Summer 2011

Wow! Summer has flown by and our blog has been totally neglected! What that really means is that we've been blessed to share so much time with our families this summer. Instead of seeing videos of Miles online, his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and little boy cousins have gotten to see and play with him at home! We've had a lot of fun just watching Miles be a crazy boy playing outside at the park, playing frisbee, tee ball, watering flowers, splashing in the pool, and riding his new tricycle!

We've spent lots of great time with our families including a long 4th of July weekend with the Selbys in Bismarck. That weekend was a whirlwind celebrating Jason's parents' 40th wedding anniversary, our nephew's baptism, family photos, and a good old fashioned 4th of July parade! We spent time with Katie's family at a cabin in Hayward, WI including lots of time on Poppy's pontoon boat, grilling out, a trip to the zoo, and feeding the ducks! Jason and I spent 3 nights away kid-free in Door County and really enjoyed sleeping in, relaxing by the lake, and eating out with no toddler! And of course, no summer is complete without a day at the Minnesota State Fair! Photos of all of our summer adventures are in the Picasa link to the right.

At this point, Miles is speaking in sentences and gets frustrated when we don't understand him. He insists on doing everything himself (washing, dressing, opening doors, getting into his car seat, etc.) He's also starting to get a bit of humor so when something makes us laugh once, he'll say it over and over again! We love seeing the world though his eyes and are enjoying each little new learning for him. In the words of our day care provider, "I'm not sure which he loves more: puzzles or books!" He's still a very curious guy and has great patience and focus when learning new things.

We're looking forward to cool fall weather, our apple harvest, evenings in front of the fireplace, and I always love this time of year when students return to campus! Enjoy our photos and your fall!

Happy Retirement, Mrs. Boyce!

In June, Katie's mom retired after 33 years as an educator. We traveled home to Wisconsin to surprise Grammy on her last day of school and spend a fun weekend with her and Katie's family. We are very excited for her and selfishly excited to have more Grammy time with Miles! Congrats, mom!

Going to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo...

We spent our Saturday at the Minnesota Zoo and a great time was had by all. This was Miles' 2nd time there, but this year he understands everything so much better. This little video was one of the most excited moments when he could stand at the glass and watch the otters swim by. We also had a blast at the Family Farm where we at ice cream, petted the cows, and fed the goats. More photos on the Picasa link to the right. We will certainly be back there soon!

Birthday Partaaay!

Yep, we survived Miles' 2nd Birthday Party at Todd Park, just south of our house, and were happy to have lots of friends and family around to celebrate with us! Grammy, Poppy, Grandma Jan, Grandpa Jim, Uncle Nicholas, Auntie Sara, and baby Nolan all stayed at our house for the holiday weekend filled with presents and sweet eats! Miles received lots of awesome gifts, including a handmade rocking horse from Grandpa Jim. I also earned my mommy membership card with my first homemade kid's birthday cake and it turned out well! More photos of the whole birthday celebration at the Picasa link to the right. Happy Birthday, Miles!

2 Years Old!

Happy Birthday, Miles! Our little man turned 2 yesterday and he continues to entertain and amaze us! Last year at this time he was just starting to walk. This year he is jumping off of anything in sight, repeating words that we say, and trying to dress himself. Miles continues to be very focused when working on things: puzzles, blocks, Marbulous, etc. We have learned that he likes everything in its place: drawers closed with nothing hanging out, chairs pushed into the table, doors closed, and all things buckled (car seat, stroller, shopping cart.) Our magic words for him right now are "We need your help!" and he is ready to jump into washing veggies, setting the table, picking up sticks in the yard, or whatever 'work' we create. We plan to cash in on this trend when our yard is full of fallen apples in fall. Miles is affectionate, always hugging and kissing everyone good bye at day care every day. He is spirited and expressive in everything he does, excited or angry. One more thing, he's cute as the dickens!!

Every night when we go to bed we talk about how much we love Miles even when he's being naughty. We can't imagine life without him and are thankful for our healthy spunky little man. Happy Birthday, Miles!

Welcome, Austrians!

This weekend we had the pleasure of hosting Katie's Uncle Rolf, Aunt Ingrid, and their friends, Willie & Hermi from Linz, Austria. Rolf & Ingrid hosted us last June and we were eager to repay their kindness. We enjoyed sharing Miles and Minneapolis with them. On Saturday, the ladies treated us to a huge Austrian dinner complete with wienerschnitzel. On Sunday we had an all-American day with a trip to the Twins game and steak on the grill. This crowd is in the U.S. for one month and they're off to the Black Hills of South Dakota from here. We can't wait for Tanja & Andreas to visit us next!

