Fall Begins!

Wow did September fly by or what!! Fall is here and we are enjoying some beautiful weather! It's so nice to continue visiting our favorite parks as well as add in our favorite fall activities. We are definitely into the groove of being back at work/school. The boys are all about checking out the changing leaves, eating apples and talking about Halloween. They have decided on what costumes they are wearing. Owen is going to be a robot which he is going to help us make. (He has specific criteria for this costume) Gavin is going to be Diego the animal scientist, from his favorite cartoon. I think both will be pretty funny! There are pictures that capture a few of the highlights of the month-Owen playing soccer, our trip to Milwaukee and a beautiful morning at the apple orchard. Here are some details about each album.

Owen is participating in his 3rd session of soccer. He is loving it and happy to have his Daddy coaching. He is still mostly at the "running around chasing the pack of other kids phase", but when he does get a chance to touch the ball he is able to dribble down the field pretty well. Gavin just wishes that he was old enough to play. He has lost interest in cheering on his brother during the games and now spends his time climbing the 2 trees that are near the fields, arranging the extra orange cones and asking me if it's over everytime the crowd cheers. ;)

Last week we took a family trip to Milwaukee to visit Uncle Daniel and Vanessa. Daniel and Vanessa are moving to San Fransico in a few weeks so this was probably our last visit to this city. Aunt Cailin, Uncle Adam and Grandma Theresie also joined us on this trip. We had a great time despite interesting weather and Owen getting sick. :(  He was able to hang in there for our Saturday morning activities which included coffee and a snack at fun cafe near the lake, a walk through the park, and visiting a few historical Milwaukee sights which were offering special tours as part of Doors Open Milwaukee. They got to tour an old sailing ship, visit the US Bank Observation Deck (44 floors up) and have lunch at the Milwaukee Public Market. It was great to spend time with the family, enjoying some great places in Milwaukee and getting in several rounds of Catch Phrase. The boys are big fans of sleeping in hotels and enjoy all elevator riding that comes with it. Our hotel offered it's breakfast in it's ballroom for some reason and Owen was very impressed. He kept saying "Milwaukee is a pretty nice place" between bites of french toast! We have always enjoyed visiting Milwaukee and think it's a pretty cool city, but I'm sure we'll love visiting Uncle Daniel in San Fran even more!!

This past week and weekend we have had gorgeous fall weather! It has been so nice to get outside and this weekend was the perfect time to pay a visit to the apple orchard. So Saturday we met our friends the Springer's at Minnetonka Orchard. This was the first time we had been to this orchard and I would definitely recommend it. The boys got to see animals, ride a tractor train, climb a haystack, walk through a corn maze and pick apples of course! They loved picking and eating apples. They each ate 2 whole apples during our time in the apple field. It was a lot of fun and they enjoyed hanging with their buddies!

Enjoy the photos!


                             

   
                         


                           

Jammed packed last week of summer!

