Gus and Nora

Parking Lot

2012-02-12T20:49:00.004-06:00

When I walked upstairs to check in on Gus last week, I found his monster trucks lined up in a perfect row outside his door. When I had kissed him goodnight and left his room about 30 minutes earlier, he had all of his trucks in his bed but apparently they did something to get themselves kicked out of his room.

I'd like to add that Gus is not one of those kids who prefers to have his things neat and tidy. He has never asked for his toys or his clothing to be just right. In fact, he's so far on the other side of that spectrum (he would wear the same clothes for a week, or happily play cars in the middle of a heap of random toys and half-empty juice boxes. Gross, uh, I mean, that never happens in our house but it if did, I'm sure he would still play contently.) Anywho, I was so impressed, that I felt the need to take a picture of his shining "neat and tidy" moment while he slept peacefully in the background. I hope he was dreaming of cleaner times to come!

The halfway point

2012-01-29T20:17:00.006-06:00

We met the Goin family in Alexandria, MN this weekend for a quick winter getaway. Alexandria is the halfway point between our homes and we had heard about a family resort in the area, so we thought we'd give it a shot.

We are so happy we did. We might never make the drive all the way to each others' houses again. This place was a blast. It's called Arrowhead resort and if you have kids it's the place to be.

The kids settled in right away and took charge of the hallway (like all kids love to do while staying in a hotel). They were like the Reservoir Dogs of Arrowhead. That's what this pic reminds me of.

Although each room had 2 beds and a hide-away bed, of course they all had to pile into Nora's pack-n-play.

Anything a kid would like to do, they had at this place. You name it. Sledding? Yes. Water park? Check. Treats, games, a separate pool, a basketball court, ping pong, tennis, popcorn, s'mores, campfires, movies, poolside cabana? Yes, all of the above.

Ross and Gus raced down the sledding hill a few times and Gus won every time.

Nora took it easy.

Gabby was adventurous. At one point, she was going down the hill so fast, and experiencing so much turbulence that her light-up snow boots were lighting up - while she was seated in the sled. Now that's extreme sledding folks.

This was our first family-wide sledding event and we loved it!

The Goins, on the other hand, are seasoned sledding pros.

They had a little campfire burning near the sledding hill which worked great as a quick warmer upper for everyone. You can't see the fire because it's behind us warming our tooshies.

We spent most of our time at the neat indoor water park. All of the kids l-o-v-e-d it, even Gabs who dreads getting water in her eyes.

Gus attacked each of the kiddie slides right away and started to cry when he was 2 inches too short to ride on the big slides. Next year, buddy.

Water buddies!

Before we left, Gabby hosted one final Cheetos picnic in her room. What a great ending to a splendid weekend.

And if anyone out there is ever looking for a family to meet you at the Arrowhead resort in Alex, call us. We're there.

Happy Birthday Dad

2012-01-29T20:10:00.004-06:00

January 27th is Ross' birthday. The kids love birthdays (any one's, really) because they usually get asked to help open gifts if gifts are involved. There were gifts this year, and they ripped right in!

Later that day, Gus kept the helping coming by blowing out Ross' birthday candles.

What is a birthday in Fargo without a meal at Paradiso? Here's Nor and Will enjoying a Mexican food specialty item, the chicken strip basket.

Gus got to try his first umbrella drink and he loved it.

Happy Birthday, Ross!

The way basement

2012-01-19T21:03:00.010-06:00

We've been in our new home for just over 1 year now and many of the updates and home improvements that we hoped to have done are still on our to-do list. Although Ross has made some amazing progress and is quite the DIY'er, we're not getting to the list as quickly as I thought we would (rookie - I have no clue what DIYing it really takes). But what's the rush? We have nothing but time because we're not moving again for a loooong time!

One area that we have dedicated time to is the basement. The way basement, as Gus calls it. Our house is a 4-level split so once you head down the second flights of stairs you are now in the way basement. While house hunting, I remember walking around the corner and heading down to the way basement and immediately thinking, 'this is it. This is the house. This room single-highhandedly sealed the deal.' My dream of having a room that could be full of toys and a mess, with a door, came true.

We love it and we spend many hours down in our way basement.

This is a typical evening.

Aaand so much for the peace and quiet that exists while Nora is playing. Here comes Gus.

Nora, thinking 'save me'.
Then finally cutting loose and going with the flow. I'm sure this scene did end in tears, however.
I just didn't post those pics.

On this particular evening, Nora got into Gus' costume collection and was very serious the whole time. She really got into character with each mask. She believed she was a super hero/racecar driver/yo gabba gabba.

Here's our failed attempt at extending the costume fun into a family photo. Turns out my camera's auto-focus doesn't work on self-timer, and clearly the beeping on that timer needed to be louder because we had no clue when the actual picture was about to be snapped.

It was another jolly day in the basement for the kids, and when it was all over, I hit the lights, skipped up the stairs, and ahhh...shut the door. A win-win for everyone.

Slowly improving

2012-01-12T05:58:00.002-06:00

Gus is making huge strides at skating lessons. In week 2 he fell fewer times than in week 1, but I also noticed that he stayed on the ground longer after the fall so I guess it all evens out. At least he's not scared to fall.

Hey, where's this kid's helmet? Bad mom.

Getting the hang of it! Go Gus!

Form a line, please

2012-01-08T21:08:00.003-06:00

Whoa, Scheels in Fargo the day after the Bison won their National Championship was like a scene out of the news footage you see for the hottest Black Friday sales. I did not see anyone waiting in tents on the sidewalk, but there was a need for a few of those Scheels folks to be dedicated strictly to crowd control. It was crazy! I nearly lost Gus in the herd. This city is bursting with Bison pride and it's neat.

The warmest winter of our lives

2012-01-08T20:53:00.004-06:00

We are loving the record-setting temps this winter. I believe it was 55 degrees last week, on the 4th of January. That is amazing, and we love it.

Nora and her neighborhood BFF, Peyton, sat in sleds in the garage. Where the heck is the snow?

Leave it to the guys, Gus and Caleb, to find the teeniest (and only) patch of snow on the block to sled in.

When is the last time you could slide down a slide in Fargo, ND in January without being frozen to it?

Never, in these kids' lifetimes!

Will decided the line for the slide was too long, and opted for the swing.

After playing outside for about 30 minutes, it was time for hot cocoa.

Will and Nora loved their first taste of this creamy, chocolatey treat.

You see Christy sporting her Green and Gold, right? That's because just hours before this photo was snapped, the NDSU Bison football team won their first Division I National Championship. We ate junk food and cheered them on from our couch.

Hockey skates

2012-01-02T20:47:00.003-06:00

To all our family members who want Gus to follow in Ross' footsteps and play basketball:
I hear ya.

But he's going to try skating lessons this winter just to see if he likes it.

As a matter of fact, we had our first lesson tonight and he did awesome. I was on the ice with him, and by on the ice I mean holding onto him for over 50% of the session, so I wasn't able to snap any photos. Next week!

Family resemblance?

2012-01-02T20:37:00.002-06:00

Other than it's adorable, what do you think of this photo of Vickie, Ross' mom, when she was a toddler?

Some say Nora has her Grandma Vickie's eyes. I can see it.

Cousins

2012-01-02T20:14:00.008-06:00

While in Minot for Christmas, I snapped some great photos of a cousins. I didn't get every cousin, but wanted to share the ones I have.

Ross played bucking bronco with the little cousins while we waited for dinner to be ready one evening.

Hava and Gus bowling. They loved the dragon chutes.

Lindsey and Laura are my cousins.

Baby Cooper is Ross' cousin, Laura's little guy.

Braden and Maren are my cousins.

Here's Hava, Nora, and Gus during their first official cousin's movie night in Minot.

Will and Nora have their own form of communication, we're sure of it.

Yay for cousins. May all your your days (not just holidays) be full of cousins. Because they are like siblings, but without the fights.

Christmas with family

2011-12-30T20:38:00.021-06:00

We enjoyed a long week in Minot. The trip home was a piece of cake because we didn't even need our winter jackets! I'm convinced the warm temps made the kids even crazier on Christmas Eve. Gus and Ross went outside around 9pm, right before bed, to sprinkle some reindeer food on the lawn.

