Easter in Nebraska

Easter is one of my favorite holidays. Of course, it's a reason to celebrate the sacrifice Jesus made for all of us but also because it's finally spring. The air is crisp and fresh and flowers are starting to bloom. It's a time for rebirth and excitement all around.

As I said to Andi on Easter morning, "Jesus has risen! Have you heard?" He sleepily replied, "Yeah, I got the text." :) What a cute jokester of a husband I have!

This Easter, Andi and I drove back to Nebraska to celebrate with my family. We had such a fun, relaxing trip - the weather was perfect on the drive to and from my parent's house which makes all the difference in stress levels making the 7 hour drive South. Also, Andi was able to take off work a little early on Friday and go into work late on Monday so we were able to spend 3 full nights at my parent's. Being able to stay for an extended weekend makes the drive much more manageable. Plus, I got to spend all of Easter Day with my family.

Friday night, we arrived into town about 9pm. My sister Ashley and niece Brooke were over at my parents house and we stayed up late talking and playing. I gave Brookie her Easter basket from Andi and I - told her the Minnesota Easter Bunny came early and wanted her to have it right then (because I can never wait to give her gifts). She was so excited as she pulled out all the presents - new training pants, a coloring book and new crayons, sidewalk chalk, Play-doh, a pinwheel and a Barbie kite. My sister wasn't too excited about the Play-doh - apparently she doesn't allow it at her house (oops!) but isn't that what aunties are for? My mom let us open it anyway and Brookie and I played Play-doh well into the night. She loved it ... and it just melted my heart. What a big girl she's becomming!

"Yook at the Pla-Doh on my nose!" she said

Saturday morning, Ashley and Brookie came back over to my parents house bright and early. We ran a few errands around town, then came back and played outside with some of Brooke's new toys. We played bubbles in the backyard.

Then my parents, sister and Andi came outside and we all colored with sidewalk chalk in the driveway.

My mom and Brookie played Hopscotch and she counted 1, 2, 3 ... she had the best time playing outside!

Next we broke out the Barbie kite. I told you here how I feel about kites and Easter. For us growing up, it was just as much part of our Easter weekend as hunting Easter eggs. I have many fun memories of flying kites with our cousins and I really wanted Brookie to share in our tradition. Fortunately it was pretty windy on Saturday so we were able to get the Barbie kite off the ground.

Unfortunately, it was really windy and the kite didn't make it much past 30 minutes! At one point, it was stuck in this weird wind vortex beside my parent's house and my sister tried to go get it. We died laughing watching the kite dive-bomb her head!

Easter Sunday, we went to church followed by my Aunt Cheri and Uncle Norm's house for lunch. This year, we were missing my sister's boyfriend Jason (who was at military training) and my cousin Jen and her husband Zach (they went to his family's for Easter) so it was a little quieter than usual. Nevertheless, we had a fun day! Norm grilled burgers and hot dogs for lunch and we all played outside with Brookie on the gorgeous afternoon. This was the first year we could really do an Easter egg hunt - last year we tried, but Brookie was just too little to understand what to do. This year, we told her to close her eyes and start counting and we'd hide the eggs. "One, Too, Free, For" she said ....

Everytime I go home (which is usually every 4-5 months) Brooke changes so much. It's fun to see her grow and develop her little personality. When we were back at Christmas time, she was starting to form sentences but you couldn't really understand much of what she was saying. Now, a few months later, she talks so much! One thing I thought was so funny during Easter weekend was her "short term memory loss." Of course being Easter there were jelly beans on the tabletops, in Brookie's Easter basket, etc. So Brooke would eat some and then spit it out (all chewed up and slobbery) and say "I don't like that." But then 20 minutes later, she's eat some more and spit them out all over again. We kept telling her not to eat any more jelly beans but she just couldn't remember she didn't like them!

My Aunt Cheri has a big hill in her backyard and my brother taught her how to roll down like an Easter egg. She had fun doing that for a while ... and then was full of grass stains afterwards.

Finally, a group photo. My family :)

Thanks to my husband and his new fancy camera, there's tons more photos on Andi's Picasa page if you're interested in checking them out!

OK, so apparently other people don't drink while walking their pets

Who knew? Andi and I didn't realize we were so, uh, unique until I posted the other day about taking roadies on walks with Chloe. I guess it never really occured to me until my friend Laura mentioned it this afternoon and then later, when we were walking in the neighborhood a lady stopped and asked us "are you drinking right now?" Why yes, yes we are. Thankyouverymuch.

But walks are just so much more fun with booze ...

...and a little interesting ....

...and not at all exercise-related due to the alcohol haze ...

All the cool kids fly kites on Easter

I think one of the best things about getting married is discovering and adapting to new family traditions with your spouse. After being together for 4+ years, Andi and I are still learning about little ways our families celebrate together.

