Advice Needed!

OK bloggers, I have to be careful what I say as I promised my kids I wouldn't talk about this (in regards to them), so I'm just gonna ask for some general advice on the topic. I'm wondering what it means when kids are "going out" these days? Y'all know I am self admittedly overprotective, but this makes me feel uneasy to say the least. I trust our daughters and am glad that we have an open relationship and that they talk to me about everything (this topic included), but it's the boys and their parents that we've never met that make me wonder if they feel the same way as I do. So...let me hear if you have teenagers in your life what you think about things like this. Or, let me know what it was like when you had your first "going out" experience (how old you were, what did it mean). I am trying to be a good Mom while at the same time instilling boundaries and guidelines for what behavior is acceptable and what is not at this age. And I guess I should confess that I'm soooo not ready for this, but I'm trying to remember what it was like to be their age and that this too is part of their growing up experiences. This has been heavy on my heart lately, so let me hear from you blogger pals...

Happy Hearts Day!!!

Birthday Shout Out: To The Best Mom EVER!

My awesome Mom is celebrating her birthday tomorrow on President's Day, and I want to take this opportunity to tell her how much I love her and hope that she has a special day! My Mom has always been there for my siblings and I (and her grandkids) and still is...she truly is the glue that holds our family together. She understands me and although I was horrible to her when I was growing up, she had influenced my life tremendously. I am the good Mom that I am to my girls because of her and for that and much more I thank you! Words can't express how grateful I am for everything you've done for me and my family. Not only is she a great mother, but my Mom is a cool person too! She's absolutely the hippest Grandma I know and I'm so blessed that my girls get to spend so much time with her. So here's to you Ma...Happy Birthday!!!!!!! :)

Norwegians In The House!

My family and I were so honored and excited to get a very special visit yesterday from some cousins from Norway! They flew half way around the world to meet Mickey, see the sights and visit us...how cool is that?! The last time we saw them was 19 years ago when my Mom, sisters and I went there. They are all such easy going good people, we really enjoyed our time together and can't wait to see them again before they return to the "land of the midnight sun". Here are some photos of us all together:


This is the whole family together: Lars, his wife Aila (in the middle), their 3 boys Marius, Brede, and Sondre and Aila's sister June. Aren't they beautiful?!

Here's cousin Aila and I. We felt so sorry for them since we had a marathon photo shoot in Mom and Dad's backyard with the whole crew in various combinations. :)

This was the first time our girls got to meet the family from Norway so of course I had to capture the moment on film. I love this picture!

And finally, here are all of the adult cousins: my sis Shelly, moi, Aila, June, my sis Lisa and my bro Greg. I think we are a good lookin bunch! :)

We hope they all have a wonderful trip and are so glad that they came to see us and look forward to the next visit in a week or so. WELCOME TO AMERICA!!!!

A Real Grown Up Night Out...Hooray!!!

What a whirlwind the last couple of weeks have been! I've been so busy I haven't had time to blog with birthdays, my trip to NY and a visit from some relatives from Norway. I wanted to share a few snaps from a wonderful night out that Doug and I had this weekend. We attended the annual banquet for Schwans at a local Hilton hotel and it was awesome! We got to spend the night for free, and enjoyed a wonderful semi-formal dinner and dance on Saturday night. Considering that my hubby has been working 12 hours a day, we thoroughly enjoyed the alone time! We had a lovely three course dinner, open bar, and a midnight snack. The company gave out tons of cash and other awesome prizes to boot too. The live band rocked the 80's tunes (which I lived) and the room had an awesome big flat screen TV and the comfiest beds on the planet! I was struggling to find time to get a dress, but Dillards came through for me at the last minute and saved the day. I had to go to the hotel straight from working all day Sat. too which explains why I look tired in the pictures. I think we clean up nice though! :)