new grill(s)

We have two new grills at the house! One is the Brinkman Proseries 1420 Gas Grill. We already had a charcoal grill because we love how the food tastes off of a "real" grill. Plus I think Carl likes the fact that he has to have a beer or two before the coals are ready. But, because of the time it takes for the grill to get ready, we have to plan our cook-outs in advance, so we don't have as many spontaneous "grill nights" as we wanted.

Carl has been talking about getting a gas gill a lot lately. He said it would be much less time consuming, and he would be able to grill even in the off-season. For those of you who know Carl, once he gets something in his head, it's hard for him to stop thinking/talking about his new idea until he gets what he wants... :) So with his birthday coming up (it was yesterday), I decided to pull the trigger, and get him the grill he wanted for his gift.

I can't wait to get it put together so we can have our first spontaneous grill night!

The other new grill in the house is....Jocie's!! She got her braces put on last Friday, and I think she looks adorable! In just a few short months (okay . . . maybe not really short . . . more like 12-18 months) she will have a perfect smile!

Put her new grill together with her new bangs, and you got a whole new Jocie!

Those summer nights

There is something magical about summer nights. Maybe it's the calming humidity. Maybe it's the way it stays light extra late. Maybe it's the piece of mind knowing that tomorrow is one more day I get to be a stay-at-home mom. Maybe it's the glass of wine I pour myself after I put the kids to bed . . . whatever it is, it's fantastic, and I am soaking in every minute I can get.

Summer nights and back yard campfires go hand-in-hand. There is something mesmerizing about a fire. It jumps, it crackles. It warms, and comforts. It can make you want to party or it can make you want to cuddle up to the people you love and just relax.



We got to share our first back yard campfire with our friends, the Severson's. Gabe and Mette spent the night at our house while their parents enjoyed a concert in downtown Minneapolis. We had lots of fun that night. Some of our activities included:

1. Playing in the backyard
2. Jumping on the trampoline
3. Jocie and Gabe playing tennis at the local High School court
4. Chasing down the neighborhood ice cream truck
5. Grilling out and eating on the patio
6. Seeing Toy Story 3 in 3D (great flick)
7. Singing "Hey Soul Sister" at the top of our lungs in the car on the way home

But (I think) the best part of the night was after the kids got their jammies on and we sat around our campfire.

(Mette and Jocie)

Just as the kids started to come down off the sugar rush from the treats at the movies, Carl came running our of the back shed with a lit sparkler in his hand. Oh Boy.

Then the festivities really started!

Jocie doing the Statue of Liberty pose

Gabe swooshing the sparkler around in circles




Jocie, taking it all in

After a little sales pitch from Carl, Ella finally agreed to hold the sparkler . . . then we couldn't get her away from them!

Ella streaking across the lawn like a super hero!

Our yard looked like a battle field during the civil war era. The air was thick with smoke, which not only looked cool, but also kept all the mosquitos away! After going through 2-3 boxes of sparklers we decided to take the little girls in for books and bedtime. They were excited to be "camping out" in Ella's bedroom (2 sleeping bags rolled out on the floor). The oldest kids stayed out with Carl and I until around 11:00 and then finally called it a night.

Like I said, there is something magical about summer nights. I am sure it has something to do with not having school. I am sure it has something to do with the weather. But one thing is for sure, we do not take our summer nights for granted around here. We try to take full advantage of this beautiful gift in which we have been given.

Maybe John Travolta and Olivia Newton John sung it best in Grease . . .

"But, oh. Those su-umer NAAA-HIGHTS!!!"

A Day for Dads

Happy Father's Day to the special daddies in our lives! We love Boppa (Grandpa Lundby) and Grandpa Dwaine! Thank you for always making our girls feel extra special and loved.

And of course, to Carl. Thank you so much for being a devoted and loving Father. I couldn't do life without you! Our girls love you to the limit, and there is no better measure of how good you are than that!

this got a little distorted, but this is one of Carl's gifts from his girls :)

Never Again

I wish this post would be a positive one. I was praying I would be telling you how "worth it" the experience was. I was hoping I would be bragging about how much money we raked in. This is not the case, my friends. I am sorry to say that I will never again have a garage sale.

