The Early Family Life

Christmas Letter 2011

2011-12-20T14:17:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

We hope the year has gone well for you. It has been a very full year for us. In February we started a class that was recommended to us called Financial Peace University. It was very eye opening and has made some big differences in our life. We are now on a budget and no longer use any debt instruments (credit cards and the like) and pay for everything with cash, which means we don’t really worry about money anymore…very liberating! We will be teaching this class at our church after the start of the new year.

In May we had some adjustments to make as Emmy again had to have surgery. It actually involved two surgeries at the same time to help with her peeing and stooling so that she can be continent. While it has presented challenges, we have been very happy with the overall outcome. (To keep up to date on Emmy’s journey, visit her Caring Bridge page: www.caringbridge.org/visit/emmareneearly.)

Sadly Jesse, our dog of 9 years, died in March. We did not get a new dog right away and decided to try fostering dogs for a while. In July we got a foster dog, Elmo, who was a very fun cute American bull dog. Unfortunately we were unable to keep him as we found that Emmy was allergic to dogs. A couple of weeks after we got him Emmy suddenly had an allergic reaction with anaphylaxis. We did not suspect dogs at first, but a couple of days later she had another allergic reaction with anaphylaxis, and then the allergy testing came back showing dogs as well as cows milk and egg whites, so we are no longer able to have a dog and our whole family’s diet has had to make some adjustments.

Peder played t-ball and Soccer over the summer. The girls are looking forward to playing soccer themselves next year. Peder then started K-Camp in late august and finally kindergarten. He had some adjustments to being at school all day. He was really missing playing with his sisters. Emmy and Mari both started pre-k this fall and they are enjoying school. We had originally planned on having them repeat pre-k since their birthday is in the summer, but after going to their first parent teacher conference, we were told by their teachers they are fully ready for kindergarten now and repeating would only result in their being bored. So, in a few short months, all of our kids are going to be in school all day. Where did the time go?

Melissa finished up with her schooling in June and can now do some amazing things with a computer. Our holiday picture this year had some adjustments made to it. Right before we took our picture, Jake managed to get a nice gash on his cheek. Well, Melissa quickly and easily removed that little blemish. She has also designed her own website, Earlybirdcrafts.com to support her paper craft business and has plans for future websites to create a support network for the families of children with Emmy’s condition. In August Melissa started working every other weekend in a group home and she will be having surgery in December to treat a chronic condition that causes severe pain.

Jake continues to play football. His team has had some struggles this year. They are all getting older and chronic injuries have resulted in a couple of people no longer playing. Jake has had lingering issues himself with plantar fasciitis. It took him almost six months before he finally went to the Doctor at Melissa’s encouragement and finally started noticing improvement in his foot. He also continues with fantasy football, though decided to drop one of his leagues as he was having trouble finding the time to keep up with all of them. He has also continued with his poker league once a month and was especially proud of one night when he managed to win every game he played, plus personally took out every person at the table one at a time.

We had a pretty good year and are looking forward to the new year! We hope you have a wonderful Christmas and joyous New Year.

A Very Proud Mama

2011-10-07T22:44:00.000-07:00

See that boy right there? I love him. He makes me SO proud. That boy right there is my baby boy, the first of my children to venture out into the world beyond our home by himself. That first day of kindergarten, I bawled....a lot. I watched him walk up to school, a bit nervous, pause a moment and then take those steps into the big brick building where he would be spending his days, and my heart went with him. He looked so little next to all the other kids, but I was SO proud of that little boy.

Then, I started volunteering in his classroom. I help out with "centers" on Wednesday mornings....basically I help out with learning activities and the kids rotate centers and I get to help them out and spend some time with Peder. I watch him and listen to him when he doesn't realize that anyone else is paying attention, and the things I hear him say make me even more proud of him. He will walk past someone in his class and say something like, "I really like how you colored your monster." or "Your letter M looks really good." He reaches out to his classmates and is extremely kind to them, and the fact that he does that when no one is watching, with no expectations, makes me SO proud. It melts my heart and brings tears to my eyes because I can see the person he is becoming, and I love who he is becoming.

Yes, I'm bragging. I'm proud. SO PROUD! And let's just add another thing on there to be proud. Today when I picked him up from school he had a sucker in his hand. I asked him why he got the sucker and he told me that he got it for counting to 100 with the principal. The principal, Mr. Bretoi, goes to the classrooms and sits with the kids and does things with them to track progress and see where kids are in their skills. Today Peder was one of only 2 students in his class that was able to count to 100. Another thing to make this Mama proud.

I am SO happy and excited about the boy Peder is turning into. I just had to share this with all of you....I'm just so proud of him.

The proof is in the dancing

2011-08-30T09:08:00.000-07:00

Here is a video of one of the happenings in our house this morning. If you listen closely you'll hear her singing....and a bit of my singing too. :) The reason you hear me telling her to keep going is because I stopped dancing because the camera was starting to shake. And she wouldn't take a bow because another song came on and she proceeded to dance to that one too.

The video is wider then my screen on my blog, so if you want to see the full width and Emmy actually centered in it, click on the video and the youtube page will open up. Enjoy!

Oh the Hilarity....

2011-08-29T16:20:00.000-07:00

Some of the funny, hilarious, whatever tidbits happening in our life right now:

- Mari had her new glasses for less than 3 hours before she got hit in the face with a whiffle bat and had to have them adjusted. 2 days later she got hit in the face again while wrestling with Peder.

- Any time we are in the car, all 3 kids sing along to the radio.....every song. It amazes me that after hearing the song once the kids know half the words to a song.

- Our house is full of giggles lately. Our kids are all developing their senses of humor and OH MY GOODNESS, do they find each other hilarious. Sometimes they are a lot like their mom, dad or Grandpa Warren, and they find themselves hilarious when no one else does.

- All three kids had blood draws today for their allergies....no tears whatsoever. They all were VERY brave and did a wonderful job.

- Peder starts kindergarten a week from Thursday and the girls start Pre-K two weeks from today. How did this happen?

- On the slightly crude side....Emmy was sitting on the toilet this morning before her flush and she farted. I said, "Did you tooter?" And her response was, "No, my butt coughed." I seriously could not stop laughing.

- We're doing a lot of singing and dancing around the house and while driving around on our errands. I will leave you with the one song that gets us ALL (yes, Jake too) dancing and singing along to the radio...(YES, we have WAY too much fun in our life! :) )

Babies, Dogs and Engagements.....Oh MY!

2011-07-08T10:36:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've updated, and we've had a lot going on since then. All 3 kids finished up with preschool and Peder is getting all prepared for Kindergarten this fall. Peder is playing both soccer and t-ball this summer and the girls and I spend Monday and Wednesday mornings hanging out with one of their preschool friends and watching Peder play soccer.

In addition to our regularly scheduled summer activities, the following things are going on:

- I have decided to take the summer off of school. It was all becoming too much and I was missing my family. We'll be reassessing in the fall to decide whether it's better to start again in the fall or wait until all 3 kids are in school all day and talk about it again then.

- My cousin Chelsea and her husband Josh had their first little boy last month. That's Great-Grandbaby number 5 on that side of the family, and baby number 3 for our families this year. I said in January that 2011 was going to be the year of the baby, and it's definitely shaping up that way. Any baby fever is placated by snuggling with all these little ones joining our family and the families of our friends.

- Jake's brother Nick got engaged earlier this week. WA-HOO! Dana really is the perfect fit for him and we can't wait to have her in the family. Welcome to the family "Auntie Dana!"

- After Jesse's death we really struggled with whether to get another dog. We just didn't know about getting another dog, especially at this time in our life with the financial responsibility of it. I hemmed and hawed for quite awhile and then took the plunge and applied to be a foster parent for dogs through Midwest Animal Rescue and Services. We got our first dog last Friday. His name is Elmo. He is an American Bulldog (think Chance from Homeward Bound) and is about a year old. He was extremely lethargic the first couple of days here, but now he fits right in. He is very much a puppy still and we're working on teaching him his manners. I'm actually amazed at how easy he is to train and how well he is doing, especially after how sad he was those first few days. Here's a picture of the cutie:

I think that's all for now. We're gearing up for a couple of family get-togethers this weekend with Jake's family and the girls turn FOUR tomorrow. WHAT? How did this happen? I'm in disbelief....

Am I Naive?

2011-03-17T10:09:00.000-07:00

I've been reading what I can about the horrible crisis in Japan. I say "what I can" because I am an extremely emotional person. I see others' heartache, pain, devastation and I take it as my own (the same with positive things, it's just that the sad is overwhelming in this story), meaning I put myself in their place and feel as if it had happened to me. This has resulted in my distancing myself from most news....my heart and soul cannot take it. I become depressed, devastated and it results in worrying on my part. Jake has stopped telling me about sad stories about children, because he knows I just cannot handle it.

So in part, I know I create my own naivete. I don't keep up on current events as much as I "should" because the human stories behind the news break my heart. I have to do it for my own well-being. That being said, I'm shocked by what I've been reading lately.

APPARENTLY, there is a large underlying issue in the United States: racism and hatred towards the Japanese. There are men and women who hate the Japanese and can never forgive them for what happened at Pearl Harbor and WWII in general. Now, I understand that this was a devastating time for our nation and that it greatly influenced my grandparents' generation. That it was a scary time and that for many of these people their lives were never the same because of it. I also know, that it has been close to 70 years since the horrible event and that those involved and responsible for those events left our world long ago. I also KNOW, that NO MATTER what you feel about a group of people, to say that they "deserved" or "had it coming" in regards to this horrendous disaster is heartless and my eyes defines you as a person. And in my eyes, that's not a very good person.

I'm extremely angry about this. I don't care who you are, people do NOT deserve to have their lives swept away from them, to live through this devastation, to have their entire world fall apart. Yes, it happens. This is the world we live in....bad things happen. But no one, NO ONE, deserves it. No one can earn to have their country in crisis like this.

So apparently I was pretty naive about the amount of racism towards the Japanese in our country. And now I'm all fired up and ticked off about it. Too bad that when I get fired up and ticked off I have a horrible time articulating my thoughts.

Ok...vent over.

Financial Peace University

2011-03-15T12:49:00.000-07:00

So....here in the Early household....we're dealing with a bit of a pride issue. Jake and I are extremely PROUD of ourselves right now. I'm glowing and hyper. Jake sends me happy little emails about our finances. Yep....you read that right, HAPPY little emails about our FINANCES.

You see....we're feeling a bit like rock stars right now. At the end of last year my parents attended Financial Peace University (FPU) through their church. They kept telling us all these great things about it and all the things you can accomplish with it. After our second or third conversation with them about it I asked Jake what he thought about us taking it. We both thought it was a great idea and I started to look up places we could take it. With my schedule for school and having 3 kids, we had one option that worked. SO starting on Super Bowl Sunday (yes, Jake voluntarily missed watching the Super Bowl) we started our classes.

We just had our 5th week of class on Sunday. The class is getting to the point where we're starting to share our successes, the steps we've taken, the things we've done and the changes we've made in our lives to reach financial peace. It ROCKS! Seriously, it is not only empowering to yourself and your family to see the changes happening, but when you hear about the steps others are taking and the positive changes in their lives, it motivates you even more.

The change in our life, in our relationship, in our moods and in our finances is awesome. Dave talks about making your "money work for you" and being in "control of your money" rather then your money controlling you. For us the changes we have made so far and the things we have learned have resulted in exactly this. We're in control. We're planning. Those "unexpected" expenses are now planned for and the amount of stress that is gone because of that is amazing. I'm even looking into another part-time job to help pay for expenses that we see coming up in 6 months and want to have them more then saved up for.

We would highly recommend this class to anyone at any phase of your life and in any financial situation, it can help you no matter what. Jake and I have talked about being coordinators or leaders of the class sometime in the future (probably after I'm done with school). The amount of peace and control it has brought into our lives has been great for us and we want to help others get there too.

So anyway, that's my happy ramble about FPU. You'll probably be reading more of them as time passes. We just made a couple of major steps in our process and whenever that happens I'll get excited and want to share that excitement with all of you!

For those wondering, here are Dave's Baby Steps towards Financial Peace. You do them in the following order:

Baby Step 1 - Establish an Emergency Fund (Get $1000.00 in savings)
Baby Step 2 - Debt Snowball (Pay off your debt starting with smallest debt first, once paid off roll your payment over to the next smallest debt. Continue until all debt is paid off.)
Baby Step 3 - 3 to 6 months of expenses in savings (This is your new Emergency Fund. You do not touch it. This is in case there is an unexpected emergency, i.e. loss of job, severe medical issue)
Baby Step 4 - Save for Retirement (Put 15% of your income into pretax retirement funds)
Baby Step 5 - Save for college for your children
Baby Step 6 - Pay off your house early
Baby Step 7 - Build wealth and give

(P.S. If you have questions, leave a comment and I can email you privately if you'd prefer. I'm not an expert, but I can give you the general idea behind the class and what Dave recommends.)

Remembering...

2011-03-04T16:48:00.000-08:00

*This is a warning. This could very well be a rambling, emotional post. Be warned that it may be full of random thoughts and tears on my keyboard.*

Eight and a half years ago, right after we got married, Jake and I went to the Last Hope Adoption Day at our local PetCo. Sitting there looking for a home was a 6 month old yellow lab. He was super sweet and later that day he came home with us. He very quickly became "my"dog and an important member of the family. That 6 month old yellow lab turned into my sweet, gigantic (95 pound) lap dog.

Today we said good-bye to Jesse. Last Friday he started acting lethargic and was starting to limp around. We thought his arthritis was acting up, so gave him something for the pain. He continued to act that way and by Tuesday Jake had to carry him to his vet appointment. It was then that we discovered the horrible truth: Jesse had severe internal bleeding, most likely from a tumor in his spleen. There is very little that can be done for it, and research is currently being done to hopefully find a genetic cause, because then they can breed it out of the dogs. Sadly, it was already too late for Jesse.

We had 3 days to come to terms with it, question ourselves and spoil him rotten. This evening, just before 5p, Jesse went to God while I scratched his ears and the vet rubbed his neck. All 3 of us who were in the room cried and with each memory came fresh tears.

