Happy 4th Birthday Marly & Dean

This weekend we celebrated with the Thompson's on Saturday for a birthday brunch. On Sunday we celebrated with family and friends in a larger group. In the next few days, I'll post more details.

In the mean time, Happy Birthday to my BABES!

Here are the Twinner's in their fun shirts from Gorno Couture on Etsy.
Handsome little guy!

Looking pretty with her pink carnations from Daddy. (For any observant, regular readers...Marly also wore this tulle Gymboree skirt at their birthday party last year!)

Dean remains taller! As always, there appearance is each their own. Dean has hazel eyes. Marly has brown. Marly wouldn't let me put bows or flowers in her pony tails. Dean likes to have daddy style his hair. Marly likes a little of mommy's blush on her cheeks and Beautiful perfume.

Friends, buddies, twins! They are good kids. Generally polite and well behaved in public. Dean is still our whiner. They play fine with other kids. They still go to the same in home daycare. They recently had their 4 year check up, and are healthy and developmentally well on track. They have no problems or fears visiting the Dr's and only a few tears for the shot they needed. No fuss before the shots and generally fine within minutes. (We warn them in advance and do not make a big deal of shots.)

Our family - The Thomberg's!

'Twas the Night Before...

...My C section 4 years ago.

Right before bedtime.

I am not sure I should post this on line... but - Too Late!

Marly and Dean arrived right on schedule the next morning on Tuesday, February 27th at 7:57 and 7:58 a.m.

Quick, Hurry, Too much to do.

We will have a busy weekend ahead with the kid's birthday looming and LOTS to do. Before we get to all that, I wanted share Tuesday morning with you all.

The best part of a good old MN snowstorm is the resulting sparkling next morning.
Yes - Sparrrrkkkkkkklyyyyyyyy best describes it.

Naturally, my lack of photography skills does not do this justice.

Quick Check In

It is Tuesday morning, and I still have NO INTEREST in coffee. Not a nice hot cup with plenty of cream, not a latte... nothing.

You really don't have to know me all that well to know I am a 1/2 caff coffee junkie. No coffee means I am STILL NOT WELL.

My stomach is still turning.

GRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

The Weekend

My weekend started when I got home at 3:30 pm on Friday and crawled straight into bed (seriously). I hadn't felt well all day and came home early. The rest of the Thomberg's ate pizza and watched a movie with out me. Dean came into our room at 7:20 to check on me.

He said, "Mommy, We need to take your temperature."

"Sure, Buddy!" I replied.

He went and found the thermometer and instructed me to keep it under my tongue. It registered 101.4. Yup - I was pretty sick and spent 80% of my weekend in bed or on the couch, battling aches, pains, fevers and other unpleasant symptoms.

This is Marly on Saturday morning. Mark went to get the kids donuts. As usual, Marly ate the top off hers. I let Marly wear whatever she wanted, and didn't comb her hair. Notice her babies sleeping behind her on the couch.

Our plan for the weekend was to gear up for the kid's 4th birthday parties coming up this weekend. Instead, I slept and watched Dirty Dancing on ABC Family (twice)! Mark on the other hand was 'gittn' er done'! He set to work "jazzing up" the basement family area.

Right before Christmas, we finally purchased roman shades for the downstairs with a gift card from Christmas 2009! We wanted to change the paint from khaki and cream (boring and boring) to white and green. Yup, we picked the boring colors sometime after we moved in. We roll like that with paint. Easy come, easy go.

With the parties looming, Mark headed to Menard's for a sample. It ended up being minty kid/nursery green. That was a no go.

Next, Mark said, "Hey, what about the green in the upstairs bathroom?"

He slapped some on the wall and we both gave it a thumbs up.

The wanes coating, or bead board or whatever you want to call it all has a fresh coat of the same high gloss white as all of our trim work. It still needs a second coat. Most all of the walls (except this corner above where the TV use to sit on the cupboard that belongs in the back corner) have two coats of green.

