The Backyard Dallums

My 32nd!

2011-07-13T11:36:00.000-07:00

An ice cream cake with The Compound (group of neighbors), time with my son and husband and dinner with one of my closest friends. It was a good birthday. Missed my little man Benny, but I smiled and had some good laughs. Every day is a gift!

Jackie and Ash Visit

2011-07-10T12:58:00.000-07:00

At the begining of June one of our good friends Jackie and her son Ash came to visit. Jackie and I met in college and have several mutually close friends. We spent the day together playing and BBQing with friends. It was awesome.

Faith's Lodge

2011-07-06T07:53:00.000-07:00

Please consider donating to Faith's Lodge. We spent a glorious weekend there with Frank creating memories about Baby Benny in June. Their 80 acres were severly damaged in a storm last weekend.

http://www.faithslodge.org/

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-06-09T11:02:00.000-07:00

Libby's Visit

2011-06-09T10:50:00.000-07:00

We also had a visit last month from one of my long time friends Libby who lives in CO. She flew in to spend some QT with us. It was an awesome long weekend with her.

We also spent time with with Libby's family and were invited to their friend's house for a derby party.

Ry-Re's Visit

2011-06-09T10:44:00.000-07:00

LAst month one of Tim's best friends and Frank's Godfather came down from Duluth for a night to spend some time with us.

Frank and Ry-Re spent a lot of time playing Mu-sic.

The three guiatarists

May Day with The Suss/Christopher Crew

2011-05-21T12:14:00.000-07:00

Easter with The Willetts

2011-05-21T11:48:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to have my cousin Greg and his family come visit us for Easter. The kids (Emma, Olivia and Frank) had a great time together swimming, playing T-Ball and making cupcakes.

Buddies

2011-05-21T11:46:00.000-07:00

Happy 2 Month Birthday Ben

2011-04-27T12:17:00.000-07:00

Loving you forever and ever buddy.

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T06:39:00.000-07:00

How..

2011-04-15T20:43:00.000-07:00

We just got the edited CD of pictures from the photographer who took our pictures the day we pulled Ben's respirator. It took my breath away. I look at this picture...how did we do it, where did we find the strength, how did we let go? I just can't believe it happened. It's all just so painful. I looked so tired in this picture, time has passed and sometimes I still feel weary. I want to slap my own face and wake up from this horrible dream.

Ben's Journey Part I

2011-04-02T12:30:00.001-07:00

It's time to start blogging about Ben. I will warn any of you who read this blog that the next couple of posts will be pretty raw. I will not be posting for anyone, but myself. The posts may include emotions I don't feel anymore, statements that are horrible to say out loud and just all around sad stuff. But, I feel like it needs to be said. His story needs to be told. He is and will be forever our son and my baby.

It's been over a month now since he was born. I can't believe it really. Our lives have changed so much since February 26th when my labor started.

I remember feeling really strange Saturday morning just not quite right. I took a shower and started crying for no reason. I had been feeling impatient to meet Ben and was starting to feel like he would never appear. Tim took Frank to swimming and I just laid around all morning. They came home and everyone got ready to eat lunch. I wasn't hungry (which is so strange because I ALWAYS want to eat) and just decided to lay down and rest. I went up to my room to lay down and started crying hysterically. I texted my niece Christina and she told me that she felt the same way before she went into labor with her second son. So, I felt comforted. I rested for almost an hour and then at 12:40 I felt a pop and a gush of liquid. I walked to the bathroom and quietly yelled down to Tim that my water had broken (I had to be quiet because Frank was sleeping). I knew this time I wanted to labor at home as long as I felt comfortable. I walked downstairs and Tim started making calls. My mom was going to wait until Frank woke up and then take Frank to Barb and Lee's for the night so she could be with us at the hospital.

