Calm Before the Storm

This is going to be a monster blog post! We've finally got a minute to look back on a busy March and April. Looming on the horizon are some big changes for our family-- a baby girl due in about a month followed by a cross-country move to Seattle in June. While Fran and I work on stomach ulcers, Erin has been blissfully happy and healthy as she nears her 3rd birthday.

Fran and I grabbed an opportunity for a quick getaway to the north shore last week. Erin had a couple spend-the-nights with her grandparents. We stayed in a really nice cabin right on the lake near Two Harbors. Sleeping as much as we wanted, getting in some pleasure reading, and going for walks were nice, but didn't hold a candle to the food (and desserts!). We ate like kings.



Fran took some pictures of a roaring Gooseberry Falls (with rainbow) while I went for a run in the park. It rained on our first day up there, but was sunny and warm thereafter. Below is the view from Split Rock Lighthouse.



Before we forget the real reason our friends and family visit this blog, here are a bunch of photos of what Erin's been up to as she gets closer to becoming a big sister (she just informed us that "I'm going to teach baby to jump off the couch", hmmm...).

The smile in the picture below came soon after we discovered my stash of medals from old races as we began packing up the house. The entire collection was shiny, irresistible, and weighed about 7 pounds! We affectionately call these new accessories her "bling".



Erin's picked up a few quirky mannerisms recently. One happens to be always asking what to expect (in the negative sense) based on the current topic of conversation. This leads to many awkward questions such as "Daddy, where is not downtown?" and the tricky double negative "Mommy, what will not happen if I'm not a good listener?" The other new mannerism must have been picked up at daycare, and goes with the pose shown below. She'll spin to look at you with her fingers out and whisper "Spiderman!" We're pretty sure she has no idea who Spiderman is, which makes it even more funny.




We've enjoyed a few warm spring days before it snowed again last night. Erin has a liking for colorful spring dresses with bright pants, as below. Fran thinks that the older she gets she looks more and more like me, but I've noticed that her goofy smiles (above) remind me of pictures of Fran as a kid.



I reached the big 3-3 earlier this month and we celebrated with dinner at grandma and grandpas. Erin looked forward to this party for awhile and actually led my family in singing Happy Birthday (she also blew out the candles). Fran made a delicious carrot cake (by request) that Erin and I both enjoyed.






This was the morning of "silly hair day" at Erin's school.



Erin amazes us with how quickly she picks up new skills. We've moved way beyond letters, numbers, and song lyrics. Erin loves going to the library so Fran extended the offer that Erin can get her own library card when she can write both her first and last name on it. By the looks of it, she's halfway there!




I've had some weekends off lately. Erin and I get a kick out of our waffle or chocolate chip cookie making adventures while sporting matching aprons.

Last but not least, Fran has been on a roll lately! She got offered the first peds job she applied for in Seattle. She'll start work as a pediatric hospitalist with a couple UW-affiliated hospitals in September. This first job as a board-certified pediatrician (in an unfamiliar community) is both a source of pride and stress for Frances. I know she'll do great, we're very proud of her. Fran has about 5 weeks until the due date and has been feeling ready to be done being pregnant. She looks fantastic and we're both excited at the prospect of a new baby around, but at the same time wary of all we have left to do before the big move.

Erin and Grandpa's Recital

Erin has definitely hit an inquisitive phase lately. As soon as she wakes up in the morning, we hear "Why?" and "What happens if...?" and this continues unabated until bedtime. A couple weeks ago her attention focused on the trombone kept in the closet at Grandpa and Grandma's house. Couple funny things about this video: 1) Erin "plays" the trombone by shouting into it, and 2) Grandpa throws caution to the wind and launches into an original interpretation of "When the Saints Go Marching In". Safe to say, the trombone went back in the closet.

Arriving in May...

Erin will have a baby sister this spring! Fran is now over halfway there and doing great. We had a formal ultrasound this week confirming that it's a girl. Here are some fun video clips from a couple weeks ago (we had a couple extra minutes and a spare ultrasound machine at work). The first one shows her foot, the second is her hand, and finally her profile.