Other than the reindeer food, and cookies for Santa, they just ran around like fools.

Disclaimer: I typed a very long post, but somehow after I published it, photos are missing and so is the rest of the text. So for now, enjoy photos. I hope the photos can speak for themselves since the captions have disappeared.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T06:09:00.004-06:00

Nora is working on her talking skills

2011-12-17T13:13:00.003-06:00

She's also into dental hygiene at the moment. She'll stay in the bathroom, brushing her teeth, for 30 minutes at a time.

Don't worry, Steph, while we're all at home for Christmas we'll work with her on your family's names.

You know you let your 4-year old use the DVR too much when...

2011-12-17T13:07:00.003-06:00

The other night while Gus and I were reading a few bedtime stories, he put his hand on my arm and said, "hey mom, can you pause the book real quick, I need to go get a drink."

Pause the book? Sure, Gus. Or I could just stop reading for a moment. Either one.

On that note, I think I'll sub in 1 more book in the evenings in place of Toy Story 3 or Cars 2.

Showtime

2011-12-14T20:54:00.009-06:00

Gus' preschool, Small Wonders, held their annual Christmas program this week. This was Gus' first official Christmas program. He did a great job of standing up tall, and not bothering the kids next to him. The singing part? Not really interested. I don't think he'll be the performer of the family but that's OK. We think he enjoyed it once he could see us sitting in the audience.

After the program was over, he was ready to play. It would appear that he is more of a solo artist, and more comfortable performing on his own.

Here's Gus with his buddy, Conner. They wanted to take a picture with each other but they didn't want to stop.

Here. Much better.
Gus' teachers are great. Mrs. Julie, and Senora Kayla, his Spanish teacher.

And finally, a clip of my all-time favorite Christmas song.

??? I love 4 year olds.

Reunited

2011-12-04T14:42:00.003-06:00

Now that the air has that winter chill in it, Gus and his best neighbor buddy Caleb haven't been hanging out nearly as much as they did all summer and fall.

Until this past Saturday.

Caleb and Gus played cars all afternoon. Then they watched the movie Cars while zipped up in Cars sleeping bags. And soon after that it was time to pretend they were cars and eat a snack (they called it fueling up).

Buddies!

Oh, Christmas Tree

2011-12-04T14:12:00.008-06:00

Ever since Ross and I have been married, we've had a fake, pre-lit Christmas tree. It has been handy, and it looks good. We liked the simplicity of it - open the box, unfold the branches, wrap a ribbon around it (I skipped ornaments because it took too long), and plug it in. Voila, a beautiful tree with no mess. 15 minutes to set it up.

So why would I want to complicate things and throw a real tree into the mix? Because we have kids, of course, and we are responsible for forming glorious memories for them.

But before we went to pick out our real tree, we brought out the old trusty fake tree and put it up in the kitchen. It was our warm-up tree. Also, we aren't using the ribbon this year because it became tangled during that 15 minute set up time I was bragging about earlier.

Thanks to Ross' family (Aunt Nancy and Grandma Vickie) for being the sole providers of all the ornaments on our trees. Nancy and Leo gave Ross an ornament every year when he was a child, and even gifted us some ornaments the first few years after we were married, so it was fun to take them out of all their boxes, plus see a little piece of Ross' Christmas history. Vickie had them all packaged up so it was easy as could be to add them to our little tree. It also appears we've inherited some of Ross' brothers' - Chad and Kyle's - ornaments. If you want them, guys, lemmeknow.

Nora added her own ornament that she made last year. For some reason she was drawn to this one.

The kids helped pick out the best looking, best smelling Fraser Fir I've ever seen.

It's up in our living room now and waiting to be decorated! It was totally worth it.

Old School

2011-11-27T06:49:00.003-06:00

Gus found some old Bishop Ryan garb while playing in Grandma Vickie's basement. Go Lions! As his wise Great Aunt Nancy said, "it would be real convenient if Gus' high school colors were purple and gold". So I did some checking and if we stay in Fargo in this house, Gus and Nora will likely go to the new Davies High School in South Fargo.

Translation for the aunts fan club = red and gold, the Eagles.

Meanwhile, Nora found the old rocking horse and galloped away, until she got a little too into it and galloped her forehead into his mane (not pictured here). Ouch!

Thanksgiving

2011-11-26T20:57:00.004-06:00

We are so thankful for our family and friends. We got to see many of them this weekend in Minot. Here's Nora with Great-Grandma Ethel just before our first huge meal of the day.

This Thanksgiving was also Mom and Dad's 38th Wedding Anniversary. Happy Anni to 2 wonderful people! We celebrated with a mini-wedding cake, because we did not get enough food or pies or treats during our normal Thanksgiving meal.

After naps and 2 rounds of dessert at my parent's house, we headed out to Ross' aunt and uncle, Patty and Paul's house. Here's a pic of the girl cousins - Holly, Laura, and Jenna - with Nora.

Gus convinced his Uncle Kyle to play ping pong with him after he spent 10 minutes watching Alex and Grant play an intense game of pong. It got him pumped up.

Great-Aunt Nancy had the touch. She put lil' Cooper right to sleep!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Happy 4th Birthday, Gus

2011-11-19T20:40:00.006-06:00

On November 17th, Gus turned 4. He had an awesome day, and an awesome weekend. Here he is on his way out the door to preschool. He's carrying the Birthday Bag, which is like Ultimate Show and Tell. On their birthday, each child gets to fill up the Birthday Bag with all of their favorite items from home, to share with their class. Gus filled his bag with 3 shirts, 3 cars, about 5 photos, a basketball, and a Dr. Seuss book.

He paused for a rare photo opp with both his mom and dad before school. Smart kid - he knew gifts were an option later in the day, so he listened very well all morning. Coincidence? I think not.

On Friday, we got a room at the Holiday Inn, Gus' favorite pool in Fargo, and invited a few folks over to swim and eat cake. Here's Gus with his buddy/neighbor, Caleb. They warmed up for the pool by wearing their matching Cars swimming trunks and jumping from bed to bed until the parents finally put a stop to it (OK, so it was just me who told them to stop).

Family swim!

Nora was really into the pool this time.

The only person who loved the pool more than Nora, was Will.

Gus picked his theme: Race Cars.

His guests were Caleb, Jake, Taylor, and Will. The Mpls crew couldn't make it because the first snow of the year made for some slippery driving conditions. Also, the Johnson's were moving into their new beautiful home so they couldn't make it either. We missed you all. Next time, Gabs, Carson, and Ashton!

Gus got a set of remote control cars from his Uncle Josh and Aunt Christy. He was so moved by the gift, that he started handing out hugs. (Cars will do this to a 4 year old boy.)

Buddies! Who, by the way, share the same birthday. Caleb and Gus were both born on November 17th. Pretty neat!

Not to be outdone by anyone, Nora puked half way through the party, so she went topless the rest of the night. She wasn't ill, she's just got a wicked gag reflex.

But a little puke never slows this gal down. Onward! Stealing Gus' new toys.

Thank you to everyone who helped Gus celebrate his 4th b-day. 4 is going to be great.

The warm-up party

2011-11-13T21:14:00.004-06:00

It's almost Gus' 4th birthday, so this weekend while his Gma Vickie and Gpa Dave were in town, they had the great idea of throwing a warm-up birthday party for Gus. Of course it was a hit.

Nice firetruck!

If you can't tell from the strangle-hold he has on his Grandpa, he was just a little excited about the firetruck.

He fought like 50 fires in our house yesterday and took care of every last one.

Nora got a gift, too, a Care Bear! (It's Cheer Bear for those of you who are my age and remember the Care Bears. This one sings when you squeeze her paw. OK, so the Care Bears have advanced since I had one.)

She then proceeded to walk around with the gift bag on her head. Aaand this is our Nora. This is what she does.
Cars!

After the kids finished up the birthday celebrations, they jumped right into their campaign for Christmas. It's almost like they know at a very early age who you should talk to about Christmas gifts.

Another great Grandparents weekend. Thanks, Vickie and Dave!

Halloween

2011-11-05T20:36:00.001-06:00

Happy Halloween! It was a beautiful day in Fargo for trick or treating. The kids were excited, they loved it.

