Nana Has Arrived/Week 22

We love it when Nana comes to visit...not only does Brody get lots of extra attention and love but the lawn gets moved, the laundry gets done, the meals are cooked and the house is cleaned! We get so spoiled when she comes and we always tell her that she could just move in with us!! Of course if she was a permit residence I'm not sure we could work her like that on a daily basis!! Here are a couple of cute pictures of Mom and Brody! Brody's an observant little guy these days. We had some fun blowing bubbles for him...he watched them with amazement...then started to reach for them!

Happy 4th of July

Beautiful Sun Rise

This past weekend we ventured up north to Duluth for the first time as a family. Duluth is about 3 hours north of Minneapolis, the drive alone was very scenic. Jason's company has a home right on the water that we stayed at for the weekend. It was in a perfect location with amazing views of Lake Superior, not to mention that the home was really, really nice! The weather was perfect all weekend as well so we really took advantage of that. We drove up on Friday afternoon and Brody slept the whole way. Once arrived and unpacked Jason ventured out to find a grocery store and brought us back a yummy dinner.

Brody is ready for a walk on the beach!

On Saturday morning we were up and at em' early, we departed the house around 8am for Gooseberry Falls, which is an hour and a half further north. We took the scenic drive viewing many beautiful homes right on the water. Once we arrived at Gooseberry Falls, we put Brody is his stroller and walked all the path's to see the falls. Surprisingly on the 4th of July it wasn't busy at all so we didn't have to fight the crowds.

Following that we made a stop at the ever famous "Betty's Pie" for lunch and of course PIE. On Saturday they had some 20 different types of pies, it was a hard decision to make but I went with blueberry and Jason selected a pie with rasp, blue and blackberry's. I must admit his was tastier than mine!Then we headed back to Duluth to meet up with Chad and Kristy who joined us for the rest of the day and over night. We went to Canal Park and walked along the water and then headed to their favorite ice cream shop. (can you see that our weekend was all about eating!!!) Then back to the house as it was getting late and time for Brody to head to bed.That evening we grilled out burgers and hot dogs and had all sorts of other yummy food. Of course nothing says 4th of July like cocktails so we ensured we had plenty of those. We sat on the deck and chatted the night away...and before we knew it the fireworks were going off and we could only see the very top of the fireworks due to the trees!!! Then Kristy had a great idea to have our own firework display with sparklers...great idea except that we couldn't find a lighter to light them!! Oh well maybe next year!!!

BBQ Time

We love BBQ'ing with friends in the summer as living in MN you have to take full advantage of the nice weather! We were at Chad and Kristy's house, they have a big ol' deck and Chad set up a nice bar...too bad I have to be responsible now or I'd have "bellied up" to that bar for some cocktails!Kristy and Brody (wearing his "Chicks Dig Me" shirt)Emily and I Jason modeling Brody's Bib

Happy 5 Month Birthday Mr Brody!

I can't believe that Brody is already 5 months old! He's changing by the day; he's very social, makes eye contact, smiles at the tv when he watches Mickey Mouse Club (yes he watches tv on occasion!), coos and giggles, can hold a small toy and what's most heart warming to me is that when I get him out of bed in the morning he is all smiles!

This past Thursday I had to take him to the pediatrician to have his circumscion looked at (was concerned that he might have to have the circ redone but all is good, thank the lord!). Dr Skallurud did a once over on him and noticed that he has two teeth buds on the bottom front, so it won't be long and our little guy will be teething. He's a drooling machine these days and loves his teethers, hoping that will help ease the pain as the teeth start to come in.

When Brody eats he likes to raise his left hand in the air, Jason and I always like to talk for him when he has his hand in the air...

"Power To The Little People"
"Praise the lord for a good drink of milk"

Brunch Club

We started to get together with the Smith's and Wahl's on a regular basis for brunch. It's a fun way for us to see each other, eat a yummy breakfast and more importantly no one has to cook or clean up! A couple weeks ago we went to Good Day Cafe...Oh my gosh was that a delicious meal!

Brody and I, Anna Lee and Rachel with Leyton and BrodyAnna Lee and Brody

Brody 's Newest Girlfriend

Last weekend we went to a BBQ and Brody met a new little lady, Olivia. It didn't take him long to show Olivia that he thought she was pretty cute, he grabbed her hand right away. It was the cutest thing...and of course the adults were dying!Here we have Olivia's daddy Pete telling Brody that he needs to back off his little lady and that she will never date, ever!

Fear The Turtle!!!

Good family friends of the Ward's, Serge and Mee sent Brody his first collegiate outfit, University of Maryland-Terrapins. I was thinking...he can't be a Turtle (what a lame mascot) he'll have to be a Husker (umm what's a Husker??), appears we can't chose either of these schools based on a mascot as neither is too strong!! We've decided that if he's going to be a basketball all-star he'll be going to MD and if he's a football all-star he'll have to go to Nebraska!

Room and Board

Yesterday was an expensive day at the Ward household...we made a trip to our favorite furniture store and finally purchased a new, much needed sectional (that also turns into a sleeper) and coffee table. The current Room and Board sectional we have is over 7 years old and has seen a lot of "butt time" and our current coffee table is glass with sharp corners...which would not be a safe option for when Brody gets mobile! Of course I was hoping that we could get the furniture right away but because it's custom fabric it takes some 8 weeks! Here are the pictures (sectional will be a mushroom color, not the gray shown below), it has a great chase lounge on one side. And we just loved the coffee table that will also serve as an ottoman!

Let's Get Physical

We heard that when you have a baby they turn your life upside down and that is the truth!! As you all know Jason has been a big fan of the gym and it's his stress outlet. Prior to Brody's arrival Jason worked out twice a day and always maintain a HOT bod...while he still has a hot bod, he's certainly not spending as much time at the gym as he used too. And me...well I was always a hit and miss gym girl...going because i had to not because i wanted too. Anyway, neither of us have been spending anytime at the gym or getting any physical activity, just seems there is not enough time in the day. So we decided that if we are going to be swim suit ready by Sept for our trip to Aruba we needed to start working out. Jason did a ton of research on gym equipment and yesterday we finally took the plunge and bought a used Lifefitness elliptical machine for our basement! Ohhh brother...now that means I HAVE to workout as I have no excuses anymore...time to work on getting this jiggly post baby body in order!!

Happy Father's Day Jason!

I certainly can't speak for what its like to be a father but I will speak to what I see at home each and every day! Early on Jason helped with Brody quiet a bit but I could tell he was challenged with how to interact with an infant that only eat, slept, pooped and cried. From my conversations with my mommy friends, they all stated "wait until he gets a bit older and see how dad interacts, they have an amazing connection when the baby gets older"...well they were SO right! Over the last two months, I can see an amazing bond forming between Brody and Jason. Jason distinct low voice captures Brody's attention very quickly and he always gets a smile. Not only that but Jason can make Brody laugh and giggle, it totally warms my heart as you can see the joy and deep love that they have for one another. Jason's a great dad and I'm thankful to have a husband who loves to spend time with Brody and is also a great husband!