Cute Kiddos {LeRoy MN Children's Photographer}

Ms. HotPants & our Tough Guy - As usual, Kari did an Awesome job!!

Cute Kiddos {LeRoy MN Children's Photographer}

Swimming Lessons

Cale is in his 2nd, and final, week of swimming lessons. Today I was able to work from home and use my lunch break to catch his lesson. He absolutely LOVES it, and I was so happy I got to see it. He's quite the little fish and was overly photogenic when I brought the camera out - why doesn't he always do this great for me?! I also wish I had brought the better zoom lens! I only got pictures of him out of the water because I was too far away when he was in the pool:






I know, I know, you LOVE the orange goggles, don't you?! We had our annual photo shoot with Kari earlier this week, and he picked the goggles out as his "prize" for being good. Maren picked a giant ink pen! :) Next post will probably be a sneak peek from Kari - can't wait!!!

Butterfly Birthday Pics

I'm pretty disappointed in our photography skills, or lack there of, for Maren's birthday party, but here are a few:






We also had great intentions of getting all dolled up for the party, but nap came a little late that day so the guests started to arrive just after she got up. Oh well, she's still pretty darn cute - I might be biased though!

Since her party, she's been telling us that next year she's going to have a T-Rex Party. ROOOAAAR!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Maren!

Our baby girl is three today! Where did one and two go... and how did they sneak by so quickly? I took the day off and we celebrated with birthday muffins for breakfast and a trip to Austin for a new bike, helmet, and lunch at McDonalds. She also got a few fun presents this morning when she woke up: an outfit, nail polish, stickers, and make up brushes - just like Grandma's (No Make-up!! - She's a great pretender!) Grandma also brought over some new clothes for Bitty Baby.



~Maren loves to play make believe, especially with her babies: Clara and Bitty. She is usually the Mom, and Cale is either the Dad or Son. Ryan and I get in on the fun occasionally, too. She cooks food for us in the play kitchen.
~She also loves to color and do stickers. She colored a mothers day card for me this year - it was a beautiful bouqet of flowers in all black! :)
~She loves to be outside on her "park", swinging and going down the slide.
~She'll also get in and play ball whenever she gets the chance. She often plays catcher in baseball. If you ask her brother, she needs a little practice in soccer - she uses her hands too much! ;)
~As I write this, she's finishing up her big day with a tackle football game with Cale.
~She's like a fish in the pool. There is no fear near the water for this girl, and she'll stay in as long as we let her.
~She loves to play games: Memory and Zingo are her two favorites.
~She's a great helper and quite the little Miss Independent. We often hear: "I want to do it by myself!"
~She loves to tell stories and always starts them with: "Listen to me, guys."
~I also think she's going to be somewhat of a class clown. She loves getting a laugh out of us, and she does a great job at it.
~She was fully potty-trained at 2 1/2 and just occasionally has an accident for waiting too long - so it usually happens as she's getting on the potty! ugh! She has never had a night time accident, and that totally amazes me! Girls really ARE easier!!
~She's already mastering her skills of negotiation. Yikes!
~She loves her brother and fights with her brother frequently...she tries to copy everything that he does, and they entertain each other quite easily.
~She loves to sing, and her current favorite is: Baa, Baa, Black Sheep.
~And we all love her to pieces!!!

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl! Sorry, I mean, Big Girl!



On Saturday, we'll be celebrating more by having a "Butterfly Birthday" with family.

**If you have time to go back, I've finally added pictures to Cale's birthday post!