Happy 7th Birthday Emma!

Seven years ago I forgo the annual mom/sister trip, to day after Christmas shopping, to go to the hospital and have a precious little girl. I can't believe Emma is already 7. She is growing up way too fast. She has turned into quite the little lady. She is definitely a girly girly through and through. I love every second of it. We may butt heads at some moments but we have learned great ways to compromise. I just hope we will continue on compromising through the teenage years! I have complied some pictures of Emma throughout the year. Looking at the pictures I can see how much she has changed in a year. I love her so much and it is so much fun to have a little girl who loves to get dressed up all fancy for anything.

Emma's Birthday Party

This year I thought I would try to have Emma's birthday party before the craziness of Christmas. Well I think anyway you look at it there is craziness of Christmas before and after the actual date. It rained and snowed that day but all her friends and our family made it to the party. It was so much fun and I am happy to say that it is over. Another party done for the year. I can't believe she will be 7 on the 26th. The time flies by. She is a joy and I love having a girly girl. She wears dresses or skirts every day, we do hair and make-up and she loves dance. I am so blessed to have a healthy little girl!

Heartache

I just need to post this to talk through what happened yesterday. Life as a parent is hard. I remember when we brought Braeden home from the hospital watching news stories about kids dying from doing stupid things they saw on TV. I would say to him you aren't going to do that because you are going to be smarter than they are, but in reality kids are just curious. As the kids have grown we worry all the time. Does the worrying ever stop? I am guessing never. I am sure my parents still worry about us constantly and now have grandkids to worry about as well. What has this world come to? This was a safe place. We are the land of the free. These awful shootings and terrible tragedies are only things that we heard about happening in other countries. They aren't suppose to happen here. WHY? How can we shelter our kids from this? Can I build a safe house and never let them out? What do they learn if I do that? I am so devastated for all the families in Connecticut. I can't imagine the horror that those poor babies experienced while sitting doing fun activities at school. I instantly think of my babies. I don't know how you over come something like this. Should we home school? This is so awful! Why do we have to worry about all of this? Not only do we have to worry about the sick child predators but now psychos that going on a shooting rampage that kill innocent victims. I am devastated and can't come to terms with this. Why here in the land of the free? WHY? This is so awful! My prayers go out to all the families that have to bury their babies right before Christmas. This is an awful tragedy and this world needs to change. Something needs to be done about guns and how to protect our babies in their schools. I would be happy to sit on a focus group to figure all of this out and how to make schools safer. I hugged my babies a lot tighter yesterday. Braeden is 9 1/2, Emma 7 and Charlie 4. This happened to babies their age. My heart hurts and I am so blessed my babies are safe but this could happen any where.

Thanksgiving

What a wonderful Thanksgiving we had this year. Ali made it home and we were able to spend a week with her. This is the first Thanksgiving we have had with Ali, in Mankato, in 3 years! It always goes by way too fast! I definitely soaked up every second of it though. We have so much to be thankful for this year. (knocking on lots of wood) This is the first full year, since Braeden was born, that we have not had a surgery and hospital stay. Every year we have had at least one surgery, several ER visits and a few hospital stays. This year we avoided ALL of it! What a blessing!! Everyone is healthy and growing up so fast. It was a great year and I am so thankful for healthy happy kids!! It is definitely the best Christmas present we could get this year. 2013 is going to be the year of change and wonderful things for us! I signed a lease on a office space/store. I take possession of the space on January 1st and will be up and running in it before February 1st to push Valentine's Day treats! I couldn't be more excited and nervous all at the same time. It is an amazing opportunity and I am so grateful for a husband and family that are so supportive. This past year I grew leaps and bounds and knew it was time to make the move. I am excited for the new year and what it will bring for our new adventure. I have amazing support from family and friends. We are definitely heading in a new direction.

Here are some pictures from Thanksgiving:

November already!

I can't believe that October is gone and we are only a few weeks from Thanksgiving. The time flies by faster every year! This pas month has been super busy for us. Braeden had a few swim meets on the weekends. They were in the cities and we were getting up and out of the house by 5:00am to get to the pools for warm ups. It sure made the weekends fly by and the sleep very important. We have all now had the colds and crud. I am sure it is from the schedule that we keep. The kids are involved in a lot of activities and we find that we aren't home much to enjoy comfy clothes on the couch. Braeden has been out of school for the last few days with strep. He will be home one more day and then I think he will be ready to go back. Poor kid has been down and out but I really think he has secretly enjoyed watching movies in mom and dad's bed while playing the iPad. Our renters in North Mankato moved out of our house and Nick has been working nonstop trying to get the house ready for the new renters. I made the mistake of going up to the house to see it. It looks great and it really is a perfect house. It has a great yard, 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths and a double garage. If we could just move that house into the Franklin School District it would be perfect. Don't get me wrong I love my 1952 house with tons of character but we don't have a an attached garage and we only have 3 bedrooms with 2 bathrooms. The extra space would be FABULOUS! I am grateful to have a home and know this is the best place for us right now.

