18 Months

Miles recently turned 18 months old and we are constantly amazed by how fast he grows and changes! He is at the stage where his motor skills are very developed and the language skills are just starting. Miles is very physical: running, jumping, galloping, marching, and climbing. If you turn away from him while playing the basement, he will climb to the 2nd step and jump off onto the floor. Miles' fine motor skills are also impressive. We started with a velcro obsession, then zippers, and now laces. He is interested in everything mechanical and studies to learn how things work. Thankfully, he is able to focus on things for quite a long time. On the language side, Miles understands everything we say. His own words are coming slowly including doggie, daddy, yeah, no, all done, right there, and just starting to say mama. Jason and I find it humbling as we realize that he mimics everything we do - all of the good stuff (like putting his napkin on his lap at dinner) and all of the bad stuff (like shooing the dog away from the dinner table.) Things continue to get easier as Miles gets more independent. We say "time to go upstairs to bed" and he says "yeah" and heads up the stairs. Same with putting his boots & coat on, going to the dinner table, etc. Such fun adventures watching him learn about the world! More to come as Miles learns about the holidays!!

Baaa Boo Boo, Waddy!

Here's a little peek into our living room after work one day. Miles found this book particularly funny, especially when the baby speaks to the dog in the story. He's starting to repeat words after us, and in this one it's "Boo Boo!"

Trick or Treat!

This Halloween was Miles first experience carving pumpkins and trick-or-treating - so fun to watch him learn! Grammy was here on Halloween afternoon when we carved pumpkins and although she hates carving pumpkins, she helped Miles to scoop out the seeds and Jason did the rest. Miles wasn't so sure he liked getting his hands dirty! We all headed out trick-or-treating around dusk and visited our friends in the neighborhood. Miles got a ride in the wagon. He got the hang of holding his bucket tightly and walking up to each front door, but he wanted all of the candy, not just a few pieces. When we got home and kids came to our door, he screamed and stomped his feet because we were giving away our candy. He wasn't in charge of answering the door for long! I'm sure next year will be a whole new adventure!

North Shore Getaway!

Good Lord, October has been busy at our house! As you can see from the string of blog posts, we've had lots of visitors, a week without day care, Jason switching jobs, and Katie's busy season at work all in October. We needed a break. We took advantage of Grammy's extra free time for Wisconsin's teacher's conference weekend. She came to play with Miles and we headed to Two Harbors to chill out. We stayed in the Northern Rail Traincar Suites - a very cool experience sleeping inside of a railcar! We also had one of the best meals of our lives at Nokomis Restaurant on North Shore Drive between Two Harbors and Duluth. This was the 3rd time we'd tried to eat there and were finally successful. We highly recommend the rail cars, the restaurant, and a kid-free getaway!

Stupid Storm

One of the things we love about living in an old neighborhood is the cover of old beautiful trees. Well, we lost one of our silver maples last week during a nasty storm with high winds. Thanks to great neighbors who called to tell us (we weren't home) and who cleared the road. We are bummed about the tree, but considering where it was, we are very lucky it didn't hit any houses, cars, or people! I guess we'll try to replenish the neighborhood with new trees very very slowly. :(

Weekend with Cousin Nolan!

We really don't get to see enough of our nephews, so any chance to snuggle them is a blessing these days! Nicholas, Sara, and Nolan (almost 6 months!) came to visit us for the weekend. We spent our time chasing the boys and watching them play together. We're excited for these guys to grow up together. 180 miles isn't that far away! Lots more photos in the Picasa link to the right.

Girls Weekend in Winnipeg

That's right. My super fancy girlfriends don't go to Mexico or Las Vegas for girls' weekend. We go to Winnipeg! The stars aligned for us to visit with our friend, Alana, her hubby, and new adorable son, Callum, while they were visiting family in Winnipeg for the weekend. A 7-hour road trip without screaming kids was nothing for us experienced mommies considering that Alana and her fam drive 15 hours from Calgary with a new baby in the car. We jammed in all things Canadian: shopping at the Roots outlet, poutine within an hour of arriving, pierogis, The Forks, and Tim Horton's. Thanks, ladies!