This weekend was one that we had been waiting for for well over a year! A group of us have really gotten into country music (a-hem, some of us were veterans!) and we decided that we really wanted to have a country hoedown this summer. After some planning and date finagling we found a day that worked and got busy.
We asked everyone to dress in their best country attire and most of our friends did just that! Even Mr. Maddox got in on the costume fun! It was a great party and we really hope that we can keep it an annual tradition... next years theme may very well be "Totally 80's" so start planning now!! (-:
Click here for more photos of the day! I couldn't pick which ones to post, I have too many favorites.
A little over a week ago Justin and JB took a trip North to catch a Twins Game. I was not invited (which is absolutely fine by me!) so it was an all boys night! Justin had wanted to get to a game this year but I wasn't quite sure how all 3 of us would do at another baseball game. It sounds like they had pretty good seats and that they had some fun. Twins won so it was a great capper to a good night!
We have one dog. He is our first born, still the love of our lives. Maddox even loves him!
2. If you could switch places with anyone in the world for one day, who would it be?
Oprah- have all the money in the world, huge success, and she seems happy. I think she is extremely intelligent and does lots of good for lots of people. I wish I could do that...
3. What is your favorite money saving tip?
I am open to some! I wish I had good secrets but I really don't. I have gotten really good at finding bulk deals online but those are kind of just "accidents". Sorry!
4. What do you want your kids to be when they grow up?
I just want Maddox to be successful in whatever makes him happy. I would love to see him as a daddy someday though. I think that is my biggest wish for him.
5. What is your favorite quote?
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. ~Eleanor Roosevelt
On our way home from the Burdorf's, we met my parents for lunch at Carlos O'Kelly's for a quick bite. They had been on vacation for awhile so it was nice to catch up with them and hear all about it! Sounds like they had a lot of fun and I am a bit jealous they got to spend so much time with my sister and her husband!!!
When we finished lunch we all went to visit my grandma in the hospital. She has been having some health issues so we wanted to stop by and check in. We stopped on Friday too but on Sunday it was a nice surprise to not only see Grandma, we got to see some other family too. Of course I do my best not to miss a photo op (most of the time!) so we took a few photos while we were there.
I am sure my grandma will kill me for posting this photo of her but oh well, I think she looks great!!
Here is Maddox chilling with his Great Aunt Kathy. He loves snuggling with her!
Maddox thought his Great Uncle Dean was pretty interesting. He loved his glasses.
Saturday night we made our 2nd annual trip to the golf course in State Center for the West Marshall Athletic Booster Club fundraiser. We had so much fun last year that we had to try it again this year and it did not disappoint!
Larry and Jay
We had a great time!! We laughed, we almost crashed, and we acted like children which I think is the best part of this tournament. This year we played with 3 teams of two which included Jamie and Aaron, Larry and Jay (Jamie and Aaron's friend, he golfed with us last year too!) and then the 2 of us.
Justin and Aaron getting the party started.
Me and Jame... don't focus on my crazy eyes too much. I think this was take 2 because the flash was super harsh! If you don't believe me, ask everyone that was with us!
Justin played DJ again this year and did a great job keeping the tunage coming. Notice the glow necklaces we are sporting. It is really pretty cool looking out across the course seeing these bobbing necklaces everywhere. Can't wait to go back again next year!
Friday was a big day for Justin's older sister, she turned 30!! In true family fashion we headed down to Iowa to help her celebrate. Unfortunately we didn't get down there as early as originally planned because we made a pit stop to visit my Grandma in the hospital on the way down.
Anyway, we headed south and got there about 9:30 so we rang in the last remaining hours of her actual birthday! Happy birthday again, Jamie!
Saturday morning we got up, drove about 45 minutes to the lake and did a little boating. (funny we had to drive that far considering it seems like every 5 miles in this state! ha!) The day was spent with lots of family bonding and soaking up the sun.
Maddox has become quite the little fish and he loves the water. He has no problem swimming and actually loves floating in his life jacket.
Gotta love all the BLUE in this picture. Aren't his eyes amazing? I just love him!
Brode- Man soaking up some rays.
Can't keep this boy outta the sand!
My little water baby...
I think we all had a great time soakin up the rays but it sure tuckered us out.... We all had to lay down for a nap (except Maddox of course!) in order to gear up for our big night of golfing in the dark!
