Lunder Family Christmas!

We celebrated Christmas a bit early with the Lunder family (Granny V's side) who all came into town from Sioux Falls, even Great Grandma Jane! Kyle says if she keeps shrinking, she'll be the same size as Koen next year :) Too cute! Elly and Ali were amazing hosts...everything was perfectly done from the decorations to the delicious food! We know it was a lot of work...and I think Ali was happy to say "One and done!"

So, the Lunder Christmas is always an experience....it is tradition to hire a piano player so we can all sing Christmas Carols out of the family book...THEN, we all play bells! I'm serious, it is quite the event! This year we got to hear Sunni play her harp and Soren sing a duet with her! It was beautiful! If Koen gets some musical talent, we know which side it came from! We had a great time! It was especially fun for Koen to spend time with Edward (from Norway) and Ella (from Sioux Falls) who he's only met once before!

Laura (Kyle's cousin), Ella and Koen

Koen and Edward

Hiding in the back with Grandpa....the bells were getting too loud :)

5 months!

Koen celebrated 5 months on December 9th, 2009, the same day that his Granny V celebrated her 60th Birthday! Happy Birthday Granny! We couldn't be there to celebrate Granny's Birthday because we were in San Diego, but I heard it was a great party! We'll celebrate in Hawaii!

A few things he's learned in 5 months....: he makes farting noises with his lips and he spits his drool everywhere; he rolls over and over; he say's 'bababababa'; he still loves to stand when you help him; he grabs his toys and brings them right to his mouth; he can grab his Nuk and put it in his mouth; he's happiest when he's naked; he started baby foods....loves sweet potatoes and hates peas; at Gramma H's place, he loves to scoot around in his play/walker; he LOVES to shop (spent 5 hours at Rosedale with Auntie Kaycee!!!)...

Here are some fun pics from the last few weeks:

Can't go anywhere without the NUK!

Nakey boy!

His nickname from PandaBite.com: Prince!

Grandma Surver

On December 13, 2009 we lost our beloved Grandma Surver. Anyone that knew Gram felt blessed to know her. She was the true meaning of 'family'....never missing an important event in our lives. She was there to meet Koen in the hospital the day after he was born and she was so excited to have another great-grandchild (5 total)! In October, we celebrated her 80th birthday before her and Grandpa Bob headed down to Florida for the winter. It's hard to know that we won't be able to get another hug from Gram or have another one of her famous sugar cookies, but we know she's up there watching over all of us. How lucky heaven is to have her......We will miss her greatly.

Stay Classy San Diego!!!

This past Sunday, Lindsey, Koen and I flew out to San Diego to see my best friend Becky. Koen was a rockstar on the airplane (I have to admit, I was terrified of how he would behave) and even some of the passengers commented on how great he was. On the flight home, we had a isle seat and I had Koen standing up on my lap. He eye-balled every passenger that walked passed him and smiled at them. He was definitely a charmer!

It had been over 100 days since it last rained in San Diego and wouldn't you know, the first day we got there, it rained ALL day. It didn't bother us though, as we decided to stay indoors and SHOP! The next day we brought Koen out to the beach, walked around, had some lunch and window shopped. Becky and her roommates (Kelly-sister and Kosta-Kelly's boyfriend) cooked dinner for us everynight, it was delicious! Our last day, the weather was perfect so we decided to take Koen for his first swim! At first, he didn't really react to the water, but once he figured out how to splash with his hands, he had a great time! A huge thank you to Linds for helping Koen fly for the first time....and another big thanks to Becky (Kel and Kosta) for hosting us all week and showing us around her new home city! It was a great time!

Linds and Koen....

First time at the beach. "Mission Beach, CA"

First time swimming at Becky's pool. He loved it!

We found the perfect tree!

The whole Hemenway clan (all 13.5 of us!)bundled up, put the kids on our backs and headed out to Wisconsin to pick out our Christmas trees. We were almost sent home just after we arrived as Sam spotted a few "Packer Fans" and started yelling at them...(he, of course had his Viking gear on, along with Kyle)!

We each found our own special tree.... Matt, KC, Abby and Sam's was the biggest. They named theirs Clarence :)

Andy found his ...with the help of Sam!

And here is our little tree.....(Joe, Brooke and Finn's was even smaller!)

All the boys....

Dad and Koen....

Can you find all the kids....hint, there are 4 of them :)

Thanksgiving 2009

Happy Thanksgiving! It's crazy to think that last year at this time we were preparing to tell our families the news that we were expecting Koen. I remember being so thrilled to share our great news! And now, Koen is almost 5 months old...just another reminder of how fast time goes!
We celebrated the day with both families! We had our first meal at Gpa and Granny V's house and our second meal at Gma and Gpa Pops place. Koen got to spend a lot of time with his great aunts/uncles and second cousin's....and of course, we all ate too much!
Soren and Sunni with Koen.

Gpa V and his little buddy.

Granny V and Koen

Cousin Katie, the next MN hockey star!

Auntie Amy holding Koen...and being silly with Finner.

Fun Pics!

Koen enjoying some good tummy time!

Finn and Koen, hanging out on the mat. Love the look on Finn's face :)

Koen's new play center....he got it from his buddy Malik and he LOVES it! Thanks Malik!

Keelin and Koen on the mat! (Night at the Roxbury??!!)

Rice Cereal!

The doctor gave us the go-ahead to start some rice cereal at night. We were pretty excited and hopeful that it would help him sleep a bit better. The first night we gave it to him, he did not like it at all, in fact he spit it all out and cried (but he only woke up once that night!) That didn't last long, because the next night he couldn't get enough. He even grabbed our hand to pull the spoon faster to his mouth. Pretty funny! He loves it now!

