Allis, Allis, who the *bleep* is Allis!?

Grandpa Denny likes those orange tractors...the Allis Chalmers kind.

Which means, of course, that P&M love them just as much. 

And apparently these three aren't the only ones that love those orange tractors. 

About 10,000 people gathered in Hutchinson, MN, recently for the annual "Orange Spectacular" Allis tractor show. 

 Grandpa Denny has an Allis D-17 tractor. And the boys were lucky enough to get "D-17" Allis t-shirts.

Fun day!

Crossies

We met our goal - the boys were potty trained by their third birthday. They cut it pretty close with only a few weeks to spare, but they did it!


Here's the kicker. We transitioned to pull-ups for a few nights and they were dry - so we went pull-up-less after only a few nights. And the boys have yet to wet the bed. Not one accident in 6+ months. (How is that possible?!)


What's our secret? I have NO idea. We potty before bath and then again immediately before shutting off the lights (after our excessively long bedtime routine). 


And now, after 3 years of diapers (thankfully I didn't keep a total on what we spent on diapers), this is what they're up to. Dad calls it "crossies."

Quack Quack

Thank you, Annie Torrini Photography, for another great mini session! These photos were taken at her studio in NE Minneapolis back in May. The lighting is incredible! The best part about mini sessions is that they're just that - quick. The boys don't even have a chance to get restless. Mason was fine with the duck. Prior wasn't so sure.

These two have gone through stages. Sometimes they are easy to tell apart, other times it's more difficult. Looking back at these pictures, I think this was a more difficult phase. Mason is on the left in in the double photos. And Mason is the one holding the duck in the single shots. 

3rd Birthday Party - More Details

I posted about the party planning and a video of pictures, but not the actual party!


Want to know what reminded me that I had missed this oh-so-important post? The fact that the boys have already chosen the theme for their 4th party and we've already started "pinning" ideas and inspirations.

I had so much fun planning this party - I can't even tell you! I did have help from my favorite party planners: my mom and sister. They even made a special trip to help plan the party. Thank you again!

The party was held at the Williston Center in Minnetonka - complete with an indoor park and a splash pad. Perfect for a February birthday.

The pre-work included: making the boys' t-shirts, the gift bags for our cousins and friends, the banner, the sign, menu planning (and naming), and the dino tails (thanks again mom!)... I used my silhouette machine for the t-shirts, gift bags, and banner. It was all very very easy.

The menu included the following:

• Priorasaurus Punch (a drink of lime sherbert and sprite)
• Masonasaurus Maid-Rites (sloppy joe's)
• T-Rex Teeth (bugels)
• Dino-Dip (queso dip with cheese)
• Extinct Eggs (jello eggs - there is a GREAT story that goes with how I got my hands on those jello molds...be sure to ask me! Hint: craig's list!)
• Stegasaurus Sticks (pretzel sticks dipped in chocolate and dino sprinkles)
• 2 personal dino cakes for P&M and nest/egg cupcakes for our friends and family

I'm good at multi-tasking, but it was pretty difficult to be the host and also get photos. I didn't get nearly as many photos as I would have liked, so I'll remember that for future parties..


The guests included:

Our whole family! We were so lucky that all of our cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents could make it. So thankful for a mild winter and that everyone was healthy! We also had our friends: Carson, Tommy, Wyatt, Beau, Mena, Leighton, Ben, and Will. Seriously. These boys are so lucky!


The details (and the obsessive over-documenting with pictures and videos) paid off. The boys still talk about this party often. Mission accomplished!


Well, I better get back to pinterest!

Other 3rd Birthday Posts (I promise this is the last one!):

Birthday Video

Insta-Weekend: Birthday Edition

Dinosaur Cakes

Happy 3rd Birthday to My Boys

Festing

A few fun pictures from our weekend back in Decorah for the world renowned Nordic Fest. It was so much fun spending time with my family. The boys loved the parade and all of the attention!

I even ran the Evelopet 5k, despite the amount of varma-polsa I consumed. The most exciting part of the weekend though was working on one of my special "projects". More on that fun little secret to come in the near future. Stay tuned.

I just love this picture! 

These two (three) LOVE tow trucks!

Talking about trucks.

Mason found the need to do some push ups before heading out for a tow.

Chocolate milk for breakfast!

Check out the amount of candy in these bags. Insane! Somehow I have these two trained to play (not eat) their candy. Winning!

Our favorite parade float - Tow "Maynard!"

Assuming the position for prime candy catching.

The boys said they needed to "head north of town" to pick up a car...