More Visitors!

We had so much fun with Don while he was here, and we didn't have much time to feel too lonely because the night he left, my mom, sister, and my nephew all flew in!

This was my sister's first time back to Minnesota since September of 2009 (when we all spent a portion of their trip sick...good times!), and it was so great that my mom decided to take the trip with her as well.  We had a few "Minnesota" type things we wanted to do in the short time they were here, and I am pretty sure we were able to accomplish all of them!

It was also the first time Gelsey got to meet Mr. Landon, and for Landon to meet his cousin, Cruze, who is only 4 months older than him!  They had a great time "playing" together (more like, just looking at each other), taking baths together, etc.  I am also pretty sure that Cruze is to blame for Landon crawling....I think what can I say?  Monkey see, monkey do.  :)

We spent some time shopping, and eating out at some yummy places...one of those being the Malaysian place that we took my parents to when they were out here in May.  Gelsey has been dying to go there, after hearing that it was pretty legit, and I have to say, it didn't disappoint.  The only thing I am bummed about, is that now, a month later, I realized we forgot to order one of our favorite Malaysian dishes, mee hoon.  Oh well.  I still think Gelsey was pretty satisfied with the roti canai, satay chicken, and the mango chicken. 

Also on the agenda was the apple orchard.  This has pretty much become a tradition of ours every fall, and it was so fun that my mom and sister and Cruze were able to come.  Plus, it is a "Minnesota experience..." or at least an experience that they don't get in Colorado and Wyoming.  We were able to pick apples and raspberries, take pictures at some of the fun things around the orchard, and enjoy apple cider brats.  Yummy!  It was a bit chilly, but it was the perfect way to spend a fall day.

It was a quick trip (really, anytime we have company I feel like any amount of time is too short), and before we knew it, it was Sunday and they had to catch their early morning flight.  Fortunately, we weren't apart for too long, because Cameron and I drove back to Wyoming that Thursday and spent the next 9 days there!  More on that coming in the next post..

Thanks Gelsey and Mom (and Cruzey!) for making the time and effort to come out and see us!  We loved having you, and already wish you were coming again!

September Was A Busy Month!

Wow.  I have definitely fallen off the blogging bandwagon.  This tends to happen to me when we get really busy, and then it seems like I have so much to catch up on...it is much more daunting to catch up on 4 or 5 posts than it is to just keep up with them one at a time.

So in an attempt to do just that, I will start recapping our September with a few posts.  September was full of family and visitors, which is always a wonderful break from the normal routine.

For the first couple weeks of September, Don was back from India for work stuff, so we got to spend Labor Day weekend, and the next weekend with him.  We made sure to fill him up with steaks, hamburgers, barabeque chicken, etc.  Do you notice a theme?  I am pretty sure that their whole family is sorely missing meat, and barbeque over there, so Don was the lucky one that got to take advantage of being back in the states (but we will just pretend that he was eating lentils and rice the whole time, right Cindy??  :)).

During the weeks while Don was doing his work stuff, I stayed busy shopping for them...stocking up on food, treats, and a bunch of other things that they can't find over there to send back with Don.  We thought it may be a little bit of a problem when they first bag we packed weighed 125 pounds (yikes!) but in the end we managed to distribute everything to three different bags, and Don was able to take back MOST of what Cindy had requested.    

It was so fun to catch up with him, and hear about all the adjustments and the things they have gotten to experience over there so far.  Miley was thrilled to have Don around, and didn't even ask too much about one of her favorite people, Nathan.  It was also nice for us to have him come stay with us.  We have really been missing having family up here, and it felt like it was kind of back to normal (just minus a few other people!).  We countdown every month until they get back...but fortunately we will get to see Don again in January.  I just think he needs to bring the whole fam this time.  :)

Next post...my sister and mom come to Minnesota!

School Days

Today is a pretty big occasion for us - it is Miley's first day of preschool! 

Miley has been looking forward to this for some time (this morning, she was asking me over and over if it was time to go yet).  We are excited to have her in a great preschool.  I think it will be good for her to have a structured, classroom environment a couple times a week, because as a stay at home mom, I feel like that is something I just can't give to her on my own.

We tried to take the traditional first day of school picture on our front porch, and got one decent one...

...but then Miley was begging to go back inside because of the loud construction across the street!

About an hour and a half before school started, my friend, Kimberly, hosted a little lunch for the kids.  Miley gets to have two of her favorites friends - Austin and Kayla - in her class.  You could tell that they all were excited, because they hardly ate their lunches.  For Miley, at least, that is a big deal because lunch is usually her biggest meal of the day!  

We thought it would be fun to get together and try to get some pictures of them all together.  Unfortunately, it was a little hard to get all three to cooperate at the same time...

