Last Days of Summer, Cousins, Fall, New Baby, Fire Station, & Halloween!

I can't believe it's already November 1st! It seems that in the last 2 months, the old saying "time flies when you're having fun" has really held true for us!

We started out September with an adults-only trip to the Renaissance Festival with good friends. We try to make in an annual trip. Sort of a last "hurrah" for the teachers in our life before they have to go back to school.
Here the 3 amigos (now related by marriage) enjoy some Renaissance beverages together!

Then in mid-September, the boys and I headed down to Illinois to help distract the cousins (and Aunt Katie) while they awaited the arrival of their new baby sister! It was a great trip, with visits to the arboretum, an orchard, and a train restaurant!

Can you imagine riding in THIS minivan??

True to form, Miles demanded to join his brother and cousins in the bouncy house...and LOVED it! In fact, he is the only one who Uncle Alex had to go in and retrieve when it was time to go!

Um, I thought our apples were in that bucket?

Your food gets delivered by a train!!The end of September and early October brought a very early fall.

Yes, Grandma, I do let them jump off of their picnic table into the pile of leaves!

The first weekend in October brought a surprise last-minute trip for me back to Illinois to take care of Izzie and Abbie while their new baby sister was being born! It was so special to be there! Welcome Emelia Alexandra!

Awwwww....what a happy family!

Admiring their new sister...

Back home, Miles was being diagnosed with croup. Although we made it to the ECFE fire station field trip that week, we didn't do much else for the next 2 weeks due to coughs, cold, and even fevers!

Finally, healthy and back to "normal" to celebrate Halloween. We prefer the "Mr. Pumpkin-Head" route to pumpkin decorating...seems a little safer at this time in our lives! :)

And my Spiderman and Tigger are still coming off of their sugar highs after a fun Halloween night!

SIlly Miles

It's hard to believe my baby is already 18 months old! He has become such a "little boy" this summer! It is so fun to watch him discover and explore everything around him, although he certainly interacts with the world in his own unique way! He frustrates us and challenges us every single day, but also makes us smile and laugh daily!

Miles LOVES shoes, and loves to try on different shoes whenever the spirit moves him to do so!
Last night, it was cowboy boots with pjs...
Silly cowboy!

Much to our relief, Miles is finally interested in books. He actually sits still (almost) long enough to read now, and likes to point out pictures of anything round that could be a "ball." His favorite book is one about bears, that he picked out all by himself at a bookstore. He pulled it off the shelf and wouldn't let go, so I bought it, mostly to avoid a screaming scene. Wouldn't you know it, he LOVES it and picks it out to read every night at bedtime!

And, of course, Miles insists on doing everything his big brother does. Mostly this just leads to dangerous situations such as steps, big slides, and 2-wheel bicycles. (On the cowboy boot picture you can just make out the almost-needed-stitches cut on his left forehead. Deep, but small. Scars are cool, right?)
However, he has now pooped on the Elmo potty 3 times in the last 3 days, at no prompting from mom or dad! Just asks to take his clothes off, then marches in and sits down on the potty!!

I think he is just as amazed as we are at his "work!"

Dress-up and Last Weekend

We like to play dress-up a lot lately. Jonas has a favorite costume he calls "Spiderman," although it is really a Power Rangers outfit! To my knowledge, he has never seen a Spiderman cartoon OR a Power Rangers cartoon, so I'm not sure how he decided what to call it. He also apparently knows what the "real" Spiderman looks like, because we have recently purchased some Spiderman socks and stickers after he spotted them at Target. So, Ben and I are now debating...do we allow the charade to continue and let him wear the Power Rangers costume for Halloween, even though he is going to tell people he is Spiderman? Or do we spare the kid (and ourselves) some explaining, and just get him a "real" Spiderman costume to wear?? Hmmm...the decisions of a parent!

Miles prefers to dress-up as...ummm...a pirate doctor??

Dr. Jonas

Last Friday and Saturday Ben did a crazy road race that went from Winona, MN, to Minneapolis. It was with a team of former Luther Wrestlers. (Wrestlers as distance runners, you ask? I wonder about this, also...) Anyway, they ran in shifts. Ben did about 13 miles over 3 separate shifts. One of his runs was at about 3 in the morning!

So, of course, he slept for about 16 hours straight Saturday evening until Sunday morning.

