Thanksgiving, etc.

So, I find myself trying to post about our busy past month, and not really having many pictures to document all that we have done! Mid-November, Ben and I had a "weekend away" in St. Paul while the kids stayed with Papa and JuJu. We went to our first opera, ate out, and strolled through the Mall of America with no agenda! It was great!

We spent Thanksgiving day at my parents' house and ate some yummy food. Miles refused to eat anything but red jello, which he had from head to toe and required two outfit changes...good idea, Grandma!! Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera!

The weekend after Thanksgiving, we had a visit from Alex, Katie, and the kids. Jonas loved being able to show Abbie his room and his toys!
Here's the cousin photo:

Aunt Katie's looking a little overwhelmed, don't you think?

Miles LOVED "the baby" and was sooooooo thrilled to get to hold her!

Then, up went the tree. Here's a picture of the boys decorating it on the night we put it up. However, I could have snapped this picture on any night since...we've had a LOT of re-decorating going on!!

This week we had about 14 inches of snow fall. Jonas thought it was really fun to go out and play. Miles...not so much. Two seconds before I took this picture, Miles was sound asleep in that very spot on the front step. Getting all bundled up must have really worn him out!

And here's what's been going on during a typical day at our house:
Two superheroes, just waiting for the next call...

Do these boots match my...um...shirt????

Last Days of Summer, Cousins, Fall, New Baby, Fire Station, & Halloween!

I can't believe it's already November 1st! It seems that in the last 2 months, the old saying "time flies when you're having fun" has really held true for us!

We started out September with an adults-only trip to the Renaissance Festival with good friends. We try to make in an annual trip. Sort of a last "hurrah" for the teachers in our life before they have to go back to school.
Here the 3 amigos (now related by marriage) enjoy some Renaissance beverages together!

Then in mid-September, the boys and I headed down to Illinois to help distract the cousins (and Aunt Katie) while they awaited the arrival of their new baby sister! It was a great trip, with visits to the arboretum, an orchard, and a train restaurant!

Can you imagine riding in THIS minivan??

True to form, Miles demanded to join his brother and cousins in the bouncy house...and LOVED it! In fact, he is the only one who Uncle Alex had to go in and retrieve when it was time to go!

Um, I thought our apples were in that bucket?

Your food gets delivered by a train!!The end of September and early October brought a very early fall.

Yes, Grandma, I do let them jump off of their picnic table into the pile of leaves!

The first weekend in October brought a surprise last-minute trip for me back to Illinois to take care of Izzie and Abbie while their new baby sister was being born! It was so special to be there! Welcome Emelia Alexandra!

Awwwww....what a happy family!

Admiring their new sister...

Back home, Miles was being diagnosed with croup. Although we made it to the ECFE fire station field trip that week, we didn't do much else for the next 2 weeks due to coughs, cold, and even fevers!

Finally, healthy and back to "normal" to celebrate Halloween. We prefer the "Mr. Pumpkin-Head" route to pumpkin decorating...seems a little safer at this time in our lives! :)

And my Spiderman and Tigger are still coming off of their sugar highs after a fun Halloween night!

SIlly Miles

It's hard to believe my baby is already 18 months old! He has become such a "little boy" this summer! It is so fun to watch him discover and explore everything around him, although he certainly interacts with the world in his own unique way! He frustrates us and challenges us every single day, but also makes us smile and laugh daily!

Miles LOVES shoes, and loves to try on different shoes whenever the spirit moves him to do so!
Last night, it was cowboy boots with pjs...
Silly cowboy!

Much to our relief, Miles is finally interested in books. He actually sits still (almost) long enough to read now, and likes to point out pictures of anything round that could be a "ball." His favorite book is one about bears, that he picked out all by himself at a bookstore. He pulled it off the shelf and wouldn't let go, so I bought it, mostly to avoid a screaming scene. Wouldn't you know it, he LOVES it and picks it out to read every night at bedtime!

And, of course, Miles insists on doing everything his big brother does. Mostly this just leads to dangerous situations such as steps, big slides, and 2-wheel bicycles. (On the cowboy boot picture you can just make out the almost-needed-stitches cut on his left forehead. Deep, but small. Scars are cool, right?)
However, he has now pooped on the Elmo potty 3 times in the last 3 days, at no prompting from mom or dad! Just asks to take his clothes off, then marches in and sits down on the potty!!

