From Madison to Minneapolis

We have had a busy week. Here's a recap.

To start things off, Allie came down with strep throat and spent last week Wednesday and Thursday home from school. I don't think she was too upset. She got to spend those two sick days at Grandma and Grandpa's house while Jason and I were in Madison.

We were in Madison for the Hawkeye-Badger men's basketball game. I've not spent much time in Madison, aside from the rare shopping trip, so I was excited to visit our state capitol, walk up and down State Street, and sample the famous Babcock Hall ice cream that is made on the UW campus.

Jason was excited to eat at his favorite restaurant, The Essen Haus, and drink beer.

After supper, we headed to the game...and it all went downhill from there. It's just not as fun watching a game when you are a visitor. Here is a picture of the other 4 Iowa fans in the arena.

The Hawkeyes lost but we were still grateful to Jason's friend, Chris (aka Grand Master P) for giving us his season tickets so we could enjoy a night out.

On Friday, we left again, this time with the kids, and drove to Minneapolis. Our destination was the Mall of America. We spent Saturday at the Nickelodeon Universe theme park.

And on Sunday, we went to the American Girl store.

Mia and Kit had their hair done.

We also had lunch at the American Girl Bistro...table for 8 please!


We are now back home to stay. The laundry is done and put away and we are back to our regular routine. Oh, except that Meredith will be going to the doctor this afternoon...I'm sure she has strep throat too.

UPDATE

Meredith does not have strep, it must just be a pretty bad cold virus. And, yes, we added two new members to our AG doll family...Zach and Zoe.

The Dolls Love Door County

Kit and Mia are sure enjoying their vacation in Door County.

They've spent a lot of time on the beach, working on their suntans.

They have also been Geocaching.

"We are really close!"

"There! Under that log!"

Hopefully Allie and Meredith have been having as much fun as their dolls!

Becky Homecky Strikes Again!

Here is a picture of the girls modeling their new capri pants.

Sorry Knittin Brit, these britches have elastic waistbands. Please forgive me.

And here they are in their new nightgowns.

P.S. I have a pot roast in the oven too!

Meet Kit!

Meredith is doing very well using the potty, she finished her rewards chart and has gotten her own American Girl doll. Her name is Kit and she is a doll from AG's historical character line. She's from the year 1934 and her story takes place during the Great Depression.

Here she is...

Hmmmm...blond hair, blue eyes, looks a little like Meredith herself.

Once Kit arrived, it didn't take long for Allie to undress her and dress Mia in Kit's sweater set and skirt. It's a good thing that Kit is willing to share her clothes.

Kit is also the proud owner of a new pair of handmade PJ's. This pair took much less time and effort to make than the first pair I sewed for Mia.

I think I may have found a new hobby! My next project will be a pair of jean capris.

Kit will be starring in her own full length movie this July. Check out this website and watch the movie trailer. It looks like it will be a good movie for the whole family!

http://www.americangirl.com/movie/

Mia's New PJ's

Within hours of Mia's arrival, Allie realized that her new doll had nothing to wear but the clothes on her back. She was in dire need of two things...a swimsuit for our trip to the waterpark this weekend and a pair of PJ's. I explained to Allie that the doll was in no way going near any water but that didn't matter. She was going with us to the hotel and would need a suit even if she wasn't really going swimming. And she absolutely could not be without a pair of jammies.


My first impulse was to head straight to the computer and look on eBay for what she needed. And while I found a cute swimsuit at a decent price, I was not able to find a pair of PJ's that I felt was worth paying the $10-20. So then I thought, I've got a sewing machine, I was in 4-H, and I took Home Economics in High School...why can't I make my own AG doll clothes. So off to JoAnn Fabrics I went.


I found a pattern, an adorable cupcake print fleece fabric, and was assured by the sales lady that this was a very easy project. And the best part, my bill was only $5.20. That afternoon I sat down to read the pattern and it looked as if it was printed in a foreign language. There were words like FACING, BASTE, CASING, and GATHER. I began to panic!


So I called in an expert. Our Grandma Fay has been sewing AG doll clothes for years, outfitting all her granddaughter's dolls many times over. She was willing to come over and walk me through the process, step by step. And what a process it was. It took us 3 and a half hours to get the majority of the project done. And after she left, I had a few more finishing touches to complete. It was a difficult and "putzy" job but the look on Allie's face, when I showed her Mia's new jammies, was well worth it.

Meet Mia!

Allie is now the proud owner of her own American Girl (AG) doll. Her doll's name is Mia and she is the 2008 "Girl of the Year".



Not long after the first of the year, an AG catalog arrived in the mail. We've been getting these catalogs for a while but neither Allie nor Meredith has been interested in them (to my regret). But this time, Allie opened it up, saw Mia, and was mesmerized. And I can see why...she's so cute, with honey blond hair and hazel eyes (just like Allie).

I had to jump on this new found interest of AG's but it was just after Christmas and her birthday was months away. So, thanks to an idea given to me by my BFF Colleen, I came up with a rewards chart. Every time she completed a chore like making her bed, picking up her toys, or putting away her clothes...she got a stamp or two. I also rewarded her for good behavior, trying new foods, and helping her little sister. She had 9 pages to fill up with stamps and after each page was complete, I gave her a $10 bill to save. I was hoping to get her used to helping around the house and also teach her about saving money. And it worked!!


Of course, I couldn't leave Meredith out. She has her own rewards chart and will be getting her own AG when she has completed all of her pages. Her chart is based mostly on potty training so it's taking her a while. And she's not quite as motivated as Allie. But I'm hoping now that Allie has her doll, Meredith will try harder to earn hers. I'll keep you updated!