Do I remember how?

It's been a long time since I have blogged, if you haven't noticed. ;)

The remainder of summer flew by as quickly as only summer can. We continued to have a blast doing all the things you do in the summer... swimming, state fair-ing, camping, being hot... etc. I have a lot of pictures but haven't even put them on my computer!! Such is the state of busyness we have been in.

And now it's fall, and all is still well. Today is about 55, cloudy, and breezy... I love fall, it's probably my favorite season. And Ryan's too... but for different reasons. :) He's happy to be back hunting, and although sometimes I miss him during this time of year, I do enjoy my quiet time at home too.

The kids are great- Olivia started her second year of preschool. This year she is going to Cambridge Christian School for MWF AM preschool, so she can also stay for childcare on the days that I am working. It is going great, and she seems to really enjoy it. And just for kicks, she stuck a rock in another little girl's nose on the first day of preschool. Awesome choice for the first day. :) I sure wish I could have been a fly in the sandbox to hear the conversation leading up to that one!

Aidan is also doing great- he has grown an inch since July! He's in a big boy bed and loving it. Each time we meet a new milestone with Aidan, or make it through another transition, I am reminded back to when we were parenting the first time with Olivia and how worked up I got with each transition or change. :) Who knows how many blog posts there were about Olivia's transition to the big girl bed!!! Ah, parenting.

I have been working extra hours for the past two months, while helping cover for a coworker who is on maternity leave. (Hence some of the extra busyness!) I am SO looking forward to her return to work in just 4 weeks. When she returns I will be cutting back on some of my time at work to just 2 long days on Monday & Tuesday, instead of Monday, Tuesday, and a short day on Wednesay. I technically won't lose any hours a week, but will save some money on daycare. Fantastic! Oh- and of course the added benefit of being home with the kiddos more. :)

Hope to get pictures updated soon! Hope you are still reading my blog even though I've neglected you!!

Family Camp

Ryan's brother Aaron and his wife Stina came home from Sweden for a visit this July. The entire family was able to gather together for 10 days of fun & family time. The first 3 days were spent at Bluewater Covenant Bible Camp for Family Camp. It was a great time to be together and enjoy cabin life... with 11 people. Oh wait, make that 10 because Aidan would not go to sleep and ended up back at the cottage with Mucka & Papa. Good thing we weren't far away! :)

Enjoying playing during free time!

Celebrating Stina's birthday... Swedish style!

We were surprised the day before we went up to find out that our good friends, Aaron & Peggy, were at family camp with their 2 children at the same time! The kids had a blast playing!

Being kids! Jenelle, Ryan, Stina, & Aaron

The whole crew!

Priceless

This little boy...

He knows how to steal our hearts!

Friends :)

On my agenda for the quickly-passing summer is lots of time with friends! We've had a blast on playdates, trips, and time with cousins this summer!

Aidan & cousin Raegan at Bluewater Covenant Bible Camp

Olivia & friend Ella at Storybook Land in Aberdeen, SD

Olivia & Michael... birth buddies. :) Born one day a part, we have had play dates since they were tiny... the sure love each other, but can fight like siblings!

Aidan, Sofie, Olivia, & Annika @ the cabin Memorial weekend

A trip to the Windy City

My Mom grew up in Chicago and she promised Olivia that when she turned 4, that she would take her on a trip to Chicago... I made them take me along too. :) We had a great time, including travel days we were gone 4 days. I took very few pictures, because well, Olivia is 4... and 4 year olds sometimes have "moods". And sometimes when they are in those "moods" they don't want to take pictures... like most of the trip. :) As much as she had her 4 year old moments, she was a joy. It was so much fun to see her experience "the big city". She loved all of the buildings, the people, and mostly the hotel. There was no comparison to her love of the hotel. She still remembers where we stayed- Spring Hill Suites.

Olivia & Grammi outside of the house

Grammi grew up in!

Eating pizza at Marie's Pizza! (The B.E.S.T!!)

Olivia taking a picture of us riding

on the ferris wheel at Navy Pier!

Olivia & Grammi waiting for the El. My country bumpkin rode on the El, the city bus, and took taxi's on her trip to the big city. :)

Olivia @ The Shedd Aquarium- her favorite by far!

Random summer...

Fakers :)

My serious boy

Lots & lots of swimming!

Baby got back...

I'm back... with a mission to catch-up on the last 2 months! I will begin with a wonderful conversation about puberty with my little man.

Aidan: Will my tiny breasts grow big?
Me: No, you will have little breasts like Daddy.
Aidan: Daddy has big breasts.
Me: Okay, you will have breasts that look just like Daddy.
Aidan: Will they bounce?

Preschool 2010-2011

1st Day of Preschool- Sept. 2010
Last Day of Preschool- May 2011

Where oh where has my little girl gone!?

For the love of gymnastics...

I have a love/hate relationship with this amazing sport. I grew up a gymnast... I spent many years doing, eating, sleeping, and breathing anything that had to do with gymnastics. I certainly was nothing spectacular when it came to performance, but my heart was bigger than my talent when it came to the sport.

I have battled with thoughts of signing Olivia up for gymnastics classes. It truly is an amazing sport and can teach children so much about discipline, exercise, working hard, and grace. It also has some negatives... it's hard on your body. There is such an emphasis on body image. It's so competitive. I went back and forth about whether or not I wanted to even enter into this temptation. Would I be able to say no if she was somehow amazingly talented at gymnastics and in a few years could be competitive? And so on...

In the end, my love for the sport won. She's only 4. And she was so excited to take her first gymnastics class. And her coach was my coach when I was a little girl. We've both been bitten by the gymnastics bug... one of us for the second time. Whether it's something she loves for only a short time or whether it becomes a sport she enjoys for many years... it's all for the love of gymnastics.