My little Irish lad.

As you can see, I really love dressing up my little girl. There's just something more fun with girl clothes than boy clothes. And in case you are wondering, I am doing my best to expose my little girl to good music - i.e. Madonna, Lady GaGa, etc.

Cullen, Dirk and I spent Saturday morning at La Crosse's Irishfest. While it is nowhere near the magnitude of Milwaukee's or Minneapolis' fine Irish festivals, it's still a good time. We started the morning with a 5k run at 10 am. The runners are sent off with an Irish blessing, kilts are common running attire, the winner is booed and there is a keg of Killian's Red at the finish line. What more can you ask for?! We then listened to some live Irish music and played some kiddie games. A fine morning for my little lad.

Playtime with the Vogels.

Kari and I got together with the kids last week - one of many playdates to come. Cullen and Jack had fun finger-painting while the girls just hung out. Cullen and Jack are 2 months apart while Simone and Stella are just 4 weeks apart.

Our new lawn boy.

Cullen thinks mowing the lawn is pretty cool - just because Dirk does it. Hopefully, we can still convince him that it's cool when he's 16!

Summer Haze, Summer Daze.

We can't believe how fast this summer is flying by. Dirk and I have managed to have a bit of adult fun - Liz and Scott's wedding, a night in Mad-town and a Jack Johnson concert. Thank God for grandparents who love to spend time with (a.k.a babysit) our kiddos. Cullen continues to amaze us with his conversation skills. The other night, he yelled from his bed "Dodo, my butt hurts. I need some Bee's" (translation: Burt's Bees diaper rash cream). He is also a very sporty little boy - always showing us that he can "jump really high" and "shoot the ball with my big muscles". Simone is just a sweet baby. We are biased, but we think she's the prettiest little girl we have ever seen and truly the best baby. She is starting to smile a lot, but we have had a hard time capturing the said smiles on camera. Simone becomes to intrigued with the camera and stops smiling every time she sees it!

Enjoy the pics. We have had a lot of fun with family and friends lately. Simone and Cullen recently enjoyed a visit with Maggie and Luke Hanson. And I should note that Simone and Luke share a birthday! We also spent time with Magnus and Talla Hansen. And finally, we were introduced to Emma Reuter. Who would have thought that Andrew Reuter would bless this world with an adorable little girl?! I have a bad feeling that Emma and Simone will be getting into trouble together in the years to come....

Family and Friends

Summer Lovin'

Cullen continues to adore his baby sister. He is always asking to hold "baby phone" and if we glance away we often find him right at her swing - almost tipping her over - trying to give her a kiss or a hug. Our little girl has hit the 2 month mark. Simone is starting to give us smiles. Not on command and I have yet to catch one on film, but we all receive a few a day. She weighed in at 10 lbs. 3 oz. and 20.75 inches long at her 2 month check-up (and she also survived her first round of shots). Simone is 2 lbs. more than her brother at this age, but she was fortunate enough not to have the major setback known as Pyloric Stenosis. She has also slept through the night (9 pm - 5 am) for the past 2 nights! We are very proud and impressed with her accomplishments thus far!

Simone Meet Whitney, Whitney Meet Simone.

Simone and I spent a wonderful afternoon with my college roommate Chrissy and baby Whitney at Lake Harriet. Whitney is 6 weeks older than Simone and they are sure to be best buds growing up. Chrissy and I had to laugh at the two little ones flailing their arms and kicking each other while cooing in delight.