The kids had a fabulous Halloween. It was so much fun to watch them run from house to house getting candy! My mom made all the kids awesome treat bags. They are basically as big as a pillow case. With the weather being pretty decent we were out trick or treating for 2 hours...2 HOURS! It was crazy and the kids bags were full. We have quite the candy load. Braeden said he wants to eat it all but it will probably last until Easter. We went trick or treating with our neighbors and had a blast.

Here are some pictures from our Halloween:

1st Swim Meet

This past Sunday we had Braeden's first swim meet of the fall season. It was an early start to get to Edina before 7:00am. The kids did great getting up and ready by 5:00am. I was quite impressed. It is amazing what a little bribery can do. Braeden did great at the meet. He beat his times in 2 of the 3 events he swam in. We were really impressed in the improvement he has made. His coach is AMAZING!! He takes the time to work with him during warm-ups to make sure he is ready for his events. Then he sat at the end of the lane to cheer him on. I am always impressed with how he is with the kids. After each race he always talks to Braeden to let him know how well he did and what he needs to work on. Swim meets are the fun part for Braeden and is excited to go to practice this week to gear up for the swim meet this weekend. Here are some pictures from the meet:

Big Steps

The past 6 months has been EXTREMELY busy for my business. I have tripled my business from last year and keep growing. It is amazing and so rewarding. The hard work I have put in the last two years is really paying off. The classes I have been continually taking are helping me learn a lot of new fun techniques. The conversations have started on trying to decide when to get a space that is just mine and I don't have to share with everyone. It would be great to not have to store a ton of stuff at my house. It would be even better to move all my pick-ups and consults to a location that wasn't my home. We have started looking but are taking our time. I want to find the PERFECT spot. The commercial realtor we are working with is awesome. He is young like us and has great ideas for me. We have looked at some awesome spots and now we are taking second looks to see if any of them will work. We have decided to pick something that will work now and as I grow more we can expand. This is a huge step and kind of scary as well. I believe that this is the best thing for me right now. I really need the separation from business and home. It was really evident this summer when I would have people just stop by my house without an appointment. I am looking forward to that ending. It will also be great to have a door to shut and lock and leave work behind as I head home. More news to come as we are just beginning this process.

Times Have Changed

Last week some interesting conversations were had with our 4th grader. I remember as a 4th grader, who had just moved back to Minnesota from Baltimore, I had heard my first swear words. It was such a different thing and I asked my mom about it. The things Braeden has brought to our attention are not as simple as a swear word. Boy..that would've been nice. Who knew that he would have to deal with such complicating issues as a 4th grader. Shouldn't he be worried about video games, friends and activities? This being a parent thing sure has its challenges. I just wish kids could be kids and we could shelter them from these complicated issues or conversations. Our goal as parents are to keep the lines of communication open. I don't want my kids to fear us no matter what. I hope they learn that choices sometimes have consequences they won't like but its better for us to know about things then to hide them. Does it ever get easier or better? Do you ever stop worrying?

CAR

Who knew such a little, simple word could mean so much to a mom. Today I baked all day so my mother-in-law picked Charlie up from preschool. When I got home she was telling me how amazed she was at what he could say and how much better he is to understand. I told her we had noticed a change as well. He has only been in school for a few weeks and it is amazing what a little speech therapy can do to a child. Mary then proceeded to tell me how she couldn't believe he wasn't saying 'Tar' anymore for Car. I wasn't sure what she was talking about. Charlie said, mom my teacher taught me today...he puts his hand up by his throat and says..'CAR'! I could've cried I was so excited! What a blessing. He has come a long way, It is so great to hear him be able to say the sounds we take for granted. What a great day he had and the smile on his face as he told me was priceless!!

Twins Game

We have never taken the kids to a Twins Game and decided lets just do it. Not sure why we waited so long, maybe because their activities keep us extremely busy ALL the time. Who knows but better late than never. It was so much fun. Of course the day we pick it was really windy and cold. It was extremely hot all summer and most days leading up to that day. Then we get to Saturday for the game and it was cold. We made the most of it. We wanted them to have fun. We walked around to see everything. I thought they would be up and down the entire time but they actually watched the game. It was cute to see them so interested! We were suckers for letting them get pretty much anything they wanted. We bought hot dogs, nachos, pretzels with cheese, slushies, and pop. No one went home hungry that is for sure. It was a late night but the kids still talk about it and can't wait to go again. Here are some pictures from our night:

School

Now that the kids have officially started their 3rd week of school I should probably post some pictures. My life is chaotic to say the least. I can't believe summer is over and the kids are all back to school. My kids love to go so I know it is good for them. The first day of school was really hard for me this year. I just loved having them home and my house was instantly quiet when they were gone. I think it is also just thinking about this being the last year Charlie is home before he starts Kindergarten. Time goes by way too quickly. As a child I never understood that statement and always thought it went slow. As an adult I wish I could bottle up these moments and enjoy them more.

