Adventures of the V Family

A little Father/Son moment

2012-02-14T22:01:00.000-06:00

I love these moments and try to capture as many as I can for when our kids are moody teenagers and I need a reminder of how sweet they are.

N's on a Berenstein Bear kick right now

This one can just remind me of what a cute little stinker he is :-)

XJ get together

2012-02-14T21:52:00.000-06:00

As I had mentioned in an earlier post, Mesaba Airlines was absorbed into another airline and the name no longer is used. As a result, some people form Mesaba coordinated a Mesaba Going Away Party. S and I went, along with many of our friends. It was a really good time and amazing to see the people that came, some who were with the company until the end, and others who hadn't worked there in 10 years. I had a great time catching up with people that I really loved to work with, but do not see very often anymore. I also was so busy chatting that I only remembered to take two pictures.....oh well! They claim they will do it again next year, so maybe I will take more pictures then. :)

S, and our friend BF

Some of our best friends, GB(who flew in with JB from Atlanta) and ME(who I hadn't seen in way too long!)

Very fun!

Dance Party USA

2012-02-14T21:38:00.000-06:00

One of our kid's new favorite things to do is to have us put on music and dance in the kitchen. It usually also involves some level of dress-up. Probably not my best parent moment, but they really prefer to dance to music like the Black Eyed Peas and Pink....no Okee Dokee Brothers at the dance party. Just not as good of a beat!

Snow White, ready to get her groove on :)

That injury did not slow her down one little bit!

They love to dance with the shawl Aunt B made M because it has lots of little bells all over it.

Dancing the night away!

I went in the kitchen to check on the dancing and found M standing, holding the cupboard door and looking at the floor. I asked her what was wrong and she just kept staring at the floor and said "it's still spinning." Then, a few seconds later, she said "oh good, it stopped." :o)

Ringing in the New Year with....

2012-02-14T21:19:00.000-06:00

Well, so far injuries seem to be the theme of the year! More specifically stitches. Boo! Grancy watched the kids on Jan 2nd and S and I went to work. Part way through the day, she called me to say I better come because M might need stitches. So, I went to get her and yes indeed....she needed sitches! Six to be exact. This kiddo was a champ! I dragged her out of Grancy's, kicking and screaming because she was "okay!" Then, she just read books with me while getting her cheek stitched up at Children's. No tears. Big relief for the Mama!

Our brave girl with her treat she got for being so good!

New Years Eve

2012-02-12T22:40:00.001-06:00

I finally made it to the end of 2011! Woohoo!

On New Year's Eve, it was unusually warm outside. S and I decided to take advantage and take down our Christmas lights, as it involves quite a bit of ladder work on our uneven yard and usually we have to wait many months for the snow to be gone to do this. Luckily, this year we have hardly had any snow at all and it was a day in the 40s.

Big brother, helping M on her trike :)

We had a blast outside that afternoon

And....crazy S decided when we were done with the lights, to rake the boulevard....and then to mow it!!!

Oh my. Never a dull moment at this house!

Me and the hubs went to a concert with our friend AB and her bf. It was a great night!

And that, my friends and family, FINALLY ties up 2011 for the V Family! On to 2012!! Hope it's as great as 2011!

We love you all!

Chidren's Museum!

2012-02-12T22:28:00.001-06:00

Grandma and Grandpa always stay a few extra days around Christmas(which we LOVE). This year, I saved some of my PTO days so the kids and I could spend that time with them. One day, we went out to the Children's Museum and had some fun!

The kids could dance in front of a blue screen and see themselves in a music video. Of course, this was M's favorite thing!

Cutest turtle I've ever seen!

Such a fun day!

Whee!!

Hiding in a tree :)

M and her skunk friend she found

They found a friend...heehee

Have I mentioned we love when they come? ;) So much fun!

Thanks G & G for staying with us. We feel very lucky to get that time with you!

One more Christmas!

2012-02-12T22:04:00.000-06:00

We always do a separate Christmas celebration with S's immediate family, as it is nice to have time just us and rarely are we all able to get together during Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. It's so nice after the chaos of the actual holidays to have this low-key day. The kids play and we hang out for the day, eating good food, drinking good wine, and enjoying the company, as we only are all together a couple times a year.

The two littles, hanging with A

Presents!

Miss M LOVED her new, sparkly princess shoes!

Big surprise there...haha

Christmas Day

2012-01-28T14:10:00.001-06:00

First, we went to brunch with my family...it was fun, but also sad, as my cousin K, who was only 22 years old, had died on Christmas Eve

So pretty

Cutest kids ever!

My cousin's JC's wife, DC, due in Feb and my Grandma C and Uncle B

Then, we went to dinner with all the V's. This year we went to the youth center of D & A's church. It was perfect! Lots of space for everyone, especially energetic little kids. The real highlight was a stage with a sound system. S' cousin RV was very nice and would play songs for the kids on the sound system and let them sing along on the microphones.

Uncle S, getting them warmed up

N, trying out the microphone

Love this kid!

No surprise here, but Miss M was the ham of the night. She pranced all over that stage. even when there was no music, she still held the mic and sang. It was so cute!

Christmas Morning!

2012-01-28T13:36:00.000-06:00

When we got up on Christmas morning, the best present was that Grandma and Grandpa were here! Woohoo! They had actually come the night before, but were at midnight mass when we got home the night before, so we hadn't see them yet.

Then....the kids got to open presents from Santa and Mom and Dad.

I swear, she was much more excited than she looks in the picture!

Again, I swear...he was having fun! Haha

Showing Grandma her Boots doll

New backpack and pretty new crown!

Checking out his new airplane

Chatting with Dora on the couch

Giving Dora some loves

Christmas Eve

2012-01-28T13:17:00.000-06:00

This year for Christmas Eve, we went to the H house. Very fun night!

Playing trucks while waiting for dinner

My two cute kiddos

Having a great time!

Ho Ho Ho

Singing Jingle Bells

Cute Little K

K, getting some lovin' from S

Reading the book of Christmas letters. Aunt D writes a Christmas letter in her book every year and each year we have fun reading them and reminiscing over years past.

Cousin A

M's Fashion Sense

2012-01-28T12:41:00.000-06:00

This is an infant hat that someone made for us. M found it and insists on wearing it at times.

Girl definitely has her own style. John Deere hat, paired with sparkly princess shoes!

Another weekday fieldtrip with Mommy

2012-01-28T12:33:00.000-06:00

I had another weekday off in December, so we decided to take another field trip. This time we took the light rail to see the Macy's holiday, A Day in the Life of an Elf. This is a great childhood memory for me and I wanted my kids to have it too....even though silly Macy's keeps having the same display every year! We even got the delicious gingerbread man cookies at the end.

Miss M has worn her sunglasses like this ever since she has been able to put them on herself. She definitely has her own style!

Look at that cool kid!

So excited to ride the light rail!

Here we go!

Breakfast with Santa

2012-01-28T12:24:00.000-06:00

The kid's school had a "Breakfast with Santa" morning. Santa and Mrs. Claus were there and lots of the kiddos friends and teachers. They got to play and do a few projects. I really do love their school. What a great group of people that work there!

A visit to the MOA

2012-01-28T12:13:00.000-06:00

After we left the R's house, we headed to the MOA for our appointment with Santa! The kids were great! Grancy came and met us and afterwords, she treated the kids to some rides. What a day!

We love Santa!

Driving the big rigs!

