Safe and found.

Walter was a monster trying to get Owen & me tonight. Owen told me we were "safe and found."

I didn't think I had any new photos yesterday so I didn't post. I had forgotten about soccer on Monday. It was a great time. I was super impressed with the coach. We've been in a few other park & rec programs that were a little hokey, so it was a breathe of fresh air seeing it start on time and have the kids all running around and involved throughout practice. Owen was very excited and has asked at least 5 times if soccer comes again tomorrow.

Today we had the pleasure of the company of Atticus for most of the day. He is a 2.5 year old chatter box that we picked up after dropping Owen off at school. (not just on the side of the road...his mom is on bed rest expecting baby #3!) Walter loved having a companion a little closer to his size to follow around all morning. We were joined by a few other friends as we hosted playgroup this morning, too. Its good to get Walter socializing these days! Owen was super pumped to see Atticus picking him up at school - normally I get a huge hug, today I got jipped as Atticus stole the show! The three boys played for a while at home and then they all took a nice snooze while I cleaned up from the morning.

The day ended with the usual wrestling around in our back family room. It seems to be what we do from about 6-6:30 every night.

Do you want a drink of water, Wonder Woman?

Owen told me he played superheros with a boy on the playground at school today. Yesterday he found a picture of Jer & I from Halloween a few years back...and found my Wonder Woman costume in the Halloween bin. We also played superheros last night.

Yesterday Kindi came over and watched Walter so Jer & I could spend some special time with Owen. We took him fishing and he told me all about the lures, how to fish, etc. the whole time. I said, "look a frog bait" pointing down at a frog-looking lure. He said "No Mommy, that's a hula-popper." Sounds like a made up name to me, but Jer confirmed that's what its called. Jer spent the majority of the time putting minnows on Owen & my jigs and unsticking my snags. We were out for a couple of hours and he probably had his line in for a half hour! I'm not sure if I'll be invited back on the boat anytime soon.


Walter & I did our morning walk after dropping off Owen. He almost made it around the lake, but fell asleep at the end. We spend the rest of our time playing and running a couple errands. Tonight is the first night of soccer for Owen. Walter & I will be his #1 fans.

Saturday I spent the day staring at my new washing machine. It puts our old one to shame, spinning out the water like crazy. It cuts an easy 20 minutes off of my drying time. Gotta love those Energy Star appliances!

Dream about what you want me to make you for breakfast.

Owen gave me my breakfast options for tomorrow morning this evening. PB&J on toast or honey on toast. I get to tell him my answer in the morning.

Owen finished up his first official week of preschool without a hitch today. As I was putting him to bed he asked for a story about going to Sunny Hollow. As I talked through all the steps of getting there and the things he does there he told me "sometimes I just want to be with you when I'm at preschool." Talk about a heart breaker. I told him I missed him, too, and am always so excited to pick him up and hear about all that he did. He said, "yes, but its really just hard to wait to see you." Its good its Saturday tomorrow. I didn't get a picture of him today, so here's one from a year ago. We were at my great-uncle's farm and he was super excited to be up in the tree.

Walter and I had a busy time together during preschool. I finally caved and ordered a new washing machine. Ours has been getting stuck, not letting the water out for quite a few months now. I had figured a way to jimmy around with it to where it eventually worked, so I put buying a new one off. Today it was time...long overdue. After, we decided to go get Walter's first official haircut. He'd been called a she one too many times lately, so I caved again. I asked the stylist to keep it a little long as I think it reflects his personality, but it was time to tame it a bit. For our remaining hour, we decided to hit up a park and were pleasantly surprised to run into the Swenson's from our playgroup. Walter doesn't quite appreciate the company yet, but I sure did. We are going to Chicago together in about a month (just a few of us moms from playgroup) so Melissa & I were getting excited anticipating that!

Jer came back this afternoon and we enjoyed making and eating dinner together. Owen peeled all of the carrots for the stir-fry.

I'm watching the sunset.

This is what Owen said last night as he was looking out towards our backyard...which faces east.

