Laugh Attack!

Katelyn was full of giggles the other day, so I just had to get it on video. This is a minute's worth of laughs, but the whole episode lasted a good 5 minutes. She thought the word "poopster" was especially hilarious. Hope this brings a smile to you today!

Adventures in Babysitting

Last weekend was an exciting one! It included a visit from my parents, celebrating my dad's birthday, and Katelyn's first time with a babysitter while Michael and I went to a friend's wedding and reception... did I mention it also included tornado sirens, 70 mph winds, and power outages?! 

My parents came to town on Friday afternoon and we did iChat with my brother Ryan as he wanted to wish my dad a happy birthday (45 this year ;) Katelyn enjoyed seeing Uncle Ryan again.

The birthday boy chose BBQ for dinner, so off to Famous Dave's we went! (It's funny how our restaurant preferences have changed after having Katelyn; we now go for loud, family friendly options without a wait to be seated :)

 Katelyn presented Grandpa Ron with a special birthday card :)

Standing on laps is Katelyn's absolute favorite... she's so proud and happy!

My friend and former colleague, Kari, asked if I would photograph her wedding which took place Saturday afternoon. It was a smaller ceremony in their backyard with a party to follow. Being that it was my first wedding, I hired (ha, ha!) Michael to be my helper for the day - he was awesome and I couldn't have done it without him! Since this would occupy us pretty much all day, my parents babysat Katelyn (her first experience with a babysitter besides school) and they had a good time! Here's a family photo of us before we headed off to the wedding...

Katelyn enjoyed spending time with Grandma and Grandpa Ridnour. She's such a wiggle worm, so we were surprised to hear that she spent the first hour after we left sitting on Grandpa's lap playing with her hands and some toys. We knew she was in good hands (and we were so busy snapping photos) that we didn't even check in for about 4 hours. Here are a few photos of the early babysitting hours.

Playing with Grandma and giving her lots of smiles!

Katelyn's reaction after hearing bad weather was headed to town...

At that point, my dad gave us a call to warn us that bad weather was moving in... we're talking hail, high winds, rain, and potential tornados. Oh boy. The wedding was in Golden Valley which is southeast of our house, so whatever was coming through Maple Grove would eventually hit the wedding and reception site too. Not long after that, the tornado sirens sounded in Maple Grove, so my mom and Katelyn took cover in the most interior room of our house which happens to our little half bathroom... lovely. Meanwhile, my dad was watching the most updated weather information on TV and relaying it to my mom. Malone was likely pacing around full of anxiety too. I'm sure it was quite the sight! But my parents were quite the duo and handled it all with grace and confidence. Thank you!!

A group of our friends at the reception. 

The wedding took place as planned, but the reception was not spared by Mother Nature. It got moved inside Kari's house when the rains and winds started to pick up. Unfortunately, the power went out in their house around 8:30, but the show must go on! It still turned out great and everyone was happy to be celebrating Kari and Dave's big day... even by candlelight. Michael and I enjoyed toasting the happy couple too and it was nice to have our first night out with just the two of us. Who would've guessed it would be such a dramatic weather night though! I suppose it makes for a great "first babysitting" story to share with Katelyn someday :)

Happy girl to have gotten to spend time with Grandma and Grandpa Ridnour

Oh yeah, and I almost forgot: Katelyn gave them quite the run for their money with not one, not two, but three dirty diapers during the babysitting timeframe. Nothing like baptism by fire :)

Road Trip to Illinois

Michael and I have always enjoyed road trips. That's probably a result of the countless Interstate 80 drives we made for almost two years when we dated in college! Most recently, we made a trip to visit Jason and Cassie in Lake Carroll, IL. Michael took off Friday, so we got there Friday evening and stayed until Sunday morning.

We had a blast visiting them and the time just flew by. We wish we could've stayed for another day or two at least. Here's Katelyn on our way there passing the time reading a book (we read lots of books during the 7 hour drive!)

Michael and Jason had been entertaining the idea of participating in a sprint triathlon being held in the area on that Saturday. On Friday night they decided to get up at the crack of dawn and get registered for it. I mean, who does that?! I, for one, would need months to train and prepare for such an endeavor and these two just crank it out like it's no big deal! Cassie and I were very impressed and had fun watching them cross the finish line. Way to go, guys!

Triathlete brothers :)

Triathlete wives :)  It was a picture-perfect day with a nice breeze. So refreshing in fact that Katelyn snoozed the entire time in her stroller.

We're so proud of the Mlakar boys on a job well done!

Katelyn loves to stand - it's one of her favorite things to do!

We enjoyed an outdoor lunch at the golf course that Cassie and Jason live a block away from. The guys had to fuel up after the big tri earlier in the day! (But let's face it, we all fueled up :)

Hanging out with Uncle Jason.

Katelyn telling jokes. "So, a guy walks into a bar..."

Nom-nom-nom. Loving on her favorite dolly.

One last photo before heading back to Minnesota.

Thank you, Cassie and Jason, for a great weekend! We loved spending time with you and catching up. Katelyn especially loved all the fun, but I think she was a little confused by Malone's new look...

This, of course, is the lovely Sunny Mlakar!

(Check out how much she's changed from this post when Cassie and Jason first got her. She's a wonderful pup!)

Paci Progress

In a move that will save us much effort (and elevated blood pressure) - especially while behind the wheel on the interstate - Katelyn is now able to put the pacifier in her mouth on her own. Hooray! On a different yet related note, in an attempt to somewhat curb her addiction to the beloved paci, we try to give it to her only when she's tired or fussy. With as much as she likes to chatter, smile, and giggle lately, she doesn't seem to mind being without it most of the day. Check out this series of action shots of Katelyn's paci placement progress (taken in the car on our way to Illinois, a trip which will be included in the blog soon)...

