The Jarrett Family Journal

Welcome to 2012!

2012-01-01T14:47:00.000-08:00

Here we are...another year, a new state, a new job, a new house, a new school, new friendships.

More than ever we have reflected on what is really important in life this last year and especially this last week. We are extremely thankful for the health of our entire family.

We spent most of the day on the road, but were able to get home and celebrate quietly with a drink and New Year's Rockin' Eve! We were thinking maybe next year we would actually go see the "peach drop" in downtown Atlanta...until we heard there were stabbings there last year. Maybe watching it on TV is good enough. :)

More than anything, we just want to say Happy New Year and Welcome 2012! We are anxious to discover what this year has in store for us ( I promise no more moves!!!). We are also anxious to welcome all the little babies that will be making their grand entrances this year. So many of our friends are about to embark on new parenthood adventures this year! Other friends are about to set off on adventures that will move their families across the country too. We have learned a lot this year, but more than anything we have learned that sometimes you just have to take a deep breath and go with it. We are definitely hoping to have a year where we can just sit back and enjoy. Before the weekend is over, Kurt and I are going to start our list of restaurants, weekend getaways, local points of interest and other fun stuff we want to do this year. First on the list....Monster Jam with the boys (and a lot of ear plugs)!!

Wishing you a healthy and prosperous 2012!!

Christmas 2011

2012-01-01T13:54:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from Atlanta! (better late than never)

What a year this has been and no doubt this holiday season flew by faster than we knew what hit us! We had a very nice Christmas and were so blessed to have been in good health so that everyone could fully enjoy the sights and sounds of the season. December was such a busy month, but we managed to pack in a ton of fun firsts and great memories.

In early December we had a great visit with Kurt's sister Lisa, Drew and Trey. They came up from Louisiana to see LSU clench the SEC Footbal Championship...sorry Dawg fans! Kurt, Drew and Trey got some great tickets to the game and had a blast. Drew also spoiled us with a huge pot of jambalaya - yum!!

Aunt Lisa also got to take in Blake's 1st basketball game during her visit. While the big boys went to the football game, Lisa and I took the boys to the Northpoint Mall in Alpharetta where we got to ride on a choo choo that goes through the mall. The boys loved that! We had such a fun day out with Aunt Lisa.

Erin and Hannah joined us as we went to a Christmas open house that featured real reindeer, carriage rides and a petting zoo at a church just down the road from our house. I had never pet a llama before...soooo soft and cute!

"oh what fun it is to ride...."

In mid-December, Kurt headed to London for work for a few days. Though I'm sure he missed us (hee hee) he had a great time and was able to attend the holiday party for their operations over there....it was at a super cool manor/turned hotel outside of London. He brought the boys soccer balls and new sweat suits back...which the loved of course!

And of course, at some point in mid December I got the baking & candy making bug and decided to make numerous batches of my famous fudge and tried out my new cake pop pan. Still have some finessing to do on this new treat idea, but I thought these turned out kind of cute.

The boys had fun opening their gifts from Mammaw and Pappaw. They were in their new jammies before I could get the camera out! And they love playing with their new art kits.

The Friday before Christmas, our new friends the Van Wagenen's invited us over for a small gathering to celebrate the holidays. We are so happy to have met them and their adorable boys. We appreciate them welcoming us into their circle of friends and family.

On Christmas Eve, we got to enjoy spending some time with the Steinemann's. I know I've said it before, but they are fantastic friends and we literally would not be sitting in Atlanta today had it not been for them. So happy to have them to experience all of these southern firsts with!

And finally the big event! We let the boys open one present each on Christmas Eve during the day and then on Christmas morning Blake was up around 7:30 and was giddy to see that Santa did indeed come. There was a bit of scare on Christmas Eve when the videos from Santa revealed that Luke had been placed on the naughty list due to his temper. :) Luckily he pulled through in the last hour and Santa ensured both of them had a nice little something under the tree.

Luke is my "cotton candy buddy" so it was only right as the small electrics buyer for Home Depot that I indulge him (i.e. us) in a cotton candy maker. And of course, so that Daddy and Blake did not feel left out...they got an ice cream maker.

Christmas morning fun...the boys with Luke's new Thomas Pirate Ship tracks.

Here was our tree after Santa must have come. ;)

The boys on Christmas Eve.

Opening a present on Christmas Eve. Blake got the Ninja Castle he had been wanting for months. I think our house has officially turned into the Imaginext aisle at Target.

Kurt had the opportunity to go to Blake's holiday party at Kindergarten. Blake had so much fun! Mrs. Barkley recreated the New Year's "peach drop" for them.

Christmas night we went for a drive through Life University where they had awesome light displays for $5/car. This is just a sample...of course you had to be there to fully enjoy it. :)

And that was it! We celebrated New Year's a bit quiet, but did manage to stay up and see the ball drop!

Hope everyone had a merry and blessed Christmas!!

NBA Bound...

2012-01-01T13:44:00.000-08:00

probably not, but if there were an award for most energy spent bouncing up and down at a basketball game whether you're on the court or not...this boy would win it. Of course he would want to play basketball - there is a "costume" involved you know! This is Blake's first season playing basketball and our little #1 is certainly thrilled to be a part of the Bayhawk team. Blake and Coach Daddy are having a blast going to practice and games together and while I think Daddy says "focus" more than any other directive, it is fun seeing them out there. Thanks to our little bouncy bear and quite a few other scrappy and competitive 5 year olds, the Bayhawks are 2-1 so far this season...even though we aren't supposed to count!

Stone Mountain

2011-11-27T10:55:00.000-08:00

We decided to spend Black Friday with scores of other families at Stone Mountain. Hard to describe what it is, but definitely enchanting at Christmas time. The focal point is the stone carving in the mountain...but there are so many other fun things to do than just marvel the mountain. We took a gondola ride to the top where we could look out and see the downtown skyline among other beautiful sites below. We saw a few Christmas musical shows, rode the scenic railway, saw a 20 minute clip of Polar Express in 4D (the 4th dimension being snow falling, water spraying your face and wind blowing your hair). The boys saw Santa and Mrs. Claus in a short little parade and we got unlimited hot chocolate! There were over 2 million lights on display and no picture can ever do it justice...it felt like a magical place after dark. I am certain Grandpa Dave and Grandma Susie had just as much as the boys did...and Kurt and I too!

Thankful...

2011-11-24T18:06:00.001-08:00

Blake said it was "thankful day" today...I said "shouldn't we be thankful every day?" We should. We really should. But I guess we all could use that reminder sometimes. Hard to believe a year has passed and within this single, short year so many wonderful and so many heartwrenching moments have occurred.

This time last year we were enjoying a Thanksgiving feast with our wonderful neighbors, the Slyter's. (Sidenote -- This was also the moment I was introduced to the most awesome video game ever and decided we had to finally break down and purchase a Wii since there was no chance of Nintendo developing Just Dance 2 for a Nintendo 64 circa 2000). Shortly thereafter we embraced the loss of Kurt's brother Adam. We think of him always and desperately wish he were still on this Earth. And then there was Georgia. Georgia, sweet Georgia. Which I have reminded myself numerous times today that this time last year we had snow on the ground, blizzard like winds and ice cold beer on the deck! Today was sunny and in the mid-60's. I think we made a good choice...one of THE most difficult ones I have ever made, but nonetheless we are happy, healthy and enjoying our new life. I am extremely grateful for all the wonderful friendships we forged during that chapter in our life. I am so thankful that we have been able to start planting our roots here and life is beginning to feel normal. Blake started Kindergarten this year, Luke is potty trained and sleeps in a big boy bed and Molly is relishing in her fenced in back yard! We have been so fortunate to have had the friendship of the Steinemann's to help us acclimate to Georgia...and the Home Depot. Very thankful to have Uncle Dave and Uncle Randy in our lives and for keeping Kurt on the tennis court. We are very grateful for some of the new friendships we are building and the fun we have when together. And I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to see one of my oldest and dearest friends and pickup a conversation we started 20+ years ago and it's like we haven't missed a beat!

We have been blessed this year with many reminders of what is important in life. A few weekends ago we met the Hooten family at Fort Benning as Jill and Ross finished a 1/2 marathon in honor of fallen soldiers. We were so proud of their accomplishment. There were some soliders there that day 5 weeks into Basic. I was boldly reminded of how thankful I am that I can live my life freely and sleep at night knowing I am protected by some of the bravest men and women on this Earth.

And tonight I sit here, stuffed from eating 2 pieces of pie because I was out of will power, thankful to have the company of Grandpa Dave and Grandma Susie with us this week. We have so much to be thankful for this year...and no doubt, we will have many blessings and life lessons to be thankful for next year. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Now rest up...retail is my life so I would be remiss to not say "get out there and shop!"

Family Pics 2011

2011-10-08T14:43:00.001-07:00

You know me...can't let a year go by without some family photos (aka Christmas card material). The boys are getting harder and harder to photograph together, but I thought our new photog - Rachel Browne Photography - did a wonderful job capturing the boys and their dynamic personalities. Here are a few of my favs...

East Cobber Days

2011-10-08T14:29:00.000-07:00

I've never really heard anyone say they live in West Cobb and honestly, West Cobb is really nice too, but boy oh boy, people will quickly tell you they live in "East Cobb". Which is where we landed in Georgia. No doubt about it, it's a great part of town. The schools are top notch and not just in Georgia (cause I know that doesn't really mean much) but in the nation. So hence our decision to plant our roots here. Last month there was something called "East Cobber Days" and we live right in the middle of it. We just had to walk down the road to see the parade and then the festival was within walking distance too. Very convenient and very fun! The Steinemann's joined us and the kids had a great time getting candy, hearing the marching bands and then playing a bit at the festival.

Blake was so excited to see "Coach Jones" (his gym teacher) and the Mt. Bethel Elem Unicycle Club....future member perhaps?
Luke and Hannah climbing up the inflatable firetruck slide

Blue Ridge Mountains

2011-10-08T13:53:00.000-07:00

I feel like my posts are getting so sporadic, but yet life is becoming very routine...and busy.

Last month we took a beautiful Sunday drive to Blue Ridge, GA and took the boys on a train ride through the mountains. They of course thought it was about the best thing in the world. We sat in an open air car, so the views were fantastic and the temperature was perfect. We got to meet the Conductor and Blake of course added a Conductor hat to his costume collection. :) We ate at a cute little restaurant in the town by the train station before our ride and then stopped at a candy shop afterward...so mama could get some fudge. :)

Wouldn't be Blake without some form of a costume on and candy in hand.

The horn was "too loud"

But not so loud as to keep him from falling asleep...ears safely covered. Love this kid.

The Journey of a Thousand Miles...

2011-08-23T15:36:00.001-07:00

begins with one BIG step onto the yellow school bus. The day I have quietly feared (well one of many) since the minute Blake Grady was born, came and went last Monday, Aug 15th. He is officially a "kindergartner"...though he will quickly tell you he prefers to "just call him Blake"...at Mount Bethel Elementary in Marietta. He was so excited to meet his teacher a couple of weeks ago and let me just say - Amen. We scored the most perfect, cookie cutter, text book, "everything you could want from a kindergarten teacher". Mrs. Barkley has been teaching for about 25 years and is so warm and caring. Blake really likes her and she had me convinced she was the best teacher ever when she told us she still uses the same "letter people" that Mrs. Leon used when I was in kindergarten!! And did I mention that Cobb County offers FREE full day kindergarten WITHOUT a lottery. Of course full day still means he is done at 2:30, but he takes a little bus to the preschool where Luke is and then we pick them up at the same time. It has been an adjustment having a school bus time dictate every minute of your morning! I now have a new appreciation for what it must have taken my Mom to get all 3 of us girls up and at 'em every morning! Here are some photos of his first day. Yes, there were tears shed...by me, but I have to say if I were to cry today it would be of happiness and relief that he is so happy and so far loves getting up every morning. He will tell you his favorite part is riding the bus and he couldn't wait to tell me about his first trip to the school library yesterday! He got to pick out his own book and "check it." I have taken for granted that I have picked out 99% of the books/stories we read for the last 5 years so he is ecstatic to have some independence!

That's him in the front seat right behind the bus #

Oh yes he did!!

2011-08-23T15:33:00.000-07:00

Yay for my little guy who is officially "almost" a big boy! The last couple of weeks have proven to be quite successful for Luke and potty training. Still a few issues to work through, but we are SO much closer to being done with diapers than we were a month ago!! What a cute little tushie!!

We're Alive!

2011-08-23T15:11:00.000-07:00

I swear...we are all alive and breathing (though at a frantic pace at times)! The last month...well the last 2 and 1/2 months...have been moving at incredible speeds. We finally closed on a home at the end of July and started moving in over the course of the next week. We are about 75% done with the major house projects and will be very happy when construction is finally done and we can have our house back to ourselves. For a "turn key" house we found plenty of projects to make it our own, but we are loving it and trying to get settled in a little bit more everyday. Work is good, a lot to learn and trying to figure everything/body out, but I like my team and my product category so all is good. Kurt left Sunday for banking school in Seattle for 2 weeks. I don't think the boys realize how long he will be gone...I already do!

