Leif, Marie and Chloe (Part 2)

We are sooooo glad that we were able to get together again with Leif, Marie and Chloe. This time, we met at Aunt Meg's for yummy salads. Leif has been working hard on projects around the house including new porch steps and fancy new siding for the back deck! Meg had a previous engagement so Marie stepped in as hostess and did a great job! Here are some pictures from our visit. When we see them again next summer, Chloe will be keeping up with Mackenzie!

A very awake and alert Chloe!
Hanging out on the porch! I am sure Mike and Leif never imagined this is where they'd be in 28 years when they were kids!

Just the girls! I really enjoyed Marie. I can't wait for next summer when we will have more time to get to know each other!

Chloe and Marie:

Gigi

My mom sent Mackenzie a Gloworm for Christmas and Mackenzie has rediscovered it in the last few days. We named her " GiGi" and if GiGi gets out of sight, Mackenzie roams around saying " GIGI! Where are you?!". Here's a short video of her with Gigi. In the video, Mackenzie was rocking and consoling Gigi after she'd tossed her across the room:

"Ha-loo"

Mackenzie is a " do it yourself" kinda girl these days so I put a little step stool in the bathroom so she can brush her teeth with out being held. I heard her in the bathroom and so I snuck in to take a picture:
She goes in several times a day to brush her teeth or her hair or just say "Ha-loo" to the smiley girl in the mirror:

Cuddle time with daddy!

Impromptu dinner date!

Mary, Mackenzie and I were heading out when we noticed that Hal and Jeanette ( who live across from Mary) has a new camper parked in their drive. We, being the nosey neighbors we are, had to stop and check it out! Mackenzie and Ben( who is almost three months older than Mackenzie) had so much fun playing in the camper! They bounced around back there until they were red in the face and sweat! Soon, dinner plans evolved and Mary and Jeanette set out to prepare some grub! Hal and I supervised a swim session with Mackenzie and Ben. Here are a few pictures from our dinner date!

Mackenzie on the inside looking out
They are wild I tell you!
Sippy break!
This picture is not for the faint of heart...or stomach! The kids were playing so hard, that Ben ended up with a stray booger on his forehead! We still aren't sure who's booger it was but rest assured that it was properly disposed of. If the parents have their way and these two end up married, I solemnly do swear to show this picture at their wedding!
The the water was freezing, the kids had a blast playing in the pool! Jeanette pushed the little slide up to the pool and the kids climbed up and slide down into the water to their hearts content!

They sure worked up an appetite
Just one more slide before it was time to go home:
The adults laughed at how our evening was " a little bit redneck" but what a good time we had!

Mackenzie and "Fe-Fe"

Grandma Mary has two big cats, Felix ( Fe-Fe) and Fonzie ( Fonie). Felix really loves Mackenzie and the feeling, of course, is mutal as evidenced by these pictures:

Mackenzie sharing her sacred snack ( cheese) with Felix:

Checkin' out the train together:
Felix and Mackenzie have lots in common: Their love of cheese, their love of small, fur covered fake mice and they weigh about the same!

Castaway Cafe

"The Girls" ( Grammy, Aunt Meg, Aunt Janet, Mackenzie and Missy) headed off one morning to Castaway Cafe: an indoor jungle gym with lots of things to climb on and hang from. Mackenzie had been there once before with Grammy and me but having Aunt Meg and Aunt Janet along made it even more fun!

There's a special toddler section but Mackenzie doesn't hang out there much. She likes to climb all the way to the tallest slide and go down. She also loves the HUGE bouncy balls that are bigger than she is although I think her favorite thing is being around the other kids. Here are pictures from our day!

She's always ready to go!

Mackenzie and " The A's" in the back seat..."A" Meg brought yogurt parfaits!
There she goes!
Nearing the top, she had to stop and wave to her adoring fans!
Mommy and Kenzie in the slide, ready for take off!
Grammy climbed up the slide to try to help Mackenzie down. This is the view from the bottom. It was so cute , I couldn't resist!
Slide shot
At the top with "A" Janet
The Peanut Gallery
I was about three seconds late for this shot. Mackenzie was following Aunt Meg through the tunnel and they were in sync!
After an hour of running and climbing, a very thirsty Mackenzie waved goodbye to Castaway! The rest of us took an Aleve and wished for our pillows!
But, the pull of the outlet mall ( which is about a mile from the Cafe) got the best of us. After a bit of shopping and a bit of lunch, Grammy pointed the car toward home. What a fun morning!

A visit with Leif, Marie and Chloe!

Leif, Marie and Chloe were in town visiting and we got together for a BBQ at Aunt Meg's house. It was so nice to be able to visit with out ....oh wait...I was about to type " with out interruption" but then I remembered that there were two busy little girls around! We must just be used to those interruptions! Anyway, it was nice to visit with out any big plans other than just catching up and getting to know each other! I didn't take many pictures at this visit but hope to catch up with Marie and Chloe again next week ( Leif has to return back to work but Marie is staying an extra week!). Here's a picture of sweet Chloe!

I'm peekin' at Chloe over Marie's shoulder. Chloe is SUCH a happy girl, even when she isn't familiar with her surroundings!


Grandma Meg soakin' up her time with Chloe!

More pictures to come!