It's a ticket to slimy world.

Owen came home very proud to show me his ticket a friend had made him at school today. He said slimy world was in the same state as Disney World. 

We used a gift certificate to the Children's Theatre this weekend to see The Gruffalo. Owen enjoyed the audience participation as he 'roared' to scare away the Gruffalo. Our wonderful new babysitter, Molly, watched Walter, which gave Jer & me some special alone time with Owen. (Thank you for the thoughtful gift, Grandma Donna & Bruce!)

Jer and Owen went to the Gopher dual yesterday and Owen has been wrestling ever since. Walter has an awfully cute wrestling stance and scoot that he does before he tackles you down. Maybe I can capture that on video sometime soon. Arianna & Ella were over for dinner and a playdate this evening. Thankfully their dad is a wrestler, too, as they were all about getting some single legs on Owen as he tried hard to take them down.

All three guys received Hawaii haircuts yesterday, too. I finally caved and gave Walter a real haircut. It was hard to see the locks go, but it was time.

If I drop it in the snow, it will be camouflaged.

Owen's teacher brought everyone back a sea shell from her recent trip to Florida. He was so excited to show me and tell me about how fragile it was. He was quite anxious to get it home and into his 'rock and shell' collection box and told me this as he was getting out of the van after preschool.

We have been enjoying getting back into the preschool routine again after a nice four day weekend. I have a renewed appreciation for Sunny Hollow!

E-ne, me-ne, mi-ne, mo...

catch a tiger by its toe... Owen learned this rhyme from a friend at school. He does it to decide what book to read, what shirt to wear, what snack to choose, etc. 

We went to the MN Zoo today. The boys loved watching the sharks and turtles particularily. We also got to see a real lemur, which was pretty exciting for Owen since his favorite program has a lemur on it. I think the bird show may have topped everything, though. We had front row seats and had a hawk fly over us a couple different times - so closely that we felt the wind from its wings.

Walter has been taking his naps in Owen's bed the past three days. He asks as I'm putting him down and he doesn't move once he's in it. He does however have a huge grin on when I leave the room. He loves his big brother so much.

Can I pick out Daddy's birthday cake?

Jer's birthday was Friday and we decided to get him his favorite - a DQ cake. Owen & I went to pick it out after school and he picked out a horse cake. After celebrating with cake and presents, Jer and I went out to dinner to celebrate Valentine's Day. We went out to a steakhouse, M&S Grill, where we enjoyed a delicious dinner. After, we switched to celebrating Jer's birthday again and met up with some friends at the Otter.

On Valentine's Day we celebrated with heart balloons and pizza, followed by a special delivery of Valentines by Auntie Kindi.

Sunday we decided to keep on celebrating, first with a lovely brunch at Jax (where we had our rehearsal dinner) with Jer's family for his birthday. After we went to a birthday party for one of Owen's classmates at a local indoor playground. By the end of the weekend I think I gained 5 pounds and we were all completely exhausted.

I am patiently waiting for the ringing in my ear to stop and to be able to hear completely again. I have an ear infection and am feeling quite off-kilter lately. It will be nice when these antibiotics kick in and completely clear this never ending cold I've had for about two weeks now! Argh. 

Owen is off school again tomorrow, so we are heading to the zoo!

Elmo.

This is one of Walter's favorite words. He has an Elmo toothbrush and whenever its time to brush he runs to the bathroom saying "Elmo, Elmo, Elmo..."

Owen enjoyed using my wellies today as he pretended to be fishing in a stream catching "crocodiles & croppies."

I can't believe I'm about to write this, but today I packed the boys for Hawaii. No, we are not leaving this weekend, there are still a good two weeks before we go, but I'm so incredibly ready to run around outside and play that I decided to pack them up today. Why not, its not like we will be needing the swimsuits, t-shirts & shorts in the next couple of weeks here, right? In the process Walter's outfit somehow metamorphosed into this:

I think I'll be packing myself next week. 

Jer is on his way home. I love Thursday nights.

Bats eat over 100 mosquitos a night.

Owen's favorite show right now is Zaboomafoo (a lemur and a few guys talk about animals). Our day pretty much revolves around it. In the morning before school he is always reminding me to not let him miss it. He has been asking alot about mosquitos this week, he is especially concerned about them biting him while he swims in Hawaii in a few weeks. He told me this about the mosquitos today and when I asked where he learned that, his answer was Zaboomafoo. We are going to the zoo next week and are hoping to see a lemur there.

Owen has a Valentine's Day celebration at school on Friday so we have been working on Valentine's all week. I was pretty excited to read the note about needing to make a Valentine box as it took me straight back to my elementary days. After I explained how I decorated them as a child (hearts, red paper, etc.) Owen decided how he wanted to decorate his - a sky with airplanes flying in it. So here is the result, followed by a couple of the boys working on Valentines:

Eighteen.

Owen made a slide in our house and told me it was only for four and five year olds (basically, NOT for Walter.) I told him "Great, I'm five!" He said "no you're bigger, Mommy." When I asked how old he thought I was he said "eighteen." I am happy I am not.