M got to pick their puppy this time....Magenta it is!

Love this sweet face

Hi Mommy!

So excited!! Dora and Boots!!

N and his buddy Diego!

Swiper, no swiping!

So fast, that he can't not laugh out loud! Makes me laugh just to look at it! This is my kid right here. Love me some rides!

Playing in the castle in the new Disney store...mirrors everywhere. M's cup of tea!

A visit out to the R ranch

2012-01-28T11:48:00.000-06:00

In the month of December, Grancy had to take a break from watching the kids due to some craziness at work. I took this opportunity to work some weekend days and take a couple weekdays off with the kiddos. This allowed us to take a really fun field trip to see our friends, the R's! Not only had we not seen their new house yet, but we hadn't played with them in a very long time! This was one waaay overdue playdate, so off to Welch the kiddos and I went. We had a great morning. N, Miss M, and Sweet Pea had a great time playing and catching up. And I had a great time hanging with TR2 and snuggling little Mr. F.

Two cute little pony tailed friends :)

Love this little guy. He's so snuggly and sweet! Wish they lived a bit closer.

TR1 came home on lunch and took N out for a super special ride! This is N, raising the scoop. He loved it! They drove right up to the back of the house to see us.

Thanks R's for a great time! Hope we can do it again soon!

Oh Christmas Tree!

2012-01-28T11:27:00.000-06:00

On our way home from the Okee Dokee Brothers concert, we went to get a Christmas Tree. The kids had blast running through all the trees. Most of the time we couldn't even see them, but could hear giggling all throughout the lot.

Posing with the big Santa

So much fun!

Running in the forest of Christmas trees!

Checking the lights

The finished product(nevermind the tacky plywood next to it).

The holiday season is more fun every year with how much the kids can participate and get into it now. Both of them helped me hang all the ornaments on the tree.

Okee Dokee Brothers

2012-01-28T11:16:00.000-06:00

To say that my kids love the Okee Dokee Brothers would be a great understatement. They are right up there with Dora and Disneyworld at our house! For those of you that have not heard of them, they are a two-man bluegrass band that plays kid's music. They are actually quite good. Most kid's music wears on me after awhile, but both S and I enjoy these songs. They are pretty clever! Our kids have been to many of their concerts with Grancy, but S and I had never been to one. In December, they were holding a concert at the Wild Rumpus bookstore right near our house. So, we all headed out for a little evening concert.

Note the little blond head on the right that worked his way right up to the front row :)

For those of you who have never been to this bookstore, it is definitely one of the more unique ones! There are kitties and chickens and other animals there, many of which are allowed to wander freely!

They even played M's favorite song, "The Auctioneer"! What a great concert!

Operation Cookie

2012-01-28T10:50:00.000-06:00

I went all out on the Christmas cookie baking this year. In fact, we are still eating them! :)

Getting started on the gingerbread ones!

Frosting the gingerbread cookies

My gingerbreads are all done!

My two "helpers"

Mmmm...frosting

Gotta make sure I get it all off of this thing!

Grancy came to help us frost the cut-outs. My Aunt D usually does this with us too, but was unable this year. We will resume the tradition next year though!

Someone would frost and somehow the cookie would then find it's way right to her mouth!

One of my favorite holiday traditions

Thank goodness Grancy came to help! We had an awful lot of these to do!

N was an amazing helper with these this year! I expected him to do a couple and be done and he easily did a couple dozen. He was so cute. He did a great job too....extra sprinkles on his! :) Some even had like twelve red hots on them. Heehee

The gang, at work

Licking her lips at the thought of that frosting!

A couple of the cookies....I know airplanes aren't exactly Christmas themed, but I couldn't resist!

Happy Thanksgiving

2012-01-28T10:15:00.000-06:00

We sure have lots to be thankful for! Most of all family!

P, Miss M, and J...after our game of "cutting the turkey's head off"

My cousin's D and A, with Granny

S and Little K

N and J

Flat B and J even came to Thanksgiving....we might have had a bit of fun with them. ;)

J, S, & P....so nice that Grancy has such a big office that fits everyone! I love our big family get-togethers!

Me and my Aunt S

Silly Little K

Two silly little boys

I like how J looks like he's just leaning on the wall.

Cousin D

Granny and M, chatting by the dessert table :)

Silly little turkey

Pretty girl!

J & B!!!

2012-01-26T23:08:00.001-06:00

We FINALLY got to go and visit J and B on November 12th weekend. S was again deer hunting, but the kids, Grancy, and I went out there for a weekend of fun.

First order of business....say hi to Kevin!

aunt B made Miss M such a perfect gift! It was a shawl with little bells sewn on it so that it jingles when she dances. M used it all weekend and continues to dance with it all the time at home! Thanks Aunt B!

Uncle J made N and equally perfect present! It is a target and bow and arrow. Kid friendly and works great! N loves it so much. He immediately tried it when J gave it to him and got a bulls-eye. We all were praising him and he looked and us and said "that's why they call me Nate the Great!" No humility....haha

Also, by they, he must have meant my Aunt D. She is the only one I have ever heard call him that!

While we were there, N had been working on his rhyming skills. Aunt B was quizzing him. Here is how that went......

They were listing words that rhymed with "vest." When N got stuck, Grancy tried to give him a clue. She said "N, you are not the worst, you are the____"

N: "I'm the prettiest!" Umm....ok!

Another word they rhymed with was "bucket." One of N's rhyming words was "Chicken McNugget!"

Guess we will continue to work on this skill!

When we woke up on our first morning there, it was snowing! It was our first snow of the season and the kids were so excited!

We got all ready and went to a park to enjoy the snow. It was warm and there was enough for us to play! We had the whole park to ourselves. What a great morning!

M and B, practicing throwing snowballs

Uncle J made a sled and it was a huge hit. Very tiring for the adults, but worth all the giggles that it produced! Who knew a bike box would be so useful?

M and Grancy, working on their snowman

A hug for her snowman :)

B and Grancy putting on the finishing touches

M...cleaning of course. She had to brush all the snow off the playground. She did quite enjoy the slide that day. The snow not only made it extra fast, but provided a soft landing at the bottom!

Just a big kid really :)

M's turn!

Kid loves to swing

A little spider anyone?

B and N with the finished product

Snowball fight

Someone get me outta here!

Queen of the snowball!

Me and the kiddos

What a great weekend. I wish we could go more often, but flights are few and far between and usually quite full!

Thanks J & B for a perfect weekend!

A concert!

2012-01-26T22:42:00.000-06:00

One of my most favorite, if not my favorite, musician came to Minneapolis in November and played at First Ave. My friends AB and TS went along to keep me company, as S was hunting for deer. It was a fun adult night out!

He even played my favorite song, "Ossining", which only made the evening better!

I've been workin' on the railroad...

2012-01-26T22:36:00.000-06:00

I think my kids think that they do work on the railroad sometimes at Grancy's house. N has his train table....they frequent Choo Choo Bob's train store....and now they have bandanas and hats that they frequently wear around the house.

She looks more like a little outlaw here to me! Haha

Snooping through Grancy's drawers

Star of the Month

2012-01-26T22:30:00.001-06:00

In November, Miss M was the "Starr of the Month" at school. We had to fill out a little questionaire with her and they displayed it, along with some pictures of her on the wall for the month.

I did think it was cute that she listed her teacher, Miss Amanda, as one of her friends. :) So glad she likes school!

