How does this work?

Leo is SUCH a BUSY boy these days! He is crawling everywhere and into everything. He has started pulling himself up and loves to stand like a big boy. Yesterday he pulled himself up and found the remote. He kept pushing the buttons and was very interested in how it worked. I love how curious he is these days and it is so fun to watch him discover even the smallest things, like the remote!

Shiner

Leo got his first black eye at a play date on Thursday! We were at a friends house and a little girl accidentally hit Leo with a hard foam baseball bat. He started screaming and at first I thought it just scared him but then I looked down and his eye was red, swollen and turning black and blue. He was upset for a few minutes but then he totally forgot about it and continued playing. What a tough little guy!

What a Weekend!

I love this picture of Kevin and Leo looking at the lake.

Grandma Nelson gave Leo an early Birthday present!

Playing at the lake!

Loving the water

Snuggling on the hammock bright and early on Sunday morning with Mommy

Playing in the kiddie pool

Happy Fathers Day Daddy!

So tired on the way home...

Happy 91st birthday Grandma Davis!

We had quite the weekend! On Friday night we went out for dinner at Maynard's to celebrate Fathers Day. It was a beautiful night and Maynard's was packed! We spent most of our dinner feeding Leo, holding him away from the food on the table, picking up dropped toys and tilting the umbrella to keep Leo out of the sun. We were all exhausted by the end! After dinner we walked around downtown Excelsior and ended the night with ice cream from Licks. I am glad we had the chance to celebrate together. Leo is very lucky to have such a fun, caring, loving, hands-on dad. Kevin is such a natural father and I feel so blessed to share this journey with him.

On Saturday Leo woke up for the day at 4:45am. I guess he wanted to get an early start for our trip to the cabin! We all got up, finished packing and got ready to head out. Kevin stayed behind to play a round of golf with a few friends (a new fathers day tradition) and met us in Alex later that day. Leo and I rode up with my mom and sister. I was very worried about the car ride but he did great! He napped most of the way there and was happy and content the rest of the way. When we got there the place was packed! All of my relatives were there and it was so fun to see everyone! A lot of my cousins have kids and there were 8 kids under the age of 7. Leo loved seeing everyone but was very clingy and has some major separation anxiety which was difficult. Other than that, he did great. He napped well, slept well and traveled well. It felt so wonderful to go up North and be on the lake again. We really enjoyed seeing my Grandma Nelson and had fun celebrating her 83rd birthday! We were in Alex on Saturday and Sunday and came home late on Sunday night. Once again Leo did great in the car and slept the whole way and even transferred to his crib without waking up! Go Leo! Thank you to the Odland Family for hosting such a fun weekend at the lake!

On Monday, we spent time with my Grandma Davis and celebrated her 91st Birthday!!! She loved seeing Leo and enjoyed watching him play. On Tuesday night we had the Allen clan over to celebrate Fathers Day and on Wednesday night we are going to my parents house to celebrate.

I want to say thank you to my Dad for being such a wonderful father and role-model to me and such a loving and fun Gramps to Leo. Thanks for your never-ending love and support, Happy Fathers Day!

Thoughts

So Sweet!
How does this new toy work?

I think I figured it out...

I love my new gumball machine from the garage sale!

Leo has his first ear infection! He came down with a high fever on Thursday, we took him in on Friday and he had a little fluid in his ears so the Doctor told us to watch him. He had a high fever all weekend so I took him back on Monday and he was diagnosed with an ear infection. He was CRANKY and CLINGY over the weekend and only wanted me to hold him and rock him. He wasn't sleeping well or eating well and needed a lot of TLC. I am so glad that he is starting to feel better! I felt so bad for him when he was sick. I just hated hearing him cry and fuss because of the pain. It is nice to get back to our normal, healthy life. I thought we were going to make it to his first birthday without getting an ear infection but we just missed it by a few weeks!

