Brock and Rayna's Blog

Fall Leaves, 2011

2011-11-12T14:04:00.000-08:00

Pumpkin Patch 2011

2011-11-12T13:54:00.000-08:00

Fire Safety Week, 2011

2011-11-12T13:49:00.000-08:00

We had a great time at the Hopkin's Fire Station's open house. Brock and I got to ride in a fire truck, he and Rayna sprayed a real fire hose and went down a huge inflatable slide.

Leif Erikson Day, Oct. 9th, 2011

2011-11-12T13:33:00.000-08:00

Leif Erikson Day, 2011

The photos are in a very random order.

Our winners:
1st place: Frank
2nd place: Dustin
3rd place: Karen
Congratulations to all!

We made viking sugar cookies this year and here we are decorating them.

Summer 2011

2011-11-12T13:12:00.000-08:00

Rayna and her princesses. She doesn't go anywhere without them.

The kids were playing the back yard, in the dirt. Henry just sat so still while Rayna poured dirt all over him. I stopped the action as soon as I took the pictures.

A plane flying over the back yard.

I will never know how Rayna did this with her eyes.

Action jump

My sweeties!

Rayna decided to pour herself a bowl of cereal. After this happened, she came into the room where I was and was making a number of different hand gestures and looking at the ground while babbling things I did not understand. She took me by the finger and led me to the kitchen. She looked at me and said, "Sorry Mom."
I just laughed.

More St. Louis Fun

2011-10-13T13:32:00.000-07:00

We all got together one day at Pam and Dad's house.
Grandpa Rick, Rayna, Brock, Mikey, Christian, Grandma Pam and Jolee

Jolee and Aunt Sherry

My mom: Still a kid at heart! She put on her Halloween costume: Fat German Lady

The kids loved it!

The kids and I spent a night at Aunt Sherry's house. We had a blast goofing off.
Thanks for the laughs Sherry!

Having some outdoor fun at Grandma's house

2011-10-13T13:18:00.000-07:00

Grandma helped Brock find a frog. He named him "Gnute Frog" and he said he was his best friend! Here he is "showing Gnute Frog the 'whole world' "

Rayna absolutely LOVED this chair.

Some Highlights from our trip to St. Louis

2011-10-13T12:55:00.000-07:00

I had major knee surgery on August 11th. I had to be 100% non-weight baring on my left leg for 8 weeks! I had so much help from my nanny, friends, and mostly, family. Thank you all for your help and support! My recovery would not be possible without your help.

I spent 2 weeks in Troy, Missouri, with my mom and step-father, Juan. Here are some highlights from our trip.
We were able to attend Mikey's 10th birthday party.

Above: Brock (wearing the shirt his cousin Taylor made)
Below: Grandpa (Rick)

Cousin Jolee was infatuated with Rayna. She thought Rayna was a REAL doll and wanted to do everything for her. She actually strapped Rayna into her car seat and changed her diaper.
It was so cute to watch a 3 year old taking care of a 2 year old like that :)

We spent some time at Grandma (Pam) and Grandpa (Rick's) house. They really enjoyed playing dress up and and playing with all of the cool toys they had.

Grandma (Joan) and Jolee

Cousins Mikey and Noah

Cousin Taylor

The birthday boy: Cousin Mikey!

Jolee with Aunt Jenny

Cousin Jake

My sisters: Sherry and Chris with Mom

Group photo of all of the kids, minus Rayna...she didn't want to go pose for a photo!

Here she is.... my beautiful Rayna!

Cousin Christian

July 4th, 2011

2011-09-01T15:09:00.000-07:00

This year for the 4th of July we watched fire works with Joy, Darik and Keira.
Isn't Joy a beautiful pregnant woman.
She gave birth to Edward the next day!

Keira and Brock just kissed each other.

This was Rayna's first year seeing fireworks. She was SO cute!
She kept trying to catch them. She was absolutely amazed.

Our Trip to Kansas City June 28th-July 1st

2011-09-01T14:16:00.000-07:00

I took the kids on a road trip to Kansas City to visit some of my college friends.
Here are Regina and Jill with me. (Above)

Mary Schmitz, an college room mate with Rayna and me.

It was over 100 degrees so we had some fun with water in the backyard.
Phil and I were trying to fill up some water guns for
Brock. Rayna and Mitchell (Regina and Phil's little boy)

Rusty and I trying to fix a leak in the blow up slide.

Playing with a new friend, Reille (might be misspelled but sounds like RE-ell).

