The Steele Family

She is no longer safe

2012-02-06T12:04:00.005-06:00

LOVE THIS ONE!

Ryan is very intrigued by Savannah, Savannah tolerates Ryan very well. Wherever Savannah is, Ryan seems to find her and just squeeze her fur. Savannah will sit there for about 30 seconds and then she is off to another spot. It takes Ryan about 5 minutes to find her and 10 more minutes to get to her, so she gets a little rest in between attacks.

Ryan's in to everything

2012-02-06T11:55:00.002-06:00

Since Ryan already loves our cell phones, remotes and computers we decided to pull out Matt's 10lb laptop from 2003. :-) He loved pounding on the buttons and opening and closing it.

Ryan has now found the bottom of his excer-saucer, he is bored with the normal use. He loves playing peek a boo! As Ryan is on the move Colin is doing lots of writing letters and sounding out words. Matt and I can no longer spell things out without him trying to sound it out. Unfortunatley, the stomach bug hit the Steele house this past weekend. So far, Colin was the only one to get it and hopefully it stays that way. The little boys and I are on our own this week as Matt is at his annual national sales meeting. I was going to write where he is, but to be honest I am not 100% where he is. He is traveling a lot these days with his training position at Idexx and enjoys seeing new city's around North America. We miss him lots when he is gone, but makes it more special when he is home.

ON THE MOVE!

2012-02-06T11:45:00.003-06:00

Colin's New Years Eve

2012-02-06T11:40:00.003-06:00

Over Christmas break , Colin got a little sick of us and being inside, so Matt decided to give him something to do. Matt had Colin run to the end of the backyard and back up, TWICE. This may not be too far, but it is a hill and hard to go through because it is wild grass. It entertained him for about 25 minutes then it was back to questions and play time with mom and dad. Notice the green grass and NO snow on Dec 31st, 2011

I am so easily distracted!

2012-01-13T16:19:00.003-06:00

I was just trying to make my bed but couldn't pass this up!

Minnesota Children's Museum

2011-12-31T14:18:00.009-06:00

Colin was a rockstar at the museum. This was his favorite room, he liked being the DJ and the lead guitarist.

Weave Master

Colin pulling himself up the tree seat at the museum

Ryan and Savannah at the Minnesota house

Brothers

2011-12-31T14:02:00.003-06:00

Ryan is now 6 months old and having a little cereal in the morning and veggies and meat for dinner. He is having a rough time at night, not wanting to fall asleep. We have tried lots of things to make him sleep. Currently he is swaddled at night but he still fights going to bed. While we were in Minnesota over Christmas I had an idea that he may still be suffering from acid reflux, I started him back on his medicine this week. He is calming down better at night now that he is on it, so hopefully we will have a good sleeping baby again soon. (at 4 months he was practically sleeping through the night, so this was a SHOCK!) At Ryan's 6 month appointment he was weighing in at 18.6lbs and was 28.5". Another big healthy boy for us.

Colin is 4 1/2, now that Christmas is over he is starting to plan his June birthday party.
He finished his basketball season and had a lot of fun learning new basketball skills. He is starting to write more and even read. He sounds out his words and in the bath he builds words with the bath letter toys. He goes to school 3 days a week and really enjoys playing sports on the Wii when he can't go outside. He misses Matt when he travels because Matt plays so much with him and Matt is always teaching Colin something new. Recently they have been learning about the solar system and I believe Greek Gods.

2011-12-31T14:00:00.001-06:00

We went to visit my college roommate Hadley the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It had been two years since I had seen her, so it was great to catch up with her and introduce her to Ryan.

Ryan Meets Santa!

2011-12-31T13:37:00.007-06:00

Ryan loved Santa! He gave his beard a good tug to find out that it was real!

On Black Friday, we went to Regency to see Santa's reindeer. Grandma and Grandpa Steele came for Thanksgiving, so it was a fun day out. Colin was not too excited about the reindeer, but Santa was much more exciting this year for him.

Ryan and Matt enjoying Hughes' Christmas

Ben holding Ryan. Ryan is such a happy baby. He is lacking in the sleep department lately, but
is still always smiling.

Ryan and Colin visiting the Santa at Bass Pro. Since Colin saw Santa two days in a row, when Santa asked what he wanted the second day Colin said, "I already told you."

Colin's Pre-School Concert

2011-12-31T13:21:00.007-06:00

Colin's preschool concert was a joy just like last year. I helped decorate this year, so we got a close spot to watch him.

Bowling

2011-12-31T13:14:00.002-06:00

Colin came bowling with our CYO church group at the beginning of December. At the end of the month he became an expert on Uncle Robb's (Melissa's fiance) X-Box.

Ryan Update

2011-11-15T13:29:00.006-06:00

Ryan enjoys his bath time - it is always short because I always think he is too cold. He is really reaching for things and thinks the bubbles are amazing.

Ryan sucking on his toes!

Ryan is very photogenic and loves the camera.

Ryan is now 5 months old and is a happy baby. We are currently struggling with his sleeping patterns, but if that is all we have to complain about we are lucky. Ryan vocalizes his exhaustion through a VERY high pitch scream, which can be heard through out the house. I even get concerned that he will break glass. He sits in the excer-saucer and loves to just lay on the ground and watch his big brother play.

Halloween

2011-11-15T13:12:00.010-06:00

This year, Colin was Captain America and Ryan was a skeleton. Ryan slept during the trick or treating and Colin was satisfied after he got about 10 pieces of candy. He is regretting that now since it is all gone.

Ryan's First Cereal

2011-11-15T13:08:00.004-06:00

Just before Ryan's 4 month appointment I had him try some rice cereal. He caught on fast and is now on to vegetables and fruits.

