Fun Run

Kasey's school had a fun run as a fundraiser this year.  As an avid runner, Amy was thrilled to get him involved.  Kasey was pretty stoked too!  I love the progression on pictures here.  You see pure excitement, it getting a little bit tougher, pushing through the pain and the final "I'm walking" finish. We were very proud of him.  He made 2 miles and earned a lot of money for his school specials programs. And had fun doing it! (well, most of it was fun)

Karsten was a nice cheer squad today and kept asking when he gets to do it... Next year, buddy.  Next year!

MuckFest and More

What can I say? Sometimes friendships are for life.  Amy was blessed to meet a sister for life through her sorority and even distance doesn't tear us apart.  We try to take at least a trip a year to see each other and sometimes we even get a couple in!  This year, Lisa came out in February and Amy went to Chicago to see Lisa's newly purchased home at the end of August!  It was (as expected) ... Gorgeous!

Here is a nice throwback pic of Zoe, Lisa and Amy back in the day.  Yes, we were totally adorable, but man... we are even cuter today!  Zoe was double cute in the pic below as there were two of them in the pic!  Zoe (aka: Jennifer) now has a beautiful almost 2 year old ... Zoe!  I had trouble trying to call my long time friend "Jennifer", but I sure tried.

One of the reasons we chose this weekend in Chicago was for MuckFest 2015!  An obstacle course that was so Killer fun!  I especially loved this one as they took pictures on the course!  Was nice to know we had a few action shots taken during the big race.  Was a little too muddy to be carrying my iPhone.

Yep, We Finished!  We proved how tough we are and now it is time to go back to being girly! Lisa had the great idea of getting a hotel room in downtown Chicago and living it up at the fancy bars on Saturday night.  It was Fantastic!  I have never had such great mixed drinks!  My favorite was The Birkshire Room.  You pick your style of glass, type of liquor and flavor preference.  The rest is up to the bar tender.  Fate is in their hands ~ Thank Goodness they know what they were doing! Best drink of the night!

After many stops at the trendy bars... we decided to go back to our roots.  That meant taking off the high heel shoes, fancy skirts and grabbing some Miller Lite.  This was my favorite part of the night!  Just relaxing in our hotel room with my favorite gal.  Great weekend away for sure!

May the Fifth be with you

What?  I have 2 sweet FIVE Year Olds!  May the force be with us... we need it!  Karsten was stoked for his Star Wars birthday party.  What does a mom do who has never seen Star Wars?  Google a Lot about it and hit up pinterest ideas.  We ended up with some Luke Skywater, Hans Rolos, Storm Trooper Salsa, Wookie Cookies, Ewok Treats and some Droid Dip with Vader Veggies.  Not bad for a mom who needs to catch up on her movies!

A summer birthday is the Best!  OK, I'm biased since my birthday is 10 days earlier, but come on... who else can have this awesome waterslide at their birthday party?  It was a Huge Hit!  I'm pretty sure Mady was never going to come out (unless dragged)

Karsten was super excited about everyone, especially seeing Mason again.  They sure Love each other!  We might have had some issues lighting the candles, but the ice cream cake sure was delish!

Thank you to all who were able to join us for this big celebration.  Karsten even had a couple of friends from school come over!  Both girls... what a lucky guy to have found such sweet friends at school.  Age four was a fun year for Karsten, but as Yoda says... "Age 5, He Is!"  Happy Birthday, my young Padawan!

We of course also had a family party at where else?... Chuck E Cheese.  Amy's Favorite!

Amy's Camping Trip

No Boys Allowed!  That was the theme of this weekend.  Amy decided her birthday was to be spent with a weekend away with her girlfriends.  Did she want a spa weekend?  No way!  She wanted some good old fashioned camping and knew just the girls who would want to join her!

We may not 'rough it' while camping with girls as we had a weekend complete with sushi and wine.  The ladies even came with a Boston Cream Pie!  They sure know the way to my heart!

Yup, was a whirl wind weekend away with some great friends.  The gist of the tent picture?  Maybe it was a nice group shot showing proof of our fun weekend.  Or... maybe it was proof of the vicious thunderstorm that came through the night before.  At one point, we were all gathered in the center of the tent (with our stuff) just trying to stay dry.  We literally woke up in puddles of water.  At one point, I think we saw Dorothy and Toto in the sky.  It was quite the night.  Good thing we all have a great sense of humor and were able to keep everyone calm.

OK, so maybe boys were allowed a portion of the weekend.  We did enjoy a nice boat day with Kris and Jim.  Was a lovely day on the water and a great weekend at the lake.  FYI: Kasey and Karsten did swing by for a birthday hug this weekend, but they had a very different weekend away.  Also camping at Chatfield, however, they may have been a little drier as they stayed with Grandma and Grandpa ... in the motor home.  Smart kids!