My poor, poor neglected blog. The Soukup family is still alive and well...we are just so busy that I have not had time to get on here and update!

With the start of school, comes football and soccer. This is where I spent most of my fall, on fields. Through in a field trip to the apple orchard and the pumpkin patch and all fields had been taken care of!

Trent had an awesome football season. The Red team "Bulldogs" had a winning season. No losses what-so-ever. But tons of controversy. Luckily, when you believe in something and fight those who are charge, but shouldn't be, good things can happen! It's 2/3rd grade football, so let's keep it along those lines right?! Anyway, he has an AWESOME set of coaches who have taught him to love the game of football and given him the skills and confidence to play well. He might be the smallest kid on the team, but he has the biggest drive & heart!

Addy started Kindergarten and continued with fall soccer and dance lessons. She is a natural athlete and as well as a kind-hearted one, always cheering on and supporting her teammates.
She celebrated her 6th birthday in October with a Little Pet Shops birthday party and presents galore!

At the end of October we headed to North Carolina for my sister's wedding. Her and her husband John were married there on the Outerbanks on October 28, 2009. Addy was the flower girl and Trent was the ring "dude" and I was very proud to be her matron of honor. It was a lovely ceremony on the dunes/beach, how could it not be with the ocean as a back-drop?!

Halloween came, with Trent as Harry Potter (his current favorite book/book character...he is on the 4th book already!) and Addy went as Dorothy from the Wizard of OZ, which is one of her favorite movies. A classic, as she likes to say.

Hunting season is just wrapping up, but Russ shot a nice 8-point buck opening morning. Trent talked Russ into letting him hang the rack in his room, but we will see if that really happens or not.

I have been keeping busy at the kids school as I am the PTO co-chair for the next 2 years. Lots of running back and forth from the school, but it's fulfilling and fun work too.

Alright, the blog has been updated, and I hereby will try and make a much better effort to stay current on here!! For current pictures, please visit our family's Shutterfly site at: http://thesoukupfamily01.shutterfly.com/

First days of school 2009

Click here to view these pictures larger

Bonfires, Boating, & Back to School Shopping

We started the weekend off by going to the Rein's for a bonfire. It was hotter then hot, but hey, you gotta party with friends whenever you can! Dave even brought his TV outside for me so I could enjoy the Vikings 1st pre-game on the HD. It was a fun but late night.

After hearing that our friends Kim and LeAnna had completed their 1/2 marathon Saturday morning (Way to go girls!!), we were ready for the Helgets to come and spend the weekend! Dar and Mary had a wedding to go to in town, so Russ and I babysat while they enjoyed the wedding. The kids were so excited to have their "cousins" (2nd cousins really, but that doesn't matter to Trent and Addy) to themselves all weekend long! They swam in the pool, set up a cool train track and Star Wars battle in the basement, and played PS2. Late night for bedtime and they all slept over in Trent's room.

Sunday, Mary and I left Dar and Russ in charge and headed to the outlet to do some back to school shopping. We didn't think we would be gone for 5 hours, but yep, we were! Got some great deals and enjoyed each other's company and the fact that we did not have to do it with any of the kids around!! Meanwhile, the guys took the kids to Twin Lakes Beach & lake for some boating and beach fun. They had a great time and hated saying good-bye at the end of the weekend. But, they both fell exhausted into bed last night, so I know they wore themselves out with all the fun :)

Brody Allen Hanson

Click here to view these pictures larger

I'm an Auntie!!

Finally!! Brody Allen Hanson born Tuesday, August 4, 2009 at 7:51am. 8 lbs, 1 oz, 20 in. long.

This is my first time being an auntie! Can't wait to meet my nephew! He is going to be SO spoiled :)

MMM 8/3/09

Good Morning! The kids are done with swimming lessons for the summer, so I should be back to normal Monday morning postings, at least I hope :) Trent passed from Level 3 into Level 4, and Miss Addy seems to have regressed further back in Level 2. One of her instructors quit after the first 4 days, but she had already developed a bond with him, and so she then pretty much refused to float on her back unassisted and would not jump off the high dive (which she had done twice in the session before this last one)! So, she will be taking Level 2 again this winter or next spring.

