March 2018

We kicked off March with one of my favorite days of the year...parent/teacher conferences. It was a shuffle between driving to dance, picking Lilli up for conferences, bringing her back to the studio and picking Alexa up for her conferences and then bringing her back to dance afterwards. Lilli ran the Akin Bakin Bakery booth, passing out cookies. She worked a 15 min time slot and had a few customers. She really felt proud of feeling like she had a 'job'. Then we had a wonderful visit with her teacher, Mrs. Kelly. Lilli is doing so well in all aspects of school. We are so proud of her progress. Moving up in her spelling group and doing so well in math. A little bittersweet as it was the last conference with her multiage teacher. We're going to miss her tremendously. Then, it was Alexa's turn. We brought coke's for Mrs. Kipke, because she's obsessed. Alexa couldn't be doing better. She's rocking 7th grade. We also found out that she scored a 55/60 (91%) on her History Day project. I think we chatted with her teacher for a good half hour just because she's so awesome and Alexa's doing so well. We couldn't be prouder of both of our girls.

Adam and I did our taxes in Albert Lea. The girls went to the Beissel's while we made the trip down. We stopped by the KC Hall to visit Linda, Benny, Amanda and Sophia on our way out. We picked up the girls at the Beissel's and stayed for a quick celebration drink with Craig. He left his job at Wells Fargo and will be starting a new job adventure. This also marked 101 days until we go to New York.

The girls had reglar Saturday dance classes and then had the Beissel's come over. They spent the afternoon making NYC crafts in honor of 100 days until we leave for our trip. They painted canvases and made wooden coasters. We are so so excited. Adam, Craig, Michelle and I went to Babe's in Lakeville for Emily's dance fundraiser Beer Bash. We had a great time visiting with friends and supporting Emily. We went back to our house afterwards, picked up the girls and went to Wendy's for dinner. They came back to our house for game night and Kaylee and Kenz had a sleepover.

I met Jolene at Kohl's in Apple Valley to pick out some black jackets. We're making "dance mom" jackets for the upcoming competition season. They are black jackets and we'll get 'dance mom' and our girls' names embroidered in silver. Adam babysat Mike while we were out. He's still in lots of pain but getting better and more mobile and independant as the days go on.

We've been into the show Greenhouse Academy with the girls. We made popcorn and snuggled in for a few episodes. Adam grilled chicken wings and veggies for dinner and we had cookies from the Akin Bakin Bakery for dessert. We watched the Oscars and were bummed that The Greatest Showman didn't win anything. But, their performance of "This Is Me" was so amazing.

We got a phone call at 5:30am Monday morning that Farmington schools were closed due to impending weather. They called for a Flex Learning Day, which did not make the girls too happy. They'd rather go to school. However, their homework wasn't too bad this time, thank goodness. Dance was also cancelled for the night. We were able to watch a few more episodes of Greenhouse Academy with the girls. Alexa also had to shovel as part of her gym homework. She shoveled the deck steps and a path at the end for the dogs.

It continued to snow and blow late into the night, but schools were on time Tuesday morning. Adam was up early blowing out the driveway and sidewalks. And the snow was still coming down.

Jolene, Michelle and I brought our black jackets, that we bought at Kohls, in to get "Dance Mom" and our kids' names embroidered on it for the upcoming dance competition. Stacey had to order a different size online and she'll get hers done next week.

Our 4th grade Faith Formation class had Reconciliation during class this week. It was fun to see the kids get kind of nervous about it and the proper steps to follow - it really showed they were taking it seriously. Jack and Lilli went last since we kind of ran over our class time. And Lilli came out and told me that Father gave her a penance of praying for someone who is hurting before she went to bed that night. I caught her kneeling by her bed before I tucked her in and asked who she prayed for. She said our friend, Mike, who just had his knee surgery. So sweet.

Raising Strong Daughters!! National Women's Day!

