The Nelsons

Merry Christmas!

2012-01-01T13:01:00.002-06:00

A new bike! Does this pose look familiar? If you are thinking "hey...didn't Evan get a brand new bike last year?" you are correct! The kid grew so fast that the other one is too already small.

Jonas opening his gift from Evan.

Evan playing "Pig Poppers" with Grandma Bear and Grandpa T-Rex at the Walter's Family Christmas.

Evan's "don't hit me!" face.

Evan received a kid's shaving kit from my friend Staci - and he loves it! He shaves every time he takes a shower or bath. It is just too cute not to share. He is very serious about it.

All smooth!

Up on the housetop reindeer pause, out jumps good ole'...

2011-12-10T14:07:00.004-06:00

Santa Clause!

Naughty? Or nice?

Happy Birthday, DJ!

2011-12-01T23:08:00.000-06:00

Phew, lots of birthdays this month! Evan's good buddy, DJ, turns 5 at the end of December, but in order to have the party at the Gymnastics Center his mom had to schedule it a bit early.

Ball toss on the balance beam.

Jumping into the foam pit.

Opening the present from Evan.

Blowing out the candles!

Happy Birthday, DJ!

Evan the Artist

2011-12-01T20:21:00.001-06:00

Our family photo for the year. Isn't this great? I don't think any of us have had hair or noses before - and he even gave me blue eyes! This kid is my new favorite artists. Eat your heart out, Maxfield Parrish.

Here are the two new beautiful paintings I had commissioned this week. When hung like this they remind me of a moon rising over a field. Evan painted these for me at ArtReach while I was writing thank you notes. They are on actual canvas and he even remembered to paint the sides! What a guy.

I bought a new camera (finally) on Black Friday this year. I've been playing around with it all week, albeit it quite ungracefully. I think its going to take me quite some time to get all of the settings right.

Still playing with the camera...

Evan no longer fits in a Tupperware box.

Yep, still playing.

Playing with the camera settings at the Holiday Stroll.

Red Wing Trolley

Happy Birthday, Emma (5) & Maddy (3)!

2011-11-30T09:39:00.002-06:00

Princess Emma (Snow White) and Evan. Evan made sure to let Emma know that she was dressed like a Queen and not a Princess - because "Princesses don't wear crowns until they get married. Princesses wear pointy hats until they get saved by a prince."

Painting an adorable little wooden step stool as a party favor!

Balloon Race!

The Birthday Girls!

Marley with his Uncle Chad and Jezebel the dog.

Up the nose kiss!

"Surprise!"

What Evan wants (more than anything!) for Christmas

2011-11-05T09:52:00.004-05:00

Evan-ism from yesterday:

Evan: "Mom! Its almost Chicken Celebration Day! I'm so excited!"

Me: "Chicken Celebration Day? Is that something for school?"

Evan: (sigh) "No, mom. Its the holiday in between Halloween and Christmas, silly."

Speaking of Christmas...can you tell from the picture below what Evan wants (more than anything!) from Santa this year?

That would be a remote-controlled car (with an antennae off the back) and a remote with buttons to drive it. Isn't it amazing when all of a sudden your child switches from drawing scribbles to actually discernible pictures? Amazing. (Although, sometimes, I admit, they are only discernible to me!)

Boo!

2011-10-31T18:38:00.000-05:00

He steals candy from the rich...

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-30T20:51:00.000-05:00

Carving pumpkins ~

Happ-E-Hill Pumpkin Farm 2011

2011-10-30T20:48:00.001-05:00

Katie, Noah, and Dawson joined us for our annual trip to the pumpkin patch this year. It was a beautiful day but REALLY windy! We had a blast anyway, of course.

Evan and his friend, Sam, from school. We just happened to find each other on our way out the gate. It was great timing because Evan wasn't ready to go home, yet. The boys played for hours after Noah and Dawson left.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Jonathan!

2011-10-30T20:33:00.001-05:00

Concentrating very hard on painting a train!

Evan was pretty excited when he won the clothespin drop game!

Poor Marley...or Maxton. (?) Not sure which twin this is! They are both so cute!

Back to school!

2011-10-30T20:28:00.003-05:00

Evan's first day at Sunshine Corner was on September 13. He was so excited that when I came over to give him a hug goodbye he said "are you still here? I thought you left." and when I asked for a hug he said "Mom! I already gave you one. I'm busy paying with my new friends!" I am so excited that he loves his new school! (And he gave me another big hug anyway.)

My friend Tonya's little girl, Kylie, is in class with Evan (center). Kylie was born in the room next to us in the hospital. Tonya was in labor with Kylie at the same time I was, but Evan arrived on the 27th around 9pm, and Kylie arrived the next day. She is so cute!

We celebrated Evan's first day at his new school by going out to eat for dinner. What did Evan pick? SUSHI! He loves California and avocado rolls.

An Evan-ism from September 6:

Me: "What happened to your face? Its all red and splotchy."
Evan: "I dunno. I think I have red splotch disease."
Me: "Oh, really? How did you catch that?"
Evan: "I caught it from you, because you kiss me all the time. You really need to stop doing that."

And one from the same day!
Evan: "It's hotter than p*ss b*lls out here!"
Me: "What did you say???"
Evan: "It's hotter than p*ss b*lls."
Me: "I think you mean 'It's hotter than a PISTOL out here'."
Evan: "Oh, yeah, that's right. Hotter than a pistol. Thanks, mom."

Renaissance Festival

2011-10-30T20:16:00.005-05:00

We headed to the Renaissance Fest with my dear friend, Heather, back in September. It was a beautiful day and we had a blast!

In a moment of extreme weakness, I bought Evan a wooden sword. What was I thinking? That was so unlike me, but he has been really gentle with it...with the exception of the first few minutes when he showed me his "moves."

When we got home we made a crown out of pipe cleaners and Evan went on an expidition. He drew out a treasure map and packed his backpack full of treasure hunting items (like a magic wand and "nocculars.")

Evan-isms

October 4 (VERBATIM):
Me: "Wanna go for a walk?"
Evan: "Actually, that would be a good idea. I need to get my blood pressure up. My blood pressure pumps my blood into my lungs and I need some more of that today.

October 18:
Evan: "Wow, mom. You are getting really OLD."
Me: "Yep, well, each year we all get a little older."
Evan: "No, mom. I mean you are REALLY getting old. Even your feet are all wrinkly like a grandma's."

Last trip to the beach

2011-10-30T20:06:00.003-05:00

Photos from our last trip of the year out on the boat (end of Sept)

TA-DA! "Mom! Look what I can do!"

"Why is the sun always in our eyes when we try to take a picture?"

Evan-ism from the beginning of October:

At the grocery store, Evan was "flirting" with some young girls in a cart in the isle next to us. The were waving, and saying hello, and such...and then Evan abruptly stopped.

Evan: "Mom, let's get outta here. I'm allergic to girls."

Me: "I don't think you can be allergic to girls, Evan."

Evan: "Well, I'm allergic to THOSE girls. They make me sneeze."

Finally updated!

2011-10-30T20:00:00.003-05:00

I realize it's been a while since I updated this blog - partly because our home computer has been on the fritz, partly because I have been so insanely busy, and partly because I couldn't find my camera card reader. All three issues were resolved this weekend so I thought I would use my Sunday evening to upload the last three months worth of photos. So here goes...

Noah and Evan at Colvill Park (end of August, I believe.)

Okay, so this photo cracks me up - Evan likes to "borrow" my camera, and every time I pick it up I page through about two dozen photos of our cats and dog (rear ends running away from the 3-foot photographer, glaring green eyes and flat ears under the bed, etc.) So, this photo is funny to me not only because its a silly picture of poor Augie, but because it was in the middle of 45 other documentary-style photos that Evan took that night.

Dad and Evan - September

Playin' at the park, makin' silly faces - end of August

"Mom, quick! Take a picture of me and Jonas!"

Up on the bluff - our last warm weather trek of the year, I imagine. (September)

Happy 80th Birthday to my wonderful Grandma Jan! We love you! And are happy that we finally had an excuse to get a new family photo.

Evan-ism from September 13

Evan: "Mom??? What's the Easter Bunny's number?"
Me: "Huh?"
Evan: (Paging through the phone book) "I need to call the Easter Bunny. The (matchbox) car he gave me is broken and I need it fixed."

A flair for the dramatic...

2011-08-31T13:40:00.004-05:00

Evan-ism of the day:

Me: "Evan, I'm sorry, but you are at your limit. No more TV today."

5 minutes later...

Evan: (Sniffle, sniffle)
Me: "What's wrong?"
Evan: "You broke my heart."
Me: "How did I break your heart?"
Evan: "Because now I can't watch Scooby Doo."

Evan turns F-O-U-R!

2011-08-23T17:29:00.002-05:00

Goodhue County Fair

2011-08-18T14:29:00.001-05:00

Happy 150th Birthday, Goodhue County Fair!

Evan's first Demo Derby! With earplugs, of course.

