Great great days

These last few days have been so great. The weather has warmed and it is like everyone is just bursting at the seams to be outside doing stuff. Lena and Ramsey had a fantastic day on Wednesday complete with time at the garden with Morgan and then playing in the fountains downtown at Millenium Park.

Then today Morgan had a meeting at work and Lena and I spent the morning together. It was fantastic. We all had breakfast outside and then rode our bike on the lake path to downtown where we played at a playground for awhile. We then rode back to Hyde Park, stopping en route to eat a snack and play on a bench.

Lena pointing out where a lady bug had landed on her. Very cool!

This day was such a treat for me. Morgan and Lena are now in Madison for the weekend visitng our good friends Ben and Crystal and their new baby Abby while I get some much needed writing done.

Turns out Lena likes doing dishes. We're not sure when this will rub off but she is a big fan right now. Thanks to Ramsey for making this discovery. We just assumed everyone in the house didn't like doing dishes.

Lena trying desparately to play with our cat Treat.

And yet, Treat is so evasive (not so shocking given that Lena is chasing her around the house with a wire cat toy!).

Treat gets away but success with our other cat Riley.

Lena takes to the road

A few weeks ago we ordered Lena a bike seat but then the weather turned a bit cooler after it arrived and we had yet to try it out. Last night we busted it out of its box and gave it a trial run inside and watched a few videos of kids on bikes on youtube to get prepared.

This morning Lena and Paul went by the bike store and got Lena here own "Bike Hat". She was very excited to go to the bike store and then a bit traumatized by the clerk helping fit her helmet on her head without asking her first! She bounced right back though once we got home and here she is practicing on her fropper in the living room.

A few photos from the maiden voyage along the bike path that parallels Lake Michigan near our apartment. The cool thing about this bike seat (the ibert) is that it is in front and we can see and talk easily with Lena (rather than riding behind or in a trailer).

Lena loved it! We biked up to a nearby playground, hung out for a bit, and the cruised home.

A video Morgan shot of this afternoon's adventures.

Another fun video Ramsey took earlier this week.

Some events of the week

Lena received a fantastic handmade Easter basket from her cousin Izze and Aunt Vanessa - complete with sewn name tag!

Lena with said basket.

The basket included two little stuffed animals - a rabbit and a chick. Lena loves them. Here she gives them her favorite seat.

Lena has been really enjoying playing with an activity cart that was a gift from her grandma Candace. Here she is working on her chair earlier tonight with the wrench that came with the cart.

Morgan now has a black belt when it comes to putting diapers on various animals. Lena kept her busy the other night, running back and forth between the living room and bedroom, bringing her diapers and stuffed animals.

Morgan is particularly proud of the diaper on this bird. Trust us that it is not too easy to put a diaper on a bird (legs really do help). The two-dimensional mouse posed its own challenges.

Riley - slightly nervous - that he too will soon end up burritoed in a diaper.

The gang.

Morgan and Lena made Lena a kitchen stove on Friday. It is awesome and doubles as a drum kit.

Paul and Lena have been enjoying playing music together lately - each sitting in their chairs, serenading each other and Morgan. Here Lena taps her feet while Paul plays a fiddle tune from West Virginia.

early April photos and videos

A few random photos and videos from this past week.