Monthly Archives: May 2023

It was a great week- beautiful weather, so many fun things, and we’re counting down to summer.

On Monday, Augustus and Grandma Debbie went to Uncle Barry’s cabin for a day of fun and playing with Cane and Cora. It wasn’t quite warm enough to swim, but it didn’t stop the kids from wading in the freezing water.

Our week in snapshots- I made some chocolate croissants for breakfast (they were frozen ones from Trader Joes, but the boys were still impressed). Tuesday and Wednesday, I blocked my entire day in my calendar to spend writing and working on the alumni magazine. I had water, snacks, all of my materials, and spent 2 days in bed. In college, when I had big papers to write, I didn’t work a little bit at a time. I would hyper focus, get in the zone, and work for hours straight until the whole thing was done at one time. I decided to try that with the MANY articles I have to write and it went SO well. I enjoy writing and I really enjoy being super productive, so it was a great 2 days.

Xander was pretty adamant he needed his last name on the back of his soccer shirt, so I used my cricut to make an iron-on name and the project was so easy! I’m sure there are more tee shirts in our future!

Thursday was the boys’ first official soccer game (last week was just practice) and it was super fun. A LOT of goals were scored but they are improving.

We spent a lot of time outside this week and ate a lot of freezie pops (the truest sign of summer).

The boys’ had Friday off from school and so they spent the morning with Nate practicing driving and putting, and then at the park. While they were golfing, I met Christine for breakfast and we each ordered the fancy latte flight. I’ve never tried drugs, but I have to assume that 4 lattes is as close to taking cocaine as you can get. I thought my heart was going to explode, but it was worth it.

Saturday was a busy day. Nate got the yard ready and fence put up for the pool. We had a new couch delivered. And it was spa day for the boys. Augustus HATES having his finger and toenails cut. I’ve tried bribery. I’ve tried doing it while he sleeps. Nothing works. So when he mentioned the spa birthday party he went to last year and how they did his nails, I was like, “dude! Is that what you want?! I can make a spa!” There is literally nothing I love more than a theme. Game on.

I bought sparkling grape juice (we were all calling it champagne), fancy little desserts for them to snack on while being pampered, and rainbow glitter face masks. I told them to change into their robes and wrapped their heads, put cucumbers on their faces and let them relax. They took turns with the bubbly foot bath, while I also massaged their feet and legs. They drank the whole bottle of champagne, asked for more strawberries, and eventually let me cut their toenails. They picked orange and blue and I painted their toes. It was the ultimate in luxury. They both claimed their skin was extra soft and they loved it. I love a theme party and I was thrilled to get their little talons finally cut. So everyone won.

Sunday has been a great day… it’s pool day! I have been loudly singing, “it’s the MOST wonderful time of the year” obnoxiously all day. But it’s POOL DAY! POOL DAY!!

The boys’ went to Grandma Debbie’s house for the day where they swam in her pool, soaked in the sun, and came home with a new joke book.

Nate and I (with some bulldog assistance) put the pool up in 1.5 hours! I was nervous we would have surprises or challenges, but the good news is that Nate is SUPER meticulous about certain things, like disassembling and packing the pool at the end of last summer. So when it was time to re-assemble, it was smooth sailing!

The boys came home when the pool was full, but ICE COLD. It didn’t stop them from jumping in immediately. A few weeks ago, I lost a bet and my punishment was jumping in the pool as soon as it was full. My legs HURT just standing in it, and I nearly died of shock when I went under water. I can’t believe the boys spent hours today playing in the water. It was SO SO COLD.

They played for several hours, and then again after dinner (they claimed it was warmer but it was still frigid).

I have been thinking, “wouldn’t it be nice to ensure that we have the smell of wet bulldog all summer?!” so I bought them a toy. They LOVE the hose and always go crazy trying to bite the water. This toy is like a pedal and when they step on it, the water sprays up. They haven’t quite figured out how to do it, but they are starting to and it was pretty cute.

Tomorrow is Memorial Day and no school for the boys. The weather is supposed to be nice and the pool is up and it should be a fun day in the sun.

I love May. The weather is gorgeous, we’re outside with our neighbors every spare moment, the kids are wild and free and end every day just covered in dirt, exhausted and so happy.

On Tuesday, I was signed up for playground/lunchroom duty, but I had back to back meetings over the entire time. Luckily, Grandma Debbie was available to step in and the boys were thrilled to have her visit and have lunch with them!

Tuesday night, we got a text message challenging us to kids vs. grown ups soccer- loser buys ice cream. We had SO much fun and and when the kids won, you should have heard them cheer! I’m not sure what those 6 sweaty dirty little street urchins thought was going to happen if they lost- they didn’t have a penny between them, but they were very excited to have won ice cream!

