Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween to all of our blog followers! The kids had a great time dressing up as a monkey and goldfish and getting lots of candy! Last year we just took Robert to some places in Red Wing for G'ma to show him off to her friends but this year we thought we'd try some trick-or-treating! Robert was so excited and loved leading the way to and from every door but at each door, after he'd ring the doorbell, he'd freeze up and the person at the door was lucky to get a smile. Towards the end of the trip he did loosen up a little bit and those that allowed him to pick his treat he'd try to grab a huge handful of candy...but mommy made him take just one. He was definitely a favorite in our neighborhood, not only because he's so cute but also because we tend to have a lot of older kids that come door-to-door that rarely have a real costume. It was a great night and we're excited for many more Halloweens and costumes to come!

The kids dressed up!

Such a happy fish!

(look back to October 2008 posts for pics of Robert as a grumpy fish)

Mommy & Robert Trick-or-Treating!

Earlier in the day Eric went to help his real estate group set up their new office so I decided to get some videos of Izzy. I tried to get some of her giggles and smiles but she would only cooperate when the camera was off. I did get some of her babbles however and of course Robert didn't want to be left out so he too is in the first video. Enjoy watching our little girl and how much she's grown in the past 3 months!

We hope all of you had a great Halloween and got more treats than tricks!

Pumpkin Carving!

Sorry for the missed post but the above picture shows what we (or at least Eric and I) all felt like. Going back full time along with 3 early morning practices each week finally caught up with me and with Eric in having the kids full time, but I think we're finally finding our groove now.

Robert also struggled for a few weeks with bedtime. My first week back to work he decided that his bedtime should be 2-3 hours later. So most nights he stayed up with dad while Izzy and I were fast asleep. Luckily he realized, or rather his body demanded sleep, that going to bed at 8 is an okay thing...well for a few nights anyway. The next fun quirk he threw our way is not sleeping in his bed. He kept falling asleep on the floor right by his door, we're guessing it was because he likes to look under the door to see what's going on and then he can also hear what's going on downstairs better. When I'd go up to bed and check on him I was barely able to get in his room and then would pick him up and put him back to bed...sometimes this process was repeated multiple times throughout the night. I've finally started putting a towel in front of his door so he can't see/hear anything and it seems to have kept him in his bed. Other than that he is full of curiosity and keeps us on our toes!

Izzy has outgrown her fussiness and is definitely a daddy's girl. He is the best at getting her to coo and giggle but she does same some smiles for her mommy too! She continues to be nothing like her brother (both when he was this age and him as a 2 year old) and have GREAT sleeping habits. She usually sleeps about 10-11 hours at night and on the nights when it is only 8 and she gets up at 4am I have to remind myself that it could be much worse and she could be getting up every 2-3 hours like Robert did at this stage. Time is going so fast with her and it is hard to believe she'll already be 3 months next week.

Robert continues to be a wonderful big brother. The other day when I got home from work Izzy was ready for a feeding and as I got her bottle ready Robert took over the chair where I normally sit to feed her. After asking him to move a few times I realized he wasn't going to budge so I asked him if he wanted to feed Izzy and he gave me a big grin along with some Robert words (the language only he understands) that I took to mean yes. So I set up the boppy, placed Izzy carefully in his arms and handed him the bottle. He loved helping out and posing for some pictures but unfortunately didn't make it through the entire bottle nor has he volunteered to help since!

This weekend was another busy one for us. Yesterday we had our college meet with a reception afterwards for the swimmers and their families and Eric brought the kids in. Robert did a good job at entertaining everyone and Izzy found some comfortable arms to cuddle into. Following the reception we caught the end of the St. Kate's soccer game and then headed in to catch part of the Volleyball game. From there we went to Olive Garden for a yummy dinner! Today continued to be a busy day for me. Eric needed some quiet time, by quiet I mean time away from the kids distracting him, to get some work done so he took off with the laptop for most of the afternoon and had an enjoyable and productive time at Buffalo Wild Wings. I on the other hand stayed home with the kids, did 4 loads of laundry, cleaned the kitchen, picked up the house, and enjoyed a few minutes of quiet time before the kids woke up from their naps. Productive afternoon for the both of us but I think Eric got the better end of the deal! After he got home and we all had dinner I decided that we needed to carve pumpkins. So Robert and I headed to Rainbow to get some pumpkins and then we began the adventure. Robert found the pumpkins to be really cool but didn't like touching the guts. Here are some pictures of our pumpkins!

