Fresh Air, Birthdays and Mother's Day

I still can't wrap my head around the fact that it's actually May. Springtime in the Helleen house means countless days playing at the park, lounging in the grass, making flower crowns and ladies night at New Hope Village Golf Course. 

You would think after 5 summers of golf league, my game would improve. I'm sad to report, that's not the case. Our first night back was not pretty. After a couple holes, we opted not to keep score and just carry on with our gossip sessions and relaxadaisical game. If I can par a few holes this season and not lose my entire inventory of balls in the water on hole 9 - it'll be a success!

Harper, our little flower child has been busy outside. Rarely will you find her wearing shoes and if she had a choice she would never wear pants. Thank goodness for cute summer dresses!

Arts and crafts are one of Harper's favorite activities right now. Crayons and markers are everywhere, even in the car. For May Day, we took our crafting to a new level. We made handmade baskets and paper flowers and delivered them to our neighbors. Our next-door neighbor came over days later with a goody bag for Harper and told us the little basket made her day. That made our day! :)

 

Emmett is growing like a weed and still eating everything in sight. He has 5 teeth, with another one about to break through the gums. Still no crawling, but he makes up for it with his master rolling techniques. 

I am happy to say, he's officially sleeping through the night! We're celebrating a week and a half of 10 or more straight hours of sleep per night. It took a couple nights of crying (10-15 minutes) before he realized I wasn't coming in his room. I knew it was a habit (that needed to be broken) when he would immediately stop crying when I turned the doorknob. As much as I love my middle-of-the-night snuggles, I'm glad the transition hasn't been too bad and we have a sleeping boy!

 

This past weekend was Mother's Day, which also meant it was fishing opener. On Friday, the boys headed up to Birch Lake in Babbitt for their annual fishing weekend. My Mom decided to head to Missouri solo this year, so the kiddos and I had Gracie for the weekend. 

Saturday morning, I braved the General Store in Minnetonka alone with both kiddos. I love this store, but it's not the most stroller friendly place. Harper was a big help and we managed to weave through narrow aisles without any issues. For being such a good helper, I treated Harper to a sugar cookie the size of her face from the café. 

Bob and Deb offered to take the kids Saturday night so I could go out and celebrate Paige's 30th birthday and recent engagement. After the kiddos woke up from their naps, I dropped them off with Granny and Pops. Deb told me to "go have fun!" and that they would plan on keeping both babes overnight. (Thanks again!) 

The Morsch's came and picked me up and we headed to Golden Valley to surprise Paige. Noah, Paige's fiancé had set up the entire night. Surprise limo to dinner, followed by a surprise party at her house. How sweet is that?

She was so surprised when she opened the limo door and saw everyone inside. We sipped champagne on our way to dinner at The Third Bird in Minneapolis. Dinner was filled with great food, amazing company and a whole lot of laughs. 

After dinner we headed back to Paige's house for the second surprise. Pure shock, that's the only way to describe her reaction when everyone yelled "surprise!" It was such a fun night celebrating the birthday girl and her new fiancé!

Since the kids slept at Bob & Deb's, I was able to sleep in a bit on Sunday - which felt heavenly. Once I woke up and got ready for the day, I headed over to the Helleen's. I was so happy to see my babes and soaked up their big hugs. Not only did Bob & Deb watch the kids, but the fed me a terrific Mother's Day breakfast. Thanks again for all your help this past weekend!

With plans to pick up my Mom up from the airport that afternoon, I promised Harper a trip to Mall of America. The place was packed and Nickelodeon Universe was a complete zoo. Harper was patient and rode all the rides solo. We found out while we were at MOA that my Mom's flight was delayed a few hours and her arrival time was nearly 7pm. Wasting 4 more hours at the mall alone with two kids sounded like a challenge. Our plans changed and my Dad was now on pick-up duty later that night. 

We picked up Mitch from his fishing trip and the three of us were so excited to see him! Harper had been asking about him all weekend. We decided a low key night was exactly what we needed. A large pepperoni pizza and the couch sounded like the perfect end to Mother's Day. 

I am thankful everyday to be Harper & Emmett's Mom. Those kiddos are the light of our lives and I never imagined parenthood could be so wonderful. Thank you for giving me the best job in the world, being your Mama.

  

Until next time…

The Helleensa