   We just wrapped-up our last week of summer vacation and man was it busy! We had the chance to see and do A LOT and we have a few pictures from each event to share! It started last weekend with a visit from Grandma Theresie. The boys had fun showing Grandma their favorite parks, the pool and the library. Also in town that weekend were my Uncle Don, Aunt Linabelle and cousins Hannah, Sarah, Jennah and Aleah. Sarah was competing in the Visa Championships (the national championship in women's gymnastics) in St Paul. The boys loved playing with their second cousins and really loved going to see Sarah compete on Saturday. Owen was devasted when it was over and continues to ask when we catch go and watch Sarah again! Sarah did an amazing job and placed 3rd overall in the Jr age division. She made the US National team and will get the chance to compete in international competitions in the coming months. She also has a chance to make the Olympic team next summer as she will be turning 15 (the minimum age) in November. We'll be routing for her!
   The next big event was the arrival of their new cousin Drew! Uncle Jennon, Aunt Beth and proud big brother Cooper welcomed their new addition early Monday morning. We were able to go and visit baby Drew that evening and the boys both loved holding their new cousin. He's a cutie!
   On Tuesday the boys got a surprise from Daddy, tickets to go and see their first Twin's game! Both boys loved seeing all the sights of the stadium and did a good job sitting. They lasted for most of the game (a little over 2 hrs) which we thought was pretty good for a night game. Owen's favorite moments were the opening fireworks, sitting in the giant glove, eating kettle corn and watching the Target racers on the giant screen. Gavin also loved the giant glove and seeing TC Bear shoot out t-shirts to the crowd.
   The rest of the week included our final trips to the pool, playdates with the Springer and Bruecken buddies and the arrival of  Uncle Daniel, Vanessa and their little dog Cheeky, who came to visit for the weekend. The boys enjoyed going on walks with Cheeky and did a good job sharing the responsibility of holding the leash. Joel and I enjoyed getting to partcipate in some adult activities too. Daniel, Vanessa, Joel and I went to another Twins game Friday night. Saturday,Vanessa and I went to Lake Harriett to a free yoga event and Sunday Joel and Daniel got in a round of golf. We also got another chance to see baby Drew and family on Saturday afternoon. Grandma Cyndie, Grandpa Carroll and Great Grandma Donna drove up to meet Drew and we had fun visiting with them before they headed back to IA.
   Whew! I wasn't kidding when I said it was a jammed packed last week! As busy as it was, it was wonderful to have the opportunity to see and do so many fun things before we head back to school and daycare on Tuesday. We are fortunate to keep the same schedule and arrangements as last year and I think that will make the transition back a lot smoother.
   The boys grew and changed a lot over the summer so here are just a few tidbits of what they are up to- Owen is now 44 inches tall and weighs 36 1/2lbs. Which means he has grown 2 inches and gained about a 1 1/2 lbs since his 4yr check-up in February. He still loves cars and books! However his imaginary play has expanded immensely in the past few months. He is very creative and can script hours of play between his cars, stuffed animals and Gavin! He has also begun reading which is very exciting! He really enjoys reading the cereal boxes at breakfast, street signs while we drive and print on his and other's clothing. He has over 2 dozen sight words and when motivated can read entire Level 1 easy reader books with very little help. I think Ms Bonnie Jo is going to be impressed with his progress! Owen has also become a stronger swimmer this summer. He is now able to swim 2-3 full strokes under the water. This is the skill he is most proud of!
   Gavin is now 36 1/2 inches tall and weighs 31 1/2 pounds. This means he has grown an inch and gained a half a pound since his 2 yr check-up in May. Gavin's interest in books has continued to grow along with his vocabulary. He is attempting to rival his big brother with his ability to talk non-stop! He can recite several books and repeats everything Owen says like he is Owen's personal parrot! He has also taken to learning letters and can label 18 of the 26! He also knows all of his colors. He is continuing to use his left hand more than his right so we bought him a left handed baseball glove and he loves playing catch! Gavin also continues to show more confidence in the water and on climbers at the park. Gavin also continues to love trains and swings! When we are at a park it is hard to get him to do anything but swing!
   Both boys continue to be such characters! We have no shortage of entertainment at this house! It has been so fun to see all of their differences and similarities. It is also wonderful to see how closely they are connected to eachother. They are truly amazing little guys!

                              

T-ball videos!

Here are a few clips from Owen's last T-ball session. There are 4 total. The first is Owen playing catch and warming up with his coach. The second is Owen up to bat. He is the last batter for his team that time and they have the kids run all the way around to end the inning. The last video is of Owen hustling to field a ball, but unfortunately the rest of his teammates were hustling too! Just double click on any of the images to get them to play.

                              

Hot Summer!

It has been one hot July!! Luckily the boys have enjoyed lots of pool time to stay cool! They are both really comfortable in the water and enjoy playing together when we go. They are also big fans of the "big" pool and enjoy jumping off the side into the deeper water to Joel or I.

This month has also been somewhat accident prone for the Caruth's! Shocking I know! Owen received quite a shiner last week after tripping into a dining room chair leg. He has been practicing his tough guy faces and flexing his muscle to pull off the look! However, when Grandpa Mike told him to say "You should see the other guy" Owen's response was, "I'm too shy to say that". Too funny! Gavin also has a stubbed toe that will not heal because he continues to re-stub it every week. Doesn't help that he insists on being barefoot all the time!

