The Secret Pond

One of the wonderful things about our new house is the proximity of open spaces. Makenzie and Tyler (with help from Carla S.) found this "Secret Pond" in a nearby park. We love to go down and watch for turtles, ducks and throw sticks. I grabbed this shot with my cell phone, but think our little adventurers look pretty cute. It is really cool to feed their sense of adventure and play together outdoors!

Sunday Morning

It's a beautiful Sunday morning, we enjoyed a big breakfast on the deck, then the kids ran off to play in the back yard, in thier Jammies!!! We really love this house!

Big Boy Now?

MJ potty trained early, so of course, TJ figures he can take his sweet time. Must be a guy thing. Makenzie, Mom and Dad are all focused on Tyler going potty in the potty. As the picture shows, he seems to enjoy spending quality time in the bathroom, but has not yet become efficient there. Our latest form of encouragement is Lightning McQueen stickers, which may just be working - we'll try to keep you updated!

4th of July

We had a fabulous time camping with Heidi's side of the family over the Fourth of July weekend. We feel very blessed to live in this country, for the opportunity to spend time with our family, and for our good health. I hope in the coming year to continue being an active citizen in my neighborhood, community and country!

MJ - Golf Camp!

Here's a picture of Makenzie (pink and black shirt, high-fiving the tall girl) and Isaiah (best bud from Richfield) at Golf Camp last week. While they both enjoyed it, Isaiah clearly got more into it, and was very entertaining to watch.

One neat story is that Makenzie and Isaiah made friends with another girl at camp, who turns out to be our new neighbor in Inver Grove Heights! "It's a small world after all."

So Much too Say!

For those of you checking in, I apologize for taking so long - I had lost my sign in, and haven't had much time lately to get back to posting! We have had an extremely busy winter/spring - we listed our house in Richfield for sale, sold in 6 weeks and purchased a new home in Inver Grove Heights. The move went very well, thanks to the help of family and friends!!! Thank you all so very much.

Makenzie finished her first year of school, and is already looking forward to 1st grade. it was hard to leave Hillcrest, but we think she will enjoy Pinewood Elementary as much. She has always been very adaptable, and has been enjoying the moving process. Tyler has been a different case - he loves the new house, too, but has been prone to more temper tantrums, and crying fits. The first week was extremely rough, but he seems to be coming around.

Our nanny started today - I haven't recieved a call as yet, and am hopeful that it is a good sign. Makenzie and Tyler got to meet her a couple weeks back, and are looking forward to plenty of quality time in the new backyard this summer. They will attend an in-home daycare starting in the last week of July, in prepatation for the school year.

That's probably enough for now, make sure to check back for regular updates! Jake.

Report Card Time!

We have experienced yet a first in parenting - Makenzie's first official report card. CRAZY!!! It was all great! We had a very pride-filled day on Monday, February 9th - with a girl who's finally learning how to dunk her head in swimming lessons and a girl who is doing so well school!

Makenzie is learning how to read and write and even do some very simple math problems. It seems to amaze me what they are teaching kids in Kindergarten now! She is a good student, listens well and follows directions. She gets along with her peers and is well liked by others. Her life skills are almost more important to me. No matter how smart she is, or isn't, I'm happy as long as she is a nice girl who knows respect and uses her manners.

As for Tyler, he seems to be coming around! He LOVES his train set! Misses his Papa Jim and has to point him out on the family picutre in the dining room every once in a while. His new favorite book is "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel." He went to bed with it tonight!!

If you haven't heard, the new University of Minnesota Children's Hospital just recieved a huge sum of money as a donation. A chunk of it will go to a new pediatric catheritization lab. We're hoping not to go back there very soon, but when we do, it will be at the new hospital - opening in mid-2011.

Thanks for keeping up with us! Take care and enjoy the warmer weather.

No News is Good News?

No, not exactly. In this case, no news is GREAT news. Makenzie has been a dynamo since her surgery in November. the Holidays were jam-packed with family, friends, fun, etc, etc, etc. The picture is with Uncle Tom, in Makenzie's favorite place - outdoors.



Over the years, we have frequently wondered what Makenzie would have been like if her heart didn't have to work twice as hard as everyone else's. We seem to be finding out now - as like most other kindergarteners, she has no problem going 100 miles an hour all day, every day. It has been a growing opportunity for us as parents.



Tyler has kept our days and nights busy, with a pair of ear infections and his two year molars coming in. He has embraced the role of terrible two year old. One moment you think that he may be the cutest boy on earth. The next moment you are convinced that he has been possessed. We can count on one hand the times which Heidi and I have gotten a full nights rest since mid-November.

Overall, our days are packed - we begin 2009 with hearts filled with gratitude for the blessings in our lives.