Tribute to Frosty and Albert; Brothers, Best Friends

This morning I woke up to a blog entry; Frost Mug.  Rachel explains the whole story best- please read it below...  I will attach a couple pictures of Albert.  Then you can see how they were really brothers, owned by best friends. :)  And, YES they fought JUST like brothers!!
Sorry for your loss Dietsch Family.

Rachel's Blog...
http://shedidsomethingaboutit.blogspot.com/

Albert Takes on a Black Lab





























Albert (died September 2008??  Family, help me with this...)

Kelli teaching Albert to shake.

Jolly Old St. Nick!

I sure feel JOLLY tonight! :) 

The boys should be thrilled when they wake-up tomorrow morning!!!
Their 3 favorite things:
1. Playing outside
2. Helping in the Kitchen
3. Play-Doh

.... this year it was eazy-peezy! ;) 
Rudolph Snow Hats!
Christmas Cookie Cutters!
A 4 Pack of Play-Doh!

Tomorrow will be a super day! 

Happy St. Nick's Day Everyone!!

No More Diapers For John!!

John decided on his own that he doesn't want to wear diapers anymore!  I have tried to potty train him many times already- and it has been a clear no-go!  So I decided to let it be "his" thing.  And, it worked!!!
Yesterday, he woke up and said, No more diapers mommy!  I thought, what!? Could this be happening?  So, I rolled with it- I had him go diaper/pants free all day.  We stayed home and close by the potty.  Every time he went on the potty, he got to have a juice box while he watched 5 minutes of a kids show.  It was the perfect reward- juice (makes him pee more) and TV (he would sit and actually drink the whole thing!)  He didn't have ANY accidents yesterday!!!  And, I didn't make him go ever.  I just would ask him to tell me when he needed to go. 

A couple funny things:
We have a little insert we put on the toilet- well, John thought he didn't need it... he sat up on the potty and fell right in! HAHA  His eyes we the size of 1/2 dollars!  He looked at me and said, "Mommy, Me dipped my bunz!! I Freezing now!"  I had to do everything I could to NOT laugh, but it was SO funny.

We went to Kohl's last night to make a return, and John had to show EVERYONE his new unders! As I was returning a shirt, John stood up in the stroller and said to the lady helping me, "Me go pee on potty! Me have on unders!! SEEEEEEEEEE!"  As he totally pulls down his pants! HAHA  (he did this quite a few times in the store- and people were really nice, congratulating him, giving a high-five etc.

We went to my parents to show them John's new unders!  He was very excited to "give" his papa potty training for his birthday! LOL- 

BTW, as I write this, we just had our first little accident... but he caught it and finished up in the bathroom.  :) 
One day at a time...

Refeshed

I am way behind on my blog.  It all started with being over my head in life.  With 2 little ones, my husband working full time, going to Carlson full time, running 2 leadership groups, sitting as a member on another board, selling our house, moving etc.... I had no idea where to start with this blog. 
BUT, these next few months ahead are nothing but bliss.  We SOLD our house, we MOVED into my in-laws basement, Ryan is taking next semester OFF, and we get to simply ENJOY this winter/spring.  I can't put into words how good it feels to not be waiting for the phone to ring, hoping a realtor wants to show our house, to not be constantly after the kids to not mess anything up, to get to just 'hang out' as a family. 
We have done more family events in the last 2 weeks then we have in the last year.  I LOVE IT! 
We have been to multiple parks, played in the backyard- looking for bugs, playing tee-ball, swinging on the swings, baked muffins as a family, built castles out of blocks, taught John how to cut with a scissors, taken Stephen on a drive to look at fall leaves through Afton, went to Rochester AND Northfeild to visit siblings, went to story time at the library, visited the MN Zoo.... I could go on all day. 
Having this ample family time is the BEST thing ever.  THIS is what we imagined life to be like.
Happy Monday everyone!!  We are off to a play date today, tomorrow to the library... I have a HH on Wednesday with some girlfriends, life couldn't be better.  :)  I love my family and am cherishing EVERY moment spent together.  <3

October in ARIZONA

This post isn't finished... but I have been working on it for hours... I'm going to bed now.. but I will finish it up later!

