christmas in july

ok...so make it christmas in august. in any case, it has become our one big christmas gift to each other and we look forward to our week in the woods with nana, papa, and all of my siblings.  the way that it always seems to be "the same" each year is somewhat comforting, yet our family grows and changes each year and so it really can't be the same. but our goal of coming together for a relaxing week in the woods hanging out and spending time with each other is met and then some. so I guess what they say is true: if it ain't broke...don't fix it!


this year we stayed near brainerd on a beautiful lake. the weather was picture perfect and we took advantage of all things sunny, breezy, and warm. we played games, ate yummy food, splashed in the water, laughed, read, snuggled in pjs, ogled at the little boys, and loved.

going on a pinecone hunt with nana and josiah

it was nearly perfect; this year we were missing a few and that always leaves a little hole in an otherwise seamless vacation. but there is always next year, which is what I love about an annual vacation. we will have next year to do it all over again...and I can't wait.

seth - beth - josiah

blair - brian

my wonderful parents - a.k.a. nana & papa

our family of four

the gang - minus nykkole, helen, marc, and jen

just in case the umpteen pictures above weren't enough for you, here's a little video. enjoy!

our little boy

sometime in the last few months, our baby boy transformed into a little boy right before our eyes.

the happy, content, good sleeper traits that we experienced when miles was an infant, has certainly carried over into the toddler years. but don't think for a second that we are going to make it through the "terrible twos" unscathed. he is just starting to test his limits and it makes me want to growl with frustration and laugh all at the same time. hearing him lower his voice to say "nooo henry! that's myyyyy toy" is both frightening and hysterical.

kyle and I constantly look at each other and say, "he's such an awesome little boy. not sure what we did to deserve him, but we are so lucky." we are awestruck as he has learned to speak, sing, count, and imagine with ease. one of our favorite things to do is to sit and listen to him fall asleep on the baby monitor. he sings all sorts of songs and talks to himself...sometimes for over half an hour. the other day we heard him in there saying, "I can jump over henry? thaaaaat's silly!" 

he has fallen in love with baseball and has recently learned to sing every word to take me out to the ballgame...kyle is ecstatic. he's even mastered the line about cracker jack (it's NOT cracker jacks), but occasionally it's five strikes you're out...hey, who's counting?

we are both thrilled that he loves to read and proud to say that he is well-mannered. he is content to sit and color, play play-doh, put puzzles together, and imagine what life would be like if he were a train in the thomas play set.  

our little boy is an inquisitive, funny, polite, sassy, loving, helpful, content and gentle soul. 

he is a sweet and wonderful big brother. the reality of having two boys far exceeds even my wildest dreams. we are so blessed and they are now my heart.

on a side note: this is my first attempt at taking my own "professional pictures" - any suggestions?

wautoma 2010

wautoma is always one of our fondest summer memories. we cherish the times when we can get together with our dear friends and just sit back and watch our families multiply exponentially.  we will soon be outnumbered by kiddos, but we wouldn't have it any other way. this year's trip was definitely a success. miles was pumped to be "going on a 'cation!"

everyone made it up there safe and sound and the excessive heat and humidity held off until we were departing on monday. thank god. it turned into a sweltering week and I, for one, enjoy my air conditioning in such circumstances. I think we managed to go through at least an entire bottle of bug spray, but all ended up with oodles of skeeter bites. a special thank you to melissa and shawn for remembering the anti-itch cream. here is a photo recap on how we spent our time:

we played in the water and, by "we", I mean everyone except miles. if more than his little toes came into contact with the lake, he freaked out. I'm not going to say that the water was warm, but it was "refreshing" (don't you just love that word). the rest of us floated in the lake at least once and ethan and genevieve couldn't get enough of the swimming and (more importantly) the jumping off the dock. it was genevieve's first time in the lake and she LOVED it! ethan is a certifiable fish, so he even asked to be thrown in the water by his "uncles" - great for e-man, nerve-wracking for his mama!

we also made it out onto the boat a couple of times. the second time everyone headed out, I volunteered to stay back with the napping babies. good choice. they all slept while I drank a yummy beverage in a big ol' adirondack chair on the dock in the shade. peaceful heaven.

there were plenty of toys to play with and the kiddos spent all of their waking time playing. among the favorites: fishing, the exersaucer, the slide, the swing, sand toys, and (of course) baseball. henry mainly wanted to chew on anything and everything he could get his hands on. that's our drool-bug!

the following is a photo of the "big kids" during our little scavenger hunt.

in spite of the warm weather, we had a campfire two out of the three nights. kuddos to matt for building such a great fire, however it was just a little TOO great and TOO hot! but what's a summer night in the north woods without at least one gooey s'more? the big boys were the only ones who made it down to the fire and they certainly enjoyed the melty marshmallows and messy chocolate.

we even managed to get a couple of decent group shots...framable for sure. we had such a fun time with everyone. we wish we lived closer and saw each other more often, but we're always sure to make the most of each one of our "'cations" together.

I'm sure you've seen plenty of pictures...but here is a little movie I put together...enjoy!

Untitled from robin kroening on Vimeo.