twenty-eight

week twenty-eight of fifty-two

Bliss.

Twenty-Seven

week twenty-seven of fifty-two

I know I said yesterday 

that I couldn't pick a favorite photo from the past week

so I just narrowed it down to 31

(which really is saying a lot 

because I do tend to take quite a few photos)

but if I haaaaaad to choose

I think I would pick this one:

because my goodness are we in the middle of a pirate phase.

If I had gold doubloon for every time I heard 

"Peter Pan" 

or 

"Smee" 

or

"Neverland"

or

"Wendy and Michael and John"

or 

"Yo-Ho"

or 

"Binkerbell!" (from Ingrid)

Up North for the Fourth {in photos}

We were lucky enough to be invited to spend the holiday weekend

with some very dear friends 

at their family's idillic Northwoods cabin

While Issac and I had visited the cabin many times before

Amelia had only visited once:

two summers ago

while I was still pregnant with Ingrid

Miss Ingrid was a cabin first-timer

but, like usual,

 she quickly acclimated to things

and jumped in head first

We took in a tiny town festival 

 where the kiddos played 

some very authentic carnival games

like Ring Toss

Pick-A-Duck

and Ingrid participated in a very competitive live minnow race

the big kids helped her minnow learn the way

(however the little carnie decided that extra help was grounds for disqualification..)

then we headed back to the beautiful cabin

in the woods

for some dinner

(note the photo bombing hungry toddler...)

and some time to chill out by the water

and blow bubbles with our friend Mister Evan.

In the morning, the moms headed out for a bit

while the little ones watched the dads

We're not sure what they did, 

but everyone was all smiles when we returned!

and the moms didn't return empty handed:

99-cent pirate eye patches x 3 = money well spent

FYI: I'm pretty confident this is the only photo I am in all weekend.. 

We snuck in a trip to the park 

to tire out the kids, 

when in reality it really just tired out the grown ups..

Still, we put on our bravest faces 

to take three overtired toddlers

into a restaurant/bar for dinner

Which really actually went quite well.

I ate the first burger I have had in maybe 2 years

(which reminds me, I should take an extra dose of lovastatin..)

 and Amelia drank a Kiddie-Cocktail and used up all of dad's quarters playing Pac-Man

the children didn't fall off of the dock,

though Ingrid almost dove in seconds after this photo was taken

because she said she saw a "fishie"

(disclaimer: these outfits were not coordinated on purpose)

Just before starting the road trip back home, 

we ended the trip with a bang

by stopping off at a pirate ship!

these pirate-loving girls were in heaven!

Ahoy, mateys.

and no trip to the Northwoods is complete without moccasins!

some for me, too!

Gosh we were lucky to spend the weekend 

in such great company (mosquitos excluded)!

twenty-one through twenty-six

Well, it was inevitable that I would miss a week (or five).
Our heads have been spinning since we returned from vacation in North Carolina in May.
Spinning with good things, but spinning nonetheless: work, yard work, nice weather (finally), kid-stuff,  doctor appointments, more work stuff. All good.

Week Twenty-One

While mom&dad were on vacation, the girls had a fun vacation of their own at Grandma Mary & Grandpa Bill's house. They rolled out the red carpet for our little ladies, introducing new adventures each day: pool, swings, t-ball, visits to the farm and probably many grandparent/grandchild secret sugary treats that we will never know about.

Week Twenty-Two

Our very dear friends came to visit from Illinois, so we needed to take them to Cheesefest because.. well, it's called "Cheesefest." Amelia certainly had no complaints about the carnival rides!

Week Twenty-Three

We are not quite sure when or how it started, but we are in a major dress-up phase at the Olson house. Every day starts with a tutu (at the very least) and most often is also accentuated by a hot pink feather boa and oodles of costume jewelry. 

Week Twenty-Four

This week the girls had to say a very sad farewell to their little neighbor friends Ms. Natalie and Ms. Audrey as they prepare to move to the East Coast. We feel lucky to have the luxuries of technology that will hopefully allow the girls to feel a little bit closer! 

Week Twenty-Five

{Three photos for this week, because I make the rules here.. }

I celebrated by birthday this week. 

Amelia threw me a birthday party in my bedroom with two balloons and a very enthusiastic song!

Ingrid loved that my birthday involved ice cream, sprinkles, and swimsuits.

and 

last but not least:

The girls started their summer dance class this past week. 

Back-to-back lessons!

I snuck Ingrid into the two-year-old class 

they both love to practice their tap-tap-tapping