If you're wondering why I haven't blogged at all this week. I think the following photo sums it up quite well.

Now if I only had a photo of Walter's green nose - but I don't think we need to go there. 

It was a rough week, but thankfully the weekend was much more enjoyable. Yesterday, my girlfriends & I threw a baby shower for our dear friend, Lindsay, who is expecting baby #1 on April 1st - no fooling. Today we enjoyed the balmy weather and spent some time playing on Lake Nokomis followed by Jer & Owen playing hockey over at Lake Hiawatha. If only winter could always be in the 40's and sunny. Although, then the lakes would never freeze, so we'll just be thankful for today.

Jer has spoiled me again and bought me a fancy new SLR with some reward points he recieved from doing a great job at Accenture. Hopefully I'll be delivering some great Lindsay-quality photos for you soon.

Look, Mom, I made a bird!

This is what Owen told me at breakfast yesterday. He had eaten his bagel into the shape of a bird!

We've had a nice week full of friends. We had dinner at the Cagle's Monday, the boys had an afternoon of Molly Tuesday (our sweet babysitter - while I went to yoga!), more time with the Cagle's Wednesday, a playdate with a boy from Owen's school on Thursday and playgroup at the Campbell's today! To top it all off, Molly came again today so Jer & I could go see Slumdog Millioniare this afternoon. What a week. 

I was also pleased to expand and update our picture wall this week. Walter is 19 months and there are now a few framed photos of the sweetheart in our house. All in time...

And I am walking on a 2 inch wide mountain cliff.

Owen received a new Your Big Backyard magazine Friday and it was all about bighorn sheep. After reading it a few times, he decided he needed to become a ram. He dressed himself all in brown, then talked me into dressing Walter similarly, topping both outfits off with pipe-cleaner ram horns. He crawled around the house head butting pretend rams and climbing on furniture telling me how he was walking on a 2 inch wide mountain cliff - a direct quote from the magazine.

At the end of yet another bitter cold weekend we got a bit stir crazy and decided some family bowling was in order. When we arrived at the alley, something got into Walter and he turned into an intense little dude. He was so excited about all of the balls and the idea of throwing them that he couldn't stop screaming. Half of the screams were of delight and the other half were of frustration that he had to wait his turn. I think the picture below sums it up quite well - proof that our sweet little laid back boy does have a pretty strong opinion sometimes.

Batman.

We discovered Walter's newest word in the tub tonight. Owen decided he had to then dress in his Batman pj's to celebrate.

Walter had his 18 month check up today, even though he is 19 months now. (I've never been known for my promptness.) He is a healthy 28 lbs 11 oz and 33.5 inches - ~80% for both! He had one vaccine today and didn't even flinch when the nurse did it.

I will decorate his bowl with treats.

Today was an exciting day. In addition to being the inaguration of President Obama, it was also Griffin's 8th birthday. When I told Owen about Griffin's birthday this morning, he decided he was in charge of Griffin's breakfast and was going to 'decorate his bowl with treats.'

Walter & I had our last day of music class today, we may be signing up for next semester. I'm just not sure yet. Owen enjoyed going back to school after a 4 day weekend today. He wore is "Obama Rama" pin to school today and they got to watch the inaguration at school. At home we celebrated with a cheers and some sparkling juice. 

Here is one of the pictures Owen made for Grif today (I drew the outline of Griffin):

It starts with 'd, d', has a collar and runs faster than a t-rex.

Owen & I were playing animal guessing games in the car on the way home from MI/WI today. Can you guess what animal he was describing? (Answer is at the bottom of this post.)

We had some ups & downs this weekend. First, the boys & I went to Stevens Point for a night at Jer's corporate apartment Thursday. Friday morning, Walter threw up and then was acting just normal, so we went on with our plans. My parents drove down and picked up the boys while Jer & I went to Chicago for his project's holiday party. It was a fun night with a nice dinner followed by some dancing and socializing. Saturday we lazily got out of bed and went across the street for breakfast (maybe we should say lunch!). We walked along the Magnificent Mile and found our way to a movie. We did some shopping on the way back before returning to our hotel to get ready for dinner. Well, we never made it to dinner as Jer started to get quite sick and was sick all night. Sunday morning we checked in with my parents and found out that my dad & Owen had both gotten sick in the middle of the night. So, I guess Walter was truly sick and it wasn't some random incident. As of today, both boys are doing just fine, however Jer & my dad are still on the mend.

We made it home this evening. I felt pretty badly being away from my boys when they were sick and then also getting my dad sick. Knowing how terrible Jer felt & looked, I'm sure my parents did a ton of work this weekend. Still, they both said they would love to do it again (thankfully, as Jer & I enjoyed having some alone time together...even if he was ill half the time!) and felt lucky to have the extra time with the boys. Luckily they had a nice healthy day together Saturday, during which they went sledding, made soap, wrote some books, played ping-pong and played and played and played some more.

Last year we met my parents in the Dells to go to this party. Here is a picture from that weekend. The boys were just really starting to play together then, as Walter was beginning to sit up and interact more. They are such buddies now, its fun to see the development. Thank God for siblings!

