The Mellenthins

Super Weekend

2012-02-05T21:39:00.000-06:00

Quick weekend update. Perfect weather for winter in Wisconsin, mid 30s and sunny. Parker and I went up the road to play at the park where it was wet and muddy. It was a blast to be able to get outside and enjoy the fresh air and we stayed relatively clean. Parker also spent some time making Valentines with his friend Maddie. He said his favorite part was playing in the basement with all of her toys. Sounds like they had a blast together which is no surprise at all. Penny also taught them Grey Duck. It's what most normal people call Duck Duck Goose. Apparently in MN you play Grey Duck instead so you can teach your kid to call the other kids all kinds of colorful names, and grey duck = goose. Anyway, next time we need to get pictures of them together so we can compare them as the seasons roll on.

Super Sunday was filled with time at home. Crosby decided he needed a 4 hour nap so Parker and I took advantage with a little dodge ball game in the basement. Mom went shopping. Parker has so much to learn! We worked on aiming low, you've got to aim at the legs below the knee so its harder to catch the ball! Come on man, its simple. After that he found a dinosaur bone kit that had hidden bones inside a block of compressed sand or something like it. The tools that came with it were too dull so I gave Parker a flat head screwdriver (great parenting I know). It resulted in a gash on the hand but he toughed it out and kept working. After that it was on to air hockey (mini version) and Crosby decided to take matters into his own hands (and mouth). Next weekend we get to celebrate Madisyn's birthday, can't wait.

Oh, and Crosby had spaghetti for dinner, HA.

Working hard to find dino bones.

Dad helping (sort of), I may have broken
a few dino bones in the digging process.

Crosby working on the red sauce facial

Worst part is that he thought it was funny
Look at the dimple, it screams GUILTY.

First air hockey game.

Parker was lovin it, easy victory.

Hey guys, look at this huge red nook I found.

If you can't win, end the game your way.

Mop Top

2012-02-04T11:12:00.001-06:00

Yesterday I picked Parker up earlier than normal so we could tackle the mop top he has grown. I couldn't even tell you the last time he had a haircut, maybe April 2011. Usually we cut his when Mark comes over to cut mine but Parker decided to grow his out like Brian last year. It was time to get a trim to say the least.

Crosby was sick this week with a terrible cough and runny nose. He was rocking a 102.5 temp on Wednesday and is now finally getting back to normal. The worst part is that he has decided that he needs to fake cry to get your attention. Ughhh. Hoping that goes away with the cold because we could live without it. Its good to see him feeling better.

Parker at school on 2/2/2012.
Mop top is understatement of the year.

Parker 2/4/2012.
We have our boy back!

Crosby fighting off the fever in dad's lap.

The Report Card

2012-02-02T20:49:00.001-06:00

This week Parker brought home his 2nd Q report card. For most parents this is probably an exciting time to check on their child's progress but it is one of the most stressful days for me. I expect a lot because I know he is capable of doing very well. I actually asked Penny if I could look at it first, alone. I need to process my thoughts before talking to him because he doesn't respond well to the Bobby Knight coaching style, he needs encouragement mixed with discipline.

Lets break it down. The grading system goes something like this

B = Beginning (shows little understanding of concepts)
D = Developing (shows some understanding of concepts)
S = Secure (can apply skill accurately and independently)
E = Exceed (can apply skill beyond the expectations)

The areas that each child are graded on are the following:
Science, Social Studies, Reading, Writing, Math, Art, Music, Phy. Ed and Work Habits

Work Habits - 1 "S" and 7 "D"s.
-Improvement from last quarter but probably the most challenging area. This involves staying on task, getting work completed timely, following directions and organization. Ughhhhhhh. Such an easy thing to fix when you are 33 and understand the concept. Not so much at 5.

Science - 1 "E" and 2 "S"s
-If you know Parker, this category is a walk in the park. This quarter the class worked on Seasonal Changes, Plants and Animal recognition. His favorite movies are Human Planet, Planet Earth and the Life series. He could probably teach this subject if you asked him too.

Social Studies - 4 "S''s
-Family, Economics (really?), Transportation and effort. This one speaks for itself. We must do an ok job of talking about those topics because he is doing well.

Reading - 1 ''D'', 8 ''S''s and 2 ''E"s
-Parker does really well with reading. He has loved books since he was little and we tend to read books that are about nature, dinosaurs, reptiles....pretty much boy things to him on a regular basis. 2-3 times a week he brings home assignments for reading and is able to read the books all by himself. We are so proud because this is something he enjoys now and hopefully that continues. Most of the level 1 books we have he can read independently.

Writing - 1 ''D'', 1 ''S''
-The class is working on simple sentences, writing down what they are doing or describing a picture that they drew. One thing I learned is that we should let him write words based on how they sound to him instead of having us write them first. Now that we are doing it correctly you can see the wheels turning when we work on this at home. We love watching him figure it out on his own, the tough part is not helping him with the spelling of his words.

Math - 1 ''D'', 3 ''S''s and 3 ''E''s
-This seems to be natural for him, the only area he struggled at was his effort. Is he bored? Not challenged? We'll have to see what happens during this quarter. Nice work Parker!

Art - 4 ''S'' and 1 ''E''
-Another area that he really loves is art. Again, if you know him it all he will color or play with play-doh all day long if you let him. I remember one day when we were packing up stuff before moving and he played at the kitchen table with play-doh for almost 8 hours. Who does that? I think we actually have a picture with about 100 sharks made out of play-doh. I told you he was going to be my art major!

Music - 3 ''D''s and 2 ''S''s
-Pretty much the same as last quarter, he doesn't love music right now but he does well enough to get by.

Phy. Ed - 2 ''D''s and 3 "S''s
-He actually regressed in this subject for not following instructions. This is our biggest challenge.

Notes from the teacher:
Parker is doing a nice job on consciously being aware of his need to work on organization and staying on task. I have seen a significant improvement from last quarter! Academically he continues to be strong in all areas. I will continue to challenge him to gain more independent skills at being able to stay on task by trying to get him to work with the higher Math group. He is able to do the skills they are working on academically, he needs to work on staying on task to keep up with the pace.

We are so proud of him and know what we need to work on together.

Snowboarding at Sand Acres

2012-01-21T18:12:00.001-06:00

Parker and I decided that after we finished the laundry we should do something fun. The temps are a little low right now but the sun was out and the wind was absent. Snowboarding was the answer today. We practiced a little in the backyard and then it was off to the park. We are still using the little slope for now but he had a blast. He probably did between 25-30 runs at the park. It doesn't seem like a lot but when I am carrying the 50lbs up the hill that many times it gets to be a workout. I could make him unstrap and walk up each time but we'd only be there for about 5 minutes. This works for now. We have to thank Brian for getting Madisyn into this, we tagged along and its something Parker loves. Hope everyone else enjoyed the day as much as we did. More snow is on the way next week, hopefully we get a couple inches.

Firsts

2012-01-15T19:05:00.002-06:00

Lots of firsts this week:

First week back to school for Parker. We were a little nervous that it would take time to get back in the swing of things but it turned out to be a good week. First week for Parker with all "green" days at school in a long time. He has a chance to earn green, yellow or red each day and we typically get one yellow day each week. He is on a hot streak right now, 7 green days in a row.

First attempt at using the new Dr. Dreadful toy where you mix different powders to make edible disgusting barf, guts and brains. Parker thought it was great to make the "stuff" but we all agreed that it wasn't very good to eat or drink.

