What makes a perfect day?

Great Friends that add up to one sweet family?

Great friends again, with one of our fav kids and a baby boy on the way?

A sweet/super cheesy family photo?

A gorgeous scene?

An Uncle Loving on his Makayla?

A horse (that stunk) kissing the babies?

Stonlen glances?

A family pose that makes a Mommy melt?

Friends loving on one another, even if one is not so sure?

We had a wonderful day last weekend at the zoo/pumpkin patch. Thank God for beautiful weather, time to spend with those we love, and great friends for all!!!

A place to hang your hat (and coat)

Some days when I come home from what feels like an absurdly long day at work, teaching 100 students the facts of life, I pull into the driveway after picking Leah up and think to myself "man- here goes full time job #2!"  Being a working Mom, as many of you know, is much harder than it looks!!! I have been feeling overwhelmed from time to time, which is not like me, and it is driving me nuts. I go to work, chug away non stop for hours, come home, try to be super mom til 8, then it is time to clean and do hours of schoolwork. UGH. I can't stand feeling negative or ungrateful, so I needed a spark.

The other day, I figured out that I could something to look at to remind me of how blessed I am every day, whether at work or at home. At work, i have a letter that a student wrote me, telling me I have inspired her to be a kinder, better person. That melts my heart. 

When I walk in the door of my family room every day, holding my little bundle in my arms, feeling stressed about the work ahead, I look at this sign. We got it from our darling Aunt a few years back for Christmas. There was never anything under the sign, with the exception of our shoes. As of last week, though, there are hooks with cute little coats and hats that belong to one very, very good reason to work hard ,stay positive, and appreciate every day. It may sound silly to some, but I realized the other day that looking at that coat hook filled with Leah's stuff reminds me of how blessed I am to have the life I do. That melts my heart even more.

Yes, life gets chaotic.Yes, I have been known to cry here and there at work as of late. Yes, being a working mom is hard. Yes, my house is a freaking mess most of the time. But, this messy house is a HOME, and so much of that is because of my wonderful husband, and the little girl who snuggles into these coats. Thank you, $10 Hobby Lobby coat rack, for reminding me that my house is full of chaos, but it is full of love and joy, too.

It really is the little things that count, isn't it?

Little Viking

So, Leah is a true blooded Little Vike- on both ends! Both of her parents teach at high schools with the Viking mascot, so it was only fitting that we take her to her first Viking Football game this past weekend. We chose the Fremd game, cause it was homecoming, and, let;s face it, Fremd is better (sorry HF'ers). 

It was chilly, so we did not stay long, but at least she can now say she's been to a home game!

Two of my fav ladies. Love you, girls!!!

Our little fam next to the field. 

No shock here- Leah liked the lights! 

Any excuse to celebrate

There have been a lot of celebrations in the past couple of weeks, and we have had a ton of fun with those we love! Here are a few of our favs!

Finding out our dear friends are going to add a baby boy to the family, and to our "family" of friends!!!

Makayla will have a baby brother soon!!!

Celebrating this fabulous couple's nuptials was one of the highlights of the season, for sure! Congrats, Mr. and Mrs. Blom! We love you!!! 

BFF's since the womb...

Leah had to inspect her Auntie Molly on her 30th birthday. Happy birthday to one of my oldest and dearest friends!

Blowing out the candles with her darling nephew!

Happy birthday, Molly! Here's to a another 25 years (at least) of friendship and a great decade for you!

Another birthday girl.... Happy 31st, Mel! I love you like a fat kid loves cake.

All I can say is life is good!!!

7 Months!

Sweet, Sweet Leah-
At 7 months old, you...

- Weigh in at about 15 pounds. You are still a peanut. You are in mostly 6 month clothes, although today you wore a 3 month shirt, and two days ago, a 9 month one. Who knows!

- Still have 2 darling little front teeth. They are already crooked. Better start saving for those braces now!

- Have been in daycare for over a month, and you are doing so well! You have proven to be even more adaptable than we thought, and most days, Joan tells me you were happy, social, and on a predictable schedule. Some days, I have a really hard time leaving you, but I know you are in good hands and that I have being on "Mom duty" to look forward to at 3:15 everyday!!

-Have survived your first cold. Poor baby... you have had a runny nose all week. I am thinking that might be one of the drawbacks of you being in daycare.

- Still sleep like a pro, although you have had a few night when you have stirred, especially since you have been stuffy this week. I have been up with you a couple times this week in the middle of the night, which is rare. I'm not ALL sad, though, cause I get to snuggle you a little more.

- Are now on half formula, half breastmilk, I am sad to say. I have tried everything, and will keep trying, but it is getting really challenging. The thought of stopping nursing breaks my heart, but I am so happy you are growing and thriving, no matter what happens.

- Love your baths more and more every day. You adore chasing the little toys around in the water and splashing around, and we adore splashing with you.

- Are so "grabby" now. You have to touch everything all the time- especially faces. We are baby proofing this week cause the second you are crawling, we are in for it.

- Eat 5 "liquid" meals a day, and 2 solid. So far, you have had barley, oatmeal, 3 kinds of squash, apples, pears, avocado (still your fav), blueberries, peaches, peas, bananas, sweet potatoes, green beans, carrots, mango and a few others. You had yogurt the other day, and you loved it! We are having fun trying new recipes and seeing you react to eating. You have yet to reject a thing, and gobble it all up til it is gone. I think we have a true foodie on our hands.

