Together... we grow

November Fun

2011-11-27T15:00:00.000-06:00

Snuggling on the couch to watch cartoons.

Deer by the shore in California.

Sight-seeing between Monterey and Big Sur, California, with my mom and cousin.

Kindergarteners at their first Holiday Concert.

Jonas's idea: let's ask Mr. Dresher if we can have his deer antlers so we can hang them on the swing set! I refused to have anything to do with it!

Meeting a reindeer at the Holiday Stroll with Grandma and Grandpa.

Cutting down our Christmas tree at Grandma and Grandpa's.

Meeting Santa at the Holiday Stroll.

Fall Happenings...

2011-11-01T11:59:00.000-05:00

First Day of Kindergarten!

Ready for Homecoming! Go Saints!

Miles and Mom take a trip to Tweite's Pumpkin Patch with Early Childhood Family Education. And who DOESN'T wear their cowboy outfit when going to a pumpkin patch?

Climbing on one of the many wooden play structures.

More climbing...

Calf-roping? What kind of awesome place IS this????

Gathered around the campfire at "Uncle James'" 50th Birthday Party Weekend at Cedar Valley Resort.

A little baseball with the cousins.

Ice Cream!

The Birthday Boy himself!

Making our own caramel apples, complete with candy and sprinkles.

Miles all dressed up for the ECFE Halloween party. Of course, a variation on a cowboy theme - a Rodeo Clown!

Hanging out with baby Lincoln.

Lining up for the Pumpkin Parade last weekend. Miles was feeling more "clown" than rodeo clown this day. Jonas is a vampire.

A clown enjoying a hot dog.

And back to the rodeo clown for Trick or Treating.

'Cause this is how we roll....

2011-09-02T21:45:00.000-05:00

Uniform of the summer for Miles: blue soccer shirt, "baseball pants" (which are really from a football uniform), Ben's old biking gloves, and Vikings baseball cap.

Doing "tricks" on his bike. This sometimes involves standing on the crossbar. Or riding "side-saddle" with both legs on one side. And, yes, he always wears a helmet...except in this picture, I guess.

No broken arm this time...I'm sure it's coming soon, though.

Yes, I swear, we really do make them wear helmets!

Crashed after a hard day. Note the football pants again...oh, and you probably didn't notice the camouflage socks in the other picture. This was a phase when Miles was in to wearing Ben's "race belt" with an old race number attached. He would run or bike up and down the sidewalk and make us "cheer" for him. We got in trouble if it wasn't loud enough!!

Summer Vacation 2011

2011-08-20T16:16:00.000-05:00

On the first leg of our journey, we camped in Custer State Park, in South Dakota. No camping trip would be complete without marshmallows!

Driving through Bear Country, USA - which is like a zoo in reverse - the animals come so close to the car that you don't really need the binoculars...but it was good practice!

A bear, at Bear Country, USA, viewed from car. The only bears we saw on our trip.

Mount Rushmore

Gordon Stockade, a rebuilt fort about 2 miles from our campground in Custer State Park. The boys were surprisingly interested in it - we had to go back twice!

Miles "My Legs Won't Work" Barclay on a hike in Custer. Don't let the bandanna fool you - there is nothing smelly around. He is just pretending to be a cowboy!

Wild burros, Custer SP.

Looking for buffalo.

I guess we didn't need those binoculars...

Jewell Cave, South Dakota. Definitely something new and different for the boys to experience! It was fun!

All the kids down on the field for the rodeo in Cody, WY. Jonas is in the middle with the black cowboy hat on, and Miles is 5 to the left in the white cowboy hat...and I think he is the smallest one out there!

New cowboy outfits.

Watching the rodeo.

Camp in Yellowstone.

"Practicing" for the rodeo, Cody, WY.

Stinky Mud Volcanoes at Yellowstone.

Brink of the Upper Falls, Yellowstone.

We didn't run into any bears in the wild, luckily!

On a 5 mile hike in Yellowstone. Jonas hiked almost the entire way on his own 2 feet! Miles got piggybacks about half the way!

Yellowstone.

Chuckwagon Cookout, Yellowstone.

One of the thermal features at Yellowstone. It is just amazing to me how unique the landscape is at Yellowstone, and how few places in the whole world are anything like it!

Riverfront Geyser

The Boiling River - a place where a hot spring dumps into a river coming off the mountain, making the water comfortably warm right here!

Chuckwagon Cookout, Yellowstone.

Summer So Far...

