End of Summer Happenings

Jacob's birthday at Minnehaha Falls.


We meant to go to the Great Minnesota Get Together (aka State Fair) but it was waaaay too busy by 10:30am when we made it over there. So we saved it. The falls were beautiful.


Boys:
#1

#2

#3


We went to the Minnesota State Fair. Very early on Saturday morning. It was awesome, as usual.

We checked out some new vehicles. The new Mazda2 is VERY cool!


The kids rode a ton of rides, including the sky ride, which Sammy has been looking forward to since last year.





The kids each picked out a souvenir. The both choose toy guns. It was a Yes Day [morning] of sorts for them.



The best part was heading to the Peace Tent after purchasing the guns. We saw the irony and humor, but the Peace workers didn't. Too bad for them.

We didn't eat much. We bought a bucket of cookies (because there was no line) and two huge root beers. We may need to go back to see the animals and eat more fair food. :)

Nana and Ba came for a visit right after the fair and as our basement was coming together. Ba hung ceiling tiles in our basement! He assembled furniture. Fixed assorted household items. And entertained children with YouTube. See below for two of their favorites.

and


Ba took the boys to the park. And made the PowerWheel into a hauling vehicle.


Nana entertained the baby.

Helped us choose a couch for the basement. And went with us to pick up stuff for the basement. And cooked meals. And cleaned up after meals. And held the baby some more.

Thanks, Mom and James! It was a great visit!

Holly and kids stop in to say hi!

Last week Holly, Kennedy and Gage drove through Minneapolis to spend the morning with us. It was great to see them, and I have to say Holly's timing is perfect - she was here and able to watch Freddie for me while I ran Sammy back to the ENT doc for another hearing test (he "failed" again but passed kind of too, so instead of surgery he'll go back and retest in November!). Thanks, Holly! As always, we love having you here. Isn't it time you guys moved back?? :)

Here are some pictures from the morning. That Holly took. And sent. Hooray for good friends, good times and good pictures. :)

Kennedy met Jack (she was in Minneapolis in early April but Jack refused to be born at that time, so only Holly'd met him until now!)

Oh, Kennedy had that hot pink full-arm cast put on while in Iowa. Broken arm. I'm sure it's not the first full-arm cast we'll see in this house! Hope you are healing up a-okay, KP!

Tiny Zsa Zsa picking up where Emma left off. Emma, who is at my parents' house in the country and living it up! SO sorry Kim, that you thought she was dead. She's not. Unless she died and went to country heaven!

Every family with small children really should have a dog to handle clean up under the table after meals. Holly very nearly left Zsa Zsa with us.

Freddie. He is 100 percent male. Even at the age of three. I swear, it's in the chromosome.

He's never seen this at home! He just knew how to do it! And he'd drink like this all the time if left unsupervised.

Four Month Old Happy Fatty

We love this guy...


Just like with Freddie we have to push, shove and squeeze his legs and thighs down to get him into the Bumbo.

That's a snug fit, right there.

I want to eat the BehBeh. nom nom

Enchanted Forest

aka "Fairy Camp"

I registered Sammy for a week camp at a local recreation center for the last week of July without reading the class description. I registered him while in the hospital after birthing JD. I registered him based on the the instructor (his *favorite*) and the timing of the camp.

So it was a little surprising the first day to see that Sammy was the only boy in Enchanted Forest. Then I went home and read the description:

A magical week is in store for those who wish to spread their wings and fly. This camp will include flower crafts, animals and insects that live in the forest, games and enchanted snacks! Expect to find fairy wands and pixie dust as we trael through the enchanted forest of imagination, adventure and fun.

Here is some art work from that week of camp.


I did not take a picture of Sammy in the green fairy wings, flowered headband and wand he made over the week. Jacob about died when he saw his boy enter the house wearing that get-up after the last day of camp.

Laugh if you must. But Sammy really enjoyed it. And I applaud him for already figuring out how to get all the girls to himself.

Sammy followed up Enchanted Forest with Rodeo Roundup, which he enjoyed equally much. Maybe more.

Weird weehuggers.

Watch this. Freddie and I were kind of amused, kind of weirded out. What do you think?



I just want to say that this arrived in my email in box this morning. I love cloth diapers and all, but I don't go searching for videos on youtube.

Grandma and Papa visit... and Happy Birthday to Grandma!

