Football and Christmas Prep Sunday

Sunday was a busy day of decorating for Christmas and watching/playing/dressing up for the Vikings game. Note Grant's full ensemble (shoulder pads and all). He loved it and actually kept the whole outfit on for a long time. Now try to imagine Joel wearing an outfit like this at Grant's age... ya right.

Oh, and before I forget... when I asked Joel today what he wanted from Santa today, his answer: "bagels", "McDonalds", "a blue toy", and "a big train". Hmm, we better go talk to Santa and get him that info :)


Joel was actually super helpful with the tree. He was quite speedy at getting those ornaments on, even if they all were on the same branch:) we didn't mind.


Grant, however, was much more efficient at taking balls off the tree. We only had 2 ball casualties the entire night though. I thought that was extremely successful



Mitchell, always helping his brothers.

Sending Papa and Nana off back to Hibbing!


Oh, Grant's second favorite thing, taking the topper out of the ball. He's so helpful, isn't he...

Last but not least... don't you just love a football player who carries a teddy?...

1.5 Years

When you're 18 months old, you are 28lbs 11 oz (85%) and 341/4 in. (95%) and you can:

1. Talk, talk, talk... in many sentences and can say any and every word. Amazing. Some of your very favorite words and phrases are:

"teddy"

"eat"

"go down"

"Dito" (Mitchell)

"Doel" (Joel)

"Dant" (Grant)

"mommy"

"daddy"

"nana"

"papa"

"don't"

"stop"

"oww"

"puppy"

"dint" (drink)

"get Joel"

"I do big poop"

"hold me, hold me, hold me"

"my turn"

"jump"

"I jump high"

"I go to school"

"I go down"

"I coming"

"I go"

"I get out"

"I buckle it"

"Narney" (Barney)

"Toby" (your name for all trains)

"cheese"

"treat"

"yogurt drink"

"m&m's"

and many many more. You repeat every thing we say as well.

2. You love to jump and run with your brother Joel.

3. You think you are nothing less than almost 3 years old, like Joel and want to do EVERYthing Joel does... and you do it quite successfully.

4. You LOVE ALL stuffed animals, and carry up to 5 or 6 of them around with you. I don't think you have ever come across a stuffed animal that you didn't love.

5. You sleep with every blanket and stuffed animal you can find, the more the better.

6. You take a great nap and go to bed easily by yourself at night.

7. You are quite the lover and sweet little boy, but watch out for that temper when it comes around. You can be very stubbornly independent when you want to do something by yourself.

8. You are starting to test the limits right now, to see what will happen and have landed yourself in a few time-outs lately for train-throwing.

9. You have looonnng beautiful eyelashes and curly/crazy hair, that are always commented on.

10. You are a very special, sweet, loving, smart, little guy and we love you.

Going on 3...

When you're going on 3...

1. You think that diaper cream all over your face makes you look like daddy when he's shaving and will sneak away any chance you get to put some of that butt cream on your face (see picture above).

2. You believe you are in charge of yourself, of daddy, of mommy, of your brothers, of this household... of everything.

3. You are very, very stubborn... (like the kind of stubborn you get if you combine your mom and dad's stubborness together).

4. You cannot decide if you want to be a big boy or a baby.... one minute you want me to help you drink your milk and the next minute you want to pour your own.

5. Love running and jumping, running and jumping, running and jumping.

6. Love watching movies and can be quite persuasive at getting me to let you watch one.... "just one mommy", "just one mommy" even after I've said no.

7. Despite the stubborness, there are times of each day when you can be so sweet and laid back!

8. You are learning to be a good big brother... just today, you were tapping on Grant's back as he was coughing on a cracker, before I even got there to help.

9. Love going to "school" (ECFE class) and cry when it's Grant's day to go, instead of yours.

10. Still have the angelic face, puppy-dog eyes, and unique hair you were born with...

November 16th!!

Who would have thought we'd be doing this...

this...

this...

this... (rolling down hill)

this... (lining up cones to run around, obviously)


and this... (running around cones in circles, or course)

on November 16th!! Wow, this is really going to put a nice dent in winter!

Purple all the way

One foot...


Two feet...

Done!

For those of you that haven't heard... one week ago today, Mitchell received 4 botox injections in each calf so that today (7 days later, when the botox is most effective) he could be serial casted with his feet pointed at near a 90 degree angle. He will have the casts on for 4-6 weeks, getting them removed and recasted every two weeks, to further stretch his muscles each time, and hopefully, give him the opportunity to correct his toe-walking when the casts come off! I say opportunity because, even after the casts come off and he has the physical ability to walk with a heel to toe gait, there will still be MANY month of wearing an AFO (ankle-foot orthotic) for 23 hours per day to retrain his brain to walk with the regular gait. Sounds extreme? yes, it is, but unfortunately, it's the only treatment for toe-walking that has success.

Mitchell has been SUCH a trooper through this so far... when he got the botox injections last week, they usually partially sedate the patient, but he opted out of that, and didn't even complain about it. Today, at his casting and afterwards, his attitude was positive and chipper and he's up and walking like a pro. What a guy!

Four Years Today...

was our big night Thursday night at the Wright County Government Center here in Buffalo:) I wouldn't have had it any other way. I have to say, not in a bad way, that it feels like we've been married way longer. I have a feeling it has something to do with the birth of 2 babies and the 3 total children in our house that add years to a marriage, but either way, it's all good.

Happy Anniversary Jeff!!

Weekend at the Farm

With summer, football season, halloween, and other busy weekends behind us, Mitchell got to spend some long-awaited quality time at one of his favorite places in the entire world... Grandpa and Grandma Benson's house. They came to Buffalo on Friday to get him and he had the next couple days to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather at the farm, with Grandpa and Grandma all to himself ... (see above pictures taken on Saturday before we got there).

Sunday, we packed up the clan to pick up Mitchell and the little boys got in on some of the farm

fun too!

I only took 37 pictures to get this one of the 5 of them (the best one)

Trick or Treat!

Well, considering a week ago, I would have never guessed the boys would have even put their costumes on at all... I guess Halloween was quite a success, as the costumes were worn several times throughout the week for ECFE classes, daycare parties, and Halloween night.

"Puff" the Magic Dragon (cutest costume ever) Grant. What I love about this costume is that it never stops being hilarious, regardless of how many times Grant wore it. Each time, you just can help but laugh because it's so darn cute!

Digging in the orange rice at the daycare party.

Even Nana got to come to the daycare Halloween program. The kids introduced themselves and sang several songs about Halloween/Fall Season. Joel opted not to participate this time around.... he actually seemed a little freaked about all the costumes, but I'm not sure :)

Mitchell and three of his buddies (Jonathon, Matt, and Isaac), trick or treating.

"Buzz"... Joel definitely had the trick or treat thing down this year, but candy waiting at the door or not, apparently, he always stopped to admire each and every pumpkin!