Baby Genius

Mikko, like his brother, is already talking. Now, if I only knew what he was telling me. I am posting a new video of Mikko and one of Leif at about 5 months. They make me laugh.

My Little Pumpkins

I think the two biggest holidays, at least for a 4 year old, must be Christmas and Halloween. There has been so much excitement around our house ever since last Thursday and the arrival of a certain storm trooper costume. Leif thinks this costume is especially great since it comes with a gun. So as not to spoil any spooky surprises, I won't post any pictures of the masked one until after Halloween. I will post one picture of Leif and his pumpkin masterpiece that he carved with Grandpa on Saturday. Carving occurred after my Aunt and Uncle dropped off a 4 pound bag of candy for Leif. You might think I am exaggerating, but I really don't think I am. My darling son has also discovered that at Grandma and Grandpa's house (we were at my parent's on Saturday) Mom's powers are suspended and if he wants to have suckers and sugary creepy crawlers and all the chocolate milk one boy can have - then who is mom to say no. (Of note, guess where Leif stayed on Saturday night??? HINT: not at home :)

And Mikko, my little Finlander, had his first sauna. I am not sure what all the "experts" say about bringing a 6 month old into a sauna, but because a sauna is good for the soul and good for little colds I thought he and his congested little chest could benefit. He loved splashing around in his little dishpan sauna tub, and I loved watching him. Since I was the only one there, however, I could not take any pictures of my little sauna buddy. I did attempt to take one after sauna, but he is quite roly poly these days and did not want to stay still for me. I did my best, though, and have posted those as well.

My final picture is of a nearly completed house. We have had great guys working very hard to get our house completed. We are surprised everyday with new things. Soon we will be into the new house and busy unpacking boxes. We are looking forward to it.

More Pics

Here is the best family photo of the weekend. Mikko would not look anywhere but at Leif. And, the nature picture is Caribou Falls.

Wow!

One night and two posts....I cannot believe myself! We have had a lot of good things happening lately. Not only is our house coming together, but we were able to take a weekend trip "up the Shore" to enjoy some family time and leaf look. Leif is quite a little hiker. He loves being the leader and did a great job leading us on the trails. He can also cover quite a distance. We did one hike that was nearly two miles and he hiked happily along. He also enjoyed taking breaks to throw rocks into the water. Until, however, we read a sign on a downed tree stating: NO THROWING ROCKS INTO THE GORGE. Being the generally rule abiding son of prosecutors...he thought maybe the police would throw him in jail for breaking the rules. When we assured him that would never happen, he thought it was because he was cute and because daddy knew the police. I do not know if that bodes well for his teenage years. Anyway, I have to agree that he and Mikko are pretty cute. Enjoy the pictures!

One...Two...Three...House...

I think it looks easier than it probably was (I wasn't there), but it was pretty neat to have a vacant lot one day and then a completely assembled house the next. Our house arrived last Tuesday on 4 semi-trucks. They sat on Tuesday, due to rain, and were assembled on Wednesday. The whole process only took a few hours. Pretty Amazing! Now that all of the giant blocks are stacked, work has begun on the garage, then the front porch, as well as all of the details within. I keep wondering how they will get everything done within the time frame. I always think this as I look around our house and wonder how I will get this mess put together and moved on out. I cannot believe how much "stuff" we have brought into this house, when we have only lived here for four years. I do think that most of our stuff consists of toys, which cannot under any circumstances be parted with. I keep bribing Leif to sell some things in a garage sale, but he is not easily persuaded.

Do I look like a preschooler?

This is the question that Leif asked on his way out the door to his first day of preschool. He is showing off his lunch box. He was SO excited to be going to school on his own. And, he commented that after this school he will be in kindergarden. I said yes, but asked him what I would do all day without him. He responded, "I guess you can do whatever you want." I guess that's true. And, while I'll be home with Mikko, I will miss my special time with my special little guy. I am having fun, though, watching him get so excited about going out into the world without me.