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Autumn Little Big Things…

8 Nov

Little things are big,  and what make life memorable.  Here are some of the little things about my kids that are memorable to me the past few months:

M.J.ready to sparr

  • M has been loving playing football.  It is pretty fun to see him catch a 20 yard pass and then see that look on his face. So proud and a little shocked (I caught it!)
  • M went to his first Tae Kwon Do tournament and got 4th place in forms and 3rd place in sparring. Both him and his Dad loved the experience overall.  I am looking forward to seeing the next one, which will be closer to home. (see short video of practicing form here, or longer video of tournament sparring here)
  • M got Student of the Month in October for being artistic/creative. Then he also got a sudden interest in playing electric guitar again.
  • Today Neil joined M for lunch at his school and it was a surprise. I am not sure who had more fun, M or his Dad.  When the kids talk you into staying for recess, you know it is good.
  • It is really fun to see him really learning how to read words and be so excited about school.
B.T.B on a hayride
  • I have been enjoying some time w/B in the mornings, on the laptop next to me, after M leaves for school and before CJ wakes up.  He likes to wake up early, then “rest in my office” with his blankie for a bit.  I like my  new office-mate.
  • I love first drawings.  B’s faces and family drawings are fun.  Big eyes, big smiles, lots of legs.
  • B has had mid-night wakings lately that result in “Daaaad” being yelled from upstairs.  Dad (or mom) goes upstairs and then he says”I just want you to lay by me.” or “I want you”. Sleepy parents usually abide, but in the meantime a bad habit has begun.  Sleeping by a cuddly kid who wants you to sleep by him, though, is not all that bad.
  • B knows how to talk the talk.  His says some pretty “big” things and his dad says “his negotiating skills have improved.” huh.
  • So he loves to Dance and Sing, he particularly likes Go Fish and a kids Halloween CD (yes all year round).  But if his mom dances or sings *too much* with him, he says “Stop Mom!” Yes he already thinks his mom is embarrassing.
  • Preschool is oozing out of this kid, he is learning so much and growing so smart.
C.J.kitty cat learns how to say trick or treat
  • She learned how to say “trick or treat” by the end of Halloween night.  She also protected her furry pink pumpkin candy holder all night until bedtime.  She then transferred all the candy to her purse, and then proceeded to try to hide her purse under her crib.
  • We are working on all of our words.  She says some words, but many others are a bit backwards or all sound like “daa” or “dis” or “joose”  or “uck” or “um”.  I have to remind her to practice all the time, “can you say [insert any random word here that CJ thinks is pronounced  "diiiis" or "aaaaaak"]?.  Maybe every word needs to have the excitement of “Trick or treat” with it for her to learn it faster.
  • We have been working on potty training, mostly when we see the look that a #2 is coming, we rush to the bathroom.  She knows the drill now because she will look at me smile, hold her hand out (grab it mom) then totally get into the mad rush to the bathroom. She is doing pretty good but we are not pushing it real hard.
  • Although she loves to try dressing herself (likes pulling up her own pants!), she likes to make it a challenge for me to get her dressed, usually escaping mid-way with giggles half naked.  The funny part, if I want to take the easy way out, I just pass the chore on to her Dad, which she will run to (instead of away) to get dressed.
Other fun stuff:
  • We went to Nelson Farm with Grandma Kathy and saw all kinds of farm animals, climbed haystacks, and went on all kinds of wagon rides.  Kids all fell asleep on the way home.
  • Halloween is one of our favorite holidays.  The kids get so excited about it that the decorations go out around Oct. 1.  The kids were Darth Vader, a Ninja, and a kitty.  The kids got a couple rounds of trick or treating in, as well as a full dose of handing out candy at our house and seeing all the other spooky and silly costumes.
  • Neil turned 36.  I had no idea that putting all those candles (an entire box) on a cake would make such a waxy, smoky mess.
  • I am a new Aunt!  Joe and Amanda had baby Nolan Hendrix! And the baby has some very proud cousins, especially when Darth Vader so little Yoda sleeping on Halloween.
halloween crew

My Bionic Boy

25 Sep

Wrestling is normal in our house with 2 boys.  It is  sport, after all…  Today a normal wrestling event between M and B ended up with one boy crying, which is also not uncommon.  This usually happens after several “someone is going to get hurt” warnings from mom and dad, or repeated “settle down now“.

