Bed progress. It's painted and ready to go. Now all we need is the hardware. Should take us forever to find since this bed was originally purchased in the 1980s!

Everybody's wearing winter hats and sunglasses before our trip to the grocery store. Our future's so bright we gotta wear shades!

Pony rides are still 1 penny at Meijer. They even have a little penny cup in case you don't have any change. There is nothing my boys love more than a pony ride at Meijer. It sure is the little things in life.

I built a stool! Read about it here :)

Date night! Erik's brother generously gifted me tickets to the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra as my Secret Santa gift. Such a fun and unique gift idea and it's something Erik and I had never done before. Add to that the fact that it was the music of John Williams (Indiana Jones, ET, Superman, Harry Potter and, of course, Star Wars!) and you've got yourself the makings of an awesome night out.

We started with charcuterie, drinks and dinner at Rumpus Room, across the street from the venue. The charcuterie would have been plenty of food for us and we were stuffed by the time dinner was over. We also opted to eat very early before the show so that we weren't rushed. It's pretty funny being some of the first people to enter a restaurant and watch it fill up as the night goes on. We also had time to make a quick stop at the Brown Bottle over in the new Pabst development. 

We arrived at the theater, having already picked up our tickets prior to going out for drinks, and there were some special guests at the Marcus Center waiting to greet everyone. I had my picture taken with the characters... you know, for the kids ;)

The show started and all I can say is that it was amazing. Talk about reliving your childhood through the nostalgia of music from some of your favorite movies. 

John is enjoying his lunch with his too big shoes on the wrong feet while wearing his Green Bay Packers ensemble. Yep, the kid is too cool for school :)

Time to head out into the snow and go exploring for animal tracks!

Will needed a Valenitine's box to collect all of his goodies at school. We used what we had in the house (a USPS box, some green wrapping paper and lots of stickers) and created this really cool monster to eat all of Will's Valentines. Great job decorating it, buddy!

Sometimes, Bear likes to get dressed with Will on school days. 

Today, he was even wearing a pair of Will's underwear. Seriously, my kids are hilarious and make me laugh every single day.

Another day, another mini home improvement project. My mom gave me these hand me down refrigerator box style end tables years ago. They live in our sunroom ad hold trucks and blocks. They were pretty beat up on the top with water marks, which is presumably why my mom decided to get rid of them. I've been planning to redo them for years. Today I finally emptied them out and moved them into the basement. The plan? Paint the bottoms and doors (which I already removed) a cottage white and do a polyshade on the top to freshen up the stain. The hardware/hinges are gold and I may keep them as is or do something in the oil rubbed bronze family. Time will tell! Stay tuned for 8 years from now when I actually complete this project! 

The boys and I had a pre-Valentine's Day playdate at Dillon's house (while mommy hung with Auntie's Melissa & Kelly). Will found a very cool racecar holder that he helped reorganize while we were there. I'm sure this is something that will end up on his birthday or Christmas list.

I feel like my kids should be renamed Calvin and Hobbes for how much fun they have exploring in our yard. And playing with sticks. Or in this case, banging sticks on what was left of a frozen puddle in the yard.

Will's Valentine's party at school was a huge success! His teacher did an exercise with the kids where she asked them questions about different things they love. I think it's hilarious that Will loves to go to Costco. And it made my heart melt to see that he loves when his daddy gets home from work to eat dinner and play with him. I won't lie, I may have cried while reading this. Will's teachers really are the best. I love his school so much and am thankful that he is so happy there.

Will and daddy checking out all the Valentine's and goodies he received from his classmates!

Erik bought a wood chipper off of Facebook. Here he is getting it tuned up with his handy helper.

Will was playing fetch with Stella. By playing fetch I mean he was handing her sticks and then sitting with her to pet her. 

Then it was time to get to work on his firetruck. Goo thing daddy had lots of tools out that the boys could steal from him!

And there goes fearless John running up the big hill!

We met some friends at the zoo on a beautiful Monday morning. Here was my failed attempt at getting a picture of my 2 little monkeys with the primate statue.

