beanski

the partygoers

I didn't get a picture of everyone at Cam's birthday party which sort of makes me not want to post these pictures but whatever. I love everyone that was there and I don't have anything else to say today.
The Mom, party achiever. I always shut down when everyone gets there and she gets the food on the table.

Tara, I don't see her often enough and she has been going through some serious shit, I really appreciate her always showing up when we invite her to the kids' parties.

Renee and Griffin lunching

Griffin and Beef. Griffin is the only kid that I know that has a toy named Beef. Griffin is going to be a comedian someday.

Griffin's brother Sam climbing up the stairs on Uncle Michael's watch. I opened the door and there he was.


This is the glare you get anytime you talk to Sarah. She's a feisty one :) And I love her.

Birthday boy

Miss Lucy Goose

A meeting of the minds at the cat door
Nena and Aunt Jill playing peek with the birthday boy

Cupcake distribution

Jen and her sidekick

Last but not least, my girl Lindsey. She has had a pretty extreme few months here and she's still smiling. That's my girl.

Thanks to everyone for coming, putting up with the sewer smell in the house and sorry these pictures are so grainy...not much light on a very cloudy day.

the arboretum

My new house is totally cramping my blogging/picture editing style. The computer used to be in the same room as the TV so I could chill with my hubby while he watched sports and I played on the computer. Now, I have to hang out all by myself in order to play on the computer and I feel like I never see him. So, now I read a book in the chair in the living room next to him while he watches sports. Totally quality time, huh? :) I haven't edited pictures for like a month and I'm too lazy to go back and do the old ones now. So, I'm starting fresh.

The trip the U of MN Arboretum on Saturday renewed my interest in pictures. The is just so much beauty in that place. I had only ever been there in the summer to see the gardens and that was incredible but boy, the fall colors were really something. And we were a week or two past prime, I can't imagine what it was like last weekend. Next year I vow to take my children there and bribe them with infinite amounts of candy to let me take their picture.

I was planning on keeping some of these pictures for Christmas presents and then decided I had to post them because they make me smile now and Christmas is too far away. So act surprised at Christmas, OK?

Yes, they are holding hands. The cuteness is off the charts. Renee wandered around all weekend going, "Where's Eyiot?"

For some reason this picture kills me. I think it is because Cameron is the first boy born into the Ski family that will carry on the Ski name. I know it's stupid and I know that Renee is just as important but it is just, well, I can't explain it. I think it's something about the look they are exchanging here tells me that they know something we don't.

The Goose, The Diva. When she saw me walk over with my camera, she POSED. I'm not kidding. My daughter scrunches up her nose and makes the annoying cheese face and Lucy gave me this look that was like "Go ahead, I already know I'm pretty."

Cameron and Aunt Jill, who was kind enough to lug around all twenty-five pounds of love for me so I could take some pictures.
He really liked the leaves. Oh to be a baby again. A cute (almost one-year-old) baby.
 
My beautiful little girl.

Last but not least, Nena and Grumpa with all of their grandchildren (so far) :) The yellow was really that color, I swear. Crazy.

There are more but I'll save those for CrackFacebook.

chilling with the nephews

One of my goals this year was to get out of town and spend some time alone with my nieces and nephews. It is so different to spend time with them when I don't have my own kids to worry about. I'm not the most relaxed traveler in the world, craving routine, structure, home.

Griffin and Sam were first on the list because they built a brand new house and I was just dying to see it (pretty sweet). As a bonus I got to spend some time alone with my big sister and after sitting and talking to her for about three minutes at a wine cafe just the two of us, I realized just how much I've missed her.  

 
 
  
I almost can't handle the cuteness.

we are family

The lovely and talented Kim agreed to allow my children to torture her for an entire morning last weekend in order to help me get a family picture. Have I mentioned that she's like a million months pregnant? Because she is. Like she's having her baby in a matter of days almost and she lugged herself through the woods with a stool and blankets and camera to take a picture of me. That is what you call cool. She posted a few on her blog but I wanted to post a couple more. Along with a big fat THANK-YOU.

My favorite family ones are the ones of us being huge dorks, laughing trying to wrestle our kids to just BEHAVE FOR SEVEN SECONDS.

I'm cutting myself off there because otherwise you'd end with all 100 images :)

little cita turns two (like a month ago)

I have no excuse for these taking a MONTH to post other than I am lazy. Perhaps the laziest human being here on planet Earth. Sarah turned two with a Dora party at home surrounded by all of her cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. Happy Birthday to the cuddliest of cuddly little girls (at least when Mommy is around).
 
 
 
 
 
 
Take a look at this dog. I'm TOTALLY not a dog person but if I was, Clyde would have my heart.

the poor man's family photo

I REALLY want to get some new family pictures taken. My Money Manager claims that we don't have the money and that I can take them myself.
 