Arbor Day Lodge

2011-11-15T12:56:00.007-06:00

This year my parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. The family went to the Arbor Day Lodge in Nebraska City. The kids had a lot of fun swimming, hiking and climbing.

Half of the cousins in the giant web.

SO TIRED! :-)

BATMAN!

2011-10-07T16:16:00.002-05:00

Colin is so happy that it is October. I told him that in October I would get his Batman costume down so he could wear it. He has it on at least once a day.

Photo Session

2011-10-07T16:07:00.006-05:00

Ryan is 15 weeks old and did his first roll this week. He went from his stomach to his back for his dad. He is at such a fun age right now, giggling and smiling. The worst is when he wakes up at 4am and I try to be serious and put him back to sleep and he responds with a HUGE smile. That makes it hard to be mad that you are up. For the most part he is sleeping through the night, as long as Colin doesn't yell and wake him. He is a light sleeper compared to how Colin was/is.

He is certainly drooling a lot!

This was taken almost a month ago when Ryan was 3 months old. So sweet - Colin always decides he wants his picture taken when I start taking photos of Ryan! I just ordered a book of my blog at www.blog2print.com since I didn't do a baby book for Colin. There is more information on the blog than I would have ever been able to fit into a baby book. I am excited to get it. I have a feeling that Ryan's will be much cheaper than Colin's because I am not blogging nearly as much!

Trip to the Zoo

2011-10-07T15:40:00.007-05:00

A few weeks ago we made a trip to the zoo with Colin and Ryan. It was a perfect day and we had lots of fun. We stuck to our normal routine of the butterflys, aquarium and of course the gorilla complex.

Colin checking out his old friend

This guy is so amuzing

Soccer Video

2011-09-07T22:05:00.002-05:00

Soccer Time

2011-09-07T22:02:00.005-05:00

Colin is playing soccer this year. He had his first game this week and had a lot of fun. I am pretty sure it is more social for Colin, but he has fun. He is playing with 2 cousins, Lauren and Logan, also Uncle David is coaching their team. It is 4 vs 4 and they don't keep score (Uncle David does)!!!

Hanging With the Boys

2011-09-07T21:56:00.005-05:00

Colin and Matt went to put up deer stands this weekend. Great weather and fun times!

Colin and Mr Ryan posing for a photo!

First Day of School

2011-09-07T21:53:00.003-05:00

Colin started his second year of pre-school at the end of August. He is enjoying school this year so far, I think being one of the older kids in the class makes it easier.

Lots Happening

2011-08-28T07:34:00.009-05:00

Showing how strong he is, Ryan watches Colin playing. (Ryan 10 weeks)
Pretty soon, those legos are going to go straight in to Ryan's mouth and the
baby proofing will begin.

Colin and Ryan in their Gopher gear. Colin is so used to being the photography model, that he likes to hopein whenever the camera is out.

Morning Smiles!

Colin and cousin Adeline at the hot air balloon festival.

When Ryan was 2 weeks old, we went to visit Great Grandma Mary Morrison. He enjoyed listening to her talk and snuggling. Colin, likes to play volleyball with Grandma, so the boys had to take turns with Grandma Mary.

Do they look alike?

2011-08-09T20:23:00.005-05:00

Colin on the left and Ryan on the Right. I think the boys will have different eyes, but look pretty similar from the nose down.

Ryan Tummy Time

2011-08-09T12:23:00.007-05:00

Baby Toes!
Working on his tummy time. Ryan doesn't mind this time of the day. His eyes are quite blue right now and I think they may stay this way.

Ryan will be 8 weeks old tomorrow and I think he is about 12 lbs, he has nearly doubled in size since birth. The baby coo-ing and smiling has begun and makes everything with a newborn worth it. The past two nights he slept from 10pm-5am. I am a new person with that much sleep. He is a really good eatter - he is taking 4+ ounces at a time now and he lets you know verbally when he is hungry! We are very blessed to have two wonderful boys.

Family Vacation to Oregon

2011-08-09T11:55:00.006-05:00

At the end of July, the Steele family ventured to Oregon for Uncle Adam and Aunt Katie's wedding. Ryan was 5 weeks old when we left and was a great traveler. He just went with the flow and was a wonderful addition to our trip. The wedding was beautiful and so is Oregon. The first few days we stayed at the resort where the wedding was in Sisters, OR. After the wedding we went with Matt's family to Sun River, OR. We stayed in a nice home there and enjoyed bike rides during the day while Colin went swimming. We left Matt's family in Sun River and went on our own to see Mount Hood. What a beautiful site. The next stop was Hood River, OR on the Columbia River. There were wind surfers on the river and amazing views.

The star of the show! Colin was the ring bearer at the wedding and he thinks the party was for him not Adam and Katie!!!

Fair Week

2011-07-18T21:14:00.002-05:00

Stick Horse Race Winners
Pedal Pull Winner

Since it has been so hot this week, Ryan and I have not made it to the county fair, but Colin has been lucky enough to go with Grandma and Grandpa Hughes. Yesterday he came home with a big trophy after he won the pedal pull in his age group. While I was blogging tonight I got another text message, Colin was a winner again tonight in the stick horse races! He is so excited and can't wait to show his Dad his trophy's when he gets home.

Ryan's First Wedding

2011-07-18T20:44:00.006-05:00

Ryan with a big yawn!

Ryan relaxing on dad's lap.