Meanwhile, the kids and I hung out with PaPa and JuJu and cousins Noelle and Joshua.

The bespectacled grandpa reads to Jonas and Noelle...

Team Barclay.

Jenn did the 3-mile Breast Cancer Walk. We went to cheer her on at one of the cheering stations! I am so amazed at her ability to do all the necessary fundraising and training, as well as work, be a mom, etc! Go Jenn!

Jonas spends some quality time with Uncle Nic. Note the toy gun that JuJu has at her house that Ben used to play with when he was a boy. Oh, how times have changed. I have agreed to allow Jonas to play with it ONLY inside PaPa and JuJu's house. Do not go outside, do not go in the car, do not pass go, and definitely do not come to my house! :)

Summer '09

Here are some fun times from our summer so far (I refuse to believe it's over yet!)

Aunt Katie shows Izzie how to roast a marshmallow and Grandma and Grandpa's.

Jonas and Abbie are already pros.

We wait (patiently, I'm sure) for Ben to finish his triathlon in Chisago City.

Jonas also did his first triathlon that weekend. Here, he shows off his number. Although he looks excited here, the mood was ruined when he was re-directed on the bike course. He leaped off his bike and burst into tears when he was blocked from riding out into the street like the older kids. He refused to get back onto his bike, and walked the rest of the course with Ben. During the run portion of the race, he even shouted at the cheering crowds, "I'm NOT running!"

We braved our First Annual Family Camping Trip. Ok, so it was only 24 hours! But, we wanted to start slowly. Everyone did really well, and Jonas keeps asking when we can go again!

The campground is just off of a beautiful paved bike trail, which provided the perfect entertainment for the boys.

Roasting marshmallows...mmmmmm!

Miles "experiments" after observing Dixie drinking from her water dish!

Mmmmmmm....push-ups!

And this picture pretty much sums up how we've been spending most of our summer! Bike riding, bike riding, and more bike riding! And 18 month old Miles refuses to be left out!

Recent Adventures...

So, I'm going to use the same excuse that I always do to explain why I haven't posted in so long...
We've been really busy! I know, I've tried that one before, but it's really true!

Some of our recent adventures...

The neighbors got married...ok, so not just "the neighbors"...these are the Dreshers!
Welcome to the family, Emily! :)

Memorial Day bike ride...don't the boys look excited?

Ben built a new swing set in the backyard! We've already spent many hours playing!

So far we've had 2 backyard picnics...

Miles got a new "big boy" haircut. You might be able to see the chocolate stains on his shirt from the M&M's I had to feed him to get him to sit still. Thank goodness for our good-natured hair stylist!

A little brother love...

Last day of ECFE for the year...we'll be eagerly awaiting September!

This is what Miles thought of "garage-saling" with me in Rochester one Saturday morning while Jonas and Ben went fishing (in a real boat!) with some friends.
And, yes, the picture is a bit off-center because I took it while I was driving! But soooooo CUTE!

Beach-lovin' Fools!

Talk about a rowdy Spring Break! You should have seen this crew on the beach in Florida mid-March!!

Lots of half-naked bodies... (Where's the pool?)

The pool at the condo was as warm as bath water! And although I am generally anti-water-wings, this trip was all about Grandma and Grandpa, so water-wings happened...

The "M" family was definitely partying hard!

Sometimes we were so wild and crazy, we had to nap on the beach!

But most of the time we could be found splashing in the surf...

digging in the sand...

building sand castles (I think the dads did this more than the kids!)...

carrying buckets of water (many, many buckets of water)...

burying Uncle Alex in the sand...

and just having a blast!

Grandpa and Grandma even took Abbie and Jonas on a special "Pirate Cruise!"

"Yo, ho, ho!" Hmmm...I bet there are a lot of Spring Break pictures out there that look JUST like this!!! :)

We had a fun time!

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

1st Birthday (or should I say "non-birthday)!

Ok, well the first 2 pictures aren't from Miles' Birthday party, but they were worth posting.
First, a rare moment of sharing between brothers. This is one of many pictures I snapped while the sharing was happening...it was so cute. Miles was SO pleased with himself that he was getting to eat part of Jonas's apple!

Here are the toy binoculars that Jonas got as a "prize" at Cost Cutters after his recent haircut. Seriously, they have provided so much fun, I would have paid $12 just for the binoculars! He says he is "just like Diego with his 'telescopes.'"

