Our weekend - wrestling, friends, hyperventilation

This past weekend was nice.  It was filled with family, friends, wrestling, and hyperventilation. Yes - you read that correctly... First things first....

The past week was the same as normal. The kids both had piano lessons (which they are doing great at) Evan had wrestling, and Emma was supposed to go to ski club, but it was unfortunately cancelled due to bus issues. Which is really unfortunate because it took us a long time to talk her into wanting to join ski club, then a lot of time to convince her that she would have fun at ski club, and then get her enough courage that morning to  - well, remember all of that. But, as she was getting all psyched up for it, ski club was cancelled.  Of course.   

Friday night was a date night in for Tim and I.  Which pretty much means we bring the kids back Little Caesar's pizza and crazy bread, let them have friends over or ship them off to friend's houses, so we can enjoy a night in. Normally we go out to the porch to have conversation, wine, and a good meal  Right now the porch doesn't work because the heater is broken. AND, with our very cold temps, cold meals, cold conversation, and cold cocktails ( well those are good) don't work. 

Evan had his best bud Cameron over to play and watch the second Percy Jackson movie.  Emma went over to her best friend Gaby's house after pizza.  So - one kid was preoccupied with a friend and one kid was gone.  This was perfect for a date night in.

Tim went shopping and bought crab cakes (which I love), a good baguette (which I really love) and chicken.  We enjoyed some cocktails and chatted about our week while we dined. It was lovely.

Saturday morning was an early morning due to Evan's first wrestling match up in Forest Lake.  Emma was still at a friend's house (smart girl) and we left the house around 7:45 for a 9:00am weigh in.  Then we waited, and waited, and waited. Evan finally wrestled at 12:45!!!  It was an incredibly long weight.  Evan was a champ for the weight and for the actual wrestling match.  This is Evan's first year wrestling and this was his first meet.  I found out afterwards that it was a state qualifying meet.  Which, in hindsight, explains a lot.  Evan wrestled his first match and definitely held his own. He didn't win the round, but didn't get pinned and scored 2 points on his component.  I think his component scored 6 to 8.  The second match was even tougher  Again Evan didn't get pinned, but his energy was zapped and he lost.  Man! Wrestling is a hard sport for a Mom to watch. First, I know not how to help him and coach him through it.  Second - while there were a few coaches there, none were really around to guide Evan through the moves.  Third- it is tough to hear other people yell "Pin him! Grab his legs! Take him down!" at your little boy.    I just felt incredibly helpless and felt so bad for Evan.  Come to find out that both of the boys that he wrestled had like 3 years experience each and one came from a wrestling family.  So, not the best match. Which lead to the hyperventilation.

Evan got done with the second match, shook his opponents hand, and walked to the hallway.  He looked at me and I noticed that he couldn't catch his breath... after a few minutes, he still couldn't. Some nice people walked by and tried to help us out. Evan sat down, but his head between his legs, but still couldn't catch his breath. Finally, another team trainer came over (after maybe 10 minutes ) to see if we could get Evan's breath normal.  It took a long time, maybe 20 - 30 minutes, but he finally stopped hyperventilating and was able to breath normally.  It was a rough, long 20 - 30 minutes.  He had no energy, I am sure was disappointed, and was just defeated.

We got home, he rested, and was feeling better.  Eventually, he ended up going to a friends house for a sleepover - his first away! He had a great time.

Emma hung out with us! We have started watching the show "the Middle" so we watched a few of those and then went over to our neighbors, J & MJ's for supper.  Emma made freezer dough dinner roles and made us all chocolate mug cakes (thanks to the wonderful Pioneer Woman's recipe).  I LOVE it that I have kids that can and enjoy cooking!  I walked her home around 9:30ish were she settled on the couch and watched Harry Potter.

Sunday was more low key with Church & Sunday School, Brunch with Gaeb, Adaline, and Jackson and then shopping for fleece.  I have decided that we as a family will do one volunteer/service project a month to help those that need a little love, caring, and prayers.  January is Project Linus, so we are making tie fleece blankets to donate to hospitals.  Both kids have a fleece blanket that they love, so they were fully onboard with this idea and helping someone in need.

Then, it was the Vikings game....  I guess it ended okay.  Tim is definitely happy and it would make a good story to have the Vikings play the Superbowl in their own stadium.   Everyone deserves a championship at some point in time, right?  Now would I cheer for the Vikings?  No.  But would I cheer against them in this situation - no either.   

