Adventures of Mini-Mooks and Baby Jake

Thanksgiving 2009

2010-01-22T20:00:00.000-08:00

Boys Table

Cousin Mikey, Kevin and Pepper

Patrick reading from his book about space (post meal entertainment)

M&M

Grace

Mariella - looking cute as ever

Sophie with her Dad, Uncle Pat

The whole crew!

Jake turns 2!!

2010-01-03T20:35:00.000-08:00

Jake had a fun 2nd birthday. Our Nanny Miriah made special hats and decorations to make the day extra special.

Happy Birthday little buddy! We Love Ya!

Apple Picking 2009

2010-01-03T20:24:00.000-08:00

Wow, am I far behind! I found these pictures from a fall visit to the apple orchard on my camera tonight. This was a beautiful and hot October day. We had a fun time picking, throwing and eating apples and riding ponies.

Halloween Highlights

2009-11-08T19:28:00.001-08:00

Halloween Hangover!!

Visit from Mateo and Uncle Pepper

2009-11-08T19:18:00.001-08:00

Mateo and Uncle Pepper came to visit us last month. We did our best to show them all the great things Minnesota has to offer. We even sent them home with a parting gift, H1N1 flu. Well, I think everyone is feeling better by now.

More State Fair Pics

2009-09-17T20:18:00.000-07:00

Minnesota State Fair

2009-09-17T20:08:00.000-07:00

My favorite, baby lambs, soooo soft

This is right before Jake started sucking on the railing, gross.

Truth be told, the Minnesota State Fair is train wreck. It's expensive, it's hot, it's crowded. There is virtually no healthy food and a lot of junky toys that the kids want us to buy. Also a lot of really really big people not wearing enough clothes. But we go every year anyway, mostly to see the baby animals. Also to spend one afternoon eating a lot of really bad, fried food.

Fishing

2009-09-17T20:01:00.001-07:00

Avery and Kevin have been fishing this summer. They like to go to a small lake by our house. Avery almost always meets a new friend there. Its a hot spot for pre-schoolers and their dads. Last weekend he got up super early and came upstairs to get Kevin up to go fishing. I don't think there was a "6 on his clock" given the sunrising over lake Harriet.

More Chicago Pics

2009-09-01T20:18:00.000-07:00

American Gothic Sculpture

Life size Moose made of recycled car bumpers. And Jake having another fit.

Avery with Lego Nanny (and her dog)

Family portraits in the bean sculpture

2009-09-01T20:15:00.000-07:00

Millennium Park

2009-09-01T20:04:00.001-07:00

Off to the races!

Jake having one of his signature fits, lots of rolling around and kicking, probably some spitting

We called this the bean sculpture, it was super fun!

This interactive fountain features pictures of Chicagoans, sometimes they even spit water. Right up Jake's alley. That is the Art Institute in the background, another awesome museum. We didn't make it there this time.

Museum of Science and Indsutry

2009-09-01T19:59:00.000-07:00

This picture is terrible but that is a full size locomotive and a full size airplane that the kids can play in. And a rocket powered race car. This place is awesome!

No joke, this is a full size John Deere Combine and above, a real John Deere farm tractor. We also got to see a diagram of how much poo a cow produces in a day. Pretty cool!

Field Museum

2009-09-01T19:54:00.000-07:00

Sue!

Crown Play Lab

Music room in the Crown Play Lab (Jake's chewing on his pretend corn)

Dino Dig

Shedd Aquarium

2009-08-31T19:30:00.000-07:00

Chicago part 1

2009-08-31T19:28:00.001-07:00

Big Pimpin in our swank hotel, thank you Medtronic!

Fine Dining or How to torture yourself and your neighbors for $50

2009-08-31T19:02:00.001-07:00

We had an amazing trip to Chicago last weekend. All in all the boys were great and we got to do A LOT of fun new things. The only time we had trouble, a lot of trouble, was meal time. Jake just does not like to sit still for an extended period of time, and being in a new city, not knowing where the "kid friendly" restaurants were, we attempted a lot of "sit down" meals (I use that term loosely). And let me just say this, the concierge's idea of kid friendly and my idea of kid friendly are definitely not one in the same. Further, Chicago is not a cheap city. So we spent a lot of money to torture ourselves and our neighbors and not eat very much food.

Here's how it went down, almost ritualistically, twice a day for four days:

We go into the restaurant and if we're lucky there's not a wait. If we're not lucky, I spend the whole time trying to corral Jake, trying to keep him from yelling (he's never been a quiet child) or spitting (his newest form of self expression for anger).

After we get to the table Jake takes his crayons and draws all over whatever is in arm's reach, the placemat, the table, the wall, the chair, etc. Then he chews on the crayon and spits out the wax.

After he's done with the crayons, he finds the silverware and begins to bang it on the table and maybe even a plate or glass, as loud as he can. After I take it away, there is more spitting.

If I'm thinking ahead, I brought his sippy cup. If not, he receives a cup with a lid and a straw which he insists on tipping up to drink so the milk dribbles out all over his shirt (usually I have not brought a bib). Eventually he takes the straw out, chews it up and then throws it down. Then he tries to drink from the straw hole in the cup, again, milk spilling down his shirt.

Then I usually let him play with the sugar packets. He wrinkles up and trashes several packets of sugar, equal, splenda, etc. Then he likes to chew on, bang or throw the container. I take it away, more spitting.

Next comes the salt and pepper. It goes everywhere. Kevin insists this is better than giving him a sweet snack, like a lollipop or granola bar. I'm not so sure. I take it away, more spitting.

After he has exhausted his options, he likes to stand up in his high chair. By this time I have to remove him from the table and go for a walk. Again more spitting, and by now he is yelling the only word he is actually using appropriately - NO NO NO NO NO!!!!

The food comes. Jake might take a few bites, but probably throws it on the floor. One time I actually found a place that served Mac & Cheese but it was scalding hot when it got to the table. This caused a lot of spitting and crying.

