My Sister is a Senior

Tuesday was the first day of school for most of the kids in Minneapolis - one of them being my baby sister. Kara is 12 1/2 years younger than me to the day and the fact that she is now in the first week of her senior year is totally freaking me out {not to mention making me feel real old.} This is going to be a big and crazy year for my family as Kara is the baby and looking at, deciding on, and sending her off to college will no doubt be dramatic, emotional and difficult {unless she follows in her big sissy's footsteps and goes to the U of M! please Kara!} But I am so excited for her and so excited to see what her senior year has in store for her! 

A few weeks ago, Kenley and I had the honor of tagging along with Kara and my buddy Sara as they took Kara's senior photos. I wasn't at all surprised when they turned out incredible and just could not resist the urge to share them and brag about how talented Sara is and how gorgeous my little Boodgie is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kenley just could not resist the urge to jump in a photo with her Auntie Kaw-Kaw.  This is also now my favorite picture pretty much ever! 

to see more check out Sara's blog!

blog.sara-jayne.com

A Perfectly Long Labor Day Weekend

If the purpose of Labor Day is to have a break from work...have a break we did! Our "Labor Day Weekend" kicked off on Tuesday when we headed up to the ranch to visit Jason's mom and step-dad.We went out to dinner, Kenley played in her very own mini-water park and we all had a great time.

Wednesday, Jason and I spent the day at the Minnesota State Fair stuffing our faces with our favorite greasy fair food, drinking beer and walking around wearing a fit bit band with no fit bit in it...yup, awesome.

And then spent our evening with our friends Seth & Alisha and none other than Mr. Tim McGraw.

This was our third time seeing him and I think was my favorite of the three shows. Seriously in love with that man.


We had approximately no time to recover from the concert and the fair because Thursday was the Gopher home opener! We were off for campus promptly at 12:00pm. Our festivities began at our favorite campus restaurant, Tony's Diner, and then moved to Lot 37 just as soon as the lots opened.

My Gophs started off the season with a 42-20 win over Eastern Illinois!!!


Friday, the only plans we had were Jason's fantasy football draft which thankfully didn't involve me, so I got a night at home with my best girl.

Saturday morning, Kenley and I met up with my family for a wonderful day on the boat. It was a beautiful day on the water and Kenley was right at home on the boat - just like her mama.

Sunday we spent the morning at the pool and then had a family lunch with Jason's family to spend time with his sister who was in town from Florida and also to celebrate Jason's younger brother's birthday {sadly, I failed to take a single photo}.

Then Sunday night, because we hadn't packed enough in, we had a fantasy football draft and party in our party room for Jason and his friends. It was just me and the boys and while it was kind of fun to finally see what a fantasy draft is all about, I kind of wanted to poke my eyes out - but overall it was a really fun night hanging out with my favorite boys.

Yesterday was spent doing absolutely nothing. We literally just took turns napping and trying to recover from a wonderful week off!

Things I Didn't Appreciate as a Kid

I'm just a little over 6 months away from being 30 years old. THIRTY. I have a husband, I have a puggle and I gave birth to and have spent a year and a half raising a baby {like an actual legit human that I brought in to the world}. I hate to say it, but you guys, I think I'm an adult. Now that I've had the opportunity to experience adult life {ie. parenting, bills, relationships, responsibilities} I am finding that there are a lot of things from my younger years that I really didn't appreciate until now.

Just a couple of them being....

A clean house. My mom is borderline OCD when it comes to the cleanliness of her home. I complain so often about what a mess our house is then realize that she was a single mom, with a full time job and TWO active kids that she drove around everywhere and our laundry was always done and our house was always spotless. I seriously do not know how she did it.


Vacations. It was always just a given that we'd go somewhere warm for spring break, usually somewhere fun for MEA weekend and always to Colorado to visit our grandparents and cousins in the summer. Now that I have my own family and pay for my own plane tickets, I am truly so grateful that we had the opportunity to take fun family vacations as kids. Some of my all time favorite memories are from the trips I've taken with my family and I hope I have the opportunity to build those memories with my kiddos as well.

