Early Springtime Fun!

The month of March has been AWESOME here in Wisconsin!  We have had everything from a week-long stretch of 70's-80's to low of 30's with snow showers in the past couple of weeks.  Needless to say, my boys have been enjoying the outdoors after having been cooped-up this winter (which wasn't even all that great of a winter due to NO SNOW to play in!)

We have been slowing down a bit in our crazy lifestyle now that hockey is over for the season, and will patiently wait until the next sport starts up-Coach Pitch (baseball) for Gage.  I'm looking forward to getting the boys to some outdoor parks, the beach, and just plain outdoor fun!


Here are some fun photos from the past two months of February and March, 2012. 

Bronson and Landon in a box

Gage and Nana in a box

Gage wearing his ATV helmet while on his big wheel

Landon on his motorcycle

Bronson attempting to ride his first "big boy" bike.  Should be interesting, as neither of the twins know how to pedal a trike as of yet!

Nana reading to her boys

Aunt "Tee Tee" came for a visit last weekend.  This is a bubble mess that was created!

Gage at the MN Zoo

Bronson.  I absolutely adore this picture!

Landon's "Say Cheese! Face".  I can't get him to keep his eyes open no matter what I do.

Multi-Tasking.  Tee Tee pushing the stroller with all three boys while chatting on the phone!  She's a pro!

Bronson loves to "cudd-oh".  Every night he will snuggle up to me and squeeze right in.  Love these moments.

Nana reading bedtime stories.  As you can see Landon (left) had a bit of a road rash incident the day prior.  Fell off the John Deere toy Gator (or "alligator" as the boys call it) and landed on his face.  Looks much better about 5 days later.

Familial Update, Jan 2012

Handsome Tim.  Driving the mini-van.  What a stud.  

Would tell you that he was doing same-old, same-old.  Got some hunting in this past fall, attempting to get his ass kicked on a men's adult hockey league (just starting skating last week), and enjoying his life as a dad.  Trust me.  :)

 Gage and I at a recent Monster Jam event in Minneapolis.  Super loud, super redneck, super fun.  Would do it again for sure!  He's growing a like a weed, size 6 pants are getting too short, getting very independent and has really grown up these past couple of months.  Bittersweet.

 Holy Hell.  These two are stinkers.  Stinker sandwiches.  Stinker McStinkertons.

Landon (left) and Bronson destroy everything in their waking path from the hours of 7 am-1pm and again resume destruction from 3pm-745pm.  They sleep good, though.

 Landon.  What a honey, although tends to be a brute.  Caught him at a cute and quiet moment with his animals.  Really reminds me of Gage at this age, very similar personalities.  Does tend to be more of a mama's boy, and doesn't adjust as quickly to different situations as his brothers.  But once comfortable, can be very silly and let's loose.  Talks up a storm.  Current favorite phrase is "Stinky butt" or "poopy butt".  Yes, he gets scolded.  No, it's not working.

Bronson.  I'm not kidding when I tell you that this kid makes THE CUTEST faces and is so darn silly 95% of the time.  However, I cannot get a photo of one of these silly faces for the life of me.  All I have are photos similar to this face.  Definitely has more "Stinker" in him in terms of being an instigator and a destructor, however is extremely sensitive and can give, but rarely "takes".  Cries easily, feelings hurt easily.  But did I say goofy?  This one is his mama's personality as he is always trying to make people laugh.  Current favorite phrase is anything "diaper".  "Jumpy Castle diaper", "poopy butt diaper", followed by a "ha ha ha".  Yes, he gets scolded.  No, it's not working.

********

Well, hello!
Yes, here I am.  What a slacker, yes, I know.

So I've heard from a few people whose opinions are important to me (does my mom count?) that my blog posts have been missed.  For this I am sorry.  I know at one point there was a whole group of us who used to post regularly about our lives and our kids...
but guess what?  Life gets in the way.  I don't like excuses.  I don't like to say "I don't have the time", because as with everything in life, if we choose to make time for something, we do.  There have been many a nights (okay, so MOST nights) where I find myself sitting in the same spot on the couch playing game after game of Bejeweled Blitz on the ipad, and I "could" sit down at the home computer where all of my photos are and shoot out a quick post updating our lives around here.  And the other night when I chose not to play on my ipad?  Well, I chose to crack open a bottle of Pinot instead.  And I blessed you all by going on Facebook drunk, rather than posting while three sheets to the wind.

So there, blog followers that I may not even have left, I chose booze over you.
I said it.
I admit it.

And quite frankly, I don't feel guilty.  Well, maybe just a little bit, or I wouldn't have even wrote that, right?

