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It was our first week of summer and we were BUSY. Our summer schedule is Monday- boys with Grandma Debbie, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday- nanny Shyanna is with the boys, Friday- Nate and Natalie alternate PTO days off with the boys.

Grandma Debbie’s bestie also does childcare for her grandkids, so Monday was a fun day of swimming at the lake, playing and hanging out with Cain and Cora. The evening was all about running back and forth between our yard and the neighbor’s yard to alternate swimming and jumping on the trampoline.

As stated last weekend when we assembled the pool, we had no idea what we were getting into- the pool was a decent price, but this week we spent a small fortune on accessories. We are leaning into pool life and have spent a lot of time cleaning the filter and checking things, and maintaining.

On Tuesday, Augustus slept in until 8:45, which was probably an indication that we’ve had a lot of late nights and jam packed days. It was the first day the nanny was here and all of us were excited for her to arrive. She is a student at St. Thomas. I absolutely have hired her to be a camp counselor. She is wonderful with the boys and ALSO with the dogs, which wasn’t a requirement, but probably should have been as they are a handful and she is awesome with them. Day 1 was super fun- they played a lot of games, did some crafting, played outside, swam and when she left for the day, the boys asked when she was coming back, so I call that a success. We have had several nannies over the years and all of them have been OUTSTANDING. I am confident she will continue that trend and I’m so grateful we have her this summer!

Tuesday night was soccer for the boys. It was SO hot outside, I was advocating for us skipping it, but Nate and the boys were excited, so I got overruled. Augustus scored a goal! Xander is getting better and better each week and both boys really enjoy it. I appreciate that it is only one night a week.

Wednesday was Augustus’s first golf lesson! Nate said he spoke up and had a lot to add to what the teacher was saying. Nate also said he did really well. When he got home from golf, the boys and Shyanna went to the library to use their new library cards and pick out some books. There was more swimming and because it was so hot, there was also a mid-day movie. Wednesday night is tee ball for Xander, which I skipped so I could bake cookies and walk the dogs. Nate said he did really well!

On Thursday, Shyanna took the boys to the park, and they were gone for a long time! When they got home, they were excited to report that as they were getting ready to leave, Sam and Abby showed up, so they ended up staying for another 45 minutes! More games, crafting and swimming. I think they swam twice a day every day this week. So far, this pool has been a great addition!

On Thursday night we headed to Camp St. Croix for their pizza farm night. We met the Nelson’s there and no one knew what to expect. You buy the pizza boxes and get tickets. Then you go around to each farmers market stand and collect your ingredients. Then you assemble your pizza and bring it to the pizza oven for them to cook for you. I LOVE stuff like this and it was fun to support one of the camps I work with.

Friday was a marathon of a day! I had the day off and the boys and I headed to the YMCA right away- I had a personal training appointment and they tried out the Y childcare for the first time. After my appointment, we all jumped in the pool to play for about 30 minutes until their swim lesson started. I didn’t take any photos this week, but Xander swam 50 yards! He is getting SO good at swimming and I am really proud of him. Augustus is also becoming quite a little fish, and I am happy to see them be so confident in the water.

After swim lessons, we headed to the dentist and both boys were fabulous. Xander has lost 6 or 7 teeth and Augustus has 2 loose teeth right now!

We stopped for lunch and then headed home. We did all of that before 1pm! Swimming, playing, and we were ready for the weekend. The dogs have been VERY interested in the pool- they’ve chewed on the cord for the pump, on the side straps, eaten one of the foam mats… so on Friday afternoon, Nate built a small fence to keep them away. Thus far, Hudson has mostly taken the fence as a challenge, so we just keep re-enforcing it. Every time he breaches the fence, he eats something new (a pool noodle, goggles, a squirt gun), so we’re going to continue to battle him until we have a bulldog-proof fence. Stay tuned…

On Saturday, Grandma Debbie took the boys to Uncle Barry’s cabin for the day. They caught 6 fish and swam all day! Nate golfed, I did a major organizing project in our spare room and baked cookies- I think it was the perfect day for everyone!

And today was Father’s Day! Completely on their own, the boys created a scavenger hunt for Nate. They had made fuse bead creations and also had mini Twix bars. They drew arrows and had clues. It was VERY cute and I had absolutely nothing to do with it (except that clearly genetics had a role! I have future camp counselors on my hands!). They were very excited for him to find their prizes.

It was 90+ degrees today, so we decided on an indoor activity. We went to Can Can Wonderland which is a very fun place. There are unlimited arcade games, skee ball, air hockey, etc. and also mini golf (our original reason for going). Each hole of mini golf has a different design and they are all spectacular. So cool! We mini golfed and then spent several hours playing games. It was such a fun place!

