"Stay"-Cation

I had February 25-March 1 off from work . . . an entire week.  Many of the families I work with (both students and teachers) had wonderful, warm, sunny vacations planned with their families.  I can't blame them.  Winter in ND . . . We all deserve a little time to "defrost" and catch some Vitamin D!

Our family, on the other hand, had no plans to travel.  In the last couple of months, we have spent a week visiting grandparents over the holidays.  We've spent 4 days in Colorado.  And we've spent 5 days in Florida.  What a blessing to have those times with family and to get the opportunity to travel.  But I am not going to lie:  A week at home sounded wonderful.  A little "stay"-cation. 

We scheduled a couple of play-dates and had a short, but manageable, "to-do" list.  But most of all, I was looking forward to spending a little 1:1 time with my Pinky-Pie . . . knowing the time I have to spend with just her is dwindling.  As much as I am looking forward to welcoming another little girl into the family, I will miss having days for just Pinky.

I didn't plan any wild adventures for the 2 of us.  We watched Mickey Mouse.  Read lots of books.  Painted fingernails, toenails, and a few pictures.  Made some yummy treats.  And worked on our "moves"!  Pinky also learned how to play Candyland, a game I think we will be playing a lot in the upcoming months! 

This morning when the alarm went off, I was not exactly ready to bounce out of bed and speed off to work.  But I have to say that for the most part, I felt rested, like I had crossed a few things off my to-do list, and most of all had made some fun memories with Pinky.  Can't think of a better way to spend a "stay"-cation!

Playing in the snow

1 of many games of Candyland

A little lesson in counting.  (She made it to 15!!!)

Mom's little helper!

Maybe just 1 more M&M before they go in the oven . . .

Playing in the snow with Daddy!

Did I mention we helped Auntie Carman pick out her wedding dress?
No pictures of the dress 'til August . . . but we got to ring the bell when she found "the one!"

Locks and Love

My sister and I have been growing our hair out for quite a while . . . waiting until we both had the required amount to donate our ponies.  My sister has done this before. . . . this was a first for me. 

 

The Goal:  8 inches of hair to donate in the spring of 2013

 

My hair was a bit longer, so I knew as soon as my sister's hair was long enough, we would set a plan.  A few weeks ago she sent an email and said she had 8 inches to donate.  I hadn't actually measured mine, but knew I was ready too. 

 

We decided that Valentine's Day would be a good day.  We contacted a good friend of ours and invited them to a "heart and hair" Valentine's Day party.  Soup and salad for dinner.  Ice cream sundaes and haircuts for dessert.

 

I was a little nervous . . . so I did not volunteer to go first.  But, at the end of the night, 7 little ponies, each 8 inches long were tucked neatly into a ziploc bag ready to mail off.  And with it, our thoughts and prayers and lots of love went out to so many friends and family who have fought for their lives, many doing so in someone else's hair. 

 

 

 

Before



Before



Measuring the locks!

1 pony down

Time to style!

NEXT!

off with the first pony!

I think she had way too much fun "helping"!!!!

After

My prayers go out to the individual who will need these locks one day!

A great big thank you to our dear friend, who agreed to do house-call-hair-cuts and for helping us make this a special evening!  We had a lot of fun and made a lot of memories.  And maybe, just maybe, we'll do this again!

 

Beach Bums and Wedding Bells

Would you believe we were only home from Denver 3 nights before we left again on another wedding adventure?  This time to a sunnier location, although there were times, I'm not quite sure it was warmer!  We traveled with the other side of the family this time, to celebrate the wedding of Cory's cousin. 

It was a fun-filled weekend!  Pinky was the flower girl.  I was a personal attendant.  So we had lots of fun helping the bride on her big day!

We also enjoyed playing in the pool, the beach, and exploring Ft. Myers Beach, and the Pink Shell Resort, where we stayed.  A beautiful place.  I hope we get to go back one day! 

Nap time wedding . . . Pinky wasn't so sure she was ready for all of the fun to begin. 
Here she is opening a beautiful silver bracelet from the bride!  (Check out the feather bouquets on the table!)

Ready for a photo shoot on the beach! 

She didn't carry her basket or drop the flower petals, but she made it all the way to the front without any problems! 
What a big girl!  I almost started crying as she took her aunt's hand and walked away. 
I wonder how many weddings she will be in before she is in her own? 

You may kiss the bride! 

Losing steam at the end of a very busy day!
Thank goodness for iPads, smart phones, and wonderful technology!
 

Checking out the pool our first day at the resort.

Playing on the beach . . . our resort is right behind them. 

The view from our window . . . looking at the beach pictured above.
This is where you could find us on chilly mornings as we waited for it to warm up a bit!

Pinky and her daddy swimming in the pool. 
Picture taken from our hotel window.