Here is how I found her one day when I came to pick her up from school....with another of her favorite teachers, Miss Ashley.

Here she is in a bumblebee hat...she is frequently wearing something silly when I come to get her. Shocking, I know!

Happy Halloween!

2012-01-26T22:11:00.000-06:00

Thanks again to their extremely talented Grancy, our kids got to be exactly what they wanted for Halloween....Dora and Diego!

They loved their costumes!!

M loved her Dora hair so much that we had to buy two wigs because she had the first all messed up by Halloween!

Diego's hair was a little crazy, but luckily N didn't care and loved it anyway! I was not meant to cut hair, let alone wigs!

All ready to go!

I'm the map, I'm the map, I'm the map, I'm the map, I'm the MAP!

Rescue Pack!

Backpack, Backpack!

So much detail! This was N's Animal Rescue badge on his vest

M just kept on standing in front of the mirrors and admiring herself. It was too funny!

Getting ready to go trick-or-treating. Daddy went as Elmo. heehee

Grancy made us Jack-o-lantern quesadillas for dinner!

An October Wedding reception...and a visit from G & G!!

2012-01-26T21:51:00.000-06:00

A childhood friend of S got married in Arizona this year and they had a reception here this October. S and his brothers and family were pretty close with them, growing up, so G & G flew in for the weekend! Coincidentally, Grandma B turned 80 in October, so we had a birthday party for her too! Here are some pics from our great weekend!

LOVE this little face

Someone had a REALLY good time at the wedding reception, tearing up the dance floor. She loved her new dress that Grandma got her and even wore her "dancing shoes" with it.

Dancin' the night away

Happy 80th Birthday to Grandma B!

She had a great time at her party

Miss M and little Mr. M, chatting with Great-Grandma B

After the party, we came back home to have a bonfire.....we burned a whole dresser that night!

Such a fun night! Yes...Grandma is wearing M's owl hat. :)

M and her Grandpa

She's Grandpa's girl alright!

Grandma and S

N and J playing under the table

Two cheesy little ladies

And two little butt butts!

My kids love to play with their cousins. Such fun!

We always have a great time when G & G come to visit!

Carving Pumpkins

2012-01-26T21:15:00.000-06:00

M, playing with her pumpkins "guts....she just digs right in there!

She chose to have a "scary" on this year

N, working on his with Daddy

Miss M's

N's pumpkin

My pumpkin

This is the one S made!

My favorite tree

2012-01-26T20:58:00.000-06:00

Every year I mean to take pictures of this tree in the Fall. It is in the front yard, acroos from our house. It is hands down, the most beautiful tree. I caught it a little after it's peak this year and the pictures do not hardly do it justice, but I had to try!

I thought this little one was kind of fun too

Happy Birthday to Me!

2012-01-26T20:44:00.001-06:00

I usually just tend to focus on N's birthday, since it is only six days before mine, but I did at least take a picture in the birthday hat(Mom-in-law's rules).

Welcome 32! Here's to a year as good at 31!

My most favorite birthday present! Few things make my heart happier than my kids reading and getting along on top of it really makes my day!

Admiring her purple toenails :)

My sweet boy

Starting just before he turned five, N started really digging into learning to read. He reads so well now! I am amazed every time he reads to me! The other night when I offered to read to him before bed, he brought me his early reader books because he wanted to read to me instead. My heart just about burst!

Little Reader #2!

And this little sweetie is so fun to read to. She is beyond entertaining! I will read her a book and then she takes it from me and "reads" it to me. She is so animated and usually gets most of the story in too! I just giggle the whole time because she is so funny.

It's a good life!

A Night of Firsts

2012-01-26T20:28:00.000-06:00

The week before N's birthday, he got one of his presents and by default, Miss M got a present too!

He was just a little excited!

N had reached the end of his toddler bed, so it was time to move on to bigger and better beds!

And a certain little someone else had decided she was done staying in her crib and had been climbing out frequently. Never once in N's life did he climb out of that crib! I tell ya, this kid is keeping us on our toes!

Forgot to take her picture when awake, but here is Miss M....first night in a big girl bed. She brought lots of friends with her to share in the excitement. :)

Work adventure

2012-01-26T20:13:00.000-06:00

Ever since I have started working at the airport, and I'm sure long before that, there has been a rivalry between Minneapolis and Detroit. In the last year , we decided to use this to our advantage. My boss, AR, and his counterpart in DTW decided to challenge their hubs to a performance contest against each other. Which ever team has a better scorecard at the end of the quarter, wins a station meal, served by the losing hubs management team. We won the first time, but lost the second. To make it interesting they also decided that the losing team would allow the agents at the winning hub throw pies at them. I busied myself as best I could during thise portion of the festivities and luckily some senior management stepped up to the plate. Here is a picture of AR, getting hit with pies.

Happy to say, we recently got word that we won again! Bring on the lunch!

Halloween prep

2012-01-23T22:59:00.000-06:00

I tried to convince M to wear a costume that my mom had made for my cousin T and that N also wore by telling her that it was Baby Jaguar, Diego's friend. So, she tried it on...

Mreow, mreow!

So cute, but someone's heart was set on being Dora...

St. Helena's Bazaar

2012-01-23T22:50:00.000-06:00

We took the kiddos to Helena's Fall Festival this year. It was little windy, but still fun. S especially had fun cathing up with all kids of people, as he went to grade school there.

Is it just me or does he look really old here?? Not sure how he got so big.

Here we go!

Giggled the whole ride!

Laughed out loud the whole ride! Yep, these are my kids alright!

A whale

2012-01-23T22:46:00.000-06:00

I had to travel to Detroit a few months ago and as I came through security, this was right in front of me. The airplane geek in me could not resist a picture!

All aboard!

2012-01-23T22:33:00.002-06:00

City tour anyone? Just chillin' at the airport, waiting to get on a flight!

Meow!

2012-01-23T22:29:00.001-06:00

A couple of cute kitties!

And the chaos that is my house when I have my two nieces for a sleepover...

I believe this is not your ordinary pillow fight, but a pillow pet fight!

Trip to STL

2012-01-22T23:06:00.002-06:00

We went to St. Louis again on Sept 30th....coincidentally, the date that S and I started dating. This year would mark 11 years together. Woohoo!

One of my favorite pics of the year

There was a festival going on in Columbia, where Grandma and Grandpa live, so we headed into town!

The kids coloring with Dad

Running to the jumper!

Some jumping fun!

M, getting her face painted

N's face paint

Holding a kitty

Holding/squeezing a kitty

Since it was only one week before N's 5th bday, we busted out the birthday hat and celebrated #5!

The kids with their glowsticks

Wanna kiss?

Pucker up!

M, chatting with Grandma's kitties

M has been a little obsessed with moustaches lately, so it was especially funny that Grandma had bought the kids a set of wax lips and a moustache. This picture makes me laugh so hard. When M talks about moustaches, she holds her finger across her upper lip and wiggles it. So funnny!

Our cool fire

Grandpa and S

While there, N also got his very first haircut at a salon!

Miss M

2012-01-22T22:24:00.000-06:00

M....just chillin'...in September....with her new winter hat, while she watches tv

A Day at the Zoo

2012-01-22T22:21:00.000-06:00

We are members of the MN Zoo and do not get there nearly enough, but here is one of the days we spent out there.

Checking out the new penguins

Look at these guys!

