Girly Girl in the Making. . .

We had a pretty chilly week here but thank goodness the 60 degree weather comes back this coming week, just in time for Easter!  Miss M had a fairly normal week at daycare but has started having a habit of SCREAMING and Crying at the top of her lungs when she gets told to not do something.  I understand it is so loud that often it will get teachers from the other rooms to come running because they think something is seriously wrong - nope just Maci and her impressive two year old tantrums.

What a Beauty. . . 

 They made a snowman - GO AWAY MARCH SNOW!

Friday - I was exhausted on Friday after a busy, long feeling week.  After picking up Maci & eating our Pizza, I asked Clint for time to take a hot bath.  I was so out of it afterward, he let me head to bed to relax and enjoy some alone time.  I was laying in bed by 730p with "A league of their own" on TV.  Very lame but very relaxing and enjoyable all at the same time!  My body must have also known that I needed it because I woke up Saturday with a sore throat, something Clint had as of Friday morning.

Ice Cream Cone Before Mommy's Early Bedtime

Saturday - Maci was up normal time, ate some cereal and headed to Lil Gym with us.  She had a great time as usual but when we went to Cooper's with the group for brunch afterward she just seemed exhausted.  Maci didn't touch her food and ultimately fell asleep in Clint's lap - so not our Maci!  We went home and took a 2 hour nap as a family.  When we woke up we decided to go to the newer outlet malls to pick up Maci some spring/summer essentials.  Maci fell asleep again on the way there and then let us just push her around for almost 4 hours in her stroller.  The only time we saw a slight smile was when she got some new shoes at the Croc store - anyone that has been around Maci lately knows how much this girl LOVES shoes!  Poor kid was just not feeling herself and while it made for a very easy/peaceful shopping day, she was pathetic.  She fell asleep again on the way home and cried like a baby when we tried to give her a bubble bath before bed.  We could tell she was running a slight temp so we gave her some Tylenol and put the lil slug to bed :(  After she was in bed, Clint and I enjoyed NCAA games and we got caught up on our Scandal.  

Sunday - Miss M came bouncing into our room at about 730a today and was a complete 180 from her mood the day prior!  Thank goodness!!  On the other hand, I had gone to bed with some NyQuil so was still out of it.  Thankfully Clint let me sleep until about 830a when we all got up and headed to Egg & I to get a good breakfast.  Maci took a good nap in the car on the way home but she wouldn't sleep once we got home :-/  Poor Clint had to deal with the napping problems while I ran out for the weekly grocery trip.  This week's trip was fairly fun since I helped the Easter Bunny out with some shopping for a special little girl :)  After we put everything away, Maci begged me to do her favorite activity "PAINTING HER NAILS"  She was quite proud of the finished product!

Got to Let Them Dry, Right Mommy?!

 Toesies!!!

 Finger Nails!

 So Proud!

I am ready to take a nap or at least lay around for a bit.  The sun has finally come out on this warm day, rain earlier, so we may take a nice family walk a little later.  For now it is NCAA basketball and some R&R to ensure we are all healthy for the work/school week ahead.

Clint and I are excited for this coming week since it is Clint's 37th Birthday on Tuesday!!! WOAH  In addition, we get Good Friday as a work holiday but Maci's daycare is open so another day date with covered babysitting :)  We also have some vacation to burn before our FY end so we are taking the Monday after Easter off.  That means we have a 4 day weekend coming up with Maci in school 2 of the days - AKA we will get a lot accomplished around the house too!!

Lots of Love,
C, K & M

A Weekend of Laughs!

Do you think last weekend wore her out?!

Unfortunately the weather decided to align a bit more with the typical temps for this week which meant it was still sunny but that was deceiving as it was more like 40s.  Our family had a nice week with a fun break in the middle of the week with a magic show at Maci's school in the evening.  Maci loved watching the magician, wiggling her fingers and yelling POOF!  You can tell how much she is growing as her attention span has increased greatly in the last few months.  She was OK sitting for the entire 40 min show :)  She also did OK with B-ball being on every TV all weekend long!

