2,200 Miles Later

After about 2,200 miles of driving across the country, we are here at my parents' house in California. On Tuesday, after my last final, we drove through a snow storm to get to Jensine's parents' house in Sioux Falls. The first 25-30 miles took over two hours and the next 230 took about 3.5 hours. The next frigid morning, we drove to Aurora, CO (outside of Denver) and stayed with Jensine's sister and her family. Austin was very sick for the first couple days and was just miserable, but the boys were otherwise good during the trip.

The next day, we headed to Utah. We encountered a little bit of snow and ice in Wyoming, but the weather was mostly good. We ate dinner in Salt Lake City with Jensine's brother Bill, his fiance Jana, her son Oliver, and Jensine's brother Jared. It was nice to see them and Isaac had a lot of fun with Oliver. Not so much with Nigel, the cat. That night, we stayed with my sister Jennifer and her family (by the way, Isaac calls Mark, my brother-in-law, Marky-Mark) in Spanish Fork. I stayed up all night finishing one last paper, but Jensine drove the next day, so that worked.

Friday morning, we drove out to meet my dad and brother at Dumont Dunes (north of Baker, CA and west of Las Vegas, NV). We got there too late to ride on Friday, but were able to ride plenty on Saturday. Isaac loved the quads and even Austin had a little fun ride. We came down to San Bernardino, CA last night and are enjoying not having to drive for at least a week.

Here are some pictures:
Isaac at his maternal grandparents' house.

Isaac, Austin (deer in headlights from flash), and their soon-to-be-cousin, Oliver

Aaron at the North Pole with Dunes in background. The box is stuffed with letters to Santa.

Russell, my dad, and Brandon on quads, letting the bikes take a little rest.

Austin taking a ride on the quad.

Isaac taking one of several rides on the quad.

A Post for Austin

This picture is for no reason in particular except to show that we love both of our sons equally.  We just happen to have more cute things documented with Isaac and have put up more on him.

Austin is doing well.  He is standing up to EVERYTHING!!!  I don't think that he will be walking anytime too soon, but I would be surprised if he wasn't walking by one year.  We shall see.

Isaac's Second Birthday

Here is a slideshow with about a picture each of his 24 months (with a few other cute ones).

Hungry, Hungry Isaac

Here are three different pictures that I have recently taken of Isaac and they all have to do with food, so I thought that I would put them together. We do have two sons, but apparently, no pictures of Austin right now.

We were getting ready to go somewhere and we told Isaac that he could bring his drink. Apparently, he had one with water, one with his juice, and one (empty) for milk. Needless to say, we did not let him bring them both.


Another time, we sat down for dinner and Jensine put out some pineapple. Isaac grabbed the plate and said, "Isaac plate." He LOVES fruit, but we thought that that was a little too much.

Finally, I made cookies and let Isaac clean the beaters, with a little help from his momma. He loved it and before we could take the beater away from him, he dipped it back in for seconds. Too cute.

Un-Bowl-ievable

At the Law School, I am a mentor for the International LLM Program. (LLM is a degree that foreigners, mostly, who have a law degree in their home country, pursue in the US). A couple times a year, the Program hosts social events to allow international students to hang out with the locals. Last night, we had free bowling on campus with pizza. So, we went with Isaac and Austin. While all of the Chinese and Korean ladies fawned over Austin and took pictures with him, Isaac learned to bowl. We helped him a few times with his 6-pound ball, but after a while, he decided that he could do it himself. Here is a video of that:

Yes, Isaac was wearing socks in the video; they did not have bowling shoes his size (shocking!!!). I was very impressed that he tried to not cross the line. After he wanted to chase his ball down the first time, I told him that they wouldn't let him any pizza if he crossed the line. Apparently, it worked. We used bumper lanes, but I think Isaac bowled around a 50. Not too bad for a almost-2-year old.

Mmmmm.....PIZZA!!!

Isaac and his ball.

Waiting (and waiting and waiting) for the ball to reach the pins!

