Thursday, January 07, 2010
A boy's lunch.
Leave your child with me, she'll go home a Texas fan...
I tried to indoctrinate Kaia while I was watching her this morning. I dug through Freddie's (Sammy's) outgrown clothes and dressed her for the occasion (National Championship game v. Alabama is tonight!). I even tried to get her and Freddie to "Hook 'em" but they both busted out with number ones. I'll take that! :) Aren't these two year olds so cute?
Texas Fight!!!
Happy 2010!
rockin' out on air guitars made at MCM
with Grandma and Papa, who were visiting us (from Texas!) for the week after Christmas
the 8pm ball drop - Sammy *loved* this part! You can't really tell by the pictures but there were hundreds of beach balls being thrown down and around the museum and a band was playing, too. I imagine it was a lot like New Year's at Times Square ;)
Merry Christmas!
Wow! Where did December go??? Here's a picture from Dec 22nd - Jacob and I took the boys to a (free!) gingerbread house building even at a local park rec center and afterward Santa stopped by. The boys spent much of the that night searching the sky for Rudolph's red nose and listening for Santa's sleigh bells as he returned to the North Pole to get ready for Christmas!
Here is Freddie diligently working on his gingerbread house.
Monday, December 14, 2009
It's a BOY!
Here is the ultrasound picture - from two weeks ago! True, it is a not so great picture-of-a-picture but I was tired of waiting to figure out our scanning software. We have many more 3D pictures of our sweet baby, and I'll hopefully post whenever we can scan.
He is perfect, healthy and 100 percent precious. From the u/s pictures he looks a lot like his big brother Sammy! (so super cute!! !:) Jacob and I are thrilled beyond belief with our third baby boy, due in early April. Due date was April 13th, but the ultrasound tech said he is measuring for a due date around April 4, 2010. We think we have big boys, no surprise there!
My guys at the Holidazzle Parade
Talk about great timing! We were already downtown at Orchestra Hall for the General Mills Hispanic Network's Holiday Party and on our way out we noticed we were right along the route of the Holidazzle Parade - hooray! Luckily it was a balmy 30 degrees, too!
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Sammy in the snow
This is our first genuine snow of the year, meaning multiple inches sticking around on the ground. He is so excited to be out playing in the snow again!
A quality snow...
A few pictures of our part in the Midwest's recent snow/blizzard activity. The snowdrifts were very impressive. The cold was, too, but nevertheless the boys couldn't wait to get out in it. Jacob took them sledding Tuesday and Wednesday nights and they all returned pink-faced and freezing - it's pretty and fun but it's single digits out there!
A joke Sammy thought was hilarious...
A: He wasn't peeling well!
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Family Christmas Photos - Thanks, Sonja!
Many thanks to my generous and talented friend Sonja for volunteering to take pictures of our boys for our Christmas card. Here is an example of her work - a rare family photo. She did a great job, especially considering she had some major crankiness and an uncooperative child to work with.
Look for a Christmas card coming to a mailbox near you!
Just for fun, here's another of my failed attempts at a decent picture of these guys:
ha! nice goggles, Sammy....
Monday, December 07, 2009
Our Christmas tree and little elf.
Sammy did most of the tree decorating this year and did a very nice job. I think he was sad when we ran out of ornaments.
Silver Dollar City: An Old Time Christmas
We took the kids to Silver Dollar City on Black Friday, which was the day before we flew out of Branson. I really wanted to see the park in all it's Christmas glory. It was beautifully festive, but very crowded. Sammy loved it, all of it - the rides, the light show, the parade, even the bus haul to our BFE parking, thanks to the crazy crowd. He kept asking when we could go back. Some year I would love to return to see An Old Time Christmas on a less popular day. Thanks to my parents for making the drive with us, even though they didn't have to. :)
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Hayride
Arriving in Branson, MO
The Branson airport is a beautiful newly opened facility located about an hour and a half drive from my parents' place. It's not located on the Branson strip by any means, rather it's down a two-lane 5-mile curvy road carved out (exploded) of the side of a mountain with lovely, ear-popping views, but it makes for *much* quicker travel from Minneapolis to Monkey Run, Arkansas (1 hour 15 minute flight plus an easy - by AR standards - 1 hour 30 minute drive) and for that I love it!
