Update

Some of you may have heard already, but Chris and his friends Dave, Nik and Nate were in a pretty bad car accident out in Washington yesterday.  Chris and Nate were in the front seat and (thanks to the airbag) made it through with only minor injuries.  Dave and Nik were in the backseat and have more serious injuries and are still in the hospital.  They will be fine, but it sounds like each of them will have a long recovery.

Please keep the guys in your thoughts and prayers.  They were supposed to be on a fun vacation and it started out like this.

Thanks for all of the love and support.

20-Months-Old!

Woo hoo!  We're in the 20s!  Which is crazy, because that means we are just 4 short months away from having a 2-year-old. 

I went back to work today and all is well.  I got out early, so we got to have some playtime this afternoon.  And, seeing as summertime is rapidly fading, we got out the pool to enjoy the summer sun.

Weekend Wrap-Up: The End of Summer

We managed to stay pretty darn busy the last few days of summer break.  Friday night we went to try out a water park that is super close to our house (why didn't we go there earlier????).  It was fun, but the temperature dropped about 10 degrees when we got there, so it was pretty cold.

Mommy it is COLD!

Oh well!

Warming up with Daddy

On Saturday we went to a beautiful outdoor wedding in Stillwater.  We managed to take a nice picture in the evening before we left (VERY early because I had to get up VERY early this morning!).

While we were away having fun adult conversations without having to worry about a toddler running around, the certain toddler hung out with MorMor and Bops and had fun of her own!

Playing at the park

A fun game: Where's Callie?

Cheering on the Lynx- courtside!

Checking out the court at the half.

This morning I got up and ran the half marathon I've been training all summer for.  I did it, and got a PR!  I finished in 2 hours 5 minutes 44 seconds.  I think my best time before that was 2 hours 7 minutes, and that was a few years ago.  So I am really happy with how it went, and once again very thankful for all the people who came out to support me.  And I know there were plenty of people who couldn't be there that were thinking of me and sending good vibes my way, so thank you too!

Beautiful morning for a run!

Terrible picture of me, but my #1 cheerleader was there!

Sweaty and Happy

The rest of the day was spent eating, going to Chris' cousin Sarah's bridal shower, and relaxing at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  Callie had fun feeding Kona, bumping trees outside, and playing a new game with Grandpa.

Scoop...and...

ooooops!  Good thing Kona is patient.

Tree bumps

New game...put the rings in the bucket slots.

And now, bring on the fall!

Summer Wrap-Up

The hours seem to be getting shorter, and I'm at the point where there is really only 48 hours left of summer vacation.  My heart breaks a little bit more as time ticks away.  I thought I was okay.  I've been feeling good.  But yesterday afternoon, when I was watching my little girl (who I have truly seen blossom into a girl this summer, and leave baby-hood behind) play, reality hit me. 

Transitions are hard.  Knowing the end of stress-free living is fast approaching is hard.  Knowing that sunshine-y days will be harder to come by is hard.  Knowing that I'll be away from home for 8+ hours a day is really really really hard.

But there are things that make reality easier to swallow.  Knowing Cal gets to go back to spending her days with her grandparents and daddy is wonderful.  Knowing that I love my job and the anticipation of seeing how my students have grown this summer is great.  Knowing that, though summer's sunshine is quickly going to be gone, fall and winter bring fun and exciting things too.

We just need to make it through this transition, establish another new routine, and life will be good.  Amazing, actually.


At the beginning of the summer I set goals for myself:

1) Learn Spanish (weekly Spanish classes with Cathleen!)-Check! I may not be fluent, but had a fun time anyway.
2) Attempt(healthy)cooking (regular workout/cooking dates with friend Bethany)- FAIL!  I had a few great dinners with Bethany, but I think I actually only cooked one meal.  Maybe next summer.
3) Train for another Half Marathon (registered for one on August 21st)- It's tomorrow at 7am.  Send prayers and good vibes please!
4) Lose 5-10 pounds (see 2 and 3)- FAIL! I love food to much.
5) De-clutter our house (and make our office into another playroom)- Hmmm...we're halfway there.  Our new goal is Thanksgiving.
6) Enjoy every second with my toddler- Check!  If you've been following the blog this summer, you know that this is true!
7) Soak it all up because it is going to go WAY too fast- Check Check Check.  See #6.

Despite some failure, I think the summer is one for the books.  And now I'll leave you with a few of my favorite pictures from the past few months.

June

July

August

 

Music Class and Lunch Date

Today was our last music class of the summer.  Remember my post about the first music class in July?  The one where I was so thankful that Callie wasn't one of the crazies running around the room in circles?  Well, 7 weeks later, she was.  And the two little boys who usually run in circles weren't even there today!  It's like she figured that that was supposed to happen and picked up the slack since none of the other kids were doing it.  Today I also was "that mom" and took some pictures.

With Charlie and Ms. Jessica

Running around the room while everyone else was playing with scarves in the circle

Playing instruments!

After class we went to lunch with Jenna and Charlie, and the toddlers enjoyed being silly together.

Charlie and Callie's Lunch Date from Baby Goose on Vimeo.


We're having a family night tonight because a whirlwind weekend starts tomorrow...and then back to real life on Monday.

Another Busy Day

The summer clock is ticking down and we're not wasting any time.  My mom, Cal and I went to Eau Claire today to visit my grandma.  It was great!  She pulled out toys that she kept from when my dad was a baby...toys that my sisters and I played with too!  So Callie was the 3rd generation to play with these toys, and she LOVED them.

She had fun showing off her new talking skills to Great Grandma (she was definitely a little ham!), and they enjoyed sitting together and watching pictures go by on the computer.

 After we got back to the cities, we went to Mari's apartment to hang out and have dinner.  Callie continued being her crazy, talkative, and dramatic self.

Telling a VERY dramatic story, obviously.

Then she and Mari had a really hilarious conversation.

Convo with Auntie Mari from Baby Goose on Vimeo.



Gotta love a babbling toddler!

Happy Anniversary Grandma and Grandpa!

Grandma and Grandpa are celebrating their 38th anniversary today!  We helped celebrate by going out to dinner.

Earlier in the day, Callie and I hung out with Cathleen's friend Debbie, who has been visiting from England for the last week or so.  We had fun shopping at Target and seeing the ducks and throwing rocks at Centennial Lakes. 

Real ducks aren't yellow...ever.  Are they?

Hanging out with Debbie

 After nap time Callie got some fun Grandma-Time in the hammock.

Quality Grandma-Time