An Apple A Day...

A couple of weeks ago we went to a nearby apple orchard with some friends. It was really fun. We had perfect weather, good company, and yummy food! We took a tractor ride out to the orchard and picked our apples. Gala and McIntosh were what were "on." Reese wasn't too sure about eating the apples straight off the tree. Don't worry, I ate enough for both of us! After that we ate our lunches and went to the petting zoo/kids area. Finally, we made a quick trip to the kitchen for some treats. There were so many delicious things to choose from, I went with the donuts. All I can say is that I am planning a return trip for nothing else but the pumpkin spice donuts with a pumpkin glaze. They were heavenly, especially with the fresh apple cider! Here are a couple of pictures from the day. I'm bummed I didn't get a picture with all the kids or all the ladies.

Reese's Birthday

Yes, I know she turned 2 over a month and a half ago. Despite that fact, here are some details.

We had a mini-celebration toward the end of our Utah trip. My girl LOVES the song "Old McDonald," (you can often catch her screaming "E-I-E-I-O...sheep. E-I-E-I-O...cow. Etc, etc. at the top of her lungs) so I made her a barn cake complete with animal cupcakes. She was as excited about it as I had hoped she would be! She insisted on eating one of each kind, frosting only.

There were big plans for her actual birthday, (beach, pool) but the weather was not cooperative. She opened her gifts in the morning before taking a long afternoon nap. We now have a 53" teddy bear named Bruno in our house, totally Brady's idea. She loves it! We celebrated that night by walking to the ice cream shop and getting her birthday cake flavored ice cream. We sat next to a big mirror and she was totally amazed that the ice cream turned her tongue blue. (Yes, I realize these pictures are not in order. Blogger is making me really mad.) We also had a fun party with some of our friends.

At the end of August, we had some fun visitors! My good friend Erin and her little boy came to stay with us a for a few days on their way back to Puerto Rico. It was so fun to hang out with them and to meet her little guy! Unfortunately, Reese discovered she's not such a big fan of babies. Yeah, I know. Not good. We're working on it.

Reese at two:-24 pounds, 34 inches
-Talking non-stop! She cracks us up with the things she says. She also surprises us with the things she knows sometimes, too.
-LOVES to sing. One of her favorite books is the mini Children's Songbook. When she sees it, she'll bring it over to you and want you to sing EVERY song that has a picture. I have realized that I am seriously lacking in my knowledge of primary songs. Her favorite primary songs are: I am a Child of God, I Love to See the Temple, Nephi's Courage, and We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet. She can sing the words to 2 verses of I am a Child of God and most the words of Nephi's Courage and "The Prophet Song." It seriously melts my heart.
-Other favorite songs include: If You're Happy and You Know It, Old McDonald, Little Bunny Foo Foo, and Bingo.
-Knows all of her letters, most colors, and basic shapes.
-Loves to boss her toys around. Especially the farm animals and Big Bird and Elmo. It is really funny to listen to her have conversations with them.
-Definitely been experiencing some Terrible Two's with our girl. Most the time she is pretty good-natured and happy, but when she decides she is having a bad day, watch out. She is very stubborn and independent.
-Loves to eat: oatmeal/porridge, feta cheese, toast with jam, yogurt, bananas, waffles, fruit snacks, TJ's cheese crackers and Strawberry O's, rice and beans, and candy/ice cream/cookies (she's her mama's girl).
-Whenever I ask her what kind of baby she thinks I'm having, she responds with "a green one." Hmmm..
-Loves going to the beach. Ever since we went to Florida last spring whenever I put sunscreen on her, which is pretty frequently in the summer, she says "we go to beach!"
-Started preschool co-op with some of our friends. It's been fun so far, and she gets really excited to go to school. (I also enjoy having a couple days a week with some alone time. Heavenly.)

Utah Vacay

Here are some pictures of our trip to Utah. We had a lot of fun visiting with family and spending time doing some of the things we miss in Chicago (hiking, mountain biking, having babysitters, etc.). It was also a welcome break from the heat and humidity we had been experiencing in Chicago. Brady was able to stay for 10 days and Reese and I stayed for 3 weeks. We flew home just a couple days before she turned 2. It was officially the end of her days as a lap-flying child.

Reese LOVED being around family! She was really happy for the most part (and really UNhappy for about 5 days!). She had started talking a lot since our family had seen her last, so it was fun for them to see her goofy personality. It was nice to have a yard where she could go outside and run around. She constantly wanted to go outside. While we were there she started a new SUPER independent phase. She's always been independent, but her new favorite phrase is "my turn" and she won't let you help her do much of anything. She insists on climbing in and out of her highchair on her own, getting in and out of the car and car seat on her own. Basically, anything she needs help with, she refuses it. It's definitely been a test of our patience and things take a lot longer.

