The Froude Crowd

Marine Corps Museum

2010-07-15T05:25:00.000-07:00

Our first visit to the Marine Corps Museum. The museum wasn't completed when we left the area three years ago.
What a great place for both adults and kids. Those Marines knows how to make sure the kids are entertained too. Lots of buttons to push throughout the museum. And outside the park they have set up is a mini version of an obstacle course.

The kids trying to look cool in front of a helicopter;)

Annika looking around.

Gabe on the footsteps in front of the bus at the museum's boot camp set up. Too cute.

Pretty big packs the Marines have to carry.

Some instructions from dad before shooting at a target.

Big weapon for a little kid. Gabe kept shooting the ground in front of the target. Good thing Chris shot at the target before they printed out the results. Gabe was impressed with his shooting skills;)

Goofy kids...

Washington D.C Zoo

2010-07-13T12:35:00.000-07:00

Chris happened to have a conference in the D.C area at the end of March, so we went along to do some shopping and visit the sites.
The first day we were there, we went to the Zoo.
Gabe was not feeling well and the pictures show it. We had spent several hours at the ER the night before when Gabe started complaining his ear hurt. Sure enough, he had an ear infection.
But staying in the hotel room all day just wasn't an option.

Yup, that's a Panda. Annika managed to talk me into getting her a stuffed Panda at the gift shop. Gabe opted for a truck.

Totally staged photo and the kids were not having fun at this point. It was a really hot day and they were tired after walking around at the Zoo all morning.

Happy Easter

2010-07-13T12:09:00.000-07:00

Chris did a really good job hiding the eggs for the Easter Egg Hunt this year. The kids had so much fun trying to find every egg. And Chris had to double check after they finished to be sure they had found them all.

The kids running to check the mail box. And sure enough there were eggs in there too. Glad they got those out. I would hate to think what melted goo the mailman would find if they had missed those.

Honcho was pretty upset he didn't get included. So he kept barking and jumping by the fence the whole time.

SNOW!!!!

2010-07-13T11:44:00.000-07:00

After patiently waiting for the white stuff and pretty much giving up seeing it, it finally snowed. The kids were so excited and spent the entire day outside. (Yes, day - the snow never last very long here.)
Gabe had outgrown his snow pants, so he was wearing regular pants outside. By the end of the day he didn't have a pair that wasn't soaked.

Annika building a snowman. She was carting snow over to one spot in the yard out of the way of where the dog was running.
We didn't get a picture of the snowman when it was finally finished and all decorated with a carrot for a nose and rocks for eyes and mouth. The dog ate the nose not once but twice. And then we decided not to put another carrot on it since the snow was melting so fast.

Honcho being Honcho, looking for a ball. Not easy when it disappears.

Gabe taking a break in the snow. Hm, that stuff is wet... I don't know how many times we told him not to lay down in the snow for a long time...

Gabe directing the dog so he could find his ball.

Annika's birthday/Valentine's Party at Preschool

2010-07-13T11:27:00.000-07:00

Annika's birthday celebration at preschool was a combination of her birthday and the school's Valentine's Day Party.
Pretty busy day. And I have to say I admire the patience of all the teachers.
The kids had fun and were very excited... I'm sure all the sugar they consumed had something to do with all the excitement too.

Getting their hands cleaned after eating cupcakes.

Annika did pretty good in sitting still during their circle time.

Christmas morning continued

2010-07-12T09:19:00.001-07:00

Annika got a bike from Grandma and Granddad, and that must have been the best gift this Christmas. Annika rode the bike up and down the driveway like a pro right away.

Honcho learned quickly to stay out of the way. She's fast but can't stop fast.

Christmas morning

2010-07-12T09:08:00.000-07:00

The kids were up very early and ready to start unwrapping immediately.
Gosh, I don't know how many "can we eat after unwrapping the presents", "have you finished your coffee yet" we endured. Absolute torture for the kids obviously.

The kids got tons of stuff, and happily played in their rooms as soon as every toy had their required batteries installed.

Santa has left the building

2010-07-12T09:01:00.000-07:00

This is the only picture we have of Annika in Santa's chair. Chris' battalion had their annual Christmas party, and they always have elves and a Santa for the kids. Annika of course did not want to see Santa or any helpers. She waited patiently for Santa to finish seeing the kids and as soon as the elves and Santa took off, she happily hammed it up for the camera. Gabe of course was not around, so we didn't manage to get a pictures of them together.

School Christmas Program for Gabe

2010-07-12T08:48:00.000-07:00

Not sure why Gabe was put all the way in the back with how small he is, but that's where he is. And to the right side in the picture. All the kids did really well during the program. At least for most of it. There were a couple of boys playing with the Christmas tree they had set up on the opposite side of where Gabe was, so I was pretty thankful Gabe was nowhere near there.

Gabe showed me his classroom, and while all the other kids took their time pointing out details to their parents, I was given three seconds per stop around the room. Talk about having to pay attention. All he wanted at this point was to have his fruit snack and go home.

Visit with Santa

2010-07-12T08:39:00.000-07:00

Gabe had no problems having a chat with Santa. Annika on the other hand wanted no part of it. She promptly hid, and no amount of bribe could get her out. Oh, well, maybe she will at least agree to a couple of pictures with Santa next year.

Dressing up

2010-07-12T08:29:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I have updated this blog. It's been a busy year for both Annika and Gabe. So I'm going through all the pictures I have on the computer trying to catch up.

Annika does like to dress up in her princess dresses. And her princess shoes are her absolute favorite. They are still too big, so the rule is to not wear them while going down the stairs. It's enough to have a long dress on.

Orientation day (preschool) for Annika

2009-08-31T05:49:00.000-07:00

First day of school for Gabe resulted in a lot of tears for Annika. Not only did she miss Gabe, but she was most offended she didn't start school.
So for her orientation day she insisted on having a dress on and she also packed her own snack which she put in her enormous back pack. I swear Annika could probably fit in it:)

The lense adjusting to the humidity out here.

Big smile

Ready to go!!!

First day of school (2nd grade) for Gabe

2009-08-31T05:38:00.001-07:00

Since Gabe was waiting for the bus we had to rush pictures this year. Gabe was so excited to be going back to school, he had no time for pictures.
But we managed to get a few before he rushed off to get on the bus.

