Florida

So we just got back form our first real "family vacation" with the kids. Traveling was easier than I expected, the kids loved the beach and warm weather, and it was even relaxing for us so I guess that means it was a success!

We left our house at 4:30am on Friday morning for the big adventure - this was the first hurdle in the trip. How would the kids react to being woke up in the middle of the night? Well, not great, for Lauren at least. She isn't a real morning person to begin with so this was expected, but after some mild teasing that we would leave without her, she was ready to go. Once in the car, everyone was excited about the big airplane we would be riding. The kids did a great job on the entire flight. There was no screaming, fighting, or crying - yeah! Ellie slept, Ryan played with his G.I. Joe guys, and Lauren played with her Dora and Diego dolls - an easy flight if you ask me. Once we landed, it was a whirlwind. We had to drive a lot to get everyone where they needed to be, and once we were at the beach house, there wasn't a lot of time to do anything before guests started arriving for the rehearsal dinner. The kids did however squeeze in enough time to check out the ocean - it was so fun to watch them run and play. They probably just thought it was another lake, but whatever, they still loved it and I enjoyed watching them. Friday and Saturday were all about the wedding. Ash and Mike had lots of friends and family in for the big day so it was nice to catch up with everyone. And congrats to the newlyweds! You both looked great and we all had a super time!

After the wedding, it became a normal vacation. We would wake up every morning, have a little breakfast, then hit the beach (which was basically our front yard). The kids were content to build sand castles, chase birds, collect shells and run through the water. This left lots of time for the adults to kick back and relax a bit - yeah to that! On the fourth or fifth day we decided to take the kids out for a little adventure. I found a go-kart/mini golf place nearby so Trav, myself, Ryan and Lauren were off (Ellie stayed back with the rest of the gang so they wouldn't get lonely). Once we got to the place, the first order of business was the go-karts! We were the first customers of the day so we pretty much walked in and got right to business. Initially Trav and I each took a kid in our go-karts, then after that, they each got to drive their own on a smaller track. Ryan loved it, Lauren got bored with it about 3 laps in, but I was really impressed by her driving abilities (she only hit the wall once). After the go-karts, we feed some fish and turtles then headed inside for some arcade games. Then we ended the adventure with a round of mini-golf. I must say, it was probably the fastest round of mini-golf ever. If the kids didn't like where the ball went, they just picked it up and put it close to the hole then pushed it in - not a bad technique, too bad it is illegal though. Besides that one outing, we stayed pretty close to "home" (Ryan told me he loved his new home and wanted to stay there forever). By 8pm most nights the kids were asking to go to bed because they were so tired so I wasn't too worried that they were bored. In fact, there was one night when we had a bonfire. Ryan lasted about 2 minutes before he fell asleep so I took him inside and put him to bed. But before he rolled over and closed his eyes, he said, "Tell Lauren I hope she enjoys the fire" - what a little sweetheart. When Friday rolled around again, it was time to pack up and head home - I'm not sure what the kids will miss more, the ocean, or the bunk-a-beds (that is how Lauren said it when she told people all about her bed) they got to sleep in. The flight home was great. We actually got onto an earlier flight and there were only 32 passengers on the entire plane! That meant plenty of room to spread out and relax during the 3 and 1/2 hour flight. The kids did a great job again. Ryan played his Leapster, Lauren read Tag books, and Ellie slept. The highlight of the flight home though had to be Ryan's reaction when the flight attendant asked him if he wanted anything to eat or drink. I think he was surprised the lady was talking directly to him and not Trav or I at first, but once he got over that, he ordered himself a bag of pretzels and some apple juice. When I went to sit by him later, he said, "Mom, you'll never guess what happened." When I asked him, "what?" He said, "I ordered apple juice and pretzels from that lady and I didn't even have to give her money, how cool is that?" If only it worked that way all the time!

