March of Dimes ~ March for Babies

Ella and Zoe's expected due date was June 26th, 2006. They were born on April 19th instead,

a little over 10 weeks premature.

*Ella and Zoe ~ 2 1/2 Weeks Old*

Under the care of great doctors and the most amazing primary nurses (Becca, Cori, Denise and Molly) we brought Zoe home after spending 47 days in the NICU at the Children's Hospital in St. Paul, and Ella after 57 days. They've both had their ups and downs, but at almost four years of age you would never be able to tell by looking at them that they were preemies. We have a lot to be thankful for and continue to be grateful for.

Every day thousands of babies are born too soon, too small and often very sick. We are supporting the March for babies because we want to do something about this, and to show our appreciation.

PLEASE support our walk. Your gift will support March of Dimes research and programs that help moms have full-term pregnancies and help babies begin healthy lives. And it will be used to bring comfort and information to families with a baby (or babies) in the newborn intensive care unit.

Making a secure donation is easy; please click on the badge on the side of our blog. We realize that budgets are tight -- a donation of any amount is very much appreciated.

Thank you for helping us give all babies a healthy start!

*Zoe (l) and Ella (r)*

Curlers

"Curlers are fun to wear but not fun to sleep in."

By Zoe and Ella ~ March 2010

I'm glad Ella and Zoe have a nice natural curl to their hair and don't need to wear curlers. But it was fun playing hairdresser for a short bit, and it brought back many memories of when my sister and I were little and wore our curlers to bed many, many nights : )

Friday night . . .

. . . we had a great time hanging out with family friends Vickie, Camly, Ken, My Linh and Pablo . . .

. . . and Ella and Zoe learned how to eat with CHOPSTICKS!!

How cool is that?!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

From McZoe and McElla!!

I'm off to get Ella and Zoe's last treat from Lucky the Leprechaun ready -- so far their clever little leprechaun played with many of their green toys (and didn't have time to put them away), played in green paint and left miniature pointy bootprints, left a couple of art projects, left potatoes for us to make potato prints with as well and bake for lunch, and left some magic leprechaun powder that turned green when we added milk -- and the girls painted with it. What a guy!

Playdate with Grama

Grama Dianne visited us this morning and we went to the Children's Museum. Zoe and Ella were very busy girls,

and so was their Grama Dianne.

They played with little animals that live in Minnesota.

They rode on dinosaurs and went on a fossil dig.

They jumped on jumpy things.

They went shopping.

They dressed as firefighters and construction workers.

They even played in a band and did a little dancing.

I took an almost 2 hour nap when we got home (so did they) and when I woke up I had a sore throat. Zoe asked me if it felt like I swallowed a porcupine and Ella told me they would take care of me tonight. Their extra TLC (and some red wine) seems to be helping, and yes mom, I have been gargling too : )

Even getting ready for ballet class . . .

. . . is a lot of fun at our house!!

The Wizard of Oz

Our neighbor girl Paige babysits Ella and Zoe once in a while.

The girls A.D.O.R.E her.

They notice when she has her glasses on, what her shoes look like, what design is on her t-shirt, even if she's changed her earrings. She's such a great babysitter too -- she plays and plays and plays with them and she even puts dishes in the dishwasher (something I've never even asked her to do!). Plus, her mom is a pal of mine AND a nurse (bonus) and is always just across the street -- which gives me that extra sense of comfort when I'm not home.

This past weekend Paige was in her middle-school play and invited our family to see the performance. They put on 'The Wizard of Oz' and Paige was one of the Good Witches. The afternoon of the play we realized Zoe and Ella didn't know the actual story, so Tom told them an abridged-preschool-version and they were fascinated, and hooked.

I personally was so excited to go -- I LOOOOOOOVE school events supporting kids doing positive things, and I wasn't disappointed -- the play was awesome. The cast of middle-school kids were fantastic, each and every one of them, and Dorothy's singing actually brought tears to my eyes, she really was that good.

Ella and Zoe loved it too. Ella was beside herself with glee, laughing out loud and commenting throughout the whole performance. Zoe clapped after each song and told me a few times that she

'loved the play'.

At intermission Dorothy . . .

. . . and a few of the other characters (including Paige, in the pink) came out from behind the curtain and talked with the girls,

which was just so awesome.

Ella even petted Toto.

And at the end of the show Ella and Zoe saw all of the characters up close, including the Wicked Witch of the West. They talked with her, heard that she was a friend of Paige's, saw that she hadn't actually melted and that her green skin was only green paint.

It was great, on so many levels.

And Ella even held Paige's magic wand : )

I think what got me most excited is thinking about all the fun things Ella and Zoe have to look forward to. Maybe some day they will stand on a stage singing their little hearts out, or they might be a student director, or play the piano accompaniment, or be the set designer. Or maybe they will be on the yearbook staff, or the tennis team or play in the high school band . . . The possibilities are truly endless -- and though I'm not in a hurry for middle-school to get here, I am so excited for all the experiences that are in store for both of them.

Zz is for Ziti Pasta . . .

. . . or Zoe Pasta, as we now call it!!

And there you have it,

we have officially 'eaten our way through the alphabet'.

It only took almost a year and a half but we did it : )

*for the record, any pasta I make using Ziti is now 'Zoe Pasta'

and if I use elbow macaroni it's called 'Ella Pasta'*

Tricks

Zoe does the old 'spoon on the nose' trick . . .

. . . and Ella balances popcorn in her nose!!

Ha! They both crack me up : )

Dear Evelyn,

Welcome to the World!!

We are so very happy that you are finally here.

Your Mommy and Daddy are two of the nicest people we know (they waited quite a long time for you to join their family), and your sister Bella is THRILLED to finally be a big sister. You were born into a home full of love -- you are a very lucky little girl : ) Your family is also very lucky to have you -- you are a beautiful baby

and absolutely perfect.

You also have two big friends that think you are a real-life doll.

Zoe and Ella smiled big smiles when I told them you had been born and were so excited to meet you. They are still talking about how tiny your toes are, how long your fingernails are

and how soft your beautiful dark hair is.

Yes little Evelyn, you will be well taken care of . . .

. . . and loved so very much.

As for me, I'm glad that my family is complete, or else I would really want to have another baby. And I have to admit,

I am a just a wee bit jealous of your thick dark hair : )

So Evelyn -- drink lots of milk, grow big, stay healthy, and please sleep well for your Mommy : )

I'm looking forward to our first playdate!

love, Jeremi

One Saturday ~ Two Birthday Parties

I never thought we would do two Birthday Parties in one day,

but we did.

Two Birthday Parties -- One Saturday.

It was awesome.

At Bella's party the girls had cake and ice-cream . . .

. . . took turns breaking open a pinata (love how Ella holds a bat) . . .

. . . saw some old friends and met some new ones . . .

. . . and went swimming at a really cool pool!!

At Sally's party the girls bowled . . .

. . . ate pizza, drank sprite and ate more birthday cake.

We tried to get a photo of Ella and Zoe with Sally

but this was the best I got : )

Ella and Zoe had such a fun day, and so did Tom and I.

And the girls slept so well that night . . .