Always gotta take a picture with this guy :)

Looking at the coral reef

Crawling around in a big log

My Girl

2012-01-22T22:13:00.000-06:00

I don't know what it is about this position, but I just find it so darn cute!

Helping Mommy at the grocery store...my kids LOVE these carts at our neighborhood store.

The Great Minnesota Get Together

2012-01-22T22:04:00.001-06:00

I think of this as S's personal fair. Few people look forward to this event as much as he does! He starts the countdown sometimes months in advance. I love going with other people because they just shake their head in amazement at teh fact that he knows where everything is at the fair....every attraction, every kind of food!

One of N's favorite stops is Machinery Hill....here he is towing his sister. Heehee

Riding together...a little surprised he's letting her drive!

Practicing his milking skills at the John Deere kid's farm

My big kid :)

N and M, farmin' away!

S and JM, trying out some cars

Boys and their toys...

Yummmmmm

Team MSP

2012-01-22T21:56:00.000-06:00

In September, I helped to organize a softball tournament for my company. We had four teams, including players from all over the U.S. Sadly, Team MSP was beaten by Team DTW, but I'm sure we'll ghet 'em next year!

Good-bye Mesaba! I'll miss you!

2012-01-03T21:01:00.000-06:00

Today was an incredibly sad day for me and so many wonderful people in my life. Today marked the last "real" day of Mesaba Airlines. Small pieces will remain for a period of time, but the Mesaba that has been such a big part of my life(and so many others) will be done. I really could not put into words what that company meant to me. I started there, just a 20-year old kid and I left so incredibly rich. I was a wife, mom of two, and had a life full of amazing people that I had met over the 10+ years I worked there, one of whom was my husband.

I started as a ramp agent, loading planes for a living, while going to college to be a pilot. I owe Mesaba for my realization that I did not want to be a pilot at all! When I realized this, however, I also realized that this was absolutely the industry for me and where I wanted to be. People in the industry always talk about how there is nothing like the smell of jet fuel in the morning. So true! There is just something great about walking out on the tarmac in the morning and smelling that "airport smell." It gets in your blood and for some of us, never leaves! I worked at the airport for almost seven wonderful years and loved every minute of it. I deiced planes, worked in our ops department, and then managed in that same department. When I started our breakroom was a crappy triple-wide trailer out on the ramp. It was so disgusting, but so great. We were mixed right in with all the pilots and flight attendants and all got to know each other and had a great time. Today, those groups are very separate in a big new terminal. After so many years, I wanted to move up in the company, but it was a very small, senior group above me at the airport. So, when I was on maternity leave with N, I got a call to apply for a manager job at our general offices in Crew Scheduling. To say I knew nothing about that would be an understatement! The flight ops side of the airline was something I knew nothing about, but I do love a challenge, so I accepted when they offered. I then moved on to be the Manager of Training Scheduling shortly after and had the pleasure of working under two great bosses! After about three and a half years at the G.O., learning a side of the airline I had never known a thing about, and meeting some truly wonderful people, it was announced that Mesaba had been sold to Pinnacle Airlines. This was an airline that was our competitor and whom we had often watched struggle to perform. With this purchase, all of us were told that within the next couple years, we would be expected to move to Memphis if we wanted to keep our jobs. Most of us were shocked and heartbroken. We had been through many ups and downs as a company, but this was far worse than anything thrown at us in the past. We were a Minnesota company, full of people that had grown up with this company and put so much of ourselves into it. To be told we all had to move and to look around the room that day and realize that so many of us would not, that it would never be the same again, was just too sad. By some miracle a week or two later, I was called by my old manager at the airport to tell me that he was leaving and that he thought I should apply for his job. All of the jobs at the airport since I had left, had become part of another company, Regional Elite. This particular position had been "the job" for me for so many years that I had to try for it. Even when I worked at our G.O., people would tease me about missing the airport and the action. Luckily, so very luckily, I got that job and am back at the airport, in the environment I love, and with many of the people I had worked with years ago! Sadly, most of my friends, who had really become like family, were not that lucky. Many have since scattered and found new jobs, a few are moving to Memphis, and many more will not have jobs tomorrow, or shortly after. It pains my heart to see what was such an amazing company and group of people separated. The great thing about Mesaba was undoubtedly the people. Anyone there would tell you that. Most of us were there because we truly loved the industry and our jobs....and that is what made us all so successful. To have a company full of people that actually want to be there and like what they do is so rare. I wonder if I will ever work with such a group again.

The Saab 340

I am so thankful. So thankful for so many things related to Mesaba.

I am thankful for them taking me in, that 20-year old kid, and teaching and developing me into what I am today.

My favorite plane...the Avro

I am truly thankful for some incredible bosses that I had along the way! I can think of six and I gained so much from each of them and am forever grateful for their support and what they taught me.

CRJ-200

I am thankful for every person I met along the way. My life is better because of them. Some of my best friends in life, I met at Mesaba. I cannot believe the volume of wonderful friends I made there that are still in my life today, though some left the company years ago! We have all kept in touch and I hope we do forever. We have traveled the world together, been in each others weddings, let our babies play together.

CRJ-900

Some of the people I work with today at the airport always joke about the "Mesaba Love Machine." I have never seen so many couples come out of one company! I guess the love machine is what I am most thankful for! :) Mesaba is where I met Scott and I will be forever thankful for that.

Mesaba, you were good to me! Thank you for everything! You will always hold a special place in my heart and I wish the best to the whole family as we move on to new adventures!

Summer bonfire!

2012-01-01T22:33:00.001-06:00

We had many bonfires this summer, which was a goal of ours as we had not had so many in the past couple years. Here is a pic from one at the M's house.

N and J! He just loves her. :)

Bubble bath!

2012-01-01T22:29:00.000-06:00

They do love a good bubble bath!

Backyard fun

2012-01-01T22:25:00.001-06:00

We had a really hot day on September 1st and decided to take advantage when we got home from work and school, so we suited up and hit the sprinkler!

They loved it! So much they were asking to do it still in October. Silly kids!

Happy Birthday to S!

2012-01-01T22:19:00.000-06:00

As has become our family tradition, we had breakfast together and sang S "Happy Birthday"....with the birthday hat of course!

We love you S!

August in St. Louis!

2012-01-01T22:04:00.001-06:00

We went down to visit Grandma and Grandpa just before S' birthday. We walked around Soulard, ate some yummy BBQ outside, and hit up a parade!

Walking with Daddy

Hangin' with Grandma

What a parade! They handed out freezie pops! Yay!

Just relaxing.

And a little singing to S! Looks like N is ready to help with those candles!

We love to visit Grandma and Grandpa!

M...silly and sweet

2012-01-01T21:56:00.001-06:00

Yep, that's right folks....more hats pictures. I could make a book titled "M, a year of hats!"

Such a ham

Love her!

Walkin' her babies

Snuggles

Yeehaw!

Wearing her glasses like Mommy :)

I love how sweet my kids look when they sleep

Family Reunion continued....

2012-01-01T21:26:00.002-06:00

Some more pics of the family fun!

My Great-Aunt D

N, eating breakfast with his Grancy

Little K, at breakfast

My Granny, on a four-wheeler! I think pigs flew that week too....haha

My Great-Uncle G's boat...his son J re-did it and it looks just like the original. One of my most vivid memories of Uncle G was him rowing in that boat

I just want to be bigger!! "Mom, I know how to start this!"

