November 5, 2011

I haven't posted in months!! However, I am still updating my project 365 at least once a week and posting our family life in pictures.  I enjoyed blogging, but enjoy doing the picture blog a whole lot better.  So I will be deleting this blog and hopefully my friends and family will continue to check in on our crazy daily life.  I am actually looking forward to doing the picture blog in 2012!!  So check it out....Project 365!!  I am actually going to change the name of that blog too!!

Finally!!! Some Heat!!

Today the mercury in the Twin Cities hit

88 degrees!!!  It was amazing to finally feel the heat and even the humidity!!  I've missed it so much.  It has been a long and cold winter!  Right after school I came home and did a quick 2 1/2 mile run.  Emma rollerbladed and Brandon went to the lake to go fishing.  We live very close to a lake so he rode his bike and took his pole to see if the biting was good today!!! 

Yeah a tank top!!!

 Emma is a rockstar on those blades!

And the fishing paid off!!!  Brandon did share some of his catches with his buddy at the lake!  They can only keep croppie and bluegill....until this weekend when it is opening weekend!!  Bring on the Walleye and Bass!!!

Cleaning and hopefully having a big fish fry at the end of summer!!

Flash!!!

We went to Wisconsin this weekend and my sister has a hot tub.  So the girls and boys both took their turns to take a dip in the tub!!! 

Every time I would try and take the camera out and take pictures, they kept shouting

NO PAPARAZZI!!!! 

As you can see the boys are in the midst of shouting!! So that is why they all have their eyes closed!!!

Great night in the hot tub!!

Wish I remembered my suit!!

A List

Emma's teacher is making her way to Milwaukee this summer for a Brewer/Twins game and has never been to the area. ( or at least that is what Emma is telling us)  Since we moved from that general area, she asked Emma for some help for her visit. 

As we were composing our list of things to do, it seemed like most of our list was all about barley and hops.

Here is what we came up with.......

~Miller Brewery Tour

~Sprecher Tour (another brewery)

~Water Street which includes these restuarants....Water Street Brewery, Milwaukee Ale House, and some others.

~ La Perla...one of my favorite Mexican restuarants.

~ walk along the Lake Michigan lakefront

Do you see a theme here?  Hubby asks Emma to ask her teacher if she likes beer?  Can you imagine?  If a student asked me that I would be so tongue-tied!!  I hope when we continue our list of fun things to do in Wisconsin as she visits this area...we can think of other things besides beer and food!!





Just a Little Spring Cleaning!

Just a little Spring Cleaning!!  This is the most disgusting thing ever....thank goodness the kids embraced this and were good sports about it.

Our window well was OVERLOADED with alive frogs and even some dried up dead ones from the harsh winter months. 

Brandon was taking out the live ones first and then.... 

                  
he was raking out the dead ones...YUCK!!

   

There goes an alive frog!

 Emma was a good sport too!! 

(Alyssa deleted all of the pictures I took of her.)

 Even Emma was helping out!

Thank goodness it's all cleaned out for now!

A Day at Mill City Museum

Back in December I took a field trip with the first graders I teach to a really cool museum called The Mill City Museum in downtown Minneapolis.  So when I knew my father in law was coming to town to visit, I knew he would think this place was "neat!"  ( He uses that word a lot...neat)

Brandon and Grandpa Lennie waiting for the movie Minneapolis in 19 Minutes Flat to begin.  A very quick movie on how Minneapolis became the city it is today.  And all with typical accents like  "Don't you know it" and a "You Betcha!!"  Too funny!!

 Emma hanging out and waiting to take the Flour Tower Tour (no pictures allowed on that tour)

 The view from the look out...

 Playing with water never gets too old!

Trying to figure out where that puzzle will fit by the river!

Finished our afternoon off with a lunch at Rock Bottom Brewery. 

Great weekend with Grandpa Lennie!!

Thursday Thoughts

• I am SO sick of the cold temps that I can hardly stand it. 
• I can't wait until April 19th because that is when my series of tests for my Minnesota teaching license will be over.
• I am very HOPEFUL that I will find a full time job teaching this Fall.
• I have been teaching first grade since November 2010 (as a long term sub) and am in the same school different classroom teaching the same grade. 
• The first position was for a wonderful teacher who had her very first baby. 
• My thoughts and prayers are for the teacher I am currently taking over for.  She is battling cancer and has a VERY long road ahead.  I am hopeful that everything will work out for her.  She is 42 years old and has a serious fight ahead and I will prayer for her and her family everyday. 
• The glass of wine I am drinking right now is AMAZING!!  Love the 3 buck Chuck from Trader Joe's.
• Shopped last weekend at Nordstrom's Rack and I CAN'T wait to go back.  LOVED IT!!!
• Baseball season is ready to start and I am SO excited!!!  GO Brewers and Twins!! (National and American League favorites!!)
• Feeling like that I can finally call this place I moved to HOME!!

No More White Stuff

Dear Mother Nature,

I saw on the calendar that as of 6:21 pm on March 20th was the First Day of Spring.  I believed you when all of this stuff was melting and I saw what the VOLES did to my yard.  I was hopeful because I've been running outside and even went rollerblading.  I was so excited for all of this winter STUFF to Be gone!! 

However, I was so duped!!  Another 9.5 inches added to our whopping 84.6 inches to the season. 