All the kids (minus the newborn, Roxton). From left to right:
Reille (3), Mitchell (2 1/2), Ryker (6), Brock (almost 4) and Rayna (almost 2)

We always take one of these photos...and here we are!
Jill, Rusty, Mariel
Regina, Jen and Phil

Brock's fist "slip and slide" experience.

Rayna loved it too!

And here we are...the whole gang.
Reille, Phil, Regina, Mitchell, Ryker, Rusty, Mariel, Brock, Jen and Rayna
Jill is taking the photo and can be seen in the reflection :)

The beautiful Regina!

The lovely Jill!

The vulgar Phil and me!

Brock

June 2011: Fun in the sun

2011-08-22T12:41:00.000-07:00

Cousins Brayden and Gabrielle with Brock, Rayna and Keira

Daddy and Rayna

Rayna and one of her princesses. She LOVES princesses.

Brock playing with the hose

An inch worm. I haven't seen one of these in years. They are amazing to watch.

Poor Rayna has had a cough for months and she's been using the nebulizer that we bought when Brock was a baby and needed it for his RSV. Her cough is finally gone and we are medicine free!

Brock got a big boy bike with pedals. He was a little scared to try it out. He can't quite figure out the pedals. We ended up putting training wheels on it but he still doesn't have any interest in learning to ride it.

Rayna got Brock's running bike. She doesn't know how to really use it yet but boy does she look cute!

June 2011: Pool and Worms

2011-08-21T13:39:00.000-07:00

Our neighbor, Pat, has this wonderful pool and has invited us to swim whenever we want. We took advantage of it a few times this year. Brock loves to jump off of the diving board into Josh's arms. Rayna isn't sure what she thinks about it.

We did some yard work and found some worms. Brock loved playing with them and Rayna enjoyed giving them to Brock. They love dirt and getting dirty.

Some more random photo..

2011-06-12T16:17:00.000-07:00

Fun in the sun...Summer is finally here!

2011-06-01T13:30:00.000-07:00

Brock wanted to play "Monkey and Turtle" the other day. Rayna was the turtle.

Brock was the monkey

Look at those ringlets! Rayna may end up with my hair after all.

Las Vegas trip 2011

2011-06-01T13:21:00.001-07:00

Josh and I took a much needed vacation to Las Vegas for a few days.
Here we are outside the famous, "Pawn Stars" shop.

While we were in town, I got to see an old roommate/class mate, Steve Meyer.
He got us tickets to a show he plays in regularly out there.
Thanks Steve.

Just some scenery.

In and Out Burger...Josh's Heaven.

Mother's day 2011

2011-06-01T13:04:00.000-07:00

We had a good old fashioned "Backyard Movie Night" and invited some friends and family to join us in the fun. The feature was "Beauty and the Beast". It was a huge hit.
Top photo (left to right): Joy, Darik, Emily, Ben, Grandpapa.
Bottom photo (left to right): Brayden, Rayna, Gabrielle, Brock and Keira.

Fun with a hose!

Brock and Rayna decided they wanted to have a slumber party and set this up themselves.

Mother's Day 2011. Josh brought the kids to the hospital for a quick visit. They picked "flowers" before they came. Rayna put on her own head band. She pretty much insists on dressing herself lately.

More time with Nana and Grandpapa

2011-06-01T12:46:00.000-07:00

Eating dinner.

Brock's last day of preschool until the fall.

Rayna watching Brock play in the courtyard at school.

Balls, balls, and more balls.

Our strawberry planter.

Time with Nana and Grandpapa

2011-06-01T12:29:00.000-07:00

Nana and Grandpapa watched Brock and Rayna while Josh and I took a little vacation to Vegas. They did lots of fun things in the 4 days we were gone. Brock had his last day of preschool. The photo above us Brock with Ms. Johnson, his teacher.

Playing in the backyard.

Books at bedtime.

Here are some random photos from the past couple of weeks

2011-05-29T06:28:00.000-07:00

Rayna wanted to pick these tulips and since they were past their prime I thought, why not.

This is the look she had on her face as she discovered this Ariel doll at the toy store.
Josh said she carried it around, hugging the box and said repeatedly, "Open Please".

Breakfast with Ariel

Playing with the toy air planes I bought in Vegas.

Josh brought the kids by the hospital to say hi after we got back from Vegas. Rayna loved the water fountain. It was so nice to be able to hug them after being away for 4 days!

Brock and Daddy fishing for the first time in 2001 at Lake Mitchell in Eden Prairie.

