Charlie and Olivia

So here is a picture of Charlie's first time in the big tub. I also have a picture of Olivia's first time in the tub. Check out how much they look alike???

Can you tell who is who??

Randoms...

My Kiddos :)



Charlie loves rolling around the floor now.


Saturday we went to see Santa at the John Deere dealership in St. Cloud. Jesse had to work almost 24 hours straight clearing snow, so he was unable to go. Olivia was sad that Jesse couldn't be there, but her and Charlie still had lots of fun.






Olivia Reading Arthur...one of her favorite characters :)



Charlie just hanging out.


Olivia loves her little brother.



Decorating Grandma Ruth's tree for the birds (or whatever animal that eats cranberries, peanut butter, and sunflower seeds).



The smart one...hanging out in the house where it was nice and warm. Maybe next year he will be able to join the older kids outside.

Decorating the Tree

Last week we spent some time decorating the tree. Wow...this took a long time. It is crazy trying to get something done with two kids. I cannot imagine life with anymore. Being a mom of two and working full-time is a lot of work. Especially now that it is winter and Jesse's work schedule is so unpredictable.

So after two nights, we finally completed the tree. It was so fun for Olivia to look at her ornaments this year. She wanted "the story" about all of them. So here are a few...


The red ball ornament has a picture of Olivia just before her first Christmas. It did have a recording of her babbling, but unfortunately last year Olivia got a hold of it and erased it. I was very very sad about this. The mitten is one she made at Jenn's daycare.


One of Olivia's first Christmas ornaments


Another handmade ornament from Jenn's


Olivia's snowman ornament...this one is my favorite one that she has made.


Olivia putting the ornaments on the tree.

Our finished product...


Our fireplace with our stockings. Now that we have Charlie our mantel is getting really full. Good thing we are not planning on making our family any bigger. We would have to kick Jack off of the mantel :)



We hope that you all of a wonderful Christmas :)

A Day with Ava!

We are having an Ava day today :)

We don't usually get to have one-on-one time with Ava, so we have had quite a day. Ava has been telling us lots of stories about her big brother Owen, and little brother Ezra, and of course all about her baby sister that she is going to have (she seems pretty convinced it is going to be a girl).

Olivia's Snowmobile

Today Jesse let Olivia take her snowmobile out for the first time this winter. She loved it!! This was Olivia's Christmas present last year. It was a project that her and Jesse worked on together last fall. It was restored to look like a John Deere Liquidator. Jesse named it the "Littledator"

Thanksgiving Day!!

Olivia and Charlie on Thanksgiving Morning.

We hope that all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

We stuffed ourselves full at my mom's around noon with my brothers and their families. Grandma and Keith made it over to my mom's too...it was so nice spending time with them.

After my mom's, we went to T.J. and Lucille's (Jesse's aunt and uncles)
and had another great dinner.

Olivia and Charlie were both sleeping on the way home. They were very tired after an exhausting day of having awesome food and lots of fun with cousins :)

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Alright, I am pretty sure that some day Olivia will be embarrassed that I am posting this, but I just had to. She was taking her shower tonight and she was singing at the top of her lungs. I quickly grabbed my camera so I could record her voice. She is just a little excited that Santa is coming in just a little over a month.

There really isn't anything to see, but make sure you turn your volume up...

Story Time at the Babler House

Olivia loves reading books. Most of the time they are made up words, or only some of the words, but one of her favorites to read is Brown Bear. Of course she has it memorized, but she loves reading it to Charlie, and he loves listening. Notice that Jack even likes to join in.

Daddy's Garage Buddy!!

Charlie in the Garage with Daddy!!

Random Recent Pictures

Here are some recent pictures that I thought I would share.



The birthday cake Olivia made for Jesse. I made the hearts, but she did write Dad.


Wow...look who is smiling :) What a proud daddy!!


Jesse playing with his little sidekick.


Charlie loving sitting up in the Bumbo chair.



These two love each other so much :)
Olivia will go right past us every morning.
She always wants to know where and what her brother is doing.

Grandpa Harvey, You Will Be Missed!

This past week we had to say goodbye to a very special man, Jesse's Grandpa Harvey. He was loved by many, and will be missed greatly. We are so blessed to have known such an awesome man. He has been there for the special moments of our kids' lives and are so grateful to have had him in our lives.
Here are a few pictures of some very fond memories.

Grandma Joan and Grandpa Harvey


Cousins - Jennifer, Jeremy, Jayne, Jesse, Luke, and Amy with Grandpa Harvey


Grandma Joan, Olivia, Grandpa Harvey, and Owen.


Olivia's Second Birthday with all of her Grandparents.


Olivia and Grandpa at their auction September 2009


Grandpa Harvey and Charlie when he was 4 days old.


Olivia giving Grandpa his blanket after his surgery in August 2010

For My Grandpa

© Ilona Blake

I know we are all feeling a little bit sad,
That we've lost our Grandpa, our friend and our dad
Together we have cried an ocean of tears
As we feel so empty and hold many fears

But Grandpa would want us to know he's in a good place
And that he watching us all with a smile on his face
As we have made him so proud, as proud as can be
That he has raised such a beautiful and special family

Thinking back now I really must say
I feel lucky and privileged to have known Grandpa to this day
For in my life, you have played a special part
The memories I will treasure and keep close to your heart

For me I am glad my little baby he got to meet
And for all of us, be grateful, his life is now complete
To each one of us he has loved and cared
And a family, be thankful for the good times we shared

Although he has gone we will always be together
And his spirit will live on each one of us forever
When you look to the sky, look for the brightest star
As that will be Grandpa looking down on us from afar

And now I would like to thank the good Lord above
For blessing us with our Grandpa with his kindness and love
Dear God, if it is not too much fuss
Take extra special care of our Grandpa as he is very dear to us

Grandpa if you are listening say a prayer for us every day
Be sure to protect us and guide us on our way
We know when God called you, you had to go
But we want you to know Grandpa we miss you and love you so

We love you Grandpa!!

What a beautiful weekend!!

This past Sunday, we FINALLY had a day to relax and spend at home. It has been so long since the four of us could just hang out at home and take it easy. We spent sometime outside on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. We played a beanbag toss game and roasted hot dogs by the fire. Here are some pictures of the kids.

Halloween

The day before Halloween we decided to carve our pumpkins. Olivia loves this...me...not so much. It is always so messy and I do not like putting my hands in the gross pumpkin guts. Thank goodness Jesse is always willing to carve her pumpkin with her. Here are some pictures of the carving.






Olivia's Pumpkin



Charlie's Pumpkin



Here are some pictures of our Yellow Submarine, Little Cow and T.C. Bear on Halloween.