Sunday, December 5, 2010












Showing off their new DINO snowshoes...thanks Mays!
Novak in Grandpa Jim's hat
Thanksgiving picture(2 for three ain't bad!)
Gma sent Thanksgiving flowers and inside was a real caterpillar. Novak was mesmerized!
Kids these days: Liam playing Angry birds on my phone and Novak watching Clifford...pathetic!!
House decorated and puppy chow made-mmm!
It's December??
Wow, have things around here been a whirlwind.
~ Connor and Liam have improved tremendously in their skating class. They skate about 3 times a week and can both can skate all alone now!
~ Novak is like a little parrot...repeating everything we say. Just last night I was reading him a book and he pointed to something on every page and said the word-amazing!
~ I assisted with my fourth, and final(for training)!, birth this past week which means I am well on my way to becoming fully certified as a birth doula-Yay!!
~ Uncle Kurt came North last weekend for the annual MN/IA football game. The game was phenomenal...and the Gophers won! He spent 4 days here playing with the boys and watching lots of football. Thanks Kurt(and mostly Cristen!!).
~ Last night with helped celebrate a dear friend's 30th bday. We cruised around in a party bus, bar hopping and dancing the night away. Dan and I also got a dinner date beforehand...so lovely!!
~ Christmas shopping, decorating, holiday festivities....it's all been so fun this year with the boys being so interested in all of it. How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a nighlty read and the famous singing Santa is on all day. I love this time of year-CHEERS!!






Monday, November 22, 2010

Gobble, gobble...Ho, Ho, Ho!




Connor and Liam hosted Brady and Isaac for a costume party
Dan was out of town all last week so the boys and I rented lots of movies, ate supper in the basement and slept in!! Novak woke up Monday night with Croup, which lasted three days!, and then finally I took him in Friday morning and he had ear infections(ugh, poor guy!). The other 2 still went to school, Aquarium class and played with friends to keep busy all week. Me, I just needed a mocha here and there and I was just fine :)
Connor got asked to walk in the Christmas City of the North Parade with some friends on Friday night(Dan was supposed to fly in at 6pm but due to some delays he got home late that night). With Connor all dressed up as a penguin, I rushed all three kids downtown to drop him off then took the other 2 to park, dress in warm clothes(it was about 20 degrees with a bitter cold wind chill) and walk the 5 blocks to our spot. Luckily we bounced in and out of a dear friends printing shop to warm up and watch a bit from inside(that saved me!). Connor's group came by almost last but he was ecstatic to see us all cheering for him and calling his name. He walked almost a mile waving, handing out candy and smiling ear to ear. It was cold and a lot of work by myself but I'm so glad Connor did it-so memorable!!
We spent the weekend decorating for Christmas(I know its a bit early but if not now, then when?!) and hanging out with friends. I brought the Nativity up and the boys have been totally enthrawled with it. We discussed who each piece was and why they are there while taking it out of the box. Since then the boys have spent countless hours playing "house" with it. We even had some little friends up on Sunday and all 5 kids gathered around to take part in the action. They have added new people, animals and dinosaurs to the scene but the principle is still there; "this is where baby Jesus was born(Connor telling Liam one morning). "
And as for the decorations, you can call me Martha...Stewart that is! We have been busy painting, cutting, hanging, stringing and pinning new creations all over our home. It's absolutely stunning in here.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Turkey Time

This is what litte boys wear when their mom forgets their swim trunks...oh well! We still had a fabulous time in the cities with my parents last weekend.
Wearing a larger than life Ducks uniform...he's obsessed!
Who says pumpkins are worthless after Halloween...?

Things around here are all turkeys as we prepare the boys for Thanksgiving. Connor continues to bring home feathered turkeys and what not from school, Liam can identify all the letters in T-H-A-N-K-S-G-I-V-I-N-G and Novak walks around pointing at and saying "turkey". Now we continue teaching the thankful part of this holiday...
Happy Turkey season!!



Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Halloween...














Halloween was fantastic. The boys have been wearing their costumes for about 3 weeks so they were very ready to hit the door to door come Halloween. Both boys had Halloween parties at school on Friday. Dan went trick or treating with Connor off-site while Novak and I stayed to carve pumpkins, color scarecrows and eat snacks with Liam's class.


Connor has improved some in his weekly skating class. This week he brought a small hockey stick out on the ice and it was as if a light went off...he was chasing down the ball, shooting and really enjoying himself while skating. Dan takes both of them skating on Wendesday nights and Liam is catching on quick having skated most of the time this week alone!

Novak is big into hockey and football right now. Give him a stick or a football and he's happy :)

We put a bench at the dining table this week which allows all three to eat together-they are pumped!

They are starting to appreciate and enjoy looking through their scrapbooks which I have slaved over since they were born. Makes the memories that much sweeter.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Mr. He-Talks-A-Lot!


Novak is well into the teens for number of words he says. Just today in the garage he said, "football." By far his favorite words are "hockey", "mama" and "birdie". After being somewhat concerned about Liam's lack of speech around 18mo., its refreshing to hear Novak trying out and saying so many new words. It certainly makes day to day chatting more fun!


Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Photos














Birthday cake from Kathy-mmm!
Jersey day at school
Swimming in Bemidji
Connor's skating class
Novak and his bestie Rhea
Giant pumpkin at Blackwoods for my Birthday

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

WWJD??