Another boat J re-did

Getting ready to launch it

N and Grancy, on the swing

My cousin C brought her boat up....it was ridiculously nice...and fun! :)

Hanging on the pontoon...Love the hats ladies!

My Aunt M, reading a tribute to Uncle G

Launching

Miss M and her buddy J....he's so sweet to her

Playing in the lake

Are you coming in or what?

Loving it!

Love this lake....so many memories for me. I love that my kids will now have memories too.

Having so much fun!

Playing with her bud

Just testing her out at the dock. :)

My cousin A is so good to my kids. Four-wheeler rides for everyone!

Tell me she's not the cutest!

So proud of himself!

J, trying out kneeboarding

Me, waterskiing. Love it!

Grancy, in the kayak....well, getting taken out of the kayak. Yep, that's the way she does it! Loves to kayak, but needs to be removed by someone.

My cousin T

We also had many fun N'isms this week.

We pulled up to a McDonald's on our drive and it had the yellow, lighted lines on the roof. N asked "why does McDonald's have french fries on their roof?" Yep...looked just like french fries.

When we were at the cabin, N was cruising around next to the dock in a kayak and came too close to the shore. The bottom of the kayak got stuck in the sand and he started yelling, "hey! I ran out of water!"

As we were getting ready to leave, I accidentally locked Grancy's keys in her car. After a very long time of trying to break into the car and waiting for AAA to call back, we decided that she would go home with me and the kids. While we were all in the driveway, trying to break into the car, the kids were taking turns pulling each other in the wagon. Miss M was pulling N and K and they wanted a turn and in her bossy little voice, she told them "no! Get out and sit down for 5 minutes....and sing your abcd's!" Yep, my two year old....bossing the 4 year olds. heehee

On our drive home, N was telling us about when he grows up. He said he wants to be a pilot and a fire fighter. My mom said "wow N, those are both very busy jobs. I don't know if you will have time to do both of those things." N says "yeah, but then when my plane starts on fire, I can just put it out." So matter of fact.

Annual Lake Roosevelt Fishing Tournament

2012-01-01T19:11:00.002-06:00

Every year, we head up to "the lake" for Lake Roosevelt's fishing tournament. This is usually a doubly wonderful event. It is a perfect weekend to go to the cabin because almost all of my relatives are usually there....avid fishermen and women that they are and it also always falls right around my mom's birthday and going to the cabin is what she wants to do every year. This year, was even better though. My family decided to tie the fishing tournament into a family reunion! So this year ALL my relatives were there!! We all stayed for a long weekend and fished, kayaked, waterskiied, you name it, we did it! What a GREAT week that was! My family owns four different cabins on the same lake. Three are right in a row and the fourth is just a couple over. It makes for some great visiting! Have I mentioned that I love my family? ;) That seems to be the theme of the year here.

Some of our fisherman

My Aunt D and Cousin M, cleaning the fish....my Aunt D makes the best shore lunch every year!

Out on the pontoon

Aunt D, waiting for the big one!

Someone kept eating the fishies' corn! Heehee

He did pretty well this year!

Every year we hang by the fire at night. It's fun, as the cousins grow to see them join the "adult group" at night. This year my Aunt S kept on saying that she can't wait to see M when she is old enough to join.

Granny and her sisters at the awards ceremony

Somebody crashed partway through the ceremony...it's hard work, all that playing and fishing!

Such a sweetie

Hanging with his Grancy....having his favorite treat. Rootbeer!

My cousin D...he usually pulls in at least one award a year.

My boy, getting his "first fish" award!

So excited!

My Aunt S....another yearly winner!

The tournaments winners pose for a pic in the town newspaper. At least half of them were with us!

The five "first fish" winners, posing for their newspaper pictures...4 of the 5 are with us!

M and K, playing on the swingset while we wait for the ceremony to end

My cousins E and S, won pretty pink t-shirts! We made them model because it was so funny. I have never seen either of them wear pink, let alone t-shirts like these. Heehee

Almost the whole gang! S is missing.....he had already left to drive home, as he had to work on Monday and couldn't stay for all the festivities. What a gang!

A couple days with the V's

2012-01-01T17:14:00.001-06:00

Here are some pics from this summer of time spent with the V's

Playing at Auntie A's

Uncle D and S, playing outside....love his princess scooter!

This to me, perfectly portrays what it is like to have a little boy. N took his cousin J's four-wheeler to the top of the little hill on the side of their house and decided to ride it down the hill....to go faster of course! And the picture is how that adventure ended. The funniest part was that after this was over. Uncle D asked him to do it again, so he could take a video and he did! Makes me laugh so hard.

I just love her style. Such a little fashonista!

Making Uncle D dance with her. :)

Sweet little kiddos

2012-01-01T17:04:00.000-06:00

Just a few randoms of the kiddos...

I love how much they love each other...most days. :)

My sweet boy

Love this face

N and my cousin T...one of my fav pics of the year. I remember T so well when he was a little guy, like N. Also a sweet boy!

N really likes his safety glasses that he got at Dad's work.

It's so hard to give your sister a piggyback ride when she weighs only a few pounds less than you. Didn't stop them from trying though!

Golfing with the M's

2012-01-01T16:54:00.000-06:00

It was a cloudy and at the end, rainy afternoon, but we still had a blast getting out on the golf course with our good friends the M's this summer!

S and M

2012-01-01T16:50:00.000-06:00

I often look at the kids and can't help but wonder what they will be like later in life. I especially wonder what Miss S and Miss M will be like together. It has been an interesting road with those two. They are only 5 weeks apart in age. Since very early in their livees, S has been a bit of a bully to M. In more recent months, they have been playing much better together, though they still have their moments. I think part of the improvement is that M is finally more vocal about putting S back in her place. :) Sometimes I look at pictures of these two and imigine some serious double trouble later in life! Only time will tell.....

So little :)

They were chatting like girlfriends....cracking each other up. This is where I have hope for the future.

Mischief

2012-01-01T16:34:00.000-06:00

As the summer went on, Miss M got a bit bot mischievous when it came to her pack n plays. This is what she slept in at both Grancy's and Grandma and Grandpa's house. Grancy found that she needed to make sure the bed was faaar away from everything because when M woke up, she would find all kinds of things within reach to get into. At Grandma and Grandpa's she managed to get out a couple times.

Here is a picture of how Grancy found her bed one day, after naptime.

In her bed was everything she managed to grab of the nearby table.....a pack of playing cards, a pack of kleenex....which she emptied, and some doll shoes. This kids keeps us on our toes for sure!

Some more pooltime fun!!

2012-01-01T16:01:00.000-06:00

Last day of the trip. Some of the group had already packed up the car and headed back home. We decided to spent our last day in the pool, of course! I am IN LOVE with how great our kids are in the water. Two little fish! Miss M blew us away this year. N has always been great. She decided that he would not be showing her up this year and was a swimming, jumping fool! Off the side, off the diving board....swam to the side and around the pool all by herself(with wings obviously). It made this mom's heart burst with pride!

So brave! :) Watch me Grandma!

The kiddos, swimming with Grandma.

Just looking at this picture, I can hear her saying "watch me!"

And there she goes!

My other cute little fish! He also was amazing this year. He got to the point where he would take his wings off in the shallow end and go under water, trying to swim. Not a bad start at all!

And sadly, then the week of funin the sun came to an end. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for SO much fun!

