Our last try at ice skating

I have mentioned a few times about our ice skating adventures.  I am so happy at how much the kids enjoy ice skating and at the progress they made doing it.  Last weekend we wanted to head out to the outside rink one more time before spring came for one last spin around the pond.  Unfortunately, we didn't have a lot of luck.

We headed to the little Lake Elmo rink, which is about 2 miles from our house.  We had recently gotten some snow (shocking) and it was still pretty cold, so we thought the ice skating rink would be perfect.  Unfortunately, when we got there, we noticed that it was no longer being maintained!  We were pretty bummed, but it didn't stop the kids from running around the pond anyway and playing tag, run around, and try-to-get-Mommy.

Then, after we got tired of that, we took stock of all the big snow piles around and they decided to play King of the Mountain.

They really are friends.

Emma eeks her way to the top.

Not a huge mountain, but it worked for them.

Evan's headfirst dive

Happy Emma

And, Happy Evan.

It was pretty cold, but they didn't want to leave.  Me, Mean Mommy, made them.

Fierce, King of the Mountain competitor

Ditto

Climbing trees

For some reason or another, my kiddo's love climbing trees.  Even when they are climbing out there in the snow & puddles, they always ask for a boost up.

It's all about the eggs

Easter Egg Dying!  My kiddos could not have been more excited.  To be prepared for this annual event, we bought 3, 18 packs of eggs.  Yup - 54 eggs to dye and color and sticker and tie-dye and tattoo.  It maybe seems crazy, but the kids absolutely love this, we do it only once a year, and the eggs were cheap.  Like $6 or something like that for all of them.  Cheap fun - so what the hell?!

All week it was "When are we dying eggs?"  "Mama, is it tonight?"  Etc.

Tonight, was the night.

They were so hungry after all the work!  They each had one to eat when we got done.

My polka dot creation

54 eggs colored and stickered.

Em's tie dye egg.

Evan was really "getting into it".  He had dye all over.

Working carefully on the tie dye.  You used fabric, eye dropper, and  dye.

Yup. Tim was there too.

A tie dye boy LOVED the tie dye eggs.

While the tie dye didn't work out quite as planned, it kept the kids pretty busy.

So much fun!  It didn't take a lot of time to do all the eggs- maybe an hour and half?  That included dying, tie-dying, putting egg tattoos on, putting stickers on, making weird colors and half dipping eggs - you name it.   Plus, the snack of eggs when we were done.

Outside time

Lately since it has been getting a tad bit warmer, we have been outside a lot.  The kids have been itching to be out without all the heavy clothes and we have had that luxury a bit the past few days.

We have been clearing ice off of the driveway, riding bikes, going for walks, climbing trees, and drawing with chalk.

Evan trying to chip away at a HUGE block of ice in our driveway.  (doing what Daddy was doing)

Broomball??

Tim chipping away at a large pile of ice in our driveway.

Rockstar Emma with a huge icicle

I have to admit, I am ready for winter to be done.  I cannot wait to get outside for some exercise and to be able to grill again.  The kids had a small taste of it today and played outside while I cooked supper for about 30 minutes.  It was so nice!  While there is still a lot of snow in our backyard, the kids had on rain boots and were swinging and playing in the sandbox.   I enjoyed some quiet time to myself and they laughed and played.  It was wonderful.

Our weekend - March 23

Another packed, yet fun filled weekend for the Heuers.  Friday night we were craving burgers!  And, as we had errands to run anyway, we tried a new burger joint: Five Guys -- in Woodbury.

Yummy burgers!  Fuddrucker style, kind of anyway.  You place your order, can have all the toppings you want for free, and fast.  They have 25# bags of peanuts all over, so while you wait for your burger, you eat peanuts.  The kids loved that part and said the hotdogs were good.  Tim and I enjoyed our burgers, cajun style fries, and were happy to get out of there in under an hour.  I think we will go back again.