First Day of 4th and 1st Grade

First Day of Preschool

School

Last night we had entrance conferences with the kids. It so surreal that school is starting in a week. I feel like I was just picking the kids up form their last day of school. This mommy is getting kind of weepy knowing the summer is ending. The fights drove me CRAZY. The begging to get my kids out of bed to get to activities was a pain in the butt. BUT...I have completely enjoyed this summer with my kids. We had a lot of time together. We enjoyed the pool and the lake immensely this summer! It was great to meet their teachers. It is going to be a fabulous year with great teachers. Braeden wishes that he could go in a time machine to be able to start school faster. I am so glad that my kids enjoy school. I HOPE they will always enjoy getting up to go to school. Emma's teacher is in Patsy's old classroom. That just means there are good bones in there and she will excel this year!! Braeden got a fabulous teacher that taught Uncle Zak when he was little. Braeden of course brought it up to her immediately. I get one more year of my Charlie home with only preschool. I don't think we talk about Kindergarten for him until the day of. He gets to meet his preschool teacher on Wednesday. Ahhh...we are going to enjoy this weekend with time at the pool with cousins and days at the lake to water ski and go on boat rides.

Chore Chart

This week I finally made chore charts for my kids. It has been a long process of finding the right one and what would work for my kids. I searched the web and put together a few ideas into one amazing chore chart.

First I started with a cookie sheet and glass gems from the dollar store, magnets from Wal-Mart, 1 inch punch, mod podge, foam brush, glue stick, E6000 glue and fun paper

I then printed jobs to punch out and glue on the back of the gems. Here is the website I used here. I cut them out with the 1 inch punch and glued them face up to the back of the gems with the glue stick. I then spread mod podge on the back. I laid them out to dry for an hour.

 

After they dried I glued the magnets on the back with the E6000 glue. I let them dry overnight. While they dried I made up how to distinguish if the jobs need to be done, were done or are jobs that can earn money. I came up with this:

Then instead of gluing the sheet to the cookie sheet I decided to just tape it. I like change and know that I will want to change out the paper based on the time of year or just when I find cute paper I want to use. By gluing it, it makes it harder to change.

I put it all together and then remembered I had to drill holes in the cookie sheet to run ribbon through it.

Then I ran ribbon through it to hang it up on the wall.

 

Here are all the chore charts completed. They turned out better than I thought. The kids enjoy being able to move their jobs around. It has worked well to tell them they have to get them done before they can do other things for the day. The money jobs are great too because they can earn a little bit during the week during jobs that are over and above their normal day to day jobs. We didn't want to pay them for making their bed, brushing their teeth, cleaning their room or the normal jobs they have to do. They get paid to empty the dishwasher, clean the sink, dust, vacuum, etc. It is working great so far but it has only been a week!

Eventful Week

We have had the most fun week of the summer. Monday Braeden learned how to water ski! Hard to believe at 9 he can get up on skis. He looks so little skiing behind the pontoon boat. He doesn't need the speed boat to pull him out of the water because he is only maybe 60lbs soaking wet. My little boy is growing up. He went back to the lake Thursday night and got up without a problem! My kids are such water kids!

Emma had dance tryouts on Thursday. I am proud to say we have now entered a new stage in dance. She made rec team and hip hop team. I am so proud of her!! Her best friend tried out with her and they both made the same hip hop team. Emma is a year younger than her so they are on different rec teams. The girls were pretty bummed because they have danced together for the last 3 years. Her friends mom and I are bummed as well but excited that they can at least dance hip hop together. We will do play dates and it will be perfect!

Charlie has started putting his face under the water! This is HUGE! He has been so hesitant because he hates getting water in his ear. Friday my neighbor, Jen, and I took our kids to the pool to play. Charlie hangs out in the kiddie pool and the other kids get free rain of the pool and diving boards. Maddie, Jen's daughter, was swimming around in the kiddie pool and Charlie started copying her. He even held his breath and swam towards Jen and I kicking his legs! What an accomplishment. I couldn't be more proud.

My kids have had the best week!! Tonight they are staying at the lake for the night and I get a much needed alone night. Nick is in Madison on a golf trip with his brother. I am catching up on uploading pictures, updating my website and all other work related things that can never get done!

Lake Weekend

Our weekends are filled with fun family adventures and our nights during the week have finally are not filled full with sports. We can enjoy just relaxing during the evenings. We have been to Milwaukee to visit Nick's brother and his family. The girls are getting so big and we had such a great time visiting everyone! This weekend we spent time at the lake with Nick's cousins, aunts, uncle and grandma. I was super busy with orders for Saturday and Sunday so I didn't join the family until Sunday. The weekend was perfect. Today the kids and I went back out to spend the afternoon with everyone again before they all left. We soaked up the sun, swam in the lake and enjoyed some fun boat rides. Braeden has been trying to get up on water skis a few times this summer. Today he was determined to get up and he was up on his first try! Uncle Dick was in the water helping him and his papa was driving the boat. I can't tell you how exciting it was for everyone to watch. The boat was filled full with cousins, aunts, nana, papa and grandma cheering him on. What a site to see your 9 year old skiing! He can't be more than 60lbs soaking wet and looked so little skiing. He wasn't sure what to do once up so skied for a little while and then let go. He got up 2 more times and 1 time he got up without any help. We are so proud of him! What a great way to end a fabulous weekend. Didn't bring my camera out and left my phone in the house; which is probably a good thing because I probably would've tossed in the lake I was so excited!