Soccer started for the summer on Thursday and the boys are on the same team this year. I’m eager for the school year to end, because soccer didn’t start until 7:15, which made for a late night (our boys are usually in bed by 7:30!). But they were super excited and it was fun to see them playing hard.

Friday was Gussie’s last day on the farm. Camp St. Croix has had “homeschool on the farm” every other Friday during the fall and spring. Augustus has learned a lot, played, gardened, and enjoyed himself so much. It has been such a great program and also been a good way to keep him busy on Fridays.

Friday night, we took neighborhood happy hour on the road! Packet pickup for the Women Run the Cities 10K was at Summit Brewery, so all of us who were running (and our men) had drinks and dinner while the kids ran wild in a big open field behind the brewery. It was such a classic summer night and I am thrilled summer is almost here!

Saturday morning, bright and early, me, Melissa, Kelly and Sarah ran the Women Run the Cities 10K. It is easy to do things you know you will be good at. It is SO MUCH HARDER to do things that you know will be hard and that you will NOT be good at. I am not a fast or graceful and every step I take is effort. But I show up. I put one foot in front of the other. And I am so proud of myself. At 41, I am no longer concerned about not being fast- I am not embarrassed- I feel no shame for not being “good”. I like the nerves at the beginning. I like the camaraderie. I like the participant shirt and the medal you get at the end and the festivities after the race. 6.2 miles was NOT easy. But it was a gorgeous morning and I was so happy to be there.

When I got home, the boys (and our neighbor Matilda) were ready to have a lemonade stand, so I found some plastic cups and made a pitcher of fruit punch (we didn’t have any lemonade powder). They went door to door drumming up business, and they did made a few dollars, but I think they drank most of their product.

I took an afternoon nap (that is a RARE occurrence), and then it was time to celebrate Kelly’s 40th birthday! There was a popcorn bar, so many snacks, drinks, burgers and brats, and 2 giant cookie cakes. The kids were running around, the weather was gorgeous- it was basically the perfect afternoon/evening.

Sunday has truly been a day of rest. We didn’t have anything on the calendar. We did a little family clean up time and I went grocery shopping, but the majority of the day was just relaxing and playing and enjoying a slow day.

The boys played outside. I went for my first bike ride in about a decade. Our neighbor Aaron is a serious biker- like 100 mile bike races. He is amazing. Last summer, he fixed my bike for me and then I never actually got on it. I know how to ride a bike. But the thought of actually getting on the bike was very intimidating. So he was determined to get me on the bike this summer. Today was a day I couldn’t make any excuses.

I was so nervous. The seat felt very high off the ground and I was sure I was going to tip over. But once I got on and started pedaling, that saying, “it’s like riding a bike” was actually true. First time on the bike, but I don’t think it will be the last!

A short week ahead and just 3 weeks until the summer is here! Let’s go May!

May is here! The weather has been mostly nice and we’ve gone back to spending afternoons and evenings outside. It is the best best best time of the year! Last Saturday, Xander had his last basketball game until the fall. He grew and learned so much and it was so fun for him to be on a team.

After the basketball game, it was Cinco de Brooks, our neighbors’ annual Cinco de Mayo party. It was rainy but pretty warm. For Christmas, Uncle Danny and Aunt Heather gave the boys a very cool slackline/ninja course, which we finally put up on Saturday. It was great timing, because we were able to enjoy some tacos and margaritas at the party, while all the children played in the rain. They were covered in mud, but had so much fun! Do I think there is a 99% chance my van window will get broken? Yes, I do. But they are really enjoying it and I will continue to add as many camp-like elements to our house and yard as I can.

I recently purchased a cricut, which is a machine that cuts out stickers or stencils. You upload the image, it “prints” but it actually cuts the image out. I have been making stencils to use with my airbrush and I am so excited to experiment.

For weeks (months?) I’ve been noticing that the hand towel in the bathroom ends up on top of the cabinet above the toilet on a regular basis. I just assumed that Augustus (no other subjects were considered) was getting a little crazy after he dried his hands, but since he was washing his hands, I didn’t think much of it. But the other day, the bathroom door was cracked open and I watched him close the toilet lid, climb on top, and deliberately put the towel up there. When he came out of the bathroom, I said, “Augustus! did you put that towel up there on purpose?!” I WISH I had a photo of his face- delight, with such a glint of mischief in his eyes. He is the funniest kid and I want to remember his doing silly things like this forever.

Xander and Augustus only have a few weeks of school left, so we are trying to enjoy every day! Xander and his buddies have been drawing pictures for the kindergarten class, and his teacher texted me pictures of his visit. They even stayed for freeze dance time for old times sake.

Our weeks consist of so much playing outside. So much tightrope walking, no shirts, water guns, playing Survivor, and running wild. I LOVE this time of year! I am very excited for carefree days of summer. Until then, we’re letting them stay up as late as we can but have added black out curtains to their room so they can go to bed when it’s still light outside. Happy Spring!