First school concert for Parker. The kindergarten classes came together to sing 5 songs. They were pretty cute and did very well.

First real snow storm came this week...that led to...Parker's first attempt at snowboarding. Mark came over to help us out and then the Berggren's came over too. We practiced in the backyard for about 30 minutes and then headed to the park for a bigger hill. Both Madisyn and Parker seem to enjoy it for now! Hoping that continues the rest of the winter.

Crosby is working on words. We think we hear Doggy, we definitely hear bobby (no idea why) and mommy is a staple in the vocabulary.

Parker and Mark working hard.

Parker making spider eyes in the skull

Guts from Dr. Dreadful's stomach

Taste test, and the results are.....

DISGUSTING

1st concert. Green & white plaid shirt.
Moppy hair, brown eyes, cute smile.

Ready to go snowobarding!

Crosby practicing on Mark's new board.

Learning how to get strapped in.

The snowboarding crew.

Madisyn riding it out

Parker on one of his 1st runs.

Off to the park for a bigger slope.

Mark and the kids reading after
snowboarding.

Month in Review

2012-01-08T11:58:00.002-06:00

Goal: Post updates once a week in 2012.
Why: One, it seems easy enough. Two, so friends and family can see the kids more. Three, because someday the kids can look back and read about what it was like when they were little.

So let's recap the last 30 days as we start our journey in 2012.

Last post was St. Nick. Yikes. Since then....
-First Christmas in the new house. We went out to Grandma and Grandpa's to get our 10 foot tree from their front yard!
-Mark and dad put lights up on the house so we wouldn't be the only ones without them!
-Christmas was crazy, the boys were pretty good this year so Santa didn't disappoint.
-Parker had 10 days off school, it wasn't enough for him but we were excited to get back into a routine.
-Parker is a good student at school but sometimes lacks focus to complete his work. He tends to want to help others before his finishes his own jobs and assignments, plus he loves attention from the teachers. Our goal for the second half of kindergarten is to get him to complete his work first so he can help out the other kids. Wish us luck. After the first week back we have witnessed improvement so we are very hopeful.
-Crosby is really starting to make noise, not quite in the form of words but it is getting close. He can get out mom, dad and ya. This week he started to say "bobby" when looking at Uncle Mark. Not sure what that is all about yet but its pretty funny.
-Crosby is also getting his molar teeth so the drool is back in full force and so is his lack of appetite.
-The weather has been super warm for Wisconsin so we have been outside more than normal. There is no snow on the ground which we love. (Sorry Brian)
-Parker got a snowboard after Christmas in hopes to hang with Brian, Mark and Madisyn this winter. Not sure if he is going to like it, waiting for the first big snowfall to test it out.
-Parker has a ton of "BFFs": at school he has Tyler, at home it is Madisyn, Riley, Bella, Jacob and he recently met Sam Benesh from Oshkosh and they are super BFFs.

Parker (dec. 2011)

Crosby (dec. 2011)

Brody, Parker and Grandpa
(Christmas Eve 2011)

Parker's reaction on Christmas morning
Awesome hair buddy!

Parker's letter to us, super cute.

Parker and Grandma

Mom and Crosby reading magazines,
not sure who likes it more.

Snowboarder or pilot?

BFFs

Amie and Crosby checking out his new phone.
He yells "Hi" every time someone's phone beeps
from a call, text or update, its pretty funny.

A new putter, sweet! Thanks Brian.

Madisyn getting her first West DePere
Phantom colored shirt.

Crosby and cousin Caden

Pen, Caden and Parker

Pen and Parker making treats during winter break.
Marshmallows mouths!

Caden and Crosby getting clean

Parker and Sam. They had a blast and will
be hanging out again very soon.

Dad and Crosby dippin, his is a daredevil...
we're in trouble

Dad taught me how to get it all out!

St Nick 2011

2011-12-06T07:24:00.000-06:00

Parker woke up at 4AM, 2 days in a row now. Someone was pretty excited for St. Nick to come to the house. Last night Parker finished drawing what he wanted this year for Christmas. The idea was to give St. Nick a list to take back to Santa just in case Santa didn't know already. There were multiple pages of made up toys and games on at least 5 sheets of paper. He managed to stuff it all into one envelope, wrote to St. Nick, from Parker, Crosby, Mom, Dad and set it out by the front door. At 4AM he woke up and came to get us. Luckily we managed to keep him busy ready books in his room until 5:30, forced him to shower, eat breakfast and then check out what St. Nick brought. What nice parents we are. 2011 was a success, now we start the count down to Christmas.

Reading since 4AM

Dinosaurs found all over the world

Both boys got shovels...yeah!

Crosby was a little unsure at first

St. Nick thought it would be a
good idea to give this one now,
they are 12-0.

Bath toys for the little one.

Miguel Camino is now added to the collection

This is how you do it Parker.

Fall Fun

2011-11-06T19:37:00.001-06:00

The Peterson's made a trip to GB today just to hang out for the afternoon. What a great day! It has been almost 16 months since we have spent some time together...the only reason we know it is b/c the mom's were pretty prego the last time (see picture 1). First, we had to have some lunch so Pen & Mo made a trip to Qdoba, love the cheese queso. The kids played down stairs with just about every toy possible. The coolest part of the day was when Crosby went downstairs and then Olivia followed (her first time going down steps by herself). After the kids warmed up to each other we spent some time up at the park. Christian was a daredevil, climbing and jumping off the rocks. Parker was making tracks in the wood chips, Crosby & Mark played on the baby slide and Olivia was running around in the grass. After that, the young ones took short naps and the boys played downstairs with the moms. We were so thankful we could spend some time with our good friends and will make sure the next time is before the end of the year!

June 5th 2010.
Pregos chillin' in Madison.

Love birds holding hands.
Olivia and Crosby.

Mo and Parker on the way to the park.

Christian on top of the rock.

And he jumped, it was awesome.

Crosby chasing Olivia down the slide.

All smiles from Crosby

Christian pushing Mo in circles

Dad moved Crosby out
of the way, just in time

1x1. Someday this could be a good game!

The Petersons

Halloween Fun

2011-11-01T07:26:00.003-05:00

Halloween 2011 in the New Neighborhood.

Crosby was a monster with oversized, clumsy feet and Parker was a ninja with a golden sword (it's all about the accessories this year!) The streets were packed with many families going from house-to-house. The Berggren Family came over to run around with us while Grandma Jeanne handed out candy for us. Even Grandpa Dennis and Grandma Dawn stopped by to join in the fun (and help get the boys ready and out the door). THANK YOU GRANDPARENTS!!!!

Madisyn (the Turtle) and Parker ran faster than we've ever seen them move from house to house, collecting more candy and treats than they could carry. Parker's legs got tired after a couple of blocks but Madisyn kept going. It was fun to watch the kids interact with all of their new buddies from school and the park that they recognized somehow even though all were in costumes from head-to-toe.

A couple weekends before Halloween we were able to join the Berggrens and Stakiaks for a fun day at the Train Museum. There was pumpkin bowling, dancing, arts & crafts and even cake (Jenny was thrilled!)

Here Parker is showing Crosby how to Pumpkin Bowl.

The boys catching a ride on the train going nowhere

The Staniaks
(Jenny, Blake on her lap, Chase, and Reese...
Ryan was MIA - not feeling well)

The Berggren's (Brian, Madisyn, Amie +1)

Parker and Crosby on a HUGE train

Cake time... Look at Jenny's smile ;o)

Super Fun adding Halloween bling to masks and bags.

