We Have a Preschooler

So, I completely failed at keeping our blog updated over the summer. I gave it my best!

The start of the school year has come and gone. It has been an adjustment for all of us. Jake is back at daycare full time and is enjoying being able to see his friends and playing with them. He also started preschool last week. He loves it and we could not be happier. He goes for 2 1/2 hours Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Cheryl (daycare) drops him off and picks him up Tuesday and Wednesday. Joe's hours on Thursdays have changed, so he has been able to drop Jake off and Cheryl picks him up.

Here is what he has told me about preschool:

• They have celebrated two kids' birthdays and ate cookies.
• He does not like Indira (one of the birthday kids and goes to daycare with Jake). He has said this repeatedly. He calls her "Ondira". "I don't like her!" We have had to talk about the fact that you still need to be nice to her even if you don't want to play with her.
• He has learned a few songs-"The Circle Song" and "The Clean Up Song".
• His picture is on the paper at school, not on the wall. Really, it is up on the bulletin board.
• Tyreese is his buddy (another birthday boy and friend from daycare).
• Sometimes they go into the "Muscle Room". According to Jake, it has chairs, couches, basketball nets, but no balls, and a slide. I am thinking it is a gym, but the couches and chairs are really throwing me.
• He likes snack time.
• He does not know his teachers' names, but he has two of them. Three, if you count the director, who is in the room next door. She is a daycare buddy's grandmother. She is always telling us how cute Jake is.
• This past week they learned about apples and the color red. They learned a poem that I used to teach to my kindergartners. It was way cuter to see him say it!

I am getting used to being back at work. I have a pretty good group of students. One particular class gives me a headache most days, but at least I only see them for 55 minutes and at the end of the day. We have some really chatty and needy kids, but we have a bigger group of nice, sweet, and hard working students, too. Second full week down and I am exhausted!

Here are some pictures of Jake at preschool. He is in a phase of not wanting his picture taken, so some of them are the back of his head!

Jake with Joe and me the morning of his first day. Big smiles!

Hugging his daycare friend, Nick

So excited to go in!

Taking his jacket off at his hook

And we are done with pictures!

Second Annual Trip to Duluth with The Johnsons

After our weekend at Big Fish, Jake and I left for Duluth Monday morning. We were heading up to The Edge Water park to meet Haley, Cade, and Calli for our annual summer trip to Duluth. We were staying one night. We decided to try a different hotel than last year, one that was more "kid friendly". What could be more friendly than a water park, right?

I love driving up to Duluth. I get excited every time! It brings back so many memories. I wonder how many times I had made that trip. It was a little different this time because part of the drive was "under construction". There wasn't any work being done because the government was shutdown at the time, but it was only two lanes for about 15 miles. The drive down the hill into Duluth has always made me nervous, no matter how many times I may have driven it. I am not sure why. I think I am afraid that I will slide down it. I know, it doesn't make sense, but it is ingrained in my brain and I cannot help it.

It was hot all over MN the day we were in Duluth. It was hotter in the Cities, but it was still hot for being in Duluth. At one point we went to a park down in Canal Park for the kids to play at and we could only last about 10 minutes because it was so warm. I am sure it was even warmer on the hill.

We spent most of the day on Monday at the hotel. Once we were checked in, it was off to the Water park! I was really hoping Jake would like the toddler area. He did, after a while. It had a large bucket that dumped water every-so-often. Jake and Calli thought it was really loud and made a big stink about plugging their ears. I'm not sure what the big deal was, it wasn't that loud, but you cannot convince two three year-olds that! We spent most of the time in the bigger pool that had basketball hoops and a vortex pool. Jake was being a stinker and would not wear his life jacket, so I had to hold him most of the time. There were a few cut-outs in the pool that had benches, which Jake loved to play on. We learned our lesson from last time about staying in for dinner. We went to our favorite restaurant last year, which was not "kid friendly" and was the dinner from he%$. Pizza it was for us! We were all asleep by about 9:30, which felt amazing! The next day we had breakfast at the hotel. The kids all had eyes bigger than their stomachs and wasted a lot. It was free though, so what can you do? We swam for a little bit and were able to get Jake and Calli to play more in the toddler pool. Pretty soon it was time to get showered and check out of our room. We drove up to campus because I needed to get a new Bulldog Hockey t-shirt to wear on Mondays at school. The kids were crazy in the Bulldog Shop. I am sure we had a few dirty looks as the boys were going nuts with the football. Thank goodness it is the summer and there are not that many people shopping there. We walked around a little bit before we realized it was starting to rain and we needed to get to our cars. After we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways, there was a severe weather announcement on the radio. A severe thunderstorm with hail and wind was heading directly toward Duluth. I was going to hit it, no matter what. Haley could possibly get a head of it before it moved in to Wisconsin. I started driving and got about 10 miles out of Duluth before the rain was so bad that I had to pull into a gas station. We sat there for a bout 30 minutes. I stuck a movie in for Jake to keep him entertained. I was following the radar on my phone and left when there was a slight break. I drove about 1 mile and had to pull off again. Once I started again, it was pretty much smooth sailing. Of course when it went down to two lanes there was a 5 minute downpour! As if driving through a construction zone isn't hard enough, even if there isn't any real work being done... I was really excited when I saw the sign for Forest Lake and knew we were going to be home soon!