Afterwards, we had not lunch/not dinner random time sushi. We had planned to go for dinner, but we were all starving so we went early. That left us plenty of time for relaxing, swimming (with freezies in the pool) and a movie night. Both boys went right to sleep, so I think they were exhausted from a very busy week.

Every week this summer has a lot on the calendar, so we’ve only just begun. Here we go!!

We were feeling festive all week long because the end of the school year had arrived! Monday night was impromptu root beer floats with our neighbors.

On Tuesday, Pre-K went on a field trip to the local fire station. Augustus was very excited and has pointed it out all week long since then. I was in macaron mode every moment I wasn’t working, as I had a wedding order due on Friday. I had to skip soccer to bake, but Nate said both boys did awesome and they are getting better every week!

Wednesday was kindergarten graduation and Xander’s last day of school! Kindergarten has been so wonderful! His teacher was attentive and fun and made every day interesting. He made friends, he learned a lot. He lost a bunch of teeth. He is trying to grow his hair out to look like Thor.

Graduation was at 9am on Wednesday. Before Nate and Xander left to go to school, I hugged him and was having a moment- telling him how proud I was and how much he’d grown. He looked at me and said, “I’ll see you in an hour” in case there was any question of whether this kid is a mini Nate….

When we got to school, his kindergarten room was packed with parents and grandparents. The kids processed in, and then his teacher had a slideshow and spoke about each kid. The handed out medals and the kids sang the school song. They all danced out of the room to “Two Legit to Quit” which was the song their class chose to represent them. We took lots of photos, the kids played on the playground, and then we all headed to a local park to have a picnic lunch and play some more. It was a fabulous morning.

Wednesday night was the first night of tee ball for Xander. He’s actually pretty good at hitting, so I am excited to see him play!

On Thursday, Xander hung out while I worked. It was kind of a boring first day of summer break. At the end of the day, all of us headed to KBH for pre-K graduation. I have loved every moment at Kinderberry and I am so sad to leave. I sent the director a long email thanking her for an amazing experience.

On Friday, I had planned to have Augustus go to school for a short time to say goodbye and pick up his stuff for his final day. But they had a movie and pizza day, so he wanted to go the whole day. That meant he skipped his first swim lesson of this session, but I was glad he got one more day with his class. After school, we had early dinner and then headed out front for an ice cream sundae party with the neighbors. After dinner, before ice cream, I drove to Como to deliver wedding cookies. The photos the wedding planner sent me afterwards were amazing! Sometimes I don’t recognize my own cookies. I got home just in time for sundaes. We were outside until 8:15, the kids running around, the adults having cocktails- everyone very excited for the summer!

Saturday started with a small mom-fail. I was very excited to surprise the boys with a bunch of fun summer things- water guns, chalk, airplanes, nets, etc. I set it all up after bed with a sign that said, “happy first day of summer”. Well, Xander was QUITE upset when I came downstairs on Saturday morning. He assumed it was all fo Augustus since he had already had 2 days of summer. He had written some crabby notes (“No stuff for Xan” and “Here’s your stuff. Happy 1st Day Gus”). We talked about it and I assured him I would never leave him out and while he was right, he’d already had 2 days off, I was counting Saturday at the first since everyone in the neighborhood, him, Gussie, etc were finally done with school. He bounced back once he knew half of the stuff was for him.

Saturday was a party day for us as we headed to Christine’s house for a dia-versary for Evie. A year ago, my god-daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and this was a party to celebrate her, her family and all that they’ve overcome this year. I was excited to go early to be able to help with set up. There was a giant inflatable obstacle course, a pinata, one million kids and lots of good food (and a popcorn maker!). Christine knows how to throw a party! At 8pm, we had to pull our boys out of the obstacle course- Augustus had played every single minute since we arrived, stopping only when we forced him to take a water break every now and then. It was such a fun day! Evie has been so brave this year and Christine and Derek have been super parents, so it was a really nice opportunity to celebrate all of them.

Today was yet another day of fun and activity for us. The boys went to Grandma Debbie’s house for playing and swimming. Nate and I did some organizing and cleaning projects and then assembled our new pool. Last summer we had a blow up pool, but the dogs popped it. So we needed something a little more substantial. I did NOT mean to end up with THIS big of a pool, but apparently we are above-ground pool people now. The water was ICE cold when the boys arrived home in the afternoon, but that didn’t stop them from jumping in. It will be perfect in a few days, but it was fun for them to try it out. Meanwhile, I was at a Sunday afternoon wedding as a plus one! When my friend Becky needed a date, I was happy to join her. I like getting dressed up, I like cake. I like hanging out with Becky!

The summer is officially here and if the first few days were any indication, we are going to be BUSY!

It was our second to last week of school and I am getting so sad that it is nearing the end. I am sure next week will be even worse, so I’ll save my sadness for next week’s post. Plus, this week was AWESOME and I’m just so filled with joy after a particularly great weekend.