Parker's ready to go trick-or-treating!

All Aboard! Ready to go pick out our pumpkins!
Can we fit another kid in there?

These two opted for a better view in a double-decker train

Our little Boo picking out the perfect pumpkin

Dave and Parker climbed all the
way to the top of the look out!

Mama found her little pumpkin...
Crosby found THE ONE
he had been searching for and
he wasn't letting go of it.

Time to get this pumpkin started!

I have an idea! Let's carve a skull face on this one.

Mom got to do the dirty work this year.

The boys opened the second pumpkin up
(from the bottom)

The face says it all!

Brotherly love near the freshly carved pumpkins.

Not wanting to sit for very long....
too much to look at.

Mom busted out her slipper boots
and guess who had to try them on.

This is after I took the slippers off Crosby twice,
he wanted them back on ;o)

Look at that sweet little baby!

That got a brilliant idea...

To climb onto his chair to see if
there was any food up there.

An action shot of the boys just before trick-or-treating.

Crosby trying to figure out why people
kept coming up to our house and
leaving right away.

Ready to rock n' roll. Let's do this!

The boys next to their pumpkins.

Dad enjoying the moment with
the cutest little monster ever.

Mark (or should I say Steve Jobs?)
joined the fun again this year...
I don't think he has missed a Halloween yet!

Love these kiddos!

Crosby looked cold so we added dad's gloves

Who gave this one the ninja sword?

Fall Stuff

2011-10-11T22:11:00.000-05:00

-Crosby somehow was able to put on one of Dad's shirts (and as always, getting mom's shoes from the closet)
-Parker lost a tooth
-The boys actually sat down together for 10 minutes and watched TV
-Crosby had his oak tree planted in Pulaski & Parker checked his out to see how much it grew
-Homework: What does Parker want to be when he grows up?
We'll give you 3 guesses but it will only take 1.

*And Parker may need a haircut soon but he is still growing it out to be like Brian....who encourages him to keep it long every time we see him.....thanks buddy!

Not sure how he did it but he put
one of my shirts on, he does love laundry!

Get me outta here

Before

After

He told mom to look at his beautiful smile,
then proceeded to tell her
there was blood everywhere.

"Kodak" moment!!??
What will our kids call these moments?

Crosby by his oak tree

One more of the new tree and
Crosby at 13 months

Grandpa told Parker to see if the tree was taller.
He took it literally, look at him measuring himself.

Yup, the tree is taller.

Mellenthin boys relaxing on a great fall day

Homework: He wants to be a Paleontologist,
imagine that.

Hello Noah

2011-09-20T21:28:00.000-05:00

Parker has followed through on his promise to try more vegetables and he has actually slept through the night for 3 nights in a row. For those of you that don't know, we have been in the new house about 8 weeks and this is the first time he hasn't been up in the middle of the night so its a big deal! Grandma Dawn promised Parker a fish if he tried more vegetables and she delivered. It took a few days for the fish to get a name but Parker decided on Noah. Noah is the name of a boy that was at Parker's daycare from age 2-4 and Parker misses playing with him so he picked that name. "Now I will have a friend named Noah to play with again", how cute is that!

Crosby decided he was going to put on mom's shoes in the closet, not sure what this means for the future: ) Right now he loves shoes, cleaning and laundry.... and eating of course.

Jon and Jenny attending a wedding in GB and stayed at the house last weekend. Parker had a blast playing with Jon. First they played dominos with Jenga blocks and then they decided to be reptile hunters. Parker had so much fun he cried when it was time for them to leave. He is such a caring kid and loves every minute that people spend with him. Hopefully he never takes that time for granted.

Noah plunging into his new home

Parker checking it out

Fish kisses

Grandma and Parker

So much love and happiness

Crosby putting Pen's shoes on

We are in trouble!

Jon and Parker setting up blocks

Nice work boys, now knock'em down

Reptile hunters

Jackpot, they caught "charcoal" the
biggest snake in the house

MN Visit - Day One

2011-09-04T09:12:00.000-05:00

The family hopped in the man van after picking Parker up from school on Friday and drove thru the cities to Alexandria MN. Traffic was surprisingly good the entire way. The boys slept pretty well once we got settled down for the night. Saturday was a blast, we were able to see pretty much the whole family and the weather was nice enough to be outside. Enjoy the pictures, we are getting ready for day 2 here. What could be in store? Family pictures, playing with the cousins and much more!

Grandma Teresa and Crosby

Parker was playing frisbee with everyone

Grandpa Steve and the boys

Parker couldn't be more excited

OK, this is embarrassing...for Crosby!
And that's why I posted it.
Good old #2 with everyone watching

Cousins catching up and playing.

Football time

Love birds

Watering the flowers for Grandma Porter

All the kids playing with Jeffrey

Natalie and Crosby sharing the football

QB in the making

Uncle Jeffrey and the kids. You have no idea
how much Parker loves the
time he has with the family.

1st day of school

2011-09-01T13:32:00.001-05:00

9/1/2011

Parker woke up today, took a shower, ate breakfast (a huge bowl of cereal), had his vitamins, brushed his teeth, spiked his hair and was ready for his first day of school. Crosby seemed just as excited as Parker which was pretty cool but Penny was definitely the most pumped. In fact, we forgot to make lunch for Parker. Good thing we paid for the lunch program the night before. Parker told me he had to eat a hamburger but he didn't eat the bun. He also picked chocolate milk for snack time and then white milk for lunch (maybe the talks about healthy choices are paying off!) Sounds like day one was a success, he was excited about the whole day and is ready for more. Tomorrow they are doing gym class and testing out the new shoes, should be interesting. After school we are headed to MN to visit the family for the weekend. Can't wait, Crosby has to show off his walking skills.

The boys after breakfast

The classic 1st day of school picture

Love this picture

En route to Hemlock Creek

Walking to the playground

No 1st day jitters with this kid

Like I said, Penny was pretty excited and proud today

One more with mom on day 1 of school

It begins, boys hanging with boys

In line and headed to class

Crosby has no fear, he walked around the
playground like he owned the place

Happy 1st Birthday Crosby

2011-08-17T21:22:00.001-05:00

Thanks everyone for making Crosby's birthday so much fun!

Crosby's getting ready before everyone arrived

The kids were sooooo excited!

Parker helped pick the first gift to open,
it was the biggest one.
Crosby knew exactly what to do, rip it open!

Madisyn picked out a winner! Look at that smile!

Smash cake....

Not sure what to do but he was smiling as usual....

What a mess but it was worth every minute

Time for a bath!

We're back

2011-08-15T06:25:00.000-05:00

No new house pics right now, we will get some taken soon. We have been without internet for almost 3 weeks so the posts have been delayed. The house is coming along slowly, its hard to commit to anything right now so its pretty empty, especially on the walls. This week we celebrate Crosby's 1st birthday, can't believe he is going to be 1 already.

It has been a busy 3 weeks. We moved and are working the vendors to finish little things in the house. Spent a day in Door County on the beach, think we should get a pool b/c the kids love being in the water. 2 weekends ago we went with the Berggren's to Rhinelander to enjoy the cottage and the lake. Parker and Brian were crazy on the jet ski and the tubes. I think Parker is ready to try waterskiing but we'll probably wait until next year. Pen and Parker went school shopping for supplies, soon he will be off to school full-time, crazy. Busy summer but it has been a good one.

