a place called home

We are really enjoying our new place since we moved in at the end of November. It has plenty of space and is exactly what we had been looking for. Now the weather has to warm up so we can enjoy the patio and yard more ...

We got a snowman-making kit for Christmas and I wanted to teach Ethnie how to make one. We went out the other night when it wasn't too bitterly cold and made a really cute small snowman. The barret-style hat and pipe cause him to look a bit like a french painter. We named him Jacques. He now stands proudly in the front yard! Ethnie says 'hi' to him every day. We had fun making him.

We've been married for 5 years!!!

On January 3rd, we celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary!! We can't believe how fast time goes. We were very excited to celebrate five years of marriage so we spent our anniversary weekend at the Nicolin Mansion, a bed and breakfast in Jordan, MN. It was wonderful! We had the best time there. It was exactly what we needed and enjoyed every minute together. There are quite a few pictures to look at so I made a slideshow to look at. Just click on the link to see it. We stayed in an art deco style room the first night and a gorgeous traditional-style suite the second night. The breakfast each morning was phenomenal! There were two courses plus dessert. That is quite a lot of food to eat at 9:00 a.m.! But, we had no problem eating every bite! I describe what we ate in detail in the slideshow. We did plenty of resting, relaxing and romancing!

Ethnie turns 3!

Ethnie turned 3 December 30th! We can't believe how big she is getting. Between Christmas and New Year's Eve is definitely a hard time for a child to have a birthday. There is just so much that has just happened and that is to come during this time of year. So, it's hard for us to plan much for her. This year, there was a snow storm on her birthday so there wasn't much we could do. Her uncle Steve came over to play and she got to open her presents. She got some food for her play kitchen and a cash register so she can play 'store'. We also got her a cake from Dairy Queen that she picked out herself. She thought it was the greatest thing to blow out candles and sing 'Happy Birthday!'

Our Christmas

The last three weeks have been very busy for us so we need to fill you all in on a few things! We did have a nice Christmas. We were able to host Christmas Eve for Matt's family and had Michelle's mom and Rick over on Christmas day. It was our first year having a large enough home to entertain in. We really enjoyed having family over to celebrate Christmas. We also had a great time decorating cookies together for all to enjoy.

It was fun to watch Ethnie enjoy Christmas this year. Being older, she understood what was going on a little bit better. She was very anxious to open up her gifts! She also discovered that Santa does come to our home! Even though she is afraid of Santa (she wouldn't go near him this year), she was excited about her scooter she got from him! She also got a large play kitchen from our dear friends, the Burtons, and a red wagon from Nana.  

On the day after Christmas, we were able to spend a couple days up north with Michelle's dad. It was great seeing more family. Ethnie had a blast playing with Grandpa and Grandma's dog and cat. Overall, we had a fabulous Christmas and spent valuable time with family. 

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree!

So, we are officially moved in to our new home! We love it here and want you all to come see it! We have everything done except for some pictures that need to be hung and some rugs we need to buy. 

On Thanksgiving night, we decided to put up our Christmas tree. It looks great in our sun room! We all took turns putting the decorations on the tree, but Ethnie got to do the most. She was having a blast checking out all the ornaments. She especially loves the ones that play music. We also tried to explain to her how Christmas is when we celebrate Jesus' birthday, but I don't know if she understood. Now, every night she plays with something on the tree after we plug in the lights. She has already busted two Nutcracker ornaments. I guess we need to watch her better by the tree ...

2008 Chocolate Extravaganza

Over the weekend, Meg (Matt's mom), Ethnie and I went to the Minneapolis Convention Center to check out the Chocolate Extravaganza. Wow! We all had gut rot within a half hour of arriving! We tried all kinds of confections and breads. We even tried 'sipping chocolate', which was simply divine! There were baking demonstrations, a chocolate fashion show, drawings and prizes, and a chocolate sculpture contest. The photos I have posted are mostly of the sculpture contest. These are amazing! They are made entirely of chocolate and some of them also had cake in them. Ethnie had a lot of fun with her Grandma, especially when we got to ride in 'Grandma's black truck'. I would recommend the Chocolate Extravaganza to all you chocolate lovers! It's a yummy time! 

