Fall Fun!

Halloween and the related festivities has come and gone, but I'm still catching up on blog posts, so bear with us as we capture the fun of the holiday nearly two weeks too late.
Oh well.
Someday I'll be all caught up and the blogs will be current.
Until then, well, you get what you get.

In October, we enjoyed the un-seasonably warm weather and took advantage of Collin's growing sense of anticipation and excitement for coming events to celebrate Halloween. We carved pumpkins, traveled out to Afton Apple Orchard with friends and toured many a Halloween stop- the Children's Museum, The Zoo Boo, and trick or treating in our neighborhood.


Halloween this year was our first taste of Collin's sense of pure joy about the unbelievable nature of holidays. Really, to a toddler, holidays are sort of like the equivalent of someone telling an adult that on any given day, if you just ask, or wake up, or say the magic words $5000.00 will land in your lap. If that were true I'd be down right giddy. And, so it is will toddlers when they first figure out the magic of these types of holidays- Halloween, Christmas, Easter.

And boy was he giddy after getting the drift about the events at hand. Our first Halloween event was the museum, and he quickly caught on that those magic words yielded some kind of fantastic surprise. Thankfully, the museum leaned away from candy (which was great, because we still don't give Collin candy. He's probably had less than 10 M&Ms total in his little life) and gave the kids fun tatoos, stickers, stamps and other trinkets. Two more Halloween parties followed suit and each day Collin got more and more excited to don his elephant costume and Trick or Treat.
This Halloween was Owen's first, and it was entirely different for him, but nearly as exciting for me. Its so fun to dress up babies and parade them around! He seemed to like it as well too, and was maybe the world's cutest monkey. I could barely stand it and I plastered his cheecks with kisses all through the boo zoo. I mean seriously, have you seen this face?  Owen has always carried his own kind of pace. He's pretty game to play along with whatever we do as long as it doesn't intercede with precious naptime. I'm pretty sure he'd be fine even if I pushed through nap time, but my own sanity concerns for his sleep always keep us to our schedule.

Halloween wasn't really any different, but having a big brother to look up to made for some excellent people-watching on Owen's part. It's really amazing how they are so alike yet so different, and how having an older brother entirely impacts who Owen really is.

Owen watches Collin, like a little hawk. Patiently observing the world around Collin, looking for the littlest cues of approval, happiness, and at the other end of the spectrum, moments of fear and anxiety to relay when to be scared or worried. On Halloween Owen looked at Collin as though he was swimming among a sea of creatures- all unknown, all potential dangers. Collin, realizing these costumes were all in good fun, smiled widely the first time he saw a character he recognized- "A gorilla, momma! It's a gorilla!" and at the same time, I was able to almost see the little wheels in Owen's brain turn, capture for a moment Collin's smile, and relax into a state of happiness. Owen, all in a few seconds discerned that this setting was okay because for the most part, Collin was happy.

Those kind of moments are so amazing as parents. I got to actually see that happen. Its like a little miracle. I don't know how else to explain it. Seriously, seeing the bonds of brotherhood form before your very eyes is amazing.

 All day Owen continued along this path. Smile, check with Collin, continue to smile. It was so adorable. I love that his first Halloween was nestled somewhere between the comfort of my arms and his brother's warm encouragement.

Halloween also tends to bring out the very large child in Drew as well (who if any of you have forgotten has a sweet tooth that draws to Halloween like an unescapable centrifical force, which means I get a brief taste of what it would be like to have three kids. I think Drew was just as excited as the boys were to go trick of treating and he took to carving pumpkins and prepping for roasted pumpkin seeds (which magically dissappeared in something like four days!) This year we carved the boys their own pumpkins, each with their name and Collin added his hands, and lately he's been all about tracing his hands. Collin tried out carving, hand over hand with Drew, but eventually decided it would be more fun to ride his tractor around with a pumpkin in the trailer.

So, Halloween rounded out nicely to be a pretty spectacular holiday filled with so many smiles by the end of the weekend my cheeks hurt. As one of the last nice weekends of the year (and by nice I mean, a no jacket nearly 70 and sunny weekend) it painted a perfect picture of fall in my memory.

