And the winner is.....

The winner of the March incentive for the AHS walk donations is Carissa Wray (Haywood). Congrats!

Riley and the Monsters

Turn up the volume. she's whispering...Ok, so most of you can't hear this...I believe it goes "Is that the monsters?" and my friend Vieve says "I think so"...

AHS Walk Incentive Ends Soon

Don't forget, if you want to get in on the March incentive, a drawing for a 4-person picnic backpack, you have just two days left! Not sure what the incentive for April will be yet, but this is a good one!

Also, don't forget your donation is tax deductible and you can do it online or send me a check directly made out to Animal Humane Society. (Some of you have pledged, and you still have a month to get those checks in! I pre-register for the walk, so I'd like to have all donations collected by Monday, April 27th.)

We are at $850 towards our $1250 goal, please help us get there!

If you would like to donate, there is a link on the right hand column of this blog that will take you to the online giving site. Look me up under "Find a Participant" or send a check made out to the Animal Humane Society to my home address no later than Monday, April 27th.

Thanks again for those of you who have gotten us this far! Please help us reach our goal!

What a WEekend - Part 2

On Sunday after nap time, we ventured off to Wisconsin to help Kayli celebrate her first birthday! There were LOTS of kids and Riley loved playing with all Kayli's new toys (Kayli was more into people watching and drinking her juice!)...Grandpa Frank enjoyed showing Riley how HIS favorite toy worked;) Also pictured, Grandma and Kayli, Meg "Fred" opening gifts and daddy Will and the birthday girl! "Mrs. Fred" as I like to call Fred's mom even sent us home with extra cupcakes for Meg, my sister, who was sick and couldn't come:) How sweet is that? (pun intended!)

Random cuteness...

What a Weekend!

Wow, we had a fantastic weekend! Saturday, we were invited to my friend Stephanie's house for "Feld's House of Fun", and boy was it ever! We were spoiled! Riley got a bucket full of goodies, like a coloring book, chalk, bubbles, etc....We did a craft project, painting a butterfly wind chime and then we made our own pizzas! After dinner there was an easter egg hunt with candy filled eggs. Riley and Macy (Steph's niece) cleaned up on the egg hunt. Riley looked like a pro! They even got to keep the egg hunt bags and sippy cups! Thanks Stephanie and Joel, we had a GREAT time!

TIGF

Dollar Stores and Nap Time! Need I say more? Well, I will anyway...

Dollar Stores because Missy and I are buying prizes for the Third Annual Edgemont Adult Easter Egg Hunt. We spent almost 2 hours in the Dollar Store today and stimulated the economy, while finding fun stuff for the hunt. They have movie sizes of candy, 6 and 8 packs of candy bars, all kinds of food and beverages, household items and more...some of it even brand name...it's great. (sorry, Meg, they didn't have salt and pepper grinders this year - At least not at Maple Grove...) And with all the good deals we get there, we have more money left over for booze and other beverages:) Did I mention I love my old neighbors!

Nap time...without it, this fine blog may not exist. I spend a good part of nap time everyday catching up with friends and family, getting some quiet cleaning done (who am I kidding, this happens rarely), and getting some quiet time where I don't hear about the crocodiles she's chasing or the "Huh?" after everything I say to her..."Riley could you please"..."Huh?" I thought only teenagers had selective hearing:) For any future babysitters, if you need to get her full attention, she answers only to Riley Rose when her selective hearing is on;)

FREEDOM!!!

Ok, starting about a week and a half ago, Riley got sick with a nasty cold, then I got it and now Josh is kinda sick...although not full-blown yet. Zack is sick (croup), Katie is sick, Adrienne (Meg thinks a reaction to her Rubella shot?) and Meg are sick...seeing a theme here? Everyone I know is sick! My dad's birthday party has been rescheduled twice already and I'm guessing it will be again tomorrow since my sisters are both sick. But Riley and I are finally better!! So today we got out of the house. FINALLY!

