Mid-March Fashions

The thermometer hits forty degrees, the sun is out, there are puddles, but there is still snow on the ground and a bit of a chill in the air. Lends for some confusion for a four year old when she dresses to come outside. It is a nice look Abbers. Sunglasses, snow pants, unzipped jacket and rain boots. Avery doesn't look quite as awkward. January wear on top. April wear on bottom. That is Minnesota for you! Thank goodness for the sunshine and "warmth" the last couple of days. It has definitely lifted our spirits.

The newest little one...

Meet Thomas Mosher Kendall born on March 8. The newest little one to join our wonderful group of friends. Stacey and I had the privilege of taking his newborn shots. I actually wasn't very happy with most that I got, but this one is a keeper. So sweet and peaceful. I really wish I would have had this done when my girls were under two weeks old. This time is so fleeting. Sorry girls! My mind may not be able to recall all the fine details of your perfection at eight days old, but my heart will never forget. I wish I could bring each of you back to that point for one day...one more day of holding you in my arms, snuggling you, smelling your sweetness and feeling the softness of your skin. One more day...(sigh...and smile). 

Home sweet home

I had to take pictures of the front and back of the house today for insurance and I thought what a great thing to put on the blog. I'm sure when I look back in twenty years it will be fun to see the place we called home in 2011. 

It could have been fun

In theory a ride on the light rail, or train as Abby calls it, sounds like it would be fun, right? Fun enough that Abby picked it as her reward for filling up her marble jar. So, we took the girls out for breakfast and then rode the light rail from the Mall of America to the Target Center and back. The trip started out happy and great like the above photos and ended like this.

Abby was bored and turned to games on the iPhone for entertainment and Avery got very frustrated with our constant attempts to constrain her and eventually flipped out and fell asleep. And for those that know her, this is very odd behavior...her falling asleep on someone's lap...well, falling asleep period is kind of odd for her! So, not a very successful outing this morning. 

Happy baby shower day!

How cute is that belly?

My high school friends and I had a baby shower for Heather today. Thank you to Kelli and Krissy for hosting. The food was fabulous! Fourteen years after we graduated, I feel blessed to be able to gather this many of my high school friends to celebrate Baby Foster's upcoming arrival!


A dear college friend of mine also had a baby shower today. Travel and other logistical issues prevented me from going. But, Heidi, I thought lots about you and Baby Z. Wish I could have cloned myself and been in two places today.

Ice Cream!

I know I've slipped behind on the blog and haven't taken pictures everyday as I set out to do, but I'm going to stop beating myself up about it and just recommit!


Owen came over tonight while the rest of the Konrad's celebrated a family birthday at a fancy restaurant not suited for O-dawg or really anyone that eats ice cream like two of the three pictured above. 

Happy 90th Birthday Grandma June

Grandma June turns 90 this month!

And we celebrated this momentous occasion today.

Abby helped Grandma open her cards.

Amazing how many there are of us pictured and this is only six of the 18 grandchildren and their families!

The Lorentz's were nice enough to host us all.

Much to the children's delight, they have a barn and horses!

Avery was brave enough to feed them. Abby wasn't quite ready this time.

This horse really liked Brian!

Mia made the trip outside. Thank goodness Auntie Jen shared some of her warmth!

Feeling right at home and full of love, Stephers jumped at the chance to feed the horses!

We are so blessed to be able to take a picture of you, Abby and Avery, with your great Grandma June, as we celebrate her 90th birthday!

LaJune Polzin

March 6, 2011

Elegant, beautiful and still very full of life. 

Our little artist

Abby wanted to play on the computer so I got her to the Disney site. From there she played a few games, found a picture she wanted, printed it and then colored. Her technical aptitude amazes me sometimes. Her coloring skills have greatly improved this year as well. Thank you, Abby, for the time and love you put into this little piece of art you made for Mommy and Daddy!

I want to draw a picture that will make Mommy happy

"I want to draw a picture that will make Mommy happy."


As said by Abby to Daddy tonight when they were playing downstairs. So sweet and thoughtful is my little Abber Dabbers. And she is absolutely right. Tulips are my all time favorite flower and she always remembers that.

Any idea?

Abby has gotten this strange rash(?) a few times within the last week. It seems to develop around the end of the day. It doesn't itch or bother her and is greatly subsides by morning. No idea...will have to keep an eye on it.

