Backyard Treasures

Some new swings from a creative Daddy:


And the tiniest baby turtle I've ever seen:

Short Hair and a Long Visit to the Nurse

I decided that Sadie's long hair was too much of a bother and it doesn't stay in a ponytail for longer than 10 minutes. Therefore, she's going for the short look, like her sister. Her hair isn't styled perfectly in this picture but the leotard and tutu make up for it.
Here is a conversation Noelle and Sadie had in the backseat of the car yesterday.
A little background first: Eloisa is a doll (a Cabbage Patch doll that was mine, thus explaining the atypical name) and the girls are discussing a fictional day.

Noelle: Was Eloisa in school today?
Sadie: No, she had to go to the nurse.
N: Oh, why did she have to go to the nurse?
S: She had a bad cold.
N: Was she there a long time?
S: Yes, they had to cut open her leg.
N: Oh, why did they do that?
S: To check out her bladder and make sure it was working. Then they put her back together.
N: Is she doing ok now?
S: Well, she's still sneezing and colding a lot.

'A' is for Ants and AAAGGGHHH!

Does anyone else have unwanted ants in their house due to all the rain? (At least I'm going to assume it's the rain. I'm sure it doesn't have anything to do with the crumbs on my floor or the regular occasional sticky spots on my counter).

They're the big ants and they don't seem to be coming from anywhere specific or going anywhere specific. If they're looking for their fellow ants they should be obliged when I squish their crunchy little bodies and deposit them in the trash with their fellow, paper-towel enshrouded friends. I've definitely gotten more violent in my 'squishing' as the days continue.

Anyone have any good remedies?

Friend's Zoo Pass = Cool Mom

Noelle didn't have school today and thanks to Stephanie Fister and her totally awesome zoo pass, I got to be the cool mom that had a totally awesome day planned. The girls and I went with Stephanie and her two boys, Luke and Samuel, to the Cincinnati Zoo for the day. Despite the occasional drizzle, it was our best zoo experience yet...the animals were actually moving! (shocking, I know!)

This was one of Noelle's favorite animals; a cockatoo
that could say a few words. (It's the white thing in the tree above our heads)

Merry-Go-Round ride thanks to Stephanie's totally awesome zoo pass.
Noelle is on a hummingbird and Sadie is on the ever-so-speedy manatee

Noelle and Luke in the rain forest mistSadie, Noelle and Luke studying the map - aren't they cute?

Samuel, in deep conversation with a monkeyMe and the girls on the train - thanks to Stephanie's totally awesome zoo pass (see a theme?)

Stephanie and I both wore red shirts over long-sleeve white t-shirts. I thought it would be cute to get a picture of the two of us together in our coordinating outfits. Note to self: Never get a picture with Stephanie (who is about a size -2) unless there is a large land mammal in the background. Otherwise YOU look like the large land mammal.

Garage Sale Season

I sure do love garage sale season. Of course I'm rather selective - I only go for ones that are street sales and are a short drive from my house. I can usually do a drive-by and if I see pink, I stop.
Noelle usually scores big at garage sales. I get her "new" clothes and toys and then Sadie inherits them 3 years later. But today, Sadie was the big winner. She got her very own 2-wheel bike and a backpack. Isn't she such a big girl?