Catching Up

Sorry we've been MIA for a bit -- a few computer glitches have been keeping us away. We're still working on the glitches, but we're at least able to upload a few pictures and let everyone know what we've been up to. Nona & Stacey came up to visit last weekend and we were so excited to see them. They ended up getting to play with us lots while Mom & Dad got to work on measuring, cutting & staining trim for the baseboards in the office. They also managed to teach themselves how to hang a door - they're starting to find themselves a little bit handy! Speaking of handy, they bought me my own tool belt with real tools so that I could help occasionally. Nona and her puppy Stella supervised me as I learned a few things about hammering and safety goggles. I'm not sure when I'll get to work on a "real" project, but I think I'm ready!



Mom & Dad were happy with all the work they got done, us kids were happy to have people to play with while they did all that work and I think Nona & Stacey had a good time with all of us! Mom & Dad did manage to spend some time with Nona & Stacey too...they got a sitter Saturday night and took them along to mass at the river and then out to the steak place. They headed from here to Minnesota for the MN state fair. Silly Mommy had to go and get a job or else we would have tagged along too! We hope to take a trip down to Boulder this fall or winter to see their new place down there and get some more time together!

The other big news around here is that Harrison is turning TWO years old tomorrow! Wow! I've been getting pretty excited because I know that birthdays mean cake & presents and I'm pretty sure Harrison is going to need my help opening presents, learning how to play with them and of course, eating his cake! Mom even let us open one present early this weekend -- how could she resist? -- it was a huge box and she needed something to keep us kids occupied while they helped Grandma & Grandpa clean out the garage! Pops & Gams bought us (I mean, Harrison) a mini-moonbounce!!! It is so much fun! Mom even thinks it's short enough that we may be able to use it in the basement during the long winter that lies ahead :)!

I'm sure we'll have lots more to post after we celebrate Harrison's birthday tomorrow! In the meantime, just a flashback to two years ago:

Has it really only been a week?

It's so hard to believe that it's only been a week since we posted -- what a fun and busy week! We started going to daycare and we both have handled that terrificly. Mommy came to get me the first day and I was still all dressed up in my flower girl dress from the wedding we had that afternoon -- so apparently I'm making friends and getting along just fine! Lynnette has lots of cars to play with, which is really all that Harrison needs to be happy, so he has adjusted well too. Mom was amazed at how much more work she was able to get accomplished when she was all alone in her office!

After she picked us up on Wednesday, Mom dropped us off at Grandma and Grandpa's for a sleepover. We got to stay for two whole days and nights and we had the best time with them! In fact, I asked Mom & Dad if I could stay there "each single day!" Mommy & Daddy headed to Sioux Falls to meet with some really phenomenal people who wanted to help Daddy with his campaign and then went to a fundraising event at the Lt. Governor's house....they really felt special! But they were happy to come back home to us and we had a fun weekend playing.

We headed to the pool to get in as much splashing as we can before the end of the summer. They bought us some water rings and intertubes so that we could work on our confidence in the water alone. I was a pro at kicking around in the intertube and Harrison has no fear about jumping off the side of the pool -- you really have to be watching because he doesn't always check to make sure someone's ready to catch him!

Saturday night when we were getting ready for our baths, Harrison kept saying "potty too, potty too" so they let him sit up on the potty for a while. He's done this a few times with no result and usually will only sit there if he has a book or magazine to flip through while looking for trucks :). But this time, he went potty! We realize it's nowhere near time to throw away the Huggies, but it was exciting and he sure was proud of himself!
By Sunday, Grandma and Grandpa were missing us already so they came and took us for a ride in the pickup while Mom & Dad went to church. The sweet corn is ready so we went and picked some to bring home to have a "corn party." Grandma made a yummy lunch and we got to eat outside and even Great Grandma and Great Grandpa came! I never did end up trying the corn after all my talk about wanting it, but everyone else said it was really good! (When they said sweet corn, I was kinda envisioning candy corn!)
I finished off the corn party by telling some of my scary stories and this one involved a troll hiding in Grandma's toy box, so I ran and climbed in to pretend to be the troll (I don't look very scary though, do I????)
Grandma and Grandpa played with us for the rest of the day while Mom & Dad went to an event -- campaign season is gearing up again! Now we're counting down the days to this weekend because Nona & Stacey are coming up to visit from Boulder -- so fun!