Crosby went to Snips and Giggles for his first haircut this weekend. Both boys had their first haircut there, they do such a nice job of working with the little ones. Parker wants to grow his hair out like Brian so he didn't let us touch it with a scissors but he did lets us spike it up.

That's it for now.

Before

Don't worry, we kept the curls.

Parker with his spiky hair

Our baby boy playing after his haircut.

2 weeks and counting

2011-07-03T19:59:00.000-05:00

Today we stopped at the new house to see how the carpet installation was going and it was totally finished. The house looks great. We need to do some serious cleaning! This week the house should be complete. There are some small things that need to be worked on this week but we are so ready. Looking to move in 2 weeks from now.

A shirtless Mellenthin...
get ready neighborhood,
we are coming soon!

Our room

Our closet (more Penny's than mine)

The boys rooms (the are identical)

Living Room with carpet

Living Room again

Stairs...Crosby climbed all the way up
without help on the first try.

Basement Living/Play area

Parker was catching flies and releasing them

Crosby finally got to crawl around the
house and he was super excited

One step closer

2011-06-21T06:37:00.001-05:00

Yesterday cabinets went in the house, we love it! The plan is to close on the house the first week July and move in the following week. We have been busy getting ready to move so we don't have a ton of pictures of the boys, can't believe we are almost done with June. Time flies. Father's day was nice, we made breakfast at home and then worked on the house.

Actually 10 months now but who's counting

Father's day, Parker made my card! (get a haircut already)

Checking out the new stairs and cabinets

we love it.
6/20 the cabinets went in.

the boys bathroom

Madisyn and Parker playing outside

House Updates

2011-06-14T21:24:00.002-05:00

Quick update on the new house.

We are getting closer to having a home and we can't wait.

This past weekend Brian, Mark, my dad (Dennis) and Penny's dad (Steve) all worked on putting some flooring in the house. The hardwood is grey and went in pretty quickly. The duraceramic is another story. The pictures below are the dry fitting, we still need to actually put all of it in. I don't have a good picture of the kitchen floor but I can tell you that Brian well probably put a chair in the pantry and hang out there every time he is over bc he made it damn near perfect. Everyone busted tail to helped get all of this done over 2 days, we are so thankful for all the help!

back entry and laundry - created by Dennis, Dave & Mark

front entry - created by Brian

Perfect Pantry - Created by Brian and Dennis

Kitchen - Created by all

Stone was added 6/13, looks pretty good.
Can't wait to see it completely finished.

Lights, fans and outlets went in 6/14.
Paint was added 6/10 and 6/13. Not bad.
No brown tones inside this house, right Pen!

Random May Stuff

2011-05-27T20:25:00.000-05:00

I think we had one nice day the first half of May so we all went to the park. Crosby still doesn't like to touch the grass so we busted out a blanket and some toys. Parker and Mark played a little frisbee but soon headed for the slides. The most fun must have been rolling the mini Milwaukee Brewer soccer ball down the slides with uncle Mark.

Dad turned 33 and we celebrated with the usual DQ ice cream cake. It was nice to hang out with the fam on a such a nice day!

Bella and Olivia's birthday party was celebrated with a ton of kids at the roller rink. It was Parker's first time on skates so we used the trainers to help minimize the number of falls. He did OK but decided he was faster in shoes, probably a good choice. Parker's friend Madelyn gave Crosby a ride around the rink in the stroller, she did a great job with him.

Caden's first visit to DePere happened last weekend so we took a few pictures, more to come as he gets older. And I gave Crosby blueberry yogurt and fruity cheerios so now he doesn't like his baby food, oops.

The house is coming along. This week the siding is going on, the garage and front porched were poured and the sheetrock is going up. We have a long way to go but it is starting to look like a house. The only pic I took was of the back, next week the front should look a little more complete.

Love it outside, still unsure of
that green stuff behind me

Parker is actually pretty good with the frisbee

Crosby and dad at the Park

Slide time

33 and proud of it

1st timer comin through

Mom and Crosby loving the birthday party

He had it made, just sit back and relax

Thanks for the cheerios dad

Caden looking around for his loud cousins

Week of May 25th, siding is up on half the house.

Easter Pics and House Updates

2011-05-07T09:26:00.001-05:00

Little bit of easter and a few house updates. Easter Eve we asked Parker what the Easter Bunny wanted and he said carrots and grass so we left both out, just like cookies and milk for santa. Easter was great, lots of family time and happy boys.

Building Updates: We have a roof, walls and windows. The doors are in the garage and ready to go in. We have to pick out a ton of stuff yet but we are excited to get into the new house. Crosby slept better last night so we are thankful for that. Parker loves checking in on the new house because he gets to play in the dirt and usually we get to see the Berggren family when we get over there. Thats it for now.

Crosby at 8 months, love that smile

Crosby is better known at our house as Gooo - y.

Crosby chewed on the Easter Bunny carrots

The boys, happy on Easter Eve

Parker noticing that the grass and carrots were gone

Brotherly love

Finally found the basket

Crosby got sunglasses for easter....

and a rockstar nook, hilarious

back of the house, before windows

mom loves to dress them the same

front of the house on 5/6

Crosby getting ready for a run

Building Update

2011-04-22T07:46:00.001-05:00

Here is a quick recap of the last 4 weeks of the building process:

Staking

Mother nature dropped 18 inches of snow on us....

Snow slowly melting....

Digging

Parker playing on mountains of dirt

Footings

Basement Walls Poured

Lumber delivered and Floor installed

Mother nature dropped 9 inches of snow on us.....thanks again

Snow melting fast!

Walls up and framed.

Quick visit to the windy city

2011-04-18T21:13:00.000-05:00

Traveled to the Chicago area to visit baby Caden for the first time with the entire family. Surprisingly, everyone traveled well so it made for a good day. Crosby pretty much wanted to either look at himself in the mirror or steal baby Caden's pacifier. Parker jumped on the small trampoline, colored dinosaur pictures and spent most of the day looking at the fish in the aquarium. Patty played games with Parker on her "down time" from being a full-time mom and the dad's just hung out and relaxed. Pen and Patty compared stories on what was normal and expected in the first week with a new baby and then talked about what is in store the next few months. So much excitement and love when a new baby arrives.

Crosby found the bottom of the exersaucer

and then he taught himself how to stand without help!

Caden taking a quick nap

Patty and Parker fishing

Crosby and dad wrestling on the floor

Crosby loved the mirror....checked himself out all afternoon

Parker spending some QT with the fish

Aunt Penny soothing Caden, not much
you can do when they are hungry except find the mama.

What, don't make me use the Tiger on you

Crosby was curious about the baby,
he is so big he could eat the baby.

Parker's B-day Pics

2011-04-10T22:49:00.000-05:00

Parker turned 5 years old on April 7, 2011. We had a nice family dinner at the house followed by presents and DQ ice cream cake. Yeah. Saturday was the kid's party with friends in Appleton at Monkey Joes. It must have been the warmer weather or something because the "teenage" sized kids weren't there so it was great for the kids in our group. We had a great birthday week for Parker and his grandparents from MN showed up! Plus Parker is a cousin again, baby Caden was born Sunday afternoon in Chicago and everyone is healthy! New age, new bike, new yard to play in (even though its all dirt) and a new cousin, what more could we ask for.

Family photo on Parker's birthday

We love ice cream cake!

Parker was hiding under the
digger but Pen caught him.

