Paver Patio!!!

For those that have been to our house, you know the house was re-done very nicely by the flippers before us but the backyard was Whomp Whomp Whomp BORING!  In Ohio, we had quite a tiny house but an awesome backyard so this is something we have really missed the last almost 2 years.  This weekend that all changed.  We have decided to add a large semi circle paver patio coming off our garage.  We are adding a fire pit at the point of the semi circle as well.  We plan to finish the privacy fence the weekend of July 12th (no more chain for Boomer!) and then next year we will do a large 2 layer retaining wall in the back of the yard complete with limestone stairs - finally the backyard will be the summer spot we have been envisioning.

Work in Progress

We had a BBQ tonight with our next door neighbor, his girlfriend and their buddy and his girlfriend as a way to thank the guys for all their hard work throughout the weekend.  It was so much fun I forgot to take final pictures.  We also need to lay some red mulch around the outer ring to make the grey cobblestone pop as well as finish the fire ring.  I will post more final photos later this week.

Happy Holiday Week to All Family & Friends!  We Love You!

C, K & M



We Love the Weekends & Maci Tries Peas!

The weekend was so beautiful in the twins cities, high 70s low 80s and sunny!  It was a perfect weekend for Clint and our neighbor Eric to tackle the paver patio in our backyard (pics to come on Sunday).  While they worked outside, Maci and I had lots of Mommy/Baby time =)  I love taking the time to dress her up like a little doll and we have much more time for that on the weekends!

Wouldn't be surprised if someone was crawling soon!!

Hey Mom, I am just chilling. . . what's on my feet you ask?!

Those are my sweet Bengal slides, thanks to Danny for such styling shoes!!  Fan for Life!

Later in the day I decided I couldn't wait to see her try a little food any longer.  She is really interested in Clint and I eating so I thought we would do some peas while Daddy finished up out back.  She enjoyed the peas but is still a little silly with the spoon =)

We ended Maci's day by swinging in her tree swing that daddy installed for her last weekend.  While swinging my friend Zach from work stopped by to see the patio since he too is putting in a paver patio right now.  We put Maci to bed and had a few beers to rest after a crazy day!

Lots of Love,

C, K & M

Maci @ 5 Months!

Maci girl turned the big 5 months this past Sunday (during the no power nightmare)!  However, nothing is ever too bad when you have this cutie around.  Even in the hot summer heat and no AC, she is all smiles. 

5 Month Notes

* Not sure of weight/height but she is quite chunky these days, will know more at 6 mo Dr appt!

* Maci wears some size 3 months but 3-6 month clothes fit best and she is moving into some 6 month too

* We are in size 2 diapers and after only 2 weeks of wearing them, we think we are ready for size 3 WOW
* No teeth yet but drools a lot!
* Maci still loves her pacifier (especially the puppy one) but she is also in love with any and all blankets

* She has several knicknames : Maci Lou, Maci Girl, Peanut, Princess Petunia Pickle Bottom & Snots

  - Daddy gave her the last one since between RSV & now daycare she tends to have some snotty moments

  - Sadly Daycare prefers the last one because they find it so funny!

* She still eats bottles, we pulled back on solid food waiting for 6 months, but she eats so much more now!

* Maci loves daycare & lights up when her main teachers talk to her in the morning which makes us happy!

* Daycare gets Maci to laugh outloud when they tickle her chubby thighs or blow on her tummy

* Maci is like Mommy and can literally fall asleep anywhere & she now sleeps through the night!! 830p-6a

* She is a total jabber jaw and we love hearing her talk to Boomer, Milo, us, the wall - just like her mom ;-)

* We think she has some of daddy's more laid back personality which is great!  I just hope she will be organized or we may have many messy room arguements - do you think she will organize her closet using the color of the light spectrum?!?!  These are the things I worry about!

* Everyone tells us what beautiful blue eyes she has and how happy/chill she is!

* Maci loves summer time, swimming, swinging in her tree swing (pics to come) and not wearing socks!!

* She is a total music lover & she likes any toys that she can jam in her mouth

Bottom Line, this kid rocks & she brings so much happiness into our lives!  She looks forward to hopefully meeting all OHIO friends/family when we come back for a week at the end of August.