Crash

We are all a bit exhausted after a long weekend. We loaded up the car Friday morning and drove to Omaha for Daddy's cousin's wedding that night. Harrison and I both decided not to nap in the car which was cause for concern with a 6pm wedding and reception to follow. Luckily, we did great and danced our way through the evening. Harrison took a header into the corner of a church pew and ended up with a big knot on his forehead right as the wedding began, but he luckily didn't cause any major damage and recovered emotionally in about 2 minutes. Turns out Harrison and I both LOVE to dance and I even found some cute babies to play with at the reception. Harrison even went out into the crowd to find Grandpa to come dance with him -- and proceeded to get very angry when Grandma came to cut in during their song! It was a fun wedding but we had to get up early Saturday to drive all the way back home so that Mom & Dad could go to another wedding here in Gettysburg last night.




The county fair is going on here this week and today there was a demolition derby that we went to watch. We thought Harrison would love watching all the cars crashing -- he wasn't as impressed as we thought he'd be, but we all did have a lot of fun. Grandma and Grandpa came to take us for a ride out to the farm tonight and Mom & Dad got to enjoy a little peace and quiet after a long weekend....

Mom started work last week and is still getting into the swing of things with our new routine. We tagged along with her last week, which may have contributed to the chaos of her first week back! We start going to daycare on Tuesday -- keep your fingers crossed for all of us that this goes well!

Saved

So I mentioned that we didn't take any pictures of our kids, but luckily the Editor of the town's newspaper was taking pictures at Crazy Days and sent me a few to share...

Unbelievable

I think this may be the first time we've gone an actual week without taking a picture! Wow... So sorry for anyone that wants to see our smiling faces. We took a week to regroup after all our visitors and fun during the month of July. Mom had to go to Sioux Falls for a training this weekend and Dad took us to a carnival-type event they had downtown. The biggest news of the weekend though is that the hardwood floors are officially FINISHED in the office. Mom & Dad are so excited and they look gorgeous....they'll post pictures after they get finished with the molding and trim work. There's still a lot of work to do in there, but getting the floor done was a big relief to them. The only other fun news is that Harrison is trying to tell "knock knock" jokes and is the cutest little brother -- except when he's biting me or pulling my hair or just getting in my way! Everyone around here is just stunned by the fact that his birthday is less than a month away....how did he turn into a 2 year old so fast!!!????!!! Mom bought him a "birthday boy" t-shirt with a fire truck on the front and Harrison was so excited when he saw it that he tried to rip off his cars pajamas saying "no cars..." so that he could wear the shirt immediately.

This week will be an interesting one for us all. Mom starts back to work after 4 years of maternity leave. Daycare doesn't start until next week for us though, so she'll have a few helpers in between times when we get to play with cousins and other babysitting options. We have a fun filled, travel filled weekend coming up with 2 weddings. Should be busy but it should be fun (and we should be able to take a few pictures!).

Yea for Uncle Ryan & Brooke!

On Friday night, Ryan asked Brooke to marry him. And she said YES!!! Congratulations Ryan & Brooke. I called them last night to tell them I was happy for them and my exact words were "Wa Wa Wee Wa" (a phrase Mom & Dad taught me in honor of them) and then I said "when are the babies????" (Mom & Dad DID NOT teach me or prompt me to ask them this!!!!). In all seriousness, though, we couldn't be happier for you both. Congratulations!!!!

A T Rex Named Sue

On the way back from Rapid City, we drove through Faith, SD. It's a teeny tiny town of 496 people, but it's close to where they found Sue, the most comple T Rex ever found. Sue is normally on display at the Field Museum in Chicago, but is on a traveling exhibit near her hometown right now, so we stopped to see it. What an impressive sight!