Fun in Madison

We headed to Madison for the weekend to spend time with Andrew's brother and his family who come up from Texas every July to celebrate the holiday with his wife's side of the family.  We are so thankful that they welcome us into their home and happily include us in so many fun traditions.  It was wonderful to spend time with them and also such a special treat to have all five of the little Turpin children together - all the kiddos were so loving to each other and Bennett could not stop talking about his cousins all weekend.  It was nice to be able to sit and play, chat, eat, laugh, and be together with family that we do not get to see often enough! 

Fun at the Splash Pad!

Always on the Move

As of last Sunday, we officially have two children who require a good chasing (or many) throughout any given day. Bryn decided to go from her little scoot up to the true forward crawl and has since been thrilled to get into everything within her reach. Go Bryn!

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Tuesday Family Night

There really never is a dull moment when Uncle Cor and Cousin Maddie are here!

Harmonicas Are Hilarious!

Winding Down

After a sunshine-filled day of  playing outside, celebrating at a little friend's birthday party, and having some relaxing family time, it was nice to wind down with books and ice cream on the patio before bed tonight - a summertime routine that we all enjoy together (especially this little ice cream lover!)

Peek-A-Boo, Bryn!

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Petting Zoo

A petting zoo was brought in for the day and the kids loved being around all the friendly animals.  Bennett met and pet every animal in his sight and especially loved the chickens and the goats.  Bryn was loving and mellow around all of them, just like she is with her pets at home.  Once we wrapped up here (it was tricky getting Bennett to want to leave), we headed to the outdoor stage for a kids' bluegrass show which made for a perfect rest of the evening at the festival!

Fritz the Horse

Also as part of our community's summer festival, Bennett got to ride a pony named Fritz over at the petting zoo! He loved it and kept talking about "Fritz the Horse!" when he was done.

Tot Trot!

As part of our community's summer festival, Bennett participated in his first race at the Minnetonka Tot Trot today! We ended up walking the one block length for his age group as he was sort of thrown off when being surrounded by all the chaos.  He definitely was not in the mood to run while at the same time did not want to skip it altogether because he insisted on participating (maybe the first two legs of the triathlon wore him out?!)... So, we took it nice and slow, quite content at being the second to last ones to cross the finish line, then receiving a medal to top it all off (which B was very proud to wear for most of the rest of his day).

Little Red Bike

Bennett has been quite independent and serious when learning how to ride his little red bike and is gradually coming to terms with the helmet requirement.  Andrew was joking today that Bennett basically competed in his own mini version of a triathlon today as he went to the pool this morning, followed by a little time on the bike, and later took part in a kiddie fun run.  Oh, to be a toddler....

Friday Night Date!

My mom came up this afternoon so she could spend the night at our place and watch the kids while Andrew and I went out for a much anticipated date night.  They all had fun playing games, making smoothies, and reading and cuddling before bed while we enjoyed a laid back dinner, dessert, and movie - just the two of us!

Thank You, Mom - what a treat to have you here!

Friday at the Park

What a great way to spend our Friday - fun in the sun with our friends Esme, Nova, and Vance!

Just A Quick Little Hi from Bryn!

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Bryn's 9 Month Stats!

Sweet Bryn had her 9 month check-up today and was quite the charmer! She weighed in at 19 pounds, 3 ounces, is 28 inches long, and has a head size in the 99th percentile! Go Bryn! 

We get 2 new books- one for each child - at every doctor visit, so Bryn was happy to share with Bennett when we got home! 

P.S. - Here's Big B at his 9 month doctor visit.  Can you tell they are siblings?

Soccer Practice

Bennett has been in his soccer class at school for 2 weeks now and seems to be loving it. With all the rain we've been having lately, he's been doing some indoor 'practice' with his cloth versions of the ball, as he tends to get pretty wild and excited once he gets going with them! What a happy little soccer player!

Boy, Does She Ever Love Her Daddy....

I put this little sticker up in Bryn's room the other day just to be cute, but then I had to get a picture of these two with it.  Boy, does she ever love her daddy....

Happy Father's Day, Dada!

I am late at posting this, but Bennett was all about telling Andrew, 'Happy Father's Day, I Love You!' on Sunday. Here I caught him right after he awoke from his nap, but he always seems to want to spread the love. He sometimes got it confused with Happy Birthday, which he kept repeating to my brother that morning when we called to wish him a happy dad's day too. What a sweet little boy!

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Bryn's Butterfly Feet

Sweet little butterflies we made using those cute little feet of hers....

My Binoculars

Bennett made binoculars out of toilet paper rolls and string for Safari Week at school today so he wore them around the house much of the night, stopping often to look outside for any animals.  Here, he was looking for "squirrels and snakes" and "something in the big tree."

Helping Daddy Clean the Corn

Coloring For Daddy

 We had fun decorating our Father's Day sign with lots of colors! It sure was nice to have such eager little helpers!

Happy Dad's Day!

Happy Father's Day to one very loving, patient, and giving Daddy!

We are so blessed that you take such good care of all of us, Andrew! 

 It was a fun day celebrating! We let Andrew sleep in, then he awoke to a new wheelbarrow that we had filled with beer and other small treats.  We spent the morning down at the farmer's market where we scored lots of fruit and veggie bargains in the hot sun.  Later, we made sure Andrew got in a long solo bike ride for himself then he grilled up a feast of steaks, kabobs, and corn on the cob to go with our market fruits.  We also enjoyed our tradition of root beer floats together, with our feet up, once we put the kiddos down.

 Andrew, we hope you know just how much we love and appreciate you today and always!

 You are an amazing husband and father - always showing and teaching us how to love, give, laugh, and be all that we can everyday - thank you for all that you are! It means the world to me to have someone who is such a devoted family man as my partner in all of this and even more knowing that these two souls we are raising are full of happiness because they have your love to get them through anything!  WE LOVE YOU!

I Want Ice Cream Too!

Little Bryn will let you know if she wants something, especially when it comes to food.  To her delight, Daddy was happy to share a little taste of  ice cream with her tonight too.  Oh, Bryn, you are the sweetest!

Ice Cream at the Lake

 

We spent some time down at Lake Minnetonka tonight, making sure to have a relaxed stroll before thoroughly enjoying some cones at the lakeside ice cream trolley.  Bennett chose the "Pavarotti" - which, lucky for him - has caramel, chocolate chips, and bananas.  Good choice, little one.

Bryn Loves Her Dog

 Hampton and Bryn make the sweetest companions.  She is so gentle and curious with him and he is more than content to close his eyes and relax as she pets his head and plays beside him.