Lots of Love,

C, K & M

Dinner with the Schommer's

Jason (former co-worker and friend of mine) and Mindy Schommer were so nice to offer us to come over to dinner at their house that had power!  We ended up having power by Tuesday but we all decided it would be a good time to get together and let the kids hang out.  Calvin and Sadie are some of the cutest kids I have ever seen.  Sadie is almost 2 and she is in love with babies, Maci was the perfect visitor for her!  It was so cute that both of them wanted to hold the baby.  I think in these pictures you can see just how big Maci is getting!

Enjoy!

C, K & M

Calvin & Maci Girl!

Sadie & Her Baby Doll!  Yep she made sure to hold on to her anyway possible =)

 And Maci was done by this point. . .  



NO POWER!!!!!!

Friday night we had a huge summer storm in Minneapolis where we got up to 60mph winds and trees were uprooting everywhere!  Needless to say, we lost power Friday night around 7p and FINALLY got it back as of Sunday night at midnight!  At least we were all safe through the storm and no damage to our property.  Therefore, we will be a little behind on updates, including Maci's 5 Month Pics from Sunday!!!  Hope to get those on here shortly!

Love,
The Mondells

HAPPY FATHERS DAY DADDY!!!

Maci was really excited about Clint's first Father's Day & it's because she made him such an amazing gift at daycare (laminated tie with her foot print) and a great photo gift with Mommy.  Today we started our day by waking up Daddy with his gifts.  He got a Golfsmith gift card from mommy which was my way of saying he can feel free to golf this summer when the mood strikes.  Maci had a much more thoughtful gift.  Daddy loves pictures of his little girl, especially to brag about her at work.  Check out Maci's cutie gift below!

I plan to update Maci & another kiddo one day holding these letters each year for Dad Day!

After gifts, we got ready for church, where Maci was once again a little angel, followed by Brunch at Crave!  It was so nice out today that we had Brunch outside in the shade and Maci was so kind and napped while we ate, such a great baby!

Great Dress Picked Out by Grandpa Jack when they Visited at Easter!

 



Then after Brunch, we finally had warm sunny weekend weather so we took advantage and took Maci to the pool for the first time!!!  We got summer pool passes to the local pool/splash pad which is great for little kids with lots of sprinklers, shallow water etc.  Maci LOVED showing off her cutie pootie bathing suit!  The water was pretty cold but she only let her lower lip quiver once.  By the end of the hour we were there, she was already kicking her legs and moving her arms, it was like it is an innate ability to know how to start swimming!  We decided it was time to go when she swallowed her 3rd gulp of pool water and started getting her hat wet but what a fun time!!  We cant wait to take her back.  Those that visit this summer, it is a must do to take you to our pool so you can see it live!  =)

Where are we going today?  This outfit is funny!

 HAHA - this Cover Up is Even Funnier!

 Wow - My mommy and I are both blinding in the Sun!

 I promise, she did like the fountain, of course I catch when she looks away!

 WATER BABY!!!

We hope everyone had a great weekend and that all the dads out there had a wonderful Father's Day!  Here's to a quick work week so that we can party again this coming weekend!

Lots of Love,

C, K & M

Summer BBQ!

What a fun and gorgeous weekend we had here in the twin cities!  On Saturday we had plans with a few of the couples from my Mommy & Me Class.  Gena, Vinny and Baby Emmit were such gracious hosts and they have a beautiful home!  The adults had grilled pork loin, potatoes, fruit and killer brownies plus cocktails while the babies had bottles and some awesome play time.  It was so fun for all of us, especially the moms, to see the babes rolling around on the ground together!  When we use to get together on a regular basis the babies were all so little and just laid there or cried.  Now they roll, hold hands, eat each others arms and just talk back and forth!  What a fun night!!!  After we got home, Maci went to bed and Clint and I had a night cap cocktail with her new neighbor Eric and a few of his friends - once again thank goodness for video monitors that reach that far!!!  =)

Enjoy Pics of Playtime!

The Saturday Night Group (Natalie, Maci, Hank & Emmit)

 Those boys scared Natalie but Maci was a trooper - she played rough right along with them!!

 Future Boyfriend??!!  Well Maci sure liked holding his hand, too forward for our liking!

 Emmit the bruiser was no match for Maci - he ate her arm and she pushed him right off =)

Chubby Thighs in Shorts!

Maci girl is no longer a peanut or even a small baby for that matter =)  Look at our lil chubber!!!  She is finally starting to look like me as a baby, yay for chubby babies!!  She is such a happy baby, I must say that to Clint at least once a day!  For those of you who haven't met her or haven't seen her in a while, she is seriously an awesome kid - we are so blessed!!  Check out her sporting her new giraffe outfit in honor of amazing weather and FRIDAY!!!!!!!

