Christmas at the Fire Station

Trevor met up with Santa at Macy's with daycare, it didn't go over so well... We saw Santa again at the kids' party at the fire station. Santa won him over in time, so hopefully next year will be better. Trevor loved jumping in the big jumper and sliding down the giant inflatable slide. I'm sure he's already looking forward to next year's party.

Thanksgiving

We celebrated Thanksgiving Day at Becki's dad and step-mom's house. It was a great group of family and friends. Trevor loved having Wa-ma Barb, Wam-pa and Wa-ma Connie all in the same place.

We went over to Aaron's mom's house on Friday and celebrated with Nana Ruby, Chris, and Trevor's cousins Ali & Jack. Trevor loved running around playing with Ali & Jack. He was almost enough to tire them out.

November in Lutsen

We had a fun "hunting opening" weekend with Aaron's dad, step-mom, and two of his brothers. Aaron's dad and brothers went out in the woods during the days and the rest of us chased Trevor around the condo. We also celebrated Christmas and Thanksgiving together since everyone lives in different states. Trevor got a coat that matched his Boppa Chuck and Mimi Anne.

Carving Our Pumpkins

Trevor was excited to help with the pumpkin carving this year. We kept the knives away from him, but he enjoyed pulling the seeds out of the inside. Next year will bring even more fun! He also loved dressing up as Milo this year, but trying to get a picture of them together was IMPOSSIBLE! :)

Our Last Cabin Trip for the Season

We went to the cabin again over MEA weekend. My dad & Connie joined us. We had lots of fun going on walks in the leaves and learning about nature. It was a great long weekend!

Steamies!

We ventured down to southern Minnesota for the annual Mabel-Hesper Steam Engine Days the first weekend in September. It was Trevor's first (and second) parade. He loved waving to the people on the tractors, dancing for the bands, and seeing all the people. The candy was passed on to the other kids around us, which I'm sure we won't be able to do for too much longer.

Summer's Last Big Hoorah!

We've had a few more great adventures this summer. It's sad to see the days dwindling down to the start of the school year. Trevor and I went on a fun trip to the zoo with my friend Melissa and her son AJ. AJ is only 10 days younger than Trevor. They had a blast. Trevor's favorite part was the sprinklers outside of the big bear exhibit. He played and squealed! It was good I had an extra change of clothes!

We made a five day trip up to Lutsen this past week. We had a great time visiting with Boppa Chuck and Mimi Anne. We even got to see Aaron's Uncle John and Aunt Pam a few times. We hiked by the Cascade River and the Temperance River. We went to Artist Point in Grand Marais and we got to see a big ship come in under the aerial bridge in Duluth. We also watched a fair amount of the Olympics - mostly swimming and gymnastics late at night. It was a great trip and we're looking forward to our next visit in the fall. Big hats off to my friend Jenn and her husband Stacy...Milo kept them (and their two dogs) on their toes the whole five days. Apparently he didn't settle down enough to lay down for three days!!! He's done a lot of sleeping since to catch up.

When we returned Ben stopped by and visited with Trevor and Milo and then went on a ride along with Aaron. It was great to see Ben again and Trevor (and Milo) had a lot of fun playing with him.

The Summer is Flying By...

It's amazing how fast the summer is going! I can't believe that in only a few short weeks we'll be gearing up for back to school and back to daycare full time. We have been enjoying our play dates with the girls from the mom and baby group and the group of babies from Becki's work. We even got out to my friend Karen's to see a bunch of other friends and their kids as we swam in her pool. Check back from some cute pictures of Trevor swimming in the pool.

We are planning on making another trip up to the North Shore to see Aaron's dad and step-mom in the coming weeks. We hope that everyone's summer is going well!

Our Adventure in the North Woods

We had a great week up in Lutsen with Aaron's family. Unfortunately we weren't able to see Aunt Brook, Uncle Ben, or Mimi Anne due to illnesses. Aunt Heather, Aunt Sara, and Uncle John weren't able to make it up either. So, it may sound as though there weren't many of us there... Uncle Chris, cousins Ali and Jack, Aunt Maureen, Uncle Todd, and cousins Nick, Megan, and Katherine, as well as Boppa Chuck and the three of us were all together. We even got to visit with Aaron's Uncle John and Aunt Pam when they came over to celebrate the 4th.

Lots of s'mores were eaten and a few trips down the Alpine slide were had (but not by Trevor - maybe in a few years). I was able to read several of my teaching books that I never find time to read. Aaron enjoyed spending time with his brothers and Dad, as well as all the nieces and nephews. Trevor was in heaven getting all the attention from everyone!

On a related note, Milo enjoyed his week staying with my friend Kathy. He only caused slight damage to her house (he jumped through her screen door on day 1!).

Big Trip to the Cabin

We spent our first week of summer at the cabin. Trevor walked several miles around inside. He moved from needing a finger to being able to make it on his own. It's cute to see him hobbling down the hallway.

The weather was a little rainy and there were LOTS of bugs, so we didn't get out as much as we would've liked, but he enjoyed riding in the Gator and likes the view from his new "big boy" car seat.

Trevor enjoyed spending a few days with his Grandpa when my dad joined us for our last few days there. It was fun to spend Father's Day with Daddy and Grandpa!

We're looking forward to another great adventure in a few weeks when we head up to see Aaron's parent's on the North Shore. We'll be minus Milo on that trip. Some of my great teammates at school will be watching him for us.

What is that?

Well...so much for picking up words one at a time! Trevor started pointing at everything a few days ago. Yesterday every point came with the question, "Wha iz dat?" Of course you answer and ten seconds later he's pointing at the same thing with the same question. It's so cute! Aaron thinks it sounds more like "I want dat!" Either way...cute!

Cruisin'

Trevor has been crusin' around. He wants to walk and talk, but isn't quite there yet. He knows he doesn't want to be held - he has to walk. We've gotten him to hold on to only one hand and are slowly trying to get him to use the walls, tables, and other things nearby for help. I'm sure we'll look back and wish we didn't encourage him to be off on his own, but now it seems like a good idea.

His talking is fun to listen to. He's throwing together a lot of consonant blends that sound really interesting. Occasionally it sounds like he's mimicking what we say, but it's hard to say.

The ideal "never cries" baby is paying us back with an increasing amount of whining lately. I'm sure it's the frustration of knowing what he wants, but not knowing how to tell us. The signs for milk, eat, and more have really helped though.

Stepping Up

We went to cousin Ali's 11th birthday party today. Trevor was on the move the whole time we were there. He even took a few steps on his own to show off. We're fighting off a bit of a cold, but it's only his second. Two colds in one year is pretty good!

We're going to celebrate Mother's Day with Grandma Barb - and then back to Chris & Heather's for a Mom's Day bbq.

Starting Out

It's amazing that Trevor is already a year old. When I think about all of the things that have happened over the past year it makes my head spin! I'm hoping that having a place to write about all that we're up to will be a great way to keep our friends and families in the loop.