"We Are Family"

Call me crazy but whenever we are together with my whole family or Matt's I always find myself having the song "We are family" in my mind. I love that song but even more I love when our whole families are together. Today we got together with Matt's family. We hadn't all been together since Christmas and with all the little ones in the family it was time (especially to see all of their new tricks!)

I feel so blessed to be a part of Matt's family (I love my own family too of course!!). We all get along and have a lot of fun together. One of my favorite parts of Matt's family is Carol's spaghetti. I know it sounds funny but if you tried it, you would know what I mean. She makes it herself and it is the really good kind with meatballs and all! I remember when Matt and I were first married and I tried to make spaghetti...the kind with the Prego jar! This just didn't do it for him and I could never understand until I had Carol's spaghetti for myself. WOW!!! So today was great in part to the wonderful spaghetti meal and a big part because we were all together as a family.

We ate, played, watched Olympic hockey, went sledding, and caught up with the latest happenings in our lives. Here are a few photos of the day (we didn't attempt a group shot today so one pic of each little one in the family)

An Ordinary Happy Day

Today has just been an ordinary day. We didn't do anything spectacular (we were actually home for most of it) but with the sun shining it just felt like a happy day. Matt was off early to do photos with some new babies and the kids and I set out to Northfield for Target and the post office. The kids are always troupers when we are on outings like this. They love to look at all of the items in the store and help put things up on the counter when we are paying. We had an early lunch and then played for a bit before heading outside.

Going outside was the highlight of the day. It was so nice out and with the sunshine felt so warm. We played on the snow mountain and "laid out" in the sun for a bit. I also found a giant icicle...the kids thought it was awesome. Matt got home just in time to join us for a while outside. Everyone had a smile on their face while we were out...ok maybe not the entire time but for a lot of it!

When we came in from being outside we didn't realize how warm it had really been but after we took off Emmy's hat and snowsuit she was drenched from sweating!

We all caught a nap after having some fresh air....we all really needed it! While the kids and I took a LONG nap :) Matt headed for the gym for the alumni tournament. Even though he isn't an alumni of KW he still got to play in one of the games....I think he enjoyed himself.

Today was the kind of day that made you want to grill out. Unfortunately our grill isn't working right now but we still had a great supper all together. Not everyone would agree with me but I think one of the all time best meals is brats and baked beans. Not very gourmet and probably not the most healthy of meals but still a favorite. We've always known that Emmy has like baked beans but tonight she showed us just how much she loves beans!!! She was covered and all we could do was laugh.

The thing that I loved most about today was that even though we didn't do anything spectacular we enjoyed being home together. More and more I am realizing that my babies are growing up quickly and it is the times that we have at home playing together that I will always keep close to my heart as they get older. God has been working in my heart and continues to remind me that joy and happiness is found in many of the ordinary things and events around us....we just have to open our eyes to see and appreciate them!

Golden Nugget of the Day: Emmy has really been getting into her dolls lately. She loves to feed them, push them in her stroller, and hold and hug them. Tonight while I got supper ready, Cameron and Emmy were both playing with the dolls. Cameron was holding Emmy's baby so she could feed her...it was so precious and melted my heart! I absolutely love to see them play together. My hope is that they will continue to be close siblings and friends as they grow.

The Zoo Crew

Yesterday the kids and I headed to the Minnesota Zoo and met Kecia and Harper there. For the past two years we have bought a year-long pass and it has been totally worth it. Even in the winter it is a fun half or full day trip. There is a lot to see inside and you don't have to keep putting hats, coats, and mittens back on until you leave. Our favorite animals were the monkeys, the tropical fish, flamingos (Emmy's favorite) and the dolphins (Cameron's favorite). We also got to see a diver go into the aquarium to feed the fish and a dolphin show. It was so fun to catch up with Kecia and Harper too. Harper and Emmy are a few months apart so it has been so fun to see them grow up together (In their whole year-and-a-half of life!!) Harper is talking a ton and had lots to tell us...she is one smart little cookie!


