Twelve Years Ago Today...

...my baby boy was born!

Happy Birthday Brennan!!!
The day looks exactly the same today as it did 12 years ago. Sunny and FREEZING cold! The governor closed all of the schools in the state that day because it was so cold outside. But we were warm and cozy snuggling with our brand new baby boy. I would have bet you money that he was a girl when I was pregnant (we didn't have an ultrasound done.) So, when Dr. Judy said it was a boy the look on Bill's face was absolutely priceless! A few hours after he was born I moved to my new room and I asked the nurse where my husband was. She replied, "He's with your son." I remember that statement just throwing me for a loop. I had to stop and think - "A son? I don't have a son. Oh wait, I DO have a SON!!!"

And what a son he has been. Such a sweet, caring, loving, sensitive boy. He is so smart, so concerned about other people and their feelings and so talented. I could listen to him sing all day long. I just love this little boy so much! I was terrified to have a boy, but I couldn't be more thrilled even 12 years later.

I love you Brennan!!! Hope you have the best birthday!!!

"There's a Monster in my Closet!"

Not really, it's just Brennan as the lead in his 6th grade musical! Oh my gosh! It was such a fun show! Brennan did awesome and he got such a great response from the audience. I loved watching him!

And he made everyone cry with this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeL2phZnLQc

photos to come!

Vicki

Happy Halloween!

Our friends the Hoffman's have an awesome Halloween party every year. It is so fun! It takes them the entire month of October to decorate their yard, house and garage for the party. The garage is decorated like a dungeon and it is so cool! Every square inch of the house is covered in some sort of scary decor. My favorite part this year were the dead vines on the stair railings. It looked so awesome!

Bill and I went as Tinkerbell and Peter Pan. I had a blast making the costumes! I also brought Autumnal White Sangria and Frankencheese.

Thanks Hoffmans for the amazing evening!

Happy Fall!

What a beautiful day in Minnesota today! Bill and I got up this morning and went for a walk. We came home and ate breakfast before most of the kids were even up. He left to go do some campaigning for our friend ArMand Nelson (running for city council) and I started cleaning. The kids and I got the entire upstairs cleaned. Now I am going to take a shower, paint my nails and go to the Champlin Park Football game this afternoon. I hope to have a bonfire this evening and cap off a perfect Saturday in Minnesota!

Have a great day!

Vicki

Extreme Home Makeover - The Dinner Club Edition

So, it was our turn to host our first dinner club for the Champlin "Not-So-Gourmet" Dinner Club on September 27th. Not wanting to be embarassed by my house, I decided this would be a good time to paint the whole upstairs, put tile in the entry way and pretty much redo the whole house! Well, we didn't get everything on the list done, but we did get some much needed painting done and I was pleased with the results. I got a little carried away with the tablescape and the house though. Dinner was about one hour late! I had lists for everything but I didn't have a timeline for the food preparation! Lesson learned! Everyone said they were fine drinking white sangria, eating appetizers and chatting while Bill and I did the cooking. When we sat down for the main course I was able to take a breath. We had such a wonderful time and I have a much heightened appreciation of the work that goes into hosting Dinner Club! I think I'll start preparing for my next turn now!

Northern Stars Ball

We had such a fun time this weekend at the Northern Stars Ball. It is a benefit for the Anoka-Hennepin school district. Many of the funds go to the talent development programs at our kid's schools, and we have been blessed to have all three of our children participate in those programs.

Once again our group kept the party alive by dancing until the band was done. Everyone was out there on the dance floor shaking their booties! :)

This is my favorite photo of the entire night! Eric and Gina

Sarah Palin and Hilary Clinton graced us with their presence! LOL! Yvette and Pam were so funny doing this bit.
Bill and John got in on the action with the band!

The color of the evening obviously was black!
And Pam just got carried away!