5 on Friday

1. Ellie was kept busy last weekend with two different birthday parties.   We were at Rainbow on Friday night, and then Ellie and Daddy went ice skating on Sunday.  So much fun!


2. Ellie had dance pictures on Saturday.    I cannot wait to see how they turned out!


3. While Ellie and Daddy were at the ice skating party on Sunday, Neve and I went swimming at LifeTime.  She did a great job and we celebrated with dinner of her choice.


4. This week is Week of the Young Child at day-care.  The theme this year is Pirates & Princesses.   We totally have the princess part covered!  


5. Our neighbors got a trampoline!   The girls love jumping on it with their friends and it is a hit with the park being unavailable.  

5 on Friday

1.  Happy Easter!   We started the weekend with an Easter Egg Hunt at Reiman Gardens with Grandma & Grandpa Greving and Megan, Liam & Alida.    The kiddos had a great time and were really cute together.   Then we headed back to Grandma and Grandpa's to play for a while.   I got a super cute picture of Grandpa with the three youngest kids on his lap and Ellie behind them.  All five were having a blast!




2. We celebrated Easter Sunday with Nick's side of the family.   The girls loved the Easter egg hunt outside (such beautiful weather) and Neve decided that cousin Hunter was "not a scary guy."




3. I started Easter Sunday with a workout.   Note to self: no one works out at 5AM on Easter Sunday.  It was great!   When I arrived home Ellie was awake and I asked her what we were celebrating... her response: "Jesus is alive again!"   Pretty close for a 5-year old and I love that she knows the real meaning of Easter (although she was awake so early because she wanted to hunt the eggs).




4. Saturday/Sunday night Ellie woke up around 2:45AM and was calling for us.  I went into her room and she is sitting up on her bed wide awake.  She informed me that she was done sleeping and ready to wake up.   I told her I wasn't ready to wake up and she needed to go back to sleep if she wanted to do any Easter egg hunts that day.  Seriously child--- 2:45AM!!!!  I think she would have stayed awake if I would have let her.




5. They started working on the park across the street from us!  They are tearing a good portion of it out and redoing it bigger and better.  We cannot wait for it to be done.

5 on Friday

1. We celebrated Neve's birthday with a 'Sofia the First' party on Saturday.  She loved playing pin the amulet on Sofia and had a great time!  She also got the cupcake that she has been talking about ever since we brought up the idea of her birthday party.


2. Neve's ear tubes seem to be working wonders!  We go in next week for our 2 week follow-up visit.   She did complain that her ear was hurting a little mid-week, but we put in a few drops and it went away in a day.


3. I love the beautiful weather and all the people it brings outside.   It is fun meeting new neighbors at the park (because the neighborhood continues to grow and grow), and of course play with the old ones.


4. I gave up Facebook for Lent.   While I do miss keeping up with updates on friends and family, I love the extra time it has given me and the realization that we are so connected to technology today that we miss what is going on around us.   While I won't give it up for good (how else will I find out that one of our favorite babysitters is engaged), it will change how frequently I am on it and helps evaluate its value added.  It is a really good experience and I challenge you to try it for yourself!


5. The girls' day-care had an Easter Egg hunt Wednesday night.  I told the girls if they both took naps we could go (Nick bikes every Wednesday so it is our girls' night).   Ellie was super excited when I picked her up because she took a nap just so she could go to the hunt.   Unfortunately her younger sister did not.   I felt really bad for Ellie, but we made it up to her with a special treat once Neve was in bed.  That seemed to make things a little better--- that and the promise that we would go to the Easter Egg hunt at Reiman Gardens on Saturday morning.

5 on Friday

1.  Happy Birthday to Daddy!  Nick's birthday was last Friday so we celebrated with a cookie cake (which the girls were REALLY excited about when we picked it up from the store) and dinner at Cheesecake Factory (which meant the girls had a teeny tiny bite of the cookie cake after dinner out).  Saturday night we continued the celebration with Nick's side of the family at Cosi Cucina.   Love that place!    I think Nick had a great day!


2. I washed the inside of the upstairs windows on Saturday.   You know how people always ask: what is the one household chore you would pay someone to do?   Windows are mine.   I despise them (which is probably why they do not get done all that often).  Now the task of figuring out how to do the outside ones (we have yet to wash them since we slacked off last year and the year before that they had just been done after the fire.   Gross-- I know.


3. This week seems all about Neve.   Tuesday we had an appointment with the ENT.  Guess who failed her hearing test?!   We were not surprised since she has been saying "What?" and "Talk louder." and "I cannot hear you." to use lately.   So today we go in for surgery and have tubes put in for the second time.  They seemed to work the first time, so I am excited for the results.