After a trip around the block once, Gus ran into his BF from down the street, Caleb.

It was so nice to not be freezing while walking around. The streets were packed with kids.

Gus found a group of kids to jump in with for a few blocks.

Nora enjoyed the view from way up high.

After a long night, Gus took inventory of his candy. And we have enough.

Gabby's 3rd Birthday

2011-11-05T20:24:00.002-06:00

We made another trip back to the cities to celebrate our God-daughter, Gabby's 3rd birthday. It was a day full of partying and pizza. And cake. It was delicious.

Here's the b-day girl!

We headed to Chuck E Cheese at 10:30..A.M. The kids lovvvved it. Here's Gabby cashing out at the end of a long morning.

Holly met us there and brought Gabs a cake.

After Chuck E's, we headed home and put the tots down for a nap while we geared up for the main event, Gabby's real b-day party at a place called Pump It Up. With a name like Pump It Up how can you go wrong? Well, folks, you can't. For example, here's our entire family zooming down a giant inflatable slide, going way faster than was safe for a 1-year might I add, but so fun. Yaywhoo! Pump. It. Up!

The Goin's went faster than we did. Good stuff!

Here's us with the birthday girl, sitting in another inflatable. Also, you'd think with all the soft inflatables it would be a guarantee that no child would get hurt. Well, Gabby (sadly) was the exception to that rule. During pizza she fell through the picnic bench and smashed her head on the ground. ouch. She was also OK. These kids are troopers!

There was so much excitement going on that at one point, poor Jaime lost Ashton. We can laugh about it now, but at the time, it was freaky. Turns out he was stuck in one of the inflatable obstable courses and he was OK, phew.

Happy Birthday, Gabby! Thank you, Mike and Michelle for hosting a wonderful weekend of non-stop parties.

PS - Did you notice the insane formatting of this post? Somehow I have placed words inside boxes, and all sorts of word-picture craziness. I have not spent enough time fiddling with the new blogger format so I'm just letting it go. Thank you.

Carve it

2011-10-27T22:15:00.000-05:00

We moved the kitchen table, laid down some newspaper, and had a pumpkin carving party with the kids. It was great for the first 10 minutes they were interested in it. After they took off to play cars or watch a movie, Ross and I finished up the carving and called them back in for the cool part, the lighting of the jack-o-lanterns.

Nora wasn't too interested in the gunky parts, but she did try to eat a raw pumpkin seed.

Gus thought the finished product was so cool! Oh, and you'll notice he is wearing his absolute scariest shirt ever in prep for Halloween. Frightening!

Later, everyone cut loose and laughed (OK, maybe just Nora). The guys took this app pretty seriously.

Happy Early Halloween!

Orchards, patches, and farms

2011-10-23T21:48:00.000-05:00

'Tis the season to hit up every apple orchard, pumpkin patch, and fall festival in the tri-state area. And it's been so balmy we can't help but get out there and enjoy every second of these above average temperatures.

Gus I traveled to Mpls for a 2-day visit the last week of September. He got to play with Gabby, and Michelle and I got to catch up, so a win-win obviously. On our way back to Fargo, we stopped at the lovely Deardorf Family Apple Orchard in Waconia, MN. We met Erica and her kiddos there, too. Here's Gabby, Grady, and Gus on the trailer ride out to the Honeycrisps.

It's times like this that we really miss Minnesota. Look, trees!

Erica and Michelle smiled as they thought about all the baking that was about to go down. Erica's from-scratch apple pie recipe is a blue ribbon winner, after all. We didn't just hit up the apple orchard to kill time, people. Erica needed the perfect apples and I think she got them.

The weekend before our trip to Mpls, we attended Fargo's Fall Festival. Nora is tall, but not quite tall enough.

We met our friends, Jake and Taylor at the festival. The kids decorated cookies in between playing games and winning prizes.

Finally, we made a family trip to a pumpkin patch just NW of Fargo. Nora was interested in the petting zoo animals. Oh my gosh, is her dress too short? Yes. But she grows faster than most kids, plus it was 82 degrees that day so the leggings had to go. Also, this dress is too cute to not be worn (thanks, Sofie!). Go with it!

Gus liked torturing himself in the mini Haunted House (which wasn't very scary).

Cousins in a super large chair. Just missing Hava!

Children of the corn. Cute.

Christy, Will, and Josh made it through the corn maze with no problem.

Nora and Will are buddies. We love it.

By the way, Grandpa Dave fixed our laptop so this blog is back in biz! Thank you Gpa Dave. We owe you. I trust you more than I would the geek squad. Our photos and videos are safe so now I have no excuse to not blog. Dangit, kind of. I mean, I must admit it was nice to not feel the pressure of an out of date blog. It was so easy to blame my lack of postings on a faulty computer. Well, that break is over so I'll get focused again and make this a priority.

Happy Fall everyone!

New shoes!

2011-09-28T21:28:00.002-05:00

Gus got new shoes last week and now he:

Runs super fast
Jumps extra high
Sleeps in his shoes

The kids loves his shoes. On a related note, Nora loves shoes too which really makes me happy because shoe shopping with her is much more fun than shoe shopping with Gus.

Crash

2011-09-22T22:09:00.001-05:00

There's been a crash - our trusty laptop is toast and the next step is recovering all our photos. Oy, it stresses me out so instead of dealing with it, I keep putting it off. So until I get it together all I have to contribute to our neglected blog are some random cell phone photos.

The best: Ross harvested our first official batch of Honeycrisps last night from our new tree. Delicious!

We spent the long Labor Day weekend at a great resort in Longville, MN, with the Goins and the Johnsons. It was awesome. Gus and Gabs (and Carson and Ashton, whom I did not snap of pic of using my cell phone, darn it), all loved hanging out on the docks and fishing.

This final set of high-quality cell phone photos are proof that Nora has enough hair for pigtails.

She also let me give her a pedicure last night. OK, so I had to put her in her hair chair and cue up a Baby Einstein YouTube montage on the iPad so she would sit still. But whatever. She has adorable toes!

Back to school(s)

2011-09-07T21:33:00.002-05:00

Gus was busy getting back to school last week. But really it was first-time-to-school because he's never gone to school before.

First up was his Sunday School meet and greet, on a Wednesday night. Easy. We'll see how his first day goes.

Our second stop was Small Wonders for his back-to-school night for preschool. He dropped off all his supplies which is why you see him heading into the building with a full backpack.

Go Gus!

Oh, I forgot to mention that he got a buzz-cut just in time for all of this back to school craziness. (As if you hadn't noticed the poor kids shaven head.) But for the record, he really likes his short 'do and has been telling me for the past week that he "just feels like he's 4, or 5". Well, you now look it, too, Gus. Amazing how fast these little pills grow up!

It's been over a year

2011-08-30T19:32:00.003-05:00

since we've taken a family photo. A co-worker of mine started her own photography business last year, and has always said she'd be willing to take a few shots for us whenever we were ready. We finally made time and I'm happy we did. Thank you Alyssa!

She's 1

2011-08-26T22:12:00.002-05:00

On August 11th, Nora hit the big 0-1.

She's running, climbing, ranking in the 77th percentile for height, and 55th for weight. She's starting to stretch up just like her brother and Dad. On a girly note, her hair is long enough for a mini-ponytail.
Happy Birthday, our dear sweet Nora!

Family reunion

2011-08-26T21:14:00.024-05:00

My sister, Stephanie, and her husband Mike and their little girl, Hava, came to ND for a visit all the way from Boston. Their time here went way too fast. Our niece, Hava, has changed so much since we saw her last winter. She is so smart and although she is only 2, she talks like she is 5.

The weekend was full of fun. All fun.

Nora was a little apprehensive about baths until she took one with her cous, Hava.

Now she loves them.

Gpa Steve and Gma Debi got a hotel room one evening, so we got our fill of swimming and water slides.

Here's Will chillin' in the room after the pool.

Smiley Will

Q: How many grandparents does it take to get the spaghetti off a 1-yr old?
A: 2

The Gma Debi Salon Spa was open for pedi's for the girls.

Uncle Josh invented a game called push-n-slide rather slip-n-slide. All the kids flocked to him all night.

A horse with a pacifyer, happens all the time.

They survived a rainy train ride at the Children's Museum.