We actually had a weekend where we had no concrete plans! It was sorta nice! Saturday, I had a nice honey-do list that Russ and I worked on while the kids played outside and then rejoiced when they came back in and saw we had set the basement back up. Russ is finally done with the sheet-rocking in the main room, and it's so nice to have that at least done down there. We set the PlayStation 2 back up and Trent and Addy re-discovered all the games they had on there. Russ also set our tent up in the backyard (since it hasn't been used in several years) and then the kids begged him to sleep in there Saturday night. They had a little campout in the backyard, but I stayed comfortable inside in my bed!

Sunday, we decided to pack a picnic lunch and go to Como Zoo. It was a beautiful day and we really enjoyed the zoo. The animals were pretty active and I got some good pictures. We also spent a good amount of time in the Butterfly house. They have over a 1,000 butterflies in there and many different species. Trent and Addy were amazed by them all. (See Shutterfly pics below this post)

We have a busy week planned ahead. National Night Out Festivities on Tuesday night and Wednesday night, Trent's friend Colt is coming over for his first sleepover at our house. Should be fun! We are also still anxiously awaiting for news of our nephew's birth. My step-sister is now 5 days over-due and if she doesn't have the baby today or tomorrow, then she will be induced on Wednesday, August 5th (1 day before Grandma Carly's birthday)! Wishing her good luck and can't wait to meet him!

Como Zoo

Click here to view these pictures larger

Come On!

I just finished reading "Shanghai Girls" by Lisa See. It's a great story focusing on two Chinese sisters and their struggles in Shanghai and subsquently America from 1937-1957. Interesting storyline and history wove together.

However, if you are reading this Lisa See, you had better be finishing up the remindar of the story! How could you just leave your readers hanging like that? I want to know what happens to May, Joy, Pearl, and ZG. It is so not fair to have sucked me in like that and then just leave the story where you did. I really hope you have the sequel ready to go to the publisher!! I mean come on, that is just so mean!

Neutgens Cabin Party Vacation Weekend

We left Wednesday and returned home late Sunday night after a wonderful vacation at the Neutgens cabin. With about 40 of us all together, there was plenty to do and see and have fun. Despite the COLD weather up north. We had to have a heater going all night long in the pop-up to stay warm! But, we still managed to go fishing, have pontoon rides, played a fierce game of baseball, 4-wheel rides, firecrackers, smores, and lots of games of walkie-talkie tag and kick the can! We woke up Sunday to gorgeous blue skies and warmer weather at 7am then we had had all week long. So a few of us stayed much later then normal and enjoyed the lake. Tubing, waterskiing and more animal floaties than at a zoo! It was great. All the pictures I took of the vacation are below this post, so check them out!

The weekend was topped off by some wonderful news from Russ' youngest brother Mat. He went and popped the big question to Melinda and they are officially engaged! We are thrilled for both of them, and Trent is actually hoping to not be the ring bearer, but get to "stand in front" with Mat. I told him we will just have to wait and see.

Monday I spent doing all those things you have to do when you return from a vacation, like doing the laundry, re-stocking the fridge, doing laundry, unpacking and cleaning, and did I mention doing the laundry?! There always seems to be so much of it! The kids started swimming lessons again and they will go for the next 2 weeks. Can't believe it will be August soon and school supply shopping is right around the corner!

Neutgens Cabin Party July 2009

Click here to view these pictures larger

baseball tourny

Click here to view these pictures larger

MMM 7/13/09

Good morning to you! This weekend was Trent's big baseball tournament. They had a winning season of 9-1, so we were placed in the upper tournament bracket of play and had a bye Friday night. Saturday morning we headed to the ball field early (8am!) for a little practice before the big game. It was actually a little chilly out there with the breeze, but the nerves and my pacing kept me warm! All of us moms were pretending like it was no big deal, "It's just a game!" we kept telling each other. But, we knew that if we won, we would advance to trophy territory. We won!! We spent the rest of the afternoon playing in the pool at home, and later that night met up with Trent's friend Mitchell and his dad from the team to hit some balls up at the school field.