It may be the first Halloween Collin ever remembers, and for Owen, it represents the first of many many more fantastic holidays, and for our little family, 2011 has been filled with an adorable zoo of animals, and our family may sometimes feel like a zoo, but we wouldn't have it any other way. These days are so very precious. And crazy. And fun. And, well, they're perfect.

 

10 months old today

Today is the day you turned 10 months old. A crisp fall day, bordering on winter, with a cold hard frost gracing the windows as I approached the outside world. You awoke this morning, stuffy and snotty, barely breathing through your little nose, as you battle your first little cold, craddled in your daddy's arms. Last night you flittered between drowsy, asleep, and downright alert between the wee hours of 3 and 5 am. Because your little nose was so stuffed you struggled to find the comfort of sleep and the only resolve ended up being the comfort of daddy's arms. After getting a few momentary dreams while you finally slept soundly, I came to you at 8 in the morning, unusually late for your morning start, and relieved daddy so he could get ready for the challenge of the morning: jury duty.

You smiled your sweet little smile, snuggled into my arms and wandered between sleep and awake before settling on rising to the occassion and morning sunshine. The crisp morning lended bright and vibrant beams, streaming through your windows like ribbons from a maypole, dancing around the room. And, so our day began.

That little toothy grin, even when you feel downright uncomfortable, is sometimes more than I can bear, because even when you are feeling awful, you bring such an amazing array of happiness to our lives. In the mornings, when you share your bit of radiance, you're still confined to your sleep sack, it being so very cold here now, so you can't get very far without getting all tangled up. I put you on the floor to roll and turn until breakfast, a few minutes in the making.

You're nearly eating all "real" food now, and its fantastic to see you independently navigate your breakfast. Pieces of fruit, cream of wheat, apple sauce and yogurt. You anxiously shovel the small pieces on your tray into your mouth, and yell in frustration at those who slip between your fingers.  As you finish breakfast and your tray becomes more and more empty you become more an more vocal about your dislike of the high chair. I'm lucky that the high chair contains you, because its the only way I am able to reach your cheeks with a washcloth. When you are away from the highchair you weave away from it as though your skin will erupt in hives if it meerly touches you. I'd be a bit heartbroken for you about it if it wasn't so absolutely ridiculous. Before your last yelp, the process is over and you quickly revert to being my happy baby, with a few bits of breakfast plastered along your pajamas.

Getting dressed has become more precarious as you are your father's son anticipating danger, pursuing it and treating my looks of anxiety like a challenge. You cling to the side of your changing table and threaten to roll off while I hang on to your ankles and try to wrangle you into a clean diaper. You writhe about, making it take twice as long as it should, but quite the adventure for you, as you giggle with delight. To tame your efforts I often give you a toy or book to look at, or play peek-a-boo with a burp cloth. For every time you anticipate being able to peek out from under the burpcloth your brim with excitement kicking and waving your arms like you are signaling an airplane. You will be a fantastic swimmer one day, the way you work your arms and legs toward an invisible finish line.

A dressed and adorable baby, it only takes a few moments before the first string of drool escapes your mouth and you've got a wet shirt, narrated by your babbles as you tell the story of how to break teeth through your gums. You still haven't been successful yet--just two on the bottom and none on top yet, but you sure are consistently soaked and always trying to aid your teeth in breaking through by biting on all things great and small.

When I put you on the floor, you are off, directly toward your brother. You're so small, yet its so aparent that you love him so much, and in a way that is different from your love and excitement for us, as parents. Seeing the little light in your eyes when he greets you and when he trys desperately hard to entertain you, or pull you through fits of reistance, is incredibly endearing and heartwarming, from both perpectives. I love to watch you admire him from a far and then suddenly realize you can become part of the moment, and quickly crawl toward whatever he is doing with the toy of the moment. These little interactions are beginning to form the opportunity for future tussles over who gets to play with what toy, and I can see them happening before my very eyes, but for now, I'm just enjoying the way you interact and enjoy each other's company. There isn't a day that goes by that I have to tell Collin he's given you enough hugs for the day and that you don't like to be hugged so much so that it restricts your movement. I hope that when he is older he reflects on the way he doted on you and adored you as a baby, its an amazing bond.

