Pool Party

First pool party of the year with bud, Nicholas.

Playing cars.

Hi Mom!

Pool party with cousin Corey.

So fun!

Hanging poolside with the dads and Ruby!

Snuggles.

First time at the beach.

Building sandcastles with dad.

Enjoyng the wonderful weather.

Our household has been having a lot of fun lately (and the home projects are still getting done!). The first pool party of the weekend was Friday at Miles' friend Nicholas's house. The boys loved the water and the weather was perfect. Miles loves to stand up in the pool so I had to offer a few gentle nudges to "sit on your bottom!"

Rachel, Graham and Corey came over Saturday for a bbq and pool party. The adults enjoyed sitting in the grass watching the babies splash and do barrel rolls in the water.

Today our family headed to Riley Lake Beach and Miles dipped his toes in the sand for the first time. I thought that he would really be into playing in the sand but he was more fascinated with watching all of the other "big kids" run on the beach and splash in the water. Our little family sat on a beach towel and did some great people watching. I think Miles only put a few grains of sand in his mouth the whole time.

New with Miles: he has such a great sense of humor - whenever we do something goofy (like Mike jumping up to dust cobwebs off a light fixture) Miles breaks into the sweetest little giggles. Now that he's eating mostly what we eat his favorite food is hands down - bread. I guess he carbs up for busy days playing. He loves his trucks and consistently makes engine sounds when driving them. He also is great at waving bye-bye. Today we caught him in the act of standing at the couch and shuffling his feet to cruise along the furniture. He also is starting to attempt to stand for a few seconds without holding on to anything.

Our family is going to relax and enjoy the beautiful weather tomorrow - we hope you can do the same. Happy Memorial Day!

Two little angels

Playing with my cous.

Yum - a whole wheat quesadilla with veggies!

I love to bang, bang, bang my water cup.

Pals.

All boy - playing trucks.

I gently coaxed (ha, ha) everyone into a group picture
and then my camera was askew!

I'm Corey's proud Godmother.

Little Angel on his baptism day.

Daycare

Miles Bennett had another wonderful week. He is such an active guy now - all he wants to do is play, play, play! I picked him up from daycare on Thursday and he was standing next to a mirror mounted on the wall, excitedly banging his image and talking to himself. Another day we picked him up and as we left the preschool class was lined up, taking turns at the drinking fountain. As I carried Miles passed them the class was saying "bye Miles" "bye Miles." When I asked the teacher if there was another Miles in the school she said that our little guy is the only one and that everyone knows him. He's a popular guy!

Mike and I met with his teachers this week to discuss moving Miles into the older infant room. I was hesitant at first and had a long list of questions but his teachers are so wonderful that they sat with us for a half hour and addressed all of our concerns. Miles will be moving up a classroom with 4 of his little guy buddies - all born within 1 month of each other. In the older infant room all of the babies are on the same schedule and the class will follow a curriculum which includes dramatic play, story time, sign language, art, Spanish and outdoors time. I think Miles will be ready for the new activities and stimulation. Me on the other hand - I'm having a hard time thinking of my little baby as an "older infant!" He'll always be my little baby.

The weekend

These days I've been feeling a lot of stress at work so I live for the weekends. Friday Miles and I garaged saled with Rachel and Corey and had our last ECFE class. We've really enjoyed getting to know the other moms and babies and we're planning to stay in touch and continue to get together through the summer.

Saturday was fun because my brother and soon-to-be future sister-in-law were in town and we had brunch with Rachel and family and my parents at Good Day Cafe to celebrate Mothers Day/Fathers Day. Another example of my growing baby - he sat in a highchair at the table, picked up and looked at a menu and ate rice crackers when the rest of us were eating breakfast. He was such a good boy!

