Back to Minnesota...Really?!

So we are back! After being ripped away from warm weather, awesome friends and our pool in Arizona we were a little hesitant to come back. But then we recovered. It was absolutely beautiful once we got here! The fall was fantastic filled with tons of leaves and my kids barrelling down our hill in the back yard on their trucks! We have a POND in our backyard too! Some neighbors have called it a swamp but I am an optimist so it is a pond to me and I fully intend to canoe on it spring and summer!

Here is a picture of a sunrise from my back porch!



Our new house! I am in LOVE with it! Brandon...not so much! It's got lots of room for my kids to run around and play and plenty of room for visitors to come visit...so visitors...come visit!





Here are my kids at Halloween! We had a super fun time trick-or-treating and once Cooper realized he got candy at every house he was off with his spider arms waving in the wind...

Last Days of Summer...

Once we found out we were moving back to Minnesota we spent every last minute in our pool! Our kids got really good at swimming (with the help of rings...so really not that good) and Presley was finally able to show off her sweet tiny suit! Right before we left we had 5 days without furniture or our stuff while it was being moved so we spent tons of time perfecting our tans which would soon be hidden by parkas, scarfs and ski pants...stupid Minnesota!

Shiver Me Timbers Captain Coop is Turning 3!

For Cooper's Pirate 3rd Birthday we send out boxes with treasure maps on the side that were filled with sand and shells and invitations (sorry about the sand all over your carpet friends...). Since its 115 degrees in August in Arizona we spent most of the time outside! We had cannon ball fights in the pool and the kids dove for gold coins to get prizes! I found a pirate ship "The Black Dog" at target and at one point I think Cooper REALLY thought he was a pirate! At the end of the day our big 3 year old (I can barely think it without tearing up) had a great time playing Captain Coop plus he scored lots of fun new toys!

Brandon's 30th B-Day...A Hole In One!

Everyone deserves a fantastic 30th birthday to lessen the blow from youngsterhood to toddlers and minivanhood. So I threw B a golfing party with golf clubs as the invitations (the post office was a little skeptical but I was pretty persuasive). I put a putting green in the backyard and the kids decorated visors! I think I surprised him! Super fun to see all the golf outfits...thanks for making it great guys! (those who didn't make it because they didn't read the invite/thought it was from someone else are dead to me...no we missed you!)

presley...6 days old!

***Presley Belle***

Best Mother's Day EVER!!!!! My first contractions started consistently at 3:30 pm so I called Brandon who was teaching my primary class and he raced home! After lots of contractions and a fabulous epideral my sweet Presley Belle arrived at 12:44 pm aka the middle of the night. She has been my easiest delivery yet...4 pushes and she was out! When the doctor handed her to me she looked like a toddler. She weighed in at 8'11 and has the cheeks to prove it! Chase was also 8'11 and Cooper was 8'14. She was 5 days early which was perfect since I felt Like I was carrying twins! We are so happy to have our first girl. She is already thrilled to be wearing layers of pink and huge oversized bows and flowers! More pictures to come...

Spring Pictures of Me n' the Boys

Hailey Gardiner you might be the most talented person I know! Seriously! This photo shoot was done by my friend Hailey who pretends she's not a photographer. Liar!! So here is the fam and soon to be number 3!