Estate Planning, Halloween & Daylight Savings!!

🍂 Another Fun & Full Fall Week!

Monday

• Clint & Maci started the day bright and early with Maci’s hip PT at 6:40a. 😴
• Then it was back to busy work and school days for everyone, but the best part? NO evening activities! 🎉 We happily took advantage of some much-needed R&R.

Tuesday

• The cleaning lady came, which always makes the house feel sooo nice! ✨
• Connor had a Training HAUS workout at 5:30p, followed by Maci’s late soccer practice from 7:30–9:00p. ⚽

Cute Writing Assignment by Connor

Wednesday

• Rosie had a little grooming/spa time in the middle of the day. 🐶✂️
• Maci’s soccer practice was canceled due to impending bad weather, which thankfully never got too bad. An unexpected night at home? We’ll take it!

Post Grooming Fluff!

Thursday

• Connor had basketball practice 🏀 and, right after that ended, Maci had soccer practice. The scheduling actually worked in my favor because Clint was able to pick up the girls for me, saving me from having to head back out at 9p! 🙌

Friday

• I got my Dysport in the morning, which I am oddly proud of myself for. 😂 As someone who does NOT like needles, I’ve gotten surprisingly okay with having them put in my face!
• Maci and her friend Rosie did the Polar Plunge at school for Special Olympics. 🥶 Maci dressed as a tall Starbucks and Rosie as a short Starbucks, playing off their very different heights. 😂☕ So cute!
• Clint picked Connor up from school at 11:30a to get a bracket fixed at the ortho. Rather than sending him back for another hour or so of school, he brought him home. Lucky kid!
• I had a productive Friday afternoon, and before we knew it, Clint and Connor were off to basketball practice and Maci was at Livi’s hanging out with friends.
• Which meant…I got some Friday evening time ALL TO MYSELF!!! 🙌🥳

Polar Plunge Jump & Towel Time After

🎃 Saturday: Happy Halloween!

• Connor started the day with a fun Halloween basketball practice. 🏀👻
• While he and Clint were there, Maci and I headed to a new soccer training program at MTA that she’ll be doing this winter with her teammate/pal Isabel. ⚽
• Afterward, we met Clint and Connor at Pegs for a later breakfast. So yummy! 😋
• I came home and took a very good nap, which may have been one of the highlights of my day. 😂
• After getting a few things done around the house, it was time for trick-or-treating! 🍬🎃
• Maci got ready at Harper’s house. Harper was Strawberry Shortcake 🍓 and Maci was her friend Lemon Meringue 🍋. Adorable!
• Connor, aka DJ Marshmello, had Miles, Suthik & Anders come over to our house, and then we headed out to meet Maci and the Kraatz family for our usual wagon fun.
• Maci and Harper wandered the neighborhood for a few streets before meeting up with Livi at her house for some gal-pal time until 11p.
• Connor and his buddies made it until about 8:15p, and then I headed home with the boys. Anders stayed overnight for even more fun.
• Meanwhile, Clint kept the Halloween festivities going with some of the dads around a bonfire 🔥 before grabbing Maci at 11p.

Connor Man

Maci & Harper

Livi Harper & Maci

The Boys

Neighborhood Trailers!

Girl Fun

🍁 Sunday

• YAY for the extra hour of sleep! 😴
  BOO for it being super dark at 5p! 😩
• Maci had media day for her soccer team, where they take all sorts of fun and cute pics. ⚽📸 I ran her up there at noon.
• I knocked out a few errands while listening to my Bengals. 🏈
• Then I picked Maci up and headed home to watch the rest of the game while cleaning the house.
• Clint was outside doing yard work pretty much all day in this gorgeous fall weather. 🍂 He got the lawn cut ahead of all the rain coming early this week, and then it was time for the annual boom lift day to hang Christmas lights on our homes! 🎄
• I was also managing a GA college recruiting 411 call for Maci and catching up with family.
• Tonight, Clint is off to a nice steak dinner at Gianni’s, a treat from the head baseball coach for his assistant coaches. 🥩🍷
• Connor and Maci are currently chilling after a fun bike ride together to McDonald’s. 🚲🍟
• Maci still has more on the agenda, though! She’s heading to the Fusion soccer game at 7p to cheer on her former teammates with her TFE pal and teammate Aanya. ⚽
• And I’m getting life back in order for another busy week ahead, while also hoping Clint can handle soccer pickup so I don’t have to venture back out into the dark later tonight. 😂🙏

We are loving fall and all of this gorgeous weather and hope you are too! 🍁☀️

Lots of Love,
C, K, M & C ❤️

Happy Hours, Early Halloween Fun & Sports!!

