2013

What you didn't see on FB & IG this past year.  Our "second string" family photos.  365 days condensed into a 7 minute photo slide show.    

Some highlights from 2013...


POP MUSIC
Our family photo slideshow is set to 1D this year, and that's purposeful. When I asked Joe for his input on what our "song of the year" was, he didn't pause for a moment before confirming One Direction (or Taylor Swift as a close 2nd).  

This year the boys (especially Max) have strong opinions on what music to listen to, and 1D and Taylor Swift always top the list (what can I say...I've introduced them to some great tunes in the car!). All three kids have started singing along to pop music. Even Wren, not-quite-two-years-old at the time, singing "Stay" by T. Swift.

Speaking of Taylor, I went to her concert this past fall with a super fun friend and colleague, and throughout the show all I kept thinking was how I can't wait to take the boys (Joe included, and probably Wren if it's in a few years) to see her the next time she comes through Minneapolis.  Such a fun sing-along concert, I know I'd have even more fun with my whole family.


SPRING BREAK
Since Wren was born in late 2011, 2013 was the year all five of us took a flight together for the 1st time.  We headed to Mexico for vacation in March and had a great time.  Max showed us that he was 100% independently swimming, which helped me and Joe out tremendously so each of only needed to be holding one other kid at a time. The kids had a blast and still talk about going to Mexico.  We've booked Spring Break for 2014 and will be headed West, but staying domestic in California.  


HAIR CUTS
June brought significant hair cuts for Max and Otto.  And now it's January and I'm thinking perhaps it's time again...


Wishing you Happiness in 2014!


https://vimeo.com/83121157

Home for the Holidays

As I work on one of my least favorite things ever - taking down our Christmas trees and all the holiday decorations - here's a little photo recap of our decked halls.  

It's going to feel so empty once everything's all put away.  But it will be a nice blank canvas to get our house the way I want it for Spring and Summer!

Me & Joe before heading out to dinner with his parents and siblings.

Homemade Granola that I gave to teachers as part of their gift.  The antique Ball lids (garage sale find this summer) were the perfect touch.

Cousin Lily said Wren looks like she's caroling here. If she was, she was definitely singing Frosty or Rudolph, which she loves!

Following last Christmas, Joe made a built-in book case in the other corner of our living room, so after many years, we put the tree up in this corner. For the 1st time I taped Christmas cards around the archway between the kitchen and living room.

For the 2nd year in a row this wooden tree Joe made has been in the play room (instead of one of the boy's room) and I lit it up.

Our buffet in the kitchen.  While I'm loving our living room and play room of late, I am disenchanted with our kitchen and trying to think of simple ways to liven up the aesthetic of it.  Ideas welcome.

Our living room, which I always love so much at the Holidays.  The garland above the windows was a bit more challenging to work with this year.  I placed lights in them, which was a nice addition at night time.  

The play room is also now a pseudo mud room with basket, hooks and cubby for each kid.  Our measly front entry is a land mine and hazard with the amount of snowy gear dropped there every afternoon.  

Our Christmas tree, which looks very, very, very similar year after year.  I'm thinking of trying something a bit different next year.  Since everyone asks, yes, we did string the popcorn.  Joe and I.  Before kids. A full five years before we had any kids. That makes those strings of popcorn a decade old.  It's PopSecret butter flavor, and apparently has a shelf life of eternity.

After five years without putting my Old World Christmas ornaments up (because they're super special to me and very breakable), my mom suggested this pre-lit white berry tree when shopping one day. I squeezed it into a corner in mine and Joe's bedroom.  One day when only Max was home, he carefully helped me unwrap every ornament, tally them up (~150) and place the on the tree.   

Wren's Holiday bed.  Otto walked into her room after I had made her bed and he giggled excitedly..."It's a hotel bed!!!"  I translate that to mean all the sheets and pillow cases coordinate - thus it reminds him of when we stay at a hotel.

I played around with some fresh greenery, red berries and mercury glass for little displays throughout the house.

Joe finally hung his deer heads on the wall downstairs.  To which I promptly hung a Christmas ball ornament from one of the antlers (not pictured).

It was nice to have a white Christmas.  It was a bit too cold, too fast, this December, but the snow was much welcomed.

A little tough to see given the snow cover, but I bought the potted greenery at Costco and then added some birch bark and more berries from our back yard.  Then I placed the pot in a burlap sack.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday!  

Otto's Favorite Toy

#TBT

(~6 months ago, but still 100% relevant today)

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As a mom you're asked what your kid likes to play with.  "What is his favorite toy?"

I've written before about Otto's love of computers.  And they don't even have to be turned on or in working condition.  He just wants to pretend to press the buttons and pretend he's doing stuff. Even better if he has a couple computers out at once, all lined up, ready for work.  Over the moon happy if he has power cords to accompany the computers.  Often times it looks like he's in the thick of coding, and other times I swear he's writing music/DJing because he's so absorbed in his work and often humming or singing.

The other morning he woke up (early as usual), crept to my side of the bed and loudly whispered "Mama, you want to play electricity with me?"

That was the best wake up I've had in a long time.  So precious and entirely Otto.  He was so excited for me to go out to the play room and "play electricity," which just means taking a half dozen computer power cords, hairdryer & flat irons and the like and tucking the cords and plugs into tiny nooks and crannies of drawers, wrapping them around furniture legs, etc.  

Seriously.  THIS is his favorite toy.  Otto and his "electricity" (aka, power cords & plugs)


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Where Nicknames Come From

Otto:  Mom, I wrote my name again!

Me:  Thinking, Otto's pretty lucky.  Any way you spell his name, it's correct.

Except when you spell it inside out.  Then it just spells "TOOT."

My little Toot.  Adore him.

Harder to see, but he also wrote his "name" (Toot) on his cup.

Ugh - I cannot get enough of Otto, I find him so flippin' cute all the time.  In sunglasses all summer long.  With an apple and a can of tennis balls for an afternoon of fun, of course.