Another step toward big-boy-hood

Tanner and I recently talked about how we never give Miles enough credit...he's a way smarter kid than we think, and we need to be better about letting him do (or at least try) things on his own. So this morning we let him dig into his own little tub of applesauce, and voila! He can do it!



Clearly he could have done this weeks ago (no doubt he's been spoon feeding himself at daycare for a while now). I admit that part of our hesitation with letting him have control over a cup of mushy sloppy stickiness is...well...the potential lack of control and impending mess. We need to chill out, man. This kid has it figured out. He's got the scoop. Ha ha...

Storm of the Day

The Storm of the Day brought several inches of snow to Otown. This storm definitely fizzled out before it could become the Storm of the Century...heck, it didn't even come close to being the Storm of the Year (we've still got 10 months left of 2009, folks).
Lots of hoopla and not a lot of hoop, if you know what I mean.

In any case, kids were thrilled to have the day off from school and I was thrilled (or not) to be one of 5 people left at the office. I won't tell you how much work I got done...that's beside the point.

We had a great time playing outside at the end of the afternoon. Miles reviewed some shoveling strategies with daddy --

They also discussed the benefits of using a snowblower. Miles wondered where they could find more snow to blow since the driveway was already cleared.

We also went for a sled ride up and down the road with little Ava from next door. Ava is 3 years old and only a few hairs taller than Miles (yet several pounds lighter). She was so excited that "the baby" was outside too, and insisted on picking him up. Pretty sure she won't be trying that again any time soon. If she does, I'll try to get pictures.

And here's Miles before we even went outside...trying to figure out how to get up after falling down. It was hilarious. Wish I'd gotten this part on video!

We're heading to St. Peter this weekend to celebrate Uncle Willy's 20th birthday. Holy cow! That's going to be one bright cake.

Snotty but chatty

Miles might be suffering from a cold...

but he still has it in him to say new words! Here's to you, Auntie Aunchie

It's a Monday

Long time no blog, 'eh?

We've been back from NC for a week now. Sorry that I haven't gotten around to posting any pictures. We took 219 of them, and I just don't know where to start.
I'll give it a whirl.

First of all, we miss this little girl tremendously.

The cousins had a great time running around together (often in the same direction...but not always).

They also had a good time eating and telling stories. Here they are keeping their Cousin Linda (thrice removed) entertained...

They chillaxed in some swings at the parque -

And laughed at Auntie Beesie (or mommy, in Hannah's case) and her bum leg.

We spent some time at Pinehurst where the kids found time for a round of golf.

Perhaps most importantly, Miles found a new friend (uncle) with whom to play "row row" (sucker!)...

Oh yes - and we discovered Spring, albeit not in Southern MN.

So maybe our first real family vacation didn't involve sandy beaches or sleeping 'til noon, but we sure had a great time anyway!

We'll be back to visit again...when Miles is old enough to drive himself to the airport, as Tanner said. HA!

Winding down and gearing up

The G-pack of O-town is still recovering from a super busy weekend in St. Peter, while at the same time trying to prepare for a super busy weekend ahead with the D-pack in CH-town. Miles is sleeping (as expected), Tanner is reffing (as expected), and I just finished packing for both myself and Miles (totally unexpected).

I'm the type of lady who prefers to wait until the day of the trip to pack, no matter the size of the trip. In fact, I usually wait to pack until about an hour before leaving home. I have a hard time throwing clothes into a bag or suitcase when some things are still in the washer or dryer. I need to have all of my clothes in my closet and drawers before I can select which items to pack. It drives me nuts to have to pack under any other conditions - and nobody wants to travel with this mama when "other conditions" have happened.

Tonight was totally weird. All of the laundry was done, and I found myself rolling clothes into tight logs and squeezing them into the suitcase. One of my co-workers said her army brother taught her how to pack like that...you can fit lots more in your bag/suitcase by turning shirts and pants into logs. Interesting. Tanner just might give me the Packer-of-the-Year award for being so organized and timely. Then again, it's only January...there's more traveling ahead in 2009, so we'll see what happens. I don't want to get his hopes up too high.

Here's a look back at the weekend in St. Peter. Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa G and Uncle Will for all of the fun! (no visiting the other grandparents, as they were busy with Hannah in NC).

Making friends with the referees (good idea).

Practicing his defensive moves to "box out" opponents

Slapping the gym floor just like the big boy Gusties do after they make a basket

Flirting with some young (but older) women...shortly after this picture was taken, he walked over to another girl and tried dipping his finger into her cup of nacho cheese. That's my boy!

Begging grandma to let him in to the storage room.

When we got back home on Sunday afternoon, we quickly put on our snow clothes and went outside to play. It was...gasp...nearly 30 degrees!
Daddy went to work on the ice chunks at the end of the driveway. Miles wasn't so sure about making the downhill trek to help him, so we just watched from up by the house.

The white stuff was very interesting.

MMMMM!

He quickly realized it was easier to eat without the mittens.

More please!

Aaaaah yes, daddy makes the perfect snow balls.

We'll write more later...first, we must go play with Hannah!