November 2018

How is it November? It's crazy to think we're nearing the end of another year. Adam had bags tonight! Lilli had her first night of assisting her magic mini's. It went super well and she's very excited to learn all the dancers names. We are all super proud of her. Alexa's neck is starting to get sore again - she's feeling it on her right side mostly. We're trying to be proactive by giving her Advil liquid gels, ice on and off for 10 min intervals and just taking it easy. Fingers crossed it doesn't get any worse. Torticollis is no joke.

Alexa's neck is about the same. We emailed her gym and strength teachers to allow her to take it easy in class today and they were both so receptive. Alexa and I did a little shopping at Turn Style Friday after work and then came home to a nice taco dinner. We sorted the girls' Halloween candy and each picked out our favorites. We went to the Budde's to work on church stuff but ended up just having a mule and calling it a night.

Alexa had assisting and hip hop Saturday morning. I did my work out and then got ready for Coach Purse Bingo for Tammy's birthday at Carbones. Adam dropped us ladies off, we played our 10 games - no luck - but, had so much fun! Jolene and Stacey left a little early to go get ready for plans they had that evening. Adam, Craig and Chuck got all the girls together at our house, went to HyVee and picked up food to make at home and then came back and got Michelle, Tammy and I. Adam made burgers for us at our house and we hung out and played music the rest of the night. Sharps and Buddes joined us later. Such a fun day spent with friends.

Alexa had nutcracker practice Sunday. She took it easy with her neck and class was cut 15 mins shorter due to a couple others being injured as well. We stopped at Caribou on the way home. Adam watched the Vikings and we just relaxed a bit. I started laundry, worked out, etc. Adam picked up our groceries after the game, I made dinner and then the girls and I went to their friend Sarah's Fall Dance Show at her HS. She did such a great job - it was a super fun show to watch. We finished the night playing a family game of Fast Track.

So today turned out to be interesting. Adam had an appointment to get this oil changed in his car after he dropped Lilli off at school. He called me at work almost immediately after and said that they had found two large rust holes in the bottom of our Escape. He said the repairs would be far more than what the car is worth and didn't recommend sticking more money into it. Also, it was bad enough to where if he continued to drive it, the wheel would fall off. So, off to the dealerships he went in search for a new car and we are now the proud owners of a black 2016 Kia Optima.

Happy Election Day. So happy to have the political ads come to an end today. I'm also happy to let my voice be heard and vote for equality, inclusion, progress, change in our country and for the future of our children. It's important for me to vote and even more important that my kids see me vote. They are our future. Us ladies took Jolene out for drinks and dinner/apps for her birthday. We went to Pizza Man downtown. Mike showed up and bought us shots and paid for our meals, which is against our birthday rules, so we will need to take her out again. :)

Alexa and Mackenzie started their duet practice today. They've chosen the song GLAM by Christina Aguilera. It looks so cute so far - a little battle of the divas. They are so sassy and full of energy...it's going to be AWESOME! We had Faith Formation tonight. They had earned their little party for being good, so Jolene brought apples and caramel. And we worked on our rosary board. Adam made us dinner and we took a little ride in his new car together.

Adam had his end of season bean bag tournament. I asked him if he was going to be late and he said "I hope so, that means I'm winning.". :) Unfortunately, he was home earlier than hoped. Alexa came home from dance super excited and in such a great mood. She walked me through step by step of her night. Thursdays usually aren't her favorite because it's heavy on ballet and technique. But, she explained how it went really well and seemed to go quickly. She even has a very cool lift in her lyrical dance that she's super excited about. Lilli also had a great night and had another successful day of assisting.

Adam woke up a year older on the 9th. We showered him with love in the morning, but then processed to have a typical day of work/school. When we all got home we drove to Burnsville to get Alexa's new pointe shoes at Step n Stretch. Not the most exciting thing for Adam to do on his birthday, but with a 30% off sale, we couldn't resist. Afterwards, we came home - he opened his presents (a new bean bag set, Vikings pants, some beef jerky and some adorably hand written cards from the girls.) and I made his requested dinner, stir fry. As soon as we wrapped up dinner, the Beissel's came over for a few birthday drinks.

We were up early Saturday morning. I did my hour workout. Adam took Alexa to dance. And we got ready to work the Gopher's game. The weather was freezing cold, so we prepared with snow pants, boots, hats, mittens and scarves. Adam and I worked a beer port and ended up being on the very top deck in the freezing cold. We had about 20 customers total. We got to watch a lot of the game and kept warm by continually moving around. Stacey and Bryson also worked a beer port on the main level and the Beissel's and Jolene were at a food stand. Chuck and Tammy got there early and worked in the beer garden. They were done before the game started and sat and watched until half time. The kiddos all hung out at the Sharp's. We all went home and changed then met up at the McCabe's to celebrate Adam's birthday and ordered pizza's for dinner.

