Colorado State Capitol.

After our trip to the American Girl store, Evan's parents were going to take Elisabeth up to Copperhead Mountain for some skiing. Elisabeth was quite excited. But, before they headed up to the mountain, we decided to head to Denver and do some walking around the downtown area since the weather was so beautiful. I really wanted to head to the state capitol and, thankfully, our entire family is dorky that way, so they all were excited to see it.

I enjoy making Elisabeth stand by random E's.
This is a statue that a lady from my book club had told me was on the east side of the capitol. Our book club had read "The Devil in The White City" last month (which is about the Chicago's World Fair in 1893), and one of the lady's mentioned that a statue that had been made especially for and show cased in the Chicago's World Fair was now located at the state capitol. So, of course, I had to check it out.

Julia was more than happy just getting full reign over the grounds. She ran around like a yahoo.

On the west side of the building, there is a stair that marks exactly one mile above sea level. It's a total tourist attraction.

Look at that view!!!!

Julia found a random little girl to follow around for a while. She was actually nice to the little girl, which gives us hope that maybe Julia will indeed develop friend skills.
This is Julia being obstinate about getting a picture taken with her NinaPapa.

Papa won!
Oh, look, it's Zoolander. So nice of him to show up.
As we were leaving to go back to Colorado Springs and Jana, Keith and Elisabeth up to the mountain, Julia decided it would be a great idea to crawl the rest of the way to the car.

Mommy dreams.

Some days, when I am questioning how well I am doing my job as a parent, I like to reflect on what I thought being a mommy would be like before I actually became one.

I saw myself as infinitely patient. I would use a calm, quiet voice when dealing with things. I would let them play in mud, dirt, sand and not complain. I would play all day long with them. I would be the mom that was constantly creating things for them and have art stations everywhere. I would be this super mom that would never tire, would always be ready to go, would be the mom that other kids would think, "Wow, they are so lucky to have Virginia as their mom."

Wasn't I just so cute when I was, oh...15?

Because, you see, I am not a patient person. I never really have been. I don't know why I thought that would magically change once I had offspring.

I am also not a quiet person...at all. I am loud and boisterous and have to be shushed occasionally. So, sometimes, I don't answer in a soft, calm voice. Sometimes I answer in a loud, teetering on the edge of losing it voice.

I do let the kids play in dirt...but I don't love it. And I do sometimes tell them to get out of the dirt if they are in nice clothes or shoes. And if you know me at all, you know how I feel about sand.

If my house had art stations everywhere, Evan's head would self com-bust. Not that I don't enjoy a good art project, but they are quarantined to specific areas and need to be cleaned up when done. How can we eat dinner if there is playdough all over it?

No mom is super mom. It's just not possible. And that is something that has to be learned through experience. Yes, I might cook with my kids a lot and other moms might think they need to do that, but I don't play Barbies with the girls because it makes me want to pull my hairs out one by one. They know this, so they don't ask. But, if they want to help with dinner, come on in the kitchen!

I didn't change once I had kids. I'm still me. And, that's okay. I don't need to change how I feel about sand or messes or playing with Barbies, because then I'm not being real. And one of the best things any parent can teach their child is that you have to be yourself. Yes, I do try to be a better mommy almost daily because I am aware that I have lots of personality traits and habits that could use some polishing, but that goes for me being a wife and a friend and a sister and a daughter and even a customer in the Target check out line. And, yes, I do apologize if I'm being extra grumpy or rude to the children or Evan or that poor lady I cut in front of in traffic. I'm not perfect, and trying to be so is only going to make me unhappy. But, I can try more to be a better person for my own sake and that will trinkle down to the people I love.

So, I'm sorry Elisabeth and Julia, but this is what the cards dealt you. And when you complain about me to your high school friends and future spouses, I'm truly hoping that you'll say, "Yeah, she's a complete psycho and she drives us crazy, but lord knows she loves us."

Cause I totally do.

The Coconut.

Elisabeth loves to ask for random produce at the store. I love to let her buy it. As you may recall, I'm a sucker for weird produce.

So, when she asked to buy a coconut, I let her.


We had to Google how to open the darn thing. I made Evan be in charge.
First, he tried to hammer it open to get the coconut water out.

But, we didn't have a strong enough nail.

So, then, he decided to just get out his drill.

He drilled a hole at the top and bottom so we could drain the coconut.

We all sampled the coconut water (which is VERY sweet).

Then, we took the coconut outside and Evan beat the crap out of it with a hammer.


Jana started getting the coconut meat out of it.