Play date with the Washington's!

Koen and I spent the afternoon with The Washington Trio, Jennifer and Gammy Jan! Gammy Jan was my second mom growing up and she was thrilled to meet Koen! Jennifer is my oldest friend whom I met when I was 4 and she was 3. We were the only girls in the neighborhood and did whatever we could to play street hockey or kick the can with the boys. It's hard to believe so much time has gone by and we are now raising our own babies! The trio: Zoey is 4, Amaya is 19 months, and Malik 9 is months. I don't know how Jennifer does it! The kids were so great and gentle with Koen, it was fun to watch!

Here is Koen with Gammy Jan :)

And Jennifer holding a crabby Koen, with Malik below and Amaya on her lap.

The Baptism

Koen was baptized last Saturday (November 14th) and we didn't know how he would do with all the attention on him. Well, it was another sign that he is definitely his father's son.... he worked the congregation.... smiling and chatting the whole time he was on stage! He really enjoyed being the center of attention. After the service, we went over to Grandma and Grandpa Pop's place for chili and quality family time. Kyle's aunt, uncle and cousin (Jon, Suzanne & Katie) were in town from South Dakota so they were able to join us too! Thanks to Joe & Brooke and Elly & Ali for accepting responsibility as Koen's God Parents!

Best buds :) Cousin Sam and Koen!

Koen was so content chewing on Uncle Jon's fingers and he loved hanging out with his cousin Katie!

Cousin Finn wrestling with Koen.

4 month appointment or a 6 month appointment???

We had Koen's 4 month appointment today. Dr. Saxton immediately commented on his strength and ask me if I was sure he was only 4 months... She said he had the strength of a 6 month old (clearly he gets that from his mother!). When I told her he was rolling over on his own, she didn't believe it. Then Koen decided to show off and actually roll over! Thanks for the proof Koen!!! Koen had 3 shots today and he did sooooo well. He cried for a bit after them, but smiled and was happy shortly after :)

Here are the stats:

Weight: 14 lbs 15 ounces....50th percentile

Height: 25 3/4 inches...75th percentile

Head: 16 1/2 cm.....25th percentile

So, to sum it up, he's tall and skinny with a little head. :)

4 months, 2 feet, 1 roll-over and almost a beer!

We've had a lot of milestones this week....Koen turned 4 months, he discovered his feet, he rolled over for the first time and he tried to drink his first beer! Good thing mom and dad are great photographers, we were able to get each event on camera!

When Koen gets his diaper changed, he loves to be naked and grab his feet. He chats and giggles nonstop. He could be naked for hours and be happy!

Here is the video of Koen rolling over. I know, I know...I gave him a little push to make it over, but I swear, just before I got the camera out he rolled over on his own. We were not expecting him to roll over so soon!!!

It looks as though I am holding him towards this big beer...not the case. He actually lunged forward and grabbed the beer so fast it almost went flying off the table :) Like father, like son.

A sad goodbye.....

This past weekend, our 6 1/2 year old Leon fell severely ill. On Saturday, he started vomitting and wasn't able to keep anything down. Sunday morning, we took him into the emergency clinic where they diagnosed him with severe dehydration and pancreatitis. They were not sure which came first, but they told us he was 'very sick and depressed'. The ICU pumped him full of liquids and they were able to keep him stable throughout the day and into the night. When we picked him up on Monday morning to transport him to the 24 hour hospital, he looked terrible and he seemed to be slowly worsening. He was bleeding and vomitting regularily and not responding to any of the treatments. By 3pm on Monday, the doctor called to say he was loosing oxygen, his blood pressure had dropped and he was now bleeding from his nose. We rushed to the hospital and said our final goodbyes. As hard as it was to say goodbye, we knew that he would be in a better place....reuniting with many of his relatives and old friends. For all that knew Leon, he was a dog with an amazing zest and energy for life...and at times, a little spazy! We have so many memories of Leon: wrestling with his best buddy Jacks; greeting every visitor at the front door (some a little more personal than others!); suckling on his stuffed animals; getting harassed by Elvis; snuggling under the covers; spending time with Uncle Geno; sitting in Koen's car seat and making Koen laugh. We miss him so much.

Koen's first Halloween!

Happy Halloween!!! Yes, Koen did have TWO outfits for Halloween, I guess we are those parents (the ones we swore we wouldn't be!). The Dumbo costume is a hand-me-down from Finn...it was a bit large on the head, but hilarious none the less! Koen wore his lobster on Thursday night to carve pumpkins at Uncle Andy's house.... and again for the Halloween party on Saturday night.

Here is Finn, the dragon/dinosaur, trying sooo hard to teach Koen 'knucks'...he was getting a bit frustrated! Don't give up, Finn, soon enough!!!!

On Halloween, Koen got to spend the morning and afternoon at Granny & Grandpa V's house while mom and dad worked at Snap! We were told that he was well behaved...!!! He got to meet his twin buddies, Aiden and Patrick McDonald, who's parents are Kyle's old babysitters (I didn't have my camera with to take a pic! They were dressed as a lion and a duck, so adorable!)!

That night, we all dressed up and headed over to Uncle Andy's Annual Halloween Party!

Koen is wondering what the heck is on Grandpa Pop's head and face...he's the Indian from the Village People...and Grandma is Phillis from The Office...

Here are Koen's cousins...Abby and Sam....Shark-girl and Lava-boy!

Here's the family Halloween pic. Mom's the cowboy from the Village People...Dad's the lunch lady from SNL.

And last but not least.....The Village People (Rogo, Uncle Andy, Uncle Joe, Mom and Gpa Pops)......a bit ridiculous! "It's raining men, Hallejulah!" Happy Halloween!!!!