March 2011 - sister time, haircuts, and more!

I can't believe I'm just now posting about March. Honestly, it kind of bothers me because I like being on top of things (like posting more frequently!), but I guess busy life has other ideas. So... here is our March 2011 in a nutshell!

At the beginning of March our church took part in a Bloomington community effort called B. Town Beyond Our Borders, a mobile packing event for Feed My Starving Children at the Mall of America. Matt and I have enjoyed packing at FMSC in the past, so we were looking forward to doing this. Abby and Dan were fabulous and took the girls for the morning while we headed out to MOA.

My mom and Matt.

Action shot!

When we were done at MOA, we went back to Dan and Abby's to get the girls. We found Mckenna and Ayla playing dress up, it was very cute. Unfortunately I didn't get a good picture of Mckenna and Ayla together to add to the blog.

Mckenna absolutely LOVES to get all dolled up, and it was hard to get her to take off her fancy outfit!

Bathtime!

Could these little girls be any cuter?

It's been really fun to see a sweet sister relationship between Mckenna and Calla forming so early on. Mckenna wants to be near Calla and talk to her, entertain her, and make her smile. Calla is so enthralled with Mckenna and loves to watch her every move. They are so cute together - so fun to watch! Mckenna put this washcloth on Calla's head and exclaimed, "Calla's wearing a washcloth hat!" and then waited for us to laugh. :)

Calla has really outgrown her no-movement baby phase and is very active these days. In this picture she is 5 months old and is enjoying being on her tummy and playing with her toys. Now as I type this, at 7 months old, she is scooting around (the army crawl so far, not quite crawling yet) and moving all over the place. They grow so fast!

Like most parents of little ones, we love all of Calla's sweet little features... her pretty blue eyes, cute little nose and lips, yummy little cheeks, sweet little ears that stick out just a tiny bit but not too much, her soft skin, perfectly round and bald head, little baby double chin, her calm, sweet, smiley nature, and the list goes on.  She is perfect to us, and we love her so much!

Mckenna watching her "Toddler Tunes" video with Nemo.  Cute!  She calls it her "Wheels on the Bus" video because that's the first (of many) songs that they sing - she absolutely loves it!  Now that I think of it, I think we had a picture in a post last summer of her watching the same DVD on the plane to Mexico... funny.

All the little girls... Nemo is pretty protective of her sisters!

Mckenna loves Calla so much!  Like I said above, Matt and I really like watching them together.

More tummy time!  A few months ago she would enjoy staying in this position for quite awhile, but now, when we turn our back, she's off to another part of the room.  Watch out, here comes Calla!

And now she's enjoying moving around in her activity jumper too!

Time for a haircut for Mckenna.  She loves to "cut hair" at daycare (they have a little beauty parlor among all the fun toys), so getting her haircut is a fun event for her.  The cartoons playing while she sits in the chair definitely help too and keep her still.

It was St. Patrick's Day week, so all the stylists had green streaks in their hair and green nail polish - a cute touch at a kid's hair salon.

Calla and my mom came with Mckenna and I.  Of course Calla was watching Mckenna closely the entire time.  "What's my sister doing?"  :)

I had to laugh... the girl cutting Mckenna's hair looked like she could have been one of my high school students - she was really nice and had fun with Mckenna.  As you can see, Mckenna is enjoying herself!  :)

Also in March, I took my business class on a field trip to United Healthcare to meet our eMentors.  It is a fabulous program that the students always really enjoy, and one afternoon during the 7-week eMentors program we get to go and meet the mentors and have lunch with them, and take a tour of the corporate building.  I always look forward to this afternoon, and I'm always proud of my students - how smart, professional, and mature they are!  :)

My business class and their eMentors from United Healthcare.

A random afternoon out to lunch at the Olive Garden, one of Matt's favorites (probably because of the all you can eat factor at lunch, hahaha.)  We've been lucky that it's been pretty easy to take the girls out - they are well behaved and generally in good moods.

Another fun event in March was that both the Minnehaha girls and boys basketball teams made it to the state tournament!  Last year the girls team won the state title, so it was exciting to be there again.  Between Matt and I, there are several girls on the team that we have currently or have had in class.  Fun to see them in this athletic competition mode!

