6/23/12

Today was a wonderful day. One of the days I look forward to ALL year long.

It started off pretty standard. Breakfast, I finally washed the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen, then time for showers, baths and getting ready.

Then, greatness commenced. Today was Game Day. Every summer my dad's family gets together at my grandparents' house for Game Day. We have a croquet tournament (it amazes me how few people know how to play croquet!), have all kinds of outdoor games for people to play, horribly unhealthy snacks to devour, and water fun for the kids. It's just a day for all of us to spend together, outside, catching up and having a great time. The girls had so much fun playing with the other kids, and it was a great day with the family. To top it off, I ended up winning the tournament this year :) It came down to me and my dad, and I won! Yes, go me!

The girls didn't take a nap today, and were EXHAUSTED from their busy day of fun...they passed out before we even got to the highway, and went straight to bed when we arrived home. Christian and I were pretty exhausted ourselves, and have another busy day tomorrow, so we decided to take it easy tonight. He passed out on the couch shortly after we arrived home, and I wasn't too far behind.

GREAT DAY, and here are some pictures to prove it!

My grandparents have always had a wooden swing in the backyard. Everybody LOVES that swing. We got a picture of all of the great-grandkids on it today, and I knew I had seen a similar picture before...I went digging through their photo albums, and sure enough, found one of me and my cousins. The two youngest weren't born yet (though, there may be one with them in it that I couldn't find), but I thought it was pretty cool. Carrying on tradition, warms my heart. Love my family, and love that we get to spend this time together.

6/22/12

Friday....Friday off. Wonderful!

I was up bright and early, and took the girls over to school. Then, home to relax. I caught up on some shows (my DVR is almost empty - WHAT?!?), caught up on my blog (kind of) and just hung out in bed. I made and ordered Amelia's birthday party invitations (yes, birthday, as in 2nd birthday, as in I want to cry my baby is going to be TWO already), I ordered the last of the "Princess Area" wall art for the basement (if only I could stay motivated to actually finish the basement completely!) and paid some bills.

I finally got my butt out of bed, and was ready to get to cleaning. First up, dishes. I'm pretty sure just about every bowl, flatware, cup and pan we own was dirty. Wouldn't you know...I got halfway through the flatware, and slashed my finger open with a knife. UGH - again! This one hurt REALLY bad. Of course, I flung my finger with it happened, and blood went everywhere - seriously, it looked like a murder scene in the kitchen. So, there went the dish washing. And, I couldn't really clean at all because everything I did would start up the bleeding again.

So, I went back to resting :) Until it was time to head to the girls' school. Today was the first parents day of the summer, Planting with Parents. I got there right about 3:30, and Olivia's class was ready to get to work planting their flowers. As we were about to start, I was shocked to see Christian come walking in. I'm so proud of my hubby, without even asking him, he took the initiative to come and spend the afternoon with us. He knew it was important to me, and the girls. What a guy! After we finished Olivia's plant, we got Amelia and started on hers. It was fun, they had a blast. I was sad to see how few parents came though. I know not everyone can get time off work, but it was a really disappointing show, makes me feel bad. I can't imagine seeing other parents come to help their kids, and not your own.

ALSO, we finally met Bella's mom. She seems really cool, like somebody we would definitely hang out with, so I'm excited. We exchanged numbers, and it turns out, Bella's birthday is at the end of July, and she said she'll be inviting Olivia to her party. FIRST SCHOOL FRIEND BIRTHDAY PARTY!!! I'm so excited, my baby is growing up!

Finally, we were done and headed home. The girls were really tired and a little crabby, so it was kind of a long night. Today is Christian's friend from works birthday, so he took him out for a while. THe girls were really stressful, so I finally put Amelia to bed a little early. Olivia was a little better after that, but still testing me. I was relieved to finally get them both in bed, and crawl into bed myself. LONG DAY!

Here are some pictures from our planting fun. Can't wait for the next parents day!

6/21/12

Today was a busy day. I decided to take tomorrow off work so I could have the day to myself. A little cleaning, a little relaxing, maybe some shopping. Whatever, I just need a day in the house, by myself, on distractions. I'm SUPER excited. But, that meant an extra busy day at work. Had a lot of loose ends to tie up before I left, so the day was over before I knew it!

