Apple Picking 2011

We went apple picking this year!! Last year we waited too long to go and all the apple were already picked before we could get there. We had planned on going to Kuiper's but they only have apple picking on the weekends. So, instead we went to a place called Pine Apple Farms. Clever name...they sell apples during the fall and Christmas Trees in the Winter. It is not a  huge farm by any means, maybe an acre of apple and another 3 of trees. It s run by an older couple who were absolutely in love with the girls. Especially their oh so appropriate outfits...thank you very much. This will definitely be our traditional apple picking farm from here on out. The girls loved it here. A ton of trees had lower branches they could reach with no assistance and they picked every apple we got. Yes, some of them were spotty and looked like a family of worms had moved in them, but THEY picked them.

ALL OUR APPLES

Just wanted to snap a few shots of the girls having spaghetti for lunch this week. As you can imagine, it's not exactly a clean lunch. 

We visited a different Children's Museum then usual. The Dupage Children's Museum has some great exhibits! The giant "Lite Brites" were our favorite. There is also a giant wind tunnel you can walk inside of and the girls and Luca thought it was hilarious. The wind exhibit had so many hands on things that the girls needed no assistance with at all. Everything is on their level, which isn't always the case when you go to a children's museum. A lot of things end up being a bit too tall for them. I would highly recommend this place. It's not right around the corner but it's worth the drive. 

Museum of Science and Industry

We took advantage of free admission day and went to the museum. The girls loved it there and were surprisingly interested in EVERYTHING! Being just shy of 2 I didn't know what to expect but they stopped to look at anything and everything. We would talk about what color the object was, or identify it. The toy factory exhibit was closed, so we will have to go back when it's open. 

Baking Cupcakes

Take a peek at our journey in baking cupcakes!!!

Choo Choo Restuarant

ALL ABOARD!!! Today the girls got a special treat for lunch. We went to the Choo Choo Restaurant in Des Plaines. This place has been around forever! I used to go when I was a little girl. The whole draw to this place is that a train goes around the counter and brings you your meal. The girls loved watching the train go in circles, I thought Clara might be in a trance. She barely ever took her eyes off it. Magda on the other hand, loved the train too and shouted "choo choo" every time it came around, but she was much more interested in telling the little girl sitting behind me to "sit down" because she kept peeking over the booth to our side.  It was so cute. Thankfully Magda did what the parents should have. It wasn't a pleasant dining experience with a 5 year old about 3 inches form the back of my neck. All in all though the girls were troopers. This place doesn't take reservations and is packed all the time. Luckily we only had to wait for 15 minutes. That's a long time for a toddler and a 5 month old to wait, but they were very well behaved. 

Sprinkler Fun!

Last week Clara and Magda got to try out a sprinkler. It was supposed to be a rainbow that shot water down, but after many unsuccessful tries at getting it to stay upright, we ended up putting it on the ground and let the water squirt up. Magda put her face right in and thought it was hilarious. Clara was a bit more cautious and preferred to just stick in her toes and hands. Here are a few shots!

A Friendly Hello

Magda- 22 Months Old

Clara- 20 Months Old

August Summer Fun

The girls had a fun day full of swimming and playing with chalk. Magda is doing so well swimming with her floaties and Clara enjoyed playing at the stairs with all the fishes and pool toys. After the breeze became a little chilly for the pool, the girls drew with chalk and ended our day at the pool with a nice big popsicle turning both of the their mouths a lovely black color. 

Our latest adventures at Lincoln Park Zoo

Fourth of July Birdhouses

We have some patriotic art projects lined up. The first were these adorable birdhouses that the girls painted....very well I might add. Then we let them dry and the stuck on star stickers. They were both very particular about the location of the stickers. More 4th of July pictures to come!!!

The Girls Father's Day Pictures

Today we visited Naper Settlement for our Father's Day pictures. It's the same place we went to last year. Those won't be put up until sometime next week. However, here are a couple of the girls together. Scroll down for a look at how much they have grown since last year at this time!

Little Bear Garden- Glenview, IL

Splish Splash

Morton Arboretum

ITS HOT!!!! Oh my goodness, whoever said it was only going to be 78 and partly sunny was seriously mistaken. It ended up being 87, humid, and HOT! The girls and I spent forever trying to find the bulb meadow. I assumed you would find a bunch of flowers that begin as bulbs...well after walking 5 MILES! in and out of trees we found the meadow and it was nothing but a few daffodils. There were plenty of those up front. I guess it was good exercise and the girls liked to walk the trails and see the birds and squirrels. After lunch they cooled off in the children's garden playing in a pond and an old water pump we found. They LOVED it! I can't wait for the pool this year. It will be hard to get them out!

Mother's Day Presents

The girls and I went to Michaels and they each picked out a little character to put on the side of a flower pot. Clara picked a bumblebee, and Magda picked a Bluebird. When we got home they each used a sponge to paint their flower pots. Luckily we did this project with minimal mess. As you will see in the picture only Magda is pictured with her final product. Clara decided to pick hers up and throw it after I asked her to wait one minute and I'd help her. She didn't like that answer very much and decided to toss it anyway. She did manage to let mom see her card in tact. So, it wasn't a total loss.   Happy Mother's Day!

Our Garden

Playing in the Sand

The girls looooooved the sand today. Last year they just sort of looked at it, tried to eat it, and couldn't walk or crawl in it because they weren't very stable. This year, however, they were dumping pails, and filling them up. Magda even met a little boy she got along with very well.