Happy New Year!

We had a great time over the holidays, and now it's time to get caught up on the blog. Fran and Erin took a trip to Portland in mid-December to spend time with family. You know we're getting old when Fran and her friends are outnumbered by kids in the picture above! Erin had fun playing with her nieces and nephews and still talks about it. Their return flight was the same day as our pre-holiday blizzard, so after an extra night at Grandma Beth's house they were lucky to make it home the next day.



Here's Erin hamming it up with her friend Anna. It will be nice for her to be closer to Portland for the next several years, and be able to make weekend trips down to visit.



After returning home, Erin got a second chance to enjoy all the Christmas preparations. She was really into decorating the tree. Much like Beth's house in Portland, our ornaments ended up in clumps around the bottom 2 feet of the tree requiring parental redistribution after she had gone to bed.



Here's the finished product, and Erin all dressed up to go out for Christmas eve at Jim & Lucia's house.



Grandma Jan and mom found a fun activity for Erin's event calendar, an afternoon at a local park with holiday activities. Her interaction with this Santa appeared "tolerant" at best! There were puppets, crafts, marshmallow-toasting, and best of all horse-drawn sleigh rides.

This was the first year Fran set up the event calendar (called 'December calendar') for Erin, where she gets to take off a tag each day that leads her to a small present/treat/activity. Grandma Jan did the same thing for me for years, and it's fun to see the needlepoint calendar now hanging on our wall. In fact, I remember Fran's anticipation all December 1999(?) when she would open a little package every afternoon down at Grinnell. Thanks, Grandma!




Grandma and Grandpa got Erin this pink hat earlier this winter and she loves it. I'm also a fan, but Fran remains lukewarm. Here's Erin and Grandma on a very cold sleigh ride thru the park.



This is our living room after Erin went to bed on Christmas Eve. The stockings were hung with care... and Erin got an easel and indoor trampoline from Santa. Dad got to eat the cookies she left for Santa, but the carrots for his reindeer went back in the fridge.



The next morning was a blast! Duncan was envious.



We spent a very relaxing Christmas Day at Grandma and Grandpa's house. We made a snow house in one of the big drifts in the backyard that included a snow chair and snow bed. Erin also did a nice job on snowshoes when we went on a walk on the lake that evening. Our next project is to get her on some ice skates this winter, before we move to the pacific NW. Erin will definitely miss time at G&G's house. Each morning we hear "is Grandpa going to pick me up from school today?" and on the days she hears 'yes' we immediately get "and can I have a sleepover?"




Last weekend we took a trip to a local pool. Erin took some swimming lessons with me earlier this winter and enjoyed it. She accidentally dunked her head underwater for the first time right after we took this picture. She was surprised but handled it well.

On the homefront, we're making progress again on the bathroom remodel (yes, still showering down in our 55 degree basement) and I've begun to help get the basement cleaned out in preparation to put our house on the market in a couple months. With it now being 2011, our move west is certainly seeming more real. It's going to be a busy spring.

So it begins!

This morning Erin was thrilled to wake up to big wet snowflakes! It's still coming down steadily at our house now. Erin had dragged her snowboots out of the closet even before breakfast. Even Fran's blueberry muffins could not keep her inside for long.

Our first attempt at a snowman was in the backyard, but didn't realize Oscar and Duncan missed their calling as officers in the K9 unit (Duncan bit off the "arms", and Oscar took out the torso with his front legs while chewing on the head). Erin laughed. We moved to the peace and quiet of the front yard to collaborate on the masterpiece above.

Fran always groans, but I really like the first snow of the year. Wait until Seattle, she'll miss the start of Minnesota winter (maybe?).



Before going outside, Erin and I talked about snow angels. This is her interpretation!



We had a really nice Halloween this year. I happened to be on a consult service at the hospital with weekends off. We took advantage by heading to the western edge of town to go pumpkin picking a few weeks ago. Erin seemed excited in the car, but was lukewarm when we starting picking out great big pumpkins to carve. When we asked, she quietly said "I want a smaller one". She started to smile when we came across the one below, but...



