Merry Christmas!

We went downtown to see Macy's "A Day in the Life of an Elf" display on Sunday, December 20th. Going to Macy's has been our family tradition for many years. At the end, we had our visit with Santa. Violet asked Santa for "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" books and Olivia asked for "Geronimo Stilton" books. They also told Santa they were going to spend the day watching football!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours! All the best to you in 2016!

eight is great!

Olivia and Violet turned eight on November 29th. As part of our celebration, we went to a Minnesota Wild hockey game on November 28th with my whole family. Olivia and Violet's cousin Evan played hockey with his team during second intermission, which was pretty cool! It was the girls' first time at a Wild game and they really enjoyed it. They even got a hockey puck and certificate to commemorate their first game. The horn blast after each Wild goal was pretty exciting (and loud!) to them. The Wild were up 3-1 in the third period but somehow managed to lose in overtime, but we still had a lot of fun.

Olivia with her "first game" puck and certificate

Violet with her "first game" puck and certificate

We also had another first sporting event for the girls, a Gopher mens basketball game on November 15th at Williams Arena (otherwise known as "The Barn"). It was a non-conference game so there weren't many people there, which in a way was kind of nice. In the third quarter, Goldy Gopher came into the stands near us so the girls were able to meet him. They thought that was pretty exciting!

With Goldy Gopher

On Olivia and Violet's actual birthday, we took them out to eat at Don Pablo's. My sister Terri and her family came with us. Violet won a gift certificate to eat there back in first grade and we hadn't had a chance to take them so they were pretty eager to go there. Every time we go up to visit our parents, the girls can see Don Pablo's restaurant from the freeway. Therefore, every time we drive by they look at it longingly and say "There's Don Pablo's!" So that's why we ate there. What cracked us up the most is that the girls both ordered corn dogs! At a Mexican restaurant! Sheesh. After we were done eating, our waitress came over with two sombreros for the birthday girls to wear, and several staff members sang them a birthday song. They thought it was awesome.

Birthday senoritas

We are winding down now with activities but Olivia has been in tennis class, Violet in lacrosse class and they both have been in swimming lessons. They are looking forwarding to having two weeks off school during winter break. And of course, they are VERY excited for Christmas! They've been counting the days and have told me numerous times how excited they are.

fall fun

Grandpa Pomeranz's 90th birthday | 09.19.2015

We celebrated Jamie's Grandpa's 90th birthday on September 19th. It was pretty amazing because all of the children, grandchildren and great grandchildren were there! I think Grandpa had a good time, a polka band played for a few hours which he really enjoyed.

Suchy family

Second Grade Update | October 2015

We had school conferences at the beginning of October. Olivia and Violet are both doing their best, so we are very proud of them. I think they are enjoying being in separate classes, although they do miss each other during the day. Olivia's teacher mentioned that she has noticed that Olivia usually needs to go to the bathroom about the time Violet's class is walking down the hall to go to music or gym!

Olivia's second grade school picture

Violet's second grade school picture

Carving Pumpkins | 10.22.2015

Uncle Joey gave each of the girls a white pumpkin that he grew in his garden, so we carved them on October 22nd. Olivia & Violet each did their own face design but Daddy did the carving. Olivia thought her stitches on the face was cool, and Violet loved her screaming mouth. We dug out the pumpkin seeds and later ended up baking them, but after the carving was done Olivia and Violet thought it was pretty funny to make it look like the pumpkins were throwing up.

Olivia and her pumpkin

Violet and her pumpkin

Thronson Birthday Celebration & Halloween | 10.31.2015

We celebrated Emma, Olivia & Violet's birthdays with the Thronson family on October 31st. We had the party during the day - the kids had fun going on a scavenger hunt for candy, breaking a pinata and spending time with each other. Olivia and Violet loved opening gifts (of course)! They were really happy with everything - a fun Ripstik, a cuddly blanket and stuffed animal, Legos and Star Wars clothes. They had to try their Ripstiks right away...it is like a skateboard but the top pivots and it only has two wheels...they had a few falls but got right back up and tried again!

Birthday girls Violet, Emma and Olivia

In the evening, we went trick-or-treating with Emma, William and Noelle around Alexandria. Emma, William and Violet were especially into it-running from house to house and not wanting to quit! At one point, Emma collapsed in someone's yard because she was so tired, she told us to leave her there so she could rest. Olivia dressed as Darth Vader and Violet dressed as a raccoon.

The force is strong with this one.

Violet = raccoon

Suchy Birthday Celebration | 11.01.2015

We celebrated Olivia & Violet's birthday with the Suchy family on Sunday, November 1st. We met at Pizza Ranch in Alexandria for lunch, which is one of our favorite places to eat. The girls really enjoyed seeing everyone, and they were so happy (again) with all of their gifts. They couldn't wait to get home and start playing with everything. It was a fun time!

