The Royal Family

We were the "Royal Family" for Halloween. Julia the Princess, Lyvia the Frog, Maureen the Queen and Johnny the King. And let's not forget about Grandpa Guzek the Court Jester and Gabrielle as the fairy godmother. We took the girls trick-or-treating to a few friends houses in the daylight hours and had family over at night. I was able to get ONE picture of the girls together that day, thank goodness!

Apple Jacks

We went to the Apple Orchard last weekend as a family. Julia rode a pony, we looked at the giant pumpkins, picked some apples, went on a cow-tractor ride and bought a carmel apple for Grandpa Guzek. Fun afternoon!

The Barthels Go Camping!

Julia went camping over Labor Day Weekend with Grandpa Greg and Grandma Rex up north to Lake Vermillion. It sounds like they had a lot of fun fishing, biking, and Julia provided entertainment at night telling "ghost stories". It was different not having her around and just having one on one time with Lyvia. It was nice, but we missed her!!

We (me johnny and lyvia) also went "camping" that weekend- if you want to call it that We drive a whole 15 minutes to Baker Park to join some friends and spent a couple days there- kind of. Got there around 6pm, slept in the tent that night (Lyvia slept like a champ in her pack and play!!), drove home the next day to get some more food, stayed the rest of the day and evening and drove home at 11:30pm after the campfire because our bed sounded better than the hard ground. I sent Johnny back the next morning to go get all of our stuff. That's our kind of camping:)

Here are some pics of Julia's adventure. I did not bring a camera for our "camping" trip.

Comments Welcomed:):)

I told you I didn't know what I was doing. A lot of you have said how you have viewed the blog and tried to post a comment and couldn't because you had to register as a user. Well, I just figured out how to change that setting, so comment away everyone!!!!!!

Free Baby??

I just realized what Lyvia's shirt says on the "Grandpa for Rent" post from 8/8/09 . Supposed to say "Free Hugs" on her shirt but you can only see the "Free." No, we were not trying to sell her. Just thought I would clarify:) haha

More Pics from Duluth Trip

I had a heck of a time getting these pictures in-between the paragraphs on the last post. So here they are:)

Family Getaway to Duluth!!

Johnny suprised us with a two day trip up north. I knew we were going somewhere, just not exactly where. Here are some highlights from our adventure!

Thursday

5:00am- waaaaay to early to be awake

5:30am- left the house and headed north

7:30am- First stop......Bruno/Willow River exit on 35W North......Dave's Cafe! A little local cafe with the BEST breakfast. We discovered this spot back in the day on one of our trips to and from UMD. We walked in that morning and 20 heads turned. The place is filled with the "regulars" and we definately did not fit in!! I even overheard the waitress saying that they open at 7am, but the guys know how to let them selves in and turn on the coffee pot at 6:30am and just wait till the staff gets there. Anyway, we had an enormous breakfast for really cheap- we recommend this spot to anyone- as long as you don't mind feeling a little out of place:):)

10:30am- Gooseberry Falls.......it was drizzling rain, but it felt good and wasn't enough to even get us wet- more like a mist. We walked around with Julia, Johnny had Lyvia in the backpack, for about an hour and a half. The water was high an the falls were beautiful!! The river was muddy and when we looked down from a bridge Julia said "Dad!! Chocolate Water!!" hahahaha

1:30pm- The Edge Waterpark in Duluth!!! Our suite overlooked the indoor waterpark. We got our swimsuits on immediately and went to play!! Lyvia lasted about a 1/2 hour, so mommy and Lyvia got to go back to the room to take a nap:)

6:00pm- Ordered in from Blackwoods Restaurant! We picked up our food and went back to the hotel to enjoy. Much better than trying to keep 2 kids quiet and behaved in a restaurant:)

7:30pm- Mom and Julia went back to the waterpark for one last time for the day. She went down the little yellow slide about 50 times, sat in the hot tub for a little bit and were back in the room by 8:30pm to get Julia ready for bed- she was so tired!

10:00pm- We were all in bed- unheared of!!!

