Post-Christmas Mega-Post!

We had a great Christmas. The weather was awesome and there was lots of snow, so we spent a good deal of time outside. Sledding was the most frequent activity, which the boys loved.

Here are Finn and Evan (Sam & Nicole's nephew) teaming up for some downhill adventures:


















Evan, his mom Amanda, Finn, Nicole & Leif, and me:














Finn was "pulling" grandma Nancy & Leif up the sledding hill.
























































Finn & Evan enjoy some hot cocoa together...












...and literally bounce around with the subsequent sugar high:































Finn catches a perch in his first ten minutes in the spearhouse:












Grandpa Sam pulls the boys across the lake to the spearhouse:


















The boys use a special kitchen stand for some pizza making:












We all went dogsledding on Christmas morning, which was really neat. Here are Nancy and Finn in the sled while Uncle Sam and Mickey help prepare the team.












Leif digs for his bounty on Christmas morning:

Update

Last weekend started out with lots of snow on Friday and Saturday. Finn got his own snowshoes and tromped through the Frank's woods, keeping up with the adults.

Leif riding on dad's back:


Finn helping bury Max in snow:


On Sunday, we took the Polar Express to the North Pole and saw Santa. Finn was ecstatic to see the man in red, while Leif was neutral, at best.

Santa appears during a re-enactment of the story. Finn was asking Santa to pick him up:


Finn and Santa. He asked for a Christmas tree and snowperson (very wholesome):


Finn looks out the train window and Leif tries to stay awake:


This evening we celebrated an early Christmas with some of our Duluth friends. The kiddos did a book exchange and we all munched on Swedish meatballs from a local grass fed cow, frittata, spicy nuts, etc.

The boys ready to go to the party:


Mickey reading to Finn, Anja, Leif and Max:


Esmae shows Kelton a duck, while Leif looks on:


This is the best photo we could get of all the kiddos. From left to right are Finn, Leif, Esmae, Anja, Kelton and Max.

Weekend Recap

The weekend was another great one here in Duluth. Saturday morning was spent decorating the Christmas tree and baking a cake for a birthday get-together.

Finn deeply enjoyed helping mom with the cake:






Finn delicately hangs an ornament:


Leif is fascinated by the appearance of a tree right in our living room.


Leif & Anja chillin':


Finn bids a fond farewell to Anja:


Esmae's ready to pilot the fire truck in the foreground:


Jasper really enjoys our Legos:


Leif plays "Oceanic Flight 815" with mom:


You may have heard that Duluth (as well as the rest of Northern Minnesota) got copious amounts of snow dumped all over it. We tried to get out in it a bit yesterday, with mixed results. Here's the best shot we could get of our bundled bundles of joy:

To Salt Lake and back!

Team Pearson returned to Duluth after a week-long family trip to Salt Lake City to visit family. (My mom grew up there and has a lot of siblings still living in the area.) Despite both boys getting sick on the trip, we had a great time with the many cousins out west.

Here are Finn and Leif at the awesome Discovery Gateway childrens' museum in downtown Salt Lake.
























Here's Finn on the light rail on the way to the museum:












Aunt Erika, Leif and me on the same trip:












Here are Finn, and cousins Alex, Aidan and Porter, playing hard.












Leif and Porter:












Finn & Aidan playing tic-tac-toe:












Finn & Porter:

The weekend

Team Pearson spent Thanksgiving in the cities at the largest indoor waterpark in America. The boys loved swimming and hanging with Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Erika and Great Grandma.

Prior to departure from Duluth, Finn helped shovel the sidewalk:












On the way back North we were able to see Benjamin Whetstone and his parents. Blog loyalists will likely remember Benjamin from numerous posts early in Finn's life (see here and here for example). Now look at them - all grown up and with a new friend (Leif):
























Here's an old one of Finn & Benjamin:














Yesterday was Keely's Golden Birthday. We spent the day doing some of her favorite activities (eating breakfast out, playing at the beach and parks, hiking, napping, hanging with friends at the Brewhouse).

A delicious breakfast at Pizza Luce, with hot cocoa by request:













Hanging out at the beach:




































Happy Birthday mom! You're the greatest and we love you so much!