Tim & Kenny

I have been a terrible blogger this summer. With the kids being home and a booked baking schedule I just don't find the time like I use too. I am trying to do better.

Sunday my sisters and I went to the Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney concert. We had such a blast! It was quite the experience and frankly overwhelming. It started at 4:30 and went until 11pm. It was a long hot day but so worth every second. We had fabulous seats and sat next to some fun people as well. The security guys by us were very friendly and lets us get away with a lot more than we probably should have. I was able to get some really good pictures. I even ran closer to the front and snapped a few quickly. The pictures were harder to get when Kenny came on because of the lighting and my crappy old camera. I wish I would have brought my DSLR but what a lug that would've been to haul around. Molly, Ali and I stayed in a hotel for the night. It was the best decision we could've made. It was a great way to send Ali back to Michigan after some good sister time. We sure miss her when she isn't here! Here are some pictures from the concert that I took:

HHHEEELLLLOOOO OUT THERE

Geesh....it has been along time since I last posted. We have been adjusting to the non-school schedule. It hasn't left much free time. We still get up early and run around all day. The past few weeks have been eventful for all of us. I had 7 weddings, 7 graduation parties, birthdays, baby showers, bachlorette parties, retirement parties...etc! Oh and did I mention Senator Amy Klobuchar placed an order that was shipped to Washington DC?! Needless to say it has been a busy few weeks for me. Braeden has been busy as well. He is in golf and swimming and both take up a lot of his time. He had a swim meet Father's Day weekend and has another one coming up this weekend. There really isn't much down time to get on the computer and update things. I have pictures and videos to get up but haven't found the time to do it. Plus, 50 Shades of Grey Trilogy consumed my life for a good week! ;) This week is a little slower so I am going to TRY to get caught up on life. We shall see if that happens. I have had a lot of consults these last few weeks. Braeden has baseball on Tuesday and Thursday nights and Emma has softball at the same time. Nick and I have been switching who goes to which game. When we have some down time we have been heading to the pool and the lake. Only 13 more days until the Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney concert but who's counting! I will try to get pictures up tonight when the kids are in bed. Today is a great day for the slip n slide so I am sure I will have some fun pictures of the kids trying it out.

Stomach Bug

The last day of school is tomorrow, Thursday, and we have had the stomach bug at our house since Friday. UGH....it started with Emma on Friday morning. She missed the school festival that night and was so sad. It is something the kids look forward to every year. She was also suppose to have a friend sleepover so we had to reschedule :(. It was only a 24 hour bug and she felt a lot better by that evening and back to herself by the next day. Monday evening the bug visited Braeden. Poor kid wakes us up in the night and said..'I got sick but I can still go to donuts with dad in the morning.' He tried to clean it up himself so that he could go to school :( Broke my heart! Tuesday was a hard day for him to miss. He had to miss donuts with dad, Kopischke Cash Auction and fast food lunch. He was so bummed out! He didn't want to eat or drink anything because he was nervous to get sick. He was too weak to go to school today so he had to stay home and miss his class picnic. He is SAD and bummed that he has missed everything. He is finally feeling better and seems back to himself this evening. Charlie, Emma and I were playing outside and the bug visited Charlie. Poor kid has had his head in bucket since 4:45pm. It is now 11:15 and he is still getting sick. He is so thirsty and we have been giving him 2 tsps of water at a time. He falls asleep and within 20 minutes is up again getting sick. We are in for the long haul tonight. I am just hopeful that this little bug will not visit Nick and I or Dean and Mary. They came over to watch Braeden and Charlie today so that I could bake. I am grateful for all their help and don't want them to get sick because of us. Say some prayers that Charlie can crash now and not get sick anymore.

Stretched

What are we going to do when Charlie gets involved in sports? Baseball, swimming, softball, dance and camps have all started. School isn't out and we are juggling schedules and figuring out when we will have a normal supper together again. What is normal? PB & J on the road isn't normal? Well it is for us right now. I think the kids have had it with them so we change it up to ham & cheese too ;) I juggle activities during the day and then Nick takes the evening shift while I work. This is the busy season for my business so I am getting pulled from all directions. School is coming to an end and all the kids have asked to keep going through the summer. WHAT..what is wrong with my kids? Kudos to their teachers this year because they are all AMAZING. What a fabulous year they have had. Braeden's teacher found what motivates him, money and rewards. He has had the best year yet and has loved every second of it. They have a big Multiplication Sundae Party tomorrow and the kids have gotten to earn scoops and toppings by passing their timed tests. Braeden is so pumped that he has earned all his scoops and is working on toppings. We have been working really hard the last few weeks. His teacher is pretty smart! What kid wouldn't want ice cream. Braeden did say to me...'I am not going to try hard for the cherry though mom because I HATE cherries.' Haha! As much as I would LOVE to have my kids stay in school all summer, I am really looking forward to some quality time with them. This is the first summer in awhile where we can just relax and enjoy one another...in between all the activities of course. Ah the joys of activities. Nick and I will have to schedule date nights in too just to see one another.