Owen is still going strong at Sunny Hollow. I'm the one having the harder time adjusting I think. Around 11 a.m. I'm ready to get him, but wait until noon. It just gets so quiet around here without him. Today, he came home excited to tell me about the tortoise in his classroom and a little boy who he played with outside (something about rock treasures) and inside (a matching sensory game with a magic wand). I spoke with his teacher this afternoon and was relieved to hear things are going well from her perspective.

Walter and I are enjoying some special time together, but I think he still finds his brother more entertaining. One adjustment the little guy has had to make with preschool is his naps. 11 is his ideal time, so he has been taking a small snooze on the way to picking Owen up everyday. Luckily he is so laid back and has no trouble waiting until 1:00 to get the full snooze in.

Look, Walter's biking!

Owen has been wanting to go for a bike ride around the block with Walter on his little bike for a while now. Timing has never been right, however, until today, so we attempted to go for a ride. First, Walter's shoe kept falling off, eventually followed by a sock. Then, Walter kept wanting to steer his bike into the street. We made it about half way down the block and back with lots of encouraging words from Owen and redirecting from me. They are buds.
Today was Owen first full day of school with all of his classmates. We were there 5 minutes early and there was quite a buzz in the school. It was exciting to be there, but I said good-bye quickly so I wouldn't cry. Owen was just fine, of course. When I picked him up I got a huge hug and we went out for lunch to celebrate. He told me he got to play outside and downstairs. He also told me he did the pink tower (again) and read a book about tails. Slowly other details leak throughout the day, I sure am anxious to observe someday...

Its probably the fish eggs, Daddy.

Jer was reversing the boat trailer into our garage and having a hard time getting it to angle in correctly. Owen decided it was the algae on the back of the boat (or according to him, fish eggs) causing the problem.

We've been enjoying every second of our vacation together. On Friday we took a day trip to Taylor's Falls. We raced down the alpine slides and drove go-karts at Wild Mountain. To make the toboggans go you push forward and then pull back to stop. Both Jer and I were pulling back at times while Owen was pushing forward with all his might! He loved it. Walter was too little to ride, but enjoyed watching and exploring. After we got home, Jer and Owen took the boat out on Lake Nokomis. Owen caught a Sunny that was just eating his worm, it wasn't even caught on the hook!

Saturday morning they took the boat out again, this time joined by Josh McMahon. Owen got skunked, but Jer & Josh both caught a few fish. Jer said Owen talked the entire time.

Sunday was a barbeque with the Hipps family at Grandpa Monster's house. I've been craving a nice yard for my boys to run around in, and they definitely had their chance there. We had a great time playing golf and football in the yard, talking and, of course, eating delicious food!

Today we had a cook-out at Kindi's complete with hotdogs and beans grilled on the fire, followed by s'mores. Hmmm...the diet starts tomorrow, right?!

Tomorrow is Owen's first full day at Sunny Hollow. I'm not sure how we'll all be fed, dressed and out the door by 8:15, but we'll figure it out. Tomorrow is also back to reality for Jer...its been a nice relaxing time at home.

That's his grandpa, right?

Last night Owen had a hard time falling asleep. I got home just after Obama was starting his speech. After a few failed attempts of getting him to bed, we let him sit on the couch so we could finish listening. When Barack was done, he was joined by his family and then Biden. When Biden came on stage, this is what Owen said.

Owen had a good day three at Sunny Hollow. He told me he sang "I've been working on the Railroad," did the pink tower and read a book about dogs. After naps, Jer & the boys went to a friend's house to play followed by a trip to Broadway Pizza.

I spent the afternoon looking at paint colors for our house. I think I was in Hirshfield's for a good 1.5 hours. I would've stayed longer but I had plans with my GNO friends. We met at the Walker for some mini-golf (the highlight hole was a stationary bike that launched your ball into pinball machine and then to the green), a stroll through the Sculpture Garden and dinner on the rooftop at Joe's Garage. It was great to see everyone. Our dear friend Rachel is back in action now that she has taken the bar exam. It was wonderful to see her and see her relaxed.

I'm just too tired.

I never thought I'd hear this out of Owen's mouth. He's said it a few times lately. I think school is wearing him out.

