and Harper in the background.

Finding lots!

Doing great!

Ann and Jon strike a pose.

Our family. Somebody needs to buy Momma a spray tan!! I don't know what's scarier - my white legs or my posture!

Ken, Kathy, Ann, and Jon

Honey and Grandpa and the girls. Yes, my Mom knew what the girls were wearing and dressed Ed accordingly :)

Worn out!

Bunny Tracks?

Look what we found when we woke up this morning! Bunny tracks! The Easter bunny must have come in the front door when he brought the Easter baskets.

Delaney is getting a closer look.

The trail led to the living room...

...and look what he left! (Notice Harper going straight for the food)

Harper doesn't know what she likes better - Puffs or her microphone.

Delaney enjoyed some of the wooden cut-up food.