sister weekend

It’s Friday and I’m officially off juice and onto Sister Weekend!! My baby sis and I have been having Sister Weekends long before she could talk, crawl, or sleep through the night! I love this one to pieces and now that she’s getting older (and sleeps through the night) our weekends continue to be more and more fun. This time around Sister Weekend will be spent in Stillwater due to her carefully arranged Super Bowl bash, complete with Valentine’s for every guest. She’s been planning since last week. And I’m serious. We share that “I love to plan” gene. Looking forward to a weekend filled with Cake Boss, Webkinz, interpretive dance and a cushion bed! xo

Christmas Crazy

We kicked off Christmas in Indiana where we celebrated Borntrager-style. We were lucky enough to completely dodge two major blizzards – one on the way and one on the way home. I guess if there’s ever a reason to get up at 5 AM, that would be a good one! We continued Christmas festivities back home in Minnesota spending a few days at the cabin in true Reichow fashion. It was a week full of family and fantastic food! We spent lots of time around the Christmas trees enjoying good company. We are a lucky bunch!

A walk in the woods  |  Birthday boy and Uncle Brent  |  Balancing act  |  Borntrager bunch  |  Joutfit (jean-outfit)  |  30 year old on baby sled  |  Back in the days when things were black + white  |  Blue eyes  |  Where they catch No Name Steaks  |  Cabin fever  |  Auntie + Finn  |  Light as a feather (disregard Brent’s facial expression)  |  Brent’s girls  |  The cutest trio  |  Finner ready to walk himself back to the cabin

vermillion vacation

Not sure that our long weekend up in Vermillion needs much more explanation than the above, but I will still tell you we had a great time! (Amy has obviously improved her range of motion since her appearance in Couple’s Retreat.) Seriously though, watching this video makes me more tired than the most tired I was during vacation.

My Dad was able to escape the job site in Nebraska and Joe and Alyson flew in from California to make our first all family trip complete. It was a dream to have our “out-of-towners” with us for so many days. It made everyone thirsty for the day we all reside together in good ‘ol MN again.

We played together like most families do while up north, but added saving a bird that flew into the cabin window and crawfish hunting to our agenda. Joe and Brent tried out the wake board that had been resting in the attic for a few years, we all enjoyed plenty of campfire and played what was possibly too much Farkle. Oh. And the food! We definitely didn’t go hungry! That’s how we do it on Reichow family vacation!!

little people

Between Friday night and Monday I filled many hours with the little people I love. Addison spent the weekend in the cities for a “sister weekend” (which included spa night and garage sales) and on Monday she graduated from preschool. It seems totally crazy that Addison will be in kindergarten next year! She was just Finn’s size! Before we know it, little Finner will be walking in preschool cap to grab his diploma. Being big sister and Auntie to two of the most adorable little people makes me feel pretty darn happy.

pssst … to keep up with the Stoks, check out their own spot on the world wide web here.

runs in the family

Today was the first race of the season for a few of the family (not me). Barrett, Brent, and our good friend Justin ran a quick 10k right before this morning’s rain and Amy breezed through her first running race since Baby Finn was born. I played babysitter, which I  love much more than running!

80 years of papa!

St. Patrick’s day proved to be better than any other as we traveled to Arizona to celebrate Papa Bill’s 80th birthday. Fun is an extreme understatement! I feel so lucky to be a part of this family. If I could pick my relatives, these people are exactly who I’d chose. We shared so many good times – and wine, and cake, and Italian food – and made a collection of fantastic, new memories. Happy, happy birthday, Papa!!

birthday party reunion

My little brother was just in town for a surprise birthday weekend! He turned TWENTY-FIVE on the 2nd of November and was gifted a plane ticket right into Minneapolis. Thankfully, the gracious giver (i love you Alyson) gifted herself with  a ticket as well which was a treat for everyone. Dad was able to drive on home from his current living quarters in Nebraska (where he’s building the new Corn Huskers Stadium) and the rest of us residing from Golden Valley to Stillwater came together for a giant family weekend! Take all that and add in my baby sister’s 5th birthday and you get:

1. Great food
2. Better company
3. A giant sleepover
4. Our first family photo since Addison was born (aside from sweaty wedding pics)
5. Lots of Polly Pockets + an Easy Bake Oven

Needless to say we had a great time being together. It was so nice to all be in one place at one time without any major life events going on. I loved every minute of it and am so thankful for these people and the way we’ve come to be.  

like mother like daughter

My sister Amy is just about 8 months pregnant – not that you can tell. She’s such a little one naturally. I took some fall maternity photos this weekend with Amy and her husband, Barrett. It was hilarious. Between Amy squatting in front of a hollowed out tree and Barrett hoisting her up to align her pregnant belly with the Stone Arch Bridge, we had TONS of laughs. I am prepping for her baby shower this weekend so my little nephew has been on my mind day and night. I am beyond “stoked” (pun intended) to become an Auntie for the very first time!

When I was looking through all the photos we took, I couldn’t help but recognize the insane resemblance Amy has to our Mom. Their smiles are identical. She would have loved to be part of this experience – can you even imagine a Nana Linda?! Too good to be true. Lord knows Mom is one proud lady! I have no doubt in my mind that Amy is going to hit the Top 10 Mothers of All Time list rather quickly (I have experienced her mothering). Be on the lookout for a baby shower post, coming soon! It’s going to be something to “read” about!

rojo reunion

This past Thursday night the Reichow’s got lucky and had the opportunity to eat dinner as one big family! Dad has been out and about working anywhere from Iowa to currently Florida, so it’s a bit tricky to grab him for dinner on any old weeknight. We settled in with the best company and enjoyed some tasty Mexican food at Rojo in West End. Two words – great salsa!!

I know you can’t tell, but I actually photoshopped Joe and Alyson into the mix. So, I guess I lied. The complete Reichow crew wasn’t entirely together, but almost. We miss those two crazy Californians. You can donate to the Joe + Alyson Move to Minnesota Fund with prayers daily … and while you’re at it, toss in a few heartfelt words for Daddio to land a lovely, long, stadium job right here in good ‘ol Minneapolis.  I can hardly wait for the whole crew to be back together. Total sweetness.

The night was so good. I’m not sure there’s anything better than sharing good food with such good people. Thanks for coordinating the best night of the week, Lis! You gone and done it again. Muah!