I guess We are up to May

Things are happening too fast to keep everyone updated! I need more time, more sleep and more patience! So please bear with me! To save time, since I downloaded pics in chronological order, they of course have most recent at the top of the page. I could rearrange but that would take forever (which I have already mentioned I have no time!). So, I am going from most recent back to May!!

Heikki is doing his 2 weeks active duty for the Coast Guard down in Corpus Christi, TX. We went down to visit him for Father's Day weekend. Here we are going to breakfast on the Navy base in Corpus. Markku was having a bad day, so he wouldn't look at the camera!

Suvi was playing on the playset. Markku was off crying or pouting so no pics of him! I did mention he was having bad day! He was really tired-we kept him up late the night before, and boy did we pay (both kids were tired on Sunday as were we!). Saturday we had gone to the beach and had a perfect day! The kids were so much fun to be with! They loved swimming! They loved the waves and the sand! The water here is REALLY warm and it is around 100 degrees and Corpus is VERY humid. I really wish I could figure out how to download video as they were having such a blast and I would love to share it with y'all! But here are some photos instead (not quite as good at capturing the pure joy, but they will do!

Of course there was also planes, helicopters, kayaks, boats and you name it here on base! This is an old trainer-not used any more.

Just about 2 week before this trip, we were in Portland, OR for my sister Jenn's wedding. She and Dan finally decided to tie the knot after something like 12 years of dating. They still live in different countries, but maybe that can be rectified now! Markku was ring bearer, Suvi a flower girl and I was Matron of honor. We also visited my in-laws. Here is Suvi on Puget Island with some sort of elf hat on-something her Aunt Liisa made or wore or I don't know, I didn't get the whole story, but Suvi loved it!

Markku fits in Portland so well. He loves public transit, something Texas is sorely lacking! Here Markku is waiting for the street car-it is FREE downtown so we rode it around. Notice also he is carrying his model airplane. The streets are of course wet-it was raining. What a surprise! I just love the intent concentration-he did not want to miss that train!

Of course the reason we were there to begin with, Jenn's wedding. I don't have any of the professional photos yet, but here are some Heikki took...

This is of course the wedding party. Jenn wore a beautiful blue dress and the whole color theme was brown and blue. Even the cupcakes matched! My mom made the flowers out of felt.

Suvi loved her job as flower girl, but she preferred Jenn's bouquet-it was the biggest! Markku was very busy playing trucks and being bribed with candy to be good, be quiet, walk down the aisle, sit still, don't cry, etc to get too many pics of him! But he looked pretty cute himself!

We have seen Ukki and Mummo Frederick very little (except at the wedding), but back on May 31 we went to their house and swam and celebrated my birthday.Once again pure joy-my kids love to swim! Markku is mostly a blur and he jumps in swims, gets out and repeats over and over. He swims all the way across the pool.

Markku just jumped in-I just got the splash!

May 12 was Markku's third birthday. We celebrated with Mummo and Bill-my parents were not there and no party as both Suvi and Markku had had fevers just 2 days before! We had to cancel his party. (Don't worry, we have another one planned for July 5 and it is a pool party!)

Of course even if you have a fever you get to open presents!

Wow! A recycling truck!

Look at his cake that I made! No party but we had a really cool fire engine cake! My mom helped=but I did most of the decorating. Now I have to try again for the July 5th party! Yikes! Markku wants a yellow one next time he told me! He didn't like red Icing!

OK I think that gets everyone caught up. Now for some cute things that Markku has said:
1) We are learning the sounds that letters make (r says errrr!) So one night in the tub he asks, "What does 2 do?" I tried to explain that 2 is a number and doesn't have a sound. I am not sure he believe me!

2) We have been having some trying days sometimes. I can get overwhelmed and may have a few instances where I may raise my voice in exasperation (or desperation)! One night, I was trying to get Markku to listen and stop splashing water out of the tub and onto his sister. So I got mad after the third time. I yelled. Markku started to cry. So I explained that he has 2 choices, he can obey me with 1-2 warnings and get a nice mommy or try to push it and disobey me and get a mean mommy. "Your choice, nice mommy or mean mommy!" Well I of course felt guilty as soon as I said it, and figured he didn't really understand. But he did. The next day or so we were watching a Care Bears video and a mean ghost like creature with red eyes and a hood appears. He tells me it is scary. Then he tells me it is "mean mommy". Nice hunh??? By the way, the character's name is No Heart.

3) Markku was telling me he was all done with dinner. He says, "My belly way top!" He didn't eat much so I asked, Are you sure? He replies as he is lifting his shirt: "Yes, see?" He points to his tummy!

April

Since I am still so far behind, I guess I will update everyone on April!
First off, we moved! We bought a house in Kyle, Texas (about 18 miles south of our previous home). We just love our new house and neighborhood, Plum Creek. There are hike in bike trails, stocked fishing lakes, playgrounds, pools, basketball courts, family activities, and more in our new neighborhood. We even have a playground right across the street!