11:40

So Today, little brother B got hurt.  We were not sure exactly what happened, but B had said later that he fell on the coffee table on his arm.  Neil thought he hear a “popping” sound.  The way he was acting told us that he had hurt it pretty bad – pointing to the middle of his arm, crying and very upset.  After about 15 minutes of observing him, we thought it may be broken and so Neil took him to the hospital.

In the mean time, M is going thru extreme remorse…. feeling bad for B, a bit sorry for himself, just “so so sorry that it happened,” Of course it was an accident, but they were also not listening when we asked them to stop.  M and I said a prayer for B and talked about all the nice things that we were going to do for him when he came home… M started to feel a little better but moped around the whole time B was gone.

12:30

Neil said that even while B was getting the xrays done, and had to lift his arm or twist his arm, that he was in major pain. B is pretty tough, but you could tell that any turning, lfting, or flexing of his arm or wrist was very painful.  After an hour and a half, the x-ray revealed no breaks or cracks.  The diagnosis was a deep tissue bruising.  Keep it iced for 24-48 hours, then heat, and give him Ibuprofin or Tylenol. Bring him back in a couple days if it doesn’t get better. No broken arm or cast, thank goodness.

1:30

He spent the next 5 hours laying back at home.  Ibuprofin, arm on an icepack, watching movies.  For a while, he was saying he couldn’t walk (I think just the movement and having to reposition his arm caused pain) so we would carry him around to a couple locations around the house.  Even when we picked him up, the movement would sometimes make him cry.  He would not move the bummed arm for any reason.

3:00

For a while we were distracting him with halloween decorations.  He was hamming it up a bit saying things like “can you move the eyeball lights closer to me” or “you go get the pumpkins and I will watch you” and kind of being the superviser in the situation.  Whenever he had to use the potty, it was a struggle, I would carry him from couch/chair to the bathroom and then he would have to stand.  This at least made him realize, that yes, he could walk, but it was painful for him to hold his arm up instead of have it supported.

The whole time, M is really catering to him, being helpful and caring. Saying things like “B you just tell me if you need anything and I will get it for you, ok?” And  actually letting B chose the movie.  This never happens usually.  I have to admit, I did like seeing them act more caring towards each other.  B would also reply with a “thank you M” and they talked so peacefully to each other…

5:00

So dinnertime, and he ate great. Two helpings of deer steak, and a little cabbage and potatoes.  It took him a little while to get situated comfortably and use just one hand but he was OK.  Then it was time to rest again,  this time in our bedroom watching a new (old) favorite movie, Space Jam.  I could tell he was still in a lot pain as I laid him back in bed, he was crying again as I tried to prop his arm up with pillows and position the icepack.

6:30

One movie later, it was treat time.  I checked on him and his arm was like an icicle.  He took another potty break, and seemed to have the same struggles with his arm.  I tried to get him to put jammies on, but then decided that the t-shirt and sweats he was wearing were fine for bed, to avoid a painful change of clothes.   We walked back to the living room for treats where I gave the kids leftover cake from CJs birthday and some pudding.  Needless to say they were in heaven.

6:45

Then it happened. Dessert was gone. B came back.  He threw his arms up in the air and gave a yell of excitement.  He was jumping, running, climbing, screaming, playing…. all the normal things he does at this time of night. It was like NOTHING EVER HAPPENED to his arm.  When we asked him about it, he just said it was “all better” now. It was totally instant change – physically, emotionally, everything. He was back to his normal self 110% all night.

We are a bit baffeled. We KNOW his arm was causing him a lot of pain because we have never seen him that way.  Both having experienced a broken arm/wrist before, his actions were telling us that he was going through something similar.