A couple of hours later around 3:30 we decided to go to the hospital. The contractions were coming fast and were close together. We called the hospital and were told to come in. On the way there I gripped the seat and moaned a lot. Tim dropped me off and went to park the car. I remember finding the elevator and telling some people that I would wait for the next one because they wouldn't want to ride with me. I made it to the labor and delivery department and they began to check me in. The next hour they spent taking my vitals, checking my cervix--I was dilated to 4 and completely effaced. This was a huge pat on the back as when I was in labor with Frank I never dilated past a 4. The nurses again had a hard time getting an IV in me (7 pokes in one hand), but finally got a specialist in to get it done. We were moved into a delivery room and I began to labor hard. After a couple more hours I decided to take a break and take some narcotics to ease the pain and rest. I did this 3 times. Between the second and third time the nurse urged me to labor for an hour to see if I could progress more and I dilated to a 6. Now looking back I feel guilty about this. The pain medication helped, but I remember the last time I took the narcotics the nurse urged me (in a kind way) to keep laboring without the drugs. I know I could have done it, but I decided to take another break. After that the contractions hit me stronger and I decided to get an epidural. Part of my reasoning was that I had gotten a fever again due to my water breaking early. This is the same thing that happened while I was laboring with Frank. I had a feeling we were hitting the same pattern again and that I was going to have another c-section. So, I thought I might as well be ready and prepped for it. Again, guilty feelings about this too. Although we don't know when Ben experienced the oxygen loss I feel like at any of these points I could have stayed off the drugs, made my way through labor, and pushed him out faster.

The epidural went in and more resting. Then as with Frank's labor my epidural didn't take with one side of my body. The doctor came in and readjusted the port and they pumped a ton of the medication in to me to catch the one side of my body up to the other. That's where this picture starts to crack. My fever spiked and they started antibiotics. The epidural had slowed my contractions and to counteract this they started picotin. When patients get infections due to their water breaking early the uterus gets lazy and the contractions slow. I knew at this point that Ben would end up in the special care nursery as Frank did for 3 days to test for the infection, but I could handle that. I knew what to expect. Then I got sick and started shaking. Right about this point the nurse asked me if I could push for a while to see if she could get him to move down. She tried to help my cervix complete it's dilation and I tried to move Ben down a little farther. I kept saying I don't feel good, I really don't feel good. Soon after that I threw up. I started crying and telling them that I wanted a C-section. The nurse reassured me that I could have a VBAC and that I just needed a rest. She wouldn't let me give up. They gave my Tylenol to lower the fever and told me to try and sleep a little. This was at about 3am. I remember sleeping until 6am--that was the first real rest I had encountered since labor had started.

When I woke up the OB in charge came in and checked me. She said Ben was really low and that we should try a vaginal birth. She said she wanted to try the vacuum to get his head through the birth canal. By this time I was feeling a little better, but the worst pain was that when I started shaking because of the fever I started getting cramps in my shoulders. That pain was worse than anything else. I asked them to give me a pain killer to help with it and they said okay. The OB attached the vacuum and with a couple of good pushes his head was down. They took off the vacuum and for the next hour I pushed Ben with my abdominal muscles. I state this only because the OB noticed that my contractions were super weak and basically told me that I was doing this all by myself. I remember touching Ben's little head as we neared the end. Nobody was panicked, everyone was excited. There was a team ready to take him to the Special Care Nursery, but it was all routine. The last words I remember out of the OB's mouth before Ben came out was that he would be really tired and would need time to recooperate.

The excitement was so high. My mom and Tim were standing by me, they could see Ben's head...one final push and he was out. I screamed "I did it." And then the horror began. I didn't hear a cry. The nurses had him and they were working furiously. I told Tim to stay with him and started to sob--I knew something was wrong. He wasn't breathing. I kept looking at my mom and looking at Tim. Then they took him away. Tim left and the room was silent. The OB was sewing me up and I was crying. Every cell in my body was screaming, NO! The next thing I remember was my OB checking on Ben and coming back to tell me that he had been deprived of oxygen during the birth process and that they were breathing for him. The nurses had called Children's Hospital and an ambulance was being sent over to pick him up. Shortly after that Tim came in with the first picture below. I remember thinking he was beautiful and looked so normal.

Tim and I talk and decide that he would follow the ambulance and that I would come to the hospital when I was discharged. The OB said once I could walk on my own they would let me go. A short while later the staff from Children's wheeled Ben in on the stretcher. The nurse told me that he'd had a severe brain injury and that they were taking him to Children's to place him on a cooling mat for 72 hours to stop any additional injuries. I knew it was really serious at that point. I got to touch him and then he was gone....and I was alone. Mom wass there, but I told her to start calling people for prayers. I called Leah (it's 5am in California) and told her that she was his godmother and to start praying. I called other friends and told them the situation. Time was already moving too fast. I prayed that his heart continued to beat, I told God I was prepared to take care of a child with disabilities if only he would keep him alive. I just wanted a living baby.

