New Beds = Sleep for Mom & Dad

After a year and a half of Asher not sleeping, Annika sleeping on a cot in our room because Asher kept her up at night, and us not sleeping all night except if they were at Grandmas, we were at our wits end.  Asher learned how to climb our of his crib so we figured why not make the move to twin beds for both kids.  I kind of wish we would have done this a year and a half ago!  Bed time used to be a fight with Annika and now it's a breeze.  Asher still doesn't sleep all night on a consistent basis, but we have had 8-10 nights where he has.  Putting him to bed is getting more challenging since he realized he can get out, but overall this has been the best thing we have done in a long time!  We let Annika pick out her bedding and I think it turned out pretty cute!  The room doesn't feel too small like I thought it might and the kids love it!  I still have a few more things to do, like fix the broken blinds, but if they keep sleeping like they have been I could care less what it looks like!

Date Night #3

As you can see, this date was a breakfast and lunch date.  Mom and Dad came and got the kids early on Sunday morning and took them for the day and night.  When they left, Monica and I had planned on getting some breakfast and coffee and go to a park.  The weather did not cooperate.  We decided to find a place we had never been that was near to our next destination and ended up down by the City Market.  The coffee shop is called the Opera House, and it was a cool, laid back place with good coffee and a great grill.  After eating, we had an hour to kill, and they had this big comfy couch in the corner, so we did something completely us, we refilled our coffee mugs, grabbed our books, and settled in next to each other.

Our next destination that morning was a tour of Boulevard Brewing company.  This local brewery makes a great craft beer that we both like, and in all the time we have been in KC, we had not been down there.  The tour starts off with a glass of Irish Red Ale, took us through the process, ending with 3 beers to try their various flavors. I thought it was very cool for the geek side of me as a Chem teacher, Monica thought of it as a long walk between good beer. 

After the tour, we went to haus, a german brat joint that ended up being more Hipster than schnitzel, but the food was Awesome!  The brat was apple and rabbit, covered in home made saur kraut with a side of hot german potato salad.  Overall, a pretty great date that Monica planned.

St. Patrick's Day

 On the first Saturday of spring break we headed down to the Brookside St. Patrick's Day Parade.  The weather was perfect and Annika was super excited.  The crowds kind of took over the roads and luckily we ran into a friend who helped Annika with getting candy.  By the time we left, Annika's hat was completely full!  Because of the crowds, Asher really couldn't see, but he didn't seem to mind.  He enjoyed just walking around and eating the candy.    

State Champs Part 2

Last Friday, Derek's team went to Topeka to compete in the state meet.  On paper they were supposed to come in third.  But soon it was apparent his boys were swimming great and they ended up winning the whole meet!  Annika, Asher and I packed up and got there with about 3 events left, which was two events too many for Asher!  I was so glad we could be there to see him win.  It's been a long season filled with ups and downs, and for them to end on this high note was fantastic.  I am very proud of the hard work he does for this boys in the pool but most importantly how had he works with his kids out of the pool.  Derek's team won in 2011, which makes this the second time he has won, and hopefully as the kids get older they get to see it again, because Asher had no clue and Annika thought the best thing that happened was her Daddy jumping into the pool with all of his clothes on!

Date Night #2

Date night for February was a spa night at home.  It started with a delicious dinner of coconut chicken and hot chili sauce.  One of my favorites but one we don't make a lot because the kids don't love it.  After dinner we had some fondue with the super cute fondue set my sister got me for Christmas.  It was perfect for this!  The rest of the evening was relaxing and perfect and ended with me falling asleep while we watched a movie.  Perfect, low-key, in home date night! 

Disney Junior Live

My mom got Annika tickets to see Disney Junior Live for her birthday and it was so fun!  The main reason we bought the tickets was because Peter Pan was going to be there.  Doc McStuffins started the show, followed by Mickey and Minnie Mouse.  Next came Sofia the First, which is probably my favorite.  It was cute and fun but Annika was ready to see Peter!  After a brief intermission, Jake and the Neverland Pirates came out and Annika was so excited!  When Peter came flying out she got the biggest smile on her face and started clapping.  It was super fun and I'm so glad we got to go.

Sofia the First

Jake and the Neverland Pirates

They mentioned Peter Pan!

 

Peter Pan!!!

Ice Marbles

We had a pretty large snow storm come through this past week so we decided to make ice marbles.  They didn't come out perfect but they were fun and Annika had a great time playing with them.  

Our World

Just wanted to post some pictures of our world.  It's busy with work and swimming.  Our house is ALWAYS a mess.  Bedtime is no fun.  Asher still does not sleep all night on a consistent basis.  Annika wants to do EVERYTHING on her own, even if it takes forever!  But everyday, even with tears and not following directions and no sleep, we realize how much we love these little two kids.  We realize how lucky we are to be their parents.  We also realize how empty our lives would be without them and we thank God everyday for them being our world.