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I celebrated my birthday last weekend. Thirty-five! I'm not one to get hung up on numbers but dang, that one snuck up quickly. I barely had a chance to think about turning another year older with all this moving business lately.

My birthday fell on a Saturday this year so Andi, Tory, Aden and I spent my special day at the lake cabin. The weather was cold - VERY COLD - so we were limited with what we could do outdoors. I was itching to go on an adventure - but where? I found myself searching for warm weather flight deals last-minute because I hate the idea of celebrating my birthday in the cold. No dice, though. (Someday I'll live in a place where it'll be sunny and warm in February!)

I woke up in Aden's bed the morning of my birthday. He was up screaming in the middle of the night for seemingly no reason other than I *think* he's ready to transition to a big boy bed. We have him sleeping in a pack-n-play at the cabin and lately he seems less than pleased with his accommodations. Are we ready to take on that battle with him? Ugh, that topic is for another day...

Anyway, Andi greeted me upstairs with fresh coffee and a made-to-order breakfast of eggs, sauteed kale and a English muffin with almond butter (my go-to favorite these days). A hot breakfast! Now, that's a birthday treat!

Tory was over-the-moon excited for me to open my birthday present. This year, she and Andi wrote clues for me to guess my presents -- new gloves and a workout mat. Andi said all the clues were written by Tory; he simply wrote down what she said:

• You wear these in the arctic 
• You do jumping jacks with it
• It's your favorite color
• You wear it when your hands get colder, or when you need to do work

So cute and creative!

After breakfast, Andi offered to take the kids for a drive so I could do my workout video in peace. I told him it wasn't necessary, but it *was* nice to work up a sweat without little people underfoot.

When Andi and the kids returned, we drove to nearby Beaver Dam Lake for an afternoon of ice fishing. I would've never imagined in a million years I'd spend my birthday catching fish on a frozen lake, but when in Rome... or Wisconsin!

Our ice house has a cook-top and microwave inside, so Andi brought the makings for chicken stir-fry. We rarely cooked in the ice house last year, so it's been fun to try different meals in there this winter. The kids spent the afternoon fishing with Andi and coloring pictures / playing board games with me. It was surprisingly quiet and relaxing.

 

Around dinnertime, we packed up the ice house and headed back to the lake cabin. Andi made cedar-plank salmon with quinoa for dinner and the kids and I made chocolate-covered bananas pops for my birthday dessert.

Later, our favorite cabin neighbors stopped over for a celebratory birthday drink. Joe + Lisa and Oscar + Deanna had been out snowmobiling all afternoon, and collected "birthday presents" for me from all the bars they visited along the way. They presented me with a bowling pin, a beer glass, a map, a baseball cap, and a cardboard cut-out of Danica Patrick. Ha!

A wonderful, low-key birthday celebration. Looking forward to a fabulous year ahead!

Christmas Advent Calendar, Day 13: Night Walks & Christmas Lights

Christmas has come and gone ... bear with me as I recap the remainder of our advent calendar activities. It seems like the same thing happens every year: I have a full list of activities planned, sure to put us in the holiday spirit, and somewhere along the way I lose momentum as our calendar fills up with other stuff. We definitely enjoyed the Christmas season so I think the advent calendar's main objective was achieved, but a few days were missed along the way. Oh well ...

Advent calendar day 13 was Andi's birthday, and we celebrated his special day at the lake cabin. I'd originally planned "play in the snow" as our activity knowing Andi would want to spend his birthday doing his favorite wintertime cabin things -- ice fishing, hanging out with neighbors and tinkering around with stuff. Except, this year brought unseasonably warm weather and no snow! The lake was still open (unfrozen) so ice fishing was surely out of the question.

We may not have been able to play in the snow, but we still hung out with the neighbors and subbed playing in the snow for ... playing in the rain? Our cabin friends Oscar and Deanna invited us over to their place for a bonfire and grilled hamburgers. We bundled up in our cold weather gear, strapped lights on our heads and hung out around the fire in the misting rain. Later, our big group went for a walk down their cabin road in the pitch-black night. It was so fun!

