North Carolina

All bets off....out comes the DVD player

Grant's first flight - six weeks old

Mooooo!
Watching the cows eat their "vegetables"

Cole spent quite awhile trying to count the pigs....he only counted seven but I think there were more like a dozen.

Uncle Brad, Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma King, Grandma Iverson,
Grant, Cole, and Mommy

How much fun can two boys have with a pair of sunglasses that came in a Subway kid's meal?

For an extended Memorial Day weekend, Grandma Iverson, Uncle Brad, Mommy, and the boys flew to North Carolina to visit the boys' great-grandparents. Their great-grandma has been having some health problems, so we wanted her to be able to spend some time with Cole and meet Grant for the first time. We flew out of Minneapolis Friday morning and returned Monday afternoon. We had a great trip! Grant was pretty well-behaved on his first flight, and Cole was a bundle of energy on his third airplane trip...having been too young to really appreciate the others. Fortunately we planned ahead and brought plenty of in-flight activities for Cole to do (and finally resorted to a portable DVD player when all of the other activities had gotten old). It was an act of desperation. Plus, I felt I had something to prove to all of the passengers who gave us dirty and/or fearful looks as we walked down the plane aisle with a toddler and an infant.



Cole enjoyed seeing the cows and pigs again, but most of all, he LOVED the TRACTORS!! My Uncle Wayne took Cole for the ride of his life on a huge green John Deere tractor. When they came back, tears of joy were streaming down Cole's face and his smile was a mile wide. (Of course, did I remember to bring my camera to this event? The only pics I got of this were taken with my phone....BUMMER!). When we arrived back in Duluth late Monday night, Cole had fallen asleep in the car. Ryan went to get him out of his car seat and carry him upstairs to bed, and Cole said (in his half-asleep state) "Daddy, I rode tracko. I rode tracko." It was so precious.

The flight home to Minnesota

Peace at last....

All in all, we had a great trip, although we missed Daddy a lot!! We enjoyed spending time with Grandma Iverson's family whom we get to see so seldom. I have been back to work for a week now, with two weeks left to go in the school year before summer vacation....which has made me very busy and is why it has taken almost a week since our return to get this posted! Grant has been adjusting to Nora and Nicole's preschool extremely well at only six weeks of age. Ahhh....the craziness is what keeps our lives interesting....never a dull moment! =)

Brothers

Here is some brotherly love....
I'm sure we have plenty of arguing, fighting, toy stealing, pushing, and tattling in our future, but just let me enjoy these precious moments.

Grant is One Month Old!

Sleeping sweetie

Whee! The Children's Museum is fun!

Can't miss Clifford and Emily Elizabeth!

Making bubbles

Sunday afternoon we walked to the park in Grandma and Grandpa's neighborhood. See Grant in the stroller?

We spent a long Mothers' Day weekend in Forest Lake with Grandpa and Grandma Iverson. On Saturday Grandma and Mommy took the boys to the Children's Museum in St. Paul. Cole had a blast!! Sunday Uncle Brad joined us all for brunch at the Lake House restaurant on Forest Lake. It was a little too cold to boat there yet, so we drove :) . It was amazing!! I enjoyed spending the day with my mother, as well as my first Mothers' Day as a mother of TWO wonderful little boys!

Playground Fun

We spent this weekend walking off the baby weight, trying out our sweet new double stroller, and playing at two different playgrounds. Saturday we drove to Hermantown Elementary School to play at the playground and then walked a few miles on the Munger Trail. Sunday we walked two miles (four miles round-trip) to Bay View Elementary School in Proctor to check out that playground for the first time. It did not disappoint; we shall return. Everybody was happy (except Bailey, who was left behind. We think we would be biting off more than we can chew to take two boys and a crazy dog). Cole got to play, Grant got to sleep, and we got some fresh air and excercise. Since I am expected to appear in a bridesmaid dress in front of people in Todd and Steph's wedding in October, I have some major work to do. Thanks for the deadline, guys! I need it!

Happy Boys

Cole practicing his big brother skills on a doll we borrowed from Miss Nora

Grant loves his swing!

Daddy and Baby Grant enjoying a nap on Sunday afternoon

Today the boys and I took a field trip to my school to visit the Cooper 5th graders and staff. Cole had fun after he warmed up to everyone, but initially, walking into a classroom full of 25 "big kids" who all knew his name was a little overwhelming. By the end of our visit, he was giving high-fives and knucks to all of the kids. Needless to say, the boys were a huge hit with the 5th graders. It was, by the way, my first attempt to take both boys on an outing all by myself. Mission: accomplished. I even packed a lunch for Cole to eat at school! Cole got to eat his lunch in the teachers' lounge, something most kids only dream about. What a mysterious place.

Also, here is a link to Grant's birth announcement in the Duluth News Tribune:
http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/118778/

Grant Benjamin Sharrow new arrival

I WAS BORN: April 9, 2009, in St. Mary's Medical Center.

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I WAS BORN: April 9, 2009, in St. Mary's Medical Center.

MY PARENTS ARE: Emily and Ryan Sharrow of Duluth.

MY BROTHER IS: Cole, 2.

MY GRANDPARENTS ARE: Greg and Rita Iverson of Forest Lake, Minn., and Jim and Kathy Sharrow of Duluth.

MY GREAT-GRANDPARENTS ARE: Hugh and Essie King of Lawndale, N.C., and Chet and Marge Truedson of Duluth.

MY PARENTS CHOSE THIS NAME BECAUSE: It is simple and strong.

PARENTS’ WISH OR ADVICE: Always know how much you're loved. We are so excited to finally have you join our family!

SOMETHING SPECIAL: We seemed to wait forever for you to come into this world! You were a few days past your due date and we were getting anxious but, when the time came, you were not messing around. You wanted out fast and you arrived at 4:21 a.m.

FAMILY WEBSITE: www.sharrowshow.blogspot.com

Spring!!

Our family enjoyed a beautiful spring day outside getting ready for summer. Ryan (with Cole's assistance) de-thatched the yard (which I think just means "raked," using the de-thatcher attachment to the lawn tractor) to get it ready for fertilizing and seeding. The boys and I mostly played in the yard while Daddy worked. Well, Grant just rode around in the Baby Bjorn while Cole played. Cole is very busy these days, running around, riding his tricycle, swinging, and going down the slide, all while somehow being able to get into everything he is not supposed to get into. It is going to be a very busy summer at the Sharrows' house! I think I need a leash. Or a shock collar.

Family of Four

Easter Sunday: April 12, 2009

3 days old

Baby Grant: six days old

Using weights like Mommy - A little tip from Cole: don't drop them on your toes! Ouch!

We enjoyed a rare, beautiful 75-degree Duluth day already in April! Last year at this time we were experiencing a blizzard that closed local schools. One thing can be said about Duluth weather: it is unpredictable. The four of us went down to the Lakewalk where we were actually overdressed (for the first time ever, perhaps?) for the weather. Cole enjoyed throwing rocks into the lake with Daddy and didn't want to leave.