Memories, like how he would snuggle with me every chance he got. I would often fall asleep with my face buried in his fur and wake up the same way, because he would lay in Jake's spot when he wasn't in bed.

Memories like when we would go to our friends Allison and Monty's cabin, Jesse would head down to the lake and just swim in circles, because he loved the water so much.

Memories like constantly being crushed under my gigantic lap dog. According to Jake I train those around me to want to snuggle or sit on my lap and I started with the dogs.

Memories like how he was so good with kids, especially our kids, and how he put up with their crazy behavior.

Memories like the ones that had me thinking "a boy and his dog." Jesse would sleep on the bed with Peder, follow him around and they would give each other random affection.

Memories like his adorable smile and perked up ears. How being around us could always get that smile and happy ears. It makes me remember when he could hear (his hearing was pretty much gone because of ear infections that became immune to anitbiotics) and every time he heard a dog bark on TV he would stand in front of it and cock his head back and forth.

Memories like his deep affection for Jake and how sometimes that deep affection would result in him constantly pestering Jake....nudging him, rubbing against him, leaning on him, anything to be next to him.

Memories of "my dog." My snuggler. My best fur buddy. My sweet, loving, gentle giant. Jesse, I love you, and you will be missed.

Building up our Immunity

2011-02-14T15:46:00.000-08:00

We've been dealing with illness here for the last 2 weeks. It started with Jake and moved to the kids and me. All 3 kids and myself went to the doctor today. Here is a rundown:

Peder - Strep
Me - Strep and Sinus Infection.

Here is my adventures of the day:

- I have never had strep in my life. EVER. I was shocked to find out I had it.
- I was given the choice of oral antibiotics for 10 days or a penicillin injection today and no need for oral antibiotics. I chose the injection.
- I hate needles and the shot took FOREVER. I got lightheaded and had to lay down.
- I finally felt better, but exhausted. I decided to go home and take a nap. By the time I'd made it 15 feet from my exam room I was looking for a nurse. I couldn't keep my eyes open.....I was SO tired.
- I passed out on the appointment desk at the clinic. They helped me to another room, got me a nurse and laid me down tilted towards my head. Apparently I was so pale my lips were white.
- It took me a half hour to recover from my lightheadedness/exhaustion enough to be able to drive home.
- I woke up from my nap this afternoon to a temp of 103.4. I called the doctor and am now on a tylenol schedule for the next 48 hours until my body has the infection under control. WA-HOO!

It has been quite the day. I'm still going to be feeling pretty crummy for the next 48 hours, so I'm planning on spending my time in bed as much as possible.

It's been awhile since we've all been this sick. I hope that by next week we'll all be on the mend. I hope none of you are battling all of these illnesses like we are and are able to enjoy the gorgeous weather!

Someone stole my baby boy....

2011-02-04T10:18:00.000-08:00

and put a big boy in his place! Peder lost his first tooth today while eating popcorn at preschool. I didn't even know it was loose! We are pretty sure he swallowed it. Apparently he looked at his teachers and asked, "Did I lose my tooth?" They searched high and low for it and couldn't find it anywhere. We'll be leaving a note for the tooth fairy to explain what happened.

In the meantime, I'm going to go mourn the loss of my baby boy, who I swear just got those teeth in yesterday!

Vulnerabilities

2011-01-20T12:44:00.000-08:00

So I read this book "The Gifts of Imperfection" by Brene Brown. It was interesting. I didn't get as much out of it as I thought I would, but it made me think, so that was good. (Or maybe not....sometimes I think too much.)

Anyway....something she talked about frequently....or at least stuck out to me was vulnerabilities and how we tend to hide them. Are you a vulnerability hider? I think everyone is, it's just how much so. Brown talked about how there are three areas in which people are the most vulnerable: dancing, singing and laughing. I found this SO interesting. I know there are people who don't like to do these things because they are embarassed, but man alive, I am not one of them. Here's a bit about me on each of these topics

Laughing - I snort when I laugh. Sometimes really loud. I get teased about it, I get egged on to try to get a snort. Friends and family judge how funny something is by how many times I snort. Sometimes I'll try to hold it in (which essentially means it is delayed, they always come out), but HECK, IT'S ME! It's who I am. I didn't used to snort. Something happened during my pregnancies....it started after Peder was born and got way more prevalent after the girls. I'm the girl who laughs so hard she snorts. I'd rather laugh so hard I snort then not laugh at all.
Singing - I sing A LOT. I sing to my kids, I sing in the shower, I sing along with the radio. If you're driving down the road and you start laughing at someone who is jamming along to the radio, it's probably me you're laughing at. There are pictures of me unabashedly singing my guts out on facebook. Yep, I'm the girl who can't carry a tune but sings at the top of her lungs.
Dancing - OH MY GOODNESS! I love to dance! L-O-V-E IT! We have dance parties around our living room and kitchen. If I hear a song I like while at a store or restaurant I will start singing and dancing along. I'm pretty sure I get this from my mom (She was SO embarrassing when I was a kid! LOL). I have memories of dancing around with my parents when I was growing up and one of my favorites is dancing around a cabin we rented to the song "If I had a Million Dollars" the summer before I left for college. Right now my workouts are to Just Dance 2 and Gold Gym's Dance Workout on our Wii.

Apparently these are not my vulnerabilities. I'm a free spirit. I don't embarrass easily. I will NEVER be ashamed of having a good time through laughing, singing or dancing. These things help to get me out of my head when I'm thinking too much, when I'm very grumpy or when I'm just having a hard day.

This is my current favorite song to sing and dance to. I crank it every time I drive to school. Don't let a moment slip away!

I'm a Guest Designer!

2011-01-07T10:32:00.000-08:00

Here is a post from my blog for Early Bird Crafts about a guest designer spot I got. My project is on the blog today. Check it out!

Hi all! Head on over to Frosted Designs to check out my very first guest design. I've been working on a bunch of stuff lately and hope to get pictures of other layouts and projects posted soon!

If you are here from Frosted Designs, thank you SO much for stopping by! My blog has been quiet lately because of school, but I've got a bunch of projects in the works and will be posted soon. I would love it if you became a follower to view more of my work!

Thanks again for the visit and I was SO honored to be asked to guest design at Frosted Designs.

First Haircuts

2011-01-02T11:31:00.000-08:00

My baby girls are now 3 and a half, which means I have finally given in to giving them haircuts. They look SO cute and like such big girls. And for those of you who have a hard time telling them apart....Emmy now has much shorter hair then Mari.

Emmy Before:

Emmy After:

Mari Before:

Mari After:

Time to Simplify

2010-12-03T14:05:00.000-08:00

The holiday season always, ALWAYS stresses me out. I get depressed, grumpy and overwhelmed. It makes me sad, because I really do LOVE the season, the smells, the sentiments and the giving. I love everything related to Christmas, but every year I get down emotionally.

So now, this year, actually in the last 24 hours, I've decided to make some changes. Most of you know that every year I send out handmade Christmas cards, with a family letter and picture. Every year I spend at least 20-30 hours designing and making the cards. That doesn't include the letter, picture or addressing the envelopes. Since I've been so busy this year I haven't even started any of that process. So....I'm not doing it this year. I'll still send out cards, but it will be a photo card that will take me an hour or two to make the 80 that I usually send out. There's one load off my shoulders.

I'm also changing the family letter. I'm not going to do the traditional format. I haven't quite decided what the new format will be, but it will be quick and easy to do. No more worrying about the grammar, spelling, etc. In all honesty, it may just be a list of things from our year.

Now....what will I do with all this extra spare time that I have? Well, first of all, I'll sleep. WA-HOO! I love sleep and it hasn't been around much lately, so I'm going to reacquaint myself with it. THEN....I'll actually be able to enjoy my children's wonder of the season, rather then stressing about what else I need to get done this year before the holiday gets here. I'll be able to bake and decorate cookies, take them shopping for each other and their dad, and continue our family traditions while being fully present rather then thinking of something else. I'm also going to spend some time with my rarely seen husband....doing goofy things like playing Guitar Hero or kicking his butt at Wii Boxing.

This year I'm slowing down rather then speeding up. I'm going to hold my family close and really enJOY the season.

The Christmas Season is Here

2010-11-30T14:10:00.000-08:00

I took this picture on Sunday after we had decorated our tree. The wonder of Christmas has filled my children's hearts and I'm SO happy and proud that they are mine.

My baby boy is 5!

2010-10-12T19:35:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it? Peder is 5 years old today. FIVE! Seriously, how did that happen. He was snuggling with me this afternoon and overflows all over the place when he sits on my lap. Was it really 5 years ago that I could hold him in one arm and he would sit so easily in the crook of my arm.

Look at him now. Isn't he just an adorable little boy? My gosh that smile can totally light up my day. Look at how happy he is with his 24 mini-cupcakes he picked out for his birthday cake (he'll get a fancy Scooby Doo one for his birthday party in a couple weeks). We were singing happy birthday to him and he just looked at me with that sweet smile of his.

Here he is with all of his presents from our little family. He got a cowboy hat and Sheriff badge from me and Jake, a lasso from Mari and a pair of chaps from Emmy. He is all ready to be a cowboy.

When he was all done opening his gifts he said, "Thank you so much you guys! I LOVE IT! Everything is so cute." That made me tear up. Oh my gosh! I am SO proud to be his mommy. Happy Birthday to my little Sweet P.

Busy-ness, Inspiration and The End is NEAR!

2010-09-20T09:25:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, life is chaotic in the Early household. We are busy, busy people. Last week all 3 kids started preschool. (Pictures soon, I promise.) Peder has pre-k every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Emmy and Mari have 3-school every Tuesday and Thursday. It was an exciting week in our house. All 3 kids were ready for school to start and this mommy was ready to be in a routine again. I have to admit, Tuesday and Thursday mornings are oddly quiet with just Peder to hang out with. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do next year with all the kids in school several days a week.

Jake and Peder are leaving for a fishing trip on Wednesday night, right after Peder gets done with his first swim lessons class. They are heading up to Canada with my dad, my grandpa (mom's dad) and my brother-in-law Randy. I'm sure they are going to have a fantastic adventure and I know Peder is looking forward to hanging out with the guys. He seems to feel like a very grown up boy with this privilege to go along. It's cute.

I spent the weekend hanging out with my Mommy. We went to ScrapFest over at the Mall of America. I went to a crop by myself on Thursday night and then met my mom for another one on Friday night. On Saturday we did make n' takes, took 3 classe and did a bunch of shopping. Sunday we spent the day doing make n' takes. This is something we try to do every year. We have so much fun, make a ton of cute projects and get all kinds of inspiration. I had so much fun hanging out with my mom....I look forward to this weekend every year!

And....THE END IS NEAR! At least of my quarter at school. I have a final and a final project due tonight, a final tomorrow and then D-O-N-E! WA-HOO! I get a week off in between quarters and the only thing that we have planned is swim lessons, Jake's football game and our annual trip to the corn maze. I'll finally be able to get the rest that my physical therapist keeps telling me to take.

We have a lot to look forward to in the next couple of weeks!

Twins Game a.k.a. My Mom's Great Photography Skills

2010-08-24T21:18:00.000-07:00

Mom and Dad getting ready for dinner at The Melting Pot.

YUM -O!

We're gonna win Twins! (And they did!)

Welcome to the Matrix, Mom.

Much better.

Having fun!

She wouldn't put the camera down.

So we decided to ham it up a little bit.

Shocking, I know.

We couldn't believe it!

And they wonder where we get it from....

Me, heading back down the 50 stairs from our seats.

Love you Mom and Dad!

Love you Jake!

Bad Blogger Update

2010-06-08T07:39:00.000-07:00

I have been a very bad blogger lately. In all honestly, I've been so busy that I end each day with a ton of things that were supposed to get done and didn't. Every day is a race to see what can get done before bedtime, which keeps getting pushed later and later. Luckily, in 3 weeks I will be out of school for a 3 week summer break. This means vacations and time to enjoy my family.

Since I've last updated: we celebrated Mother's Day at the Sculpture Garden and I got a nook (L-O-V-E it), my sister Chanda came to visit with her son Eli (so cute!), I celebrated my 30th birthday, Jake took me on our first date again, and we spent a day in Alexandria for the Pederson side family reunion.

The biggest news is that I will be having surgery on my hip on July 22nd at 7:30a. After 3 years of pelvis issues and 15 months of specific hip issues, my orthopedist has recommended surgery to repair my hip. The surgery will last about 2 hours and I will be on crutches for the first 2 weeks after surgery and unable to drive for a week. The surgery involves removing some of the bone from my hip socket, repairing the cartilage in my hip and then maybe reshaping the ball part of the leg. The good news is that I should be 90% better within a year and continue to improve slowly after that. If this surgery is successful, it will be a dream come true for us.

I will try to keep you more posted about the happenings in our life, and related to my surgery.

Let's Go Fly a Kite

2010-03-30T20:09:00.000-07:00

We headed out to a local ball field and flew kites tonight. WAY TOO MUCH FUN!

Peder getting ready to fly his Spiderman kite.

Mari loving her kite. Look at that smile! She couldn't stop talking about it afterwards.

Emmy was ecstatic. I loved all the smiles on the kiddos' faces and the giggles.

This is Mari and me getting her kite out of a tree. I was SO impressed that I got the kite out without snapping the line or ruining the kite.

Daddy helping the kids get their kites up.

A little happiness for your Thursday....

2010-03-04T10:13:00.000-08:00

Our Weekend Highs

2010-02-14T20:48:00.000-08:00

A summary of our weekend in the great things we experienced!

Friday -
1. We went to the Minneapolis Camping and Vacation Show and found a camper we want to get when we buy our next camper.

2. While looking at a camper one of the sales people asked us if the girls are twins. We, of course, said yes and he talked about his twin boys. He mentioned that his twins were premature. I told him that our girls were born at 38 weeks and his response made me soar. He said, "It's obvious, they both look very healthy." HOW AWESOME! I love that people look at my girls and see healthy kids!

Saturday -
1. I got a ton of studying done!

2. SLUMBER PARTY! Peder, Emmy and I had a slumber party in the living room. We watched a movie, had a special snacks and shared a bowl of popcorn. I love slumber parties with my kiddos!

