March 2019

Hello March!! Stacey brought Ellie over early this morning so that she could get a ride to school with Lilli. Adam has to work on Saturday for a little bit, so he took today off. So happy to start another fresh month on a Friday!! Hooray! February ended up being record breaking in the snow department. And naturally we're starting off the snowiest month with yet...more snow. This winter seems never ending. We got about 5 more inches of snow throughout the day. The Sharp's and Beissel's brought their kiddos over at 5:15 and then us adults went to Eagan for a MN Twin's training for Achieving Dreams. It was 3 hours and 3 hours too long. Since we've already done so many games already, none of the information was new to us. We went back to our house afterwards for a few drinks. Love starting the weekend with friends.

Twins Training

Jazz Production Costumes

Adam had to work early Saturday morning and I took Alexa to the studio to assist. The girls and I got ready and packed the dream duffels for companie picture day at the studio. The day went really well and actually went much faster than last year. We ate dinner at Weng's with the Sharp's and Beissel's. We went home to let the girls shower and change and then met back up at the Beissel's for a few drinks and some more friend fun! Craig had been snowmobiling all day and showed up to his own party 2 hours late. We had to take measures into our own hands and post his photo on social media.

Sunday was a productive day in the Lares house. Lilli spent the entire morning working on homework. Adam took off to Target with the grocery list and got me a car wash. I did my work out and showered and Alexa cleaned out her closet. I did laundry, and cleaned Lilli's closet, Adam cleaned the pantry and the kitchen cabinets. It was a lot of work, but it feels good to have done. We took a load of clothes to Turn Style and stopped at Culver's for a treat. Javie even came with and got a scoop of custard. I made a new recipe for dinner - sesame noodle bowls, and we watched World of Dance and had popcorn for a snack.

Lilli had an orthodontist appointment right away this morning to get her bottom braces put on. I told Adam to send me pictures, but she wouldn't let him. She wanted to surprise me with what color bands she picked. Stinker. She picked green! Alexa got to skip her gym class today and instead go to 7th grade biology. The teacher had asked Alexa if she'd come help dissect frogs because all the girls in the class refused to do it. This was one of Alexa's favorite units in 7th grade, so it's no surprise she was asked to come help teach the class. She looked forward to it all weekend. Adam worked the KISS Concert and I ran to Burnsville to drop off some more clothes at Turn Style. I did my workout while watching the Bachelor.

I dropped Lilli off at the Sharp's this morning to ride to school with Ellie. Adam had to go to an early morning meeting for work. Alexa got to help teach the frog dissection class in school again today. She's in 7th heaven. Adam worked the Twolves game. The girls had regular dance practice. I did my workout and drove the dance carpool. Lilli told me that she loves our one on one time together when she is home earlier than Alexa from dance. Such a sweetheart!

Lilli had hip hop and Alexa had duet practice. Alexa complained of not really feeling well after school. She said she felt hot. She had a good practice and then home for dinner. She didn't eat much and just still kind of felt out of it. I decided to make it a relax night instead of going to Ash Wednesday mass. We did talk about lent during dinner and things we'd like to give up or do during lent. Adam had an Achieving Dreams appreciation party in Fridley - there was a dinner and a comedy show.

Today was the girls' Friday. Lucky ladies!! They had regular school and dance schedules. We went to Alexa's very last middle school parent teacher conference with Mrs. Kipke. We are so grateful for her and all she has done for Alexa. They are two peas in a pod. She told us how amazing Alexa is an how all the teachers just rave about her. She also said she is outgrowing Dodge and is ready for bigger things. We also spoke with the school counselor and requested Lilli gets Mrs. Kipke for Tiger Connections next year and she assured us she would. There is so much I want to say about Mrs. Kipke, but don't even have all the proper words. I am just so happy she came into our lives and grateful for her being everything Alexa needed in middle school. I'm thankful this isn't goodbye with her and that it is a see you next year with Lilli. Adam left from conferences to go to bags. I dropped Alexa back off at dance and then headed home to work out.

