Stillwater

A little while before my birthday, Steve and I escaped to Stillwater for lunch and a little wine tasting. It was nice to get out of the house for some time together and, of course, to have an early celebration for my birthday. 

We couldn't have picked a more gorgeous day! The sun was shining but it wasn't too hot - perfect for enjoying a patio lunch overlooking the river. After wandering the downtown shops for a while, we headed to St. Croix Vineyards for some wine. We tasted some great wines and managed to bring home a case of wines. Next to the wine tasting was an apple orchard so we stopped in and picked up some yummy apples and other apple goodies. Talk about a great day! 

Lunch on the patio at The Freight House

Nothing like enjoying a beer with your lunch

Stacey Visits & More!

We were so lucky in September my dear friend Stacey made the trek to Minnesota from Wyoming. She was more than happy to escape the rain and flooding in Colorado/Wyoming for a few days and we were glad to have her!

I was happy to get some girl time. Stacey and I don't get to see each other very often so we always make the most of our short times together. We even managed to sneak in a girly movie and a little shopping. A great addition to the weekend was Stacey's mom and Harlan stopped by and met Frankie. I hadn't seen Big D since Stacey's wedding in June of 2012 and, since then, she has married and moved north. We had a little catching up to do! As if we couldn't cram more into her short visit, my parents were up babysitting the girls so we made the trip to Blaine and saw them for a few hours. My parents hadn't seen Stacey, I am guessing, since our wedding so they enjoyed catching up. Plus it is always fun to see my nieces. The girls were not too sure about Frankie but Madison really enjoyed stealing items from Frankie's car seat and diaper bag. She is such a goofball!

Although I would like to think that Stacey just came to see me, her main reason for visiting was to meet her "nephew". Frankie loved Stacey and Stacy loved Frankie! They were quite the duo. The few days she was here went too quickly and I unfortunately couldn't convince her to stay longer. Oh well, she will just have to visit again soon! (*hint*hint*)

You may be wondering where Steve was during all of this fun, well, he decided to walk three rounds of golf on that Saturday with one of his buddies. Needless to say, he was quite exhausted after that. Stacey and I were kind enough to relinquish the basement to him that night so he could enjoy a few hours of video games.

Here are a few photos I snapped during Stacey's visit:

Kirby & Frankie getting some early morning
snuggles from Stacey

We successfully assembled Frankie's swing

Stacey came with gifts - Steve loves his
"Singer Brewing Co." beer glasses!

Love her!

Ava was not happy Madison tried to
take her blanket

The girls not to sure about this whole
baby thing

What a pair!

While Stacey's visit was fabulous visit, since Frankie was born, we have been lucky enough to have other visitors as well! It has been a joy to introduce the little man to family and friends.

I (unfortunately) didn't always get pictures of Frankie with his visitors so I apologize if I forgot when you visited! You just have to come visit again! :-) But here are a few of our visitors:

Grandma loving up her grandson

Grandpa enjoying a quick nap

Heather & Dan meeting Frankie

Kevin and Ann enjoying the Sunday
football games with the little man

Hanging out with Great-Grandma

Butch & Connie snuggling up with Frankie

The Sadecki girls meeting the newest Singer

As you can see, we love visitors!

Frankie's 1st Packer Game

The first of many Packer games these two will enjoy together. 

Photo Series - 1 Month!

Our baby was one month on Tuesday so I thought I would take a few photos. He has already changed so much since he was born that I am hoping this will capture his changes from month to month. (I did something similar throughout the pregnancy to document my ever growing belly and it is fun to look at the changes)

A few things to note at one month: he has ridiculous eye-contact, he is sleeping better at night, he is always moving his legs, and he looks more like his Dad daily. This guy is constantly amazing us.

The recliner that Frankie is relaxing in belonged to his Great-Grandpa Francis Wilfred Singer who sadly isn't here physically but I know is with this little man daily.  

Newborn Photos

When Frankie was 11 days old, we had Jackie from Live & Love Studios come and take some photos of our little man. The photos really capture how expressive he is as well as his sweet little features. He has already grown so much since these pictures were taken!

Life can be so rough

4 Weeks

Frankie has been with us for 4 weeks today!

Since our last update a few things have happened:
 - Steve went back to work (sad day in the Singer House)
 - Frankie, Kirby, and I have learned how to survive on our own
 - The heat & humidity were not welcome - it left us stuck in the house for a week!
 - Kirby is very protective of his "pet boy"
 - Frankie loves 'The Killers' and any music for that matter
 - Steve is learning to function on less sleep than normal

Francis B is already getting bigger (and longer) and he is becoming more alert to his surroundings. His expressions are the most fun to watch - our favorite is his Zoolander look. He likes to keep us on our toes and doesn't like to be too consistent in his nighttime sleeping. In case we were to forget that he is around, he gives us one of his pterodactyl cries. We are blessed with such a good baby!

We are continuously amazed at how well Kirby behaves around Frankie - and how he always needs to check on him. It is ridiculously adorable. However, this has caused a change in Kirby's sleeping and napping habits which leaves him exhausted. He has learned that when Frankie naps, Kirby naps. The best part of this duo is how little Frankie cares when Kirby gives him kisses or sticks his nose in his face. I envision these two causing lots of trouble together in the near future.

Steve is adjusting to being back at work and working on very little sleep. He loves coming home to an excited puppy, and (usually) a happy baby boy. Oh, he loves coming home to see me too. :-) I love to see him interact with Frankie - it melts this Mama's heart.

I am doing well and enjoying my time at home being a Mama to Frankie and Kirby. They are a joy to be around each day and both are great snugglers. It has also been nice the past couple of weeks to watch US Open tennis - I am trying to get Frankie hooked on tennis early as I know he will have quite the football (Packers) influence over his lifetime.

Here are a few photos from the past couple weeks:

Grandpa stopped by one afternoon before his drive
home to Marshall to enjoy a quick nap

One of the many faces of Frank

Snuggling with Kirby

Working on his neck muscles

Dad's home!

Four Years

This post is only a week late...oops!

We have been married for four years!! It is crazy to look back over these four years and see how far we have come in such a short time. These past few years have been crazy wonderful and this year we become parents to a beautiful baby boy (which is amazing!).

Unfortunately, Steve had to work all day but we did manage to make it out to dinner to celebrate (Grandma Nancy was kind enough to babysit). With all the craziness of having a newborn it was nice to have a little escape just the two of us even if it was only for an hour.

Happy Anniversary to the love of my life, Steve. 

I love being on this journey with you.