We had a busy weekend, with a neighborhood kids' Christmas party Friday night, Ava's Christmas program at church on Saturday evening, Princesses on Ice on Sunday, and Ava's preschool Christmas program Monday morning! It was a lot of action in a short amount of time, but everything was really fun. Here are a couple of clips from the programs...
"Away in a Manger" at church:
"Ten Little Snowmen" at preschool:
Monday, December 14, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
Monday, November 30, 2009
Thanksgiving Weekend
We had a nice start to the holiday season with a short trip to Eau Claire for Thanksgiving. We spent the first half of the day with the Walkers and the second half with the Reiters. Joe, Charlie and I headed home Friday morning (I still have a hard time being away from home with a baby - too much out of the routine), but Ava stayed til Saturday afternoon to enjoy a little more time with the grandparents.
At home, Joe and I enjoyed some time with just Charlie, and I got a chance to run some errands and make a small dent in the Christmas shopping. We stayed in and watched eight episodes of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" Friday night, and Joe let me sleep in 'til 8:30 Saturday morning (not including getting up to feed Charlie at 1:am and 6:am...)
Ava made a trip to the Children's Museum in Eau Claire with Oma, played at Grandma and Grandpa's house, and ate at no less than three restaurants in 24 hours!
We met at a tree farm in Hudson on Saturday afternoon. It was a beautiful day, and we checked out the sheep (and a little lamb), went on a hayride, and roamed around the farm. Unfortunately, we left with only a wreath - the trees were not in great shape (and pretty expensive), so I ended up finding a nice one at a lot here in Woodbury. Oh well, at least we got the experience of the farm, even if we didn't get to cut our own this year. :)
Ava in the barn (you can see the lamb in the background)
The whole fam
At home, Joe and I enjoyed some time with just Charlie, and I got a chance to run some errands and make a small dent in the Christmas shopping. We stayed in and watched eight episodes of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" Friday night, and Joe let me sleep in 'til 8:30 Saturday morning (not including getting up to feed Charlie at 1:am and 6:am...)
Ava made a trip to the Children's Museum in Eau Claire with Oma, played at Grandma and Grandpa's house, and ate at no less than three restaurants in 24 hours!
We met at a tree farm in Hudson on Saturday afternoon. It was a beautiful day, and we checked out the sheep (and a little lamb), went on a hayride, and roamed around the farm. Unfortunately, we left with only a wreath - the trees were not in great shape (and pretty expensive), so I ended up finding a nice one at a lot here in Woodbury. Oh well, at least we got the experience of the farm, even if we didn't get to cut our own this year. :)
Ava in the barn (you can see the lamb in the background)
The whole fam
Sunday, November 15, 2009
MOA
We had a great time this afternoon at Mall of America's Nickelodeon Adventures with our friends. It was a girls' afternoon; the dads were home with the baby brothers, watching football I suppose...
Here is Ava waiting for the first ride:
Swiper Sweeper
Her first time on the Bumper Cars!
The log ride (thank you to Tricia for chaperoning, since I refuse to go on this one again, and Ava seems to love it). :)
Milkshakes at Johnny Rockets afterward...yum!
Here is Ava waiting for the first ride:
Swiper Sweeper
Her first time on the Bumper Cars!
The log ride (thank you to Tricia for chaperoning, since I refuse to go on this one again, and Ava seems to love it). :)
Milkshakes at Johnny Rockets afterward...yum!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Bathtime
Fall day at the park
We have been loving this warm fall weather we've had the last week or so - it gave us a chance to try Charlie in the swing (I thought we'd have to wait for spring for sure). He loved it, and Ava is so thrilled to finally be pushing her own brother, rather than everyone else's!
Here is Ava playing peek-a-boo with Charlie:
Charlie
Back home, hanging in the princess tent!
Here is Ava playing peek-a-boo with Charlie:
Charlie
Back home, hanging in the princess tent!