Tuesday was field day for Xander. His class won tug-o-war against the teachers and I think it was a very fun day! I heard most about the popsicles at the end, but I know he enjoyed the activities a lot too.

On Thursday, MPA welcomed new students with the Panther Party. They set up a scavenger hunt around the school and each station had very cool swag for Augustus to pick up along the way. He got a bag, a hat, a tee shirt, a book and a water bottle. Xander got some sibling swag as well. They had a nacho bar set up at the end. It was a very nice event and Gussie is excited to do another year of pre-K, this time at the big kid school.

Nate’s been doing a lot of work on our yard the last few weeks and it turns out bulldogs love gardening too. Hudson is obsessed with the hose and doesn’t hesitate to get right in the dirt afterwards. “This is why we can’t have nice things” is a phrase that I find myself shouting often. 2 bulldog puppies… what were we thinking?!? He also added a sun shade to our backyard, which I am SUPER excited about because our backyard gets ridiculously hot, so this will be a game changer for hanging out in the back yard.

Xander’s teacher does such a nice job of sending LONG updates every week and I love hearing about everything he is up to in kindergarten. She also sends us random cute stories about Xander, which I really appreciate and always makes me happy to read. This was the note we got this week-

I wanted to share this sweet and impressive moment today. Xander picked out the melon seed that was in his snack and said, “I want to bring this to the school chefs so they can plant it for us.” I found a good-sized envelope for him and he wrote a note on it. He spelled this out with zero help from me! I wish you could see the confidence and ease with which he is sounding out even tricky words like honeydew using his phonics knowledge and his phonemic awareness skills. He also felt completely comfortable walking up to the school chef Ronnie, handing him the seed packet, and explaining his idea to him. 

This is my hope and dream for all my students – for them to have the creativity, agency, and skill to pursue ideas that are meaningful to them, all because they feel grounded in a community where they are nurtured, safe, and empowered. I really couldn’t ask for more. 

I will miss Xander so, but he is also VERY ready to level up! He’s going to do great. Thank you for all your support and kindness this year! 

How sweet is this note?! I LOVE his teacher so so much. She has been amazing!

The Panther Party was great, but just one party wasn’t enough for us this week. On Saturday it was the Youth in Government 75th anniversary celebration gala and I was SO excited for this event. Nate and I met at YIG and I have volunteered for this program for 17 years. I could write pages and pages about how much I love this program. It just so happens that my new job gets to be involved with YIG- both with midlevel donors and also with alumni. I am so excited to be able to not just volunteer but also work with this program. This event has been in the works for a whole year (before I began my job). I have had approximately 100 conversations (maybe more, for real) about this event. I have enjoyed every minute of the planning and feel so lucky to have a job that includes YIG. Grandma Debbie came to stay with the boys and the dogs, and Nate and I got a hotel room for the night (the event was only 10 minutes away, but I knew it would be more fun to be able to stay).

I wasn’t just a guest, I also got to help, which I was really excited about. We got there early and Nate got to relax for a while, while I helped out at the check in table. It was fun to greet everyone as they arrived and I was really glad to have been asked to help. I like parties, but I like being part of the behind the scenes stuff even more! The event had 315 people and the energy was AMAZING. It was such an incredibly fun night. I got to see so many people from current and past YIG conferences and it was just wonderful. The decorations were gorgeous. The dinner and program were fantastic. It was so gratifying to be part of a million conversations leading up to the event and then see it come together just as we’d all imagined. I was really proud of the staff and volunteers that made it happen. It was a truly spectacular event.

I was wearing a very sparkly dress and I was feeling good. The glitter was floofing off of the dress as if I was a fairy princess- the floor around me, the chair I was sitting on, even my face. I happen to love glitter, so I was ok with it- surrounded by a cloud of glitter- sure! Until midway through dinner when Nate said, “is your eye ok?” It was very itchy, painful and red. I was trying not to touch it since I had make up on, but eventually I had to go back to our room to do some first aid. I took off the make up and then sat with a wet washcloth on my eye. I didn’t take a photo, but you’ll see a screen shot from the video message I sent Christine. My eye was bright red and swollen! Glitter in my eye! I managed to get the itching to stop and I re-applied my makeup. My eye was still swollen and goofy looking, but I went back to the party because I wasn’t going to miss out because of a glitter injury. It was an absolutely wonderful night (swollen eye aside).

This morning, we slept in until 8am (that is basically noon to me!) and relaxed all morning. Then we headed to Holman’s Table for the after-event brunch with the planning committee. I was so happy to be able to debrief with everyone and re-hash the night. And then, as if going to an awesome party with a bunch of people I really love wasn’t enough, Orville gave us all fantastic, beautiful gift boxes. Um… ok! Fabulous event, brunch, presents?! GEEZ!!

I LOVE events anyway, but this one was really special. I have been bursting with gratitude, joy and energy all day.