Birthday boy on his new bike
in front of our dirt pile.

Monkey Joes birthday party begins

Brian and Madisyn rollin thru the obstacle course

Jacob and Ali in the bounce house

Bella and Madelyn were buds all day

Parker had a great time, and he loves jumping...

Catchin some air, Errrrrrrrr

And even more, Boom.....

All capped off with that smile, its his secret weapon.

Let the building begin

2011-04-06T21:44:00.000-05:00

As most of you know, we sold our house in early January with the intent of finding land near our good friends, the Berggrens, who just completed building their home in West DePere / Ashwaubenon. Lucky for us, there were still a few lots available in the neighborhood and we put an offer on a lot in Feb and closed on 3/14/2011. Originally we planned on breaking ground the next Monday but mother nature decided to drop 18 inches of snow on us so we had to wait a few weeks. The first 2 pictures were on March 19th before the snow and the next 2 are from the week beginning 4/4/2011. The process is under way, we have siding, doors, trim, stone, cabinets and some flooring picked out so far. Can't wait to watch the process unfold, we are excited to get into the new neighborhood with all the young families around, the park is great and be close to our "neighbors" again. Should be a fun and quick summer.

March 19th, Parker met the neighbors and learned
that there is a snapping turtle in the pond
near the back yard...can you say excited!

More of the 19th

After Day 1 of digging on April 4, 2011

Day 3 complete, getting ready for the basemnt walls.

March 2011

2011-03-28T19:57:00.001-05:00

Busy busy busy. The boys are growing up way too fast. Crosby learned how to sit and play by himself, that has transitioned in to a crazy yoga pose in attempts to crawl and finally Dad pushing him to walk before he can crawl. He is eating much better and actually sleeping a little better too. I think we had 6 straight hours of sleep last weekend. Amazing. Crosby is also talking...well sort of. He says "UMA" and MA MA, we think they mean the same thing. Every once and a while we hear BABA or DA...that's it for now.

Parker is almost 5 years old....only 10 more days. There will be a ton of pictures coming soon from the b-day parties and the progress of the new house, plus Patty & Jamie will be parents in less than 2 weeks. So much going on before summer. This week we get to help the Berggren's move into their new house. We are so excited for everyone and their new beginnings, we are so blessed to have such great family and friends. Here are the boys latest pictures, miss everyone in Minnesota....see you soon:

Drool monster, but we love that dimple.

Parker was tickling Crosby to get him
to laugh but he wouldn't look at us.

Crosby is just chilling in Parker's chair.

Only 6 more goofy ties Crosby...
sorry bud, I blame UMA.

Isn't he impossible not to love?

Parker focused on his artwork.

Artwork complete.

Feb 2011

2011-02-27T10:38:00.000-06:00

Crosby is 6 months old, he can sit up and play with toys all by himself. Every once and a while he tips over but for the most part he is pretty good. Parker is learning that everything Crosby touches goes into his mouth, sharing has been a challenge but that is to be expected. We had a good visit to Alexandria, MN for Aunt Patty's baby shower. Lots of family time for the boys which is always good. Parker loves everyone there and wants to stay for "10 days" each time we go. We also got to spend time with the Berggren's for Madisyn's birthday, tons of fun...no pics, Brian has those. Their new house looks awesome, we can't wait to help them move in so we can play there!

Cute cousins

Parker and the MN uncles

The boys with Grandma and Grandpa

Bathtime

We are so lucky, Crosby is always so happy.

Found my toes mom!

Parker was "reading" to Crosby, such a good big brother.

Gotcha Parker!

5 months

2011-01-17T21:12:00.000-06:00

Crosby Graham Mellenthin is exactly 5 months old today.

On his 5 month "birthday" he tried carrots for the first time and did pretty well considering he has only been eating rice cereal for about a week. Crosby loves to chew on everything he can get his hands on, he drools all the time and loves watching his older brother play in the house. Time is flying but each week it seems as if Crosby is more fun than the last week. The journey has been great so far and we are super excited to watch him grow with our family this year.

4 months & counting

2011-01-13T19:40:00.000-06:00

Crosby had his 4 month dr. appt about 10 days ago and he will be 5 months old in a couple days....sorry for the delayed update. Here it is:

Height 27 inches (90%)
Weight 18.5 lbs (90%)
Head 42.9 cm (50%)

This week he found his voice so it has been interesting watching him get excited and actually making some noise. He loves being upright, hates laying down / being held like a baby. Crosby does great in the swing, the exersaucer and the jump-a-roo. This week he has been a sleeping champ, almost 7 straight hours which is about double from what we are programed for. We introduced rice cereal this week and it has been hit or miss depending on his mood but does well with it at the sitters house.

Parker loves his little brother more than anything (except maybe dinosaurs). We are lucky that he is so good with the little one, especially now that they share a room in the temp home. Last night Parker and dad went tubing down the snowhill and we went faster and farther than all the other kids (we've got at least 100 lbs on them) and Parker let them hear about it. It was pretty funny to hear him trash talk the other kids about how much faster we were than them. I love the competitive spirit, now we just need to channel it.

Parker helping us clean the baby bootie...

Dino Duo.

A clean beginning for the first cereal feeding.....

and this is how it really goes all of you new parents...
more outside than in.

Late Christmas pics

2011-01-08T12:41:00.001-06:00

Christmas Day. Last Christmas at the Porlier St home and santa did not disappoint. Parker's favorite gifts were his dinosaurs from Santa and the special one he got from Uncle Dan.

We are officially moved out and began the next chapter: save $$$, look at homes and hopefully make a decision in 2011 on where we want to live. Hope 2011 treats everyone well. We are looking forward to having even more fun with Parker this year and watching Crosby figure out how to crawl, eat baby food and maybe even squeak out a few words.

T-Rex and Stegosaurus hiding in the presents.

This is one happy kid.

The dolphin pillow pet was a hit,
Parker sleeps on it every night. Good work Santa.

Snakes and reptiles, Parker loves to hear about new species
so we read a lot of books similar to this one.

Crosby's first Christmas, what a cutie.

Uncle Dan won the best best gift of 2010 award,
Parker didn't put Rexy down for a few days.

Pen and Crosby on Christmas Day,
she loves that little chunker!

Christmas Eve

2010-12-24T21:49:00.001-06:00

Christmas Eve 2010. Church, cookies, candy, dinner and presents from the family. It was a good day and tomorrow will be even better! Santa comes tonight so we are all off to bed to get a good night sleep.

Parker and Noah (Elf on the Shelf) on Noah's last night in our house
before returning to the North Pole with Santa

Parker picked out this tree from Grandpa's front yard...
you're looking at the top 7ft of a 18ft tree.

Pen and Crosby

Gift wrapped.

Parker loved his new dinosaur book.

Parker also enjoyed this but it's kinda creepy.

Crosby watching Parker open a gift for his little brother.

Grandma Jeanne helping Crosby enjoy the gift from Parker.

Parker and dad made a T-Rex to watch out for Crosby.

December 2010

2010-12-24T09:49:00.000-06:00

We have had a busy December, but it has been fun. Parker had his first School Christmas Program and he was great. The 4 and 5 year olds sang 4 songs for the parents and you could tell how proud they all were. Parker was looking for us at the beginning and once he found us sang his heart out. 2 weeks ago we went Grandpa Dennis' house in Pulaski during our first big snow storm and picked out a Christmas tree. Parker had a blast running around the front yard hiding in the trees and helping cut our tree down. And the best news is that we sold our home (we need to move out by Jan 14th), which makes life a little stressful with Christmas, 2 kids and our lovely winter weather but its worth it. Pictures will be posted soon. Have a great christmas everyone.