It's a staff development day in the Farmington school district, so no school for the girls. They were anxious for the day off and were excited to sleep in. Lilli's good friend Bre came over for the day. Alexa got asked to help at Parent's Night Out at Synergy and Kenzie came over to hang out with Lilli. Adam and I had our tax appointment in Albert Lea and then he took me out for Chinese before coming home to celebrate not having to pay in and actually getting a decent return. Alexa and Kaylee came to our house after babysitting and the Beissel girls had a sleep over.

The girls were up early for leadership. Alexa assisted and had an extra long hip hop practice to make up for not having it last week. I had a hair appointment with Kawa at 9. Adam dropped Lilli off when she got home for leadership and she got a haircut, too. I ran home to get Alexa when we were done and brought her back for a haircut, also. We were all in desperate need. Adam made us lunch, we relaxed a bit and then took Lilli to the Dodge pool to hang out with her friend Parker during her sisters birthday party. Lilli was so excited to swim. We dropped Alexa off at her friend Sarah's for her birthday party and then ran to Turn Style and McDonald's for a quick dinner before picking Lilli up again. We dropped Lilli off at the Budde's to hang out with Katelyn and then went to the Beissel's. By then it had started snowing after raining all afternoon, so Mike took his truck to pick up all the girls from Sarah's party. We ended up getting about 3-4" of snow.

We sprang ahead and set our clocks ahead an hour. Adam made us a yummy brunch, we took a nice walk around the loop and brought some bread to feed the deer. Adam snowblowed, the girls did homework and showered. I shoveled the deck and started laundry. We ran a few errands to Target and SAMs and then home to snuggle in and watch American Idol and World of Dance. I made dinner and Adam made banana bread. The schedule for PAC came out which makes us super excited for next weekend and the girls' first dance competition of the season.

Typical Monday for us. Adam worked the SHINE concert with Craig. The girls had regular school/dance. I practiced Alexa's duet hair on Lilli. I did my workout and watched the Bachelor.

We had the most wonderful parent teacher conference for our Lilli. Mrs. Wood has given her a whole new confidence and we love it. She commented that Lilli's past teachers have even noticed. She's way ahead in her reading goals, she's working so hard in math - her math teacher even stopped us and told us how proud he was of her and thanked her for being such a hard worker. Her teacher also commented on how good of a student and friend she is. No girl drama! She also said that Lilli's NWEA scores do not reflect the type of student she is. She sees much more growth in the classroom. So proud of her. We let her choose a new book from the book fair and then Adam took her to McDonald's for dinner while I went to Jolene's to work on our Dance Mom water bottles. Alexa was cleared for tumbling today and she is super excited. She has been WAITING for this day.

We have been getting some new info from our travel agent in regards to our MEA trip. We're excited about the possibilities. I spent a lot of the day emailing her and updating the group. Lilli came home with some pretty shocking news from school. I will honor her privacy and not talk about it here, but ultimately we are so proud of her for telling an adult of the situation and coming to me afterwards. The school counselor called me and left a message about the situation and I will visit with her in person tomorrow. Alexa and Lilli had dance and then we had church. Mike and Adam made us all fish tacos for dinner and the Budde's ate with us. Adam made delicious beer-garitas and we talked about our trip!

I had a very nice visit with Lilli's school counselor after school. We shared some tears together and had some heavy conversation but overall so pleased with how everything is being handled and Lilli feels comfortable and safe. So proud of Lilli and how she's handled the whole situation, too! Adam had his end of year bean bag tournament and the girls had their regular dance schedule. I had a super bad stress headache and did a little retail therapy at Turn Style. Mom life is hard!

The excitement of competition weekend is upon us. The Beissel's came over right after school to work on Alexa and Mackenzie's hair for duet. Craig picked up some pizza's from Papa Murphey's and we kicked off the dance competition weekend! We're so excited. The girls are pumped and we're ready to go!

We were up early Saturday morning to get ready for the girls' first dance competition of the season - Precision Arts Challenge in Chanhassen. It was a full day of dances and the girls did AMAZING!! I'm so proud of how they handle themselves both on and off stage. We stayed and watched Taylors solo and then all went out to Lion's Tap for burgers afterwards.