We had a play-date scheduled with my college roomie, Jess and Riley's boyfriend, Noah. Meg and Adee were supposed to come, cuz Jess was her roomie too (before she was mine), but Adrienne had a fever yesterday. Jess is a teacher and she's on Spring Break this week, so unfortunately we couldn't really reschedule, so the four of us met at Ridgedale for an adventure. We hit Caribou and a few stores before the playground. Riley and Noah had lots of fun! Noah was a bit overwhelmed, but I think he enjoyed himself. Jess said he was passed out by the time they hit the freeway!

We had a quick lunch before heading home. I filled Noah with as many French fries as possible:) I'm kinda the "naughty auntie" when it comes to other people's kids. Riley had asked for them for lunch but then didn't eat any!

Signs of Spring

There are two cardinals dudes outside my front window in the act of collecting nesting material. They are noisy, but they are pretty!! Nice to see the men doing the housework! (Ooooh, that was not nice, my hubby cleaned like a mad man this weekend, I can't complain!)

YEAH! Upgrades!

We have officially signed off and are the proud owners of a new furnace and air conditioning unit! I'm so excited because they are way more energy efficient than the old models and very much needed. Our AC crapped out last year and we were told our furnace would not be far behind. We got a great deal on getting both as a package and we are really happy with the company so far. If you need a new AC or Heater, let me know. We can get a referral bonus if we give you their business card and so far we would totally recommend them! They have to come back to do something with the AC when the weather warms up a bit, but so far they have been great!

Happy Birthday Uncle Chris.

I'm sorry I have been slacking on the posts lately. Riley was sick, now I'm sick and of course that means Josh is next. but I didn't want to forget to wish Uncle Chris a very happy birthday today!!!

And thanks mom for the care package yesterday! We're feeling better already!

TIGF

There are a few things I am grateful for this week. Of course, it's March Madness which is a holiday in my house. Kinda like St. Patrick's Day or Halloween, I get super excited every year to get my brackets crushed and my hopes dashed. I'm thankful that Duke and the Gophers will not be the match-up tomorrow so my mom will MAYBE forgive me for picking Duke over the U and I'm glad that I'm holding my own against a group of guys from my high school with whom I do this dance every year.

But the big thing of the week for which I'm grateful...Fred and Will have finalized the adoption of Kayli Grace and the papers have all been signed off by the courts so she is now officially THEIR daughter! It has been a nightmare of an adoption process that was supposed to be over before Christmas, but now, just before Kayli's first birthday, it's all over! YEAH! I'm so glad for good news for them!

GO DUKE!

For those who know where my loyalties lie, you may have noticed that if both Duke and the Gophers win their first games in this Madness, guess what...they play each other! Let the record show, that I never did attend either of these universities, and I love them both, but when push comes to shove...

LET THE MADNESS BEGIN!!!

Play....

We have had lots of time to get out in the sun and play this week (I know I've already mentioned that a bit...). On Monday when the temps were in the mid 60s we did a little chalk action on the driveway, played with our new red ball and our trike (the red one) and bike (the pink one), but the best part was splashing in the puddles and feeling the water running down the street...it was super cold water and running pretty fast so she really liked that! A little timid at first then full-on splashing!

Irish Eyes are Sleeping...

After a busy day hunting leprechauns, my little lass is sleeping. But here are some pictures of our adventure, searching for a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. There was a puppet show, a nature walk and snacks and story time. We made shamrock magic wands and leprechaun hats too. We even got to pet a frog and a turtle! (Well, by we, I mean the kids...Mommy is so over the reptile phase!) Then we came home and had MCDonalds...(see the Mc? That counts! Especially with the shamrock shake for those of you monitoring my green food fetish today! JESS!!!)

Top O' The Mornin'!

We are going on a leprechaun hunt this morning, wish us luck! We want to wish you all a happy St. Patrick's Day!

May God grant you always:
A sunbeam to warm you
A moonbeam to charm you
A sheltering Angel, so nothing can harm you.

We will have pics of our great hunt later today. May all your food be green and your pot of gold be seen today!

What a Day!

The weather is finally starting to warm up here. It was in the mid 50s yesterday with 60s in the forecast today. We had some time to go outside and play with our neighbor Brielle and then we walked up to the grocery store to get some steaks for the grill. YEAH! It's Spring!!! I'm excited for more walks to the store and Josh is going to grill again tonight.