2011-07-26T22:47:00.000-05:00

The summer started with, of course, the end of preschool for Jonas! Here he is receiving his "diploma" from Mrs. M! We'll sure miss Mrs. M and Mrs. Kay next year, but we can hardly wait for Kindergarten!

The other thing that always starts off our summer is Jonas's birthday. This year he turned 5 with a Superhero cake while Miles and some of his soon-to-be-Kindergartner buddies looked on.

Later the same day we celebrated with family. It was so fun to have cousins stay late for a campfire and marshmallows and then sleep over!

When Ben headed to Costa Rica for 10 days, we spent a weekend in Red Wing with Grandma and Grandpa. Here are Miles and Grandpa, all dressed up for a wedding.

Another weekend finds us up to visit Papa and JuJu so we can spend some time with Uncle James during his visit. A picnic in a park, a little baseball, some hiking, and playing in the water is the perfect way to spend a summer day!

SLIP 'N SLIDE!

Camping with Uncle Alex and cousins in Wisconsin! Another beautiful summer weekend!

T-Ball. Jonas is in the green shirt on 1st base.

Most recently, we spent a weekend in Forest Lake so Ben could do a triathlon. The boys also participated in the Kids Triathlon.

Two happy triathletes!

Family pic. Maybe Christmas card?

Out of the water, happy because he's on his way to his bike! I seriously think this guy had the most enthusiastic fans!!

Jonas had the most success, taking 3rd in his age group. He's pretty proud of that trophy. If you come visit us, I bet you'll get to see it!!

Spring

2011-05-15T16:18:00.000-05:00

Coloring Easter eggs.

Dinosaur Easter eggs...what else?

The MEGA Easter egg hunt at Papa and JuJu's!!

Two handsome young men ready for Easter activities. Do you like Miles' fedora? Just because I don't have a little girl doesn't mean that I don't get to buy an Easter hat!!

Easter family pic.

Children preparing for egg hunt.

Wow! Look how full those buckets are!!!!

Jump to today, trout fishing. Jonas catches his first trout!!

My three fishermen.

Love the expression on Jonas's face in this one!

Florida Vacation

2011-03-30T10:24:00.000-05:00

Miles went on a camel ride with Grandma at the Tampa Zoo. As you can see by the expression on his face, he is having the time of his life!

A walk to the ice cream store is always a fun treat - and quite the adventure with these 5!!

Grandma and Grandpa were brave enough to take these 4 pirates on a Pirate Ship adventure! Ahoy Mateys!!

Just waiting for the right wave...

Feeding some baby alligators. Yikes!

Catching a wave on the boogie board. Are you supposed to be able to do this when you are 4?

Running on the beach at sunset. We were so fortunate to have perfect weather this year. Even as the sun was going down it was warm enough to be in shorts and get our toes wet in the ocean!

No matter how beautiful the weather is or what kind of fun adventures we have on vacation, the very best part of the whole trip is spending time with family!

2 Crazy Kids

2011-03-30T09:49:00.000-05:00

Jonas had a "Dress up Crazy" Day at preschool to celebrate Dr. Seuss. I was out of town, so here's what he and his dad came up with! Pretty crazy!

Miles doesn't need an excuse to dress up crazy. He typically changes outfits a minimum of 3 times per day when home. Here he is in one of his favorite everyday outfits - sweater vest and t-shirt - with the addition of the Spiderman scuba gear that he received from Papa and JuJu for his birthday. He looks ready for just about anything, doesn't he?

Spiderman turns 3!!!!!!!!!

2011-03-29T20:23:00.001-05:00

Getting ready for the party.

The TOTALLY AWESOME Spiderman cake that I MADE!

Happy Birthday To You!

Make a wish!

Yea!

And, about 10 minutes after the last party-goers departed, Miles completely passed out. I guess a 3rd birthday party will do that to you!

The Holiday Season

2010-12-24T21:20:00.000-06:00

Tree trimming...

Lots and lots and LOTS of snow!

Cookie decorating.

Both boys did a GREAT job decorating their own plate of cookies. And by "their own," I mean eat at your own risk because there is A LOT of saliva mixed in with that frosting!!

I admit, I helped Miles spread the frosting just a little. But he did the rest by himself. I think he is the most artistic one in the family (including Ben and me!)

And MORE snow!

Preschool Christmas program. Jonas is the one just to the right of that man's partially balding head - in the brown sweater! It was really cute!

A few gifts Christmas Eve - Miles got ROLLER SKATES! The look on his face said it all!

Boys ready to get tucked "all snug in their beds"...and Mom and Dad are ready for Santa to come!

