Pics of the Day

Here are just a few pics to make you smile. Dave and Vickie bought a bike helmet for Kelsey and she loves it. When we went outside today she asked right away for her new bike., but meant her helmet. Once we got it on, she did not want to take it off. She kept it on while she rode her bike around the driveway, had to keep it on while we took a wagon ride, and would have kept it on to jump on the trampoline and swing, but we made her take it off.

Here is our garden. It is looking so good! The purple flowers on the top were pretty much dead at one point, but Vickie assured me they would come back and Wah-La! I think we will have beans to pick soon!

Twins Game

We finally made it to Target Field! Mattey and I went to watch the Twins vs. Tigers game on Monday with Matt and Stacey. It is quite the place. We have heard so much about, seen pictures from others and watched plenty of games on TV, but nothing compares to actually seeing it. My first thought was how did they fit this enormous stadium into that spot? It seems like it should have always been there due to how it just flows with the rest of all the big buildings.

We got there early so we couild walk around and check the place out before the game. There is just so much to see and take in. I really liked how there were so many places to constantly be overlooking the field.

Our seats were really good! We even had a foul ball hit toward us. There was a cute little boy in front of us celebrating his birthday with his dad, brother and friend. The one little guy had the ball in his glove, but the dad knocked it out in trying to catch it, too. It then was in Matt's hand, but landed behind us. Quite entertaining! What a fun experience! I hope we get to go back soon!

I Think We Are On To Something!

We have officially started potty training! It kind of happened by mistake, but we'll see where it goes. Kelsey had gone potty for me one time on the toilet last week, so we knew she was capable of going. Then on Sunday, she went twice! So, we got her a potty sticker chart and an M&M treat bowl to help get her motivated. She doesn't ask us to go yet, but we have been having her try when she wakes up, before nap, after nap, etc. She gets excited when she goes, probably because Mommy and Daddy hoot and holler so much! Even Grandma and Grandpa spoiled her by taking her to the park, getting her ice cream, and buying her a doll! We will keep you updated on the status of how this goes! Hopefully if all goes well, we will be out of diapers by the end of summer......

Baseball Tournament

Matt coached in a baseball tournament this weekend. On Saturday, Kelsey and I went along to cheer on his team. We went over a little early and had lunch at the mall before doing a little shopping. Then, we were off to the field. It was a really muggy day, so I had hoped we could sit and watch the game from the shade. Kelsey had a different plan called "Chase me all around, Mommy!" She was on the go from the minute I got her out of the car seat. She ran all over and Mommy just followed her around. I was able to peek at the game every now and then ;) It was nice to at least be in the same place and get to hang out for awhile around the game.

Medford Parade

On Friday night, Grandma and Grandpa picked up Kelsey and I(Matt was at a baseball tournament) and we went to the Medford Parade. We were a little leary as to whether we should go because the weather forecast called for storms. But we decided to brave it out. Since I teach in Medford, I was able to see some of my students which always makes me smile :) Kelsey did pretty good while we were there. Once the parade got started, she was pretty intrigued. We got swarmed with so much candy, she didn't know what to do with it all. The rain held off for most of the parade, although it did lightning the whole time. The Ginskeys were in the parade, so Kelsey was excited to see her cousins.



Thanks for taking us along, Grandma and Grandpa.

Pool Party

We finally got around to setting up Kelsey's pool. Between the rainy days and being gone, we finally got it done. Kelsey was really excited as Matt filled it up with air and seemed so intrigued as to how it was actually going to turn into a pool. We filled it with water in the early morning because we wanted the water to be warm by the afternoon. We decked Kelsey out in her swimsuit and lathered her up good with sunscreen. The poor girl has my pale white skin, so we bought her a swim shirt for outdoor swimming to help keep her from burning. We had all the pieces in place, except the water had not warmed up like we had hoped. Kelsey was a little timid to get in, so Daddy came to the rescue and got in with her. She seemed to slowly warm up to the idea, although she was not fond of sitting. She preferred to stand up and would pride herself in squatting down just enough so her little bum touched the water and then would stand right back up. She would also tell Matt "I stand right here" to let him know she was quite content with her choice. When we all came in, we were happy to find that Kelsey did not burn! YAY! What a fun summer afternoon :)

I'm Siiiiiinging on the Swing

Kelsey still loves the swings. But her new thing now is to sing on them. It is like the minute she gets going, she immediately starts to sing. A few of her favorites are ABCs, Twinkle, Twinkle, You are My Sunshine, The Wheels on the Bus, and Mary Had a Little Lamb.

She has also somewhat conquered her fear of the trampoline. Our neighbors have one and said we can use it anytime. We tried having Kelsey jump a few times, but she would get scared and want to get out. Mattey took her the other night and she actually seemed to like it. She would not jump too much, but liked it when Mattey would lay down on his back and then she would sit next him. He would make the trampoline move in a game he called "popcorn." She would laugh and laugh and then say" more popcorn, daddy."

She loves being outside and has a blast. The coming in part is still a struggle, but we can't blame her. The summer is wonderful!

Here is a little photo shoot we had today. Kelsey automatically says "cheese" or "cheeseburgers" when the camera comes out. Then after we take the picture she says "I see it." What a little ham ;)

Happy Father's Day!