Sunday -
1. A Valentine's Day surprise from Jake! He doesn't like Valentine's Day, but made today special because I've been struggling with stress level. Jake and I haven't been able to spend much time together lately. We got to my parents' house to pick Mari up from her weekend visit and the kids brought me two Valentine's cards. Jake had asked my parents to watch the kids and we went out on a date. We went to see "When in Rome," which was really cute and fun. Then we went to Target, wandered around and got some new clothes (for me) and Valentine candies for Jake.

2. An awesome TWIN moment between Emmy and Mari. When we got to my parents' house to pick up Mari, the girls ignored everyone else. Emmy and Mari yelled each other's names and ran into each other's arms. They hugged each other and were SO excited to see each other again. It totally melted my heart.

A Peek at our Night

2010-01-29T19:39:00.000-08:00

Tonight we went to run some errands. We headed over to Woodbury to check out Michael's and I made a trip into Archiver's. On our way back to Target in West St. Paul, the following scene happened.

Emmy: Singing at the TOP of her lungs. And I mean TOP. She was joyously singing like she often does.

Peder: Got kind of annoyed with the singing. Told Emmy to stop.

Emmy: Kept SINGING! Sang so loud I couldn't hear Peder talking.

Peder: Repeatedly: EMMY STOP!

Me: Started singing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star at the top of my lungs. MUCH louder and more annoying than Emmy was.

Peder: "That's MUCH better!"

And that is a small snippet of our life. Enjoy!

My Day...

2010-01-19T20:12:00.000-08:00

So today was a day. A REALLY bad day. I started my third week of classes today.

Here is a summation of my day:

1. All 3 kids battled me tooth and nail to get Peder to school.

2. I had to trick the girls into thinking I was leaving the house so they would get ready to go pick up Peder from school.

3. Nap time was a nightmare. The girls fought, screamed, cried, learned how to open their bedroom door and in general fought with me every moment of naps. Peder goofed off, played and got upset when limitations were set.

4. All 3 kids fell asleep at 3:45p, 15 minutes before we wake them so they go to bed on time. Imagine how they all were when it was time to get up.

5. I printed off my assignment for class tonight and then left it at home. Luckily I had sent the assignment to myself via email and could print it off at the school computer lab.

6. I forgot my cell phone in the car, which lead to a moment of panic until I realized I still had that email in my account. I didn't have time to run back to my car, call Jake to email me the paper, go back and print it off and make it to class on time.

7. I ate Arby's for dinner and it made me REALLY sick about 40 minutes into class and had to leave for about 10 minutes because my stomach was feeling so gross.

8. On my way home from school the car started to make a weird whirring noise. I thought it was a belt and told Jake to take it out for a spin.

9. I was happily eating the cookie dough Jake made for me when he got home from his drive. He walked in and told me that it was probably the transmission needing to be replaced. WHOOP-DEE-DOO!

Time for bed and to start tomorrow fresh.

Year in Review - December 2009

2010-01-02T18:18:00.000-08:00

Now the last "Year in Review" post. To see what happened through our year, scroll down. It's been quite an adventure!

We took the kids to see Santa.

We decorated a gingerbread house and train....and cookies later in the month.

The kids helped Jake shovel the sidewalks after a big snow fall.

Peder was in his first ever Christmas program at church.

We did our annual trip to the Macy's 8th floor display with Grandpa Warren and Grandma Cindi. (Mari is on Grandpa's shoulders, Emmy is on Grandma's.)

And then went to the Holidazzle parade. Peder is giving me some love in this picture. He's so sweet.

We had a joyous and snowy Christmas celebration.

And we finally got to meet nephew #3, Elias Warren Stevens on December 26th. He was born November 22nd, 2009. Here is Emmy giving her newest cousin some love.

Thanks for traveling with us through 2009. We can't wait to see what 2010 has in store for our family and hope that you can continue on this journey with us.

Year in Review - November 2009

2010-01-02T17:59:00.000-08:00

I sold my paper crafts for the first time ever. It was very successful and I started an etsy shop and have had several custom orders since then.

We did the Walk to End Hunger at the Mall of America on Thanksgiving morning.

We had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving dinner.

Mari had her first trip to the ER and we dealt with our first set of injury related stitches. I almost passed out after they were done putting the stitches in.

We picked out our Christmas tree.

We also decorated our tree. We loved it!

Year in Review - October 2009

2010-01-02T17:27:00.000-08:00

Mari decided she wasn't quite ready to be done with her bath, after she was dressed for bed.

Peder turned 4. (Can you believe it?)

Jake got to do the public tour of the new football stadium at the U of M. Yes, this was part of our anniversary weekend. Yes, I'm that good of a wife. :)

Peder celebrated his 4th birthday at Pump It Up with some friends from preschool and a couple of cousins.

Jake, once again out did himself with the cake he made for Peder.

We carved pumpkins for Halloween.

And the kids got dressed up all cute to go trick or treating. Mari, the bumblebee, Emmy, the princess and Peder, Woody from Toy Story. They all picked out their own costumes.

Year in Review - September 2009

2010-01-02T17:08:00.000-08:00

Auntie Chanda came to visit from Pennsylvania and we all got to see and touch her baby belly!

My Aunt Debbie and I threw a baby shower for my sister. This is a picture of some of us cousins: Alli, me, Chelsea and my sister, Chanda.

Peder started preschool, officially. He was VERY excited!

We spent a lot of time playing outside.

We did our annual visit to the corn maze. What a blast!

Year in Review - August 2009

2010-01-02T16:56:00.000-08:00

We took our brand spanking new camper up to Hayward for a weekend of camping with Jake's brother and his family.

While we were there Peder made a tie dye t-shirt.

The kids and I went to Marshall with my mom to visit my grandparents. We hung out with Great Grandpa Earl.

Went to the park with Grandma Cindi, Great Grandma Dorene and Great Aunt Jan.

And Peder went for his first ever tractor ride with Great Uncle Jerry and Great Aunt Jan.

At the end of August we spent a week on our first ever family vacation, just the 5 of us. We camped in the Black Hills and had an absolute blast!

Year in Review - July 2009

2010-01-02T16:36:00.000-08:00

We celebrated the 4th of July at my parents' cabin and the girls had their first boat ride ever. It was F-U-N!

Emmy and Mari turned 2.

And celebrated their birthday with family at a local pool and park.

And we welcomed nephew number 2 into the family! Alexander Russell Edward Early was born July 5th, 2009! This is him with his mommy, Jill.

We visited the Como Zoo with the White family.

Year in Review - June 2009

2009-12-30T19:27:00.000-08:00

We went to Grandpa and Grandma's cabin for the annual Pederson family reunion. Peder and Zoey took a nap together.

Peder got his room redecorated into a Cars and Lightning McQueen theme.

Peder went to summer preschool.

Granpda Warren and Grandma Cindi came over to celebrate Father's Day. The girls had mixed reactions to Grandma's singing. :) They both wanted to dance, but Mari was a bit unsure of the noise level. :)

Year in Review - May 2009

2009-12-30T19:11:00.000-08:00

Remember to scroll down to see previous months!

Our annual Mother's Day slumber party.

My adorable kids sitting in our front porch.

We went to the West St. Paul Days parade near our house.

I celebrated my golden birthday, the big 2-9!

We celebrated my birthday by going to see UP at the drive in. What a blast!

Year in Review - April 2009

2009-12-30T18:55:00.000-08:00

April 2009 was a busy and fun month!

We went to an Easter egg hunt in Big Lake.

Mari won a prize, it was VERY exciting!

The first nephew of the year was born. Nathan Andrew Trent the II with proud parents Nathan and Tina.

Grandpa Warren got a time out.

We dyed Easter Eggs.

The kids got all dressed up for Easter. Mari, Peder and Emmy

Peder brought me flowers for the first time ever. He picked them out himself and everything.

Emmy turned Daddy into a princess.

Year in Review - March 2009

2009-12-29T13:23:00.000-08:00

March was filled with fun! Some of my favorite pictures from the month are below.

Peder will probably kill me over this picture in years to come, but right now I love my Princess P. :)

I love this picture of Emmy. She is changing her imaginary colostomy bag. We used to use this tube of powder to prep her skin before we put a new bag on. She went through all the steps and this picture was just a moment in her steps.

This is Emmy after her endoscopy to make sure her intestinal bleed had healed completely. It was the first time she'd ever gotten to go home after one of her procedures and I think she much preferred it to sitting in a hospital room.

Jake celebrated his 31st birthday. Don't you love the kids' cake decorating job?

Peder on the couch tucked in with all his stuffed animals. He loves taking care of his animals.

I got sick and all the kids decided to "take care" of me. Aren't they sweet?

We had a tea party.

Year In Review - February 2009

2009-12-28T19:49:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures that show how February went. To see pictures from January, scroll down. Some of these are just favorites of mine because they crack me up and show you what our family is like during our free time.

Peder in all of the necessary gear so that he could visit Emmy while she was in PICU. He "fixed" her and was SO happy when we told him that Emmy was getting better and he had helped.

Mari with a diaper on her head. This is a tactic I use to cheer up grumpy kids. I put a diaper on my head and dance around being a goof ball. The child I am cheering up always ends up with the diaper on their heads and a smile on their faces. Yep, it works!

This is how we spent our Valentine's Day. We went to the Minnesota Zoo as a family. We had planned a weekend away to Stillwater just Jake and me, but cancelled it so that we could get some normalcy back into our life. We had a blast at the zoo looking at the animals and just spending time together again.

Peder and I had a slumber party once we were all home again. We spent a lot of time giggling and snuggling. He is my Sweet P.

Year In Review - January 2009

2009-12-28T19:00:00.000-08:00

I decided to do a Year In Review in Pictures for 2009 and because of it, look for multiple posts in one day. We'll start out with January, which was a big month for Emmy. All of our pictures for this month are for Emmy and the roller coaster she went through. This post will be difficult to look at, so if you do not want to see her how she was at her lowest point, please do not read any further.

Emmy had her last colostomy bag change ever. We were ecstatic that she would no longer have to endure the bag changes, the increased susceptibility to illness and the periodic discomfort from the bags.

Emmy, free of her colostomy bag, before the down swing from the high of no longer having her bag.

This is Emmy on January 31st, 2009. That morning she woke up vomiting blood and a diaper full of blood. In the next 24 hours she would have four blood transfusions and one plasma infusion, a endoscopy and a fight for her life. This is still the hardest thing I have ever seen and I am unashamed to admit that I cried a good cry when I saw these pictures again. So here is my soapbox, once again: Donate blood, Save a life like Emmy's. Our church is having a blood drive at the end of January, if you would like to donate in honor of Emmy's life, let me know and I will get you the information you need.

Merry Christmas from the Early Kids

2009-12-23T21:26:00.000-08:00

Emmy, Peder and Mari want to wish all our friends and family a VERY Merry Christmas. We all hope that it is filled with joy and happiness and safe travel.

Emmy, Peder and Mari in their new jammies. They get a pair every year on the 23rd, so they have special new jammies to open their gifts in the next morning.

Reading a very special Christmas story with Daddy before bed. You can see our new couch that was delivered today. The fabric on the pillows is what I picked out for our chairs. It doesn't really do it justice, but we do love our new furniture!

Our Christmas tree all ready for our celebration that starts tomorrow morning. I just love how beautiful and festive it looks!

Photo Challenge: Dangle

2009-12-16T09:14:00.000-08:00

A scrapbooking website that I frequent (Two Peas In A Bucket) hosts a weekly photo challenge. The choose a word and you take and upload a picture that you think fits the word. This week is my first time participating and the word is "dangle."

I took this picture while we were decorating our Christmas tree. Emmy hung this ornament very carefully on the branch and it stayed. I couldn't believe how perfectly it bent the branch and hung from our tree. I had to take a picture.

Do you have an interpretation of dangle in the form of a picture? I'm really liking what I other people are posting on the website, it's great to see interpretation! One is a picture of a kid looking shocked at his tooth hanging from a string. It looks like it was just yanked out of his mouth. Pretty great shot if you ask me.

Early Family Christmas Picture 2009

2009-12-15T19:13:00.000-08:00

It sounds like people are starting to get their Christmas cards from us, so I thought I would post our family picture. Later this week I'll post a picture of the card. I hope you all are having a wonderful holiday season and that your hearts are filled with joy and love.

The kiddos from left to right: Mariana (2), Emmarene (2), and Peder (4).

Daddy's Little Helpers

2009-12-14T20:04:00.000-08:00

Over night last night we got several inches of snow, so when Jake got home from work he bundled up all the kids (the kids wouldn't let me help) and they went outside. They all "helped" shovel the sidewalks and ordered me around as I took some pictures.

Peder shoveled our neighbor's yard. I'm sure they appreciated it!

Mari mostly followed Peder around....and got in trouble when she tried to lick the fence.

Emmy was very helpful. When I got outside she was holding on to Jake's shovel while he was shoveling the back sidewalk. She was also the one ordering me around while I was taking pictures.

I'm thinking about doing a Year in Review from now until the new year, with each month having a summary in pictures. It's a great debate for me right now....January was not fun and I don't know if I want to look at some of those pictures, especially during such a joyful time. We'll see....I'll probably decide as I'm writing it. :)

A Fresh Blanket of Snow

2009-12-09T19:57:00.000-08:00

I am SO happy that it snowed. I L-O-V-E our new layer of white all over our world. Jake and Peder shoveled the sidewalk and the snow brought out the wonder in our kids' eyes. It is such a wonderful thing to watch.

I had my financial aid appointment today at the Minnesota School of Business. Jake had to be there too since we file our taxes jointly and that meant all 3 kids came with us too. On our way to the appointment we drove past the airport and it got me thinking about movie portrayals of a Minnesota winter. You know...people step out of the airport and there is blowing snow, it's dark and gloomy and it basically portrays a place no sane person would want to be. I said this to Jake and we started talking about how it should be portrayed: big fluffy snowflakes falling playfully down, when the sun comes out right after a snowfall, the brilliant brightness that fills the world, Christmas lights shining off the snow and kids playing. All the things that I love about winter. One of the reasons I live in Minnesota by choice: we get to experience these seasons. Yes, today was kind of like how we're portrayed in the movies, but I know that I'll get a lot of those good days out of this winter too.