An afternoon on the ice

A few Saturdays ago we spent the afternoon skating at the Konrad Coliseum. John puts a lot of time and love into his backyard rink for which we who benefit from it are all very appreciative. I haven't put on my skates in years so I was happy I didn't fall on my face. It is kind of like riding a bike as they say. Abby has greatly improved her skills on the ice this year. It is fun to watch her move around with that precious smile on her face. Stacey, Braydon and Kaylin came later in the afternoon and skated around for awhile too. I picked up a hockey stick for the first time in my life and Braydon, at seven, pretty much schooled me in stick handling. Talk about improvement. I really can't believe how much better of a skater Braydon has become in a few short years. Very proud of him for the person he has become on and off the rink. 

Baby shower

There was a baby shower today for a member of my BNI group so I came as the photographer for the event. It was a learning experience, but I'm glad I did it. Can't wait to do more and more with photography. I feel very blessed to have a passion for something that really moves me and fills me with desire to do more, learn more, be more.

Another goal with this blog is to get a picture of all the important people in our lives. To have a record of them over the years as well. So, if you see me coming with my camera, know it is because I love you and want to be able to look back many years from now at your beautiful face. Being blessed with so many wonderful people that cross our path every year, this is going to take many posts and the rest of the year to get you all!


We spent the morning at the lake. Even in the winter it is such a place of peace, relaxation and reprieve for us. Time seems to move slower, more attention is paid to the people we are surrounded by and not the things we need to do. The announcement that we are going to visit Grandpa and Grandma Polzin at the lake is always received with loud cheers from the girls. I don't know if it is the undivided attention they get from them, the stories read, the gigantic toy room or the space to run, but they love it. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for always opening your home, cupboards and hearts to us. You are building the same, special memories with your grandchildren that I am lucky enough to have with my grandparents.

Oh the joy of having Daddy home. While we support and cheer him on loudly with his new business venture, the retail hours weigh on our family. We miss him dearly and the times he is at home are now even more precious than they were before. If you can't tell, Abby is very much a Daddy's girl. Always has been. Love the series of pictures, especially the first one. You can see the anticipation of the tickle she knows is coming so clearly on her face.

Avery left unattended...

...equals trouble with markers. I had combed the basement, quickly scanning for markers, because Avery has a thing for them. I didn't find any in my sweep and felt comfortable leaving her unattended to play for a bit while I did some chores around the house. When I went to check on her I found her with a lone marker that she must have found hiding somewhere. I can't get too mad because I was the one that left her alone and it is washable. Every kid has to have a picture like this, right? 

Shoe obsession - Post 5

Avery isn't prejudice when it comes to the shoes she obsesses over. If it looks like a shoe (or even if it doesn't...see this post) then it is fair game for her to try on. Here she is trying on a shoe this morning...

She stole this clog from Barbie to make her own. Too bad it doesn't fit, Avery, or Barbie's shoe collection would open a whole new world for you.

Abby said something very precious to me this morning that is worth recording. I was singing that song (not sure of the exact name) "You are so beautiful to me" to her and she said, "Mommy? Did you know you are so beautiful to everyone that knows you?" Melt my heart...Abby you have one of the most tender hearts. You are thoughtful and kind way beyond your years. Thank you for completely making my day in the four seconds it took you to utter that sentence.

The other thing she said, that was pretty amusing was, "Moms and dads do lots of work for kids so they can get lots of money and take us to Disney World." She was referencing the cooking and cleaning up I do and Adam working at the store. If only all our money could go towards Disney vacations. Wouldn't that be wonderful!

The Children's Museum in pictures

Abby filled her marble jar and picked a trip to the Children's Museum as her reward. 

*In case we can't remember what in the world a marble jar is in twenty years, here is a photo of it. Abby, you earn marbles for completing daily tasks (brushing teeth, putting toys away, etc.) without complaint and you also earn them for good behavior (being kind and patient, going above and beyond, etc.). Once the jar is filled you get a reward. 

Here are a few of the pictures from the day. It was too hard to pick just one. 

The next two photos need some commentary. By the time we left the museum it was after 1:00 and that is nap time. I didn't want Avery to fall asleep in the car because I knew it would ruin my chances of getting a real nap out of her when we got home. So, I had a brilliant idea. Get her a sucker! That will keep her awake. While the girls and I were finishing up lunch, I sent Adam out on a mission to find some suckers. This is what he returned with. If you reference previous posts about most things my husband does are over the top...here is another example. A regular old Tootsie Pop wouldn't do. Almost ten dollars later, the girls are armed with these monstrosities. No way Avery will fall asleep with that in hand, right?

Wrong. I look back no more than three minutes after we left and she has fallen asleep with sucker in hand, still sucking on it. So much for that plan. And, no. She didn't take a real nap after we got home. The fifteen minutes she spent asleep in the car was enough for today.

The battle of the sippy cup

The opponents.

The battle.

The winner.

The loser.

The winner really gloating.