the mcknight family blog

Pollo anyone?

2010-04-23T14:44:00.000-07:00

Lukas discovered a really good fast food Cuban place down here, Polla Tropical. Aksel and I didn't get to try it until last weekend and we BOTH loved it. It was the first time Aksel ate whole pieces of chicken and didn't spit them out....maybe it was the mustard curry sauce.

Love is in the air......

2010-04-15T18:00:00.000-07:00

Aksel has a little girlfriend and her name is Camilla. She is the youngest daughter of my friend, Melissa, from college who lives near us. Camilla is a little younger then Aksel, but they really like spending time together. We have been going to story time every Tuesday morning and this week we went to MOPS together. While we were driving to MOPS I turned around and caught the two of them holding hands in the car while watching a DVD....so cute!!! We think they are totally dating, well as much as you can when you are one years old.

Back at it...

2010-04-03T09:11:00.000-07:00

Sorry to all our readers for the long pause in our blog. We moved into our new house, had several visitors, and Annika was sick for about a month and a half. Aksel has been very busy and loves life. He is very independent, loves anything that he can play with a ball, going to the park, going on walks, reading books, playing with trains, and saying several words. He can say, "ball, dog, stuck, car, choo choo, tickle, dad, mom, please, yes" all in his own version. We went to the beach this past week, after having a cold winter, while Laura was here, Aksel thought it was great except didn't like to walk in the sand so he stayed on the towels.

Hotel Holidays

2009-12-22T14:29:00.000-08:00

We are currently residing in our fourth home within the last month, the Residence Inn. It is not too bad, we have a little one bedroom "apartment" with living, dining, desk, kitchen and bath with separate sleeping quarters. I have enjoyed the simplicity and not having to cook breakfast and most dinners. With trips to IKEA and Target, we have a few decorations to spruce up the place for the holidays, it's amazing what a 2' pre-lit tree, tinsel, lights and little ornaments can do!

5 Years Old!!!

2009-11-10T06:24:00.000-08:00

Someone in our family turned 5 this past week.......Slater! Can't believe this little guy is 5, even though he acts like he is 80 sometimes. Here's to the next 20 years. Happy Birthday Slater!

Halloween

2009-11-04T06:36:00.000-08:00

Our life has been a little crazy the past few months, but we are still trying to capture moments and give Aksel fun experiences. This past weekend was Halloween and we were invited to a party thrown by some lovely people in our neighborhood. We were not sure how long Aksel would last due to all the costumes, but he did pretty well, very intrigued by it all. Aksel was a doctor who did not want to wear his hat or stethoscope, Lukas was a Scottish golfer and I was a cat.

One Year!!!

2009-10-22T08:05:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay in blogging, but due to our upcoming move things are a little crazy these days! On October 8th at 11:58am Aksel turned one years old, where does time go? For his birthday we took him to Florida or so we said. He wore his birthday shirt on the plane so everyone knew what a special day it was for him. Happy Birthday Buddy!!

Mac

2009-10-07T20:12:00.000-07:00

We are a Mac family and we are starting Aksel out right.

Watching....

2009-09-27T16:54:00.000-07:00

At Scot and Kris's house they have a great room off the back of their house that overlooks their yard. Meriam spent most her day watching birds, chipmunks, squirrels, etc. and Aksel at times would join her.

Peek-a-boo!

2009-09-24T09:02:00.000-07:00

Here are some more photos of Aksel while we were in Chicago.....he loved playing peek-a-boo with the french doors.

Dedication

2009-09-09T17:15:00.000-07:00

We just returned from a two week trip to Chicagoland, and it we had a wonderful time. Our main reason for going was for Aksel's dedication. We were blessed to have so many of our family and friends come and share this moment; even more, we were blessed to have Grandpa Scot dedicate Aksel- very special, memorable, and unique!

Uncle Mark and Aunt Laura

2009-08-17T17:34:00.000-07:00

Uncle Mark and Aunt Laura came for a long weekend visit, and we had a great time with them! We spent time running, walking, going to the farmer's market, eating out, eating ice cream, enjoying local beer, watching Aksel in the baby pool, walking around Chautauqua Institution, driving through some Amish country, going to the beach, going to the Overlook......and so much more. Thanks for coming!