Tim and I were having our neighbor, J & MJ over for dinner on Saturday night.  Our pre-cooking started on Friday night once the kids were in bed, so we shared a great red wine, chatted and cooked.  On the menu?  A savory lobster bread pudding, smoked salmon (made by Tim in his new smoker), lobster tails and herb butter filet's, asparagus, and raspberry filled cupcakes with white chocolate, butter cream frosting!  YUM.  I am going to say that again YUM!  it was fabulous!  The beginning of the football season, Jim and I made a bet on the Packer/Vikings and the overall amount of games won and lost.  The loser had to provide the winning couple with a lobster dinner.   I, cough, unfortunately lost.  Hence, the over the top, yummy meal!  He lost a different bet we had about football and provided a wonderful bottle of champagne to top off the meal.   Overall, Tim has forbid me to bet on football again.   BUT, we had a great night with the neighbors on Saturday, and Tim and I really enjoyed cooking together!

Saturday for the kids was hanging out, working out (in the basement with me as I did  a Jillian Michael's video),  and birthday parties.  Emma had a birthday party for her friend Hailee at Izzy's Ice Cream in St. Paul.  Cousin Kaylee was invited as well, so I brought the ladies to the part Saturday afternoon.  It worked well for me as I headed to St. Thomas to get some studying done AND enjoyed a yummy ice cream cone afterwards!

While we were gone, Tim and Evan played cars.  The new game to playing cars was obstacles.  When we got home, they were both sitting at the top of the stairs with the hotwheel stair track littered with "obstacles".  The hot wheel cars had to race under toy tractors, monster trucks, and other random "obstacles."  Evan thought it was fabulous.

In an effort to get the kids outside, even though it wasn't 40 degrees, we got the bikes out and went for a ride.  Well, the kids did.  Tim, Sage, and I walked alongside of them.  We walked/rode to one cul-de-sac to another.  The weather actually wasn't that bad and we had a good time.  It was fun to be outside!  I want green grass and warm weather and the kids do badly as well!

After that,  more dinner prep as we waited for the neighbors to come over.  The kids had a pizza/movie night, so they made their own pizzas, put on jams, and got ready for their little party in the basement.  We rented Hotel Transylvania and they happily made their way downstairs (after eating their pizza) with popcorn, and their movie candy boxes.  They picked out whoppers and milk duds.

The dinner with J&MJ was great.  I haven't laughed that hard for a long time as we chatted with good friends and dined on really good food.  They steak and cupcakes were my favorite, but Tim and I had fun trying 3 new recipes to share with friends.  They also brought over a little present for the kids - which they love! I have 2 little bunnies now!

Today Evan had a Sunday School concert for Easter and he sang his little heart out.

blurry pic, but I was juggling my phone and video camera at the same time.

The rest of the day was spent being fairly lazy.  Emma and I went for a nice walk (although a bit chilly walk) outside and then we did arts/crafts, read books, ran one errand, had a dance party, and enjoyed time together.

Ice skating lessons

Ice skating lessons are now done for the time being. I had a great time in lessons and was really happy that I took them with the kids.  Emma and Evan loved them!  Emma is pretty sure that she is going to be a figure skater.  Evan at one time wanted to play hockey, now he is not so sure.  But, he still loved the lessons and wants to keep going.

I am so amazed at how far the kids have come!  They both love ice skating and have done really well. Emma is now gliding and can go around the rink without falling.  Evan still does a walk/skate and does make it across the rink without falling some times.  although - not very often :-)

Evan has proceeded from Tots 1 to Tots 2.  Emma from Tots 2 to Tots 4.

Some pictures of their last lesson --

Evan on the ice

Emma and Evan listening to their teacher.  Emma is right next to Evan in blue.

Game On!

Tonight was game night with Emma, Evan and I.  Tim went to a St. Patrick's Day party to see some friends so it was just the three of us. The kids had a movie night last night (Free Willy!) so tonight it was game night!

We played two games of Toy Story Dominoes (Evan won) two games of Candy Land (Evan won) and one game of Toy Story Yahtzee (Evan won) and got 4 yahtzee's in a row (although one of the yahtzees was disputed but at that point he had already won and one more yahtzee didn't matter)!  Ugh!  He had a great time.  Emma, while she played a great sport and said good game, was NOT having a good time.

Evan - game night champion

Emma  - copying Evan

Being weird

Yahtzee! one of my favorite games as a kid!

Emma - happy to be home.

Cleaning up

This morning was a mandatory room clean up for everyone.  We all had clean laundry and clutter piled up that needed to be put away.  For some reason I don't mind doing laundry, but putting away the clean laundry is a different story.

