One happy kid.

Well, I return from my bachelorette party extravaganza. This weekend all of us bridesmaids in my friend Katie's wedding headed to Wisconsin Dells for a big shebang so my little nugget was home all weekend with his daddy. I guess they had a great time (as did I) but I was very sad to miss out on a family weekend. Tyson is growing and learning so much everyday. As a new mom, I had the normal fears of him hitting all kinds of milestones while I was gone. Lucky for me, he didn't pick up any extra languages or master any motorized vehicles while I was gone so that was nice. I got to walk in the door to a giant gummy/toothy grin and a frantic clamor to get to my lap. All is well. 

hmm...

Is it just me or does my kid look like a kewpie doll?

Racin'

Okay so here are some of the pictures from the Fargo Marathon (5K for us). This is me with my mom and 2 of the 3 sisters. Jen is dealing with some foot problems and probably would have gotten into some trouble with her doctor if she attempted the race. She was there in spirit!

(I realize the pics are a bit blurry but I have to confess that I snagged them from my sisters facebook account. Thanks Jo:)

Jo and I paired up to attempt to run (just for the record, the word attempt is strongly accented here. I haven't truly run since I was on maternity leave about 7 months ago). I think we did pretty darn good for my first race...though I did pay for my lack of training the next day (or two, or three). 

My mom and Julie paired up as the dynamic (injured) duo. They went for the walk/jog combo and did a darn good job as well. 

And finally the whole Svaren crew. (Bridget, the girl on the left is a good friend of the family so she was an honorary sister that day...and she kicked our asses just for the record). 

In case you were wondering...

Brace yourself. I am about to divulge truly relevant and important information. Okay so in MY world, it's a good thing to know.

Apparently, the time it takes to put one stubborn left contact in place is the exact amount of time it takes an 11 1/2 month old to completely unwind a new roll of toilet paper. 

Now you know.

The Fam

Well, last weekend Jason, Tyson and I headed back home to Fargo for the marathon and all the festivities that go along with it. The 8-9 hour proved to be a little difficult with an 11 month old. He is so curious that he wouldn't let himself sleep for more than 20 minutes at a time. Even after I made him a very comfy neck pillow out of his blankie, he still wouldn't cave.  

On the upside, we did get clearance from the pediatrician awhile back to turn his carseat around so that did make things a little easier. At least he had something to look at. 

Tyson got to spend time with both sets of grandparents and a few of his aunts and uncles and cousins. The above picture is of me with my two nieces, Courtney and Brianna. Their webkins were purchased by Grandma after some pretty crafty begging. 

Next, I tried to get a picture of all the grandkids together but it was a tiny bit difficult. Teagen (the boy on the end) is already making a break for it. 

Tate (the boy on the other end) was giving his standard thumbs up pose. 

In the end we just told Teagen he didn't have to be in any pictures but secretly got him anyway. We are so crafty. 

All in all, it was a great weekend but once again too short. We really miss being closer to everyone and hate that it's such a production to get everyone together. More pictures from the race to come later!

newest developments...

Things are pretty much the same as usual around here. Our daily routine rarely changes. Play, eat (aka-mealtime power struggles), sleep, poop, repeat. Well, I have now learned that leaving the laundry out results in some interesting behavior. We have more teething toys than I can count and what does this kid like to chew on? He enjoys socks and has no preference to clean over dirty so we just have to be vigilant. He also loves chewing on his mama. I don't know why he thinks it's okay to bite me but I must be pretty tasty. I guess I should just be thankful he's not chomping on everyone he meets. One of Tyson's daycare teachers said that kids who aren't eating enough developmentally appropriate foods tend to be biters. Hopefully he starts munching a little better soon...I bruise like a peach. 

He also greets me every morning and/or after naptimes standing up in his crib staring at the door. I think this is particularly cute but I'm pretty sure he's using his 'naptime' to jump on his bed.  Oh well. 

*disclaimer- Another thing that's new around here is Tyson's bathtime routine. He now constantly flips himself onto his tummy in the tub and tries to crawl and/or stand or climb etc. It gets a little wild. He's wiggly to start with but add some water and he's one slippery little sucker. I have the cutest picture of him in the tub with his little bum in the air but then I started to worry about whether baby butts are considered to be child pornography...so for once I opted to not post the pic. Instead I will add that picture to his album I plan to share with the world at his high school graduation:)