Winter Wonderland

This is what we woke up to!

Kaelyn LOVED it!!!!

Austin HATED it!!!!!

Austin was SO happy to be back inside!

Kaelyn wasn't ready to come in so she went out on the balcony

We had our first official snow of the season!!! We got close to a foot of snow! Kaelyn absolutely loves it and could play outside all day! Austin on the other hand, not so much. He cries as soon as you get all of his gear on and continues to cry the whole time outside unless you pick him up and hold him. But they both look pretty cute all bundled up! We got Austin's snow suit from an old co-worker of mine. It is 18-24 months so it is a little big, but it was free so it works!!! Kaelyn is actually wearing the jacket and snow pants we got last year which are 18 months. It fits her perfectly!!!! So we have been enjoying building snowmen and sledding with all of this white stuff outside!!!! It has been fun to actually be able to enjoy it this year!

Looking back....

So Austin and Kaelyn are 15 1/2 months apart. Austin in now 15 months, so I have been thinking......I am SOOOOOOO glad I am not 9 months pregnant right now!!!! Or even pregnant at all for that matter!!!! I love my kiddos, but they keep me busy enough right now!

October 2010

Well, it's been another crazy month for our family! We started off the month with a 10 day vacation to Idaho and Utah. Joe served his mission for our church in Boise, ID from 2001-2003. We started our trip flying into Boise and having lunch with the Teuscher's. Judy was like Joe's mom when he was on his mission. Then we drove out to Parma which is very close to the Oregon border. We stayed with the Jeffers who have a farm. The kids had an amazing week with all of the animals!! Kaelyn really bonded with one of the dog's named Wally and Austin held his own with all of the big wagging tails!!!! Joe got to do some shooting and even got to wrangle up a sheep to bring to slaughter. We drove into Oregon and got to see some of the areas where Joe served during his mission. It is a beautiful part of the country! At the end of the week we stayed with the Teuscher's daughter and her family for a night. Their kids watched our kids and we were able to have a night out with grown ups!!!! It was great!!! Then we drove down to Utah and stayed in Orem for a few days. We were able to meet up with our friends the Russell's who live here in MN. They were visiting family out there. We were also able to see an old friend Joe grew up with and one of his Tongan mission companions who is now married and living in Provo. At the end of our trip we had to drive back up to Boise to fly home, so we stayed with the Teuscher family again. It was actually a pretty nice and relaxing time because we just went with the flow and took it easy. The kids did really well on the airplane rides and we were sad we had to come back to reality!!! We had a fun Halloween with the kids this year. I don't think Austin really knew what was going on, but Kaelyn was able to go trick or treating with her cousins and absolutely loved it!!!! Kaelyn has been loving going to school twice a week and being able to do lots of art activities. She is very independent and loves to help with anything she can. She is talking in full sentences, but still has a lot of jabbering in between so it is very interesting to carry on a conversation with her! She loves to tell stories and sing too! And she climbs on everything! Austin is really starting to come into his own. He is very talkative and has a few words: Mama, Dada, ball, Dora, and fish. He loves Elmo and trucks. He is still very into books and can now climb up on Kaelyn's bed. He has started pushing back when he gets pushed and is very strong. We are definitely in for it with these two!!!

Idaho 2010

Utah 2010

October 2010

September 2010

Well, I guess I can say that September was a little less eventful than August was! Thank goodness. Aside from coughs and sniffles which seemed to follow us the whole month, we are all doing pretty well. The big thing that started this month is ECFE (early childhood family education). We decided to to a class for Kaelyn and for Austin. Kaelyn's class is Tuesday mornings and Austin's is Thursday. During Kaelyn's class Austin is at home with Joe, but on Thursday mornings Joe is sleeping. So Kaelyn goes with us and stays at sibling care. Each class is 1 1/2-2 hours long. It is divided up between play time, circle time-which includes singing, parent education time, and snack time. Both kids are really enjoying it and it's nice to get out and meet new people.
Kaelyn is working hard at learning her colors and shapes. She gets them correct about 50% of the time. She loves to count too, but always ends up saying 1,2,6...so hopefully she will figure it out eventually!!! She is talking so well now and it is so much fun to have a conversation with her that you actually understand!
Austin is such a little man! He is into everything but especially loves music. He is always dancing or bopping his head to the music. He loves to read and look at books and is walking all over the place. He really loves his sister too and is always wanting to get into what ever she is doing. His collar bone seems to be healing well and doesn't seem to bother him at all.
Joe is doing great with keeping up with his school work and working and being a husband and being a dad! He is one busy guy!!!!
We are looking forward to a trip out west to visit some friends in Idaho and Utah. I'm sure we will have lots of pictures to share!

