Preschool!!

We recently registered Isabel for preschool next year at Sacred Heart School! She will be attending preschool tuesday and thursday afternoons for 3 hrs each day and will be in the Little Angel group.

We, including Isabel, are very excited. When we started the process of looking for a preschool, I had 3 in mind. Sacred Heart was the 2nd one that I toured...and within a few minutes, I just knew this is the one for us! The elementary principle of the school is Mr.Andres, and he is wonderful. From what I've seen and heard, he is a very kind man that truly loves his school and students. Mrs.Hammond will be Isabel's preschool teacher. I can also say that from the little time that I have spent with her, she seems like a loving and patient teacher.

Isabel had a chance to meet the principle and teacher and enjoyed both of them. Isabel happily held Mr.Andres hand as we walked to the preschool room! And once in the room, Isabel walked with Mrs.Hammond to take a look at the fish and then told me, "Mom, you go....I'll stay and play"! What? I was completely stunned!

So now every time we drive by the school (which is often since its right by my mom's house), Isabel waves and says "hi school"!! Soo cute! Lets hope her excitement about the school carries on through summer and into the fall!

Disney on Ice!!

Finally, the long wait was over....it was time for Disney on Ice!! A few days before the show, we had some upsetting news that Jason was having a quiz in his stats class, which just happened to be the same day as the show!! Oh no! We were all heartbroken, but after a few phone calls and arrangements, Isabel, Jocie, and I were still going and Erin (my best buddy from the cities) was going to take Jason's place.

The morning of the show we had to get up extra early since we had to drive an hour north to pick Jocie up from school and then drive an hour back into the cities for the show. I was alittle worried that we might be late, but surprisingly enough, we weren't! We actually arrived at the Target Center an hour early. Which allowed time to dress Isabel in the car (we left so early in the morning, she was still sleeping), get food, light up toys, and find our seats with only 10 minutes till the show started.

The Disney on Ice was awesome!!! It started out with a broken down Zambonie....which lead to Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and the Chipmunks entrance. Then out came Aladdin and the Genie. During their dance/song out came about 30 more genies...very cool. Their act finished with Aladdin and Gene doing a front flip side by side! We were all impressed. Then it was on to the Beauty and the Beast skit. Belle was soo beautiful. The beast was very realistic and we even saw Chip and Mrs.Potts. When their skit ended out came each Disney princess along with their prince. They each skated to a minute clip of their theme song. I was in heaven. We have become obsessed with the Disney Princesses. So to see them (yes, I realize they are only actors) in person, in costume, was soo wonderful. I could of sat and watch them all day. I'd love to say that Jocie and Isabel were enjoying this part as much as me, but to be honest, I wasn't paying any attention to them! I was completely in my own little world, like a child with big wide eyes, jaw to the ground! :-) After the princesses, we saw the Lion King, Pinocchio (which has become Isabels new interest), The Incredibles, Its a small world, Nemo, and Mulan. When the Mulan skit started, Ialmost jumped out of my seat. Mulan has become our newest obsession. We've been watching the Mulan movie over and over again for the last 2 weeks. Isabel and I are in LOVE with Mulan. And of course there was no way for the Disney on Ice show producers to know how much we are obsessed with Mulan (obviously), but I'm convinced that it "was meant to be" that they would pick to perform a Mulan skit, which happened to be the longest skit they performed! As Mulan skated around, she was so beautiful and graceful. I was fighting tears the whole time!! And yes I realize how dorky that is, but I just couldn't help it. After the show Jocie was so confused why I would want to cry if I liked it, (I think her exact words were "oh, thats weird")! Haha....she is absolutley right! Oh well, I couln't help it. Mulan has become such a special princess/story to us!

The Disney on Ice show was so much fun! From beginning to end we were all on the edge of our seats. The skaters were amazing! We all commented on how good they were. I don't think any of us imagined that they would be that good. The skaters were able to do all kinds of lifts, jumps, spins....they were very talented. It was a perfect start to our adventure day!!

