42, Not 22

We celebrated my #42 birthday yesterday...I'm so grateful that I've made it this long on this earth. With the crazy things that happen throughout the world everyday, I consider it a blessing when we wake up each morning, and have a chance to celebrate another living day.

G knows how old I was turning, but twice, he told me I was turning 22. I thought about that briefly...would I want to be turning 22? The answer is a solid NO. That decade was such an uncertain time...where was I going to work? Where was I going to live? Was I going to get married? Was I going to have kids? Of course there was fun, too, but it always felt like I was waiting for the next big thing to start (career, home, relationship, family, etc.)

I don't remember much of my 30's...probably because we were busy shaping our careers, building a house, figuring out marriage, and producing children. It was exhausting! But I'm thinkin' that the 40's might be a good time. We have settled into our jobs (and are looking forward to retirement at some point), we've made this house our home, we've figured out the best way to make our marriage work (and yes, it's definitely work...and love), and one of our kids is somewhat self-sufficient, so...we're on the right track to having a life after raising small children!

And Ava is on track for a full uni-brow and mustache, as well...

This was a rare birthday...it always, ALWAYS rains on April 21. The only time I recall that it didn't rain was on my golden birthday...that was a beautiful, sunny MONDAY, and I celebrated with my first hangover, so...not the best. But THIS birthday was a Saturday, and the first gorgeous spring day we've had in, well, months! And there isn't any rain OR snow in the forecast for the next 10 days. We've had a long winter and it feels like spring is finally here!

We enjoyed cake and ice cream with my parents on Friday night!

Ava and I spent time outside with her school's health fair and color run yesterday morning. We had a good chance to chat on the 2+ mile walk around the school, while getting blasted with shots of color. It was so great to be outside in the sun, getting exercise, and spending one-on-one time with Ava. When we got back home, and cleaned up, Ava even prepared my lunch for me...it was so sweet, albeit not super healthy. Haha!

Our squeaky clean shirts quickly went to colorful!

G was a sweetie and gave me lots of hugs, kisses, and birthday wishes, all day long! This is the first time that he's been old enough to understand what a birthday is, and what it means to celebrate with the people you love. He was distraught that he didn't have a box for my birthday present but all I really wanted was to spend time with my family!

Scott surprised me with a beautiful plant garden...and we were able to enjoy a nice dinner out, while my parents watched the kids. We finished dinner early and really didn't have any plans for what to do afterwards, so we drove around the back, country roads of Rosemount, looking for deer in the fields (that may have been more for Scott than me, but still...it was peaceful, which I appreciated.) I was so full from my yummy dinner that I didn't even want to go to a bar for a nightcap...there was no room for anything else in my belly! So, we drove home and chatted with my parents for a bit. The kids went to bed, and then Scott and I vegged out on the couch, with the plans to watch a move...and nope, it was sleepy time instead!

Tasty creme brulee and coffee for dessert...

And that was fine...we both got a good night sleep, and were up early to enjoy another beautiful spring day in Minnesota...should be in the 60's and sunny today. Amazing! What a perfect way to celebrate Earth Day!

Snow, Snow, Go Away!

I'd like to say that winter is coming, but that’s not quite right. Winter is here, has been here for several months, and I think it’s settling in for the long haul. Yesterday, we were under a winter storm warning, a blizzard warning, and also a lightning alert. I have never, ever heard thunder during a blizzard, but, it happened! 

The rest of the US experienced significant storms last summer and fall, and now it’s our turn to deal with Mother Nature. So weird. It’s supposed to snow for the rest of the day, be calm for a few days, and then snow again mid-week. Bleh. Ava claimed it looked like Christmas...fun if it was December, not so fun in April!

Ava and I were supposed to participate in her school’s color run and health fair yesterday, but due to the weather, it was rescheduled for next Saturday. Nothing like an event with my girl to kick off my birthday right! As long as it doesn’t snow...right?

Scott and G have both been sick this week, and I put in 50 hours at work. This is one of those weeks that feel a bit disconnected and not super enjoyable. Ava went to her first slumber/birthday party on Friday night, so at least she had some fun! She wouldn’t tell me when she went to bed...just that it was “late.” Turns out it was after 2am! Guess who was crabby and sleepy yesterday...

And after working for several hours yesterday (and wanting to escape the cranky, sick, and tired people in my house) I headed over to a neighbor’s house for some wine and a relaxing girl’s night. Walking over there in the mountain of snow was a true workout...when I showed up, I was completely winded and exhausted. Turns out that the other neighbors who walked there had that exact same reaction, so at least I know it’s normal and nothing to be concerned about. Ha!

Right now, G and I are curled up in my bed (Scott left early to plow his work) and while G is watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, I’m watching the snow fall, and listening to the wind whip around our house. Cozy in bed seems like the best place to be!