Night walks have become one of our favorite things to do at the cabin this winter. Party because, well, there isn't much else to do with no snow on the ground and an unfrozen lake. It feels like an adventure walking down the cabin road with nothing lighting the way but the lamps on our heads and the moon in the sky. It's a great way to tire out the kids before bedtime, too.

A few errands brought us to nearby Turtle Lake that weekend, so we stopped by the Lights in the Park event while we were there. Driving around in the dark to look at Christmas lights is likely one of my favorite advent calendar activities because it's such innocent fun for the whole family. We had the entire park to ourselves that evening as we cruised along lookong at Christmas lights. "Oh! I see lights! I see lights!" Aden exclaimed over and over. Both Tory and Aden were enthralled with the displays as we looped through the park a handful of times, peering over each and every one. 

  

No snow, but we still managed to find plenty of ways to weave the Christmas spirit into our cabin weekend.

Aden's 2nd Birthday

Aden turned two years old last week. We kept things low-key with a small celebration on Thursday (Aden's actual birthday) and a party with family at the lake cabin the following weekend.

The birthday boy woke up Thursday morning to homemade pancakes, breakfast sausages and mangoes (his favorites)! Okay technically his favorite is frozen Eggo waffles, but we were out so homemade pancakes had to do the trick. I planted two candles in his pile of pancakes and Tory and I sang "Happy Birthday" to our brand new two-year-old.

Thursday was a regular morning of activities for us. After we dropped Tory off at preschool, Aden and I ran to Costco (exciting birthday times!), then went to music class. The kids sang "Happy Birthday" to Aden once more, and he loved every minute of the attention as he danced around the room. We picked Tory up from school, had lunch and Aden took his afternoon nap while Tory and I packed for a long weekend at the cabin.

It wasn't until our drive to the cabin later that evening that Aden fell sick. I looked back at him at one point during the drive and was surprised to find him sleeping. "Hmm, that's strange," I thought as he'd just taken a nice, long nap that afternoon. A bit later, Andi, Tory, Aden and I stopped for dinner at Logger's Restaurant in St. Croix Falls. The minute we placed our food order, Aden started to fuss. I tried to distract him while we waited for our food, but something clearly wasn't right. Aden's forehead was burning up with a fever so Andi switched our food order to-go and we took off again for the lake cabin.

The night of Aden's 2nd birthday was a rough one. I gave Aden some Tylenol to bring down his fever, and I ended up staying up with him from about 1:00am - 5:00am. He couldn't seem to settle to sleep and cried unless I held him. Poor little buddy was miserable. It's no fun being sick, especially on your birthday!

Friday was more of the same. Andi and Tory ran to Clear Lake, WI to pick up Andi's new ATV while Aden and I laid in bed watching episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. The more he fussed and moaned, the more I started to think he needed to be seen by the doctor. Andi called around to clinics near the cabin and snagged the last appointment available in Clear Lake that afternoon. An hour later we had a diagnosis and an antibiotic for a double ear infection. So thankful to live in a world with modern medicine! By the end of the evening, Aden was already on the mend.

Andi's parents Jim and Janie, sister Lindsay and her husband Kyle came to the cabin on Saturday for Aden's birthday party. I'd planned a small get-together anyway, so it seemed to make sense to go ahead with the party even though Aden was under the weather. Also, let's face it, if there's anyone else Aden would want to be around when he was sick it's Grandma Janie. The eight of us hung around the cabin Saturday morning, played toys and visited with one another. For lunch, Andi ordered broasted chicken and mashed potatoes from The County Line, Janie made a salad and I rounded out the meal with corn on the cob. We ate and visited some more. It was the perfect low-key celebration for our boy.

Lindsay, Kyle and Grandpa Jim left later that evening, and Grandma Janie stayed at the cabin to hang out with us until Sunday. Aden was feeling much better by this point, and finally had enough energy to play with all his new toys.

We celebrated Aden's birthday once more on Thanksgiving with my family. I went the easy route (which seemed to be the theme of this birthday year) and ordered Mickey Mouse cookies for everyone. There was too many other Thanksgiving desserts to complete with a birthday cake. We sang "Happy Birthday" and the kids O.D'd on sugary frosting.

It's hard to believe our baby is TWO! Happy birthday Aden Boy.

