On Your Marks!

Yes, it finally happened! Logan crawled, on his hands and knees in forward motion! Yay! I'm happy for him because he's been trying for over a month and has moved sideways, backwards and every way except forward! I real this also means "game on" as parents. Look out...Logan's on the loose!

So happy about his new accomplishment!

Some more pics from last night...

Mischief?

Logan likes to sit up in the tub and play

Bathtime fun!


Brushin' those pearly whites

Snuggled in my new towel made by Nana!

Eiselt Family Ruckus

Last weekend was an Eiselt Family...
Reunion...
no, ruckus...
no, reunion....
well...BOTH!

We gathered in Minneapolis to spend time celebrating John's Grandma Marianna's 80th birthday! Tom and Julie Eiselt flew in from Charlotte, NC with their three great kids, Jack, Joe and Kate. Jeff and MAry Owen drove from Rochester with their three grown kids, Kristine, Mike, and Rebecca. Scott got in late on Friday from North Carolina, Jenny came home from St. Ben's, and we made the trip from Eau Claire! Wayne and Marianna came from Blue Earth, MN and even picked up Katharine, Marianna's sister on the way. What a group!

The weekend started off with dinner on Friday night and lots of ruckus! :) Stories, laughs, and nostalgia were enjoyed by all. With this group there is never a dull moment, and certainly never a quiet one!

On Saturday, we all went to Stillwater to take photos at InStudio. Taking photos at InStudio is not like any other portrait experience. Its fun, relaxed, and wacky. You walk into a white box and move and pose and they get great, natural shots. I think we had over 500 photos taken with all different combinations of families. It was so fun! Later we went to Bob and Deb's house in Stillwater for a nice lunch.

The main event was dinner and Underwater World at the Mall of America, in celebration of Marianna's birthday. It sure was fun! My favorite part was seeing Logan with all the cousins. He loved every minute of it and certainly LOVED all the attention. I think he feels a little bored now that its only Mom and Dad at home. Bummer, Logan. Sorry.

At Bob & Deb's house after pictures.

Daddy and Uncle Scott giving Logan some lunch before the rest of us dig in.

Havin' so much fun!

Who knew watching Logan eat could be so much fun!
Logan seriously had all the funniest expressions. He makes the most faces of any baby ever, I think. I don't even know how to move my face muscles the way he does! Its hilarious!

Hello!


Logan got lots of attention from the cousins! Joe got to hold Logan and see what a big boy he is!

Kate was such a good helper, playing with Logan and even reading him a story!

Kristine, Mike, Rebecca, and Jack enjoying lunch!

John being....well, John.

Kate and Joe playing with Logan

Jenny & Kate

Joe, John, Kate, Jenny

Auntie Jenny and Logan

Logan looooves his Uncle Scott! They hadn't seen each other since Christmas! Logan has grown up so much since then! Scott and Logan seem to have some sort of special bond because Logan just snuggles with him so much. I have two hypotheses for this:

1. Logan probably sometimes thinks its John, since they look so much alike

2. Logan is from the same mold as Scott. (i.e. CRAZY BABY! Scott was stubborn, determined, and wild as a baby, just like Logan is!). But wait a second...Logan is our FIRST born...oh no...what are we in for?!!!
Luckily, we don't have to wait too long to see Scott again! He will be home from North Carolina for Jenny's graduation in May. Yay!

We had a nice catered dinner following a trip to Underwater World...
Logan was enamored with the fishes!

Eatin' dinner in my pj's.

Logan got to stay up WAY past his bedtime, but he LOVED it! He had so many people to entertain him and play with him! It was great!

Happy 80th Birthday, Marianna!

Marianna opening her big bday card and thanking everyone for a great weekend together!

And this is some of the "ruckus" I was referring to...

Joe balancing spoons on his face, which led to a great display of an array of superhuman tricks!

Thanks to all the Eiselt clan for a great weekend! It was so fun to see everyone and spend time together! And, thanks for spoiling Logan...he loved it! Can't wait 'til next time!