The boys and my mom woke up this morning and went to her house to go swimming. They had a great time with Grandma and I really appreciated being able to have so much fun without worrying about our kiddos. After I picked them up, they spent the day playing while Nate and I got some things done around the house (mowing for Nate, groceries for me). The week ahead is BUSY, so I’m trying to get organized and ready for everything ahead.

It was a busy week with a hectic schedule. My work team headed up north Monday-Wednesday to tour 4 of the camps. It was nice to see the camps, but it was hard for me to be away. Everyone knows I love a good solid routine, and interrupting everything isn’t my favorite. Luckily, I was actually able to come home on Tuesday night instead, which I was grateful for. I missed out on soccer but Nate said both boys were awesome. Augustus scored a goal!

Wednesday night was the Survivor finale. For MANY years, my mom has hosted a Survivor pool- you put in $5, choose 3 of the players and then if you pick one of the winners, you get the pool (or a portion of it, depending on how many people have also chosen the winner). This season, Xander joined in the fun. He pretty much talked through every episode, but he was excited, and for the finale, he had 2 of his 3 picks left. First he requested a “survivor themed snack” and then when he won, he had a full blown “Miss America” moment, clutching his heart and saying, “I can’t believe I won!” He ended up winning $30!

For my 40th birthday, I wanted to do 4 special things and the next one was glamping! Glamping is really just fancy camping- you still have to pee outside. I only took one photo (the other 2 are from the website to show where we were). It was a really nice night- we hung out in Taylor’s Falls, finding some cool little shops and a brewery. We had dinner and then headed to the winery. We stopped in the bottle shop for firewood and wine, and ended up staying and hanging out with the owners who were keeping my glass full of free wine. We had a campfire and relaxed. The tent was cute and looked like instagram exploded. We were a little chilly when we woke up the next morning, but it was very comfortable. I would definitely do it again! I highly recommend it too- https://www.getintents.com/glamping-wild-mountian.

It was so nice to have a night away and of course, the boys had a great time with Grandma Debbie who came to stay with them. It was also nice to get home to our boys. We got ice cream and snuggled our sweet boys.

On Saturday, we did some yard work, which consisted of Nate digging holes that 2 bulldogs immediately would sit in. Bulldogs taking the shovel, little boys who alternated between wanting to help and whining. I’d call it a success.

Later in the day, Sean and Rachel hosted a ping pong tournament. Xander was VERY into it and quite crabby he couldn’t join in the actual tournament. It was fun to watch him play though, and we basically had to drag him home. We will definitely have to play ping pong again soon.

Grandma Debbie was in Houston this weekend, so the boys were stuck with their boring old parents. We went to a park and had a picnic, played on the playground and in the splash pad. It was a very fun day. When we got home, our neighbor was having a lemonade stand, so we headed over to get some drinks and hang out. I am so excited for a summer of fun ahead!

Today was an absolutely perfect day. It was the annual neighborhood bags tournament. It was a little rainy this morning, but it stopped and we all headed to Sean’s for a day of fun. Bloody Mary bar (I love a drink that includes a pile of snacks!), donuts, piles of cheesy bread, root beer floats, champagne, and more. Nate and Eric took home the championship and so for the next year, the trophy will live in our yard (a huge honor). The kids played all day. Between all of the parents, we were all keeping an eye on the kids, but they had a lot of freedom throughout the day. I think they loved it. We ended the day with pizza for all, kids in the sprinkler and everyone tired. After a quick bath and rest time, our boys went to bed at 6:45 and didn’t even make a peep. It was a gorgeous, fabulous day and we live in the best neighborhood of all time.

It was a crazy week and I am exhausted, but also so grateful for our friends and family and all of the fun stuff we constantly do. Summer is going to be the BEST!

It was a very normal week, with several warm nights and lots of family fun. The boys were busy with school. We got a really lovely note from Xander’s teacher-

I just wanted to share a lovely little moment from Xander today. We typically eat snack right before the kids head to Spanish class so we have a hard stop time. Xander ate his snack and was drawing happily when it was time to line up. He approached me and said, “Ms. Santiago, I think we need more snack time when we come back from Spanish.” I replied, “Oh, I thought you had finished your snack already.” And he surprised me by saying, “Yes, I did, but I noticed (classmate) didn’t get to finish eating and I think she could use more time.” 
 I love the way he noticed and advocated for a friend! Thank you for raising such a kind human being.

Gussie and Grandma were busy on Wednesday- at the park, shopping, and lots of playing. A few nights, we joined the neighbors and walked to 2 different parks for some after dinner play time. On Thursday, Xander’s class had an after school crepe party with the french teacher. It was a silent auction item that one of his classmates parents’ bought, and then invited the whole class to join. I was dying to see the crepe party in action, so I arrived a little early to watch and even got to have my own crepe!

