The kids got a good laugh out of seeing themselves as Lego figurines tonight.
My first attempt at Lego-izing us had Little #4 symbolized as a pink stroller, but I like my second attempt below, better. In reality, she hates wearing hats, but it’s winter (absolutely freezing right now!) and she has very little hair – so a hat it is!
We cheer through the best times, love through the difficult ones, and are thankful for everything in between.
No matter what.
Here’s to the start of our next year together. Happy anniversary to the man I love so very much!
We dyed eggs with Nolan & Lincoln for the first time tonight. I know, I know, why haven’t we done it before?!? To be honest, they’ve never really asked about it and I just didn’t encourage it. Dropping eggs into a staining liquid just sounds like a dangerous activity for two busy boys, but we decided to finally give it a try. Now that we’ve got one year under our belts, I’m sure they will remind me we need to do it again next year.
You may notice the man with the beard in the upper right photo. Jake gave up shaving for Lent. What you’re looking at is 40 days of growth. I’m happy to report that shortly after the photo was taken, he was once again clean shaven 🙂
I spent the greater part of the day being reminded that I am loved by the man that I love. Such a simple gesture that meant so much to me. I smiled each time, knowing he is aware of the places I frequent during the day.
Anyone who knows me knows that I have an obsession tendency to over-use Post-it notes to remind me of things. (Case in point, my kitchen window.) The fact that Jake would use Post-its to say “I love you” ( in spite of his dislike of the medium) shows me just how much he meant each one he placed in my path today.
Today began with the sound of the boys running and giggling downstairs as I laid in my nice warm bed upstairs. Jake is off all week, so we were able to have breakfast as a family before heading out on an adventure. I had been telling the boys we were doing something fun for my birthday and they were anxious to hear what I had planned. We loaded into the truck and headed to Ft. Snelling. As we drove south, we saw the light rail trains going up and down the track. We told the kids we were going to take the train downtown. After purchasing tickets, we waited for the next train to arrive. Once on board, we played musical seats until we found a place to sit & hold on to the stroller. As we rode along, the boys enjoyed looking out the windows & watching the buildings pass by.
We unloaded downtown and walked briskly to our destination…Macy’s. Once there, we found the elevator bank and headed up to the 8th floor. The 3 littles were famished, so they gobbled down cereal bars before heading in to see what A Day in the Life of an Elf looks like. We visited the display on the perfect day…no lines & people were casually strolling through. We didn’t feel pressured to rush and weren’t bumped around by strangers.
When given the choice between visiting Santa and going to lunch, the boys chose the later. They’ve gotta be the only two kids I know who would rather eat than share their Christmas wish lists with Old St. Nick. So off we went to find something to eat. (Well, with a brief stop at my old office on the way. It was fun to see some of my old co-workers from my years working downtown.) We ended up at D’Amico for lunch and afterward I grabbed a peppermint mocha from Caribou before we departed from downtown.
On our way back home, we made a brief stop at Minnehaha Falls. The weather warmed up to about 50 degrees today. We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day at the end of November. The boys and I looked down at the falls and then made our way down a snowy staircase to take a look at them from below. We snapped a few photos and then headed back to the truck.
Later in the evening, we hosted a group of family & friends for cake & ice cream. My friend, Michelle, made the most amazing pumpkin torte! Only one word to describe it – YUM!
To top off the night, my parents surprised me by showing up to join in the celebration. They had been out of town and we didn’t expect them back until tomorrow. But as it turns out, they kept their early return home a secret so they could wish me happy birthday in person. It made my night!
Today was such a fun day; I think I might turn 29 again next year. 🙂
9 years.
A lot happens in 1 year. Multiply that by 9 years and add in 3 kids and holy moly, you’ve got good, bad, high, low, awesome, not so awesome & super awesome. What really matters at the end of each day though is that you stick it out, love lots, forgive even more, and do your best to help the person God placed in your life to share the ups and downs, grow in faith and love.
Tonight, my sister-in-law, Larissa, came to watch the kids so Jake and I could go out to dinner. We ate at Kafe 421 – great food, quaint atmosphere, and did I say great food?!? After we ate, I opened the card Jake picked out for me. It’s crazy how card companies can write things that just seem to fit so perfectly. It’s almost like they’ve been following you around and know what you’ve been through together.
9 years…here’s to another 9 and more!
I ran my first 5K this morning – complete with fire, cargo nets, hay bales, tires, hurdles, water slide, & lots of mud! What a great time with Lisa, Ben, Tim, Alex, Stacie, Jess, Brandon & Jake!
Anyone who knows me knows that I am definitely not a runner. In fact, I really despise it. However, when combined with obstacles & a great team, how can you not enjoy a race like this?!? Go Commando! Looking forward to racing again next year!
Today is Jake’s birthday.
10 years ago, we celebrated by going out for pie after I returned from a trip to Arkansas to visit grandparents. That pie date was the start of our now decade-long relationship. I think we both can agree that it’s been quite a ride – full of all kinds of ups and downs, but we’ve faced them together. There’s no one I’d rather navigate through life with than him. He is my best friend, my constant support, and the love of my life.
