Brecken is One!!

And just like that, you are one! We have completed our last first year. Little by little, you have been transforming from a baby to a toddler: we had to put away the crib mobile because you started puling on it; we retired the Whale tub, you have grown out of most of your one piece outfits; you were barefoot all summer and we have just recently started putting [soft-soled] shoes on you (sometimes); you don't stay in one spot for very long anymore - you crawl from room to room, entertaining yourself; you feed yourself most of your meals; you are mostly done with bottles and transitioned to whole milk with ease...all of these things mean you are growing and are no longer our little baby!

But....you are transforming into such a fun little person in our family! You are almost always happy and put a smile on everyone's face (even when they're grumpy)! You walk along the furniture playing with toys all on your own. You eat just about anything and really resist puréed foods from a jar now. You love to be outside. You roam around the yard, sit in the swing at the playground or just watch all the action from your stroller, and ride in the Chariot for bike rides and runs. You wiggle your body when you are happy. You say 'mama' (when you want to) and it totally melts my heart! You are a great sleeper - both for naps and at night. You are our best sleeper, sleeping in until around 7am most mornings. We also finally started putting you in pj's at night (instead of having you sleep in your clothes for the next day). You are even a pretty good listener. When you are about to do something that's not safe (like climb the stairs or touch the tv) and we tell you 'no', you typically listen. 

We are so thankful that you are part of our family and love watching you grow and interact with the family more and more each week! Happy birthday, Brecken!!

Labor Day Weekend

We had such a fun Labor Day weekend!! 

It started Thursday night with an evening out at our local football game! Crimson vs Osseo. With Osseo having won state last year, it was a competitive game. It started at bedtime (7:00pm), but the kids did a great job staying up. One of their favorite parts was playing their own little football game on a patch of grass near concessions. 

Cutest selfie in Maple Grove

Friday was our last summer 'stay-at-home' day before school starts. We had to do a bunch of stuff around the house for basement inspections and our appraisal, but afterwards, we packed a picnic and went to Central Park for some quality playground and splashpad time. It's so simple, but one of my favorite things to do with the kids is grab a coffee and bring them to a playground. I love watching them run around giggling, playing together, and exploring.

Brecken LOVED the splashpad! He kept leaning and squirming to try to get into the fountains :)

After nap, we went to Cabellas (per their request) to look at the fish and animals. So funny how much they love this. It's like the zoo to them!

Saturday we spent at Grandma D's by the pool since KK was in town. Highlights included Breck & I jumping on the trampoline, a few flips (and ninja moves) off the divingboard, walk with the boys and KK, bonfire (and mom actually came out!)

We had promised the kids a coffee shop muffin (apparently this is a big deal to them and Logi calls them 'English Muffins') if they went to bed good. They went to bed awesome and slept until about 6:30. So we headed down to the riverfront to find a coffee shop to keep our promise (and for a great cup of joe for mom and dad!) 

They ate right by the water :)

And then we took our yummy coffee to a new playground. The kids loved the whole thing, but I think our favorite part was the 'rock climbing'.

Our next stop was up to Zimmerman for one last summer lake day. The kids played outside most of the day - playing yard games, tubing, learning to drive the paddleboat by themselves (!), trampoline jumping, building Legos...

Just love these little feet!

Ryder is loving high speeds and choppy water on the tube!

Buddies :)

The boys out on their own! They are getting so big!!

Ry showing off his skills on the trampoline.

What a weekend! Sometimes I wish summer would last all year! 

Baby Gates are Up!

Brecken - you are on the move!! I thought I would be sad as you started to grow into a toddler, but it's not sad - it's so fun!! You are my last baby and I know I will miss the baby stage, but watching you in the yard yesterday - I love it. We were at your grandparents' house and let you crawl all around the huge yard while I played games with the big boys. You pushed the monster truck all around the yard, crawling behind it, and chasing it down the hill with your robo-baby moves! You did a great job not eating all the sticks and leaves as you crawled over them. That alone made me so happy! At this age, your brothers put everything in their mouths - including landscape rocks and wood chips. I'm hopeful we're going to skip all that...

I was watching the three of you near the lake, so I wasn't able to go in and grab my phone for a picture, but I hoped if I took down a few words, it would help me remember this fun phase :)

(Photo from the following day)