Even though we celebrated their birthday early, it is still hard for me to believe that they are almost 8. This age is so great because they still love to cuddle with me but yet they are very independent....and yes, definitely frustrating at times, but I am so proud of them!

Update!

Thronson Family Reunion | August 29, 2015

We went to Luther Crest Bible Camp on August 29, 2015, for a big Thronson Family Reunion. A member of the Thronson family was instrumental in the development of Luther Crest many years ago. I went there every summer throughout my school years, so it was fun to see that the camp really hadn't changed that much. The cabins were still rustic, which really intrigued Olivia and Violet, and the chapel was still without air conditioning. There was a great turnout for the reunion. I enjoyed hearing my Dad and others speak about some family history and memories, we had a great lunch, and then the kids went swimming at the Luther Crest beach. It was fun visiting with so many of my cousins that I hadn't seen in awhile. We also got to spend the weekend at my parent's camper, which Olivia and Violet really enjoyed. They went swimming, caught frogs with their cousins, played at the park, and of course enjoyed ice cream from the resort office. Plus, Granny made us some very delicious meals, including fried green tomatoes which Olivia & Violet thought were pretty interesting. It was a very enjoyable weekend!

The whole group at the Thronson Family Reunion

Granny treated the kids to ice cream

Olivia catching frogs

Meet the Teacher Night | September 2, 2015

Olivia and Violet had "Meet the Teacher" night at their school on September 2nd. This was the first time they were going to be in separate classes, which they were a little nervous/sad about. We had to divide and conquer - I went with Olivia to her classroom, and Jamie went with Violet to her classroom to meet their teachers. Both teachers were very nice of course, and it was interesting to see the different teaching styles. Violet's teacher had the room set up with desks in clusters of four or five kids, while Olivia's teacher had all of the desks down the middle of the room, lined up in two rows facing each other. Luckily, the girls' classrooms were pretty close to each other which they were happy about!

Outside of school on "Meet the Teacher" night

First day of second grade | September 8, 2015

Tuesday, September 8, was Olivia and Violet's first day of second grade. They decided to wear matching shirts and necklaces, so if they missed each other during they day they could look at their necklaces and think of each other. (Awww....love those two!) They were pretty sad about being in separate classes but I told them to give it a chance. They were really excited to get on the bus and be on their way! When they got home, they said they had an awesome day and actually enjoyed being in different classes (see...Mom and Dad know a thing or two!). They think second grade is WAY better than first grade. They are doing well, making new friends, reuniting with old friends and having a great year so far!

First day of school

Waiting for the bus

There they go!

Family fun | September 12, 2015

On September 12, Olivia & Violet went to "Cinderella" at the Orpheum Theatre with Granny, Auntie Rhonda, Auntie Nikki, cousins Maya and Emma. They wanted to get dressed up for the occasion and had a great time! They really enjoyed the play, they talked a lot about it the next day and how it deviated from the traditional Cinderella story.

Emma, Violet, Olivia & Maya at the Orpheum Theatre

Why wasn't I at the play? Because I went to the Taylor Swift concert, which was AWESOME! Sang at the top of my lungs with my niece Chelsey the whole time. The effects, costumes and choreography was pretty neat. She even had a runway that lifted up in the air and turned in circles! It was a great time.

YEAH! Taylor Swift concert!

"vacation"

Olivia and Violet spent last week with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. They called it a “vacation.” They had a blast and enjoyed spending time with everyone, and they did many special (and of course fun!) things. Here are some highlights:

• Catching frogs at the Thronson farm and at Granny & Grandpa Thronson's camper:

• Getting a horseback riding lesson at a ranch near the Thronson farm (they even had to shovel up the horse's poop at the end):

Olivia

Violet

Shoveling poop

• Tubing/boating up to a restaurant with Thronson cousins:

• Riding in a convertible with Auntie Jill, Rick and cousin Claire, while throwing candy in the Brandon Mid-Summerfest Parade:

• Going to the Glenwood Fair with Suchy's:

• Making homemade ice cream with Granny Thronson
• Getting a tractor/trailer ride from Grandpa Suchy
• Staying up until 10:00 or later (one night they even made it to midnight!)

We missed them while they were gone, but managed to have some fun of our own! Jamie and I went to a movie, went out to eat, and played a round of golf which was a nice treat. We were happy to welcome the girls home yesterday, the first thing they did when they got home was crawl into their beds and tell their blankets and stuffed animals how much they missed them! They had a great time with their grandparents and created many wonderful memories!

red, white and blue

July 4th weekend was busy, but very fun! On Friday, July 3rd, we had a great visit with Jamie’s grandparents. We are always impressed at how sharp they are at ages 89 and 91!! Grandpa was cracking jokes and Grandma was filling us in on the latest gossip. After that, we took the girls out in our fishing boat with their cousin Claire. They were a little nervous at first and then became impatient when the fish didn’t bite right away, but they still had fun and managed to catch a few fish. We spent the rest of the day hanging out at the Suchy farm!