Jake desperately wants a DS now!

A DQ Disaster of sorts!

My Stair-Swimmer

Cade in the "swirly pool"

Brave Calli swimming on her own

Calli snuck her "zappy" out of her bag while Haley was in the shower

Good Ol' 21st!

Entering UMD!

Yeah for Raspberry Tart!

Hockey Boys

Overall, another successful trip to Duluth! Next time, I think we will leave the kids at home and make it a girls' trip!

Weekend at Big Fish

Last weekend, we packed up the car and headed west on 94 to Cold Springs. My sister-in-law's family has a cabin on Big Fish Lake. Jake and I have been there a number of times in the last few years, but it always seems to fall on a weekend that Joe worked. I think Matt and Katie were starting to take offense at the fact that Joe never comes up. The last time he was there was for the groom's dinner for their wedding almost three years ago. It also was a bonus that it was Matt's week to have Hailey, so Jake was really excited to see his big cousin.

The weather was very weird that weekend. On Saturday, it was humid, yet overcast. It made it easier to spend time outside. Had it not been overcast, the heat would have been really unbearable. MN has had some high temps this past week. The next day, it was the same thing, except even more humid. You could have taken a shower when you walked out of the cabin. There was so much condensation on the windows. It did get sunny earlier in the day than on Saturday. We were all hoping for a sunny weekend, but we were able to do all the things we had wanted to do.

Jake and Hailey logged in some serious movie watching time. Jake loved the fact that Kit (Katie's mom) had different movies than we have at home. We have quite the collection since Jake's broken leg last year. Some days, I wonder if there is a Disney movie we don't own!

We were able to head over to the sandbar (or sandbox, as Jake called it) to float and play in the water. There was even a bachelor party over there that had brought their own keg into the lake. That was something I had never seen before. Jake wasn't all that cooperative with being in the water or floating, so we did not stay that long. That behavior seems to be the case lately. Is it the boy in him, or the 3 year old. A terrible combination of the two?

Hailey and Matt both were able to water ski after dinner on Saturday night. It amazes me how good Hailey has become over the last few years. She has these great training skis that have really helped her. Katie holds onto one end of the rope and Hailey holds onto the other. Katie is the one who pulls her out of the water. On Sunday, Matt tried giving her the regular ski rope just to see how she would do. She gave it two really good tries, but wasn't able to pull herself up. She is a determined girl and I know she will master that in no time. It is always fun to watch my brother ski. You would think he grew up on a lake! Hailey also tubed. I was thinking about doing it myself, but the possibility of being in pain (back), wasn't quite worth it.

Hailey and Jake went on special "missions" during the weekend. They were off finding things and going places on a variety to toys: Barbie Jeep, scooter, bike, and Big Wheel. Jake loved the Power Wheels toy. I think we will get him one for his next birthday. He would be so excited!

Jordan and Jake were funny to watch. They would be fine playing with each other one minute and then Jake would be telling on him the next. It is hard to explain to Jake that Jordan (a 1 year old) doesn't quite know how to share, and yes, sometimes he does bite. There were lots of laughs, smiles, and a few tears.

It was a great to get away for the weekend and spend time with the St. Cloud Knutsons! Hopefully, it won't take another three years to get Joe back there!

The Dentist

Jake had his first visit to the dentist last week. They had him in for a "happy visit". He was able to ride in the chair and see the tools the dentist and hygienist uses. His favorite thing to do was to use the "squirt gun" and fill up his cup of water and then use the vacuum tool to suck it back up. I think he had to do this no less than five times. He let the hygienist clean his teeth for about 2.2 seconds before he had enough. She counted his teeth-10 on top and 10 on bottom. Jake met the dentist and let him take a peek in his mouth. The dentist said his teeth look good. Jake was excited to get a new toothbrush, some floss, a mask, and rubber gloves. All in all, a good visit to the dentist. Back in 6 months.