That's us in a nutshell this week. The kids both have today and tomorrow off from school.  I am working, so Tim is home with the kiddos.  Lucky them!

The going ons at the Heuers

Ahhh... back to blogging. It feels good... it feels comfortable... It feels like I am 5 years younger with more energy and time on my hands.  Okay, that may be a stretch... with kids, I never felt like I had energy or time!

What is going on in our house? Emma starts ski club tomorrow.  I cannot wait for her - this sounds so fun to me. Honestly, I am a bit jealous of all the activities that these kids have these days.  My high school did not have these options.  Anyway - Emma and Kaylee will be at ski club for the next 6 weeks. They will be at Afton Alps from around 3:30 to 7:30 on their own :-)   If I were them, it sounds like heaven. They will have a little cash, be with friends, and be on their own  Nice.

Evan is a little wrestler now.  He decided to forego basketball this year and try something new.  Most of his football and baseball buddies wrestle, so he decided to try to wrestle.  He never complains when he has to go to practice, so I think that is a sign that he likes it.  He has had one meet so far (do wrestlers have meets?? I need to learn the wrestling lingo)  and did well.  They actually stopped his meet (?)  his sparring (?)  whatever it is early because he had racked up so many points and the little boy he was wrestling against didn't have any.  He is doing pretty good.

We are wishing for snow so we can be outside more. The kids love their little snowmobile and want to be on it all the time.  Thankfully it is warmer out now. Evan and I went ice skating the other day and it was good to get it.

This past weekend, we bummed around the house on Saturday.  On Sunday we went to visit Great Grandpa and Grandma in Plum City.  We dined at Molly's and then went to play yahtzee.  (I strongly suggest a burger at Molly's. It was really good!)

More tests... adding pictures

Test #2

Is this still working??

So, If I am looking correctly, my last blog was in August of 2014. Is this still valid? We will see. One of my New Years Resolutions? Capture memories... let's see. this is just a test.

Tae Kwon Do

After Evan was able to break a board with his hand trying out Tae Kwon Do, we had to sign him up for trial classes. So far, he has loved them! He has a smile on his face the entire time!

The Twin's Game

Tim received Twin's tickets from work, so off we went last Friday night to the game. We played against the Kansas City Royals and had a great time. We kept the kids occupied with food and with the promise of fireworks after the game.

Egg Dy-ing

36 eggs done in less than an hour. I should have bought more! The kids really got into it this year. They tried to tie-dye eggs, polka dot eggs, 3 tone eggs, tattoo eggs, you name it. It was fun and colorful!

Easter fun!

The kids loved Easter.  They both declared it their favorite holiday. As with any holiday, both kids got nervous about the dog that lives with us, who is capable to hunt and harm a bunny.  Their resolution??  Lock Sage in her kennel around noon, give her bones and treats and toys and don't let her out until after they found their eggs and baskets.

While it was a busy weekend with an Easter Egg Hunt, a birthday party, a dinner party and church, we had a GREAT time.

We celebrated with brunch at the Kellogg's after our hunt.  Then - we had another hunt!  Luckily the weather was beautiful and we could be outside!

Crazy Hair Day

Evan wanted to get ready for crazy hair day tonight after bath...

He spiked it himself.

Gulp...

Well - you know it has been a long time since the last post when google doesn't recognize the address when typed it.

Wow....  over a month...

And I can honestly say, it was okay.  I have to let go of some guilt and updating the blog is a good one to get away from.   Not that I want to stop sharing stories with my few, dedicated readers, but honestly -- we are getting too busy.  My class is incredibly busy this semester and I don't seem to find as much time to work out lately, so the blog has to be pushed.  And.. I am okay with that.  The Heuer's are settling in, the kids are getting older, and honestly it isn't a huge priority now.

Sorry guys.

But - we are all good.  No worries there. The kids are thriving, keeping me on my toes, and are loving life.   Tim and I are doing great.

So - is this the end?  I cannot say for sure.  Maybe if I can squeeze out an extra 30 minutes of my day I will find some time for a few pics, but then again, maybe not.

Keep on, keeping on.....

I leave you with a few pics of my Hawaii trip - which was Legend- wait for it- dary.  It was great and warm and beautiful with yummy food.  All needed for a fabulous trip.