We slept in a little longer on Sunday but then got up and ready again for Alexa's duet. We made it up to Chanhassen to watch some of the other solos and then Alexa and Kenz performed in the afternoon. They did AMAZING! So proud of them. They competed in the pre-professional level and received a Platinum score and 5th place over-all! We took them to Carbones in Lakeville for a quick celebration with an appetizer and some green beers for the adults. Happy St. Patty's Day! The leprechaun's left some fun socks and gold coins for the girls in the morning, too! We went to the Budde's and planned our friend trip to PUNTA CANA! We got the details planned out and picked our resort - RIU Palace Bavaro!

Work has been extremely busy! My boss has been gone and I've been bombarded, it seems. My day was non-stop phone calls and emails. Plus, working through the trip details with the travel agent. Adam took the day off so he was home for the repair guy to look at our hot water heater, he got groceries for the week and new tabs for my car. The girls had school and dance and I was able to de-stress with a work out and popcorn!

Exciting news!! We all booked our trip to Punta Cana!! Our travel agent has been amazing in helping us out and we are all set to go Oct 15-22. We are all beyond excited! The girls had regular dance practice. Alexa found out that her tap and lyrical would have scored a precision if they would have competed in the pre-professional level at PAC. They did so good! Lilli just finished up her science MCA's in school. Adam worked a Twolves game with Craig.

Alexa and Kenz had studio time to work on duet. Ms. Kris is on a spring break trip, so they weren't able to get any judges feedback from her, but they still worked hard on what they needed to. Lilli had hip hop. I stopped at Family Fresh to pick up a loaf of bread, some cheese and bologna for church. Alexa's teacher was sick so her church classes were cancelled. Jolene taught a quick lesson and then we gave the kids their sandwiches. They had begged for them when we made them for loaves and fishes, so we surprised them with ones they could actually eat. The Beissel's were at our house when we got back. Adam made some chicken wings in an air fryer that we're borrowing and we celebrated Kaylee's birthday (tomorrow) and our trip to Punta Cana.

Adam found out later in the day that he did in fact have bags that night. His spring session started earlier than he thought. He offered to get a sub and help me pack for the weekend, but I told him to go. I did my work out, made dinner and packed the girls' clothes and mine for the weekend. The girls had a great night at dance and can't wait to leave for the weekend to meet baby Hallie.

We took the girls out of school at noon for the day to get a head start on our trip to Moorhead and avoid as much traffic as possible. Adam had a quick lunch for us when we got home. We dropped Javie off at the Beissel's. And then we were on our way. The trip up went so fast - no traffic. We took turns picking songs and dancing in the car. We made a stop in Fergus to see my dad at work and get a treat at DQ. We arrived to Tiny and Courtney's around 6. We were so excited to meet baby Hallie. She is everything we thought she'd be and so much more. Absolute perfection. She's so tiny and sweet. Snuggling her up was the absolute best. And Finn is such a ham.

We got up Saturday and Tiny and Courtney made french toast and fruit for breakfast. We went to the mall for a little while. They had some kid activities going on. Lilli and Finn had a fun time riding the little cars together. And we stopped at the pet store and visited the puppies. We went to Spicy Pie in downtown Fargo for lunch and then to a place for some rolled ice-cream. The girls loved it. We also stopped at a cider bar, which was amazing. Such a cool vibe and the ciders were delish. Courtney and I shared a flight. It was way past Finn's nap time so we went home so he could sleep and rest up a bit. My parents came and the girls and my mom stayed with Finn and Hallie while dad, Tiny, Adam, Courtney and I went to a brewery. We picked up the kids and mom and then went to dinner at Mackenzie's River. It was so delicious. I had a cobb salad. We just chilled at home afterwards and snuggled with the baby!

