On Tuesday, we met the Holtz girls at Lake Arlington.  We met the Holtz's through our friends Jenny and Ryan.  We have a lot in common with the Holtz.  Not only do we both have 2 girls and the dads love hockey, but we both had itty bitties....only their itty bitty Ava made our itty bitty Abigail look like a giant weighing in a whole 3 lbs!  So Kristine and I got all the girls together for a day at this small beach in Arlington Heights.  We weren't sure what to expect, but it was a perfect little outting for us!  You can't "swim" but you can go in the water (up to ankles) so for toddlers, it's perfect!

Caitlin loved the sand....a little too much!  It was her lunch!

Kristine and Ava

Lila and Abigail

I tell you....this one....So I left Caitlin in her stroller but didn't buckle her in, and I came back to see her standing next to her stroller.  Um, hello, you're 7 1/2 months old!  Yes, I learned my lesson...always buckle from now on!

That evening we celebrated the big 2 1/2 birthday.  We started at Toys R Us where we were going to let the girls pick out a new outside toy, but we really couldn't find anything, so Abigail choose new "food" for her kitchen.  Then, we came home for BLUE Popsicles...Yes, I usually do 1/2 cake, cupcakes, or brownies, but she wanted blue ice cream...and it's her day!

Then it was time for presents.  We always do one present for a half birthday.  Nothing big, just something little to celebrate how special they are 2 times a year!  ;)  As luck had it, as we walked through Toys R Us earlier, Abigail saw the "present" I had already bought and was begging for it, so I knew we had a winner!!!

What is it???? 

PRIN.CESS TIA.NA!!!!!  Just what I wanted!!!!!!  The princess and the frog is Abigail's favorite thing right now(although Toy Story is making a run for it's money).  We don't really watch much tv, but when it comes to a movie, it's Princess and the Frog!  (Although she likes the princess part but not the parts when she's not a princess and she's a frog...which is most of the movie.)  Since she opened it up, Princess Tiana gets carried around on a pink pillow like the princess she is!!!!

Wow...2 1/2....half way to 3?????