Emma's Recital

This past weekend was jam packed with a lot of activities. Friday was Braeden's friend birthday party. Saturday Emma went to a birthday party then we headed to the lake. It was our first trip to the lake for the summer. We brought our neighbors and their kids along. It was a perfect day for the kids to swim and go on the boat. We ended the weekend on Sunday with Emma's dance recital. It amazes me to see how she has grown in the last few years. All the girls have come a long way and I sure enjoy watching her grow throughout the year. Here are some pictures from the lake and recital:

Happy 9th Birthday Braeden!

1st Birthday

9th Birthday 

May is a busy month for this Otto family. We now are celebrating Braeden's 9th Birthday. How crazy to think that he is 9 already. It feels like just yesterday we were ripping off wallpaper, painting, getting ready to move into our house before he arrived. Now our little baby boy will be 9..NINE!! He enjoyed a fun birthday with 7 other 9 year old boys on Friday night. We learned a great lesson from Friday night, 7 additional boys is A LOT. Next year only a few...3 extra boys for a sleep over. He had a blast so that really is all that matters. Sleep is over rated anyways.

We love you so much Braeden. You truly are a spirited little man with a lot to share with everyone. We love all your stories even if they are only about video games or movies. We..I am relearning a lot of fun facts about our country. Here are some great pictures from the year:

Boys Birthday Party

This week has flown by and I am finally getting a few minutes to sit down and upload pictures from the boys birthday party this past Saturday. We had such a great afternoon with family and friends. The weather was perfect and the kids just played and played outside. I am gearing up for Braeden's friend birthday party tonight. We had him invite friends for a Movie Theater Themed birthday party. We are featuring Harry Potter and doing a sleepover. Last year only a few of his friends came to his swimming party. This year we had him invite a bunch of friends thinking probably not all of them could come. RIGHT! They are all coming but really what parent is going to turn down a free babysitter, I sure wouldn't. There will be 10 9 year old boys here tonight. Nick said he is excited for it. Glad someone is besides Braeden. I think I will sneak over to my neighbors with Emma and Charlie. Maybe sleep outside as it will be a beautiful night. HAHA! Here are some pictures from their birthday party. Check out the twins and Rylan. It is so crazy how fast they are growing. Rylan's favorite saying is...'NO NO'. Where do you think he hears that?! Where's mom? I was there just always the one behind the camera for just about everything these days.

Saddness

I will never understand the sadness one can endure every day and still walk around with a smile on their face. What happens out of the home can be a big front. This week a fellow classmate took his life. He had a 2 year old son who he talked about every time I saw him. I only saw him a few months ago. He was going through a divorce and seemed like life goes on as long as he has his son. Words can not explain the sadness that came to me when I heard this news. It breaks my heart to think that someone can be that sad that they feel so empty. Suicide has no explanation and for that I hate it! His little boy will never know him and that is awful. He was always so happy and giggly in high school. Sending prayers and peace to his son and family. They may never have answers to all the whys but I hope they can find peace. This is the second suicide that has happened to people we know this year. We lost someone to suicide a few years ago as well. It is so scary and I just don't understand why, But I guess no one really does. Sending hugs to heaven...George, Katie and Chris you will always be remembered.

Birthdays

This month is always so busy. Both my boys have May birthdays. We do one family party for the boys and then Braeden has a friend party. It is hectic. It seems like everything ends in May too. Also, wedding and graduation season are booming in May. This past week I was in the commercial kitchen several days getting ready for weddings, birthdays, welcome home parties, baptism and some more just because I was thinking of you. Oh and don't forget Mother's Day. Haha! I also had my first inspection; which went perfectly. It was a crazy week and my crazy self decided it would be a great weekend to have the boys' birthday party. HA..what was I thinking?!?! Obviously I felt I was Wonder Woman but clearly I am not. I am proud to say I survived and learned some great lessons this week. I want my kids to have fun thoughtful parties but my husband thinks they won't remember so why do so much. Maybe it is for myself because I secretly want these fun parties. I made EVERYTHING! I think I spent about $5 on the decorations and the rest was just time spent putting it all together. Braeden was a huge help this week too. He weeded tonight! Crazy kid! He even offered to clean up dog poop. WHAT?!?! Do you think he wanted something? ABSOLUTELY! He wanted to play on the computer and felt if he helped he earned it. Well he was right. He put together some fun things for his party as well. I love how it all came together. It made for late nights this week but the best is when it is all over. Tomorrow night will be so much fun when I can sit and relax with some fabulous neighbors. Biggest lesson learned this week was learned tonight: 'when you are trying out new things and using cupcakes make sure they aren't cupcakes that were ordered!' Yep..I used an order and had to remake them. FRUSTRATED!! Stay tuned for pictures Sunday. The theme this year..Legos!

Happy Birthday Charlie!