To be honest, many a day go by where my naked body doesn't even get to see clean water in the form of a shower before 9:00 pm.  So to find myself sitting on a computer when my brain is fried from answering "Where daddy go?" 286 times, and picking 31 Cheerio crumbs out of my socks for the 4th time in a day, I just plain and simple don't wanna blog. 

But I would be lying to you if I told you I don't miss writing.  Not necessarily because any one of you (okay, minus my parents and sis) could really care less about the day-to-day ramblings of my life, but because like for many people, writing is my outlet.  I don't really get to chit-chat about my life with many people throughout the day.  I talk to toddlers for a good majority, and then Tim and I of course talk once he gets home, but even those conversations are limited.  Regardless of who is reading, listening, or caring, I like to get it off my chest.  And let's be honest, some of the crap I tell you about is down right FUNNY!

This is why I am going to create a new blog.

I will continue to occasionally update about our family with pictures and a few stories to boot, on this family blog.  But I'm really going to get down and dirty, giving you all a little more information than I should, on a new blog I have recently created.  It's one I've been thinking about creating for awhile now, and it's very new, so don't get too excited.  If you are interested in reading, please visit:  www.knee-deep-in-testosterone.blogspot.com

I will be keeping my kiddos and our family and location as anonymous as I can.  No first names, and very little photos as well.  This way, I can feel a bit more comfortable about spilling the beans and not being afraid that my teenage children will ever have cause to file a class action lawsuit against me for cruel and unusual punishment in the form of embarrassment.  Any such lawsuits yet to be filed?

As for a family update, I get right on that one....

MS Mud Run 2011

I completed the MS Mud Run for the second year in a row.  I signed up with the same team, although we all crossed the finish lines at different times!  I found the course to be similar to last year, however a little bit more challenging, although we did finish the course in about the same time as last year.  I will most definitely do it again next year!!!
The event in total had almost 3000 runners this year and raised nearly $500,000 toward the research and fight to end Multiple Sclerosis.  Someone who I know from where I live has been living with MS for almost 10 years (she is 31) and she spent the ENTIRE day on the course grounds taking fantastic pictures of everyone coming through the end part of the race.

 Team "Down and Dirty"

 I am toward the back of the group, middle of the photo, blue bandana on my head.

 Here I am yelling "Woooooooo"  Can you tell?

 I lost my bandana in this plunge.  It scared me, I must say.

On behalf of her, and the many others who have been or will be diagnosed with MS....I THANK YOU for your support!!!!!!

My Boys

 My Three Sons

 Landon                                                  Bronson

 Gage

 Bronson, Landon

It is virtually impossible for me to sit here and look at these photos of these three precious boys and my heart not swell with love and pride.  I am so blessed.  I cannot say that enough.  I know all of us parents feel that way, and if we don't...we should.  However in the crazy, busy schedule of my every day life, I wonder if I am where I am supposed to be.  When I see these photos, I know that all is right with my world.
I hope I always feel this way.

September 2011

The boys are growing up so fast. We had a fantastic summer this year. We visited the MN zoo, Como Zoo, the beach several times and a local water park several times. We had the big birthday bash in July, hit the St. Croix County Fair in July, and the State Fair (minus the twins) in early September. Gage and I took a long weekend trip to Canada to visit our friends the Dube's in July, and Tim and I went on a week long Mediterranean Cruise in early August. We had lots and lots of playdates, lots of bonfires, early June soccer for Gage...
and I'm sure I could go on and on. Overall, as always, summer was a BLAST, but it's always fun to get back into some sort of a routine.

We decided to wait one more year to send Gage to Kindergarten. I'm confident that this is a great decision for us, and Gage never even seemed bothered by the fact that his two friends since age 2 were moving onto Kindergarten and he was going back to 4k. He's already made a new friend in his class, and we've made new friends that live near us with a 4k son as well....

Here is Gage at his 4k preschool, Ready, Set, Go! His teachers were very excited to see him again!

Gage is a great kid. He is VERY independent, picking out his clothes everyday, and not listening to mom when she tells him something doesn't match or may not be right for the day's weather. I have given up, allowing him to live with the consequences of wearing long sleeves on an 80 degree day. It's tough for me to do sometimes, as the 4 Vikings jerseys he owns are the only things he wants to wear, but hey- Gotta let him be his own person, and you have to choose your battles!
He learned how to ride a bike without training wheels in early June, so the summer was spent on both the bike and his big wheel, which is still his favorite. He also became a very good swimmer this summer, and I hope to get him into lessons during the winter months so he can start working on some strokes. He's just really growing up.....bittersweet.



