Wylie Adventures

Easter 2009

2009-04-19T00:49:00.005-05:00

Our day began with the Easter Bunny and coloring eggs. Ethan was into the candy and throwing the eggs in the dye with a BIG splash... Mommy and Daddy tried to minimalize the mess! It was raining and yucky all morning, but luckily it wore off~ The afternoon weather was amazing!

We spent our afternoon at The Dowds house. We had fried green tomatoes and marinated cheese for apps followed by an Easter Egg Hunt in their backyard and then Easter lunch/dinner. Emily and I split up the menu and we had a great feast!

The kids had a blast getting the eggs. Ethan finally figured out that the eggs had candy and the race to pick up the most was on. We finished the day off with a free for all Easter Bunny Cake in the backyard. They loved that~more sugar!

Visit from the Northwoods...

2009-04-16T19:56:00.007-05:00

My cousin, Carrie, and her 21 month old son Rudy came to visit us for a week. Carrie lives in Rhinelander, WI now and has lots of chuckles about life in "the Northwoods". She even made a documentary of their town and "rural" lives in the woods, very different from where she was raised in Chicago...

They arrived on my birthday, which made the day! The travels were uneventful for them, for which I was thankful. We took it easy Monday and Tuesday and then went for a ride out to La Grange to see the blue bonnets and visit the Jersey Farm. You will see a couple of photos from the farm, I went the previous week as well. It was a great time! The friggin' wind was a beating though ugh! It would have been perfect if we could have just gotten some good photos of the kids in the blue bonnets. Savanna hates those things up close...

Aunt Patty we took this one for you... we had visions of a sweet photo of the kids together!

I have to wonder what that was that he put in his mouth?

where'd my scoop go?

I hate these bonnets!

ah, how sweet~

One Lucky Playdate!

2009-03-17T14:50:00.004-05:00

The Mom's club that I have joined here in Spring, proves to be just as wonderful as the other clubs I have been a part of in Minneapolis and Columbus! It is amazing how many wonderful Mom's I have met through these different organizations (meetup.com and International MOMS Club)

Ethan, Savanna and I hosted a playdate today at our house. Only one person got a pinch for not wearing green. There were about 10 Mom's and 13 kids in total. We enjoyed some yummy snacks that everyone brought and of course some cake that I couldn't keep Ethan away from. Everytime I turned around he was dragging some object across the living room to try and climb up to it. Savanna's highlight was her new interest in EATING sand...

We had a great time and the little game that I stole from my parents proved to be a hit once again! The game is to write names on a piece of paper and then tape it to everyone's back. The person can ask 2 questions and then gets a guess, you go around as many times as it lasts before someone guesses. We went around twice. Our names were all green and were cartoon characters of some sort.

Enjoy the pics

Forward Facing and PigTails - it's only the beginning

2009-03-15T15:08:00.003-05:00

Savanna is now facing forwards in her car seat. She now has the Cadillac of car seats, it is so comfy looking and extremely sturdy. Now, all I have to do is talk Eric into getting one for Ethan

to keep his neck from kinking over...hhhmmmm.

Savanna sat patiently enough for Mommy to get some pigtails in~her first ever...baby book moment. :)

Discovery Green - Houston

2009-03-04T15:16:00.003-06:00

We spent Sunday downtown Houston at the Discovery Green park. Now that we are going "green" with the kids, we thought we would check it out. Basically, it is a large open space near the convention center that they make available to families. They host a organic food market, yoga classes and many other things. There is a park for kids that is made completely from recycled materials. We followed that with a trip to Whole Foods, where we got 4 things for $100 (I'm just kidding, well kind of :)

Baby Girl Turns 1!!

2009-02-28T16:19:00.004-06:00

Savanna celebrated her 1 year birthday with family and friends at a get together at our house. We had a bouncey house, cupcakes and snacks. We had about 25 people in all and it was a really nice party. Savanna received many generous gifts of clothes and toys, she is set for the summer.

She enjoyed her cake, but didn't really want to get her fingers all dirty. Nope - she went for a fork to eat her cake. These aren't the best of photos... Emily and Wendy got the better shots. I look forward to seeing those.

Savanna took her first steps on the 19th and is now cutting her two top teeth to match the two on the bottom. I can't believe that she is growing up so fast...our baby girl.

We "rocked out" after the party.

