18 months old

Ingrid turned 18 months old December 4th. Half way to 2 years-old, I cannot believe it. She understands so much and can say so many words, I am astounded by her on a hourly basis.

Christmas is coming!

Ingrid has learned how to say "cheese" when you take her picture...which is what she is clearly saying in this photo.

dress-up days

The post-halloween costumes I bought from a thrift store seem to be paying off... Ingrid and Soren are pretending to be dogs in a pet store in these pictures.

Clown A an Clown B

I realized, after looking over the pictures I'm posting today, that these show how Soren and Ingrid are engaging with each other. They are playing with each other more and have little conversations now that Ingrid is talking.

Trip home from Lake Itaska

We took a weekend trip to Lake Itaska State Park and stayed in the hostel there.  It was a chili weekend, but the fall colors were amazing and we made our fun by taking a snow hike, climbing on top of bunk beds and running down the hostel hallway. This is a picture of Soren and Ingrid enjoying their books on the short trip home. 

playtime

Besides pretending to be superman, Soren has also turned our living room into a hockey rick, including zamboni and penalty box. This is a picture of him in his jersey and helmet.

Ingrid impresses me with her ability to get comfortable, she loves to wrap a blanket around her (she does this by herself) and sit with a book.

Happy Halloween!

Soren checks out his goodies...

Pumpkin Patch

A beautiful day at the pumpkin patch!

Superman

Halloween starts early for us! Soren's been wearing his costume since the beginning of October. I love the way Ingrid is looking at him in this picture.

October

October started off with a visit from Grammy. These are pictures of Grammy and Ingrid enjoying some quality snuggle time. Grammy brought this adorable piggy-bank for Soren (including a red-scarf which he requested).

Making Happy Little Trees

Soren is interested in music, language, books, pretending, building with legos, climbing and anything with wheels. But holding a crayon, no way, he would rather not and usually ends up pretending that the crayons are little people talking to each other. I've witnessed him tossing the crayons I've offered him up into the air yelling, "see the people falling!!!" So, I've had to get a little creative with finding mediums that will hold Soren's interest...finger painting seemed to do the trick on one beautiful afternoon. After swirling the paint all over the paper, we took some little trucks and made tracks through the paint, he sat and did this for an HOUR! Afterwards I got out the sidewalk chalk and we drew a road with houses along the sides for his trucks to cruise on.

Early September

We've had a beautiful September here -it still feels like summertime, although the school buses we spot, chilly mornings and night coming earlier each night tells us different. We've started back at our Fall routine, each day we have an activity with other Moms/Kids, whether it be storytime, playgroups or ECFE. Both Ingrid and Soren are taking swimming lessons at the YMCA. Chris and I make an effort to get out for runs, we're both aware that the opportunity to take a run outside will come to an end way before we're ready.

Miss SugarSnap

I took these pictures of Ingrid after church last Sunday. She looked absolutely precious in this dress with the little cardigan, white tights and black mary-jane shoes. Her hair has changed so much in the last month, every time I look at her it's a bit different, looking more reddish and lighter. After I took these pictures we went inside, put on our comfy clothes and took a nap.

Sharing the Cozy Coop

I took these pictures today in our backyard. As I was taking them, I thought about siblings and the process of learning how to share. It wasn't so long ago that these pictures would not have been possible because Soren did not want to share his car (or anything else) with Ingrid. He did fine sharing with friends, but when it came to his sister, he would not have it. He would cry so hard, saying "it's mine, but it's miiiieeennee!!" Often time I have the "thing" they both want, Soren trying to wiggle on one knee and Ingrid on the other...Soren would say to Ingrid, "there is room for everybody!"close to crying, but not wanting to. After a lot of reassuring, explaining, comforting (and I'm afraid yelling), Soren seems to have come around to the idea that he can share something with Ingrid and this sharing can be enjoyable.

Last day...

Pontoon boat and Paul Bunyan

Soren told me that his favorite part of his vacation was driving the pontoon boat. He was also quite taken with Paul Bunyan and has now started eating his vegetables in hopes of growing just as tall.

Itaska State Park

One of my new favorite places is Itaska State Park...the headwaters of the Mississippi River. Amazingly enough it starts out as a cute little creek. This picture shows Grandma Kathy making the obligatory walk across the rock bridge. I am thrilled that this park is only a few hours away from where we live ~ we plan to go back next month for our anniversary.