Blake started Kindergarten last Monday...big day to say the least. More on that in another post!

Hard to believe the summer has almost passed us by. We joined the Atlanta Zoo and have been a couple of times. They have 3 panda's and a carousel (or mer-o-sel as Luke calls it) so it's a big hit with the boys. We've had lots of playtime with the Steinemann's too. The kids have fun together. Drew has found 2 more boys that he can chase around to his heart content and sweet Hannah is either in the thick of it or watching from a distance thinking "what on earth is wrong with these boys!!"

In general, life is good right now, just need to remember to slow down and enjoy it! These boys aren't getting any smaller and sometimes we forget that all they want is just a little bit of our attention and everything else should wait. The summer has been so hectic that we are contemplating a quick trip to either the ocean or the mountains next month. We need a break from what seems like our permanent vacation!

How can it be? My baby boy has turned 3!

2011-07-11T16:11:00.000-07:00

To think this time 3 years ago I was sitting in a hospital pondering how on Earth I was going to be able to raise 2 little boys! Fast forward, and I mean FAST, 3 years and I still sit here wondering how on Earth can I raise 2 little boys! Or at least survive raising 2 little boys! Oh my!

Our precious little Luke William (aka Lukey, Louie, Big Lou, Lou Buggers, Wukie, L-dub, Lillum, Stinker, Big Guy....). I couldn't love you more. You are the most unique little person I have ever encountered. Sweet as sugar and yet salty as a pretzel! Since you were a tiny baby you have had us wrapped around your finger. You have more facial expressions than any other baby/toddler I have ever met. You are rough and tumble and yet so sensitive ("that too loud", absolute fear at the car wash, and when you know you have really gotten in trouble and curl that bottom lip up). I love your fluffy brown hair and those eyelashes that go on and on. I love that you want to do everything by yourself and be such a big guy, yet you want nothing to do with potty training or giving up your nuk. I love how "all boy" you are...the word poop or butt can get the biggest giggle out of you. I love how you love anything to do with wheels. Your trains, your cars and of course your big red car that you sure are missing this summer. We'll get it back soon I promise!! You can be so sweet and outgoing and then in the next minute telling a perfect stranger in an "ele-bator" that "you're not my friend ANYmore". I love how when you want your back scratched at bedtime you say "scratch me!" I think it's pretty cute that you pronounce your "v"s like "b"s and call DVD's "DBDeeps". You are such a chatty little guy and you are constantly making us laugh with your version of something you have heard us or Blake say like "no way man". You are obsessed with the Big Bad Wolf and are always telling us some story about how you are hiding from him or that you are going to fight him. You still sleep good at night so I suppose you aren't having nightmares about it!! When I asked Luke to say hi to a bird the other day at a park he said to me "Mom, they aren't kids. They don't talk. They are animals."
My oh my how much you've grown. You are our stout little guy...a friend recently dubbed him "tank" and that couldn't be more fitting. Even though it would hurt my feelings if the tables were turned, I kind of like that you tell Daddy "no, I'm Mommy's boy".

Fast forward 3 years and I can't imagine my life without two little boys. We have been so blessed to have 2 healthy, happy, handsome little fellas. Happy 3rd Birthday Luke William. We love you more than you can imagine!

Some Goodbyes and Hello's

2011-07-08T19:57:00.001-07:00

We have been so busy settling into life in Georgia that the last month has flown by. Hard to believe that a month ago we were just trying to find the grocery store and now we are trying to figure out shortcuts, new restaurants and fun things to do with the boys. We are getting closer to finding a new home and will hopefully be in something by the end of this month.

Quite possibly the best smoked pork and brisket burger I have ever dreamed of. Pappaw - it beats "crazy dave's" by a landslide!

Yes, they have Chuck E Cheese's in Georgia too! And unfortunately (oops I mean fortunately) it is right beside our apartment complex and Kurt and the boys drive by it every day to and from daycare. Luke screams "Look it's Chuck E Cheese" every time we drive by.

The BIG Chicken. A Marietta/Atlanta landmark. The beak and the eye actually move.

I realized we also had some fun photos from some of our Minnesota "goodbyes" to share. Thank you to all of our wonderful friends and neighbors who made our departure a wee bit easier through your kindness, support and lots of hugs!

Blake & one his favorite boy babysitter...Riley
Luke & Sarah

Blake, Henry, Luke and Charlie...I had to take about 15 pictures to get this one! They could not stop giggling and being typical silly little boys!

Blake, Chloe, Luke & Aleksandra...they had so much fun this night. Well they always have fun together, and it was great that we could get them all together. We are so excited for these amazing little girls to be big sisters!

Pirate cupcakes at Blake's last day of school. He took treasure boxes to his classmates too. This was a hard day. We had grown to really love the teachers at Cradle Club and miss them dearly. Blake had such great teachers who showed him so much love and kindness from his first day there last summer.

Luke got to take Choo Choo cupcakes to school on his last day and his teachers made him this sign. We really miss this gang too. Luke was so enamoured by his teachers and I now know how much he had them wrapped around his finger too. There were a lot of tears in this room that day...and mostly from me and his teachers. A while back Luke had found a little stuffed doll in their stuffed animal bin that he became attached to. He had to sleep with it at nap time every day and he would call it "his dolly Chloe". Dolly Chloe got to come home with Luke and when I saw it in his bag it just melted my heart.

We are doing good and enjoying discovering a new city, but we do miss you Minnesota!

Birthday Fun...Medieval Style

2011-07-08T18:37:00.001-07:00

To celebrate Blake's 5th birthday and make sure he felt super special on his big day without a kid party this year, we took him to the one place that would be a dream come true to our knight in shining armor in training...Medieval Times!

The fun started on his actual birthday with a pirate cake that we pieced together with pirate themed candles and men that he picked out. As soon as he walked in the door the party started with cake and presents. His little face lit up when he walked in the door and saw everything right there...especially the presents! All he wanted this year was the "batman car that holds 2 batmans." He got a few other things to go with it...but was thrilled to get exactly what he wanted! We ended up having to give Luke some of his birthday presents too in order to keep our family intact for an evening! Blake flipped out when Luke even looked at his new Batman stuff!

Then last Sunday we took the boys and our friends the Steinemann's to Medieval Times for some "finger lickin' good" food (seriously, no utensils in the place) and some jousting! It was actually a ton of fun and interesting to watch. We had great seats in the front row and I have never...and I repeat NEVER...seen 4 little kids so riveted to their seats for 2 hours. The boys each got a new set of armor and swords and had so much fun cheering for the Blue Knight.

I am pretty sure Blake would rank this as one of the best days of his life!

Happy 5th Birthday Blake!

2011-06-30T18:47:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe, but my little baby Blake is 5!! My sweet little angel who stubbornly came into the world 8 days later than anticipated, but nonetheless, set my world on fire. I sit here looking at him and wondering where on Earth did 5 years go? He is such a little boy...no signs of my chubby cheeked "little linebacker" anymore. He's now our "little skinny guy." Seriously...I swear we feed him, but he is just skinny! I think back about all the milestones achieved in the first year of life and how everything was so well documented. Now life comes at us so quickly that I barely have time to blink and the next thing I know we are buying bigger clothes or it's time to head to the Stride Rite store for a new pair of shoes.

He is getting excited about Kindergarten, but at the same time would choose to stay home and hang out with Mom and Dad everyday if he could. He's such a good little friend. He has already made friends at his new preschool and is eager to find even more new friends.

Here are some things about Blake's last year that I will always remember:

1. Him learning to swim without floaties. I've never seen him so proud of himself and he is honestly doing a great job at it. He is confident and willing to try everything. He has even gone off a diving board. I don't think I have ever even done that! Given that I didn't learn to swim until I was 18 or 19, I am so incredibly proud of him. I hope this is a sport/pasttime that he continues to pursue.

2. His first organized sport - soccer. He would get so excited when the ball came his way, yet he wanted to be as far from it as humanly possible. I loved sitting there watching him with my bud Megan by my side to share in the humor of him playing in a mud puddle rather than chase a ball around.

3. Christmas with Mammaw and Pappaw...it was so fun to see how excited he was about Christmas this year. And when we played the video of Santa's message from the North Pole - whoa - I've never seen eyes so big! I'm so glad that my parents got to be with the boys while they are little and the magic of Christmas is at it's best.

4. Kindergarten orientation at Rush Creek - even though we aren't going there now :( it was still so fun to see him discover what would have been his school. He was pretty pumped up about the bus ride and meeting "Rocky the Raccoon!"

5. All of our fun playdates with Aleksandra, Chloe and his neighborhood buds. It has been so fun to see he and his buddies grow up and turn into such adorable little boys and girls. There will always be an echo of squeals of laughter and pure happiness that rings in my head.

6. His idolization of friends Riley and Sarah. I have never seen him so smitten with 2 people. They are such good kids and were such an awesome babysitting duo. The boys absolutely loved having a boy babysitter and Sarah just melted their hearts. Blake would ask for them to come over and play pretty much every night.

7. Blake telling Aunt Jill that "Mommy let's me say bad words at home!" Had to be there to fully grasp the humor, but I think Jill, Kurt and I will share that laugh forever.

8. Finally getting the hang of writing his name. I have been so proud of him achieving this milestone. We were starting to wonder if he ever would, but he has finally gotten the hang of it and now I smile every time I see that wonderful signature on all of the school work he brings home.

9. California - we had so much at Disneyland. I was so surprised that he was terrified of Mickey and Minnie, but at least we learned that he has a slight issue with costumed characters. I also get a kick out of him "falling" in the ocean. I am quite certain he will never dip a toe in the ocean again without reminding us of the time he fell in. Which in reality was him getting swept off his feet by a little undercurrent, but boy was he mad!

10. Field Trips and Special Events - Renaissance Festival, Minnesota State Fair, Curious George Live, the Circus and Disney on Ice...he loves this stuff. It is so fun to sit back and watch his imagination go crazy. His love for costumes (specifically pirates and knights) is so funny. He loves to put on a costume whenever we have company!

11. His sweet little voice and listening to his genuine laugh at something funny. He is starting to understand jokes and when people are pulling his leg. It's pretty cute to see his sense of humor develop.

12. His precious face. He is our boy that likes to crawl into bed with us in "middle of night" and loves to share our pillows. I do love falling asleep looking into his angelic little face and knowing that all that matters in his little world is that his Mommy and Daddy are right there with him and that his brother is there to play with from time to time. :)

Blake Grady Jarrett, I love you more than the sun, moon and stars and every day since you came into our world has been the best days of our lives. We love you Blakey Bear! Happy 5th Birthday!

"You say goodbye, and I say hello..."

2011-06-13T18:04:00.001-07:00

Hello, hell-OOO HOT-LANTA! Well it's as official as it possibly could be. Last week I officially left behind my job at Target (aka Tarzhay) and the land of kitchsy stuffed Bullseye's and marketing jingles you just can't get out of your head and have landed in the world of orange aprons. After 11 wonderful years at Target Corp and chilly Minnesota winters, we decided it was time to try something new. Today I began my new journey with The Home Depot as a buyer for THD.com in their kitchen world. The decision was difficult to say the least and not made (or upheld) without many a tear shed and some very hard goodbyes. We have so many wonderful friends that have made the last 11 years feel like they have just flown by. Milestones shared by others and memories that we will treasure for a lifetime.

We began our journey last Tuesday and made the trek from Minnesota to Georgia with the boys and Molly in tow. The 2 day trip definitely had it's moments, but we all made it in one piece - not counting frayed nerves. We are currently living in a 2 bedroom apartment courtesy of THD and intend to buy a house in the next month or 2. It will be impossible to replicate the wonderful home we designed and built in Maple Grove, but a house is a house, it's the life you live inside that makes it a home, so we are optimistic that we will find another great neighborhood to begin our life here in Atlanta. Though we will never find cooler neighbors than our WC friends!

We were fortunate that Kurt and US Bank were able to work out an arrangement that enabled him to keep his current position and therefore he didn't have to find a new job...and he managed to get a promotion out of it! He also "started" today and has a very nice office complex in Sandy Springs to work from.

The boys started their new school today and day one went pretty well. Luke had a little trouble with drop-off, but was fine this evening. They are both pretty resilient. After going through a daycare change up/transition last summer I have faith that these boys can handle this change too. They have been troopers through all of this. They were able to see and play with most all of their buddies before we hit the road and made some fun memories. As did we...our friends sure know how to send someone off!

Once we are more settled I'll break out the camera. We miss you all our wonderful Minnesota friends but we know we will see you again...you can't get rid of us that easily!!

Catch Up...

2011-05-30T11:08:00.001-07:00

Yes, we are a little behind on life right now. We have teensy bit of good stuff brewing, but more on that soon.

Soccer! Blake's first official organized sport has begun! Bless his little maroon #3 heart...he runs more than anyone else on the field, but mostly away from the ball. He can actually kick quite well, but he gets intimidated by the other kids and easily distracted by mud puddles so not a lot of scoring going on. He gets very excited for the free treats afterward!

Luke has been up to his normal favorites...playing cars and driving his little red car. He started playing "carwash" with his bubble maker once it warmed up. He could play with cars in some way shape or form for hours. Thank goodness!

