Train Ride

Isaac and I joined several friends yesterday to ride the North Shore Scenic Railroad train along Lake Superior. The kids were a little nervous at first, especially the first time we heard the "choo-choo" of the train, but then they settled in and had a blast!

Kids (left to right), Liam, Connor, Myla, Isaac, and Zoey checkin' out the view.

Zoey with mom Ruth, Isaac and I, Myla with mom Jodi (and baby to arrive soon!), and Connor and Liam with mom Michaela.

Isaac enjoying the ride!

A Visit From Auntie

My sister works day/evening rotations as an RN at the St. Cloud Hospital, so when I noticed she had a 3-day stretch off, I hinted (uh, ok strongly hinted) that she was due for a visit! I was excited when she didn't have other plans and came up Tuesday. After dinner, we went down to the Lakewalk. Luckily, almost as an afterthought I grabbed jackets. It was warm at our house, but you never know what it'll be like down there. I thought we'd have fun throwing rocks in the water, but the waves were a little frightening to Isaac.

Isaac doesn't really walk anymore. It's more of a bobble-head, gumby-arm jog!

And, a trip down to the Lake wouldn't be the same without a stop at DQ. Isaac does pretty well with an ice cream cone. For some reason, Lindsey looked at the nutrition label on her Dilly Bar; why, I'm not sure. Good thing my turtle sundae wasn't pre-packaged! That means its calorie-free, right??

Unfortunately, Isaac was a terror on Wednesday. Lindsey got to see what being around a two-year old is like. Pretty good birth control, I'd say! Even with Isaac been a complete pain, we had a great visit. Thanks for coming, little sis!

The Great Minnesota Get-Together!

After a last-minute invitation, we met the Doyles at the State Fair! There were a TON of people there! We had a great time walking around, eating, and looking at the animals. Isaac took a great nap on the way down, so he did really well at the fair. He seemed to be having a lot of fun petting all the baby animals. We had a really nice day!

Super Kid!

Isaac was showing off when Grandpa J and Grandma came to vist!

Papa gave Isaac a cucumber to bring home. Apparently Isaac wasn't interested in waiting til we got home to eat it, so he started chompin' away in the car (the red on his face and shirt was from picking and eating raspberries)!

Five Years of (Wedded) Bliss!

Last Saturday, August 16th, Eddy and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary! In some aspects, we can't believe it's been five years...and yet, it seems like we've been together forever. I wanted to post a picture from our wedding, as some of the people who read this blog were strangers to us when we got married, but we didn't have a digital camera at the time, so all our pics are in albums, not on the computer. So instead, I thought I'd reminisce and share a few of my favorite photos of us.

We were able to partake in some free skating at the DECC this winter. A colleague let me borrow a pair of skates for Isaac. We had a great time!

This was taken at St. Scholastica's Baseball Hall of Fame dinner Sept. 2007. CSS Baseball has an unbelievable tradition in their program; it's really neat how many alumns (and their families) attend each year.

After my Grandpa Dahlen died, each grandchild was given a little bit of money in his memory. Eddy and I thought buying a swing for our yard would be a great way to spend that money. Grandpa loved sitting outside, watching the wildlife and nature. I think Grandpa would be happy with our purchase, which we got just in time for Isaac's one-year birthday!

This picture was taken at the Tischer cabin. My cousin Erin got married there on July 20, 2006. It was memorable for a couple of reasons--it was the first time there was a wedding at the cabin and I found out I passed Boards and was officially a Certified Nurse Pracitioner! I was 37 weeks pregnant.

Eddy was hired at UWS just one week before Isaac was born. I surprised him by going to the UWS bookstore and getting us UWS shirts! I also got a baby-sized shirt for our little one. We had no idea how much our life was about to change...


My graduation day...May 11, 2006. Again, special for a couple of reasons; I finished 3 years of graduate school, was expecting our first child, and it was also my first Mother's Day! All the moms were given corsages!

Some of you might remember this picture. It was our Christmas card picture for 2005! It was taken the previous May, after my second year of graduate school. We went to Sandal's Dunn's River Inn in Jamaica. What an incredible trip!