Whew! October...

2010-11-01T21:16:00.000-05:00

Because who wouldn't rather be eating cupcakes in their underwear?

Lots of partying with the cousins during our visit!! We celebrated 2 birthdays, visited the Arboretum, a pumpkin patch, the "train restaurant," and caused lots of chaos in Aunt Katie's house...all in 4 days!!

Double Trouble.

No, seriously....Double Trouble.

This picture SO just wasn't going to happen. But thanks for coming along, Grandma!

Miles basically taunted Grandma from up on the ropes until she joined him!

So excited to be climbing with Grandma!

Pony ride at the Pumpkin Patch.

Wagon ride at the Pumpkin Patch.

"Oh, hello, Auntie Robyn. Did you come on this wagon ride, too?"

FYI: pumpkins seem to be a bit more pricey in the suburbs of Chicago. Or, maybe, it had to do with the fact that Jonas picked out the hugest one in site...

Aye, mateys! It was a rowdy crew at the ECFE Halloween party this year!!

Although it looks like the boys are carving pumpkins here, I think I was lucky in capturing on film the 30 seconds that they actually participated. Jonas would NOT touch the pumpkin innards. And, of course, what older brother will not do, younger brother will not do, either. And then Daddy came home with a dead pheasant...apparently, doing whatever one does to a dead pheasant in the garage was WAY more interesting than carving pumpkins with Mom.

FINALLY! The long awaited Trick-or-Treating on Halloween! Hopefully, it was everything Miles had imagined - he has been talking about it for about a month and a half. Most funny moment - when a sweet woman probably well into her 80's asked Miles if he was Roy Rogers!

My Two Little Firemen...and Buying Groceries for Growing Boys

2010-10-11T21:51:00.001-05:00

ECFE field trip to the fire station last week. Miles was BEYOND EXCITED, and wanted to bring his own fire hat from home. He was glowing the entire time!

Jonas had fun, too, even though initially he was reluctant to come along. He thought he was just a little too cool, since the fire truck had already gone to "his" school the day prior.


This made me feel hopeful - Miles actually CAN pay attention to something for longer than 10 seconds. He stood perfectly still and quiet for a full 5 minutes while the fireman showed the kids his gear and trucks!

I just also want to document, in case I ever look back on these blogs when the boys are older, how much 4-year-old Jonas ate for supper tonight. He ate 9 meatballs (yep, that's not a typo), 2 slices of bread toasted with butter and garlic, a side of corn, and 3/4 of a Honeycrisp apple. And about 20 minutes later he wanted to know when snacktime would be. Geez! What will it be like when he's 14??

FIrst Day of Preschool!!

2010-09-07T22:29:00.000-05:00

Jonas was VERY excited for his first day of preschool today! He will be going 3 afternoons a week. He was up 3 times last night and as soon as he heard Ben's alarm go off this morning, he was out of bed and wanted to get dressed right away! I guess they learned about dinosaurs, sang songs, and had a snack. I suspect they did more, but this is what he reported. He can clearly tell me both of his teachers' names, but he claims he did not learn any of the other kids' names. Oh, well, it is a start!

These "first day of school" pictures aren't very good for a few reasons:

1. It was dark, overcast, with 30 mph winds here this AM so we had to take them inside.

2. Jonas chose to wear all black, which I don't think is the most flattering on him (although it is probably a step up from the black and navy combo that I overhead Ben talking him out of earlier!)

3. Miles kept walking/hopping/sneaking/gliding around in front of the camera.

4. Jonas was so excited, he just simply would NOT stand still!!

But, clearly, the pictures show how happy and excited he was!

Summer Vacation, Part 2 - Ithaca

2010-09-07T21:56:00.001-05:00

The second part of our summer vacation had us back home from Kentucky for about 15 hours, then up to drop off the boys with Grandma and Grandpa M. before flying off to Ithaca to FINALLY visit James!

And what a great host we had!! On Day ONE we were already at Niagara Falls. We saw the Falls from the Canadian side, the U.S. side, and from a boat in the water, and it is really amazing from ALL angles. Maybe just a little DAMP though, at times!

Ithaca and surrounding area is beautiful! Gorges to hike and breathtaking waterfalls...luckily we had some perfect weather to take in all the outdoor activities.

When driving between the gorges and parks, one MUST stop at all of the wineries!!

We also toured the Ithaca College campus, ate out (with no kids to keep track of!), went kayaking, and enjoyed our time catching up with James!

