Fall Family Fun and Freeziac

After our trip to Illinois, Michael decided to take Monday off work so we could spend the day as a family (thanks, honey!) In a way it felt like two separate weekends - we could all get used to that! The weather this week has been glorious - as in 80's, no humidity, and nothing but sunshine. A pleasant surprise from Mama Nature :)

We enjoyed time at the park on Monday afternoon. Katelyn loves going to park! She usually goes back and forth between the swings and the slide, but also likes the teeter-totter and merry-go-round. 

When on the swing, she almost always says "Daddy, Daddy" or "Mommy, Mommy" while pointing at the swing next to her. She likes to have company :)

The park was followed by a special dad-has-the-day-off treat: frozen yogurt with every topping you can imagine at Freeziac. (Which, by the way, recently opened in Plymouth and is dangerously close to our house.) We asked Katelyn which fresh fruit toppings she wanted. Nice try. Apparently even blueberries don't stand a chance next to M&M's!

Meeting Cousin Emerson

It's October! Wait... it's October?! Time flies when you're having fun, that's for sure! And we kicked off our October with a trip to Illinois to meet...

... our sweet little 8-week-old niece, Emerson Rae Mlakar! Isn't she precious?

The drive to Illinois was about 6 1/2 hours total (including our stops), so it was a bit of a haul - especially for Katelyn who is quite active and doesn't necessarily like to be restrained. But she was a good little traveler - we sang songs and read lots of books Green Eggs and Ham. And of course the trip was well worth it to meet our newest family member!

On our way we stopped in Guttenberg, IA, to take in some of the scenic fall colors along the Mississippi River. Michael thought it was a requirement to speak German while in Guttenberg, so he kept asking Katelyn to repeat "guten morgen" (good morning), which came out more like "{inaudible} mowg-in." It was cute! 

We finally made it to Cassie and Jason's on Friday evening. Katelyn had fun getting a look at the sleeping "be-be"...

It was obvious that Michael still has the touch. Emerson fell fast asleep in his arms in no time!

Look at these bright beautiful blues! We're wondering if they'll stay this color or not since eye color can change throughout the first year of life.

Emerson is a wonderful baby; super content and easy going. I don't think we heard her cry a single time! Just that adorable little fussing/grunting/squirming that babies do when they need your attention. Truly an angel by all accounts!

On Saturday morning we took a walk around the neighborhood. It was a little brisk, but the sun warmed us up!

For lunch we went to a winery. Yes, a winery with a 2-month old baby and a 1 1/2 year old toddler. And we made that decision before any wine was consumed. We were feeling brave and the place had a relaxed, come-as-you-are vibe. 

The owners are named Ron and Kathy Kathi. I think it's a sign that my parents should open one, too. Here's everyone checking out the menu.

The girls did well! Katelyn helped us with our BBQ pork sandwiches and since she couldn't wash it down with wine, the server brought her a cookie instead. :)

That afternoon, Katelyn (and let's face it, Michael) had fun with Jason's "toys" - a golf cart and an ATV!

The ATV is actually Cassie's dad's - he won it by hitting a hole-in-one at a golf tournament over the summer. How cool is that?! Katelyn's probably thinking, "how fast can this puppy go?"

And gearing up for a spin in the golf cart...

After the ride up the street, Katelyn kept signing and saying "again" over and over. Guess she liked it!

And what's a golf cart without any clubs? Emerson was kind enough to share her Callaways with Katelyn :) Papa Ron will be especially appreciative of this one...

Taking a peek at baby Em...

We made a quick stop a pumpkin sale and came home with four "puck ins" or sometimes Katelyn just calls them "ohn-sch" (for orange). 

Katelyn has a thing for holding hands lately and she wanted to give Emerson a little love. Can you even imagine how much fun these two cuties will have in the years ahead?

Grandma Debbie made the visit on Saturday night and she got to spend some time with her two granddaughters!

Sunday morning came too fast and it was time for us to head home :( It was so much fun to finally get to meet Emerson in person. She is just perfect! And it was great to catch up with Jason, Cassie, and Debbie! 

Thank you, Jason and Cass, for your hospitality! It's an incredible honor and joy to welcome a new baby into the family!

"Mike-Oh!"

The other day, Katelyn and I were upstairs calling downstairs to Daddy. After a few attempts of "Daddy! Daddy!" Katelyn cut to the chase with gusto by shouting, "Mike-Oh!" - it was so surprising! Perhaps she's heard me holler that a few times. Enjoy the video of our little parrot!

Wordless Wednesday

(Play date with Miller "Me-oh")

(Bib-o-rama)

A Buffet of Activity from the Weekend

Today's blog is a lot like a buffet;  giving you a little bite of a lot of different things we did this weekend, so put on your sweatpants and get ready for a full plate!

We spent some time at the park on Friday morning. The days of worrying about Katelyn overheating in the summer sun are quickly becoming a distant memory...

On Saturday, I went to (and photographed - surprise, surprise!) my dear friend Beth's baby shower. She's having a little boy in November and it was so fun to celebrate her! These petit fours were just as delicious as they are cute! (They matched the invitations.)

It's so much fun to think about adding a new baby to the group - Katelyn will have a new little pal for playdates! I love Beth because as she began opening her gifts, she humbly confessed, "I know I need all of these things, but I have little-to-no-idea what they're actually used for!" It's the refreshing reality of a first-time mom!

Here's the whole group of girls...

Don't you just love a baby bump? So cute!

Saturday afternoon, we played at home while Michael did yard work. Whenever we go outside, Katelyn always gets (and announces retrieval of) "chair" and "chalk"...

Crunch, crunch, crunch! Katelyn had fun playing in the leaves with dad!

In the busyness of life, there's never a shortage of "stop and smell the roses" lessons. One such time happens whenever Katelyn hears an airplane. While we're occupied with yard work, fetching the mail, cleaning windows, etc., she stops in her tracks and declares, "air-pane! air-pane!"

And that statement is usually followed this... (signing for "more") 

Katelyn says, "mow air-panes? mow air-panes?" I usually respond with something like, "I'm not sure, we'll have to wait and see." She must be catching on because this time around she said, "mow air-panes?... wait. Wait. Wait."

Look at the intensity in her eyes as she awaits more planes :)

Katelyn got a new (4 dollar-from-a-neighbor's-garage-sale) bike last week. Here she is giving this beauty a tune-up. She is so excited about it - regardless of said purchase details, it's new to her and she is so proud. I think she appreciates a bargain just like daddy and me!

On Sunday, it was high time someone did some cleaning around here!

She takes her sweeping very seriously - even wears her pearls for the job!

Trying to escape more work by playing peek-a-boo from the pantry!

A favorite activity for me and Katelyn lately is having dance parties to the Country Music Network. She loves to boogie and as each song ends, she claps, says "yay!!" and then "mow songs? mow songs?"

Hope you got your fill! Thanks for reading and here's wishing you a great week ahead :)