Lots going on!

Over the past month we had a trip to Green Bay, Grandma came to visit for a week, Halloween, Andrew's 4th birthday party, 3 doctors visits, 2 trips to the emergency room, and a partridge in a pear tree. haha! We'll explain through the following pictures.
Halloween - here's Daddy, errr I mean Clark Kent or Superman saving a baby from a burning building.
We had a birthday party for Andrew while we were in Green Bay for the weekend. The kids had a blast. This was the best picture of the 3 kids together. Nikolas, Maya and Andrew.

Andrew and his monster truck birthday cake.

We went to the Zoo Boo while we were there too. Lots of fun and LOTS of candy! Andrew dressed up as Buzz Light year again this year. He loves that costume. I'm sure he'll wear it every year until it gets too small.

Annabelle was our little flower. So cute! If you look closely you'll see evidence of our first trip to the ER. Annabelle fell from a standing position to her tush and in doing so bumped her chin and her wrist. She was in so much pain from her wrist that we took her in for some X-rays. Thankfully, nothing was broken, just bumps and bruises, which are healed and gone today.

Andrew got a BIG monster truck for his birthday. It's remote controlled, but he won't let us or anyone use the remote. He just wants to push it around. Maybe some day we can race it with our other remote controlled car.

We did a little photo shoot in the park a few weeks back. The kids (and adults) had a blast playing in the leaves.

Our second ER visit was a result of a stomach bug Annabelle had. No fun! Andrew ended up at the doctor's office this past week with pnenomia! :( Other than some common colds, we are pretty much back to normal.

We are looking forward to hosting Thanksgiving dinner at our house this year and watching the Packers beat the Lions (...yeah right...)! Go Lions!

Apple Picking & Corn Pit

We made our annual trips to the Corn Maze/Corn Pit and apple picking. We had to enjoy our last bit of nice weather so we crammed both of these excursions into 1 day. It was a busy day, but lots of fun.

Miss Annabelle found her pumpkin.

Peek-a-boo!

No smiles from Andrew.

Annabelle loved apple picking. Her apple was like another nuk, just yummier. She took a little bite of it and spent the rest of the time sucking on it.

She wasn't too sure about this Corn Pit idea. Very strange. She had corn in places corn shouldn't be... (I'll leave it to your imagination to interpret that.)

Here she is having fun watching the kids run around the maze.

Annabelle and Milena!

Mr. Andrew in the corn pit. He had a blast. We all did.

Here's Andrew trying to find his way out. He did... eventually! And turned right around to do it again.

Mom and Dad had fun too. Since the theme of the day was corn, we had roasted corn... yummy!

Let's see ... what else is new with us. I started my new job this week at Hanover Insurance. It's going well. Lots to learn. My brain hurts at the end of each day, but I'm glad I made the change. It's a great office with really nice people and good management. Way less stressful!

It's Andrew's 4th birthday next week and he is eagerly awaiting it. I think this is the first year he really gets what it means to have a birthday. In his mind it's his day to do whatever he wants, have a party, eat cake, and get lots of presents. He's right! He knows his birthday is on Friday next week, but he didn't understand the next week part, so when he woke up today and heard it was Friday, he was very disappointed to find out it wasn't the Friday of his Birthday. Try explaining days vs. weeks vs. months to a 3, almost 4 year old. Not easy. The whole concept of time isn't easy to understand or explain.

Annabelle is growing... slowly! She pulls herself up all the time. While we know we're supposed to be excited for her to start walking, we are just fine if it takes a few more months. The more mobility from her ,the harder and more exhausting our lives get!

Dave is well .... the same. As long as his Brewers and Lions keep winning, he's happy! Guess he won't be so happy come Thanksgiving.... he-he-he!

New hobby!

