Thirsties

We have been cloth diapering Joshua since he was born and we are LOVING it!!  I am excited to announce that Thirsties is having a giveaway (http://www.thirstiesbaby.com/blog/thirsties-thursday-giveaway-13/#.Tl0EbOE9UCk.facebook)!  I love their diapers and am hoping to win something :).

DarthAnnie

Maddy is 9!!

We had her birthday party at KilnKreations in Woodbury, MN. It was a lot of fun, and so nice to have the party NOT at our house :). I can't, however, believe my first baby is 9! She makes me proud everyday!!! I love you Maddy Rae!!




(She even let Benny come :)

New Year, New Start?

Okay ... really. For those of you who know me, I am addicted to Facebook - if you would like more frequent updates on the family, join Facebook and add me as a friend! That being said, I will TRY to be more diligent about updating this beast ... so much to do so little time!
Summer vacation was fun ... lots of vacations and outside fun! The kids were anxious to get back to school though (or was that me, projecting?). Either way, school is going really well, too. Madeline was so pumped to have her lifelong dream of getting a dog come true! Oscar is a pretty good dog, but he does chew on a lot of things (like MY shoes and pacifiers). We're glad he's part of our family now, though. The kids have been busy with school, and Madeline is in gymnastics on Saturdays, Girl Scouts, 4H, and hockey. Benny is in hockey, as well. The first part of the season was spent learning to skate and now they are practicing some skills on skates ... it's lots of fun and lots of work!
Aaron has been to quite a few Packer's games this year, and he brought Benny to two of them ... they had some fun time bonding as Packer fans and got in some good father/son quality time. Aaron starts traveling soon, and we will definitely miss him around here!
I took 3 summer credits and 11 fall credits towards my Master's program, which starts this fall officially (cross your fingers that I get in!). I got a B in Statistics but all A's this fall. Right now I'm taking my last 4 credits of prerequisites!
Annalise turned 1 ... she continues to be a joy to have around. She is the happiest, easiest baby EVER! Both Aaron and I think she's about a month from walking, big girl :)
Again, I will TRY to do a better job of keeping this blog updated ... but I can't promise anything! In addition to my three kids, dog, working husband, school work, WAKO, and maintaining friendships (important of course), I started delivering meals on wheels ... I'm a little short on free time lately! Enjoy & HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

The Months In Pictures

The months in pictures ....


Aaron, Uncle Andrew, and Benny at the Packer's game.

Benny and Daddy's dream come true!

McGown annual family hockey game ... Benny afterwards.

Maddy out on the ice.

Benny playing goalie.

Maddy's Lake Superior Primary Christmas Concert.

Benny's Our Lady Of The Lake Christmas Concert.

Benny singing his heart out.

Annie, cake drunk, after her first birthday cake.

Yummy!

Chocolate cake ... mmmmm.

Happy first birthday Annie-girl!

She LOVES her new stacking cups!

The kids helped her unwrap.

Oh yeah ... we finally got a dog! Oscar Mayer wiener ... a mini daschund.

Maddy's dream come true!

Benny's first day of preschool at OLL.

Madeline's first day of second grade.

Benny stayed on shore during the weekend at the cabin.

But Maddy was a fish!

She loved swimming, boating, and tubing!

Wahoooo!

Benny's sandy face-plant.

Running down sand dunes.

A rare moment in sibling-hood.

Long Time No Post ...

It has been such a long time since I have blogged! Life got very busy for us and once I stopped making time to blog I couldn't remember where I had found the time in the first place!!
As most of you know, Annalise recently spent some time in the hospital due to haemophilus influenza B bacterial meningitis. She is back at home now and doing great ... we are so blessed by her quick and complete recovery and thankful for all the prayers, thoughts, and help we received during such a scary time.
On a brighter note ... today was the LAST DAY OF SCHOOL! Although Madeline came home with tears in her eyes (she doesn't know how she will survive without Mrs. Beeksma) she is looking forward to June because she has been named June's babysitter for the class's two spotted leopard geckos, Ellie and Jake (pictures to come). Benny is relieved not to have school anymore, and enjoyed showing off his singing skills at his end of the year concert.




Benny also recently had a birthday and is happy to be four! One of his favorite presents was this dalmation style puppy hat (he has been going by the name of Scruffy lately and answering in barks).


We also took a ride on the famed Pizza Train in Duluth! The kids enjoyed the 2 1/2 hour train ride up and down the north shore and loved the Domino's Pizza as well ...

We went with some of our good friends Aidan and Declan ... Aidan is one day younger than Benny so it was fun to have a double birthday party!

On Memorial weekend we had a big family picnic with the McGown's in St. Louis Park ... we enjoyed a big family game of softball, a rendition of Family Feud, and lots of time to talk and laugh!

Cousin Amy and baby Annalise.

Aunt Tammi leading the family in a game of Family Feud.

Auntie Hilly and Annie.

Like Father like Son on the baseball field.

This is gorgeous rainbow we saw following a much needed spring rainstorm ...

Annie Laughs

Recently Benny has had good luck making Annalise laugh ... and I finally caught it on video. Try to ignore Benny's giant head bobbing in and out of the picture ... he gets right in her face to make her giggle :)

Pottery Burn And The Park

On Thursday the kids and I went to Duluth to spend the day with my friend Jen and her two boys (Benny's buddy Aidan and little Declan). We took the kids to lunch and then we went to Pottery Burn, a place where the kids can paint a piece of pottery and pick it up a week later after it has been fired. We had a lot of fun expressing our creativity and hanging out :)

Madeline had her eye on the dragon right from the beginning ... I'm not sure what drew her to this statue but she had a fun time painting him a glittery pink with purple wings.

Benny chose a fighter jet, I'm sure because they didn't have any car pieces :) He decided it should be green and blue.

I painted three plates, each with a handprint of the kids. The staff at Pottery Burn were SO HELPFUL in getting nice handprints of the kids ... she even got a good handprint from Annie!!

Our artwork :)

The kids did an awesome job ... they got a little silly towards the end though :)

These two are so funny. Aidan is a serious, smart old man trapped in a three year old's body and Benny is a clown :) They make a good pair!

After painting we decided the kids needed somewhere to run around so we took them to the park. It was a beautiful day and the kids were excited to finally be at a playground after months of waiting!!!

Benny had to warm up to the idea of slides again, but by the end of the excursion he was going down the tornado slide just like last summer :)

Maddy is the thrill seeker ... she LOVES spinning fast on the tire swing!

Even Annie enjoyed the park :)

I think I am in trouble though ... she is a TWO nuk girl. She needs one to hold and one to suck otherwise she gets upset. This cannot bode well for her future temperment.

Maddy thought climbing the outside of the tube slide looked more fun than going down it.

Benny - a dirtball already and summer isn't even here yet!

When we were about to leave the park a train came by and the kids were so excited they ran towards it at full speed. It stopped right in front of the field and started going backwards - which amazed Benny.


The crew after a long day!