Summer has Started

Summer is off to a great start this week. Isla has been at Vacation Bible School in the mornings and has just loved it. She has also started summer soccer, also known as Mighty Strikers in DL. That takes place on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30-6:30pm. It's fun to watch the kids run and play. Not a lot of skill building going on, but they sure do have fun. Keeping Greta off the field proves to also be entertaining some nights. It's great to see the improvement Isla has made since last summer. She is really excited about soccer this year and wants to play all the time. Such was not always the case last summer. She's on the same team as many of her friends so that does help. Hopefully I'll be better this summer about updating our blog with what we're up to. So far, summer is off to a great start!

Gymnastics

So Isla has decided she'd like to give gymnastics a try. And we are so fortunate to have a great gym in our town. MN Flyers Gymnastics has so many programs for kids. We went to the open gym time today and Isla had a blast. Of course, who wouldn't have fun with all the trampolines and the giant pit of foam blocks to jump into. Mason was wondering what the weight capacity is for the foam pit, I know he wanted to jump in himself. We brought Greta with us today, but that will not be happening for another year and a half. Kids need to be 3 to use the equipment, but in standard Greta fashion she wanted to do what ever her big sister was doing. It was a challenge keeping her busy away from all the fun equipment. Good thing there was 2 of us. So Isla will start gymnastics on Tuesday and go once a week until May. Two of her friends are in the same class so I think she'll have a lot of fun. Perhaps more pictures to come! p/s I'd like to add the pictures that are out of focus were taken by dad, not mom.

Thanks to the loveliness of Noah's Aunties and Grandma and Grandpa, Noah spent last Saturday jumping his little heart out. I don't even think he noticed the 21 inches of snow we were getting; he was having way too much fun. Thanks everyone! He LOVES it.

We went to go see Santa last night. Noah sure had fun!

Isla 4, Greta 1

We had some family pictures taken a few weeks ago and I am finally getting around to posting some of the pictures. We did outside pictures and inside pictures. Greta was certainly "done" at one point. We have a lot more, but I can't possibly download them all so here's just a taste of what we've got. Enjoy and happy holidays to all!

Happy Halloween (from us too)

Last night we took the kids to the MN Zoo for some fun trick or treating. Noah was a monkey this year while Zoe sported a flower costume for a bit. It was interesting to see the zoo at night. A lot of the animals that are normally asleep when we are there were wide awake and roaming around. The zoo folks really made it fun for the kids and gave out a lot of toys and stuff vs candy (which I thought was great). I think Noah had fun and Zoe tolerated it just fine (sans costume).

Happy Halloween!!!

Here's a few pictures of my 2 little bugs from Halloween this year. We had such fun taking them around and they really had a fun filled Halloween this year. They had a party at daycare last week, then on Saturday night friends of ours hosted a party, which was so nice because it was inside and for kids and parents. Then today on Halloween we went to the high school for their annual kids party complete with games, popcorn, and Scooby Doo on the big screen. And of course the day wouldn't be complete without trick-or-treating tonight. Isla really understood the concept of trick-or-treating this year and wanted to keep going, and Greta was such a trooper being hauled all over the place. Hope everyone else had a great Halloween too!

Pumpkin Patch

We took the girls to the pumpkin patch today and they had a great time. The hid in some corn stocks, fed the chickens, and even got a hay ride. This orchard/pumpkin patch is only a few miles from our house and we've been going there since Isla was 10 months. It's been fun to look at the pictures each year and see how she has changed. Now this year Greta got in on the fun.

New Game

Isla and Greta have found one way to play together that benefits the both of them. Greta loves to push and Isla loves to ride. I wish I could upload them laughing while they do this, it's a hoot!

Happy Fall!

This must be one of the best fall seasons we've had in a long time. The weather has been great for the girls to play outside. Greta is really enjoying the leaves this year as she spends more time examining them then actually playing. Isla is all about playing outside and still thinks it's summer. I am constantly telling her she needs to put her shoes on when she's playing outside. In any event, they sure are having fun together. Here's a few pictures of the girls in the leaves.

Better Late than Never?

