Our Love Story

I've seen a couple other bloggers on my feed posting something along these lines today, so I figured, what the heck! In honor of Valentine's Day, here's our love story...

1. How long have you and your significant other been together?

Christian and I went on our very first date on 7/11/2001, and have been together ever since. So, a little over 11.5 years.

2. How did you meet?

Oddly enough, through our parents. My mom knew Christian's parents through a guy she dated on and off for years. He and his family came to my high school graduation party. He left the party, but came back after a short time with a card...inside the card he left me his phone number and asked me to "call him sometime". When I made out Thank You cards for my party, I decided to send him one, and in it I told home that "I don't call boys, but feel free to call me if you'd like". Wow, I'm so mysterious! Well, a short time later he actually had his best friend at the time call me and get the ball rolling. We set up a date, and the rest is history!

3. If married, how long have you been married? If not, is this the guy you hope to marry?

We are indeed married. After 4 years of dating, Christian proposed. We were married 1.5 years later on 9/22/2007. So, we've been married for just about 5.5 years.

4. If you are married, where did you get married at? Big or small wedding? If not, where would you like to get married? And, will it be big or small?

Again, we are indeed married. We were married at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Shoreview, Minnesota, with a reception at the White Bear County Inn. We invited roughly 225 guests, so it was a fairly big wedding. It was truly my dream wedding...beautiful, simple church, black and white theme with accents of red, string quartet as I walked down the aisle, surrounded by all of our friends and family, the reception was warm and inviting. Everything was absolutely perfect, and exactly what I imagined. For late September, the weather was absolutely amazing. We truly could not have asked for a better day.

5. Do you have any nick-names that you call each other? Do share!

Really, we don't. When he writes me a card or a note, he'll call me "honey", but we've never really done the pet name thing. I usually just whip out the "dear" when he's in trouble!

6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey.

Christian truly balances me out...where I lack, he excels; where I am "cold", or insensitive, he is understanding; when I am impatient, he is calm; when I am stressed out, he makes me laugh. We have truly grown up together - from clueless teenagers, without a care in the world, to parents with the weight of the world on our shoulders - nothing can compete with the bond that creates. And, while he may not always show it, I know that he would do absolutely anything in the world for me and our children...he would give anything, do anything, go anywhere and sacrifice all for our love, safety and happiness. He's a great man!

7. Tell us how he proposed? Or, your ideal proposal.

Well, I pretty much knew it was coming. He came up with a very elaborate story that he had won a prize in their quarterly safety contest at work - which was a romantic dinner at the Carousel Cafe, overlooking downtown St. Paul. I thought that was a pretty strange prize for a bunch of warehouse guys, but went with it. Shortly after that, we were driving along when he got a phone call one day...he was acting very mysterious and secretive during this phone call (as we sat feet away from each other), but claimed it was a call about his passport (he was in the process of renewing for a trip home to Mexico). The final straw that ruined the surprise was...one evening, he arrived home from dinner with his mom. We were heading out with some friends for the night, and dropping her off at home on our way. He had a couple drinks before we left, so I decided to drive for the night. As I got in the car, I saw a bag on the passenger seat floor from Wedding Day Diamonds. He claimed it was his mom's...that she had purchased some jewelry cleaner. Probably true, but it was strange to go to a jewelry store JUST to get some cleaner. Everything was adding up to be very suspicious.

So, time went on, and eventually our big date night at The Carousel arrived. We got all dressed up and were on our way. We ate some dinner, chatted for a while and had a great night. A man across the restaurant from us proposed to his girlfriend (apparently it's a good place for that...). The night was coming to a close, and I started thinking I was quite an idiot. Finally, he stood up, got down on one knee right next to me, and popped the question. He was so nervous, it was sweet. Of course, it was a YES, no question about it, and it felt amazing.

As we left the restaurant, we took the glass elevator down the side of the building. He announced that he had one more surprise for me, and told me to look out the window, down to the street. I immediately spotted a black limo parked outside of the entrance, and pretty much yelled "Is that for US?!?!". I had never even seen a limo up close, let alone rode in one! We hopped in, picked up some friends that were in on the whole secret, and we spent the night bar hopping in downtown Minneapolis, celebrating the night away. I was on cloud nine all night, and it was truly one of the best, most fun, emotional nights of my life.