Weekend Adventure-Part 3

After our bird adventure we make a quick pit-stop at Cabela's in Rogers. Riley LOVED the catfish. Daddy and Grandpa are now itching to get fishing! We figure it's only about 17 weeks until our big summer trip up North...but the good news is it's finally nice outside so 17 weeks might fly by faster than we think!

Weekend Adventures-Part 2

Today, Josh and I are planning a date night so we were going to be dropping Roo off at my parents anyway, but my dad had a little morning filed trip planned too. There's a place in Monticello where the swans winter near some open water and the local residents feed them. It was amazing the noise they make! There were hundreds of birds...swans, geese, ducks. For a bird nerd it was a happy place:) And do you see where I get my bird nerd/photographer gene?

Weekend Adventures-Part 1

Last night we went to diner at our friend, Vieve's house with a few of our "old school" friends. It was fun to watch all the kids play, and the guinea pigs, Snickers and Pepper, were a huge hit! Dinner was great and we had a little jammie party at the end. It was a wonderful night with great friends. Thanks!!!

Friday the 13th or April Fools?

I was on the phone wishing my dad a happy birthday and my mom says "Little Bit has been pretty quiet..." Well I had sent her to her room because she was being kinda crabby, so I just said she was up resting. Normally when I send her to her room, she reads with her pluggy in bed. This time she found a marker that was in the growth chart that hangs behind her door. Here's some of the damage...and YES I made her help Mommy clean up...her bottle has water in it. Thank God for Mr. Clean Magic Eraser...now if I can just get the curtains and the changing pad clean we should be ok.

TIGF

I'm thankful for Grandparents. Mine, Josh's, Riley's...And today, on Friday the 13th of all days, we are thankful for Grandpa Tom's birthday! Happy Birthday dad! Hope this is a lucky, happy day for you! We love you!!!

Whew! We've Been Busy!

I love that so many of my friends are Nanny's or stay-at-home moms. We have had a very busy week! As I mentioned before, on Tuesday we ventured out in the snow to go play with Mandy and her nanny kids (forgot the camera). Yesterday, our friend Jilly came over with her little guy, Christopher, and we had a fun playdate here (again forgot to take out the camera?!?!) And today, my friend Shannon and her nanny girls, Emme and Izze, our friend Breann and her niece, Maddy, and Riley and I went to Bender Bowl (New Hope Bowl if you need the technical name) and then we went to lunch at Applebees. At some point near the 7th frame, the girls decided to read instead, but they did pretty well all through lunch too. Whew! We have been on the move! I think tomorrow I have to run one quick errand and then we're having a down day!

Poker Night

Last Saturday, Meg and Chris had us all over for a poker night at their place. It was my sisters, brothers-in-law and Meg's brother and sister-in-law Matt and Amber and then of course the kiddos. The boys and Amber played poker, the kids played with Adee's toys and the moms...well we kinda watched Nemo and did come catching up. In the picture where Riley and Auntie Meg are on the floor with the letters, Riley had a big long story about what all that said.

It was a fun evening and Riley talked about it all the way home. "And Adrienne was sleeping...and Kiley was pukin...and Zacky was"....etc. She had a lot to talk about and didn't fall asleep all the way home! (And it's a 45 minute drive!)

Catching Up

I've been slacking on the posts with pics lately. I'm still working out the kinks of downloading and editing photos from the new camera. It seems like sometimes I can edit red-eye and sometimes I can't and our computer is ancient so it takes forever. Enough excuses, here are some pics of a playdate we had last week. These are my friends Jenny and Aimee and their boys, Nolan (yes, both of them are Nolan) and some of Riley and Ava...Adrienne wasn't holding still for pics that day, but Meg knows Jenny and Aimee from our days at MNMO so she joined us so the kids could all finally meet.

Today we actually had a playdate with my friend Mandy and the two kids she nannys for, but I forgot to take my camera out while we were there. It's a beautiful house and the kids were really sweet...Ellery is 2 and a bit shy...and Bennett is 9 months.