Where have I been???

WOW, long time, NO POST.... UGH!

Here are some updates....

***I ran my 1/2 marathon on May 30th! It was HOT HOT HOT... people passed out from the heat! I did OK. Some say it is one of the hardest runs around here, because STILLWATER, MN is a bunch of hills... YES, but I did train on hills.... BUT NOT IN THE HEAT HEAT HEAT! So, my goal was 2 hrs 24 min.... and I ran it in

2 hrs 30 min, 17 sec.

NOT toooo bad for my first, on a hard course, in the heat!

***My oldest baby turned 10! YES, double digits! UGH! He had friends over and went to see the last SHREK! WOW, he is getting so tall, just inches from being as tall as me..... And so kind, and so handsome!

***I figured out what was wrong with my stomach! The extra acid was being caused by the YAZ I was taking! YES, the birthcontrol I started taking right before the stomach issues, caused the stomach pain! GO FIGURE.... I asked the doctor and the pharmasist about this, and they both told me NO, that couldn't cause it!!!! BUT I tested the theory out when I ended my pills last month, and YES, I could eat without meds! SO I never started back up and have been FINE ever since.... HMMMM????

***My Baby Girl Graduated From Kindergarten!!!! Thanks Mrs. Haasis for doing such a great job this year! I AM SO PROUD OF YOU SHAYLA!!!!

***My kids are out of school for the summer! We have lots of plans! The MN Zoo, Como Zoo, Crystal Cave, Water Park, Beach, Camping 2 times, Science Museum, Movie Theater, Parks/picnics, etc..... YEAH for good times! My middle 2 are in Summer school classes for 3 weeks, and my youngest has gymnastics for 5 sessions!

***Our Garden is looking great, except for the fact that we have been getting RAIN RAIN RAIN for over a week, and NO SUN!!!! The temps for the last 2 weeks have been very COOL! Things are growing, but not like they should.... SO, we shall see! I am sure when the rain stops, we will then go into a dry spell! Just our luck! I also picked a few pounds of strawberries yesterday and will be making Jam today!!!! YUM!!!!!!!!!

***I got a new job! YEAH!!!! My brothers girlfriend has a little special needs boy. He is great and we have baby sat him a lot in the past! BUT just a few weeks ago, she asked me to be his WEEKEND PCA! I will now get paid to do what we were doing for free! Taking care of him on the weekends (every other) and playing with him!!!! This is a answered prayer!!!!
***My Oldest and I will be doing a run in 2 weeks, just after I turn 34! I will be doing a 10K and he will be doing a mile! We are both very excited for our first run together!! I will also be running another 1/2 marathon in OCT!!!! I am excited about this one, since I know it will FOR SURE NOT be hot...... and the route is NOT hilly at all!!!!!!!

OK, that is it for now..... I am sure there is plenty more to write about... BUT I will stick to that for now!!!!!!

EASTER FUN!

Here they are..... all the cousins on my husbands side!!!

Matt: 15

Eric: 12

Trevor: 9 1/2

Lucas: 8

Ahren: 8 1/2

Shayla: 6 1/2

Kaylin: 4

Megan: 5

Alissa: 7

Birthday Party Fun

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEGAN(5) AND KAYLIN(4)!!!

2 Birthday Girls Cakes! Kaylin Loves Pink and Megan just loves LIONS!!!!

Happy Birthday Kaylin!!!!

This is what Chaos looks like when girls start to open presents all at once!

My Baby Turned 4!!!

WHERE has the time gone??? My baby.... MY BABY GIRL.... MY VERY LAST BABY.... turned 4!

Kaylin has always ONLY done things when she KNEW she could do them!

*Sitting up... When she began to sit up, she just sat up, NEVER falling over!

*Crawling... the day she turned 6 months old, she got up on all 4's and crawled.... never trying, just doing!

*Walking... The day she walked, she got up and walked... no 1 step or 3 steps, Just walking!

(1 YRS OLD!)

*Going up and down the stairs... When we built our home, we made a gate to match our railing... but we really never had to use it, because she wouldn't even go near the stairs until the day she turned around and crawled down them!

