Go, Go, Goers!

So many of my friends have been on amazing spring break vacations over the last few weeks, I'm a bit sad that we didn't go anywhere warm to thaw out for a bit. But, to be fair to the MN weather, the snow is almost all gone, and it got up in the 60's this past week. I needed some fresh air on Friday, so after a quick lunch, I hopped on the walking trail right by work, and walked my way halfway around the lake. It felt so good to be out in the sunshine! To walk to the other side of the lake and back is about a 30 min walk, at a quick pace. Perfect for my lunch break! We had a pretty low key week with few activities - all of this free time gave us a chance to spend more family time together! Yesterday, while Scott was working, the kids and I made a donation stop at the vet, picked up Grandma Karen and went to the craft show in Rosemount, went out for lunch, and stopped in at my favorite shop in Rosemount, where I splurged on two new candles (happy early birthday to me...

I’m not really sure what we did this week. We worked, went to school and daycare, but beyond that, it was a blur. And that’s ok! Not every week has to be super exciting and fun. Ava did manage to raise the most money at her elementary school for the American Heart Association fundraiser this year. Heart health is an important issue for both sides of our family, and we appreciate the donations that were made. Thank you! G had a pretty good week...I think? He received an adorable stuffed Chase (Paw Patrol) from one of his teachers. G worked hard to solve a puzzle and Chase was his reward. That was so thoughtful, and G loves it so much! We also had a nice Skype session with Grandma Deb last night...it was her birthday, and the kids sang all sorts of birthday songs to her. Happy Birthday, Grandma Deb! Both Scott and I had the chance to go out to (different) happy hours this week. It was great to catch up with some friends from my previous job. I miss them, but I am still ve...

Wooowheeeee, what a fun week! We celebrated Pi Day as well as St Patrick's Day! We are officially full of pie and the shenanigans of a tricky little leprechaun. For Pi Day, my workplace had fun games and treats available. There was pie pong (think beer pong, but with pie plates of pie filling instead...it was really messy!) and timed math tests (not as much fun to watch...and it worked its way into my dream the next night where I had a dream that I was forced to take a timed math test when I dropped Ava off for school!) And then there was the super messy game of filling up pie tins with whipped cream, and digging through it to find magnetic letters...first team to spell PI won! I didn't actively participate in the games, as I was too busy munching on a Moon Pie (yum, haven't had one of those in years!) And the next day, my co-worker brought in blueberry pie from a place up north - it was probably the best pie I have ever tasted! G has had a super fun week trying to ca...

Well, we got some more snow last night...not as much as expected, but enough to cover up all of the snow-free areas that the rain unveiled yesterday. There is absolutely no chance that we will have any sort of drought this year. There is so much snow everywhere!I looked ahead to the temps and am a bit happy to see that there are no single digit temps (highs or lows) in the forecast for the next 10 days, AND, the only precipitation is supposed to be rain. We're inching, very slowly, to spring! It has been non-stop busy this week...Monday I had a 7am dentist appointment. What a way to kick off the week! Tuesday is Ava's baton class night, so that's always a full evening.  Scott also said good-bye to his red truck, and we welcome this lovely new blue one to our family. Wednesday night, Scott and I got our taxes done...things were going so well, even though we had to file our personal, Scott's business, and his deceased uncle's taxes. We had almost wrapped everyt...

Mom, Ava, and I battled the blizzard warning last Sunday, and headed to the American Girl store in the MOA. Truth be told, it was a sunny, lovely day, and it was just the wind that was questionable. I’m so glad we didn’t let that warning keep us from our planned adventure...we enjoyed the meal, and then did some serious shopping at the mall after that. Ava was incredibly patient and didn’t complain when Mom and I took far too long at DSW! G hasn't been to the MOA yet, so I had to take a pic to show him the cool Paw Patrol area that he will get to play in! On Tuesday night, we went to a local spot for dinner and the kids got their faces painted. Ava went with a big, bushy, sparkly mustache, while G went with an adorable panda face to match his newest stuffy....a panda, of course. The only issue with the panda face was that it did not come off around the eyes! I worked at it for 10 minutes that night, and he still had residue that I couldn’t remove. Let’s just say he...

I started off the week right by watching a rom-com with my gal-pal Emilie...I'm glad that Scott doesn't mind if I see chick movies without him, haha! Em and I headed to the Mall of America (MoA) on Monday night, and in addition to watching a movie (and eating a really yummy burger at the movie theater,) we got in some steps and walked through almost the entire mall. It was nice to be able to stroll around and not have throngs of people to fight through. I realized that I'm coming up on trip #4 to the MoA in the last month. I haven't been there in ages, and now, it's my go-to meeting spot! I guess that's what happens when a job change takes me away from the west side of the cities. :) Today Ava, my mom, and I are heading to American Girl for our final brunch. We go there every year for a Mother's Day brunch, but we learned that the AG store at the MoA is closing in March, so we needed to squeeze it in before it's gone. I'm glad we were able ...

It’s been a fun and fast week...there were a few happy hours, and even a neighborhood party to wish our neighbors/friends well as they move into their new home (at least they are moving just a mile away...they aren’t going far!) With all of this fun, we still managed to squeeze in some quality time with the kids. Ava had a make up baton class last Sunday afternoon, since so many classes have been cancelled recently due to the weather. Ironically, it was pretty much a blizzard when I drove her to the make up class, so I hunkered down at the restaurant/bar next door and enjoyed a Bloody Mary. When Ava joined me after class, we had a fantastic late lunch together. It was great to hang out for a mother/daughter afternoon while the boys stayed at home! With all of the snow we’ve had lately, we decided it was time to employ our children to start helping with the snow clearing. Ava does a fairly good job with the light stuff, but she gets bored (and frustrated) when it’s heavy and we...