2009 Christmas Cards

2009-12-08T20:47:00.000-08:00

Every free moment that I have had the last couple of days has been spent working on our Christmas cards. This is a picture of my little work station. The stack of cards in that plastic tub are the cards I have made. I had some help from the girls and Mari saw the finished product and said, "PRETTY!" Now I just need to write our annual letter, address the envelopes and get these in the mail. I'm hoping to have them done and in the mail by Friday. Wish me luck!

A Gingerbread House and Train

2009-12-07T18:49:00.000-08:00

Tonight I took a break from figuring out financial aid for school and making Christmas cards to make a gingerbread house and train with the kiddos. This is the first time (at least I think it is) that I've ever decorated a gingerbread house and let me tell you, we had a BLAST!

Emmy is looking forward to a career in baking and decorating. She took this very seriously and when Jake wasn't on top of things, took the bag of icing and started decorating herself. Very cute!

Mari was very intently decorating. And then she realized she could eat what she was decorating with. There were a lot of things that should have been used to decorate but ended up all over Mari's face or in her belly.

Peder was very good at telling me where things needed to go and what I needed to do so he could decorate the house. I think he did a fantastic job!

All three kids with their final products. Happy kids = a very good night!

After 7 years....FINALLY!

2009-12-06T19:05:00.000-08:00

I have lights on the outside of my house! WA-HOO! Jake put them up for me on Friday night and it was COLD! It will be a process, but next year I hope to get him to put lights up the peak of the front of the house.

This is me, with my permagrin, after Jake had put up the lights. I L-O-V-E them! And Jake!

Christmas Shopping

2009-12-05T18:02:00.000-08:00

Today we got a bunch of Christmas shopping done. We took the kids and finished almost all of our Christmas shopping for the extended family. Just one nephew left, but otherwise DONE!

Every year at Jake's work they do a toy drive for a local charity called VEAP. In the past they have done a name drawing and had to buy a gift that the person would have enjoyed as a child. This year they just asked for donations, so we decided that we would take the kids to pick out a gift for the toy drive.

As you can see, all 3 kids picked out a Toy Story item for the toy drive. We know some children will absolutely LOVE these toys, because our kids had a hard time not opening and playing with them.

Annual Christmas Picture

2009-12-04T21:10:00.000-08:00

Every year we take a family Christmas picture to send out in our Christmas card. My parents stopped by Thursday after their dentist appointments to bring me my mom's old sewing machine (WA-HOO!) and we had them do our picture. It took over 15 pictures, but we did get a good one of us. You'll have to wait for that one till after I've mailed out my cards, but here's a couple that we couldn't use.

After we were done my parents wanted a picture with the kids. This is the first picture we took of them. All the kids are behaving, everyone is smiling and it's perfect. What gives? :)

BIG News and More Christmas

2009-12-03T07:59:00.000-08:00

Well, yesterday I went to Minnesota School of Business and talked to them about their Interactive Media and Graphic Design program and have decided to go back to school. I'm REALLY excited about this. I hope to fill out the application in the next day or two and then start in January. With the number of credits I will be taking, I should be able to finish an Associate's Degree in 18 months. There is free continuing ed, you just pay for books or supplies and life time career placement services.

So that's my BIG news right now. Our life is going to change quite a bit for the next 18 months.

Now...on to Christmas. I L-O-V-E Christmas scents and candles. This year I found a new favorite. Bath and Body Works Fresh Balsam candle is a little slice of heaven for me. Before I decorated for Christmas I would just go to my candle shelf in the closet and smell this candle. It lifted my mood and brought back memories of getting Christmas trees when I was a kid. This candle makes me smile and puts me into the holiday spirit.

Meeting Santa

2009-12-02T10:43:00.000-08:00

This morning we took the kids to meet Santa. This is a picture I took of them talking to him during the photo session.

Book Group Christmas Party

2009-12-01T20:39:00.000-08:00

Tonight was my church book group's Christmas party. WHAT A BLAST! It was at a member of our group's house (Beth H.) and she was a wonderful hostess. Including me, there were 14 women there, and that means a ton of laughter and a ton of fun. People brought a lot of delicious food and we all enjoyed the special treats.

Beth had her house all decorated. This was on her dining room table....the mood throughout the house was festive and warm. Perfect for a party!

Here is a picture of most of the group. One person wasn't there yet, I'm taking the picture and Beth J. is hiding from the camera. I was nice and didn't post the picture I secretly took of her. :)

We played the dice game and fought over presents. I was lucky enough that I got the present I wanted right away and no one tried to steal mine. :) This picture is Beth J., Beth H. and Leslie participating in the battle for the movie. Carol ended up winning it, but the scramble betweeen these three was hilarious. The whole game had us laughing, especially when people got to steal the gift they really wanted or someone stole that extra special gift. I really haven't laughed that hard in a long time.

The night finally started to wind down at about 9:30p. We were all shocked to see the time. Beth H. was a wonderful hostess and sent us all home with a Poinsettia.

What a great and wonderful way to start out December and the holiday season!

Christmas Music

2009-11-30T10:11:00.000-08:00

I love Christmas music. L-O-V-E IT! I turn it on while we're driving home from Thanksgiving and it stays on through Christmas Day. I belt out the words to almost every song (except that song Christmas Shoes....the station gets changed immediately. Way too depressing for Christmas). I hear the music and my soul fills with JOY!

My love for Christmas music has resulted in a tradition in our little family. Every year I get a new Christmas music CD in my stocking. We listen to it as soon as possible and I look forward to adding it to my music for the following year.

I, of course, have my favorites. My favorite secular song is "All I Want for Christmas is You" by Mariah Carey. LOVE IT! My favorite hymns are "Joy to the World" and "Oh Come All Ye Faithful." I pray that we sing those two some time during the Advent season every year.

Do you have any favorite Christmas songs? What are some songs you love? Any that you can't stand? I want to hear about your favorites so I can add them to my iPod playlist!

Christmas Tradion #1 - Getting and Decorating our Tree

2009-11-29T19:39:00.000-08:00

The Sunday after Thanksgiving is the beginning of our family's Christmas Traditions. After church we grab lunch and then head over to Gerten's to pick out our Christmas tree. All the way there today we had the Christmas music cranked and if I wasn't singing along I would hear, "MOM! SING!" from the backseat. Mari was really trying to sing along and all three kids were dancing along to the music. I am teaching them my deep love of Christmas music.

Walking into Gerten's to look for our tree.

Peder watching all the people and waiting for the reindeer to come walking by.

Mari walking through the trees while we look.

Emmy happily looking for trees with Daddy.

Jake with our new tree.

Me in the afterglow of picking out our tree.

All 3 kids putting ornaments on the tree. This was SO exciting. And the tree was, "Oooooh, NICE!"

This is how the tree looks when a 4 year old and 2 two year olds choose where the ornaments go. There are areas covered with ornaments and big blanks spots. The tree will stay decorated this way, because I think it's super cute and I'll never get my tree decorated like this again.

The kids in front of their beautifully decorated tree. I love it, they love it, everyone is happy with the final result!

Mari's Stitches

2009-11-29T18:47:00.000-08:00

Mari had a little mishap on Friday. We're not really 100% sure what happened, but we did find a play cooking pan that matches the shape of the injuries on her face. Grandma Cindi got to take her to the ER and we met them there. Mari got her three stitches in her chin, a little stuffed puppy from the doctor, some comfort from Mommy and Daddy and then she said she wanted to go see Peder and Emmy and snuggle with Grandpa Warren.

Here is a picture of her today, 2 days post incident. She plays with the stitches with her tongue and we're hoping we can get them out Wednesday morning before we go get pictures with Santa.

Black Friday Etsy Sale!

2009-11-25T07:55:00.000-08:00

I have decided to participate in the Black Friday promotion on etsy.com and am extending my sale through Monday, November 30th.

My featured promotions:

- All items will on sale! I will be reducing the prices so they will be listed at the reduced price, not the original.

- All custom orders will receive free shipping. Some custom items I offer include: perpetual calendars, annual calendars, Christmas cards, invitations, thank you cards, favor boxes, gift bags and etched glassware. (My favorite idea for etched glassware is a casserole dish with the last name etched into the backside of it. You can read the name properly through the glass and it's a great personalized gift....I'm thinking wedding presents!) Have a different idea? Ask! I will work with you to try to make it work.

Feel free to contact me with any questions. I would love to help in any way I can!

I hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving and the long weekend! I know I will be loving my mom's turkey dinner...especially the mashed potatoes and gravy. (My Thanksgiving secret: Every year, after everyone leaves my parents' house I have another HUGE bowl of mashed potatoes and gravy. My guilty pleasure. YUM-O!)

Some big things!

2009-11-23T07:45:00.000-08:00

It has been exciting weekend this past weekend and Thursday just happens to be my most favorite holiday of all, so we have a big one coming ahead.

So the three big things happening in our lives right now:

1. My sister had her baby boy last night! Elias Warren Stevens (Eli) was born at 9:01p last night. He weighed 8 lbs 2 oz. and is 20 3/4 inches long. He is SUPER cute and we are all very excited at his arrival.

2. I opened my etsy shop Handcrafted by Melissa Kaye over the weekend. I had a very successful weekend at a Holiday Boutique that my friend Andrea hosted at her house and have now decided to expand to etsy.com and local craft fairs and boutiques. My etsy site is melissakaye.etsy.com and I will keep you all updated about any craft fairs I decide to participate in.

3. On the morning of Thanksgiving our little family of 5 will be participating in The Walk to End Hunger at the Mall of America. All proceeds go towards our local foodshelf, Neighbors, Inc. Our goal is to raise $250 ($50 each) and right now we have raised $55. If you would like to sponsor us, click on this link: Our Walk Website.

That's all for now...life is crazy busy around here!

Open House Tonight and Tomorrow!

2009-11-20T10:32:00.000-08:00

My friend Andrea is having a Holiday Open House at her house tonight from 3-8p and tomorrow from 10a-3p. It will feature handcrafted items from several members of our church, special order baked goods and Mary Kay products. This is the first time I've ever sold anything and I'm pretty excited/nervous to see how it goes. If you would like more information about the sale or it's location contact me and I'll email it you. Below are some samples of some of the things I created for the event. It has also prompted me to open an etsy.com shop. More about that soon!

A paper Christmas tree.

Gift bags in various sizes with paper filler.

Sets of 6 cards, mostly different styles of holiday cards.

Journals.

Wine wraps and etched glass wine glasses.

The Final Product

2009-11-04T20:16:00.000-08:00

Before you see our beautiful pumpkins, I had to share some of my favorite things from today.

First of all, Peder was very scared of a "shadow monster" in his bedroom. I gave him my teddy bear, Butterscotch, that I had while growing up. I explained that Butter had a lot of experience from protecting me when I was little and could him feel safe. He snuggled in and went right to sleep. It made me so happy.

Secondly, Mari all the sudden started screaming in her bedroom. I walked in and she wrapped her arms and legs around me and snuggled her head into my shoulder. I asked her what was wrong, what she needed and she looked at me and said, "I NEED DADDY!" and then went back to crying. I thought it was so sweet, but also felt bad for her because Jake was at football tonight.

Here are our final products, the ghost was Emmy's, the monster was Peder's and the bat was Mari's. I hope to get more Halloween pics up in the next few days.

Carving Pumpkins

2009-11-02T17:07:00.000-08:00

I'll post the finished products later, I'm suddenly having issues with blogger and our picture program.

The kids with their pumpkins.

Emmy helping me get the top off her pumpkin.

Peder trying to carve out the top of his pumpkin.

Emmy was REALLY unsure about cleaning out the inside of her pumpkin.

Peder thought it was funny.

Mari was all business.

Emmy finally got into it when we showed her how fun it was to get messy with the guts.

Peder starting to carve his pumpkin.

Getting a little help from Daddy.

I poked all the pattern holes in all 3 pumpkins.

Getting some love from my Sweet P.

The reality of pumpkin carving in our household: as soon as the pumpkins were emptied Jake and I were left to do the hard work. I poked all the holes and carved the ghost pumpkin, Jake carved the other two.

Picking out Pumpkins

2009-11-01T19:26:00.000-08:00

We picked out pumpkins on Tuesday afternoon. We told Peder he could pick out any pumpking he could carry. He did it and got a good sized pumpkin too!

Mari carrying her pumpkin....notice Jake's hand holding the pumpking up for her?

Emmy with her pumpkin. Jake helped her too.

The following are some pictures from the place we got our pumpkins. Definitely made me feel like it was fall....which I loved!

Peder's Birthday and Party

2009-11-01T19:04:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I've posted and a lot has happened since then. Jake and I celebrated our 7th Anniversary, Peder turned 4 and had his first preschool friends birthday party, and Halloween has come and gone. I'm going to try to post a bunch of posts in the next couple of days with some of the high points of these events.

We'll start off with Peder's birthday and party. We had his party at Pump It Up again this year and invited his preschool class. Everyone seemed to have a good time and when I asked one of his friends if she had fun, she told me, "Yeah! IT WAS AWESOME!"

This is what our backyard looked like on Peder's birthday. Who expects snow that sticks on October 12th? Our camper was still up and all our outdoor stuff was still out.

Peder opening his favorite present (from Emmy) on his birthday. He got Woody, Buzz Lightyear and RC from Emmy, a craft box from Emmy and an art set from Jake and me.

Cupcakes on his actual birthday.

Daddy and Emmy going down the slide.

Grandpa Warren and Mari after going down the slide. Grandpa didn't break his toe this year.

Grandma Cindi coming out of the obstacle course. I love that I got this picture! :)

Peder's cousin Jenna and Mari coming out of the obstacle course.

Grandpa Warren, Peder's cousin Marissa and Peder bouncing in the basketball court. Grandpa and Grandma were busy making them FLY in there. Peder and Marissa were pretty much inseparable the entire party.

Marissa, Peder and one of Peder's classmates holding hands and waiting to go into the party room for cake.

The cupcakes Jake made to make sure we had enough cake for everyone.

The fancy decorated cake that Jake made. It was a hit!