Day 2 was another great day for Owen. So far, so good. Today he told me he had bread with butter that he spread on it. He also learned about work mats; how to get them, lay them out and walk around them, not on them. I learned more Montessori theory and how to apply it to the home in my parent education. Tomorrow Jer will go and I will stay home with Walter.

If someone ever told me my house would one day be as full of life as it is at 7:30 a.m., I would never have believed them. Here is a little glimpse of what I mean: (please note, most of this is typical, just not the naked boy eating yogurt with his hands...normally he is in his pj's, in his highchair and attempting to use a spoon!)

When is it going to be school again?

From the sounds of that quote, you can guess today was a great day! Owen was really excited to go to school and really proud to tell us about it after. When I asked what he did, he told me he "Did the screw driver thing, poured his water in his cup and that was about it." He also told me "you know my locker when you see the red iron." He was pretty excited to have his own locker. Later, I saw his locker has a picture of a red iron on it.

Tonight we were back at school for a classroom preview and an ice cream social. Owen was really excited to show all of us the things he learned and how to do a few of the materials already. He showed us the screw driver that he screws screws into a board with and then unscrews them and puts them all away "so someone else can use it." Walter enjoyed playing on the playground. We are all excited to see what day 2 brings.

My confession.

Jer's off all week! About a month ago, I had a great idea of starting the week off with a family trip to the dentist. So we all headed to the dentist this morning. I went first and got the first bit of bad news...a cavity! Oh well, my fault. Then Owen and Jer had their appointments. I sat in the room with Owen while he first got x-rays taken and then got his teeth cleaned. He did such a good job. Unfortunately, I haven't been doing as good of a job. My sweet guy has a cavity. I feel so badly. I feel like a loser of a mom. Dr. Jordan told me not to be so hard on myself, that its in a space where his teeth are really tight and hard to clean, but seriously, who let's their 3.5 year old get a cavity? (Jer was quick to remind me of Brittany Spears' kids.) Argh. Oh well, it could be much worse. I am now the flossing queen of our family. Jer ended up with a cavity, too. What's up with the dental hygiene in this family???

On a much brighter note, Owen starts Sunny Hollow tomorrow. I'm not sure how I'll get to sleep tonight!

He's a wild kid.

Owen talking about Walter as they were playing together. Walter loves rolling into people and giggling if they lay down on the floor. He was doing this to Owen when Owen said this.

We've had some eventful days lately. Yesterday my parents took the boys to the Great Minnesota Get Together while Jer and I enjoyed some time alone. It sounds like they enjoyed lots of time looking at and petting the animals, eating all sorts of good food (Walter especially enjoyed the walleye) and even going on a few rides. Jer & I were loving the peace and quiet of our house, followed by a few drinks with some friends and dinner alone. We also grabbed the last few items needed for Owen's school - slippers and an espresso cup. He'll be drinking water from it, however!

Today we had Jer's summer outing for work at Valley Fair. We went last year and had a blast, so were anticipating the day for a while. It was a great day, but very tiring. Last year Walter was only a few months old when we went, so he spent the day in the Bjorn. This year wasn't as easy, so Jer and I were ready to go after a late lunch picnic. We still managed to go on plenty of rides, the highlight being the Flume that Jer & Owen rode together.

After, we headed over to my aunt & uncle's house for the 2nd annual Armstrong family talent show. Unfortunately our camera battery was dead so I didn't get any good photos, but the big winners of the night were our boys. Owen's talent was showcasing all of his winnings from Valley Fair - dribbling a ball, flying a blow-up butterfly, and a few other truly amazing skills. Walter's talent was standing up on his own followed by a few sweet wobbly steps. So the boys took home the gold medal (literally...some medal my cousin donated as a prize) and Owen is so pumped. I looked back and saw him kiss it on the ride home tonight and he is now asleep with it. I don't think it is a coincidence that they took home the gold and were the only kids in the talent show...they are just that good.

It's hard having two kids, huh, Mommy?

Walter was squirming out of his high chair this evening at dinner and this is what Owen said to me.

