Today I am 4!

Hello everyone!

Today is my 4th birthday, can you believe it?

Here is a photo of my with my birthday cake which my Auntie Joy made for me. I really like BB-8 from Star Wars, so Auntie Joy surprised me with this cool cake she made!

We had my birthday party this past weekend, and my mom and dad did a birthday-breakfast theme complete with French Toast Sticks, Donut Kabobs, Bagels, build-your-own-yogurt bar, juice and coffee! My friends came over and so did a lot of my family. It was a wonderful time and I enjoyed every minute of the party!
Today, I got to bring special treats to daycare to share with all of my friends too. For dinner, mom let me pick what I wanted to have for my special birthday meal. I chose french fries, chicken, carrots and corn dogs, so that is what I got! After dinner I got to eat a special birthday cupcake from my uncle Justin and Uncle Dave!

In keeping up with tradition, today I am 4 years old and what better way to start the next year of my life than with my top 10!
(Drum roll please...)

1. Summertime at the Lake... I really enjoy going to the lake and spending time with my family! I caught my first fish this past year and while we didn't keep it, I was pretty excited!  I also got to go tubing for the first time too! (Dad and Grandpa made sure to go extra slow, and our lake neighbor Claire was with me to keep me extra safe!)
Don't even get me started on the s'mores either...that is my favorite way to end a fun day at the lake!

2. Family Adventures...This year we took a few different trips and made long weekends out of them. We went through Wisconsin stopped along the way and checked out the unique trails, stores and national parks.

3. Check-up Time...Since I am growing up, it is time for all of the fun check-ups and appointments. I am happy to say that I passed both my physical and my 1st dentist appointment with flying colors!

4. Rugby...Another fun season of watching my dad play rugby! I really got into the game this year, and my rugby knowledge is really showing! (All thanks to my favorite book "R is for Rugby"!)
Here is our end of season family photo on the rugby field and a special picture with my Uncle Dave and Uncle Justin...they are very special to me and I love spending time with them!

5. School... I started Pre-Preschool this year! I would go two days a week for 2.5 hours, and I loved every minute of it! My teacher was very impressed with my manors and said I was a great student! I will go back in the fall 5 days a week 1/2 days and couldn't be more excited!

6.  Friends... I enjoy spending as much time with my friends as I can, and my best friend is Alice, who is 2 weeks older than me and her mom and my mom are best friends. We live close to each other, so we get to spend a lot of time together! (We also just did a photo shoot together for the company Alice's mom works for! We had a lot of fun doing it especially since we got to eat marshmallows!)

7. Hanging with Mom and Dad...Some weekends we stay home to get things done around the house and to have a low-key weekend. I like helping Dad out with the lawn work (hopefully they will start paying me soon!) and of course spending time playing on slip-n-slide too!

8. Great Grandparents....It is with a very sad heart to say that my Great Grandpa, Vincent passed away at the age of 94. (He was my dad's grandpa) I am very lucky to have been able to spend the time with him, get spoiled by him with his cookies, pie and hear his laugh that I will always remember.
He shared his love for farming with me, and the John Deer Tractor I had on my first birthday cake is still in my bedroom as a reminder of him. I love you Great Grandpa!
I continue to cherish the time I have with my Great Grandma, and am lucky to have her in my life. She is a wonderful women and it is hard not to be happy when you are around her!

9. Traditions...I am so happy to say my Omi and Grumpy (my dad's parents) have moved back to the Midwest! They live in Wisconsin and we get to see them so much now, and I am very thankful for that! My Gumpy has passed down the tradition of "Ice cream for breakfast" that my dad had when he was little with his Grandpa! Needless to say, I get really excited for breakfast when we see them! (I think Grumpy does too, because then he gets ice cream as well!)

10. Zest for Life... There is so many things I enjoy right now! Here are just a few of my favorite things and firsts this year:

• Favorite Toy: Trains
• Favorite Color: Blue or Red
• 1st Movie in the Theater: SING!
• Favorite Book: R is for Rugby or  How to Train your Train
• Favorite Movie/TV Show: Secret Life of Pets/Mystery Science Theater 3000 (Check it out on Netflix!)
• 1st Play: Dr. Seuss's "The Sneetches"
• Favorite Snack: Fruit snacks or granola bars
• Favorite Drink: Milk or orange juice
• 1st Musical: Sesame Street Live! 
• Favorite Song: "I can Make Your Hands Clap" or "Pancake Robot"
• Favorite Ice Cream: Cookie Doug or Cookies & Cream

Hope you all enjoyed my Top Ten list for this year! Time for me to run off and play!

