Second Trip to THE Lake

This past weekend mama and daddy and I met Grandma Carolyn, Grandpa Tim, Aunt Megan and her boyfriend Tommy for a really fun vacation.

Mama, daddy and I have made a lot of trips to Alexandria to play on Lake Geneva and we always have a great time, but this was a different lake trip, we went to Lake Superior.

Mama and daddy met in Duluth so they have a special love for the lake, they spent a lot of time down on the boardwalk, hiking around on the rivers, and visiting the waterfalls.  We didn't spend any time in Duluth, although I did get to visit there when I was only 8 weeks old.  This trip was spent in Two Harbors, with day trips further north.

Here is a picture of me with my mama down by the lake.  I REALLY wanted to play in the water, mama warned me it was cold, but I insisted.  Turns out, mama was right, how does she do that?  Good thing mama had a sweatshirt for me so I warmed up quickly.

We had a lot of fun walking around at Split Rock Lighthouse.  It is a long walk from the light house down to the lake (127 stairs!!)  It was worth the walk, it was a pretty amazing view! 

The next day we went up north of Grand Marais to hike to Devil's Kettle Waterfall.  It is a pretty serious hike, over a mile up and down hills, and 170 stairs! Daddy was pretty excited that he got to use his fancy backpack, until he got to the stairs.

It was a pretty neat waterfall and we had a great time.  I know why mama and daddy love the north shore so much.

Have a good night,
Linden

I like to eat, eat, eat, Apples and Bananas

You all thought I forgot about you, did you!

I know this is a late blog posting, but daddy was tying up the computer doing his fantasy football draft.  I'm thinking of starting up a fantasy league of my own, maybe everybody could pick their "all star" team of cartoon character...give points for saying sweet things about mom, taking away points for talking about dad, points for sharing, points for being cute and cuddly, points for making it into the movies...I think I am on to something.

Anyways, not why I am here.

Tonight mama told me I got to have bananas for dinner, BORING!  Not that I don't like bananas, but they are getting kind of old.  Mama decided to go crazy and she gave me big girl banana!  I really like getting to eat big girl food.

Mama decided that bananas were going to be messy so I got to eat wearing my diaper.  Thank goodness it was bath night!!  Bananas taste really good, but they are really slippery so mama had to help get them in my mouth.

I guess I should explain the title of my post tonight, so you don't think I have a stutter...Mama has this funny song she sings, there aren't very many words to it (the song consists of singing the words in the title twice).  The funny part of the song is when she starts changing the vowels so it sounds pretty funny, she also sings it in Spanish sometimes. 

Anyways, big girl bananas are pretty tasty.  I wonder what she will feed me next?
Linden

Busy Week

The last time I posted was my 100th blog post, turns out, I needed a blogging break, but I am back and ready to share more of my adventures.  To make up for lost time, I plan on blogging every day this week, be prepared.

We had a really busy weekend and took LOTS of pictures, but they are on the camera and daddy has that at golf tonight, so you are going to have to wait until tomorrow to hear about it.

Last week mama had a friend come through town and they decided to meet at a park and have lunch.  Of course mama's friend wanted to meet me so mama picked me up from daycare.  We showed up to the park a little early and it looked like a lot of fun so I begged mama to let me play for a little while.  I had a ton of fun.

First I played on the swings with daddy.  Mama says no underdogs, I'm not sure what they are yet, but daddy said they are pretty fun.  I don't see what dogs and swings have to do with each other, but daddy promised to take me to the park someday without mama and show me, I can't wait!

After I played on the swing I REALLY wanted to go try out the tunnel.  Once again, mama spoiled the fun and said that I was too little to play in the tunnel by myself.  Mama let me play on the bottom part, she called it a slide, it was really slippery so I guess that name makes sense. 

There was a really cute little house that I got to play in.  I pretended to make lunch and serve it to everybody.  Then I pretended to clean and do the laundry, then I pretended to do the dishes.  Mama and daddy spend a lot of time doing those things so they must be fun, I must have been doing them wrong because I thought it was pretty boring.

Mama and daddy and I played on the teeter-totter together.  We don't have a picture because we were all on it at the same time.  Mama told me that it isn't much fun to play on it alone so I need to practice being a nice girl so I have lots of friends to play on it with me.  It was fun, I really hope one of my friends will join me.