Jake also had his first run in with the cops. Okay, just the mall cop. We went shopping after the dentist to Eden Prairie Center. They have this fun indoor play area that Jake loves. At one point, he decided that he wanted to go up the escalator. He bolted from me and ran onto it. He almost fell off, but I thankfully caught up with him before that could happen. I was having a little "heart-to-heart" with him as we were taking the escalator back down to the floor we started on. When we got to the bottom, the mall cop came up to Jake and told him that he needed to listen to his mommy and never get onto the escalator without holding his parent's hand and that he could get really hurt. Jake wouldn't look at him in the eye, but I think he understood to never do that again.

He now tells me when I do something he doesn't like, that he is going to call the fire truck guys to come and get me, just like the police talked to him... We'll see how that goes...

Happy Fourth of July!-The Late Edition

Ben trying out knee boarding

Jake's new beach attire

Daddy helping Jake watch fireworks

Jake with Haley, Ben, Parker, and Kelsey

Again, a week has slipped by me...

We had a great time at The Deters's cabin over the 4th. We were glad we did not go up until Saturday night because there was a strong storm that when through the area of Wisconsin we were headed to. As we drove through Danbury, WI, we noticed a lot of trees down and properties that were damaged. We stopped for dinner at a bar that had no power. They were not quite sure what they were going to do once the sun went down. They were grilling burgers and chicken in the back of their bar, but that was all you could get for food. We found out that the cabin was out of power overnight and lost a few trees, but thankfully, nothing sustained any damage.

Highlights of the weekend:

• Jake unsure of whether or not he likes fireworks. We went to the town's fireworks show Saturday night and had our own "show" Sunday night. Both nights he started out really excited and smiling, but ended up in tears and needed mom and dad to comfort him.
• Jake slept in his own bed next to mom and dad. He felt pretty cool about it.
• Jake became more daring and was jumping off the pontoon on shore in his life jacket and Lightning McQueen inner tube.
• Jake had fun hanging out with his Auntie Haley and Uncle Ben and their friends, along with Joe's cousin Andrew and his girlfriend, Connie. Connie said she would love to babysit Jake, for a reduced price. We may have to take him up on it.
• Beautiful weather during the days and nights.
• Spending time with family that we don't get to see often :)

Dinner Time at the Deters

Finally, Summertime!

Summer may have actually arrived in Minnesota. I know, it is hard to believe, but I think it may be the real deal. That is why I was not on top of posting anything this week. Maybe I was just lazy, who knows.

Joe was off this week to get some things done around the house. The main thing he did was to power wash and stain the deck. He worked really hard on it and it looks really nice. Of course, he was out there on some really warm days. I am waiting to take a picture, because it is wet now from the rains last night. The other project he did that I was really excited about was putting a storm door on our front door. We can now have the front door open without any bugs coming in to join us. It is nice to have the breeze, too. It is the little things...

Highlights of the week:

• We took Paige to her dance lessons on Monday. She was so cute in her little outfit and ballet shoes. Jake and I played at the playground at the school she took lessons at. He loves going to new playgrounds and tackle the new challenges there. The two of them were so funny chattering away in the car. At one point I heard, "Can you say it louder, I can't hear you Paige?" Was I transporting 3 year olds or 90 year olds?
• Jake tried out his new slip and slide in the backyard. He did not actually understand how to do it properly, but was really good at army crawling up and down. I learned, the hard way, how important it is to remove the slip and slide right away. We have a little patch ofgrass that is not too happy with me :(
• We made our first trip to the sand bottom pool in Shakopee with my friend Karla and herdaughter Annika. Jake will probably call her "Baby Ahhka" for the rest of her life...We had a blast full of laughs!
• Joe and I went to dinner and a movie while Grandma Bien watched Jake.
• We went to another friend's house to swim on Thursday. That was one of the hotter days this week. Jake was able to see a friend from daycare, which he was excited about. This day was the looongest day, as Jake was up early, had no nap, and wouldn't go to bed nicely. I am surprised we all made it out alive!
• We went out on the boat for a few hours yesterday. We ate lunch, fished a little, and swam. It was nice to be on the water, as it was 99 degrees! Jake didn't want to nap when we got back, but it wasn't too long before he was out on the couch.
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