hello

Long time no blog.  We've been busy doing homework...which is pretty awesome, because Kindergarten homework is FUN!  Miles is a reading and spelling machine.  We're lucky that he likes to practice because it means we flip through lots of pages in books, play round after round of hangman, and attempt to communicate by spelling out words so that a certain little brother can't follow along.  It sounds mean, but it's really not...he thinks he knows what we're spelling and we lead him to believe that he's right.  Only he's waaaay off.

Last weekend was dreary on the weather front (literally), and we were all taking turns battling the stomach flu.  It started with Weston on Thursday night, hit me by Friday, took out Tanner on Saturday, and ended with Miles on Monday.  Uffdah.  On the bright side, it meant lots of time to do art projects like this one --

We had to create a couple of pages for a family-themed scrap book that Miles' class is putting together. We are proud of how it turned out - it was a team effort!  Miles and mommy did the actual work while daddy and Westy voiced their ideas and opinions.  Probably a good strategy for future projects, too.

Miles turns 6 (say what?!) on Saturday.  To celebrate, he had his bi-annual dental checkup today.  No cavities!  But he does need to do a better job brushing his top teeth along the gum line.  Pretty sure he took detailed notes while listening to the hygienist (he was very interested), so we should see definite improvement at his next checkup.  Let's hope it continues into his teenage years.

And tonight we helped Owatonna kick off the holiday season with the annual lighted parade and Lighting of the Lights ceremony.  It was chillllllly, but we bundled up and had a great time.  I think we've gone almost every year since 2007 (except in 2007 because Miles was brand spanking new and still had his days and nights confused....therefore mommy and daddy were not interested in going to a parade).

Tanner and I have fun thinking back to the Lighting of the Lights ceremonies in St. Peter.  They used to make the magic happen with a big light switch - very symbolic.  There was hot chocolate, prizes (one year I won some colored pencils), and all sorts of activity in the Ginny May's parking lot.  Those were the good old days.  It's fun making similar memories with our little boys.  One of the best memories we'll have from tonight is Miles' reaction to "Steely", the Steele County Fair mascot (he's a moose).  Miles has seen Steely on numerous occasions and loves him -- loves all mascots, really.  We were certain that he overcame his fear of mascots long ago, but tonight was apparently an off night for him.  As Steely made his way toward us, Miles quickly moved to the back of the crowd along the sidewalk and squatted down behind a group of adults so that he wouldn't be spotted.  He was trying to blend in.  It worked!  Steely walked right on past him.  No big deal...we've got plenty of time to become friends with Steely.

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.