A Very Merry Christmas!

We are feeling very blessed to have just wrapped up a wonderful Christmas here at the Caruth house. We spent our first Christmas at home and enjoyed having the extra time to hang out as a family and start some traditions of our own. On Christmas Eve day the boys happily helped bake and decorate cookies for Santa, played board games and gave Skeeter, our elf on the shelf, some last minute reminders about how good they were.  After nap we headed to mass, which was lovely if you exclude one hilarious/embarrassing moment courtesy of Gavin. While heading to the bathroom with Joel he spotted our friends the Springer's in the back and yelled out, "Derek I'm going to change my big poop!". A lot of of people heard this and turned around laughing. Joel laughs about it now but was pretty embarrassed in the moment. (As I'm sure Gavin will be when we remind him of this story in 15 yrs!) Christmas Eve night we let the boys open 1 gift each. It just so happened to be their new Santa jammies and a few new bed time stories! The perfect thing to wear while getting Santa and the reindeer's treats set out before heading to bed!

Christmas morning the boys were very happy to see that the cookies and carrots were eaten up. Skeeter left them a sweet little good-bye note too. Gavin occaisionally looks and asks about him, but cheers up when we remind him he went back to the north pole with Santa. The boys were really sweet exchanging gifts with each other and agreed that their brother did a good job picking out a gift for them. They  were really interested in what the other had opened. Owen would show Gavin his gifts and explain what they were and Gavin would say things like, "Oh that's a good one". After all the gifts were open we had Santa pancakes and then the boys spent the morning playing and setting up all the new toys. Both boys were excited about the gifts they'd received. When I asked them which gift was their very favorite they both named the gifts they had requested from Santa, the race track and the Diego underwear. Good thing they got them!

After lunch Grandpa Carroll and Grandma Cyndie arrived from Iowa. Then after nap Uncle Jennon, Aunt Beth, Cooper and Drew joined us and we had Caruth Christmas at our house. It was a bit chaotic trying to keep the 3 older boys from ripping paper off of everything at once, but so fun to see how excited they were. Owen was really excited to get a scooter and Gavin and Cooper both received new tool benches. Even little Drew helped open some of his own gifts. We had a wonderful dinner and had fun playing the new game Carroll and Cyndie brought up.

Later this week we will head to IA to celebrate and visit with Grandma Theresie, Aunt Cailin, Uncle Adam, Uncle Daniel, Grandma Jeanie and Grandpa Mike. We will also get to see to go to Flattery Christmas in Fort Dodge. We can't wait to see everyone! Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas as well! Enjoy the photos!

                           

Good-bye Thanksgiving, Hello Christmas!

Thanksgiving has already come and gone and we are in full Christmas count down mode at the Caruth house. It has been a really exciting couple of weeks filled with lots of family and friends. Last week we traveled to Des Moines for Thanksgiving with the Finnegans. It was a beautiful, warm day that we enjoyed with 38 of the 42 relatives. It was great to see everyone, but went too fast. Over the weekend the boys had a great time at Grandma Theresie's building and decorating a fort made out of a huge box grandma saved for them. The weather was so mild we even got to have a bonfire on Friday night. We also got to spend some time with Grandma Cyndie and Grandpa Carroll. Grandma Cyndie proved she still knows how to rough house with little boys. At one point the 3 of them were laughing hysterically while the boys did somersaults into her lap!

When we got back to MN we wasted no time in getting our tree and Christmas decorations up. The boys were so excited to see the tree and stockings up. Mid week their little elf Skeeter returned to be Santa's reporter on Owen and Gavin's behavior. So far the boys have been pretty good and Skeeter has had only good reports to Santa. Gavin is also working towards toilet training and has asked Santa for Diego underwear. :) He loves to tell Skeeter when he has gone on the potty. Today he got to tell Skeeter that he went #2 on the potty for the first time! It was a really big deal!!

This weekend we did so many fun things! On Saturday morning we celebrated our buddy Bryson's 3rd birthday. We had a blast at the pirate themed party! After the party we headed north to Duluth with Uncle Jennon, Aunt Beth, Cooper and Drew. We went on the Polar Express train ride and got to meet Santa. We rode the train to the "north pole" where they read and reenacted the story of the Polar Express. During the story the storyteller would ask questions to get the kids involved. Of course our boys were some of the first and loudest to respond. Owen started launching into some story involving a car, but she was able to tactfully cut him off and keep the story going. (There is a photo of the storytelling and Owen and Gavin are in the lower right corner.) After the story the kids got to go and talk to Santa and give him their wish list. Owen asked for a race track and Gavin for his Diego underwear and "something else". The "north pole" is actually a train museum and their were several real engines inside. The boys thought it was so cool to see them. When it was time to get back on the train Owen was asked to ring the big bell on one of the engines to signal the crowd to board our train. It was so special for him. Unfortunately it was so dark in there the photo isn't great.

In Duluth we stayed in a really nice condo that Uncle Jennon found for us. It was right on the shore of Lake Superior so we had a great view! This morning we saw a large ship right outside our window. One of the bedrooms had a jacuzzi tub and we thought it would be fun to have the kids go swimming in it. They loved it! The 3 big boys all laughed and splashed with the jets. They would have stayed in their all day! Baby Drew thought it looked like fun as he watched from the side lines. It was so nice see the little cousins enjoy some bonding time. We ended our trip by visiting a local toy store and letting the boys pick out a little toy.  Like I said so much fun!

I am sure that this month will go even quicker than the last as there is so much to do. Happy shopping! Enjoy the photos!

                                  

  
                                  

Happy Halloween 2011!

   The boys have had a really fun weekend leading up to Halloween! They had a blast at buddy Will's birthday party Saturday morning. We ended the day with our first family movie night. After hearing Will talk about how much he loved the movie Rio the boys just had to see it! So we popped some corn and created a theatre in the basement. The boys really liked it, especially Owen! That is really saying something since Owen has been very anti-movie lately.
   Sunday was pumpkin carving day and the boys dug in and had fun with all the goo. Owen chose a vampire face and Gavin picked a ghost. Both were thrilled with the results. Way to go Daddy!!
   Today we got the house in the Halloween spirit by brewing a witch's potion (aka potpourri). Owen loved stirring his potion and doing his best cackling and scary faces. Then it was time to get dressed in our costumes. Owen's costume is a robot named Plex from the show Yo Gabba, Gabba. Gavin is Diego from the show Go Diego Go. Gavin was beyond excited to wear his Diego costume and sang the theme song for the first 20 minutes he had it on! The Caruth's came by for a photo shoot and we actually got a great photo of all the cousins. Sweet little Drew slept through the photo shoot but still looked adorable!
    After dinner it was time for Trick-or-Treating! Owen got the hang of wearing his costume after a bit. ;) He was definitely a hit in our neighborhood. When he would get to the door of a house the person who answered would have him wait so the others in the house could come see him too! All in all a great Halloween! I hope you enjoy the photos. I included some images of the real Diego and Plex. I realize that not everyone is up on the lasted Nick Jr shows! :)

                              

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!