10 Months

2009-08-09T11:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Aksel turned 10 months old!!! Grandma Kris and Grandpa Scot were in town for the weekend, so it was a fun-filled day. We went shopping for some clothes for the ever growing boy, took naps, ate great meals, drank coffee, and watched the Cubs. Cousin Kari came down as well, so we had a house full of great company! Thanks for visiting and come again.

Mum Mums

2009-07-31T12:43:00.001-07:00

Aksel has a favorite snack..... Baby Mum Mums! They are a Japanese organic rice rusk (pretty much tasteless and all air, but we won't tell him). He knows what they are are soon as you pull one out of the cabinet or diaper bag. I have to admit -they come in quite handy when you are in the store with a young babe strapped in the shopping cart who needs something to occupy his attention. Our only present issue is that Aksel is starting to chow down on these little snacks a lot quicker than he used to!

Baby Baluga

2009-07-27T06:28:00.000-07:00

Last week I took Aksel to a swim class our community pool offers for little ones, it is called Wee Woozles. It was a great time and great way to wear this little guy out before bedtime. He loved watching everyone else and then towards the end splashed like a wild man. He loves the water and never afraid to get right in!

Scooting

2009-07-21T17:12:00.000-07:00

Grandma Kris and Grandpa Scot gave Aksel the Little Tykes scooter and he has just recently started to ride it all by himself. It is the cutest watching him move around and making vroom vroom noises at times. He looks like such a big boy riding it without any help from us. Way to go buddy!!!!

9 Months...oh my!

2009-07-08T16:54:00.000-07:00

Today Aksel is 9 months old....can you believe it!!! This little guy is BUSY...not just a little, but constantly. There other night I caught him clapping in his sleep if that says anything at all. He crawls, pulls himself up, cruises around furniture, climbs on Meriam, pounds on everything in sight, pulls down the curtains, pushes his stroller, plays with the dogs bowls, opens cabinets, watch everything/everyone around him, swing, so on and so forth...I think you get the picture. He has three teeth and one on the way, so the drool is free flowing. He loves going for walks, eating, reading, and we just started a story/music class at the library. Swim lessons will begin once it gets warmer. Happy 9 Month Birthday Aksman! We love you very much!

Busy June

2009-07-05T09:30:00.000-07:00

June was a very busy month for us and we enjoyed many visitors. Scot and Kris came the first week, as well as Kari and Jonathan. Laura came the second week. Aunt Erica, Aunt, Jessica, Uncle Ryan, cousin dog Cody, Pat and Bob came at the end of the month. Of course everyone loved playing with Aksel and he loved all the attention. Annika loved all the extra help and hands!

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T06:03:00.000-07:00

Today Lukas is in Alabama, so we celebrated Father's Day yesterday while he was home. He is a great father to Aksel and they love playing together. You are an amazing father, Lukas! Happy First Father's Day!

Happy Birthday Meriam!

2009-06-15T09:55:00.000-07:00

Our baby girl turns 4 years old today! Happy Birthday Meriam Loise, we love you! You are such a sweet girl.

A Boy and His Dog

2009-06-12T08:43:00.000-07:00

Aksel is an active little baby to say the least, as I type this he is rolling/crawling around the floor grabbing everything within his little reach. Once of his favorite floor activities is wrestling with our sweet goldendoodle, Meriam. They truly love one another and it shows. Slater loves him, but we don't let them get too close, since the cairn can be a bit of a grumpy old man. The dogs love him even more these days because he has figured out how to give them Cheerios. He either throws them on the floor or holds out his hand.

We've Got a Crawler...

2009-06-08T08:19:00.000-07:00

Little Charmer

2009-06-02T16:28:00.000-07:00

If you have met Aksel you know that he is quite the little charmer. His smile, laugh, expressions and playfulness have won the hearts of many. His personality unfolds each day and gives us glimpses of what is to come.

Growing

2009-05-29T13:09:00.000-07:00

Aksel seems to look so much older when I put his new hat on him. He looks like such a big boy!

Pooped

2009-05-24T08:04:00.000-07:00

Aksel is a very good little boy, but we are working on his sleep habits. He likes to sleep in our king size bed over sleeping in his nice little crib. Since he was between 3 and 4 months old we have been trying to get him to at least start out the night in his crib, some nights much more successful than others. A few colds interfered in this process (no chance he was sleeping in his crib and he would let everyone know this). Lately he seems to be improving (knock on wood) with his sleeping. We always try to start him off in his crib or pack and play for his naps or nighttime, just to get him used to going down by himself. The other day I was doing something in our room before his nap and put him in his pack and play to play. I was so busy that when I turned to pick him up for his nap he was one step ahead of me. There is nothing sweeter.