Finally, we pack up the leftovers for the hotel. We don't actually ever eat the leftovers, they just stink up the hotel room because we don't have a fridge.

So $50 later, we are out of there, still hungry, aggravated and probably tired. So there is lots of crying, yelling (NO NO NO!) and spitting on the way out.

Most people are pretty understanding, But, on the last day some guy actually asked me to make him stop making so much noise. Right. I should have taken Jake over to his table so he could experience the yelling and spitting up close and personal. Instead, I just packed up and left. We went to our room and ordered room service. That seemed to work a whole lot better for everyone.

Except maybe for Kevin, I'm not sure if he got the bill yet or not.

I'll miss you

2009-08-08T11:42:00.000-07:00

Its been raining the last few days so we have been reverting to our indoor winter activities. Yesterday while Jake was sleeping we played astronaut in our make shift moving box space shuttle. Afterwards, when the rain had stopped, we went out to the front porch to have our snack. Here's the commentary:

Avery: "Astronauts are really smart and really tough."

Me: "Yes, they don't cry when they are scared, they are very brave."

Avery, "I'm going to be brave when I am an astronaut."

Then later -

Avery, "Mommy, when I go up into outer space, I'm really going to miss you."

Me, "Yes, honey, outer space is really far away."

Avery, "Maybe you and daddy and jake can come along for the ride in my space shuttle?"

Lifetime Tri

2009-08-01T20:07:00.001-07:00

Belated Happy 4th of July!!

2009-08-01T19:53:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics from the Edina 4th of July parade.

Awesome hats by Mommy and Nanny!

Visit with Nanny

2009-08-01T19:48:00.000-07:00

Nanny came to visit us over the 4th of July weekend. We had a fun time going to the pool, the MN Zoo and the Walker Sculpture Garden.

Fruits and Veggies

2009-08-01T19:34:00.000-07:00

Jake is finally eating fruits and vegetables. I should clarify, he eats watermelon and corn on the cob now. But that counts, right? Especially if he eats 2 corn on the cobs?

Family trip to the MN Zoo

2009-07-27T19:24:00.000-07:00

No real animal pics here - unless you count the boys.

Friday afternoon at Lake Calhoun

2009-06-13T14:12:00.000-07:00

Last Friday we took the kids to the "beach" at a nearby lake at our house. They love to play in the water and there is a great playground there too. Afterwards, fish tacos at the Tin Fish, a little take out place on the lake. What a great night!

Catching up

2009-06-13T14:00:00.000-07:00

Its the middle of June already. I can't believe it. Summer always has a way of sneaking up on us out here. There really isn't much of a spring so it always feels like we jump from winter to summer. Life is so good in the summer. Great weather, fresh food, plenty to do. I can't seem to ever get the boys inside, they just love being outdoors. Here are a few pics from the last few months. Sorry it has taken so long to get them posted.

Baby Jake vs. The Hostas

I think the hostas won. Actually he fell of the back step into the hostas scraping his face on the way down. Its all better now. PS. See my molars back there?

Avery's preschool mother's day program. They sang songs and made us cards and snacks. I cried, it was so dang cute!!

New kicks, too small already, these kids are growing like weeds!

Baby Jake before his big boy haircut

Maybe my favorite picture of all time. Avery riding the race cars at the park at MOA. A year ago they had to stop the ride to let us off, he was so scared of this ride. Now he is big enough to ride on his own and clearly he loves it.

Potty Obsession

2009-06-08T17:52:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Jake got interested in the potty. I was actually encouraged by this. I thought it could be a sign that he might potty train early (oh how easily we slip back into our old ways). So I enabled it. I started changing his diapers by the potty, letting him pretend to pee in the potty, flush the potty, etc. This mild interest has now turned into an all out obesession.

When I can't find Jake, he is usually doing the one thing I hope he is not doing. These days when I don't know where Jake is, I can't see him or hear him, I usually find him in the bathroom by the potty. He's flushing the toilet over and over again, making his pretend pee sound, tearing off tiny bits of toilet paper until there is nothing left on the roll and throwing it into the potty and flushing some more. Recently I found him brandishing some of his toys over the open potty - a block, a rock, pretty much whatever is nearby. This is when I decided it was time to get the toilet locks.

I couldn't get to Babies R Us to get the locks right away so as a stop gap I put a baby gate on the first floor bathroom. It only works part of the time because Avery never closes it after using the potty and Jake always goes right in there after Avery uses the potty. One day last week I was making lunch and I heard a loud banging in the hallway, I ran out to see what was going on and Jake was trying to crash his car wagon through the gate to get to the potty.

We went to the store on Friday to get the locks. $60 later, screwdriver in hand I set about installing these babies. I had to get a couple of different ones to make sure that Avery could easily open it, so we tested a few and then disassembled the toilet seat. Not too hard. All the while, Jake was standing outside of the bathroom hanging on the gate watching us like his was in his own personal prison. Afterwards we let him in and we has devastated that he could not pry the seat up. He put on an all out temper tantrum on the tiny bathroom floor, it was classic. You would think I took his blankie or binky away for the rest of his life. He just looked at me like, "how could you do this to me?" Since then he has taken to having fits on the floors of public bathrooms, complete with laying his cheek on the floor (or trying to before I scoop him up into my lap while I am trying to pee). Its disgusting really.

I left the gate up on the first floor bathroom. Since becoming a mom my biggest issue is not ever having an privacy during the day, not even being able to go to the bathroom by myself. Somehow this doesn't apply to Kevin, even when it is a daddy day. I finally found a way. By closing the gate and the bathroom door, they can't get in. This doesn't stop them from yelling at me through the door or throwing their toys through the gate at the door, but at least its something.

first words

2009-05-13T18:17:00.000-07:00

One and a hundred

2009-05-01T19:36:00.001-07:00

Sometimes when I want Avery to sit still somewhere for a few minutes I tell him to count to 100. It usually buys me a few minutes to tend to Jake or whatever I need to do. After he gets to a hundred, instead of saying one hundred and one, one hundred and two, etc. he says one and a hundred, two and hundred, etc.

