Unfortunately, the girls woke up to cloudy skies and drizzly rain, but since the forecast showed no rain for the rest of the day I didn’t send them off in rain gear.

The bus stop is so much smaller compared to Annie’s first two years in school. Many of those kids are now middle schoolers, but at least Annie and Mimi’s two best neighbor friends are still there for them.

It seems so strange to me to have sent Mimi off on the bus today, but off she went. Just like preschool she showed no anxiety for the unknown or about not being at home with me anymore. Mimi was ready to take on the world.

Annie loved being the expert about elementary school and tried to tell Mimi all there is to know about how the school day will go. Poor Mimi did look a little overwhelmed with all the information being shot at her, but she didn’t let it scare her.

After school today there were still smiles on the girls’ faces, so that must mean all went well. However, it was reported to me that Mimi did cry after being officially separated from Annie (remember how I’ve said in the past that Mimi is obsessed not with her mother or father but with Annie), but she prevailed and seemed to get through the rest of her day happily. Annie returned home with a new object, a school planner. I think she feels so grown up with it.

It looks like it was a great day for the cul-de-sac girls.

And Violet couldn’t have been more thrilled to get Momma all to her self again.

Anyway, back to Legoland. We decided Wednesday was our last chance to make it happen, so we arrived at opening time and played up until lunch. The lunch offerings were not appetizing to Julie and I, so we opted for the Chipotle across the street. Good thing because it turns out Vi loves black beans and rice. The girls and I needed to head home after lunch to make it back in time for Mike to load up and drive off with Annie and Mimi. The Johnsons went back and stuck around until 3:15.

There were lots of photo ops, and Julie and I looked like 2 freaky moms who had to take a picture of every moment. There was just so much to see and do, and we didn’t want to miss a second of documentation.

Couldn’t resist this shot especially since Annie lost her 2nd front tooth on the way there. That tooth was so loose, and we kept telling a reluctant Annie that that tooth was coming out any day. During the car ride Annie declared that her tooth was backwards. I told her it would probably come out any minute. After many objections from Annie the tooth came out, and Annie couldn’t have been more thrilled. I almost forgot to post about Annie’s first front tooth loss. I’ll be sure to do that soon. BTW, Einstein was a little creepy in the background with his moving eyes.

This was a display of Chicago. It was very detailed and thorough with the Navy Pier, Sears Tower, Water Tower and so much more. The lighting would switch back and forth between night and day.

Like I said, multiple photo ops with so many life-size figurines.

This particular Legoland isn’t as large as the one in California (or so I’ve heard), but it did have a couple of rides that were age-appropriate for our kids. One ride was a medieval dragon adventure. Julie and I got suckered into purchasing a picture magnet of the kids on the ride. Luckily, they sold them in sets of 2, so that we could split the price in half.

The other ride was a flying bike ride? How else would you describe it.

Fortunately for Violet, they also had a toddler section with these foam legos. Violet loved it.

She wasn’t as excited about the duplos though and climbed out about as fast as she was dropped in.

The kids signed up for the workshop which had an instructor walk them through building a gecko. Sadly, the lizard was $5 and was not coming home with us.

Is it me or is Mimi looking way too grown up these days?

After a day full of fun it was time to head out. I’m glad we made the quick decision to make this field trip happen.

It was time to say good-bye, and the kids opted for a group hug. I don’t know what those hooligans are going to do without each other and their play dates each week.

The next day we headed up to Racine to the Racine Zoo. Jake and Steph have an annual pass to their zoo which gives them reciprocity to all the WI zoos, so we thought this would be a great place to go. I won’t bore you with lots of animal pics, but you have to check out the gargantuan orangutan and the silly giraffes. I also got a couple of fun pictures of the Hawley boys and Jake’s family all together.

I also got another nice surprise when Kayla, Stephanie’s oldest daughter, asked if I would take her senior pictures. Of course, I was up for the task, and Mike and I immediately discussed where to take her for the shots. Obviously, I had to take her downtown after the fun pictures I got of the girls down there, and how could we not include beautiful Lake Michigan? Kayla is a gorgeous girl, so I didn’t have to do much to get some wonderful pictures of her. I really hope she and her mom are as pleased with the results as I am. You can view all the images in a slideshow here: kayla’s senior picture slideshow.

When the guests first arrived Annie and Mimi insisted on giving the birthday girl a princess treatment.

We made the kids all eat outside for dinner. They weren’t that thrilled because it was quite balmy that day.

Vi watched from afar and daydreamed about being big enough to sit at the kids’ table one day.

