The Holiday Season!

Since Thanksgiving we have been having a great time with holiday fun! Peg's family came over on Thanksgiving along with Eric's parents. Lots of food and lots of fun. We started the day with a very chilly Turkey Trot! It was so much fun!

Friday after Thanksgiving the kids stayed with G'ma and Bapa, and Pat and I ventured out to the malls. In all that craziness, we had a good time and got a lot of our shopping list checked off.

The next day we were off to hunt down the perfect Christmas tree. We found one and the kids had a good time helping cut it down and haul it back to the main building.

They saw Santa there, but had no interest in talking with him. They were curious about where his reindeer were.



Since then we have decorated cookies a few times, kept track of the days on our advent calendar, had a preschool Christmas concert, and played in the massive amount of snow we have.


We are looking forward to Christmas and all the family and friends we will see. Safe travels to all!!

Halloween...part deux?

So we went to the dome today to see New Ulm Cathedral eek out a win against Minneota. This was the kids second time in the dome. They didn't seem all that impressed. We sat on the rail and watched the game from the 20 yard line. It didn't look good at first with #44 of Minneota running all over the place. But Cathedral was able to get back in the game and win it at the end. We saw all sorts of NU folks. Chuck Regal (sp), Mark (of Mark and Sara), Theresa, John and Luke were there. Jerry chatted with several folks that I didn't recognize. While there, Tom and Jean came down to talk and root Jeremy on. It was great to get a chance to chat with them and share their enthusiasm for the game.

After naps my mom and dad to chat a bit and see the kids. Mom had gotten a ginger bread house on clearance and brought that over for the kids to put together. The kids were a little nuts about the house, so before dinner we put together the "haunted" ginger house. It was pretty fun. They had stuff in there I had never used before. The kids pretty much project manages (that's fancy for bossed me around) and ate candy while I frosted the heck out of the thing.



They decorated it with a jelly bean "football shooter" on top. There are several smoke stacks and lots of "falling" frosting that needs to be caught before it lands on "someone".



The kids have been pretty fun today. Lots of giggles and only a bit of whining.

Oh! When my mom was here (during the Colombia 'acation for Peg) Ollie told mom that sometimes he cried. When mom asked why he cried. He said, "when I want something". Very interesting.

Halloween!

So Halloween came and went. We had a great weekend although it would have been more fun with Mom. Peggy left for Columbia on Friday and the kids and I have been together since. We were very lucky to have Grandma Geri here on Monday and Tuesday and Grandpa Jerry here on Wednesday and my Mom on Thursday and Friday (and perhaps my Dad...not sure).

We have carved pumpkins...twice....hung out with friends and played Trains. We have been to the Hallowzooeen at the MN Zoo and had countless discussions about what words rhyme with things like bagabooi or babigabaga. Turns out lots of words start with "b" in this house right now.



I will admit they are getting pretty good at rhyming. They are actually getting a few right once and a while. It is very fun. The weather has been spooktacular so we have been spending time outside as much as we can (Sunday we spent all day inside...they had no interest in getting out. I have weird kids).

They miss their mom though. Each night Hazy tells me she wants to hug and kiss Mom. It's cute and kinda sad for the little one. But they get to skype with Peggy every day and so we get to see her and hear about how much fun she is having in Columbia with Freddie and Lisa. I think this was a kick butt trip for her.

Here are a few pictures of a Fairy and Spiderman (they stopped by the house on Holloween).


Also you can't believe how excited these two got at the Zoo. "Will we get Candy Dad?" Yes. "Why we have to say Trick or Treat Dad?" Because that is how the game is played Ollie. "Why that is how the game is played Dad?". He even asks us why he asks us questions. It's crazy!

Hazel was literally jumping up and down at each station. Sooo happy! They also got to see Arnita, Ray and Mindy (our neighbors) so that was pretty special also.

The pumpkins are getting eaten by squirrels and the kids are distraught but now we need to brace for all the fun Thanksgiving brings!

This has turned into a stream of consciousness blog. So I will end it here.

Here is the Preschool class photo.


Pat.