Poor Nora was not happy about riding with the guys.

Here's Hava working on some bubbles.

We celebrated Nora's first birthday while everyone was here. We also celebrated her Aunt Stephanie's b-day too.

Uncle Mike and the kiddos catching up on PBS Kids.

It was a perfect vacation! Thank you for making the trip to Fargo.

Who's watching these children?

2011-08-26T21:07:00.003-05:00

I've been too busy to make a blog post, but doing what? Clearly not watching my curious kids.

Here's Nora trying to find a snack.

And a shot of Gus after he dug into wet firewood the night after we had a mini campfire in our backyard.

Straight to the bath with ya!

The lighter side of parenting

2011-07-31T21:30:00.008-05:00

There's no doubt that being a mom or a dad has it challenges, but we've found that there's just as many hilarious moments that make you laugh so hard that you forget about the crappy parts.

Now that Nora can walk, and if she sees that a toilet lid has been left open, she bee-lines for the bathroom. She loves throwing stuff right in. (Yes, I scrubbed her hands after this one. It was actually planned. I knew her strategy, so I turned on the light, opened the toilet, and sat with the camera, just waiting. About 20 seconds later, she burst through the door with her book that she obviously didn't really like.)

Gus is especially hilarious lately. I've been writing down some of his quotes because I'm sure someday I simply won't believe he argued with me on certain points, or that he said what he said. Like how's this for funny - today at breakfast he exclaimed, "Mom, you're embarrassing. I love you." Why, thanks Gus. And I really didn't think I was embarrassing yet. I mean, there's more to come there I'm sure.

He also argued with me the other night after bedtime stories, to the point of tears, because he is convinced that I won't let him choose who he wants to marry someday, and also, by the way, 3 is old enough to be married in his opinion. He worked himself into a delirium on this topic, let me tell you. When I finally gave in and said, "OK fine, Gus, let's figure this out. Who do you want to marry?", he replied, "you, Mommy" (obviously, ha), to which I had to reply, "sorry bud, can't, I'm already married to Daddy." He argued, "not fair! But then I'll marry Grandma Ethel." So pretty cute, huh, Grandma? And then I told him we'll have to see, and he'll ask need to ask Grandma Ethel next time he sees her. He seemed fine with that, and eventually he fell to sleep. All in all, even with the tears, the situation was adorable and I had to hold back my laughter.

But my favorite Gus moment as of lately was Friday, garbage day. We usually get home early on Friday's just after the garbage crew has picked up the trash. It's become a tradition for me to send Gus down to the end of the driveway to fetch the empty receptical and drag it back into the garage. He likes it. It's his first real chore and he's good at it.

This Friday was no different. He took off bouncing down the driveway to fetch the trash can, grabbed the handle, tipped it up on the wheels and started the trek up the driveway. After about 5 seconds he yelled, "Hey mom, this is heavy, I can't do this." And being the sympathetic mom I am, I chirped, "Oh come on Gus, you can do it. It will make your muscles stronger. You can, come on." He went about 5 more steps, and started swaying from left to right, and said again, "but this hurts my muscles mom, I can't do it." Again, I pushed him to 'keep going bud, you are strong I know you can do it, yadda yadda..'. So he kept going, made it into the garage, and when he did, he let out a loud, "phew, that was tough!" but didn't seem too upset. About 5 mins later I went out to position the can in the corner, and when I grabbed it, I realized it was still FULL of garbage. Like, all of our garbage. I mean, heavy. Haaaa! I apologized to him and explained that the garbage crew must be late today. He was proud, and he should have been. This really could have been considered a toddler strong-man competition.

Here's a shot of the smiling strong-man, beaming from ear-to-ear with no clue that his muscles will be sore the next day.

Oh, and who doesn't love a good water gun fight? This is definitely Gus' thing lately, so if you come to visit and end up in our backyard, you've been warned.

And finally, this series of shots started as cute mini-photo shoot, but ended funny.

Nora was swimming with Gus, then decided to head into the sandbox to explore. Here she is thinking this sandbox is pretty neat.

Hm, now what's this sand you guys talk about? Mmm, very nice texture, I like.

Let me just do the signature taste..uh...um

no. No, please tell me I did not just do that..

Uggh I DID! Nasty, people! Get this grit out of my mouth. My delicate gums cannot handle this.

somebody get me my sippy asap.

I stopped taking photos promptly after this shot and rinsed out her lil mouth. She forgot about it like 5 seconds later but really was not impressed at the time.

Ahh, gotta love these moments. Believe me, it's not always like this but when it is, we've got to laugh. Also, please don't call social services on me, the kids are safe. I mean, aside from child labor laws with the heavy garbage can thing, everything else is just one of those things that happen to kids (right?). I'm behind them at all times, and they are always OK!

Crawling is for babies

2011-07-17T14:52:00.008-05:00

(And I'll stop posting videos now and return to what I'm comfortable with - photos.)

If you think it, you can do it

2011-07-17T14:33:00.003-05:00

No, this blog post isn't my attempt to start a motivational speaking career, it's just an observation. Within 12 hours of Gus attending the RedHawks baseball game, he has used the power of positive thinking to become a baseball legend in his own mind. I mean, his new-found power is legit (no steroids or doping), it's just a pure obsession with the sport. His imagination and swing has really come to life. It's cracking Ross and I up!

Baseball is now his favorite sport, officially

2011-07-15T22:28:00.003-05:00

We planned to attend tonight's Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks baseball game, sit in the cheap seats, grab some popcorn, and just see if the kids could stick it out for at least 3 innings. But on the way there, I got a call from a co-worker who said our client (a RedHawks sponsor), could not make it..soooo, they had nobody to throw out the first pitch. Since Gus was with us, and free, could he do it?

Sure!

He had no idea what was going on, and didn't really get it until about 5 seconds before he was scheduled to trot out to the pitchers mound. He looked at me and said, "I don't want to do it, Mom." I responded, like any good supportive mom (right?), "Oh C'mon Gus, you'll love it. I'll come with you. Let's go!" So away we went.

He really did like it.

He did great! We were so proud. He got to keep the ball, he got to meet HawkEye, the mascot, and he received a nice poster to cap off a great evening. It is hanging in his room as we speak.

The ongoing vacation

2011-07-11T21:26:00.010-05:00

We took the week of July 4th off and it was the best decision we've made in a long time. Ah, relaxation with no signs of work. Our first stop was Lake Sakakawea for some camping with Gpa Steve and Gma Debi.

We all relaxed, expect for Gus. He could only take Nora's pestering for so long.

Trying to be patient,but I can't! Get away, Nora!

She was happier walking around with Ross, anyway.

Twins! (or so I think.)
Nora had way more fun playing in the pack-n-play than she did sleeping in it.

Grandma Debi, you're hilarious.

You may think Gus was relaxing here, but no. He sat down just long enough for me to take this photo with his Gpa Steve.

Who need a professional photographer when you can get a glorious family photo such as this while sitting around a campfire? Just kidding. I'll be scheduling an appointment for us for August.

Gus liked tormenting Belle with his new water gun. Thankfully, she has the heart of a dove and tolerates anything.

Nora liked sitting in this chair by Gpa.

After camping, we headed up to Minot to see Gma Vickie and Gpa Dave. Which brought us to the next pet my kids tormented while on vacation: Lily the cat. See why we do not have a pet.

Sofie came over for a visit and luckily, brought her baseball glove. Gus and Sof actually played catch for a few minutes. Like real catch. I was impressed!

After Sofie had had enough, Gus coaxed his Aunt Patty into being the pitcher for a few innings.
This kid is gaga for baseball.

He's so gaga, that later that evening, Gpa Steve and Gma Debi made a full-fledged baseball field in their back yard. We all played.

And the vacation does not stop there, oh no! When we returned to Fargo, we got out of the car, used the bathroom, changed into a new pair of swimming trunks, and off we went to the Holiday Inn!

Our friends, Jaime, Paul, Carson, and Ashton were in town from Mpls. Also in town, all the way from LA, was another dear high-school friend, Sara, and her 5 delightful kids. What an amazing mom! I'm in awe, and promise never again to complain about the trials of having 2 kids.

Here's Gus enjoying the pizza party with a smiley Townes and a tired Evelyn.

