Milestones

Well, both of our kids have reached important milestones. As of today, Anisha is rolling over on to her stomach. Although she hasn't quite figured out how to get her arm out from underneath her body. It's pretty funny. She is growing so quickly, I don't know where the time goes.

Noah is talking in sentences now and he gets better everyday. I'm sure I am one of the only people that can understand what he is saying, but it's still pretty amazing to be able to converse with him. His favorite sentence is "What's [insert name] doing?" I think if I counted how many times he says that in one day, it would be over a hundred. Lucky me...I get to answer him that many times in one day.

Road Trip

This past weekend, we (the Mullin's and my parents) took a VERY impromptu road trip to Milwaukee to visit my aunt and uncle. John was returning from a business trip from Ireland and happened to reach him during his layover in Newark. He courageously agreed to go with us and so we rented a minivan and departed from my parents house at 5:30pm. It took about 6 1/2 hours to get there. This was not Noah's first trip, but he did so great. And Anisha, well we didn't hear a peep out of her all weekend. Ok, that's not entirely true. On our way up, we stopped at Taco Bell because Noah's favorite food are tacos. I was ravenous and ended up eating way more than I should have. I paid for it the next day and so did poor Anisha, but it was short lived.

We had such a great time just relaxing and catching up. Road trips are great, but driving home is always such a chore. The highlight of the trip home however was that we had to stop in a small town for a diaper emergency. All of a sudden we heard a train whistle and it started to come by about 100 feet away from us. Noah is obsessed with trains, so you can imagine how excited he was (and a little scared, it was pretty loud).

The 4th of July

Independence day was spent with the extended Mullin family in Hugo, MN. (Close to Stillwater) Every year, John's uncle Jim, hosts this very important celebration. He views it as an incredible teaching opportunity for the next generation(s) as to why this holiday should not be taken lightly. In short, without this holiday, we would not be able to celebrate any of our holidays, regardless of race or religion.




We began the evening with an enormous feast and lots of catching up. We only see some of John's cousins once a year at this gathering. Next we get ready for the parade. The entire family decorates bikes, tractors, wagons...you name it! We also put some decor on ourselves to get in the spirit. Then we parade through the neighborhood and make our way back for an inspiring talk about the significance of the 4th and a ceremonial raising of the flag, followed by the pledge of allegiance. This year we were entertained by a hilarious magician and the kids (and there are A LOT of them in the Mullin family) participated in minnow races. Noah even came in 2nd overall! He was very proud of his little minnow. The evening commenced with fireworks in the backyard. Anisha slept through the whole thing and Noah enjoyed them very much...from inside the house and daddy's hands over his ears.

Noah is 2 1/2 years old now and Anisha is 4 months. I'm not sure where the time goes. Watching them grow up is so amazing and already their interaction is heartwarming. Here is Noah reading to his "bonu" (which means little sister) in the morning. They both adore eachother. Noah is already very protective of her and gives her many hugs and kisses. Anisha recognizes his voice and stops whatever she is doing, even if it's eating, to turn her head and find him. Watching him play is one her favorite activities.

Here is the most recent photo of the both of them taken on July 3, 2007.

Hiking at Minnehaha Falls

Noah and Anisha are both outdoor kids. I call them my "granola babies." So John and I decided that this summer we would take them hiking any free weekend and take advantage our beautiful state. Our first adventure, was to a very local destination, Minnehaha Falls. John and I used to visit when we were first dating (almost 13 years ago...yikes!). The city has made many changes and updates to the park area. There is now a bike path along the upper park area. There is a restaurant adjacent to the parking lot which features seafood, but we haven't tried it yet. Noah had a great time exploring the path and was mesmerized by the falls. Anisha loved hanging out in the baby bjorn with mom and never made a peep. It was a successful outing and we're looking forward to many more.