Bus Ridin' and Colon -Oscopyin'

To say that Isaac loves cars would be an understatement. He LOVES cars, trucks, bikes, motorcycles, planes, boats, helicopters, trains, buses, and tractors. As we drive around the city, he sits in the back and notes the vehicles that we see. "Big truck, yeah. School bus, yeah. Yellow school bus, yeah." He says "yeah" at the end of almost all sentences. Ever since we road the free shuttle bus to the Minnesota State Fair, every time he sees a bus, he says, "Bus, ride it!" Ridin' the bus!!!

So, on Wednesday, he went with me and road the bus to school. Jensine came and picked him up when my class started. He had fun, although I think that he wanted to do more on the bus; like run around. At any rate, he had a lot of fun.
Ready to learn.

On a completely different note, Isaac had a colonoscopy yesterday. For over half a year, Isaac has had what appeared to be hemorrhoids on his butt whenever he had a poopy diaper. We tried a stool softener at the recommendation of the doctor, but it did not go away. So, we scheduled a colonoscopy. Isaac with his hospital pajamas and, of course, a giant 'Queen (Lightning McQueen).

It was at a local children's hospital and Isaac did really well. Amazingly, he also did really well with the all-liquid diet the day before; it helps that he LOVES juice perhaps even more than cars. It was a very short procedure. After the surgery, he was at the hospital for maybe an hour. The doctor said that nothing seems to be wrong and that the bump seems to be just a flap of skin. They took a few small samples to biopsy, but Isaac seems to be fine.
The best form of recovery.

Is Austin going to make sure Isaac doesn't run away?

One Last Thought (or Thoughts) on Proposition 8

I know that I promised not to talk too much politics, but I just thought that I would discuss a few issues which I have seen in news articles that might be of interest to many people.  Having a background in law, there are probably a number of issues that I can explain better than most (though many of my classmates would clearly disagree).

I.  "The Mormons should lose their tax exempt status because they violated the separation of church and state."

This is actually two completely separate issues that have almost nothing to do with each other.  Anyone who makes this argument has absolutely no knowledge of the Constitution or the legal process of the United States.

A.  Tax Exemption

Tax exemption has nothing to do with the Constitution.  The 16th Amendment allows the federal government to institute an income tax, but it is entirely up to Congress to decide how that tax is to operate.  They accomplished this through the extremely dense tax code (my abridged version for individuals is like 1500 pages in size 10 font).  Through section 501 of the tax code, certain non-profit organizations, including churches are exempted from paying taxes.  This includes most unions, charities, environmental groups, and other such organizations.  They are prohibited from supporting or opposing candidates, but not issues.  There are also other limitations, but these are unrelated to Proposition 8.

These organizations are not prohibited from endorsing issues.  This makes sense, otherwise an organization that supports the homeless would be prevented from asking the city to build a homeless shelter and the Sierra club would be prevented from petitioning for land preserves.  

The fact that churches are given an exemption has nothing to do with religion, it has to do with the fact that they are a non-profit organization.  If, because they endorsed an issue, the LDS church was to lose its tax exempt status for supporting the amendment, so would the CA Teachers' Union (which was the biggest contributor against the measure) and every gay rights non profit in the country who openly opposed it.  The only way that the government could punish the LDS church would be to prevent all churches from tax exemption.  No Congress would face the wrath of this country by trying such an action as Mormons, Jews, Catholics (including the more liberal Hispanic groups), Southern Baptists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Black Evangelicals, and even Reverend Wright's Trinity United Church of Christ would likely complain to Congress.  That would be Congressional suicide.

B.  Separation of Church and State

Separation of church and state is an entirely different matter.  This is a constitutional matter.  Despite popular, ignorant belief, the language "separation of church and state" is not Constitutional language, but is a phrase used by the Supreme Court and others to address the limitations in the first amendment.  The First Amendment to the US Constitution reads:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;..."

This includes the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause, each which limits the actions of government.  The Free Exercise Clause prohibits Congress from taking any action which unduly limits the ability of American citizens to practice their faith (both of these clauses have been applied to local and state governments through the operation of the 14th Amendment's due process clause; trust me, don't even bother trying to figure out how).  There are limitations to the practice of that religion, including prohibiting Polygamy, but most religious practice is unaffected.  This clause, however, has nothing to do with Proposition 8.