Jaime and Carson had mixed feelings about this picture.

Gus and Owen played foosball. I bet Owen let him win.

Here's Ashton and Evelyn.

The party and water activities continued the very next day when Gus played outside with Ashton, Carson, and his best GF, Ava! She came all the way from Omaha to visit. It was a day for sun, fun, and friends.

And finally, I ask you, what vacation would be complete without baked beans? 1 out of 2 kids in our household recommends Bush's Baked Beans for every meal.

Can we please take 10 days off every month? I would be so much more productive at work if I could. Vacation is the best!

Watching the flood from afar

2011-06-25T21:42:00.005-05:00

We are glued to the KXNews live stream, and although we've heard and watched all of the latest details, it still does not seem real. It's hard to believe this tragedy has happened in Minot and we are so sorry for everyone who has been affected by this flood. We want to contribute to the recovery and rebuilding efforts as much as we can, to a city and to people who we love. We'll start here in Fargo at a charity event planned for next week.

While the cities of Minot, Burlington, Velva, Sawyer, and so many others, and their residents were scrambling to protect their homes and businesses, we were standing by in Fargo.

Ross and Gus had their first campfire at home. It included roasted marshmallows, of course.

Gus has been driving by Thunder Road for 2 years, and asking about it nearly everyday. We finally made the trip and it did not disappoint.

Gus had no clue what he was getting into when he jumped into the go-cart with his dad. Here they are, just barely pulling out of the garage. They were not pedal-to-the-metal at this point. I wish I would have taken video of the acceleration, because when Ross gunned it, the look on Gus' face was hysterical!

Holding on! I couldn't tell if he liked it or not.

Still going, and at about lap 4, I figured it had to be good since he hadn't asked his dad to stop yet.

Turns out he LOVED it, and went again with his Uncle Josh.

We also had a lovely visit from cousin Laura, and her new handsome little guy, Cooper. Nora was fascinated with him, and just wanted to get her hands on him. We had to protect Mini-Cooper.

Ok, that's close enough, Nora, thanks.

Minot, we're cheering for you.

Pre-flood graduation party

2011-06-03T21:38:00.008-05:00

We spent Memorial Day weekend in Minot. My cousin Maren graduated from Minot High School. Congratulations, but what?! Wow that went fast. She is a gem and she's on her way to UND next year, where she will do great.

The official cousin's photo is below, but it's not really official because we were missing Stephanie. (boo hoo, we miss you, Steph).

Look how big Will is getting!

After Maren's party, we spent some time at Great-Gma Betty's house where Gus was introduced to gambling. I'm happy to report he kinda freaked out when the machine cashed out because it was "too loud".

Speaking of cha-ching or bling, while Nora was sitting on her Gma Betty's lap, she was doing her normal baby thing and reaching for anything within an arms length. The first thing she saw was her Great-Aunt Nancy's ring. Um, yeah, and it's not a small ring. She grabbed and thought, "well this is gorgeous. I must eat it."

Luckily Gma Betty was quick and grabbed it before it went into her mouth.

She did get to try it on for size, however. It was too big. Waay too big.

Great-Uncle Leo and Nora.

We also hit up Gma Debi and Gpa Steve's house. Gus helped Gpa plant some flowers.

He continued the yard work later that night with Gpa Dave, too. For like an hour. Or until the tractor ran out of gas.

We were also happy to spend some time with Ross' cousin, Anita, who was visiting from Billings, MT. Nora loved her! Cheese!

The day we left Minot, everything was fine. Only 24 hours later, the flood fight of the century began for thousands of people in the Minot community. Although the forecast was grim, it seems the grave danger has passed, and now all the poor families who scrambled to move everything up and out of their homes, can go back. To a dry house. Thank God! Can we have summer now please? KThanks.

Marathon Weekend

2011-06-03T21:25:00.003-05:00

The Fargo Marathon gets bigger, and bigger each year and we love it because that means every year, more visitors come to town. Mike, Michelle, and Gabby spent the weekend at our house. Michelle sprinted the half-marathon. She would say she didn't run fast but if we were to start running at the same time, ya, she'd appear to be in a dead sprint. I am s-l-o-w. But I love it. It's fun and I can't wait to run again next year.

While we ran on Saturday, the kids played. Nora adores her girly idol, Gabby.

We like to line up Gus and Gabby, back-to-back, for a pic every now and again because although they are only 11 months apart in age, they look more like 2 years apart. Gabby is petite and Gus is tall for his age (shocking), so this is what you get.

This is our morning training regiment. Wall push-ups are hard! Have you tried one lately?

Finally, here's part of the marathon folks:
Holly, Janelle, me, Michelle, and Dan.

Not pictured, but deserving of some major recognition are: Brett, Bjorn, Meg, Randy, Tara, Jerry, and my fellow co-workers who were part of our relay team. Did I forget anyone? Congratulations all you runners!

Pink

2011-05-31T21:39:00.002-05:00

Nora loves pink. At least she does while I'm still in control! Here she is modeling her latest pink dress, while showing off her standing skills in her room.

Might I add her hair is sure filling in nicely. It's right on track for pig-tails by her birthday.

Marketing case-study

2011-05-31T21:21:00.003-05:00

Being I work in marketing, I had to post this fascinating tidbit.

The other day, Gus walked up to me out of the blue and said, "hey mom, look. My socks say Home Depot". I was like, "wha, what?" but a second later I got it. He sees orange and thinks Home Depot.

I don't know if I should be proud or horrified that marketing/media has made such an impression on my child. On a similar note, although he can't totally read yet, he can identify Best Buy and Starbucks from a mile away. So what's next - chicken nugget cravings when he sees the Golden Arches? Thinking that he needs to buy something everytime he sees the iTunes logo? Perhaps. But I'm not too worried about it for now. At least we can still influence his thinking. I will worry more when he's a teenager, will not listen to me, and believes all things he sees on TV.

For now, I'll be happy just using his Home Depot quote as a case-study in a branding meeting or 2 at work. Talk about forming loyal customers! He's hooked on Home Depot at age 3.

License and registration, please

2011-05-14T21:44:00.004-05:00

Gus' new hobbies are patrolling the block, and learning how to parallel park. And that's because his Gpa Steve and Gma Debi recently got a new police car for him. He is obsessed!

Here's Gus and his Gpa just moments after he saw it for the first time.

Because the weather was crummy the weekend he got it, we brought it into the house. Nora and Will also love it. I'm for sure saving this pic for their graduation parties in 17 years.

Oh yeah, it has a siren and flashing lights.

Gus drives it everyday, and usually picks up his new buddy, Caleb on his way around the block.

So, curious if Gus is still getting exercise? Think I'm a crazy parent who chooses motorized vehicles over a good old pedal-powered bike? Never fear! We mix in some old fashion playing. He's always running here and there.

Here's a few random shots from the past few weekends.

We had a few nice days last week so we enjoyed them by being outside in the evenings and swinging. But since this photo was taken, it's been downright cold in Fargo. We're hoping for a warm up this week.

Pearly Whites

2011-05-10T20:59:00.003-05:00

Gus had his first dental appointment this week. I probably should have scheduled his check up before he was 3 1/2, but honestly, the thought of bringing him to the dentist never crossed my mind. Whoa, I was in denial that he was old enough to go.

He loved it! Especially the vacuum/sucker tool.

No cavities! And a happy kid.

Happy Birthday, Will

2011-05-10T20:40:00.003-05:00

Our nephew, Will is 1!

His birthday is May 5th, Cinco De Mayo. Therefore, a sombrero. Muy bueno!

All that cake made him very thirsty.

Easter celebrations

2011-04-29T22:12:00.009-05:00

We headed to Minot for an extended Easter break. It was wonderful and Gus and Nora had a ton o fun.

Q: What's better than an Easter Egg hunt?
A: An Easter Egg hunt at the Zoo.

Both sets of grandparents were there.

I enjoy Gus' expression in this pic, alot.

Go, Gus, go!
There was no risk of the animals getting any of this food. Gus inhales his popcorn!

Gma Vickie making Nora laugh.

After the Zoo event, Gus hit up another hunt at Gma Debi and Gpa Steve's house.

Nora has 2 teeth, so technically she could eat this.