[Pic of girls]

Adam and I had a quick Chipotle date. He surprised me by picking it up on his way home from work. I think I could eat Chipotle every day and never get sick of it. Then, as we discussed our plans for Spring Break, the Budde's invited us over so we could talk about it in person rather than have one big group text going on. We decided on the Holiday Inn in St. Cloud. The kids are super excited. Besides the McCabe's who are going to Arizona, none of us planned to take any days off work during our spring break but wanted the kiddos to have a fun little get-away. They'll have a blast spending a weekend at a hotel together to kick off their week off.

Alexa and Lillian both didn't have school on Friday due to staff development day. That afternoon Stacey picked them up and they went to Trinity Care Center to dance and do activities with the residents as part of Dance For A Difference Week. Alexa painted the ladies nails and both girls did one of their routines for everyone. I wish I could have been there, it sounded like they had a lot of fun. Afterwards, they all went out to Small Cakes for cupcakes for Sara's birthday. And then Sara and the Sharps came over to hang out at our house for a bit. They had such a fun time listening to music, having a dance party and playing games.

Alexa didn't have Faith Formation on Wednesday, but instead had a retreat at church on Friday from 6-9:30. They had pizza, played some games, there were a few speakers and they had a chance to go to confession. She said it was kinda fun, but long. While she was there, Adam, Lilli and I went for dinner to Ole Piper w/ the Sharps and then to their house to check out their kitchen.

Saturday it was up early for the girls' leadership class at 7:15. Lilli didn't have musical theater, but Alexa had her regular assisting class and hip hop. While she was there Lilli and I met with Christy and Maya at Blue Nose for coffee and to chat about the benefit we're putting on for Parker, a friend of ours with cancer. Lilli and I picked up Subway for ourselves and Alexa and Kenzie for lunch and brought it to them at the studio. They had studio time for an hour to practice duet. We went home to pick up Adam and drove to Cottage Grove to watch Jack's hockey game. They won! We drove straight to church from there and then the Budde's took our girls back to Cottage Grove for Jack's next hockey game. They lost! I dropped Adam off at home and then picked up Christy & Crea and met Susan at El Charro for Crea's Birthday dinner. We celebrated with margaritas the size of our heads.

The girls spent the night at the Budde's. Adam picked them up Sunday morning and I got their hair and make up done for a little photo shoot at the studio. It was super cute and they did an awesome job. Some of us dance moms went to Celt's for lunch while the girls had an extra jazz practice until 2:30 and then jazz production until 4:30. Adam grilled chicken and made homemade chicken noodle soup for dinner. It was amazing. We snuggled in for a movie before bed. It was a long and exhausting weekend.

Our first dance competition lands right on St. Patrick's Day. The girls always like to give little treats to their teammates so Lilli and I went to Michael's to pick up a few things to make them a "lucky" treat. We also snap chatted Uncle Tiny many times wishing him a Happy Birthday!

Alexa and I had a mama/daughter date at Cherry Berry. It's kinda top secret - we're not telling Adam or Lilli. :)

Wednesday had us running in circles!! The girls had jazz production from 4:30-5:15. I stayed at Synergy to sell tickets to Parker's benefit. We ran home quick to get Lilli a bite to eat and then went to church from 6-7. From there we dropped Alexa off at the Farmington Gymnastics Center for open gym and then brought Lilli back to dance for a rescheduled musical theater class until 8:30. Busy Busy!

I had a long overdue hair appointment with Kawa on Thursday. I told him I wanted it a little shorter and lighter since spring is nearing. I LOVE the color, but he went a little shorter than I thought. I really like it, just need to get used to it. I picked up Lilli, Maya and Sophia up from hip hop and brought them thru the drive-thru at DQ. We ordered our ice-cream cones and then drove up to the window to pay only to find out that the car in front of us had already paid for us. We were so excited. I asked the gal at the window if she knew who the kind person was and she said she didn't personally know them but it was a gentleman and his daughter and they said they knew us. Immediately we all yelled - GARY!! Gary and sweet Kaylynn!! What a sweet and generous treat. We will definitely pay it forward!