Kurt and I had an amazing time at the Tim McGraw concert. Unbelievable seats and just a great show. We loved his opener too...Luke Bryan. We were so pumped up for it -worth every penny!

Easter Weekend

2011-05-01T07:48:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness Luke was fully recovered by Easter weekend! The boys' school was closed on Good Friday so we took the day off and officially became the best parents EVER by taking the boys to Chuck E Cheese! We went as soon as it opened on Friday so we were the only ones there for a bit which was really nice. The boys had a blast riding all the rides and playing whatever games they wanted. I'll admit...even Kurt and I enjoyed ourselves!

Luke trying to "get" Blake!

Blake's favorite ride was this horse. Think horse meets racecar type of video game...very fun.

Saturday morning we woke up to very chilly temperatures and an Easter egg hunt in our neighborhood. It was fun, but you had to move quick...not to find the eggs, just to stay warm!

All bundled up to hunt for eggs.

Easter Sunday the weather was much better. We had a little visit from the Easter Bunny, a very yummy lunch and then a much needed afternoon playing OUTSIDE! We walked to a park and played with neighbors and had such a great afternoon. Sadly, the warm weather only lasted a day and we are now back to the cold. At this point I am certain there will be no spring this year...let's just hope summer comes early. We hope everyone had a lovely Easter! Aww...the brotherly love. This was genuine too!

Working up a thirst at the park. They had fun digging holes in the sand with their new sand toys.

Trying out their new bubble machines. Squeals abounded!

Dive in! Scouting out what the EB brought them.

Dino-Reena

2011-04-20T17:24:00.000-07:00

Luke has been a little bit sick this week. What started out Saturday as a few more poopy diapers than normal, ended up with the blowout of all blowouts about 5 minutes after we stepped foot into Ridgedale Mall. I guess if it's going to happen in public we were at least lucky to be at a mall where Kurt and Blake could quickly go buy some new jammies for Luke to wear home. Luke was having a little trouble correctly pronouncing diarrhea and has been calling it "dino-reena". I thought it was perfect that the jammies Kurt and Blake bought for him at the mall were camo with little dinosaurs on them.

Fast forward to Monday night and Luke could not keep even a drop of water down. Poor little guy, he was so sick and there really wasn't anything we could do for him. I swear he lost all of his baby fat by not eating/drinking for 24 hours. He hardly talked all day Tuesday and barely moved an inch which are definitely a signs of trouble with him. Mama stayed home with him yesterday and today and he's slowly getting back to his sweet and sassy little self! Here's a pic of his new svelte self...

Keep your fingers crossed that the rest of the family does not pick this nasty bug up!

Almost feels like Spring...

2011-04-10T09:17:00.001-07:00

We have had a decent weather week...translate that into "no snow." I think we are all starting to get spring fever and have a few fun things to take our mind off of winter. Last weekend we bought Blake his first set of soccer gear! It will be his first "organized" sport and we are so excited for him. Of course I don't know the slightest thing about soccer, but I do know they run a ton and burn a tremendous amount of energy so count us in! Luke has been hit/miss with interest in potty training, so we went ahead and bought him some undies. We haven't actually started training yet and school will certainly bare the brunt of it, but I thought it was so cute to see his little tushie in underpants!!

Oh and Luke and his obsession with "princess Barbie". He carries her most everywhere and even sleeps with her. He was trying to play t-ball outside the other day holding her too! And the ultimate sign of spring...baseball! The Minnesota Twins had their season opener this week and the boys have been learning a classic baseball tune at school. Who knew Luke had such stage presence!

Birthday Fun

2011-04-10T09:09:00.001-07:00

We celebrated my birthday last weekend with some wonderful friends, some great grilling and a very yummy cake. Kurt bought me this HUGE bouquet of flowers that made me stop and think "what would Mammaw do with these". So I split them up into 3 vases and voila! We had so much fun and it was a great birthday!

Luke, Mandy, baby James and Blake were entertained by my good friend and neighbor, Heidi's, babysitting duo, Riley and Sarah!

From the backseat...

2011-04-06T19:58:00.000-07:00

Here a conversation from the backseat tonight...reminder, Luke is a little bit of a Mama's boy.

Daddy: "Luke, do you want to play trains tonight?"

Luke: "Mommy, why Daddy want to play trains tonight?"

Mommy: "You should ask Daddy that."

Luke: "No Mommy."

Mommy: "Daddy wants to play trains tonight because he loves you."

Blake: "No, because I have to go to swimming."

Noted.

You're not my friend anymore!

2011-03-27T08:55:00.000-07:00

a) My feelings towards Mother Nature b) Blake's reaction after a round of his little brother's mischief c) all of the above!

We are SO over winter. Seriously, how could Mother Nature grant us a week of 40-50 degree temps that melted 99% of the remainder of the 80+ inches of snow we have gotten this winter and then send us 6 more inches of heavy, wet, icy snow? The phrase "adding insult to injury" pretty much sums it up. Because we now have an hour of so of sunshine in the evening now, the boys did take advantage of what will hopefully be our last sledding opportunity this winter. But, like always, we have plenty of things to keep us busy and laughing... Kurt and I have deemed this year our "country concert tour". There have been so many great acts coming to MSP this winter/spring that we did not want to miss. We kicked it off with Kurt's Christmas present to me, which was a January Rascal Flatts concert...they are my FAVORITE band!! It was an awesome concert - we've seen them 3 times and they just keep getting better. Then this Friday was my birthday present...Kenny Chesney. Best.Concert.Ever. Seriously, even if you loathe country music, you cannot deny that this guy can put on a show. We were so lucky that it happened to be his birthday the next day, so at about 10:45 he says to the crowd "the playlist is pretty much done but let's keep this party going to ring in my birthday" (or something like that). So he played until midnight! No one sat down for 3 straight hours...so much fun! For Kurt's birthday we are going to see Sugarland and then the next show stopper (I guess we could say this one is my Mother's Day present) is 14th row floor to see TIM MCGRAW!!!!

Enough about us...the boys. Oh, the boys. Silly, sassy, smart, lovable, the absolute apples of our eyes. Blake has had a big month - kindergarten orientation (including a bus ride - aka very big deal), swim lessons starting up (no floatie swimming), summer soccer sign up (he's dying to buy knee pads), Disney on Ice, his first sleep over (Aleksandra's house) and so on. He's so funny, last night he got mad at us about something and exclaimed "I'm not living in this house anymore!" Kurt told him he could go sleep outside then. Blake quickly changed his mind. Later he got mad about being disciplined for kicking his brother and told us he "hates living in this house." That was hard to hear and he started crying when he said it, so we calmed down and when I asked him why he would say that he said he really "hates living in this house with Luke." Ahhh mystery solved. They are night and day, water and oil, fire and ice...you name it, but we talked about why Luke wants to always be around him and why they are both so special. And I told him he could sleep in our bed for the night...now he likes living here again. :) He's such a little sweetie, always dancing, hopping, singing, imagining all sorts of wild adventures with pirates/knights/princes. He has discovered Scooby Doo, loves Peeps Yellow Bunnies (he's a Grady through and through), and is built just like his mama when I was little.

Luke - our sweet little stinker. That pretty much sums it up. He can be such a little lovey one minute and then such a stinker the next. He has totally got us figured out! He has started this "No I want Mommy, you go away" thing with Kurt that really pushes buttons! I remember Blake going through a stage where he only wanted Daddy, but Luke adds so much attitude to it. He knows every single button there is to push with Blake and he pushes them CONSTANTLY! He is rough and tumble...he loves to play tackle, hide & seek, chase, wrestling, etc. Still loves to play with cars and trains and most notably - my princess Barbie. He carries her around and sleeps with her too. He will also tell you his favorite color is pink! He talks non-stop and like Blake, unfortunately only has one volume - really loud! He will do just about the opposite of every you say to him so reverse psychology works pretty well. He's still a good sleeper (though read the previous post to learn about his new bedtime ritual) and a fantastic eater. I love hearing him say "You play with me, Mommy?" He loves one on one time with us and we are trying to do a better job of giving it to him. He does not have quite the same sweet tooth that his brother does, BUT he made my day when I discovered that he loves chocolate covered marshmallow eggs as much as I do (Mammaw & Pappaw - take note of that one)!! That's it for now! Hopefully the next post will be of lovely spring flowers blooming in my yard! I won't hold my breath...

"I do it ALL by MYself"

2011-03-27T08:40:00.000-07:00

In an effort to express his budding independence, Luke has started taking his diaper off at bedtime to show us that he indeed can do it ALL by himself! Every night for the last few months, within the first 1/2 hour or so of being left to his own devices in his crib...the diaper comes off. You can't go in right away and put it back on or it will come right back off. So you have to be strategic about the timing. We learned (yes, the hard way) that we have about 45 minutes to an hour to get the diaper back on before he pees the bed. So here are a few embarassing shots of my sweet little man so that we (and I mean "he) will always remember this phase!

Spontaneous Combustion

2011-03-10T17:30:00.000-08:00

Well had we spent ANOTHER cold, snowy, winter weekend indoors we probably would have spontaneously combusted...BUT instead we decided last Friday night to head to Duluth on Saturday morning and spend the night. Our little spontaneous adventure! It was quite chilly, but sunny and made for a pretty 2 1/2 hour drive up north - yes, further north. It was pretty neat to see Lake Superior frozen over. We went to the Aquarium there, out to a nice lunch and then back to the hotel for some swimming. The hotel had a heated indoor pool, a hot tub and an outdoor rooftop pool that is heated quite nicely. We hit up all 3! The run between the door and the pool was enough to make you catch your breath, but the pool itself was the perfect temperature! Sunday morning we hit all 3 pools again and this time we wisened up and had the boys wear their hats in the outdoor pool to keep them warmer. We had a great time...even Molly came with us and enjoyed her little adventure.

California Dreamin'

2011-02-16T13:09:00.000-08:00

We kicked off our Californian vacation last Saturday - yay!! We loaded the boys up on McDonald's at the airport before we left hoping we might get a nap out of them on the 3 hour flight. Luke slept for about 45 short minutes...

I can't complain, neither of them cried or made any scenes on the plane or at the airport. The weather was absolutely amazing when we got there...nearly 80 degrees. The rest of the week has been a bit chillier, but no complaints here as it was still warmer than back home. We stayed in a beach town called Dana Point, which was just a little bit south of Newport Beach and Laguna Beach. The views were spectacular...and to see trees with leaves, flowers and grass - ahhhhh.

Our biggest challenge was adjusting to the 2 hour time change. It was hard to keep the boys up, especially after long days out and about. So there were a couple of evenings when they were in bed by 6 o'clock local time! Kurt and I enjoyed some quiet dinners and got to watch some grown up movies for once! Of course the flipside to an early evening is an early morning...we were all usually up and at 'em by 6:30! The first evening there we drove to a beach close by and watched the sunset. It was so beautiful.

On Sunday, we hit up another beach that had a playground so the boys could burn some energy. There we met a couple that were super helpful and gave us a great idea on how to spend the rest of our day. Ironically the husband was getting his MBA at IU at the same time Kurt and I were there for undergrad! So from there we spent the day in Newport Beach/Balboa Island. We had lunch at a Tommy Bahama restaurant where Blake and Luke quickly became the entertainment. A man was singing and playing guitar and the boys decided to start dancing. The man was so nice and even dedicated a song to "his friend Blake". He gave Blake one of his CD's too! From there we took a ferry to Balboa Island and we took a harbor boat cruise, rode a carousel and a ferris wheel. It was the first time on a ferris wheel for both boys and I forgot how high up you go! Luke was with me and did such a great job. He told me "I not (s)cared". Blake loved it!

Right before Blake fell in the ocean. We tease him about his "dip"!

There is a sea lion asleep on the back of this boat!

Monday was the big day...Disneyland! We were up early and on the road to ensure we got there right when the park opened. It was a beautiful day, but was going to be a tad bit cooler so the park was not busy at all. We got right in and were able to ride a ton of rides. The longest we waited for anything was probably 20 minutes and that was unusual. Even with Blake's obsession with costumes and dressing up, we discovered his phobia of costumed characters. He melted down when we saw Mickey and then when we saw Minnie a little bit later he came completely unglued. Luke, on the other hand, was about to run over other little kids in an effort to get to Mickey! The minute we went into the "meet and greet" room, Luke started exclaiming "HI MICKEY, HI MICKEY, HI MICKEY"! He loved it and even gave Mickey one of his coveted "kiss on da cheeks!" By the time we saw Pluto we were able to bribe Blake for a quick picture and Luke was over it. They had a blast! Blake got another sword and a pirate telescope after riding Pirates of the Caribbean and Luke got a stuffed Dumbo. It's his favorite movie and he loved the Dumbo rides.

Blake proceeded to growl at people that looked at him the rest of the day!

After some intense negotiations (aka bribes) Blake finally let us get his picture with a Disney friend.

Having tea inside Minnie's house.

She had him at hello.

Mickey and his #1 fan!

