Merry and Bright Indeed!

Happy Holidays from the Dumonts! It's been a wonderful season. In fact, we've been celebrating all December long. To better illustrate what we've been up to, I've included photos of some special events.
Be sure not to miss our special surprise at the end of the post!
Happy New Year! May 2011 be filled with joy, peace, and good things for all!

Laura

This is our holiday card. I've accepted that perfect photos of three year olds rarely exist. These aren't bad, however.

Our visit with Santa at Macy's downtown went very well. It was a fun morning as a family, followed by lunch out, a special treat!

Sofie dressed in her holiday best as she gets ready to sing (or just observe) in the holiday pageant at church.

Celebrating Christmas at Gramma Kathy's and Grampa Jeff's.
"Can we open presents NOW?"

Charlie got what he's always wanted, an umbrella!

Our tree Christmas morning, just after Santa's arrival.



And our special gift this year . . .

Baby number three, due July 7, 2011.
Charlie has already named the baby, "Super Baby Rocket Ship"
Sounds good to me, at least until its arrival.

Love and glad tidings to all!

The Dumonts

Fall Fun

Here are some photos of what we've been up to. I knew three year old twins would be crazy and challenging at times, but man oh man! Charlie and Sofie keep us on our toes with new personalities, language, interests, and abilities. Constantly, we are asking each other, "Where did they learn how to do that? When did they learn that word?" Life in our little world is so fun, exhausting, and way to busy to take time to blog. Hopefully the next update won't take so long!

Love to all,
Laura

Charlie and Sofie's first day of school. This year we are doing both a parent-child class and a preschool class where they are all alone without me. I actually get a two hour break. It's awesome!

Chris and I took a long overdue trip to Vail this September for our friend Jeff's wedding. It was a relaxing, fun, and restorative!

Vail Mountains

Don't we look relaxed?!

The fall colors in our yard were stunning this year!

Picking out our pumpkins for Halloween!

Trick or Treat!
Charlie was a dragon and Sofie was a fairy.
They had a blast trick or treating, but even more fun was passing out treats when people came to the door. "Here you go!" they would giggle.

Happy Birthday, Baptism, and more!

It's been way too long since the last update, but what can I say? Living and enjoying life is way more important these days! May is always a busy month and we had a jam-packed month with trips to the zoo, birthdays, picnics, and lots of trips to the park with school friends. Some of you know and some of you don't that I have been struggling with ulcerative colitis for the last year and a half. While most days I feel okay, some days are tough. I'm trying to find the best ways to stay healthy and simply be grateful for the days that I am well and have the energy to enjoy my wonderful life! Please enjoy some photos of the last month or so and a fun video of the sweetest three year olds we know!

Laura

We celebrated my 33rd birthday at Teddy Bear Park in Stillwater. It was a beautiful day!

Teddy Bear Park in 2007 when Charlie and Sofie were 3 months old.

Teddy Bear Park at 3 years old!

For their birthdays, Charlie and Sofie got real big beds,
well, mattresses at least.

Blowing out the candles on their Yo Gabba Gabba cake.

Getting ready to sing Happy Birthday to our babies!

Charlie and Sofie's breakfast birthday celebration.

We had Charlie and Sofie baptized on June 6, 2010 at my new church,
Robbinsdale United Church of Christ. In the fall they will start Sunday school!

Sofie having fun at the baptism party.

Handmade, quilted name banners. So beautiful and made with such thought and talent!

Now, let's dance!

Goodbye Cribs, Hello Sleepless Nights!

Well, kind of. We've been crib-free for about a week and a half now. First, we put Sofie's crib mattress on the floor (as suggested by many of my fellow mommy friends). As expected, she slept very nicely in it and rarely got up until we came to get her. Then, we put Charlie's on the floor and got rid of both cribs. It was kind of a 'cold turkey' shift into big beds, even though they're still just sleeping on the same crib mattresses. Putting them on the floor is supposed to be the safest and yet still kind of familiar. Wouldn't you know, they still fell out, so we've surrounded them with pillows. At about 5 a.m. this morning I found Charlie sleeping on the floor, using his safety pillow as his own. He was fast asleep. I wondered how long he had been there.

We've also been hit this week with dreadful colds, so Charlie and Sofie have willingly crawled into their new beds and fallen asleep with little hassle. I think this has been a good thing, as yucky as we all feel! The sleepless nights, at least for me, have been the result of Charlie getting up in the middle of the night, feeling miserable, and wandering into the hallway calling my name. I guess that's the only downfall. Otherwise, we think the change was a good one so far. The next step will be twin mattresses on the floor, then bunk beds that separate and can be stacked once they're older or have their own rooms and want an extra bed for sleepovers. It was tough to say goodbye to the cribs, but yet another fun transition and reminder that parenthood is the greatest! Stay tuned for more updates about living crib-free!

Laura

Charlie's Bed

Sofie's Bed

Chris added another shelf for storage.

Our new 'clothesline' for hanging artwork and photos.

We've had to stay pretty organized with so many toys, books, and cds in one small room!

Sofie loves her new bed!

Happy Holidays, Happy New Year!

As usual, we've been plenty busy around our house. We had a wonderful holiday season full of time with family, relaxing, playing inside and out, and introducing Charlie and Sofie to many holiday traditions. They were so excited about Christmas this year. They were thrilled not only to receive gifts but also to help shop, wrap, and give gifts to loved ones and those in need. Now that Christmas is over, they are very confused. They are ready for Halloween again, and wonder when Christmas will come. We're trying to help them understand that it's just winter. For a long time, it will just be winter. Brrrr!! The cold weather has been a challenge as Charlie and Sofie can't wait to finally build a snowman! They understand that it's too cold and the snow is too fluffy, however. Some day soon, we tell them, we will build a big, fat snowman. For now, play dough will have to suffice. Please enjoy some photos of the last several weeks.

Chris and Sofie just hanging out.

A trip to the zoo was a nice break from chilly temps and cabin fever.

Sofie's new back pack (or "buck cup" as Charlie calls it).

Santa brought a doll house, train set, and backpacks for both Charlie and Sofie.

New bike helmets for rides in the bike trailer.

All dressed up on Christmas eve.

Daddy and Sofie enjoying some Chex mix made by uncle Matt and Auntie Amy.

Christmas at Gramma and Grampa Nelson's

Merry Christmas!!

Sofie loved the green Spritz cookies we made this year!

Charlie organizing gifts under the tree.

Sneaking M & Ms off of the gingerbread house.

One of our many Christmas crafts.

Playing in the fountain at the Crystal Court downtown.

Enjoying a cookie after seeing Santa downtown at Macy's

Charlie is up to his old tricks again.

Sofie was mesmerized by so many ornaments on the tree.

Goofing around, as usual!


Happy New Year and may 2010 be a year filled with peace, love, and happiness.