Evan is always a good little helper and was eager to show me his clean room.

He made sure to tell me the method to his madness.  He wanted to outline his whole bed so his animals and himself don't fall out.

And finally, one more picture because he wanted me to take one of him with his little baby bear.  This little one sure loves his stuffed animals.  He has three of them that he carries around in the morning, along with his first love BB.  Duckie, Monkey Dunkey, and baby bear are his posse.

 

Emma's spring break

Emma was on spring break this past week and had a great time.  Tim and I took off Monday to have a nice three day weekend at the cabin.  We had some friends up, ate fondue, and just relaxed as it was raining/sleeting/snowing.  Yuck.

Anyway . . . spring break. We just relaxed at the cabin this past weekend.  Due to the aforementioned rain, there was no snowmobiling,  no walking/running outside, and no sledding.  We did make it out ice skating a little bit, but the ice was pretty soft and depending on where on our rink one was skating, you may have been in a half inch of water.

The best part of the weekend for Emma was her sleepover with her little cousin Jordyn.  They watched movies, laughed, watched "The Parent Trap"  (Emma's favorite movie now) and played on their iPods.

After the cabin, Emma spent the week with Nana, Papa, Kyra, and Kaylee at the farm.  She brought her American Girl Dolls, sleds, and books so she could relax on her week off.  They went sledding, snowmobiling, went to Lark Toys that is in Wabasha (maybe) and Eagle Ridge or something like that, and had a lot of fun.  It was so quiet without her here for the week, but neither Tim nor I had a lot of vacation to take off with her and there weren't a lot of other good options.  Grrr to being in the business world and not having a spring break or flexible work arrangements at my new company. And a big THANK YOU to Nana and Papa for helping out and watching Emma for us.

Anyway - Evan enjoyed the time here with Tim and I.  Tim and he had a guys night and went out to eat while I was at class.  Then we went car shopping on Tuesday, relaxed on Wednesday, and then went out to eat on Thursday.  It was cute, every morning that Evan woke up he would ask "Mama, is Emma home now?"  While he enjoyed his time with us, he really did miss his little sister.

Emma came home on Friday and now we are just relaxing and hanging out at home this weekend.   She was happy to be back as well and gave me almost a constant hug for the first 3 hours she was home!

Life as usual

Life continues to go on in the Heuer house.  Some updates:

Emma is busy with school and enjoying every minute of it really.  While homework can still be a struggle with her at times, she enjoys school a lot, is getting pretty good with reading for a first grader, and is learning math concepts I swear I didn't learn until I was about in third grade.  She continues to enjoy ice skating and playing outside in the snow. It is not uncommon for her and Evan to play outside by themselves (with Sage protecting nearby) for at least an hour.  Many times after we get home from work/school/preschool, they will go outside to throw snowballs and do a bit of sledding before supper.

We had Emma's school conference with her teacher about two weeks ago and it went really well.  Mrs. Dahl assured us that Emma is doing well for a girl her age and is performing as expected for a 6 year old.  She did say that Emma is very social and can get her mind off of task at times, but overall she is doing very well.

Emma's days away from school are spent playing with her iPod, her dolls, lego's, and annoying her brother.  She loves listening to music and is often found just listening to her iPod to music in the car going places.  She is getting to be a better eater and may be going through a growth spurt as she seems to be stretching out a bit too.

Evan enjoys preschool (most of the times) and had fun in February with all of their extra events, such as pajama day, dress as your favorite story book character day, and wear your favorite color or something like that.  For his story book character he chose to wear his dragon Halloween costume, so we had to find a book to go with it :-)  
We have been provided comments by his teachers that he is doing very well, is a great listener, and follows instructions better than most of his fellow students.  Their observation now is that he would be ready for Kindergarten next year (gulp) but many that know me, know that I am hesitant to put him in next year.

Evan loves games, electronics (iPads, leapsters, and smart phones), playing cars, annoying his older sister, and helping his Mama.  He is a great helper in the kitchen and is incredibly self-sufficient.  While Emma will ask for absolutely everything first before being told no and that she can get it herself, Evan will just do.  He gets his own water, finds his own snacks, and thinks he can do everything by himself.