Last weekend we had fun visiting Sara, Mason, Isla and Greta. It sure was fun! :) I'm guessing Noah's favorite part was the trip to the fire station to see the "big trucks." Here are some cute pictures from our time there. (That's Mason's hat the kids are wearing) The boys also took Noah and Isla to a wildlife sanctuary and we did the Beardsley 5K. Noah's always up for a stroller ride! :)

Ahh Summer.....I'll miss you

Well, the day is finally here, my last day of summer vacation. I knew this day would come, but still was not looking forward to it. I had such a great summer with the girls. We were able to go at our own pace, relax and really enjoy the time we had. I know that many don't have summer's off to spend with their children so I am also grateful for the time I've had, but still sad that it is coming to an end. Tomorrow I will go back to work and start another school year. I know it will be exciting and fun to see everyone again, but as I sit at home today after just putting the girls down for their nap, I cannot stop from wishing for more time. In any event, here's some more pictures of the last few weeks. We went to the Children's Museum in Fargo last weekend had just a great time. If you're ever in the area, I highly recommend it. We spent a solid 2.5 hours there and the girls were happily entertained the entire time. Isla also got a bike helmet this weekend (a nice garage sale find by me) and cannot stop wearing it. She is SO excited to get a bike with "2 wheels". I hope everyone soaks up their last few weeks of summer. I am looking forward to fall too, it is my favorite season!

New Chair for Noah!

Noah finally got a little chair of his own and seems to really like it. He's a big fan of sitting in it and reading, especially with Elmo. :)

It Won't Be Long Now

Oh is Greta on the move! She crawls everywhere and just this week has started standing really well next to anything she can hold on to. Which also means she is into everything she can get her hands on. One of her favorite spots is right next to our big picture window so she can look out and yell "doggie!" at Molly. If she happens to be by the window when Mason comes home from work, it's even better, she's all smiles and yelling and if she could, I'm sure she would take off running. She now can say daddy, mama, doggie, and Eye-ya (which I'm assuming means Isla). She can point to her tummy and nose and we're working in her toes and ears. I can't believe she is almost 1 already. This year went by so fast....hard to believe for those of you who got to listen to me complain at times. But it did go by faster than Isla's first year and I'm sure it's because I'm so much busier with 2 kiddos. I am so looking forward to Greta's 1st birthday, but that also means summer is over for me. I will be back at work in less than 2 weeks and then my fun, relaxing, less rushed summer days are gone until next year. Here's a few pics of Greta really enjoying her day, enjoy!

Super Fun Saturday

Wow, what a packed Saturday we had. I started at 7am this morning with a nice 10 miler around the lake. Nothing like running 10 miles in about 70% humidity. Not the best weather conditions, but it still felt good to get in a long run. Then Isla and and I headed to the Farmer's Market for some yummy bread and I also picked up some tomoato cucumber dip...excellent, I might add. After a quick lunch we couldn't take the heat anymore. Mason suggested we load up the kiddies and head to the lake. We traveled to Island Lake, about 25 miles from DL, and enjoyed the afternoon there. The water is very clean and they have a great shore line you beach your boat on and get out and swim. The girls had a great time!! Isla even wore her goggles in the car on the way there to make sure she was ready. While the girls napped and I got things put away, Mason mowed our very long grass. (Seriously, what is with the weather this year, so much rain, we are mowing all the time!) After dinner it was time to hit the Becker County Fair. Even though it was VERY hot, we still had a fun time. Isla really liked seeing all the animals again this year and Greta seemed entertained as well. She sat in her stroller for an hour and a half while we took in all the fair sights. After the animals, Isla and Mason enjoyed a strawberry malt, and we then headed to the rides. I'm sure this was the highlight for Isla. Last year she was a bit scared, but not this year!! Oh no, she was ready and had such fun. We even met up with Mason's cousin, Jeremy and his family (his daughter Paige is also 3 years old). They went on a few rides together and were so funny! It was so much fun to see them laughing and giggling together. Well that concludes our super-fun-summer-Saturday and I am wiped out. Time for this momma to get to bed.

More Pics from Grandma & Grandpa visit

Here's a few more from the same weekend.

Fun with Grandpa & Grandma

My parents came to town for the last weekend of the Water Carnival and the girls had a great time with them. It's taken me a while to get around to putting some pictures on the blog, but here they are. Isla likes to "fight" (as she calls it) with Grandpa, which is actually just Grandpa tickeling her. She loves it and always asks for more. On Sunday we went to the fire hall and saw all the shiny fire trucks that were in the parade. Again, Isla just "loves" getting her picture taken, but the rest of us were happy. It was a great weekend and on Sunday after it was all over it was nap time for everyone.