Sunday we had to be at the ball field at 10am, and then game at 11am. They played the Elk River team (grey) that had not lost a game during the regular season. The boys were really nervous and had a lot of errors in the field and a tough time batting. We lost the game. Trent has the GREATEST coaches though, and they gave the kids a pep talk about the game and heading into the play-off game for 3rd place. That game proved to be a tough one for our boys as well. Though, Trent played his BEST game of the season. We ended up with the 4th place trophy. But, the boys had lots of reasons to be proud: they had a great season, made lots of new friends, HAD FUN, and learned a lot about baseball. The parents and coaches were sure proud of them and cheered them on to the end. And we found out that we must of tired out that ER grey team because they had their first loss of the season, losing the 1st place championship.

Pictures are above this post and also include Trent's friend Connor (number 07). He is a year older then Trent, but Trent really idolizes him and Connor was as a great leader on the team to the boys.

We are all a little sad to have baseball season over again for another year. We had a great group of boys who all got along and had FUN with each other. Wonderful coaches, and fun families to hang out with. But, football season starts in about 4 weeks, and then it will be back out on the field for us!

We leave on Wednesday for a vacation up north at the annual Neutgens cabin party and hope the weather cooperates and let's us spend lots of time in the water playing and boating!

Friday Fill-Ins

Friday Fill-Ins: As usual my answers are in bold and off the top of my head! Here we go!

1. The last thing I ate was scrambled eggs and chips & salsa.

2. Scrapbooking paper is something I recently bought.

3. When it rains, it saves me from having to water the flowers.

4. Addy was the first person I talked to today.

5. Hugs are given a lot around here.

6. I travel with my pillow from home where ever we go for extra comfort.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to dinner on the grill, tomorrow my plans include cheering on Trent's baseball team the Bulldogs in the play-offs, and Sunday I want to be cheering him on in the Championship game!!

4th of July vacation 2009

Click here to view these pictures larger

MMM 6/22/09

Whirlwind of a weekend. Addy's soccer tournament, Father's Day, the summer solstice, Valleyfair, oh yeah, and Trent's 8th birthday!! Really, I don't think we could of packed in any more action even if we tried!Saturday was the big trip to Valleyfair. We were up early and got there early, and rode everything we wanted to and many things twice. In fact, Trent & Russ rode Wild Thing and then we parent swapped and when I rode it, there was only one other person on it besides me. Now that was weird...yet, I still screamed. Trent rode the Corkscrew at least 5 times and we got soaked on the Wave. Addy wasn't tall enough for most of the big rides, but she enjoyed herself on all the various kid rides, and on the Mild Thing (pic of Trent & Addy below) and by the end this mom had had enough of the going 'round and 'round stuff.

Trent & Addy riding in the front on Mild Thing:

Trent and Russ on the Corksrew:

All of us on the Tilt A Whirl (Russ took the pic):

Sunday, of course, was Trent's 8th Birthday! And I know everybody says this, but it's so true: I can't believe how big he is! It seems like just yesterday he was a little baby and now he is playing baseball and football and taking swimming lessons and being, well, a boy.

In-between celebrating Trent's special day, Addy had her last two soccer games. Despite the rain, we had a great time cheering on the Pickles and her team won both games. They ended the season with only one loss, one tie, and the other 7 games as wins! She absolutely loves the game, had a great first soccer coach, and wants to keep playing.

Oh yes, Sunday was also Father's Day, and luckily both Russ's dad and my dad were able to make it up to our house for the combo soccer tourney, Trent's birthday, Father's day celebration! I told you we were busy!

Another good read

I just finished the book The Testimony by Anita Shreve. A darn good read; one you must pick up and read this summer. I read it in just over a day's time.