Today we were happy to be part of little Corey Samuel's big day - his baptism and I was very honored to be his Godmother. Corey was an angel throughout the ceremony and so was Miles. Although the temperature was in the 80s and the humidity very high we had a lovely lunch party afterwards at Rachel and Graham's house with many aunts, uncles, cousins, Sharon Huse and even Miles' and Corey's great-grandpa Nickolay. Miles was in such a party mood he did not want to nap at all today - when we got home in the late afternoon I thought for sure he would conk out but he stayed up and played with his cars on the couch. I just love that kid! By 6:00 tonight he was completely out and now Mike and I are wrapping up our Sunday "chores" so we can watch the season finale of Lost.

A Fun Family Weekend

Whoa - look at me riding my new toy!

This thing is so fun I don't want to pause my playing to get dressed.

I would push this thing all day if mom and dad would let me!

Enjoying the feel of leaves in my hands and grass in my toes.

Hanging out in the kiddie pools (sans water) and helping mom plant the flowers.

Keep up the good work dad!

Why did they put me in this kiddie pool?
It looks like more fun in the grass!

Awww - I love Sundays!

The Scoop

A sister night out Thursday at Prima in Minneapolis - tuscan chicken salad, pasta and wine - it doesn't get much better.

Miles' teachers at daycare think that we have him on a "special diet" because we are feeding him all organic foods, homemade baby food, and tofu. They said that they joke around with Miles that none of the other kids will want to ever trade lunches with him. I refuse to feed him processed foods (e.g. canned ravioli marketed for babies) and want to ensure he has a balanced diet rich in fruits and veggies (Ritz crackers, Cheerios and a blueberry muffin (some other babies' lunches at daycare) will not dominate his diet)! I am making a push, starting this weekend, though to offer him more variety and give him to eat what Mike and I are pretty much eating (where did my little baby go?). So, Friday night he had brown rice, chicken and veggies with us, Saturday I made him penne pasta with cheddar cheese, peas and carrots and tonight he ate dinner with us - baked chicken, green beans and brown rice. He seems to be enjoying this more "big boy" diet. We'll see if his teachers notice the little container of chicken, brown rice and green beans I packed for his lunch tomorrow.

Miles continues to enjoy ECFE - he loves to watch the older babies toddle around and is very gentle when near the other little ones and is a good sharer.

We hit the Preserve neighborhood garage sale in Eden Prairie on Saturday. 47 families in the neighborhood were selling and for $81 we came home with a patio set (table and 5 chairs), 10 bath toys, a bath toy holder, one of those little "vaccuum cleaners" for kids where the balls pop inside, 4 kids books, 7 adult literature novels, 15 white onsies, 3 pairs of pjs, an assortment of other kids pants and shirts, 6 potted annuals, toddler forks and sporks, and a Tonka front loader - what a deal! I'm used to garage sale-ing with my mom and sister - we're speed shoppers and all business so I had to adjust to the new pace of garage sale-ing with Mike and Miles but we had a blast and found a lot of bargains for 2 hours of shopping.

Our whole yard and landscaping is now weeded, mowed and wood chips are down.

Today we gave a boost to the economy by shopping at Holasek Greenhouses, Home Depot, Target, Cub, Lakewinds and Costco. Consumerism is alive and well in our family.

Miles' made his first trip to a greenhouse and kicked his little bare feet and squealed excitedly over all of the bright colors. We bought and planted: vincas, petunias, geraniums, coleus, and potato vines just to name some!

Our family took advantage of the BEAUTIFUL weather this weekend and spent as much time outside as possible. Fresh air in the spring after a long, hard winter = long naps for baby and early bedtimes for mom and dad.

Mother's Day

The best Mother's Day ever!

My favorite Mother's Day gift.

Miles & Grandma Nickolay on Mother's Day.

Grandma and her grandbabies.

Three generations on Mother's Day.

Celebrating all together.

What happens when mommy is away...

Peek!

Peek-a-boo!

Me & (future) Godson Corey.

This was the best Mother's Day ever. I have the greatest gift in Miles Bennett and I love being his mom more than anything. He is such a wonderful baby. When I pick him up and he puts his little arms around my neck and snuggles his head into my shoulder for a long hug everything feels right with the world.