Misty & Lilly's Visit

2009-02-19T17:02:00.000-06:00

My girlfriend Misty and her daughter Lilly came to visit from Austin for a couple of days. Misty and I have been friends for over 20 years. It was great to visit with her and especially to meet Lilly! We spent the afternoon at our favorite park (Meyer Park) the second day. Little Savanna scooting around the park with the big strawberry made me smile.

Skip diddle doo my darrrllliinngg

2009-02-04T23:03:00.005-06:00

So, this hand me down toy from my sweet cousin, Amy, is the hit of the house these days. Only after, of course, they discovered it over at Emily's house during finger painting (she has the same toy). When they got home that evening, they both spent time in front of the fridge dancing. I had to capture it on video for you!

CORRECTION!!! So, if you are getting this via email - you have to go to http://www.wylieadventures.blogpsot.com/ and then click on the photo to see the video. What you see in the email is only the still photo. I hope you will take the time, it is pretty cute, especially Ethan.

Finger Painting!!!

2009-02-04T22:49:00.004-06:00

Well, I am sooooo behind on getting this updated but am recommitted to share again... Things have been crazy just as I am sure your lives have been.We enjoyed a great holiday season and are back in the groove of things. I don't think that I will go backwards, but will focus my energy on trying to stay current.

We had a finger painting party at our friend, Emily's house this past Monday. Ethan wasn't quite sure about it, but participated and even got his one finger a little bit dirty! Savanna on the other hand went for it! She had second thoughts though and wanted to be clean again.. hence the crying face in the group photo at the end.

Savanna's Photoshoot

2009-01-20T15:29:00.000-06:00

Savanna and I had a two day photo session to try and get a photo for her bday invite. I am still haunted by the Christmas photo attempt at the mall, and decided to just take the photos at home this time.

I love this one... I am going to try and paint it one day!

Eric likes this one in the little chair the best. It is pretty cute.

I love this little frilly skirt and her signature ponytail.

This one looks like my one year photo. I see some of Eric's traits in her as well, but this one is all me!

Baby Girl Walks (well kinda)

2008-12-11T13:15:00.003-06:00

Savanna figured out the pushing technique. I hope that you enjoy the video. For those of you that get an automatic email, you have to go to the blog and then click on the photo to view the show. www.wylieadventures.blogspot.com

Christmas Tree, Gingerbread House and SNOW in Houston!

2008-12-11T13:02:00.003-06:00

We put up our christmas tree this week and got new stockings which I love! Just need to get them embroidered... The kids tried to help, but Mommy finished it up after they were asleep. Yesterday, we decorated a gingerbread house. Ethan spent most of the time eating the candy, but we had fun. We have been couped up all week since Ethan has a cold. I am running out of ideas for things to do in the house...

AND - it snowed in Houston last night. Palm trees just don't look right covered in snow.

Saturday escapades - friends and Xmas tree farm

2008-12-06T12:52:00.000-06:00

We had hoped to get to a birthday party for one of Eric's fraternity brothers kids, but didn't quite make it. So, we went over to another friends house and then to the Xmas tree farm. We had hoped to take some Xmas card photos, but that didn't happen either. So, all in all, not the most productive day - oh, well. Ethan really liked the pretend safety goggles at Chase's house, so I had to include the photo. We met Emily, JD and the girls at the tree farm where they successfully got there Xmas photo taken - yippee! Ethan was in pretty much a full run at the tree farm the whole time. Savanna chilled out with her puffs in the stroller - I

thought this was a good shot of how long her hair is...

David, Katy & Patrick

2008-12-01T12:47:00.001-06:00

Sunday was a great time with David, Katy & Patrick... Katy made yummy queso (which I ate too much of) and a delicious lasagna. We hung out all day and visited and played Wii. I wasn't sure if I would ever get Eric off of that thing. I think the hula hoop was the most fun to watch. Eric is really good at hula"ing", I couldn't quite get it.

Drew & Leslie's Wedding - A Night Alone..

2008-11-29T12:36:00.000-06:00

Jason, Wendy & Poppy watched the kids so that we could attend a wedding and stay at the Hyatt Reunion in downtown Dallas. It was not far from where we got married - it was fun to go down memory lane. The kids did fairly well.. it was the first time I had left Savanna overnight, so I was a little anxious. She took a bottle though, which is great! Ethan didn't even miss us. He was too busy playing with his cousin Jayden. I only got one photo of us off of my camera - it's not the best but here it is.

