A little bit fishy

Even though Collin's birthday party was the week before his birthday, we still celebrated his real birthday a little bit. I mean, what kind of parents would leave their two year old high and dry on his birthday? So, we decided, since it was rainy and yucky outside, to take a trip to the local aquarium. Lately Collin's been super excited about turtles, so we thought it was a perfect fit. Off we went to the MOA's basement: Minnesota Sea Life Aquarium.

Pretend you're underwater, as this first photo is a bit blurry. Just like it would be if you were looking at it underwater, so this was totally intentional. ....right.

Lately, Collin's favorite song has been about turtles, so we hear this rendition about 15 times a day:

Ms. Suzy had a turtle
She named him Tiny Tim
She put him in the bathtub
to see if he could swim.
He drank up all the water,
he ate up all the soap
and when he woke up in the morning he had bubbles in his throat.
(with the phrase bubbles in his throat said while strumming your finger across your lips).

don't believe me? Check out this lovely little video.

So, when we saw the turtles he was very excited. Then we saw the sharks, and fish, and seahorses, and jellyfish...pretty much it was a spectacular underwater adventure.

Collin was excited, waiting to go in and admired the murals on the wall of all the fish and sea creatures.
Once we were inside the first thing he saw were the stingrays, and he quickly tried to "pet" them through the glass. It was pretty cute.
Soon after, we went through the Jelly fish fields. The jelly fish were super cool, even for us, as they were in glass tubes all around so you could wander through the jelly fish fields. This bright pink one behind Collin was one of the more dangerous ones.
Since it was so hard to take photos in the tunnel of Sealife we took some photos of the murals, they look better than our pictures, but the tunnels were pretty cool, with fish, sharks, turtles, and other crazy sea animals all around us.

All in all, Collin had a great day. He loved the aquarium, he got to see Lego land for the first time, and even got to eat ice cream with a candle in it while we were at Crave (although I was so busy eating I forgot to take a picture of it).

Cheers to more years for Collin! Hooray!

Owen's Christening

The same weekend we celebrated Collin's second birthday, we also celebrated Owen's Christening. We crammed everything into one weekend because Owen's Godmother, Andrea, had a two day window for coming to Minnesota, so we made it work and crammed everything together in one whirlwind weekend. Owen's Baptism ended up being the spring day we had hoped for all weekend, with temps in the high 60s, but a brisk wind. We ignored the wind and went on our merry way.

Owen is growing so quickly, we can barely hang on to the moments before they've slipped through our hands and he's off toward some new milestone. Thank goodness he's only proverbially "off"-- if he was crawling I'd probably retire to my room and cry that I've nearly missed my son's infancy. This time it just feels so much more quick to pass, much more difficult to grasp onto the moments and savor them, every time I turn around he's bigger, and smarter and making leaps and bounds toward developmental milestones.
For Owen's Christening we chose my sister Andrea and Drew's brother Chris to be Owen's Godparents. Here's to hoping they do a good job.
Seriously though, we're excited to have them as a big part of Owen's life and we're confident they'll be amazing influences on him as he grows ( as an aside though: DEAR ANDREA: AMAZING INFLUENCE DOES NOT EQUAL SUPER SPOILER. No need for noise toys or other ridiculous contraptions).


In our family, Baptism is sort of like paying bills. Its how you ensure your entrance ticket is all paid up. You don't really think about it much, you just do it. At first, I didn't give it a second thought, of course we'll have Owen baptized. That's what all of the crazy Catholics in our family do. We Baptize.

But, it turns out that's not such a good reason to have someone baptized. So, Instead of swallowing the pill, I decided to really sit on it for a bit and decide if it was something I was happy with. Don't get me wrong, I am/was very interested in Owen having a home in faith, but I wasn't so sure if forcing him into one, even with the best intentions, was the best idea. What if one day he'd rather be Episcopalian, or Lutheran, or a Buddhist? Regardless of what faith he ascribes to I'd still be happy about his commitment to faith, so where should my druthers lay???