Grandma and Papa (aka Jacob's parents) drove up from Texas to spend the first part of August with us and to meet their newest grandson, Baby Jack. Thanks to the timing we were lucky enough to spend Grandma's birthday with her.

Here is Grandma receiving her hat and birthday serenade at Chevy's Cantina.











Thanks to my in-laws for making the long drive, and for being such great company over coffee, going on early morning donut runs :), rocking the baby to sleep, holding the baby constantly, entertaining the big kids by playing endless games of stinky feet, doing the laundry and dishes, and for helping me put up and hem the new curtains in our front room!

A few of our Jack Jack.

Our baby boy is growing so quickly! Here are a couple of pictures of him from the past week or so so you can see how much he's changing! All pics from my phone. Really using an actual camera is so one child ago ;)




He is a constant delight. He has sweet smiles, great belly laughs and yummy chubby thighs to squish.



Jacob bought the baby this outfit one night while grocery shopping at Target - by himself. The first item of clothing he's ever purchased for any of the kids on his own. He thought it was way too cool to pass up. And Jacob initially bought the 6-month size but I had to exchange it for the 9-month because that's how our big 3-month-old is sized!

Aha! Two !! recent pics not from my phone! Mr Chunk,,,

Henry's Birthday Party!

Our neighbor and friend, Henry, had a super fun pirate party at Lake Hiwatha Park last weekend. The kids had a blast, and loved the pirate theme. Here is Freddie rockin his party hat.


There were also eye patches and earrings in the treasure chest goodie boxes, all of which the boys are still playing with!

To top it off, and outdo every party from here on out, another neighbor who happens to be a firefighter, recognized some of the cars at the park and stopped by - in the freakin' fire truck! - to say hello to the birthday goers.





Such a great pirate-y party for a sweet four-year-old boy! Happy Birthday, Henry!

PS All these pics were taken on my phone. Because I forgot my camera.D'oh.

Our trip to Duluth.

Three weeks ago we were in Duluth visiting Cody and Ashley for the air show.
There was a parade that went right in front of their house to kick off the weekend. The boys loved this.


They especially loved the candy. See the giant bowl??


Then Cody and Ashley and Jacob and the big boys checked out a carnival just down the road.


It was a great visit! Thanks, guys! (sorry I am just now blogging this!) Many more pictures (taken by Cody because I am *such* a slacker) up at Flickr.

Sammy's ears

I took Sammy (and JD) to the ENT doc last Friday to have some tests run on his ears and to evaluate whether or not the boy needs tubes. Sammy failed the hearing test (and the nurse and the doctor kept saying "failed" over and over with my boy in the room, which made me a little sad, mad and uncomfortable, because even though he doesn't know exactly what that means the word oozes negative connotation and I was not comfortable with the repeated use of it about my child in front of my child).

A failed hearing test is not usual when a kid is not yet three months out from an ear infection (his last one was in early May) but given his history of never -not ever in nearly three years of tests- passing a hearing test due to the fluid in his ears the doctor thinks it is likely that Sammy needs the tubes put in. We have the surgery scheduled for early September, but we are going back in a couple of weeks for Sammy to retake the hearing test, just in case his ears have improved after the infection and he passes. Then, we'll cancel the surgery. I would love to cancel the surgery. But, my boy is starting kindergarten in the fall and I would hate for my guy who doesn't miss anything to miss something because of the fluid in his ears.

If you are of a mind, please pray for Sammy. That the fluid leaves his ears. I would prefer naturally, but in the end I will be happy with whatever will help him hear all the little things he's been missing for who knows how long. Thanks.

From the floor...

under the dining room table I just picked up: a blueberry, three pieces of pepperoni, two mac-n-cheese macaronis, 1.5 chickadees (Target brand Goldfish), and a soggy-but-now-dried Multigrain Cheerio.

There are times when I miss Emma!

And, can you tell what kind of people eat at our house?

Three months cute

He was a Chunk before. He's since lost his knees and become Super Chunk!


But he's usually pretty happy. He loves to coo and smile. He can say "I love you." No lie. There are witnesses.


And we're pretty sure he's going to keep these beautiful baby blues.


There is more to write about sweet baby Jack but I'm a sleepy mama and won't do him justice at the moment.

Happy Retirement, James!