I guess 100 seems really big to him so now anytime he wants to exaggerate he uses the phrase "one and a hundred."

This morning at the breakfast table:

Me: "Avery, are you hungry?"

Avery: "Yes, I'm really hungry, I'm ONE AND A HUNDRED hungry!"

This afternoon in the bathroom we were talking about hair - body hair, facial hair, hair on your head.

Me: "Men have mustaches and beards, women don't."

Avery: "One time when I was in Texas I saw a gril with a beard."

Me: ????

Avery: "When I get big like my dad, I'm going to have beard. Do you think I can have a beard when I get big like my dad?"

Me: "Sure, honey, I'm sure you'll have a lot of hair when you get big like daddy because daddy has a lot of hair and mommy does too."

Avery: "Daddy has a lot of hair, he has ONE AND A HUNDRED hairs, here (pointing to his head), here (pointing to his body), here, here, here, etc.

Avery's Birthday Pics

2009-04-24T20:11:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Avery!! We love you buddy!

Waking up to the most awesome T-Rex balloon

T-rex and his friend T-rex

Awesome space shuttle cake from Kathy

birthday photo with Nanny Kathy

Cool new shark book from BB

Playing stomp rockets with Jake and Big Bill (the judge). The rest of the neighborhood kids followed shortly here after.

A walk with his favorite neighborhood dog, Maggie

Perfect way to end a perfect day!

Wisconsin Dells

2009-04-24T20:03:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to the Wisconsin Dells for Avery's 4th birthday. Apparently the Wisconsin Dells is waterpark capital of the world, actually more like the Jersey Shore of the midwest. It was a super fun weekend for the boys, 3 indoor waterparks, 2 mini gold courses, and arcade, candy shop, etc. etc. It was nice to get away for three straight days of play play play!

More Easter Pics

2009-04-24T19:55:00.001-07:00

More playground pics

2009-04-12T15:05:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter!!

2009-04-12T14:57:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics from an egg hunt at nearby park. Avery had a great time collecting eggs. Jake was much more interested in the playground.

Um, yeah, I'd rather play with this soccer ball

Live baby bunnies!!

The hunt is on.

Jake 3, Avery 18!

Checking out the loot!

Wrestle Mania

2009-04-04T20:10:00.001-07:00

Monday through Friday, 5:30 Central Time, Our house

April Showers

2009-04-04T20:05:00.000-07:00

6 Months Cancer Free!!

2009-04-04T19:44:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we flew to NC to visit with Kevin's family and celebrate Lindsay's 6 months in remission. Lindsay is doing great! She and Avery were so happy to see each other again and were practically inseparable all weekend.

Grace

2009-04-03T08:51:00.001-07:00

In February we enrolled Avery in a new preschool at a small catholic school near our house. We don't go to church very often, it feels really hard with two little kids, so this is his first real exposure to church, God, etc.

Last night we went to a fund raiser for the school at a local pizza place. Totally unprompted Avery said to us, "We need to say Grace before we can eat. That's what we do at school before our snack."

Me: "Okay, go ahead buddy." (slightly amused)

Avery: " Dad is great. That is good. Thank you for the food. Amen" (Then sign of the cross with extra shoulder touches) "Father, Son, Holy Spirit, AMEN!"

So I guess that is the new grace for our house.

Spring is coming....

2009-03-25T20:22:00.000-07:00

Just ask Mr. The King who has moved his boat from the bath tub to the melted snow lake at our back door.

For the love of a balloon....

2009-03-25T20:18:00.001-07:00

Somewhere I have a picture of me holding Avery in the rocking chair, he is asleep, still holding his balloon. As you can see, Jake has the same kind of affection for these latex wonders.

Peek a Boo!

2009-03-25T20:16:00.001-07:00

Winter Art

2009-03-25T20:12:00.000-07:00

I totally forgot to post these pictures or our winter art project - colored ice sculptures. Highly recommended for anyone living in sub-zero temperatures for a sustained amount of time. We even started installing them in our neighbors yard, just for fun!

Maple Syruping

2009-03-25T19:48:00.001-07:00

Photo of Mom by Avery

Is this the real stuff?

Looking for the right tree, bucket ready!

Listening for the sap to drip....

Wrestle Mania

2009-03-25T18:26:00.000-07:00

The great thing about having 2 boys!

Some Tonys

2009-03-18T08:12:00.000-07:00

So, if you didn't know already, Avery is slightly obsessed with outer space. He know the order of all of the planets (in order) as well as weird facts about each of them. We got him a matchbox space shuttle for Christmas and he pretty much plays with it all day long, reenacting the way the booster rockets fall off into the ocean after blast off, etc.

On Sunday the Space Shuttle Discovery took off for a mission to the International Space Station to deliver solar panels to power the space station. (I would not have ever known this before I had Avery). So we have been watching the NASA channel the last few days to learn about the mission. Last night I let him watch a little bit before bed (I secretly wanted to watch Dancing with the Stars and Biggest Loser, I thought I could flip back and forth during the really boring parts). So I turn the TV on in my room and we see an astronaut float into the screen and Avery says, "Look Mom, its Tony!"

I'm thinking, What, really?? He knows the name of the astronauts? So I ask, "Who?"

He says, "Its Tony, the astronaut. Some Tonys are Pop Pops (my dad), and some Tonys are astronauts. That's Tony the astronaut."

At which point Tony the astronaut looks into the camera, waves and give the thumbs up sign.

"He just waved to me!" Avery says. "Some astronauts give the thumbs up and then wave, but Tony waves and then gives the thumbs up."

