Just Had to Share

Perhaps the strangest picture that I have ever taken of my children:


For the record, they climbed up there of their own accord.

He's Three

Today, my little right hand man turned three years old. He is still young enough to not really understand the cultural idea that his birthday is supposed to be all about him. When I whispered a last "happy birthday" as I tucked him in to bed, he whispered back, "happy birthday, mama." He also kept checking in with his sister throughout the day to see if she was enjoying herself. Even in the midst of opening his presents, he asked, "Corrie, are you really excited?" I love his sweet little self, and can still feel his babyhood when he positions himself on my lap and lays his fuzzy head on my shoulder. But, I can also see him becoming a little boy as he seems to master new things and gain more independence daily. Just in the past couple of weeks he mastered dressing himself, reciting entire Frog and Toad stories, and learning to store water from the hose in his mouth in order to run over and spit it out on the sidewalk. A mother can't help but be proud.

We also spent today wrapping up a fantastic visit from my parents, who helped us celebrate by taking us out to a great breakfast and to the nearby Minnesota Zoo. The kids had a great time. Jack was most excited by the prairie dogs, and mastered a stellar impersonation of the little critters. It was a good third birthday. And, yes, Jack, we *all* had a happy one.

Starting the day with pancakes.

Fun at the zoo.

Prairie Dogs are awesome.What's a birthday without the hose?

A happy, chocolate cake end to the day.

It's Good to Have Time

To play with the watering can:

To kick the ball:

To advertise mom's blog:

To say, "Hey, mom, come see this interesting bug . . ."

"Do you think it's a caterpillar?"

"We'll wait right here until it turns into a butterfly."

Oregon

We had a great trip to Oregon, seeing Joel's family and attending the wedding of his cousin. The children handled the loooong trip better than I expected. We flew into Seattle (a 3-4 hour flight), and then were chauffeured from Seattle to Bend by Joel's parents. With the need for frequent potty stops to accommodate Jack, it took a good 7ish hours to make our way through that leg of the trip. And then we turned around and did it all over again on the way home. The most difficult part of the whole experience for Corrie came just as we were landing in Minnesota, as there was quite a bit of turbulence. She does *not* like "bumps" on the airplane, and was crying with her head tucked onto my lap. Jack, on the other hand, enjoyed the added excitement thoroughly, and laughed his little head off as we bounced up and down.

The kids had a blast playing with all of their cousins, and getting a lot of love from their grandparents, aunts, uncles, second cousins, etc. Corrie loved the wedding, and couldn't get enough of the dance floor. Joel and I had a great time, as well, getting to spend some grown-up time with siblings and cousins after the kids were down for the night.

Here are some pictures of the excitement:

Wes decided to grow four teeth and start crawling on the trip.

Corrie and Cousin Peter were inseparable.

Wes (3rd youngest of the 9(!) great grandchildren present) gets some attention from Great-Grandma and cousins Laura and Rachel.

Corrie and cousin Lelia pose for a Goldfish Crackers advertisement.

Jack

We celebrated Jack's upcoming third birthday with the fam. I think he liked the cake.

Dad Really Cracks Me Up

. . . especially when he does the Cookie Monster voice . . .

Don't you just hate it when . . .

. . . you schlep three small children, one box violin, one practice bow, one large chart, one backpack full of snacks and potty emergency necessaries, and yourself 1/2 hour across town to "group lessons". . . only to arrive and find that the only available parking is near the drug-dealer's playground . . . only to dodge the drug dealers and herd your brood into the school . . . only to find out that group lessons were canceled . . . and the teacher did *not* call you?

I do.

We salvaged the afternoon, however, with a trip to the lovely park near Joel's store, followed by dinner with Daddy during his lunch break. Corrie especially enjoyed the chance to chat up every mother or father or innocent bystander trying to enjoy the park. She even discussed her thumb sucking habit with one mommy. As that same mommy said to me later, "She's a talker!" Yes, oh yes, she is. But the girl had to endure the loss of her beloved group lesson this week, and so I suppose she's entitled to some consolation conversations.

Lake Minnetonka

We took advantage of one of Joel's days off, and headed for Lake Minnetonka on Tuesday. It was great to see how beautiful it was in the Spring, and to reminisce about our time living in that area, when we first moved to Minnesota. Jack was crawling, Corrie was just learning how to dress herself, and we had no idea what the next years would bring. Thankfully, they have brought many blessings and much growth to us all.

