Spring?

It is sooo warm here in Chicago today. We have had a very mild winter, but today is awesome. I think it is close to 60!
To celebrate the weather (and leap day), the girls and I went to Target this morning and got some new chalk and some bubbles for the backyard.
When we got home Lucy took a nap inside, and Maggie and I went out back to play. She had so much fun running around in and out of her playhouse and drawing on the sidewalk. I have a feeling she is going to take a really long nap this afternoon.
I also bought some new clothesline and clothespins so I was able to hang the cloth diapers outside to dry. This is my favorite way to dry the diapers. They might take a little longer to dry, but the sun gets the stains out and they smell much better. When we lived in our apartment, we had sun in the backyard all afternoon. In our new backyard, the sun starts moving behind the neighbor's tree around 1pm. I guess this means I'll have to wash the diapers the night before this summer so they will be ready to hang first thing in the morning. At least, there will be some nice shade in the afternoons when it is time to drag out the baby pool! Or to play on the swingset that the girls are going to get in a few weeks.

Lucy enjoying the weather.

Maggie drawing with chalk.

Diapers drying on the line.

Girls Day Out

I worked the last four days in a row (which is a big deal for me since I work 12 hour shifts). So today, the girls and I really needed to spend some time together. I could tell that they had really missed me the past few days (Maggie especially) and I really missed them too!
So, today we spent the morning at the Museum of Science and Industry. Since I was a little girl, this has been my favorite museum ever! In recent years, they have a done a lot of work to fix some older exhibits and it is just AWESOME. My husband and I took Maggie when she was about a year old, but it was more for us than for her. Today, she loved it! When we pulled up across the street from the museum, I pointed it out to her and she started yelling "BABY CHICKS, MAMA! BABY CHICKS!" I had been telling her that the baby chicks would be there, but she had not even seen them yet.
I spent the rest of the time there trying to keep up with her as she ran from exhibit to exhibit. She was so excited at one point, that she just started shaking.
When we were finished with the museum, we hit up McDonald's on the way home for lunch. I don't normally eat fast food myself (fried food upsets my stomach) and I rarely feed it to Maggie, but I thought today called for a treat.

Here's the girls trying out the airplane at the museum. Maggie was so excited, she couldn't even sit still for the pictures!

Today is also Lucy's seven month birthday, so we sang Happy Birthday to her and she got to take an extra long bath. (OMG, Lucy loves the bath!)
Now that Maggie is getting older (and Lucy is not far behind!) I think I am going to start taking them for a girls day out once a week or so. It probably won't always involve eating out, but I think it would be a nice way to show them the city. We are so lucky to live so close to so many amazing museums, and I want them to grow up appreciating them.

Valentine's Day

Yesterday was Valentine's Day. My awesome husband got me my own camera (since I am not a fan of the one we bought on Black Friday. This morning he also gave my a Lucy necklace. Last year for Christmas, he gave me a heart necklace with Maggie's birthstone, so now I have a necklace for each girl.
I gave him a new coffee mug with a picture of both girls on it. I have one more present to get him, that I need to go out and get when nap time is over.
We got Valentine's presents for the girls, too. A paint set and new paint brushes for Maggie and a stuffed monkey toy for Lucy. I love watching them open new presents and playing with them. It's probably a good thing we don't have a lot of money because my kids would be overflowing with toys and clothes if we did. (Girls clothes are just so damn cute!)
Although Valentine's Day is special for us, our dating anniversary is coming up in three weeks and that is my favorite day to celebrate.
I can't wait!!