So I forgot to mention last week we had our first covid scare (if you can call it that).  On Monday morning Mason got sent home because he was sneezing and had a runny nose.  They said he had to get tested before he could come back, which meant Kade had to come home too.  It just so happened I had the day off (I took it off to have a day at home without the boys so I could get some stuff done.  What a cruel, funny joke, hey?).  Anyway, I dropped Kade off and took Mason straight to the testing site.  He handled the swab like a champ, like I knew he would.  The nurse said she was going to make him sit in the room and show every kid that comes in how it's done.  Anyway, it was negative, like we figured it would be.  That was our excitement last week.  

This week....nada.  The most boring week ever (if you ask Kade's opinion).  Of course that's just how Erik and I like it but boring is NOT Kade's style!  He'd never admit it but I know he's had fun.  We've been enjoying the sun and warmer weather by taking the dogs for walks, having snowball fights, shooting baskets in the driveway, they even got a little bit of baseball practice in today!  You know they've had enough fresh air when both boys fell asleep on the couch during the movie last night!

I've taken exactly zero pictures this week.  I did take some slo-mo videos of the boys shooting baskets so they could see their form...quite possibly the most boring videos ever taken 😆  

Lola is exhausted every night too!

Keeping up with these boys is not for the faint of heart! 

Lola gets the best snuggles from Kade-O.

Mason, my little chef.  

Still wearing the same hat (which is actually a basket liner) that Kade started wearing on his head 9 years ago when he was our little chef!

Mason had a belated birthday sleepover with his cousins while Kade was at a friend's house.

Popcorn and movie time!

Last weekend we sent the dogs to one grandparents' house and the boys to the other, we packed up for 3 nights and headed to one of the coldest part of the US, the North Shore!  The temperatures were holding steady around -30 (the "feels like" temperature anyway) but the sun was warm, the wind was calm and the company was fantastic.  We went with Erik's siblings and their spouses, so 8 of us in all.  It was very relaxing and we actually managed to spend about 3-4 hours each day on the "beach"!  It was pretty awesome because the water wasn't frozen over so we could hear waves crashing, we had a beach bonfire, Jay and Jenna brought their bean bag boards and the beverages were flowing.

Erik and I stopped in at Canal Park in Duluth to see what it looks like frozen over.

It looks like ice and feels like frostbite.

Erik's picking out his favorite boulder.

We stayed just past Two Harbors.

It was beautiful!

Tropical beaches have got nothing on MN's white powder!!

Gooseberry Falls.

It's still beautiful in winter but I much prefer it in summer and fall.

Meanwhile, Kade and Owen kept each other company back and Grandpa and Grandma's.

We never did get a picture of Mason and Lillian.  I asked Mason about that and he said he was too busy playing.  Can't argue that!!

 

Happy 7th Birthday Mason!

This past Tuesday, the 9th, Mason turned SEVEN!!!  I'm a little behind in my post because we had a busy week.  However, I can't not say something about this adventurous, funny, sweet, sensitive, cuddly, stubborn, crazy kid and how much we love and adore him.  Seriously, he exasperates us one minute and the next minute he's got us rolling on the floor laughing.  Our lives would be pretty boring without him in it and we count our blessings every day for him!!

Being back in school we figured he could finally have a sleepover with his friend Gunnar. 

Here they are practicing their "Hello ladies" look.

Erik pulling them on the tube

My little mohawked man

He wanted a snowboard for his birthday.  

Unfortunately this one is pretty crappy.  Luckily his uncle Jeremy gifted him a better one!!

His very own fly rod!!

Of course he asked for a na night cake.

I told him to smile, this is what he gave me.

Grandpa Ranger's birthday is 2 days before Mason's.  

Mason thought he should get to blow out a candle too.  

Delicious birthday cheeks!!!

 

I didn't take any pictures this week but I've got pictures on my brain!  I'm FINALLY going to start working on my gallery wall so I've been looking at all of my pictures, trying to pick favorites to print, frame and hang.  That's a hard task!  How do you pick a favorite?!?!  

I'm not decided if these will make the wall but they've definitely made it into to my "favorites" folder!  These pictures prove the old saying, "The days are long but the years are short".  I can't believe how much these baby boys have grown.