Old friends

This weekend, Super Dad Paul and Tanner had some quality Daddy/son time while I got to go have some MUCH needed and MUCH appreciated girl time with some old and dear friends.

Saturday I went to a bachelorette party for an old pageant friend, Brooke, who is getting married in just 2 short weeks. It was actually her second for all the people who couldn't make her first bachelorette party (long story and ONLY Brooke could pull off 2 fabulous parties) It was such a fun night and had a collection of women who didn't really know each other that well but all had ties with Brooke. It was fun to go eat FABULOUS food, chit chat and go out with all these fabulous women. One of those nights where basically all of started as strangers but ended up friends and having a GREAT time!! And it was AWESOME to see Brooke again. Our usual is meeting up once a year even though we ALWAYS say it should be more often. Either way, the time we do hang out is always a blast and full of fun.

On Sunday I also got to catch up with a good friend who is getting married, my old roomie, Kristin. We went to our old favorite hang out, Legend's in Minneapolis for Bloody Marys and some greasy but delicious food. It was nice catching up and chatting about anything and everything. It is funny because her and I used to go out in our "single days" and and have so much fun. Things are definitely different now but we are still just as fabulous!

Having these experiences this weekend with some old friends who I do not see very often makes me feel very fortunate to have such relationships in my life. Things are always changing- weddings, kids, moving from here to there, etc. , but having friends that you have not seen in ages and being able to pick up exactly where you left off is one of the little but important things. It makes this crazy unpredictable ride of life we are all on just THAT much more enjoyable.

I know not everyone spends the time and energy to be a good friend, I mean a TRUE good friend who doesn't judge, who makes time, who is REAL, who listens, who understands, who supports, who doesn't compete with you, who laughs with you and accepts you and your mistakes/shortfalls. I am feel VERY lucky to have women in my life who do all these things. Also, I strive to be a good friend to the important ladies in my life. Even when things get crazy and/or busy I still try and make time for the wonderful women in my life. Even if it just a quick card in the mail or meeting for Sunday brunch whenever we can find the time.

So cheers to ladies out there who have true and awesome girlfriends that enrich our lives!!

What a life

Tanner was playing with his Tigger toy this morning and right in the middle of wrestling him down, decided a nap was in order. Oh the life of a baby.....

Hey Mom-Look what I can do

A couple weeks ago, Tanner learned how to screech and squeal. He now continues to screech at toys, people, himself in the mirror and just about anything and everything. It consumes a majority of his awake/playtime. (The only time he gets REAL quiet is usually when I bust out the camera) Today I caught him in action (barely). This is a little taste of my screaming/giggling baby. He thinks he's pretty darn cool. I just think he's pretty darn cute and funny!

5 Months old

Tanner is 5 months old today!  Time is flying but he is learning more and more each day. I  thought I’d make a list of some of the things he can do so far and his favorite 5 month old activities:

Rolling over (stomach to back)

Grabbing toys (or anything for that matter) and chewing on it

Switching toys from hand to hand

Giggling @ silly faces

Blowing bubbles and spitting with his tongue

Taking showers with Daddy (and giggling when he gets under the shower spout)

Holds his bottle

Getting the hang of eating off a spoon (applesauce and rice cereal)

LOVES his jumperoo

Loves dancing and trying to sing with Mommy when she is singing

Smiling

Turning to look at faces and people when they are talking

Squealing (high pitched, continuous and hilarious)

Turning and smiling when he hears his name

Have laugh attack fits when he gets tickled, bounced, or roughed up a little

Sleeping through the night (Thankfully this has been the case from about 3 months)

Sitting up (just for a little bit with out toppling over)

Opening his mouth to give mommy kisses when she puckers up and smacks her lips

AND MOST OF ALL BEING THE CUTEST LITTLE BOY A MOMMY AND DADDY could ask for!!!

 

I can’t wait to keep watching all the changes and things he continues to learn and feel ABSOLUTLEY soooooooo grateful that I get to spend my days at home taking care of him!!!

mmmm...

Cute Baby....Messy face...'nough said!!