And here's the Birthday Boy...you can't read it very well in this picture, but his t-shirt says "Leap This!"

The following two pictures capture the only 2 seconds that Miles actually participated in the gift-opening. Most of it was done by Jonas and cousin Noelle while Miles proudly carried around the new toothbrush that he got in the 1st gift he opened. Unlike Jonas, who barely poked a finger into his 1st birthday cake, Miles really got into it!!

Mmmmmmmmmmm....I LOVE CAKE!

Inauguration 2009

January 20th, 2009 - Washington D.C.
WE WERE THERE!

7 am- We've made to the city relatively easily on the Metro - looking down the street we see several hundred people headed in the same direction as us!

It seems like everyone is looking for someplace they can't find...the yellow gate, the silver gate, the Mall, or the purple gate, like us. Why is this large bus parked across the intersection? Could the fabled purple gate be beyond it? Why are there no signs? Police officers? At one point word gets passed back through the crowd that we MUST move back, because the fabled gate cannot physically be opened due to the crowd pushing up against it. (This turned out to be purely rumor.) After an hour at a stand-still here, a group of police officers come through and direct everyone with purple tickets (yes! that's us!) down and around the block, where we reportedly will be "merged" back into the "line" for the purple gate.

So we walked with the rest of the mob around the corner - there was no line. Perhaps some people standing against a fence since 4 am FELT they had begun a nice line...but this had clearly deteriorated throughout the morning since there were no ropes, barriers, signs, etc to guide the line-forming. And when a mob of hundreds of people (including us) rounded the corner (per the direction of police, I might add) the only choice was to wiggle toward the gate.
We seemed to be good wigglers, because soon we were on the other side of the first "gate," looking out at the swarm of people waiting. A few thousand of these people wouldn't ever get through the gate, even though they had a ticket for the inauguration! I guess it pays to be a little bit pushy at times!


Finally, the purple gate...and room to walk!
We settled into our standing-room only space on the Capitol grounds. On the far right of this picture you can see the red-curtained arch where all the action happened. You can see Obama through the trees, right? On the far left of the picture you can see the edge of the Jumbotron that helped us view the ceremony. Of course, I was holding the camera over my head in this picture and at 5'4" even the Jumbotron was hard to see!
Here we are, celebrating a new era of HOPE!Sha-nah-nah-nah, sha-nah-nah-nah, hey, hey, hey - GOODBYE!

Then across the street to Congressman Walz's office for sitting, snacking, warming, and bathrooms after 7 hours of standing in the cold!

Finally, back downtown to pick up some Obama gear!

The "Peace Tree"???

REALLY?

On Wednesday Ben and I walked around the Mall to see the sites. One of our last stops was the White House. President Obama...where are you? Not out on the lawn today?

Christmas 2008

Our holiday celebration started the evening of the 22nd with our own little family Christmas party.

Jonas got some costumes and Miles got some new toys (mostly so that we could fairly refer to these new toys as "Miles' toys" in order to reinforce the concept of sharing for Jonas!)

After a short Christmas Eve visit to PaPa and JuJu's (we would be returning later in the week) we headed to Grandma and Grandpa M.'s so we could wake up there Christmas morning.

Miles really loved bows!

Not really a Christmas-y picture, but here's a great one of Miles at snack time.

In our whole week of family time and Christmas celebration, I was unsuccessful at getting a good picture of all the cousins together. Here are some tries. Notice the sweet girl cousins with almost the same pleasant expression in every shot...then notice Jonas's not-so-pleasant expression and my boys coming to blows!

I had the same luck getting a picture of Grandma and Grandpa and the grandkids.

Then, cousins Noelle and Joshua FINALLY returned from their Christmas vacation so we could all celebrate together with Papa and JuJu and special visitors Uncle James and Gaurav.

Noelle and Jonas could barely see over their piles of presents!!

I didn't try to take any group pictures at Papa and JuJu's because we got some formal family portraits taken...unfortunately my boys cooperated about as well then as they did in the photos above. We did end up getting at least one good one of every pose, though!

