Happy Guys!

A rare picture of the boys smiling together!

Giddy-Up!

Ben and Papa going for a ride.

Quinn and Dad having a good time!

Big smiles!

The boys waiting in line.

Quinn dancing with Mama.

We went to the Crow Wing Power Company picnic while we were up visiting my parents last weekend. They had free horse rides and the boys loved it. Ben went twice - smiling the whole time. Quinn looked like such a little man - so cute!

Summer's Here - Out Comes the Pool!

Going down the elephant slide.

Quinn taking in the action from his chair.

Running through the sprinkler with Dad.

Quinn kept getting closer and closer to the water but never actually got wet - maybe next time!

All done - time for a nap!

I bought a pool on clearance last fall with the hopes that we would be able to use it this summer now that Quinn is a bit older. Thankfully we have had nice weather and decided to try it out one Sunday afternoon. Ben had a blast - running through the sprinklers and sliding down the slide. Quinn took a while to warm up to it, but eventually had some fun once he got used to the water. Hopefully we will be able to use it a lot more!!

Mr. Baseball

Here's the pitch!

Nice form!

Getting ready to throw right at Mom!

Ben LOVES baseball. He loves to pitch the ball, hit the ball, catch the ball, anything with a baseball. We have tons of baseballs around the house and in the garage - all different sizes. We also have baseball hats, he has one in particular that he loves and wears even though he outgrew it a while ago. He pitches right but can also throw left and bats right and left - he only likes to hit pitched balls though, not a fan of hitting off a tee. His favorite player is Jo Mauer (or is that Mom's favorite...) and his favorite team is the MN Twins of course!

Mama & Papa's - the New Weekend Retreat

View from the porch of some of the trees Chris and my Dad have cleared out. They now have a better view of the lake.

Ben and Quinn on horse rides at the Crow Wing Power Picnic.

The boys on Paul Bunyon's footprint in Breezy Point, MN

Ben giving Quinn a ride at Aunt Susan's & Uncle Al's in Breezy Point

One of my parent's "neighbors", a friendly snapping turtle that is looking to bury her eggs on my parent's yard.

My parents have moved out of our basement and are now in their BEAUTIFUL new home in Breezy Point, MN. Ben refers to it as "Papa's House" implying that Papa lives there, but Mama still lives with him. He has definitely formed a very strong bond with his Mama (that's what Ben calls Grandma)! We have spent a few weekends at the new place and LOVE it. Chris has been clearing dead trees and brush with my dad and Bella spends all day wandering the woods. She is one tired puppy by Sunday! I have been collecting some toys for the boys to keep there and they even have thier own room. We are so blessed to have my parents back in MN and close enough to visit as much as we want. I hope someday the boys will be able to look back and cherish all the wonderful memories that they will have of spending time with Mama and Papa.

My Do It

"My do it" is a phase we hear often from Ben these days. Everything is "my do it, my do it". It's fun to watch him assert himself and try new things. He's very persistent and likes to either do things all by himself or at least help out whenever he can. We captured a cute moment when we were getting ready to put Quinn to bed one night, Ben insisted on being the one to hold Quinn and help feed him his bottle. Quinn really didn't care who fed him the bottle, he just wanted to eat!

Quinn the Walking Machine

Quinn's PT Melissa getting him all set to go!

And he's off!

Getting those feet to go

Hi Mom! Here I come!

Aww man, Melissa is making me work again!

We recently got to bring home a walker for Quinn to use. He tried it out a few times at physical therapy and seemed to really enjoy it. It was fun to see him cruise around and discover that he can use his legs to be upright and move! We are so lucky to have a great facility at Gillette's in Maple Grove and I think Quinn really likes his PT, even though she makes him work!