Home Sweet Home

It has been several weeks since my parents came home from Jamaica and I apologize for this late post. The best part of that past several weeks has been our time at home. I think we lived in our car the entire month of December thanks to the holiday parties and traveling. One of the BIG events in January was the start of preschool. I attend a Lutheran preschool one day a week for two hours. My parents thought this would be a great way for me to interact with a larger group of kids my age. Jenny's son, Mason, also goes to preschool with me, so I know 1 of the 11 other kids in my class. Mommy had to teach on my first day, so Jenny brought me and Mason to school. Daddy came by with the camera since Mommy insisted on having pictures for her scrapbook. I had my personalized digger backpack loaded with extra clothes and other unnecessary items. At first glance, I was ready for this....

Then, came the part where I realized Daddy was leaving me again. Maybe it was the fact that my parents were only home for one day from Jamaica before leaving me in an unfamiliar place. Daddy snapped a few photos and high-tailed it out of there. I was the first to cry and by the time Dad left, 8 of the 12 kids in class were crying. He can't imagine what those teachers had to do to settle us all in. Jenny picked Mason and I up after school and was told that I took the longest to stop crying. Mommy is surprised by this since I usually just go with the flow. The positive part of my day was that I was excited about painting on the easel and was proud of my messy artwork.

Along came week two of preschool. Since it is only once a week, my parents were able to "talk up" preschool to me for 6 days before my next visit. This time around, Mommy did not have to work so she brought me to school. I was excited to paint (Mommy hoped to GOD that they allowed painting and fortunately they did). I didn't cry and took off towards the toys. It was easy and there were no tears from any of the other kids as far as Mommy knows. When she picked up, the teacher told Mommy I did great and that she knew right away which painting was mine on the easel because I love painting! Mommy wasn't sure how to get the huge, gloppy mess back home, but it did make it and is now hanging proudly on our refrigerator. I went to preschool the following week and again, everything is going great. I even ask to go to preschool on my days off!

We had our last holiday party the weekend after my parents came home from Jamaica. It was a friend's holiday party and kids were invited! It was crazy fun but most of the parents decided that babysitters are the way to go. It was a good trial and error on their part. All of the kids were excited and played well. The parents were all tired and ready for home by 9:00 that night. Mommy must have been really tired as she wore her friend's shoes home and didn't even realize they weren't hers... yes, she is blonde.

We had an unexpected playdate at Heather's one morning a few weeks back. Jenny's Daddy sadly passed away (we called him Papa) and Heather graciously allowed us to come over. Thanks Heather for the fun playdate. She went from 1 kiddo to 3 kiddos which was no easy feat, I am sure. Jenny... we continue to think and pray for you and your family.

We were well fed....

Had lots of fun with Finley's toys....

Cooper even found some baby toys which I am sure Heather is dusting off in anticipation of her baby's arrival in June....

And by the time Mom picked us up, we were asleep within 10 minutes of our drive home. Thanks again for being such a great friend!

We had a MAJOR cold snap last week. We were not able to go out to play because of sub-zero temperatures. It was a good thing we snuck out on the + days for some outside play.

Daddy put this oversized John Deere hat on Cooper's head.... um, Dad.... Cooper has about 20 winter hats that actually fit his head and will cover his ears. Just a tidbit for future reference.

Thanks to Daddy tearing around the yard like a maniac a few weeks ago, I have decided that our snowmobiles are scary and that "I don't like." Daddy can't seem to understand why zooming super fast in a circle would scare a 2 year old, but it did. I asked Mommy to ride to the garden and back on her snowmobile which we did. As we got close to home, I was ready to be done. My parents hope this snowmobile phobia is a phase since I rode on snowmobiles almost daily last year.

We went to Grammy's house for lunch on Mommy's b-day weekend. We trudged through the deep snow on the lake. My parents can't remember a winter with this much snow since they were kids. It is a lot of fun to have all of this snow but we need warmer days ahead to be able to enjoy them.

Grammy saved many of Daddy's toys from his childhood, even this old walker. I badly wanted to ride inside of it, but settled for pushing Cooper around Grammy's house. He seemed to like it, even when I slammed the walker into the wall a few times.