I can't believe my baby is 4. The time has flown by but I have truly enjoyed every second of it. He has had his share of surgeries this past year but they have helped him talk so much better. He has come a long way from a year ago! This past year he learned that he was getting so tall he could touch the bottom of my parents pool, in the shallow end. This opened a whole new world for him and he was so thrilled. He said good bye to his brother and sister when school started and was thrilled when he started preschool. He has also learned how to ride his bike without training wheels. I believe that he has mastered the iPad, iPod and iPhone. He hides apps, move things around and watches cartoons all on the iPad. Nick and I always giggle because we have no idea how he even figures it out. He will be our sports loving, techy kid. The basketball hoop is up and he is hoping for some dry weather so he can play basketball with the kids. We hope he has a fabulous birthday!

Charlie's Spring Program

NY Times

Giving a shout out to my Uncle Jim for making 

the front cover of the NY Times Magazine!! How awesome is that?!

Dance

Hard to believe that dance season is coming to a close already. Emma had her dance recital at Pathstone Nursing home today. It is a great way to let all the girls perform before the big performance. I haven't been able to see her Jazz dance yet so I was so excited! Mitzi at Dance Express always does a great job. We also got to see her hip hop dance. Hard to watch your 6 year old swing her hips like that. She has come a long way from the first dance recital!

I also found this really cute video of Emma from awhile ago! Look how much she has grown.

Week in Review

This week was a whirlwind week for some reason. I think it is always hard to come home from vacation. Monday I found out that I am allergic to my contact in my right eye. The eye that is a pain in my side! I have to wear glasses for the next two weeks while my eye heals. It was physically rejecting my contact and has developed bumps on the inner part of the eyelid. Appetizing I know. Talk about a bummer deal! After my cataract surgery my eye developed astigmatism which presents problems for obtaining contacts. I not only have astigmatism but I also have still have a high power correction. There are only a few companies that make my prescription and I need it in a smaller diameter now. Most astigmatism lens are 14.5 but my eye didn't like that so we have to find a 14. Ah the joys. Honestly I was pretty ticked off about the whole ordeal. This too shall pass but I am ready for the hurdles to stop.

On another note my business is growing pretty quickly this year. I have 30 weddings booked and 2 more consults tomorrow. It is CRAZY! If you would've asked me a few years ago if I would have thought I would be at this point already I would've said no. This is more than I ever expected. I had to make some changes. My personal cell phone was also my business line. I would get calls at all hours of the night for orders. I decided I needed to switch and have just a personal line and just a business line. Nick agreed with it and bought me a new phone and number. Change is exciting! It is nice to shut off the business phone at 9 and not think about it until the morning. We have also contacted our realtor to start looking for an office or space for me to rent. Transporting back and forth to the church is fine for now but with all the weddings on the books, all my supplies and all my decorating equipment my house is filling up fast. It is time to have the separation from life at home and work. Thankfully I have an amazing husband who is helping me make some of these decisions. I also have a very supportive family which helps a ton as well. This is all so exciting and who knew this would be an option so soon.

Chicago

I just had the best weekend with Ali. It was eventful, intense and relaxing all at the same time. We had lots of laughs which was just what we both needed. I miss her a lot and wish we could do more weekends like this past one. I certainly treasure the time we get together and look forward to her time home this summer.

Bike Rider

It is an exciting time at the Otto house. Charlie can ride a bike without training wheels. We started him on a Strider bike a year ago. It is a little bike without pedals. The purpose is to teach balance first. The hope is then when the pedals are introduced they learn to pedal and off they go without training wheels. Now that the weather is nice we decided it was time to try him on a bike with pedals. He took about 10 minutes of practice and he was riding the bike. Now he can get started, turned around and ready all by himself. It is a new freedom for him and he can keep up with the big kids! It is so exciting to see it all unfold. He is only 3 and looks like such a little boy on a bike.

Birthdays and Easter

We had a fun filled weekend! Saturday we celebrated the twins 2nd birthday. I can't believe they are turning 2. They are so cute and have fun keeping their mom on her toes. They are into EVERYTHING! But they always have lots to say, hugs to give and they LOVE to smile. They can say all their Aunties names which is even more precious.



Easter Sunday was spent with the Otto's for breakfast and church. Then we headed to my parents for an egg hunt and lunch. It was great to celebrate with everyone. It is so much fun to see the kids get excited about the simple things. It was a gorgeous day and we were able to spend a good portion of it outside.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Saturday was my mom's 60th birthday. My sisters and I planned a special lunch for just the girls. We had it at my house and invited her sisters to come too. We kept her sisters a secret from her. She was so surprised. We had a great lunch. Uncle Jimmy helped me put together a poster for her well. I found some fun facts about 1952 and he found great pictures. It was so great to have some special time with mom, my aunts and my cousin Tom. Then for supper we all met at Charley's Restaurant where the boys also came. It was a fun filled day of celebrating my mom. Here are some pictures from her day:

Steampunk Goddess

The fashion show was Thursday and it was so much fun. I spent the day getting ready. It was quite the process and took all afternoon. Nicole did my hair and make-up; which looked AMAZING!! Not your everyday go out look but perfect for the outfit. Nissa worked so hard on the costume...we all put in our time but it was definitely Nissa's vision and it looked stunning. The idea I had going in to it was I wasn't going to tell anyone I was the model. I told my parents, sisters and a few close friends. I wanted to be unrecognizable, plus I was scared out of my mind to walk the runway. Rehearsal was Wednesday and we had adjustments to make after walking the dress on the run way. Thank goodness for rehearsal, which also helped take the edge off a little. Here are some pictures from the event. I surprised a lot of people and all of them said they didn't even know it was me. It was a success and I am looking forward to next years creation!

