Girl bonding time

Just a typical Saturday morning...Maddie and I watching Mickey Mouse, a cup FULL of coffee, and Sadie helping me remember she wants breakfast. It's a special tradition that starts promptly at 6 AM.

Friday Night Fun

Here are a few quick photos of how Madeline loves spending her Friday evening. She loves gymnastics and does it at home all the time as well. Are the Olympics in her future.......maybe a little to early to tell. Whatever makes her happy!

Chicken????

It's not every day you visit a childrens book store and find animals roaming around.....like chickens, ferrets, cats, birds, etc. this is what life "up north" as they say, is like.

I dare you....

First you bring me to the doctor and now you think I will share my cracker and water? I dare you.

Fish

We grow fish in our family.

Alarm clock

Lets just say since the arrival of this beauty, well the alarm clock, everyone is getting more sleep. It's a beautiful thing really!!!

Test post with mobile app

This is test post with a new mobile app from my phone. Enjoy the pictures.

Kids say the dardest thing...

Last night at dinner Madeline guided us in prayer....always an adventure. Here's a recap. Dear God, Thank you for Luke and I getting better (ear infections that last 2 weeks) Thank you for the Luke ane I growing bigger. Thank you for princesses.....(wait, what?......) Thank you for Tangled.....(wait, the princess?.....) Thank you for the princesses.....(by now, Jeremy and I were trying not to laugh out loud). Jeremy then jumped in and said, "yes, thank you for the princesses. Let's eat" Gotta love that man. Priceless.

Popcorn Tea Party....

Popcorn tea party anyone? A new tradition that only happens on special occasions is the mother-daughter popcorn tea party. What is a popcorn tea party you ask? Well, let me tell you. It's having a tea party before bed and using the air-pop popcorn maker on the floor, so everyone can see the wonderful mystery of kernels turning into a delicious snack of popcorn. Then, we eat our popcorn, clink our tea party glasses together and read bedtime stories. It's almost as fun as camping, but way better. Next time you come to visit, you might be invited to attend a tea party. I should forwarn you....you may have to participate in the dress-up part of this. Yes, select a princess of your choice, or have one designated to you courtesy of Madeline. That's all for now. Julie

Life in Minnesota....

....is a little cold right now. This week we have learned to celebrate small wins, such as reaching 8 degrees yesterday....but, with the 35 mph wind it felt like -15. Truly, we are excited on days when we reach zero degrees. This is a new adventure for us. Mom and Dad figured out that there have only been a handful of days this past month that reached 15 degrees as the high. They were thrilled on those days because I could bundle up enough to go outside for a little, and I mean LITTLE, bit. Small wins, see? Anyway, did you know when it's below zero mom and dad get tons of house work done. They say if we can't go out, we just as well be productive inside. So, we've experimented with cooking and baking new things. We have almost completed the basement facelift/renovation. It looks totally different and mom promised to share photos soon. We no longer have 3 different textured walls.....the textured wallpaper, pretend brick and paneling...yup, all different/gone. Like my favorite mermaid Aeriel says, it's a "whole new world" downstairs. Luke and I have been a great help with all the home improvements. Really, we could start our own business soon. Mom and dad aren't on board with multiple demo/reno homes. They say doing this with 2 little kids is a bit challenging. Okay, back to my updates. So yes, it's cold outside so Luke and I are keeping busy. Here's a schedule of our week. Monday is daycare. Tuesday is daycare and preschool. Wednesday is daycare and swim lessons (Luke and I love them). Thursday is daycare and preschool. Friday (the best day in my opinion) is daycare and gymnastics. I love gymnastics. Mom says I needed to start before I "hurt" someone or something attempting it on my own at home. Dad said I needed to start to use my extra energy since we can't go outside and play. I asked mom the other day if we could go for a run or ice skating. She said it had to warm up a bit. I think she's a whimp. Mom and Dad had some good laughs this week as people informed them the frigid temps usually last 3 weeks at sub zero.....yikes! and we can expect snow through the month of April. Mom says she now knows why the university does most of their hiring in the summer months.....no one is crazy enough to move here in the winter!!!! Until later - Madeline

It's a little cold...

- it's supposed to be a high of -2 degrees on Monday....that's cold. People keep asking, where are you guys? Gosh, where haven't we been. It's been a fun month. Let's see, the last time I updated you all it was early December. Luke and I loved Christmas this year. It's a good thing I was here to help open presents and teach Luke the art of tearing paper. Luke really liked standing on the boxes. Yes, Santa did find us. I still don't know how he got that bike down the chimney, but yes, my Pink and Purple Minnie Mouse Bike was waiting for me Christmas morning. I was very, very excited. Too bad the weather has been so cold and crummy I can't use it outside. Oh well, hopefully Spring will be here soon. Everyone was sick around Christmas. Mom had a little cold, Dad got something nasty that they said was a bug, Luke was teething (which means mom and dad get no sleep) and I had strep throat. IT was fun.

