Larkyn's Baptism

Larkyn was baptized on August 28th at Hosanna Lutheran Church. She was one of 5 children to be baptized and was surrounded by many of our closest friends and family members. Aunt Kiki in California even "skyped" in to be a part of Larkyn's baptism! Larkyn was such a trooper. She didn't get her morning nap due to the 10 AM service, but it didn't seem to bother her too much. She was still all smiles for the camera and didn't shed a tear the entire time we were at the church. She even made it through pictures after the service, but crashed on our way back to our house for her party. After a short rest she was back up again to enjoy her company. Overall it was a great day and we feel very blessed to have such wonderful family and friends who love the Lord and are praying for our little girl to know and love the Lord as well!

I'm not sure who was having more fun...

Larkyn's Godparents

Aunt May May, Mike & Katie, and Aunt Megan

Larkyn wore my Great Grandma Bea's baptism ring. It was such an honor for us to have Grandma Bea be part of Larkyn's day!

This is a picture of Larkyn's hand, my hand, my mom's (Grandma Debbie) hand, and my grandma's (Great Grandma Barb) hand.

(4 generations and the 5th represented by Great Great Grandma Bea's ring!)

Here are more pictures from Larkyn's baptism on Shutterfly...

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August Visitors...

Larkyn loves visitors, especially now that she is so social and interacts with others. Larkyn's friend Luke came over for a little while when Katie ran their dog to the vet. Luke was so good, he slept the entire time! We were glad that he and Katie stayed for awhile after she got back so they could "play" and hold hands:)

How cute is this? Best friends already!

Aunt Megan came to visit us in August as well. She watched Larkyn while we played kickball, as well as a full day while I had a meeting and Shea was working. Megan and Larkyn had a great day until it was time to eat. Larkyn wasn't into the sippy cup at this time and refused to eat any other way. Good thing my meeting was flexible because I had to run home to feed her during my lunch break! Other than that, they played and laughed a lot. Larkyn thought Megan was hilarious, and Larkyn learned how to text too!

It was Megan's birthday in a couple days so we got her a webcam for her computer. This will help us Skype with her when we don't get the opportunity to see her much!

Our friend Danny came up to visit and got to see Larkyn for the first time.

Jenny came to visit us when she was up visiting her sister and family. She got to spend some time with Larkyn and meet her for the first time as well!

Larkyn's first full day at "school"...

Larkyn spent her first full day at Tracey's while I attended a collaboration meeting for school. She has gone to Tracey's for a few half days here and there over the summer while I had meetings at school, but this was her first full day. She had a great day playing with Grace and Emily, took two great naps, and ate pretty well. Larkyn has skipped the bottle stage and went straight for the sippy cup. She is taking it better and better each day. Larkyn went to Tracey's for just 3 full days the first week and 4 the second week. It has been a nice transition and will help all of us prepare for the 5 day weeks that are just around the corner!

Mommy's Minneapolis 13.1

On August 22nd I ran the Minneapolis 13.1 (half marathon) with my neighbor Kelly and DeeDee, a friend of Kelly's. Kelly and I began running together in the end of June after she completed her first half marathon just weeks prior. Kelly ran the Rock 'N Roll San Diego half marathon in the beginning of June for Team in Training. She said she wanted to keep running to stay in shape, but I don't think she quite meant she wanted to sign up for another half marathon 11 weeks later! After a few short runs together, and very little convincing from each other, we were signed up to run with 8 weeks left to dive into some heavy duty training! Good thing we had each other, because I know I would have never gotten up at 5:30 AM to run 8 and 10 miles by myself! I am very glad I completed the 13.1 and had a lot of fun running and training for the event. Our fan support was great as well! I enjoyed seeing Shea and Larkyn, as well as Scott, Jack and Joey at different stops along the way. Shea and Larkyn even surprised me with a sign!

I finished in 2 hours and 15 min. Not too bad I guess...

Kelly and Kim

More pictures from a Shutterfly Slideshow...

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Great Grandma Bea...

