TEN!

Ten years have gone by since I first became a Mom. Ten years!  I do remember that day like it was yesterday. Probably because it was the single most painful & wonderful day of my life!

 Each year celebrate my Dad's birthday and Wylie's birthday together. It has become one of our favorite traditions! This year my Dad turned 71 and Wylie celebrated his 10th birthday, also his golden birthday, also the big double digits! We all can remember how big of a deal this was!  It is such a special night for them. So thankful!!

We had to wait a few weeks for Wylie to fit in his friend party. We had to work around basketball tournaments. Finally the last weekend in January we had a night picked out for his buddies to come over and hang out. No theme, no big planning. Just some of his friends over to hang out! They played outside in frozen vortex, had to come in for hot chocolate not long after, played MineCraft, watched football & basketball, played tackle basketball, yes tackle basketball, had pizza and dilly bars! It was a fun night! 

Happy he has such nice school buddies! 

Hoping the next ten years slow down a little….. 

~It's My Life

3rd anual NYE party

I thought Christmas Eve day was long . . . New Years Eve Day is almost equally as LONG and challenging as a parent. "How many more hours 'til the party?" was asked at least a dozen times. As much as I enjoy their excitement for fun traditions and to spend a late night with their friends, I think to myself, "why do I do this?" As soon as our friends start arriving I am immediately reminded of why.               What a great way to end a year!

We played our yearly 2013 Trivia for the adults- the women won again and are 3-0! I can't decide if the guys are really not as on top of it or if they just want the shot the losing team has to take??? Hmmm, that makes me think we might have to make the punishment a little more harsh next year....

From 6pm to midnight the kids ran around, played games, played basketball, knee hockey, did arts and crafts and had a great time! It is so fun to watch them!! 

Some of the sweet & crazy boys!!

Some of the party girls!! 

The annual slot car tournament is a BIG deal at the party. People, mostly the boys (dads too) get serious about winning this tournament! But it is hours of entertainment for participants and fans! The championship race was Alicia vs. Wylie.  It was a close race but Wylie won.  

Another party comes to an end and I am thankful! Thankful for our friends who rang in the new year with us & thankful for my family who encourages me to do this each year! Until next year friends!  Countdown on

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 . . . 

Happy New Year!! 

~It's My Life

It's the most wonderful time of the year

The holiday season is one of my favorite times of the year. First, as a kid I can remember  looking forward to Christmas, then as a teenager/college student it meant basketball season is under way and now as a parent it is pure joy watching the magic through your children's eyes.

December 1st the kids wake up, excitedly, looking for Elfie, our elf, relieved when they find him sitting in the living room. From the excitement of all three kids I realize I have one more Christmas with all three kids believing in the magic of Christmas. YES!!!

The time leading up to Christmas we watch as many Christmas movies as we can, listen to Christmas music non stop, read Christmas books each night and slowly add gifts under the tree. The anticipation & excitement is infectious! We waited til the very last Sunday before Christmas to make our visit to Santa. We don't get our picture taken with Santa but just drop off letters and visit with him. All three of the kids were just glowing after their special talk with Santa. I asked them, "what did Santa say?" and they replied, " we can't tell you." Through out the next few days Tori did spill some of the Santa "secrets." 

Christmas Eve my parents come over each year for a sleep over. We have dinner, the kids open their presents from Grandma & Grandpa and their gifts from each other (they call them the "sibling gifts"). When they go to bed we do santa duties and watch Christmas Vacation with my parents. That movie never gets old. Hilarious! It is so fun to watch them give their gifts that they pick out for each other.... I think that is their favorite part of the night! Before Wylie was even done opening his gift from Tori, she screamed out, "It's a little furby!" She had picked it out a few weeks before and had to keep her present secret and I guess keeping it in for a few more seconds was too tough!! 

Christmas morning here are the kids at the top of the stairs as they wait patiently or not so patiently for Jacques, Grandma, Grandpa and myself.....

Christmas Day was filled with LOVE & presents & Food!! 

~It's My Life 

Sunday tradition

See those faces? Those are the faces I get to see every day. I feel so incredibly lucky to be their Mom. Sure there are days that don't go smoothly or that attitudes (the bad ones) are prevailing, but those days are certainly out numbered by days I cherish. All of the days bring something different. Sure some days are busier than others, some days are filled with not as fun activities and some days are filled with their favorite activities/sports etc. But our favorite day of the week is Sunday!