Tuesday we laid low and hung around Laguna Beach. Wednesday was a rainy day. :( Our big excitment for the day was going out to breakfast. It turned out to be quite the exciting adventure and only lasted about 30 minutes. Within minutes of getting our food Blake puked at the table. The waitress was insanely nice and cleaned everything up and Blake assured us he felt better. So, we continued to eat UNTIL Luke decided to start spewing uncontrollably! Needless to say we decided to just box up our pancakes and hit the road! The boys were totally fine after that, but we still decided to stay in and watch movies most of the day.

It seemed like a good idea at the time...on second thought, sand is not very tasty!

Mommy's kind of heaven...a cupcake shop.

Thursday we drove to San Diego and went to Sea World. It was a lot of fun. The main draw is definitely the shows. We saw the Shamu show (or Shampoo as Luke calls her), a Sea Lion show and a Dolphin show. After Sea World, we went to Old Town and walked around and had dinner. Kurt and I spent our honeymoon in San Diego almost 10 years ago, so it was fun to go back.

Ugly fish...Blake thought it was going to get him.

Blake practicing his photography skills.

Friday was a cool but sunny day so we headed out early to get some adventure in before the rain came back. We first drove out to Casper Wilderness Park. It was a decent drive into the hills/mountains. Beautiful. Our adventurous sides took a little dip when they handed out literature about what to do when confronted by a MOUNTAIN LION! The playground had signs around it with the warnings too. We decided to keep our playground fun short and just drive around a bit! After that we headed into San Juan Capistrano for lunch (Ruby's Diner) and then a visit to the Mission there. It was really neat. Blake is starting to understand the concept of history so it was fun to see him realize that the Indians and pioneers used to live there.

The boys throwing coins into a wishing well. I'm not sure if I should be sad or proud, but Blake's wish was to be a soldier someday.

Another photo courtesy of Blake!

Us being really loud to keep the mountain lions at bay! After completely freaking ourselves out, we later asked a park ranger if there was any real threat and he of course said no.

Saturday was our journey back home...totally uneventful. Blake actually slept the entire flight and Luke was tame. We had such a good time and enjoyed our much needed break from our busy life here. Luke might still be a bit young, but we are definitely starting to make memories with Blake and these are moments that we will all treasure forever.

My Knights AND Shining Armors

2011-02-16T13:02:00.000-08:00

You should have figured out by now that two of Blake's favorite things are 1) dressing up and 2) pretending to be some sort of defender - think knight, 3 musketeer, superhero, pirate, etc. For a long time Blake was a little confused about "knights IN shining armor" and thought they were two separate things. I think we have finally gotten past that, but I couldn't help writing it! The boys both got knight costumes for Christmas and here are some pics of them showing them off. They go nicely with the wooden swords and shields we got for them at the Renaissance Festival this past fall. After a few times of wearing it, Luke has pretty much busted all the seams in his costume. I swear it said 2T-3T, but cheap polyester doesn't hold up well to his curves.

Quiet as a...bunny?

2011-01-27T18:02:00.000-08:00

When my sisters and I were kids and being a little too loud we would be told to play "quiet as a mouse." Of course the best part was trying so hard not to talk or make a sound that you ended up laughing!

Yesterday, we were running some errands and the boys were getting a little rowdy in the backseat. I exclaimed "enough, let's play quiet as a mouse." Blake said, "No - let's play quiet as a bunny." (Okay, I thought. I don't really care what the animal is as long as it's not a loud one.) So bunny it was. Then after a few seconds, very quietly from the backseat we heard Luke saying in his little whisper..."hoppy, hoppy, hoppy." Gotta love these boys!

Funny things I've heard lately...

2011-01-15T19:09:00.000-08:00

Luke to Daddy: "that is NOT acceptabobble" (aka acceptable)
Luke to Mommy: "you say bad word, you go timeout" (for the record, I said butt)
Luke to Molly: "May May, do not eat bone on couch FOREVER"
Luke to Blake: "Bakey, you not my friend ANY more"

Blake when asked if he wants something: "um, maybe not"
Blake to Aunt Jill: "Mom said we can say bad words at home" (again, it was butt...long story and I realize now you can't teach a 4 year old to determine the right context in which to say something!)
Blake to Mommy (when asked why he didn't wear underwear today): "I don't know"

Everyday they say something new and funny. It's so hard to keep up with all their silly little quips...but I am determined to do a better job of writing (blogging) them!

Welcome to 2011

2011-01-01T09:16:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Here we are at the start of what will I'm sure be another memorable year. This last year brought us so many changes and I have no doubt that this year will be no different. We are so blessed to have good health, good jobs, good families, good friends and some good little boys who remind us on a daily basis what the meaning of life is all about. :)
We had so much fun ringing in the New Year with some of our fantastic neighbors. There was so much food and fun to go around! I think I might have improved my "Just Dance" abilities as the night wore on if you know what I mean.

From our family to yours, we wish everyone a Happy New Year!

An Old Irish Blessing...

May love and laughter light your days,

and warm your heart and home.

May good and faithful friends be yours,

wherever you may roam.

May peace and plenty bless your world

with joy that long endures.

May all life's passing seasons

bring the best to you and yours!

Work Clothes

2010-12-28T17:33:00.000-08:00

Blake and I were at Target the other day (shocker) and he saw some holiday outfits that he thought were "work clothes" for little boys. So he has been badgering us for some "work clothes" to wear to Daddy's work. I knew they would go on clearance after Christmas so we went to Target this afternoon to get him his new outfit. Pretty dashing huh?

Christmas 2010 - Part 2

2010-12-28T16:22:00.000-08:00

Back in Minne-SO-ta (I was informed by a few of Kurt's cousins that after 10 years, the northern accent has finally overcome my midwestern roots :)...we were greeted by a snowstorm at the state line. We were so annoyed that we had made it all that way with no issues, and then we were down to the last 45 minutes, we couldn't drive over 20 mph! But when we finally got home, my parents were there to meet us! We have had their trip planned for a while and the boys (and us) were SO looking forward to spending Christmas with Mammaw and Pappaw. It was a good distraction for Kurt and I for a few days too.

You have no idea how many times it took to get everyone to smile (at the camera)!

Friday morning we hit the ground running and did a little Christmas shopping at where else, but Target! That afternoon, Mammaw and Blake put together a gingerbread train. Mom did most of the work, but Blake lended a hand to test the icing, eat the candy and put some of the candy on the actual train. Then Friday night, Blake got to see a video message from Santa Claus...try this link to see it. http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/watch/yWdzALzmXaUxdZfrZ7WQ0g

Pretty sweet! I wish we would have video taped his reaction to it. We will definitely be doing this again next year and perhaps a few weeks earlier! The boys also got to open their gifts from Mam and Pap...a police SUV for Luke and a dragon cave for Blake. We also reinstated the Grady tradition of watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation...after all these years I still laugh at the same parts!

the gingerbread train

hard at work...

or hardly working?? :)

new presents from Mammaw and Pappaw

Saturday morning the boys woke up and luckily Pappaw was there to run interference with Blake. Blake had made it all the way to the main level before being caught...where we did not have our Christmas tree...but when he did not see any gifts by the fireplace he told Pappaw that Santa didn't bring them anything :(. Once Daddy had the camera in position, we took the boys downstairs where Blake was THRILLED to have received the Batcave and Pillow Pet that he has wanted for months! We have been playing with Batcave (still in its' box) at Target and petting Pillow Pets for a long time! Though Luke was a wee bit grinchy Christmas morning, he still had fun opening presents. He really likes his new train set. Blake also got a much anticipated knight costume, Captain America costume, some knights on horses, a toy guitar, the game Guess Who and new Legos. Luke got a Mr. Potato Head, a knight costume, a Woody and Bullseye set, a matching guitar (I won't make the 2009 piano mistake again) and Blake got Luke his very own stuffed "Monkey George." Mommy was SUPER excited to get a suprise from Daddy...tickets to Rascal Flatts at Excel in January!!! Thank you!!!

We had a super yummy Christmas dinner...Kurt made prime rib and Mom and I made Grady favorites - oyster dressing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie. After losing my appetite for about a week, I unfortunately made up for it in about a day.

On Sunday we headed over to Cabela's so everyone could burn some energy. Other than that we spent most of our time hanging out at the house, eating, sleeping, watching tv and letting the boys entertain us. And boy oh boy they sure did that...especially last night. We turned on some music and let the boys dance and go crazy! I know my parents enjoyed getting to see them in all their glory!!

"Look it Mom, a shark!" Or maybe just a really big, ugly catfish! He was keeping his eyes open for a dolphin and a whale too!

Trying out their new guitars with an impromtu concert.

warming up!

Luke reading to Molly (aka May May)

Luke ate 2 bowls of Mam's yummy homeade vegetable soup. He's our "soup man!"

My first try at Monkey Bread...it tasted as good as it looks!

Luke in the Michael Jackson hat...as Blake has dubbed it.

Our future "so you think you can dance" contestants.

We are so happy that they made the trip to Minnesota and helped us make the most of this Christmas. This Christmas magic that the boys bring out in us won't last forever so I am glad they could experience it with us this year.

Christmas 2010 - Part 1

2010-12-28T15:39:00.000-08:00

We hope everyone had a very merry Christmas and are looking forward to ringing in the New Year cheerfully (and responsibly)! It's so hard to believe Christmas has come and gone and we are now staring down the last few days of 2010. Most of December seems like a blur to us as we have been deeply saddened by the loss of Kurt's brother, Adam, this month. Adam was a great brother, father and uncle and will be dearly missed. We are so fortunate to have little Jonah to carry on his memory.

Even with the not so great circumstances we ended up back in Indiana last week and got to see most all of Kurt's family and my sister, Jill, and the kids (we missed you Ross). The boys had so much fun visiting with Grandma Lana, Uncle Brett, Aunt Rachel, Annabelle, Uncle Kyle, Grandpa Dave, Grandma Susie and getting to bunk up with Aunt Lisa. Lisa hasn't met Luke before and hasn't seen Blake since he was a baby so she was in for some fun!! Kurt and I really enjoyed getting to spend some time with Lisa and definitely wish we could do it more often. Lisa has spent the last decade in Louisiana and had forgotten what snow is like! I know visiting us here in Minnesota in the winter is probably last on her list of things to do! And dear little Annabelle...I can't begin to describe how sweet this little girl is. She is just a doll and is THE best "4 year old sharer" I have ever met! I just love her sweet little smile and wish we could see her more often too. Kurt and I got to see pretty much all of his extended family and it was so nice to see them and be surrounded by so much love and support.

We were also able to spend some time with my sister last week. She so generously offered to drive to Warsaw and stay at our hotel for a few days so she and my sweeties (Maddie & Jacob) could keep the boys entertained while we attended Adam's funeral. I didn't hesitate to accept the offer and was so glad to have had her there. I know she has some good pics so I'll have to wait for her to share before posting. :)

Here are some pics of the week...

The boys "sliding" with Annabelle on an empty box!

the boys "helping" her open her new dollhouse. Needless to say after 4 years of buying boy toys I was super excited to indulge in some girly gifts!

Annabelle is literally growing up so fast...she is about 6 weeks younger than Blake and about a foot taller!

Grandpa Dave and Grandma Susie at their house in Huntington

Blake pretending to wear an Elf hat out of wrapping paper...

that's better!

Reading their new books!

Opening presents at Grandpa and Grandma's house.

So then, last Thursday we dashed back home in our 4 wheel drive sleigh to greet my parents who had flown in from Indiana to spend Christmas with us. On to part 2....

Happy Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-27T07:26:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving! Once again we find ourselves scratching our heads wondering how on earth did we get to the holiday season so quickly and how did another year pass by so fast. I work in retail, this is my life, yet every year I am fascinated at how quickly the months tick away. So here we are! I can't begin to write down all the things we are thankful for, but more than anything we are so grateful for these two little boys and the overwhelming joy they bring to our lives. We are thankful for each other and to have someone else to enjoy this life we call our own with. We are so grateful for all the wonderful people in our lives whom we can call friends and family. This year has brought us even more, as we have met so many wonderful families in our new neighborhood.

We have been enjoying a few nice relaxing days off from work and school. We enjoyed a delicious Thanksgiving dinner with our neighbors, the Slyter Family, and both sides of their extended family. It was so kind and generous of them to invite us. We had so much fun...tons of kids, great food and great conversation! Yesterday, I got to do a little Black Friday shopping (at 7 am...no camping out at midnight for me). We also enjoyed lunch at our house with Kurt's tennis buddies, Uncle Dave, Uncle Randy and Rodrigo before they all went to play tennis.

I am so excited for December to finally get here. I'm actually 99% done with Christmas shopping so now I can sit back and enjoy the upcoming festivities! The BEST part of all is that we get to spend Christmas with Mammaw and Pappaw this year!! I am SO happy that they are coming to visit and the boys are getting super excited too. Every time I remind Luke that they are coming he asks if Pappaw will have his blue tractor! I don't think that will get through security...

Monkey George and the Meatballs!