Evan and I have a routine in the morning getting ready for work and preschool.  I make a cup of coffee every morning and an egg sandwich.  He makes his own hot chocolate (with my help heating the milk in the microwave), puts it in a to-go mug, and packs some cereal and we are off.

I have my plate full with two classes the past three months.  I am taking one class for my MBA and one for a Supply Chain certification.  I am on the last Supply Chain class and hope to have my certification the end of March.  This will waive an MBA class as well, so it serves as a double whammy for me.  What it doesn't do is give me a lot of spare time in the evenings.  Thankfully I have DVR taping my favorite shows and in about 3 weeks (with a successful passing of a supply chain class I hope) I intend to wear pajamas for an entire weekend and watch TV.  Wishful thinking I realize, but it is a nice thought after a hectic 3 months of studying.  I also have Croatia to look forward too, as I am planning a girls trip to Croatia in May!  WOOT!

Tim is great and continues to be employed by Best Buy, even though they have had some negative press lately.  He is doing a great job building up the Geek Squad and is impressing many people there!  He is busy planning a big Moose Hunt in September.

Our family continues to be busy, but happy and incredibly blessed.  We are lucky to be able to relax at the cabin and spend time together between the hectic weekdays with school, swimming, and ice skating.

Wisconsin Dells

Roughly 2 weeks ago, my parents treated my family, and the families of my sisters to a weekend in Wisconsin Dells.  They started doing this a few years back as a Christmas gift to each family, instead of the little nickety nack Christmas presents.  I can say for sure that my little kiddos absolutely LOVE this and look forward to it every year.

About a week before the trip, the kiddos beg to look at the websites to psych themselves up for the trip.  Our weekend was going to be spent at Kalahari this year, so many visits to their website were had to ooh and aah about the rooms and the fun water slides that we would be going down. They were especially excited about the Master Blaster, a roller coaster type ride and they swore they were going to love it and would jump up and down with excitement about going on it.

Side bar... Emma always says she is excited for rides.  She always talks big about how she is going to go on all these huge rides.  Then when we are at the park, she gets nervous and doesn't go down on them.  So, I wasn't surprised to hear of her excitement for these rides. But, I was a bit interested to see if she would actually try them.  I really hoped she would, because when she tries them, she loves them.

Emma had off Friday, Feb 22 and that is when we headed to the Dells.  We were driving a bit in the tail end of the snowstorm, but traffic wasn't horrible and after a stop at Culver's (yum!) we made it to the Dells by around 3 or so, to meet the family and head to the water park.  The condo we stayed in was absolutely beautiful!  It was a 5 bedroom, 4  bath place with enough room for everyone to have their own room (including the three little girls Kyra, Kaylee, and Emma in one of their own) and so everyone could spread out.  It had 2 fireplaces, a large movie room, pool table, two living rooms, full kitchen, and a convenient shuttle to the water park.  It was perfect for the whole family to stay in and have fun.

We made it to the condo and roughly 30 minutes later, we headed to the water park.  Evan was rearing to go and made it down the family slide eagerly and without problem.  Emma on the other hand, made it to the top of the ride and was next in line, and while I was sitting in the tube waiting for her to join me, she decides against it.  She nervously shakes her head back-n-forth and no prodding, pleading, or convincing could get her in the tube.  So, I get out of the tube and head down the steps with her.

It took until the next day for her to work up some nerve to try some of the non-toddler rides.  And, of course, the first one she got the nerve to try she did the "Mom! You should have told me earlier that I would like it so well!"  Gee... why didn't I think of that?  Grrr.....  I was just happy she finally decided to try something.  Then, she was nonstop on the two she was comfortable with.  Evan on the other hand, had no fear.  He went down everything he was able to and wanted to go down even more, but was told no because of his size.

Other than the water park, we celebrated the twins 2nd birthday and Christmas with the nieces and nephews.  So, presents were opened by everyone and cupcakes were eaten.  We watched movies (the original Parent Trap with Haylee Mills which was a big hit) and played games.   Some of us went on some shopping runs to the outlet malls nearby and had fun finding some deals!  

A quick shot of Nana and Papa with the grand kids.

All-in-all, a great, GREAT weekend was had by all.  A big THANK YOU to Nana and Papa for a great weekend!