Friday

8:00am- Continental breakfast at the hotel followed by more swimming at the waterpark! Lyvia was getting tired and I could have probably brought her back to the room and she would have taken a nap, but instead I took her on the lazy river and held her as she put her head on my chest and sucked her fingers. She didn't fall asleep but she was so relaxed and I was loving it. I honestly don't remember the last time that I was able to cuddle her that long. I could have stayed there forever:) It was quite a sight too, to see me dodging all the waterfalls on the lazy river- by the end I was a pro.

12:00pm- Hotel Checkout and we headed to Leif Erickson Rose Garden for lunch. Johnny packed sandwiches and fruit and of course cheese sticks:) From there we walked down the boardwalk toward Fitgers. Lyvia was in the stoller and Julia walked with us- she was a trooper and did pretty good. Johnny had to hold her on his shoulders every once in a while to give her a break. Lyvia was all smiles the ENTIRE day!!! Everyone we walked by would comment "Wow- she's happy!" or "Look at the happy baby". She was loving it. It was ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL outside! The sky was bright blue and it the sun felt so warm. Johnny and Julia took a break to skip rocks in the water while me and Lyvia watched from up above on the boardwalk

1:30pm - We stopped in Fitgers just to look around and Johnny already had booked a massage for me at one of the day spas there. Another suprise! We walked by and he told me to go in because I had an appointment. One of the best massages I've had- heaven!!!

2:30pm- Portland Malt Shoppe stop! I don't think we will ever get sick of the malts there- its a must stop every time. Johnny got a peanut butter cookie dough malt- doesn't that sound just like him? We waked down to Canal Park and spent the afternoon walking around and enjoying the weather and the beautiful lake.

6:00pm- We headed back to our car. Julia was getting tired, and so was I!! Julia walked most of the day but sat on Johnny's shoulders a lot too. She's getting pretty big so Johnny had quite the workout- I think his back was ready for a break. When we got to our car, I was unpacking the stroller and grabbed Lyvia and put her on my shoulders. It was then where I had the genius idea that for the whole day Johnny could have put Lyvia on his shoulders and Julia could have taken a ride in the stroller when she was complaining that she was tired. Whoopsies. Sorry Johnny. hahaha

7:00pm- Before we even got out of the parking lot both girls were asleep. We took a driving tour through UMD and saw all the new buildings and changes from when we went to school there. They have added so much- it looks awesome- I would love to go to school there now. We reminiscesd about the many memories of college......so glad we are at this chapter in our lives though!

11:00pm- Home and bed! We had such a fun trip. The girls were so good and we couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. Good job Johnny!!!

The Beach!

It was HOT outside yesterday, so we went to the beach with the girls- and Grandpa Guzek met us there of course:) It was Julia's FIRST time at the beach- finally after 3 years:) We are very spoiled with our swimming pools. Grandpa Greg & Grandma Rex, Grandma and Grandpa Barthel and Grandma Renee all have underground swimming pools. But, we decided to broaden our horizons and brave the crowds and experience the sand in our toes (and swimsuits!). We went to the Elm Creek swimming pond, which is man-made and slightly chlorinated (hey, we're used to swimming pools so we couldn't brave a real lake yet) and it was super fun. Johnny felt out of place being 1 of the 5 guys that were there along with 1500 women:):) haha

The nice thing about the beach was that Julia could just walk right in and touch the bottom while and splashing around. Here are a couple pics and short video clips!!

Bike Rides

Here are the girls all nice and cozy in the bike trailer. Once in a while Lyvia starts crying and I look back to find out that Julia took her toy and is hiding it next to her.

Grandpa for Rent

I told Gabrielle she could have a mini garage sale at our house and she could keep the profits. Grandpa enjoyed supervising the whole thing and sat on the rocker with a sign that read "Grandpa for rent- will do anything but work"

Stinky

Again, Julia was at Grandpa Greg's and Grandma Rex's. She had to go potty, so Grandpa brought her to the bathroom. She sat on the toilet, looked at Grandpa Greg and said "Grandpa, you better get outta here before it starts to stink!!!" Wonder where she's heard that???

Different Girls

The only thing that Julia and Lyvia have in common is that they are girls. I always said I would not compare my kids, but it is impossible. We find ourselves every day saying "Julia never did this" or "Julia never did that". It is really crazy how different they are- comparing the two at the same stages of life.

