Timehop Tuesday

Oh boy we are one day into the school year (well, Maya didn’t start until today) but we are all a mess (Chris and I have been super busy with work and so tired, Callie had a good first day but tired from Softball) and Maya developed a ridiculous stuffy nose on Sunday night that has impacted her sleep. I’m already looking forward to the long weekend ahead…

So…here we go with Timehop Tuesday.

FaceTiming AVERY!

And the girls…

Weekend Wrap-Up: HAPPY BIRTHDAY AVERY!

Happy Sunday!  It is Avery's FIRST birthday today!  We love you, little lady, and we are so glad we got to see you earlier this month!

I didn't take any pictures yesterday...but Boom sent me a couple from Saturday morning during their sleepover.

This morning's sunrise was pretty...and then Maya and I went to play a little tennis!

Callie and Chris were gone a big chunk of the day in Mankato for Callie's softball games.  Maya and I were able to "watch" a little bit on an app.  

Then it was time for us to head out to Chris' cousin Andrew's fiancé Anna's bridal shower!  We went with Auntie Hanna and G-ma and had a lovely afternoon. Maya enjoyed the treats. 


When we got home, we did a family FaceTime call to wish Avery a happy birthday. :)

Callie starts school tomorrow...and Maya starts on Tuesday.  I have another week of staff training.  It's going to be a busy week!

A Picture Update

Hey all!  It's 5pm on Friday of the week I went back to work full time (on Wednesday) and three days in and my brain and body are done for the day. 

So to be brief...here are the pics from the week:

Selfies at Boom's, thrift shopping finds, post-annual physical drinks, and a pretty sunrise.

Camp photo FINALLY posted on Facebook (from way back in July), a hot trip to a park with Dad, and playing together (a rarity these days!) in the cool basement.

Fun with Boom and G-ma at the Mall of America!

Have a lovely weekend.

Timehop Tuesday: Happy Birthday Uncle Craigles + Summer Timehop

Hi all! First up, it’s Uncle Craigles’ birthday today! Here’s a photo of him being Avery’s 1st birthday hype-man-balloon-holder!!! 🤣 We hope you had a great day! 

And then I decided my Timehop this week is only going back the 10 weeks of summer, so here are some of my favorite photos from June…

…and July…

…and August!

I’m officially back at work full time tomorrow, so let’s leave this ridiculous heat wave behind and bring on the fall!

Weekend Wrap-Up

Hello all.  Happy Sunday.  This weekend was busy so it just FLEW by.  Just like August in general.  Holy moly.

Anyway, yesterday morning we headed to Lake Nokomis (with a pit stop at Mel-o-Glaze) for a picnic lunch on the beach with Boom, Auntie Yoda, Uncle Craigles, Lucy and Mila.  It. Was. HOT!

Later that evening, Uncle Dan, Auntie Hanna, Mitchell and Isla ended up coming over for dinner and playtime, which included making a "slide" on our basement steps.

Today was Callie's first ever softball game, after having 2 practices earlier this week.  I am SO proud of her.  The team she joined has been playing together for years and has lots of experience. She had none until her first practice last Tuesday (and time with Chris working on specific skills the past month or so).  But she had never played in a competitive sporting event before, not to mention FAST PITCH softball!  Her team won both games.  She got hit with the ball, got walked, struck out, and got a hit, so her times at bat were varied and good learning opportunities.  She spent time in the outfield and at second base.  Her teammates and coaches were positive and supportive.

As someone who faked an asthma attack at the start of the 7th grade basketball season so I could quit, I have never been one who handles competitive sports well.  Thankfully, Chris THRIVES, and has been a great support and sideline coach for her.  The team had a cute team huddle after the two games.  I think/hope she'll enjoy the rest of the season.  It only goes through September, so it isn't too long if she hates it.  Hopefully she won't want to fake an asthma attack to quit. ;)

Have a good week!

A Picture Update: Summer Week 10!!

Hi all-

The last full week of summer has been a roller coaster.  Basically all of August has been.  I can't believe we are here.  But anyway...

On Monday during our Survivor TV watching, the girls decided to dress up and be goofy.

I had to go to work for a few hours on Tuesday, so I brought Maya with and she entertained herself in my office.

On Wednesday morning we headed to the beach (and nearly had it to ourselves) and then played some softball and ran around outside in the afternoon.

Thursday was Papa's funeral.  There was a morning visitation and a meaningful funeral mass, along with a lunch and then a procession to Fort Snelling for the military honors.  It was a beautiful day and wonderful to see so many family members and reminisce about Papa.

