April 2018

Easter Sunday was a beautiful but chilly day. We woke up early, the girls saw that the Easter bunny came and started looking for eggs hidden around the house right away. Their Easter baskets were filled - Lilli's with a drawing pad, markers, chocolate candy, a Snapple and some books. Alexa's had a flat iron, mascara, a Snapple, some gum, starburst jellybeans and some books. We got ready quickly and drove down to Albert Lea and met Linda, Benny, Amanda and Sophia at church. Afterwards, we went to Linda's for lunch. She had carnitas, ribs and beans and rice and ice-cream for dessert. We left for home mid-afternoon.

Adam took a nap in the den and the girls and I played cards. Alexa loves to play speed. I took turns playing with her and Guess Who and Battleship with Lilli. Then Alexa got us playing Egyptian Slap Jack. We had so much fun. I think our giggles finally woke Adam up. He made dinner for us and then we played more cards as a family. Adam taught us 31.

The girls had Monday off from school and Adam took the day off, too, to run some errands. He got groceries, tabs for my car, etc. The girls went and hung out at the Beissel's for the day. I picked them up after work for dance.

Tuesday was supposed to be their first day back to school after spring break, but we got a phone call at 6:30am that school had been cancelled due to impending weather. We ended up getting about 9 inches of snow. Right away in the morning they were asking for friends to come over, so Emily, Kaylee and Kenz came and hung out for the day. Dance was cancelled, as well. It took me 45 minutes to drive 5 miles to work that day. Unbelievable. The roads were super slick and traffic was terribly backed up. Not an hour later the sun had melted all the ice and the roads were clear.

Christy, Cathy and I met at Blue Nose again for a benefit meeting. Several people stopped by to purchase tickets. Adam and I took the girls to Culver's for dinner. We splurged and got extra cheese curds and cheese sauce. The girls went and played with the Sharps for awhile after dinner. The girls had regular dance classes on Saturday morning. Adam left early for his egg drop event at work and I cleaned the dickens out of our house. Like the deep clean kind of clean. I also spent time playing games with the girls, getting silent auction items ready for the benefit and took the girls on a cherry berry run for a much deserved treat. We also stopped at Turn Style and Alexa found a few pairs of really cute shorts. We watched American Idol and ate pizza with Adam when he got home.

The girls had companie pictures at the studio Sunday. We got there a little before noon and didn't leave until 7:30. It was a long day but the girls had so much fun. One of their dance teachers is also a photographer and did the pics this year. It was a fun glamourus photo shoot. The girls loved it. Adam was a saint and brought me coffee in the middle of the day and had my favorite Papa John's pizza waiting for us when we got home. We snuggled in our bed and watched American Idol with the girls.

Lilli and I went to the library on Monday after dance. She is rocking her reading goals. I'm so proud of her. She had some books to return and wanted to check a new one out. I love that she loves to scour the bookshelves, look things up on the computer and ask the librarian questions.

I picked up silent auction items while the girls were at dance and then as soon as Alexa walked in the door I pushed her right back to the car so we could go to Target to get the Greatest Showman. We also printed a 5x7 picture for the photo frame she made in tech-ed. It's so beautiful and she did SUCH a good job. It's proudly displayed in our living room. We played cards, snuggled up by the fire until Lilli got home. We can't believe how cold it's been this spring. Barely above 40 degrees.

Christy and I met at Bourbon Butcher for our final meeting before the benefit. We needed something a little stiffer than a coffee to get through the meeting. We had fun fruity drinks in cute tiki cups with cheese curds and nachos. Instead of eating our feeling, we ate our stress! We had a nice visit and then went to the the school where the benefit will be held. She is familiar with the space, but I am not, so it was nice to get the lay of the land and kind of plan out where the food, dessert and silent auction will go.

I brought Lilli home from dance. We had a nice conversation about some things that happened during her dinner break and how she was going to apologize about it to her sister. *story withheld do to the girls' privacy* She felt bad for what she did and she should. Then Alexa got home and we had a long talk with her. Lilli apologized. She cried. But, it was a good talk. Lessons were learned and Alexa was gracious with Lilli. We sat on the steps for an hour, just talking. Me and my girls. Total girl talk and it was AMAZING! It was late and they needed to shower but I just didn't want that moment to end. Finally, after they both told me that they knew the Easter Bunny and Santa aren't real!! GASP!!! I sent them up to shower. I went and laid in my bed while they were showering and getting ready for bed themselves. They had the music blaring. I could hear them both singing together in their bathroom. They were talking and giggling with each other. Lotioning up their bodies, brushing their teeth, doing their hair. Side by side!