These 2 little hooligans sure are the best of friends. They were waiting for me after nap time. John thought he was hilarious because he had removed his socks and had his stinky feet hanging out under the gate.

Morning snuggle with his blankie on the couch. Notice the milk cup strewn carelessly onto the floor. One day I'll teach this one manners. One day...

John's main goal in life is to see choo choo trains. Every day, on the way to and from school, we drive over 2 sets of tracks and drive past at least 1 or 2 more. John knows exactly where they are and starts telling me "choo choo tracks" from the back seat. On this day, we drove a different way to pick Will up from school and a choo choo train was going by. The stop was right next to the tracks. He was amazed and excited that he finally got to see a choo choo on the way to pick his brother up from school.

Will is a bit of a planner. He gets it from his momma. A couple nights before our big Hawaii trip, Erik and I could hear noise coming from Will's room, at 9:30 PM (2 hours after bedtime). I went to investigate and opened the door to this:

Will was packing for our trip! He had piles of clothes "organized" on his floor. Mickey Mouse was strapped in and ready to go. I had to explain to him that it was bedtime and time to go to sleep. He was insistent that he needed to pack. I'm still not sure he was fully awake during this exercise. I did get him back in bed and left everything out for him to finish packing.

The next morning, he awoke and wanted to continue packing for the trip. Erik stopped to help him before going to work. He had all the necessities ready to go. 

Mickey Mouse, lots of undies, stuffed animals, his monster slippers, pajamas and socks. I kept unzipping compartments and finding more and more treasures. It was hilarious. I unpacked everything and helped him get everything he really needed put into his suitcase. And wile I was at it I packed John's right away too. It was actually really nice having that done well ahead of time since I usually wait until the day before. Thanks for being proactive, Will! You're the best!

When daddy gets home late, Mommy takes the boys out for Culver's custard. Yep, I know. I'm the best mom ever.

Will's friend Henry and his sweet momma sent Will a boat in the mail just in time for him to take it on our Hawaii trip. Will is always so excited to get mail or a package so this was an extra special treat for him! Plus, Henry felt really bad when we were at the zoo earlier in the week and I wouldn't let Will buy anything from the gift shop. His mom tected me later and told me that Henry said next time he's at the zoo he wants to bring $2 with him... that way he can buy Will and himself something little from the gift shop. Will has the sweetest friends and we just love them so much!

I've had the itch to learn woodworking for years. I found out I was pregnant with John shortly after beginning a woodworking class through WCTC and had to bow out of the class and get a refund because I couldn't be around the sawdust and fumes regularly. 

Fast forward a few years and I took a Woodworking for Women class at Woodcarft in New Berlin. I learned the basics of all sorts of tools and came home with a small peg board that I made myself from a piece of raw lumber. 

We used a table saw, jointer, planer, router and drill press in the class. The class was specifically for women and there were only 3 of us attending the class, so the instructor was detailed, thorough and really let us try out the tools so that we would be comfortable with them. He talked us through, showed us on his own piece of lumber and then let us use the tools.

After the class I was empowered and excited! Still, I didn't have the tools at home to start any kind of woodworking and I wasn't looking to spend a lot of money on a woodworking gym membership (yes that is a real thing). 

So I waited *somewhat* patiently that we would eventually buy some kind of saw I could safely use at home. We already owned sanders, a Kreg Jig system (I bought for myself) and we have a pneumatic nailer that Erik purchased when we redid the mudroom at our last house. 

 Fast forward to this past Christmas when Erik surprised me with a table saw that he picked up from a coworker of his. He got it all fixed up and ready with a brand new blade and taught me how to use it. 

I had these plans in mind for a bench for our hall bathroom so the kids could share a stool rather than constantly fight over the potty stool they climb onto to brush their teeth. Also, I wanted to return the potty chair/stool to the downstairs bathroom for when John is ready to potty train.

I showed the plans to Erik and he and I devised a different style that would work better for our needs (although I did fight him a little on this because I had this one set in my mind). Plus, I planned to use scrap wood for my first build to keep costs low for something that would be a practice project.

