Happy Birthday Auntie Cat!- Updated QOTDs

Yay!  We were able to hang out at Lake Nokomis and go to lunch with the birthday girl and Grandma today.

We love you Auntie Cat!  Have a great rest of the day!

Updated at 8:00pm:

I want to document a few more funny QOTDs from today, especially since Auntie Cat really gets a kick out of them.

While reading an ABC book
Me: There's a C for Callie!
Callie: I'm not C, I'm 2!

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While watching men's beach volleyball
Callie: Dirty, dirty!
Me: Would you want to play in the sand like that?
Callie: NO
Me: What would you want to do?
Callie: Sit on the sidewalk
Me: Sounds about right

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While reading a book about the letter I
Me: That's an island
Callie: Yeah.  I'll live on an island some day.

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Weekend Wrap-Up: The QOTD Olympics Edition

The first half of our weekend was spent at camp and was awesome.

We got home Saturday afternoon and ignored cleaning up/putting away all of our camp stuff in lieu of hanging out in the basement watching the Olympics.  In just a short time, our toddler spewed forth many amazing quotes of the day.  Here they are...

While watching women's soccer:

Callie: Those guys look like Carebears!
Me and Chris: (looking at each other...HUH?!?!)

--later--

Callie: (after watching a *female* goalie dive to block a ball) That man fall down! 

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While watching a women's basketball game, we saw a player with a big black eye.  Later, watching two different teams play:

Callie: Where's the black eye girl?

--later--

(Backstory: Callie LOVES the Lynx mascot Prowl.  Like, LOVES him.)

While we are watching more women's b-ball, Callie is playing away from the T.V.

Chris: FOUL!  How about a FOUL?!?!? 
Callie: (looking up from her toys) What are you saying, Daddy?
Chris: I'm saying FOUL.  They should have called a foul.
Callie: Prowl?  He's funny!

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While watching men's gymnastics (a Chinese guy)

Callie: Good job, boy!


While watching men's gymnastics (an Irish guy)

Callie: Good job, man!


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That's all we have for now, though I'm sure there will be many more throughout the rest of the Olympic games.

This morning we went to visit Dave, Cherilyn, Sydney and Baby Kylie!!!

Haha...love the faces on these two!

This afternoon we went to a BBQ at Brent and Bethany's house...there were a few other kids there, including Charlie, so Callie had a blast!

Watch out for toddlers and t-ball!

Currently it is 8:40 (she went down 45 minutes ago), Chris is at a movie, and I have turned off the monitor.  For as tired as she is, she is still working her I'm-Not-Going-To-Bed-When-You-Want-Me-To magic.  Listening to her blab her life story into the monitor just gets me worked up, so I've learned to just turn it off.  This is only a phase...this is only a phase...this is only a phase...

Camp du Nord 2012

We are back from the north!

We left for Camp du Nord on Wednesday and have had a fantastic few days up in the beautiful north woods.  Besides doing all the fun outdoorsy kind of stuff, we got to spend real quality time with a lot of great people: G-ma, G-pa, Auntie Cat, Uncle Dan, Anna, Arieanna, the Koch family, the Daly family, and lots of other fun camp people.

Callie did AWESOME (minus sleepy times, but we are used to that by now).  She even went to the two hour age group play time each morning to hang out with other 0-2 year olds (and Anna)!!!!! 

As usual, it is so hard to pare down over a hundred photos to share here, so I did some more collages and will post the link to all the pictures at the end.

Hanging out around camp

Boat trip #1 on the first morning

The beach!!!!!

Boat trip #2

Hiking to Old Baldy

Family

Slack line- Chris was determined to beat it...but no luck.  Maybe next year.

Ready to celebrate 7 years

Annual family picnic table picture

This morning we spent a little time on the dock saying goodbye to the lake.

 During the long car ride home, our little camper slept for less than an hour, but slept HARD.  She was a tired happy girl.

Thanks to everyone who made this trip awesome!  We already can't wait for next year!

Here is a link to all the other pictures: Camp du Nord 2012

Now onto a boatload canoe-load of laundry...

QOTD- Auntie Yoda is Back!

So Auntie Yoda is now officially a Minneapolitan (again)!  She and her roommate moved yesterday and are in the process of putting together their new uptown apartment together.  We went to see the place today and it was awesome.

Callie: (looking around Yoda's apartment) This place is messy. (pausing to look around some more) WOW!

It was pretty hilarious.  Then she did some improv singing into a curtain rod microphone.  Awesome.

And I'll leave you with a shout out to Dave and Cherilyn- their little girl Kylie Kathryn arrived early this morning!  Callie is excited that Sydney has a baby sister and we can't wait to meet her!

