if you build it...

a new deck was in order for brian and blair. they recently moved into their new home and have transformed the place from the paneled pit to a home that would make everyone at HGTV very proud! one of the last projects that needed "doing" was the deck. while functional, it was fugly ugly and the red paint left a little to be desired. my siblings and spouses chose to donate some materials and (free) labor to make this an outdoor entertaining space they can be proud of. in true oh-you-have-to-be-outside fashion, mother nature stirred up some blazing hot weather and threw in a little thunderstorm, just for fun.
thanks to air conditioning, tiny baby pools, big ol' shade trees, and umbrellas...the wee ones managed to have a ball!

having a snack with blair and sadie

baby blue eyes
this one has crossed his feet since birth

perhaps we need a lifeguard?

the rogers girls - kristin, jocelyn, and sophia

he tries to get as many limbs into his mouth at once

blair kept everyone full with dee-licious lunches and yummy snacks. miles opted to hang out with nana and papa on sunday, which meant that henry was all alone with a bunch of doting aunties and uncles. he didn't mind. it reminded me of how simple life was with only one baby, but we certainly wouldn't change our family of four for all the money in the world!! miles is really into holding henry these days. which is great as long as he remembers to hold him under his arms and not by the neck.

brothers

I think this picture of henry sums up how tired everyone was on sunday night!

sorry for the lack of before/after pics. the rain was coming down too hard at the end of the project for us to do any photographing. I'll get back to you on that...

just because...

...he's so darn happy and so loves his little feet. the footies on his pjs are often soaked.

four months old

the little bug is already four months old! henry is such a content and easy-going baby. this has been a most pleasant change from the early weeks. I'm pleased to report that he is occasionally sleeping through the night! if not, then it's a quick 20 minutes for some grub. I won't lie though...I don't mind seeing his big gummy grin in the middle of the night. he also goes to sleep like a little angel. we just lay him in his crib, give him his pacifier and blankie, turn on the fan and music, and he hums himself to sleep. if I could thank my mom for ONE piece of advice it would be to teach your baby how to put himself to sleep. best. advice. ever.

here are the latest stats and monthly photos:
weight: 14 lbs 8 oz (50%ile)
height: 27 inches (>97%ile)
likes: chewing on anything he can get his hands on - especially his toes, drooling (see previous), giggling, almost rolling over, reaching for toys, the exersaucer, the jumperoo, miles, the monkey mirror in the car
dislikes: tummy time

bubbly bubbles

henry and miles took their first of many baths together this week. henry seemed a little overwhelmed with all of the action. miles thought it was fun to have his little brother in the tub. although his excitement might be attributed to the need for more water given the fact that henry's bath chair sits so high. this would be why the chair was only used one time with miles! I think we'll get a little more use out of it this time around.

henry: what is on our heads??

kisses

all cozy (henry was d-o-n-e)

miles is really digging the shave kit he received for christmas (thanks sara & conrad!). I think daddy has been giving him some pointers:

step 1: let the shaving cream soak for a bit

step 2: short strokes...with the grain!

and this next one? well...I couldn't resist.
in case you're not well versed in the music of raffi...the blog post title is in reference to one of his songs. we are big fans.

I two!

DISCLAIMER: the following is an amazingly long post highlighting any and all birthday festivities that occurred during the weekend of may 22nd, 2010...ENJOY!
"I two!" is miles speak for "I'm two!" how is it that we already have two year old in the house? pretty sure I haven't gotten any older. puzzling. on the eve of his birthday we played outside and had him wear his 1st birthday shirt one last time before it goes into the memory box.

eat your heart out joe mauer

a familiar sight in our house

excited to be turning TWO!!

we wished little miles a happy birthday about six hours after his actual birthday time at 12:57am. we love him dearly...but don't really have any reason to see him in the middle of the night! we started the day off with, what else? a little signing time: happy birthday style. he LOVES this particular episode and it did a wonderful job of cluing him in on all things birthday. hence the need for party hats (see below). kyle was headed up to his first twins game of the season and (drum roll please) first game at target field!! our good friends (kyle's old college roomies & die-hard brewers fans), matt and shawn, stayed with us on friday night and accompanied kyle to the game where they joined up with the fourth muskateer, scott. the timing of this brewer/twins showdown was less than spectacular, but their attendance was inevitable so I chose not to fight that battle. plus, miles had no problem spreading out his birthday celebration over the course of an entire weekend. we began with a birthday tradition of a big ol' birthday breakfast - complete with waffles, eggs, sausage, and potatoes. yummy! before we ate, we decided to sing to miles for the first of many times. here he is watching me light his candles:

and here he is after he tried to eat a quick bite of eggs and stuck his little finger right in the flame.trying to be tough and still blow out the candles

after matt, shawn, and daddy left and we cleaned up breakfast, we headed over to beth and seth's for some much needed sandbox/swing time.