My mom is the queen of holidays. She never lets a special occasion pass without sending all of us kids a card in the mail. When we were little, she celebrated every single holiday with a special treat. We made May Day baskets, crafted handmade ornaments for our Christmas tree and made construction paper signs for our windows. Still to this day, she treats all of us (including our significant others) to Easter baskets and Christmas stockings with all of our favorite treats. I like how special she makes every celebration and those are the things I'll carry forward to my own future family.

So last weekend, I went to Target to buy Easter baskets for sister's kids. I spent nearly 2 hours walking the store, finding the perfect mix of toys and candy to fill their baskets. When I brought all the goodies home, I showed Andi the kites I bought for their baskets. He looked at me like I was crazy. Apparently he never flew kites as a kid. Really? We always got kites from the Easter bunny and I have so many happy memories of all of us grandkids flying them on Easter Day. This is one holiday tradition he's gonna have to jump on board with.

I'm looking forward to doing an Easter Egg Hunt with my little niece Bookie too. We did one last year, but she was a little too young to understand what to do. Check out these photos my sister took of her coloring Easter eggs the other day. She just melts my heart!

I can't wait to start our own little family someday and share holiday traditions with my little ones.

Currently in March

I can't believe it's already March 31. Days in 2010 are just flying by and I'm scrambling to stay on top of everything! Here's what I'm feeling this month ...

Current Books: I read a few books while vacationing in Maui. First I read Precious (Push by Sapphire) and while I like the book overall, it wasn't exactly a beach read I'd recommend to others. The book was disturbing and graphic and made me sick to my stomach to think of a family treating each other that way. I still haven't watched the movie yet. I think I'd have to really be a special mood to re-subject myself to that kind of violence.

I also read The Help by Kathryn Stockard this month and I absolutely LOVED this book! The book's based in the 1960's and follows the lives of white and black women in Jackson, Mississippi (not a very good time for civil rights, obviously). I won't go into much more detail as to not spoil the book for everyone else, but I'd definitely recommend this book. A great read.

Current Playlist: Well, since I lost 2 iPods this month, my musical forte has been on the fritz although I have been listening to James Morrison, Ray Lamontagne and of course, John Mayer.

Current Guilty Pleasure: Zucchini. I know, weird right? We bought some in Maui and I thought it was just about the most delicous thing I'd tasted since I can't remember when. So I've been buying a few zucchini every week this month and adding it to all kinds of pasta dishes, quesadillas, etc.

Current Color: Black...of course.

Current Drink: Gin and Tonics. Does anyone else make roadies when they take the dog for walks in the evenings? Um, Andi and I do and Gin and Tonics have been my go-to drink.

Current Food: We've been eating lots of salads with fresh veggies on top and also Veggie Quesadillas. All about fresh organic produce lately.

Current Favorite Shows: This month I started DVRing Sober House, The Good Wife and Price of Beauty (just because I love Jessica Simpson)

Current Wishlist:
1) Steady work for Andi's business
2) Safe and happy Easter in Nebraska with my family
3) Continued sunshine and lots of time outside
4) A new, cute spring jacket

Current Needs: My tax return so I can pay off my credit card from our Maui trip.

Current Triumphs: I feel really good about our house lately. It's comfortable and cute and as spring/summer creeps in, I love seeing all of our flowers starting to bloom.

Current Bane Of My Existence: Still need to lose 5 pounds before the lake this summer. I didn't do it before Maui so now summer must be my goal.

Current Celebrity Crush: I really like Jessica Simpson in her new show Price of Beauty. I appreciate all the focus she's devoting to inner beauty and discovering different values in other cultures.

Current Indulgence: Talking Chloe for walks every day. It's so nice to spend time outside with her; she enjoys it so much.

Current Blessing: My marriage. It's so wonderful to have a supportive husband who is truly my best friend. We had a great time together in Maui and I'm thankful everyday for him.

Current Slang: Delete. Don't know.

Current Outfit: Wow. Still wearing sweatpants and a long-sleeve tee. I need to get a new go-to outfit

Current Excitement: We're going to Nebraska for Easter this weekend and I'm looking foward to seeing my family and eating lots of good food! (which consequently, contradicts my need to lose a few pounds as stated above).

Current Mood: Tired. I haven't been sleeping all that well lately and I had a really long day at work.
Current Link: I joined Twitter this month! Follow me at liveinmybubble

Signs spring is here!

It's amazing how much sunshine and warm air affect my enthusiasm for completing everyday tasks around the house. On Sunday, Andi and I cleaned out the garage together. That's always a disgusting job because it gets so dirty over the winter. Plus when it's freezing outside, junk accumulates all over the place. Last fall, a few beverages in our garage beer fridge froze and exploded and neither of us really wanted to clean all that mess out when it was so cold outside, so I finally tackled that project on Sunday as well. All clean now and ready for summer!

We also purchased herbs to grow this summer. I bought a few pots and already planted a few - Sage, Thyme and Parsley. They're going to look so cute by the kitchen window when they're all grown.