Julia sucked her thumb
Lyvia sucks her two fingers

Julia never stuck anything in her mouth- we could give her a penny and she would just look at it.
Lyvia tries to eat everything- the stroller, the rug, magazines, etc. She's like a goat.

Julia was a content baby
Lyvia had major gas issues

Julia would sit in a poopy diaper and never cry
Lyvia can't stand even a pee diaper

Julia would never cry when she woke up in the morning- just layed there and smiled
Lyvia usually wakes up crying because she is hungry

Julia was true to her age with clothing- at 12 months old she wore 12 month clothing
Lyvia is a chunk. At 8 months she is wearing Julia's old 12 month clothes

Julia would fall asleep in the stroller all the time as a baby
Lyvia would just cry when she was tired......NOW, she is finally able to fall asleep.

Julia would fall asleep as soon as we started driving in the car even if it wasn't nap time.
Lyvia is usually wide awake when we get to wherever we are going.

Julia was and still is a very hard sleeper- I could vaccuum in her room while she was napping.
Lyvia is a light sleeper- i can barely tiptoe in her room while she is sleeping.

Julia would never even wake up if we had to get her out of her crib and go somewhere
Lyvia wakes up right away and usually does not go back to sleep

Julia never spit up. We never even used her burp cloths.
Lyvia still spits up and we now put a big blanket on our living room floor to catch the puke.

It's great that they are different- they are going to compliment each other well:) I'm interested to see what Lyvia's personality type will be- similar to Julia- an animated story-teller?? Or a quiet and reserved? We will find out!

First Teeth!!!

Lyvia's first teeth have broken through! The two bottom ones came at the same time. We can't really see them yet, but can feel them. No wonder she has been a crabby pants. Hopefully I can get some good toothy pictures once they start to come up.

Watering Flowers and Chocolate Pudding

Watering Flowers
Julia was helping Grandpa and Grandma water flowers a few days ago. She could barely lift the watering bucket, but was trying her best. She ended up dumping all the water on the rocks/sidewalk.
Grandpa Greg, teasing says: "Julia, don't you know that you're supposed to water the flowers, not the rocks?!"
Rex: "Oh, Grandpa, she's doing just fine...."
Julia in a very stern voice glaring at Grandpa Greg: "Yeah, Grandpa! I'm doing just fine! I got half on the rocks and half on the flowers!!

Chocolate Pudding
Grandma Rex promised Julia chocolate pudding if she kept her pull-up dry at naptime. She did not keep it dry at naptime, but did keep it dry overnight when she stayed there that night. She woke up in the morning and was so excited. "Grandma!! I can have chocolate pudding! I kept my pull-up dry!! Well, a promise is a promise, so she got a little chocolate pudding for breakfast:)
Grandma Rex: "Julia, do you keep your pull-up dry when you wake up in the morning at home?"
Julia, shaking her head: "NO"
Grandma Rex: "Why Not?
Julia, matter-of-factly says...."We don't have any chocolate pudding at home"

Teddy Bear Cake

I knew i wanted to make (ok, eat) an ice cream cake for Julia's birthday party, but of course we needed chocolate cake too. I borrowed my moms cake pan to make a 3-D teddy bear- great idea- not as easy as I thought! I slapped frosting between the two halves and tried to stick it together, but it would not stay. More frosting and a big mess later, still wouldn't stay together. Toothpicks! Hark! I stuck them all over and it worked! Went upstairs and when I came back down, the bear was split in half again, lying in a big pile of frosting. Skewers to the rescue!!! I stabbed the poor teddy bear with the wooden sticks and it worked! Loading the bear with sprinkles was an adventure too......:) All worth it though:)

Julia is 3 Years Old!!

We celebrated Julia's birthday on Friday night with Grandma's, Grandpa's and some aunts and uncles. We had a teddy bear cake with sprinkles and a homeade ice cream cake! YuM!!
Notice Lyvia in the back of Julia in this picture about to pull her hair out.....

First Post!

Ok so here we go.......im going to give this a shot and enter the world of blogging. I have been amazed at the various blogs ive seen of family and friends and how organized and well written they are. I have accepted the fact that will just not going to happen here, but my hope is that i can capture and share some of our day to day memories. Enjoy!!!!!!