Leah, her boys and their dog Tootie; Lisa, her girls and their dog Jack; and Sammy, Freddie and I and our dog Emma met up at the MInnehaha Falls off-leash dog park this morning. This park is awesome. It starts with a mini hike that's easy for kids, but has adventure options and climbing if you're into that, and ends on the sandy banks of the Mississippi River.
The kids and dogs (and grown-ups!) had a blast. Almost all of the kids went swimming (some in their underwear, lol) in the River (little Kaia chose to observe from the sidelines), the dogs were chasing after rocks and frisbees (Tootie is way better at this than Emma), and we even got to watch a tugboat push a huge boat (I'm still working on the name of this type of boat) down the river. The children and dogs were filthy, and Leah was a little wet after running through the water to save Isaac's little booty one time :) It was a really fun morning!
I took a bunch of pictures. Just head on over to my Flickr photostream (they can also be found in the Minneapolis: Out and About set.
PS These kids are so lucky!
Monday, July 06, 2009
Mississippi River off-leash dog park outing
picking strawberries
Freddie kind of enjoyed this. He would pick one, take a bite, throw it down and them march over the crops to find another. I'm sure the berry farmers love having all these little kids trample their crops!
The strawberries were delicious, warm and juicy!
Berry picking.
Jacob and I took the boys to a Berry Farm (way far north of Minneapolis!) on Friday morning to pick strawberries. We only had $3 when we arrived and since we were way out in the boonies decided to only pick the berries we could afford. The boys liked it okay, but it was a little chaotic for us and Freddie didn't quite get the concept. Maybe next year. Maybe. It was reeeeally far north, and Sammy kept asking, "Is this our exit?"
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Funny speech updates.
Sammy says:
"lemon-lemms" for M&Ms
"hometell" for hotel
"milkbutter" for buttermilk
"vinoculars" for binoculars
"bownix" for bonus
"Movie-gascar" for Madagascar; coincidentally he also calls Cars "Movie Cars"
"Chuck E Cheeses" for "Chuck E Cheese"
"lemonlade" for "lemonade"
"President Ovama" :)
And Freddie says "Y's" in place of "L's" -- for example he says, "I yove it!" "I sit mommy's yap (lap)." and "I don't yike it!"
I'm sure there are more for both kids, but you get the idea.
Also, both of our kids have the annoying (endearing?) habit of abbreviating their words like Jacob and I do. The classic "sando" for sandwich is an example.
Funday.
It's always Funday for Freddie. :) He makes me smile even when he makes me chase him 500 times a day.
Picnic lunch on summer day in Minneapolis!
Temperatures are more fall-like really, which I don't mind all that much. Unless I've planned a fun morning at the beach instead.... ;) Thanks to all the moms and kids who joined us Monday morning - we are so blessed to have such a terrific group of friends!
My apologies to Cal, because I know Blogger will cut you out of this picture. Please head to Flickr (link beneath photo) to see the entire pic!
And that's one adorable face, Ruby!
The Big Bunny of Minnehaha Parkway
The boys and I biked down the Parkway to "Save the Big Bunny" (think the Wonder Pets, lol) on Monday afternoon. It was a great ride for me -- good exercise, perfect weather and the boys did not fight in the Burley - at all!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Happy Birthday, Will!
Our family really enjoyed celebrating Will's fifth birthday at his party yesterday, and at the beach on his actual birthday. Here's to an awesome fifth year, kiddo! :)
More pictures of the party can be found on Flickr A few better pictures (I'm sure!) can be found on my friend Sonja's blog: Team Krasean Sonja I really like your lens that makes the background blurry. My next camera will have removable lenses! "I yove it!"
Sammy going after the ball!
I couldn't watch most of Sammy's game because I was chasing Freddie around, but Jacob said Sammy went after (and caught) a bunch of balls.
Summer T-Ball
Sammy started summer T-Ball last week and he's really enjoying it! Sunday afternoon we went to the park across the street to work on batting and running (hilarious!) and he was pumped to start playing on Monday. He's asked nearly everyday if it's a T-Ball day, or if we can go play ball at the park.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
"Firsty"
I kind of like the small bits of speech that Sammy still has trouble with. Like the "th" sound. To me it means he's still little :) (I'm just glad he doesn't replace his "Rs" with "Ws" - like Ming-Ming in the Wonder Pets, that drives me NUTS!)
He also says "a-none-no" for another. I'll pay close attention to him tomorrow and listen for any additional still-a-little-kiddo cuteness.
Peace? Or exhaustion?
Last Monday was Sammy's first day of summer camp. Leah and I are trading days, so even after summer camp is done, Sammy and Cal have at least another hour of playing together. Monday after camp they went swimming and played at a park, then played for a bit at Leah's while I collected Freddie.
After all of that excitement, we had a work deal to attend - a family picnic event for Jacob's division. They had lots of lawn games for the kids to play, and a fancy hot dog and burger dinner. The kids' loved the ice cream man-type desserts -- ice cream sandos, creamsicles, fudgesicles, and those ice cream cone desserts that I'm totally blanking the name on. eta: DRUMSTICKS! :D Anyway, it was cool, but the boy was exhausted! This pic is from the way home.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Brotherly accord.