3 Months Old

2010-11-18T19:49:00.001-06:00

Tuesday Crosby was 13 weeks old, Wednesday he officially turned 3 months old. When do you switch from weeks to months? For now you get both updates. I returned to work this week so Crosby went to his new babysitters house for the first time. He seems to be adjusting pretty well, although he was pretty tired after the first 2 days. He spends part of his week with 3yr old twin girls, sounds like they enjoyed having him around (plus he came home with colored pictures from them on day one). Parker loves him so much and that is very helpful at home. We are going through a tough patch with Parker hanging out with the wrong kid(s) at school so hopefully we can end that quickly. Pen took some bathtub pics and of course her 3 month old "tie" pictures so I am sharing. Enjoy and we'll post more soon.

Crosby using his exersaucer

Crosby laughing with Pen

Smiling at Pen

Bath time for the little one

and for the big kid

the Mellenthin boys

3 month old pictures

Parker sneaking into a picture

Parker grabbed the sticker and smiled for mom

Halloween Week

2010-10-31T21:18:00.005-05:00

It has been a busy week for Parker and Crosby. On Thursday Parker was able to spend the afternoon with his favorite teacher from his previous daycare, Ms. Ashley. It was great for him to get to spend some time with Ashley at the park in the "New / Future Neighborhood" and then she took him for Mc D's to warm up with some hot chocolate. She has a cute pic of him with his hot chocolate, he looks so grown up! Thank you Ms. Ashley, Parker had a blast.

Friday afternoon he spent time with Grandma Jeanne and Crosby at the house getting pictures ready for Halloween. Late Friday night Patty, Grandma Teresa and Grandpa Steve arrived to spend the weekend with the boys. Saturday was filled with a day at home playing play-doh, eating and watching movies with Madisyn Berggren. They are the best and we can't wait to sell our house so we can be neighbors again. Love them!

Sunday we went to Pulaski to have chili with everyone including Grandma Dawn, Grandpa Dennis and Uncle Dan. Aunt Andrea, Uncle Nick and Brody showed up and we played outside in the woods for a long time and then the little boys went for a ride on the lawn mowers. I think the grandpas had more fun than the grandkids, it was supposed to be a walk around the yard. Next we headed home for trick or treating. What a week. The boys were dinosaurs, Brody was Woody from Toy Story and Madisyn was a Pumpkin, we all had a blast. Can't wait to see what this week brings us. Thanks for the great memories everyone!

Parker and Ashley warming up at home.

Grandpa Steve taking care of Crosby

Grandma Teresa, Grandpa Steve and Crosby relaxing

Aunt Patty, Baby Roquette/Jewitt and Crosby

Lawn mower ride

My dinosaur boys!

The Mellenthins

Parker and Brody

Routine Visit

2010-10-27T05:52:00.003-05:00

The fam went to the DR so we could get the flu shots and see how the boys are doing. We are so lucky to have 2 healthy boys. I love how the little kids get % tied to their every measurement and when they are a few years old that stops. Its not like the doctor is going to pump HGH into my 10 week old baby if he is low on the scale, right...at least we don't have to worry about that since the boys eat all the time. In Crosby's first 2 weeks we were worried about him not eating enough and now he is "solid" as they might say later in life.

Parker Ethan Mellenthin 4 1/2 years old (4/7/2006)

Height 43 inches

Weight 43 pounds

No shots today, just the flu mist.

Crosby Graham Mellenthin 10 weeks old (8/17/2010)

Height 24 inches (75%)

Weight 14lbs, 10 ozs (95%)

Head 40 mm? (50%)

No shots today but he took an oral medicine.

Crosby has a little bit of thrush on the inside of his cheeks so we will be giving him medicine for 10 days to help get rid of that. We are in the process of transitioning him to formula and the little bugger hasn't had a BM since Saturday night. He is working it out as we speak, hopefully it is more than just gas today. The last 2 nights he has slept for 4 straight hours, a new record for us! Every little bit helps (the parents mostly).

Parker is healthy and strong. Nothing new at this visit but we can give an update on the dentist visit last week. Parker went back with the dentist all by himself and was a great listener. He had x-rays taken to make sure his permanent teeth are coming in properly and was a champ. All the future teeth are growing and in the right place so that is good. Parker has an enamel deficiency on his back teeth, top and bottom. Next week I will be taking him back in to get 2 small cavities filled so that will be very interesting. Since our visit we have adding flossing each night to our routine and he is very good at laying his head back so we can do it correctly.

That's it for now. Still no BM from CGM. I'll keep you posted : ) It's amazing what matters when you are a parent, life is so different, so good, in a way that non-parents will never understand.

Did you call me "solid", is that the polite way of saying I have baby fat?

Crosby at 10 weeks

The boys

2010-10-26T11:31:00.003-05:00

More and more time is being spent inside but thats ok, we have Crosby to keep us busy at the house. He is 10 weeks old today, can you believe it? Parker is a great big brother and we are excited to watch them grow up together.

Parker and Crosby

Big Smiles from the 10 week old

Strike a pose

Crosby sleeping at the house formerly known as the Berggrens

You know Penny took this picture

Parker and his dinosaur pumpkin

Taking aim. He shot at targets with uncle dan all day.

Staying home

2010-10-14T17:43:00.001-05:00

We haven't taken a ton of pictures lately but we did get to spend an afternoon with the Berggren's and the kids loved the Cold Stone Cupcakes that we had for Amie and Brian's birthdays. Crosby is 8 weeks old, Penny is back to work and I am home with Crosby for 4 weeks. We have a parent/teacher conference tonight for Parker which is exciting because he seems to be doing very well at 4k. I attempted to run the Chicago Marathon on 10.10.10 and was able to run the first 18 miles and then the lack of training kicked my butt. I pretty much stopped running after Crosby was born 8/17/10 so completing the race was a success. We tried to capture a few family pics below, we'll work on better ones soon.

Just getting started with the ice cream cupcakes

What cute kids

Taking turns with the iTouch,
thanks now we have to buy one.

The Mellenthin Boys

Add Mom and you have the whole family.

I'm talking to you.... yes, my eyes are closed,

I'm that good...

get me some milk now or I'll start crying again.

Mom, stop taking my picture...can you take a hint.

Who's Who

2010-09-15T18:37:00.001-05:00

Here are a few comparison pictures of the boys, amazing how similar they are so far.

Parker

Crosby

Parker

Crosby

Parker

Crosby

3 weeks old

2010-09-08T21:23:00.000-05:00

Crosby is 3 weeks old and we are so happy. The first week we were worried about him not gaining enough weight, last night he took down 7 ounces in one feeding...nothing to worry about now! We see the pediatrician tomorrow to make sure he is doing well but we aren't too worried.

Parker started 4k this week and said his first day was "awesome". He gets swimming lessons 2 times per week and seems to be adjusting very well so far. The new school is perfect timing because he is getting challenged to learn more plus he gets to meet new kids. As parents, we couldn't ask for a better "big brother" either, Parker is always giving Crosby kisses and trying to learn more about him. He tends to tell us every time Crosby opens his eyes, grunts or farts. Such a boy thing. Here are the latest pics.

