Not Your Average Pizza Night

A couple weeks ago, we enjoyed a family pizza night with our friends Matt and Shelly and their boys Dane, Erik, and Tripp. But this one was different. It wasn't Papa Murphy's take-and-bake or Chuck E. Cheese mayhem. It was a pizza night held at a most unique, best-kept-secret of a place called Two Pony Gardens. It's just on the western side of Plymouth, but the scene felt like a far-away secret garden of sorts where simplicity and nourishment (for the belly and soul) reign. 

We ordered our pizza right when we got there, which proved to be wise decision as the wait times were pushing two hours by the time we left for the night! As we waited for our pizzas to be cooked in the wood-fire oven we made our way through the beautiful dahlia garden, visited the ponies and gave them a good brushing, and watched the pizzas being made (which are all topped with yummies from their gardens including heirloom tomatoes, cilantro, and mushrooms).

Matt had his camera and was on it with the snapshots -- thanks, Matt! The beautiful garden gave us quite the backdrop for some candids. 

The kids especially loved perusing racing through the garden :)

Our pizza was ready right as hunger began to strike, so we got situated on our oversized picnic blankets and dove into these savory pies...

Everyone is asked to pack out what they pack in - meaning bring everything home with you that you bring - there's not a single garbage can on site. We also brought our own appetizers, wine, plates, napkins, and cutlery - they don't have any of that available. Again, they keep it super simple which makes the experience at Two Pony Gardens unique and memorable.

We had a fun, one-of-a-kind, outdoor pizza party with dear friends and look forward to doing it again next year. Thanks to lovely Shelly for the fabulous idea!

Two Pony Gardens now has nine new fans!

Apple Jack Orchards

Last Friday, Michael took the afternoon off and we took a trip to Apple Jack Orchards. Fun times! (Promise, it was. But this picture has the girls looking rather somber!)

Katelyn and Kendall had fun climbing the hay stacks, sliding down slides, feeding goats, visiting pigs and chickens, checking out the pumpkins, and sharing a caramel apple!

We ventured down to the river and saw a few fish jump and also spotted two frogs. Quite the adventure at the orchard!

Kendall loved the freedom to check everything out on her own! She thought the hay was pretty interesting stuff :)

How tall this fall? Well, it looks like we've got a two-footer and a three-footer! We love these little pumpkins...

It was a great kickoff to the fall season that's now underway!

Kairos

Time stood still for a moment yesterday. And it was a beautiful thing. A kairos thing. And I marked it. I looked up at the blue sky above me and thanked God for that moment. Because as chaotic, harried, and utterly draining as some days may be along this parenting journey, there are always moments like this sprinkled into every day. They serve as a cleansing of my mind and heart. These moments bring overwhelming gratitude that washes over me so powerfully it almost takes my breath away, reminding me of just how beautiful this journey we're on really is...

May we all have eyes to see - really stop and see - the kairos moments each day brings.

Preschool, Cyclone Fans, and Quirky Quotes

Meet our brand new preschooler... 

Do you think she was excited for day one? "Wooo-hooo!"

I think I did the same dance on my last day of school :) Needless to say, Kate is loving preschool! She has been looking forward to it all summer and when the first day finally arrived last week, she was thrilled. A quick hug and kiss upon entering her classroom and she was off having fun! No tears from either one of us. When I picked her up on the first day, she said "I love preschool more than mac and cheese!" It's safe to say she's a fan.

Here she is on day two. Each student was asked to decorate their red bucket, which is used in lieu of a backpack to bring home art projects, parent memos, and other odds and ends.

Last weekend was the big Iowa/Iowa State football game. Looks like I'll be doing the dishes all year in our house divided ;) While we'd like to forget about the outcome of said match-up (everyone but Michael wants to forget anyway), we always want to remember how cute these little Cyclones looked...

(Katelyn, Cooper, Carter, Kendall, and Drew)

Last week at church, Katelyn's class drew pictures of something God created. She drew Kendall. 

Melt. My. Heart. Seriously...