Your nap times have become more of a wandering experiment in exploring the enviornment as I simultaneously try to force you to close your eyes and sleep. I hold you tight, forcefully tight to my body, because without this bear hug, you spread out, reach above your head and wave your fingers about as though they are tentacles feeling for bits of new experience. I try to hold you in and bounce you into a window for sleep, but you hum and haw until your body finally agrees its time to sleep. These days I often have to cover your face with a light blanket because you'll crane back your head and examine every part of your room as though you've never seen it before. Its like a little light turned on in your brain and you're suddenly noticing everything. Which is okay, because we know you're working overtime to learn all about the world, but at the same time, I really want you to take a nap, so we go back and forth until you give in for an hour and a half or so of sweet dreams.

After nap, you rise and shine with the happiest of grins, ready and anxious to take on the next challenge of our day. Playing seems to make your soul shine and you spend so much time scaling toys as I hang on to your little legs. You're becoming more and more brave, leaning on your learning table and precariously turning around, balancing for the briefest of moments all by yourself. You love to chew on your pops and snaps, nibble on books, and explore more everyday all through the avenues accessible to your little and drool filled mouth. Today you go through three outfits just because they have become so soaked with drool that they've turned ice cold.

Lunch and naptime are reflections of the earlier portion of the day, today chewing along on homemade chicken noodle soup, yogurt and cheese bit,  but now each effort encounters a bit more resistance, because as the day goes on, your curiosity grows exponentially. You can't get enough of this world, and we truly can't get enough of watching you enjoy and absorb so much. Today you're nursing around every 4 to 4.5 hours and I've been thinking a lot lately about cutting back a feeding, becuase now, at 10 months we are getting dangerously close to the end of this journey. I know that if we don't start the process now, taking nursing away cold turkey will make for some long evenings, so I imagine in the near future, you'll protest the fewer feedings. While I love nursing and the bond that is part of that relationship, but I'm also very anxious to be freed of carrying around the black Medela bag that has become my third appendage.

So, the day continues on, another nap, a greeting from daddy as he returns from jury duty, and toward the end of the afternoon a special visit from your new nanny, Ariel, who will join the ranks of our family in the coming weeks. When you met her for the first time, I saw a bit of anxiousness, which is both heartbreaking and exciting at the same time. Heartbreaking because it makes me ache to think that you will be a little bit scared and anxious as I leave you with a new person for the first time, and exciting to see another developmental milestone occur, with attachment taking the front row seat in your life, and you're behavior letting us know that we're being a secure base from which to explore.

Before long, we're at the dinner table, and you're enjoying beef pilaf while the rest of our family eats a mishmash of weekly leftovers- quiche, dinner salads, soups such, cleaning up the last of the refridgerator remnants before another effort to fill the shelves begins again. We would have liked to share the quiche, but given the potential egg allergy problems that can challenge infants, we thought tonight would be better off as a babyfood evening, and so you get the final taste of the few stage 3 jars left in our house.

Once you're settled in your pajamas and sleep sack, a set of socks on your hands for mittens because its been so very cold as of late, we nestle into the rocking chair to nurse and read night time stories. We always end with the Going to Bed Book and every night it amazes me to watch you search the pages and contentedly stare at each character with such concentration. Each night this feels like a little glimpse into your brain, as I watch your eyes dart around the pages and see you absorb the words and story that transpires as we turn the pages.

And then, as quickly as it began, the end of the day is here, the lights are down low, and its time to close up shop and visit your sweetest of dreams. I wonder what you dream about, what could a 10 month old possibly have running through their mind each evening, and I hope and pray they are happy thoughts for bring tomorrows, hugs and kisses from mommy and daddy and Collin and excitement for another beautiful day in our family. As you drift off, I take a deep, genuine exhale and prepare myself for the last leg of my day- clean up and closing loops with bills, blogs, dishes, cleaning etc. At these moments, as I put you down in your crib, softly sleeping, I can't help but think that this is exactly where I'm supposed to be in this life, that some force, bigger than me, has aligned the stars to allow me to be the momma to these amazing little boys, and every day I am incredibly thankful.

