On the Bandwagon

Mommy/Son date night at the Twins game

Aubrey got to go along the next time, and quickly figured out its more fun to run up
and down the row than it is to sit and watch baseball

Aidan, on the other hand, enjoys watching the game

I corralled Aubrey for about two seconds to take this picture

Go Twins!

Dollar hot dog night at the Twins game=stomachache for Aidan at 4am.  Lesson learned.

There are no fair-weather Twins fans in this house.  Oh no.  In fact, we support the Twins MORE when they are performing poorly.  Why?  Because ticket prices are way cheaper, and people give us free tickets because they don't want to go! : )  Aidan has now been to three Twins games in the last month, and we haven't had to pay for any of the tickets.  How awesome is that? Aubrey even got to experience her 1st Twins game last night, courtesy of Kyle's boss giving him not one, not two, but SIX free tickets to Monday night's game.  We took the whole family plus Kyle's friend.  The best thing about free tickets is that you don't feel obligated to stay for the whole game.  Aidan and I went last Friday night and left at the bottom of the 3rd.  On Monday night, we stayed through the sixth...it was also 80 degrees outside, so it was a much nicer night.  We are having a blast supporting the Twins.  Next up, the Yankees.

You Know You're Not 20 When...

The Finn family headed to a wedding Saturday evening, and wow! I am definitely not in my early 20's anymore!

Examples:

1) Every single woman that was not over 40 (excluding me and the other mom of 3 kids sitting at our table) was in a skin-tight Lycra dress of varying shades of color that barely covered their rear-ends. Seriously.

2) After dancing a few songs in heels, I felt like a I had gotten a major work-out in my glutes.

3) Kyle and I were both ready and willing to head home at 9pm, even though Grandpa Finn had offered to baby sit the kids.

4) After going to bed at 10pm, I felt like I could have "slept-in" past 7:30am.  Alas, Aubrey was up at 6:30am, and I felt like a bad parent for leaving her in her crib for more than an hour.

5) You get 10 pictures of your kids and none of yourself.

Daddy and Aubrey

This little chickadee was Cuh-Razy

Me: Move Closer.
Me: Close enough so that you're touching.
And this is what I got. : )

Season Finale

Just like all good t.v. shows have a finale, so must my summer vacation.  Two weeks of relaxation left, then back to school.  I came crashing back to reality today when I signed the kids up for daycare.  Kyle and I have been going back and forth for a few weeks now...was he going to work at home and we would put Aidan in 3x week preschool?  Should we put the kids in a home daycare, which is half the price of a center?  Could Kyle possibly work half-days?

We got our answer this morning when Kyle met with his boss.  When I go back to school, Kyle is going to work mornings at the office and afternoons at home.  That still left the question of daycare, so I visited an in-home daycare not far from our house.  I left under-whelmed.  There were 11 kids running around a smallish house, one that sat in front of a video game the entire 30 minutes I was there, and clutter everywhere.  I'm all about saving money, but I knew instantly that this environment would not suit Aidan's constant need for intellectual stimulation.  After calling Kyle, we both agreed that the kids will go back to KinderCare half time.  They get preschool in the morning, then will come home for naps.   More expensive, but I am 100% confident that they like being there and will be learning academic and social skills.  Whew, I'm glad that's taken care of.

To cap off our summer, the kids and I are headed back down to IL this coming weekend.  We'll visit with my mom's side of the family on Sunday, and I have a reading workshop in Madison on Monday.  If my sister hasn't had her baby by Aug 20, she's going to be induced that day.  Either way, we should get to meet Baby Boy Montgomery before coming back to MN. A great ending to a great summer!

Dear God

Aidan has had a lot of questions and comments about God lately.  He attended Sunday School last year, and we go to church (almost) every Sunday...not that he pays much attention, but he's picked up bits and pieces. Here are some examples:

While out on a walk in the neighborhood, we passed a tree stump that had been carved into some sort of sculpture.  I didn't even notice it, but Aidan was startled and said, "Mom, STOP! They've got JESUS(!) in their yard!!"  I had no idea what he was talking about and he started to get really upset with me that I couldn't see Jesus.  I finally understood that he thought the tree stump looked like Jesus. (I still don't see it.)