2 down…rest of our lives to go

I know I have been missing from the blogging world lately...it seems that the busy summer has gotten the best of me :) (And taken the cleanliness of my house with too)

BUT- Today all that does NOT matter because I am celebrating 2 -count em- TWO years of marriage to my WONDERFUL husband Paul!! I doesn't seem like a super long time but looking back on all the changes and things we have done in those 2 years it seems like we have been through a lot together and still love each other more than we did when we said "I do"!! (I even got those butterflies in my stomach the other day when he kissed me...Just like I got before our first kiss when we were dating)

Now before I make anyone puke with my lovey dovey crap... Let me just say I do NOT claim to have a perfect marriage by any means because frankly - it does NOT exist. (Sorry for any of you hopeless romantics out there who still have fairy tale images of what a married couple is "supposed" to be)

It is not perfect but seems to be perfect for us.
Paul and I are REAL- we laugh at each other, we fart in front of each other, we eat frozen pizzas when neither one of us feel like cooking, we like to veg out and watch TV together, we argue about who does more around the house, we like to compete (jokingly) to be the better parent (I always win this one of course), we are constantly on the run and usually running late, we forget to call people back, we pass the baby off on the other when one of us is feeling tired/lazy, we use separate blankets in bed because I am a blanket hog and Paul is too skinny and gets cold with out covers, we don't like to do dishes, we use paper/rock/scissors to settle disagreements, we make bets over stupid stuff (like what are the EXACT dates of the county fair is), we NEVER make our bed (only when guests are coming over that might want a "tour" of our house), we watch the Chelsea Lately and the Colbert Report almost every night, we LOVE coffee and used to love cigarettes too but had to drop one bad habit so tossed out the Marlboros  (right after we got married), we buy cheap beer and boxed wine and think that is "fancy" enough for us, MOST of all we love each other and try to not go a day without letting the other person know that. Even if that day we love each other for one of the stupid reasons I listed above.

Paul helps me be the BEST version of myself and I think that is the true secret to a "perfect" marriage. I know I help him too and together we are building a life and a family that makes our relationship even more complete (flaws and all). I wouldn't have it any other way and wouldn't want to be on this crazy wild ride with anyone else!!

Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking together in the same direction.

~Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Mud and Blueberries

This past weekend Paul, Tanner and I went to Sturgeon Lake for a relaxing weekend by the lake. It was only us Nyquists, my mom and Dad, and my cousin Jake. It was so nice and relaxing. Saturday had some weird weather with heavy rain, then hot and sunny, then rainy again and so on. But we thought it would be a perfect time to go out in General Andrews Forest and do some mudding on the four wheeler and one of my dad's new toys: a Polaris Ranger while Tanner had some quality time with his Nana (my mom). It was so much fun and we just happened to catch the blueberry season just right. There were so many berries that my mom, Jake and I decided to go out berry picking again on Sunday morning while the Tanner and Paul enjoyed the beautiful morning by the lake. I have a whole gallon of blueberries to use in homemade blueberry pancakes, muffins, pie, cobbler, syrup...oh the possiblites!!

We jumped in the lake in all of our muddy clothes after we got a couple pictures. The lake felt like bath water compared to those cold puddles we were playing in.

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Bouncing Baby Boy

Tanner LOVES his Fisher Price Rainforest Jumperoo. I got it from my BFF Bonny who used one with her son and swore by it- Thanks Bonny! Tanner likes to play in there and is really getting the hang of bouncing. I HIGHLY reccomend this product to anyone who has or is expecting a little one. It rocks!!

4 month Stats

I just can’t believe 4 months has flown by since having Tanner.  Today we went up to see Dr Voegel (Tanner’s pediatrician) and get his 4 month shots.  Everything is checking out just fine.  Tanner is a healthy happy little boy.  What more can a mommy ask for right?

Here are Tanner’s 4 month stats-

Height: 25 inches

Weight: 16 lbs 1 oz

Overall he is right in the 75th percentile for height and weight, same as he was @ his 2 month.  Next check up isn’t until Sept for his 6 month…YES 6 MONTHS as is 1/2 a year!!  I can’t believe it!

We might have to think about expanding the “Quist Club” sooner rather than later…They just grow up too darn fast!

Green Beans Anyone????

This morning I went out and picked beans in the garden...I think 2 rows was quite enough. I can pick a whole sink full every 4 days...