Here is Mr. Landon. I wish I had the words to describe his personality. He's definitely the "rough and tumble" one of the twins as he will hold his own pretty well when wrestling with Daddy and Gage. He can be goofy, but I have found he likes to be by other kids, although he often just sits and plays trucks by himself lately. No matter WHERE we are, he will walk up to a complete stranger, usually an older man, and say, "Hi!" really loud. He loves attention and if you give it to him, he'll just keep coming back for mom. Tends to be a little more of the Momma's Boy I've always wanted, however when Daddy IS in the picture, he usually goes back and forth between the two of us. When he's uncomfortable in a situation, or ready to leave he'll come up to me and say, "Mama, Buh-bye", Kinda sweet!

The boys are into making faces. Here is Landon making his "cute" face. (???)
My Bronson. Or, Bronny, as we all seem to call him. He is a GOOF! Seriously, this kid is an overall ham sandwich. If you just sit and watch him, you will find him swinging his arms, bouncing up and down, singing, dancing...sometimes to music that is playing, other times to music he must hear in his head! He loves to sing songs, and lately you will catch him singing "Twinkle Twinke Little Star" or E-i-o! for Old MacDonald. He likes to be where everyone else is, however he doesn't "need" to be. He is just fine playing by himself. Not as much of a cuddle fan as Landon seems to be, but he'll sit on your lap.
Here is Bronson's "mean" face. He is usually trying not to laugh...but this time I think he really was crabby about something so it turned out good!

My Three Stooges

Gage, the soccer supreme!

Um, ouch?
*note the lovely washed-off tattoos. I try to do an extra scrub down in the tub, but he usually grabs his arm, pulls back and yells, "Don't wash off my tattoos!"

Silly Bronson!

Goofy Landon!

Bronson

Bronson

Landon

Landon

I'll Blame It On the iPhone

Oh, my.

Where have I gone?

I'm going to blame it on the iPhone. I have had one for several months now, and I must tell you they are simply fabulous. If you would like to be addicted to a telephone, please purchase one now. If you do, however, enjoy conversations with your loved ones, do not need to know what tomorrow's weather predictions are, or what kinds of crazy words you can come up with in "Words With Friends", stick to your flip phone. You may still have a life!

With that being said, I have added "Blog site" to my to-do list (on my phone, nonetheless) and it is my goal to update photos of my kids as well as our whole family, within the next week. I truly do not have a lot of extra time these days, but I don't want to let this blogsite go to waste either.

So, please check back and if you do not see a post by the end of Memorial Day weekend/June 1st, feel free to email me (I can check from my phone! Ha ha) and I will know the pressure is on.

In the meantime, take care, and if you didn't give up on my site, I thank you very much.

Update

I passed!

Goals: It's All About Me

I have never been one to get much into making New Year's Resolutions. Personally, I find them a little cliche; they are usually all about losing weight, or eating better...
then February rolls around and everyone is back to their old habits.
I guess I try to look at every day as an opportunity, not just January 1st, and quite honestly, the best part of my year tends to be right smack in the middle of it anyhow. July is the month all of my boys, and myself, celebrate our birthdays, and it happens to be during my favorite season.

As this past New Year was approaching, however, I was finding myself thinking about how the past 5 years have been about being pregnant, and taking care of small infants. Seriously! I got pregnant in late 2005, spent 2006 pregnant and taking care of baby Gage, 2007 was adjusting to being a mom and dealing with a toddler, 2008 was pregnant (miscarriage) and then pregnant again...
2009 to the present have been a whirlwind of diapers, snotty noses, and a whole lot of playtime.

I guess I decided that it was time to start setting some goals for myself and thinking about "me" again. I am not ready to go back to work full-time yet, and not even part-time, however just "something"....

and I think I've found it!

I feel as if I may be getting ahead of myself in posting this, however if it doesn't work out, then "oh, well". I have applied, interviewed, and been hired at my local gym, "The Centre" and am taking a certification class TOMORROW to be an indoor group cycling (spin) instructor. I am very pumped up about this opportunity and feel that I will be good at it. I'm loud, personable, and always looking to have a good time, and I hope to display that in my classes. I love going to the gym, and have made fitness a huge priority in my life right now. If I'm not at home, I tend to be at the gym, as it's not only my mental outlet, it's become a social outlet for me as well. So there. I wrote it down, and now I am held accountable! I will keep you posted as to whether or not I "pass" and when (and if) I start teaching my own classes.

Another goal that I have recently set for myself is to begin training to compete in my first half marathon race in May. I have paid the money, and the official training has begun this past week. I am following a training guide that was referred to me by a friend, and it's found online as the "Hal Halvorson's" guide to training for a half. I am extremely excited to do this...
especially since two of my good friends, Marilyn and Diana plan to run this same race as well. I think all three of us (and Mar's sister-in-law Jess) will do a fabulous job in completing this goal of ours.

I just feel like 2011 is going to be a good year.

Latest Family Pictures