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!

Mom's weekend away!!!

So after 3yrs, 3 months, and 2 weeks of being a mom....I finally took the plunge and had my firstweekend away from Isabel!! Alittle late, wouldn't cha' say?? My high school buddy Michelle Erickson was getting married in the cities. And since we already had a plans to go to the cities in March, we decided it would be better if I just took a quick trip to the cities by myself. After a bit of planning, I ended up heading to the cities with the Hammarback family.

The night before we left, I was feeling really sad about leaving. I laid in the bed with Isabel and talked to her about mommy leaving for the weekend. Isabel just kept telling me "no mom, you don't need to go, you stay with me". My heart was breaking and I could feel the tears. I finally told Isabel, "I'll be right back, I need to go get something to drink". I ran out of the room and into the living room and stood in front of Jason. Poor Jason had no clue what was about to happen....he looked up at me and said, "oh, whats that look for?" I shook my head and started crying, and not just a few tears, I'm talking BAWLING, like that really ugly cry. You know the one thats starts and can't stop. Jason just held me and kept saying, "its okay...you'll be fine...you need to go..its good for you". But after a few minutes of me crying and begging (literally I was begging) Jason not to make me go (by the way, he wasn't making me go, but by this time I felt like everyone was making me go), Jason started to say, "okay, just stay...you don't need to go...just stay home with us". Thank goodness Jason said that, because it made me stop crying and realize, I DID NEED to go. But also it helped that I got all my tears out before I left town, so I could just enjoy my weekend.....or so I thought!!

We got to town Friday evening and right away I left with Erin and Bryan for dinner. I had a blast...I love spending time with them two (they are two of my favorite people). We had great conversation, good food, and way too many drinks!! Saturday morning I was finally able to call Jason and check in. Isabel was still sleeping when I called (which relieved me, I wasn't sure if I could handle hearing her voice just yet). While we talked Jason informed me that Isabel had a tough time on Friday night without me. Apparently she was walking around the apartment asking for me and carrying pictures of me saying "this is my mommy"! Wow, talking about breaking my heart. Jason also said she asked "when's mommy coming home" and Jason told her, "well honey, in a day or so" and Isabel replied, "NO, mommy come home in 30 minutes, OkAY!!" Ohh too cute!

Saturday afternoon we headed to the Mall of America. Right away Jeannie (Ellen's aunt~who also loves to shop for her grandchildren) announced she was heading to the Disney store. I tagged along and found it very theraputic to shop like crazy for Isabel. It really helped alleviate the guilt. But I soon found out buying her toys only made me feel worse about being away from her. I called Isabel to let her know that I bought her something special....hearing her excitement was a dagger to my heart. I just wanted to get home. So of course I quickly got off the phone and ran upstairs and cried to all the Hammarback woman! Bless their hearts for putting up with me!

Finally I was able to get myself together and we were off to the wedding. Michelle looked beautiful and sooo happpy. I had a blast seeing all my "St.Cloud Peeps"!! And I shared a special bonding moment with AJ, when I started crying at the dance because they played the song "I hope you Dance" (thats my song to Isabel)! Thanks AJ...you're the best! The rest of the night...well lets just say what happens at wedding dances, stays at wedding dances!! HAha! Just kidding, it was great.!

Finally it was Sunday...I could barely think straight waiting to get home. By 4:30pm Teri pulled up to our apt. I practically ran into the building and as I started up the stairs, there came Isabel running and yelling mom! She jumped into my arms and I swear she took my breathe away! I had to hold the tears in. I spent the rest of the night staring at her face because I was and still am convinced that face changed while I was gone!

So while mom was gone...Jason and Isabel had a blast (even though I'm sure they were crying for me the whole weekend~haha)! Jason picked up the movie Madagascar 2...which they watched more than 7 times the whole weekend! They also hit up the arcade,did alittle shopping, and spent some special time with Grandma Joyce!

Dumb and Dumber???