Why is is that my glasses are always falling off my face?

Our good friends, the Neumanns. Someone was squinting in every shot. This was the best I could do, sorry Jeremy.

Emma, Jonathan, and Evan enjoying some carnival rides after the derby.

What a cute bunch of kids!

Fishing with Dad

2011-08-18T13:47:00.002-05:00

MN Zoo trip with Heather and Landon

2011-08-18T10:10:00.001-05:00

The penguin exhibit at the zoo is finally open! We have been patiently waiting for a long time - and two weekends ago we went up to see it.

Heather and Landon were able to join us at the zoo. Evan and Landon play really well together and had a LOT of fun at the zoo waterpark!

And three become two. Rest in peace, Rico kitty. You will be missed!

2011-07-29T13:00:00.002-05:00

Bear with us, we are crazy cat people. Our beloved kitty, Rico, crossed the Rainbow bridge into kitty heaven this morning. Its especially hard because Rico was Evan's cat. The past few months, Rico hasn't moved much from the spot in the photo below, so Evan hasn't really noticed that he is gone, yet. He knows he was leaving today, but just got back from day camp and is busy watching cartoons at the moment.

Eating grass in the backyard, a favorite pastime of his.

...and eating catmint from the backyard, as well.

We love you, Rico, and miss you terribly. It was so sad to watch you go, but I am glad I was able to hold you in my arms as you slipped away. I feel sad that you are gone, but know that you are in a peaceful, wonderful place where your back legs still work and you are able to chase things to your little heart's content. Thank you for being so tolerant, patient, and gentle with your best buddy, Evan. We wish your short life would have lasted a bit longer. Twelve seems like such an early age to go - but we didn't want you to suffer and we didn't think we could bare to watch you waste away.

What we loved most about Rico the Rockstar/Racer/Roamer:

He let Evan drag him around (sometimes by the neck or tail) and somehow understood that Evan was a baby and never fought back. When Evan got older, Rico snuggled with him. He still let Evan hug him way too tight, and never protested.
He was a closet snuggler - when he thought you weren't paying attention he would come up for a head-bump, a quick purr, or a nap on your lap. But if you pet him he got up and left, like he couldn't admit to himself that he liked you that much (except for Evan.)
His swagger. Anyone who saw Rico walk knew he had swagger. Was it because his hips and knees were bad? Or just because he was super-cool. It was probably the former, but pretend it was the latter.
He was king of the castle. And the dog and two other cats all knew it.
His googly-eye with the elongated iris made him look crazy, but crazy in an endearing- and snuggley-way.
The way he kicked his back legs out to lay down (and his bunny-feet) always made me giggle.
He was sneaky, but confident - and ultimately very, very loving. We will miss you, buddy.

Here's a video, taken yesterday, of Rico walking away. See? Nothing but swagger.

And Rico coming out of one of his favorite backyard napping spots - the dog house.

Goodbye, Rico. We love you!

Thank you to the Dahls for thinking of us and sending us this beautiful bouquet. You guys are the best!

Happy 4th Birthday, Evan!

2011-07-27T18:14:00.000-05:00

Evan had his second round of day camp through the YMCA this week - so I thought it would be fun to bring a treat for his birthday. The kids sang to him and each made him a birthday card. It was so cute!

I was planning on bringing popsicle, but it ended up raining all day so camp was moved to the YMCA...and I didn't think the custodians would appreciate sticky popsicle juice everywhere, so I brought cake pops from Hanisch's Bakery instead. They were amazing!

When I asked Evan what he wanted most for his birthday, he told me: "I want a pair of black pants, a bow tie, and a hat so we can eat at the fancy restaurant above your work (The Veranda)." So that is what we did! He picked out his own outfit ("Is this shirt and shorts fancy enough, mom?") and we went to dine on the roof.

Well, almost on the roof. It was hot out, so Evan chose to eat inside. He had mac n' cheese, and for his birthday the waitress brought him this HUGE and deliciously rich chocolate cake. Yumm!!! Evan was very sweet and shared his cake with all of us without us even having to ask. He is growing up so fast!

Happy 6th Birthday, Jonas!

2011-07-26T15:56:00.000-05:00

Evan's Birthday Party

2011-07-24T17:05:00.001-05:00

"How many are you?"

My sad-looking dinosaur pinata. Not sure why it looks like its twilight in this photo, but I couldn't fix it.

Evan had such a great time with all of his friends! Thanks Jonas, Hanna, Alex, Mary Ellen, Emma, Jonathan, Noah, Dawson, Dylan, and DJ for coming over to celebrate!

Oh, and before I forget...Evan's cake of choice this year was strawberry shortcake. He's never had strawberry shortcake before, but when I asked him what he wanted (i.e. chocolate, vanilla, etc.) he requested shortcake. Why? "Because I had a dream about it, mom. I dreamt about eating strawberry shortcake on my birthday, so that's what I want."

Where did July go?

2011-07-24T17:00:00.000-05:00

Moses (Liz), Jonas, and Phoebe (Liz) on a doggy play-date

My little ham....

Our entire street and sidewalk were ripped up at the beginning of July - so naturally, I had to use the opportunity for a photo shoot.

Cannon Falls Fair with the Neumann's

2011-07-04T20:58:00.002-05:00

Happy Independence Day!

We met up with the Neumanns today at the Cannon Falls Fair (or as Evan calls the town, "Cannonballs.") It was super fun - as are all of our play dates with the Neumanns!

Emma and Evan, taking a rest in the shade

Weeeeee! Super Fun Slide! That little guy on the middle slide is Evan. His face went from smiling, to scared, to smiling on the way down this ride.

Evan, Emma, and Jonathan: Adorable.

Petting a squealing piglet

Emma holding a chick

Evan was apprehensive about holding a chick and preferred to just pet one instead.

After a long day in the sun we came home and jumped in the pool - and were soon joined by Hannah (5) and Hunter (6), our neighbor's adorable grandkids. These three LOVE to play together and we really look forward to their visits (which, luckily, are weekly during the summer.)

Annual 4th of July bash at the Eckhoff's

2011-07-04T20:45:00.000-05:00

We made it to the Eckhoff's annual 4th of July party again this year. This kids are all a bit older (some freshly out of the womb) and really enjoy playing with each other. Peyton and Evan waste no time getting re-acquainted every time we see them! Plus, they had an awesome suped-up Slip N' Slide!

The guys playing bean bags.

Everyone race for the ball, 1...2...3...GO!

Getting ready to watch the show

Beautiful, as always!

4th of July: party no. 1

2011-07-04T20:37:00.000-05:00

Each year, Jeremy's Uncle Mike and Aunt Sandy host a fabulous 4th of July party. The fireworks are always fabulous, and this year they did not disappoint! It was a long day for us, and we missed the picnic, but made it in time for some lawn golf and sparklers.

Jeremy's handiwork with the sparklers

Ka-boom!

I took some photos of our garden earlier that day. It hasn't been the best season so far, but we are still able to enjoy some of the blooms.

Clematis

Delphiniums

Hollyhocks

Hydrangeas

Tea roses

...and cats. Here they sit by the patio door in unison, daydreaming about being outside and eating the baby birds hopping around our yard. Not a chance, kitties!

At the pool

2011-07-01T18:29:00.002-05:00

It was unbearably hot and humid out today, so after work Evan, Becky, and I headed to the pool. Evan passed 42" around Christmas this year - which means that he is now tall enough to go down the water slide at Colvill!

Father's Day/Jeremy's Birthday Camping Trip

2011-07-01T18:25:00.000-05:00

For Father's Day/Jeremy's Birthday weekend we decided it would be fun to go on our first ever family camping trip. We made reservations in Lake City at Hok-si-la Park, knowing we would be close enough to home if we got rained out or we needed to come home early.

Something was living down this hole and Jonas was determined to find it!

The sunsets were beautiful! Our site was right by the water - we couldn't have asked for a better view.

Evan wading in the water at the beach next to our site.

Taking Jonas for a walk in the woods.

Fishhook!

It was a great weekend. Evan slept like a champ and we will definitely be camping again soon!

Memorial Weekend

2011-05-30T16:04:00.001-05:00

Spring is finally here - and I mean it this time! The cherry blossoms in our yard are blooming - a bit late, mind you, but blooming all the same.

On Friday we went to the MN Zoo to see the "Dr. Seuss on the Loose" exhibit. Below is Evan posing with the iconic Cat in the Hat.

"I do not like green eggs and ham!"

And, of course, the bronze turtle. I think I have about 100 photos of Evan on this turtle. It will be neat to look back when he is 18 and see how much he has grown! I'm guessing in 18 years the turtle will still be about the same size...I hear they grow slowly.

Smile for the tiger in the background!

"Cheese."

A robin had laid an egg in this nest by the Cat in the Hat.

Yesterday, we decided a camp-out in the backyard would be fun. Even our jungle cats got to spend some time in the sun.

Poor Rico and his googly-eyes...

Making the fire with Dad. We had fun roasting 'dogs and smores.