My Great Grandma Bea passed away on August 13th at the age of 94. She lived a wonderful life and was an amazing woman who helped build a strong foundation that led to a fabulous family. That was very apparent as 60+ family members and many friends gathered to celebrate her life. Here are some excerpts from the eulogy read at her funeral: "Grandma Bea lived her beliefs. She worked hard, took every opportunity to help a friend or neighbor, was unfailingly kind in her words and always saw the best in people." "Grandma was also very classy in every sense of the word. Her hair was always beautifully coiffed and she never left the house unless she looked her best. She treated doctor, attorney, grocery clerk or gas station attendant with equal courtesy and attention. She never passed up the opportunity to give a compliment and make someone feel good about them self." I will always remember her kindness, sharp mind, and "tell it how it is" attitude! She will be missed, but always remembered. Though Larkyn will not be able to remember the few times she was able to spend with her Great Great Grandma Bea, we have captured those moments in photos that we will cherish forever! Here is one of my favorites...

Friday, August 13th I saw a rainbow around 6:20 p.m. and said to Shea "That is Gram Bea looking down on us!" Around 7:00 p.m. I got the phone call saying my Great Grandma had passed away around 6:20 that evening. (Instant goose bumps!) Everytime I see a rainbow it is just another reminder of how blessed I feel to have known such an amazing woman!

Beatrice Louise Tryphena Sheedy, 94, whose ancestors came to Austin in covered wagons, died Friday, Aug. 13, surrounded by loved ones. She had lived at home independently until shortly before her death.

Beatrice SheedyBeatrice was born at Silver Springs Farm outside Austin, Sept. 24, 1915, to Raymond and Leah Furtney. She graduated at 17 from Teachers’ College and taught in a one room school house. Her first class was composed of nine “big” farm boys. She married Richard Sheedy on June 30, 1937 and helped him and his brothers, Robert and Edward, farm and operate Sheedy Brothers Dairy. They had five daughters.

She was a life long member of St. Augustine and St. Edwards Catholic churches and a Red Cross volunteer. Throughout her life, Beatrice brightened the lives of all who came in contact with her. She was an extraordinary mother, a wife whose husband referred to her as “my angel,” a faithful, funny friend and a neighbor who created a sense of community and inclusion. Her kindness was legendary.

Survivors include five daughters: Barbara (Ralph) Majerus of Cedar Falls, IA; Kathleen (Michael) Kurz of San Antonio, TX; Helen (Thomas) Kennedy of North Port, FL; Suzanne (Mark) Nelson of Apple Valley, MN; Mary (Joseph) Kurcinka of Eagan, MN; sixteen grandchildren; 22 great grandchildren (with two on the way); one great great granddaughter; many loving nieces and nephews.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Richard; parents, Raymond and Leah Furtney; brother, Raymond Edward Furtney.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated 11:00 am on Wednesday, August 18, 2010 at St. Augustine Catholic Church with Father Joe Fogal officiating. There will be a 6:30 pm wake service on Tuesday at Mayer Funeral Home where friends may call from 4-7 pm and also one hour before the service at the church on Wednesday. Interment will be in Calvary Cemetery.
Arrangements are handled by Mayer Funeral Home.

Larkyn is 5 months old...

Well, considering Miss Larkyn Kate is almost 6 months, I suppose I better try to document all of the fun we've had in her 5 month! "Cakers" as I often call her continues to amaze us all of the time! She is becoming more and more vocal and more and more mobile each day. Larkyn has definitely discovered her voice! She has always been on the loud side:), but she has been experimenting with a high pitched squeal, as well as the typical ooh's and aah's. Along with making sounds, Larkyn is very aware of the sounds around her. She will often pop her head up or turn her head quickly toward the sound of our voices or other background noises. I have learned that she needs it quiet when nursing, otherwise it can be quite a long process for her to finish eating!

Larkyn has also figured out the rolling over thing again. Now she is rolling front to back and back to front very successfully. She is also making swimming motions while on her tummy and loves to scoot and turn herself around her blanket on the floor or when she is in her crib. With mobility comes flexibility...Larkyn has found her toes and brings them to her mouth every chance she gets. No need to suck on a thumb when you have a big toe to suck on!

We have been working a lot on the bottle issue, giving her many opportunities throughout the day to "experiment and play" with it. We were giving her a sippy cup to try as well. After many failed attempts at the bottle, we found a sippy cup with a silicon top that seemed to interest her. With continued practice she has become quite efficient and usually takes 4-6 oz. at a time!

Measuring Larkyn is becoming harder and harder! She is quite squirmy and doesn't lay on her back for very long. Larkyn measured in just over 27 inches at 5 months according to our See Me Grow mat!

"Roll over, Roll over..."

"What are you going to do now?"