Same back pack as last year.

Done yet? Gabe is not impressed.
Not only was this Gabe's first day of school, it was the first time Chris has been home for school start since we moved here.

TKD belt testing for Gabriel. (Senior green to blue belt)

2009-08-11T06:10:00.000-07:00

Gabe tested this past weekend for his blue belt and did great. Here he is doing his form.

Another one of Gabe doing his form.

It's amazing to think that he was so scared of sparring when looking at these pictures. Last testing cycle Gabe had to constantly be encouraged to spar. This time Gabe was told to back down, calm down, and that the sparring rounds are supposed to be light contact.

Gabe going at it...

Dishing out a hook punch.

4th of July

2009-08-11T05:53:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since we have updated our blog. Here are a few pictures of the kids from the fourth of July celebration at Camp Lejeune. We went early to get a good spot to watch fireworks, and spent some hours trying to keep the kids entertained.

Cotton candy and a very sugary juice drink...

The result of all the sugar. The kids were taking turns in jumping over each other.

Gabe waiting for the sun to go down so the fireworks could start.

Snow day!!!

2009-01-21T05:58:00.001-08:00

We do not get snow in this area very often, and it usually doesn't last long either so we took full advantage of our snow day yesterday and played outside.

As always the county officials panicked when the forecast predicted snow and quickly closed school. School could have stayed open yesterday without a problem, the snow didn't start until about noon and the roads were nice and clear all day.

And as I predicted no one considered the freezing temperatures we would have as soon as the sun went down and everything turned to ice. I was not surprised when word was passed school would be closed today as well:)

I took this picture of Gabe just an hour after it started to snow.

I got the pleasure of pushing the kids since there are no hills around here:)

Annika tasting snow. She refused in the beginning to keep her mittens on, but as soon as her fingers got cold she reluctantly kept them on.

Annika thinking about taking a taste out of her giant snow ball...

Luckily she dropped it since it had leaves and pine straws in it too.

Honcho waiting for someone to throw a ball he can chase...

Honcho had lots of fun chasing snow balls and his tennis balls out in the snow.

Ta Kwon Do pictures

2008-12-30T16:20:00.001-08:00

Gabe had just started taking Ta Kwon Do classes in December when they took pictures of him. I wasn't going to order any but when I saw how great they turned out, I of course had to get a couple.
He really did the best with props - something else to focus on but the many kids that were running around him.

Gabe hadn't even done kicks yet, so his instructors helped quite a bit for this picture:) But it turned out really good anyway.

Relaxing with the dog

2008-12-25T16:22:00.000-08:00

After all the presents were gone there was plenty of room for the kids to lay under the tree.

Honcho enjoying his pizza squeaky toy. (It lasted all of ten minutes before I had to toss it out - Honcho is quite the chewer.)
Gabe at least got in a good hug while the dog was laying still.

Not to be outdone by her brother - Annika gave out plenty of hugs and kisses too.

Christmas morning

2008-12-25T16:05:00.000-08:00

The kids were of course very excited this morning. My only surprise was that they actually both slept much later than I had anticipated. Gabe was up a little before seven, while Annika slept about an hour longer. And I had worried about the kids getting up around five:)

Annika could open most of her presents herself, but if she had problems she would simply ask Gabe for help.

Santa spoiled both kids rotten. Gabe as can be seen in this picture was over the moon.

Christmas Eve

2008-12-25T15:55:00.001-08:00

Since I finished with Christmas presents early this year, I worried maybe I didn't get enough. I had to laugh when I finished unloading under the tree. Santa was very nice this year I didn't need to worry. And the tree got some extra support for a night.

Even Honcho had a stocking with lots of goodies in it.

And of course Santa enjoyed all the cookies and the chocolate milk that was put out for him. Thankfully our neighbor had carrots for the reindeer. I completely forgot this year to buy carrots. I didn't really want to put an apple out for them:)

Decorating our Gingerbread house

2008-12-23T13:36:00.001-08:00

We are not really finished decorating the inside of the house for Christmas until the kids have finished our Gingerbread house.

As always just as much candy goes into the kids tummies as goes on the house.

Annika kept screaming out colors for candy she wanted Gabe to put up on the roof. She enjoyed the eating part much more than decorating the house. She still doesn't enjoy sticky stuff like icing on her hands. I guess melted chocolate is a different matter.

Gabe in deep concentration selecting candy to put on the house.

One for the house...

one for me

Christmas pictures at the beach

2008-12-23T13:22:00.001-08:00

We took Christmas pictures at the beach again this year and I got tons of good pictures of the kids. It makes it really hard to just pick out one for the annual Christmas card.

Annika found a stick as soon as we walked onto the beach and refused to let go of it. I figured the priority was to get nice pictures instead of a tantrum.

Gabe is as always happiest when he can run freely around.

A couple of minutes after taking these pictures Annika did throw her tantrum when I wouldn't let her take the stick home.

Happy Halloween

2008-11-02T05:54:00.000-08:00

Halloween was a fun experience for both kids. Gabe of course knew full well that he was getting candy at every stop. It took Annika a while longer to dare to go up to the houses. She ended up only going up to the houses we knew.

Annika was Cinderella this year and Gabe chose another Transformer again - Bumblebee.

Gabe with some of the treats he got from Trick or Treating. Pretty scary:)

Annika as always trying to do exactly what Gabe is doing:)

A visit to Mike's Farm

2008-11-02T05:33:00.000-08:00

I took the kids and we went to Mike's Farm for a hayride and to get a pumpkin.
It was a little cold the day we went but at least it wasn't raining, and more importantly the kids had fun.

I guess it has not been the best weather for growing pumpkins in our area. It took us quite a while to find one that wasn't completely or half way rotten.

The kids loved the hayride. Annika was looking around at the pumpkin fields and wanting to get off to pick more.

The hayride we took is also a spooky hayride in the evening around Halloween time, so Gabe was checking out all the ghosts and ghouls hanging in the trees.
He was very glad we were there during the day.