Visit with Melinda and Alexandra

2008-11-28T12:30:00.000-06:00

I spent the Friday after Thanksgiving at my friend Melinda's house. Eric was in a Bachelor Golf Tournament that day... We had fun catching up and letting the kids play. Ethan had a hard time understanding that adult toys were off limits - he just loved Bret's motorcycle models. We had a really nice time.

Thanksgiving - lots to be thankful for...

2008-11-27T10:47:00.000-06:00

Gobble, gobble is what we did... We spent Turkey Day in Dallas. We enjoyed the day with Eric's family. We spent early afternoon Turkey in Rockwall with Eric's Dad's family and the late afternoon in Mineola with Eric's Mom's family. We enjoyed seeing the family and only one kid melted down with all the activities. :)

Successful haircut ~ finally!

2008-11-22T11:45:00.000-06:00

Ethan finally didn't meltdown during a haircut a couple of weeks ago. yippee!! My friend Emily went with us and I think it really helped him to have a distraction. He even let her use the clippers - amazing! It was great to not have to pin him down and pray that the lady doesn't clip my fingers as she cut his hair around them.

Date Night - Melting Pot

2008-11-22T11:14:00.001-06:00

We found a great babysitter (my friend's cousin, Julie) and had a night out on Saturday. We enjoyed great food, good wine and some time with just the two of us!

Visit with Murphy's

2008-11-20T11:07:00.000-06:00

Where's Waldo (I mean Ethan)

2008-11-19T12:39:00.001-06:00

The Woodlands Mall is close to us and they have an indoor playground. Eric and I took the kids there one weekend, and there were a zillion kiddos running around. It was a full time job for Eric to keep track of Ethan. Savanna and I watched from the sidelines playing the "where is Ethan?" "Oh, there he is" game (her favorite game these days). She just squealed with excitement every time I pointed him out. these little ones are too funny...

testing video...

2008-11-16T10:43:00.003-06:00

I thought that I would try to see if video would post - here is breakfast with Savanna this morning.

PJ Party!!

2008-11-16T09:41:00.003-06:00

Our friends Emily and JD enjoyed a nice dinner out for Emily's birthday and we watched their girls (Lucy and Edy) last night. The kids ate pizza and fruit and then had a blast playing in the playroom. The girls love the dolls and Ethan is into trains and crashing the cars together. It was fun to see a preview of what Savanna will be doing in the future. We play with the girls all the time, but this was the first time that Lucy and Edy really opened up to me.

Anderson's First Play Date

2008-11-14T09:33:00.005-06:00

My roommate in college, Amy, is from this area of Houston and her sister recently had a little girl (Anderson). I am sad to say that Amy just moved from Spring to Homa, LA ~ what are the odds of that happening? Her sister LeighAnn and Anderson came over on Thursday afternoon for a play date. We enjoyed some nice conversation and my kids played and looked at the new baby. I still might have the baby itch??? We will see...

Bath time

2008-11-09T10:14:00.001-06:00

Houston Children's Museum

2008-11-09T10:08:00.002-06:00

My friend Ali met us at the Children's Museum yesterday. She was babysitting, Chloe, for a friend of hers. Ethan really liked the farm animal area. They had a cow that you could "milk" and baby chicks that had just hatched. The weather is amazing here, 80 during the day and 55 at night. We just need to find some places to take advantage of it!

Love of the Piano

2008-11-05T10:02:00.002-06:00

Ethan & Savanna both like this little piano... They are starting to play really well together. Well, I should say Savanna is interested and Ethan is starting to allow her to play. They are really cute together!

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-01T16:54:00.006-05:00

Our halloween was shared with the Dowd's this year in Texas. We had dinner and then left for trick or treating around our neighborhood. We met several neighbors who seem pretty friendly (there was this one family that drove around on scooters made from coolers and motorized scooters, too funny!). The kids went as Pebbles and Bam Bam this year. I actually had to sew a couple stitches for the costumes and I really enjoyed it (to my surprise). Emily and JD's little girls went as Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf, they were too cute!

Fall Color photos from Minnesota

2008-10-19T11:29:00.002-05:00

These photos are some of my favorite photos that I took before we left... I sure miss my friends up there - it looks like we brought the snow with us here to Houston though - see other blog!