Today we went to Ellsworth to visit Great-Grandma Nelson and Grandpa Wayne. Evan LOVES her vibrating chair. It was the only way we could get him to sit still as a baby!

Photo op with Great-Grandma!

Hope you all had a safe and fun Memorial Day as we remember all who have fallen and sacrificed for our freedoms!

Where does May go every year?

2011-05-25T21:53:00.001-05:00

Every year I miss May. I get really busy at work this time of year, and when the weather gets nice we spend a lot of time outdoors gardening, walking, and enjoying the sunshine...but I never seem to remember my camera! I guess I must be so excited to spend some time outside that I forget to bring it.

Our spring hyacinths were beautiful this year.

Evan and DJ at the circus. They are great friends and spend most of their time trying to make each other laugh!

They were so excited for the circus to begin that they were dancing in their seats - literally!

Yesterday my friend, Sarah, invited us along for a short horseback ride. Her friend, Andy, owns three horses and an adorable mule.

Evan liked the horses but spent most of the time playing tag with Rex, their dog!

Go Sarah!

Tonight was Evan's end-of-the-year school picnic. The kids sang songs and danced. Evan's best buddies at school are Jonas, Hanna, and Mary Ellen. Here he is cutting a rug with Hanna.

Singing the "Speckled Frog" song - one of our favorites at home, too.

So begins my first day of my annual spring Stay-Cation. I can't wait to see what the rest of the week has in store!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T19:37:00.002-05:00

What a great weekend! Evan spend Saturday afternoon with my parents at the zoo while we joined Jeremy's parents for a day at the Chanhassen Dinner Theater to see Jesus Christ Superstar. When we got home we dyed Easter Eggs.

This morning's egg hunt.

A present from the Easter Bunny - an explorer vest complete with compass, excavation tools (my favorite), a magnifying glass, bug net, lantern, and telescope! Evan was mesmerized by the tweezers. His friend Mary Ellen has a pair in her doctor play set and Evan is thrilled to now have his own! He likes to take out pretend slivers with them.

My budding archaeologist! Dr. Evan-stone I presume?

Of course, we gad to excavate some "dinosaur bones" from this strata called "Play-dough."

...and then make some spaghetti and meat balls (on blue plate, lower right) for lunch.

This afternoon we headed over to Jeremy's parents' house for Easter Dinner and another egg hunt. Evan was frustrated that this one was out of his reach (inside the chicken wire) and had to ask for help.

Evan and Bear playing tag.

Fun with the cousins.

Playing Peek-A-Boo! Evan loves to make babies laugh!

Shooting some Nerf rockets with Dad.

Mom makes me do the weirdest things for pictures...

Our "Family Tree" (hardy-har-har!)

Tonight we ended a great weekend with a walk on Memorial (Sorin) Bluff. Below: "A Boy and His Dog."

You can actually see our street from this overlook. There are so many mature trees in our neighborhood that we aren't able to see our house, but that is way worth having tall, beautiful trees in our backyard!

Bug hunting with his new gear. Jeremy and Evan caught a caterpillar (apparently named "Terrance") on Friday and Evan felt he needed a friend.

What a beautiful weekend - Happy Easter Everyone!

First bluff-trek of the year

2011-04-18T15:53:00.000-05:00

On Sunday we packed a picnic lunch and set off to climb the bluff. Evan was a trooper and made it all the way up to the top and halfway down again before he got tired.

Evan using his "nock-you-lars"

Taking a break to eat lunch (in fact, Jonas is staring at the sandwich in Jeremy's hand in this photo.)

View of Barn Bluff from the road.

View from on top, looking toward Colvill Park (see below)

Last Wednesday, we walked down to Colvill Park to see how flooded it was. For those of you who don't know what Colvill Park normally looks like, you can't normally see the river at all in the below frame. In fact, for those of you who were there, you can see Colvill Courtyard on the left side where Jeremy and I got married in 2006.

We needed a few more inches of clearance on the rain boots...good thing we live close by!

Lastly, a photo from Healthy Kids Day at the YMCA on Saturday - Evan flipping a Sturdiwheat pancake to win a prize! With a little help, he made it on the fifth try!

Our famous Evan

2011-04-14T13:12:00.003-05:00

Once again, our little star made the paper! This time it was an article about Earth Day that mentioned my second job at ArtReach. I was short a model that day, so I decided to have Evan be a part of the photo shoot. Isn't he just adorable? Disclaimer - these fabulous photos are NOT mine! They were all taken by the Republican Eagle's fabulous new photographer, Stacy Bengs!

Hail!

2011-04-10T20:06:00.001-05:00

We hit 70 degrees outside today for the first time this year! We also had our first real hail storm of the year...hopefully we don't get too many more.

Spring Break part duex

2011-04-10T19:57:00.001-05:00

I let Evan pick what he wanted to do the week of his first Spring Break, and he chose the zoo. Evan got a kick out of the brown bears. They were playing and wrestling "and kissing!" as he told passers-by in the second photograph.

April 1 also happened to be the first day that the Wells Fargo Family Farm exhibit was open. Evan was able to pet the baby goats and piglets.

AND, Evan was able to pet his very FAVORITE animal - a snake! This python was about 8 ft tall. He really did enjoy it, despite how apprehensive he looks in this photo.

Turtles!

This was the coolest thing ever! Someone was feeding this stingray chum from up above and we were able to watch it eat! The nice zoo volunteer-lady said that she has worked at the zoo for five years and never before witnessed a ray eat in front of everyone like that. So cool.

We also managed to fit in a family trip to "the tracks." When its nice outside we like to walk the train tracks (don't worry Grandma, its perfectly safe and you have lots of time to move once you hear a train coming.) We take our time and enjoy the nature along the way. This time we found two different animal skeletons, a nest of hatched turtle eggs, and lots and lots of pretty rocks.

"Cheese!"

Spring Break Sundae!

2011-03-29T18:55:00.001-05:00

I think we've discovered something worth making into a new tradition: the Spring Break Sundae! The song goes something like this... (ehem, clearing my throat)

"Being big is super cool

You get to go to Big Boy school!

Doing work and making friends

Until your happy school-day ends

But in the spring you need a break

So one week off you get to take

Fun with Momma, Daddy too

Because we are so proud of you!

Let's celebrate our fun day

With a Spring Break Sundae!"

I am currently taking cold medication for an awful sinus infection. I blame my rhyming skills on the acetaminophen. Evan seemed to enjoy it, at least!

Spring Break - part one

2011-03-29T15:58:00.003-05:00

Since Evan is a "big boy" now who goes to preschool, we are partaking in our very first Spring Break this week! Unfortunately, Jeremy and I both have to work this week so it is going to be more of a stay-cation. I did manage to get half of yesterday and all of today off, though. Yesterday it was so beautiful out that we decided to bike down to the library. We stopped off for a cookie at Hanisch's and Evan made friends with one of the sweet ladies that works there. He chatted with her for a while about his spider cookie and told her that it was "the best cookie he has ever had."

Today I felt ambitious and got Evan up at 7am (yes, earlier than a school day) to drive to the House of Bounce in Rochester. I had expected it to just be the two of us, but we got a fantastic surprise when we got there... Melissa, Peyton, and Landon came too! Lucky for us, Landon's doctor appointment for the morning was cancelled, so the Eckhoffs were able to join us.

Video: Evan LOVED this slide! (And yes, it was very loud in the House of Bounce!)

Where's Evan? Can you find him? This slide was HUGE! (Hint: He's in an orange shirt, climbing up the stairs.)

Video: "That didn't work so well," a.k.a. The Rope Bridge.

p.s. Does my laugh really sound like that?

Peyton, Evan, and Landon E.

Surprise Number Two: Heather and Landon #2 showed up, too! It was a great day. The boys bounced themselves silly (as you can see from their red cheeks.) Landon R. and Evan have never actually met before, although Heather and I have been friends since high school. They live up in the cities and we haven't had the chance to plan a play-date yet. Looks like we'll have to now, because Landon and Evan became fast friends! The held hands everywhere we went for the rest of the day. It was so sweet!

We've got a jokester on our hands!

2011-03-24T18:03:00.001-05:00

"Look at me! Look at me!" Every chance he gets, Evan tries to make us laugh! Lately he's been into physical comedy - pretending to trip or fall over things, doing silly dances, pretending he can't hear me (my personal favorite) and dressing up (his personal favorite.) Below he is wearing Mr. Potato Head glasses...and then my glasses. Pretty darn cute. After he put on the Mr. Potato Head glasses last night he asked me if he "looked gorgeous."

...and fake hair extensions at the mall. What a goon!

Oh, and here's an Evan-ism from Monday night:

"Mom, I don't want to drink my tea in your coffee mug anymore. I think we should get some tea cups with little plates. I like those." After I asked him what kind he wanted, he replied: "Red teacups and green plates. And flowers on the teacups with pink petals and orange circles in the middle and purple stems and blue leaves...no, I want yellow leaves."