Minnesota State Fair 2015

Tory's birthday always falls during the Minnesota State Fair, and I thought it'd be a fun way to celebrate by visiting on her actual birthday this year. Tory's fourth birthday happened on a Sunday and since we'd be driving past the east side of the Twin Cities on our way home from the cabin anyway, it seemed to make perfect logistical sense.

Of course, on the day of her actual birthday, Tory was exhausted from a weekend of non-stop birthday partying. Classic example of me trying to shove too much excitement into one day which inevitably ends with a child meltdown. Andi and I hemmed and hawed over going, but finally decided to go for it last minute when the kids fell asleep on the car ride home to the Cities. We pulled up to the State Fair around dinnertime -- perfect timing to stuff our faces full of fried foods.

For the record, we always park directly across the street from the fairgrounds in someone's yard. It costs an arm and a leg (typically $20 or so) which seems absurd for a few hours of parking, but it's well worth it not to battle transportation or a long walk back to our car when the kids hit their breaking point.

We walked into the fair around 6:00pm, and found the streets surprisingly empty for a weekend evening. The air temperature was perfect (low 80's) as the sun began to go down. I'm so glad we visited the fair this day vs. later in the week when temperatures proved much hotter and more humid!

Our main fair objectives were to find some good food to eat, visit some of the kid exhibits, and to leave before the kids reached lost their minds from exhaustion. Andi and I were both a little uneducated when it came to "new foods at the fair" this year, or "new exhibits." We just walked along and stopped by whatever found our fancy.

First food stop was for a Pronto Pup which, I have to say, doesn't stretch as far as it did in the days of just Andi and I. By the time Andi fed some to our famished kids, he and I only got a bite or two for ourselves. Aden, particularly, was a big fan of this fair food item.

Next, we stumbled upon the Nickelodeon booth and saw the Little Charmers characters there for a meet & greet. Tory wasn't sure what to think about seeing some of her favorite television characters up close in person. She didn't want to wait in line to have her picture taken with them, and sort of stared off into space until we eventually walked away. Then, for the next 30 minutes or so, she repeated in a trance... "They were bigger than I expected them to be!" I think she couldn't quite believe her eyes.

We stopped by the Alphabet Forest to spell our names in laminated letters. Taking Aden out of the stroller to play at the other stations seemed like too much of a gamble, so we continued onward.

The Little Farm Hands exhibit is a must-do for the kids, so we stopped by there next. Aden was OBSESSED with the kid's tractors and ran around the place like a toddler maniac. Tory took things much more seriously and collected each item from the farm stations, then carefully planted vegetables in the pretend garden.

Aden started to get restless after we left the farm, so we set out for some roasted corn on the cob. Give Aden a cob of corn this summer and he'd sit quietly for at least 30 minutes gnawing on it. We didn't see the infamous corn roaster anywhere nearby, so Andi stopped by a random bbq food stand and bought one. He split the ear in half and gave each kid a piece. 

By this time in the evening, the sun was already starting to go down and I knew our time at the fair was limited. We passed by the kiddie mid-way and Tory started to beg to go on some rides. I really wanted needed some deep-fried pickles -- a Minnesota State Fair must for me -- but I put aside my own desires for those of my kids' when we saw the Butterfly Habitat.

The kids love the butterfly habitat at the Lincoln Children's Zoo, and I knew they'd like this one, too. Except, instead of the beautiful, lush gardens like at the zoo, the fair set-up was akin to a sweaty tent filled with hundreds of people and lots of poor, trampled butterflies. Luckily, Tory didn't seem to notice the dead insects spread around the floor.    

We were running low on daylight, and it was clear we'd have time to do one more thing. Tory chirped away about going on some rides and I still hadn't had my fried pickles. I was truly hungry by this point since I'd only eaten a nibble of a Pronto Pup right after we arrived. I think I might be the only person to ever attend the fair and actually LEAVE hungry! 

Like the good mom I am, I decided to make my daughter's day and skip the pickle stand (which was on the other side of the fairgrounds) so Tory could ride the ferris wheel. It was her birthday, after all. I stopped by the closest stand nearby to buy some french fries and Andi got some cheese curds. We gobbled them up and headed over to the mid-way.