I am not sure what it was: the prayer, the intense icepack, super hero powers, healing properties of red velvet cake and pudding? Coincidence? Let’s just say, it was an out-of-the-ordinary day and his arm seems OK now… And hoping that tomorrow is an injury-free day all-day.

Summer at Last!

6 Jun

With a dreadfully long and rainy spring, we, like most everyone else, are happy that summer has arrived!  Tonite the kids did some “slip and sliding” and stayed cool with water balloons and garden hose sprayings.

Today was the first day of Summer Rec.  B went for the first time, since he is now 3.  Neil  brought the kids and it went suprisingly well! M has a very full schedule, with today including flag football and swimming lessons.  Although I could tell he was tired, he was so excited and talkative, and happy to have a new routine and meet new friends.  Tomorrow he is excited to be in a couple non-sport classes, like computer lab and kids in the kitchen.

We had so much fun at the lake this weekend. First of all, I am totally impressed by my boys fishing skills.  M got several bass off the dock, proudly stating that one was 8 inches and the other was 10 inches.  We cooked them up for breakfast the next morning.  B isn’t fishing for real yet, but he knows how to cast like a pro! And he is not one bit afraid of the bait.  He would carry it around all day if I let him. Check out the photo above of the homemade grill handle designed by Neil  and my cousin Mike. All you need is a small log and a couple bolts and the grill is back in action.  Speaking of cool engineering…

So, I never would have believed it if I did not see it with my own eyes, but Neil maneuvered to put a boat lift if with just him- one person.  He engineered these skids ( I call them skateboards) to go under each foot of the lift and wheeled it from the driveway to the rocks, then he lowered it down the steep rocks.  Finally, he bought 4 humongous beach balls, and strategically floated it over to where it needed to be parked.  I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical, but it worked! So the boys have gotten some time in “driving the boat” now that it has a parking spot on the lake.

The water was ICE COLD on Saturday.  I could feel my skin starting to freeze.  By Sunday it was noticeably warmer.  This makes me happy because I was beginning to feel like the long spring and high lake level was going to make it cold all summer.

I made this rhubarb slush recipe and am excited to have a new lake drink!

A popular place for relaxing is the hammock.  Although we made a rule after too many injuries last year of no wrestling on the hammock.  Yes, this is something we have to do in our house.  Here B gets snug as a bug in a rug.

We visited Gma and Gpa at Diamond this weekend.  Here we learned that Gpa is always right when it comes to where to park the boat and the sea legs (Sorry Gma) and  we saw a garter snake that was way to large to be a garter snake – like it ate 10 normal-sized snakes for breakfast.

I had the first breakdown of my Expedition, when my alternator went out and we had some extra time charging my battery before leaving the lake.  This was interesting and tested all of our patience a bit.  All better now.

Popsicles- lots of popsicles outside, dripping down faces and arms off elbows.  CJ was even two-fisting it at one point when B gave up an already opened orange popsicle for the highly popular root beer popsicle. My favorite use of the freez-e or popsicle is too lure tired dirty kids into the bath…  Kind of in a Hansel & Gretel kind of way, but not really.

So wow! Busy summer and it is not even summer yet! Can’t wait to see what the rest of this season bring us! I plan on going thru lots of sun block,  smores, and popsicles for the kids (probably lots of  fireworks viewing for the boys), a little rhubarb slush for mom.  How about you?

Much ado about bowling

9 Feb

Let’s face it, small town Minnesota, middle of winter, not much to do.  When we want to get out of the house with the kids and have some fun, for us – this often means bowling.

Now, anyone who knows my family knows they love to bowl.  My dad, husband, brother, brother-in-law, and cousin all bowl on Wednesday nights league (hmm that’s tonite).  It would be totally unnatural if my kids did not follow suit.  Bowling has been such a common theme in our home, that M actually had is own “bowling shirt” made by the team sponsor, Remax/Grandma, when he was 2.

Yes, my boys.  Man do they love to bowl.  We had B’s 3rd birthday party at the bowling alley in January, and I am sure we will again.  I was pretty proud of the bowling pin cake I decorated (good thing Neil made me a bowling pin template). M has asked to have his birthday at the bowling alley too, even though it is in June! And I have explained why we have done all kinds of other fun outdoor stuff around his birthday being in the summer, that we can’t do in the winter.

