The Wisniewski's

I am still going to post pics from our week with the Wisniewski family, but I thought I would give you some history first. Dave and Keith were classmates in med school, but we didn't really start hanging out until their 4th year in Amarillo. That is basically how we work...we find good friends right before we leave a place! We said we weren't even going to try here in Iowa since we're only here for 10 more months. haha...Anyway, we made up for lost time with the Wisniewski's because we ended up having quite a few good times and LATE nights in the Panhandle. Keith matched to a Dermatology residency and Dave to Radiology. We went on a cruise to celebrate the END of med school, and we joked about who would be pregnant first. They beat us buy a hair. We both had kids that first year of residency; they had a little boy, Avery, three weeks before Aubrey. We've kept in touch over the years, and we always enjoy our time together. We've been able to watch our little ones grow together. They now have a 13 month old, Ayden, while we have our little munchkin, Adelyn (we beat them the second time around). We are definitely grateful that they are in our lives. We have already made lots of great memories together, and we look forward to all the memories yet to come.

ON MATCH DAY in Amarillo- March 2003

Aubrey and Avery- 4 months old in Lubbock

Aubrey and Avery- 4 years old in Chicago

a MUST-have for all moms

Saw a kid with one of these the other day and realized he wasn't spilling goldfish all over the floor like my girls do...

Checked out the website and just finished ordering one for each child! They also have lids for wide mouth bottles (gatorade, juices, etc) that make them spill-proof. The interior of my car is already thanking me! :)
Check it out: www.snacktrap.com

where we live...

For about five minutes last week, our apartment was totally clean. Why, you ask? Because we had our very first visitors! Our friends, Keith and Irma, along with their two boys, Avery and Ayden, drove all the way from Lubbock to spend their week long vacation with us! I thought I would post some pictures of our apartment for two reasons:
1. So you can have a visual of where we are living here in Iowa City (remember we chose an apartment after watching the people shovel the snow off their driveways last February)
2. It will never be this clean again (unless someone else comes to visit)! Pictures of our week with the Wisniewski's will come in the next post. :)
The outside of our lovely townhouse...we are the door on the left:

Living room:

Dining room (or the other half of the living room depending on your perspective...):

Our bedroom:

Aubrey's room:

Addy's room didn't make the cut because she was napping while I was cleaning. Of course, that might explain why it was actually clean! :) I do have to say that Irma actually did a better job of cleaning when they were leaving, so our apartment was picture perfect for a record two days last week!

I might OD...

I have a new addiction...Whitey's mint chocolate chip ice cream.  According to its slogan, it's the best in the midwest.  I completely agree, and I would almost go so far as to say that it's the best in the U.S.  I am completely hooked, and I crave it everyday (no lie).  I actually did an hour long yoga class and jogged two miles on the treadmill today so I can feed my addiction with a little less guilt.  If you have a few extra bucks, they ship anywhere in the U.S.  Check out the website: www.whiteysicecream.com

Aubrey's 4 year old pics

Yes, once again, it was months after she turned 4 before I got these taken...at least she is closer to 4 than 5...I scanned the actual pictures so the resolution is a little sub-par.



MY favorite...

Bringin' back the Punky Brewster style...

Our trip to Des Moines

Admission to the Iowa State Fair...$20
plus parking, four corn dogs, eight drinks, an order of fried cheese curds, and one fried ice cream for dessert...$43

Two cups of food to feed the animals at the petting zoo...$2



Two rides on the "yee-haw"...$8


Random spinning carnival rides...$15

Seeing a LIFE-size cow made out of butter...PRICELESS!

Minnesota or bust

Dave finished his first month of fellowship (and call) on Thursday, so he took off Friday and we hit the road to Minnesota! Our main destination was the Mall of America (Aubrey thought it was the Mall of American Idol), but the most relaxing part of the trip was the actual drive. The mall was SO crowded, and the girls weren't into being pushed around in a stroller when there was so much going on around them. It was cool to see, but we probably won't return until the girls enter their teenage years! The best part was the Nickelodean theme park rides in the center of the mall. Addy wanted to ride the "yeehaw" (translation:carousel), and Aubrey was tall enough to ride most of the other rides. The experience was pretty good overall, and looking on the bright side, having the girls did save us a lot of money...I wasn't able to hit up the Nordstrom anniversary sale because I was too busy chasing them around. :)

Lego-land:

Is it just me, or does Aubrey look super tall in this picture? Has my baby really gotten that big?

These pictures are proof that I do exist:



Aubrey enjoying some rides:


Addy pissed because she wasn't tall enough for those rides:

Dessert at the end of the night, a brownie volcano from Rainforest Cafe:

Making the girls earn their keep:

The ending to a long day:



AND THAT WAS JUST DAY ONE!!!