There goes the garage!

When we moved into the house last fall, Dave and I each had our dream list. Mine included things like an updated kitchen and bathrooms while Dave's consisted of bigger things, like a basement remodel and a wine cellar. There was one one thing we did not see eye to eye on and that was the future of the garage. Our conversations went something like this.

Dave: "One problem area is the garage, it either needs to be demolished or moved to the back of the lot."
Suzie: "What?! Move or demo it? Are you crazy? We cant knock down a perfectly good structure."
Dave: "Suz, it doesn't work. It's hard to get my car in and out and once both cars are in there, it is nearly impossible to get the kids' car seats in and and out. Don't get me wrong, it probably worked great when it was built (1922), but it doesn't work for the modern day family."
Suzie: "We can talk about that later. It is definitely not a priority."

Fast forward, after 14 months of pulling the car out in order to get the kids and car seats in/out, averaging 3 trips to and from the car just to get out of the house in all sorts of weather elements, and convincing plans from a couple of different professionals (which include a mudroom equipped with a powder room and an attached three stall garage) I was sold. I mean, how could I not be? The plans are awesome and as of last week, the garage is gone. It will be a long winter with no garage, but fortunately it will only be one winter and the new garage will be so worth it.

So, on that note, Merry Christmas, Dave!

Before, from the front. 

After.

Before, from the back yard. 

After.

Before.

After, we also took down a three season room. The den roof will eventually
be peaked and will tie into the attached garage roof. This will also
expose one of the living room windows which was covered with three
season room.

Tis the season.

With our St Croix trip so close to Thanksgiving, we didn't have a chance to put up our tree or do anything "Christmasy' before we left. So, we got up on Sunday morning and immediately started to deck the halls. Keep in mind, our halls are kind of closing in on us. As the construction continues, we move things from one spot to the next in hopes to keep them out of the way of the workers. We currently have the furniture of a couple of rooms at the very back of our living room, so we set up the tree in the front half. "This is all temporary" has become my mantra.

Anyway, we had to do a few decorations, mostly for the kids, but also because we really like to get in the spirit. I snapped a few photos of Dave and Sully hanging ornaments. Its funny how much time we spend sitting on the living room floor looking at and talking about the Christmas Tree.

Sully and Greta also met Santa yesterday. This was not our most successful year as both kids were sad, Greta, specifically, was red faced and screaming within moments of being set on Santa's lap. Sully was squirmy and whiney, but I think that was mostly because Greta's reaction made him nervous. The Olivers were there as well, so at least the kids enjoyed that portion of it. There is always next year :).  We wrapped up the festive day with new Christmas jammies for both kids. It was a pretty great day.

Trimming the tree. 

Anna and Isaac, professional Santa chatters. 

All is good in mama and dada's arms. 

OMG!! Help ME!

Sully kind of considering it once Greta is gone. 

Christmas jammies. 

St. Croix

Before I jump into our St. Croix adventure, I need to backtrack a couple of days and talk about Thanksgiving. Maggie hosted this year to a very small group (14 this year). It was the Connelly girls (including the oldest Connelly girl, my mom), their fiance/husbands, and offspring. It was really nice and relaxing. We timed it just right to eat when Greta was down for her nap which was great. Sully is in hog heaven with Isaac and Anna, so Dave and I were both able to eat with both hands...now THAT is something to be thankful for. We have countless other blessings: our great healthy kids, supportive families, beautiful friends, health and love, to mention a few. Thanks to the Olivers for hosting!

Thanksgiving selfie. 

We spent the last week on St Croix in the Caribbean. Dave and I took the kids, and Courtney, our babysitter and my sanity keeper. The week was perfect; beautiful, warm, relaxing mornings by the pool or beach, afternoon naps for the kids (and sometimes the adults, too), and then an after nap dip in the pool. The travel was difficult. Lets face it, traveling with kids is never easy, but throw a cancellation and a delay on the trip down and 36 hours later, we were finally there. The 12 hour trip on the way home was a breeze in comparison to the trip down. 

Dave had meetings most of the mornings, so Courtney and I got up with the kids, served breakfast and made our way to the pool asap. Sully started the week being very clingy in the water, but by the end he was rocking a hot pink lifejacket and totally doing his thing. He kicked his little body all around the pool. Greta also warmed up, eventually backing herself into the pool like she backs herself down our stairs. They are so funny, their little personalities crack me up. Dave would return in time for lunch and naps. We did go out for dinner one night while Courtney hung with the kids, which was really nice. 

One thing that was very apparent this trip is that sibling rivalry starts early. I can't believe how Sully and Greta get into each other's business. I have to admit, a lot of times Sully is defending himself because GG is as feisty as a one year old gets, unless Dave is involved. Sully does anything in his power to have Dave all to himself. Holy cow, its exhausting.