Molly and Nick were able to come to the show. My hubby met us for the after party.

Runway

The last few weeks have been insanely busy. I feel like every post I write states that I am so busy, well I am! My friend Nissa from Nissa Nakia Photography and Nicole from Karizma decided to design a costume for Raw Fusion in Mankato this year. Little insight on Raw Fusion it is put on by the Minnesota River Builders Association. All the proceeds go to Habitat for Humanity. The people who sign up to build costumes must build them out of building materials. My friends asked me to model. I was like sure what do I have to lose. Never model ever but they assured me it would be easy and no one would recognize me with the ideas they had. I said sign me up. WOW...who knew all that in involved. Not only have I had a million orders to bake, ship or deliver I have been spending hours with the girls helping get the costume together. It has been a lot of really REALLY late nights and lots of frustration. We have called in favors from friends...thanks Rachel Krediet for coming to our rescue the first night of design. Now we are coming to the end of design and preparing for the debut which is Thursday. THURSDAY! WHAT..that is only a few days away and now it really is going to occur. Yesterday we did the first trial run with my hair. I always enjoy getting my hair done even if it is wacky. When I came home Emma said wow you got your hair done but it looks funny. Charlie told me I looked creepy...haha..brutal honesty but oh so funny! No hurt feelings here because we aren't going for the bridal/prom updo. This is industrial to match our costume. Tonight is another trial with hair and make-up. Again I enjoy being able to sit and just relax while getting my hair and make-up done. When we were first building the costume I stood in heals for 7 hours the first night. OUCH...my feet were terribly sore for a few days. Now I can enjoy relaxing a little. This week is crazy busy with Raw Fusion rehearsal on Wednesday and the event Thursday evening. I also have orders to complete, a wedding on Saturday, mom's 60th birthday Saturday and a big birthday party order for Sunday...OH YEAH..and the kids are on Spring Break! Yeah me...I am bummed I don't really get to do anything super fun with them for Spring Break. We are staying home so I can get everything done in a timely fashion. I just want to enjoy the week so did a lot of prep work the last few days to take the stress of the week. Phew...learning as I go with my business so it is always a bonus when I can say I feel relaxed about the week even with all that is going on. I will post pictures this weekend from the show. The costume is amazing and Nissa has put a ton of time into it.

Get Lucky 7K

This past weekend my sister, Patsy, and I ran the Get Lucky 7K. I ran it last year and had so much fun. I convinced her to run with me this year. It was her first race and we had a blast. We have spent the last few months collecting items for our outfit. Last year I didn't know what to expect and didn't plan for a fun outfit. Now I know everyone goes all out so we jumped in with both feet and found some fun things! My goal was to stay with Patsy the whole time. I tried so hard but kept getting a head of her. I felt terrible. I stopped a few times and waited for them, Patsy and her other friends, to catch up. I really didn't think I got as far ahead of them as I did. I stopped at the water tables and waited for a while but then realized I wouldn't find them until the finish line. We all met up at the finish and enjoyed a little celebration of our own. It was so much fun and I am so proud of Patsy for finishing. Here are some pictures from the race. I can't wait for next year!

Race Weekend

This weekend is not only St. Patrick's Day but it is also the Get Lucky 7k in downtown Minneapolis! I ran it last year and had so much fun. We used it as a little get away and got a hotel room and stayed for the weekend. We decided to do it again this year and Patsy is going to run with me. I am so excited. This is Patsy's first race and I keep telling her it is a FUN race. It isn't meant for you to keep time just to have a great time running. We are decking out in great St. Patty's Day gear....green wigs, green shirts, boxers, tattoos...etc! It is going to be a hoot. Last year it was 30 degrees. I froze and so did my family while they sat waiting for me. This weekend it will be almost 80 degrees. How crazy is that?! Hard to believe it is March and we are having June temps. The kids are so excited to spend the weekend with their cousins swimming and having fun. Stay tuned for some fabulous pictures!

Being a mom......

Maybe people told me that parenting was hard. Maybe I should have figured that just growing up but honestly I wasn't that bad, well what I remember of life as a child. I just never knew that it was this hard. I feel it is a daily battle of learning new ways to do things. The limits are pushed and we work a new way. I don't like being the bad guy all the time. Some days I feel as if my kids went to bed and we just didn't have the greatest day. It breaks my heart so bad. I am trying so hard but I give an inch and they want a mile. This too shall pass and something new will arise I know this. I am just hoping with the nice weather comes nicer, respectful kids.