I quick took a picture because they were playing with the same toy without arguing/fighting/hitting/screaming. While I was making dinner, no less. Only by the Grace of God I am sure.
(Please head to Flickr for the entire picture, blogger crops it and I really don't want to resize or mess with the blog template ATM. There are some other pictures up over there if you need extra incentive.)
Friday, June 05, 2009
Pictures of my 5-point harnessed cuties.
Britax Marathon.
SLR, 4.5 y/o, 50ish lbs and very tall, I have to measure him.
Britax Regent.
And one more thing. If you are going to the trouble of 5-pt harnessing your LO, snug it up ("snug as a hug") and make sure the clip is at armpit level.
Updates to the MN Booster Law
Starting July 1, Minnesota state law will require every child seven years old and under to be in a car seat or booster seat. The only exception is if they're 4'9" or taller. Under current law, they're only required for kids three and under. Advocates hope the change will help get an important message to parents.
Full Article here.
I was reminded of this when I saw an article about Texas changing it's Booster Law (yay!). For my Texas friends and family, your new law goes into effect September 1, 2009. It's about the same as MNs.
Here is a state-by-state break down of the current laws. Child Restraint Laws
Hopefully soon we will have tougher laws for Extended Rear Facing. Another PSA on this, but if your child has not yet met the maximum weight allowance of your car seat (for rear-facing, usually 30 lbs!) keep him/her backwards! It's way safer. Unless you prefer risking internal decapitation.
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Chex Mex Casserole
Here's the link: Chex Mex Casserole
And a picture to tantalize you:
I think I'll be making some Buttery Trail Mix for summer days at the park, too!
Monday, June 01, 2009
Jacob's Well Band Review
Here's what Nate wrote:
Freddie joining us on stage was one of the funniest experiences that I've had with the band. It's a hilarious story from start to finish, and I hope I never forget it. Marc, I heard you got a picture of him while he was up there, so can you send it out? Thanks for having such amazing kids, Jacob! Seriously. Having Sammy order us all root beer at lunch was pretty special, too:)
And here's the picture.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
The show must go on.
The World's Meanest Kid
Thursday, May 28, 2009
You go left, I'll go right.
One more 'cause I can't get enough of these two. <3 Even though at the moment this picture was taken I know they were telepathically communicating, "You go left, I'll go right! Keep her on her toes!" I'm speaking from experience here. They have pretty much perfected the above plan. Punks.
Sammy and Ike
Sammy totally ditched Cal and their road construction (which mostly involved mass quantities of mud) to have a turn riding on top of the car. Sammy really likes Ike, he just tries to play it cool since Ike's still such a little kid and all.
Isaac and Freddie
Round two is finally starting to really play together! Hoooooray! Here they are being super cute and silly over the weekend. What's even better is that they played like this for a while, long enough for me to grab my camera and snap a picture. Way to go, toddlers!
Typical.
Boys! Look at ME next time. Just once. At the same time. Dude.
More pictures of our Memorial Day Weekend fun up at Flickr. Except strangely none from Monday, which was also a great day. Thanks to Emily E. for inviting us to her house for a fun, super family-friendly BBQ. We all had a fantastic time! :)
My rockstars on screen.
This part of the museum is always a hit. The kids love "playing" along to the songs and seeing themselves on TV. I love seeing them, I just wish MCM would get some new songs already! (Or at least ditch some of the really sucky ones, like Wheels on the Bus and the French -?- one we can't sing along to.)
Sammy's Shirts
Or, how to tell if your child favors one color above all others. Thankfully I have managed to sneak a few other colors into the line-up, otherwise Freddie would probably notice his wardrobe becoming monotonous in a couple years.
Sammy's shoes
Well, shoot. I still need to change this blog layout to one that is horizontal-picture friendly. Click on the Flick link if you're interested in seeing the complete Croc pair.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Mr. Super Cutes
Lounging after a long hot day playing outside. Look at those gorgeous blue blue eyes! More pictures from the week up on Flickr! :)
Just add ketchup.
Freddie applied his own condiments. He squeezed on about a half cup of ketchup to his mac-and-cheese. Why not? It is a vegetable afterall. You can't see the Smart Dogs (2) because he already ate them. This boy loves his Smart Dogs.
The red on his shirt is from homemade snow cones (thanks, Grandma!!!) they kids had for snacks that afternoon.
97 degrees
This week it hit 97 degrees in Minneapolis. We celebrated with kiddie pools, dirt and popsicles. And a Kong for Emma the Dog.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
As tall as a tower.
Can you see how much Sammy has grown this year?! I can actually hear him getting bigger. :)
Two Monkeys / Preschool Graduation
From their Lamb class graduation Creation program. Aren't they adorable?! More pictures of the Creation Musical on Flickr!
