Winter hybernation...not so much

There have been a lot of ads lately saying, Humans weren't meant to hybernate...and we couldn't agree more! While we are by NO means winter outdoor enthusiasts, we try not to let the winter slow us down, but rather, allow us to spend more time with family and friends during a season where people tend to slow down and be around a little bit more. As winter finally arrived in Minnesota, this January we've done just that!

The thing that excites me most about winter in MN is BY FAR hockey season! We enjoyed a Gopher hockey game with Frankie and Gretchen earlier this season, which despite the Gophs losing to Notre Dame, was actually a ton of fun. We then celebrated 'Hockey Day MN' with our own version of 'Hockey Day Eden Prairie.' Every year that I can remember, my dad has built a hockey rink in our backyard during the winter.

That was up until 3 years ago, when Joe left for college. However, the rink has returned this year, as Kensley turned 3 in November, and in the McQuillan family, 3 is when you learn how to skate! My dad and brothers have also taken this as an opportunity to teach Mike some of the basics of skating that I haven't been able to in the past...like stopping for instance! I just twirl to stop, and he is not having that...his hockey stops are starting to look good :)

 

 We have also been lucky enough to spend some time hanging out with friends. From a road trip down to Iowa to visit Matt and Annie Brandt and their new place, to dinner with friends while Nick and Kaleigh Hitsman were visiting, we've really enjoyed the time spent with everyone! We're looking forward to many more weekends with friends and family this winter, as well as a few trips to escape the cold, including our Honeymoon in the Domincan Republic in February, and trips to Mexico and South Carolina in May and June to celebrate the weddings of friend. We feel so lucky to have so many great people in our lives to share the cold and warm months of MN!

A grown up 2012...sort of!

Ringing in 2012 started and ended with some more "grown up", we're in our upper 20's type activities, and the middle was maybe a little less refined, but hey, we are still in our 20s in general!

We kicked of NYE by hosting dinner for a group of friends at our house. We spent Friday night before NYE cooking a 3 pound brisket, which we then put in the crock pot the next day. I was a little nervous that it would dry out, but it ended up being pretty delicious! Everyone else brought some delicious sides and desserts, and it was a pretty great feast in general!

The night went on, and we rang in the new year with some cocktails and noise makers (note, turns out our fearless dog is in fact afraid of loud noises...who knew?!). Overall, it was a great night, and we feel so lucky to have such good friends!

On new years day, we had a trial run as parents, when my niece and nephew Kensley and Mason came over for the night! It was SO much fun, except maybe the party in Mason's crib at 3am, but I'm not going to lie, I did enjoy his cuddles in the wee morning hours quite a bit...plus his smile in the morning can make you forget anything that happened a few hours earlier!

We also had a fun dress up party while Mason was sleeping...she's going to be a dancer just like her Aunt Katie!! Overall, it was a great start to what we hope to be a fantastic year!!