An afternoon at the beach

2008-11-01T21:02:00.000-07:00

The plan was to pick shark teeth at the beach when we went down there.
Well, the kids thought that was fun for about five minutes before the water got too tempting for them.
In the end we all had a great time down there. We even got to see a few Dolphins feeding not to far from the beach.

Gabe will listen to my pleads to not get wet for a good while but will keep inching closer and closer to the water the longer we stay down there.
Good thing I always bring dry clothes and some towels just in case.

Annika is usually content in running around on the beach. But she does get inspired by her older brother:)

And we know it's about time to get home when Gabe is soaked. Here he is sitting in the surf admiring the sailboat that was sailing back and forth.

Losing another tooth

2008-11-01T20:48:00.000-07:00

I have to say looking at the writing on the envelope, I will grab something other than Annika's toddler marker next time I have to write the Tooth Fairy's name:) Almost looks like it was written in blood:)
In any case, Gabe lost another tooth and was so exited to be able to stick the envelope under his pillow. And it was really hard for him to go to sleep and miss the Tooth fairy coming to visit.

Even Annika was showing off her teeth for a picture.

A lazy Saturday morning

2008-10-26T06:19:00.000-07:00

A pretty standard lazy Saturday morning when we do not have a soccer game to rush to.
The kids will eat their breakfast and then watch a little TV before getting dressed. But usually they do not stay this close together. Fun to get a picture of it though when it happens.

Honcho checks to see if someone brought anything good to eat. He still has to be watched closely with tables and counters. He grabs anything tasty quickly and runs.

Lipstick

2008-09-12T20:15:00.000-07:00

I should know that when it is completely quiet in the house it's usually not a good sign. I also thought I would have a few more years before having to fight the issue about wearing make-up.

Annika thought she was sooooo pretty and was none too pleases with me when I cleaned her up.

Beach party

2008-09-12T20:00:00.000-07:00

One of our neighbors, who has a beach house, threw a party. As you can see out of the pictures the kids had so much fun running in and out of the water.

It's not easy to catch water.

Only thing missing is a surf board.

Annika walking confidently towards the water.

Daring the water to come get her.

And running away...

Annika is just as comfortable in the sand as in the water. For most of the people who know her this is a very familiar sight:) She doesn't mind getting dirty.

First day of school (first grade)

2008-09-12T19:53:00.000-07:00

Not the best pictures but with impatient kids and humidity issues (that's why the pictures are a little on the hazy side) these were all the pictures I had time to take.

Annika had to of course copy big brother in everything.

So excited about going back to school!!!

Rare sight!!!

2008-09-12T19:49:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I got these two to sit this close together!!! And Gabe even giving Annika a hug!

I actually took pictures this day to document another hair cut for Annika. Not that it shows too much, but I actually cut about two inches off the length.

The little man of the house:)

Picture day at the beach

2008-09-12T19:32:00.000-07:00

We are so lucky to live so close to the beach. Always a perfect place to take photos.

We may not have snow, but the sand works just as well for making sand angels.

Gabe enjoying the view.

Visit to the aquarium

2008-09-12T19:08:00.000-07:00

We finally made it to the aquarium when Grandma and Grandad visited. The kids of course had a blast walking around and peeking into various tanks.

Check out the smile:) It always freaks me out when I loose track of Gabe. He is so quick around those corners. This time he was hiding out in a big crab model.

Ooooh, big fish

According to Gabe he had big teeth

Playing in the sprinkler

2008-06-30T19:11:00.001-07:00

Due to the heat we are having we have to water the yard pretty much every day. So we figured we would get a play sprinkler that would actually do some watering too. This one is perfect for our back yard since it covers the long side of the house. It's always so hard to set a regular sprinkler up there since it will get our covered porch soaked at the same time.

Annika taking a short break from playing in the water.

Gabe showing off his muscles=)

I had to take a picture of my roses since I'm sure they will be burnt to a crisp in another month.

Hopefully all my Day Lilies will still be there for a while.

In daddy's shoes

2008-06-30T19:07:00.000-07:00

Annika is still very much into trying on mommy's or daddy's shoes. She had an absolute kick out of trying to walk in daddy's work boots.

Annika at the park

2008-02-29T19:13:00.001-08:00

Our weekly playgroup went to the park a couple of weeks ago.
The park is right across the street from the beach, so the kids enjoyed fresh sea air while playing.
Annika loves slides - or as she calls them (whees) from the sound she makes when going down them.

I had serious problems leaving Annika alone on this ladder. My heart was in my throat the whole time she was on it. And I had to work hard on staying back and not running over and grabbing her.
She did great and didn't have any mishaps. I hoped she would leave the ladder alone when she had climbed it once, but she kept going back to it over and over again. Until she discovered a really steep climbing wall. She climbed it just fine too but I stood right behind her just in case=)

One thing is for certain - Annika is not scared of heights. And like her brother seems fearless in any situation.

All the fresh air got Annika so tired. She fell asleep in the car as we were pulling out of the parking lot at the park. I was amazed she stayed asleep when I took her out of the car and into the house.

Annika and high heels

2008-01-29T19:43:00.001-08:00

Annika is starting to get very interested in my high heeled boots. She will sneak them out of my closet should I forget to close the door.
Of course if she is wearing them she has to be watched closely. It's not easy to walk with any kind of heels and Annika tumbles over pretty often. But she takes it pretty well and will simply say oh, oh and get back up again.

Honcho and the kids

2008-01-29T19:34:00.001-08:00

Honcho has gotten so big. And he is so good with the kids even as busy as they can be around him.

Gabe enjoying a show and petting Honcho at the same time=)

Both of these enjoy big hugs.

When Honcho has had it he will pick up a toy and lay quietly down under the coffee table. It doesn't always mean he will be left alone but most of the time he will at least enjoy a minute or two alone.

Visiting the Children's Museum

2008-01-29T19:14:00.001-08:00

The Children's Museum was a hit with both kids.
Annika spent a grand total of two minutes in the toddler area and then had, had enough. She wanted to play with the big kids toys.

The grocery store was probably Annika's favorite. She was picking out lots of fruit and meat and then she had fun "paying" for everything. She was pretty busy manning the cash register first and then bagging her own groceries.