Carrie & Rudy's Visit - Paling around the backyard

2008-10-07T21:56:00.001-05:00

We spent the last day hanging outside. The weather was gorgeous and we were busy that morning packing, so we needed the break. I was so thankful that my cuz came into town to divert my attention and to share some of the load. we had the best time just the girls and kids and I will cherish it always! I am so thankful to have a cousin that I feel like is more my sister...

Carrie & Rudy's Visit - Children's Museum

2008-10-05T21:51:00.000-05:00

We spent Day 2 at the museum. The kids had a blast and the grown-ups really enjoyed watching them in aahhhh... The photo of Mom & Dad is of them figuring out how the water moves the balls up this contraption - Eric spent lots of time there as well . I guess its the grownups attraction of the place :)

Carrie & Rudy's Visit - Day 1

2008-10-04T21:33:00.001-05:00

My cousin Carrie came to visit and help me pack up the house. Here are some pics of th kids dining together and housing around.

Berry Hill Farm - pumpkin patch

2008-10-04T09:38:00.003-05:00

We went out to a farm yesterday afternoon~the weather was amazing! It was a perfect fall day... We took a tractor ride through the farm, walked through the maze of corn, visited some animals (donkey -hee haw, as Ethan calls them; piglets; chickens; goats; sheep and a rooster). Ethan loved chasing the little rooster, although I don't think that was supposed to be allowed. Angela, Emeline and Henry joined us and we had great time, as we always do with them!

Savanna Crawls and Pulls Up at 7 months

2008-10-03T11:23:00.002-05:00

Savanna officially started crawling about a week ago...and now she is pulling up on everything! She sure is growing up fast...

Back Online...finally!

2008-09-21T10:21:00.002-05:00

Well, what a crazy month it has been... and it doesnt stop there --ugh!

I will be posting some back photos and journal now that I can download photos again which will give you some details of what has been going on. In a nutshell, Mom & Dad came to MN and had some health issues the first couple of weeks they were here. They are doing better, but Mom goes in for aplation surgery on her heart this Wednesday ~ please keep her in your prayers.

Then, we decided to move into a bigger place to ride out the winter her in MN. We moved August 15th and after 2 weeks of hard work finally felt settled before our trip to TX on the 30th for a week. When we returned, Ike hit Houston and now we are moving yet again to Houston. Eric left yesterday and we will follow in about 3 or 4 weeks.

So, I will try to keep this updated as much as possible. The photos attached are some that a friend of mine took recently.

Mom's Birthday celebration

2008-09-17T11:26:00.001-05:00

We enjoyed steak and crab legs (giant ones) for Mom's bday. My friend Angela and her two kids joined us!

Bear Hunt Playdate

2008-07-22T07:41:00.001-05:00

One of the Mom's planned a bear hunt in her backyard for the kids~~what a FUN idea. The event started with storytime (about bear's of course) in her basement (WOW, what a great space for kids!), then we went outside where the kids decorated their binoculars which were empty toilet paper rolls glued and tied with string to hang around the neck. Sue also had a variety of snack mixes that the kids put together in little bags to "lure" the bears during the hunt. She had placed stuffed teddy bears throughout her backyard which was wooded and gorgeous! It made me long for a home of our own sometime soon!!! The kids had a blast and so did the Mom's. There were about 15 kids and 7 Mom's altogether. PS - Ethan seems to love playing with horses and plastic animals these days...

Family Day at the Horse Races

2008-07-20T07:03:00.000-05:00

Mom & Dad have arrived in Minnesota! We all met the Gibson's (Amy, Erik, Sam & Gwyn) at the track for some fun on Sunday. It was REALLY busy this time as they had camel races, ostrich races and some other special events taking place. We had a really nice time and we all won on the last race!

Ethan took a little spill and he and Eric spent a few minutes in the first aid center ~~surface wounds only, thank goodness! Both of the kids were exhausted and slept hard on the way home.

How many can I carry?

2008-07-07T14:26:00.001-05:00

Ethan was cracking me up with his attempts to carry all the sand toys at once!!!

at the car wash...ya

2008-07-06T14:14:00.000-05:00

Sunday began with a trip to Walmart where we bought out the toy section, j/k :) We did buy a few new toys for the kids and Daddy. It was a gorgeous day, so we loaded up on the car wash supplies and outdoor equipment (scooter, small pool, balls, kiddie golf set, etc.) and spent the afternoon outdoors! Ethan loved "helping" Daddy wash the car and Savanna enjoyed swinging in the breeze. The day ended with a purchase of a new bed for Ethan through the Moms Club. He will be stylin now... Daddy decided to take a nap with Ricki.