On July 9th Ryan went with Matt and I to my friend Stacie's wedding. It was a very warm evening and so we just stayed until after dinner. The wedding was beautiful and so was the bride. Ryan was perfect, probably because it was so hot he couldn't catch his breath to cry. Next wedding...Oregon for Uncle Adam and Katie's big day.

Photo Shoot

2011-07-18T20:36:00.007-05:00

Cousins

2011-07-15T18:19:00.002-05:00

This is Ryan's closest boy cousin, Bradley. Ryan is 4 weeks old now and sleeping 3-4 hour stretches at night. I am not complaining! He drinks 4+oz at a time and is certainly gaining wait like a champ. He is a good baby and really starting to make eye contact and we are even getting some smiles out of him. For the most part he tends to close his eyes when his big brother comes around with his soft kisses. I don't think Ryan is afraid of Colin, I think Colin just doesn't understand the term "inside voice"!

Our Little Athlete

2011-07-14T19:16:00.001-05:00

4th of July

2011-07-14T19:10:00.008-05:00

Ryan is in the baby bjorn and liked the 4th of July too. It was a beautiful night, almost chilly. We had a wonderful holiday weekend. We had some big outings to Omaha as a family and Ryan slept five hours one night, so we went to Omaha the next day too trying to duplicate another five hour night. We were not as successful the second night, but the time we spent together as a family was well worth the sleepless nights.

The sparklers were much more fun this year for Colin. He enjoyed writing his name in the sky and we also stayed up late watching the Omaha sky - we can see lots of firework displays from our deck.

Our small bag of fireworks were certainly a big hit with Colin. He thought Matt's firework display was amazing. The neighbors kind of mocked us :-)

Colin hanging on the rim of the basketball hoop!

Colin swimming at Aunt Jody's pool

New Friendship

2011-07-14T19:05:00.002-05:00

Jacob Croatt, son of Jodi and Matt Croatt, came over to meet Ryan. Jacob was born in April and has a few pounds on Ryan. They played well together and will be great friends in the future.

Matt has been home since the beginning of June and went on his first overnight last week. This week he was gone for 3 nights, a major challenge for me and the boys, but we survived.

2011-06-29T11:09:00.005-05:00

It has been a very busy two weeks. Ryan was baptized on Saturday June 25th and I have lots of pictures, but my memory card says it is damaged. I feel bad that I am not updating the blog like I did for Colin, but two little ones is much different than one! If I can recover the pictures I will certainly attempt to get caught up.

Matt's parents and sister came to visit this past weekend and meet Ryan. He must really love them, because he allowed us to sleep from 11-5 two nights in a row. After Grandma and Grandpa left he turned back into a normal newborn. We are getting 4 hour stretches of sleep, which is pretty good. Colin is doing great with Ryan and is a big help. He is going to be a wonderful big brother.

We have been blessed with family and friends helping these first two weeks, so a big thanks to all of you.

Big Brother giving Ryan a sweet kiss.

Colin posing for his athletic picture - NO SMILING!

Our New Addition

2011-06-16T06:16:00.007-05:00

On Wednesday June 15, 2011 Ryan Joseph Steele entered the world abruptly at 8:07am at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. He was 7lbs 3oz and 19.5 inches long. Matt and I are so happy that we have another healthy boy. Ryan already loves the pacifier which has saved me already. The nurses keep talking about a zombie stage that the baby will go in because he will be so tired from the delivery, Ryan is no where close to that. He is very alert and enjoys being held. Ryan is just a few days early, his due date was June 21, 2011

Colin is very excited about being 4 years old and a big brother. Colin continued to tell us that is was a boy and he just knew it, well he was right.

One of my first moments with Ryan.

Ryan under the heat lamp.

Colin really warmed up to Ryan and tried to tickle him. He wants to know when we get to keep him? Ryan and I will be coming home on Friday, June 17th.

Spring Concert

2011-05-25T09:59:00.004-05:00

This year, Lauren and Logan (cousins) graduated from pre-school this year and are going to kindergarten. Next year, Colin will be joined by his other cousin Haylee and good friend Ben at pre-school.
Colin finished this year of pre-school with a spring concert. He was not all that excited about going, but he had fun once we got there. The summer is starting out chilly but Colin is still wearing shorts to bed and all day as often as possible.

Colin's First Field Trip - Fontenelle Forest

2011-05-05T11:06:00.011-05:00

Colin, Lauren and Logan at the Montessori field trip to Fontenelle Forest

Logan and Colin take a break from playing tag to pose for a picture.

Colin having lunch with his friends from school, Dylan and Christian

The students pretending to be rabbits.

The frog was being passed around for everyone to pet!

Colin relaxing in the log tunnel

Colin playing in the stream which ended up with wet shoes.

Close Up

Trip to Minnesota

2011-05-05T10:46:00.006-05:00

Robb, Melissa, Adam, Colin, Matt and Anne....the Steele gang missing Katie. We will have two more additions in the next family picture. Katie and new baby Steele.
Whitney giving Colin a goodbye hug. They were both VERY tired at the end of their exciting day.

Pete and Whitney Wanning came to the track meet in Eden Prairie on Saturday morning. I elected to stay home because it was 45 degrees and raining. Not exactly great track weather. The Wanning's came over after the meet and we got to go to dinner with them at a fun restaurant. Colin and Whitney played great together. In the picture above, Whitney was tucking Colin into bed.

Matt was inducted into the Eden Prairie High School, Track and Field Hall of Fame this past weekend. We went up to watch him and his siblings be inducted. Matt was a high hurdler and also ran the 300 hurdles in high school. His record of 14.4 in the high hurdles still stands at EPHS. Each inductee was asked to say a few words to the current high school team, Matt of course was very comfortable with this and enjoyed giving some advice.

