About Me

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I am a Mom of two young lads, a fitness fanatic and wife to a die-hard Packers/Brewers fan. I worked in corporate america for 12 years. Now I am on a new adventure - raising my sons and working part-time in the fitness industry as a Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor. I hope you stop by and read my updates- family, fitness, or life related!

Friday, October 29, 2010

Halloween Sneak Peek

Braden the monkey.
The three amigos sans costume...or are they the three stooges? (can you guess who is Larry, Curly and Moe??) :)
Wondering when he can eat that banana that's hanging out of his pocket.
Two monkeys hanging out - the skunk (Max) ran away.

Last Sunday we got to kick-off the Halloween festivities a little early with two parties. The first one was hosted by the Fultz's - full of animals to pet, jump houses, candy galore, hay rides and games with prizes. Oh what fun. The next stop was at the Sprout's where the three amigos got dressed up in their gear - two monkeys and a skunk. We had a soup making contest and it was a perfect fall hangout. Last year Braden was a pumpkin (oh and a banana I guess) and this year a monkey.

It has been a busy past week for us- showings and open houses. It has been interesting to say the least, cleaning this place so many times with a little guy around and then scooting out of the house either during dinner, nap or close to bedtime. I am sure there will be a lot more of it to come, so I am trying not to get stressed out or too sick of the madness yet. :) It will all be worth it I keep telling myself! Hopefully...... the showings and open house so far have been good and we have received great feedback. Time will tell I guess. Buyers just are not in a rush because there are so many options out there and prices are falling everywhere, so it will take the right person to snatch this great place up!

It will be fun to take Braden out to see the trick-or-treaters on Sunday, hopefully he is not scared of the costumes. I think we will head to my sister's since their neighborhood is really fun to go around and it's fun for cousins to hang out. Obviously Braden is still a bit young to get into the Halloween spirit officially, but we still have to go out and show him what it's about! Can't wait to fill you all in. Have a great and safe Halloween.

Friday, October 22, 2010

13 Months and Taking Steps!

Posing for his 13 month picture. (sort of)
Braden chasing a squirrel with his push toy.
Taking those steps- arms in the air and so proud!

In my last post just two days ago, I said I would update the blog if Braden was walking. Well, yesterday he took five steps a bunch of times and then one long stint of TEN steps. So, he isn't officially walking I would say since there is still crawling but we are making big leaps! I think he realizes that crawling is much faster, so that is still preferred. But, if he's already standing up he gets this look on his face like he might try it and if there's something he wants to reach or go for, he will take the steps to get to it. It's fun to see him take those steps for the first time, what a big accomplishment. I am always there cheering him on so his confidence can build up until he's ready to do it more.

Today marks 13 months for mister Braden. He is full of energy, smiles and fun. He has been such a good sport through my numerous trips to Target to get storage bins, or being tossed in the car or stroller for showings or picture taking. He goes with the flow, and is a happy little guy. He definitely is starting to get more of an opinion of his own these days - things he likes and doesn't like. He does not like laying on his back. He wants to feed himself with the spoon and if you don't let him he will let you know! He is so curious about animals that if he sees anything from a squirrel to a dog outside he will follow it and if I try to re-direct him another way he will scream at me! It's crazy how independent they get at such an early age.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Slowing Down?!? Not Really....

Cousin Dan's wedding- Braden's first wedding. He loved the music and the DJ lights.
First Burley ride with friend Cam.
Big leaf pile...and of course a football!

Well, I thought I would be blogging more now that our house is on the market and my projects have ceased. But wait, I now have to keep this place clean "just in case." Darn. Well, I will try to update the blog more in the future. We did have a showing this week and the feedback was good. Our first open house will be on Halloween.

I am putting some pictures up of some more fun fall activities we have been partaking in which I haven't blogged about yet - including Braden's first ride in a Burley, his first leaf pile and his first wedding.

What is new with us? We continue to keep busy this fall but not too busy. We have music class and mostly we are enjoying the nice fall weather with lots of park time and walks/jogs. Today we went to an indoor park to change things up a bit. Braden got to jump in a big jump house for the first time (with my help of course.) He thought that was so fun. He still is not walking. I did get him to take three steps yesterday though. He just doesn't seem to have the desire. He can run with the push toys and turn it around corners now. He can push the tall garbage cans across the parking lot too. :) He can also walk holding just one of my hands, and he can stand for minutes at a time. I know he could walk, but he just doesn't want to. He seems anxious when I try to get him to take steps on his own, he just sits down immediately and pouts. So, he will walk when he is ready and he is just not ready yet! I will definitely let you know when the time comes!

As for the rest of us, I am teaching three classes this fall (one Kettle bell Community Ed, kickboxing and bootcamp), and Joe's new job remains as busy as ever but he is really enjoying being the buyer of ice cream at Target. Who wouldn't enjoy getting to taste test ice cream for a living? :) It is much harder than that of course, but that is one obvious perk! I had a girls weekend this past weekend w/ my college friends in Stillwater which was a lot of fun. Joe and Braden had great bonding time- what did they do? Football games of course! :) We all have been a bit sick but seem to be getting better now- eye infections, cough, congested...so hopefully we got that out of our systems for a while!