Out evening was pretty low key. We hung out with the girls, played some babies, colored a little, ate some dinner and just spent some time together. I did a little picking up once they were in bed, but I was so exhausted that I passed out shortly after they went down myself. Not a very exciting day, but a non-exciting day is just what you need sometimes!

In our master bedroom, I have a corner of stuffed animals. Just random animals Christian gave me over the years. I've noticed the past few weeks the animals get out of place, in a little circle patter. Kind of crop circle style. I assumed the girls were doing it when we weren't paying attention. Turns out, it's been Chuy, spending time with his new friends....caught on camera:

6/20/12

Today was a pretty good day. Still busy at work, so that's good. The days are flying by. Christian is getting pretty busy too with the 4th of July fast approaching. Definitely a busy one for the business of liquor!

News was pouring in today about some floods up north. Specifically in Duluth. First of all, it was devastating seeing all of the pictures and hearing the news. The streets were torn up, buildings engulfed in water, just chaos. To top it off, the zoo up there flooded. A few animals were lost in the flood, and a seal and Polar Bear actually escaped! Can you imagine?!? Luckily, both were found, and returned unharmed. They were actually transported down here to the city, to Como Zoo while their habitats are rebuilt. Poor things. Not nearly as important, I started really worrying about our vacation in a few weeks. We go up to Duluth every summer for a weekend. We look forward to it so much, and it's such a relaxing, amazing weekend away together. Luckily, the Inn we're staying at has been posting a ton on facebook, and posted some pictures from the area we're staying in. They haven't had any damage, and everything in that area looks pretty good. So, as long as we can GET there, we should be OK. It's so sad to think about the whole thing though. You just never know when something like that can hit. It's a good thing the rain has finally let up. It was some scary stuff, that's for sure.

Today also marks the 1st day of summer. SO hard to believe with the winter and spring we had - it feels like it's been summer for months already! Anxious to see how summer shapes up, that's for sure.

The girls were excited to get back to school today. Olivia's BFF, Bella, is back and they are INSEPARABLE again. It is so dang cute! I just love it. Amelia is actually bonding with a little girl in her class too, Lizzie. Lizzie is her teacher, Eva's, daughter, and Amelia LOVES Miss Eva, so it's a good match. They play babies together :) Love my girls, they are so fun.

Tonight I snapped a picture of the girls, enjoying their new favorite hobby - yelling "HI" to everybody that walks by, out the window. Quite entertaining.

6/19/12

Nothing too exciting went on today. Work went fast - I'm kind of back in that "can't keep my head above water" stage right now. A little stressful, but at least the time passes quickly. It was super, SUPER hot today. To make that even better, I picked up the girls from my mom's, and the AC in my car decided to stop working. So, we had to ride home with the windows wide open - luckily, the girls thought it was pretty hilarious...

We realized the girls had some crazy spots all over their arms and legs. We debated for a long time on what they were, of course I took it to facebook for some opinions. We finally decided they were mosquito bites from last night. The bugs were really bad at Kari's last night (humid, pool, wet lawn), and just new it had to be that. Just in case it was heat rash, we decided to fill the pool and let the girls cool off in there for a while. They enjoyed it.

We are bracing for some bad storms tonight, so we'll see what comes of that! Maybe it will cool things off! We finally got the girls out of the pool, and inside to eat dinner. It was basically time for baths and bed after they ate, so the night just flew by.

6/18/12

Monday. Ick. Especially after a busy, tiring weekend!

The day went fast though, so I can't really complain. It started off rough. Last night on the way to dinner, my car was making some horrible noises. When I would brake, or take off, it sounded like an airplane was landing. Christian took a look, and said one of the brake pads (changed not too long ago) had slipped, so the rotor and the caliper were grinding against each other. ALL of it needed to be replaced. Ugh - story of my life!

SO, my car couldn't be drive. Christian ended up going in a little late, and dropping me off at work. Then, he left early to pick up the parts, and bring the car over to his dad's to work on it. I left a tad early as well, when my mom got off, so she could give me a ride home. Chaos!

