Winter Cabin Weekend

Our usual group of four families headed to Alexandria, MN for the weekend...Heather's parents live there but spend the winter in Arizona. It was the perfect get away!

Hailey, Charlie, Zach, Jonah, Hannah, Emme, Molly & Avery (Ava & Drew were there too!)

first part of skiing is learning how to fall...and how to get back up

Family Fun for Zach

It has been sort of our tradition to do a big family outing for each birthday over a big gift...make a memory that will last. This year for Zach's birthday, we booked a night at the Depot hotel downtown. The ice rank was closed for the season but we made up for it in the fun at the waterpark inside the hotel. Being St. Patty's weekend, we also got to watch the parade after dinner downtown. So fun to have a day/night with just us four...the fun continued in the morning after breakfast...more fun in the waterpark! We love you Zach!! So happy you loved your surprise!!

Arboretum

We went to the Arboretum with Mamaw & Bailey for a little adventure. We learned about sap and how to tap it from trees to make syrup.

tapping tree for sap...for syrup

Molly at Gymnastics

Entertaining gymnastics of 4 year olds...but you can see Molly in the bright pink.

Grammy in town

Grammy was in town for a full week which was so great!  She was able to spend the full week with Molly...Zach was off two days, I was off two of the days so we got lots of time to hang out and do different things as well as she got to be apart of our normal routine.  Basketball, swimming, gymnastics, soccer, etc.  She took the kids to movie, lunch, indoor play area and at home they did a whole dino world full of paintint, building and making a play with different dinosaurs that they read about in the books from book store....we did some yoga, went to Mall of America...even did some sledding.

What a week!!  SO fun!  We miss her already!!

Sledding on the neighbors hill...great videos

Happy 2013!

Top ten things that make the perfect night...New Years Eve
10.  Dad get to spend time with his best buds
9. Buffets filled with delicious kid and adult food
8. Kids get to spend time with their best buds
7. Dancing with rockin DJ
6. Moms get to spend time with her best buds
5. Games...limbo, be an animal...
4. Mommy and Daddy getting to be together
3. Getting dressed up and staying up late
2. Ball drop with toast (at 9)
1. Toasting the new year as a family!!


We had a super duper fun New Years eve!! 

The Moms...we are super close as friends and moms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MN family (Freeland) christmas

The whole crew!!

We celebrated with both Kevin & July and Kathy

 

 Koren & Baby Theo (Bryan & Abby's baby)

 

 Decorating the tree with Kathy and the kids

 

 

Thanksgiving

Made my first ever Thanksgiving meal...beautiful Mr. Turkey!!  Was great to get to host at our house with Grandpa & Grandma Hawk.  Then again in the evening with our close friends the Hardt's...where we toasted and sang to Molly!

Nelson family Christmas

Cousins:  Zach, Owen, Brooke, Kaitlyn, Olivia, Riley, Molly, Bret & Kolten

First snow 12/9/ 2012

Playing in the snow, shoveling, making snowballs...this is what winter fun looks like! Snow angels and eating snow would too Molly's list. She even made snow angels before the snow started falling.
Even more fun after having our house under construction last winter!!