When we bought our house the layout of the upstairs was nice, but I didn't think about it like I thought about how amazing the kitchen was and the space we had in the basement and I had a cute little front den, etc. But, the layout and the coziness of our upstairs level has become my absolute favorite. The girls 'suite' as I like to call it has the jill and jill bathroom connecting their bedrooms and I just LOVE it. They have the perfect layout. They have their own space but are connected by a giant bathroom with their own sinks and huge mirror. Seeing them get ready and move back and forth between their rooms is so sweet. And my favorite is when they are both snuggled into their beds in their own separate rooms, they still can talk back and forth to each other, and do. I just sit in my room and listen. There relationship is like no other. They are the best of friends and it just melts my mama heart to mush!

Friday the 13th was the big day, our benefit and silent auction for Parker. I left work to pick up Lilli and another amazing auction donation came in, so her and I headed to Lakeville to pick it up and then made our way to the school to help set up. There were so many helping hands there and much of the work was already done. I was in the serving line, scooping spaghetti sauce and right at 5pm our first guests arrived and a steady flow of people were coming for a straight hour and a half. We served over 450 people. There was a moment that I looked up and out at all the tables and was in complete awe that we pulled this off. It was incredible. So many caring people there supporting a family in need. The silent auction was a huge success. So many items were donated and every single one of them was bid on and went for great prices. Everything went without a hitch and it was overall the most amazing success. I am so happy with how it all went and the amount we raised for the Ehrreich family. Over $14K!!

We all went to the Beissel's afterwards for a few drinks and to celebrate a job well done. So grateful to all our friends who helped and donated.

Saturday morning Adam was up early and off to the airport. Bryson picked him up and he was off to Indiana by 8:30. Thankfully his flight still made it out. A major snowstorm was coming our way. It snowed all day Saturday. The girls and I made a quick trip to Target in the morning for groceries for the week and ran into the worst road conditions and snow of the season. White out conditions and an abundance of snow. We stayed snuggled inside the rest of the day watching The Greatest Showman and played cards. Mike so kindly came over and plowed our driveway a few times over the weekend. We got over a foot of snow on Saturday, businesses closed, church was cancelled, dance & leadership was cancelled, the airport shut down. It was crazy. It continued to snow on Sunday and accumulated a few more inches. However, we were able to get out and have lunch with the Henderson's at Red Robin and then ran to the Budde's that night to go over our church lesson for the week.

Mike came over again Monday morning to plow out the end of our driveway so I could get out to bring the girls to school. The roads weren't great, but the sun will surely clear them up today. Our total snow fall was 17" in the Farmington, Lakeville, Apple Valley area. Most snow fall in April - ever!! We need spring desperately!

We are missing Adam like crazy, but happy to be back to work and school and a regular routine to keep busy until he gets home.

I had some people stop by to pick up silent acution items in between getting the girls ready for dance, making dinner and driving carpool. I got a work out in and a shower and then Lilli and I ran a few errands - dropped some thank you cards off for Crea, picked a few things up at CVS and then home to start on some dance presents for this weekend. Alexa called me and her classes ended an hour early so that they could make room for some make-up classes that were missed over the weekend when we had the big snow storm. It was nice to have her home early. The girls showered, I braided Alexa's hair, we Facetimed Adam and then snuggled in to watch American Idol. The girls both slept with me while Adam was gone.

Alexa and I had a Chipotle dinner date Tuesday night. We stopped at Joann's for a few things I needed for church and Alexa picked up a few goodies for her dancers that she assists. I did a work out when we got home and Alexa showered. Lilli got home from dance and showered herself and then we snuggled in for another girls slumber party and finished watching American Idol. We can.not.WAAAAIT for Adam to be home.

The girls had regular jazz production practice Wednesday. It wasn't my day to drive so I was able to have dinner ready for them right when they got home, so that we could go straight to church and then back to the studio for extra musical theater practice for Lilli and hip hop for Alexa. Our plans to pick up Adam were completely ruined by the extra practices, but luckily a co-worker of his lives near us and had a car at the airport. Lilli and I got to see him first and then Alexa came later after 9. It was sooooo nice to have our whole family together under one roof again. Life is so much better that way.

Thursday was a super fun night. Adam and I got the girls off to dance and then he took my to dinner at the Lakeville Brewery. It was delicious and we had such a nice conversation. I'm so glad he's home. Then we met up with some other Synergy families at the studio and decorated our cars for our trip to Cedar Rapids, Iowa for the competition over the weekend. It got a little chilly, but we had a blast drawing on the windows, washing the coaches cars and painting their car windows, as well. We packed when we got home and laid out our things for the morning.