Sidewalk chalk fun at school

Friday - We wrapped up the week with me leaving a meeting about a candidate we had interviewed and walking into my office to find Clint talking on my cell phone.  It turns out his iPhone bit the dust with the screen fully falling out.  So instead of having a relaxing Friday night with Pizza & B-Ball. . . we headed to Verizon to negotiate with what I have decided is the new "used car business."  We ended up leaving without a new phone for me (even though I had an email with extremely misleading language) and Clint still had a broken phone b/c we had to do an Affidavit to file our insurance claim.  He will have his new phone arrive on Monday and not Saturday which the Verizon worker "assured" would happen.  Ugh - it makes me want to figure out how to leave cell phones all together!

Saturday - Maci had a great time at gym, per usual, we then did the typical breakfast/errands before nap time.  I decided to run my grocery trip on Saturday which I am so happy about today when I have no motivation to leave the house :)  We then had our monthly date night!  Maci went CRAZY when Miss Kaitlin arrived yelling her name over and over again and taking her to play right away!  We both agreed how nice it is that Maci loves seeing these sitters vs crying when we attempt to leave.  She even yelled "HAVE FUN!"  Which is really her way of saying, GO Away Now!  :)  Clint and I went to Gold Nugget for dinner - yummy burgers/sandwiches and we will be having our family Easter Brunch here after Mass this year.  We then headed to Brave New Workshop for some wonderful Improv Comedy!  It was so gosh darn funny!  I would liken it to SNL in NY except this program has been active in Minneapolis since 1958 - so cool!  It is housed in a really old theatre in downtown Minneapolis and the comedians are very talented.  Clint swore the one woman was a female Chris Farley with her physical comedy style.  We got home around 11p and relieved Kaitlin.  After she left, we grabbed the baby monitor and headed to the neighbors behind us.  Unfortunate timing as our neighborhood had a progressive dinner finishing at the neighbors behind us for deserts and after party!  Fortunately they were all still up so we went up for one well that quickly became 1a - we are so fortunate for such a fun and wonderful group of neighbors!  We all can't wait for summer which means lots of cookouts in each other's back yards.

Sunday - Thank goodness for Maci cuddling and choosing to sleep in with us!  Maci came into our bed at some point before my eyes could even function today.  The next thing I know it was 10a and we NEVER sleep in like that - much needed, I don't stay up until 1a ever anymore :)  The day is a super lazy one at our house.  We are having a late lunch now and have been watching B-ball/playing with Maci in her play room.  I plan to do a little work in a bit but my goal is to not leave the house all day long!!  We may get some snow tonight but I am praying it is just a little and that this is the last bit for the year - I am ready for spring to stay!

We hope everyone has a great week!
Lots of Love,
C, K & M

Has Spring Really Sprung?!

What a gorgeous week!!!  We had 60 almost 70 degrees throughout the week which made for many walks, park visits and just good sunshine fun!

We wonder why she falls so much. . .can she even see?!

 Making Blue Jello at School

Clint and I worked out together on Monday evening and saw the twin neighbor girls with their parents on a walk when we got home.  It made us a little jealous we hadn't thought of the same idea.  Then on Tuesday, I had a happy hour with some co-workers I had met through the HR Development Program 4 years ago.  While I was at happy hour catching up, Maci and Daddy went to the park two doors down.  It was so sweet to get the following pic while I was enjoying some Mojitos with the windows open :)

Pure Joy!

We took a walk both Wednesday and Thursday night but the walks take a whole lot longer now that Miss M wants to walk most of the time vs stroller ride.  I am thinking a tricycle may be in her future to at least keep her moving forward!  We just love our neighborhood because each night when we take a walk we either run into familiar faces who have become our summertime drinking buds or we meet a new family with kids typically right around Maci girls age.  On Thursday we met the later and Maci loved Zoey's bike!

We were all ready and excited for the weekend.  On Friday, I left around 4p since I had a massage at the Marsh for 430 - WAHOO!  So nice!  While I got my massage, Clint headed home early to rake leaves that feel really late and we could totally get to now that all snow is gone!  Afterward, I picked up Miss M and we headed to Punch Pizza with Daddy for dinner.  While we were waiting at Punch, Miss M and I went next door to Barnes & Noble to look at books.  Of course Miss M walked away with 2 new books - an Easter Minnesota book and an animal sound book.