Today was busy with running to the cities for a few meetings, taking the car in to get fixed in Zumbrota, and catching a quick workout at Snap. Tonight we are thankful to have a night home together. We had supper and are watching the Gophers hoping they can pull off a win to make the tournament.

Golden Nugget of the Day: Again, a night at home together is the best thing. Our jobs keep us busy and on the go a lot but we really cherish our times at home together.

Weekend Tidbits

We had a great weekend starting on Friday night with a big win against Triton. It was a great game being Senior night and our last home game of the regular season. The KW boys played their heads off in the second half to come back and beat Triton. The crowd was great and really into the game too.

Our good friends and a former assistant coach from Albert Lea came with their kids to watch the game and have a sleepover. Max, Lori, Taya, Reese and their dog Sunny came and we had so much fun playing and catching up. It brought back a lot of fond memories or our time in Albert Lea. I think Matt and I would agree that our time in Albert Lea was very special and some of our best and closest life-long friends are there. Taya and Reese are very sweet kids and Cameron and Emmy loved playing together with them. Before either of us had kids we had our dogs and Sogn and Sunny were good friends in their days together as well. In the morning everyone headed out for some fun in the snow. We again climed the mountain and also took a few drives on the Ranger. Below are a few pictures of Taya and Reese and Max with the kid crew on the Ranger. Emmy was able to catch a nap while the other kids went outside.

Today we headed to church and had a chance to take a nap this afternoon. Naps are a beautiful thing :) and all four of us had one today! Our other big news for the day is that we went to check out St. Paul's Lutheran school this afternoon and signed Cameron up for pre-school next fall! YIKES!!! By no means are we ready to send him off for pre-school every day. I love my time home with the kids and want to keep them home as long as possible. We are going to try one half day a week. Just a half day to play with other kids, learn more about Jesus, and gain more skills. We had a chance to meet the principal, Mrs. Palla (this will be Cameron's teacher) and a few of the other families that may be attending. Cameron and Emmy were both excited to play with all of the fun toys and books in the classroom. Something to look forward to for next fall!

King and Queen of the Mountain

Today was beautiful! The sun was shining and the temperature felt heavenly at 35 degrees! The kids and I took the opportunity to head outside and play in the snow and catch some rays. I can honestly say that my face felt a bit sunburned after we came in the house. As I've mentioned before, our wonderful friends and neighbors the Marings always come and plow our driveway. With all the snow we've had they have made some great snow piles or "mountains" as Cameron has been saying. While we were out we climbed the "mountain" and made ourselves a great slide to come down the "mountain". Emmy even got into in and after a few times up and down she didn't want me to help her come down anymore. We had a blast and our afternoon just flew by.

Matt, coaches, and some of the players headed to Jordan to scout a game tonight. The regular basketball season is winding down and we are nearing playoffs. This could be a potential team to play in sections so it is good for the team to get them scoped out. These days get long when Matt is gone all day and night but he and G'pa Gary had time to have supper tonight before they left so it made it an enjoyable meal.

I am going to start adding something new to the end of each of my blogs called the "Golden Nugget of the Day." I saw this in another blog that I read and it is a great reminder to remember the good that happened in each day. It is easy to get to the end of a day and feel tired, crabby, and overwhelmed...especially having two little ones. I don't want to forget about all the blessings that God is allowing me to have an experience so hence...the Golden Nugget!

Golden Nugget of the Day: Tonight Cameron, Emmy and I had a very special story time. We built a fort and took our books and a flashlight in and read for a half an hour. We had so much fun and it makes me smile to have such special times with my kids.

Valentine's Day

I'm a day late but Happy Valentine's Day! I meant to blog last night but was too tired and lazy! Had a great weekend with the "True Love" womens retreat on Saturday with my gals from True North Church, dinner with Matt on Saturday night (awesome!) and church and time with family on Sunday.