Fun Time at the Gibson's

2008-07-05T14:08:00.001-05:00

Eric & Erik (my cousin Amy's husband), went golfing on Sat morning and so we got the kiddos together for the day. They had fun snacking while watching cartoons and playing outside in the pool and slip-n-slide. Savanna spent her day trying to master the rolover technique....It was a fun day!

4th of July

2008-07-04T18:04:00.003-05:00

We spent the morning still down in St Paul. We had a nice breakfast and then went for a swim (Ethan and Eric) in the indoor pool. It was great to sleep in a little and be leisurely. We spent the afternoon at my cousin Amy's friends (Collin)house on Medicine Lake. They had a pig roast-- it brought back many memories of my childhood!! (For those of you that don't know, my parents roasted a pig every 4th of July and had a huge bash). We had a great time at the pig roast. The house was right on the lake and they had a huge yard with a kiddie pool, washer game and a new frisbee game that Eric said "was a blast". We got home about 9pm and put the kids to bed. Then we enjoyed a couple cocktails on our teenie weenie patio, while we watched some fireworks a few miles away. All in all, it was a GREAT 4th of July -- minus being around all of you. :)

Taste of Minnesota

2008-07-03T18:46:00.001-05:00

We decided to take a short trip to St Paul and stay overnight on Thursday. We stayed at a hotel that overlooked the river where they were having fireworks. The taste of minnesota is a festival with music, food, games and such. The highlight was Ethan's first bouncey house experience... We had a nice time. It was great to get away and to get Eric away from the forever ringing phone!

Check Up - Update

2008-07-02T18:37:00.003-05:00

We took the kids in for their check ups on Tuesday:

Savanna is 16 lbs 15 oz and 26 inches. She is in the 95 percentile for height and weight and 90 percentile for her head circumference .

Ethan is 38.6 lbs and 38 or 39 inches tall (he wasn't cooperating at that point). He is in the 95 percentile for height and weight and still off the chart for his head circumference.

Savanna is grabbing her toes and getting very close to rolling over. Daddy fed her her first real meal today.

Ethan LOVES the park!

2008-07-01T18:30:00.003-05:00

Just hangin out with Emeline at the park - they had fun! Ethan sure loves to be outside.

Lake Minnetonka - Eric's work party

2008-06-29T17:01:00.001-05:00

We met everyone up at a marina/restaurant for lunch and drinks at Lord Taylor's on Lake Minnetonka. What a beautiful place! Ethan had a friend to play with, Emily, Travis and Leslie's little girl. The photo of Drew with the stogey is priceless.

Bumbo Chair/Wrestling

2008-06-27T16:51:00.002-05:00

Savanna is just starting to use the bumbo chair. She doesn't seem to like it as much as Ethan did, but it might be a little early. She loves to see what her big brother is doing these days. She watched him run around all day long!

Ethan's favorite thing to do is wrestle with his Daddy! Ethan hears the garage door go up and he know Daddy is home from work and he is ready to play... Here are a few pics from their escapades.

Savanna tastes her first solid

2008-06-24T16:47:00.002-05:00

I wanted to see how she would react ~~ she wasn't too sure about it??

Champlin Shores

2008-06-24T16:38:00.003-05:00

The Mom's club hosts events in the alzheimers ward at a local nursing home (Champlin Shores). This month we had pool time with popsicles.. We got a few smiles and the kids had lots of fun!

The close up of Ethan is after lunchand lots of ketchup...

Movin and Groovin - Champlin Library

2008-06-23T16:52:00.000-05:00

The library has some summer programs, the past 3 Mondays we have gone to this 45 minute class which uses similar principles to the Gymboree classes that we miss from Columbus, Ohio. The teacher has a great voice and sings all types of songs, uses a parachute and gives the kids instruments, stuffed animals and ribbons to explore. As you know, Ethan LOVES music!

Horse Racing - Shakopee

2008-06-22T16:38:00.000-05:00

Family Day at the Race Track ~ who knew...

We spent Sunday afternoon at the horse races. A huge playground was the main attraction other than a few beers and some yummy nachos, as well as another petting zoo (whats up with that in MN??) The weather was beautiful and we had a great time! We spent the afternoon at my cousin Amy's out in Albertville, where Ethan ran and played even more...