The ferris wheel glowed against the dimming night's sky, and she was sure that was the ride for her. Andi and I agreed he'd ride with Tory while I waited on the ground with Aden and the stroller. It seemed to spin on forever -- both Andi and I agreed later. Andi said to Tory as they rotated up and around for the sixth time or so, "I think they probably let us go a few more times around since it's your birthday." Tory responded flatly, "I don't think so, Dad. That's how many times it goes around." She told him. Humph.

I think we could've stayed at the fair for a few more hours as we never even made it over to the farm animals, any of the business vendors, or to my beloved fried pickles. Once nighttime fell, Andi and I decided it best to head home to avoid ending our day with kiddie meltdowns. Next year, maybe we'll make a whole day of visiting the fair ... it sure was a lot of fun.   

Tory's 4th Birthday

Tory turned four years old over the weekend, and we celebrated with not one - but TWO! - birthday parties for our special girl.

The festivities started Thursday with a princess-themed party for Tory and her friends. This was Tory's biggest birthday wish; she couldn't wait to have her school friends over to our house to celebrate. My goal was to keep things low-key, so I took Tory to the party aisle at Target a few weeks ago and let her pick out all the princess party decor her heart desired. I also let Tory invite four friends to her party and she chose Sophie, Eloise, Abigail and Mya from her ECFE preschool class. (Actually, she wanted to invite the entire class but I wasn't about to have 13 four-year-olds in my house!)

The girls played dress-up and decorated foam crowns at the party, then ate lunch together. For food, I served peanut butter and jelly sandwiches cut into the shape of princess crowns with carrots & hummus, string cheese and apple juice.

I bought princess-themed cupcakes from the grocery store bakery and gave all the girls princess bags filled with Dollar Spot party favors. It was seriously the most effortless birthday party I've ever hosted. I'm not sure why I kill myself over unique themes and handmade decorations when character parties are SO EASY. *Note to future self*

The best part, of course, is that Tory was delighted and I later heard her little girlfriends had a fantastic time at the party as well.

Saturday, we hosted a second birthday party at the lake for our family and cabin friends. Tory's birthday usually coincides with Labor Day weekend so it always made sense to host her party at the cabin when my Nebraska family came to visit. Labor Day (and the long holiday weekend that accompanies it) falls a week later this year, so my Nebraska family wasn't able to make the drive up to Wisconsin, but Andi's parents and sister were, along with our cabin friends Joe & Lisa, Oscar & Deanna, Krista & Josh, and our friends Val & Brionn who are renting a cabin on the lake this summer.

Andi's sister Lindsay gave Tory an adorable watermelon dress earlier this summer, and it gave me the inspiration to throw a pink & green watermelon BBQ for her birthday party.

Tory and I handmade party invitations from pink and green construction paper in a method I wouldn't recommend to anyone. It took SEVERAL afternoon rest times and lots of patience, cutting and glueing to assemble invitations I wasn't very pleased with in the end. Tory and I also made watermelon banners like these for the party and they turned out really cute. I'm now realizing I never snapped a picture of them hanging up at her party.

We served pulled pork sandwiches, corn on the cob, watermelon slices, chips & dip, pink lemonade and pink and green cupcakes. By far the SIMPLEST party menu I've done, and everything was a big hit!

Tory, sandwiched between her favorite cabin friends, Linden and Hannah

Buddy's FAVORITE food this summer is corn on the cob!

The kids helped Tory open birthday presents, and then everyone sang 'Happy Birthday' to the birthday girl. 

Tory had such a fabulous few days celebrating her birthday, she was actually pretty wiped out on her actual date of birth. Andi's parents hung around the cabin with us on Sunday and Tory spent most of her real birthday laying low and playing (toy) hospital with Grandma Janie. 

Andi and I decided to take the kids to the Minnesota State Fair on the drive home from the cabin Sunday afternoon since it was on the way home (sort of), so Tory ended her 4th birthday at the Great Minnesota Get Together. We only stayed for a few hours, but long enough to eat a few fried things on a stick, and grant Tory's wish of riding on the ferris wheel.

Happiest of birthdays to our favorite girl. FOUR is going to be a great year!