The airport has tons of character - inside the terminal you'll find a Bass Pro Shop, hunting trophies and a Famous Dave's alongside the three (two?) gates. The airport crew greets you as you walk down the stairs and onto the runway to depart the airplane. The baggage crew basically hands you your bags. And much to our surprise upon arrival there is only one choice in rental car - Enterprise. Just an FYI for all you Avis members needing a rig.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving!
We are heading to Arkansas to spend the week with my (Jess') side of the family. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Attempting a Christmas card picture.
Tricky. Very tricky with my two nutballs. Obviously there will be another photo shoot but here's one for your amusement.
Side note: we unknowingly stumbled into this Employees Only area at Bachman's and we all thought the giant wreaths were cool. I was really hoping for a card-worthy shot!
Sammy waiting for Santa
Monday, November 16, 2009
Power Wheel!
Many MANY thanks to Cody and Ashley for making Sammy's 5th b-day more awesome than even a five-year-old could imagine. He LOVES this thing.
They gave it to him Saturday afternoon and he drove it around for about 45 minutes even though we were freezing! Then, Sunday morning he woke up ready to go out and ride, which Jacob obliged even though there was frost on the ground and he could only find one sock for Sammy (C & A were bunking up in Sammy's room). He went to the Vikings' game, then came home and rode for another hour or so. Today (Monday) is a glorious, perfect fall day and the boy drove from about 11 am - 1 pm, barely stopping to eat a few apple slices and a bar for lunch. He is thrilled, and as an added bonus, totally big stuff at the playground now. Thanks, guys!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Sammy's 5th Birthday Party
Held at Edinborough Park this morning. Thanks to Cody for taking ALL the pictures for us! :)
More pics can be found here!
Friday, November 13, 2009
It's my birthday!
Sammy posing again with his birthday hat and mittens and in the outfit that Grandma and Papa sent - the greens match perfectly! More b-day pictures on Flickr... clicky clicky
Birthday hat and mittens!
Happy 5th birthday to our sweet Sammy boy! Sammy woke up about 45 minutes early this morning (around 6:30 am) and went to bed at least an hour late last night because he was so excited for his birthday to start. Look at that tired face! He happily obliged posing for a picture with the hat and mittens I knit for him - the first present he opened, his choice. :)
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Pump It Up
Leah invited the boys and I to this giant bouncy house place called Pump It Up on Friday. There were two rooms of inflatables - including two HUGE slides that were the big hit of the trip. Sammy and Freddie LOVED it.
Monday, November 02, 2009
For his birthday...
I have a feeling Sammy is going to be a bit like Jacob's Uncle Ramon when he's older.
Sunday, November 01, 2009
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Donut Race!
Okay, I have to post one more from tonight because this was the funniest game I've seen - two donuts hang on a string, contestants can't use their hands, and whoever finishes the donuts first wins. Cal crushed Sammy and ate his entire donut before Sammy could take a bite. Sammy didn't mind too much because he did get to eat the donut in the end. It was freaking hilarious. Thanks for being good sports, kids!
Trunk or Treating
We have one of the best Halloween parties at a church in our neighborhood. J and I took the kids there for Trunk-or-Treating and fun indoor party games perfectly geared toward little kids. The boys probably could have closed down the party but we had to head home when it turned dark for neighborhood trick-or-treating and to hand out candy. Oh! And for the Texas Longhorn game.
Minnehaha Falls
The Falls are back in full-force thanks to our Wet-tober (term coined by Ian Lenord, Fox 9 Meteorologist) and look beautiful as ever with the crispy fall backdrop. Sammy and I went down there this afternoon for the annual Halloween/Fall Party at the Falls to do some trick-or-treating and enjoy a few fun fall activities, including a hay ride and roasting marshmallows.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Cleaning out the pumpkin
Both boys were engrossed in this project much longer than I expected, and I think may have even been helpful!
The boys love the air mattress.
Note the matching Cars slippers. I had to get Freddie a pair because they kept fighting over Sammy's. They wear them all the time around the house.
The Buenos visit!
We were happy and excited to host Holly and her kiddos for a night in Minneapolis. All afternoon Sammy kept asking me when Kennedy was going to be here, and in turn he was so sad that she had to leave. They had a lot of fun playing together, and Sammy even learned how to play two new, more girl-ish games "house" and "school" - thanks for that, KP! :)
Freddie was confused as to why Gage (who was not named Gage, according to F, but rather "Baby") couldn't stand without holding onto something. He kept trying to take away the item Gage was holding onto, but otherwise I think he played nice. He did quite enjoy the toys Gage brought and spent much of the next day saying, "I love you Gage."