We got a couple pictures with Kayla and Miley and Halle (Austin's little sister...isn't she just too cute??).

Then we moved to the front porch and tried our luck there...Kayla and Austin tried to put their arms around Miley, and for some reason she got a little mad about that, so she was pouting.

Then, I asked them all to give me their biggest smile and this is what we got...

But we did end up with one really cute one (which I guess is all you can hope for with three 3-year-olds, right?

 I got a couple more individual shots of Miley...

...and then we were off to school.  Miley could hardly wait to get inside, but she stopped for a quick second to get this shot with Austin and Halle (who I think was secretly hoping that she was going to preschool herself!).

After a quick trip to the bathroom, I got Miley to pose for one more picture right outside her classroom.  By this time she was done with the pictures and just wanted to run into class.

And that is exactly what she did!  She gave me a quick hug and a kiss and didn't even look back. 

Now I am just sitting here blogging waiting to go pick her up (and hoping I don't get a call telling me she had pooped her pants or something!  Ha ha!).

Can't believe that my little girl is already old enough to go to preschool.  I am excited to see what this year brings, and excited to see all the fun stuff that she will learn and do!

Wordless Wednesday

Daddy / Daughter Campout

Each year, our church does a Daddy / Daughter campout.  This was the second year that Cameron took Miley.  Although I was not there to know, and be able to recap everything they did, this is my understanding of what they did from the pictures that my sweet husband took. 

They ate s'mores:

And had some fun playing at the water pump:

Really, just hung out with friend, Kayla:

Then woke up the next morning to eat doughnuts:

The End.

No really though, Miley was SO excited to go camping with Cameron, and I was "s'more" than happy (har har) to stay home and and enjoy a quiet evening with sweet Landon, and get some extra snuggle time with him.  Plus, I just can't stand the dirt and the smell and the filth of camping.  So it is a win-win for everyone.  I don't have to SEE the dirt and filth and have minor heart attacks at all the stains that Miley is sure to get all over her clothes, and Cameron loves to let Miley run wild and enjoy the great outdoors.  Fabulous.

I love that they get to have this one-on-one time together.  I feel like it is so important to be able to do that with kids, and have times when it is all about them.  Unfortunately, the ONE picture I asked Cameron to come home with was a picture of Miley and him together (you know, "Daddy / Daughter Campout" and all), but I guess maybe it wasn't cool to ask another guy to take a picture, because he didn't get one??  Who knows.  Oh well.  Looks like they had some fun anyway...  :)

And just for memory's sake, here are some pictures from the Daddy / Daughter Campout last year:

I can't believe how much older Miley looks this year!  Can't wait to see more pictures in years to come and compare them to these. 

Landscaping 101

As a way to save a little bit of money on this whole house thing, Cameron decided that he wanted to take on the landscaping.  We had an allowance from our builder, but it couldn't cover everything we needed done if we were to hire out the work for everything.

Well, after some thought, the DIY landscaping turned into "DIY minus the retaining walls," which we had someone build for us.

Then, we decided to have someone put in our irrigation.  Best. Idea. Ever.

But Cameron was still feeling pretty ambitious, and decided to do all the edging, mulch, plants, trees, sod, etc. on his own.

After about two straight weeks of him working every night after work, and most of the weekend (in that sweltering heat wave we had, mind you!), our yard went from this (pre-moving in)...

...to this.

Big improvement, no?  But after this point, Cameron was spent.  And we still needed some sod.  SOOOO...we decided to hire someone to do that as well.  :)

But what happenes when your sod gets installed, and 4 days later you have an epic rainstorm and your yard wasn't staked well enough?  Something like this...

....ummm, yeah.  So Cameron waited for it to quit raining, then went out and, with the help of some awesome new neighbors, got everything back into place (for the most part). 

But what happens when you go outside in Minnesota right after a rain storm at dusk / night time? 

Ouch.  Our state bird, the mosquito, certainly did a number on Cameron.  Yes, that's about 847 bug bites on his back.

But now, a couple weeks later, we now have this...

 A beautiful YARD!  And we couldn't be more thrilled. 

Now here's to not having to do any DIYWSH (Do It Yourself With Some Help) landscaping for a long, LONG time.  :)

Landon's 6 Month Stats

Well, since Landon's 6-month appointment was, oh, 10 days ago, I figured I better update with his latest stats.  :)

Height:  26 3/4 inches - 50-75th %

Weight:  16 pounds - 25th %

Head circumference:  17 1/4 inches - 50th % 

That comes in at a whopping 1 pound less than Miley was at 1 year old.  :)

Landon had to get a few vaccinations, as expected, but after one rough night he seemed to not mind them.  Fortunately, at his next appointment (9 months), there are no shots!  Yay!