Kentucky Road Trip

2010-09-07T21:35:00.000-05:00

August found us road-tripping to Kentucky (yep, 13 hours!) to visit family. Miles had never met many of his great-aunts, uncles, 2nd cousins, and great-grandpa and great-grandma. It was pretty remarkable to see Miles amongst the Kentucky relatives - everywhere we went, people commented how much he looks like Ben and that side of the family! He really does!!

Miles LOVED "driving" the Gator at Uncle Toby's farm.


Feeding the cows! Another highlight, which I didn't catch on film, was seeing peacocks and collecting feathers.

Jonas the Fish

2010-07-28T13:46:00.000-05:00


Ready to go at the pool on a nice sunny day! Perfect for swimming lessons!

Practicing the front float. He's really gotten good at putting his face in the water!

Practicing the Front Crawl. Honestly, this picture gives him a bit more credit than he deserves. I happened to catch him getting one arm out of the water - probably the ONLY arm that made it out of the water on this try. He just doesn't quite have the coordination yet - but at least he's willing to give it a try! :)

Back float - He's gotten really good at that one!

Waiting his turn to practice holding his breath. Notice how much shorter he is than everyone else...I think he is the only 4 year-old, and I think he gets tired out from standing on his tip-toes the whole time. But I just couldn't bear to put him in Level 1 again in the knee-deep water and watch him wade back and forth for 30 minutes every day! I was nervous at first, but as you can see, he's doing a great job!

CAMPING!!

2010-07-05T15:45:00.000-05:00

Our recent adventures have included camping at a Wisconsin state park with the cousins!!

We even brought Dixie along for the weekend. - she especially enjoyed the canoe ride, which we do not have pictures of (I really was convinced we would surely tip the canoe and lose all our possessions.)

Even though we had thunderstorms at night, we stayed nice and dry and had beautiful sunny days to enjoy hiking, swimming in the lake, and enjoying the campfire with Alex, Katie, Abbie, Izzie, and Emelia.

Lovin' the s'mores!

The whole crew around the campfire!

CANOEING!!

2010-06-05T15:04:00.008-05:00

Today we decided to take the boys on their first canoe ride. We knew this could be tons of fun...or it just as easily could go very, very badly! Luckily, it was GREAT! The boys were really good, nobody got too wet, and we even caught some fish! Definitely an outing we will repeat!

Just riding...Ben allowed me to take a few quick breaks from paddling to snap some pictures...I know he REALLY missed my powerful oar-strokes!!

Fun to see Miles actually pause for a moment or two...

Jonas really got into the fishing. Ben fished for about 10 minutes first, and was just getting a few nibbles. Then, as soon as he started handing the pole off to the boys...

Jonas caught a nice bass!!! He was REALLY excited!

Miles was also pleased with his first fish ever!

Checking on the fish...

Just hanging out with mom...this was my position for supervising and making sure nobody got too excited and tipped the canoe over. And, since I don't touch live fish (I have no problem stabbing a hook through a worm, though) my position here at the end of the canoe was perfect.

Daddy the fisherman.

Unfortunately, THIS was the kind of luck Ben was having for awhile. Is that a minnow?

Party boat...

Miles fell asleep on the way back. He has my sweatshirt on OVER his lifejacket. He didn't wake up when we lifted him out of the canoe, took the lifejacket off, and buckled him into his carseat. Nor did he wake up when moved from carseat to bed. And he's still napping! A sure sign of a very fun outing! Now, to the grocery store in preparation for our fish fry tonight!

Spring!

2010-04-10T09:31:00.004-05:00

Spring was definitely here after we got back from our vacation. The end of March brought Kelsey's bridal shower in Red Wing. Only 2 more weeks til the wedding!

We've had some very summer-like days already! Even got to break out the shorts! Ben took the opportunity to introduce the boys to kite-flying one afternoon.

The Easter Bunny came...

and hid eggs and left Spiderman Easter baskets!

It was a beautiful day for a BIG outdoor Easter egg hunt at Papa and JuJu's house!

Aren't ALL my boys sooooooooooooooo CUTE??? I'm such a lucky girl!!

The most recent addition to our fleet of wheeled non-motorized vehicles - a "balance bike" or "push bike." No pedals...just run with your legs...which is PERFECT for Miles. He rode it for a whole hour last night and still cried when it was time to come in!

Fingers crossed for more warm spring days!!!!

Fun in the Sun!