Eating Oatmeal and Ice cream

2011-05-15T14:36:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-15T14:08:00.000-07:00

Brock Cracking Eggs

2011-05-15T14:01:00.000-07:00

Easter 2011

2011-05-15T11:51:00.000-07:00

Nana and Grandpapa had an egg hunt outside their home. Each grandchild had a bucket with a sticker on it. They could only put eggs with the corresponding sticker in their buckets. It worked really well. Brock had "Cars" and Rayna had "Ariel, the Little Mermaid".

Eating candy and goldfish on the steps.

Rayna actually has an english muffin with peanut butter.

Lots of peanut butter! Yum.

2011-04-22T20:55:00.000-07:00

Here are Brock and Rayna at Mickey's Diner...aren't they adorable?

At the Children's Museum....lots of different fun interactive exhibits.

Playing cashiers

Kissing on a bench

The medical room looking at x-rays

Brock and Rayna painting their own faces.

They had a photo booth and Brock and Keira were so darn cute in there. Brock had his arm around Keira and they were taking such cute pictures and then I told them they should kiss....the rest is history

We came back to our house and had dinner together. After dinner, I thought they could use a rest. Here they are watching the movie, "Cars". What a fun day. Thanks Joy, Darik and Keira for such a fun time. Happy Birthday Keira!

Hilarious!

2011-04-22T20:54:00.000-07:00

Brock said something was "hilarious" and Keira told him not to say that word. Then Darik told her what it meant and she couldn't stop using it.

On the way to the Children's Museum

2011-04-22T20:43:00.000-07:00

Keira turns 4 on Monday and she invited us to spend the day with them celebrating. We were going to go to the zoo, but it was cold and rainy so we went to the Children's Museum instead. We ate lunch at Mickey's Diner first. These two are so funny together! The conversations they were having were cracking me up. This is only one of the conversations Brock and Keira had. Enjoy!

Rayna's first official haircut!

2011-04-18T12:22:00.000-07:00

Brock and Rayna both got haircuts today. It was Rayna's first official haircut. She did pretty good. She didn't like the squirt bottle to wet her bangs.

My camera load the pictures in opposite order of how I select them, so the after photo is the first one. Sorry.

After...

During....

Before....

This was before we left the house. She was playing with her tea set

My little artist

2011-04-18T12:09:00.000-07:00

Brock really enjoys taking pictures with our camera. He's become quite good.

Brock took all of these pictures.

What Brock said about Daddy and a Walk with Rayna

2011-04-01T19:28:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago was Daddy day at Brock's preschool. The teachers asked the kids questions and wrote down "exactly" what they said. Then the kids drew a picture of their daddy. I had Brock's framed with some pictures for Josh's birthday. It says:
"Me and Daddy like to play games, games, games! We play with cars and trucks too.
Daddy goes to work. He has two computers and a magic phone that zips up and down.
Daddy is a good at getting the big toaster and the purple guys together.
He is good at cooking and sports too.
Daddy's favorite foods are tacos, fish-not spicy and cookies-he likes to drink everything in the whole world.
At nighttime we read books and play games.
Brock"

Don't worry, the part about the toaster and purple guys made no sense to me either, but I guess it's a game on Josh's cell phone.

All Rayna wanted to do on our walk was find puddles to splash...and when she found one it was very difficult to pull her away from it. Brock was not feeling well enough to join us. Poor guy has been sick with "a cold" for a week. His fever just broke and he's bouncing off the walls...finally :)

Waterpark of America

2011-03-24T14:03:00.000-07:00

We took Brock and Rayna to the Waterpark of America to celebrate Josh's birthday. They both had a great time. Rayna's poor "outie" belly button got so red from her dragging it along the bottom of the pool. She needs a one piece next time! We were there for 3 hours and the kids slept great that night.

Daddy night at preschool

2011-03-24T13:39:00.000-07:00

Brock has been going to preschool for a few weeks now and last week was Daddy night. Josh got to go see Brock's school and have fun for a little while. Nana and Grandpapa came too.

Brock got to shave Daddy's face.

They played with trucks and painted. Everyone had a great time.

We started to thaw out last week and Brock and Rayna had fun splashing in the slush.

A paper dragon Brock made at school.

Brock drew a picture of me. How sweet...one eye and scraggly hair!

Rayna decided to sit in her baby doll's stroller and then proceeded to buckle herself in. She then tried to get up and eventually fell forward.

Going for a ride. It's great how most of Brock's old toys are favorites of Rayna's.

