The crib is now a big girl bed!

We got us a scooter!

Fun at the game

The neighbor girls are helping steve in the garden

Our fashionista

I've heard that rain boots are the new little black dress

Ella's 6 month birthday

A Week In New Orleans

Look Mommy, I'm good at packing a suitcase!

Ellie Belly on her very first airplane ride!

Fried crawdads and chicken strips at the Storyville Restaurant

Mommy and Ella celebrate their first successful plane trip - our two flights arrived in New Orleans within five minutes of each other!

Matti and Ella at the mouth of the Mississippi River (or at least as close to the mouth as we reasonably expect to get).... who put fingerprints the camera lens? Matti, I'm looking in your direction.

Feeding the penguins at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas

Froggy went a'courtin', he did ride

Hanging out at the hotel pool

Our smiles belie how FRIGID the water was - the pool was in shade most of the day

That's Aubrey. 'nuff said.

Riding the streetcar to the zoo...

The Jewish Community Center, Dana's base of operations in Nola during Katrina relief

Waiting for the next streetcar....

It pains me to think this wonderful car probably used to run the streets of the Twin Cities, until that jerk sold most of the cars off and burned the rest

Mommy and Ella in front of one of the elefantes (we think Aubrey has forgotten how to say "elephant" in English)

Riding the endangered species carousel - Matti asked for and got the black rhino

Matti builds a pillow fort ... we had a lot of down time in the hotel room

Belly boofers, gotcha Ella!

Chowin' down at Deanie's Seafood

A riverboat and a saltie (?) heading up the Mississippi

You see two girls in a double stroller. I see Daddy getting fat.

Coffee and beignets at Cafe du Monde

My other two girls at Cafe du Monde

The blue cow. Yeah. We did that. Like my beads?

The girls with Jasper, our cab driver

Margaritaville New Orleans, French Quarter

Jasper's pal, Brown Sugar

Cookie!

A nice book for the plane ride home, nom nom nom

Easter 2011

Matti helps with the cookies...

...and on occasion, helps herself to the cookies!

Grandma B and Matti show off their matching aprons

Ellie Bean supervises the cookie activity

Easter baskets! Matti shows off her favoritest movie ever

The girls in their Easter outfits (sorry, this was the best shot we could get)

With Grandma and Grandpa B. Ella, will you PLEASE look at the camera?!?!?

Good luck finding an Easter egg in there, Peanut

Chances might be better down here....

Little Ham-let shows off her new train car!

Oh here we go ... the Bowen girls get liquored up again

Mmmm-mmmm, somethin' yummy from Stephie's kitchen!

Steph and Grandma G

Pete and Taylor, decked out in her Easter outfit

Ella puts on a hat to keep off the chill