Peder blowing out his candles.

Vacation Day 5 - August 26, 2009

2009-09-30T19:18:00.000-07:00

The kids were starting to have a difficult time from lack of sleep, so we decided to head out to Badlands National Park to give them a chance to sleep.

*We were singing and dancing to "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz to stop the girls from screaming.

*Mari laughed at me when I messed up the words.

*After telling Peder we were going to the Badlands he said, "I don't want to go to the Trouble lands."

*Peder was doing typical silly kid behavior on the dirt roads. "Ahhhhhhhhhhh" for the bumpy road.

*"Ah BABY! BAAAAAAAA!" when the girls saw the bison.

The following pictures were taken at Prairie Dog Town at Badlands National Park. We did not see an prairie dogs there, but we saw over a hundred bison either scratching on posts or waiting for their turn. I loved this baby.

Some of the bigger guys stood right over the posts and scratched their bellies on them. It was pretty funny.

Me being artsy, trying to give a perspective as to how close the bison were to our van.

Gorgeous.

Everyone at all Wall Drug, with Jake's new girlfriend. :)

Peder's cowboy buddy. Crack me up.

*Emmy was terrified of the T-Rex when it was "looking for food."

*The kids got new little signs for their bedrooms to distract them while I was picking out a new necklace.

*The local radio station in Rapid City had a fun songs on the radio. Something like "Whatever Happened To? Wednesday." Funny songs like "Bust A Move" and "Neverending Story." We were dancing like idiots and having fun.

*Emmy was a dancing machine.

*We got lost in Rapid City trying to find a main drag with a variety of restaurants. Peder asked Jake, "Where are you going?" Jake responded, "I don't know." It was pretty hilarious.

*Mari heard a police siren and started imitating it. The other 2 joined in and we had 3 police sirens in the car.

*We went out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Rapid City. The girls complained the whole time and we packed our dinner up and brought it back to the campground.

*Peder got a bag of Skittles at the end of the day for being so good at dinner.

Ladies of Grace - Sept. 30, 2009

2009-09-30T18:52:00.000-07:00

My friend Beth does a weekly blog carnival called Ladies of Grace. Here is her description:
Today is the day we share where we have experienced grace, given grace, or even just noticed our hearts softened and warmed - or hardened and cold - due to an experience... This is an experiment in noticing where our hearts are opened or closed in our daily lives - and learning from those moments as we move forward in our day-to-day lives.

So go check it out and give it a try yourself. You may just learn a little about yourself along the way too.

I've had a lot of experiences since I last wrote this, but my experience happened today. I went to get my hair cut and colored this afternoon while Jake was working from home and the kids were napping. At one point when she was just about to start dying my hair a friend of hers came in. This friend talked non-stop, looked rough and would interrupt at every chance she would get. Finally my stylist "A" very graciously stopped what she was doing, gave her a hug and said she had to go. I was a bit annoyed by the whole situation, until "A" filled me in, that is. Apparently "A" knew this woman when they were younger and were acquaintances/friends. They lost touch over the years until recently when "A" discovered that she lived down the street from her boyfriend. "A" has been going to see her at least once a week because the woman is having a very difficult time. Apparently she has chemical dependency issues and has a VERY difficult lot in life. "A" was hoping to just be a friend for her and give her someone to rely on in her life...even though they had never really had a serious connection before. Talk about Grace....

Vacation Day 4 - Tuesday August 25th, 2009

2009-09-25T20:15:00.000-07:00

Another hour and a half and I finally got another blog posted. FINALLY, Day 4!

This is how we found Emmy and Peder sleeping when we got inside from playing our game. We tried to move Peder so he wasn't laying on Emmy, but neither of them would have any of that and they moved back every time we tried to put him on his pillow.

*I saw 5 deer walking through the campground at 6a on my way to the bathroom.

We did a lot of things today. Starting with Bear Country USA. What a blast! We unbuckled the kids while we drove through (don't worry, we were going less then 5 mph the whole time) and they got to look out the windows and see all the animals.

*Mari would say for every animal, "Look the sheep!" And then she would yell "BAAAAAA!"

*Peder would say, "I wanna see more animals" within a minute of seeing one animal.
*Emmy would see all the animals and say, "Ahhhh, Baby!" Every single animal.

*Emmy blew a kiss to a sleeping Mountain Lion.

*Mari saying, "Daddy, what are you doing?" while peeking over his shoulder while he was driving through the park.

I think I'm SO funny. I may have been more excited then the kids at some points.

One of my favorite bears at the park.

The kids looking at a caterpillar. Jake tried to show Mari one earlier and she stepped on it. Oops.

Emmy practicing her senior picture poses.

One of the many baby bears playing around. They were so cute.

I find this picture hilarious. He wasn't crabby, but he sure looks it in this picture.

*While at Bear Country a couple told us that we have a beautiful family. I agree 100%.

Next we went to the Reptile Gardens. This is Jake and the kids watching the alligator show.

I love this picture. Look at that guy. He's smiling at you. :)

The kids petting a baby alligator. Very exciting and really cute.

Everyone looking at the fish in the pond.

Petting the HUGE turtles. I love these guys, they're my favorite.

Pretty butterfly on a flower at the Reptile Gardens.

Another pretty butterfly.

We went to the Roo Ranch and the kids got to pet several kangaroos.

This one was REALLY soft!

*Peder fed one of the animals at the Roo Ranch and later told us, "Feeding the big black animal was fun."

*Emmy was having me clean the dirt out of her mouth that she had been eating and when I was done asked me, "Is that better?" It made me laugh out loud.

*Mari would push Emmy and me on the hammock and would say, "Ready? GO!" Once she pushed us she would jump on.

*Every night I sing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star to Peder. On our last walk to the bathroom that night we stopped to look at the stars and he asked me to sing to the stars, so I did.

Vacation Day 3 - August 24th, 2009

2009-09-02T11:59:00.000-07:00

This post took me an hour and a half to do, because Blogger is STILL not letting me load more then one picture at a time. I was hoping to get these all done tonight, but that's not going to happen. So once again, it may take awhile. Now....on to more vacation stories!

*All you can eat pancake breakfast at the campground.

*Jake rolling up his sleeves so I could see his flexing arm muscles while carrying the cooler.

*Saw mountain goats on the way to Mt. Rushmore.

*My camera battery died while taking pictures of the mountain goats. I asked a ranger at Mt. Rushmore if I could use an outlet in the book store/information center and he told me no. So I found an outlet in the bathroom and charged it there. REBEL!

*The kids were SO excited at seeing "the faces." (Yes, that's what they were called our whole vacation.)

My first picture of Mt. Rushmore after I got the battery all charged.

Absolutely amazing and breathtaking. Loved it.

Jake, Emmy, Peder and Mari in front of the faces.

Family pictures. I think we're cute.

The top area above the windows is where we got our picture taken. This was taken from the loop we walked. *We did the whole loop around the base of the mountain. Jake told me how proud he was of me for being able to do the whole thing. (A pretty major feat with my back and hip.)

*Mari telling me, "NO! I love Daddy, Mommy!"

*Mari wanted to be carried on the flat areas, but had to do all the steps by herself.

I took a picture of the stairs we had to go up at the end of the loop.

*Buying souvenirs. I love it!

We saw more mountain goats after leaving Mt. Rushmore on our way to Crazy Horse.

This picture is of Red Wing boots. I took a picture of it for Jake, because he grew up in Red Wing. Every year Red Wing Shoes donates a pair of boots to every person working at Crazy Horse.

Jake did notice a difference from when we were there last. Before we could see the whole horses face painted on the mountain, now the rock that has been blasted covers the bottom of the horse's face.

What it should look like when it's completed.

*Playing Phase 10 with Jake after the kids fell asleep.

Vacation Day 2 - August 23rd, 2009

2009-08-31T11:08:00.000-07:00

So I had to upload each of these pictures individually, so it will probably take me a bit longer then expected to post summaries of each day of our vacation.

Here are some notes from that day.

There was a flock of birds sitting on the ground near our site. Peder and Mari kept walking up to them until they flew away and then would come running back giggling and screaming.

*We visit the playground at the campground and just had fun.

All 3 kids on the tire swing.

Peder climbing to look through one of the bubble view areas.

Mari doing what she always does....picking up rocks and putting them in her shoes.

Emmy all dirty and on a mission.

*We spent time on the jumping pillow. Jake tried it out when there weren't any kids on it.

*We drove into Rapid City to do grocery shopping. It was horrible, the kids were beyond crabby.

On our way into town we saw a Mountain goat and her baby.

*Peder was very excited to see the "faces." This continued for the rest of the week. We were staying less then 1o minutes from Mt. Rushmore so any time we went anywhere we drove past it. It was Peder's favorite thing.

*All the kids playing with Jake in the little pool (1-1.5 feet deep).

*All 3 kids jumped into our arms from the pool edge while playing in the big pool.

*Peder picked me a beautiful purple flower.

*The kids go their first showers ever. Peder and Mari loved it, Emmy screamed the whole time.

*There was a HUGE thunderstorm the night.

*A HUGE bedtime battle with the girls - Daddy won.

*My parents called to check on our electricity....they love us and care about us.

*Jake's threat to Peder, "If you don't go to sleep, you'll have to go sleep by Mommy." It made me laugh because he made it sound like such a bad thing, but Peder did go to sleep. :) Oh....and asked to sleep by me the next night.

*Shopping at the House of Scandanavia and deciding I want my scrap space decorated in the Scandanavian style with rosemaling.

Update, Kind of

2009-08-31T06:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been trying to continue our vacation story since yesterday, but CANNOT get any pictures to upload right now. I've tried several different web browsers and always get the same error message.

I will continue trying as I have time today and hopefully can get some more days up by the end of the day.

Vacation Day 1 - Saturday, August 22nd

2009-08-29T19:10:00.000-07:00

We're home! We got home at around 6:30p tonight. I took a ton of pictures and wrote down little tidbits from each day of our trip. I'm planning to do a short summary of each day of our trip. Notes that I wrote down from each day will have an * before them. Enjoy!

All 3 kids in the car and ready to go by 6:15a.

Our van and camper parked out front....before the trauma of the day starts.

*We were SO proud of ourselves for getting out of the house by 6:15a. We made it as far as Bernard (2 blocks) before realizing we had a big problem. There was a loud knocking and we couldn't figure out what was going on. Jake finally figured out that it was coming from the left tire of the trailer. We pulled over at Thojmpson Park and Jake realized that someone had loosened ALL the lugnuts overnight while the camper was parked out front. I called my parents for tips from my dad, filed a police report and started looking up different places to stay. My parents came, my dad went with Jake to try to fix the trailer and my mom came to our house to help entertain the kids. My dad knew what we needed to do to fix the trailer and we were on the road by 8:40a.

*Emmy fell asleep with her rice krispy bar on her lap. She didn't even take a bite of it.

Peder reading one of the books he picked up at a rest stop.

Mari being cute and smiley.
Jake was the happy chaufer. He had to drive the whole way because my back and hip just can't handle driving any distance right now.

Me during my very short nap.

*Mari tucked in her Teddy Grahams into her blanket.

*The girls sang a ton during the trip.

*Driving along seeing fields full of sunflowers with their faces toward the sun.

*Peder saying, "Stop it! I'm trying to color a little bit please!"

*When we got the camper set up the electricity didn't work and we had to set up in the pitch black (at 9:30p).

*Jake smacked his face on the camper trying to get the supports set up on the camper. He had 2 huge scrapes on his face for the rest of the trip.

Ladies of Grace 08 19 2009

2009-08-19T18:59:00.001-07:00

Time for Week 3 of Ladies of Grace over at my pal Beth's blog. I really thought about this a lot this past week and tried to apply it to my interactions on a regular basis. I've noticed a difference in my patience level while out and about shopping and just running errands.

This week's experience happened at a gas station in Rogers while we were running errands on our way to our sister-in-law's parents' house. When the Powerball reaches over $200 million I will sometimes buy a dream for $1. I'm don't really do it often just because I don't really get the opportunity to go into gas stations very often because the kids are usually with.

But on Saturday Jake made a quick pit stop and I went in to buy a piece of a dream. I walked into the store and got directly into line. There was one person checking people out while another woman was doing something with a computer behind the counter. As soon as she was done there was a line of three of us. One person checking out, a woman waiting in front of me and then me. The woman did the standard, "I can help whoever is next." And as the woman in front of me was trying to step over a guy cut through our line and booked it over to the newly opened line. He showed us his one candy bar (almost like it was ok because he just had that) and checked out. I just kind of shrugged my shoulders. If he was in that big of a hurry, let him be, I didn't really care at that point. And I was kind of shocked by this reaction. Normally I would have been indignant and made some loud comment about how rude it was.

The woman in front of me got helped and I went over to the other woman who had checked out the candy bar guy. As he was walking away she asked, "Did he just cut in front of you two in line?" I responded, "Yeah, but I don't really care. I'm not in that big of a hurry." And she said (loudly, as he was walking out of the store), "Yeah, but that's just rude." My response was, "Yeah, I guess so." I left and we shared "Have a great days" and went our separate ways.

It just got me about how the other woman's reaction would have been mine if I hadn't been making a concious effort to be "graceful" in my every day life.

Ladies of Grace 08 12 2009

2009-08-12T18:26:00.001-07:00

It's week 2 of Beth's Ladies of Grace Blog Carnival!

I spent a lot of today thinking about how to have a more open heart in my every day interactions. I haven't been the easiest person to be around lately. I'm crabby, exhausted, overwhelmed and stressed out, which means I'm not very nice. So I'm trying to change that, one person and one interaction at a time.

My story for this week is about a friend of mine. In recent months I've been kind of snarky about her, impatient with her and not very understanding. This past week I changed that. I just decided to stop. I changed my reactions. I intentionally went into conversations with her expecting positive and expecting to GIVE positive responses in return. And I laughed more because of it. Enjoyed our conversations. Just liked her again. She hadn't changed, I changed my perspective on the relationship. It made a world of difference.

Today's Smileys:

1. A great PT appointment. It resulted in a lot of pain, but we also figured out what I really need to work on to get my strength back and reduce my overall pain.