Adam and I were up before the girls on Sunday morning and just visiting in the living room, when we heard a loud sizzle noise from the basement. Next thing we knew the power had gone out and we were hearing sirens (and saw lights) going towards the transmitters on Akin. Unfortunately, I hadn't started coffee or made any breakfast, so we all grabbed an apple with a scoop of peanut butter. It lasted about an hour and came back on. I took Alexa to Nutcracker practice and then home for a quick lunch and then brought both girls to leadership at Synergy. When they were done I helped Alexa study for Geography, Adam cleaned both of our cars and Lilli showered. I made hamburger gravy for dinner and then we all went to Burnsville to the Target there to pick up Alexa's make up for Nutcracker. We had ice cream and watched the Peoples Choice Awards when we got home.

Adam had today off for Veteran's Day. He had a list of chores around the house and then worked the Timberwolves game in the evening. The girls had their normal dance schedule and I did my workout and made a run to Step n Stretch to get Alexa some more elastic and ribbon for her pointe shoes. She has completely finished one shoe and is working on the second. I'm so proud of her for sewing them all by herself. She's so good at it, too.

Tuesday's are our most basic days of the week. Adam was home. The girls had a regular dance schedule and I did my evening routine of getting the girls dinner and off to dance, did my workout, got the girls home and helped with homework. Adam and I watched the 4th episode of Making a Murderer before bed. I love basic!

Alexa and Mackenzie had their second duet practice today. Since they'll be off next week for Thanksgiving, they had a 45 min class, instead of 30 mins. They are looking SO GOOD just after 2 classes. They are really connecting this year and have found their groove dancing together. I'm so excited for competition season. They're going to nail it. Adam worked another Twolves game tonight. The girls and I had faith Formation. Jolene and I had to teach the safety lesson. It went really well, the kids were very interactive and had lots to say. We also got more done on our rosary board project. I made the girls taco salad when we got home. They showered and did homework. I didn't have time to do my workout so took it as my rest day for the week.

Adam had an early meeting so Lilli went to the Sharp's and rode the bus to school with Ellie. Adam had a benefit at work, so he was late getting home. I did my workout and the girls had their regular dance schedule. Again, loving the normalcy of nights that are completely routine.

Lilli was up early and went to the Sharp's again. I'm so impressed with her little morning routine and how happy she is in the morning. We had plans to have the Rinke's over but Jay ended up having to work late and Sophia had a church thing, so we ended up with the most amazing family night snuggled in watching Christmas movies. The perfect Friday night, in my opinion. We watched The Christmas Calendar on Netflix. Such a cute movie. We have lots more Christmas movies in que to watch this season.

Alexa had dance Saturday morning She assisted her magic mini's and then had hip hop. We had a quick lunch when she got home and then the girls and I went to the HS with the Budde's, Sharps' and Beissles to watch the Farmington dance team's home invitational. They did a great job and it was fun to see some familiar faces of girls who used to dance at Synergy. We went to church Saturday afternoon , grabbed some Subway for dinner and then I took Alexa to finale practice for Nutcracker. She said it was one of the best days because it was filled with what she loves, dance! The Budde's (and Jeff) surprised us by stopping over for a quick drink and some guacamole. So impromptu!

Alexa had her regular Russian practice for Nutcracker on Sunday. I took her there while Adam and Lilli ran to Target with my grocery list for the week. I worked out, and started to clean the house all afternoon. I feel sooo accomplished. We made a quick run to Target again for Finn's birthday gift and got a new thermostat. Jeff stopped over and helped install it. We had Italian Dunkers for dinner and then Adam went to the basement to watch the Vikings and the girls and I snuggled in my bed and watched another Christmas movie, The Princess Switch. Another awesome Netflix movie.

Lilli had an ortho appointment early this morning before school. She got her bands switched. She chose red for Christmas. Adam went to Jolene's to help her get some food ready for their family Thanksgiving. I did my work out and took a long bath. The girls had their normal dance night. Just one night of dance this week.

Last day of school for the girls this week and no dance. Adam worked a concert. The girls and I went to the Budde's where Jolene and I made t-shirts with her new cricket for Friendsgiving. Craig & Michelle came over and Adam stopped by after the concert.

We were up bright and early Wednesday. I did my work out and then we got ready for FMSC with our Synergy family. This is always such a fun event to do the day before Thanksgiving. I feel so fulfilled after packaging so much food for families in need. Afterwards we took off and picked up Adam's tabs for his new car and stopped at Fudruckers for lunch. Then it was the long trip to EL to my parents for Thanksgiving. We met my dad at the house, perfect timing. And shortly after, Courtney, Tiny and Finn showed up. It was so fun to see and love on little Finn. My mom got home from work and then we gave Finn his birthday present - a little water table. We filled it with water and let him play with it. He loved it and it was so cute to watch him splash around. Mom made dinner and we sat around and visited and told jokes. It was such a fun evening.

We got up and ready, helped mom prepare the food and then went to grandma & grandpa's for noon lunch. It was great to see a few of my cousins and aunts and uncles. The meal was amazing, as always. I had fun holding Finn and feeding him "one more bite" of treats. Love that kid! We took off for home late that afternoon. We stopped at Target in Apple Valley on the way and got the girls' new Christmas jammies. The Beissel girls came over and had a sleepover - our Thanksgiving tradition.