Happy 30th Becky!

2011-03-06T17:21:00.002-06:00

Last night I went out to the bar (yes, the bar!) to celebrate my buddy Becky turning the big 3-oh! Those of you who know me know I hardly ever go out to the bar. The last time I was in Andy's (where the party was) was seven years ago when we lived in the apartment complex next door to it. But people don't turn 30 everyday (well, actually they do, but Becky only turns 30 once) and so I decided to go out.

Becky opening up a present from her Menards friends, wrapped in bubble wrap, of course!

Liz borrowed my glasses for a photo op

This morning we decided to go for a morning stroll. Evan broke out his bike, which is actually brand new but a little on the small side. We are expecting a cold front and more snow (grrr) this coming week, so we figured we better take advantage of the sunshine.

Later today we went to Rochester and on the way home we stopped at Cold Stone Creamery. Evan loves ice cream as much as Jeremy, so after finishing his own and eating half of mine he decided that Jeremy's cone was fair game as well.

Chocolate dipped cone with sprinkles - delicious!

Got any more in there Dad?

Evan-ism:

"Hey guys! Guess what? My pee is MAGIC!"

Backstory: On the way home from Rochester today Evan announced from the backseat that he "really had to pee bad!" We pulled over in the middle of nowhere and I got out to help him pee by the side of the road. Big mistake. Mom's aren't good at stuff like that. He peed all over himself, including on Jeremy's jacket that I was using as a wind block. Jeremy made the comment that if he had to wash his jacket again it might not fit because every time he washes it it shrinks. A few seconds later Evan came back with "Hey guys! Guess what? My pee is MAGIC! It makes things smaller when you wash them!"

A few weekends ago Jeremy went ice fishing with a group of friends. They didn't catch much during the day, but the fish were biting in the wee-hours of the morning. Jeremy looks a little tired here - that's because he caught this big guy a little before 4 am.

Car Pancakes

2011-02-25T10:57:00.001-06:00

This morning Evan asked me to make him a "car pancake" for breakfast. When I gave it to him he replied: "Thanks, Mom. You're a good kid." (This is his "eating the pancake" face.)

Evan is enrolled in swimming lessons and gymnastics at the local YMCA. I accidentally signed him up for the first-grade class instead of the pre-school class, but it actually seems to work out better. He listens better when he is surrounded by older kids. Here he is on the vault (arms up - "Ta-da!")

Normally, Jeremy picks Evan up from school each day. Jeremy has had to work the past few Fridays, so I have been the one to pick Evan up and drop him off at my Mom's house. He was so excited to see me last week! Here he is running to me as the kids all come back from playing down by the creek.

And, of course, here are some Evan-Isms:

Feb 24, 2011

Evan: "Mom! Daddy let me have a cookie...but they were only for girls."

Me: "Only for girls? What do you mean? What kind of cookies were they?"
Evan: "They were made out of girls... when a girls shouts."
Me: "Oh! Girl Scout cookies! Honey, that's okay, boys can eat them, too. And they aren't made out of little girls, I promise."

Feb 18, 2011
Evan: "Mom! Look! A black kitty with white paws is outside!...I wish I could have a kitty like that."
Me: (sigh) "You're just like your Daddy, I tell ya'."
Evan: "Yeah, Mom! You TELL us! Tell us we can have a kitty like that!"

Feb 7, 2011
Evan: "Hey, mom, can I eat my booger?"
Me: "Eww, no. Want me to get you a Kleenex?"

Evan: "No thanks, I'll just put it back in my nose."

Red Cottage Montessori School

2011-02-07T10:09:00.003-06:00

Here are some photos from Evan's first month in school that his teacher passed on to me. Each day the kids spend an hour outside hiking the trails looking for deer beds, animal footprints, and enjoying nature on the bike trail and bluff behind the school.

Down by the Hay Creek, accross the street from the school.

For those familiar with the Montessori method of education, you know that the school focuses on practical life skills as part of the curriculum. Each child is allowed to choose their own work - and on this particular instance Evan decided he wanted to choose cleaning the windows! He keeps asking to do this at home - I think I need to buy him a squeegee.

Evan is LOVING school! He loves his new friends and his teacher, Kai. Every day when I get home from work I get an earful of all of the fantastic and fun things they did that day - what kind of animal tracks they found in the woods, what Hanna's favorite colors is, what work Evan chose that day, and all of the fabulous stories that a three-year-old's imagination can come up with.

It's Been a While...

2011-01-28T19:41:00.002-06:00

We've been busy! Evan started preschool the first week in January and its been going fantastic! Evan is a bit on the wild side, so of course there have been a few issues getting him to settle down and not interrupt the other children while they are working, but all-in-all it has been a fantastic experience for him (and us!) There was a great article in the local paper about the new school with Evan's picture in it. I'll see if I can get it to upload.

I'm not sure what's been the best thing about school - the fact that Jeremy gets to sleep more than 4.5 hours, that Evan is tired and on a regular schedule, or the friends that he has made! We went to the zoo and the Children's Museum on two separate occasions with his new best friend, Mary Ellen. She is absolutely adorable - and quiet/well behaved - so she and Evan get along nicely. I'm hoping she rubs off on him a bit...

Here are some highlights from the past month:

Evan hiding in the doghouse at the Children's Museum

Evan was so excited to dress up as a fireman!

Jammin' with some new friends (they were watching themselves on a TV screen while they played.) Ever since we played Rock Band at the Dahl's Evan always wants to "be the mica-ro-fone."

Blowing some awesomely big bubbles!

Fishing with Mary Ellen

"I'm a turtle!"

Hanging out with our buddy, DJ

Ice skating at the Athletic Field with Beth and DJ. I forgot how hard this was!

Once the sun set and the moon came out we figured it was time to head for home. The boys had fun but were a little frustrated with their first ice skating experience. I think Evan thought he could "run on the ice" like the hockey players he sees on television!

Two best buddies asleep on the couch together after a long day!

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T01:00:00.007-06:00

Some of my favorite moments from 2010 (click for larger view)

Happy Birthday Mommy!

2010-12-29T22:42:00.002-06:00

My birthday was yesterday (the 28th) and I came home from work to a birthday cake crafted by my two favorite boys!

My Mom and Bruce took Evan and I out to dinner for my big day (Jeremy had to work.)

And my favorite part: a special birthday song from my little man!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-26T09:30:00.002-06:00

We had a wonderful Christmas -we visited lots of family and ate lots of great food. We are lucky to have a large extended family full of amazing and fun people. We thank the heavens above that each of you are in our lives! Merry Christmas - and here's to a great 2011!

On Christmas Eve Evan was so excited that he couldn't get to sleep. At 11:30 he was still tossing and turning, so I whispered to him "Do you hear that? I think I just heard sleigh bells! I think Santa may be on Dar's (our neighbor) roof! We better hurry up and go to sleep or Santa will miss our house!" BAM - he was out like a light and didn't move again until morning. Ahhh, Christmas magic.

Christmas Morning Video:

A new bike from Mom and Dad, The Polar Express book (which we didn't have yet - thanks Great-Grandma and -Grandpa!) and lots of other fun toys from Uncle Kelby, Grandpa and Adriana, and Santa!

My boys on Christmas Eve while watching the cats play with a giant ball of compressed catnip. It was hilarious!

My favorite Evan-ism from Christmas Eve:

Evan: "When I was a baby, I got presents from Santa! And when Santa's reindeer were babies, they got presents from Santa. And when Santa was a baby, he got presents from...me!"

Our sad little gingerbread house

2010-12-18T22:30:00.000-06:00

"Hey, Mom! Take a picture of me and my friend Rico!"

Painting the morning away...

Tonight we watched the Polar Express (again) and made a sad little gingerbread house. It looks okay from far away, but close up...

...not so much. Poor little gingerbread house!

Puppets and Dinosaurs

2010-12-14T17:17:00.002-06:00

Evan really wanted to go outside and play in the snow when I got home from work today - but it was zero degrees outside (-10 with the wind chill) and so I convinced him to stay in and make hand puppets with me instead. We found an old pair of socks and broke out the art supplies.

While we were playing with them, Evan's hand puppet ("Konk") decided to describe to my hand puppet ("Hot Chocolate") what kind of dinosaurs he liked. It was so cute! He was naming off all of these amazing dinosaur names - and most of them I had actually heard of (thanks to my having a little brother who also loved dinosaurs). Velociraptor, Stegosaurus, Brontosaurus, Pteranodon, you name it! I was pretty impressed so I asked him to explain it to me again for the camera. Of course, it wasn't as succinct the second time, but still cute!

Storm of the Century

2010-12-14T17:04:00.001-06:00

Red Wing officially received 20" of snow this weekend. Grandpa Rex was nice enough to lend us his snow blower (thank you Grandpa Rex!) and when we returned it on Sunday we brought our sleds with for some winter fun. Evan and I had attempted to go sledding the day before, but the snow was so deep and fluffy that he sunk and the sled wouldn't go down the hill! It worked much better on Sunday - each of us went down the hill once with Evan...and hauled him (45 lbs) back up the hill. So, Rex got out the four-wheeler so we could ride back up instead. It was so much fun!