The highlight of our visit was when Grammy let me help her with making a birthday cake for Mommy. I am fascinated by mixers and ask to use ours almost daily. My parents don't allow me to use the Kitchenaide at home (they promise I can use it when I #2 in the toilet), so this was a very big treat.

Not only did I have fun mixing the ingredients together, it was a delicious chocolate cake too! I hope to make many more cakes with Grammy soon.

The next day was Mommy's 33rd birthday. She said that I only needed to give her hugs and kisses, which I did. She was spoiled with spa certificates, boots, gift cards and more. We enjoyed her birthday at home just playing and relaxing. She said that being a Mommy is the best birthday present of all and she thinks that Grandma really deserves the presents since she is the one who had Mommy and had to "deal" with her for 18 years. I will have to ask Grandma for more details on that one.

I was a good helper all day with opening presents, blowing out her candle, eating her favorite foods (Cold Stone!) and more. I sang, "Happy Birthday" to Mommy which made her wish it was her birthday everyday. I think that means she likes my singing voice.

Last weekend, we went to the cities after several weeks of "home sweet home." We went to see Papa since he was home from Indiana. We also went to see family since Grandma and Grandpa were having withdrawals from Cooper and I after our long stay while our parents were in Jamaica. Since gas prices continue to creep up, we decided to take Daddy's car. Liberty had to come too and since she had to squeeze between two carseats, this is how she chose to take her nap~head on the arm rest. Thank goodness she is resilient and flexible!

We had a nice brunch with Papa and gave him his birthday presents too. His birthday was on the 19th and we are glad we could celebrate with him. We will not see Papa until we go to Florida in April. Grandma Sharon did not make the trip home with him this time around but we will see them for some sun and beach in just a few months!

As you can see, I was ready with my Packers jersey on for the big game. We are pumped (Daddy, Cooper and I) that the Packers won on Sunday and are in the Super Bowl. Mommy is a Vikings fan, but will cheer on the Packers in case you are wondering.

My parents ran a few errands while I was "napping" at Grandma's and Grandpa's house. Their alarm system chimes and I must have sprung out of bed... look who is peeking out of the upstairs bedroom window?!?!?

Mommy and Daddy were supposed to go downhill skiing, but since the weather was ridiculously cold, we went to the zoo instead. I loved the "mooonkeys" the best and also liked the fish and tidepools. The zoo is way more fun in the summer when we can walk around outside to the exhibits. It was still a fun way to get out of the house to for a family outing.

We only spent one night at Grandma and Grandpa's before heading back home. I always love visiting with them! Grandma is very trusting and leaves things out that Mommy wishes she would put away (ie. hummels and other collectibles). I found her reading glasses and quickly put them on. I was dizzy for a bit but enjoyed everyone laughing at me. What a silly goose!

This is Mommy's short week of work, so we had Lily and Lucy over for a playdate. Lily loved my "jumpy house" as she calls it and I even allowed her to play with my toys! We decided to sit inside of my barn gate for a photo. With two toddlers and two babies, this was the only picture Mommy snapped. Next time we will have to get one of us jumping together in the jumpy house in our basement.

Finally, just an update about Cooper... he is feeling much better these days and hasn't needed his nebulizer all week! We are hoping his upper-respiratory infection is cleared up. He is back to his happy self. Cooper has sprouted his two lower teeth (pictures to come with those) and he LOVES to laugh and talk. He thinks that everything that I do is hilarious, which I can completely understand. In the picture above, I was talking into a pitcher which set him into a giggling fit for 15 minutes. The laughter between us boys makes our house a happy home and it makes my parents realize over and over again how amazing we are.... I agree!

"Yea, Mon!"

