2016 - Week 1

Here we are, 2016 is officially underway!

Friday was the first day of the New Year, and it kicked off with our houseguests still staying with us…just a few days left until our sad goodbye. Everybody was up, and ready, one by one. After some breakfast and spending a little time lounging around, Dawn, the big girls and I were off to run some errands. First up, a trip to the Cheesecake Factory to pick up a couple of delicious slices of cheesecake. Even though I know I wouldn’t be able to stomach much, it was SO worth it. Next up, we stopped at Target (obviously, our favorite place to hang out), with the main intention of getting food for Olivia’s birthday dinner tomorrow. We settled in at home with the rest of the house for dinner, dessert and to spend a little time vegging out and doing a whole lotta nothing. We did some very minor cleaning and picking up in preparation for tomorrow, but decided to just hold off and hit it hard in the morning. I can’t believe my biggest baby turns 7 tomorrow, and I can’t believe it’s our last day with our friends. This time goes WAY too fast, so unfair!

Saturday was the big day. Olivia turned the big 7!!! It’s so hard to believe. I swear I JUST became a mother, and now I have this giant 7 year old running around. She is 7 going on 17 most days, with attitude and eye rolling and annoyed huffs galore – but she’s also a little dreamboat. She’s tough, but sensitive. She’s the boss, but is the first to defend her little sisters. She is our little mommy when it comes to Eliza and loves to help out with her. She’s so smart, shocking me every day with the new things that she picks up, and such a brave little girl. I know the world holds big things for this first born of ours, and I feel so blessed that I have a front row seat to watch it all unfold. Since our friends were in town, we decided to have a more low-key celebration today, with them and our parents, and hold off on her (friend) party until tomorrow. So, we had a packed day, getting the house ready for our dinner party. The Steveson’s got ready, while our girls played and ran around, and Christian and I got to work. Our biggest task was getting the dang Christmas tree taken down, and out of the house (it was time, and it just takes up way too much space). So, we took down the decorations, un-strung the lights, and Christian got the tree outside and hidden on the side of the garage. Then, while he cleaned up the entryway, I vacuumed my little heart out. As the Steveson’s finished getting ready, they came up to help us clean up…we re-arranged the living room, they helped clean up the kitchen, do the last of the dishes that were piled up and do some dusting in the living room. Dawn and I put together the sandwiches and made a pasta salad, while Christian and Tim made a quick Walmart run for a couple of things we were missing. It was definitely much easier to get ready with a whole other family in the house to help out! Finally, I got the girls dressed and ready, Christian and I showered and got ready, and we were party-ready, with time to spare! Unbelievable! Our parents, (and “uncle” Lorenzo) started to arrive, promptly at 3:00, and we all had af un night hanging out together. We chatted, listened to some music, ate a ton of food…Olivia opened presents, we had dessert and of course had to immediately start opening the new toys and put them to good use. Olivia’s little BFF, Bella, is in California visiting her grandparents until tomorrow night, so she wasn’t around for Olivia’s birthday. She was pretty bummed when we told her, but Bella’s dad stopped over so that Olivia could FaceTime with her for a little while. That was so cute. As the party ended, everybody started to leave, one by one, and we started to settle in for the night. Dawn and I hung out, doing some final chatting, watching some TV, and wishing we could freeze time. Tim and their boys started packing up their stuff, loading up their car with the non-necessities, and the girls ran around, getting some final playtime in. Before we knew it, it was of course getting super late, and it was time for everybody to start turning in. We had the party tomorrow, and had to try to get the house back in a little bit of order before returning to work on Monday, the Steveson’s had a long drive ahead of them, and we were all beyond exhausted. It’s so unfair how fast our time with them goes!

7 Years Ago, so crazy

From 1 to 7, there's just no way to stop them from growing!

Happy, Happy Birthday!!

My little twin, growing up way too fast!

