A Big Day

Today was a big day!

We started off with a nice 6:35am breakfast. This is Elizabeth's second day of deciding she will eat solid foods almost exclusively. I enjoy watching her "chew", or in this case, "gum".

The breakfast was interrupted multiple times by the various yard waste, recycle, and garbage trucks that came by. And in case you wondered, you get to see trucks outside your house 6 times if you want, because they have to go both ways on the street. Breakfast gets very long if we eat in the span of truck time. And this morning, our broken swingset was taken away, so it was a monumental moment. We've been talking about how it will go in the garbage for WEEKS!

We moved on to a nice visit with Daddy at school.

Anna met the percussion ensemble, and played a cymbal. The guys wanted her to try the drum and triangle, but she wasn't up for it. It would be ok that was a foretaste of the future - she doesn't need to play the drums - a softer instrument will be just fine:).

We then went to OneWay, where the plan was that Anna and Bethy would nap, and I would work. What actually happened was Bethy took a very short nap, and Anna enjoyed some playing and jumping time. She also enjoyed watching someone there paint, and talked with the painter about everything from Goodnight Moon to her doctor kit:). I met with someone else about OneWay's internship program with 8 new interns for the summer, while half listening to the painter/Anna conversation, quite amusing.

Onward to the outlet mall to meet the Posts for dinner!

and for time to play in all the vehicles! (free - why make them move when they are entertaining just as stationary objects?)

Becky lounged in the stroller, and watched the fun with great shouts and squeals that made everybody turn her direction.

Yes, a big day.

Percussion Concert

This Monday Steve had a percussion concert at Wheaton Academy. All the percussion students played 18 or so songs, and it was a hit! They ended with a jam session on stage.

Afterwards they celebrated at Taco Bell:). Many kids in a tiny area.

Meanwhile, having a bath has been more fun recently.

Two Peas in a Bike Pod

The bike trailer from Steve's birthday last year has proven fantastic. We LOVE it. I love it partially because it works as a double stroller as well, which Anna seems to like more than our "battleship" (traditional double stroller). We went for a 30 minute walk yesterday and aside from Elizabeth

1. eating Anna's cheerios,
2. eating the plastic bag the cheerios were in,
3. chewing on Anna's cup (she doesn't understand you're supposed to suck on it, just uses it as a teething toy), and
4. Anna showing great distress over all these events ("ANNA'S!"),

it was throughly pleasurable and uneventful. The neighbor even invited us to play on their nice wooden swingset on our way home, which was oh so tempting, as we are in need of a new swingset ourselves. Anyone with advice or thoughts on obtaining a swingset, feel free to share!:)

Bedhead

'Nuff said.

If you want a long, drawn-out explanation of how this happened, read on.

The girls have been getting up crazy early lately - Becky starts squealing in delight with great fervor and volume between 5-5:45am most mornings. This, in turn, wakes up Anna, therefore, we've had some long days. (They probably feel longer to me. Can you imagine what it would be like to not understand time?)

SO, in trying to pass the time before Elizabeth takes her first nap of the day, today I put them in the bath for a LOOOONG time. Playing away, Elizabeth's hair dried before I could comb it down, however, it did NOT look like this. I combed it down and while it was "fluffier" than usual, it looked stylish, for a 9 month old.

She took a nap, and upon waking, squealed in delight yet again. She evidently had something to show us:).

Storytime with Anna

I was entertaining Elizabeth yesterday morning and found Anna reading to herself out loud.

Below is a book entitled Hug, with monkeys Mommy and Bobo.

How did that happen?

We grabbed our old, big digital camera last night to take some pictures out in the yard. We found some pictures from about two years ago on there that we had never emptied. Quote of the day from Katie when seeing old pictures of Anna: "How did that happen?!?!?!"

Happy sister night to Katie:) Daddy-daughter night has been lots of fun! We took the obligatory failed self-portraits and have to post those, too.

Good Books

I have become a fan of Biblical Fiction books.

I mean, I have been for a while, but now, I really really really am.

These books open your mind and heart to stories you've known for your whole life. You start to see and feel the events of the Bible in ways that you don't by just reading the story about Mary Magdalene, or Moses. These books make you think on the Bible more, not less. They make you understand God better, or realize that you really don't understand Him at all, and that He is unbelievably gracious to you in the first place.

Our television has been in the closet since the middle of December. (except for 1 hockey game during the Olympics.) Those close to us know that we greatly enjoy television entertainment, whether it be a close baseball game or our revered West Wing or Star Trek dvds. In December when the tv started living in the closet, we found we really enjoyed the "freedom" that came from not having it sitting there looking at us all the time. The Sunday afternoon lure and evening desire for it faded, and we have found ourselves thankful for plenty of other things to do, or the sleep that comes just a bit easier when not tempted to stay up to "find out what happens next."