I liked the park a lot and I can't wait to get bigger so I can play on more things.  Tonight I had a friend over for dinner and a play date.  Max is a little younger than me but we still had a great time, maybe next summer we can go to the park together!

Well, I need to go now, but don't worry, I will be back tomorrow!
Linden

100!!

Tonight is a pretty neat coincidence...it is my 100th blog post AND I turned 7 months old today!  I was having a hard time deciding what to do for my 100th post, I knew it had to be something special...I was thinking about posting my top 100 list, but I haven't learned to count that high.  I thought I could go back and re-post all of my favorite pictures, but that would have taken FOREVER to find them all and then add them all to the blog.

I have decided for my 100th blog, that I am going to let mama write this one.  Be prepared, she might get all sentimental and teary...Take it away mama!


Hey everybody!  Amanda here!

The 20th of every month has become special to me, I take it as an opportunity to look back and marvel at all of the amazing and wonderful things that God has done in my life.  In the last 30 days Linden has gotten two teeth, learned to sit on her own, figured out how to roll all over the place to get what she wants, tried dozens of new foods, and has managed to wrap her daddy even tighter around her little finger.

This blog started out as a way to make sure that Linden's grandparents could watch her grow, it has turned into so much more.  It has blessed me with the gift of finding new and fun ways to look at life. It has given me the opportunity to document many of Linden's firsts, and been a fantastic way to chronicle the major events of her life so far.  Squishing rice cereal around on her high chair, or shopping with mom at Target may not be big enough events to make her baby book, but they were activities that we got to watch, and see her grow through.

It amazes me how fast the world turns, we are over half way through her first year, and I look forward to the future and all that it has in store for her as a person, and for us as a family.  Looking forward gives me hope and something to be excited about, none the less it is equally important to enjoy the present and look back fondly of the past.  As I am typing, Linden is lying in her crib fast asleep.  One of my favorite things to do is peek in her room and watch her chest slowly rise and fall. The peace and the quiet remind me to enjoy right now. There is nothing sweeter than the soft face of a sleeping baby.

Nobody knows what the future of this blog has in store.  Will we reach 200 posts? Will it continue into her toddler years? Will she some day take over and do the writing on her own? (Sorry, I should have issued a spoiler alert!)  Only God knows what the future will hold.  I pray every night for continued blessing and a long life of happiness and joy.

Linden has bless my life and our family in more ways that I could ever express. 
Amanda

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

Pictures for Grandma

Evidently mama has been denying grandma Carolyn pictures of me...here I am to the rescue, an entire blog completely devoted to pictures of me!!

That's it folks.
Linden

Family Camp

Hey Everybody! 

I remembered that I forgot to blog tonight, so I decided to wake up and tell you about my weekend.

This weekend we went with Grandma Nancy and Aunt Heidi to family camp with their church in Rochester, Gloria Dei.  Mama went to that church when she was little and she really liked it, I can definitely see why. 

Our whole family was there this weekend; Grandma Nancy, Grandpa Bob, Aunt Heidi, Aunt Wendy, Aunt Missy, Cousin Tyler, Mama, Daddy and Me!  Camp was in Spring Valley at Good Earth Village.  Mama worked there when she was in college and she loved it.

There were a lot of activities planned for the weekend, creek splashing, games, crafts and hiking!  Mama convinced me to take a nap so I would be well rested for creek splashing, but then I accidentally slept through it, so I didn't get to try, it was kind of cool on Saturday so it was Ok, but I wish I could have gone.  I really liked playing on the front porch of our cabin, there were lots of kids who stopped by to play with me!  From the porch I could watch all of the kids playing in the grass, it was a lot of fun.

I really liked having all of the family there, everybody wanted to play with me, especially cousin Tyler.  Here is a picture of us playing on the couch, we were supposed to be listening to the speaker, but Tyler was so much more fun!!

I got my first real big girl food this weekend, mama let me have a real banana.  Auntie Heidi was really exited to get to feed me, and I LOVED how it tasted.  Mama only let me have a little and then she ate the rest...

Like I said, mama used to work at Good Earth Village as a counselor.  She loved it there, and I can see why.  Mama, Daddy and I did some hiking and the trails were a lot of fun.  This morning we had church on top of the hill, it was a pretty amazing view! 

Over all, it was a great weekend.  Grandpa Bob tried convincing mama to let me have S'mores, and let me stay up late, mama said no to both...None the less, we had a great time!

