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!

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

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

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.