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Halloween '09
Let's see...Ava's fifth Halloween and Charlie's first! Ava decided she wanted to be a bride this year (a coincidence that this decision came shortly after her little neighbor told her she was going as a bride? I think not). :) Anyway, this meant wearing the dress from an angel costume we already had and forgoing the halo and wings...she was happy, and I didn't have to purchase anything new...a win-win situation. Charlie got to wear a friend's costume from the previous year, so that worked for me, too. (And he wore it just long enough to get a couple of pictures, which is all that really matters at this age anyway).
Ava got a few opportunities to wear hers, though:
First, we went to the annual trick-or-treating at our grocery store with our good friends:
It's a fun time, and they give out good stuff, like apples, carrot sticks, string cheese, cookies and milk - I think only one candy bar in the whole lot. (Don't worry, we got PLENTY of those on the actual Halloween).
Next, she got to wear her costume to preschool on Friday - I don't have a great group shot, but here is one of her in the classroom. They made pumpkin cookies and had a little party with the other class.
And then on Halloween, Charlie modeled his costume briefly:
And Ava got dressed up and went trick-or-treating with some of the neighbors:
Charlie, Oma and I handed out candy until Ava came home and took over!
Ava got a few opportunities to wear hers, though:
First, we went to the annual trick-or-treating at our grocery store with our good friends:
It's a fun time, and they give out good stuff, like apples, carrot sticks, string cheese, cookies and milk - I think only one candy bar in the whole lot. (Don't worry, we got PLENTY of those on the actual Halloween).
Next, she got to wear her costume to preschool on Friday - I don't have a great group shot, but here is one of her in the classroom. They made pumpkin cookies and had a little party with the other class.
And then on Halloween, Charlie modeled his costume briefly:
And Ava got dressed up and went trick-or-treating with some of the neighbors:
Charlie, Oma and I handed out candy until Ava came home and took over!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Update
It's been a while since my last post, and although there hasn't been anything particularly noteworthy to report, I thought I'd give an update on our family.
Ava: She has settled into the preschool routine. She is going Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings from 8:45 til 11:15. She is loving it so far, and her current best friend in class is...get this...named Charlie! :) They had a little play date last week - he is a sweetie. When she isn't at preschool, she keeps busy with games and puzzles at home. Her current favorites are Trouble and Uno Attack. We're still getting outside in the afternoons (the mornings and evenings are too chilly now for me!) - most of the neighbors are in school full days, so she likes to see them for a little bit when they get off the bus. Last weekend, Joe and I got to take just Ava out for the afternoon while my mom watched Charlie. She chose to go to the theme park at MOA, and she branched out this time with a couple of new rides: the log ride (I HATED it! I am not a ride person, but I figured any ride that was okay for a 36" child couldn't be bad...ha! It was terrifying. I think it might just be me, though, because Ava didn't seem phased by it), and she also did the big swings for the first time.
Charlie: Charlie turned four months last week, and he continues to be a sweet, happy little baby. (Although not so little - he weighs 17 or 18 pounds already and is quite long!) His preferred position is standing on a lap or in his exersaucer. He is also a big fan of tummy time, and although he has tipped over from front to back a few times, he is actually much more motivated to roll from back to front. He just needs a little nudge and he can do it the rest of the way. He is in a pretty good routine - three naps a day and sleeping at night from about 6:30 til 6:30 in the morning, waking up once or twice to eat.
Joe: Hmmm...work, work, work - he has been super busy. And, of course, football season is in full swing, so he keeps up with that as much as he can between working and whatever we happen to be doing on the weekends. He did get to go to the Kings of Leon concert the other week, and he has his monthly poker game with his work friends. We even got to go on a date last weekend - we checked out the Titanic exhibit at the Science Museum and went out to dinner.