Wednesday night we had neighborhood happy hour and Kelly made cupcakes in honor of my birthday! Thursday was my birthday and I didn’t take any pictures but it was such a great day! We ordered greek food for dinner and then had birthday cake with half of our neighborhood. Nate and the boys brought me flowers and presents and it was so lovely!

On Friday, 1st grade had their poetry picnic. They have been working on a poetry unit and on Friday, they brought blankets for the lawn, parents got to school early, there was a buffet of snacks, and they read us their poetry on the lawn. It was pretty magical and I was so proud of Xander. He is so smart and so creative and it was so fun to see what he has been working on.

The poetry picnic was the kickoff to an awesome weekend. Every Saturday morning, our neighbor Sean makes pancakes for everyone and then leaves them on the porch for people to help themselves. We have never actually taken him up on it, but it is so lovely and something I want to remember forever. Our neighborhood is the most fabulous place in the world. We are surrounded by an amazing community of friends.

At 10am, we all gathered for the annual Zach Floyd Memorial Bags Tournament. For the record, Zach is not dead. He was there and came in second place in the tournament. But it’s a great name. Xander was on a team this year. We ate donuts and drank mimosas and the kids ran around. Melissa and Eric defended their title and won again!

After the tournament, the boys went to Grandma Debbie’s house for a sleepover. Nate and I met Christine and Derek for a hot double date. We went to Salut and ate so much good food and had foo foo drinks. Then we went to Cafe Latte for fancy dessert. It was fabulous. We need to double date more often.

Today is Mother’s Day and it was basically a perfect day. It was such a simple day, but it was wonderful. One of the best gifts of all is my mom having the boys overnight so I could go out for a fun date and then sleep in this morning. They got up early and went swimming first thing while I was relaxing…. er, well, my version of relaxing…

I told Danny and Heather I wasn’t going to cook or clean before they came over. No pressure. I was planning to RELAX all morning. But I decided to get the shop vac out to clean the filter in my vacuum (which is relaxing). But once I had the shop vac out, I decided to just use it to vacuum the couch (extreme clean!). But then I pulled the oven out to get a spatula that had fallen, and it was a mess, so I used the shop vac to clean back there. And then it was 11:45 and my mom and the boys got home and I realized I had lost track of time. But I was feeling VERY satisfied by all of my projects.

We ordered the most amazing fried chicken and ALL the sides from one of my favorite restaurants and feasted for lunch. The boys got Danny and Heather outside on the slackline and played frisbee for a very long time. It was such a nice day.

Danny, Heather and my mom left, just in time for Sam and Abby to be ready to play. They made signs that said, “will dance for money” and went door to door around the neighborhood to advertise. They danced. They played Survivor- Augustus told me they take their shirts off, designate a place to pee, eat chives from the garden and run around with sticks. It’s so fun to watch them. They played. Nate and I relaxed. I ate leftover cake from last night. Absolutely perfect.

The boys have 3.5 weeks of school left. I am so excited for the summer to be here, even though work gets a little more complicated and our schedules overall get a little bit crazier. Summer scheduling is INSANE. I have a color coded calendar, an excel spreadsheet, and I have put HOURS into planning. I am excited, but there’s still planning to be done. Luckily I have a few more weeks… Also lucky, this week ahead is a pretty normal schedule. Happy May!

The last 2 weeks of April have flown by. The weather has been chilly and I think we are all eager for the weather to warm up (and stay warm).

Gussie doesn’t go to pre-K on Fridays, so Nate and I switch off. I am very excited for full time kindergarten next year, but until then, we’re making it work. Last Friday, Nate and Augustus spent the day at the Science Museum.

On Saturday, Augustus and I spent the morning at his friend Lincoln’s house for a playdate (no pictures). Nate and Xander went to his basketball game and then out to sushi for lunch!

On Monday, Gussie went to a playplace with Grandma Debbie and then we had a pretty regular week.

The boys had the day off on Friday, so they spent the day at Camp St. Croix farm. They got to collect eggs and hold chickens and meet some new friends. They both came home dirty, wet (it was raining some of the day) and tired, but very happy.

This weekend has been similar to last weekend- Xander and Nate had basketball and Gussie and I had a playdate (this time at our house). The boys played outside with Sam and Abby for hours and hours. When they weren’t playing with friends, they have been recently obsessed with Akedo toys, which are little figures that battle each other. They love them and play nonstop.

I have been baking a lot and spent today baking. I made lime curd. I made dulce de leche, which is basically simmering a can of sweetened condensed milk for several hours to turn it into “milk caramel”. Except that if the water goes below the can, it will explode. If you open the can when it is still hot, it can explode. So you have to pay attention. Luckily no explosions and it was super smooth and lovely.

Tomorrow is May 1 and May is my favorite month because it’s both Mother’s Day and my birthday. And then we will start counting down to summer!