Tag Archives: weekend

Labor Day Weekend

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We’ve had a good weekend!

I took Friday off and ran errands and got my haircut… had some “down” time by myself.  It was a good way to start the weekend.

On Saturday the kids and I went to Rochester to visit my parents.  We also were able to get in a visit (and swimming) with my best friend from junior high who I haven’t seen since probably the early 90s!

Yesterday both kids got some special attention. Chad & I took Maria to Valleyfair and Charlie stayed home with Grandpa & Grandma all by himself. Both kids were very excited!

This was our 2nd visit to Valleyfair with Maria and I have to say it was very different!  As she had grown over 3″ since last summer (and over an inch since May!) and was now able to go on most of the big rides.  The Wild Thing and Monster being her favorites!  Her favorite from last year was not quite what she remembered although she tried to make it fun!  She also declared the Looping Starship (the upside down Viking ship) the most boring ride ever, even though Chad almost got pegged in the head with someone’s cell phone that came loose.

Today is laundry day… 🙂  and both kids are off to school tomorrow – Maria starting 1st grade and Charlie starting preschool! Both are excited!

 
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Lifting weights at Grandma's

Winter Weekend

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Wow – It has been a long time since we’ve seen this much snow…  Saturday we woke up to a decent covering, but the sun was shining and it didn’t stick around much.  We went out for a little bit.  Charlie knew exactly what to do.  Throw the snow.  Aim for Maria.
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Sunday we woke up to snow and it just kept snowing. ALL DAY LONG.  We went out a little in the morning to clear off the driveway. Thinking about this, we barely had any snow last year. And the year before Charlie wasn’t even 1. So you can imagine how excited he was on Sunday being out helping Daddy dig!

The other excitement for the day was a cat had found his way into our garage and refused to leave last night. Once we had it cornered,we realized this was not a stray cat. He was a lost cat. And he did not want to go back out in the snow. So I called 911 to have someone come and get this poor cat out of our garage, because we thought he was stuck and possibly injured as some firewood had shifted on the shelf he was under. While we waited we lured him out from under a shelf with some milk and chicken. Eventually the police came and we got the cat in a box and he took him to a shelter. And we re-assembled our garage as we had pulled everything out as the cat found new hiding places.

All in all a good weekend… topped off sitting warmly at home while the Packers beat the Lions at a snowy Lambeau Field.

Wisconsin Dells – Take 1

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This past week, Maria had the whole week off from school.  We had talked about getting away, so in August when we found a deal via groupon.com, we jumped on it and committed to a weekend in Wisconsin Dells at the Great Wolf Lodge.  I was excited, especially once I realized this is the first time we have gone on a family vacation on our own. (not that we don’t enjoy vacations with our families!)

We had a great time.  We didn’t tell the kids we were going anywhere until breakfast on Thursday, when I came out of their rooms with packed suitcases.  We told them we were going to a hotel with a swimming pool.  Anyone with a 5 year old knows we had to limit the anticipation to a matter of a few hours.  I think within 5 minutes at one point that morning, Maria had asked the time at least 3 times.

We stopped for lunch with my parents in Rochester, then we continued on to the Dells.  While Chad checked us in, the kids and I went to check out the “pool”. The kids were pretty surprised to see a whole water park and not just a pool! Maria was hoping for a diving board and got water slides! Then we went and bought a big cup full of candyI figured we were on vacation!  Ha… I figured out pretty fast that a sugar-rush on a 2.5 year old boy is quite a match for this mom!

We spent a couple hours in the water park before dinner and then checking out the arcade and story time in the hotel lobby.

Saturday morning, we were up early for breakfast. We checked out the outlet mall. The kids got new Crocs and got to pick out Jibbits.  exciting stuff for the kids! 🙂  We spent several hours in the water parks, including eating lunch there. We all had naps in the afternoon to prepare for an evening of fun at Knuckleheads, which is like Chuck E Cheese on steroids.  We met up with our friends, which worked out perfectly for the kids.  Maria and Briann (and the Dad’s)  took on the big kids rides, while Charlie and Brooke stuck to the slides and bouncy things.

Sunday morning, we weren’t up quite as early, but managed to get to breakfast and the water park before checkout time.  It was a quiet ride home as both kids slept!  It was a great weekend, and we’re hoping to make it a tradition!
Wisconsin Dells!

Wisconsin Dells!

Wisconsin Dells!

Storytime at Great Wolf Lodge

A few more pictures here – unfortunately playing at water parks and fast moving rides do not go with cameras and my photography skills.

Another Week

Posted in Motherhood by

Ugh,  I hate that 5 days just passed without much quality family time.   One of those weeks, I guess.  Chad returned on Monday, very tired.  Tuesday was a long day at work for me, with our semi-annual national meeting. Kind of fun, but it’s kind of like missing a whole day of productive work, which isn’t good when deadlines are looming.

The rest of the week was spent working with some errands.  Today I worked from home and got a tremendous amount of work done! Unfortunately it was not the work I planned to do as my priorities were re-shifted this morning.  Oh well.  Next week, right?

My weekend plans involve getting my fridge and house cleaned up.  Somehow weeks like this set me back and I am not able to get ahead. I went out to lunch every day this week and bought breakfast at work every day as well. Not good for my wallet or waist… Luckily I was able to sneak away this morning to plan my menu for next week and get groceries purchased. So I’m looking forward to some good down time at home with the family this weekend.

Oh, and getting screened-in porch ready for warm weather!  It’s ready to go as we had the house exterior painted and deck stained earlier this week! Yay, warm weather!

