Thursday, May 29, 2008

secret cupboard

I put together this little iMovie of the the boys playing. So many of the movies we take of the boys are fun and cutesy, but that's not really what life is all about here. Usually no less than 3 times per day, Zander winds up in an overly-dramatic crying fit. So, this is just an example of one of those.

Monday, May 26, 2008

eric's surprise (30th) bday party

Mindi pulled off a surprise bday party for Eric on Friday night. Here are some photos of the SURPRISE, as well as some of the boys playing outside Eric & Mindi's while we were waiting....









Cute Mason video - from Mother's Day

On Mother's Day, we went to Marissa & Jason's. Mason enjoyed finding pictures of himself and Zander...

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Don't talk to strangers

Tonight, in the process of Zander with his 50 questions (usually just a "why" to the previous question), he got to asking about strangers. I then realized that I haven't really had any "talks" about strangers, etc. So, now is as good of time as any...

Me: Zander, what would you do if somebody you didn't know asked you if you want some candy?
Zander: How much candy is it mom?
Mom: It doesn't matter how much. You should always come ask mom or dad.
Zander: But, what if it's a LOT of candy?

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Officially obsessed...

...with American Idol contestant, Michael Johns. I've been a Michael Johns fan ever since I saw him - especially from the top 24 onward. So, when he was eliminated in the top 8, I was devastated!! I have since downloaded (from iTunes) his AI songs as well as songs from his previous bands (Film and The Rising). He's simply an awesome musician. He will definitely have success in his music career. And he's not bad to look at either.... although he's married...and so am I :) Only 3 months until I get to see him (ahm, I mean them) in concert. Yes, I'm going to the American Idols Live Tour - got tickets a few days ago. It will be me, Marissa, Jason, Mom, Dad, Aunt Kathy, Uncle Marty and Aunt Karen. My Aunt Kathy is trying to score some backstage passes. I'm crossing my fingers. Here's a little MJ "tribute" video that I love watching. The background song, "Don't You" was performed by Michael on AI.


Monday, May 12, 2008

long time, no blog

Wow, I can't believe it's been over two weeks since I blogged. I guess that's what the spring/summer will bring as far as blogging goes. Many, many things new in my world to share...

New job - I accepted a new job as a Sr. Sales Analyst in the CardioVascular business unit (still at Medtronic). I'm super psyched. This is what I've always wanted to do and I'll be working for one of my former bosses who is fabulous! My first day is next Monday.

New paint & fixtures in the dining room! I've been wanting to repaint the dining room area ever since we moved in. Originally, I wanted to paint over the yellow - just not my color, I thought. But as we've been living with the yellow for the past 1.5 years, it's kind of grown on me. So, we decided to repaint to a warmer, more golden yellow and I love it! We repainted the red wall too. Oh, and we replaced the brass and etched glass fixture over the dining table and the wicker 80's ceiling fan. Now, when I say "we", I really mean my dad and bro-in-law Jason. They love this home improvement stuff. And I'm so grateful for that - seeing as though Mana just doesn't have time for that kind of stuff.


Landscaping in progress - Mana started working on the landscaping in the front year. Last year, he started by removing all the rock and ripping out most of t he shrubs and plants...leaving a dirt bed with weeds. I think I got to him when I said that it looks tacky when his customers walk up to the house. So far, the front lawn is torn out (by means of a rented sod kicker - Zander helped too). And the black edging is in too - although these photos were taken before the edging. Mana knows what shrubs and perennials he wants to plant, so I think the boys will be hitting the garden centers on 'Daddy daycare' days for the next few weeks. They LOVE garden center visits.






Shopping - Today, I took the day off from work to go shopping, so I headed to Albertville Outlet Mall. LOVE that place. My absolute favorite place is Bass Outlet. They have pants that actually fit. I have the hardest time finding pants & capris. I'm so damn short that I need petite/short length and they're hard to come by. Bass has a good variety of petite lengths and just good fitting pants. I bought a ton f tops too. I know Mana doesn't read this, so I can safely say that I spent almost $150 at Bass Outlet. I bought 6 pairs of pants/capris and 5 tops. Not bad for that much stuff...or at least that's what I'm telling myself!

Mother's Day - We spent the morning at Eric & Mindi's. The guys made breakfast/brunch for us. It was so nice. Then the kids (big and small) played dodgeball, explored in the backyard and played on the swingset. We spent the afternoon at Marissa & Jason's house. They grilled brats and made homemade beans. We had ColdStone ice cream cake for dessert - yum, yum!