Since it was Maddox's 10 month "birthday" Friday I tried to get him pinned down for a photo op. Here is what I got.....
And this....
And this
ohhhhhhhh blocks!
I am not stopping Mommy!
But finally I got this.....
Here is what has changed about him in this last month!
He weighs roughly 21-22 pounds now and has gotten taller though I am not sure how much taller. He wears 9 months clothes pretty much wardrobe wide but there are a few 6 mo stragglers and 12 mo must haves.
A typical day usually consists of 5-6 6 oz bottles. Maddox is a GREAT eater. He has tried pretty much anything and thus far we haven't found much that he doesn't like to eat. (with the watermelon exception!) We've tried lots of things and he can chow down on the Gerber snacks like it is no body's business. Sippy cups are still a challenge but we are getting better.
Bed time has been bumped up to 8 pm. We are kind of playing with this though because his afternoon naps are a little too. He still continues to sleep all night long which has been a godsend! We try to get 2 naps in a day. in the morning he sleeps about an hour and in the afternoon it is usually 1.5 to 3 hours.... I wish
Playtime is something Maddox excels at. He has become very fond of his new Tonka truck and anything else that he can ram into things. He is quite the rough houser these days! SO MUCH FUN!
Maddox loves being read to. He loves to turn and touch the pages.
He walks EVERYWHERE. He started walking at the end of July, beginning of August and has just taken off. I think once his feet hit the floor he figured out how much faster it was to be upright and he never looked back. He amazes me with his strength, he falls down and just stands straight up.
We do not have a quiet child. He LOVES to let you know he is around. Quiet is not his style! He still yells Ma-ma and Da-da quite often! We are working on waving bye bye but aren't quite there yet.
Maddox is quite the ham. Our camera has a red light that comes one when you are going to use the flash for pictures. He is so trained to smile when he sees it we end up with some pretty goofy pictures these days.
I have noticed him really putting things together lately... I can just see the wheels turning as he pulls things apart and puts them back together. I love to watch him problem solve (except when he is figuring out how to do things he knows he shouldn't!)
He's gotten more "attached" to us I guess you could say. He doesn't get upset when we aren't around but he knows when we are around.
Dropping him off at daycare has been fun the past week or 2 because he gets a silly grin on his face when we walk up to the door. So excited to get down and play with his little friends. Same goes for when I pick him up. He gets the biggest grin on his face when he meets me at the door. I have to say both of these scenarios make it SO much easier for this mama!
Each day is an adventure with our little man but we love it. I know there are tons of things that I am forgetting but I will have to add it later.... I can't think anymore! :)
Typically I don't try to get wrapped up in the "crap" the media likes to spin out of control, but I have to say I am disappointed in this comment by Jennifer Aniston. I am sure many of you have heard this already but she "slipped" yesterday and said the R-word.
I am not boycotting her by any means I am just disappointed.....
I know, a slip.
Many people do it.
Why am I disappointed by this? Because I have had the OPPORTUNITY to have my life changed by people that have been labeled the R-word. I will admit in my past I used the word but have since deleted it from my vocabulary.
Check this video out and tell me that these folks aren't amazing.
or this.....
Next time you "slip" think about the people you will hurt..... Just a good reminder that people are just that, people.
Don't forget to click on the picture and check out Mama M's blog!
1. Do you have any nicknames and if so how did it come about?
I've had a few in my day....
Gunner: started in "Juniors" softball. My dad was coaching (along with a friend of the family) and there were 3 Amanda/Mandy's so it was a way to keep us separate. Helped that my maiden name was Gunderson. Our PE teacher Mr Elliott called me that too so it kind of stuck.
Manna/Manny: Started in college. a little girl my mom was babysitting couldn't say the D in Mandy and it came out Manny. My sisters followed suit by continuing to use it and it kind of morphed into Manna from there.
Pretty: one of my best friends in college and I just called one another that. Not sure how it happened, I am sure she started it but it stuck and to this day we still address one another that way. :) If nothing else it brightens my day!
2. What is your birth order amongst your siblings?
I am the oldest and I have 2 younger sisters. Ali is 2 1/2 years younger than me and April is 6 !/2 years younger.
April, Me, and Ali on her wedding day this April.
3. In a movie of your life, who would play your significant other?
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE! HA ha, he wouldn't even have to change his name!
