Going Downtown

This past Saturday, we travelled downtown to see the Christmas story on the 8th floor of Macy's.
This is a tradition that Laura and I grew up with I always looked forward to! We used to ride the city bus downtown to see the show with Great Auntie Shirley and Uncle Irv. Those were some great memories for sure! I wish I had some pictures to share, but I don't believe any were ever taken.

This year, we rode the lightrail, along with Grandma, Grandpa, Auntie Laura, and Uncle Jason. I love the lightrail, because it is so inexpensive, and I love the Christmas show, because it's completely free!

Since Saturday was the opening day (and the only day that we could all coordinate our schedules to go together), there were no long lines to wait in, and plenty of good cookies to choose from at the end :).

We also enjoyed a cheap lunch at the food court (which became especially cheap when Grandpa decided to pay. Thanks Dad!).

Here are some pictures of our busy Saturday.
Hope you enjoy them.

4 Day Break

I am working hard today to get ready for my relaxing 4 day break from everything! I can't wait!

Peter and Brady just left about a half hour ago for his first field trip. Brady is very excited about riding on a school bus for the first time, and he is especially happy that Daddy gets to go with him. Brady has also learned how to pick the apples..."just twist and pull"...is what he's been saying at home. Peter's got the camera in his pocket, but we'll see if he remembers to take some pictures, or if he even gets a good chance. I'm sure it will be a busy morning.

Logan and I are home alone this morning. We have lots to do too. First up, I need to take a shower and get dressed for the day. Then, I need to start packing up some of my clothes and gear for our trip. Fun stuff!

Yesterday I published a book...well, sort of. I wrote down only the things that Jason would find extremely important to know while watching the children completely alone for the next 2 days, and with Laura's help for the following 2 days. The "book" ended up being a full 9 pages of notebook paper! What can I say, I really want things to go smoothly and for Laura and Jason to feel confident in the plans.
It's kind of funny actually, because I am totally a "go with the flow" kind of person when it comes to Laura and Jason watching Brady and Logan. They have been our primary babysitters and they've always handled the boys great! This time is different, though. This time I wanted to get meals figured out ahead of time, and give Laura and Jason confidence in feeding Logan, without him choking on his food (he is so much better and done with therapy now, but some things are still a little difficult). Also, with Brady having school on Friday, a lot of details had to be worked out for that.

Anyways, the house is clean, the directions for the boys are complete, and now we can focus on Florida!

After lunch today, Peter and I are going to get the suitcases opened up and start to put our summer clothes, beach towels, and swimsuits inside. It is currently in the mid to upper 80's where we will be staying, and that is just perfect, if you ask me :). It looks like it will be a struggle to get into the 60's here in the Twin Cities while we are away, and it also looks like a lot of rain is on the way the next 2 days. Good thing Laura and Jason love the cooler temps and the rain--they won't be jealous at all.

I am planning to head to bed at 9 pm tonight (while is 3 hours earlier than I was in bed last night), because I know that 4:30 am will roll around all too soon! We leave for the airport at 5:30 and our plane takes off at 7 am. It's early I know, but we wanted to make the most of our first day down in the warm, tropical air. It's been years since I've been to Florida or even on an airplane...I can't wait!

While we are away, we will not have any access to the internet, so no new blogs or twitter while we are away. We have chosen not to bring along Peter's laptop for this reason (among others).

While away, we'll be praying for Laura and Jason's survival with the boys and calling them on occasion to check in :). Wish them the best of luck!

Be back in 5 days or so.

I LOVE These Two!

If you don't already recognize these folks, they are my sister and brother-in-law, Laura and Jason.

They are completely the best!!!

Here are some of the reasons why we love them so much:

• They have always been our most reliable babysitters.
• They babysit for free!! (sometimes we provide dinner or Mountain Dew, but that's it)
• They are Brady and Logan's favorites!!!
• They are watching the boys for 4 whole days next month while we're in Florida
• They live very close by (for now, that is)
• They go to the same church as we do
• They always have candy at their house :).
• Uncle Jason often takes the boys, so can have our "girls nights out"
• They let me come over every single Tuesday night just to hang out (for now, that is)
• When babysitting, they never call us, and they always keep our house super clean!
• They "adopted" Brady's HUGE stuffed caterpillar that I wanted to give to Goodwill.
• They will do pretty much anything for us and for the boys.

I could probably think of a whole bunch of other things too, if I had the time, but hopefully you get the idea.

And what we love the very most? We LOVE that Auntie Laura and Uncle Jason LOVE JESUS!

Laura and Jason--we are going to truly miss you two when you move later this year. Thank you so much for all of your help with the boys and for your hospitality towards us. We are thankful that you won't be moving too far away and for your willingness to continue to help us even after the move. We are so lucky to have you in our lives (and SO lucky that you decided not to have children of your own)!