Thank you Owen, for being so sweet, amazing, happy and content.
You make our lives a blessing, and we can't wait to see what 11 months brings our way.
all our love
Momma and Daddy

9 months

For all the readers: I actually wrote this post when Owen turned 9 months, making it appropriate for that time, but still reads as though its current (since I'm just posting it now as we didn't have access to the adorable photos that go with it!). 10 months is the same way and will appear on the blog very soon.

Dear Owen,

Here we are, a mirror image of the time it took to create you, as the time you've been in this fantastic world. 9 months is an adventure in parenting, teaching us about your independence and individuality. 9 months has opened the door to many new opportunities and challenges and loads of fun, love and happiness.
 I can barely stand your cuteness right now, you always have an amazing smile plastered across your cheeks. Its so beaming and bright that sometimes I think your cheeks must ache the way mine do when I've spent hours laughing. I know I say it every month, but its worth repeating that you are such an easy baby. You enjoy spending time with Collin, watching his every move, taking in and evaluating how you can position yourself to learn to follow along at his pace. You are such an adored addition to our lives, reminding me how lucky we are to have such a happy family.

These days you sleep from 6:30 to 5:30, then again to 7 if your brother will let you. You two have internal radar, and just as soon as he pops his little eyes open in his bed, even if he hasn't made the tiniest little peep, you too rise and shine. Without fail, every morning I watch the video monitors in Collin's room and yours to see you both wake up simultaneously. The only way around this is if the moment I see Collin stir I sneak down, scoop him up and take him into the basement. Its only then that you'll even think about sleeping longer. I cherish the days that you do though, as I still worry about how many hours of sleep you get.

You usually don't last long in bed with me in the mornings anymore, as after you nurse, you're mostly interested in telling us, loud and clear, that sleeping in our bed isn't such a good idea. Lots of yelling and sassiness, pulling my hair and rolling, quickly and quietly, like a stealth baby toward the edge, as if it say, "fine, if you won't play with me, I'm just going to jump off the bed". We reel you back in by your ankles and before long one of us is taking you back to your room to rock until you slip off to dreamland.

Once we're up for the day we usually begin the morning with books. You have your favorites and will listen contently, but for most you'd rather grab the pages and taste them. Everything is in your mouth these days, being tasted and textured with teethmarks from your two little teeth. You love standing at your music table and leaning against the couch, playing with the shaky eggs and rattles and sitting amongst a circle of toys that are withinn your reach. You crawl to your preference (army style, reach and pull), pivot and move in a new direction. Its pretty hilarious to watch. Rarely you use your knees. I think you are so efficient now with your army crawl that you really won't move on to regular crawling, instead you'll head into walking. Mornings are plastered with adorable kisses, as you try to plant one on my cheek, open mouthed and full of slobbery drool. It appears as though maybe you are trying to eat my cheeks, but I like to think its just your kisses. You are so adorably affectionate, hugging and holding on tightly to us as we hold you close. Like a baby bear scaling a tree, you wrap yourself around my arms and cling to me with one hand, your little finger nails clawing into my skin like little anchors, while using the other to grab anything within reach. Secure base from which to explore, I suppose.

After a half hour of watching you explore the world we head to breakfast, where Collin entertains you in the highchair.You dislike being contained in your highchair and usually yell at us when we don't give you something to shovel into your mouth the moment you sit down. For the 5 minutes it takes me to get Collin started on his breakfast, you eat yogurt puffs and fresh fruit, usually telling us how your day will go in baby babbles and cadences of mama mama mama nana dada. I love watching you focus on getting those small pieces of fruit, pears, bananas, raspberries, into your little mouth to savor. You're eating baby yogurt and lots of stage 3 jarred foods now, slowly transitioning to real table food for all your meals.

After breakfast, we get you cleaned up, which you absolutely hate. It hurts, terribly bad, to be clean. You protest everytime I touch the wash cloth to your little face as though it burns, letting me know how awful it is to be cleaned up. If I do this while you are still in the highchair its doubly traumatic, with the combined hatred of being in the highchair without food in hand and the washcloth on your little cheeks.

