The Butterfly House

Our first stop on Saturday in St. Louis was the Butterfly House. We had been before, but it was fun to see all of Gracie's cousins see it for the first time. Gracie was 2 years old last time we went, so I'm sure she will remember this experience a little more than the last one. This green butterfly was Gracie's favorite.

This is Lucas, Gracie and Ella's cousin, and he was lucky enough to have a butterfly land on his finger.

I got Gracie and Kalyn to stop looking at butterflies long enough to snap a picture in front of the pretty waterfall. Then they were right back to stalking the butterflies. The picture below shows them getting up close and personal with one that landed on the pathway.

It's not very often that I can get Gracie to smile a "real smile." Most of them are pretty fake these days, but she enjoyed the Butterfly House enough for me to get a "real smile."

The City Museum

Gracie took the train ride inside the City Museum. She will outgrow it soon as it's only meant for smaller children.
I think every kid there loved the huge slides made out of rollers. They were noisy, but fun!
Check out this big elephant, Grandpa. Gracie just had to pose by it for you!
I think Kalyn noticed Gracie's tendency to tilt her head in photos, so she decided to do it too!
Gracie loved the big wooden ramps that you could slide down. Last time we went she was too little to enjoy them, but this time she was a pro!

Katherine's Wedding

Katherine and Geoff had a beautiful wedding. It was short and sweet, just how they wanted it. Geoff accidentally vowed to be a lovely husband instead of a loving husband, but those are the kind of things that you laugh about for years to come. They seemed very happy. The reception afterward was really nice...and yummy! You've gotta love a dessert bar!

Thank Goodness It's Friday

Ella loves to stick her tongue out!
Corbin is strong enough for the exersaucer. He really liked it.

Gracie couldn't wait to get to the hotel so she could swim. Daddy was kind enough to oblige.

Mama was pretty glad when we got there too. She has seen the girls 3 weekends straight. Next weekend she may have withdrawals!

Today was a busy day. We babysat Corbin again today and we also had to get everything ready for our trip to St. Louis. This weekend is Brent's cousin's wedding. Katherine met her fiancee Geoff at the Christian Campus House in Columbia. The funny thing is that we have know Geoff longer than Katherine. He is from Highland, MO and his family used to drive to Keokuk for church, and we went to New Testament together. When we heard they were dating it just reinforced what a small world it really is. Anyway, we are leaving tonight and are hoping Ella will sleep in the van.

Every Creature Big and Small

I heard Gracie playing in her room and she was very animated so I stopped to see what was going on. She had turned several of her toys into princesses. They each had a wand, tiara, clip-on earrings, a bracelet and a microphone. She said every creature could be a princess. It's a good thing we have multiples of each accessory!

Tummy Time

Ella is not a real big fan of tummy time. I know it's important so I try to work on it with her. Today I laid her down and left the room for a moment, expecting to hear her crying at any time. However, when I returned she was just laying there sucking on her hands, drooling as usual. She never even attempted to push up. I guess she exerted her power over the situation and decided she didn't have to work-out during tummy time... and she didn't.

Fun Until the New Wears Off

Monday after we had our barbecue lunch and went to all the cemeteries, the guys went and picked up Janice's new piano that she bought. Immediately after we got the piano in place Gracie and Kalyn had to jump up and start playing and singing. The funny thing is that we have a piano in our home that Gracie looks at 25 times a day, but she very rarely wants to play it. As my brother-in-law said, "It won't be as much fun once the new wears off."

Sunday in Unionville

A proud daddy with his two little girls before church. The church had a really nice Memorial Day service and honored those who had passed away this last year. We were glad we could be there.
Ella wearing another hand-me-down from Gracie. It was one of my favorites!
After church we went out for lunch and then just hung out at the house. We ended up sprucing up one of Janice's flowerbeds she hadn't done yet, so when she got home from work it was done. Gracie and Kalyn had a good time together as usual. They spent many hours in dress-up clothes. It was hard to get Gracie out of them, as you can see above. She managed to stop playing long enough for me to take a picture!

Saturday Travels

Saturday morning we headed over to Unionville for Memorial Day weekend with the Doolins, but we couldn't resist stopping to see our friends Brent and Shelli Franke and their little boy Luke. They were back visiting their parents who live not too far from Kirksville and were also celebrating Luke's first birthday. It was so good to see them.
There's the birthday boy! What a cutie Luke is. Brent looks pretty happy holding a boy, huh?!
Luke standing proudly with his new John Deere tractor he got from his grandparents for his birthday.
I couldn't resist adding this picture of poor Molly. I turned around to check on her at one point, and she was pouting on the barricade Brent had built at the back of the van. Lucky for her, our nephews and neices spoiled her rotten once we got there, so the trip was good for her too. The rest of Saturday was spent wallpapering Janice's living room. She bought the paper quite a while back, and we had designated this weekend as the one to get it hung. It looked so beautiful, but I forgot to take any pictures!

A Light Week

We had a very busy week, but there just wasn't really that much to blog about. I didn't take very many pictures because we were playing outside so much and getting ready for our Memorial Day weekend trip to Unionville. We did squeeze in a trip to Burger King for lunch one day. That's a special treat for Gracie, because we don't go very often. In fact, the last time was probably February!
This is a really bad picture, but it was a sweet moment. Gracie was reading some of Ella's books outloud to herself, and Ella was sitting in her Bumbo seat leaning forward like she wanted to get a closer look. Gracie was oblivious to the situation, so I told her to move the book over so that Ella could see the pictures too.