Elisabeth was so happy. I love that she loves to explore the produce aisle.


Don't worry, I found a way to use all the coconut. :)

American Girl.

Way back in 2006, Jana and Keith came up to visit us in DeKalb and we took a trip to Chicago. Jana wanted to take a then almost 4 year old Elisabeth to the American Girl Place. Elisabeth, who's always preferred stuffed animals to baby dolls, was slightly interested in the idea of going to this store. She liked seeing all the dolls and seeing the girls who had dolls that looked like them. Jana decided to buy Elisabeth the toddler twin dolls for her birthday. The toddler dolls are made for littler girls who might be a little rough and tumble with their babies.


Elisabeth loved her babies, but wasn't super impressed with the fact that they were American Girl dolls. That fact meant nothing to her, which is good, since she was only 4 and shouldn't be worried about name brands or fads.



However, within the past year, Elisabeth became very interested in American Girl dolls. It all started when she realized that they were books. We checked a couple out from the library and she stinking loved them! She loved that the girls were only a little bit older than her, that they lived in different time periods and that at the end of every book there is a chapter about the history of the time period of that particular American Girl full of facts and pictures. Elisabeth is a total history nerd (she inherited it) and wanted to check out even more girls. When we got a free magazine from American Girl, Elisabeth squealed with delight and spent an hour looking at it from cover to cover. When she saw that they were coming out with a new doll (Rebecca) that looked like her, she decided she wanted to have the doll.

So, Evan and I decided that if Elisabeth wanted to buy an American Girl doll, she needed to do it on her own. We sat her down and talked about how expensive an American Girl doll is (omg, they are ridiculous) and that if she wanted one, she'd have to start saving her allowance and any money she received as a present.

Elisabeth was ready to take the challenge. She had a purse she kept it all in and last summer, she started saving. By the time Christmas rolled around, she had saved money from her birthday, her allowance, and earned some money for dog sitting for one of Evan's co-workers. She had enough.

I talked about ordering one, but having to pay for shipping was another $20, so I was waiting around for a free shipping deal. That's when I received an email talking about a new American Girl Place opening in Denver, the weekend that Jana and Keith were coming to visit us for spring break. I mentioned it to Jana, and she definitely wanted to go with Elisabeth while they were in town. So, the Sunday before Easter, we all drove out to a shopping plaza outside of Denver in a town called Lone Tree.

When we got there, we heard that it was a 4 hour wait. Evan about had a fit thinking about waiting four hours to get to go into a doll store, but the store employees said it was more like a 2.5 hour wait. Here's our view from the end of the line.

Evan and Keith took the girls to eat lunch while Jana and I waited in line. It really wasn't that bad of a wait, mainly because the people around us were nice and the weather was perfect.

Elisabeth wanted to get dressed up for her new doll.


She also attempted to climb this wall while we waited. I love the two little girls watching her attempts.




Julia was fantastic throughout the long wait. She sat in her stroller after they'd eaten and just played with her cars. Here she is using her Nina as a race track.


We only had to wait two hours before we were able to get into the store. This is the display case of the doll Elisabeth wanted.


She was so happy.


After the long wait, we decided to look around for a while. Julia fell in love with the little toddler and baby dolls. I have a feeling we will be revisiting that store in a year or two with a very excited toddler.



Elisabeth waiting to pay for her doll.


I know that there is a lot of negative things about the American Girl dolls. First off, they are outrageously expensive. To buy a doll and her accessories can easily be over $200 and you still wouldn't have bought it all. There were girls waiting in line with 5 or 6 dolls. At the Chicago store, we witnessed a full blown tantrum by a girl who was at least 9 or 10 demanding everything that went with her new doll--and she ended up walking out with all of it.

But, I do think that the books are fantastic. They are real and teach a lesson and history all at once. Elisabeth loves having us read them to her. She remembers things about history and living a long time ago, that I know she's read in those books. Also, if done right, you can teach your children a great lesson in being responsible with money. Elisabeth had to choose between other things to get this doll. She really wanted some new Barbies or candy or clothes, but had to think about her goal. She knows that if she wants to buy the doll new clothes, she'll need to start saving again. And the look on her face when she bought the doll is one that I will remember for a long, long time.

Nina Papa visit.

Evan's parents left today to head back to Illinois. They drove here and arrived last Saturday. We had a lot of fun and I'll be telling you about it throughout the week.

The girls love it when Nina and Papa visit. There are lots of hugs.





There is the necessary milk-shake making.



There is the frolicking outside.





And there is the playing.



A NinaPapa visit is always a good visit.