Stay tuned for updates coming soon about our January events: Saturday AM swimming lessons for Jonas, Ben and Robyn's trip to D.C. for the inauguration in one week (we got tickets!) and hopefully a video of Miles performing his new trick....HE WALKS. Just this morning he surprised us by taking 4 steps in a row all by himself. He repeated his performance several more times throughout the day, but never for the video camera!

Potty-training

Age at which my mother-in-law says all three of her boys finally agreed to potty-training: 2 1/2
Number of days over age 2 1/2 Jonas is today: 6
Number of diapers worn today: 2 (one upon awakening, one at bedtime)
Number of pairs of underwear worn today: 3 (plus 1 pull-up at naptime)
Number of different pants worn today: 4
Number of loads of laundry I did today: 2
Number of minutes between each trip to the bathroom: between 60 and 75
Number of times he actually peed in the potty: 4 or 5
Approximate number of dollars we'll save each month in diapers when Jonas gets this figured out: 50

Having your 2 1/2 + 6 days - old wake up one morning and announce, with quite a bit of conviction, that he no longer needs to wear a diaper: PRICELESS!!

December

Here are some miscellaneous December pictures.
I hope the first two aren't signs of how much trouble we may be in with son #2!

Miles, the climber. And you can't tell from the picture, but that is actually a rocking chair that he is standing in!

Miles helps with the recycling.

Dixie lounges in the living room. I think someone may have forgotten to tell her that she is actually a dog.

Grandma - the sweater fits!

Decorating the tree.

The best picture I could get of them in front of the tree together!

And finally, a video of Jonas singing his ABC's...thank goodness for Marie, because I certainly hadn't thought to teach him that yet!

Wintertime

Best buds...

Winter brings fun, new "inside" games. Like - "let's pull all the toilet paper off the roll! (And then try to eat it!)"

Here's a good one - "let's empty all the toys out of the toybox, and then climb into it!"

And for sunny days when Miles is taking his morning nap... SNOW-BIKING!

But Legos are still our favorite!!

Trick or Treat!

I took a vacation day on Halloween so I could be home with the kids. We had a fun day carving pumpkins (Jonas refused to put his hand in the pumpkin) and baking some cookies! Then, the trick-or-treating, which Jonas really got into this year!

My scary little teddy bear!

Tigger, the scary tiger... with fangs?

Chace and Makenna made it to our house just before we headed out.

Frosting cookies.

This wasn't on Halloween, but I just had to post a picture of my cute boys and their RIDES!

Finally!

Well, I'll be the first to admit that I've been a little bit behind on my posts! Seems like time goes by in leaps and bounds instead of minutes and seconds!

Many things have happened since my last post...
here are just a few...

Miles got his first haircut...

Miles began eating finger foods...can you spot the Cheerio stuck to his temple?

Jonas became a frog...

We (me, Grandma, Jonas, and Miles) went to Illinois to visit Abbie and Izzie and family...we had a blast visiting the arboretum, picking pumpkins, and celebrating Abbie's birthday!

While in Illinois, Miles decided to start to pull up on things and has only continued to hone his skills since our return home.

Miles learned to ride a bike...(just kidding).

Jonas became a superhero...(no, really!)

And Miles just generally continues to be a bit of a stinker! He still prefers not to sleep more than 4 hours in a row. Unless I'm in a different state...I recently went to Florida for a conference for 5 days, and Miles seemed to sleep his best ever while I was away!

I promise to post more often!

Fall Is...

Daddy back to work...we miss him already!

Great garage sale finds (don't tell Jonas they're Minnie, not Mickey, ears!)

More indoor fun...

Too much indoor fun...

Brisk walks in the double-wide (stroller, that is.)

Last-minute summertime fun (thanks to the "bubble gun" Jonas received in the mail from his friend from across the street, who is now in Arizona enjoying her freshman year in college!)

And, of course, fall is FOOTBALL! Jonas put this helmet sticker in his hair and announced that he was "like Uncle Nic." Sorry, Nic- it seems like all your years of stardom as a wrestler and soccer player have gone unnoticed by your nephew. Instead, after watching you play only one time, he asks "Where's Uncle Nic?" when he sees a football game on TV.

However, like any good soccer player, he believes the most important and exciting part of the game is the kicking. After putting the helmet sticker on his head, he put the football sticker on the floor and pretended to kick it!!

Finally, I can't think of fall without thinking of school, especially my college days. Sigh...these days "dance party" takes on a whole new meaning!