Saturday - After our usual Gym class and then bagel sandwiches for breakfast - we ran a few errands and Maci took a fab nap while I paid bills and did some things around the house.  At 4p we headed to Halston, John and Harper's house where the guys helped move some items to storage since they are looking to put their house on the market in the next few weeks.  While the guys drank beers and moved boxes into the Uhaul and storage unit, the moms took the kiddos to their local neighborhood park.

Natalie on the Duck

 Maci and Her Slide

 Harper Running on the Retaining Wall

 Our Little Rascals

Best of Friends 

Sunday - Today is near 70 degrees so what better to do than the zoo?!  Unfortunately it didn't feel 70 or have the sun until about noon and we were leaving the zoo around that time for naps.  While Maci somewhat napped, I ran to the grocery and now we are watching basketball, prepping for the coming week and about to go out back to play on the swing set with Maci girl!  I still want to clean my closet today too - I love enjoyable but also productive weekends :)  Clint is determined we will have a fire out back tonight so I have to get my things done before dark.

Timberwolves at the Zoo - Clint Loves Them

 He also Loves the Sharks

He should qualify for a child pass too ;-)

We hope everyone has a great week!
Lots of Love,
C, K & M

Mommy Brought Warm Weather!

I had a wonderful trip to Argentina Sunday through Thursday morning.  However, I was surprised to see how hard of a time I had adjusting back to our time zone (they are only 3 hours ahead).  I blame it on lack of sleep on the over night flight home and then daylight savings didn't come at the best time either :)  Either way, I had a very nice time visiting with the local tax/customs team and enjoying the city of Buenos Aires.  Before I left on Sunday, Clint, Maci and I went to our favorite breakfast place - Egg & I.  On the way there, Miss M decided to play with her favorite car toy - Mr Bunny - so cute!

When I got to the airport I spoke to Clint and he was having a heck of a time getting her to lay down for nap.  Right as I was boarding my 1st flight to Atlanta, I received this picture.

In return, I sent this picture from 1st class ;-)  A little champagne never hurt anyone!

This theme continued during the trip.  I would get wonderful pictures from Clint of Miss M enjoying her time with daddy and I in return was taking pictures of amazing ice cream I was having with my dinner at the 4 Seasons hotel's restaurant - fair trade off after he had similar service in Houston the week prior :)

Friday - I was back in the MN office for the first time in a week.  It was good to see everyone and get caught up on some needed meetings.  I headed out around 430p for happy hour for a last minute invite with a few of our tax counsel members.  It was nice to have Clint back in town so we can both take turns having these opportunities.  After a few beers, I got home around 630p and Clint had the pizza arriving for our usual Pizza Friday Family Time :)  After Miss M went to bed, we started our favorite "Wonder Years" on Netflix, one more glass of wine and I was probably asleep by 8p. . . I swear this jet lag was killing me since that had been my 11p.

Saturday - I was up and at 'em early (jet lag) and Clint got up with me.  Maci kept sleeping for once so it was nice to have an adult only coffee casual wake up while the sun came up over the lake.  Once Maci was up, we ran to Target for some last minute birthday gifts and a car wash before gym class.  After our weekly gym fun, we headed to our neighbors house for Evelyn & Lilian's 2nd birthday brunch party!  It is so exciting to think we have 5 girls within 6 months of each other within about a 2 block radius :)  The girls loved their Minnie Mouse broom kits and Maci loved the tiny baby doll she got from the fun fishing game.  Yay Birthday Parties!  Miss M finally took a nap and we completed some to do lists.  Once M was up, we decided to enjoy the weather (40s and sunny) and head back out to Wild Rumpus (awesome kids bookstore with live roaming animals) and followed by an early dinner at Mozza Mia.  We got back home around 6p and Maci was OUT - seems her internal time clock is off too!  After she went to bed, Clint and I watched some TV and a Movie before hitting the hay ourselves.

Sunday - Maci was up at 430a - WHAT?!  WHY?!  Clint and I took turns laying (AKA Sleeping) alongside her play until about 9a (the new 9a that is).  Once we were all functioning, we headed to Egg & I for a good breakfast and then required Miss M to come along on some boring errands (Bed/Bath/Beyond, Target, Bank Drive Thru & Gas).  The hope was this would tire her for her nap but alas it is almost 3p and NO NAP today :(  We are thinking of taking a walk (again 40s and sunny) with the hope that the stroller and motion may make her sleep or we may have a nightmare in a few hours!  The rest of the day will be fairly relaxed with us getting ready for an entire week of work and school.