We took the girls to Celt's in Rosemount for dinner Friday night with the Beissel's. Alexa and Kenzie's duet coach works there and had just left, but came back to surprise them. She played their duet song over the juke box. SO FUN! We made a quick stop at CVS on the way home for some last minute saftey pins and fashion tape for the girls' dance costumes. We went home, did a little costume sewing, the girls packed their dream duffels, we laid out clothes for the next day, packed lunches and had everything lined up for the morning.

It was up and at 'em Saturday morning for the girls' first dance competition of the season - Precision Arts Challenge in Chanhassen. They needed to be there for master classes at 8:30. We dropped them off, got them set up and then us parents went out to breakfast at Hazellewood Grill & Tap House. They were just finishing up when we got back at 11:30. I had packed lunches for both the girls, so they ate while I finished getting them ready - put eyelashes on and touched up hair and make-up.

The competition was set up so nicely for us. Alexa's dances were all in the first half, except hip hop & jazz production (that they're both in), and Lilli's were all in the second half. It allowed me to focus on one girl at a time. Grandpa Tom and Grandma Diane even made the trip down to watch and cheer, which was so special. It was the perfect competition for them to come and watch. And the girls put on quite the show. Every single one of their dances shined. They were all super together and in sync. So beautiful to watch. Lilli's jazz dance and jazz production received PAC ATTACK's and competed in the challenge for Best In Show. Jazz Production won. We defended our title from last year! Alexa and Makenzie competed their duet for the first time, as well. They did AMAZING. They scored 1st place (out of 1 in their division) and Platinum!

It was so nice to come out of a competition and not have to get up for work/school the next day. We slept in on Sunday, had lunch at Freddie's, a new restaraunt in the area and ran a few errands to Step & Stretch, ReFit and Fresh Thyme. We also grabbed a few Red Box movies and went home to snuggle in and relax. The girls picked Wonder and Adam and I later watched I, Tonya. We had a late dinner, played a game of Fast Track and then got the girls to bed.

Lilli begged for a trip to the library Monday night after dance. How can I say no to that? She has a book challenge of reading 20 books by the end of the school year and she has 6 to go. So, she grabbed a few new books to keep up with her goal. I'm so proud of her. She read for a whole hour when we got home.

The first day of spring and it snowed....all..day! But, I saw my first robin of the year!

Alexa complained of being 'bored' on Tuesday night after getting home from dance. She just can't fathom what other kids who don't participate in after school activities do with all their time. It got me thinking that their lives are so structured with school and dance that they are losing a little bit of their creativity. I had her think of some things she could do and offered up some suggestions of my own and she decided on getting a puzzle out. I got a New York puzzle for Christmas and with only 80-some days left until our trip, it was the perfect activity for her and I to do together. We blasted the music and got a huge chunk of the puzzle done.

March 21st - Kaylee's 14th birthday. In an effort to surprise her, Alexa and I picked up Izzy 15 mins early for school. I dropped them both off at school and then went back to pick up the Beissel's & Budde's...telling them Alexa was home sick and Izzy was at band practice. I played Birthday music in the car and gave them cookies to celebrate. Little did Kaylee know, Alexa and Izzy were waiting for her at school with her locker decorated for her birthday. I just love those girls and their sweet friendship. They go out of their way to plan something special for each others birthdays.

The kids got to do a special Easter craft at church. We gathered in the classroom first and then moved to the dining hall where each child got 12 nails, a block of wood and a hammer. They hammered the nails in the shape of a cross and then wove string around the nails creating a beautiful, colorful cross. I love how Cruzie's turned out. We hung it up on our shelf in the living room and it will be a staple part of our Easter decor.

I had a meeting at Blue Nose Coffee with Christy and Cathy on Thursday night to discuss Parker's benefit - what we've all done, what we need to do yet, etc. It was great meeting Cathy. She's so positive and assured us this will be a fantastic event. We also had people come and purchase tickets from us there, as well as Synergy.

