Flashback Wednesday

Brayden, 3 years old & Burke, approx 4 months old

Burke's new talent...the Double Nookie!

Now that's some talent people!!!

Spring is Here!

Spring is here!! And we're sure enjoying the weather!!

St. Patrick's Day

Just a few pics of the boys' St. Patrick's Day shirts...

Hope everyone has a Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Yo Gabba Gabba

I decided to torture myself and take the kids to the Yo Gabba Gabba show. Actually, it wasn't that bad and the kids loved it. Here are a few pics from the show.

"Bay Bay (aka Brayden) did it"

I posted this on my Facebook, but figured I'd post it for the people who don't have a facebook account. Burke's already blaming his brother for things...

March Update

Everyone is doing well at the Sickler house. We're getting ready for Spring, that is for sure! I can't wait until we can go play outside in the warm sunlight!!

Brayden is very excited to be starting Kindergarten in the fall- he'll go to Rosemount Elementary and he got into full-time Kindergarten so that is very exciting for us. He's such a smart little guy. He's been doing great at daycare and enjoying gymnastics, cooking club and phonics. He'll be starting soccer next month. He makes us laugh daily. He's obsessed with Star wars and making his daddy proud...

I'm happy to report that Burke has still been sleeping AWESOME. It's so nice to finally get uninterrupted sleep after 18 months of not sleeping through the night. I honestly had given up on a good night's sleep. I am amazed that in approximately 6 weeks Burke will be 2 years old! Seriously, where does the time go? My baby is already two. WOW. He's such a fun little guy. He's better behaved (not so crazy) and is talking SO much. He's such a sweetheart and loves to give "kissy lips" kisses and sing the Barney song. He also loves saying his animal sounds.

Overall, we're still doing very well. Life is good! Here are some pictures over the last few weeks. ENJOY!

Playing in the snow with daddy
Mom and Brayden

Naughty Burke!!

"Kissy lips"

Making English Muffin pizzas with mom

My handsome Brayden

SO tired...

Burke, in mom's hat.

Grand Rios

Valentine's weekend we went and enjoyed some time as a family at the Grand Rios hotel/waterpark in Brooklyn Park. The kids loved it! (and so did us parents...) It was a nice night away together as a family. Here are some pictures from our weekend away. Enjoy! Brayden and daddy tubing on the lazy river
Brayden
The Kids area
Burke, snuggled up, getting ready for bed

Enjoying doughnuts for breakfast!!!

Brayden, enjoying the slide

Burke, dumping the garlic butter sauce all over himself during pizza dinner...(naughty baby!!)

Brothers

It was a great time! Hope everyone had a great Valentine's day!

Burke's Animal Sounds

Kids Update

Well, it's been a while since I updated and so I figured I'd give everyone an update on the Sickler world. We had about a 2 week stint with sickenesses (flu and colds), but we've recovered and are doing very well!

Brayden is a busy boy. Still has hockey 3-5 times per week, but that is slowly coming to an end. In a new revelation, he now doesn't think that hockey is his dream sport and is interested more in "soccer and gymnastics". We'll see what happens with that. I am enrolling him in a soccer league and also in a gymnastics class for the spring. He's such a smart little guy in school and we've been doing a lot of stuff regarding Kindergarten in the fall. Yes, he'll be off to school in the fall. *TEARS*. Kidding, I'm sure he'll be great. He passed his Kindergarten screening with flying colors. He knows all his numbers/letters now- can recognize and write them and also knows his colors, shapes, etc.. He can do some basic addition and is also starting to tell time. We're trying to get him enrolled in a magnet school (Diamond Path), but if he doesn't get in (it's tough), he'll go to Rosemount Elementary. We're happy with either- all the schools in the district are great and we've toured both and he's excited either way. Diamond Path is a magnet school, the school of international studies. The kids learn a second language from K on. I have read a lot of research about learning a second language from a young age and the positives of that. Again, it's tough to get into, but we'll see. Other than that, he's just being a boy. Playing and working hard!