Soccer began with a practice week- Xander was very excited and Augustus is super ready to start next week. I think soccer is lame and boring, but it was really fun to watch Xander, so maybe I will become a soccer mom despite my resistance.

I had an order for 12 dozen frog macarons, which was a very fun project for me and an honor to do as it was for a celebration of life for a young man. Baking is just a fun hobby for me, but being able to provide cookies for important parts of people’s lives is such a privilege. I was happy to be able to make as many frogs as I possibly could!

On Saturday, part 2 of my 40th birthday celebration happened when I ran the Women Run the Twin Cities 10 mile race. I wanted to start my 40th year with a physical challenge, proving to myself that I’m strong and capable. The first mile felt awesome. And then the hills came. It was the hilliest course I’ve ever run. I think we ran downhill for a full mile, and as I watched the super fast runners come back up the hill (there was a turn around), I kept thinking, “I am NEVER going to get myself back up this hill!” It was GRUELING, easily the hardest race I’ve ever run. I completed it in 2 hours. Not an impressive time by any means, but I earned every inch of that race. At mile 7, I was DONE. Like, near tears. And then I heard someone cheering my name. First I thought maybe I had a nametag somewhere on me. And then I thought, “what are the odds someone with the same name would be right behind me?!” It took me a VERY long time to recognize my best friend in the whole world but when I did, I burst out laughing (it was that or tears!). What an amazing surprise (and a great sign!) and I was able to drag my body the final 3 miles.

Running races is such a weird hobby. It’s hard to describe the collective energy of so many people running together but it’s so wonderful. And it’s also hard to explain how meaningful it is to have people there to support me- it’s just running, but seeing Christine, and then my 3 men at the end was so amazing and it filled my soul with so much appreciation.

Saturday night was pizza, hoagies, and movie night on the couch. Mama was too tired for anything else. We watched “Bad Guys” the movie and it was SO cute. The boys giggled through the whole movie.

Nate and his friend Jake were busy with a golf tournament today. It had been rescheduled from a few weeks ago when the course was too wet from rain. Late May, but it was still a pretty chilly day for them!

The boys spent the day at Grandma Debbie’s house. They went to the mall play place, McDonald’s and played all day. When they got home, there was an intense kids vs. grow ups soccer game before dinner. Tonight we had our own crepe party, inspired by the kindergarten crepe party earlier in the week. A perfect end to a great week!

The weather has been gorgeous for the last 2 weeks, so we’ve been outside hanging with the neighbors a lot. We’ve been taking the dogs on long walks, going to the park and letting the boys run around the neighborhood. We bought a tee for the boys. Xander hit one ball off of it and then said, “ok, pitch it to me, I’m just going to hit it” and the crazy thing is, he did it! He is pretty consistent and he also switches- hitting from both sides.

Our next door neighbors are not just the nicest couple on the block, but they share Cinco De Mayo as a birthday. We had an impromptu margarita party on Cinco de Mayo to celebrate their birthday.

Other neighborhood news- Sam and Abby got a new trampoline! It’s big enough for all the kids and it is going to be the favorite place all summer long!

Last Saturday was “Cinco de Brooks” the annual dual birthday celebration. They made tacos and had a pinata for the kiddos. It was an all day event and even after several hours of playing outside, we had to DRAG our children inside by the end of the night. It was a fabulous fun day.

It’s May and that means Mother’s Day and my birthday! Last Sunday was Mother’s Day. Sean asked me to run another 5k with him, and it turned out to be the perfect Mother’s Day fun day. The race itself was a disaster. We were 2 miles in (and had just climbed a mountain of a hill) when a kid on a bike let us know that the 4th runner had somehow taken a wrong turn and led the entire group the WRONG WAY. Our 5k race ended up being about a 4 mile race. Luckily the weather was amazing and we managed to laugh about it. But I had run 9 miles the day before, and Sean had never run 4 miles before, so we were not exactly thrilled to have added an extra mile to our race. But we survived! The race was hosted by the St. Paul Saints, so afterwards, there was a bunch of fun stuff for everyone. The boys ran the kids race. There was a playground, a climbing wall and a pitching station. We had lunch and free ice cream for the kids and free beers for Nate and I. The kids played, we watched the baseball game and it was an amazing day. I felt a little bad for ditching my mom on Mother’s Day and not doing the typical brunch, but it was a really awesome day!

This week was kind of unusual because I was on PTO Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday and Thursday so that I could go to Christine’s house for her neighborhood garage sale. I went though every room of my house, collecting the stuff I needed to get rid of. It is such a good chore that I appreciate being forced to do every now and then. And it was so great to hang with my bestie (who made me 2 amazing lunches, and birthday lunch margaritas on Wednesday!).