New York City - October 1999 {I was 15!}

Toilet paper. We always had toilet paper. At both my mom's and my dad's, we were never out of toilet paper. If I had a dollar for every time Jason and I had to use paper towels until I could get to the store I would have enough money to buy all those vacations I want to go on.


School. I never really hated school but I definitely didn't appreciate how great I had it. I mean, I'd roll out of bed like 5 minutes before I ran out the door, a bus {which didn't take gas which costs money} drove me there, then I spent like 8 hours with my friends reading books, learning, and gossiping, then I went home to absolutely no responsibilities other than maybe helping my mom dust our spotless house. Talk about having it made.


I think when you become an adult and especially when you become a parent you start to either really appreciate your parents and your childhood or you start to realize you want something different for your family. I am so proud and grateful to say that I would do anything to give Kenley and future baby(ies) the same childhood that I had.

Love you mom & dad! And thank you!






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Why I Want 2 {or more} Kids

Last week both Jessica and Bridget asked me how many kids we wanted to have and I've decided this answer warrants it's own post. Growing up when I'd dream of my family, I always wanted 4 kids. I thought having a big family would be so much fun. I, of course, had all 4 kids named and wanted to have a boy, twin girls and then another boy. Now that I have one, I'm not really sure how many I want. I know we will for sure try for another. If we are so lucky and #2 is a baby boy, I could see us stopping. If #2 is a girl we will most definitely have a third and pray for a son. I guess that's my back handed way of answering "I don't know" how many we want to have. I think it's hard to plan when you will feel your family is complete. Jason and I both really want to experience a baby boy, so that will be a huge factor in how many total babes we end up with.

When you add up siblings, step-siblings and siblings-in-law...I have A LOT of siblings {I count 12, but I could definitely be forgetting someone}. While I'm grateful for all of the family relationships I have, the bond I have with my two blood siblings is something that cannot be described. 

photos by Sara Jayne Photography

My brother is my only FULL blood sibling, meaning we have the same mom and the same dad. He is 4 years younger than I am and he has always taken up a large part of my heart.

Today is actually his 25th birthday! Happy Birthday Natie Pie!!!!!

There is something about being a big sister {or sissy as my younger siblings call me} that puts a level of responsibility on you. I always felt like a little mama to my brother. Though we have great parents and they didn't need my help, I took it upon myself to "take care of him". For example, I taught him 2nd grade math when he was in preschool {yes I take credit for him being so smart} and made sure I was at all of his basketball games, starting in 1st grade all the way through his senior year of college when he invited me to walk out with him on Senior Night {talk about tears & pride!} My mom once told me that the bond my brother and I have is unlike any other because he is my memory. And it's so true. EVERY childhood memory I have includes my little brother and I love that we can reminisce about those days with each other.

Although my sister and I are 12 years apart, we too have an indescribable bond. We may not have the same childhood memories but I remember everything abut her childhood, like how she used to call her boobs "shooby doos" and how I taught her to say her favorite band was the "backsteep boys". She is my little baby and watching her grow into an incredibly smart and beautiful young woman is so special. I am so protective over her, so proud of her and strive to be a good example for her.

 

So what I am taking a super long time to say is that we DEFINITELY will be having more kids. I pray that God blesses me with another opportunity to be pregnant, but if that's not in the cards we will bring another child into our family one way or another. I want Kenley to have someone to be her memory, I want someone to look up to her, I want her to have a brother or sister or both to stand up with her on her wedding day and I want someone to be her family long after Jason and I are gone. I don't know what the number will be but it will be greater than one.





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It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Mistletoe? NO.

Stockings? NO. 

Fat man in a velvet suit? POSSIBLY. 

Drunk relatives? DEFINITELY YES. 

Today my friends is my favorite holiday. TODAY is the start of COLLEGE FOOTBALL! 

Can I get a "woot! whoot!"?

I am breaking free at noon today to meet my family and friends down at Lot 37 to tailgate, have a drink (or 80) and cheer on my beloved Gophers to a 1-0 start to the season.

If you're wondering whether or not our tailgate has a Facebook group....

it does.

And if you're wondering whether or not I changed my cover photo to this last week....

I did.

WHOOP! WHOOP! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOP! 

I hope everyone has a wonderfully long and safe Labor Day weekend!

GO GOPHERS!

RAH!