??What Would Jonan Do??
Lately, all Connor can talk about is his cousin Jonan. Most days we play "Claussens"; Connor being Jonan, Liam is Dillon, I am my sister Cristen, Dan is Uncle Kurt and Novak is Ben. We call each other these names, Connor and Liam dress like the boys, say things that they say and emmulate their every action figure moves. It's so cute to here them talk about their cousins like they're celebrities!
Anyway, Connor has been asking to buy hair gel so we can spike his hair just like Jonan does. We also purchased our first set of boxers for him....because Jonan has some. And when we pulled out the Nike tennis shoes we bought and have been saving for a year now, he replied, "Yes, Jonan shoes(he always wears Nike, tie shoes)!!" So Jonan, if you're out there and reading this, Connor loves you and misses you and until he sees you again, he will continue "being" you.
We LOVE you!!

Friday, September 17, 2010

Time for Family


We are back from Omaha and almost recovered from our spell of strep throat. The house seems quite these days with wedding season over, vacations crossed off and the older kids in school. Dan and I are trying to settle back into a routine. We have few plans for the fall and for that we are grateful. We will enjoy evenings playing with neighbors outside, short weekend 'spur of the moment' day trips and watch more than our share of football! Just good, quality family time for awhile. Hope you get outside and enjoy the weather too!!

Quick updates on the boys:



Novak - Not sure how he can get any cuter! He is loving the alone time with me every T/Th morning. He can say several words including: ball, momma, dadda, drink, cheese, ya...and puck, if you're really listening! He walks around the house carrying a ball or hockey stick most of the day, he still takes/needs 2 naps a day, can't get enough outside time riding on the scooter, big wheels and pushing the wagon. He is still nursing, which surprises me but doesn't. Not sure when that will end. He loves playing peek a boo and hiding from the big boys. He continue to give me a shock each day with new high places he gets himself stuck(ie. the picture above of him atop the desk in his room)!!


Liam - He loves preschool! The teachers have had nothing but great things to say about his listening, following directions and helpfulness. Hmmm, kid #2 excelling when out from under the shadow of kid #1...textbook! He is potty trained!!! Its true, the kid I mentally gave until 2012 to learn did it in 6 weeks. We are completely baffled but elated(I think cloth pull ups at night work wonders!). He is starting to figure out numbers and letters, is asking more inquisitive questions and says the goofiest things all the time("uhhh, mommy my eyeballs are soggy.") He and Connor are way into superheros and spend most of the day fighting crime or each other. Liam can certainly hold his own with Connor and is already pulling the classic little brother moves that drive Connor mad. He loves his tricycle and scooter and could spend hours reading/looking at books. I just want to squeeze him!!
Connor - He is doing well in the Pre-K class at Jefferson. The teachers say he plays well with others and is doing great in the classroom setting-phew! We have been working with him for the past few weeks on being responsible for his actions, acting his age and earning priveledges. He is a hot head sometimes and, although it hasn't been easy, we have seem progress in his behavior. He and the neighbor did a lot together this summer and we don't see why that would change this fall/winter. They are great little buddies. He will continue the skating classes on Sunday evenings with Dan later this fall. Not sure what else he might sign up for, maybe swimming..? Dan and I love hearing some of the questions he comes up with, always so curious about everything. He and Liam(as am I)are infatuated with the cartoon Phineus and Ferb. So cute!
I recently joined a kickboxing class three nights a week and it feels fantastic to be working so hard after so long! I also have several clients lined up for the fall/winter....baby fever!!
Dan starts tennis this week so will see what that brings. He still is traveling for work but spends every second he can with the boys-gotta love him!
Peace to all!!

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Husker Hideaway!!


Swimming at the Claussen's
With my grandmother passing away this summer, selling the cabin is most likely in the works. I wanted to get out there one last time with my boys to do what I used to do when I was their age. It all was fantastic!!

Novak adores my dad. He walks around all day saying, "Daa T"(the kids call him daddy t)
Novak walking with my auntie terri and mom after the farmers market

Climbing at the park
Cousin sleepover-the boys love anna!

Grilling after cheering on Team Swift to victory!
Me restraining the boys to get one picture during 'date night' -LOL!

Liam with Godfather Daniel
The Homy Inn!!

The boys and I have been in Omaha since the 11th of August!! My little sister was married on the 14th and I was maid of honor(i refuse to say matron-way too old!). It was a beautiful ceremony and we had a great time at the reception with the boys. Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Wellwood! (no pictures from the wedding-i forgot the camera!!)
It made sense to stay a couple weeks until this weekend because tomorrow I will be inducted into the Marian High School Hall of Fame for our record breaking basketball season in 2000. Although we miss Dan tremendously we are having a great time! Our "Fun" list: Swim at Cristen and Kurt's, Cabin fishing/sleepover, Hockey tournaments/games/practices, The Homy Inn!, The Wild life Safari, Scheels ferris wheel, Pipal Park and picnic lunch, Date night with mommy, lots of walks in the stroller and visits to parks....still to come: H of F banquet and Lincoln musuem, wildlife refuge, planeterium, ice skating. This weekend marks the end of our trip. We will caravan with the Claussens to the MN State Fair...Dan will meet us there.
We can't wait to see you Dan. The boys have grown so big, learned so much and miss you like crazy. We love you!!

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Connor's Birthday




Connor turned 4 yesterday and all day was about him! He got to pick out the groceries for his birthday supper, choose a cake from the bakery, skip rest time and help set up for his party. He picked Transformer everything this year. Having no time to create a cake from scratch, and wanting to spend most of the day with him, I opted for buying a cake this go around! Friends and family came to eat, shower him with love and gifts and enjoy cake. He had a most fantastic day!

This past weekend I drove to Omaha for Mary's wedding shower/bachelorette party. It was a great weekend all around but I think I'm getting too old for late nights at the bar!
We are off to Bemidji with Dan for a couple days then I leave for another bachelorette party this weekend. It's been the summer of weddings in this house!!