A "Pumpkin"
Freddie *refuses* to get into a costume. Next year I'll have to keep this in mind and find costume in the form of clothing, but probably next year he'll be too old to fall for that. Sheesh! I'll just have to hope he gets over his costume resistance.
Thank goodness for his mama-made pumpkin hat - it's passed as his Halloween costume this week!
Anakin Skywalker
On Wednesday a small group of moms and kids from our church went parading - in costume - through a nursing home. Sammy was the oldest kid there by about two years and he did so well introducing himself and impressing the residents with his expert wielding of the Light Saber [the Miller's lent to us] for his costume. Freddie refused (for the third time this Halloween season) to get in costume (more on the in the above post) but he was very friendly and excited to explore the nursing home.
Sammy was slightly offended when the woman guiding us on our tour kept referring to him as a Jedi knight. He came over and told me, "Nobody knows who I am!" I explained to him and he seemed appeased.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Waiting for the show to start.
Adding this one because I'm guessing some of you want to see these guys.
(Imagination) Mover Rich
We took the kids to see the Imagination Movers on Saturday at the Target Center. None of my pictures came out very well, but you can kind of tell how awesome our seats were. The kids loved the show and Jacob and I appreciated the 80's references throughout (my fav was when they sang a bit of MC Hammer's "Can't Touch This").
I was judging the parents who were brining their kids to the show - most of them were sooo dorky. I guess we are dorky, too, because we were also there, but maybe (hopefully) not the same level of dorkiness.
Dogvader
Emma is ready for Halloween. Sammy is going to be Anakin Skywalker, Freddie will be Yoda and, well, you see Emma's costume. She is obviously thrilled.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
My cheesy jersey boy.
We bought Sammy a Vikings jersey for his 5th birthday (in November). He needed it early so he could wear it on game days and because he rocks it. Admittedly it does look much better on him when he's not giving me such a cheesy grin. :)
Little Leaf Raker
Pictures from last weekend when the boys "helped" Jacob rake up over a dozen bags of leaves. We have a crazy leaf-shedding tree in our front yard!
Happy Birthday to Ike, too!
Ike will be three in a few short days - I can't believe it! It feels like just yesterday Leah was a miserable, cranky pregnant person with this little meatwad. Happy Birthday, Isaac! We are so glad to know you. :)
This is a picture of Ike in a Superman costume he received at his b-day party - a total winner! (look at his sweet little toes peeking out of the "boots" at the bottom)
Cal and Ike's combined birthday party!
This picture is from Cal and Ike's combined b-day party last Saturday afternoon. It was a ton of fun! They had balloon swords (which some of the boys promptly turned into guns), a walking the plank game, an impressive home-made Lego cake and a sweet pirate ship pinata (the highlight of Freddie's life!).
And a note about blogging: I have been a slacker blogger lately, and I apologize. Hopefully those of you that really like to see picture of our kids often are checking out Flickr - chances are I'm uploading pics but not blogging, as was the case with the b-day party. :)
PS There are more pictures of the party up on my Flickr photostream. Click here. :)
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Freddie jumping over the hay maze
Just for fun so y'all can see what a dare devil this kid is. He saw some teenagers leaping from bale to bale and once the big kids cleared out he totally went after it. Fearless!
More pictures from our trip up at Flickr... :)
Sever's Corn Maze
We made it back to Sever's Corn Maze last Sunday afternoon. It was cold, but the kids didn't seem to mind. They had a blast going down the giant slide, running through the hay maze (we did not make it through the giant corn maze this trip!), seeing the animal, and going on hay rides. Jacob and I thoroughly enjoyed the roasted corn even though the price was a looong way from the elotes we used to buy outside of H.E.B in our college days! :)
Sunday, October 11, 2009
The weather in Minneapolis.
We went from a cool August to a hot September (nearly every day in the 80s!) and now a fall with snow on the ground when green leaves are still on the trees. So weird.
This picture was taken Saturday morning, October 10th.
Saturday, October 03, 2009
Sammy amidst the pumpkins.
We went to the pumpkin patch today. It was rainy and cold and we discovered our favorite patch is no longer operational. Instead we were allowed into Sever's Corn Maze before it opened to grab a couple of pumpkins. And now we know that the kids would have a blast at there - we'll be making a return trip sometime this month!
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