Fall Fun

We've had a great time this Fall exploring the apple orchard and pumpkin patch, playing outside, and getting ready for Halloween.  

Meghan's first ride on the swings

Chilllin' in the grass

"The girls"

Michael is a little concerned about "the girls". . . . .   

 Hannah's preschool took a trip to the pumpkin patch, and Michael thought to was great that he got to ride along in the train with them. . . . . until they went through a rather large mud puddle, then he just wanted to be done.  Hannah picked out her pumpkin to use for Daddy's night and Michael helped Mommy and Daddy find a few for our house.

Michael and Hannah riding the train at the pumpkin patch

The next day was Hannah's class costume party, and Michael, Meghan, and Mommy came by to watch the costume parade and listened to the songs the class had prepared for us. 

Hannah's preschool class costume parade

 That night was Daddy's Night at the preschool, and Daddy and Hannah had some big plans for their pumpkin - this year Hannah was very specific about wanting a cat.  We carved our own pumpkins at home over the weekend and Michael insisted on turning his baby pumpkin into a jack-o-lantern - it's about the size of a fist, but Daddy made it work!

Daddy's Night at the preschool

 Michael and Hannah thought long and hard about what they wanted to dress up as this year, and finally chose things that we weren't actually sure we'd be able to pull together! (It's amazing what you can find for sale on the internet!!)

Michael the orange triceratops, Hannah the pink cowgirl, and Meghan the little piggy

6 months

Meghan is 6 months old!!  She has started eating table food - and LOVES feeding herself!!  She is rolling and bouncing (yes, bouncing - not crawling) around everywhere, and enjoys finding Michael and Hannah's toys to chew on  :)  Meghan loves to do things for herself (the toddler attitude has kicked in a bit early!) and, though generally easy going and happy, she's excellent at letting us know when she needs our help.  She has started signing her favorite word (milk), which Hannah thinks is fantastically funny.  Hannah and Michael have started remembering some of the words we signed with them and have tried to "teach" Meghan, but so far she's content with asking for milk.

5 months old

Meghan is 5 months old already!  She is SUCH a happy baby - smiling and giggling for everyone  :)  She is rolling over both onto her tummy and back now, and can scoot while on her back (looks like a crab walk - she holds her bottom in the air and pushes around with her feet and arms) if she wants to get anywhere.  She is growing bigger every day - at her 4 month check up she was just under 16 lbs and 26.5 inches tall!!  That certainly explains why she's growing out of Hannah's clothes faster than I can pull them out of storage!!  :)  Meghan is thriving on the loving affection and attention of her big brother and sister - they give her hugs and kisses and read stories to her every day, and love to help pick out clothes, retrieve blankets and nuks, and even throw away dirty diapers  :)  Mommy's little helpers, for sure!!

Meghan - 5 months old

All ready for School

Hannah is super excited about the start of the new school year!

First day of a new preschool year!  Hannah was thrilled to be going back and seeing her friends and teachers again  :)

Our pretty ballerina!  Hannah loves dancing around the house, and thinks that  going to a "really real ballet class" is SO much fun  :)

August 2011

August was full of fun for us!  Meghan turned 4 months old, we spent a great day at the fair (and then Mommy and Daddy went back for a concert sans kids), Meghan started rolling over, and we planted a couple of new trees.

Meghan - 4 months old  :)  

Michael LOVED the animals at the fair - didn't care so much for the rides. . . .   :)

Hannah thought the animals were an ok way to pass the time until the rides opened - then she and a friend tried out ALL the rides!

Meghan rolling onto her tummy - -getting this feat on film has been difficult, as she stops moving as soon as she sees the camera!   

Michael and Hannah helped Daddy plant a new Magnolia tree in our backyard

This happy little frog found the new tree we planted in our front yard - there is another frog who has claimed the Magnolia  :)  Needless to say, Michael thinks the extra frogs in our yard are fanTAStic!

Pictures on the Beach and Dinosaurs at the Zoo

Before Grandma Cindy and cousin Andrew headed back to MN, we met with a photographer and had the kids' pictures taken on the beach. 