To celebrate Father's Day, Kelsey and I decided to have a scavenger hunt for Daddy. To start the morning, I wanted Kelsey to tell Matt "Happy Father's Day". However, since Matt has been working on her saying happy birthday for my birthday, she liked to combine the two and would tell Matt "Happy Birthday Father's Day." It was very cute. After some morning hugs and kisses, Kelsey gave Daddy his first clue.
Clue #1: Daddy you need some time to relax and enjoy this summer sun. His gift: A round of golf at the local golf course.

Clue #2 My Daddy needs to look good on the course. His gift: A new golf shirt



Clue #3 My daddy need to cool down after a day on the course. His gift: His favorite beverage of choice ;)

Clue #4 My daddy might be a little tense after golfing and could use relaxation. His gift: A massage given my mommy

The last thing Daddy opened was a card from Kelsey and a card from Mommy.

The remainder of our day was also great. We went to church and then spent the rest of the morning at Dave and Vickie's. We had brunch, watched the Twins, and then the boys all went outside to play baseball. Next up was two more graduation parties. One of them was for Matt's cousin so we were able to see all the Skala clan. They are such a fun group and we love getting to see everyone and catching up.

Mattey is such an incredible father. He loves Kelsey with every ounce of his being. He provides for our family and makes us feel safe and loved. Matt is always wanting to play with Kelsey, read her books, cuddle, and even help out with diaper duty. I could not ask for a more dedicated, committed father for our daughter. He truly is every child's dream dad and Kelsey and I feel so blessed to have him in our lives.

Then:

Now:


Today is also a day to celebrate our own fathers. Both my dad, Larry, and Matt's Dad, Dave, have been very inspirational in our lives. We are both so fortunate to have such amazing fathers who have been great role models for us. They have shown us how to be good parents and have loved us unconditionally. We are thankful for you and love you both so much!

Smith Family Gathering

On Saturday afternoon my family came down to spend the afternoon with us. I have not seen my dad in some time and was really excited to get to spend time with him. Everyone arrived in the afternoon and we were all able to just sit around for a bit and catch up. However, with the weather being as nice as it was, the kiddos all wanted to get outside and play. The game of choice this time was soccer. Lauryn and Soren are both in soccer right now and so they are really into it. We did also pull out the tee and the kids all took turns batting. I think my dad and Brian were just a little tired after shagging balls while the kiddos hit the ball and ran the bases. I was the official picture taker so I guess that got me out of playing defense ;)

We also celebrated Annika and Miranda's birthdays since we try to combine parties when we can to help accomodate my dad and Chris and all the driving. Annika turned 3 at the end of May and Miranda just turned 5 in early June.



It was so good to see my family and have them all down in Owatonna. It truly means a lot to me that everyone was willing to come here. What a fun afternoon!

Happy Birthday, Mommy

Friday was my birthday and Matt has been working on Kelsey saying "Happy birthday, Mommy" She did such a good job with it that she just kept repeating it over and over all day. It was so sweet! I told Mattey that for my birthday I just wanted to lay low and spend the day with him and Kelsey, and that is exactly what we did. To start the day, Matt and Kelsey made me breakfast.
It was a nice day outside, so we were able to get out a little and enjoy the sunshine. Mattey and Kelsey again pampered me by making lunch while I just lounged around. During the day, Kelsey got attached to a backpack and purse she has had for a long time, but hasn't really played with much lately. She was so into playing with them that she would not take them off to eat lunch or take her nap.


Later in the afternoon we met the Ginskeys for ice cream at the Blast. We then went to their house for a little cousins play session. For dinner, Mattey grilled out and we enjoyed yet another meal together. (I bet it sounds like all we did was eat all day! hehe) Finally that night Dave and Vickie came over for a bit to celebrate with us as well. Kelsey wanted to get right in there and help me open my presents.

It was such a relaxing, perfect day! I really love birthdays and Mattey knows this, so he truly made my day special. And for the record, I will be 29 and holding from here on out because I just don't know if I am ready for my first number to be a 3 next year! But seriously, here's to another wonderful year full of great memories!

Random

This post will contain a lot of random things to catch you up on. The first thing is that summer break is in full force and I am loving it! We had our first day with all three of us home together today. It has been raining here for the past few days, but not today! We had a beautiful, sunshine-filled day. Therefore, we got some outdoor work that has been put off since we have not been home much lately. Mattey mowed the lawn and then trimmed all of our bushes. Here is an updated picture of our house. The grass is so green and our flowers look great due to all the rain. I remember my mom used to take a picture of the house every summer, so maybe this will become a tradition.

Later in the day we went to feed the ducks. Kelsey gets very afraid of animals when we are around them. She loves to read about them and can say what sound they all make, but when she sees them in person, she gets really scared. So we weren't sure how she would do. At first she only wanted Matt or I to hold her while she threw the bread to them. But after a little bit she wanted to be put down and eventually fed them all by herself.




To end our day we went for ice cream and watched a baseball game at Dartt's Park. It was such a wonderful way to begin our summer break.

Catching up on some old business, we stopped at Dave and Vickie's last Saturday in between graduation parties and Kelsey wanted Grandpa to play games with her. Thankfully Grandpa was up for it!
Kelsey had her first friend birthday party last Saturday. She has a really good friend from daycare who turned 3. They had games, food, movies, and cake. Kelsey didn't know where to turn first. When we left, it only took about 5 minutes for her to fall asleep.


Kelsey likes to ask "What's that?" for things she is curious about now. Today she took every magnetic letter off the refrigerator and would say" what that letter?" When you ask her what her name is, she can now reply "Kelsey Skala". When you ask her how old she will be, she says "2" but proceeds to hold up both her hands to show 10 fingers. hehe