We also have a bunch of peas, a couple peppers, a few small onions that needed to be thinned out, and a few yellow pear tomatoes. There are tons of green tomatoes (yellow pear, cherry, and regular) just getting ready to ripen. I better get my freezing and canning supplies dusted off....

Tanner's first Twins Game

On Sunday, we went to the Twins Vs White Sox with 35 of my family members (ages 3 1/2 months to 73 years). My Grandma and Grandpa Huesmann got everyone tickets for Christmas and gave everyone $20 to spend at the game for their birthday present. It was AWESOME!! It was so fun to get together with EVERYONE! It was also a lot of people's first visit to the New Target Field...Including Tanner! It also wasn't bad that the Twins won in dramatic fashion scoring 4 runs in the bottom of the 9th! Here are some pictures from the game:

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Family Photo
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Baby--- check, Beer---Check..... Daddy's got his "essentials!

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Mommy and Tanner

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This is Sadie's family :) Notice Jada in the background...HILARIOUS! Can you tell game time was their usual nap time??

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My mom and dad...Dad is being a dork like always.

(this was seriously the best out of the 5 photos I tried taking of them)

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Here is MOST of our group we were with. I am sure we were QUITE the sight!

We LOVE the TWINS!! Thanks again Grandma and Grandpa!!

House repaint- 95% done

Here is our house before :)
Here is AFTER :) (Note: we still need to finish the landscaping but anything is better than the iris jungle that was over taking the front. We also still need new house numbers and a new flood light)

After getting new windows this fall, I am also going to get some red shutters to helps with the accent color :)

Pictures of the back yet to come...

And it continues....

As I sit here drinking my morning coffee and letting Tanner sit in his bumbo trying to pick up his assortment of toys that lay in front of him, I am reminding myself to do just one thing....TAKE A DEEP BREATH and RELAX!!!

It seems like we are in the thick of the hectic summer schedule....Fourth of July weekend Tanner and I went to my parents cabin in Sturgeon Lake, MN and Paul met us there after going to a friend's 30th birthday. It was an AWESOME long weekend with lots of swimming, washer toss, laughing and great family time (unfortunately I didn't take my camera out at all). I feel so lucky to have Tanner be part of such a warm and loving family. He was such a good boy and even went swimming in the lake a couple times. It was so hot and I think he really enjoyed it. (more so when we let him play in the water naked). I stayed up at the cabin until Tuesday, which was also my 27th birthday. It was hard to tear myself away from the lake. I just love it up there!! But there was stuff that needed my attention here at home...

This week the boys (Paul, and my cousins- Brandyn and Jacob) got the first coat of paint on the house and it is looking awesome already!! We are getting closer and closer to posting the before and after pics!! Also this week, is our town celebration-Danube Fun Days!! Again my family is heading down here to partake in the festivities which started on Wed with an ice cream social and ends Sunday with the Fire Dept Keg shoot. (Its where teams form Fire Depts around the area shoot there hoses at a keg suspended above the street on a cable. The first team to push the keg all the way over to the other side wins...It is apparently a BIG deal out here) This year Paul will be participating so Tanner and I will spend our Sunday down at the park cheering him on!

I stayed up til 1 am last night (after some homemade iced mocha) and was up and 7 today prepping for the arrival of 20 guests. I think everything is set. The yard is cleared and ready for campers, the sheets are washed on all of the guest beds, my food is cooked, and my house is on it way to being clean...right after I finish this cup of coffee :)

So the busy life of this farm wife and country mama continues.....

Hope you are all enjoying your summer as much as the Nyquists!!

Country Fest 2010

Boy did I have fun!! I missed Tanner like crazy but really enjoyed the time with the girls. I forget how much I laugh, joke and just let loose when I am around a bunch of women that I absolutely love. I finally have my voice back today :) Here is a picture of all the WONDERFUL ladies that we camp with :) Our "Flamingo Rodeo" themed campsite was a hit!! I hope my life works out to allow me to keep going to this every year. I just LOVE it!

My little swimmer- 3 months old !!

Look who's 3 Months old today!!!

Tanner had his first dip in the pool today and seemed to have a really good time. (Don't let the pictures fool you- As soon as I put down my camera and jumped in with him he was smiling and cooing) After we got out I undressed him and let him lay naked on his towel in the shade. He LOVED that and was smiling and laughing. Looks like he is quite a little exhibitionist already :)