Bowling

Lucy and Ella kicked some butt playing Wii Bowling with Daddy and Grandpa.  Lucy's high score was a 171 and Ella consistently scored well over 100!  Looks like their Milwaukee upbringing could pay off...

Jennie's Baby Shower

My dear friend Jennie and her handsome husband Brian are expecting their first baby, a girl, on May 8th.  A few of us threw her a shower to celebrate!  We are so excited for Jennie and Brian and can't wait to meet their little girl...she is loved already!

Parents-to-be, Jennie and Brian

Liz, Lissa, Renee, and Jess

Jennie and her mom, Kitty

Jennie and Anne

Roommates!  Kristi, Jen, and me

Jennie with my parents, Mike and Annie

Ice Skating Show

Lucy and Ella spent the morning preparing to put on an ice skating show.  They contemplated over costumes, rehearsed the routine, and read the audience (me, Audrey, and a bunch of stuffed animals) a lengthly list of rules.  My favorite rules were:  "Stay in your seat, unless you need to get up, then you can.  And if you need to go potty, that's ok, too," and "Be quiet.  Except if Audrey wants to coo, that's ok.  But she can't cry."  I know this video is long, but there are some quality moves in here.  Watch for the jumps and the lifts.  The girls are ice skating to music from the movie Up. 

Splish Splash

This was the first time Audrey really got into splashing and playing with the water--so fun!

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

To celebrate Grandpa's birthday, we had a yummy brunch at The Wicked Hop.  Lucy and Ella thought the word 'brunch' was hilarious.  

He got a Wii from all of us!

Afterwards, we went to the Public Market for coffee and dessert.

We spent the afternoon having tons of fun at the Betty Brinn Children's museum...it's been forever since we've been there!

The girls loved the Sendik's Market play area.  They took turns shopping and checking out, and then restocked the shelves.  They thought the news area was pretty cool, too.  Here they are pretending to be on the news.

We had a great day...thanks, Grandma and Grandpa!

Playing in the Snow with Chloe Jo

The girls FINALLY got to play in the snow!  Things just haven't worked out too often this winter to have them get outside.  They had a blast, and Chloe was able to join them for a bit!

Ella's Stitches

The day before Valentine's Day, Ella was taking her coat off in the kitchen and somehow slipped and fell, landing right on her chin.  She was bleeding from her chin and inside her mouth...once we cleaned her up, we saw that she had bitten both cheeks and had a big gash on her chin that needed to be stitched up.  Lucy was so sweet--she immediately went to get toys and tried to make Ella happy.  My mom and dad came right over to stay with Lucy and Audrey, and Greg and I took Ella (with lollipop in hand) to the hospital.  Greg decided to do the stitches himself, so we got ourselves set up in an ultrasound room.  Ella was pretty calm after the initial shock, but you could tell she was nervous and definitely in pain.  We brought our portable DVD player and put on a movie while Greg set everything up.  I unfortunately had the job of holding her down while he did the stitches--it was awful!  After Greg was done, Ella stoped crying pretty quickly...she was such a trooper.  She told Greg, "That was a good check up, Daddy," and then on the way out of the hospital she told him, "You did a good job, Daddy."  What a sweetheart!  These pictures were taken 6 days after the stitches were put in...they didn't bother her too much, and she loved picking out the band-aids to cover them up each day.  You can see in the bottom picture that her scar will most likely not be visible from face-on.  We were so proud of her, and I was very thankful for Greg's steady hands!

Talker

Audrey has a old-man-sounding babble that completely cracks us up...here's a pretty good taste of it.

We Love Grandma and Grandpa

Grandma and Grandpa came over to bring the girls some Valentine's Day treats and gifts...thanks for a fun night!

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day from the Heideman girls!

XOXO

I Love Daddy

6 Months

Audrey is 6 months old!  She weighed in at 16 pounds, 8 ounces, and is 26 1/4 inches.  She is putting everything into her mouth, including her toes!  This past month, Audrey has gotten much stronger in her exersaucer, and has fun playing with the toys that are attached.  She also likes her Bumbo seat since she can't quite sit on her own yet.  She shakes toys that rattle and sometimes moves her arm like crazy even when she isn't holding a toy!  Audrey is starting to roll from her tummy to her back more often (she's already very good at going from her back to her tummy), and really enjoys tummy time.  She's blowing raspberries and has huge laughs and giggles, especially when Lucy and Ella entertain her.  She can't get enough of her own voice...she sings and talks constantly.  She won't have a problem getting in on the conversation with her chatty sisters!  Audrey has recently tried rice cereal and apples, and absolutely LOVES eating!  We moved her into her own room, and sleeping has improved...we still can't count on her sleeping through the night, but we are hopefully getting there.  When Audrey is tired, she sucks her thumb, rests her cheek on mine, and holds my face with her other hand...it's the sweetest thing!  I stop whatever I'm doing and try to soak in the moment--I'm sure she won't do this for long.  She also give the best hugs with those tiny little arms--she's such a lovey little baby!

Ella is 3 Years Old!

To celebrate Ella's birthday at home, we started the day with Lucy and Ella's favorite, Daddy's chocolate chip pancakes.

We had a few gifts to open...here's Ella giving Lucy a thank you hug--she really means it!

It's hard to believe our Ella Bella is 3 years old already!  She has grown into such a sweet little girl who cracks us up every single day.  I feel so lucky to have her in my life!  I love you, Belly Boo!