Ice Skating

In case you hadn't noticed, Jack's kind of into hockey. Of course, he'd never been on the ice, but this weekend, we took care of that. We hit Brenton Skating Plaza on a 55 degree Sunday to test out his skate legs. One of us (who shall remain nameless) was secretly hoping he'd hate it and decide to be a tennis star or swimmer. But, Jack loved skating and after a rather nervous first lap around, begged to go around "one more time." Most impressive, perhaps, was that after 5 years of marriage, I learned Bryan can ice skate...really well. Since I'm clumsy on solid non-slippery ground, I thought it best my big belly and stay on the sidelines.

Iowa Upsets Penn State

Underneath the marshmallow coats are five happy Iowa fans and one sad Penn State graduate. We braved the snow and cold temperatures with the Grasks and our neighbors, the Buggy's, for the Iowa v. Penn State game. Rick was a Nittany Lion and his wife Yvonne, originally from Germany, had never been to an American football game. Rick was a good sport in spite of the game's outcome, and Yvonne quickly befriended her huge seatmate and welcomed his mass as a nice windbreak.

I Don't Need a Nap, Mommy

After a long day of playing with Bryan, Jack convinced his dad that he didn't need a nap. At about 5 p.m., we made our weekly trip to the grocery store where he promptly fell asleep. It actually turned out to be a quiet and pleasant shopping experience, courtesy of Jack's calm demeanor. As I pushed him through the aisles, some lady said, "I don't think he looks very comfortable." My response: "I'm sure he's not." Trust me, he wouldn't have known if he was sleeping on a plush pillowtop or the grocery cart.

Happy Halloween!

Curious George had a great time at Beggar's Night this year for Halloween. He happily ran door to door until a sucker-stick incident curbed his enthusiasm. We finished the night with a mandatory viewing of "Charlie Brown's Great Pumpkin" and some treats.

Let's Go Wild!

We took a Saturday recently and headed to Minneapolis for an action-packed day. We started with the Rainforest Cafe (too terrifying to photograph), squeezed in a few rides at Nick Universe and finished up with the grand finale -- a Minnesota Wild game at Xcel Center. Jack was a trooper through it all, and as shown above, ended with a crash landing into a comfy hotel bed. Oh yeah, the Wild won the game, and Jack added another friend to his bear family courtesy of Miss Amanda.

Verse Two

As promised, here's the long-awaited sequel to the Pumpkin song. Wait for it, wait for it...the Mommy verse.

Pumpkin Song

One of Jack's favorite songs is "the name game" and he can adapt it to pretty much everything, including his favorite fall gourd. Stay tuned for more verses including "ceiling, fan, door, light," and pretty much anything else he can think of. The song can go on for hours.

Howell's Pumpkin Patch

Jack and I headed to Howell's Pumpkin Patch with our neighbors for a little taste of fall (it was 78 degrees). He and his buddies Alex and Sam hunted for pumpkins, fuzzy caterpillars and tractors.

Grandma Boesen

Jack had a good time recently visiting (and eating chips) with Grandma Boesen. She learned very quickly that the way to Jack's heart is through snacks. He asks to go see her all the time. Hope she's got more chips ready!

A Pantless Family Band

In a new Boesen family endeavor, Jack and aunt Katelyn have formed the Pantless Family Band -- a piano and guitar duo. While they have yet to book any gigs, We think they both have great legs.

Balloon Festival

We went with our neighbors to the National Balloon Classic in Indianola. It was very cool walking out on the balloon field, although the noise and the heat from the balloons was a little scary for the youngest Boesen. He put on his game face, though, and managed to enjoy a few bites of corndog before the "niteglow" began.

More Okoboji

We had a fun playdate at the beach in Okoboji with Sophia, Isabella and Emma Fassbender. Jack wasn't overwhelmed by the estrogen level, and even though Emma is just a few days younger than he is, he only had eyes for Isabella. He still talks about Isabella and finding "the very hungry caterpillar."

Arg! Jack Hits the Water Park

On a rainy day in Okoboji, we hit the new indoor water park -- or "pirate park" -- with Sally and Uncle Tom. Jack grew more brave after the first couple of sliedes and had a great time in the water.

Too Much Fun?

After almost a full week at Okoboji with less-than-stellar sleeping habits, Jack finally got his way and skipped the all-important afternoon nap. Although, when he finally took some time to calm down, all the action caught up with him.

Summer!

OK, OK. I know there's been a lapse in blog postings. Summers are busy, and ours is no different. We've had weekends at Okoboji, hot days at the pool, stinky days at the zoo and lots of baseball and golf time in between. Here are a few shots to give you an idea of what we've been up to the past two months.