A crawling-sitting-teething-eating machine!

He sits...(for a few seconds).

He has teeth...(two on the bottom)!

He eats cereal...(apparently I have been starving him)!

And he crawls...(sort of army crawls. But he sure can get around)!

Already????????

So....my 5 month old thinks he should be able to crawl...and he gets really frustrated when he can't. Not that he's not mobile already anyway...he just scoots around on his tummy and throws in a few strategic rolls here and there. This not-always-on-target type of locomotion can lead to some surprises when mommy's back is turned...like a baby stuck under the bed...or a baby trapped under his gymini/play-mat.

The Zoo

Last weekend we went to the zoo. We signed up through my work to take a bus up on Saturday. Jonas was almost as excited about riding the bus as going to the zoo! It was a beautiful day...and the MN Zoo sure is different than I remember it! Not just animals anymore, but lots of play areas for the kids...who needs animals when there is a gigantic sandbox, a play area with water squirting out of the ground, Meerkat "tunnels" to play in, and real tractors to sit on! Jonas's favorite animals are easily the dolphins...we were very disappointed that the dolphin show was canceled for the day.

Miles had a good day, too. He just naps whenever he feels like it. His favorite part was the bird show. He was actually watching the show, with his eyes fixated on the birds...and sometimes he would even let out a squeal...which was a bit embarassing at times.

Another highlight was feeding the goats. You just put 50 cents in the machine to get food pellets...which look VERY SIMILAR to the goat droppings. At one point Jonas thought he had hit the jackpot and found some poor kid's spilled food pellets...but, well, he was mistaken...

And here we are posing on the tractor. If you look closely you will see that Miles's hat has fallen over his face...good one, daddy!

So I Married a Triathlete...

...which required me to pack up the boys and the dog last Saturday morning after swimming lessons (Jonas didn't cry at all this time), and head up to Ben's one and only triathlon of the summer. (It is amazing how much a baby and a 2 year old can hinder one's training regimen.) First stop, Papa and JuJu's house to drop off Dixie. Then on to Chisago City to pick up the race packet. After driving the bike course so Ben could "mentally prepare," we checked into our hotel. We were on the 3rd floor, which was great because Jonas loves pushing the buttons and riding on the "alligator," much to the entertainment of other hotel patrons.

Sunday morning, we woke up at 5 am. Apparently, they assume all triathletes are morning people...no one accounted for their wives (or significant others. I was joined on the playground at 6 am by some triathlete-husbands and their small children.)

Jonas looks chipper at 6:15 am on the playground near the race start.

Here's Miles, not so chipper, snoozing in the stoller.

Still waiting at 7:30 am for Ben's wave to go.

Finally, 7:48am...Ben starts the 1/4 mile swim.

Now, 8:47 am, Ben is back from his 17.1 mile bike ride and entering the transition area.

8:53 am - Jonas and Miles appear to be patiently entertaining themselves. Of course, those of you who have ever had or spent even 5 minutes with small children know this is not the case. Good thing JuJu and Papa also came up to watch the race (and entertain kids.)

9:14 am - On the home stretch after the 3.1 mile run. Ben is easy to pick out from a distance since he is not exactly built like the majority of the triathletes (think tall and lanky).

9:23 am - Whew! He did it! He met his goal of doing it in less than 1 1/2 hours (final time 1:28.40).

9:41 am - The boys are somewhat delirious now after the 5 am wake-up. Jonas just keeps going down this slide (which, by the way, is one of the coolest slides I've ever seen.) And Miles remains happy as long as he can be held!!

By 11 am we were back at the hotel for early nap time. Which worked out well in the end, since Uncle Russ, Aunt Jenn, Noelle, and Joshua came up to spend the rest of the day with us at the beach! We had a great time!

Monday we spent the afternoon at the Children's Museum in St. Paul. We thought this picture would make Papa happy!! :)

Miles gets in on the action, too, playing at the "pond."

Mommy and Miles on the rooftop garden.

And then, back home. Because 3 days and 2 nights of "vacation" with a 5 month old and 2 year old are enough for even the triathletes among us!

Oxbow Park and Zoo

Today we took advantage of the pleasant weather and went to Oxbow Park and Zoo. We decided we needed to have some fun with Jonas, since he screamed through his entire swim lesson this morning. Jonas is always up for animals, so this 40 minute drive was well worth it!

