Life in January

Whew!  January flew by!!!  Although it has been so cold and have spent most of our time indoors we have stayed pretty busy!

Here are a few highlights from the month!

THE HOUSE
Obviously by now, most of you know we finally are going to be selling our house and moving into a new house just a few blocks away.  I drive by the house and tell Elsie that is our new house to try to get her used to the idea that we will be moving into a new house and saying goodbye to our old house.  Yesterday we went for a walk and walked by the house.  I showed her which windows were to her new room.  She then proceeded to throw a fit because she wanted to go in.  So that backfired a bit :)  I also talk to her about how it will be close to her school when she gets bigger, that it is right by the playground, and that it has a bigger yard for her and Tally to play in.  One day I also mentioned that her room has two closets-one for clothes and one for her toys!  Now whenever we talk about her new room she has to add that it has two closets.

SOCIAL HAPPENINGS
This months seems to have been busy for us in the social world.
Bachelor Premier:  At the beginning of January I went to Amber's to watch the premier of The Bachelor with her and Asia.  This seems to be becoming a tradition to watch the premier and the finale together and it makes it a little more fun.
Date Night:  This months date night was a bit of shopping, dinner out at The Big Steer (best prime rib ever!) and a little gambling at the casino.  We ended up waiting two hours to get a table for dinner but it is so worth the wait so most of the night was spent sitting at the bar, enjoying some drinks and talking.  By the time we left the Restaurant it was just about 10:00 so we didn't spend too much time at the casino before heading back home so our babysitter could get home.
Celebrating Amber's Birthday:  Amber had a party at her house to celebrate her 31st birthday!  John and I both had plans of going but Elsie came down with an fever and ear infection so we didn't want to send her over to the Grandparents house for the night so John stayed home with her.  It was a lot of fun, chatting, and enjoying a few drinks.  I definitely didn't drink as many drinks as I would have had Elsie been healthy.  That might be a good thing ;)
Non-Fiction Book Club:  Unfortunately, I was a bit under the weather this month so I had to miss.  The book was Born to Run which is a book that I read back in either November or December last year-and by read I mean I listened to the audiobook so I was bummed I missed it.  Next months book is The Secret  which I just started reading but discovered is already overdue from the library.  Oops!
Monday Night Book Club:   This month's meeting was at Heidi's.  We didn't have a book to read because we always skip over the holidays.  It had been two months since we had all gotten together and was so good to catch up!  This month's book is A Long Way Down  by Nick Hornby.

FAMILY FUN DAY:  This month our family fun day was spent in Des Moines at the Science Center of Iowa and enjoying lunch at the Hessen Haus.  For photos and more check out the post here.

ELSIE
One of these days I will wrap up Elsie's two year post (yes this is two months late).  I can't believe how much of a little girl she is vs. a toddler even.  She talks a lot and carries on a pretty good conversation.  It has just been so much fun! She has become so independent.  She wants to do everything herself and I just LOVE her imagination.

THE MONTH IN PHOTOS

Painting on her new easel.  She had asked to paint everyday for weeks but I was always afraid of the mess but I will say it was SO worth it!  She loved it!!

One Sunday the forecast was supposed to in the 40s so we headed out to a local park for a walk...let's just say it wasn't as enjoyable as I thought...it was so windy and cold despite saying 40 degrees on the thermometer, Elsie was super fussy, and  we were dodging slick spots on the path.  But it was nothing a nice cup of hot cocoa can't fix :)

Because of the cold weather we have spent a lot of time backing and cooking in the kitchen.  Elsie still loves to help.

Making Mini Pizzas with Mommy and Cookies with Daddy

Elsie LOVES her new doggie bath towel from Grandma and Grandpa F and her new Minnie Mouse robe from Aunt Brandi and Uncle Todd.  She also thought her bookshelf would be a great place to sit down.  

Crazy bath hair

Just Chillin in the bath.  Up until this point Elsie rarely would lay back in the tub and get her head wet.  She would play in the tub all day if we let her but never actually lay down in the water.  But now she pretends to swim, floats and puts her whole face in!  Oh and the arms behind her head post isn't just in the bath.  This is how she lays on the couch, the bed and the bottom step of our stairs-which has become one of her favorite places to lay down.  

This month the weather has been so up and down.  On Monday an 6th this was the weather for the day... School was closed because it was so cold.  This happened two more times during the month.  

But it definitely warmed up and on Sunday January 19th it was like this.  Absolutely beautiful!  Elsie had a fever the day before but so far that day she had been fever free and acting a lot better (we found out the next day she had a double ear infection) so we thought we would head out for a walk as a family.  It was perfect.  We walked past the new house and then up to the park.  I did a little jog around the trails with the jogging stroller and Elsie and we met back up with John and Tally at the playground.  It was a perfect Sunday afternoon!  

Elsie must have been dreaming of warmer weather because one day she insisted on wearing her swimsuit.  I decided to compromise and let her wear it over her long pants and shirt.  When it was bath time though she wanted to wear it in the bath until it was time to wash up.  