We took another trip in 2005 to visit Eddy's family in August. We were able to go to a Red Sox game with his Uncle Rich and Aunt Mona. I have to admit, it was a pretty cool experience.

We took (another) trip in 2005! This picture was taken on a family vacation...19 Tischer relatives boarded a plane Christmas Day, 2005 and headed to Cancun to celebrate the holiday! Eddy and I found out I was 6 1/2 weeks pregnant 3 days prior to leaving! It was interesting trying to keep our secret.

I saved the best for last. This is the first picture taken of our family of three. August 9, 2006. We celebrated our 3rd anniversary seven days later. To think that our love made this incredible, perfect little person is so incredible, tears come to my eyes just thinking about it. We are truly blessed.

We're parents of a TWO year old!

So, before anyone has a coronary (um, you know who you are!)...here are a few pics from Isaac's second birthday! We were able to celebrate at the cabin with several relatives from both sides of our family. Isaac really liked opening his presents and this year he actually wanted to play with them (instead of just the wrapping paper and box!).

Little did Isaac know, but he was going to be getting a Little Tikes play kitchen. On one side was the inside of a kitchen (sink, appliances, etc) and on the other side was a grill with picnic table. Rather than haul the whole thing down to the cabin, we gave him the grill--big hit! He knew exactly what to do with it! Thank you too, to Grandpa J, Grandma, Auntie Lindsey, and Uncle Paul for the awesome gift! Below is a video of Isaac playing with the grill.

This picture is of a gift from Grandpa J....thank you very much for giving my kid musical toys... said with a hint of sarcasm :).

Isaac taking in the scenery.

Isaac looking at fake food.

Our little boy, who is definitely two. Here's a video of Isaac seeing his play kitchen for the first time. It's a little long...but again, someone was throwing a fit because she hadn't seen it yet....

Isaac saying "cheese".

That's all for now, folks.

Group Birthday Party

We had a backyard full of kids this past Monday! Along with myself, three friends Michaela, Jodi, and Ruth all have kids turning two within three weeks of each other. We thought, rather than having separate parties for each of them (it's exhausting, just thinking about the idea!), we'd have one big party. It was awesome! The four of us split up what to bring (juice, cupcakes, fruit, vegis/dip) and goodie bag treats (goldfish, rice krispie bar, fruit snacks, granola bar)...we purposely did food in the goodie bags so no parent was forced to take home silly, cheap trinkets that'd get lost/broken/choked on. I hosted the location and had a kiddie pool, slide, sandbox, etc. The parents were able to chat while the kids had a blast! I was a little mad-scientist with the food coloring and white frosting, so it was fun to see the kids faces full of brightly-colored frosting! Here are a few highlights:

getting the candles lit. Ruth, next to me, is mom of Zoey, blond in the pink shirt. Myla (mom Jodi not in the picture) is in the green. Mom Michaela (holding her baby, Liam) helping her older son Connor, who is sitting next to Isaac. My best friend's son, Ben, is watching us!

Isaac really liked blowing out the candle, so I took the opportunity to re-light it and take another picture.

How many kids can you fit in a pool?!

While most of the kids were enjoying the water, I took a picture of our backyard.

Apparently the sugar rush didn't last long, because the kids were ready for more before the party ended. Isaac and I met Connor at ECFE when the boys were only a few weeks old. Myla joined our ECFE group when they were five months old. It's amazing to think these kids have spent almost all of their 2 years together. To Connor, Myla, and Zoey--thank you for being a part of our lives! We love watching you grow and become great friends.

It's August!

We spent the weekend at the cabin--had a nice, sunny day on Saturday, and a very stormy Sunday. I think Isaac might finally be getting used to the water--that and the fact that it felt like bathwater didn't hurt either! Paul convinced Isaac to venture out by jumping up and down in the water.

We got to waterski with my parent's new boat (purchased late in the season last summer). A bigger boat with a lot more power--still getting used to skiing behind it. Today while we were eating lunch before heading home, the rain and thunder came. There were quite a few loud "booms". Isaac didn't act too scared, except he held my mom's hand...but he wasn't scared enough to stop eating :)