Mommy and Sofia night

I took Sofia out to the Mall of America for a night out on the town.  We found lots of dresses for her, rode rides and ate junk food.  We had a great time and it's always a treat for me to have some special time with just one of my girls!

I had to include her self-portrait!

Momma's weekend away

To celebrate Antie She's birthday, I took her away for a snowy weekend filled with winter activities.  We learned how to cross-country ski, went on some hikes and dog-sledding, and relaxed.  I'd recommend the Gunflint Lodge to anyone.  The food and cabin was great (hot tub and sauna!) and Canada is across the lake!  I can't wait to go back for more adventures!

Antie She has been part of my family since I was 19 years old.  We weren't immediate friends, but we've seen each other through so much it's overwhelming to think about.  I'm incredibly grateful to have her in my life and I cherish our friendship!

President's Day Weekend 2013

We started the weekend with me taking Sofia to her preschool celebration of Chinese New Year.  She got to release her lantern (balloon with a light inside), be part of the dragon and sing a song with her classmates.  I'm glad we took the time to go!

On Saturday we met our friends for dinner at a King's table before heading to the Mondo Festival, a celebration of uni-cycling, juggling and other fun skills.  There were plenty of balloons flying during intermissions and everyone was throwing them up and down.  We'll see if we can make this an annual event!

Monday was President's Day, so I took the girls out to a trampoline park.  There wasn't room for me to jump along, but I had fun watching and taking videos!

Weekend of fun and catch-up, plus a rant about marketing

It was a busy weekend again, but not overwhelming.  Other than deciding to avoid Target and Costco on Saturdays, the weekend was filled with a lot of different activities.  Both girls got individual crafting time with Daddy, which they LOVED.  I took the girls to an open gym at their gymnastics studio (Samantha was awesome to watch on the beam!), and then ice-skating by candlelight at my favorite local park.  It wasn't too cold and to me, it was magical.  It was the first time we had all gone skating outside together and we got a workout!  I was happy to oblige for hot cocoas on the way home.

On another note: as the mother of 2 daughters and a woman myself, I am incredibly frustrated with all the commercials featuring women acting like nymphomaniacs and simulating orgasms.  All the variations of sex are maddening because there is so much more to women and men!  Maybe I'm using the wrong shampoo, but I'd like to see a marketing department create a new strategy to get my money.  I'm raising daughters and I'm teaching them to know their bodies.  Unfortunately I also have to teach them that they need to protect themselves from anyone who doesn't see past their bodies.  I repeatedly tell them commercials are lies.  We have conversations about the scantily clad women we see and I ask them to look beyond the picture and wonder about the person in various ads we see.

Update on Samantha

 From parent/teacher conferences (which was another great conference)...

To crafting with dad...

Samantha is described as "a mother to all".  She is a leader and supporter to all.  This year she is learning that not every kid wants to be mothered and it's not a personal insult to her.  Samantha is also a friend to all, navigating life with enthusiasm which is beautiful to see.  Daddy and I are very proud of her!  She is easy to love!

Samantha's Birthday Parties

Samantha turned 8!  She started the festivities by rock-climbing for her friend party.  There were cupcakes, presents and games so everyone had fun.  There were a few friends that weren't able to come, so Samantha has been busy with playdates.  She loves her friends, so it's worked out well!

Her she is at her friend party.

That night she got to wear her dress for a very fancy dinner out with her parents.  This was the dress that she saved money for months to buy.  She reveled in her time being the only kid and looked beautiful!

On her actual birthday, we took the traditional photo with the hat.

We had scheduled the family to come over, but we had it later in the week due to a messy snow storm.  Samantha was so disappointed.  I held her, told her I understood and suggested we go sledding to make the best of the weather, so we had fun with that.  Ely walked with Daddy while I got a workout on the hill keeping up with my girls!   Nana and Papa stayed for a bit after dropping Sofia off.  We all sang "Happy Birthday" to her and had some cake before sledding.

The rest of the family came over last night (excepting Aunt Merrian who we hope gets well soon) to finish the celebration.  Samantha was excited to show us the bowl she painted for Ely.

She got time with her cousins... Dylan joined Samantha at the piano and was adorable to watch!

One upside of having to reschedule the party was Samantha got to get another cake.  This time was red velvet and it was delicious!

Happy Birthday Samantha.  You are a young lady with a kind heart and we love you so much.