Trip to Grandma and Grandpa Wiens

Simon and Becky enjoyed a wonderful trip to Grandma and Grandpa Wiens home in MN. A busy little boy may have worn them out! Many neighborhood walks were enjoyed by Grandma, Simon and Becky! Simon has now mastered walking/running around the block, with many stops to discover the wonders of our world. Grandma and Grandpa live close to quite a few playgrounds. One morning Grandma, Simon and Becky enjoyed playing at one of them. Simon sitting on a rock in March of 2007. Simon's days are filled with climbing! Simon still has a little fear in him and a desire for help. How much longer will that last?

Simon sitting on the rock in July of 2006. This is when he started to climb.

Kisses were free for the morning, and Grandma scooped up every opportunity!

Grandma and Grandpa's little neighbor boy came to play with us for a few minutes.
Grandma and Grandpa's backyard is a great place to play! Who has more outside kid toys - Grandma and Grandpa, or Eric and Becky? Ding ding ding, you are right. Simon has more outside toys at the grandparents house! (Thanks to the neighbors for some toys to borrow; and Simon's toys still in hibernation in IL.)

Simon sure had lots to do. Putting sticks in a bucket, riding scooters, watering planters, refusing to swing, walking up and down stairs, throwing and kicking a ball (sometimes up and down the stairs), almost throwing himself down stairs, and the list goes on.

Grandpa was essential to Simon's new cap training regimen. Perhaps we have broken the dependence on the too-small blue frog cap that leaves indentations in his forehead and sits above his ears.

One of the highlights of the trip was a walk with Grandpa to Como Park. We enjoyed part of the conservatory where we came face to face with turtles and fish. Then, we more than thoroughly enjoyed the zoo through the eyes of Simon. I honestly have never seen the little guy more excited than when visiting the primate house. Simon escorted Grandpa to monkeys, gorillas, and orangoutangs. Simon could not contain himself, he ran from window to window "ooh ooh oohing" like a monkey with delight. Grandpa and I were amazed that Simon made the correct animal noises when he saw each animal.

Who knew it would be 81 degrees in Minnesota at the end of March! (Note the too small frog cap.)

We visited with a few people on our trip. Jo met us for lunch and it is always great to catch up with her. Conversations are easy on the phone, but it is just so nice to see far away friends in person! We saw Aunt Christina and her new home. Her backyard is the beautiful Mississippi River. We enjoyed a nice walk along the river before dinner at her new home.

Last of all, Simon was a great traveler. We watched the planes go "up up" and come "down down" while waiting to board. He said "up up" when watching planes and during take off. He fell asleep after take off and slept the entire way, including landing from IL to MN. The trip back to IL was timed to use the bedtime advantage - which did not work. He was a busy little boy and awake the entire flight. We ate crackers, drank water, read a book, looked at an album, used blanket and blue bear, looked out the window, and climbed all over Mommy! He was quiet, but would not give in to his tired little body.

SPRING IS IN THE AIR!!

We definitely took advantage of the warm temperatures this weekend. We enjoyed near 60 degrees! Simon quickly re-learned to run to the front door when asked if he wanted to play outside. How nice to put on only a coat and a cap! We played outside Saturday, walked to the park late Sunday morning, and played outside again Sunday afternoon! Because EVERYONE was outside, we saw our neighbors post hibernation! So, here are some pictures of Simon enjoying the yard again.

We looked in the side yard for Simon's snowman/bucketman/marshmallow man, but could not find him. Only the accessories remained, including the Bear's orange bucket :)

Simon continued his favorite activity of watering the dirt in my flower pots. He's been watering all winter!

Simon has mastered steps inside and outside! Any guess to how long we have until he attempts to jump off the stairs? Or open the front door to escape to the out of doors?

It is only March after all, and we must brace ourselves for a few more cold days.

Weekend Fun

We had a lovely weekend! Becky threw a baby shower for her dear friend Kathy, who is expecting a baby girl in early April. We are eagerly and prayerfully awaiting Baby Bussert's arrival! The afternoon was spent with good friends, lots of yummy food, and of course showering the Mom-to-Be with blessings and gifts! Sunday we enjoyed a lazy day after cleaning, cooking, and hosting! We bundled Simon up and we all headed outside to soak up some sunshine! The snow was a bit in a packing mood, due to some melting. We decided to create a lovely little snowman. The snow was not quite snowman snow, so we enlisted the help of a bucket. Here, you can see our version of a snowman, or is it a bucketman? Maybe even a marshmallow man? Simon still does not prefer walking on or in the snow. We call him our little "Shuff-Along" as he shuffles in the snow.

Daddy's Shoes

We are getting good at interpreting Simon's antics. Sometimes he has an air of mischief and sometimes he is quite playful. One afternoon Simon was on a mission. In this episode, Becky sensed that imagination was taking over, and she was just lucky enough to capture it on video. Of course, the battery died... but Simon kept on going! He was still "playing" after a battery change. Then, the second video clip stopped because our memory card was full. You get a picture of the final result of Simon's mission! (Some shoes were returned in pairs, and some were returned any which way!!)