On Wednesday, I turned 40!! I have been 40 in my soul since I was about 15 years old. Years ago, Oprah said, “life begins at 40” and I’ve been ready to be 40 since then. I’ve had a pretty great life up to this point, so I’m not completely sure I agree with Oprah, but I am excited to be 40.

I am doing several fun things to celebrate over the course of the month. I didn’t want to have a big party- I knew it would turn into a lot of work, would cause me anxiety and I would end up yelling at my family in preparation. Instead, on Saturday, I had a casual BBQ with my mom, Danny and Heather, and Christine, Derek and the kids. I made hot dogs, potato salad, watermelon, kiddie cocktails, and chocolate mousse for dessert. I love fine dining, but that is my FAVORITE meal of all time. The kids played, the adults hung out, and everyone left with goodie bags (which I was SUPER excited about). Every good party has goodie bags- I found mini stuffed bulldogs, tiny macaron containers, wonder woman bandaids, RBG stickers, and running shoe keychains. For the adults, I substituted chip clips for stuffed animals. So fun! I also got some amazing gifts, and even though I don’t need anything, it was very fun! It was relaxing and fun and truly my perfect day. I fell asleep feeling very loved and so very happy.

Today was yet another busy day. Augustus had a birthday party this morning. All 4 of us went and it was a very fun day with PERFECT weather, cupcakes, and a pinata! Afterwards, Nate and I dropped the boys at my mom’s house for an afternoon with her. They swam, the played outside, they played games. Nate golfed with Jake. I baked cookies, organized, and walked the dogs. I think it was the perfect day for all of us!

I haven’t included the weekly updates that Xander’s teacher sends us, but he is loving kindergarten and I absolutely love his teacher. It was not easy to choose a school for Xander but when I see updates like these, I know he is in such a good place. I really like that she is encouraging him to be so creative and he is thriving.

The creative juices were flowing freely today! As a follow-up to our entomologist visit on Monday, we created insects out of loose parts today. The kids were immersed in the task of finding just the right materials, how to arrange and attach them, and describing the three body parts of an insect. I observed a lot of experimentation, design thinking, and problem-solving! 

These tasks are intentionally open-ended. As the kids create, I prompt them with language to get them talking about their process, speaking more in questions than statements. I call upon training I received during my time working at Minnesota Children’s Museum Inventor’s Workshop. This particular task was also inspired by a recent social media post in an educator’s group I follow about process-oriented vs. product-oriented experiences in early childhood. I’ve attached the screenshots below! 

I think I can sum up the last 2 weeks by saying that we have been playing nonstop. Our whole life revolves around playing with the neighbors and I am so incredibly grateful. More than one person has commented to me that we moved into a 1950s neighborhood, which is accurate and also fabulous.

Highlights from last week- I met Christine for lunch and we both ordered (what turned out to be) the most giant desserts ever. Time spent with my bestie AND huge dessert= basically my ideal day.

While spending the night at Grandma’s, they texted to let us know that Xander lost another tooth (his 4th).

The boys were overnight with Grandma Debbie on Friday while Nate and I went to the MPA fundraising gala. It was quite an event with a silent auction, live auction, fund-a-need (my favorite fundraising thing ever), and dinner. It was fun to get dressed up and go out and I actually really enjoy events!

Last Saturday, we picked the boys up from Grandma’s and headed right to a birthday party for our neighbor Sam. He tuned 6 and celebrated at Dodge Nature Center. We got to hold and pet baby farm animals, eat pizza and cake, and then the kids played and built with huge sticks. When we got home from the party, the kids all got back together and played outside in our neighborhood until it was almost dark.

Last Sunday we went to my cousin Deena’s house for a belated Easter gathering. She made an absolutely lovely pot roast lunch and there was SO much amazing food. She and my cousin Laura had hidden eggs around the house for the boys. Inside was monopoly money and the boys got to “buy” prizes they had bought for them. It was SO clever and so fun and I was impressed (and grateful for their effort!).

This week was another busy week of wonderful things. Xander lost ANOTHER tooth (and has another loose one in his mouth!). On Wednesday, it was Grandparent’s Day at Xander’s school. Grandma Debbie got to spend the morning in his class. She had a great time. This spring has been SO cold and rainy, so every time it’s nice, we take advantage, so Wednesday night, after dinner, we went with our neighbor’s to the park. On Friday, Xander had the day off from school. We got a very good recommendation for a restaurant called Sushi Train. There is a conveyor belt that goes all the way around the restaurant with small plates of sushi that you grab as they pass by your table. Nate, Xander and I went and it was SO fun. Xander loved being in charge of grabbing our food as it came by and he ate a LOT of sushi.

Friday night was the first official happy hour of the summer, although it was still quite cold. We are all eager for the warm summer nights ahead!

On Saturday, I met a friend for brunch and Nate stayed home with our kids and the neighbor kids. The 4 kiddos spent the whole day alternating between our house and their house. It was a cold rainy day and I was grateful that we can finally (Safely) play inside without worrying about a global pandemic.