Speaking of growth, Wesley had his 9 Month check up on Wednesday and was pronounced not-as-giant-as-before. He is 22 pounds 12 ounces (*only the 85th percentile*) and 30 inches long. He loves to sit and watch the world go by and be sweet. He doesn't try to stand, and the doctor said we should "work on that" so that he's pulling up by his 12 month appointment. Okey-Dokey. We'll get him in a strength training program right away. I say that he will stand up when he's good and ready and that there is *no* rush. These little ones all just seem to work at their own pace. We'll let him set his own.

Loving that lake breeze.

Happy Jack

Always moving

"Tell that doctor to leave me alone. I am busy contemplating."

Spring is Here

We have been so busy enjoying the crisp and beautiful spring days, that I have neglected to post updates on our various activities. So, here are some photos to bring you up to date:

The kids have been overjoyed to play in the backyard. Grandma and Papa were in town, and furnished a tee ball set that has been greatly appreciated by the children and their father.
The warmer temperatures have also allowed for some bike rides, and Wesley's first experience in the bike trailer. He enjoyed himself, and used the opportunity to take a spring snooze.


We've also taken every opportunity to visit and explore our local lake. Corrie and Jack love to find rocks to hurl into the water, and Jack has taken to exclaiming, "Look at the beeeeaauuutiful lake!" every time we drive past. When friends and family from California send pictures from the beach, he always says, "Look! They got to go to the lake!" Spoken like a true Minnesotan.



Our visit from Grandma and Papa also included a trip to a very cool model train museum in Saint Paul. It is housed in a great old railway building, and was quite small, but thrilling for the kids. Jack was in heaven.

The littlest peanut continues to grow at an alarming pace, and continues to entertain and enchant us all. Here he has an early morning snuggle on the couch with Sister:

Speaking of the big sister girl, Corrie has started violin lessons, and practices daily with her box violin and practice bow. She is learning all about rest position, playing position, the parts of the violin, and how to make a stellar bow hand before she gets to use a real violin. She is *loving* it . . . especially the weekly group lesson where she gets to be with a bunch of other kids and observe some who have been taking lessons for a while. When the day for the real violin finally comes, she will be excited beyond words.

After such a long winter, we are thoroughly soaking in the beauty of Spring. Everything here has changed drastically just in the past week. Tulips are everywhere, the trees are the brightest green, beautiful blossoming trees are in yards and along the parkways. People are crawling all over, like ants coming out of their holes. We have had conversations with our neighbors for the first time in months. The lakes are surrounded by joggers, bicyclists, and those just out for a stroll.

I've been so excited to be outside, that I've actually been running. And not just after the children, or because I'm being chased. On my own. On purpose. Now you know how drastically amazing the Spring air must be.

Too Much TV?

A conversation I had with Corrie yesterday:

"Mommy, let's pretend that you are the doctor, and I'm going to bring my son Larry the Cucumber to see you because he has a bump on his head."

"OK."

"Mommy, ask me questions like they do at the doctor's office."

"OK, how old is he?"

"Four."

"How tall is he?"

"Six or seven inches."

"I see. And, what is your phone number?"

"Oh, 1-866-IDOLS-02."


*Disclaimer: No, we do not allow her to watch American Idol, but she has caught a glimpse from time to time, and she does like to sneak into the hall and peer at the TV after her bedtime. That being said, I think I should teach her our real phone number.

Waiting for Spring

It is supposed to be here already, isn't it? After all, I realized today that we have almost reached the halfway point in the month of April. Two days ago, however, sleet was pounding our windshield as we drove to dinner with the visiting grandparents. We remain hopeful, however, as rumors abound that the temperature will climb to 60+ this week. Corrie has begun to take great joy in spotting robins.

While we practice patience, we sit in the house and try on hats. Wes is unsure that this thing called "warmth" really does exist. He has seen very little of it during the span of his life thus far. Jack, however, seems confident that sunny days will indeed come.

Northfield

On Saturday Morning, Mr. and myself looked at each other and realized that we had no plans for the day. Mr. quickly suggested that we hop in the van and drive to Northfield, a nearby college town about which we have heard good things. And so, after a lot of changing of clothes, escorted trips to the potty, and snack / bottle gathering, we made it out the door and loaded up the van. We were expecting an hour drive, but were surprised to find this cute little town to be only 40 minutes south. The kids enjoyed the drive, because there were farms with cows, horses, and barns to see. And, it didn't hurt that we brought all of their favorite CDs. The temperature has climbed into the 40s here in the great white north, but there was a bit of a wind chill that prevented extensive exploration. We did enjoy the historic downtown, the walk along the Cannon River, and our burgers at Rueb n Grundys. A good, spontaneous time.