One day this month I had to go into work and bring Elsie with me.  She did SO good!  However her diaper leaked just a little so we took her pants off to dry-and I forgot to bring an extra pair so she got to hang out at the shop in her diaper and boots.  Obviously it didn't bother her one bit.  

One night before bed Elsie sat behind me and brushed my hair for at least 10 minutes.  She was being so careful and gentle.  If I moved my head though she would put her hands on my head, straighten it out and say "no look at me mommy".  Hmmm I wonder where she gets that from ;).  John also got to partake in the hairsylin as she insisted that Daddy gets some "pretties" in his hair too :)

So a little update on Tally-as you can see from this pic she is getting so big!  I am still working on a little update post for her but lets just say I will be so thankful when we get into our fenced yard so this girl can really work out some of her energy!  We take her for walks quite a bit but there are times when it is just too cold!  We lovingly call her the "Tally Monster" but she really is a good girl :)

Clara Jean!!

On Sunday January 12th, my dear friend Randi and her husband Joe welcomed little Clara Jean into this world.  She is absolutely beautiful and looks just like her big sister Taylor!  We finally got to meet her this past weekend and she is so tiny and precious.  You just forget how little they are and this was at 3 weeks already.  Congrats Randi and we are so happy for you!  

Girls Weekend

Last weekend we had our annual girl's weekend with my friends from high school.  I look forward to this every year!!!!  (I am already looking forward to our next one).  This time it was at Mel's new beautiful home.  It was a great weekend full of catching up, laughing, good food, and reconnecting.  We don't all like super close to each other and it isn't too often we all get together at the same time so I cherish these weekends.  

While I was having fun with the girls, Elsie was having fun with Tanner, John, and Bev.  

Tanner sent me a couple pictures throughout the day.  The top one was Elsie excited about how Tanner put "pretties" in her hair.  The bottom one is Elsie taking a morning snoozer during the volleyball tournament.  Tanner and Elsie walked up to the high school which is just a block or so away.  I guess she was tired :)

The later John sent me this picture of a very happy girl who was super excited about the Sundae playset Grandma Bev bought for her when she took her turn "hanging out" with Elsie.  Let me tell you, she has spent a lot of time playing with this all week long!  Gotta love Melissa and Doug! 

I got home around noon on Sunday but ended up going to Dale and Bev's where Elsie was napping.  We had a showing during nap time so we hung out there.  Then we went out for ice cream and headed home for the afternoon.  Elsie and I made chocolate chip muffins and John made Cinnamon Swirl bread in our bread machine (which we absolutely love!).  It was drizzly afternoon, perfect to spend it in the kitchen. 

Elsie had watched me put the muffin liners in the pan so she wanted to do the same thing and she set out all the liners and put a candle in each one.  Then she turned and told me it was "ready".  Oh and don't mind her outfit...while I was folding clothes she decided this was what she wanted to wear.  Silly Girl but I love her so much!  

Once again another fabulous weekend!  

Taylor Concert

I have been looking forward to this day, well, since the end of the last Taylor Swift concert two years ago! When I was pregnant with Elsie I went to see Taylor Swift during her Speak Now Tour with my friend Mary and it was once of the best performances I have ever been too.  So I have been keeping a close eye for when she was going to be back in my neck of the woods.  So in February, tickets went on sale and I was quick to get them.  I was so excited!  Amber said she would come with along with Shawna and her little girl Maycin.  So, since February I have been counting down to August 1st!!!!

Amber and I went to dinner before the concert at Buzzard Billy's.  It was soooo good!  Then we walked to the concert.  We were a tad bit late because I kind of forgot the tickets at home and we had to turn around so we ended up missing Florida Georgia Line which I was bummed about.  Ed Sheran was the other person opening for Taylor and he was really good too.  My anticipation level was so high at this point...I was so excited and couldn't wait for that first opening song.  What is sad is at this point I can't even remember what song it was...I think it was "State of Grace".  I do know she closed with "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together".  The song I was most anticipating was "22".

Pre-concert photo!  "Stay Extraordinary" :)

I even broke out the boots for this concert.  Hadn't 

worn these since my days working with the horses at camp

When we got to our seats we met up with Shawna and Maycin and to our surprise, our friend Robbie and her little girl Addison had seats right in front of us! So that was fun!  We got one big group pic.

The whole time we kept talking about how we couldn't wait to bring out little girls to a Taylor Swift concert!  Oh I am already counting down the years...lets hope she is still relavant then ;).  

So all in all it was a WONDERFUL concert.  It was quite the production (rumor has it she has 27 semi loads of equipment for the set/performance--I can believe it!).  She had way more outfit changes than last time (almost one for every song) and I sang my heart out to almost every song!  The only thing that I could complain about is the lack of songs she sang from her previous albums-She has four albums total and she sang just about every song from her newest "Red" album-which makes sense because it is the "Red Tour" but I figure she would do more than four songs total from the other three albums:  She sang "Sparks Fly" and "Mean"  from her Speak Now album, "You Belong with Me" and "Love Story" from her Fearless Album and none from her first album.   But it has to be hard when you have SO many hits :).  I am already anticipating then next album/tour.  Even if that is two years away! 

