Christmas Fun!

On Sunday we took the boys to Bentleyville.  We enjoyed some shopping at the mall first, where Leif and Mikko got to see Santa.  After a long discussion about the pronounciation of Leif's name (and Leif Erickson park) Santa assured the boys he would be dropping of their gifts on Christmas and then he gave them candy canes.  That made a big impression on Mikko, who was still talking about those tammy tames at bedtime.  Leif was thrilled to get his picture taken with Frosty and Santa's Reindeer.

Daddy and the boys.  It is so difficult to get everyone to look at Mommy, but in fairness to them, there was a lot to see there!  WOW!

Leif and Mikko ready to explore the rest of Bentleyville!

And we truly live in a small world.  We ran into our neighbors and we moms had the boys pose for a picture.  Aren't they all cute????

Mikko and I hit Duluth for our H1N1 shots in November. Luckily we hit a beautiful day and got to enjoy some time in Canal Park, along with an apricot wheat free lunch at the Brewhouse. Actually, we did bring home a growler or two for daddy and to share with the neighbors.

 

Leif has really enjoyed building with his blocks.  Mostly he builds StarWars characters and then he knocks them down.  He finds it most frustrating, though, when little brother imitates him and knocks down perfectly good statues. 

Leif and Mikko finally got to enjoy some outside time at grandpa and grandma's in Ely.  They went sliding and exploring and four-wheeler riding.  Leif even got to play StarWars as he pretended his icicle was a light saber.  Have I mentioned his love of StarWars????

Leif and Mikko with Santa.  I took the picture with my phone and of course my Christmas wish would be that they both look my way.  Oh well, at least Mikko is not afraid of Santa.  He will tell you that Santa says "Ho! Ho! Ho!"  He also likes the 'noman (aka Snowman).  Leif is happy to see happy, but also happy to be staying later at Giftstock with daddy.

'Tis the Season

We have been quite busy with the daily adventures of two growing and busy boys.  But, I promise to soon post pictures of our adorable little guys.

They are both quite excited about Christmas.  Leif ~ for obvious reasons ~ Santa's much anticipated visit, presents wrapped and under the tree and the chocolate advent calendar.  (I have also been trying to impart upon him the main reason for the season, and I am quite proud that he told his grandma that we also celebrate God at Christmas - I guess he does listen to me.).  We are also trying to remind him that there are other children who may not get as much if anything this holiday season.  We discussed this as we prepared to head to Giftstock.  I explained why we were bringing a new toy ~ but he reasoned that even if moms and dads couldn't get much for their children surely their grandmas and grandpas would come through.  Is this spoken like the first grandchild all the way around?

Mikko, too, is excited and was happy to see the tree up and presents underneath.  He is, of course, excited for whatever reason his brother is excited.  We have a bad case of monkey see ~ monkey do in our house.  For the most part it is pretty entertaining, but a little overwhelming if Mikko is copying a case of the naughties.  I am not sure what we will do when Santa isn't watching anymore!

Mikko also loves the chocolate advent calendar and is always ready for "Tandy" first thing in the morning.  After dinner, of course, it is "I Peem" or ice cream as the rest of us call it.  Though he is small, he knows what he wants and we are enjoying hearing him demand - or ask - for what he needs.

Pictures to follow soon!  Along with the story of when and why the tooth fairy came to visit (let's just say she didn't come to see Leif!).

HAPPY FOURTH

Today we get ready to continue our celebration of our Nation's independence. We look forward to being able to enjoy our family and friends, while acknowledging that without the sacrifice which some have made, we would not be able to sit back, relax and enjoy on this special holiday. May everyone enjoy today! Happy Fourth of July!

We started celebrating last night at the parade in Gilbert. Leif LOVED the candy and had fun rushing for it with his friends. Mikko didn't love the parade as much since he is too little to run on his own, but he did manage one sucker out of the deal, so he fared well too.

Hangin' With My Boys

So much has been goin on since my last blog post. Whenever people ask me "What's new?" it is easy to reply "Nothing, how about with you?" But, as I browsed through pictures I realized that we have been quite busy living life as parents of two busy boys. As you can see, Leif has been busy enjoying fishing. On our way out to Tamarack one day, he declared he was going to catch a walleye. With the help of grandpa and grandma, he did just that. He can hardly wait to head back for a fish fry. Leif also started T-ball. He plays for Mountain Iron Team #2 with some other friends from the neighborhood. He is on a team with one friend, and his other two friends in the neighborhood play for Mountain Iron Team #1. They shook hands after their first game and happily posed for pictures after the game. Of course, the moms bribed them - smiles now, dairy queen later.

