Green Bay/ Door County Trip

We spent part of last week on our mini-vacation in Green Bay and Door County. The weather couldn't have been better for our time away. To start the trip we spent one night in Green Bay. We took the kids to Bay Beach Amusement Park that night. The small carnival atmosphere was awesome! Blake and Bennett enjoyed the rides, and Marlee enjoyed watching them go around and around. Marlee did take one ride on the small train. The rest of our vacation was spent in Door County (Fish Creek, WI). Our resort was located right outside of Peninsula State Park, so we did some bike riding, running, and hiking in the park while we were there. We spent some time at the local beaches, ate delicious food, and visited some of the quaint shops that Door County has to offer. We were hoping to do some cherry-picking while we were there, but with the long winter the cherry crops were behind schedule by 2 weeks. We were able to snap a picture in one of the orchards while we were there. Other highlights were the amazing sunsets and the ice cream treats! To break up our drive on the way home we decided to stop at Lambeau field to show the boys where the Packers play. I am not sure who was more excited, Blake and Bennett or Randy! The boys LOVED the Packers Pro Shop and the huge statues of Curly Lambeau and Vince Lombardi. On our way out of Green Bay we spotted a sign close to Lambeau Field called Marlee Lane! Just had to take a picture of that! It was great to get away as a family before the hustle and bustle of the school year starts.

Summer Must-Do List- Part 1

I have not been very good about keeping up with the blog since summer started. I guess that tells you how busy we've been. Once again the boys wanted to put together a Summer Must-Do List. Here is what we have completed so far: We made ice cream in a bag by putting the ingredients for the ice cream in the smaller bag and then that smaller bag was put into a larger bag with ice and salt. Blake and Bennett shook their bags for 11 minutes. They both tried the ice cream with chocolate syrup when they were done. Both boys agreed that the ice cream wasn't their favorite, especially compared to Culver's or Dairy Queen! We spent a long weekend in Alexandria, MN with Grandpa and Grandma Gronos. The weather was beautiful and Jessi, Sophie, and Adam also joined us for a few days. We spent 2 of the days we were there at a few of the local beaches. We painted with rocks and other items from nature.

Blake's Last Day of Kindergarten

Blake completed his first year of all-day, 5 days/week school on Thursday, June 5, 2014. What a great year he had! Blake was excited to go to school each day, and missed the days he had off. He enjoyed his first year meeting new friends and learning with his teacher, Mrs. Gruber.

Marlee's 1 1/2 Years Old!

Marlee officially turned 1 1/2 years old last Saturday when I was on my trip. She has become one curious little toddler who loves the outdoors and wants to go "side" whenever she can. She has mastered using a spoon and fork when she eats and her favorite words are- "Bakey"- Blakey, "water," and "no." She really is becoming a toddler isn't she? :)

Bennett's Preschool Graduation

On Thursday, Bennett had his preschool graduation. He was very proud of completing his first year of school. Bennett LOVED his teachers, Mrs. LoRusso and Mrs. Brantner (or as Bennett calls them LoRusso and Brantner- still working on that Mrs. thing), and he also had a great time meeting new friends, which he will miss a lot next year. Next year Bennett will be attending 4 year old kindergarten in Mondovi. Here are some pictures of his graduation day.

Trip to Seattle

I was fortunate to be able to take a long weekend trip out to Seattle, WA this past weekend. My dear friend, Karen, and I headed out to Washington to visit one of her long-time friends, Amy. We explored Pike's Place Market, ran the trails along the Puget Sound, and helped Amy prepare for the arrival of her baby to be born early August. Towards the end of our trip Karen and I also ran the Capital City Half Marathon in Olympia, WA. I had hopes of improving the time of my previous half marathon that I ran back in October in Ashland, WI. My time for that race was 1:32:24. Not only was I able to set a personal record during this half marathon in Olympia of a 1:27:58, but was also blessed to be the 1st female to finish! I was a little shocked that I was able to pull this off. It was an amazing atmosphere to run a race-- beautiful scenery and great support from the spectators. I would LOVE to be able to run this race again someday. It was relaxing to be able to get away with friends, do some shopping, eat delicious food, and run a race. It was also great to get home to the family!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms out there! I am blessed to be a mom to these 3 kiddos!