Above is that back corner. I don't think I ever mentioned we moved the full size fridge that sat in the bar/kitchenette of sorts/serving area to the garage. It just felt weird to us there. We plan to add a full third cabinet to the top, since you can still purchase them from Home Depot.

Unfortunately, the area below was not fully carpeted. To fix this little issue, Mark added three packages of ceramic tiles two weeks ago, and we are very happy with the results. We think we may add a mini fridge, or at least centerize the cabinet below when we get the third cabinet above.

Nice work Honey!

Still left to tackle....Mark thinks he can mount the TV on the mantel (which seems to be the best room configuration).

In the mean time, the Birthday Countdown is on. I have gifts to wrap, groceries to shop for, party supplies to acquire, cakes to order, decor to create, house to CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN, and oh....my.....

It is Monday and I still do not feel 100%. (And now Dean is sick!)

Jazzing it up: Our Bedroom, continued...

Mark and I have been meaning to "Jazz Up" our bedroom for a very long time. We can FINALLY check that off our list now. When we moved in, Mark painted the walls khaki, and used a deep brown as an accent behind our bed. Overtime, we got a new duvet cover, then curtain rods and chocolate brown curtains.... and then... no progress.

Oh... and I didn't like the paint!

At some point, I purchased two old sturdy night stands from the Salvation Army. They needed refininshing, and I had high hopes of finding a sturdy long/low dresser to refinish as well. That never came to be. Mark's old particle board dresser with TV on top kept it's place.


Finally we choose a paint color. (Perhaps you rember me mentioning painting our bedroom between jobs in November...and how I didn't get farther than sample colors on the wall). Once we had the paint, Mark went to work.

Next, we made a trip to Ikea to check out furniture, and later another trip, as the weeks have slipped by. Mark did some assembling. I broke down boxes for recycling and wiped glue. We made a run to Lowe's for this and that...

And here you have it! Our "Jazzed Up" Master Bedroom. We mounted the TV on the wall and got a cord cover, which I painted to match the wall. The DVD player is stashed under the dresser. We love the long Ikea mirror, which makes our tiny room seem a bit bigger. We added hooks behind our bedroom door for added function.

And of course, we hung our Do It Yourself headboard! (post below)

Still to come - art work on the walls....

Jazzing it Up! Make your own headboard

So Mark and I have been doing some "jazzing" in our master bedroom. (The term 'master bedroom' is used liberally. The room is no larger than any other. The closet is about 2 feet bigger than the kid's room.) We painted recently, and so on and so forth.

One of our projects was a "do it yourself" headboard. You see, Mark and I had an old Slumberland Clearance Center particle board headboard. It matched Mark's lovely particle board dresser dating back to his community college days. Both of them needed to go.

All over on-line, bloggers expound about the headboards they create with minimal cash infusion. Mark and I decided to jump into the ring. We started with a old bi-fold door Mark cut down to size and attached together.

Next we searched for wallpaper to cover it. After some on line searching, I thought grass clothe was the way to go. We headed to Hirchdfields only to discover we would probably be spending well over a $100 on wallpaper. We hustled out of there and headed to Lowe's. We put paint-able wall paper into our cart. Then we headed to the aisle with window blinds. We threw a large roll-up bamboo blind into our cart, priced at $32.00. We headed home. Something would work.

We quickly decided the wall paper would be returned. I cut the blind to size and length required with a regular scissors. Next I sat and tied every single thread together on both ends so it wouldn't unravel.

Then I used small nails and wood glue to fix the blind to the doors.

Later I picked up some photo hanging thingies to screw in the back. I also took left over bamboo strips and glued it to either end to finish it off - three per end.

And there you have it. We hung it on the wall like a large mirror or framed art. Looks kinda like a hotel room, hu? All for about $40 bucks!

