Dreaming

The last two nights C has woken up in the middle of the night. This isn't very normal for either of our kids, so it is a little surprising. Two nights ago I awoke to him yelling up the stairs, "Mommy! I need a band-aid!" J got out of bed and proceeded to get him 2 band-aids for his legs. We looked under the band-aids yesterday to find that there was nothing under them (which J & I suspected).

Then last night he woke up not once, but twice! I got up with him first and went to see why he was whimpering. I asked him what was wrong and he said, "I was playing with Rex (from Toy Story)." That was about it. Then he said, "Mommy, will you rub my back until the morning-time?" Hard to turn down, but I said, "No, Buddy. It's still the middle of the night." 4:00 AM to be exact. He continued to bargain with me, saying that he would have more bad dreams. Then I grabbed one of his stuffed animals and said, "Murray will keep you safe." He response..."Mommy, stop talking!"

Clearly this was the end of me talking with him because he decided he was ready to go back to sleep! Little Stinker...

Bridges and Ships and Rocks, Oh My!

Earlier in the summer we were lucky enough to take the kids to Duluth for a night. We love Duluth! I grew up going with my parents almost every summer-or so it seemed to me. It is one of my very favorite places to visit that is "close" to home. We had many adventures within the 24 hours we were there.
We watched ships come in and out of the harbor.
We walked to the end of the pier and saw the lighthouse. We walked across the Lift-Bridge, which C just loved! He thought it was pretty neat that he could be right "in the middle of the water" as we made our way across. We went to Grandma's restaurant to eat (twice!). We walked to the Portland Malt Shoppe-my favorite-and the kids actually made it! It was a long walk, but the end was well worth it. Waiting patiently for their ice cream...On the way back, however, they were not too thrilled with the fact that they had to walk all the way back to the hotel.
We stopped to throw rocks on our way to and from the malt shop.

Some of my favorites...

C chased seagulls all around in Canal Park. A wanted nothing to do with them after I told them the story about a seagull who "left their mark" on me one time. She thought all of the seagulls would do the same to her!
We rented a bike and rode up and down the Lakewalk. The kids were louder than any kids we saw in bikes those 2 days! They loved riding in the front of the bike. We roasted marsh mellows at our hotel, which was another highlight for the kids. They love 'smores, so any chance they have to make them, they take it! The kids entertained me by going shopping in the morning (thanks!), but I moved much faster just because they were with. It was a good thing! I didn't spend as much money!
We met the horses that take people on the carriage rides by the lake. A's favorite was Tommy Twinkle Toes. We thought we should name her (A) Twinkle Toes!
But, if you were to ask our kids what their favorite part of the trip was, this is what they would say (both of them):
My favorite thing was the swimming pool. My next favorite thing was the big bed. Then, as prompted by me or J-What about something other than the hotel? Then they said throwing rocks into the lake (A) and watching the ships come in and out of the bridge (C).
This was their first time staying in a hotel (that they remember) with their own beds. They really could have cared less that there were other things to do in Duluth. So, note to self-the hotel alone is a huge treat for our kids!
Thanks, Mom & Dad, for helping us to make this trip happen! We love that we have been able to bring them to this beautiful place by this beautiful lake. It is hard to believe our kids are old enough that we are able to share an experience like this as a family, and that they remember and understand what we're doing and what we've done! I can't wait for more trips-big or small-to come!

Cousin Liam

This week C & A's cousin Liam is staying with Mamma and Papa! The kids are so excited to see him this week. This morning C & I had an exchange about seeing Liam this week:

C: "Mommy! Guess who we get to see this week?"

me: "Who?"

C: "This guy."(pointing to Liam's picture on our wall) This was said with a tone I can hardly convey with typing. It wasn't something I thought would come from C, so it was pretty funny!

The kids played with Liam today at a little park and wading pool close to our house. Then they came back to our house for more water fun outside! Luckily they have places to go to cool off because it is supposed to be H-O-T tomorrow!

We're so happy you're visiting this week, Cousin Liam!

Water Play

Our kids love the water. I'm pretty sure that A would turn into a fish if given a chance. When we're at the cabin we are in the water at many points during the day, sometimes for many hours at a time, too! C had gotten much better around the water this summer. He was very tentative in the beginning of the summer. He would barely jump into the water without you holding on to him. I thought I would share a few of my favorite water pictures so far in the summer (some of which have come from this past weekend):

A just being her!

Even though the kids aren't in the water, they're still by the water in Duluth! I love seeing the rocks in the air!

Our cabin friends Matt & David

A in her "boat"

C in a "cocoon"...or canoe

Goggles shot-last summer they called them googles!

Papa and A jumping in together-even though it is a little blurry, I still love this picture!

I love water days!

Fishing for weeds

Doctor Visit Today

I remember when this is what they looked like at the doctor at age 6 months...

Now they're 4 and we went for their 4 year check up with Dr. Brandt. Our kids love Dr. Brandt. They pretend to be her when they are pretending with their doctor sets. They'll put on the stethoscope and say, "I'm Doctor Brandt!" She is so caring and gentle with our kids and has had the same demeanor with them since they were babies. She also has twins, which was one of our reasons for choosing her from the practice that she is with.

