Random Ramblings

OK, cell phone purge and catch up time...(Funny that it took me until the night after my first day back at work to find time to do this.)

*Dan, his dad, and our neighbor Kevin beat all odds and put together a new massive playset in one day for the kids after our new fence was installed. Ian was clearly beside himself with excitement.

*Then we had a surprise visit from one of our German friends, Michael, and his mom, Eve. They were on a cross country trip and discovered the Twins were playing the Red Sox, so they altered their route and came for the game and the visit. While they were in town, we took them to the Dakota County Fair for a very cultural experience. Anja absolutely loved the fair (well, the rides anyway - the giant slide and Ferris wheel were her favorites) and playing with Michael and Eve. The only wet spot on their visit? When Anja attempted to use the urinal in a biffy again. This time she mistook Dan's foot and sandal for the urinal. But at least this time she had the right, well, you know.

*Token hysterical picture of Ian when he first discovered his feet.
*Anja had her first trip to the dentist. This was the before picture.
There were no after pictures. It didn't go well.

*And, of course, what summer would be complete without several trips to the zoo with our friends Lyla and Rowan? (Can you tell which one is Ian?)

*My sister needed to take 2 of her kids to an event for the day about a week ago, but needed someone to watch her youngest kiddos. So in a stroke of genius, we decided that I would watch Gabby (4), Liam (3), Anja (2) and Ian (5 months). It started off all innocent...

...but it actually went really well. I do, however, have a new and profound appreciation for any moms or daycare providers who watch 4+ kids. I don't know how you do it. I got lucky because Ian fell asleep for a large portion of it. Thank god for my Moby wrap!

*Ah, my bathing beauties. Anja still is scared of baths, but will take a shower. Odd. And she still loves to be wrapped up as a "burrito baby" after every shower.

Ian, on the other hand, looks like he's had a few burritos.
*Token picture of my goofy family. Love 'em.

*Since Dan had never been to the Children's Museum and Anja loved the one in Chicago so much, we took her there a week ago. She had a great time, especially in the water area.

*Anja had a several weeks when she was boycotting naps. I settled for "rest time" in her room. But on some rare occasions, she actually fell asleep. Including a few days ago when she was watching a show and asked me, "Mommy? You turn that off, please?" and immediately fell asleep for an hour and a half on the couch with her special kitty. (swoon)

*For one last hurrah, I took the kiddos to a new park with their friends Lyla and Rowan and their dad. Although you can't tell from the second picture, the swinging twins was one of the highlights for all 4 kiddos. And got lots of funny looks from the other people there.

*This past weekend, we made a quick visit to Wisconsin for a family wedding. Anja had a blast since she is currently obsessed with weddings.

Ian enjoyed himself, too. Especially trying to keep up with his older cousin (10 weeks his senior).

*Is it a bird, is it a plane? Can't tell? Just ask Anja to go outside with her ever-so-fashionable Mickey undies, sock mittens, and 'noculars and she'll figure it out for ya!

*And finally, today was my first day back at work which means the kids were in daycare for the first time together. Anja hadn't been since the beginning of June. But both did well and no crying issues for anyone in the family! And after we picked them up, Ian decided today was a good day to enter the world of sitting unassisted for a longer period of time. A few days ago it was only for 10 seconds or so, but tonight he managed to go for a few minutes while playing. Go little man! He was probably just trying to get a new trick to show off for Uncle Mike who arrived in town this morning for a visit.

Way Behind/Far Ahead

Between Ian's constant hunger and the German group arriving a week ago, I have been a little busy, hence I am way behind on the blog. Here's a quick recap of some major happenings in our world:

We had lots of visitors. This picture of Ian looking like he's hung over from milk is probably one of the last pictures we have of him wearing newborn sized clothing. This was also the same day that Anja's friend Lyla and her family came over. May have been one of the first times that I have seen two toddlers actually play together instead of near each other. It is also an example of why my photography skills are no where near my sister's or our friend, Alison's. Please note the foot in the bottom of the picture. I rock. And am too lazy to go back and crop it now.

Awww, Ian's first 0-3 month outfit. You can't tell, but it's a short sleeved romper. Remember those few days when it was around 75 degrees around 2 weeks ago? Yeah. It's snowing as I'm typing this. Yay, Minnesota.
1st self portrait of the fam. I love the look on Ian's face. He must know what he was born into.
I also took Anja for a tour of what will likely be her preschool next year. I can't believe she's old enough for that already! She misses the cut off for some programs by 4 days, but Lakeville's program said to bring her on in for a tour and they'd see how it went. So Anja, Ian and I went for a visit last Friday to check out the class that she would be in. She LOVED it and has been begging to go back ever since. She knows she has to be fully potty trained to go, so every time she uses the bathroom, she thinks we can pick up and head right to the school. At least she's motivated! But the director of the program and the various teachers were very impressed with her, so it looks like we won't have any issues with sending her. Assuming she does finally finish potty training, that is! She joined in on the singing and dancing, play time, chatted with the teachers and kids, and showed off her vocabulary to all the right people. It was nice to hear a professional tell me that Anja is very advanced for her age. (Yes, I am tooting my own horn on her behalf - deal with it.)

And last week, a group of 35 German teenagers and their chaperones arrived for their 3 week stay. We've had a large number of issues already, but we've been able to solve them all quickly so far. So much for maternity leave, eh? Luckily for us, the chaperone staying with us, Isi, is awesome and very helpful. Plus Anja loved her from the very first day, so that's even better!

And now I am off to go finish the laundry that resulted from Ian's first up-to-the-shoulders blow out that caught Dan by surprise last night.

Let the fun continue!

Halloween

For Halloween this year, since I really dislike the "holiday," we decided to forgo tradition and dressed Anja up as a little German girl. Yup, we put our blond haired babe in a Dirndl. Specifically this one that we bought in München.

We knew she'd grow out of it quickly, so despite sounding like something that an odd parent would do to their child (which it still may be), it really was a financially responsible (and freakin' adorable) decision. Don't believe me? Check out these pictures...

We practiced on Saturday at Nana's house, where her older cousins could show her the ropes.

She caught on all too quickly and immediately went back to the other side of the glass door we used, closed it behind her, giggled, and knocked until she had emptied the candy bowl.

On Halloween night, we hit up a few houses (around 5) and she got down a few of the important phrases like "Treat" and "Happy 'ween!". Then we stopped at Grandma and Grandpa's house. After she successfully received candy at the door, we hung out inside for 20 minutes or so. Every time the bell rang, she ran over to Grandpas and asked for more "Candy treats." Smart little lady.

She was very proud of all of her candy and has been asking to do it again since then. Luckily for me, we've got another year until then.