The EB brought Gus the best gift ever, a new guitar.

While Gus was outside hunting, Nora enjoyed a few moments of silence indoors with her Great Gma Ethel.

Later in the day, we walked across the street from my parent's house to Tadd, Jody, Olivia, and Violet's house for a visit. It's so handy. The trip to their place takes 30 seconds, round trip, by foot.

This is the best pic I got of the 4 kids.

Olivia put the smack down on Ross! But we still loved it. It was great to catch up and see how much the girls have grown.

Back at the house, Gus roped his great-aunt LeRae into a jam session.

Whoa, Easter morning brought another round of goodies to Gus and Nora. This time, the EB came to Gma Vickie and Gpa Dave's house.

Starbucks, and Dora is the only way to do a roadtrip. By the way, it's hot cocoa that he's drinking, people. Do you think I would let Gus drink coffee?

Here's the official Easter photo. It's the best I could get!

Why does Nora look bigger than Gus? The giant bow, probably. But I cannot resist.

Another round of eggs at his Great Aunt Patty and Great Uncle Paul's house.

We also made a pit stop in Mohall. Nora loved catching up with her girl cousins, Laura and Lindsey.

And finally, before we headed back to Fargo, Gma Debi came to Gma Vickie's house for one last visit. The only thing better than being spoiled by one grandma is being spoiled by them both, at the same time.

We had a perfect trip to Minot! Thank you, everyone, for the treats, gifts, and visits.

8 months

2011-04-21T22:11:00.003-05:00

Nora is 8 months old! This is the outfit she wore to daycare last week on 70's day.

Kidproof? Pshaw.

2011-04-09T21:38:00.004-05:00

Gus knows that I have games on my phone. All of which he loves to play, but only if I unlock my phone, and set everything up for him. Or so I thought. I recently observed him trot over to my bag, grab my phone, press a few buttons, and within 3 seconds, he was playing Angry Bird s.

My only reaction was to laugh - and then make him do it all again so I could video it. So much for locking my phone. I'll just apologize to you all now, in advance, for when you get a prank phone call from my phone. It was Gus.

Note: I like how he tells me not to touch this again. Now where would he have heard this? Hm, it's embarrassing when your children starts feeding your own lines back to you.

Pretty good hiding spot

2011-04-09T21:35:00.002-05:00

Nora thinks she is totally hiding from us when she crawls under her exersaucer.

Busted!

This is what we do

2011-04-09T21:25:00.002-05:00

Everyday when we get home from school/daycare, we burn off some calories in our living-dining room. Yeah, we need furniture. We also need to do alot more work on our new home before we begin buying furniture. I hate to say it, but the longer we go without anything on the main level, the more we love our makeshift play area.

Now that Nora can almost crawl, she's the one escaping from pictures.

This is who we are. This is what we do.

The Big Top

2011-04-09T21:21:00.002-05:00

Gus and Ross went to the circus, where Gus enjoyed seeing cute animals, watching daring acrobats, and eating plenty of sugar. Thanks to Uncle Josh and Aunt Christy for the tickets.

OK, that's enough growing for now. Thanks.

2011-04-01T21:00:00.003-06:00

Whoa, Nora and her cousin, Will, are growing up in a major hurry. I mean, already sharing size Medium Lil' Swimmers? It seems to soon for all of this. But I'd better get used to it. Will's 1st birthday is only a month away!

Prepping for an afternoon swim at the Y.

Then, all ready for bed. Here's Will busting Nora standing on her tip toes in an effort to look taller than her cousin.

They are buddies, and it's so sweet.

Eventually Monday comes, and the Grandparents go home

2011-04-01T20:48:00.003-06:00

But when it's the weekend, and we have grandparents in town, Gus and Nora soak up every second of it! He'll be confused this Saturday when he wakes up, stumbles downstairs, and finds the guest bedroom empty. Good thing we are planning a trip to Minot in a few weeks.

7 months

2011-03-21T20:31:00.002-06:00

Ah, to be 7 months old again. Nora's loving it, and living it up. She's drooling, army-crawling, sitting up with near perfect balance, chewing on everything in sight, eating her fruits and veggies 3x a day, and laughing at her brother. The most stressful part of her day is when she must decide which pacifyer to use at bedtime.

She is a sweet girl!

In other news, I'm teaching Gus how to use my Canon. His first portrait of Nora turned out pretty good.

Let me see you move

2011-03-21T20:08:00.004-06:00

We've convinced Gus that he needs to get exercise everyday. Yes, it is a good life lesson, but I cannot tell a lie, we also want to wear him out during the day so he sleeps good at night. This week he stayed dedicated to his exercise plan. He even mixed it up with a few new activities.

For example, the rope swing at gymnastics.

Nora nailed her beam routine. Her dismount was killer and she stuck the landing.

Because gymnastics is over for the season, it was time to bring on the swimming! My office held their annual winter pool party for the kids last week. Gus loooooved it, and Nora did not. She was velcroed to Ross the entire time.

Gma Debi brought a new game to town which Gus enjoyed. Ribbons! It ended up being another good form of exercise, and it was something new.

Gus loved making car ramps with his uncle Josh.

Rock it, Grandpa.

Meanwhile, Nora enjoyed snuggling with her Great Grandma Ethel.

Dead Heat

2011-03-07T20:26:00.004-06:00

Nora and her cousin, Will, are 3 months apart but as of last week, are tied when it comes to height. No surprise, Nora is tall for her age. And while I'm comparing the tots, (not that this is a competition), Will has better balance.

I think I should save this photo, and show it to them when they are 3 1/2 years old and NOT sharing their toys. To remind them that they were once happy to share.

I like how Nora is able to shoot Will a threatening look, as if to say, "don't even think about it," while still assuming a dainty pinky pose.

Sunday evening dinner parties with their Aunt, Uncle, and Cousin are the best!

How cheesy, Gus. Gus loves his cousin, Will.

Our Sunday evening dinner parties could only be better if Steph, Mike, and Hava could be here, too. Cousin-togetherness is priceless. We can't wait to watch the kids grow up together.

Let's bowl

2011-03-06T21:32:00.002-06:00

He loved it! We will be bowling again.

Towards the end, we got our hands on a little ramp which made the ball go about 10 times faster down the lane. We should have grabbed a ramp way before we did!

Another wintery roadtrip to MN

2011-02-27T21:18:00.003-06:00

Blowing snow, freezing temps, and wind = another winter road trip. We hope it's the last winter travel of the year. It's got to be, next week is already March!

The winter conditions did not phase Gus, and he was able to catch a few Zzzz's in the car. This sticker was originally on his sweater, but ended up stuck to his face after he fell asleep and his head slouched down to his shoulder.

Gabs was all smiles, as usual!

We had a delicious, winter lunch at Meg and Bjorn's house in St. Paul (thank you Meg, Bjorn, and Brett!). The chili warmed us up. And Nora felt right at home.

Gus loved playing with the guys. I'm sure they were exhausted when we left. Meg and Bjorn had some awesome toys and projects on-hand. He loved it!

Thank you, everyone, for hosting us this weekend.

Baby Yogis

2011-02-18T21:14:00.003-06:00

These shots of Nora reminded us of a few old pics of Gus.

6 months old

2011-02-18T21:07:00.003-06:00

Nora passed her 6 month check up. Here's her stats:

17 lbs, 65th percentile
26 inches, 50th percentile

We've found that in the last month, she's become a very serious gal. The only person she laughs for is Gus. I was lucky to capture this smirk! She's a thinker.

And February is almost over

2011-02-18T20:53:00.003-06:00

Where has the time gone? Gus and Nora have been busy, and kind of sick, throughout February.

Highlights:

Cuddling with Gpa Dave

Getting the band back together! It was a old neighbor-reunion, and it was awesome.

Gabby came to visit, and the kids were all smiles.

Even Molly the dog came along.

They thought of this on their own, so please don't turn us into social services. See the smiles on their faces?

Nora got 2 new adorable rocking chairs from Gma and Gpa Vickie and Dave. The small chair is perfect for her baby. Although she is confused because she thought she was the baby?

Clever

Jumping!