It set at a private school and centers around how a scandalous act committed on campus affects the lives of those at the center of the incident, the school, and even the town. How one decision, in turn affects another decision, how emotions, perceptions, and actions are all related and come crashing together one night.

The story is told through various characters and the circumstances leading up to the incident, how they dealt with the incident, a sort of flash-forward from another character, and the aftermath of it all.

MMM 6/15/09

This past weekend was Trent's baseball tournament. He played a game Saturday (loss) and a game Sunday (won) out at the YAC where there are real bleachers dugouts, concessions stands, and most importantly no weeds growing rampant between first and third base for Trent to try and pick! Nice treat for the boys to play on a "real" baseball field with all the trimmings! Here are the Bulldogs before the game in the dugout:

In-between all that, Russ worked on the yard. He pulled a ton of buckthorn out of the corner of the yard where we have the landscaping. It looked so empty to me at first, but now we can try and get some good bushes and shrubs in there that won't overtake everything in it's path. The kids also helped pull all the buckthorn into the woods to compost and ended up with a few scratches for their effort. Good thing Russ also set the pool up this weekend too. We told them if they keep helping us work so hard around the yard, they can work up a sweat and then jump into the pool! Here's a pic of the newly de-buckedthorned corner:

Saturday night, after an awesome dinner of T-bone steaks, corn on the cob, and grilled Italian bread, we got a call from our friends, the Dusbabecks, to join them at their house for a last minute bon-fire and get together. The kids chased each other around well into the night, Russ played some horseshoes and the ladies and I tackled world peace with some Mike's Hard Lemonade! It was a late, great night!

Sunday, after getting up early to cook & clean for Missy's baby shower, I then headed over to the ball field to catch an inning of Trent's game. Then back home for the shower. Missy (and baby) are looking wonderful and she received some very nice gifts from everyone. I had one game for us to all play, guessing how big around we thought her belly was, pretty fun and got some good laughs out of people's guesses.

After the party, I rested on the deck and read a book for a little while. Then headed down to the neighbor's house for out National Night Out Meeting. We weren't able to go last year as we were in Kentucky. Should be a nice event and good for the neighborhood. It was a beautiful night, so we enjoyed some ice cream out on the deck:

Friday Fill-Ins: Off the top of my head and my answers in bold! And...here we go!

1. I grew up thinking, until age 10, that Barbie and Ken were based off real people and I really wanted to meet them and live with them and have all their cars, horses, clothes, and homes.

2. http://fridayfillins.blogspot.com/ was the last website I was at before coming here.

3. Why don't you two stop fighting?

4. Having Russ rub my feet helps me relax.

5. Thanks for the memories.

6. Empty lots with weeds over 4 feet tall are very off-putting.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to chillin' on the deck with my hubby & drinking a Mike's Hard Raspberry, tomorrow my plans include cheering on Trent and his baseball team the Bulldogs at their tournament and Sunday, I want to make sure everyone has a wonderful time at the baby shower I am throwing for my step-sister!

MMM 6/8/09

Friday was the last day of second grade for Trent. Addy and I went up to the school at lunch time and played with his class on the playground and got a few pics of him and his buddies. His teacher, Mr. Churchill gave me a nice plant as a thank you for helping in the classroom every Thursday afternoon (I will do my best not to kill the beautiful thing!) After that, Addy and I left for home and to get ready for the BBQ.

We had 4 families join us at our house for a end-of-the-school-year-hello-to-summer party! It was so great to visit with everyone and enjoy a drink or two and eat some great food. And because it's a Soukup party we had to throw in some excitement: First, the Dusbabeck's lost their car key. Their son Colt was insistent that he had put in on the couch. We have a 5-piece sectional, so we took apart the couch and looked under, around, and in-between the couch cushions. And found 2 pencils, a few Legos, a marble, a dime, and Pokemon card, but no car key. It wasn't until several minutes later when we were getting ready to move the middle section of the couch, when Simba jumped up from where he had been quietly sleeping the entire time, did something slip and fall from where he had been laying. Yep, the car key! Safely being protected under Simba the entire time. I think I laughed for a full 5 minutes after that!

