Rubles come to visit

Tom and Alice came to visit in February, just in time for some sledding and celebrating of TJ's 6th birthday. 

Thomas got a new bike helmet for his birthday.

Posing in his new clothes with Grandma and Grandpa

Ben liked the wrapping paper

Footy jammie time!

Hanging on the couch like a big boy during story time

Story time:

Grandpa was in charge of Ben during sledding. Great place for a nap!

Grandpa also put Ben in the "Ben Corral," something he did with Jojo a few years ago. Perfect for practicing standing between Grandpa's legs, the foot stool, and the couch.

Sledding with Daddy and Grandma!

Going down the hill with Grandma!

Sledding down the tiny hill by their fort.

A family sledding picture while Ben is inside, cozy with Grandpa.

Ed and TJ went downhill skiing one day and I took Jojo cross country skiing another day. We got about 50 feet down the trail before Jojo asked if we were done. However he did persevere and make it around the loop we were doing, but his legs were "so tired!"

Ben turns 5 months

Our smiley, happy boy is 5 months! He's just about sitting up, doing a little rolling over, and just starting to get back into food after a couple weeks' worth of a cold that left him to congested to eat solids.

Bigger than his monkey!

I love my monkey!

Look at me sitting up!

Love those big brown eyes...

Trying to eat Momma--one of his favorite things to do (photo taken by Jojo)

Random January pics

Every month TJ brings home a fitness calendar from school. Here was one that he felt he fulfilled, and it cracked me up!

Packer fans! 

Mr. Amazing!

A jam session with Daddy

And the video version:

Snuggling with Daddy

TJ lost his second tooth, and I finished his tooth fairy pillow just in time!

Apparently we don't feed Ben enough; he started eating his feet.

Batman Thursdays!

Ben started sitting on his own toward the end of January. At first he was pretty folded over, like in this picture, but he got stronger quickly!

Two boys in dino shirts!

Which reminds me of two other boys in the same dino shirts...3 years earlier!

Our cute boy is getting bigger!

Swenson Christmas

We spend the weekend after New Year's at the cottage, celebrating Swenson Christmas. The only thing we were missing was snow...but we had fun anyway!

Five boys in matching jammies with stockings

The bigger boys had these glasses in their stockings--they make Christmas lights look like they have stars or angels or snowflakes on them. Pretty cool!

Grammy and Benjy boy. Poor Ben didn't feel good for much of our time in Wisconsin. He pretty much slept, waking only to eat.

Helping Ben open his stocking

Christmas wouldn't be complete without a visit from Santa! He brought books for Jimmy and Ike.

Our boys were much more comfortable with this Santa than with the one in Kalamazoo.

Ed's new Packer-colored "Drink Wisconsinably" t-shirt

Jenn and Isaac

Working on legos with Uncle Pat

Reading books with Aunt Jenn Jenn

Cousins!

Sitting on Uncle Pat's shoulders

Christmas dinner; Jenn and Pat got the "date" seats at the counter

Buppa and Benjy

Dunkers with Buppa!

There's a happy Ben!

Yep--these were our holiday hunks!

Isaac showing off some hunk moves

We had the Johnny Jump-up hooked to a beam, so it didn't quite reach the floor. Instead the boys bounced on the coffee table. Isaac grabbed onto anyone who got within reach.

Perfectly content to bounce!

The kids' table. There was much negotiating over who got which color chair.

Ike's got a hold of me too!

Making Isaac laugh

Super Ike!

This is a tradition--every baby has had a bath in the laundry sink!

While we played Pictionary, Niki French braided our hair.

Bedtime in the Kid Cave!

We played a lot of Qwirkle--both with the kids and without.

While there wasn't much snow, there was plenty of ice. And it was slippery! 

Very slippery!

Not sure who was holding who up in this picture!

Sled rides on the ice

Our group of 11--6 adults and 5 grandsons!