Colin sitting with Grandma at the Hall of Fame banquet.

Easter 2011

2011-04-27T11:00:00.007-05:00

Easter Fire

After a basketball injury, Colin is telling his Dad exactly what happened.

Colin and Dad in their Easter Best!

Dying Easter Eggs

CANDY!!!!!!!!!!!

Colin outgrew his mini basketball, so the Easter Bunny got him a new one, now he needs a big hoop.

Signs of Spring

2011-04-27T10:50:00.008-05:00

Nalo the cat, searching for his next meal.
Colin has his Mexico soccer uniform on and is loving the spring weather.

Our Bradford Pear trees are blossoming and the grass is green. If we can get a few days of sun, everything will really start growing.

Matt is quite the birdman! We have many new birds this year and hope that the baby Bluebirds hatch too. There are 6 eggs in this nest.

Colin was trying to look angry. We usually only see smiles, but this face is quite hard to be angry at!

Colin giving Mom's baby bump a kiss.

Turkey Hunting / 31 Weeks

2011-04-17T21:40:00.004-05:00

Luckily Matt came home just after the rest of the family woke up this Sunday morning. A brisk morning for hunting, so Matt was very happy that this turkey came by his stand less than an hour after he got there. Matt cleaned the turkey before church and kept the feathers, beard and feet in the garage. By the end of the day, the feet had disapeared. He believes Savannah used them as a chew toy. Not a happy hunter at that point. The turkey was cooked here tonight and will be used as dog food, neither of us have too much desire to eat it. I told him it was like raw fish for pregant women, we aren't supposed to eat Wild Game when pregnant :-)

Colin looks like such a little man here! We are headed to church and I don't know how I did it, but I got him in a pair of jeans. He feels the only pants he should wear are soft ones, inside and out. I agree, jeans sometimes aren't the most comfortable, but soft pants don't give us many options for dress up. This Tueseday I will be 31 weeks. I am feeling good (besides having pulled a musle in my ribs from a bad cough I had last week) and excited to meet our new addition. Tonight I went to pre-natal yoga and was amazed at the things I could still do and amazed at the things I could not do!

Easter is this coming week and the good news is, we can use the Easter Bunny for good behavior for a week just like we did Santa. Matt and Colin got their picture taken with the Easter Bunny today. I will scan and upload tomorrow. VERY FUNNY!

31 Weeks

April Gathering

2011-04-16T22:14:00.004-05:00

It had been a long time since this group had been together. What a fun time tonight and thanks to Dana for hosting this crazy group.

Avery, Adeline, Delaney, Will, Wade, Colin, Lyla

Colin and cousin Wade haning out.

The Name Game

2011-03-22T13:43:00.002-05:00

Colin is continuing to argue with us about the new babys name. When we mention girl names he gets upset and tells us he is having a little brother. If it is a girl, the name still remains as Kenna Henze Steele (the babysitter) the boy name has varied a little over the last month. Colin thought we may as well name the baby Colin Matthew Steele. He didn't see any issue with them having the same name. Alvin is still in the running, but last night he mentioned that Madagascar would be nice. Colin continues to love basketball and has pretend games in his room all the time. I don't know if I have said this before, but Colin has a couple imaginary friends named Fotts and Totts, they have been around since October and just show up every once in a while. VERY amusing to hear him talk to them and about them. Sometimes they are older, sometimes they sleep over, always a new story with Fotts and Totts.

New baby is growing and we are getting anxious to meet him/her. Almost to the third trimester and feeling like I am in the 9 month which makes it hard to believe how much longer I have.

Baby Steele in 3D

2011-02-15T12:05:00.007-06:00

Matt and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary this past weekend. We had a fun night out in Omaha while Colin stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Hughes. Matt was in Boston last week and got Colin a Celtic's t-shirt. When he plays basketball, the Celtic's are the good team and whoever he is playing with is the bad team.

Last week we had our 20 week ultrasound with Baby Steele#2. The tech surprised us with some 3D pictures, very cool....kind of creepy though too. Colin came with us and was amazed by all of the computers in the room. He also tried waving at the baby on the screen and was very upset that he/she wouldn't wave back. All went well and mom and baby are healthy. The baby weighed in at 1lb 1oz which put it in the 86 percentile.

Baby Steele 2 at 22 weeks.

Day at the Museum

2011-02-06T14:31:00.008-06:00

Colin's Trip to the Dentist

2011-02-06T14:21:00.004-06:00

Colin had his first cavity's this past week. He doesn't like us calling them cavity's, so we call them fillings. The dentist said we are not at fault for this, we actually do brush his teeth. His teeth are shaped poorly and the dentist said this was inevitable. In result to these fillings, Colin pretty much chewed through his lip. Last week on one side, this week the other. This week was WAY worse, so I took a picture. It is not healed yet, but it looks much better than this.

Our cat Nalo has become more of a welcomed animal at our house. Matt and I have both said we are not cat people, but this one has suprised us. He has a house out in the garage, and a very nice heat lamp. Sometimes I think he is warmer than us inside.

Winter 2011

2011-01-18T11:19:00.007-06:00

Since we updated last, Colette and Andy brought a new addition to the world. This is Scarlet Ann Martin. http://andyandcolette.blogspot.com/ for more photos and updates. Colin and I went to visit them in the hospital. We thought it would be a good way to show him what it will be like in June when our new baby comes into the world. Colin is pretty excited about having a new baby, part of the time. He is set on having a little brother and told us if it is a girl it should stay at the baby hospital. His name options are Alvin or Theodore if it is a boy and he has opened discussion on a girl name, Kenna Henze Steele. Kenna is his babysitter (picture below).