Weekend Wrap-Up: The 31-Months-Old Edition!

While this weekend didn't have much planned, we managed to keep pretty busy.

Friday

Dinner and playing at G-ma and G-pa's house with them and Chris' cousin Arieanna.

Saturday

We headed to the Children's Museum in the morning, had some quiet time home in the afternoon, and headed to Centennial Lakes and Jason's Deli for the evening.  It was a much needed family day.  We had a lot of fun!

Bubbles!

Kisses for Curious George

Being a tree during story time

Centennial Lakes fountains

Talking to the duckies and feeding them goldfish

Ice cream at Jason's Deli

Relaxing in the grass

Sunday: 31-Months-Old!

A quiet day- Church and brunch with Boom, Bops, Bob, Barbara and Mari

...then just some errands in the afternoon.  She got to hang out with Daddy in the evening while I went to my friend Adrea's house for some much needed girl time.

And in case you read last night's post and are wondering, today's nap time and bed time were both disasters.  So excited this phase is starting before we head to camp where we will be staying in a cabin with open windows on a lake where sound carries for miles.

Hope everyone at camp is up for hearing a very vocal 2-and-a-half-year-old.

Manipulation Station

If our toddler were a choo-choo train, her favorite stop these days would be Manipulation Station.

Especially at bed time.  She stops there an awful lot between 8:00 and 9:30 EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT.

I guess we should be thankful that we have had fairly easy bed time routines up until now, but I'm already ready for the phase to be OVER.

Examples of the fun at Manipulation Station

1) If  Chris says he is going to put her to bed, she starts hyperventilating and crying about how she wants Mommy to put her to bed.  If I say I am going to put her to bed, it is all about wanting Daddy.

2) In order to avoid a massive meltdown, we NEED to read a downstairs book.  Upstairs books in her room are no longer sufficient.

3) When told to pick an animal to have in bed, first it is Greenbrier the bunny.  But no, she MUST have Heena the seal or she can't sleep.  Or no, it HAS to be Denver the giraffe.  NO NO, PIGLET. 

4) Gone are the days when we can hold her, sing, and she falls asleep.  If we try that now, her body flails as though there are twelve espressos coursing through her blood.

5) So we put her in her crib to sing.  She moves on her tummy.  Then her back.  Then needs a blanket on her.  Then off.  NO COVER MY FEET!  NO JAMMIES NO JAMMIES!  Not that blankie, THE OTHER ONE (to which I think, "what the heck are you talking about??")

6) After singing we emphatically whisper "Time for sleepies. NO TALKING!" and come downstairs to turn on the monitor, fully expecting AT LEAST 45 minutes of babbling.

7) Depending on how it is going, one of us goes up there to remind her to be quiet.  We reclose the door.  Then comes the hysterical "Open the door.  OPEN THE DOOR!" through the monitor.  One of us goes up to open the door, only to hear "NO CLOSE THE DOOR.  CLOSE THE DOOOOOOOOOOORRR!" 

8) "JUUUUUUICE!  I NEED JUUUUUUUUICE!"

9) On nights like tonight, after 1-7, the toddler thinks that the best way to continue hanging around Manipulation Station is to just scream and cry like her life is so horrible and she didn't just go to the Children's museum, on a couple of walks, run around Centennial Lakes, and out to dinner with Mommy and Daddy today.

After any number of these things that happen in any order at any time between 8:00 and 9:30, we (well, usually I) get fed up and just turn off the monitor for awhile.  And wish, hope and pray that the toddler choo-choo train is heading into Relaxation Station sometime very soon.

So my question for those who have gone through it:
*Do you just ignore all the demands and let them cry it out and assume they'll tire themselves out eventually?  It seems so hard to do because she is the OPPOSITE of ready to fall asleep when she decides she needs something. 
*Do we start the routine later?  We've always been strict 8:00 bedtime people (though a little later this summer) but we worry if we start later it will still take just as long and she'll be up even later.
*This is just a phase...right?  Please say yes!

Update: It is 9:05, officially 1 hour and 15 minutes after we started the whole bed time routine, and my amazing husband just managed to get her to sleep.

After #7 I gave up and started to blog.  Thank goodness for teamwork.

Colorado

I was saddened to wake up this morning to the news from the great state we just visited.  Our prayers are with all those affected by the tragedy in Aurora.

We had an absolutely wonderful trip to Denver and Loveland.  Callie was an amazing trooper dealing with different hotels, different beds, driving around, having her schedule messed up, etc.  I was seriously impressed by how well she did.

