My first Curly Purly soaker - complete!

I started knitting this little soaker for a friend's sweet baby boy, oh, in June or so. I finally dug it out from under the bed on Monday and finished it up yesterday. I hope you like it, Laura! :)





This is a size medium knit in 3-ply Purewool. Free pattern can be found HERE for any interested knitters.

Sammy and Freddie with Kennedy and Gage

Sammy and Freddie with Kennedy and Gage, originally uploaded by sweetietooth.

Holly, Jesse, Kennedy and Gage stopped by for a quick visit last week after a fun weekend of renovating their Apple Valley townhouse (anyone looking for a rental?).

Sammy and KP played at the wading pool while Freddie napped and Jesse tried to take a nap with baby Gage. Here are all the kids on our steps right before KP and fam headed back to Wisconsin. Gage is looking concerned because moments before a crazy Sammy bopped him on the head with the remote control.

We were glad to see you guys! We hope you move back soon!

Overheard at the Bear Cave

"Please hurry up. You go your way, I'll go mine. We've all got our own plans." Sammy to another kid, trying to hurry out to make the start of Sonic's 2pm Happy Hour. Overheard by his father.

Dominique being escorted down the aisle.

DSCN0525, originally uploaded by dancgbear4757.

Also snagged from Mom. Click on the picture to see it full size, and to check out the huge grin on James.

Dominique, you were truly glowing! We are so happy for you.

Me and the hubs at Dominique's wedding.

DSCN0551, originally uploaded by dancgbear4757.

LIfted this from my mom's photostream. Thanks, Mom!

Target's Circo Booster Seat Recall!

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission: Target Recalls Circo Booster Seats Due to Fall Hazard

This seat:
click for larger image, or follow link below.

Here's more info about the recall if you have this booster: LINK w/info and picture

Texas State Capitol grounds

On the Capitol grounds, originally uploaded by sweetietooth.

One last picture of our trip for the blog. Check out Flickr for the full onslaught. Thanks for looking. :)

Carousel merriment at Incredible Pizza

carousel merriment, originally uploaded by sweetietooth.

Happiness is indoor fun to be had at Incredible Pizza on a 104 degree day with over 90 percent humidity!

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

Grandma's Birthday Party, originally uploaded by sweetietooth.

On Tuesday night we had a birthday party for Grandma since we were all together. The party hats were a big hit, see picture. :) Grandma's actual birthday was this past Monday, Aug 3rd. Glad we were able to celebrate with you, Grandma!

Cute kids at Port Lavaca Beach

Cute kids at Port Aransas Beach, originally uploaded by sweetietooth.

Wednesday morning of last week we took the kids to the beach at Port Aransas. It was Wendy's idea as William had never been to a beach. Our kids have, but they've never seen waves (well, Sammy's been to this beach before so he doesn't remember the waves). The beach was a big hit with all the kids, and we were lucky to get a semi-overcast morning so we could enjoy it a little longer.

Texas trip - July 2009

Since the entire family was already in Texas for Dominique's wedding, we decided to head down to Jacob's parents' place for the week. We were lucky to be in Texas for a recording-breaking July heat wave (hottest July on record!) and drought. We Minneapolis people thankfully did not melt away, even though we thought we might a few times... ! Thanks to Grandma and Papa for a fun week!

Pictures IN FULL HERE! CLICKY CLICKY

Dominique and Moises' wedding!

cutting the cake, originally uploaded by sweetietooth.

I've finally posted pictures from the wedding!

My stepsister Dominique married Moises Gonzales on Saturday, July 25, 2009 in Plano, Texas. Jacob and I attended sans kids (thanks again Grandma and Papa!!!). My stepdad James walked her down the aisle (as did her bio-dad, Martin). My mom, Aunt Diana, aunt's man Felix, Cousin Sahvanna, and Sahvanna's friend Sadi were also there. Sadi is now an honorary member of the family, as she put up with my ceaseless jokes about her being part of the wedding party. Congrats, Dominique and Moises!Congratulations to Dominque and Moises!

Find the Flickr set HERE!

Congrats to Aunt Nikki and Moises on their wedding!

We are back from Texas!

Here's a web scrapbook my mom put together of Dominique's wedding: click here to see!

I'll upload pictures from our Texas trip soon!

Jacob gets paid to work on this stuff.

Click here and watch.

The Cherry Returns!

The Cherry Returns!, originally uploaded by sweetietooth.

From a sad dry Minnehaha Falls pictures to the lovely iconic Minneapolis Cherry Spoon -- complete with the cherry this time!

We took Bonnie to the Sculpture Gardens and then lunch at General Mills World Headquarters on Wednesday. It was a beautiful day! Then, Bonnnie and I returned to MOA for some shopping and to ride some grown-up rides at Nickelodeon Universe.

Slideshow HERE!!!! :)

The Falls... sort-of

The Falls... sort-of, originally uploaded by sweetietooth.

Here's a picture because it kind of unreal. No water at the falls! We are in a major drought.

Bikes with Bonnie!

Bikes with Bonnie!, originally uploaded by sweetietooth.

We are having a fun time hosting Jacob's cousin, Bonnie, at our house. The first morning she was here we took her out to Minnehaha Falls (dry) and rented a Surrey. It was a lot of fun - and super funny when attempting to go up-hill -- that 90 lbs of kid weight in the front basket make it very challenging! More photos on Flickr, and more to be uploaded soon!

Free car seat safety checks!

Did you know that three out of four child safety seats in Minnesota are used incorrectly?

On Thursday, July 16th, the Walser Automotive Group is hosting a free car seat safety check (by appointment only) from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Walser Mazda, 14720 Buck Hill Road in Burnsville, MN.

This car seat clinic is a benefit for Walser Rewards Members and is also open to the public. This event will give parents the opportunity to learn how to properly install a child seat, and check if their safety seats are properly installed and fit their children correctly. Walser is partnering with the Safe Kids Minnesota Coalition to perform these checks.

Appointments are limited. To make a reservation please call Andrea at 952-345-4019. Each appointment is 30 minutes long and a separate appointment is needed for each child in a car seat. Guests with an appointment will also receive a free car wash (weather permitting) from Walser Mazda.

If you have any doubts about your seats, go. Cars are the number one killer of children under the age of 15! ( Remember the kid who was in the booster too young? And almost always preventable!

Recent conversations with Freddie.

F: "I need band-aid."
me: "Why do you need a band-aid, Freddie?"
F: "Because..." (drawn out to about four syllables) "I need band-aid."


At lunch recently:
me: "Sammy, you asked for a hot dog and didn't eat it."
Freddie: "Put Sammy's hot dog right here, Mommy," while tapping to a spot on his plate.


Freddie also likes to sing. The theme song from Playhouse Disney's Imagination Movers is a favorite. He sings - with force, "Imag aton movers. You got think 'bout it!" It's precious.

He leaves out little bits of his words here and there (the first or middle syllable/word is a favorite for dropping), and blurs parts of others - the word "broken" is "be-oken" for example. I can hear him saying, "Oh no, it be-oken, Maaaaamaaaaaaaa."

He's super feisty and stubborn, and still plenty quick on his feet, but really has his darling moments. Not to mention he's uber smart and cute, too. And I say that from a completely unbiased point of view. Obviously. :)

campfire scene

campfire scene, originally uploaded by sweetietooth.

A cute picture of the boys at a campfire area on top of one of the hills. They hiked up and found this and willingly posed for a quick picture :)