So I tell Kevin about it later and he informs me that Tony Antonelli, the space shuttle pilot.

It scares me slightly that Avery prefers to watch the NASA channel rather than a cartoon. But hey, maybe someday he'll be up there waving and giving the thumbs up too.

Moments

2009-02-28T19:14:00.000-08:00

I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. I am on day 4 as a single mom. I have not had a chance to work out, eat a healthy meal or even shower over the last few days. I'm tired of winter my house is a disaster and I don't like waking up at 5:30 in the morning. So instead of staying cooped up inside our tiny house with 2 crazy boys, I bundled them up and schlepped them to the Como Zoo and Conservatory. Its a small free zoo and indoor park in St. Paul. It was too cold to go outside to see the animals but they were having a "Summer Camp Fair" today so I thought it might be good to check out. After we walked the fair I decided to check out the conservatory. The gardens were warm and sunny and the boys had room to roam. Even so I found myself stressed out trying to chase after both of them at the same time and even worse about having to yell or clap my hands to get their attention (neither are very good listeners). As we were running past the gold fish pond I noticed two guys sitting on the edge of the pond. One had a big camera around his neck taking a photo of a little girl I presumed to be his daughter. As I am walking by I hear the camera guy's friend say to him,

"Hey, Life is just a series of moments, its up to you to decide what to do with them."

Totally changed my perspective on the day. Yes, I 'm tired, yes, I still hate winter and yes, my house is still a disaster, and no they still don't listen, but I got to spend the day with my 2 beautiful boys. It certainly beats spending the day in the office or a hospital or even all alone. Hopefully Kevin makes it home tonight and I get that shower tomorrow.

Happy New Year!

2009-02-03T14:06:00.000-08:00

PA Adventure Part 3 - Ice Skating

2009-02-03T13:50:00.000-08:00

PA Adventure Part 2 - Franklin Institute

2009-01-08T20:49:00.000-08:00

PA Adventure Part 1 - Italian Market

2009-01-08T20:44:00.000-08:00

mmmm.....pizza!

Baby Jake's First Word

2009-01-08T20:34:00.000-08:00

A few of our favorite things...

2009-01-08T19:55:00.001-08:00

I'm a little bit behind on my posts. Here are some pics from Christmas morning. I'm not totally clear how to rearrange these with our new computer so the order is a little bit whack.

Cookies for Santa, not really edible, but they look good.

Christmas morning excitement

A new bath time favorite, a water table from Aunt Ginger and Uncle Matt

Stocking fun

Obsession with Outer Space Part 1

Of all the expensive gifts, his favorite was a slinky

And Jake just like playing with the paper

Obsession with Outer Space part 2

Christmas Day Sledding

2009-01-04T18:33:00.000-08:00

Mmmmm...Friendly's

2009-01-04T17:56:00.000-08:00

To top off an incredibly crappy year, Kevin got a speeding ticket on New Year's Eve. So, we decided to stop a Friendly's for lunch. Mmmmmm......some how ice cream makes everything seem better.

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-24T13:50:00.000-08:00

If there is such a thing, we had a perfect winter day today for Christmas eve. A bit cold maybe, but the sun was shining and there light flurries of snow in the air. We took the rare opportunity to go out and play for an hour or so. We are eagerly awaiting Santa's arrival tonight. We have been watching him on the Norad Santa tracker all day! I think it will be an amazing day tomorrow.

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year!

Much love,

Carina

Baby Steps

2008-12-17T07:05:00.000-08:00

Baby Jake took his first few steps earlier this week before Kevin left for Atlanta. He's still a little wobbly, but we'll keep practicing now that Daddy is home again.

Avery is becoming quite a back seat driver ever since I got pulled over last week. "Just watch the road Mommy!" "Just don't go to fast Mommy!" "NOOOOOO, don't sing that song! Just be quiet and watch the road Mommy!" "I'm watching the road for you Mommy!"

In other news Avery had a stomach bug yesterday. We spent most of the night running back and forth to the bathroom until he finally decided he was ready to 'spit up.' Unfortunately for me he decided to do it on the bathroom rug and floor right next to the potty instead of in the potty. At least we made it to the bathroom. Baby Steps.

He declared this morning that he is feeling better but is concerned about how Santa is going to get into our house since we don't have a chimney. We do have a chimney, but as I told Lindsay, it doesn't matter if you have a chimney or not, Santa will find you, no matter where you are.

And hopefully he will be bringing the red robot!

Why?? Why, Mommy, Why?

2008-12-11T20:45:00.000-08:00

What a day! We had an appointment to get Avery's teeth cleaned today and when Jake woke up from his nap early I decided to take the boys to get their haircut. I finally had enough of people calling Jake a little girl. So we loaded up the car and headed to the 'Hair Cut Store.' I took a side road through a neighborhood happily singing Christmas songs to the boys when I saw police car in my rear view mirror with its lights on. I pulled over trying not to show how angry I was that I was getting a ticket 10 days before Christmas for not noticing I was going 40 in a 30 (which I thought was 35) because I was too busy singing Christmas songs to my kids. So, while the police officer was writing me up, this is what I heard from the peanut gallery:

Why did we have to stop Mommy?

Why?

Doesn't the police officer have to go and help some kids? So kids whose house is on fire?

Why are you sad Mommy?

Why?

Okay mommy, you just watch the road Mommy, just watch the road. I'm watching the road for you, okay Mommy?

I'm just watching the road for you.

Just watch the road Mommy, just watch the road.

Medtronic Christmas Party

2008-12-06T18:51:00.000-08:00

Baby Jake's new attitude

Avery telling Santa he wants a Red Robot for Christmas

Photo op with Nutcracker

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

2008-12-06T18:44:00.001-08:00

Fridge Climbing

2008-12-06T18:31:00.001-08:00

Baby Jake's favorite activity of late.