2011-03-13T08:18:00.000-07:00

Rayna saying good morning to Daddy...what crazy hair that girl has!
Cousin Oliver turned one last week and had his party at Edinbourgh Park.

Josh and I took Brock skiing at Buck Hill on Thursday. It was about 30 degrees and

the snow as hard and fast!

Just got ready to head out to the bunny hill

Brock greeting Brayden with a big cousin hug and Rayna waiting for her turn.

Below:

Video 1: Rayna playing "Peek-s-boo" with Daddy

Video 2: Rayna saying "I did it" as she gets some cereal on a spoon.

Busy end to February

2011-03-06T06:20:00.000-08:00

After being stuck in the house all week with cold weather, we took the kids to the Eden Prairie mall to play at the indoor play area. We got some ice cream to end the night. Brock got his very own mini blizzard.
I worked last Monday night and Josh brought the kids to have dinner with me. Both of them ate really well and Brock picked out a slice of chocolate cake for dessert. They both really enjoyed it, as you can see from Rayna's face!

Brock showing off his paper dragon he made at preschool

Rayna playing with Henry and a marker.

Rayna has been using spoons and forks for several months now. She's getting really good at eating cereal...and proud of herself too!

Puddles and Rockets

2011-02-20T07:56:00.000-08:00

More Brockisms...

2011-02-19T14:11:00.000-08:00

So Brock has really been entertaining lately. He says the funniest things. My three favorites of the week are:

"I wish I could fly up to the moon and give it a hug like a bird"
"Mom, I'm going to put this finger nail (which was really a toe nail clipping) under my pillow so I can get a lolly pop".
"I love Ariel. We're going to get married."

Here's one more that he says all the time. "Dad, this is your life" as me motions to me...his wife.

Some fun photos

2011-02-19T11:53:00.000-08:00

Rayna's big smile
Brock and Nana

"So FAST"

Brock's first attempt at writing his names.

Not bad for the first try! Great job Brock. You seem ready for preschool.

We had lunch with Daddy at "Yum" last week.

Yummy burgers

Brock and Rayna playing in her crib

The mind of a 3 1/2 year old

2011-02-11T20:44:00.000-08:00

Josh recently got a new phone and has allowed Brock to play a few games on it. The other day, Brock was asking to play a game. Josh said he could play it one time before his nap. As Josh brought him up for his nap, he explained that Britt, our nanny, would be here when he woke up. Brock asked to play the game. Josh allowed one game and Brock asked for another. Josh said no, and as he was leaving the room Brock called out, "Daddy, wait!" Josh asked what he needed. Brock replied, "Britt wants to know if she can borrow your phone."

2011-02-09T12:07:00.000-08:00

Rayna loves her bunka so much!

She also loves Henry very much!

Daddy fell asleep putting Rayna to bed the other night. His favorite thing in the world!

Rayna looks like she likes it too!

Blue Fin Bay Weekend

2011-02-09T11:48:00.001-08:00

Phil and Randi took the entire family to Blue Fin Bay to celebrate Nana's 60th birthday. We all had a great time. Thanks for an amazing weekend and Happy Birthday Nana!

I brought our finger paints and the grandchildren created some art for Nana

Rayna finger painting

Brock saying good morning

Check out my stickers Mom

Phil, Randi and Jake

Daddy helped Brock and Brayden make a fort.

The view from our room

Rayna giving a kiss to a very beautiful little girl!

"That was so funny! You crack me up Mom!"

Giving Henry a Bath

2011-02-09T11:38:00.000-08:00

We gave Henry a bath the other day and he's a little preview.

Smiles, smiles, smiles

2011-02-06T09:44:00.000-08:00

Rayna smiling at Britt (their nanny)
Eating oatmeal

A mouth full of crackers!

Brock's beautiful smile

Brock and Rayna getting ready to go have brunch

at Redstone to celebrate Uncle Jake's birthday.

Boots

2011-02-06T09:42:00.000-08:00

Brock got some new rain boots and wanted to wear them. Rayna needed boots too and put mine on. Josh asked if she would walk in them and she couldn't, so she did the best impression she could of walking. What a cutie pie!

Funny things Brock says

2011-01-18T17:47:00.000-08:00

Today Nana was over while I went to work. When Brock woke up from his nap Nana wanted to get Brock to put on some socks and Brock said, "I don't need to wear socks because my feet are growing fur. My legs already have fur on them and my feet are growing fur."

The other day when he got up from a nap he said, "My stomach is empty but my mind is full."
And then last night when he didn't want to go to bed he said, "It's hard to go to bed when your stomach is empty and your mind is full." I asked what he wanted to eat and he said some bread cut into squares should fill it up.