Above...the river otters. Below, we gaze at the cow. Yes, a cow. See, Oxbow is all about Minnesota animals...and what says MN more than a cow??

Jonas tempts this goat with some clover picked from the OTHER side of the fence...

I've always been a bit fascinated by the American Bison (aka buffalo). I even did a project on them in grade school...took a trip to a bison farm (or ranch?) and everything! Much to my dismay, Jonas was not overly excited by them, and referred to them offhandedly as "cows."

Do we all look exhausted after our fun afternoon? This time, daddy was behind the camera. He got lots of pictures of the other MN animals - a wolf, bobcat, fox, bear, etc. But about 15 pictures of a turkey? Seriously? See Miles's expression below for a good estimation of my opinion of the turkey!

A Painter, A Beach Baby, and My Silly Boys

I think I've mentioned this before, but these summer days are just flying by! So here are a few recent highlights:

Seems like we rarely do indoor activities, but one day Jonas wanted to paint...clearly, he is into abstract art...and face painting...

So, at some point in my not-always-so-logical state of mommyhood, I purchased Miles this oh-so-cute swimsuit. Of course, we don't take him to the beach...or even to the pool...due my my paranoia of sunburn. And there must be a reason all of the sunscreens (even the "baby" ones) say not to apply until the baby is 6 months old (on August 29th he must magically become immune to toxic sunblock?)! So when Jonas is at the pool, Miles is carefully shaded and has absolutely no need for a swimsuit! But last week on a rainy day I realized that Miles is quickly growing OUT of his clothes, so I dressed him in this beach apparel anyway. Of course, I made him model it!

The best part is the profile... :)

Here is Miles during his typical dinnertime activity. Although he still relies on Mommy for all of his food, he likes to join us at the table for meals. Here it looks like he is enjoying this toy...but his favorite thing is just leaning over and gnawing on the edge of the highchair tray.

The boys (and Dixie) hanging out!

And finally, another video of my wild and crazy boys. This is one evening after bathtime. Jonas was dancing around his room like a maniac (naked, as usual, although I made this video PG) and Miles was laughing hysterically at him! I tried to catch some of the cute baby giggles on video, but as you will see, Jonas was not so impressed and wanted all eyes on himself!

Visiting Friends

Monday I took the boys to visit friends in Mason City. As we watched the "big boys" go down the slide and play in the pool and passed around the crying 4 month-old and 4 week-old, we marveled at how much our lives have changed since we met in college! Someday, we imagined, we would be going out for margaritas again. Then, we were brought back to real life to remind our 2 year-olds to share or to feed a complaining baby...

We had lots of fun, though. See the evidence below...

Apparently, staying home all day with a 2 year-old and a newborn has made my friend Katie throw caution to the wind...I bet the slide in the pool provides HOURS of fun!

Miles decided against traditional styles of stroller-sitting.

New baby Kayla gets her beauty rest.

Miles loved being one of "the boys." Jonas was overwhelmed with Logan's awesome train table!

And here is a new video for my nieces to watch over and over...and over and over!!

Odds & Ends

Mark it on your calendar as a day to remember always! Yesterday, June 27th, 2008, Ben and Ryan became neighbors! See previous blog entry...it is now official.

In other news...
We finally got our new dining room table. Don't worry - I've already got a plastic seat cover on Jonas's chair, and the tabletop is carefully protected with a vinyl tablecloth.

We've finally been enjoying the summer I envisioned since I've been off work now a few days. Lots of family time! Miles enjoys hanging out with the fam in the exersaucer. Today's strange 65 degree weather put a damper on our Saturday, though. Swim lessons really weren't very fun this morning!

Still haven't figured out how to put videos from our video camera on the computer. But, it turns out, our new camera takes great videos, too!

Here's Jonas trying to figure out how to pedal (he's getting pretty good!)

And here's Miles in his new favorite activity.

Swimming, Biking, and a Birthday Party

Well, I'm already behind on my blogging for the summer! I can't believe how fast summer is flying by.
So far, our summer has been busy.
Saturday mornings are spent at parent/toddler swimming lessons (very cold here on our first Saturday in early June!)

Miles prefers to catnap on the pool deck while Jonas swims.

