Go Twins!

Catching up on some past activities...a couple of weekends ago, Mommy and Daddy enjoyed a brief trip to the twin cities to cheer on Daddy's favorite team...the Twins! Eli enjoyed having Grandma and Grandpa come to his house while his parents were gone.


What rain? Still a good day for a ball game.


Playing with the Twins ball and bat that Daddy brought home for Eli

Sick Day

Unfortunately, Eli and Mommy woke up yesterday with a bit of a cold. There should be a rule that moms and kiddos cannot be sick at the same time. Luckily, Eli takes after Daddy, so after a day of hanging out in his pjs, he is feeling better today. This was only the second time Eli has had a cold, and with this adventure, we discovered a few "Sick Day Truths":


1. Wearing a hat (inside, for a couple hours) may magically help you feel better.



2. There is comfort in reverting back to favorite things from your childhood...in this case, a jumperoo.


3. If you keep a positive attitude, you'll be waving "buh-bye" to your cold in no time at all!

Warming the House and Cheering for Our Favorite Ironwoman

Making the House Feel Like Home

Eli enjoyed seeing many family members and friends at the open house to help break in the new(ish) Brasel family home. As one observer noted, parties around here have changed a bit, as the number of kids running around has greatly increased, and the festivities were wrapping up around the time that they previously might have been in full swing! It was wonderful to visit with so many people, and great to have the weather cooperate so we could play outside. Thanks to one of our friends, we have a few pictures to capture the fun from the day.


The water table was a popular place to be...


...as was the sandbox


Twins are good at sharing swings


Picnic dinner with Grandma


Hey there, brown eyes (and drool-y chin!)


She Swam, She Biked, She Ran - Yay, Tara!

To support our favorite Ironwoman, Eli joined the rest of Team Tara along the route of the Madison Ironman. While he thought the bikers and runners were interesting, Eli seemed to have the most fun playing with Daddy, Aunt Tina, and Uncle Alex along the route.


When is the Stroller portion of the race?


Team Tara, eagerly awaiting our champion's arrival in the biking portion


Exploring the countryside with Aunt Tina


Dad, all the cool kids are wearing their hat this way


All this cheering makes a little boy hungry - picnic time!

Capitol Picnic

Sneaking in some picnic time on the capitol lawn while the weather is still decent.


Picnic time!

Wraping Up Summer Fun

While it is always hard to say goodbye to summer, the blessing of a beautiful Wisconsin fall helps ease the transition a little. Here are a few of the activities that Eli squeezed into the last couple weeks of summer.

One More Splash


Last trip to the splash park for a picnic with our friends, Devyn and Alice


Taste of Madison


Come on, Dad! I'll show you where the yummy food stands are!


Catching a ride


Labor Day Picnic at Governor Nelson State Park


Yum! Everything tastes better at a picnic.


Cute kiddos


Playing with Daddy


Twisting into Fall
Here's an activity that will continue on into fall and winter - open gym time at Madtown Twisters.


Ding Dong!


Playing with his buddies


Kiddie-sized roller coaster


Bye-bye for now!

Fourteen!

Eli is 14 months old today! Here are a few pictures of the toddler in action:


Still little enough for Mom to dress him up in silly clothes


The camera loves me...or I love it (and anything else that has buttons)

Movin'

Uncle Alex and Aunt Tina recently moved to their beautiful new home, and of course Eli was ready to lend a hand to help in the move. Most of his "help" involved playing with all of the cords for the electronics and showing his aunt and uncle what parts of their new house are not child-proof. Thankfully, they'll have a bit of time before their little one will be discovering these parts as well!


Having a lunchtime picnic in Uncle Al's backyard


This TV setup is so easy a one-year-old can handle it

A Boy and His Watering Can

Eli has been a big help around the house this summer, especially when it comes to watering Mommy's plants. Maybe those farming roots on the Brasel side have blessed Eli with a green thumb. Thanks to his help, the plotted plants are looking very healthy this year!


Watering


More watering


I'm so good that I don't even have to look where I'm watering.


Watering at Grandma and Grandpa's house


I'll get both cans for you, Grandma