Thanks for a wonderful day!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Big Day in the Life of Eko!
Yesterday was a big moment for Eko... he realized how much fun it is to play fetch in the water! Jon, Brianna, Grandma and Grandpa Bonkoski and I went to Afton State Park for a little hike. We stopped first at the swimming beach on the St. Croix river to let Eko get cool and possibly swim a little bit. Up until now, we have had to coax him into the water with splashing and throwing a ball only a few feet from his nose. Yesterday, he couldn't wait for us to throw the ball (more than a few feet) for him to go retrieve... that is, after he tried and missed the first short throw and consequently the waves drifted the ball too far out for him and then I went in (fully clothed) after it. As soon as I got in the water and swimming toward it, he followed me in and retrieved it himself. After that, it was smooth sailing on his part. Even though I got all wet, it was well worth it, plus it was a good ball I didn't want to lose! Here is a short video of him trying to find the ball amidst the waves - he succeeded, it just wasn't captured in this video.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Where'd the Cheerios go?
We have started introducing new foods to Brianna, which has been fun to see the faces and her reactions. So far we've tried rice cereal and sweet potato (which you can see here)...
Our Dr. also suggested putting a few cheerios in front of her to help her work on some of the fine motor skills. Although she doesn't eat them, she enjoys working her hands around those small objects to try and get them in the mouth. Follow the cheerio!
Our Dr. also suggested putting a few cheerios in front of her to help her work on some of the fine motor skills. Although she doesn't eat them, she enjoys working her hands around those small objects to try and get them in the mouth. Follow the cheerio!
Noise Makers... Take 2
Thank you to Aunt Meg for this fabulous temporary toy addition. Since Brianna is sitting up so well, it seems this is perfect entertainment - for her and me. It's not Beethoven but I like the emphasis she can deliver!
Lucius, Oliver, Aunt Meg, my mom and dad were over for a last minute dinner the other night and we had a little Lucy and Schroeder moment (minus the one-sided attraction)!
Lucius, Oliver, Aunt Meg, my mom and dad were over for a last minute dinner the other night and we had a little Lucy and Schroeder moment (minus the one-sided attraction)!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Noise Makers
Brianna has started talking/making noise, pretty consistently and at times non-stop, throughout the day. I caught this one on video as she was jumping. She has so many stories to share now, I wonder how it will translate when she gets older...
Owning a Dog... Who Knew?
Eko is pretty much amazing. He does extremely well with Brianna and everyone else for that matter (minus the few he loves so much to jump on occasionally). I won't go into much detail, but wanted to share a short dialog on dog ownership.
I've never owned my own dog before until last March when Jon and I got Eko; I don't count family dogs growing up because I wasn't 100% responsible. As I have pondered the last year and a half, there are some things that you just don't consider when you make the leap and buy a dog. For instance... the possibility of allergies, which Eko has and had a horrible ear infection along with it when we found out, we don't know to what only that the food we currently get for him is ok; muscle strains or joint problems, again he has (and will have) and probably got while playing fetch indoors - a veterinarian no-no; and the most recent eye infection that I had to put goop in his eyes for a week to get rid of. Dogs are perfect, nothing ever goes wrong until they get old... or so I thought. I no longer think that and have learned to get over any weirdness or uncomfortableness I may have (like putting goop in his eyes) and just do it for him, he is apart of our family. I can't wait when Brianna is just a little bit older and can start interacting with Eko and hopefully help wear him down - daily!
I've never owned my own dog before until last March when Jon and I got Eko; I don't count family dogs growing up because I wasn't 100% responsible. As I have pondered the last year and a half, there are some things that you just don't consider when you make the leap and buy a dog. For instance... the possibility of allergies, which Eko has and had a horrible ear infection along with it when we found out, we don't know to what only that the food we currently get for him is ok; muscle strains or joint problems, again he has (and will have) and probably got while playing fetch indoors - a veterinarian no-no; and the most recent eye infection that I had to put goop in his eyes for a week to get rid of. Dogs are perfect, nothing ever goes wrong until they get old... or so I thought. I no longer think that and have learned to get over any weirdness or uncomfortableness I may have (like putting goop in his eyes) and just do it for him, he is apart of our family. I can't wait when Brianna is just a little bit older and can start interacting with Eko and hopefully help wear him down - daily!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Bonkoski's Will Travel
Friday, June 18 at 2:30, I dropped off Eko at a friend's house where he would be vacationing while we were out of state, officially starting our vacation. The real adventure began once Jon got home from work, we packed the car (literally) and drove on to Colorado through the night. Our idea of accommodating Brianna's sleep schedule worked like a charm and only had to stop for quick bathroom breaks or tank refills, both car and person. I know Brianna is amazing (if I don't say so myself) and Jon and I are so blessed she is apart of our family, but we never imagined vacationing, by car, with a 6 month old, would work as simply as clockwork. Sure we had a few tough evenings around bedtime, but all things considered, Brianna made it easy for mom and dad to enjoy every minute.
