Changin' It Up!

The Short story...

We are moving to Minnesota... NEXT WEEK!!!

The Long Story...

Pete worked for Annnie's for all of 4 weeks before the fantastic company was bought by General Mills.  We have all enjoyed his time with General Mills, but in the back of our minds we knew a move would be upon us at some point.  General Mills is headquartered in Minneapolis, sooooooo we knew Pete would need to spend some time up there learning the ways of such a large company from inside their home ;).  Fast-forward to now, he's been with the company over a year now and we're ready to dive in to everything General Mills- ha!  We are THRILLED that this all worked out so that we could get established there before our big 5 year old begins Kindergarten- and as we hear: this is the best time of the year to move, because Minnesota puts a WHOLE new meaning on the phrase snowy weather!  

We are not as thrilled knowing we will be leaving this place we love so dearly... where all of our babies were born, where we know we've made life long friends, and truly the only place we're ever considered Home for our family of 5, along with our angel babies.  Although the path we are on intends for us to be back around these parts in the future, we know we will be closing the door to our wonderful home next Wednesday and traveling on a new road... full of possibilities, but also a little uncertainty.

Good news: our families rock (when do they not?!)  We packed up for a week of travel, the end of May, to figure out all of this 'change'.  Our first stop- Indiana.  We wanted to squeeze in some family time before the chaos and also WELCOMED the help with our littles so Pete and I could make our first trip together up to Minneapolis to hopefully find a house WITHOUT kiddos!

 

We were able to do some Memorial Day celebrating out in Cambridge City.  Nothing says summer like a cool beverage and the smell of food on the grill, while you take a dip in the pool.  The kiddos loved it, and Pete and I had such a nice time catching up with family and I got to meet my little nephew, Skyler, for the first time.  To say he is precious would be an understatement... cool cat for sure!!

This is about how Harper and her cousins were for the better part of the day.  Whenever these 3 get together you can be assured of two things: they will play hard the WHOLE time AND they will sleep like babies that night... they made GREAT use of Grandma and Grandpa's pool for SURE!!!

  

The little guy with his Daddy and Uncle... such a sweetheart!

Pool time is the best time!!!

 

Maggie was LOVIN' her time with Uncle Andy!!  And Evelyn LOVES the water... she would just prefer for NO ONE to touch her... she just about gave me a heart attack trying to dive out of my arms into open water the whole time!!

...and she so enjoyed watching Grandma with everything... it was the only time we could get her to be still!

After our Cambridge City visit, it was back to Carmel to celebrate Memorial Day with my side of the family.  So fun kicking back and relaxing for a few days....

I think we have another Papa- fan on our hands!

Sweet Girls enjoying time at Nana & Papa's!

{yes, that is a live cat in the baby carrier.  Gracie really is a team player when Ms. Harper is around;)}

 

After a couple 'chill days' Pete and I packed up Maggie for St. Louis appointments.  Nana and Papa were kind enough to watch the other two rugrats and it made doctor appointments with Maggie a breeze- THANK YOU!!!!

We quickly came back to Indy following those appointments, unpacked Maggie, did a load of laundry, and slept a few hours before hopping on an EARLY flight to Minnesota.  We had our bags packed and our fingers crossed that the trip would be successful in finding a house.

We missed our munchkins in the worst way, but we received tons of pictures, showing us they were doing just fine with Nana, Papa, and their aunts, and uncle!!

Harper decided to put on a little make-up all by herself, and Evelyn was eating like a champ- Nana taught her to eat with a fork!!!

Harper got to spend some one-on-one with Aunt Abby getting Starbucks and tackling a summer-reading program in 4 days- ha!!!  Harper LOVED it... THANK YOU, ABBY!!

Pete and I were successful: we found a community we just loved and a neighborhood that seems PERFECT!!!  We put an offer in on a house that will be finished the end of June and it was accepted!!  We are so excited and look forward to closing on it soon!

We picked up our kiddos in Indiana, gave our family HUGE hugs for all of their help, and made the commute back to Arkansas for the last time.  

The last few weeks have been spent soaking up all we love about this area with our fantastic friends... its been so fun!!

We enjoyed a Pate-Lee family fun night of pizza and ice cream, made complete by a 3 mile walk along the Crystal Bridges trail and I knocked off 'walk' the infamous 'Hill' from my bucket list... I had littles with me and a full stomach- I couldn't run it, people... hehe!

  

Such a BEAUTIFUL trail...

Thank you so much for the fun evening, Pate family!!!

We were able to go on a Mommy-Daughter adventure, with Harper's friend, Elise and her Mommy to a horse farm!  It was such a great time: 2 hours spent learning how to take care of a horse, riding, and making them special treats.  Harper had a BLAST!!!

Thank you for inviting us, Elizabeth!!!

 

The rest of the time we've been enjoying the quiet moments with our munchkins.  We know July will be a bit hectic, so time at home has been so nice.  

 Maggie continues to sit up more and more and is eating so well on her own.  She seems to be done with the hitting when she's frustrated (little worried I may have jinxed it saying it out loud- ha:)), and just seems overall- happier.  LOVE IT!!

 

Harper is going through the emotions that seem pretty normal with change: wanting to spend as much time as she can in her house, with her friends, playing with her toys.  She remains our happy, goofy, girl... ALWAYS!

  

And Evelyn is rockin' being 15 months old: she is walking EVERYWHERE, eating everything, and just cut 5 teeth at one time... ya, it was a bit of a long week!  We love her though... she never seizes to make us laugh! 

So here it is, folks.  Forgive my husband, it was raining- ha!  The new Lee residence, coming soon.... with a pretty different zipcode- HA!  Plymouth, MN HERE WE COME!!!!!!

