Ladies Night

Saturday night was a ladies night out for my best friend Sarah, and myself!

A wonderful day of no little ones needing us, no agenda, no timelines...

Simply a day to do whatever the heck we want!

It was fabulous!

We ended up eating lunch at the Roasted Pear, then we were off for some shoe shopping!

For those of you who know me well... there is this particular pair of boots...

you know the ones?

The ones I've been pining after for months?!

Well, I finally made the decision to purchase these boots, and apparently my patience paid off!!!

I am now the proud new owner of some gorgeous black boots that I got for over HALF OFF!!!

Woo Hoo!

I had to drive to a Wayzeta store to pick them up. (THE LAST PAIR)

But I GOT THEM!!!

Photos to come soon!

We then wandered around Eden Prairie mall and did some window shopping.

I'm proud to say that I exercised a LOT of restraint, and actually purchased very little.

(the boots were still rather expensive.)

Sarah and I made it to our hotel, after a few wrong turns and about 5 tours of random parking ramps.

We stayed at the Westin hotel for a great rate (thank you Hotwire)!

After some chill time, and snapping a few pics... we headed out to dinner!

As we were enjoying our meal, we happened to spot  an old friend of ours who we then proceeded

to spend a few hours with! It was so great to see him!

The rest of the night was spent having a few adult beverages, listening to some music, and girl-talking!

We had some breakfast/lunch on Sunday and headed back to our respective families.

As great as it was to be out and away from the kids and hubbies... we were both very ready to return

to our "boring" Mommy lives!

Sarah, thank you, I love you, and I can't wait to plan our next ladies night out!

Cajun shrimp pasta!! Umm, delicious!

I'm not a "city girl" by any stretch, but it can be quite pretty.

The wine vault at the Westin

I LOVE YOU SARAH!

Cancer Sucks

Today we say good-bye to a wonderful woman.

Lisa, our dear friend and neighbor, fought to the end against lung cancer.

She was a bright spirit, who always found a smile for you when you needed it!

My girls loved her and she loved them! We are so lucky to have known her and call her a friend!

She leaves behind her two children, Miranda and Mitch. 

Please send any and all prayers up for her family.

Lisa... we will miss you deeply. God Speed and peace to you.

"Be not afraid,

I stand before you always.

Come, follow me, and I will give you rest."

Week 8 - The View From Here

I couldn't decide which to submit, 

one is a little more literal, but I like them both, and fortunately,

in this challenge, you can submit up to 3 images.

Let me know which one you like best!

Crazy mid-February blizzard!

my "view" from laying on the floor watching my kiddos play on the porch!



Many moods of Lila Kate

Oh, to have a toddler...

So, we have this little girl named Lila

She is almost 2 1/2 years old.

Lila is ... let's call her "dynamic"

or multi-faceted...

or spirited...

basically, she's a complete pill!

In the span of about 3 minutes, you can range from all out melt-down tantrum

to cheesy, "take a picture of my smile, mama" !

(See following photos)

Please Mama, PLEASE... I watch Dora? (after I've said no about 10 times)

slowly pulling herself together

goofy kid

But she also is amazing, and funny, and smart, and sweet!

She loves her little sister and likes to help her out.

"No Mommy, I play with Ellie"

She loves her baby doll and takes very good care of her.

 She's like her Mommy and loves to take pictures!

She's feisty and wild,

 yet loves to snuggle on the couch and read books

and sing songs,

 and have her back rubbed. (who doesn't?)

Lila Kate...what else can I say?

We love you!

10 Months

My baby is 10 months old today.

She has taken her first steps ( I have yet to catch it on video) and is my sunshine on a gray day!

She babbles all the time, and blessedly... slept through the night last night!

She's snuggly, and warm, and smiley, and basically a bundle of huggable joy!

My baby... getting SO big, SO fast...

Snapped this today... oh how I love sleeping babies!

Finding the balance

I've been blog hopping

People I know, people they know, people no one knows....

Just wanted to see what was out there.

I found this post....  it struck me.

Hit very close to home.
Balance.

I fight to find it all the time.

The struggle has been very real and present in our home lately.

This was good for me to find.

Balance
Is there really such a thing as balance after you become a mother? The answer is simple, right? Yes. And no.

These days, I find myself in a constant balancing act - sparkly pink shoes and multicolored manicures for the girls or cleaning my bathroom? Dusting every surface of my house (which I assure you NEEDS to be done) or orchestrating and judging another American Girl fashion show? Taking photos and becoming more proficient in Photoshop or spending some time with the hubs after the kids are in bed? Helping my kids find themselves while not losing myself along the way. That's the balance.

I have committed to being more intentional with my time and with my family. Less Facebook. More dress-up. Fewer cartoons and Disney movies. More family reading and listening to Caroline read to us. More all-out family room dance parties after dinner. More listening, more serving together, more focus. Good things.
http://threesmycrowd.blogspot.com/2011/02/balance.html

Cutie patooties!

Yesterday I took a few more pictures.

Just a few, I swear.

Ok, I'm lying.  

I took lots.

Our friends came on down and let me snap some 6 month photos of their little man!

Last month I took some of big sister when she turned 2! 

Stinkin' cute eh?

Week 7 - Open the Heart

I once again struggled with this week's theme.  

"Open the Heart"

Hmmmm...????

I kept thinking of a particular picture of Elaina's birth.

However, this doesn't work for 2 reasons.

1) I did not take the picture (thank you Chelsie)

2) The photo needs to be taken within the specified week's time frame.

I decided that today I would just find something to photograph, and say "screw it" to the theme.

No need.

Last night I was in the kitchen putting some stuff away after putting Ellie to bed.

I looked over and saw Ryan and Lila sitting on the couch reading Dr. Seuss.

So sweet, so precious.  

Opened up my heart.

(Here is the picture I was thinking of...  I know it's a little "fresh", but every time I look at it, my heart swells and I feel that little prick of tears in my eyes.~  and yes, I know I have an ugly cry face.)

Eerie morning

When it was just getting light outside, this is what I saw out my back porch.

Everything was blue and hazy and eerie, but somehow a little pretty.

I wish I had a panoramic lens to show the true feeling, but this at least is a little taste.

Cooper 6 Months

This past weekend, I had the privledge of taking some photos of the darling boy of some friends of mine.

I've known Mom and Dad since middle school, and it's so much fun seeing them with their little guy!

Thank you both for letting me have some fun with Cooper!

I heart drool