And with as much fun as this duo has together, it's no surprise Kendall was on her mind. They are such good pals.

Here are some of Katelyn's funny quotes from the past couple months...

To Kendall after I had just painted Kate's toenails: "Be careful, Kendall. My toenails are very juicy."

"Do we live in Plymesota?" Giving Plymouth, Minnesota a valiant effort.

"Why do some adults say 'smile' and some adults say 'say cheese'?" Great question! Ha!

Kate: "Knock, knock"

Me: "Who's there?"

Kate: "Salad."

Me: "Salad who?"

Kate: "Lettuce in, we're freezing."

Salad/lettuce, pretty much the same thing ;)

Watching Katelyn perform in our basement, I asked her for a hug between songs. She said: "I'll give you a hug this time, but Mom, dancers don't usually hug the watchers."

Talking about something (I don't remember what) and I said, "I'll show you one the next time I see one." Kate responds, "Okay. And another thing I want you to show me sometime is a real dinosaur."

"At preschool, I hope we get to play in the missiles room." Say what? I inquired further and she kept saying the same thing: missiles room. Then it occurred to me - the muscle room. Basically an indoor jungle-gym room where the kids can run, slide, throw balls, and exercise their muscles. Boy, I'm sure glad there isn't a missiles room at preschool.

Until next time - thanks for reading!

13 Months Old

Guess who's 13 months old already? Yep, the one who just turned 12 months old a few seconds ago. Kendall is now a walking, talking (okay, babbling) toddler! Here's what she's up to these days...

She's wearing 12-18 month clothes and size 4 diapers. Her shoe size is also 4. Kendall's third tooth just popped through today - her first top one (front left). She gets around by walking everywhere. I've noticed in the last couple weeks that crawling has become a thing of the past now that she's solidified her strut and gained some confidence along the way. 

So yeah, that independence thing? Uh-huh. She loves to do this... 

And she also loves to climb stairs, couches, chairs, and the other day was found sitting atop (as in ON TOP of) the toddler table in our playroom. My word! She's full of curiosity and once she has her mind set on something, nothing will get in her way (and if it does, she's been known to throw a big ol' fit for a few seconds until the next distraction comes along).

At 13 months old, Kendall has three obsessions.

1) Baby dolls. She LOVES babies. She is drawn to them like a magnet. She starts "talking" excitedly and pointing when she spots a baby doll and will immediately pick it up. She has a small doll (it's a "little sister" doll to a larger doll we have) and it goes everywhere with her (including bed!) Katelyn never had a "lovey"(a toy or blanket attachment - unless you count her paci, that was definitely an attachment), so it's cute to see how Kendall is so connected to her little dolly.

2) Light switches. She cannot get enough of flipping them up and down, on and off. Before we leave a room, she almost always reaches for them and "talks" as she gets to work!

3) Dancing. If she hears a beat, you better believe she'll be bouncing and clapping to it!

Kendall enjoys many of the same foods we do for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but her favorites are mac and cheese, spaghetti, corn on the cob, cheese, grapes, and strawberries. She's still nursing twice a day, too. She's gotten used to whole milk out of her sippy cup but I would say she still prefers water. She's now signing for "more" and has recently added the sign for "please" to that request as well.

She and Katelyn play really well together. They simply adore one another. There are some occasional squabbles but they really are few and far between (at this point anyway!) Kendall is undoubtedly engaging in the world around her and it's so fun to watch! 

We began ECFE class last week (while Katelyn is at preschool on Wednesdays) and it was a blast to see Kendall in a "classroom" environment with a handful of peers learning and exploring. We're in a class with 12-22 month olds and it's a gradual separation class which means by the end of the session, the parents will spend part of the class in a different room from the children. For now we're in the same room for the duration of the 1.5 hour class, but the parents converse in the boring part of the room (i.e. no toys around) and the kids have the freedom to check in with us anytime. She seems to enjoy it so far!

My friend, Nealy, took some one-year pictures of Kendall when we got together at their house for dinner last month and I just have to share them. Nealy is an incredible photographer and was so gracious to snap a few shots while we were there. Check them out! (And if you're in the Twin Cities area, I'd definitely encourage you to contact her for any of your photo needs!)