Those who argue that the LDS Church's actions violate the Establishment clause have several problems.  First of all, neither Congress, nor the state did anything.  It was the people that chose to pass a law and there is nothing prohibiting the people from passing a law based on personal conviction.  I could likewise pass environmental laws, gun registration laws, estate tax laws, or any type of law because of religious or secular conviction.  This was a vote of the people who were influenced by any number of things to support this proposition.

Secondly, if some argue that this vote should be invalidated because many who voted for it believed homosexuality to be a sin, would that mean that any law that is passed should be examined to find out why and which (anonymous) voters supported it?  If it was religious conviction, the law is unconstitutional?  That would be absurd beyond belief.  Finally, it should be noted that the church itself did not donate any money to the cause.  The $22 million or so that was donated came from church members.

II.  Gay Rights Groups are Taking This to Court to Challenge the Constitutionality of the Amendment

At first glance, this seems absurd.  It seems impossible for a Constitutional Amendment to be unconstitutional, but there may be an argument.  First of all, if the California Constitution mandates equal protection under the law, plenty of left-leaning judges (sorry to any left-leaning individuals) are willing to make gays a protected group and ensure that all laws treat them fairly.  I don't think that defining marriage violates the law because state-supported marriage is not for the couples.  The only reason that the state supports marriage is because it ensures future generations.  I will not further argue why traditional marriage should be the only legally authorized marriage, but suffice it to say there are arguments on both sides.  So, if prohibiting gay marriage violates equal protection, Proposition 8 would violate the state Constitution.  We will see what this happens.

That is all I will say for not, unless someone has more questions.  

Today's Milestones

So, I just thought that I would point out a milestone that each of our boys just hit tonight (or at least, we first noticed tonight).

Austin:
Austin started "gliding" tonight. He has been standing up to things the last little while, but tonight he walked along the coffee table, almost the entire way around our rectangle table. If he keeps this up, he could be an early walker like Isaac.

Isaac:
Isaac said the family prayer tonight without any help. Okay, so it wasn't much of a prayer, but it was clear what he was trying to say. We asked him whose turn it was (it's almost always Daddy's turn) and he said "Isaac." I asked him if he wanted his momma to help, and before she could help, he began saying his own prayer. It went as follows (with what he didn't say in red):
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for this day.
Thank you for Austin.
In the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen.

Very simple, but very cute. It was really adorable. That is all for now.

On Prophets, Politics, and Proposition 8

I have decided to try and keep my blog as "light" as possible and to avoid discussion of things that are too divisive or argumentative. That being said, I feel that I have an obligation to make my views on this matter known.


I should preface this post by saying that if you are not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, you need not read further; this post is not directed at you. Rather, this is directed at any who are members who believe the the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the only true church on the face of the earth and that its president, currently Thomas S. Monson, is the prophet, seer, and revelator of the Lord.


I. Why Am I Writing This?


During election years, there is a great deal of debate and discussion on a variety of matters and people both inside and outside of the church find themselves divided on what and who is best for this country. This is good. We should develop our own political views and seek to vote for those laws and candidates that we believe are best for the country. The church maintains its neutrality on candidates and parties and encourages us to each develop our own ideas. The church remains neutral on most political issues, as well. Military size, tax rates, land use, college tuition, tort reform, economic growth, size of government, corporate reform, health care, military involvement, the war on terror, criminal sentencing, interpretation of the Constitution, appointment of judges, etc. The list goes on and on with issues on which members of the church can disagree.


A majority of church members, at least in the United States, lean to the right, but that does not mean that a righteous and faithful member of the church cannot be a Democrat. It just so happens that on one issue, in particular, the church picks a side, and comes down with the Republicans. That issue is same-sex marriage. That is not to say that the church supports Republicans or that it opposes Democrats, except on that issue.


I think that it is important to recognize that on all but a select few issues, the members of the church can believe whatever they wish. That is their right and duty as citizens of the United States. On same-sex marriage, however, the church is unambiguously and emphatically opposed to movements which seek to normalize and condone the marriage between members of the same-sex.