4. What is currently your favorite song?
I really can't pick a favorite per say but, I LOVE Billy Currington's song "Pretty Good at Drinking Beer". There are TONS of great country hits coming out right now that I have got a very strong like/love for actually.
Jason Aldean is out with a new one too that is pretty great. Here is a little taste.
5. Are you saving your money for anything right now? Big or small purchase?
The fun thing would be a CAMERA! That is honestly all I want right now. I am looking longingly at the Nikon D5000 and WILL own it sooner or later.
you can even take video on here..... I gotta have it.
Isn't she pretty?
I LOVE taking pictures and my camera is getting up there so we need to upgrade. As I tell JR Maddox is only getting faster while our camera is getting slower. I think he is getting the picture(pardon the pun!)
If you'd like to donate to the cause just let me know! I am not above accepting!
Somehow (being gthe klutz that I am) I bent a prong on my wedding ring. Thankfully it hadn't turned into anything major (yet!) but I took it in to get fixed before I lost the diamond.
When I was filling out all of the papework the store clerk looked it over and said " Well, since this ring is so old I am not surprised that it is in this condition."
OLD?!?
Are you serious? I have only been married going on 5 years and had the ring going on 6. How does that constitute old in the jewelry world?!?! I thought these things were supposed to become heirlooms......
So, I kind of laughed at her and just said well it's only 6 years old and only going to get older, I suppose we better fix it. :)
I am kind of excited though, my pretty wasn't looking so pretty anymore so it is getting all shined up just in time. I am excited to see what it looks like when it comes back freshly "dipped" and shiny. I think that is a perfect way to ring in your 5th year of marriage, right?! At least I didn't make him buy me anything shiney and new, he should consider himself pretty darn lucky if you ask me!
I am so not creative when it comes to the kitchen. When I was growing up I was really spoiled, my mom always (or almost always- wink wink!) made us delicious/fantastic meals. Somehow that part of the mom "gene" skipped me. I never thought about actually remembering what she made or how she did it. Probably not the best idea!i
Don't get me wrong, I like to eat so you would think (I mean it only makes sense) that I would like to cook because of this. Ugh, makes me crabby just thinking about it.
Anyway, I am in a slump. Justin would like me to be more creative when it comes to meal time but we don't like the same things. And to be honest when I get home from work the last thing I want to do is whip something up.
So here's the deal.... I need help!! If you have any good suggestions for yummy meal ideas, pass them my way! Any input would be wonderful!
Just wanted to show you all Maddox's progress in his walking. Now he will even "run" if he sees something (or someone) he wants. He is just getting too big!
Oh, and please don't mind all the toys/mess. We can't just have 1 toy out at a time, we have to have them ALL! More about this later! (sorry it took me so long Dad and Ali!)
We are working on introducing new foods to Maddox and decided to try some watermelon. He feeds himself really well but for some reason he wouldn't pick up or put watermelon in his mouth so Daddy was helping him out....
I am thinking he may be like me when it comes to food textures. Too funny!
It's that time of the week again! Check out Mama M's blog for more of these questions.....
1. Have you ever visited another country?
Yes, I have actually been to a few! Italy, Mexico, Canada, Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, Grand Turks, and Half Moon Cay. I think my favorite stop thus far was Italy. There was soo much to see there and I will probably never be able to go back so those are some of the best memories I have of traveling.
Don't get me wrong, our honeymoon to the Dominican was memorable... I am just not really the lay-on-the-beach-all-day-and-drink-or-tan kind of girl. I like to get out and do things and unfortunately we were broke so we weren't able to do much that wasn't "all inclusive" at our resort.
2. Where is the strangest place you have ever been?
I have been to my fair share of crazy places before but right now nothing really comes to mind....
3. What is your favorite season?
OMGosh FALL by FAR! I LOVE the weather! I LOVE sweatshirts and jeans. I love watching football all weekend long. I love the smell of spices. I love carving pumpkins. I love Halloween. I just love it all!
4. What one song will always cheer you up?
Hmmmmmmmmm, right now I really love Jason Aldean- ANYTHING!!
5. What Disney character do you resemble most?
Belle? I am not really sure.... I would say that or Alice in Wonderland.
It's official, we booked the tickets! JR, Maddox, and I are headed out east to visit my sister and her husband!!! In honor of our 5th anniversary (September 10th!) we are doing something fun. We will be out there for 6 nights/5 days mid September and can't wait!