I can not believe that Leo will be one in a few weeks! This year has honestly been the fastest year of my life. I feel like he was just born. Now he is a big kid who loves to play, laugh, smile, swing, clap, and eat! His personality is really starting to develop and he is such a fun kid. I love him more than words can describe and I am so thankful for my sweet little buddy!

We had a garage sale last week with a few of our neighbors. I put a bunch of random stuff out and marked most of it for .25 cents. I made a whopping $26 at the sale! However, I spent $40 on big kid toys and clothes from our neighbor who has boys ages 2 and 5. So I guess I am really in the hole $14...oh well! It feels good to get some of the junk out of our house so we can make room for new big kid junk!

This weekend we are going to my aunt and uncle's lake home in Alex to celebrate my Grandma's birthday. Most of my aunts, uncles and cousins will be there. I am super excited to see everyone and spend some time at the lake! I was unable to go to the party last year because I was giant pregnant (the picture is of me last year at this time, I know I was huge!)

This will be Leo's first vacation to the lake and I am a little nervous about the car ride and the sleeping... He usually cries after about 20 minutes in the car and has only fallen asleep once or twice in his carseat. No matter how tired he is, he would rather cry than fall asleep...therefore I hope the 2.5 hour car ride goes smoothly! Leo is a creature of habit and only sleeps well in his crib in his room with his fan and sound machine. I am interested to see how he will nap and sleep in a new place...I hope it goes well!!! I will give you the update next week!

On the way home from work today, Kevin stopped at the Sweet Retreat in Edina on 50th and France and brought home a few different kinds of cupcakes, what a nice surprise! I have never in my life tasted something as good as these cupcakes! My favorites were the coconut cream and the banana bread with chocolate icing. They are AMAZING!!! If you are craving something sweet, head to the Sweet Retreat, you will not be disappointed!

Photo Shoot

This is fun!
The costume is feeling a little tight...

Get this off of me!

Mom, why are we doing this?

I guess we won't use a Lion picture on the invites...

So, I decided to have a Safari themed birthday party for Leo. I found some darling invites online where you can include a picture. I thought it would be cute to get a pic of Leo in his lion costume that he wore for Halloween. Well, it turns out he has grown quite a bit since he wore the costume at 3 months old. It was WAY too small but I squeezed him in anyways. By looking at the pictures, do you think he enjoyed the photo shoot???

Beach Bag

My parents gave me a giant beach bag for my birthday. After a few trips to the pool with numerous bags (diaper bag, purse, toys, towels, snacks, floaties ect.) I knew I needed one large bag to carry everything. This bag is so big not only will it hold all of the above, but it is also big enough to carry Leo!

Schooner Days!!!

Growing up in Eden Prairie, I looked forward to the Schooner Days Carnival every year. As a kid I loved the rides and the games, as a teenager I loved the drama of hanging out with my friends and as a college student I loved the Bingo tent and the draft beer. This was my first year going as a parent and I loved watching Leo on the carousel and the excitement he had when Kevin won him a big blue ball. It may have been my favorite experience at Schooner Days yet!

Memorial Weekend

Fun in the Sun!

Uncle Andy was home from Denver!

Leo has his own cheering section!

Daddy helps Leo walk in the water

Splashing is the best!

Enough blankets?!

We had a wonderful Memorial Weekend! Kevin got home early on Friday so it almost felt like a 4 day weekend!!! The weather was beautiful and we spent a lot of time outside. Here are a few highlights from the weekend: riding bikes, grilling out, spending time with family, a picnic at Lake Calhoun, brunch at the Original Pancake House, girls lunch on Lake Minnetonka and swimming at the Minnetonka Regional Park. What a fun weekend!

Constant Companion

Leo LOVES his Elmo toy/teething ring. He takes it with him everywhere, in the car, in the stroller, in the bath and even to bed! Last night he slept with it all night long. He has even figured out how to crawl while holding Elmo. What a good friend!