If we believe that the prophet is God's mouthpiece on the earth today, then how can we honestly believe that the church is wrong on this issue? If you think the prophet is wrong, then how can the church be true? It is imperative that we not let any personal, political convictions that we may have come before our faith. When the prophet of the Lord speaks, we should listen. I am a conservative Republican who believes in the individual right to bear arms. Yet, if the Lord were to instruct the prophet that the church should fight for legislation that seeks to take away a citizen's right to keep and bear arms, I would wholeheartedly support the church and remain a conservative Republican on most matters, but not gun ownership. I believe that every member should have strong political views, and even stronger faith. If our political views and faith ever conflict, our political and personal views should yield. If they do not, we should question the strength and conviction of our faith.


I have seen a number of members that I know join Facebook groups or otherwise express that their views are different than those of the church; that they oppose Proposition 8 or await the day when the church will stop its unfair discrimination of same-sex relationships. While I support their right to express their views and try not to be judgmental, I am concerned that many in my generation are too swayed by political and social trends and are mistakenly letting their political views dictate their faith instead of allowing their faith to dictate the few political views that it should.


II. Blacks, Priesthood, and Same-Sex Marriage


Some members of the church believe that the church will eventually change its position on same-sex marriage, like it did with blacks holding the priesthood. Assuming that is true (but believing it not to be), why should we assume to have a better understanding of timing than the Lord? There are, however, several distinctions between these two issues that are important to keep in mind:


During his earthly mission, Christ did no preach to the Gentiles, those not of Jewish blood. His mission was to the children of Israel. Before his ascension, Christ instructed his apostles to go to all the world, yet it was not until some time later, that Peter received the instruction to go unto the Gentiles and preach the gospel. The promise was that everyone would receive the gospel, but that did not mean immediately.


This was much like blacks and the priesthood. Joseph Smith said, "the curse is not yet taken off the sons of Canaan." (Joseph Smith Jr., Messenger and Advocate Vol. II, No. 7, April 1836 , p. 290; History of the Church, Vol. 2, Ch. 30, pp. 436-40.) This quote demonstrates a temporary nature of the church's prevention of blacks obtaining the priesthood and participating in the ordinance of the gospel. Before 1978, prophets of the church had been pleading with the Lord to allow blacks to receive the priesthood. In the Lord's infinite wisdom and for reasons that we do not yet know, the Lord waited until he did to allow blacks the full blessings of the priesthood. It should also be pointed out that being black was not a sin, but was evidence of the remainder of the sin of someone else. Brigham Young also said, "That the time will come when they will have the privilege of all we have the privilege of and more." (Brigham Young, Speech given in Joint Session of the Utah Legislature, February 5, 1952, in Fred Collier, The Teachings of President Brigham Young. Salt Lake City, Collier's Publishing, 1987, 43).


Now, consider the issue of same-sex relationships and marriage. In 1995, the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles released the "The Family: A Proclamation to the World." This document says, among other things, that "marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children." It further declares that "the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife." This proclamation is clear and direct and further establishes the church's position that marriage is an essential part of God's plan, but this is only marriage between a man and a woman.


There is no evidence to suggest that God's eternal plan for his children is anything less than eternal. Marriage is a focal point of that plan and the church seeks to maintain the sacredness and sanctity of that institution. The language used by the church with regards to blacks and priesthood is inherently different than that used in discussing marriage. Blacks were temporarily prohibited from full participation in the gospel. God's ordination of marriage between man and woman is eternal and will not change with the societal winds of change!


III. California and Proposition 8


Given that the church remains almost entirely neutral on politics, we should not take it lightly that the church is so strongly supporting Proposition 8 in California. In a letter to members of the church in California, the First Presidency declared said: "We ask that you do all you can to support the proposed constitutional amendment by donating of your means and time to assure that marriage in California is legally defined as being between a man and a woman. Our best efforts are required to preserve the sacred institution of marriage." Speaking on behalf of the church, Elder Dallin H. Oaks said, "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints must take a stand on doctrine and principle. This is more than a social issue — ultimately it may be a test of our most basic religious freedoms to teach what we know our Father in Heaven wants us to teach." (see the remainder of this interview here.)