Anyway, this relates because I have found myself reading a good deal more than before (which isn't a ton between the kids, OneWay, a growing love for "domesticity", and various other personal goals), and I remember why I used to read for hours at a time.

So for anyone out there who is looking for some great books to read, here's a list of my favorites. Just google them and you can find a synopsis if you want more.

Biblical Fiction:

By Francine Rivers:

5 quick and easy novellas about women of the Bible, now all in The Lineage of Grace, separately as

Unafraid, Unashamed, Unshaken, Unspoken, Unveiled

5 quick and easy novellas about men of the Bible:

The Priest, The Prince, The Prophet, The Scribe, The Warrior

The Chronicles of the Kings series by Lynn Austin:

Gods & Kings

Song of Redemption

The Strength of His Hand

Faith of My Fathers

Among the Gods

The Shadow Women by Angela Hunt

Magdalene by Angela Hunt

Michal by Jill Eileen Smith

Christian Fiction:

Riven by Jerry B. Jenkins (amazing! amazing!)

Safely Home by Randy Alcorn

Hidden Places by Lynn Austin

Wings of Refuge by Lynn Austin

The Turkey, Garbage Truck, and Pool

Our final spring break extravaganza was going to Phillips Park Zoo as a family. The wagon was a hit (except Anna wanted to pull it most of the time, not ride) and so was the turkey! It (he? she? - I won't ask how you can tell the difference in turkeys) seemed to take a liking to the girls and followed their wagon as far as it could. Anna was sure it would "hurt" her, yet we talked about how Daddy would keep her safe.

A relaxed father-daughter moment at the zoo playground. Becky chewed on a water bottle most of the time.

Moving on to the garbage truck...

Thursday mornings are a special time at the Willie household - the garbage and recycle trucks come around at 6:15 and 6:30am. WELL, it's a good thing Anna wakes up nice and early, otherwise should she would miss out on the absolute JOY of seeing the trucks do their thing. Watching them go by is a hobby of hers, and it is a frequent topic of conversation throughout the week.

Finally, this past weekend we went to Dubuque to see Steve's Dad's brothers and uncle. It was a wonderful retreat, and the hotel had a waterpark inside, so we made full use of the pool in their new (used) suits! What big girls!

And yes, Anna and I found ourselves as two of the lucky swimmers under the 350 gallon bucket of water dumped every eight minutes! She may have mourned for a moment (it was cold and quite a surprise), but it has become an event to relive and discuss many times each day! She will remind me of the incident: "bucket fall" "head cry". To see the big bucket, click here.

We had yummy dinner and breakfast with the rest of the family. Here Steve and Anna have a serious conversation.

Easter Day

Jesus is risen! My rock and my salvation, my fortress that will not be shaken.

After celebrating at church, we went to my parents' house where Anna went on her first "official" egg hunt. It's a 3 step process:

The finding...

the collecting...

the showing!

My sisters and I with the girls...

Our family!

Easter Preparation

In preparation for Easter, we

1) read through the Good Friday and Easter Vigil services in the Book of Common Prayer - there are amazing Bible readings in there that give immense perspective. Highly recommended. Click here to read them - once you get to the pages, search for "Page 276" and "Page 285" for the 2 services.

2) Anna dyed Easter eggs in her raincoat.

The taking the egg out of the cup:

The putting it into the "box" as she called it:

Letting the eggs dry, while more concerned with her pigtail.

Finally, spending 35 minutes putting multiple tiny stickers on each egg.

3) Anna and I made a bunny cake.

This was significant in many ways, as

a) my college roommate had us make a bunny cake for Easter 12 years ago, which was Steve and Katie's first Easter together.

b) I tried yet another new domestic project in making a new kind of bunny cake.

c) Anna put two words together for the first time to say "bunny cake." This led to many two word phrases on the way to Easter with the broader family and back. "Green shirt" "Big truck" "Mommy's backpack" - we practiced a lot!

A Girl and Her Wagon

Steve calls this one "Who needs the beach when you got a wagon?"

The substitute for a wagon on rainy days...

Cosley Zoo Adventures

We went to the zoo today with our good friends the Posts!

On the way we talked about seeing the "anmals",

and the double stroller is always handy!

We saw a lamb that had been born about an hour beforehand!

Anna and Aidan ran around - the best part of the zoo was lots of space to run,

...oh yes, and to look at animals...

...and to sit and people-watch!

The Post/Willemssen ranks!