Overheard

2008-12-06T16:24:00.000-08:00

We went to the Children's Christmas Party at Medtronic World Headquarters today (I'll post the pictures later). I took Avery into the ladies' room to go potty. We managed to navigate the automatic flushers on the toliet and then when we got the sink Avery found a HUGE basket full of feminine products (clearly Medtronic is not in the midst of massive cost cutting measures like some other Twin Cities corporations that I know of). Here's the way it went down:

Avery: Mommy I want one of those (tampons).

Mommy: Oh Honey, those are for girls (or grils as he calls us)

Avery: Okay, then you have one. Get one Mommy, get one!!

Mommy: No, Honey, I don't need one. It's for when you are having a hard day.

Avery: (Very very serious look on his face) But, I'm having a hard day.

Mommy: (laughing)

Avery: Stop laughing!! I am having a really hard day. I need one of those.

I hear giggling. Out from the stall emerges a old woman dressed as Mrs. Clause. Just enough of a distraction to navigate Avery away from the huge basket of tampons. She just laughed and then told us she has 6 kids, 17 grand kids and 15 grandkids and she knows all about these little guys.

We should all be so lucky.

So long little blue house

2008-11-18T20:09:00.000-08:00

We've just about finished our siding project, just some painting on the trim and the door left to do. This will probably have to wait until spring since its already below freezing here. Here are some pics of our progress to date.

The Many Faces of Avery

2008-11-18T19:59:00.003-08:00

My New Teeth!

2008-11-18T19:54:00.000-08:00

Baby Jake's got a new smile, check it out....

Happy Birthday Baby Jake!

2008-11-18T18:38:00.000-08:00

My little baby turned one this last week! I can hardly believe its been a year already. It hasn't been the easiest year for us, from housing disasters to medical issues, you name it, it feels like we have experienced it this past year. This sweet baby of mine really keeps things in perspective for us. He has a smile on his face 99.9% of the time and this kid's laugh can make your heart melt. He truly has been a gift to our family!

We love you little (big) buddy! Happy First Birthday!

How Long?

2008-11-08T10:48:00.000-08:00

How long does it take two little boys to adjust to the one hour day light savings time change? For the past week Avery has been waking up at all hours of the morning, sneaky upstairs to our bed demanding to watch his Curious George videos. Jake has been waking up too, but sometimes if we leave him alone just long enough, he will go back to sleep. We re-instituted the "6 on your clock" rule by which Avery is not allowed to get out of bed until there is a 6 on his clock. A few mornings he got up a 5:36 or 5:56 so we had to tell him its the first number, not the last. So this morning he got up a promptly "six-zero-zero". I promise you he was sitting there watching his clock just waiting for it to turn.

One of the unfortunate things I inherited from my parents (besides my big head - from my dad) is a need for sleep - from my mom. I have since come to the conclusion that my boys, at least Avery, did not get this gene.

In other news Jake's upper gum looks like a corn cob. He has about 6 teeth just waiting to bust through. He continues to be an amazingly sweet and happy baby, but when those gums start hurting he can really scream. Its just like the night he was born, I will never ever forget the blood curdling scream he let out when they took him out.

Kevin took Avery to the Minnesota/Michigan football game today. I was going to go, but I'm too cheap to pay the babysitter and after two days straight of a screaming Jake and a bouncing off the walls Avery I opted for some quiet time at home with my sweet baby. Yesterday Avery broke down crying while we were reading Frosty the Snowman (its snowing here already incase I forgot to add that) because he wanted to know why Frosty had to go away and where he would go. I'm hoping a little time guy time today will toughen him up a bit.

Finally, our niece Lindsay came down with an infection this week. She and her parents are having a tough time this weekend. Please say a little prayer for them tonight.

More Halloween fun!

2008-11-01T19:21:00.000-07:00

Check out the spooky skeleton by the fish pond

Fun with flashlights

Checking out the candy basket

Avery with friends with Reese (aka Ariel) and Brady, our neighborhood Gopher

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T19:15:00.000-07:00

Mission control to Daddy, all systems are go, prepare for trick or treating!

Captain Jake

Maybe my favorite picture of all time

Apple Picking

2008-10-26T19:41:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics from our trip to the apple orchard last weekend. As much as I complain about the end of summer, I wait all year for Minnesota's Honey Crisp apples, perhaps one of my favorite foods of all time (second only to South Carolina Peaches). We picked and picked until our bushel bag nearly burst at the seams!

Tractor Ride

Pure and Natural Goodness found in this row!

These trees are just the right size for Avery

Prelude to Halloween

2008-10-26T18:57:00.000-07:00

We went to the annual Elmwood neighborhood Halloween party today. Avery has been getting a lot of fun out of his astronaut suit. We left the space helmet at home today an opted for the NASA baseball cap instead. I have been working furiously on Jake's pirate suit, complete with stroller cover shaped like a pirate ship. I still have a few adjustments to make but hope to have in ship shape by Friday for trick or treating!

Working on a Jack-o-Lantern with Daddy

Jake being interview by the MC for the parade

Mission control to pilot, we have Halloween entertainment

Jake, sporting his pirate outfit (sans hat)

University of Minnesota Arboretum

2008-10-12T19:08:00.000-07:00

We went to the University of Minnesota Arboretum on Saturday. It was a perfect day and the trees were magnificent. The boys had a great time running through the woods, doing arts and crafts and chasing lady bugs. In a few more weeks the leaves will be gone and winter will be on our doorstep!

Avery's first day of school

2008-10-11T20:28:00.001-07:00

Here is a picture from Avery's first day of school. He's been in his new preschool about a month now and the verdict is still out as to whether he really likes it or not. He is the youngest of 12 boys and 7 girls in the class and it seems like some of them should be in kindergarden already. He is learning to write his name. I can't seem to get him to do much more than a manic scribble, so maybe its not all bad.

WARNING! Do not get on a plane with this child!!

