January 2016

 This January has been a month filled with family and friends. We have been out and about seeing people, and playing hard! You can only watch so many episodes of Paw Patrol before you start to go a little stir crazy!

Dave and I got to start the new year together in Colorado. I was asked to officiate a college friend's wedding, so off to Fort Collins we went... sans kids! We are so grateful for Dave's parents for not only moving into our house to watch the boys while we were gone, but also provided transportation to and from the airport! Man are we lucky!

    Papa Dave and Nolan

    Nana Lynda time

    Bride and Groom

    Dear friends

Delicious bloodys at Snooze, a great breakfast place in Fort Collins

The first couple days of our trip were pretty centered around wedding festivities... it was fun for all of us girls and our hubbys to be together for new years, but sadly we realized we were not in college anymore... we didn't even make it to midnight. Oh well.

The wedding was beautiful, with close family and friends. It is always such a privilege to officiate at dear friend's weddings.

We spent our last day enjoying breweries and downtown Fort Collins before heading home to our three little monkeys. Work takes me on a lot of different trips, but it was so great to take a trip with the hubby! It was long over due!

With Dave having some more vacation time we went a couple fun places as a family!
Good times park in Eagan... such a fun place! Lots to do, and a great way to run the kids out of energy!

We also went to open toddler time at Gleason's gym.... a gymnastics area with a foam pit, trampolines, bouncy floor, and lots to climb on! We will be going back here again soon I think!

We spent some time with good friends too this month! Reconnecting with those we haven't seen in a while, and wow it was nice!

How we miss the Kerns! Our kids play so well together! So do the adults!

The boys got to meet Baby Bodhi.... our great friends Dustin and Elizabeth's new baby! They LOVED having a baby around... it was so sweet to see them give kisses, and want to hold him....
I know I know.... but no thoughts of more Dvorak babies.... at least not yet!

The Edlunds are a family we try to see often but not often enough. They have triplet girls, so it has been fun raising our kiddos side by side.

Not only did the kids have a play date (we could run our own preschool)

But the parents got to go out (SANS KIDS) for the first time since they have been born!!! It only took 2.5 years. It was a great night of food and libations... and of course conversation sharing in the similarities of raising triplets, but the differences of raising girls vs. boys. FASCINATING!

We gathered with my side of the family to celebrate my sister Steph's birthday! Always chaotic but fun when we ALL get together.

Any finally, the end of January we celebrate our wedding Anniversary. We celebrated 6 years this year. We spent the day with the boys- climbing giant mounds of snow (snow mountains) at the St. Paul Winter snow sculptures, lunch at Snuffys, a target run, then home for some rest. 

Dave and I got to go out to Manny's steak house for dinner that night! Delicious... We felt a little weird not being at 112 Eatery (our anniversary hotspot), but Manny's was amazing! 

December

December was a whirlwind! With all the chaos surrounding the holidays, it flew by so fast! Even though most of the traditions stayed the same, we experienced them so differently this year.... with the boys being older and understanding things more, along with my new role at my new church it was definitely a busy but wonderful month!

• We went and saw Santa again this year... and just like last year the boys had a hard time with concept of Santa... so we got our crying Santa photo.

• But Portraits from the heart has their method down, with Santa sneaking in before the kids notice him, so we did get one happy picture too... 

Over the years...

•  We went and saw the Anoka fair grounds all lit up in Christmas lights with our dear friends Pam and Bill Travis. The boys loved all the lights, and pointing out the baby Jesus in their numerous Nativity scenes.

• We decorated gingerbread houses at a Created to Grow event. A fellow triplet mom has started her own business in many creative events for kids for all ages!

• The staff at my new call, St. Philips Lutheran church.

• Christmas Eve... I preached at the 2, 4, and 10pm services. In between the 4 and 10, my side of the family all gathered at my sister's place in Maple Grove. Lots of present opening, and family pictures to be had. I headed back to church to preach, and was finally home at 11:30 where we "prepared" for Santa to come to our house.

All the guys got Zubas for Christmas! 

Petersons, the original 6!

Nolan wanted in on the picture... 

After the final service...

• Christmas morning was so much fun. Waking up, just the 5 of us, to the boys seeing all the presents Santa had brought. They opened everything in about 15 minutes. This year, some of the biggest hits were: Magformers, baby dolls with strollers, and all things Paw Patrol... a new favorite show of theirs. 

• Christmas day we headed to Dave's parents house where we celebrated with the Lundholm side of the family. There was a buffet of all appetizer stuff (my favorite) and it was so nice to just simply be together. The boys opened more presents, we had a gift exchange game, and we headed home exhausted after 3.5 hours of family fun! 

Picture with auntie Jean! 

It was so fun to see Christmas through the eyes of a child again. To have the magic of Christmas after many years of working or experiencing the chaos as an adult is awesome! some of the phrases I will remember from our boys this Christmas

• (while driving and seeing Christmas lights)- "mama there is another baby Jesus! Oh, and Frosty, Oh and Santa too!"
• (right away when they would wake up in the morning)- "Mama, turn on the Christmas tree lights! Hurry!"
• (at night when we would plug our blow up Olaf in)- "MAMA! Olaf woke up!"
• "Is Santa coming tonight?" (excited but panicked) 
• Our nanny took them to the mall, and a random man with a beard was walking toward them in the mall, they freaked out, and our nanny had to tell them it was not Santa. Their reply: "is it Santa's friend?" (since he had a white beard too..."

Other funny faces this month:

New Olaf jammies from nanny Sarah!

Matchy Matchy! 

G man being silly!

Nolan showing his muscles!

Muscle man Henry! 

Cozy snuggles!