Happy Birthday, Ross

2011-01-30T20:38:00.002-06:00

January 27th was Ross' birthday. To celebrate, we went for dinner with Josh, Christy, and Will, then headed back to our place for cake. Ice cream cookie dough cake to be exact. That is delicious cake.

Gus will blow out your b-day candles for you if you ever need help in that area.

Will's personality is really starting to show through. He is hilarious. He hams it up for pics when he sees a camera.

Also, when he wants something, he just crawls over to it and grabs it. For instance, Nora's hair.

The best part of this photo is Josh and Christys' hands, both shooting in to try and stop Will. Nora's wincing face is also pretty funny.

Gpa and Gma Steve & Debi were here for the weekend and as usual, the kids loved every second of it! So did we. Thank you for watching the kids while we enjoyed a night out.

Happy Birthday, Ross!

You take the good, you take the bad

2011-01-21T20:40:00.003-06:00

We've learned that a day in the life of our 3-year old includes many highs, and lows. One second Gus is smiling and laughing, and the next thing you know - he's on the verge of a breakdown. We just go with it. It all works out.

Here's an example of a good time, just after a nice, relaxing warm shower on a Saturday morning.

And a tough time - Gus' first trip to the doc for stitches. He slipped at daycare and smacked his chin on a table. Ouch!

For his first time getting stitched, this injury was just right because it only required 1 stitch + some skin glue. He did great! Ross said he didn't even cry. He will get his stitch out (yes, only 1), in a week.

Our Nora

2011-01-17T21:13:00.005-06:00

Nora is growing up fast, and zooming by baby milestones so quickly that I barely have time to photograph them!

I caught up with her this weekend as she performed her latest tricks - push-ups, and sitting up on her own. Of course I had to add these crazy (but adorable, come on...) headbands. Thank you, Gabby! I love it. I'm waiting for the day when I can do pig-tails or braids.

5 months old already. Time flies!

Christmas recap

2011-01-16T19:54:00.011-06:00

I'm a little behind on my posts. Here's our shots from Christmas 2010.

Gus set out a cookie and a cup of milk for Santa before he crawled into bed on Christmas Eve.

When he awoke on Christmas Day, he was impressed that the cookie and milk was gone, but his main focus was on the packages in the living room that weren't there when he went to sleep.

Home Depot Workshop! Yes!

Safety breakfast,
then starts the assembly.
And of course there was the traditional kids on Christmas, in front of the tree photo.

This is Nora's best pose.

More Nora Claus -

We had a few days to recover, relax, and disinfect after our first Christmas with Gma Vickie and Gpa Dave. Then, over New Year's weekend, we celebrated Christmas with my side of the family. Steph, and Hava were in from Boston (Mike held down the fort in Boston), Josh, Christy, and Will were back from their Christmas with Christy's family in South Dakota, and Mom and Dad drove down from Minot. It was wonderful!

Nora soaked up her time with Aunt Steph.

She loved her Christmas gift. Turns out, so did everyone else. I should have purchased infant sensory balls for everyone. They were a hit all weekend!

Hava and Gus played, and argued, like siblings. So cute.

Again, the sensory balls. The best gift of 2010.

Art project time!
Josh, the artist of the family, doing his own art project while the kids work. Show-off. But I like it.

Ahhh, a long day of playing means a bed-time snack is a must.

The play resumes, for day #2.

Gus and Gpa Steve
Nora, on her first Christmas, eyeing up the teething ring taped to her present.

More Spidey gear? Yes, please.

Will dug into his gifts like a seasoned pro, even though it was his first Christmas.

The girl photo. Also, do you like my lamp hat?

The kiddos with their loving grandparents.

"You ready for bed? Yeah, getting tired. Wanna sleep over? I have room in my crib. BYOP (pacifier). No problem."

On second thought, Will preferred to bunk up in the boys room with Gus.

We had 3 days of quality family time together. On Day 3, we decided to head out into the blizzard, to grab dinner as a family. Table for 7, with 1 booster chair, 2 high chairs, and 1 sling for a car seat. What were we thinking.

Will and Nora were the first ones ready to go.

Turns out everything went great.

Home again for some reading with Aunt Steph.

Reading was waaay better when done in Gus' secret fort.

After a long week traveling, and constantly on the go, Hava relaxed with a little yoga.

And Will relaxed by going absolutely bonkers in his Johnny Jump Up. I wish I had a video because it's hilarious.
Hava and Steph made one last stop at Josh, Christy, and Wills' before heading to the airport. We miss them already!

We loved every minute we had with our families this year. We missed seeing our extended family members in Minot, but we will catch up this winter or spring when we're all feeling healthy and not contagious.

Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

Blue

2011-01-04T21:31:00.003-06:00

Gus helped me wrap presents last week. He was in charge of decorating the name tags. At one point, he got bored with his job and turned around to watch TV. About 3 minutes later, he came back to decorate and when I saw his face, I gasped. He had no clue that he had forgotten to replace the lid on his marker while pretending it was lip balm.

After I gasped, I burst into laughter, which scared him. Here's the scene unfolding:

He only cried for about 1 minute, and the marker washed right off in the tub.

Very funny!

My kidney, the grinch. And other holiday-time germs.

2010-12-28T21:51:00.005-06:00

For the past 30+ years, Ross and I have made the trip back to Minot, ND to spend Christmas with our families. We've never missed a year. Until now. We finally met our match. Who knew a kidney stone could stop us (and by us, I mean me), dead in our tracks?

Add to that, the stomach flu attacking each member of the family one-by-one, and there you have our 2010 holiday schedule. And I even baked this year. It's the last time I try that.

We'd like to give the in-law/mom-and-dad/gpa-and-gma of the year award to Gpa Dave and Gma Vickie, for their caring and sharing this weekend. By caring, I mean them dropping everything and driving down to Fargo on Christmas Eve to be with us to celebrate a mini Christmas, and help with the kids. By sharing, I mean us so generously sharing our flu germs with them. That's right. Our guests even received the royal treatment.

Today and tomorrow, we will disinfect this place in preparation for another weekend of family in town.

Amidst all the craziness, it was a great day and Gus was happy as a clam. We had everything we needed.

By the way, Nora was the only one who didn't get sick. Which explains her looking good for a picture.

Merry Christmas everyone! We will certainly remember the Christmas of 2010. And now that I'm no longer in pain, I'm already looking back and laughing at it. Kind of.

2010-12-25T17:43:00.000-06:00

Nora is 4 months old

2010-12-21T21:53:00.003-06:00

Nora's stats from her 4 month doctor appointment:

14 lbs., 9 oz (70th percentile)
25 inches (77th percentile)

She enjoys watching Gus, rolling from her back to tum, taking baths, and not sleeping through the night.

Who needs sleep when you can see this smiling face 2 or 3 times a night?

Let the indoor activities begin

2010-12-21T21:23:00.004-06:00

I hear we've received a record amount of snowfall, to-date, for December in Fargo. We don't mind the snow, but when it's also frigid-cold, we need to find fun things to do inside.

Like vacuum,
or bring massive icicles into the house to see how long they'll last.

Have our cous and auntie over for some fun.

Watch your brother play outside. Or maybe she's day-dreaming.

Start the holiday weight gain early!

And attend sporting events. Thanks, Bjorn, for these great tickets!

Wrestle your uncle,
then slow things down a little and enjoy the music.

Will is learning, too.
We've had friends over to play. This is Jake, my co-worker's adorable little guy.

And of course, we went to see Santa. This must be farmer-Santa. He was nice.

Gus got a cookie from Mrs. Claus.

Gus and Jake loved the snow!

Winter is definitely upon us but we're looking forward to it this year in our new house.

Nora I

2010-12-04T11:21:00.002-06:00

Nora, the First, was my great-grandmother on my dad, Steven's side. Nora Larson Bakken.

Here's a photo of her, taken on May 19th, 1923, with her husband, Ted.

Thank you, Grandma Ethel for sharing these photos with us. I plan to put a copy up in Nora's room.

Baptized

2010-12-03T21:39:00.003-06:00

Nora was baptized at First Lutheran Church in Minot on November 27th.

Her Godparents are Uncle Joshua, and Aunt Christy.

She had crazy hair after the ceremony, but oh well! We didn't have time to find a comb.

Hm, so this picture is not a Christmas card kinda family photo, but it's the best we can do with a busy 3 year old.

