Cael being Cael

Loves swinging...in whatever way he can!
Such a good big brother...
Loves to read!
Mmmm...ice cream cone...extra special treat!

Kiera keeping busy

Kiera is using her sippy cup more and more, and as you can see...she likes to make a mess!

Kiera really checking out Kaitlyn Poska
Yes, those are ice cream cones, and yes...Kiera seems to really like ice cream!
Pulling herself into standing is becoming her favorite thing to do, particularly in the middle of the night when she wakes up! Now she plays with Cael and his train set!

Camping with the Orani's

We met up with Colleen, Eli, and Samuel at Kamp Dels (near Faribault MN) to go camping for a weekend. People thought we were crazy to tent camp with 2 young kids...it was a blast! Ok, I will be honest and say that the first night was a challenge...partly because the temperature was in the 50s.

Cael loved to help set up the tent, while Kiera was contained in the pack n play
The food was delicious and fun!


There was a waterpark, that was NOT HEATED...the boys didn't care! Cael and Samuel loved to chase each other around, and splash. Kiera even enjoyed it, but I wasn't about to sit in it!


S'mores for everyone...and the boys loved them!


Reading by the campfire with Eli!


The boys thought it was fun to sit by the fire in their own chairs!

Time at the playground
There was a petting zoo we had to say good morning, and good night to the animals...multiple times!

Tent fun...

The kids had fun being occupied while we packed up the car...the soccer ball was a huge hit on the trip!

Did I mention we made it the whole weekend without one spray of bug spray, and only 1 bug bite for me, Cael and Kiera, and Jonathan didn't get any...it was quite amazing being right across the from a lake!! Great weekend! Great trip!! Can't wait to go again next year!

Triathlon season

I have been lucky enough to be able to participate in 2 different triathlons this year (of course, sprint distances)...and the races were a week apart! Not sure what I was thinking, but it was a lot of fun! Hopefully next year I will be able to do more than 2! I even cut 3 minutes off my 5K run between from the first week to the second week!

It is definitely more fun with Jonathan and the kids present! They seemed to have fun watching, too!!

Twins game with Daddy

Jonathan and Cael spent a Sunday afternoon at the Twins game. Cael was excited to go to "another baseball game", and also to take the light rail to the game. Jonathan said he was really good at the game, and wanted to sit in their seats most of the game! Of course, the game was highlighted by being able to run around the bases at the end of the game! Cael is still talking about it 3 weeks later!!

Vacation to Chicago

We started the trip with a stay in downtown Madison, where we met up with my cousin Pam, her husband Kevin, and their son Noah. Cael followed Noah's every move!
Kiera finally met Great-Grampa Cetin!!

We went to the Brookfield Zoo and had a great time seeing all the animals. Cael's favorite of the day was the giraffe and the bear; Kiera slept most of the time we were there!


Swimming was a huge hit at the hotel!


We spent a day downtown Chicago, and went to Shedd Aquarium. We told Cael we were going to see fish, and he was NOT interested. But when we told him we would see a Nemo fish...he was more than willing to go! This is what we saw within 10 minutes of being there. Cael then proceeded to ask "Can we go to the car now?" Needless to say, we did stay for a couple more hours, and he did have fun looking at all the fish, including the Jellyfish.We even went to a 4-D movie on Happy Feet...Cael was not a huge fan with the water in the face and the punching of the chair in your back...luckily he was sitting on Jonathan's lap the entire time! Kiera did wake up during the movie!We did watch the dolphin show, too, which was fun, and Cael thought it was funny watching them splash in the water!

It was a great vacation, and wish we could have 4 day weekends every weekend!

Kiera favorites

Here are a few pictures of Kiera...8 months (I will get the 9 month pictures up soon!)

Cael loves his little sister, and she seems to enjoy him pestering her!
Discovered her shadow!
Our good friends, Amanda and Peter Simone, had their baby girl, Julia Beth on August 1! Have a feeling the girls will be good friends!