Day 1
The trip started off a bit rocky; I got an email from Jana on Tuesday, Oct 11^th letting me know I was all checked in for our flight.  I was a bit confused, thinking, Who checks in for their trip 8 days ahead of time???  I emailed Jana, saying, Why are we checking in so early?  We don't leave until next week?Jana's response?  “Oh honey, you better get packing! We leave tomorrow morning!!”  

That’s when I had to kick it in high gear! Yikes.  I thought we were leaving the next Wednesday.  I had planned on using the next week to get our “old” (feels SO good to finally call it this!) house all packed up so that while we were gone, Ryan could move it all.  Now, I would be leaving Ryan to do the packing and moving.  OOPS!  That Tuesday evening, Ryan skipped class so I could get the boys packed, run a couple errands and get SJ’s haircut.

The next morning, Ryan and I were up bright and early, loaded the truck with BOB, 2 car seats, luggage, the kids, coffee and headed to Jana’s to pick her up.  We were off to the airport, Ryan parked, he  got a gate pass and we were all golden!  We made it off the ground without a hitch. J

At the airport- Jana and I well rested and ready (??) for our week as a team!

Ryan and the boys-

 He was pretty sad about leaving the boys for more then a week. 

The flight down was a bit crazy…. But that was to be expected.  John had a seat, SJ was a lap child.  Jana and I took turns with each little guy.  Reading books, singing songs, watching videos and walking the isle. 

Stephen was thrilled (WAY more thrilled then I was) that there was a dog across the isle from us.

John and Stephen snuggling.

Nick, the driver met us at the gate.  We loaded up in his car and headed to Scottsdale.  Ahhh, the warm sun.  After a bit of a mess with the alarm system, I settled the boys in, got unpacked and the relaxing began.  Jana went grocery shopping and made dinner.   We went to the park that was really close by.  They have a splash pad too- they were  great ways to cool off and move around after the flight!

Once we got off the plane, SJ was sleeping before we even got to the luggage carousel.  haha

Day 2

The Beaches came up to spend Thursday with us.  As always, it was a BLAST!  We love the Beaches.  John (well, all of us) have really missed them since they left MN after spending most of the summer here. 

The kids swam, beaded, and ran around.  We quickly (well, possibly too quickly) took over Jana and Steve’s retirement home.  :/  Jana and Katie went to Walgreens for some chips maybe (???) and came back with a playhouse for the kids to color and play with!  They loved it!!  John, a bit too much.  It didn’t last long, bit while it was standing, it was a hit! 

Stephen and Isabelle snuggling after SJ woke up from his nap.

John beading with his animal beads... before they ended up all over the floor!

A bunch of playhouse pictures! :)

That afternoon, Jana and I noticed that Stephen had been crying a lot.  SJ is a very content little one, we knew something was off.  Jana suggested that I take him to the Dr.  So, we headed to the Stat Clinix- there was a very little wait.  The Dr. said SJ had a double ear infection.  He suggested we get him on Tylenol/Advil and antibiotics.  Off to Wal-Mart to get his Rx filled and pick up dinner- chicken and pasta.

Everyone was patiently waiting for dinner… a late dinner at that!  We went to bed early so the next day we would be well rested. 

Day 3

Chrissy ran a couple errands while Jana and I took the three older Beach kids and the Patrick duo to the park and splash pad.  It was great fun!!  John sure found a place in Isabelle’s heart and vice versa- Isabelle is so sweet and patient with little John.  Following him, helping keep him safe and showing him all the neat things AZ has to offer. 

Our handsome son John- he is getting so big, I can't handle it.  :(

John and Christian at the Park

Lots of kids at the park!

