Summer Nites

Tonite was the nite that summer nites should be.... together, with the kids, music in the park, good company, old friends & ice cream.

I spend so much of life caught up in activities & chores. Tonite I got caught up in the moment. The lovelies, Mom & I met up with friends in Central Park to take in a Peder Eide concert. Lots of familiar faces, a heart-filled chat with my childhood physician, and two little girls to soak it all up.

What's left are my memories in pictures....

{Lauren & Abby Taking in Their First Concert}

{Put Your Hands in the Air}

{Those Tiny Fingers}

Thank You Thursday

So much to be thankful for....

1. Perspective.

2. Life.

3. Full-Circle Moments.

4. Remembering to Stop. And Listen.

5. Hearing Words I Haven't Heard in Years. And that Feeling of Being a Kid Again.

Oral Hygiene

Today was the day: Abby's first teeth cleaning & Lauren's first oral exam. The girls were both excited to jump into the dentist's chair. Brenda & Dr. DeLaitsch went above & beyond to ensure the girls were comfortable and stayed abreast of the tools & techniques they were using. Lauren stood a close watch over her sister while Abby absorbed all the information and asked a bounty of questions. It took Abby a few minutes to relax her body and figure out just what her roll is in the exam. At one point Brenda even remarked, "You have a curious tongue." Cute!

Both lovelies left the office with high marks in oral hygiene and a, "Keep up the good work!" No doubt the bag-o-goodies and sparkling teeth were also incentive to show off their pretty smiles.

{Abby gets her teeth cleaned}

{Dr. DeLaitsch counts Lauren's teeth.... All 20 accounted for!}

{Dr. DeLaitsch & Lauren}

Ten on Tuesday

Ten random thoughts, it's Tuesday!

1. My sister finally has an iron. At thirty, it's about time. I can't prove she uses it, but she has one. Baby steps little sis.

2. Today Lauren wanted "little white meatballs" for breakfast. We didn't have any more powdered doughnut holes so she put it on her Hy-Vee shopping list.

3. I love sleeping with Abby. Maybe it has something to do with all of the nights we spent together when the hockey players moved in to Mom & Dad's. Maybe it goes back to all of the time I felt I missed with her when Lauren came along so soon. Either way, there's just something about being crowded by her skinny little body & seeing her face sleeping peacefully next to me in the morning.... I love it!

4. If Grandpa & Grandma's place had a taste it would be raw green beans fresh out of the garden.

5. Just the thought of going up to the cabin in a few days: pure bliss.

6. I love giving the girls four-wheeler rides around the farm. I'm pretty sure Grandpa & Grandma are going to come home from up north and wonder where all the tracks came from. That would be me. And the girls. I love going up to their place!

7. Winter pajama shopping, done. Ahhhh.

8. Two new tires, a new door panel, and now rotors & brakes. Can this please be it for awhile?!

9. It's hot days like this that make me wish it was a snowy, wet Winter day instead of a humid Summer day. And I would build a snowman.

10. This might be the first day I had a pleasant experience at the Owatonna Post Office. EVER! I walked in there fully prepared to get yelled at by Grumpy McGrumpster Counter Guy. I didn't know what to do with myself when he didn't.

Thank You Thursday

This Thursday's thank you list is much less dramatic then last week's. This Thursday I am thankful for:

1. Tiny's passionate spirit. Sure, she is currently channeling her passion in the direction of a nineteen year-old hockey player, but none-the-less, she is passionate. I adore that about her.

2. A night out with girlfriends. With our daughters about to start kindergarten, it's hard to believe Steph & I have been friends since we were that age! Molly & Steph, how lucky I am to still have you in my life!

3. Getting new wheels. No, not a new ride, just a pair of new wheels. I'm back on the streets.... Watch out, Owatonna!

4. Hockey in July. For me, it is like Christmas in July. A nice cool rink, the smell of the ice, sinus inflation that quickly dissipates and sends me into my own personal paradise. How many months until the hockey season starts?

5. Girls. My girls. Their hugs, their kisses, their giggles, everything about them. Except maybe their screams and vulgar outbursts. Besides those two things, everything else. Love those girls!

Ten on Tuesday

1. As the result of hurrying through Friday's To Do List, I shorted my cookie dough by one cup of flour. I discovered it today when the cookies spread like wild fire on the pans.... Even professionals make mistakes.


2. Twice in the past week Abby has made the squeaking sound I nearly forgot about her making as a baby. I admit that the second time she did it because I squeezed her a little too hard. I miss those treasures from her infancy.


3. Home is where your heart lives. I heart being home.


4. I'm crossing my fingers that my extensive knee pain is a result of the weather. It hurts just to sit down; must be the swelling.


5. Abby's been talking a lot about jail. Just minutes ago she asked me why you can't get married to another girl. I'm deducing either media over-exposure or a complex thought strategy. Maybe a little of both.


6. Yesterday I took the girls to Dairy Queen; I love the way Lauren says Dilly Bar!


7. Driving through the Cities is always a rush. Sometimes it's frustrating, but such a great feeling just being there.


8. This afternoon Abby locked herself in my parents' bedroom with the bag of string beans we picked at Grandpa & Grandma's. I guess it's better than cupcakes.


9. While she was sneaking vitamin-rich veggies, I was sampling the cookie dough. I don't feel bad now eating so much of it before they got baked.... just less cookies for me to scrape off the pan.


10. I don't know who is happier, the girls to have their Papa, or their Papa to have his girls.

{Abby & Lauren Assisting Papa, Painting in the Garage}

Thank You Notes

I read an article in Real Simple magazine recently on the topic of thank you notes. I've always been a firm believer in the power of saying thank you. I'm not one to pick up a phone, so somewhere between that and my love for something pretty I can put my hands on is most likely the reason I enjoy passing on my gratitude in the form of a little paper token.

{Quick Hand-Crafted Thank You Notes}

There are so many reasons to give thanks, not just for gifts, but acts & gestures of kindness are equally as important. As is thanking someone for inviting you in for a job interview, and especially if you are offered the job. I've never received a thank you note I didn't appreciate! A gesture of thanks speaks volumes about one's character, an imprint I'm trying to leave on Abby & Lauren.

The following is a link to the write-up by Amy Krous Rosenthal, author of one of our favorite children's books, Cookies: Bite-Size Life Lessons. It's a great reminder for adults, and perfectly sums up what I've been trying to impress upon our lovelies: www.spiffypress.com/blog/2010/03/six-great-reasons-to-write-thank-you-notes-from-real-simple/