We took a fun little spring break trip to St. Cloud with the Budde's, Beissel's & Sharp's to stay at a hotel. We did this with the Beissel's last year and it was so fun to just get away and have the kiddos feel like we 'went somewhere' for spring break. They had a blast. They were able to swim, play in the arcade, volleyball, badmitten, etc. We brought tacos for dinner and had a buffet breakfast. So much fun! We took the puppies out for a long walk when we got home Sunday, visited the new Dollar Tree in Farmington, ordered Ole Piper pizza and watched the movie, Jumanji.

Even though I have to work, the girls don't have dance during spring break, which means it sorta feels like I am on spring break, too. I can just come home from work and not have to rush to get dinner ready, rush to get the kids to the studio, rush to carpool..etc. I do have a few spring cleaning items to check off my to-do list this week, though, and I know the girls will have some stuff come up, but I'm ready to enjoy a week off from the obligated hustle and bustle.

The girls took Chip and Javiera for a walk Monday to meet up with Kaylee, Kenzie and Chloe. Then they all ended up back at our house. Michelle took them to Cane's for dinner and then to the outlet mall to spend some of Kaylee's birthday money. And then back to our house for a sleepover. They made popcorn and watched Jumanji.

Alexa, Lilli and I all had to cancel dentist appt's this past winter due to either illness or conflict with school activities. So, I rescheduled them all for spring break. Our dental office recently moved, so we were able to check out the new clinic. It's so nice. Much bigger and really pretty. All three of us had really great check ups. No cavities! Alexa's teeth are looking great after her braces. They were able to get some excess glue off her teeth that were left behind from the ortho. Lilli has lost all her baby teeth and is ready to go for braces any time now. We'll have to get her into Cosmo for a consult soon. Overall, very pleased with both of the girls' hygiene. I dropped them back at home for a quick lunch and then Craig picked them up to take them bowling with Kaylee and Kenz. Mike invited Adam over to watch the Wild game - the girls went with to play with Taylor and Katelyn and I had some "me" time. I took a bath, watched American Idol and updated my blog.

We had the Beissel's over to celebrate 75 days until out New York trip. The girls made some cute New York string art while us adults made a list and planned some things we want to 'for sure' see when we're there. We facetimed Andrea to get some ideas, as well. We are so so soooo excited. The girls had Kaylee and Kenz sleep over.

The girls hung out with Kaylee and Kenzie all day Thursday. They made friendship bracelets and took the puppies for a walk to the park. Lilli and Kenz made lunch and Kaylee and Alexa cleaned up. Love these girls so much! Adam had bags after work, so the girls and I had a little girls night. We ran a quick errand to Target and then came home, the girls danced, I worked on our puzzle, the girls read, I worked out and then we snuggled in our bed to watch American Idol until Adam got home. The girls slept together in Alexa's bed.

Alexa's pointe dance this year is to Batman. Her costume is black which means their pointe shoes need to be black. All the pointe dancers got together with Missie at the studio Friday morning to dye their shoes with sharpies. While they were there, Mackenzie came over to hang out with Lilli. They took the puppies for a walk and made friendship bracelets. Friday night we went to the Steinhouse for a fish fry with the Budde's, Sharp's & Beissel's. It was delicious and such great company. A few of us went to the Beissel's for awhile afterwards.

Saturday was one of the best days we've had in a long time. We slept in (no dance!!), Adam and I ran a quick errand to Target while the girls stayed home and read for an hour. Adam and Lilli snuggled up in the basement and watched their show (Series of Unfortunate Events) that came out (3rd season) on Friday. Lilli had been counting down the days to watch. Alexa and I snuggled in mine and Adam's bed and watched a few episodes of American Idol. We eventually got up, played some games, put our puzzle together, had dinner and then colored our Easter eggs. Then back to watching our shows. It was just such a chill relaxing day with just 'us'. We don't realize how desperate we are for days like this until they happen.