Grant's Farm

2011-12-28T22:30:00.001-06:00

On "guy's day", we ladies, took the kiddos out to Grant's Farm. Sadly, no pics of the guys golfing on their day away, but I do have many of us and the kids.

The definite highlight was feeding the baby goats. you can buy warm bottles of milk to feed them.

N loved this so much

For some reason, the goats really wanted to eat J's dress too!

Little Miss M got sick of being bombarded by hungry goats and went and found herself this little guy to visit. Nice and calm. :o)

N also loved the mister. He's a little hot head in the summer and pretty much just wanted to stand here. It did feel pretty nice on a hot summer day!

J and N were hilarious with this camel. They sat by him, chatting with him for a good 10-15 minutes, until we made them leave.

This picture makes me laugh so hard. At the end of our time, we wandered into the gift store. I asked N if he would like to pick something out since he had been such a good boy. As I was helping M find a little something for herself, N came from across the store, holding a huge box. It was a bog farm set and he yelled "mom, I want either this or a whistle." All the mom's there started laughing. Luckily, he made it easy and got a whistle....even got a bonus hat attached to it! Kid cracks me up!

Then off for some eats at DQ of course! :)

S, pretending to talk on the phone

Two VERY chocolatey faces!

After all the guys and gals found there way back to the house, we all had a swim and a family photo session!

The whole gang!

A little bit of silliness

Girl's Day!

2011-12-28T21:38:00.001-06:00

One of my favorite parts about our week down there every year is that my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and I escape for a day to relax and be free of children! So wonderful!

We started out the day with pedicures....my fav!

Then, drinks in hand, headed out in a limo!

So roomy and comfy! We cruised around the city, drinking wine and relaxing.

Then we had some good eats and good drinks at various restaurants and bars. It was a beautiful day, so we made sure to hit all the good patios!

A visit to the Arch

2011-12-28T21:30:00.000-06:00

We had a few people there that week that had never been up in the arch. So, after bit of a wait(impatiently for a few little ones), we went up to check out the view!

Going up!

Taking a look at the view below

Cards stadium

A pile of kiddos!

Day 2...off to the City Museum!

2011-12-28T21:16:00.000-06:00

This Museum was really fun! Crazy architecture and fun for kids and adults! We can't wait to go again!

Every area was unique

Kids checking out the serpent staircase

Wall made out of bread pans...made a fun sound!

People-sized hamster wheel!

Train that went around the museum....no surprise that N loved this!

A ball pit with real bouncy balls

Silly girls

Are you sure you should be driving this?

Big cement slides....they really flew down them!

The dads, playing on the rope swing

On the ferris wheel, on the roof!

Auntie A and J

J and N, in front of the praying mantis

A and N, way up in this tower....J was content to hang out below. :)

You could go in this bus on the roof....it hung out over the edge

Muscling it up to the top

To top off a fun day, it was someone's 6th birthday!

Vick Family Vacation 2012.....Day 1

2011-12-28T20:23:00.001-06:00

We did actually arrive the night prior to this. Kids went right to bed and the adults went out to the pool to visit. Here is the picture that S sent to Uncle D, since he could not come for a few days yet.

Had to hit the pool right away the next morning! :)

Two little girls, easing into the pool

One little monkey, jumping on the diving board

Miss J, wearing M's hat

Troll, under the bridge??

Lurking...

It was a great day!

Flowers from the Hubby!

2011-12-13T22:22:00.000-06:00

Backyard pooltime fun

2011-12-13T22:14:00.000-06:00

Not as fun as Grandma & Grandpa's, but a good way to cool off, all the same!

Cake anyone?

2011-12-13T22:10:00.001-06:00

Just a little project I made for an event for my Uncle John. I just really liked how it turned out.

Monkey diaper cake!

The benefit was for my Uncle J, who has Hepetitus and will be missing some work due to his treatments. My amazing family put together an event for them to assist them during this time. It is times like this that make me so proud to be part of such a great family! Here are some pics from the party.

Many of us made/donated gift baskets. You could then buy tickets and put them in the bucket by the items you wanted to win. If you bought $100 dollars in tickets, you got to ring the bell. Miss M was dying to ring the bell, so her very nice Grancy let her ring for her and then Beanie let her ring it again for her! The generousity in that room was amazing. Even people not closely related to them were so incredibly generous, My amazing friend TR2 put together a wonderful basket and donated it, my friend E's mom donated some darling cloth diapers for my baby basket, and my friend A came and worked a shift, bussing tables with me. We are so lucky to have such wonderful people in our life!

Me and my cutie

The other cutie with his Grancy

Funny M

2011-12-13T22:07:00.001-06:00

What can I say....the kids LOVES hats(and sometimes my shoes)! Such a clown. :)

Two little monkeys

M and Mommy

Miss M's "tootsies"

2011-12-13T21:51:00.000-06:00

I went to pick up M at school one day and found this hanging on the wall. It made me smile!

Some July pooltime fun!

2011-12-13T21:48:00.002-06:00

We went to see G & G over 4th of July weekend. Here are some pics of all our fun!

Who's ready to hit the pool??

N....just backfloatin' around

This picture just makes me laugh because I believe after this one cautious entry, it was wild woman from here on out!

My sweet boy

Cute little feet

King of the raft

Grandma made popsicles! Yummy!

Fashionista! :)

One of my favorite pics of the summer. Thanks Grandma!

This is what I like to do during naptime....Shandy in hand. :)

I just love her, laughing at him

Two little cuties

Happy 4th of July!! Every year Grandma gets us Old Navy gear!

Just thought this was cute....big brother helping her get her shoes on. Gotta remember these sweet moments! Sometimes they get lost in the chaos.

Star glasses and all!

Giddy-up! At the car show.

Soooo far behind!

2011-12-13T20:58:00.000-06:00

My goal is to catch up on here before the end of the year....I will be one busily bloggin' Mama! So, for starters.....

Waay back on June 25th(embarrasing), we V's headed out for a very busy day! In the morning, we went to the annual Delta Block Party. This event always reminds me of our stubborn little M and her refusal to come out when she was in my tummy. Our first Delta Block Party took place when I was about a week overdue and we walked and walked all over that place just trying to get a certain someone motivated. :)

This year, we met up with our friends, the R's for some kiddie fun, freebies, and of course, music and dancing! Here is a pic of our kiddos and theirs, dancing up on the stage during lunch. Their little ones, DR and LR, also go to "school" with N and M and are super sweet!

Four little dancin' fools! They had so much fun!

From the Block Party, we all jumped in the car and drove all the way to Fergus Falls for my friend HP's wedding! It was a beautiful day and such a fun wedding. I'm so glad we made the drive. Everything was so well thought out and fit her so well. When we got there, the kids had a nice suprise that their friends TL and ZL were there! Since we had stopped going to TR2's awhile back, it was a fun little reunion. It was also quite a reunion for S and I, as many people that we had worked with at the airport over our many years were there too. Thanks for the invite H! It was so fun!

Little Miss Z

Big T

For the ceremony, there were blankets laid all over the ground for us to sit on! What a great idea.

The happy couple

A Handful

2011-10-09T23:59:00.002-05:00

Yep....N is now officially a handful....of fingers that is. Today, my baby boy turned FIVE! He's so excited, but I can't help but to be a little sad. Don't get me wrong, he is more fun every day, but even though I try to relish every moment of my kid's childhoods, it goes just too dang fast! Last week, he and I were sitting on the couch and I asked him, "can you believe that you are almost five?". His response was "yep! And then I'll be five, going on six!" I told him "no....I think that I will just keep you five forever. I want to keep you little." He sat there for a minute looking at me and then said "you are just kidding, right?! You can't do that!" I led him on a bit with a "sure I can. I think we'll just keep you five." He started to get a little worried and said "Mom! I have to go to school!" Kid cracks me up.