We've also been doing some biking. Ben has to alter his biking expectations a bit when Robyn and Jonas tag along, but I think we all still have fun. Miles is still too little to ride in the bike trailer, so we have to find something for him to do while we're out.

Here we are on Father's Day at Grandma and Grandpa's after our bike ride. The highlight was seeing three bald eagles in their nest along the Cannon Valley Trail. Apparently, it made quite an impact on Jonas because the following week when we pulled into the parking lot of a different bike trail in Lanesboro, Jonas announced "I'm going to see eagles, mommy."

Miles is turning out to be another happy little boy...and seems to be growing even faster than I remember! He's always so smiley!

And, finally, last weekend we had Jonas's belated birthday party. Well worth the wait, I think. Here's cousin Noelle helping Jonas prep for the candle-blowing event!

Jonas got a picnic table from Grandma and Grandpa...

squirt guns from Uncle Nic (just wait 'til he has kids some day!)

and a basketball hoop from Papa and JuJu.

He is really ready for the rest of summer...T-ball from Uncle Russ, Aunt Jenn, Noelle, and Joshua and a cool sprinkler from Ryan and Emily will give us lots of choices for summer activities! And lots of opportunities for more photos!

2nd Birthday!

Well, I can't believe my first-born turned 2 today! Everyone tells you they grow up so fast...you just don't believe it until you actually experience it! The day started with Jonas waking up at 6:15am...sounds early, but Miles was up with the sun at 6am anyway. We serenaded Jonas with "Happy Birthday" while he grinned ear to ear. Then he proceeded to say "Happy Birthday Mommy" for much of the morning.

Later, playing soccer...

in cowboy boots...

with the new neighbor.

Daddy and Miles were just too tired to play after they trimmed the branches on the tree in the front yard. (Ben is really just faking sleep here - although, I think he is still recuperating from the marathon daddy daycare he had Friday, Saturday, and Sunday while I worked. Welcome to summertime!!)

Then we went to Cabin Coffee for lunch with "Uncle" Ryan and Emily. I brought my camera, but forgot to snap any pictures. Jonas ate potato chips and a chocolate chip cookie for his birthday lunch. Nice, mom.

After nap, we scrubbed up the kids and took them to a photography session with a photographer in town. Thought the 2-year birthday would be a good milestone to capture professionally...and since Miles is the 2nd child, we haven't even gotten any Sears Portrait Studio pictures of him yet!! They both did great, and I think we'll have some really nice photos to choose from!

Finally, back home for some birthday presents. Although his party isn't for a few days, we let him open some gifts.

He got some dinosaurs from Miles.

And a really cool kids digital camera from Uncle Alex, Aunt Katie, Abbie, and Izzie. See below for some Jonas photography.

And here he is dancing to the Spanish DVDs he got from Mom and Dad. Yeah, I know, seems like a lame birthday present...but my new mommy-paranoia is that I've already missed out on some of his language formative years. Mommy is muy loca!

Here are some of Jonas's photos:

And to prove that the camera can actually take decent pictures when aimed at an object and held still:

Thanks Uncle Alex, Aunt Katie, Abbie, and Izzie! Someday Jonas can show you the other 59 pictures he took on his new camera tonight! It was a big hit, to say the least!

So, there it is...I'm now officially the mother of a 2 year old! Keep me in your prayers!

Time Flies...

Three months old today!

Farmer Jonas

I figured I'd better post today, since I go back to work tomorrow! I expect to learn a whole new meaning of the word "chaos" in the next week or so. So I don't know when I'll post next.

This weekend Ben went turkey hunting, so the kids and I spent the weekend at Grandma and Grandpa's. When Jonas was still just a fetus, Grandma bought a motorized tractor at a garage sale, looking forward to the day that baby would be old enough to drive it. Well, 2 years later, Jonas learned to drive! After a few repairs by Grandpa, Jonas was motoring all around the yard. After these pictures were taken, and a few near-misses with the fence, I convinced Grandma to buy a bike helmet to be worn when on the tractor.

Miles isn't quite big enough for the tractor, yet, but enjoyed Grandma and Grandpa's company, anyway.