SJ playing at the splash pad.  :D

John and Nanny at the splash pad! :)

We had a late lunch of PBJ sandies, chips, and fruit and then my 2 took naps because we had a big night ahead.  Aunt Jackie and William invited us to Cracker Jaxs (I think that’s what it was called!?) It was a mix between Circus Pizza and Grand Slam? We had pizza and Icees for dinner.  Then it was off to the races!  John had his first driving lesson.  And, if it is any insight into how his driving will be in the future, he is never driving again!! HAHA.  John paid no attention.  He couldn’t reach the pedals, and the man running the track helped John around it once and then he was done.  Maybe next year?  The race track was a bit short lived, but inside by all the games we had a blast.  The boys ran from game to game pushing the buttons, watching it light up and then on to the next.  That kept them entertained for at least an hour.  We did quickly melt and Jana and I knew our time was done.  Beaches, Jackie and William stayed to play!  We headed home, Jana sang John to sleep as per the usual on this trip.  I rocked Stephen and we all went to sleep. 

Chrissy and I at the arcade.  :) 

Day 4

Most mornings, I got up with the boys (duh!) changed their diapers and we headed to Starbucks and then to the park. I wanted Jana to be able to get a little sleep and have some time to herself in the AM to shower, and get ready for our (crazy) day! J  We would get home from the park around 8am; usually it was already over 80 degrees by then- WAHOO!

However, on Saturday, We all got up together and headed to a state park about 45 minutes from their house to do a hike with the boys.  I was excited to get out and do some hiking, show the boys the desert and have bonding time.  After all the prep work that goes into preparing the boys for a desert hike (sunscreen, water, clothes, shoes, sunscreen, hats, snacks, stop for water bottles, drive, once in the park, drive to the furthest trail because that was the most ‘kid-friendly’ trial more sunscreen) we made it about 20 yards into the hike.  And, I should add that the first 20 yards were painful.  LOL- We took a couple pictures and headed to a playground we saw.  

Nana and John heading down the trail.

Mom and Stephen

John and Stephen After we finished with our "hike" SJ crying and JR smiling! haha

Jana had the idea to go to see the tallest fountain in the world!  It was neat- we could see it while we were driving there.  The water only shots for 15 minutes every hour.  By the time we got there, we had to wait another 30minutes, and the boys were super hungry.  We went to a little café for lunch.  I will say that meal was less then enjoyable.  Not because of the food, location, or my adult date rather the two little monsters we had with us!  It was a hot mess, start to finish.  We did however manage to get some mail out to Ryan, Papa and Gamma and Papa.  Jana took JR to the post office next door with SJ and I held down forth at the café waiting for our food.  When it came, Jana and I didn’t chat, we ate.  And got out of there! Hahaha.  We thought we would be just in time to see the fountain and head home.  Little did we know while we were fighting a 2 ring circus inside the café, the fountain was spraying.  Oy.  We hung out on the playground, watched some kids feed the ducks and sweat.  As we are getting ready to leave, because it was super-hot (100+) out.  We saw the fountain and headed for Troon North- home in the desert.

Day 5

Sunday: a LAZY day.  I took the boys to the park, got coffee/doughnuts and headed home.

At the Park...

 I asked John to help me have SJ go down the slide.  I would help SJ up the climber, get him on his stomach and then I wanted JR to "catch" (break his fall) SJ at the bottom. 
So, here is JR waiting for SJ to go down the slide. 

John proudly catching Stephen. :) 

Then, I would tell John, "Good job! Thank you, Stephen is safe now!"  However, John saw things differently- he needed to be sure SJ made it to the ground safely.....

Finally, SJ was "SAFE" on the ground! :)  Thanks John!!

We took naps, ate and hung out. Jackie and Willy stopped by as we were having out afternoon snack of sweet potato fries.

We had sandwiches for dinner and the laziness continued.  Ha-ha We had been on the go all week.  It felt good to have a relaxing day and it fit well since it was Sunday. 

Day 6

Off to the Phoenix Zoo!!  Jana and I loaded up the troops and headed south to the zoo.  It was hot, but tons of fun!  We looked at animals, watched diggers, and had a picnic lunch (or should I say 2 few picnic snacks) And John and I went into a monkey exhibit.  WOWSERS!  They gave us a warning before we went in saying,.  they are free roaming monkeys, 8 of them.  They could bite, so be careful.  I was thinking, wow, that’s weird they would let us in there if the monkeys will bite!?  We went in anyways.  At first we could see any of them.  Then suddenly, one, two…. Four monkeys.  I couldn't point them out fast enough for John. When I turned around, John yelled to me, “HE’S GETTING YOU!!!” And, boy was John right- the monkey was jumping right for me!  I screamed and jumped out of the way a bit faster than the monkey (thankfully!!) EEEK.  I think our next trip down I will let Ryan take John in there- ha-ha.  JK!

