Tag: J&V

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Christmas Day 2017

After eating French toast for breakfast, we gathered in the living room to open presents. The kids opened their “need” and “read” gifts first and then their “shared” gift. Last came their “want” gift. I think they we’re all pleasantly surprised by what they unwrapped.

The day was spent with just the 6 of us this year.  It was really nice to not have to load everyone up, go out in the cold, and venture back home after bedtime.  Movies, tasty dinner & relaxing at home.  Couldn’t have asked for a nicer day 😊

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Christmas Eve 2017

After mass this evening, Shecklet #3 asked if she and her siblings could have their picture taken in front of the manger scene at church. Then we had Shecklet #2 take a photo of Jake and me. Love these people so much ❤️

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HBD to me!

We have lots to be thankful for this year and started Thanksgiving Day/my birthday by attending mass as a family. After mass, Jake and the kids surprised me with birthday presents.

I’m thankful for my family and the opportunity to spend another year loving them ❤️

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Cousins in the pool & pearls

My aunt and uncle are in town to celebrate Thanksgiving with my cousin and his family. Part of their stay involves having the older two grandkids stay with them at a hotel so they can swim. My aunt invites us to bring the Shecklets down to meet their cousins and swim. The 6 kids had a great time spending close to 3 hours in the pool!

After having pizza for dinner, everyone sang HBD to me and we had cupcakes. Yum! Then my aunt gave me a small gift bag containing a Christmas pin of my Grandma Fran’s and the pearl ring she always wore. The pearls in the ring were given to my grandma by my Grandpa Bill – he got them in Japan during WWII. I am thrilled to have this piece of jewelry to remind me of my grandparents 💗

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Zoo visit

We took the kids to the zoo to see the animals and vote for the name of the new baby gorilla. It was a pretty nice day for November.

After the zoo, I was able to go shopping with Michelle. It was great to have several hours to catch up (kid-free) and wander through the stores at the mall. I usually don’t care much for shopping, but when you’re with a friend, it’s much more enjoyable. 🙂

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15 years and counting!

We took the kids out for dinner to celebrate our 15th anniversary. Some may wonder why, but we love spending time with them. Maybe we’ll do a round 2 of just us going out before my birthday rolls around next month.

Jake also surprised me with a crystal elephant since it’s our crystal anniversary.

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Celebrating Alyssa & Dan

Our family friend, Alyssa, married her longtime love last weekend in Seattle. Tonight we had the privilege of celebrating with them. The event was held at Paikka and they had food trucks serving sandwiches & salad, ice cream, and hot dogs (if you were still hungry after sandwiches.) It was fun catching up with the Cowger clan (who we consider family.)

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Wedding date out

Jake’s cousin, Emily, and her fiancé, Blake, got hitched today! Jake rented a Volvo XC90 and we rode up to Brainerd and back in comfort. (There was actually enough headroom for Jake, which is a rare thing in vehicles.)

My parents watched the Shecklets and we came home to banana bread and 26 pounds of apples made into sauce!

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Sunday in Duluth

We took a day trip to Duluth to visit my Aunt Deb and Uncle Steve. We stopped at their townhouse and got a tour of their new place before heading the Bulldog Pizza for lunch. After filling up, we headed to the aquarium. We also took a walk down the pier – it was a beautiful blue-skied day!

When we returned to Deb and Steve’s house, we were treated to cookies and milk before heading for home. We were also loaded up with pasties and beef burgundy – dinner for the week!