On a visit to our neighborhood playground, we found a lacrosse ball. (hard, white, rubber ball for those of you who have never seen one...like me, before we found it).  I told Aidan what it was and that we could bring it home.  As we were walking, he looks up and me and asks, "Did God drop this from the sky when he was dying?"  Um, what?  Instead of laughing, which I kind of wanted to do, I asked him what he meant.  "Well, Jesus died on the cross, and this is a "the cross" ball, so is it God's?"  After a discussion about LAcrosse and THE cross, he now understands that God did not magically drop it out of the sky. : )

Road Trip

The kids and I made our annual trek down to IL last week.  We helped Reese celebrate her 2nd birthday, visited the merry-go-round, ate some yummy ice cream, did lots of swimming, atv, and tractor riding, and had a good time playing from the time we woke up until it was time to go to bed.  I bet Nana and Poppa are STILL recovering. : )

Perhaps the only time Aidan lounged the entire trip.  He is constantly on the go.

Again.  Again.  Again.  She loved the merry-go-round

She can ride it by herself!

Off for a ride.  See you later.

Aidan l.o.v.e.d. the slip n' slide

So did Aubrey.

Inspectors

Happy Birthday, Reese!

Surprisingly,  this did not end in tears.

ELMO! (and a very pregnant Kali)

Cheese!  (literally, since it is hanging out of her mouth)

Double Trouble

Cousins!

The Dirt

I'm going out on a limb here, but I think this has been the dirtiest summer I've ever experienced. And no, I'm not talking 50 Shades of Grey dirty.   I swear, I clean up from breakfast only to find a trail of crumbs or dirty hand prints down the hallway.  I get those cleaned up, and then someone has tracked dirt in from outside that needs to be swept up or they've thrown an entire toy box full of toys around the living room.  The only way I can keep this house clean is to not be here!  I make sure we leave the house for at least an hour, if not more, each day just so I know that the house will be clean when we get home.  Then it starts all over again.

The icing on the cake came late yesterday afternoon while I was mowing the lawn.  I had just finished up when Aidan and Aubrey came outside. (they were in the house with Kyle)  No one said anything, they just had that LOOK on their faces.  That, "Is she gonna yell at us?"  look.  You know what I mean.  Then I noticed pink fingernail polish.  Everywhere.  Aidan apparently decided that Aubrey's toenails needed to be painted hot pink...all they way up to the first knuckle on all of her toes.  I just about lost it.  Thank goodness they had the sense to take the polish out onto the back deck, because the bottle somehow got dumped out all.over.the.place.  Minus a few drips down in the cracks of the deck, there isn't much hot pink left on the deck.  What got tracked inside came up with fingernail polish remover. (which did not remove the sealant on the hardwood floors, thank goodness)  Aubrey was silent through the whole cleaning process.  I think she felt proper shame.  Aidan, on the other hand, jabbered constantly.  I'm going to have to keep a closer eye on that one...he's in one of those phases where he's doing everything he's not supposed to, just to see what will happen. 

Aubrey asked me when the cleaning people were coming to our house.  I replied that "I  am the cleaning people."  I guess she thinks we need maid.  I couldn't agree more.