Gabe was hard to keep track of - he kept so busy I only got a few pictures of him.
It was nice to pretty much have the whole museum to ourselves since that made tracking him easier.

Gabe had fun singing karaoke. Future Idol maybe?

Annika of course has to do everything Gabe does.

Playing outside

2008-01-29T19:00:00.001-08:00

The kids and I had a blast practicing soccer a few days ago.
Gabe is getting pretty good in kicking the ball, and getting better control of it.

Gabe setting up so he can kick at the goal.

Well, Annika will kick the ball here and there, but seems to enjoy more than anything to sit and balance on it.

A hug helps when Annika gets frustrated. Gabe is pretty good at supporting his little sister when she needs it.

Cheese!!!

Christmas morning

2007-12-28T05:39:00.001-08:00

Christmas morning was busy in our house. I was awake before the kids for once and heard Gabe come down the stairs. It was so funny to hear Gabe yell out that Santa had come to our house. The best was probably "Santa left presents mommy, he must have thought I had been good" He he, the threats that Santa sees everything and you have to behave was repeated a lot throughout December.

Gabe insisted on chocolate milk for Santa along with cookies of course. Rudolph got his carrot. Gabe was so happy they seemed to have enjoyed their snack.

Presents get to be more fun every year. I hadn't thought Annika would be very into unwrapping presents but she did really good. It also helps to have an impatient brother who will help when it takes too long.

Gabe at a patient moment simply cheering for his sister to tear the paper.

I think these pictures speak for themselves.

And I'm still fixing and putting Lego trucks and boats together.

Afternoon at the beach

2007-12-27T18:56:00.001-08:00

Since my idea of taking pictures for Christmas cards at the hayride didn't work out, I took the kids to the beach and got some pictures of them there.
It was so hard to pick a picture in the end, since I got so many great pictures of them.
The kids were great and it helped having tons of boats and ships to look at out on the ocean. And picking sea shells is fun too.

Christmas Hayride

2007-12-27T18:43:00.000-08:00

I realize it's been a while since we actually went on this hayride, but it has been very busy here so I haven't been able to blog very much.
The evening we went was really cold and we were freezing towards the end of the ride.
The kids had lots of fun and enjoyed both the Christmas music that was playing as well as all the Christmas lights.

Unfortunately it was so dark my camera really did not make the light show justice.

My plan was to take pictures of the kids and make Christmas cards. But that did not work out since it got so late the kids just wanted to go home. Of course the cold weather really didn't help.

And the evening ended with Annika having a melt down, so we packed our stuff up and got in the car.

Halloween Costume Pictures

2007-11-01T18:45:00.000-07:00

A pretty weird combination but Gabe had a Transformer costume (Optimus Prime, the leader of the good guys) and Annika had a Tinker Belle costume.

I think this was the last time I was able to get Annika to wear her crown.

Gabe standing at attention in his costume.

And at this point Annika had had enough of her crown. It was apparently much more fun to either see how far she could throw it, or nibble on it.

Loosing my chair

2007-11-01T18:36:00.000-07:00

I got this chair for me to be able to relax a little and it's the perfect TV chair.
However, it is pretty rare I get to sit in it, since it's usually occupied by either one or both of the kids. They apparently figured out how comfortable it is too.

Gabe has to have a blanket over himself so he is all cozy and warm too.

Now this is a rare moment they are both sitting together without fighting. It must be a magic chair as well.

Annika's newly painted room

2007-11-01T18:28:00.000-07:00

I have to admit I was pretty smart painting Gabe's room first. No prep work was needed on his.
Annika's however was quite a chore. Not only did it need extensive priming but it also needed two coats of paint on top of that. Phew, and painting with two kids in the house might I add, is absolutely no fun.

Annika and Gabe reading a story together.

And of course no girls room is finished until it's got some pink curtains.

Gabe's new blue room

2007-10-08T19:35:00.000-07:00

Since we moved to our new house Gabe has complained of the color in his room. It was a very pale yellow, and according to Gabe not a boy room color. And apparently not a color he could even fall asleep to. So I finally got around to painting it last week. And it is amazing the immediate change with Gabe. He now happily plays in his room and sleeps better!

I had tried to sneak this tool bench to a thrift store since I figured Gabe had outgrown it. But I was caught each and every time I tried to disassemble it.
So I moved it into his room and Gabe has been building and fixing things every day. The hammer is still one of the tools I have to watch since I'm forever scared he is going to break something he is intending to fix. The TV is "broke" according to Gabe, so I think I will have to hide the tool pretty soon.

Annika is really getting into trains now. She is still very destructive and takes the track apart to Gabe's dismay.
But she is like her brother fascinated by tunnels and bridges and how the trains move through them.

I had to let them do one silly picture. That seems to be a must every time I drag the camera out.

I can't believe I got a great picture without a silly face from Gabe.
He has started to say he doesn't like to be taken pictures of. Hm, wonder where he gets that from=)
At least he sat patiently and smiled a little for me.

Just too tired for lunch.

2007-10-08T19:31:00.001-07:00

This certainly doesn't happen often. But here the other day Annika got very quiet in the middle of lunch. So quiet I had to peak around the corner from the kitchen and see what was going on. The usual gibberish and few words I can understand had seized and I found Annika sound asleep in her chair.

What was even more impressive was the fact I was able to change her diaper and give her something to drink before putting her to bed. And she didn't wake up.

Silly faces

2007-10-08T18:45:00.001-07:00

Gabe was having fun teaching Annika how to make silly faces here the other day. So I ran for my camera.

Gabe was explaining step by step what to do for his sister. Annika was completely mesmerized.

Both of them having fun.

Gabe was laughing so hard of Annika's faces. And Annika was only to eager to show off.

Annika has the cute face down pretty well.

Ready for school too

2007-09-06T18:18:00.003-07:00

Annika found one of Gabe's small back packs and started getting ready for school.
She has a toy screw driver in there something I haven't seen the teachers put on their school item list yet, and of course her baby doll has to come too.

Big hug to her baby doll.

Gosh, I wonder if she will be just as excited as this when she actually starts school. We have a few years to wait before we find out.