Splish, Splash on Saturday Afternoon...

2008-06-21T16:15:00.002-05:00

The Muscle Man Pose

Savanna snoozed in the sun

"come on Mom, no photos during dress up"

Ethan is always surrounded by the girls ~ it's just beginning!

Angela invited us over with her friend Patty and her girls. We had a really nice afternoon. I tried to get Ethan to leave for hours, but he was having too much fun...so we stayed until dinnertime.

Impromptu Happy Hour

2008-06-14T23:50:00.001-05:00

After the carnival we went over to Angela and Chris's for an impromptu happy hour that lasted until about 9pm... Emeline and Ethan play really well together!

Father Hennepin Days

2008-06-14T22:55:00.003-05:00

I am not sure who Father Hennepin is, but right down the street from our house they had a carnival and a boat and lumberjack show last Saturday. We met our friends Angela, Chris, Emeline and their new baby Henry at the park.

Ethan went on his first "ride" and did pretty well on the cars, the train and the giant slide but her was not too happy about the carousel. We also visited the petting zoo and watched the camel rides.

Surprise!

2008-06-14T12:23:00.003-05:00

After putting Savanna down for her morning nap and coming downstairs for a few minutes, I realized that Ethan wasn't playing at his train table anymore?? I went back upstairs to find Ethan in the cradle with Savanna... I had to take a couple shots before getting him out. :)

Snuggles

2008-06-12T12:20:00.001-05:00

Ethan and Savanna were too cute playing on the couch today...Ethan would lean over her and give her a kiss on the forehead and then roll back to the side and gaze into her eyes. It is fun to watch their relationship grow. I can tell that Ethan will be a protector!

Playgroup at Andrews Park

2008-06-10T12:15:00.001-05:00

Our playgroup meets every two weeks. There are 7 kids that are all about 2 yrs old. We meet in different places, sometimes it rotates among houses and recently we have met in parks. Ethan was really into playing this time and wouldn't cooperate with photos...

Trip to Stillwater

2008-06-08T10:28:00.001-05:00

Stillwater is a beautiful town east of where we live on the Wisconsin border. Although the weather was a little gloomy, we spent the afternoon checking it out. The town is full of little shops and eateries along the St. Croix River. The views of the hills and valley area were gorgeous. We plan to go back in the fall when the trees are changing. We had a really nice afternoon.

Sunshade - Baby Girl

2008-06-02T22:12:00.000-05:00

Savanna's nickname is Baby Girl, not sure how it started but it has certainly stuck! The three of us went out on a long walk today and spent some time at the park. It is supposed to rain the rest of the week so we spent most of the day outdoors, enjoying it while we can!

Ethan Is 2 Years Old

2008-06-01T22:02:00.000-05:00

celebrated Ethan's birthday with a trip to Toys r Us and a small party at the park by our house. His friends, Emeline, Madisen, Julianna and Henry joined us. We had a really nice little party complete with cupcakes, ice cream and a few balloons. Although we sang the "Happy Birthday" song all day long, he still cried when the group sang to him. He knew that it was his special day though, which is what we hoped.

Savanna Lynn - too cute

2008-05-30T21:48:00.001-05:00

We stayed inside today, it was raining... here is a cute one of Savanna

Bubble Playgroup

2008-05-28T21:32:00.000-05:00

Ethan, Savanna and I met some friends from the Mom's club for bubble play today. The weather was very nice! Ethan was the only "big" boy and had fun playing ring around the rosy with the girls. He didn't quite know what to do, but the girls showed him. The other little baby is Henry sitting in the car seat with Savanna, Angela is out and about already...

Brown Visit - Sun

2008-05-25T18:54:00.000-05:00

Eric & Brandt went fishing with our friend, Chris Daniels. The girls and kids stayed indoors due to the bad weather. We were hit by quarter size hail in Champlin and up to 3 inches around town. It looks like we will be staying in MN for quite a while! Ethan was too busy playing for photos...

Brown Visit - Sat

2008-05-24T18:00:00.000-05:00

Carrie, Brandt and Rudy came to visit on Saturday from Chicago (my cousin). We had a really nice couple of days! They arrived Saturday around lunchtime and we had some fun at the park and around the train table. We cooked out fajitas Saturday night and stayed up talking and laughing ~ it was great!