Years ago, when Jacques was building his business (he still is but you know what I mean), I can remember him working weeks and weeks at a time, never taking a day off. I can remember 30 days going by and he hadn't taken a day off. We seemed to justify those times and those days because I was at home with the kids, they were all little and not in school yet. But that changed a few years later.  It wasn't but a few weeks into September, the first year we had kids in school (Wylie in Kindergarten and Kasey in PreK) when we decided that we wanted something to change.  I didn't want the kids to lose touch with each other. Sounds silly considering the kids are 5,4 and 2 at the time. I can remember me saying to Jacques on multiple occasions something along the lines of, "if we don't teach them now how important they are to each other and how lucky they are to have each other, they will never appreciate it." I want them to be friends, someone they will choose later in life to go to because they are friends. So it was decided, Sundays were going to be family days. Jacques didn't work (unless he really really had to) and we didn't play with friends or schedule play dates.  Sundays, family day and pajama day can be used interchangeably. It all means the same thing in our house!

This was 4 years ago and it is still the kids' (and ours too) favorite day of the week.  Some Sundays we make a big breakfast together, some days we hop in the car, get donuts and go for a drive never getting out, make random appetizers for lunch, some days we do all of those things and some days we just stay home. It really doesn't matter what we do because we do it together.

Yesterday, was such a perfect reminder at how important family days are and how, in my opinion, that it is the best tradition we have started. The kids woke up and played from 7am to 7pm non stop, literally. I know I can exaggerate but not this time, I swear!  Sure there were a couple little bumps in the path, but nothing that a simple, "Did you tell them how that made you feel?" comments didn't solve. They made games up, used their imaginations and spent the entire day together. The doorbell even rang a couple times through out the day, once a friend of Wylie's and a once friends for the girls. Both times, the kids answered the door and said with out hesitation is the happiest of voices, "we can't play today, it's a family day!" This made my day, something so simple yet so powerful, it brought tears to my eyes.

After 12 hours of playing together, I had to finally, after delaying bed time three times because they weren't ready to stop their game they were playing, got them in bed. I went to Tori's room to tuck her in and she was in tears. I asked her, "what's the matter, why the sad face?" She replied in the saddest most sweet voice your ears could ever hear, "I love Sundays and now I have to wait, how many days, mom? for another one. I love playing with Wylie and Kasey."

Tradition successful. YES!


                                                          ~It's My Life

Unconditional Love

I have waited to write this post because I couldn't even get through the title with out many tears, so many tears that my vision was literally impaired. So I waited because, time heals, right? I am not so sure. Time makes the heartache less painful but time has not yet made the emptiness or sadness go away.

On Monday, September 9th we put of Collie, Missy, of nine years down. It was a day that I knew was coming over the past year, due to deteriorating health. It was a  day I dreaded and put off until I knew I had to. I am so thankful that we, as pet owners, are given the option to put our pets down in such a peaceful way. But at the same time, when you make that final decision, whether it is the right decision or not, there is this tiny (feels huge at times) feelings of guilt. Guilt that I let my dog down and guilt that I didn't try everything I could.  Deep down I know I did but  . . .

For those of you who were luck enough to know Missy know what a perfect family dog she was. She had the temperament of an angel, so sweet & gentle, and to top that she loved everyone. Well not everyone, she did hate a few cars that drive by & did not like trucks or people she didn't know too close to our house. She was very protective of the kids. I felt so much more safe when I had her outside with the kids. I would get annoyed at her barking when these trucks or cars would go by, now I find myself missing it. Maybe not the annoying part, but the safety part, the reassurance that I knew she was truly looking out for Wylie, Kasey and Tori (even their friends).

What I wish now was that I would have taken pictures of me with Missy, after all, I was her momma.  The kids made sure they got pictures with her the weekend prior but when they asked me I just redirected them because I wasn't feeling strong enough and every time I hugged Missy I lost it. Yes, I cried with the kids, but I controlled myself a little. I tried not to do the "ugly cry" in front of them.  I ugly cry enough when I am alone. I must have said a dozen times in the last few weeks, "why do we do this to ourselves? get pets only to know that we will have to say good bye." Well, the answer is easy. They are truly there to give us unconditional love. To be so happy to see you when you come home whether you have been gone for 5 minutes or all day, their excitement when you are lazily petting their head, they don't care, still so happy to get that half ass pet. They are there to, in the dead of a sleep when you call their name, wake up and come running not even knowing what for. They trust you completely. It's true love.