Happy 1st Birthday, Nolan!

Last weekend we were so happy to be in Wisconsin Rapids to celebrate our nephew, Nolan's 1st birthday with Katie's family! He didn't let us down getting into the cake smashing and tossing. Good thing we were outside for it all. It was a beautiful day to let the kids play outside and kick back with family. We posted lots of photos in our Picasa album (link to the right) and are excited to do it all over again very soon to celebrate Miles' 2nd Birthday! Happy Birthday, Nolan!!

Dancing Brownie Face?

If this doesn't make you smile, I don't know what will. Miles was eating brownies at the counter with the Breeders on the radio and he burst into dancing! He keeps looking to his left (where the radio is) when the music changes. Happy 23 months to our favorite little man today!

Reading about Cougars

Our great friend, Kevin, brings Miles a book almost every times he sees him. In December, Kevin brought Miles a book about cougars with an inscription that reads "Dear Miles, Your father's love of cougars has led to some great things. I hope you enjoy this book!" So, Kevin, we wanted to let you know that a) you are hilarious and b) yes, Miles does read it!

Toddler Bowling?

Yep, that's right. Miles went bowling for the first time tonight with us and our friends, the Gears family. As you can see, he got in the groove pretty quickly, wanted to carry his own 6 lb. ball to the lane, and the most fun of all was the ball return! It was the perfect way for the kids to blow off some steam in this winter that never ends.

More recent photos on the links to the right. When will spring be here?!

The Little Gym

Last night we were invited by some friends to join their daughter's class as a guest at The Little Gym. Miles ran right into the room to explore and play with the other kids - no hesitation whatsoever. As you can see, we had fun helping him explore all of the gym elements. I suspect that we'll be back there soon. Dang, he's growing up quickly!

Shoveling!

We decided to make the most of this winter that will never end. Miles and I were outside for nearly an hour last night and he got his first experience shoveling. We've got to work on dumping the snow somewhere other than on Miles' chest!

Kissy Face

To celebrate Valentine's Day, Miles would like to send you a kiss! He's been very affectionate lately, especially with the kisses. When we leave day care every day he hugs and kisses everyone in the room: our day care provider, her husband, and any kids he can find. Some of the bigger kids steer clear of him! You'll know his kiss when he grabs your face and plants one on you. Enjoy!



P.S. I've been wrestling with our video editing program lately and have finally imported lots of clips from our camera. I'll have more videos to share soon!

Edinborough Indoor Park

Attention, all Twin Cities mommies! We found a cool new place to play since this endless winter is hampering Miles' need to get the wiggles out! Last night, Miles and I visited Edinborough Park in Edina for the first time. What a great facility. It's really an indoor park with lots of trees and plants. They have a huge 3-story play system with a jumpy castle, slides, etc. They also have a huge gym area with another jumpy castle in the corner, where kids were playing basketball, throwing frisbees, and scooting around on various wheelie chairs. Last night was not very busy, but I can imagine that winter weekends are nutty there.

It was also really cool to watch Miles' behavior in a new space with new people. He was very tentative and watched the other kids for a while. In the big gym, he was very concerned with stacking the cones and putting all the playground balls away in the crate instead of running around like crazy. He was also tentative of the jumpy castle the first time in, but then ran over there before we left after watching other kids jump around. Of course I was worried about him getting pounced on by the big kids. On the big play system, Miles stuck to the safe toddler area and played with the puzzles on the wall for a while, and then eventually climbed up in the play system once some bigger kids ran through. He's a very thoughtful little guy and we love watching him learn!

Christmas Recap

We had a very relaxing Christmas holiday with a week of vacation for all of us in Wisconsin with Katie's family. Katie was able to sing Christmas masses at the Basilica before we traveled east, a treat to be part of the candlelit midnight mass! Miles got right into the groove of tearing paper and bows at every house we visited. Some of his favorite hits were a work bench, laptop, Duplos, a vacuum, train set, and easel. He certainly has more than he needs! Lots more photos of Miles and our family visits are in our photos link to the right. Our week included a day trip to Oshkosh to visit Katie's grandmothers, aunts, & uncles. It's so fun to share Miles with everyone! We also took advantage of grandparents' time to get away for a night to celebrate our anniversary at Sundara Inn & Spa in Wisconsin Dells. We highly recommend it if you have the chance to get there! Now we look ahead to some down time in the new year before our work heats up again. Happy 2011 to you all!