Sprinter, the New Season

Last year I remember being overjoyed that our last snowfall came in March. A few years ago, we had a snowstorm in early May. I'm not sure why I'm so surprised that we are still getting snow in April. And there are at least two more snow storms in the forecast for the coming week. I didn't even mind the snow storm (that closed school!) this past Tuesday until I realized that everyone else was really irritated by the lingering winter. People have dubbed this season as "Sprinter"...Winter + Spring.

My thought is that if it snows, it won't stick around long. The ground has warmed up enough, and the sun is stronger and brighter during the days now...so it's only a short time that the white stuff sticks to the ground. I'm used to rain on my birthday, so I'm okay with that...as long as it doesn't turn to snow. Come on, Mother Nature, you've got two more weeks to get this back on track!

We had a weird schedule this past week...we had a snow day on Tuesday, cancelled baton class due to the snowfall, I worked at home on Wednesday, and G got sent home sick on Thursday late morning, which means he couldn't go back to daycare until noon on Friday. I had an early intense meeting on Friday that I had to take from home...with a sick child lurking in the background. The entire work week felt off, and I'm not sure I accomplished very much during that time. Luckily (?) I was able to work for several hours on Saturday afternoon and feel like I got things back on track. I don't enjoy working on my weekends, but this will allow me to start the work week with a clear idea of what needs to get done!

G surrounded me with his five puppy dogs while I was working at home on Friday morning

We finally cracked open some of the Easter eggs and they are fabulous! My hard-boiled eggs never turn out quite right (biggest culprit is the gray around the yolk) but these are perfect! There isn't any gray, the texture is exactly as it should be, and they are easy to peel. I need to give props to my friend Ryan for giving me the exact method to use for boiling eggs. We've had so many "nerdy egg talks" in the last week or so, that we actually scared someone away from joining us at a work event on Thursday afternoon. Ha!

Ava's trumpet is ready to go for her summer band lessons! It's been checked out by a music store, approved to play, and we've greased up those valves! I tried it out yesterday and Ava told me it was loud. This will be fun!

G is feeling much better...the bug only stuck around for the morning bouts of sickness at daycare, and he's been fine ever since. On the snow day we ended up watching the Netflix remake of Benji, and last night watched E.T. I didn't realize that both of these movies would have me in tears, multiple times throughout the shows. I don't recall them being that sad when I was little! Ava has decided she doesn't want to watch sad movies anymore, and I can't say that I blame her!

The sun is shining right now, but we're counting down the hours until the snow starts to fly. We don't have any plans this afternoon, so we should be able to take it easy and enjoy some good family time, too!

Happy Easter 2018!

G and I had a wonderful Good Friday off this week. We were successful in getting his hair cut, renewing my driver's license, and even shopping a little bit in the morning. After we got back from running errands, I was able to take a little snooze while he played with trucks in the living room. I haven't napped in a while and it was GREAT!

After G went down for a nap in the afternoon, I was super productive and plowed through a bunch of stuff that I needed to get done. I even had time to boil eggs so we could dye them that night! I found a fun metallic egg dying kit, so the eggs were different than anything than we had done before. The kids went wacky with their decorations, Scott added a face to one of his and the word "BEER" to another one (no surprise there...he won 3rd place in my workplace pumpkin carving contest a few years ago with that same theme for a pumpkin!) I kept mine nice and simple and just painted them solid metallic to match the dye. So, we have a nice variety of decorated eggs!

Just missing the "B" and the "R"...

Interesting expressions...G is laughing hysterically, and Ava looks pained by it...

Saturday was another busy day...Scott worked in the morning, so I was with the kids all morning, and then I headed out to a local craft show with my mom. I found some GREAT gifts for the kids and even bought myself a new shirt! As soon as I got home, we packed up the truck and headed out of town to celebrate a friend's 40th birthday. Since they live over an hour away, we decided it was best to spend the night so we could enjoy our time there. It was great to catch up with our friends and all of the kids had a blast playing together. Poor G was a little sad there weren't any little boys there to play with him, so he threw in the towel and went to bed early. He's probably the only one who isn't tired today!

And that's a good thing since it's Easter, and the kids had an Easter Egg hunt at the house when we got home! The Easter Bunny visited the house while we were gone and left baskets, goodies, and eggs for them. Even Scott and I got a little treat from the big bunny, which is always appreciated!

G also got a new game (much belated birthday gift) so he's had a blast today playing with all of his toys. I forgot to pack his Kindle for the overnight trip, and he was totally fine with it. He hasn't turned it on since Friday (I think?) and I love seeing him use his imagination to play, instead of just looking at a screen!

Happy Easter to you and your family! It is, indeed, a very special day!