I can not imagine growing up with out the love of a pet and getting to love one back. I am thankful that I can give that gift to my kids. They love BIG and that makes me happy! xoxo

~It's My Life

Do I know a baseball fanatic? Of course I do.

I am packing for Colorado when I see the Hudson Patch's post, the title reads Do you know a baseball fanatic? I click on it to find out more because of course I know a baseball fanatic, Wylie! The rest of the article reads as follows:

A once-in-a-lifetime experience was recently donated to Smilebk by a local business who supports our big ideas. We're going to keep all the specifics a bit of a mystery, but here's what you need to know:

WHAT: Exclusive baseball experience

AGE: Must be between the ages of 8 and 15, with one adult present

LOCATION: Downtown Minneapolis, MN

WHEN: Saturday, September 7, 2013 from 3:00pm-9:00pm

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS: The participant ABSOLUTELY MUST be an avid baseball fanatic, NO EXCEPTIONS. 

At this point I realize I need to write up a little something about Wylie. This will be easy because I truly believe that he loves baseball like no other kid I know and he is a HUGE Twins fan. I put no thought into what this experience/prize would be because anything baseball is a prize at our house! So I stop packing and sit down and write about Wylie. 

Dear Smilebk,

My 9 year old son, Wylie, is the biggest baseball fanatic there is. We have known this since he was 2 years old and would get the bat and ball out to play at all hours of the day, in between diaper changes naked, at rest stops on long road trip and everything. He has watched the Twins his whole life, choosing to watch them over any disney or nick show. Wylie knows all the Twins players, a lot of stats and the leagues info.  He wakes up in the morning and turns the tv to either the late night game that he dvr'd  the night before or sports center to find out who won or lost the games. He tried out for the 9 year old select team in Hudson this year and made it! YES for him, more baseball. He played three to six days a week depending on if he had a tournament and still on his days off would ask, "how many days til baseball?" He plays ball any chance he can get and if he can't play it, he watches it. The season came to an end and he asked, "how old am I when I can play baseball everyday?" He LOVES this sport and thankfully it is something he is good at too!! Life is good when you have a kid who loves baseball!!! If Wylie were rewarded this random act of kindness, we as a family would certainly pay it forward!! 

Thank you

JoLynn Baumer ( wylie's Mom)

I truly didn't think of this essay again until I am driving up the mountains to Vail, Colorado when I get an email that says, I'm from Smilebk with some fantastic news for your baseball fanatic, Wylie!!!  I check my phone to see if I have reception in the mountains, luckily I had one bar so I called to get the news. When she started to explain what Wylie had won, my heart was racing, I knew this would definitely be a night he will never forget. How lucky is he? And how lucky am I that I get to experience it with him? This is what he won! 

Now comes the hard part. I had to wait until I got home (3 more days) to tell Wylie about this. You all know, patience is not my strongest quality. I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of my trip in Colorado and then got home and told Wylie. He was excited and then the brainstorming started on what we will wear and what he wants autographed (he decided on a MLB baseball).  The day comes and I pick him up at school early and we head to Target Field. We shop at the Twins Store, buy a few things and head to meet the people of Smilebk, the people who put the contest out there! Took some pictures with them by the golden glove and moved on to meet the main man, who took Wylie down to the field for batting practice. He got to sit on the field for nearly two hours and watch batting practice while all the players are down there walking by them, signing autographs, patting his hat and chatting with him! How cool is that?? He got the autographs of: Tony Oliva, Josh Willingham, Brian Dozier, Trevor Plouffe, Scott Diamond, Cole De Vries and Chris Colabello.  His favorite autograph was Tony Oliva's and Josh Willingham! He really wanted Justin Morneau, but he was traded the week before. Bummer. We stayed and watched the game. His favorite playing Twin, Josh Willingham had two home runs, including the game winning home run in the bottom of the 8th! It was a great night and we made lots of memories! 

On the field with the Twins for their batting practice

Autograph by Tony Oliva

Autograph by Josh Willingham 

His autographed ball- "that was awesome, Mom!" ~ Wylie 

A night that neither of us will forget. I love that this kid loves sports & baseball so much. Looking forward to cheering him on and supporting him through out his playing years. I am so lucky!! 

~ It's My Life

First day of school

How could it be we are ready to start another school year? Didn't we just celebrate the last day of school??? Every year seems to go a little faster and get a little busier... I like the busier part because we are doing things we love & watching the kids do things they love!