Any big weekend plans? Or are your plans to mellow like me?

Weekend and Catchup

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We spent the weekend at Ruttger’s for my company’s summer outing.  It was a nice weekend, and so much more fun than last year. Last year, I was still fairly new to the company, plus I was on maternity leave, plus somewhat immobilized with a 3 month old to care for!  This year I hardly felt immobile! We were definitely on the move!

The ride up to Ruttger’s was not fun, but Maria was plenty tired coming home on Sunday, so she slept most of the way.

Monday, we went to Como Zoo and met up with Maria’s cousins, Jana & Luke.  We then stopped and visited Grandpa and Grandma (Chad’s parents) on the way home.  She napped all the way home (with a detour for longer nappage), plus then played in her crib for an extra hour without fuss!

Today Maria was back to daycare, and I was back to work. She looked especially cute in her tie-dye that she made at camp, but this picture was taken at the worst time of the day, right when we’re home from daycare and starving! Plus, I wouldn’t let her hold the camera.  She’s got a lot of smiles, but not always!

Weekend

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We had a great weekend. On Friday, Maria and I stayed home. She had her 15 month portraits in the morning. They went well, and we got some cute poses that capture her 15-month personality!

We also went for a walk in the afternoon. We checked out a garage sale and got some puzzles. Also met the people holding the garage sale who have a little girl just 6 months older than Maria and they only live a block over. So hopefully we will see them again soon!

We also went to the park! One of Maria’s favorite places!

Yesterday (Saturday) Grandma and Grandpa came over in the afternoon. That was very fun too! Grandma took Maria for a walk, and Maria got a chance to show off lots for G&G, including dancing, talking, and kicking her ball!

Today, we played in the backyard and visited with the neighbors. Our neighbor Nancy suggested we check out the Heart of the City which has a wading area sometime. Well we came home and got Daddy and our swimsuits, and went right away! It was a lot of fun, and we will definitely be going back! The water is treated, so it’s safe to swim in and there were lots of other kids. Much easier for a quick swim rather than setting up our pool in the back!  The best part was finishing up at the ice cream shop right across the street!

Garage Sales, Yard Work, Friends and an Old KFC

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Saturday, Maria and I were up early and hit some garage sales. We found some great deals! Mostly on toys and found the discontinued Fisher Price Little People House that I wanted to buy for Maria!

After the garage sales, I headed to pick up some coffee for Chad. I ran into an old friend/co-worker who I hadn’t seen for a while. She and her husband and baby daughter just live a couple miles from us. I dropped off Chad’s coffee and then headed to my Weight Watchers meeting and ran into the same friend there! Apparently we were supposed to see each other on Saturday!

Saturday afternoon, the Peterson’s who were in town from Portland came over to meet Maria. We then met up with them for dinner with some other friends too. We went to La Chaya Bistro in Minneapolis. Interesting restaurant that has recently been transformed from a KFC!

Today, I worked in the yard. I cleaned out a lot of landscaping and spread mulch in several areas. It was a hot day and I think I may have come away with a slight sunburn… oh well… This evening Maria and I headed to the park while Chad mowed the lawn. She was pretty popular with the other kids, who all wanted to hug her. She also sported her Twins outfit for the first time this year and we like to think it spurred them on to beat the Yankees this afternoon!

Memorial Day Weekend

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It was a busy weekend… but ask us what we did… doesn’t seem like a whole lot, but Maria kept us busy!

On Saturday, Chad got up early for a round of golf with his dad. Maria and I went up to see Grandma!  By the time we got through the drive-thru for my morning latte, we were running later than I planned and by the time we got to Grandma’s, Maria was almost ready for a nap. So she had a mid-morning snack, and then played with Grandma before going down for a nap.  Grandma told me to run some errands. So I did!  Maria was just getting up when I got back so she had some lunch, and then played with Grandpa who was just getting home from golf.  We got home early afternoon and spent the rest of the day at home. Chad spend the afternoon re-imaging our old computer to get ready to pass it on to his parents.

Sunday, Maria and I were up early and headed to Target. We were in quest of a Wii Fit, but of course they were sold out by the time we got there.  We didn’t know until 8:30 that they were featured in the flyer this week.   We did get some groceries and then picked up some coffee for Chad to help lure him out of bed when we got home!  Again we spent the day at home. Chad cleaned out the garage too. It was a much bigger job than either of us anticipated! I also ran to Once Upon a Child to just see what they had.  They had a lot of winter clothes and a lot of dirty and gross strollers. I bought one pair of shorts for Maria. I’m surprised at the shape some of the stuff they have is in.  And if I was trying to sell old baby stuff, I would think it would be worth my while to clean it up!

Today, I planted my flowers. Finally! One advantage to doing it this late in the season is that the flowers were on sale! I also went a little nuts with the Round-Up. Hopefully trying to tame some of the thistles in our dry creek bed and some crab grass in my rose bush. And if it kills the rose bush – I won’t be upset, because it doesn’t look very good with all the crab grass, which I can’t just pull without losing half the skin on my hand!

But yeah, doesn’t seem like a lot, but throw in a 1 year old, and wow. that’s a busy weekend! She is all about holding on to our fingers right now and walking. And if you stop, she lays down on the floor, rolls around, and cries.  Even if you stop and pick her up, she throws a fit. She is all about figuring out how to walk. She did stand up by herself a couple times this weekend.  She is definitely “talking” more and more too.   Fun fun! But definitely takes a lot of energy to keep up with her!