Goldy's House

James has become quite fond of "Goldy" and when we told him we were going to head to Goldy's House (aka TCF Bank Stadium) last weekend he was very excited.

We had a great day to enjoy football outdoors and James enjoyed every minute of it.  From seeing the band play their plaza performance, in which he announced "I'm gonna dance!" to sitting (well that might be a strong term) through the entire game he is a true Golden Gopher.  He got excited each time he saw Goldy on the big screen and loved it when the band played during the game. 

The Gophers even manged to squeak out a win too - so that wasn't so bad!

After the game we stayed to hear the band play one last time before walking the mile or so trek back to the car.  James was a trooper and walked the entire way by himself which is a huge milestone for us as we try to get him to walk more and more since Mom can't carry him as much as she used to with baby on board.

We had a great time showing James Goldy's House as did all of our other friends with kids at the game that day.

Announcing ...

Baby Rhubarb!!

We're excited to announce that James is going to be a big brother and that little "Baby Rhubarb" (so named by Daddy due to Mom's craving for anything rhubarb at the beginning of the pregnancy) will be arriving in February 2012!

Mom has been feeling pretty good thus far besides being tired from chasing after a toddler.  James, when asked about the baby, just points to Mom's belly and notes that it's "right there!"  And then says, "I be big brother momma!"  No inklings just yet on whether it's a boy or girl and we'll let this one be a surprise as well!

We look forward to sharing our continued journey of our growing family!

State Fair

James and Mom ventured out to the great MN get-together when Daddy was traveling last weekend and explored the barns, ate some yummy food and had a lot of fun catching up with friends.

We started the morning out by meeting up with Greta and touring the Little Farm Hands exhibit.  James hadn't quite warmed up to the idea of the Fair just yet so was a little shy about the idea but after he got to ride the tractor he was pretty excited.  After touring through the exhibit and feeding the "animals," planting seeds and harvesting crops, collecting eggs from "chickens," milk from "cows," and wool from "sheep," and then selling all the goods at the market James got "money" to purchase something at the store.  What did James select?  Cheerios of course.  At this stage, James would be happy to eat cereal for every meal if we let him.  It's the first word that comes out of his mouth first thing in the morning when we walk into his room, "Cereal?!?" 

Following the Little Farm Hands exhibit we ventured over to the barns to see the animals with a few pit stops along the way.  One, for mini-donuts, which James loved - even after sucking all the sugar off the donut before eating the first one and two, to see the fish at the DNR building.  Both Greta and James got a good view of the fish in the water from the glass viewing panels in place for kids their height to check out the action.

The barns were probably James favorite part of the Fair (except for maybe the bus ride home, "Mom, we're on the second bus!" and the samples of chocolate milk at the dairy barn).  At the barns we saw goats, horses, cows and pigs.  James got the chance to pet a baby piggy and still hasn't stopped talking about it this week.  "I pet a piggy!"

James also enjoyed some corn on the cob (I think he liked the butter and salt more than the corn itself) and of course Sweet Martha's cookies in which he proceeded to pick out the chocolate with his fingertip and eating it first before eating the cookie itself.

Overall the trip to the Fair was a huge success.  What started out as a "quick" visit turned into an all day affair.  James took a short nap and was a trooper through it all.  No meltdowns until we got back to the car at the park and ride lot and he wanted to "drive" the car - which he pouted about until we got home and I let him sit in the drivers seat and "drive it."

Summer's Last Stand

We managed to squeeze out every ounce of summer that August gave us and it appears we'll have a little more time too given the forecast this week.  The weeks of August we're filled with birthday celebrations, water fun, good eats from the farmer's market and lots of fun at home with Mom and Dad at the park, around the house and in the backyard!

Just a few pics to highlight James' adventures these past few weeks!

Fun with water at the Linden Hills wading pool.

Watching marching band rehearsal, getting to run on the field at TCF Stadium and getting to drive and ride in the golf cart!

Playing at the park in our neighborhood - nothing beats it!

Celebrating Grandpa Mark's 60th Birthday ... he even let James get a little taste before everyone else!

And last but not least, James having his first taste of corn right off the cob - he liked it!