Our First Family Major League Baseball Game

2008-05-23T18:23:00.000-05:00

Eric's friend, Josh Frasier, works for the Texas Rangers and they came to play the Minnesota Twins last week. Eric took friends Monday and Tuesday night and us for a day game on Thursday. The stadium is also used for football and is indoors ~~that was kind of weird to be inside for the game but nice not to have to worry about the sun and wind with the kiddo's. Ethan was a little scared of Josh at first, but enjoyed the ball that he gave him. We stayed for about 5 innings, which was what we expected. An older lady gave Ethan a dum dum sucker, he was very excited (see the photo).

Visit with The Daniels'

2008-05-21T16:06:00.000-05:00

My friend Angela had her baby last week (Henry Edward Daniels). We went to visit today, he is such a tiny little peanut. They also have a sweet little girl, Emeline. Ethan and her look like they could be a couple...

On our way to run errands.

2008-05-21T16:03:00.000-05:00

The weather is beautiful here in Minnesota now! It was a little windy, but we took the kids out to do some errands. Here are some photos before we left. I love the little pink overalls that my friend Angela shared with Savanna.

Hanging Out at the House

2008-05-17T21:39:00.000-05:00

Jill came to take some 3 month photos of Savanna. Here are some outtakes. Ethan pulled a toy down on him, hence the eye... My friend, Samantha (Derek Howard's wife who works with Eric) came over on Friday and we pulled out my baby photos - Savanna and Ethan seem to be looking like my side right now.

Mom's Club Membership Meeting

2008-05-16T21:48:00.000-05:00

We went to the monthly meeting today. Ethan played in the nursery with his friends while Mommy got elected to be on the board of the group. I am in charge of recruiting basically - Membership VP. I am looking forward to it, although I fully disclosed that I might not be able to serve a full-term... The view over the lake is very pretty, this is about 1 mile from our house.

Twin Cities Twisters

2008-05-15T21:54:00.000-05:00

We met some friends from the club at a gymnastics place today - Twin Cities Twisters. Ethan had a good time jumping on the trampolines that were flush with the floor. He was aprehensive at first, but he loved it in the end.

Last Day of School at ECFE

2008-05-14T10:10:00.000-05:00

We enrolled Ethan in January into 2 ECFE (Early Childhood Family Education) classes (Tues & Wed). The 3 hour classes expose him to sensory objects (playing in rice, snow, bubbles, macaroni, sand, etc.), allow him to socialize with other kids his age and the Mom's and kids separate for half the class to discuss parenting issues. Here are some photos from his last class.

Cute photos of the kids

2008-05-13T22:46:00.000-05:00

Mother's Day

2008-05-12T22:42:00.000-05:00

Mother's Day was very nice, although we both were missing our Mom's. We spent the day out and about with the kids.

Ethan and his P.O.P

2008-05-10T22:36:00.000-05:00

Ethan LOVES popsicles. This is a good photo of it

Como Zoo & Conservatory

2008-05-09T22:29:00.000-05:00

My new pal Emily and her 2 girls went to the zoo with us. We had a really good time! The weather was nice and the kids were good. The animals were still inside mostly and we got to see them up close (a little too close if you ask me). We saw a lion open its mouth to yawn right in our face. The only thing between us was the glass...

Proud Daddy

2008-05-07T22:28:00.000-05:00

Eric hanging with the kids

Cinco

2008-05-04T22:23:00.000-05:00

We went over to some friends (from Eric's work) house for some authentic food. yummmyyy!

More photos from Children's Museum

2008-05-04T20:27:00.000-05:00

Minnesota Children's Museum

2008-05-04T19:24:00.000-05:00

Ethan loves the Children's museum! It is a great place to let him run and expore. We realy enjoy watching and getting in on the fun too...

Date Night

2008-05-03T18:57:00.000-05:00

Our friends Emily & JD watched the kids for us while we went out for a quick dinner. We watched their kids the night before. We hope to get out again soon for a little more of a true date night.

Playgroup at Our House

2008-04-30T18:41:00.000-05:00

We hosted a playgroup at our house (10 Mom's and 15 kids). It was alot of fun. The majority of the kids are around 2 years old. The playgroup is a subchapter of the Mom's Club that I am a member (International Mom's Club -- http://www.momsclub.org/).

Sweet Savanna

2008-04-27T17:52:00.000-05:00

Savanna in her bassinet

2008-04-26T13:43:00.000-05:00

Samantha Howard came to Minnesota finally! Photo of her with the kids