Laughter is the best medicine.

Watch this without smiling or laughing.  I bet you can't.

Catch Up: We love our cousins!

Some of the fun times we shared since May.
We miss you!

  

Minka Collage by Janaye

Jareth's cousin, Janaye, is in school and was given a task to make a video on someone.  She chose Minka and made the cutest video I have ever seen.  I told her I felt like the Kardashians with a camera in my house everyday.

I was really worried about what I was wearing in case you saw me in the background or how messy the house was.  After awhile I realized I couldn't keep worrying about that and I had to just enjoy my time with the girls regardless if there was a camera or not.  Once I saw the video I just thought we have such a happy home.  That in itself is more important than what I wear or if the dishes are all clean.   I guess this homework for Janaye taught me a little something as well.

See the video here.
(depending on your device and how this link works you may have trouble viewing this.  If so, just Youtube "Minka Collage by Janaye")

Christmas Break

So it has been awhile I know.  I took some time away from technology and devoted more time to playing, indoor picnics, teaching the girls to cook, and cuddling with my two littlest BFFs.  I will post things from time to time, probably not as regular as I was doing before, but hopefully not once every six months either!

A quick update since the summer.  We spent time with Jackie, Darius and Stella while we had the chance and 2/3/4 year old hugs are about the most adorable things I ever saw.  We spent time with my mom's side of the family while we said our good byes to my Grandpa in August.  Jareth moved from Wal-Mart back to Tmobile and is enjoying his new job.  I recently got a promotion that I will be starting in January with Cargill.  We have Jareth's cousin staying with us temporarily and we love having her to play with.

Minka has been stretching herself in many ways.  She has started Sunday school and did 8 weeks of gymnastics.  It has been fun seeing her interact with Nora and learn new things.  Minka and I did 27 random acts of kindness and she learned a lot from that experience.  

Noras little body has been hard at work.  She rolled the day she turned 3 months, she crawled at 7 months and took her first steps two days before she was 9 months.  She is mostly cruising around holding onto the couch or other things but is very active and will be running before we know it. She has 7 teeth and has become quite the sleeper (are those angels singing in the distance??) Oh how I love to sleep.

The girls recently went to see Santa and Minka asked for a medium sized, gray teddy bear.  OK no problem....until the hunt began.  Santa's elves are having a far more difficult time with this ask than ever imagined.  Even build a bear doesn't have gray...

Here are some recent pics of these two munchkins.

Lunch, Art, Fun

We visited the Minneapolis Institute of Art recently and Minka enjoyed the trip.

 Minka mimicking the statue behind the glass.

 But the day was long!

 

This museum is FREE and asks for a donation to visit the building.  It was FULL of exhibits.  If you ever have the chance to visit, I would recommend seeing this collection of beautiful art. 

If you want to check out the website for more information, click here.


For lunch this day we tried 'The Nook' in St. Paul known for great burgers.  You may know this place from Minneapolis reviews for delicious eateries or even a stint on the Food Network featuring its burgers on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives. 

They did in fact, have delicious burgers!  Check out more about this restaurant here.

 

We love summer!

Nora rocking the shades.

Dinner outside?  Yes, please.

Cousins

Have you ever seen a toddler bed in person?  They are teeny!  These two fit cozily snug inside.

 

Sorry to steal your picture Jackie but this was too cute!!

 

Here they are again another day enjoying their time playing together!

 

The Zoo

Auntie Jackie, Cousin Darius and Cousin Stella made the trip down to our house for a weekend.  We had a great time and visited Como Zoo.

Yes, they match.  Soon they will refuse this - we are taking advantage of this cuteness while it will last.

Needless to say, all the kids crashed on the way home after a day outside at the busy zoo.

Oh how I do love thee sleep.

After a very busy week visiting places around Minneapolis, a drive up north, a birthday party, playing outside and enjoying a bonfire these little girlies gave us a wonderful gift of sleep until 11:00 AM!