8. Is he a flowers and teddy bear kind of guy for v-day, or strawberries, champagne and rose petals?

Definitely a flowers guy. That's his usual fall back, which is perfectly fine with me!

9. Are you a sunset dinner on the beach kind of gal, or pop a movie in a relax on the couch?

Anybody who knows me, and/or reads this blog, knows that I love me a nice relaxing movie night at home. No question about it!

10. Tell us one thing you'd like to do with your significant other one day. If you could do anything? Go anywhere?

No question, go on a REAL vacation, just the two of us. We've never done it. We've driven to Utah to visit friends, we've traveled up North and to Wisconsin Dells, but we've never been on a REAL, adult vacation together. Hawaii is on our wish list, and we WILL make it there sooner or later! Maybe for our 10 year anniversary...

11. Tell us what you plan on doing this Valentine's Day.

It's technically over, but it was by far the best I've ever had. Christian surprised me with a bouquet of mini roses and a card right away this morning (which means, for once, he actually bought something AHEAD of time, whoa!). I opened the card, and there was a picture of the salon I go to inside. I asked him what that was all about, and he informed me that he had gotten a hold of my stylist and made an appointment for me to get my hair cut and colored this Saturday. I almost passed out! I couldn't believe he thought to do all of that, all on his own. AMAZING! After work, the girls opened their gifts from us, and we made some cupcakes. I surprised Christian with some steaks, and some fancy beer he's never allowed to buy, and he did some winter grilling. It was a fantastic day all around!

12. Are you asking for anything this Valentine's Day?

No, I never would. I think the purpose of the day is to take it upon yourself to do something special for the ones you love. Whether monetary, sentimental, vocal...in whatever way you feel necessary. Most years, this day is very low key for us. It's just about being together. This year, we splurged a little (and, I'm not gonna lie, it feels really good!).

13. Give us one piece of advice on keeping a relationship strong and full of love.

I don't think there is one, perfect answer for this question. Every person, every relationship is different. Christian and I fight a lot (though, definitely not as much lately with less financial strain, the girls getting older, and less needy, and as we grow and evolve ourselves), and we always have. But, we always work through everything. In nearly 12 years together, we've never broken up, never taken a break, never turned our backs on each other. We've hit some pretty rock bottom places in our relationship over the years, but it really truly makes us stronger as a couple. Just having that will and desire to work through things - never lose that.

14. Show us a picture of what love means to you.

Our family, there is nothing greater.

2013 - Week 6

Here's to another week!!

Monday started out with a surprise ME day! I woke up tired, sluggish and just not ready to face the day. So, I dropped the girls off at my in-laws, like usual, and made my way right back home. I didn't have any meetings scheduled, my in-box was fairly cleaned out and nothing too pressing needed my attention. It's RARE, so I decided to take advantage. I spent the morning relaxing, watching some TV and being lazy. Eventually, I finally stopped being a couch potato...I finished up our weekly laundry, picked up the living room, kitchen and bedrooms and vacuumed the upstairs. A nice clean house, so refreshing! I started up a crockpot dinner, showered, and was relaxed and ready when the rest of the family got home. We had some dinner, went about our bedtime routine and called it a night. What a perfect, MUCH needed mental health day!

Tuesday was back to reality. Back to school, back to work - which consisted of several meetings. Ick - I hate meetings! The day went quickly though, so that's a plus. After work, Christian's friend stopped over to help him finish hooking the downstairs TV up to the antenna while the girls and I hung out and made dinner.

Amelia got herself all dressed up! I swear, they go downstairs to play, looking completely normal. They come up, looking something like this.

Wednesday marked the 6th straight day of snow. Never a ton, about an inch or so each day - but just enough to ruin EVERY commute. Man I hate winter driving. Today's snow didn't come until lunch time though - so at least it only slightly delayed the drive home. The morning drives after a snow are just brutal. I'm officially ready for spring! Amelia was a complete crabby wreck when I picker her up from school, and that joyful spirit stuck around most of the evening. Needless to day, it was an early bedtime for her. I [finally] started up the 60 Day Slimdown program today, and I'm SO ready to get back on track (seriously, how many times can one person say that?!?) But, really, I'm back on my mission!