Natural Eating

2009-05-18T08:36:00.001-07:00

Aksel has never been a big fan of wearing a bib while he eats, so one night for dinner we made a compromise. He kept pulling his bib and wearing a new shirt I did not want him to get it messy, so he got to eat with his clothes off, in just his diaper. He LOVED it!

Mother's Day

2009-05-11T09:37:00.001-07:00

Thanks to my little buddy I got to enjoy my very first Mother's Day as a mother. It was great! Lukas, Aksel and my parents made the day very special.

7 Months!!!!!

2009-05-08T12:01:00.000-07:00

Time flies when you are having fun!!! Aksel is 7 months old today, can you believe it? He celebrated by going to the doctor to get his cough checked out, which turned out fine, but does have a little ear infection. He loves going there because everyone (I mean everyone) tells him how cute he is and usually one of the office ladies takes him and goes around the whole office to show him off. Dr. Burke gave him a book and that was the best present ever for this little guy (or maybe little is not the word for him anymore, he tipped the scales weighing just over 21 lbs!) Wiped out from his visit he is now snoring in his car seat on the living room floor. Mormor and Papa are coming over for dinner and to visit. Boy it must be tough being 7 months.

Fasting?

2009-05-05T10:43:00.000-07:00

Aksel wore his Powell's Books t-shirt today that Grandma Kris and Grandpa Scot gave him. (Scot almost always has a Powell's shirt on). It was only appropriate for this little man to enjoy one of his Grandpa's books as well! He thinks fasting may not be for him right now, he likes to eat too much!

A Special Chair

2009-04-27T09:40:00.000-07:00

Aksel received something very special this month from his cousins, Kyle and Bekah, in Illinois. When Kyle (now 12 years old) was a baby my dad (Gordon) refurbished his baby rocker and gave it to the first grandson. Bekah (now 9 years old) was able to use it after that and now they have both outgrown this special chair. Aksel is still a little too small, but does enjoy sitting in his Papa's rocker. What a special gift to be passed around the family.

Shorts

2009-04-24T08:04:00.001-07:00

Today the temps are predicted to be in the 70's, so Aksel is sporting his first pair of shorts for the season. His chubby legs look so cute! It took a few attempts, but we finally got a good picture.

Belated Easter

2009-04-17T17:49:00.000-07:00

Aksel enjoyed his first Easter by going to church with Mormor, Papa, Lukas, me (Annika) and Aunt Erica! It was a wonderful day and great food, as usual, made by my dad, Gordon (Papa). As you can see he looked very cute in his Easter outfit.

Results are in....

2009-04-13T14:45:00.000-07:00

Aksel had his 6 month doctor visit today and he charmed everyone in the office, as usual. He weighed in at a trim 19 lbs 11 oz, measured 28 inches in length (2 more inches and he will need a new car seat!) and head measured 17.6 inches. Also, since he is six months he will get a book when he gets his check ups, he of course picked one about all different babies.

6 Months

2009-04-08T15:06:00.000-07:00

Aksel celebrates his 6 month birthday today! He loves to smile at his dogs, sit on his own, play with his toys, jabber, read books, chew on his hands, and cruise around in his walker.

Opening Day!

2009-04-06T12:07:00.000-07:00

Go Cubs Go! Go Cubs Go!! Hey Chicago what do you say? The Cubs are gonna win today! Here is to a successful Cubs season.

Birthday Weekend

2009-04-05T10:21:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Aksel took a trip with Papa, Mormor, and me (Annika) to Maumee, OH to meet up with the Foley Family, Jessica, Ryan, and Erica. We celebrated Papa's 70th birthday and had lots of fun enjoying one another. Aksel loved his uncles, aunts, and playing with his cousins. Lukas was able to join us Sunday to Monday. It was a great weekend!

Little Buddy

2009-03-25T08:38:00.000-07:00

Aksel has been changing so much! I often just sit and stare at him thinking how cute he is!! He has such a personality and here are pictures on the plane coming back from Florida that we think are pretty funny. His expressions are priceless and captures his new silly face. How can you not love this little buddy!

Playtime!

2009-03-23T12:09:00.000-07:00

One of Aksel's favorite activities, recently, is sitting him in his crib and putting all of his stuff animals around him. He looks like such a big boy sitting up playing with all of his "friends". He is turning into quite the character.

