Milestone!

Look what Ava learned to do today:



Joe and I were actually not involved in the process; I looked out the window before I went upstairs to put Charlie to bed, and I saw Ava pedaling along while her little friend across the street ran alongside her. Charlie and I went out to watch, and sure enough, she had it! After I put him down, I went out and got her on film. She is so proud of herself. She fell asleep with a big grin on her face!

Vacation

We just got back from a mini-vacation at a resort in Alexandria. The four of us went, along with one very adventurous great-grandma! We had a fabulous time, and between the indoor pool, outdoor pool, beach and water park, we were hardly ever out of our swimsuits. The three days went by quickly, and it was virtually stress-free, which is remarkable when two young kids and one slightly high-strung mommy are involved. :)

We started the mornings with breakfast in the apartment...(doesn't Charlie look like a big boy sitting at the table?!)


Here's Charlie at the indoor waterpark - he liked toddling around the shallow area while Ava had a blast on the slides. We all floated around the lazy river a few times, even Grandma Lois!


Two of our days were hot and sunny. Here's Ava, our little fish, at the outdoor pool. She's been working on handstands and somersaults in the water.


One day was rainy, so we stuck with the indoor pools and the kids' activity center, where Ava watched a movie, played some board games, and did some crafts...


...and decorated cookies - yum!


The resort had some family activities in the evening, including a campfire with s'mores...


An added bonus to having an extra adult along: when the kids were in bed for the night, Joe and I got to go out and do a few things on our own - we played tennis, mini-golf, ping pong, and sat at the deck bar and relaxed - thanks, Grandma Lois!
It was a great trip - the resort was very family-friendly, the kids were super travelers, and everyone had lots of fun!

Soccer 2010

Ava did another season of Parks and Rec Pee Wee soccer this summer. She loved the practices and always begged to be goalie but was not so into the little game they had on the last day - I think it was just too chaotic for her, but she kind of followed the group around and had fun anyway.

Team picture




The big game :)


Water break


Back at it


Good game!

Minnesota Zoo

I'm a little behind on this one, but I wanted to post a few pictures from our trip to the MN Zoo a few weeks ago. The kids had a great time, especially at the playground and in the water fountains. Charlie's favorite animals were the otters and goats, both of which he got to see up close. Ava and Joe saw just about everything - I left with Charlie for a long ride up and down the freeway after lunch, so he could get a little nap in and make the most of our day there.

Peek-a-boo!


Only in Minnesota...a giant mosquito - yuck!


Farmer Ava


On the wagon ride back from the farm...you wouldn't guess he's about to have an "I-need-a-nap-right-now-and-you-forgot-my-nuk meltdown," would you?


Great way to end a hot day!

4th of July

Aside from having to work on the 4th (my every-other-Sunday gig landed on a holiday this time around), we had a great time at our annual neighborhood celebration.

Here are the kids lined up for the bike parade




Showing his patriotic spirit


Stomping on the "Pop-Its"




Time to relax




A few of the guys put on a spectacular (and I imagine highly illegal!) fireworks display - Ava loved it (with her hands firmly planted over her ears) and Charlie, somehow, slept through the whole thing even though it was right outside his bedroom window!

Daddy's home!

'nuf said!

Charlie is 1!

I keep asking myself where the year went. As his birthday approached, I kept thinking back to the year before...one year ago, Ava and I were getting together with Angie and the boys at a park, not knowing Charlie would arrive in two days...one year ago, Ava and Joe and I were having lunch at the Olive Garden, not knowing Charlie would be coming the next day...one year ago, I called in to work to tell them I wasn't coming, because my water broke!...one year ago, the labor was getting super painful...one year ago, on Sunday, June 7, Charlie was born at 7:44 p.m.

Now, Charlie is our super-active, super-happy, super-drooly baby boy. :) Okay, he's a toddler, and truth be told, he's been toddling for three months now, but darn it, he's still our baby.

Some of the things our one-year-old has been up to lately: making animal sounds (he is good at the growly ones...tigers, bears and lions), "so big!," hugs and kisses, his first words have been "hi," "more," "hi kitty," "yeah," "mama," "dada," "oma," "chug chug" and some form of sounds meant to be "Ava." :) Charlie likes to head for the kitchen cupboard when I ask him if he wants a snack, head for the stairs when I ask him if he wants a bath, and he'll throw his diapers (and anything else he can get his hands on, including a baby monitor that went missing for a few days) into the diaper pail. He is a handful, but a happy handful.

We spent his birthday on Monday with friends at a train store in St. Paul, which Charlie absolutely loved, followed by a celebratory ice cream cone.






We had a family party for him on Saturday, the 12th. All of his grandparents and great-grandparents made it, and he loved the attention and presents but was not so into the cake.

Here he is with his new Cozy Coupe, complete with his chauffeur, Ava.






Look at these pretty grandmas!


The cake doesn't look so threatening, does it?


But Charlie was not a happy camper after plunging his little hands into the frosting and finding it stuck to his fingers. He might have had a little taste of it, but he had no interest in eating it until the next day, when I thought I'd have a slice in peace, and he ended up eating half of it...


Happy First Birthday, Charlie. We LOVE you!!!!