Second day on the bus

2007-09-06T18:01:00.000-07:00

Gabe's bus driver must have wondered if I was going to be out there ever day with a camera, since this was the second day for Gabe on the bus and I took pictures the first day that did not turn out.
Notice how tired poor Gabriel looks. He actually fell asleep on the bus this day, so his bus driver had to call for him so he could get off.

Gabe is very good at being careful while exiting the bus. Those steps are huge!!!

It takes a moment to get used to the bright sun again after a little nap.

Gabe waves bye to his bus driver.

Our outside pets

2007-09-06T17:49:00.000-07:00

Living out in the middle of nowhere with woods at the back of the house, we see quite a few bugs, lizards, birds, and spiders around here.
So while we were waiting on Gabe to get home on the bus I captured a couple critters we have right on our front porch. This little Tree frog happily sat through being touched by Annika. She was so fascinated.

Nothing itsy bitsy about this one. Our Spider "Spidey" has vibrant colors all over his body. And he catches a lot of the bugs I hate, so I can't get rid of him.

First day of Kindergarten

2007-08-29T18:41:00.000-07:00

Gabe had a great first day of Kindergarten. He was so excited to see all the other children who will be in his class, and also getting to know his teachers.
According to Gabe the highlight was going to the Cafeteria for lunch. He was so impressed he could have Chocolate milk with his meal. It doesn't take much to impress a five year old.

Here Gabe is listening to his teacher telling him where he needs to hang his backpack.

Gabe was so tired when I picked him up from school. He kept on saying he was so slow (translated that means he is tired and can't move very fast).
A snack of milk and cookies helped a little.

I had also promised we would make Brownies for dessert. Here Gabe is putting all the ingredients in the mixer.

A tired and happy boy after a long day in Kindergarten.

Better safe than sorry

2007-08-29T18:33:00.001-07:00

It looked like Annika was wearing safety goggles for her snack here the other day. In case any juice from fruit should squirt into her eyes, I guess she would be totally safe.

It's funny that I have never been able to get her to wear these nifty sunglasses at the beach or outside for that matter. The manufacturer can add that these are also excellent snack glasses as well.

Sick little boy

2007-08-29T18:24:00.000-07:00

On Sunday Gabe was running a fever all day. It ended with a visit to the ER in the evening when his temperature reached 104.
When we got to the ER though his fever was gone, and Gabe was perking up and joking around with the doctor. So the doctor told us Gabe could go to school on Monday if he didn't have a fever.
Unfortunately Gabe still had a fever on Monday and had to stay home.
Gabe's class was luckily divided in two the first two days, so it wouldn't be too overwhelming for the new students to start school. So Gabe didn't miss out on anything and started school on Tuesday.

Best friends

2007-08-24T18:38:00.000-07:00

Gabe and Honcho are truly inseparable. And they are so much alike. Both have boundless amounts of energy and want to play all the time.
They are also equally difficult to take pictures of. Neither one stay still long enough for me to get any picture in focus. The camera clicked away this particular time, and I managed to get THREE pictures where both are in it.

Honcho tries to escape...

But Gabe has everything under control and gets another firm grip around Honcho for one more picture. Poor Honcho doesn't look too happy...

All dressed up

2007-08-24T18:26:00.000-07:00

Annika loves to dress up and she also loves to have her picture taken. She says a long "cheeeeeeese" before we snap her picture.
This particular day she also let me fix her hair a little. She doesn't like to have anything in her hair and will pull it out.

And of course a picture has to be taken with her car too, it's not often I see her off this toy anymore.

Annika's old Easter hat she got from Grandma is one of her favorite items to wear while dressing up.

Sleepy children

2007-08-19T04:29:00.001-07:00

After a long and busy day of chasing and making sure the kids are OK, it is nice to be able to do our night time routine and then get these funny kids to bed.
And it is nice to see them so peaceful as they sleep. Gabe is at the moment pretty hard to find in his bed since he has so many and such big stuffed animals in there.

Annika has to have Al the alligator with her as she falls asleep. As soon as she is fast asleep she tosses him into a corner of her crib.

Future Nascar Driver?

2007-08-19T04:21:00.001-07:00

Annika has been wanting one of these cars for a long time. So I spoiled her here the other day since Gabe got a horn for his bike. If she could have her meals on the car everything would be perfect. I have not been able to get her off this toy since we brought it home.
Gabe seem to serve as pit crew and is constantly making sure the car is running smoothly.

Ready to go!!!

Got to love the beach

2007-08-17T19:12:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite places to go now that we live so close to it, is the beach. One Sunday we loaded up the kids and dog and took them there.
We asked Gabe to please not get in the water, toes only. As you may see out of the pictures that didn't last long.

I love this picture!!! Maybe because Gabe is actually standing still?
He looks so peaceful and in such deep thought. More likely he was simply looking for whales or sharks. He likes to do that too at the beach.

Clearly our plea to stay dry was ignored...

The dog has grown too. He now weighs as much as Gabe and is a sight at the beach jumping for the waves.

Annika sort of toodles around on the beach. She looks at everything, picks up shells and rocks. And if not watched carefully puts her treasures in her mouth. Yikes.

Screaming in delight at the waves.

Favorite spot in the kitchen

2007-08-17T19:08:00.000-07:00

Annika has a new found favorite spot in our kitchen. Whenever I'm in there preparing food or doing dishes, I find her sitting in the cabinet of our kitchen island.

A true ham this one. Take out a camera and you're sure to get a great big smile.

Our multitasker

2007-08-17T19:00:00.000-07:00

Annika absolutely adores phones in all shapes and sizes. She talks on them while walking around in the house.
This particular day she couldn't let go of her hand me down old phone. So she ate her Honeydew melon while holding on to it.

There's always an awful lot of unclear sounds followed by either a "hello" or "bye bye"

Mac and Cheese girl

2007-08-17T18:51:00.000-07:00

Before we moved from Virginia, Annika found a dinner she really likes. Mac and Cheese. She patiently ate the whole meal with her fork, and those noodles can be hard to pick up.

Mmmmm, so good!!!

Ekeberg Petting Zoo

2007-06-06T13:11:00.000-07:00

The kids were able to go to a petting zoo one day.
It was a little windy, but otherwise beautiful. And the kids loved all the animals. So here are some pictures of Gabriel and Annika with some of the animals they got to see.