Here's a fun photo that my cousin, Charlie, took this weekend of Owen and Super Griffin. He loves jumping off the dock and chasing sticks. He generally bites the sticks in half once he retrieves them. He's a good dog...even if he wreaks havoc on our house and yard!

I'm too tired to brush my teeth, go potty and walk to bed.

We are back home and are all worn out from the fun. Its time to get back into a routine around here and get ready for school next week! Luckily it's a slow transition with 3 half days next week, followed by a four day week and then a full week. Exciting stuff!

We had every intent of hitting up the Go Karts with Jer this weekend but never made it. On our way to dinner last night we drove by them and Owen was quick to remind us of our promise. After dinner we made good on it and had fun racing around the tracks. It was fun to see O's excitement and hear his giggles as he & Grandpa passed me on the track.

The boys did a great job in the van today - it could be that my mom was along for the ride this time! I was especially impressed by Walter. He slept for a little while, but mainly was up playing with toys and snacking. He bopped his head along to the music at times...his favorite song Jer discovered and we rediscovered today seems to be Hella Good by No Doubt. He's such a cutie. Here he is having fun playing in Griffin's water bowl at my parents' house:

Can we go tubing now?

This was the first thing out of Owen's mouth after he woke up from his nap this afternoon. He had his first tubing experience this weekend and couldn't get enough. He first went with auntie Kindi and then with his daddy. I was supposed to go with him this afternoon, but its turned chilly so I'll have to wait until next time. Kindi said he liked laying his head on the tube because he could 'feel the bumps better.' Jer got brave with him and was trying to make the tube jump and was sitting up with him. I was in the boat watching nervously, ready to jump out and get him if I needed (remember, I was once a lifegaurd!).

We had an enjoyable family weekend with the majority of the Armstrong's here. We were just missing three cousins. We had a luau on Saturday with my grandpa's scrumptious porkchops and homemade ice cream sandwiches that Owen, my mom & I made. They were just as I remembered. Unfortunately my mom didn't limit me on them this time around and I don't want to know how many I consumed. Everyone had fun between swimming, the sauna, skiing, tubing, yard games, board games, the Wii, motorbike rides, telling stories, and eating too much. We ended the weekend with a nice dinner at El Capitan, yum! It sure was great to be together.

I'm in to these.

Owen telling me about his new hot bait. Jer says this line often.


We made it to my parents' house - barely. Usually, I make sure I am all packed and ready the night before. Unfortunately, I didn't have the energy Monday night so it took us a while to get on the road Tuesday. Once we got on the road the rain started coming down hard and followed us to Chippewa Falls. I think we made 3 (of 4 total) stops in the first 1.5 hours, including a stop for a new portable dvd player. (pure desperation) Once the rain stopped, we finally got into a groove and made it in time for dinner.

Today my mom and the boys had a picnic at City Park and paid a visit to the albino fawn...I met them there after my massage! (I should come here every other week!) Owen went fishing once we got back and then again after his nap. He didn't catch anything with me (thankfully), but caught two bass with my dad. Walter splashed around in the water and crawled up and down the stairs to the dock. We all took a boat ride this evening. After, the Ski-ters picked up Owen and my dad and brought them down to watch the second half of the water-skiing show.

Tomorrow Jer comes already!

Open gate.

We were riding in the van yesterday and Owen was playing with a toy. Whenever he said "Open gate" Walter would start belly giggling. Jer and I both tried saying it with no luck, it only worked when Owen said it.

We've been enjoying our weekend. Friday, Owen & I went to a play with Kindi. It was part of the Fringe Festival and was about a squirrel going through an identity crisis. After, we went out for a treat and Owen wanted to climb the tree like a squirrel.

We spent Saturday and today getting stuff done around here that I've been wanting done for too long. It felt good to clean our carpets and go through the last mystery boxes that mysteriously appear in the storage room every so often. How lame of me to write about this, but really it feels so good to get it done! Its hard to get anything done with two little ones so I'm very impressed with our accomplishments.

Owen got away this afternoon with Jer's parents and brother and went to an international festival in Eden Prairie. He came back with a mask he made, a new soccer jersey, some green tomatoes and a Twins baseball painted on his cheek. He seemed to have had a ton of fun!

