Isabella gettin her FITNESS ON....

Remember yesterday when I said Isabella didn't want to ride in the cart after a while? Well, here is a clip of her gettin her fitness on. Water cup and all.....

Can You Say WORK OUT for Mommy? and Bella too....

Remember how I posted yesterday that Giselle and Isabella got new wheels and we were going to go for a ride this morning in the forest preserve? Well, after a round of eggs, bacon, potatos, and orange juice, we decided to go for it.
I strapped Isabella in, grabbed her water, a couple of bags of fruit snacks and my tunes with dual speakers.
So we turned up the volume and began our ride. It started out great but turned into a LOT of hills that I was not expecting. Every time I stood up on the bike to conquer the hills (even in LOW speed), Isabella would YELL "Mommy, SIT DOWN!!"
I had NO idea how out of shape I was, until I strapped a cart with a three year old on the back of my bicycle.
But I wasn't going to let that stop me. I kept telling myself, no pain, no gain. My shins were BURNING. I kept asking Isabella if she was having fun and she always replied YES.
About an hour into the ride, she told me she wanted to get out. I WANT OUT MOMMY. So I said, OKAY. I gave her a bottle of water, a bag of fruit snacks and let her run it out next to my bike for a good mile. I thought for sure she would get tired, but she didn't. She was like Forest Gump, she just kept running!
While she wasn't relaxing in her cart, I captured a few photos of her in the wild. We were so HOT when we came home, we just jumped into the pool, clothes and all. Two hours on a bike ride or should I say running (Isabella) will do that to you. We deserved that water slide into the pool......

Independence Day Parade

Yesterday, Bob and I took Giselle and Isabella to their very first Independence Day parade. Giselle slept through the entire parade, however Isabella was able to see all of the fun floats and fill her entire bag with candy. At first, she did not quite get the concept of people throwing candy at her. She didn't know what to do. She just looked at us. By the end, with a little coaching from us and a little sugar high, she GOT IT. I think her favorite was the marching band, the dog on the motorcycle and the girl and boy scouts. Enjoy the pictures from the parade.

Giselle & Izzy Have a New Set of Wheels

Isabella and Giselle have a new set of wheels. Giselle will be ready to ride in her cart in a couple of months or even sooner. Meanwhile, I gave Isabella a snack and some water and we went on a nice stroll this morning. BOY did she LOVE IT. Pointing out all the American Flags to me. Waving and saying HELLO to all of those that were out. Laughed at all of the doggies she saw. Now there is a thought....maybe I can stick Baxie in there with her so she has some company until Giselle is big enough.
I can't wait to take her for a ride on the trails! That will be tomorrow morning!

Sleeping Beauty

Ahhh...the precious sight of someone sleeping. Whether it be a senior, an adult, a baby, a child or even a toddler, it is always a beautiful sight. You know they are at rest, perhaps dreaming peacefully and catching some ZZZZZ's. You know that when they wake up, they will feel REFRESHED.
Baby G is 5 1/2 months now and is eating oatmeal, fruits, squash, sweet potato's, green beans and more. She has almost graduated out of the swing and into the jumparoo. It will only be a matter of time before she is crawling around the house or even walking. We cherish these special moments and do not take them for granted. Check out the moment we captured today.

High Five, Pound It, Elbow It, CUT the Pickle...Tickle tickle

Most people give each other a high five when they are really happy or something is cool. Or they give a thumbs up. Or a YEAH! Isabella on the other hand, out of nowhere has her own happy "mantra" if you will. It goes: HIGH FIVE, POUND IT. ELBOW IT. CUT THE PICKLE. TICKLE. TICKLE. And she just laughs and laughs and laughs. She wants to do it over and over and over. Check it out.

What's New with Baby G?

Well let me tell you. She sleeps in the same room as her big sister Isabella. She sometimes sleeps through the night depending on how she feels. She is eating oatmeal everyday. Yesterday I gave her some peas, but don't tell anyone.
She will be 6 months old in 3 weeks. She loves to rollover. SMILE. Laugh....especially at her sister Isabella. Her blue eyes are just GLOWING. Her blonde hair is not turning darker. She is so alert and so aware of what is going on around her. She is growing so fast, that I have already cleaned out 2 garbage bags full of clothes that don't fit her anymore.
She is getting to that point where she doesn't really like to be held anymore....she wants to be adventurous.
Today, I captured her checking me out.

Helping Daddy Move

Today, Giselle and Isabella got up bright and early to help their father move into his new office. His new office sure is nice and has floor to ceiling windows that illuminate the city skyline. Isabella sure did enjoy looking out!
After we got done helping, we went to a nice lunch just off of Michigan Avenue. Then we headed to Grant Park and caught the BLUE's fest. We placed a blanket down right in front of the Mississippi Juke Joint stage and enjoyed the blues for a few hours. Isabella was running back and forth dancing making everyone laugh and Giselle was all smiles just rolling around.
On our walk back, we picked up some Garrett's popcorn. YUM YUM!
The girls had such an action packed day that they both sacked out in the car and went down for the count!
Here are a few pictures from the day!

The Completed Playhouse

Remember the blog from Monday, May 23rd about the start of a playhouse for Isabella and Giselle? Well if you don't, go back and take a quick peek at the "before" pictures of the playhouse. Now take a look at the finished product. WAA LAAAAAA!!

Every little girl deserves a place to play. To run. To let her imagination soar high in the sky. To spend endless hours of giggling. Isabella is ALL SMILES with her new playhouse and Baby G is sure to have lots of smiles in the near future too.
A special thank you to Asif, Kate, Grandpa Dale and Grandma Chug for spending endless hours building this fantasty land for the girls. Who knew something that looks so beautiful could take so long creating! Thank you again everyone. Work hard but PLAY EVEN HARDER in life!!

THE Note

Just had a conversation with my sister today and the driving home statement was "enjoy your little ones at the ages they are now" because you can never get that back. My thoughts exactly. Live in the moment. Enjoy all of the laughs, the tears, the smiles, and the hugs!
Then I pulled up to Isabella & Giselle's school and received "the note." It went like this....
Dear Mr. & Mrs. Vail,
I am very proud to say that Isabella has been promoted to room 8. I feel she has learned all she can from me and now it is time for Isabella to be a little more challenged. Her new teacher's name is Ms. Brueggemann.
Isabella will be transitioning with her friends from my class. I am sad to see her leave me, but I am so proud of how smart she has become. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask Mr. John or myself.
Thank you so much.
Love, Ms. Maureen

SOMEONE.....PLEASE STOP the fast forward button, I want to slow time down and it is going faster than it used to........