So, I prayed about it. (By the way, the photos sort of give away what we decided to do, I hope you aren't expecting any crazy ending to this story, if you'd rather read on to determine our course of action you're going to have to try to ignore the photos, which is pretty much impossible). This is unusual for me. I don't usually go asking God for advice. I generally make requests that are more in line with help (i.e. please help me to be a good mom, please help me to be patient, please help me to be a good influence on my family's life choices etc.). Advice is a bit weird because it requires a response, and to be honest, I don't really get responses from God. I'm not very perceptive of the subtle ways God can interact with your life, so if I'm looking for a response it should probably look something like a billboard outside my front door.
Just sayin'.

Mainly, my advice requests stemmed from the question "What if Owen chooses another path in his beliefs?" For goodness sakes, so many people change paths, so many people reconcile their beliefs and up and quit religion, and so many people become Christians late in life. It's a regular crap-shoot trying to predict this stuff. I felt guilty laying out the groundwork for his faith when I want my boys to be independent consumers of religion. I loathe blind belief. I want them to investigate and figure out what their own beliefs are, I want them to be passionate about how they establish their life's moral compass, and I think much of that is rooted in faith.
So, while I was waiting for that billboard, Easter came and went. We went to Easter mass, and I sat in the reconciliation mass and listened to mass while I nursed Owen. I was super tired that day, and I remember that couch being so very comfy and I dozed off for a few minute. Yes, its true I fell asleep in church. Call me a heathen, I don't mind.
The critical part of the story though, is when I woke up. The sermon was going on and the priest was talking about "Good Christians", his message was that you can be a Bad Christian just as easily as you can be a Good Christian. That we shouldn't really associate Christian with kindness. As I write this I'm thinking "thank you captain obvious". It's a fairly simple statement, but one I'd sort of forgotten. It reminded me to not pass judgement on religion, but to pass judgement on behavior. Its not what you say you are, its what you do that makes a difference. How you live. Christian, Catholic, Mormon...just labels.
So, at that point the labels became superfluous. We could have baptized Owen into a tribe of purple people eaters, it wouldn't have mattered. Baptism, for me is about setting the foundation to lead a life of examples that help mold Owen's conscience, not about the Religious title. I don't really think its even ticket to pass. I think its a promise of guidance, regardless of religion.
So, even though it wasn't a billboard, I settled into the notion that Owen should be baptized, so that we (Drew and I) and his Godparents make a commitment to leading him down a path of "good faith", honesty, love and compassion
So, together with four other families we spent a Sunday afternoon confirming that promise. Owen was tired, but overall pretty happy, since once the warm water hit his head I think he was pretty sure he was about to get a bath (which he loves).

So now, at least officially, he's part of the Catholic faith. I hope one day he'll make a choice about if its the right faith for him after years of preparation to choose his way. I hope this opens the door for him to feel confident that no matter what he believes, we'll always love him, unconditionally.




And, of course, as any reader of our blog knows, family events = family photos. Here's a smattering: Owen with lots of love and family, meeting Aunt Susie and Uncle Chris for the first time (a HUGE thanks to them for coming from all the way from Vegas, we wish we could have spent more time with them catching up!) spanning the gap of two generations. He's surrounded by love. We like it that way :)

Family Photos

Turning Two

I can hardly believe two years ago we were headed to the hospital to have our first baby boy. So much has changed in the past two years-- I can barely capture how much our hearts have expanded, our lives have been enriched and the endless joy that has entered our lives.
Arriving at two years has been a wild ride- Collin has grown so much in the last year. Everyday he makes us smile and laugh, manages to steal another heart (he's quite the ladies' man), offers us bits of wisdom and brightens our lives.

We can't believe how much Collin's conversation skills have grown. Between 18 months and 24 months his vocabulary has taken off like a rocket, and now he uses 6 to 8 word sentences to tell us just what he's interested in: "Mama, I need eat little bit donut!", or "Mama, I need more milk pwease!", or "Mama, I need big hug, pick up!"