Good times

Well... at least someone still enjoys the snow.  (do I start every post lately with a comment on the weather? It feels that way!)  Anyway - as beautiful as the snow is, I am ready for spring.  But the kids are STILL loving it. Especially because this winter has been a doozy for them with cold & snow days off from school. This past Friday (2/21) Emma woke up to the news of no school.  Her comment?  " I just KNEW that we wouldn't have school again!"  Yup, this little lady is starting to expect it now :-)

So Emma and Evan stayed home with Tim while I ventured into work.  It is a good thing that I now have a very short commute as the roads were bad, even in the small little town of Lake Elmo.  The kids colored, watched TV, played cars, wrote stories, and basically enjoyed another free day from school.

That night the three of them headed to the cabin while I stayed at home and enjoyed a girls night out with friends.  It was a night of reminiscing about Croatia, eating good food, and enjoying company other than our children's for a bit.

Saturday, I headed up to the cabin to join them.  Luckily I was able to hitch a ride up with my sister-n-law Jill, so I didn't have to drive on the roads by myself. Also this way, the Heuer house didn't have 2 cars at the cabin.

We drove up to the cabin where it was like this:  (pretty beautiful, I think)

Deep, deep snow with large piles of it everywhere!!  Because we had too much on the roof of the cabin, Tim  & Dad spent much of the weekend doing this:

Looks life fun, right?

Tim - I think you missed a spot.

Probably telling me "no more smart comments"

While Tim was doing that, the kids were doing this:

SLEDDING!!  We have a really good hill for sledding at the cabin and the kids took advantage of it! They were out there numerous times during the weekend.  Their cousins Brandon & Jordyn were up also and took in the fun!

Evan and Brandon

Jordyn and Emma

The 4-man Bobsled team

The big hill 

At the bottom

I think the kids were out there 5 times this past weekend.  Once after supper around 7pm to do "night sledding".  Although Evan was scared that a bear was going to get him.

We also enjoyed a wild turkey supper up there with Tim's family, visited, and just relaxed.

Other than the bad roads, this past weekend was a really good one!

Our Annual Trip to Wisconsin Dells

Oh what excitement this trip brings! The kids were bouncing off the walls the whole week before we left for our trip to the Dells. "Mom - when is the trip?"  "Mom - when do we leave?"  "Mom - how many days are we staying there?"   Yup - the annual trip with my parents, my sisters, and their family.  We rent a big condo with 5 bedrooms, full kitchen, 5 bathrooms, 2 full living rooms, game room, washer/dryer, etc.  It is fun.  If you are 7 and 5 years of age, I don't think there is anything better.

We left last Saturday morning around 8:30 to stop at McDonald's for breakfast per a request from the 5 year old.  From there - we made the long trek to the Dells.  We got there a little after noon, waited a few minutes for family and room keys, unpacked, and made it to the waterpark around 2pm.  We stayed at Kalahari for the second year in a row and the kids had their bucket list of things to do while we were there. Both of my kiddo's were pretty brave this year and both enjoyed a few more rides, including the big hit: The Master Blaster.  Emma got up the nerve right away to try it.  It took Evan to the second day and after much discussion and many "No's" at first, eventually he said "Well, I supposed I could TRY the Master Blaster"  and he seemed to enjoy it.

As always the adults hit up the Outlet Malls that are right by, we spent many hours in the waterpark, and Evan even enjoyed a bit of their theme park and played miniature golf and a ropes course.  I have to admit, it is nice as the kids get older and they can run up the slides to wait in line and I just wait at the bottom for them if I don't feel like going.  There isn't as much stress to keep the constant eye on them and they are having so much fun!

This trip is definitely a Christmas gift that is LOVED by our family and we look forward to it every year.  No pictures this year, but you get the idea :-)

Valentine's Day

Valentine's day isn't normally a huge deal for the Heuer household.  However as the kids get older and have parties in school, it is hard not to get wrapped up in the excitement.

Emma gave out Despicable Me valentines in school and had a "lunch in the classroom" event that I was able to attend.  She wanted Subway, so I brought in a few subs, beverages, and chips for us to dine on while she laughed and giggled with all of her friends.  Then, the class did a presentation on the 7 continents for the visitors. It was a lovely way to spend my lunch hour.

Here are a few pics from the event:

Emma was the narrator for the 7 continents presentation.

The whole class view

Tim attended Evan's preschool conference this day as well and received a glowing report on Evan. His teacher feels as though he is more than prepared for kindergarten and will start teaching him small words and better sounding out techniques so he can start reading.  I am not sure how interested he is in reading thus far, but we will see.

