December 2022 recap

December came and went in the blink of an eye. As per usual, it's an incredibly busy month, consumed with shopping, gatherings and all things Christmas. 

This year we had a few extra inches of snow, making for some beautiful morning walks. And despite the cold and snow and ice, I continued my mantra of "no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing" as I layered up for my daily morning walk in the amazing winter wonderland. 

Ellie our Elf and her side kick Olaf returned, up to no good as usual. Lincoln was eager to wake every morning and search for her. Whether it was hiding in the tree, or somewhere in the fridge, he always got a good laugh out of her antics. 

Lincoln's hockey team had a few events he sadly had to miss out on. The first was a real tournament. We made it out for the final game and he/Ryan got to join the team on ice for the obligatory final picture. 

To help cheer him up about missing out on so many fun things, Lincoln and I had a date night with Subway and a local light event. He loved this place so much, we had to walk through a second time and take it all in. They even have a train with teddy bears, a ferris wheel and more! 

Eventually as the month wore on, he started to use his arm more. I caught him helping wrap a present one day and couldn't help snap this picture. We had the kids exchange names for Christmas and he was so proud as he wrapped up a gift for his sister. He even made a crown for himself! 

Christmas morning was a quick pivot due to a recent snowfall. Grandma Jan was too nervous to head on the roads alone, so we brought Christmas to her instead! 

Grandma Jan made Ryan's dreams come true with an entire TOWER of grilling spices! 

Lincoln's hockey association does a 3rd graders vs Varsity game/pizza. And it was the one thing he had been really looking forward to, even shed a couple of tears knowing he couldn't get on the ice to play. But we sat in the stands and watched the game, and then he was able to find his Varsity buddy TJ for pizza afterwards who was also nursing an injury. Lincoln actually is classmates with TJ's little sister. And TJ actually goes to school with Regan. 
Small world. 

Eventually we got back on the ice, and I couldn't help but chuckle when Lincoln took his first few steps on the ice and said "oh yea, I can do this". Turns out, he had thought he would forget how to skate completely! Good thing that's not really how it works. 

New Years eve we got to spend with some dear friends who have recently moved back from to MN from Germany. Regan's boyfriend-Jack made this wonderful arrangement I had dreamed up. And it looked great! I'm bummed I forgot to take a picture until we started digging in. 

We are so thrilled to have Paul and Renata closer so we can get together more often. We rang in all sorts of New Years, knowing not one of us would make it to midnight! 

HALIFAX! 

And this little guy might be the #1 reason we didn't make it to midnight. 

But our girls want so badly for him to love them so they enjoy any moment they get to play with Max. 

Regan was all smiles at the end of December, having Jack visit made her month completely! 

 

Halloween 2022

Halloween 2022 was a little more normal in comparison to the previous 2 years, so much so that we barely were able to squeeze in time for pumpkin carving! 

Sidney was my biggest helper of the night, not only did she scoop out the guts, she created her own carvings as well. She was creative and laughing at how silly her pumpkins looked as she carved them freehanded. 

Lincoln did some of his own scooping and then abandoned Sidney and me at the table to finish up the job.

I'll leave it to you to guess which of the 3 I carved, and which ones Sidney carved. 

The kids each hung out with friends on this Monday evening. Regan and her friend handed out candy to our 17 trick or treaters so that Ryan and I could take Lincoln with his friends trick or treating. 

Sidney and her friend split one costume, but spent most of the night on Tiktok. 

Lincoln might look a little more like a prop in this picture....he's on the far left. 

Yep, his request back in August was to find a blow up dinosaur costume, with bones only. It took some time, but we managed to find his perfect costume! 

Watching Lincoln waddle around the neighborhood was the highlight of the night! He was so cute and did amazingly well keeping up with his buddies all night, despite not being able to see well. There may have been a couple of close calls where he nearly ran into a tree or a parked car :) 

Lincoln made out with quite the stash of candy as he wrapped up trick or treating. He slept great that night after all that walking door to door dressed up as a blow up dino! 

Hoping everyone had a wonderful Halloween! 

Happy 14th Sidney

We wished sweet Sidney a Happiest 14th Birthday this month. 
In true teenage fashion, she had loose plans for the day which ended up being re-worked a few times but it was a happy ending! Our little ball player spent the morning at practice and then a quick trip to Valleyfair before ending the night making TikToks with friends in the basement. And from the sounds of it, they sure had a good time. Oh teenage girls can sure be loud. 

In no particular order, some photos (new and old) to commemorate her big day :) 

A favorite black sand beach on the southern part of the Big Island of Hawaii

Oh the love these two had for each other at this particular age, melted my heart. Someday it will return! 