I did a little picking up around the house, and then I was off. I picked up the girls from my in-laws, and we were off to my BFF's house for a little BBQ. It was kind of a combination Father's Day/Post-Wedding/Let's Relax Together thing. The girls had a blast with the other kids, and played in the water for a bit. I got to spend more time with Kari. I got some more compliments on my Maid of Honor speech :) That makes me happy - I wasn't super nervous about giving it, but more nervous about how it would go over. It wasn't overly mushy, or over the top funny - I tried to find a happy medium. I was thinking - you never heard GOOD maid of honor speeches - the Best Man usually does something funny or quirky, and the Maid of Honor usually just says a few sappy sentences and that's it. I don't think it's fair for the men to have all the fun, so I went for it :) And, I'm very glad it went over well.

After some play, the girls and I headed home. Christian had not only finished the car, but had mowed our front yard as well. Busy guy! The girls went straight to bed, and passed right out. Tomorrow they are actually going to my moms, because this is one of the summer weeks we're adjusting their schedule. They are having a "Plant Plants with Parents" day on Friday, so I wanted them to be there for that. I'm excited!

Here are a few pictures from the BBQ. The kids curled up to watch a movie for a little while, then took to the pool!

6/17/12

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

My dad is always up north, camping the week away over Father's Day, so I don't get a chance to spend the day with him. I did get his card in the mail a couple days ago though, so hopefully he got that!

Christian and I were both able to sleep in today since my mom had the girls. I was up around 9:30 - surprisingly, no headache or anything! YAY. I started uploading my pictures from the wedding and relaxed for a bit. Then, I was off to pick up the girls from my mom.

Christian was STILL asleep when we got home, so the girls woke him up with cards and the photo book I made him. I had a free shutterfly photo book code a couple months ago, so I put together a book of pictures of him and the girls from the last few years. It was really cute, it turned out great.

Next up, I whipped up some lunch. It started raining as we finished up lunch, so Christian's (supposed) hopes of mowing the lawn were dashed. The girls went down for their naps, Christian was right behind them. I washed some dishes, cleaned up a little, and did some laundry. The girls ended up taking a REALLY long nap...I finally opened up their doors around 5:15 because I wanted them to go to bed at some point!

Once they were up, we all got ready, and were off for dinner at Christian's choice of Ruby Tuesday. Works for me - great salad bar :) The girls were a little testy all through dinner, but we survived. I was surprised, they have always done really great in restaurants. Must've been tired still.

After dinner, we headed home and took it was. The girls were up later than usual, but they did go down with little fight once we finally put them down. Back to work in the morning, so it wasn't a late night or anything.

Here is a picture of my wonderful hubby with his baby girls. They certainly love him to pieces, daddy's little girls for sure!

6/16/12

It's HERE!! WEDDING DAY :)

I couldn't sleep last night. It's not even my wedding, and I couldn't sleep. I was just too excited, and too worried I would forget something!

I finally got out of bed around 7:30, as the girls were stirring next door. The very first item on today's agenda - getting Olivia's curlers in. She's cursed with my thin hair, that doesn't hold a style. So, I dampened her hair, moused her up and I'm hoping with LOTS of last minute hair spray, she'll hold through the day.

Then, I spent some time making sure I had all of our stuff together - dresses, shows, hair pieces, toys for Olivia, snacks, jewelry. Seriously, the list went on and on! Next up, a nice big breakfast to keep Olivia nice and full through the morning activities. Finally, I painted Olivia's nails, and we loaded up the car.

I picked up Kari and helped her get all of her stuff together and loaded up. FINALLY, we were on our way to the wedding location. All of the girls came trickling in, and we started on hair and makeup. It seemed to take FOREVER, but just in the nick of time, around 3:45, we were finally all dressed, made up, and ready to go!

The show was on the road, and it was a beautiful ceremony. Olivia was the best Flower Girl ever, she couldn't have done it any better. She smiled the whole way, walked right down the aisle - no hesitation, and made sure she dropped every last petal. SO FRICKEN CUTE! My BFF was the most beautiful bride, and held it together very nicely. The pastor did a great job, and it was over before we knew it!

