August!

Where in the world does the time go? I really cannot believe that summer is over and school begins next week. We have had a fun, action-packed summer and now it is time to get back on a schedule and the boys are ready to begin the new school year. Charlie and Tommy are especially excited to ride the bus together and spend the day with friends! This month I took the kids to Iowa to visit my family. My brother and his family from Denver were also there, along with my sister and her family from Omaha! It was a blast getting all twelve cousins together, going to the Iowa State Fair together, enjoying time at parks, in the backyard, riding on the plethera of bikes, trikes and other toys available at Grandma and Grandpa's, making smores, playing ball, washing cars, and playing games!

It has been fun seeing our extended Auge family this month, too! A family party and dinner with cousins has been the perfect way to wrap up our summer. We have continued to fill our days with park visits, zoo excursions and fun-filled evenings at Valleyfair! We have also encountered a challenge the Auge household this month. All three littles have started climbing out of their cribs during the night and during naps. I guess our babies have moved onto the next phase...Andy, Luke and Ellie are now active, healthy, independent, TODDLERS and doing just what toddlers are suppose to do. Our sports change with the seasons and we welcome soccer and football (a.k.a. - Fall)!!!

Happy Birthday, Charlie!!!

Where does the time go? It is so hard to believe that Charlie is SEVEN!! He is such a special boy and he has truly blessed our lives with his love, smiles, humor, thoughtfulness, sweetness and sportiness! Charlie's birthday was celebrated throughout the weekend with a party with his buddies at Playworks, lunch out at his favorite new restaurant with Grandma Sheila, Papa Bill and Tommy, a delightful pizza and cake party with both sets of Grandparents at our home and Charlie's last evening baseball game with his number one super fans cheering him on! This game was even more remarkable with Tim by his side for an inning, as players were able to play with a parent to mark the last game of the season!

Happy Birthday, Charlie Man! It has been a joyous July with family, friends and various celebrations. We observed the Fourth of July holiday in Northfield with Tim's family and enjoyed getting together with the extended Auge Family. Besides trying to beat the heat and stay cool, we have kept busy splashing in our pool, attending baseball games for Charlie and Tommy, playing outside, picking vegetables from our little garden, and playing with our dearest friends. Grandma and Grandpa arrived from Iowa to watch the kids while Tim and I also enjoyed an action-packed weekend. We had a blast riding through Shakopee via the Pedal Pub with friends and attended Tim's cousin's wedding the following afternoon. We shared a lot of laughs and made precious memories!

With four brothers, Ellie is sharing in their love for ball!

Tommy was also able to play an inning with Daddy during his last game, too!

Ellie and Charlie listening to Papa Bill tell stories :)

June 2012

It has been a very special month of memorable gatherings with family and friends. Charlie graduated from Kindergarten this month and we are so proud of our big guy. He thoroughly enjoyed this school year and has made some great friends! We kicked the summer off with a get-together at our home with seven of Charlie's school buddies and their families :) Charlie and Tommy have started ball for the summer and Andy, Luke and Ellie have fun watching their big brothers play the game. Charlie was born with ball in his blood and is in his glory now that the games have begun for the Green Dragon Warriors! Tommy likes t-ball this summer and is having a blast hitting the ball and running the bases with his team; Golden Rainbow Thunderfish (I just love the names 5 and 6 year olds come up with)!

Other highlights this month include trips to Valleyfair, days at the zoo, splashing in our new pool, playing with neighbors and enjoying time at the neighborhood parks.

July birthdays were celebrated in Northfield this month for Charlie and his cousin, Anthony. It was a fun weekend with the Auge family that included a graduation party, a Baptism for two cousins and the birthday party!

Grandma Sheila and Papa Bill came to visit us this month and we rented a pontoon on Prior Lake! This was the first boat ride for both of the boys and they even drove the boat!

Charlie and Tommy spent a few days in Des Moines with Grandma Sheila and Papa Bill and had a blast at the golf range, the park and the swimming pool! We also took a family vacation to Omaha to see Aunt Lori, Uncle Joe and cousins Andrew, Matthew and Zachary. Even though our stay was short, it was action-packed and we look forward to seeing them again soon!

May

It has been a special month with numerous family gatherings, a trip to Iowa for Mother's Day, Tommy's preschool graduation, Tim's birthday, Charlie starting baseball and Tommy losing his first tooth! The boys are really looking forward to a summer filled with near ball and t ball, fun-filled visits to Valleyfair, afternoons at the pool, and just time to relax and enjoy the great outdoors! This month the kids helped me plant my flowers and vegetables in our garden. There were many helping hands to dig in the dirt, water the flowers, and sprinkle and bury our seeds :)

It is always nice to get out of town and head south to Iowa for the weekend! Everyone benefits from a change of scenery and a place to play and totally relax. The kids spent a lot of time outside playing on trikes, bikes, and scooters, as well as shooting hoops and playing baseball in the yard!

We had a great time with my college friend who came to visit last weekend with her family. Our kids really had fun spending time with their buddies and we enjoyed their stay tremendously. It was nice to also get some "girl time" with those of us who were around during the holiday weekend, as well as spending a morning together at the park with the kids!

I have to post a picture of my toothless boy! He lost his FIRST tooth on Daddy's birthday while eating corn on the cob...and swallowed the tooth! No worries - the Tooth Fairy still came to our home that evening and knew exactly where to place her gift!

Andy, Luke and Ellie are at the precious age of two and I love it! They are really talking a ton and have such distinct and lovable personalities. Ellie continues to nurture her babies and is my sidekick during the day; whether we are baking, cooking, cleaning or changing diapers! She also likes to neb her babies while she is getting her nightly neb - a true caretaker.