"The Cousins" - Michael, Hannah, Andrew, and Meghan

After saying goodbye to our guests, Hannah and Michael were excited to spend a day at the zoo - they were even more excited when they found out that there were dinosaurs at the zoo!  They have both been WAY interested in dinosaurs for several months now, and the thought of seeing "real" dinosaurs was thrilling  :)

Summer in MN

We spent a large chunk of summer visiting our friends and family back in MN, and while I know it's a long time coming, I've finally gone through the pictures from our 6 week trip  :)

Our trip out there was fast and fairly uneventful - we left at bedtime and drove through the night while the kids slept, spent a day at a hotel in Billings (where the grown ups could take turns getting some sleep), and then drove for one more night before arriving at my parent's house in Winsted.
Our first week was a busy one!  Matt, Meghan, and I spent a couple of days up north celebrating the wedding of our friends Tom and Steph.  When we got back to my parent's house, it was time for Meghan's baptism at the church I grew up in.  We were blessed to have her Godparents visiting MN at the same time as we were, and it was wonderful to have friends and family celebrating together!

Michael and Andrew enjoying an ice cream cone

Michael loved running around in the field - until he got stuck in the mud!  Grandpa Mark to the rescue  :)

Michael's new pony. . . ? 

Hannah and Andrew having a tea party

The cousins all ganging up on Grandpa

It was a Cobber reunion at Tom and Steph's wedding! 

Meghan with her Godparents, Heather and Dustin

Sweet baby Meghan on her baptism

Meghan staring into Grandpa's eyes - so sweet!

We spent the next week in Champlin visiting with Matt's parents.  The weather was heating up and the kids had a blast keeping cool on the slip 'n slide!  Matt's parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary surrounded by family, and we had so much fun sharing stories about how different couples met  :)  Next we headed to Delano for a day of 4th of July fun at the carnival - fried food on a stick and all the rides Hannah and her cousin Andrew could handle (it was a LOT of rides!!).  Michael has decided (for now) that he doesn't like rides - he agreed to go on one with Daddy and Hannah, but seemed to prefer just watching from a safe distance  for the rest of the afternoon  :)

Another Grandpa, and another sweet stare

Hannah and Michael on the slip 'n slide

woosh!

Happy 40th Anniversary Grandma and Grandpa Sower!

Hannah and Andrew at the Delano Carnival

Bumper car fun

Michael may not like rides, but he loves Grandma!

Hannah on the BIG slide

Grandpa helps Hannah and Michael make s'mores

Entirely too soon, it was time for us to say goodbye to Matt and send him back to WA while the kids and I packed up and headed back to Winsted for the rest of the month.  By this point, it was SO hot and humid that the weathermen were making references to the Amazon. . . . .a little too tropical for comfort!!  We spent several days at a nearby waterpark in an effort to stay cool, picked several indoor playgrounds to explore while visiting with some friends and family, and at the first sign of a break in the humidity, spent the day at the Como Zoo  :)

Meghan - 3 months old and smiling at everyone!

Meghan and Megan  - We all had fun visiting with my friend Alisson and her little girl

Great Grandma Donna meeting  Meghan the"princess ballerina"

Michael with Grandpa Gehry - checking out the monkeys at Como

Sparky the Sea Lion

Happy girl, hanging out in her bumbo seat - it took several weeks to convince Michael that it was NOT her potty (thankfully, he never seemed to consider that it might be a potty for him. . . )

Michael and Hannah watching the Lester Prairie parade with Auntie Manda

Cousin Andrew on the Cub Scout float

First on Hannah's to do list at the waterpark - the big waterslide with Grandma Cindy!

Michael and Grandma, chillin' in the pool

Pool?  What pool?  Meghan stayed cool by napping in the shade

My cousin Hunter, Grandpa Louis, Andrew, Meghan, Michael, Hannah, and Grandma Delia - the kids had a blast running around while the grown-ups enjoyed visiting

Andrew LOVED holding his baby cousin Meghan!

Meghan with Uncle Luis . . . .

 . . . and with Auntie Gavi

Snack time for Hannah, Michael, and cousin Winter

The whole extended family  :)  Manda, Cassie, Tristan, Cole, me (with Meghan), Winter, Melissa, Gavi, Luis, Hannah, Andrew, and Michael

Meghan wasn't sure what she thought of Uncle Ryan. . . .

"The Boys" - Grandpa Mark and Michael hanging out at the park

July came to an end and it was time to pack up the van once more and head home.  My mom and Andrew joined us for our roadtrip.  We drove during the day this time and broke up the four day drive with a day at a waterpark in Idaho.  As great as our summer trip was, being home again was a wonderful thing!!

Mommy with Meghan and Michael at the waterpark

Hannah discovered the wave pool - and stayed there ALL afternoon!

Back in WA, the kids had fun with squirt guns, the kiddie pool, and Hero

We spent an evening in White Rock, and Andrew and Hannah got a lesson in crabbing from a very nice young lady

Andrew provided the tunes, courtesy of some wii karaoke, and Hannah danced up a storm in her garden hat, tutu, and Fancy Nancy ballet slippers  :)