I think he is just as amazed as we are at his "work!"

Dress-up and Last Weekend

We like to play dress-up a lot lately. Jonas has a favorite costume he calls "Spiderman," although it is really a Power Rangers outfit! To my knowledge, he has never seen a Spiderman cartoon OR a Power Rangers cartoon, so I'm not sure how he decided what to call it. He also apparently knows what the "real" Spiderman looks like, because we have recently purchased some Spiderman socks and stickers after he spotted them at Target. So, Ben and I are now debating...do we allow the charade to continue and let him wear the Power Rangers costume for Halloween, even though he is going to tell people he is Spiderman? Or do we spare the kid (and ourselves) some explaining, and just get him a "real" Spiderman costume to wear?? Hmmm...the decisions of a parent!

Miles prefers to dress-up as...ummm...a pirate doctor??

Dr. Jonas

Last Friday and Saturday Ben did a crazy road race that went from Winona, MN, to Minneapolis. It was with a team of former Luther Wrestlers. (Wrestlers as distance runners, you ask? I wonder about this, also...) Anyway, they ran in shifts. Ben did about 13 miles over 3 separate shifts. One of his runs was at about 3 in the morning!

So, of course, he slept for about 16 hours straight Saturday evening until Sunday morning.

Meanwhile, the kids and I hung out with PaPa and JuJu and cousins Noelle and Joshua.

The bespectacled grandpa reads to Jonas and Noelle...

Team Barclay.

Jenn did the 3-mile Breast Cancer Walk. We went to cheer her on at one of the cheering stations! I am so amazed at her ability to do all the necessary fundraising and training, as well as work, be a mom, etc! Go Jenn!

Jonas spends some quality time with Uncle Nic. Note the toy gun that JuJu has at her house that Ben used to play with when he was a boy. Oh, how times have changed. I have agreed to allow Jonas to play with it ONLY inside PaPa and JuJu's house. Do not go outside, do not go in the car, do not pass go, and definitely do not come to my house! :)

Summer '09

Here are some fun times from our summer so far (I refuse to believe it's over yet!)

Aunt Katie shows Izzie how to roast a marshmallow and Grandma and Grandpa's.

Jonas and Abbie are already pros.

We wait (patiently, I'm sure) for Ben to finish his triathlon in Chisago City.

Jonas also did his first triathlon that weekend. Here, he shows off his number. Although he looks excited here, the mood was ruined when he was re-directed on the bike course. He leaped off his bike and burst into tears when he was blocked from riding out into the street like the older kids. He refused to get back onto his bike, and walked the rest of the course with Ben. During the run portion of the race, he even shouted at the cheering crowds, "I'm NOT running!"

We braved our First Annual Family Camping Trip. Ok, so it was only 24 hours! But, we wanted to start slowly. Everyone did really well, and Jonas keeps asking when we can go again!

The campground is just off of a beautiful paved bike trail, which provided the perfect entertainment for the boys.

Roasting marshmallows...mmmmmm!

Miles "experiments" after observing Dixie drinking from her water dish!

Mmmmmmm....push-ups!

And this picture pretty much sums up how we've been spending most of our summer! Bike riding, bike riding, and more bike riding! And 18 month old Miles refuses to be left out!

Recent Adventures...

So, I'm going to use the same excuse that I always do to explain why I haven't posted in so long...
We've been really busy! I know, I've tried that one before, but it's really true!

Some of our recent adventures...

The neighbors got married...ok, so not just "the neighbors"...these are the Dreshers!
Welcome to the family, Emily! :)

Memorial Day bike ride...don't the boys look excited?

Ben built a new swing set in the backyard! We've already spent many hours playing!

So far we've had 2 backyard picnics...

Miles got a new "big boy" haircut. You might be able to see the chocolate stains on his shirt from the M&M's I had to feed him to get him to sit still. Thank goodness for our good-natured hair stylist!

A little brother love...

Last day of ECFE for the year...we'll be eagerly awaiting September!

This is what Miles thought of "garage-saling" with me in Rochester one Saturday morning while Jonas and Ben went fishing (in a real boat!) with some friends.
And, yes, the picture is a bit off-center because I took it while I was driving! But soooooo CUTE!