Justin hasn't ever been out there so I am excited to show him around. I know what Ali is most excited about and it isn't me..... She can't wait to get her hands on Mr. Maddox and he is just as excited to see her. The flight with an 10 almost 11 month old may be interesting but we are ready for the challenge!
Our weekend was yet again a busy one. Friday night I got to have a girls night while JR stayed home with Maddox (thanks again!). I really haven't done much of that since he was born so I was pretty pumped to get to go out.
There was a festival in town called Ribfest so that is where we headed. On Thursday night Diamond Rio had played but I couldn't get a sitter. So, I had to settle for Soul Asylum which was all right. They did have a pretty good show. I had a great time ladies, thanks for taking me out on the town! I am sorry my pictures aren't better but we forgot to pull it out till later in the night, whoops!
Saturday morning we got up and decided to head south (to get out of the heat, ha!) to visit Justin's family in Cherokee. I hadn't seen Jess and Mitch's new house yet so it was great to finally get down there. They have done a lot of work (I can tell guys!) and it is going to be great when it is all finished.
Saturday night Mitch had to work but thanks to Grandma Jo babysitting, Jess, Justin, and I headed to the fair grounds for another band. I hadn't heard of him before but he covered lots of rock that I am not really into. FINALLY he started playing the music I liked towards the end of the night so it worked out. Oh by the way, if you run into Jess you should ask her about climbing fences..... Apparently she isnt' so good. ;)
Sunday we got up and headed over to Grandma Jo's for a delicious fried chicken meal- yummy! (side note: I love when our mom's cook for us!) Later on we headed out to the boat to get some sun. We had 7 humans and 3 dogs on a pontoon, can we say PAR-TAY?! It was great though because we beached the boat and hung out on what would be a beach if the lake wasn't so high. The water was about knee to waist high everywhere we went so it was great. All 3 dogs had a blast which was great.
The day had rounded out to be pretty good till we got back to the loading dock............. It was then we were met with some adversity.
First, the boat started drifting away from the dock so I, being the genius that I am, tried to stretch out and pull it back. What I didn't realize was with the 20 extra pounds of CRAP strapped on to me I couldn't get my arms free enough and my legs far enough to be of any help. So what does the law of gravity say in situations like this? Yup, you guessed, there I was standing in the drink. Never a good thing when you are holding your cloth diaper bag, extra food, and both cell phones/camera/ and wearing the only dry clothes I had with me..... Couldn't have gotten any worse right?!
WRONG!
Right about then is when we realized we couldn't find our Tahoe keys. We searched high and low, through everything (INCLUDING the garbage) trying to find them. They were NO where to be found. so after 1/2 an hour of searching we called AAA in hopes they could rescue us. Of course we had to try to pinpoint our location (we had no idea which road we were on) so that made for an interesting phone call.
If you know me you know that I don't do well when I am stressed. I get really snippy and just want it figured out-NOW. Hence the NO patience spoken of in an earlier post! The lady was nice but her small talk wasn't something I could deal with anymore.
Thankfully she had to go and while she was gone, and we were on our last sweep of the boat, THEY WERE FOUND! The keys had somehow fallen between the armrest and seat so we lucked out for sure! All in all it turned out to be a great weekend and we had a great time in Cherokee.
Check out the super cute baby!
Maddox is a water baby! HE LOVES IT!
I can't believe how calm he is in the water. He laughs, splashes, and giggles the entire time he is in there.
Bear loves the water. Here is a view of the "beach" we hung out on.
All 3 dogs at attention, waiting for Mitch to throw the Frisbee.
Bear got it!
Cutest Baby EVER!
Very tired baby..... had a rough day playing in the water.
Last Sunday Justin, Maddox, and I ventured out in the EXTREMELY hot weather to take in some Vikings Training Camp action. I had never been before and Justin hadn't been in years. I am not sure Maddox got much out of it but I do know he doesn't like to wear purple so we should be good there! HA!
Checking out the quarterbacks.
Wonder if any of them will actually see playing time this year.... I think I would be pissed having to practice in this heat while that "other guy" waits it out!
Daddy and Maddox having some "bonding" time.
I realize I didn't actually play/practice football but for some reason I feel this drill is a little condescending. Seriously they have to wear leashes!?
Taking a break before we call 'er a day. It was great to spend some family time doing something we all love, watching football. I can't wait to see how Maddox reacts when we start watching football all.day.long. come fall!