Since Christmas mom and I have been busy. Mom has this saying, "when in MN, do as Minnesotans do." She said you should take advantage of all the "stuff" when you live somewhere because you never know if you'll have to relocate again. So, Mom decided I needed to learn how to ice skate. You see, people in MN are a bit nuts (you have to be though because it's so COLD in MN). We went to the used ice skate store and got skates for mom and me. We've been ice skating a ton lately. It's really fun and I can do it all by myself....not super well, but last time I only fell once. So, I think I'm pretty good.

Anyway, Luke is well. He likes to climb, alot. You see, today we caught him standing on his little rocking chair on the arm of it. Mom almost had a heart attack. She and dad are taking bets when he will have stitches or a broken limb. The little guy is "all boy" they say. I agree.

What else? Oh yes, in December Isabel, the elf, came during one of my naps and make cinnamon rolls. I don't know if I told you that. But, anyway, I still tell everyone about that because I really like cinnamon rolls and we are almost out....I sure hope Isabel comes back sometime. Okay - mom says it's past my bedtime. Madeline PS. Mom and Dad are still pretty crazy. They have now updated 2 bathrooms, the entire basement bedroom/living area (which previously had 3 different kind of walls, and installed appliances. Yes, they don't sleep much. Mom says in a previous life she was a painter. She doesn't think she has ever painted this much, even if you include childhood paint by number. ha! Dad, he loves his hammer and screwdriver now more than ever! They have had good use lately.

Who me?

Does anyone here look guilty?

(Also, if you stand on your toes, you can see out the window....followed by a fall because we haven't mastered climbing down as well and climbing up.) Dinner anyone?

Can you believe the crazy adults in our house made me go outside with Madeline in the snow? They are nuts....but, I actually thought it was pretty fun. All I had to do was sit on my rear and the lady of the house (aka. Mom or Julie) pulled me around on the sled. I always knew I was destined to be a king.

Okay - I'm off to dream about the elf that supposedly is roaming around our house. Luke

Feed the birds....and Isabelle

Did you know we have a new pet? Well, an outdoor one named Isabelle. Granted, I also feed the birds, but Isabelle appeared one day and started snacking so I figured she must be hungry. Since then, it's my mission to make sure she doesn't starve. Here is the trick to feeding Isabelle properly.

First, collect as many empty toilet paper rolls as possible. Second, put peanut butter on the outside of the roll (but not Dad's peanut butter because apparently "people food" and "Squirrel food" can't mix). Third, roll in bird food...yes, bird food....Isabelle prefers this I think...that and Mom won't buy the other stuff. Forth, string with string or twine (whatever Mom can find) and hang it up on a tree, or bush or wherever I see fit. Typically, somewhere close to my eye level (so that is 2.5 feet off the ground). Let me tell you Isabelle sure likes the food and typically, it's gone within a day or so. Here's our latest finished products. Animal rights activist - Madeline

Sneaky little elf.....

Can you believe it, I think an elf was here last night. I just know he was because I found his foot prints and those of a reindeer as well. (I wonder which reindeer it was?)

This morning when I woke up, mom pointed out it had snowed and then we saw little prints by the front door. I think the elf came to check on Luke and I....you know, to make sure we are being good. Of course we are, because we really want Santa to bring us something at Christmas. This year, I really, really, really want a Minnie Mouse Bike. I told Santa 3 times now in person to make sure he doesn't forget. Anyway, this Elf is really quick. Every now and then we think we see a glimpse of his hat by the door and sometimes the swing set in the backyard, but when we go to the window for a closer look, he is gone. This morning dad reminded me they can climb trees too. Geez, no wonder I can't find this little elf. Yesterday mom told me the elf looks a little shorter than me, so of course he's a tough little bugger to find. Okay - I need to get back to elf duty.

Madeline

PS. Luke turned 1 today.....okay, it was his day and we had lots of fun at the University Kid's Christmas party, finding a tree, and then eating Pumpkin bars. Luke really likes Pumpkin bars and well, so do I. We had his favorite dinner tonight; Steak and Potatoes. Such a boy! Oh yes, I may have opened all of Luke's birthday presents. He didn't mind.

Chip and Dale Rock...

