A trip to the Dells

Last week we headed over to Wisconsin for a few days at the Dells. It's pretty quiet this time of year, especially with school in session, but it suited us just fine. We stayed at the Great Wolf Lodge (no relation). They focus on the younger age group and the boys really enjoyed it. There were lots of activities for us all to enjoy.



Here are the boys trying their luck at guitar hero. Anton is busy climbing up and through the tree house. The resort had a children's club house with toys and crafts, which provided an alternative to swimming.



Cadel measured in at 41 inches. Too short for most rides and not yet brave enough to go on any of the kid slides alone.

The boys enjoyed story time each evening in the lobby before bed.

Cadel became increasingly more brave with every passing day. Here he sits on a log by himself as I stand at the edge of the pool praying he doesn't fall in.

Anton loved the water. Here he is playing in the wave pool with Daddy. He fell asleep with floating on the lazy river with me one day.

Here Cadel climbs the rope ladder in MagiQuest (a magical, mythical interactive game).

Ava

Rob's niece Courtney, her husband Dave and daughter Ava came from Fargo for a visit recently. Ava is 1 month younger than Anton. The kids enjoyed playing Grandma's piano, Dave enjoyed playing with the boys (finally someone who likes trucks!) and Grandma Wolf enjoyed hosting 3 generations.

Enjoying the Season

The boys have been enjoying the weather and getting ready for Christmas. Thursday night we attended a preschool Christmas party. Anton enjoyed the cookies more than the entertainment and Cadel was way more interested in the instruments that were on stage than singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" with his class. Neither was interested in visiting with Santa, though he did write a letter to him requesting a monster truck. Anton has been checking out all of the ornaments on the tree.

He's not sure what to think about the snow yet. Here he is signing "COLD".

Yesterday, Rob and Cadel dug out a snow fort in our front yard. It's hard to tell from the picture, but all of us could easily fit in the fort.

We're looking forward to Christmas with family and seeing the expressions on the boys' faces Christmas morning. Wishing you all a peaceful and happy holiday!

Halloween

On Sunday, we hosted the second annual Children's Neighborhood Halloween Parade. While I didn't get an exact count, I would estimate another 60+ people in attendance. There were knights, bugs (butterflies, bumblebees), princesses, an acorn and squirrel, and last but not least a monkey and "storm power"/superhero (aka Cadel). Fun and good treats were had by all. What a great way to reconnect with and meet new neighbors.


One of the funniest moments came towards the end of the party. One of the little guests (who shall remain nameless) ran up and stole the head off of our scarecrow (see group photo-shot prior to the incident). He just tore the styrofoam head off its post and ran off with it, much to his mothers dismay. The look on Cadel's face was truly priceless!

Spooktacular Fun

Friday night we attended a Halloween party at New Horizon's preschool. There was a story teller, pumpkin carving, and best all lots of tasty treats! It was fun to see all of the creative costumes and watch the kids interact with their friends. Anton was a monkey and Cadel chose to be a fireman.

Here, Cadel poses with his buddy Jack (aka buzz lightyear).

While Cadel was proud of his costume, I think there was a hint of jealousy when he saw the toy story (buzz, woody) and spiderman costumes.

Growing...

The boys are growing so fast! Cadel has sprouted another inch or so in the past month, leaving us to wonder if his new pants shrunk in the wash or if he has really grown. He's looking forward to Halloween and has been enjoying raking and playing in the leaves. He loves pre-school and playing with friends on the playground.

Today was Anton's 15 month check up. He weighed in at 22 pounds and 30 inches long, putting him in the 25th percentile for weight and height. He is just starting to walk unassisted. He's signing (eat, more, shoes, light, milk, etc) and saying more words everyday(uh oh, bye bye, all done, woof woof). It's so fun to watch his personality develop. He's such a happy, playful little guy.

What the #&*@!?

Um, what I meant to say is "Is this thing real?".

Uncle Paul again has a giant pumpkin on his front step. Anton wasn't quite sure what to think. This year's specimen weighed in at over 800 pounds. We'll have to stop by again once they carve it. Cadel was less intrigued by the pumpkin and more interested in running up and down the hill in the front yard (hence the limited number of photos).