Collin's also incredibly clever these days, opening doors, scaling furniture, stopping my heart as I find him on the table/crawling up the side of a bookshelf/soliciting the dog into helping him get a snack... He's able to problem solve his way out of nearly anything and this has caused us a tremendous amount of headache as we continually try to get one step ahead of him.

Over the course of his second year Collin has become increasingly social, becoming the ladies man in school, and affectionately stealing the heart of all his teachers. He loves playing with friends, spending as long as he can on the playground at the park and dabbling in finger paint, paste and otherwise messy concoctions at art class. We love seeing him become engaged in so many interests and watching the characteristics that follow so closely in his father's footsteps blossom- Collin is already anxious to spend the majority of his time outside, and follows Drew around in the back yard with a shovel in one hand, while pushing his little lawnmower in the other, its adorable and endearing to see so much of Drew in his little personality.

And so, for Collin's second birthday, we celebrated with a farmyard of family. Collin's been spending so much of his time singing "Old MacDonald" and "BINGO" that we thought a BBQ and farm party would be quite fitting. We gathered our cows and pigs, family and friends and set out for a great birthday weekend.

The weather didn't cooperate with our weekend plans though- we were hoping for a nice spring outside party and found ourselves plagued with rain and cold wind, forcing our party inside, to a nice sardine-like smush in our small house. Having a little less than 20 folks parading around our tiny 1950s house made me so very anxious to begin renovations and add on to our home. But, nevertheless, even though we were a bit more than cozy, the party was fantastic. Collin loved the attention and the many many gifts, as well as getting to see all of his favorite people in one place.


For his second birthday, Collin had a barn cake, surrounded with cows and pigs, but he really didn't quite dig in the way most kids do with cake, as he doesn't eat a whole lot of sugar- so he was more interested in the "hay bales" of shredded wheat than the cake itself. He happily blew out the candle and admired the cake, frosting and accessories, poked and prodded the cake a bit and was satisfied. Once everyone enjoyed the delicious cake, Collin moved on to gifts.


It was nearly like Christmas there were so many gifts, and many many many books, which Collin loved. He anxiously took nearly every book to anyone's lap he could find, Aunt Susie's, grandma's- whomever was most available. So amidst the gifts we continually stopped to take a look at his new books.


After all the books were open, perused and loads of wrapping paper was stowed across the living room, Collin had two outdoor presents left, so we braved the cold and rain and went outside. For his second birthday we gave him a water table which he was so excited about and anxious to use, and Nana and Papa Wackerle gave him a John Deere tractor that is like a Power Wheels, with lots of traveling power. Because the weather was so awful Collin was hesitant to get on, so Cha Cha tried it out for him. It wasn't 12 hours later though, that he was riding along on the tractor nearly by himself, happily zooming around the backyard.


The party was a great success, and as our little boy continues to grow we can't help but look on in wonder, Collin changes everyday and has grown so quickly. He's a fantastic big brother, a blossoming artist, a clever sleuth and has a tremendously large heart.

We adore you Collin, and can't believe how you've grown. You're an amazing part of our lives and we can't wait to see what next year brings.

Did you know??

Collin's about to turn 2???
Here's his invite for his party this weekend.

We're super excited to see him turn two, and as a result I've had lots of fun getting ready for his little farm party. I found some adorable birthday crowns on Etsy and figured I could make one much cheaper than they sell them on Etsy, so here's my effort, I'm so happy with how it turned out!

