Happy Fathers Day!

When Brandon and I first got married, I asked him how many kids he wanted. He made some silly comment about how he wanted babies everywhere. He wanted to sit on the floor and have kids crawling and climbing all over him and just kids everywhere. I am 99% sure he was kidding but what we have in reality, isn't too far from that! These kids LOVE their daddy!!! He gets a mad rush of kids when he comes home from being gone for any length of time, has a group of kids waiting outside the door when he wakes up and usually has a couple following his every move even when he is home. I am around all the time and I have lost all appeal but dad, he is the best!

Brandon had fathers day off this year but worked the night before. Because he is the bestest ever, he woke up early( to kids waiting outside his bedroom door with cards in hand) and let me go to Fargo to meet up with Michelle! So on a day dedicated to awesome dads, Brandon got 4 hours of sleep then took care of 5 kids alone for several hours....what a guy! 

Brandon did have some ulterior motive for letting me go though. Since we stared our new way of eating, Brandon had really just been wanting to grill. I told him if I got to go to Fargo I would buy him grilling foods and not ask questions about how much of what he ate( although the hives that showed up after said it all). He happily agreed! 

Brandon has 2 jobs most of the time( teaching and PD) is finishing up his PhD and still manages to spend all of his "free" time playing and building memories with his posse of kids. Thanks for being a great hands on dad!

I think this is what he meant by babies everywhere!

Outdoor backyard fun

Dad is the coolest. There is no denying it, there is no doubting it. He is and always will be WAY cooler then me. He also happens to be a very very hand on dad. If the kids go outside with him, you better believe he will be playing awesome games, bike riding or creating obstacle courses in the back with them. He doesn't just sit and let them play he is a giant kid and plays right along with them. I have many complaints about my dear husband( like his ability to leave dirty laundry on the floor less then 12 inches from a laundry basket, seriously its a gift) but being a distant dad is NOT one of them. 

Here are some of the kid's fun times with dad's creations from May. 

 Fun bike rides are a must. He takes them on hills I would never, I am scared to let them get hurt, its good he isn't, they have more fun and test their abilities. 

 golf clubs and a turtle shells make for fun games...not sure what games but the dirt on the shirt proves they were fun

 Sometimes there is ice cream involved

 Recently lots and lots of obstacle courses!! The kids love them!

 Oh Samuel, I am so proud of your natural athletic ability. I hope he enjoys this picture as much as I do for years to come. 

Always fun time playing with Dad!( and Uncle Jordan)

Daddy Daughter Dance Take 5

This March marked the 5th time Annie and Brandon got all dressed up and headed to the Daddy-Daughter dance. I am happy to say at the age of 7, she still loves going just as much now as she did when she was 3. It is an amazing night of hanging out with her favorite guy, and dancing the night away. It seems every year she knows more and more girls there and it is just the best time ever for her! This year, she went all out with the pink. Two toned pink dress, pink flowers and a pink purse and a pink tie for daddy, pretty in pink they were! The happy couple got all dressed up, took a few pictures and headed for a night on the town. 

From what I gather they had a fantastic time. They took pictures, ate and danced until they shut the place down at 9. Annie ran into a dozen or so friends and Brandon snapped a few pictures along the way because he knows how much I love  them. After the dance, they were going to head to Cherry Berry with friends but he couldn't get a hold of me( sorry!) so they just stopped at Hugo's for some ice cream and headed home. Annie dove into her Strawberry ice cream( pink of course) and after a few bites was so tired she quick washed her faced and crashed. Reminded me of a few nights I had back in college:)

 I am very thankful that these two clowns still have a great relationship, I hope it never ends!!

Happy Birthday Brandon!

 Today Brandon turns 32! We met when he was just a fresh face 18 year old and I was a much older and more mature 21 year old. Ha, or so I pretend. We celebrated our first birthdays as a married couple the year we turned 22 and 25. I love a good trip down memory lane so here is a look back at our last decade of birthdays together.  

November 2006

 2007

 2008

 2009

 2010

 2011

 2012

 2013

 2014

2015

Wow...I was either pregnant or freshly not pregnant in a lot of those pictures! 

