October 2018

October 1st - my Shmoo Bear's 14th Birthday!!! We all got up early with her to celebrate and have her open presents before school. She got an organizer case for her thread for bracelets and a sketch book and colored pencils from Lilli and Adam and I got her some Synergy joggers, a hair brush straightener, some embroidery floss for her bracelets, a new cellphone case and some candy and shampoo (inside joke from Adam). She was so happy! Craig drove to school today and they all surprised her with hot chocolate and donuts on the ride there. She said they all sang happy birthday to her in the gym at a fundraising assembly. Her friends alerted one of her favorite teachers and he led the gym in song. She also got a sweet email from another teacher, Mrs. Kipke, wishing her a happy birthday. She has so many people that love her and sent birthday wishes all day. Adam and I brought her Chipotle dinner at the studio during her break from dance classes. Her favorite! I met with Jolene at Celt's for a church/birthday party meeting. It's always fun to chat with her one on one. We kissed our little baby Alexa at 10:02pm when she was born - she was actually awake this time. It was fun to sit with her and reminisce about her birth. Such a special day!

Adam worked late Tuesday night. I got the kids fed and to and from dance, got a work out in, finished up the laundry and prepared some things for our church class. I feel like life is in super speed fast motion right now.

Adam worked Nitro Circus. The girls and I had church. Jolene and I ended up teaching both 5th grade classes since the other class didn't have a teacher. We were in the chapel. We had our lesson planned but seemed off since we had extra students. They made rosaries out of beads. The hour went fast, but we were ready to be done, too! We had dinner and the girls finished homework when we got home. I kissed our little Cruzer for the last time as a 10 year old.

At 9:14am Oct 4th, our little Lilli Cruz was born. We got her up early to open presents before Alexa had to leave for school. She got her first cellphone, so I think it was worth waking up early for. She also got a bunch of spa stuff from Alexa and a necklace that spells "sisters" in morse code. We also got her some Synergy joggers, chocolate and a Vera Bradley purse for her phone. She was a little bummed that her teacher wasn't going to be there on her birthday, but she gave her her birthday treats a day early. And Adam and I got to have lunch with her and her bestie, Ellie. We brought McDonald's kids meals for them. And Ellie gave her some yummy chocolate, reese's PB cups. She had dance after school and then her and Ellie came to our house for her favorite dinner, cheesy chicken & rice, in between dance classes. Alexa stayed for National Taco Day. Suzi brought a walking taco bar to the studio for all the dancers. I brought Elli and Lilli back to dance and then came home to work out. I did homework with Lilli when she got home. I can't believe my baby is 11!

Both girls had math tests today! Lilli also had her cross country meet. All the 5th graders from all 5 elementary schools gathered at Akin, Lilli's school, for their race. Lilli ran the "red" race which was a lap and a half and took 5th place. She was the first girl to finish in the "red" group. As soon as I got home from work I did my workout. Adam and the girls picked Wengs for dinner. We celebrated the girls' birthdays as a family. They got to open their last gift from us - Synergy companie jackets. We shared a beer with the LeBeau's and O'Connors out in the driveway after they dropped their girls off at a birthday party in our neighborhood. And then came inside to relax and watch a movie with the girls. We picked New York Minute with Mary Kate & Ashley Olson. It felt so good to just relax.

