Ari at 17 months

Loves to dance, loves to sing, loves to wear hats or anything else as a hat. She talks all the time and loves to mimic anything we say or do, especially when Dad's around. She's a ray of sunshine!

Spring!

With the beautiful weather we've been enjoying for the last couple weeks, we made it out to a park near our house for some family time while Dad was home. It was a super windy day, but it was so much fun for the kids to get out and explore, especially WITH dad:) We also hit up Cosley Zoo, and then downtown Wheaton for our first ice cream of the season. We have been SO thankful for the fun outside and the time together as we come toward another really busy month for Mark!

 Still in winter coats, because the wind was kind of sharp.

 Now that is some RED hair!

 Typical Mark.

 At Cosley.

 Excited to be holding hands for the first time:)

 Even once it turned into drag-fest.

 Her first ice cream cone! I think she likes it!

Winner!

Grandma Cupcake

Sadly, after a year of health struggles, our Grandma Karin, Gail's mom, passed away on February 17, 2012. We were so thankful for the wonderful time we've had with her recently, especially all the time this summer that the kids got to spend with her. She showed us so much love and joy, and she'll forever be Grandma Cupcake to Dane. We were so lucky to have her in our lives and we hope to pass down the way she lived her life to our kiddos. From the Madison papers:

Madison - Karin Ann Miller, age 85, died on Friday, February 17, 2012 at UW Hospital in Madison. She was born on January 2, 1927 to Ragnar and Marta Olson in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Karin grew up on the south side of Chicago, eventually earning a full scholarship to Northwestern University, receiving a BS in Bacteriology. She was married to the love of her life, Ralph Miller, on April 30, 1949. They enjoyed friends and family in Wilmette, IL, and adored all seasons at their vacation home on Green Lake, WI. They also enjoyed extended periods of time in Juno Beach, FL. Karin became a cancer survivor at age 42, was widowed at age 60 but continued to find joy in devoting her life to family. Karin was a kind, giving, and nurturing woman who filled the room with laughter and joy. She loved life, traveling with friends to China, Russia, and Australia and also visiting her extended family in Sweden many times. In February, 2007, Karin moved to Oakwood Village in Madison and totally enjoyed independent living activities and especially her 4th Floor friends at Heritage Oaks. She was a passionate Bears fan while living in Chicago and became an equally passionate Packers (especially Aaron Rodgers!) fan after moving full-time to Madison. Karin is survived by her two children, Stephen Ralph Miller (Sheila) and Gail Karin Anderson (Michael), and her four grandchildren, David Miller, Lindsay Miller Kamnetz (Aaron), Mark Anderson (Larissa), Steven Anderson, and two great grandchildren, Dane Anderson and Aria Anderson. Funeral services will be held at the Resurrection Chapel, Oakwood Village West, 6205 Mineral Point Rd, at 6:00 PM on Monday, February 20. Friends may call at 5:00 and a short reception will be held after the service, in Heritage Oaks Nakoma/Westmorland Room. Memorials may be made to Oakwood Village Foundation, 6205 Mineral Pt Rd, Madison, WI 53705. The family is thankful for all the wonderful care Karin received from everyone at Oakwood, especially the Residential Care staff. Karin also enjoyed the visits of her special Hospice nurse, Sara Kolk.

Some time around the house together

Mark has recently had some very busy months, which means that our time together was cut down drastically. It has been hard on everyone, but we made it through the most recent month, and have managed to do some catching up. Here are photos from the last few weeks.

 Balloons. Who needs any other toy?! Ever?!

 This is Ari giving herself a "timeout", so she can read HouseBeautiful upside down.

 Frosting Valentine's Day cookies from Grandma M.

 Eating frosted Valentine's Day cookies from Grandma M.

 A little pile on mom.

 Bath time in the sink when we need to separate the kiddos before bed. It happens every so often:)

 A little morning cartoon action with Grandpa during a visit from WI.

 Again, balloons.

 Everything is a hat to her. And she's starting to love making us laugh, so the more ridiculous, the better.

 A little ToyStory MobiGo.

 Pile on dad. A very popular activity in our house.

 Poor Dane got croup again...and he had to drink 5 oz of the steroid because Walgreens didn't have the correct concentration. Thanks guys. Nothing like 5 oz of prednisone straight out of the bottle...

 Our little Eskimo.

 Stickers, straight to the forehead. Mine or hers, doesn't matter.

Amazing how with Ari, counting bracelets will keep her busy for 30 minutes. This would never work with Dane. Well, he'd stay busy, but they'd all end up in the air vents or the toilet.

Singin' on the Potty

With Dane's recent move to being potty trained, our house has been very focused on all things bathroom lately. Ari has become very interested in going potty, and has been successful repeatedly, which is shocking, since she's only 17 mo old...or maybe that's normal-ish and I just don't know. However, she is very funny lately, getting on the potty, just to sing. Nothing productive, just a sing-a-long time and then she's done. I hope this transitions to a more effective potty-training some time soon, especially with the announcement of number three on the way in October!

Best. Fort. Ever.

Dad and Dane recently took some guy time to head over to home depot to run errands. What they came back with was 40 feet of PVC and some joints. I was, understandably (I think), skeptical about what this would mean for our play room. However, after about 30 minutes, Mark had whipped together an awesome fort, which we then spent the next week playing, eating, sleeping in. Best fort ever...thanks to Mark's ingenuity!

 Having frozen pizza while watching Puss in Boots as a special family treat!

Dane's Post

"What do you have to say in the blog?"
Um, Daddy going to find my car. My cool car. I need to say "Dad going to find my cool car." Daddy going to find it when he's done with work. Um, tell Daddy. That's all I got.

"Who are your favorite friends?"
Mason, Jonathan, and Mason and Jonathan

"What about Landon, Addison, Fallon, Sophie? Are they your friends too?"
Yes, but I'm watching Dora now.

"What is your favorite thing to eat?"
My favorite thing is pizza. I want to watch Dora, my show. I'm crying; I said I want to watch it.

"What do you think about Aria?"
I'm thinking that Aria's sleeping. Is Aria sleeping? I like Aria...please can you turn on Dora? Turn it on please, mom. Do it!

"How old are you?"
I'm three on March 26 birthday.

"What's your favorite color?"
Um, red. Yeah, I'm going to show you what's red. (points to my sweatshirt, then the Adobe icon on the computer, both of which are red)

"Is there anything else you want to say on the blog?"
Not yet.