Over the last decade birthdays sure have changed a lot. They went from being all about us as adults to just regular days. Brandon may or may not admit it, but he really does enjoy a big deal being made about his birthday. Every year, we try to do that to the best of our ability, his favorite foods, awesome gifts from the kids, a nice gift from me etc etc. However this year poor Brandon is getting the shaft. He is working his normal shift ,sleep for 6 hours,wake, then a 6 hour overtime shift then going right back to working his regular shift. He is miserable sick with a cold but is going to go to work for 16 hours. What would make a man do this you ask? He is an amazing husband and father and knows Christmas for a family of 7 and 2 birthdays within a month of each other is not a cheap event. 

The kids and I may not be able to spoil Brandon today but we did what we could, an awesome rendition of Happy Birthday, Caribou( we have been doing home brew a lot more so this was a treat) before his overtime shift, homemade decorations, an immaculately cleaned house, seriously it looks like my mom or mother in law did it, not to brag, but I done good, and last but no least his favorite gluten free cookies that I left out as a surprise for him after work last night. It may not be the big hoopla from our youth, but it is perfect for this stage in our life. 

Happy Birthday to an incredibly hard working( he tries to be lazy but I don't let him much) husband and the most involved and active dad around! Oh and if you want to know how awesome he is, the man switched his schedule to let me sleep in last week....on daylight savings morning! If that isn't a keeper, I don't know what is( I may have not informed him of the fact that is was daylight savings but shhhhh). 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Brandon, we love you and appreciate the massive amount of hard work you do so I can stay home!

2016 clearly he is a very handsome man with that comb over and 80's stache. Don't get any ideas ladies, this one is mine.

Special Time With Daddy

I started writing this blog in mid December. Once again my intentions were to have Brandon write the post. Life with a newborn is busy and I forgot all about it. In an attempt to get caught up on my blog( which I always seem to do when I am about to order a previous year's blog book) I am posting this anyways.

After Nicholas was born, Brandon did what he does best. He hangs out with the older kids. He took each kid on special dates for some much needed one on one time. Annie decided to go to the mall. She picked out some of the finest jewels and technology in the lands. Then she took pictures of all the cute boys walking by while stuffing her face with pretzel bites in her batman shirt, that's my girl!

Elias and Brandon went to the NDSU vs UND basketball game( Thanks century electric for the tickets!) and had a blast! They ate, drank expensive waters and cheered their hearts out. The game was really good and Elias got REALLY excited every-time the Sioux er...Hawks scored. Brandon took a few pictures and a couple awesome videos but if I wait for him to put them on the computer I will never get to post this!

Benjamin got to go bowling! It is one of his favorite past times and he felt extra special getting to go all by himself. He dined on lavish foods and beverages and enjoyed pushing the ball down the ramp all by himself.

Benjamin and Samuel: Open gym and countless trips to various grocery stores

Benjamin was playing with the peanut ball at open gym and Brandon took this picture and sent it to me  with the caption "just like mommy" apparently this is how I look in labor, ha!

And because Uncle Jordan is the coolest Uncle this side of the Mississippi, he took the older kids to a LEGO exhibit one day when Brandon was sleeping and everyone else was napping. 

Daddy-Daughter Dance

It is time again for the Daddy-Princess ball! I can't believe that this is already the 4th one they have attended together. In true fashion, I asked Brandon to do a post and as usual, he hasn't had time, so , I am here again to say the same thing I always do. They got all dressed up, they danced, they ate, they had so so so much fun, they made awesome memories. Annie is already asking to go again. 

This year wasn't without its firsts though. Annie still met her friend Ana at the dance with her dad, but we found out some of our neighbors were going to go as well. We did some last minute dress shopping with them. Annie found an AWESOME cat dress and the perfect purple princess dress to match the flowers Ana's mom had bought for her!

 Nicholas came shopping with us and he was a trooper. After the shopping and quick lunch stop, Annie headed home to get ready complements of Auntie Melissa. She had her nails painted, hair curled and makeup done. She enjoyed getting pampered as much as the dance I think! I'm sure Brandon has pictures on his phone and maybe in 10 years he will put them on the computer, but for now, here is my little bean and her daddy.

This is one of my favorite pictures. I saw Brandon pull up and scoop Annie out of the car. I ran and got my phone and snapped a quick picture before they came in. I think its safe to say they had a ball!