5 Months and Florida

2009-03-20T08:51:00.000-07:00

Aksel has been quite busy lately. Over a week ago he turned 5 months old and continues to grow rapidly. We just returned from spending seven days in Florida and were lucky enough to have Aunt Erica join us. Aksel had so much fun in the warm pool, spending time with the White Family, shopping with Aunt Erica and his mom, and of course being in warmer weather. Here are some pictures of our trip!

Silly rabbit!

2009-03-04T16:49:00.000-08:00

Aksel has started to realize that we eat and while we eat he sits and stares.... mouth open, drool running. So in an attempt to make him feel a part of mealtime we have given him peeled carrots to gum. Soon he will be able to eat real food!

Florida

2009-02-26T16:23:00.000-08:00

Last week we went to Florida for Lukas's job, but Annika and Aksel went along so they could visit with good friends, Shawn, Melissa, Linnea and Soren. We had a great time hanging out, taking walks, eating good food, talking, and Aksel loved watching his big friends play. Shawn and Melissa are expecting their third child next week and we can't wait to meet Little Girl White when we go back to Florida in March!

Happy Birthday Lukas!

2009-02-17T16:11:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we went out to lunch to celebrate Valentine's Day and Lukas's birthday (a little early). We celebrated at Molly Brannigans and had a delicious Irish meal....yum. Happy Birthday Lukas! We love you!

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

Who wants this little guy to be their Valentine?

4 months!

2009-02-11T11:26:00.000-08:00

Aksel turned 4 months this past week and he continues to grow like a weed (or a weed made of bricks!)!!! He had his doctor's appointment yesterday: he weighed in at 17.6 lbs, measured 27 inches long and an 18 inch head!! He charms everyone who comes into contact with him and loves to watch his doggies play.

Slater Rory McKnight

2009-02-05T11:09:00.000-08:00

Four years ago today we still lived in the Chicago area, newly married and welcomed our first puppy (a cairn (terror) terrier) into our cozy apartment home. We named him Slater (after Kelly Slater the surfer) Rory (I thought he was not too cute, so the "ugly" name fit) McKnight. He weighed in at a hefty 3 lbs and was so tiny he could not jump up on the curb in the parking lot. He was a source of constant energy and ALWAYS into something. Today he has calmed down (to say the least) and definitely does not weigh 3lbs anymore. We love you Slateman!

First day of "school"

2009-02-03T08:45:00.001-08:00

Today was Aksel's first day of "school"! He went to work with me and the center has a baby room that he can play in while I work with my clients. He did great! The teachers loved him and his peers loved to look at him. He loved it when everyone would speak Spanish to him too! When I went to pick him up he was fast asleep in the arms of one of the teachers.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear ....

2009-01-31T07:24:00.000-08:00

In honor of one of Aksel's favorite books, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, here is our own "little" brown bear.

Yes We Can!

2009-01-29T10:21:00.001-08:00

Barack's elegant style speaks to people of all ages!

Talkie, talkie...

2009-01-23T07:39:00.000-08:00

Well, we'll have to work to clean up the grammar, but he likes to make his opinions known!

3 Months of Aksel

2009-01-04T08:44:00.001-08:00

Well, we're home from Mexico and we're just 4 days shy of Akel's 3 month birthday. To celebrate, I put a chronological video together for everyone to enjoy!

Some Aksel Images...

2008-12-19T07:10:00.000-08:00

From his first visit to the Chicago area. He had so much fun meeting all of his relatives and helping his Grandpa making coffee and assisting in JesusCreed posts!

Helping with the espresso:

With the Nelson clan for the Turkey Trot 5k:

4 generations of Normans:

4 generations of McKnight men:

G'day from Aksel!

4 and Counting

2008-11-17T10:44:00.000-08:00

Last week Annika and I celebrated our fourth year of marriage, and what better way to reflect on our wonderful time together than to look back on a few pictures of us together over the years. Enjoy!

What fun! We can't wait to see what's in store for us in the next four years (and beyond)!

Is This the Real Life, or Is This Just Fantasy?

2008-11-12T07:12:00.001-08:00

Aksel's had a charmed existence thus far; each weekend of his life, he's had visitors traveling from far and wide to come see him, hold him, and ogle his every move.