Olivia wanted to take a picture with me tonight. GLADLY, my dear!

Thursday was pretty much the best day ever. As I wrote about in my surprise post, I started the day, as usual, balancing our checkbooks, only to notice that our Federal Tax Return had been deposited. So, I started the day by paying off our last, final piece of debt - our credit card. So, I was on cloud nine the rest of the day. We're in the process of closing Christian's bank account - which means moving all of our auto payments to my account, changing his work direct deposit to my account, getting him listed as a full joint member on my account and getting him a check card. I send off the last of the paperwork for this process this morning, so I'm pretty excited to only have one account to track pretty soon! I stopped into the store quick after work to grab some stuff for dinner, picked up the girls and we made our way home. They had a great week at school...I can see Olivia's "social butterfly" personality coming through more and more every day - she's been playing a lot with the other kids, and they all give her hugs and say good-bye to her when she leaves lately. She's been asking more and more about the Pre-K room this week, so I think she's getting pretty bored in preschool. Hopefully they're still on track to move her up this summer, because she's getting pretty anxious! Amelia had a great week as well, using the potty like a champ to boot! Apparently she's breaking her teachers' hearts by asking to go to the preschool room a lot. I'd say she'll definitely be moving up next month as planned - she certainly thinks she's ready! Miss Eva and Miss Judy are pretty upset about it though, which, oddly, makes me happy :) The girls have been heading down to their playroom every night when we get home. We've revoked their iPad privileges because we want to encourage them to play together, and actually PLAY, and they've been having a blast. They play dress up, pack up their backpacks (over and over again) with new treasures and it's great to see them actually being kids, rather than glued to "their" electronics. My mother in-law's birthday was today, so Christian stopped by their house after work to bring her some flowers and chat for a bit. So, it was a pretty chaotic night. I finally got my workout in after the girl went to bed and caught up on a few shows to end the night.

There's no escaping the pets...they are never too far away...

Friday started with my weekly weigh in. I knew it wouldn't be good - it's a bad week for me to weigh myself in general, plus I've been a cookie addict all week, and I JUST started my program on Wednesday. So, I was up over 2lbs this week!! SCARY! I'm back where I was after the holiday's. But, I'm not going to be too hard on myself. I'm starting, I'm motivated, and it's never too late to get back on track! Today was my Friday off, so the girls and I spent the day together. I spent the morning paying bills and doing the usual "paperwork" stuff. The girls played, watched some TV and actually got along most of the morning. YAY! They were surprisingly well-behaved all day really - they listened, they played well together, they ate all of their food at all of their meals, they took nice long naps. It was heaven. While they napped, I got my workout in, and started doing some research for our annual trip to Wisconsin Dells with the Stevesons. Man, I can't wait - for the trip, or to see our friends!!! Christian worked late, per usual on Friday's, so we ate dinner and hung out with the girls for a bit as soon as he got home. As soon as the girls were in bed, it was Coldstone Ice Cream and movies for us. We watched "Premium Rush" and "The Vow" tonight - both of them were actually really good. Even Christian liked the chick flick, LOL.  All in all, it was a fantastic start to the weekend!

Forced cuddles for Rico!!

Saturday brought us another pretty busy day. We started with a little TV, some breakfast and some play time. Then, it was time for showers and getting ready. The girls were off to my godmother's house for a playdate with her and her grandchildren. They did some crafts, watched some movies and have a pizza party. Apparently they had the time of their lives and were busy as can be. And, apparently they have deemed my godmother as "Grandma Sandy". They sure know how to suck up! While they partied it up, Christian and I were off on an early Valentines Day date! We went to a movie (I don't remember the last time I actually paid for a movie, LOL). We say "Identity Thief" and OMG, it was HILARIOUS! Seriously the funniest movie I've seen in a long time. I would highly recommend it. After the movie, we were off to dinner at Chili's (to use a Christmas gift card) and just chatted, laughed and got WAY to full. Finally, we stopped into the mall so Christian could use the gift card I gave him for Christmas on some new clothes. How romantic! After we picked up the girls, and listened to all of their exciting stories from their day, we stopped at my dad's house for a quick visit. They live right down the road from my godmother, so we couldn't leave the area without checking in with them. Of course, my stepmom had some more crafts for the girls to do and sent them home with some goody bags. They are way too spoiled!!! FINALLY, we were on our way home. The girls passed out before we hit the highway and were out for the night. Christian and I were settled into watch some Saturday Night Live, but we both passed out as well. Too much excitement for all of us!!

