If you see red winged bird riding a roller coaster, smile at her for me :)

This weekend has been on the books for months and my excitement is thru the roof! As we head south for a fun filled weekend with my whole family, all 26!, I can't help but get a bit emotional. My mom left some money to my BIL before she passed and asked him to plan a trip for all of us sometime down the road. With tears in my eyes, I admit she still leaves me speechless with her selflessness and value of family. What I wouldn't give to have her here this weekend but knowing she made this possible, and will be here in spirit, warms my heart. "Family comes first" were words uttered a gazillion times while I was growing up and to see that still holds true makes me proud. Can't wait to make oodles of memories, laugh and ride roller coasters with one incredible group of peeps!!

It's my favorite time of year!

Summer is by far my favorite time of year! I love having the kids home-late nights, sleepy mornings, unexpected happenings all day long. Sometimes I worry we aren't instilling enough discipline in them by letting them tear loose all summer with no wake up calls and very little structure. But these years are so magical and the times we've had are priceless! Here's a picture recap of several weeks:

 

**What?! You've never seen a goalie playing shortstop?! lol

 

Gettin a bit WILD

Not sure how he continues to do it but Dan amazes me(insert gag worthy sigh!)
MN Wild and Wells Fargo team up for a road tour and Duluth was one of the stops. I showed up with the kids to stand in the LONG line for autographs with Charlie Coyle and Jason Zucker and who should be on the OTHER side of the barricade and at the front of the line but my hubby! Guess all those hockey board meetings paid off and he was presented the red carpet. We waited and waited(at the front!)for over two hours until the public signings were done then had our chance to chat with the guys and take a few pictures. They were so great.
Once again I'm reminded how lucky my kids are to have such a selfless dad who does anything for them to make lifelong memories.
GO WILD!!

Sweet summer is upon us!

Liam graduated on  Monday from Kindergarten. Was heartwarming to watch him receive awards for all his hard work all year. Young authors, Destination Imagination, 250+ reading days and of course his diploma! We are so proud of all his accomplishments this year.

Tuesday Connor received his DI and 250+ reading days awards too. He certainly had a wonderful year of school and is ready for 3rd grade. Boys get out of school tomorrow.

Novak also graduated this week from preschool. He was indifferent to going once or twice a week, opting more often to hang out with me and Iris. He was the "puzzle master" in his class and will really miss his teacher. School readiness here he comes!! 

And little miss Iris is...AWESOME! She has a tenacious attitude and is quick to giggle.

Summer is filled with lots of days together and very few camps....just the way it should be, right?! :)

What a blessed Mother's Day I had...pampered with love by each of them.

These are absolutely beautiful!!

...is this thing on?

It's been awhile! Having taken a sabbatical from FB and only screen love on my new nieces and nephews via instagram, I figure its time to get back to recording the happenings on our blog again.
Lets see....kids have grown, teeth fallen out(or knocked out!), millions of facts and memories have been crammed into their amazing brains, bedrooms have been changed, winter was very long....that about sums up the past two years.
Connor and Liam start little league this week and still continue to skate together once a week. Their competitiveness is overwhelming at times but seems pretty normal for brothers. They continue to do well in school but are eager for the last few weeks of school to be here.
Novak will wrap up preschool this month as well. Never had a kid uninterested in anything that doesn't involve his family or home. He was slow to warm to preschool but they have been fabulous to him all year. He has been wishing the snow away since December in hopes of his birthday coming sooner-poor kid!
Iris is.....hmmm...well a typical 4th child. Gets away with everything, knows way more than she should about too much and dazzles everyone she meets with her dimples, bright blue eyes and red ringlet curls! She adores her ECFE teacher Miss Ellie and will be sad when that class to end this month. She is ecstatic about all things baby-their nuks, blankets, tiny eyes, car seats, etc!
Dan and I took a cruise in March which helped keep up sane before and after. Lots going on, lots planned for the summer and as always life is good!
Hope to keep up with this thing :)