Lunch with Daddy!

We got to go have lunch with John at the office...something we're more able to do now that we have two cars again! Phew! Logan has only visited the YL office a few times. He loves to look around at all the big pictures and bright colors. We didn't spend too much time, since John is super busy, but it was fun to have a quick visit!

so smiley!

The toddler-sized baby.

Logan wants to help.

Walking over to Mommy!

The shirt says it all!

Kitchen Playtime

Last Thursday, Logan and I baked two batches of cookies to take along to Eiselt's for the weekend. Logan was so well behaved while I was preoccupied with attempting to bake the "perfect" cookie. He sat on his "splat mat" and played, ate puffs, and sipped some agua from his sippy cup. Someday soon, I am sure Logan will love to help with the measuring and baking, but we're not quite there yet...

He really enjoyed crinkling the vinyl more than his toys.

Logan has become quite the self-entertainer.
He will sit and chat and squeal and screech to himself while he plays. Its so cute!

North Dakota, revisited

This post is long overdue. The second week in April, Logan and I went with my mom to visit her side of the family in Minot, North Dakota. It was a blast! I know you saw a few pictures on a previous post, but here are more from the fun filled five day visit!

We were lucky to take flight (1.5 hours vs. a 8.5 hour car ride!). Logan has flown quite a bit in his short little life, but once again, he was a superstar. He was so BUSY, though! I was exhausted after holding him for just a little over an hour. He was all over the place, but no screams, freak-outs, or blow-outs! Yay! He did "pet" the shaved head of the gentleman in the seat in front of us...oops!

My cousin, Jody, and her little girls, Violet and Olivia. They twins are about 20 months old and so much fun! They are adorable and Jody is the best Mommy. She's a great role model for me and gives me great advice! They are certainly lucky little girls! Logan had met the girls when he was only 5 weeks old, but he had lots of fun watching them all weekend! He is practically the same size as the girls, despite the YEAR of age difference. I think Logan wondered why they could run around so well..."soon enough, my dear Logan, you will run, too"!

Logan meets Grandpa Sherman! My grandpa is wonderful! He is in good health and great spirits at 92! This was his first meeting with Logan and it was so fun! Grandpa Sherman has many grandchildren and even about 20 great-grandchildren. He mentioned how much he loves watching the little ones, seeing them grow up. We are so lucky we got to visit!

Logan sitting by Violet.

Kisses for Logan!

Sisters!

There were so many great highlights to our trip...one of them being my Aunt Shirley and Uncle Myron's new home. They spent over a year building a beautiful house on the golf course and its a total sanctuary! My favorite was her gorgeous kitchen with endless countertops, beautiful tiles, a huge island for prep, and another large bar with eight stools (not pictured here). All the hard work and time spent deciding on the details really paid off...the house is a masterpiece!

Another highlight was meeting my cousin Chad's new little boy, Oliver! Oliver is a Leap Year Baby, born February 29! He is perfect and precious. I think he looks just like his daddy! My only regret is that I didn't get more pictures of him and of Angie, Chad's wife. They are doing great and will be great parents!

Logan LOVED Aunt Shirley...he beamed from ear-to-ear each time he saw her!
So special!

The grandchildren and great-grandchildren with Grandpa Sherman after a yummy
Saturday brunch at Myron & Shirley's.

Nana was along, too! She usually took the pictures, but here is my Mom holding Logan, with Grandpa Sherman, his wife, Marlys, and Aunt Shirley.

Four Generations!

Play time! It was chilly, but we bundled up the kids and had some play time outside. My mom made all the kids hats, so I had to get a photo of them all together (even though none of them are looking at the camera!). This is Jody and her husband Tadd with the girls.

A BIG thanks again to everyone in Minot for hosting us! What a lovely trip and what a special visit to see all the new babies, the growing kids, cousins, and Aunts and Uncles. It was wonderful! We hope to visit again soon!