Here we are, ready for our big date! *whistle, whistle*

Sunday brought in a new round of storms. Rain, sleet, snow, wind, repeat. All day. Of course, I didn't get our weekly shopping done before the weather hit, so I was stuck heading out in it. JOY! Weekly chores were much easier than usual though...I managed to keep the main level pretty clean this week, so I pretty much just had to do laundry (lets pretend like the basement doesn't exist right now). I got my workout in, we watched some movies with the girls and we just hung out around the house. Nothing like some forced family relaxation!

 Olivia, looking so old.

 Amelia, what a devil!

THIS is how you color!

So, that ends another week. While Amelia stays pretty dry during her naps and bedtime - she isn't quite there yet, so we're still working on the final potty training kinks. I feel like I can officially say I'm back on track with my workout plan, and that makes me feel really good about myself. We accomplished a HUGE success in paying off the last of our debt this week, AND, started planning our 2012 trip to the Dell. Definitely a successful week!

Surprise Post...BIG NEWS!

So, I'm going out of my weekly format for a very special brag post.

We are officially DEBT FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG, I cannot get enough of that. Other than our mortgage (AKA, good debt), we are free and clear. No credit cards, no car loans, no second mortgage, no ANYTHING. It feels so amazing. It definitely has not set in yet. We received our Federal Tax return this morning, and I immediately paid off our Visa. The last remaining penny of (unsecured) debt that we have.

Several years ago, we stated getting into trouble. Through a series of unfortunate events, bad planning, and hasty decisions, we got ourselves into quite a bit of debt. An expensive wedding that came with some additional expenses we were not anticipating; buying our "forever" house too soon after said expensive wedding, with no down-payment, leaving us with a ridiculous mortgage payment; and an unplanned pregnancy and start to our family. So, I started on the path of getting us up on our feet again. Becoming obsessed (OBSESSED!!!) with our budget, and figuring out what I ended to do to get us out of our mess. This involved each of us opening a line of credit, and using it pretty frequently, and racking up some credit card debt along the way (not on anything fun or exciting, but on necessities, and bills - I NEVER thought I'd see the day when I would be charging BILLS). Over time, we paid off each small debt, little by little. We continued to claim 0 on our tax withholdings, so that we could get that big refund and actually put it to good use, resulting in paying off Christian's truck last year (I've never had a car payment). Last summer, I was able to modify our mortgage, bring it down significantly (to what I refer to as a "normal" mortgage payment). Finally, we DID finally breakdown and change our tax withholdings last summer as well, to get a bigger bi-weekly income to make sure we stayed ahead of the game.

So, for years I've used an excel spreadsheet to track our income and budget. Basically, I list every paycheck (we both get paid every other Friday), and everything that comes out of that check (from gas for the cars, to every actual bill, to spending money - which is everything from toilet paper, to birthday party gifts, to family outings). So, I can see where we stand at any given time - estimated, but after several years, it's pretty accurate. Right now, our budget goes all the way through the end of 2014, so that gives me a good glimpse into the more distant future. I have daycare cost adjustments built in as the girls get older and when they'll start full time, and I've built in extra daycare costs later next year, when we hope to have our 3rd child. So, it's pretty in-depth.

Every payday, I go in and update our budget, and pay any bills for that pay period that aren't automatically withdrawn. Every morning when I get to work, I pull up our checkbook (which I track on another spreadsheet) and our budget, balance our bank accounts and update our budget as needed. The next time we get paid, I balance out that pay period, start on the next, and double check "the future" to make sure everything is still on track. I have this down to a science!