2010-11-27T07:05:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday, we gave the boys an early Christmas present and took them to see Curious George Live. We have had the tickets for a few months and managed to keep it a secret from them until we got to the show. They both love "Monkey George", as Blake long ago dubbed him, and were so happy to see all the other characters too. And who knew that the entire show would be about MEATBALLS! One afternoon, a while back, as I was getting Luke from school and I asked him what he had for lunch and he told me meatballs. I thought it was funny and perhaps not true so I started laughing. Well, it was true and apparently he loves meatballs so much that after his classmates are done avoiding their meatballs he gets up and snatches them off their plates! So now he tells me that he eats meatballs everyday for lunch!

The boys had a great time and all in all it was a really cute and entertaining show.

Ugh

2010-11-13T08:19:00.001-08:00

Winter has officially begun in Minnesota. Blake woke up so excited and wanted to know if this meant it was Christmas! As much as I'd love to say "it's so pretty" or be appreciative because "there are people in other parts of the country/world that never get snow", I just can't bring myself to be excited. Summer is my season of choice and this officially ends it. After 10 LONG winters in this state I know I will do my best at making it go quickly and finding something to enjoy. The boys are already asking to go sledding and with this storm we might just have enough. So here's to old man winter...and try to make it a short one this year!

Happy Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T17:39:00.000-07:00

Spooky? No. Sparkly? No. Mouth watering and finger lickin' good? YES! Have you ever seen such delectable grilling treats? Happy Halloween from our Hamburger and Hotdog!

This was a fun year...the boys are finally figuring out Halloween and I'm pretty sure it ranks as their favorite holiday. I mean really, all they know is that it is a holiday where they are encouraged to go out and collect candy and then be allowed to eat it (not all at once of course, I'm not that crazy).

The festivities actually started last Saturday with a party at Chloe's house. Blake chose to be a pirate again for the party and Luke donned the monkey costume of Halloween's past...though it was a tad bit snug (I seem to forget that he is a little bit bigger than B was at this age).

On Friday, the boys had trick or treating and parties at school. It was fun to go to their school and be a part of their parties. It was also the first time we got to meet some of their new friends' parents.

And finally tonight, the boys broke out their new costumes. Luke was going to be the monkey again, until Mama struck gold at Target this afternoon and found a 30% off 6-12 month hotdog bunting costume. We had a great time tonight and it was fun to see so many neighborhood kids out! Now, how to get two kids jacked up on sugar to bed....

Fast cars...

2010-10-30T15:07:00.000-07:00

We had an interesting conversation in the car today. We are all in the car together A LOT. Usually to and from school/work which translates to rush hour traffic and not our best driving attitudes. :) Today as we were getting around some slow pokes on the freeway Blake piped in from the backseat "we need a race car to get around these slow cars so we can go fast." Then as any 4 year old would do he asked "why do we?" Touche.

Life as we know it...

2010-10-17T16:56:00.001-07:00

is most often filled with the sounds of little voices and laughter these days. The boys have been reminding us how lucky we are over and over again lately. It's so hard to put into words (and remember) all the special moments we experience nearly every day. What I will have no problem remembering for many years to come is the sight of their precious smiles. We are doing our best to try and have as much fun as we can every day (or weekend) and we have actually had a Fall this year! It's been so nice to have a few extra weekends to be outside as we are usually hearing about snow in the forecast this time of year. :( We went to a playground yesterday and had fun letting Blake take some pictures...not too bad I must say. He must have a little Aunt Jill in him. :):

It's been a while since I wrote a few things about each boy...

My Blake - I love that you love it when I wear "easy pants" just like you. I love that sometimes when I ask you what you have said you say "I was talking to myself." I love that your teachers say you are a really good friend. I love that you love every kind of fruit, even if it means you won't touch red meat. I love that you love to lay by me in bed when I read my book so you can hold my bookmark (a magazine subscription card from a parents mag) because the two little girls pictured on it are "cute." I love watching you and Luke play hide and seek together and seeing you take him by the hand to help him find us. I love that you call the toy aisles in Target "islands." I love that you will sometimes say a bad word (like stupid or poop) and then ask me if it was an "ax-i-dent?" I love that you are such a bright, happy, good hearted, silly, imaginative little 4 year old. You are my sunshine and brighten each and every day.

My Luke - I love that you do a "somersault" (aka rolling like a log on the floor) and then get so excited and say "I did it!" I love that you wake up singing. I love that you sleep like a champ and actually wake up in your own bed. I love that you asked me for a solid week "all done running Mom?" after you saw me run in a race last weekend. I love that you make me read Big Red Barn to you twice every night just because we have 2 separate books of it. I love how you told me "I just can't remember" when I asked you to name something that was the color red one night. I love how you whisper when you get shy. I love that your jump and hop have finally gotten some air under them! I love that you can't keep from grinning when I mention your teachers...Ms. Sarah, Ms. Jamie and Ms. Erin. I love that you are such a good eater and will try most things. And I love that you are such a talkative, funny, energetic, spirited, cheerful, good mannered little 2 year old. You are the twinkle in my eye.

Hollywood! Blake will forever be known to us as that...when he was about 1 he wore some sunglasses on a walk and a man called him "hollywood" and it just stuck!

This kid loves to swing. I mean LOVES to swing. Luckily this playground has a castle and bouncy horses or else we would probably still be there swinging...a day later.

Horsey rides...our backs were getting tired so Blake was so sweet to offer to take Luke for a ride.

Finally a smile!

Showing off his new haircut...I feel like he aged about 5 years with the new cut.

the photographer's self portrait!

We will call this one..."view from the backseat"

I love this one - Luke through Blake's eyes.

Daddy and his boys

Mama and her wiggly boys!

Blake took this one...pretty good!

and this one...I love the abstract angle he used. :)

Tough Guys Wear Purple

2010-10-06T17:33:00.000-07:00

Monday was a big day for my little Louie. He had to go to Children's West and get his ear tubes removed and some bloodwork done. The process was basically the same as getting them put in so he was only put under for 15 minutes tops. We are very hopeful and optimistic that this puts an end to his staph infection once and for all. Luke was such a little doll and was so happy and agreeable for the entire day. He only cried one time and that was in recovery when the nurse was taking out the needle from his IV and trying to put a bandaid on...he was saying "no bandaid." But as soon as Mama was there he was fine. Luke was not too thrilled to wear purple scrubs/pj's. He kept telling me "I not wear them, no like it." I think it was the color. :)

Orchard Trip 2010

2010-10-06T17:28:00.001-07:00

This weekend we made our second annual trip to the Fall Harvest Orchard in Delano with some of our Step by Step friends. We had a super fun day with Jonny, Devon, Rylee and Abby! We pet the animals, picked apples and went on the wagon ride. Blake and Luke also helped Mommy pick out some pumpkins for our porch. Luke tried so hard to lift some, but they were "too heavy Mommy"!!

The Hadi Shrine Circus

2010-10-06T17:09:00.000-07:00

Who knew 20 plus years later I would be sitting at a Hadi Shrine Circus with my son??? I was so happy that I got to go on my first "field trip" as a Mom last week! Now some of you might wonder why someone who has never found clowns and the smell of elephants particularly interesting would be so excited. Well, it's because of how neat it is to see something from a 4 year olds point of view. I remember going to the circus as a kid like it was yesterday...especially the year my parents told us we were going out for ice cream and after a longer than normal drive we ended up in Evansville at the circus! And I will never forget the year that my dear sweet sisters invited a clown to the upper level just to say hello to me. :) But more than anything, I remember how cool all those acts are! Even today as an adult it is amazing to me some of the talents these people possess. Or should I say amazing lack of fear they possess! Anyway, Blake literally sat on the edge of his seat the whole time and barely made a peep. He said the elephants were his favorite, but there was a really cool motorcycle act, a puppy dressed up as a toy elephant and some ponies that really got his attention too. Thank goodness his school had a rule that you can't buy anything while you are there (since not everyone's mom and dad are there) or else we probably would have spent $50 on light up swords. Whatever happened to the plain old glow stick??

Hail the Turkey Leg

2010-10-04T15:28:00.000-07:00

Another year, another trip to the Renaissance Festival. No turkey legs for us, but it's kind of the "cheese curd" of the Renaissance Festival! We just love this festival. Where else can you go and see a tortoise pulling a wagon or see people walking around at 9 in the morning drinking mead from a medieval goblet wearing a Robin Hood-esque costume? We went with the Lamothe's including Grandpa Leonard and had such a lovely time. It was a crisp, but beautiful sunny day. The kids enjoyed making wands, riding an elephant (no Luke...he refused), riding rides (butterfly swings and the Piccolo Pony), petting snakes (don't worry I made myself scarce during that part), watching a jousting event, watching a magic show and riding a pony. Oh wait, Luke refused to ride a pony and Blake freaked out when the pony shook it's mane and had to get off. We almost got out of the place without a souvenir BUT near the exit there was a sword shop and 2 wooden swords, 2 leather sword holders and 1 wooden shield later...

Herman the German

2010-09-19T10:16:00.000-07:00

In an effort to get out of the house and try something new we made the 1.5 hour drive to New Ulm a few Sundays ago. We had never been there before and had read that it was a charming little town with a lot of German heritage. Well, not 100% true, but we still enjoyed the beautiful day and New Ulm had just enough entertainment for us to fill up a Sunday.

First stop was a Historic General Store from the mid 1800's that still had some original inventory. That was pretty neat. It was sort of like standing inside the Olsen's Mercantile on Little House on the Prairie. Then we stopped at the "pirate park" to let the boys burn some energy. Next stop, lunch. We thought for sure there would be more than TWO German restaurants in a town that boasts it's German heritage. Wrong. The one that is highly recommended was closed for Labor Day weekend. So we went to the other one which is a hotel restaurant that apparently only serves an AMERICAN brunch on Sundays. I think the hostess could sense the meltdown I was about to have and so they graciously offered to seat us in a different area and let us order off the German menu. :) After a tastey lunch of weinerschnitzel and kraut we headed to Schell's Brewery. Very neat place and pretty interesting. In hindsight our boys probably weren't quite ready for a brewery tour, but by the end we were sure ready for the tasting room! Last stop...Herman the German. Herman is atop of a really high (insert - Mommy was too afraid to climb up) monument that you could get to via spiral staircase...the kind that you can see through the steps. Blake and Kurt had no fear though and made it to the top! Unfortunately, the boys fell asleep in the car so quickly that they missed the pitstop at Dairy Queen. :)

Welcome to the Minnesota State Fair...

2010-09-19T09:49:00.000-07:00

where everything but your children are served up on a stick! We have lived here 10 years and only made it the State Fair once before. Some people go at least 10 times EVERY year! In our defense, we have taken a liking to the Renaissance Festival in leiu of the Fair and since they are neither a cheap excursion and run at the same time we have had to choose. This year we felt the need to let the boys experience the Fair. It turned out to be a lot of fun. We took off a Monday so we could go when it was less busy. It was a beautiful...and HOT! Thank goodness we hit the animal barns first! We went with our friends the Lamothe's and the kids all got such a kick out of riding a city bus to the Fair. It was pretty slick transportation. We had our fair share of yummy treats...chocolate milk, grilled cheese on a stick, catfish on a stick, apple cider popsicles, cotton candy and of course cheese curds! Blake is not a fan of cheese curds. Luke on the other hand...

The kids had fun seeing and petting the animals. Blake and Chloe had so much fun riding rides together and Luke finally got a turn. I rode with him on an airplane ride that was a little fast and jerky, but this little guy squealed and laughed the entire time. I don't think he ever quit smiling! They also enjoyed a gondola ride above the Fair, a trip up in the "Space Needle" and watching the parade. I think their favorite part of the entire day was getting their cowboy hats though. Luke really wanted a pink one, but I think the little sheriff hat fits his personality much better!

Family Pictures 2010

2010-08-21T12:52:00.001-07:00

Another year, another round of family pictures that bring a tear to my eye when I look at how happy my boys are and how much they have grown. And this year again, another photographer. We loved Jac who we used last year, but she took a break this summer after giving birth to her second son in May. But we LOVED Tamika Garscia whom we used and would recommend her to anyone in the market for a good photographer right now. Here is a link to her website...http://www.tamikagarscia.com/index2.php#/home/. She was absolutely able to capture my boys in the moment and so full of life. We scored a beautiful day for pictures and were so pleased with the results. As always, it is impossible to narrow down to my favorites so a link to all 149 images is below.

http://tgarscia.smugmug.com/Client-Access
Password: Jarrett

However is my somewhat shortened list of favorites. Enjoy!

I LOVE this picture of Blake...I see so much more than the picture itself. I think of him looking back at us with this big road (path) in front of him. It seems like such a metaphor for life. Nothing but open road ahead of you and still a need for a little reassurance to let go and run.

Luke with his hand up his shirt. Anyone that has been around him in the last year will know that he is actually hanging onto the silky tag in his shirt. It's his favorite "comfort" habit...he has a little bit of his Mama in him. ;)

Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting...

