Fun Things

Piper's doing new things every day. One day she looks at the push toy like it's an alien life form, and the next day, she's walking around pushing it like she's been doing it for days!


She definitely knows what a camera is all about! As soon as I get it out, she'll wave.






The above pic I was trying to capture her with a new favorite game, called "put the juice box in the Triscit box"!

Another fun game is "play with the coasters even though I have a billion actual toys I could play with". She's also figuring out how to stand and brace herself, so she can use both hands.



Isaac and his friend, Ben, dressing up like super Heros. It's so fun to watch their imanginative play!

Fun Little Trip

Eddy was in the Cities recruiting and I had a meeting for work down there, so I drove the kids down on Wednesday. We spent almost 3 hours at Ikea! The kids did well and Eddy met us there at the tail end. Regrouped at the hotel then went to the Mall of America. Isaac gave high-5 to the Bubba Gump mascot! Both our kids like shrimp!!


Piper at the hotel. She loved to play with the pen and paper!


Isaac and Eddy had fun at the hotel pool while Piper and I played, did some yoga (see pic below!) and went to bed.


The next morning I had my meeting and Eddy took the kids to a park. Then it was off to Como Zoo!!

Como Zoo

What a fantastic time we had at Como Zoo and amusement park! We ate a late lunch then started off to see the animals. They have a huge butterfly exhibit that the butterflies share the same space you walk through. Isaac got very excited to see all the animals and would say, "I wanna see another cool aminal (aka, animal!) mom".







After the animals, Isaac got to go on some rides. I was anticipating he would get scared, but he did really well!




Just chillin' on the train!



Piper spent the afternoon waving to anyone who looked at her!




I have another meeting down in the Cities in July. Eddy and I talked about coming back then. A great time was had by all!!

First Weekend at the Cabin

We're enjoying a long weekend at the cabin. It was sunny and windy...a little too windy, but I shouldn't complain!
Isaac fishing from the paddleboat (on shore)!


Eddy spent all morning working (pulling weeds) on the beach.


While Piper napped this morning, I worked on my dad's father's day present!


The sun hits the beach at noon and we enjoyed its marvelous rays (with sunscreen on, of course).


Our little bathing beauty!


We're looking forward to enjoying the next couple of days.

Piper Isabelle, 1 Year Old

Today came so quickly, I can't even believe it. How is it possible our little girl is a year old? One year and one week ago, a friend (Michaela) was also pregnant. Our friend, Jodi, offered to host a blessingway for us. It was an afternoon filled with love and support. Not a typical baby shower, the gathering is meant to give support to the mom-to-be through labor and delivery. In the picture below, not only can you see the amazing women that came, on the table are two trays, one for Michaela and one for myself. We asked each woman to bring a candle that we could light during labor, or anytime we needed support. We also sat in a circle, and wrapped string around our wrists, entwinging everyone together. Then, we cut the string and each wore it as a bracelet, to be cut off when we had our babies. We also asked eveyone to bring a bead, which we turned into a bracelet. The intent was to be able to hold or wear it during labor and know that these beautiful women were thinking about us, sending us their strength. What an amazing feeling--to know we were so loved, supported, and thought of! Jodi, Michaela, and I One week later (and 10 days earlier than expected!), I was in labor. Eddy's dad came over to pick Isaac up. This is our last picture as a family of three! Fast-forward another 4 hours, and Piper was born! This was shortly after Piper was born. I like this picture (for obvious reasons!), but also because of the clock in the background. Piper was born at 1:12pm, so this was her at almost one hour old! Our beautiful little girl The excitement we felt was beyond words Here we are, with my bracelet of beads: Our beautiful kids Now, a year later, I cannot believe what an amazing little girl we have. Today, at one year old, she has a very sunny disposition and smiles easily. Alligator tears also come easily, but go away quickly. At this point, she is a mama's girl. Her big brother can get her to laugh like no other. She loves to take objects (like laundry) in and out of containers (like the laundry basket!). She babbles all the time, although nothing coherent yet. And, despite knawing on anything she can get her mouth on, she has no teeth! She has a bunch of hair--at last measurement the longest part was three inches! Here's the cake I made (with my mom's help!) And judging by this, she likes cake! We celebrated with my side of the family yesterday. Today we had her one year pictures taken, then went out to lunch. This was after her noon bottle, completely cashed out. We are members of PBS Kids Club, and they say happy birthday to kids on their day.
Eddy leaves momentarily to recruit. But the celebration will continue tonight with friends when we have them over for DQ cake! Next weekend we'll celebrate with Eddy's side of the family. We love to celebrate birthdays in this house!

Piper Isabelle, you are a joy to have in our lives. I am so blessed to be your mom.

Tischer Creek

My parents are in town today, so we headed to my dad's favorite place in Duluth--Tischer Creek.














Despite the clouds, it didn't rain and it wasn't windy, which allowed for a great walk and many photo ops!!

A family picture

We were fortunate to get a few pics taken after the wedding and before the messiness of dinner started!








The wedding was really nice, food was delicious...and watching Isaac gettin' all sweaty from dancing was a blast!

Road Trip!

We made our first trip as a family of four to a destination other than a family member's house! The kids were great for the 4 hour drive.









Out destination is a resort where a friend is getting married. We got in late, but we made it!

Our Abode (for the weekend)

The resort we're at is really neat. The whole thing has been rented out for the wedding! There is a main lodge and a variey of types of cabins. The one we are in has 2 large bedrooms (double-size bunk bed and a single bunk), bathroom and an extra room with two large loft beds and a fireplace.
Isaac is VERY excited to be in a bunk bed like his friend, Connor!





All of a sudden, Isaac takes his clothes out of his suitcase and into the built-in drawers.


This is the extra room in our cabin.





With getting in late last night, we didn't get a chance to explore, but are looking forward to doing that today!

Backyard

I spent a few hours outside in the backyard yesterday. Instead if having a fountain that is tempermental (works when it wants to), I had an idea of pitting in some succulents in the fountain bowl. When that proved too expensive, I opted for some hen and chicks. A friend suggested I put them in a removable bowl before putting it in the cement basin. Good idea, Heidi! I'm pleased with how it looks.


When the kids are older, and if I feel like figuring out the fountain, I still have the option to do that. The small green containers have perrenials that I still have to plant. The pot on the far right also has a few hen and chicks. The silvery plant at the bottom pf the picture is also new. And last but not least, when I scrounging the woods looking for big rock, I saw some iris that will never bloom b/c it's too shady where they were. So those on at the far right.


My parents had given us a lawn decoration that I found a spot for--the ball on the end glows in the dark!


And a post wouldn't be complete without a kid picture. Piper was upset b/c she wanted her bottle, but I wanted to snap a shot of her in new pjs.