But, soon after, you've forgotten about your disdain, and we're in changing your diaper and getting dressed for the day. I try carefully to leave the breakfast remenants on your pajamas, rather than allowing you to hug me and share the smashed bananas, pears and raspberries. At least once a week I get to work and find that I wasn't successful and there is the tiniest of breakfast treats plastered on my shoulder, saved especially for me, like an afternoon snack. We then make our way into Collin's room to work through the same routine with him, while you take full advantage of his toys, quickly crawling to the trucks and cars, anxiously putting all of the small pieces in your mouth, all the while staring at me out of the corner of your eye as if to say "don't worry mom, I'm just tasting it a little." We play, as a threesome for a bit, until its time for your morning nursing and nap, which usually happen about 8:30 or so. You've settled into a nice hour to hour and a half morning nap. I'm so thankful that this routine has finally appeared in your life, because for awhile there, I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to be confident you were getting enough sleep. You're such a happy baby though, we've begun to think that we must be doing at least an okay job.

You settle into my arms, little hand tucked around my back, hanging on in the tiniest of hugs as I cradle you and walk/bounce you to sleep. It isn't very often that you let me rock you anymore, you want to be moving, and so, I dance you around the room with Parsley the puppy tucked between your check and my chest, until you drift off to sleep. As your brother plays quietly in his room, I get a few moments to myself with you to admire your sleeping face, and remember, everyday how blessed we are, if just for a brief moment. Its amazing to think that just last month we were wrangling you out of a sleep wrap, as it seems so very far in the distant past now. You're getting so big, so fast. I wish I could capture it all in my memory, to play back like a home video at my own disposal, but alas, the best I can do is hang on to brief moments, and record every tiny bit of love and happiness in places like our blog.

Once you are asleep I take Collin downstairs and enjoy some time with him, playing with bristle blocks, coloring, painting, playing with play-doh... this list goes on. I often think about how you'll be as brothers as you grow, Collin adores you in a way that I never expected. His heart is  so big and generous, and you seem to fill it right up with happiness. He's often trying to make you happy, playing peek a boo, or trying to appease you when you're scolding us from your high chair.

When you rise and shine, we play so more. You really enjoy rattles and music, dancing along like a little rumba baby, and you particularly love the Thing-A-Majigs, which are these small animal things that sing when you squeeze their bellies. You often chase the toys that aren't yours and are exploring dangerous territory, making a beeline for outlet covers in the outlets on the wll, or pulling yourself into precarious positions, like under your rocking chairs footstool.

Our day continues on in a pattern of play, eat, sleep, play, eat, sleep. From playtime, to luch, to afternoon nap. Greeting your daddy, whom you adore and beam with excitement to see (as you nearly bounce out of my arms, waving your hands around as if to signal him, "over here! over here! I missed you!"), to exploring the afternoon warmth of fall as we prepare for dinner and evening bedtime routine. Fall crashes in on us with an evening curtain of dusk, reminding us that its time to wind down and put the day to bed.

Having Fridays through Mondays to spend with you has been fantastic, as I don't feel as though my working impeeds my mommy-hood as much as it used to. I can rationalize being away only on Tuesday, Wednesdays and Thursdays, allowing me to keep up with the work I do ( and remain so invested in) but also feel as though I'm being a good mommy.

Every month I try to pinpoint the signficant changes in your life, little mini-milestones, like teeth (all two of them!), your habits and such, but really, its been so difficult for me to see the other changes, they seems to just suprise me, and I continue to wonder how we arrived. How did you get so much older? Where did this little personality come from? When exactly did these likes and dislikes develop? Last Tuesday? Its a sneaky little journey this first year, moving from such a tiny infant, to a toddling baby. I hate that I can't hold on to it tighter. As it turns out, you grow no matter what we do. We're along for the ride. We try to keep up by smothering you with love, kisses and hugs, everday, so you know that this journey represents some of the best parts of our lives.

I'm not sure how we got here, or where life will take us in the next 30 days, but are so in love with you Owen, that it doesn't really matter because we're permanent fixtures in this journey. We'll take it in stride and embrace every moment of it as your parents to help you grow and be successful. You're the brightest most amazing little baby I know, and we love love love love you to pieces.

Happy 9 months.
love

Momma and Daddy

The Great Minnesota Get Together 2011

It actually snowed here today. Ish. Snow. Only a few flakes, but still.
I'm so not ready for snow. Pretty much I'm in sheer denial.
So, how about a post from the heart of summer days?