Now that we are back in good old Minnesota, we are freezing like everyone else. The trip was a nice break from the cold and a great way to spend time with the entire family. But now it is time to get back into our routines and start living a normal life again - gone are the days of the ocean waves and beers at 10am - oh how I'll miss it! Here are some pictures. I took over 200 but my computer is super slow so this is all I'm able to post - enjoy!

Lauren's first day of school

Lauren had her first day of "speech school" today - talk about exciting!! The bus pulled up to our house at exactly 11:05am, and upon seeing it, Lauren was out the door - literally, I had to stop her to put her coat and mittens on! When we walked out to the bus she was super excited, but when it was time to sit down, she grabbed for my hand and wanted me to go with her. I helped her into her seat, then the bus driver (who happens to be a lady I regularly see working out at the gym - this made me very happy) was very helpful and buckled Lauren into her seat. With that, I snapped a picture, chatted with the driver quickly, said my goodbye, and off they went. Talk about a traumatizing year for a mom - two kids riding the bus for the first time in the same year - it is almost too much too handle! I used my 45 minutes of "free time" to finish some laundry, continue packing (for the trip to FL), and even got in 10 minutes of reading before it was time to get Ryan off the bus. With him home, and Ellie up from her nap, the time flew, and before we knew it, Lauren's bus was pulling up to the house again. Barb (the driver) was great at helping Lauren out of her seat and getting her backpack on. By the time I got to the bus, Lauren was ready and waiting with a big smile. I gave her a big hug, then held hands with her as we walked into the house and she chatted about her day . . . she sang songs, played with her friends, James and Zack, and even had a snack - not bad for a first day of school! Here are some pictures of our big girl on her big day!
With all the excitement of the morning, I still had a lot to get in the afternoon in preparation for the trip. As luck would have it, the plumber (we had some sink issues, but none that were caused directly by Trav replacing the sink mind you) was free this day so he came over to work on some stuff. In the meantime, the girls were napping, Ryan was relaxing, and I was folding the last load of laundry. Just as I was finishing that up, I heard Ryan crying. I went to check on him and he said his ear really hurt - you've got to be kidding me right now. What are the odds that water leaks into our basement and one of the kids gets sick all in the same week we are scheduled to go on vacation - apparently pretty good because that is exactly what happened. After calling the clinic and getting the last available appointment, I had to call Trav and tell him to come home (the girls were still sleeping and the plumber wasn't quite done yet). Then I headed off to the clinic with Ryan crying the entire time. The doctor's visit was a quick one - he had an ear infection, the doctor wrote two prescriptions, one for Amoxicillian and one was some ear dropper for the pain - whatever, let's just get it cleared up before Friday morning. God only knows what kind of a trip we'll have with three healthy kids, I don't want to even think about doing this with one sick kid! So there you have it - a busy day full of fun, work, and pain. The good news is that we'll be on a plane soon and we won't have to think about any of the work or pain, just fun - we can hardly wait!

Organized basketball

I have to start this post with a little back story . . . my parent's have a lot of our old sports memorabilia at their house. So on one recent visit, the kids and I were checking it all out - there were trophies, baseballs, pictures, etc. Everything was great until Lauren saw this one photo of me where I was crying. The picture was taken my senior year during the final home game out at SDSU (which we lost by the way) so obviously I was sad. But that didn't make sense to Lauren - she didn't get why I would be sad if I was playing basketball. So I made it really simple for her . . . I said I was sad because that was the last time I played basketball. Well, her little mind started going and she said, "I'll play basketball with you so you can be happy again" - sometimes I wish everyone thought like a 3 year old, things would be so much easier. Anyway, we talked about it a little more and decided that one day we would play basketball together so I could be happy again. Well, after that, I thought she had dropped everything and would just forget about the whole conversation and the picture, but to my surprise, she didn't. In fact, she pointed that picture out every time she visited Grandma and Grandpa's house and talked about why I was sad - apparently she was very concerned about me.