Saturday night was our neighbor Sean’s birthday party. The party didn’t start until 8pm, which is around the time I put my pjs on every night. I have really leaned into being a morning person and I enjoy going to bed early and getting up early. Speaking of early mornings, Nate had a very early golf tournament on Sunday, so he decided to opt out of the party and I went with some other neighbors. The party was at the Minneapolis Cider Company, which is a very cool space, that also has pickle ball courts. I wasn’t actually planning to play, but as soon as we got there, all of us ended up on the court and the time flew by. I was not planning to do a sport at 11pm, but that’s what I was doing!

Today was another cold, rainy day. Nate’s golf tournament was re-scheduled at the last minute. The boys spent the day with Grandma Debbie- they swam, they painted, they went to McDonalds. They came home and we had an after dinner dance party. They are such fun, silly kids.

We have another full week of fun ahead of us. And hopefully the sun will come out soon. It’s May!

It was a low key week that flew by in the blink of an eye. April weather has been brutal- rainy, sleety, cold, windy, miserable. We’ve had a few nice days sprinkled in- Monday was a nice day and we hung outside after school/work with all of our neighbors. The kids played until we had to drag them in for bath time. I am very eager to have days like that every day! The rest of the week was SO cold and dreary!

Last week a woman contacted me and asked if I ever offered macaron classes. Her 13 year old loves to bake but hasn’t been able to figure out macarons. I said yes and had my first ever class! Mathilda was an awesome student and so excited about everything we did. She and her mom came over and we made 2 batches, french buttercream and ganache. It was super fun for both of us and I think she will be able to make them on her own from now on!

The boys enjoyed their week at school. Gussie and Grandma were busy together on Wednesday. It was a nice week.

On Saturday, Sam and Abby came over to dye eggs with us. We tried out a new technique (instead of the regular vinegar method) where you put food coloring in shaving cream and roll the eggs around. We let them sit for a while and then wiped them off. It was a little messy (would you expect anything less from me?!), but they turned out really pretty. Afterwards, the grown ups watched basketball and had drinks while the kiddos ran around and played. And after the kids went to bed that night, we went next door for a campfire (the baby monitor reaches into our neighbor’s backyard, so we can sit outside and not worry the boys will wake up and need us).

Today was Easter! The easter bunny brought baskets for both boys, a mom/dad basket, a puppy basket and hid lots of eggs! Gussie was hunting for blue eggs and Xander was looking for yellow or green. There were 10 big eggs for each kid (those had toys inside) and 10 little eggs for each (those had candy). The boys were very excited to find their eggs.

Gussie was not feeling well overnight and pretty much tossed and turned and woke up crying, and was overall miserable all night (which meant Nate and I both woke up approximately 100 times each as well). I was super relieved that when Xander came bouncing in to wake everyone up at 6am that Augustus seemed to feel much better, but both Nate and I were dragging!

We had a pretty relaxing morning and then Danny, Heather and Grandma Debbie came over for brunch. Danny spent 8 days curing his own pork belly that he smoked yesterday. Excessive? I thought so until I tasted it. We made pork belly breakfast tacos and they were AMAZING. I loved them. French toast bake, smoked salmon, Grandma’s famous dip, breakfast quesadillas, bloody marys… I was STUFFED by the end of the day. The boys love when Danny and Heather come over because they love to play the Switch with them and basically are the coolest people the boys know, so they were in heaven. The dogs are also obsessed with them, so basically everyone was thrilled to have guests and it was an awesome day. Everyone left in the afternoon and I took a very rare afternoon nap. It was a fabulous day.

The weather was mostly gray and drizzly, with a little sleet mixed in, but it was such a lovely week despite the yucky weather. On Monday, Xander had the day off school, so he and I hung out and then Grandma Debbie took him out to lunch.

Augustus had theme days at school, so on Monday it was PJ day, fancy day, hat day, and dress like your teacher day. He looked like a mini teenager on hat day and I felt like I could see a glimpse of him as a high schooler.

This week, we spent the evenings binge- watching all 3 Thor movies. I was a little nervous there might be some scary parts, but Xander assured me they would be fine (he’s a very convincing little dude). There were a few parts that were a bit intense and I got to hold hands with my big boy during those scenes. Overall, they were pretty decent movies (my opinion) and the boys LOVED them. Xander’s new favorite super hero is Thor.