For the past two weeks, during almost every nap time and after bed time at night, I have been unpacking, organizing, sorting and folding. Cleaning, setting up and pricing. I have been told by many people that putting on a garage sale is a lot of work . . . they were not exaggerating. I went through countless Rubbermaid bins, and dug through our storage closets and back shed. I set up our garage as my own personal store that was plump full of our old belongings. True, we didn't have use for these items anymore, but they still held a lot of memories. I gotta say, it was a little hard to put a price of .25 cents on some of the girls old clothes. I know that sounds a little silly, but I felt it cheapened them, and I did not like that feeling. As you can see, I don't think I am cut out for this type of business.

I myself do not go to a lot of garage sales. I have gotten a few items from some that have been great deals. But mostly when I walk into other people's garages, all I see is other people's junk. Why would I want their old crap? Again, I don't think I am cut out for this.

We opened for business on Thursday morning at 8:00. To prepare, Jenine (my friend from work who was my partner in crime) and I took out an add in the local paper. We also place 3 signs in the busiest parts of town to help drum up some customers. We were excited to see that we got quite a bit of traffic through the garage right off the bat. Our add must have been read by all of the hard-core rummagers.






I was so surprised by the amount of men we had come through. Many of them would walk in, see all the little girl clothes and toys, and turn around and walk out. But they just kept coming, one after another, for the duration of the sale! Many of these men were also over the age of 50! I just kept thinking . . . my dad wouldn't be caught dead at a garage sale! I am quite positive that garage sales are one of the few things he HATES. I just couldn't believe it.

True, a couple of them were coming to see the portable ice-fishing house we had and this:


our 1973 Arctic Cat Panther. It had a few lookers, but unfortunately, neither one of them sold.

I was floored by the amount of adorable clothes, shoes and toys that did not sell. I took offense if people would look at my stuff and not buy it. Part of me was thinking, "you think your too good for my stuff?!" I was very irritated. I don't think I need to keep pointing out the obvious, but I don't think I am cut out for this type of business!

We had name brands such as Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger (are those clothes still cool???), Gap and Baby Gap, Children's Place, and Gymboree. We even had Gucci, Coach, and Louis Vuitton . . . maybe they weren't "authentic", but COME ON!! We had the goods.

Unfortunately, a lot of our goods are on it's way to the local trift store. Oh well . . . they are out of our storage and going to a home where they will be appreciated.

On to some positives about the sale:

1. I got two days of having coffee with a good friend in a lawn chair while we laughed and watched our kids play.

(they sometimes stole our chairs...)

2. I got to meet some interesting people from around the area . . .

3. My house and garage are more cleaned out than they were a couple of weeks ago.

4. I have a new life experience.

5. It was a little fun when we had a lot of customers at one time.

6. Setting up was kinda fun . . . felt like I was setting up my own little store.

7. I do have a little cash. Whatever should I do with it . . .

*be able to buy about 35 skim vanilla lattes at Caribou Coffee

*get a few pairs of killer new shoes

*buy my hubby a nice birthday present

*be able to pay about 1/2 of my new student loan payment due this month

*groceries for the week

the possibilities may not be endless, but hey, it's something.

I am done complaining about the sale. It is over, and that is good. On to the good things about the last week.

Ella had soccer, and dang was it cute. She got to wear her new shin guards and shoes and run around with a ball. Can't get much better than that!

(LOVE the kid who came with no shirt on!)

In between watching Ella dribble and pass, I also saw a lot of this . . . Claire running away from me :)

She also liked to steal the cones off the field. I bet the coach loved us.

The girl has good form, if I do say so myself!

This week was also the last week of her swimming lessons for awhile. Although she liked most of the lessons, she DID NOT like putting her eyes in the water or jumping into the water. This made her extremely nervous . . . so we are going to wait a few weeks until we try another session.