This year starts the beginning of a new era for me. All three of my kids will be in school all day. Yes, years ago I would dream of this day when I had 3 kids at home for years. Shame on me (although I know that's normal). What I wouldn't give to have all my kids back at home with me.

The 2013-2014 school year, all three kids at EP Rock Elementary School. We love it there. The teachers are great and we ready for another great year!

Wylie is starting 4th grade and has Mrs. Swanson for a teacher. He has a group of friends in his class, including his closest friend Jack.

Kasey is a third grader now and is really excited. She has Mrs. Skoyen and we are both happy with that. Wylie had her last year and we like her a lot! Kasey did not get any of her close friends in her class but she is always excited to meet new kids and is my kid who LOVES school.

Tori, my baby, is starting kindergarten this year. What? Could this be? It be. She is excited to be a big kid like Wylie & Kasey. Although she is comfortable at the school she is always a little leery to start something new. She has Mrs. Sexe for a teacher! We could not be more thankful! She will most definitely take the best care of my babe. Tori knew about 5 or so kids in her class which made it a lot easier! Her first day was great, no tears! Too bad I can't say the same. 

I know this will be a great year and I am going to cherish having them all together in the same school for a few years!  Thankful for our teachers who help make letting my kids go a little easier because I know they are all in good hands. Here's to a new year, cheers!!

~It's My Life 

Time for a little road trippin'

This years summer vacation takes us Panama City Beach, Florida. It is approximately 1,350 miles from Hudson and 24 hours, if we didn't stop. We made it in about 30 hours, stopping to sleep for about 4 hours some place in Alabama. Our family LOVES road trips. Half of the excitement is packing the car and getting our "activities" ready. Thankful for these inseparable days.... Here we go! 

We arrived at our condo with lots of energy and ready to go swimming and play in the ocean. But not before we head to the balcony to check out of view. I would have like to spend more than a half of a second to take it all in but before I could realize it, the kids had their suits on and were ready to go. 

Our view for 8 nights! 

How could I make these cute faces any longer?!

We spent the next 8 days and 8 nights doing as much as we could yet doing as little as we could, does that make sense? We spent time on our boat adventuring around the bays looking for dolphins and sea life. We fished but didn't have much luck and/or patience. The kids had their first snorkeling lesson, given to them by Dad. We went on an airboat looking for alligators, went to Gulf World Marine Park (which was awesome),  saw a movie (Despicable Me Two)  on a rainy day and saw a magic show on our last night! The in between times we spent together swimming at the pools, playing in the ocean, building sand castles, playing charades in the hot tub, making up games, playing cribbage etc. It is these times I treasure most. How lucky we are to get that time together, uninterrupted time as a family. 

 Oh, and I can't forget souvenir shopping! We (the kids) shop all week looking for their perfect souvenir to bring home. They take this part of our trip VERY seriously!

We were already planning our next summer's road trip on the way home from this trip. It is something we look forward to each year. Our plan is summer of 2014- Colorado! We are heading out West! 

Until then we will cherish these memories we made. I love my family. 

~ It's My Life 

Kasey is 8!

Kasey is 8! Again, the same of generic line of "where has the time gone?" comes to mind. There is a reason this has been used over time. IT IS TRUE. "where has the time gone???  I can still remember the day she was born and we didn't know if she was a boy or girl. My midwife asked, "what do you think it is?" and immediately I said, "a boy!" Because I assumed I would have all boy. Cause what the heck would I do if I got a girly girl??!!?? And then she said, "IT'S A GIRL!" I was SO happy! She isn't a girly girl and she is not sporty, she a perfect right in between easy going kid. I love her more than words can say!

She loves art. So an art party it was. Full of color & messes! Just perfect for Kasey.  It was so much fun to have her friends come over and express themselves while listening to the radio singing away.  I always thought, what would I do with a kid if they didn't love sports?? Well, answer is, that you learn too to love what it is that they love. I absolutely LOVED this party. One of my favorites for sure. We made Owl oil canvas' and duct tape purses. Both projects the kids embraced and made it "their own."

Birthdays are a day that my kids look forward too all year and nothing makes me happier than to see them get a day that is all about them! She felt very special! 