Mikko could, quite possibly, be Leif's number one fan. He can clap, and seems to know when to clap and yell for his brother. He is now walking, or toddling, around. Here he took a break from cheering to stop and smell the flowers. I was just happy he wasn't eating them!

We have also been busy enjoying summertime festivities in the area. We partook in the Land of the Loon activities - parade watching, candy gathering and walking through the park. We stopped and enjoyed a silly bar as we got ready to leave. Mikko was the only one who didn't get his own. He got to share with mom and dad. Though, he certainly wanted Leif to share his. Then again, can you tell how much Leif enjoyed his ice cream treat???
The next few pictures are of me and my boys. The first one was taken when Leif was sitting on my lap. Mikko gets so jealous that he will push Leif away, grab at him and yell trying to get him to move it. Leif just laughs at Mikko and says "Jealous?" Then he laughs and Mikko gets more upset. I hope this isn't a sign of things to come...

In the Spring

In the spring we get to do those things that others in warmer climates take for granted. Going to the park is an exciting sign that spring is here. Yesterday, I walked with the boys to the park. Leif was quite excited to go back, and also excited for Mikko's first time at the park.

Since there was not much equipment for Mikko to "play" on, Leif spent a lot of time running back to check on us. Let's just say, daddy had an easy bedtime routine with Leif. I was with friends, and when I came home learned Leif had put himself to bed. I took that to mean that, as Leif sometimes does when he is really tired, he told Karl it was time for him to go to bed. (Note: I am totally prepared for our second child to not be this easy to get to bed).

While Leif was also busy trying to avoid having his picture taken, I did manage on a couple of occaissions to snap a photo.

So, did I say earlier that there wasn't much to play with for Mikko. Let me correct myself - there was a lot of dirt for Mikko to play with. He was quite taken with the sand, dead leaves and sticks. Every time I put him down to do something with Leif, he toppled over and sprawled out in the sand. He also managed to bite off part of a stick, but I had other more nutritous snacks so he wasn't that upset when I made him spit it out.

And finally, I really wanted a picture of the boys at the park. Have you ever tried to get two boys to smile and look at you at the same time? Nearly impossible. But, I do like this photo as it captures a typical occurrance in our house....Mikko watching Leif do anything. I am sure Leif will love and hate this as he gets older, but what else are big brothers for.

We tried the swings first. The little guy swings are super far away from the big guy swings, but Leif was a good sport.

March Madness

Isn't it March that comes in like a Lion and goes out like a Lamb? That could also describe Leif and skiing. He got super excited for skiing on Saturday, but once he hit on the hill he became a bit more reserved. At least until he realized he knew how to do it, and he saw his neighborhood friend racing down the slopes. Being the competitor he is, he wasn't about to be left in the dust. So, he enjoyed a couple hours of skiing on Saturday, which was followed but hot chocolate and watching the slush cup. Maybe it's something about first borns being the parent pleasers, because when I asked Leif if he would ever do that he said "no." I think Mikko will be the one racing down the slopes and skimming across the water - or falling in - that's really what the crowds love anyway.

While Mikko loves people watching, being outdoors and even the snacks, I am sure he is disappointed he cannot ski too. He does, however, like to play ball. I beleive he even says the word ball (bah) but, that is up for debate. When we returned from skiing, Mikko and Daddy played ball. We are all having such fun laughing and watching Mikko grow and discover new things.

So, even though March can be a "blah" month, we are finding that we have many enjoyable, fun moments with these boys. We are certainly looking forward to more fun times with them!

Aloha

We're back from our Hawaiian vacation. We enjoyed two weeks in the sun (except for some rain). Leif discovered his love of the ocean and sand. He LOVED building sandcastles - Here is an example of his and his father's creation.

He also loved playing in the ocean - here he is at the beach nearest to our condo - it's called Shipwreck Beach.