We went bowling again this last weekend, and all the kids had a blast. M bowled a 107 and B kept up to him with a 77.  CJ just observed and ran around and cheered on the boys.  M got a couple spares, and threw several balls that never touched the bumpers.  He does not get his bowling talent from me.  And he bowls as a lefty!

For some old video footage, check out M bowling at age 2 1/2 , M bowling at Grandpa’s or  M bowling at age 1 1/2 in our old garage.

Or check out our bowling video from this past weekend below!

Pumpkin Patches, Scarecrows, Snow!

14 Nov

It’s 10:01pm on a Saturday night, and the house is totally silent, except for the hum of the furnace. At least 2 out of 3 kids are sleeping, and I think Neil is sleeping in M’s room after a botched attempt at having the boys “sleep in mom and dad’s room”. CJ has been a little down today, I think because of that bit white thing trying to poke thru her bottom left gum, that looks like a molar.

Sometimes this is what it takes to "Clean House".

Another busy month has gone by. Today, was the first snow of the season that stayed on the ground all day. Both M and B were outside at 8am ready to play. It was so awesome to see that total first snow excitement in them. It was a very wet and slippery snow, and when each of them first stepped on the deck, they both fell on their butts. B was not happy about this (and did not have snow pants on) and insisted on changing pants that instant. Luckily I also talked him into putting his snow pants on then too. Even though there was not a ton of snow, they each had a blast going outside on numerous occasions. Neil also got some Christmas decorations on the house so they helped some with that.

Just a week ago, we were outside without coats. Neil was hunting and the kids and I had the most awesome bonding weekend together. On Saturday, M played pumpkin bowling, which turned into pumpkin basketball, which turned into pumpkin smashing, and then pumpkin cleanup. We also spent a lot of time cooking and making snacks, mostly out of a Kids Disney cookbook they got for Christmas a couple years ago…. we made a couple desserts (including birthday cake) and Power Up Pasta and Meatballs. M picked out all the recipes, and B would help me make them. Then the boys scrounged them up….. On Sunday we went out to Diamond to celebrate Neil’s birthday with him since he was hunting that weekend. The boys have been getting more into drawing and coloring lately, and made him some really awesome birthday cards. It was so cute, to see how M treated his dad on his birthday, especially later that night…. talk about VIP service. “Dad, you know, you can do anything you want on your birthday! Dad, do you want to do this….?” An un-planned gift from the kids to Neil is the game “Plants vs. Zombies” although this was probably more of a gift for M. After getting hooked on the trial version this summer, it seemed to jump right out at us (like a Zombie would) as a fun gift. Speaking of Zombies and spooks….

Then just a week before that, was HALLOWEEN. My boys live for Halloween. In fact, when we got the Christmas lights out this weekend, B kept saying they were spooky…. Halloween weekend (especially Saturday) was another gorgeous weekend. The kids and I made some scarecrows with leaves and old clothes and Halloween masks. They were all setup for trick or treaters, and one looked creepy and the other one was a little silly. Neil had spooky music playing and we had the front garden set up like a little cemetery. I think our decorations actually kept some kids from trick-or-treating at our house, once it got dark. My Mario (who almost reverted to his last years Batman costume at the last-minute) Scooby Doo Vampire, and Bumble Bee were adorable. Of Course, CJ was a little confused as to why we had her dress so silly, but in a couple of years it will probably be a favorite holiday of hers too.

Another fun October activity that we did was the Nelson Farm. The kids and I went with Grandma Kathy. B loved the baby chicks and after holding them for a few minutes, he thought he was going to take one home. CJ also loved the animals, and gave the rooster and pretty funny look and it cockadoodle-doo’d at her. They had giant haystacks setup and M and B climbed and jumped for what seemed like forever. All the kids got their face painted, and it was so cute when CJ looked in the mirror and saw hers. She loved it and looked so proud. It was priceless. Then it started to get really windy and cold towards the end,but at least we had already gotten some fun in at that time. I always know it is good, when the boys both say on the way home “Can we go there again sometime Mom?”

