Birthday Party #1

Well the birthday season is underway around here: 5 kids with birthdays in a 10-week span of time . . . 3 within the same week (2 of those on the same day).
2 birthdays down, 3 to go.
1 party down, 4 to go.

Rebekah wanted to have her party over spring break. The 4 friends she wanted to invite were going to be around, so we pulled it off. Rebekah planned the whole thing herself: she helped me make the invitations (or did I help her?). She wrote out the schedule for the party in detail. We designed and made the (very cute) cupcake magnets that would be prizes. Rebekah (about a week in advance and without going to the store to purchase one single thing) made up all the "treat bags" (which were actually in pails . . . not bags) for her guests. It was a fun day and most importantly I think Rebekah really enjoyed the celebration.

Here are a few photos from the big bash:

The whole crew:

The birthday girl (picture by Joe):

Singing and blowing out the candle:

Enjoying the cake:

Spring Break, Part II

Alrighty, just in case you are sitting on the edge of your seat just waiting to hear what we did with the second half part of our Spring Break, here goes:

• Lots of fun time relaxing at home: movies, games, computer time, reading, playing outside . . .
• We adopted 4 Webkinz (Gabs the crocodile -- Lydia's, Midnight the whale -- Rebekah's, Spot the bullfrog and Spike the gecko -- both Jacob's) . . . we had zero up until now. We have finally entered the Webkinz craze (after hearing about it for what seemed like forever) and are pretty much addicted. Thanks Frances for your expertise and technical help . . . you are a Webkinz genius!
• We went to the Y.
• Jacob went through orientation at the Y to use the fitness center . . . which you can do once you are 10! (They let him do it a few days early since he was on Spring Break and had time to come).
• We went swimming at the "water park" at the Andover Y.
• I ran lots of errands since there were 2 parents home all the time . . . wonderful! (Plus, I had to get all my shopping in quick before I flip the calendar to April and begin my vow to purchase nothing new for a month . . . just kiddin' . . . well, kinda!)
• Anna became an expert walker.
  
• A few trips to the library.
  
• The girls had a slumber party with their buds Frances & Evelyn.
• Jacob & Kirb went to see "Escape to Witch Mountain" and loved it!
• We ate dinner (with bday coupons for 2 free kids meals) at Red Robin . . . the kid's favorite. Jacob even found something safe on the menu: a turkey burger and side salad.
• Ing & I took Ev, Fran, Rebekah & Lydia to the Children's Museum.
• Birthday Party #1 (for Rebekah)
• A beautiful drive with a fun stop to play at a park overlooking the river in Stillwater.
• The ever-popular crafts at Lakeshore Learning Store.
  

A few pictures:

the boys swimming:

Father & daughter walking in the park . . . look how tall she's getting:

A handsome guy at the park . . . looking over at the beauty of the river & hills:

If you crank that thing you can make the "car" move along the bar. Propelling all 4 kids from one side to the other was a nice arm workout for Kirbs . . . one I'm sure I couldn't pull it off (that's roughly 250 pounds if I added correctly . . . and I'm pretty sure I did, you know math being my strong suit and all!) The kids love this "train"!

Anna & her daddy taking a little walk:

My monkey . . . well, one of them anyway:

Joe going for a run (with the very cool Stillwater lift bridge in the background):

It was a great week and good for all of us. It would have been better without the sickness that was still lingering the whole week, but what can you do? I think we all needed the down-time and the time together as a family. Now we are just itchin' for summer break and more of what we just experienced!

Day 16

Anna is sick again . . . or maybe it should be still. I've lost track. I counted and at least one of the kiddos has been sick everyday for the past 16 days. The last time we were all healthy was the first week of March. Maybe tomorrow the kids will go back to school, Kirb will return to work and our health will come back . . . and things will become somewhat normal again. I sure hope so. Poor Anna! I took her to urgent care today thinking maybe she had another ear infection (she had been pulling on her ears) but . . . nope. Her ears look good . . . today, anyway! Just a random fever, puking and generally not being herself. It makes me sad, although she was really cuddly and sat on my lap and snuggled for about 45 minutes this afternoon, which is not at all like her!!

Spring Break . . . ready, set, go!

Well, Spring Break at the Stoll house is well underway. The kid's had Friday off for a teacher workshop and all this week is Spring Break. Kirbs took the week off, too, and we're planning to have a great, relaxing week together (with some time in there with friends too)! I think (hopefully) that all the sickness is behind us now . . . nearly 24-hours fever free as I write this. And no one has puked in, oh, 28 hours or so. The antibiotics are all completed and the weather is nice, so I'm shootin' for good health!

The highlight of Friday was the ice cream cones we had in the middle of the day and the fort that the kids built out of every conceivable blanket, pillow and chair they could get their little hands on . . . so, don't come over right about now, there's no place to sit! It is quite the structure and, turns out it's a great place to read a book!

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!

Today was a glorious 68 degrees with sunshine and a [warm, believe it or not] little breeze! We spent the day at the Minnesota Zoo. I was hopin' to be there the day the new little dolphin they are expecting there was born . . . dolphins are pregnant, basically, forever [ok, 12 months, but if you've ever been pregnant that would seem like FOREVER!] and the estimated due date was late February or early March. Poor Allie, she must be miserable right about now. Luckily, though, she lives in the water so that's gotta help, and her mom, April, is hangin' out with her in a seperate pool from all the guy dolphins, so she's probably doing ok! Anyway, no dolphin calf today. Bummer, since I really do love babies . . . although I've never seen a newborn dolphin, I imagine I would be pretty excited about that brand of newborn too!

Anna loved the fish. She could get right up to the glass, she wasn't too short to see and they swam right in front of her. What a view!


Here's Anna going through the "bamboo wall". She loved it!
Don't worry . . . she might look a little stuck, but she wasn't. Just hangin' out!
Trying on the scuba gear. Nice flipper, Jacob!
Joe, I think that suit might be a tad big for you!
Lydia doing a little rock climbing:
The girls were best friends today. They held hands almost all day and were just so cute together . . . if only they were that way all the time!!

We saw fish, HUGE grizly bears, sea otters, a bald eagle, camels, sharks, wild boars, red pandas, bats, flamingos and all manner of other creatures! It was a fun day and a great adventure for our crew. We bumped into a few people that we knew there. They must have also thought it was the absolute perfect day for a trip to the zoo (it would seem that lots of people thought that, since it was pretty busy for a March Monday!)

On tap for tomorrow: green beer more fun and adventure . . . lots more fun to come in the next 6 days of schoollessness!