Leif also discovered he loved the feel of the wind in his hair. We left his hair a little on the long side, and it did great things in Hawaii. With the wind, salt water and sand his hair stuck straight up for the entire vacation. In fact, it's still standing on end. Time for a hair cut with Uncle Mike!

Leif also tried shave ice - loved it. Ate ice cream every day - loved it. Snorkled = loved it. And, went skim boarding with daddy - loved it.

Please note the snorkle goggles. He started off with goggles and nose plugs, but the ocean stole the nose plugs. He wore those and goggles with new nose plugs pretty much non stop. Even though after awhile, they squished his ears and eyes, he still wore them. He still has marks on his cheeks from them. Needless to say, he spent many hours in the water.

Here is a picture of Mikko's first dip in the ocean. Amazingly, this little man has no fear of anything and kept wanting to get into the waves. Had he been able to walk on his own, he certainly would have left us in the dust, or surf. He also attempted to crawl to the see.

Thank goodness no big waves came and swept my baby sea turtle away. I think part of Mikko's strong desire to be in the ocean was his wish to be going wherever big brother was going.

What you see here is what this baby turtle looked like covered in sand. It bothered us more than it bothered him. And, while this roly poly baby had sand in all kinds of places, the worst of it for him was the cold beach side shower that he endured after.

Mikko's favorite indoor hang out was right in front of the patio door. He would sit there and enjoy the feel of the wind in his face. He would also wait for any chance for the door to open so he could make a break for the green grass. He loved to sit in the grass and just feel green grass or play with rocks or sticks or palms. Every so often he would hold his little hand up like he was trying to catch the breeze. I loved his little smile and laugh when the wind would blow really hard.

O.K., we are either really cool, or really dorky or a bit of both. But it was so windy, that the only way to keep me from having Leif Hair, was to buy a hat. Karl got one too.

They were fun to wear in Hawaii and I am hoping to bring the trend to Virginia. One good thing going for me - living in a small town on the Range is that there is probably always going to be someone out and about who is dressed just a little crazier than I am. We wanted to get one for Leif, but we didn't find one his size. In typical kid style, he did not want to look like his parents and said he wouldn't wear one if we bought one for him anyway. Oh kids!

February Fun

Valentine's Day came and went, but it's never too late to blog about it, right? For Valentine's Day, we went to Ely to celebrate my little brother's birthday. The night before, however, I enjoyed a nice relaxing night with two of my three boys. All four of us enjoyed a nice, homecooked pasta dinner. Mikko went to sleep while big brother got to stay up and enjoy chocolate fondue with mom and dad. We really enjoyed dipping the fruit and marshmallows in the chocolate. Leif couldn't, however, figure out why his tummy hurt as he was drifting off to sleep. I am sure it wasn't all the marshmallows that he ate. (Hey, in the spirit of Valentine's Day, I refrained from my usual - Hey, haven't you had enough sugar???).
The weekend before Valentine's Day, Leif and Mikko and I met my parents in Palo for Laskiainen. I forgot the sled (oops) but Leif still enjoyed some goodies inside after testing out the whip sled. I can tell he will be my roller coaster partner as he gets older. He got out of the whip sled quite dizzied, but he liked it.

What the...

Devil have I been up to? I have not been blogging. I have been slightly addicted to Facebook, but that only accounts for the last week, not the last 6 weeks. I guess we have just been busy living life, enjoying our boys, spending time with friends and still unpacking boxes. We enjoyed a great Christmas, except for Mikko's ear infection. Leif got Spike the Dinosaur and was just thrilled.


The boys have been busy. Leif loves to play outside, but also has developed a love of computer games. He is limited, however, but mostly so that I can be on Facebook (only kidding). When we had our cold snap he also stayed inside and helped me bake. I am thankful that he enjoys baking with me, but I think he REALLY enjoys eating cookie dough and licking the bowl. Can't blame he there.

















Mikko enjoys being around us and crawling towards anything that is not a toy. Today he broke his first bowl of mine, which I had on a tablecloth on the table. I take the blame and am lucky it didn't bonk him on the head. I chalked it up as a lesson learned for me. He is growing so fast and almost not a baby. He is learning new things everyday. His latest trick is to shake his head "no" in an exaggerated fashion, so I laigh everytime he "tells" me no. He also claps and eats crackers...where does the time go?















Did I mention that his personality is starting to develop? So much fun!