A couple more pics

I just realized it looks like Norah didn't go to Disney. So here's picture proof of Norah Kate at Disney MGM. She actually did remarkably well there. And I couldn't resist adding a picture of Lolo enjoying her first ever brown cow ice cream. It started out on a stick, then it melted in her hands, and she kept trying to squeeze it to keep it from dripping out of her hands. Ai-yah! What a mess.
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Pictures from Disney

And finally, some pictures from Disney. I'll provide a link once I get them all uploaded. But here's a sampling of my favorites.
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Now one for Norah

Norah loved sitting in the swing while in Florida. I always heard every kid was different, but would have never believed it until Norah came along. Lolo always thought the baby swing was boring (until now). Norah has loved it from the start (of course, it needs to be rocking at high speed).
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I spoke too soon

We're back on our regular schedule. I spoke too soon. Lolo still needs her nap/quiet time - whether she wants to admit it or not. Both girls are down right now. Woo hoo. A rare treat.
Since I had some free time, here's a video for you. It's of Lolo on her very first "jet ski" (courtesy of Gramma Peg and PopPaul).
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Just so we're ALL clear on this....

When Ashley showed up this afternoon, Lolo had a lot of things to tell her. What do you suppose one of the first things Lolo wanted to make abundantly clear? Lolo says "I don't need no nap no quiet time today." Yep. She's done with that! Funny thing is...if she goes down for the night between 5-6 pm, the total amount of sleep that she gets is still the same as she used to get with a nap.
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Reading

While in Florida, Lolo was sitting in Norah-Kate's swing with a book "reading." All of a sudden, she looks up at me and Jim with her finger on a page in the book and says with all seriousness, "I don't know this word!"
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Florida - A week in review

We had a great time in Florida. Rented a house with a heated pool. You wouldn't believe it - but it was actually less money to rent a big house than to stay at the hotel where Jim's conference was being held. (Go figure.)
The first few days while Jim was at the conference, the girls and I basically hung out at the house and played in the pool. Edit that. Lolo and I played in the pool. Norah played in a little playpen that her Gramma brought and/or was in a swing (also courtesy of Gramma Peg). On tuesday, we headed to Disney with TourGuide Scott and his gang of Disney Olympians....Let's just say we would not have seen half of what we did without them. A different park every day and a very organized plan of attack for each park. Scott and Patty's kids outlasted us every day. Shameful, I know.
All in all, it was a big week. Lolo got to meet Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Pluto, and most importantly, Tigger. Her favorite show was the Lion King (which was my favorite show too). The Playhouse Disney show was the runner up favorite (mostly because Pooh, Piglet and Tigger made an appearance). And her favorite ride was the Small World ride. Norah stayed at home with Gramma Peg and PopPaul the first three days and joined us at Disney MGM the last day. She did surprisingly well....sleeping through most, crying only towards the end of the day at a show which had loud, angry voices.
Other milestones for us....Lolo has given up her afternoon nap. She now goes to bed between 5-6pm. Norah now naps on a fairly regular schedule and is sleeping more thoroughout the day....and she's much happier for it. Norah took her first airplane ride and did as well as could be expected. Florida did wonders for us.
Sorry about the lack of pictures. It's a major letdown being without a card reader. I'll try to see if I can scam Jim's laptop sometime later this week when he's not working on it (he's got a big presentation this week that he's been working on).
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Card Reader

Oops. I forgot. I have a two year old little monkey who seems to constantly mess with my card reader....therefore, my new card reader is currently busted. I have, however, just ordered a new card reader. A little tiny one that I will be hiding in my camera case (away from curious little eyes and hands). So, photos and videos from Florida may take a little longer than previously anticipated.
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Thanks

A belated thanks to those wiser than me (that is to say....many many folks)...who kindly enlightened me as to the "File...Save as" function on the browser. Don't know why that never crossed my mind....but gosh, now I've got the blog saved on our computer and I won't feel so bad about not being on top of scrapbooking for the girls. I've got a big drawer of stuff for Norah-Katie's baby scrapbook and Lolo's scrapbook...sadly, the drawer is overflowing with pictures and "stuff".
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We're back

