May 2014

Here's what we were up to in May, 2014.

Swinging, swinging and more swinging. The park was on the loop we walked most evenings so it was a natural stop. Graham loooved it!

Eating a waffle.

Back to the park.

Graham's front eye teeth came in before his front teeth...giving him little "fangs" for a few weeks. Glad I caught this pic to get it documented!

Swinging and smiling. 

We went with the Hill side to Rhombus Guys for pizza and Dairy Queen.

Graham and Grandpa.

Graham and auntie Chelsey.

Then we went to cheer on Uncle Eric in the Half Marathon.

Watching the finish line.

Good job Uncle Eric! 

Who needs toys? 

Helping mommy shop at Old Navy. Tubs of balls = jackpot! 

In the middle of the month we headed out to Bismarck to celebrate Aaron's GRADUATION from University of Mary. He had finished classes in December and the ceremony was in May. 

Somebody was very proud of his daddy! 

Proud parents. 

Grandma Ange came with too! 

Graham even did really well during the ceremony. Books with grandma and walking around with mama. 

What are you wearing daddy? 

It's cool. 

I'll take it off, dad. 

We tried to go to a Redhawks game with grandpa Berge and Jan but it got rained out. We enjoyed walking around anyway. 

And look! We ran into Great Grandpa Bob and Marion while we were there. 

We also wrapped up Kindermusik in May. From December to May we went to the class once per week. Graham loved it!! 

We're always clean when we start eating. 

But what fun is that? 

Did I mention we love the swings? 

Look at all those teeth.

Butterflies in my tummy. 

Who knew swings took such focus. 

Pure joy. (And I just noticed you can see a bite mark on Graham's right arm. That's another story, but Graham was, I think, the "tastiest" victim of daycare biting and came home semi-regularly with these battle wounds. Poor guy....)

Wheeee! 

Mom got smarter at the dinner table and started removing clothes prior to. 

Over Memorial Day weekend we headed to Mantrap Lodge, a little resort near Itasca State Park for some R&R and fun in the outdoors. 

Here's lunch in the cabin. 

Exploring the resort. 

Fancy dessert after Graham was in bed. 

Morning walks tuckered the little guy out. 

He was alert for the bike ride that afternoon though. We rented bikes and a Burley at Itasca. Graham didn't make a peep during the whole thing which we take to mean he enjoyed rolling along fast behind Daddy's bike. 

We biked down to the headwaters so Graham could dip in his toes.

Then we loaded up for a stroll in the backpack.

Best selfie we could do with a baby on board. This is the spot where Mommy and Daddy got engaged in 2010.

And these pictures are a little deceiving. Graham ripped that hat off no later than a second after I took this picture and this was the only glimpse of a smile we got. I think the bugs started, well, bugging him so the backpack walk didn't last long.

Back at the resort we loaded up for a tractor ride after dinner. 

Graham (and mom and dad) thought that was pretty awesome. 

"Look no hands" or...."how big are you?"

Shoulder rides are the best.

We also spent some time at the resort's beach. The lull of the paddle boat ride put the little guy to sleep. 

But he was wide awake for the truck rides in the sand with daddy. PS - he was covered in sunscreen but I learned after this that those "rash shirts" are intended for little guys no matter how much sunscreen is on them. Oops.

The morning before departing, we strolled around and played with a few more resort toys.

Rocks being the favorite.

Fun playground.

Rollin', homies. (Or some other phrase that is gansta and fits this picture.)

'Til next month!

Things to note this month:

• Walking so much! Mom was away for work for three days and noticed a huge difference in that short amount of time away. 
• Teeth: Got in his "fangs" before a his front teeth. By end of May, third top tooth is in (front tooth) for a total of 5 in front. 
• Swimming: Finished swimming lessons. "Parent/Baby" at Family Wellness. He loved it and giggled his way through the entire last session. He especially loved the slide in the baby end of the pool. 
• KinderMusik: He also finished up 6 months of Kindermusik. He is enjoyed it so much, especially when we would dance around together. He would squeal with delight every time we twirled and lifted high to the beat of the music. He was very good at listening to the teacher and putting away each "instrument" at the end of each song/activity. 
• Eating: He no longer wants or will let you feed him with a spoon. He is Mr. Independent and even if it's yogurt, applesauce or spaghetti, he scoops it up with his hands. We've come to accept that clothes go straight to the laundry after he eats (or get stripped off before we eat). 
• Books/Reading: He officially LOVES having stories read to him and will pick out a book from the shelf, bring it over to you and climb into your lap so you can read it to him (one of the coolest feelings ever). His favorite books (and he DOES have a preference) this month are: Brown Bear, Moo, Ba, La La La, On the Farm, The Easter Bunny
• Bottles: We are down to just a bedtime bottle which we will try to fade away soon. Still uses his paci at bedtime and when he is upset. 
• So Big: When you ask Graham how big he is, he gets a big smile on his face, lifts both his hands above his head, then claps for himself. Truly adorable and we usually ask him "how big are you?" 10 times a day because it's so fun.