So long 2010, hello 2011

Oh, what a year 2010 has been. Filled with big fun, big adventures and a few bumps and bruises along the way.

It started with a typical Winter hibernation. We kept busy discovering the ins and outs of being a family of four. Sammy got a big boy bed in February and started going to daycare twice a week. Lucy cut her hair short. Addie learned to roll over. We tried to get outside, see friends and stay social as much as possible. Not much else to say, but hey, it was Winter in Minnesota so what did you expect?



Spring arrived with a welcome reprieve from the chaos that had become our house in the Winter.


In May, we all headed to the farm with the entire Rollins clan. Lots of fun hiking and exploring, digging a new fire pit, and general outdoor adventure. The trip was book-ended, however, with respiratory infections in both kids. One might think that double whammy would be the highlight of the season, but that honor instead falls on our discovery that Addie has something called Breath Holding Spells - harmless but terrifying for Mommy and Daddy.




Summer was defined by weddings and travel! The gang flew to South Carolina over the July 4th weekend to see Uncle Grant and Aunt Shana get married on Hilton Head Island. Sam braved the surf and Addie discovered sand. We also got to see Grandpa Jerry and Grandma Nana there which was awesome. Then we went to Portland, Oregon for the wedding of an old friend of Lucy's and spend a few days with Lucy's cousin Renee and her family.



In August, we made a whirlwind trip to Kansas City to see my cousin Andrew get married and briefly visit with the entire KC crew. We capped off our summer of adventure with a trip to Cragan's Resort on Gull Lake near Brainard, MN with our friends (12 adults and 6 kids in one small cabin - it was a blast!). Oh yeah, and Sam got a nice shiner courtesy of our coffee table.



Fall has been marked by the trifecta of holidays - Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, not to mention Addie's 1st and Sam's 3rd birthdays. And to top it all off, we got a visit from Grandma Nana and Scott in November! Addie also became a walkabout while Sam became a chatterbox. Suddenly, we were confronted with the dreaded question, "Why?" And not to be outdone, Addie has started talking too (her favorite words are 'help', 'no' and 'cracker').




What a year! Can't wait to see what happens in 2011.

Christmas was a blast

Christmas was a big success this year. Santa did not leave anyone disappointed. Sam and Addie both enjoyed opening presents Xmas morning. Sammy swears he heard jingle bells in the night so he knows Santa came, as if the presents and stockings were not enough affirmation. Santa brought Sam a big Crane Truck and some cooking tools. Addie got a fishing bath toy and some clothes. A joint present from Santa of some big unit blocks was also a hit, and it turns out that Addie is quite adept at stacking!

Now we are in the phase of transitioning away from the Christmas music, and the decorations and tree come down soon. Sigh. I guess all we can do is wait for another year to pass so Christmas can come again. :)

The kids helped decorate the tree this year. The tree was a little bottom heavy with ornaments. ;)


We had so much snow, that we needed to bring some inside just to deal with it! Sammy is eating maple syrup candy made of snow and maple syrup.


Addie's Christmas Eve outfit complete with Santa socks.


And Xmas wouldn't be complete without some matching PJ's from Grandma Nana!

Mom had fun at firefighters museum too!

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Hooray! It's Sammy's 3rd Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Sam. He turned 3 years old today. And what a day it was! We started out with a birthday party with friends (postponed from last weekend due to 18 inches of snow) at the Minneapolis Firefighter Museum. Friends Max, Mason and Hannah were all in attendance. Sam took a little warming up to the museum, but then he fell in love with all the firetrucks.

Then we came home to pretend to nap (but nobody slept). So we got ourselves together and went to Greenspoon Daycare for a holiday party. Then we raced back home for a family birthday party. Phew! It doesn't really need to be said, but Sam and Addie were great all day... until they hit the wall. But while Addie then went straight to bed, Sam recovered enough to play with his presents. What fun! And to think 3 years ago, Sam was just a little peanut (and I posted this post on the blog). Man, time flies when you are having fun and running yourself ragged. :)

From Sam's 3rd Birthday

From Sam's 3rd Birthday

More pictures of Sam's birthday can be seen here.

Yogurt!