Too Quiet!

Lately, Sean has been sneaking up on us. He isn't trying to scare us, he just doesn't want us to know he is awake. He will sneak down during nap time or after we put him to bed. He will be behind the couch or over our shoulder...YIKES! Freaks me out, I am just glad that I don't scream...I am close, but don't want to scare him or the neighbors!

Last night, he had his first bad dream where he came into our room to wake us up (in the past he would just cry for us). Once again, he was silent and Graham woke up to him staring at him from the side of our bed! He jumped, then I jumped! Wow! Not quite the way I am used to waking up in the middle of the night! He had a dream about "bugs in his bed." Graham had to take him back into his room, turn on the light, and look under everything to make sure there wasn't any in there. Then, they both crawled into his bed and fell asleep. What a great dad!

I thought I put you to bed...

As I am taking the dogs out 30 minutes after putting Sean to bed,

I think I see something or someone looking out the upstairs window...
Yup. That looks like my Sean.
Hi, Buddy! Shouldn't you be sleeping?!


On a side note, Sean and I got stuck in a torrential rain storm as we were taking
our dogs for a walk to get our mail. We got soaked to the bone, had fun running in the rain,
and my side still hurts from laughing!


Love you Little Man!

Firsts (Take 2)...

How could I forget one very important milestone...

Sean can SWIM! Last Friday, we were swimming at the Golf Club. He loves it there because he can touch. Towards the end, my friend Tiffany and her kids joined us. They love to go underwater. I suggested Sean give it a try...low and behold he did! Now, I can't get him to keep his head above water! He has even pushed himself further and has begun "turtle swimming" (underwater swimming)! It is amazing, and we are so proud!

Now, if only we could find a pool in Duluth to practice. For some reason they think it is too cold to have an outdoor public pool. Hmmm.

Firsts...

It has been a time of "firsts" at our house lately.

1. Sean, Isaac, and Andrew made it all the way from Mankato to Duluth without stopping! Four hours of no potty breaks or feedings...yahoo!
2. It was also the first time we rode as a family to Mankato and back! Yeah...finally we didn't have to take 2 cars...gas bill is much better.
3. Andrew has gotten his first ear infection :( After going to Duluth's Urgent Care, I so appreciate the Mankato one! The cleanliness and professionalism and wait time in Mankato are top notch...and if you have ever been to Mankato's, you know that Duluth's must be bad...
4. I just took Andrew to Urgent Care, and that is a first to have only ONE child with me! Felt strange, but the cuddle time was oh so nice.
5. Time for the Bumbo seats! Andrew is ready, Isaac is almost ready! But man, they are expensive! They have begun to learn what "sharing" is all about :)
6. The basement is finally organized, and now Sean has a fun play space and I have a great workout area.
7. The twins are days away from switching into size 3-6 months! Where does the time go?! They are healthy and strong little boys.
8. Sean ate tuna fish!
9. Sean can also put the soap in the dishwasher and start it.
10. He also learned not to draw with pen on his Pottery Barn quilt! Ugh! I did get it all out. Thank goodness for Dawn dish soap, it takes everything out!

I am sure there will be many, many more of these to come and I can't wait!

Como Zoo and More!

We had the pleasure of meeting Sean's (old) daycare at Como Zoo yesterday! It was a little longer of a trip for us to "meet" there, as we left at 7:30am and they left at 8:30am, but it was totally worth it! My kids are good little travelers :)

We got there a little early, which was my plan. I needed to feed the babes and get my stroller set...lunch, water, camera, phone, umbrella for shade, blankets, baby borne, sunscreen, etc...and don't forget the babies and Sean...

We connected with our friends at a cool picnic area away from the swarms of people. We learned quickly that it is hard to eat lunch when you are so excited to see your friends! I was even able to see my friend, Mandy, as she took the day off to travel with her young ones, too!

To our surprise, a firetruck shows up and parks right next to our picnic table! They were there for another party, but welcomed everyone to come and check out their truck. Then 2 canine units pulled up and show us their dogs! It was awesome! Sean was over the moon! He talked with the firemen, checked out their truck, pet Cody the police dog, and visited with an officer. He had a great time! The men were so incredibly nice! Thank you St. Paul firefighters and police officers! You made my son's day!

We finally hit the Zoo and had a great time. It was hot, and my goal was to keep the sun off the babes. They are still too little for sunscreen, so I had to be strategic. Sean loved seeing all the animals and running around with his friends. A little bit of chaos, a lot of green shirts (Sean in his fav "Toy Story" shirt), and a huge amount of excitement! It was a great time. Thanks, Lisa, for setting it up and inviting us to join you! What a wonderful day! Check out our pics!

Mankato...

We just got back from a week in Mankato. It is amazing how fast a week can go by and how I didn't do as much or see as many people as I wanted/planned. I have put all 4 of my boys to bed, so now it is time to catch up!

Sean had swimming lessons with my sister and his friend every day. We lucked out on weather this year! It was hot and sunny all 5 days, hooray! Last year, it would get cold and rain every time he got into the pool.

My sister-in-law, Ginger, came home on Tuesday. We were able to spend some good quality time with her, too.

I did squeeze in a pedicure and a dinner out, but that is about it! The rest of my time was spent with family. With my sister living in Kansas, it is hard to not spend as much time as possible with her and the kids. We never know when we will see each other again.

We had the twins' baptism on Saturday morning with a lunch at my parents following. Such a special milestone, but we were extremely disappointed with the priest. Amazing how much words can hurt and can't be taken back. He is not the compassionate and loving man like Father Colletti is. We sure were spoiled with him! I wish, and still might, have the service redone. On a positive note, we were thankful to have our family and friends there to support our babes.

The 4th was fun, and we celebrated it on the 3rd. Tradition has us at Westwood for dinner, then on the boat for fireworks. I had to sit in the house for the fireworks this year, but Sean sure had fun! Crazy thing was, he started telling me about the boat/fireworks a few weeks ago! I couldn't believe that he remembered from last year.

Graham ran the "fun run" 8K in St. Peter on Sunday morning with my sister, Amy. They both did an awesome job, and it was so fun to see them come through the finish line. They both set goals and achieved them. I am so proud! When asked if I would run it next year, I replied, "I only run when I am being chased!"

Our nephew, Braeden, was admitted to the hospital on Sunday afternoon. He had been having flu-like symptoms for a couple days and wasn't getting better. Things got really bad in the hospital, and they even talked about shipping him. Thank goodness, things have started to improve (as of tonight), and he even called me tonight which brought tears to my eyes. I love all my nephews and nieces so much!

We are now back home in Duluth. Sean had T-Ball tonight and enjoyed playing in the dirt more than the game itself :) The twins are playing "catch up" and needing a little extra lovin' which is fine with me! Graham is back to construction and remodeling a neighbor's bathroom. I just hope to straighten things up and take a long walk tomorrow...we will see!