Family, football, fire, and fun times!

Mom taking photos...AGAIN.
My cousin Ryan playing football, he's the one who gets to hand the ball to the quarterback.
Miles, Grandpa, and Great-Grandma cheering on Ryan.
Give me an R, a Y, an A, an N...what's that spell? RYAN!! GO RYAN!
Sitting on Grandpa's lap for a campfire. Miles is there too, but you just can't see him.

This is how Mom found Miles sleeping when she got home from her night with friends.

Last weekend Mom, I, and Miles went to Iowa. Mom had her 15 year class reunion so we made the trip down. We had a lot of fun. We got to go and watch Ryan play football. It was sooooo cold that morning. Last time we went to watch him it was sooooo hot that we used our umbrellas for shade. They lost the game but put up a good fight.

Grandpa Mike started a campfire for us. That was so fun to watch the fire, sitting on his lap with Miles. It was a perfect night for a fire - cool but sitting next to the fire kept you warm.

When Mom returned from her class reunion she went in to check on Miles. He was sleeping in the office on a trundle bed. She found him half on the trundle and kneeling over on the bed. She snapped a photo - because she's always taking pictures and catching those photo moments! I do have to say, she caught a good one here. :)

Grandma and I playing make-up.

Miles needs a little more practice on applying eyeshadow!

Harvest time!

Yep, nothing says October more than seeing all the combines, tractors, wagons, semi trucks, etc....welcome to harvest time! On the way home from Iowa, my mom and I stopped at the farm to see Daddy and Grandma and Papa Tractor to see how they were coming along with harvest. It's a good thing Miles can't unbuckle himself because once he saw the combine and tractor in the field and our buggy was headed onto the field he let out the biggest squeal.

Once we had our combine ride, we went back to the house to see Grandma and Great-Grandma. We got to put makeup on Grandma, which was a lot of fun. Miles doesn't know how, but that's okay because he's a boy.

Diggers, backhoes, cement trucks, OH MY!

Miles watching from the laundry tub.
Watching from afar.
Me at the park - just me, Mom, and my baby dolly.
I'm getting so good at riding my back now!
Today - Oct. 11th and the high was near 80 degrees!

It's been busy around here with summer ending and school starting. My mom actually told me some good news the other day. I will now be going to school 2x a week instead of just Wednesday evenings. I now get to be in the same class as my best friend Harper! I now will go on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:30 - 2:00 p.m. I'm so excited!

They started to build a house kiddy-corner from our house in the back/alley. Mom found a perfect spot for Miles to be the foreman...the laundry tub in the laundry room. He will spend hours in there if Mom would let him. He also likes to make sure things are going okay ground level. Mom makes sure he doesn't get too "in the way." He sure gets excited though when a new truck shows up.

My first day of SCHOOL!

Getting ready for my first day of pre-school!
CHEESE!
O.K. Mom, you can stop taking pictures now!
My new school! I am so excited. I wanna go in now.
This is my locker!

And this is my classroom!

My brother waiting for me for my class to end.

Well, this evening I finally got to go to school! Ever since we went to the open house two weeks ago, I’ve been so excited to go to school. We had a calendar at home where Mom and I would count down the nights every night. Well, tonight was finally the night I got to go to school. I am right now going to Wednesday evening classes...a program that they started this year. I go to school from 5:30-7:30 p.m. My teacher is Mrs. Larson and she is so nice.

Tonight in class we got to put paint all over our hands and make handprints on paper for our parents. I also got to play with the other students and we all had cheese crackers for snack.

When Mom and Miles came to pick me up of course I didn't want to leave, like anyplace I go to. Mom calls me her little social butterfly. I begged and begged for me to spend the night at school. I guess I have to wait seven more nights before I can go back. Good thing Sunday School is this Sunday!

Wiggles and Giggles!

My brother, the bystander.
Wiggles and Giggles!
Singing along and dancing...
Stretching!
Gotta wear my shades...

So this summer I've been attending a class on Thursday evenings, Wiggles and Giggles. It’s a class that I go to with other girls (and one boy) where we dance and sing along to silly music. It’s so much fun and it is right next to a playground! So after my class, my mom takes me over to the playground for a few minutes. My brother gets to tag-a-long once in awhile (if Daddy is traveling). Last week’s class was fun for him because there was some construction going on not too far so he was watching the loaders and trucks the whole time. He also got his first black eye the weekend before my class. He was swinging one of those strings that have golf balls on each end of the string and whacked himself pretty good. He’s a good sport though, didn’t cry all that much, only when Mom kept trying to put ice on the eye. Boys will be boys is what my mom keeps saying.