Since there are just too many pictures, I tried to capture as many moments as possible in this video - it still ended up being almost 4 minutes, so sorry about the length. We hope you enjoy just a taste of the beauty and fun that lies in Denver's Botanic Garden, Coors Field, Rocky Mountain National Park, Pike's Peak, the Air Force Academy, Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs Sports Climbing Center, Kansas City Union Depot, the World War 1 memorial, and Kauffman Stadium.
Since there are just too many pictures, I tried to capture as many moments as possible in this video - it still ended up being almost 4 minutes, so sorry about the length. We hope you enjoy just a taste of the beauty and fun that lies in Denver's Botanic Garden, Coors Field, Rocky Mountain National Park, Pike's Peak, the Air Force Academy, Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs Sports Climbing Center, Kansas City Union Depot, the World War 1 memorial, and Kauffman Stadium.
New Movement!
Brianna was so excited we are back from our trip to Colorado (more on that to come) that she decided it was time to turn from her back to her front. She has already conquered the front to back portion, so yesterday we sealed the deal on a mobile baby.
She was so glad to be out of her car seat and Kaitlyn was over for a few hours (she loves her cousins) that with the two combined, it was practically automatic. Thanks Kaitlyn, we are glad you could share this special moment with us!
She was so glad to be out of her car seat and Kaitlyn was over for a few hours (she loves her cousins) that with the two combined, it was practically automatic. Thanks Kaitlyn, we are glad you could share this special moment with us!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Sweet Surrender
Saturday, June 12, 2010, Jon and I, with family and friends, celebrated Brianna's dedication. We had a beautifully peaceful sprinkle to step out into our backyard with and lift our daughter to the Lord; committing to share with her God's grace and love in hopes of her understanding the precious gift we all can receive and accept Christ into her life.
Mark 10:13-16
People were bringing little children to Jesus for Him to touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, He was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God kingdom of God
We were blessed to be able to share this special day with so many of you and thank you to everyone that was with us, and for the prayers of those that were unable to be with us.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Kick... Splash... Way Too Much Fun!
Wednesday night the family (minus Eko) packed up and headed for Chicago to visit with friends and have a mini vacation. It worked out splendidly to leave right around Brianna's bedtime. She only ate once on the road and we were able to drive (almost) non-stop down there. While we were there we: went to show off Brianna to our old office coworkers; took a tour of the Lurie Children's Hospital in downtown, a project Jon worked countless hours on while in Chicago; ate at Giordano's - yummy; stopped at our favorite tea place to stock up; walked around by the lake; visited the Chicago Botanic Garden; grilled and shared a meal with friends; and went back and worshiped at DeerGrove Covenant. It was an excellent time and it was great to see our friends - and a HUGE thank you to Tim and Lori (and fam) for letting us stay with you and helping coordinate time together.
One item I left out of the long list, was we were able to take Brianna swimming for the first time! It was so fun to see her kick her legs and just have a blast. She usually gets a bath in the bathtub and loves it, so we couldn't wait to try it out. Check out this video - you can barely make out her legs kicking behind her, but she was trucking along as if she were Michael Phelps!
One item I left out of the long list, was we were able to take Brianna swimming for the first time! It was so fun to see her kick her legs and just have a blast. She usually gets a bath in the bathtub and loves it, so we couldn't wait to try it out. Check out this video - you can barely make out her legs kicking behind her, but she was trucking along as if she were Michael Phelps!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
And Now... the Rest of the Story
After hiking to Devil's Kettle we ventured back in town for some yummy Sven and Ole's pizza. It was Brianna's first experience and I could see in her eyes she was thrilled to be there. She couldn't help but look around and take in the site.