I bought him some new rain boots and asked him to try them on. I knew they would be a little big and asked him to tell me how they fit. His response was, "These boots fit perfectly Mom, now can I run?"

Brock and Rayna's Blog: Blow dryer

2011-01-16T20:30:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqXfzUnVtl8

This is the link to a video I posted tonight of Brock and Rayna getting shot in the face with warm air. The spot on Rayna's butt is from a blueberry she sat on at lunch.

Blow dryer

2011-01-16T20:25:00.000-08:00

Brock and Rayna having fun getting blasted with warm air.
Here's the link

Brock on YouTube

2010-12-31T13:56:00.000-08:00

I just posted a video of Brock playing is new guitar on YouTube. It was too long to post here so you'll have to go to YouTube and type, "Brock singing and playing guitar" in the search box and he should pop up as the first one. I'll have to get the direct link on here later. Enjoy :)

Skiing continues...

2010-12-16T16:11:00.000-08:00

Brock saying, "Thanks" to the guy who helped on the bunny hill.

This happened a few times :)

Rayna took a ride down on Daddy's skis.

On the slopes of Buck Hill

2010-12-16T16:00:00.000-08:00

Looking proud.

Mommy and Brock

Nana and Grandpapa were watching Rayna for the first part of our trip. They showed up to watch Brock and here's a picture of us all.

Brock really wanted to take the chair lift up. So, Daddy took him up...and down. Josh and Brock are in the middle, Brock has red ski boots.

Brock's first skiing experience!

2010-12-16T15:52:00.000-08:00

Getting ready.

Ready!

Taking the magic carpet up the bunny hill.

Ready to make a trip down.

Josh skied backwards down the hill to help Brock. After a few runs on the bunny hill he had greatly improved and gained confidence. He could ski down for short stretches on his own before gracefully falling down. He did amazing!

Blizzard and lots of fun

2010-12-16T15:27:00.000-08:00

We ended up getting around 20" of snow during the blizzard that trapped me at the hospital during one of my weekend shifts. I'm glad that weekend is over and here are some pictures of us digging out.

Our trash can is there to the right of the shed, coved in snow.

Brock liked to help shovel.

Daddy had to plow a path in the backyard for Henry. He couldn't make it through the snow.

You can see out backyard here, the grill, table and chair (and anything else that's in our backyard) is now covered in lots of snow. We'll see those things again in March!

Rayna LOVES her baby dolls. All of them must have diapers and they get changed often.

How funny is this photo??? They were all playing on the couch having a blast and I just happened to snap this photo when everyone looks quite off guard.

Brock, giving himself a "carrot" for a nose from his snowman sticker book.

Daddy made a tasty breakfast for everyone a few weeks ago. Here are Grandpapa, Oliver and Brock.

Mommy and Rayna at Edenborough Park.

Wintertime fun

2010-12-16T14:20:00.000-08:00

Putting lights on our beautiful tree.

Brock was a blur putting ornaments on it!

Rayna inspected each ornament carefully prior to putting on the tree.

Looking good Brock!

Sledding in the front yard.

Christmas Tree Shopping

2010-12-16T14:10:00.001-08:00

I forgot that this silly blog loads the pictures in the opposite order of how you choose them...so, with that in mind, this is the day we went to a Christmas tree farm and cut down out own tree. It was about 17 degrees out and very windy. Rayna fell asleep in the car and slept in the sled the entire time. She woke up just in time to put the tree on the sled. Brock kept picking out trees that were short. He didn't want anything to do with a tall tree. I have a video that I tried to load earlier. I'll try again.

Our visit to St. Louis

2010-12-16T13:56:00.000-08:00

We went to St. Louis for Thanksgiving this year. We stayed at my Mom's house. While we were in town we were able to spend time with all of my family, my dad and step mom and my two sisters and their kids. In the photo above, we are at my sister Sherry's house. From left to right: Noah, Josh, Christian, Mikey, and Jake.

Grandpa Juan took Brock for a ride on his "tractor".

Playing in the backyard. It was warm, almost 70 degrees.

Mom, Rayna, Josh and Brock on the porch swing.

Garlic toast

2010-12-15T16:28:00.000-08:00

Jen was making dinner in the kitchen and Brock and I were sitting in a chair in the family room reading a book.
Jen says: "Daddy how many pieces of garlic toast do you want?
Dad " Two pieces"
Brock says: "Mom I don't want any pieces of garlic toast"
Jen misunderstood Brock and says: "How many pieces do you want Brock?"
Brock with no hesitation says: "I want 5 pieces"
Jen: "I think one piece is better"
Brock: "No! five pieces!"
Jen: "You can have one"
Brock turns to me and says: "What is garlic toast?"