Colin and Kenna sledding

Grandma Steele and Colin cheering on the Eden Prairie Eagles over Christmas break. Colin is VERY into basketball these days and there has been talk about putting up a real hoop in the backyard for his birthday. He is doing really good on the hoop in the basement, but it is time to upgrade.

The snow was so deep in Minnesota, Savannah's legs would hurt at the end of the day from running in it. She absolutely loved it though.

Matt was Colin's ski lift up the back yard hill at Grandma and Grandpa Steele's house, otherwise known as the Minnesota house, as if it is our vacation home. It is like a vacation when we get to visit though.

Colin yelling for help because he couldn't move in the snow...Matt and Savannah running to the rescue.

December 2010

2010-12-15T09:08:00.005-06:00

Colin celebrated his 3 1/2 birthday at school on Monday. He was very excited about that day. He got to wear his crown for the day, be the line leader, and also hold the flag.

Santa came to Hughes Christmas on Sunday. He brought Colin a fire fighter walkie-talkie. Colin told him that he would like a Toy Santa for Christmas. I said, "that is different than what you have asked for in the past." he said, "well, I already told him the other stuff." Very clever I thought.

3 cousins at Christmas program. Colin, Lauren, and Logan all were in this years preschool Christmas program. Colin now knows how to spell CHRISTMAS and knows some other great songs. We don't have any good pictures of him singing because the other parents were so crazy. We entered a completely different world when we went to the program. It was inside the Body of the Church, before it started everyone was sitting nicely...once the kids came in the chaos began. Parents practically in front of the teacher trying to get pictures and videos of their kids. We decided next year we should turn the camera on the parents!!!

Colin met Santa in Glenwood this year. This picture was also in our local paper. Very exciting!!!

Thanksgiving in Mexico

2010-11-29T09:55:00.010-06:00

Colin's first walk into the ocean
Colin running from the waves. He loved the taste of the salt water and would say, "mmmm I love the salty"

Colin and I relaxing on the beach of Isla Mujeres.

Colin and Matt at Margaritaville with some yummy nachos. Colin had a blast there watching the "creatures" dance on stage and all the fun music, balloons and entertainment.

Colin and I at Market 28. Here we got Colin a Mexico soccer jersey that is going to be hard to peel off of him. By the end of our visit to Market 28, Colin was saying, "No Thanks" to all the crazy vendors.

While Matt took a nap on the plane, Colin and I designed faces on his back with Bendaroos. Great invention!!!

Halloween 2010

2010-11-09T10:14:00.003-06:00

Colin and Savannah

Haylee, Logan, Baby Bradley, Lauren, Abby, Emma, Colin and a neighbor girl. At least I don't think she is a cousin!

Matt was in charge of Halloween this year, I was home sick. Colin came home with plenty of candy to share with mom and dad. He is already talking about next year.

Fall 2010

2010-10-04T12:23:00.002-05:00

Homecoming 2010

2010-10-04T12:19:00.004-05:00

Colin got his first Glenwood Rams shirt and we have had a hard time getting him to take it off. I am sure there will be more pictures in the future with the Glenwood shirts.

Preschool Trip

2010-10-04T12:17:00.003-05:00

Matt took Logan and Colin to the Sunday afternoon preschool trip. They had a great time hiking and climbing.

FIRST DAY of PRESCHOOL!

2010-08-23T13:45:00.007-05:00

Colin started preschool this morning - I can hardly believe it. He is just 3 and will go to preschool for 3 years. He had fun and is excited to return!

Weekend at the Lake

2010-08-23T13:40:00.007-05:00

Fun weekend at the lake with friends!

Matt showing off his water skills!

Summer Days

2010-08-23T13:34:00.004-05:00

I got this ball for Colin last summer and we used it once this summer because I left it out and the wind came by and took it! I know that is a big surprise for those of you who have been to our house. He had a wonderful summer. He passed his swim class and is a total fish now, he does not want to wear a life jacket or floaties now.

4th of July

2010-07-21T12:40:00.008-05:00

Colin showing off for the camera!

Colin enjoying his first sparkler.

The kids lined up to watch the display.

Fireworks were too loud, so a few migrated inside.

Colin turned 3 - June 13

2010-06-27T14:46:00.007-05:00

Swim Lessons

2010-06-27T14:39:00.002-05:00

Colin's cousins Logan and Haylee were in his swim lesson class this year. They had a lot of fun. Logan and Colin usually got split up because they didn't pay attention while next to eachother. They did great and Colin's confidence in the water has greatly improved.

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-06-01T17:26:00.005-05:00

Colin enjoying a day at Rosenblatt.

Minnesota May 2010

2010-05-25T13:28:00.002-05:00

A quick trip to Minnesota

Colin and Aunt Melissa
Robb, Colin, Melissa (and Savannah)

Colin riding Mark's cool Polaris Motorcycle

Marky, Colin and Matt

The next generation of College of Saint Ben's and Saint John's students and alumni

(Colin, Matt, Will, Sean, Quinn, Charlotte, Art, Claire, Joe and Ellie (Ellie belongs to Tom and Stacy but Joe and Leanne will have the newest baby in July) Whitney and Pete, Tom and Sam

Claire, Whitney, Sam, Will, and Colin

Minnesota May 2010

2010-05-25T13:19:00.002-05:00

Thank you Eyjafjallajökull...Oh Canada!

2010-05-04T22:46:00.007-05:00

Thanks to Eyjafjallajökull (the volcano in Iceland) our trip to Ireland that we had been planning for 5 months was canceled. We were going on vacation no matter what, that is all we cared. Matt was on the phone with United Airlines and I was on the phone with Hilton and we comprised on Quebec, Canada.