So, I held him like a little baby and told him that I was kidding and that he would just have to let me do that sometimes and get some snuggling time in when I wanted it. Seems like just yesterday that I was in the hospital, wondering if this child would ever come out, as we rapidly approached midnight. I had begun to be induced the night prior and had been having contractions since then. Finally, at 11:49pm, he decided he was ready to enter this crazy world. What a great day, to say the least. We are beyond blessed to have such a sweet and smart little boy!

N gets more grown up by the day. He can now read quite a bit, is a professional on his two-wheeler, loves his little sister to pieces, asks more questions than any other human on the planet! :) As much as I miss his "babyness", it is so much fun to watch him grow and learn more every day. N, you are a wonderful, sweet little(yep still going with little) boy and we are having so much fun watching you grow! Love you buddy!

Brand spankin' new! First time he sucked his thumb...and still does. :)

(We're working on it!)

So dang cute

And a little impish!

We stayed at a cabin on the St. Croix for part of N's birthday weekend. He started out his birthday morning on an acorn hunt.

The view from the cabin was fantastic. The Fall colors made it even better!

Relishing us singing to him

Yep, we even traveled with the birthday hat and muffins! It's tradition and N had already mentioned the week prior that he couldn't wait for his birthday muffin. It actually worked out kind of nice. We let our friends we were visiting sleep in and just our family of four had muffins and sang to N. It was kind of nice to start the day that way. Plus we were enjoying starting the day outside, on a gorgeous Fall morning with that amazing view. Life is good.

Later in the day, N had his birthday party at Adventure Peak. He also had his 3rd birthday party here. It's such a great place for the kids to play and we don't have to worry about the weather or cramming all those kids into our house! This year was a little more of a challenge than previous years. I did not realize that he was getting to the age where parent's would drop off and leave. It is a large place, and I was a little stressed trying to keep track of 10 little kids! Luckily, a few parents did stay or I might have lost my mind!

Fake smile!

He looks distressed in the picture, but I think he was just yelling to us out the window.

Little J(N's friend TJ's little bro)

Another rendition of Happy Birthday!

Next to N, is his BFF TJ. He and his family came up from Mankato to help us celebrate. I love to watch these two play together. They just love each other. When N used to go to T's house for daycare, I always said they would great each other in the morning like they hadn't seen each other for months. Today, I invited T's family to our house for dinner, after the party. T excitedly told N "hey, I am going where you're going after this!" I told N, "I invited T and his family to our house for dinner." N got really excited and said "Good job, T! Let's hug on that!" So, those two cute little boys stood in the middle of Adventure Peak, hugging it out. Too dang cute.

Diego(one of his new loves in life) cake....it was even "chocklick", his favorite!

N got a new robe for his bday from Grancy, so he and M modeled their robes together tonight....and then they played soccer in them in the living room.

One last shot with the birthday hat!

And as I finish this post, I see it is only moments prior to midnight. Almost five years to the minute! Love you kid! You make me so happy!

Love,

Mom

A Perfect Fall Day

2011-09-25T20:58:00.001-05:00

I am skipping ahead for the moment. This weekend was one of the first weekends since summer that we haven't had a jam packed schedule. It was wonderful!!!

On Saturday, P got a little painting done on the bedroom, then we headed out to her old boss E's house for a housewarming party. It was fun to se him and his family and got to hang out with some great folks that she used to work with at Mesaba. Then, we went to the M family's house for a delicious dinner and bonfire. M #1's family was there and we just love his family, so fun was had by all! It was great to see all of them again, as we hadn't since the wedding. The kids had a blast together.

Today, Sunday, was perfect! Well, really anytime we have a whole weekend, all together, is perfect in my book. Today, however, was great because not only was the weather fantastic, but it was a great mix of productivity and family time. We all just hung out in the morning, had some good cuddles, a few wrestles. Then I painted while the kids napped. Then we went on a little biking adventure!

There is a restaurant that I have been hearing about all summer and hadn't gotten to, near Minnehaha Falls, called Sea Salt. It is right next to the Falls and you get everything to go and they have tons of outdoor seating. That was our first stop on the adventure and we had some delicious seafood for dinner. Then, we pedaled on up the road for a little dessert at D.Q., followed by the scenic route home.

Yep....perfect day. Gorgeous weather, time with the family. Who could ask for more! N was SO excited to ride on his "half bike" and Miss M loved her ride in the Chariot....she rode in total comfort. Even took her socks and shoes off, little stinker! :)

Me and my babies

Two peas in a pod

Minnehaha Falls

Here's to many more weekends like this!

Love,

Uncle J

2011-09-17T16:26:00.000-05:00

This past week, the kid's Uncle J came to visit. They were BEYOND excited, however, Miss M was a bit upset that her Aunt B did not come as well. She shed some tears over this while we were driving one night and I told her we would go visit Aunt B soon in Montana. When I pulled up to the house and tried to take her out of the car, she cried again because she thought we were going right to the aiport to go see her. Glad she loves Aunt B so much. :) Guess we will go visit soon!

While Uncle J was here, he watched the kids one day instead of us sending them to daycare. They had a blast! I even had to wake them up the next morning to go to daycare because they were so exhausted. Thanks for coming J! We all had fun seeing you.

S's Mini-me....chanic?

2011-09-17T16:10:00.000-05:00

For months now, N has been begging S to bring him to his work. So, this morning, my two boys headed out for a morning of car fixin'. They didn't get too far(about 6 blocks) before stopping for breakfast. :) After eating though, they headed out to Westside Volkswagen to change the oil in my van. I got an oil change, wiper fluid(the blue kind, according to N...hehe), and my tires checked out. S described N as a real "happy helperton". He said when they were done with my car, he wanted to go help everyone else work on their cars. Haha. You can see just how much this field trip made his day in the pics below.

Such a happy little boy...this pic just makes me laugh

He even got to bring home his cool safety glasses

Tattoos

2011-07-17T15:54:00.001-05:00

When asked what hers was, Miss M would say, "a song!"

Two happy little kids!

Such a tough guy :)

Our next adventure??

2011-07-17T15:52:00.000-05:00

Someone has slowly become a little bit interested in this new chair we got her. She does ask to sit on it frequently, though any results are not quite a frequent. :) At this point, we are just happy to oblige and let her take a seat.

Our TR2

2011-07-17T15:49:00.000-05:00

When N was born, we struggled with who we could leave this precious bundle with while we went to work each day. I couldn't imagine trusting anyone with him, however when my wonderful friend TR2 said that she would be willing, I just knew that was the right choice. Ever since N was 12 weeks old, TR2 has cared for him and then Miss M too when she was born. We always had some others in the mix(also wonderful people), but she has been our constant. A couple months ago, she told us that they had some very exciting changes coming up in the R household. One was that Miss P is going to be a big sister! And the second was that they had bought a new house in Welch, a bit too far away for daycare. So, while we are very excited for our friends and all their fun happenings, we were very sad that the kids would no longer be in her amazing care. So, as the school year wrapped up, as did TR2's little daycare. We took a few pictures on the kids last day there. Though we will be sure to have many playdates in the future! We wish them all the best on their new adventures and are happy to have such wonderful friends in our life.