Here's a funny story I thought I'd share. You'll either totally laugh at us or you'll just think we're idiots....whichever one is just fine!!! Hope you enjoy it:-)

The other night Jason and I were hanging out channel surfing. It was 11pm, nothing on TV, expect Golden Girls re-runs (and you can only watch so many of those) so Jason decided to listen to some of his new songs on his MP3 player. I was alittle irritated at first because he was sitting right next to me on the couch which meant I could also hear the music. I was trying to block out the music, but finally decided to give in and enjoy it. I turned the TV on mute and asked Jason for a headphone. Jason was sitting on my left side, so he, without thinking just gave me the earphone that was closest to me, the headphone on his right side. So there we were, sitting on the couch together, each holding a headphone to our ear as we jammed out to some tunes. Jason's music selection is very interesting....we'd be listening to Ozzy Osbourne and then Garth Brooks!! We were having so much fun laughing at each other's bouncing heads and shoulder shrugs, but we were also getting frustrated because we were having so much trouble with the headphones. I had to keep my head very close to Jason's so the headphone would stay in my ear. And on top of that the earphone cord was being dragged across Jason's face. And it didn't help that I would get so excited about a song and start dancing super crazy, which meant I would accidently jerk the headphone out of Jason's ear. Finally, after over an hour, Jason said, "hey wait, give me your headphone". I was completely confused. Jason grabbed the headphones and gave me the left ear headphone and gave himself them right ear headphone!! Genius!! Remember I said that when I asked Jason for a headphone, he grabbed the headphone from his right ear and handed it to me, because that was the closet headphone to me. So for over and hour Jason and I were having a heck of a time dealing with these headphones, when all we needed to do was switch headphone pieces! We laughed so hard over our complete mind-slip. It was such a classic moment, Jason shook his head and said, "wow, dumb and dumber??" Yeah, I think so!!! Haha:-)

We're going sledding, we're going sledding, da,da,da....

We finally made it out to the snow hill for some good old sledding. We were so excited to see how Isabel would do this year. This was Isabel's 3rd year of sledding. She's been a total sledding nut from the beginning, but since she's alittle older and more aware of her surrounding we weren't totally sure if she'd be excited or scared. On the way to Lincoln Park Isabel sang her own sledding song, "We're going sledding, we're going sledding, da,da,da.....Yeah thats what we're doin', da,da,da". It was so cute.

Finally the big moment was before us....and without a moments hesitation, Isabel hopped on the sled with daddy and she was ready to go. And of course, she went crazy. Laughing and yelling so hard, she couldn't get up the hill fast enough to go again. Its moments like this that remind me just how opposite Isabel and I are. Isabel has been a dare devil from day one. She has no fears, which sometimes is a little scary. Now mommy on the other hand, I have become the biggest chicken with age, its ridiculous. I was so scared to go down the hill (seriously what did I think was going to happen to me). But finally I sucked it up and down I went on the sled and guess what? I survived and I even had fun!! So of course, now that I mastered sled riding I was ready to take Isabel with me. I was totally freaking out (again, what am I so afraid of?? Its a sled and snow...get it together Debbie), but we survived and had a blast. I screamed the whole way down the hill which Isabel found very funny.

After an hour or so of going up and down the hill, Isabel had no more patience for the trek up the hill, (which is just her laying on the sled while we pull her up), she decided she needed to get up the hill faster. So Isabel started walking/running up the hill. It was so funny because everytime you thought, "I don't think she'll make it, she's going to fall backwards", but she didn't and she would quickly get on the sled and yell that she was ready. Isabel finally started to feel super courageous, while Jason and I were busy talking to the Troemners, Isabel got on the sled and started pushing herself forward to get the sled going. I saw her out of the corner of my eye, but before we could stop her, down she went. I was so scared (of course I was!!), what if she gets hurt!! And of course she didn't. We stayed at the top of the hill and watch Isabel get off her sled and try to walk up the hill with her sled. She didnt make it too far before she ditched the sled and continued the trek up the hill. Wow!! Isabel you are CRAZY!!!!