Hi there, it’s me Madeline. Sorry for such a delay on this post. It’s been a fun-filled fall. Luke and I took mom and dad on a little vacation to FL….more specifically, DISNEY WORLD. Let me tell you, this is truly where all your dreams come true. Did you know I met some of the most famous people in the world there? Sleeping Beauty, Belle (actually twice!), Snow White, Daisy Duck, Aeriel, and Chip & Dale. Oh, it was such a fun trip and I loved it. I got to go trick-or-treating at Disney too. They sure give lots of candy….that would be good if I liked candy, but it still was fun! I saw the castle where Cinderella lives and even though she wasn’t awake when I was there, it was amazing. I think I have a favorite ride….the TeaCups. We went on them twice. Luke just watched. Speaking of Luke, he got his first kiss….from Aeriel. I’m not sure if there has been any development in that relationship since she lives “under the sea,” but it was a lasting mark on his face that night. Okay, so my favorite part of Disney was the campfire sing-along. We went 4 times and I loved every minute of it. Chip and Dale were there every night and I got to give them high-fives, hugs and even touch their noses. I still talk about them every day and last night I was singing one of their songs. I really love Chip and Dale! Do you know how to identify which one is Chip? He has the chocolate chip colored nose. I bet you didn’t know that, did you? Okay, what else, I got to hang out with my cousins which was a blast. We played outside all the time. Mom and Dad had a little fun. I took them to the wine experience with Grandma. Don’t worry, I made sure things didn’t get too out of control with all the taste testing. They really are kids at heart. Okay, well I better get going since I have preschool today. I am having lots of fun there. Madeline

Locks of Love..

It finally happened. I got an official haircut. I like to think all the beautiful locks went to “locks of love” but apparently my hair wasn’t quite long enough. I’m sure it was close. Anyway, I’m a new man (well, little boy). Check out the new do….mom and dad can hardly recognize me. Dad and I had a great plan, we were going to the downtown barbershop for the haircut. Of course, mom and Madeline ruined the moment and tagged along. Apparently the girls felt the urge to take pictures of the event. The conversation with the barber was a little limited with the girls there, but mom swears that she won’t tag along every time. I must say, I sure can walk, or as mom says waddle, with my new aerodynamic haircut. The only downfall I have found is my new haircut doesn’t hold food as well. You see, I love to put food in my hair and now that it’s short it comes out much easier. Mom says boys under her roof haven’t to be “clean cut” so I have to wait until I grow up if I want to grow it long again. Who knows, maybe when I’m a teenager I’ll try to sweet-talk her….the mullet look was working for me…you know, business in the front and party in the back! Until later -Luke ps. I'll post pictures later

Good things come in threes......

That's right, good things come in threes. Luke here and gosh, it's been rough lately. Life used to be easy; eat, sleep, fill my pants and repeat. Now, I do these three things and play, crawl and try to walk. You heard that right....walk. I prefer to do it when no one is playing with me. I just will walk between my toys. The other day I willingly did it for mom and dad and took a whopping 3 steps. Apparently, that was a reason to celebrate. Most of the time I crawl because it's faster, but I can walk a little bit if I really want. Anyway, back to the title, "good things come in threes." You see, teething has been really fun for me....so fun, I sometimes make mom and dad celebrate the process by mid-night walks around the house. Today, I got my third tooth and yes, mom and dad are thrilled....so am I! I sure hope that's the last tooth for a little bit. To celebrate my new tooth dad and Madeline racked some leaves and let me eat, I mean play, in them. It was pretty fun the first 2 min. and then, I wasn't a huge fan because the leaves were pokey and crunchy. Madeline sure loved them. She's quite the adventurer.

Upcoming....can you believe Halloween is coming up? I'm pumped...granted I'm not sure what mom is dressing me up as, but it's sure to be fun. Madeline is going to be a pricess...Sleeping Beauty and Belle all at the same time...I'm not sure how that works. Madeline has a new nickname for me. I'm not sure where it came from, but she's the only one who calls me it. It's Luke-EEEE (or Lukey). The "e" has great emphasis. I guess that means she likes me since she gave me a new name. Okay - it's past my bedtime, so I better sign off before Mom catches me on the computer. Luke

Move over Donald Trump......

And so it goes....my Donald Trump hair-do is officially gone. Dad wasn't a fan of it and multiple people called me a girl, so on a whim, mom finally agreed (possibly after a glass of wine) and with ONE GIANT SNIP...(I was terrified)...it was gone... As you can tell, I'm bummed. It was beautiful and down to my nose. It hide my eyes and was a great food collector. Apparently, only short hair-dos are allowed for boys in our house. Which means there is probably another hair cut on it's way because I am growing a rat tail....I keep telling dad that "Chicks dig it." He doesn't agree. Oh well. Here are some pics of the traumatic event. My thought, "hey lady, what do you think you're doing? Put down the scissors and no one will get hurt."