How did I do?

At least I got ice cream out of the deal.

going to the cities

Renee and Cameron had their first overnight stay at Nena and Grumpa's last weekend and I'm pretty sure they had a great time. Renee says "Go to the cities right now and see Murphy [their cat]" when I ask her if she had fun having a sleep over at their house and I'm guessing Cam was happy as a clam to have willing arms to lug him around all weekend. This picture makes me laugh because can you see what he does? THE CONSTANT DIVING. I'm just glad Grumpa is still smiling because it gets OLD. FAST.

I have some concerns about her enthusiasm towards Murph because he's about thirty years old and one of these days we're going to go there and she's going to be so confused as to where he went. I love how she says Murphy. It's the CUTEST THING EVER.

They took the kids to the zoo, played in the sprinkler and I'm certain she watched Dora to her heart's content. They were both smiling when we got back on Sunday and Ski and I were immediately like "WHO'S NEXT? WHO WANTS THEM NEXT? ANY TAKERS?"


Both of our families have been so great about stepping in and helping us through this move. We honestly would be in HUGE trouble without all of their help. Everyone has been here to help out with the kids and to help us pack and we are SO GRATEFUL. We'd be totally screwed without them.

The kids are going back to spend TWO nights next weekend while we uproot our home and I feel totally at ease with it. I know they will be fine. I know they'll have fun with their grandparents. That is, if He Who Doesn't Sleep can get his sleeping shit back together. If he doesn't I'm not sure they'll be welcomed back! :)

the fourth of july

It started out as a walk through Leif Erickson park and The Lakewalk to take a few pictures. They were both being good so we decided to tempt fate and walk all the way down to Canal Park so Renee could "throw rocks in the big blue late [lake]" knowing full well we'd be an hour walk away from a car in the case of a melt-down. They were both having such a good time that we got really crazy and had lunch down in Canal Park. It must be documented that it isn't every time that one of them flips out when we try to do anything (just most of the time)!

The Phil and Ted's loaded up and ready to go:

There was almost no wind and the lake was like glass (really rare for Lake Superior).

Then we got to the good stuff. The rocks. My daughter LOVES rocks. You would not believe the level of excitement she gets out of plain old rocks.






Look at those teeth. They KILL ME.
 
 
All and all a great way to spend the 4th of July!

have him (the chipmunks)

When we decided to go ahead with this whole moving thing and started really thinking about weekends, we quickly realized that most of this summer is going to be sucked in to the enormous, black moving hole. So, over Father's day we headed up north to visit my parents, hoping to get in at least one weekend of lake time and to spend some time on the boat. I figured Renee would love the boat. The reality? She HATED it. She was TERRIFIED, clinging to me with every ounce of strength in her grasp. I was not amused at the time but have since decided the whole spectacle was downright hilarious. My mom, dad and I just sat there staring at her like "Really, are you really doing this" while Ski held the sleeping-before-the-boat-left-the-dock Cameron. We were on the boat for exactly 10 minutes and since then every time she sees a boat out on Lake Superior she says "No like the boat, Mommy. No like it."

Part of the weekend plan was also to take her up to feed the chipmunks at Sha-Sha because every time she sees a chipmunk in our yard, she says "Have him" and I was hoping she'd get a kick out of actually feeding them and seeing them up close. I have to admit, though, after the boat, I was a little afraid that she would flip out about the chipmunks too and our entire weekend would have been wasted trying to show Renee all about the world only to have her lay on the couch and demand another episode of Dora.

She didn't flip. She LOVED the chippies and every time I talk to her about them she says "Go back there. Go feed peanuts to the chippies." Ski and I laughed, riding on a boat in the arms of mom is downright terrifying but it is totally cool if a little four-legged creature runs up your dress and takes peanuts right out of your hand. That's our girl. She likes what she likes and hates what she hates and don't try to change her mind.

We had an awesome weekend in any case, the Rainy Lake weather gods smiled on us and we came home that weekend feeling like we had gotten a break from the giant moving curse.

I have to admit though, I'm really hoping that someday she decides the pontoon boat is an OK way to spend a Saturday afternoon. I mean, I know it can't compete the the chippies and everything but SERIOUSLY.

baby sam isn't a baby anymore

Sam had his first birthday two weeks ago now and honestly I know I probably say this about every kid's birthday but seriously, how can it be that he is already a year old? It just isn't possible. Happy Birthday, buddy. Such a sweet and independent little sucker, I just love him. I'm going to post one of each of the kids here and the rest on Facebook because I'm lazy and it's easier to post to Facebook :)





 

And one of little Syndey because I know her mom reads this blog and because she's cute.