March Recap

Super Belated Christmas (March 2)

We finally got around to celebrating Christmas with Mark's Dad, Pam, Jessica and Tyler at our home in Windom.

Click here for a full recap with pictures!

Second Prenatal Appointment (March 11)

I got to hear our little one's heart beat again and had all the dreaded blood draws this time around.

Click here for more on my pregnancy blog.

Welcome, Baby Caitlin (March 11)

My sister Amanda and her family welcomed one more to the mix on the 11th: A sweet baby girl named Caitlin :)

Click here for a bit more information!

Meeting Baby Carter (and Lunch at Pizza Ranch) (March 16)

We had a great time catching up with some of the extended Johnson family at Pizza Ranch on Saturday the 16th. We also got to meet baby Carter!

Click here for a full recap with pictures!

Trip to Humboldt (March 17)

We couldn't wait to get down to Humboldt to not only meet new little Caitlin Vinsand, but to visit with the rest of the family as well.

Click here for a full recap with pictures!

Hawaii!! (March 27-April 3)

Too. Much. Fun :) I won't get into the details too much, because I already did that in the recap (link below), but in a (very very very compact) nutshell, we stayed on the Big Island for a week, ate delicious food, did a few crazy hikes, saw waterfalls, LOTS of green, checked out the farmers' market in Hilo (as well as the Zoo), visited 2 black sand beaches, saw a couple sea turtles, and just plain rested.

Click here for a full recap with pictures!

What's Coming Up!

We'll be beginning April unwinding after our crazy (but fun) trip to Hawaii. We're looking forward to spending a lot more time OUTSIDE! We can't wait to see our newest little Johnson at our anatomy scan ultrasound on the 15th! We won't be finding out the gender this time around, but still can't wait to see the baby :) We also have a fun couples baby shower in Sioux Falls planned for our friends Josh and AiWen for the 20th. At the end of the month, we're expecting Mark to be helping more in the field, so Cashel and I will have quite a few nights on our own. Hopefully this mama can keep up the energy to corral Cashel in the meanwhile :)

We'll be making a day trip down to Humboldt to help celebrate Caleb's 4th birthday with the family in mid-May, and at the end of May, I'll have a few nights away from my family at the end of May for a work conference in Minneapolis.

No big plans for June at this time, but I'm VERY much looking forward to a girls' weekend in mid-July to catch up with some of my old college roommates (some of whom I probably haven't seen in 10 years!) Busy, busy, busy!

T-minus 23 hours!

Our flight leaves tomorrow morning from MSP at 7:15! So in other words, tomorrow morning at this time, we'll be in the air already!

I'd be lying if I told you I haven't been dreading tomorrow for quite some time. Prayers would be appreciated! I'm just hoping my toddler doesn't end up being the one fussing and screaming for the duration of our two long flights. I certainly have done a fair amount of preparation in the new toy/book/snack arena, but even I struggle with long flights and little space to move. We're just hoping that he doesn't randomly begin teething today or anything.

All I know is that tomorrow, I'm very much looking forward to sleeping here:

grabbing a bite at the Red Water Cafe, and after putting Cashel to sleep relaxing in the large jetted tub and enjoying views like this with my hubby:

Trip to Humboldt (March 17)

We had been looking forward to this visit for quite a few weeks! It's not every day you get to hold a 6 day old baby, and it's CERTAINLY not every day that you get to hold both a 6 day old baby and a 6 week old baby :) We had a wonderful visit with the family and look forward to many more visits with the family in the coming year! So without further ado...

Meet 6-day-old Caitlin Ann Vinsand :)

And her 6-week-old cousin Ruthie Marie Ropte :)

Miss Kaleigh Mae was VERY excited to introduce me to HER baby sister :) And I was VERY excited to hold Kaleigh's baby sister :)

We were so glad that Josh and Tiff were able to make it out with Reign and Ruthie as well. You can tell Ruthie adores her papa :) She has such beautiful bright eyes!