I was finally able to take a break from sledding, which meant I was walking around taking pictures of everyone and while I was taking a picture of Cindy and Grace on a sled they conviced me to get on the sled with them!! Yeah, 3 grown woman on 1 sled....hilarious. I couldn't figure out which way to sit, so I finally as I was standing there facing Cindy, I decided to just straddler her! I yelled for Joe to hurry and push us down the hill before I'd fall off. And down we went. We were laughing soo hard and so was everyone around us. We didn't make it very far before crashed, but holy smokes did we have fun!!!

So after us girls had our fun, it was only appropiate that we make the guys have fun.....Somehow we were able to convince Jason, Russ, and Joe to go on the sled together. The boys were so funny because they didn't want to sit between each others legs, (heaven forbid) but finally after some careful thought they were situation. Russ and Joe sat on sled which Jason was squated down on the back of the sled. The boys made it all the way down the hill, or rather Russ and Joe made it all the way down the hill, Jason fell off the back of the sled half-way down the hill. It was so funny. We all had a good laugh. I love moments when the adults act like children.....priceless!!

Finally after almost 2 hours of sledding Jason and I were exhausted and slowly Isabel was falling apart. She was getting crankier and crankier after each trip up the hill, but kept insisting that she didn't want to stop. As she was trying to go down the hill by herself again, (Jason tried to stop her because she was on her knees trying to go down the hill, rather than on her bumper). Jason was able to stop her sled after it moved a few feet down the hill. This of course made Isabel sooo MAD! She had been screaming "no, No, no, NO" when Jason was trying to stop the sled. And when he stopped it, she stood up and screamed at him, "I said NO"!! Oh my gosh, it took everything in me to not laugh. She was sooo MAD, it was hilarious. Then she threw herself on the grown and started kicking (yep, she threw a tantrum). Jason was trying to get her to stop because her boot started to fall off, but she wouldn't listen. And before long her boot fell off, which made her even more mad. So Jason (stooping to her level) says, "see thats what you get", and Isabel quickly stood up and shot around, pointed at Jason and yelled, "no thats what you get!!!" . I completely losted it at this point. I turned around and busted out laughing so hard. So with that, our sledding day was over. Jason was finally able to get her boot on and off we went. By the way, the whole time Jason and Isabel were having their fight, I of course did nothing, but stand and take pictures!!! haha:-)

"A true friend is the greatest of all blessings"

We are so blessed. For a long time now, I've been meaning to write about the friends in Isabel's and my life. I feel alittle stressed writing about this because I just don't know where to begin and I don't want to forget anyone. Well, here goes....growing up in EGF was great. It's not too big, not too small. And the best part was the people I met. When I was still in diapers I met Ellen Hammarback. Ellen is one of my best friends and is one of Isabel's godmothers. In elementary school I met Kalee Mack. I remember she was the "coolest" girl in our grade (don't get any ideas Kalee...haha). Kalee is still one of my best friends. Then in middle school I met the beautiful Kelly Holtman. Kelly is the nicest person you will ever meet and I'm so glad to call her my best friend. Now although I had other friends outside of these 3 girls, and although there were times we weren't always close and together, these 3 woman are incredible and I'm so lucky to still call them my best friends. And because I've known them for so long, we've gone through fun, wild, sad, serious, and happy times together. I've always known how much these gals love me, but perhaps I never truly knew the extend until I was pregnant. First off, they threw me pregnant parties (lots of apps and no booze) all the time (I think it was just an excuse for them to eat yummy food). For my baby shower they bought me a changing table (which we now use as Isabel's dresser...thanks ladies) and when I was in the hospital waiting for Isabel to arrive these 3 gals were right there with me. They took turns bringing meals for Jason, they kept me company, and the excitment they had when they met Isabel was truly amazing. Those moments will always be close to my heart.