We were up early and to the Budde's/Beissel's by 8am. We caravaned down to Albert Lea, where we stopped for a delicious buffet breakfast at the truck stop and had a nice visit with Adam's mom, who met us there and wished the girls good luck. We made another stop for gas and treats before our final destination. Unfortunately, even after calling the hotel and requesting an early check in, they still didn't have our rooms ready. Michelle and I crammed all our things into one room to get Alexa and Mackenzie ready for their duet. And by that time other rooms were opening up and we were able to get settled a little bit before heading over to the Paramount Theater. Alexa and Kenz were the first to perform from Synergy and they did AMAZING. They said the stage floor was a little sticky so their turn sequence was off, but other than that, they nailed it and got a PLATINUM score to prove it. So proud of those two and all their hard work. Dedication pays off! We stayed and watched one of Sara's routine's after awards and then went out to dinner at a Mexican place nearby. It was so good, but the service was very slow. I think we waited nearly an hour for our food. With kids and hangry parents, it wasn't super ideal, but the food was super good. We pretty much went straight up to bed once we got to the hotel.

I was up at 5am Saturday morning. I got myself showered and ready and then woke the girls up for hair and make up. I did Alexa's hair while Lilli got dressed, ate breakfast and brushed teeth. Then switched and did LIlli's hair while Alexa ate breakfast and brushed teeth. Then we alternated doing make up since Alexa does half of her's on her own. I have to give major props to my girls for being so easy to get ready. They get ready so well with no complaining or whining. Early mornings aren't fun, but the girls sure make it easy! We packed up and grabbed a quick breakfast from the lobby and then were on our way to the theater by 7:15. Our dressing room was super tiny, but we managed to fit our dream duffel's and squeeze together. Lilli's tap dance was the first of the morning for us. They did so well. They ended up scoring a Platinum and 3rd place overall. Jazz scored High Gold and 7th overall. Hip Hop, Musical Theater and Lyrical all scored High Golds. Jazz Production scored Platinum! Alexa's jazz scored High Gold, Lyrical scored Platinum and 10th overall and Hip Hop scored High Gold and received the Most Entertaining Award. We stayed and watched Taylor's solo and then buzzed out to a pizza place for lunch! Sarah took the girls to the candy store while the adults stopped at a cute little pub for a round of celebratory drinks and then it was back to the hotel. Colin and Sarah rode with us.

We didn't have to be up super early on Sunday so it was nice for us to stay up a little later and hang out with some of the other dance families. Lilli got to swim with her friends and Alexa played Mrs. Jones around the hotel.

We had to be at the theater by 10:30, so we slept in a little, grabbed breakfast and packed up our things to check out of our room. Alexa only performed tap on Sunday in the higher Blaze category, so it was a little less pressure getting only one kid ready for one dance. It was nice to sit and watch some of the other dances without needing to run back and forth to get our girls changed and ready. They danced so beautifully and in sync. They were up against some very tough competition in the top category, but they held their own and ended up scoring a Platinum and 9th place out of 22 and received the Straight Out of Broadway award! I've never celebrated so hard for a dance before. Those girls deserve it. We had a big lunch at another place I don't remember the name of down the street and then we were headed back home. We stopped in Mason City for dinner at Culvers and then in Owatonna for a bathroom break. We made it home roughly 9:30ish so happy to see our puppies.

We let the girls sleep in on Monday morning. I brought Alexa to school at 9 and dropped Lilli off at the same time (her normal time). Adam and I ran some errands and enjoyed being outside in the 65 degree sunny day. We brought Lilli McDonalds lunch at school and ate with her and her friend Lucy. Adam and I took a nice long walk with the puppies, Adam and Alexa got groceries when she got home from school and I picked Lilli up. The Beissel's came over for dinner. We grilled and celebrated 50 days until NEW YORK! Dana gave the girls a night off from dance but Alexa and Kenzie both still had to assist their rec classes. It's dress up week and Monday was Mickey Monday. They could dress as their favorite Disney character. They both made mouse ears out of their hair and painted their faces. Cutest little Minnie Mouses I've ever seen. Lilli and Kaylee played at the park while they were gone.