Ahhh... and the delicious prize! All that hard work paid off! Kudos, Katelyn :)

5 Months Old

Katelyn turned 5 months old yesterday! We can hardly believe our eyes when we look at how much she's grown, changed, and learned in just 5 months (By the way, yes, I do realize I start every monthly birthday post with that statement or something similar - but it's true!) We have seen pretty dramatic and obvious developmental changes from her 4-month birthday to today. My parents visited this weekend and they couldn't believe all the changes in her in just a few weeks. Here's our big girl enjoying the 5 month old mark...

At 5 months old, Katelyn is...

~ Holding her head up very steadily and loves to look around at all there is to see. She enjoys resting her head on a shoulder or chest for a nap - it's her favorite place to cuddle. 

~ Getting stronger on her legs each day. She likes to stand on laps while being supported under her arms. She also stands tall in her Exersaucer and beams with pride each time she realizes she's standing on her own. 

~ Talking, cooing, squealing, and discovering new vocal noises all the time. She seems to have so much to say! She also laughs and giggles many times a day now - that sweet sound will never get old.

~ Still eating and sleeping well. Katelyn is her happiest when she wakes up in the morning. She's content and almost always chatting to herself when we go in to get her up for the day. Michael and I always comment on the power of rest for Katelyn - if she's fussy, she'll wake up a whole new baby after just a 20-minute snooze.

~ Very interested in her hands and is learning how those five individual fingers all work together. She puts lots of things into her mouth including her pacifier. She also loves reaching for things (I found this out the hard way when I was holding her, drinking a bottle of water... she swatted it out of my hand and water spilled all over - whoops!)

~ A well-behaved, pleasant student at school :) Katelyn's teachers comment that she's a happy and easy going baby {insert proud parent smile here!} Her friends in class include Gavin, Greyson, Destiny, and Dream... Miss Dawn had all the babies on a blanket for a group photo and she looked down to see Katelyn and Greyson holding hands. I thought "awww!" ... Michael said, "uh-oh."

~ Loving all kinds of toys and books. Her favorite toys include "My First Doll" (a plush doll with a rattle inside), soft cubes made of "crunchy" material, and of course Sophie the Giraffe. Katelyn likes books too and is happy to hear any of them read to her - she likes to hold the book and help turn the pages.

~ Losing her hair!! Katelyn's hair has not only lightened dramatically since birth, but she's also lost a lot of it in the last two months. It's thinning out, but she still has a nice patch of her "original" hair at the nape of her neck... it's the cutest mullet I've ever seen!

Happy 5-month birthday, Katelyn! You are such a sweet blessing and have brought a richness to our lives and our family that we could not have imagined. 

4th of July Fun With Friends

Katelyn celebrated her first Independence Day and she sure is proud to be an American! We were lucky enough to have special visitors over the holiday weekend: my dear friend Heidi, her husband Andres, and her sister Julie stayed with us on their way back from a family reunion in North Dakota. We always have a great time full of laughs and stories when we're with the Sandates and this visit was no exception. Katelyn loved meeting them and we had an awesome time catching up. Heidi has spoiled Katelyn since she first found out I was expecting, so it was a blast seeing them meet each other!

Two lovely brown-eyed girls!

We took a trip to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden downtown - a classic place to take out of town visitors. Katelyn slept comfortably in her stroller while the rest of us strolled around the park taking photos...

Spoon bridge and cherry sculpture with the Basilica of St. Mary in the background.

The guys and Katelyn enjoying the flowers...umm okay, more like talking about stocks and assessing the current economic conditions.

Julie and Katelyn having fun!

Katelyn making sure her hair looked okay for the photo :)

Is it unpatriotic to eat Italian food on July 4th? All of us went out for pizza and Katelyn wanted to sit at the table, but she ended up falling asleep... sitting upright... comfy!

She was tuckered out from all the 4th of July fun! Thanks for visiting, Heidi, Andy, and Julie - it was great seeing you and Katelyn loved it too!!

Katelyn is Ready for a Safari

Team Mlakar goes multi-media! Check out the video below. 

Hot Dogs! Beer Here! Peanuts!

What better summer activity is there than taking in a baseball game on a nice evening? Add $1 hot dogs, cold beer, and your favorite people and it's better yet! Katelyn enjoyed her first Major League Baseball game last week at the brand new Target Field in downtown Minneapolis. It was so fun to bring her in the Baby Bjorn and watch her observe all the sights and sounds of the ball field! Grandpa Ron is sure to be especially proud of our little baseball fan - he loves the sport!

In the parking ramp next to the stadium - Katelyn is ready to cheer on the Twins!

View of downtown.

Game on!

Katelyn on the lookout for her favorite player... Joe Mauer :)

This was the view from our seats, compliments of Certes (my employer has corporate tickets). Apparently the Baby Bjorn is tasty!

Eyeing the classic ballpark fare. Yum!

Katelyn loved being in the Bjorn on Michael's chest. She was staring at the people behind us almost the whole time - thankfully they didn't find it rude :) 

Since the game started at 7 and her bedtime is 8, Katelyn began to get pretty sleepy around the 3rd inning. But every time she would put her head down, start to close her eyes, and drift off... a loud "BEER HERE!" would startle her back to reality. It never failed, the vendors would walk right by us belting out their respective sales pitch. We did leave the game early to get her home to bed, but it was still a great time and such a fun family night. Katelyn was such a well-behaved fan :)