If we have a temple recommend and have declared to our Bishop and Stake President that we believe that Thomas S. Monson is the prophet, seer, and revelator of the Lord, we should act in accordance with that declaration. If we are unwilling to allow the Lord's prophet to dictate some aspects of our life, how strong is our faith that he really speaks with the Lord.


Our faith must not be a matter of convenience. There are those who believe that the church is acting in a bigoted way. So be it. If this church is the true church, which I believe it is, so what? This church has survived persecution, death, and eviction from states, yet the church continues to grow. We members are the strength of this church and we must be willing to fight for what is right. Despite popular belief in this country, there are absolutes. There is right and there is wrong.


We should be willing to die for the gospel. It is part of the law of consecration. Yet, if we are not willing to suffer harassment at those who encourage and condone immoral behavior, how will we ever have the faith to stand when "persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame."


The church is taking a stand on Proposition 8 and same-sex marriage in general, and we must either side with the church or join those that oppose it. Tomorrow is the time for California members to choose and it will not be long before those of us elsewhere will have to make the same decision. We should make the decision now!

Midwest Meandering

Well, we are currently at a hotel in Davenport, IA and I thought that I would post some pictures of our trip so far. We left yesterday after class and drove down the I-35 to Kansas City, MO and then took the I-70 over to St. Louis, MO. We got there about 2am and went to sleep.

Isaac having fun with his new coloring book.

Jensine and Isaac getting some sleep. Wait, what irresponsible person took this picture while driving...?

Our boys still decided to wake up between 5-6am. Luckily, we convinced them to go back to sleep for a few hours after breakfast. After breakfast, we headed into St. Louis and visited the Gateway Arch. It was pretty neat and we wish that we could have had a little more time to view the museum aspect beneath it.

The Missouri River from just outside the Gateway Arch.

Austin was in the stroller just below the picture; yeah, we should have picked him up.

A nice relief from inside (beneath) the Arch.

I had my Air Force JAG interview at Scott AFB, across the border into Illinois and then we headed up the I-55 and made our way to Davenport, IA for the night. I head to Rock Island Arsenal, IA for my Army JAG interview and then back to the Twin Cities.

Austin happy to be out of the car, even if only to be in a high chair.

Here are some other random, yet recent pictures.Isaac enjoying a chocolate frosted cupcake in honor of Jensine's birthday.

Austin working on pulling himself up to the dishwasher. Now, if we could teach him to load and unload it...

Aaron's Travels

So, Jensine has been doing all the posting as of late, but I decided that I would put up some of the pictures that I have taken lately.

I took a trip to Utah this past week; my first since graduation. The Dean of Admissions at the Law School had planned on going, but forgot to tell the admissions office that she was no longer going to be able to make it. This, of course, enabled me to be able to go, but also prevented (due to the lateness of notification) us from using our Delta $99 Companionship Voucher to have Jensine and the boys come too.

I got to Utah Monday afternoon and went out to Dinner with Jared, Bill, Jana (Bill's girlfriend), and her son Oliver. It was nice to have some of the authentic Mexican food that is largely lacking in the Twin Cities.

Bill, Oliver, Jana, me, and Jared an a small, obscure (and therefore authentic) Mexican place

After dinner, I met my old roommate Joe and his wife, Misha, for some Baskin Robbins ice cream. It was nice to be able to reconnect with many people that I no longer see very often.

Misha, Joe, and me

Tuesday, I went to the University of Utah Law Fair for the University of Minnesota Law School and headed down to the Utah Valley after that. I stayed with my sister and her family. I was a little surprised that her daughter Staci gave me the warm welcome that she did, but it was a lot of fun.

Staci and Stefani (sporting her Uncle Aaron's hat and shades)

After dinner, I went to visit my friend Ed and his family up in Lehi. It was good to talk with them. I don't have a picture because I forgot to charge the camera battery and so they took the picture.

The next day (after sleeping on the floor between Jeremy and Staci), I went to the BYU Law Fair. It was amazing to see how much has changed around campus. Okay, so not that much has changed, but the Hinckley Alumni building looks awesome. After the Fair, I visited everyone at BYU Vending before driving around Provo trying to find some free Wi-Fi, but being unable to find any. I headed back to Jennifer's and emailed my assignment late before heading off again to run some errands.