I hope you are all enjoying October and gearing up for Halloween.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

It's Go Time!

Well, it's official...our place is finally on the market as of today! It looks like the past six weeks of me basically re-decorating this place has paid off. I am very happy with how it looks in the pictures! I hope to relax a bit now, but we'll see how relaxing keeping this place in tip top shape can be with a one year old! Not to mention any showings or open houses in the future, but it's all good stuff. We are headed in the right direction and only time will tell if this place will sell. Here is the official MLS listing so you can see for yourself! (you might have to cut/paste for now because I can't get the actual link to post!)

http://matrix.northstarmls.com/Matrix/Public/Portal.aspx?k=663366X43OD&p=DE-63896299-39

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

My Boy Can Dance!



You have to pay close attention because I only captured Braden's mad dancing skills for like the first five seconds of this video. I have been trying to teach Braden to dance since he was a newborn, and boy has it worked. Every time there is music on, he bounces up and down and puts one arm in the air. Hmmmm, wonder where he gets that from?! You got it- he is a dancing machine. I can't wait to see if this continues into his older years. Maybe he will be doing the worm by his next birthday. :) he he.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Tip Top Shape!

The living room.
The patio- fall style!
The kitchen, de-cluttered and newly painted cabinets.
The dining area in the kitchen- table is set, new lighting, new tablecloth and flowers.
My favorite- our new bathroom!!!
Braden's crib- moved to opposite wall, corner. Moved rocking chair from downstairs. Added initials on wall.
Other wall in Braden's room - all re-arranged.
Our bedroom.
Our new front door- freshly painted by yours truly. Joe scraped off the old paint and re-painted the trim around the windows. Added a new welcome mat and fall colored flowers. :)

I am finally kicking back tonight (sort of) and relishing the fact that all of our house projects are done. Let the maintenance and keeping this place clean begin! We have a remodeled bathroom, painted doors and trim, de-cluttered rooms and closets, bought and used lots of storage bins, new front door, moved a bunch of things to my sister's house, washed windows, cleaned screens, and we have it staged!! I think I've recapped most of everything but you get the point. The past six weeks have been exhausting but now I am done!!!

Anyway, the Realtor will take pictures on Tuesday and it will be officially on the market by mid-week. I am excited and nervous. Our first open house will be on Halloween. Pass on the word to all of your friends- we have a great town home in a spectacular location (right by Southdale Mall, Galleria, all the great restaurants in Edina, parks, 3 miles from Lake Harriet.) It has 2 beds/2 baths. It has a private patio. It is an END unit so we have a nice big yard on the side and only one neighbor! Don't forget about the pool in the summer too! Have I sold you yet?? he he.

I am happy with how things look, so hopefully the right person comes along to snatch this place up. The pictures above are a tribute to all the hard work! Let the showings begin!

Friday, October 8, 2010

Just Chillin'





I couldn't resist this adorable elephant camping chair. I went to the hardware store to make copies of our house key because we got a new front door, and sitting outside was this adorable chair. Braden climbed in and stayed sitting - and it was only $15, so home with us it came. :)

Braden's new morning routine is to climb in it (in only his diaper), chug his milk (with legs crossed) and watch a little Dora the Explorer. What a big boy he is. Also note the laptop in one of the pictures. He is already thinking of things he can invent so we can become millionaires and travel the world! It's good to start them working so young!

Monday, October 4, 2010

Fall Fun






This weekend we went to Aamodt's Apple Orchard in Stillwater (my lovely hometown) with some friends and their kids. It was a beautiful fall day. The kiddos got to pet the goats, take a hay ride and of course eat some delicious apple orchard food. Oh wait, maybe that was the adults! Things that were consumed were(not by just one person of course): apple turnover, apple cinnamon cookie, cinnamon ice cream, apple cider donut, hot cider, apple wine, hot dog, and caramel apple slices. I think I got it all! I personally indulged in the apple turnover, caramel apple slices and apple wine - all were delicious. It was fun to see the little guys hanging out together since they are all within three months of eachother and one big brother who they look up to. What a fun fall day! I hope everyone is enjoying the fall weather- wether it's leave changing in the midwest or the extended summer of California!

Friday, October 1, 2010

Music Class

Braden actively listening to the singing.
Braden and his musical instruments.
Braden digging in the toy bin.

Braden started music class this week. It was so much fun. It is held at a church in Edina (just a private room in the church) and there are about 6-8 moms and kids. Four of the kids are exactly Braden's age- just turned one or are turning one within the week. I was curious to see what Braden would be like in music class since at home he is a dancing machine whenever music comes on. He also loves to bang things together to make noise.

So, the class started out with songs. He sat on my lap and listened/watched for a few minutes. Then he got brave and went and sat in the middle. As soon as the teacher pulled out some props- music makers, scarves, etc... he pulled his own right out of the bin. When it was time to put the toys away he was the only child who cried. :) He also did some dancing and cruised around the room to say hi to everyone. He made quick friends with another boy his same age. The two boys were banging on the window and doing lots of baby babble talk as cars whizzed by outside.

We have music class every Tuesday and I am excited to go every week to see what Braden does. He seemed to be one of the more outgoing kids in class so maybe he got more of Mom's personality versus Dad's shyness around new people??? We shall see.. :)