Bye Bye Training Wheels, Hello Super Mario Bros.

19 Oct

M got a new bike for her fourth birthday last summer. It is Hot Wheels blue and neon green with training wheels. Ever since then, we have talked about the day that he would be able to ride “without training wheels” and how cool that would be… He could go so much faster, ride in the grass, maybe even take short rides by himself.

We practiced and practiced all this summer to ride without training wheels: taking off one wheel, bending the wheels up, trying the “push” down a slight incline…. nothing worked. He actually seemed to prefer a “Big Wheels” trike that was really more appropriate for his little brother. He had asked for a scooter this summer, and I told him I would buy him one after he learned how to ride his bike, sans training wheels. There was probably a couple other bribes, but nothing worked.

There was a couple times, that M and B were both riding their bikes with training wheels. B has a “mini” one that we picked up at a garage sale for free. This was pretty cute seeing my 2 boys riding their 4-wheeled bikes together. I remember reminiscing to when I was kid-less and thought to myself “I never pictured this” – 2 little boys, both small enough to ride bikes with training wheels. I remember thinking that this period would not last very long.

Pushing off on the little bike!

Then, on Saturday, October 2nd (ironically our 11 year wedding anniversary) he asked his dad if he would take the training wheels off B’s bike (his little bike). Neil did, and as I was in the house, M hopped on B’s little black bike and took off. He then actually came in and said, “Mom I was outside riding bike without training wheels” but I had heard this many times before, when he had training wheels on, but he just thought the wheels weren’t touching the ground. When Neil saw what was happening, he took a second take and said to M, “Did you tell mom?” and M said, “Yeah I told her, but she is not coming out to see”. Neil came in and told me that it was going on for real, I came to look and could not believe my eyes.

The next day, he asked for the training wheels to come off his big Hot Wheels bike, and he hopped on that too with no problem. I found out later, that Neil had actually made a new promise to M shortly before he hopped on B’s little black bike training wheel-less. M, a Mario Kart addict of sorts, had also been asking for the new Super Marios Bros game. Neil said that if he learned how to ride bike, he would buy it for him.

We have had some really fun bike rides since then. Like we told him, he can go faster and farther, and have a little more freedom. He will probably be biking to the park on his own before I know it.

Done Deal. Part right incentive, part right timing. Now my little boy is a big. And fast.

Bananas, Numbers, and the First Concert Experience

12 Apr

My kids ate like champs tonite. We had chips and guacomole (I had to correct M a couple times as he kept calling it chips and macaroni) and enchiladas and corn. M has gotten pickier as he gets older, and B, well he just has a mind of his own (We made the mistake of letting Mr Independent sit in a big boy chair instead of a high chair too early, which means that often he just thinks he can come sit by me and eat my food, or just walk away from the dinner table). Well tonite they ate up everything. CJ tried bananas last night for the first time, and it was the first time she made a funny face when trying food. All the other foods she has tried so far have been veggies, so maybe her tongue is freaking out from the sweet banana monkey taste! When I made a comment about CJ not liking bananas, both boys chimed in. Brody said “Baby no like nanas?” Then she started to open her mouth to eat them, and I told the boys, that CJ must have seen them eat bananas, so they must be good. Right away, both boys asked if they could have a banana. Their meals were almost gone (and I never turn down fruit unless they want more then a little boy body could handle). It was sweet to see them react positively to the fact that their sister was doing something because she looked up to them.

Is this my LITTLE girl? She is eating lots of veggies, can you tell?


CJ is now rolling over like a little wrestler. Set her down on her back, and in a split second, she is on her tummy. She used to get crabby pretty fast while on her tummy, but now she can tolerate it much longer and enjoy it. She is also drooling like a little waterfall so I anticipate teeth soon!

