Weston is 3!

Happy birthday to Weston!

Weston Charles Grimmius turned 3 years old just after 1 o'clock this morning.  We all slept through the big moment, but he woke us up about an hour later asking for some snuggles.  Daddy came to his rescue, but the snuggles didn't last very long because by the time Weston's head hit the pillow again he was fast asleep. Regardless, I'd say that's a pretty sweet way to start your birthday.

The celebration actually started this past weekend when Weston was with all 5 of his cousins in St. Peter for one heck of party!  Those kids know how to have fun!  Needless to say, Westy was probably still feeling a little hung over (from the excitement) this morning when we took his first picture as a three year old.

Two very talented high school students made the cake for him.  Lucky boy!  It's just his style.  He asked if he could wear it.

Then it was off to school for more celebrating with Ms. Stephanie and Ms. Natalie!

Weston was feeling extra generous and saved a spot for me to share a special birthday snack with his friends this afternoon.  They are quite the crew!  Two girls and a whole bunch of boys.  They were eating broccoli for their regularly scheduled snack and we sweetened it up with some cookies.  We also lightened the mood with stories about broccoli pancakes, Santa, birthdays, and the pool table at Grandpa Dave's house.  I thoroughly enjoyed the variety of topics we covered during snack time today!

Weston handed out some fancy party napkins to his friends....

...as well as some silly party favors.  This picture of Weston makes me think he has a bright future as a teacher. Doesn't he look like he's leading the class in a fun lesson?  Maybe a lesson in partying?!

Yep -- definitely a lesson in partying.

Back on the home front we enjoyed birthday pancakes (complete with sprinkles), and a little cake.

The birthday boy got a few presents, too.

Thanks Cousin Linda for the super cool car!

Now our little buddy is fast asleep, dreaming of all the exciting things he will accomplish as a 3 year old. Okay, who am I kidding.  He's totally dreaming about the battery powered leaf blower we gave him.  He loves it so much he tucked it next to mommy's bed so it stays safe tonight.  Good idea!

We love you whole bunches, Weston Charles (Jay) Grimmius.  We're so proud of your sweet, funny, silly, ways....thanks for bringing so much sunshine to our days!

A Triple F Weekend!

It was a Fabulously Fun Fall weekend! We made the most of what Minnesota (particularly Otown) had to offer. I love this time of year for exactly that reason -- there's always a lot being offered, and the weather is always totally unpredictable :-)

It started Friday night with the Owatonna Huskies football game. It was homecoming, and it was raining. Bummmmmmer. We bundled up and lasted until about 7 minutes were left in the first quarter...then a storm started moving in and they called the game off. Miles was concerned about the game starting again without him being there, and Weston was worried about what was going to happen to the Husky mascot, since dogs (especially those made out of acrylic fur) don't care much for rain. We watched him cover his head with his paws and scoot on in to the high school. He was safe.

On Saturday, Miles and Tanner went to the MN Wild hockey game with Miles' buddy Reid and his dad (Tony). Their trip included a stop at Chipotle for supper, a variety of zambonis, cute girls shoveling ice shavings off the rink (Tanner's favorite part....groan....), some popcorn, new hats, and a picture with Lucy.

   

Weston and I went on a date to Rochester. We shopped at Costco and filled our tummies with samples, then checked out the pet store (it was crazy cat owner day, so that was entertaining) and then enjoyed a nice dinner for two at Noodles. It was lovely!  Isn't he a cute date?!

On to Sunday, which was the fun finale to our fabulous weekend. After eating brunch at the OCC, we decided to go check out Trump's apple orchard in Faribault.

We hadn't heard much about it, but a quick google search for apple orchards near Otown helped us locate this little gem of a place. It's perfect for a low-key outing on a fall day. No fancy horse rides or hayrides, no giant slides or corn mazes. No crowds of people. Just a little orchard where you can buy a bag and fill it with whatever apples you want...you can roam the rows of trees freely and sample all the apples your tummy can take. For the boys in this family, that's a lot. Let's just say mommy did most of the picking. Somebody had to accomplish what we'd set out to do in the first place!

Miles took hold of the camera after a while. Not too shabby!

Thanks to the new iPhone operating system, his little fingers were able to snap about 20 images per second. He couldn't stop! Helllllllp!

Back at the main shop, there were more apples to sample and caramel, pies, cider, and other goodies to purchase. Perhaps the best part, though, was the view into the apple sorting/cleaning/packing station. We watched several "worker guys" busy preparing apples to be shipped to local stores. It didn't look like they were doing much sampling, though. I suppose when you look at apples all day long, some of the excitement over the fresh-off-the-tree taste is lost. Hmmmm.

We returned home to cheer on the Packers to a victory over Detroit.  Well, daddy was busy doing that.  The rest of us had more important things to do, like set up our own apple sorting/cleaning/packing station.  What better place than the bathroom?!  The tub (which I just cleaned, so don't worry) was just the right size for the boys to organize and clean the goods.  Mommy was given the responsibility of buffing the apples and preparing them for shipment (to the kitchen).

Finally, we were off to the Otown fire station for supper. We look forward to this event every year -- Tanner for the chili (it's all-you-can-eat style), and the boys for the firemen and trucks. I like going because it means I don't have to cook supper. Okaaaay, it's also a great community event and we're happy to support our local fire fighters. They are a good crew!

Even Tanner giggled like a little boy over the chance to fire the hose.

So there you have it. A triple F of a weekend! There was maybe a little bickering mixed in. And a handful of tantrums. And some laundry and a trip to the grocery store. But we had a blast and are grateful for these kinds of weekends!  Hope you enjoyed a good one, too.