Tammy: I'm feeling much less tired these days and feeling like we're in a pretty good routine during the week, with preschool M-W-F and usually getting together with friends the other days. I've even resumed the luxury of reading and am loving that. Also, I finally got back to the gym last week, so I'm looking forward to keeping up with that, now that I have some more time and energy. I have a monthly "Bunco" night with some mom friends and a monthly neighborhood moms night out. Also, one of my best friends had her first baby in September, so I've been to visit her in Rochester with another friend a couple of times and hope to see a lot of her in the coming months, too. Oh yes, and I'm happy to have some new TV to watch these days: I'm keeping up with Gray's Anatomy, Private Practice and Desperate Housewives! :)
That pretty much sums it up - looking forward to more visits with grandparents, Halloween and I guess Thanksgiving and Christmas won't be far behind...I will post again soon!
Ava: She has settled into the preschool routine. She is going Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings from 8:45 til 11:15. She is loving it so far, and her current best friend in class is...get this...named Charlie! :) They had a little play date last week - he is a sweetie. When she isn't at preschool, she keeps busy with games and puzzles at home. Her current favorites are Trouble and Uno Attack. We're still getting outside in the afternoons (the mornings and evenings are too chilly now for me!) - most of the neighbors are in school full days, so she likes to see them for a little bit when they get off the bus. Last weekend, Joe and I got to take just Ava out for the afternoon while my mom watched Charlie. She chose to go to the theme park at MOA, and she branched out this time with a couple of new rides: the log ride (I HATED it! I am not a ride person, but I figured any ride that was okay for a 36" child couldn't be bad...ha! It was terrifying. I think it might just be me, though, because Ava didn't seem phased by it), and she also did the big swings for the first time.
Charlie: Charlie turned four months last week, and he continues to be a sweet, happy little baby. (Although not so little - he weighs 17 or 18 pounds already and is quite long!) His preferred position is standing on a lap or in his exersaucer. He is also a big fan of tummy time, and although he has tipped over from front to back a few times, he is actually much more motivated to roll from back to front. He just needs a little nudge and he can do it the rest of the way. He is in a pretty good routine - three naps a day and sleeping at night from about 6:30 til 6:30 in the morning, waking up once or twice to eat.
Joe: Hmmm...work, work, work - he has been super busy. And, of course, football season is in full swing, so he keeps up with that as much as he can between working and whatever we happen to be doing on the weekends. He did get to go to the Kings of Leon concert the other week, and he has his monthly poker game with his work friends. We even got to go on a date last weekend - we checked out the Titanic exhibit at the Science Museum and went out to dinner.
Tammy: I'm feeling much less tired these days and feeling like we're in a pretty good routine during the week, with preschool M-W-F and usually getting together with friends the other days. I've even resumed the luxury of reading and am loving that. Also, I finally got back to the gym last week, so I'm looking forward to keeping up with that, now that I have some more time and energy. I have a monthly "Bunco" night with some mom friends and a monthly neighborhood moms night out. Also, one of my best friends had her first baby in September, so I've been to visit her in Rochester with another friend a couple of times and hope to see a lot of her in the coming months, too. Oh yes, and I'm happy to have some new TV to watch these days: I'm keeping up with Gray's Anatomy, Private Practice and Desperate Housewives! :)
That pretty much sums it up - looking forward to more visits with grandparents, Halloween and I guess Thanksgiving and Christmas won't be far behind...I will post again soon!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Ava is 4!
Ava turned four on Friday, and we spent the weekend celebrating. On Friday she had preschool and got to bring a treat and wear a crown, and the kids all sang "Happy Birthday" to her - she loved it! We took her out for dinner, and she got to choose the restaurant; no big surprise, she chose Noodles (Mommy was thrilled, Daddy not so much), and as usual, polished off her mac 'n' cheese.
On Saturday, Grandma, Grandpa, Grandma Twila and Grandpa Bud came for the afternoon. We had lunch and opened presents and hung out. Ava asked for "princess stuff" this year...well, let's just say: "ask and ye shall receive!"
And, on Sunday, Oma came for the afternoon, and we had a party for Ava at Perpetual Motion, a gym here in Woodbury. She invited nine friends, and they all ran and climbed and jumped like crazy for an hour, and had red cheeks and sweaty hair to prove it!