Sully officially turned 2 and a half while we were there and Greta turned 13 months. Greta also got 5 new teeth this month, three of which were molars and she was also diagnosed with strep throat immediately upon our return. My head is still spinning from all of the excitement.

Despite a few bumps in the road, we had a great trip. Having Courtney along made it really seem like a vacation for me. She is so helpful and kind, but the best part about her is that she really loves my kids, and they love her, too. We couldn't ask for a better person in our lives.

Family photo at the eastern most point of the US.  

Greta, no fear of the sand. 

Sully near Point Udall. I loved the colors and textures in this photo.  

Pool time with Greta and Sully.

The kids and Courtney. 

Group photo at our beach lunch spot. 

Sully. 

Dave and I at dinner.  

Lunch dates. 

Two weekends, two trips, and one fabulous husband.

Dave has been super-daddy, and super-husband while I have been away for two weekends in a row. What a good sport. I know it is really busy around here with the kids, and even though he says he enjoys every second of it, I can read through the lines and tell he is exhausted. Also, the fact that he was been in bed by 9pm on the Sundays that I returned has also been a good indication as to how tired he has been.

I spent the weekend of Nov 14-16 in St. Louis with Stacy and her kids, which was great. I had not seen them since July and I cant believe how big her baby is. We picked up right where we left off. We spent the days managing the kids and the evenings eating ice cream and talking/watching tv. We did some figuring, and that was my sixth trip this year. Wow, hard to believe. The circumstances are so crappy, but our friendship has strengthened in so many ways, as well as the friendships surrounding mine and Stacy's. I know I've touched on this before, but I don't feel like I can say it enough. The luck I've had in the friend department is something I'll never take for granted. 

Maggie and I went to Minneapolis this last weekend for our biannual shopping trip. We got smart this year and had babysitters come at 9 on Friday morning so we could get on the road early. As the weekend approached, we created a master list of 'to-dos' and 'to-buys' and then compiled the list into a master game plan on the drive up. Its all about strategy, and I'm happy to say it paid off. Our first stop was in Edina where my friend Leanne met us. We wandered around there for a few hours before heading to our hotel. We stayed at a hotel which is connected to the Mall of America which was genius. There were no parking lots to navigate, no coats to lug around, and a convenient place to drop off our bags when they got too heavy. Leanne hung with us for several hours and then had dinner with us before she returned home on Friday evening. It was really great to be with her, and I know she was grateful for a day out as well.  Saturday was one big shopping spree. We started at 10 when the shops opened and made a dinner reservation for 9pm when the shops closed. What a day! We returned home on Sunday afternoon and couldn't believe the weekend was over. We were tempted to just stay a couple more days. Thank God for a fabulous sis, seriously. The kids were so happy to have me home, Greta has hardly let me out of her site since then :).

In the week between the two trips, Dave came down with strep throat. Poor guy. He carried through like a trooper and fortunately the rest of us avoided it. In that same week, we celebrated our 5th anniversary since our first date. Hard to believe how much has happened in five years. Dave and I had chemistry and companionship from the beginning, but I didn't realize how much more about him there was to know. I'm grateful for his persistence and commitment to his family. It was after our second date, the following week, that he told me I was the one for him and he wasn't interested in waiting around for long. I thought he was crazy, but was interested to see where things would go from there. Lucky for me, and for him, it worked out! Happy anniversary, Dave. Thanks for a great five years.

Sweet Greta at the grocery store. 

After nap fruit snack.

Lol. 

Twin selfie. 

Bundled up Sully. 

Christmas lights are up! Almost time to turn on the Christmas music. 

Greta is 1!

I can hardly believe Greta turned one. What a year it has been. I get a little emotional when I think back to the days just before she joined us, then the excitement and adjustment to two. She is the sweetest, most smiley girl I know, and I'm so lucky she is mine. 

We celebrated with one final nursing session first thing in the morning and then did only fun things all day, including Kindermusic, lunch, naps, and a big birthday party with our families. We had a houseful and as you could imagine, she was completely overwhelmed. Sully loved to help her blow out her candle and open gifts. In true big brother form, he still sings 'Happy Birthday' (in his own lingo, "Happy...GG!" followed by fake-blowing out a candle). She loves this attention from him. 

Greta was also lucky to get a new cousin on her birthday. Our nephew Kyle and his wife, Amy were due 8 days earlier with a baby girl. As the days ticked away, I hoped, but didn't anticipate that it would actually work out. She ended up being induced on the morning of November 5th and at 2:34pm Madelynn Rue came into the world. She weighed 6lbs and 5oz. Dave and I were able to meet her the following day and she is a beautiful baby. We are so excited for Kyle and Amy.