Well, I have a new hobby that benefits everyone - photography. And guess what, I already have my first model... Miss Annabelle. She's definitely not camera shy, but I'm sure she thinks I'm less of a photographer and more like paparazzi. I'm learning to use my new camera and she has been very patient with me. She's always got a different pose to try out. Her eyes just seem to pop in pictures. She's got dark brown eyes, just like me!She's about 9 months old in these pictures. She's a growing little girl, just not growing too fast. Despite the appetite, she's still only in the 8th percentile for her weight. No concern from the doctors. They say she'll just be a petite girl - not a bad problem to have! I love this picture below.
And here's my other "model"... we'll use that term loosely. Andrew never gives me a nice smile anymore, just silly ones. Here he's helping Daddy clean the fish tank.
Another pose.
Well, what else is new with us...
The big news - I quit my job this week. I've been with RJA for 7 years, but I felt it was time to move on and try out something else. I accepted a position with Hanover Insurance. While I enjoy what I do, I am excited to learn the insurance industry from another point of view. I start with Hanover on 10/3. I already know a few of the people that I'll be working with so the transition should be smooth.
Dave is staying busy with his work. He's been traveling a lot lately - North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Kentucky. Phew! While he doesn't like being away from home so much, I am envious of his sleep-filled nights in a hotel.
Andrew is a busy body. He started a computer class at preschool a couple weeks ago. He is learning to "upload", "download", "surf the web" and God only knows what else! He has so much to tell us about after each class.
We recently converted our guest bedroom into a playroom for Andrew and Annabelle. Andrew told me the other day that he "loves his new playroom". So cute! It's nice to have a centralized place for all the toys.
That's it for now!

Pictures to share!

No time for a long post, it's Touch a Truck day! Enjoy the pictures!Annabelle - post county fair fun. Yes, she's asleep!

Andrew and the cow. Not sure how he feels about it.
Annabelle, how do you feel about the sand?
Those feet aren't new anymore!
Attack of the 50 foot baby! (Daddy's favorite game)
County Fair Fun!!

Oh humidity.... we are getting sick of you!

We have found a good outlet to try and enjoy the hot weather.... the beach! We have a great man-made lake by our house. The water is clean and shallow. Perfect for the little kids. Annabelle loved her beach experience. She spent the day in the shade playing the in sand. She only attempted to eat the sand twice. I think she learned her lesson... Sand... no so yummy. Rocks... downright yucky! Here she is enjoying her day at the beach. And here she is shortly after her day at the beach...

Here's Andrew trying out his new bicycle. He says "It's so much fun!" Of course I had to bribe him to at least try it. He kept saying he wanted to wait until he was bigger to try it. He's in the stage right now where he doesn't want to be a big boy, he wants to be a baby like Annabelle. Silly! He even tells me "when I get little like Annabelle, then I can go to Linda's house during the day" (Linda's house is Annabelle's day care).

We spent last weekend in Milwaukee visiting with the Raisanens - Uncle Paul, Aunt Kara, Nikolas and the new baby, Maelee. We took the boys to their first baseball game - Brewers vs the Astros... Of course the Brewers won, not like the boys cared. They were having too much climbing all over us and going for walks around the stadium.

Nikolas... mid climb.

Here's Nikolas and his baby sister, Maelee. (Yes, Paul is dressing Maelee in blue... someone help him! I brought along plently of pink during my visit, and yet she still ended up in blue.)

Here's Annabelle raiding her frig. She is quite entertained by her kitchen (well, technically Andrew's, but it's time for him to start sharing.) She digs through the cabinets, pulling things out and then throws them over her shoulder when she's done with them. So funny to watch!

We spent the weekend before last at the Zoo with our friends the Debbouts. Here's Andrew and Tyler. Tyler was absolutely in love with Annabelle. Although he has a little sister, he wanted another baby sister. Prehaps, baby #3 is in their future?! hehe.

Well, that's all for now. Enjoy the pictures!

Welcome Maelee!!!