Owen started T-ball this month. He is enjoying it for the most part, but it has been harder to keep him motivated during the warm temperatures. He does have a great coach and is learning some new skills that are making it more fun to practice. His favorite part is running the bases. He also gets so excited and proud when he fields a ball during the games. Gavin can't wait until next summer when he is old enough to play. He says "I play wittle weague t-ball too mom? Next year when I'm bigger?" I will try and post some videos next week.

Enjoy the photos!

                             

                             

4th of July!

Happy 4th! What a great long weekend! The boys kept busy with lots of activities including watching fireworks, boating, and participating in a parade! We started out the weekend at Grandpa Mike and Grandma Jeanie's. Owen was excited to be reunited with the red mustang power wheel! Gavin enjoyed playing catch with Uncle Daniel and Grandpa. We brought the boys to a firework show that night and while Owen was beyond excited, Gavin was not a fan. He didn't completely loose it but sat on my clap completely wrapped around me and asked to go to the car several times. :( The next day we had fantastic weather and took advantage of it by heading out on Grandpa's boat. The boys BOTH enjoyed this activity! The lake was "no wake" so it was perfect for doing some age appropriate tubing. :)The next day we got a lucky opportunity to meet the Jungman's for coffee. It was a short visit, but delightful nonetheless! We then headed to Grandma Theresie's for the remainder of the weekend. Owen helped Grandma make muffins and she helped him make a cool fort out of a giant box. Joel and I headed to Story City that afternoon for his Aunt Clela's funeral. She lost her battle with cancer last week, but we know she is at peace now. Joel and brother Jennon sang several beautiful songs during the service and even got some claps! Seemed both strange and fitting. It's just the effect their talent has on people. That night we brought Grandma Great (my Grandma Finnegan) to dinner and enjoyed hearing the story of how she met my Grandpa Finnegan. Monday morning we had a blast preparing for the 50th annual Waterbury Circle 4th of July celebration. We decorated a wagon for the boys to ride in and gathered with the neighbors for the short but sweet parade around the circle. The boys had fun riding in the parade and checking out the classic firetruck that followed behind them. We spent the rest of the morning enjoying the brunch, playing outside and enjoying the day. We hit the road in the early afternoon and were able to meet Grandma Cyndie and Grandpa Carroll for ice cream at Coldstone. Gavin loved watching the kids toss the ice cream in the air when they mixed it with the toppings. We made it home in time to grill for dinner and hang with our next door neighbors. Owen got to stay up for more fireworks. Poor Gavin retreated to the house after hearing a few rockets the neighbors lit, but luckily he was able to fall right to sleep. All in all a great weekend!
PS-I realized that an error occurred with the last slideshow of their swimming lessons. It was only showing 5 of the photos. Problem is resolved and all of the photos are there now.

               

These are a couple of little videos from the weekend. The first is Owen & Uncle Daniel getting silly in the tube. The second is the boys riding in the wagon during the Waterbury parade. Enjoy!

2011

Swimming Lessons!

I realized today that I forgot to post photos of the boys from there last session of swim lessons. They both really enjoyed the pool time and made progress on their skills. Owen passed 6 out of 8 skills which is excellent, but needs to pass all 8 to move on. So he will continue in the pike level when he takes his next round (probably in the fall). Gavin is ready to move on to the sea horse level which transitions the parent component out. Yeah me!

Enjoy the photos!


                                

Happy Birthday Gavin!

Gavin James is 2 years old! We celebrated his birthday over the weekend with friends and family. We were so thankful that the weather cleared up just in time for our BBQ. Gavin had a blast and was so excited to receive such wonderful gifts! He had his 2yr check-up on Friday and he is growing like crazy! He is now 31bs (83%) and 35 1/2 inches (80%). Joel and I joke that he is a little hulk, especially because he is now only 5lbs lighter than big brother Owen!! Now that Gavin is 2 he was able to try peanut butter for the first time and he loved it! He now asks for it regularly!

The other big news of the weekend is that Gavin is moving into his big boy bed. I am not sure who was more excited about this Owen or Gavin! Owen kept telling everyone the exciting news all weekend! He is so excited to have Gavin sleeping below him in their bunk bed. Tonight was the first night in the new bed and it was an amazing success! He only had to be put back in bed once before falling asleep!

Two weeks until summer break! We are really excited for some summer fun!