August Family Update

Catherine
This was my first week back to work. I had mixed emotions about going back. I knew I would miss my kiddos after spending ten weeks with Bri and 8 with Ben, but I was excited to go back to my job and my co-workers. It's always nice to go back to a job you love. I do miss the kids, especially Ben since he is growing and changing so fast now and I am going to miss a lot of his firsts (sad!!). Settling back in has been really easy and I am already super busy.

Matt
Matt just started school on Monday, and will be taking Art History and Music appreciation. These are both classes I took at Anoka Ramsey when I was there and really enjoyed. Especially the art class. Matt is a really big history lover, so I think he will enjoy them as well. As I have been so busy with the new baby, he has gotten to spend a lot of quality time with Brianna. Those two are the best of friends!

Brianna
Bri is going to be 2 in less than a month! I cannot believe my baby girl has gotten so big. It feels like she completely grew up over the summer. She is talking in four and five word sentences and exerting her independence every chance she gets. The transition from Daycare to Mom and Dad to just Mom back to daycare has been really hard on her, so we are working through some challenges there, but overall she has done really well with the new baby entering the family.

Ben
Ben's first couple weeks were super easy and then from weeks 2 till 7 he was extremely colicky. We have tried chiropractic, nutritional supplements, warm baths & water bottles, Colic Calm, Gripe Water etc. He also had Silent Reflux so he was put on meds for that and that seems to be much better. This week he has been a happy baby at night, I cannot speak for my daycare ladies, but I hope he isnt screaming all day there. At this point we are just waiting for him to outgrow it.

When Ben is happy, he is SUCH a sweetheart. All smiles, is constantly moving and makes the most adorable cooing/giggling noises.

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Our Mini-Vacation

This weekend we took a (short) trip to Rogers and stayed at the Sleep Inn. I was badly in need of some time out of the house and so were the kids. We stayed in a room with a King bed. It had a little mini fridge and a microwave, which was nice. The hotel also featured an awesome kiddie pool/adult pool/hot tub and a delicious hot breakfast. It was clean and the staff were nice and accomodating.

After we checked in, we got into our swimsuits and went swimming. It took a while for Bri to warm up to the idea, but once she did she had a blast! Running through the water, playing with balls, and playing on the slide with Daddy. I held Ben who got to go "swimming" too. He seemed to really enjoy himself as well. The hot tub was really just a warm bath, but perfect for kids. The pools were all filled with mild salt water as well, which we figured was to help with bouancy.

For dinner we went to the Pizza Ranch in Elk River. It was so good! Their soft serve ice cream was just like Dairy Queen, not that gritty stuff you get from Chinese resturants and most other buffets. After dinner we came back to the room and watched some TV. Getting Bri to sleep in her Pack n' Play was challenging. She wouldnt stop screaming and I thought we were going to have to take her home. Fortunately Matt was able to talk some sense into her and she settled down. Whew!

This morning we got up for a delicious breakfast with make-your-own waffles, pastries, bagels, cereal, sausage, eggs and juice, and went swimming one last time. Then we packed up and sadly left our little mini-vacation. We will definitely be returning to this one!