She spotted an even smaller one nearby and that was that! Here she is reassuring mom that, yes, you can actually carve a pumpkin that small.
She carried this tiny pumpkin by the stem all the way to the barn where you weigh them and pay. Not surprisingly, she got to take it home for free.



Grandpa and Grandma came over the evening before the big day to help us carve them.




Erin told us several weeks back that she wanted to be Spiderman, but seemed puzzled when we asked her who Spiderman actually was. Pretty sure she heard about that one at daycare. Her second choice was a pumpkin. Fran found a pattern online, went to the fabric store, and spent a couple evenings making Erin this great jack-o-lantern costume complete with stem and leaf hat. As you can see below, she promptly rejected the final product and ended up with some facepaint and ears as a cat.



I think this last picture is funny. One of the dogs favorite afternoon activities is to find a sunny patch of rug and take a nap. After her own nap, Erin came out and decided to be a human blanket for Oscar. He didn't seem to mind.



Erin's becoming more interested in potty training, and has graduated to sitting on a booster seat thing that fits on the real toilet when she wants to "try". I was in the bathroom a few days ago (with the door closed) emptying my bladder, when I hear little footsteps outside. She flings open the door and a split second later has a completely dumbstruck look on her face. She looks up at me and says "Daddy! WHAT is coming out of your BODY?!" I didn't know what to say...

Remodeling (and apples...)

Fran, Erin, and I visited a new apple orchard this year on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Many other families had the same idea, so the people watching was easier than the apple picking. We had a great time for the second year in a row. More orchard pics to come...



It's been awhile since we posted, so I threw in some random pictures to give you a sense of our fall goings-on. This one struck me as funny, a turtle race (like the sign says)! I'm not sure how their turtle did but with a polygon for a starting line, who knows? That was at the Camp Odayin 5K in September.



The backyard is a favorite of Erin's. We put in a swingset and slide earlier this year and now there are piles and piles of leaves. With a raspberry patch a few steps away, how can you lose? Grandma Jan has been hard at work on the gardens and landscaping in preparation for putting our duplex on the market this upcoming spring-- thank you!! We've been living here about 8 years and it will be tough to leave.



Back to the apple orchard... here's Erin the goat whisperer.






Erin seemed really interested in this little kid train pulled by a big tractor at the orchard. We waited in line for ~45 minutes for a ride, got her settled in to car #4, and then as the tractor started up we get a look of pure panic. Despite our best reassurance, she wanted out. We'll have to try again next year in Seattle.



Back home, Erin has really started asserting her will on the day-to-day routine. She always has an opinion about wardrobe, and the cooler it gets outside, the harder it seems to keep the clothes on inside. Here's a blue skirt and winter boots. Papa Joe got her this wooden dog on a string when she was just a baby. She rediscovered it the other day, named it Chewy, and they have been inseparable since.



For all you mandatory CPS reporters, this is NOT where Erin sleeps! Before we read books at night, Erin likes to take a turn brushing her teeth in the "boat" in the living room. Duncan likes to supervise. Fran's a wonderfully consistent parent and over the past year we've got a nice bedtime routine and a little girl who sleeps well.

With Grandma Jan doing a great job in the yard, Fran and I finally tackled a DIY bathroom remodel. The first few days were a blur of trip after trip to the hardware store, dust, putting personal hygiene on the back burner, and wearing funny glasses.




As we started gutting the bathroom, we found lathe & plaster behind the plastic tub surround.


Frances is a tiling machine. We saved many quiet jobs like laying tile until after Erin was asleep, as her bed is right on the other side of the bathroom wall.




We picked a "classic" looking floor tile pattern, and I think it turned out really well. The pedestal sink below replaces a wood vanity and makes the small room seem a little roomier. Fran had the idea of adding wainscot which we'll keep white. Next up is sanding the walls, painting, new lighting, and a new medicine cabinet. The plumbing was the most challenging part, so far no leaks! A big thanks to Grandpa Deanie for his advice and help along the way.