THE CIRCUS!!!!!

We just took Michaela to her first circus. We had such a great time. It was the shriners, and they did an amazing job. It was so professional. I can't wait to take Michaela back next year. She absolutely loved it! She was laughing and clapping, and she had her very first cotton candy. Yummy!!!!

After....

That better!

Before....

Yes, Dad, I think Michaela is due for a haircut. She had a great time, but my first daughter's first haircut was quite traumatizing for me.

Happy Birthday To Me

Mom and Dad, and Rick and Donna to us out for dinner for my Birthday. It was a lot of fun, but I think Michaela thought the food wasnt very good.......We all enjoyed it though. Thanks everyone for your Birthday wishes.

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but in this case............

The Ecomuseum

Lunch Time

Michaela loves playing with her new kitchen set that she got from Meghan and Aaron and Mom and Dad for her Birthday. She's quite a little "Mommy" with her dolls and stuffed animals. The pink teddy bear on the left in the top picture was a Christmas present from Bruce and Jolanda, and the Doggie in the middle was a Birthday present from Frank and Isabel. It's the Dog from the popular children's book "Are you my Mother?". They gave Michaela a special edition of that book along with the stuffed doggie. Michaela calls the dog "Gavin" which is the name of Sean and Stephanie's Golden retriever. Before she got Gavin, Michaela never wanted stuffed animals in her bed, but now she cuddles with Gavin every night, and has allowed other stuffed friends to sleep with her too. She carries Gavin around everywhere. The Cabbage Patch doll on the right was a Christmas gift from Meghan and Aaron, and the adorable outfit she's wearing was from Caitlin and Sharon. Thanks everyone, Michaela really loves all your kind gifts.

Reminds Me of Me

I love this picture. With the pig tails, I find she looks a lot like I used to at that age. I also find she looks really grown up here.

WOW!

I caught Michaela trying to rock Newt like a baby, I grabbed the camera as quick as I could knowing that Newt would only put up with this treatment for a very short time. I got lucky enough to get some great shots. I guess Newt thinks that anything is better then being chased by Heidi!

Happy Anniversary!

We got together last Sunday for an amazing BBQ with Rick and Donna, Frank and Isabel, Sean, Stephanie, Lucas , Suzanne, Rebecca, Tim, and Matthew. Turns out it was also Rick and Donna's anniversary (Brownie points for me, I remembered). Congratulations Uncle Rick and Auntie Donna, you're an inspiration to us all!

Heidi's Gone

Yup, with the return of Caitlin and Sharon from their adventures in Australia, Heidi has gone back to her real mummies and the cats are breathing sighs of relief. Newt took up (almost) permanent residence in our cupboard. He just came down to use the litter box (at least I hope he did). Michaela however is suffering from withdrawal. I often catch her pulling a toy telephone up and down the hallways saying "walkin' Heidi, walkin' Heidi".

Quality Time!

I just love this shot of Jon and Michaela fishing together. We discovered that a bit of hotdog on a hook very quickly caught us a bunch of little fishies. Michaela would touch each of them, watch them in her bucket for a few minutes, then we would toss them back. That was pretty fun entertainment for a while until Heidi stole what was left of our hotdog, oh well.

What a Trio

Some would say that dressing the kids up so fancy just to get a few cute pictures is a form of child abuse, still, they sure look cute!

What a Princess

Michaela in her birthday dress, with her first "candy necklace". What a great party, thanks Meghan!

Birthday Fun.

For Michaela's 2nd Birthday we took the kids to the Playtrium. We all had a blast, and I think the kids had fun too.

Aren't Grandmas Great!

I can always count on Grandma to entertain Michaela, especially when Mommy and Daddy need a little extra sleep, as was the case in this picture. Notice Michaela is still in her P.J.s.

Just too cute!

Happy Birthday Mom!

We had a great party for Mom's birthday. Meghan and I dressed the girls in matching outfits. It was really cute. We (Meg, aaron, jon and I) gave her her own copy of Settlers of Catan and we had a blast playing it. We also gave her, along with Josh and Heather, Meg and Aaron, her own copy of the 3rd season of Seinfeld.

Bonding

Here are Jon and Heidi doing a little person to pet bonding by taking a nap together.

Vacation!

Here are Micah and Michaela (and Heidi) enjoying Mom and Dad's wonderful lake. I think Heidi looks ready to jump in the float with the kids.