*Talking... Kaylin never really said much, until she could just SAY IT! She of course said MAMA and DADA and other little words, but one day, she just spoke in 2-3 word sentences!

*Chewing gum... Kaylin had to have been the youngest child I have ever met who could chew gum... She started at just over 1 yrs old.... and just started chewing it... NEVER swallowing it! I am sure this is because we are all gum chewers... BUT STILL... 13 months and chewing gum...!

(2 Years Old)

*Potty Training... I tried and tried from 2 1/2 on to potty train the girl, but she just really wanted nothing to do with it! Then the day before she turned 3, I told her "Big Girls who are 3 don't wear diapers, they wear underpants!" and when she woke up on her birthday, she put on panties and never looked back! No accidents, No night time wetting, NOTHING!

She has ALWAYS been this way.... Not really doing until she knows how to FULLY do it! I am NOT sure if this is bad thing or a good thing... HMMMMM......

(3 Years Old)

For being the baby in the family, she is VERY independent! She wants NO help with anything! She will TELL YOU HOW IT IS, and repeat pretty much anything you DO NOT want her to!

She is also very loving still, she wants to cuddle at story time, and dance with you in the kitchen!

Hanging out with Mom is of course, STILL COOL!

She has started liking FRIENDS and wanting to PLAY with them...instead of IGNORE them!

AND, right now she is my spoiled baby, because she gets to spend all day with mom while all the others are in school!

She loves to play barbies, Polly pockets, littlest pet shops, Little ponies, Kitchen set, and Baby dolls!

She is AWESOME at Memory, Go Fish, Counting, but most of all Singing! (She loves Taylor Swift!)

SOOO, Happy 4th birthday baby girl! Your mommy and daddy love you very very much!

My Baby Turned 8 today!

OH LUCAS, my dear son, Lucas! My how you have gotten so old so quickly....

As some of you may know and some of you may not.... Lucas was our defiant one from the VERY beginning!!!!
You see, his due date was January 26th.... Of course my first born came 3 weeks early, so Lucas was due to arrive anytime in January....
I begged my body to NOT allow him to come on JANUARY 19th, of all the days in the month!
BECAUSE today was my oldest brothers birthday.... He was killed in a accident in 1998 at a very young age of 26.
I knew having a child on this day would be hard on my mother... SO I begged the baby inside to NOT be born on the 19th!
Well, wouldn't you know it... that defiant baby just had to NOT LISTEN! And that was the beginning of our son Lucas!
Needless to say, he is our VERY VERY SPIRITED child! I just know he will be the next Donald Trump....
So happy birthday to my son, who is turning my hair more grey and who has me praying for patience daily! I LOVE YOU, and wouldn't ever give you away for a calmer, less spirited child.... You are what keeps are family on it's toes!

The Christmas Story....

Shayla the littlest donkey!

Lucas the Angel and Trevor the Inn's Keeper!!!

(don't worry Lucas, being an angel for an hour won't hurt you!)

Is it love....

AH, it is always nice when your YOUNGER sister (even if it is just by 19 mo.) can wrestle you to the ground! OH, and it is always nice when your YOUNGER sister (even if it is just by 19 mo.) is now TALLER than you...... AH, Lucas, don't worry, someday you will be bigger.... SOMEDAY!

PRAYING that the VIKINGS WIN!!!!

Lucas is a HUGE Vikings Fan!!!!

They have the chance to go to the SUPERBOWL this year... !

Here is hoping they make it ALL THE WAY!

Aren't they CUTE????

I know this is late.... BUT.....

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Trevor 9 1/2

Lucas turns 8 this month

Shayla 6

Kaylin turns 4 in March

Don't forget the milk!!!!

Hey, while you're in town, please pick up milk and a newspaper!

Remind Me.....

To NEVER believe her when she says she isn't tired!!!!!(poor girl fell asleep here while "WAITING" for me to finish sewing.... WHO knew she wasn't playing upstairs?????)

When a Tutu Meets A Ninja!!!!!

(I don't know why the boy won't remove the price tag...... !!!!)

My Beautiful Flower!

Since all the OTHER children are is school ALL DAY now, Kaylin can now have some MUCH needed one on one time with mommy!!!!!

