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. 

Sister friend.

When I was in the Black Hills I had a voice message (we don't get cell phone or wifi service at the cabin) from my best friend in Stacy in St Louis expressing concern for our best friend, Leanne who lives in Minneapolis. The message was brief, but long enough for me to know it was serious. I immediately called Leanne to find out what was going on. She was in the hospital and almost 24 weeks pregnant with her identical twin boys. Her water had broke and they were trying to hold off labor. She also developed something called twin to twin transfusion. She was so scared.

When we made the decision to come home on Monday, I hoped things would pan out for me to get to Minneapolis to be with her depending on her needs. She ended up delivering Tomas, the smaller of her two babies (due to the twin to twin transfusion) on Sunday, October 12. He weighed 14 ounces and was critical but stable in the NICU. Leanne and I talked daily. Some conversations were good, many were sad. The uncertainty was the biggest demon.

I hit the road on Thursday afternoon. Not knowing my role, I followed her lead. Unfortunately, Thomas had a rough patch, so I went up to sit with her while Joe went to be with Tommy (her water had broke with Will that afternoon). We hugged, cried, laughed, and just spent time together. She sensed some changes and called Joe and her nurse. I stepped out at 10:00pm and noticed a flurry of activity. Joe txted 'Will is coming,' so I sat, meditated, and prayed that everything would be ok. I met them back in her room after delivery, around 11:30pm. Again, Joe went to be with the babies in the NICU. Willem was 1lb 12oz (the bigger of the two due to their condition), he squacked after delivery, just enough to let Leanne know he was here. We spent some more time crying and talking about her week and how it felt like a dream. The nurse was complimenting her on her support system and how great Joe had been and Leanne looked at me, and said, 'and you, Suzie. I can't believe you are here next to me. You are my best sister-friend'. My heart was full, although it was broken for what Leanne was going through. I went back to my room after 1am when Leanne when to see the babies.

I spent Friday morning at the hospital with Leanne. We were able to see the babies. A truly incredible site. The doctor and nurses were so competent and so confident. True gifts from God. I hit the road around 2, anxious to see Dave and the kids.

I received word from Leanne than Will had passed away at about 6pm yesterday. I feel deflated. I feel sad. I feel emotional. I feel vulnerable. But I mostly feel helpless. I received word this evening that Tommy had passed away. My heart breaks all over again. So much pain. So many questions. I have been given these five wonderful people who are the bestest of friends in the whole wide world. We are in 6 different states and three different time zones, but we carry each other. In times of pain, we call and just silently cry to each other, sometimes not even making words. These are the big things in life, this on the heels of Dave Winter's death. We will carry on, it just takes time.

Black Hills or (errrr, was a) bust.

Dave and I had anticipated our ten day trip the Black Hills for months. We had so many outings planned, and since we were there for so long, we had also set aside a few days for down days. We arrived on Wednesday, Oct 8, and quickly settled in. Our bags and food were unpacked and the kids started to explore. It is so sweet to see them giddy together when we do new things, because I remember being the same way with my siblings on trips. No matter what our differences were, we would always share each other's excitement on those first few days. Oh, and how could I forget Kenzie. She was a squealing machine. She could hardly wait for her first dip in the stream.

Thursday and Friday were filled with adventures. We spent Thursday driving through Spearfish Canyon. The leaves were just turning thanks to a late Fall. What a treat. The colors were spectacular. We ended up at the Spearfish Fish Hatchery where we were entertained by tossing food to the fish and ducks. Sully loved it, I think Greta did, too. We went to Hill City on Friday and took the 1880 Train to Keystone. Sully loved every second of it and Greta snoozed.

Saturday was a down day at the cabin. Dave and I took turns exercising on the Michelson Trail and then stayed in for naps, which both of the kids desperately needed. Just before Sully went down for his nap, he discovered the fun of throwing rocks in the stream. He would have sat there for hours if we had let him.

Dave fed the kids breakfast on Sunday morning and Greta developed hives within 30 minutes. Big hives, about 10 of them, on her face. Considering her history, we were concerned the worse was yet to come, so we packed up and raced in to the Rapid City ER. What a miserable drive that was, 55 minutes of windy gravel roads down a mountain. I was in the back seat monitoring Greta's breathing when suddenly Sully puked everywhere. Car sickness, for sure. Or was it? Greta checked out ok, so we dined in the hospital cafeteria before making our way back to the cabin. When we arrived, the kids took naps and then Sully got the stomach flu. It was awful. He was up all night long with Dave getting sick. I was with Greta, but also hardly slept.

We got up on Monday and packed up. We drove straight to Sioux Falls, no real stops, only stops along the road to nurse and trade drivers. After continuous vomiting from Sully, we made the decision to take him in to the ER. We arranged for care for Greta in order for both of us to be there. After two fluid boluses, medication, and labs, Sully was able to go home. He was much sicker than we had even realized and we were so glad to be home. He is on the mend, but it has taken him a few days to bounce back. Poor kiddo.

We did have a great time at the cabin and we look forward to going back. Our perspective has changed on the 'coolness' of an ultra remote cabin, we will be a bit more prepared next year. On a really positive note, I think we got our Christmas photo via a timed photo on the Michelson Trail. Everyone is looking, even Kenzie. Truly amazing!

Fish Hatchery

Roughlock Falls Family Photo.

1880 Train

Sully throwing rocks. 

GG, doing her thing.  

Sink tubby. 

Christmas card out-take. 

Greta's ER trip. 

Silly Sully.

Snoozers on the drive home.

Poor Sully.

Poutine and Cronuts

We experienced poutine and cronuts for the first time last week. Poutine is unique to Montreal. Visualize it; french fries topped with cheese curds and then smothered in gravy. Delicious, yes, but in small doses. Cronuts are a bit more popular. It's a cross between a donut and a croissant, two of Dave's favorites. Needless to say, he was hesitant on sharing. 

Montreal was lovely. It had a very European feel with the French language, architecture,  and food, but was convenient as it was easy to get to, and no jet lag. There was plenty to do and see. We stayed in ‘Old Montreal,’ the prime spot for boutiques and fabulous restaurants. All in all, it was a great trip. 

We made a pact to do something active everyday, and definitely succeeded. On our first full day, we walked up Mont Royal, the city’s namesake. It was roughly 3 miles each way and would be considered more of a hill than a mountain, topping out at 750ft. Once at the top, we had gorgeous views of the city. We found a great spot for lunch near the top and then made our way downtown for some wandering and shopping. On Friday we rented bikes and rode to some nearby islands, one of which had the F1 race car track. We did bike around it, although our speeds were nothing to brag about. We returned and did more wandering and shopping. Saturday was more of the same, but also included Little Italy for pizza and the market which was a site to see. We had good meals, great wine, and just enjoyed being away together. It was just what we needed. Its amazing how busy and stressful life can get with two small kids and a home renovation.

The kids did great with Courtney, she had her hands full, but whenever we would connect, she had nothing but good things to report. We came home to a clean house, clean laundry (seriusly!!) and new sheets on our bed. She is amazing. We are so grateful to have her in our life. 

In other news, for those of you who have been keeping track of the renovation project, our completion date was last Friday. Unfortunately, we are still in the thick of it. The HVAC is going up and the electrician is hard at work trying to bring the electricity up to code. We are trying to be realistic, its looking like we have a couple of months left. Sigh :).

Outside of our hotel room along Rue St Paul.  

View from Mont Royal.

On the walk down from Mont Royal.

Bike ride, spot of the World's Fair in the 1960s. 

Dave crosses the finish line! 

Dave and his cronut, if you look close, you can
see drool ;).

At the market near Little Italy.