Two videos

Here is my pregnancy nausea lifeline - the slide by my bed, so I can stay there as long as possible.

And this just is cute:

December

Lots of costumes at once are just as fun as lots of pants at once.

"We're doing holy fellowship"

Good morning, Theo.

A special treat: the dogs were out, so we could watch them during lunch!

The Christmas train

Our first family movie night, with appropriately vacant looks in their eyes

 On Christmas Eve we took the train to St. Paul. We walked around the Union Depot Station, which was beautiful but mostly empty. We then walked down the street to the Salty Tart Bakery and got some delicious pastries, including the most delicious macaroons I've ever had. The boys featured hand made sweaters by their two grandmas - Lukas' was made by Farmor for Daniel when he was little, and Theo's was made by Grandma when Lukas was little(r).

November

Isn't he handsome?

A little hug and kiss from behind (at Grandma's)

Painting presents

At Target I found "super-washable" paint. It is. I don't even put paper down beneath (anymore)

Matching jogging suits from Grandma

"Never forget who's number 1, Mama."

October

One of our favorite places to visit, the nature center at Central park in Roseville:

Powderhorn Park on the way to church:

Miss Dinah's wedding

A highlight for Mama because this is a dear friend who is now married to a kind man. We waited for this. A highlight for Lukas, because it was the most child-friendly reception in the history of weddings. There were books, games, and the dancing was super fun! Lukas taught himself some new moves.

See him in the blue & green checked shirt?

Swim lessons at the newly redone park rec center across the street. Can't really see Lukas, but you get the idea.

Just because he's cute.

The matching shirt photo shoot of the two wiggly toddler boys was as successful as ever (mostly blurry and not looking at camera...) but I still think they're cute.

And Halloween: the Papa, the Skunk, and the Bee:

August / September

I have lots of good reasons for not having posted in a while, which are worth entering in the family album (this blog), as a mark of time:

1) I got pregnant and was busy feeling terrible, trying to be kind to the children outside my womb and sleeping a lot.

2) Daniel spent 8 weeks (Sept-Oct) thoroughly drowning, while preparing for his qualification exams for his PHD and trying to keep up with his full time job and trying to come home to his family who need him very much. We are still playing catch-up

3) I got a new phone and it didn't want to talk to the computer. 

Donuts from the Baker's Wife, and a visit to the beach at Hiawatha:

He's a climber. We're trying to keep him alive.

We're always growing. 

Now (December) he can put his shirts on and take them off, no problem with that head getting in the way.

Lots of clothes is a favorite. Under those underpants are at least 3 pairs of shorts.

Apples!

Last winter Daniel finished the grinder part of the cider press, so the pressing went much faster this fall! Daniel picked 8 boxes of pears from the Tong's trees down the street, and another 8 boxes (8-10 bushels) of apples from a house near Powderhorn Park. We went for an apple-scoping walk one afternoon and found the perfect tree of perfect apples that looked unwanted (had started to fall to the ground). The owner was very happy for Daniel to pick to his heart's content. He drove us home and went back durning nap time to pick for 2 hours.  I need to find cider press pictures and insert here...

We also made lots of applesauce:

Daniel and Lukas flew out to Cleveland for the Thomas reunion, here's Lukas and Obed:

Bayfield

The view from our luxurious motel on Lake Superior in Bayfield:

The post-trip tireds. It was a while ago now, but I'm pretty sure he went from throwing a fit to falling asleep on the step by the shoes. 

Grand Marais

We climbed on rocks and threw rocks and made rock houses and tried to eat rocks. And for some reason, Daniel has a need to swim when he goes to the North Shore so he had to do that every day. Uncle John says the temperature is about 40 degrees. I have a video of him coming out of the water on the second day, but I do not feel that it would be an instrument of peace in our marriage if I were to publish it.

We were there just us 4 Monday - Wednesday, then Wednesday - Friday were joined by Paul & Karin, Hanna & Caleb and Paul's brothers James and John. We missed Auntie Pat, but got to spend quality time with her on Saturday at Paul's family reunion, remembering Grace & John who we were going to remember back in April when we had the blizzard. 

We are still learning what it means to travel with small people who have needs and come with strollers. Before children, we used the Superior Hiking Trail for hike-in-camping (once chaperoned by Hanna). This time we forgot the baby hiking backpack. The Thule, though excellent for nearly every condition and my best friend, just could not do the narrow path with roots everywhere. So Daniel found a Juneberry tree 10 feet in and picked until he found ten more and raspberries. Theo was content to follow Papa and be fed until he refused more berries (a first in his life). Lukas and I had a mini hike and managed to even get a little lost until he needed the toilet, when we managed to navigate our way back out of desperation to the porta potty in the parking lot, where 1,000 hungry mosquitos had been trapped since the night before. Mama cried a little, and Lukas got some bites on his bottom. 

See the nice rock house?

(Daniel)

An advertisement for Thule:
it takes us as far as our adventures go

The late night campfire, still bright sunlight
(felt like Norway and Sweden!)

Lukas and Auntie Pat made fantastic coffee in this play kitchen

And Theo's love-hate relationship with swings:
"Put me in! Take me out! Put me back in!"