Seven years together!

I'm pretty proud of us. We've been together seven years today, and what began as a beautiful wedding day has evolved into a deep and meaningful journey filled with moves and kids and big decisions and successes and music and love. One of the things that I love the most about Pete is how he can work all day and come home and be totally "on" to play with the boys and he's always ready to give me a break.  I am so appreciative of that ability. 

The next year is going to bring new and exciting adventures and I look forward to go through them with my best friend. Happy Anniversary!

(Don't mind the creepy karaoke music video woman in the background. Scary!)

My loves

I try not to take for granted how well these boys get along. They are best buds, and it is amazing how well they play together. 

 I'm doing a fitness class right now that has daily videos I have to complete, in addition to some running challenges. I really dislike running, so I was not excited to do it, but the way they've laid out the interval training, I feel really empowered. I especially loved running outside with Austin the other day.

 At preschool pickup, the boys typically start playing together right away. Here they retreated to the pillow area to take a rest:)

Kids Sing on the news

Last weekend I got a phone call from a news station asking if I could bring a few girls down to the station to participate in a "Frozen" karaoke contest, to celebrate the release of the movie. I was so excited and easily got a group together. Then to my disappointment, they ended up only wanting 1-2 girls. Boo. Anyway, after some hard phone calls telling some kids they wouldn't be singing on TV, I got excited for the two I did get to bring. Evelyn and Elle are two of my strongest singers in Kids Sing, and they also participate in a group voice lesson I teach once a week. 

When we got there and met in the greenroom, it started getting exciting. There were four girls singing total. Then we went out to the outside lot to practice. There was a loud snow machine going while they sang. Hahaha... distracting much?!?!? The girls did a wonderful job (and were the best), but they ended up drawing the name out of the hat to pick the winner. Evelyn won! 

Kids Sing has been such a blessing in my life. I'm so pleased with how it has taken off and is serving our community in such a positive way. The kids love it, parents seem happy, and I know our music touches our audiences. This season's Broadway music is so much fun. I really look forward to rehearsing every week.

Party animals

Let's just say my boys weren't shy when the dance music came on. Oh, and during the toasts, Austin and Parker enthusiastically performed a "cheers" shattering Aussie's glass. Austin then said, "I did it!" 

First Parker took to the dance floor, and then Austin followed. 

They mostly danced with each other, but then they started venturing out to some ladies. 

 Chloe and Parker.

 And then the break dancing started... oh these guys have moves!

When it was time for the garter toss, I explained to Parker to go get in the group of guys and try to catch what Anthony throws out. When Anthony didn't launch it very far and it landed on the ground, Parker raced to pick it up. Parker told me the best part of the wedding was "the garter game, because I like winning." 

                                   

 Jeff, Marina, and Parker.

The beautiful couple...

They held the ceremony in a beautiful church, and the boys did pretty well staying quiet and somewhat in their seats. Let's just say my mom and I both breathed a sigh of relief when the ceremony was over without incident. 

 Austin was all about the cocktail hour. He loved selecting whatever fruit and cheese he pleased. Papa was his go-to guy for feeding him.

 Parker loved his placecard. Mr. Parker Dahlquist.

 Austin loved being the camera man. CHEEESE!

 The happy couple... couldn't be more picture perfect.

Tomorrow's installment... the reception... with video:)

Wedding fun

My cousin Anthony got married on Friday. It was such a fun day to spend with our family and celebrate their love. We are so happy for them. Unfortunately, Pete couldn't get there in time since it was in Orange County, but I had two dapper boys to attend the wedding with. 

Marina, Jeff and Parker. 

Tune in tomorrow for the wedding festivities!

The best family around

This weekend my whole family was together. Parents, brothers, girlfriends... it is a rare time to be all together, but we love it. So we documented the moment with some typical "trail" photos. 

Music in their blood

It has always been my dream to have a musical family. I want us all to sing together and have music to bind us. Thankfully, Park and Austin love music, and so far they seem to have a talent for it. They sing all day long, make up their own songs, and mimic what they hear. Parker loves Wee Sing, especially when he gets to sing a solo. What can I say, he loves being the center of attention!

On this day, Parker had just sung his solo "Puff the Magic Dragon" and then Austin walked right up to the microphone and announced himself, "I Austin. mahahaldha (indistinguishable words) dragon..." and then he started singing. I didn't have my camera out in time, but here's some of his singing: 

Austin the preschooler

Austin wishes he could stay at preschool with Parker. He loves it there, and he really thinks he is one of the class members. The kids are so good with him. Jakey is always hugging and kissing him. 

 Austin learned how to reverse the camera on my phone. Welcome to the world of selfies.

Fun times

We had a fun time at Corvette Diner a few weeks ago with the cousins. Parker and his buddy Lexey. 

 Fun birthday party for a friend in Parker's class. It was a "cat robot princess" theme. Everything was so creative, from the "cat hunt" to the picnic lunch to the cat ears and tail you put on as you entered the party.

 Pete and I got to go the movies the other night. We saw "Lone Survivor" which was hard to watch, but very moving. We had also read the book prior, so I was glad to know what was going to happen next. We went to the Cinepolis in Del Mar, a luxury movie theater. The leather recliners were so comfy and the gourmet snacks didn't hurt either. Thanks Mom and Dad for babysitting.