On Sunday, we were all up and at it pretty early. I showered right away and got ready for the day, then got the girls up, fed and ready to go, while Christian hopped in the shower. The Steveson’s finished packing up, loading up their car and getting ready to hit the road, and before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye again. Seriously, it gets harder every time, and it’s pretty impossible to fight back the tears. For the most part, I feel like Dawn is really the only friend I have that truly cares about me. About what I’m going through, about what is happening in my life, about just plain being a part of my life. I don’t have to be the one to call her, I don’t have to be the one to go to her…it’s a real, true, equal friendship. I have friends that live minutes away from me, that I NEVER see or hear from, yet this woman drags her family across 3 states to spend time with me. It’s insane, and SO UNFAIR!! Alas, it was time for everybody to get back into reality. Once they were on the road, I was off to finish the last of our party preparations. First up, Party City for a few decorations, plates, etc., then Target to pick up the cake and some beverages, and finally back home. I pre-ordered lunch, from Domino’s, we loaded up the van, and off we went. This year, we had her party at a Holiday Inn not too far from our house, where they have a little indoor waterpark. The girls went to a birthday party there a couple months ago, and LOVED it. It has a little splash pad, a swimming area, a hot tub and a waterslide – It’s perfect for their age. We set up, everybody started to arrive, and the kids had such a blast. I was not feeling well at all, but pushed through…watching the kids, taking pictures, setting up the good….we ate, did presents and cake, the kids got a final 5-minutes of pool time in, and it was time to change and head back home. It was a pretty short party, only 2-hours, but feeling so crappy, I was pretty happy to hit the road. Eliza went down for a nap as soon as we got home, while the big girls played with some of the new toys. I had to lay down and rest for a while, which really didn’t help. I just kept feeling worse as the day went on. Amelia actually ended up falling asleep too, she was just worn out! I spent a little time cleaning up after my rest, got the girls some dinner, and then Christian was off to watch the Vikings game with some friends. I got the girls into bed and watched the game at home…another GREAT win for the Vikings…they’re officially the NFC North Champs, and heading to the playoffs!!!! So exciting!!! I tried to go to bed after the game, but my stomach was just killing me, I couldn’t even fall asleep. I texted Christian around 11:30, telling him how horrible I felt – and, admittedly, trying to make him feel bad for “getting me” in this predicament. Nothing like a little guilt trip, I say! He was going to surprise me, but thought it would make me feel better to tell me that his best friend, Lorenzo, bought us all tickets for the Vikings’ Playoff game next Sunday! I couldn’t believe it, I’ve never been to something so exciting…and, they’re playing outdoors right now, which I’ve never experienced either. It definitely lifted my spirits…but, I finally threw up around midnight, just as Christian was getting home. He got me some crackers and water when I settled back into bed, and other than being exhausted, I finally felt a little better. I FINALLY fell asleep, and was not looking forward to getting back into the real world tomorrow. 10 days off, including Christmas, New Year’s, Olivia’s birthday and a week with our houseguests – and I felt like I needed a vacation from my vacation!

Until Next Week!

2015 - THE END!

Well, here we are again. The final few days of a year…of 2015. I seriously cannot believe how fast this year has gone. Nothing much has changed with me (well, other than this surprise pregnancy I find myself in, of course)…same job, same home, same wonderful little family. I’d say the biggest change for me has been changes in personal friendships. I’ve had some struggles this year – I’ve had to reconsider some friendships, and how much those people actual care/value our relationships. Few have grown/resurrected and flourished, while some have taken a pretty big hit, and people have shown some true colors. Christian’s life has overall remained the same…with the exception of his promotion at work and the shift adjustment.

Our family has had so many wonderful, fun experiences this year…birthday parties, baby showers, a vacation to Duluth, two week-long visits from the Steveson’s, the State Fair, the Apple Orchard, a day at Sever’s, celebrating Holidays…Easter, the 4^th of July, Halloween, and Christmas, Game Day/Family Reunion with my dad’s family, trips to the zoo, Valleyfair and carnivals. We gardened and spent a lot of time in the pool again. Just tons of family time, which I could never possibly get enough of. Of course, like most cases, the girls’ lives are the ones that really grow and change by leaps and bounds.

Olivia turned 6 in January. She’s continued swimming, advancing to Intermediate 1 with the big kids. She played her first season of “real” softball, and another season of soccer (this year with goalies and REAL goals), and started gymnastics. She’s such an “athlete”, she really excels at most things she puts her mind to. She’s started losing baby teeth, which has been exciting, but has also required a couple of fillings this year…not so exciting. She finished kindergarten in the spring, started 1^st grade in the fall, and is doing AMAZING in school. We’re so proud of our beautiful first born.

Amelia also continued swimming, advancing to Beginner 2 with the big kids. She played her first season of “baseball” (we don’t have t-ball), and another season of soccer (more involved), and started gymnastics. This coming year, she’ll play softball and soccer with Olivia, same team, and that’s going to be such a huge relief. And I think really help her come out of her shell. She so far seems to be much more of an “independent sport” kind of girl, so while I see swimming and especially gymnastics sticking with her, I’m not sure how long she’ll have an interest in team sports. She graduated from Pre-K in the spring, and started Kindergarten in the fall. She’s still adjusting to the world of school, but she’s so smart and trying so hard, especially with her speech issues. And, of course she turned 5 in July…our middle child, the one that keeps us on our toes!

Eliza hasn’t had as many exciting experiences, but she had a big year of growing and learning – and man is that girl smart! She turned 1 in May, and spent the rest of the year learning to walk, learning to use a cup and feed herself, and talking more and more with each passing day. It will be a while before she gets to be in any fun activities like the other girls, but she did move up to the “toddler room” at daycare in the summer, and she’s ruled the roost ever since! She has personality for days, and I can’t imagine our family without this character in it. It’s still hard to believe she’s not REALLY going to be the baby of the family – I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to stop treating her like it.

As for these final few days of 2015…we spent them with the Steveson’s, who were in town staying with us all week.