After the ice show we headed to the Mall of America for some more fun. Right away we got started on the rides. First up was the bumper cars. Isabel and I rode together while Jocie and Bryan rode in their own car. We all had a blast bumping into each other. Then it was time for Erin and Bryan take Isabel on the "baby" rides....or at least they tried to! Apparently they didn't get too far, as Isabel was obsessed with the Wonder Pets ride and rode it over and over again! While Jocie and I took off to the "scary" rides! First we went on the rollercoaster. But it wasn't just any normal rollercoaster, it was a rollercoaster that had 4 seats in each car. And while you went up and down and sideways you were also spinning in a circle at the same time! This might sound fun and exciting to some people, but to me....not soo much. Jocie had a blast on the ride. She would lift her arms up high as we went down and laughed and yelled the whole time. I on the otherhand was not doing too hot! I was so scared that my legs were literally shaking. My palms were sweating and I was holding back tears! I was completely terrified. Next we were off to another ride that left me sick to my stomach and shaking like a baby. This ride has you sitting down while it lifts you up so your feet dangle in the air and then it quickly drops you and then stops right before you feel like you're going to crash through the floor. This ride makes your stomach go up and then drops it so deep inside you~which happens to be Jocie's favorite part of the ride~and my worse favorite! Poor Jocie had to put up with me screaming on all the rides, squeezing her hands, and practically begging for each ride to end! Thankfully she was a good sport about it:-)

After the rides we had a quick bite to eat the we were off to Build-a-Bear. The girls had so much fun picking their animal, stuffing it, washing it, and picking out clothes. We've never been to build-a-bear, but thank goodness that Jocie has. She was able to lead the way and show Isabel what to do. It was so cute watching Isabel concentrate on what Jocie did and then mimic it. The best part was when the did the "heart ceremony". Soo cute. When we were all done Jocie had made a cute dog and picked out a blue shirt with a tie for her dog and Isabel made a bear and dressed her in a princess shirt and cute denim skirt. Build-a-bear was such a blast. If you've never been there I'd highly recommend trying it.....its such a fun hands on time for the kids!

By the end of our Mall of America adventure, we were all exhausted. We were all relieved when we finally found the car (it took us awhile, Erin and I got alittle confused which floor we parked on, while Jocie kept telling us its the 3rd floor....we should of listened to Jocie~she was right). As pulled out of the parking ramp Isabel asked for some cereal to eat and by the time we got on the freeway (about 2 min.) she was out! It was hilarious. We all were laughing because one minute she was eating her cereal, singing her Rockstar song and the next she was asleep with a piece of cereal hanging out of her mouth! What a perfect ending to a perfect day:-)

Surprise......American Girl Doll!!!

So like I explained earlier, Jason was not able to join us for the Disney on Ice show or Mall of America adventure. We were all sad, but most of all Jason because he really wanted to spend some time with Jocie. Jason decided since he couldn't be with Jocie he really wanted to do something super special for her.....and whats more special than an American Girl doll!

So I told Jocie that morning that her daddy Jason had a special surprise for her, but she'd have to wait to later to find out what it was. Finally after a full day at the Mall of America it was time to reveal her surprise. I called Jason so he could tell Jocie over the phone about her surprise. Jocie's face was classic....her eyes got big and mouth dropped open and she said, "really?? I get one??"! It was so awesome seeing how excited she was.

As Jocie and I headed to the American Girl store, Erin and Bryan took Isabel so that Jocie and I could take our time and look around and truly enjoy the store (Isabel was extremely tired...I was trying to avoid a breakdown in the store).

As we were about to walk in, I found out that this was Jocie's first time in the store! Wow..this was really going to be great time! As we walked around the store Jocie told me alittle about each doll and showed me the ones she already had. These American Girl dolls are beautiful. They have the neatest clothes and accessories....this is definetely a store that any young girl could fall in love with. There was even a station where the dolls could get their hair done! And there was a 2nd floor where they have a Bistro for the dolls and the girls~very cool.

Watching Jocie look at all the new girls was so fun. She kept saying, "oh I just don't know which one I want". She would pick up one doll and spend a few minutes looking at it then put it down and pick up another. They are all so beautiful, its no wonder this was going to be a tough decision for her. Finally the decision was down to 2 dolls. After looking them over for a few minutes she picked Julie. Julie was perfect. Julie has long blonde hair and was dressed in jeans and a collared shirt and vest. She also comes with a purple knit hat, necklace, and purse. Very trendy!

From the time we walked into the store to the time we left Jocie kept saying over and over again "thank you so much". It was so wonderful seeing how thankful she was for her special doll. And it felt so great doing something so special for Jocie because she is truly the greatest girl I've ever known. I can honestly say I have never meet someone like her. She is truly a special girl....with a big heart. And Jocie is also so kind, loving, nice, beautiful, and sooo Smart! I feel so blessed to have her in my life. Whenever we spend time with her she completely feels my heart with joy.