Then the doctor from Children's was on the phone. She conferenced Tim in and was going to tell me what's going on with Ben. She'd already told Tim and I could tell he had been crying. It was hard because we weren't together and I could feel that he was hurting and I knew the news was not good. She basically explained that at some point during the birth process Ben's body was deprived of oxygen. All his organs were affected by this. The only organ that cannot repair itself or be repaired is the brain. They could tell it had been significantly damaged by the lack of oxygen and she was honest with us that she was very worried about him. She told me that they put him on a cooling mat for 72 hours. Once that was over they will do an MRI and EEG to determine the extent of the brain damage. Then she got off the line and Tim and I cried together. We talked about who to call and when I will be there and our hearts broke together. Several more times over the next couple of hours we talked (Tim and I) about things like his parents rushing down to be with us, transportation to and from all of the hospitals, who we still needed to call. But, running through the back of our minds was Ben...

Around noon Tim's parents dropped off my sister-in-law Amanda and headed over to Children's to be with Tim and see Ben. Over the next 3-4 hours Amanda and mother helped me recover enough to leave the hospital. I remember my nurse telling me that she would be with me until I left and that she wouldn't take care of any other patients that day. They didn't move me, they just let me be. The OB came in again at some point and told me that she had called her church and that they were praying for Ben. She had tears in her eyes as she explained that they had no idea anything was wrong. I knew that, I could sense the peace before Ben was born, nobody had any idea that a tragedy had happened. Around 3:30 or so we left to go to Children's. They took me out in a wheelchair. I remember a lot of pain, I could barely walk, but I was determined to be with Ben. We got to the hospital and Tim met us and brought us to Ben's room. The picture below was taken right after I got there. We cried a lot a that point. The pain of seeing him was really hard.

I remember being happy that I was finally close to him, but understanding in my heart that we wouldn't have much time together. I really believe that from the minute Ben was born I knew he was not going to live. I had already started grieving for him. I was amazed that such a beautiful baby who looked so healthy could be so sick. It didn't make sense. Why us, why my baby, why my family? All I could grasp at this point was that I could touch him, be with him, and love him. And that's what we did.

Tim took me home that night after my mom and Amanda left. I wanted to see Frank, but I also planned on coming back later that night to stay at the Ronald McDonald house with Tim. Unfortunately, my body gave out and I eneded up staying home because of Tim's orders. I knew I needed to rest my body in order to have enough energy to deal with the week ahead.

Mooosics (Music)

2011-03-29T16:30:00.000-07:00

Several times a day Frank plays moosics. I just took these pictures of him playing all his instruments in a matter of 5 minutes.

Harmonica and Guitar...the next Bob Dylan?

The Dallum Band

Serious Harmonica

Drums

Violin

Leah's Pictures

2011-03-28T13:39:00.000-07:00

Here are some funny pictures from Leah's phone from her trip out.

Children's Museum

2011-03-28T13:26:00.000-07:00

While Leah was here on Spring Break last week we went to the Children's Museum to get out of the house. I'm glad we did because the next four days were spent with a sick Frank at home. Here are some pictures below of the adventure.

Family and Other Stuff

2011-03-20T18:02:00.000-07:00

So obviously, we have a whole other story to tell about Ben, Ben's week long hospital journey and his death. But, until I'm ready to post pictures and talk through it I thought I'd post some family pictures from the last couple weeks.

Frank playing guitar.

Frank playing Legos with Daniel and Micah.

Frank and Micah

Daniel and Frank

Getting ready to celebrate Na-Na's Birthday.

Happy 75th Birthday Na-Na.

Leah, Frank and Rachael

Frank on St. Patrick's Day

Swimming Class--Tim and Frank

Frank and Daddy playing guitar.

Frank at Choo Choo Bob's

Frank's Scary Face

Snowy Day

2011-02-21T10:56:00.000-08:00

We had another 15 inches of snow last night. Dad already had the day off for President's day and after a 45 minute attempt to get to work my boss told me to work from home (quite exciting). Grandma Nancy and Grandpa John were supposed to come down for the day, but because of all the snow and ice decided to play it safe. So, what do you do when both your parents are home and so is your Na-Na (my mom)? You make a robot man. Here's Frank in front of his pride and joy of the morning.

We're still waiting for the arrival of Benny. Mom's patience is not quite what it used to be. 39 weeks and counting. Love to you all!

Rock The Cradle

2011-02-20T11:55:00.000-08:00

It's a Lego Day!