Secondly, the youngest invite to our party, Max Nordquist, somehow managed to slip out the door and we couldn't find him. It was a heart-pounding (especially for me-my heart monitor went off- and his mom) and frantic search. Luckily, he had wondered down the sidewalk and ended up in the McCoy's backyard. Heather and walked back down to her house with Russ and Max's dad, Jay, to get the portable fire pit, and Max had seen them from the front door and must of decided to follow his dad. The ended up missing each other as Max veered from the sidewalk to the backyard and the guys returned on the sidewalk. Heather returned Max a few hectic minutes later and the party continued!

Saturday, Russ went to New Ulm to see Grandma Rose. She was moved to a hospice care site and we are taking each day as a blessing. Russ said they (his brother Ross, his uncles, and several of his cousins were there as well) had a nice afternoon reminiscing and trying to keep Grandma in good spirits. Grandma Rose you are in our prayers! The kids and I hung out and watched a Disney movie and made some pretty cool Lego creations.

Sunday, Russ worked on some more sheet-rocking in the basement. It was wet and raining all day Saturday, and Sunday turned out to be windy, wet, and rainy as well. But, he took a break and we all played Monopoly for a couple hours before dinner and Trent's batting practice. I always seem to lose at Monopoly, but the kids love it!

This morning, was busy with sleeping in (Addy until 6:50 and Trent until 7:05 -Wahoo!) and then getting ready for swimming lessons. I am glad they were inside! It was only 49 degrees and raining when we left for the lessons to begin! We stopped to rent some Redbox movies and I think that is the plan for this afternoon!!

The Cutest Baby Bump!

Some of you know the story of my best friend Rachel and her husband Dan. They struggled with infertility for 5 years, and had undergone several insemination's and one try at IVF, all with no success. After taking a bit to re-focus and consider what step to do next, they decided to apply for adoption. I wrote a detailed letter of support that is required for the adoption file and they had worked hard to put together the entire file to be handed in once they returned from their vacation early this February. Rachel and Dan came to find out that they never had to turn in the file, as Rachel surprisingly got pregnant on her own. (Now I dare you to tell me that you don't believe in miracles!) Anyway, here she is 23 weeks pregnant. Seriously, I have never been so thrilled for someone! And she has the cutest baby bump!

MMM 6-1-09

Good Afternoon! Addy and I just returned home from a visit to Rochester, MN and I am now writing up MMM...maybe I should just change it to Monday Minutes or MM since I never seem to have it completed on Monday mornings!...hmmm, that's a thought.

This weekend, Russ and Trent were in Spicer helping Tim tear down the old garage and prepare for a new 2-stall one to go up, and I'm sure they got some fishing in as well. Addy and I headed to Rochester, Mn on Sunday morning to attend a baby shower. We then stayed over night in a hotel with a nice water park/pool area and had our good friends and old neighbors over to join us. Monday morning, Addy and I headed to the college where I used to work so that I could visit with my old colleagues and see some of the new buildings that have gone up since I've been gone. Many things have changed, and yet some things are still the same. I had a great time laughing with the Kromminga brothers and getting all the good gossip around the college campus!

I'd better get dinner ready and then to take Addy to soccer practice. Hope we get some sunshine this week :)

Friday Fill-Ins

They're back! Friday Fill-Ins. My answers are off the top of my head and in bold!!And...here we go!

1. It's cold and refreshing to drink a Mike's Hard Cranberry on the deck after a long day.

2. Making fresh salsa with onions and cilantro is the best thing to do with tomatoes.

3. My favorite health and beauty product is Dove soap.

4. Going up to the cabin is a nice long ride.

5. Well, first of all I have about 1000 pictures I need to print!

6. Simba, Trent and I; those were the cast of characters in a recent dream and it was about the sump pump and a flood of water in an old basement.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to finally watching Prison Break, tomorrow my plans include heading to the lake and Sunday, I want to meet Taylor Kurtz and have a fun time in Rochester!