Steppin' Out

Outside of the box, that is.  The same 'ol boring menu box.  I challenged myself to make a new recipe for dinner every night last week.  They were all successful; and I judge that by whether or not my kids will attempt to eat most of their dinner without being threatened.  Thank you Iowa Girl Eats, you inspired me.  Last week turned out to be Thai flavored, while this week was a little more Southwestern.  Semi-planned that way, because how else are you going to use up a bunch of black beans, salsa, guacamole, green onions, or cilantro???  Here's what I've made so far:

*If I got the recipe online, I've linked it to the site*

Thai Fried Quinoa
Farfalle with Kale and Bacon
Turkey, Ham, and Apricot Panini
Thai Tofu Pizza  (I used chicken, ssshhh!)
Chicken Burritos with Cilantro-Lime Rice
Southwestern Turkey Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries
BLT's with avocado spread instead of mayo
Pork Tenderloin in a soy/ginger marinade

I've also been trying to bring back the simple summer pleasures that I remember from growing up.  This week the kids and I made strawberry Jello.  "It wiggles in my mouth!" according to Aidan.  They devoured a 9x13 pan in two days.  Other snacks include freeze pops, ginger cookies, and banana ice cream.  Seriously, you have to try this.  SO easy.  Peel and slice up a banana or two.  Freeze the slices for an hour or more.  After nap I take them out, pop them into the food processor, and voila!, creamy banana ice cream.  That's all there is to it.  Just bananas!  We also experimented by adding some peanut butter and cocoa powder.  Also delicious.

We're going to the lake with some friends on the 4th of July, and I'm trying to decide what easy, kid friendly recipe to make.  I was thinking of these Brownie Fruit Kebabs....yummy, right?    

Summer Excursions

Week 1 of summer vacation is complete.  We visited the YMCA, library, splash park, and the MN Zoo.  Busy and enjoyable.  Well, as enjoyable as could be with a 2-year old and a 4-year old.  The adjustment of not going to daycare seemed like Armageddon some days.  We survived.  Aidan is much better this week, Aubrey is a typical 2-year old.

We also enjoyed spending some quality time with my friend Annie and her family. It blows my mind when I think about how long I've known Annie. We met in preschool when we were 4 years old. That's Aidan's age! Annie and Brian also have two kids, Avery (2 1/2) and Quinn (8mos.). Aidan LOVED playing with Avery. He was so sad that they couldn't have another playdate soon. Maybe when we go visit Nana and Poppa in July...

Here are some shots of the fun we had during our first week of summer.

Giving Avery a tractor ride

Two little chickens

Going for a tic-tac-toe, but Aubrey popped her head out as I snapped the picture.

GO SEE THE DINOSAURS!  They are COOL!

Which is scarier?  The dinosaur, Aidan, or Aubrey's "cheese" face?

Dino Dig.

The newest addition to our backyard.  A dinosaur SANDBOX!

Word Association

Instead of writing an ode to the men in our lives, the kids and I sat down and did a little word association.  I threw out a name; they told me what it made them think of.  You can guess who said what.  Here are the results:


Poppa
Happy
Cupcakes (Aubrey knows him well.)
Play with toys
Rough house
Handy man extraordinaire
Always willing to help
Wrestle
Ride on the lawn mower

Grandpa
Pancakes
I like to play at Grandpa's house. (complete sentence from Aubrey)
Play with Poppa (also from Aubrey)
Makes supper
Chef
Master drink mixer
Eat breakfast
Play basketball at the neighbor's house
Run errands
I like to eat lunch with Grandpa. (from Aidan)

Daddy
Play
Flip
Patient
Great Dad
Hard working
Play football
Hockey
Watch crab fishing

Perfect Kick-Off!

School's out and summer is here! I kicked-off summer by planting a mojito garden. It's kind of like a salsa garden, but I will be harvesting mint and strawberries to make delicious mojitos all summer long. I've already tested out the mint (delicious), but will need to wait a few weeks for some strawberries.

We also met some friends and Kyle's co-workers for a pre-game lunch and then an afternoon baseball game in Minneapolis. Who knew I would have to move to MN to watch the Cubs play? It was a lovely afternoon...thankfully in the shade, then we came home to a surprise visit from Kyle's brother, BJ. Some drinks, appetizers, grilling out, and then dessert, and we were all worn out from a perfect summer day. Good food, friends, and family...how could this summer get any better?