2010-04-09T10:29:00.006-05:00

In March, we took our annual vacation to Florida where it was sunny and (kind of) warm! Only this year, something was missing...BEN! Unfortunately, the school district opted NOT to have a Spring Break Week this year, and since "vacation days" don't really exist for teachers (I guess they think having the whole summer off is enough) Ben had to stay home!

Luckily, we had Grandma, Granpa, and this crew (see below) to help out...not that Alex and Katie had a TON of extra time to deal with my boys...

but Jonas did manage to find lots of time to hang out with Uncle Alex!

And doesn't Grandpa look like a pro???

Miles loved the beach, and still starts chanting "to the beach, to the beach, to the beach, beach, BEACH!" and swinging his arms like he's marching every time we look at pictures! Thanks for that memory, Grandma!! :)

Just hanging around...

Miles and I spent LOTS of "quality time" together!

Abbie and Jonas really are best buds and have lots of fun together!

Ice cream nights are always fun! It was pretty funny to watch people veer WAY around this group's sticky fingers and chocolate-y mouths! And Katie got a lot of funny looks, too...just how many kids DO you have???????????

The beach pose...

By the time they are 10, I wonder how many buckets of water Abbie and Jonas will have hauled up the beach?

All so happy to be in Florida!

Can't wait 'til next year!

No More Training Wheels!

2010-04-03T18:59:00.004-05:00

Jonas has been asking us to take his training wheels off this spring, but we've been hesitant to do so, since he doesn't even turn 4 until June. We gave in yesterday and agreed to let him try. Well, today he already seems to be getting it! Luckily, the boys seem to have Ben's coordination genes!

Updates

2010-03-05T22:10:00.005-06:00

Christmas! Lots of Christmases! First, we celebrated at Papa and Juju's house. Then, I had to work Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but that meant we were able to attend church in town on Christmas Eve as a family, and have Santa come to our house on Christmas morning! Then, off to Grandma and Grandpa's for a few days!

Where are Miles and Izzie?? Oh...they are lost behind their big piles of presents!

December also brought us lots and lots of snow! (Who knew we would also receive lots more in January and February??)

I'm not sure who has more fun building tunnels in the snow...Ben or the boys!

Valentine's day! We took this picture to make Valentine's cards!
On the Friday before V-day, we took some heart-shaped cookies to daycare. Jonas was so excited. When Ben asked him what he wanted to wear that morning, he said "my red sweater." Which is funny, because the red sweater was his Christmas sweater that he didn't even want to wear for the Holidays! But without even a pause, he knew he wanted to wear it for Valentine's Day! How cute! Fortunately, it is just red...no reindeer or anything!

The Relay reunited at Tina's wedding! So fun to see everyone!

I know the bride isn't supposed to show too many people her dress before the big day...but is it ok for the ring bearer to show off his tux? I thought this picture was just too cute to keep secret! Hopefully, he still looks that happy when we are trying to get him to walk down the aisle for my cousin Kelsey's wedding in April!

Two very silly boys! Does this remind anybody else of that Beavis and Butthead movie?

Miles and his buddy, Crosby. Double trouble!

Miles had his 2nd "non-birthday" on February 28th (since there was no 29th this year!)
The party was a football theme party, and although he was uncharacteristically quiet during it, I think he had fun!

A new Vikings hat from Ryan and Emily.

Miles and Cousin Joshua chowing down on some "football" cake! Mmmmm...chocolate!

Miles wanted to try out the new goggles he got from Papa and JuJu, so Jonas got his out, too! Guess they are all ready for Florida now!
Stay tuned for the next post: Vacation pictures!!

Thanksgiving, etc.

2009-12-11T14:12:00.006-06:00

So, I find myself trying to post about our busy past month, and not really having many pictures to document all that we have done! Mid-November, Ben and I had a "weekend away" in St. Paul while the kids stayed with Papa and JuJu. We went to our first opera, ate out, and strolled through the Mall of America with no agenda! It was great!

We spent Thanksgiving day at my parents' house and ate some yummy food. Miles refused to eat anything but red jello, which he had from head to toe and required two outfit changes...good idea, Grandma!! Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera!

The weekend after Thanksgiving, we had a visit from Alex, Katie, and the kids. Jonas loved being able to show Abbie his room and his toys!
Here's the cousin photo:

Aunt Katie's looking a little overwhelmed, don't you think?

Miles LOVED "the baby" and was sooooooo thrilled to get to hold her!

Then, up went the tree. Here's a picture of the boys decorating it on the night we put it up. However, I could have snapped this picture on any night since...we've had a LOT of re-decorating going on!!