(Answer: a dog)

That's mines.

I'm not sure how Owen decided mine should be mines, but he whenever he says mine, it comes out mines.

We had a nice weekend together. The highlight was an impromptu sledding outing at a nearby hill. Luckily there was a broken sled left for the garbage trucks waiting for us at the hill, as our garage door was frozen shut, so we only had one sled. (another bit of luck that we didn't put the one sled away!) Both boys loved sledding and Owen mainly wanted to ride solo. He tried his hardest to make it onto the creek every time. The hill was quite speedy and slick. Here's a clip of Jer & the boys zipping down together (Walter is in the middle):

How to clean your fingernails.

Owen was sad that he did not receive a presentation today at school and that Jamie did. When I asked what her presentation was on, he told me this. I know some people think Montessori is a bit wacky and don't quite get it and I have to admit I couldn't stop giggling to myself after Owen said this, but really, isn't it great to hear them wanting to care for their bodies. 

Owen has been asking me over & over when I'm going to start sewing again, so today when he asked, I said what should we make? He decided he'd like a hat so we set out on a journey to make a hat. I've never been a pattern person, so wung it and after tossing out half a hat and then using my seam ripper a few times, we ended up with a hat! He choose the red & black fabric colors along with green bobbin thread and pink top thread. So the seams don't quite match up, oh well, I don't think he cares. He's looking forward to wearing it to school in the morning.

Walter & I had music 

again yesterday after a few weeks off for the holidays. He was happy to be back boogieing again. One of his favorite parts of class is when he gets to put a ball under his shirt. It always makes him smile. He also loves the parachute and bouncing to 'Jelly in a Bowl'.

Flashback

Here's a couple photos from a year ago. So cute.

Dada.

Owen & I weren't the only ones missing Jer today. Walter was saying 'dada' all day. He'd walk around looking for Jer saying it, he was saying it in the car, he'd find a shoe or hat of Jer's and say it. 

We are easing back into reality. Owen had school today and was happy about it. After Walter's nap the boys & I ran a couple errands and grabbed dinner at Noodles. I decided to take the easy route today.

The bath got a bit rowdy tonight with fights over toys and some hair tugging by a younger sibling. Owen milked it all for all it was worth. Thankfully bedtime was in site so my patience lasted through it all. 

No.

This is Walter's new favorite word. He says it perfectly clear, nice and loud, and with great emotion. At first this meant no and yes, but just yesterday he began to give a yes nod (accompanied by a really sweet smile). I'm hoping this will be a new favorite.

We've been enjoying a nice holiday vacation together. Christmas was wonderful in da U.P., complete with a visit from Santa. Owen was star struck when he walked into my parents' house, answering all his questions very seriously. It was pretty cute. 

Since returning home we've been busy visiting with friends & family, going to yoga, ice fishing, ice skating, going to movies and relaxing as a family. One more day until reality and we will be enjoying every minute of it.

Here is Owen practicing for our upcoming Hawaii trip. Maybe he'll get called up on stage at a luau with these skills.

Give me one more chance.

I get to open up presents tonight, Mommy.

We are celebrating Christmas tonight with the Hipps family. Owen is a little bit excited.

We have started vacation out right. We had the ultimate lazy, snow day yesterday and it was great! I skipped yoga, Jer skipped his Christmas shopping and we all lounged around our house all day. We did get bundled up to play in the fresh snow for a bit.

Today I did go to yoga and Jer & O are out doing their Christmas shopping now. I'm going to finish up some wrapping and maybe do a little baking before we head over to Joanne's to celebrate. Vacation is a good thing.

Roar

Walter has a new 'word' or maybe a sound. He says this with his fists clenched and raised in the air. Its pretty darn cute.

Today was a big day in our house. It was Owen's winter concert, followed by a pizza party for all the families of Sunny Hollow. At the last minute Jer & I decided bringing an 18 month old would make it a bit difficult so my dear mom's group friends came to the rescue and watched Walter while we were at the event. His class sang Fre're Jacques (in French, English & Ojibwa), Three Little Birds, and Let it Snow to a packed house. It was quite cute. During the last song, Owen decided it would be fun to sing with his hands on his head. Here's Three Little Birds, Owen is in the front row, second from the right.



Here are a few other photos from school. First, Owen & his teacher, Gina, followed by O & Jer.

I just need to finish this advertisement.

This is what Owen told me when I told him dinner was ready tonight. He has been making books all afternoon. I guess this one was a magazine.

I dropped Owen off at school this morning while still in my pj's. I'm struggling getting us out the door in time with all this intense winter gear these days. Children have no sense of urgency when it comes to time. Refreshing idea, but sometimes I wish they got it...like when we are running late for school!

We made cookies this afternoon. Owen was in charge of unwrapping the kisses and rolling the dough balls in sugar. He was pretty pumped about these cookies as we are bringing them to Sunny Hollow to share with the other families after his concert on Friday.

After dinner the boys took a bath together. There was tons of laughter and splashing going on in there tonight. The bathroom floor was drenched by the end of it all.