Softball

Last weekend it was a beautiful sunny day and we went to go watch one of Grandpa Cermaks's softball games. He is an assistant coach for the Downers Grove South freshman girls fast-pitch softball team.

Gavin loved walking on the bleachers... kind of like a big balance beam! Nana was there to hold his hand:

Evie gets her hands on a softball...

...and tosses it! Go Evie!

The next best thing to walking on bleachers is... tapping on them. Gavin and Auntie Clare tap on the bleachers:

Attached to Grandpa: Look closely and you'll see that Gavin is hugging Grandpa's leg and Evie is clutching his sweatshirt!

Our friend Katy and her daughter Paige also stopped by to watch. Here is Paige looking stylish in her Puma outfit.

Paige played ball with her mom, Katy, and Auntie Clare:

Paige and Gavin tried to do a fist bump and throw the ball at the same time:

Gavin was fascinated with the soccer nets:

Coach Cermak in action at 3rd base:

Gavin made himself at home in Nana's chair and tried to drink from Auntie Clare's water bottle:

Evie liked being right by the fence to watch all the action:

When Evie got tired, she just leaned on Daddy:

I think the twins loved their first softball game. We will definitely be going back again soon!

We also want to wish Nana Cermak a very Happy Birthday today! We hope you have a wonderful day!

Clifford Visits Storytime

Last week we went to a special storytime at the library... Clifford the Big Red Dog came to visit! The librarian read books about Clifford and Clifford danced with the kids.

This was our first experience with a large, costumed character (except for the Easter Bunny, who Evie and Gavin only wanted to view from afar). It was also the twins' introduction to Clifford, as we didn't have Clifford books. Evie and Gavin were super excited when Clifford walked into the room and they couldn't stop waving and smiling at him.



When it was time for the kids to hug Clifford, Gavin just couldn't wait. We were the first ones in the line.



Evie thought she wanted to hug him, then changed her mind pretty quickly:



We got in line again and waited for another turn. Gavin hugged Clifford again and again, and gave him high-5's and patted his nose.



Gavin could have hugged Clifford all day. He got upset when Clifford had to leave, and the whole way home he asked for "more Clifford."

When the kids woke up from naps, we headed to a bookstore and bought a Clifford book. It made Gavin feel a little better, but he hasn't stopped asking for "more Clifford!"

Our Backyard Friend

We have a red-shouldered hawk that visits our yard frequently. At first he would just sit on the back fence, and now he is bold enough to sit on the twins' slide! He is very skittish around people - the video Francis took is so short because the hawk took off as soon as he realized he was on camera.

In Evie news, she has finally reached the big 2-0...she weighs 20 pounds on the dot! Woo-hoo!

Evie's Charm School

One brisk day last week we were walking down our street. There was a guy with two motorcycles in his driveway and Evie was interested in the noise - she had never seen a motorcycle up close. So we chatted for a bit with the biker guy, who asked Evie if she wanted to sit on the bike. She responded with one of her definite "no's," but she was OK with him revving the engine a bit for her.

He removed the cross he was wearing around his neck, saying, "We wear these to help us stay safe when we ride...God bless you," and put it around Evie's neck.

Evie has a unique effect on people wherever she goes. She charms literally everyone who sees her. I cannot count the people, including perfect strangers, who come up to me and tell me that she is beautiful. It is both heartwarming and humbling to me at the same time. (I am not saying all this to be boastful...like this blog in general, I try to convey the experiences [expected and unexpected] that I encounter while mothering my twins.)

Here is Evie with her sunglasses and new necklace:

Same pose, minus the shades:



The next day, Evie was excited to put her new necklace on:

Chef Gavin

Gavin loves to be a "helper." He helps me push the stroller, helps me with laundry, helps Grandma Cordes and Daddy find their shoes, etc. Lately, Gavin has been helping us in the kitchen. We have been giving him tasks that are relatively harmless, like putting the paper cups in a muffin tin:

The other day he helped Francis make a marinade:

Pouring the olive oil:

Measuring the soy sauce:

And stirring:

Gavin was very pleased with himself. He doesn't always know what he wants - that's part of being two years old - but if we ask him to help us with a task, he is usually pleased as punch!

Easter Weekend

Evie and Gavin had a busy weekend! They got to see their entire family and they had a great time.


On Saturday, Evie opens her Easter card with Nana & Grandpa Cermak:







On Easter Sunday we had a delicious dinner at Grandpa and Grandma Cordes' house. Evie had a new dress but wanted to keep her Starbucks sticker on (from the morning's sandwich). Gavin had a new outfit, too, but wanted to wear his jeans instead of the brown pants tha came with the shirt. Such is the life of toddlers!

Evie and Auntie Di hang out by the chips and bruschetta:



Gavin enjoyed a cracker:




On the back porch swing with Uncle David:





Gavin found the stroller that "lives" at Grandma and Grandpa's house and he was happy as a clam:






The Easter Bunny brought the kids a new puzzle and some new pajamas. Evie liked sitting in the box:



Auntie Di and Uncle Kevin:




Evie laughs at something funny that Grandma said:




Watching videos on the iPhone with Uncle Brad. Evie actually started making the sign language for "cat" and pointing to the iPhone because she wanted to see cat videos on YouTube!

The Neat & Tidy Cottage

Evie and Gavin have a new playhouse from Auntie Clare. It's called the Neat and Tidy Cottage, and they LOVE it! It has shutters, a doorbell, a phone, a sink, a table, a door...the works! Here are photos from the first two days they played with it:

Gavin kept opening the door for Evie every time she wanted to go in or out!

"We love our cottage, Auntie Clare! Thank you!"

What's the best way to break in a new floor? Just kick it!

Friday Cuteness

All hail Gavin, the Dragon Tamer!




Dragon taming over - now it's time to sweep the garage:




Working on shapes with Grandpa:



Storytime!

Willowbrook Wildlife Center

We recently learned about the Willowbrook Wildlife Center. It is right across the street from College of DuPage. If you find an injured wild animal, you can take it there and they will do their best to heal it and release it back into nature.

There are some animals that are able to heal, but their injuries prevent them from being sent back to the great outdoors (birds that can no longer fly, etc). So the WWC just keeps them and takes care of them. Anyone can visit, and it's free!

Most of their animals are birds, and there are a few reptiles. Evie was very interested in the turtle tank:

Unfortunately, Gavin was convinced that the birds were going to fly into his head, and he didn't want to go hear the cages. So I snapped the photo below and we left after only about 10 minutes:

Since we left so soon, we had time to kill before dinner. And it just so happens that we had to drive right past Kids Town to get to the WWC...so I took Evie and Gavin there for the rest of the afternoon.

They had a great time, and so did I because the place was almost empty! Less crowd equals less stress for me, less germs, and more toys for the kids!