Quebec City - view from our hotel room
Anne blossoming
The happiest I was the first 2 days...I pouted because I wasn't in Ireland.

My way of getting a tour of the city

Matt's fancy dinner!

St. Anne's Basilica - amazing church. There are 92 Catholic Churches in the Quebec City area. There was no excuse to miss church on this vacation.

Easter 2010

2010-05-04T21:36:00.003-05:00

Colin was excited about the Easter Bunny this year but very concerned that the giany bunny was going to be in our house. I assured Colin the bunny would stay outside and in the backyard. We had a great day at my parents house with all the cousins and family. Colin played all day and enjoyed spending time with his cousins. He got some money in the Easter eggs at Grandma Mick's.

Birthday Weekend

2010-03-25T15:19:00.003-05:00

A group of us went to dinner Saturday night. Nothing crazy happened, but it was nice to get out.
Matt surprised me with a fun night out for my birthday. We went to dinner in downtown Omaha then went to the symphony. This was really fun - an Irish group was performing with them. This was to prepare us for our trip to the Emerald Isle in April. We can't wait!!!

Colin took this picture of us...pretty good, I think.

Catching Up

2010-03-25T14:57:00.005-05:00

For my birthday Colin, Matt and I went to the zoo. Colin gave Matt the tour. It was a lot of fun. Spring has sprung! The mud has arrived at our house. Colin is so excited to get outside and play. We are glad to take him too, he needs to let out some energy.

This picture is from our trip to Colorado where Colin got to pretend drive the plane. He still talks about it and it was really exciting for all involved.

Matt, Colin and I at the pool while in Denver. Colin likes the water, not love yet! He is taking swimming lessons every Saturday morning with Matt. I am so glad Matt enjoys taking him...what a great Dad!

Captain Colin Steele - United Airlines

2010-03-02T16:26:00.002-06:00

February Already

2010-02-15T17:00:00.006-06:00

Matt and I at Mardi Gras - we also celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary last week.
Colin and I wearing the gangster hats from Mardi Gras

Our decorated table at Mardi Gras

Over the last month Colin has been really busy learning all of the states that Grandpa Steele is visiting on his vacation. Colin has almost all of the Western states figured out, those pesky little north eastern states are going to be hard. Matt is traveling this week to Las Vegas. Matt told Colin he was going to Sin City, so that is what Colin says when people ask where Matt is. NICE!

Colin's Map

2010-01-14T19:01:00.001-06:00

Christmas in Minnesota

2009-12-30T13:41:00.008-06:00

A Minnesota Christmas!

Snow Angels

Sledding with Aunt Melissa, Dad and Savannah

We attempted ice skating...Colin was not a fan. He would have rather just watched. Matt and I did a lot better than we thought we would.

Colin got a Minnesota Wild hockey stick and puck, plus much more of course. This was much better than the full size one that Matt got him for Christmas. We had a wonderful time in Minnesota, like always. Colin didn't want to leave. We didn't get there on Christmas day like we had planned, there was a huge snow storm in the Omaha area on Christmas day, so we went to Minnesota on Saturday and the roads were just fine.

2009-12-25T11:10:00.002-06:00

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T10:58:00.005-06:00

Christmas Eve at Grandma and Grandpa Hughes - All 26 of us were there!!!

The bike is still a little big for Colin, but he will grow in to it. Santa was really good to him this year.

Colin's train set has been the most entertaining so far.

Bathtub Song

2009-12-07T09:29:00.002-06:00

AppleBottom Jeans, Boots with the fur

Winter Fun

2009-12-07T09:25:00.006-06:00

Colin and Matt went out this morning to enjoy the snow. When I put Colin's overalls on him he said, "I'm like a farmer". He was fully bundled when Matt and I realized that he had underwear on, so I hope he didn't have any accidents. It would be a cold start to the season if he has an accident.

Colin and Savannah playing hide and seek!

Starting the Holiday Season

2009-11-30T15:22:00.005-06:00

Just like last year, Colin was very excited about seeing Santa, but did not want to sit on his lap. After he was done crying, he did tell Santa what he wanted but Matt was holding him at this point. On the list so far is a bike and a basketball hoop. We are trying to potty train Colin right now, and we already have had to call Santa a couple of times to cancel his wish list because Colin wouldn't sit on the pot. So far today we have cleaned up "potty" in MANY places.

Matt and Colin after decorating the tree.

Colin had a chocolate doughnut yesterday...a lot of it is on his shirt.

Weekend Trip to Minnesota

2009-11-10T10:05:00.015-06:00

The weekend was great! Friday morning we went to visit Grandma Steele at her school. It didn't take long for Colin to get some candy from Grandma - he had a lot fun there seeing all the big kids.

The whole clan went bowling Saturday night - Matt had a personal best...he was pretty proud.

Grandma and Grandpa Steele raked some leaves for everyone to enjoy!
Dad scaring Colin!

That is Adam's head that Colin is about to kick

Aunt Melissa joining in the fun

Matt, Anne, Colin, Adam, and Katie

Colin and Whitney hanging out together at the Summit Brewery tour. Colin and Whitney paid attention better than me, that is no surprise.

Our friend Mark Christiansen - the Iowa Hawkeyes lost, but Mark was still in good spirits!