Saturday was such a great day. Carol and Gary had the kids for a lot of the day (thank you soooo much!) so that I could attend our church's womens retreat and Matt could ref a few games for the youth tournament. The "True Love" retreat was held at Three Crosses Retreat Center in Cannon Falls. It was a beautiful drive out there in the morning with the fog and frosted trees. The day was full of fun, great talks, singing praise, crafts and great food. God is really working in my heart lately and it was right where I needed to be that day.

That night Matt and I got to have some alone time and ate at Chianti Grille in Roseville. I would highly recommend it. It was so fun to have time to eat and talk without distractions. We love our kids but we also recognize that time is needed for just us. They had a blast with G'ma Carol and G'pa Gary playing and making cupcakes.

On Sunday, we went to church and then headed to mom and dad's. We decided a month ago to start setting a date each month to get together with all of. Even though we live close, we don't get together enough. The kids grow so fast so we really need to get together more often. Check out the pictures from the last few days.

Deer vs Pacifica

I need to start by thanking God for keeping me safe this morning. I'm pretty sure he had a wall of angels on the hood of my car! Yes, I hit a deer this morning. I went to do my run early this morning at Snap and on the way home I hit her...it was a her and I really feel bad. This is a deer that was part of a deer family that I see almost every day. I like animals and can handle that it is part of the natural cycle of life when they die but I sort of feel like I new her. Anyway, the car looks terrible and the deer didn't make it. The best two things were that I was OK and the car was still drivable. When you live in Sogn Valley, I guess it is just a matter of time before you hit a deer.

Potty Training 101

Is there a class for potty training? Matt and I may need to enroll!! We are on day three of attempting big boy underwear for Cameron. Did I mention it is complicated, messy and fun too! I think I may have said the same thing yesterday! Cameron truly desires to wear big boy underwear and always says mom I have to go potty, however, it is usually after he has already gone. I think we went through five pairs today. Matt and I keep thinking maybe he is not ready, maybe we are not ready...but I don't want to squash the excitement and his willingness to try. So in the mean time, I am catching some great pictures....he does not like to wear pants when he is wearing his big boy underwear. I'm not sure if it is because he wants to show off the great pictures and designs he is wearing or because it is much more quick for all of us if he does not wear them!

Emmy has actually been trying out the potty chair too. She may be a little young yet but she is always willing to try before her bath at night. We have been pretty successful with her and I think we'll slowly keep working on it. She may even beat Cameron at being trained! I've always heard that girls were easier to train...this may be a true statement! I caught a few pictures of her in her Valentine's outfit today. After taking a boat load of pictures, I realized that her shirt was on backwards...good thing it says something on both sides of it!

Tuesday Tidbits

Matt had another snow day today so we snuggled in once again. Our driveway is plowed by our wonderful neighbors and friends the Marings. They do a lot of the neighborhood driveways so they were busy today. They got to our driveway around 1:00pm today...a little too late for Mr. UPS Man! He got stuck delivering a package to our house. Once again, Matt went out to help him get unstuck. Matt is two for two and he was able to help our UPS driver and the Farm Country Coop driver get out without calling a tow truck!

My mom and dad stopped by on their way home from Mankato. We love having them stop by and we had a chili lunch and a great visit. Cameron and Emmy enjoyed reading a few books, playing trains and playing the fishing game...Cameron found grandpa Don to be a great fisherman!

Cameron has been working real hard on potty training the last few days. We've had a few accidents but he is getting very good at telling us when he has to go. I would describe the potty training experience as somewhat complicated, a little messy and very exciting!!! To get one child out of diapers would be huge!! We'll try again tomorrow.

Emmy enjoyed having Matt home today again. She adores her daddy and smiles whenever he is around. She got into a little mischeif when I went for my run at Snap today. Cameron had made Koolaid earlier in the day and left a half a cup of it on the table. Emmy believes she is bigger and taller than she really is and reaches for everything on the table these days. Today it was the koolaid. Her bright white onesie turned into a bright pink onesie. When I got home she kept pointing at the stains smiling...she was so proud!