2010-08-18T16:43:00.000-07:00

Well of course they weren't, but for some reason that song comes into my head nearly everytime I think of anything related to the Asian culture. But again, of course they weren't and I am (and have been for a few weeks) back from my Asian adventure. Overall it was a pretty amazing trip. Professionally and personally I learned so much and am very glad that I had the opportunity to take a trip like this...especially the first class travel part. I traveled with 3 other women from my team and we had such a fun time together...even when we had to bunk up at the Singapore Crowne Plaza Hotel for 4 hours in the middle of the night. Insert note to tell long story another time and only to the people that really care and need some Singapore travel advice. :)

The journey began with a 12 hour flight to Japan, immediately followed by a 7 hour flight to Singapore. Ugh. Thank goodness for fully reclining seats and Ambien. From Singapore we had a much shorter flight to Surabaya, Indonesia where we spent a day with one of our vendors. We visited a factory which was very interesting. I buy furniture so you can imagine that no matter how clean they try to keep the factories, they are still filled with a haze of saw dust and an odor of paint/varnish. The workers were all so nice and were always smiling at us. :) We did have an "interesting" lunch catered in at the factory, but I can honestly say that was the only weird meal I had to eat...well except for some of the airplane food of course. There is a lot of poverty in Indonesia, I saw "homes" that would be deemed unacceptable for a family pet in the US, but entire families lived in them. The main mode of transportation in Surabaya was the moped. Entire families would ride on a single moped (no helmuts of course) with a child/toddler/infant in the front hanging on for dear life. And I mean "dear life"...they drive like maniacs.

From Indonesia we headed to Shenzhen, China via Hong Kong - population 13 MILLION. We spent 4 1/2 days there. We stayed at a Ritz Carlton in Shenzhen and it was fabulous. The city itself is huge. Felt a lot like New York, but instead of all the skyscrapers being businesses they were apartment buildings. There are no real suburbs like we know it. I ate very well while I was there with buffet breakfast every morning and really nice dinners every evening. Oddly enough we ate Italian 4 nights in a row and then ate at an Irish Pub! Target has offices in Shenzhen so we used that for a home base for the rest of our business. We took a couple more field trips to factories outside the city which were interesting. The staff in the Target office were so nice and chaperoned us everywhere. They took us shopping to a "market" and also went with us on our last day to Hong Kong where we stayed before we left for the journey home. It was so interesting to learn about their lifestyle and families and realize how lucky we are. They told us a story about how a factory outside of Shenzhen that manufactures iPhones, employees over 400,000 people. Yes, you read that number right...400,000 people. Most of which live in dormitory type facilities on the premises. They have recently had 12 employees commit suicide. Their government has gotten involved and with some research discovered that some of these individuals had figured out that the company's life insurance policy paid out more than they would ever make in their entire life. Because most of these workers support their entire families (including grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc) they were getting pressured by their families to kill themselves in order to be able to provide more. It is absolutely heartbreaking and disgusting at the same time to think that someone had to make that decision. And to think there are people in this world that are so desperate that they would even consider it. Again, we are so incredibly lucky.

Last day was in Hong Kong where we did some shopping. Hong Kong was beautiful. It is on a harbor and is very clean and again, the people are so friendly. I thought it was interesting how so many people speak English. It is one of their official languages which also means most signs, menus, etc all have an English translation. Other than England, it felt easier to navigate and socialize compared to Europe. I was able to find some great souvenirs for the boys, Kurt and I...and nieces and nephews (J & J - I promise they are coming).

Finally, 9 days later, I was back home! The time change was much tougher on the way back. It was about 12 -13 hours difference depending on where I was in Asia. I was able to call the boys every morning as I was waking up and they were having dinner. It was so weird to have lost an entire day of my life on the way over there and then get one back. I was so happy to see my guys (all 3 of them) and I know they were very anxious to see me! They survived!

I didn't take a ton of pictures, but here are a few that held meaning to me...

I never quite figured out the meaning behind the bicycle and the person on this sign, but this was the entrance to the parking garage at the market/mall and inside was CRAZY!

A view of Shenzhen outside my hotel window. It had a pretty landscape...lots of rolling hills and mountains.

No explanation needed...but this comfort of home was priceless.

A very small view of Hong Kong...multiply this times about a 100 and that is more like the size of it.

An artist at the market painting inside tiny glass beads. He was very good...and so inexpensive. :(

The "Mobile Softee" in Hong Kong (aka - ice cream truck)

Ellen, Penny and Sain - our Target hosts/chaperones

A dragon boat in the Hong Kong harbor

A break dancing contest in a mall in Shenzhen...they could really dance, who knew?

Me thinking I was really special drinking a Chinese beer until I told Kurt and he said he had had it here in the US. I'm sure it tasted better there though! :)

The chicken and duck truck...in route to a factory we could not get away from this delivery truck. It was as miserable to stare at these poor birds as I'm sure there life was at that time. :(

Bamboo scaffolding...yes, bamboo. I know it's an extremely sturdy material, but you couldn't pay me any amount of money to climb on this stuff.

up close...

Halfway around the world...

2010-07-25T19:03:00.000-07:00

Well my trip is finally upon us. Tomorrow I leave for 8 1/2 days to go to Asia. I am absolutely excited for the opportunity to travel to a part of the world I probably would not have gone to otherwise, but I definitely bittersweet to leave my boys (including Kurt) for this long. I've never been away for more than 4 nights and that was still domestic where I could at least talk to them on the phone more easily. I am really going to miss them and I hope that the time goes really fast. I know Kurt wishes that too. :) If only there was an easy way to stowe them in my luggage...

All that "wimming"...

2010-07-25T18:58:00.000-07:00

can wear a little boy out. Today we decided to let Luke skip his nap (for the record he did sleep in this morning) and we headed down to the pool after lunch. We were there for about 3 1/2 hours and the boys played/swam pretty hard. Soon after we got home, Luke went to crawl up on the couch to watch a Mickey and never even made it to the sitting up position. He fell asleep like this and like any mother and father would do...we took a picture.

This is what summer is all about...

2010-07-25T18:49:00.000-07:00

To say we love our pool would be an understatement. We L-O-V-E it. Not just the fact that we can swim in it, but it provides so much entertainment to us and has allowed us to hang out with our lovely new neighbors and build new friendships all summer. And I wouldn't be a girl if I didn't say I LOVE getting to work on my tan!!! Blake has been getting so much practice at swimming and Luke is just a little fish waiting to be let out of his tank. We got him a little floatie suit and he has found fins! I love watching their confidence build every time we go down there. The boys also associate the pool with snack time. They are like Pavlov's dog. I think if they even see a pool now they get hungry. No worries, we always come with the cooler well stocked...for the boys and for us.

Happy Birthday May May...

2010-07-25T18:47:00.000-07:00

Sorry Molly, I don't even have a new picture to post of you, but we wanted you to know how much we love you and that we wish you a happy HAPPY 9th birthday. You have brought so many smiles to our lives in the last 9 years and we couldn't imagine life without you. If I tried I could imagine what it would be like to not have a few of the stains you have put on our new carpet, but I guess they are just character builders to this new house. Love you our dear sweet May May!!

Blake's 1st Sleepover...

2010-07-25T18:06:00.001-07:00

Blake had his first sleepover last weekend and we were so happy that the honor could go to none other than his awesome cousins Jacob and Maddie. They drove all the way from Indiana to do the honors! Just kidding...we were so happy that we could be the last leg of their vacation out west. Blake really enjoyed having a sleepover in his bedroom with Jacob and Maddie. And he got to try out his new Toy Story sleeping bag that he got for his birthday. We had so much fun just hanging out at home, chillin' by the pool, taking a spin through Cabela's, teaching Jacob how to play pool, eating a yummy dinner at Rush Creek, playing pirate and "Dash", and dance party. We were so glad they could visit and hope they can come again!!

Buddies

Blake helping Jacob up after the big stunt.

"Dash" jumping over Jacob! Look at the air under there!

Luke wanting in on the action.

Don't mess with this pirate!

Luke was trying to save Jacob from the fierce pirate.

Davey Crockett...don't think so. Though he's mean enough to take on that bear!

Getting a little fire arms training from Maddie and Jacob.

Note to self - do not ask your kids to tell you what a lion says when you are trying to take their picture. :)

Me and my sister Jill. Love you!

Jacob's got some moves and he's not afraid to use them!

More dance party...

No dance party is complete without Blake breaking out his new move "shake your tail feathers." You really have to see it in person to get the full effect. :)

Such a natural.

Movies at the Park!

2010-07-25T17:57:00.000-07:00

A week ago Friday we had a date with our buddies Chloe and Jonny to go see a movie at the park. The newly opened Maple Grove Town Greene Ampitheater started doing music and movies this summer. We had a good time going to the inaugural outdoor movie, "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs," though in hindsight we probably should have arrived quite a bit earlier. We didn't end up with that great of seats so it was nearly impossible to keep three 4 year olds and a 2 year old content. They mostly had fun running around being silly and playing with the free glow bracelets that we scored. It was still a fun evening and a good chance for the boys to play with their buddies...who they won't be seeing daily anymore. :(

Time to Celebrate!

2010-07-11T18:30:00.000-07:00

We had fun celebrating our little Luke's birthday today. We started the day with donuts for breakfast (that may have been more for mom and dad than the boys) - yummy! Then after Luke woke up from his nap we had our neighbors over for cake and some play time. Luke also enjoyed getting some new toys today...and then constantly defending them all afternoon. Blake was having a little difficulty understanding why he couldn't be in control of Luke's new things and seemed to have trouble remembering that he refuses to let Luke play with any of his new birthday toys. Sharing is always an opportunity in this house. So here are some shots from his big day. It was clear that he had a lot of fun and was such a cutie pie today!

The boys showing off the new lawn mower and wheel barrow that have turned into another "piano". This time I did almost buy 2 of each and then I thought, "why, what kid can push a lawn mower and a wheel barrow at the same time?" Well ours can. And one can even ride his 4-wheeler and carry a wheel barrow, a new lawn mower and the old lawn mower all at once if it means keeping it away from the intended recipient. As a matter of fact he just got out of bed to come downstairs and get them so he can sleep with them.

Luke putting his new bugs in his new bug keeper. He really liked this too.

Blake opening Luke's only wrapped present. It is this really cool bath toy that you put on the side of the tub and it has a motor and a spout so that you can have "running water" and not have to actually run the water. Our boys have always loved to fill cups and play with running water while in the tub so this little gadget is AWESOME! And we have already tried it out tonight and successfully had a bathtime without producing tears and tantrums when the faucet was turned off.

Hearing Happy Birthday sung to him by his friends Addison and Kennedy and getting ready to blow out his candle. He isn't used to being the center of attention. I'm glad he was today.

Licking his fingers after a quick icing taste test!

Sneaking a finger or two into the icing.

Blowing out his candle...he really did it all by himself!

Good job Luke!!

Sad that Mommy took the candle away.

Trying to sneak a kiss from Addison...good thing Kennedy wasn't looking!

Thinking "I can't believe they actually gave me this big of a piece!"

Yummy!!

Happy 2nd Birthday Luke!

2010-07-10T20:11:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday little guy. I am pinching myself right now trying to believe that my little Louie is 2! Where in the world did 2 whole years go? This time 2 years ago I was wishing time to pass quickly so that I could meet you...that little person that had become my buddy for 9ish months. And I guess so the pain of your 8lb, 6oz delivery would be over. ;) All I wanted was a healthy, happy baby to complete our family and looking back today I got so much more. You have absolutely rounded out our family and we couldn't love you more. There are so many facets of Lukey that I can't begin to describe, as you have added so much fun and personality to our home. Your smile, your eyes/eyelashes, your heckle, your belly, your funny ear, your love of the word "no", your kisses ("other cheek"), your ability to take down your brother and push all of his buttons, your undeniable love and admiration for your brother, your constant concern over where everyone is ("daddy/Blakey go?"), your AWESOME ability to sleep like a champ, your dislike for the car (yes, still), your great appetite, your adorable run, your independence, your newfound swimming skills ("one, two, twee"), your singing, your firey tantrums, your nukkie and blaylee, your little frown, your perfectly time "cheese" when a camera is around, your "uppy", your love of swings and on and on.

There have been so many milestones in the past year. You learned to walk, talk, climb, run, jump and have just come into your own. You moved into a new house, switched rooms at school, made new friends, quit the bottle, went to 1 nap, learned to go down the slide all by yourself, discovered sand at school (thanks SBS for having sand on the playground...my mudroom loves it!), rode a tractor, got MRSA, got hand/foot/mouth, finished out your first set of teeth, got your first haircut, first 4-wheeler ride, first trip down the big sledding hill at French Park, rode the Twinkle Bus, first Easter egg hunt and so much more!

Your personality has started to really shine through and we have so much fun every day figuring you out! And there are definitely days where it can be a challenge to figure you out! For some reason I thought parenthood the second time around was going to be a breeze...we learned everything with Blake right? Wrong! Every child is as unique as a snowflake and so often we forget that. Even about ourselves. You (and your brother) are the most special and unique beings in our world and I am constantly thankful and grateful that I have been so lucky to have you in our lives.

Oh my little Luke, from the moment I laid eyes on you I was smitten. I don't know how I could possibly love you more. And on this day, your 2nd birthday, I hope you know that. (Don't worry, I intend to tell him this in person). Happy Birthday Lou Bug.

