Hello 2016

Happy New Year!! :)

There is so much that's been going on since my last post.  I can't believe that was September 2015! 

Yikes!! 

Let's start with the holidays....

Delanie spent Christmas in Texas like usual.  When we moved to Minnesota back in 2011, she asked to spend Christmas Day with her dad's side of the family.  We all agreed and the last few years have seen her flying to TX for Christmas and spending New Years Eve with us.  

Since that leaves Jim and I kid-free on Christmas day, we've started a tradition of our own.  Every Christmas Eve, we go shopping together.  Yep.....we brave the busiest shopping day of the year at the mall......and we love every second of it!!  Together, we pick up any last-minute gifts and shop for each other.  Instead of buying gifts for each other, we spend the day picking out our own presents. Win-win!  Christmas Eve usually ends with a movie and popcorn.  :)  

Christmas Day is spent in our pajamas wrapping presents and being lazy!! 

 Even Bailey got in on the action.  (That's my sweatshirt she's using as a blanket......goofy dog!)

While Delanie was in Texas, she spent the day with Bea & Lauren.  They always have such a good time together!  Lauren took them all for a spin in her new Audi.  The spiffy new ride has built-in wifi so Bea face-timed me while Lauren was driving.  They were soaking up the sunshine with the top down while I was freezing my behind off up here in the arctic tundra!!  

  

Cute little suckers.  :)

Garrett joined them a few hours later and they exchanged presents and just hung out.  

   

Meanwhile back in Minnesota, we had our first real snowfall of the year......finally!

Garrett and Maci road-tripped it from Texas to Minnesota the Sunday after Christmas.  They surprised me with that news a few months ago and it's taken all I have to not explode with excitement.  

They packed up Sophie - their new puppy - and headed north for an 18 hours adventure.  We thought for sure they would stop and spend the night half-way.  Nope, they drove straight through!

Sophie is such a sweet puppy!  She is super lovable and wanted so bad to be Bailey's new BFF. Bailey wanted nothing to do with that idea.  After trying her best to get Bailey to play, Sophie settled with resting close to Bailey.   

Sophie is nine months old and is the cutest thing ever.  Garrett and Maci rescued her several months ago.  She has one ear that stands up while the other lays down.  

On Monday night.....Jim, Garrett, Maci and I went to the Red Wings game at the Excel Center.  How perfect was it that the Wings were playing the Minnesota Wild while the kids were here?!

Even though the Wings lost, we had a great time!

Tuesday saw a ton of excitement.  Our sweet Maci broke out into an itchy rash from head to toe.  She went through tons of Benadryl and two tubes of cortisone cream to try and get some relief.  

That same day, I slipped on the ice and fractured my left wrist.  So.......Maci, Garrett, Jim and I ended up in the emergency room.  Maci was in one room trying to find an explanation for the rash while I was in another room getting x-rays.  There should be a Maple Grove Hospital Friends and Family discount.  

We finally figured out that Maci was allergic to our laundry detergent.  Bless her heart, between the sheets, towels, blankets, etc......she couldn't get away from it.  She was such a trooper, though.  If that had been me, there was no way I would feel up to going to dinner and to the casino.  This tough cookie was totally game though (see what I did there?!).

We picked Delanie up from the airport on Wednesday and went to dinner and a movie.  The night ended with the girls were coloring.......

While the boys played video games.....

I had all my favorite people together in one room.  Life is good!! :)

Garrett and Maci had planned to go home Friday morning but decided to stay until Sunday. 

Woohoo!!!!! That made me one happy momma! :)

On New Years Eve, we had a fun hibachi dinner and wrapped up the evening with ice cream.  

Happy New Year!!  

Sunday morning after the kids headed out, Jim and I ran our normal weekend errands......

As I was taking that picture, Jim gave me his trademark "what the hell are you doing?!" look.  Sorry ladies......he's all mine!

Hope your holiday was as wonderful as ours!  It's back to the real world tomorrow.  Check out my new Etsy 2016 planners.  I customized them with pictures of the twin-sister trip to New Orleans.  Check out that post here and here and here and here.

Have a great week!! :)