Later that night, I visited President and Sister Rife (mission president for the second half of my mission). It was fun to chat with them and pick-up the final letter of recommendation that I needed for my Air Force JAG application. After another night on the floor, I came home. I also managed to pick up some new BYU apparel for the whole family.

Austin happily wearing his daddy's new beanie.

Isaac not-so-happily wearing the same.

Some of the other cute things lately are that Isaac is really developing an imagination. He was sitting on the toy below and said "Ridin' dinosaur." We never called that toy a dinosaur, but he apparently could imagine it being one. Austin's new trick is not so cute, but is funny. He recently found his nose and manages to put his finger in it on a regular basis. It never lasts for long, but I was able to get a picture.

Isaac ridin' the dinosaur.

Austin's new found talent.

Things are going well for our family. (It's Jensine's birthday today, in case you did not know). Next week we are taking a trip to St. Louis and will likely be able to visit several states that I have never really been through (Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, and Wisconsin). I have an interview for the Air Force JAG on Tuesday outside of St. Louis, and on Wednesday in Illinois for the Army JAG. The Navy JAG has a recruiter in town so I won't need to travel. After the interviews, the respective boards review my application and I will know by the middle or end of January if I have been selected. Who knows what I will end up doing or if I will even be selected?

Here are some other pictures that I liked.

Isaac coloring a picture of a pumpkin (with inspiration) for Uncle Travis.

Man, that is one tired little boy.

Cool guy!

Funny Stories

So the boys have both been cracking me up lately. 

Austin story:

We went to the church to look for Isaac's favorite car (Doc from the movie Cars) and while we were there I decided to play some of Isaac's favorite songs on the piano while Austin played with my keys on the floor. After we finished, I looked at Austin and all around his mouth was black. I looked at the ground and I realized that he'd been eating a half eaten Oreo! First Oreo cookie at seven months--a child after my heart :) All I have to say is that it's a good thing it was the second child, b/c I probably would've freaked out more with Isaac.

Isaac story:

Last night in the middle of the night I suddenly heard Isaac say "Momma, open dinosaurs". I groaned and realized he probably was out of his bed and playing in the toy box, trying to open the dinosaurs. But then I went to his room, and he's still fast asleep. I wonder who he could get talking in his sleep from... :)

Gold medal story:

Isaac and Austin take baths together now (they have such a blast). While they were in, I went to go get some lotion from my room and I heard Isaac giving Austin some rasberries. I walk in the bathroom and there is Isaac giving Austin rasberries...on his butt. I about died laughing, and then explained that there are some areas we do NOT give rasberries.

Such and Such

Life here is going pretty well, except that both Austin and Isaac have decided that sleep is optional. Austin has a cold, and since he has a hard time breathing naturally anyway--the snot definitely isn't helping. And for some reason Isaac doesn't really like his bed anymore. The timing is fantastic--I actually thought things were coming into a sense of normalacy. 

I like the effect of less sleep on typical conversations. The best one happened during the night a couple days ago.

"I think Austin just woke up." (Jensine)

"That can't be good for John McCain's campaign" (Aaron)

It's been a lot of fun the last week or so in the mornings. I have an exercise buddy now, and so Isaac and her son have a blast together in the morning. I love the reaction when Rees (Isaac's friend) walks in the door. Usually it's running about with excited squeals, or just chanting his name over and over again. It's so nice to get out in the morning to go running. I'm pretending it's still summer and wearing shorts outside, but I think that illusion can only last another week or so. 

Aaron got a job interview with JAG in St. Louis on October 28th. Woo hoo! We're all going to take a road trip down, and hopefully Aaron will be able to demonstate some fantastic interviewing skills. At first I wasn't as excited for him to go into the military, but after he explained more about it and seeing how excited he is about it as a potential job--I hope it works out.  

Here are a couple pictures of the kiddo's going about their regular days. Isaac putting every single car he can find into his yellow truck, and Austin with his ginormous smile trying to lure you into playing with him.