Big hill!

And, while we were snowed in on Saturday, Evan found a stray yellow marker and decided the footstool needed to be decorated. Below is his drawing of a tiger, complete with stripes and sharp teeth! Luckily, it was Crayola and washed right off.

Holiday Train

2010-12-10T23:40:00.000-06:00

We braved the impending snow storm tonight and headed to Lake City to view the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train with DJ and Beth. First we made a stop at the library to watch the Polar Express movie, make a train ornament, and view some neat model trains.

Here the boys are watching the Polar Express. (We actually just watched this movie last night at home and Evan really loved it.)

Later on we went down to the tracks to view the Holiday Train.

The lights were actually pretty impressive, and there was a live band playing Christmas songs in one of the cars (below.)

Evan and DJ had a 45-minute snowball fight...

and made snow angels...

AND, got to meet Santa!

It was a really fun time, despite the cold. We times our departure perfectly and were able to view the train on its ride to Red Wing. We raced it to the levee and caught it just in time to watch it roll to a stop for the night before we headed home. What a fun time! Definitely something we will plan to do again next year.

Evan the Ice Skater

2010-12-08T16:12:00.001-06:00

I used a little too much water when I mopped the kitchen floor yesterday - Evan said it looked like a skating rink and put on his ice skates (slippers) so that he could "show me some tricks." Here he is performing his routing on the freshly scrubbe floor. p.s. Notice his multi-colored slippers? He told me wearing one blue one and one red one would make him go faster.

A Snowy Saturday

2010-12-04T20:08:00.002-06:00

Nothing stops this kid from riding his bike -
not even 6 inches of snow!

First snow angel of the season

Video of the big snow race: "Four Wheels" VS. "Four Legs"

Happy Belated Birthday Emma! The Nelsons and Neumanns got together for a triple-date night (Jeremy/Emily, Derek/Annie, and Evan/Emma) at the bowling alley and Bierstube. Although Evan and Emma went "dutch" he did end up sealing their night with a stolen kiss. Emma was not thrilled.

Jumping for joy as his ball knocked over some pins

Goodbye Thanksgiving and Hello Christmas!

2010-11-30T22:11:00.006-06:00

I know, I know...it's been a while. This time my excuse is that I broke my camera. I dropped it in the grass and the lens got stuck, so, in true "Emily" fashion, I banged it on my palm a few times to get it unstuck...which resulted in my knocking it out of my palm and it landing on the cement. Well, long story short, last night Jeremy "fixed" my old camera by - you guessed it - banging on it. And viola! It works! I'm back in business!

Each year Evan makes his grand- and great-grandparents a Christmas ornament. Last year he made clay snowmen. This year he chose stars. While he was mixing the colors together he made mauve. He asked me what color it was, and I told him it was "mauve."

Me: "Mauve is like a mixture between pink and purple."
Evan: "Pink and purple? You're right! It is Marvin! I like Marvin - it's a pretty color."

This is what I refer to as an Evan-ism. I have an entire collection in a jar on top of the fridge. I also frequently post them to my facebook profile, but I thought I would re-post them all here as well, since I am hoping to get this blog eventually printed as a second baby book for Evan.

"Evan-isms"

Evan having a conversation with a cute old lady at the grocery store tonight:

Lady: "My, what nice hair you have! I want those curls!"

Evan: (completely serious) "Well, you can't have them. They're mine."

November 30

Evan's sneezing etiquette: "A-choo! Whew...bless myself!"

November 30

Evan waking up from a dream this morning:
"Mom! I just found three monies (coins)! Them fell down from the sky - I think its raining monies!"
November 28

"Mommy, go get me some fruit snacks, please. Now. You've been told."
November 27

Evan: "Mom, I don't want you to vacuum all that stuff up (on our living room rug), I like messes."
November 22

Me: "Are you hungry? Do you want a snack when we get home?"
Evan "Like what? I like apples, and oranges, and boogers."
Me: "Boogers? Yuck Evan - boogers are made out of germs, that's gross. Please don't eat your boogers."
Evan: "But elephants eat their boogers.”
November 18

We have another Evan-ism tonight - as I was watching the news, which I never do with Evan in the room, they showed a clip of a hockey game.
Evan: "Momma, I don't think you watch hockey. Hockey is a Daddy Show. You only watch Momma Shows."
Me: "I do? What's a Momma Show?"
Evan: "Like singin' and stuff, I don't know."
November 16

Evan (all sad and sniffly): "Mommy, I don't like myself."

Me (shocked and concerned): "What?? I love you and like you lots! Why don't you like yourself?"
Evan (completely serious): "I need a little sister. Then I'll like myself."
November 16

Evan: "Mom! I went to the tooth doctor today! And I got a new teethbrush! And my very own floss!"
Me: "Wow, Evan, that sounds exciting!"
Evan: "Yeah, it happened four minutes ago, when I was older."
November 15

Evan's favorite new saying when I tell him 'no.' - "Its okay, my OTHER mom said I could do it."

November 4

Evan: "Hey, Mom - you know how to spell 'Evan?' EEE-OOO-Three. Evan. That's my name!"
Me: "Close! Try E-V-A-N. Evan."
Evan: "No, Mom. That's not right. I already TOLD you how to spell it - 'EEE-OOO-Three.' Evan."
November 3

Our evening conversation in the car on the way home from the Y:

Me: "Evan, would you like to make some new friends?"
Evan: "No. I already have friends - Emma, and DJ, and Kathy (Evan's swim teacher), and Dave."
Me: "Dave? Who's Dave?"
Evan: "I met him at High School."
October 27

Evan is insisting his name is "Shaggy," Jonas is "Scooby" and the cats are Velma, Daphne, and Fred. "Shaggy" keeps wandering around calling "C'mon Scooby! Let's go solve a mystery!" So, I turned out the lights and gave him a flashlight.
October 22

Evan: "Mom, Rico (our cat) smells."
Me: "He does? What does he smell like?"
Evan: (sniffing the cat) "Hmmm...he smells like...a sandwich."
October 13

Me: "Evan, why are your cheeks so red?"
Evan: "From the wires on Daddy's face when he kisses me." (Jeremy's beard!)
October 13

When Evan asked me why he needed to brush his teeth today, I told him that the icky germs would make his teeth yucky and if he didn't brush them his teeth would fall out. He gave me a big, proud smile and said: "Then I'll be just like grandpa!"

October 11

Jeremy: We have to go get Momma a bottle of wine.

Evan: Why?
Jeremy: Because it's our anniversary today.
Evan: Yuck.
Jeremy: Why "yuck?"
Evan: Because you kiss her!
September 9

Eavesdropping on Evan playing with his matchbox cars: "I can disappear cuz' I'm a big boy. Big boys can do magic. Uh-oh, now I'm stuck. I'm stuck disappeared!"

September 7

Evan: "Momma it’s not rainin' out anymore so let's go the park, let's go, let's go, let's go! Go get my clothes, let's go Momma. Please. Let's go!"

Me: "Okay, take off your Buzz Lightyear pajamas."
Evan: "And my underwear. I need new underwear on."
Me: "Why do you need new underwear?"
Evan: "Because new underwear is ...fun."
September 2

Evan played over in our neighbor's yard tonight with his friend, Hunter.

Me: "Evan, it's time to come back over to our house and come inside."
Evan: "No. We're playing pirates and pirates don't live in houses."
July 25

Evan: "Mmmm, Mom! You smell like strawberries!... Jonas smells like a barn animal."

July 16

Me to Evan: "Try it again, Honey." Evan: "I'm not a Honey. Daddy is a Honey."

June 24

Me this morning to Evan: "Here's your juice, love." Evan: "There's love in my juice?"

May 6

Going to bed: "Mommy, I need you ALL DAYS! I wanna' go ni-night witt you. Let's go watch a movie and 'nuggle." (Evan)

March 15

I picked out a mismatched outfit for Evan this morning, so he turns to me and says: “(sigh)You're always causing trouble, Momma." I said "What?? Did you just tell me that I am always causing trouble?" And he says "I'm just joking, Mamma. It's a JOKE."

February 18

Evan is learning to tell time! We're headed to Colvill at his request...
Evan: "Let's go - we really need to go to the park. Please?"
Me: "Why?"
Evan: "Because it's two-eight o'clock and the eight is up. Let's go."
February 2010

First Snowfall of the Season

2010-11-13T10:23:00.005-06:00

We had the first real snowfall of the season this morning. I woke Evan up to go play in it. Here he is putting the finishing touches on our snowman - a mohawk and a hat. Evan's new "pose" for taking pictures is to put his arm around someone and say "cheese!" Man, I love this kid. He is such a funny guy!Ta-Da! All finished. We gave him the shovel in the hopes that he would finish shoveling the driveway for us. Speaking of the driveway - the entire surface was covered in snow spots this morning! I had to take some quick pictures before it melted too much. Below is a close-up. Thousands of fist-sized air bubbles trapped under the wet snow...it was beautiful!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T20:30:00.006-05:00

Our cute little Dinosaur (or Dragon/Aligator/Crocodile depending on who asked him.)Testing to see if his "growler" works.

