Halloween 2011

The Halloween of the Power Ranger and the chicken.  Yes, CeCe was also a chicken twice, but the costume is so cute and warm.  Highlights of the season were going to the apple orchard with the Millers, Red Wing for the Trunk or Treat festivities with the Millers and Webers, the Halloween carnival at Randolph school and celebrating at pre-school with the trick-or-treat parade in the school. CeCe had so much fun, that she ended up getting sick - too sick to go trick or treating with Morgan!  There was still no shortage of candy and we had plenty of fun for the season.

A Post for September

The girls grow so fast and I want to get a great record of their growing.  Here are some pics from September.  Ann goes back to work.  Cece started 4 year old pre-school and Clarice worked on growing - eating solid foods and goofing off with her sister.  Every once in a while CeCe still says, "I am so glad to have a little sister!"  She is patient with Clarice and pretty helpful with taking care of her too. Clarice is not a shy or quiet little baby.  She loves to holler and make raspberry noises with her mouth.  Silly and happy baby.

Fun at the Fair

We try to get to the fair each year and try something different - this year it was the foot-long hot-dog, riding the sky cars over the fairgrounds, honey ice cream, watching the extreme bikers, taking advantage of the lactation station (for Mom and Reece), kid's farm.  Each year it is something different - it seems to change as the kids are getting older.

Hawaii for Mark's Wedding

CeCe and Clarice were troupers for the long flights to Maui.  Thank goodness for the creation of a double stroller.  CeCe made a great little flower girl at the wedding and Clarice handled the time change well.  The place is beautiful, but a four year old is not interested in swimming at the beach when the waves nock you down - a shame to go all that way to swim in a pool.  We took some great walks and Ann even got a surfing lesson in while family watched the girls.

A Visit from Kelly and Kelly

Kelly and Kelly made a trip up to Minnesota to visit family and friends and we were lucky enough to have them stay with us for a few days.  We spent some time on the lake, watched swimming lessons and tried out some frisbee golf.

Swimming Lessons

 CeCe has been diligently practicing her swimming and had gotten stronger each summer with her swimming lessons.  Here she is at the pool in Cannon Falls - while her sister waits patiently.  

Summer on the Lake

We had some great times taking the boat out on the lake and putting around on the pontoon or parking the boat at the cliffs.  Cece is learning to be quite a good little driver and Clarice is having a great time in the water - no fear at all.

Happy Fourth of July!!

The girls and their mom spent the fourth of July weekend at Grandma Pat's and Grandpa Bob's cabin with Aunt Elizabeth and her family. Eloise is SOO cute and seems to get along with her cousin Clarice. The water was so calm that Ann even went out to water-ski on the lake. We got to see some great fireworks on Pearl Lake and some ok fireworks on Lake Byllsby, but were glad to have neighbors Bobbi and Jeff with us to enjoy the fireworks on the local lake. Here are a few pics from the weekend.

Goofing Off Around the House with A New Girl

Here are some fun pics of CeCe and ReeCe having some fun around the house. The first question out of CeCe's mouth is usually, "Where is ReeCe??" CeCe usually hangs out with ReeCe under her little play mobile. We hang different toys from it and they both have a lot of fun. The picture with CeCe in the bandana is from the Delta Employee picnic. We went without Mark since he was on a trip, but had a great time in the rain and enjoyed the bouncy houses and great food. Hopefully next year Mark will be able to make the trip.

Uncle Pete's Visit

Peter and his kids came to Pearl Lake to enjoy a cool and rainy weekend. It was great to see all of the cousins together. Here are a few pics from the weekend.

Great-Grandma's Birthday Party

Great-Grandma Inez celebrated her 90th Birthday with many family and friends. We had so much fun catching up with cousing Aaron and his family, Uncle Bob and Aunt Wendy and the Elliott crowd. CeCe spent the week with her Grandma and Grandpa at Bible camp and we all got to see the final concert. Clarice camped for the first time on her own with her mom and dad at the Shell Lake campground. She is a great biker (or should I say rider).

A visit to Kelly and Kelly

As soon as school let out for Mom, it was time for the girls to head to warmer climates to get away and to practice for the big Hawaii trip coming up. The travelling went much smoother and we had a wonderful time with Kelly and Kelly. We did a lot of swimming and playing. Here are some of our favorite pics from the trip.

Happy Easter!

CeCe and ReCe wore the same outfit their first Easter. What do you think? It seems the two girls are somewhat different as baby's. We had a great time at Nana and Grandpa Roger's and we even got an Easter egg hunt in for the older girls. More pictures to come!

Clarice's Baptism

We had a wonderful welcome from the Christian community at St. Mark's. Clarice's Aunt Lisa and her Uncle Scottie are her Godparents. We had a nice, cold, sunny day for the Baptism. Here are some great pics from the day.

A Quick Trip to Paradise

On a last minute whim, the family decided to take a quick trip to Florida to get a break from Minnesota spring and cold weather. There were seats open to Fort Lauderdale, so off we went to balmy weather and a beautiful beach. It was great to get away for even a short time. Ann is back to work next week, so the trip will give everyone a chance to refuel until summer.

Clarice and her Twin

Clarice and her Aunt Elizabeth are twins separated by 30 years. Take a look at how similar these two babies are - which is which??

CeCe and Mark's New Project

Ce and her dad pulled an old fish tank out of the back storage room and have it up and running. It looks great and the two of them have a lot of fun adding fish to the tank and feeding the buggers too. CeCe can tell you any of the types of fish and is very proud of the tank and all of their hard work.

Friends & Family Meeting Clarice

We have had so much fun over the past few weeks with family and friends making the trip to meet Clarice. I never seem to get the camera out enough, but here are a few pics from the visits. Some of the folks that have made it here include:

• Auntie Jeannie and Uncle Brian


• Mark's cousin Kjersten her husband Dave and their son Will


• Ann's book club friends Cindy and Sherri


• Good friends and neighbors Bobbi and Jeff


• Ann's high school friend Julie and her daughter Elise


• Ann's cousin Steve, his wife Donna and their kids Lea, Jack and Lauren


• Ann's Uncle Steve and Aunt Cindy


• Mark's Aunt Joyce and Uncle Bruce


• Ann's friend Anna


• Mark's friend Derek, his wife Liselle and kids Adam and Lauren

I know I'm forgetting someone - thank you everyone for helping to welcome little Clarice to the family!

Cecelia's Filling

Unfortunately it looks like CeCe may have her mother's teeth. Lot's of small crevices to catch food and grow cavities. She was a real trouper getting a filling (that's her in the sunglasses) - no Novocain and she didn't mind the drill at all - until it hit a sensitive spot. Ce slithered right out of the chair and had to be bribed back into it to get a filling put into the open spot in the tooth. Now she shows off the filling with pride - but doesn't seem to want another one. Good thing it's a baby tooth and won't be a part of her permanent smile. She can get sealant put on when she is six, which should help a lot.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Grandma Pat spent the day with Ce and her Mom while Mark got some errands run. We worked on Valentine cards and Ce had a lot of fun playing horse with her Grandma. Auntie Lisa and her family all made it over for some evening fun and we got some pics of Clarice and her older (by two weeks) cousin Levi. The two are so cute together and it's fun to see what a difference two weeks can make in an infants life. CeCe and Morgan are great big sisters and have a lot of fun together too. It will be so much fun watching this group grow together.