Sunday morning was Courntey's baby shower at the cutest little coffee shop. The shower was held in the basement so we had our own space. It was so nice to see Courtney's mom, sister and grandma's. I was so glad the girls and I were able to be there, too. We had mimosas and a delicious spread of fruit, muffins, donuts and egg bakes. We took off for home after the shower. We were all super tired which made the car ride home seem much longer. We met up with the Beissels, Sharps, & Budde's at Osaka for Kaylee's birthday dinner and then home to watch World of Dance.

The girls' first day of spring break. It was super nice out - a high of 44. They had Ellie over, took Javie for a walk, played 2 square and rode their scooters. I got groceries on my way home, Adam took the Christmas lights down(finally) and we had leftover Osaka for dinner. I made popcorn and we caught up on our shows.

The girls had another great day - Isabelle and Ellie came over. They walked Javie and played at the park. Lilli went to Ellie's in the afternoon and they jumped on the trampoline. She called me, super excited, that she was able to get her aerial and front flips. She was afraid she'd forget how to do them over the winter. Alexa went to the movie 5 Feet Apart with some friends. It was super sad. She said she cried. Adam worked a Timberwolves game. I brought some clothes to Turn Style, did a work out and planted my herb garden. I'm so excited. When the girls got home Michelle and I took them to Michael's and bought paints and supplies for our Bob Ross night. Kaylee and Kenz spent the night.

The girls convinced Adam to take the day off of work today to take them and their friends around Minneapolis. They wanted to do all the fun touristy things and take lots of pictures. They all dressed up super cute and did their hair. They went to the Guthrie first and toured the Yellow Room. They visited Adam's work and one of his co-workers game them all a bunch of mystery tickets to Nickelodean Universe. They had lunch at Matt's bar and loved the juicy lucy's. They also drove all over the place to take pics in front of all the mural walls in Minneapolis. Adam treated them to ice-cream at Izzy's Ice-Cream and they visited the sculpture garden before heading to the MOA to ride the rides. They didn't get home until after 6pm. The girls were so happy! I asked what their favorite part of the day was and they said..all of it. Adam wins dad of the year, for sure! I did my work out, facetimed with my little nephew Finn and made dinner while they were gone. The girls had a sleepover at the Budde's.

The girls woke up at the Budde's and then went to the Beissel's for the day. They played outside and are enjoying the nice weather. Michelle brought them to the government center at 4 and Adam and I met them there after work along with the Budde's and Sharps. Our family already has them but the rest of the crew either needed to get their passports or renew them for our trip and naturally we made a fun filled day of it. We went to Carbone's in Lakeville afterwards for dinner together and to celebrate 200 days until our sweet vacation!! We caught up on some Goldbergs and American Idol when we got home. The girls are really living their best life and enjoying every minute of their spring break.

Adam took the day off today to hang out with the kids and get some stuff done around the house - they set up the trampoline, cleaned out the shed and brought the bikes up to the garage. They also set out my porch chairs and deck furniture! Yay Spring!! When I got home we cleaned up a little inside the house and welcomed the Beissel's over for Bob Ross Night. Adam grilled as a thank you for them for watching Javie for us while we were in Moorhead and then we set up the garage with tarp, a table and TV for our Bob Ross Painting Night. It was an absolute blast. We picked an episode and followed along and our paintings turned out actually really good. Each one very unique! We can't wait to do it again!

Adam got up early Saturday and went to Bryson's to work on making their bean bag boards. Lilli worked on some homework, Alexa and I went to Target and the Dollar Tree for some supplies for the Beissel's Luau party. We came home and made our pasta salad and bean dip and I also got stuff for slushies for the kids. Alexa went to the movie 5 Feet Apart again with her friends Amanda and Lauren. I picked her up when she was done and brought her to the Beissel's. The Luau party was super fun. We started earlier in the day so that we could end at a decent time and get to bed. The food was delicious! Mike and Craig made ribs.

Adam went to work on his boards again Sunday morning. The girls and I picked up a treat at Hyvee, did a little shopping at Turn Style and then got groceries for the week. Once we settled back home with Adam, we snuggled in to catch up on American Idol. We took a little break for dinner and then made popcorn and watched some more. So many good singers this season! I wanted to hang on to the last night of spring break and the girls being home, but they are so ready to be back at school and dance!