So there is the background, and now onto this weekend. About a month ago, one of my former high school teammates (basketball teammate) mentioned that she was putting together an Alumni game. I wasn't too thrilled about the idea until she kept hounding me and saying that I should, "do it for my kids - they would really like it." It wasn't until she said that, and I had another round of concern from Lauren (after seeing "the picture" again at Grandma and Grandpa's house) that I decided she was right, I should play. After all, there was nothing to lose (except maybe my breathe), and lots to gain . . . get some exercise, see old friends, and most importantly, give Lauren the chance to watch me be happy again - what a good deal! So I laced up my shoes (running shoes, I don't even own basketball shoes anymore), and hit the floor. The game turned out to be a little more than I expected (there were only 10 players which meant no subs, and lots and lots of running), and other than losing (the teams were a little lopsided if you ask me - Jen? Jodi?), it was great! The best part though was seeing how excited the kids were about everything. Ryan helped me warm up by "bounding" (apparently he thought it was called "bounding" and not "rebounding") the ball for me. And throughout the game both kids ran down to bring me my water, or just stand by me for morale support - whatever the reason, it was just great to have them there. The highlight of the night though had to be the short car ride back to my parent's place. Lauren looked at me from her car seat and with a big smile said, "Mom, you happy again?" I of course smiled back and answered with a great big "YES" (hopefully this means an end to looking at "the picture" for a while). Then Ryan chimed in with, "Mom, maybe you could give me some tips on playing basketball sometime." And, "You're the best basketball player ever." Seriously, what's not to love about that? And yes, maybe they are a little biased, but I'll take it! I guess I didn't realize how different (and neat maybe) it would be for Ryan and Lauren (Ellie was there as well, but she had no comment on the whole thing) to see me doing something other than just being their Mom. Most days I cook, clean, and play (Barbies, not basketball) - this weekend they saw me run, jump (or should I say, attempt to jump) and shoot hoops (Lauren's new favorite saying) - I'm sure that was a crazy experience for them.

I guess this means Jodi (the organizer of the event) doesn't have to wonder whether or not I'll play next year - if the kids are half as excited as they were this time around, I'm a shoe in.

Beyond basketball, Trav had another household improvement accomplishment today . . . he installed a new faucet in the kitchen sink. There were some minor glitches and a few f-bombs dropped along the way, but all in all, it was a pretty decent 3 and 1/2 hours (that includes a shopping trip to Lowe's for supplies because the plumbing was all screwed up). And when it was all done, the faucet worked, the sprayer worked, and most importantly, there were no leaks!! Yeah for Trav! And I, being the wonderful wife that I am, rewarded him with some nice warm tacos from Taco John's at roughly 8pm (the end time for the completed project) - at this house, you don't get fed until the job is done!

Ellie finally gets outside

Today was a nice (by MN standards) day so I decided it was time to get Ellie out in the snow and she what she thought. And as with most things, she loved it! I put her in the baby sled so Lauren could pull her around and although she was strapped in, she managed to wiggle herself almost out - guess that is enough sledding for the day. After that, we (Ellie and I) just sat on the big snow pile and watched the big kids run and play. Occasionally Ryan or Lauren would stop by and say "hi" which was just enough to keep Ellie smiling and entertained. About 20 minutes into the fun, Ellie's checks were getting pretty red so I took her inside and left her with Trav while Ryan, Lauren and myself enjoyed the snow a little longer. We finished off our afternoon with hot cocoas and cartoons - not too shabby.

Christmas 2010, Part 2

So "Christmas, Part 2" started around 1:00pm on Christmas Day. This is when we packed up the kids and headed south to Grandma and Grandpa Quast's house. By the time we arrived, the rest of the crew was already there so the party was in full swing. And it wasn't long after our arrival that another special guest stopped in for a visit - check it out.

