Update

My, how life has changed since my last post! The family is doing well; we are settling into our new home on 18 acres in Foreston and enjoying living closer to family. Miss Halle is 4 months already and is a chunky monkey! She is giggling, beginning to roll, and sleeping through the night like a good little girl. The boys are having fun exploring the outdoors at the "new house" (wonder how long they'll call it that?) and seeing their grandparents and other family more often. We have adopted an adult cat and will be getting a kitten soon in the hopes of them being good mousers (otherwise, what's the point? ha!), so the kids have been having fun with that as well. The dog? Not so much. She has some adjusting to do!

Curt continues to work at Lakewood in Staples, which is over an hour's drive from the new house. He doesn't complain, as they are a wonderful organization to work for and he's in a good position there. The kids and I commute with him 2x/wk for 4 more weeks so I can finish summer hours with Head Start in Motley until I begin my new position as Early Childhood Special Education teacher in Mora next month. I will have just half an hour's drive. Our next steps are finding childcare in the area where we can both relatively easily transport kids.

The first half of summer has flown by, what with packing, moving, unpacking, commuting, and unpacking some more! We are looking forward to family reunions, family weddings, pool days, and just spending some time enjoying our new home. We hope all of you are well and enjoying the summer. :)

Halle's serious face. Her ear doesn't really stick out that much; it's just the placement in the couch corner.

Curious/interested/excited face 

Sleepy face

Happy face! My favorite!

 Playing with Jackson

Our new home (built in 2000), front view with large porch extending across width

Side view of entry steps & porch

Partial back view with rear deck

Steps leading down from house, pole barn/garage across wide drive

One of many views of our many gigantic oaks, complete with landscaping

One veiw of our bedroom; most furnishings came with the purchase of the home

Kitchen

Bathroom

 View of kids' room by dormer window. Much more spacious than it looks here!

Other half of kitchen in background, island and dining area in center

Open floor plan on main level - kitchen, dining, and living connected, separated by center island above

Steiner Wedding

October 8th was the wedding of Amy Tripp, a good friend from college, and Sam Steiner. They held it at the MN Zoo, which I had never heard of before. I have to say it was the most unique wedding I've ever attended, in a great way, and they added so many personal touches that made it all the more special. The ceremony was probably the briefest in history, but it was so personal and moving that it felt really intimate. We were in a small auditorium where the bride and groom stood center stage and the attendants walked down the stairs to stand by their sides. They said their own beautiful, heart-felt vows to each other, which gave me goosebumps and left not a dry eye in the whole place. It was so cool to have the dinner in Discovery Bay, where the dolphins swim (they were not out at the time, but it was still cool) and where we could walk around to view the other animals in the touch tank and the cave area between the ceremony and reception. Everything was lit up and beautiful. We had another great time at the party that night, hanging out with the newlyweds from the weekend before and all the same friends. None of us ever see each other that frequently anymore, now that we're all spread out and busy with our own lives, so having the two weddings on back-to-back weekends was a special treat. Congrats to Mr. & Mrs. Steiner!

Posing for a formal picture, followed by some not paying attention and slightly drunken (before dinner even started) dancing

The newlyweds from the weekend before, Cody & Sarah DeBondt

Brea and I with our buddy Brendan

Cody & Curt

The twins

Goofing off between shots

My hubby and me in a rare photo of just the two of us

DeBondt Wedding

October 1st was the wedding of Cody DeBondt, the best man in our wedding, and Sarah Mayer. Their daughter, Kennadi, 1 1/2, was the flower girl to Jackson's ring bearer. What a cute little couple they made! They both played their parts very well; she grinned like the pretty little girl she is, knowing we were all eating it up, while he smiled as he slightly tugged her up the aisle. They were both really good throughout the whole ceremony as well, sitting (mostly) quietly with the adults. The bride and groom looked lovely, as did the wedding party, and she chose a beautiful color scheme of dark brown and a sage-y green. They added their own personal touches throughout the day to make it their own, which was special. The reception was a ton of fun, as we were re-united with our group of college friends from Duluth/Superior. Congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. DeBondt!

A teeny, tiny picture of the bride and groom...

...and the mini bride and groom. :)

Curt, a groomsman, and the bridesmaid

My little ring-bearer

With Auntie Brea

Kennadi and Jackson

Mom, Dad, and Jackson

Hans and Chee goofing off

Brendan and Chee trying once again to abduct me. Lucky for me it was more crowded than camping is.

Fall 2011

We had a really fun, busy fall that included Jackson starting preschool (My baby! Boo hoo!), two weddings in October, including time for the kids to be with their cousins in Duluth and time for their parents to enjoy some grown-up time in Hudson, plus Curt's trip to one of the few games the Vikings have actually won this season.

So proud to be starting preschool - what a big boy!

Jackson showing off his first-ever, Toy Story backpack. Carter wanted to be in on the picture, too, of course. :)

Day one of Jackson's two-mornings-a-week preschool. He was so excited to go to school with his new backpack and a snack inside; the transition was easier for him than it was for me. He is quiet each morning, taking a few minutes to warm up, but never has a problem separating. It was me who had to hold back the tears on that first day as I said goodbye and walked away.

When Jackson tried on his suit for the first wedding in October (against his will), Carter wanted to pose for the picture, too. :)

The boys and I spent some of our time at Auntie Sheila's during our weekend in Esko and Duluth for the first October wedding. She and John were gracious enough to babysit while I got some last-minute stuff done for the wedding Jackson and Curt were in, and they also took care of Carter that afternoon so I could focus on just one child at a time and still try to enjoy myself while Curt was busy partying with the wedding crew. We had tons of fun, and I am still so grateful for all they did to help us out that weekend.

The boys love to spend QT with their cousins, Maddy & Jay. They hung out at their house in Duluth, watching movies and eating popcorn, and went to a nearby pumpkin patch for some fun fall activities.

Maddy, King of the Hill, and the boys

Auntie Sheila said that Carter's teeny tiny body almost got lost in the huge corn play area!

The kids goofing off for the camera

The big game. Don't ask me who they were playing.

Curt and co. at the Vikings game Oct. 9th. Do you call these fans? Anticipating a terrible performance by MN, Curt and Andrew spent a lot of time making these bags of shame, then didn't get a lot of use out of them because the Vikes actually did well for a change.

August 2011

August was a busy month for the Wojos. We spent time with my side of the family, who watched the kids while we went to our 10-year class reunion and later came up to our house for a day of fishing and four-wheeling fun. I also had the joy of revealing my third pregnancy to them at that time, which was quite exciting for all of us!

The kids riding home from an exciting weekend trip. I'm so glad they both sleep well in the car!

Friends at the class reunion, from left: Dustin, Kim, me, Curt, Heidi, Josh, Bre & Andrew

Colin (one of the organizers), Josh, and Dustin enjoying a drink and a story

A few of the girls, from left: Brittany, Ashley Z., Laura, Bre, Lynda, Annie (one of the organizers), and me

Grandma Paula and the boys enjoying a four-wheeler ride. They both actually loved it this time - no crying or fear at all. "Whee!" Carter kept saying.

Me & Carter, Dad & Jackson, Auntie Brea

Andrew and Curt filleting their big sunnie catch