2. A definitive plan for the next 6 months with my orthopedist and great explanations of everything that will be happening from his Physician's Assistant.

3. I have 5 moles on my back that often get caught on my clothing and can be painful. I am getting them removed if insurance covers it. WA-HOO!

4. Mari giving me loving and snuggling right when I need it most.

5. Peder telling me, "Don't smile, Mommy. No smiling allowed!"

6. Major progress on my cross stitch.

7. My mom calling me after every appointment I have. Sometimes it drives me crazy, but I know she does it because she cares about me and loves me.

8. Jesse attacking Mari with kisses.

9. Sounds of the girls tickling each other and giggling away while they are supposed to be napping.

10. Sweet corn, potatoes and onions from my cousin Amanda's and Grandpa's garden.

Ladies of Grace

2009-08-06T14:13:00.001-07:00

So I was supposed to post this yesterday, but I seem to be behind on EVERYTHING lately so you get it a day later.

My pal Beth over at Walk A Mile is doing a blog Carnival called Ladies of Grace (see the button on the side of the blog). Here is a quote from her blog describing it more:

This experiment is meant to help us explore and experiment with the simple concept of opening our hearts-simply making space for the Lord and others. Because this experiment is more about becoming than doing , it is simple, doesn't consume time, actually creates energy and therefore self- perpetuating ... This should be easy to do, but I believe the results will be more profound...because we are in search of a new heart...a heart like His!

So this is something I've been working on A LOT since our book group started at church last summer. I've been trying to be more gracious, more understanding and more loving. For quite awhile I would read something in the books and think, "I really wish so and so would read this book. They would learn a lot from it." I quickly stopped that and repeated the mantra my mom used to say to me growing up, "The only person you can control is yourself. Don't worry about what other people are doing."

So I've been thinking what to write about because I was trying to figure out what would be "good enough" for this. I finally decided to write about my PT appointment that I had last week.

My appointment was at 2p and Jake and the kids dropped me off because at that point I was still unable to drive myself more then 20 minutes without a great deal of pain and if I was in pain I couldn't drive at all. I got there about 10 minutes early. I got brought back to the room at about 2:05p and was told the physical therapist would be right in. At 2:40p I went back out to the front desk and asked what was going on. I had debated about walking out the door and not ever going back. I was angry and upset at having to wait that long and also worried about Jake and how he was entertaining the kids. I decided to be patient and just wait a couple of more minutes. I'm SO glad that I did. Several weeks later I am almost completely without muscle pain and the care I've gotten at the PT has been excellent.

If I had let my annoyance guide me and had left I would still be in a great deal of pain and no closer to a solution for my hips. By being patient, opening my heart and being understanding, I have gotten a very positive experience.

Go share your experience at Beth's blog Walk A Mile!

A good start

2009-07-28T19:51:00.000-07:00

Today started out nicely and quickly went downhill. Major back problems today coupled with major crabby kids and I didn't get to go to book group. :(

Today's Smileys:

1. Talking to my mom on the phone at 6:40 this morning. I'm pretty sure she was calling to make sure I was awake for class registration this morning.

2. I was awake and we got into the 2 classes we had hoped for. WA-HOO!

3. "Mommy, Help Me." All day long. All from Mari.

4. Pain pills are my friend today.

5. Ice packs.

6. A rub down of my back to help it make me feel better.

7. A bath.

8. Starting to read "Pillars of the Earth." I read it in high school and wanted to reread it.

9. The Cosmo Cricket blog. It seriously always cracks me up.

10. All the CHA sneak peeks at Two Peas in a Bucket. I'm very much in love with all the new scrapbook lines.

11. Ace of Cakes makes me laugh every time I watch it. A wonderful pick me up.

12. Got my free pictures in from Shutterfly. WA-HOO!

Busy, Busy

2009-07-26T18:49:00.000-07:00

Today was a busy day. I'm exhausted and in pain (yeah, again, blech!), but we got a lot done.

Today's Smileys:

1. Getting in to Michael's this morning and finding paper for baby shower invites on sale (and they are SUPER cute).

2. A trip to Gander Mountain and getting some of the last things we needed for our camping trip this coming weekend.

3. Finding chairs for all 3 kids at 13 dollars less then what I had found them for online.

4. Getting a new swimsuit that looks good and isn't too "frumpy."

5. Getting some more stuff packed into the camper.

6. We got some of the things in the house rearranged how we want.

7. Looking through the kids' scrapbooks with all 3 of them and their excitement. It was so nice to see them appreciate all the work I have done on their pages.

8. Being motivated. It is just too bad that my body wouldn't cooperate as much.

9. Finding a new bag that I can use as a diaper bag and a purse on our various outings. It's cute.

10. Peder and Jake using my foot lotion for their dry feet, they are cute.

MIA

2009-07-25T19:55:00.000-07:00

I know I've been MIA lately and I apologize for that. We've been very busy and by the time I had time to post something I was just exhausted. I will be posting pictures of some of our adventures soon, but for now here's a summary of each day of the past week and my smiley's for today.

Friday 7/17 - Got a clear plan in place with my primary care physician's assistant and got some new pain ideas, John and Jill are back in MN and we got to me meet our new nephew Alex.

Saturday 7/18 - I got to go scrapbooking with Jill and Krista for the first time in almost 3 years. Jake and the kids got to hang out with Tom and John and 4 of their cousins.

Sunday 7/19 - We were able to make it to church and stay for the whole service. NICE! Jake took me on a surprise date in the afternoon, we saw Harry Potter and then went to a local park, laid in the grass and talked. EVEN NICER!

Monday 7/20 - Had my first appointment with my new Physical Therapist. She was 45 minutes late, but am SO excited about how thorough she is and how she explained everything to me. (And I'm already seeing great results with the muscle pain I've had!) Also, got into the 2 crops that my mom and I wanted for ScrapFest in September.

Tuesday 7/21 - Book group and a snack out with Beth. French Fries and Cheese Sauce, YUM-O!

Wednesday 7/22 - A nap....WA-HOO!

Thursday 7/23 - Peder's last day of preschool. Jake took him to and from so that I wouldn't have to deal with Mari's tantrums the whole time. So nice!

Friday 7/24 - Took Peder shopping for a bunch of stuff for our slumber party we had last night. We always have so much fun and he looks forward to them.

Today's Smileys:

1. Went to the zoo with Alison and Monty and their twin boys Nick and John.

2. Got to see a baby orangutan, he was cute and playful.

3. Emmy falling asleep in my arms on the way out of the zoo. I loved it.

4. I gave blood today.

5. Beth came with me to give blood, despite being nervous. She wasn't able to give blood because they couldn't find a vein, but it meant a lot to me that she was there.

6. Took a nap on the air mattress with Peder.

7. Went to the Teegardens' for a birthday party for all 3 of their boys. It was a good time.

8. All 3 kids playing together when we got home.

9. I love good night kisses from my kids.

10. A night at home and some alone time with Jake.

Camping Gear

2009-07-16T19:42:00.000-07:00

If you want to read a hilarious little bit (especially for you ladies that hate swimsuit shopping), go to the previous post. I laughed out loud.

Today's Smileys:

1. My mom picked Peder up from preschool today. It was very helpful when I was having a bad day and in pain.

2. Peder coming home with a new comforter for his bed. Lightning McQueen. Very exciting.

3. Got another scrapbook page done today.

4. Getting 8.5 hours of sleep last night.

5. Cosmo Cricket blog...they crack me up.

6. Going shopping for some of the needed camping gear. It was fun to get some stuff to stock up the camper.

7. Peder wanting my parents' dog Jack to sleep in his room with home.

8. Watching a movie with Jake...I haven't had a chance to just hang out with him much this week, so it's nice.

9. Working on my cross stitch.

10. Peder's excitement at meeting his new cousin Alex tomorrow.

Swimsuit Shopping

2009-07-16T09:59:00.000-07:00

I read this over at the Cosmo Cricket blog and had to share it with you. Remember how I said a bit back about how shopping for swimsuits was a hilarious adventure. This about sums it up:

When I was a child in the 1950s the bathing suit for the mature figure was boned, trussed and reinforced, not so much sewn as engineered. They were built to hold back and uplift and they did a good job. Today's stretch fabrics are designed for the prepubescent girl with a figure carved from a potato chip.

The mature woman has a choice-she can either go up front to the maternity department and try on a floral suit with a skirt, coming away looking like a hippopotamus who escaped from Disney's Fantasia or she can wander around every run of the mill department store trying to make a sensible choice from what amounts to a designer range of florescent rubber bands.

What choice did I have? I wandered around, made my sensible choice and entered the chamber of horrors known as the fitting room.

The first thing I noticed was the extraordinary tensile strength of the stretch material. The Lycra used in bathing costumes was developed, I believe, by NASA to launch small rockets from a slingshot, which give the added bonus that if you manage to actually lever yourself into one, you are protected from shark attacks as any shark taking a swipe at your passing midriff would immediately suffer whiplash. I fought my way into the bathing suit, but as I twanged the shoulder strap in place, I gasped in horror - my boobs had disappeared!

Eventually, I found one boob cowering under my left armpit. It took a while to find the other. At last I located it flattened beside my seventh rib.

The problem is that modern bathing suits have no bra cups... The mature woman is meant to wear her boobs spread across her chest like a speed bump. I realigned my speed bump and lurched toward the mirror to take a full view assessment.

The bathing suit fit all right, but unfortunately it only fit those bits of me willing to stay inside it. The rest of me oozed out rebelliously from top, bottom, and sides. I looked like a lump of play dough wearing undersized cling wrap.

As I tried to work out where all those extra bits had come from, the prepubescent sales girl popped her head through the curtain, 'Oh, there you are,' she said, admiring the bathing suit.

I replied that I wasn't so sure and asked what else she had to show me.

I tried on a cream crinkled one that made me look like a lump of masking tape, and a floral two piece which gave the appearance of an oversized napkin in a serving ring.

I struggled into a pair of leopard skin bathers with ragged frills and came out looking like Tarzan's Jane, pregnant with triplets and having a rough day.

I tried on a black number with a midriff and looked like a jellyfish in mourning.

I tried on a bright pink pair with such a high cut leg I thought I would have to wax my eyebrows to wear them.

Finally, I found a suit that fit...a two-piece affair with a shorts style bottom and a loose blouse-type top. It was cheap, comfortable, and bulge-friendly, so I bought it. My ridiculous search had a successful outcome, I figured.

When I got home, I found a label which read -- Material might become transparent in water.'

So, if you happen to be on the beach or near any other body of water this year and I'm there too .. I'll be the one in cut off jeans and a t-shirt!

Long day

2009-07-15T19:45:00.001-07:00

Today Jake had a work BBQ after work, so it was the kids and I on our own all day today. I'm exhausted now and will be heading to bed soon.

Today's Smileys:

1. Getting up before the kids this morning and getting a scrapbook page done.

2. Mari singing all the time. She's so cute because she hums and then will go, "Happy, Happy, HAPPEEEEEEEEEEEE, YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

3. Peder telling me, "Mom, Mari's singing happy again. Isn't she cute?"

4. A peaceful afternoon.

5. All three kids tucking themselves in on the floor in the living room and just laying there quietly for a half hour. It was cute and a nice break.

6. All three kids constantly taking turns running up to me asking for kisses for their owies.

7. Snuggling with all 3 kids at once for a bit before Jake got home.

8. Jake doing all kinds of picking up and cleaning.

9. A nice relaxing bath.

10. Going to bed before 10p....

Break Needed

2009-07-14T20:09:00.000-07:00

We had a very rough first half of the day here. Peder's carseat wasn't in the van and I didn't realize it until we were supposed to be loading up to bring him to preschool. The girls whined for an hour and a half while Peder was at preschool. When we went to get Peder from preschool it was raining and Mari threw a continual tantrum while we were picking him up. It was not fun and I was VERY ready for nap time when it came.

Today's Smileys:

1. A 15 minute nap...just what I needed this afternoon.

2. "I love you" back and forth between Peder and I. A little game between us.

3. Great customer service from one of the guys that came to give us an estimate on doing some sewer line work that the city is requiring of us. It was nice.

4. Getting some time in my scrap area this afternoon when Jake got home from work. A much needed break.

5. Peder deciding what we had for dinner. It was cute. And it was pizza.

6. Book group. It was a small group tonight, but lots of things to think about, which is always nice.

7. Megan's yummy grapes that she brought to book group. WAY GOOD!

8. Dessert out after book group. I love going out to dessert with friends.

9. Everyone running out of the house quick to bring me to book group. Mari sat down on the sidewalk to put her shoes on and Peder and Emmy didn't wear shoes at all.

10. Caramel Apple Pie ala Mode. Mmmmm.

WA-HOO!

2009-07-13T19:15:00.000-07:00

Today's Smileys:

1. The girls' excitement over new clothes. Both girls usually fight me to get dressed, but this morning they saw their new clothes, said, "WHOA!" and let me change them right away.

2. Peder talking about Grandma coming all day long.

3. Ring pops.

4. A couple of hours with Jake....even if we were just shopping in a packed camera store.

5. A brand, spanking new Digital SLR camera, camera bag and two lenses. WA-HOO! WA-HOO! WA-HOO!

6. Plans to go scrapping with Jill and Krista on Saturday. That means: Jill will be in Minnesota for a bit this summer! WA-HOO!

7. My mom watching the kids so we could get our new camera.

8. Coming home to a delicious dinner. I love crock pot meals! Chicken in Mushroom sauce and rice. YUM-O!

9. Playing with my new camera for a bit.

10. Jake saying, "You're getting a really nice camera there" like 6 times while we were getting our camera. He's cute. My response was, "So are you." Can you tell we're excited. Pictures with the new camera soon!

11. My dad sharing our excitement for our new camera....and losing a hamburger while talking to me on the phone. The dogs weren't even at home with him so I found it hilarious that he lost a hamburger. :)

Ahhhh....a great day!

2009-07-12T18:53:00.000-07:00

Today was just a great day. This morning the pain was really bad, but I got it under control with a Lidocaine patch and some pain medication. The rest of the day was great!

