this is the life

How did I get so lucky that Peg (my mother-in-law) would treat Megan (my sister-in-law) and me to a day at the spa? We had a girls afternoon out at the Juut Salon in Wayzata where Megan and I had a facial and massage. I don't get a lot of time away from the kids so it was exactly what I needed. . . it was wonderful!

Megan and me getting a foot soak while we waited in-between treatments . . .

All smiles after our wonderful afternoon. . .

it's a miracle. . . i'm cooking!!

Okay, so it isn't cooking per se, but it is a step up from my usual way of making diner which is ordering a few meals off of a take out menu. My girlfriend Cara and I went to Let's Dish to make 8 prepared meals for us to pull out of the freezer over the next month or so. Other then having to drive through a horrible storm to get there (a little thunder and lighting weren't going to stop us moms who rarely get a night out!!) we had a really fun time. And if the apron and hair-kerchief weren't enough to make us want to go back again, so far Lars and I have tried 4 of the dishes and they have been wonderful! So, as long as Cara can put up with my picture taking, I think we are heading back sometime this month. Plus this October they have Butternut Squash Ravioli on the menu. . . . NUMMY!

Here we are looking like a couple of cute cooks in the kitchen. . . and Cara loading up the cooler!

sweatshirts, socks, and sleep

Well, we are now wearing sweatshirts and socks. . . a tale-tell sign that fall is upon us. But the changing colors of the trees would have also given us a pretty strong hint that summer is officially over. The past few days have been the kind of days that we Minnesotans live for - cool and sunny. There is nothing better. . .

We went to a Twins game on Saturday night with Grandpa Dan while Annika stayed home with Grandma Barbara. It was the longest I had been away from her since she was born and I have to say it was a very good thing for me to do. I was getting to the point where I was anxious to leave her in fear she wouldn't take a bottle, but just like my thousands of other anxious worries, everything worked out great. She had a fun time with Grandma (and even sucked down 3oz of a bottle!) while Bergen was able to have some alone time with Mom, Dad, and Grandpa. Even though the Twins lost, we had a really fun time at the game. Bergen enjoyed a Dome Dog (quite arguably the best hot dog around), devoured a Twins malt cup and even got to experience the wave. . . a 3-year-olds dream of a night out on the town.

.

.

For the past two nights Annika has gone 8.5 hours between feedings - from around 9pm to 5:30am. I am afraid to even talk about it in fear that I might jinx it but let me tell you what an amazing thing it is for us to have a child sleep so well at only 2-months old. Bergen didn't sleep for an 8 hour stretch until he was almost a year old - and I am not exaggerating. He was a horrible sleeper and we had mentally prepared ourselves for another year of no sleep, but so far we have been pleasantly surprised at how well she is sleeping. I know I won't be able to count on that much sleep every night, but I will take what I can get!

jamie, this one is for you

We had two very wonderful friends, Jamie and Brent, over for some French Silk pie at the beginning of the month and upon taking a picture of Jamie with Annika (us, take a picture?!) she asked, "is this going to make the bladpad?" To which I said, "absolutely". . .

Jamie, these are for you. . .

Bergen the preschooler

Bergen started preschool this week, yeah! How is he already a pre-schooler?!? We were told that full potty-training was a pre-requisite to starting, so I was a little worried Bergen wasn't going to be able to start as he's still working on "potty-power"! However, we were relieved to learn the pre-school was okay with us sending him in a pull up. We'll get there eventually! He has quite a few friends in his class (see pic with Max below) and it so fun to see these kids all head off to school together. We know we'll blink and he'll be getting ready for Kindergarten and beyond....