What do we do on a 70-degree day?!

We go snowboarding, of course! It was the last day for our local hills to be open, so we took Amelie to Afton Alps and she rode on a chairlift for her first time! Craig is already anticipating next season with Amelie. They couldn't be more excited.



Where was I, you ask? I was standing on the hill in the sun wearing a tanktop and getting a nice tan. I'll take this crazy warm March weather! LOVE IT.

Birthday Girl!

It's not 20 degrees below zero or sleeting & snowing 2" an hour, so it might not seem like December 12... but it is, it's Amelie's 4th birthday!

Yesterday, we had a little gathering at our house to eat some of Amelie's favorite sandwich fixings and upon her request, we made a homemade strawberry cake. Here is proof that we have the best friends & family - Shannon & Elle keeping busy at the dollhouse:


And check out this sugar induced smirk that Amelie is showing off, what a doll:


After our guests went home, we went ice skating with a few friends (we missed Luca - get well soon!): Gretta, Amelie, Matea. What a bunch of ice skating stars!

All in all, the day was a blast! This morning, Amelie woke up to a bedroom floor covered with balloons (photos later). So far, being 4-years old is pretty fun!

December Arrives

Along with December, comes snow. These are a few photos of our first trip out with Amelie & her snowboard. She was ripping down the hill, getting cheers from all the other kids. But it was the other parents approaching us, asking where she learned her skills, how old she was, and if I was "recording" her that really had us laughing. I could see Craig's chest puffing out with pride.


I must say, Amelie is a natural - she gets down low, leans on her front foot and points it. Plus, the girl seems to LOVE it. Here we are, giving high fives, after one of the first runs that she flew straight down!



Can you see that huge smile under her balaclava? Seriously, loving it. If I don't hurry up and learn to snowboard, I'll definitely be left at home during the winters. This is the year that Amelie AND I learn to snowboard, I don't want to be left in the dust by an almost four-year-old!

Oh, my lover girl.

3 Little Birds

It's *almost* old news that Amelie started at a new school. The new school is called 3 Little Birds and they have a blog that is updated weekly, at least. Feel free to take a look at the pictures of the kiddos, doing what they do best, having all sorts of fun!

This is Amelie during her first week, what a sweetheart:

A Happy Sight

While dropping Amelie off for preschool this morning, the classroom of friends was filled with schoolmade tie-dyed shirts. Last week, each friend dyed their own plain white t-shirt so they could wear them today for their field trip to the downtown St. Paul library! Amelie has been counting down the days for this trip.

What is she excited about? "I get to ride the city bus just like Mommy & Daddy do..."

Whoa.

Time really flies, eh? It seems I've neglected the blog for the last two months. Here is the long story, shortened:
- January = brrr, snow.
- February = brrr, snow with bar exam mixed in there.
- March = so far, brrr, cold with Vegas trip mixed in soon.

Amelie is progressively becoming more & more hilarious, spouting out important advice and musings. Such as:

"mommy, why doesn't booboo speak Spanish?" (I tried to explain she doesn't really speak English either...)

"mommy, can I always be with you and live with you and love you forever?" (I melted on the spot)

"mommy, I am going to buy you matching outfits so you can dress cute like me." (I asked where she'd get the money, she says Daddy - I'm okay with that.)

Recent photos from a snowy night walk we took. I cannot wait until we're wearing sandals.

Flashback to 2010!

2011 is here already... since 2010 went by so quickly and had so many highlights, I figured a quick review would be fun.

My family started off the New Year of 2010 at our Childrens Museum. I loved dressing up as a fairy and celebrating "midnight" at 10pm with my Mom & Dad!



February was filled with lots of love and art projects!

Art Day from H-Dub on Vimeo.

In March, Mommy finally caught up to Dad and turned 32. I had many fun playdates, just like this one with all my Yo Gabba Gabba friends!



In April, we took our first official road trip to visit our dear friends in Madison, WI! Thanks to Oscar for letting me play with his toys all weekend. It was a blast!