On Saturday the weather finally warmed up and I was so grateful because our neighbor Sean and I had a race to run! For over a year, Sean has been texting the neighborhood every Saturday morning to rally everyone for “Neighborhood Short Run”. We started talking about running a 5k and Saturday we did it! It was Sean’s first ever 5k, so it was fun to be able to run with him and represent our neighborhood together! At the end of the race, all of the runners got hot cocoa, as well as a bowl of liquid chocolate, banana, marshmallow, a rice krispie treat, cookies and graham crackers. The boys had also gotten donuts in between dropping us off for the race and cheering us on at the finish line. On the way home, Augustus actually said, “I think I’ve had too much chocolate today!” which I never thought I’d hear from him, but I guess even 4 year olds have a limit.

After the race, we headed home to play outside and ended up hanging out with almost the whole neighborhood for the entire afternoon. The kids did some craft projects and the adults soaked in the sun (which was finally out after a gray week). We went inside for dinner and Nate suggested we go out for all-you-can eat sushi, so we called my mom and met her for a spontaneous dinner out.

Today the boys and my mom went to see the new Sonic movie at the theater. They also went to McDonald’s for lunch and to the park. When they got home, they ran down to Sam’s house and everyone ran and played like crazy until dinner time. A perfect day for 2 boys. Nate and I took the dogs for a walk together. I grocery shopped and baked some cookies. It was a fabulous week and a super fun weekend.

Our boys are at an age that is just so fun. They are hilarious and sweet and fun to hang out with. We’re past heavy baby carriers, packing a diaper bag; we don’t have to worry about naptime or hover over them while they play. Even though I knew they would eventually get older, when they were so little, it felt like life with kids would always be exhausting. But we’re in this stage of life that is just so sweet. They are both giggly and happy. Xander loves to sing along to the radio. They’re fun and they make me laugh and Nate and I were just talking about how much fun we have hanging out with them, rather than just feeling like we’re trying to entertain them every moment of the day.

We’ve had 2 full weeks of fun! Last Monday (March 21), the weather was unseasonably warm- just a perfect temperature, so we joined the neighbors and walked to the ice cream shop after dinner. The kids were being silly and giggly and kinda of tumbling along, the sun was still out, the breeze was warm- I was overcome with how perfect of a moment that it was. Our kids are at such a fun age and sometimes I am literally overwhelmed with happiness in these seemingly ordinary moments of life.

The weather did not cooperate the rest of the week- it was cold with icy rain. It was a normal schedule with the boys at school and Gussie with Grandma on Wednesday.

On Thursday, Kara and Jud flew in from St. Louis and I headed to downtown Minneapolis for the Model United Nations conference. The dogs fell in love with Kara and Jud and luckily they weren’t annoyed by the aggressive love and instead, sent us cute pictures of all of them snuggling throughout the day.

I was only at Model UN overnight, but I really enjoyed seeing my Youth in Government buddies and talking to YMCA alumni. I have such an awesome job! The hotel we stayed at was across the street from a store called “Candy Land” so when I came home, I had some fun treats for the boys (gummy snakes!). I was glad I could be home for one night while Kara and Jud were here- we had dinner together and had some good hang out time.

This week we were back to a regular schedule- no nights away, no guests, just our regular schedule. On Tuesday night, Xander’s school hosted Art and Music Night, so we (with Grandma Debbie) got to walk through a gallery of beautiful artwork and then listen to a wonderful music program. Xander was a little nervous to perform, but did a wonderful job and was VERY proud of himself after the big show. It was really fun to be in his school, visit with his teacher and see some of the art and music he’s been working on these last few months.

On Friday, it was April Fools Day, and so for dessert, I served “brown ‘E’s” which none of my men were particularly amused by. Luckily I also had real brownies too or I would have had some really angry men on my hands! Friday night, I went to bed early (my favorite thing to do) and Nate headed to the neighbor’s house for some snacks and card games.

On Saturday our family was BUSY! I got up, ran 4 miles, cleaned up the yard, emptied the dishwasher, stripped all the sheets off the beds, and baked 3 batches of cookies by 10am. Later, my neighbor and I ran 3 more miles, I washed 3 loads of laundry. Nate and the boys went to the park in the morning and then a different park in the afternoon! Shortly before dinnertime, our neighbors texted to ask if we wanted to meet them at Surly brewery for pizza and beer. Yes! We both have awesome kids, but they were normal wiggly, giggly 3-6 year olds, so shortly after we ate, we decided that they were done with the brewery and so we headed back to Kelly and Silas’s house for a few more drinks while the kids could bounce off the walls without annoying anyone (except us).

The boys and I headed home for baths and bedtime, while Nate stayed to watch the basketball game.

Sunday was a fun day for the boys with Grandma and a day of catch up and rest for Nate and I. We did some house projects and I went grocery shopping, but mostly, we relaxed until the late afternoon, when my mom and the boys returned. Danny and Heather came over for dinner, followed by video games, which was a highlight for the boys. Danny and Heather have all the best games and know how to play all of them. The boys absolutely LOVE when they come over to play!

It’s been a great 2 weeks and we have another routine week ahead (have I mentioned once or a million times how much I love a routine?!)