Please click on the picture below

September 2010

August 2010

As if the summer wasn't busy or crazy enough, August sure didn't disappoint us. We started off the month with the kids having a virus. Austin ended up covered in a rash from head to toe. Then Joe came down with a really bad headache. We ended up going to the ER late one night and after a spinal tap confirming that he had an infection, he ended up being admitted to the hospital overnight. It turned out to be viral meningitis. Which is the "good" meningitis to get. (Verses bacterial meningitis.) There wasn't really anything that could be done since it was a virus, but it completely wiped Joe out. He was out of work for three weeks and flat on his back for most of that time. He couldn't sit up or stand up without getting a severe headache for those three weeks. Luckily he is all better now and things are finally back to normal for him.
A week and a half after all that excitement we celebrated Austin's 1st Birthday!!!!! We had a party in the club house at our apt complex. It was a nice gathering of friends and family and the kids seemed to have a good time! My parents were able to come up for his party and stayed for two weeks. This was especially helpful since Joe was recovering.
We had planned an outing to Wisconsin Dells at the end of August with Joe's parents. But then Joe's mom ended up in the hospital with a bowel obstruction. She ended up having surgery and is now finally back at home. She is improving everyday which we are so thankful for. So, we ended up being able to go up to the north shore with my parents for a couple of days. We went to Knife River for 2 nights and then Joe, Kaelyn, Austin and I stayed in Duluth for a night at a place with a water park. We really enjoyed the chance to get a way for a few days and just relax!!!
Joe started school at the end of the month again. He is going back to North Hennepin to complete another Associates Degree. He only needed 9 more credits to complete an Information Systems Management degree. Then he will start at Metro State for a Bachelor's degree in January.
To wrap up a fun filled month, on Tuesday, August 31st Austin fell and broke his collar bone. He was with a babysitter, and fell down about three stairs. The babysitter caught him before he hit the floor, but the damage had been done. We didn't realize he had broken anything until I took him to the Dr two days later. He seemed to be okay the day after it happened but then two days later you could tell he has in some pain. He only cried whenever we picked him up under his arms. He was a trooper. There isn't anything they do for it as far as a cast or splint goes. You just have to watch him and it will heal within 4-6 weeks.
So we are hoping that Sept will be less eventful. But we are grateful we are at least mostly healthy and able to enjoy being together!
Click on the links below to view pictures

August 2010

Austin's 1st Birthday!

July 2010

Hello everyone! Well, July has been a busy but exciting month!! We started off the month with 4th of July. We spent time with Joe's parents and went to Canterbury Downs. They had free food, rides and a big playing gym for the kids. It was fun to get out and enjoy the day. Joe had to work that night so we didn't make it out for fireworks. The kids were too tired and mommy didn't want to venture out without daddy!!!! Maybe next year!
We have loved spending time at the pool this summer. Austin and Kaelyn are little fish!!! They love the water and have no fear! We ventured out to the zoo and the Children's museum this month. The kids love the animals and all of the fun things to do.
We had a visit from my parents in the middle of the month for a long weekend. It was so good to see them!!! The kids had a ball while they were here! My parents got in some much needed grandparent time!!! Then at the end of the month Uncle Nate and Auntie Elizabeth came for a visit. The kids were a little under the weather so it took a little time to warm up. But they did have a lot of fun swimming and going to the mall. They even took the kids to Build a Bear and they got to make a new stuffed animal. Kaelyn chose to make an owl named Hoot!
We celebrated Joe's 30th birthday on July 22nd!!! The day before we went to Valley Fair with our friends the Russell's. We rented a cabana at the water park and spent the day in the sun! Ethan and Joe were able to venture out and do some water slides and rides while Kim and I spent time with the kids at the kiddie area and mini lazy river. The kids had a blast!!!
We also celebrated our 5 year anniversary on July 16th!!! We were able to go out to our favorite restaurant called Ichiban's while my parents were here! It is a Japanese steak house where they cook the meal right in front of you. We did this on our 1st anniversary and have turned it into a tradition. They have the best food and we look forward to going every year!!!
Austin took his first steps this month!!! He is having fun practicing walking between two people but hasn't taken off quite yet!!! He has also FINALLY started feeding himself which is such a relief for us. Although he is really messy!!!! His little personality is really shinning through and he is such a happy kid!!!
Kaelyn is as independent as ever and loves to do things herself. She likes to play dress up and loves to "cook" in her kitchen. One of her favorite things to do is put people to sleep. She tells you to close your eyes, she sings you a song, rubs your back, and then tells you when it's time to wake up!!!! She is very nurturing and caring, but definitely has a wild streak to her. She is a handful but is so much fun too!!!!!

Click on the photo below to view all of our July pictures-scroll down to see a video of Kaelyn singing Happy Birthday to Daddy and Austin walking!!!!!

July 2010

May and June 2010

Well, two months have gone by and we have been busy busy busy!!! The kids are doing really well and are keeping us on our toes!!! Austin has accomplished so much in the last two months. He has finally figured out how to crawl on all fours, he can go from laying down to sitting up, he is pulling himself up on everything and cruising around on the furniture. He has even stood by himself for a few seconds without falling over. He is finally drinking out of a sippy cup and holding it him self. The one thing he still won't do is feed him self. He likes to pick food up and smash it between his hands, but will not put it in his mouth. He is laughing and talking all of the time. He is such a happy kid!!!!!
Kaelyn is definitely two! She figured out how to flip herself over the side of Austin's crib to get in there with him. Then within a few days she figured out how to climb out of her crib. One day I put her down for a nap and within a few minutes I heard some noise coming from her room. Then all of a sudden she walks around the corner and says "hi mom"!!!! I couldn't believe it!!!!! So we took her to pick out new sheets for her big girl bed and changed her crib into a toddler bed. She absolutely loves it!!! The first week we had some late nights where the kids just did not want to go to bed. But things have settled down and bedtime isn't quite so awful anymore.
Joe graduated from North Hennepin Community College in May with an Associate Degree in Business Management. It was fun to see him walk across the stage and get his diploma!!! It's been a long time coming! He wants to continue on and do Information Systems Management.
We are enjoying being in the Plymouth area and are feeling settled in our new place. There are so many pictures between May and June that I set them up through google. So please go to the link below and enjoy all of the pictures!!!!

http://picasaweb.google.com/lindsayreinwand/MayAndJune2010#