This week we had about 14 inches of snow fall. Jonas thought it was really fun to go out and play. Miles...not so much. Two seconds before I took this picture, Miles was sound asleep in that very spot on the front step. Getting all bundled up must have really worn him out!

And here's what's been going on during a typical day at our house:
Two superheroes, just waiting for the next call...

Do these boots match my...um...shirt????

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

2009-11-01T08:30:00.009-06:00

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

2009-09-05T14:52:00.005-05:00

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

2009-08-26T08:21:00.007-05:00

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

2009-08-19T14:06:00.005-05:00

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...

2009-06-06T23:56:00.004-05:00

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!

2009-03-29T21:02:00.006-05:00

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)!

2009-03-07T17:34:00.004-06:00

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

2009-01-23T23:20:00.007-06:00

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

2009-01-11T16:44:00.007-06:00

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

2008-12-16T20:58:00.004-06:00

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

2008-12-07T15:42:00.006-06:00

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

2008-11-26T20:27:00.003-06:00

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!

2008-11-02T13:10:00.007-06:00

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!

2008-10-28T15:05:00.023-05:00

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...

2008-09-15T13:19:00.010-05:00

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!

2008-08-21T13:43:00.003-05:00

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????????

2008-08-15T22:24:00.003-05:00

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

2008-08-15T22:02:00.004-05:00

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...

2008-07-28T22:03:00.009-05:00

...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

2008-07-19T22:39:00.004-05:00

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

2008-07-19T21:46:00.005-05:00

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

2008-07-08T21:34:00.005-05:00

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

2008-06-28T14:42:00.006-05:00

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

2008-06-24T21:52:00.004-05:00

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!

2008-06-10T20:46:00.005-05:00

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...

2008-05-29T20:29:00.001-05:00

Three months old today!

Farmer Jonas

2008-05-18T15:38:00.007-05:00

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

2008-05-08T10:49:00.003-05:00

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

2008-05-05T18:57:00.007-05:00

"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

2008-04-24T12:03:00.004-05:00

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

2008-04-18T12:27:00.002-05:00

Seven weeks old today!

Fauxhawk (or Faux-hawk)

2008-04-14T13:11:00.003-05:00

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...

Ready for Spring

2008-04-09T15:04:00.003-05:00

We've traded in the snow boots for rain boots and the fleece hat with ear flaps for the baseball cap. We've gotten our sunglasses out...

We've tried on our sweet sweater, hat, and blanket ensemble knit by Grandma M. that is just the perfect weight for spring weather!

Now....WHERE IS THE SUN????

Rainy Day

2008-04-01T10:34:00.003-05:00

Yesterday it rained and rained and rained and was so dreary! It seemed like Jonas needed extra entertainment to keep him happy...so mommy had to get creative. First, some explanation about the sunglasses you will see in a few of the pictures. We went on a family outing to Target Sunday to run some errands (oh, how exciting our lives are now!) We thought it would be funny to try these cute sunglasses on Jonas - well, we had to buy them when he refused to take them off and was still wearing them in the check-out line.

Here he is, still wearing them minutes before bedtime. In the morning, he asked for them right away, and instructed me to put them in the front pocket of his flannel shirt. I suspect he has seen Ben do this with his glasses.

I figured out what to do with the massive cardboard boxes that Miles's diapers come in (might as well buy them in bulk!) Cut open, the box is the perfect size for a Jonas tracing! Jonas enjoyed decorating with markers and stickers. Please note, I do NOT think my child looks like Elmer Fudd - HE picked that sticker out himself and placed it squarely in the center of the face before I could redirect him!

Apparently, Uncle Alex and Aunt Katie think that every new big brother needs a shopping cart...Jonas seems to agree, and loves playing with his gift! Note the sunglasses again...and the cowboy boots. The boy must feel he needs to look good for the grocery store.

Naptime and bedtime were even exciting yesterday...At naptime, Jonas demonstrated he could climb out of his crib. So, at bedtime, daddy removed the railing to create a "big boy bed."

And here's Miles, sleeping away the rainy day yesterday...oh, to be one month old...sigh.

Florida Vacation

2008-03-26T08:13:00.004-05:00

Last week Ben and I were faced with a decision - stay cooped up in the house with a 2 week-old and 21 month-old for a week during Ben's spring break...or, take the whole crew to Florida to spend the week on the beach with Grandma & Grandpa M. and Uncle Alex and family. We opted for the warm weather, and at the last minute bought plane tickets to Tampa. (So the government can thank us - our economic stimulus package is already spent!)