As with most 6-day-old babies, Caitlin slept most of the day, but we did catch her peepers open a time or two :) She also has a sweet spot for her Daddy :)

My sister Amanda and her two girls :)

My sister-in-law Tiffany and her little girl Ruthie :)

Kaleigh Mae wanted to help Grandma Ruth open up her be-lated birthday gift from us.

Cousins Ruthie and Caitlin :) And them and their mamas!

Caitlin meets Uncle Mark

The (now out-numbered) Vinsand boys

Cashel took a super long nap throughout the afternoon, so by the time we got this picture, Josh and his family had already headed for home :( Here are the Vinsand and Johnson cousins, though :)

Congratulations (again), Amanda, Michael, Caleb and Kaleigh on your beautiful new baby girl! Caitlin is definitely a wonderful addition to the family!

Lunch in Worthington (March 16)

We were thrilled to hear that Mark's cousin Greg and his wife and son were going to be in Worthington. They asked if we were able to meet up with some of the extended family at Pizza Ranch for lunch, so of course we made it :)

These two look like they could be some serious trouble down the road!

Great Grandma Vi is going to have her hands full!

It was a great time catching up with everyone and meeting 6-week old Carter :) These little get togethers seem so few and far between anymore, unfortunately. I suppose that's what happens when life gets to be so busy.

The proud new (albeit fuzzy) parents weren't shy about sharing little Carter with us, thankfully :) He's such a little sweetheart!

Mark, Greg and their sons :) So sweet!

Starting out the new generation of Johnsons! We really need to get one of these with Dusty and Becka as well!!

We had such a nice visit with everyone! I have a feeling our Johnson family gatherings are going to start getting a little crazier (as if that's possible, right?) ;)

On the horizon :)

We've had a lull for quite a while now, which we've definitely appreciated. However, we've got some fun things coming up that I am just so excited about :)

This coming weekend we've got a full schedule, and with the weather looking to be so nice, we can't wait! While Mark has (possibly) jury duty on Friday all day (and night, depending on how the case goes), we get to meet Mark's cousin's 6-week-old son and visit with some extended family on Saturday. We then will head to Humboldt on Sunday for the day to meet our new little niece Caitlin (and hopefully also see our adorable niece Ruthie as well) as well as all of my immediate family there in town :) Three adorable newborns in the course of 2 days? Yes, please!

In just TWO WEEKS, we will be leaving for our Hawaiian vacation, which we cannot wait for! We know Spring is coming, but until then, we can't wait to get out of dodge for a week :)

As soon as we get back, it's a fun co-ed baby shower for our friends Josh and AiWen who are expecting their first sweet little baby girl in June. We're excited as the spot we're going is out on the town in Sioux Falls with supper at one of Mark and I's favorite spots: HuHot. The rest of the day is still TBD, but it should be fun :)

Sometimes I feel like I just keep living each day at a time (especially on those that are sleep-deprived and I feel like a zombie), but I'm SO ready for Spring to come around so we can re-instate our family evening walks and exploration, a little more exercise, and the blossoming trees that smell SO good :) Oh, and flowers...and gardens...and fresh produce. It's coming!

Welcome, Baby Caitlin!

We welcomed another new niece into the Ropte family this morning :) My younger sister Amanda and her husband welcomed Caitlin Ann to their family, and boy is she ever precious :)

She was 9lbs 1oz and 19 inches long.

This makes niece number 5 for us (total niece/nephew count is now at 13 for the Ropte family), and the girls are apparently starting to make a comeback!

Congratulations, Vinsand Family! We can't wait to meet little miss Caitlin soon!

Super Belated Christmas in Windom (March 2)

After two postponements, a big birthday party to plan and taking a couple weekends to recoup from all the rest, we finally were able to get together with Mark's Dad, Pam and the kids to celebrate "Christmas" together...in March :)

The menu wasn't anything too spectacular (soups and sandwiches), however the dessert was one of my all-time favorites: Better than Sex Cake, which Jessica did a fabulous job making.

Opening Gifts

Of course, part of the reason we were still celebrating "Christmas" in March is because we all had gifts to open still!

Dessert!

As I mentioned before, Jessica did an excellent job on dessert!

We had such a great time visiting and catching up...finally!

Merry be-lated Christmas!