We hope everyone has a great week & hopefully you are getting the nice weather like us - 50s & almost 60s all week!

Lots of Love,

C, K & M

World Traveling Family

The beginning of the week went by quickly and fairly uneventful.  Clint headed out to Houston with work Wednesday morning and was able to have some awesome Mexican food with my Aunt Sue & Mike that evening, jealous!  While they did that, Maci and I had a dinner date at Noodles and Co because it was too late to cook us a dinner at home.  Maci was such a sweet dinner date, maybe we are turning a bend with her at restaurants, let's hope!

On Thursday we were the lucky ones and Clint had to miss out.  Trip & Lori came into town from Milwaukee for the weekend and they stayed with us Thursday night!  It was nice to catch up on Cargill news from each of our worlds, learn about the Milwaukee area and allow Maci to put on a show for them :)  Maci was so excited to wake up Friday and find they were still here.

Friday - I took Trip into work so Lori could have their rental car to visit with friends for the day.  I am sure we got some rumors going at daycare since Clint was out of town and I showed up with a "strange/new" man on Friday morning for drop off HA.  We even had Lori take a picture of the "new" family Friday morning on our way to daycare/work!

After work, Miss M and I headed to Punch Pizza for dinner again and she did OK, not as great as Noodles on Wednesday but still not an all out failure :)

Saturday - Today Maci and I went to gym and joined the Cassems & Zehrs for brunch afterward.  Once again Maci did well and showed her friends a new memory animal game on my phone.  Maci is blowing my mind at how good she is getting at the game memory.  What a fun little kid.  After brunch we ran a few quick errands and she passed out in the car.  

Now she is napping and I am trying to get the home chores done since the rest of the weekend is a BUSY one!  Around 4p, Maci and I will head to the Rutz's house (a mommy/me friend) who is having a get together for all the mommy/me friends.  We haven't all attempted to get together since the Christmas time frame.  Maci and I will leave though around 630p since Clint will finally be home from Houston.  We plan to put Maci to bed and get caught up together on a few of our shows.

Sunday - The plan is to have a family breakfast before I have to head to the airport around 1p for my flight to Argentina.  I will get to Argentina their 7a Monday morning (long trip)!  I am then only there for a very quick trip.  I am in Argentina their Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday but then we will head to the airport Wednesday evening and fly home/land at 9a our Thursday morning.  I plan to work from home on Thursday to get readjusted and then will be back in the office on Friday.  I am excited to enjoy warm weather and to meet our entire Argentina based team but I am also ready to get back into a routine until my next trip in late April.

Please send prayers for a safe flight and for Clint to have an easy week with Miss M!

Lots of Love,

C, K & M

Date Time & Miss Kaitlin Fun!

Monday was such a fun day date - thank you Cargill for President's day off!  Miss M woke up and Clint took her to school right away, we slept in until about 830a (a real treat for us), went to breakfast at our favorite diner (Egg & I), then headed to Mall of America for some shopping, lunch and a movie.  The movie ended around 430p so about the perfect time for us to head towards home and pick up our lil lady.  After Monday off we headed into a short but jam packed week.  On Tuesday, Clint attempted to work out with me in the gym after work, I don't think it went too poorly since he has offered to do it again this coming Tuesday :)  Then on Wednesday we both had happy hours after work so Miss M attended mine where we proceeded to be a total ham and caused us to leave after only about 40 minutes SIGH.  Lastly on Thursday I had hair appointment after work which takes about 3 hours since I have such thick hair and I have been going blonder again - so I was there from 6-9p WOAH. . .

Enjoying the end of a LONG weekend!

 Height Activity at School

 Naming Food Items - I am sure Maci was the Eggs :)

Friday - The weather has been pretty cold here too (thankfully not the snow like OH) but I didn't feel like having Pizza at home Friday night - too much time spent in the house these days!  Clint, Maci and I decided to head to Punch Pizza in Wayzata for dinner Friday night after work and Miss M actually behaved!  She does well at these restaurants where you don't have to sit and wait very long for a server and she also watched some Mickey on my phone - thank goodness for a nice meal!