2009-11-02T10:25:00.002-06:00

Our Little Monkey

2009-11-02T10:14:00.007-06:00

Matt and Colin, Pete and Whitney, Adam and Jace and Jaxson

Aunt Melissa's Visit

2009-10-23T14:59:00.016-05:00

Colin got some new cowboy boots from Grandma and Grandpa Steele

Visiting the Chidren's Museum

Melissa, Colin and Matt

Matt and Melissa racing up seat lift.

We realized yesterday that Savannah turned 4 years old - so Matt created a "cake" for her and Colin was able to blow out the candles.

Dance Dance Dance

2009-10-14T18:41:00.003-05:00

Colin loves to dance and sing. Here are a few of his latest moves.

Winter?

2009-10-14T18:34:00.004-05:00

Saturday morning we woke up to about 2 inches of snow on the ground. Colin was really excited to go outside and play in it.

The cat usually stays outside, but we have let it in more lately because it was wounded by a barbwire fence we think. 20 stitches later and a Sunday trip to the vet...Nalo is doing better and had his first day out of the garage today (10 days in).

September, where did you go?

2009-10-03T21:22:00.006-05:00

September was a crazy month for the Iowa Steele's. I was in the hospital for the majority of it dealing with my Crohn's disease. We are hoping that it is behind us now and we are looking forward to a healthy and enjoyable fall. Matt's parents came down to help us out with Colin and all the other daily chores which was MUCH appreciated. Colin had so much fun and continues to talk about their time together. They visited the Durham Western Heritage Museum (where our wedding reception was), went to the tractor supply store, and I believe made a few trips to Home Depot and Target. Matt and I are so lucky to have such supportive family's.

Baptism for Bradley

2009-09-20T20:24:00.004-05:00

This morning we had Baby Bradley's baptism. Bradley is the newest addition to the Hughes Clan. David and Jennifer finally had their little boy after 3 girls. Matt and I are honored and excited to be Bradley's Godparents.

Colin enjoys Grandma and Grandpa Hughes' garden. He has had a lot of watermelon and has been eating tomatoes like apples. It is usually one bite of tomato then on to the next one!

Children's Museum

2009-08-28T11:59:00.005-05:00

Colin was REALLY excited to see Elmo at the Children's Museum until it was time to sit on his lap...I had to get next to Elmo first before Colin would even get close. Then after he was comfortable with him, he didn't want to leave. He had Elmo bump it.

This room at the museum is full of ball (like Chuckie Cheese) it was really fun! I had to bribe him with popcorn to leave the museum. I am sure we will be going back soon, he really wants to show his dad.

There was a room that was a place to have a performance....Colin's was short and sweet.

Family Picture From Minnesota

2009-08-28T11:58:00.001-05:00

Forgot My Camera!

2009-08-24T17:03:00.002-05:00

We went to Minnesota this weekend to visit Matt's family. Colin is speaking full sentences now and we are enjoying him so much. He repeats everything we say and seems to pick up on so many things we don't want him to, of course! Saying Grandma Steele's first name has been a challenge for Colin, so he tried to say Yvonne a few times and at one point it was "Grandma Move-On". Colin had his first LionsTap cheeseburger and a nice brunch on Lake Minnetonka. This is a very boring update because I forgot my camera at home, so once we get some pictures from Grandma Steele we will update the blog.

Sidney Rodeo

2009-08-03T10:30:00.006-05:00

Our little cowboy!

Uncle Allan and Aunt Korrina both rode in the rodeo Saturday night! They had a big cheering section!

Saturday night Colin and I made our second trip to the Sidney Rodeo - but this time we had Matt with us!!! We are glad to have him home from his 2 week trip to Maine. We picked him up from the airport late Friday night. Colin ran to him and said, "Hi Matt"

2009-07-24T09:26:00.004-05:00

This was an attempt of Colin flexing in his awesome muscle shirt.
Ice Cream at the Fair

Two old farmers discussing their tractors, Colin with his cousin Logan

Poison Control

2009-07-24T09:17:00.002-05:00

Yesterday Colin gave me quite the scare! I walked into the bathroom and as he was brushing his teeth (just an excuse for him to play in the sink). I looked down and the entire bottle of my face toner was empty and he had been drinking it. I read the bottle to see that it contained a high dose of alcohol. So I called poison control and they recommended a trip to the ER. Matt is in Maine for work for 2 weeks, so I called my mom and 30 minutes later we were in the Children's Hospital ER. On the drive up there he was acting just fine. The Dr required a blood test to check the alcohol level in Colin's system. Not just a prick to the finger or to the heal...this was a butterfly needle to the arm for 5 ml of blood. It took mom and I and 4 nurses to hold him down. It was awful. The first attempt on the right arm they blew the vein. So I was not very excited about that nurse of course! After they finally got the blood drawn, Colin was able to relax a little and took a 30 minute nap as we waited for the results. The results were good and showed a low level of alcohol in his system so we were able to go home. We were all REALLY tired and Colin described it as a 'Long Day' - he had obviously been listening to me talk to his dad!

A Trip to the Zoo

2009-07-15T22:31:00.005-05:00

I know I have resorted to this picture many times, but it just seems to be so funny. We went to the zoo today because it was so nice here - nice breeze and not too hot. Colin was really excited on the way there, we sang "Going to the zoo zoo zoo" all the way there. Our first stop is always the monkeys because we can take an elevator and not have to fight the hills at the zoo =) I of course wanted to see his reaction to the gorillas. The first picture below is of Colin at the zoo when he was only 4 months old with the gorilla, not even realizing that he was there. Today, Colin wouldn't even get close to the glass and was ready to leave once the gorilla slammed on the glass, understood. My kid was the only one who cried multiple times at the zoo, first at the gorillas, then at the train (because it was too loud) then in the butterfly exhibit because the little fish in the ponds weren't big enough! All and all it was a fun day, but I realized today that Colin just likes the aquarium at the zoo and I could save myself money and time by just letting Matt take him to Bass Pro to get his fish fix!