Next up, reception time. The hall looked great, the food was very yummy, the cake delicious. My speech went over GREAT, which I was really excited about. We got in lots of dancing with the girls before my mom took them home for the night. And, I definitely let loose and had a great time. It was a great night, tons of fun and just such an amazing occasion. I'm so happy for my amazing BFF!

Our friends Nate and Gini drove us home after the reception closed down. We stopped for a late night snack, chatted for a while and then I was SO very ready to pass out. VERY long, exhausting day. But, an amazing one!

The videographer from their wedding posted a little recap video. It's very cute, so I thought I'd share. Click Here to check it out.

6/15/12

Today was a pretty good day. The girls were much better behaved than they have been lately. It was my Friday off with them, and we have a full day ahead of us!

They actually slept until a decent time, which is always a nice little gift. We ate some breakfast, got dressed and played a little bit, until they started getting a little antsy. Then, we were off to Target. Today I needed to get Amelia some sandals. Mainly for the wedding tomorrow, but really, they'll be her summer sandals. We wandered around for a little bit, then stopped into the dollar store across the street so check out their hair pieces. I found a little headband for Olivia - we're still not quite sure what we're doing with her hair for the wedding yet, so we need to have a few options.

By the time we got home from shopping, it was nap time. So, we had a quick lunch and the girls went down right away. While they napped, I made Kari's rehearsal bouquet (out of the shower bows), wrapped the little gift I got her - a "Maid of Honor" friendship bracelet I had a friend of mine make for us - showered, and got myself ready for the night.

I had to wake the girls up from their naps (man, do I HATE doing that!), get them ready and head out the door. Amelia was off to my mom's, to wait for Christian to get off work. Olivia and I were off to the rehearsal for the wedding to tomorrow. She was pretty shy, and her flower girl run didn't go perfectly, but she's excited, so I think she'll get it down tomorrow. There's a really high chance of rain tomorrow, so Kari and Jay made the decision to move their wedding indoors. I know they were bummed, but it's good that they made the decision now, and are ready.

After rehearsal and a tour of the site, we were off to dinner at the Mall of America - Christian and Amelia met us there. They had the BEST pasta bar, we played some games, got some fun little gifts (Olivia got a teddy bear necklace that she is just in LOVE with), and hung out for a while. It was a really fun night - and we are all so anxious for tomorrow!! I can't believe my BFF's wedding is finally here, cannot wait!

6/14/12

Today was a mixed bag kind of day.

Started of great…I had my biggest loser weigh in, and the results were wonderful. I ended up losing 3.3 this weigh in, for a total of 16.8. 1.8 past my 12 week/15 pound goal, for a total of 8% body weight lost. I’m so happy!!!!! Once everyone weighed in, the results were in. I ended up winning both woman categories – pounds and percentage of weight lost. Our team took 1^st place for percentage of weight lost, and 2^nd place for pounds lost (with NO men on our team, so I’m SUPER proud!). I’m so happy. Between those wins, this past weigh in incentive, and meeting my goal – my wallet should be filling up nicely! Definitely not what I’m losing weight for, but hey, a little extra motivation never hurts. I’m so excited!!!

Today was my Friday at work, so also a great thing. I was leaving early on top of it, so the day, the week, flew by. When I got off, I stopped in to a Memorial Service with my mom, for a friend of hers that passed away last week. It was just a short, light hearted memorial, very nice. Always very sad though. This friend of hers was suddenly diagnosed with cancer a couple weeks ago, and just rapidly declined. Very unexpected, which seems to make death that much more difficult to deal with. Very sad.

After the service, I stopped in to Target to pick up a few things for the weekend, dropped my dad’s Father’s Day card in the mail, and picked up the girls from school. They were seriously out of control tonight…we were at our wits end with them! Exhausting to say the least. We again let them play in the pool for a while to burn off some energy - temporary fix.

Even though I’m off tomorrow, I was far too exhausted to stay up. I started getting a few things together for the wedding this weekend, and passed out shortly after the girls did. So excited for the upcoming events!!!!