a happy fourth of july

06Jul
A fun time was spent with good friends at the Saints game followed by some super duper fireworks on the field after the game!!  I experienced one of those “moments” again as I was laying on the grass surrounded by the kids and Mr. Joel. I just love them so much!! I am so thankful for what I have in my life.  Words cannot even describe.
Hope everyone had a wonderful and fun weekend with their families.
ps:  don’t you just love the face-painting on Claire & Charlie??!!
Here’s a close-up just in case you wanted to see more detail!! Charlie was pretty proud of the “earring” piece of it!!

my boy is growing up!

21May

Charlie turned 6 earlier in the month.  I can hardly believe he is almost finished with Kindergarten!!  It just doesn’t seem possible. I am just amazed at how much he has learned in the past 9 months.  His teacher (who is the absolute best!) told me the other day that Charlie comes to school with a smile on his face EVERYDAY and is one of the happiest kids she knows!!  How right she is!  Charlie has become so passionate about learning in school! He has learned how to read and do addition/subtraction problems.  His drawings are amazingly detailed.  Most importantly, he has learned how much Jesus loves him. He has also become so excited about playing sports!  He is in LOVE with baseball right now!  If it is a game night, he comes home from school and immediately gets in his uniform! He often reminds me how he slid into first base and almost took out the first baseman!  Oops! I told him to be careful (like any Mom would) and Charlie says, “It’s really cool when you do that, Mom!” Then, he comes  home after the games and puts together bases in the house and pretends that he hits homeruns and runs the pretend bases!!  Charlie has also made some really good friends at school, and I’m so proud of him for that. Growing up, Charlie has never been the most cuddly/affectionate child.  However, lately he has been giving me daily hugs and kisses and occasionally an “I love you Mom” comes out without me having to initiate it first. I guess I’m doing something right.  I love you so much Charlie!

 

 

 

 

Some of Charlie’s friends at his birthday party at the St. Paul Saints game!  It was so much fun and we had a
gorgeous night outside watching the game!

half marathon……..check!!

04May

Well, I completed one of my personal goals of running a half marathon!!  Yahoooo! I injured my knee/tendons/whatever you want to call it a week before the race!  Let’s just say—I was freaking out!!  Along with some prayers, rest, massages, ice and a couple chiropractor visits I got through the race without too much pain!!  Pain is overrated when you’re running a half marathon for the first time ever along with the 3 best running buddies in the entire world, right???!!!  We finished in 2:04 with enough energy to hug our kids and husbands at the finish line!!  I thank so many people for all the support (esp. Mr. Joel who never once complained when I told him I was going out for a run for the fifth day in a row)  but, most especially, for the members of the “FAB 4″!!! Thank you Amy, Jodi and Angie for the words of encouragement and inspiration to complete this personal goal of mine!!  I’ll never forget this one!!

ps: check out the shirts!!  They were the best idea for a run like this and sooooo many runners and spectators commented on them!! Go FAB 4!!

 

 

 

 

 

hello, again!!

19Apr

I know it’s been forever!  I’m sure I have a few folks that are worried about this blog.  I am too, lately! 

In a nutshell–here’s what I’ve been up to:

1. still training for the 1/2 marathon.  Finished my 11 mile run yesterday in 1:42 minutes! I have 12 miles coming up this weekend.

2. painted some accent walls in the house! I love the new change!

3. vacationed in San Francisco with Mr. Joel!  It was fantastic!

4. preparing for Claire to make her First Communion in a week!  I’m so proud of her!

5. spending time outside—can’t beat 70 degrees in mid-April!

6.  Charlie’s starting baseball this week.  I spend most afternoons pitching to him.

7. running after Will–constantly! while making sure he doesn’t sneak out of the house again.

8.  picked out tile for the kitchen backsplash!  Can’t wait for it to go up.

9. judging Claire’s countless handstands!  She’s loving gymnastics and may have just found her sport!

10. taking more pictures outside again!  I love natural light!

I’ll try and post a few of the big highlights soon! I feel so behind! For now–I’ll go back to chasing Will!

1/2 marathon here I come!

16Mar

I am officially signed up for the Minnetonka 1/2 marathon on May 2nd!!  I don’t know if the butterflies in my stomach are more of fear or excitement??  I think out of fear at this point!  I ran 8.25 miles on sunday in the absolute BEAUTIFUL weather we had!!!  Let’s just say—at the end, I was so DONE!!!  I came home and napped.  Good thing I still have another 7 wks to train for this!

