Happy Birthday Nana!

Nana-  We hope you had a great day!  I am pulling from the archives for this picture of Sage from 2009.  Happy Birthday!  We love you!

Mommy & Me Class!

At this age Sage was already going to a Mom's Day Out program.  Once a week for four hours.  I loved it and so did she!  I got to get a bunch of stuff done and she got a few hours to socialize and be away from Mommy!  Since we were moving and new to the area I didn't look for a program like that for Quinn.  I did find a Mommy and Me class that we both love.  The teacher is fabulous!  We start the class with free play, then circle time, then a craft. more play time and then circle time to say goodbye.  It is a really fun hour and we both have made new friends!

Our two Ladybugs!

Sage - 2011

Quinn - 2015

Love that they both wore this costume!  Look how cute both of our ladybugs are!   I like looking at pictures of them at the same age and seeing how different they are.  Love these girls so much.  And I am so thankful to be their Mommy. 

Halloween 2015

These are the only pictures I took on Halloween.  It was cold and rainy, typical for Halloween here!  We had a bunch of neighbors over before Trick-or-Treating!  Lots of fun!  The kids were all running around and having a blast.  We took off for Trick-or-Treating in the rain.  Quinn rode in her little car that has a roof on it.  She didn't even get out of her car!  I took Quinn home after a few houses and we handed out candy.  Reese and Sage went on with, John, Cameron, and Allie.  I put Quinn to bed and then Sage and Cameron watched a movie while the adults enjoyed a few cocktails!  It was a good first Halloween in the new house! 

Carving Pumpkins

We carved pumpkins before Halloween and Quinn didn't want to help.  Sage was all about helping until she got her hand inside the pumpkin.  Then the job was turned over to Mommy!  Reese carved a witch for Sage and a funny face for Quinn. 

Salad Spinner

Every time I use the salad spinner and Quinn is around I hear "help."  She wants to help me with it!  She hears the sound of the salad spinner and that girl comes running!  I had two helpers on this night for dinner!

Walking Lucy

Most mornings after the bus takes Sage to school Quinn and I go for a walk with our neighbor Julie.   Julie has the puppy in the picture below.  Lucy is an 8 month old boxer.  Lucy and Quinn have become fast friends!  We all enjoy our walks in the mornings and usually go three to four miles.  Quinn rides in her car until the very end, then her favorite part of the walk happens.  She gets out and runs/walks and helps walk Lucy! 

Signature Room

After doll shopping we went to the Signature Lounge in the John Hancock Tower on the 96th floor.  The views of the city are amazing!  We decided after the shopping the Mom's needed a cocktail!  The girls really liked the views of the city.  The picture of the girls below is taken from the Women's Restroom.  It has the best views!   I should know as we visited the restroom three times while we were there.  Sage was still so excited she just kept having to go!

Finally got a good picture with Shelley.  We always forget to take a twin picture when we are together. 

American Girl Trip: Part III

After we bought the dolls and accessories we had some time before we had to be at the American Girl Restaurant for lunch.  Since the store is connected to the Water Tower Place shopping center we wandered around before lunch.  Our first stop was the Lego store for Shelley to look for gifts for the boys.  It was really convenient that the American Girl Store has a coat check service that you can check your bags and coats while you shop and eat!  We loved this!  We checked everything but the dolls!  They girls had to have them with them at all times on the trip!

Waiting for lunch and playing with their new dolls!

Lunch was actually really good!  It was a pretty small menu with appetizers and dessert included with each lunch.  The girls were both pretty tired at lunch.  Sage even curled up on Aunt Shelley's lap as we were waiting for our bill.  

American Girl Trip: Part II

After we were done walking through the store we ended up in this room to pick the dolls and go through all their choices from the store.  It was so nice to sit with the girls and figure out what they wanted.  It wasn't rushed and they could take their time choosing.  The girls had pretty much decided  which dolls they wanted.  Lydia chose Julie and Sage chose Kit. 

Here they are with their new dolls!

Here was Lydia making her tough decisions about what to keep and what to put back.

Love this picture of Sage as she is debating on what to buy and what goes back on the shelf.  She was debating between a music set for the doll or a telescope set.  Music set it was!

Our girls with their dolls and Ann!

Loved this day with my sweet girl!

Our happy shoppers!

Besides driving 2.5 hours each way to spend the day with us, Aunt Shelley also gave Sage money to spend at the store for her birthday and Christmas!  Lucky girl to have an Aunt that would take the time to come spend such a special day with her. 

American Girl Trip: Part I

We decided for this year to celebrate Sage's 6th birthday we would take a Girls Trip to Chicago.  We met our old neighbors and friends Rebecca and Lydia.  Lydia had a birthday in September and Sage's in November so we went in the middle in October.  We had an amazing trip.  We stayed the first night with Elise.  We had fun catching up and relaixng.  Aunt Shelley came in for the day and arrived early Saturday morning.  We were so glad she came to spend the day with us.  Sage was so excited.  It was such a fun day with memories that will last a lifetime.  Elise drove us into the city and we met Rebecca and Lydia at our hotel for the night.  Off we went to the store!

 We have arrived!

 The girls were so excited!

 This was Ann, our personal shopper.  We were so thankful for Ann!  She gave us a tour of the store and started off by showing the girls each of the dolls.  She had them each pick their favorites.  She then showed us the outfits and accessories.  She grabbed a bag and each time the girls liked an item it went in the bag.  She reminded the girls that the bag was a wish list and we would go through it at the end of shopping and pick out their favorites.  Ann was amazing!  The store is overwhelming to adults, let alone the kids.  Having Ann as our personal shopper was a free service they offer.  So glad we did that!  Made it so much fun!  We let her know what our budget was and we shopped accordingly!

Lincoln Park Zoo

Sage and I went to Chicago for the weekend to celebrate her birthday early.  We met Rebecca and Lydia, our friends and old neighbors from Indy for the weekend.  Sage and I left Friday morning after Reese was done with his conference calls.  We made great time and had an uneventful drive!  Our first stop in Chicago was the Lincoln Park Zoo.  It is a great zoo!   We both loved it.  I loved seeing the tall buildings of the city all around the zoo.  Sage loved how close all the animals were.  We had a great afternoon at the zoo. 

Coloring Together

You know its a good morning when you have extra time to color before its time to put Sage on the bus.  Love these mornings when we aren't rushed and can enjoy each other.  Sage decided to color that morning so Quinn had to as well!

Orchard with Friends

I was lucky enough to see some great friends a few weeks ago.  So nice with our move back that we get to see our dear friends more often - I love it!  We went to the orchard on a Saturday morning.  It was a very COLD fall day, we were all bundled up.  The kids ran through the hay maze, played on the playsets, ran through the obstacle course, and the adults enjoyed the bonfires that were sporadically placed around the festivities.  We all went on a hayride and then headed to lunch to warm up.  I look forward to many more outings like this!

 Who wants to run through a hay maze when you can run on top of it!

 Sage and Garrett checking out the tractor.  

 Loved seeing Elise and meeting her fiance for the first time.  

 Ethan and Quinn on the hayride.

 Amy Sue, Jen, Elise and I

Our whole group!

Halloween Coloring

Sage loves her holidays just like I do.  She wanted to draw one day when she got home from school.   She went in the dining room to get away from Quinn and draw by herself. 

Sleeping

Quinn just recently started taking only one nap a day.  She has had a hard time transitioning to one nap.  She was definitely ready to switch to just one.  But anytime we are in the car for more than five minutes from 9:30am-12:00pm she is out!  Being almost two is tough!