Milestone May!!!

Wow... I mean, is it already time to say goodbye to May 2016?!?!  Truly, I blinked, took about 1,000 pictures, and soaked in milestones with my main peeps this month!  Sorry for the LOAD of pictures below, but yep- they say it best!  Without further a-do.... May 2016, through a Mommy's lens trying to capture all the spacial moments with her babies...

  

Harper Grace greeted May with fun times: sleepovers on Mommy and Daddy's room in 'a nest' {just like when I was little;)} and Norman graduated puppy training 'Daddy style' and now Harper is able to walk him all by herself... such a gentle giant of a furry-brother;)!

 

She plowed her way through the last month of the Junior K program at Pine Crest.  So proud of her accomplishments in that program.  Her rockstar teachers have prepared her so well for Kindergarten- so grateful!!!!!  And we gave huge hugs and high fives to her gymnastics coach, Mr. Cody.  What a fun season she has had with him.  She may have had a bit of the heart-eyes going on with him, but she a did a great job and enjoyed her Saturday mornings goofing' off with her gymnastics buddies!

Just capturing how she is these days: always dressing herself in some sort of a jersey or t-shirt, chowing her breakfast, and watching paw patrol on the iPad before school... sweet girl;)!

One of the accomplishments I was the most excited about: her comfortableness in the water.  She did so well with swimming lessons, learning to float, swim to the wall, and most importantly: learning how to be safe in the water....

 

...and then, on the last day {dressed in that crazy outfit} marched into her lesson, swam to and from the flags by herself, and jumped off the side without fear- it was the first time THAT had happened!

... and at the very end of class Mr. Drew graduated her to a Level 2 swimmer.  No joke: 3 seasons of lessons, countless hours, and pep talks... happy to say we have a swimmer in the family.  One down- two to go... ha!

Little Miss has grown quite fond of her oldest sister.  Evelyn is at the age of wanting to do what Harper does.  In this case: dancing... ha!

Due to a slight hiccup (Maggie sick the morning of), these two and I represented the Lee crew at the Race for the Cure!  We've done the Family Fun Run the past couple years as a family and so we added another one to the list!  Harper actually ran the 1-mile course this year with me- this kid and races... she LOVES them!!

...and she kept with her tradition (and her prize for running;))- giant watermelon wedge at the end... complete with watermelon juice running down her elbows- ha!!

Love you, Mom and all other breast cancer survivors and those who've gained their angel wings due to the nasty disease....

 

Yep... it's just Maggie Lou sitting... no big deal... HA!  I think her smile says it all.  She LOVES being able to sit up and see the world from a little different angle.  She gets more comfortable with it every day and we can't help but cheer her on.  What would we do without her amazing doctors and therapists?!  So many smiles from this little one due to their hard work, commitment, and encouragement- LOVE!

 

And to say that she and her younger sister are two peas in a pod would be an understatement: they.  do.  everything.  together.  They crack me up, {and drive me batty} each and every day.  Truly.  Evelyn does it.  Maggie does it.  Maggie repeats it.  Evelyn repeats it.  Cute things: repeating same sounds, moving around the living room together, making humming noises with their mouthes and fingers.  Not so cute things: fighting over the same toy- everyday.  Tearing up things.  Sharing food.  Goodness gracious.... my days are more colorful than I EVER could have imagined with these two munchkins....

 

Littlest Sister Milestones this month: 5 teeth and counting, eating entirely on her own, adding momma and daddy to her vocabulary, waving goodbye, cruising with ease, took 5 steps on her own, and officially into EVERYTHING!!!!!

Cereal... no problem.

Toilet paper... well of course.  Spice rack... SO fun.

Coupons... don't mind if I do.  And it's WAY more fun when you include your sister.

Dinner cannot be made without a all the solo cups being all over the floor, measuring cups stacked and restocked, spices about, and the happiest baby ever... she LOVES making messes.

 

And making messes of herself.... I've learned the kid LOVES Italian food and cookies- can't say I blame her?!

Hubs and I were able to close the doors on our girls and their mess {along with our rockstar babysitter, Kaitlyn:)} and attend a concert date-night!  Darius Rucker was at the AMP!  So much fun with Brett, Shannon and Pete's work friends!

We've enjoyed the warmer (but not sweaty, hot warm) weather with friends...

 

Always a good time down on the Bentonville Square... especially with the Pate family!!!

Little dinner date with Riley;) and her brother Gavin!!  

Yoga Party to celebrate Anna turning 5!!  Not every day you have a princess teaching you a few yoga moves!!

JumpZone to celebrate Isabel turning 5!!!!  My oh my how these Pine Crest friends have grown these past 5 years!!

A LONG overdue picnic with Ladeji family!

Garage Sale with a Lemonade Stand- awesome!

A Garage Sale with a Lemonade Stand WITH your neighborhood friends- totally awesome!  They actually sold out of their cookies and lemonade... pretty good little sales people if I do say so myself;)!

 

Thanks to a surprise Mother's Day gift from Daddy, Harper and I got to attend our very first concert together!!  Ellie Goulding did NOT disappoint and dancing the night away with great friends was SO FUN!!!  Thank you, Riley and Addy {and their mommas} for joining us!!!

little i-pad time with a neighborhood bestie: thank you for always being so sweet to Harper, Carson!!

...and lastly, we got the littlest Lee munchkins all ready for the summer;)!  

We wish you all the very best as you begin all the fun outdoor activities of the summer... enjoy the sunshine, laughter, and smiles that come with this time of year!!!!