Leif & Mikko

Rolling Right Along

2010-11-09T19:01:00.000-08:00

This is such an appropriate title, not only because life has been rolling right along since my last post, but also because Miss Maedi is quite good at rolling along to where she needs to be: like today during Mikko's naptime when she rolled out of my room, where I was putting away laundry, almost intentionally toward her brother's room "announcing" her arrival. Usually I am telling the boys to be quite since she is sleeping. Today, however, she began to get her revenge. Luckily, Mikko kept sleeping and she went down for her nap right before Leif got home from school. I so treasure my quiet time with my Leif'r. He didn't stick around long though. This nice weather meant lots of kids were outside. Being the social man he is, he was off!

Leif and his friend giving me their best scary faces! And, above,

Mikko. What you don't know is that he is chanting "Hockey!

Hockey! Hockey!"

Of course, we have had Halloween. Leif went as a

Storm Trooper (Star Wars), which meant that Mikko

also went as a Storm Trooper. As you can see, they

scored a lot of candy.

True Love!

Out for an October Stroll. I LOVE fall!

Three Sunny Ones

2010-11-09T18:41:00.000-08:00

Growing up I sometimes wondered if my parents ever "loved" my brother more than me. I know now as a mom of three that you love your children more than words can explain. That feeling upon their arrival in the world that you could never, ever, ever love anyone else any more. Then, when I have had another child I realized that while I could never love one child more than another I can love them as much and they have each endeared themselves to me in different ways. So, for the next three posts I am going to dedicate it to one child each. I think this will encourage me to (1) make sure my camera battery is charged; and (2) try to get some great pictures that represent the distinctive personalities of my babies.

I choose the newest Sunny One to do first, only because I am in LOVE with this picture. Might I also add that she is a very happy baby ~ so smiley and already inquisitive. She finds her brothers to be quite amusing and entertaining. And they, in turn, adore her and literally smother her with love. We are so thankful for our little girl!

Isn't she sweet?

Best Friends

Just chillin' at Split Rock Lighthouse.

This girl believes in beauty sleep...even on the go.

The Last Six Months...

2010-09-07T15:10:00.000-07:00

Where oh where have the last six months gone? I guess time really does fly when you are having fun - and when you have three kids! I cannot believe that today was Leif's first day of school. He was excited, and started his day with his favorite muffins (made by mom - pumpkin chocolate chip) and got off to school in the cold and the rain.

We enjoyed the last day of summer vacation visiting with my parents in Ely. The boys really enjoyed themselves there - four wheeler rides, releasing their tadpoles, and discovering bugs. A boy's dream!

Mikko, the entamologist, checking out the (gross) bugs that grandpa found when he cut down a tree.

Miss Maedi also spent some time outside - with her beautiful white hat. Isn't she cute? And she is so smiley!

Although she can't sit on her own, she is working on it. She loves to sit up and watch those brothers in action. Though she wants to crawl, but isn't, she can roll with the best of them.

Did I mention she is well loved by both brothers? My newest phrase is "give her some space." Oh well, I guess a whole lotta love never hurt anyone.

Our Little Lamb

2010-05-14T05:24:00.000-07:00

In my previous post I stated "In like a lion...." and we DID end the month of March with our little lamb - our sweet, sweet little girl Maedi Marie. My water unexpectedly broke at 8:30 p.m. and after a quick call to Grandma Carol to come and stay with the boys, Karl and I rushed off to Duluth. After the resident tried to determine if I was really in labor we were admitted. Labor progressed really quickly - too quickly for medication. Luckily, active labor lasted a total of 16 minutes and at 12:27 a.m. on March 26, little Miss Maedi arrived. She had lots of dark hair and lots of excited family and friends. Even though she arrived late at night, we were able to share the excitement with family (excited grandparents) and good friends who we were in touch with via text from the time we left home. We had been under neighborhood watch everytime we left home together, and made sure we let our friends know when the real event was underway.

