tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69849588956480443752024-11-08T10:54:13.302-06:00Life as experienced by a Mom living on the edgeShawna @ MomsGonnaSnaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13114062734819212724noreply@blogger.comBlogger210125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984958895648044375.post-78707551422778480202015-08-12T20:48:00.000-05:002015-08-12T20:48:49.373-05:00

We have a rocker in the house! After taking more traditional piano lessons for 2.5 years, Anthony began taking keyboard and guitar lessons at a different studio early this spring. He’s had the opportunity to perform a few times, but most recently he was able to perform during downtown at Thursdays on First. The youth from Pure Rock Studios played 2 sets, and Anthony was able to perform a handful

Shawna @ MomsGonnaSnaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13114062734819212724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984958895648044375.post-12673497329598618632015-03-28T11:39:00.000-05:002015-03-28T11:39:00.096-05:00

After 5 long years of waiting, we made a big decision. With heavy hearts, we let our adoption home study expire yesterday and closed the door on waiting to adopt an infant. We don’t know if we will consider other options for expanding our family in the future, but for now, we know this is the right decision for our family. We want to extend a big thank you to our friends and family for keeping

Shawna @ MomsGonnaSnaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13114062734819212724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984958895648044375.post-67732442996964744962015-03-21T21:31:00.001-05:002015-03-21T21:31:37.931-05:00

So it’s been months since I have posted on my blog. Really, it’s been more than months. Seasons have passed! Basically life happened. Then a new computer. Then a second new computer. Too many issues… It’s time to (attempt) to make a comeback.  Our family has expanded since I last posted! We brought home a morkie (Maltese and Yorkie) puppy on September 1st and she has rocked our world ever

Shawna @ MomsGonnaSnaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13114062734819212724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984958895648044375.post-2381106951095551902014-07-31T19:34:00.000-05:002014-07-31T19:34:00.628-05:00

June brought the end of school, which gave us a chance to enjoy some fun in the sun (at least when it wasn’t raining). There’s so many fun things to do in the summer – it’s hard to squeeze them all in! End of the school year trip to Valley Fair with 2nd grade friendsTrips to the poolCelebrating Father’s Day with a game of Laser tag!Checking out books from the bookmobileAn early Birthday

Shawna @ MomsGonnaSnaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13114062734819212724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984958895648044375.post-69689118235472328322014-07-30T07:07:00.000-05:002014-07-30T17:50:39.931-05:00

Once again I’m playing some catch up. I have missing documenting our story here, as well as all the fun projects that we continue to work on, so hopefully I will get back at it now! Here’s a snapshot of our May - SwimmingSome great friends came to visitCampingTrip to the CircusPiano RecitalCub ScoutsMother’s DayTrip “Up North” to the lake Want to see more pictures? You can find me on

Shawna @ MomsGonnaSnaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13114062734819212724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984958895648044375.post-76598686083176722492014-07-29T06:34:00.000-05:002014-07-29T06:34:00.776-05:00

Anthony celebrated his 8th birthday earlier this month (how is that even possible?!?) and as always, an updated photo shoot was required! I’m just starting to edit the good ones, but thought it might be fun to share the “blooper” photos (that I will not take the time to edit)! Anthony thought it was hilarious to make some silly faces, especially eye rolling…  Here are the photos for your

Shawna @ MomsGonnaSnaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13114062734819212724noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984958895648044375.post-25269748455263753192014-07-28T13:50:00.000-05:002014-07-28T13:50:54.892-05:00

Here we are again… the first day of school!  With the year-round school calendar it always feels like our summer is a little short, but the breaks during the school year are totally worth it. Anthony attends a school that follows a year-round calendar or 45/15 calendar.  I have written about that here and here. It’s always fun to look back at all of Anthony’s first days of school

Shawna @ MomsGonnaSnaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13114062734819212724noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984958895648044375.post-1847390655811033392014-07-17T17:23:00.001-05:002014-07-17T17:23:59.599-05:00

Over the last few weeks I have been trying to make some progress in the basement again. It’s been awhile since we have done much down there (besides hang out!) and it’s time to start slowly making progress again. For months I have been collecting some random frames from Ikea, Goodwill, Home Goods, etc. to put together a fun gallery wall above our couch. I decided I had enough frames right before