This morning Mike and Miles both gave me wonderful cards with very sweet sentiments inside. I got teary reading them because I feel so lucky and loved! They also picked up breakfast and Starbucks and we had a relaxing morning together. This afternoon I went to brunch at 318 Cafe in Excelsior with my mom and sister while the big boys and the little boys grilled and hung out at our house. Tonight we took a walk with Miles and I couldn't help but comment about what a lovely day I had - I felt so happy with my family and wouldn't have wanted to spend it any other way.

This past week Miles was home sick from daycare for 2 days and his Nickolay Grandparents took good care of him at home. I finally took him to the doctor on Thursday after his fever didn't break and he has another ear infection and an irritated throat. Poor little guy - he was just miserable and only wanted to sit on our laps and be cuddled. We didn't mind the cuddling one bit but he just wasn't his normal, active, busy-boy self. Mike and I have also been fighting colds but luckily we all felt a little better today to enjoy a nice Sunday.

Our growing boy has added watermelon and cauliflower to his food repertoire (not a big fan of either yet but I contribute this to his cold) and he now so adorably waves bye-bye (one hand in the air) and shows us how big he is (two hands in the air). His giggle is infectious and playing peek-a-boo, tickling him and telling him "no-no" when he tries to put the remote in his mouth all cause huge smiles and laughter from him. Have I mentioned how lucky I am to be his mommy?

I love being a mom and want to thank my mom today for showing me how to be a great mother. Happy Mother's Day everyone!

Eating Grass

Feet on the table!

Playing in the tub.

Getting clean.

Helping with laundry.

Picnicing with cousin Corey

Cruising in the grass.

Enjoying spring!

The "To-Do" List

Our family has a master to-do list - a sheet of paper filled with projects such as build a deck, reseal the bathroom tile, etc. This list as a whole is very overwhelming - it contains all things we need and/or want to do with the house - and it's a lot to accomplish for us weekend warriors. This weekend we made a mini list based off of the master list:

• take Ruby to the vet (done - she's overweight and may have a tick-borne illness in which we have to give her 8 pills a day for 3 weeks to treat but overall she's healthy)
• buy new office furniture (done - Ikea had what we thought we wanted but now that it is in the office and assembled I may be having buyers remorse - gulp. We accomplished both the vet visit and the Ikea run thanks to my mom who babysat Miles.)
• get paint and paint supplies (done)
• paint the office (done - thanks to my dad the office is expertly painted)
• laundry (5 loads done and mostly put away)
• clean the house (done - a quick cleaning but these days between all Miles' hand wash bottles and toys strewn in every room the house does not stay neat and tidy for long. I'm still fantasizing about getting a house cleaner)
• grocery shop (done)
• make potato salad for picnic (done)
• make 4 loaves of rhubarb bread (done - using our own rhubarb - the loaves are in the freezer)
• mow lawn (NOT DONE)
• weed shrubs and flower beds (half done but we'll do more when we mow)
• plant new perennials (done)

My conclusion to the to-do lists - it's never ending but we're chipping away at it.

Miles is a full time job

Mr. Miles is now a super speedy crawler and loves doing things like pulling all of his books and toys off the shelves, pulling himself up to stand on everything - us, his toys, furniture, the wall, and when asked "how big is Miles" he throws his hands up in the air (most of the time) with a huge grin on his face to indicate that he's a big boy now. Mike and I have come to the realization that gone are the days when we could set him down and both work on our never ending to-do lists. Miles keeps one of us very busy non-stop.

Today my parents hosted a picnic for a bunch of family members. Miles and his cousin Corey played in the sunshine and Miles crawled in the grass for the first time. He likes it and thinks it tastes pretty good.

I don't know if it's allergies, a cold or just being the mother of a 9 month old but I'm exhausted and although it's only 7:30 sleep is calling. Goodnight!