Now, in the past, this process was a lot more trying and stressful. It involved a lot of transferring money around, borrowing from our lines of credit, charging things here and there to make sure we could cover everything (hence the credit card payoff need). With time, things have gotten a lot cleaner, and a lot better - especially over the last year since paying off the truck. Now, there's no more worrying. It's done, we're on the road to much greener pastures!

I'm now in the process of closing Christian's bank account, so we'll just have our one account. I've moved all of our bills to withdraw from my account, Christian handed in his direct deposit paperwork to go into my account, and he's being added on as a joint. YAY, no more tracking two accounts!!!

It feels so amazing to have something we've worked so hard towards come to fruition. All of the "sacrifices" and all of the countless hours I've spent looking at and adjusting our budget have paid off. All of the clipping coupons, signing up for every freebie and sample imaginable, and entering every contest that comes my way. We don't go out much (and, usually do only if it's free/we won free tickets/etc.).We don't get to go everywhere we want to go, we don't have everything we want, we don't do everything we want to do. We don't have the latest, fanciest gadgets (unless gifted to us), the best clothes or go on vacations more extravagant than "Up North" or "Groupon" purchased. But, it's all been worth it. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off of my shoulders.

So, that's my story. That's our financial background. That's our journey. While it's a difficult journey, I'm actually happy we've gone through it. It's made us stronger, individually and as a family, it's made us realize and accept what's really important in life and it's taught us a lot. And, most importantly, we can forge ahead with our next adventures in life!

The next goals are 1) to get my car to hold out until next year, when we should essentially be able to pay cash for a new vehicle.2) lose this weight, hopefully by the end of this summer! No rest for the weary, time to keep pushing through!

2013 - Week 5

On to another week, and kicking if off by catching up on a couple of things I totally spaced on recently!

First, I totally meant to start the annual "birthday quiz" with the girls this year, and never posted Olivia's! So, I'm starting this week with that...

1. How Old Are You? 4 (to be honest, she held up 4 fingers - then she elaborated just to be sure...)
2. What Makes You Happy? Sissy and Bella too (I was quite shocked by her first response.)
3. What Is Your Favorite Animal? Jingle (her pet Dog. I guess it will have to do.)
4. What Is Your Favorite Thing To Eat? Oranges
5. What Is Your Lest Favorite Thing To Eat? Soup (the Beef Stew kind)
6. What Is Your Favorite Thing To Do? Play with Jingle
7. What Is Your Favorite TV Show? Spongebob (I don't think this is true, but she does enjoy watching it from time to time, and I have no issue with that.)
8. What Are You Really Good At? Letters
9. What Is Your Favorite Movie? Brave
10. What Is Your Favorite Color? Orange
11. What Is Your Favorite Song? Ain't Your Baby (Miranda Lambert - Fastest Girl in Town)
12. Who Is Your Best Friend?  Bella
13. What Do You and Your Mom Do Together? Play With Sissy
14. What Do You and Your Dad Do Together? Play "You Can't Get Me"
15. What Is Your Favorite Sport? ....(she's really never played any sports, so she didn't understand)
16. Where Is Your Favorite Place To Go? Tree House (apparently she was talking about the place we had her birthday party - Edinborough Park)
17. What Is Your Favorite Book? Princess Books
18. What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up? Be a Soldier (I have NO idea where this came from)

Also, Amelia turned 2.5 this last weekend (WHAT?!?!?!) and I didn't post her picture. So here is that, along with a little growing-up-collage, which proves, contrary to my personal opinion, that she is indeed growing. My baby!

Now, as for this week. Monday started off pretty slow-going in the Duran household. Christian and I both overslept, so he raced to get ready and head out. The girls were up late last night, so I decided to be and awesome mom and let them sleep in (though, their version of sleeping in is NOT the same as mine) and drop them off at my in-laws when they woke up. It was also fairly selfish because it was a good excuse to skip the crappy-weather-rush-hour traffic. The work day flew by thanks to my late start. I rushed home after work and got my 30-Day Shred on, made dinner and waited for the rest of the house to arrive. And, that was about that!

