Snow and Stuff

Yes, it was snowing this morning! I drove to the Y in a white-out. That is about enough to send me over the edge. At least the snow didn't stick to the ground or Muskie Man would have to shovel after work.

Here are a couple pictures from the past few weeks. Minnow just keeps growing and is looking like a little girl and not so much a baby.

Giving Muskie Man high five from the boat:

Practicing driving the boat:

Just lookin' cute:

Bloggy Giveaway Winner

The winner of Arbonne Aromatherapy lotion is:
Mrs. Russ-A-Lee. I'll email her the good news.
Mrs. Russ-a-lee said...
Sounds great! LOVE reading your blog BTW!!!

Thanks to all for entering and I hope the winner enjoys her gift!

It's a Bloggy Giveaway!

It's time for another bloggy giveaway.!

I am giving away Arbonne aromatherapy! A lucky winner will receive a mini Awaken lotion and a mini Unwind lotion. The Awaken is a refreshing scent formulated to uplift and refresh both skin and senses. Unwind has calming, soothing effects, helping you to relax after a stressful day.



Sound like something you want? Here is how to enter:

• Simply leave a comment at THIS POST to be entered for the random drawing.


• I'll draw a winner at the end of the carnival (end of this week), and will link up to Bloggygiveaways.com with info on who won. If possible, I will also contact the winner directly by leaving a post on one of your blog posts.


• You do NOT need to be a blogger to participate! Just make sure to leave an email address in your post so I can contact you.


• Sorry, this drawing is open to U.S. residents only.

For a list of all kinds of other cool giveaways, make sure to visit Bloggy Giveaways this week for all the details and have fun!

Spending Time Outside

Minnow and I spent time outside today. After being stuck inside all winter, we enjoyed the beautiful morning. We played in the yard, did a little cleaning up and went for a wagon ride--only one of us rode, the other pulled the wagon.

Minnow loves being outside:

Checking out a tree:

We met a dog on the wagon ride and Minnow is saying, "where did it go?" as we rode away from the dog.

Cleaning the driveway. This girl loves to help--too bad she couldn't help shovel snow this past winter!

70 Degrees!

It's 70 degrees out today! Never mind that it is so windy garbage cans are blowing down the street and that it's supposed to cool off tomorrow--I'm going to enjoy today--did I mention it's 70 degrees out??!!

Out of Hibernation

Our town has come out of hibernation. It was 50 degrees and sunny today, so Minnow and I went on a nice walk this afternoon. There were squirrels running all over, birds were singing, other people were out walking their dogs, and moms walking with strollers. Kids were running outside for track practice, others were kicking soccer balls, and you could hear the sound of bats hitting baseballs somewhere in the distance. It was wonderful!

It wasn't the first walk of the season as we have walked several times as a family, all bundled up, but it was the first walk for just the 2 of us. Minnow and I have walked many miles together. Before we became parents, I would see moms walking their children with strollers and couldn't wait until that was me with my child in my stroller. Minnow and I started to walk together as soon as we brought her home. We've worn out the back tires of our jog stroller--gotta get new ones this week.

Minnow used to fall asleep on our walks, but now she looks for dogs, birds and squirrels. She says hi to people as we pass them by. I'm sure down the road, we'll have deep conversations and solve the problems of the world. For now, I'm glad the town has come out of hibernation and that our walks have resumed.

Happy Adoption Day!

Happy Adoption Day, Minnow! One year ago today Minnow's adoption was finalized and what a journey it was to get to Colorado for the court hearing. We flew out in an April snowstorm and were one of the last planes to leave before the airport closed. It's not the most fun thing watching your plane get de-iced. Angels were watching over us.

We arrived in CO to forecasts of yet another storm the day of our hearing. What if it got cancelled? The storm missed the area and everything went well. The hearing lasted all of five minutes and we got the signed decree! Minnow was officially part of the Muskie family! YAY! We had a wonderful weekend from there, we stayed at a nice little condo in the mountains and enjoyed beautiful sunny weather.
Here's one of my favorite pictures from that fun weekend a year ago:

Please don't touch my Minnow's hair

To whom it may concern:
Please don't touch my Minnow's hair, I know it's pretty, but I don't know you and you don't know Minnow. This goes for you, cashier at Fleet Farm who couldn't stop patting her head and feeling her curls. Also included is the random lady at the grocery store yesterday. You also said you had a puppy in your car in the parking lot which seemed just plain weird and bordering on creepy.

I know that you people don't often see kids with hair quite like Minnow's, it is very pretty. Why do you always have to reach out and touch it? We don't reach out and pat you on the head? A spoken comment would be just fine.

Thank you,
Muskie Mom

Big Walleye

Muskie Man kept busy while we were gone. Besides work, he took time to fish this past weekend. He caught his biggest walleye to date--this one is 30 inches long and weighed 10 1/2 pounds!

We are heading back out this weekend to hopefully boat some more nice walleyes. Way to go, Muskie Man!

Road Trip

Minnow and I spent the past 5 days in the Twin Cities visiting my sister and family. We drove with my parents, which brought back all kinds of memories as a kid on very long road trips. It was nice to not have to travel alone with a toddler.

Minnow had fun playing with her cousins and seeing her aunt, uncle, grandma and grandpa. We went to the zoo, the Mall of America and visited some family who live nearby. We also celebrated my dad's birthday.

Minnow like the zoo, especially the monkey and tigers. She looks a little less than thrilled being strapped in her stroller:


She was so excited to visit the zoo that she fell asleep on my back in the Ergo carrier:


Days were spent getting spoiled by grandma and grandpa. They love Minnow.

Minnow enjoyed being read to by her cousin:

We had a great time, but were happy to be home. Minnow missed her toys--she was getting tired of playing with her cousins' "boy toys" like hotwheels and trains. Minnow also missed her daddy and greeted him with a huge hug!

Thanks to my sister and family for putting up with all of us for 5 days--you guys are great hosts!