Maedi's brothers LOVE her to pieces. We have been lucky that they adore her so much. Leif loves hearing that she looks like he looked when he was a baby. And, Mikko loves helping. He is still little enough that he will even help with the diaper changes!

Maedi arrived right before Easter. And, being the grand parents we are we allowed chocolate bunnies for breakfast! Leif LOVED that. He, unlike his mom, is not a breakfast lover. He most certainly takes after Karl. Chocolate bunnies sure hit the spot though! The boys also enjoyed an Easter Egg Hunt in Ely the day before Easter.

Easter was followed by Mikko's second Birthday. If you ask him, though, he will tell you that he is three (free). On his actual birthday he wanted to go to Duluth and play with the boats. I took that to mean he wanted to go to the aquarium. So, I ventured out with he and Maedi. We had fun at the aquarium and stopped at McDonald's for a quick lunch - his choice - before heading home to greet Leif as he got off of the bus. We had a nice little family party on Sunday. Mikko got some great presents and especially enjoyed cake and ice cream time. I'll post more pictures as soon as I get them off of my new camera.

Leif loved helping Mikko open his presents. Mikko got his own camera but still goes searching for mine.

In Like a Lion...

2010-03-01T14:19:00.000-08:00

Here's hoping that we get to blog about another Sundquist child in March, and not as of April 1st, which is my due date. I am feeling like a very pregnant mother of two active boys. Luckily, my guys are so cute and charming that I sometimes forget about this big old belly.

Leif has been busy between playing with his friends in the neighborhod, skiing at the Ridge (on Satruday he went down the big hills with dad ~ thank goodness mom was NOT there to see it!). He also played basketball this winter ~ Saturday Morning Fever. The Virginia Varsity Coach ran a great program! Leif LOVED it. He even got to get his certificate during half-time at a varsity game. Of course, I am sure he liked it as much as he did as he had a couple good friends in it with him.

Whatever big brother does, Mikko wants to do too. He took his time to practice during basketball practice and picked up the skill of dribbling. How many not-even-two-year olds can do that? Of course, he has us a little worried as lately he has been walking around the house saying "hockey player." We don't even have a hockey stick for him, so he has taken to batting balls around on the floor with a lightsaber. We will support him, but are not sure we are up for the title of "hockey parents" as we hear that it requires a lot of weekends! We'll see what our little Mikko decides.

Here is hoping that our next post includes details of the birth of our newest family member.....there is a chance that this sweet little Finn could come on St. Urho's Day! (hee hee).

Christmas Fun!

2009-12-21T10:51:00.000-08:00

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????

2009-12-15T20:42:00.000-08:00

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????

2009-12-15T20:32:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-14T11:15:00.000-08:00

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

2009-07-04T08:53:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-28T12:46:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-16T13:17:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-22T10:49:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-19T17:59:00.000-07:00

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

2009-02-23T17:50:00.000-08:00

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...

2009-02-07T18:06:00.001-08:00

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!

I think I can...I think I can...I think I can...

2008-12-11T11:07:00.000-08:00

I think I can FINALLY find some time to post some new news and pictures. Since the last post, which occurred after Halloween, we have experienced many new things. First, we moved into our new house, second Mikko got his two new teeth, and I guess that's all, but it's a lot. We are happy to be in our new home and neighborhood, which I love and it's great that Karl volunteers to "walk the dog" which I have now learned is code for "I am going to find someone's garage and have a beer."

We are also enjoying preparing for Christmas. I took the boys to the parade in Ely on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Leif met with Santa after, but Mikko crashed. Leif is looking forward to seeing Santa again, so Mikko can get his picture taken with him too. Leif doesn't want to miss an opportunity to remind Santa what he wants for Christmas. (HINT: Only everything!). And, not to forget to mention that we all enjoyed a nice, hot sauna after our evening in the cold. Mikko may even graduate soon from dish tub to sauna bucket.