The Turtle Catcher

I read. I read a lot. You can tell by the list of books to the right of this blog that tells you how many I have read so far this year. So, I could write about every book that I read, but I normally don't. But, I did just finish reading The Turtle Catcher by Nicole Helget. I know Nicole. Okay, that's stretching it a bit. Actually, it's stretching it a lot. But, I have been to 5 weddings with her and drank some good 'ole German beer down in New Ulm, MN where she is from. See, my husband Russ, his mom's side are Schwab's and one of his aunts married a Helget and (if you followed all that) there you go! My husband's cousin cousin is how I "know" Nicole Helget!


I read Nicole's first book, her memoir The Summer of Ordinary Ways, mainly out of genuine curiosity. But, I ended up liking her story-telling. So when I heard that she had written a novel, I put my name on the waiting list (yes, there was a waiting list and I was #33 in line!!) to get The Turtle Catcher. I just finished reading it. I would recommend it. She weaves an interesting tale of a German family living in New Germany, Mn that spans from 1897 to 1920 and how the war and the repercusions of being an American with German ancestry came into play during that time and living in a small town. Nicole also delves into how her two main characters were (and unfortunately still today, though to somewhat of a lesser extend) perceived, acted, and treated for being abnormal.

I don't want to ruin any of the story, so I'm not going to go into any further specifics; you will just have to get the book and read it for yourself!

MMM on a Tuesday

Since Memorial Day is always on a Monday and gets included in the weekend, this is my Tuesday version of MMM!

Friday, I got Trent out of school an hour early and we went home changed into appropriate attire, got our signs, and baseball gloves, and yep headed to the TWINS game!! Russ's company gave him four front row, premium seating in the dugout box! More about that in a minute. First, we headed to have an early dinner and then enjoyed all the activities on the plaza. But, what was to come was in one word, amazing! Our seats were about 3 feet from where the Twins warm up for their at bat. Literally, I could see the neck hairs on Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau! It was so great cheering them on, and it was a great game as Michael Cuddyer made a cycle and the boys of summer won the game 11-3. One of the sweetest moments was when #7 Joe Mauer, who is Addy's favorite player, turned around a flashed her a smile after she called out, "Hi Joe!" and he said, "Hey, how you doing?!" Trent also caught a baseball from the umpire and we all did a lot of cheering. Russ and I both agree however, that sitting in the dome to watch another Twins game, will never be the same after having had those seats! Good thing this is the last year for the dome I guess!! Just take a look at a few of my pics:

Unfortunately, Friday night after we got from the Twins game, I had another "episode" with my heart. However, Russ was home this time and he heard the valve squeaking that I had experienced the first time. It was again painful and it took about 20 minutes to get my breathing regulated. He is going to come with me to my cardiologist appointment this week and hopefully, we will get some answers as to what is going on with my heart.

Saturday, we ended up shopping around for a new kitchen table, despite Russ's reluctance. When we bought the set we have now, I paid very little for it and knew it was only going to last a few years. Because let's face it, Trent and Addy are hard on furniture. I didn't really know what I wanted when we moved in or what would work best, so I just bought cheap. Now I know. Something without slates in the back to catch all the crumbs and then not be able to get in there and clean them out and we need something with a little more cushion! But, the real push to get a new set was because....wait for it....I burned a hole in the table, on accident. Seriously, it WAS an accident! Russ is somewhat skeptical, but it really was! I was doing a craft project with Addy and stupidly plugged the iron in, while it was facing down, on the table. All I can say is that I wasn't thinking. Needless to say, 10 minutes later when I smelled the burning wood, it was a little too late. After shopping, we took the kids up to Twin Lake school and played on the playground and practiced some baseball up at the field. Then it was dinner, bath time, and early to bed for the kids (being up until 10:30pm the night before at the Twins game had made them really crabby!) Russ and I caught up on some TV and we headed to bed early too!

