Here Comes Trouble

I'm not sure if it's a sign of getting older, or if Jack is just starting to show us his real personality, but all of the sudden, he's trouble! From flushing the toilet to crawling up onto Ella's bed and peeling her tree decal off of the wall, he's into everything! And he's sneaky and fast, making him hard to catch before he's swallowed a piece of play dough or torn a page out of a book. Lately, we've been letting the kids play on Ella's bed before bedtime. Jack loves it - rolling around, tackling Gary the Gorilla, and doing his best to mimic his big sister. Below are a few pics of our recent bedtime fun.

Jack loves Gary.

He likes to tackle him and bury his head in Gary's chest.

Little Miss Attitude has been showing us this face lately.

Moo-Cow is always around for some fun. 

Two little monkeys, jumping on the bed...

What are you doing, Jack?

Just flushing the toilet!

Uncle Sam's Visit

This weekend brought Uncle Sam to town, along with his girlfriend, Brooke. It had been a few months since Sam had seen the kids, so it was fun for him to see how much Jack has grown. While the weather didn't cooperate, we had a great time hanging out with them both, as well as with our good friend, Sara, who was also in town visiting. Earlier in the week, Ella and I visited a preschool that we're hoping to send her to next fall. She had a lot of fun playing and making art projects - it's crazy to think she'll be three soon!

Fun with play doh.

Ella figured out how to peel her own orange. She proudly said, "I'm smart, Mom."

Cuddles with Aunt Erin.

Uncle Sam came to visit!

Sam and Brooke trying to get Jack to smile.

A few people have said Jack looks like Sam. Any resemblance?

Moo Cow patiently waiting for his pancakes.

Making an art project during our preschool visit.

I guess I caught her in a grouchy mood.

They both fell asleep walking home from the library.

We're going to blame it on Daylight Savings, but for the past week, Ella has been exhausted. Of course, she still refuses to nap. However, yesterday afternoon we were in the car, en route to a four-year-old's birthday party, and she fell asleep for about 15 minutes. Apparently, that's exactly the right amount of time it takes for her batteries to recharge, because once we arrived at the party, she was on fire! Between donning every single article of dress-up clothes she could get her hands on, to literally bouncing off the playground equipment, Ella provided quite the entertainment. Today, Jeritt and Ella took a trip to the children's museum in Glenview, stopping to visit Uncle Jeff and Aunt Kristin on the way. And, in big news, Jack took his first step! It's only happened once that we witnessed, but we're guessing he'll be walking by his birthday!

Jack and his buddy, Logan, finally get to play together after months of staring at each other from their respective carriers at the park.

She got stuck.

After her hair cut, but before we combed her hair for the day.

Jack was in heaven, playing with all of the toys while big sister was out with Daddy.

Post-hair cut.

Playing at the birthday party.

And this was before the birthday cake.

Applying lip gloss she found in the birthday party goodie bag.

Playing at the children's museum.