Bentleyville 2009

Steve and I have been to Bentleyville in the past, but this year was quite different. Being held downtown Duluth at Bayfront Park it was much larger than years before and it was our first time bringing Jack. Tonight was the opening night so it was quite busy, but we decided to go since there is still no snow. Jack was all bundled up in the stoller with snow pants and boots, so he was nice and warm. Then we were able to walk around and get hot chocolate and cookies. They also had marshmallow roasting, but we decided not to take part in that.



I'm pretty sure at some point in the next month we will be bringing him back down there since that is what we had to promise him to get him to leave :)

Happy Thanksgiving

This year we had a very busy Thanksgiving. We headed over to Grandma and Grandpa Battaglia's house in the morning to visit with uncle Tim before he had to work, then over to Grandma and Grandpa Johnson's for lunch. At around 2 we headed down to Forest Lake to visit the newest addition to the Battaglia family. Dan and Erin had their baby girl, Braxton Christine Battaglia, on Wednesday, so they were stuck in the hospital for Thanksgiving. I must say, she is quite the cutie, and reminded me of how small Olivia was just 4 1/2 months ago. After getting back from the quick trip, we went back over to Battaglia's for dinner.

Burning Energy

Yesterday, I took Jack to Twin Ports Gymnastics in Superior to their preschool open gym, so he could burn off some energy. I've heard it is a fun place for kids and decided to give it a try along with Katie and Quinn.

At first Jack was a little shy, but quickly got into it once he went on the big trampoline. After about 20 minutes he was fearless. They had a giant foam pit, balance beams, mats, balls, and as I stated earlier the big trampoline. Needless to say, with Jack's energy, I am lucky he didn't break his neck.

The best part about it is that it is only $3. So if you are looking for something to entertain kids, I would definately recommend it. That being said, I'm not sure how often we'll go back given that Jack tends to have a bit of a listening problem and was pretty wild.

Christmas City, Wonderful City...

Tonight we decided to take the kids to the Christmas City of the North Parade in Duluth. It was in the 40s, so we decided it would be a good year to give it a shot. It was so busy trying to get into Duluth, but we had easy access to my work parking lot and with a pass were able to park within 2 blocks of the parade route.

At first we were about 3 rows deep, but a group of people right in front of us left about 25 mintues in, so we ended up almost right in front. At the beginning Jack was terrified of the really loud bands, but once the floats started to come - he warmed up to the idea. Olivia just sat completely still and quiet for the entire hour and half that we were there. We were pretty surprised, but I think she just really enjoys being outside.

Olivia's First Solid Food

Now that Olivia has hit the 4 month mark we decided to start trying to feed her some solid food. Tonight we started out with just a bit of rice cereal with apple juice and she really wasn't that pleased with it. The funny story with dinner tonight started with us putting Olivia in the highchair and Jack crying and crying claiming he wasn't going to eat. So we just carried on with dinner and when we were done we took Olivia out of the chair. At that same time Jack stopped whining and ran over to get in the highchair. Even though we told him it was only for babies he insisted on getting in. Once he was in there - he ate his whole meal. Hopefully he gets over this phase soon.

Beautiful Day

Even though it was only 35 degrees this morning, it was beautiful outside. The sun was shining so I decided to bring Jack outside to get some fresh air. We played basketball, baseball, climbed in and out of the wagon 100 times, and even raced to the fence and back. For some reason he beat me every time :).

Then after Olivia woke up from her nap we decided to bundle her up and go for a walk with the dog. Olivia really enjoyed being outside and being able to sit up in the stoller and watch. She didn't make a peep the whole time and was completely content.

Deer Hunting 2009

Steve left for deer hunting last Friday night after work and was expected to be gone all weekend. On Saturday I went shopping with my mom as usual and then met up with my aunt, cousins, and grandma for dinner at Applebee's in Cloquet. Once I got home I talked to Steve and found out that he had shot an 8-pt. buck. Pretty exctiting considering he got a new rifle last year and ended up coming home empty handed. On Sunday Steve decided to come home a bit early since he got one, but will be heading back out on Friday night again.

Here is a picture of Steve and Jack next to the deer in the back of the truck. Jack really wasn't too keen on hanging out next to the dead deer.

Dr. Appointment - 4 Months

Today I brought Olivia to her 4 month check-up. Her appointment was at 9:30, so I brought her to my work beforehand since they hadn't seen her since she was born.

The doctor said everything is progressing like normal and that she is a very strong and alert little girl. Maybe that can be attributed to the fact that she has a very wild and noisy 2 year old little brother whom she is constantly watching. We were told that in the next few months we can start feeding her some cereal and other soft baby foods.

Her growth stats are as follows:

• Height: 25 1/4" (83%)
• Weight: 14 lb. 8 1/2 oz. (70%)
• Head: 16 1/2" (75%)

It's exciting to see how quickly she is growing and how much she changes every week. Compared to Jack at 4 months - Olivia is 1/4" taller but weighs a little more than 2 pounds less. Maybe she'll be tall and skinny like her dad :)

Olivia - 4 Months

As of today Olivia is 4 months old. In the past month she has started to roll back to front and been just starting to reach for things. She is doing a much better job holding her head up and steady which means she is ready to start eating cereal and some other soft baby foods. On Tuesday she will go to the doctor, so I will post her stats then, but for today - here are some 4 month pictures.

Love My PJs

Jack got a new pair of pajamas and he is really in love with them because they have Mickey Mouse all over them. I just thought they were so cute I had to share.