We're Going on a Bug Hunt

Happy Birthday, Calvin! We had such a fun time hunting for bugs and other creepy crawlies with you.

Pumpkin Patch 2012

We helped little Miss K celebrate her 2nd birthday at the pumpkin patch early October. It was a chilly morning, but that didn't seem to bother the boys any. They bundled up in their winter jackets and raced off to see the livestock...goats, cows, and their favorite, a snorting pot-bellied pig. After meandering around the farmyard, a tractor ride was a must. The boys ended the morning picking some dandy pumpkins for future carving.

Making funny faces...

...with our cousins.

William & Kaylin Turn 2

At the end of June, we had a birthday party at the cabin to celebrate Kaylin and William turning two.  We could not have asked for a nicer day to be outside.  The boys spent hours in the water, relaxing on their floaties and jumping off the end of the dock (or in Calvin's case, face planting into the water).  When the lake got tiring, the slip n' slide was a hit.  Even William enjoyed getting in on the sliding action.  It was next to impossible to get the boys out of the water, although the mention of food and cake seemed to do the trick!

Fun at Gramma and Grampa's

Lucas and Calvin's trip to Gramma and Grampa's house was a busy one. Between picnics in the climber, barrel rides, Dora meet and greets, pony watching (Lucas), pony riding (Calvin), bounce house bouncing, icy drinking, fish catching, parade watching, candy chasing, water squirting, caterpillar observing, bird feed making, football field chasing, and ice cream eating, these two didn't slow down all weekend (unless Gramma could convince them they needed an energizing nap).  It is obvious from the pictures the boys had a fun time with Gramma and Grampa (aside from the last picture where Calvin looks less than enthused).

What Four Kids Sound Like

We had the pleasure of watching Calvin and Kadence for a few hours last night. I often think our two are quite competent at creating a ruckus. After last night, I know that it really takes four.

Easter Sunday

We enjoyed a fun Easter weekend with our boys.  Egg decorating occurred on Saturday evening with much talk about the Easter bunny.  After preparing a plate of tasty carrot sticks for the bunny, Lucas and William were ready to go to bed in anticipation for Sunday morning.  The Easter bunny did not disappoint.  The boys were quite surprised with the mess the bunny left on our floor during the night.  We enjoyed hunting for Easter baskets, church, an Easter egg hunt with our cousins, and an egg bake brunch.  William wasn't quite sure what the basket was for at first but quickly caught on to the idea of picking up the eggs hidden in the grass and indulging in the treats inside.  And as soon as Lucas filled his basket to overflowing, he made sure to help his little brother find some eggs.    

A Conversation About Cheetos

Calvin and Lucas were having some intense conversations at Gramma and Grampa's house last weekend.

Little Explorers

Como Zoo

Yesterday's 60 degree forecast just begged for a trip to the zoo. So, spring jackets in hand, we made our way to St. Paul for a Como Zoo adventure. The Carpenter family was there to join us as we made our way through the animal exhibits. William wasn't too sure about the polar bear as he played and dove under the water; the barrier separating us from the big white bear must not have seemed secure enough to him. Calvin and Lucas raced from exhibit to exhibit, always asking to see more animals!

Weekend In Review

Gramma and Grampa Totland were in town this weekend to do a little shopping. Grampa wasn't overly excited about mall time on Saturday afternoon so he opted to spend a few hours at our house. When Gramma and Tami were done shopping, Calvin and Kadence came over for a visit. The highlight for the boys was a trip to the park.  

Leo and my Dad went car shopping yesterday afternoon. Leo and I received very unpleasant news regarding the state of our car this week so it is car shopping we must go. I expect Leo will be cruising around in "new to him" wheels within the next couple of weeks. I am keeping my fingers crossed the Altima will hold up that long!

Lucas and I made chocolate chip cookies today. Leo has consumed about 10 of them so far. I can't say my cookie tally is too far behind.

I went for a run yesterday morning after taking last week off with the flu and a cold. I ran hard and also threw in a few squats and 8-minute abs for bonus points. I am sore today!

Lucas did not take a nap yesterday afternoon and was really tired and cranky by the time early evening rolled around.  He fell asleep around 5:00 and did not get up until 6:00 this morning!

Leo and I were able to sit through a church service uninterrupted today.  The boys willingly and happily spent most of the church service in the nursery, which doesn't happen very often.

I sat down on my sewing machine yesterday and finished up a little sewing homework before class tomorrow night.  Three weeks ago sitting down in front of my sewing machine and attempting to sew would have stressed me out.  Progress is being made!

Hard Workers

Yesterday, the boys and I spent the afternoon with Auntie Tami, Calvin and Kadence.  Leo had a full social calendar with a Gophers basketball game and an Ugly Sweater Holiday party so we thought it would be a good idea to get out of the house for a few hours.  While we were at Tami's, the boys enjoyed completing a couple of holiday art projects that involved paint and glue.  They both completed holiday wreaths and reindeer heads made out of a footprint and handprint.  Auntie Tami and I didn't even micro-manage (well, maybe just a little) these art projects as much as the turkey art ,which made it really fun for the boys!  But just as fun as the art projects was the snow that started falling while we were at their house.  It wasn't long before enough had accumulated for the boys to get to work shoveling off of the deck.  They took that job quite seriously.  Leo and Eric have some great shovel helpers in these two.

Lucas and the White Rabbit

We decided to join the Carpenter family for a pre-Halloween party at the St. Paul YMCA on Friday night.  Lucas and Calvin were so excited to get dressed up in their Halloween costumes! We arrived at the YMCA just in time for trick-or-treat tailgating.  The boys proudly held their orange pumpkin buckets and walked car to car to get candy...until they reached the car with the white bunny.  Lucas took one look at the white rabbit handing out candy bars and stopped in his tracks.  With a look of horror on his face, he took two steps backward (keeping his eyes on the rabbit the entire time) and burst into tears.  I'm pretty sure he will never look at another white rabbit the same way.  I may not either.

Little did I know when I uploaded our pictures from Friday night that I had managed to capture a picture of the white rabbit before he became Lucas's worst nightmare.  I love how Lucas and Calvin are completely out of focus in the picture below (due to my novice camera skills), while the rabbit is in focus.  And just so there is no mistaking how frightening the white rabbit looked, I cropped in for a close-up.  I think I will wait until Lucas is a bit older before I share these pictures.

Happy Birthday, Calvin!

We celebrated Calvin's third birthday today. The soon-to-be birthday boy enjoyed an afternoon of swimming, slip-n-sliding, cake eating, and present opening with friends and family. Birthdays are so much fun!

Four Little Munchkins

My sister and I had a delightful day with these four little munchkins. Calvin and Lucas do such a good job entertaining each other these days and spent most of the morning and afternoon in the pool and sandbox.  Aside from the frequent, "it's my turn" and "he won't share," there was hardly a complaint out of the  two.  And little Miss Kadence and Mr. Butterball were their charming selves, perfectly content to stay close to their Mamas.