Summer Fun (Belated) and A Few Firsts!

It's been awhile since we updated this blog, so we need to travel back in time....

Think back to sunny August 2009...
Justin went to a conference at our friend Jay's church in Columbus, so Rachel, Owen and I went to visit our friends Jessica and Dan, and their beautiful boys Lucas and Isaiah. At the time, Isaiah was just 5 weeks old! The boys had fun playing together, and us Mommies and Auntie Rachel loved catching up.
Here are a few pictures from our trip:

When we got back, my car needed a tune up, so we brought it up to our dealership in Milaca, MN, which is about an hour from our house. Sounds crazy, I know, but having a mechanic you trust is worth the drive. We went up as a family because the summer was waning, and we wanted to spend some time together. It was beautiful outside, so we played around the swing set. The owner, Mark, walks out of his office, notices we're playing, and says, "Why don't you take the golf cart and drive back to the pond?" It's what all car dealers and mechanics say to their clients, right? Actually, the dealership is on his land and they built this beautiful little pond a ways behind the garage. (I guess you've got to have something to keep you busy if you live in Milaca!) We borrowed their little golf cart to get back there, and went wading with Owen. He loved it!

Babu and Bibi were in town for Churchwide assembly in August, so we went to visit them at their hotel downtown.

When school starts, things get busy around the Rimbo house, and we take fewer and fewer pictures. However, there was a monumentous occasion in September- Owen started walking! If a picture is worth 1000 words, these must be worth 100,000!

Halloween is right around the corner, so I decided it would be memorable to carve Owen's first pumpkin. This didn't involve much forethought, because Justin wasn't around. So, I attempted to keep things neat by putting a garbage bag on the floor and taking Owen's shirt off. First we drew a face on the pumpkin together.

Next, Owen helped me scoop the guts out of the pumpkin. He liked to put the seeds into a tupperware container, then dump them out again. Good times.

Overall, we had lots of fun!

Pictures!

We recently did a photo shoot at the Minneapolis sculpture garden. Our photographer is very talented, and captured the spirit of the day. You can see some of them on her blog/website here.

Travelin' Man

Mommy, Daddy, and I got into our car at the beginning of July. All I know is that the car was full of more stuff than usual, and Mommy brought lots of snacks for me!

When the car finally stopped, we were at Grandpa and Grandma's house in Iowa. Plus, Aunt Christi, Uncle Brandon, and my cousins Jordyn and Kendall were there. They liked playing with me, and I thought they were hilarious!

We colored together, and Uncle Brandon didn't even mind if I ate the markers.

Daddy said it was the Fourth of July, so we went to a parade. We had front row seats!

In the end, I wasn't a big fan of the parade. It was too loud. Mom and I hung out in the car until it was over.

Pretty soon we were in the car again. We drove a long way, until we were at a place in the woods. Daddy said it was called Missouri, and that it was something called a family reunion. All I know is that I was getting antsy, and when we got out, there were LOTS of people. I thought I only had two cousins, but turns out Daddy has lots of cousins- and they're related to me too! Plus, Babu, Bibi, and Aunt Debbie drove all the way from New York, and I was very excited to see them.

My cousin Ella was giving me some pointers on my tennis game.

Then she and I read a book together. Turns out, there are a lot of dragons that are not mine, but I can always tell which one is mine because it has squashy wings.

Then someone found this big red balloon and I played with it. It was AWESOME.

There were water olympics for all of us kids, so Mommy thought it might be fun for me too. Aunt Debbie took me into the pool.

Turns out, I wasn't so keen on the pool. I prefer my water warmer.

Since it was almost my birthday again, Babu and Bibi and Aunt Debbie brought me some presents! I got lots of books and some toys.

I even got a funny book called "Yummy, Yucky" from my cousin Noah. It tells me what things are yummy to eat, and what things are yucky to eat. Here's Noah reading it to Babu and me.

Pretty soon the reunion was over, and we had to get in the car again. We stopped for lunch at one of my new favorite restaurants - Steak n' Shake. Babu and Bibi and Aunt Debbie came too. Steak n' Shake is one of my favorite restaurants, mostly because I look great in their hats.

After lunch, we drove all the way to Aunt Christi and Uncle Brandon's house. We went to Kendall's baseball game. I wore my Tigers hat because I love baseball!

Then we went to the zoo. I loved looking at all the animals, and there was even a bug house. Everyone knows that giant bugs are photo opportunities, so...

On Sunday, it was ACTUALLY my birthday. My Aunt Christi and Uncle Brandon were so excited that they invited Uncle Brandon's family over for a party! I've seen birthday cake a few times before, but I guess you don't REALLY know how to eat it until you really turn one year old. Observe:

Pretty soon it was time to get in the car AGAIN.

We picked up Uncle Graham and Aunt Haley at the airport, and started to drive Southeast.

When we got to North Carolina, we met our friends the Gamelins.

They are pretty great. I'd met Jay before, but I got to meet Tia, Abel, Roman, and JUDE! Jude is my age, and he's my new best friend.

When Jude and I rode in the same car, we would hold hands. My favorite part of being in North Carolina was playing with the Gamelins.

