Auntie Cori and Cousin Finn visit for Peepaw’s Birthday!

2012
04.23
By: Jaimie

Back in March, my sister Cori and her, then 6 month old son, Finn, came to the U.S. for a visit, as a suprise for my Dad’s 60th Birthday Party. My sister Casey also came to stay for a while, and I was on Spring Break…so the timing was perfect.  It was so much fun to get to spend some extra time with the family, and for a few days we had the entire core family staying together at our childhood home. It was like the “good ole’ days”… except that we are all adults and half of us have kids :) . I think it was a little overwhelming for my parents to go from an empty nest, to an overflowing nest within a matter of days…but I think they enjoyed the chaos. Since Finn and Caitlin are only about 4 months apart, they REALLY enjoyed playing with each other, and Dakota decided that she was Finn’s favorite girl because she could make him laugh. Overall, it was just really good quality time to have fun with the family.  Here are some highlights…

Video 1: Dad as he discovers that all his kids and grandkids are in town for his birthday.

Video 2: Fun at COSI

Video 3:  An unusual mid-March heatwave provided a unique opportunity to bathe all the grandkids together in a kiddie pool on the back deck.

Halloween 2011

2011
11.01
By: Jaimie

We skipped the messy carving this year, and got a set of pieces that you press into the pumpkin. It is a lot like a Mr. Potatohead…and probably falls into the category of cheating…but it was so much easier!!! Dakota decorated a pumpkin that we grew in the garden this year (the ONLY pumpkin that grew in the garden this year). For Caitlin, we decorated an acorn squash that the neighbor grew back by the pond. They turned out pretty funny.

Our Halloween Squashes

For Trick-or-Treat, Dakota was a “Magic Flying Unicorn” and Caitlin barely fit into her “Ladybug” costume. Apparently, buying a baby costume a month ahead of time is risky…she has been wearing size 6-9mos for a couple of weeks now, and the costume is a 3-6mos. Her legs have to cross in the bottom, but she doesn’t seem to care.

The unicorn's wings, tail, etc.

Our Magic Flying Unicorn

Our little ladybug....she wasn't real excited.

Really not amused!

Jump! Jump!

2011
10.31
By: Jaimie

Caitlin’s legs are getting very strong these days, as she practices jumping in her “jumperoo.” She’s got some serious wiggles these days, and we are glad she has this as a way to use up all that extra energy!

A Fun Trip to COSI

2011
10.31
By: Jaimie

Last weekend, we took the girls to COSI. Dakota was very excited about the “Dora and Diego” character exhibit.

COSI-Dakota 1

Welcome to the Dora & Diego Exhibit!

Caitlin enjoyed the baby water table.

Caitlin at the water table.

Splash! She loved this water table. She was cold and wet by the time she was done, but screamed when I took her out.

We had a ton of fun, but came home exhausted! Here are some of the video highlights of the day: