Do you want to build a snowman?

Wow, what a winter. We have had plenty of snow to build a snowman, but temperatures cold enough to prohibit it. Crazy, huh? That doesn't stop us from trying now and then. Last week we had another round of snow, about 8 inches, and Jeremy made steps in the snow and carved out a slide so the kids now have an outdoor playground made from snow. It was rather cute watching them play as I shoveled....wait, how come I was shoveling...... Things are going well. We took advantage of a winter escape to FL this winter for 10 days and it was amazing. The kids did great traveling and Jeremy and I enjoyed the opportunity to play outside without bundling up. We visited Clearwater Marine Aquarium and the kids loved it. Really, that is an understatement. We went 3 times to the aquarium, which is really a marine rescue, rehabilitation, and release center. Yes, this is where Winter (the dolphin from Dolphin Tale) resides, but if you ask the kids their favorite things were the otters, turtles and petting the sting rays. It's such a tremendous education center and I highly recommend it to anyone visiting FL....maybe even more than Disney. (gasp, yes I said that)

We camped part of the week at Disney and the kids enjoyed running around, playing on the swing sets, going swimming and of course going to Disney World.....Madeline fell in love with her princesses again and Luke liked looking at his favorite characters from a distance. There was no chance he was going to touch them. ha!

That's really all. It's been a great winter really. If you removed the extreme cold we have experienced I think we would enjoy MN more. However, 50+ days of subzero temps have taken it's toll on us. We are hoping it improves over the next 2 months......one can hope, right? Take care and stay warm!

New Year ....New Post

Well, time to stop being a slacker. I'm sure you were wondering what happened to the Gacnik family since the Nov. post. Well, I'll tell you. Thanksgiving came and went...we were in IA with the Kiefer family and it was wonderful. Christmas came and went....we were home for this. We enjoy waking up in our own house, with our own traditions Christmas morning. New Years came and went....we were home for this as well. Literally, we stayed home until.... ..Grandpa Kiefer fell and broken his tibia & fibia and herniated a disc in his spine. So the kiddo and I packed up and headed to Iowa (warmer destination, huh?) to help out and keep his spirits up and drink wine with grandma. (I drank the wine, not the kids). Anyway it was a great little getaway but it was not accompanied by warmer weather. In fact, they hit negative temps. It was nuts. We headed back to "tropical" MN early to get ahead of a storm coming through. You'd think I would have strayed away from the cold temps, but no, we hurried back the 5 hours and arrived when it was still warm, -15 degrees....the following morning when we woke up it was -28 degrees with a -53 windchill. Have I mentioned we really do not like cold weather.

My brother Matt said it best at Thanksgiving, he really doesn't miss the cold and finds if he want to ski and be chilled to the bone, he can fly to it....I'm starting to like his mentality. Cold and snow is one thing when you can play outside. Once it's sub-zero it just loses the fun. Okay - enough of it. We live in MN where it snows 8 months out of the year. It's bound to be cold!

Other than that the kids are doing great. We have personal concerts every day with Luke rocking out to "The Wiggles" and testing his dance skills. Maddie has been working at her gymnastics. In addition, we have been visiting the ice rink (in the summer months it's called a playground, but in the winter they cover it was water and turn it into an outdoor rink). Anyway, she's having fun and a little dare devil. What else, not much really. Sorry for the absence for awhile. I was busy being a mom and that took priority. I'll try to keep you followers.....are there any followers? is anyone out there?.....well, I'll keep the blog updated. Cheers

!

Everyone has a calling....

...I just didn't know Luke's was to be a garbage man (aka sanitary engineer).  He sure hurries to put his books and hat on and join daddy on this Sunday night adventure.  

Surprise

Maddie and I thought we should let you know we are still here. Just living life and having fun. Honestly, we have been caught up in everything else that the blog was set to the side temporarily. Don't worry, now that it's getting cold outside you may hear from us more frequently. 

Apple Orchard

I know, I know, I'm delayed on posting. It's been busy. I'm sure you have been busy to with whatever you do. So without further delay, here are a few recaps from last month. I took a vacation day to accompany Madeline's class to the Apple Orchard. It was great. We made some apple cider, picked apples, climbed on bails of hay, and went through the kiddie maze.

Loaders

Luke is all boy. That's really an understatement.  On a trip back from grandma and grandpas he fell asleep holding his new Loader and was not about to give it up. 

Maddie has her Doll and Luke has his Loader. Classy.  

Preschool

Well Maddie is back in school and loving it. It's safe to say she is exhausted by the end if the day as well.  Check out the pics. Luke was very eager to greet his sister when the bus dropped her off. 

Summer in review

Well, after much deliberation regarding what to write about, I'm opting to do a photo only update..... As you can tell, it's been a busy summer filled with camping, Itasca State park, lake life, gymnastics, sprinklers, boat rides, and lots more. Now, we are back to preschool and loving life

Transition.

People have cautiously danced around the fact we lost two dogs this summer within 24 hours of each other.  Some indirectly ask questions and others just say, so how Elvis?  

Well, we can say losing 2 dogs that close together stinks and I sure hope it doesn't happen like that again.  But, our big guy is loving life more than ever.  He loves his new pal, Bailey, and they both LOVE going everywhere with us.  Camping is a blast and this weekend the cabin up north.  Surprisingly, they both stay close by and neither requires a leash.  Each explored the lake and the dock.  Elvis thought is was the biggest water bowl ever and we finally convinced him to stop drinking.  Bailey, she just wants to swim.  

After 5 hours outside running in the yard and playing in the water, here is our result.  View pics below.   I guess they are a little tired. Ha! 

I think they relate this to heaven on earth....

Life up north....it's rough.

We headed north for the 4th of July and had a great visit with the Gacnik family.  Plenty of fishing was done, don't worry we tossed them back so we could catch them again.  The kids played in the sandbox and tried to dig to China, the Mosquitos, all 42 various species, are active as ever and attacked us all.  

Most importantly, I came close to breaking Jeremy's fishing record.  (That's probably debatable, his fish was bigger)  his fish hangs on the wall of the cabin so I am reminded of its size every trip.  Lets just say I was a close second with this one and I threw him back.  

A great trip overall.  We taste tested wine daily and found some great ones. 

Another run in the books...

Having never visited Duluth,MN I was excited for my 1/2 marathon there. A great opportunity to see the area during a 13.1 mile run....Perhaps a beer by the lake to toast a completed race.  It was a great idea until it was 43 degrees, rainy, and 1/4 mile visibility due to fog.....the ENTIRE TIME I WAS IN DULUTH!!!!

It wouldn't be a race without a story, right?  Well, I had 2 Dixie cup sized beers, bacon, bananas and a photo with bag pipers all during the run. Let's be realistic, if you are not going to win you just as well have a story.  

So, I went to Duluth and ran a race on the most amazing course. I sure wish I could have seen the sights but I guess that will happen next time when the family is with me. 

This experience was reserved for another local mom and myself and we didn't let the rain and fog ruin out entire experience.  We found some great restaurants and local beers to try.  And as tradition has it, I enjoyed the biggest piece of dessert to celebrate another finish.  

New kid on the block...

There is a new kid on the block here.  Welcome to Ms Bailey. A golden retriever/collie mix, 33 lb, 14 month old dog.  Great addition to the family.   

The conversation for this addition went much like this.  "So I looked at a dog today and she's coming to meet everyone else tomorrow."  Needless to say she won everyone over, including Elvis.   

She's a great running dog already.  Although we miss our buddies, especially Dibs, Bailey is an excellent addition. 

Baileys favorite activities includes her 2 daily walks/runs, meal time and snack time with Luke.  Those kids are now great buddies! 

Remembering the good times!

We lost two members of our family in the last two days. I'm keeping this short since the sadness is still fresh, but more will be written in time. 

We lost Sadie on Thursday. Hard to see a dog so young with so much energy go, but it was the right time. Extremely bad hips and mental problems were leading to an unhappy life. She was a ball of love and a great running partner. She is missed already. 

We lost dibs today. Cancer had developed and had eaten away at his jaw bone. He isn't suffering any more. Our version of the cat, he loved laps, grapefruit and bourbon. Always opinionated but always loved. He is truly missed. 

It's been a rough few days. In time our family will move on and adopt new dogs. For now, though, Elvis is traveling everywhere with us. He misses his friends, but Is loving all the attention. We hope he lives many more years.