Our new house and the park across the street!

Then on the 14th Suvi had her ear surgery to have the ear tubes placed. This is her at the hospital, riding in a wagon while we waited her turn. It was better than Markku's surgery day-we got to arrive several hours later and it was a surgery center just for kids. Everyone was very nice and Suvi did very well. So far, no ear infections!

Then, one week later on April 20, 2009 we had a very special day. It was Suvi's first birthday! I can't believe a year has gone by. She has grown so much and so has Markku! Suvi really enjoyed her party-especially the ladybug cupcakes I made myself! Yes, everyone, I made them. See the photos?! They look pretty good if I do say so myself! I will turn into a homemaker yet!

Here is the birthday girl eating her cupcake! And look at the cupcakes!

She really like opening presents. Markku could have cared less at his first birthday-but Suvi started tearing the paper off right away. She really got into it!

And of course, here is Markku eating Suvi's cake. He was almost as messy as Suvi!

At the end of April some friends and I (and the kiddos) went to the Weiner dog races in Buda, TX. It was fun to watch the races...I still cannot figure out how to upload video so I can't show you all the races, but here is Markku and his friend Donovan playing at the races. Then we got a family shot (well, minus Heikki) in front of a firetruck!

Technically the petting zoo was an event in early May, but it is a yearly event my new neighborhood puts on. It is called Front Porch days. They have a petting zoo, pony rides, jumping houses, 2 stages with concerts, food and more! It was a lot of fun and it was all free!!!! Suvi loved her first pony ride. Markku has yet to ride a pony. He went with Heikki to Oregon this weekend. He ran his first Marathon in Eugene! Go Heikki go! He did finish, not in record winning time but a very respectful time of 4 hours something--sorry hon, I forgot the exact time! So anyways, Markku was having fun with his mummo and Bill and Aunt Kaisa and Uncle John. Suvi and I stayed home and enjoyed some quality girl time. It is amazing how special that little girl is! I missed Markku so much. He was always too busy having fun to talk to me on the phone whenever I called. It made me so sad, but I was glad he was having fun! I guess on the last night Bill said something about momma and Suvi and Markku got real quiet, his lower lip started to tremble and he started to cry. He really did miss us!

Lastly, we finally went to see the bats fly out from under the Congress bridge in downtown Austin. We have been meaning to go forever, (or for 3 years at least!) and finally did it. It was an amazing site! There are millions of bats there-all of them were mommies and their babies stay up in the concrete under the bridge while mom goes out hunting at night! The black waves in the sky are all bats!

So anyways, I will next update everyone on May and I guess June. Maybe I will catch up soon enough!

Back up to March...

Since I am sooooo far behind, I thought I would take it month by month to catch everyone up! So, back to March! We went to the Kite Festival in Zilker Park, here in Austin.

Markku flew his first Kite. He was pretty good at it-it stayed up in the air and he even took down another kite! He could be a Kite Runner!

One day in early March Markku was out with me drawing on the driveway with chalk. He decided to draw Tillie (our dog). He came up with this picture:

It was his first drawing that actually wasn't scribble! See her body, legs nose and tail?

What a cute boy. He was playing in the closet while Heikki packed for a trip and found Heikki's old Navy cover (hat). He liked wearing it.

Here's me with kids, hanging out:

On March 25, my mother in law got married in Maui, Hawaii. We had a grand adventure with the whole Laukkanen family (well, almost everyone...). Here is a sampling of photos-I took a lot!

Markku and Suvi meet the Pacific ocean. Markku is a little fearful. He told me: " Mar no like dat water. It's too loud!" What a great description of the crashing waves-too loud! Suvi on the other hand loved the ocean. She even surfed for the first time! Markku loved the sand and the kayak:

Here he is playing with his cousin Dashiell. They did ok-except both wanted to play with the one truck we had!

Markku and Suvi were adorable in their wedding attire-Suvi a pretty pink dress with polka dots for her mummo, and Markku in an aloha shirt and khakis.

The wedding was at a ranch on top of a mountain, overlooking th eocean. It was a beautiful day. Mirjami was a gorgeous bride and Bill looked pretty great himself! The Laukkanen's can really clean up!

Isa loves to put on a show with the kids. Look at Suvi fly! We tried hard to get a family pic, but the kids would not cooperate. So this is what we got!

Suvi and her aunt Kaisa, and Suvi with Aunt Liisa and her boyfriend Johan. I mean Suvi's boyfriend by the way. They were very smitten with each other! Suvi just loved him!

Aunt Liisa, cousin Ava and Suvi with a happy Dashiell.

Markku spelling out the sign we found. Quiet Trees at Work! Hidden semi-private beach.

Hiking, sight seeing, trip to the aquarium, hanging out and eating, and watching sunsets rounded out our great vacation! If you think our March was busy, just wait until I post April! Aloha!

Where to begin...