Friday, May 08, 2009
And the winner is...
Well after trying the two places that claim to have originated the Juicy Lucy, Matt's and the 5-8 Club, both off Cedar in South Minneapolis, I started leaning towards the 5-8 Club. Having said that, I tried a tie-breaker, the Nook in St. Paul, and let me tell you, the verdict was in. The Nook is my favorite hands down though I guarantee I will frequent all 3 establishments again and again. Next time any of you visit the Twin Cities, let's plan on a visit to one of these places:
If you like your burger well done, we'll go to Matt's.
If you like your burger medium rare like I do, we'll go to the Nook.
If you like your burger medium well, we'll go to the 5-8 Club.
Jacob
Thursday, May 07, 2009
watching a show
Freddie loves his shows. And the nice thing is that he is still when he watches them. Too bad they only hold his attention for, like, five minutes. :p
Monkey
Sammy model the costume I made for his school musical. He's a monkey, and he's holding a banana in case you couldn't tell. They are singing a song about Creation. The complete ensemble will include a brown shirt and pants with a tail taped on his booty. :)
Saturday, May 02, 2009
The good life.
Leah was really sitting like this and it was hilarious. The model face was thrown in for the picture.
Too funny not to blog. Leah, I love you! :D
Bouncy House Bliss - A 2nd Birthday Party!
Celebrating Freddie's second birthday with an outdoor family friends party this weekend! It was great fun!
Birthday party photos to be found here: Flickr: Freddie's 2nd Birthday
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
The Birthday Boy!
Happy 2nd Birthday to our sweet, fiesty, stubborn and lovey little boy. We love you, Freddie!
We met up with a bunch of friends for park time and cupcakes the afternoon of Freddie's birthday. It was a beautiful afternoon and a fun way to celebrate! Thanks to all our friends who joined us. More pictures of our day can be found here: Flickr: Freddie's 2nd Birthday! I will add pictures to this set after Saturday's festivities, too.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Rocking out with street musicians!
This guy had his puppet playing guitar and he invited Sammy to grab the spare guitar and join him. Sammy was all over it. I mean, it's totally normal for kiddos to jam with a puppet in the streets of New Orleans.
I love beignets!
Okay folks, a new set Flickr New Orleans is up and ready and all detailed for you. I was in total tourist mode - I hope you like 'em! :)
Easter in New Orleans!
Sammy and I spent Easter in New Orleans with Nana and Ba (thanks so much, Nana and Ba!) It was a really great trip, and Sammy is the perfect kiddo for it - he enjoyed himself so much and was sad to leave!
Pictures are up onFlickr: New Orleans, but it's raw material - I still need to create a set and label them (the photos are currently chaotic mess!), but if you want a sneak peek, go ahead. Happy Easter, everyone! :)
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Leash lockdown.
Both Freddie and Kaia toured MIA in leases. At least we didn't allow their siblings to walk them! ha!
There are a few more pictures of our morning outing up on Flickr, including our post-museum trip to an ice cream shop if you want to see more. :)
Another way to make a mouse.
The kids enjoyed this piece. And, to give you an idea of the difference in Sammy and Vica's sizes !!! Vica is just barely taller than Freddie.
A trip to Minneapolis Institute of Art.
Yesterday morning we went to MIA with our most petite friends, Vica and Kaia. They are playgroup friends of ours, just about the same age as Sammy and Freddie, and since this week was Sammy's spring break we met up with them at their house for a random Tuesday morning outing.
See this entire picture HERE (the way this blog layout crops photos is very annoying!!!) Sammy has an adorable smile that you can't see!
Saturday, April 04, 2009
Pop and Salsa, Pop and Pepper
This morning Freddie found a pop (I'll let you ponder that) and was shaking pepper on his pop while Sammy was eating a more subdued breakfast of eggs with pepper.
Friday, April 03, 2009
Duluth Railroad Muesum!
We went up to visit Cody and Ashley last weekend and finally made it to the Depot! It was very cool. As part of the deal we also had admission to the Duluth Children's Museum. More pictures of our visit can be found in the Duluth album on Flickr! Go there if you want to see Sammy and Freddie inside an enormous set of teeth.
Freddie and Holly
The Barn was a stop on Holly and her kids' long weekend trip last week. Freddie was so enthralled by all the girly stuff Holly had on hand for Kennedy's hair that Holly actually went to work on the boys' do's, too. They looked and smelled great!
Kennedy and Sammy!
Sammy had a lot of fun with Kennedy hanging out and spending the night at our house last week. He was very sad to see her leave Friday morning. I didn't realize he'd missed her so much! Kennedy, work on your parents to return to the Twin Cities - look how adorable you two are together! :)
Gagers!
Thank you, Gage, for humoring me by letting me try on all sorts of stuff on your scrumptious little self. Here the bright-eyed cutie is sporting two different Baby Legs (leg warmers).
Side effects
Celebrating Loopy's six birthday last Tuesday evening. That's right, we baked a cake for Sammy's yellow bi-plane.
Posts
