Summer, summer, summertime. (Summertime!)

Oops.  Didn't realize it's been a month since I've posted last.  Well, here's the short list of what the Knutsons have been up to since I wrote last:

1.  We went to Stella's 5th birthday party.  The tire swings will forever go down in infamy.  ;)

2.  We went to a family reunion on the same farm that Grandma Knutson grew up on.  The kids loved the big tree swing, the tractors, and a hay bale ride around Owatonna.

3.  We spent the 4th of July holiday up north going fishing at Grandpa Bob's cabin on Lake Kabetogama.  Aunt Amanda and Uncle Frank were there, too! Becky caught 1 single fish the entire trip - impressive.  Madeline caught her first fish - with lots of help from Grandpa.  Henry confirmed his love of Smores and discovered the joy of smoke bombs.

4.   Becky went to Ireland for the week, and the kids went to Grandma and Grandpa Knutsons.  Daddy got to hang out in a quiet, empty house.

5.  We went to Maple Grove Days!  It was gorgeous weather and the kids jumped around on the inflatable jumpers, petted some little animals, and rode around on a train.

Water fun

This post is for Amanda and Frank...  the kids LOVE Madeline's birthday present.  Madeline has been begging us to get it set up since the day she got it in the mail. Although the water from our hose was FREEZING, the kids had a great time on it.  Madeline is perfecting the "run and jump" technique.  So, thanks for the great gift!

 

Our first camping trip

So, I don't know about other couples, but when Nathan and I got married, it was definitely perceived that the registry was MY wish list of gifts.  So, "poor Nathan" decided to register for a tent as a "man gift," which we gratefully got from some of his fraternity brothers.  We have only used it once in the 7 years we've been married, so we decided to go camping this summer to finally break in the family tent and to start a new family tradition for our family.  In addition to this, some of my favorite childhood memories were going fishing and camping with my family up north in the Lake of the Woods and also with friends at Turkey Run State Park in Indiana.  (To my Indiana friends, can you please confirm if it really is a great place to go now?  I have romanticized Turkey Run so much, and Nathan doesn't believe me that I would still enjoy it if I went with MY family.)

 

We went to Baker Park Reserve on Lake Independence, which is about 15 minutes away from us in Medina, Minnesota.  Not only was it close, but it also had showers and bathrooms, so it wasn't like we were "roughing it."   We went with our friends, the Lapes, who have 2 adorable and super sweet kids.  The weather was GORGEOUS and we had such a great time.  We're already talking about scheduling our next camping trip later this summer!

Madeline's 4 year check-up

We had Madeline's 4 year check-up on Monday.  The nurse took her measurements (48 lbs, 45" tall) and told me that she is in the 90% percentile.  I was actually kind of surprised by that because she's always been "off the charts."  When the doctor came in, we were going over the charts and he realized that the nurse had charted it wrong.  She was 90th percentile FOR A FIVE YEAR OLD!!!  She continues to be off the charts for a 4 y.o.  And the doctor also commented that she hadn't been in his office in a year since her 3 y.o. well child visit.  I hadn't realized that she has had such a healthy year!  We are so blessed that she is growing so well and staying so healthy...  

Happy birthday, Madeline!

I can't believe that our little girl is turning 4 today!

Too bad that she was a sourpuss this morning. She was mad at me for dropping her off in her typical daycare room. Now that she is 4, she wants to move up to the "Pre-K" room.

We're going to Chuck E. Cheese tonight to celebrate.

Madeline's 4th birthday party

Madeline doesn't turn 4 until next week, but we had her birthday party this past weekend.   She has been looking forward to her 4th birthday for months.  I had always heard from others that the 4th one is the big one because they finally really "get it" and can get truly excited for it.  In March, she was saying "when is it going to be spring?  because then it is my birthday."  And she'd talk about the cake she wanted.  It's fun to share in her excitement!

As usual, we had our family over for BBQ and cake.  We got the Barbie cake that they had on display at Target - mainly because she'd been eyeing it for months.  It actually had a real Barbie in the middle!  Now that I have the cake gadgets for this one, I wonder if I could make one myself?

So there are 2 items that will remain in my memory forever about this birthday party.  The first is Madeline's outfit (see first picture).  Grandma Rita helped her get dressed in whatever special dress she wanted to wear, and she went straight to this Barbie wedding dress, Barbie tiara, and Barbie play shoes (probably to match her Barbie cake).  She was in it this dress for hours!  

The second item is the grilling.  My mom suggested shish kabobs (sp???) and so we signed Nathan up for it.  The wide variety of meats (beef, chicken, shrimp) and vegetables proved to be quite stressful and all of the men were hovered over the grill for a good hour giving feedback and encouragement to poor Nathan.  But it was worth it - the food was delicious (if I do say so myself!)  Good job, baby!  

Madeline was showered with so much love and such thoughtful gifts.  Our family is blessed with abundant love from our family and friends and we are so thankful!  Even though it's hard to believe that Madeline is already 4, we're enjoying every minute of this journey through life with her.  Happy birthday, Madeline!!!

Chicago trip

We made the most of our 3-day weekend by going to visit Aunt Laura in Chicago.  We had a great time together, the kids were so good and completely flexible, and the weather was gorgeous.  We couldn't have asked for a better weekend!

  

We spent Saturday shopping on Michigan Avenue, and we splurged by buying Madeline an American Girl doll (Chrissa, for those of you who know/care) for her upcoming 4th birthday.  I swear every single girl ages 4-12 at our hotel or on Michigan Avenue had one of those dolls or at least a bag from the store.  I think we need to come up with the equivalent concept for boys so we can get in on the action!  

On Sunday, we enjoyed a long walk through the city on our way to the Shedd Aquarium.  What a beautiful museum and the kids just loved all of the fish.

Can't wait until our next visit, Laura!