Enjoy the summer!
-Donovan

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Everyone!
From my family to yours, we want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Love,
Donovan

3 Years Old!

I am officially three years old, and loving life! To keep with tradition, here are my top 10 things I am  doing now that I am the BIG 3:

(Drum roll please...)

Turning 3: Top Ten

1. Sledding - I have come to really enjoy sledding, and am not scared to go down the hill on my own! (Unfortunately, my mom and dad decided to get in on the action with me and we broke my sled! I tried to tell them that it is just for kids, but they seem to be kids at heart. Lucky for me, they bought me a new one!)

2. Family - I am so lucky to be able to spend time with my cousin's Dominic and Jessica! Dominic has moved back from Australia so he can go to college in the USA and I am excited to see him more and more! Jessica will graduate next year and she is thinking of coming back too!
These two love me more than ever, and I am so lucky I have them to look up to!

3. Children's Museum - I love every chance I get to go to the MN Children's Museum! They have so much fun things to do there, and the water tubes are one of my favorite (plus I get to wear this cool rain jacket!)

4. Cooking - I enjoy helping my mom and dad in the kitchen and I like to do everything myself! (Who knew mixing pancake batter could take 20 min??) I tend to make a mess a lot of the time, but mom and dad don't seem to mind as they see I am enjoying myself and that is all that matters. (Why can't they think that way when it comes to picking up my toys?)

5. Trains - Yes, I still love trains, they are my favorite! I was lucky to get to go on a train ride this year around the metro area, and I loved every minute of it. It was cold out, but inside the train it was warm! I think I smiled the whole time!

6. My Auntie Kimmy - This year was a hard one for us....my Auntie Kimmy was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was a very scary time, but we all stood by her and she has a big cheering section on her side. While she was so far away, we made sure she knew that we were "with her" every chance we got. We now wear our pink with pride and I am happy to report she is now cancer free!
(Fun Fact: My Auntie Kimmy and I are birthday buddies too, so we have a special bond together!)

7.  Zoo Time - I love going to the zoo and checking out the animals. Every time we go, I think I find a new favorite animal to add to my list. This summer it has been the giraffes. I am looking forward to seeing what other animals I can find and add to my list!

8. Rugby  - No surprise that I still enjoy rugby! My mom has still been coaching her college boys and I make a great assistant coach! (These are the same boys that she coached when they were in high school, so they have become family to us!) The guys are really nice and always make sure to include me in their season group photo!

9. Lake - I enjoy every chance I can to go to the lake and enjoy time in the water, eating s'mores, fishing, boat rides and of course eating popsicles with my grandpa!

10. Adventures  - My mom and dad love taking on on adventures as much as possible! Recently we went on a weekend car trip to explore some trails and check out some new state parks. We had a great time, and I enjoy getting out and seeing all the new areas! We have already started our list for next summer!

Well, that is it for my top 10 for this year...stay tuned to see what new adventures I will be on!
Have a great summer!
- Donovan

2 1/2 Years!

Hello everyone...hope you didn't forget about my blog! 

Can you believe it, I am 2 1/2 years old and growing bigger, stronger and smarter everyday. 

Since my last blog post, my busy world has been filled with so much excitement and new adventures, where do I start? Well, let me take you month by month...

June

We celebrated Father's Day by taking my dad out for breakfast at one of his favorite places and spending the day doing all the activities that he enjoys. (It's a good thing he likes ice cream as much as I do!)

We hit up a few festivals and took advantage of the beautiful MN weather as much as possible. The best part of festivals....the music! As you know, I do enjoy my music, and any chance to show off my dance moves is always a plus! I was lucky enough to go on stage and show everyone just how great of a dancer I was...watch the video, I think you will agree with me! 

July

What would the 4th of July be without being on a boat...with snacks! We enjoyed a wonderful day on the water and did some fishing as well as swimming. I tried to stay awake for the fireworks, but after a full day outside, I was wiped out! 