We went in to see Dr Sam for Greta's one year check up on Friday and got a great report. She is 18lbs 10oz, 29 inches tall and her head circumference is 18 inches. We followed that up with 5 shots and a blood draw. Sully also got his flu shot the same day. Needless to say, we were all happy to leave the doctor's office. 

Good morning, birthday girl! 

"GG one! Sully two!"

Madelynn Rue

Sweet Greta (with a little support from daddy).

Cupcake consideration. 

A little help from Isaac ;).

Balloon fun.

Sully and his BFF, Anna.

Birthday family photo.

A ladybug and a lion.

Halloween was a hit. Sully was a lion and Greta was a ladybug. Initially Sully refused to wear his costume, so we started a few weeks ahead of time. We would practice getting him ready and he only obliged to wearing his costume after Greta was in hers. So typical.

I should preface this with the reason we chose Sully's costume. He loves to roar, and he is really good at it. Even Greta gets in on the fun with her little grunty roar. It is so sweet. At this point, Sully even talks back to me in a "ROAR!", its impossible not to smile at that.

Dave didn't get home from work until after 5 so we scrambled into costumes and headed out around 5:30, it was pretty cold, so we were glad to get an early start. We loved the excitement all along the boulevard. The houses were completely decorated, with many of the homeowners in full attire. Greta and I made it to a couple of dozen homes before heading home to pass out candy. Dave and Sully went on and according to Dave, he roared at all of the right times. He was a hit.

We had a massive turn out last year, so I decided to count our trick or treaters this year in order to have a number in mind for years to come. I bought enough candy for 350 kids ($94 dollars worth!), and we ended up with 150 kids. Needless to say, I overshot, no surprise, I always do. I think if it had been a bit warmer I would have been closer.

We have the best neighborhood for Halloween.

Halloween afternoon smiles.
Sully is 2 years and 5 mos. and Greta is almost 12 mos.  

The difference a year makes, I was 39.5 weeks
pregnant with Greta last Halloween. Im wearing the same
shirt as last year :).

Family selfie while trick or treating. 

Greta girl helping me pass out candy. 

Sully in the pursuit of candy.  

The ladybug and the lion. 

Idoit!

We had a week of accomplishments this week, and I'm so proud of us.

As I've mentioned previously, Sully has been in speech therapy for about six months. When we stared, he had about 4 words, I longed for him to call me mama, or even say the word 'no'. He has come so far. He has close to 100 words and uses most of them independently. His weekly 45 minutes with Miss Suzy are his favorite. We watch for her to come with her bag of toys and then scurry to sit on the living room floor with her. Greta is usually given a toy or two, but I usually spend a majority of the time trying to keep her out of his business. He recently started saying a three word(!!) phrase "I do it!' (which sounds more like one long word "Idoit!" and he means it. He wants to do everything from dressing himself to opening stubborn packages to pushing Greta in the stroller, even uphill (you can imagine how pleasant this is). It is sweet and cute and great progress. He is starting to be a little independent boy and I'm so proud. We had an assessment with our Birth to Three team this week and if he continues at his current pace, he will not qualify for services after he is three, which is great news.

Greta do it, too! She is now a stair master, among many other things. She can go all of the way up on her own and even comes down backward. She does have supervision as she gets distracted easily. Our staircase has 16 steps so it commands dedicated attention, which she is still working on. She is a speedy crawler, I often refer to her as my little dust mop as the house is constantly dusty from the construction, so her knees are always dirty. She is walking along furniture and even gets off the couch on her own, but hasn't quite gained the confidence to take those first independent steps.

I do it, also. I have been working away at Weight Watchers and have finally become a Lifetime Member. I was within reach after I had Sully but found out I was pregnant just before accomplishing this goal. Im very proud of myself and feel great with the progress I've made.

The only place in our life where progress has not been made is the basement...ugh. We are still dealing with a bare basement and are hopeful that we will have it completed by Christmas (our original completion date was 9/26). We are planning on moving on with the next phase this winter, which includes the kitchen, den, garage, living room, and master bedroom. Needless to say, we are very hopeful to have the basement complete before taking this on.

My days are filled with prayers and hope for my lovely friends who have endured so much pain. Im grateful for a supportive and kind husband who supports me in my efforts to be the best friend possible to them during these times.

Sully working with Miss Suzy. 

Sully pushing the stroller on a recent outing
to the outdoor campus. 

Waiting for cookies to bake. 

"I do it!' Even if it means I don't quite get it on right. 

"I change the light bulb like daddy!" 

And a pic of sweet Greta enjoying our Indian summer.