COUSIN TIME! We had lunch with everyone at IKEA then watched Louisa go up the slide...
While Rock and Addy shared a hug.
Later on, they all got clean in Juju's tub. Rock and Addy enjoyed it.
Because Princess Susanna of Maryland was there!!! My little sister, Susanna lives abroad in London and she and her friends Chelsea and Jess decided to go down to Westminster Abbey on Wednesday of Royal Wedding Week to check out the scene. Of course they wore their matching tiaras and "Will Heart Kate" shirts, but they weren't planning on hanging around.
But the media was already camped out and when they saw three beautiful blonds in matching tees and tiaras -- standing out in sharp contrast to the near-homeless people who'd been camping out for weeks -- they flocked to them and started snapping pictures. Suddenly she and her friends were being interviewed by everyone...
Including Ali Wentworth from the Oprah Show. She asked the girls if she could interview them after the wedding and gave them press passes. So they decided to stay.
Then they texted their friends and family. And their pictures were sent around the world. She was on the cover of USA Today, in an online story about Princess Susanna of Maryland and a full page picture in the special issue People magazine, the list goes on. After camping out for a day, they got a front row seat of everyone entering the Abbey and then they got to run through the crowds with their press passes to Buckingham Palace where they witnessed the royal kiss on the balcony...
And appeared 'live' on the Oprah show. Her 15 minutes of fame were pretty awesome, no? Too bad I didn't get a picture of us gathered around the TV all morning. It was quite fun to take all the wedding festivities in.
Someone has been begging to play Settlers of Catan. After months of asking, we finally caved.
He was ecstatic. Although he couldn't understand some parts of the game (namely, strategy), he loved trading cards and he figured out how to 'build' pretty quickly.
With a little help from his opponents, he won his very first game! Good game.
Which confirmed my suspicions. Later that night (after our dinner guests had left). I broke the news to Fix. SURPRISE! ANOTHER BABY! The reason there are two sticks is because we were in a state of disbelief! But there is no mistaking the fact that I am pregnant. Due with baby number 3 on... Wait for it...
CHRISTMAS EVE!!!! I really did get over the 'surprise' (I put that in quotes because He who plans all our steps wasn't surprised at all!) quite quickly. But I'm still not over the due date. I have long said that NO ONE should have ANY babies during the ENTIRE month of December. It's just mean to the kid to have their special day so close to the special day of Christmas. So now I am sure that God is having quite a chuckle at me and my plans. But we really are quite thrilled at this news and can't wait for Rock and Louisa's new sibling (for now, s/he is known as Tre) to get here! We're just praying that s/he doesn't arrive on his/her due date.
While Louisa rocked away (one of her favorite activities these days)...
Fix and I packed up a lunch and Rock took pictures.
Then we took a (longer than expected) walk to Fox Hill Park. I think Louisa was a bit peeved she had to wait so long for her lunch.
After a yummy lunch of PBHs (that's peanut butter and honey) and Terra chips, we let Rock take a few more pictures of mom and dad.
The best one head on.
But I like our kissy-face shot the best.
I know we're only half way through, but I think this might be the official "Fix Picture of the Year." He was so cute to hold her hand while they walked up and down the hill!
The obligatory bridge shot.
(Little) Lady (and Father) in Red
We have been listening to "The House at Pooh Corner" book on CD so Rock wanted to play a few games of Pooh Sticks. We each won a round or two.
And finally we got to our ultimate destination: the park at Fox Hill Park. Rock wanted to practice his new pumping skills. But after all that walking and eating and Pooh-sticking, we were tired. We didn't play for long before it was time to start the trek home.
Someone fell asleep right away.
So we laid her down in the wagon next to Rock.
He then pronounced that he was tired too. So we said he could lay down too.
Amazingly, they both slept! Each time I look at her arm around his, I melt.
Precious babies. Speaking of babies... read my next post.
Back on the dairy train - I a enjoyed Storm Bros. cone with Becky Evans (taking the picture) and Louisa. It was my first real ice cream in a long time. Poor Louisa could only look on in envy.
A few days later we took our first walk to Rita's...
For a treat even Louisa could enjoy. When we started out, it was a balmy Spring evening. By the time we headed home, it was a bitter winter night. We all froze but it was worth it.
And having a non-screaming infant was motivation enough to avoid all products with any ingredients that came from a cow. In the end, I lost my pregnancy weight (plus some!) really fast and I learned to appreciate some new things that I will continue to enjoy now that Louisa is officially weaned. Like not having cream in my coffee...
And Smart Balance. While it doesn't substitute for butter when baking or as a pan-greaser for eggs (I used saved bacon lard for that), it was great on toast and bagels.
And it turns out I didn't need yogurt in my smoothies to enjoy them just fine. Now we frequently make banana, mango, and OJ (sometimes with berries too) smoothies in the morning. YUM!
Oh and I can't forget coconut milk. We ate some really yummy Thai dishes with coconut milk based sauces. And as a special treat (it's QUITE pricey), coconut milk ice cream was the closest substitute for the real deal. All that being said, I would like to close this post by announcing that I am officially resuming my love affair with Gorgonzola cheese and Tiramisu.
Finally! Spring has Sprung! So we hit up the park with Nana.
Good thing she wore blue so Louisa would know who to toddle to for yummy treats.
Louisa loves the falling sand wheel (if you know a more accurate term for this feature, do tell) as much as her older brother.
He has gotten a lot more adventurous with climbing the ladders and crawling through tunnels. Just curious - how many of you readers are sick of seeing pictures of my kids at this same park? Well, too bad. It's within walking distance of our house and we like it.