Jack downtown

Ridiculous amounts of Sugar on a Stick purchased at the local candy shop.

A highlight for the kids -- a live sighting of Mr. and Mrs. Mallard from Make Way for Ducklings.

She's 5

Two years ago, I started this blog. I always remember that my first post was about the 3rd birthday of our little girl. She was then, and remains, such a fun and interesting little character. It is hard to imagine life without her, and these five years have been amazing as we have watched her grow and learn. I love her feisty spirit (most of the time), her vivid (to say the least) imagination, her love for her brothers, her random use of advanced vocabulary, and her loud, open-mouthed laugh. I have a feeling that she will always keep me on my toes, and that I will always be learning new things in life, because of her curiosity and burning desire to know everything about everything. She is a gift.

We enjoyed celebrating her birthday with my parents. We had a breakfast of bagels, at her request, and then went to the Mall of America amusement park for a couple of hours. After some down time in the afternoon, we dined on hot dogs and mac-n-cheese, followed by the requested white cake. She exclaimed with glee over each of her presents, and it is safe to say that she enjoyed every moment of her special day.

Quote for the Day

"Corrie, today is your Birthday Eve!"

"Hmmm. My Birthday Eve. Do you know what it will be before Jack's birthday?"

"Uh, Jack's Birthday Eve?"

"No. His Birthday Adam."

Of course.

On a Roll

It may come as a shock to many of you to see a new post on this blog, but I have even better excuses than ever for my long absence. I will boil most of my whining, complaining, and excuse making down to one word: flu. Oh, how I hate it.

That being said, I will move on to other news of note from our household.

Our little baby butterball has learned to roll his massive self over, and is doing so constantly. Of course, this means that he is frequently crying in distress because of being stuck on his tummy with no hope of rectifying the situation without help. Unfortunately, Miss has decided that it is her big-sisterly duty to help the little fella, and her baby rolling technique needs a little refining. Ah well, soon enough, he will learn to roll himself the other direction and all will be right with the world. Except for the fact that he will be on his way to mobility and my life as I know it will be altered forever.

Master Jack has begun to steal my heart with his sweet "may I?" requests. "May I read this book?" "May I play downstairs with Sister?"

He has begun to stomp on my heart, however, with his insistence on rising *oh so* early, waking up his little brother who has only recently been moved into his room. He has discovered that he can stand on his box of legos or lincoln logs in order to reach the light switch, and therefore even darkness is no deterrent when the little man has decided that it is time to rise and play. And so, morning after morning, I lay in bed, hearing this all go down on the baby monitor, knowing that my sprint down the stairs and through the hall will not be accomplished in time to stop the inevitable waking of the baby once the lego box has been positioned beneath the light switch. Electricity is overrated.

Miss is counting down toward her big 5th birthday. She wants vanilla cake with white or pink frosting, and this is a great departure from her previous requests which always centered around chocolate. I think that she has decided that white cake is more feminine, and all things frilly and girly are of the utmost importance in her mind these days. She is constantly to be found wearing numerous beaded necklaces and plastic heels, while simultaneously attempting ballet moves and practicing her Cinderella impersonation.

Mr. and I are on the mend after our bouts with the flu. I am coming out of the fog with a desire to clean, organize, and schedule. We'll see if these feelings sustain themselves, and if we can stay healthy long enough to accomplish anything. I'm off to take some vitamins.

Weekend Adventures

This weekend was an eventful one around here. On Friday, we visited Saint Paul for the annual Winter Carnival. I was a bit disappointed in the experience, as the event consisted only of ice sculptures and a hotdish tent. I was expecting something a little bit more . . . I don't know . . . carnival like. Go figure. The children loved the ice sculptures, but wouldn't touch our Tater Tot Hotdish with a ten foot pole. Go figure again.







On Friday evening, our good friends Noel and Laura came over for a fun filled night of taco eating and game playing. They put their two little kiddos to bed in our basement so that we could stay together a bit longer than usual. It was so nice to have some time with friends. We are really starting to feel that we have some good friendships established here in Minnesota, and it is good for the soul to get to spend time with like minded people.

The important highlight of our Saturday was our little baby boy's first solid food eating experience. Miss and Master were very excited about it, and we all gathered 'round to watch him try his first few bites of squash. Shockingly, his giantness was highly enthused about the food, and I dare to predict that he will continue to eat heartily.