We Love Wednesdays

I missed a week of Wednesdays, so I have a lot to share.

Cherry Blossoms
A couple weeks ago, the cherry/crab apple blossoms were in full bloom! One of my favorite parts of spring:)  Nora, Mom, Murphy (the pup), and I took a stroll down Memorial Parkway that is lined with cherry trees.  It was a beautiful day and the aroma was amazing!

Brent’s 5 Month Milestone
May 16 was Brent’s five month milestone after his Achilles repair surgery.  Five months means no more restrictions on activity!  Now, I have to take a moment to brag on my guy.  I was SO impressed with how he dealt with this injury and recovery.  He was patient in the bed rest/restrictions, diligent in following the recovery protocol and physical therapy, and continued to be the most involved dad and husband that he could with his limitations.  I am quite sure I would not have handled the situation with such patience.  But, he's is at the end of his recovery protocol and has been easing his way back into walking and running for exercise.  He made it!  

Friday
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:  I am so blessed to have Fridays home with Nora (and Luke when he’s not in school)!

• Lunch

Last Friday, I had plans to meet a friend/former coworker, Diane, for lunch.  It worked out perfectly that Brent could take lunch at the same time so he took Nora on a date to Panera.  She thought it was pretty special!  I was also very blessed by the one-on-one time with my friend.  She is a couple decades ahead of me in life, we share the same faith, and she knows me well from working together for eight years.  We talked work and life and it was so nice to hear her perspective on how life has changed for her and her family with each decade of her life.  I am so grateful for the women that go ahead of me in life who share their wisdom:)

  

• Library

After our lunch date, Nora and I met another friend, Laura, at the library.  She and I are the same age and both in the middle of mothering the two children we have each been blessed with.  It was great catching up in person (though we connect online often) and supporting one another through the places we currently find ourselves as moms.  I am grateful for the women I mother alongside in each stage of motherhood:)

• Birthday Celebration

Friday evening, Brent and I got to head out to dinner to celebrate a friend, Erika's, birthday!  (Friday was an awesome day!)  It was a great night of relaxing, chatting, eating very good food, and celebrating a wonderful person!

Shower Day
Saturday my mom, sister, and I had a ladies’ day trip to a baby shower for our cousin who is expecting her first child, a little girl.  We got to see more family at the shower and it was lots of fun sharing in the excitement of another baby joining the family.

Grandma, me, Tina, Bridget, Mom
Yes, Tina is the pregnant one,
though you can hardly tell in this pic!

Everyday Fun
Life isn’t all about the plans we have…actually, most of life happens in the time between planned events.  Even though I’m a planner, I love the moments in between when "regular life" happens.  This past week, I noticed how Luke and Nora have been playing together.  As siblings go, I’d say they’re pretty easy.  They rarely fight (though sassy words can be heard thrown around between them).  With their age gap and different personalities, they don’t always find the same things entertaining.  This week though, I noticed a lot of time together, playing, snuggling, and wrestling (the fun kind).  It melts this momma’s heart!

Snuggles watching their new favorite show on Netflix

Brent and I enjoy being active and our kids know that’s a part of our daily life.  Nora often joins us on walks and at-home workouts.   The other day, she started out on some exercises with me then came up with a fun idea: a picnic with her play kitchen food.  She started making her plans, which included “dress up” clothes for each of us to wear for the picnic.  Daddy got a crown, I got a sword, and Nora dressed as a cowgirl.

Real dad's wear crowns while working out:)

Ready for the picnic!

The other day I finally decided to tackle the pile of ironing.  I brought the ironing board downstairs so I could watch a movie with the fam while I ironed.  Nora decided she wanted to join me with her own play ironing board and iron, so she took off her dress and started ironing it:)  The even better part was when she said "Next I'm going to iron my underwear!"

Hard to see in this pic, but Nora is on the far right wearing just her pants:)
As you can see, I prefer ironing while fully clothed.

