Extension

Apparently only 2 people read our blog (which is understandable since we are pretty boring people!). We are extending the time to respond for the Create a Caption contest. We'll pick a winner on Friday evening. And if you can't (or don't want to) sign in to Blogger you can email your caption to Eme or me.

Get those creative captions flowing!

Caption Photo Contest

It's time for a classic "Create a Caption" contest! Submit a clever caption which you think best represents the above photo and Eme and I will choose a winner Tuesday night (Feb. 1).

What does the winner receive you ask? You have a choice between 3 fantastic options. (Not going to lie we might prefer the 3rd option...but you are certainly free to choose any option you wish!)

1. Dinner and a movie (or games) at our house
2. A Bag of Crap (similar to Woot) or
3. A fun filled evening with Brianna (i.e. hanging out with her while mom and dad have an evening out. A win-win for everyone!).

Even if you might think so, the photo was not staged. Good luck everyone!

Recruits

Eme and I have had such a great time getting outside the past few weekends we decided to recruit some fellow outdoor enthusiasts to join us for some snowshoeing.

So we packed up, strapped in, and headed out on the trail. What a great time!

Brianna even got in on the fresh air this time thanks to mommy!

Cloudy with a Chance of Piano

Elissa  volunteered to teach Brianna the basics of piano. She picked it up quick and if you listen closely you can hear a slight hint of Mozart ;)

The lens is cloudy because the camera just came in from outside. Sorry the quality isn't quite there.

Spin Me Right Round

Eme and I made the plunge and got our own pair of snowshoes today. So we tried them out today for a quick 3 mile hike through the woods at Wild River State Park (which is a few miles north of Afton where we were last weekend). It was splendid even though it was a bit gloomy. And Eko had a great time romping around with us while Brianna played with Grandpa and Grandma. Thanks for watching Brianna for us!

After our hike we came back and enjoyed dinner with the fam and Brianna was fascinated with the fischer-price record player that I grew up playing with. Elissa and Kaitlyn, in turn, were having a great time playing with Brianna and following her around the house.

Living Room Gymnast

I got home Friday night after work just in time for a gymnastics show right in our living room.

She did a left and right leg lift, twirled her right leg and foot, and then sat down for a bow.

The judges gave a perfect "10!" Of course, they may have been a little partial to the contestant ;)

BTW - She loves putting things on and taking them off her hands. Here, she's having fun with mommy's mittens.

Following up: A Jedi's Weakness

I asked her if she liked her chicken and asparagus and she said yes... so it wasn't her food that put her to sleep. Maybe it was the fact that she declined her morning nap, we went to baby story-time at the library to get out of the house and to hopefully forget she was crabby, and this was her crashing. Hmmm, yeah, maybe that's it!

My Jedi Naps

Brianna is amazing. She is a great sleeper, she plays nice with Eko, she is always so bright and cheery... her only weakness is naps. As of late, her napping has been less than consistent. I try not to complain because she sleeps through the night and gives me the rest I need to tackle the day. She has been napping at least once, and if I'm lucky, twice! Today, it's twice! As I write this, I am anticipating a subtle cry that let's me know she is awake (indeed, there is was).

I am so thankful for even the quietest and the loudest of moments.

P.S. She has been all about putting things on or over her head. This afternoon, she insisted on putting Jon's sweatshirt on. The hood was so big on her small head that it reminded me of the cloaks they wore in Star Wars. May the force be with you!

Eko, Snowshoe, Me & You

Eme and I love to get outside whenever and wherever we can. So yesterday, after assisting Michelle shovel Gary & Jackie's driveway and sharing a quick lunch, we left Brianna with Gammie & Gamfie and headed to Afton State Park. This was our second time snowshoeing this winter and it was more fun than the first time!

 A fresh blanket of snow is just so peaceful.

The air temperature was around 5F above zero (which is why Brianna stayed behind) but there was minimal wind, we prepared with layers, and the sun was shining. Our 2.5 mile winter tromp took us up a steep incline, through the rolling prairie of the campground, to the edge of the St. Croix River bank (high above the river), and down through a valley back to our car. If you haven't been to Afton you should make the short trek from the Twin Cities!

Even Eko had a layer of fleece on. Thanks Tim and Lori for helping keep Eko warm!

 Eko also enjoyed soaking in the wonderful scenery.

