Spent yesterday at Trout Lake Camp with the fam. It was a beautiful day! We had a blast :)

My brother and Erika are married and officially off, on their way to Mexico! The day couldn't have gone any smoother. It was a beautiful ceremony and a wonderful reception. My kids walked down the aisle successfully-- Addie walking at a snail's pace, dropping each petal individually and taking her flower girl job very seriously... and Eli walked down with a mouth full of Mike and Ikes :) The dinner was delicious and the dancing was a blast! Lynn took Eli home about 8:30, but Addie stayed and danced the night away with us. She loved dancing with her dad or being the center of the circle and trying some cool feet movement. It was an exhausting day, but one I will never forget.
Had to say goodbye to both Phil and Kylee and Jeff and Erika yesterday, so that was hard. We enjoyed every second we had with all my siblings this weekend... wish they all lived here, but our lives have taken us in separate directions.
Congrats, Jeff and Erika!! Happy marriage!!! :)

I feel like there's a lot going on right now.

My siblings are in town this week because my little bro is getting married this Saturday. Addie and Eli will have another chance to walk down the aisle... they were perfect at the last wedding, so we'll see how they do this weekend. Addie's looking forward to dressing up, eating cake and cookies at the reception and staying up late to dance!

We scheduled an August surgery for Addison to get her tonsils and adenoids out. She also has fluid in her ears which is causing her to have some hearing loss, so they are going to also make an incision in her ears and try to drain the fluid, putting in tubes if need-be. I just told her she was going to get to eat a lot of ice cream and yogurt afterward, and she was excited :) I'm anxious about it-- but it's awhile yet...

Brandtis has been busy with the yard the past month. The trees in our front yard are trimmed and look incredible! We almost have two working spigots outside for some sprinkler action. We got gutters just in time for all this rain. And now we have plans to lay some mulch and plant a couple things :) Fun to see it all start to come together!

As the kids and I are home every day together (ALL DAY), with no preschool, dance, or extra activities, I am continuing to learn patience. The days are long, yet the weeks fly by... and before I know it, Addie will be in elementary school, so I'm trying to savor each day and each moment with these two.

I'm so thankful for where we landed here in Maple Grove. Our neighbors are incredible, generous, and just simply great people! We feel so blessed :)

I'll post pics after the crazy wedding weekend!

Happy Father's Day to my dad and my hubby-- both incredible men. I love you both!

We spent the weekend up at Trout Lake Camp putting in benches in honor of Dale. The benches are beautiful and the spots chosen for each one were just perfect. There was MAT training while we were there so already we got to see kids spending time with God on them :) How perfect! Our kiddos were great this weekend- off their routine of course, so we're playing catch up this week... but they enjoyed every second of being up at camp! Hope to do it a couple more times this summer.

June 1st, 2007

1st Birthday

2nd Birthday

3rd Birthday

And today she's 4!!!!
Happy Birthday beautiful girl :)

These are in a weird order, but these pictures made up our last week. Addie had her preschool graduation this week. We also went to Como Zoo with Amber and her boys, as well as 30+ bus loads of elementary children :) Never again... ;)
This weekend was relaxing. Lots of 'just us' time with the kids- park, bike ride, just hanging out. This week should go fast. Addie turns 4 on Wednesday and we head to Trout Lake Camp on Friday for the weekend. Looking forward to it!

Tricia and Nathan are married! She made such a beautiful bride and the whole day was just perfect. Addie took her role as flower girl very seriously! She even threw petals on the way out of the church, making sure she emptied her basket by the time she was finished. Eli walked down the aisle like a pro :) The wedding was gorgeous. The reception was a blast! And now the newlyweds are on their way to Mexico!
One down... one to go-- Jeff and Erika get married in a month. Can't wait!

My sis is getting married this weekend! Tricia's wedding is Friday night, with the festivities starting tomorrow evening :) I'm looking forward to every part of the weekend!
B just got back from Vegas for my brother's bachelor party. He had a great time and we survived without him for the long weekend.
Kids have been so great lately- very independent (from me) and just loving each other! Eli literally wants to do EVERYTHING Addie is doing. Addie's wearing a hat... so is Eli. Addie's serving me rocks for "dinner" at the park... so is Eli. He adores his big sister.
I'm anxious to see how they do at the wedding- hopefully they'll both walk down the aisle ok... we'll try and capture some good pics :)

We broke out the pool yesterday! Very refreshing!!