Mother's Day

I love days set aside to honor and acknowledge people in my life.  It's easy to overlook and take for granted how very blessed I am.  Today, we honor mothers.  It's so intriguing to me how so many of us have the same role as mom, but live it out so uniquely.  Today, I think of just a few of the moms that I call family...

Mom
My mom is very dedicated to caring for her family.  She worked full time yet always made us her priority the moment she came home: making dinner, listening as we talked about our days, keeping the house in order, and taking the extra time for a walk to the park after dinner, even though I'm sure there were days she would have rather went straight to bed.  Mom is soft spoken and unassuming, but she has certainly made a huge impact in our family.

Grandma and her girls:)

My Sister

My sister became a mom nearly three years ago and she has knocked it out of the park!  She's hard working, tenacious, and full of spunk.  Just the perfect mom for her feisty and beyond adorable kiddos.  Having two kids within two years is not for the faint of heart, but Bridget has done it with ease and joy.

Bridget and Parker

Grandma Green
My best memories with Grandma were doing the things we loved together: shopping, playing games, laughing, and going to annual outings like the Freeborn County Fair and Rochesterfest.   She has an amazing laugh (which Brent says I start sounding like when I laugh really hard:)) and she knows how to have a good time.  She's faced her share of hardships, but she is faithful, steady, and determined.

Grandma and Grandpa and their granddaughters

Grandma Beckmann
My best memories with Grandma were just being together.  Grandma had a large family with many grandkids, but when we visited for the weekend she always had a fun little project planned to spend special time together.  She was an amazing cook and loved on many through the meals she prepared.  She always had time for each of us, even though she was also one of the hardest working women I've ever known.

Unfortunately I can't find a picture of Grandma and I...
I'll have to dig at Mom and Dad's house soon:)

Ruth
My mother-in-law Ruth had a special role as mom: raising three boys!  Her quiet and faithful spirit blessed and continues to bless the lives of her boys and their families through her prayers and love.  She has embraced her daughter-in-laws in the fold of her family and is devoted to us all.

Mother's Day 2017

We Love Wednesdays

Whew!  This has been a fun-filled week, and, to top it off, the weather has been beautiful!!!

Chanhassen
For Mother's Day this year, Bridget and I got mom tickets to see Grease at Chanhassen Dinner Theater.  We had a great night enjoying a good dinner and fun show!  I highly recommend the show, but truly everything I've see at Chanhassen has been great!  It's a fun treat every few years:)

Friday Afternoon
I got the chance to help out at Luke's school Friday afternoon for their Jump Rope for Heart event.  It was a school-wide event and thankfully a beautiful day so the kids rotated between two activities outside and one in the gym.  The afternoon wrapped up with a special jump roping demonstration by kids at the school.  It was a fun afternoon and always great to get a peek into Luke's school world.

After school, it was off to Friendship Place.  Again, since it was a beautiful day, we played games outside and had a picnic. Such a great time together!

While at Friendship Place, the director read Dragons Love Tacos to the kids in honor of Cinco de Mayo.  It got me thinking that it would be great to have tacos for dinner...but I knew Mexican restaurants would be busy and I hadn't taken any meat out of the freezer to thaw. It was just wishful thinking.  But...when I checked my cell as I left Friendship Place, I saw a text from Erika, our neighbor, asking if we wanted to come over for a Cinco de Mayo dinner.  Oh my goodness...YES!  My wish had come true!  We had some super yummy pork tacos with all the fixings!  And, what Cinco de Mayo would be complete without a margarita???  We topped off the night with a bonfire in the backyard.  It was perfect!  Thank you again, Erika!

S'more time!

Gooey goodness!

When I saw the pic on the right, it totally reminded
me of the pic on the left when Nora was a baby:)

Color Run
Saturday morning was the second annual Stewartville Color Run!  The event is a fundraiser for early childhood education to purchase larger equipment for the classrooms.  Luke and I ran the 5k and Brent and I helped out with the event too.  Again, we were blessed with a beautiful day and I was very impressed with the number of kids who ran/walked!  5k is pretty far, especially for preschool legs!