The day Sidney showed up to her hitting lesson wearing the same sweatshirt as her hitting coach (who happened to play for the Gophers at one time)

One of my most favorite photos of our sweet Sidney, with her mischevious smile :) 

The requested "cake" again this year for her 14th was actually a cookie cake

She was lucky this summer to get a ride on Uncle Mike's 3 wheeler....just don't tell Lincoln because he wants to go too! 

Happy 14th Sidney! 

 

On the softball field

People often ask how (or why) we can spend all of our free time each summer running the kids from field to field, covered in dirt with sun-kissed skin and sweaty clothes.  

We usually chuckle at the question; we truly couldn’t imagine life any other way. This has been a part of the girls’ lives for as long as they can remember, and they love every second of it. (And Lincoln is just starting his adventures on the field) 

The sense of community, the friendships, this is their home away from home. And frankly, ours too. We look forward to the weekends just as much as they do. Gathering with the other families before, or in between games: Bloody Mary bars, “safety meetings”, Fitness Plus, we have created so many memories with each team. 

I recently read that if your family doesn’t look forward to the weekends, you haven’t found the right team. 

I’m thankful beyond words for both girls finding their right teams. 

It is behind those backstops that Ryan and I are making just as many memories as the girls in front of the backstop. And we are very aware that at some point, it will come to a screeching halt. So for now, we are going to soak in all it has to offer us. 
Giant Freeze pops included :) 

So while we laugh about horrible chalk lines (foul, fair, foul, fair), inquire about who has the best chair, or decide who packed the best cooler "dude, your mom hooked you up!", there is no where on earth we would rather spend each weekend. 

These girls and their coaches make some amazing teams and we are grateful for their dedication and drive to help them improve not only as a player, but as a human. 

Because we know it's not always about softball skill, it's about the life skills. Learning to be a great member of a team, learning how to work through difficulty and picking each other up when feeling down.

It's about greeting the umpire behind you during warm-ups, introducing yourself and not being shy to politely ask why a pitch was called a ball and not a strike. 

It's about taking control of your infield and hollering out plays, not being afraid to let the crowd hear you.   

Win or lose, at the end of the day, it's about feeling like you belong. 

Our home away from home. 

On those dirt fields, with sun-kissed cheeks and sweaty clothes. 

 

Easter weekend 2022

And WE'RE BACK!! After spending 2 Easter's in isolation, minimizing risk and exposures, we finally decided to once again hold an Easter celebration. They aren't big, just adding 4 people to our home, but we also got to add one special 4 legged friend for the day...and night! 

My good friend from work always joins us for Easter and she was delighted to be back this year. It was our first Easter celebration with her newest service dog-Pepper. And boy does she love our kiddos. 

She was happy to roam the house, hoping for any dropped food, and eager to play ball in the backyard. She's so well-behaved and we loved having her. So much that she even stayed the night for a sleepover! 

I think Grandma Jan was pretty happy to not spend another Easter alone too; and boy do we love her too! She and Sidney have been exchanging books throughout the pandemic and it was time for another book exchange and a quick "book club" gathering. Such a fun memory for the two of them to share.

Although we held Lincoln off until 10am so the girls could join in on the Easter egg hunt, he still was the only one who participated. Despite a bribe of money, they still declined gathering up any eggs. 

Their loss 

No one was pleased to take this picture, but they took it nonetheless and someday will be happy I forced family photos 

And although he won't admit it, even Ryan enjoys Pepper's company. She really is a super sweet dog and the kiddos wore her out she slept the entire next day! 

 Here's hoping to future Easter celebrations! 

Twins opening weekend

Sometimes you just have to pause and take it all in. 

I had an opportunity to take Lincoln and his good buddy to a Twins game on opening weekend this month. With nothing else on my calendar for the day, we spent over 5 hours at the field and had a great time! 

Of course there was an obligatory glove picture

The boys asked to climb to the tip top of the stadium, where they sat and chatted and enjoyed nearly half the game! They loved having the whole section to themselves. I laughed as I wondered what they were talking about, like two old men "solving the world's problems" watching a game.

I stayed several rows down, enjoying some ballpark snacks and watching homer after homer hit into the stands. Such an exciting offensive game on a beautiful spring day.  

At one point, they heard an announcement that after the game, all kiddos under the age of 12 were allowed to run the bases. And I knew we were destined for an entire 9 inning game, plus running the bases. 

Boy were they excited! 

What a fun experience for a couple of 8 year old baseball players. To be right down on the field, Base running where the professionals play. I'm so glad we took the extra couple of hours to enjoy not only the full game, but to take in such a wonderful memory!