Here are the stats:

C...height 42 7/8 inches-about the 90th percentile, weight 43 pounds-in the 95th percentile

A...height 43 3/8 inches-about the 80th percentile, weight 36 pounds-in the 70th percentile

Again, it goes to stand that C continues to have a few pounds on A, which has been about par for the course since they were 6 months or so. Dr. Brandt said they're doing great!

The kids hammed it up for Dr. Brandt to no end. Thy were getting all of their sillies out right in front of her, that's for sure! They showed off and did all sorts of tricks for her. I'm pretty sure C has a crush on her...he looks at her with those eyes.

The kids did get one shot today. They get 3 next year to get ready for school, so we got the chicken pox one out of the way today. C went first and was really brave. But, that's about all that A had to see and then she was in complete hysterics! She was crying so hard, face so red, and this was even before the lab tech was by A. She stopped crying immediately after they gave her the shot (funny). They both did great, though! All in all, it was a great visit, coming away knowing that both kids are on track for their development at age 4. We are so very blessed!

We're 4!!

I cannot believe that A & C are 4 years old. It's funny because on their birthday, no matter what birthday it is, I always think about what happened on that day. I remember going to the hospital, being prepped for surgery, going into the operating room and there they were! Well, not that easy, but...precious and little, that's for sure!

Now, they're 4 years old! We celebrated a lot that weekend. Lots and lots of friends came over for a day in the water.We had hot dogs, chips (A's favorite), grapes and...cupcakes!Then it was on to presents. Oh my...so many presents! This was the first time I didn't put on the invite, "Please, no gifts," because at age 4, I figured I couldn't get away with that. They knew what was coming! A willingly greeted everyone with, "Is that my present?" rather than, "Hi! Thanks for coming to my party!"

Then the day of their real birthday arrived... and off we went for breakfast, a walk by Lake Harriet to see the ducks (and to have ice cream), and back to one of my favorite kids' bookstores where they let animals roam free. The kids love chasing the chickens (yes, chickens!) around the store. They love finding the cats, looking at the lizard, tarantula, chinchillas, doves and any other animals they might have around the store.

After a short rest time it was time for the family party to begin. I am so thankful that so many people came to celebrate our kiddos. We are so blessed to have so many people that continue to support us in our journey being parents. One of the people we were so lucky to have at their party was my Uncle Jim. He was in town from Florida and is known around our house as "Florida Jim." The kids liked that he was there, too. A & C played a lot in the backyard while everyone was at our house. Then it was time for cake!If you couldn't tell, M & M's was our theme of turning 4 years old. I did my best to create 2 M & M cakes, per the kids' requests. They turned out pretty good, too! We took the easier way out this year and ordered one of the kids' favorites-pizza! That was the way to go...so next year, hopefully we'll remember! There were many many presents to open-the kids were very lucky! Thank you so much for everything the kids received-they are constantly playing with everything they got!

We still cannot believe that our kids are 4 years old. I didn't believe it until I was a parent myself, but the time really does go fast. It might not seem like it in the moment, but as the moments pass altogether, time goes crazy fast. Love you so much, A & C!

4th of July

So I'm doing things a little backwards. Posting about the 4th of July now instead of before other events. Oh well. Sometimes I just can't keep up!The 4th was a great weekend. We had been at the lake for a whole week, and ended it with family and friends, which is always a good way to end! J's family was with us for the 3rd and the 4th. We did lots of swimming and had a lot of outdoor time since it was so nice out!The 4th was a fun day and the kids had a great time. They watched the boat parade for the first time. A wanted to be in the parade, but quickly got over that as she realized she would be watching it with her cabin friends Matt, David and Erin. There were some really interesting boats in the parade this year!Another big event that happened was that C went tubing for the first time! J went with him first and he did great! He was loving when he could splash J and grinned ear to ear the whole time (or at least once he realized it was fun and not too scary).The night of the 4th was another first for the kids because they were able to stay up for the fireworks. This was the first time we had let them stay up and they had a blast! First we had to get covered, head to toe, in bug spray. After we were set with that, then we went to our neighbors' (and good friends) Scott and Kristin's to try sparklers for the first time. I was a little nervous, but they did just fine with them!After sparklers we went on the pontoon to find a prime spot for fireworks. On our lake there are no "official" fireworks, but many people shoot their own off. So everyone goes to the middle of the lake to watch the fireworks on the boat. It's great! We ended up anchoring with 2 other boats of friends on the lake. There ended up being about 10 kids on one pontoon, shoving puppy chow into their mouths faster than what seemed possible. The fireworks were great-not too big, so the BOOM wasn't too loud for the kids-and enjoyable for everyone. 11:15 was the ultimate bedtime for these (then) 3 year olds.
It's always nice to have family around for holiday weekends or holiday days. I love being with any family whether it is my family or J's family during those times. There is something to be said for being together!