One of the very best parts of Minnesota is the state fair, nestled in the heart of summer. Its ones of the fondest memories I carry through the winter to remind me of why on Earth we have chosen to live in this God Forsaken Frozen Tundra wonderful place. Two weeks of pure, unbridled gluttony, fun and childhood excitement. The state fair embodies every storybook image of fair-going, cotton candy, 4H, corn dogs, Ferris wheels, soda fountains, midways and rodeos.

The state fair is an anomaly in fair going because it is unlike an other state fair in the nation. People who do not live in Minnesota seem to have a difficult time grasping the enormity of the fair because state fairs in many other states are mediocre at best compared to the Great Minnesota Get Together, with only Texas surpassing it in size. The Minnesota state fair likely attracts the most people for the amount of time it is open (1.6 million people in 2 weeks) and everytime we go, even multiple times in a week, we find ourselves in awe of the amazing hoards of people who come out of the woodwork to visit everything from local canning competitions, butter carvings, a taste of deep fried bacon, rooster crowing competitions to Grand Stand performances. Really, its nothing short of a miracle in people watching.

This year we decided to share the fun with my parents, so they came for a long weekend where we celebrated my dad's birthday and spent a whole day at the fair, which is not nearly enough to visit even half of the fair properly, and by the time we left, my feet ached, it was the second full day I had spent on the grounds (we had taken Collin for a full day of fun earlier in the week) and I still felt like there were so many things that we didn't see.

They had never been to our fair, so we did it up right and started out bright and early, boarding the bus at a wee 8:30 am with Collin nearly crawling out of his skin with excitement to get to the fair. This year was particularly fun for us because it was the first time Collin was able to grasp the excitement around the fun of the fair.

To make the best of it for Collin and avoid the tremendous cluster f**k hoards of people, we took him on a Tuesday, Senior day, early in the morning, thinking that the lines wouldn't be too terribly long on the kiddie rides since Seniors don't find their way to bumper boats and the swing ride all too often. He absolutely adored the fair. It was like stimuli

overload. When we arrived we went over to the little hands farm where kids get to interact with pretend animals on a farm and a milk a pretend cow. Collin was overwhelmed with the fun before him and walked around with a perpetual smile plastered to his face. He carried his adorable silver bucket, tucked in next to the pocket on his little farmer's apron. We walked from each activity to the next with Collin hanging on to my fingertips anxiously stretching away to move on to the next bit of fun. 

We spent that day ensared in the draws of the fair, cheese curds, animal barns, rides and baby animals, and by the time we went home I could barely believe the glow eminating from Collin. He was just so happy, and there before me, it seems, was the making of the first memory that Collin will be able to recall as an adult. To impact your child's life on a daily basis at some point becomes so natural that we glance over the moments that will matter when they are 10 or 20 years old. But, here, before my very eyes I could nearly see it happening.                                                                                          

      It wasn't more than a week later that Nana and Papa came and we made our way to the fair. Since Collin had already been, his anticipation was taking over his little brain, with every other phrase ending or beginning with "at the state fair?" He crawled out of bed, ready to get his shoes on and head out the door, and lucky for Collin we weren't too far behind. By 8:15 we had boarded the bus, which was all part of the fun, and made our way to the grounds.

Part of preparing to go to the fair is planning out all of the fun things to see- the 4H buildings full of amazing exhibits, the dealerships of everything you can imagine, the buildings of infomercial products and the many other sites and sounds of state fair fun, but the other, and likely more important part of the fair is planning out what you are going to eat. What new thing to try, what tried and true standard to eat: (read CHEESE CURDS!) and where the strange and bizzare foods are found. Its such a big deal that the state fair webpage has a "food finder" search engine to help you seek out all of your favorite flavors.

So we found our foods- chocolate waffles with carmels and whipped cream on a stick, standard fav- cheese curds, deep fried cookie dough, Sweet Martha's cookies, turkey legs on a stick, to name a few. So, we started out and made our way toward the morning stop: waffles. It was a brisk morning, so the warm waffles made for a perfect start.Then we wandered to one of Collin's favorite stops- the John Deere dealerships where he could sit on and admire dozens of tractors, bulldozers and farming accessories.  Collin tried out the bulldozer and found the seat rather cozy. I think it rubbed off on him a bit, because ever since he's been obsessed with all things construction, naming bulldozers, excavators, backhoes, dump trucks...