My second thought, "it's not too bad I guess. Now I can show off my stylish forehead."

Me again, I know, twice in 1 night. It can't get any better than this. So a few updates from the Gacniks. Let's start with the important ones....the kids. Madeline, well I am turning the big 3 on Thursday. That's right, I'll be the big kid on the block. (don't tell, but I may be the only kid living on the block). Anyway, I had a little party over the weekend with my friends. It was a bowling party and gosh, I sure had lots of fun. I think Mom, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa had a good time also. What's not to love of 7 little 3-5 year old running around a bowling alley. All day mom kept saying how much energy we had and that was before she fed us cake and lemonade. I think that means she and dad want lots of little girls. They had so much fun they needed naps on Sunday! Party animals.

Anyway, the party was fun. Today I started preschool and wow, I loved it. Actually, I really loved the bus ride. I sat next to a nice little boy named James. I think he's my new boyfriend and I sure do smile if you ask me anything about him. He is dreamy.....ahhh... Okay, back to school. It was fun. My teacher is really nice and I like the playground. Snack time was pretty good too. I'm eager to go back on Wednesday.

Luke is doing well. Mom wouldn't let him ride the bus with me or go to school. Such a fun hater. Maybe someday I'll sneak him on for fun. Anyway, Luke sure like to talk....alot....and makes lots of noise. He can crawl almost anywhere in the house. He's such a fast crawler that he mastered the stairs on day 1 and now mom and dad put gates up to prevent him from climbing those unassisted. Luke doesn't really like baby food. IN fact, he prefers table food. That's pretty cool if you ask mom or dad. Also, Luke is a party animal. Mom says it will lead them to buy stock in coffee. Last week Luke was up 7-8 times/night...every night. It was fun bonding I bet. When I got up yesterday and went in mom and dad's room I proudly told them I took a good nap and dad said he "wished he could say the same for my brother." Silly dad. Anyway, now that the 2 teeth came through, mom and dad are hoping to see the back of their eye lids more frequently. Mom went to California to hike a mountain. I think the hills around here would have been just as fun, but apparently there is one there that is really big, Mt. Whitney. Supposedly it's the tallest in the lower 48 states. IF you ask mom about the experience she will tell you it was one of the best experiences in her life and she would do it all again....except throwing up on the mountain. Altitude sickness doesn't sound like fun. Anyway, 17 hours and 18 miles later, they made it back to the bottom. She and the other 7 ladies started hiking at midnight. Apparently they didn't know enough to wait for day light. Dad? Dad is doing great. He's still working hard. His hands are healing from the home improvement projects from around the new house. Good thing because mom keeps finding new things to tinker with that require his help....like the big tree limbs they (being DAD) cut down yesterday. I think it secretly likes this. I sure like my time with Dad though after daycare. Today, we played with princess play dough for 1 hour. Dad likes it more than me. Okay - time for bed since I missed my nap today. Love - Madeline Here are a few pics from mom's hike. That's the mountain. Mom said watching the sunrise at 12,000 ft. was pretty cool. I think she's nuts. That's a big mountain. Supposedly they had lots of nicknames for the mountain...she hasn't shared them with me yet.

Practice what you preach...

Mom and Dad always say, "take care of your stuff." Well, they need to practice what they preach. Can you believe they bought a house and started breaking it on day one...literally, within an hour of closing on it, they started tearing a wall down, moving electrical and then removing half of the kitchen. So much for taking care of what they have. I must say though, the improvements look pretty good...you know, for amateurs doing it. There is a lot more natural light and now they can see everywhere Luke and I are at on the main floor. I'm not sure that's a good thing, but whatever, it's their house. So yes, I guess I should tell you, we moved! We are still in Lakeville and now 3 blocks from the lake, 2 blocks from the elementary school and 1 block from the high school. Apparently middle school isn't important because it's more than 5 blocks away...ha! Back to the house. It has a purple and pink bedroom and guess who's room that is? No, not Lukes. It's mine!!! I finally got my purple and pink room and gosh, I sure love it. Luke's room is blue, but he doesn't care. He really likes watching his ceiling fan versus looking at paint colors. Other projects for this house? The bathrooms. Both of them need some serious TLC in time. Also, the textured wall paper will be fun to tackle. Mom and Dad have been trimming lots of bushes and trees. A little landscaping can clean up anything. So there you have it. We moved. Here are some pics from early on. We will update these soon that show you how it looks now. Love - Maddie