Pumpkin Patch

We went to a pumpkin patch earlier this week and had a blast. They had tractors, cows, goats, sheep, chickens, turkeys, and a lot of pumpkins. Isaac had such a great time. He got to "drive" a tractor and hold a lot of different pumpkins. His favorite sound to make is the turkey (gobble, gobble, gobble), and so he and the turkey had a nice conversation together. Even though it was rather one-sided. We escaped with just two pumpkins, one is Isaac sized and the other one I got for carving at a later date. Isaac loves his pumpkin and now carries it around the house and has a meltdown if he doesn't get to bring it in the car. I'm surprised he hasn't asked to sleep with it.

Austin just loved being outside. I think Austin is also trying to continually amaze me as he is now wearing 18 month onsies. They are little big, but not much. Aaron and I are already having visions of Austin outweighing Isaac by the time he's one. The fact that they can wrestle together, which they love to do, and Austin can really hold his own says something.

We're Back!

Even though we had a lot of fun in Sioux Falls with my parents and seeing my sister and Isaac and Austin's cousins, it feels so nice to be home. Isaac is loving having his big bus back again (he uses it like a shopping cart...prized possesions go into the seat compartment), and both of them like having their daddy back as well. Austin loves it when Aaron scares him, and Isaac loves watching "The Hulk" with his dad. I would have to say the Hulk is Isaac's somewhat strange, new obsession. Strange because while he likes to watch the "green, stroooong Hulk" he also doesn't like the mess and mayhem that the Hulk creates. He frequently goes "Oh noooo!" when the Hulk starts his destruction. Here are some pictures I took in Sioux Falls.

I love spoons

So I've been working with Isaac on using a spoon more. Most kids his age I think are already doing this, and have been for some time it seems like, but today was a fantastic point. He ate cereal for breakfast all on his own! Milk of course got everywhere, but at this point so does everything else. He was so proud of himself though, he didn't want me to take the bowl and spoon away even though he was clearly done. It was pretty cool.

Austin just broke through with another tooth yesterday so he now has three! Craziness! I don't put my fingers any where near his mouth anymore. I'm convinced his teeth are more like fangs by how sharp they are. But it does make for some pretty great smiles.

I'm leaving this Friday to go and help my mom with her knee surgery. I'm excited to help, but I feel like we just got home. One thing for sure though, Isaac will be thrilled to see his cousins for a few days and then grandpa! Austin will just love having more people to charm :)

So we're starting to think about potty training Isaac. He came out of the bathroom the other day crying "Potty, Potty, Potty!!" We asked him if he had to go potty and he said "Kay (his form of yes)" So we tried to have him go. I think it would've been too crazy if he actually had gone, but I guess the interest is there now. I'm not saying I love diapers, but I have NEVER looked forward to potty training. Any tips would be more than appreciated from all you veterans out there.

Cute stories of the day:
Isaac is walking around saying "Tommy? Fun!" "Rees? Fun!" It's so cute hearing how much he loves his friends.
Austin is still in love with his blanket. But the best part is that he likes to catch it on his bottom teeth and try to pull it away. I just hope it stays together until he's one!

"Our State Fair is a Great State Fair..."

Yesterday, we attended the Great Minnesota Get Together, also known as the State Fair. We spent a nice little sum of money and enjoyed all the treats on a stick that our free-flowing blood could handle. We had fresh cheese curds, frozen lemonade, a 1/2 lb. sausage, funnel cake, chocolate-dipped cheesecake, and homemade ice-cream root-beer floats. It was quite enjoyable and Isaac liked it as well. It was not exactly a diet-friendly meal, but the fair comes but once a year.

The only ride that we went on was a giant slide. It cost $2 per trip down and we had to buy both ourselves and Isaac a ticket each time. Jensine went with him once, Aaron went with him once, and then Jensine took him once again. Even after $12 of rides, we dragged Isaac away kicking and screaming "BIIIIIIIG SLIDE! BIIIIIIIIG SLIDE!!! AGAIN!!! FUN! FUN!" He obviously did not comprehend that it was not like a playground slide, but cost money. We had to bribe him with the ice cream to get him to stop (or, rather, we tried to bribe him). Here is a video of Jensine going down with Isaac the last time:

Austin was such a sweet little boy at the fair. He just fell asleep in the stroller with his blanket that our friend Susan made for him. He LOVES his blanket and it acts like Isaac's pacifier. Oddly enough, Austin loves his blanket probably as much as Isaac loved his pacifier.
Ah, security...