My Little Masked Men

2008-11-06T17:52:00.000-08:00

Leif LOVED Halloween. He enjoyed carving pumkpins, kind of enjoyed scooping out the guts, and mostly enjoyed the candy, candy and more candy. Which begs the question: how much candy does a four year old need? The answer is 20lbs, give or take. (Note, I didn't actually weigh it, that's just what I am guessing on my mommy scale.) Leif trick or treated in a storm trooper costume complete with his storm trooper gun. I am sure the storm trooper has a name, but I cannot remember. Mikko got squeezed into a dinosaur costume. It said it fit 6-18 month olds, but my super-sized baby barely squeezed into it. And, the legs were too short and the arms were to long. Also, my scheduled baby knew that at 6:30 he should be getting ready for bed, and "sang" himself to sleep in his carseat - allowing Leif to hit a few more houses before calling it a night.

Mikko, Leif and I waited for Karl to get home for a quick dinner before going out. Leif and I also put on our Halloween tattoos. Please note the candy corn tattoos on his cheek and finger.

Leif finished the night trick or treating at his house, where my parents treated him to some Halloween goodies. We ended the night with a good laugh when he put on the ears and glasses that Grandpa and Grandma had brought.

Halloween with kids is SO much fun.

Baby Genius

2008-10-26T20:19:00.001-07:00

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

2008-10-26T19:38:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-13T19:39:00.001-07:00

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!

2008-10-13T19:19:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-10-13T19:07:00.000-07:00

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?

2008-10-05T14:39:00.000-07:00

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.

Fall Hike

2008-09-30T18:13:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Java Bean Who?

2008-09-30T17:56:00.001-07:00

As more and more of my friends become "bloggers" I am interested in how they came up with the titles for their blogs. Then, I started to wonder if anyone wondered why my blog is so entitled. My blog is named after our beloved black lab Java, who will be 6 years old this month. He was our first baby - actually our guinea pit (aka experiment). We thought if we could survive with our dog, and if he could survive us and things went well then we could graduate to becoming parents of a real baby. So, our dog's official name is Java Bean Bob - named in honor of my love for coffee. Java listens (sometimes) but displays that great labrador personality and has been awesome with Leif. So, here is a picture of a thirsty dog on our hike on the Laurentian Divide.

2008-09-20T19:00:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

What's up, Blog?

2008-09-15T17:53:00.000-07:00

Here I am after not blogging for almost two weeks...has it really been that long? Well, I am just sitting at the computer on a cool fall evening in northern Minnesota. I am enjoying a nice piece of homemade apple pie (that my mom sent for my husband...oops) and have just put the two kiddies to bed. As my Leif was falling asleep, I was washing dishes and listening to Peter Mulvey http://www.petermulvey.com/ (my current favorite artist). There is at least one song Leif likes, and after prolonging bedtime by yelling out a few "I love you"s he then yelled out again. So, I went down the hall expecting to get yet another "I love you" when he asked if I would turn up the music. Can I be too proud that my son actually enjoys some good music, and I do not have to play Wiggles, DoodleBops, etc. I suppose I can give some credit to Karl who has been heavily influencing Leif to like not only Bruce Springsteen, but Tom Petty and Mudcrutch as well.
Speaking of musical children, check out the video showing another off these talented kids (and by kids, I mean Karl and Leif), though I have no doubt Mikko will be musical too.

Why My Husband Plays Guitar

2008-08-28T19:29:00.000-07:00

...and doesn't dance.

These are the days

2008-08-28T19:09:00.000-07:00

These are the days made to enjoy. Those last few end of the summer days...even though we don't have school age kids, we know as soon as school starts the days will be shorter as fall passes by and winter approaches. So many exciting things going on, too. For one, Leif and I planted pumpkins this summer and of the whole packet of seeds, we got three plants. Of those three plants, we got a plethura of blooms and one pumpkin of promise. We're hoping he makes it to October so we can carve him up. If we get two I might even try to do a real homemade pumpkin pie. We'll see. Our other big event is the house, which we also hope will be ready in October. We walk down every night to see the progress. Tonight, we have forms and the concrete has been poured for the walls.