I was also blessed during the event by Nora's teacher telling me how much she thought of my dad.  She only knows him from picking Nora up from school, but she can see the joy grandpa-hood brings him and it was so sweet of her to share with me.  We are so very blessed by both sets of our parents and their involvement in our lives:)

Before the run in front of the beautiful back drop
that Troy made for the event!

After the run (Nora didn't run)...
clearly Luke got more color than me:)
Oh, and Luke beat me...again!

Golf
Luke had his first week of the Stewartville Golf Program.  He'll get weekly group lessons from coaches and high school players at Willow Creek Golf Course.  He's looking forward to learning more and hopefully getting in some golf time with Dad and Papa this year too.

Birthday Party
Our new neighborhood is FULL of families with young kids.  It's been great having so many kids close by and living on a quiet, dead-end street where the kids can play safely.  One of the little buddies across the street invited the neighborhood to his birthday party this past weekend.  It was a great chance to put some names with faces of both kids and a few parents.

Nora had a great time
at the pirate themed party!

Outside
The weather has been a common theme in this week's update:)  We've been outside as much as we can enjoying the sunshine, blooming plants and flowers, and shaking off the Minnesota winter.  Spring in the Picker house brings the landscaping itch for Brent and I.  We love adding perennials to our landscaping and we still have plenty of space to do it at the new house!

My first ever tulips!  All of the perennials planted
last year are coming back beautifully!

 

Love the color variation

Nora frolicking alongside Daddy:)

Working together!

Hard at work

New rhododendron plants!

Our bleeding heart plants aren't very big yet,
so the hearts are itty bitty:)

Love these ground phlox!

Team work!

Date with Luke
Yesterday I got an impromptu date with Luke!  He had an orthodontist appointment after school and Gma Ruth was kind enough to keep Nora late, so Luke and I grabbed dinner after the appointment.  Luke is busy and on the move, so grabbing some time together is a wonderful gift:)  I am having a hard time believing that he's finishing Elementary School this year and embarking on Middle School next year.  And, I know that as he gets older, his time with mom will be fewer and farther between.  I will savor what I can get:)

We Love Wednesdays

Crossfit
My sister invited me to my first Crossfit experience last week.  We had fun trying a free intro class together.  Crossfit may be on the horizon once Brent and I could commit to it together (he's still working his way back after his injury/surgery).  The funny part after the workout was how the soreness presented itself.  I woke up the day after and thought I felt pretty good, but when I got to bed that night, I could feel the ache setting into my arms.  By the second day after the class, my arms were pretty pathetic and my armpits hurt:)  (P.S. I'm not good at nor do I enjoy push ups...hence the armpit discomfort;))

Friday
Nora and I had a lovely Friday together last week.  I told her we had to clean the house for a "party" we were planning on Saturday (see below), but that if we worked hard in the morning I would have a surprise for her in the afternoon.  Her response to this was: "Mom, you know you have to get out of bed then"!  She knows me all too well...if I get a morning with no alarm, I like to sleep till 8 or 9:)  Anyway, we made the best of our morning and had time for her surprise: a trip to the theater to see Born In China.  Her treat of choice was this ridiculously large ICEE (their smallest size):

Watermelon ICEE:)

After the movie and Luke got home from school, we all went to volunteer at Friendship Place (an after school program near our church).  I was very proud of them both for keeping themselves busy while I helped kids with homework: Nora read Green Eggs and Ham and Luke helped get snack ready.  Proud momma moment:)

Luke in the background in red shirt

Tana's Shower
Saturday we co-hosted a shower for my cousin Tana who is getting married in June.  It was so nice to see so many of the ladies from my dad's side of the family and to celebrate Tana and Justin's coming wedding!   It was especially nice to see everyone since we will have to miss the wedding while we're vacation.