Chillin' in cousin Brody's swing

Parker "watching" Crosby for us

First visit to the NEW Zoo

Big Brother helping with the first bath. I think Parker enjoyed
splashing Crosby a little too much.

This looks like Parker, I'll find the photo and post it later.

Ready for 4k

First day and happy to be at school.

Waiting to check in, yup, we were those parents with the camera

Crosby loves the car seat, and so do we. Car seat = sleep for everyone.

Roadtrip

2010-08-31T22:07:00.001-05:00

The entire family made a successful trip to Alexandria, MN for a beautiful wedding this past weekend. Our first road trip with Crosby took us from Green Bay, WI to Alexandria, MN which is about 415 miles one way. Parker road with Grandma Jeanne for a couple hours and then joined us in the new minivan, he loves the 3rd row seat! We only stopped 2 times to feed and change Crosby on the way out there, huge success in my book. On the way home we only stopped once, lovin it.

The boys uncle, Jeffrey, married Talaine on Saturday August 28, 2010. Parker was a ring bearer but we failed to get a ton of pictures because we were holding Crosby the entire weekend. The wedding was perfect and we are so blessed to be there with the entire family. Here are the only pictures we captured all weekend, hopefully the rest of the family sends some of Parker all dressed up, he was super cute in his suit & tie!

Week One

2010-08-21T20:22:00.000-05:00

What a week. We have the best friends and family we could ever ask for. Parker has been spoiled by getting play time with Bella and Olivia, they took him to the park & Happy Joes. Tonight he is sleeping at Grandma Jeanne's house and we might get to see Bella and Olivia again tomorrow. Crosby is doing very well, he loves to sleep in his car seat right now. Tomorrow morning we are going to see how he does in his crib but tonight we are opting for sleep so that means the car seat for him. Penny is in such a good place compared with Parker at this point and it shows; she has a plan, she is sticking to it and has remained super positive even though the first week has been a little rough (engorgement = no fun for momma). Crosby is meeting everyone for the first time and getting comfortable with his new surroundings. What an amazing adventure so far. Did I mention that Parker has been a GREAT big brother, he gives Crosby kisses and hugs every day & makes sure we don't forget about the little one.

Parker has received plenty of attention,
thank you to everyone, it has made a huge difference.

Picking out a movie with "uncle" Mark

Meeting the Berggren Family, Madisyn loved every minute.

Big Brother helping with Crosby's first bottle.

Hopefully we can give Pen a little break now that we know he'll eat this way!

Crosby was loving how easy it was to use the bottle.

Tired? Not us...

Crosby loved the soft blanket from his new buddy Madisyn.
He looks so tiny in his crib.

Sweet dreams little man.

We love his silly faces....so cute.

Welcome Home Crosby

2010-08-19T07:21:00.000-05:00

Last night around 8pm we packed everything up at the hospital and headed home. The first night at home was a success, mom and Crosby are sleeping right now so I have a little time to post new pictures. Today we have an appt for Crosby to check his "area" since we left the hospital within 24 hours of his mini surgery. So far so good, he is eating well and giving us a little bit of time for sleep. Parker slept through the night even with all the crying, very nice. Time for waffles with Parker, thanks for all the support and love from everyone. We are one lucky family.

Parker visited Mom and Crosby before school on 8/18

So sweet and tiny

Crosby and dad sleeping while mom gets ready to go home

Parker and Crosby are ready for their first ride together

Finally Home, Parker led the way

The boys relaxing at home on our first night together

Crosby Graham Mellenthin

2010-08-17T14:08:00.002-05:00

What an amazing day, details to come later. A healthy baby boy was born 3 hours after we arrived at the hospital. Crosby Graham Mellenthin weighs 7 lbs, 10 ounces & is 21 inches long. Everyone is doing very well.

Is today the day?

2010-08-16T17:00:00.000-05:00

Had an appt for Pen today at 3 and the doc said it was time for the baby to arrive. Now only if the baby & Pen agreed, right. We are going for a walk right now in hopes to move this process along faster. If anything else changes in the next 24 hours we will let you know.

I just heard, "I have more cramping than last week"....there is still hope for an 8/16 baby. Doubles run in the family, Parker was stubborn and came 4 hours early for his birthday to match the "double theme of the family" (4/8) but thats ok, we still love him.

Forecast: Hot & Humid with a chance of baby.

2010-08-12T06:31:00.000-05:00

Its been about 2 weeks since our last post, sorry about that. Penny is 2 weeks from our due date, we are so excited to meet the little one! Saturday would be a great day to have a baby, right? An 8/14 birthday would be double Parker's (4/7)! Penny had some contractions yesterday that were about 6 minutes apart, it lasted for about 2-3 hours and then became less consistent, we are so close. More her than me but you get it.

The last 2 weeks have been super hot and humid, especially for our little home that doesn't have central air. We did a family camp out in the living room one night, bought extra fans and spent some time at the Berggren's home to beat the heat. They may wake up one day with the Mellenthin's sleeping in their living room if this heat keeps up.

Not much else is new here, looking forward to selling our home if we find the right person/couple...and now they'll have less leaves to rake up since a tree split in the backyard and fell over yesterday. We'll post again soon, hopefully with pictures of the little one.

July 28th

2010-07-28T20:57:00.000-05:00

Exactly 4 weeks remaining. Can you believe it? Us either.

What a day today. After Parker was dropped off at day-care we received a call asking if we would give permission to let him travel on a bus (his first bus ride ever) to the Shawano Speedway with the older kids. I wanted to watch him on his first bus ride, plus it was 35-45 minutes away so it wasn't just a quick stroll across town but I guess this means he is growing up. We were excited for him but sad at the same time, all parents know the feeling. If you know anything about Parker, he loves 3 things in his life; his Mom first and foremost, his dinosaurs and his race cars. He came home with stickers, race car spec sheets, and he was full of stories about the cars and the race track. And to top it off he went to McDonalds for lunch. He ate the apples, drank his milk and still won't eat the burgers or the chicken nuggets...I love him! It was great to see him sooo excited about his day with the big kids. After dinner we ran over to the Neville Museum in GB for a quick tour. He loved the little boxes they had set up for kids to "dig up" eggs like a paleontologist and the ice cave. What a great day for the whole family.

Here is Parker with the "Big Brother" T rex

....and the Dad Trex

Enjoying time with Mom

Mom and baby posing for the Bald Eagle

while Parker looks for snakes

Exploring different types of eggs

Parker checking out Oviraptor eggs that were found in China

Digging for eggs with Mom

Only as big as an adult therapod tibia, I think

Walking with the Dinosaurs next week will be amazing for our junior paleontologist

Week 35

2010-07-26T21:07:00.000-05:00

4 weeks and counting before the newest family member arrives. Since our last post we have taken the kids out on the boat, attended the Mellenthin family Christmas in July and had a few pretty funny comments from Parker. Tomorrow we have an appointment for Pen and the baby, after that, we continue waiting. Next week will be busy with an appointment Tuesday and then Walking with the Dinosaurs on Wednesday. Parker is so excited, we can't wait to take him.

The Berggren's were out on the boat with us, Madisyn was brave and went tubing with daddy! Sweet, we have a waterbug on our hands. And Parker practice swimming at Grandma & Grandpa's pool the following weekend and loved Brody's slip n' slide.

