{ homecoming parade }

Oliver and Stella went to their first parade on Friday night when we went to the U of MN campus for the homecoming parade.

I had read online that there were "family friendly" activities before the parade so we headed down to check them out. And it didn't disappoint. They were handing out Goldy ears.......

Doing face painting (Stella opted for a "Goldy" face and Oliver for a "M" with a football)......

And balloon artists.....

However this is how much upset a certain someone was when he accidently popped his balloon sword!

They were both super excited for the parade to get started and got the hang of the wave.

Oliver watched in awe....

And Stella was all about the candy. She asked me every 30 seconds "mommy, do you think there will be more candy coming?!"......

She also loved the Homecoming court saying that they were "kings and queens". Another hit for both was the marching band, all behind the candy of course. It was a fun family outing that we hope to make a tradition for years to come!

{ september goodness }

It seems like it's been a busy few weeks around here. Weekdays seem to go quickly with preschool, soccer, ballet, and play dates.

And weekends have been filled with various activities. Last weekend Stella and Oliver were treated to mornings apart. Chop decided to take Oliver with him to the Gopher football game, along with friends Mike and Thad.

So Stella and I had a mommy/daughter morning out with some friends. The girls (Stella, Lena and Willa) were thrilled to spend a morning without their respective siblings. We went to the farmer's market, walked across the Stone Arch Bridge, stopped for a cup of hot chocolate and did a little shopping. Aren't the three of them cute together?!

I spent a few hours last Sunday morning with the Solejourner running group at Women Run the Cities 10 mile/5k race. Most did the 10 miler but a few of us did the 5k. I hadn't planned to "race" it but the adrenaline got the best of me and I placed second in my age group. We followed up the chilly, early morning with a delicious potluck brunch. Always a fun morning with these ladies!

I also got to spent last Tuesday night with a few of the Solejourners when we made the trek to the pizza farm in Stockholm, WI. It has been about 4 years since I have been there and I've always wanted to go back. I happened to mention it to someone from the group and they were all about wanting to go. So a small group of us jumped on it and we went. It was just as amazing as I remembered and not much has changed. You bring your own everything (and take it away) except for the pizza. It was a beautiful fall night to spend on the farm!

I have to share this because I think it is just too funny. Here is a side by side comparison of "artwork" that Stella and Oliver brought home from school. Again, not breaking any gender stereotypes here!

And a pic from a random trip to Freestyle Yogurt to help get through an afternoon when I had them skip naps (just so they would go to bed "on time" before babysitter got here)!

{ twins day }

This past Sunday was twins day at the Twins game. It was a low risk game to bring O and S to for the first time since tickets were only $11 and there were plenty of other kids there.

We saw a lot of friends there, including Carson and Coleman (we met their parents at our twin birthing class).

Pre-game there was a twins "parade" where we walked around on the outside of the field. As usual, Stella directed Oliver on what he was supposed to be doing.

Both were equally happy to get to see TC Bear!

And it wouldn't be a baseball game without lots of food. Mainly purchased to keep them busy and happy.

We tried keeping them engaged as long as possible but by the time the end of the 4th inning came around, there weren't any tricks left and it was past nap time. We thought we would leave on a high note before things went downhill.

We barely made it out of downtown and they were out!

{ miscellaneous }

A few random things going on in the last few weeks.......

We thought that Labor Day was the finale to our lake time but two weekends ago we made a quick one night trip there for a final warm, sunny day in the water.

As I had mentioned in my room post, O and S now have full size beds. Scored these amazing Jenny Lind bedframes on Craigslist. Total cost for both was around $150. A few coats of spray paint later and they look equally as good as the $500+ Jenny Lind beds that Land of Nod sells!

A rare pic of the four siblings from Uncle Jeremy's visit to Minneapolis.

What to do with all of the zucchini we had from a neighbor's garden? Make chocolate zucchini bread of course.

Fall is coming and with some new antique finds, the mantel has been updated.

I spent part of my preschool free time last week at Lake Nokomis for a short 3 mile run. Our first house was just blocks from Nokomis and I spent many mornings and nights there (at least once a day) running/walking before the twins were born. I rarely get back since Lake Harriet is closer and more convenient. There is something magical about this lake and it still holds a special place in my heart!

{ soccer stars? }

As if riding two wheeler bikes AND heading off to preschool weren't enough milestones falling within two days, Oliver and Stella also kicked off (ha, ha) their soccer careers by joining MacRae Park soccer team!

It was on Tuesday night but after their first day of preschool and naps, they were ready to go. But judging by the pictures we took before heading there, they might have thought they were going to be cheerleaders not soccer players!

Now "three year old soccer" is a title that should be taken quite loosely. It actually should just be called "three year old chaos".

Our biggest mistake? Getting there 5 minutes early. All of the focus on actually kicking the ball and "playing" soccer was used up by all members of team "periwinkle".

As you can see, Stella really got into it.

We even had her doing headers.

Oliver too.

But it was mostly downhill from there when it came to going through actual stations and listening to the coaches. Who, by the way, are us (parent led so technically all parents of team members). Don't they all look really interested in what Victor is trying to say?

One station was solely focused on dribbling (a term that none of them will understand) the ball to the net and kicking it in. We found out the one thing that both Oliver and Stella shine at when on the soccer field - the celebration! So it turns out their cheerleader moves at home before leaving weren't too far off......

Here is a peek at Oliver's celebration style.

And Stella's.

Stella was really excited about playing soccer and scoring for the sole fact that it meant she could dance after.

They reached their max at about the 35 minute park and with ten minutes left of practice, all but one of the members of the team headed to the playground at the park.

We are hoping for some improvement next week!