Week in Review - 6.28.13

A good part of this week was spent gone, out of town.  John and I were off to a fun weekend with friends in Clear Lake and Elsie spent the weekend with Dale and Bev.  They brought her up to Clear Lake Sunday morning to meet us because we were taking off to MN.  My little brother was in town, finally and we were going up for a visit.  He was moving from Idaho to England.  We haven't seen him since Christmas so it was great to spend some time with him.  I have a whole post coming on this time together so I will save that for another day.  Here are some highlights from the week...

1.  Elsie adores Ole and Lena, my brothers dogs.  They actually chase the balls she throws haha.  Poor Cinder just doesn't have the energy anymore.  She shrills with delight as they chase around the yard.  It is so fun to watch her interact with them.  It is also adorable how she says their names so plainly.

2.  Elsie and her cousins with their Uncle Tony.

3.  I made a round of yummy mojitos.  They are definitely my new favorite drink! 

3.  Elsie just loves getting stuff in her hair and all over her face.  This particular morning we were eating breakfast before heading over to see Mel's new house and decided it was time to make a mess.  I guess she wanted a bath because that is what we had to do to get all the jelly out of her hair-which of course made us late :)

4.  We were all going out to eat for dinner with a big group of family and Allie wanted to ride with Elsie and me.  So...it wasn't too long after we got going and I looked back and she was looking pretty tired.  I asked her if she was tired, she shook her head no, and then maybe a minute later she was out.  (Don't worry I took this photo at a stop light :).  Elsie kept yelling "Allie" in her cute little voice trying to wake her up.  I even had a hard time getting her into the restaurant without carrying her.  

5.  Cousin Time!  These two play so well together.  Elsie idolizes Allie!  In the bath we have a heck of time getting Elsie's hair wet with the cup.  She doesn't really like it too much.  Well after watching Allie do it Elsie has no problem doing it.  In fact, she thinks its fun and does it in the pool with freezing cold water too.  

6.  Oh the Laundry Chute!  As kids we loved putting our clothes down the laundry chute.  It looks like the kiddos still enjoy it.  When I see this picture I see my sister and I when we were little doing the same thing.  

7.  I have to say that by the time we were ready to leave on Wednesday I was ready to get Elsie home, back to her routine and her normal bed. (That was the only reason I wanted to leave)  Putting her down was the most difficult it has ever been in regards to fit throwing.  Monday night was the worst and it took us over an hour to get her to sleep, with the help of family and Tuesday Grandpa was the one that eventually got her to calm down enough and fall asleep.  Poor girl just didn't want to miss out on the fun! 

Good Times, Good Friends

A few weekends ago we got together with a good group of friends from high school.  We have made this a yearly tradition for the past three years and is something I look forward to each time.  We have done this in May, August, July and now this year in June.  I am sad to think this fun weekend is already over for the year and now will have to wait a whole year before the big group gets together again.  We do have our annual "girls weekend" in the fall to look forward to I guess.

We started doing "couples/family weekend" back in 2010.  Back when only two of the six of us had kids.  So it was 2 kids, 3 on the way.  Now each of us have at least one child, some two, and one of us is pregnant with her second.  So it is 9 kids and one on the way.  And at each weekend there has been at least one of us pregnant.  Crazy!  Here is a bit of flashbacks from our weekends of the past.

2010:  Longville, MN (I think this was the town)-we spent the weekend up at Erin's cabin. I can't seem to find a pic from this weekend :(.  I think I have them backed up somewhere.  Amber, Randi, and Erin were all pregnant.

2011:  Lanesboro, MN.  Two of us were pregnant here:  Amber and myself.

2012:  Okoboji, IA- Erin was pregnant

2013:  This year we went to Clear Lake, IA-Randi was pregnant this year.

It was such a fun weekend!  We stayed in a three bedroom condo and it turned out to be perfect for our group.  It was really nice, had two huge decks, and the complex had a pool, hot tub, and campfire area (none of which we ended up using).  Friday night we just ate, had some drinks, and hung out and talked.  Saturday morning we got up and headed out for our Saturday morning walk which was so nice. Then we had lunch and headed out on the boat!  Thanks Marc and Amber for bringing your boat up!

We stopped at The Landing which had a dock for the boat.  We ate some yummy food and enjoyed some really yummy beverages and then headed back on the boat for another hour or two before calling it a day on the lake.  

After we got back, showered and had dinner we thought it would be a nice night for a stroll down to the lake.  We found a little dock and sat and chatted.  But not for long as we could see the storm clouds rolling in pretty quickly.  So we snapped a few pics and started making our way back to the condo.  It wasn't too long after we got back that the condo lost electricity from the storm.  So we all huddled in the living room around a few candles and played some games, had some drinks, and just talked.  It was a great night!  

I absolutely love these ladies and their families and are so blessed to have them in my life!  Thanks for a great weekend and can't wait for the next time!