Also, if you have any camping supplies that you would like to sell me for a reasonable (read: cheap) price, we would love it! Since it's been 3 years since our last camping trip (read: pregnancy 2 years ago and hospital stays last summer equals no time at ALL!) we had to get rid of a few things. Let us know if you have anything and we'll chat about if it's something on our list.

Today's Smileys:

1. Jake and Peder asking me if I was going to answer my phone because I was sleeping so hard I didn't hear it ringing. This was at 7:55a....why would anyone call me this early on a Sunday morning? Oh...it was the DirecTV guy calling to confirm our appointment between noon and 4p. (That was NOT a smiley. Wait till 8a please!)

2. A yummy Subway sandwich for lunch. Delish!

3. Cleaning all the camping stuff out of the garage. I was motivated and happy. I was disappointed I didn't get to start sooner because I was in too much pain.

4. Just clearing a ton of garbage out of the garage. There are two empty shelving units out there now because of all the stuff I moved to the camper and threw away. WA-HOO! I love doing that!

5. After going out on Wednesday evening we finally have our satellite service back. I watched a lot of movies that are sitting on our shelves while doing my cross stitch.

6. The girls' pure excitement at their new bedding sets. All 3 kids were in Emmy's crib at one point....laying under her new comforter, sharing a pillow. Very cute.

7. Emmy's "WOW! What's THAT?" when she saw her new bath toys on the bathroom sink.

8. Putting the camper down by ourself. Jake called me a stud for pushing one bunk in by myself. :)

9. Just being content, happy and motivated. It's been awhile. I'm trying really hard to just ignore the pain.

10. Jake doing the grocery shopping.

11. Birthday celebrations are done and we can just relax after the kids go to bed this week.

12. Deciding to buy a new camera. WA-HOO!

Birthday Party

2009-07-12T18:25:00.000-07:00

Ready for picture overload? These are all from the girls' birthday party yesterday. Including our little family of 5, there were 32 people there. It was a blast....and exhausting. All of us were just zonked afterwards.

Sitting on the blanket waiting to open presents.

All the presents...very generous family members! The buckets were our goodie bags for all the kids. There was candy and some toys in there. The younger girls all got dress up stuff in theirs. SO EXCITING!

Everyone hanging out during cake and present time.

Emmy getting Happy Birthday sung to her. She seemed somewhat confused.

Mari on the other hand, loves to be sung to and actually sang too. She's been walking around the house singing, "Happy, happy, HAPPEEEEEEEE!"

The cakes made it safely to the park. Thanks Dad!

Peder played in the pool for about 45 minutes and then crashed and slept in my mom's arms until it was time for cake and presents.

Jake and some of his family hanging out in the pool and playing.

Emmy loving Great Aunt Debbie's Sunglasses...she eventually was wearing them herself, the little fashionista.

My Grandpa Diekmann, Uncle Mark and Dad hanging out with Mari. Mari saw my dad and ditched me for him...then snuggled him good.

Where we set up all our stuff and some of the family hanging out there.

The pool....SO exciting for little kids.

Me hanging out in the pool with Emmy.

The castle cake Jake made. I baked the cake and made the towers out of Rice Crispy bars. Jake made the fondant and did all the decorating. This was Emmy's cake.

I baked this cake and Jake did all the carving, decorating, etc. on this too. Isn't he a fabulous dad?

Sadness

2009-07-10T18:22:00.000-07:00

Today I found out that a woman I graduated from high school with died in a car accident on the morning of the 4th of July. She left behind a husband, 5 children, her mother, and 7 sisters. It always hits me in the gut when someone I know, even if it was once upon a time, in what seems like a former life, and it is even harder for me when they are my age or have children or both. *sigh* It breaks my heart.

I am adding this note after originally posting this. I just read on cnn.com more about the cemetary controversy in Illinois. I started bawling when I read that not a single mother can find her baby, toddler or child that has been buried at that cemetary. They lost their child once and now they may lose them again. My heart breaks for them and I just broke down. Hold your babies close tonight....

Today's Smileys:

1. Peder's excitement about going to stay at my parents tonight.

2. The girls spent the day in diapers...until 4:30p, because they didn't want to get dressed. Super cute.

3. Emmy peed on the potty this morning! The second time she's done that. And we thought that we would have to wait until she was 3 to find out if it was even possible. GO EMMY!

4. Pride & Prejudice. I love that movie. "You have bewitched me body and soul."

5. Moulin Rouge. This movie is just fun to watch.

6. "Your Song" sung by Ewan McGregor. It's from Moulin Rouge and it was the song Jake and I danced to for our wedding song. It brought back such happy memories today.

7. How much the girls love their daddy.

8. Jake working so hard on birthday cakes for the girls. He is such a great dad.

9. My dad coming to pick up Peder on his lunch break so Peder could go spend the afternoon with my mom and stay over there tonight.

10. Peder called me very excited about the new Lightning McQueen backpack and lunchbox that Grandma got him. It was pretty cute.

Tomorrow is the girls' birthday party. I'm excited....I hope that everyone has fun and that the weather is nice as promised.

My Babies are Two!

2009-07-09T19:48:00.000-07:00

Two years ago today my baby girls were born. After a difficult pregnancy, uncertainty and finally excitement, they arrived at 10:30 and 10:31a. My beautiful baby girls were born and I knew our family was complete. We never thought we'd be a family of 5, but I can't imagine anything else or anything better.

So now here we are, 2 years later. My babies are no longer babies and it has been quite the ride. I think back to that day and I cry. Not only because it was such a scary day, but because I am SO thankful to now have 2 happy, healthy girls that exhaust me with their playing and fighting, rather then being exhausted because I've been sleeping in a hospital for days on end.

Today's Smileys are all about my girls and their birthday!

1. The girls still love to snuggle with me. This picture is from the day they were born, right before Emmy was transferred to Children's. I had to get a picture of us girls.

Me reading to the girls tonight before bed. I love my snugglebugs.

2. Funfetti Birthday cake with buttercream frosting. YUM!

3. How happy the girls got when they realized that the song we were singing was just for them....one at a time.

Mari with her cake.

Emmy with her cake. (Don't you love the happy smiles?)

4. The fact that the box their birthday present came in became a toy too. Even Jake got invited to play in there!

5. The new house in our backyard.

6. Seeing their new present for the first time. "WHOA!"

7. The new aprons the girls got from my sister for their birthday. The package came in the mail today and I just about died because of how cute they are. They also came with oven mitts, a hot pad and a wooden spoon. They also got a new cook book. HOW CUTE ARE THEY?

Emmy modeling. Notice that she put her own shoes on?

Mari very confused as to why I wanted her to stand so far away from me. She just wanted to climb into my lap right away. But I HAD to get a picture of how cute they are in their aprons.

8. All the birthday wishes the girls go. Such nice family and friends!

9. Taking the girls shopping to get all the stuff for their birthday party on Saturday. We were gone all morning, I was in pain the rest of the day, but we had a good time and it was nice to get out of the house.

10. Peder helped me make and decorate the girls' cakes. He was SO excited to help that he started crying when he thought he wouldn't be able to. He is such a good big brother.

11. The girls giving each other hugs all the way through Target. It was so sweet.

12. My little family of 5 and the love that lives here.

Pure Insanity

2009-07-08T19:46:00.000-07:00

That is our life this week. It continued today and won't end until Saturday after 5p. Seriously. I got some peace starting at about 8:30p. I'm loving the peace right now....so nice.

Today's Smileys

1. I'm watching the movie Serendipity. Jake took me to this movie before he proposed to me. Of course I had to buy it.

2. Our new camper is now safely parked in our back alleyway. WA-HOO!

3. Getting a lot done today: baked 2 cakes made 3 batches of rice krispies and then molded those into towers for one of the girls' birthday cakes. (8 towers, 8 caps for the towers and a large flat piece as the second level of the castle).

4. Emmy's pure love of her cousin Coby. Sitting in his lap, happily giving him a hug and kiss good bye. It was so sweet.

5. Jake and Peder went to a Twins game tonight with Jake's mom and our nephew Coby. He was very excited.

6. Everyone in their Twins gear. Coby borrowed my shirt so he would have a Twins shirt too.

7. Finishing up the cross stitch for little Alex. It turned out great. Pictures soon!

8. Watching the movies I want to.

9. Working on my cross stitch project again.

10. How cute Emmy was when I went to tuck her back into bed.

11. The girls' excitement at seeing each other when they wake up.

Wowsers

2009-07-07T20:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a great day, so today it felt like the universe was trying to get back into balance. Which meant lots of temper tantrums, whining and just a lot going on.

Today's Smileys:

1. Got the registration for the new camper taken care of. We can now legally tow it.

2. The van now has a tow hitch on it....with electric brake settings. Nice.

3. My mom took Peder out to lunch. A fun time for both of them.

4. My mom's phone call from Toys R' Us trying to decide what to get the girls' for their birthday. Very funny.

5. Emmy looking for me while I'm not home.

6. Jake sending me a picture of Emmy and Peder swinging and Mari pushing Peder in the swing.

7. Beth is a great friend to come pick me up for book group.

8. A great discussion at book group tonight. Lots of perspectives and some real honest thoughts.

9. Coming home and having Peder run and jump into my arms. It's so nice to be loved that much.

10. Norman, the Visla, at the trailer hitch place. He was so sweet and laid next to me on the couch while I waited.

11. Finally getting to see Jake and talk to him at 8:30p. It was a long day....

A Big Day

2009-07-06T20:17:00.000-07:00

Today was a massive day. Happy, happy day.

Today's Smileys:

1. Our newest nephew was born last night at 11:54p. Alexander Russell Edward Early is 8 lbs. 13 oz. and 22 inches long. WA-HOO!

2. We bought a pop-up camper tonight. A 1992 Coleman. Yep, we're SO excited. We are going camping the last weekend of the month and I've already changed our reservations for our trip to South Dakota from hotel to camping. WA-HOO! Again!

3. The girls saying, "Hand" and leading me around the house by mine.

4. Delicious meatloaf for supper.

5. Getting a bunch done this morning.

6. Peder crawling into bed with me and then staying asleep after I had gone downstairs to get ready for the day.

7. The girls saying, "Shhhh!" when getting up while their sister is sleeping.

8. A surprise snack from Jake.

9. Making plans for fun camping trips.

10. Starting off the busy week on a happy note.

I'm an AUNTIE again!

2009-07-06T09:44:00.000-07:00

Jake's brother and his wife Jill (whom I've been friends with since we were 6) had a little boy last night!

Alexander Russell Edward was born at 11:54p on July 5th, weighing in at 8 lbs, 13 oz. and 22 inches long!

I can't wait to meet him in a few weeks when they all come up to Minnesota! WA-HOO!

A Couple of Bummers

2009-07-02T21:31:00.000-07:00

Today was a day we were really looking forward to, we had some really great possibilites for today, but they didn't go how we had hoped, so after my appointment we abandoned all the sad thoughts and had FUN!

Bummer #1: My sister's baby didn't cooperate! We were hoping to find out if we would be getting a niece or nephew in November the little bugger said, "NO WAY! You have to wait!"

Bummer #2: My appointment resulted in the same old, same old: there is too much going on with my hips and pelvis to know for sure what is wrong. Seriously, devastated here. I will be starting physical therapy for the THIRD time. Yep, THIRD time. I will be seeing a specialist that really works on the hip and the muscles surrounding it. If that doesn't work or it helps but I'm not completely better, I get to go back in for another cortisone and numbing shot. Once the shot is in, I'm supposed to go run around, do a bunch of physical activity and honestly assess the pain level. If it is significantly improved, then surgery MAY be an option. So it's more PT, more waiting, and continued frustration.

So there are the bummers of the day, here are the smileys:

1. Peder was very proud of his painting that he brought for me from preschool.

2. Jake being home so he could take Peder to and from school today to give my hip a bit of a rest.

3. Jake let me have his sandwich for lunch because the restaurant gave me the wrong one (it had everything I don't like on it and nothing I like....totally wrong from what I ordered).

4. Jake making phone calls for me because I just couldn't do it today.

5. Sandwiches for dinner so we could head out right away.

6. Playing at the pool after dinner. SO FUN!

7. A visit from Beth while we were at the pool.

8. Emmy "tickling" Beth...it was really cute.

9. Nerds Concrete Mixer from Culvers.

10. Snuggling with Jake for a bit tonight.

11. Peder's excitement about going to the cabin tomorrow.

12. Jake's dad watched the kids for us while I had my doctor's appointment.

13. Planning a relaxing weekend away. I'm going to ride in the boat, lay on a floatie in the lake, play in the lake with the kids, spend time with my family, go to the fireworks and just RELAX. WA-HOO! You will NOT hear from me until Sunday.

Less then a day...

2009-07-01T18:04:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is a big day. The morning starts out with my sister having her 20 week ultrasound...we get to find out if it's a boy or a girl! WA-HOO! Then in the afternoon I have my hip appointment. Hoping for a definitive plan....so please pray for that!

Today's Smileys:

1. Less then a day until I find out what the heck is going to happen with my hip.

2. Funny conversations with Peder. "No tickles, but I do like hugs and kisses."

3. Emmy saying, "Reach" and raising her arms above her head.

4. Jake brought us lunch because I was in too much pain to make anything for the kids or myself.

5. A long warm bath.

6. A new book to read, which made it hard to get out of that bath tub.

7. All 3 kids playing ball this evening and the giggles that filled the house for at least an hour straight.

8. Coconut Pineapple scented candles. Smells like summer....

9. Jake's work around the house.

10. A funny phone conversation with my dad....and Peder telling him all about his new Lightening McQueen life jacket "I got a new Lightening McQueen life jacket to wear while we go fishing."

Yeah....exhausted again

2009-06-30T19:34:00.000-07:00

I'm exhausted again. It's unbelievable how tired I am right now. I crashed last night and when my alarm went off this morning it went right into my dream. I was annoyed at someone because they couldn't figure out how to turn off their iPod alarm (that's what mine is) and in my dream I finally ripped the iPod out of the person's hand to shut it off and Jake woke me up to tell me my alarm was going off. Ha ha...oops.

Today's Smileys:

1. A smooth drop off and pick up at preschool. No tantrums from the girls this time.

2. A yummy left over lunch.

3. "If Grace is True " by Philip Gulley and James Mulholland. Everyone should read this book. It has some wonderful, thought provoking points. I can't wait to read more about it.