Saint Louis Zoo day

2010-11-23T21:07:00.000-08:00

Soccer and fall fun

2010-10-11T20:48:00.000-07:00

We did a lot of yard work to prepare for Leif Erikson Day. Here are a few photos of the kids outside while I was raking leaves.

Brock started soccer a few weeks ago. He is doing great. He needs to work on a few things...no hands on the ball and no pushing.

He must be the only lefty in this group.

Rayna uses a spoon

2010-10-10T20:16:00.000-07:00

This was the first time Rayna used a spoon by herself.
It was on Labor Day, 2010. She had been using a fork for at least a month.

We did go fishing that day with

Brock while Nana stayed with Rayna.

2010-10-10T19:51:00.000-07:00

Rayna got this tutu and headband for Christmas last year. This was the first time I put her in it since she's been walking and she really enjoyed dancing around her room.

She is a climber. This is how I found her the other day.
She can also climb into her high chair unassisted. I don't remember when Brock first did that...it's probably in an earlier post. I should go back and see.

This is how her hair looks after I take out her pig tails.

Brock...what a good looking kid! I love you buddy.

Lightning McQueen

2010-10-09T06:45:00.000-07:00

Brock loves the movie "Cars". He makes pretty good car sounds with his throat. Please don't pay any attention to my horrible singing and focus on the B-Man. Enjoy

Block party 2010

2010-09-12T14:37:00.000-07:00

Last night was our annual block party on Aldrich Street and Brock and Rayna had a blast. Josh donated quite a bit of gear for the event. There was a band and Rayna and Brock danced the night away. The outdoor movie was a huge hit. Brock wanted to watch "Up" with the rest of the kids but he decided before it was over he needed to come home and go to bed. Here are some photos taken from Josh's cell phone. Rayna insisted on wearing the toy stethoscope all night.

Off to the Fair!

2010-09-01T21:15:00.000-07:00

Brock describing the Great Slide

2010-09-01T20:47:00.000-07:00

Dads 25 pullups

2010-09-01T20:35:00.000-07:00

State fair see you there.....

2010-09-01T20:30:00.000-07:00

Winding down the Fair

2010-09-01T20:25:00.000-07:00

Rayna takes up fencing and we go to the splash pad

2010-09-01T20:16:00.000-07:00

Fun pics playing

2010-09-01T20:08:00.000-07:00

What a great party!

2010-09-01T20:01:00.000-07:00

Pictures... pictures... more pictures

2010-09-01T19:55:00.000-07:00

Birthday Cake

2010-09-01T19:50:00.000-07:00

We love our friends and family

2010-09-01T19:43:00.000-07:00

So many friends and family came to celebrate with us we are so lucky

2010-09-01T19:37:00.000-07:00

Brock and Rayna's 3rd and 1st Birthday Dance Party

2010-09-01T19:29:00.000-07:00

Brock and Rayna's Grandma Joan and Aunt Sherry came on Brock's Birthday for a week.
They helped us setup for the party. Rayna got a smash cake for her birthday to prepare for the big party. The dance room was a lot of fun!

Brock's new bike trick

2010-08-07T16:39:00.001-07:00

Check this out...

National Night Out

2010-08-03T21:01:00.000-07:00

Josh, Brock and Rayna joined me for dinner tonight at work. Brock really had fun learning some of the buttons on the x-ray tube.
Tonight is National Night Out and our neighbors on Aldrich street always include us in on their festivities. Today the street was blocked off from 10am to 10pm and there was a BBQ and lots of food to share. I have no idea what Brock is eating here. I'll ask him tomorrow.

This was taken on Josh's cell phone, so it's small and hard to hear. But Josh asked Brock what he was doing and Brock casually answered, "Just taking x-rays". I love it when they come to visit me at work and Brock is really enjoying more and more lately. He got to touch the x-ray machine tonight and I showed him how to turn the light on and change the size of the light.

Love you guys!

Rayna loves to swing

2010-07-25T06:23:00.000-07:00

Daddy brought Brock and Rayna to the park last night after dinner. Rayna really enjoyed swinging, playing in the sand and going down the slide. Brock played with Camile, an older girl that we see at the park a lot. He's always been attracted to the older kids :)

My two sweets!