Annika did great with all the animals. She was so calm and most of the time just studied the animals she came across.

Annika found the goats very funny.

Gabe even got to take a little ride on a pony named Odin.

Out of this pictures it doesn't look like Gabriel was very impressed with the goats. He petted them, but didn't want to feed any.

And this one is just for grandma in Oklahoma... See, I'm not passing on my ridiculous fear of cows=)
And just for the record, I had to pet the cow first... Yikes.

Maihaugen

2007-06-06T12:52:00.000-07:00

No vacation to Lillehammer is complete without a visit to Maihaugen to see all the historic houses from the surrounding area.
The kids came armed with bread to feed the ducks. But there were few ducks, and the ones around weren't interested.

This little bird had a huge meal that day since he ate most of what we threw out.

Garmokirken is still just as beautiful as it always have been.

An old train is permanently on display in the newer section of Maihaugen. For Gabriel who still loves everything about trains, it was a hit.

Trip to Geiranger

2007-06-05T18:14:00.000-07:00

Before we even left the states we had decided we wanted to see something new on our trip in Norway. We had a few choices, but decided in the end we wanted to see a fjord. And watching a show about the Geiranger fjord and how it is one of the most popular spots to visit in Norway, the choice was simple.
So we packed up the car early one morning, and set off up through the valley.
Our first stop was in Lom, and the church in the picture is Lom Stavkirke. It is over one thousand years old and still in very good shape.

The road we decided to take to get to Geiranger fjord takes you over a few mountains. And the road over the last few had only opened the day before we took off. The fact that we didn't have tires for any kind of winter weather made the last bit of the trip a little scary. And maybe we would have turned around once atop the mountain, but since only the road had been cleared (it looked like they had cut a path in several feet of snow) we couldn't even do that.
Although it was a nerve racking trip at the end, it was well worth it. Especially when we spotted a heard of about twenty reindeer up there. But since there was no spot to stop, we missed the photo opportunity.
I simply took this picture to figure out how anyone could even get to these houses. I couldn't spot any roads.

Although the weather didn't quite cooperate with us on our trip, the view from the mountain down onto the fjord was still incredible.
However, if you are scared of heights like I am, it can be a little uncomfortable at times. I admired the view a good distance from the railing they had set up.

Look up to the right in the picture and you can spot where the previous pictures were taken.

A pretty impatient "cheese" from the kids posing with a troll in the rain.

Well down again from the mountain and taking a last picture before heading back.

Trip to the mountain

2007-06-03T19:30:00.000-07:00

While in Norway we had to go up to the mountain. Gabe was fascinated by the water, and the few spots left of snow.

The best looking cabin in the area has to be my family's cabin, although I'm probably not an impartial judge.

Gabe had lots of fun throwing rocks into the water. Quite a few years ago I had great fun doing the same thing.

And here is the whole family pictured atop the huge rock Huldersteinen. The rock has tracks in it that looks like footsteps. And the legend has it a Hulder (my best description would be a female troll) walked across it.

Hunderfossen Amusement Park

2007-06-03T18:27:00.000-07:00

On one of our last days in Norway we visited Hunderfossen Amusement Park. Among all the rides the park also features a lot about Norwegian fairy tales. The castle in this picture is mentioned in fairytales and is called Soria Moria.
There were lots for Gabriel to do there and here are the highlights.

There was a driving school in the park, where the kids could get their license. After getting his license inside the little school, it was off to get in a car. Gabe was all smiles and so excited. He drove pretty good, the fact that he drove on the wrong side of the road most of the time, didn't seem to affect anything.

After getting a license on a small car, Gabe jumped of joy when he spotted the Volvo truck track. After waiting what must have seemed an eternity (there were no lines, so about a minute worth of waiting) Gabe simply nodded as fast as he could through the instructions of the track assistant so he could get driving. Gabe would have loved to just have stayed at this spot for the rest of the day, but there were more things to see.
So at the end off the day Gabe had a license to drive both cars and trucks.

Gabe taking a break on a John Deer peddle tractor.

Gabriel having too much fun pulling all the levers and digging a little.

A relaxing train drive.

And then to round off the whole day Gabriel dug for the fairytale dragon, although Gabe was pretty sure that was no dragon but a dinosaur.

Honcho - our newest family member

2007-04-17T11:45:00.000-07:00

Here is our newest member out playing in the yard for the first time.
We have had horrible weather since we brought him home a few days ago. And since Honcho had to go to the vet today and get shots, we decided to bring the dog outside to explore a little bit.

One of Honchos favorite activities is to sneak up on Gabe while he isn't paying attention and pounce on him.
It's probably hard to tell out of the picture, but that's exactly what he is doing here.

After sneaking it's the run for Gabe that amuses the dog the most. Here he probably gaged the distance a little wrong since he had to run for a while.

Gabe and Honcho enjoying a little snuggle time. Well, Gabe tried to but Honcho didn't have time.

Playtime takes a lot out of a little puppy, so it was time for a nap as soon as we got inside.

Easter egg hunt

2007-04-09T11:33:00.000-07:00

Gabe had no problems finding all the eggs this year. He was so quick we will have to make sure the egg hunt is more difficult next year.

Gabe looking around for more eggs.

Annika wasn't quite sure what to do, but she loved the sounds the eggs made when shaken.

Annika had to take a look at all the eggs Gabe had collected.

Annika checking to make sure Gabe is not around so she can take an egg out of the basket.

Busted!!!

Gabe makes sure he hasn't missed any eggs.

Climbing

2007-04-09T11:18:00.000-07:00

Annika is climbing up, on , and into everything. She is both quick and quiet, a dangerous combination.
Here she is helping out with laundry.

Unfolding the folded laundry.

Here she is trying to figure out how to get down from the laundry basket and what else she can get into.

Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington D.C

2007-04-03T18:02:00.000-07:00

It was the peak of the annual Cherry Blossom in Washington D.C today, so we rushed up there to make sure we got to see it.
We took a lot of pictures of the beautiful trees around Potomac River overlooking Jefferson Memorial, and then went and looked at the Dinosaur Exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum.