After Papa's service at Fort Snelling, we went to find the gravestone of my grandparents. It capped off an emotional and special day.

Pa dropped off flowers from the funeral last night, so we were able to enjoy those today.  The girls spent the morning outside, and then we spent the afternoon at the pool with the Dahlens.  The pool closes on Sunday, so it was our last hurrah! Maya celebrated by bringing her own money for the snack shack and getting lots of sugar...

Callie started her first ever season of softball practices this week (with mixed feelings and results) but she and Chris have been having fun doing a lot of catching and batting and watching softball clips on YouTube.  They took advantage of the beautiful evening tonight to do some more practice.

Have a lovely weekend.  Stay cool!

Timehop Tuesday

First up, the baby I’m holding in this photo on the left is now holding her baby cousin!

And family summer vacations at family camps.

Weekend Wrap-Up: The Chicago Edition!

Hey all!  This afternoon I got back from a whirlwind girls trip with my friends Jenna and Bethany, and Jenna's sister-in-law Mandi.  Jenna and I left super early on Thursday morning for the long drive.  Once we got to Chicago, we found a lunch spot near Lincoln Park.

Later we met up with Bethany and Mandi and went out to a Mexican restaurant, where their Thursday special was margarita flights.  Yum!

On Friday morning we did the Chicago touristy stuff: Navy Pier, the Bean, Millennium Park, etc.

We ate lunch at a sports bar and got ice cream at the Ghirardelli shop!

For dinner we had a reservation at a DELICIOUS Italian restaurant Volare.  Highly recommend if you are ever in Chicago!

(As I'm writing this, I'm also realizing most of this blog post will be pics of food.  Ha!)

On Saturday morning we headed to Oak Street Beach, where Lake Michigan was in front of us and the Chicago skyline was right behind us.  

We ate lunch at a little cafe by the beach and it was delicious, with a great view.

Then, the reason we were in Chicago in the first place, was the P!NK CONCERT at Wrigley field!

It was awesome!

We headed out of town by 7am this morning, so I got home this afternoon when Chris and the girls were celebrating Auntie Cat's birthday at Circus Juventus. 

It was so good to get home after a couple of busy travel weeks, and I’m grateful to Chris and others for holding down the fort so I could go have fun with my girlfriends. And I’m grateful for technology so that even when I’m gone just a few days, we can FaceTime!

Enjoy your week. The mid-August back-to-school scaries are setting in a bit. But there is excitement too.  Structure and routine will be a welcome change in a couple weeks.  

A Picture Update: Summer Week 9!

Hello all-

It has been a pretty discombobulated week. I realized I missed Timehop Tuesday…we had gotten home the night before and I had a lot of work meetings and then plans with my friend Taylor that night. 

We were busy on Wednesday with getting school supplies at Target and then going to see “Into the Woods” (again for me and Cal, and for the first time for Maya).

The girls hung out with Boom today and went to the Bakken Museum!

I am currently in Chicago with girlfriends for a long weekend, so Chris is holding down the fort with the girls and Luna and also working. He’s the best!

I’ll be back on Sunday night with the weekend wrap-up.

Take care and have a good weekend.

Papa

On Monday morning our family lost Papa, the amazing grandpa and great-grandpa of the Gosselin family. 

I will always remember him as being so kind and welcoming to me (and all the other in-laws) as I joined the family. 

He was active, interested, and involved in his kids’, grandkids’, and great-grandkids’ lives. He gave speeches at all the grandkid weddings, saved golf balls and other handy items to give to  Chris periodically, and even gave everyone in the family calendars with all the birthdays and anniversaries hand written in them for YEARS! And the family is big, so that’s a lot of calendars to hand write! 

He loved all his great-grandchildren (and there are many!) and it was always clear he got such a kick out of  watching them interact and play. And he loved to play with them, too.

I could always tell he was proud of his big, fun, crazy family.  And we all love him and will miss him a lot. 

Weekend Wrap-Up: The Loon Lake Edition!

Hi all-

It is 8pm and we are home from a whirlwind long weekend trip to Loon Lake, about an hour outside Spokane, Washington.

Uncle Josh has a family cabin there, and our whole family and his family met there so that Avery could be baptized in the lake by Josh's dad!

It was a very special family time, and we all loved being at the cabin and enjoying all the perks of lake life together.

On Friday morning we headed to the airport right away for our flight to Spokane.

After landing in Spokane, we rented a car and drove about an hour to Loon Lake.  When we got to the cabin, Auntie Mari met us with the trolley to take our luggage down the big hill!  We got settled into our attic "dormitory" room and then headed down to the beach!