Birthday Fun

2010-07-10T20:03:00.000-07:00

Today we helped our sweet Chloe celebrate her 4th birthday. Blake, Luke and I went to her "Cars" party this morning which was held at the newly open "Town Green" in Maple Grove. It was right by the new library and outdoor ampitheater that look really nice. We had fun making paper airplanes, doing an egg race, racing hula hoops and playing with our friends. Oh and cupcakes and fruit snacks...who could forget that! We adore our buddy Chloe and were so happy we could help her celebrate!

And a little bit of chicken fried...

2010-07-10T19:46:00.000-07:00

cold beer on a Friday night; a pair of jeans that fit just right! Check! We finally made it! We have lived here 10 years - all of which have been on the "west side" - and this was the first time we went to the Hamel Rodeo! Friday night we headed out to the 30th annual Hamel Rodeo (located in Corcoran - go figure). It is literally a mile from our house so we had NO excuses any more. And we have 2 boys, they are supposed to like this stuff right? Well as a matter of fact, yes, they do. And we liked it too. It was really fun and a great way to spend a Friday night during the summer. I just wish my sweet, cowboy loving nephew, Jacob would have been here one weekend earlier to enjoy it! Blake enjoyed a pony ride and both boys enjoyed seeing all the horsey's, cows and cowboys. There were a lot of questions and a little concern over the bulls and why they had to "catch"/rope the calves, but in the end, both boys had a great time and I think we will definitely go back. Maybe next time we will even hire a babysitter and head out to "in K-hoots" for the Rodeo Dance...

In all seriousness though, these guys and gals do some pretty amazing things for the sake of entertainment and we are grateful for that.

Silliness

2010-07-10T19:36:00.000-07:00

On the evening of the 4th we were doing our best to keep the boys entertained until dark...which is not until after 9:00 here (aka after bedtime). Between horsey rides and "stinky feet" - mission accomplished!

Our 4th of July...

2010-07-10T19:14:00.000-07:00

Sorry this is a week late, but as you can imagine we don't have a lot of downtime...

We had a great 4th of July. For starters we had a 4 day weekend which was great because we have had a few of those here lately and I am getting used to NOT working a full work week. Last Saturday we had a nice pool day and hung out with some of our neighbors. Then on Sunday morning we got up and went to the Delano 4th of July Parade. It was so good! The parade itself was almost 2 hours long and had such a nice line up. The boys really enjoyed it and got a kick out of seeing the bands, horses and other floats. Oh and of course the candy! Who could forget that. This was the first parade we have been to where they pass out icee pops too. What a good idea for a summer parade. The best part was when some horses in the parade took a poop right in front of us and we had to be a bit more selective in which candy we let the boys pick up! Sunday evening we lit some fireworks and sparklers in at our house. Luke even got his first go at sparklers. No surprise he liked them! Later we went over to a neighbors house to see some of their fireworks. In general it was simply a nice leisurely weekend. Who could ask for a better way to spend time with your kids and reflect on how proud we are to be Americans. :)

Old firetruck from Rockford, our first home in MN was in Rockford.

Happy 4th Birthday Blake!

2010-06-30T17:24:00.000-07:00

Oh my, oh my how could it be that my little Blakey is no longer 3! Blake officially turned 4 today. Wow! I have never experienced 4 years going this quickly. The 4 years each I spent in High School and College went by MUCH slower than this...and those are the years you want to fly by! I was telling a friend today at work how I wish children came with a pause button. I don't want them to be babies forever, but I wish you could just push pause from time to time to really enjoy the stage they are currently in. But, since you can't...here we are celebrating his 4th birthday. This time with a "hamburger cake" that he saw at Target a few months ago and has wanted ever since.

I want my little buddy to know that every day since he came into this world (and even the days/months prior to that) I have cherished every breath, every blink, every tear, every smile, every word, every kiss and every hug. He has truly made my life more wonderful than I ever could have imagined. Add to that the love we have for Luke and our family is complete.

Blake is such a fun little boy to be around. He is turning into such a social butterfly and making new friends all the time. Oddly enough, there are 3 "Blakes" in our neighborhood and he has been dubbed "little Blake." He loves to sing, dance, be read to, swim, ride his 4-wheeler, play with his friends, pretend (especially with his pirate and Dash costumes), play legos, play with all of his new play mobile toys (think cross between barbies and little people for boys), snack, watch tv (favorites include Mickey, Curious George, Clifford, Arthur, and more recently Phinneas and Ferb), and hang out with all of us. Blake still hasn't outgrown his asthma or eczema so we have to keep a constant watch on that and keep him on a regular breathing treatment schedule for prevention. It's hard for us to see him struggle some times, but he has such a will to keep going that it really doesn't slow him down.

He is a great kid and we are so blessed to have him in our lives. I look at this picture below quite often and pinch myself that we have come this far. What an amazing journey it has been so far and I am quite sure we have so many more wonderful years & memories yet to make. I love you Blake!!

Thank you for visiting Mammaw!

2010-06-28T19:33:00.000-07:00

We were so happy to have Mammaw come and visit this past week. We had a nice visit with a good balance of activity and some time for the boys to just be themselves and entertain her! Mammaw was convinced she was going to turn our "no" boy (Lukie) into a "yes" boy. I regret to report that I cannot say Mission Accomplished! You can't tame this wild mustang!

It was a beautiful day on Thursday so we headed to downtown Minneapolis to visit my office and coworkers at Target. She got to see my new office and great view of the Twin's Stadium. ;) Then we took a stroll down Nicollet Mall and enjoyed the Farmer's Market and finally took a spin past the stadium before heading back to the Grove. Friday was spent getting some things ready for the party and relaxing. Saturday was the big day and it never really stopped after the party either. We had kids in and out of the house all day. Saturday night our new friends and neighbors, the Jennings, had us over for dinner and drinks. It was so much fun and my Mom had a nice time visiting with their Grandma who is temporarily living with them. Sunday we all needed a break so we headed down to the pool after lunch. Blake got to show off all of his new swimming skills to Mammaw and Luke showed what a little dare devil he is too! Kurt was nice enough to take the boys back to the house for naps after swimming and my Mom and I got to lay at the pool for a while and relax. Sunday evening we went to dinner at Rush Creek. It was so yummy and we literally had the whole place to ourselves. Finally today she met her toughest challenge yet...watching both boys while Kurt and I went back to work. I know she enjoyed it, but I'm sure she will be ready to go back home and get some real relaxation!

We thoroughly enjoyed our time spent with her and are so happy she could come. Hopefully she will get to come back again this year...and drag their buddy Pappaw with her!!Thank you for the wonderful memories Mom!!

An "Incredible" Birthday Party!

2010-06-28T14:45:00.000-07:00

Blake has never been into watching movies UNTIL Daddy recorded "The Incredibles" this winter. It is his absolute favorite movie...and to be honest, is a pretty good movie. We have watched it numerous times too and still get a kick out of each time. His favorite character, no surprise, is Dash. He even looks like him. We have him believing he is as fast as Dash too!

So, this Saturday we hosted Blake's 4th birthday party. Blake originally wanted a Clifford birthday party, but once we saw that the Incredibles were an option, there was no other choice. And to make it even better, I found a Dash costume online that I knew would make him the happiest kid on the block. The party was so much fun. It really began on Friday afternoon when the bouncy castle arrived a day early. The boys (and Kurt and I) had a blast jumping around before the storm came. And when I say storm I mean STORM! Our yard was a swamp with a new creek running in the back. The gazebo/tent we put up about an hour before the storm started was crumbled by the crazy downpour and hail. But the bouncy castle survived!

Saturday morning was a little bit of a scramble to find alternative/non-yard activities for the 15 kiddos set to arrive at 10:30, but everything ended up to be just perfect. The kids had a blast jumping in the castle, making super hero masks, and painting. We ended up with nice sunny weather and a house-ful of wonderful children, friends, neighbors and the very special guest...Mammaw! After a few hours of playing, eating a yummy lunch and celebrating with cupcakes it was time to open presents. Blake has such generous and kind friends. A big thank you to all of them for making his day so special!

I can't believe he's turning 4 this week! Yikes where did the time go?? I'll do a Happy Birthday post when I have pinched myself...

Decision Day

2010-06-18T18:53:00.000-07:00

Today Kurt and I made one of our biggest parenting decisions yet. We have decided to move the boys from their current school to a new one. We love Step by Step, but decided Montessori wasn't the best fit for a particular member of our family. :) It has been a decision that we have toyed with for a while, but finally got the courage to make this week. There are so many teachers, families and children that we love there. And this institution has become our boys' second home. Or maybe primary since they have spent the majority of their waking life there. We will miss Step by Step and would still highly recommend it to those looking for Montessori education. We have forged some great friendships and know that those will continue no matter where the boys go to school.

We were very happy to have found what we were looking for in the Cradle Club. It's actually downtown, which is a big change for us. We are so used to the boys being close to home rather than close to work. This means they will be joining us during our commute now. No more quiet time for Mommy and Daddy! What this also means is that they will be with us more and at school a little less. They will also be less than a 5 minute walk from my work and I can join them for lunch or breakfast whenever I want. The teaching style is different and we believe it will be a better fit for B. He is very excited to be going to school in the "city" now. I have quite a few coworkers who send their kids there and had very good things to say...that definitely makes us feel more comfortable with the transition.

We have started prepping him that Chloe and Jonny won't be in his class anymore, but I know it hasn't sunk in. It's going to be a tough transition, but at least we expect it and can prepare for it. Then again, we thought taking his pacifier was going to be a terrible struggle and that potty training was going to be a nightmare. But he proved us wrong. Let's hope he does that again. The big day will come at the end of July...wish us luck!

The Porch Gardner

2010-06-07T18:41:00.000-07:00

I will never claim to be as good a gardner as my wonderful Mother...but, I do think I did a pretty good job on my porch planters. I will admit that I had a little help from Dundee Nursery with the shade vs full sun question and ideas for "layering". I won't be biting off any more gardening projects. As fun as it was, it still is not my thing and I am content watering every other day and sitting back to watch them grow. Can't wait for my Mom to see them in person!

Don't Blink

2010-06-07T17:53:00.000-07:00

I wish I could get a better picture, but our dear sweet Blake is so hard to capture in a picture. To say he is moving a million miles an hour is an understatement. In general he doesn't like his picture taken and most of the time he is fidgeting or moving on from one thing to another so quickly you just can't catch him. He is such a sweet little boy though and I am REALLY having a hard time believing he is almost 4!

Could it really have been 4 years ago that Kurt and I were getting the bag ready for the hospital, reading every thing I could about labor signs just in case he decided to come early (which he didn't and decided to come 8 days late), rocking in the brand new unstained (who knew we would have a newborn with reflux) glider daydreaming about whether I was having a little Blake or a Whitney/Lauren/Natalie/Meg. Yet sometimes it feels as if it were yesterday. I think back through all the milestones he/we've achieved...smiling, rolling, crawling, walking, talking, singing, talking back, climbing, counting, kissing and on and on. I do love the stage we are in now. It's so nice to have conversation with him and really see into his personality. I had an epiphany the other night and realized though he may resemble Kurt more than I, he has my personality through and through. Even the quirky parts. I could list a million reasons why I am so blessed to have my Blakey Bear in my life, but here are just a few:

1. He too, is just so darn cute - He's one of those people that when he smiles, his eyes smile too. I love how his hair gets this multi toned yellow blonde during the summer. Girls pay good money for this color treatment! And his cheeks...4 years later they are still his best feature.

2. To hear him laughing or giggling is intoxicating. I love watching him catch on to something funny knowing it will produce a belly laugh.

3. I love how he likes to wear his shirt with the neck tie on it (the one courtesy of Aunt Jill) on days when Daddy has to wear a tie to work. ;)

4. His confidence at swimming and riding his bike & 4 wheeler make me so proud. He is really getting good/brave and I am excited for the next round of swim lessons to start so he can learn more and continue to improve.

5. How he likes to assign a Mommy and Daddy to everything. He is always so curious about whether or not a character or animal in a book has a Mommy and Daddy. It reminds me of how important our relationship is to him. We watched ET the other night and all he could focus on was "why did ET's mommy leave." We thought we were going to have to explain aliens, other galaxies/planets, etc. Nope. We just had to keep reassuring him that ET's mommy would be back at the end of the movie.

6. He still likes to read with us every night and "talk" afterward. He isn't the easiest guy to get settled down and keeping him out of our bed has increasingly become more difficult, but I'll admit I do like to have him close by sometimes...except when he has decided to sleep perpendicular instead of parallel.

7. He wants to talk about and do grown up stuff, yet he is still so little in my eyes.

8. He is ALWAYS so excited to see us after school and runs with open arms to hug us.

9. I also love how every day we ask him what he learned at school today and he says "nuffing". I can assure you our money is not going to waste even if he doesn't admit to learning anything. ;)

10. Hearing him say I Love You. Nothing better. Period.

Funny Face

2010-06-07T17:25:00.000-07:00

Luke has recently picked up an expression that Kurt and I have dubbed as "funny face." We have no idea what started it, but it can put a smile on your face no matter the mood. He used to only do it at dinner time, but now because he knows it makes us laugh he'll do it anywhere. It's a pretty standard, "close your eyes, scrunch your nose and show all your teeth when you smile", but seeing my baby do it just lights up my day.
Which reminds me of we are about 1 month out from the big number 2! I can't believe it. The last year has been an absolute whirlwind and I nearly pinch myself every day to try and remember I have a toddler now and not a little baby. :( What a joy this little guy is though. He certainly still has his days...the Grouchmaster 2008. After almost 2 years I have given up on the idea that it's still lingering colic and realized he is just an ultra sensitive, strong willed, risk taking, verbal version of his Dad and I. But more than anything we love our little Louie/Lou Bug for all these reasons and so many more...