2008-09-23T20:10:00.000-07:00

Here's my weekly bit of parenting advice for the masses: Just don't even try to fly with your child between the ages of 5 months and 3 years. This sweet child of mine screamed and cried for 2 out of the 2 1/2 hour flight from Boston to Minneapolis. Maybe its just a jinx because I am always bragging about what a perfect baby he is? All I'm saying is if you want to see baby Jake before he turns 3, you'd better get yourself a plane ticket to Minneapolis, because we're not getting on an airplane anytime soon. I'm not even sure Northwest would let this kid on one of their planes after yesterday's trip.

Potatoes pulled my pants down!

2008-09-23T20:01:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure who the antagonist was in this series of photos but there was A LOT of horsing around between Avery and his cousin Mateo this past weekend. Mostly it was all fun, but some bouts ended in wining cries by Avery, ("Potatoes pulled my pants down!" or "Potatoes sprayed me with the hose!") and one in a fat lip. By the way this wrestling match took place during Mariela's baptism party.

A visit to the farm

2008-09-23T19:12:00.001-07:00

Here are some pics from our visit to Uncle Pepper's house in Massachusetts last weekend. Much fun was had by all of the little munchkins, especially when it came to the chickens!

Update on Miss Lindsay Beans

2008-08-29T17:48:00.001-07:00

Incase you're wondering how our niece Lindsay is fairing with her chemo... I snagged this picture off of Matt's blog. Apparently she has not yet lost her hair or her fiery disposition. Today was day 7 of 10 of her first round of chemo. She has a 21 day rest period, then on to round 2. By all accounts things seem to be going as well as can be expected.

To get the official update check out their caring bridge site: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/lindsaytempleton

Don't forget to leave a note, I know they have been reading the guest book.

Detectors

2008-08-29T17:25:00.000-07:00

Last week we got new CO detectors for our house. Avery is terrified of detectors, any kind of detector.

We have smoke detectors in what seems like every room in our house. When the one in his room started beeping because it needed a new battery he demanded it be taken down immediately, otherwise he refused to go in his room, period.

So, when he realized that the new CO detector outside his room beeps like a smoke detector he made me take it down.

Last night Kevin was away and sometimes when he is gone I let Avery sleep with me upstairs. Just as we snuggled in our bed to read books he noticed the CO detector on the wall. After many tears, we decided to go back to his room to sleep, where there are no detectors.

When we got into his bed I tried to explain to Avery how the detectors work and how they can help us.

Mommy: Avery, detectors are our friends. They tell us when something is wrong and we need to get out of the house.

Avery: No there not, they are not are friends. They are very bad and they are very loud. When the start to beep I go like this (hands over ears).

Mommy: You know what, they are sort of like fire trucks. When we see a fire truck going down the street without its lights and sirens on we know everything is okay. But when we hear a fire truck's siren and see its lights flashing we know that something is wrong and someone needs help. If we don't hear the detectors then we know everything is okay. But if we hear them beeping then we know something is wrong and we have to get out of the house.

Avery: Yeah, when that starts beeping the fire truck will start is siren and then it will come to our house and the firemen will crash in the windows and starting spraying with their hoses, PPPPSSHHHH!!!! And Dot the fire dog and the firemen will come in the house to save us.

At that point I realized we have been reading way too many stories about fire trucks.

Correction to last post

2008-08-29T17:16:00.000-07:00

Correction to my last post - Jake now has 2 teeth on the bottom. He is also crawling around like crazy. These two boys are keeping their Mommy very very busy!

more highlights from the State Fair

2008-08-26T19:18:00.000-07:00

We went to the birthing barn at the fair and met lots of Mommy and baby animals.

Like this Mommy Cow

And her baby Harold who was born yesterday!

We met a mommy pig with 10 piglets!

And I even got to pet on of the baby pigs

A baby lamb
and some baby ducks

then I got to rid a litte tractor
And a BIG tractor!!!
I learned how to feed the chickens
and milk a cow

It was a busy day. I was so tired that I fell asleep in my ice cream cone on the way home!

I got a tooth!!

2008-08-26T19:01:00.001-07:00

The Giant Slide

2008-08-26T18:39:00.000-07:00

Last week the guide for the Minnesota State Fair came out in our Sunday paper with a picture of the infamous "Giant Slide." I showed it to Avery and proudly proclaimed that on Tuesday (Mommy day) we would be going to the state fair and we would be going down the giant slide.
Without ever mentioning it again, last night Avery woke up crying and when I went to his room to calm him down he said, "Mommy, I don't like that slide."

We made it to the fair today, for better or worse, and we found the Giant Slide almost immediately. I told Avery he should face his fears and we should go down the slide together. He reluctantly agreed and we paid our $4 and headed up what seemed like 500 steps to the top of the slide. He was totally scared out of his wits when we got up there, but somehow I managed to get him on my lap without a total freakout and we made our way down the slide. He wrenched his stomach and gritted his teeth the whole way down. At the bottom he jumped up and ran away as fast as he could. I ran after him and here's how our conversation went:

Mommy: "That was fun, wasn't it Avery?"

Avery: "No, that was scary!!"

Mommy: "But you were very brave, you went down the slide."

Avery: "No, I wasn't brave, I was really really scared! You were brave Mommy."

Thoughts and Prayers

2008-08-23T13:46:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have not heard, our niece Lindsay was diagnosed with AML, Acute Meyloid Leukemia this past week. She started 6 months of chemotherapy yesterday at Brenner Children's Hospital at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC. Please keep Lindsay and her family in your thoughts and prayers over the next few months.

For updates on Lindsay's treatment visit http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/lindsaytempleton

Why I love my little boys

2008-08-23T13:35:00.001-07:00

I don't know what it is about little boys. They get the biggest kick out of the simplest things like squirt guns and whoopee cushions. They really make me laugh. Just when I think they can't get any funnier, they do.