We enjoyed the Como Zoo last week, and next week will be heading to the MN Zoo..... POOR girl, all this attention.... what is a girl to do??????

OUCH!!!!!!!!!!

I don't EVER remember being that flexible... I mean, I am sure I WAS at some point... but certainly NOT ANY MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SOOO OUCH, that is ALL I HAVE TO SAY!!!!!!!!!!!

BIG DAY YESTERDAY!!!!!!!!!!!

Not ONLY was it Shayla's 6th BIRTHDAY!!! (happy birthday baby girl!!!!!!!!!!!) But it was also the first day of school!!!!! Shayla entered Kindergarden, Lucas entered 2nd grade, and Trevor (gosh where did the years go?) entered 4th grade..... UGH, is that middle school knocking at my door...??? TELL IT TO GO AWAY!!!!!!!!!!

Anyways, I just love taking picture of the kids the first day of school, standing at the front door, to see how much they have grown!!!!!!!

It is AMAZING to look back and see... When you live with them and see them daily, it is hard to notice... until they stand right by you and all of the sudden, your oldest child is taller than your shoulder..... STOP GROWN ALREADY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(not that much growth over last year.... You can tell because he is wearing the SAME SHORTS.....)

(From Eyes to mouth!)

(is it me, or did she grown a 1/2 of a foot????)

WELL, here is wishing my children a wonderful school year, as they begin another new adventure!!!!!!!!

Old Friendships, Good Times!

(A-29mo, L-15mo, and Trevor-29mo)

LONG TIME AGO, when I was a new mom, I did daycare for this wonderful family! Her Daughter and my Son were just Days apart in age. In fact we met at Post Baby Classes! I ended up doing her daycare for her and I loved it! For a few years I loved her children as my own! Her second child came just 14 mo after her first.... YES, crazy I know! And then my second child came just 19 mo after my first.... SOOOO if you do the math, I had 4 children under the age of 2 in my care, 5 days a week!!!! It was great time..... AND then the summer before I had my 3rd baby, I quit daycare! NOT for any reason, other than I was feeling alittle overwhelmed and I knew another child of my own would take tooo much from her children!

Anyways, as time went by, we stayed close.... had playdates, and park picnics... and then.............

we moved away.......

Just 1/2 hour, but still, away..........................

and we lost touch..........................

(Trevor-9, A-9, & L-almost 8)

and then after 4 yrs of NOT seeing eachother we got together for a playdate at our house! It was sooooooooo much fun! The kids laughed and wrestled and played hard! They had so much fun and I had lots of fun catching up with an old friend!!!!!! Like I said, it was GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She also has another child who is 5 and I have our youngest (whom she had never met!)

Anyways, if there is a lesson to be learned here..... it is this=

OLD FRIENDS ARE ALWAYS THERE! JUST CALL THEM UP AND GET TOGETHER WITH THEM...... MAYBE THEY ARE TOOOOOO CHICKEN TO CONTACT YOU BECAUSE SO MUCH TIME HAS GONE BY..... SO TAKE THE FIRST STEP AND DO IT FIRST! YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT, IN FACT IT MIGHT JUST START YOUR OLD FRIENDSHIP OFF AND RUNNING AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My Baby Turned 9 TODAY!

WOW, I can't believe it!

Today marks 9 yrs of being a MOM!!!!

Man how time flies!!!!!

SOOO here we are at UNDER WATER WORLD at the Mall Of America! It was fun spending the time with the whole family having fun, celebrating his birthday!

Psssst- the 3 kids in the middle are NOT that tall... they were standing on a step thingy!

HOW DO YOUR CHILDREN GROW????

WOW, I took a photo of Shayla when she got home from

school today (it was her last day!) and My goodness how she has grown!!!!!

This is only is 9 months!!!!!!!!!!

My Big Girl Graduated!!!

My 5 yr old graduated from 4 K (4 yr old kindergarden) the other day! She was so proud of herself and can't wait until REAL school starts on her BIRTHDAY!!!!!

MY SOCCER PLAYERS!!!!

Just wanted to share my handsome soccer players with everyone!!!!!