My stepdad retired from working at the hospital the week before last. Now he can spend all his time on the farm - and hopefully making treks up to the Frozen Tundra. :) You seem so happy, James! We are excited for you!

A couple of celebratory pics I snagged from his Blackberry while I had it connected to the Mac.


I can't remember exactly what the entire hat says. Something like, "I'm retired, I don't have to do a damn thing!" or "Retired: Don't ask me to do a damn thing!" ? Either way, the important part came through in the picture, right? ;D

Arkansas Trip

We loaded the Mazda5 to the max and headed down to my parents' place in Monkey Run, Arkansas to spend July 4th and the following week. The boys had a blast on the farm and surrounding area, Sammy especially *loves* being at James' side 24/7. We were glad to have my folks' friend Tracy, her teenage son, Michael, and her four-year-old daughter IsaBella there for the week, too.

Breakfast at the Coco Bay Holiday Inn Resort we stayed at in Kansas City, just over 1/2 way between Minneapolis and Monkey Run. (photo courtesy of my Lotus Elite)

Freddie was terrified by the bird. Luckily, we were also there for Saturday breakfast on our return trip so he got to see him again. He nearly knocked all the food off the table jumping into my lap when the bird made his appearance.

Some light reading at the truck stop in Missouri.


We spent all day (10-5!) on a pontoon boat my parents' rented on Norfork Lake (Isn't that the name of this lake, guys?) Freddie fell into a dead sleep on the boat about 30 minutes before we headed back to the dock.


My absolute favorite part of the trip! And I was overwhelmed with how well our kids did out on the boat all day. Sometimes the frustrating little critters really impress us. :p


Sammy wanted to bring his life jacket home. I wanted to capture his face like this. lol


A car seat on a boat is different than one in a car. JD actually slept pretty well for us in the car seat while we were in the water!






James is one happy retiree. :)

(this is where my camera ran out of memory - I forgot to delete pics before we left. Now I'm waiting on more pictures from my mom and Tracy!)

At the creek by Nana and Ba's house. Photos courtesy of James' Blackberry.


All the kids loved the creek.


Freddie and "IsaBell" by the front garden. (Lotus Elite camera)


Sammy on the FARMALL. "If it ain't red, leave it in the shed!" :D (Lotus Elite camera)

The boy loves tractors. Favorite part of his trip was riding tractors with Ba, hands down. Thanks, James, for paling around with our little big guy! He had so much fun and is exhausted from his week on the farm.

More to come!

"Little" Brother

Holly! Thanks for the shirt! Next one you make him should say "Super Chunk" :D

Just a quick update on JD's stats. He weighed in at 15lbs and 24 inches at his two month well-check last weekend (to be fair he was closer to 2.5-months-old). Now he's about the size Freddie was at birth. (just kidding. kind of.)



We are about half way to my parents' place to celebrate the 4th, and he's been a real trooper for a Car Seat Hater. Go, Jack!

Happy 4th of July, Blogger friends!

bumGenius 4.0 (and a little rave for Sandy's)

Many of you know we are a cloth diapering family. And like the majority of CDing families, while I was all about it the hubs was a more challenging sell. Thankfully, Jacob found his gateway diaper: the bumGenius 2.0 pocket diaper and all was sunshine and butterflies (or, Tide and baby poop. Whatever.)

The latest-and-greatest version of the bumGenius line was introduced last week, the BG 4.0. The changes I am most excited about are a new snap-closure option and redesigned sizing to fit bigger babies (like our boys!).

New colors, too, but oddly enough they replaced the "Brights" with even more pastel pastels. That's right your BG choices are now pastel or more pastel. Bummer.

Here's a quick look. Follow the above link more more 4.0 info if you're a diaper geek like me. :)


If only I could get Cotton Babies to make their fantastic Deluxe All-in-One with snap closure (and bring back the BRIGHTS!) I'd be one happy CDer.

Here is JD rocking a medium (!!) BG AIO in Moonbeam (a discontinued color):


But wait. I already am a content CDer. We have Mother-ease Sandy's love! I would marry this diaper for the way it contains newborn poop.

And JD in my fav combo MEAF cover + ME Sandy's. He doesn't look happy but he loves not getting poop up his back as much as the next guy.

I know it looks poofy but this combo smooshes down so well he can rock a onesie no problem!