 Had to put back on the snowpants and get out the shovels.

 And the snowblower!

 Look at the height of that walkway!

Can't forget the mailboxes...we got a couple warnings this winter from the postal service about proper digging out for the safety of the drivers. 

I am hoping this is the last of this stuff!!

I am SO READY for Spring!!  (or Summer too)

Where is Spring?

Okay...it is March 22nd!! And I am waiting for the arrival of Spring.  I know the calendar says it SUPPOSE to be spring, but when you live in Minnesota, I guess you have to wait a little longer.  We have a winter storm warning tonight....we could get up to 11 inches of snow.  I will post pics...

So I guess I can only dream of those warm sunny days. 

Darn Critters!!

We had our share of winter this year.  I haven't seen the grass since November.  As you can see the harsh winter has taken a real toll on our lawn.  It's not the snow that created this awful mess....it is this annoying little critter called a VOLE!!  I have never heard of these pesky little guys until I moved to Minnesota. 

They make tunnels and mounds of dirt and eat the roots of your grass!!! They are annoying!! 

                        

                            

This is a vole...looks like a mouse!!  UGHHHH!!!

So glad the snow is melting...but looks like hubby has a huge project this Spring!!  I'll help....maybe.....

One Bad Habit

When B started second grade his teacher was concerned about his very bad habit of hair twirling.  We chalked it up to nothing but a nervous habit that he will outgrow.  No big deal.  Then he started finger chewing...ughhhh that was seriously disgusting.  He gave that up after we made him wear gloves and put nail biting stuff on his fingers. 

We thought we were in the clear of all of these nervous little habits he had started. 

Fast forward 4 years later and B is still hair twirling and we use to tease him and make light of it until just recently he developed a tiny bald spot on the top of his head.  We finally gave him a final warning....no more hair twirling or we WILL shave his hair off!! 

He loves his mop of a hairdo, so now he has decided to wear a hat ALL of the time...minus school and soccer practices.

Time will tell...I am secretly hoping I can cut his hair to look like it did last spring...short and clean, not this mop!!

You can see the spot on the top of his head!!

Hopefully wearing hats around the house is our solution!!

Roaring Like a Lion!!!

March came in roaring like a lion!  I had big plans to run after work because it was suppose to be a high of 35 degrees and in Minnesota that is balmy....almost flip flop weather!!

I walk out of work and thought oh there is a little wind... I can do this.  ( It beats the treadmill!!!) I came home got some winter running gear on and off I went. 

I never imagined it would be THIS cold!!  The temperature dropped like 20 degrees, the wind picked up ALOT, and by the time I finished mile 2; my face hurt to the point where if I cried, my tears would of froze to my face!! 

If I had my phone with me, I probally would of called for someone to pick me up. ( not really, but a good thought)

I made it home after a brutal wind bashing run....3 1/2 miles.  You can view photos on my link to my 365 blog!!  Crazy stuff!! 

One thing I am hoping for, is that March goes out like a LAMB!!

Hometown Visit

Made a trip back to my hometown this past weekend.  It was a great weekend filled with best friends, family, and just plain old good times. 

As you can see the boys are enjoying their computer time together!

 Wrestling with the boys is always so much fun!

Emma and her best friend from the old hood!! 

                     

 Our best friends!!  So happy to celebrate another birthday with this crazy birthday boy!

 These girls are my saving grace!!  Thank you for being there!!

And even Zena had so much fun, she fell asleep during all of this madness!!!

Snowy Fun

I am really loving some of the new photo editing stuff that I have been trying.  It is so fun.  I just need to learn how to use my camera.  I should just take a class.  I think I said that several times. 

I am also hoping this is the last significant snow fall this season.  It has been snowing here AgAiN for 24 hours.  I really wish I had plans to head somewhere warm for Spring Break. 

 Taking a break from shoveling...I just don't know how to use the snowblower and hubby is at work.

 Brandon trying to catch a flake or two.

 Emma loves to pose for the camera!

And now dreaming of that warm vacation and sunshine......

Defeated

Today was the day that I have been anticipating for the last few months. I took the MTLE exam for teacher licensure. It was the most painful experience that I have ever had. I felt that after graduating college 20 years ago and also getting a Master's Degree in Education in 2000, this was the MOST irrelevant thing I have done in my career. With that said...I probally will be back to try it again. I felt defeated....

My Valentine Birthday Girl

I can't believe how much my Little Miss Emma has changed in these last couple years. Emma turning 7 and in First Grade.

Emma turning 8 and in second grade.

Now a big third grader who is a big 9! I can't believe it!!

This is a package from Grandma and Grandpa and she was so patient on opening it. It has been sitting at our house for almost 2 weeks.

And when she did open it, she was so excited! She has been wanting a crayon maker forever!!

Some new books to read!

A new pillow pet to sleep with!!

A birthday dinner for champions!! Her pick!

A mmmmmint chocolate ice-cream cake from Cold Stone.

Happy Birthday Emma!!

Superbowl Fun!!

Getting ready for the big game!!
Had to crop out hubby, his eyes were closed!!

Having fun dancing to the Black Eye Peas at the half. We all loved it and were dancing like crazy!

Let's give a shout out to a touchdown and a Green Bay Win!!

All the kids showing their true Green and Gold pride, even if there were a few Viking fans in the crowd!!