Well, it has been awhile and I can't even begin to think about where to start! To your dismay I am sure, I am unable to find the cords and device I use to download my pics! My mom unpacked my computer, I can't find it! It will turn up soon, or I will buy a new one I promise!

Hawaii:
We went to Hawaii (Maui) at the end of March for my MIL's wedding. It was super fun-with the kids and the rest of the family. We had everyone there: us, Heikki's sister Kaisa and husband John, sister Liisa popped in from her trip around the world with boyfriend Johan, John's brother Jesse and his friend Elizabeth, Great Uncle Hannu and Aunt Wanda, Mirjami and Bill (the wedding couple of course!) and Heikki's brother Mikko, wife Joanna, Their kids Dashiell and the new baby of the family-Ava made her debut all the way from London! It was truly a fun filled week of sun, beach, family gatherings and of course a gorgeous Hawaiian wedding. Welcome to the family Bill!

Suvi loved the ocean-she thought the waves were fantastic! Markku preferred the swimming pool, but loved the sand. Suvi took her first completely independent steps in Hawaii-about 3 at a time. I got to see Sea turtles while snorkeling. I Love Turtles! I can't wait to show you pictures!

New House:
After that whirlwind week and LOOOOONG trip home on a red eye flight, we moved! April 3 we closed on our new house and finally are home owner's again! We love our new house. It is a 2 story house, very bright with lots of large windows. Best of all, there is a playscape in a park across the street! Markku says "I love my oooo house" every day at least 10 times (translation: I love my new house). Suvi likes that we now have carpet for her to fall on and practice walking. I hate that we now have carpet-pets and kids do not make friends with a WHITE carpet! We still have much unpacking and stuff to do, but if anyone is in the neighborhood or wants to be in the neighborhood, come on by! Again, I can't wait to show you pictures!

Suvi's ear tube surgery:
Then the next week (April 14) we had Suvi's ear tubes placed. I had to wake us up super early and drive into Austin last week for this. We should have post-poned moving! Suvi did very well-I hope that these tubes work for her as well as Markku's did. She is a trooper-she was smiling at all the nurses and doctors, making fast friends. She only cried a little after anesthesia while waking up-and nursing stopped that even. You know what I thought was strange--no one even listened to her heart or examined her. No pre-op blood work, no IV catheter. I guess they just depend on her pediatrician to have listened to her heart previously-the ENT doctor never has, nor did the anesthesiologist. I was very surprised when Markku had his surgery 2 years ago as well. It was a very nice facility with nice nurses and staff-they even called the day after surgery to make sure everything was ok.

Now, we are on the eve of Suvi's 1 year Birthday! This time last year I was getting nervous (not in labor yet, but Heikki left for a 4 day stay in California). I can not believe it has been a year. She is such a big girl now. I will for sure post pics of her birthday. We are not having a big bash like we did for Markku. We have been way to busy and with just moving and Heikki's schedule we could not get it done! I am hoping to have a party for Markku's birthday next month! I better get planning...

Ok, off the find that picture downloading device...

We have been so busy these past few weeks. I am amazed how fast Suvi (and Markku) is growing up.

Suvi updates:
1. She is walking while holding on to one hand or a push toy.
2. She waves bye bye and says something that sounds like bye bye sometimes.
3. She wants to feed herself all the time, so she is almost weaned off baby foods! She can't get the concept of putting a spoon in her mouth yet with food still on it. she uses her fingers to shovel in it faster than I can cut it up!
4. She still has only 2 bottom teeth, but I am certain more are coming.
5. She is almost 11 months old! (birthday April 20)

Markku updates:
1. He knows his letters and reads them off to me all the time wherever we go. He only knows the capital letters so far. He taught himself from some bathtub foam letters we have. Friends gave them to us and we are missing a few. He calls "M" and "W" both an "M". He can read upside down! He calls an exclamation point an "i". as well.
2. He finally said another number today besides 2. He said "3" when he had 3 sippy cups of water.
3. He calls his mummos and Isa on the phone to hear there voices and will leave a message if they don't answer.
4. He may be getting the idea of time. He will say, "not now, in 2 weeks!" It started when I told him we would go see Mummo and Bill in Hawaii in 2 weeks, not now. Now he uses it for everything. No night night. Not now, in 2 weeks! or he asks me to save his banana for later-in 2 weeks!
5. He is almost 3 years old! (On May 12)

Heikki and Casey updates:
We bought a house! Our offer was accepted and we are on our way to owning again! Yeah! It is a very beautiful home that is located directly across the street from a very nice park! It is not in Austin, but a town about 25 minutes south. We are supposed to close April 3.
In between now and then we have lots to do. Besides getting a mortgage, inspection, etc, we have a week trip to Hawaii for Heikki's mom's wedding! We will meet our new niece Ava and see everyone in the family again. It should be lots of fun. We don't really ever take these type of vacations, at least not since our honeymoon! Of course, now we will have us and both kids in a room with us for a week, and very long airplane rides. Then we'll see if we ever do it again!
Heikki is almost 35 years old (on March 20)!