Avery was still napping, so the girls got out on the lily pad in the lake with Auntie Mari.

When Avery woke up, we eased her in to seeing all us "new" people, and then kept enjoying the afternoon beach time.

And Uncle Josh took the girls TUBING!  Callie LOVED it (and went many more times over the weekend), and Maya wasn't much of a fan.  I tried it a little bit too, but I was not much of a fan either.

Later in the afternoon, Boom, Auntie Yoda, Uncle Craigles, Lucy and Mila got to the cabin!  So of course, they wanted some beach and lake time too. Maya and I did some paddle boarding while they enjoyed the lily pad.

We spent the rest of the afternoon/early evening hanging out on the water and on the beach.

Then we headed into the cabin for a delicious dinner.

After dinner, we all went to get ice cream (with Josh's parents Kevin and Julie) at a local place, where the "Infant Size" portion is the smallest size offered, and is GIGANTIC scoops.

There was more cabin time before putting the kids to bed, and then time enjoying the lovely view on the beach after the kids were asleep.

I was up early on Saturday morning and enjoyed some solo reading time on the beach, before others joined me.  Chris and Cal did some fishing off the dock, and then a few of us did some dock yoga, Maya did gymnastics on the lily pad, and Chris went for a swim.

After Avery woke up from her morning nap, it was time for her baptism!!!  Boom played her flute, Julie talked about the significance of the family cabin throughout the generations of her family, we sang a familiar hymn, and Kevin baptized her with the water of Loon Lake. 

Then it was family picture time!

We had a great lunch on the deck before MORE BEACH TIME!

Everyone was in and out of the water, in and out of the various water craft (Chris tried a little tubing, too!), and there was even some basketball.

That afternoon, Chris and I went to Costco to replenish food and Maya went to a park with Uncle Craigles, Auntie Yoda, Lucy and Mila. Then Josh, Mari, Josh's sister Jessi, Chris and I went out to a brewery to get some drinks and pizza.

While we were gone, the girls did a boat ride with Lucy, Mila, Uncle Craigles and Auntie Yoda, and while they were out on the lake it started POURING RAIN!  They got very wet!

On Sunday morning I went out to the dock for the sunrise, and it didn't disappoint.  

Avery was up early, so she joined me and Boom on the beach enjoying the lovely morning views.

Then Maya came out (and wanted to do baby Snapchat), and we saw some ducks.  Chris did some more fishing and I joined him a bit on the dock.  It was our anniversary!

All day Sunday we spent time on the beach and in the water.  It was a fantastic day!  There was paddle boarding, kayaking, hanging on the lily pad and MORE tubing.

We had lunch out on the dock!

There was baseball throwing and silly pictures on the beach.

And lots of cousin time!


After lunch, we had a little birthday celebration for Avery, who will turn 1 later on this month.

She was a fan of the cupcake!

She was also the center of attention for a lot of the weekend, and didn't seem to mind.  Her paparazzi for the birthday party was intense. ;)

The afternoon was spent back on the lake!

The girls tried something like wake boarding (maybe?) where they stood on a big piece of plywood behind the boat!

And I tried not to be a baby hog...though it was hard because she is SO STINKIN' CUTE.

Chris and I got to escape for dinner (for a 2nd night in a row!) to celebrate our anniversary at a place Julie recommended called Twigs.  It was DELICIOUS, and we had a lovely time.

While we were gone, there were more fun shenanigans had on the dock, the lake and the beach.

After we got back, we relaxed on the beach and Chris and Cal played some catch.

This morning it was much cloudier, as storms were starting to roll in.  

Before they came, we enjoyed our last quiet morning on the beach.  And then it DOWNPOURED and HAILED!

Thankfully we had the cabin to take shelter in.  Once the storm rolled through, the lake was clear as glass.  Chris did more fishing, while others played games.

We were able to enjoy our last hour on the beach!

We are grateful for such a wonderful location to enjoy time together and celebrate the sweet Avery girl.  It was so generous of Josh's family to open up their special cabin property to all of us!

For an 8 minute video clip compilation of our time at Loon Lake, click here!

As we were with my family this weekend, we learned that Chris' grandpa, affectionally known by all the great-grand kids as Papa, passed away peacefully this morning. I have not been able to spend the time I'd like to gather photos and share what a special grandpa he was, so that will be coming later this week.  We are sending all our love to Nana, Pa, Auntie Jeanne, Auntie Lynn, and Auntie Karen during this time.