Kendall's hair is growing like crazy! Even when I look at these pictures from a month ago, her piggies are much fuller and longer now.

She still does "soooo big" when prompted and also loves to look at and pet animals in real life or in books (dogs, cats, birds, elephants, you name it.)

After dinner, Kendall knows it's bath time followed by bed time and whenever she's taken out of her high chair at that time of day, she waves goodbye to everyone around her since she knows she's retiring for the night :)

Kendall's temperament is still relaxed and content around people she knows. Around new faces, she still tends to cling a bit tighter to me or Michael and is rather cautious. And sometimes unfamiliar faces are too much for her - like at Costco when she's in the cart on the other side of the check out lane from me and the worker talks to her... oh golly, the tears!

Kendall's favorite words are dada, mama, and the most recent addition: "Papa!" She'll look at a picture of my dad, point to it, and say "Papa." She also says "bah" for ball and "dah" for yeah/yes. She does a lot of "gulla, gulla, gulla" talking while pointing when she's excited about something (light switches, for example - ha!)

Kendall, you are quite simply the sweetest little thing! Your big blue eyes draw people in (whether you like it or not!) and your smile is infectious. We're beyond blessed by you and watching you grow has been a thrilling ride - with more thrills ahead! Thank you for your sweet, gentle, curious, easy-going nature. We love you to the moon and back, baby girl!

Labor Day Weekend

 We hope you enjoyed the 3-day weekend a couple weeks ago. We traveled to Iowa for quick visits with Gramma Kathy and Papa, and then Gramma Debbie. From there we went on to Illinois to spend our Labor Day weekend with Jason, Cassie, and Emerson (and our nephew due in January - woo hoo!!) and our friends the Kensingers. Our families always have a blast together!

The kids spent time playing, dancing, pretending, dressing-up, singing, swimming, biking, flying kites, and the always-popular riding in the golf cart!

Katelyn and Peyton (5)

Brooke, Peyton, Katelyn, and Missy

Kendall busted out her bikini for the pool. Thanks to my friend Heidi for this adorable little number!

Katelyn went down the water slide countless times and it always plunged her down under water, which surprisingly was not a deterrent - she never got tired of it!

Meanwhile, little Kendall did get tired. I mean seriously, bikini-wearing is hard work. (And how about Michael's shades?! Circa 1983.)

Katelyn, Peyton, and Calvin

Love these sweet cousins - Emerson and Kate

Peyton's dresses were a hit with all the girls! And so it begins... trading clothes!

Katelyn caught a frog - here are the kids watching it hop around in the grass.

A rare moment with all the girls within inches of each other, sitting still, and with smiles on their faces :)

Golf cart rides are a big hit! Jason and Cassie live right on a course, so it's a common sight to see golf carts crusin' the streets. Golf carts filled to the brim with kids though? Probably not as common.

Brooke, Calvin, Peyton, Katelyn, Jason, and Emerson

Missy, Kendall, Katelyn, Peyton, and Brooke

Kendall enjoyed a sunset wagon ride one lovely evening...

The mamas...

Emerson was so gracious to share all of her toys all weekend. One of the more popular items was this dollhouse...

The kids (and kids at heart - ahem, Jesse and Michael), spent an hour or more flying kites one evening. With a little help from the dads, the kites were flying high in no time. But some of them crashed into trees or the ground as the wind fluctuated and had to be revived.

It was certainly a practical application of patience and perseverance!

It was a good thing Uncle Jason was grilling up some good eats after all the kite flying - these kids were hungry!

This one was hungry too! She's also got some Iowa in her blood, if you can't tell. After she showed the corn who's boss, she did the same to the beer. Kidding, kidding.

After the grill out, we had s'mores marshmallows. Lots of marshmallows. Right before bed. Both roasted and raw. The kids were on a sugar high during bath time, but crashed hard on their pillows. 

We loved all the laughs and memories we made. It's a blessing to have family that are friends and friends like family.