Chicago

So yesterday we took a little trip to Chicago because Matt had the day off of work. We went to Oakbrook Center, which is a fancy outdoor mall. They have a Pottery Barn Kids store there and we needed to get chair covers for the new little girl chairs we got. We ate at a little deli there and then went to Ikea. I really loved Ikea. I couldn't help but think of my Aunt June as I walked through the massive store. Her grandmother was born in Sweden and barely spoke English so she could also speak Swedish. Ikea, for those of you who don't know, is a Swedish store so everything is written in Swedish. I wish she could have gone shopping with us and maybe taught me how to say some of the names of the items we bought. For those of you who have never been to an Ikea you should definitely go, it's a very cool store.

The girls were pretty well behaved and we all had a good time. Today we stayed around the house and worked. Emma helped Matt mow the lawn and I did some laundry. Hopefully the weather will be a little warmer and we can finally get out and play for a while.

New Swingset

Matt has pretty much finished the new swingset. The little rocks for the rock climber still need to be attached and we have to get sand for the sandbox, but the rest of it is finished. Here are a couple of pictures.

Emma's First Overnight

So on Saturday I dropped Emma off at my mom's and she stayed the whole day and night! She had a good time at Grandma's house. They went for several walks and Emma got to play with the neighbor's dogs. She only woke up once at 2:30am looking for "meme"(that is her word for grandma) and then went right back to bed. I spent my afternoon volunteering at a Humane Society Adoption Event and Matt stayed home with Isabella. While she napped he worked on the new swingset. When I got home I played with Isabella for a little bit and then fed her a nice quiet dinner; then off to bed she went. Matt had a friend of his over to help finish up the swingset and then they went to get some pizza and his friend's wife and we watched a movie. It was a nice quiet evening.

On Sunday we went up to Matt's parent's house for Grandma Fred's 88th birthday. I of course am still feeling sick. I was really sick a few weeks ago and thought it had cleared up, but I'm still having some sinus problems. Hopefully I will start feeling better when the weather gets warmer.

Isabella's New Trick

Isabella is getting even closer to crawling. She now gets up on her hands and knees and rocks. She can scoot backward and she rolls all over the place. She just turned 6 months old on tuesday and is doing things much sooner than Emma did. Emma, of course, is a challenge just about everyday. As soon as Matt finishes the new swingset then we can go out and play in the warmer weather.

New Foster Dog

So we have embarked on a new venture to help give back. We are fostering dogs through our local shelter. We will probably end up mostly with puppies, since it is puppy season, but after helping with an adoption event last weekend I just knew we had to foster her. She already has a new family, but they needed to get their fence on their yard finished first. So she'll just be with us for a couple of weeks. Her name is Willow and she is an Australian Shepherd, although I think she looks like a sheltie. She is a very sweet dog and would sit in your lap all day if you'd let her.

Happy Anniversary

So yesterday (5/5) was our 3 year anniversary. My mom came and watched the girls while we went out for dinner. Matt took me to a fancy Italian restaurant called Tosi's. It was very good and it was so nice to get out of the house without the girls. That was the first time we had been out together without the kids since Isabella was born! Thanks mom!

Welcome/Happy May

Matt and I have talked about doing one of these for a while and I've finally gotten around to actually making one. We decided this would be the best way to keep people updated on what's going on with our family.

Matt is still at Whirlpool but is in a new building/department. He really likes what he is doing and his new boss. He's staying busy working on the yard and finishing up projects on the house.

Emma turned 2 on April 18th and is a very busy toddler. The "terrible" two's started around the time we brought Isabella home from the hospital and they aren't showing signs of stopping yet. She is very independent, but loves to get hugs all the time. She is really starting to talk non-stop now and will try and repeat everything you say. Now that the weather is getting warmer she really likes going out to swing or play in the dirt. We were supposed to get her a swing set/jungle gym for her birthday, but the weather was bad and we couldn't get it in time, so hopefully we will get it in the next few weeks.

Isabella (Ella) is a few days away from being 6 months old and is the best baby in the world. She is so happy and the best part is she doesn't have reflux like Emma did. The only time she fusses is when she's hungry. She is doing things much sooner than Emma did too. She's being rolling all over since about 4 months and she has been wearing 6-9 month clothes since then too! She is a very long girl and I think she'll be taller than me. I also think when she turns 1 that her and Emma will be about the same size and people will think they are twins. She is also getting ready to crawl. She likes to get up on her hands and almost her knees and starts to wiggle. Her bottom 2 teeth have also broken through and are getting bigger everyday.

I (Amber) am keeping busy with the girls and taking care of the house. We finished up the half bathroom and only have a few projects left around the house. I have now officially painted every room in this house at least once. I'm looking forward to getting out and walking with the girls in the new double stroller.

Well Ella is waking up from her nap, so I think that is enough of an update for now. As always new pictures are on the Picasa website: http://picasaweb.google.com/seggers12