We hope everyone has an amazing weekend and a great Father's day!!!  More to come from our end on Sunday!

Lots of Love,

C, K & M

Our Cutie Putie!!!!  Oh & Yes, we do still have Boomer - so here is proof, looking old Booms! =)

Maci Sleeps Through the Night!

Lil Miss Maci is a rolling machine!  Since becoming a rolling machine, she now likes to wake us up at all hours crying because a leg is stuck in one part of the crib bars and an arm in another =)  Our little gymnast was driving us crazy at night so I finally got ok with adding a bumper.  However, I still added a breathable one so it isnt quite as padded but probably a tad safer.  Clint and I bought it Friday night and put Maci to bed around 8p.  The next time we heard from her it was 6a and she was ready for a bottle!!!!!!!!!!  The girl slept through the night :-)  After her bottle, she even went back to bed in her crib until 930a when I had to wake her to get dressed for the day and her 10a bottle - Ahhhhhhhhhh WE MISSED SLEEP SO MUCH!

Check out our cutie snoozing away!

Babies at Cookbook Club!!!

My friend Lisa has a monthly cookbook club where basically we each bring some ingredients and then cook up some yummy food at her house together before eating it as a group.  I have been going for about a year now and it is a lot of fun!  Lisa had a baby (little Brody) a month before me and so this time around we brought our babies to join in on the fun with us.  Lisa has two other good friends who could make it with their baby boys so Maci got to be the lone female but she had a great time rolling and smiling with some new friends!  Plus, all babies were between 4-6 months so they were doing about the same things =)

Maci doesn't look SO little anymore, plus they are all about 1 month+ older than her!!



Happy Hour Fun!!

Tonight, I went to a late dinner/drinks with some of my favorite Cargill (former Cargill peeps).  Since three of us have kiddos now, it was easier to meet after bedtime.  So believe it or not, on a work night, Kellie Mondell stayed out from 830p-12a!!  It made for a tiring Wednesday but oh so fun to laugh with this group!  We need to do it again soon!!!!

Jason (formerly Cargill), Megan, Me, Lisa & Danny

Grand Old Day!!!

Wow I got to get caught up!  It is so hard to work and keep up on my blog, I promise that I would much rather spend more time on the blog =)

So this past weekend was a good time!  While we are still waiting for Summer to arrive in Minneapolis, 70 degree temps and lots of rain, we are starting to have fun anyway!!

Friday - After playing with Maci and putting her to bed a little early, Clint and I had an adult night out at our new neighbors.  Eric moved in to the brown house to the left of us (for those that have been to our place).  He is 29 and use to do landscaping so Clint has found a best buddy to help with all our backyard needs, plus he wants to help!!!  He has a really nice girlfriend too but she isnt living there, yet.  He currently has two friends living with him and helping him to "flip" the house himself since it did need some TLC.  We had a great time sitting on his back patio, getting to know him and his friends and being able to keep an eye on Maci through the video monitor the whole time - YAY for technology!  It was so fun to have a fun adult night without having to go far or have a babysitter.  We are really fortunate to have amazing neighbors all around us!!!  I even had a few too many adult beverages for the first time since probably this time last year when we found out Maci was coming!!

Saturday - We mainly ran errands and cuddled with Maci on Saturday.  It was nice to have a slower day together after a crazy work week.  We did go to the mall in the evening to spend almost 2 hours helping Clint to pick out 1 sport coat!  Ugh, who is the indecisive one now??!!  =)  Maci was a great sport as usual and I also found time to pick up a few more things for her.  Of course off the Baby Gap clearance rack like Grandma Gilroy taught Maci's momma.  Maci is definitely one SHARP DRESSED KID, like daycare always tells me!  ;-)

Sunday - What a GORGEOUS day!  The high was like 72 and sunny!  We decided to venture out to St Paul for their annual (40th anniversary) Grand Old Day festival party on all of Grand Ave.  This runs for almost 3 miles in length and has food trucks, live music, games for kids etc.  It was a lot of fun walking up and down the street, seeing friends and listening to the tunes.  Maci even danced with her arms a bit =)

While you cant tell from the picture (Geez Maci and Clint) - they did have a Grand Time!!