2011-02-19T15:38:00.000-08:00

Lake Hiawatha Heart Warmer

2011-02-12T15:24:00.001-08:00

Today we spent the day down at our lake Lake Hiawatha for their annual Lake Hiawatha Heart Warmer. We took a ride on a horse drawn wagon, ate some hot dogs, ice skated with some neighbors and played with the snow. It was a gorgeous day to play in the wonderful outdoors.

Just too cute!

2011-02-12T15:13:00.000-08:00

We finally got a new camera and I've begun to take pictures again. Here are some from Super Bowl Sunday and some froma day when Frank was just too cute for words.

Sesame Street Live

2011-01-23T18:32:00.001-08:00

Dad got Frank tickets to go see Sesame Street Live today! What a huge deal for the little boy who sleeps everynight with Ernie, Bert, Oscar, Big Bird, Cookie and two Grovers (one is new and one was Daddy's as a little boy). Frank also know the words to every character's specific song: Ernie "Rubber Duckie," Bert "Doin' Pigeon," Oscar "I Love Trash," Cookie "C is for Cookie," Grover "Monster in the Mirror," etc. We had a great time and besides a couple of shocking moments Frank loved it.

Super Grover

Frank and Will

Bert and Ernie

Frank watching the show.

The whole SS crew.

The Dallums at Sesame Street.

Na-Na and Frank

Daddy and Frank

Mommy and Frank

Guitar

2011-01-23T18:20:00.000-08:00

Frank is obsessed with musical instruments of all kinds. He plays piano at our neighbors' house, drums at our place and recently during Christmas played a guitar at his cousins house. Frank's cousin Maxy-Moo-Moo had a Paper Jamz guitar and Frank fell in love with it. So, our good friend Ryan got Frank one for Christmas. Here's a couple of recent pictures of Frank playing with his new toy.

A Compound Thanksgiving

2010-12-29T14:17:00.001-08:00

We were instantly blessed to have two wonderful neighbors Mason and La-La (Frank's preferred name for Laura) when we moved into our house 5 years ago in February. They have been a constant means support and friendship to us since we met. Last year two good friends of M&L moved 3 blocks away and became part of what we now term The Compound. The three couples have spent numerous nights playing Rock Band, board games and just talking over at M&L's house while Frank sleeps soundly next door (we can here him through the monitor). This year we decided to spend the day after Thanksgiving with them. Everyone contributed food and we spent a chill afternoon and evening together. Frank is incredibly lucky to have such fun neighbors to play with.

Number Two is 30 Weeks!

2010-12-22T18:47:00.000-08:00

10 weeks left until Benjamin Willett Dallum arrives. We can't wait.

Frank's 2nd Birthday Duluth Style

2010-12-14T21:23:00.000-08:00

Frank's 2nd Birthday Minneapolis Style

2010-12-08T19:07:00.000-08:00

Kickin' Mule Farm Visit

2010-11-18T20:16:00.000-08:00

Fall Football

2010-11-17T10:51:00.000-08:00

Last month we participated in a Football/Chili party thrown my a good friend. Of course Frank had to sport his Packer Pride outfit. Uncle Tom and Aunt Val got him the hat and Grandma Na-Na (Connie) got him the sweatshirt and matching sweatpants (not seen here). It was a pretty cold day, but we had fun watching Daddy play touch football and playing at the park.

Powderhorn Empty Bowls

2010-11-09T08:40:00.000-08:00

Every year we participate in the Powderhorn Empty Bowls event. This year I washed bowls and super Tim dish washed. A big thank you goes out to our wonderful friend Kristen for these pics and for volunteering, to Robyn, Kate and PJ for coming to support this event and to Barb and Lee for watching Frankie while mom and dad cleaned up!

Haloween Pictures

2010-11-01T06:59:00.000-07:00

Frank Goes to "Jean's" House

2010-10-25T18:08:00.001-07:00

WORDS

2010-09-15T16:08:00.001-07:00

"1, 2 No's Mommy" I heard.

"1, 2 Yes's" I said.

Then 1, 2 Noses I saw!

Apples!

2010-09-15T15:54:00.001-07:00

This past weekend we went to an amazing orchard Sweetland Orchard in New Prague, MN. The owners just bought the place in July, so they're getting things up and running. They were great the place was beautiful and the best part was spending some time with our borrowed Grandma Lois (Miles and Frances' Grandma). We picked Lois up and headed out around 9:30, had some doughnuts, colored some pictures, picked apples and then went home to make homemade applesauce. Yum!

