Snow Day!

We had snow. THREE times even! Joaquin loved it, especially making snowballs (check the last picture, he's about to chuck one at Izzie, luckily he has bad aim) and building snowcastles with grandpa.

Christmas Morning

Gosh, it's almost that time of year AGAIN. Just the thought of trying to leave Perimeter Mall during the Christmas rush...pretty much makes me want to stay in bed forever. I can't believe it's going to be our third Christmas in Georgia. I haven't lived in the same place for three straight years in forever. Weird...

My Little Edward Cullen

So Joaquin loves Twilight. Chloe and I used to watch it over and over (ok, let's be honest, it was mostly me). He noticed the music first, and really liked that. Then he moved on the story, and would actually watch the whole movie (minus the fight scene at the end). I'm not sure if he's Team Edward or Team Jacob, but if he saw New Moon or Eclipse he'd probably be all about the wolves.

xoxo Michael Jackson

Me: Do you think Michael Jackson is a boy or a girl?
Joaquin: I'm not really sure yet. What do you think?
Me: I think he's a boy.
Joaquin: (long pause) No. I'm pretty sure he's a girl.

www.sarawisephotography.com

So we met the wonderful Sara Wise at a Breastfeeding Conference in Helen, GA where she was offering free mini sessions. Thank goodness I signed up for one because not only are pics AMAZING, she's also become sort of a mentor to me as I navigate photography myself. Yay for Sara Wise! :))

Hy-Vee Cakes are the BOMB

I don't know what's worse: having no idea how old your parents are, or not being able to do the math to figure it out. Anyway, Happy Birthday Mom!! We love you! xoxo

The Fam

Obviously the best part of being in Minnesota was being able to hang out with all of the people who mean so much to me. Having lunch with Grandma and Grandpa Kroeger, hiking with Aud, chillin' on the deck with Clo and Ma, spending a week with Grandma Jean...good times. And the best part of all: seeing how Joaquin is so loved. We both are. The older I get, the more I'm grateful that I grew up surrounded by such amazing people. Y'all rock.

Officer Joaquin

So I came downstairs to find Joaquin covered in stickers, and mom handing him more saying, "here's your badge, here's your cell, here's your hat..." and Joaquin putting everything in it's appropriate place. His hat is on his head, his cell is in his shirt pocket, and his "boomers" are in his hands. This was also the first time I realized he knew what guns were. He asked for a "boomer", and mom and I both looked at each other and said, "what...?" He said he needed a "boomer" so he could "boom people". Oh sweet jesus. I guess it's good that it's a year later and he 1) still thinks guns are called "boomers" and 2) rarely, if ever, feels the need to "boom" anyone. Can you tell I'm so not prepared to deal with this aspect of boyhood?!

Summer's Almost Over...

Then and now, too. Last year it seemed fast because Minnesota takes so long to get hot, and gets cold again way too fast. This year it seemed fast because I went back up to working five days a week in an attempt to save money. Notice I said "attempt" because it's not working, ha! At least not the way I imagined it. If only I didn't have to pay bills and buy food...I'd be a baller, yo. :)

Lake City

We made a day trip to Lake City, planning to play on the beach (of course) and pick some apples at the orchard. Well they were all out of apples and it was 60 degrees so we decided to go to Hope's Harvest and warm up with coffee and cookies. I love special days with my special little guy.

Last Summer

Did we really play on the beach all summer long? Long live Minnesota Summers. :)