Picnic in the Park

My mom loves picnics.  (Honestly, who doesn't?)  One beautiful evening she called us all together for a picnic dinner in the park.  My sister brought her camera and skills along and captured some great pictures of the kids and the fun times they had hitching rides on Uncle Kyle's motorcycle!

 My lovely Britta, getting so big!

Em had her turn first (of course)!

My fire-cracker, Juliana.  (And can you see Kari's little scowl in the background??)

A very wistful-looking Kari.

 Christian was up next!

 Erin captured a small sampling of the chaos that these four girls bring to the table.

Such a happy grandpa.  Britta just LOVES him!

 Yup.  That's Kari...

Grandkids, minus Kari, who was having her ride.

 At last it was Ju Ju's turn!!

 We also played at the park...

 ...picked flowers, played games...

 ...and took a walk around the duck pond.

We are so lucky to live so close to family and that my mom makes the effort to coordinate our schedules so we all get together!

Funny Weather

On Saturday morning, the kids did this...

On Sunday afternoon, they did this...

Let the crazy weather begin!

A Beautiful Day at the Zoo

Yesterday was soooo warm and beautiful! Emily had the day off of school (and my mom had the day off of work) and so we all went to (where else?) the zoo! It had actually been quite awhile since we'd been there so the kiddos were very excited to see everything again. Thanks for coming with, Grandma Karen!

PS Just so you know, there is just one month until "New Moon" hits the theatres...yes, I know I'm a big nerd, but it doesn't take much to get a pregnant woman (now entering her 3rd trimester--hurray!!) excited these days.

Week In Review

This past week really seemed to fly by! Here are some of the highlights!

Last Sunday, we celebrated Uncle Peter's birthday (which was Monday, but he had class that night so he came over on Sunday). The kids enjoyed playing and "helping" him open his present :-).

On Wednesday, Cubby was able to accompany Emily on her class's field trip to Vala's Pumpkin Patch. It was freezing cold and muddy, but, they dressed warmly and had a great time! Unfortunately, Cubby didn't get any pictures of he and Emily together...he's still learning. They got to ride a train and go for a hayrack ride out to the patch. Emily picked out a very cute pumpkin w/a great stem.

This week we've also been working with Christian on doing his number 2's on the potty. (With him, it's seemed easier to tackle this first and since he's enjoying it, we're counting our blessings along with less poopy diapers to change!) He even likes to tell me to "go out, Mommy!" and, as you can see, he likes to take his time and catch up on the latest toy magazines while he does his business.

I did learn my lesson though as on Friday, after he'd banished me, he came running out with a smile on his face and poo on his leg...and, as I discovered, on the potty, his clothes, and step stool as well. YUCK. Thankfully, it didn't get on the carpet or rug and he had a great time playing in the shower as I cleaned everything up. So, we're learning lots' these days! (Staying in or very close to the bathroom is a good idea!)

In any case, this week we're looking forward to better weather (hello zoo on Monday!) and to a visit from Cubby's parents this weekend! Have a great week, everyone!

Needing A Little Magic?

After dinner, are your children running around like crazy people, yelling at the top of their lungs? Are you finding that you want to pull your hair out because they need you the exact moment you get into the bathroom? Basically, are you looking for a little magic? Then may I suggest you hit an apple orchard...I'm convinced they hold magical qualities! There is one particular orchard, I think, that holds just a little extra magic. It would be the Flynn's orchard.

Tonight we were able to head over to pick some apples at the Flynn's and it was just what we needed! The children, previously screaming banshees, morphed into the sweethearts of every parents' dreams! Emily loved "wandering off" down the orchard lane and Christian insisted upon taking off every apple's stem before putting it in his bucket. It was chillier this year than previous years, but, we still brought home plenty of delicious apples. I can't wait to bake! We feel so fortunate to be able to experience just a little magic each fall.

Lindseth Family Pictures, Fall 2009

My friend, Camie, offered to take our family pictures before she moves on Saturday! She has a great eye for pictures and we were so grateful that she would share her time and talents with us. Thank you, Camie! Here are just a few of our favorites...there are so many it's tough to choose from!

Emily's First Road Race!

Today Emily ran in her first road race! It was very exciting! In September, I had seen a flyer at the YMCA for the "Race for the Kids" run downtown in the Conagra Foods Plaza. They had different heats for the different age groups--preschool up through 6th grade. A parent had to run if a preschooler was running, and, since I'm not really able to run much these days, I thought it would be a fun thing for Emily and Cubby to do together!

For preschoolers through 2nd grade, the race is just a 1/2 mile so I knew it would not only be something Emily would be able to do, but she'd enjoy as well. I really want to start her running early so that she learns that it's fun and not something to be scared of (like I was for so long!).

It went fantastic! They had all kinds of activities for the kids to do both before and after the race. There were also many local mascots present (and they even ran their own 50 yard dash race, which Christian really enjoyed since one of the mascots was a big green dinosaur).

After Emily and Cubby got their racing numbers...

It was time for "warm ups"...

Christian got cozy....

As Cubby and Emily got ready to run!

Here is a video of them finishing. (Yes, I realize it's sideways...I didn't realize that you couldn't rotate the video like you can a picture! Ugh! Still, it's pretty cute.)

And, here are the big racers!! Emily was so happy with her ribbon! Way to go, Emily! We're so proud of you!