The Great MN Get Together

2010-09-01T13:18:00.001-07:00

Mission Number 1: Go see the animals.

Mission 2: Eat lots of food.

Mission 3: See the exhibits.

The first part of the day over, we headed home to nap and return later.

Fair Day Part 2

Mission 4: Rides

Na-Na eats her custard.

Eating pickles on a stick.

Na-Na eats a pork chop on a stick.

Mission 5: Cool off with the cousins.

Canning with Coons

2010-08-20T07:27:00.000-07:00

Last night my mom and Tim helped me can 9 pints and 5 quarts of peaches. I have to explain to you what a GREAT feat this was as my mom HATES canning. She was forced to do it as a child and grew up thinking of it as a chore and not as something fun to do. For me it's just the opposite. Even though it takes time I love the smell it creates in my kitchen and the end product is always amazing. Plus, my mom usually never starts projects after 3pm and we didn't finish until 10pm last night. Anyways, I've never canned peaches before and had purchased 1/2 bushel from Afton Apple as I do every year. Most years I just pit and freeze the peaches for use in baking goods, but this year I decided to can because I had some canned peaches at a friends house recently and they were delicious. Anyways, amongst getting ready to go away for the weekend we got the canning done last night and it was so much fun. I love doing stuff like this with my mom!

The peaches after we took the skins off.

Second Trip to Milwaukee

2010-08-20T07:02:00.001-07:00

Last week I was able to take off a day of work and flew to Milwaukee on Wednesday morning. The trip was extra special because Frank got to meet his Auntie Val and Uncle Tom for the first time. He also got to stay at Auntie Lynn's house and go to Will and Jack's house for the first time. We had a lot of fun playing and trying to cool off!

Will and Frank at a restaurant.

Frank with Auntie Lisa and Auntie Lynn after an exciting meeting with come chocolate custard.

Frank and Will playing.

Frank playing at Will and Jack's house.

Auntie Val and Uncle Tom with The Dallums minus Daddy.

Seven Bridges in Milwaukee

Frank kept saying "Shhhh wa-wa," which was something we taught him on our trip to CO.

Frank playing in Lake Michigan.

Na-Na watching Frank get totally wet. Whoops, mom forgot to bring his swimsuit.

So, to sneak in some goods news...can you tell I've got a little belly? Yes, that's right The Dallums are expecting number 2 March 1st. Okay to be realistic part of the belly is from having my mom in town...she's a great sweets lover and so am I. So the two of us together are TROUBLE. I've just made it into my second trimester and I feel great.

Okay, I just couldn't resist the butt shot. He's tall and skinny like his Daddy.

Frank with his cousins swimming at Lake Mukwanago.

Frank at his first FISH FRY!

Auntie Lynn, Na-Na and Auntie Val waiting for food.

YUM, fried fish and fries.

Auntie Janet helps Frank.

Okay not the greatest family picture, but you get the idea.

Frank after the Fish Fry with all his cousins:Jack, Emma, Will and Olivia

Jumping on the trampoline with Auntie Val and Daddy.

Making funny faces with Na-Na.

Laughing with Auntie Val.

Wearing his Go-Go G hat given to him by Auntie Val and Uncle Tom.

Hiawatha Park Festival

2010-08-05T06:51:00.000-07:00

There's Sand in the Sandbox!

2010-08-02T19:18:00.000-07:00

Thanks to two sets of neighbors there's finally sand in Frank's sandbox. The next question is how to prevent him from eating it!

Beach Time

2010-08-02T19:12:00.000-07:00

Frank and his buddy O.

Grandma Na-Na Time

2010-08-02T18:33:00.001-07:00

The Rockies

2010-07-18T10:01:00.001-07:00

On the Road

2010-07-18T09:59:00.000-07:00

Thank You's

2010-07-18T09:19:00.000-07:00

We have a large list of people to thank for allowing us to have a safe, enjoyable and super fun trip to Colorado. I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone...

Nancy and John: for the sweet Toyota 4 Runner. The trip was much more safe and comfortable thanks to you.

Mason and Laura: for watching our house, watering our plants, picking up the veggies, DVD's, earings, chairs, sleeping pads and everything else you do. We're so lucky to have you as friends.

