Father's Day Outing

I thought it was sweet that Josh wanted Father's Day to be all about Harper and doing something fun with him. I think it ended up being a great day for us all. After a fun church service complete with dixieland band, we hopped on the light rail and headed for downtown Minneapolis.

Harper enjoyed riding on the train.

Walking Nicollet Mall to find some brunch grub.

Brunch at the Firelake Grill. They gave Josh a $20 gift card for being Father's Day. I guess we'll have to go back sometime this year! They use local foods. It was super delicious.

Waiting for the elevator at the Minneapolis Public Library.

Reading Curious George with daddy.

Riding the light rail home. I'm so proud of my baby daddy!

Final Countdown

We're down to just about the last month before our baby girl's due date! There's a lot left to prepare, but I've spent most of today and have the next two days to work on crossing multiple things off my To do before due date list. My parents and brother are watching Harper for a couple of nights to allow me uninterrupted time to sort, plan, organize, sew, decorate, etc.

So far today I've sorted and organized all of Harper's clothes, pulling out the gender neutral newborn clothes to be washed and put back in the dresser. I also put three bags of get-rid-of stuff together, so that feels good. I have a pile of baby essentials out that need to find places around the house and the bassinet stand is in our room. Josh and I moved a bunch of stuff around and hung a few things in the kids' room. Hopefully the ledges will be ready to be hung tomorrow. My other main objective for tomorrow is to make lots of progress on Harper's photo albums...so much to do. :)

Josh and I miss having Harper here with us, but we know he's having a great time with his Grandpa and Grandma Kontak and Uncle Ryan. It was also quite weird (and nice!) to be able to take an evening nap after Josh got home from work then go out to dinner without figuring out a babysitter. It'll be even stranger to wake up on our own accord and not to a little boy shouting, "Mama! Get up!"

Toddler Quilts

I love how these quilts turned out for Harper and baby girl. They were super easy and a ton of fun to make. I especially love how they are the same but different. Both are full crib/toddler bed size. I've even already made matching pillowcases for both. :) I also love the chevron quilting I picked out. Sue at Quilt Yourself did a beautiful (and timely!) job.

Harper's quilt has an appliquéd snail next to his name and is backed with pinwale corduroy.

______'s quilt (yes, baby girl is named!) also has a cute appliqué next to her name (sorry, photoshopped it out - no peeking!) and is backed with decor weight floral.

 Harper was pretty excited for his and baby sister's quilt.

Quick Trip

Harper and I made a quick trip to Decorah, IA this past Friday and Saturday to visit our friends Dan, Allison, Olivia (7mo.), and doggies Ike and Cooper. Harper really enjoyed playing with the doggies and would giggle as they ran to fetch the ball or play tug-o-war. We kept pretty low-key, which was nice. Saturday we did make a couple outings to feed the trout at the fish hatchery (just in time for it to start raining), window shop, lunch at the Angry Pickle, and play at the neighborhood park.

Olivia (7mo.) & Harper (2yr.)

Harper was good with Olivia most of the time...but I can already tell we're going to have to keep a close eye on him around his baby sister!

Dan, Olivia, Allison, Ike, & Cooper

Obligatory picture before parting ways.

It doesn't seem so long ago that we were in high school sports together. Now look at us!

I learned a 3 hour car ride with Harper is about my personal limit. He didn't sleep any on the way home, so we had to improvise ways to keep him busy while I drove. For about an hour, Harper would say any word that came to mind and I would sing a song with that word. Yes, it got old, but I was willing to do most anything to keep a toddler from melting down in the car.

Catch up to summer

We stayed pretty busy through the month of May, and things are finally starting to slow down...except time. It's hard to believe we're already 33 weeks pregnant with only 7 weeks or so to go. We just took the hospital tour tonight and are thinking more and more about everything that needs to be in place for that day. There's definitely more to think about this time having a toddler around too. We're getting there though. My list is getting smaller, and I have more time to relax and spend quality time with Harper.

Here are a few photos to bring you up to speed (except Memorial Day, which will get its own post):

Reading with Grandma Olson while in the kato area for a couple birthdays.

Driving Papa Jagdfeld's "tractor."

Harper's first catch of the day.

Getting a taste of the slimy stuff. Ick!

Looking grown up.

Wabun Park wading pool. We came here with the mom's group families from our church.

Me and my boy. Harper definitely enjoys the water, so we are starting to frequent the local wading pools.