I perfected my tricycle riding in May, while cruising around our new backyard patio that Mommy & Daddy built just for me. My Daddy even took me for bike rides near Harriet Island!



In June, I began teaching Mom how to use her iPhone. Oh, and Daddy officially became older than Mom!



The month of July was hot. I took Mom & Dad for boat rides at the cabin during the Fourth. I also had many playdates with Gretta, Matea, and Anja in the sprinkler and pool!



By the time August rolled around, I was really becoming a big girl. I had been in Montessori for one year and made lots of new friends. I even love bath time!



Most of September was really fun! Mommy's friends took us to the new Twins stadium. We also went to the State Fair on Labor Day, but I got sick and we went home early. It was okay though because Grandma & Mommy bought me a Dora balloon. Geez, I love the summertime!



During October, I played outside a lot! My Daddy said we had to play outside as much as possible before it turned winter. I dressed up as Abby Cadabby from Sesame Street! I "trick or treated" with Mom, Dad, and Grandpa on Halloween. I love candy (mostly chocolates)!



Well, November was a roller coaster! The weather started off amazing, I even played outside almost every day! But when Mom and Dad went to Costa Rica over Thanksgiving it got really cold and yucky outside. I had fun with the grandparents, but I was really happy to have my Mom & Dad home!



Finally, in December I turned three! I love having my Mom tell me that I'm really tall for my age. I also love when Daddy plays "grumpy old troll under the bridge" and chases me around! I just tried snowboarding at a real mountain (well, Minnesota equivalent to mountain)! My Daddy says I ripped it, I think I will be better than he is...



So, I expect my third year will be the best yet and I cannot wait to share 2011 with you! xoxo.

We're baaaack.

I'm sure this is old news to most of you, but we're back from Costa Rica and it was amazing. I cannot even put into words how amazing the people were from Costa Rica. For the most part, I understood the Spanish and felt comfortable speaking... I have already started the begging of Craig to scrap the idea of a mountain home in Whistler for an empty lot in Costa Rica. It'd be much cheaper and adventurous! Feel free to help me out.

Craig is working on putting together a wedding video for our friends: Tasha & Steve. Congrats to the newlyweds! Such an amazing wedding: saltwater, seashells, waves crashing, amazing foods, weather, and even a few tears. So much fun. I assume Craig's video will take a few months, so no holding of breath. However, he did put one together - I think you'll see exactly why I was so happy, happy, happy in the waves and playing with all my stray dogs. Holy perfection in a spanish-speaking not-over populated or developed beach location! Sighhhhhh.

(The next post will be about Amelie's week with the grandparents - she was a rockstar and did awesome! I'm simply taking a break from finishing up my last law paper, which means I only have ONE FINAL LEFT! Hallelujah!)

Santa Teresa, Costa Rica in Two Minutes from H-Dub on Vimeo.

cookies, candy, and lots of hugs!

I get my first real vacation from my Daddy & Mommy next week! They are taking a whole week off to go help their friends get married in Costa Rica. I plan on spending the first 3.5 days with Granny & Papa B-Dub. The latter half, including Thanksgiving, will be with Grandma Cyn & Papa Mark. I'm so excited and ready to eat chocolate in many varieties, every day, all week! I really hope my Mommy gets me something neat, maybe a doll that looks like Dora, from Costa Rica?!

I'll be sure to bring my new little point & shoot that Daddy gave me to document my stay at the grandparents house & Thanksgiving! Also, I bet my Daddy & Mommy will have some photos of their trip to post when they return.

xoxo.

P.S. My Mommy is almost done with law school (just one final exam and a 30-page paper away)! She promises me that she'll kiss & tickle me for 3 months straight! I'm pretty excited.

Late Update

This is from a few weeks ago. The family took a walk to the park, super fun & perfect Fall day. Yay!

October 3, 2010 from H-Dub on Vimeo.

The Perfect Fall Day.

The H-Dub family had a great day today! Not only was it amazing October weather, mid-60s with a perfectly clear blue sky all day... but we got to spend most of it outdoors together! It started with a friends 1st-year birthday party (happy day to Weston!) and then we hung out in the neighborhood taking a walk to the park.