Before the pictures I have to share one story:
Sunday I was on my my to play basketball in Appleton and I received a phone call from Penny. Not the call, the baby isn't ready yet. Parker was at home and apparently needed to do the good ol' # 2 half way through his bath. While in the process of doing his business, Pen heard him say " come on sunshine" in reference to his #2 that wasn't coming out as fast as he wanted. Pretty hilarious stuff! Can't wait for the next one to join our journey.

Boat Works Again

2010-07-11T19:09:00.001-05:00

Great weekend for waterskiing. Friday night we spent time with Keith, Laura, Bella and Olivia at Fratellos by the water. It was a great summer evening for a relaxing dinner and walk along the Ashwaubenon "boardwalk". Saturday morning I went for the first of many long runs in preparation for the Chicago marathon in October. After the run, Mark and Brian met me at the boat landing to test the Mastercraft out and it worked great. No wind, 7am and only 2 boats on the river makes for great skiing conditions. This week we have our 34 week appointment for Penny...time is flying and soon we'll be post newborn pictures....riding along with the rest of the family on the boat. I want the newest family member to be one with the water & the boat. I guy can dream, right.

Extended Weekend

2010-07-05T17:08:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we took Grandpa Steve and Grandma Teresa to Bay Beach for a few rides before the rain came. We had a great picnic and then opted for Toy Story 3 in the evening. Today when everyone else went shopping, Parker and I ran around in the rain. It was awesome. And I may have to do some laundry...shhhh. Parker had so much fun that I had to take a break and grab the camera so everyone else could see it.

Bay Beach - July 4th

July 5th...if you can't beat the rain...enjoy it.

Day of Relaxation

2010-07-04T11:12:00.000-05:00

Friday night the Roquette grandparents arrived in Green Bay after a long drive, it is so nice to have them here for the weekend. Friday night was visiting at home and we found time to take them to a park so they could run around with Parker and work the kinks out after sitting for 7 hours. Saturday morning we made waffles and headed up to Menominee, MI to visit with the Mellenthin grandparents at the sailboat. It was a hot day but it was breezy so we didn't overheat. We played at the beach, went for "small boat" rides, walked the break wall and relaxed on the boat. I think everyone had a great day. If you know us at all it won't be a surprise to know that we topped it all off with Culvers ice cream on the way home.

Baby Mellenthin

2010-06-28T20:12:00.001-05:00

Tonight we had our 32 week appointment. I can't believe that we are so far along already, our due date is 8/28....not much longer now. During the first pregnancy Penny didn't make it full term, she had Parker right around 37 weeks so we might be closer than we think. The baby's butt is on the right side so Pen is slightly "uneven" most days and can feel it pushing all the time, I guess the baby likes to shake it's booty. Everything is right on schedule, our next appointment in 2 weeks. It might be time to start thinking about names, we are accepting suggestions if you have any.

June 2010

2010-06-28T20:00:00.000-05:00

It has been a busy month at the Mellenthin residence and the camera has been a little absent. June has been filled with fixing the house so we can put it on the market, getting ready for baby 2 (sounds better than 'it' right) and having fun in the sun. Jeffrey and Talaine visited for the Bellin Run and soon the Roquette grandparents will be here to visit, we spent a weekend in Madison with Angie, Moe & Christian and now it is time to relax and enjoy the summer. Here are a few pics from June.

Bellin Run - Kid's Edition

2010-06-12T06:09:00.003-05:00

Last night was the Children's Bellin Run and the rain held out so the kids could run their tails off. Pen planned a Bellin tailgate party at our house for pre and post race fun. The kids had a blast and the parents enjoyed getting together for beer and brats. What a great way to start the weekend, with family and friends.

Trying to find a new template; patience is required

2010-06-01T21:20:00.000-05:00

Summer Fun

2010-06-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

What a great weekend. Weather was perfect, lots of time with the family playing outside, planting flowers, washing vehicles and we got to watch Riley Berggren. Sunday fun day was moved to Monday when the Berggrens returned from MN. The kids never cease to amaze me. Monday night they had fun in the sun with the sprinkler, and who let them get a hold of the spray on sun block?

Summer is Here

2010-05-22T22:39:00.000-05:00

Garage sales, yard work, neighbors kids playing in the backyard and dinner outside...a great start to the weekend. Tomorrow we will take some pictures of all the events since I predict it will be very similar to today. Sunday morning the boys are testing the boat at 6AM, its going to be a windy day and I just want to make sure its ready to go when everyone is with.

Parker's First Race

2010-05-01T21:08:00.003-05:00

May 1, 2010. Parker's first race. Today we ran the ACS Fun Run in Downtown Green Bay with about 25 other kids.

Ready. Set. Go.

Right out of the gate Parker sprinted hard so I told him to slow down a little as he tried to keep up with the older kids. Mom was at the 100m mark cheering us on. He made the turn at 200m and he was doing well. At 300m he looked at me and said "Dad, I'm getting tired." Naturally I told him to keep pushing, keep running, we are almost to the finish line. He did it, he kept running as hard as he could and we crossed the finish line together. No pictures of the actual race but I will never forget it and mom could see the determination in his face the whole time. Words cannot describe how proud we were as Parker ran his heart out on the quarter mile course. He was so excited after his bath tonight that he put his medal on and we got this picture.

Its been awhile

2010-04-26T19:26:00.013-05:00

Some time has passed since our last post. Parker turned 4, Penny is 22 weeks along and Dave ran is first half marathon. So here is a recap of the last 5-6 weeks.

Family Picture Night

2010-03-16T21:27:00.002-05:00

Tonight we ventured over to JCPenney for our final "family of 3" photos. Parker was a champ, he smiled great for the family pictures and even saved a grin or two for a few solo pictures. Afterward we decided to celebrate a successful evening at the Olive Garden. On the way home Parker was eating a piece of candy and he fell asleep hold half of it in his right hand and the other half in his cheek. Honestly, how do you fall asleep while chewing? It was amazing. He woke up when we arrived at home and started packing toys, books and movies for our trip to MN this week. We will update everyone with pictures from our trip and our photo shoot later this week.

USA. USA. USA.

2010-02-04T20:11:00.003-06:00

Parker came home tonight and sang "god bless the usa" ... (check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-9_fDEsv-Q) to Penny and I. It was pretty awesome to hear him sing it. He was so proud, not so much at the words since the meaning isn't there yet, but the accomplishment of teaching us something. Its amazing to watch him learn and grow each day.

workin' 9 to 5

2010-01-20T18:30:00.002-06:00

Today Penny dropped Parker off at work around 4:30 so we walked around and talked a lot of people. He was so well behaved, why pay day-care to watch him when he could just hang out with me all day. Right! The most common theme was...Is he tall for his age? Sadly, I have no idea since he hasn't been in for a routine visit for a LONG time. My first thought is, he looks little to me. I guess everyone does when you're 6'6". Anyway, he walked around like he owned the place and he asked everyone he saw for a piece of candy. After a handful of tootsie rolls, reeses and suckers we are ready for dinner. Someone did ask him if he wanted to go home with them and he said "I want to go with my dad" ... I'll take it since that won't always be the answer.

Quotes of the Week

2010-01-17T21:24:00.002-06:00

Parker's quotes that made us laugh this week:

After trying his first smoothie he said..."that's disgusting" while scowling his face.

While going to the bathroom at Kohl's in the handicapped stall Parker says "this is for fat people, not straight people"...pretty sure he meant skinny people, and that's what makes it so funny

During the Vikings game after we told him they would win he said " I love the Vikings, I love the Packers, I love all teams.......except the Bears, they lose too much"