ENDINGS AND BEGINNINGS.

It is crazy to know that Milo has completed his last ECFE class, and Orelia has graduated from preschool. Next year brings Kindergarten for Orelia, the first year of preschool for Milo, and the beginning of Early Childhood classes for Otto. They have all been great experiences for us and it is exciting to see my children excelling and moving forward, but it is also slightly saddening to know that my babies are growing so quickly. I am most definitely not ready to send one off to school in the fall.

Milo and his ECFE pals (2-3 year olds)

Back row, L to R: Rachel, Dane, Brandt, Henry, Milo, Lincoln

Front row, L to R: Elijah, Brayson, Audrey, Graecyn, Ned

 

 Orelia's Spring music concert

 Her best school friend, Lilyann

 



 Preschool Graduation

 Her fabulous teacher, Mrs. Chromy



The sweetest assistant teacher, Mrs. Schmitz

 

We are officially on summer break, and we are going to make the most of our days together!

THE FARM: Q & A.

We've been asked countless questions about the farm, and while it's all so exciting, it does get a little repetitive! Here are some of the most commonly asked questions we have heard.

Q: When and how did you find it?
A: We bought the property through a private sale. We signed a purchase agreement the day after viewing it in February.

Q: How many acres is it?
A: Twenty. Its a lovely mix of tillable land, wetlands (we have a pond and a creek!), and woods.

Q: Are you going to farm?
A: While we do have about seven acres of tillable land, we do not plan to farm it or rent it to a neighboring farmer. We would like to see that land return to prairie to attract wildlife.

Q: Are you going to get chickens?
A: I would like to, yes. We are excited to learn the ins and outs of the farm before we take on the responsibility of animals.

Q: Is there a house? Is it habitable? When are you moving?
A: Yes, there is a house. It technically is habitable, but nothing we wish to live in under its current condition. We would eventually like to salvage all that we can from the current home, then take it down and build our forever home.

Q: Did you sell your current house?
A: No. We will continue to live in town until we are ready to build a home at the farm.

COUNTRY LIVING.

 

This is the day that dreams are made of. This is the day that we held hands, took a huge leap of faith, and made our lifetime dream a reality. Today is the day we bought a farm!

We've been looking and dreaming, long and hard. Years of searching for just the right one. We knew exactly what we wanted, and what we didn't. So when this one came up, we went forward without hesitation. We've kept this little secret from the majority of you, because there are always the "what ifs". But we have closed on the property and its officially ours.

Our country life begins now, and we cannot wait!

SoDak.

Well it only took five years and a friend getting married out of town, but Nick and I finally spent a night together away from the kids! I mean, I've gone away on girls trips before, and he has gone on guy adventures, but we have never both left for the night together. I think after five years and three kids, we were long overdue.

See that car seat back there? No baby inside!

We left the kids at home under the entrusted care of Grandma, and headed up to Adrian, MN to attend the wedding of one of Nick's long time, high school friends. The funny thing is, he (Brian) and his now wife (Ann) actually live in our same town. But we respect that Ann wanted to get married in her hometown. We got there early in true Nick fashion, thinking we'd grab a quick lunch and explore a bit before the wedding. Turns out, it was a really small town, so we ate lunch a Subway attached to a gas station, and found only one antique store to browse through, but it was still fun.

After the wedding we headed over to Sioux Falls, South Dakota for the reception. Here there was an abundance of places to explore, but sadly they were all mostly closed by the time we got there. So we just walked around a bit and I made Nick stop a bajillion times to take silly pictures.

The reception was a lot of fun, and a great chance to reconnect with lots of people who are now parents like us, and we hardly ever see :)

We tried to sleep in on Sunday morning, but sadly it just didn't happen. Go figure, huh? So we got up, and headed to the falls.

It was really pretty, although chilly.

Before leaving Sioux Falls, we had breakfast at an awesome little café, something we always dream of doing without kids. I mean, I can actually sit and eat my entire meal, and drink my coffee while its still hot? A little slice of Heaven right there. Plus, this latte was delicious.

Although brief, it was definitely refreshing. We enjoyed our time away and were ready to kiss the faces off our babies upon returning home. We're already dreaming up our next getaway...lets just hope its sooner than another five years!

FRESHLY PICKED {A SWEET LITTLE GIVEAWAY}.

Happy May Day! It has been painful keeping this little secret tucked away for a few months, but today is the day I get to share it with YOU! And it's a good one! So, so good!

I had the amazing opportunity to review a pair of Freshly Picked baby moccs, and give away a pair to one of you! (Color and size of your choice!) And it gets even better. My amazing bestie, Swanky Shank, created a coordinating onesie for the winner too! Isn't that fab? A happy little May Day basket sure to brighten your day!

If you're on Instagram, you probably can't help but notice that these adorable little baby moccs are all the rage. I see them in my feed at least three times daily. I have admired them for so long, but thought I'd wait to invest in them until Otto was at the walking stage (but really, they are darling anytime!)They carry a little higher price tag at $60 a pair, so I wanted to be sure we'd get good use out of them. I don't mind spending a bit more money on quality baby items for a few reasons. One, they are hand made in the US. Two, they are exceptionally well made and durable. Three, Susan, the creator of Freshly Picked, radiates enthusiasm, creativity, drive, and hard work. I watched her when she was on Shark Tank, and seeing her "in person" sealed the deal for me. I admire her savvy entrepreneur skills and business model.

So. These moccs. They are fabulous. Otto's moccs are stone suede, and they are the softest thing ever. He loves having them on his feet, and when they aren't, he can be found digging them out of our shoe bin and carrying them around the house. And! They totally stay on his feet, which is a must in any mom's book. They withstand his walking, crawling, climbing, and the all important in and out of a shopping cart (seriously, isn't it the pits when you realize a shoe is missing and have to back track through an entire store to find it?!).

The bottom line? I'm hooked. These moccs are hot. So here's my advice to you. New colors are released often, and if you see one you like, don't wait. They sell like hot cakes and you may be forced to wait for a restock if you don't jump on them. Download the shoe chart (found here) and use it! The leather styles run true to size, but the suede styles run a wee big. If you're teetering between two sizes, I would go on the smaller size when ordering suede.

Now! How can you get some for yourself? Click on this link (here) and drool over all the delicious colors on the Freshly Picked website. You can also follow them on Instagram @ freshlypicked.

To win a pair for your sweet little babe, find the details on my Instagram feed @ littleforalittlewhile. Hustle on over and enter, the giveaway ends at noon on Friday, 5/2!