The Bride

Playing with crowns from our game

Everyone except Michele and Paulette who had to leave early 

Bride and her momma

My aunts

Richie was a hit with the girls:)

Horsey ride!

Celebrating 
Our good friend finished his master's degree so we got together last Saturday night with some friends to celebrate with food and drinks at Victoria's and came back to our house to play cards.  It was also a milestone at our house because we left the kids home with the oldest (12 and 11 year olds) in charge of the younger kids.  They did great and were even disappointed when we got home;)  Sweet freedom!

Uno with Nora
This week Brent, Nora, and I were playing Uno.  Here's how it went...
Nora, wanting to play a "skip" card: "Who will I skip with this?"
B: "It would skip me"
N: "I don't want to skip my favorite daddy"
A few minutes later...
N: "Who will I skip with this?"
B: "It would skip mom"
Nora, with a twinkle in her eye says "Okay" and plays the "skip" card.
This happened one more time before we were done playing.  I guess I know where I stand.

Last night at bedtime, I was getting something from the kitchen and Nora walked right past me to go talk to Brent who was in our room.  I asked her what she needed, but she wanted daddy.  I told Brent, "I guess she skips me outside of Uno too.";)

Walking
Brent's nearing 5 months after his surgery (more on that here) and has been easing himself back into activity on both feet with some physical therapy at home and gradually walking more and farther.  Last night, we were able to walk together, at a good pace, for two miles!  It was great to be out enjoying the spring weather together!  He's been very diligent in his recovery and is working very hard to resume what was his regular activity before his injury (running, basketball, football, lifting, etc).  I am very proud of him!

We Love Wednesdays

Devoted Hearts

Last weekend, I was a first-time attendee of the Devoted Hearts conference in Rochester.  It was a fabulous conference!  The speakers, musicians, and drama actors were truly incredible!  I was mostly intrigued to attend the conference because of Karen Kingsbury.  I've been reading her books for years, ever since Brent read one of her books in college and recommended it.  I was extra excited to learn that she is not only a gifted author, but also a talented speaker!  I didn't know much about Margaret Feinberg, the other speaker, but I was certainly blessed by her messages.  I also recognized the name Mark Schultz, but couldn't remember a song name to associate with him.  He lead great worship and shared several of his original songs and I really enjoyed his voice.  And, last but not least, a drama duo from Theater for the Thirsty shared two Bible stories in drama/musical form and it was amazing!  They write their own dramas, songs, and act/sing themselves.  I was very impressed by the Life of David and Story of Esther they shared.  The conference experience was heightened by the company.  I was able to attend with my friend, Bethany, and several ladies from her church.  I came away from the conference with an arsenal of information and am still thinking about how to implement pieces into my life.  I will certainly be watching for future Devoted Hearts conferences (every spring)!

Community of Wellness Celebration Banquet
As part of Brent's role at work, we get to attend area events hosted by business partners of Think Bank.  This past weekend, we attended a Community of Wellness Celebration Banquet.  We had a wonderful (plant-based) meal and got to hear two great speakers:

• Tony Buettner, who spoke about Blue Zones, areas of the world where people live longer and healthier lives
• Dr. Hans Diehl, the founder of Complete Health Improvement Program (CHIP) who spoke about the benefits of a plant-based diet.  

We were also blessed with the opportunity to sit with a lovely couple from Iowa who have been doing the CHIP program for a few months.  It was a very nice night chatting, eating, and learning.  I'm not planning to change my entire lifestyle to align with CHIP, but I certainly learned some very good information and tips:) 

Belated Easter

On Sunday, we celebrated a belated Easter with my family.  It was a beautiful day, so we spent the afternoon lounging on the deck, grilling, and egg hunting with the kids.  We were also pleasantly surprised when one our childhood neighbors drove by, pulled over, and greeted us all with big hugs!  We all have fond memories of when Bill and Maureen lived next door.  Their black lab, Chelsea, would come to our door for summer sausage treats, which was a treat for Bridget and I since we didn't have a dog at the time:)   

 

Egg hunting

Easter basket loot!

