Shopkins: Shop it Up with my favorite four year old.

Dave gave Greta and I tickets to the Shopkins show for Christmas. At the time, it felt so far away, but before we knew it, we were choosing outfits, taking selfies, and heading downtown for our dinner reservation at MacKenzie River. Greta was so excited, the first thing she said when she scooted into the booth was 'Ooh- mom! They have ketchup here, which means they have things ketchup goes on!' We dined on sliders and salads before making our way to the show.

We had great seats and so much fun. It started to get late-ish, so I found myself teetering between keeping her awake with m&ms, but not letting her have too many as I was afraid she would get sick. She had just the right amount, and was able to rally through the show and then through the meet and great. Greta was nervous and excited to me the 'shoppies,' she wanted a photo with them, but wanted me near. When the time came, I schlepped our coats out of the way of the photo and when I looked over, she was yacking it up with them. Hands on her hips, posing for photos. I was so proud of her bravery, and taken aback by the fact she looked about 9 years old. She is growing up so fast, and is as sweet as they come.

It was really fun and special to have some one on one time with her. Were both excited for our next outing. I'm so lucky she is mine. xoxox

Predate photo.

Selfie at the restaurant. 

Heading into the Washington Pavilion. 

Preshow photo. 

Sleepy girl. 

The bravest girl I know.

Sweet goodbyes. xoxo

Valentine's Day and a couple of snowmen.

We spent Valentine's Day in with our three valentines. Between school and piano, it wasn't practical to plan anything extravagant, so we kept it easy with heart shaped pizza and girl scout cookies for dessert. Everyone was happy with simple approach.

We finally had some fresh snow followed by mild days so we could get out and enjoy some winter fun. The kids have the most fun when I'm pulling them around the yard in a sled, but that gets old really fast. I'm usually able to redirect them to the jungle gym or to snow creations. I love how if we can get out the door, we usually end up out there for 30+ minutes, and when we do come back inside, everyone is in much better spirits. 

I tried to reenact a Valentine's Day photo from two years ago with the kids, it was so funny. Dave and I had them all on the rocking chair and we were being silly trying for simultaneous smiles (sooooo impossible). I said something like 'everyone look at me and say chicken nuggets, pizza, and cheese!!!!,' they were all giggling and moving around. Greta stopped, looked at us and said, 'we want to take a turn taking your photo'. So we did, and we all laughed hysterically. Enjoy the photos below...

Valentine's Day photo.

Our turn. 

Piper needs in on our fun. 

The view from our end-
they are all yelling 'mom and dad, say pizza and cheeseburgers!'
or some variation of that.

Munce snowman 2018- 'Snarky.'

The sweetest 2 year old.

Sledding fun at the Starks. 

The end of a fun morning outside- and that huge snowman! 

DMB with DBM

We came up with this 'kid swap' concept with the Olivers. Its great. Now that the kids are a little older, we take turns having each other's kids for a sleep over and give the other parents a break. Our original plans for our designated night fell through, so Dave and I found ourselves open on a Saturday evening. After a quick google search, I found out Dave Matthews Band was playing in St. Paul, which is so easy as an overnight trip. So, we lined it up! The only snafu- it was also Super Bowl weekend in Minneapolis so there were absolutely NO hotel rooms available. Fortunately, we found an Air BnB in South St. Paul- in somebody's basement, and he was home! Ha. We were hardly there, so it worked out great- the only real adventure involved was finding the place as our GPS lead us astray.

It was a great 24 hours- we did some furniture looking, eating, wandering, and had dinner with Leanne and Joe before the show. It was great to connect with them, fun conversation, so laid back- just what we needed.

The show was great! He played for 3 hours, most of the usuals with a couple of new ones tossed in. It was Dave's first experience- we had great seats and loads of wine. We walked to The St. Paul hotel for a post show drink before heading back to our basement. We slept like logs- woke up at 10am, its amazing how well we sleep when we don't have a kid or two in bed with us ;).

We hit the road asap on Sunday in order to get home to catch the Super Bowl. Everyone had a great time- it was a win all around.

Galleria shopping.

Leanne and I at dinner.

Group photo. 

Waiting in line for wine. 

Concert fun. 