We took the boys to the Go Fish Guys concert Saturday and they had a blast. For the first 20 minutes or so, they were is total awe. Dancing, shaking their light wands, singing along…. B was pretty antsy half way thru, but we made it thru without any breakdowns. The anticipation until the concert started got them going… “4 minutes until the concert” they would announce over the loud speaker. “30 seconds”… and they hit big beach balls around in the crowd. Impressive lights and show for a preschooler kids concert. Especially coming from someone who has been to both Lollapalooza 1992 and Madonna 2001. Now I get to add Go Fish Guys 2010 to my list of concerts….. : )

Easter has come and gone….which means the Valentines Day candy has to go. Just way too much candy at holidays. CJ went in the hot tub a Gma and Gpa’s for the first time on Easter. She felt pretty special in her Little Mermaid suit. Boys rocked the Easter Egg hunt at the park, and Brody got his picture in the paper with his full basket.

B collecting eggs!


B sayings of the week “Dada say me cookie” “Mama, I’m crying” (yelled in whiny voice from bedroom) And many more things that were so cute and memorable at the moment, but of course, now when I am sitting at the computer trying to think of them my brain doesn’t work.

M and B have been helping Neil outside a lot this weekend. The Easter Bunny brought them some gardening stuff to dig in the dirt which they thought was really lame at the time. Then Neil put them to work digging up stuff and finding worms and they didnt think it was so bad…

M is obsessed with numbers lately. Asking lots of questions – “what is 66 + 83?” Counting down the numbers on the microwave, asking what every number is that he sees… Counting up to 100 with help along the way. I think a lot of his interest in this sparked from watching basketball scores. I hope he is good at Math like Neil.

B and M keep on shooting, keep on shooting


B is pretty athletic for a 2 year old. He is making baskets in his little hoop, and on Sunday he even hit some balls that were pitched to him. His swing was slow for a while, but now he is getting the timing down and connecting with the ball.

Basketball, Mud, Swimming, Baby Smiles

14 Mar

It was Friday night, and I was thinking to myself, “wow, I love this.” The kids were all doing what they enjoyed most for a weekend night: Mav playing Wii basketball, B watching Thomas the Train, and CJ in my arms. Cheesburgers, homemade french fries, and homemade chicken nuggets (hot wing version for dad) for dinner. Honey Weiss for mom and dad, root beer for the boys, big bottle for CJ. Perfect night at home.

Calm, cool, laid back. For this moment. Not Long.


-B has been a bear at bedtime lately. He is totally anti-nap or bed. We will go thru the routine, and then as soon as it is time to turn off the lights, he says “no nap…dada’s room”. Even when we let him cry a little bit, when he stops crying, he will turn on the lights and start playing. And if we do let him lay in “dada’s room” (which is also my room!) he still will not sleep. I remember going thru so many sleep issues with Mav…. and with B when he was baby. I hope he gets over this soon! It does however end up creating some special moments, as I lay by him, trying to get him to sleep, he gets very talkative, and gives me kisses and names the spots as he kisses them, “kiss mama cheek, kiss mamas nose…” I end up telling him stories (about grampas boat, t-ball, golfing, riding bike, pretty much all the fun things we are going to do in the summer time). He told me the other night “dada soap tongue” and we, again, talked about why we don’t stick our tongue out, and why Charlotte does.

-We all went outside today. Mud and water everywhere. The boys got good use of their rain boots and splashed through the water and trekked thru the mud. B fell in the mud/water yesterday and was so dirty. He was not very happy about having to go right in the tub. Today he was just soaked from the water. LOTS of loads of laundry this weekend.

-M’s latest obsession is basketball, wherever and however he can get it: Wii, in his room, watching on TV, in the gym(at the Y last week with the big kids!) playing outisde on the little hoop, or even the big hoop with the lighter ball. He even got excited about helping me sort laundry when we pretended the clothes were b-balls. He also puts on basketball jerseys at every opportunity, over t-shirts, under sweatshirts, got them from the top shelf in his room.

-Last week, M had to recite a nursery rhyme for Mother Goose week at school. We chose Yankee Doodle. Sometimes at the end, he will add in his own silly rhyme, like this:
Yankee Doodle came to town
Riding on a horsie (Mav’s version)
He stuck a feather in his hat
and called it macaroni pizza

Kick and splash all you want here!