Walter has hit some huge milestones over the past couple days. Yesterday he figured out how to go down stairs on his belly. He now loves going up and then down again. My legs and back are getting a workout. And the really exciting news is that today he took his first steps! We were all downstairs playing in the new basement and he walked from me to Jer! It was so fun!!! I grabbed the camera later and got the third set of steps on camera! Of course I was too excited to remember that I was supposed to hold the camera horizontally, so tilt your head to the left and hit play...



So then I remembered that I was supposed to hold the thing horizontally and we tried again, but this is what happened.



Jer's off tomorrow! Yippee!

Uff da!

Owen's Norwegian roots are coming through. I guess I didn't realize I said 'uff da' until Owen started saying it.

We had another fun summer day today. We headed over to Lake Harriet for swimming and a picnic. I like to get my boys in lakes as much as possible. Although pools are nice, there's nothing like swimming with the fish. I asked Owen to go pack up some toys before we left and he came in with almost the entire sandbox. So we went with everything and had fun playing in the sand.

This evening we went to the Lake Hiawatha Carnival. (We were there last year and heard of the 35W bridge collapsing on our way there.) Walter loved getting a balloon and Owen enjoyed playing games, jumping in the Jump House, getting his face painted and getting to ride Snickers, again! He rode him last year and we still talk about it. Walter was content strolling along, people watching. He's so laid back. It'll be an adjustment when they both want to do different things.

I'm on fire, huh?

We were looking at a Where's Waldo book and Owen found Waldo twice in a row, so this is what he said.
We had a lovely day today. First of all, I got to sleep until 7:45 (heaven!). Then, once we had breakfast, the boys played while I got ready for the pool. An hour & a half later, we made it to the pool fully sunscreened with a well balanced picnic packed. (Talk about a process.) It was all worth while as we fully enjoyed our time with the Cagle ladies. The kids swam, ate and played their hearts out on the playground. (The only way we could get them to all sit still together was to have a funny face contest...)After nap we ran a couple errands and Owen talked me into having dinner at Chipotle. Generally, its not that hard, but I had planned out dinner already and somehow he managed to convince me. On the way home we happened to be driving by DQ and I couldn't help myself. So we enjoyed a nice evening with a couple dipped cones. While we were eating Owen told me that bringing him there was a 'very nice thing to do.' He's a keeper.

When are we going to ride in a space ship?

I'm not sure how to explain that quote. Just Owen ready for an adventure I guess.

Sorry about the gap in posts, its been a combo of being busy and being lazy. Going on over night adventures takes a lot out of me - between getting everything ready to go and then putting everything back together once we get back. In about a week we'll be doing it all over again, this time going to my parent's house for a family reunion.
The big thing going through my mind these days is Owen starting preschool. We received an information packet in the mail from Sunny Hollow Montessori this weekend and I've been reading it over and over again since. Jer and I also went and got him a few new school clothes this weekend. I just can't believe he's starting school. I'm so excited to see what this brings. We have a ton of confidence in this school, so I imagine big things are in store. Today at dinner he said "Soup and milk are liquids, right? I learned that in Little Scientist class." That was a class he did once a week for about 8 weeks this winter. If he remembers that from then, I just have to think he's going to be soaking up a bunch more going 5 days a week. My little sweetie.

Walter can be summed up in two words these days: climber and babbler. He loves to try and talk. We decided his first official word is ball. He loves to say it. I think he tries to say dog and banana, too, although they all kind of sound like ball. Our dining room chairs now get put on top of the table after being used. If I didn't do that, I'd be spending all day in the dining room chasing Walter around the table. He climbs onto the fireplace, couches and chairs all day. He doesn't try to get down, he just starts babbling really loudly (o.k., yelling) when he's ready to get down. He also is getting into pointing at things. I keep trying to get him to point at Mommy, Daddy, etc., but so far no luck.

Owen requested a game of tennis today so we all went over to the park by Lake Nokomis and played. The playground eventually lured us over, too. We also spent some time in the triangle playing baseball this afternoon. It was a nice laid back Monday, the way we like them around here.