Shawna @ MomsGonnaSnaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13114062734819212724noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984958895648044375.post-66913304429595172432014-06-06T21:24:00.000-05:002014-06-06T21:24:00.609-05:00

Wow, it sure has been hard to find time to document what we have been up to! The month of April kept us on our toes in so many ways – it’s nice to have it behind us! We did find some time for fun too! Skateboarding with snow still on the ground Silly faces Easter egg hunts The backyard is officially open for business! Spring Break – 3 weeks off from school! Playing doctor Easter Swimming

Shawna @ MomsGonnaSnaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13114062734819212724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984958895648044375.post-76058275781353293152014-06-06T18:57:00.000-05:002014-06-06T18:57:00.169-05:00

School’s out for summer! As always, I had to take the “last day of school pics”. Anthony was not as interested in photos this morning, but luckily I was able to get him to laugh at my silliness! Check out these teeth!  Wow…. There will be an ortho consult in his future! Here’s the comparison between the 1st day and last day of 2nd grade!  He’s grown a couple inches this year! He

Shawna @ MomsGonnaSnaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13114062734819212724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984958895648044375.post-9602400005095244782014-05-01T17:58:00.000-05:002014-05-01T17:58:00.100-05:00

Somehow I barely took any photos during the entire month of March. In fact, I’m pretty sure that  all but one of the photos in the collage this month were taken on my phone. I need to make  more of a point to get my camera out! Pinewood DerbySnow, snow and more snow!Celebrating Gotcha Day!Volcano!! at Rainforest CaféFriends over on snow daysAdopting a new Webkinz

Shawna @ MomsGonnaSnaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13114062734819212724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984958895648044375.post-53544744982118781502014-04-04T12:44:00.000-05:002014-04-04T12:44:27.275-05:00

Last week I shared Anthony’s Pinewood Derby car for this year: Now it’s time to share handy hubby’s car! Yes, he made a Pinewood Derby car. Some of the scout dads were together one night and decided it would be fun. They would all make them and race against each other. Turns out, it was all talk. Handy hubby was the only dad to build one! The boys painted their cars together. Hubby is

Shawna @ MomsGonnaSnaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13114062734819212724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984958895648044375.post-36039210019248741222014-03-31T12:07:00.000-05:002014-03-31T12:07:16.246-05:00

February brought more snow and more cold. This has been the winter that will not end! School CarnivalBlue and Gold Banquet for Cub ScoutsHubby’s Half-MarathonFriends over to playLego’s!Polar Cub CampSnow daysBirthday Parties for Friends Want to see more pictures? You can find me on Instagram here.

Shawna @ MomsGonnaSnaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13114062734819212724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984958895648044375.post-28649948279781063012014-03-30T14:08:00.001-05:002014-03-30T14:08:18.283-05:00

Anthony loves to come up with unique Pinewood Derby cards. He often has really grand ideas (like a fire breathing dragon!) and this year he changed his mind a few times before deciding to build a Minecraft Sword car. Handy hubby always lets Anthony draw a picture of his car and then does his best to cut out the design. The sword worked out pretty good! Anthony chose the colors, and he was

Shawna @ MomsGonnaSnaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13114062734819212724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984958895648044375.post-20599727205220629072014-03-28T21:11:00.000-05:002014-03-28T21:11:00.852-05:00

A couple years ago handy hubby started running. Initially it was for exercise and to drop a few pounds, but as it turns out, he actually seems to enjoy running!  His last big race was Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth last June, but he has continued to run and has maintained his ability to run pretty solid distances. Since he is able to head out each week on approx 10 mile runs, it didn’t seem to

Shawna @ MomsGonnaSnaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13114062734819212724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984958895648044375.post-43396251984262376092014-03-13T20:55:00.000-05:002014-03-13T20:55:21.525-05:00

When I started this blog it was a place for me to share what’s going on in our lives. Fun family activities, changes we are making to personalize our home, etc. As of late, I have been pretty quiet. For several reasons, really. Partially because our lives have been pretty busy, despite our attempts to simplify. We really haven’t been working on home improvement projects, or taking off on lots

Shawna @ MomsGonnaSnaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13114062734819212724noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984958895648044375.post-60898918484216320002014-03-01T07:07:00.000-06:002014-03-01T07:07:00.814-06:00