Tuesday started off with a "Craigslist" sale. Really, it was to a woman at work, but whatever. She bought the girls' 9-12 Month, and 12-18 Month clothes for her granddaughter! YES! I was sad to hand it over, but I'm content with our decision to sell everything. The same woman is going to buy some of the toys we're selling later this week, and, I sold my old "boombox" today, so it was a good sale day! I've decided I'm for sure stashing some of the money away, and when I finish losing this weight, the girls and I are getting our hair and nails done! Pamper day. I can't wait. I have not cut/colored/anything my hair in well over 2 years, IT'S NEEDED!!!!!!!! I picked up the girls after work, got my work out in, made dinner...the usual.

Wednesday was a pretty standard day. We did have conferences for the girls at school tonight, so I met Christian at the center after work. The winter conferences are more informal - we really just met to talk to the teachers and connect. Amelia's teacher just adores her, and that warms my heart. Apparently Amelia has really come out of her shell lately, and she is becoming her teachers little helper. Her teacher is so impressed with her potty training and how quickly she took to it - it's wonderful to see her so excited and proud of Amelia, you can tell how much she really cares, and that's a great feeling. Olivia's teacher is fairly new, so she's still getting used to the class and getting to know the kids. But, she said Olivia does great - she's always the first to do what they're told, she uses her manners, she is apparently quite a social butterfly (even though she NEVER talks about the kids at school) and she doesn't have any concerns. So, couldn't have gone much better! After conferences, Christian ran to get his hair cut, the girls cuddled up with the iPad and played some games together, and I got dinner going. While I was cooking, the girls were pretty quiet. I kept checking on them, thinking they were up to something - but, they were just sitting on the couch, playing together. No fighting, no arguing, no teasing each other. They have been getting along better and better with each passing week, and it feels like we've been waiting a life time for this! It's amazing to see them actually being sisters, actually spending time together - it's brought so much peace to our house! After dinner, I was finally able to finish our taxes and got them filed. This past summer we changed our tax withholdings at work...that, plus the added childcare claim we have this year left me pretty in the dark about what our tax return would be. In the end, we're getting back quite a bit more than I expected, so we will definitely be able to pay off our credit card, with some to spare. I can FINALLY breathe easy, and know that all of our hard work, and all of my diligent planning is coming to fruition. HALLELUJAH! Finally, we got the girls to bed, I got my workout in and I passed out! By this point, the weekend couldn't come soon enough!

The girls cuddled together with the iPad, quiet as a couple of mice!

Thursday was a pretty low key day. Work was work, the girls were pretty well-behaved again. I was feeling pretty exhausted, so we had leftovers to dinner, and I actually went to bed shortly after the girls. I could not hang today at all!

The girls had a tough time getting going today. They had that "I really want to watch the TV, but I can't open my eyes" thing going on.

Friday brought us the first day of February! Can you believe it, already one month down of 2013. So crazy! And, it was a pretty busy day...

• Today marks the start of Heart Disease Awareness month. Anybody who knows me, or has read my blog the last few years, knows that this month is pretty important to me since I was born with congenital heart disease. Today in particular is Go Red for Women day. I was touched to see how many of my friends and coworkers showed their support...not only for the day in general, but for me in particular! I have a lot of great people in my life, that's for sure. So, I sported my red, my Go Red dress pin and my heart disease awareness bracelet.
• The weather is horrible again, I can't stand much more of it. When I left for work this morning the actual temperature was -12, with wind chill it was -24. WHAT?!? So over it.
• I started the day with my weekly weigh in, and that brought me down a bit. I thought I'd had a really great week - I've been feeling stronger, I've had more energy, I've been eating well, taking my vitamins and supplements, drinking my detox water and really focusing on myself. Yet, I gained a pound. I just don't know what to do...I don't know what I'm doing wrong. Ugh. BUT, I'm going to keep pushing though. Tonight I restarted the 60-Day Slimdown Program I did when I kicked off my weight loss journey last year. Hopefully this gets me going again!
• When I got to my mom's to pick up the girls after work, they were both passed out still. So, I hung out and chatted with my mom for a bit while they slept. The snow started up as soon as I got there, and it came down fast - making things pretty slippery by the time they woke up and we hit the road.
• We picked up Christian and were off to Best Buy right away. We decided to take the plunge, and get rid of cable. So, we chatted with the Geek Squad for a while, used a gift card and some of our Craigslist money and ended up with an outdoor antenna (which should cover both of our TV's) and an Apple TV. We're going to cancel our cable and subscribe to Hulu Plus and Netflix. So, our "cable" bill will go from $75.00 a month (and, that's just standard - no movie channels  or any extras like that) to $16.00. And, my dad has a Tivo he's not using, that we may borrow for a while to record some stuff. I'm a little nervous about the change, but we'll definitely survive, and I'm more than happy to save the money. Now, if only there were something I could do about our internet...
• Finally, we stopped to get some Chinese takeout for the girls, some Cold Stone ice cream to split and made our way home. The girls were pretty exhausted by the time we were settled in, and Christian has to work tomorrow, so we all settled in for the night. What a day!