4 months

See this irresistible smile? Ridiculous, isn't it? He's so darn cute it just makes my heart ache. This little boy brightens every minute of the day. I can't believe he's 4 months already. Where does the time go??
Dear sweet baby Owen,
I can barely believe you are 4 months old. This month has been tremendously eventful as you take the bull by the horns, leading us along your amazing journey. Four months, a third of a year, all too quickly passing. It seems as though just yesterday I could cradle you in the nook of my arm and watch you sleep. Today, that's simply not the case, as you are too interested in the world around you to spend any more than you have to soundly asleep. These days you are passing milestones left and right. Early in April you rolled over for the first time, and toward the end of April you sat up alone for the first time. You are incredibly vocal, continually telling us what you think and who's really the boss...
You never cease to amaze me, withe each passing day you teach our whole family something new. Your sweet disposition, amazing smile, and genuine love of cuddling makes my heart fill with happiness. I can't tell you how wonderful you make my day when I come home from work and see your adorable smile, your coos, oohs, and ahhs. Seeing your beautiful smile makes our life so much more complete. So effortlessly fantastic.
Your strength continues to impress us, as you love sitting in the Bumbo, and try to sit up on your own leaning forward to touch your toes all the while precariously balancing upright, just long enough to make the claim that you can sit up! before slowly leaning toward the side until you make a dive toward the floor in a slow-motion lean.
You've settled into a fantastic routine, sleeping in your crib now, with various naps between 1 and 3 hours, you go to bed around 6:30 and usually sleep until 5 or so, then nap toward 7 am, getting all the sleep you need to be a happy, healthy little boy. You've adjusted to your new nanny, Lindsey, well. She adores you and you seem to enjoy your time with her, smiling, rolling over, and playing. She's not the only one that adores you though, Collin continues to dote on you whenever he can. Collin loves to show you toys, give you gentle kisses on your head and hold you in your rocking chair. We can't get over how loving he is to you, how he wants to read you stories and share with you.
Your days start with an enormous stretch as you quietly lay in your crib and take in the world for a few moments before our day begins. As I pick you up, we head off to greet Collin and you are so excited to see him, always talking cooing, ahhing, giggling and laughing at the faces he make at you. You love him so much, its so apparent that you two will be two peas in a pod. After getting dressed and cleaning up we play with you on the floor, reading books and admiring your favorite peacock toy.
As Collin eats breakfast, you watch in anticipation, waiting patiently for the day you'll get to enjoy food. I'm already sad that this is going to come far to soon in our future. When Collin was four months I was anxious to plan to give him cereal and sweet potatoes, which we held out until 5 1/2 months or so to do, but with Owen it feels like we can't wait long enough. He's growing too quickly. We'll wait until 6 months at least before he starts to eat baby food, because I don't like the idea of him growing up so quickly, I dislike it, I dislike it, I dislike it. Slow down baby boy. Slow down.
After breakfast we usually read books or do puzzles or play with toys with Collin. You observe in quiet contentment. As I talk to Collin I wonder how much of the conversation you are aware of, and we diligently try to put you in the focus of our playing, saturating your days with new words, new experiences, and tons of love.
Before we know it, its time for me to head to work, and Lindsey comes to play with you. You take your first nap and start your schedule of eating and napping until your dad comes home. Around 2 pm, you are in the midst of your longest afternoon nap and Drew prepares for your afternoon routine of playing and eating, and napping. Its finally starting to get warm outside, and we look forward to being able to explore the backyard with you in tow as Collin plays on his swing-set and climber.

After your final nap its nearly time for me to arrive home and as soon as I'm in the door, your sweet smile greets me and reminds me that no matter how trying the afternoon at work, nothing is quite as soothing, amazing, adorable and relieving as your smile. I scoop you up and cuddle with you for the few hours before your bedtime, squeezing every moment I can out of your day to share with you many mother-son moments in time.
And so, at 4 months, you are growing, all too quickly and I can barely catch up as I'm chasing two of you boys these days! Your little personality is nothing short of perfect, such a strong and happy boy, amazing us each day with your new discoveries, giggles and sighs of contentment.
We love you. We can't wait to see what 5 months bring, but wish it wouldn't come so soon :)

love
Momma and Daddy

I need coffee!

Drew took this with his phone, so its not the best quality. Nonetheless, we thought we would share, and don't worry, Collin doesn't actually get to drink coffee. He' just obsessed with it since Drew does drink it and he can't have it.