4. Someone turned 3 this week!   She celebrated by choosing to stay home with Mommy & Daddy while Ellie went to day-care (which Ellie was not excited about, but did the same thing to Neve on her birthday).    Nick made birthday pancakes complete with whipped cream and mini M&Ms, followed by a trip to the mall to do a few errands, hit up the play-area (must of been her birthday!) and had lunch at Panera.  After nap, we finished up the day with her first trip to a movie theater!   We went to Flix Brewhouse in Urbandale to see Cinderella/Frozen Fever and had dinner during the movie.  More on Flix in a later post.


5. Neve had her 3-year Well Check on Thursday.  Other than the ears, the kid is doing awesome.

5 on Friday

1. I love a clean house.  There is something about having the windows and doors open AND having a clean house that makes me very, very happy.   Note: having a clean house with the windows and doors open in a neighborhood that is under construction is very difficult (and rare).


2. Our friends moved in across the street and down a house!   Yet another young family in the neighborhood to play with.  The first day they moved in the oldest daughter was at our house flying a kite with Ellie and playing sidewalk chalk.   Love it!


3. My sister and I took a Girl's Vacation down to KC for a few days this week.   Shopping, spa time, dinner w/o kids and lots of time to chat about anything and everything.  We had a blast!  We even had time to go to a movie at a movie theater! 


4. I love IKEA.  We hit up the new IKEA in KC on our trip.   2+ hours later we filled the car (or most of the car).   I wish we had one closer, but maybe it is a good idea we don't.


5.  Nick and the girls had a great time while I was away.   They played in the water table (awesome weather on Monday) and ate all the foods I am not a fan of (lobster, crab, mushrooms...).    The girls did miss me and were thrilled with the new clothes I brought home for them.

How Big is Ellie?

I was going through papers and files the other week and found all of the girls stat pages from their Well Checks.  I love it!   Here are Ellie's:

Ellie's 2-week Stats
Height: 20 1/2 inches (85th percentile)
Weight: 9 pounds 2.5 ounces  (95th percentile)




Ellie's 2-month Stats
Height: 23 3/4 inches (93rd percentile)
Weight: 13 pounds 6.5 ounces (99th percentile)




Ellie's 4-month Stats
Height: 26 1/4 inches (99th percentile)
Weight: 16 pounds 8 ounces (96th percentile)




Ellie's 6-month Stats
Height: 27 1/4 inches (94th percentile)
Weight: 18 pounds 4 ounces (89th percentile)




Ellie's 9-month Stats
Height: 28 3/4 inches (87th percentile)
Weight: 20 pounds 6 ounces (77th percentile)

Ellie's 12-month Stats
Height: 30 3/4 inches (93rd percentile)
Weight: 22 pounds 7 ounces (73rd percentile)




Ellie's 15-month Stats
Height: 32 1/2 inches (96th percentile)
Weight: 25 pounds 9 ounces (86th percentile)




Ellie's 18-month Stats
Height: 33 3/4 inches (96th percentile)
Weight: 27 pounds (64th percentile)




Ellie's 2-year Stats
Height: 35 inches (81st percentile)
Weight: 31 pounds  (91st percentile)


Ellie's 3-year Stats
Height: 38 3/4 inches (85th percentile)
Weight: 34.2 pounds  (79th percentile)


Ellie's 4-year Stats
Height: 42 inches (90th percentile)
Weight: 41.6 pounds  (88th percentile)


Ellie's 5-year Stats
Height: 45 1/2 inches (93rd percentile)
Weight: 48.8 pounds  (90th percentile)

How Big is Neve?

I was going through papers and files the other week and found all of the girls stat pages from their Well Checks.  I love it!   Here are Neve's:

Neve's 2-week Stats
Height: 22 inches
Weight: 9 pounds 10 ounces




Neve's 2-month Stats
Height: 23 3/4 inches (94th percentile)
Weight: 13 pounds 13 ounces (94th percentile)




Neve's 4-month Stats
Height: 26 3/4 inches (99th percentile)
Weight: 16 pounds 5 ounces (85th percentile)




Neve's 6-month Stats
Height: 27 3/4 inches (96th percentile)
Weight: 17 pounds 7.5 ounces (68th percentile)




Neve's 9-month Stats
Height: 29 1/2 inches (97th percentile)
Weight: 19 pounds 9 ounces (71st percentile)




Neve's 12-month Stats
Height: 31 inches (97th percentile)
Weight: 20 pounds 15 ounces (68th percentile)




Neve's 15-month Stats
Height: 32 3/4 inches (97th percentile)
Weight: 23 pounds 15 ounces (81st percentile)




Neve's 18-month Stats
Height: 34 1/2 inches (99th percentile)
Weight: 26.4 pounds (87th percentile)




Neve's 2-year Stats
Height: 36 1/2 inches (97th percentile)
Weight: 28.6 pounds  (82nd percentile)