Marc and Amanda: for the car topper, chairs and electrical outlet. We needed the extra space!

Carin, Mike and Henry: for the great portable DVD player. Nap time was so much easier.

Kickin' Mule Farms: for the lettuce, trains and watching Radar for over a week. Not only are you great farmers, but wonderful and generous friends.

The McCartneys: for extra music and watching the kitties while we were gone. They loved the company.

The Gaceks: for burning us new DVD's for the road. Thanks to you Frank now knows all his A, B, C's.

Shane and Family: for mowing our lawn while we were away. What a treat!

Connie: for flying to Denver to help us take care of Frank so we could have a fantastic time with the Niemis and Boyds.

The Niemis and Boyds: for providing us with a wonderful excuse to have a family vacation, inspiring us to make new friends and reminding us what family and friends are all about.

Shanna: for lending me the dehydrator for camping snacks. Yum!

For anyone else I'm forgetting please know that we enjoyed every minute of our trip. It was so much fun and so wonderful to see the Great Outdoors through the eyes of a little one.

Cheers!

Boulder Pictures

2010-07-16T08:56:00.000-07:00

No Camera!

2010-06-28T11:48:00.000-07:00

The official sad news is that our camera is broken. Tim took it to this digital fix-it shop last week hoping for a miraculous repair before out big trip to CO this week. Unfortunately, they nice guy couldn't fix it. So, for our trip we will be borrowing a camera from Barb and Lee and won't have any pictures up before that. See ya back here in a couple of weeks!

Pictures from La-La

2010-06-16T08:48:00.001-07:00

Stats

2010-06-10T08:37:00.000-07:00

My how things change!

Frankie's 2 Month Stats
Weight: 15lbs 5oz, over 100th percentile
Height: 24 inches, 90th percentile
Head: 16 inches, 75th percentile

Frankie's 18 month Stats

Weight: 26lbs 2oz, 50th percentile

Height: 34 1/4 inches, 90th percentile

Head: 19 3/4 inches, 95th percentile

Other Interesting Notes

Frank can now sing the following...

"Up above the" from Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

"A, B, C, D...O, P" of the A, B, C's--O is his favorite letter.

"Up...Down the rain" from Itsy, Bitsy, Spider along with great hand motions.

Frank can also point to his favorite characters and say their names which include Ernie, Bert, Abby, Elmo, Oscar, Pingu, Clifford and choo-CHOO (Thomas the Train).

He can tell you that Daddy rides his bicycle to work and that Mommy rides the big bus and that rain comes from the sky and thunder makes a loud boom noise. We also spend a lot of time in Frank's favorite spot the neighbor's backyard. He and La-la and Mi-mi spend lots of time running thru the sprinklers and having adventures. Most of all these days Frank loves B-ball which encompasses everything from all kinds of balls to every sport. He likes to throw, roll, kick and spin balls.

Memorial Day Trip to Milwaukee

2010-06-01T04:34:00.000-07:00

We spent my birthday weekend with my amazing Milwaukee cousins. We had cookouts, played outside, went to the Milwaukee Zoo, ate at KOP's, roasted marshmallows and just relaxed. It was a great weekend just being with family. Thanks Greg, Margie, Emma, Olivia, Lynn, Lisa, Willie, Janet, Wil, Jackson, and Grandma Sue for making our trip so fun!

Wine Tasting

2010-05-26T07:26:00.000-07:00

I went with the Book Club ladies to a wine tasting a couple of weekends ago. Cass had bought the tasting at the benefit for our dear friend Kelly who passed away two years ago this May. Last year three of us had babies and we couldn't figure out a date that worked for all of us. This year we planned early and spent a glorious day in the sun celebrating our friendship. Here's to you, Kelly. You still bring smiles to our faces and spead peace and love.

Libby's Shower

2010-05-26T07:13:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to a beautiful wedding shower for one of my long time friends Libby. We met in our first class freshman year at the University of MN. Since then I've moved Libby to Colorado where she now lives with her fiance Chris and dog Jack. Here are a couple of pictures from the shower.

Recent Crafts

2010-05-12T07:34:00.000-07:00

Thank you cards that I made for a shower gift for my dear friend Libby.

A muffin tin and two quart jars filled with muffin mix for Tim's cousin Ian's bride-to-be Haliey.