- Have a few favorite toys- your "ugly baby", light up piano, your jumperoo, Sophie the giraffe, this goofy looking ball, your Snoopy, a bug that plays music about shapes, and any book you can chew on.  :)

- Love playing horsey and peek-a-boo. We do it every day, and it still makes your Daddy and I giggle.

- Have had many more sleepovers at Nonnie and Papo's and Glamma and Grandpas, and you have done great!

- Have to be coerced into cuddling. You get so, so tired by dinnertime that you get fussy. We try to cuddle with you, but all you do is lay your head down, put your thumb in your mouth and rest for about 5 seconds. Then, you are up and looking around. you always have to know what is happening around you! When we DO get you to snuggle, though, it is the sweetest thing ever.

-Want to crawl like nobody's business, but you just can't figure it out. You get so frustrated trying to get your toys, and you really know what you want now. We are putting things out of your reach to make you work for it, but you are just getting more frustrated. You're getting there, though.

- Have lost most of your pretty red hair. When I look at old videos of you, I hardly recognized that once bronze coiffed head. Haha! you are a little baldie now with a comb-over!

-  Still squeal a lot when you are happy or just want to be heard. You sound like a hyena, and it is hilarious.You are really starting to babble, though, and say "ba ba ba ba". It is so fun talking to you! We "chat" in the car- a lot. You have lots to say on the way home. It really is too cute.

- Are so happy and excited to see us every morning. We go get you from your crib and are greeted with smiles just about every time. YOU are the best part about waking up, that's for sure!

- Make me wonder what kinds of fun times we have ahead. Honestly, being a parents really IS the hardest job there is, but you make it all so worth it and so much fun. Watching you grow and learn is magical, and I can't wait to see who you become.You have made our lives so much more full with your dimply smiles, giggles, hyena squealing and cuddles. Leah, you are the best, and you are so loved!!!

Leah Lechter?

This is sick, twisted, and plain old wrong, but I HAD to post this. Leah had blueberries for the first time the other day, and I captured this while she was enjoying her dinner. 

Does it remind you of any certain famous cannibal?

Cllllaaaarrriiiicccceeeee.

Oh, this poor child. We torture her so...

The Arboreta

Our hilarious niece, Kayli, has called the Morton Arboretum the "Arboreta" for years. It has now become a family custom to refer to it as just that. We are lucky enough to have this incredible place just minutes from out home. It is full of trees, lakes, walking paths and flowering gardens, and we have always loved going there. Paul and I love nature (and by "nature", I mean plants, water, and "mother nature"- not bugs, camping and filth... just to be perfectly clear), so this place is heaven to us.

 Our Aunt Nancy and Uncle Rick gave me one of the greatest gifts for my 30th a few months back- a family pass for the whole year! We have taken full advantage and have made many, many trips so far. Fall should be ever more magical as the trees turn.

We hope Leah grows up with a respect and appreciation for nature, too, so we can't get her started on being exposed to it too early. So far, she is a BIG fan of the Arboreta, and we hope it stays that way. 

Leah's Glamma often meets us there- she and Grandpa Steve got married at the Arboreta!

We took Makayla this summer, too!

Plant nerd like her father.

LLLOOOVVVVEEEEE.

LiLi's shirt says "Plant a Tree for Me". Thanks, Auntie Jen and Uncle Bob!!!

One of the many "hiking" trails we so enjoy.

Tiny rocker

Thanks, Staff Infection, for the darling "My Daddy Rocks" onesie!

Leah and I happen to agree- her Daddy does rock.

Runny nosed smiles

Leah has had a rough couple of days, poor girl. She has been feeling a little under the weather with a stuffy nose, and has been fussy a good part of the day, witch is not like her at all. We have  cancelled last night's plans and stayed home to snuggle buggle and make her feel comforted.

Last night, I happened to snap this photo of her with her snotty, runny nose, thumb in mouth (per usual) as we dried her off from bath time. We snuggled in her rocker til she was drowsy, while I took in her sweet smell and adorable coos, all the while listening to my poor girl sniffle. Having a sick baby is no fun, as all of you moms can attest.

This morning, though, Leah greeted us in her usual way, double tooth grin and all. Alas, we thought, she must be feeling better!

Well, today was another rough one for the poor Love... but here's to hoping tomorrow is a better day. Leaving my not necessarily sick yet under the weather clingy baby at the sitter will NOT be fun. 

At least I know this happy girl can smile through almost ANYTHING.

(Insert Mother's guilt here)

Cheers to 34 years!

My lovely, hilarious, fun-loving, snuggly, hard-working, supportive parents have been married for 34 years today. The love they have for one another is not perfect, but it is real, true, and forever.

It may sound odd to some, but they are truly two of my best friends. I very much cherish the relationship I have with my Mom and Dad as an adult, and I look back on my childhood with (mostly) super fond memories. They have supported my brother and myself no matter what, have treated my husband like on of their own since day one, and have far surpassed my expectations as grandparents. They are always up for a good time, and I still cherish the nights we spend in their sunroom, sipping wine, laughing, making fun of one another, and sharing life's ups and downs.

I hope that in 30 years, Leah can say that she cherishes us like I do my parents. I hope that Paul and I can set an example for her of what it means to love unconditionally, to not sweat the small stuff, to make the most of your experiences, and how to have a lasting, loving marriage.

Cheers, Mom and Dad! Here's to many, many more years of love and laughter.