Meanwhile- back in Sioux Falls. 

Quite the crew- the Munce kids were sad to see us come home ;).

Dave heads to Montana.

Dave spent a few days in Montana in late January. He went to see his friend John and helped him move into a new place. Just before he departed, Piper came down with a pretty nasty cold that kept us in the house for 5 days straight. Cabin fever is an understatement. We pulled through and were grateful for some warm days which allowed us to play outside a bit.

Dave enjoyed his time with John - he is happy to see him back in Montana as he had been living in Vermont for a short time. 

We jumped at the opportunity to get out of the house to surprise Dave at the airport. Unfortunately- Piper wasn't in the best spirits, but in the end, it was worth it. It was great for Dave to have a slightly extended break and visit to Montana, but we were all really happy to have him home. 

Funfetti cupcakes- fail (since frosting wasn't involved :/).

Bed buds. 

Picking Greta up from school- our only outing. 

Snow fun- and the best 30 minutes of the weekend.

Pulling them around the yard in a sled = activity points ;). 

Greta takes a turn to give me a break.

Surprising dad. 

Melting down...

...and, she's done.

Almost all smiles for dad.

Meanwhile- in Montana. 

Shutters/shitters- whats the diff?

The shutter project was one of the first things we had hoped to do when we moved in, but it fell to the bottom of our priority list as other items came up. They were finally back on the top of our list last summer and a quick summer deal turned into an agonizing 8 month project. After the first 3 delays in production, they became known as the shitters rather than shutters (my way of keeping the mood light with our contractor). For inspiration, we used a photo of the home taken with its original shutters and went back to that design. Im happy to report that when all was said and done, it was 100% worth the wait. They look amazing.

Here's to a long break before anymore home projects.

Before.

During.

After.

New year new skillz.

We have been on the move in 2018, perfecting old skills and learning new ones, too. It is really fun to try new things as the kids get older, and to introduce them to some of our favorite things we remember from our childhood years. And you know what makes it even more sweet? When your cousins join in on the fun!

We've resumed skiing lessons, Sully took a few last year, but Greta was too young so had her first go this year. I also took Sully and Greta to a 'learn to skate' night at one of the local parks where they had instructors showing us the basics. I grew up on the ice, so it was really fun to 'hold' my own kids up. Yikes, that was a lot of work- but Sully got really good by the end and  Greta loved licking the ice (yikes). I had a really hard time getting them off the ice when it was time to go.

We've also been bowling, open swim (to practice the skills they have learned at lessons), and last but certainly not least- Sully started paino lessons. We found David who comes to the house once a week for 30 minutes. The first lesson was hard to sit thought as he was learning the ropes, but we have been practicing every day and he is making great progress. Greta and Piper even like to take their turns practicing after Sully does. Im excited to see the progress over the coming years.

We're excited to see what fun 2018 has in store for us.

Broken bed + Dave at work= sleepover in my bed. 

So big and so strong :).

The whole crew. 

Sweet Pip, getting so big. 

Skiing fun. 

2 going on 14.

Naturals ;).

Family fun.

50 Flipping Years.

My parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary last Saturday. We threw a heck of a party. It was lots of work and lots of fun, and in the end it was worth every moment. 

We had good food and drinks, beautiful flowers, a great photographer, and the best band. By the best, I mean horns, drums, two pianos, and very talented vocalists. The dance floor was full from start to finish. We had family only for the dinner portion and opened it up to close friends for cupcakes and drinks. 

What an accomplishment- their commitment to each other has done so much for all of us. I know its not always easy, but they have made it work and we are all better off because of it. It was so much fun to celebrate them with our favorite people surrounding us. 

Munce Family
Wes Eisenhauer Photography

Connelly Family
Wes Eisenhauser Photography

Dave and I
Wes Eisenhauer Photography 

Piper and I cutting a rug.
Wes Eisenhauer Photography

No dinner, only cupcakes.
Wes Eisenhauer Photography

The cutest dancing duo.
Wes Eisenhauer Photography

'Pa-Ri' (Capri) and Piper
Wes Eisenhauer Photography 

All the feels.
Wes Eisenhauer photography

50 years ago to the day.
Wes Eisenhauer Photography

Sibling pic.