Dolphin cruise!

We took off on our 3-hour cruise just as nap time should have started.
Who fell asleep 5 minutes before we docked?  Can't blame her, it was a very fun adventure.
But she did find a pretty comfy place to crash! 

Our last night in FL . . . Down at the beach throwing her flower petals from the wedding. 
 

Yes, we had a busy, fun-filled couple of weeks celebrating two very special weddings with two couples we love dearly . . . Now we are back at home, getting back into the routine, and have tucked our suticases away for a while . . . we all need to rest!  :)  Traveling is exhausting!!!

Go Bison!

Last night we went to the Bison Game to help our nephew celebrate his golden birthday.  We had fun cheering on the team to victory!  The girls enjoyed watching the cheerleaders.  The boys loved the slam dunks.  And of course, the snacks were the best part for all.

Not long after we got settled into our seats, Pinky points to the court and says, "Mom, who's that brown guy again?"  I was mortified. . . what did  she mean, brown guy?  "I don't remember" I said and hoped she'd forget about it.  A couple seconds later she remembered herself.  "Oh yeah, it's 'Fundar'!"  Yes, the mascot, "Thundar" was probably her favorite part of the game.  She told us she missed him already as we drove away from the sports arena.  She loves her plush friends!

Go bison!

Not all of her cousins like sharing with Pinky!!!

Plenty of treats! 

Here comes the bride! (My big sister!)

 

 

A few weeks ago, we had the opportunity to travel to Denver and celebrate the wedding of my big brother and his new bride!  I can't tell you how excited we were to be a part of this weekend wedding celebration!  The bride and groom couldn't have been happier . . . and their families couldn't have been happier for them. 

 

 

We haven't had many opportunities to spend time with our new "sister", but it didn't take us long to learn that we absolutely adore her.  More importantly, she and my brother adore one another!  We certainly feel blessed that she is a part of our family! 

 

Here are a few pictures from the wedding and our time in the big city.  

 

 

Representatives of my dad's family.  We have so much fun together!
It doesn't happen nearly often enough!

Pinky Pie with her new Auntie B!

Mr. and Mrs. 

Exploring Denver

Downtown Denver

Wiki Stix - Don't leave home without them!

I see lots of fun times in our future!  Welcome to our family! 

 

We've had a pretty exciting start to 2013!

 

We are SUPER excited about the addition to our family coming in June!

 

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Where's my baby?

Has it really been 3 years since we brought our little Pinky Pie home from the hospital?  It doesn't seem possible.  Although today was just as wintry and cold as that day 3 years ago . . . it's hard to imagine how life has changed since.  What did we do before we brought our bright eyed bundle of energy home????

We've been busy celebrating the big birthday this week.  Thursday morning we got up early to stop at one of our favorite bakeries to pick up the special donuts we ordered:  2 dozen frosted donuts with sprinkles!  Plenty for her class and to share with her friends at church.  After work/school, we opened a few gifts and then met some friends for dinner.  We decided to skip McD's this year, and chose Mexican instead.  Chips, salsa, a cheese quesadilla and a kiwi slushy - what else could a birthday girl ask for? 

Tonite we celebrated with friends and family at our house.  Fortunately, the predicted winter storm missed us, and most of our guests were able to join us for a warm winter meal of chili and baked potatoes (the bday girl loves "potato pockets"!).  Pickles, chocolate milk, and lots of cheese.  All of her favorites.  We topped it off with a homemade ice cream cake.   (2 bags of oreos, 3 bags of chocolate chips, and 2 cartons of ice cream - thank you pinterest!)

Once again, we were overwhelmed by the generosity of our family and friends who shower our girl with gifts and love.  It's amazing how one little girl can be so loved, not just on her birthday, but all year through.

So, what is our 3 year old into these days?
    Dress up clothes
    Dressing her babies and her bears
    Blocks
    TV:  Mickey Mouse, Clifford, and Doc McStuffins
    Stickers
    Games:  Hide n Seek, Memory, and Cootie (with modified rules of course!)
    Dancing, twirling, and singing
    Hugs (but you can keep the kisses, she wipes them off these days!)
    Snacks:  fruit snacks, string cheese, chex mix, chocolate (loclate)
    Cracking us up with her smarts and clever use of vocabulary.  Some of her favorite new words      
    include:
        Actually:  Example - Actually mom, I want to wear sweat pants.
        Recognize:  Example - Is this mine?  I didn't even recognize it?
        Certainly:  Example - It certainly does taste good.  (referring to an old cracker found in her
                           car seat!)
        Seriously:  Example - Seriously Dad, you need to learn to listen. 

Birthday Dinner with Friends!

Minnie Mouse Ice Cream Cake

Delicious!

Looking forward to many adventures with my big girl in the next year!