Busy summer...but fun!

Well we are on our usual busy summer schedule. But, like always it is very fun! In mid-June we went up to Walker to see some of John's family. Here is a picture of Leah with Aunt Julie and Fallon.


This is a picture from Tater Daze in Brooklyn Park in June. As you can see she loves to ride. She also went on a lady bug ride and she and I went on the ferris wheel. I think that there will be many amusement park days in our future.

Over the 4th of July weekend we headed down to Marengo, IA to get together with some of my friends from Luther. It was a beautiful weekend and sooooo much fun. Mindi and Dale have a great house and yard. We were able to sit on the deck and watch the fireworks. We didn't get much sleep, but it was a super weekend!!

Apparently in Iowa (or at least in Marengo), bean-bag toss is a popular game. However, they call it "dummy boards". You can see these things in many yards as you drive through the town. Mindi and Dale borrowed an extra set from some friends and we all did have a fun time playing.

Leah has been wanting to go in the boat and go fishing. So finally, we took her out. It was a super HOT day. We only lasted about 2 hours, but Leah had fun. John and I caught a bunch of very little sunny's. Leah has a Dora rod that comes with a purple sinker fish. That was the only fish that she caught. I'm sure she will convince us to go again before too long.

This weekend Leah is down with Grandma and Grandpa. I did a bunch of cleaning and organizing in the basement. We are essentially ready to start the move down there. There are a few more things to get done, but they are minor. I think that in August we will figure out a time when we can get a few people to help us with the big stuff. It has been 2.5 years since we have "lived" downstairs. Wow, has our life changed in that time!!! I wouldn't change any of it for anything!

Learning

So, I guess it must be hard to learn (and some times re-learn over and over)new words and phrases. Leah usually knows what word we want her to say, but sometimes she gets things mixed up. Tonight she was sitting at the dinner table and burped. I asked her what she is supposed to say after she burps (she does know the phrase "excuse me") and she said, "Ah-choo". I had to keep my laughter in so that she didn't keep doing it wrong to continue to be funny. Oh to be 2...

She loves her new bed!

Well, all has gone well with the switch to toddler bed. She loves it and is so excited to crawl into bed at night or for nap. She has a pillow and 3 blankets and loves to cuddle up. It is very cute! When she wakes up, she just calls out and waits until I come to her room before getting out of bed. Let's see how long that lasts...

This could be interesting...

Today I switched Leah's crib to a toddler bed. I am a little nervous about what will happen tonight. Will she get out of bed a lot? Will she fall out of bed? John is gone fishing, so it is just me to deal with whatever happens. I'm sure that it will be fine, but you just never know. I am glad that I did it on a Friday, though, because that gives us the weekend to hopefully get a little used to it. And it will give us a chance to get in some extra naps if needed before the week begins again.

On another note, we have had guys here all day working on our basement. Hopefully, they will finish today. When they are done, all we will have left will be pretty easy for John and I to do. Door knobs, plates on outlets, towel rods in bathroom, etc. We still have the shower to think about, but that is not urgent. I will also have a little paint touch-up, but nothing major. We are soooooo excited to have this finished. I am hopeful that within in the next couple of weeks, we will begin moving our stuff back down there. Yeah!!

Take me out to the ball game...

On Sunday, April 20 we went to the Twins game against Cleveland. We were not for sure if we should take Leah or not because she would not get a nap which could be bad. But we wanted to try it out, especially since she had a cute Twins outfit that we got as a hand-me-down. So, right after church we ventured over to the dome. Our friends Ann and Mike had gotten a large group of tickets and not all had been taken. That meant there were some gaps around us so weren't too squished. The other nice thing was that Leah had a group of people to move around to. She especially liked sitting with Ann's brother Dan as he ate his popcorn. :) She actually did really well and we lasted until the end of the 8th inning. We thought for sure she would pass out in the car, but she didn't. So we kept her up and hoped that she would just be able to go to bed early. Well, she fell asleep eating her grilled cheese for dinner that night. She did go to bed at 6:50pm and slept until about 6:45am. It really was a fun family event that we could share with great friends. Thanks, Ann and Mike!!

7 years ago today...

...John and I were married. Even though it was cold, rainy and very windy, it really couldn't have been a better day. The past 7 years have really been great! Through our ups and downs, I think we have created a wonderful marriage full of respect, happiness and love. I seriously cannot imagine my life any other way than as John's wife. While I am loving my new job, I find the greatest joy in being a wife and mother. John, thanks for a great 7 years. I love you and can't wait see what the next 50 (give or take) years has to offer!

First Haircut

Before...




...After.
She did really well. It was nice to get some bangs cut so we have the option to keep her hair down or put it up. So, those mornings that we are in a hurry and she is crabby, we just comb and go. Perfect!!!