We have the prettiest tree in the front yard. It's gotta be the first one in St. Paul to change and it's the most amazing shape.



At the park, this girl never 'tires' of spinning on the tire-ring (yes, pun intended).



Best.Fall.Day.Ever.

The Handiest Man

Just a short note to show what the last few days weeks have been like in the H-Dub household (bathroom). I will post a lovely before & after shot (when it's actually done) but I really think this summarizes it. By the way, Amelie now knows how to install a toilet. Feel free to contact me if you need any plumbing work.

Long Weekend + Great Friends = Perfection!

I anticipated posting a few messy eating photos from the state fair last week. However, the little gal was under the weather when we dragged her out there. We ended up chugging down a milkshake and took her on a few rides with her best buddy Matea, but went home early. Although, Amelie did find time to sweet talk her mom & grandma into getting her a Dora balloon that she had to have ($8, ouch)!

Then over Labor day weekend we visited our favorite friends in Madison. What an awesome weekend! Amelie has a fondness for tickling Oscar's cheeks and patting his head like a puppy. This means true friendship in my book! If only these friends would move back to us in the TC! Just a warning, we did help convince friends to move from NYC to MPLS recently, so the odds MUST be in our favor. ;)

Finally, our long weekend ended with a Twins game thanks to the newly arrived friends from NYC: Flavio & Ana! Yay, what a great game in such fancy-pants seats. We couldn't have had a better time!


Amelie, Mom, Dad, Ana, Flavio, Robin (Ana's bro)

Thanks for such a fun weekend friends!

I Got my Mama's Singing Voice

Months of the Year (on high speed)

The summer has gone by much too fast. Amelie is smarter than ever. She knows her days of the week, months of the year, counts to ten in Spanish, and up to 50 (maybe more?) in English. Her experience in Montessori seems to be really amazing. She'll start in the full-time preschool program when she turns three, we're very excited for her! She tells us, "when I get taller, I will be in the big kids room." She doesn't quite understand that getting older usually means getting taller.

For me, I'll be graduated from law school in December so this semester doesn't feel as bad. Yes, it's started already (two weeks ago actually) so I have only 11 weeks left! See, I'm still positive! I cannot wait to be done. I don't plan on practicing law right out of school but it'll be a good "skill" to have under my belt. I have been lucky enough to get a great position at Lawson (Business Development Mgr) that I am really liking, so I plan to stay there for a while.

I expect to update soon with State Fair photos! Craig & I are making it out there two times this weekend. My diet officially starts the minute I walk off the fairgrounds on Sunday evening. I gotta get in shape for the trip to Costa Rica in November (for a friends wedding), ya know!?

Happy Four Years!

I feel like the luckiest girl ever born (you like short & simple, right?)!

1-2-3... Blast Off!

Craig & I finally bought new patio furniture for our patio that we built the end of last summer. It was very exciting for us, but even more exciting for Amélie...

As you can see, the boxes that our chairs & table came in made the perfect "rocketship!"



BLAST OFF!

Happy Easter!

Here is a little proof of a beautiful April Easter day in Minnesota. I swear I usually pay attention to my kid. I guess I was a little "involved" in my kite-flying skills.

Happy V-day!

The special Granny in our lives planned an art day with the babe last week. This is the result:

Art Day from H-Dub on Vimeo.

Could she be any cuter? I didn't think so...

Halloween video 3 of 3

Finally, the night of "trick & treats!" Amélie started off slow acting a little shy... but as the night passed, she became more & more bold screaming "happppppy halloween" and "more witches, more pumpkins, more ghosts!" as we walked down the street.

She is even cuter than the real Brobee. This proves it!

Candy Extortion from H-Dub on Vimeo.

Halloween Video 2 of 3

Thanks to the Otten's for an awesome pumpkin-carving party! It was such a fun time... and Craig documented it lovingly (Brazilian music by Little Joy). Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Carving from H-Dub on Vimeo.