Happy Valentine's Day/Happy Birthday!

Happy Valentine's Day to You! Happy 39th Birthday to me!
A play by play of the day...

 Dressed in red and ready for Valentine's Day.

 Funny faces!

 Marly and Dean were ready for the school party with Pop Rocks and custom labels from an Etsy seller.

Mom was ready to help host Dean's school party and prepared with the craft

For the craft project, I traced hearts on white vases from the Dollar Spot at Target. The kids decorated them, made a label for a loved one, and got to add mums to take home. Dean brought his home for Dad.

 Back at home, I had my own beautiful tulips from Mark.

 Friends arrived, we hired a babysitter for 6 kids, and we headed out for a Valentine/Birthday dinner at Maverick's.

Cheers to me!

More February Birthday's

The month of February is FILLED to the BRIM with birthdays in our family.
-Me
-Kelly
-Rachel
-Chris
-Marly and Dean

And so one Saturday in February, Kelly, the kids and I celebrated with the Thompson's. First I took new mom Kelly for birthday mani/pedi's at Taj here in Brooklyn Park. Mark took care of baby Declan while we were pampered.

 We had a glass of champagne as our toes-ies soaked in the warm tub. Meanwhile, back at the ranch Mark  prepare by favorite, decadent/rich pasta dish, with sausage, fresh basil, heavy cream, and peas.

We had a fun family gathering...

 ...with cake...

 ....smiles...

...and cutie cousins!

The "Friends" Birthday Party

Have I ever mentioned I HATE kid birthday parties. Ask anyone, there isn't much that I "hate". I truly dread them. I try and get into it. I try and get "excited" by going on to Etsy and choosing a custom invite to print, then spend another $3 to purchase the "icon" to add to the treat bags and cupcake toppers and such.

And then I print the invites and help the kids add the names, and I DREAD the expense and the chaos - the CHAOS!!

Dean wanted a bowling party, because 'ya know... he had so much fun at Alex's and so and so, and so and so, and you get it. Marly consented, because she didn't have a better idea in mind.  I suggested MANY alternatives, and still it was BOWLING.

I called around and settled on an independent bowling alley called Classic Lanes in Coon Rapids. Last year, I nearly LOST MY MIND when I took Dean to a Brunswick Bowl party, and needed to STAY to assist him due to the parent/plus family/plus school friends ratio. At one point ALL THE  KID PARTIES up and down the lanes were lead in some obnoxious song and dance together.

 OH NO!!! There was no WAY I was paying for one of those mass audience parties. Please note,  I have NO OBJECTION what so ever to any parent  who hosts one for their child. Invite my kids. They will be thrilled! I just don't like being at them myself, which is why I cannot bring myself to host one, because I would be required to stay. (I will probably eat my words next year. I get it)

And so I booked someplace less "cookie cutter". I brought in cupcakes and balloons, and beads, and popcorn treat bags to take home, and sippy cups labelled with their names, which was filled from countless pitchers of Sprite, giving them a massive SUGAR SURGE!

And the CRAZY kids bowled, ate pizza, GUZZLED more sprite, opened gifts, and ate cupcakes.
Oh yes...and Dean questioned WHY we weren't at Brunswick... the "cool" bowling alley!

Marly with her bestie - Izzi

Then they bowled a bit more, while I checked the time on my cell phone incessantly, counting down the minutes 'til the parent's would arrive to pick up their children, and we could pack up.

I looked around and wondered if anyone would notice if I ordered a pitcher of beer for Mark and I (or maybe a cocktail would be more discreet?). For all we spent, surely the bowling alley could  throw in a complimentary pitcher for Mark and me in sympathy and support??? (better make it one pitcher EACH!)

Two Hours of my life and Two Hundred and some dollars later that I will NEVER get back, and it was FINALLY over. ($200 does NOT including the invites, cupcakes, name labelled sippy cups, balloons, or popcorn treat bags)

PLEASE remind me NEXT YEAR we will are going some other route to honor their birth, because this was like some sort of corporal punishment for choosing to give them life.

...and to endure some sort of mass party with too many 7 (or eight) year olds will surely set me OVER THE EDGE if  I were to endure it again, and would just need to bring my own FULL bottle of wine and set it there right out in the open!!!

Go ahead parents - you go ahead and judge me!

SEVEN

SEVEN years ago 7-27-07 our Twinners entered the world at about 7:57 am.
And here are our Twinners now!!!!

Marly weights in at 48 pounds and 46 inches tall
Dean weights 49 pounds and is 49 inches tall

Outside of school and Dean's karate, they spend most of their time together, and prefer it that way. They still sleep together in the upstairs guest room. I fear their dino and butterfly bedrooms will no longer be "cool" when they actually take up residence in them.

This year we hosted a Thompson February Birthday supper, a Melberg family & friends party with the usual crock pot of shredded turkey, and a BOWLING party with TOO many seven year olds.

Dean has never had an Angry Bird birthday cake.
Marly has never had a princess birthday cake.
...and they couldn't care less.

 I always wonder when it will dawn on them how special they have it in their "twinness".

For now, they remain steadfast and true to each other. They know the world in no other way - which works for us.

Hibernating!

It has been BITTERLY cold this January in Minnesota. I suppose it has been record setting in some way. And I suppose we have been kinda like bears, and been hibernating.

I am tired of games. I am tired of movies. We haven't done much, but here is a photo recap of January....