josiah and miles were covered in sand from head-to-toe. they had a blast, but were in desperate need of a bath. nothing like a mid-day, pre-nap bath on your birthday, right? the sand was literally stuck in their hair. after two shampoos and a little conditioner experiment we had to resort to a fine tooth comb to get it out. luckily for us, these boys LOVE the bathtub!

don't hate the matching mohawks

we ventured over to nana and papa's and laid down all three boys for naps. we are all convinced that my mom secretly administers some sort of sleeping pill to any children there for a nap. they always take record-breaking snoozes. that evening we had a belated birthday celebration for my brother marc who turned 30 on may 14th.

relaxing

miles didn't mind sharing a bit of left over cake (from marc's actual birthday) with his uncle. what two year old would turn down another chance to blow out the candles?

"good job, miles!"

in preparation for summer, marc's three nephews bought him an enormous bag of giant marshmallows. he's been assigned to show them how to make a proper s'more. here is a little taste of what's to come.

I can't wait for the first campfire!

my wonderful family members all assisted me in getting home. who knew that unpacking two little ones would take so long? a special thanks to uncle seth for making a target run for henry. I'm not sure miles' diapers would've done the trick! I stayed up late baking cakes for the next day and organizing party supplies. someday I will be less of a procrastinator. I think.

SUNDAY...was party day! I knew that it was going to be a little warm and humid outside, so I cranked on the AC. best decision I made all day. let me just say that it is NOT supposed to be 90 degrees in may in minnesota...especially if I have an outdoor party planned. oh well, mother nature was not going to cooperate, but I had lots to get done and not a lot of time. the boys were angels and played so nicely while I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off. yikes! amazing family to the rescue...again. my cousin olivia came over after lunch and did a fabulous job of frosting cupcakes with me. my mom and sister finished setting up for the party while I jumped in the shower (nobody likes a stinky hostess). kyle came home around 2pm and I put him right to work. for some reason matt and shawn decided to split. suspicious. and then, finally, the old mac donald birthday party festivities got underway around 4pm. the party was fantastic and we had a blast. miles was (once again) spoiled rotten. he so enjoyed all of the wonderful gifts. thanks to everyone for coming and putting up with the extreme heat. I promise we won't hold henry's birthday party outside. enjoy the birthday photo extravaganza (thanks to seth for stepping into my photographer shoes for the evening!).

you're invited...

old mac donald birthday invite
all the fun decorations
hot day + toddlers + water table = FUN!
too bright! too bright!
pile o' presents
unwrapping all of the fun gifts
explaining the importance of a party hat to the great-grandmas
back on the new john deere tricycle
(all of the new riding toys were especially popular with the birthday boy!)
inside out lasagna, garlic breadsticks, and salad...miles' favorites!
mmm...cake
family photo op
"I TWO!"

henry's hands

henry saw his hands today for the first time. this picture and video speak for themselves. he's growing up so fast!

if you can remember, miles was fascinated by his hands for a L-O-N-G time. here is the original post - and this is a copy of the poem I found. it captures this moment so perfectly.

My little hands play patty-cake

they peek-a-boo and wave…

They catch me while I learn to walk

and splash me as I bathe.

My little hands reach up to you

for hugs before I sleep…

And fold together when I pray

the Lord my soul to keep.

My little hands are tiny now

but yours will serve to guide me…

And when I’m grown I’ll still reach out

and know you’re right beside me.

–unknown

happy hour

we used to love to go meet up with friends for the late-night happy hour. we thought nothing of leaving our house at 9pm on a week night. that was before. before the two most amazing boys came into our lives. now we think nothing of going to bed at 9pm (we don't, but we should!). our evenings are full of giggles, hugs, books, a few tears now and then, and lots of kisses. oh, and babies in pajamas. I do love my babies in their jammies! you won't find this kind of fun on any menu!