4. Funny emails from some funny girls in my life.

5. Jake's mom got a job in Atlanta...I think they are very excited about the move. It's something they've been hoping for for quite some time.

6. Goofing off with the family when Jake got home from work.

7. Yummy strawberries and a visit from Leslie.

8. Mari blowing kisses to Leslie when she left. Really cute.

9. My book group. What a great group of ladies.

10. Some really thought provoking discussions tonight at book group. Learning how much I have in common with these women. I loved our discussion tonight.

11. Going to bed. I will be in bed within 10 minutes of this being published. Night!

What a Day....

2009-06-29T19:44:00.000-07:00

Today has been a day that I just seem to be overloaded. Lots of information and lots of screaming kids. I'm glad I'll be going to bed soon....

Today's Smileys:

1. My friend Megan gave me a blog award today. She said some very nice things about me on her blog....something I needed today. Thanks Megan for brightening my day....even though you didn't know how much I needed it.

2. One of my friends knew exactly what I was feeling from a one sentence email I sent her today. It made me laugh.

3. "Many, like me, have experienced God's love but have misunderstood salvation. We've thought it a trophy rather than a gift, a personal achievement rather than a work of God. We've gloried in our salvation and damned those whose obstacles have far exceeded our own." -If Grace is True by Philip Gulley and James Mulholland

4. Working on my cross stich again.

5. Excited discussions about possibilities for the future.

6. The girls giving each other hugs and kisses to say they are sorry for hurting the other one.

7. Peder spent the day asking me what things are for. "What's the floor do? What's the roof for? What are hands for?" etc. So I asked him, "What are Mommy's for?" His response, "To snuggle with."

8. Chatting with my dad on the phone this afternoon and hearing more stories about fishing with Peder.

9. A walk down the block as a family.

10. Some quiet time today.

11. Counting down to answers about my hip: less then 3 days.

Another weekend gone...

2009-06-28T19:40:00.000-07:00

Another weekend is gone. A short week coming up and Thursday afternoon I finally get to find out about my hip. It's about time! WA-HOO!

Today's Smileys:

1. Waking up to Peder cuddling up with Jake. I hadn't even realized he climbed into bed with us, but he was OUT.

2. Pancakes and bacon for breakfast. Our kids LOVE pancakes.

3. A two and a half hour nap. I was OUT.

4. Aveda Color Conserve Shampoo and Conditioner. I love the smell!

5. Robert Downey Jr. I am SO glad he got sober and is acting. He is AMAZING. He is not recognizable in Tropic Thunder. Just unbelievable talent.

6. Chex Mix for a snack.

7. "If Grace is True." I think this book is really going to speak to me.

8. A little time to work on my cross stitch.

9. Finding a ton of adorable cake possibilities for the kids' birthdays.

10. Challenge shows on the Food Network. They're fun to watch.

Satisfying Saturday

2009-06-27T20:41:00.000-07:00

I'm writing this as I'm watching Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. I am SO confused. I'm hoping I understand it by the end. WEIRD!

Today's Smileys:

1. I spent the day scrapbooking. Made a HUGE amount of progress on Emmy's scrapbook pages. It was FUN!

2. Jake put the quarter round up in our laundry area. That means that the floor is finished up there. Now the celing just needs to be fixed and it will be done.

3. The girls running around the house in their diapers, they didn't want to be wearing those either.

4. A lot of dancing in our house. It's hilarious when the girls really start getting into it.

5. Emmy spinning around like crazy and then just plopping on her butt when she got too dizzy.

6. Emmy's singing. It is the cutest and funniest thing I have ever heard in my life.

7. A yummy dinner...kielbasa, lemon garlic potatoes and veggies. Yum.

8. Jake and Peder brought me a fan to help cool me off while I was scrapbooking. So sweet.

9. Peder helping Jake put up the quarter round.

10. All three kids "helping" Jake put my lamp back up on the wall. Everyone took a turn hammering in the wall anchors with their plastic hammers. Very cute.

11. An evening to myself, while Jake is out with his friends.

Scrapbooking! WA-HOO!

2009-06-26T21:31:00.000-07:00

Today's Smileys:

1. Went Scrapbooking with my sister-in-law Krista. A BLAST!

2. Didn't spend a dime while scrapbooking tonight, despite the great amount of temptation.

3. Mexican for dinner...YUMMY!

4. The people we shared our table with were very nice.

5. Compliments on my hair....Thanks!

6. Peder calling me while scrapbooking and asking me to sing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" to him before he went to sleep. And yes, I sang it while standing in Archiver's.

7. Chatting with Mari on the phone....she really needed her Mommy today.

8. A great husband who has no problem letting me go do my thing.

9. The kids found the girls' sleeping bags today and made me unroll them on the living room floor for them.

10. Mari saying, "Get up. Get up." after her nap today.

11. Emmy's sweet independence.

12. Looking forward to a day full of scrapbooking tomorrow. I love making progress!

13. Planning a camping weekend with Tom and Krista.

Drum Roll Please

2009-06-25T19:52:00.000-07:00

Today's Smileys:

1. A new hairdo. This was the risk I was talking about yesterday. You'll see why in the last picture.

Before - Unstyled, before bed.

After - Once again unstyled

After, back - And there is the risk I took. Those streaks are primary red. Very subtle, but VERY fun. I love it!

2. Peder's projects from school and how proud he was of them.

His binoculars.

A frog. It ribbits at you if Peder is in the room. :)

3. My girls singing away in the car.

4. Our "train" walking into the school. Me holding Mari's hand, Mari holding Peder's, and Peder holding Emmy's. Cute, cute.

5. An evening out of the house.

6. I love the girl that did my hair. I will be going back to her at least until she graduates.

7. All packed up for scrapbooking tomorrow night.

8. Goofing off with the kiddos this afternoon.

9. Lots of giggles in our house.

10. ScrapFest information is up. WA-HOO!

So Many Emotions

2009-06-24T19:12:00.000-07:00

Today's Smileys:

1. When justice is given to those that deserve it. When it serves it's purpose. When innocence is restored.

2. I am SO proud of the women in Iran. I cannot contain it within my body. These women are standing up for what they believe in, their rights as people and the future of their country. They are the faces of a revolution. What amazing women they are!

3. Getting my scrap room cleaned up....and partially packed for my scrapping night on Friday night.

4. Looking forward to big scrapping weekends to come: ScrapFest in September and retreats in October and February.

5. Jake working from home....the kids were CRABS today.

6. 100 calorie pack snacks. Very helpful when I'm feeling snacky.

7. Making progress on my cross stitch project again.

8. Peder "reading" the nightly bedtime story to me and the girls. "The farmer was painting the house and while he was gone the pig knocked over the bucket. Now touch the bucket."

9. Getting ready to take a risk...you'll see pictures tomorrow night! (How's that for a teaser?)

10. Jesse trying to catch the flies in the house. He's so funny.

Sheer Exhaustion

2009-06-23T19:36:00.000-07:00

I'm exhausted. I'tmes been a long and busy day.

Today's smileys:

1. Peder's excitement at school.

2. Emmy carrying Peder's backpack to school for him.

3. Emmy trying to go to school with Peder and throwing a massive tantrum when she couldn't.

4. A successful vegan cake.

5. A successful wedding shower.

6. A new book group book.

7. Talking with my book group ladies again. It was nice to just chat.

8. A clean living room when I got home from the shower.

9. Beth giving me a ride to and from the shower so Jake didn't have to load the kids into and out of the van.

10. Peder scolding me for forgetting my phone at home.

11. Saying good night to each of my kids when I got home.

12. Falling asleep in Jake's arms while he watches a movie.

2009-06-22T19:15:00.000-07:00

I didn't update our weightloss challenge yesterday because the post was dedicated to Father's Day. So now let's get down to business.

Jake - on 6/14/09 he had 10.5 pounds to lose to reach his goal. As of this evening he has 12 pounds, which is actually a pound less then he had earlier this week, so that's good. :)

Melissa - on 6/14/09 I had 7.5 pounds to lose. As of this evening I have 4.5 pounds to lose. NICE! I'm especially happy because I did it mostly through changing my eating habits, because any exercise causes pretty bad pain. WA-HOO!

On a related note, I had the last of the popcorn in our house tonight. I will not be buying more until I've lost 15 pounds. I can have it as a special treat when we go to the movies or something, but otherwise no more popcorn until I've lost that weight. For those of you that know me, you know how HUGE of a deal this is for me.

Today's smileys:

1. 3 pounds lost! WA-HOO!

2. Savoring my last bowl of popcorn for awhile.

3. A short nap this afternoon with Jesse. It was very nice!

4. Playing and giggling and tickling with Emmy. So cute.

5. Peder and Mari helping Jake do the dishes.

6. Jake's practice cake for the girls' birthday in a couple of weeks. Pretty cool.

7. Peder and Mari helping with the cake for the wedding shower tomorrow night.

8. A HUGE hug from all four of my family members....at the same time. Once again, super cute.

9. All 6 of us (including Jesse) snuggling on the couch together watching some of Wall-E.

10. Window air conditioners on a roaster of a day.

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T20:08:00.000-07:00

I am SO proud to call Jake my husband and that he is the father to my children. I could not have asked for a better man. He is SO good to us, always here for us and unfailing source of support in our life. So this post is dedicated to him and my dad...another wonderful man.

Jake as a man, husband and father:

1. Has given me the 3 best days of my life.

Saturday, October 5th, 2002

Wednesday, October 12th, 2005

Monday, July 9th, 2007

2. He has given me a son who is loving, caring and a wondeful big brother.

3. He gave me adorable twin girls.

4. A follower, filled with affection, and always doing things to make her sister and brother happy.

5. An independent, firecracker, who loves to sing.

6. He lets the kids help him with chores, even if it takes him twice as long, because he knows that they just want to spend time with him and help out.

7. He's supportive and one of his kids' biggest cheerleaders (the other being me, of course).

8. He loves spending time with us.

9. He goofs around with the kids and plays with them even when he's exhausted.

10. He thinks he has the best life ever because he has us.

Now, here's a picture of my dad from when he was over for dinner last night.

A couple of my favorite things about my dad:

1. I have someone to call when Jake doesn't laugh at my jokes, because I know he ALWAYS will.

2. I grew up watching Westerns rather then Sci-Fi.

3. He happily takes Peder fishing.

4. He loves to spoil his grandkids and spend time with them.

5. He still talks about how cute my mom is, after 31 years of marriage.

6. He buys me sunflower seeds.

Bringing Joy

2009-06-20T20:17:00.000-07:00

Tonight Jake and I watched "The Bucket List." In one of the scenes the two men are looking at the pyramids in Egypt and talking about faith, God and the afterlife. Morgan Freeman's character talks about how ancient Egyptians believed that you got into heaven depending on your answer to two questions: 1. Did you find joy in your life? 2. Did you bring joy to others' lives? (I don't know how accurate this is, it is from a movie afterall. But I did find references to it when I did a google search.) I think this is a GREAT way to live your life. If you aren't living with joy, how can you change your life so you are? What can you do to ensure that the way you are living your life is bringing joy to other people?

Today's Smileys:

1. Sleeping in till 8:45a. Nice.

2. Making Father's Day cards.

3. The kids playing in the pool.

4. Making a nice Father's Day supper for my dad: stir fried mushrooms, cream cheese wontons (yep, I made them myself) and thai chicken stir fry.

5. Eating dinner outside.

6. The girls and grandma singing "We All Live in a Yellow Submarine"

7. Emmy howling at Grandma's singing....too funny.

8. Little kids playing outside all evening in their swimsuits.

9. The Bucket List....it was very thought provoking for me.

10. Free movie channels all weekend on DirecTV....once again loading up the DVR!

11. A beautiful evening to sit outside and chat.

Mega Late

2009-06-19T21:34:00.000-07:00

This is WAY late. We were busy playing with Jake's Father's Day present!

Today's Smileys:

1. Making some real progress on the girls' birthday invites. Hopefully can mail them tomorrow!

2. Got a new pool for the kids and I to play in this summer. Just in time for the 90 degree weather coming next week.

3. Supper from Baker's Square. We got gift cards in the mail from some members of our church, so we got to eat out tonight.

4. Choosing the healthy option on the menu, not adding the teriyaki sauce that came with it and still thinking it was really good.

5. Jake's Father's Day present: Guitar Hero World Tour and an extra guitar so we can "battle."

6. Starting to potty train the girls and the nakedness that ensues.

7. A MAJOR dance party at our house this morning. All three kids were dancing and Emmy was singing. Can't get much cuter!

8. No snacking this evening. ROCK ON!

9. Making a definitive plan for weight loss. I want to reach a certain weight by my 30th birthday (in just over a year) and today was a major step towards that.

10. A goofball of a husband. I love that I have a man that makes me laugh every day and cheers me up when I'm down.

11. Starting my new devotional Bible.

Day 2

2009-06-18T19:47:00.000-07:00

It's hard to write happy thoughts when I'm in a lot of pain, so I'm gritting my teeth and remembering the happy moments of the day.

Today's Smileys:

1. I got all 3 kids ready and out the door and Peder was at preschool on time all by myself. Painful, but I did it!

2. Peder painted for us at preschool.

3. After working on them for over 4 hours and debating about just buying them this year, I finally got a design that I approve of for the girls' birthday party invites. Now to get them finished and mailed out.

4. Red onions, they're my fave.

5. Getting the girls new swimsuits.

6. Trying on one piece swimsuits today. Seriously, HILARIOUS! There is a reason I get tankinis.

7. Getting a new devotional Bible. I'm starting tomorrow morning!

8. Getting a new journal to do my devotions.

9. I bought Jake a surprise present tonight. I was walking past a table of books at one caught my eye: "Lies my Teacher Told Me: Everything your American History Textbook Got Wrong." If you know Jake, you will know why I had to buy this book the instant I saw it. Seriously, he burst out laughing when I handed it to him, because it is SO him.

10. "Ace of Cakes" - This is probably my new favorite show. I love what they create and am convinced Jake can start decorating cakes using fondant. :)

11. Peace and quiet.