Rachael and Jason Visit

2010-05-10T18:00:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago my niece Rachael and her hubbie Jason came to visit. We have a lot in common with them including a die hard love of music and a wedding anniversary date that's around Labor Day. We had a great time hearing about their lives in San Diego and just relaxing with them. Much time was spent cooking, eating and playing. Thank you Rachael and Jason for coming to visit us!

Saturday Afternoon

We took R&J to the river dog park. Radar managed to run into Rachael knocking her down onto the sand. It was pretty funny. Mostly we walked around enjoying the view.

We also went to Sea Salt for some lunch and a great view of Minnehaha Falls.

We hung out in the backyard. Frank showed R&J how to play bball and Tim and Jason showed Frank how to play ladder golf.

Sunday Morning

We woke up late and made fritatta.

The May Day Festival

We were lucky enough to make the May Day parade for a couple of hours this year. It was cold and rainy so we didn't stay long, but it was good just to be there in all the positive energy. We had a quick lunch and then went back to our place and took Jason to the airport.

That Night

I showed Rachael how to make bath salts. We made homemade pizza for dinner and then made lazy daisy oatmeal cake. The next day we went thrift store shopping and then took Rachael to the airport.

Allie Comes to Visit

2010-04-25T10:20:00.000-07:00

This weekend Auntie Allie came down to visit us from Duluth. We all had a blast just relaxing during the rainy weekend.

Allie brought down a great rug from Marc, Amanda, Jack and Max for Frank's porch play room. It looks great!

We spent a lot of time playing on the porch because it was so rainy.

Allie and Frank played cars and read books.

Allie made us this awesome egg in a dinner roll for brunch on Saturday.

We took Allie to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

Great new exhibit of local artists.

This is one of my favorite pictures from the weekend.

Frank having a snack. He takes his food very seriously.

We took Allie to Matt's Bar for dinner so that she could try her first Juicy Lucy.

Then we took her to the Midwest Mountaineering Expo to see our neighbor and look at some cool outdoor gear.

Allie tried on a couple of fun things at the Expo.

Planting the Garden

2010-04-21T13:57:00.000-07:00

Today Frank and I spent the morning talking about gardens and starting our fist seedlings. I guess I could have done this a couple of weeks ago, but it was way more fun having a pair of little hands to helps. That being said we needed a warm day to take everything outside.

I used some old egg cartons and got the ready to plant as Frank was having his morning nap. I decided to start with herbs as that's usually what I spend most of my veggie garden budget on.

I asked Frank to help by poking holes for the seeds.

Notice the dirt on his finger.

He also enjoyed picking up the dirt and throwing it.

What a BOY!

Then we took a break to play.

He liked pushing the truck along our picnic table.

Then we watered the plants. You'll notice that I stuck toothpicks in the cartons. Once we were done watering I covered the cartons with plastic wrap and put them in the sun. I'll set them outside everyday now while we're at work and then bring them in for the night. Hopefully, we'll see some sprouts in about a week.

The New Swing Set

2010-04-20T19:13:00.000-07:00

This weekend Tim and some great friends of ours (PJ, Fish and Mason) put together a new swing set for Frank. Originally we thought we would be using a smaller swing set that our friends Molly and Steve had given us before they moved to their farm in SW MN. Tim was all set to buy some new braces and lumber to update and stabilize the set that was sitting in our garage. Then two weeks ago our neighbors across the street decided to finally retire from doing daycare. They walked over and offered us anything we wanted to take from their yard. So, we got the car (from our last post), a slide for our porch, a motorcycle and a new larger swing set. We weren't initially sure that we wanted something this big, but it actually ended up making out backyard look so much better. It hides some of the bare spots and I think I'll be able to do some gardening around it. Enjoy the pics!

Tim taking down the structure in our neighbors lawn.

Random picture of my new front garden and a tulip.

Tim and PJ working together.

Fish and Tim putting the structure back together.

Mason helping Tim on day #2.

Frank swings for the first time!

Always holding a basketball.

I think we're going to attach the basketball hoop to the other side of the set and put some pavers in the ground so Frank can play outside.

A new car and gardening...

2010-04-11T09:15:00.000-07:00

CA Trip #4

2010-04-09T07:31:00.000-07:00

CA Trip #3

2010-04-09T07:24:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T17:43:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T06:17:00.001-07:00

Frank decided to "ride" the smallest basket this morning while making car noises.

It's amazing what fun the simplest things can be.

