Back on Campus

Inaugural game at TCF Bank Stadium

MN Golden Gophers 20
Air Force 13

The game was great - the atmosphere was Incredible!

Our boy is obsessed....

with FOOTBALL!

When he woke up this morning, he said:
Mom, 2 more days until...."Waitin' all day for Sunday night!"

He's been waiting patiently for his favorite song to come back on TV:


His next favorite song: The Star Spangled Banner

He learned all of the NFL teams from his football card collection and those darn helmets! Yes, our weak hearts caved for the sweet boy that "just wanted to learn all of the teams!"

He's spent countless HOURS looking at his football cards, and showing us his football cards, and asking us questions about his football cards, and asking to see Daddy's old football cards. He loves football, and we love him -- and I can't wait to show him this blog -- I can see him singing and dancing now! Any guesses to how many times we're going to watch that video?!

SuMmEr VaCaTiOn 2009!

We found a deal for a 3 night stay up North, at Chase on the Lake, that we couldn't pass up. One word: AWESOME!

First, we stopped at the MN Zoo with some old friends. Thanks for the fun, Stockdales & Charpentiers!

We arrived at our condotel on Sunday. The accomodations were well above our expectations, and this was the amazing view from our balcony.

While we were there, we enjoyed a morning out on the boat - although it was a bit chilly!

a lot of fishing - Ryan was a bit disappointed with the size, but we did catch quite a bit! Leech Lake is the 3rd largest lake in MN, so it's not real easy to go out on a boat and search for the best fishing spots.....without the fear of getting lost! We stuck pretty close to what we knew, and actually, Ryan's biggest catch was off the docks by the resort - of course, I didn't get a picture of that! Cale's favorite things were casting and throwing the fish back, but nothing is better than checking out Dad's tackle box - he could look in there for hours! I was constantly saying, be careful - those are SHARP!

In this picture, Cale is using Maren's Barbie fishing pole because he could cast that better. Towards the end of the trip, he was casting like a pro with his big SUPERman pole!

The kids had a blast on the beach...

...especially Maren - we made sure she wore her swimming suit after this!

We also enjoyed the indoor pool (the water was so warm!), city park & shops in Walker, and all of the beautiful scenery and wildlife. I especially enjoyed watching and listening to the Loons - a rare experience for this SE Minnesota girl! We hope we're lucky enough to return to Chase on the Lake next year -- and stay for a week!!

It only took 3 years to convince Ryan...,

but we finally have a play set. Cale is at the fair with Vanessa's Daycare, and Maren has been hanging with her Grammies all day. We're going to have some fun tonight!

July

That went fast!!

We had a lot of busy weekends in July - two golf tournaments each and an overnight in Eau Claire for Country Jam. This last weekend was nice and relaxing, minus the epic meltdown Cale displayed in Dick's Sporting Goods on Saturday - over mini NFL football helmets. At least we have an idea for a birthday gift!

I don't have a lot to write, so here are a few recent quotes:

Cale: "I have a lot of good ideas."

Cale: "Halle Berry Ranch?"
Me: "Say, H-i-d-d-e-n."
Cale: "Hidden."
Me: "V-a-l-l-e-y."
Cale: "Valley."
Me: "Ranch."
Cale: "Ranch."
Me: "Hidden Valley Ranch."
Cale: "Hidden Berry Vranch?"
(Giggles ensue.)

Maren: (In the Restroom at Dick's Sporting Goods.) "Mommy, me wipe you?"
Me: "No Thanks, Maren. Mommy will wipe."

August looks pretty clean so far. We're going to attend a Gopher scrimmage at the new stadium on the 22nd and we're planning a mini vacation in the cities during August 28-30. Then, football season will be sneaking upon us.

It's the simple things...

Yesterday I came home with a couple bags of new fall clothes for the kiddies. They are their mother's children - they love new clothes!

So, Cale is digging through the bag on our way home from daycare. First he pulls out the dinosaur sweatshirts - sooo cool. Then, he finds the underwear.... Dinosaur and Baseball underwear!!!!!!!!!!

This is what I heard for the next 7 miles:

"Mom, I really like these underwear."
"This underwear is so cool."
"I have dinosaur underwear."
"Maren, look at my underwear. Aren't they cool?"
"Maren, Maren, Maren." She finally decides to listen, "Do you like my new underwear?"
"Can I wear these to Vanessa's tomorrow?"
"These baseball underwear are so cool."
"Mom, can I get more underwear like this?"
"I'm going to tell Andrew about my dinosaur underwear."
"I really like these, Mom."
"Thank you, Mom. I like my new underwear."

...then we arrived home. Cale walked in the door, dropped trou, and tried on his new dinosaur and baseball underwear -- fit like a glove! We promptly threw them in the washing machine so he could wear his new underwear to Vanessa's today.

Summer Photo Shoot 2009 - added commentary

We went back to Photography by Kari since she did such an awesome job last year! Here are the sneak peaks from her blog:

I added bit of commentary so you can really appreciate the experience along with us...

This picture is so sweet! Yeah? They're fighting. Cale is attempting to open the gate and Maren is pulling back and yelling, "Caaale, NO, Caaaale! No open Gate! NO!"
It would be interesting to see their faces - probably not as sweet!

This picture - well, this one is sweet.

This is our blood, sweat, and tears picture. After Cale catches Maren, Maren trips, Cale follows and nails his two front teeth on Maren's head! Instant tears. Maren's are quickly quieted with the offer of another fruit snack. Cale didn't get off so easily. His gums were bleeding and it hurt to chew - in fact it hurt all day. We had just started adding Cale into the pictures, and I had worries that he would be done. Luckily he pulled it back together, with minimal complaining, and Kari continued to work her magic.

His comment: "I look mad in that picture."
My thought: You're growing up too fast!

Evidence of my attempt at bribery: fruit snack in Maren's hand. She'd take a picture with her "cheese" smile and come back for another.. and another.. and another! I ran out of fruit snacks long before the shoot was over.

Thank you, Kari! And thank you, Paul and Pat, for letting us use your landscape for our pictures!!