Another big event of the day - Leif rode his bike on our walk. He has been a bit reluctant to try to ride his bike, since on his other bike he could back pedal and this one has breaks. He only took one spill, and after repeating "I think I can, I think I can" (just like the train, as he pointed out) he got the hang of it and actually enjoyed his ride. I still think it's funny that I have ridden a bike since I was about his age, and I only would wear a helmet now so that he will. He, on the other hand, is requested to wear a helmet on his tricycle.

I am also posting a video that Karl took of Leif on our walk last night. His repsonses are kind of hard to hear, but Leif started by asking us why we fell in love, and then turned to him talking about not wanting to get married because "it's too hard" and he doesn't want to kiss anybody. We, or course, couldn't stop laughing and look forward to playing this at his wedding.

The Great Adventures of Leif and Mikko

2008-08-22T19:50:00.001-07:00

What would summer be without running through the sprinkler? Leif and I enjoyed an afternoon outside while Mikko napped. I had the sprinkler out to water our garden and lawn, which were pretty thirsty after days and days of sunshine and heat. Leif stripped down to his TMNT (teenage mutant ninja turtle - for any moms of princesses out there) undies and went running. He had fun playing and I had fun taking pics. I didn't get to play photo-mom for too long since he wanted me to play trucks with him.

My little friend Mikko has also been having fun finding his thumb. I did my best to try to interest him in a pacifier, and bought every kind I could find at Target, but he is making his own decisions now (at 4 months), so who am I to interfere. Although I think it's kind of cute now, I know I will be begging other moms for advice in a year or two.

New House

2008-08-22T19:42:00.000-07:00

So soon, so very very soon this hole before us will be our basement with a nice, shiney new house sitting on top. Back in May or June...who can remember with a new baby in the house, we decided that it would be a great time to build. I don't know if we really thought that we would go through with it, but one of us never stopped the other, so now we are right in the middle of a building adventure. Actually, we are doing a modular home, so we really can't complain. And, our contractor has become our new BFF as he has spent so much time (many, many, many) hours with us over the summer.

If all continues to go well, we should be in by the end of October. We are looking forward to the move since the new neighborhood has a ton of kids Leif and Mikko's ages, but also since we will have so much more room...and I will finally have my own bathroom.

Here are some pictures of our "hole." We have been our walking to check out the progress. Our new house will be about 6 blocks from the old one. Fun!

2008-08-14T18:56:00.000-07:00

Happy Fourth Birthday. At the end of July Leif celebrated his FOURTH birthday. While he is enjoying playing with the many presents he received, I am still trying to get over the fact that I have a four year old son!!! I suppose, though, I will say that every year. He is a typical boy, though. He loves being outside, fishing, chasing frogs, bugs and candy. I love that he is developing his own personality and I am really enjoying spending my time answering the many questions he comes up with. I am also learning that if I really listen to him, he can sure teach me quite a bit.

2008-07-14T12:38:00.000-07:00

A brief clip of Mikko. He is discovering his voice and repsonding to people. Having these "conversations" with him is a blast!

Boys of Summer

2008-07-09T12:38:00.001-07:00

Here we are already into July. Leif is looking forward to his FOURTH birthday at the end of the month. And, Mikko, the little brother, is always looking forward to his next meal! The boys keep us busy, but they are fun. Mikko is getting quite smiley and is talking more and more. Leif, the brilliant kid that he is, is always creating new stories and adventures for us.

Boys of Summer

2008-07-09T12:38:00.000-07:00

A Proud Big Brother

2008-05-27T10:04:00.000-07:00

A proud big brother. Leif is very happy to hold his little brother. He also loves helping out and is eager to entertain his little brother, though Mikko is not very interactive yet. I look forward to watching these two together as they both grow.