"Yea, Mon!" We are back from Jamaica! This is Leslie (Caden is giving me permission to write this blog entry) and many of you have asked about our trip. We usually try to do updates on our blog about the boys, but this trip is too important to leave out. With over 150 photos taken, I had to pick and choose a few just to show you what our trip entailed. First of all, Chris' youngest brother (there are three boys), Matt, got married to Jill in Negril, Jamaica on Thursday, December 30th. Many people have asked the W questions... Who went- 23 of us went to the wedding, 5 of these guests stayed at a different resort, so 17 of us stayed at the RIU All-Inclusive Resort in Negril. When did we go.... people came and went at various times around the wedding date. Chris and I left early on December 28th and returned on January 3rd. Who took the boys... this was the "biggie" for us. My Mom and her husband (Jamie) took the boys and my brother and his fiance took Liberty. We had neighbors take care of our house and everything worked out really well! So, how did it go???? It went better than expected (nervous Mom syndrome) and we did enjoy ourselves. I will discuss more about our trip with the pictures below. Enjoy!

This picture is titled "perpetual laziness." We went into vacation mode much faster than usual. It must be due to the fact that we have a 6 month old and a 2 1/2 year old. Chris and I vacation often, but with our expanding family these past few years, our vacations are limited. This vacation was spectacular because we were able to spend time together, spend time with family, and of course, spend time doing what we love~enjoying the beach, pool and awesome weather! Our typical day involved getting up around 7:30, which is sleeping in for us, heading to the breakfast buffet and then deciding on a major question... pool or beach today? The next few difficult questions of the day involved what to drink and what SPF to wear during the day. The simple things in life, right!?!?

One downfall and probably one of the very few, was the L-O-N-G day of travel to Jamaica. We left for the airport at 3:40 a.m., flew to Miami, then to Montego Bay. We didn't realize that our transfer from Montego Bay to Negril would be another 1 1/2 hours. On our bus trip, we stopped at a roadside bar and found their icon... Bob Marley. Not only did we see a ton of posters, memorabilia, but we listened to his music ALL WEEK LONG. I don't think I can handle, "No Woman No Cry" for about five years. We realized on our long drive to Negril that Red Stripe was not a bad local beer and we had a lot of fun with a few others that traveled with us in our van. We kept commenting on how fortunate we were to NOT have brought the boys as we were having a difficult time with the long day of standing, waiting, and traveling.

This is my sister-in-law, Erin, from Atlanta, GA. We had a great time with Ben and Erin since we only get to see them a few times per year. The good news is that Ben took a big promotion in his career and this means they should be heading back to MN within a year or so. Erin and I had plenty to talk about all week. If she weren't my sister-in-law, we would be friends.... love her!

Ahhhhh.... we had 30 minutes from the time our shuttle arrived at the hotel to the time we needed to travel to downtown Negril to a little, outdoor, authentic restaurant for the rehearsal dinner. It really wasn't a rehearsal, since the wedding was on the beach and there was no need to prepare. It was a great excuse to have a fun night out and I even had a chance to try a local drink that Lois ordered. It was delicious!

You will probably notice a theme... lots of people, lots of drinks, and lots of sunshine and fun. Isn't that what vacations are for? We toasted to the soon to be Mr. and Mrs. We all turned in early that night because the wedding was the following day.


THE WEDDING DAY.....

Chris and his middle brother, Ben were the best men in the wedding. The rings, (pictured above) were beautiful! A neat tidbit about Matt's ring is that there is a center diamond that was taken from their Dad's ring. It made it even more special knowing that his Dad was a part of the day with this beautiful ring, which he will cherish forever.

Chris and Ben were telling Matt how lucky they were to be married, right boys!?!?!? The preparation for the day was quite calm, serene and beautiful. If Chris and I could do it all over again, a destination wedding would be our choice. Maybe we can renew our vows somewhere warm someday!

Lois (Chris' Mom), Erin, and I were excited and ready for the wedding to begin. The beach was clean and beautiful, the weather was warm and sunny... you couldn't have asked for a better day!

Jill looked like a princess in her wedding gown! Her Dad walked her down the aisle to "Somewhere Over the Rainbow...." not the traditional version but the calypso/upbeat version. At the end of the ceremony, they walked down the aisle together to a cute, "I LOVE YOU!" reggae type song that is popular on the radio. I really don't know the exact name of it, but everyone started dancing and celebrating. Here is a picture of the entire crew....