Then they enjoyed some Cinderella cake and ice cream and opened gifts. Ava had a blast - she enjoyed every minute and is now thoroughly enjoying all of the great gifts her friends brought for her - thank you again everyone!!!
I can't believe our little girl is four - it seems so old! She has definitely grown into a sweet, smart and funny little girl, who I also think has to be the best big sister around. We love you, Ava!!!
Waiting for her guests to arrive
Mommy, Daddy and Ava (Charlie's in the stroller!)
Oma, Mommy and Ava
The whole group
On the balance beam
Cinderella cake
"Yum!"
Opening gifts
Home with Charlie
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Storytime
Here is Ava "reading" a couple of books to Charlie after his nap. I challenge you to count how many times Charlie gets bumped in the nose as she's reading! :)
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Charlie's Baptism
Charlie was baptized this morning at our church, and we were so happy to have all of the grandparents and great-grandparents in attendance, along with Charlie's godfather, Michael. Ava felt special, because she got to hold the lighted candle as Pastor Jon spoke. Charlie slept through the service, but did wake briefly as Pastor Jon poured the water on his head. True to his nature, he calmly took it all in, closed his eyes, and went back to sleep.
We gathered at our house afterward for refreshments...yum!
Ava, of course, monopolized the grandmas' time - I can't believe they all fit in her little room!
We gathered at our house afterward for refreshments...yum!
Ava, of course, monopolized the grandmas' time - I can't believe they all fit in her little room!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Charlie
My friend Kelly graciously gifted her photography services and took some photos of Charlie last weekend. Here are a few of my favorites:
Washington County Fair
After debating whether it would be worthwhile to load up both kids and go to the fair this summer, we decided to go for it, and I'm so glad we did. (We had considered just having Joe go with Ava, while I stayed home with Charlie).
The unseasonably cool weather helped - it was 72 degrees at 2:00 in the afternoon - perfect for being outside. We stayed a couple of hours, and got to do a little bit of everything: went on a few rides (Ava LOVED the giant slide, which I had to go on with her - I, being a little uneasy with heights and speed, did not particularly enjoy it, but I did it a second time anyway); ate some fair food, watched the pig races, checked out the animals, and even played a little Bingo! Joe carried Charlie in the Baby Bjorn, and he slept the whole time.
Ava, watching the K-9 demonstration
Charlie, chilling with Dad
The unseasonably cool weather helped - it was 72 degrees at 2:00 in the afternoon - perfect for being outside. We stayed a couple of hours, and got to do a little bit of everything: went on a few rides (Ava LOVED the giant slide, which I had to go on with her - I, being a little uneasy with heights and speed, did not particularly enjoy it, but I did it a second time anyway); ate some fair food, watched the pig races, checked out the animals, and even played a little Bingo! Joe carried Charlie in the Baby Bjorn, and he slept the whole time.
Ava, watching the K-9 demonstration
Charlie, chilling with Dad
Soccer and T-Ball
Ava had her first taste of organized sports with the Parks & Rec Soccer/T-Ball Combo in July. She went with Joe to all of the practices, and I got to be there for the last day, when they had a real "game" - parents versus kids! She really enjoyed herself, and learned some new things, too. She's been practicing her t-ball skills with the neighborhood kids this summer, and she's keeping up pretty well for being the youngest in the group.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Random pictures
The days are still kind of blurred together, so the best I can do for now is post a few random pictures from the last couple of weeks!
Venturing out for our first post-Charlie play date at Little Kids Big City.
"I love raspberries!"
A visit from Emily & Danny
Peek-a-boo!
Uncle Ben and Aunt Katie
Great-Grandma Lois with her two great-grandchildren
4th of July face painting (and manicure)
"I'm smiling now!"
Venturing out for our first post-Charlie play date at Little Kids Big City.
"I love raspberries!"
A visit from Emily & Danny
Peek-a-boo!
Uncle Ben and Aunt Katie
Great-Grandma Lois with her two great-grandchildren
4th of July face painting (and manicure)
"I'm smiling now!"
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