Pretend

Lately Audrey has really gotten into pretending, it's awesome to watch her imagination working in overdrive to come up with the things she does. Last night she was making tootsie rolls in her swimming pool with a bucket of water and then she brings them to us and we eat them. I asked her to stop dumping all the water out of the pool and she looked and me and said very seriously, "But, I am making tootsie rolls, do you want some?"

Brainerd 2011

The week has come and gone, it's nice to be home again, but I really am not ready to go back to work tomorrow. We had a good time in Brainerd again this year with my parents. The weather could have been nicer, but the last couple days were really nice, so it made up for the two days prior that we were stuck indoors due to the rain. Days can get long with Audrey cooped up in a little cabin. We were thankful for the indoor pool at the resort on those days.

One rainy day we went into Baxter and hit up an indoor water park. Audrey was so brave this year going down waterslides all by herself and just loving it. We couldn't get enough of that smile on her face every single time she came down.

Us ladies went into Nisswa one day and did some serious shopping, although I didn't buy a thing except for chocalate at the Chocolate Ox, can't resist that. Brent started his marathon training while up in Brainerd and I ran with him for a couple of his 3 mile runs, it was great.

Our last day there was absolutely perfect weather, so we enjoyed it to the fullest. I am still suffering from being out in the sun too long:)

We returned from Brainerd just in time for the North Mankato Triathlon where Brent did an awesome job. I did the bike portion of a relay, it was really, really fun. I am thinking I should try the whole thing next year.



I couldn't help but post this picture, this swim suit is too cute!

My mom and I drinking wine in our fanciest glasses we could find! I am not a real wine person, but I read somewhere about this cheap wine called flip-flop wine and it's pretty good, you should try it if you like wine.

Hitting up the indoor pool, Audrey loved it there until Thursday when she fell while running and skinned up her knee.

Guys turn at the dishes!

Enjoying a little chocolate ice cream.

Grandma had enough sitting inside on a rainy day, she forced Audrey out to stomp in puddles.

Audrey developed some sort of cheesy smile for pictures while on vacation, this is what she does when I tell her to smile:) I hope we can get some decent pictures of her this summer, we are ready for her 3 year pics.

I don't really remember what is going on here, but I know she was watching Tinkerbell.

Finally warm enough to go in the lake. It was absolutely freezing, but I think kids don't even notice.

We loved to walk out on the dock, the nice thing is she could probably still touch bottom at the end of the dock, it's very shallow for a long way out.

Audrey's favorite thing to do on the dock.

We rode our bikes into Nisswa on Friday to get some ice-cream.

Enjoying our ice-cream in the gazebo.

Brent and I kyaking on Friday.

Another one of those cheesy smiles:)

Audrey kept hauling water in her bucket and pouring it into a hole she made in the sand. Kept her busy for a long time.

Audrey's first attempt at fishing, her main goal was to catch a bug.

Thanks Mom and Dad for a great time at the cabin!

Happy Father's Day!

Audrey wants to wish her Daddy a Happy Father's Day! I couldn't ask for a better husband and dad for Audrey, she absolutely adores him. They get to spend so much one on one time together when I am working, she is one lucky girl:)

This picture is up in Brainerd last summer and we are heading up to the very same cabin tomorrow for the week, we are sooo ready for a vacation!

Peace out

All Things Loved, special edition "Audrey"

Their are sooooo many things I want to remember about Audrey right now, so I am just going to randomly list things that I am absolutely loving about this stage in Audrey's life:

-Her love for dresses, basically her whole fashion sense.

-The way she licks her lips if some food misses her mouth.

-When she brushes her hair out of her face

-The way she says chapstick, "scap lips"

-When she gives us hugs and kisses before bed and always needs to add in a nose rub

-The fact that is upsets her when Tina (the cat) is in the bathroom if she needs to use it.

-She will hold hands with her friends but not with mom or dad

-The way she reads books to herself, it's amazing how much she can remember and how she recaps everything on the pages

-Her awesome questions: "Why do we have 2 hands?", "Why am I all white?". Then she made a very valid point, "I have 2 hands, 2 feet, and one butt."

One Nice Day

Saturday was the nicest day of the weekend, wow, I thought it was supposed to be nice all weekend. We started off the day on Saturday running the 5k in Janesville for Haydaze. It was the perfect morning for a run, Brent ran with me and pushed Audrey in the jogger, it was great! Audrey felt awesome being in a race and this older man next to us at the start leaned down and told Audrey, "Just think, you will cross the finish line ahead of your dad!" It was pretty cute:)

I went shopping with Heidi in the afternoon, which is always good. It's not often we get to hang just the two of us without the girls. Then Brent, Audrey and I went over to Owatonna Saturday evening and visited my parents and aunt and uncle at the campground. We had supper with them and just hung out by the fire. It was nice and relaxing.

Three Amigos

Today is graduation from the toddler room at daycare for Audrey and her best pals, Alexis and Gwenyth. They are all three moving together to preschool on Monday. I am so happy they get to move together, they are the best of buds.

I hope it's a good transition on Monday. They have a bit more structure in preschool, which I think Audrey is totally ready for. She has been getting to spend time over there off and on for different activities, so I think it will be ok.

Last week she spent the morning over there and then they started setting up the cots for nap time in preschool and one of the teachers looked over and Audrey just had tears rolling down her cheeks and they said "Audrey what is wrong?", and she said "I don't want to nap over here." So, I am worried about her naps at first, but I don't think it will take long to get it all down.

All Things Loved

Lately all things loved have a lot to do with the summer, first of all I am loving flip flops. It's so easy to slip them on and head out, Audrey is also digging the flip flop look. She seems so grown up to have flip flops without a strap in the back:)



I have a serious addiction in the summer and that is cookie dough blizzards from Dairy Queen!

We are thinking it's time to upgrade our pool at home from the little circle plastic pool with fishies on it to this blow-up pool, it's called the "family pool". Sounds perfect, we can all hang out in it. We figured now is a better time than any while our lawn is a mess and we could care less if we flatten the grass.

I love the On the Go packets of lemonade in the summer, so refreshing!

Yummy

Brent made an awesome supper tonight and even took pictures of his step by step process. It was really easy, but lots of prep time. it was two crescent rolls, one layed out on the pan in a circle.




Then he grilled 3 chicken breasts and shredded them and mixed them with diced tomatoes, mozarella cheese, sour cream, taco seasoning, and lime juice.




After he spread the mixture on top of the first layer of crescent rolls, then he topped it off with a second set of crescent rolls and walla. It was really tasty.

Then we cooled down with some cherry slushies, Audrey loved it.

First Date

Friday night we hung out with Audrey's best friend from school, Alexis and her mom and dad. It reminded me a lot of a first date, we really didn't know these people, although our daughters get to spend all day with each other during the week. We went to Sibley Park and checked out the animals and they held hands most of the time and Alexis started calling Audrey, "Audg", it was hilarious. Then we went and had ice cream afterwards, the girls were so excited to hang out together outside of school. They had a blast. Ever since Audrey and Alexis have been old enough to crawl they have always been drawn to each other at daycare. Their teachers have said how unique it is when kids bond at such a young age. They have been friends from the beginning, it's pretty cool!