The photographer asked if all three brothers were married and of course they all admitted to it (they knew better!) The photographer asked who was the most in love, so we all quickly grabbed our spouse and liplocked! It was a fun way to capture some spontaneous affection!

Here are the three sister-in-laws! What a trio we make. I can actually admit that Jill and Erin are like sisters and I know we will have a lot of fun together in the many years to come.

I thought this was a fun photo... the boys were in the ocean for some pictures while the sun was beginning to set. I am sure their professional photographer has some amazing photos. We can't wait to see them in a few more weeks.

With the wedding behind us, we enjoyed the next few days together. On New Year's Eve, we spent a big part of our afternoon at the swim-up bar. We had a fun bartender who over served himself and us. That sounds like my kind of a job!

Yes, this would be Chris, who was well over-served that day. We dragged him to dinner and Erin helped him with a variety of breads... thanks Erin! I wasn't as amused or patient at this point.

Since Erin was taking care of Chris, here is my New Year's Eve photo, with my brother-in-law, Ben.

Yes, I did keep him after that eventful day. When people ask what we did on vacation, we don't have to much to say other than, "relaxed!" Isn't that what vacations are for? Most of all, we were just happy to spend time with family and of course, we are so happy that we went to Negril for the big wedding!

On our last full day, we decided to take a chance and purchase a live lobster from some beach vendors. They were HUGE and since they were alive, we figured they were fresh. They cooked the lobster over open fire and used fresh butter and garlic while roasting them. It was quite the meal for $22 (yes, we did barter). Fortunately, none of us were hospitalized, so I guess we really did eat fresh lobster. It was well worth it!

Meanwhile, back "home" this is what happened.....

The boys did well with Grandma and Grandpa. Chris and I called about everyday to check in. We were worried about Cooper's upper-respiratory infection (see blog post below for more on this). Cooper did get better as the week went on. I had to convince my Mom and Jamie to let Cooper cry at 4:30 a.m. He does go back to sleep and PLEASE do not get up with him. My Mom reported to me that Cooper slept 12 hour nights when we were gone. According to this picture, it doesn't look that way. Quite honestly, I would rather not know how many times they had to get up at night. I had only one condition... keep the boys alive while we are gone and better yet, have fun!

My Mom and Jamie's camera broke a while back, so I gave them a cheap one that I have as an extra. My Mom couldn't get it to work, so these pictures are pretty awful in quality. We heard the weather was very cold for several days, so I am not surprised to see PJ pictures. Those are the best kind of days...

My Mom told us how Cooper LOVED eating so much! The funny thing is that a lot of the pictures we have on the camera were of the boys eating. I think Grandma spoiled them with desserts all day long; no wonder why they both ate so much! I chose not to bake this year knowing that I had to get into a bikini in Jamaica. I think my Mom made up for that.

Looks to me like a candy cane or cookie!

Caden was dressed in Badger gear (our other requirement) for the big game. Unfortunately, the Badgers lost. We had a little WI Badger gathering in Matt/Jill's room in Negril to see the game. Who knew that Jamaica would have ESPN! The guys were VERY appreciative for that!After our 5 nights away, we were SO excited to come home! Most vacations come to such a quick end, but this one was absolutely perfect! We had a great time and it was exciting to leave too. We knew we had two adorable little boys to go home to and we couldn't wait to see their faces. When they woke up on January 4th, there we were! We gave the boys a few little gifts from Jamaica (hat, bib, coins, wooden crab and turtle, and Jamaican honey... Caden loves it!)

We want to thank our family for making this vacation work for us! We are so happy we could celebrate Matt and Jill's special day with them. We couldn't have done it without all of our helpers :) If you come by our house, you will hear a lot of "Yea, Mon" being exchanged between Chris, Caden and I. We found it funny and cute how they used this expression in response to EVERYTHING in Jamaica. As an FYI, I updated the blog earlier today and put our Christmas pictures below... I apologize for the late blog entries. I will have Caden update last week and this week's happenings in the next few days! Yea Mon!