My cousin Dominic graduated from Basic Training for the Army! My Auntie Kim and Uncle Kevin (his parents) flew in for the graduation and I was able to see them at the airport and spend time with them again! I have grown so much since they last saw me in person, but I remembered them because I see them on FaceTime a lot! Lucky for me, I will be seeing them again at Christmas time, and I can't wait!

August

On of my favorite places to go is the MN Children's Museum, and since August was filled with a lot of rainy days, we spent a lot of time there.  I enjoy running through the ant holes, playing in the forest, playing the piano and of course my ultimate favorite, playing at the water stations! 

Have you ever wondered what grandparents do when they are left unsupervised with their grandchild? Well, my parents sure learned what happens...Grandpa buys a drum set and sets it up! Yep, that is right, I am one spoiled little boy and have my very own drum set to play with! (I find that playing them as loud as possible works the best!)

September

It is with a sad heart that I say September didn't start out the best for us. After 12 1/2 years, our dog Java passed away to a better place. She was getting old and was failing so my mom and dad decided that it was time for her to be without pain anymore. She was a great dog, and would never leave my side. Just like she has done since my first day home, I know she is still watching over me. I love you Java!

Excuse me, do I have something on my face? I waited until my mom looked away to write something on her grocery list to take advantage of some freedom and painted my face with yogurt. As you can tell, I did a great job and managed to get it all over. I was too quiet when doing it, and my mom knew right away something was up...but seeing how much fun I was having she let me continue to have fun until it was all gone, and then I ended up getting to take a bath....a bubble bath! (I call this a win-win on my end!)

October

Choo Choo...All aboard! I am obsessed with trains, so much so that sometimes that is all I talk about. So, we decided for family day we would go on a real train ride! It was the perfect day, the fall leaves were in full color and the weather was perfect! We hopped onto the train for a full hour long train ride, and the conductor even let me try out his train whistle!

Speaking of train whistles, I enjoyed it so much on the train that I got one of my very own! Check out the video, as you can see I was super excited to try it out! (Since the video, I have mastered how to use it and boy do I like to use it...especially early in the mornings!!)

Halloween was so much fun this year...I got all dressed up as Thomas the Train (I know, a train...who would have guessed!) and got to go Trick-or-Treating for the first time, and I loved it! I didn't really understand it though, as my neighbors would give me candy and I would put it back in their bowl and say "No Thanks". I only went to 5 hours, and that was more than enough candy to last me a while! 

November

The weather has turned cold, which means we get to hang out inside and watch football! I always make sure to have the best seat in the house, and it just so happens that my favorite spot is stilling on my mom! 

If you didn't know, I am a natural chef. I enjoy helping my mom and dad in the kitchen as much as possible! When they are not cooking, I keep up with my chef training and practice on my own. As you can see, I am a "master in the kitchen" and I always make sure to wear my chef's hat so I fit the part!

December

It's that time of the year...time for me to start picking out what I want from the big guy in the red suit! I received the Toys R Us catalog in the mail and I made sure to pick out all of the toys I wanted. I have been a very good boy this year, so I think that I made Santa's nice list for sure!

With the holiday season approaching, the visitors have started coming! My Uncle Josh flew in from Colorado to spend a long weekend with us, and any time I can get with him, I will take! He is so funny and always makes me laugh! Luckily for me, he will be back at Christmas, so I will get to spend a little more time with him!

My cousin Jessica arrived from Australia and my mom and I surprised her at her gate during her layover here in Minneapolis! She was so surprised that we were there, she screamed in excitement! I had a fun little sign I was holding for her to read when she walked off the plane too!

She is here for a whole month, and I can't wait to spend as much time with her as I can.

What is the holiday season without toys, toys and more toys! I have been such good boy, that I got my christmas gift early! (I got it early because my dad couldn't wait to give it to me...he is such a kid at heart, no wonder my mom loves him so much!)

You guessed it....something to do with trains! My very own TRAIN SET! 

"You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch"...Right now my favorite movie is the original "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"! Some kids can't wait to see Santa at Christmas time, but me, well I wanted nothing to do with the big guy, and wanted only the Grinch, so I got what I wanted and I was so excited!

I hope you enjoyed my recap of things going on! Until next year....Merry Christmas to you and may you enjoy the blessings of the season and have a happy New Year!

Love,
Donovan