  Then we wandered over to the Miracle of Life barn where momma animals and their babies take up residence for two weeks to be born and visited. Collin just loved the barn, because all of the new additions were accessible for petting and holding. He went from calf to calf noting how new it was and how cute it was. Not too far from the calf were the new baby lambs, all white and fuzzy, and a few steps further were the baby goats, which were many the most adorable animals in the whole building. Well, the baby piglets were pretty cute too, and had it not been that we were shoulder to shoulder with all the other Minnesotans in the state we might have spent even longer in the building taking another round at all the adorable and cuddly babies.

Before long it was time for a few rides, and Collin and Drew were in line for the Giant Slide. Waiting the 10 minutes to get to the top and watching all of the kids ahead of him slide down, Collin found himself anxious to go again, "more, daddy! more!". All the while, Owen was holding his own as our easy and happy baby, along for the ride. I know that this year won't be a year that he remembers, but it is his very first time to the fair, and it was extra special to be there as a family, together. He did especially well, riding along in the stroller and napping in the jump seat with a blanket to hide the streaming sunlight. Somedays I can't get over how easy Owen is and how happy he wanders through his life. Owen smiled at the baby animals, smiled at the people, smiled for cheese curds, waved his arms in excitement and enjoyed all of the fresh air as though the day was designed for him. Having two exuberantly happy boys made for two especially grateful parents.

   As the day went on, we wandered passed many food kisoks and stopped frequently for afternoon treats and lunch, found our way to the carrousel, the train, the wild west show, the crazy chickens, the stinky sheep and lots and lots of new sights and sounds. We rounded out our day with a visit to the butterfly house, which is fantastic for a toddler, but a bit awful for parents, realizing that the butterflies in the house are often squished and killed by tiny toddler hands.  Collin, though, with and easy temperament, approached the butterflies tentatively and carefully reached out to let them land on him. I imagine those butterflies in many ways share things with our little boys, so anxious and excited for the world around them, carefully confined to a space, but big enough to spread their wings and fly.

  And so, 2011 and the Minnesota state fair was a success. We stuffed ourselves silly, enjoyed a fabulous week (and day with my parents) and created the best memories to carry through these cold cold winters. 

We'll miss you, State Fair. Until we meet again. 

2 going on 12

Its been awhile since I've posted an exclusively Collin post, and in some ways I feel bad about it, as he's been growing leaps and bounds. When I'm 40 or so, and want to reflect back on the brief and happiest moments of his second year, I'll look to this blog and hope to mine the feelings I have throughout the days we spend together now and somehow be able to jump back into the moment. I know that these blog posts will be my window to his childhood, and I don't want to regret not recording enough of the precious moments that happen everyday.

At the same time, I'm trying desperately hard to track every tiny moment of Owen's life, because he grows much more quickly than I can ever attempt to follow. Having two little boys means having at least half the attention to detail that I did when Collin was little, and perpetually, I feel like he's always a little bit slighted. So I try to keep up more diligently with Owen to find some way to provide a tiny bit of retribution.

But basically, I just end up failing at both.

Lately, Collin's been amazing me even more than usual, with his incredible growth and hillarious antics. We're really blessed to have such a content and relaxed little boy in our lives. Most of the time he's the model child, and all too often I forget to remind myself how good we have it. He melts my heart every single day and I can't bear to imagine what next year will be like, because it makes me ache to think of losing this fantastic time in his life as exploration meets confidence and autonomy. He's so much of a little boy now, and just a fainting glimpse of a toddler. It hurts my heart to think he's on the skirts of independent exploration.

I can barely believe he's 2, as everday, I often forget that the daily occurences that we experience are sometimes the blind wisdom of what appears to be a 12 year old locked in a 2 year olds body. He's so inquisitive and responsive to his environment, building new vocabulary everyday and brimming with curiosity. Lately he's been asking "whats a baby (insert your favorite animal here) called?" or "whats a momma (insert same animal called"? He's anxious to learn about new things and uses new words recklessly. A few weeks ago he was standing in the bathroom peeing (yes, he's all potty trained, thats another post entirely) and said, "Daddy, thats hilarious!" (referring to his ability to pee standing up). I think we both cracked up, thus, ensuring that it was indeed hilarious.