Valentine's night was pizza, sushi, and fondue!  A random assortment yes, but they covered requests from everyone in the house.  Evan and Emma wanted Little Caesar's Pizza and breadsticks. Tim and I got Sushi and then we ended the night with chocolate fondue with strawberries, pound cake, and shortbread for dipping. It was fabulous!

Plus, what was even more fun was that I bought Tim a card and some yummy homemade chocolate truffles from a chocolatier in Hudson.  He got me nothing. (which, we normally don't do gifts and cards on Valentine's day so it isn't a big deal)  BUT - I still had fun playing the victim on this one!

We had a great night.  The kids loved the parties and fondue and really liked the family time.

Let it Snow

Yup... more snow... more winter... and more polar vortex coming up.  Lovely.  While I am a fan of winter, this one packed a doozy.

The kids still love to see the white falling down and had to go outside to build snowmen when both got home from school.  They didn't last long - they made a small snowman, came in for carrots and such for body parts and decided they wanted to stay in.  The snow is up to Evan's shoulders in some parts of the lawn and Emma's chest, which makes the walking hard for them.

This just makes my soon-to-be Hawaii trip even more alluring.  (like Hawaii isn't alluring enough :-) )

Responsible

We got a nice note from Evan's pre-school teacher a few days ago saying that he had been nominated to represent the word Responsibility at school.  She said that Evan exemplifies what this word means and is incredibly responsible in the classroom. He is always doing as he as asked and is a good role model to the other students!

Of course, Tim and I are very proud of our responsible little boy.  (He is in the K line, second in from the left)

Apparently this award gets your school picture up on the wall and lunch or snack with the principal!  I love seeing this stuff come home from the teachers.  For both Evan and Emma we get great feedback on their performance in school and their behavior while there.  So, even though I am constantly stressing about it, Tim and I must be doing something right!

Some Mom and Me Time

Looks yummy, doesn't it?

Emma got a "Just Mom and Me Book" for Christmas and ever since she first paged through it, she wanted to do the Spa Day.  The book had several recipes for at-home treatments a little lady could do with her Mom and the one in the picture above is the banana-honey mask.  (and it appears that we should have mashed the banana up a bit more)  Basically, you mix banana with honey.  That is it.  Rub it on your face and let it dry. Then wash it off and put on some moisturizer.  It definitely tightened up my face a bit and Emma had a great time. (Evan thought it was hilarious as well)

The next one we plan on trying is the natural exfoliatent:   Baby Oil and brown sugar.

More pictures to come after we try that one!

Going to the cabin

All packed with his entourage and ready to go...

Blurry, yes,  but I had to take the pic. He packed this all on his own.  His penguin Peep Peep, his duck Duckie, and Baby Bear from Croatia.

What the kids do on cold days

Wowza...

Can you say too many days off of school?  So far, with holidays included as well, Emma has had 8 days off from school in January.  5 days for the cold, 2 holidays (New Years and MLK) and one random Friday off before MLK day.

So, suffice it to say that the kids are going stir-crazy.  We have been mixing it up a bit between Tim staying home, myself staying home, and occasional days to Theresa's.  But still.. stir crazy.

I was at work on Monday and Tim was home.  I came home to this:

Anything for a buck, right?    The kids were so excited about their art sale and Tim mentioned that they had been working on it all afternoon. So, of course, I bit...

Just in case you didn't know... there is an art sale

Mom!  Reminder - we are having an art sale.
(and yes - this is punk Emma.  I told her the hat looked cute on her and now she wears it constantly)

And I get to the top of the stairs and see a line... for the art sale.  It made me laugh.  Then - they were pretty adamant that I had to stay RIGHT there.  So, I looked a bit closer at the line of stuffed animals waiting to get into the art sale.

Each stuffed animal had money laying on them... you know... for the admission to go into the art sale.

Evan had raided his piggy bank to put money on each animal.  And then because Evan had his money out, Emma told him that he had to pay admission to get into his own room to see his own art work.  And because Evan adores Emma, he paid her.

Then.... Tim told Emma to give the money back.

And then, I was finally allowed to continue to the art sale. But was told I was in the wrong line and I had to go into my bedroom to the end of the line.

When I walked in, I saw this.....

One large "stuffed" animal waiting to go into the art sale.  I laughed hysterically.

I have to admit - this was pretty creative.   It was fun to see their minds at work with this one while on a day off.  They were not just sitting in front of the TV or playing on the iPad,.

So - I went into the art sale and bought a piece of art from both of them.  Evan drew the Grave Digger Monster Truck and Emma did a portrait of me.

So sweet!