This is a conversation I had in the car with my sister and her son Patrick and Avery on our last trip to Pennsylvania (Susie was driving through our old neighborhood to show the boys our childhood home):

Me: Look guys, that's where Aunt Susan and I lived when we were little.

Avery: But Mommy, your big now so you don't live in the forest anymore (there are a lot of big old trees in that neighborhood).

Avery again: Aunt Susan, you're big too.

Patrick: Yeah, and your butt is big and stinky too!

If you see a crocodile, don't forget to scream!

2008-08-16T17:57:00.000-07:00

My sunshine

2008-07-25T19:06:00.001-07:00

A visit it from BB and Papa

2008-07-25T18:26:00.000-07:00

We had a super week with BB and Papa visiting. There was lots of bike riding and playing and all kinds of other fun. Thanks making the long trek north to come see us. The boys loved seeing you!

Photos by Avery

2008-07-25T18:06:00.000-07:00

Here is a sampling of Avery's most recent work.

Sunflower (planted by Daddy and Avery)

Green on Green
(we forgot this in the grass and a squirrel got it, one of two peppers from our garden)

Dragon Train (with broccoli and cucumber)

Tree

A day a the beach

2008-07-19T16:15:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday we spent the morning at a park near Lake Minnetonka with a man made, sandy bottom, chlorinated, swimming pond. Okay, not exactly like being at the ocean, but at least the kids got to splash around and play in the sand. In Jake's case, that would be eat the sand, so maybe its better we didn't make it to the real beach this summer.

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-04T17:48:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July everyone!! We celebrated this morning by attending a the 4th of July parade in Edina with our neighbors.

Avery decked out in his 4th of July garb

Mommy and Jake (self portrait)

Avery and his friend Reese meeting RT Rybeck, the mayor of Minneapolis

Avery waving to the fire trucks

Minneapolis police bag pipe band

cool army trucks

Funny marching bands

Some clowns

Things I love about Jake

2008-07-03T12:02:00.000-07:00

Okay - its Wednesday afternoon before the 4th of July and I can't stand to work anymore. So I thought I would make a list of all of my favorite things about baby Jake. I'm always blogging about Avery because he is so good and bad and funny all at the same time, but Jake is pretty special in his own right - so here goes.

1. His eyes! My favorite thing, probably everyone's favorite thing ishis big bright eyes and long eyelashes. Everyone, especially the ladies, comment about his eyes. They are so big and shiny and his eyelashes are about a mile long, just like his dads'. We're not sure if they will be brown or hazel yet, there sort of some where in between.

2. His big belly laughs! He laughs a lot, whether its at his brother jumping on the couch or the rocket ship mobile over Avery's bed, or his dad tickling him, or just a silly toy. Its got to be the sweetest sound in the world, I wish I could bottle it and pull it out whenever I am feeling down.

3. The way he goes to sleep! Jake doesn't fuss about much, so its easy to tell when he is tired. He knows the bedtime routine and as soon as we go into his room I hand him is giraffe luvy and he wrestles it down, sticks his finger in his mouth and snuggles in to go to sleep.

4. The way he wakes up! Although its usually early in the morning, its such a treat to get him out of bed. He is always so excited to see you when you come to get him. He's got the biggest, gummmiest smile and he kicks his legs on the matress with delight.

5. Feeding him! This kid loves to eat, and he will eat just about anything. Its fun to try new foods with him. His favorite food of all time is bananas and often I give him piece of whole banana in one of those mesh holders. He sucks on it and bites it and after it slimes all over him and the high chair he likes to take the holder and bang it on the tray. He'll bang it over and over again just to hear himself make the sound. He's so impressed. We're trying some new finger foods too. But like Avery he still does not have any teeth in sight, so it could take a while.

Father's Day at the Minnesota Zoo

2008-06-21T13:02:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics from the new Grizzly Bear exhibit, Russia's Grizzly Coast, at the Minnesota Zoo. There marketing pitch is "Get closer than nature intended." Judge for yourself from this pictures. For information on the new exhibit go to www.mnzoo.com

Drivin' in my car

2008-06-21T13:00:00.000-07:00

5, 4, 3, 2, 1......Exstision!!!

2008-06-16T18:26:00.000-07:00

"Extision!" That's Avery's way of says "ignition." And for me its not like, "we have lift off," its more like "we have potty training!" We have successfully completed a week in big boy pants and 4 consecutive poops on the potty. Seriously, this is so huge for us. I know my mom will kill me for writing about this ("Your Nana is turning over in her grave," she'll say), but I have to write about it, just for myself so in two years when I'm trying to get Jake to do this I can check myself and also for anyone else, any other type A personality, that is trying to potty train their kid. This is important.

Before I even start I want to note that I checked out EVERY book on potty training from Hennepin County library and tried EVERYTHING in these books. We literally have been trying for a year to potty train Avery. It's been more of a power struggle than anything else and caused nothing but frustration and angst between the three of us. All of the time I tried to tell myself that he would eventually get it, just like everything else with him. We just stress and stress and stress over when he is going to do things. When would he roll over? When would he start eating solids? When would he gain weight? When would he get a tooth? We waited for a whole year for him to get his first tooth and I remember Kevin saying to me, "Don't worry, did you ever know a kid who didn't get their teeth?"

Honestly, what did it for us is my stupid broken arm. After my bike accident I had so much trouble taking the boys out I resigned myself to staying home with them and just being with them. And all of this time, over the past month or so I just let Avery run around naked or with just his underpants on. One day we were making cookies and he was totally butt naked and I remember thinking, is this okay/sanitary/normal (or none of the above)? As it turns out, half the time he doesn't care about any of the stupid stuff that I make him go and do with me on my days off. I think he just likes being, being at home, being with me or with his dad or his little brother. I think he just needed to be, for a few days to figure it all out. I knew he could do it, he just needed the chance to work it out, on his own time and his own terms.