We were up early Saturday morning. We took Alexa to dance and then ran to Target for Katelyn's birthday present and ice-cream and goodies for the girls' birthday party. When Alexa got home, she quickly showered and then we were off to pick up the party guests. Jolene picked up Team KAKE (Katelyn, Alexa, Kaylee and Ellie) and Adam and I picked up Team TIKL (Taylor, Isabelle, Kenzie & Lilli). We went to Culver's in Lakeville for lunch and then to the Burnsville Mall for a scavenger hunt. We gave the teams their tasks and rules and sent them off. They had to collect 10 things (a plastic clothes hanger, coupon, old receipt, clearance sticker, take out menu, BOGO card, employment application, Hollister shopping bag, etc.) and take 8 pictures (posing as a mannequin, looking at a mall map, sharing a soda, mirror selfie, entire team wearing sunglasses, cheapest item at Macy's, most creative outfit, etc.) and to buy a couple things (cheapest pair of socks and cheapest bath bomb). Team KAKE came in first and all 4 of them received a $5 Caribou gift card. They were all super creative and had so much fun. They exceeded my expectations for this event so much! After the mall we went to our house for cake and ice-cream and opened presents. The girls got so many fun things and really enjoyed sharing their party with Katelyn. We dropped them all off at the Beissel's at 4:45 and us adults met up at the Budde's for the Budde/Beissel event. We had apps and a drink and then hopped on a rented mini school bus that was painted black and decked out with lights. Mike drove the party bus to Minneapolis to New Bohemian where we had dinner and won $200 in pull tabs. Then we went to Golden Valley to The Game Show. It was such a blast. We played guys vs. girls - Wheel of Phrases, Friendly Fued and Plink-O. Girls won 10-5. I can't tell you how fun this group is. We had the best time! We drove the party bus back and made a stop at Babe's in Lakeville before heading home. The girls had a sleepover at the Budde's.

The Budde's got the girls up early and we drove them all to the bakery in the party bus. It was so much fun. We're of course contemplating buying a bus now. How awesome would that be? It was Katelyn's birthday - what a fun way to celebrate. Alexa was asked to join the cast of the Twin Cities Nutcracker. They needed a dancer who could also do specific tricks. She fit the bill and they needed one more gymnast. She had practice at Ballet Royale in Lakeville from 11-12:00 and then had a costume fitting from 12-12:30. She's a cute little Russian dancer - her costume is red. We had lunch when we got home and then Adam and I left to get groceries. Lilli did her reading homework when we got home and Adam watched the Vikings. I did a work out and Lilli helped me make a new meal for dinner, southwestern chicken wraps. It was a WIN, everyone in the family, even Alexa, liked it. We snuggled in our bed and watched Goldburgs before sending the kids to bed at 8:30. An early night for all of us.

Alexa woke up and turned the fireplace on. It's so chilly already. My timehop app showed Lilli in shorts and a t-shirt on this day last year. Crazy! We've been wearing long sleeves and coats for a few weeks now. Adam had the day off for Indigenous People Day (Columbus Day). He took Javie to get her hair cut and ran a few errands. He also vacuumed the house and put the flannel sheets on our bed. He picked Lilli up in the pick up line and I picked Javie up from her haircut after work. I had the worst headache all day. The kind where it pierced through my eyes and it felt like I was getting sick from sinus pressure. I met with Jolene at Synergy to plan our church lesson for the week. Then went home to work out..and wouldn't you know the workout actually took my headache away. Nothing like a good sweat session to make you feel better. The girls had companie pictures at Synergy.

We found out my little nephew, Finn, is going to have a little SISTER. So excited to have a new little niece to spoil. They were in the clinic finding out when Lilli went into dance, so I promised I'd call her at the studio when they made the announcement. She was so happy! Lilli came running into my arms when she got home from dance. She was in such a good mood. She's so excited to be lifting her friend Ellie in their lyrical dance. She just KNOWS that her teacher picked her to lift Ellie because she's her best friend and she knows she cares so much about her that she won't drop her. So cute. Alexa has a couple tests at the end of the week. She studied after school and made a study plan for the rest of the week. I'm so proud of her. She said "Mom, I planned out my entire week, just like you do!" Ahhhh, I just love that they are seeing how I organize and plan out my days. It makes me more productive and will help them, too!