I guess I should go back to bed so mama and daddy can get some sleep,
Linden

Surprise!

What a great night!  Grandma Nancy and Grandpa Bob came to visit!!

Mama, daddy and I were at a Big Brothers, Big Sisters party in Faribault, and on our way home Grandpa Bob called and said he was at our house!!

Grandpa Bob really likes to drive, and he LOVES to drive his convertible when the weather is nice.  Lucky for me, he lives pretty close so when he goes out for a drive he sometimes ends up at my house!!

The best part about Grandpa Bob coming is that he bring Grandma Nancy with him.  Grandma Nancy is a lot of fun and likes to play silly games with me.  She kept telling me I was funny, but I think it was her that was funny.  Who was making the silly voices, Grandma.  Who was twirling me around, Grandma.  Who was playing peek-a-boo, Grandma.  Well, I guess the last one I was playing too, but she started it!

This weekend we are going to Spring Valley to Good Earth Village for family camp.  Grandma Nancy, Grandpa Bob, Aunt Heidi, Aunt Wendy, Aunt Missy and Cousin Tyler will all be there! Mama used to work at the camp and she really liked it so I am sure we will have a great time.

I can't wait to share my stories from the weekend!
Linden

Robots

I know, it is WAAY past my bedtime, but I just had to tell you about the fun I had at daycare today.  It was robot day!!

When mama told me this I wasn't really sure what to expect, I had never heard of robots before.  What does a robot do?  Can I eat a robot? Can I play with a robot?  Do I sleep with a robot?  So many questions, I couldn't wait to find the answers!!

Here are some of the things that I learned about robots today...

 - Robots like to eat cereal and crackers, that is why their bodies have cereal and cracker boxes in side of them.  I wonder if I have carrots, green beans and pears inside of me??

 - Robots come in all shapes and sizes, and every one of them is unique.  Just like us!  Everybody got to build a robot today and they all looked great.

 - Daddy tried telling me about all of the robot stuff he gets to do at work. His robots aren't nearly as exciting as the ones we made today...I think daddy needs to find some new robots, maybe he would like a robot that would make him lunch, or maybe one that would pay bills (he seems to do that a lot...)

 - Robots can do a LOT of things!  My robot picked up all of the toys I threw off the side of the high chair (mama makes me wait a little bit, my robot did it right away!)  One boy's robot played catch with him.  And somebody had a robot that could read books!

 - Daddy is a bad robot dancer.  He tried showing me how robots dance this morning and it looked REALLY silly...

 - Mama told me that robots sleep through the night and that I should pretend to be like a robot and give it a try.  I'm not sure why she wants me to sleep through the night, we'd be missing out on some great play time!!

Here is a picture of me with my robot that I made...

I really liked looking at my robot, it was very shiny, and had really soft hair.

I decided I would see if my robot tasted good...it did have a cereal box in the middle, that had to be a good sign...

Nope, didn't taste good at all.  Why doesn't mama warn me before I do things like this??

All in all, I had a pretty good day.  I learned a lot about robots and had a great time building my own!

Have a good night,
Linden

Another visit to Dr. Bob

I got tricked again today...

Daddy picked me up from daycare today (normally mama does) and told me we were going to go see Dr. Bob.  I thought it was funny that he would call Grandpa Bob, Dr. Bob, but either way, I was pretty excited!

When we showed up at the clinic I was pretty confused, and then daddy went to the counter to check in and I knew I had been duped.

I should tell you, my doctor's name isn't really Dr. Bob, that's just what people call him.  His last name starts with Bob but then gets tricky, so he just shortens it.  Dr. Bob is a nice guy, but every time I see him I end up not being very happy in the end.

Trips to the clinic always seem to start off on a bad foot.  There are all sorts of fun toys and new books and magazines to chew on, but mama won't let me!!  I don't know why she doesn't want me to have fun at the clinic.  Anyways, once my name gets called we get to go back to the appointment room and things get better...there are always lots of fun things to look at.  Today I was in the jungle room and there were a lot of monkeys hanging from the ceiling (I have also been to the ocean room, there are fish all over the wall!)

