Alaina was a Barbie Diva for Halloween.

Alaina dressed and ready for Black day for the colors week and for her Spider Party, complete with spider clippies.

The Juggler!

November 2009

I can't believe it is December tomorrow! Times flies around here. We are keeping busy with work, school and some extracurricular activities. Kevin has been working 12 hour shifts for the last 3 weeks and now we're starting on week 4. That means that he wakes up around 5 p.m. and picks Alaina up from school. Then we see him until 6 p.m. when he leaves for work, that's not enough time for any of us! We're lucky to have the extra work so we can't complain too much.

Alaina loves kindergarten and is learning to read more and more each day. She is also learning to count by fives and how to mind her own business and have good listening ears! She is also moving along in gymnastics and swimming but is still cautious with things that she is too afraid to try (like jumping off the diving block in the deep end at swimming lessons.). Alaina loves spending time in her room after school each day "reading" her Junie B. Jones books and playing babies. She has recently figured out how to climb on the counters and help her self to stuff in the cabinets. Alaina thinks that this is such a big help to me but I don't agree.

Aidan has finally adjusted to our new routine and is having much better drop offs at Cradle Club in the mornings. He is so curious and very imaginative. If he reads a book or watches a show, he's always trying to figure out the characters (where they are, what they eat, etc.). He's really into the Big Bad Wolf who he likes during the day but is very afraid of at night and says the the wolf is going to get him in his sleep. Aidan would prefer to sleep with me because I'm "warm and comfy" so we're trying to break the 4 a.m. visits to my bed.

I have been trying to keep up with the demands of the house, my work, and keeping everyone happy while Kevin has been putting in extra hours. The kids have really been helping me out and always put a smile on my face.

We're looking forward to the holidays and have most of the work done so that we can enjoy the decorations, Christmas shows and music, and each other.

Sara

Here is the kitchen half-way finished.

The before.

September 2009

Today we are in a mad dash to clear out every thing on the main level of our house. We have discovered hardwood floors in the kitchen under two layers of vinyl tiles and have decided to refinish the hardwood floors rather than lay a new floor. Because we have to move out anyway we have decided to refinish the floors in the kids rooms and buff, polish, and add another coat of poly to the living room and dining room. Somehow we have to fit everything into the sunroom or the basement.

I started wearing a walking cast for a severe case of plantar fascitis (heel pain) on Wednesday. My foot doesn't hurt but it's a little tricky to walk in and heavy (2.4 lbs according to my Weight Watchers weigh-in person). This is not helping me to be my usual speedy self in our rush to clear out the house. Luckily my dear mother-in-law, Barb, came over last night and helped me tackle the kid's rooms. I know the finished product will be beautiful but it's a little stressful thinking of all we need to do in the next two days and having to commute from Cottage Grove to Edina for a couple of days. I just hope Alaina and Aidan don't drive Dick and Barb to sleeping in the shed or the boat!

Alaina started kindergarten on Thurs. We have opted to pay for full day kindergarten and for the afterschool care, MPLS Kids. Her kindergarten day is from 7:30-1:50 and then she goes to MPLS Kids until Kevin picks her up. We live a block away so he can actually walk to pick her up. Alaina was very excited about the whole process of preparing for kindergarten. She frequently checked and sorted her school supplies, loaded and unloaded her backpack, memorized her 5-digit lunch code, and layed out her outfit on the floor by her bed mannequin style (with accessories and all). I haven't heard too much about school except that she is learning a lot of rules.

Aidan will move up to the Pre-K room on Tuesday (Alaina's old classroom) which he may or may not be excited about. Aidan has not been too excited about going to school all day after only going two mornings a week in the summer. He says he just wants to be with me. He asks me every day to pick him up after lunch and after much explanantion about when I will pick him up he always shouts, "See you after lunch!" when I drop him off maybe hoping I'll forget that I have to work all day!

Lastly, I got a new car a few weeks ago. Its a Toyota Corrolla and I really like it. The 10 year old Mazda finally gave up, which really means we were tired of spending lots of money to fix it every month. It's so nice having the luxuries of a radio that works everyday regardless of the weather, a nice quiet ride (instead of an annoying squealing sound when you go above 55 mph), the IPOD connect feature, and I love knowing the temperature outside. Oh it's the litte things that make me happy!