I suppose we are far overdue for some updates and new pictures. First - the big news, Andrew and Annabelle have a new cousin. Miss Maelee Marie Raisanen was born on June 17th - 7.0 lbs and 19.5 inches and lots of red hair like her proud, big brother, Nikolas. We are heading down to meet her in a little over a week. Yay!
It has been a hot summer here in Minnesota. Upper 90's for the past week and for the week ahead. Hot we can handle, it's the humidity we don't like. We resort to hanging out in the pool all weekend.
And.... here's the pool. 3 out of the 4 of us fit in it.
Haha just kidding. We have a bigger pool. Andrew is sporting a pretty nice tan, thanks to endless weekends in the pool.
Annabelle has been broadening her diet with fruits, veggies and cereal. So far she loves bananas and applesauce. Not much else. She sure loves making a mess while eating. Daddy's in charge of feeding her.
Here's Andrew and our neighbor, Milena, in the pool. Not sure what they are doing...
At the end of June we went to see Thomas the Train in Green Bay. Andrew had a blast. He's still talking about it. We got to ride on a passenger train and see Thomas up close. He also got to meet Sir Topham Hatt. While we were in Green Bay Andrew went to his first movie at the theater - Cars 2. We even saw it in 3D - pretty cool. Of course Andrew only wore the 3D glasses during the previews and proceeded to watch the rest of the movie without them. Not sure how well that worked out. Mommy and Andrew ended up going to see the movie again in 2D when we got back to Chaska.
Here's Miss Annabelle at the 4th of July parade. Just hanging out waiting for something exciting to happen. Annabelle stayed up to watch the fireworks that night. She was rather unimpressed by them. No giggles or cries. We normally go to see a big display at the local race track, but due to our government shutdown those fireworks were postponed. Hopefully we'll get to see those fireworks soon. Maybe even this weekend!
Mommy has a hard time walking past an outfit like this and not buying it. So cute!!
Apparently it's a genetic problem. This outfit is from Grandma Raisanen.
Lock 'em up and throw away the key!
Annabelle is still quite petite for her age. She's just over 7 months old, but weighs less than Andrew did at 3 months. Her height is good, so the doctor says she's just itty bitty. No worries. She's sitting up well and lately she's been getting up on her hands and knees and rocking back and forth. Almost ready to crawl. She still sleeps great (thank you Annabelle)!
Andrew is Mister Busy Body, just go go go all the time. At preschool he is learning to spell and write his name. He loves playing with his best friend Lucas at preschool every day. Last weekend he went to Lucas' birthday party at the fire station. The boys had a blast. They got to see a fire truck and meet real fire fighters.
We are planning a trip to the Minnesota Zoo this weekend with our friends, the Debbouts. If it gets too hot again, we may end up at the Mall of America. Either way, I'm sure we'll find some fun times.
Enjoy the summer, stay cool!

Summer's Here... Finally!

Let's see... what's happening the wonderful World of Wilsons.
David and I just got back from a trip to Captiva Florida. It was great to spend a few days relaxing under the sun. We didn't do much except eat, sleep and lay by the pool. Here's Dave doing his sexy walk down the beach.
We baptized (or "bath"tized as Andrew calls it) Annabelle in late May. We had a houseful of people come out to celebrate with us. It was a great time, but passed much too quickly. Andrew has been mesmerized by the Last Supper ever since Deacon Jim pointed it out to him at church a few months ago. We went to mass last weekend, which was one of Fr. Paul's last masses at our church :( and we sang the Oscar Mayer wiener song. Andrew thought that was pretty funny. I'm pretty sure I've never sang that song at church. I think Fr. Paul was just making sure we were all awake!
The nightly ritual of watching Thomas or Dora on the ipad. Even Annabelle is interested in it. Of course she's interested in just about anything that Andrew's doing. She's so fascinated by him.
Here's Annabelle on baptism day in her pretty pink dress. So cute!
Andrew has been a big help around the house and outside too. He loves washing Mommy's car. He's been really good with the hose. Surprise, Surprise. He also helps water plants and the garden.
Andrew finished up swim lessons in May. His swimming has improved significantly with help from lessons. He went from going down the caterpillar slide with Mommy to going down the slide by himself. Here he is practicing his breath-holding.
We finally found a use for Mocha..... headrest!
We are planning a trip back to Green Bay in late June to see Thomas the Train at the Railroad Museum. Andrew is VERY excited. He's also going to go to his first movie while we're there, Cars 2. I'm sure we'll have more pictures again soon.
Enjoy the summer!