Tuesday was Team Spirit Day at Dance. Alexa and Lilli dressed in pink and black and put some cute face paint on. Alexa had studio time with Kenz to practice duet. Lilli rode her bike around the loop a few times before her dance practice. The weather is finally so nice out. It's so hard not to want to be outside all the time. I'm glad she loves her new bike and we have the perfect little loop trail around our house for her to ride. Alexa and I made tacos for dinner. Adam furtilized the lawn and went to dad's practice. Alexa and I played cards and we watched the rest of American Idol when Lilli got home.

Wednesday the 25th was the last night of Faith Formation. Jolene and I made a Bingo game for the kids with questions and answers to many of the things we learned over the year. And treated them to rootbeer floats. Addie and Dom were so sweet and gifted us each a candle and $25 to Bourbon Butcher. I learned so much from Jolene this year. She is such a good teacher and we had so much fun. Lilli rode her bike around the loop with Audrey when we got home, while I put some pizza's in the oven. Alexa's friend Aubrie is going on a dance trip and was selling Heggie's pizza's for a fundraiser, so we stocked up. Adam worked a little later, and got home a little after we did, but had already eaten. The girls showered up and we finished the night watching American Idol.

I felt super productive Thursday night. I got the girls ready and both off to dance for the night, met Christy at the bank to finish up the money from Parker's benefit (and grabbed a quick Starbucks), took the dogs for a long walk and did a work out. Then it was off to pick up Lilli (got her, Maya and Sophia DQ) and then home to shower. Alexa was home shortly after. Adam had his end of year bean bag tournament. He took 3rd.

Adam grilled Friday night for dinner. Chicken and veggies. It was delish. We are so happy the weather is getting nicer. Not having to put jackets on to go outside all the time is really nice. After dinner, we went for a walk around the neighborhood and then went to the Budde's. They had their garbage dump week/end (Kentucky Christmas) and we went to watch all the crazies come and pick up all the garbage. Unfortunately, we lasted about 5 mins outside before us ladies got cold. The guys stayed a little longer. We had such a fun time hanging out, drinking our mules and solving all the world's problems.

We were up early Saturday for dance practice. But, as much as it's such a bummer to get up so early, it's so nice to get up when the sun is covering my porch. I poured meself a cup of coffee and sat out on my porch with Javie. It was beautiful. The sun was so warm. I don't have porch furniture yet, so I just sat on the floor, but it was still so so perfect. Our new neighborhood is so peaceful and quiet. I could have sat there all day. Lilli had her friend Lucy over to play right away after dance. They rode bikes to the park and around the loop, jumped on the neighbors trampoline that Adam help set up, chased the ice-cream truck down the street, practiced their recorders and played with slime. They stayed busy all day. Adam cleaned the garage and our shed and I did some cleaning inside. I also got my hair cut and brought the benefit money to Parker and his family.

Later that night we had our friends over for a movie night. It was still so nice out when they got there so the guys were out playing darts in the garage and bags in the front yard, the kids played kickball in the back yard and us ladies visited on our deck. Then we brought everyone in to watch The Greatest Showman. We piled 15 people on our couch and passed out popcorn and water and watched one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. It was so so fun! The guys opted to not watch the movie, but rather played poker upstairs.

Sunday was another beautiful day, a little winder, tho. Bryson came over and helped wire our camera system on the peak of our garage. I took the girls to do a little shopping. They are in need of summer clothes and we were able to find some good deals to hold them over for awhile. We also had lunch at Chipotle and dessert at Freddy's. And got groceries. Adam powerwashed our deck. It turned out SO GOOD. It looks 100% better. We took a family bike ride around the trails and a hike on a nature trail behind out house. We sat out on our deck while we waited for our pizza. It was absolutely the BEST. It was so quiet. I can't get over the fact that we no longer have backyard neighbors. It's just so nice!! We ate our dinner, Lilli showered and I folded laundry and then we snuggled down in the basement for American Idol.

We started Monday morning seeing the most beautiful rainbow in the backyard. The sun hard been shining but we could see the dark clouds moving in. Another beautiful blessing of living where we do. We had the perfect view.

After Lilli got home from dance we brought our books back to the library and checked out some new ones. She has 1/2 a book left for her reading challenge at school so the book she got was just for 'fun reading'. We went for a run/bike ride when we got home. She's so sweet. She's obviously faster on her bike than I am running, but she rode 'slow' to make me feel better and encouraged me the whole way. She has the kindest heart. Alexa's dance classes were cut short so she was home at 7:30. Adam and Mike worked on our sprinkler system and theirs and then came home to watch American Idol, only to find out it wasn't on. So, we found a new show to watch together instead, Alex, Inc.