Doot Doot Da Doot, Doot Doot Da Doot...

The little guy is turning 2 on Tuesday, so for an early birthday present, mom and dad took him to see his favorite character ever. Every time Elmo had to leave the stage, he would turn to one of us, scowl, and let out a big "ELMO?" Big bird used to be the cool one back in the 70's and 80's. Oh how times have changed.

And a Happy New Year!

We were able to ring in the new year at Grandma's and Grandpa's house in Arizona. The dude enjoyed playing with his cousins and watching KU win its first ever BCS Bowl title. In addition to getting the dude to sing the Rock Chalk chant and to wave the wheat, he also began counting to ten and singing the abc's. Ok, so he doesn't get every little last syllable, but he's not even 2 yet, so I think I'll cut him some slack.


If you listen, you can hear the dude counting along with me to jump in the pool.

Merry Christmas

We were able to make it down to New Mexico over christmas and the dude had a great time. He was the center of attention all week with Grandma and Grandpa, as well as with the caroling crowd in Old Messila.

And so it begins...

It wouldn't be December in MN without a little bit of snow. From all the reports we have been hearing, this is just the beginning for the weekend. It's a good thing I just got myself a face mask for winter cycling. I would normally say how much I missed San Diego here, but seeing the little dude's face light up while playing in the "no" (dude talk for snow) makes me reconsider. But man, he went totally bizerko when we had to bring him inside after 2.5 hrs for nap time. He didn't even care that he was on the verge of getting frost bite on his cheeks. He just couldn't get enough of the winter wonderland.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving has come and gone, so let me update everybody on what's been going on with the dude. We went to grandma and grandpa's house for thanksgiving. His cousins were elsewhere this year with other family obligations, so the dude was the center of attention all day. The dude's parents spent endless hours in the kitchen (or at least several minutes) making sweet-potato pies. It turns out we made yam pie. It still tasted good on account of all the butter and sugar. I guess we had no idea what a sweet potato looked like when we were at the store. I still think they must have been labeled wrong at the store.

Also, over the weekend a local downtown area had reindeer sleigh rides. It was much less of a event than I was picturing in my head based off the advertisement in the paper. However, the kiddos really seemed to enjoy the ride. The dude laughed hysterically for the first half and had a grin the whole time.

Happy Halloween!

The 2 skeletons had a great time trick-or-treating with the St. Paul kiddos. The dude was even able to muster a "trick-or-treat" and "thank you" at each house we visited. Once he tasted the sugar, he had no problem being prompted to repeat these sayings to everyone we met.

Great Grandma Jean: September 29, 1921 - October 17, 2007

Last Wednesday the dude's great grandmother passed away a few weeks after turning 86 years old. She was an remarkable person who never let obstacles (like lifelong battles with polio) stop her from leading an amazing life. She will be missed greatly by all who knew her.

My favorite season of the year...

We are loving the Fall weather!!

"CHEESE"

I got the camera out today to take a few pics of The Dude. Up until today, when the camera came out, the dude went running in the opposite direction. I have to thank some unknown influence out there, because when I pointed the camera at the dude today, he looked right at me and SAID "Cheese"!! As if that's not cute enough, when I was satisfied with the picture the dude insisted I continue the photo shots.

Life's been pretty crazy lately and this moment put a huge smile on my face!! Enjoy...

Thought you might also enjoy a cute shot from behind...

Labor Day Weekend!

Labor Day Weekend is always a big event up at the cabin. The dude got to hang out with his cousins along with a new little buddy that came to visit. The new face in the crowd brought his parents along (who happen to be good friends with the dude's parents) to get a little fishing and wake boarding in.


I'd like to say that the person flying in the air here is me, but I am fairly sure nobody would believe me.

At the Minnesota State Fair...

The dude's New Mexico Grandma and Grandpa are in town to visit, so we all piled in a bus and relatively painlessly made our way to the Minnesota State Fair. At the Minnesota State Fair the dude got to pet baby cows only hours old, watch a cow show and moo at them, eat his first fried cheese curd (after he washed his hands of course), and play on real farm equipment. There were also many rides (just like the ones that always break down and hurt people because the carnival industry is so unregulated) and games to play, so everybody had a blast. Here's a game you can play at home: Where's the dude's Grandpa's hat? (hint: you can see the underside of it in one of the pictures below)

Fun at the Zoo!

The dude's three favorite pastimes are dancing, swimming and playing with animals. I took him to the MN Zoo recently with some friends and the dude could not contain his excitement. Here's a picture of him on a tractor heading to the farm petting zoo.

Triathlon Season

A couple weeks ago the whole family participated in the Lifetime Triathlon. This is one of the largest triathlons in the country. We all did fabulously and more importantly we had a lot of fun.


It's also cabin season, so here is a picture of the dude's first encounter with a farm animal up close and personal. He was a little scared of the horses and seemed to like the barn cat better.