I think she will miss her lessons and want to do another session in no time :)

Play Group

Play Group came to our house this week. Because of nap times, the best time for everyone to meet is in the morning. I was very happy with this decision because my kids are in the best mood in the AM. Plus, I got a chance to try out my new "Muffin Top" pan that only makes the tops of the muffins (the best part). Although the name of the pan worries me (sounds like foreshadowing to me . . . ), I was looking forward to serving blueberry muffin tops and coffee to all my friends. Much to my dismay, they didn't cook the way that I wanted. Because of it's design, they got a little crispy on the edges and soft in the middle. My friends assured me they were good, but I think it will take a few more practice rounds before I perfect the muffin top :)

We were joined by the Play Group members of last week, and also had 4 new members - the Dietel family. John (the dad) is the other Physical Education teacher at my school. He has three sons: Jaymon - (3 years old) and twins, Isaac and Cole (6 months). So our group has swelled to 10 children, including two sets of multiples! :)



Because of sheer numbers, the Adolphson house felt a bit tight. So we decided to release the children into the fenced in back yard. It was a little of a process to get the kids in their jackets and shoes on before going outside. And of course, once we got outside, and had a few sips of our coffee. . . it started raining (shocker). So back in we went.

It was a tad on the chaotic side due to the fact that when one baby/toddler started to cry, another one (or two or three) followed suit. Many cries were due to the fact that their mommy was holding another baby, and that wasn't OK with them.

Kristine holding Cole (one of the Dietel twins)

Ella holding Isaac (the other Dietel twin)



Both Dietel twins. Isaac on the left, Cole on the right.

Ella helped calm Cole with a bottle. She is an old pro!

Hannah was a trooper as she slept through most of play time :)

Andrew (one of Kristine's twins) and Claire had a keen eye for one another. They were always quite interested in what the other was doing. Here Andrew is helping Claire with her passie . . . even after she stole his snack cup (what a gentleman!)

Bennett soaking it all in!

Yes there was some crying, but their was also a lot of laughing! We had a blast, and I can't wait until next week when we can do it all over again!

This past week and part of last week, I have been a busy little bee getting ready for our Garage Sale which will take place tomorrow and Friday (Holy Crap!). I don't go to many Garage Sales, and I have never had one before, so I am quite anxious about the outcome. I have put a TON of work into this . . . so these customers better show me the money!

I will post pictures of the event, and I am sure they will be linked with some stories!

Wish me luck!

Oh, so fashionable

The newest item to hit the baby runways are Huggies Jean Diapers. They fit like a glove and absorb like a . . . diaper. Their high-waist is fashion forward and are also convenient for your favorite fruit eater. You say your little one has short, chubby legs. No problem. Their short hem-line elongates those Cherub-type thighs.

The only thing to make these "jeans" even more hot is to pair them with these adorable leg warmers.

They're not just for dancers anymore! This must have accessory comes in a variety of colors and patterns. You can also mix and match them with almost every onesie or dress in your baby's closet. You will love how they protect baby's legs from the cool Minnesota mornings and your hardwood floors. The best part - you don't have to take them off for those squirmy diaper changes! A must have for all seasons!

With a look this hot, who needs pants? They are so last season.

rain, rain, go away

I knew we were getting spoiled with our warm Spring. The weather man said when we have a warm and sunny Spring, it is almost always followed by a cool and wet June. Bummer.

Claire has NOT been happy about having to stay in. She loves being outside, and cannot figure out why we are staying inside. I even took her out in the rain a little . . . she didn't seem to mind it. She still walked out in it, then she would just look at Carl and I and pat the top of her head a couple of times, as if she is saying, "something keeps hitting me in the head"!

To let us know when she wants to go outside, she brings us her shoe(s) and yells at us (literally).

So today when she brought her shoe to me I thought, what the hell. Let's go splash in the biggest puddle we can find. So that is exactly what we did.

The two older girls jumped right in. Claire wasn't too sure about it at first. She needed a little assistance the first time she dipped her toe into the murky water.

But it didn't take her long before she was a big fan of the puddle!

The more they jumped, the darker the water became. After a bit, it was a straight-up mud puddle!

The girls decided the flip flops needed to come off . . . what was the point of keeping them on?

When I told Claire to "splash, splash" in the puddle, she splash splashed with her hands like she was in the tub. She looked at the mud on her hand and didn't like it very much

Ewwwww! Dirty little toes!

After jumping in the pudding, the girls decided the rain wasn't so bad after all. I am also thankful for the rain because it has kept Carl away from running the sprinkler (24/7). The only bad thing about letting Claire play in the puddle was that at Ella's swimming lesson afterward, she kept running towards the pool . . . she wanted to "splash splash" in that huge puddle!