My kids' attitudes are completely affected by my attitude. If I am tense, crabby, or quick to anger, their attitude's reflect the same thing. So the last three days, I have being making conscious efforts to be more joyful, playful, and relaxed with my kids. I am trying not to get worked up about the little things, and I've been choosing my battles carefully. I have been quietly disciplining instead of reacting with anger and loudness :) Addie responds so much better this way and we've had barely any sassiness. Life is too short to be crabby. I'm tired of trying to "survive" or "get through" the days and weeks. Time to live and love on my kiddos each and every day :)

I choose joy!!

Remembering Papa today! Hard to believe it's been a year already. Miss you, Dale!

"Dear Papa, I want to play with you in heaven. Please throw me high in the sky. I hope I will see you sometime in heaven. Love and From, Addie "

My favorite pics from Easter weekend

Lots of family time this weekend, and it was so wonderful!! Happy Easter :)

Favorite things about our house...

*washer and dryer are on the main level and NOT in basement! I actually enjoy doing laundry!
*our yard- watching the kids run around or roll around the yard (thanks, Uncle Aaron)
*neighborhood... we've already connected with some neighbors and Addie loves going outside to play with her "new friends" -- TONS of kids around here :)
*X Box in basement - two levels away from the kids sleeping = lots of volume! (that was B's comment of course)
*windows everywhere- lots of light!
*12 minute walk to Nana's house :)

We are loving being in Maple Grove! Still have rooms to paint, boxes to unload, and walls to decorate, but we're loving our space and the fact that it's a fresh start. Addie's looking forward to an Easter egg hunt in the backyard this weekend. Praying for warm weather!!

As of lately ... :)

Well, we are slowly feeling more 'moved in' :) I've decided that unpacking boxes after a move is like Christmas every day! At one point our garage looked like we should have been on the show HOARDERS, but Brandt has been working hard to put everything in its place. We were even able to park two cars in the garage a couple days after the move! He's amazing :)

We love the house. The kids have adjusted so quickly. They love to run circles on the main level. We've stayed busy and have had lots of help with various projects. The snow finally melted in our backyard. We were anxious to see what 'goodies' the previous owners (and dogs) left for us! Not too bad... 7 dog toys, 3 dog bones, 1 dog chain, 2 dog bowls, one random concrete square, 2 shirts, trampoline springs, 1 ski pole, 1 bundt pan, and unfortunately NO raspberry bushes (we thought there were some).

Addie's favorite part of the house, besides her freshly-painted pink bedroom, is the mailbox. She seriously checks it about 5 times a day. Send her mail, people! She would go crazy ;) We just had a box with a key at the townhome and she was unable to reach it, so she loves this new one!

I've had great friends assisting me with my decorating skills :) Paint is slowly getting up on the walls and curtains are being hung! We are 12 minutes walking distance from Nana, so the kids and I met her at the park last week. So fun! We just love being in Maple Grove. Feeling so thankful!

B starts his busy week this week and I'm going to sub two half days this week at PACT. It'll be nice to get back in a classroom for a bit. Special Ed on Wed. and 7th/8th grade Drama on Friday... should be interesting!

Haven't taken many pictures (sorry Natalie), because the house is still a work-in-progress. I'll take a few and post this week!

We spent the last three days in the Wisconsin Dells. The kids were perfect! They both LOVED being in the water. There were three waterparks at our timeshare, so we had a variety of things to do. Addie was SO brave!! Did crazy big waterslides all by herself! I had no idea she would do so well. I told Brandt she's going to be dragging me on to rides/slides in the future!! Eli just enjoyed walking up and down the steps into and out of the water. He also loved watching the giant bucket fill with water and spill over onto people's heads :) They both enjoyed the lazy river (or the "crazy river" as Addie called it), and we even took them on a giant family tube ride. It was a blast and a much needed two days away as a family.
Moving day count down = 7 days!

These two are the best of friends these days! So nice that they can play by themselves a bit :)

Love my little girl- she's growing up so fast! Some days I think she's 7 or 8...last night she even ate her broccoli and chicken without much complaint! Other days, though, she reminds me that she's still three ;) (which is ok with me)!!

One week til we head to the Dells for a couple days. About 17 days til we move. Hoping only 1 or 2 more days of snow ;) ... really ready for Spring!

Not much to report. Our renters signed their lease yesterday, so it's official! We close March 25th and move the 26th. Packing a few boxes every day. Trying to do it without Eli's 'help' cause he unpacks while I pack :) Found a new preschool for Addie for next year-- enrolled her at Joyful Noise Preschool in Maple Grove. We toured / observed and she is SO excited! Especially for new things, like a gym to play in, show and tell, and field trips (a few things we don't have at the preschool she's at now). Brandt is in the middle of his busy week at work and I'm adjusting to staying at home all day long with no coaching-- different, but good. Happy Wednesday!