Let Me Eat Cake

I made a coconut cake today that we ate after dinner. Elsa really liked it! She put her fingers in the frosting, tasted it, and immediately said, "Mmm!" You'll see how much she liked it...

You are interrupting my eating.

This is good stuff, Momma!

I don't have enough frosting on my head yet.

Yep. That should do!

Yes, that's frosting on the side of her head.

Is it all gone?!

Elsa's Sad Face

Maybe I'm a bit strange but I think all kids should have a picture taken while they are crying. They can look so cute while they are so upset! Here is Elsa's. She was mad at me because I put her down to cook dinner. She gets mad at me a lot when I put her down to do anything!

Our State Fair is a Great State Fair...

As if the zoo weren't enough animals for the girls to see, we decided to go to the Iowa State Fair once Jason got off work. We saw plenty of baby farm animals up close so it was different than what was at the zoo. It was a hot evening and VERY crowded so we only stayed a few hours. Maybe we'll go back in a couple years. We both agreed that the girls need to be a bit older for this event. That said, they did have some very good activities for the very young kiddos. Our first stop was the birthing barn where all the baby animals were located. We saw baby cows, ducks, pigs, and ostriches. Afterward, we headed to Little Hands Farm where Inga lived the life of a farmer. She planted, harvested, drove a tractor, "milked" a cow, (this was really a fake cow that you milked for water) sold her produce at the Farmer's Market, earned money, and then bought an item of her choice at the grocery store. She chose a banana, which she ate on the way back to the hotel. Elsa was very jealous! (If you don't know, bananas are Elsa's favorite food.)

The baby ducks.

Waiting to see the baby pigs. Some of the pigs were only a few days old!

Inga waiting for us to get moving!

Inga as a dairy farmer.

Elsa as a dairy farmer.

Inga at Little Hands Farm.

After filling up her tractor with the biodiesel she made from the soybeans she grew and harvested, she had to take a drive around the farm.

The girls and me waiting in line for the milking barn.

Inga's statement: "Looka me! I ridin' a pony!"

Guard Weekend

The girls and I went to Des Moines this month with Jason for Guard duty. While he was at work, we went to Blank Park Zoo. We had such a good time looking at and feeding all the animals! We fed goats, llamas, koi, and a giraffe. The giraffes ate a special kind of cracker. Can you guess what they were called? Giraffe crackers! We fed the giraffe six crackers. The girls loved seeing that giant tongue come out and snatch the crackers out of their hands. As we were walking out of the feeding area, Inga looked at the woman selling the crackers and said, "I want more!"

BPZ is not a big zoo, but it is the perfect size for a mom out alone with her daughters. The only down-side was that the train wasn't running. Guess we'll have to go back! Maybe then we can get more crackers.

Inga feeding the goat. She scavenged the ground for food that others had dropped.

Elsa feeding the giraffe.

Can you see the giant purple tongue?!

Elsa attempting to feed the goat.

Inga's turn!

Last Play Group of Summer 2009

It was a bit harder this summer to get everyone together each week. I guess as all of our kids get older this is inevitable. Today we had our last play group for the summer of 2009. It was a busy but fun morning. The kids all had a great time running around, making messes, eating, and even throwing a few rocks! Well, maybe the last event wasn't really fun but it's going to be a good story one day. In order for the picture to happen, we had to bribe the kids with suckers. Once they had them in hand, we were able to get plenty of photos! If you look at August of last year, you can compare how much all the kids have grown in the past year. Hard to believe!

In order from left to right:
Isabel, Ella, Drake, Brekin, Inga, and Elsa




Crew did not want to be part of the picture again this year. Someday we'll get him to change his mind!

Crew's little sister, Ramsay, followed in big brother's footsteps and clung tight to Mom.

Payson wasn't going to have any part of the picture either.

Inga's Rapunzel Dress

This is one of Inga's new dresses that I thought was just too cute not to share with everyone. It has Rapunzel on the front with her hair coming down the tower. Inga didn't even mind wearing the matching bow in her hair!



Cooking With Momma


A few weeks ago, Inga got her first apron at the Downtown Farmer's Market. She has worn it a few times but mostly for play. The other night she finally decided to wear it in order to help me cook dinner. She made sure I was wearing my apron as well!

Inga on the counter helping me cut ingredients for our casserole. Elsa was doing her best to help as well!

Smile for Daddy!

Inga and me chopping the water chestnuts. She needs a bit more muscle power to work that food chopper.


The finished product. Inga said it was, "Beawy tasty!"



TV Time With Poppa

Inga and Poppa sat for a minute to watch some cartoons but only Inga was able to stay awake for them!

The Drive Home

Here are some videos of our trip home. Enjoy them!


We listened to this for a majority of the ride home. It was pretty funny how the girls went back and forth with each other!


This is how Elsa dances in the car. She's a little dirty from just having had snack, though.


And this is Inga enjoying the music with her new Jack-in-the-box. I guess it's really a Bunny-in-the-box. Either way, she and Elsa played with it for a good majority of the car ride home!

Stone Mountain Park

The day started out looking pretty dreary. The forecast said rain all day but we decided to attempt Stone Mountain Park anyway. It actually turned out to be the best choice! There were hardly any other people there, we had no lines, and it was cool enough that we could enjoy being outside.

Elsa wasn't quite ready to go.

The mountain.

The carving...Confederate President Jefferson Davis, General Robert E. Lee, and Lieutenant General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.

At the top of the mountain...the view of Atlanta.

Jason with the girls...not too excited about having their picture taken!

Andrea with the girls...still not wanting a picture taken.

Elsa and Jason on the train.

Inga on the train.

Elsa's funny face.

Inga's funny face.

The girls at the petting zoo on the plantation.



Here we are riding in the cable car to the top of the mountain. On our way back down, the power went out and we were stuck mid-air for about 10 minutes. They had to get out the hand crank and bring us down that way...seriously!


We took the train around the base of the mountain. The girls loved it even though the whistle would scare them. They danced to the music and laughed at the bumps. Elsa, however, did fall asleep toward the end of the ride. At least she was able to get her nap in that day!

Zoo Atlanta

Our visit to the zoo in Atlanta was a very hot visit! It was also very crowded but we managed to have a great time seeing all the animals. The animals were a little lethargic but we couldn't really blame them! The girls loved seeing them anyway. Inga and Jason were able to ride the carousel a couple times and even got to ride the banana-eating monkey...apparently it was a race to get there first. All the kids wanted that one!

Elsa checking out the zoo map.

Inga riding the much-desired monkey.

This time they got the elephant.

One of the pandas that the zoo is raising funds to keep in Atlanta.

The elephants were the most active of all the animals we saw.


Elsa loving the rhinoceros...except that she thinks it's a puppa (puppy).


The monkeys were pretty exciting. Inga even kicked her shoe down below the platform where we were standing. I ended up having to climb down there to get it because we couldn't find any zoo employees!