Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Out With The Old

It was time to say good-bye to our mini-van. David and I decided we were tired of spending money on repairs every other month. We bit the bullet and purchased a brand new van - complete with extended warranty. God willing, we won't spend any additional money on repairs for the new van.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Warrior Dash

Saturday afternoon, David participated in the Warrior Dash. I looked at the website after he had registered for the race and thought he was crazy. It's a 3.02 mile race with obstacles all along the way. Oh, and the course is on a ski "resort" - HILLS!!!!Here are David, Gianna and Spencer walking to the buses to take us to the race.
Gianna's first time on a school bus. Can you tell she didn't care?
My other two cuties!

Along with a t-shirt, David was given this "helmet" for running the race. Spencer wanted to model it for me!
Before the race. If you look over David's shoulder you will see smoke. It's from the fire obstacle that the runners have to jump over just before they get to the finish line!
David convinced our friend Dominick to run the race with him. Dominick admitted to "hating" David for the first 2o minutes of the race. : )
Gianna was very concerned about David running IN the fire. I kept telling her that he was going to jump over it, but she still was worried. I showed her other runners jumping and that finally put her at ease. Poor little girl!
And here they are at the start. See the smiles....they quickly faded when they immediately started running up the first of many hills.
Here is David jumping over the fire. I was so excited to be able to capture this moment!
The final obstacle is crawling through mud under barbed-wire. Here he is shortly after crossing the finish line and collecting his ribbon.
Being the supportive wife I am, I wanted to congratulate my husband. I gave him a very quick kiss on the lips and then asked Gemma for a photo. Gianna didn't want anything to do with David until he was clean!
And here are the proud runners after they rinsed off. They were tired and filthy but had a blast. I'm even considering running it next year!

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Minneapolis Weekend

So Friday night I went to a concert and then spent the rest of the weekend at a conference with David for returning service-members. It was a great weekend with informative speakers and quality time for just the two of us. : )

Thanks to Bamma for taking care of the kids for the weekend!

Saturday, July 16, 2011

NKOTBSB

So tonight I was able to relive my youth with Melissa and Allison at the New Kids on The Block and Backstreet Boys concert.
Melissa and me with my pre-show cocktail!
And then they hit the stage. And I was a little disappointed. I am no longer that 14 year old girl with ripped pictures from magazines taped to my mirror or with posters on my wall. I am a 36 year old married woman with three children.
Don't get me wrong. I had fun - probably too much fun. I don't think Melissa and Allison will attend another event with me. : ) But the reality of seeing them now and remembering what it was like then just didn't match up. Again, I had fun. I screamed my head off, I danced and sang as loud as I could. But at the end of the day, I outgrew my "love" of NKOTB.
Allison and me waiting for our driver after the show. I should note, our driver was my sweet husband!
The only group shot in really crappy lighting. I had a lot of fun and I hope the three of us can go out again - if they'll let me! : )

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Cabin Weekend

We spent this past weekend at our friend's cabin. I have to admit, since I'm not much of an outdoorsy girl, I had some reservations. But I knew that the kids would love it, so I had to put my feelings aside.
When we arrived on Saturday morning, I was pleased to see this was where we would be staying. Even though Breca assured me it was a house with plumbing, I kept visualizing a one room log cabin with an outhouse. I think I watched too many episodes of Grizzly Adams when I was a kid! : )
The kids and David started fishing within minutes of our arrival. I was shocked at how many fish they caught just sitting on the dock.
Here are Gemma (she quickly changed into her suit upon arrival), Joe and Spencer.
Spencer's first of many fish for the weekend.

Here is Gianna with her first fish - ever! She was so excited. And as you can see, dressed appropriately in her swim-suit and life jacket.
I just love this photo. Once Gianna found this tube, it was required wearing over her life jacket. Even when she wasn't in the water!
In the afternoon we went on the boat to take the kids tubing. A rare photo of me in a swim suit.
Gemma and daddy.
Spencer and daddy.
Gemma and Spencer having a great time in the tube. They loved it!
Gianna (in her life jacket and tube!) loved the boat ride. We tried to get her to go in the big tube with either David or me, but she had NO interest. She just wanted to ride.
I love this photo because it shows how relaxed Spencer was. He just laid back and enjoyed the ride.
Here are my precious little ones. Wind-blown and happy from the exciting ride.
Enjoying the water. Gianna's favorite place was on the shore just swimming.
Gemma relaxing in a floaty.
David and Gianna tried kayaking.
And then Spencer decided to try too.
Next was Gemma and David.
Spencer found the tube tied to the dock and decided to jump in. Can you tell he really wanted to go for another ride???
Finally I decided to kayak - it looked so fun and relaxing - and it was. We had a great weekend at the cabin and I'm so glad I didn't let my silliness ruin it for the kids or me. I have to admit, I'm still not a fan of being in a lake, but it was so nice being able to relax and enjoy being on one. I'm even looking forward to going back next year!

Friday, July 8, 2011

Library

Our library has different shows in the summer to entertain the kids. Today we saw a magician and then decided to check out some books.
Our course, Spencer didn't appreciate my paparazzi skills, so this was the best I was able to do.
After the girls picked out their books, they decided to play a little. As you can see, the kitchen was a bit of a disaster.
But they quickly got it into shape and were ready for customers! : )
After playing, it was time to head home with our "new" books. I was hoping for a group shot, but again, this was the best I could do. Clearly the children are not thrilled with my photo requests.
And once we were buckled up in the van, everyone started reading. I love that they love to read so much! Looking forward to our next library visit!

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Bike Ride

When David was deployed, he started running - a lot. He ran in several 5Ks and even the Marine 17.75k run. Unfortunately, the active lifestyle he became accustomed to became less active once the kids and I showed up last summer. Then returning to life at home - it became even less active. However, we've recently made some changes and forced ourselves to be less sedentary.
We've gone on several family bike rides and I decided to take a photo of us after one this evening. David actually decided to run with Gianna in the stroller while the kids and I rode our bikes. We were hot and sweaty, but had fun. Spencer did fall and get a rather nasty cut, but he made it through the rest of the ride with minimal complaining.
We want our kids to be active and stay active and the only way to do that is for us to teach them. And what a great incentive for us to be healthier!

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Lake Elmo

Today we spent the afternoon at Lake Elmo and even met up with some friends from school.
Gemma had fun with her friends.
And Gianna had a great time playing in the sand.
Joshua and Amanda came with us too - though Amanda is not a fan of the camera.

It was a great day to enjoy the sun and keep cool in the water.