They won the semi-finals game... moving on in the state tournament again for the third year in a row and ready to defend their champs title!

We brought Mckenna to the state championship game, which I was a bit nervous about.  It was somewhat during her usual nap time, and I was wondering if she'd stay entertained or if we would have a restless/crabby 2-year old on our hands.  Because she likes to get fancy, I made a production out of writing "I heart MA" on her cheeks in red lipstick - she seemed to really like that.

These pictures were taken just as we got inside the Target Center and sat down.  She seemed to be just taking it all in for a few minutes... all the people, the noise, the basketball players warming up on the court... a lot to look at!

After her initial few minutes of over-stimulation coma, she was back to her fun, busy self.  Between watching the game, waving her UMN pom pom and yelling "Go Redhawks!", she had fun coloring...

... and playing with her good friend Liz who sat next to us (this was taken by a school photographer all the way down on the court floor - nice long-range lens!)

She also liked sitting on Matt's shoulders, pretending he was wearing a wig.  She has a great imagination!

But sadly, a 2011 state title was not in the cards.  The girls played hard and it was a fun game to watch.

2nd place in state - an awesome accomplishment! 

A classy and faithful team... praying and thanking God in the midst of defeat.

My sister Kristi was nice enough to stay home with Calla while we went to the game.  When we got home, Kristi was doing a little photo shoot with Calla.  She is definitely a cute subject!  She is 5-months old here...

The funny too-large headband shot - gotta get at least one of those!  ;)

Calla was dedicated at Bloomington Covenant on Sunday, March 27th.  It was a very special day for all of us, especially because several of our close family and friends were there to celebrate with us, including our neighbors, the Roushs, and our good friend and co-worker, Liz.  Cam and Gwen were able to come from Chicago for the weekend (thanks, you guys!) and Mckenna LOVED having her cousin around!  Linnea and Sonja stayed home to take it easy... Mckenna and Calla's newest cousin, Naomi Linnea Johnson, would be born in just a few short weeks!  We missed them, but were so glad they could stay home and rest for a few days.

Dedication Sunday - family pictures after a group lunch at our house...

Matt's parents were able to be in town too - so nice to have them with us!  And the girls just adore their grandparents.  I think Grandma and Grandpa like them too.  :)

Calla and Grandma Mary, Mckenna and Grandpa Bob.

I really hope to get to April and May pictures sooner than later! The end of the school year is such a busy time, so we'll see if I can sneak in some blogging sometime in all that craziness. We hope everyone has had a nice spring and is looking forward to the summer ahead as much as we are! :)

Happy Mother's Day!

Tell your mom how much you love her today, and if you have children, spend some extra time with them... we all are loved and blessed to have such wonderful family and friends.  Happy Mother's Day!

February 2011 - Mckenna is 28 months & Calla is 4 months old!

It's been a few weeks since I last posted, but I have been thinking about doing this post for several weeks now.  It's funny how in life - at least in my life -  there are often many weeks in between thinking about doing something and actually finding the time to do it!  :)

These first few pictures are actually from the end of January... Winter Girls Weekend 2011!  Matt was up north ice fishing with Dan and his cousins Nate and Bjorn.  So Abby and I decided to head out to one of our favorite breakfast spots (Maria's Cafe in Minneapolis - YUMMY) with the girls.  Kristi was able to stay with us over the weekend to help out with the girls, which was great.  I didn't get too many pictures of our girls weekend extravaganza, but here are a few.  Me and the girls (Calla, Ayla, and Mckenna) at Maria's.  It was a busy Saturday morning and we were kind of squished back at a corner table.  Luckily the girls were pretty well behaved at the restaurant.

And here are the cutie cousins taking a bath together.  Abby and I have been taking Zumba Fitness classes together, and there was a make-up Sunday afternoon class that was in place of a class weeks earlier that had been cancelled.  So Abby and Ayla came over to our house, my parents watched the girls, and Abs and I went to our Zumba class.  After we got home from the class the girls were playing and I had a window of opportunity to get Mckenna in the bathtub.  For whatever reason, Mckenna has recently been resisting taking baths, so we've had to find creative ways to coax her into the tub.  This days creative coaxing was compliments of Ayla. "Do you want to take a cousins bath with Ayla?" "YEAH!!!"  :)  Mckenna thought it was fun to dump buckets of water on Ayla's head... Ayla just sat there and smiled and took it like a champ.  What a nice cousin!