I've been watching Avery for the past few days, so proud, putting his poopies in the potty and then naming each one before flushing them down the toliet (Big Daddy poopy, Avery poopy, little baby Jake poopy), and I think, he is still just a little guy. This is a big deal for such a little guy. I think about him trying to stand at a potty in a public restroom, barely tall enough to reach his penis over the edge of the potty, all the while I am yelling at him to not touch the potty because its yucky and then potty starts flushing on its own, water spraying everywhere. It's scary for a little guy. I wouldn't want to do it either if I were a little guy like him. And then we would to get mad and frustrated with him when he would have an accident because he was too scared to pee in a public restroom. It's just so crazy!

We have been expecting so much of him. And I feel badly that we put so much pressure on him, on ourselves to make it happen. I'm so happy I don't have to buy diapers for him anymore and I'm so happy I don't have to pollute our land fills anymore. What I am most happy about is that Avery is so very proud of himself. I just hope that Kevin and I can learn and remember from this experience that we need to let our kids do things on their own time and their own terms. And that we should not feel pressured by what every stupid book or person or anything or anyone else that tells us what our kids should be doing and exactly when they should be doing it.

After all, did you ever know a kid that didn't get his teeth?

The newest addition to our family

2008-06-16T05:58:00.001-07:00

My brother Pepper got an amazing father's day present - a new daughter! Teresa gave birth to Baby Mariela at 2:19 am on Sunday. She weighed 7lbs 15oz and measured 19.5" long. Look at Mateo, he's such a big boy, a very excited big brother now!! Click over to Mateo's blog for more pictures (soon hopefully)!

Congratulations Teresa, Pepper and Mateo!!

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-14T19:53:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox free ecard

Toe Sucker

2008-06-13T12:31:00.001-07:00

Why suck your thumb when you can suck your big toe?

St Louis Park Fire Station Open House

2008-06-13T12:27:00.000-07:00

Last week we went to the annual St Louis Park Fire Station open house. This year Avery and Daddy got to ride in the hook and ladder truck!! An added bonus, our neighbor Mike, who is a volunteer fire fighter was the driver!

We thought this day would never come!

2008-06-08T16:15:00.000-07:00

After weeks and weeks of practice, Avery put a real poopy in his potty this morning for the first time ever!! Kevin and I were so proud!

Later on we went outside to play and Avery took his clothes off to play in the sprinkler. Then he put a real poopy in his big boy pants.

One step forward, two steps back.

Thank you kind soul!

2008-06-06T19:44:00.000-07:00

Another crappy day in Minnesota so for Mommy day today we went to the mall to get the boys pictures taken. When Avery was six months old we had his picture taken with the adorable stuffed animal dog that our dear friend Audry Dellalo sent him when he was born. I thought it would be sweet to get a picture of Jake with the doggie so we packed it up and took it along with us to the mall along with Avery's favorite dump truck. After our short photo session we headed to an indoor play area while the studio processed the pictures. Avery ran around with some other kids while Jake sat in his stroller snuggling with the doggie. We went back to the studio to look at our pictures and then headed home. It was nearly one o'clock by this point and I felt sure both the boys would fall asleep in the car on the way home. We got about halfway home and Avery said to me, "Mommy, we left my doggie at the mall." My heart sank and I vaguely remembered doggie hanging precariously out of the stroller as I was trying to wrangle Avery from the play area. So I turned the car around and headed back towards the mall. The whole way there Avery talked about doggie, wondering where he could be, what he could be doing, hypothesizing about how he got lost. By the time we got back to the mall Jake had fallen asleep so we popped him in the stroller and began to retrace our steps. Avery ran frantically through the mal looking in every direction for doggie. By the time we turned the corner for the play area I could see doggie propped up on a ledge just waiting for us to come pick him up. Some kind soul found doggie and set him aside in just the right spot to find him. Avery ran to doggie and hugged him around the neck as hard as he could. He never let him go the whole way home.

Thank you to whomever found doggie and set him aside for us. There were 100 kids in that play area today and any one of them could have taken doggie home with them. I don't know how I could have explained to Avery what happened to doggie. After watching Toy Story Avery is convinced all of his toys have personalities, greeting them each morning,talking to them all day long. Catasrophe adverted for today but I think Jake will have to get his own doggie.

By the way, Avery declined to be photographed for this post, I think he was too traumatized.

Is there a Doctor in the house?

2008-06-06T19:32:00.000-07:00

We had a mommy day on Tuesday. It was yet another not so beautiful Minnesota spring day so we headed to the Children's Museum. Avery has been really interested in going to the doctor's office the last few months so we spent a good deal of time playing doctor....

Checking baby's heart

Measuring the baby (32 lbs, he's growing!)

Then we played fireman

Then rockstar!

The Season for Swinging

2008-05-31T19:42:00.001-07:00

Baby Jake kicking it at the park by the fire station

Avery and Reese on a tire swing at the "beach" by the lake

It's June and its snowing in Minnesota!!

2008-05-31T19:12:00.000-07:00

It's June for God's sake! Somehow we managed to get just one more ice/hail storm to cap off this beautiful spring we have been having in Minnesota (NOT!). I guess we should be thankful it wasn't a tornado, but our yard is now totally trashed and so is my vegetable garden. I was thankful that we put the garden in early this year since I broke my arm. Even though it has been incredibly cold this spring my little seeding were holding on. Given all the clean up we (I mean Kevin) has to do in the yard, I'm not sure if we will replant.

After 5 years of living in Minnesota, I can now say there is absolutely nothing redeeming about the climate here!

Its 60 degrees and the ground is covered in ice!

Avery freezing his hands in the hail pellets.

My hostas, about the only thing I can't seem to kill, torn to shreds.

Avery's car, the only thing that didn't make it in the garage when the Tornado sirens went off. I think we may need to call the insurance company.