Minnesota Zoo

We went to the Minnesota Zoo a couple Saturdays ago with Brian, Megan and the boys. We had so much fun...I just love the Zoo! It was pretty cold but we still managed to walk out to the farm and see the farm babies and most of the other animals too. Watching Linnea run around with the goats was the highlight of the day I think! It was also fun to the kiddoes looking at the animals together and getting excited about the same things. We got to the a fish/shark feeding which was new to us! Cant wait to go to the Zoo on a warmer day!

Mommy and Linnea Night!

Chris decided to work his old 2:30 to 10:30 shift on Friday night so he would get some triple time at a higher hourly rate since Good Friday is a holiday for FilmTec employees.

This meant Linnea and Mommy got to have some fun together for the whole evening! Just the two of us. I couldn't find anything super fun going on and it was raining so we tried going to the indoor "park" at Rosedale Mall. I say "park" because it really isn't much of one. No swings and oddly enough there are no steps to get up slides which really frustrates a toddler. Linnea has had fun there before but Friday it was a bit crowded and she kept getting frustrated so we lasted about 30 minutes and then decided it was time for a movie night with a picnic on the floor of chicken nuggets, french fries homemade smoothies! On a side note, we tried going to an outdoor park but it was just too wet. This girl is obsessed with parks and the only way I could convince it wasn't a good idea to play at an outdoor park in the rain was to physically get out of the car and bring her to the wet park. Then she sort of understood, but still screamed when we got back in the car. Oh well. I should have driven the extra 10 minutes to a better one but didn't want to spend so much money just to stay for a 30 min to an hour.

Anyways...once we got the movie going and food in our bellies we both cheered up!

Easter Cookies!

We baked some pre-made Easter cookies one day last week and Linnea sure got a kick out of them. I think she enjoys all this Easter bunny stuff!

They dyed eggs at daycare, made Easter baskets and went on an egg hunt Friday, which was so fun they did it more than once during the day!

Lake Elmo Bdays and Egg Hunt

Two Sundays ago (whoa, I am behind, sorry!) we headed to Lake Elmo in the afternoon to celebrate my parents birthdays. I forgot what a wonderful playground Lake Elmo has! All the cousins were able to make it so we played and played and then the Easter Bunny even came and hid some eggs. He came early since on Easter Linnea will be the only kid around. We ended the day at Brian and Megan's with a delicious dinner of BBQ'd Pork from Maverick's (one of Chris and I's favorite local BBQ place), a fruit tray, veggie tray, cheetos, pita chips and hummus, broccoli salad and cupcakes. My parents received many nice gifts including a box of goodies for all the Twins games they go to and a box of goodies for their upcoming trips to Oregon and Milwaukee, WI. Linnea "made" them coffee mugs with pictures of her on it and we gave them a muffin mix in a jar. We can't wait to go back to Lake Elmo!

Movie Nigh Nigh

We ended our weekend with a movie night! Or in Linnea's words, a movie nigh nigh! I have been wanting to see Tangled for a quite a while now and have been contemplating bringing Linnea to the cheap movie theater to see it. She hasn't been to a movie in the theaters yet and I heard this would be a good one but the times never worked with our schedule, so Chris rented it for us tonight on Amazon.

She cuddled up with her pillow pet for part of it, sat straight up glued to the tube for part of it, sat in a laundry basket full of clean clothes for part of it and my favorite was when she sat with me for about the last 30 minutes of it.

It was nice to watch a new movie with her when she was healthy! I'm sure squirt would have loved it in the theater, she loved it at home, especially the popcorn and apples she got to eat during the show. I really liked it too and can't wait to see a movie with her on the big screen. There are a quite few kids movies coming out this summer so maybe we will go then!

Baby Shower!

Last week we didn't take many pictures but we sure had fun...we are loving the nice weather we were given this week and getting into a schedule of going to parks before or after dinner...sometimes even both!

Sometimes we think Linnea thinks she owns the park a few blocks from our house. We were there Saturday evening and she stood on the sidewalk while another family was coming up and she just waved and waved and yelled "Hi". She even added, "I'm Nea!" Very cute! The kids then sort of followed each other around the playground and ran through the field towards the train tracks when a train went by. Shouting, "Trains coming!!!" the whole way. I love the way kids get excited about the little things in life. Even when they are the same thing! Linnea sees this train everyday but still gets so pumped about it! She looks up at me with her surprised face as soon as she hears the horn.

