Minneapolis Getaway

This past weekend we headed to the cities for a weekend of fun.  We were celebrating our anniversary a bit early.  We left the kids with my parents for one night so we could stay in a B&B.  We didn't go anywhere far or fancy, but we had a great time walking around a small town on the outskirts of the cities.  We had time for conversation and reminiscing about the past 9 years of marriage and dating.  It was a very refreshing evening.  We had a nice dinner together and had fun picking out a ladybug cookie at a bakery.

And we loved the B&B!  We had the place to ourselves--perfect for a quiet evening together.  And the breakfast was outstanding--steak, two kinds of quiche, blueberry muffins, fruit and mango juice.  Yum!  After eating until we were stuffed, our hostess joked that we needed to have more--as there was still food left.  We were tempted!

After breakfast we headed back to my parents to prepare for a trip to the new Twins stadium.  This was Teresa's first baseball game and Timothy's second.  We were taking a risk with a game during nap time.  All in all it was a good time.  We all enjoyed seeing the stadium, we were happy it did not rain, and we were glad the kids survived the whole game.

Teresa did quite well.  She enjoyed all the people, two bottles of milk, and a quick nap.  She was as cute as can be in her too big Twins cap!

Timothy was hoping for a snack from the moment we got to our seats.  He had to wait until the end of the second inning to enjoy some of a big pretzel.  When he finished he was ready to go home.  But he endured with the help of a few stories, two innings of playing on the escalator with Troy and lots of snuggles with mom during the 9th inning.

The Twins didn't quite pull out a win, but it was a fun family day!  And the quick weekend away was a nice break for all of us.

Conversations with Timothy

Lately we've had some cute conversations with Timothy:

On Thursday Timothy awoke early, and soon found Troy in the kitchen. Troy told him that he was making breakfast that day. Timothy suddenly halted his coloring, looked up at Troy and with great surprise in his voice said, "You're making breakfast?  ...What's Mommy going to do?!!"

Today Troy and Timothy were playing Frisbee outside. Troy grew weary of throwing the Frisbee up in the air over and over again (to himself), and told Timothy that he was not going to continue. Timothy then paused, looked down, and replied with a very serious tone: "I'm the pastor!" Troy, a little confused, asked, "Do you mean that you're in charge?" Timothy replied, "Yes." ...Troy now only wonders more what Timothy's idea of a pastor actually is!

Troy eventually got a Frisbee stuck in a tree (not an intentional plan to stop playing Frisbee, by the way). Upon coming inside, Timothy quickly reported the event to Grandma and Grandpa Gustafson. Grandma told him, "Maybe a birdie will come sit on the Frisbee." "Yeah," Timothy replied, "and poop on it!"

Swinging

Recently we purchased a swing set from some friends of ours.  Timothy loves his new 'playground' as he calls it.  We only had a tiny slide/swing combo before this.  And the neighbors in our back yard have this huge Rainbow brand swing set that Timothy recently commented that he wanted.  I am very happy that he now has something a little more his size. 

He has grown to love swinging and underdogs. Impressively, he even gets the idea of pumping just a little bit. (I hope he keeps learning that!) Teresa did not seem too thrilled with her first swing ride, but now she loves her swing too. We shall have many happy days of swinging and climbing ahead!

Happy girl!



Look at that concentration!



Peas, please?

I wish Teresa would say "peas, please!"  She seems to say "peas, no way!"  Apparently she is not a big fan of this vegetable.  I tried to get her to eat some by putting some on toasted bread.  She tolerated this, but still was not a big fan.  We had quite a big mess at lunch.  This is increased by the fact that she wants to self-feed.  I am expecting most meals will be messy for awhile now.

Timothy was (and remains) a very good eater.  He has never been very fussy about what he eats.  I wonder if Teresa will be a different story.  There seem to be quite a few foods that she absolutely will not open her mouth for.  But we'll keep trying.  I have often heard it can take several tastes before babies become accustomed to a new food.  Who knows, maybe a few weeks from now Teresa will really say, "peas, please!" 

Listening

While we were saying bedtime prayers last night, Timothy asked if Jesus was talking.  I told him that since we were praying, Jesus was listening to us.  Timothy then wanted to know if Jesus talks to us.  I said that we can sometimes hear Jesus when we are very quiet and listen for him and that Jesus also talks to us through the Bible.
 I started to go on with our prayers, but Timothy interrupted me.  "Shh, Mommy.  Be quiet so we can listen." 

We were quiet a few moments and then Timothy spoke up to say, "I heard Jesus."  I asked what Jesus said. 

Timothy replied, "He said your head doesn't hurt. Does your head still hurt Mommy?"  (We had just prayed that Teresa's bump wouldn't hurt and that Timothy's scrape would get better. And Timothy was remembering that I had a headache the day before.)

It was a beautiful moment to have my three year old tell me to stop, be quiet and listen to Jesus. 

A pretty nose

The following conversation took place over dinner last night...

Timothy: I thought Teresa had a pretty nose.

Me: (Thinking what a sweet boy he is to compliment his sister.) Timothy that's so nice to say.

Timothy:  But her nose isn't pretty.  She is not a toucan.

Me: (A little surprised at the change in direction of thinking).  Yes, you're right she is not a toucan, so her nose is not colorful.

(Timothy has had an interest in birds lately, and we have read about toucans and parrots and other birds with 'pretty noses!')

9 Months

Hard to believe that our little darling has turned 9 months.  She still amazes us how happy she can be.  It seems that she has been sick for the entire month of April, and still she is happy.  (Night time might be the exception to that...teething and congestion does not always make sleep peaceful.)

Enjoying the May sunshine.

At her well check she measured in at 26 inches (rather on the short side now, but no surprise), and weighed in at 19lbs 9ounces (she is now at about the 60th percentile...down from 90th!)  I think it is normal for weight to slow some, but she has also started solids and learned to give a tight-lipped smile when she no longer wants to try peas, or zucchini, or broccoli or chicken!  Even Timothy knows how to imitate Teresa's 'no more' look!  But some days she gobbles up her food willingly and whines for more when I am too slow with the spoon.  I think she will like feeding herself when she gets the hang of chewing the finger foods.

She still is pretty happy to sit in one place and grab everything nearby.  If she needs to move, she usually tips on to her tummy and proceeds to roll around.  I have to convince Timothy to give her enough space so she can roll as she pleases,

Teresa can be very talkative at times--babbling away.  What quiets her down is pulling out the video camera.  Her first two teeth finally came in during April.  Since her gums are sore she likes to have a teething toy. her toy of choice is a little plastic cabbage patch boy doll that used to be mine.  He has bumpy (curly) hair which must feel good on her gums as she bites his head!

At this age Timothy used to do the Timmy shuffle--shuffle his feet when he got excited.  Teresa has her own foot thing.  She twirls her feet in circles as she sits instead of shuffling.  Kind of cute.  She is sleeping pretty well (when not teething or congested) and has on occasion slept for 12 plus hours.  (I like those nights!)

Timothy never misses a chance to be with Teresa.  They are quite the pair---Timothy loves to play with Teresa and she lights up whenever she sees him.  We are blessed.

April Showers...

...bring May SNOW!


Yes, just a dusting, but it is snow. So we have had 8 months of snow according to the Fargo weatherman. Thankfully the temps are supposed to rebound tomorrow. And a little snow is not that much of a hardship. But I do hope those May flowers will come soon. :-)



Happy May Day!