Sunday, we went to St. Louis Park for a bowling party and BBQ at our good friends the Rein's. I took some outdoor pictures of Natalie to mark her 4th birthday a few weeks earlier. I am really enjoying photography outdoors, and would like to get some more lighting/deflector tools to help me out. Here are two of my favorite shots:

We then headed to the bowling alley for some bowling. I have to admit, I am waaaay better as a Wii bowler then in real life! The kids all had such a great time though! Then it was back to the Rein's for a tasty BBQ and catching up with friends. My best friend Rachel and her husband were there, and she is 22 weeks pregnant and has the cutest-ever baby bump!

Monday, we just worked on projects around the house and then grilled a yummy dinner. And then made the kids take baths and head to bed early again! Trent has 9 days of school left and Addy gets to go Wednesday with Grandma and Grandpa Soukup to their place for the rest of the week and then we will join them this weekend for more adventures!

My poor blog has suffered. No new entries. No updates. No pictures. But yet, life is still happening at the Soukup house! So what's the deal?

Well, I've been sick. First I got E Coli from our vacation in Belize. Not fun. And I have cursed the Belizan airport and it's unsanitary conditions often enough that now I feel sorta bad. Okay, not really. I thought I was on the mend from that, when the morning that Russ left for a 4 night fishing trip to remote Rainy Lake, I woke up with more excruciating stomach pains. I had icky stomach virus that was traveling around Elk River. I ended up getting really dehydrated and had to be taken by ambulance to Mercy Hospital because as a result of the dehydration, my heart condition was affected and I was having chest pains. I honestly thought my heart valve was going to explode within my chest.

Luckily, everything checked out fine with my EKG and BP at the hospital and 8 hours later, I was released. I was extremely fatigued and worn out after all that, and it was taken me about a week to feel somewhat normal. I haven't been able to work out and I will be meeting with my cardiologist next week to hopefully figure out what was going on. And thankfully, I have some really wonderful friends and family members that came to my rescue and helped me out. It means a lot to me that they had my back and were there to support me. As a result of my need for rest, I also got several books read, which you can check out on the side of the blog.

Meanwhile, Trent and Addy have had their first games of the season. Trent in baseball -his team is 2-0 and cruising along. With Addy's soccer games, they don't really keep track of the scores, but she did score an unassisted goal in her first game! We have so much fun watching them and cheering them on as they do their best. Addy will also start T-ball in a few weeks, and they will both be in swimming lessons once school lets out, so they will be learning skills in those areas as well.

We also ended some activities for the year. Addy had her big dance recital and did beautifully both performances on stage. She smiled the entire time and knew the dances so well that she did not have to look to the side for any help from her teacher. She certainly did shine! Trent and Russ finished this year of Scouting and Trent moved on to the Bear den. They will have several activities over the summer, but their meetings are over until school starts again in the fall. Which is another thing to mention, Addy graduated from preschool and is ready for Kindergarten in the fall! She has grown and blossomed with the help of her beloved preschool teacher, and is excited to get on the bus with Trent come September. Trent has 9 days of school left and then he will be a third grader!

So, time to bring on the summer!

"I've waited my whole life for this!"

Addy's first night of soccer was last night. And to say she was excited is an understatement. As I was putting her shin guards on, she looked at me and exclaimed, "Mom, I can't wait to play tonight. I've waited my whole life for this!"

She caught on right away to the rules of the game and had she certaintly had fun! Russ and I wholeheartedly agree that she seems to be a natural born athlete. Her soccer jersey number is #3 (and making this experience extra cool is the fact that they are the kiwi green team -her favorite color!)

MMM 5/4/09

Whew! I'm back! Our trip to Caye Caulker, Belize was amazing and refreshing and Russ and I made a promise to each other to really make an effort to get away alone together at least once a year. We had an absolutely memorable and fun time with the Reins and Balvances and between panty rippers (coconut rum & pineapple juice), bizillion dollars and "that's NOT hot" sayings, the laughs and good times were plenty!