I couldn’t resist offering Violet some violet cupcakes. I figured I’d keep it girly with the pink and purple theme.

Vi got her own cupcake and was unsure about it at first until I rubbed a taste into her mouth. Once she figured out that she kind of liked it, then she began to explore. Violet got bored after a few minutes though and demanded that the cupcake be removed (or thrown) off her tray.

Vi was quite ecstatic to open and receive her presents. And played with them so nicely afterward.

Later on that night Violet and Seth played “give me that dang tiara back”, and Violet was the most excited I’ve ever seen her.

As another birthday present to herself Violet is working on weaning. She went to bed that night with only drinking a cup of milk and no demands for Mama’s milk. She’s now down to just a quick feeding in the morning when she wakes up. I’m hoping she’ll be done by the end of the week. Yay, Vi!

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY, VIOLET! You are so loved by your Daddy, Mommy, and 2 big sisters!!

After much consideration we named him Russell. It was actually Mike’s choice, and there was no convincing him otherwise even though Annie and Mimi really wanted to name him Sparkles or some princessy sounding name. By the way, we have no idea if “he” is a boy or girl. For all we know, every time we call him Russell he could be cringing with shear agony of being thought of as a boy.

We made sure to take care of Russell during our drive home from Door County. It occurred to us that we’d have to take Russell to Minnesota with us to stay with Grandma while we went to SD. Grandma seemed to be okay with taking care of this particular pet instead of Lucy. Her only responsibility was to feed him new milkweed leaves every so often. Russell did appreciate Grandma’s care, but he was so thrilled to have us back with him again.

Meet Russell.

Not long after arriving home from MN we noticed Russell had attached himself to the top of the netting in his bughouse via some white webby-looking substance. The next day we saw he was hard at work getting himself ready for the pupa stage. He had made a little bubble around himself, and we could see him squirming inside. By the end of the day he was a full-fledged pupa. What’s even more beautiful about Russell the Pupa is that he has gold sparkles. Maybe Annie was on to something when she came up with her name choice. According to the internets, Russell will be in this stage for about 10 days. Oh, we can’t wait to meet Russell the Monarch Butterfly.

Russell the Pupa.

Like any proud parent, we filmed Russell while eating.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eDKCtPpLQQ

When the Johnsons mentioned that they planned a camping trip with Mike up in Door County without my knowing I acted all surprised and as if I dreaded the camping experience. In reality though, I looked forward to the adventure. Someone had told me about Door County before, and I have wanted to go since then. It was decided that camping up there would be a money saver but also fun for the kids. We arrived Thursday night. The men immediately started a fire and set up camp while the ladies got dinner going. The next morning we got up and made doughnuts and then ventured our way over to our first stop at Cave Point Park. We were amazed at how crystal clear the water was there, and the rock walls and shore were stunning. We spent a good chunk of time just frolicking and exploring.

Next on our agenda was to visit the Cana Island Lighthouse. The lighthouse was built in 1869 and boasts 96 steps up to the top. They restricted access to 42 inchers or taller, so we had to leave the babies behind which meant splitting our group up into 2. It was pretty spooky going up to the top and seeing how steep the steps were, but we made it up without any drama and got to experience such the beautiful view up at the tippy top. The Johnsons have a different story to tell with Julie and the kids scaling the walls and fearing for their lives. Wimps!

Violet decided she would stand up for a few nanoseconds.
”

The last part of our day was spent exploring the shops of Fish Creek and attending the traditional fish boil. Julie and I were skeptical about the fish boil, but it was actually quite delicious and provided an entertaining show.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwwq63rNN-U

Of course, we couldn’t leave without getting the kids a wearable souvenir and even more fun to match your best friends.

We had to head out a little earlier than originally planned because of the funeral, but we did manage to squeeze in some fun in the morning. The Johnsons were able to spend the rest of the day in Door County exploring some other sites and also made it for tailgating in Green Bay for the Packers’ Game.

I’m so glad we did this before we move away next year. It would even be fun to make this a yearly or every-other-yearly thing to do.

Tomorrow come back to meet Russell.