The other Zoo highlight was the Gnome House.  It was SOOO cute!!!  More than any child could ever dream up a tree house to be.  It was 2 floors, had a bathroom, bedroom, fireplace, slide to exit out of, and little windows with shutters.  They boys would have played there all day (every day for that matter!) It was the sweetest little house. 

Carousel rides….

These are randoms that I took... but can't remember exactly when they happened??

The boys jumping on Nana's stomach- they loved it waaaayyy more then Jana. ;)

Many of our nights ended like this... wine and chatting.   :)

Big Changes, Coming!

A lot has happened!  I know it has been awhile since I have blogged... I have been so busy with life at home. 
We sold our house! 
Very exciting news for us!  We are moving into the Patrick's MIL suite until we find THE house, not just A house! :)
Ryan is still going to school, a ton. I am home with the boys... playing the mom game. 
We have began packing, putting most of our stuff in storage and starting to plan for our move.  It will be a big adjustment for everyone.  Jana and Steve will have a busy, loud, and kid filled house! :/  My parents will not be able to just walk down the street a few nights a week to say 'HI'.  However, they of course know our door is always open to the basement apartment at the Patrick's! ;) haha  And Jana and Steve... well, we will do our best to keep everyone contained and happy!
John is turning into such a KID.  It is fun to see him embrace understanding what the adults around him are talking about.  John is looking forward to moving to Nana's house.  He will have so much more room to explore and use!  John keeps me on my feet, he is a busy boy!  He loves to explore, everything and anything.  John has had a blast the last couple weeks watching and 'helping' our neighbor Davey as he is getting the squirrels out of our roof/soffits.  John carries tools his tools around saying, "Me a workin' boy! Davey a workin' man!" He talks about Davey all the time, he even painted Davey a picture to go with our 'thank you' gift basket we made him for helping us.  John has entered the 'scared of monsters/dark' phase.... This has been a hard one because it is hard to explain to a 2 year old that there are no monsters etc.  He sleeps with his light on and door open most nights.   
Stephen is at such a fun age!  His vocabulary is starting to expand; dad, mom, mine, John Rome, pup, bye, hi, up, down, wow etc.  He is notorious for saying HI to everyone he sees.  He will even stand in our front window saying HI to people walking by.  His nick-name Beef, has really grow on him... not because he is beefy...just because it is so cute! ;)  Stephen had his 16mo well-child exam last week.  He is 55% across the board!  He can clap, eat with a spoon/fork, and loves his puppy.  Stephen has a (4) little stuffed dogs, he carries them everywhere, and constantly kisses their nose.  He is super easy to put to sleep- we just lay him down (awake) rub his tummy while John stands at his crib, dancing and singing "ni-night beef! ni-night beef! Lo-Lu Beef!"
The boys are really starting to play together and well, fight with each other too.  John's hugs look more like head-locks and Stephen thinks biting our brother is a kind thing to do.  They love to play off each other when they see that I am nearing the end of my rope with one of them.  Ex. 'John, sit down while you eat...' all the sudden, Stephen is standing in his chair and then standing on the table! 'Stephen, you can't be on the table' (as I put him back in his seat) Then John is up on the table.  Wow, as you can see it snowballs fast- and they think it is pure entertainment- not so much!

Jana and I are taking the boys to AZ while the final push for our move happens.  I have been (trying) to get the everything organized and some packing done but while we are gone, Ryan will finish the packing and move us out of the house.  It has been proving way to hard to get things done with these little guys here un-packing faster then I can pack.  It will be nice to get away, enjoy the Phoenix Zoo and AZ sun for us and Ryan will get (hopefully) more sleep, have a cigar or two and get us moved.
Cheers to the month of October-- lots happening!