2010-07-24T12:26:00.001-07:00

Even with hand, foot and mouth, Daddy can get a good smile out of Rayna
Daddy and Brock found a corner store a few weeks ago that sells these huge Freeze Pops for 25 cents!

"So you think you can dance"

2010-07-11T06:27:00.000-07:00

Everyone who knows Brock knows he likes to dance. He's pretty good at imitating what he sees. He was watching "So you think you can dance" with us the other night and really enjoyed this African style jazz routine. Josh got a few clips of him dancing yesterday while I was at work. You can see a little bit of the routine in the back ground.

Oliver's blog

2010-05-24T14:14:00.000-07:00

Britta an Matt just started a blog for Oliver. It looks great and we look forward to seeing all the photos and videos to come!
http://miniappleofmyeye.blogspot.com/

Fun in the Sun...Finally!

2010-05-19T20:56:00.000-07:00

It was 80 degrees today and I set up the pool in the back yard. Brock and Rayna had a great time splashing around. This was Rayna's first time in a pool. She loved it.

Brock coming in for a kiss

Rayna looking very serious

Fun, fun, fun.

I love this photo! They are both smiling and looking right at the camera. That is very RARE.

Brock, playing nicely outside at his sand table. He was out there for almost an hour playing. Then he came to the back door and said, "Mommy, I need new pants." When I asked him why he said, "I'm poopy". And boy was he. We went right up to the shower.

Josh posted something to his facebook account the other day but I want to mention it here too.
Brock said to Josh a few days ago, "Daddy be careful, I'm fragile, breakable and poopy."

Brock and the outdoors

2010-05-19T20:41:00.000-07:00

We went fishing the other day on Lake Harriett. Brock loved playing with the minnows.
We had a few nice nibbles but this tiny large mouth bass was the only thing we caught.
Brock enjoyed letting it go back into the lake...along with several minnows.

Brock found a caterpillar outside and after playing with it for a long time, he put it in this tree to "rest"

Saturday photos

2010-05-08T08:41:00.001-07:00

Josh sent me some photos today at work. The one above was titled, "It's too bright"
Brock playing with trains

Rayna watching Brock playing with trains

Last weekend Brock, Rayna and Henry went for a walk and then to the park.

They stopped at a lemonade stand 2 times!

10 Things Rayna learned this week

2010-05-06T13:31:00.000-07:00

How to walk with assistance
How to blow the "perfect" raspberry
How to eat Gerber "Puffs" by the fist full
That crayons taste yukky
That Henry will not move no matter how hard I pull on his hair
How to empty an entire box of Kleenex
How to empty and entire roll of toilet paper
That it's fun to walk behind Brock's toy shopping cart...
...but it hurts to fall :(
How to climb steps

A friend at work once told me that if your first child is a crazy one your second child will be mellow.

A different friend at work told me that if your first child was like your second child, people would never have a second child!

We have one busy house right now but I wouldn't change it for the world!

Monday

2010-05-03T13:12:00.000-07:00

I realized there are not many photos of me with Rayna. Not nearly as many as there were with Brock at this age. So, here are just a few I took today.

We were coloring with markers today and Brock decided to make his fingers "really" long.

2010-05-03T12:54:00.000-07:00

Brock was playing with my hair the other day and he did this and said, "You look like a bunny".

Brock wanted (and needed) his hair cut a few weeks ago...so, we went to "Kid's Hair" to get it cut. He was so funny. He helped me pick out a hair style in the book and then sat so nicely until she was done. The stylist asked Brock if he wanted his hair spiked. He said sure. There were many thank you's and your welcomes exchanged throughout the entire process.
She was quite taken by his politeness and gave him stickers, suckers, and then asked if he wanted a tattoo. He said sure, thank you. When she asked where he wanted it, he said his back. The lady looked at me and I looked at Brock and then said which arm do you want it on. He said, "No, my back!" Then I recalled our nanny has a tattoo on the small of her back. So, Brock got one to match. We now have a new nanny, not because of her tattoos, but for scheduling reasons.

Brock's new spiky hair! I can't get it to spike with the products we have at home.

Bunka Love

2010-05-03T12:27:00.000-07:00

I don't know what it is, but my kids absolutely LOVE their bunkas (blankets).

Easter 2010

2010-04-20T21:20:00.000-07:00

Easter was a blast this year. Brock was really into it and Rayna is such a sweety.
We have such a great family. Josh and I say at least once a day how lucky we are to have such wonderful children...and we can't forget about how great Henry is too!