Take care,

Sara

Summer 09

The Lakso's are having a fun summer so far! I finished work in mid June and the kids went from going to daycare full-time to two mornings per week. At the end of June, we stayed at a cabin for a week with Kevin's family which was a lot of fun. A little chilly but we managed to keep ourselves entertained.
I taught summer school 2 1/2 days per week in July and am now back to enjoying a relaxing summer schedule!
We joined a pool a couple of weeks ago (the Pass Pool, as Alaina calls it) and go there any chance we get. They have a fun wading pool as well as a regular swimming pool. Alaina could swim and go down the water slides all day long! Aidan on the other hand likes to go in the water for a few mintues and then wants to lay with me on the beach chairs. Seems boring but he doesn't seem to mind.
We also just began remodeling our kitchen two weeks ago. We finished painting, adding new hardware, and hanging the cabinets today. We have ordered the counters and need to buy a faucet this week. Next we'll have to decide on the back splash and finally the floors. I'll post some pictures when we are finished.
Hope you all are well,
Sara

The kids riding their scooters to church on Easter!


We had a big easter egg hunt at the Lakso's with the Jambors. There was 1 special egg that contained a ticket for a big prize. Aidan found it and won this chocolate bunny. He carried that box around all day long!



Aidan went to his first twins game with Kevin last weekend. A friend gave us the shirt and he got the Joe Mauer sideburns and bobble head at the game. It was a night to remember!




April 26, 2009

Thought it was time for an update! We managed to keep plenty busy during the winter with fun activities and are now beginning to enjoy the nice weather. Aidan finished soccer in February and Alaina started shortly after. What a difference in the age groups! Alaina and her teammates seem to get the gist of soccer and stuck with the game for the duration of the class. She will be starting T-Ball this week and is very excited.
Alaina had her birthday at Pump It Up in March and invited all of the kids in her class plus her cousins and some family friends for a total of 24 kids! It went well and she had a lot fun.
We drove to KS during spring break and had fun visiting my dad and Elaine. The kids just love playing in their big back yard and even warmed up to their dog, Pearl, on the last day. They graciously sent Pearl to "camp" for most of our stay since Alaina and Aidan are so afraid of dogs, cats, farm animals...you get the idea. Although this week they have had several interactions with dogs and while they are a little jumpy A/A enjoyed petting the dogs and letting the dogs lick them.
We are getting ready for the MS walk this weekend and will be joined by Kevin's family and some friends. The kids had a lot fun last year riding the light rail to Minnehaha Falls, going for the walk, and eating the free snacks afterwards. It will be a yearly tradition to help raise money for the MS society which has been a great resource for to learn more about MS and find treatments that may help Kevin improve.
Love you all,
Sara

January

It's been a while since I've updated date you on our lives. Our computer has crashed twice in the last couple of months so I haven't had access to all of my pictures. The kids were baptized on Nov. 30th and it was a special day for all of us. We had a nice Christmas and holiday break and are trying to find entertaining things to do in this bitterly cold weather we've had. I'm happy to say that it is 40 degrees today and we spent a lot of time outside! We rode bikes and went to the park. Alaina and Aidan got a little wet and it was a little hard to swing and go on the teeter totter since the snow was almost up to the seats! What a great day!

Aidan also started playing soccer this month, although he isn't all that interested in playing. He will run around a bit and then sit with me. Kevin is the coach and it is quite a sight to see all of these 3 year olds running in every direction. I think we'll take a break from group sports for a little while for Aidan. Alaina will take a class next and she's still deciding between creative dance, karate, and floor hockey. I'll try to send pictures and updates more often!

Sara

Pics: 1) Aidan and Kevin in a heated discussion about soccer. I'm sure Kevin's telling Aidan to stay on the court and kick the ball! 2) Alaina ice skating 3) Aidan blowing bubbles in his milk. They always want to blow bubbles so we covered the table with towels and let them have fun!