Here we go again. Today, March 1st, marks 4 years that we have been waiting to adopt #2. Four years. Four. There is no way to make that sound like a short amount of time. We also can’t say that the waiting has been easy. We have a 7-year-old who is dying to become a big brother and all we can do is tell him how much we want to make that happen too. Earlier this month we finished up our

Shawna @ MomsGonnaSnaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13114062734819212724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984958895648044375.post-53264007004170011172014-02-20T16:48:00.001-06:002014-02-20T16:48:44.494-06:00

At the beginning of January we escaped to the Florida Keys for a few days and then boarded a cruise ship in Miami and headed to the Bahamas. We were hoping for a week of beautiful weather, but that proved to be extremely hard to find. We had some warm days (70’s), but lots of rain and rough seas on the ship. We even had to skip one of the islands because the weather was so poor. Boo! If you

Shawna @ MomsGonnaSnaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13114062734819212724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984958895648044375.post-56006568451161966992014-01-28T09:49:00.001-06:002014-02-12T10:01:46.474-06:00

Last fall we had all 8 of the 2nd grade Cub Scouts from Anthony’s troop over to our house for a “build night”.  The purpose of the night was to learn how to use a variety of tools, but of course in a fun way.  After practicing with the tools, each of the boys got to make (mostly assemble) their own display stand for their Pinewood Derby cars.  They loved it! This part of our

Shawna @ MomsGonnaSnaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13114062734819212724noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984958895648044375.post-43672973157005127422014-01-07T18:39:00.000-06:002014-01-07T18:39:00.858-06:00

December… How did December pass so quickly?!? It was a chaotic fun-filled month with family and friends! Our Elf on the Shelf returned for some mischievous funCount down to ChristmasSchool Talent ShowWe celebrated Christmas with family in MN, WI and IAA skateboard - EEK!!We got together with college friends for our annual Holiday party

Shawna @ MomsGonnaSnaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13114062734819212724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984958895648044375.post-84169557245429366342014-01-05T10:52:00.000-06:002014-01-05T10:52:00.079-06:00

I’m a little behind… Better late than never, right?!? November came and went without much recognition. Here’s a snapshot of what we were up to in November! Thanksgiving in Iowa with cousinsCub Scout Building night at our house (blog post coming soon!)Barbershop with Dad – faux-hawk anyone?School musicalSchool field TripBasketball

Shawna @ MomsGonnaSnaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13114062734819212724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984958895648044375.post-33630517284566678532013-12-20T16:06:00.000-06:002013-12-20T16:06:31.618-06:00

Each year there is a Talent Show at Anthony’s school. Children in 2nd-5th grades are invited to try out.  This year 17 acts made the talent show, and Anthony was one of them!  He played his piano recital piece from June, and he did a great job! Here’s a link to his performance! Anthony was really nervous, but he still did a great job!  We are so proud!  Today is

Shawna @ MomsGonnaSnaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13114062734819212724noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984958895648044375.post-74247116735006569972013-12-02T09:34:00.000-06:002013-12-02T09:34:42.098-06:00

It’s that time of year again!  Last year was the first year we had an elf.  I wrote a letter (thank you Pinterest for the ideas!) and Santa sent him the elf as a package.  You can read about his first arrival here.  Anthony didn’t know he wasn’t supposed to touch the elf until he read the letter…   As we began planning for his return, I put together a quick review of

Shawna @ MomsGonnaSnaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13114062734819212724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984958895648044375.post-81942009628920756532013-11-15T15:40:00.000-06:002013-11-16T21:36:29.818-06:00

Here’s what we have been up to the past few weeks – I’m MomsGonnaSnap on Instagram if you want to follow along! We took a few Super Hero family pics in October – thanks to our friends J & E for helping!  I also got to take a few photos for them that day too.  They have a super cute little boy – love taking pics of him! Anthony and I met my parents for lunch and some fun in

Shawna @ MomsGonnaSnaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13114062734819212724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984958895648044375.post-57112179250777852182013-11-14T16:28:00.000-06:002013-11-14T16:28:00.913-06:00

Last year was the first year that our family had an elf – we avoided it for a few years!  As we gear up for the upcoming weeks of elf mischief, I decided to review many of the ways our elf, Clyde, had fun in our home last year. You can read more about our elf’s first arrival and the letter he came with here.  One of the things we quickly learned about having an elf was that every

Shawna @ MomsGonnaSnaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13114062734819212724noreply@blogger.com0