Soo much snow fun.

We've had a winter wonderland here with lots of snow and then warm days so we were able to take full advantage of winter fun. Oh, and all sorts of other fun, too- like the grocery store clinic kind for strep throat for Sully (with all three kids on a Sunday), then three days later, another dislocated elbow for Piper (which I couldn't reduce on my own resulting in an ER visit and then an ortho visit- all is ok), then an allergic reaction to amoxicillin for Sully (resulting in an entire body rash and doctor visit). And last, but not least- my car broke down in our garage. When it rains it pours. Im happy to report, all things were temporary, and that snow fun trumps all of this other drama.

Photo overload below-

Waiting to see the 'hy-vee doctor.'

Poor Sully- feeling like crap. 

Antibiotics = quick turn around! 

The snow falls again! Greta- always wearing pjs.

The snow run was so fun!

Sledding with the Olivers. 

Girl pic. 

Maggie giving a good push. 

Here they come! 

Boy pic. 

Group photo. 

The kids. 

Up next- family skate. 

Greta and daddy doing some figure skating. 

Piper- skating in boots. 

Amoxicillin rash. 

A couple of white belts- more to come on this...

And this beauty-
all dressed up for the orchestra performance at her school. 

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.