After eating, we drove back to our camp site to hang out by the lake. Brianna needed a little extra stimulation, since she had been cooped-up in the car seat for so long.
Once she was done with that and on the way back to Split Rock, we stopped by the Palisades to walk around. It's always a beautiful view and a must stop!
Since our campsite was right on Lake Superior, we decided to just hang out there for a little bit to relax and enjoy the surf - Eko certainly did.
We all had a great time and a fantastic Memorial Day weekend. Now onto our next adventure!
After eating, we drove back to our camp site to hang out by the lake. Brianna needed a little extra stimulation, since she had been cooped-up in the car seat for so long.
Once she was done with that and on the way back to Split Rock, we stopped by the Palisades to walk around. It's always a beautiful view and a must stop!
We all had a great time and a fantastic Memorial Day weekend. Now onto our next adventure!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Sing a SOng of Crazy!
Thursday morning Jon booked a last minute campsite at Split Rock State Park - a BPK (Backpack/kayak in - #3 in fact). Friday afternoon the family, including Eko, packed up and headed north. About 9 pm we arrived at the park to check in... on the brink of sundown... and we still had to backpack to the site! Thankfully there was a little pull off area that we could unload and bike our stuff down to the site. This is leaving the site, but it should give you an idea of what we looked like.
It was definitely an experience, but we had a great time. There was, however, the 30 min. after we got everything to the site that was a little dicey. The 30 min went a little bit like this - We got to the site and Jon set up the tent, then he had to ride his bike back to the car, drive the car into the park parking lot then ride his bike the 1.5-2 miles back to the campsite... in the dark! Like I said, an experience. Here is our view of Lake Superior from the campsite and Eko enjoying himself after playing in the lake (he thought the waves were playing with him).
Saturday morning we biked back to the parking lot where Jon parked the evening before- Jon hauled the Burley and I biked with Eko running beside me. He actually did really well. He's not a long distance runner, but he kept a good pace. He immediately got in the car to lay down!
Since Eko had enough time to recuperate in the car, we made our way to Grand Marais and a little beyond to hike up to the Devil's Kettle. It was labeled as a moderate hike, but didn't end up being that bad. Brianna even did really well in her first time in the backpack.
It was definitely an experience, but we had a great time. There was, however, the 30 min. after we got everything to the site that was a little dicey. The 30 min went a little bit like this - We got to the site and Jon set up the tent, then he had to ride his bike back to the car, drive the car into the park parking lot then ride his bike the 1.5-2 miles back to the campsite... in the dark! Like I said, an experience. Here is our view of Lake Superior from the campsite and Eko enjoying himself after playing in the lake (he thought the waves were playing with him).
Saturday morning we biked back to the parking lot where Jon parked the evening before- Jon hauled the Burley and I biked with Eko running beside me. He actually did really well. He's not a long distance runner, but he kept a good pace. He immediately got in the car to lay down!
Since Eko had enough time to recuperate in the car, we made our way to Grand Marais and a little beyond to hike up to the Devil's Kettle. It was labeled as a moderate hike, but didn't end up being that bad. Brianna even did really well in her first time in the backpack.
to be continued...
Thursday, May 27, 2010
A few hours with Casen
It is hard to remember Brianna at 6 weeks, but I was able to hold and play with Casen a little bit yesterday and it gave me a slight reminder. He's so small in comparison! We had a good time hanging out. I think Brianna was even a little jealous, but she played it cool and tried to share her pacifier with him.
Eko on the other hand, did not play it cool. He couldn't figure out why my free hand wasn't petting him but patting someone else's back. Three's Company for sure! He would not leave my side or the babies. I had the blanket laid out for them and he did all he could to be right up next to it, even on it. At one point I was on my hands and knees next to the babies and he came right under my arm, stuck his nose up right next to mine and just stood there. 
Eko on the other hand, did not play it cool. He couldn't figure out why my free hand wasn't petting him but patting someone else's back. Three's Company for sure! He would not leave my side or the babies. I had the blanket laid out for them and he did all he could to be right up next to it, even on it. At one point I was on my hands and knees next to the babies and he came right under my arm, stuck his nose up right next to mine and just stood there. 
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