Snow Day!

One of the best things about living in Minnesota has to be snow days! I absolutely love being stuck at home. Today Matt had about two hours of school and then they called off the rest of the day. The snow has been coming down in buckets since yesterday afternoon and sounds like it will continue through tomorrow. Hopefully that means another snow day for Matt! Even though I don't teach I try to take part in the snow days with Matt. This usually means fun family time!

We bundled the kids up and went outside to take a ride on the ranger. The snow is coming down so hard that it really hurt the kiddos faces and they were both in tears. So we had a quick ride, took a few pictures and came back inside. I think we were out for about 12 minutes total!!

Shortly after coming inside, Farm Country Coop came to fill up our fuel tank for our furnace. Unfortunately our driveway is not plowed so he got stuck. Matt is now outside with the driver trying to get him unstuck...we'll see how this goes!

Weekend update

General news - It is Sunday night again and it seems like the weeks keep going faster and faster. Because our weeks go fast it seems like there is never enough time to get everything done...both the things we need to do and the things we want to do. This weekend however we got something done that we have been meaning to do for a while....we got the kitchen painted!! (I forgot to take a picture) A huge thank you to Carol and Gary for coming over on Saturday to help us with this project. Matt painted one coat of one wall last August! Needless to say it has been on our to do list for a LONG time! Carol and Gary are great and fast painters so the job was done in no time.

Basketball news - the Knights are 11-4 after two games over the weekend. The boys fought an awesome battle with Cannon Falls on Friday night and had another win on Saturday night. Friday night, Carol stayed with the kids so I actually got to see the whole game....it was a great game! Saturday night, the kids and I spent the entire game in the hallways of the school playing. It was a fun night for the kids and we were able to run off some energy. Matt is really enjoying the season with the great kids and coaching staff.

Cameron and Emmy news - The kids have been a little under the weather in the last week. Bad colds have made it hard to sleep and eat. Emmy is also working on some teeth so she is having a double whammy right now! Emmy's favorite thing right now is to read. She continually brings books to Matt and me throughout the day and loves to dump our big basket of books all over the floor to pick out her favorites.
Cameron's favorite thing continues to be drumming. He loves to play on the drum set we have for Rock Band. It is set up in our kitchen and he asks to have the radio on so that he can play to the songs he hears. After church today the guys let him come up on stage to play the drum set. This is the picture Matt captured. He is totally in his element! His quote was "I'm rockin' out!"

Even though our weeks are fast and full we continue to be blessed with God's grace and love. As my chosen Bible verse of the week says...I have come that you may have life and have it to the full! :):)

Imaginary Friends

I never had an imaginary friend growing up. I remember watching shows about kids who did but I guess my imagination never stretched that far. Cameron on the other hand has a big imagination we are finding! He talks all the time about pink monsters in his room, the giant in the woods and now his new friend Ally (I'm not even sure this is how she would spell her name!!). The first basketball game of the season is when this all began. He came home from the game that night and talked on and on about Ally. For a while we thought she was a real person and we kept waiting to meet her at one of the games but she never showed up! In the last few weeks we've realized that she is not a real person but is his imaginary friend. We figure he got the name Ally from his favorite show Curious George. There is a cute and fun little girl named Ally on the show.

Anyway, yesterday morning Cameron woke up and exclaimed "it's Ally's birthday today!!" So I thought to myself I can either squash his excitement and put an end to this or I could throw a birthday party for this new friend. We went the fun route and had a full blown birthday party with cupcakes, candles, singing Happy Birthday, and birthday hats that we made. We talked about Ally all day. At one point Cameron was even convinced that Ally's mom was coming to the party! When Matt came home from practice, Cameron asked him if he brought a birthday present for Ally. It was a fun day and a good excuse to make cupcakes :). I'm not sure where the imaginary friend situation will head next but we'll just have to wait and see what Cameron comes up with. Here are a couple of pictures from our birthday party!