In the summer of 1998, I met Heather Brunelle while working at DirecTel (telemarketing..perfect fit for me, right??haha). Heather is one the strongest, most determined people I've ever met. She is a close friend who I'm very protective of and sometimes treat like my own daughter...only becomes I care so much about her:-) Her friendship has always been such a blessing.

Then along came St.Cloud. I met Erin Rautmann and Emily Kratzke in St.Cloud while living in my freshman dorm. It wasn't long before us 3 became inseparable. Erin is the crabbiest, funniest, most sarcastic person you'll ever meet (Jason thinks she's great...big surprise) and Emily is beautiful, funny, and so talented. These are my 2 friends who I love so dearly, but don't get to see very often because they live so far away (okay, they only live 4 hours away, but that's alot when you have a family to take care of). My memories with these 2 girls are filled with tons of laughter and completely drunken moments (it was college, what do you expect)!!!

Now going back to my baby shower. I have to thank everyone who was a part of that. The amount of gifts we recieved was crazy. I so emotional because everyone was so giving and so loving. I think my cousin Grace bought me every supply under the sun. And Carla bought Isabel's summer wardrobe, and my sister....where to begin. I am so blessed to have my sister. She is the most giving and selfless person I have ever known. She not only threw me a baby shower, she also proceed to buy the bassinet, crib, diapers, and clothes. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

So August of 2004, I was working at Marshall Fields and along came Carla Spokely. I remember when I first met her. I was glad to finally be working with someone I had something in common with. She, like me, was a newly wed. She was also pregnant, and I was trying to get pregnant. Carla and I hit it off right away. We would spend hours on the phone telling stories of our past....and there was a lot to tell, since we met so late in our lives:-) What a complete joy it has been having Carla in my life. Her daughter Tatum and Isabel are 1o months apart and are totally best friends. Watching them play and laugh together is so cute.

So in September of 2006 Isabel and I joined ECFE (baby school). The program is designed for an hour of mommy/toddler time with songs and a snack and then an hour of moms meeting with a child specialist to talk about parenting issues. What a great program. When we joined ECFE I met a handful of awesome mom's who I am sooo lucky to call my friends. They include Danielle Brundin who has a daughter Paige and son Seth, Sara Dietzler whose daughter is Greta and now has a son Adam, Polly who is the most calming and soothing mom I've ever know, she has 4 sons! And Jenny Hanson, whose daughters are Isabella and Veronica.

When I met Jenny I knew right away we were made for each other. And it wasn't long before her and I became very close. There are weeks were Isabel and I practically live at the Hanson house. Jenny is so kind, loving, passionate about her faith, and truly inspiring. She has brought me closer to my faith and inspired me to be a better person, I am truly grateful to have her in my life.

Along with all the wonderful woman I named, I also have been blessed to have meet even more wonderful mom's in the last year. They would include; Tammy, Becky, Laura, and Sarah (high school friend)and Emily. And the best part of getting to know these wonderful woman and calling them my friends, is having their children and Isabel a part of each other's lives.

If you ever ask Isabel to name her friends....she'd probably start off with Isabel Hanson (her name is actually Isabella, but because I call my Isabel, Isabel Aaker when we're with Isabella Hanson, Isabel now call Isabella, Isabel Hanson....I hope that wasn't too confusing). Then she'd say 'Ronca (Veronica), then Tatum, Greta,Paige, and so on. And listening to Isabel talk about her friends is soo cute. She always wants her friends to come to her house and she always asks to see her friends.

Every wednesday, after dance, we head to McDonalds. This is my favorite part of the week. We have a McDonalds "crew". This started out with 3 of us moms (Jenny, Sara, and me), but now we've grown to a group of up to 6 moms and sometimes more. When you count all the moms and kids, we easily make up a group of over 20. Now since we go to McDonalds every wednesday we have become quite close with the McDonalds staff. They not only look forward to seeing us, but they love our kids and our kids love them. One day one of the McDonalds workers came into the playland to chat with us moms. I was sitting next to Sara, gushing over her perfect baby boy Adam when the lady came by to admire him. As she gently rubbed his head she said, "you guys are all so blessed to have this time to spend with each other"!!!! WOW!!! It was such a simple statement, yet those words have been on my mind since. I've spent endless hours thinking about how blessed Isabel and I truly are.