My heart disease awareness bracelet.

The girls catching snowflakes while we were out and about tonight.

Saturday was a tad hectic. Christian was off to work bright and early, so it was just me and the girls. We had some breakfast, watched a little TV, I showered and we all got dressed and ready for the day. Olivia had swim class, and this was the first time I had to bring Amelia with. Olivia was really excited to get in the water and seems to get more brave with every class. She even "swam" all by herself a little bit today (with the safety belt on). She was so proud! Amelia did really great too. She sat with me and watched Olivia, waving to her every time she'd look up towards us. She was so proud of her sister! After class, we dried off and were on our way for Saturday Happy Meals at McDonald's. Olivia's BFF Bella and her mom met us there for a little playland play date. The girls had so much fun, but Amelia was exhausted! She actually asked to go home and take a nap. What a honey! So, we finally made our way home and the girls went right down for their naps. I relaxed on the couch, playing with the new apple TV for a while. Christian arrived home just as the girls woke up, and came home with a bunch of leftovers from the lunch his work provided - so YAY for no cooking! I did a little cleaning and picking up, and caught up on some shows, while Christian and a friend from work hung out for a while.  Another busy day!

Rico and Chuy have quite the Love/Hate relationship, today they were BFF's, napping in the sun.

BFF time at McDonald's.

 Olivia disappeared for a bit, this is where we found her.

Sunday was a pretty great day. We had some breakfast, I finished up some cleaning, and then we all bundled up and made our way outside. It's still cold, but not AS cold, so we finally got out to enjoy some of our new snow. Christian did some shoveling while the girls and I made snow angels and played in the snow. Then, we grabbed our sleds and made our way to the back yard. We made a pit stop at the swing set for a little play time, then it was sledding time! We have a pretty decent slope in our back yard that did the trick, and the girls had a blast! It was so much fun watching them laugh and run up the hill with their sleds dragging behind, over and over again. Those smiles and giggles are worth a frozen face any day! We finally forced them into the house to warm up and eat some lunch. Grilled Cheese and Soup - just what you need after playing in the snow! While the girls took a nap, I edited some pictures and played on the computer for a while, and Christian was off to get some pizzas and food for the superbowl. His friend from work came over to "party" with us, but first - they installed the new antenna. It's official - the antenna is up and running, and we're ready to cancel our cable. Big Day! Finally, it was game time. We don't really care about the 49ers or the Ravens, so the commercials and halftime show were definitely most interesting this year - but it's still football, and we love us some football! Hopefully one of these years, we'll finally have something to REALLY cheer about for the superbowl! The Vikings did have a pretty good weekend too though - Our running back, Adrien Peterson, was chosen as the NFL MVP this year, which is super exciting (and definitely well-deserved) and one of our old Wide Receiver's, Chris Carter, was inducted into the NFL Hall f Fame (WAY overdue), so that's pretty exciting! By the time the game was over, we were all pretty much ready for bed. Hard to believe, another weekend has come to an end!

Some pics from our snow fun.

So, that ends our week. Sold some stuff, bought some new gadgets, survived another arctic blast and spent a little time in the snow. The girls have been getting along better than ever, making our home a happier home all around, which has been fantastic. Our taxes are filed, and we have some much less financially straining days ahead of us. I can finally rest a little easier knowing that our plans are starting to become reality! That will make any week a great week!