As we left the store, it was alittle bitter sweet because I wish Jason could have been there to see Jocie's excitment. He would have loved every moment of it. Also this was the first time that it just Jocie, Isabel, and me. Not having Jason with us was very different. I could definetely feel that he was missed. When us 4 spend time together it just feels complete....so without him there we were a man short! But us girls pulled through and survived, and managed to still have some fun:-)

Thank you, thank you, Thank You!

As I mentioned earlier we had a Disney on Ice/Mall of America adventure day. We had a wonderful time thanks to some very special important people. When we first decided that we were going to buy tickets to the Disney on Ice show I immediately called my friend Erin who lives in the cities, because this of course meant we'd get to see each other. Somewhere along our planning Erin mentioned that her mom had a coupon we could use to buy our tickets. Thank you Erin for always thinking of us. Thank you to your mom and her family for all going out of their way to get me the coupon information. We truly appreciate all your efforts!

We are also friends with the Knutson family (Lance, Tami, Bella, and Ava). Lance and Tami are so kind, giving, and full of love. And their girls are also just as special! When Tami found out we were going to be at the Mall of America she absolutely insisted on giving us 4 unlimited ride bracelets for the rides at Nickelodean town. I was alittle hesistant, but Tami wouln't take no for an answer. So thank you so much Tami for your kindness and generosity! Our ride bracelets were perfect and helped make our Mall of America trip alittle less stressful.

And thank you Erin for being our driver for the day. By the end of our day we drove almost 5hrs!! You are such a wonderful friend. Also thank you Erin and Bryan for all your help throughout the day. I don't think I could have managed without you two. You two are always so willing to help. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

I can't even begin to explain how blessed we are to have such wonderful friends in our lives. Thank you again for all your kindness, love, generosity, and support!

And then there was three....

I'm always so interested in watching the way Isabel interacts with adults because she is so shy. Most adults she runs from, but there are a few, for some reason that she is just drawn to. My friend Erin Rautmann and her boyfriend (of like 15yrs~get married already!haha! J/K) Bryan are two people Isabel has always felt comfortable around. This is very interesting because she doesn't see them very often, like maybe twice a year! It first became clear how much she liked them in the summer of '07 when we stayed at their place for a week. Right away Isabel played with them, let Erin give her baths, and was even affectionate with them (that usually takes Isabel a bit of time). The next time Isabel saw them was a year later when we shared a hotel room with them in Duluth for Emily and Adam's wedding. Again right away she talked to them, played with them, and really just enjoyed them. She even talked about Erin and Bryan for a few days afterwards and still remembers that Erin bought her a princess necklace.

So on our most recent visit to the cities (Disney on Ice/MOA) we again stayed at Erin and Bryan's place. And again Isabel was completely comfortable with Erin and Bryan. She loved showing off her attitude/rockstar poses and dance moves for them. When they took her on rides at the MOA I was alittle worried that she might be scared without me around...nope she didn't care at all that I wasn't there. Her and Bryan talked and played together the whole time. Erin said Isabel was much more talkative with Bryan then with her...hmmm!

The last night at Erin and Bryan's place Isabel had them read books to her in their bed while I tried to fall asleep. Tried is the key word there.....I couldn't sleep at all because Erin, Bryan, and Isabel were soo loud;-) Those 3 were laughing and being silly past 11pm! It was very cute listening to how much fun they were having with each other. Erin and Bryan are great people and I love that Isabel realizes that and loves them as much as I do. Thank you Erin and Bryan for loving Isabel so much and for taking such good care of her:-)

Happy Valentines Day!!!

Yea...its Valentines Day! Our Valentine Day celebrations started off with Isabel bringing Valentines to all the kids in our bible study group. Then we were off to make Valentine cupcakes with Sarah, Alivia, and Tate. Alivia and Isabel had a blast decorating their cupcakes with pink and purple frosting (homemade..thanks Sarah), pink sparkles, and lots of Valentine candies. Alivia was so creative (just like her mommy) and Isabel....well she was more into dipping her fingers in the frosting and licking them (just like her mommy~haha).