Apparently Ellie isn't a fan of the guy in the big red suit! Once Santa left, we sat down to open more presents (two days of presents has to be every kid's dream!). The kids once again walked away with some great gifts - Barbies, games, legos, clothes, you name it, they got it! The rest of the day was spent eating (a common thread for Christmas Part 1 and 2!), chatting, and playing games. Here is a picture of Grandma and Grandpa dancing to the "Monster Mash" on the Just Dance 2 game - those are some sweet moves guys!And here are some more pictures of the kids opening gifts and just hanging out.

Christmas 2010

Christmas was done in two parts this year. First up . . . we hosted the Loken side of the family on Christmas Eve. Mom, Dad, Aaron, Ann and Colton all came over for the day/night for food, fun, and more food - literally, we ate all the time! The afternoon started with appetizers (just the beginning of the food), then we all sat down to open presents - yeah! Everyone made out with some good stuff including a few new Wii games that we played for the next couple of hours. After that we sat down to eat again (by this time I was 3 pounds heavier than I was at the start of the day). Once we finished the meal, we headed back downstairs, and to our surprise, Santa had stopped by! He must have snuck in while we were all busy stuffing our faces - that man has great timing! The kids were excited of course, but when Ryan took one look at the huge present in front of the tree and realized it was Lauren's and not his, he was a little upset. He couldn't figure out why Lauren got the big present and not him, but luckily the thought was a fleeting one and the minute he saw his presents, he was good to go. The highlight of the present opening though was definitely the "Barbie Dream House" Santa brought for Lauren. I'm not sure who was more excited for the big moment, me, or Lauren. She has been talking about getting a Barbie Dream House pretty much everyday for the past few months so I was expecting lots of screaming and jumping when she saw it. But, to my surprise, she pulled off the paper and said matter of factly, "oh, my Barbie Dream House." Really Lauren? Where is the, "oh my gosh I love it!", or the wild screams of excitement because you just got the present of your dreams? None of that here. Apparently the dream house was just given. After all, Lauren had been really good (according to her) in the days leading up to Christmas so I guess it was a sure thing in her book. Regardless of her reaction, she did love it, and has played with it every free minute she has had in the past few days. Ryan also loved his new gifts, especially the Leapster he got - maybe a little too much. When he has that thing in his hands, his ears apparently don't work. He gets so focused on the game that it literally takes me almost standing right in front of him before he realizes I'm talking to him. I'm sensing that Ryan might take after his Daddy in this game playing stuff, and let me tell you, that is not a good thing! Trav could play any random video game for hours - I refuse to let Ryan have the same addiction. That means he better get things under control on his own, or Momma is going to have to step in and set some limits (luckily I can do that with my 5 year old son - too bad I can't do the same with my 32 year husband!). After all the presents were opened, we took some time to Skype with Auntie and Uncle Mike out in California. It was fun to be able to share some of the holiday fun with them even though they weren't able to be here. Luckily their wedding is in less than two weeks though so we'll all see each other soon!

All in all it was a great start to our Christmas festivities. After a good night of sleep and a delicious breakfast the following morning, everyone packed up and headed home. But instead of kicking back and relaxing, Trav and I also packed up and headed out for, "Christmas, Part 2" with the Quast side of the family (details in the next post).

SNOW

It seems like all we've done lately is sit by the window and watch it snow - literally everyday! Once the snow finally quits falling, the kids and Trav usually take care of the shoveling while Ellie and I stay inside where it is warm. But because these past few days have been warm (relatively speaking), I've mustered up the energy to get Lauren outside during the mornings while Ryan is at school (and Ellie is napping) to have some "snow fun." We've climbed mountains (they are mountains to Lauren at least), ran around the cul-de-sac having imaginary sled dog races (she's is the rider, I'm the sled dog), and even built ourselves a nice little snow fort. Lauren has been loving it and it gives me a nice workout so I can't complain either. Here are a couple of snow filled pictures of the kids and Trav hard at work, and some of Lauren having fun.

And here are a few of the girls playing in the basement while Ryan is at school.