We've been taking Chloe on at least 1 walk a day lately and you can see how excited she is too. Yesterday, she looked so cute as she watched out the door as people walked by with their pets. This photo just melts my heart!

My tulips are already starting to come up in the front yard! I'm so excited for them to sprout. I think this fall I'm going to add some daffodils to the backyard as well.

Spring is here! Hooray!

Chloe & Hank

My friend Val and I took our puppies for a walk today at Minnehaha Falls. I was a little nervous to take Chloe and Hank (Val's German Shepard Mix) for a walk together. Let's face it, Chloe doesn't always like to play nice. But I am very happy to report (and very suprised!) that both Chloe and Hank had a fantastic time!

I actually think Hank was good for Chloe. She wasn't so distracted or threatened by other dogs and calmly walked next to Hank throughout the busy park. Usually, we'd have to cinch Chloe up pretty tight and steer clear of any other dogs because she growls as they pass by. But with Hank by her side, she seemed to forget there were other dogs around. Chloe was more interested in sniffing the things Hank sniffed and smelling new, interesting things in the park.

Today's walk with Chloe and Hank was a great success! Good thing too ... we have many more walks in our future this spring/summer!

Parents for a Day

Friday night we watched Andi's cousins Taylor, Kylie, Ellie and Mia (ages 13-6) while their parents went to Vegas for a long weekend. Four kids. Overnight. One small house and two adults accustomed to doing exactly what we want to do, when we want to do it. Lucky for us, the girls were super fun to spend time with. Here's how our night as parents went:

6:30pm
Girls arrive. They've eaten (check!) so we brainstorm activities to do for the evening.  Take the dog for a walk? Play games? Go bowling? Movies? Andi and I offer the parents each a martini to 'start their vacation off right.' We, of course, have a cocktail too. After all, we'll be parenting for the next 24 hours. We may need it.

7:00pm
Andi drops the parents off at the airport. Meanwhile, the girls and I take Chloe for a walk.

7:30pm
We finish our walk and break out the games. Good idea to get one started before Andi gets home so he's forced to play when he gets back. It's all about strategy.

Mia and I

Me, Mia and Taylor

9:30pm
Mia promptly announces it's time for her to go to bed. I decided to go lay in the spare bedroom with her so we could read books while the rest of the crew watches a movie. I'm so impressed with how grown up she's becomming! She read 1 flip book and the first chapter of another. It's amazing to see how fast little kids grow.

10:00pm
Mia and I call it a night while Andi, Taylor, Kylie and Ellie watch a movie. I'm not at all sad to be in bed early!

Saturday
7:00am
Mia wakes up but everyone else is still sleeping. I convinced her to come into our room and watch some cartoons so everyone else can sleep a little longer. I think Andi and I finally understand why Saturday cartoons are such a God-send. Busytown and Fairy Odd-Parents bought us 2 1/2 hours of sleep/laying in bed. Thank goodness!

9:30am
Everyone's up and we all get dressed. Andi and I decide to treat the girls to breakfast in Highland Park. We load all six of us into the family roadster.

9:45am
At Chatterbox restaurant, the girl's chose a game to play at our table and we all ordered something to eat. It's takes 5 minutes to explain to Mia 'flapjacks' are really pancakes. "But I want pancakes," she says. We know.

Andi, Mia and I

10:00am
Breakfast arrives. It takes another 5 minutes to explain to Mia the butter's in the little cup on her plate. Finally I just take over and spread it onto her pancakes. "Try the maple syrup whipped cream" we say. It takes her 10 minutes to get up the guts, but once she tries it she's in love. Now Mia eats the whipped cream by itself.

10:10am
I ask Mia if she wants me to cut up her pancakes. She says she can do it by herself.

10:12am
Mia knockes her pancake plate on the ground. We order new pancakes for Mia.

Mia picking up her pancakes

10:30am

We finish breakfast, pay the bill and head across the street to Patina. As we walk in, the store greeter gives us a wide-eyed look. Lots of little kids, lots of breakables. We tell Mia not to touch anything.

10:40am

We make it out of Patina without incident.

11:00am
Next we decide to dye Easter eggs. We hitch Chloe onto her leash and the group walks down to Walgreens to get eggs and coloring. On the walk, Mia tells me she got gum in her hair. Luckily it's only a little piece at the end. Have to cut that out when we get home.

Mia and I

11:30am
Andi Googles boiling Easter eggs. How long do 24 eggs take anyway? The girls and I cover the table with newspaper and get ready to color.

Noon
Coloring Easter eggs!

Mia

(L to R) Kylie, Ellie, Me, Mia and Taylor

Kylie and Andi

Mia and Taylor

1:00pm
Time to clean up the mess and pack up the suitcases. The girls are going to Grandma's house for the rest of the weekend.

Mia

Ellie

Andi and I have a great time parenting the girls. Lots of laughs for sure! I think we're ready for the real thing :)