Saturday - The usual morning routine : Gym, Breakfast and Errands.  Maci didn't nap as well which is a pain for us all but she did GREAT at her 3p haircut with my hairdresser.  All the other clients and workers were commenting on how she was 2 going on 20.  She kept admiring herself in the mirror as Malena cut her hair - it was very cute.  Afterward, I took her to a local bakery to get a cookie for being so good!  Of course she fell asleep in the car on the way there - go figure!  After her and I got back home, I had to start getting ready for our monthly date night!!!  Clint and I headed to Rojo for dinner after Miss Kaitlin arrived at 6p.  Maci loves seeing Miss Kaitlin on these evenings since she no longer works at Maci's daycare center.  After dinner Clint and I headed to the bowling alley again since last time was so fun but this time we got there and decided not to bowl but instead hung out and chatted at the bar - nice break!

Sunday - Clint let me sleep a little longer since I must have lost count on a few of those cocktails and had a light headache.  I was up and playing with this princess though not longer after them. . . she sure does crack us up!  We decided to run out for a big breakfast to fill all our tummys on a bitterly cold 3 degree temperature day.  Since then, Maci has napped (somewhat), Clint and I watched some Wonder Years on Netflix and now we are starting to get ready for the week ahead.

The next 2 weeks will be fairly busy for us.  Clint leaves Wednesday morning for Houston with work (lucky him with warm weather & getting to see Aunt Patter).  He will get home Saturday evening (bummer he misses a good portion of his weekend).  No sooner does Clint get home but I then turn around and leave to Argentina with work (also warm)!  I head out to Argentina Sunday afternoon and get home Thursday morning - very quick trip.  It will be nice for both of us to have some warm weather but I also look forward to when it wraps up and we get to be back in our routines until my next trip in late April to Rome.  We hope all of you have safe and productive weeks!

Lots of Love,
C, K & M

Valentine's Day Fun

This week went fairly fast with a few out of the ordinary events.  I had 2 personal training sessions at the Cargill gym on Monday and Thursday after work and that caused me to be quite sore!  Wednesday arrived and we finally have our new washer which I do like but I still get angry thinking about the high end one that blew in 3 years URGH.  No sooner did the delivery guy leave and Clint was ready to head to work, he got a call from me because Maci was puking at daycare :(  Clint watched the little lady in the morning and I came home to relieve him for the afternoon.  Thankfully it seemed to be a 24 hour bug and she was back to school on Thursday.

Friday - Maci had her Valentine's Day party at school but she wasn't in the mood to take a selfie with me at drop off in the morning.  However, when I came to get her after work she was SOOO excited to show me her valentine bag with all her valentines, stickers and a gift she made for Clint and I - a valentine snow globe.  Maci quickly followed with "MINE" after we opened our gift so that was short lived :)  We had our usual pizza dinner on Friday night and played before bed time.

Saturday - Happy Valentine's Day!  We went to gym class in the morning, breakfast at the bagel shop and then to the LakeShore learning store where we bought Maci even more Photo/Site Word flash cards.  It is amazing how good she is getting at seeing a picture and telling us what it is.  Even on Airplane she will say what it is and then point to the sky - she amazes us daily with her intelligence!  We picked up some carry out for dinner and had a nice quiet evening inside since our monthly date night is next Saturday.

Sunday - Today has been a super lazy but freezing cold day!  Maci woke up at 530a wanting to eat UGH and thankfully Clint took this turn since I was up with her at 6a on Saturday.  We switched off at 9a and Clint got to take a nap while Maci and I attempted to pick up the house.  Maci is now napping and I completed the weekly grocery shopping trip.  Clint says he is bored but I am not quite sure I want to leave the house again in these bitter temps.

Tomorrow is President's Day and one of my favorite days of the year because Cargill recognizes this day as a US holiday.  Therefore, Maci will go to daycare and Clint and I get a day date!  We plan to go to the mall, see a movie, have lunch, get pedicures and do a little shopping all before picking up our mini me around dinner WAHOoOO - love this day every year!

We hope everyone has a great week and that these bitter temps turn back around shortly - I am getting the itch for spring!

Lots of Love,

C, K & M