Another Gracie Tale

I forgot to mention this story last week when I blogged some of Gracie's funny stories, and this was one that should not be forgotten. A lot of you probably know that Gracie has had two pretend babies that probably joined us around the time I got pregnant. Anyway, last week she came up to me and said, "Mommy, my pretend babies died." I put on a sad face and said, "Oh, what happened?" Gracie said, "They hit their heads and died." "What did they hit their heads on?" I asked. Gracie thought for a split-second and said, "They hit their heads on a hairy rock and died." I wanted to laugh, but she continued. "Dora said I will have two new babies later today." I just said OK and went on with my day. Later that afternoon Gracie approached me and said, "My new pretend babies are here. Their names are Lola and Lila." The deceased babies were named Kyla and Layla (I think! I've been getting their names all jumbled up.) So, Lola and Lila are the new additions to the Doolin family. I wonder how long they will live?

Weekend Projects

Now that Brent's sports duties are over, he has been home a little more. Of course the end of the school year is still a busy time, so he has still been gone quite a bit. Yesterday after church he started on a small project I had wanted to do. He built a small wall out of landscaping bricks around the mailbox and planted my lilac bush Gracie got me for Mother's Day in it. It was a big enough job that it filled up the afternoon, but it looks so nice now. We will probably fill it in a little more with some perennials and ground cover, but for now I still think it looks pretty, even if it is a little bare.
While Brent was working on the wall Gracie was doing art with her sidewalk chalk. She drew a sun and the small blob in the left corner is her. She drew a blue head, a pink chest, a yellow skirt, and pink arms and legs. I thought it was pretty cute since most of her artwork isn't this easy to distinguish. I could actually see what this picture was.

Ella Bella

Ella seems to change a little bit every day. She has such a sweet personality. I loved this picture of her smiling her coy little smile!
This photo is of Ella with Brent's dad's nephew. He looks a lot like Raymond did, and it's pretty obvious that Ella favors the Doolin's in this picture. Of course, I have never denied the fact that either of my girls look like their dad.

A Second Mother's Day Weekend!

Ella posing with Mama Doolin and cousin Jaden. We had a whirlwind trip to Unionville this weekend, but it was fun.
I think the big sister and cousin Kalyn will do a good job keeping their eyes on Ella in the future.
We caravaned to Newton, IA on Saturday for a graduation party for one of Brent's cousins. Kalyn rode with us so she could play with Gracie. They chatted, giggled, sang and even squealed the whole way to Newton.
You probably guessed it...they slept almost all the way home! Too much fun wore them out!
Aunt Brenda giving little Ella some loves. Brenda got Ella to giggle this weekend for the first time. She has giggled in her sleep, but not when she was awake, so it was pretty cute.

Gracie Stories

It has been a while since we have shared any funny Gracie stories, so here are a few from the last week.

1) Last Sunday I was dressing for church and Gracie came in the bedroom. She said, "Ooh, Mommy, I love that skirt, but I don't like the style of your shirt." I just smiled and said, "Well, you can see if you can find anything better in my closet. If you do, I will wear it." She finally decided it would be ok, but then she said, "Now what are we going to do with your hair." Brent just laughed and said, "We are in serious trouble. She's such a diva."

2) This past week Gracie was discussing all of her princess accessories with me. She said, "Mommy, where are your tiaras?" I said, "Well, I don't have any tiaras." She looked puzzled and said, "Really Mommy, where are your tiaras?" I again told her I didn't have any tiaras, and that I never had a tiara when I was a little girl either. I told her she was very lucky to have so many beautiful tiaras. She thought for a minute and then said, "I know what we can do. When we go to my cousins house next time we can tell them to get you a tiara for Christmas or your birthday. That will work."

3) I was nursing Ella the other day and when I started to button up my shirt Gracie said, "Mommy, your tummy is getting bigger. What's wrong?" I just smiled and said, "It is?" Not one to give up, Gracie said, "I know. I think you are getting a little fat. Maybe you are getting fatter." 3-year old Kalyn said, "I think she has another baby in her tummy." Note to self: Don't hang out with brutally honest 3 and 4 year old girls in the near future.

Visual Stimulation

Ella is in a very visual stage. She loves to look at faces, brightly colored objects and things with bold patterns. The pharmacy was going to throw this cardboard vitamin display away, but I brought it home and filled it with Ella's small toys. She likes to sit in the Bumbo seat and look at all of the bright objects.

Mother's Day

This is my Grandma Kaser and my mom. Happy Mother's Day!!!

Me and my precious girls...the best Mother's Day presents ever!
Nana and her girls on Mother's Day
Nana with her big girl and little girls.

We all enjoyed a really nice day, despite the cool temperatures. We drove to Moberly after church to eat lunch with Grandma Kaser and my parents. Then Brent and I left Gracie in Moberly while we went to Columbia to do some Lowe's shopping. It was really nice for Gracie to get to spend time at Grandpa and Nana's house. In fact, she didn't want to leave and that was fine since our van was loaded to the point of not being able to fit Gracie's car seat after we went to Lowe's! She spent the night in Moberly and I will pick her up today after I'm done babysitting.

Post 102

It's hard to believe that we have posted 102 items since we have started blogging, but it's true. I guess that means we are doing a decent job chronicling our life in Macon. Most days there isn't a ton to write about. Don't get me wrong. It's a lot of fun staying home with the girls, but it doesn't lead to stimulating posts every night! Brent leaves the house each day and comes home too tired to write any posts, but he has some stimulating thoughts once in a while as I'm sure we can all remember.

Our little family was able to enjoy a nice Saturday at home together. My parents came up from Moberly for part of the day and we went and bought flowers to put in my flower pots. It sure makes the house look cheerier with some flowers around the yard. Gracie has always been very diligent about watering the flowers and tending their needs, so I'm sure this year will be no exception. Somehow I managed to not take any pictures today while she was doing her "gardening" in her garden gloves. I'm sure I'll have more opportunities. Above you will see a couple pictures of ballerina Gracie loving on Ella...again!