Alexa was very high anxiety and in tears when I called her after work. She had a big geography test to study for and she wasn't feeling confident about it at all. Her friend had failed the test the day before, which left her feeling worse. I assured her that she could stay home from church and study to give her more time and she finally calmed down. We studied together at the studio while Lilli was in dance and she felt good enough to go to church. Then she studied some more when we got home. She had a health test, too, so she was studying her little brain out. Lilli was also studying hard for her spelling test. Both girls were feeling confident. We even had time for a short little family chat before going to bed. I love those moments. Jolene and I also had a wonderful faith formation class. We felt good about how things went and that the kids actually learned something. Success!!

The girls had a 2 hour early release day from school due to parent teacher conferences. Alexa came home and just relaxed and made a bracelet. Stacey picked up Lilli and she was able to go to the Sharp's and play with Ellie for awhile. They worked on their Flex Day homework. I drove the girls to dance after work and then had Lilli's parent teacher conferences with Mrs. Wood. She had such good things to say about Lilli. Lilli actually sat in on her conferences - usually she waits out in the hall. She's doing so well the conference went super fast. The only thing she wants Lilli to work on is raising her hand more and participating in class. Every time she calls on Lilli she knows the answer, so she wants her to be more aggressive about raising her hand and offering her voice up on her own. We let her choose a book from the bookfair and then took her to McDonald's for a quick dinner before she had to get back to dance.

The girls have a Flexible Learning Day today. So no school, but lots of homework to work on. Poor Alexa is stuck with assignments in both A & B Day classes. I took Alexa and her friend Olivia to Valley Scare. I just dropped them off and then Olivia's dad picked them up after the football game. They had a blast. Alexa talked non-stop about it when she got home. I'm so glad she had fun, but I was so worried about her. You know, typical mom stuff. I don't know when having your kids become so independent becomes easier? I made an apple crisp while I waited for her. Lilli had her friend Brelynn over to play while Alexa was gone. They had so much fun, too. They ate tacos, jumped on the trampoline, ate ice-cream, put on face masks, watched dance recital videos and played Just Dance.

Lilli and I got to babysit Turner and Maddox for a little while Saturday morning until Alexa got done with dance and came and took over. Lilli went to leadership at Synergy and I went to grab groceries. Adam did yard work. The Beissel's came over around 2:30, we ordered pizza and ate before us adults went to work at the Keith Urban concert at Target Center. Craig and Michelle were in a food booth and Adam and I got to be bartenders. I was so scared when I learned what we had to do, but it ended up being super fun. I would definitely do that again. We were there at 5:30 and out by 10. So not bad at all. We came back to the house and had a few drinks and the Beissel girls spent the night.

We woke up to SNOW on Sunday morning. First snow fall of the season. It wasn't fun to see so early in the year but it sure was beautiful. Adam rented an aerater for the yard, so he worked on that and I got the girls up and fed them breakfast. Alexa had Nutcracker practice until noon. The Budde's came over in the afternoon. Jolene and I worked on church stuff and the guys watched the game. Adam made us some fun Fall mules. I love Sundays!! We had chili and cornbread for dinner and snuggled up with the girls and watched a movie.

It's MEA week for the girls. So, only 3 days of school. They both had a great day at school and dance. I did a work out (Day1 of phase 2 - Day 27/80) and took a bath. Adam and I took the puppies for a walk. Adam watched football. It was a nice quiet, relaxing night - Finally!

The sun has been shining for the past couple days which is a nice change from the cold, dreary, raining and even snow, we've had for the past month. We had Alexa's parent/teacher conferences. Honestly, one of my favorite days. Alexa is doing so well in school and is a favorite of most of the teachers there. They all just adore her and think she is so sweet and happy. It's true. She's such a great kid! We love her TC teacher, Mr.s Kipke. We bring her Coke (her favorite) and end of just chatting about everything...and about how amazing Alexa is. It's so fun. We will be requesting that Lilli gets her in middle school next year.

The girls were both home at an earlier time from dance, we snuggled in our bed and ate popcorn while we did brain teaser jokes. I love our family time more than anything. We stayed up way later than we should have but it was so worth it.

