This book was by the author of On The Island which I read for Book Club. I was excited when I remembered this book was out and quickly downloaded it. I couldn’t put it down. It was a fun story and it was nice to see the characters of the first book in their new lives. Here’s a little about the book. When twenty-three-year-old dot-com millionaire Owen Sparks walked away from his charmed life, he had one goal in mind:... Read More Read More ...

One night at dinner we were laughing at Dannie. She was sitting there with loads of cheese hanging out of her mouth. Maddie thought it was funny, too and tried to make cheese hang out of her mouth. She wasn’t very successful, but she was really cute trying. ...

A new Cupcake store opened and MOMS Club went there one morning so we could check it out and eat cupcakes. The girls picked out cupcakes to eat. They were very pretty and very yummy! Some friends and I also went there for dinner one night. They have a restaurant attached called “The Mason Jar”. The food was really good and I can’t wait to go back for more food and more cupcakes! If you are in the area, I... Read More Read More ...

Last year, Maddie was not a fan of the snow. She would cry when we set her even near snow. This year is very different and she even asks to go out with Chuck when he snow blows the driveway and sidewalk. This is her snow blowing outfit. I bought Maddie a shovel and sled at Target earlier this winter and then put her to work on shoveling the steps for me.   And since she enjoyed shoveling so much,... Read More Read More ...

I had been looking for a crockpot vegetable soup that didn’t have meat in it and I came across this recipe. I think I found it on Pinterest. There were a lot of ingredients, but it was really simple to make. You just need to give yourself enough time to chop all the veggies. First you sauté the veggies a little. Then you let your toddler help stir the vegetables because she insists on doing so. Then dump the rest... Read More Read More ...

I have a bunch of pictures that have piled up that don’t deserve their own post. So here’s a big random blog post full of pictures.of the girls. Since I’m not doing monthly posts for the girls anymore, a lot of these pictures get forgotten. This probably should have been two posts with all of these pictures. But, oh well! Enjoy.or leave now. Dannie loves blowing kisses. She makes the best smacking noise when she does it! This girl gives... Read More Read More ...

My friend Tricia hosted a MOMS Club playdate early in December. She always makes the most adorable snacks for playdates! Check out these cute snowmen. The kids enjoyed eating them. Maddie liked the chocolate chip eyes and the M&Ms the best. Dannie was all over the donut! ...

The weekend after Christmas we celebrated with my dad, stepmom, brother and his wife. We opened presents and hung out. The girls had a bunch of fun.and so did my brother and sister-in-law! After presents, we ate Wild Rice Burgers and Sweet Potato Fries. It was a little unorthodox for a Christmas meal, but it was so very delicious! ...

The weekend before Christmas my mom and her crew came over to bake cookies and take a family photo for her holiday card. My mom also helped me paint while the kids were sleeping, which is why I am wearing painting clothes. When we got home from our Christmas Eve celebration, we helped Maddie put out cookies she made and milk for Santa and carrots for the reindeer. She was very excited! Then Chuck and I finished wrapping presents. Maddie... Read More Read More ...

We took the girls to see Santa at our local Community Center. They have a bunch of games and activities for the kids and a breakfast with Santa. It’s a cute little activity and it’s basically across the street. A couple of my friends from MOMS Club went this year as well. One of my friends, Tricia’s daughter is one of Maddie’s best friends, Leighton. They play together all the time and giggle and hold hands while doing so! Maddie... Read More Read More ...

Chuck’s mom’s parents have recently moved from their home in Iowa where they lived for 60 years to an assisted living home in Austin, Minnesota. Chuck’s Aunt and Uncle live in Austin, too. So this year, on Christmas Eve, we made the drive to Austin to spend time with Chuck’s grandparents. It was a much shorter drive than the trip to Iowa. Maddie had a great time playing with her cousin, Amira. They had a great time snuggling on the... Read More Read More ...

A recent post from the MOPS website included the image below. It is a calendar for January 2014 giving you something to do each day. I may not do all of them, but I loved the ideas. There are some great ideas on here and I love having a place to look for ideas if I am struggling to think of something to do. Hopefully there’s at least one thing on here that you may find appealing! ...

In the past I have made resolutions. But they aren’t always attainable things or they are something you do then don’t really continue. A few friends have talked about having a word for the year. I love this idea. I have seen it done very well here. So let’s seewhat will I do/be in 2014? 1. Do :: I want to do more this year. I want to keep my house cleaner, do more with my kids, read more, be... Read More Read More ...

2013 has come to an end. This has been a wonderful year. I have been so blessed and I hope you and your family have been, too. Here’s a short video clip of some pictures from this year that I put together with some Instagram pictures.  I can’t wait to see what wonderful things come in 2014. I wish you all the best in the new year! Hello 2014! ...

I just finished this book the other day. I had borrowed it from the library and it was set to expire at 7:30pm on Tuesday night. I knew it was going to expire and had to finish it or else I would be back on the 54 person waiting list. So I ignored the kids made them play by themselves and read like a mad person. I finished it with about 10 minutes to spare. And it’s been a while... Read More Read More ...

Maddie started a preschool this year. It is just for 2 and 3 year olds. It is Friday mornings from 9:30-12. It’s really a couple hours of daycare. I love it and so does she. A bunch of her friends attend as well and she comes home so proud of what she learned that day. Here are a couple pictures from her first day. Oh, and she picked out her outfit. With one of her best friends, Leighton. There are... Read More Read More ...

Here is our Holiday card for 2013. I sent out a bunch of them this year, but I am sure I forgot to send it to someone. So don’t think it was intentional, I just have a terrible memory and can’t remember everyone! Have a wonderful holiday season with your loved ones this year! I am definitely feeling very blessed this year! ...

This weekend we went to Chuck’s holiday party. It was so much fun! We even got all spiffy looking for it! We went to the Wabasha Street Caves. They had cave tours, dinner drinks, swing dancing lessons, more dancing, fun with friends and a photo booth! Here’s a couple pictures Chuck took of me dancing with our friend, and Chuck’s boss, Scott. I had a lot of fun with the photo booth. Here are the outtakes! (You can click on... Read More Read More ...

This fall I visited Applewood Orchard a couple times. Chuck and I took the girls there one day and I also visited with some friends from MOMS Club. It was so much fun and I know we will make this a tradition every fall! (Chuck took so many great pictures that it was hard to cut back. So I’m sorry for all the pictures!) Maddie liked carrying the basket around. It was still empty at this point. The orchard had... Read More Read More ...

A couple months ago, I went to see Cirque du Soleil with my mom and sister-in-law, Katie. I LOVE Cirque shows and this one was amazing and didn’t disappoint. This was Katie’s first Cirque show and she loved it, too! Chuck bought Maddie a computer game to play together (Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs). Maddie likes to play. She likes making her character jump! I just think they are adorable playing video games together. One of Maddie’s favorite crafts... Read More Read More ...