Trick-or-Treating with Dad.

DJ abd Evan with full buckets!

A Blustery Day

2010-10-26T20:49:00.005-05:00

'Twas a bit windy out this evening...our neighbors lost a branch. A big branch. There's no trick photography here, folks. The limb they lost was as tall as their house. Unfortunately for us, it fell on our power line and ripped it off the side of our house.Since the power lines were laying in the middle of the street, the power company elected to cut the juice to our neighborhood. (Good move.) After a call to the power company, the non-emergency police number, a local electrician, and our homeowners insurance, it was all put back together and the power turned back on. Thank goodness no one was hurt!

Art Festival, Fire Department Open House, Driveway Races, and the Zoo!

2010-10-26T17:48:00.011-05:00

The downtown Arts Festival is the second week in October every year. This year we walked down. It seemed like a good idea at the time: get some exercise, see some art, eat some ice cream...until the temper tantrum. This picture was about 10 minutes before Evan had a major meltdown and had to be carried home (after 6 blocks of a squirming, screaming, 45-lb. kid, Jeremy went home to get the Jeep while Evan and I sat in a time out.) It was a great day, but not such a great ending.Making a T-shirt (before the ice cream cone.)

The next day we stopped down at the Fire Department for their open house. Evan was a bit apprehensive at first, but once we got him in the truck it was hard to get him out!Thumbs up Uncle Justin! We are so proud to have a firefighter in the "family!"Jeremy and Evan drew a chalk race track in our driveway, complete with safety cones. Evan Jeremy tested it out! Side note: the tractor doesn't steer as well with a full-grown man riding it.

It rode much better for Evan - he even attached his red wagon to the back and pulled it around.

Our monthly trip to the zoo. New family favorite: Colobus Monkeys!

October fun

2010-10-08T13:48:00.008-05:00

A few weeks ago it rained hard for two days straight. It was enough to make the river overflow and cause a bit of damage south of here. It was beautiful out yesterday and we headed to Colvill Park. In the photo below you can still see the levee wall (about mid-photo with a group of seagulls perched on it.) I am always looking for fun indoor things for Evan to do throughout the fall/winter. I enrolled him in swim lessons at the Y and he absolutely loves it! I love it, too, because the swim instructors stay in the water with him and I get to watch from the hot tub!Nice form! Maybe Evan will be on dive team when he goes to school.

And this is how I spend my time...a "normal" afternoon in the Nelson household: Evan, wearing NO pants, MY shoes, and a canvas bag over his head calling "MOM....MOM....LOOKATMEE!!! I'M A FUNNY GUY!" You sure are, Evan. You sure are!

A busy weekend!

2010-10-08T13:16:00.015-05:00

Last Sunday Evan and I headed to Happ-E-Hills pumpkin patch with Grandma Barb, Aunt Tracy, and cousins Katarina and Victoria. (Evan thinks Katarina looks like Belle from Beauty and the Beast and therefore calls her "Princess Katarina.")

Evan's beautiful cousins!
Posing with Grandma

There were kiddie-tractors (of course, Evan picked the pink one)...

A petting zoo (Grandma's favorite were the piglets, Evan's favorite were the bunnies)...

Horse rides ("Buddy" was a bit suborn and wouldn't pose for a picture)...

A hay maze with big bales to climb and jump on...

And, of course, a pumpkin patch. Evan picked out a little one that we will paint or carve this weekend. I had to get a picture of Evan by the "How Tall This Fall" board - its become a tradition!
The night before we attended a friend's wedding and were lucky enough to sit by the Neumanns at the reception. It was beautiful but a bit chilly.

The Happy Couple: Annie and Derek"WOW MOM! This is a GOOD cupcake!"

Emma and Evan = cupcake aftermath. Emma referred to herself this night as "Emma Nelson" and if you ask Evan what his name is he sometimes says "Evan Neumann." So cute. Maybe someday...

The MOA and our annual computer crash

2010-09-23T12:51:00.014-05:00

We went to the MOA (Nickelodeon Universe) on Tuesday with third-cousin (is that right?), Amiya and new pal, Aiden. The kiddos had lots of fun and for the first time ever we ran out of time on Evan's three-hour unlimited-pass wristband!I think Aiden's face is priceless in this photo!

We also made sure to visit the butterfly garden. Evan is still a bit afraid of butterflies but is starting to get used to them.

"Mom...what are these two butterflies doing?"

A SAD SITUATION:

Every year around this time we lose a hard drive. It has become tradition, it seems. Unfortunately, I have not learned from our track record and have still not purchased a portable hard drive to backup my photos.

On Sunday when our computer showed us the "blue screen of death" I almost started to cry. I have not backed up any of our photos or videos for the past 10 months! As I mourn this loss (and kick myself) I am also thankful that I have taken the time to blog and post photos of Evan while he grows up. Even though the blog converts our photos into practically unusable formats at least we still have something. I would be inconsolable if we at least didn't have this blog.

So, while a new hard drive is being installed in our computer I will be using my lunch breaks at work to blog...and I will be asking for a portable hard drive for Christmas. Or maybe before then, just in case!

Quick! Let's pack in some more Summer before Winter gets here!

2010-09-23T12:45:00.004-05:00

It was really nice out last weekend so we went out for some cones and Blizzards at DQ and headed out on the Missisippi for one last time before retiring the boat for winter.

Yet another trip to the MN Zoo

2010-09-23T12:19:00.012-05:00

I took a day off last week to bring Evan to the zoo one last time before the winter gets here. The new crocodile exhibit is really cool!All of the animals were out and restless.Even the Minnesota State birds were out... I'm so proud of my little archaeologist! I hope Evan grows up to be a paleontologist or something...and that he takes me along on digs. I miss Archaeology!. A careful excavation of a Mammoth femur...Almost there!This beaver was frantically trying to claw its way out of its tank.We rode on the monorail for the first time! It was pretty exciting.Plus, it gave us a great view of the bear enclosure. Here are some of the animals from our home zoo. How many cats can you fit on the top tier of a cat tree? Three. Barely.

A colorful day!

2010-09-11T13:30:00.014-05:00

I took a vacation day yesterday and thought it would be fun to begin the morning with a craft project. We had some stale noodles in the cupboard that I thought would make fantastic painted "beads" for a necklace. Evan concentrated hard while he painted! Watch out for that tongue...you'll see more of that later. All finished! Evan was very proud that he strung the beads himself.

And, of course, Jonas also wanted a turn at modeling our new jewelry. (Well, not really, but Evan made him do it.)

3...2...1...Blastoff! Aren't airplane rides just the best? Spread your wings...vrooooommm!

Later in the day we took a trip to the Science Museum of MN. I would have had lots of awesome photos to post on this blog...but I forgot my camera in the car.

After spending the morning mixing paints together and the afternon at the Science Museum, Evan developed an interest in colors. I thought it would be fun to have a mini Color Theory lesson in the bathtub.

I gave Evan three small bowls of water with food coloring in the primary colors - red, blue, and yellow. Then we experimented by mixing them together and making other colors - green, purple, and orange. (There's that concentration tongue again!)(And again!) Then it was a free-for-all! Of course, Evan ended up mixing them all together (who could resist!?) and made a greenish brown. He had so much fun that we emptied out the bowls and did it again!

Oh, and Happy 4th Anniversary to my sweetheart, Jeremy. Jeremy surprised me by hand delivering some flowers to my work. Unfortunately, I was in a meeting and missed him. When I called home to thank him Evan told me "Daddy is cooking you dinner tonight! And we bought you wine and you get to go to a movie!" Jeremy had taken the night off of work to surprise me, but Evan spilled the beans! The next morning when we got up Evan asked, "Mom, you and Dad got married yesterday? And you went to a scary movie?"

Me: "Yep, kind of."

Evan: "Oh, that's cool."

Labor Day Weekend

2010-09-06T22:32:00.014-05:00

We have enjoyed some amazing sunsets this weekend - Friday and Saturday I happened to have my camera with to catch a quick shot out the car window.

Today we headed to Dave and Kay's for a Labor Day family picnic. Their house and yard is absolutely amazing - Kay is a Master Gardener and owns her own landscaping business. Unfortunately, Jeremy had to work overtime today but Evan and I had a great time catching up with everyone...and Evan got to meet his second-cousins Eli and Otto! The three boys had a blast together and were the source of many laughs for us adults. Despite the scattered showers we had a blast admiring her flowers, watching the birds and finding bugs and caterpillars.

Pinata time!

CANDY!

Great-Grandma Jan was nice enough to fill up bubble pipes for the boys for most of the afternoon.