Monday was a pretty low key day. We spent a lot of time around the house. Christian had to sleep for a while, to prepare to head into work for the night. The rest of us hung out, watched some TV, relaxed for a while. The boys went on a trip to Toys R Us, Eliza took a nap, and eventually Dawn, the big girls and I were off to Target to get some groceries for the next few days. I also let the girls use their Christmas Target Gift Cards, which was kind of a nightmare. They don’t really understand money, so having to repeat over and over how much they had, and what they could get, was seriously exhausting! The big snow storm started up as we were leaving Target, and man did it come down like crazy – all evening, and all overnight! We had some dinner, and Christian was off to work pretty much as soon as we finished up. Dawn made me do some “adult coloring” with her, but eventually, Eliza was not interested in letting me do anything, so I had to sit with her for a while until she was ready for bed, so Dawn had to finish our project on her own. Eliza, such a diva. Tim, Spencer and the girls all fell asleep pretty early, so Dawn, (little) Christian and I started watching “Making a Murderer” on Netflix. I’ve been hearing everybody rave about it, so I figured we should check it out while I have a buddy to binge with. We could all barely stay awake...but, we made it through two episodes. We were all pulled in, so we knew we’d be finishing it out before they left.

On Tuesday, we had a long, quiet day at home. We ended up getting about 8” of snow in the storm – our area was hardest hit in the cities. Nothing too terrible, but enough to not want to venture out in it. Christian ended up working really late, things are so crazy at his work right now, then had to battle traffic home – THEN had to snowplow the driveway. He was seriously exhausted, and PASSED OUT, by the time he made his way to bed. Which was good, because the rest of us had no interest in leaving the house, so it was going to be pretty chaotic around the house most of the day. He’s been developing a pretty bad cold, so that had him up a couple times, so I told him he should just stay at his parents after work tonight. The kids played most of the day – upstairs, downstairs – with just about every toy that we own I’m pretty sure. When Eliza went down for a nap, the rest of the kids managed to keep it quiet for a little while, watched some videos and just hung out downstairs. The rest of us ended up binging “Making a Murder”, and finished it up. Such an interesting documentary, so crazy. Dawn had some dinner cooking in the crockpot for us all day, so we ate up, and really didn’t do anything else. It was a lazy day for sure, but much needed. And nice to just hang out with each other, instead of running around like crazy.

On Wednesday, Christian did indeed go to his parents’ house after work, and slept there. He was still feeling pretty sick, just seems to be getting worse, so hopefully a quiet day of sleep will help. Meanwhile, the rest of us were up and getting ready or the day, one by one. After our super lazy day yesterday, we were off to the Mall of America for the day. The kids went on a million rides – I even got a few points for Eliza so she could go on some rides. She rode the carousel and the train, seemed to LOVE those, and then the trucks and the Blues Clues “flying dog” ride – which she wasn’t as big of a fan of. It was so fun watching her on them though, checking out this whole new world. The other kids of course went on just about everything – Amelia even went on her first “big ride”  (well, other than the log chute), and rode the power tower type ride. She is a little dare-devil! We ate lunch mid-ride extravaganza, and hit up a couple of stores before leaving for the night. After about 9 hours, we were SOOOOO done. We grabbed some drive-thru on the way home for a late dinner, and the kids were right off to bed. It ended up being a pretty early night for all of us.

Thursday brought us the final day of 2015. It was New Year’s Eve!! Christian arrived home from work, and went to bed to get some sleep before our little New Year’s celebration tonight. The rest of us hung out around the house, got up and ready…Dawn and I got the kids breakfast, and later lunch, and then were off to the Mall for a couple of hours once Eliza was down. She had to exchange something, I had some Children’s Place cash to use, so we popped in a couple of stores, had some food court lunch. We stopped at Target for some dinner supplies, and settled in at home. Christian fried up some taquitos so we had a big, delicious dinner, and spent the night watching New Year’s Even shows and playing with the kids. Eliza, Amelia and Brooklyn all passed out before midnight, so they were off to bed, while the rest of us rang in the new year with some sparkling cider and “fireworks” at midnight. One by one, the rest of the house started to fall asleep, and made our way to bed. I couldn’t believe 2015 is really, officially over. I know it can be so annoying when people talk about how fast the time goes, but I don’t care – I think it’s CRAZY!

Looking forward to 2016, we definitely have some big adjustments coming up. While the girls will turn 7, 2 and 6, most of our changes will surround welcoming our newest addition in July. I can’t even imagine the tailspin it’s going to send us on…I’ll be off of work unpaid for my leave, the big girls will start school mid-leave, we’ll be adding the baby to daycare, and (most likely) changing the big girls’ before-school care and starting over in the newborn phase is something I never thought I’d do again. But, as time goes on, with each passing day, as we adjust to the idea and get some initial planning out of the way, the excitement has started to settle in. Even though unpaid, I’ll have a few months off of work that I’m really looking forward to, but watching everything else fall into place should make for quite an adventure!

Until "Next Year"!