Burke is still a busy body. He is learning so much every day. He's finally sleeping really good (I'm sure I jinxed it) but seriously, he's sleeping through the night consistently now (except two days last week where he had a double ear infection). That has been a great thing around our house- actually sleeping without interruption. He wakes about 6:30-7am and usually sits in there singing or talking to himself for at least 30 mins. He's so cute. Too bad it only took about 2 years to get to this great sleeping pattern, but what do you do?! We'll take it. He still adores his big brother and follows and copies him all the time. What Brayden does, Burke does. Brayden got a new bed (a bunk bed) and if Burke is absent, we can always find him on the top bunk- he learned to climb that thing day 2 and can go from the main level of the house to Brayden's room and up to the top bunk in about 2 minutes flat. He's quick. We have to remember to take the ladder off every morning or else you will surely find a silly boy enjoying the peace and quiet from the top view. He will also be enrolling in a spring gymnastics (toddler tumbling) class. I'm sure he will love it. He's starting to count and loves to sing songs. He's talking more and more every day and is starting to put together two- three word sentences. Mostly consisting of "mama, aunt xxx". A.K.A "mama, I want xxxx". (whatever he wants). He's obsessed with cupcakes- we can't even walk past that area in Cub or Target! He also loves to sneak onto the computer and press keys and play with the mouse. I can't believe he'll be 2 in a few short months!

As for mom and dad, we're enjoying our sleep and playing with the boys. We got some Valentines pics done of the boys a few weeks ago and they turned out super cute- thanks Buena!! Our photographer does a great job- she's awesome. http://www.buenafarrellphotograpy.com/. Hopefully I can post some pics soon, although I didn't buy the CD this time. You can check them out on this site- they should still be posted- (Some of you may also be receiving a V-day card soon with some cute pics ;)
http://buenafarrellphotography.zenfolio.com/p752588294.

Overall, we're doing well and truckin' along. Hope everyone has a great February and a Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Big B, Little b

So, I am obsessed with the website "Etsy.com" and am continually looking for cute shirts to create for the boys for special occasions. Well, I wanted a cute shirt with their initial, which led to these creations. A big "B" for Brayden and a little "b" for Burke. They were a hit at daycare and I think they are so cute! (aside from Mr. Grumpy pants in the picture above- apparently he doesn't care for mommy taking his picture 3 minutes out of bed...) We also got some super cute Valentines shirts, which I will share in a later post.

Varsity Hockey Game

Last Thursday night, Brayden's mini-mite hockey team got to skate during the break after the 1st period of the Rosemount Irish Varsity Boys hockey game. The boys were SO excited. It was so much fun for him. Here are some pictures from the game...

Brayden, getting ready (in the stinky locker room...his words, not mine. But, I have to agree...)

Waiting for the 1st period break with his little buddy...
Burkie in Brayden's hockey gloves. How cute!

The boys waiting to go on the ice.

The varsity team stood at the entrance and high-fived and cheered on the boys as they came on the ice. They loved it.

Playing hockey.

Brayden- looking for mom and dad.

This was such a great experience for their team and the boys had so much fun.

New Years, Bubbles and Paint

This is a long post so bare with me!

New years we again spent with the Pace family. Tara, Tony & Ben again came over and we had a blast. We cook a big dinner and the kids (and adults) play. This year we also celebrated our Christmas with the Pace family as well at the same time. The kids all got a ton of great gifts and even the adults got some great things (Thanks Paces!) I love that the kids are getting old enough to all play together and Ben and Burke had a great time!! Here are a few pictures from New Years.

Brayden and Ben- how cute is this?!

Me and Ben (my godson)
Tara and Brayden (his godmother)

Brayden started outdoor hockey this past month and it's been a cold one! One night after outdoor hockey, Steve made the boys a hot, jacuzzi bubble bath. At first, both boys were hesitant, but by the end, they both loved it. Now, it's almost a tradition on outdoor hockey nights!!

Bubble Bath face

My adorable little guy!

Of course Burke had to try and eat the bubbles!

Silly boy!

Burke and Brayden enjoy arts and crafts and one day they wanted to paint. So, out came the painting supplies. They both LOVED it. It's washable so I tend to let them be "free" with the paint and Burke decided to paint himself! Normally, I'd stop him, but he was having so much fun and it was so cute, I had to let him go. Needless to say, he had a bath immediately following these pics!!

Teamwork

Looks like a masterpiece!

Well, we hope that all of our friends and family had a safe and happy holiday season. It's hard to believe it's over already!