We are surrounded by incredible people everyday. The mom's I've met have become some the closest women in my life. Their children are Isabel's best friends. These woman help make being a stay-at-home mom so much more enjoyable. These are moms who I can call and say"i'm having a bad morning, meet me at McDonalds" and they're there. Our circle of friends is always growing and full of moms who have the same desires as I do as a mom. These are all beautiful women inside and out, who have become role models to my daughter.


Whether we're at McDonalds having lunch, or enjoying a matinee, at the zoo, park, storytime at the library, or at dance class, we are always surrounded by great friends. And beyond friends, Isabel also has awesome cousins, aunts, and grandparents that mean the world to her. Every night our prayers are filled with thanks for all our friends and family.

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year!!! This New Years Eve found us at home with just the 3 of us. We had made plans to celebrate with the Troemner family...some late night apps, followed by a kid friendly Happy New Year celebration. But due to a demanding work schedule, Jason was out of town until 8pm on New Years Eve. So we cancelled our party plans and decided we would have our own very low key, but very kid friendly party.

Like Christmas, I was very excited for this New Years Eve party because it was going to be soo much fun for Isabel. From the beginning, I was planning a kid friendly party. I had a grand vision of Isabel and her cousins jumping up and down blowing horns as they screamed "Happy New Year"!! So even though we had to cancel our plans, I was determined to still have my grand vision. Earlier during the week, Isabel and I went shopping to buy supplies for our party. Crowns for mom and Isabel and a groovy hat for dad. We also got all kinds of noise makers, leis, and silly string.

I was able to get Isabel down at 6pm for a VERY late nap. By the time dad got home, Isabel was up and ready to rock and roll. Poor Jason was exhausted from a 13+ hour work day, so while dad took a nap Isabel and I watched our new favorite movie Anastasia. The movie end with only 15 minutes until the new year. So Isabel and I quickly woke up dad and I got out all the party supplies. Finally the big moment.....we watch the countdown on TV, Jason and I joined in at 5, 4, 3....while Isabel was confused and counted 5, 6, 7, and then HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Isabel jumped up and down and blow her horn. She was so excited, even though she really didn't know what we were celebrating. She kept saying "it's 2009" (because we told her that), but she also kept asking for the cake (Isabel completely associates cakes with parties). There was no cake, but we had silly string. Jason and I had a good laugh spraying Isabel with silly string. Unfortunately Isabel was not as thrilled with the silly string. She was actually quite scared of it!!!

By 12:10am, our party was over. We quickly cleaned up while Isabel entertained us and herself by singing and dancing and of course posing for the camera....she's a chip off the old block (haha). Finally by 1am were all in bed...together. Our little New Years party was small and short, but we sure had fun:-)

That night I layed in bed going over the last year. What a great year 2008 was. I became an aunt, I gained a brother in law, Jason was back in school, Isabel moved to the preschool dance class, I saw life-long friends get married, Isabel became a fan of politics (well actually a fan of Hillary Clinton), and most importantly we spent the last year surrounded by great friends and family.

As I thought about what 2009 will bring....I was filled with excitement. Jason will be graduating from UND in May. I will be going back to school (UND) and Isabel will be starting preschool and Jason and I will celebrate our 5th year wedding anniversary!! And those are only some of the huge milestones we'll face in 2009. I'm so excited. I'm not one to make new year resolutions, but if I had to, here's what they would be. I would make a commitment for Jason, Isabel, and I to participate in a charity event or volunteer somewhere as a family. And I would also committ to Jason and I continuing our efforts to be loving and accepting of everyone in our lives and everyone we meet. So with that....Happy New Year!!!!