~It's My Life

My baby is 6

Six years ago was the scariest time in my life thus far. My water broke at just 27 weeks pregnant. Hospitalized on best rest hoping for the best possible outcome. Just seven days later my placenta ruptured causing me to have an emergency c section. (During the c section my doctor noticed I had valamentous cord insertion: A condition that occurs in less than 1% of single pregnancy and  is routinely detected during ultra sound (mine was not) and if not detected causes premature labor and stillbirth.)  It was at that time during my c section, my wonderful doctor kissed my forehead and said to me, "she is a true miracle..." It was not until later when she explained what was really going on inside. It was hours later when I got to go the NICU to see my precious 2 pound baby and the neurologist said, "...she is one feisty little girl..." She was already off her ventilator. Although I was still scared and the 85 day NICU stay had its ups and down, not once did I think I was going to lose my baby. She is the light of my life & someone who has forever changed me.

Today, Tori turns 6! What a great 6 years it has been having our family complete. She brings us so much joy & positive energy. This year she requested a cooking party- so a cooking party it is! I know how ironic, considering how much I love to cook...*note sarcasm. So 12 of her closest friends came together to make some fun food.

We made homemade lasagnas to go, fruit kabobs and chex mix. We had egg races on the driveway and decorated aprons! It was a fun way to spend her day & most importantly she LOVED it. It feels good to be six!! 

~ It's My Life

Baseball.Baseball.Baseball

Summer has hit the half way point, I can't believe it. Time sure flies when you are busy having fun. It is our first summer that a sport has mildly taken over our lives and I love it! It brings me back to being a kid and those summer days and weekends of playing!

Wylie is playing in the 9U junior league in Hudson but also made the 9 year old select Hudson team. This puts him playing ball anywhere from 4-7 days a week depending on if he has a tournament on the weekend. One would think, that is an awful lot of baseball for a young little guy and he might get burnt out.  NOT Wylie. This past weekend was a great example. The boys play 8 games, four in a row on Sunday. We get home, Wylie showers, plops on the couch and immediately turns on the Twins game that he dvr'd from that day. This kid LOVES baseball and I LOVE that he loves it so much. 

It brings me so much joy to watch him play. Such a different feeling than playing, it is actually harder to watch. You see the joy, excitement, frustration and disappointment on his face and realize you can't help him and that you need to let him learn and figure out the highs and lows,  that is all part of the game. Learning to manage all these feelings through out one day/ 4 games is a challenge for a 9 year old (and their mother).  

Through out the weekend I realized a few things about myself. 1)  I have not lost any of my competitive fire that once existed when I played. 2.) Wylie inherited all of it from me and some from Jacques so he might have a little extra than the norm! But hey, better to have too much then not enough, right??? 

This is just the beginning and I am embracing it all and learning myself how to parent an athlete and to keep my emotions and competitiveness in check....I am not going to lie, I still have a ways to go! 

                                               2nd place in the Hudson Tournament

                                             3rd place in the New Richmond Tournament

Thankful for these girls~their friendship & their patience at all these games! 

                           Thankful for these friendships~ the Moms of the boys who make it so fun!

                                                                   ~ It's My Life  

Another year comes to an end...

Another school year comes to an end. Where does the time go? It is true, that the older the kids get, the fast time goes. I can vividly remember having a 3 year old, 2 year old and an infant just hoping the day goes faster. Now, I wish the days would go slower.  The things we thought we could successfully do with two toddlers and an infant we can actually "successfully" do now with out looking like crazy fools.  Life is good with kids ages 9 1/2, almost 8 and almost 6!

Wylie just finished 3rd grade and was counting the days until summer break. He was ready for hanging out with his friends, swim lessons, lots of baseball and baseball tournaments, a couple basketball camps and our summer trips. He wasn't so excited to learn that I had signed him up for a 7 week book club. Although he had his first one and the morning after he woke up and read before turning on Sports Center. HaHa. Wylie is definitely our sporty kid & I love that!

 Kasey just finished up her 2nd grade year and I think she loved every minute of school. She is going to be my school kid. She embraces every bit of it, except gym in which she is not very fond of.  Kasey will be doing book club all summer,  taking summer classes (for fun), doing a couple art camps and swim lessons. Five days after school was out we drove to school for her summer class and she said, "Oh my school! I have missed you." I couldn't help but laugh. So glad she loves school so much!

Tori finished up her PreK year and will heading into kindergarten in the fall. She is definitely excited to go! Tori's summer is filled with gymnastics, K summer class, swim lessons and being really excited for her birthday and our trip to the ocean. She asks daily, "How many days til my birthday?" and "How many days til the ocean?" Love that she LOVES life so much.

 So here's to another summer with my kids at this precious age. Here's to making new memories and teaching them new things & lots of fun in the sun!

           
                                                                ~ It's My Life