Monday we went to a fun family storytime at the Roseville Library where we checked out Madagascar 2 which has been on when we aren't at a park or doing errands or playing. A certain toddler really loves it, especially the hippo Moto, Moto, the name's so nice you have to say it twice. Too bad we have to return it tomorrow :( Good thing the Easter Bunny comes soon...

Anyways...onto an activity we do have pictures from....Megan's baby shower! We threw Megan a baby shower this past Saturday at GG's in the pretty sunroom.

Kaylan is one loved and lucky baby already! Mid May cant come soon enough!

My mom and I made her a diaper cake for the centerpiece. I figured out how to make baby flowery headbands and barrettes so she got a few of those on the cake. You can sort of see it...I should have shut the shades :(

We had brunch food, played a few games, took a few pictures and watched Megan open her sea of pink gifts such as clothes, blankets and hair/head accessories for baby Kaylan.

And of course, grandpa Keith found his granddaughter a Twins onesie! There is even a baseball on the butt!

I managed to get one picture of Linnea and aunt Megan before daddy came to pick her up...

She came to "help" set up the shower and say hi to everyone and eat a little bit, but daddy picked her up about an hour in so she could play with her cousins, uncles and grandpa. She knew right away that she was leaving to have her day with the guys as soon as she saw daddy. She repeated over and over again, Hi Daddy, I'm ready to go...her new thing is to get VERY close to your face and tell you what she wants over and over again!

Sitting in a cute frog chair above and driving the motorized jeep below...with a little help from cousin Dylan.

She truly enjoyed her time with daddy at Brian and Megan's in their HUGE backyard playing with all their outdoor toys and then having frozen pizza for lunch! She even sacked out in the car on the way home which hasn't happened in months!

Thank you to everyone who helped make Megan and Kaylan's special day a success!

Back to the Park!

We have finally had quite a few sunny, nice days to get out to the park by our house and go on many, many, many, walks after work/daycare. Linnea still loves riding in the jogger so that makes me happy. I haven't actually gone on a run with her in it yet...just walks. She weighs a little more and I'm a bit more out of shape than I'd like to be, but I will do it one of these days. She has been content to ride for a half hour so if I can run with her in it for 30 minutes I will be happy. Ideally we can end at this park about 4 blocks from our house. That way she can look forward to it the whole run and I can cool down while we stroll home after playing!

Above Linnea is playing in the train structure they have and below she is watching a real "choo choo" go by. It is kind of hard to see in this picture but there really is a train back there and she is staring at it and saying hi.

Her whole face lights up when the train comes. And it comes by quite frequently. We see it just about every time we walk to Como Lake or go to the park.

Happy Birthday Mom/Grandma Barb!

Sunday was my mom's birthday so we had a small get together for an easy brunch and a strawberry angel food cake for dessert.

Three generations...dont mind the crab scowling in the middle. She was tired. We (me, Chris and Linnea slept over at Chuck's the night before...she did pretty good sleeping in that new place but she stirred an awful lot through the night!)

Brian and Ian making the bacon...its surprising there was any left!

Two of the kids helping grandma decorate her Easter Tree.

And Linnea doing her new fav thing at gma and gpa's. Riding the rocking horse. She is so proud that she can just about get up by herself but she can get completely down all on her own. If you try to help, she will let you know in not so many words that she can do it.

Happy birthday mom/grandma! We love you and are looking forward to the combo bday coming up! My dad's bday is on the 22nd so we will do a bigger bday then with the whole family!

Twin 2011!

Last Friday was the Twins first game of the 2011 Season!

It may not have started out very well (okay it was a flatout horrendous start to the year) but we sure looked good and were ready for the game!

Chris and Linnea bought this new Twins dress for her Thursday night so she went to daycare all ready for the game.

We ordered pizza from a new place to celebrate the season opener and ate it in the living room with the game on.

And yes she is standing on her potty chair. Silly goose.

Go Twins!

What a fun night even though we lost.