Never enough time for enough cakes....

We have been spending endless hours in our little turtle sandbox making cakes, pies, soup, and ice tea. 

I took a couple quick pictures the other morning... this is at about 7:30am!  Yes, we were already in the sandbox! 

Grandma and Papa John Turn 80!!

I better start with the song,

HAPPY CAKE, HAPPY CAKE, HAPPY CAKE!

On August 7th, we celebrated Grandma and Papa John's 80th birthdays!  Jana, along with her sisters (Jeanne, Julie, Betsy, Bridget, and Jackie) planned a perfect birthday party! The invites went out months ago, and we had been looking forward to it ever since.  Just over 100 people came to a lovely park in South St. Paul, Kaposia Landing, to celebrate.  It was fun to see so many relatives- so many of the out-of-towners flew in; loved it!  There was a big hall type building where the food, cake, drinks, and memory book was.  The sisters brought the food (bbq buns, salad, mac & cheese etc. cake and bars for dessert, a keg, wine spritzers and lemonade to drink) and it was a perfect summer lunch!  John and Stephen spent most of their time at the playground.  They ran around, playing with the Beach kids and Peterson boys while Ryan and I got to stand around the outskirts of the playground and visit with relatives.  Isabelle spent a lot of time working with Stephen to get him to confidently walk.  She sure is an amazing teacher- loads of patience and love!  By the time we were leaving, Stephen was walking all over!  I will remember to tell him when he gets older that his cousin Isabelle helped him master his walking skills.  :)
The boys made pages for the book of our favorite memories we have with grandma and papa.  Theirs were foot prints and a picture of them all together at the 4th of July.  The boys thought it was so funny when we put finger paint on their feet! They were both laughing hysterically.  Luckily neither of them has attempted to do that on their own since....
The day before the party, I was talking on the phone about how I needed to run to the store to get some ingredients to make some bars for the party.  Since John heard me he was bound and determined to help me make the bars for the party.  Umm... I have a (very strict) rule that only clean (mine) hands will be making food to serve/take somewhere out of our house.  (I do however, love having John and Stephen help make food in the kitchen- only to be served to our immediate family! haha)  I let him come to the store on a date to get the ingredients.  It was very fun for us to pick out all sorts of goodies and sweets together.  Then, after all were in bed the baking party of one began! ;)
It was a great party that took a lot of planning and time to put together- thank you so much to all who helped!  We had a blast, I am sure Grandma and Papa did too! 

Happy Birthday! XXOO

I had intended to take lots of pictures... but it fell through... I hope everyone else got some great pictures! :D   Cheers to 80!!

Elmo Stories

As I sit down to capture this cute story about John, I can't remember how it all started exactly.... But, I know it was between John and his daddy. 
John's newest thing is "Elmo" - it means he wants a story about Elmo.  When Ryan or I lay with John at night to put him to sleep we used to read books, but now we simply tell him a story.  Ryan tells fast moving stories, ones with a bunches of drama and adventure.  I am surprised sometimes when John falls asleep after hearing them! ;P  
I use my opportunity as a chance to teach John something.  My stories are always about Elmo and his mom.  I pretend I am Elmo's mom and John is Elmo, it makes for a special bond between us as I am telling the story.  I ask John where Elmo will be going or what he will be doing in the story and then I take it from there.  He has all kinds of ideas- the zoo, dentist, doctor, airport, vacation, park, pool, home, nanny's, Target, eating apples etc....  Tonight Elmo went to the doctors.  I try to make my stories about life experiences; Elmo being sick, his mom making an appointment, checking in, talking to the nurse, then the doctor etc.  I think it is a really special learning experience for John, he loves to snuggle at night while I or Ryan tells him a story. 
John, you are such an amazing big brother and son! I can't believe how tall you are getting, how much you are picking up on your manners, and how much I love your laugh!!  :)  I love you little Elmy.

These pictures are oldies but goodies! They are from December 2010. 

John is wearing his Elmo clothes, while putting Elmo to sleep.  :)