Let the good times begin!!!!!!!

#35

07Mar

Since I turned 35 today, I thought it would be appropriate to write 35 random things about myself and what is going on in my life at this age.  It will be so fun to look back on this and be able to recall all of these things!  I have no idea what I’m going to write……….but this will be fun for me!

1. I am so happy that I’m married to Mr. Joel!  He continues to challenge me. I am a better person because of him.

2. I am definitely a morning person–6:00 am is when I hear Charlie’s running footsteps into my room.

3.  I love my house and neighborhood.

4. My favorite color is pink.

5. I drink atleast one can of diet coke per day. Okay, maybe 2 or 3.

6. I am a regular watcher of The Biggest Loser, The Office and  The Bachelor.

7. I miss my kids whenever I’m away from them.

8. I love when people laugh at my jokes and weird quirks.

9. I crave chinese food.

10.  I eat chocolate daily. My favorite is M & M’s.

11. I am addicted to blogs and could spend hours getting lost in them.

12. I wish I were better at being crafty.

13. Running makes me happy.

14. I seriously think I have a super power of knowing things are going to happen before they do.  It freaks me out.

15. My favorite thing to wear is a t-shirt and jeans.

16. I could listen to folksy music all day long.

17. My favorite meal of the day is breakfast.

18. I always eat the tops off of all the cupcakes and muffins and leave the rest for someone else to eat.  Joel hates this!

19. I have a sensitive nose and love to smell things. I know, it sounds weird.

20.  I continue to have a difficult time making decisions–especially choosing what to eat at restaurants.  Perhaps that is why I always have a pile of returns to do. 

21. I’ve learned to enjoy a good nap in the middle of the day and not feel guilt doing it.

22. I love to cuddle up with the cream blanket I have in our living room.

23. I actually enjoy doing laundry.  However, I do not iron.

24. I like things organized—yet certain closets and cupboards in my house don’t reflect this.

25. I love to take pictures.

26. My favorite thing to do with the kids is read to them.

27. I am a very observant person. Almost nothing gets by me.

28. I have never had a cavity. Yeah!

29. I have a weakness for cute pillows and frames.  I have way too many of them.

30. I’ve taken a multi-vitamin every day for the last 10 years!  You better believe it!

31. I pray throughout the day.

32. My all-time favorite purchase is my wedding ring.  I still find myself admiring it. 

33. I still would like to be an interior designer someday.

34. I value good food, yet I dislike cooking.

35. I think I’m going to have a marverlous year being 35!

happy love day

14Feb

violin recitals

09Feb

Claire has already played in two violin recitals!  They have been just precious.  I am just amazed at how much she’s already learned on her violin.  The way she plays and picks up on the notes and songs so quickly makes her just a “natural” violin player. She played “Twinkle Twinkle” at her first recital in December and “Lightly Row” in her second one last weekend.  Her cousin, Caroline, played cello in the last recital and was so fun to see them together. They are a good support for one another.  I am proud of the way Claire doesn’t get too nervous to get up and play for a big group of people.  That is something she definetely didn’t get from me!  Of course, here are a couple pictures of her playing at the recitals!

 

 

                                                 Claire playing “Twinkle Twinkle”

                                             Claire and her awesome teacher, Natalie.
                                                         Claire playing “Lightly Row”
                                     Caroline and Claire so happy that the recital is over!

{sweet}LC photography

08Feb

Look what came in the mail today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So exciting!  Note the curved edges. I love them!  Colleen and I ordered them from this great on-line company that was WAY reasonable with their prices!  Thank you, Dan, for all your help with them!  Choosing the picture was NOT easy!!!  Too many cute ones to choose from!  Our goal, though, is to swap them out with the seasons………..doesn’t that sound like fun??
Anyways—just had to share.  If only our website was all ready to go now….

big milestone

21Jan

 I finally broke down and took Will to get his first “real” haircut! I am loving the longer look on him, yet I knew he had to get it trimmed up. I’ve taken the scissors out a few times to trim up around his ears, but I finally realized the big milestone had come!  I took Will to a super cute kids’ shop and he even got to sit in a fire engine chair and ring the bell while the hairstylist snipped away!  I grabbed a few locks for his keepsake book!  The pictures portray his reaction………complete wonder and surprise!  Yet, he walked around all night saying, “me haircut” and wanting to look in the mirror!  I think he was pretty proud of it!