Dave and Kay's driveway is perfect for racing - so that's what we did. (We had to burn off some of that pinata candy energy!) Even Grandpa Bruce joined in for a round. We had such a great time and are already looking forward to the next time we can all get together again!

Last night Evan got a surprise from his Grandma Barb: A parking garage/gas station from Aunt Pat for his matchbox cars! Jeremy and his cousin Greg played with this for hours when they were little and Pat had it safely stowed away in her attic. Barb thought it could use a paint job and I was happy to oblige. It was actually in really great condition but the paint was starting to turn chalky and flake off.

Here it is before:

And after:
Yep. This is how I like to spend my Saturday nights. I can't wait until Evan is old enough where I can keep my paints handy and not locked up in the closet all of the time!

A weekend of weddings and parties

2010-08-29T12:13:00.005-05:00

We went to a wedding on Saturday where the bride and groom had set up a photo booth. They had lots of costumes to choose from - Evan had a blast!

And on Friday we had a Going Away party for Uncle Alex who is moving to Vegas next week. We will miss him - hopefully he will be back for Christmas!

Fall...is coming!

2010-08-29T12:00:00.010-05:00

We are so fortunate to have three different parks within five blocks from our house. We always have somewhere "new" to go!

Aren't belated birthday presents great!? Just when you think the fun is all over, the FedEx guy brings you a fun surprise! Evan was super excited to open his gift from his Uncle Kelby!

And it was a great gift, too! A "Cars" themes color-changing detail shop! It was so hot outside that we had trouble getting the "cold" water cold enough, but we soon got the hang of it (one we found some ice cubes!) Evan played outside with this for three hours - I think that may be a new record!

Weekend with Emma and Annie

2010-08-17T16:07:00.011-05:00

We had the pleasure of seeing Emma and Annie two days in a row this past weekend. On Sunday we attended the Red Wing Photo Club picnic together and on Monday Annie and I both took a vacation day to bring the kids to the MN Zoo. At the picnic we had a photo scavenger hunt. Three of the items were 1.) "Reflection," 2.) "Unusual Perspective," and 3.) "RED." Below are my entries.

On Monday we went to the zoo for Family Night at the IMAX and to see Barney. Below Emma and Evan are waiting patiently to see their favorite purple dinosaur!

As soon as the show started they made their way down to the main level to dance and sing along with Barney. They were both so excited!

Later we visited the zoo water park and walked around the animal enclosures. Emma is so photogenic - in every photo I have of these two Emma is smiling at the camera and Evan is doing anything but! What a goon.

Oh, the wonders of being three.

We went to the IMAX movie "Amazon" after the zoo. The poor kiddos were so tired that they both fell asleep during the (very loud) movie. Evan drooled all over my arm and only woke up when I strapped him into his car seat. It was a very long, but fun, day! Thanks Annie and Emma for a great time!

Fishing with the boys

2010-08-17T15:57:00.006-05:00

I went tubing down the Cannon on Saturday with some girlfriends while Jeremy, Rodney, and Evan took the boat out for some fishing. They had lots of luck catching fish - and Grandma and Grandpa even stopped by in their boat and joined in the fun. As an added surprise, Jonas decided it would be a good idea to jump out of the boat as it was passing Colvill Park in the no-wake zone. He swam to shore and followed the boat until Jeremy was able to dock it, but it gave everyone quite a scare.

Evan goes to camp!

2010-08-13T16:31:00.007-05:00

Today was Evan's last day at the YMCA's "Wee Backpackers" Day Camp. Since Evan has never been to daycare and will be attending Montessori in the Fall, I've been jokingly referring to it as "Preschool Boot Camp." It has been anything but - Evan had a great time! Throughout the week Evan learned songs, played games, drew in his Nature Journal and had lots of fun with his camp counselors and fellow campers.

The "Me Flower" craft that Evan made for me.

Evan and his "Wee Backpacker" buddies singing "I'm Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee." Anyone else remember that one? I can't wait until he's old enough for Camp Pepin! I can still remember most of the songs.

Its so blasted HOT out!

2010-08-13T16:03:00.010-05:00

It has been an unseasonably HOT, humid, and wet August so far. The flowers in our backyard all seem to like it, but its making us humans melt!

Even the River City Day's Parade was muggy and hot - but we still had fun. Evan likes to pretend to read using my glasses - here he is "reading" the parade program.

Of course, we've been on the river or at the pool every chance we get!

Evan has been into dinosaurs lately. He told me last week that a bruise on his leg was from a "pterodactyl." This week, at the beach, he found a rock that looked like a "Dinosaur Tooth Bone."

Unfortunately, also due to the hot and sticky weather, Rico has developed some mats in his fur that can't be brushed out without hurting him. So...I decided to shave him into a Lion Kitty. It didn't turn out so well. If a groomer had sent him home like this I would have asked for my money back!

As you can see, there is still a rather furry chunk on his chest that I didn't shave. When I got to that part Rico decided that he had had enough. Poor kitty.

Happy 10th Birthday Noah!

2010-08-03T20:47:00.007-05:00

Noah turned the big one-oh last week and the Dahl's had a party on Sunday to celebrate. Evan had a blast playing with all of the other kids and Jonas got the chance to come and run around with his brother.

Below Evan wearing Jeremy's hat "just like Noah!" Evan loves everything about Noah and really looks up to him. He wants to do everything "just like Noah!"

"The DADS" vs "The KIDS" in a friendly game of backyard baseball...well, kind of friendly. The Moms had to come and play umpire because the Dads were hitting too many home runs and kept tagging out the toddlers. Final score: 7 to 13, KIDS WIN!

And...

Happy 5th Birthday to Jonas and his "big" brother Axle! (July 26) For those of you who don't know, Jonas and Axle are from the same litter. We almost came home with Axle instead of Jonas, but he bit Jeremy so we took Jonas home instead. We had a backyard campfire that night and when Justin and Katie saw how cute our new baby beagle pup was they went back the next day and brought Axle home to join their family!

Phew - July is a big month for us! Happy Birthday to all of our boys!

Evan's 3rd Birthday Party

2010-08-03T20:24:00.014-05:00

It has become a tradition for me to make Evan a "Birthday Shirt" each year for his party. This year he wanted everything to be Thomas the Train, so I thought it would be fun to make a shirt with that theme. This is the back of it - can you find the Birthday Boy?Great-Grandma Eileen, Grandpa Wayne and Auntie Karla came over to celebrate before the party. As usual, Baxter found Karla's lap. He is absolutely in love with her!

Evan was very excited to get a soccer ball from Aunt Karla!

THE PARTY:

It was a beautiful day! It made me realize how thankful I am that Evan was born at the end of July (and not December like me.) We started with the kiddie pool (with a new slide from Grandma Barb!) and then beat the snot out of some homemade pinatas. For the record, Jeremy and I each made one out of paper mache and his was much better! Candy and toys!!! Evan requested a strawberry cake with chocolate frosting this year. I apparently thought it would be fun to get up at 6am and make a strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting from scratch...I think for my first try at making a cake in the shape of a castle it wasn't too bad!Make a wish!"Reading" the cards with Dad. Evan getting some help from his pal, Noah.

Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate Evan's birthday with us! We are truly blessed to have such great friends and family.

Two more reasons I love Evan:

2010-07-29T18:34:00.002-05:00

He'll do anything for a laugh -

and he has the best "pouty face!"

2010-07-29T18:13:00.006-05:00

On Saturday we went out to visit Scott and Cheri at their house - we swam in the pool, ate some amazing food, took the golf cart out for a spin, and set off some mini hot-air balloon fireworks. It was a great time. And...Evan swam by himself for the first time!

Great-Grandpa and Grandma Hellmuth come for a visit

2010-07-29T18:04:00.006-05:00

Great-Grandpa Les and Great-Grandma Nita came to visit from Missouri the week before Evan's birthday. They brought him some wonderful books and we went out to eat at Norton's downtown.

We also stopped by the iconic Red Wing Shoe Store. Evan tried on all the garb on the second floor. Here we have "Construction Worker"...

and "Chef"...

and ???Of course, the day wouldn't have been complete without a photo with the world's largest boot!

Evan turns 3!

2010-07-27T17:48:00.002-05:00

I can't believe our little man is three! Where has the time gone? He is talking in full sentences (and telling stories), is potty trained during the day and at nap time, and is growing like a weed. 3 year-old check-up stats: 38 lbs., 40.5 inches tall - yep, he's a big boy!

Welcome Dawson!

2010-07-08T19:59:00.008-05:00

Welcome Dawson Justin Dahl! Born 7-7-10, 1:25pm, 5lbs 9oz - and cute as can be!

The Doctor is in... (Evan loved the rubber gloves. He was pretty sure he wasn't actually supposed to be playing with them, hence the mischievous look on his face.)

Evan spent most of the visit hiding in the closet and declaring that we "needed to go home." He was SUPER jealous that we were holding Dawson! He told me a few times before we even got to the hospital "Mom, don't hold the baby. I'm your big boy and you should hold me instead." Once we got there he wanted nothing to do with Dawson, and needed to be reassured that we were not bringing the baby home with us.