Brady was able to do some mountain biking and we took Reese on a hike. My extended family does a big camp out every year, so we went up one afternoon for the Dutch oven dinner. Yum! There was even some snow still around, so we made a snow man! It was so refreshing and relaxing to enjoy the fresh air and the mountains. We definitely miss them.

One of the more exciting things was sharing some big news with our families...Reese is going to be a big sister! Baby #2 is due February 15, 2012. We've known since mid-June but wanted to wait until we were with our families to tell them. I made Reese a "Big Sis" shirt to wear to announce it. It took both of our families about 5 minutes before they actually read what the shirt said. So far, this pregnancy has been very similar to Reese's. For about 4 weeks, I had felt crappy in the evenings, but never was actually sick. Now I'm feeling fine and trying to keep up with Reese. I'm 16 weeks along, so we will find out what we're having at the end of September!



Here are some pictures of Utah (and the 4th of July):

Big Sis shirt



She loves to close her eyes and scream when she's swinging.





Picking raspberries at Grandma's house





Birthday cake...she called it"E-I-E-I-O cake"



Summertime

Grandma and Grandpa sent Reese this bike last month. She was really excited to try it out and wear her new helmet. She had a lot of fun riding it until she got distracted by other things, like ants. Or the ice cream shop around the corner. Oh, well.

It's been a miserable combination of heat + humidity lately. I'm a wuss, so I've been depriving my child of outdoor activities as of late. We have been staying cool by being indoors.

We're headed to Utah on Wednesday for some family time and looking forward to it!

Arlington Park

Earlier this month, we went to Arlington Park Race Track for the horse races. This the summer event for Brady's firm. My parents were in town, and they were able to go with us. It was a fun day. We bet on a few races (no luck!)  and Reese went to the petting zoo and on a pony ride.

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Happy Birthday, Brady!

Today is Brady's birthday. He spent an awesome morning at the DMV waiting in line to FINALLY get an Illinois driver's license. I think this was the third time he has made a trip there to try and get a license. Ask him to tell you about his experiences there, he really likes that place.

Brady hates his birthday. He doesn't like to celebrate much. No friends over, no big special meal, nothing.  (Which is completely opposite of me. I would like to celebrate my birthday over the course of multiple days.)  To "celebrate", we are going to get hot dogs for dinner (yes, hot dogs) and ice cream for dessert.

Reese has been walking around all day saying "Happy Birthday, Daddy!" She loves her dad, and they are two of a kind.

Happy Birthday, Brady!

We've been staying busy around here. We had a visit from Grandma & Grandpa Ahlstrom over Easter weekend. Reese was very excited for them to come visit and had so much fun with them! We went to the zoo and the aquarium and ate lots of yummy food. (If you love cinnamon rolls, you must try Ann Sather. I'm a cinnamon roll lover, and these were really, really good.)

Minnie Mouse Easter Basket

While they were here, Brady and I spent an entire day searching for a new place. Luckily, we found a place and nabbed it! I've been looking for weeks, and hadn't been having much luck finding something that fit our list of requirements. (We're semi-picky...and cheap!)

Reese is still obsessed with all things Elmo, Mickey Mouse, and shoes. The other day we were at the indoor playground near our house and I looked over and saw that Reese had found another kid's shoes with Elmo on them, and had proceeded to put them on and was running around in them. If you leave your shoes around Reese, she will wear them.

She has also developed a sweet tooth over the last couple weeks. She got some Easter candy and occasionally we'll give her a piece of it after she eats her dinner. However, now when you ask her what she wants for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, she'll reply with "candy!" If we make another, more reasonable suggestion we get "Noooooooooooo!" Good times.

She still has as much energy as ever, and is such a happy little girl. But if you ask her, she will try and tell you she is a "baby." She loves her dad, and gets very excited when he comes home at night. We're having a lot of fun with her right now, but she definitely keeps us on our toes.

Last week, we FINALLY had some really nice (even hot) weather in Chicago. I loved it! We spend lots of time outside. Unfortunately, the weather has reverted back to chilly and windy. I'm not sure if it will ever warm up. Sigh.

Here are some pictures from the park and the beach. The girl loves water and sand! Even though the water was pretty cold,  I had a hard time keeping her away from it.  

Ari & Reese....I love this picture!

Other than that, we're in the process of packing up our condo and getting ready to move! We're sad to be leaving the South Loop, but excited for our new place and to be closer to Brady's work so he can spend less time driving. We're not moving far, our new place is only about 10 miles west of where we are now.

Here are some pictures to enjoy!

First time eating cotton candy. Wasn't crazy about it.

 Daddy's Goggles

Thunderstorm rolling in.