Just Like I Imagined

 

Came home from the cabin this weekend to find my mudroom project done!

I had no doubt that Brian would do a beautiful job and he definitely did not let me down!

I am so thankful for him and the fact that he is so great at all of this!

My bench looks JUST like I imagined :-) 

Our cabinet has three drawers and a cabinet with multiple shelves to hold shoes!  I am so excited to get my floor back!!

Hailey also lost another tooth today!  I love this age and all of these holes in their mouths.



It Could Have Been Ugly

This week the cabin got another new feature!  A new back door.  It is SO MUCH better than the door that was on there before.  There is even a storm door now which is so nice to have that extra layer of security.  Things sure are starting to look great around here.

We bought the kids Bunchees for an activity for the cabin this weekend.  These are little plastic balls with Velcro-like edges.  They made some pretty cute creations.

The kids were in the bedroom playing when all of a sudden they came out with a handful of them stuck into Hailey's hair!  UGH!  After about an hour of work we finally got them all out and didn't even need to use the scissors.  Of course there is a small warning on the box about keeping away from hair that none of us read, but by the feel of these it would seem as though they would untangle fairly easily. Ummm, no.  Sure, they came out but I would highly recommend to keep them away from hair and not take the chance. It could have been ugly.

Adventures in Babysitting

Kristin and Bobby had a wedding in Maple Grove tonight so I had the pleasure of watching Davis!

Remember how I have been telling you how incredibly happy this kid is?  That all he does is smile?

Well, not the case tonight!

It started out great!  And then it started.  The screaming.

He would stop for a few minutes and then once you he was done he would start up again.

The only thing that could get him to stop was Brian.

Each time I would take him back he would start again and once Brian would take him from me, quiet.

After a while I took him for a walk.  He seemed to enjoy that a lot!

When we got home from the walk it was time for a bottle, after that we hung out watching TV and he eventually fell asleep.  I could have put him down but there was NO way I was giving him up again.

Daddy's Workshop

Tonight the girls got to build in daddy's workshop.

Measuring, cutting, nailing, gluing and  sanding.

Our Very Own Cheering Section

The boys and Kari came to the girls soccer game tonight.  The girls love having them there and the boys seem to enjoy watching them even though it's not as aggressive and active as they would appreciate.  I have really enjoyed girl only soccer this year. 

 It makes such a difference in their level of play.

That Girl is Poison

Eek!

Tonight's performance was brought to us by Babyface and New Edition.

Once these tickets went on sale it was a MUST see for me. As easy as it was to get tickets, it was very difficult to find people to come with me.  I am so glad I went. 

New Edition was so fun and the breakouts (Bell Biv Devoe) were awesome!

Where Am I?!

Today when we got to the cabin we got to see the progress that has been made in the bathroom.

It finally happened- a man was hired and this bathroom is being converted to a real life bathroom.

It is SO nice.

This shower!  It's amazing to think that this used to be a cement box with no light. 

 

Dinner at Pizza Pub :-)  We are pretty lucky that the kids don't ever get sick of this place.

It is a fun tradition and a great way to kick off cabin weekend each week!

Cousin Love

Tonight the kids were playing with the Snapchat filters.  LOL

It's amazing to see how obsessed these kids are with Davis.  It's like he is a drug.

The minute he is in the room, nothing else matters. 

Ooohing and Ahhhing over this little dude.

(He is worth it!)

BFFs

Hannah and her bestie Sammy.

Tonight they were able to just hang out while Caden and Hailey's teams played.  I love how close these two have stayed even though they haven't had a class together since Kindergarten.

Is That Them?!

Here we are again.  Just like every year.  Standing in the baggage claim, staring at the escalator, waiting until we recognize legs or shoes.  It's funny how many of those legs seem to belong to your loved one from the foot to the knee.

THEY MADE IT!

The kids ran up to each other to give hugs just like no time has ever passed.

We all went to Kim's to see her new house.  Her and Joe bought a house this summer and it was her first time hosting a family event.  It was wonderful!

Smile Pretty

Tonight the girls had soccer pictures.  Afterwards I asked if they would take some pictures together since they were both wearing their uniforms at the same time (they play alternating nights so it doesn't happen often).  They were more than willing to strike up a few poses for me.

So proud of these two!

It will be fun each year to see the difference in height.  Hannah will eventually slow down and Hailey will eventually shoot up.  It will be so strange when there isn't much of a difference.

Chloe

Hailey's bestie is Chloe.