We returned home on Thursday morning, and before we knew the weekend was here and so was Trent's First Communion at church. My sister Beth (Trent's Godmother), and Russ's youngest brother, Mat (Trent's Godfather) both flew in for the occasion. Trent attended classes all year long in preparation of the mass on Saturday night and he worked hard learning all the prayers. He did a great job and we are so very proud of him. All of Trent's grandparents, his aunties, and uncles were able to come and watch him and we celebrated afterward with a big feast at our house.

Mat brought his girlfriend Milinda with him from D.C. and we were happy to finally meet her. I do have to say that Mat, in general is a happy and positive person, but I did notice that he seemed extra happy and content this visit. And because I am such a genius, I'm going to have to say that's all because of Milinda! It was sweet to watch them together and nice to have her included in the events of the evening. It's just too bad we live so far apart from one another.

Sunday was Russ's 37th Birthday. Happy Birthday sweetheart, you are once again older then me! (our little running joke that we are the same age for roughly 18 days out of the year) After the busy week of being on vacation, returning home to the kids and work and life and then Trent's First Communion, we had a very laid-back day at home. We took Russ out for Chinese food (his favorite) and topped the night off with a game of Sorry and some cake.

Soccer for Addy and baseball for Trent starts this week. My sister will be in town for the rest of the week, and I look forward to spending some more time with her. Trent and Addy adore her and can't get enough time spent with her spoiling them!

Check out the rest of our Caye Caulker, Belize pictures at: http://thesoukupfamily01.shutterfly.com/

No MMM

There will be no MMM for Monday, April 20th or for April 27th. On vacation.

Friday Fill-Ins

Ahhh, Friday Fill-in! As always, my answers are off the top of my head and in bold. And...here we go!

1. Join me in Belize.

2. Put a little rock star in your day!

3. Happiness is getting the first spring flower from your son.

4. Computers, cars, and cell phones often leave me feeling stupid and confused.

5. I'm waiting for the basement to get drywalled.

6. Anything chocolate is really hard to resist.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to family game night, outside hopefully, tomorrow my plans include attending Jamie's wedding and Sunday, I want to start packing for Belize!

MMM 4/13/09

This Easter weekend was a busy one indeed! Trent and Addy were off school Thursday -Monday so we tried to fill each day with "field trips" to keep them entertained and from fighting with each other. Thursday we had lunch with my step-sister and the kids enjoyed playing with Auntie Missy's dogs, Lexie & Jersey. She is more than half-way through her pregnancy and was looking beautiful! I got a tour of the baby's room and he is going to be so welcomed when he arrives in late July!

Friday we spent the whole day with the Trippel's at the MN Zoo. And apparently every other person who lives in MN and had the day off (with the exception of Russ who stayed home to meet with the electrician and get the basement signed off on) decided to go there too. The zoo was packed! And I was a little dismayed with the advertisements on the radio that you would be able to "get up close and personal with baby farm animals" Up close, a stretch at best. Personal? No. You couldn't hold the chicks or bunnies or piglets, so I'm not really sure what they envisioned as personal. Next time we want see farm animals, I'm calling up the Darrin Helget and giving him $35 for us to spend the day with his cows, kittens, and horses! Besides that little blip, we had a great day! Trent and Addy absolutely love spending time with Nathan, Nicholas, and Nyla Trippel.

Saturday, with the warmer weather, we got out the bikes and scooters. Both Trent and Addy got new scooters from Grandpa & Grandma Leeder for Christmas. Trent also got an electric scooter from Uncle Mat for Christmas, and so we got them out and had fun riding on the trail and playing outside most of the day. Russ worked all afternoon to get the ceiling of the basement insulated and we can now check that off the list of things to get done.

Sunday was Easter of course. After a very early mass at 7am, we headed back home so the kids could find their baskets. Then we headed to Bird Island for dinner and an egg hunt with the Soukup side. The kids had a blast on the egg hunt and playing dice games too. It was a nice afternoon and a blessed Easter!