Here's Jonas surveying the scene in his new beach outfit (thanks to Grandma):

Abbie and Jonas hanging out in the pool:

Miles spending time with Daddy in the condo (marveling at his good luck - 2 weeks old, and already been to the beach!)

The whole family enjoying the warm weather (Mommy and Miles are not quite swimsuit-ready yet!!)

We finished up the week back in the snow with Ben's family for Easter. Here are the cousins: Noelle, Jonas, Miles, and Joshua. Jonas had a blast playing with all of his cousins, but had a hard time switching gears. He kept calling Noelle the wrong name after spending the whole week with Abbie!

More Pictures of Miles

2008-03-04T15:28:00.001-06:00

Leap Year Baby!!

2008-03-01T19:54:00.002-06:00

He's here! Miles Anton was born on February 29th at 9:09 AM! He was 8 lbs 3 oz and 20 3/4 inches long. Just a tiny bit bigger than Jonas was at birth. Everything went really well and we came home from the hospital this afternoon.

In case you're wondering, Miles is just a name we like, and Anton is after my Great-grandpa on my dad's side.

Jonas seems to be warming up to his little brother, and was even trying to share his new Elmo with Miles at the hospital.

Here are "my boys" - all of them!

Getting Ready for Baby

2008-02-18T19:38:00.002-06:00

Eight days until Baby is due (Feb 27th) and we're getting ready! All the baby stuff is upstairs, cleaned up, and ready to go. Jonas has even gotten to try out some of it with his baby.

Jonas seems to like "the belly," although frequently gets distracted from talk of the baby inside by the belly button itself...he still, after many months, remains quite fascinated with this piece of anatomy. Unfortunately, he has taken to calling belly buttons, simply, "butts." Personally, I think this is cute...but Ben is quite bothered by it. Apparently, he thinks it is inappropriate for our son to go around pointing at people's bellies shouting "BUTT!!"

Fun at JuJu and PaPa's and Where's Jonas, Part 3

2008-02-06T12:57:00.001-06:00

Last Saturday we made the trip up to JuJu and Papa's so they could help entertain Jonas in Ben's absence (again, at wrestling!) Noelle and Joshua came over to join the party, too! (I don't think JuJu minded one bit!!!)

And finally, daddy is home for a day - and ready for another rousing game of "Where's Jonas?"

If the feet don't give it away, the giggling surely will!!!

Friends visit

2008-02-06T12:46:00.000-06:00

So, I've gotten a little behind on my posting...
Seems like things never really slowed down after the holidays like I expected them to! Ben has wrestling nearly every Saturday in January and February, so Jonas and I have been trying to keep as busy as possible.
Here are some pictures from a fun Saturday morning visit with PA friends Jill and Jaime and their girls, Alaina and Grace.

We just could not get them all to sit nicely together for a group photo!

Where's Jonas Part #2

2008-01-21T12:18:00.000-06:00

Seriously -- a different day, a different tunnel -- same level of excitement for anyone with a "Y" chromosome, no matter the age!

Daddy's friends even come over to play!

Peek-a-boo!

And, yes, Jonas gets to play, too!

Where's Jonas?

2008-01-16T14:57:00.001-06:00

He's only a toddler, but already my "boys" team up against me - I hear (stage)-whispered "do you think mommy can find us?" and "tell mommy to come in here" from the other room.

I really do think they make these things for daddies, too... Can you see Jonas peeking out the window?

Luther Girls

2008-01-06T16:54:00.001-06:00

Yesterday we had a Luther get-together at my house-
7 girls, 7 kids, and 2 good-natured husbands... Bess was visiting all the way from Seattle and Cara came from Pennsylvania!
Here we are (3 pregnant ladies in this picture, can you guess who?)

This was the best we could do for a girl & kids photo (not pictured, Greta, due to a slight fever.) Thanks to the good-natured husbands mentioned above for being our photographers!

Luckily, Jonas was pretty good about sharing his new toys - here Eva, Logan, and Rowan enjoy some playtime.

From left to right...Rowan, Eva, Greta, Logan, and Jonas.

Fast friends, Logan and Jonas (just like their mommies!)

Triple threat: Rowan, Logan, and Jonas (just like their mommies!)

Cara and Rowan got to spend the night! What a party!

Jonas shows Cara his favorite stocking cap...is he like his daddy, or what?!

Ben missed the party due to wrestling, but made it home just in time for a bedtime story!

Thanks, everyone, for coming! It was great to catch up!

Christmas Pictures!

