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!

Saturday, July 30, 2011

22 Months = A Fisherman!

Learning how to hold the fishing rod.
First catch of the day- a sunny.
Watching Bapa bait the leech.
Braden's biggest catch of the day!


On Braden's big 22 month milestone (last Friday), I happened to take him up to my Dad's lake home for a few hours for his first fishing lesson. I have wanted to take Braden up there all summer long on a weekday now that my Dad is retired. The time is drawing near where I should probably stay close to home, and after one bad weather cancellation, we finally made it happen last Friday. Braden and I made the 70 minute drive in the morning. We counted semis on the highway, we saw parachutes (or sky divers) in the sky. Braden does well in the car because he likes to soak in all the sights as we drive. We arrived at about 10:30 and stayed until close to 3. It was a gorgeous day out on Horseshoe Lake, WI. It was sunny and hot, but not overly humid. We lathered up in sunscreen and climbed onto the pontoon not too long after we arrived. I guzzled water, Braden drank two juice boxes (a treat that we don't have at home), and for Bapa - well a Bud Light of course.

Once out on the lake, Bapa gave Braden his very first fishing rod, Sponge Bob nonetheless. Once we anchored, Bapa "the ever-so experienced fisherman" showed the 22-month old how to cast, reel, bait and catch a fish. Within the first five minutes, bang...two sunfish were caught. Braden caught a total of four fish in just a short amount of time. He reeled in one all by himself. We will have to work on his casting though, he isn't quite old enough to do that solo, or put bait on for that matter. The rest of the time we took a nice tour of the lake on the pontoon so we could feel a little breeze on our face. It was a beautiful day to soak up the rays and take in all the pretty scenery out on the water, we were one of the only ones out there that day.
Ahhhh, if only every day could be spent on the lake. Braden had so much fun. We didn't even make it 5 minutes in the car upon leaving until he was fast asleep. Of course, we ended our visit with Bapa with some ice cream floats and Braden showing off his sprinting skills, so who wouldn't be tired after all of that fun?

So, on Braden's 22-month birthday (if that's what you call it), he officially added "fisherman" to his fine-toddler skills. I wonder what 23 months will bring? Maybe "brother" as a new title?!?!

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

The Final Stretch- 35 weeks.

I am in what I call "the final stretch"- the last 5 weeks of pregnancy (I guess it could be more, but hopefully not)! All of you Minnesotans know that this week is the hottest week we have ever had- temps at 100 and humidity that is setting crazy records! Braden and I have been staying in the a.c. for the most part- Children's Museum, playing at home, grocery shopping and I even took him to his first movie over the weekend- Winnie The Pooh. He did great. He got a little scared at some of the previews (for older kids) and he wasn't sure what to think when it got dark, but once the movie started he stayed tuned in and even laughed OUT LOUD a few times (good thing the theater was not crowded) - it was cute. He stayed in the chair all by himself, half folded up which he thought was fun. The movie was only about 65 minutes long- so perfect for his first run. In addition to staying in the a/c, we also have hit the pool in our neighborhood a few times for an hour or two where I totally submerge myself in the water. The only thing that is hard about that is trying to run around and keep up with an almost 2 year old who can't make up his mind on if he wants to go in the big or little pool. It sure is getting interesting climbing in/out of the big pool on the ladder- yikes! I might need to hire a nanny these next couple of weeks to keep up with Mr. Braden because I am not sure I can!

At 35 weeks I am starting to sleep less and less. It is hard to get comfortable at night, so I wake up about every hour. I am sure it's my body's way of preparing for what is to come after baby is here- oh, man! I do get more physically tired now. After chasing Braden around all day, and sometimes at night too if Joe has something going on, I feel like I am in a coma come 9:00 when I sit down for the first time. So, I long for the days where I have my energy back and can feel normal....but with a newborn coming I think that will be a ways off still! Plus, with the position of the baby right now my lung capacity is minimal and sometimes I feel like I'm suffocating. Driving a car and sitting upright is super uncomfortable. Fun huh? I am still teaching classes surprisingly. My kickboxing class this week was a bit hard, I felt more sluggish and it was hard to do a lot of the moves so I am being careful and not pushing myself. A lot of people in class have made comments that they are glad I have slowed down so they can maybe keep up- but I think they are just being nice. :) I hope to continue to teach right up until baby comes, but we'll see.

 I do notice that it's a bit more challenging to be pregnant while chasing around a toddler versus last time when I sat at my desk and plugged away at my work. Pregnancy has treated me well up until this point, and now I am pretty uncomfortable not only in the heat but just trying to move around and keep up with life with a toddler, classes, chores/cleaning, etc... plus with a husband who works long days, travels and coaches baseball I am going all the time with no down time. I also decided to get spin certified and have to take an online course which will take about 20 hours of my time. I have to complete it by Aug. 15. SO, I better get cracking. It's just hard to find the time when I want to use Braden's nap times for a little relaxation and getting stuff done around the house, but I am going to have to step it up soon. I also need to tackle the "baby to-do" list such as get the room ready (at least I washed clothes), put together the plan for what Braden will do while we are in the hospital, finish decorating Braden's room (transitioning to toddler room), pack the bags and of course buy a new car and then install the car seat. :) Some of these things are just minor- ha!

Well, I am excited to say that we have narrowed down our list of baby names- about 3 boy and 2 girl names. This is HUGE progress from just the 2 girl names that we had as of this weekend! So, it will be fun to learn if we are having a boy or a girl and then be able to pick from a few different options.