In other news... Here is the view from our front stoop. Why post a picture of that house, you ask? Because the "for sale" sign in the yard will soon be taken down and the new owner will move in..."UNCLE" RYAN! Yes, this is the same Ryan who Ben traveled Europe with a few summers ago (Ben's marriage proposal was contingent on my approval of that trip) and the same Ryan who was the best man in our wedding. Some of you may remember that he got hired as a teacher in the same school as Ben last year. And now, he's moving across the street! I guess I always thought this would happen...just not so soon! There is talk of 2 tin cans and a string across the street!

And finally, here I am...in my new t-shirt that was a Mother's Day gift from Miles. Jonas got me a gift certificate to a spa and Ben let me sleep in and then cooked me French toast for breakfast! Aren't I a lucky mommy?

Haircut

Until now, Grandma has been Jonas's official hair stylist. On Tuesday, Ben was desperately in need of a haircut, so we decided to get Jonas a short summer cut, too! Ben reported that instead of the typical wiggle-worm that he is for Grandma, he was in such awe of the Great Clips environment that he hardly BLINKED during the whole haircut!!
Just look at my handsome boy...you can just barely make out the pink toenails in the picture...that's another story!

And here's my other handsome boy...must be tough being 2 1/2 months old!

Visiting Abbie & Izzie...or, A Story in Pictures

"Rain, rain, go away...come again another day!"

"Is there room in there for one more baby?"

"Boy, they must be really desperate if they are letting us play indoor soccer!"

"No...NOW they're desperate...FINGERPAINTING!"

"Aunt Katie, did you decide what color you want to paint the kitchen yet?"

"Is this a real picture, or part of one of Uncle Alex's dreams?"

"I can't believe nobody offered me a mirror before they made me pose with mommy for this picture...I'm so embarassed!"

"Finally, a sunny day perfect for manly yard work."

"...and playing and planting! (Did you check out that dirt pile?)"

"I love having a backyard!!"

"We love having a backyard, too!!"

"I love my Auntie Robyn...and solid food!!"

"Thanks for letting us visit your new house!"

April Miscellaneous

Last Sunday we got both boys dedicated at our church. Both sets of grandparents and Uncle Russ, Aunt Jenn, Noelle, Joshua, and Uncle Nic were able to come. Uncle Russ's family was able to spend the night Saturday night, which added extra excitement and fun!! Sunday was such a beautiful day - we were able to spend the afternoon outside with everyone!

With more and more warm days, we also finally made our long-planned purchase of a bike trailer/jogger stroller. Miles may not get to enjoy it quite yet, but this is his "big" baby gift from lots of people - thanks to all!

Jonas seems to love it so far. He especially loves that he got to purchase another bike helmet...some of you know what a special love he has for the "joke" tricycle helmet he got from Grandma and Grandpa M. for Christmas. That helmet is a bit too big to protect him from anything but the occasional indoor trike crash (often really more of a performance by Jonas than an actual crash.) You can only imagine how ecstatic he was to get another special helmet that he can only use when he goes for a bike ride outside!

And finally, for those of you needing your baby fix...here he is!! You might think it is the camera angle that is making him look so big...but, no, I really think he is heavier every day!! And generally quite happy, as you can see!

Friday Smiles

Seven weeks old today!

Fauxhawk (or Faux-hawk)

If you look up "fauxhawk" on Wikipedia, you get this definition: "an approximation of a mohawk, made without shaving or buzzing the hair on the sides of the head, allowing an imitation of the look of a true mohawk without having to commit to removing most of one's hair."

Now, this implies that a fauxhawk is a hair style...there is no discussion about what to do when the fauxhawk is naturally occurring!! See the pictures of Miles here - I assure you, we did NOT style it this way!

We've determined that Miles's TWO cowlicks might have something to do with this ever-present style. Note how the right side is counter-clockwise and the left is clockwise, causing them to meet in the middle and...yep...you guessed it...create the fauxhawk!

While mommy and daddy are busy examining, discussing, and taking pictures of the new baby's hair, Jonas is busy being a toddler. I think the new book I purchased out of desperation, The Toddler's Busy Book, puts it nicely: "...most of what they do is motivated by an interest in cause and effect."

As in, "What happens if I sit on my bike backwards?"
"What happens if I poke Miles in the face?"
"What happens if I purposefully put my foot very near Miles's head?"
"What happens if I pretend like I'm going to RIDE MY BIKE over Miles?"

And, "How tightly can I hug Miles before mom breaks it up?"

A moment of peace...just a moment...