We rearranged our front porch so that Frank has a play room and mom and dad have their living and dining room back. I'm hoping to make some comfy floor pillows and we've dumpster dived two nice chairs that I will spray paint black for the adults who hang out in this room.

Next on the list is one of those great floor mats that has streets and houses on it. We're also hoping to get a train table at some point. The great thing is that most of this stuff has been free. You'll notice the basketball hoop in the background. I got that and a new sandbox this week for free from people in our neighborhood.

CA Trip #2

2010-04-02T07:46:00.000-07:00

CA Trip Post #1

2010-04-02T07:14:00.000-07:00

It's Spring!

2010-03-15T18:12:00.000-07:00

We did a lot of playing outside this weekend.

With the snow gone it was time to explore outside.

We put Frank in some new shoes so that the wet grass wouldn't make his feet cold.

He spent at least an hour in our front yard just digging, walking and talking.

The sticks go up...

The sticks go DOWN (which is one of Frank's favorite words).

Seriously, nothing's more fun than sticks!

Frank having fun with his big red ball.

La-La and Frankie playing with the hammer.

Frankie snuggling Mason.

We had the neighbors over for dinner and I made my first homemade pudding. Yum!

Happy Birthday A&E

2010-03-15T18:01:00.000-07:00

For A&E's Birthday this year I made them aprons that turn into purses. I found old vintage material that was my grandmother's in coordinating colors. I think they turned out really cute. I was pretty proud considering the fact that it's been years since I've actually followed a pattern.

Trip to Kicking Mule Farm

2010-03-03T12:07:00.000-08:00

Frances' pumpkin cake

Miles' blueberry muffins

This is what happened when we tried to take the pig away from Frank.

Just because he's feeling good!

2010-02-18T08:27:00.000-08:00

Just some cute ones...

2010-02-16T10:52:00.000-08:00

Getting Sick with Great Friends

2010-02-16T10:41:00.000-08:00

Getting sick is much easier when you have a set of best buddies to keep you company. Frank's just getting better after an almost two week stint of having a crazy virus that included coughing, fevers and a runny nose. For a kid and household that doesn't get sick very often this one really took us by storm. Thank goodness that we have two wonderful grandmas that keep us supplied with dolls for Frank. He's now become completely obsessed with the Muppets Show and the old Sesame Street episodes. He can say Ernie, Grover, Gonzo, Elmo and is working on Big Bird. It's funny how un-interested he is in cartoons. He just loves Muppets and let me tell you we watched our fare share of the episodes while Frank was sick. At least they are semi-educational, right?

Frank and Grover given to him by Grandma Nancy.

Daddy has one just like it that he grew up with. Grandma Nancy also just came over with a Cookie Monster puppet for Frank that I haven't gotten a picture of yet.

Frank and his new pillow and Muppets Movie courtesty of Grandma Connie.

Ernie and Frank. Frank loves pointing at his doll and then at the TV. You can tell he's a little crabby here. But, I promise he's much better now.

Winter!

2010-02-10T08:03:00.000-08:00

Frank eating some treats.

Smiles

Getting ready to get some fresh air.

New Projects

2010-02-10T07:53:00.000-08:00

Bath Salt

3 cups Epsom Salt

2 cups Table Salt

1 cup Baking Soda

2 Tbl Baby Oil

Food Coloring

Essential Oils

Left over pie crust scraps made into cinnamon and sugar treats.

Left over cherries made into freezer jam.

Cherry pie for our neighbors birthday.

Frank's new tie-dyed onesie.

Some onesies I made for a friend whose having a baby girl soon.

Randoms

2010-02-04T06:22:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of random photos from yesterday. Frank and I have been really enjoying our days off together. He's still not walking by himself very far, but we're learning other things and his vocabulary is amazing! He's working on feeding himself and drinking out of a cup.

You'll notice most of the water spilled down his shirt!

This is the funny face he made for me when I asked him to smile.

Seriously, could life get any better?

Grandma, Grandpa and Auntie Allie Visit

2010-01-24T17:31:00.000-08:00

Rooting for the Vikings!

2010-01-17T10:48:00.000-08:00

Rings

2010-01-11T04:21:00.000-08:00

Frank just learned how to put the rings on the post. He's pretty proud of himself!

Frank's first steps

2010-01-10T17:29:00.000-08:00

Frank started taking his first steps this week. This is a collection of some videos we've taken over the last few days. Hope you enjoy!

Merry Christmas Frankie!

2009-12-25T13:40:00.000-08:00