Ila and the almost 7 month old

A fun hike on the White Rabbit trail in Ashland. Ila had fun collecting "unusual" sticks, which could pretty much look like anything she said. She also found lots of secret hiding spots.

I accidentally stepped on Ila's finger and gave her a very special marshmallow bandaid. She couldn't believe her eyes and said it really did cure it.

A sweet sister moment before bed.

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Opal is in the "I love paper" stage. Any kind of paper works.

This is a very typical Opal face. I pinch myself all the time hoping this happy, happy baby isn't just a dream. She now rolls all the way across the rug in the living room and sits up by herself.

Joyful Screaming!

Railroad Tracks and Wagon Rides

Ouch! New heelies and railroad tracks don't really mix. As only Mom and Dad can imagine, Carrie and I got the giggles when Gus fell. It's so mean, I know. Reminds me of being in church as a kid (or maybe quite a bit older) and not being able to stop laughing. It was a great outing. We hiked up to the tracks from our neighborhood and ended up walking to the park and had a beautiful early spring afternoon with our special little flock.

Ila's friend "mudball". I spent plenty of time babysitting this girl (not Ila ) that afternoon. She just kinda sat around on the sidewalk while Ila ran around doing other things.

Little Hercules and Vinny giving Carrie a ride around the neighborhood in the wagon.

Sisters and Swimming and Swinging

Last week Ila was determined to have a party for me. She said they never had one to celebrate me having my second baby. She had me go to bed right after Opal went to bed. Then she cleaned the house and made Ian take her to Tark's Market to get supplies. She bought me fake nails, a big bag of sour gummy bears, and a helium balloon that said "feliz cumpleanos" (that's the only balloon they had). Then she crafted the above pin the tail on the donkey game and had it all set up for when I woke up. So sweet! Ian couldn't believe how determined she was. I think he finally got her to bed at 10:30.

Carrie and I took the kids swimming at the YMCA last Saturday. It was Opal's first time in the pool. She was so excited to get in but it only lasted 1 minute. It was too cold and she cried. We made up for it with the warm shower. She loved that! And Ila all of a sudden could do flips in the water.

Opal swinging with the big girls on a beautiful spring-like day.

Waiting on the front porch for Dad to get home from work.

Ila learning how to be patient, and doing such a good job. She has really impressed us with her big sister skills.

By the way, she is really mad at me for putting the ice cream cone pictures on the blog. She was crying and asking if there was any way to erase them. Sad! So, don't mention it. Lucky I was able to show her Eliza and Adie's sad faces on a recent post of Melissa's.

Ice Cream Date Gone Bad

Ila was so excited all day Friday because Ian told her we could go t0 Ashland and get dessert. She said, "He sure is a great Dad!" As we were walking back to the car after being at the ice cream shop, Ila's cone slipped out of her hand. Instant tears! Super dad tried to fix it by piecing the cone back together but as you can see she still wasn't very happy. She came around after he said, "You have two choices...eat it or throw it away." Ian and I couldn't help but laugh as she stood there screaming with her ice cream cone on the ground.

Visits, Playdates, Change

This one is for you, Judy. Aren't you proud? These are two really good dads...and good friends to each other as well.

We were lucky to have a recent visit from Eric, Allison, and Luci. Unfortunately while they were here Luci came down with a bad bug. This is about as perky as she looked all weekend. She is cute and beautiful and sweet even when she isn't feeling well. While the guys were fishing for the day, I followed Allison and Luci around with towels and clorox wipes. I think we did three loads of laundry because poor Luci couldn't keep anything down. Allison was a great sport and very patient. After they left Ian said, "That was a great visit, don't you think?" Well, it was great to see them but those of us who were not on the boat all day weren't sitting around eating bon bons!

We had a fun playdate with Allison and Kai at their house out in the country. They even have a trampoline. Doesn't get much better than that and chasing chickens.

About to get mega-bundled .

Another fun and beautiful day at Mt. Ashland. I can't believe how tough this girl is. Fall after fall after fall and she wants to keep going.

"oNLY mEmBRs uv ILA CUB" said the sign. Translation: "Only members of Ila's club."

All of the animals Ila saved from the flood last Sunday morning. She always has loved her animals.

This week has been a big week of change for us as I went back to work. Ian is staying home with the girls in the morning and going to work after I get home at 11:30. I knew Ila would be fine but of course I thought Opal would not be able to live without me for 4 hours, since I have never been away from her for more than two. Much to my surprise she doesn't even seem to notice that I'm gone. I can't describe how I felt that first day walking through the door to a happy baby. It has been the same every day. And why is it that she will nap for almost 2 hours for Ian? I am so glad we have the opportunity for him to stay home for a few weeks to help with the transition and get some quality time with the girls. He is lucky to have a boss who is more than willing to let him do it...Not me, his other boss.

Opal laughs and squeals all the time. She is grabbing EVERYTHING and can't resist putting whatever it is right into her mouth. She is so close to getting up on her knees. She had her six month appointment this week and besides terrible skin (which she inherited from me) she is doing great. She's close to 20 lbs. and is 26 inches...she finally did some growing in length instead of just width.

Ila LOVES preschool and has made some sweet friends there. She also loves her baby sister which is so fun to see. She told me the other day that she wished she was an orphan so that she could do whatever she wants. First of all, I thought she already did whatever she wanted. Secondly, we told her she would probably only like it for a really short time. She told me today that her stuff was off limits to me, unless I was cleaning it up. Lastly, Ian told her her birthday is in about 80 days and she is planning all kinds of activities. She has always kept us on our toes.

I love being back at work and am so busy there I don't have time to think about home. It feels like a bit of freedom. The kids there are so excited to see me that I almost feel like a celebrity. I really do love my community there and feel connected with my co-workers and so many families.

And Ian...he's awesome!