I'll try to keep the blog updated these last 5 weeks with any progress and hopefully Braden will continue to be excited for his brother/sister to arrive! I say excited because this week he said "Open it" and "Out" when he saw the baby kicking in my belly. I am sure he has no idea what is about to happen, but all we can do is keep talking to him about it and hopefully seeing the room come together, will help him prepare for his new job as big brother!!

Sunday, July 17, 2011

These Boots Are Made For Walkin'


Here's a recent video of our little cowboy strutting his stuff around the house!! I see many potential future careers for Braden based on his love for various things. Will he be a dentist with his obsession with toothbrushes? Will he be a firefighter with his love for holding and spraying hoses? Will he be a baseball player since he is already throwing, catching and swinging away? He could be a chef with his love for helping mom cook in the kitchen. He could be an Olympic runner as he sprints through the house when I say "GO!" He could be a librarian with his love of books. He could go into construction with his admiration for all construction trucks as well as digging.  Or maybe he will be a Vet with his love for animals. As you can see, the list goes on...but I am now adding Country Music Star as he struts around in his boots and hat.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Braden at 21.5 Months!

Making smoothies with Mom- smoothie moustache to prove it!
Drinking from the slip-n-slide
Waffles at the big counter
Donkey kick with his boots on!
Making muffins with Mom.


With my laptop being on the fritz, I missed a 21 month recap for Braden a couple of weeks ago. So, let's make this his 21.5 month update since his 22 milestone is in just a couple of weeks.

What is Braden up to at 21.5 months? Well some of the pictures above say it all. He LOVES water. He likes to water my plants and flowers and will put up a big fuss if I don't let him. He drinks from the squirt gun. He drinks from the slip-n-slide, he loves the pool and the lake. He loves baths. He always is asking for a drink of water...and it really is all about water! He loves all kinds of trucks, tractors, semis, 4 wheelers, motorcycles, etc.. He loves digging in the sand and could do it all day long. He loves to help mom vacuum, sweep, cook and empty the dishwasher. When I cook, he pulls a chair up to the counter and tries to help, and by helping that includes stealing licks or bites too. (Thank goodness for his helping skills because I will need him to be a good helping when baby arrives!)

Braden is also talking even more now- putting a few words together now like "I see it", "open it",  "I want it" and "up here". He also remembers everything- we drive past his doctor office and he will point it out and say "doctor" - so he is very observant and doesn't miss a beat. He is a funny guy- chases me around the house with a scary monster voice, jumps on dad like a trampoline and likes to roll down hills and play timber where he falls down. He does donkey kicks in the air and I can get him to belly laugh pretty darn easy which is fun. He is pretty social too- when he sees neighbors outside he runs over screeching and wants to play. He also is very expressive- showing emotions for scared, sad, mad, happy and making the faces that go along with them. Of course there are some toddler meltdowns, tantrums and some stern "No's" when I ask him to do something, but all in all he is a happy and fun little guy. I am lucky to spend my days with him.

All in all, we are having TONS of fun with Braden this summer. There has been no shortage of pool time, lakes, parks, sandboxes and digging, trips to the zoo and the list goes on. He is at such a fun age and I am trying to make this summer as quality-as-can-be before life changes for us all when a new baby arrives in about six weeks.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Going Retro- June Road Trip.

Well folks, I am back in business! My new laptop has been purchased and is now up and running. The good news is I have taken about 200 pictures in the last month so I can still fill you in on what we've been up to, pictures included. I will pick one event to share at a time so I don't overwhelm you with a month of updates all in one post. So, here's the start to what I call "retro-blogging".

June was a busy month for us, and July is turning out to be as well. In August we will slow down with zero plans in place because we aren't sure when baby will make his/her arrival. I am due towards the end of the month but it's always good to be prepared just in case. Hopefully we will have everything set for his/her arrival by then. I am making the to-do list and it looks long! Sorry, a little side-tracking there.

So, back to my retro blogging to make-up for lost posts while my laptop was down. Looking back to early June, we took a road trip to southern Wisconsin for Joe's cousin's graduation party. We made the most of the three days and also visited some other aunts and uncles that Braden hadn't met yet (great aunts/uncles for him). Braden's highlights were: the John Deere ride with Den, a visit to the family farm to check out the animals, ride the 4 wheeler and say hi to great uncles, and of course playing with cousins Cooper and Reece who we only see a few times a year. Oh, I also forgot that Braden spent his very first night in a hotel room. Until we arrived at the hotel, I hadn't realized that all of our previous overnights with him have been at houses or cabins. He was excited to swim in the pool and be able to eat a snack WHILE watching cartoons from bed! It's fun that the little things we take for granted when we travel are pure joy and excitment to toddlers. It was a good little family getaway, and probably my last one before I have this baby!
Braden's first John Deere ride- he was in heaven.
And a first 4 weel ride- he didn't want to get off.
Cartoons and snacks in bed- living the life!
Hanging with Cooper and Zoodle.

Friday, July 8, 2011

Blogging Haitus!

Sorry that I have been on a blogging hiatus for a while- our laptop still hasn't been replaced and that's where I store and can download all of our pictures. However, there is an end in sight. We might purchase a new laptop this weekend- yippee! I will soon post our 4th of July recap, a little blurb for Braden turning 21 months, the baby #2 countdown and whatever else we have been up to in the past couple of weeks!

For now, I will leave you with one picture until I can post more- this is how I found Braden watching cartoons the other morning. He looks so comfy! Oh to have the life of a toddler I tell ya! They have it so easy! :)

Hope everyone is having a fantastic July so far! More to come soon.....