-They boys have been going to swimming lessons, B with dad, and Mav at preschool swim. They have both improved quite a bit since the beginning. B just from going to a stiff shivering boy, to kicking and dunking up to his nose. M has been practicing back and front floats, dunking, jumping in, etc with swimming teachers. We went to the YMCA last week too and M went down the water slide about a dozen times. First with his lifejacket on, and then he got brave without. He has always been more of a cautious boy, so it was fun to see him get more daring and have a lot of fun with it (and not get hurt!).

-CJ is just perfect to me. Now almost 6 months old, we are working on cereal (still not very interested) and rolling over. She likes to lay on her side, with her legs extended to the side, and her thumb in her mouth, while watching her brothers. She is so easy to please (thank you Jesus for an easy baby after 2 “challenging” ones) and so loves her dada and brothers. She is so attentive to her dad’s voice.

Irresistable smile. Sweet and Silly.


Poem for Charlotte Jane
CJ – You come complete
with a smile that melts my heart
ear to ear
big puffy cheeks
a red thumb
wet fingers, wet chin
hands that hold whatever they can
Did I mention how I love your addictive smile?
Thanks for making it so easy to create.

Monster Trucks – Beyond Hot Wheels

6 Dec

Anyone who has been around Mav knows that he LOVES Monster Trucks. An obsession that started with a few matchbox monster trucks and then Monster Jam Wii game, has lead to finally seeing the real Monster Trucks live last night at Monster Jam. Neil, Mav and a crew went to see trucks like Grave Digger, Superman and Monster Mutt. I stayed home with the two little ones, but heard all about it. They said it was a blast and want to go back in January, except with lower deck seats so they can bring home a tailgate?!

The “Day” Mav has been Waiting 4

19 Jun

Mav turned 4 last week! We pretty much celebrated all week, starting with a birthday lunch at Jackpot for Joe’s birthday on the 9th. Oh and Mav’s birthday just “happens” to be during his Gpa’s birthday month.

The start of Mav's birthday week was Joe's birthday!

The start of Mav's birthday week was Joe's birthday!

Then Mav and Brody spent a fun evening with Gma and Gpa K on the farm on Thursday. They were good and tired when they got home, actually Mav fell asleep during the short ride home. The next day (Mav’s real bday) we spent the day at the water park in Willmar. It was chilly, but Mav’s bday request.

The boys got in the water, I was the photographer, snack fetcher, etc

The boys got in the water, I was the photographer, snack fetcher, etc

We gave Mav a new bike for his birthday (cool hotwheels bike with a handlebar that goes VROOM VROOM) and we also took a ride around Robin’s Island after we were done with the water park. Here is where Neil learned the importance of knowing how to stop in your rollerblades, but we wont talk about that.

A new bike! What else to say!

A new bike! What else to say!

On Saturday we went to Sibley State Park for some more bike riding (Neil tried out his new rollerblades, again) and we had a picnic and ice cream treats too. Oh that was relaxing and fun. I forgot how beautiful Sibley Park is. Then we went back to the lake since it was such a beautiful day. Mav and dad got in the water and did a little swimming and threw some rocks around. One of Mav’s favorite activities at the lake is to find, and talk to the army worms.

Mav's cupcake at the lake!

Mav's cupcake at the lake!

On Sunday, was Mav’s Big birthday party with grandparents, uncles and friends. It was a Monster Truck Theme. It was a little exhausting will all the kids, but what a blast. We played Pin the license plate on the Monster Truck and filled some water balloons since it was SO HOT that day. The kids rode bike around the driveway a lot of the time and also just liked playing in the water to stay cool.

The kids at the party having fun!

The kids at the party having fun!


Now it will take Mav probably a week to come back down to reality. I still can’t believe my baby is 4. So many precious memories of the last 4 years… and many more to come. ….

When we talk about how he is 4, he says “but its not my birthday any more”. I think he thought he was only 4 on his birthday?

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