One afternoon during nap time Erik helped me cut all of the pieces we would need before heading out of town for a quick work trip. It was up to me to assemble this thing using my Kreg Jig!

Best laid plans, right?

The wood was a little warped, which I already knew but figured I could sand. The Kreg Jig was tricky, plus I wasn't planning out where my holes should go and just trying to assemble it as quickly as I could. This was a huge mistake on my part. I learned very quickly that completing a project, even a simple one, still requires patience and planning, 2 things I admittedly don't have a lot of.

So, I had to scrap some of the pre-cut pieces Erik helped me with, put on my big girl pants and be comfortable using a very large and intimidating table saw all on my own. And I've gotta admit... it was awesome.

It still took me a little work, patience and proper planning. I still messed up A LOT.

But I got really comfortable using the saw.

And eventually, I assembled this bench. And I could not be more proud of it.

The next day, I stained it. And then put on a coat of triple thick polyurethane.

I think my little minions approve, too. John walked into the bathroom the first time and immediately said "wow!" And they quickly jumped up and started using their new stool together. Shockingly, without even throwing elbows into one another!

Dear William,

Before Christmas, you started telling daddy and I that you wanted to take me on a date to Costco. 

You told us you needed a rainbow tie and that we'd go out for pizza.

Luckily, Santa is pure magic and came through for you by delivering a Rainbow bowtie under the tree on Christmas morning.

Opening your bowtie from Santa on Christmas morning

To say you were excited would be an understatement. You wore it proudly on Christmas Day and even requested it for nap time and bedtime  (over your pajamas). 

Christmas evening at Grandma & Grandpa's house

Pajamas wouldn't be complete without your dress shirt and bowtie!

You wore it to school and showed it off to your teachers and friends.

The pride you take in being "handsome like daddy" when wearing your tie is the sweetest thing in the world.

And since getting your wish of a bowtie for Christmas, you began talking more about taking mommy on a date to Costco.

You have the best and sweetest daddy on the planet so he took you to Costco on a boys trip, just the 2 of you, and had you pick out the flowers you wanted to buy me. He also checked to see how much it would cost for you to buy me dinner. He bought a gift card with enough money on it for you to take me on a proper date, and even pay for it yourself with the gift card.

You came home so excited to share the news that you would be taking me on our date on Friday. And all week we talked about how many more days that was. Every time it came up you got a huge smile on your face. And if we were home, you'd check your wallet (daddy's old wallet that he gave you) to make sure you still had your special card for our date.

Thursday night before bed we talked about our special date planned for the next day. You told me to "be sure to call daddy to remind him not to go to work tomorrow so that we can go on our date, mommy" (even though our date was planned for dinner time).

Friday morning you woke up even more excited for our date! You had to go to school first, of course. And then go through all the usual stuff we do every day before daddy came home from work.

Once he was home, I got dressed up in a pretty dress.

Daddy got you ready, complete with your bowtie and combed your hair.

And we snuck out of the house so that John wouldn't be too upset that we were leaving without him!

The drive to Costco was adorable because you were so excited!!

We arrived and held hands while walking in to the store. We took our coats off and you were all smiles when we went to get our shopping cart. We were stopped twice and complimented on how handsome you looked in your bowtie and you proudly shared that you were dressed up and taking your mommy on a date. I'm fairly certain the ladies in Costco were melting thanks to your cuteness and huge, proud smile.

The first order of business was buying mommy her flowers, which you paid for at the checkout all by yourself.

Then, you took me out for our fancy dinner. Pizza for me and a hotdog for you.

When we were done eating you bought me an ice cream and yourself a smoothie.

I shared my ice cream with you :)

Flowers, ice cream, a smoothie and a bowtie!

When we finished eating we did some shopping and then took a couple pictures by the cool Polaris truck before getting in the car to head home.

Mommy and her handsome date

 

It was one of the best dates I've ever been on with one of the sweetest, most handsome little men I've ever known.

Thank you for taking me on a date, my sweet boy.

Love, Mommy