My morning was more chaotic than I wished it was...the dogs were being annoying and I didn't get my good 15-20 minute snuggle fest with Alexa before she left for school. I crave that one on one time with her every morning. But, I turned my day around. Stayed positive and had a great day. The sun was shining so pretty and the Fall colors are so vibrant right now. I'm obsessed. I picked Lilli and Ellie up after school and took Lilli to dance. Alexa sub-assisted for Autumn in Lilli's class. Then home for dinner and my workout. The girls got dressed up for the football game - jersey day. Lilli borrowed Jack's Vikings jersey again. And Adam had Vikings hats for the girls to wear. We dropped them off at the game at 7 and then took Alexa to the Beissel's to work on finding some duet songs. We have a couple and sent them to their coach. Hopefully she likes one of them. Lilli got cold at the game, so we went to pick her up about 8 mins before the game ended.

The girls didn't have school Thursday thanks to MEA. They both hung out at home, caught up on Dancing w/ the Stars, did a few chores and just relaxed. It was a gorgeous day - 65ish. They took the dogs for a walk. We had the Budde's over for dinner. We made fish tacos and had jalapeno margaritas...soooo good. We just love hanging out with them, and Jeff, too! :) They stayed until almost midnight. We played telestrations with the kiddos. Good food and even better company! We're so lucky! Katelyn and Taylor spent the night.

I got Lilli up at 7:30 (so mean of me...on MEA) for her ortho appointment. We drove there and the office was pitch dark and the door was locked. I called the office thinking we might be at the wrong location. Turns out we had the wrong MONTH. Shoot. She goes back on NOVEMBER 19th. Luckily she wasn't too mad at me. I brought her back home and she crawled right back into bed. Today is Jack's Birthday! The girls had breakfast and lunch with him and even stayed and hung out with him and his friends for the afternoon. I picked them up after work and surprised Jack with some ice cream treats. Adam and I had planned to go to dinner and a movie together but just ended up doing dinner because we were so tired from the night before. We ate at King's Buffet. We watched a movie with the girls when we got home and Adam and the girls slept in the basement. I was too uncomfortable so I went up to my bed.

It was nice not to have to get up and run to dance in the morning. They were off for MEA. I did my workout and cleaned up around the house. Adam went outside and cleaned out the shed and took the trampoline down. Alexa and I ran a few errands and then we dropped the girls off at the Sharp's and Adam Stacey and I worked the Ed Sheeran concert at U.S. Bank. Our stands were super slow so we got to watch quite a bit of the concert, which was pretty awesome. It was pretty late when we got back so we picked up the girls and went straight home to bed.

We got to sleep in Sunday morning. Adam went and got the groceries and the girls and I watched church online while I cleaned up the kitchen and made lunch. The girls got all dolled up for Fall pictures and I took them on the back trails. The sun was too bright so not all turned out, but we got a few cute ones. After the football game, Adam took us to a farm to pick out some pumpkins. We also got a haybail for the front porch. And then I convinced him to drive us out to Dakota Village to take more pics. The lighting was way better out there and so many fun back drops. We got lots of cute ones. We set up our pumpkins and haybail on the front porch when we got home and made dinner quick before the Sharps, Beissels and Tammy and Emily came to watch Making a Murderer 2. We watched the 1st episode together and agreed to watch one more on our own. We'll meet back up next Sunday for the 3rd episode. Adam and I made popcorn and watched the 2nd episode right away.

Both girls had a great day at school. Alexa has a couple tests to study for again this week. Dance went great. I worked out and did some cooking/baking while they were gone. Adam worked the Timberwolves game and got home a little after 10. Overall, not too bad for a Monday!