At the beginning of February, Matt and I attended a scholarship benefit dinner for Minnehaha students at the new Target Field (home of the Minnesota Twins!) in downtown Minneapolis. Matt had been to a Twins game during their first season playing here, but this was my first time there.  I was so excited to see it, and it certainly didn't disappoint.  It was so cool!  The dinner was inside in the fancy "Legends Club" concourse, which was really nice.  We were able to open the doors to step out into the stadium.  It was beautiful to see the field so quiet with a blanket of snow in the winter. 

This is what it looks like during the baseball season. You can see the Minneapolis skyline in the background. (Picture taken from twinsbaseball.com)

A fun night out for Matt and I to support a school we love!  We took the light rail to Target Field from Bloomington, which is always kind of fun, and it was awesome to see the stadium.  I can't wait to go to a baseball game there, it will be really cool to see the place in action.

Calla has really been enjoying her play mat lately.  Here she is wearing a cute outfit that my friend Julie gave her, and a fun sunflower headband that Grandma Karen gave to Mckenna when she was younger.  Cute!

In February, Abby and Dan were able to take a fabulous week vacation to Costa Rica.  Ayla stayed with Abby's parents, but she was able to come over and hang out with us one day during the week.  We had so much fun with her, as always!  Here they are finishing up a yummy lunch of chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, and peas.

Coloring and enjoying a snack after naps.  They are so cute together and have so much fun!

Mckenna and Calla had a fun Valentine's Day party at daycare.  Here is one picture of Mckenna and two of her friends coloring.  Every day coming home from daycare Mckenna has a new, colorful picture to show us.  She loves to color!

There was a warm "heat wave" in February - one day it got up to a balmy 52 degrees,  pretty good for February in Minnesota!  Not really too terribly warm with the strong wind, but still warm enough to get outside for some fresh air.  One afternoon after we got home from work we bundled up the girls for a walk.  This was Calla's first time sitting up in a stroller on her own, and she did a pretty good job!  Not that she could move much with her little snowsuit on, but she still did well.  :)

Mckenna loves playing with Calla!  Calla has been enjoying a lot of tummy time lately, and Mckenna likes to keep her company...

...it's so fun to watch them together! (And by the way, I love big baby heads - aren't they cute?)  :)

Most of our past few weekends have been spent hanging around the house.  Matt went upstairs to put Calla down for a nap (in her swing), and didn't come back down.  I went upstairs looking for him several minutes later, and this was what I found... I guess it was nap time for both of them!

And awhile later, Matt's still sleeping and Calla's awake.  Side note, it's funny to have to pick up an infants room (as if she's the one making the mess... not!) Mckenna comes in and plays while we're changing or feeding her, and it ends up looking like this - various books and other items all over the floor!  Overall, Mckenna is pretty good about cleaning up after herself when she's asked to do so.

In my mind, February 2011 will be remembered as the month of sleep problems.  No, not with Calla, but with Mckenna.  Mckenna started sleeping through the night (about 11-12 hours straight) around 3 weeks old, and so far Calla has been the same.  (Yes, we know we are very blessed!) In February, Mckenna suddenly started catapulting herself over the side of her crib - not just climbing, more like emphatically throwing herself over the side rail.  We would hear a thump on the floor (her feet/body hitting the floor), followed by a few seconds to a few minutes of silence (like "Oh, I don't think I should be getting out of my crib... I better be quiet so I'm not found out"), followed by the knob on the door being turned and Mckenna coming out of her room and standing quietly by herself.  There were times we would see the light turn on in her room (we have a video baby monitor with a screen to see the girls) and she would go out of her room into her play area, get some toys and books, and go back in her room and sit down on the floor and play... when she should be sleeping.