October 2007, Colin and the gorilla

July 2009 Colin eyeing the gorilla to make sure he didn't get too close

On the train - Colin not as happy as everyone else

Summer Fun

2009-07-13T20:57:00.006-05:00

At Great Uncle Steve's Birthday Party!

3 cousins - each 3 months a part, Joseph, Wade and Colin

Colette, Adeline and Grandma Jody

Great Grandma Hughes and Colin. Grandma Catherine enjoyed watching Colin all night - he even got Grandma to 'bump it'.

Mom and I went to visit Great Grandma Morrison on the 4th of July. Colin was a trooper on the way to Corning and back.

Colin is now in his big boy bed. We got in on July 1st and Matt had him sleeping in it by July 2 (YES SIR). He doesn't get out of it unless we ask him to, we are very lucky. He is still a great sleeper and we are very proud of him. As Colin is now 2 he has many new accomplishments, including putting together sentences and bossing around mom and dad! Colin is now in the blue room and Matt has moved his office to the basement. Matt received a promotion with Idexx and is now a sales trainer. He will be traveling all over the country and possibly the world training people on the job he used to have. WAY TO GO MATT!

Ozarks

2009-07-13T20:56:00.004-05:00

Matt and I went to the Ozarks with Colby and Annie Esterling at the end of June. We had a great time - one of the highlights was the helicopter ride over the lake.

Colin's 2nd Birthday Party

2009-06-15T12:14:00.009-05:00

There was fun had by all this weekend at Colin's 2nd Birthday Party! The whole gang showed up to help us celebrate (Grandma and Grandpa Steele come next weekend to celebrate). The worst and best thing that happened was when the pinata was broken. Colin did not like that someone broke his #2. I was able to tape it back up for him.

"SWING"

CHEESE

Logan was a big help opening the gifts. Colin didn't really care about the presents at the time, he was much more interested in the cupcakes.

We have been practicing blowing out the candles for the last week.

He got them out the first time!

EXPRESSIONIST

2009-06-02T14:20:00.002-05:00

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-26T15:04:00.007-05:00

This weekend Matt and I went to Kansas City for a little vacation. Colin stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Hughes for a couple of nights. We had a great time in Kansas City and Colin had a lot of fun too. When we got back to town we took Colin to the new pool at Hickory Ridge (Glenwood's newest subdivision) and took advantage of the nice weather. He was being pretty cool with his shades on. He is probably going to be a pool rat this summer.

View from WWI Memorial tower in Kansas City

Matt was very persistent about "throwing rocks" at the Lucky Strike bowling alley while in KC. The unfortunate thing is that I TOTALLY rocked him. See final scores below.

My form is clearly better =)

See the numbers to the right...after 3 games I had 447 and Matt had 355. To be honest it was total luck, he is usually a MUCH better at bowling than me.

Lots of Updates

2009-05-21T11:05:00.008-05:00

Colin is less than one month away from being two! We have taught him to say he is 2...we figured it was just easier that way. He doesn't just say two, he says, "Number 2". We have been visiting the park a lot lately and Colin loves the playground there. The weather is finally cooperating with our outdoor activities. While Dad and Mom work in the yard in the evening he helps out by throwing the rocks into the grass or filling the bird bath with rocks.

What a big helper!!!

The relationship continues to blossom between Savannah and Nalo!

I let him go on the big slide!!!

He stopped half way down to check out the scenery and to scare his mom!

It was more fun to climb up the steps to the slide!

First Horse Ride

2009-05-04T11:09:00.009-05:00

Matt's parents came down this weekend. Colin gets so excited to see Grandma Steele and Grandpa Steve. Both Colin and Grandpa got to ride the horses at Uncle Allan and Aunt Korrina's house Friday night. Colin wasn't to excited about it, but did make it one time around!
This face explains how Colin really felt about the ride!

Grandpa Jim, Colin and Haylee May

Colin loves to be outside and really likes the water. Any type of standing water Colin blesses himself in...including the birdbath.

At Creighton baseball game a couple of weeks ago.

At The Park

2009-04-28T13:06:00.002-05:00

I am being lazy today, so here is a copied update from Adeline's Blog

http://andyandcolette.blogspot.com/2009/04/colin-at-park.html

With the weather being nice we are having a hard time keeping Colin inside. We now have extra locks on every door to the outside - actually we are locking our doors inside too because he really likes getting into everything! He is so much fun, Matt and I laugh at him everyday. He doesn't like to walk places - he runs everywhere, which is certainly a trait that he took from his dad's side of the family. There is no doubt we have a runner on our hands. Colin enjoys trains and cars but still really likes to read. He is unbelievable with recalling peoples names and the places we go (with the new Target open by us he has become addicted - he recognizes anything in the house with a Target logo on it). He is just an all around joy for us.

Relaxing Weekend

2009-04-20T13:36:00.005-05:00

Luca and Colin reading a train book in Colin's room
Luca giving Colin a smooch - both of them were a little preoccupied

Adeline taking one last swig of milk before hitting the road. Yes, she is wearing a skirt and leg warmers =) What a cutie. Luca was in the smooching mood!

This track suit was given to Colin from Grandma and Grandpa Steele when he was a baby. It finally fits, and it has been worn a lot!

Colin and I were home alone this weekend because Matt had an ROTC weekend. I was glad to hear that Luca and Adeline wanted to come and play with Colin.

Easter

2009-04-13T10:18:00.003-05:00