 It was a great workout and we were incredibly tired when we got home. But it was a grand rejuvenating exploration of God's beautiful winter creation.

LONG LIVE SNOW!

On the Lam

Brianna is really getting around these days. And she loves putting things on her hand and off her hand. So today she combined her two (current) passions in life by putting my winter glove on and crawling away to the dining room.

She was half way across the "state line" when I caught up with her. Then a few minutes later as mild confusion set in, while I was getting ready to grocery shop and Eme was putting together the list, we both looked at each other and said, "where's Brianna?" There are only a couple places she can go and the bathroom door was open so we knew right away where she was headed...

It's a good thing we planned on washing my gloves today!

Hanging Out On the Couch

Pete, Heidi, and Lana came over to hang out and watch the Packers lose to the Bears (so was the plan). Brianna had fun playing with Lana and watching the game with Pete.

Thanks for hanging out this afternoon!

Living Room Jungle Gym

This is a little longer video but Brianna was having a great time climbing into, onto, over, and down the laundry basket, ottoman, and sofa. She is so cute!

Not sure what spurred her to climb up the laundry basket in the first place, but she did - and completely unassisted! Check it out!

Regular Ocurrences

Each day is filled with many reminder, to both Brianna and Eko, to play nice and be gentle. I am SO grateful for a patient dog who will take just about anything and does nothing more than to turn his head and lay it back down again - in what seems like a gesture that just says, yup it's her again, no big deal. In our family room we have amazingly large windows that overlook our backyard and duck filled creek. Brianna (and Eko) loves to crawl her way to the window and sit in front of it for minutes upon minutes.

A short video to prove she actually gets up on her hands and knees... that is, when she feels like it!

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are also becoming more and more enjoyable. Not that it wasn't fun feeding her all sorts of new foods, but she is now more than capable to do the work herself and has such fun doing it. The other day I noticed she had a piece of food on her bib. Before I could clean it off I noticed her examining it. Next thing I saw was she began picking additional pieces of food from her tray, one by one, and putting the neatly right next to it, on the lip of the bib. After a few pieces made their way on, she thought that was enough and took them back off. No bother eating them, when they collect so easily! She has also caught on to the fact that she can reach over the side of the highchair tray to drop food - another great reason to have a dog/vacuum cleaner handy!

Bath Time

Brianna is fascinated with her new bath toys she got for her birthday. This got me thinking and remembering my bath toys as a kid. My favorite toy was a red boat (I think it was Tupperware) that had other boats in it. What was your favorite bath toy as a kid?

Eko meandered into the bathroom during Brianna's bath (as he usually does since he loves bath time as much as Brianna does!) to keep an eye on things. I can't tell who was more enthralled with the water squirting fish...Eko or Brianna. Eme would squirt it in the air and Eko would try and lick the falling water while Brianna giggled, laughed, and grabbed. It was pretty funny!

We probably sound like a broken record, but we are thankful and blessed to have such a wonderful baby (and dog). God is truly good!

Fresh Air, Vitamin D, and a Little Exercise

Eme and I love spending time outdoors whether on vacation, close to home, winter, spring, summer, or fall. Yesterday (about 5 degrees with a stiff wind and sunny) we took advantage of an opportunity that REI and Fort Snelling State Park put forth for National Winter Trails Day.

 

We strapped on some snowshoes, courtesy of REI, and hiked around for a while with Eko. All three of us had a fantastic time! It was the first time I had been on snowshoes and it was a lot of fun! Eme had been on them before and was tromping around with Eko like a pro!

We snagged some free giveaways (thermal insoles and a winter hat) along with a warming fire and hot chocolate. 

But, perhaps, the highlight (for Eko at least) was learning how to Skijor. You can learn more about it here or here. We had both heard of it before but had never seen it done in person. They had different harnesses to try on so we slid one on Eko and took the introductory course. Eko seemed to pick it up pretty quick! Now all we need is our own harness!

Here Eko is connected to a tree. But if we were really Skijoring Eme would have skis on, Eko would be hooked up to her and they would work together skiing and pulling.

Once we had our fill of snowshoeing and Skijoring we packed up and headed out of the park. But before we snuck out we spied a wild turkey (I think) just hanging out by the side of the road.

What a great afternoon! Thanks to Gammie and Gamfie for watching Brianna for us while we spent some quality fun time with Eko.