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Sunday, July 08, 2007
 
Wow! It's been a great week! I had this whole week off and we had lots and lots of great family time. Monday we just hung out at home and played. Tuesday we went to the Como Zoo. We had a great time looking at all the animals. One of the great things about the Como Zoo is how close you can get to the animals. We were literally just a foot or so from two lions. Annika also loved the orangutans. One was sitting on top of a post and Annika was so worried he was going to fall down. She kept telling him to be careful. Tuesday night we went to our neighbors Andrew and Katie. They invited us over for pie and ice cream. Yummy! Annika had a super time and didn't want to leave. She and Andrew were playing like crazy while Katie and I chatted. It was such a nice time. We are so lucky to have such great neighbors. I worry a little bit about how we will get along some times since they are super conservative and Kris is ultra liberal. But, as long as we keep the political talk to a minimum, we'll always get along great.

Wednesday was the 4th, of course. We went to Amanda and Dean's for a BBQ. Dean made us the most wonderful pork chops on the grill. John and Jeanette were there too. I don't get to see them very often so that was a really nice treat! After lunch, we were sitting on the grass in the front, drinking in the wonderful day. Amanda and Annika were playing hide and go seek. When it was time to leave, I told Annika to thank Amanda for having us over. Annika told Amanda thank you for having us over, thank you for playing hide and seek, thank you for helping her find the kitties, etc. I think she was still thanking her for things as we walked out the door. Sometimes Annika is such a little doll. Other times, well, other times she is a typical two year old (see Como Zoo and me carrying her through much of it because if I put her down she would run away - naughty!).

Thursday was another chill day at home. We had a special treat that afternoon though when Uncle Mathias came over to visit us! We don't get to see him very often because he lives a few hours away. He chased Annika around the house, visited with me and generally just hung out for a couple hours. I showed him my garden (I'm so proud of it! It's still growing like mad!) and we walked over and stood in Krystle and Pierce's dirt. Heh.

Friday was a super fun day. Our town has a small water park with a sand-bottomed zero entry "pool." It also has one large slide and three small ones that go into the pool. We spent about three hours there Friday afternoon. Annika had such an excellent time. She splashed and played and made a few different friends. James wasn't such a fan of the water. I think it was a little too cold for him. He spent most of his time in the shade, with mom or dad, sleeping. It was really fun though. I think we'll try to go back this summer some time. It's definitely a two adult outing though. Kris won't be attempting that on his own this summer. There are life guards on duty, but I wouldn't trust Annika out there without one of us nearby. A couple times she would go a little too far out where the water was up to her chin. And when I would tell her to come back to the side, she would walk/swim away from me (See typical two year old behavior). And of course the day ended in tears for her as three and a half hours was just not long enough at the pool and she didn't want to go home. That and she was tired and needed a nap! All that exercise and sun exposure wore her out.

Saturday we went to Kris' family reunion. It was so fun to hear all the family stories of his maternal grandfather's family. It was also really cool how people traveled from all over to be there (California x2, England, Iowa, etc.) Of the 19 cousins, 17 were there I think Great Nana said. That's excellent! They have their history traced back to the 1860's in Sweden and are compiling stories of their relatives. I'm so glad they are doing this. I'll be so excited to pass those stories on to Annika and James some day. I'd love to trace my paternal history back over to Germany. So far I have us traced back to the 1860's in the same area of Minnesota where my father currently lives. It's from there that I don't know if we came from somewhere else in the states (there's a large population of my family's name in Pennsylvania) or from Germany. I need to ask my Aunt Diane and my Uncle David if they know more. I think they have both worked on it. My maternal side has their history traced back to Ireland (I'm 75% German, ~25% Irish with a little Dutch thrown in too.) I'm not sure if my maternal German roots are traced back to Germany or not. I'll have to ask my mom for her genealogical book so I can make a copy of it!

And today was another lazy, play around the house, day. It was just too hot outside to play much out there. Instead we played with play dough, took naps, read books, danced and chased each other around.

James has really been chomping down his rice cereal. I've been making it thicker and thicker and he doesn't mind it a bit. Tonight he was even lunging for the spoon. I think tomorrow we'll start feeding him two bowls a day of cereal (a bowl being 1 ounce of breast milk combined with enough cereal to make a paste). I bought oatmeal cereal tonight at the store so he can have one bowl of rice cereal and one bowl of oatmeal a day. A few weeks of that and then we can start him on some fruits and vegetables! I can't believe he's 5 months old already! Time is just flying right by! He's already up on his hands and knees, rocking back and forth. And he scoots around in his walker too. He usually pushes himself backwards in that but every once in a while he'll get the hang of it and take a few steps forward. Basically though it's just another place for us to put him to play with toys while we make dinner, go to the bathroom, play with Annika or do other tasks. We rotate him through a blanket with toys on the floor, the exersaucer, the walker and the high chair with toys. He doesn't much care for the swing or the vibrating seat. Of course he gets held a lot too. I can't get too much holding of my sweet baby boy!

Tomorrow it's back to work for me. I wouldn't say I'm exactly looking forward to it. We all know that I would be a stay at home mom if the finances allowed. However, working is easier in some ways than staying home is. Kris has a tough job all day. It's hard to take care of an infant and a two year old! I understand why some days he practically throws the kids at me and runs out the door to work. They take a whole lot of energy! But they are my babies and I miss them so much when I'm gone. And I know that work will always be there and can always be done the next day, but my babies? My babies will only be little for so long. I want to spend as much time with them as I can. Before I know it they will be school age and no longer want Mommy around that much. And then they will be teenagers and really not want Mommy around. And then they will be grown and all I'll have during the day is work. Blech. What a downer of a thought! I'm just going to enjoy my family as it is. I am so lucky!

Posted by Kristina at 7/08/2007 09:15:00 PM



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