Family

One of the things I love most about birthdays among my immediate family - Birthday Meal Out. (Thank you Dad!) I love getting together over good food, for good conversation and celebration. Mark and I traditionally choose brunch, so that Marly and Dean can be a part of my celebration.

The rest of the family chooses to dine for dinner. It is a fantastic reason for Mark and I to pay a pretty hefty hourly babysitter rate. Next up, Rachel's b-day dinner at a location yet to be determined.

Here we are, out for brunch last Sunday after church for my 36th Birthday. I am wearing my gift/outfit from Chris (and Dad). Chris took Rachel and I out for mani/pedi's, lunch, and shopping at Hot Mama the day before. Mark's comment on my outfit, "Oh wow! You don't look like a mom for a change." Is that a compliment? I am not sure!

Wordless Wednesday

Me, about four years ago, in our nursery painted by Mark and Heidi at our townhome in Blaine. Behind me, personalized Pottery Barn frames ready to display monthly photos of Marly and Dean. I am standing in the corner where the glider rocker we borrowed from my dad sat for me to nurse the babes...

Happy Valentine's Day! This and That and News...

Happy Valentine's Day everyone. You can guess I have been celebrating since Friday.

-The weekend was kicked off with a Suprise 40th Birthday Party for my couin Dawn in Bird Island. I wanted to be there because Dawn and I celebrated all our childhood birthday parties together. Dawn was always stuck with a heart b-day cake. Brett, Rachel and I headed out together. (Mark was on call for the 'Bou.)

-The trip to and from Bird Island was hassle free.

BIG NEWS ALERT!******There is a designated driver in the family for the next 8 months or so. Rachel and Brett are having a baby!!!! I am OVER THE MOON to be an AUNTIE. Contragulations Brett and Rachel.*****


-This weekend Chris treated Rachel and I to manicures, pedicures AND a shopping trip to Hot Mama. I have on my new birthday outfit right now.

-I am wearing my favorite 30th birthday gift. My large Tiffany heart from Mark, my small Tiffany heart from Brett and Rachel, and my Tiffany heart bracelet from all my friends, spearheaded by Cindy. I also have the heart earings from my dad, although I have pearls on today.

-Sunday we enjoyed birthday brunch with my family. My Dad continued his very special Valentine's tradition. He graced Rachel, Chris and I with a gold dipped rose. We all have over a 1/2 dozen now.

-Today Marly is home sick with Mark. Dean and I stopped at Jack's Bakery to get Valentine's cookies for daycare and for work. (SHHH.... don't tell Marly what she missed!) At the bakery, as I watched Dean pick out cookies, I teared up as my heart overflows with love for my wee ones.


-I stopped at Caribou after I dropped off Dean. I have a coupon for a Free Birthday Drink, and a coupon for a Buy One Get One Free for Valentine's. I defaulted for the Buy One Get One and treated my co-worker Kenna. Share the delight! I bet they will let me use the Free B-day Drink tomorrow.

-Dean has on the exact same shirt today that he did last year. Marly wore the same dress to church yesterday.

-Happy Birthday to the other Valentine - My Mom's best friend, Yowdie (A.K.A Judy Mellies). Yowdie is in our family's prayers daily.

SHARE the gratitude for all those you love, admire and are happy to have in your life today.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO MY CHILDREN, MY HUSBAND,

MY FAMILY and MY FRIENDS!

Jazzing it up! Valentine's Day

From our house to yours, Happy Valentine's Day!

Of course this Valentine birthday girl did her traditional "jazzing" for one of my FAVORITE holidays. I framed Target Valentine's cards and put out our Aurther Court heart. The "Be Mine Forever" plaque was in the Lemons and Leftovers section from Bachman's last year. Of course I hung all the heart garland I made last year. We did some sprucing up with our spruce tops outside too. (Okay they are not technically spruce tops, they are discarded evergreen branches salvaged from the ground for FREE when we visited the Christmas tree farm and purchased our tree.)