We were up at 3:15 to get ready to head out Black Friday shopping. Michelle picked us up at 4:15. Craig wasn't feeling well, so he sat out the shopping part, but joined us for breakfast at Celt's later. We hit up Ivivva in the mall of america and a few other stores. Then stopped at the Outlet mall in Eagan at UA and Nike. We got the girls a few cute clothing items. We hit up Best Buy and Adam got the receiver he wanted for our basement. Our last stop was Home Depot where we ran into Bryson and Mike. They helped us get a large piece of plywood and some shower pan liner for the girls' dance floor. We picked up Craig and went to Celt's for our traditional Black Friday omlets and bloody mary's (a mimosa for me). We went home for a quick nap and to work out. Adam hooked up the receiver and finished preparing the food for Friendsgiving. We all went to the Sharp's at 6 for a yummy fish taco dinner and to celebrate Thanksgiving with our chosen family. Jolene and I gave the ladies the tshirts we made - a huge hit. The kids had a great time and us adults had so much fun sharing memories from our year and going around and saying how thankful we were for each other. Gosh - we're blessed. Good family - good friends!

No dance for Alexa Saturday morning - so nice to be able to sleep in a little. I made a list of things I wanted to get done for the day and started tackling the to-do's. Adam worked a football game in the afternoon and was actually able to come home a bit earlier than usual. The girls and I got groceries and did some chores around the house. Alexa had Nutcracker finale in the evening and then home to watch a Christmas movie and eat popcorn. We watched Christmas Chronicles.

Our only obligation on Sunday was Alexa's Nutcracker practice from 11-Noon. As soon as we got home we had a quick lunch and then started decorating the house for CHRISTMAS! FINALLY! Our house looks so fun and festive and super cozy. I just love our fireplace with the stockings hung up. It was fun to work together as a family and set everything up. We ran to Culver's for dinner and then home to watch another Christmas movie - Daddy's Home 2. We put the girls to bed and Adam and I watched the end of the Vikings/Packer game. Vikes WIN!

It's hard to believe we're back to school/work after such an amazing long holiday weekend off. But, we're ready for a little more structured schedule this week. I started my morning off with a physical and pap smear at my doctors office. Everything went very well. Adam took the afternoon off work and got some things done around the house - so lucky! We have been trying to get online to shop any Cyber Monday deals we can find. We spent most of the evening the girls were in dance buying all their Christmas presents online. So exciting.

The week already feels a little long. I suppose it's what to expect after coming off a short, fun holiday week. However, I'm loving the house all decorated for Christmas and it being dark in the evening so we can enjoy a fire and all the Christmas lights. I'm loving the coziness. The girls had a regular dance night. Adam and Craig picked up a mirror I got online for the girls' dance space and then went to Bryson's to cut and staple their dance floor. I'm so excited for all of this to come together. I did my workout and drove my carpool and then indulged in a warm bath. Adam and I started episode 6 of Making a Murderer, but I fell asleep about 20 mins in.

Lilli received an Reading Award for meeting her 10 book challenge this trimester. She got a certificate and a Star Reader bracelet. Alexa & Mackenzie's duet practice was cancelled today because their coach is sick. Boo! Adam worked a Twolves game. It snowed a significant amount - an inch or so and actually stayed on the ground. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. And other than having to drive it in, it's actually kinda fun and pretty. Yay for the holiday season! :) The girls and I ran and got some M&M's in honor of Grandpa Dick's birthday after dance. We sat in the church parking lot and did homework before going in to Faith Formation. The girls finished homework and showered when we got home. I made dinner and worked out and finished the Making a Murderer episode I fell asleep to, before Adam got home.

Cruzie did her presentation in front of her class on Wind Turbine's. It was a partner project but her partner was out sick the entire week they worked on it, so she did it all on her how. She was really nervous, but said she did well and felt confident. She's glad to have it done. The girls had their regular dance classes. I brought them dinner on their break. Their favorite lately has been fried potatoes with lots of cheese. Adam and I both did our workouts and then took a little date drive to Chipotle for dinner. Chip has had a bad leg starting on Tuesday and has been having a hard time up and down the steps.

Chipper isn't getting any better. Adam stayed home with him most of the morning. He called the vet and got an appointment set up for Monday at 6pm if he doesn't get any better over the weekend. He's been carrying him up and down the stairs for him to go to the bathroom and get up to our bed to sleep at night. I've noticed that he's been gradually getting worse. At first we thought he sprained his back leg, but now it seems worse and more than just his one leg. His back is hunched up and it seems like he looses feeling or control in his back legs and will just simply fall when walking. He's unable to go up or down the stairs and won't let anyone hold him except Adam. Adam worked the NCAA basketball games so the girls and I were home alone with him. We did our best to take care of him but my concern for him only grew through the night. The girls refused to go upstairs without him so they slept on the living room floor until Adam got home and was able to carry Chip upstairs. Today was also the last day of the trimester for Lilli at school. Report cards will come home soon.