Austin is 21 lbs right now. On the weight chart for 4-6 months, that puts him above the 97 percentile line. He is one thick little kid. (For the record, at his 6-8 month appointment, Isaac 20 lbs. 15oz). He has also learned to crawl (more or less). He can cover a lot of ground and will go after anything on the floor.Gotta get that bottle! (just off the screen)

Isaac's cutest little thing lately is that he is such a softy. He learned to apologize and will now apologize to his truck or ball if he accidentally drops it ("Sorry, truck!"). It is super cute. Isaac snuggling with Cookie Monster.

Hilarious

How entertaining you are Aaron. And sly as well. Just so you all know, I have preferred the lazy but highly enjoyable role in our blog. Not having to post stuff, but getting to read new blogs and see comments as well. But how would this blog really represent our family without my fantastic computer and grammer skills...

So we just got back from Sioux Falls. It was a lot of fun, but it feels so nice to be home. We have a couch again, table and chairs...all kinds of things we thought we'd do fine without for the summer but are veeeery nice to have again. I'm only going to be here for a few weeks, and then I head out for Sioux Falls again. My mom is having knee surgery, and I'm going to go help out. Honestly, I just hope the kids aren't going to be too crazy during that scenario. I don't know how restful having two kids under two is (I never feel that rested) but I guess we'll find out.

Cute kiddo story of the day:
Isaac is in love with his new lightening McQueen pillow we got him when we got back. He likes to give him "rides" on his other favorite toy--his biiiiig truck. Very thoughtful of him. I sure McQueen gets very tired driving all the time :)

Austin is scooting all over the place! I put him in one area and he's moved completely across the room in a matter of minutes. Very exciting, but at the same time I really like the stationary stage. We get to go to the doctor today, so it will be fun to see how big this chunk is. He's already wearing 12 month clothing. We like to raise small children in this family :)

Matching, Marriage, and a-Mazing

So, first of all I just want to remind everyone (read: Jensine) that this is a blog for both me and my wife and that it is great that we (read: I) have the opportunity to let our friends and family know what is happening in our lives. Imagine how much more everyone would hear if Jensine posted something...anything...sometime...

Aaron was a bachelor for about a week and half as Jensine travelled down to Colorado with her mom and sister Nancy to visit her sister Amy and brother Jerry. Whenever our boys get together with family, they get spoiled, spoiled, and then spoiled some more. Not that I am complaining. The spoiling usually comes in cute clothing. This time, there were several matching outfits for the four cousins (Owen 3, Isaac 21 mos., Adam 21 mos., Austin 5 mos.). One particular cute outfit was also available in their Uncle Jerry's size and here is the group photo:

Adam, Owen, Jerry, Austin, and Isaac (if you add in their cousin Alex, you have a lot of cousins with names that begin with vowels.

Jensine and her mom (and the boys, of course) travelled back to Sioux Falls, stranding in Aaron in Rapid City for another week. Jensine was attending the wedding of one of her best friends, Michelle (who also will be joining Aaron at the University of Minnesota Law School in two weeks). Jensine was a bridesmaid, but never a bride...wait, never mind.

Meera, Michelle, and Jensine

The next week Aaron was able to join his family in Sioux Falls. While he enjoyed the amount of sleep he got without his kids (unless of course, he stayed up until 1am because he was hooked to a book, which of course never happened...) he was very happy to leave the bachelor life once more. What was amazing, however, was that Aaron managed to pack all the stuff left at our house into our oh-so-spacious Mazda Protege. Here is what the grand masterpiece eventually looked like: Rear-view mirrors are for sissies!

We are currently staying in the basement at Jensine's parents' house. Isaac loves being able to hang out with his pa-pa (grandpa) and pa-pa (grandma). He also apparently felt that his daddy's head looked like a nice comfortable seat.
How does this thing recline?

We are headed back to the Twin Cities this weekend and look forward to the glory of couches, mattresses, and cribs (not for us, clearly).