Gabriel was very patient and posed so well for the camera.

Annika had a great time up in D.C too. She was sitting like the little princess she is, nestled in her backpack, safely on daddy's back.

Goofy girl...

Gabe taking an ice cream break and posing in the park in front of the Capitol.

And here is my contribution to touristy pictures. The Jefferson Memorial seen through Cherry Blossom.

Gardening

2007-03-21T11:39:00.000-07:00

Gabe was helping out gardening yesterday and quickly discovered that it's hard work digging around outside.

Gabe is showing off some of the plants we put in the flowerbed.

Gabe even found a new pet outside. He was quite fascinated by the earthworm we dug out, and quickly named him Wormy.
Too bad we "lost" Wormy before finishing up outside.

In the end Gabe got really tired and kept asking if it was time to water the plants.
At least I know I won't have any problems asking for help with watering, since it seems to be a job that not only soaks the plants but Gabe as well.

Getting ready for summer

2007-03-21T11:14:00.000-07:00

While Gabe was in school here the other day, Annika had lots of fun trying on a summer hat and playing with Gabe's sunglasses.

Too funny!!!

Here she is trying to put the sunglasses back on herself.

And here Annika has given up on putting on the glasses and is instead nibbling a little bit. Good thing Gabe wasn't around to see how she treated his Thomas the Train sunglasses.

Walking

2007-03-08T05:44:00.000-08:00

I finally managed to get some pictures of Annika walking.
It's not an easy task since she is rather fast and is either quickly out of focus, or out of the picture entirely.

Annika is such a show off, and definitely has a bring it on attitude which I think shows in this picture.

And here is Annika's new favorite lookout post. Anybody coming?

I managed to get a picture of Annika driving a car around. She is actually pretty good at it, but then again she has learned from an expert.

Peek a boo!

Birthday boy

2007-02-15T19:07:00.000-08:00

What a big boy, it is amazing to think that Gabe has turned five. The time seem to have flown by for me.
This year Gabe had planned out pretty much every minute of his birthday. Instead of his usual request of cupcakes with sprinkles, he wanted cake this year. And he also requested Pepperoni Pizza for dinner.
Here is a very happy Gabe inspecting his cake.

Gabe had no problem blowing out his candles.

Gabe was truly screaming and shouting as he was opening his presents. He couldn't believe how lucky he was that everyone got him Monster jam trucks.
By the way the Monster jam trucks are all parked in a line in the playroom ready for tomorrow.

Gabe is trying out all the new toys, while wearing the new shirt that Grandad got him with Monster trucks on it.

First birthday

2007-02-11T18:28:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe it's been a whole year already since Annika joined our family.
Annika had a great first birthday, and here are some pictures from her big day.

Gabe helped with making the cupcakes and also had to blow out the candle for Annika.

Annika wasn't quite sure what to do with the cupcake...

And here she is having a meltdown because she didn't like having icing all over her fingers.

Annika continues to nibble on just about anything. The tag on this car was a huge hit, and we had to sneak it off while she was playing with something else.

Annika loved the learning home she got for her birthday, and will be busy for months to come exploring all the features on the toy.

See what I can do!!!

2007-02-06T18:20:00.000-08:00

As I was taking a full basket of laundry upstairs today, Gabriel told me to quickly look behind me.
Our little girl, who have shown no interest in the stairs, was right behind me and halfway up the stairs already.
I quickly set the basket at the top of the stairs and scooped her up.
One thing is for sure, she doesn't have my fear of heights, she is fascinated by the new view of the hallway.

As you all can see Annika is very excited to be climbing the stairs.

We timed her for this one and she made it to the top in less than a minute.
I guess we will have to put a bell on Annika, so we know where she is at all times, since she is both fast and quiet.

Kitchen help

2007-02-06T18:00:00.000-08:00

Annika loves going through the drawers in the kitchen. It's all about pulling everything out onto the floor. And then going through her new found treasure.

Good thing we have Gabriel to help us pick up.

Gabriel is getting pretty good at blocking off the drawers.

Playing together

2007-02-06T17:41:00.000-08:00

Every now and then Annika and Gabriel play together and it's so much fun to watch.
Here they are getting ready to play the Xylophone (Annika had to have a little nibble first.)

Annika playing the Xylophone and Gabriel singing twinkle twinkle little star.

Gabriel feels he has been patient enough and takes completely over.

SNOW!!!

2007-01-23T11:17:00.000-08:00

After a mild winter so far we finally got our first snow here in Virginia.
Gabriel barely had time to eat breakfast before he demanded to go outside and play.

Gabe discovered quickly that ice makes you go faster than normal.

It rained on top of the snow we got so it was pretty slippery.

It's good Gabe was able to play in the snow as much as he did, since a day later it has all melted.

Walker

2007-01-23T10:45:00.000-08:00

Annika is getting pretty fast with her walker/mail cart. As long as she isn't trying to do too many things at ones, she does OK. But toss in turning and walking at the same time and she is sure to have a wreck.

You've got mail...

We have yet to get a picture of Annika walking. But it's a little difficult since she is walking from one person to another...
So here is the next best thing, Annika standing without holding onto anything.

Ponytail

2007-01-23T09:31:00.000-08:00

It's amazing how much hair our little lady has. And it's finally long enough to put up in a pony tail. Annika seems to like it, since her hair doesn't get in her face all the time.

Annika showing off her ponytail.

And then a couple more poses for the camera.

Visit to The Oklahoma Natural History Museum

2007-01-07T18:17:00.000-08:00

We finally made it to the museum, and we had a blast. They had a little bit of everything there, but Gabe's favorite were the dinosaurs.

Gabe showing off his teeth too...

Pretty big thigh bone?

Gabe is working the interactive model on how dinosaurs chew...

Rrrrrooooaaaarrrr!!!

There was a children's learning room inside the museum, outfitted with an Archaeological dig, which Gabe tried out. He thought it was pretty cool to find and dig out bones.

An extremely concentrated Gabriel working with wooden colored beads.

We had to try the elevator... The choices you have when pushing the button is either the dinosaurs belly or dinosaurs eye.