Weekdays

• Monday – After a busy/hectic day at work, I met my colleague Jillian for a much-needed happy hour. 🍷 The family enjoyed Culver’s for dinner since it was Greenwood Elementary Night. I got home and caught up with Maci while Clint and Connor headed to a late basketball practice. 🏀

• Tuesday – Another hectic workday, but I managed to clear a good chunk of my calendar, which REALLY helped! 🙌 That night, Maci had soccer practice and Clint helped with the running. ⚽

• Wednesday – Maci started the day with some hip PT. Clint had a dentist appointment and then managed to squeeze in 9 holes of golf at Medina CC with some buddies. ⛳ From there, everyone hustled off to practices, with Clint handling basketball and me running Maci to soccer. Divide and conquer!

• Thursday – Another packed calendar day for me! After work, I snuck in a happy hour with my former coworker Bree, then hustled over to Stephanie’s for our baseball moms’ viewing party. 🍷⚾ Meanwhile, Clint had a fire with Andrew since the weather was AMAZING. 🔥 He also picked up Maci from soccer so I could stay until about 10. We had such good laughs!

Friday

• A productive day of meetings, and I even managed to squeeze in a nap. I’d call that a win! 😴
• As soon as my 5 p.m. meeting ended, we headed to Sunshine Factory for dinner with all our family friends before making our way to Valley Scare at Valley Fair. 🎃👻
• I’ll be honest, I was NOT super excited about Valley Scare because I hate being scared. 😂 But it was a gorgeous night with great company, and I did okay walking through the “scary zones.” The haunted houses, however? Absolutely not. Hard pass.
• My kids, on the other hand, LOVE all the scary stuff and the crazy-ass rides. 🎢 They 100% get that from Clint!
• We left a little before midnight and are already looking forward to doing it again next year. Although I will once again be skipping the haunted houses. 😉

Love the Fall Views on Our Morning Walk

Valley Scare Fun w. Friends

Connor & Johnny

Connor & Cal

The kiddos

CJ, Johnny, Derek, Cal, Connor & Maci

Maci & I on one of the few rides I did 

Saturday

• Started the day with a quick walk and then headed to the government center to vote early. 🗳️ Felt good to get that checked off!
• Then we grabbed some bagels before splitting up. Maci and I headed to her soccer game while Clint and Connor went to Connor’s basketball jamboree. ⚽🏀
• Maci’s team jumped out to a 2-0 lead, including a ROCKET of a goal from Maci to make it 2-0! 🚀⚽ Unfortunately, the defense let the lead slip away and the game ended in a 2-2 tie. Maci was quickly over the disappointment when she saw that Andrew, Lyndsay and Harper had come to watch her play. ❤️
• Across town, Connor’s team unfortunately went 0-3, but the games were close, with losses by 2, 5 and 7 points. Maci and I caught the last game, and I think this team is going to be A-OK! They have a whole new mix of kids this year, so they just need some time to find their chemistry. 🏀
• We hustled out of Blaine to get Maci to her pal Harper’s 14th birthday party, which included a haunted house in Loretto themed as a psych ward where all the patients had escaped. 😳 Maci LOVED it. Between this and Valley Scare, I’m starting to question my daughter’s interests. 😂 JK!
• While Maci was off getting intentionally terrified, Clint, Connor and I headed to the Halloween festivities at the country club. 🎃 We enjoyed a yummy buffet, Connor went through their haunted house, which was apparently “not scary enough” for him, and did some face painting and bag making while the adults caught up over fall cocktails. 🍹
• Best part? Home and in bed by 10 p.m. WAHOO! 🙌

Got Our Votes In

Soccer Fun!

Medina Country Club Fun!

Connor with his club buddies: Eli, Connor, Johnny & Oliver

Emmie & Harper

Maci & Her Friends at the Haunted House

Maci, Lillian, Livi, Hazel, Harper, Abby, Isla

Sunday

• We kicked off the day with Maci’s 9 a.m. soccer game against the first-place team. It was a hard-fought battle with lots of opportunities on our end, but nothing would fall. We finished with a 0-0 draw, keeping us in second place and them in first. We’ll be ready for the rematch in the spring! 💪⚽
• From there, Clint, Connor and I headed to brunch with several of the team parents while Maci and some of the girls stayed back to watch the younger team, who finished with a 1-1 tie.
• Then it was another hustle! We picked up Maci and headed to Connor’s 3v3 basketball tournament by 12:45. 🏀
• Connor and his buddies easily won Game 1 and were looking GOOD! They lost Game 2 by just 2 points to a team they really should have beaten, which led to some understandably hurt feelings. But they bounced back for Game 3 against by far the best team of street ballers and only lost by about 5. We were really proud of how they recovered and competed. ❤️
• After that, we were ALL ready to head home, watch football and stay put! I managed to knock out laundry, groceries and all the usual weekly prep while watching various NFL games, plus the Timberwolves picking up their third straight win to start the season! 🏈🏀🙌
• Before I knew it, it was bedtime and somehow we were already getting ready to do it all over again this week!