On a sad day at the end of the week, it was time to go home. We got back in the car, and drove to a big city with tall buildings. It was a windy city. Some nice guys let us stay in their apartment by a big lake, and then we were on our way home. By this time, I was starting to get a little antsy in the car, so I decided to keep busy by making some calls on my mom's phone.

It was a great vacation, but we were all glad to be home!

It's (Almost) My Birthday!

Did you know that on Saturday it was June 27th? Many of you may think this is not a big deal, but it was my birthday!

Okay, okay, it wasn't really my birthday, but since my parents and I are taking a long trip, we'll be out of town for my real birthday, and wanted to celebrate with some of our Minneapolis friends.

My friend Elijah brought his parents over a little bit early to play. We had a great time. First, we played by the windows. Daddy and Mister Josh were playing with the grill outside, and we thought it was HILARIOUS!

Next, I made phone calls with the DVD remote control, and Elijah hid under the ottoman.

By the time my phone call wrapped up and Elijah got unstuck from under the ottoman, more people had arrived. I decided to change into my snazzy birthday outfit (NOT to be confused with my birthday suit, Uncle Graham), grabbed a hat and was ready to party!

I was glad that I got to hang out with some of my friends. My Auntie Rachel was there, along with Aunt Haley and my friend Jen from church.

Mommy even found time to read me my favorite alphabet book.

Pretty soon Aunt Haley remembered that we were at a birthday party, and we decided to get

right to the point- CAKE AND PRESENTS!

For my birthday, I got some new clothes, new books to read, a cool puzzle, and a little backpack full of rhythm instruments. As a future percussionist, I practiced hitting things with sticks right away.

I thought it was a pretty great day! I hope I wasn't the only one....

More Summer Fun!

As I mentioned in my last blog, this summer has been busy! It's been great having Mommy AND Daddy home, and we've been doing a bit of traveling already.

Right after Mommy got out of school, we went to Iowa to visit Grandpa and Grandma Larson. Aunt Christi, Jordyn, and Kendall were there too! We went to the farmer's market, the library, a Vietnamese restaurant(I found out I LOVE bean sprouts)and church. At the end of it all, my cousins and I were really tired.

I've also been keeping busy with friends. Mommy and Daddy have had people over a few times since the summer started, and I always like the attention. I'm an extrovert, you know. :)

I especially like playing with my friend Elijah. We like to play together, practice yodeling, and have screeching contests. It's awesome.

My friend Elijah and his parents are moving to Iowa soon, which makes me very sad. Here we are playing together at church, and I'm practicing mailing things to Elijah. Apparently, I think he needs to eat more carrots.

I'll miss you, Elijah. We'll have to do lots more playing before you go!

Busy Man

Hi everyone! My summer has been pretty busy so far. Between trips to the park to swing on the swings, parties with friends, and getting my diaper changed, it's a wonder I get it all done. I do love the swings by my house, though.

For my friend Miss Hottie's birthday, we went to the Minnesota Zoo! Now, knowing how much I love pounding on windows, can you guess what my favorite exhibit was?


Yup. Salmon. I pretty much anything I could see through glass (dolphins, sea otters, Uncle Graham . . . ) Here's my dad and I snuggling at the Zoo!


For Memorial Day, we went to the Brechts' house, and sat on their back porch, grilled some meat, and drank some wine. Here's me and my God-mommy Rachel.

With all of this stuff going on, I figured I had to find a new way to get around. So, with the help of my handy push-cart, I'm walking!:


Don't believe me? Here I come!!!:

Easter Pictures!!

Hi everyone! I know Easter was a long time ago, but I wanted to share some pictures of my visit with my Babu and Bibi, and Aunt Debbie!

But first things first. Let's cut to the important stuff - I met a COW!!



I love him.

More about that later. Before my family came, I had to clean up.

I'm chewing on a toy because I'm still growing teeth. I don't have any yet. Mommy says they're all gonna show up at once.

Next, I kept a lookout for my Babu and Bibi. I like to stand up against the patio doors and bang on the glass like Dustin Hoffman.


Then Babu and Bibi came! Babu read me stories, and I showed him where to touch my feely-books.


Bibi and I played with toys. I'm trying to be as big as her by Christmas.


Babu helped me eat lunch. I LOVE TO EAT!


Then I would get dressed, and help do the dishes. Come here, sharp knives!


On Good Friday we went to church. My mom is so pretty!

On Saturday, we went to visit my dad's cousin Eric on the farm where he lives. Here we are getting ready to go:


My cousin Eric works at a place with people who have special needs. It was his birthday!!

I wrestled with my Aunt Debbie on Eric's bed. I won.




They grow all their own food at the farm, and as you may have guessed, this is where I met the cow. You can piece it together. I didn't let it get me down. I love the farm!


On Easter Sunday, the Rimbos were looking sharp!



After church, we went out to eat at Fogo De Chao, where they serve a lot of meat!


I still had fond memories of the cow, so I just ate my Babu's pectoral cross.


All my friends were at lunch, like my Godfather Graham! He has thumbs.


I had a great time at lunch, and then it was time to relax.

I love my family!