On Saturday Isabel and I spent the afternoon visiting Ellen and the dogs (Lola and Madis) and then some special Valentine time with grandma and grandpa. That night I decided that I would make a special dinner for us (stuffed chicken for Jason and I and noodles for Isabel). Our dinner was delicious! Then it was time to exchanged gifts, which was just Valentine cards. Isabel could barely hold it together when it was time to give Jason his card. She insisted in putting them in a bag (like the mailman) and telling me "shh" as she tip-toed down the hallway to surprise Jason with her card and mine. The card that Isabel gave Jason was Hilarious! It had a frog that bounced out of it by a spring when you opened the card. Isabel couldn't stop laughing. And she spent so much time and love in decorating the card for Jason. Lots of stickers and pictures. Finally Isabel opened her card and she couldn't believe her eyes....she got the Tinkerbell card that she wanted! We saw it earlier this week while shopping for a card for Jocie. I told Isabel that maybe she's get it, but I didn't know. She told me, "hey I know, how 'bout someone buys that for me for my dirtday?" I just smiled and said maybe! When she saw the Tinkerbell card right away she said, "hey, this is the card I told you I wanted"!! She was truly surprised.

We spent the rest of the night snuggling together on the couch. Isabel and I took turns sitting by Jason (her and I always fight over who gets to sit by him~I don't know why, I think we just like to "fight" with each other). It was a great Valentines day....just our little family together and lots of LOVE,LOVE, LOVE!!!

They're Cousins...yeah, yeah (Patty Duke theme song~are you singing it?)

Isabel and Baby Nate are so darn cute together I can barely stand it! I've been very lucky the last few weeks (and it'll continue until summer) because I get to babysit Nathaniel aka Baby Nate, my nephew. I have to be honest, the thought of babysitting a 6mnth old a few months ago, wasn't exactly exciting to me....mostly because I was going to have to be so hands on (which I'm not use to....I have an independent 3yr old), but now that Nate is 9 mnths old....bring it on!! Baby Nate is by far the cutest little man around! He has the cutest, chunkiest cheeks, a big smile and baby thunder thighs!!! Put these together and you get a CUTE baby!

So last week Isabel and Nate had a huge bonding moment. Nate was crawling around the apartment and Isabel decided she would crawl with him. This lead to a follow the leader, crawling style, until they made it to Isabel's bedroom. Once they were in Isabel's room....they were both in heaven. Nate had a blast checking out all the toys and his new surroundings (this was his 1st time in Isabel's room). And Isabel had a blast having a playmate. I stood in the hallway and listened to Isabel talking to Nate, while Nate would baby talk back and laugh. Isabel had a "dirtday" party for Nate and played doctor with Nate. While playing doctor Isabel tried to lift him on her baby's changing table but was unsuccessful. So I decided I would help her out, but only so I could get a photo of it! It was soo cute! Poor Nate didn't know what to think. Isabel didn't even realize, she just kept checking his heart beat. After doctor they played in Isabel's kitchen and had a tea party! It was all too cute for words. The played for over an hour together....perfectly...no hitting, no crying...just two cousins playing and laughing! I couldn't believe it....Isabel is 3 and Nate is 9 mnths! I never would of imagined that they would of been able to bond and play together this soon. It was so special.

I can't even begin to put into words how amazing it is watching Isabel and Nate play together. Isabel is so sweet with Nate. She is always trying to find toys for Nate to play with and is asking him questions. I don't even think she notices that he doesn't answer. And she loves making him laugh....and Nate just eats up all the attention.

Watching Nate and Isabel play so well together also breaks my heart alittle. Its just another reminder that we are missing a baby in our family. My biggest regret will always be not having a baby right after Isabel. If I only knew then what I know now! But thats life....and I know we'll be blessed with a baby when we're suppose to be, which is not right now (in case anyone is wondering). But I can tell you, that there is without a doubt a whole in my heart because we don't have another child, and being with Nate and any other baby just breaks my heart because I want my own little baby, but like I said before, it'll happen when it's suppose to. And I truly feel so lucky and blessed to have this special time with Nate. He is not only the cutest little man around, he is also the most perfect baby EVER! Nate is so chill and so happy. He never cries, (unless I'm picking at his boogers~hee hee) he just smiles and is completely laid back. We brought Nate to Fargo with us (which I was alittle nervous about) and he was perfect. He slept on the way there and back. Sat quietly during dinner time, chilled in the strolling at the mall, and even mananged to not get anties while I held him in the Olive Garden waiting for 45 min. for a table! Seriously...he is perfect!! Thank you, thank you, thank You, Nate for just being you!! I look forward to watching yours and Isabel's relationship grow!