It's good to be home. Despite not having a heated swimming pool out back and 80 degree weather, there's something comforting about being back in our comfy cozy little home. I'm looking forward to crawling into my own bed tonight. More snow has melted this past week while we were gone. I'm sure spring is just around the corner.
Lolo had a GREAT time in Florida. Gramma Peg and PopPaul met us down there. As did our friends, Scott & Patty, and their 4 kids (along with their psuedo grandparents). It was quite the party. Lolo was sad to see the kids leave and even sadder when we got home. We walked through our door and Lo asked "Where's Gramma Peg?"
Photos to come later this week....once I get us unpacked.
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Lolo's grocery store

So I'm distracted this afternoon because I'm working on dinner. Lolo is busy running back and forth from the kitchen to the living room. Suddenly, I'm aware that she's made, like, 20+ trips back and forth. I stop cooking. Walk over to the living room. Lolo shrieks "NO! Mama!" I stop in my tracks. The living room floor is COVERED with about 40+ water bottles and various canned goods. Lolo was playing "grocery store" and didn't want me to mess up her store's inventory. We had a long clean up this afternoon.
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As a reminder....

We're headed to Florida on Thursday. Jim has a conference and we're tagging along with him. Once Jim's conference is over, we're taking the girls to see Mickey. Lolo has been talking about going to Mickey's house....though I'm not 100% certain she really understands the concept. Blogs updates from Florida will be highly unlikely next week. Most likely I'll be updating once we return.
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Happy Valentine's Day!

A couple of videos as a Valentine's Day treat.
First up....Lolo ice skating for the very first time. OK. So it's not REALLY skating. But we're going to work on it.

Next up....Lolo and Norah-Kate decorating Valentine's Day cookies.

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Skating pic and more

Having trouble uploading video today. Will try again maybe tomorrow. Decorated cookies with some kids from the neighborhood...Lolo and I got started early before everyone arrived.

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Our sweet 3 month old

Picture from yesterday.

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Ice skating

Lolo went ice skating for the first time today. Her friends, Eileen and Julia, and David's sister, Laura, all went skating and asked Lolo to go with them. She had a great time. Afterwards, they roasted marshmallows. Lolo came home hopped up on sugar and sticky marshmallows on her socks. Video and/or pictures will follow later. Our new card reader no longer works. It appears we have a curious little gremlin who likes to mess with such things and they just start to malfunction after a short time.
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Another preschool visit

The girls and I visited another preschool today. I don't think I've ever seen 3-4 year olds so quiet and focused about their "work". It was a very calm and quiet preschool. Frankly, I couldn't believe it. This is the preschool, Lolo's best friend, David, will probably go to in the fall. Unfortunately, the wait list is extremely long and I don't think we'll get in. I guess it's just as well...I'm not sure all that structure and calm is for us.
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Budding Artist

Because it was so cold this morning and Norah seemed out of sorts, instead of going to the library for storytime, we stayed home and painted. I know I'm biased but I think Lolo has her dad's talent in the art department. She's got a real eye for art. As I hung up the orange painting to dry on the fridge, Lo looked at me and said "Upside down, Mom!" Oops. Of course, I had to fix it right away. You'll note in the photo that the orange painting is hanging right side up now.
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Lolo's Dance Moves

Perhaps Lolo will one day dance like her Aunt Meg? (The music is kind of low but you get the idea....we try to dance a little every day....usually when I'm picking up in the kitchen).
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Sleeping Beauty

How can anyone resist a sweet face like this?
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Lolo reads to Norah

It feels like spring in MN. The sun is shining and the snow is melting. The girls and I went out this morning/early afternoon for some errands. Lolo got her haircut. We went to the bookstore. And then we stopped to pick up some lunch. It was quite enjoyable just to be outside...walking around. Of course, Lolo stomped in the biggest puddle ever while we were walking (and of course, today, of all days, we did not wear our snow boots or rain boots).
Lolo is growing up so fast. Lately, she's started being very opinionated about the outfits she wears. It's a battle I don't really care to fight in the mornings....so as long as she's dressed "appropriately", she can pick out the outfit. Hence, I think you will start to notice that outfits may not "match" to us, but they do to Lolo. For instance, if you wear a striped sweater, you must wear striped pants. If your shirt has flowers, your pants must have flowers.
So, back to the real topic of today's posting....this afternoon, Lolo decided she wanted to read to Norah Kate.
Video below.
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Addicted to video

Now that I have finally figured out how to compress the videos and found a free site to upload them to....I'm addicted. BTW, our tiny Norah is a quick study.....remember how I said she wasn't really playing to the camera? Well, today, she proved me wrong. Check out this video....complete with big big smiles.
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