Our skateboarder

2007-01-06T06:02:00.000-08:00

Oh, boy did uncle Tony get Gabriel the coolest Christmas gift!!! The perfect present for any daredevil, and sure to keep Gabriel very busy for years to come, a skateboard.

After touring Grandma's school, uncle Tony gave Gabe his first Skateboard lesson.
Nothing like having a professional on hand to make sure it's done right.

More speed please!!! Check out the grin on Gabe's face.

And he's off...

Maybe another future professional Skateboarder for the Froude family?

Christmas morning continued

2007-01-06T05:27:00.000-08:00

Gabriel was a little worried that Santa looked to have forgot he wanted a truck for Christmas...
After going through his stocking and not finding one, we showed him the Christmas tree. Gabriel let out a big sigh of relief, surely there had to be a big truck under there.

We tried to get a picture of both the kids posing together before opening presents, but we were to slow for Annika, who crawled away.

Aunt Vicky delivered on Gabe's wish. She must have found the noisiest car in the whole toy store. Gabe loves it and plays with it all the time.
We're waiting for the batteries to run out.

Yeah!!!! Gabriel was so happy when he got the truck of his dreams. It's big enough to carry him in it so he is having loads of fun. We're expecting to find him driving Annika around in it soon.

Christmas morning

2007-01-04T11:27:00.000-08:00

Gabe was so happy Christmas morning to see that Santa had stopped by in the middle of the night.
Gabe inspected the plate we had put out for Santa and his reindeer, and he noted Santa had left one cookie. He was also excited to see Santa had fed the reindeer before he took off.
Then Gabe spotted the stockings and immediately picked out his own.

Wow, Santa left candy!!!

And fruit?

After having gone through his own stocking, Gabe helped Annika.

Annika was pretty impressed with the orange Gabe had put to the side. So bright and colorful...

Annika after taking a little nibble... We figured she would leave the orange at this point since the taste of orange peel is so sour.

But no, she went back for more.

Gabriel with Great Grandma

2007-01-03T19:56:00.000-08:00

Gabriel had a blast at Great Grandma's party too. There were tons of cookies to get into and they all had icing and sprinkles.

Gabe is checking out the sprinkles on his cookie, and eating the sprinkles one by one.

Gabriel also helped Great Grandma open presents.

Great closeup of Gabriel showing his sugar rush.

Visit with Great Grandma

2007-01-03T17:46:00.000-08:00

Annika got a chance to visit with Great Grandma in the nursing home. She was a hit and Great Grandma had the biggest smile anytime we could get the two of the close together.

It was a little hard to get a good picture of the two of them together so this is the best we have but still nice to see them enjoying some time together.

Now we have four generations of the ladies together; Great Grandma, Grandma, Aunt Vicki, and of course the little princess Annika.

Christmas trip - first day with Grandma and Granddad

2006-12-31T18:39:00.000-08:00

After a long day of travel the day before, followed by a good nights sleep, Gabriel relaxes with Granddad and watches a show.

Annika is really excited to see Grandma.

Annika gets some sugar from Grandma.

Gabriel's last day of school before Christmas

2006-12-31T18:23:00.000-08:00

Since Gabriel had a short day at school the last day before the holiday, we arrived early so he could play a little in the park right outside of his school.

Gabriel really enjoy puzzles. And since it takes some concentration to put one together, we get the added bonus of complete quietness while he is at it.

Visit with Santa

2006-12-19T18:47:00.000-08:00

Gabriel was very excited to see Santa this year. He had practised for days what to tell him he wanted for Christmas.

Annika on the other hand was not happy to see the white bearded guy. It took all of a second for her to turn and look at Santa before she wailed.
Gabriel quickly told us to please take her so he could tell Santa his Christmas list...

He went into detail explaining every type of truck made by model, color, and options desired.
The hand language was Gabe taking after his father to debate with Santa the actual philosophical definition of "good" to ensure he could not be left off the list.

Inseparable

2006-12-07T18:08:00.000-08:00

Too funny!!
I was going to take a couple of pictures of Gabriel outside today, and what do we see in the window?
Annika and Gabriel do make me laugh at times.

Are you coming inside soon Gabriel?

Cruising around

2006-12-07T17:55:00.000-08:00

Here is Annika showing off how fast she can get up and around.
We're having a hard time keeping up.

Sharing

2006-12-07T17:37:00.000-08:00

Poor Gabe isn't always too happy about Annika being able to get everywhere. It's been hard for him to watch Annika get into all of his favorite toys, especially his trains.
Notice the evil eye he is giving Annika...

But we manage to get in some friendly looking poses too...

Annika is sneaking in a taste of Gabriel's Train Station.
Yummy!!! Why she refuses most regular food I don't understand.

And one last pose from Gabe.

New Camera

2006-12-02T10:51:00.000-08:00

We got ourselves an early Christmas present this year. We're still learning how to use the new camera, so we haven't posted anything before now.
This is the first photo session we have had with the kids. They cooperated for about five minutes and then the camera could be packed away. But we got a few good pictures of both of them.

Annika the ham

2006-11-27T16:46:00.000-08:00

Annika took the opportunity to go shopping with Mommy and look for clothes. I guess all the shopping brought out the little model in our drama queen since she posed really well for these pictures. "I'm ready for my close up Mr. Deville..."

Turkey day

2006-11-27T16:42:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I cooked the turkey again this year with, if I do say so myself, outstanding results. All the credit goes to Alton Brown on Good Eats for his roast turkey. The key is brining the turkey prior to the baking. I wasn't able to replicate a friend's cranberry sauce recipe so I'll have to keep working on that. Best to all during this holiday season. --Chris

Helping daddy out

2006-11-19T10:25:00.000-08:00

Gabriel spent most of the day helping daddy raking up leaves in the front yard. Here he is wearing daddy's hat - a true daddy's little helper.

Eating

2006-11-19T10:11:00.000-08:00

Annika is still not too impressed with a lot of the new food types she is trying out. Fruits are still her favorites - Pear & Pineapple being her number one pick. Forget vegetables - she hates them all equally... well carrots can be eaten if they are blended with something else. So here she is eating a Turkey and rice dinner. (Have to practise for Thanksgiving)