Thankful . . .

Emily and I turned the Holiday weekend into an extra long one (5 days!). I can't believe that the weekend is already coming to an end, but, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, we managed to stuff a lot into each of the days.

Wednesday was a free day for us, and we relaxed by visiting JoAnna, Andy, and new baby Brendan at the hospital, getting a jump on some Christmas shopping, and catching a movie (Four Christmases -- you can wait for DVD).

On Thanksgiving we got up early and joined the throngs and ran a 5K Turkey Trot through the streets of downtown. Jesse, Susu, and Steve joined us in celebrating Gus' 5K debut. Check out the dream team:

Gus was a little less excited; he ended up sleeping through the last half-mile. I guess Dad wasn't going fast enough to keep him interested. After a big mid-day nap, we went over to Grandma and Grandpa's to celebrate with the largest gathering of Adriaens outside of the Netherlands. Gus looked sharp, rockin' some new threads:

Gus didn't let the Holiday, or the fact that he was dressed up slow him down from all of the work that he felt needed to be done at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Here he is doing a little demo job, and taking measurements:

With Thanksgiving already in the rear view mirror, it was time to turn towards Christmas. First step -- the first batch of Christmas cookies. Gus helped Mommy make a batch of cinnamon pecan treats. Here is Gus helping sprinkle sugar:

And here is Mommy and Gus showing off the fruits of their labor before they go into the oven to bake:

Gus sampling the final product:

Verdict? Delicious!

As you can see, with this family, I have lots to be thankful for. Hope you all had as nice a Holiday as I did.

Mixin' it Up!

For the past few months Gus won't go anywhere without a kitchen tool of some kind in his hand. In a way it's great. If we need a wooden spoon or spatula, we can just sort of wonder about the house and we may very well we'll find one in Gus' room, or the bathroom, or just about anywhere else. Mostly Gus just likes to carry them around with him, but sometimes he puts them to good use. The other day I was laying on the floor and he tried to turn me over with the spatula.

Here is a short video of Gus stirring his water with a silicone brush. Don't even ask me what a silicone brush is or what you use it for. All I know is that in our house, it's Gus' current favorite kitchen tool.

Guster Picturepalooza

Fall means change. The temperature gets colder, leaves turn red, yellow and orange, and kids start a new year in school, and this year, there is Presidential election, which means there will be a change in office. Gus is changing too. It's a cliche, I know, but as Emily and I are learning, it's really true what they say, they really do grow up fast. Since there hasn't been a post in a while, I thought it would be a good time to get the blog up and running again, and take a look at the last three months, to see what Guster has been up to. Since the last post, Gus has become even more sure on his feet, and has taken to running all over the place. He's also finding his voice -- his vocabulary right now includes, mommy, daddy, ball, apple, no (of course), yes, please, milk, help, and uh-oh. He's a funny kid and it's been a joy. Here's a look:

Gus took boat rides.

Gus also took his first road trip to Chicago. Here he is hanging with Steve and Dad.

In Chicago, Gus went to Oak Street beach . . .

and the Lincoln Park Zoo.

Gus went to Mora to cheer on Mom and Dad in road races.

Who is that behind Dad? (couldn't resist)



Happy to be done.

Gus went bowling.


Gus got a new place to put his toys (and a new place to hide)

Gus hosted pool parties at the grotto (Grandma's yard)

This Fall, Guster went to pumpkin patch.
Gus laid claim to all the pumpkins he could.
Riding in a wagon with Noah.

Mom and Dad with their Pumpkin.

Playing in the leaves

I am trouble
Gus loves to carry a big stick. Now we just have to work on the whole speak softly thing.

Biker Gus

Yeah, I got a toy hammer. So what?

Happy to be with Mommy.Trick or Treatin'

Throwing rocks into Lake Calhoun with Mom . . .
and with Dad.

Duck, duck, and The Goose.


Gus enjoying the view.

Gus enjoying the sunset.

Red, White, and (Baby) Blue

We spent the Fourth of July in Tennessee visiting Grandma and Grandpa Ueland. Everybody had a blast, especially Guster, who had a very busy weekend. He got to swing in his first tree swing, take his first ride in a boat, and -- unexpectedly announced his early candidacy for the Presidency in 2048!

The flight to Tennessee went smoothly. Guster was busy and curious, but did not cry and didn't wriggle around too much.

When Gus woke up, he was in Tennessee, and was ready to have at it. As you can see from the picture below, Gus really enjoyed the tree swing.

Gus was also excited to play with his Grandma and Grandpa. On a few mornings, Grandma and Grandpa took the morning shift allowing Mom and Dad catch a few extra winks. Guster played hard. So hard that he wore himself and Grandpa right out.

On the Fourth of July, Gus took part in a parade around Kahiti, the community that Grandma and Grandpa live in. The Gus Man took this opportunity to launch his candidacy. His campaign managers, Grandma and Grandpa came up with his campaign slogan -- "You want change? I might need a change!"

Aunt Kelli was also there, and she also played with her favorite nephew. Here Guster shows Aunt Kelli where his belly is.
The family also took a trip to the Knoxville zoo. Upon arrival, it was VIP treatment all the way as the tram took us from the parking lot to the front door.

Gus loved the zoo. Here he is checking out elephants . . .

And here he is checking out the giraffes.

Gus also got to ride the Merry-Go-Round.
Gus got to take a ride in the boat and even took a brief dip in the lake.

Back at Grandma and Grandpa's, Gus checks out Grandpa's effort at child-proofing.

Too much fun. The baby is exhausted.

Que Sarah Sarah

This past weekend we had the good fortune to have a visit from one of our favorite people -- somebody we don't see as often as we like -- Sarah!

We also grilled out for the first time at our Garden Party -- which intentionally sounds festive to disguise the fact that it really was an event whereby Emily's family helped us with yard work. As you can see below, we got a lot accomplished and had a lot of fun.

We hope that Sarah enjoyed her time with us. We look forward to seeing her again soon!

Sarah came into town bearing delicious gifts.

Guster at the Mill City Market trying an egg roll.

Poolside with Sarah . . .

And Mom!

Susu and Grandma A hard at work.

Sam gettin' it done.

Gus knows he could help if we'd give him a chance.

But he'll settle for some more pool fun.

I win!