And then it got cold...

So northern Minnesota is truly an outdoor spectacle...it's so full of trees and greenery, I'm so glad we got here soon enough to enjoy it, because once September rolled around it was like BAM...cold front. We went from high seventies to high forties and low fifties seemingly overnight, then last saturday there was a blessed reading of 73 degrees and so we took advantage and made a great afternoon picnic at the park! This last week we have just touched up into the fifties, but it has been downright cold outside! Apparently around here we go straight from summer to winter...so forget sweaters and light jackets, and bring on thick coats, scarves and gloves. Winter is here!!!!! (And that seems so wrong!)

Oh and one other little tidbit...our camera bit the dust so now all we have is the camera on David's phone...which means he is taking more pictures....which means all of a sudden there are mommy and Ethan pictures. The only problem is that I am now realizing how seldomly I actually get ready these days...so they don't flatter me, but they are sweet and make me smile!

The last hoorahs in the heat (well kind of heat)

Saturday morning breakfast out! Yay for not cooking!

The best outdoor toy ever...A STICK! And some cheesey smiles!

Me and my boy

walking to the playground

He LOVES crawling through tunnels

Mommy and Ethan storytime...I love these moments

This little guy also loves steering wheels

Got milk?

his big smile while I massage his chubby little legs and feet...he loves it if you can't tell!

One of Ethan's many "little places" (little people need their own "little spaces")

Another of his favorite "little" places 

The best part about his little places is that they are many...I frequently find him tucked in small corners, or on the side of our bed, in the cupboard, under a chair...but my favorite was when I found him tucked in a tiny little corner standing just like this picture with spoon in hand, inside this pot which was inside of a box. Love this kid!

This picture cracks me up...it was a little windy and he didn't like it!

All I have to say is, I LOVE this little boy! (and he's adorable)

Labor Day MinnesOta Style

This was our first holiday all the way over here in Minnesota...we have no family close and no one we know really, so it was QUITE a treat for us when our good friends from BYU-I, Dalan and Kristy made a road trip up here from Minneapolis to come for a visit! Now we won't take credit for their success as a married couple, however we will say that it was super fun to reflect that over three years ago we doubled with them on their first date and now here we all were happily married chasing after our one-year-old boys! Time flies, but enough jibber jabber and on to the fun...PICTURES!!!!

Saturday started off with a trip to the Sha Sha Resort- yes I know it looks like it should be pronounced simply how it is spelled however it is correctly pronounced Shay Shay (Dalan suggested maybe it is because of the accent...there may be something to that)

anyway this is a little place to stay that has a really large, several level deck and small restaurant sticking out into the waters surrounding Voyageurs National Park- it was beautiful and is known for it's mass amount of chipmunks that supposedly walk up to you and eat nuts out of your hand...
This was pretty much the only one WE saw...maybe they lied?

Then there was this giant birdcage with a swing in the middle...we just liked the fact that we could put the boys in it and keep them in one place for a while! The seemed to enjoy it too...

Ethan decided to put on a show...this little boy has the funniest little personality!

After the boys had a nap...and yes I do mean ALL boys, we went to the city beach...it was pretty overcast but still a decent enough day for playing in the sand

When one crawls in...the other crawls out

It was so funny to watch them play...Carter's calling for the day was to dig holes- he just kept at it, and Ethan ran around, dug a little, fell, etc. in that continuous cycle

As always, a struggle to get him to pose with me for a picture...this didn't turn out too bad!

And even though it wasn't warm enough, once Dalan decided to go for a swim, the little boys decided the water was calling them as well...Carter would crawl straight in on all fours and Ethan would walk straight in and fall on his face once the sand started to move! They were hysterical!

Dalan decided to swim out to the far waterslide and both little boys seemed very concerned...I love their faces in this one

And here you go...our first family picture from minnesota...yes it was a hard one to get as Ethan kept trying to faceplant in the water!

We had a great Labor day weekend...it was so relaxing to cook over the firepit and sit out on our back patio  enjoying good food, great company, and a cool summers evening! I guess bring on the fall...we're getting ready for it!