Coloring Easter Eggs

2010-04-20T20:54:00.000-07:00

Brock really got into Easter this year. It was fun doing all of the traditional things with him.

2010-04-20T20:35:00.000-07:00

Rayna doesn't mind her new helmet. The first week it really made her head sweaty, but now that we are into the second week, we can really tell she's getting used to it. Her head doesn't get nearly as sweaty.

She's climbing already. How much trouble am I in?

Rayna's cutting teeth. She's a drooly mess!

Brock was putting money in his bank and Rayna wanted to help.

We were playing in Rayna's room and found this head band.
Who does it look better on?
You can see who enjoys wearing it more.

2010-04-20T20:24:00.000-07:00

Brock and Rayna love each other very much.

Look at that joy!

I think Brock was saying, "You're so cute Rayna".

Brock got a new bike. It's a Strider running/walking bike. No pedals.

My two sweethearts!

The things we do for a laugh

2010-04-20T20:14:00.000-07:00

Here I am acting like a goof to make Rayna laugh....

Fun in the sun!

2010-04-11T10:58:00.000-07:00

Rayna's head is a bit flat in the back and we decided she would thank us later if we tried to "round" it out now. So...she needs to wear this pretty helmet for the next 3 months. It's actually pretty cute and she looks cute in it. I'll get better pictures up later, but here it is.

It is so nice outside today that Daddy put up the bounce house for Brock to jump around in. Then, they went for a walk to Aunt Britta and Uncle Matt's house.

Mom's at work :(

Rayna crawls!

2010-03-27T20:11:00.000-07:00

Here she goes...watch out world!

Forts and Play-Doh

2010-03-27T19:54:00.000-07:00

Brock really enjoys playing with Play-Doh. He couldn't stop smelling it.
Then he ate a bite of it. Good thing it's non-toxic.

Nana brought Brock a little daffodil plant a few weeks ago.
Nana called it "his very own garden". He watered it and cared for it with great enthusiasm.
Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of it when it was bright and vibrant, but when he said it looked like a tiny corn, I laughed and took these pictures. He's so observant.

He said this one looked like a "tiny corn".

Our first fort!

St. Patty's Day 2010

2010-03-27T19:42:00.001-07:00

We took Brock and Rayna to their first parade on St. Patrick's Day. Brock talked about the alpacas for days to follow!

Brock also enjoyed the Irish dancers. Love the wig!

Rayna was a trouper but got tired of being in her car seat. We got to the parade a bit early and it was cooler than we expected so I didn't want to take her out of her seat. She did really well until the end.

Daddy and Brock enjoying the view.

Family photo.

Trip to the park

2010-03-27T19:25:00.000-07:00

Rayna's first ride on a swing. She liked it.

Fun with a biter biscuit

Oliver Fredrik Tourville

2010-03-11T21:02:00.000-08:00

Britta and Matt, and the rest of us, welcome the newest addition to the family! Oliver came on 3-10-10 at 6:48 in the evening. He weighed 6 lbs 7 oz. Congratulations Britta and Matt.

We are so happy to finally meet this angel.

Skis

2010-03-11T20:42:00.000-08:00

The other day Brock ran downstairs and started yelling, "I can't see". I came down right away and saw him laying on the floor looking at me. I asked him what was wrong. He said again, "I can't see". I said, "what do you mean you can't see?" He said, "NO...SKI".
I am a little late in posting this. The winter Olympics were going on at the time.

2010-03-11T20:30:00.000-08:00

Brock asked what his shirt said and Josh said, "Pink Floyd".
Brock said, "Uncle Lloyd"?
Now he calls it his Uncle Lloyd shirt.

Brock and Brayden eating Nerds on the steps.

Josh was nominated as one of the best AV companies in the Twin Cities. We got all dressed up for the awards ceremony. He came in second place. We'll get it next year.
Congratulations Josh!

This is our neighbor's house, Jeanne and Jack. We were eating lunch one day and Brock said, "Look, a robot". I looked out the window where he was pointing and said, "where? I don't see a robot". He said, "Right there!" and pointed to the shadow.

Rayna's ballerina toes!

Brock and Rayna playing.

It's so fun to watch them play. They love each other so much!

Brock "made dinner" the other day. He was very proud of his work.

Gail Metz

2010-03-11T20:21:00.000-08:00

Gail Metz was a classmate of mine from x-ray school. She was a coworker and she was my dear friend. She lost her battle to brain cancer in early January. This is the message she left me sometime after Christmas but before New Year's Day.
Gail was an amazing women and I think of her often.
I miss you Gail!