This weekend, Annika's sister, Jessica, had a belated wedding reception in Jamestown for the family that could not make it to her Chicago wedding. Joining her were her husband, Ryan, as well as Aksel's aunt Erica. Even Slater and Meriam had company, as cousin Cody joined them on their journey.

As always, we loved having the visitors!

We've been trying to prepare the little guy to let him know that it will just be us this weekend, but maybe there's someone around that will find some time to keep him company.

Changes

2008-11-07T06:39:00.000-08:00

We stare at Aksel so much that we hardly notice any changes to his appearance. However, we then see pictures from his first days and realize how much more active he is and how chubby (read: healthy) he is now! He likes to interact with us much more, and he's easily amused by us being silly with him- we loves his smiles. As well, he seems to enjoy being read to, but he doesn't like to hear his book about chameleons; he'd far prefer Squishy Turtle or Brown Bear Brown Bear. I think he prefers fiction over non-fiction, but that's understandable.

So, the first picture is 5 minutes after birth, and the second is a picture of him yesterday (both taken on my phone). I'm sure the Chicago family will be amazed at how different he is than when they last saw him.

Aunt Laura Comes to Visit (and Kari and Jonathan too)!

2008-11-02T17:27:00.000-08:00

We love having visitors, and this weekend, we had one all weekend (Laura) and two others stop by on Saturday (Jonathan and Kari). Aksel likes having visitors most of all since it means he'll be in somebody's arms the whole time!

Aksel sure took a liking to Laura; he gazed upon her and smiled as she read him books.

Lukas enjoyed having Jonathan here; as Annika, Kari, and Laura visited craft fairs and apple orchards, the men were able to talk football, play Wii, and drink beer- talk about a dream Saturday!

Aksel's Got a Brand New Friend!

2008-10-26T19:46:00.000-07:00

Annika and I have some dear friends, Jay and Betsy. They're cool and hip, and we have an ubergood time when we're all together. Luckily for us, they must not get tired of us because in the baseball off-season (mostly winter), we get together all the time. Maybe they get sick of me, but I still have a great time with them.

Nearly two years ago, Jay and Betsy had a son, Mathis. Now with all due respect to Jay and Betsy, Mathis is one cool guy. He and I have many of the same interests- dogs, soccer, and food! I watch over him from time to time when Betsy and Annika are off and Jay is busy, and we have good times together.

Mathis and Aksel got to interact a little bit this past weekend, and Mathis acted like a mature little guy- he was gentle, intrigued, and eager to hold Aksel. We can only hope we can rear such a bundle of fun!

Grandma and Grandpa Come for a Visit!

2008-10-26T07:09:00.001-07:00

Aksel, Annika, and I were pleased to welcome Grandma and Grandpa McKnight for a visit on the weekend. Grandma Kris was here the week before, but this was Grandpa Scot's first time seeing Aksel.

Aksel enjoyed reading stories with Grandma, Scot and Kris enjoyed walks around town, and we all enjoyed the family time together!

In another month, Aksel will make his first trip out to Chicago for Thanksgiving/Festivus, and he'll have the chance to see his Grandparents McKnight (and some anxious aunts, uncles, and cousins!) again.

Clean Baby!

2008-10-23T18:48:00.000-07:00

Speaking of milestones, we had another the other day, and this a little more signifcant than his gaze catching mine.

Aksel lost the remnants of his umbilical cord!

We could think of no other way to celebrate than to finally get the chance to bathe him (or at least wipe him off with some soapy water). He seemed to enjoy it greatly, but I'd attribute that largely to the tender hand of his mother.

Also, Meriam wanted to tell everyone that, as always, she had a paw in the process.

Well...

2008-10-17T07:17:00.000-07:00

There's not much that goes on in the life of a newborn, so we tend to get excited about (very) small milestones. We've been excited to see Aksel look at us for extended periods of time, grab onto our fingers, and watch him lift his head and turn it from side to side (which we think is very advanced; of course, I think we might be very biased).

And today marked an even more significant milestone- he lost the remnants of his umbilical cord! Oh goodness, we're exciting!

One Week Old!

2008-10-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

Aksel's a week old today, though we all feel he's been here longer than that. He's settling into his home, and is getting used to all sorts of commotion that his dog-brother and sister like to stir up.

A Picture of Aksel to Kick Things Off...

2008-10-14T10:47:00.000-07:00

Here he is! He's had enough pictures taken thus far to last a year.