Chaska Touch a Truck

What a great event.  We had so much fun at the Chaska Touch a Truck event.  Different clubs in the city sponsor 'booths' and then you get free food, free ice cream, free prizes at the games, free memories!!!

Nora ate ice cream as her dinner, she threw a volleyball through the hula hoop at the Chaska HS Volleyball booth, she sat in a police car (hopefully the ONLY TIME!), she got a fireman's hat, she ran around and tuckered herself out.  Jackson....SLEPT!

Nora waiting in line to get in the bucket of the fire truck

our neighbors - jon, jessica and william (who is 3 weeks younger than nora!)

actually in the bucket

sweet hat

posing with dadddy

sitting on the zamboni seat....

"I want to drive a zamboni" - martin zellar

so happy to be driving

i don't know what Nora is doing? 

In the back seat of the police car---hopefully the ONLY time she will be back there!

yes policeman...whatever you say

photo op in an old bus

william in the old bus

matt wanted to be sure jackson got in on the whole 'touch a truck' thing

nora and sammy

the family

Big Girl Nora!

We have been working on "demystifying" the whole toilet experience for the last month or so. Amber purchased a big girl potty at Target just to have around the house for Nora to check out. You've seen earlier posts where Nora uses it for, well, pretty much everything except for what it's ACTUALLY used for.

Last night though, a potty revolution occurred.

At approximately 7:45 PM Tuesday evening, Nora sat down on the potty and actually peed in it! We could hardly believe it. Nora stood up and there it was. I've never been so happy to see urine in all my life.

We made a big deal of it, clapping and giving her big hugs and kisses. She was very proud of herself. And she even got to pick out a Belle sticker from "Beauty and the Beast" as a reward. All in all, it was a great way to end the night.


[Not Pictured: Nora's potty with potty in it.]

Watching a few more kids....

Jenn's kids came and hung out with Nora and Jackson today.  No photos as I didn't have a moment to snap one :)  The cousins had so much fun.  We ate cookie crisp cereal, watched videos, went to the park with uncle matt, and played. 

Back at it...Volleyball that is!

I started back at coaching at Chaska this summer.  I love it.  I love volleyball, I love meeting the girls, and I love that it is just down the street from me.  Matt works 5am-2pm so he gets home at 3ish and then I will leave for volleyball practice.  I look forward to the season with lots of enjoyment and love getting to teach others about my passion

Carver County Fair

Nora and Matt at the Carver County Fair.

Here they are with the dairy princesses.  We walked all over the fairgrounds and then had our milkshakes, which for the record were not as good as the LQP or state fair milkshakes!  Jackson was a good boy and slept for most of the time.  Nora liked the animals and liked walking around.

Jackson - 3 month old

Jackson is getting so big so fast.  He is a happy happy baby during the day but does not like sleeping, not napping or at night.  So coming from a baby who LOVED sleep (NORA!) to a baby who gets himself so worked up and then won't fall asleep has been a challenge.  I have been trying to read anything and everything about sleep to try and help him as best as I can.  He has also been dealing with thrush...which means I have been dealing with thrush and if you have ever had it- SO NOT FUN!  Please pray it goes away and stays away soon.

Weekend at the farm with a bonfire

After a relaxing spa day with the girls I picked up the kids and drove to my parents farm and hung out for the rest of the weekend.  The Graven 6 came and visited as well.  We had a bonfire and visited with both Grandmas!

Great Grandma Arlene adn Jackson...He loves snuggling into her boosom!

Lincoln, Reese, Great GRandma and Jackson

Nora and her "Cheese"

finding sticks for the bonfire

the graven kids, lincoln, reese, sullivan and landrey

sullivan, nora, and reese

the BONFIRE!

s'mores

BONFIRE

i love this photo of my dad!!  his funny look and his half smile :)

Mommy's Spa Day

Every year 'santa' brings the ladies of the Ulstad gang certificates for a spa day.  Well with a little one and another bigger 'little one'...I didn't know what I was going to do with my kiddos to get to spa day (Matt decided to take a trip to the wonderful outdoors of the Boundary Waters with some neighbors this weekend)  My dear friend Kirsten agreed to watch the kids, I had just found out she was pregnant, so I didn't want her to watch my kids and be scared of what she was getting in to.  She said she would love to do it though so I drove out to her and Ross' house in Spicer the night before.  Kirsten and I played volleyball Thursday night (man am I out of shape...always a step behind every block and hit!) and Ross watched the kids-well Jackson, Nora was asleep.

Then Friday I drove to Granite Falls and my family and I had a very relaxing time getting massages, pedicures and enjoying each others company!

Kirsten and Jackson

Amy came and visited, it was fun to catch up!

Ross and Jackson--Jackson LOVED cuddling with Ross

Kirsten and Ross, Nora and Jackson

Nora - 20 months old

Nora is getting so big! She is not talking too much yet, but everyone keeps telling us "just wait until she does..."  Her hair is long blond and her eyes are a beautiful blue.  She is now into smiling in her 'cheesy' smile.  She still loves food, fruit more than anything else.

Words she uses:

Hi   Hot   Boobie   Belly   Baby   All Done   Tank you(thank you)  

When she drinks she says "ahh"  and when she eats she says "mmmm"

Playdate at Zachary Park and Visit to old Co-workers

All the girls (plus Quinn and Jackson) at Zachary Park

We drove to Plymouth today to meet up with all the ladies/kids from our Church book group.  We met at Zachary park in Plymouth.  We were in Plymouth so I decided to call up some old co-workers and see if I could stop by and see them.  I was ALL sweaty, again it was one of those days where the heat index was 110 or something ridiculous.  I walked in my old office and saw the CFO and Director of a department....did I mention how sweaty I was--sweating through my shirt sweaty---awesome to see all these people that I hadn't seen for 2 years(almost to the day!) at my BEST!!!  Oh well, this is mommyhood!!

Lunch with Cruz and Angie Reedy

We met Angie and Cruz Reedy for lunch today at the Cheesecake Factory in Edina.  Love Love that place and the great company we had.  Angie told us the great news that they are expecting a baby....they just adopted a baby boy from Columbia, Cruz, so they will have 2 kids close in age just like us!  We had a fun time catching up.