We hear about Chloe every day.  We know her favorite color, what time she goes to bed, what time she wakes up, what she likes to do for fun, what she did last night, what she is going to do this weekend...you get the picture.

Tonight Hailey's team played Chloe and Becca's team.  It was so fun watching the girls play each other.  They couldn't take their eyes off each other and cheered for each other through the whole game.  Chloe's team won.  Hailey was happy for her.



Like My New Hat?

Like my new hat?

In true Hannah fashion she kept a straight face as she called attention to herself.  She even wanted pigtails so that they could go through the leg holes.

Pine City Chronicles

A few weekends each summer the water is so clear that you can hardly tell where it stops and starts.

I wish the lake could be like this forever but we all know in a few short weeks the 'green paint' will set in and our swimming days will be over.

Beach Selfies!

Here is Bob showing off his newest tattoo. You would think with how often he changes his tattoo up that he would want to wear tank tops or tshirts to show them off.  Nope, not Bob.  He is totally fine with wearing his tshirt, long sleeve button up and sweatshirt.  He is totally fine rolling up his sleeve, unbuttoning his shirt, rolling up his other sleeve each time someone asks to see. 

This is my arm next to Kim's.  LOL

How can we have such a different complexion?!

Not only did I get the brown hair and brown eyes but I even got my own skin type?!

 

And once again, Hannah is showing off her talent.  Just hanging out, playing cards.  Who needs hands??- hahaha

Mouse Trap

We have a mice issue.

Tonight while we were sitting and talking Brian looked over and saw a mouse running around the base of the floor and around the oven.  He set a trap, added a small piece of cheese and went to return to his chair.  He sat down and then turned to watch as the unsuspecting critter comes to enjoy a snack.

"The cheese is gone!"

What?!  What do you mean the cheese is gone?  He got up to go see if it had just fallen off and quickly saw that that was not the case.  It was gone.

He added a new piece of cheese, returned to his seat and when he turned to look, gone.  Again.

The third time he didn't take his eyes off the cheese.  He walked backwards and before he got there he saw our critter come out from the oven, take the cheese and run off.  Yep, you heard it. 

He just came out and took the cheese, like a boss.

Each time as Brian went to check on the trap, it would SNAP at him as soon as he got close.

  How in the world?!

Eventually he got the trap set up and caught his guy!

Sorry little dude.  You shouldn't have eaten so much, maybe you could have moved faster.

Happy Surgiversary!

It's amazing to think that one year ago many of our lives were changed forever.  A year ago today Amy had brain surgery.  We were all terrified for her and her family.  She rocked that surgery and frankly has been showing cancer who's boss for the past year.  \

Kay and I threw together a neighborhood party (with other family and friends invited) to come celebrate and toast to the occasion.

The party was perfect.   Paul, Amy, Mike and Amy's in-laws gave toasts. and we all were able to share in the moment.  Reliving the LIVING part of the last year. 

Home for the Holiday

One thing that stinks about loving where you live so much is that it's hard to be anywhere else sometimes.  Since the 4th of July was on a Monday this year we decided to come home earlier so that we could enjoy time at home and neighborhood fireworks.

There didn't seem to officially be any plans but that never matters.  A quick conversation in the driveway and within minutes Family Dinner was in progress.

Everyone starts to pitch together what they have at home and before you know it a feast is prepared.

Mike and Joe entertained the kids across the street with some land dwelling fireworks and as soon as it got dark the sky was lit up. Fireworks in any direction you looked.  I think it was more fun then going somewhere to see a large display.  It's like a treasure hunt this way.

Happy 4th!

Sight Seeing

Today we started our day with a family walk.  It's nice to get out and feel like we are getting some exercise instead of just sitting and snacking and napping on the deck.  However, there are so many of us with dogs and strollers that the walk is much more of a stroll.

 


A few sites we saw along the way. 
The Bait shop.  No longer open.  The guy who owned it passed away and it looks like it hasn't been touched since.  I am not sure if he actually made any money there but the shop was on his property so at a minimum he had one of the world's shortest commutes to work.
The current situation at our fire pit.  Those couches need to be burned.  I am sure they will sit here for at least a few seasons, they provide a lot of seating at the nightly fire but there is absolutely NO reason to have a couch outside at the fire pit.  It looks so trashy.  Hopefully sometime this summer we follow through and complete the demolition of these guys.
Davis.  The cutest baby on the planet, enjoying his time in the pool with mommy.