Happy Baptism, Nora Grace!

Half the calories

2010-12-03T21:24:00.004-06:00

We made a last minute decision to head to Minot for Thanksgiving, but not until Thanksgiving morning which meant we missed the big meal. Isn't the food one of the best parts of this holiday? Yes, and we were bummed. But on the bright side, we probably consumed half the calories we usually would on this weekend.

Gus got another round of birthday presents while in Minot. Lucky!

Spidey hat from gma and gpa.

Airplanes (lots of them), from Nancy and Leo.

His friend, the snowman.

Nora kicked back and relaxed inside, and enjoyed the peaceful moments while Gus was outside.

Great Grandma Ethel with 2 of her great-grandkids, Nora, and Will. We missed you, Hava! Looking forward to seeing you at Christmas!

Despite missing the main event (food), this Thanksgiving was wonderful. We have so many reasons to be thankful, and we're grateful for everything we have - most importantly, our families and friends.

Stress Test

2010-11-22T21:48:00.005-06:00

We passed!

And the truth be told, the past 2 weeks weren't overly stressful, they were fun. OK, fun and exhausting. Within 10 days, we closed on a new house, moved, painted, cleaned, celebrated Gus' 3rd b-day, my 33rd b-day, Nora's 3-mo b-day (does that count?), did both kids' doc check ups, and I started back to work which means Nora had her first few days at daycare. I don't think we'll try to pack that much into a 10-day period again for quite awhile.

It was a whirlwind, but we cannot complain. We love our new home, and we are very grateful that we had our families in town to share in the excitement with us. They helped paint, clean, entertain kids, fix stuff, lift heavy objects, etc. You name it, they did it. THANK YOU!

So here's your invitation: swing by or stay if you make a pit stop in Fargo. Nora wants to smile at you, so come on over.

I love this stage, the smiley-baby stage. All you need to do is glance in her direction and she grins from ear to ear.

The big 0-3!

That deserves a medal

2010-11-08T17:15:00.003-06:00

Nora slept from 11pm last night 'til 6:20am this morning. It's never too soon to start rewarding good behavior, right?

Please don't let this be a fluke. Please.

Typical second child

2010-11-05T21:16:00.003-06:00

No, I'm not taking as many photos of Nora as I did of Gus. But I'm still taking them.

A Minnesota Halloween

2010-11-05T20:51:00.006-06:00

We spent Halloween in Minneapolis again this year. We couldn't miss our god-daughter, Gabby's 2nd b-day party! It was a Halloween-themed party, which was an absolute hit for the kids.

Gabby took a swing at her pinata.

So did Gus. But neither of them were strong enough to unleash the candy. Michelle finally resorted to attacking the thing with a scissors, and then ripping it to let the candy loose. Those things are tough to crack!

Happy 2nd birthday, Gabrielle Marie!

And so we've come to one of my favorite photos of 2010. In between the birthday party and trick or treating, Michelle turned on a movie in Gab's playroom. Gus said he 'didn't want to take a nap', so I told him, 'fine, you just need to rest'. About 20 minutes into the movie, I checked on my spidey:

After their naps, they were ready to hit the streets.

You ready? Yep. You ready? Yesss. Let's DO this!

Gabby was Minnie Mouse.

They did pretty good!

Thank you, Goins, for hosting us and for a fun b-day. Gus loved every second of our visit.

West Coast, Represent!

2010-11-05T20:45:00.003-06:00

Uncle Chad was in town last week, visiting us all the way from his warm home in sunny LA. Gus loved playing with him and did his best to wear him out.

He also enjoyed spending another weekend with his Gma and Gpa Vickie and Dave. And Nora just hung out, as usual, and didn't say much. She's a good girl!

Proper Halloween prep

2010-10-25T22:02:00.004-05:00

It was bound to happen. Whether it was this year, next year, or in 2012, Gus was going to be Spider-man for Halloween.

We went to a Zoo event to give him some trick-or-treating practice before the actual Halloween weekend.

The rules were pretty simple: take 1 piece of candy from each animal.

The best part of our quick trip was when Gus won the prize for the best Spider-man costume of the day.

Feel the power, Spidey! But don't flex too hard, ouch, watch the wedgie. Guess he will not be wearing this costume again next year.
The next day we went to yet another Halloween prep event. This time it was at NDSU. Aunt Christy and Cousin Will met us there.

Will is a horse. Adorable. Although he couldn't play the games, he could get his face painted.

After all this practice we should be good and ready for Halloween next weekend.

20 years ago

2010-10-25T21:50:00.003-05:00

Did we see this coming? That we'd meet up at the Fargo, ND Holiday Inn so our kids could swim? Maybe not, but I like it.

Lindy and I have been friends since way back in 4th grade. That makes it over 20 years, wow. It was great to catch up with not only Lindy and her 2 boys (Gabe and Andrew), but the whole Schaefer crew! Thank you for the invite, it was great!

Lindy with Nora

Kristi with Nora
Sydney (Kristi & Eric's daughter, 8), Gus, and Gabe (3 1/2).

The Holiday Inn is the best, as far as Gus is concerned!

Thanks again, Lindy, Kristi, Gary, and DiAnn!

Oh yes, now we remember

2010-10-20T21:41:00.002-05:00

Once again, we've located that group of muscles in your arms, between your shoulder blades, and in your lower back that seem to get use only when holding a baby for an extended period of time. It's been awhile! But it's worth every cramp and kink. I type that as a reminder to myself as I start the final month of my maternity leave. I'm soaking up every moment I can and holding Nora as much as possible.

When it's not me doing the holding, it's Ross. She prefers to be held and we allow her to call the shots. At least for now.

Super-Will!
The kids do not look amused in this shot and either does Ross. Why am I so happy? I must have forced them to take this photo. Makes sense now.

This is one of my favorite Nora faces.

While we relax inside, Ross and Gus were outside. In prep for our standard North Dakota winter, Ross got a new snowblower. The box made a totally awesome fort for Gus.

In a related weather story, it is too windy in North Dakota to leave a cardboard fort outside unless it is harnessed to the ground. So Gus played with his new fort in the garage today.

What's a fort without friends to share it with?!

Snuggle and read

2010-10-14T21:39:00.004-05:00

It's important to enjoy these things as much as you can while your kids are still young enough to do them without being forced.

I should explain the UPS outfit. It was Gus' Halloween costume last year and since he has a different costume lined up for Halloween this year, the UPS gear is now officially dress-up. He wore it to the furniture store tonight and it only took one of the employees 15 seconds to chuckle and ask about "the UPS man". Apparently he does not have kids. Let's see....argue with a 2 yr old to change clothing before leaving the house, or watch him climb happily into the car, no tears? The answer is obvious.

2 months

2010-10-14T21:29:00.004-05:00

She did it! 2 months old.

11 lbs 3 oz (71st percentile)
23 inches (also 71st percentile)

Happy
Serious
Happy

Booked solid

2010-10-14T21:16:00.004-05:00

Gus and Nora's weekend schedule was booked solid:

Sesame Street Live with Grandpa and Grandma

Height comparison time with Cousin Will

Decorating pumpkins

And a few other items that are not pictured: a haircut, playing outside in the beautiful, sunny 80 degree weather, and smiling practice (Nora only).

Thank you, Gma and Gpa for an action-packed weekend!

Mondays with Hava

2010-10-04T13:58:00.003-05:00

Gus looks forward to his Monday morning video conference call with his cousin, Hava, and his Aunt Stephanie.

Today's agenda:

Show and Tell
Recap of the weekend
Check on the weather in each city (sunny in Fargo, rainy in Boston)

It is the best part of our Mondays.

I can't stop

2010-10-01T13:21:00.003-05:00

Somebody stop me.

It would help if Gymboree didn't have their summer shades on sale for .99 cents. Also, it would help if I was working during the day and not gallivanting around at the mall. But that's what maternity leave is for, right?

Next week: glitter and barrettes.

Too soon?

2010-09-30T16:26:00.003-05:00

To accessorize?

I can smile too, mom

2010-09-28T22:00:00.002-05:00

That's what Gus said after I got super excited when Nora smiled really big for the camera. It took some work, but she finally gave in and flashed a grin.

And a smiley Gus, too.