Oh where oh where have we been....

I apologize for not posting for awhile. We really haven't done anything exciting so I didn't want to bore everyone with the every day monotony of life.

Braeden's swimming ended last week. I enjoyed this week of not having something every night. It was relaxing to have a breather. Swimming starts up again in April and then baseball will be in May. It will be a vicious cycle of every night somewhere BUT it keeps everyone out of trouble. OH and they sleep so much better when they have activities to wear them out ;)

Today I had Charlie's preschool conference. He has come a long way from fall. He started his speech therapy two weeks ago. All his teachers are so amazing. Charlie came home on Wednesday with homework and he was so excited to show it to me. His speech therapist said he would have homework so we told him he was a big boy like Braeden. Braeden is idolized by many and the poor kid wishes he could be little again and enjoy not having all the responsibilities. It goes so fast! Charlie has learned to write his name, all his colors, shapes, numbers...all preschool things. He is still lacking a little confidence but as his language improves so has his confidence level. My Aunt Ann told me to have him do simple things like say the blessing at supper to improve his confidence. Thank you Auntie, he was timid at first but now that he knows the prayer and all the signs of the cross he is first to say it is his job to start it. We still have moments when we can't understand him at all and he gets frustrated but they are becoming fewer and farther between so that is promising. We are surround by amazing people that have helped lead Charlie in the right direction.

Braeden and Emma have their conferences next week so we will see how they have done in school. I have been super busy with orders, events and consultations. My weddings start in a couple weeks and then I go strong until November. I love to know that my business is growing every year. I am constantly learning new techniques and perfecting ones I already know. This will be a busy wedding season but I have great people to help me.

Lent

This year we all gave up candy for lent. The kids didn't know what they were getting into. We threw away all the candy we had in our house so we wouldn't have temptations. They have all asked for it and asked if we could give something else up instead. It has been a week and we are all wanting candy. Peanut M&Ms are my vice! I LOVE them and always have them in the house. Now how does one get a chocolate fix? All I need is a little. Well good thing I have a great chocolate frosting recipe! Yum...frosting on animal crackers. I only need a couple but it does the job..until Sunday ;) Braeden learned at CCD this week that Sundays are not included in Lent so we can have candy on Sunday. You should have seen how excited he was. The smile that was on his face was priceless. Now all the kids are planning what they are going to eat for candy on Sunday. Braeden did also explain the purpose of lent to the kids so we had a nice lesson at supper on Wednesday night.

Champions

Congratulations to my husbands basketball team for winning the Championship game last night! Way to go Buffaloes. I wish their games were always at 6:15 so the kids and I could go watch. Last night was the first game I was able to go see. Emma was at dance but Braeden, Charlie and I were there cheering Nick on. Charlie would say..'Go Daddy'! It was so cute and he just sat there and cheered. He said to me..'mommy when I get big like daddy I going to play basketball here with the boys.' Cute...we are going to have a few basketball players in our house. Hopefully Emma will too. This will make my husband so proud!

Crazy Hair Day

Friday was Crazy Hair Day at school. Braeden was gung ho and wanted just spiked hair. We can accomplish that easily now that he has longer hair. Emma was a different story. I had several ideas but she was not having any of them. After a lot of convincing and reassuring that we would use lots of conditioner to get all the snarls out, she allowed me to do her hair. It turned out so cute and it was a ratted mess.

 

 

 

Valentines Day Pictures

My friend Nissa from Nissa Nakia Photography took some amazing photos of my kids! Check out this video she did. I had a hard time deciding which ones to order. Thanks so much Nissa!! You are fabulous.

Sweet Sweet Boy

I am such a proud mom right now. Braeden gets home from school today and was working on his homework. He brings a note over to me and says.."Mom I am buying Emma a Valentine through school. It is a secret so don't tell her. It only costs $0.50 so I took it out of my piggy bank." Insert big puddle right there. Blessed boy!! I told him to put his money back in his piggy bank and handed him some to cover it. WOW! What a sweet sweet boy we are raising. He drives me crazy sometimes but I do have to remind myself he is only 8. It is moments like this that make me so proud. I want my boys to be the romantic my dad always is to my mom!

Tooth Fairy

It was an exciting weekend at the Otto house. Not only did we rearrange all the bedrooms but Emma lost her first tooth. She was so excited and worked so hard getting it out on Saturday. She dropped it Sunday morning so we thought it was lost. Actually we thought the dog ate it BUT it was found. The tooth fairy showed up in the middle of the night and we had one happy, excited little girl!






We decided it was time to put the boys together and let Emma have her own room. It was quite the chore to get everything rearranged on Saturday. It took all day and some of the day Sunday but it is done and everyone is settled. The boys are happy and have a ton of room to spread out. Emma is quite the princess in her own room with the big queen size bed. I wish we would've done this when we moved in instead of tackling it in the middle of the winter. At least we didn't have a ton of snow and cold temps. Walking some furniture around the house to the back door wasn't a big deal. Nick and I were pretty sore and tired yesterday though. I am happy to have it all done!!