Our birthday party!

My Barbie cake - so delicious!
Miles birthday cake - a tractor getting the field ready for planting.
My very first Barbie doll! So excited!

Miles opening one of his birthday gifts from Gramma Ginny and Papa Mike.

Tractor quilt Gramma Ginny made! Miles LOVES his tractor blanket - he always wants to point to every tractor and tell everybody.
Miles pedal tractor from Grandma and Papa Simonsen! He can't quite reach the pedals on both sides, but loves to push around on it instead. He calls it his Papa Tractor.
This year my parents decided to celebrate Miles' and I birthdays together since we both have already had our “first” birthday party on our own. We both received many cool toys and clothes from our family and friends. It was a lot of fun to spend a day with all my family and friends.

Miles' first movie - Toy Story 3

Miles and Daddy right before we left for the movies!

June 18th, a big day for Dad because it was his birthday, me because I finally got a big girl bed (see journal entry below) and Miles because it was his very first time to go to the movies. It was Toy Story 3, a great movie. Miles even wore his Woody t-shirt. I got scared a couple of times, but Daddy protected me. Miles did okay for a good portion of the movie, but Mom had to take him out a couple of times to run around in the hallway. If you haven't seen it yet, I recommend you go.

The day has come....

My new room!
A very happy little - excuse me - big girl!
Mom and Dad surprised me when I came home from daycare on Friday, June 18th (Dad's birthday). I went to my room and I now have A BIG GIRL BED! That day I didn't even fight Mom when she told me I had to lay down for a nap/rest time.

Twins game at the new Target Field!

Checking out Target Field!
Miles and Daddy - two happy people!
On Thursday, June 17th (day before my daddy's birthday) we as a family went to watch the Minnesota Twins vs. Colorado Rockies. Even though the Twins lost, it was still a good time.

Target Field is awesome. We sat in the family section, way, way, way up high, but they were still good seats AND we were under the canopy - out of the sun. It was really hot and humid that day.

Happy Mother's Day Mommy!

Mommy's flowers from me, Miles, and Daddy, oh and Stimpy too!
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine...
Annual Mother's Day lunch

My mommy had a very nice Mother's Day. The morning started with going to church. I got to sing You Are My Sunshine to her. Mom and Dad sat up front so I did see how proud she was of me. We then went into St. Cloud to have lunch at Grizzly's. I ate all of my mac-n-cheese and fruit and even ate some of Miles' mac-n-cheese. We did some shopping and then went home where all of us (except for Daddy of course) took a nap. Daddy then made his famous homemade pizza for Mommy. I ate a lot of pizza. Mom thinks I must be growing through a growth spurt. Happy Mother's Day Mommy! I'm so happy you are my mommy!

Wedding bells are ringing

Cory Mark and Jen Thomas
My Daddy, Miles, Me, and Mommy
Miles and his big boo-boo.
Uncle Cory and his pink socks
puuuuuu! :)

Last Friday morning me and the fam made our way down to Spencer Iowa for my mom's cousin's wedding - Cory Mark. He married Jen, a very nice girl and pretty bride. It was a beautiful wedding. Uncle Cory wore pink cancer socks (and pink suspenders) in support of his fight for pancreatic cancer. He's a tough one and cancer has no chance with him! It was a fun night...except for maybe Miles. Us kids were all running around and he smacked right into a chair. The chair won. He got a pretty big goose egg on his forehead. He was even bleeding! Aunt Rachael looked at it and said to Mommy to keep an eye on him for the next 24 hours. 20 minutes later, Miles was running around (again) with cousins and other kids and ran into a wall and got a bloody nose. Daddy and Mommy were ready to call it a night after all that chaos. It was a night full of fun with family and friends. Thanks Cory Mark and Jen for the invite!

Bounce, bounce!! Everyone bounce, bounce!

Checking out the bouncy play gym.
Miles doing some bouncing!
Gotta love the static electricity!
Bounce, bounce!
I am Mr. Miles, hear me roooooooarrrrrrrr!

PLAYTIME!

Yesterday after my mom picked me and Mr. Miles up from daycare, we were invited to our neighbor's to play in the bouncing thingy. We had such a blast in there! My mom was pretty happy because she told us, "you kids are going to sleep so good tonight!" And we did. Goodnight for now. Enjoy the photos!