Boo Bash on Grand Ave. and Church Halloween party!

My friend Katie and I took our girls out on Grand for the annual Boo Bash. We always see so many adorable costumes on the kids. Ethnie and Ariana of course ate way too much candy! I guess it's the one day you can have a few Snickers bars for lunch. Anyway, we had a good time. Ethnie was a giraffe and Ariana a bee. Ace Hardware had a small petting zoo. There was a calf, a sheep, two goats (who attempted to eat the stroller!!), and 3 of the cutest bunnies I've ever seen in my life. So, the girls hung around the animals for awhile. Then we made our way back down the other side of the street. Ethnie took a great nap afterward.

Later that evening, our church had its annual Halloween party in the gym. They do a really great job with games and food. Matt bobbed for an apple and got one! Although there was tons to do for the kids, we think Ethnie had the most fun running around in the halls with her little boyfriend Reagan! At the end of the party, we all went out in the parking lot for the 'trunk or treat'. Volunteers decorate the trunks of their cars and pass out candy. It's pretty clever and safer, I guess. Ethnie dressed as a little hula girl and she pretty much hated it. Bummer!

Our Fall

We'd like to update everyone on a few things. First of all, we have really enjoyed this fall season so far. It has been so beautiful and the weather has been nice! I wonder if it will hold on for a few more weeks... Ethnie loves stomping on the fallen leaves and listening to them crunching beneath her feet. She also likes to tell us which colors they are.
We are trying to get Ethnie potty-trained asap! She is phisically ready, but scared to let it out when she is on her potty. We encourage her every day so we'll keep you all updated on her next milestone! Our goal is to have her trained by her birthday.
Michelle got a part-time job. Franz, Matt's brother, helped her get a job at the office he works at. The company is called Bahama Consulting and it's in Eagan. It's a really easy job and gets her out of the house. She is the Project Manager, which is pretty self explanatory. She does the projects for the team of employees to make their jobs easier and more efficient. She is learning two new computer programs, which will be great to add to her resume.

The biggest update we have to share is that WE ARE MOVING at the end of November. We are renting a house in St. Paul on the corner of Dunlap and Hague Ave. It's only about 8 blocks from our apartment. We are really excited! We will be getting much more for the money. The entire first level is ours and it's almost 2,000 square feet. We also get to use the basement for laundry and storage. Plus, Ethnie will have a yard to play in! We have already started to pack and can't wait!

Michelle's Trip to Maryland and Washington, D.C.

Our friends, Dan and Elizabeth Burton, invited me out to stay with them in their home in Baltimore.  We had been meaning to get together for a long time and it finally worked out to go out there and stay with them!  They have a very nice and cozy apartment and live in a great area.  It was so nice catching up with them and seeing the sights.  We had a really great time and am so grateful I was able to make the trip.  The pictures I have posted are of some of the fun things we did.  On Friday, we took the subway downtown Baltimore to the Harbor.  It looked amazing at night with all the lights.  We took a water taxi and went to the Rusty Scupper, a fantastic seafood restaurant on the other side of the Harbor near the Aquarium.  We ate until we were busting out of our pants!  The food was too good to be true.  On Saturday, we set out for D.C. and went to the D.C. Temple.  It was gorgeous and unbelievably peaceful.  If you look closely at the picture, you can see me sitting on the edge of the water fountain.  That will give you an idea of how huge it is!  We then drove into D.C. and stopped at the Chevy Chase Plaza to do some shopping and get something to eat.  I didn't know so many things in D.C. were named after Chevy Chase.  We made our way farther downtown and walked around the Capitol Mall.  It was so pretty.  The pictures do not do it justice, believe me! The picture I took of the Capitol is right over by the large reflecting pool (from the scene from Forrest Gump).  Our last stop was the White House, which was much smaller and plain than I had imagined.  Regardless, it was beautiful and a sight to see!  I really loved it out there and would definitely consider moving there some day.  Thanks, Dan and Elizabeth for a fabulous weekend!