I cannot begin to describe how I felt after learning this news. A flurry of emotions went through and continue to plague my mind. We saw the Arnolds just over a month ago when we visited and stayed with them in their hometown as part of our SD/UT trip. They are the sweetest family you could ever meet and have always tried to include us in their lives even when we all get so busy. We visited them when they lived in Nashville, TN while Ryan was attending Orthodontics school, and we also traveled with them to the Black Hills for a week-long trip while the guys were in dental school together. The Arnolds also helped us to get a taste of a Watertown winter when we visited them right before Christmas in 2008. Ryan and Mike’s hunting and fishing history goes as far back as practically the minute they realized they were both avid hunters/fishermen. The Arnolds have 3 beautiful sons, Graham, Owen, and Oliver, ages 5, 4, and 18 months.

We traveled back to Watertown, SD to attend the funeral on Monday. A couple of other dental school buddies and a hunting buddy caravanned with us from Minnesota to South Dakota on Sunday afternoon to stay at another dental school friend’s cabin close to Watertown. It was actually great to catch up with those guys; I’m just so sad it had to be under these circumstances. The service was beautiful but also made us realize how much Ryan was loved after seeing the 500+ people in attendance. Many stories were told about Ryan as a person and about his life, and Mike and I really did agree with all that was said about him. Ryan had a way of making you feel like you were his best friend that you knew forever.

Mike and I have shed a lot of tears since learning of Ryan’s death. It seems inconceivable that such an honorable man doing such a courageous act could have his life taken away like this. Everyone has said though that even if Ryan knew the outcome beforehand that he still would have followed through with the surgery to save his brother’s life. That’s the kind of man Ryan was. He leaves behind an amazing legacy in his beautiful wife Shannon and his three sons. I hope they have the comfort that they need at this time and pray for their healing.

ETA: If you are interested in helping to support the Arnold family during their time of need, there has been a trust set up for the boys that anyone can contribute to at RyanArnold.org. I know they will appreciate any contributions made.

Jelly Belly time.

Of course, we couldn’t pass up another opportunity to get a picture with the VW Bug. The girls are now avid players of the “Slug Bug” game and call out “SLUG BUG JELLYBEAN” (two times since there are 2 of them) every time we drive by Jelly Belly.

Our trip to downtown Kenosha also included a trolley ride.

And piggyback rides.

Sadie also got lots of cuddles from all the Evans. They aren’t used to being around a kitty that enjoys being held even though they have 2 pet cats, Servo and Magic Marker.

We are so glad the Evans took the time out of their hectic schedule to come see us. It was a great time, and hope they had fun.

Here’s what it looked like seeing the cyclists pass us. Notice the girls’ Hawaiian barrettes?

As the night sky grew darker my shutter speed slowed down, so capturing the cyclists was just a blur.

Lastly, have a look at what we heard and saw each time the cyclists passed us by. You can also hear Annie’s cheering for the random cyclist 186.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ-8MHTkeNU

In other news, Mimi doesn’t quite understand why putting on her jacket and zipping it up while wearing a seatbelt doesn’t exactly work.

So we joined forces and let the kids have their own lemonade stand on our cul-de-sac this week. Julie came well-prepared with poster boards and lemonade mix in 2 flavors. I provided the pitchers, water, ice, and cups. The kids were so excited but really had no plan. Julie and I stepped up and showed them how to make their signs and get all the “equipment” set up outside. Once they were all set up and had been given a lesson on how to attract “customers” and how to follow through a transaction from start to finish we let them have at it.

Julie and I expected that the kids would lose interest quickly, but we were completely wrong. They stuck with it from 1:30 p.m. until around 5 p.m. when they finally ran out of both flavors of lemonade. There were even repeat customers. The kids were great salespeople. Any time they saw a potential customer they would start yelling, “Get your lemonade!” over and over. They even chased down the FedEx man who eventually gave in and purchased a cup. Julie and I used up all the ice trying to keep the lemonade cool, so we felt bad when we thought about all the late customers drinking their lukewarm lemonade. Yum!

When all was said and done the kids had made $25 from the day’s sales split four ways to $6.25 for each kid. As a bonus, Julie and I baked some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies that the kids also sold later on. We had hoped that this experience would teach the kids a little bit about the hard work that goes into making money. It’s doubtful that that lesson was completely taught, but maybe a little sunk in.

When it was time to make signs the kids just starting drawing randomly all over the poster board, so Julie and I had to quickly take over and give pointers.

Ready for the first customer.

The first customers. The kids had to be given another tutorial on how much to fill the cups because an inch high didn’t seem to please these customers.

I’m glad that the girls finally got to do this. I was hoping that once they did it that the novelty would wear off and I wouldn’t hear about it anymore. No such luck. The next morning Annie asked if she could do another lemonade stand because she had so much fun “making money”. I explained to her that it was a one-time deal, and she was okay with that. Whew!