I picked Lilli and Jack up a little early from school and met Alexa at her bus stop and brought them to Hastings to Craig's Open House/Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for his new office downtown. He was so happy to see us there and excited for his big day. It was fun to see everyone who came out to support him. We stayed for a little while, ate, and visited and then had to get the girls back for dance. Lilli and Katelyn were a little late and Alexa opted out of staying for pointe so she could study for her health and geography tests. Adam also had to work from home a bit. We bought lottery tickets for the mega million jackpot with Jeff and the Budde's but unfortunately didn't win.

Poor Cruzie is getting a little stuffy nose. I hope it doesn't lead to anything more. It seems worse in the morning and then better in the afternoon. She had hip hop today. Alexa was supposed to start duet with Kenz but they still don't have a song, so they cancelled class. Ironically, after their class would have ended Kris and Dana approved the song they chose - Glam by Christina Aguilera. We're so excited and the girls cant wait to get started. We had faith formation tonight. We started on the rosary project and the kids painted the wooden 'beads'. Adam had dinner ready for us at home and I did a workout while the girls did their homework.

Lilli had her spelling test today and got them all right. So proud of her. Adam had bags. I did my regular carpool schedule and split up my workout in between driving. I went to Stacey's Norwex party and learned so much more about the products. The more I hear, the more I just LOVE them. We picked Alexa up at 9 from dance and Dana asked Lilli to be an official assistant in Macie's class on Thursdays. She is SO excited. She'll get paid AND be able to dance in the assistant dance. She's so so happy! And we are very proud of her.

Kenzie rode the bus home with Alexa on Friday and Adam brought them to the Sharp's. Lilli road the bus home with Ellie. The Beissel's, Stacey and Adam and I worked the Gophers game and Bryson stayed back with the girls. He took them to Target and let them make up a little scavenger hunt for each other. They had so much fun!

Alexa had dane Saturday morning. I did my workout and then when she got home we got ready and went to North Commons to watch the 10U football game. It was Harrison (Adam's very first park) vs. North Commons (his last park). North Commons won. We tried to rent the little scooters downtown but learned that the girls had to be 18 to ride them. So, we went for burgers at The 5-8 Club instead. I was daring and ordered the PB & J burger. It was actually pretty good. We went home, took a little rest and then went to the Beissel's. Kaylee got confirmed, so they had some family over to celebrate.

Adam went up to the cities to watch more football games while the girls and I stayed home. I took Alexa to Nutcracker practice. Lilli stayed home and showered, got her homework done and cleaned her room. Adam stopped for groceries on the way home. I did laundry, cleaned the kitchen and motivated myself to get my workout done. We lounged around a bit, I made dinner and then Alexa and I ran to Target for some leggings for her Halloween costume. We made popcorn when we got back - Adam and I watched the Vikings and the girls watched DWTS Jr.

Alexa woke up so tired today. She didn't sleep well. She said she had trouble falling asleep and then was restless all night. Poor baby. I hate waking her up so early, especially knowing she's so tired. But, she handled the day like a champ and had a great day at school and dance. She showered when she got home and crawled right into bed. Adam worked the T-Wolves game and was out of there right at 9 and home before 10 right as I was tucking Lilli into bed.

Typical Tuesday - the girls had dance (and wore their costumes) and did homework. I switched up my workouts so that I could have a shorter one on Halloween. Adam was home and was able to rest.

Happy Halloween! Cruzie wore her unicorn onsie to school for her Fall Festival. They read a scary story that had a couple videos that went along with the storyline. Their first grade buddies did a costume parade in their classroom and they watched movies and had snacks in the afternoon. Alexa got dressed up as princess Ariel from Little Mermaid and I dropped her off at her friend Lauren's for a Halloween party. They all dressed up as Disney princesses. They had a taco bar, danced, sang karaoke and did a little trick or treating. We had our friends over for Halloween/Craig's Birthday. Adam made pulled pork sandwiches and I made an apple crisp and everyone else brought more food to share. The girls went out trick or treating down the street and came back to eat and then back out for more candy. We all had a great night and were in bed by 10:30! :)