I went through all of the pictures and put together some collages of the fun things we did...so here goes!

First up: Hanging around in Denver

*Spending time at John and Jenny's house (playing in their toy bin and picking a giant zucchini!)

Having fun and being silly

*Cartwheels on the lawn, going for a high-altitude run, swimming, crazy eyes and faces

Denver Zoo!

*Elephants!  Turtles! Baby Jaguar on the carosel!

Loveland

*Playing at Grammy and Margie's house, pedicures, walking downtown.

Loveland Museum

*Yeehaw!!!

Sculpture Garden

 *So much fun running around finding different statues

We love our family!

*Aunt Jenny, Grammy, Uncle John, Bops, Uncle Joe, Boom, Mommy, Great Margie

And finally, traveling home

*60 minute car ride, quick car rental van ride, quick airport train ride, 1.5 hour airplane, all with only a 30 minute nap during the car ride!  We made it home!

Thanks to my parents, Uncle Joe, Uncle John, Aunt Jenny, Great Margie and Grammy for a wonderful trip!

Here are the other pictures from the trip...enjoy!

Colorado 2012

Colorado Preview- QOTD

Sorry, Mom, I don't have it in me to do a good vacation blog post tonight.  I have too many great pictures that I want to spend time with...editing...making collages, etc.

So here is a preview...a 4 generation picture.

And a quote of the day featuring my *crazy-funny* Grammy

Eating lunch at the house, Callie was away from the table playing instead of eating like she was supposed to.  Grammy was sitting at the table, but also not eating like she was supposed to.

My Dad: Callie, come eat your sandwich.
Callie: (across the room) In a minute!
My Aunt Margie: (speaking to Grammy) Mom, eat your sandwich.
Grammy: (without missing a beat) In a minute!


Okay that's all I got right now.  I promise a lovely Colorado-filled post by the end of the day tomorrow. ;)

Weekend Wrap-Up: A Little Early

This weekend wrap-up is being posted 8 hours early due to the fact that Callie, Bops, Boom, Uncle Joe and I are flying out this afternoon to Colorado to visit Grammy, Uncle John, Aunt Jenny, and Great Margie!  We are very excited to see all our Colorado peeps!

We had a nice, low-key weekend.

Friday

The golf store. 

Saturday

Golf lesson with Daddy.

Hanging out at the condo with Boom, Bops, Auntie Mari, and Uncle Joe.

Sunday

While Callie stayed with G-pa, Chris and I ran The Color Run!with our friends Brent and Bethany.

It. Was. Awesome.

My skin is still speckled with color even after a tough shower scrub down.

Now we are right on schedule for Colorado departure...Callie is down for a nap an hour early so come 2:00 we should be good to go!

Have a great week!

The *30* Photo Shoot

On Monday we went to the infamous castle park (the same place where this happened).


This time, there were no poop blowouts or major thunderstorms, just an adorable toddler getting her picture taken.

I decided since Chris and I recently turned 30 (years), and Callie recently turned 30 (months),  it was time for another photoshoot.

Nik, once again, proved that he is an amazing photographer.  I love the pictures!  Here are some of my faves.

QOTD- All About Golf

Apparently Chris has been teaching Callie some valuable things- like stuff about golf.

I was witness to the following conversation earlier this evening, before the two headed off to the golf store together.

Chris: Okay, what do we need to play golf?
Callie: Um...a golf ball.  And a golf club... (pauses, thinking hard)
Chris: And how about a golf bag?
Callie: Yeah!
Chris: And what do you need for your hand?
Callie: A golf glove!

And off they went to the golf store, and soon I received a text message picture with the caption It's begun:

Upon arriving home, Callie was very excited to show me her new toy very important piece of sporting equipment.

And then, she decided to test it out in the basement.  She very promptly did a very good swing.  It just so happened her very good swing swung directly into Chris' crotch.  While he was on the phone.  On a work call.

Thankfully the swing didn't appear to be very hard, and he handled it like a champ.  I, on the other hand, was desperately trying not to laugh while she was looking at me to gauge my reaction.  And whether or not she could get away with doing it again.  She didn't.

As soon as he was off the phone, he made sure to reiterate the rules for the golf club, that must have been discussed in the car on the way home from the golf store.

Chris: Where did Daddy say you could use your new golf club?
Callie: At the golf course!

So with promises to visit the golf course tomorrow, Callie kept the golf club on the ground for the rest of the night.

Stay tuned.  If Chris has his way, we'll be raising the next generation's golf superstar. 

Or, at the very least, someone else that will play golf with him and Bops.