We hope you’re enjoying all the fall fun as much as we are! 🍂🎃❤️

Lots of Love,
C, K, M & C

Kids’ Fall MEA Break & Boomer Turns 17!!

Our Week in Review 🍂⚽🎃

Monday 🎳

Maci had a “date” with a boy she’s been talking to, Zach! They met up at Tuttle’s Bowling at 6 p.m. Clint dropped her off, and then he and I met at a bar for a drink while we waited for their hour of bowling. 😂

Maci had a great time and won 3 of the 4 rounds they managed to squeeze in! Not a bad first date! 😉

Waiting on our gal

Tuesday 🏀🎃

BUSY day! I worked from home since my day started super early with the UHG earnings call. I was pretty much back-to-back all day before running to Connor’s teacher conference.

He’s a fun kid who works hard and likes to make people laugh. Yep, that sounds about right! 😂

I hustled home to grab Maci, and we headed to the club for cocktails and pumpkin carving night. 🎃 Maci carved a fun pumpkin while I caught up with some of our friends who also belong to the club.

Meanwhile, Connor and Clint were at their FIRST night of basketball practice. Their team scrimmaged the other team and kicked their rears! 🏀 We’re looking forward to a fun season ahead!

Maci and I hurried home so our neighbor Cael could drive her to soccer practice. I stayed home to join her virtual teacher conference, where I learned she’s a ray of sunshine — super inclusive, kind, and hardworking. Yep, that sounds about right, too! ❤️

After basketball, Clint picked Maci up from soccer at 9:30 p.m. Just another quiet, relaxing Tuesday around here. 🤪

Connor 5th Grade Pics

Wednesday 🍂

First day of fall break for the kids!

Clint and Maci went to a hip appointment that morning since she’s been having some minor pain. They discovered that her right hip still has some dysplasia from infancy, even though we were told she had “graduated” from treatment. The good news is she can continue playing soccer, but she’ll also be doing six weeks of PT. Fingers crossed that helps!

That evening, Maci had soccer practice, but the rest of us enjoyed a pretty chill night. We’ll take it!

Thursday ⚽

Connor had his orthodontist appointment in the morning. We’re still not sure when he’ll get this first round of braces off!

I had my nonprofit board meeting for Equality, and Maci had her first PT session for her hip in the afternoon.

That evening, Clint helped with field cleanup for baseball while I ran Maci and Ayla to soccer practice. Ayla’s family brought the girls home since I was already fast asleep by then. 😂 Apparently, I’d had enough excitement for one day!

Friday 🎃❤️

DAY OFF! Clint and I took Friday off to spend some time with the kids during fall break.

We weren’t exactly the most fun parents, though, since we used our long weekend without sports to tackle some much-needed things around the house. 🤣

I got laundry going and caught up with my former business partner, Erin. She’s loving her new job, and it was so great to hear how she’s doing!

Then I completely reorganized my closet and ended up with TWO trash bags of clothes to donate to Goodwill. 👏 A very satisfying accomplishment!

We headed to Medina Country Club for dinner at 5:30, hurried home to change for the cooler evening, and then headed out to the MN Zoo for the Zootacular Jack-O’-Lantern fun! 🎃🦁

We all love this event, and this year was no different. Such a fun fall tradition!

After we got home, I settled in with the podcast I’m currently hooked on, Love Trapped. 🎧

Zoo Fun!

Saturday 🐶🎂🏈

Happy 17th Birthday, Mr. Boomer! ❤️🐾 What a milestone for our sweet old guy!

We started the morning with the kids getting their flu shots, followed by a family breakfast at Perkins. We then watched the OSU game, which was STUPID stressful! 😩🏈

Maci had her friend Isla over for most of the afternoon while I headed out to get my nails done at 3 p.m. 💅

I got home, ordered Kobe for dinner, and watched football with Clint. I also managed to finish organizing my closet (shoes and bags!) and deep-clean the kids’ bathroom with Maci.

Boomer Year 17 & Year 1

Sunday 🍁☀️

A GORGEOUS fall Sunday, 64 degrees and sunny!