Falltime...Funtimes

This weekend Peggy and I decided to run out to an apple orchard. It's apple time and the best way to get a great Minnesota apple is to head out to the orchard itself! We decided to head out toward Stillwater and hit up Aamodts. We have been there many times in the past and it seemed like a nice morning. We arrived a bit early (before they opened) so we walked the grounds a bit. Ollie and the Haz were into the goats this year. They used to be more skittish around the animals than this time. I am happy to see them excited and trying their best to "pet" them.



We had an apple donut and bought some carmel corn, apple cider and of course...apples. My favorite are Harelsons. A bit more tart than most apples but distinctly Minnesotan. We also grabbed a bag of Honey Crisp.



We probably were there for 1/2 an hour or so and we felt like we needed to move on. Mom gets a bit antsy don't you know. :-)

So we drove down the road to Axdahls. I have been going there for pumpkin picking since the late 90's. We haven't been there recently and it has changed dramatically. They are more of a nursery now then when I used to trawl the fields for a "good one". But it was still very fun. They have painted pumpkins and the kids thought those were pretty great.




That pretty much ended our excursion for the day. We ended up at home for lunch and went for a run after which was refreshing as I have not run since the 5k. Gotta get ready for the Turkey trot you know.

Talk to you soon.

Pat.

are Marathon's next? perhaps not....

Peg ran and finished her first 5k this weekend. She was very excited to run the whole thing! We ran with the kids in a stroller and Team Eiden finished in 33 minutes. Not bad for never having run one before. We did the James Page Blubber Run (www.blubberrun.net) which is pretty cool because tons of people dress up in costumes and run in packs. We saw lifeguards chasing a shark, multiple groups of crayola crayons, chickens, Wizard of Oz characters, gardens gnomes. It was really fun. You run along the river down in Minneapolis. It's a very nice run.

Next we are on to the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. 30 minutes here we come!



Congratulations Peggy!

Summer part II (scroll down to see first part!)

What a great summer!

This summer has gone by super fast! We were busy with classes, trips to the beach, wading pools, parks, and a trip up to the Brainerd area. It was a fun-filled summer to be sure! Our new adventure is just starting, as we prepare for PRESCHOOL!! It is hard to believe they are already at that age. Here are some pictures from our summer:

Springtime Photos part II (there is another post of pics)

"Helping" Dad plant some seeds.







Rock climbing








Happy 85th Great Bama!





Happy 93rd Bday Great Bapa!

Some Springtime Photos

St. Patrick's Day


In the mood for some baseball!


"I found an egg!"


"Do I really have to eat it after I get it peeled?"


Just enough rain for an umbrella!

Feels like Spring!

The kids and I survived our week without Pat. He was able to take the time to go snowboarding in Utah, and then on to Las Vegas. He had a great time, and his knee held up well. No big wins in Vegas, so I guess life goes on as normal around here.


We are all very excited about the nice weather. This morning Oliver walked outside, looked around, and said, "Mom, it really is spring time!" No one around here is missing the snow! We went for the season's first trike ride around the block last night, and today we walked around the park with our neighbor. Ahhhh, being outside is so much better than having to be inside!

The kids are 3!!

Three years ago our little miracles were born. Amazing how fast the time really does go by. We celebrated with friends and family at the house, and the kids had a great time. Hazel ended the evening feeling miserable with a cold, but has recovered quickly.

We had our 3 year old well-child check yesterday, and there are no concerns! Not even with Hazel's weight-- that is a first for us! Oliver's height is 3 feet 3inches and weighs 30 pounds. According to the scales, he is 40% for weight and 82% for height. Hazel is a bit shorter at 3 feet, and a whopping 26 pounds. She is near the 23% for height and just over 6% for weight. :)

The Olympics are in full swing, and it has been really fun to watch with the kids. They LOVE watching them! Oliver will sit and watch any sport that comes one. It is really pretty cool. The other day we were outside playing on our little snow hills, and Oliver was sliding down using his hands for speed. He said, "Hey Mom, look!! I am luge-ing!!" It made me laugh!

Spring Fever!!

The kitchen has finally been painted!