A Good Fortune

Cal's first fortune cookie granted him this fortune...

How perfect! I saved the tiny slip of paper in hopes of doing something cute with it for Cal's room. Six months later, I finally got around to it. I framed the fortune using one of Cal's latest masterpieces as the background.

Last night, Jakob hung it up in his room over our newest piece of artwork- an Instagram photo we had printed on canvas of our little adventurer and his best friend.

I can't help but smile every time I walk past it.

Captain Cal

We took Cal on his first boating adventure during our trip to Minnesota a few weeks ago. I assumed the day would be a struggle, at best. I was 99.9% sure that Cal would find some way to jump ship before the day was over. Much to my amazement, our little adventure seeker was actually quite cautious on the water. He proudly wore his life jacket took turns sitting in everyone's laps without any attempts to jump overboard. We were so proud! 

Here's a few photos from our day on the boat..

Holding on tight.

Wind blowing in his Donald Trump do. 

Funny guy could hardly keep his eyes open.

Learning the ins and outs of captaining a boat from Grandpa.

And promptly taking over.

Cousin Jack- beach babe.

After a while, we decided to jump over and cool off in the lake. Timid at first, Cal quickly warmed to the idea of swimming and was splashing around like a crazy fool in no time.

Clearly, the kid could use a pair of sunglasses. 

Between the wind and the sun he spent the majority of the day with his eyes closed- haha!

Practicing his back float.

Even little Jack got in on the swimming action.

Thanks for a fun week Grandma and Grandpa- our getaway to Minnesota for the week turned out to be just the vacation we were looking for!

Brother or Sister???

With Jakob's blessing, I found out the gender of baby #2 at an ultrasound last week. I promised (and actually kept my promise!!) not to tell anyone what we were having before telling Jakob and Cal together 24 hours later. This is where crazy work schedules really put a damper on things. Having to wait 24 hours until we were all in the same room together felt like an eternity! 

We both agreed that it would be fun for Jakob to find out the sex of the baby right along with Cal. It's not like Cal really cared whether pink or blue balloons would pop out of the bucket so it was fun that someone got to be genuinely excited for and surprised by the gesture.

The rest of the photos are pretty self explanatory..

WE ARE HAVING A BOY!!

And Calvin is getting a little brother! How cute are brothers? So cute! While I am still a bit overwhelmed with the idea of another wild little boy joining our already chaotic home, I could not be more excited for Calvin. He loves babies and is beyond thrilled to show off for anyone willing to watch his latest trick. I am already daydreaming of when I can prop a sleeping baby up on a Boppy pillow to "watch" Calvin dance as I quietly nap on the couch. This is how two kids work, right?! I know it's going to be a crazy few years but I have high hopes that my two boys will grow up to be the best of buddies and I am confident that Cal will be a great big brother to this little one!

As for Jakob and I, we already know how much love and joy a baby boy can bring to a family and are feeling incredibly blessed and excited to be adding another little one to the mix!

(Balloons are much more exciting than posing for photos)

Finally, I must say that unlike last time when we announced that we were having a girl, only to turn around and announce that our little girl was actually a little boy a few weeks later, this time we are 100% certain that this will be the only gender announcement we make before this baby is born. Just had to put that out there :)

Twins Fan

We had a great time in Minnesota a few weeks ago. My hopes were for an entire week of relaxation and that's just what we got! I thought I would kick off a series of posts from our trip with a few photos from our day at Target Field. 

Calvin got a hold of my camera and snapped these two shots of the field without assistance..

Not bad for an amateur, eh?

Unlike last year, when Cal quietly stared in awe of the stadium and napped through much of the game, he was all about the experience this year. He even sat with us in our seats and "watched" the game for three entire innings! Needless to say, he had a great day. Cal wanted me to share his top three favorite moments from the game.

1. Showing off his dancing skills for fellow fans as we listened to the Twins' organist. (You know the one- the one who plays the little ditties in between plays and leads everyone in "Take Me Out to the Ball Game".)

 2. Eating an entire hat full of chocolate ice cream with sprinkles.

 3. Being "pulled" around by his dad and grandpa. Instead of being pushed in the stroller, he demanded that the guys hold his hands and pull him through the stadium in style. Hah!!

I'm sure my dad has a list of favorites from that day as well. While I can't speak for him, I would assume that after years of bringing his two daughters to the game to cheer on his favorite team, he was pretty excited to enjoy this particular game with two grandsons in his lap.

Such a proud grandpa!

And even though we all look a bit ridiculous squinting as we stare into the sun, we did manage to get one shot of the whole crew before we left for the day..

I know what you are thinking Mom... CHRISTMAS CARD!! On behalf of the other squinty seven, I beg you, no.

Puddle Lovin'

I couldn't resist sharing this one with you. 

Calvin is all about jumping in puddles lately. Yesterday he went one step further..