Oldies but Goodies

In the hustle and bustle of the last couple of months, and as Ethan has gotten so busy I have realized that my camera is no longer constantly full of pictures of my sweet boy...the thing that drives me absolutely crazy is that David's iphone, which is my nemesis, has captured more good pictures than I have...and they are awfully cute, so I thought to myself that rather than be bitter about it, lets catch up on the things that were missed due to my pitiful attempts at catching him on camera, and I guess I'll say it this once, thank goodness for the iphone, it takes GREAT pictures for a phone!

At our old apartment complex- he loved to climb this slide!

Stare down with a cow

we're still not sure who won

Some sweet moments with Grandpa!

Gotta love some serious CHEESE!

Lovin on his mama- that's what little boys are supposed to do!

As always, trying his best to help out- yes he's a great un-packer

Ethan's new favorite cabinet to destroy 

His favorite cubby space cabinet...always finding his little behind poking out of it as he's on his way in

Yet again "helping out" by crawling on top of the dirty clothes I'm trying to load into the washer

Hey mom- this is kind of like a puppy! 

So there you have it- that catches up the last couple of months a little bit better- can't believe how old this little fella is! He's growing up fast!

Ranier Days

So here we are in Minnesota...I am finally in the land of the living again after a nasty cold I received the day after arriving here- so there would be so much more to update on if I had actually done something other than just blow my nose and cry all week! lol But nevertheless we did get out on Saturday and thank goodness because Saturday was Ranier Days! Now what is Ranier Days you may ask, well I'll tell you. The town we live in, Ranier,  is just outside the larger thriving metropolis of International Falls. Since we moved in we have increased the population of Ranier all the way up to 202...yes two hundred and two but don't worry I. Falls has about 6 thousand. I will give you more of an update on what we are learning about Minnesota in another blog but this one is all about Ranier Days! So here's the deal- neither town is big enough to have a fair I suppose so they each have their own little summer bash. In Ranier the day began with a breakfast fundraiser held at the city center- it looked like a preschool-sized lunchroom with a stage- yes everything is cuter in mini- in fact this whole town is just cute- it feels like we've stepped back in time. Anyway the even we were most excited about was the Pooch Parade...oh yeah...there is a no leash law here and they seriously brag up their dogs...so this was a big event- and it was everything we thought it would be no more, no less- there were dogs dressed up walking down the street! Delightful- Ethan loved every second as he is absolutely obsessed with dogs and he tried to join in the parade.

Unfortunately I only snapped a picture when there were only dogs without costumes

Following the Pooch parade was the normal parade complete with old cars and boats...boats are a big deal around here because we are right on Rainy Lake- international waters- the opposite side of the Lake from us is Canada- pretty cool and weird at the same time to see the Canadian water tower in Fort Francis and just to know all those houses across the lake belong to Canadians! Weird!

Ethan waved, smiled and clapped appropriately throughout- it was delightful and wherever we went we were told how adorable our little boy was! Yes thank you, I know he's a doll!

Following consumption of a giant ice-cream cone from the tiny shop on the docks, and a very messy sucker from the parade, and a quick listen to the live orchestra at the gift shop, we decided it was time for a nap- Thus ending our experience with ranier days, we totally had to miss out on the lawn mower drag races and the water barrel and sailboat rides, but sometimes a nap is the best option! So all in all- Ranier days was a hit- it was fun and funny and totally a perfectly painted picture for us of the little town life!

From Baby to Boy

Holy moly, somewhere in the last year my little baby boy has grown up to be a big toddler boy! How on earth this happened so fast I can't quite figure out, but there you go, time sure does seem to be going faster and faster all the time! So before a whole other year goes by I though I would take a blog moment here in honor of my favorite little boy in the world...so enjoy

My sweet little newborn under his burp rag...he was so tiny!

Just a few days old here...one of his very alert moments

One month

Two months

Three months

Four months

Five months

Six months

Seven months

Eight months

Nine months

Ten months

Eleven months

And now, at one year old our son has finally had the growth spurt that truly makes him a little boy. He shot up in height and got slim...he is now 30.25 in. tall (66th percentile) and 22 lbs (41st percentile) he is finally more tall than he is wide (proportionally if you know what I mean)

And here is the best example of what our little one year old is up to...

He is absolutely silly and is a complete flirt in public...much to my dismay, although it is cute. We STILL can't get enough of him and can't imagine life without this adorable boy we've been blessed with!