Larkyn Kate and Mr. Giraffe

"I love you Mr. Giraffe!"

Larkyn is really into grabbing faces these days!

"Hey, you took Mr. Giraffe! Hi Mr. Giraffe!"

(You'll see why I took him below...I needed some focus on the camera:))

"Oh Mr. Giraffe, you look so yummy!"

"Let me eat me you!"

"Okay, how about just one kiss!?"

"What's that? You want a hug too?:)"

*It is getting more interesting each month trying to capture these photos!

Go Twins!

The Mueske family made its first trip to see the Minnesota Twins play at Target Field. We wanted our first time at Target Field to be as a family, even if that meant taking a 5 month old to a 7:10 night game! We loaded up the diaper bag, put Larkyn in the Snuggli and we were off!Larkyn enjoyed people watching as we walked up to the stadium and around to our seats. However we sat down for maybe 3 minutes and then headed back down to the lower level, never returning to our seats again! Good thing the stadium is so wide open, we were able to walk around and still see the game. After exploring the stadium for a while, Larkyn and I spent a little bit of time with some other mamas and babies in a nursing room:), while Shea watched the game from behind home plate! We spent the remainder of the game walking around the stadium, stopping at various spots to get a different view of the field. The Twins ended up winning the game, beating the Oakland A's 4-3.

Daddy and Larkyn walking to the game

Mueske's in the golden glove...

We went to the game with the Kunze family (good friends/neighbors). It was their first family trip to Target Field too!

The main gate...

Go Twins!

This was a picture from our seats that we sat in for 3 minutes:) Section 332 I believe!

"I'm so glad I can watch baseball with you dad!"

Minnie and Paul

Larkyn was pretty worn out towards the end...

Our 4th Wedding Anniversary...

Shea and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary on August 5th. It was a Thursday night, so we decided to stay home, grill out and enjoy it together with Larkyn! We were able to go out together the following Sunday for a "date morning/afternoon". The past 3 years we have made it a priority to golf somewhere we have never golfed and eat somewhere we have never eaten. Thanks to our wonderful friends (and neighbors) the Kunze's, we were able to spend a morning golfing at Emerald Green's Golf Club in Haistings and follow it up with fabulous burgers from House of Coates for lunch. It has been a wonderful 4 years and we look forward to many more as our family continues to change and grow!

Where it all began...Go Warriors:)

Yes, that is a 52 for me and a 44 for Shea:)

(That's what happens when you only play 2-3 times a year!)

Basically a small townie bar with fabulous bar food!

Falkirk Festival

Last Saturday, August 7th, we celebrated our 2nd Annual Falkirk Festival with our neighbors. Falkirk Festival was set up as a neighborhood party in order to get to know our neighbors in the Falkirk area better. Last year there were only 11 houses on Falkirk. This year there are more than 30! This area is definitely growing and there are very few open lots to build on!

We had a pretty good turn out this year. The weather was very different from last year. Last year we were wearing stocking caps, sweatshirts and jeans because the temperature was in the upper 40's, windy and cloudy. This year, it was 90's, sunny and muggy! Thankfully we have wonderful neighbors who brought down a couple tents which provided shade. The big tent worked perfect to shade the 5 newest members of Falkirk all born in the last 5 months!

The Lakeville Fire Department also made an appearance at Falkirk Festival this year. The kids enjoyed climbing on the fire truck, trying on the fire gear, and listening to the loud sirens and horns as the firefighters drove away.

Below are some of the Falkirk kiddos...

No longer the DINKS of the neighborhood...

Falkirk Fred

See more pictures below...

Falkirk Festival Pictures

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Teething???

Larkyn has been quite the drooler for some time now and loves to put things in her mouth. It is still a little early for teeth, but we definitely can't rule them out. One day she was a little fussy and gnawing and drooling on everything so I put an ice cube in a fresh food feeder (basically a small mesh pouch). She LOVED it! She sucked it down so fast.

"What? I'm not done yet!"

Sophie the Giraffe came in the mail the other day and it has been in Larkyn's mouth ever since! Sophie is suppose to be a great teething toy, made from natural rubber. It is small and really easy for her to grip, and has plenty of limbs to put in her mouth! It squeaks too! For some reason babies are super attracted to this toy. All of Larkyn's friends have been drawn to it and have liked to try it out too!

"Yum, Sophie's ear is tasty!"

"So is Sophie's nose and mouth!"