I like talking to the first nurse that comes in, she asks mama lots of questions, and plays with me between them.  Once Dr. Bob comes in things start getting uncomfortable.  Like I said, he is a nice guy, and he makes lots of funny voices and noises, but then he sticks a piece of wood in my mouth, pulls at my ears, shines bright lights in my eyes, and puts a cold thing on my chest and belly!  I wonder what he is looking for?  I heard mama tell daddy there wasn't anything between his ears, I don't know if that is good or bad?  The other thing Dr. Bob told me is that I am up to 16 pounds 11 ounces.

I had a pretty good time while we were waiting for Dr. Bob to come in.  The bed in the room has paper on it, I think mama should put paper on my bed, it is really fun to crinkle and eat!  It was a lot of fun!!

Dr. Bob's nurse said I did a really good job at playing, although she is the nurse I don't really like.  I need to figure out how to convince mama to leave once Dr. Bob leaves, because then the second nurse comes in and she is NO FUN!!  I got three shots today, I don't know why mama lets her do that to me!!  I wonder if Dr. Bob knows what she is going to do and that is why he leaves? 

I can't wait until I am older, when we were leaving the hospital I heard another mom tell her little girl that they would get ice cream afterwards.

Lesson learned, when the doctor leaves, we should leave!

Linden



First State Park Adventure

Hey everybody! 

Do I love living in Minnesota, or what?  Daddy has been talking about going hiking and camping and today I got my first taste of it, and it was GREAT!

We drove over to Mankato and went to Minneopa State Park.  Minneopa means water falling twice (turns out the trip was educational too!)  The waterfalls were beautiful!  Here is a picture of the big one...

There was a really pretty bridge that you walk over, and then there were a TON of steps, I am sure glad I don't know how to walk yet.  We walked down all of the steps to get to the bottom of the waterfall in the picture below.

Of course, I had to play in the water, although it wasn't quite like my pool or the water park, it was pretty dirty...

Here is a picture of me with mama, aren't we pretty!

Like I said, there were a lot of stairs, so I am sure you are wondering how I was able to make the trip.  Daddy got me this neat backpack that I can sit in!  He does all the work, I get to sit back and enjoy the scenery.

It was a pretty fun trip, I definitely recommend checking it out.  Even if you don't like hiking, you can get to the bridge and see the falls pretty good without having to do the stairs.

I can't wait to go on some more adventures in the state parks.
Linden

SWIMMING!!

 I have had a REALLY great couple of days, mama and daddy took me to the water park in Owatonna to go swimming!

The water park has a lot of really neat things, my favorite is the fountains.  Here I am splashing and playing with the water.



I really like the swimming trunks mama got me from iPlay, they have UPF50 in them so mama doesn't have to put as much sunscreen on me.  I also got a shirt from there, but it is too big, this one is from Target and has UPF50 as well.

I am excited for when I am a big girl, because there are even more fun things for me to play with.  There is a turtle slide that mama said I will be able to play on next summer.  I am also excited to get to go in the deep end by myself.  After I master the deep end then I can try out the big kid side where the water is even deeper!!  There are also lily pads and a GIANT water slide to go on.

Hailey came with to the water park yesterday, she is old enough to go in the Big Kid deep end where they have a fun rock climbing wall.  She really likes climbing up it, she can make it all the way to the top!

Today I got to go to the water park with my good friend Colin.  He turns 3 next week and he is a lot of fun!  I hope I get to go back to the water park soon, I had a great day!

Linden



Great Grandpa got the Best Toy Ever

I have to tell you about this really neat present Great Grandpa Glen got at his birthday party, it is called a balloon!

Great Grandpa was really nice and let me play with his new present, I really liked running my fingers on it and listening to the noise it made.



The balloon had a ribbon on it so that mama could reach it when I would accidentally let go.  I liked playing with the ribbon and eating it. 

The other really fun thing to do with it was to hold onto the string and make the balloon bounce up and down. I wonder how the balloon floats so high? I really liked pulling it close to me an waving my arms so it would go crazy.

It was a really neat present, but it was Great Grandpa's so I had to give it back.  Maybe I will get one for my birthday some day...

Love,
Linden

Tutu Cute!

This is going to be a quick posting because it is late and tomorrow is a big day, but I just HAD to show off my cute tutu!

Mama thinks baby tutus are cute, and from what she told me, I was pretty excited about getting my own.  Mama made my a hot pink one, and then she made one for Alyssa, my friend at daycare.  She had extra purple and pink fabric left over so she made me this one!



Like I said, tomorrow is a big night, it is Night to Unite and we are hosting an Ice Cream Social.  I can't wait!

Linden