1. He's just so darn cute - even when you tell him no and that bottom lip comes up and the eyes puff up, I just melt.

2. His soft floppy brown hairdo - that has been cut twice now, but I definitely take my time in between.

3. His ability to sleep like a champ - LOVE that!

4. That he's a little mockingbird - it is so much fun to hear him repeat everything and practice all of his words...which are finally too many to note or count. He talks all the time and knows so many phrases and words. Pretty sure his favorite thing to say is "no Mommy." We are getting excitedly close to the phase where we might be able to reason with him...keep your fingers crossed.

5. His singing - he knows a handful of songs and loves to sing them. Twinkle Twinkle, Happy Birthday, Slippery Fish, Bumble Bee, Hello My Friends...

6. His run - that has a lot of hip movement and steps but yet gets him no where. Unless you count down...he falls ALL the time, including a really bad asphalt face plant this weekend. One bloody nose & lip and a scratch between his eyes later, we are all fine. :)

7. How he knows how to push Blake's buttons - he knows saying "no Blakey" to Blake will drive him up a wall. It can be fun and un-nerving to listen to all at the same time.

8. The way he drives his little red car like Fred Flintstone. He loves being outside and playing in his car, with his toy lawn mower, wagon rides, you name it if it has wheels he loves it.

9. The way he stands on the edge of the pool (in the exact same spot every time) and yells "1-2-3" and jumps like such a big boy. He is so much more of a risk taker than Blake ever was. He is a climber, a fighter and loves to slide (even the big ones).

10. The way he can be such a sweet little teddy bear when he's in the mood. I love reading to him at night. It's fun to see him have as much interest in books as Blake always has. We enjoy reading about Maisy the Mouse every night and his absolute favorite is Brown Bear.

Home Sweet Home

2010-05-17T18:10:00.000-07:00

Finally! It will take a few years (or decades) for the landscaping to fill out, but the outside of our new house is finally done! While we were in Indiana the painters came and finished painting our garage doors. And we have spent the last 3 weekends getting the porch just right with furniture and flowers. We love it and feel like we can fnally relax a bit. I am anxious for this warm weather to stick around so we can sit on the porch and rock while the boys ride their bikes and play with their neighborhood friends. Now we just need people to build on either side of us so we can get rid of the dirt mounds and overgrown clover!

Prairie Lake 2010

2010-05-17T17:55:00.001-07:00

This past Saturday we made our 2nd annual trip to Prairie Lake, Wisconsin to spend the day with Kurt's coworker Rodney and his lovely wife, Dawn. This year was even better than last...it was MUCH warmer! We had a great time eating, relaxing and taking a super long boat ride. The boys once again got a nice nap in on the boat too. We were mesmerized by the number of eagles we saw. We saw about 3 or 4 nests and at least a dozen eagles. We even saw one getting a little snack out of the lake! The kids had a blast and Molly did too. It's one of the few places these days we can let her run off the leash (she really misses the fenced in backyard of our old house). It was a beautiful day and we had a ton of fun!

Not ready for this...

2010-05-04T05:50:00.000-07:00

Well, it's started to happen...grown up questions from an almost 4 year old. Twice in the last week Blake has brought up dying. Ouch! Wasn't there an easier topic we could have started with?

One evening last week Blake told me he had to tell me something that happened at school. He proceeded to tell me how one of their class birds had died. He said he was sad but he was going to be a good friend to the other bird. Miss Yelena had told the kids that one bird died and now all the kids had to be the remaining bird's friends because he was lonely. She also apparently told them that maybe they would see the other (the dead one) bird out the window of an airplane someday. Hmmm? Not sure about that one, but hey that was good enough for Blake so we moved on quickly from that conversation.

Then last night came...

Every night Kurt or I read to Blake. A while back I started something where after we are done reading we "talk". It's like clockwork, Blake says "let's talk", then he gets all nestled down in his bed, he turns on his side and then flashes his cute little smile and says "what should we talk about?" The topics vary widely. Sometimes it's about whoever's birthday or birthday party is coming up, sometimes it's about "back when he was in my belly", you get the idea. Last night he asked me "why do people get died?" At first I was really hoping he meant "get their hair dyed" but I figured I wasn't that lucky. I asked why he was asking. Nothing. So, I began to tell him that sometimes when people have lived a REALLY long and happy life or if they get really sick or hurt, they die. I could see the worrying starting in his eyes, especially since he was home sick yesterday. Then he asked me if Grandma and Grandpa's die. Crap. I said yes, but said not for a very long time. I was starting to choke back tears myself when he asked the real humdinger..."do little boys and girls die?" CRAP!!! So I said what any of us would say. No.

I then went on to tell him that he was going to live forever alongside Mommy and Daddy and Luke. I realize I will have to some major explaining someday, but for now, I'm okay with him thinking he will never live a day without us. And hopefully we are done with this conversation topic for a few years.

Next stop...Jarrett families

2010-04-24T19:01:00.001-07:00

The last half of our trip was spent with Kurt's family. Our first stop was in Greenfield to see his grandparents and his Aunt and her family. His Dad and Susie also drove down from Huntington to visit with us and have dinner. We had a very nice visit and a wonderful dinner getting to see Aunt Debbie and Uncle Tim and their two children and families. It was so nice to meet little Ainsley and get to see Xavier and Trent. And of course it is also fun to chat with Tara, Gabe and Shantel. ;) Unfortunately, it was a little busy at dinner so I didn't get a chance to pull out the camera.

We also took the boys to Riley (as in James Whitcomb Riley) Park in Greenfield. We brought Harold along with us and he enjoyed getting to see the boys play and run free for a while. Luke got some sliding out of his system and there were these little spinner things that made the boys so dizzy but they thought it was so much fun. We all got a kick out of how they couldn't even walk after they got off! Luke didn't care too much for getting dizzy.

After our stop in Greenfield, we headed further north to Warsaw to visit with Grandma Lana and Kurt's 3 brothers. We had a yummy lunch at a park in town and the boys' got to play with their cousins, Jonah and Annabelle for a few hours. It was great for us to get to see Jonah and Annabelle too. They have grown so much since we last saw them. Jonah is just a man on a mission and couldn't be any cuter. Annabelle has such a sweet little personality and is absolutely the girl version of Brett! Kurt got to spend some time catching up with his brothers and Mom. Our boys' had fun climbing, sliding, playing basketball, playing in the sand and swinging. And swinging, and swinging, and swinging. I think I pushed Luke on the baby swing for over an hour. It was around nap time and the swing faced a lake so I think he was entranced. Every time I asked him if he wanted to go do something else he would say in his cute little voice "no." Later that evening we enjoyed dinner at Hacienda with Lana.

We also had fun swimming a couple of times at the hotel. Blake has become a pro at jumping to his Daddy off the edge. Even Luke got in on the action with his little "I jump!"

Then after a leisurely Friday morning, we hit the road back home. We decided to drive straight through this time (11 hours). It wasn't TOO bad. We had a few "moments"...like having to quickly stick a diaper on Blake while we were driving through stop 'n go Chicago traffic because, of course, that was the moment when he had to "pee really, really bad." So, we made it back...safe and sound. We had a great time, but were glad to sleep in our own beds again. The boys have had lots of fun today playing and not being confined to their car seats! :)

Every 3 Year Old's Dream...

2010-04-24T16:08:00.000-07:00

The first stop on our trip was Mammaw and Pappaw Grady's farm in Spencer. We were able to spend a few wonderful days visiting with my Mom and Dad. It was so fun to see the boys bonding with them. My Boys were instantly infatuated with Cotton and Ellie (my parent's dogs). They were always heading up to their kennel to talk to them, pet them and give them a treat (with Pappaw). As soon as we got to their house on Saturday, my Dad had the tractor ready to go. You can only imagine how excited Blake was to get to ride on a real tractor and do some digging in a giant dirt pile. He was so serious about doing "work" and was living every 3 year old boy's dream. Even Luke got in on the action too. He liked riding the little "tractor"...mainly because he could climb on and off on his own.
(Yes, my Dad is wearing a Purdue hat. What can I say, we were card carrying Bobby Knight fans...there are some things you just don't mess with in Indiana and IU Basketball was one of them! For the record, he sported Texas Tech when he could.)

Look at that concentration!

Luke and Mammaw riding the little tractor.

On Sunday, we got the chance to hang out with my 2 Sisters and their families, my Grandparents and my 2 Aunts. It was so much fun to chat and see all of my nieces and nephews. They have grown SO much! My oh my how time flies! I can remember when each of them were my children's ages and it seems like yesterday. My Mom really did it up with some of my favorites...beans & cornbread, strawberry/rhubarb pie and carrot cake!! I won't need to eat for a few months after this trip!
My Grandparents with all the grandkids...Annie (10), Blake (3), Jacob (9), Drew (9), Alex (14), Luke (1 1/2) & Maddie (12).

Another highlight of Sunday, was the "field of dreams" diamond my Dad created in their yard. My Dad is a huge baseball lover and was quite the pitcher in his college years. ;) Knowing how much Blake and 2 of my nephews like to play ball, he mowed a diamond in the yard and made bases for them to play. It was a hit! The boys/men played ball nearly all day! My Dad even pitched to Blake for a bit and he made contact quite a few times. Luke wasn't quite ready for "homerun derby" yet, so he was entertained all day by Maddie and Annie. They are the best babysitters!

(Yes, that's a Minnesota hat...much better)

Jacob taking a rest in the outfield.

Look at that form!

Swing, batter, swing!

Must have been a bad pitch! ;)

On Monday, we picked up my Mom and took a trip over to campus (Indiana University) to walk around and discuss how kids must be starting college when they are 12 these days based on how young they look. There is NO way we looked that young at 18 to 22...right? We hit up the new version of Steve and Barry's to stock up on IU tees and then to Village Pizza for lunch. I love that pizza! Campus was just beautiful with all the red and white tulips in bloom. We also let the boys burn a little energy at a playground at McCormick's Creek State Park where we stay while in Spencer. It's a beautiful park and we had some nice weather to enjoy it for a bit.

Blake wanted to sit on Herman B Welles' lap. He thought it was Barack Obama. Infer whatever you want...just remember he's 3 1/2!

There's Trouble!

As always, our time with my family goes way too fast. I always find myself wishing for another day, or two, or three!! But we certainly treasure the memories made and I know we all part looking forward to the next opportunity to see each other. Thank you for making our visit so fun! We love you Grady/Risley families!!

Are we there yet?

2010-04-24T15:59:00.000-07:00

We began our trip back home to Indiana last Friday afternoon. It's been almost 18 months since we last made this road trip and we were anxious/excited to see our families. It's a long trip and there is a lot of ground to cover with both of our families being from there but at opposite ends of the state. We knew this time was going to be a wee bit more challenging with a preschooler and a toddler in tow. Unfortunately, none of our family members have padded rooms for us to lock the boys in to burn off some of that "all boy" energy! We were fortunate that this was the first trip where Blake wanted to watch movies the whole time in the car. Whoever invented the portable DVD player/TV is a Saint! Luke was a tad bit more difficult to keep entertained. ;)

On the way there we made pretty good time and drove until about 11:30 Friday night. The boys had been asleep for about 2 1/2 hours when we finally stopped at a hotel for the night. Luke was so upset from being woken up that he started crying really bad and ended up puking in the bed we were sharing. That was fun.

We made a lot of new memories on this trip. One of which will make me smile forever...we had just got to Woodbury, MN at the start of our trip (for the non-Minnesotans, this is suburb about 45 minutes away from our starting point) and Blake asked his first (of many)..."are we there yet?"

Hoppy Easter 2010

2010-04-04T16:20:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter everyone! We had a wonderful day. We thought we were getting a little rain this weekend, but apparently the weathermen didn't know what they were talking about. Thank goodness...and thank goodness those Butler Bulldogs have shown all their doubters they don't know what they are talking about either! Go Butler!!

So, we ended up with a beautiful sunny day today and had a nice brunch, Easter egg hunt and trip to our playground with our friends Aleksandra, Natalia and Chad. Our boys woke up to a special delivery from the Easter bunny too. He was so kind to leave it on the front door step, just in case Blake was a little scared about him coming inside our house while he was sleeping. (I can't really blame him...that's a weird thought.

Surprise - the Easter Bunny came!

The Easter Bunny brought Luke a new watering can.

and a chocolate bunny and M&M's.
and bubbles...

Good times at the playground - Wee!

Hitch'in a ride...Blake taught Aleksandra how to ride his 4-wheeler today.

Luke realizing it's much easier to find eggs from someone else's basket!

Group shot - always impossible. Especially when Mommy says "look at the airplane" to get their attention and then they all start turning around to look in the sky!

Comparing their loot.

Looking hard!

Found one!