On days like today he teaches me much about the world- defining for me what a front end loader is, a dump truck, a backhoe and an excavator. He knows all of them and can tell you whats different about each. He teaches me to open my eyes to new experiences (who knew that the world of construction was so rich in vocabulary).

He's also incredibly tender and loving. Collin has never shown even one moment of jealousy of Owen. When it comes to love and attention, he has the most generous heart I know. Just this morning, as Owen awoke, Collin came into his room and said, "Momma, put Owen on the floor, I want to hold him."- I obliged and put Owen down, and Collin quickly scooted around him, sitting with Owen nestled between his legs, unable to lift him into his lap, but anxious to be squnched together like a little bundle of sweetness. He picked up one of his favorite books, wrapped his arms around Owen, just barely reaching beyond Owen's body and held the book out to show him. He began, "Owen, I read you a book, no more dinosaurs jumping on the bed. Momma called the doctor and the doctor said, 'no more dinosaurs jumping on the bed''', the end." It was so adorable, and had I thought it would have lasted longer than a second I would have ran to get the camera, but I knew in the minute it would take me to gather the camera  I would have missed this amazing little moment of love between two incredible boys. Owen sat and absorbed Collin's every word. It made for the perfect start to our day.

This year Collins attending ECFE again and the difference in his abilities are nothing short of amazing. He's ready and anxious for school and really doesn't need me as much anymore, which is both exciting that he's exploring the world independently, but also heartbreaking that he's taking another step out into this great big world without me. He's exploring the science table, cooking dinners in the kitchen and examining books all at his own pace. This year has been influenced so much by his imagination and seeing it flourish in his play with other children makes us so very proud of our little boy.

At about 25 months it seemed like a switch turned on and Collin began to pursue imaginative play. He suddenly was pretending to throw balls, and expecting his unsuspecting parents to catch them.  He was making pretend meals and sharing them with the whole family, including Samson and drawing on his knowledge about the world to build pretend enviornments- pretend playing at parks, schools, and music class.

He continues to love books, and is so happy to read longer and longer stories, showing us how his attention is expanding and how he's budding on the world of learning to read. He's exploring words, producing nonsense rhymes all of the time that are just adorable. "Momma, dog, pog, that rhymes!" to which we shout with joy, "yes Collin! That Rhymes!". A little spot in my heart glows with happiness as I see my baby boy begin the journey of learning to read.

Collin also experienced his first interactions with electronic media- at 2.5, he had his first encounter with the Ipad (while we were on a flight to Las Vegas) and looked at the tablet like it was the most amazing thing that he has ever seen. We don't let him use it often, maybe once every 3 weeks or so, but he thinks its the bees knees. It made very clear for us the connection between something very similar to addiction and excitement between electronic media (TVs, computers etc.) and toddler brains.

His opinions are becoming more and more clear and we're so proud of the choices he often makes. Collin likes helping others, and is often offering a lending hand when asked to put Owen's clothes away or pick up toys. He almost always shares without a fuss, and knock on wood, we're over halfway through the second year and haven't experienced a tantrum. I really think though, this is just because he's so laid back. We likely won't be as lucky with all of our children, but we're enjoying the ride now. He really is an amazing little boy.

Work for me these days has been particulary stressful, lots of deadlines and such, and everyday I come home exhausted. But when I see that smiling little face and hear Collin say "Mama!" with such warmth in his voice, it all melts away and I want to just wrap his little arms around my neck and dance into the evening without a care for what I've left behind at my desk. Its amazing how he can erase the worst of days with a simple smile.

 As we approach Christmas and the end of 2011, I can't believe how far we've come and I feel like its impossible to anticipate what will happen next year. I know that the little boy that I wrap into my arms each night is such an amazing person that I can't kiss and hug enough. Collin, I hope you know how much we adore you. You're everything we could have ever dreamed and spending our time with you enriches our lives incredibly.