Clint and I started the day with a nice, long walk with Rosie. 🐶 We ordered groceries and then finished our will/estate/trust questionnaire. Nothing says Sunday fun like estate planning! 😂

Clint got started on yard work while I put away the groceries and finished laundry.

Connor is currently jumping on the trampoline with his friend Marek, and Maci is at a pumpkin patch with Isla and her family. 🎃

I have some work prep to do later today, but for now, I’m enjoying a low-key Sunday with pumpkin candles burning and buffalo chicken dip cooking on the smoker. Honestly, not a bad way to wrap up the weekend!

We hope you’re all enjoying this beautiful fall season! 🍂❤️

Lots of love,

C, K, M & C

Connor Picture Day + Wrap Up of Football & Fall Baseball & Livi's 14th Birthday Fun!

Weekdays:

• Monday: I had a half-day onsite with my leadership team, and that night Connor had football practice while Maci had her Training Haus fitness class. Back into the weekday grind!
• Tuesday: Connor had his 5th grade picture day and decided he wanted to dress “nice” this year, which was pretty cute. I had an all-day onsite at work and celebrated my leader’s 50th birthday. Clint got the sprinklers blown out in preparation for the impending winter months. That night, I had happy hour with my former coworkers/friends Nicole and Katie. While I was there, Clint and Connor had football practice and Maci had soccer practice. Divide and conquer!

Picture Day Ready!

• Wednesday: Clint had a day-long golf benefit, and I met with our financial advisor for our biannual check-in. I ran Maci and Ayla to soccer practice and then rushed over to Connor’s football game at the high school. It was a close loss, but Connor had a sweet DB knockdown in the end zone and a few great passing plays at QB. While we were at football, Clint had his baseball board meeting. Just a normal Wednesday around here!

He pulled a muscle before I got there

This is him hanging with the trainer

But he kept going!!

• Thursday: Busy day at work for me, and then Connor had his final baseball practice at night while Clint coached the final football practice and Maci had soccer practice. Lots of “lasts” as the fall seasons start wrapping up.

Friday:

• I had a productive day working from home.
• That night we went to River Inn with the Codys for a date night and wrapped up the evening with one final cocktail at Hilltop Bar on the way home. Such a fun night!

Saturday:

• BUSY day!
• Connor started the morning with open gym for basketball.
• Then it was off to his final football game. Another loss, ugh, it has been a tough last few weeks, but he had a SWEET blitzing tackle and a catch-and-run for a TD!!
• Maci volunteered with two friends at the cancer benefit sucker booth during the girls varsity game.
• Clint and Connor hit up the end-of-football-season party.
• I ran Maci from the high school to her friend Livi’s house for her 14th birthday.
• The girls went up to Broadway Pizza and ran into a bunch of the 8th grade football boys. Oh dang, they are growing up!!
• Clint did some field prep for baseball and then came home for dinner and football on TV with me and Connor.
• I picked Maci up from Livi’s at 11 p.m., and that officially wrapped up another packed Saturday.

End of Football Season on a HOT day

Nate was QB & Connor was Wideout

Only TD on the day!

Aanya + Maci + Mikah

Volunteering at Wayzata Girls Varsity Soccer Game

Livi's 14th Birthday Fun!

Maci, Lilian, Livi, Abby, Harper, Isla

Selfies with Football Boys

Maci with the long arm for the camera HA

Sunday:

• Another busy one!
• We started with Maci’s soccer game against Salvo. We were hoping for a bigger win, but we pulled off a 1-0 victory during our pink-out celebration for breast cancer awareness.
• Connor had game one of baseball, and they 10-runned the other team.
• Maci and I ran up to Blaine to watch Harper’s soccer team, who had a tough loss.
• I then hustled back down to Connor’s second baseball game while listening to the Bengals game. Thankfully, the Bengals beat the Dolphins, AND Connor’s team pulled off a walk-off win against Westonka. Wins all around!
• We hustled home, and I finally got our flights booked for Honduras for spring break thanks to a super helpful Delta agent. Woohoo!
• Before we knew it, Clint was off to the basketball coaches meeting, and Connor and I were headed to his 3v3 games.
• Connor and his team were BALLING out and won both games by a good margin. It was so fun watching them move the ball and drive!
• After the coaches meeting, Clint had his assistant coaches over for a drink and to chat about prep for the season.
• I finished putting laundry away and completely crashed after a fun, full, and oh-so-busy weekend!

Big Win for TFE

Maci Celebrating Harper!

End of Fall Baseball on a Hot Weekend

Undefeated Season!

Lots of Love,

C, K, M & C