Andy and Luke play hard and love the outdoors. Here is a photo of the boys no more than five minutes after getting buckled into their car seats after leaving a party!

Tim's birthday is a very special day for all of us. I am so blessed to have such an amazing husband who is my best friend and a wonderful father to our fab five. He makes me smile and laugh every single day :) Here is a shot of Tim with a piece of his birthday DQ cake!

April

It has beed a fun-filled month at our house this April! The boys had their first fishing experience and each caught a couple of fish in a short amount of time. The day was to be sunny and 70, but ended up being cloudy and 40 - so let's just say the outing was short and sweet :) It is a good thing that the fish were biting that chilly morning and within 20 minutes we had fish, pictures and were all packed up and on our way home. However, Tim is excited for a day when the sun is shining and more time can be spent on the dock with the boys.

Easter weekend was joyous and celebratory! We enjoyed the Easter egg hunts, an Auge family birthday party for our three two year olds and four other cousins, and Grandma Sheila's arrival from Arizona for her week-long visit on Easter evening!!!!

Another HUGE event at our house - both boys are now riding bikes without training wheels! It occured on the same day and without any help :) Tommy decided he was ready to ride on two wheels and removed his training wheels. Without any assistance, the boy was riding on his own! Charlie (competitive in nature) followed suit immediately and was riding on two wheels within five minutes! Ahhh - this made for two very proud parents and Grandma Sheila was here to witness the accomplishment! Another GREAT event took place the same day: THE HOOP! Since our boys love playing ball -and our backyard is not suitable for a Sport Court (and our driveway is pretty slanted...) - Tim installed a rim in our garage. It is absolutely perfect for all weather conditions and for all age groups! Charlie and the boys have spent many hours shooting hoops and love their new court! The last few days have been splendid for outdoor play. Tommy and the trio have enjoyed numerous mornings at the parks and playing in our yard while Charlie has been having a blast with his buddies at school. It is always the highlight of our day meeting Charlie at the bus stop and spending the next couple of hours riding bikes, scooters, and big wheels together along with pushing Ellie's babies in strollers!

Tommy and Charlie have really enjoyed playing with neighbor friends during these beautiful spring evenings and the triplets are little mimics of the big boys. It is a blast to watch the interaction and utmost admiration between Charlie, Tommy and Andy, Luke and Ellie. All five kids play so well together and we feel so blessed every day.

Happy 2nd Birthday!!!

Andy, Luke and Ellie turned two on March 15th! The day was spectacular with record breaking warmth and abundant sunshine :) We celebrated all week long with family and tons of fun! Alison, Anthony and Garrett (Arizona), Grandma Sheila (Arizona), and Aunt Lori, Andrew, Matthew and Zachary (Omaha) all blessed us with their presence for this joyous occasion!
The following pictures capture our weekend memories!

February

February flew! It is hard to believe that we will be welcoming March as we arise and March signifies SPRING! This winter has been extremely tolerable and I am so happy that we have all been able to get outside and frolic in the mild temperatures and dusting of snow. It is also hard to believe that our babies will be turning TWO this month and we are all looking forward to the celebrations we have planned with relatives near and far :)

Charlie continues to enjoy school and sports and I am always amazed at his never ending energy! He finished Little Dribblers basketball in February and is anxiously awaiting Little Hitters baseball to start next month. Basketball is still in the air at the Gauge house and Charlie and Tommy went to their first Timberwolves game, a few Shakopee Sabers games and a UST basketball playoff game. Our little super fan always has a ball in hand and is ready for a game! Charlie was star of the week in class this month, in which Tim and I were invited to attend a celebration at school. We always enjoy getting to know his classmates and it was so cute hearing their perspectives on what makes Charlie so special!

Tommy loves seeing his buddies at school and on play dates. He is a nonstop thinker and I believe this boy is going to be an engineer. He is so curious about the inner workings and construction of things and often asks in-depth questions about high-tech mechanisms and desires detailed explanations in return (for many of which I need to look up answers to on the computer)! This month Tommy had a cute Valentine's party at school, experienced his first basketball games at UST and the Target Center and had his first trip to Lego Land!

Lukie continues to charm us all and spread abundant cheer :) He still LOVES watching the Wiggles- proclaiming his wish by chanting "wee-wee" with a little groovy head move and body roll! He loves music, family dance parties, mowing the deck and icy yard with his toy mower and driving his cozy coupe car in our kitchen. Lukie is so excitable and loves a good party (or just the 7 of us all being together)!

Ellie is our princess with pizazz - pure sweetness with sass! My sweet little helper is usually found rearranging my kitchen drawers, writing on any piece of paper in site or in the corner playing with my Blackberry until she is discovered. She is already a caretaker for the crew and likes things to be picked up, loves helping me fold laundry and enjoys helping dry the plastic dishes. I am truly amazed at how she already has a sense of style and loves pretty shoes, wearing hats, and anything shiny. She can always be found with her little entourage that includes her blue love, pink love and her baby. Ellie is definitely doted on by her brothers and is our little spitfire that keeps us smiling!

Andy Man continues to make us laugh with his witty ways and mysterious, playful demeanor! He has a hearty laugh and enjoys getting silly with his siblings, playing in his cozy coupe, being outside and shooting hoops. Andy is a basketball lover through and through and can already make baskets on the 6 foot hoop! He is talking so much and his favorite phrase is "there it is" with a tone of elation!

I am extremely grateful for Tim's blessing to fly down to visit my parents in Scottsdale this month. My sister-in-law from Denver joined me in Arizona for a long weekend filled with fun, sunshine, relaxation and rejuvenation! I truly enjoyed every second of the vacation, but certainly missed my crew at home :)