I've been slacking...

After reading a friends' blog this morning, I finally decided it's time to update mine again. Since it's been nearly 5 months since my last blog, I decided to put a few highlight from recent months on here. Of course, there were a ton more that I could have put on but I couldn't spend the whole day doing this.

This was on my 30th birthday. Ben took me out to dinner and then back home to "get the kids" but he really had planned a surprise birthday party for me. I was actually really surprised which was awesome because somehow I always seem to find out his surprises before I am supposed to.

Ben and Caleb on a hike at Hartley Nature Area. I can't wait for this weather again!

My parents came up for a weekend last fall and we had lots of fun taking pictures by the lake.

My dad and the kids.

Our new addition! We got our first dog, Riley the Monday after Thanksgiving. He was 5 months old at that time and has been quite an adventure! The kids can't get enough of him.

We might be nuts, but on the same day we found out that I am pregnant with our 3rd kid!! I am due August 5th. We saw the movie Marley and Me the other night and halfway through I leaned over and told Ben they had the same life as us...minus the swimming pool and huge houses! Mostly the crazy dog and adventures of parenting!

Baking Christmas cookies in December. They loved the frosting.

And of course the sprinkles too.

I am not sure if it's possible anymore for Sophia to get her picture taken without doing some kind of funny pose. She's like a Hollywood teenager inside a 5 year-old Duluth kid's body.

Caleb turned 3 the week after Christmas and I made him a motorcycle birthday cake. He had been talking about wanting a motorcycle birthday party for months beforehand and now has next year's party planned already.

Don't tell Caleb when he's a teenager that I actually put this picture online! I was on the phone with my mom one day this winter and the kids both came down the stairs in Sophia's leotards. I couldn't stop laughing. Caleb was still all boy though...he thought it was hilarious to pull the leotard up in the back and would pull it up like a sumo wrestler every time it started to slide down.

"Look Mom it says, 'ho-tel!'" That's exactly what he said. This was at a hotel we stayed at for a conference in Mpls. in January.

Sophia and my sister-in-law Karna at her baby shower. Hopefully she will have her baby any day now! She will make grandkid number 18 for my parents!

I had to put this photo up. This is what Sophia does with her clothes nearly every night before she goes to bed...accessories and all, so that everything is ready for the next morning. I don't know where she got that from but it definitely was NOT me!

I think that's all for now but I will try to update this more often.