Olivia looking for fish

Violet waiting for the fish to bite

Olivia, Claire and Violet

On Saturday morning, July 4th, we participated in the Suchy golf tournament. Olivia was on Jamie’s team, and Violet was on my team with Uncle Joey and cousin Nicholas. The girls enjoyed hitting the ball every once in a while, and especially had fun putting. The weather that morning was beautiful, so it was great being on the course for a fun family competition.

Violet and Uncle Joey

On Saturday afternoon, we went to the parade in Evansville. We saw my Dad riding with the veterans, and Jamie’s mom, dad and sister cruising in a convertible for Hart Travel. The girls had a blast collecting candy with their cousins. After the parade, we went out to my parent’s farm. The cousins had a squirt gun fight, went on a scavenger hunt, played baseball and bean bag toss, rode four wheeler… then we all went on a hayride and had a campfire. It was very fun, one of the most memorable years yet! We missed cousin Emma though!!

Olivia and Violet sporting red, white and blue!

Grandpa Thronson

Waving to Grandpa and Grandma Suchy & Auntie Jill

CANDY!!!!!

Hayride at the Thronson farm

Thronson cousins (we missed you Emma!)
Brinkley even managed to make an appearance

fun up north

Olivia and Violet’s last day of first grade was on June 3rd. As a special treat, I dropped them off at school that morning so they didn’t have to ride the bus. They were pretty excited about that! Before we left, they wanted to take “last day of first grade” pictures. They were determined to do a whole bunch of silly poses. Below are a couple of my favorites. They enjoyed their first grade year, they loved their teacher and learned a lot! Toward the end of the year, they really enjoyed math class and a pretty determined to finish their math workbooks over the summer.

We didn’t have child care on June 4th and 5th, so we headed up to Duluth for a few days for a little family getaway. Olivia and Violet had never been to Duluth so they were pretty excited, although they said that one of their friends told them that Duluth had a volcano erupt (ha). We left home the morning of June 4th and stopped at Jay Cooke State Park on our way to Duluth. The swinging bridge over the St. Louis River was pretty neat! We went on a 3.5 mile hiking trail which seemed like 10 miles long due to the terrain. :) The girls were troopers though and were pretty determined to make it the whole way. They really enjoyed searching for deer, fox, bear and other tracks. It had rained the day before, so footprints were pretty easy to find. They also loved climbing on the rocks near the St. Louis River. Jamie and I had to drag them away from the edge a few times though, we were very nervous because they did not show any fear….I love this picture of Jamie pulling on Olivia’s jacket because she got too close to the edge. It really captured the moment!

Not so close, Olivia!

Hiking by the St. Louis River

Bear tracks!!

Crossing the "swinging bridge"

After we left Jay Cooke, we drove to Duluth and checked into the Edgewater hotel and waterpark. We reserved a two queen room, but they upgraded us to a 2 bedroom suite-yeah!! The girls were pretty excited to head down to the waterpark. They had a blast! I was amazed that they had any energy left!

On June 5th, we headed to Gooseberry Falls in the morning. The girls were pretty excited to see another state park. When they first saw the falls, they were really in awe! And of course, they were pretty excited to see lots of rocks to climb on again. It brought back memories of when my family visited Gooseberry when I was young! We went on a two mile trail walk which was fun. Jamie and Olivia split off on their own on for awhile, and saw a deer in the woods. It was a relaxing morning surrounded by some beautiful scenery!

Violet

Olivia

Family picture by the falls

Climbing rocks again!

When we left Gooseberry, we stopped at a scenic overlook so we could see Split Rock Lighthouse. It was a cool view!

From there, we headed to Canal Park in downtown Duluth. The girls wanted to see the Lift Bridge and also watch ships come in. And also climb on more rocks!!! We saw the bridge lift two times, they thought it was pretty awesome. Then we returned to the hotel for more waterpark fun! Olivia went down the big tube slide once and said she didn't like it, but Violet kept going down it over and over. Violet also tried a big body slide for the first time and thought it was fun!

Climbing on more rocks in Canal Park

Watching a big ship go under the lift bridge

Fun in the waterpark

Splash!

Violet coming out of the big tube slide

Olivia going down a slide

The next morning, we spent a little more time in the waterpark and then made the 3 1/2 hour trek to Alexandria for Mercedes (Jill's stepdaughter) and Jon's wedding. Olivia and Violet were super excited to dress up. Their personalities came out with their hair though - Violet wanted hers curled and fixed like a flower girl, while Olivia just wanted hers brushed and put in a ponytail! :) They both had a fun time and especially enjoyed the dance. We headed home the next day, after a stop at my cousin's daughter's graduation party. We had a fun family weekend but were pretty tired out by the time we got home!!

Olivia and Violet

Olivia, Violet and cousin Claire with Mercedes, the bride

Cousins Chelsey, Violet, Olivia and Claire