I LOVE this pic!
Such a sweet girl who makes life beautiful!

Sweet, sweet Parker and his momma

Peek-a-boo with Uncle Brent...
Not sure Parker is impressed;)

A few days later in a few of her Easter gifts:)

Spring

It's coming, even if it may not feel like it today.

Snuggles

This spring we've had a pattern of rainy weeks and sunny weekends.  One rainy afternoon, Nora fell asleep on the ride home from Rochester.  I decided to snuggle by her to read (which resulted in a nap too;)).  I just love her precious, sleeping face. 

Yep, still battling the thumb...

We Love Wednesdays

Our favorites from the past week:

Afternoon with Liz
Saturday afternoon, I met my friend Liz for a relaxing afternoon of eating and chatting at The Nelson Creamery.  It's always great to catch up with Liz.  I don't know what I'd do without the amazing women in my life who come along side me in parenting, marriage, and work-life balance.  I am so grateful!


Easter Celebrations
We had a full weekend of Easter fun beginning with an Easter Egg Hunt at Nora's school on Saturday morning.  It had rained pretty hard the night before, so they decided to hold it inside, but she still had a blast.

Ready to hunt

Err, maybe not quite ready to hunt;)

The kids got lots of time to play with Picker cousins between Saturday and Sunday and the weather was great for them to play outside too!  Saturday night, Papa and Gma kept the kids so Greg, Cally, Brent, and I could go out for a bit.  We ran into some old friends from high school and reminisced and caught up on life.  It was a great impromptu meeting:)  

We spent Easter Sunday at Brent's parents, grilling out, egg/basket hunting, and hanging out.  The story behind the pics below:  I asked Cally to take a pic of Brent and I...Brent dragged his feet as usual, saying he was 'busy"...when he was finally "ready," Cally gave him sass back (which he needs) and said she was too busy to take a pic...our selfies below were the result.  He deserves my sass in the first pic too;)   

Egg hunting

Egg hunting

Nora with, quite possibly her favorite person, Mekhi
He was giving her an egg he had found.  He's so sweet!

Lady egg hunters

 

All of the egg hunters
Annie was inside...getting a little old for egg hunts

Long Weekend
An added perk to a fun-filled Easter weekend was having Monday off with the kids!  Stewartville Schools had a four day weekend for Easter so I joined the kids:)

Growing Up
I'm not entirely sure this was a favorite for the week, but it was certainly impactful.  In the past week, Luke had a human development (aka puberty) talk at school AND parents had a meeting to learn more about the 5th graders starting middle school next year.  Double whammy!  We had some good discussions with Luke about the puberty talk and explained more about the girl side of things (they separated boys and girls for the talk).   Lots to take in for an 11 year old boy!  Then, this week, I went to the meeting to learn more about middle school in Stewartville.  It was a very helpful meeting, especially being new to town.  As I type this, I realize that I've handled this better than I would have expected.  When Luke was getting ready to start kindergarten, I was very anxious and sad about the transition.  But, I really don't feel much of either going into middle school.  It's hard to swallow that he's entering the middle school/high school (all in the same building in Stewartville)...the last school he'll be in until he graduates, but I also know he's a great student and I think there might be things he enjoys even more about middle school than intermediate school.  Only time will tell, but it's nice to learn some details about the school, schedule, etc to mentally prepare ourselves.

Gymnastics/Soccer
Our spring sports schedule kicked off this week too.  Luke started soccer practice and Nora started her first gymnastics class!  Luke plays soccer in town on a 4-6th grade team and gets to have two of our neighbors on his team so he's pretty excited:)  Nora's class is actually a parent/child class so I get to help spotting and lifting her on the beams/bars.  She liked the first class and is excited to go back.  I'm interested to see if this is something she'd like to do in a class with me as she gets bigger (logistically, they need parents for the preschoolers...the teacher can't hold every kid for every activity:)).

Ready for her first gymnastics class

Ready for our class together!