Singing in the Rain

2010-07-08T19:54:00.005-05:00

A different kind of Red, White, and Blue! Nothing beats a hot, rainy day - especially when you get to run around in it with a big red umbrella in your blue underoos.

4th of July Weekend

2010-07-08T19:21:00.010-05:00

Friday we headed over to the Neumann's for some backyard fun with Emma and Johnny.On Saturday we went to the Cannon Valley Fair with the Neumanns. Evan, Emma and Johnny all got to ride on ponies - they were so excited!"Hey...penguins don't belong in a petting zoo!" The petting zoo was actually pretty awesome - the kids got to hold the baby chicks and ducks and the animals were really friendly. The penguins I'm not so sure about...Oh course, we had to check out the kiddie rides. All three kiddos fit on this one. Is it a jet-ski? Or is it a wave-runner? Only Jeremy knows the difference. (Side note: When I accidentally call Evan "kiddo" he exclaims "Mom, I'm NOT a kiddo - I'm a BIG BOY.")On Saturday night we headed over to the Zimmerman's annual 4th of July party. The fireworks were great! Evan was a little freaked out but took it like a champ once he figures out how to cover his ears. Sandy made Evan a bug box and he caught a dozen penny toads in it, which we released into our own yard once we got home (below).Sunday afternoon we went to visit the Eckhoffs for their annual 4th of July party. No, we didn't make Jeremy eat at the kiddie table - he was just chaperoning. Say "Cheese!"Can you tell Melissa is a teacher? Before she got involved the kids were all hopped up on sugar, running a muck in the yard. She calmed them down and soon had them organized for an impromptu yard game. Go Melissa!What a beautiful sunset! The City of Rochester fireworks were cancelled for the night due to rain earlier in the day (who knew it took 7 hours to set up the show?) but we didn't mind. The firework display from the Eckhoff's back deck was just as good! There was some serious neighborhood competition going on (friendly, of course!)

Evan singing along to Thomas the Train

2010-06-29T23:14:00.002-05:00

This "tattoo" thing is getting a little out of hand.

2010-06-29T14:44:00.002-05:00

Okay, so this is my fault. I have encouraged Evan's creative tendencies to a fault. I have let him draw on himself and give himself "tattoos" on occasion, and now every time he finds a marker he sneaks away to use himself as living canvas.

I have hidden all of the markers...but the little stinker found one when I was cooking dinner last Thursday and this is how I found him:

Mom: "Evan! What are you doing?"

Evan: "Painting my toes like Mommy! And my fingers! And tattoos! And badgers (Evan slang for knee pads)! And a beard - just like Daddy!"

Happy Birthday and Happy Father's Day Jeremy!

2010-06-29T14:19:00.010-05:00

A little late on the post...but late is better than never, right? Normally I get Jeremy a DQ ice cream cake for his birthday every year, but this year I forgot. So Jeremy went down to DQ and ordered himself a cake - "Happy Birthday to Me!" We spent his birthday/Father's Day our on the boat at our usual "beach." Turtle Beach, as we now call it, because while we were down there the waves unearthed about 4 dozen turtle eggs. Evan had fun reburying them in the sand. I'm guessing the poor little guys won't make it, but we gave it our best effort anyway.

Jeremy's Birthday fish.The day before we celebrated Father's Day at Rex and Barb's. Evan was super excited to go four wheeling with Grandpa Rex!Now we've started something...Evan is constantly asking for tattoos (a.k.a. Crayola marker drawings on his arms.) So I gave him a fire-breathing dragon tattoo per his request......and Jeremy got the same. (Plus one that said "My Wife is Awesome" as you can see below.) But that obviously wasn't enough for Evan, who continued to "ink" his Dad until he was completely covered in tattoos. Dad is such a good sport!

June Playdate with DJ and Beth

2010-06-29T11:46:00.006-05:00

Evan the Artist

2010-06-29T11:30:00.007-05:00

"A helicopter with lots of windows and a whirly-thingy (propeller)" Its amazing what can be done with Crayola Markers and a little water! These two were some of my favorites.A clay dragon - or was it a snake? I can't remember.

Jonas plays fetch!

2010-06-14T20:00:00.003-05:00

I had to capture it on video because we may never see this again. Jonas is not a fan of fetch OR water, but here he is having fun with both!

May and June 2010

2010-06-14T19:13:00.023-05:00

We have all taken turns passing a virus back and forth here in the Nelson household. The last week was my turn (again) and I am now feeling good enough to post some photos of the past few weeks. Sorry for the long post! All of the photos were clumped together so I had to post them all at once.

MAY 2010
Evan having some fun on his new Slip N' Slide! He has been stealing my headbands lately...Colvill Park at dusk - we went fishing down by the boat ramp a few times in May.Jeremy caught a few sunnies. Jonas actually playing fetch! For those of you who know Jonas, you know he does not play fetch. He's a beagle, not a retriever. A late May trip to the MN Zoo. As a special treat, Becky came with us. We went the morning before Katie and Justin's baby shower. It was a beautiful day! We've barely seen the sun since! I think Evan keeps waiting for the Komodo Dragon to breathe fire.

Ugh! What an ugly fish!One of Evan's favorite things at the zoo - the poison tree frogs.Awww!

The zoo had a free jump castle for the opening day of Shrek IV in 3D. We passed on the movie, but couldn't pass up the castle!

Memorial Day 2010

We met some friends on a beach and played in the sand. I think Memorial Weekend might have been the last day in June that we haven't seen any rain!

Justin showing the kids a HUGE sand spider.

Noah and Jeremy dressed like twins for the day. We ended the weekend with a delicious fish fry at Jeremy's Mom's house - yum! Fresh caught sunnies! And, of course, Evan requested that Dad take him "four-wee-wer-in."
Saturday we headed back to the zoo. I got a kick out of this picture. "Uh, Dad - is that you? You look different."
Out for a bike ride with Jonas and Daddy. Showing off his Thomas the Train helmet and knee pad (he definitely needs both.)

2010-05-26T10:35:00.002-05:00

One more thing I forgot to mention about my vacation (can you believe I forgot to post this?) -

Evan is now completely potty-trained! Hurray!!!

Mom's Stay-cation: Friday = Family Fun Day

2010-05-21T22:03:00.009-05:00

This afternoon we braved the chilly weather for a quick trip out on the boat. Our fabulous beach from last year is no longer, thanks to the high water and fast current we had in March. Hopefully we will find a new one close by this year.A rare moment where Evan is hugging Jonas instead of tormenting him.(Thursday) Evan helping me water plants (or sticks, as it appears.) This poor plant was forgotten one afternoon in the blistering sun. Whoops. Its coming back - we do this to it (by accident) every year and every year it comes back.I took this photo because in 15 years when Evan is graduating from high school I want to remember how little he was next to this apple tree - that is, if the poor thing survives until then. Evan is always swinging around (and around, and around) the tree. So much that he has polished the bark to a shine with his palm!Super Evan to the rescue! I just have to add that while I was uploading this photo Evan came over to see what I was doing and said: "I runnin' and jumpin' super fast! Then I fell down and went boom." That pretty much sums up every day here with Evan.

Mom's Stay-cation: The Beach

2010-05-21T21:51:00.008-05:00

On Wednesday Evan and I decided to take a trip to the beach with my pal, Sarah, who I haven't seen since before Christmas! It was a beautiful 86 degrees and sunny with a slight breeze - great beach weather! Below: I made Sarah pose for the camera.

Evan: "So, Mom, I've been thinking...I think you should buy me a pool. C'mon, look how cute I am!"

Evan: "Oh, snap! Did you just take my picture when I was making that face!? I can't believe you did that!"

Mom's Stay-cation: Toddler Tuesday at the MOA

2010-05-21T21:34:00.010-05:00

We hit the Mall of America for some Toddler Tuesdays Nickelodeon Universe action. Evan is finally big enough for the bumper cars! Can you believe it? Well, just because he fit the height requirement didn't mean that he really knew how to drive it, but with an unlimited ride wristband I figured it wouldn't hurt to give it a try. He drove around in a big circle for most of the ride. Lucky for Evan, there was only one other kid on the track so they managed to only have one collision.

Gotta' ride Dora's favorite train, Azul!

We built and raced some cars at Lego Land

And visited the butterfly garden. Evan was a bit scared of the butterflies. This was the closest I could get him to them to take a photo. He squeaked and grabbed my hand every time one flew over him.

And we had a mini-fashion show. There were a million (okay, 500+) students from various schools at the MOA while we were there, and so of course there were a bunch of vendors hocking cheap junk to the kids. There was a hat stand that caught Evan's fancy, so we decided to have a fashion show. Enjoy.

This one is called "One hat, two hat, Evan has a Blue hat."

"Mad Hatter?" Yes, sometimes.

"Peek-A'Boo!" Where's Evan???

And my personal favorite: "Rasta-Evan" - Yah, Mon.