Eww to the guts inside the pumpkins!

Finished Product!Eric's mouth is barely visible but I promise one is there!

We're excited for some trick-or-treating in the neighborhood next weekend with Robert. Check back next week to see how cute the kids are in their costumes!

Apple Orchard!

Of course the week I return to work is the week we have record high temps and gorgeous weather! Luckily I took most of the day off on Thursday to make up for a long day on Saturday and got to enjoy at least one day outside.

When I returned home from morning practice on Thursday Eric and I were talking about what we should do and decided that grocery shopping and cleaning the house could wait and we should find an apple orchard to visit instead. It was a great decision!! We went to Minnetonka Orchards in Minnetrista and were amazed at how great of a spot it was for little kids. (See the pictures below for all of the fun activities we enjoyed!) Robert had a blast and did NOT want to leave so we'll definitely be returning there next year. Izzy didn't get to do much but enjoyed being outdoors and we're sure that next year she'll be able to have a little more fun.

Walked the Trails

Ate some yummy Apple Donuts!
Went on a hayride
Played on and in a wooden train Saw some goats, rabbits, chickens,
a baby cow and horse

Rolled some pumpkins...well tried to anyway!
Today, after quite a few months I fell back into my normal Sunday routine...laundry, dishes, cleaning, taking out trash, and finding ways to occupy myself online while the boys (Uncle Nick was visiting) watched football all day. Not quite how I like to spend my one day off this week but at least I'll start the week with a clean house & clothes!

Back to work...

I officially return to work tomorrow and am having mixed feelings about it. This past month I've been working part-time and really enjoy having the best of both worlds. It has allowed me to get out of the house and interact with more people (most of whom I like)! When I wasn't working I got to be at home with my 3 favorite people, take the occasional nap, and stay on top of house chores but now I'll have to try to accomplish all of that on Sundays... Okay enough whining and on to the events of the past week!

Isabel turned 2 months old on Thursday and to celebrate we took her to see the doctor for her 2 month check-up...and shots. It is always nice to see the doctor and to be reassured that everything is going okay and that she is growing just fine. She weighed in at 11lbs 8.1oz and was in the 70th percentile, she's 22.5" long for the 58th percentile, and like a true Hempler still measures in the 90th percentile for head circumference. I really hope that our kids use their large heads to do something great with their lives...plus it is the only thing that will make me forgive them for the painful births! As she's gotten older she's outgrown the colic issues she started having around 2 weeks and is usually a pretty happy baby. Eric is especially happy about this since it will make his time at home with both kids A LOT easier!

I think the thing I'll miss the most about returning to work is my time with Robert. Don't get me wrong I love the cuddles I get from Izzy but Robert is really starting to show his personality and when he's not throwing tantrums he is so much fun to be around and always keeping his mom and dad laughing. To make up for the guilt I know I'll have this week about leaving him home we went to some new places for him to play. Our first stop was to Underwater Adventures with his friend Cooper and my friend Abby. The boys might have still been a little too young to fully appreciate it but they did enjoy looking at all the moving objects and lights. Abby and I enjoyed the different aquatic animals a little more and especially liked the rock...er I mean Shark Turtle thing we saw that honestly looked more like a fossil.


The next day Eric wanted to check out a possible play area for Robert so off we went with both kids to Maple Grove's community center to check out their indoor play area called Maple Maze. I was shocked to see how tall of a play structure they have for the kids to climb on and go down slides. Luckily they also had a toddler area with smaller slides and a ball pit. Robert was a bit timid at first but then got into the fun. The only bad part of the day was the 3 little boys (probably around 4 years old) kept chanting "stinky baby" every time they'd run past Robert. Kids will be kids but it really upset me that their moms just allowed this to happen even though they too had younger children who were about the same age as Robert. Robert was too young to even realize what was going on, especially since when he hears baby now he thinks of Izzy not himself, and had a great time as you can see below. We'll definitely be returning to this spot and probably taking advantage of the great zero depth pool area as well.

Climbing to the first of the many levels on the big structure...

don't worry he didn't go up any higher than this!

Playing in the Ball Pit!