So we switched her from the crib to a toddler bed that we had bought last spring.  At first it was a fun novelty to be in the toddler bed - freedom!  But it quickly turned from something fun and exciting, to something she seemed to dread... screaming, crying, and carrying on when we put her to bed at night.  She absolutely refused to sleep and went on what seemed to be a sleep strike for several days in a row... not much sleeping at night, and not really any nap to speak of during the day.  For those few days of not a lot of sleep, Mckenna turned into a different person, overly tired, cranky, always crying and whining, multiple meltdowns, and more. 

So we talked to a bunch of parent friends of ours that had older kids that might have gone through this same thing to see if we could find some advice and any possible solutions.  Several people we talked to raved about this crib tent.  I remember seeing one in a magazine when Mckenna was a baby, thinking it was funny looking and probably pretty unnecessary.  Well... we got one to try it out, and it works like a charm!  It has been a total lifesaver.  Mckenna is back to her old, happy self, and most importantly, is safe and sleeping through the night.  I guess you can't put a price on peace of mind.  We haven't gotten a picture of Mckenna yet in her fun, "I'm going camping!" crib tent, but I'm sure we will.  But below is a picture from the internet to see what it looks like.  We're hoping that we can try the toddler bed again when our summer vacation comes and we have more time and energy to devote to the transition period. I think Calla can handle the pack and play for at least a few more months, and then she can switch to the crib.  Musical beds!  :)

The several nights that Mckenna would be getting out of bed (either the crib or toddler bed), we would often find her sitting outside her door with a few toys or books... just sitting quietly by herself. This night Matt went down to get her and ended up sitting down with her and reading a book. How can you be upset about her getting out of bed when she's still being so cute? :)

Throughout the beginning of 2011 Calla and I have been taking an ECFE (Early Childhood & Family Education) baby class called "Wee Ones."  Every Friday morning we would go to the Prior Lake/Savage Early Childhood Family Center and meet with other moms and babies.  We sang some songs, had play time, and talked with the early childhood educator (named Joy) that led the class and chatted with the other moms.  I not only enjoyed meeting other moms with kids the same age, but also having that one on one time alone with Calla.  While we were in this class, Mckenna was across the hall in the "Sibling Care" room.  Mckenna loved Friday mornings too - she liked going to her "class" with her new friends.  Starting in a few weeks, Calla and I will start a new session in a similar class, and Mckenna and I will be in a "Terrific Twos" class.  Can't wait!

She was really interested in these bells!

Back home and playing on the play mat.  I love how babies (including Calla!) have such fun and funny facial expressions.  :)

Sisters!  Mckenna enjoys being with Calla pretty much everywhere, including right down on the play mat with her.

Sweetie!

Goofing around in her high chair...  Mckenna sits at our kitchen table in a booster chair for about half of her meals, and in her high chair for the other half.  We try to eat together as a family as much as possible, but if I'm up and around, cooking or taking care of Calla or doing something else, I'll put her in the high chair where I know she'll stay put if I can't be watching her.  :)

Love that smile!  It's crazy to me looking at pictures of Mckenna next to pictures of Calla - where did our little baby Mckenna go?  She's such a big girl now!

And here is our other smiley little girl!  These pictures are from her 4-month check-up appointment at the pediatrician.  She did great... a very healthy, happy little girl.  We feel so blessed!

Don't you just love that big smile and those bright eyes?  Calla's official 4-month stats are: weight: 13 lbs 1 oz (25th percentile), height: 24.8 inches (58%), and head circumference: 16.5 in. (67%).

Several people who have seen this picture on our camera have commented on how she looks like a doll here.  :)

Calla is a strong little girl, she can prop herself up like this for quite awhile.  The doctor was impressed with her strength!

This picture was taken right after (like less than 1 second) she got a shot... still smiling, but not for long.

Next snapshot - - ouch!

Next snapshot - - "I'm okay guys!"  You gotta love cute baby faces - priceless!  And it's interesting how resilient kids are - literally one second happy, the next crying, and the next smiley again.

We have had a lot going on in March, so stay tuned for our March Madness post... coming soon! :)

Raise Your Horn

This very creative video was done by two seniors at MA, Danny Chamberlain and Sarah Winter.  Both Matt and I had Sarah as a student.  It was posted on YouTube just a few days ago and has gotten almost 50,000 views already.  Danny and Sarah's work has also been featured on a few local news stations.  Very fun video, and proud of our MA talent!  :)

* cute comic *