Mark and I did a ten day "transformation/cleanse". Unlike hibernating bears, my stored fat doesn't melt away as I sleep. So for ten days, we took vegan protein pills, drank some sort of vegan, nutrient rich liquid concoction, and repeated over and over per the schedule pictured above. We were never hungry, could "snack" on a small portion of fruit or vegetable three times a day, but had a HUGE DESIRE to chew real food. We powered through, felt great, gained energy, and lost ten pounds. We are each working to maintain our loss. I am continuing on with the "transformation" in a less intense form.

The kids did NOT go to school for an entire 5 day week the entire month of January. School was cancelled five days this past month due to what the school districts called "extreme and dangerous cold". And so I drove the kids to my Dad's in the DANGEROUS cold, Mark's parents drove down in the EXTREME cold, and Mark and I took turns working from home in the DANGEROUS, EXTREME cold, or the kids came with me to the office so that we could manage work and child care.

Funny how my parents managed to get me safely on the school bus down our long drive way in the country in the DANGEROUS and EXTREME cold when I was little. Funny how the elderly woman at church got to the one room school house pulled by a team of horses in the DANGEROUS and EXTREME cold in her day! (okay.... I will get off my soap box now!)

Marly probably took this photo above of Dean with the I pad while either Mark or I was ignoring them while we worked from the couch or kitchen.

One Saturday we battled cabin fever and checked out the History Museum in St. Paul.

Afterwords, we stopped at Candy Land. I swear, Mark and I BARELY cheated at ALL on the "cleanse". We might have ate like 4 jelly beans.... but it was JUST FOUR!

Dean competed in his first karate match. This was sponsored by PKS Studios. All the various franchise locations/kids could compete. Dean got Third Place in his age and belt level. There were three kids competing. (Lot of Love and Laughs) He forgot his moves/forms mid-way through the routine, and stopped dead! After a few LONG seconds, he picked up where he left off. Oh well... It was his first time!

Finally, this past Saturday, we went to check out the Winter Carnival ice sculptures in Rice Park and the snow sculptures at the State Fair grounds. We were joined by our friend Gavin, who we were baby sitting since his mom is a CPA and it's tax season, and his dad is an RN working his usual shift.

That SCARY, scary Tooth Fairy!!!

Below is our adorable 6 year old Marly. 

She recently lost her first tooth. It had been lose for weeks. Her Twinner brother Dean had already lost two teeth. But Marly... Marly would not wiggle her tooth. She would not budge. You see - our adorable daughter is TERRIFIED of the Tooth Fairy. 

Marly and Dean always choose to sleep together in the upstairs guest room. When Dean lost his first tooth this summer, Marly cried and CRIED. She was nearly hysterical about the idea of some creature coming into her bedroom while she was asleep in the DARK!

 So while she would prefer to keep her tiny baby teeth, eventually her first tooth fell out. Not a drop of blood was shed, since it was long overdue...

....and then she CRIED because she DIDN'T WANT THE TOOTH FAIRY IN HER ROOM!

What is a mom to do?

Make signs! YES - Just give the Tooth Fairy some simple directions.
One on the bedroom door.

And another on the window facing out. We are a bit unclear how the Tooth Fairy enters, so we covered every possible entry point to the bedroom.

Dean was NOT worried about a tiny Fairy flying into their sleeping quarters.
Twinner brother was TERRIBLY CONCERNED the Tooth Fairy wouldn't find Marly's tooth, since it wasn't placed in the traditional location under a pillow.

So of course, Dean made signs to help her locate the tiny tooth.

For good measure, he drew the Fairy a picture so that she would be sure to return when he lost his next tooth.

...and so, only a FEW tears were shed at bedtime.
The Fairy did find the tooth, and she did leave five gold $1 coins.

The signs have been saved neatly for the next lost tooth.

NYE 2013

Our New Year's Eve gatherings these days are soooo different then those we attended or hosted 9 or 10 years ago. Oh my..the stories, the fun, the food, the drinks, the guests, the breakfast bakes in the morning but NO KIDS.

These days, well..... we still throw a good party IF you under the age of ten or so.

I could be heard in the kitchen talking to Mark around 4 pm New Year's Eve Day, "Hey honey...Can you please download KidzBop 23 for tonight?" Oh Yes - if you follow me on Facebook, you know it is true.

Anyway, we were taking care of P and M for an overnight, since their mom and dad were traveling overseas for work. We were joined for the evening festivities by the Lyon's crew. Our menu was simple appetizers and finger food - beanie weenies, cheese dip, chips and salsa, olives, the HAM BALLS my aunt delivered to the cities when they were in town, cracker and cheese, Jenny's buffalo chicken dip, and fruit for the kids.

If you were underage, you got a kiddy cocktail with mixed with fruit juices and ginger ale. If you were an adult, Jenny would mix you a Big Gingers! Oh, and the underage set got huge cupcakes for dessert.

Then we had an 8 pm Kiddy Countdown to the New Year.
There was wild, crazy dancing.
There were beads.
There were blowers.
There was silly string.

There were POP Rocks!
There was sparkling Catawba juice in a plastic colored wine glass with your own name across.

If you are a kid at our party.. .You get SUGARED UP!

Then we make the kids snuggle up for a movie downstairs, until they crash.

Then the adults slip across the street for the neighbor's midnight fireworks on the river.
Then it is time for bed and to close out the year gone by.

Like the year's gone by, there is still some sort of "bake" for breakfast.
This year Jenny provided her delicious french toast bake.
Too bad Jeremy and I just weren't up to breakfast.....

Happy New Year's All!