My Iris'

2011-07-17T15:34:00.000-05:00

Love these flowers. Just wish they lasted a bit longer.

A sleepover!

2011-07-17T15:32:00.000-05:00

The kids' cousins JV and SV came over a few weeks ago for their first sleepover. So fun! They all had a blast. J and N were sooo excited. It was pretty late before I could get those two to stop chatting and go to sleep! :) Very cute.

A little silliness

Sibling love

Two crazy little girls. Happy the stroller held her!

Miss J

Miss M's birthday party

2011-07-17T15:25:00.000-05:00

A little behind, but here are some pics from Baby Girl's birthday party. So much fun! We had a day with wonderful weather and were able to have a little backyard bash to celebrate Miss M.

The M's brought a pinata for the kids. It was a huge hit!

Miss M had many techniques...here is her one arm attack

Action shot!

Baby A and her Daddy

Having some birthday cake!

Yummy!

Silly girl

Such a goon

Miss M and two of her favorite guys, Uncle D and JM, who we call her boyfriend.

Note all the frosting is gone off N's cake. :)

Grancy made M a hat...she would not take it off!

Opening presents with cousin J and Miss P

A puppy shirt!

Fancy new kicks from our friend AB

Loving her day!

I don't even know what to say about this....apparently he went down into the bushes to find a ball, but fell. Crazy kid.

Great-Grandma B and Grancy

It was a purple/Tinkerbell kind of a party

J and Uncle D, putting together M's gift from G & G

I love this pic with the bubble right there.

Bubbles!

Her face cracks me up here. She loved the fire!

G & G sent their gift with Uncle D and she LOVES it! Would not get off.

Checking out those pearly whites

2011-07-17T14:51:00.000-05:00

At the end of May, our two kiddos headed off to the Dentist for a couple of check-ups. This was Miss M's first time to the dentist. She did amazingly well....until the very end. She lost patience waiting for the dentist, after getting her teeth cleaned and was very adamant about being done! :)

This is prior to the Dentist telling him he needed to stop sucking his thumb or he would need braces. He is now trying to stop, but I have a feeling we have a looong road ahead of us!

Checking out the "sucker". They are really great with little kids! M was intrigued and excited about her new toothbrush she got too!

Home Improvement project #1....for the summer.

2011-07-17T14:45:00.000-05:00

S and I decided, earlier in the summer, to begin fixing our upstairs. Luckily for us, most of what needed to be done involved sheetrocking and Uncle D used to hang sheet rock and Uncle M tapes and muds! Maybe not lucky for them, but they offered their services and the project began. As all projects in our house go, it was not according to the plan. S and I ended up doing a dayof demolition that we hadn't anticipated, but nothing too major. Here are some pics of the "before":

After tearing down the existing walls

Uncle D, helping out with some demo

This was one messy project!!

And here is what I did, once the demo was done....

Watched four kids many days! Auntie A works weekends, so I watched our two nieces while Uncle M helped us out on the upstairs.

Thumbsucker #1

Thumbsucker #2

Thumbsucker #3

Miss J

Happy rainy day to you!

2011-06-23T14:17:00.000-05:00

The bright spot in our rainy day! Little Miss Sunshine. :)

I think Miss M was the only one excited about the rain yesterday....simply because she got to wear her raincoat.

The M Wedding!!!!!

2011-06-21T21:34:00.000-05:00

Some of our best friends JL and JM married each other on May 21st. S and I both had the great honor of being in the wedding and seriously had one of the best days of our lives! We are so excited and happy for them and are thrilled to be a part of their adventure!

Junior Bridesmaid, M, getting her hair done

The blushing bride

M, all dolled up and ready to go!

The Mother of the Groom, helping the bride get dressed

Princess G!

Look at all those hot mamas! Such a fun group of ladies!

Classic

The guys

JM and his sisters

The kiddos

The L's, like my second family!

The beautiful bride

They did it! Now on to the H2 limo!

The limo

Note the Boon's Farm. Wedding tradition!

Had to sing a love song to get the couple to kiss

A serenade to the couple, courtesy of S and Best Man, N

Father/Daughter dance

All the guys singing to the bride..."You've lost that lovin' feeling"

Good friends!

The gang, back together. Me, J, her brother B, and J

A little Thriller!

This wedding was so fun. S and I kind of felt like we got to relive ours a little. The reception was at the same hall, we also got an H2 limo, and so many of our friends are mutual that many of them were there too! Not to mention my kiddos(who were darling, you will just have to trust me, as they escaped my camera), Grancy, and J & B were there too. What a blast!

Gearing up for the big wedding!

2011-06-21T21:12:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple pics from rehearsal night of the M wedding:

Princess G, the flower girl. I could have ate her up, she was so darn cute!

Ring-bearer, Mr. E and Princess G

Bride and Groom at their sweethearts table for dinner

One of my best friends!

2011-06-21T21:09:00.000-05:00

Opening fishing weekend

2011-06-21T21:08:00.001-05:00

Every year for opening fishing, the S goes up north with all the guys in his family and Grandma V stays with me and the kiddos! We love it! Here are some pics, some not for the weak hearted! :)

When Grandma and Grandpa come, we combine the kids in one room and give them the other. This time, we gave them N's room. We had it all set up and ready to go and here is how I found M. When I asked her what she was doing, she said "waiting for Grandpa!" She has a special spot in her heart for Grandpa. He and I think they bonded last year at Disney on the shuttle busses....it seems as though he has the pleasure of holding her through every tantrum(and there were many). I think he earned that little bit of extra love!

Shady Lady

We had the cousins over to dig in the dirt

Grandma and Auntie A

Grandma B came over while the guys were fishing and had been cleaning out her house. She came upon some "swim outfits" that she had long ago bought for her husband, Grandpa B. he never quite got around to wearing them(shocking), so she brought them over for Grandma V to keep as spares at her pool at home. When S and Uncle D got home from fishing they could not resist trying these on. Warning! Not so pretty! :) I think I cried, laughing so much at this little fashion show.

The socks really make the outfit

I have no words. :)

They could not stop giggling

The kiddos

2011-06-21T21:00:00.000-05:00

A few pics of the kids around the house.

My sweet boy

Love this little profile

Little roadrash from the payground at daycare

Always dancing!

Cheese ball!

Little Miss Sunshine

2011-06-21T20:55:00.000-05:00

My daughter loves hats like nobody's business!

A wine-tasting wedding shower

2011-06-21T20:53:00.000-05:00

Right up my alley! :) Right after we finished celebrating with Miss S, I headed up North to McGregor for a wedding shower for my friend JL, with all her future in-laws. It was a wine-tasting party/sleepover. SO much fun. I got to meet lots of people in my friend JM's(the groom) family and am happy to report that they are so much fun! It was great to get to know all them prior to the wedding. Thanks for including me JL!

The spread

Bride-to-be

For those of you that don't know JL too well, this girl loves shots!

Bottoms up! Cheers to you!

Little S turns T-W-O!

2011-06-21T20:47:00.000-05:00

Out of order I know, since S is older than Miss M by 5 weeks, but here are some pics of my niece S and her 2nd birthday party.

The little birthday girl, getting ready to open her presents

Not sure what's up with the goofy face, but here she is in her new tutu!

Loving her Minnie cake and being sung to!

The kiddos, eagerly waiting for some cake!