I picked up the red twigs and silver butterflies on super Christmas clearance at Bachman's. $1.75 each.

Then I headed to Micheal's Craft for ribbon and heart making supplies.

The kids and I made the hearts. Our front door went from Christmas too-late-in-the-season to Cupid hits the Mark. And we had fun doing it too. (Except for the huge glitter mess Dean made!)

Boot Hockey at the Hagel Braids

This past Sunday, we were invited to the Hagel Braid house for a boot hockey playdate. They flooded their own skating rink right in their yard.

Dean had a BLAST. Before we even got geared up to go outside, Dean was asking where the pucks were. We have never taken the kids to a hockey game, and we don't watch sports at home, yet somehow, Dean-o knew EXACTLY what to do! In must be innate to boys from the frozen tundra.

Dean spent a lot of time as the goally! Honostly, after we left, I realized he might not have given the other kids a chance. He was also the last child to go in, and would have stayed outside much longer if I had let him. None of the boys minded a bit when they fell down. They just got right back up and came back for more.

Marly had no interest in the puck or sticks. I encouraged her to join the boys if she wanted, but she prefered to slide around the other end of the rink with Mommy.

It was a great afternoon. Dean can't wait to come back, and I think we will get skates for the kids next year.

Weeping for our Willow

This past summer we lost a large portion of our Weeping Willow over the 4th of July. We paid to have part of it removed. We learned our huge, beautiful tree that dominated our back yard was completely rotted. We were told we would lose it bit by bit, and ultimately needed to be cleared. We resisted. We didn't want it to be true. We didn't want to spend all that money either.

Indeed, this fall we lost another large section, and our kind neighbor welded his chain saw at no cost. He was paid in 'Bou coffee beans.

Last week, a tree service was across the street, and offered to remove the tree for a good price. We decided to let our wonderful willow go....

Now our yard looks barren and desolate. Our beautiful tree provided magnificant shade and some privacy. When you pulled up our drive, it provided a backdrop to our home. If you came around from the side, you saw the big beauty as you approached.

This tree was actually a selling point when we bought the house. She is going to be missed by all of us. The kids loved to play in the fork of her branches. We had a small round table and chairs under her limbs. We rarely sat their, but it was such a calming view from our bedroom window.

Goodbye Ms. Willow! We know our loss will only become more pronounced with the new seasons...(and when we pay to have your massive stump removed!)


(See post below for a reflection on the tree in her greater glory.)

The Tree

Honostly, I never minded the mess our willow created.

No more climbing in her fork...Look at my little Twinners after we moved in!

No more glassses of white wine under her graceful branches.

No more pulling the chairs up to the tree for the Twinners to climb into the fork unattended!

No more blankets spread under her limbs, with friends gathered casually on weekends, holidays and for playdates.

No more splashing in the kiddy pool beneath her silvery leaves.

No more hostas bordering her roots (they will have to be removed too.)

oh...............

A weekend with Auntie Kelly

There is NOTHING better then when Kelly e-mails saying, "Can I take the kids the weekend of XX".


The response is, "YES!"

Last weekend Kelly picked the kids up after work on Friday, and Mark picked them up on Sunday morning. The kids are giddy from the moment Kelly arrives at the door. Mark was lucky to get a kiss goodbye from the Twinners, after he got the car seats installed.

They played games, and went to see the Yogi Bear movie at the theater.

They hung out with Uncle Pat.

They came home with fresh baked cookies, art projects, and Valentine hearts.

They love their Auntie Kelly. Surely there is a lasting bond from the time Kelly nannied our wee ones!

*THANK YOU KELLY*

While the kids were away, Mark and I enjoyed breakfast at Fat Nat's Eggs, ran errands and worked on a little "jazzing" in our house, took a peaceful nap, and indulged in dinner at McCormick and Schmincks with a gift card. After dinner we even had a drink at Zelo's downtown, and enjoyed good conversation with each other!