Trip to Marshall

Almost 3-4 months ago now (wow! I am a little behind on photos and stories...) Frankie and I made the trip to Marshall. We were looking forward to a weekend with my parents and my both my brothers and their kids. It was a full house!

I am so thankful that Frankie does well in the car since the normal 2.5-3 hour drive to Marshall took 4 hours! In certain spots, the roads were like ice rinks. I was happy to be driving the truck in case anything should have happened. Nothing did and we made it safely to Marshall - Frankie didn't wake up until we were driving into town! That extra hour could have been bad if he was awake and unhappy.

The entire weekend was a great time for all the kids to spend time together. Frankie enjoyed his cousins and when the boys went out for their banquet he enjoyed his girl time. :-) He wasn't quite crawling at this point (which is hard to remember since he is cruising around now) but the girls were trying to help teach him. Sophie liked to help take care of him and love him up! She was even a great helper with diaper changes.

Us girls did manage to sneak out and do a little shopping since we would be hanging with all the kiddos on Saturday night. But it didn't last too long before we were summoned back...not sure the exact reason we needed to come home since no one was having a meltdown but we kindly obliged.

It was a quick weekend home but well worth it - something about going home is just so nice. If only we could make it happen more frequently. I also managed to survive the nights with just me - Frankie cooperated fairly well but I was thankful to return home and have a partner for those middle of the night bouts of unhappiness.

Cousin time in the playroom! 

Watching the girls dance with Grandma

Life is moving too quickly

As I have been re-tracing and re-remembering events and photos it continues to amaze me with how quickly time is moving. And how quickly our little dude is growing. Many of these photos are from just a few short months ago when standing and crawling were so new. Now we are chasing as the little dude cruises easily toward Kirby's water dish or any other item he was to explore. Here is a flashback to wonderful moments from the past few months - I will now try to be more regular in posting photos and stories. With summer upon us and many exciting events taking place, I ensure you that my camera/phone will be close at hand. 

Playtime with Jen

Snuggles with Mom

This is normal for when I get home from work

Toilet paper is a great way to practice standing

My puppy

Gotta love camo

Kisses are Kirby's defense mechanism 

SuperFrankie

Some days are tough

Checking out the baby lambs with Grandma at Runnings

Running with Mom

Photo Series: 10 Months!

Cruising, standing, teething, giggling, exploring, talking, climbing, and these are only a few of the things we are busy with this past month! Our little dude has 3 teeth and more coming. The past few days have been rough on the teething front and hopefully this next one pops through soon. It is not fun seeing my little man so uncomfortable.

Frankie has developed such mischievous tendencies: always going for Kirby's water dish, the stairs, the carbon monoxide detector and the blinds on the patio to just name a few. This week Steve and Jim got the fabric put on the fireplace and as soon as he could, Frankie was climbing on it! He is quite quick on the stairs as well - after one day of finally showing interest in them, we had to put the gates up since he was getting too quick.

We have explored the world of water tables and both boys love it. Frankie loves splashing and Kirby loves his new giant water dish. On warm days/evenings, it is a great escape for both boys. When we aren't spending the evening at the water table, we tend to get out for nice walks (or runs). I have been adventuresome in trying to go running with both boys - it has been a learning experience to say the least but also fun to get out there with both of my boys.

In other news, Frankie is slowly becoming more willing to try new foods. Graham crackers are a favorite, along with Cheerios and raspberries/strawberries.

At the beginning I mentioned talking, I use that term loosely.  He talks but it is still mostly babbling. For a while he favorite was "ma-ma" which totally melted my heart but then after a few days we move onto a new sound. Don't worry, "da-da" has been spoken fairly frequently too but so far these have only lasted a few days before he tries to conquer a new sound.

Steve and I couldn't be more excited with how our little dude is growing (and he is getting long!) and learning. Crazy that it has almost been a year since he made his grand entrance!

Our photo sessions are getting harder and more involved, it takes at least 2 of us and Kirby to get smiles and good photos. Not sure how next month is going to go!

 

Dad is a great ladder

Kirby & Frankie have minimal personal space
from each other

Grandma Visits!

My Mom is amazing. She is so willing to help when we are in need and since May is crazy plus Steve had a training out of town, Mom to the rescue! It was nice to have her here since I was starting on my late nights and plus she got some quality Frankie time (as well as a little time over with the twins!). Before she left I did manage to snap a couple photos - they were quite the pair by the end of her stay.

Night Out

Before the crazy of May began, Steve and I managed to have a day/night for just the two of us. The day started with our first Twins game of the season, enjoyed a rooftop dinner in the middle, and ended with seeing Jim Gaffigan. 

So thankful for family and friends who are willing to help with the little dude to let Steve and I to have date nights. We are truly blessed. 

Surprise! Party.

This is a little behind, but during the month of March Frankie got to experience his first surprise party and hibachi grill all at once! Steve and I were slightly concerned about this since the party was in St. Cloud on a Friday night and we haven't had much experience with Frankie in restaurants. We managed to make the timing work with feeding, etc. and got to the restaurant early (which is amazing for us getting off work, traffic, driving, a baby, etc.).

The surprise was a success! Dan had no idea and a great group of his close friends enjoyed a delicious hibachi grill. Frankie wasn't a huge fan of everyone yelling surprise - he started screaming. However, that was the most upset he got the whole evening and he was fine after a moment. His favorite was when the hibachi grillers started the grills on fire, the kid loved it! He just stared. Well, the fire and the plates; he entertained himself with the plates for a while.

We couldn't stay for the full evening but were able to celebrate for a short while. Frankie wanted to stay and party but was getting quite sleepy - he quickly crashed on our drive home. It was such a fun time and even though we were a little anxious about the evening, it turned out to be so wonderful. Our little man surprised us and handled the new, loud, crazy environment like a champ.

The guest if honor & his beautiful fiance!

Easter 2014

Frankie's first Easter! We kept everything pretty low-key this year. My family was spread around but we were able to spend time with Steve's parents. Saturday, Nancy come up and joined Frankie & I as we went to see the Easter bunny! I thought I was going to have to be in the photo but he sat on the bunny's lap just fine. Well, we didn't really get any smiles but we also didn't get any screams! I will call that a success in my book.

That night we went to the Easter service at church. I love the music at Easter. I can't quite put down what it is but I just love it. Growing up, we would even make it to the sunrise service which was always a great way to start a beautiful day. With Frank, we were glad to make it through the service. He continues to amaze us.

For those who don't know, I love breakfast food. It is my favorite. So the fact that the country club has an Easter brunch - count me in! We went last year when I was pregnant and it was AMAZING! This year was no different. I love being able to eat to my hearts content. We met up with Jim and Nancy for brunch. All the workers loved seeing Frankie - they hadn't seen him for a few months. Steve and I managed to hand off the babe to grandma and grandpa and get in 9 holes of golf. It felt good to get on the course and be active. Looking forward to spending some quality time golfing this summer (if the babe allows).

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!

Waiting for to see the Easter Bunny

First time feeling grass on his feet - he wasn't too sure...