2008-01-03T13:25:00.001-06:00

Our Christmas started a little late due to me having to work 12 hour shifts on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. That might also be why I ONLY videotaped on Christmas morning and forgot to take any photos until just before rushing off to work...
Here's Jonas using his new table and chairs...

Finally, a day late, the holiday celebration at Grandma and Grandpa M.'s. This is seriously the best we could do for a cousins photo - two goofy smiles and one crying baby (which is strange, because Izzie NEVER cries...I guess she didn't like being propped up against a hard box?)

This one's a good one - Uncle Alex, Aunt Katie, Abbie and Izzie.

And here we are - Mommy, Daddy, Jonas, and Baby ???

Our cute little man.

Jonas on his new "bike" complete with helmet...which he won't ride without (the helmet was actually a bigger hit than the bike!)

We were fortunate enough to have our cousins Adrian and Kelsey home to help celebrate the holidays! Great to see you guys!

Although we didn't quite get to bond in the same way that THESE cousins did...

Ben with new rubber mallet...because what MAN doesn't have a rubber mallet?

And Robyn with new scarf...because it's HARD to buy pregnant ladies any other kind of clothing! (I also got shoes!)
Finally, up to Papa and JuJu's for one final Christmas celebration (that lasted 48 hours STRAIGHT!) Here's Uncle Ben with new baby Joshua (who slept through most of his 1st Christmas.)

And here's the best I could do to get Noelle and Jonas to stand in front of the tree together for a cousin photo...oh, well! At least they are playing nicely together in this one...

Seriously, who dresses this boy?????????????

One final picture of our champagne toast to my brother, who recently got his first REAL job (well, actually it is something called a "post-doc" position that he and only 3 other people got out of a pool of 300 applicants...but he assures me it is much more like a "job" than MORE school!) Good luck, Alex - please work on that renewable energy technology for all of us!

Christmas Cookies

2007-12-19T14:19:00.000-06:00

Note to self...an 18-month-old is NOT developmentally ready to help decorate Christmas cookies...here's the proof:

Jonas does like to EAT cookies, though...

Here he is with the sprinkles...and Ben looking on, wondering why I thought this would be a good idea...

the finished masterpiece (mostly eaten by now...)

This last picture is a little blurry, since Jonas is perpetually in motion, but worth posting to show you how much fun he had during our afternoon of decorating! And just a side note...check out that hair...does that remind you of anyone???? (BEN!)

Donuts with Santa and Visiting Baby Joshua

2007-12-14T11:09:00.001-06:00

For our last Early Childhood class before Christmas, we had "Donuts with Santa" on Wednesday morning. As you can clearly see by the pictures below, the DONUTS were the highlight for Jonas. Although, he wasn't too scared of Santa...no tears were shed. And now, in addition to all of his animal sounds, he can "ho, ho, ho" like Santa on cue.

Clowning around at home...

Last weekend we got to go visit Jonas's new cousin, Joshua. Jonas spent lots of time playing with Noelle.

There was reading...

table-dancing...

karaoke...

and plenty of cousin bonding.

So far it seems that Noelle is a great big sister...even wants to be up in the middle of the night to "help" with the baby. Sounds like fun!

Tree Trimmin'

2007-12-02T20:41:00.000-06:00

For the past 4 years, Ben and I have been a bit lazy...we haven't put up a Christmas tree. Well...we do have this little table-top tree that we called our Christmas tree, but it is starting to look a little bit squashed from all of our moves...and it definitely won't fit all the presents for Jonas underneath it! I also admit that deep down I was worried that Jonas might somehow remember if we didn't put up a Christmas tree. So, to avoid having him use his deprived childhood as an excuse for any sort of bad behavior he may have as a teenager, we took him to pick out a tree this year.

Here he is looking for the best one...

And here, I just wanted to document the wonders of the "stow and go" seating in our new minivan. Yes, a minivan. But seriously...look at this...we fit our TREE in it!
And here Ben demonstrates how to trim the Christmas tree...
And here Jonas demonstrates that it is MUCH to close to bedtime to be messing with the over-stimulating task of tree trimming!
Here is the finished product...mostly decorated AFTER Jonas has gone to bed. Now we just have to see if it stays decorated!

We also put lights on the OUTSIDE of our house this year...and I did also document this milestone with a picture. But then I became paranoid about posting that picture on the internet because you can see our house number... So I guess you'll just have to take my word for it! :)
Happy Holidays!

Visitors

2007-12-02T11:51:00.000-06:00

So fun to have a quick visit from Jaime and Grace last week! They grow up so fast!