VanHoorik's Zoo

I'm happy to be a mother

2010-05-09T17:28:00.003-05:00

As I get a bit older I have started to embrace motherhood with a different perspective. That is to take each day one day at a time and not to bother with the small stuff. This is not to say that I have "super" days everyday, but if I don't worry as much then I don't get so uptight. "Yes" the dishes will get done at some point today and "no" my house is not always a disaster but, if you come over and it seems a bit disheveled then you may assume that I am in one of my I don't care moments:)Today is Mother's Day and I am so thankful for my children, my husband but most of all my mother and those other mothers that have helped and inspired me thought out the years. My mom inspires me more now than ever and I don't know where I would be without her kind words of encouragement each and everyday. I know I don't say it often enough but "I love you mom and I would be a mess with out you."

Happy Mothers Day to all the mom's in my life and everywhere.

Goodbye Grandma Nelson

2010-04-11T20:31:00.005-05:00

As a human life departs its often times hard to let go and say goodbye. Well that is what my family has had to do recently. I am extremely happy that I have such faith in Jesus to believe that our dear grandma is in a better place and that she is happy where she is at.
Grandma has been gone from this world for 1 week and 3 days now, departing us on Good Friday. Could you find a better day to pass away then on the anniversary of the death of our Lord Jesus? I don't think so.So many things have come back to me after she left us like her unending words of wisdom and her laughter every time I complained to her about something the kids were up to. I used to tell her to keep a watch out for a big package with holes in the top because it was going to be one of the kids. Her favorite story to tell was from a couple years ago when I mailed her a care package full of her MN favorites and the mail lady came up to her apartment to deliver the box so that grandma wouldn't have to carry it so far. Well grandma took one look at that box and who it was from and said to the mail lady, "Oh, it's from my granddaughter- I bet it's one of my grandchildren because she always tells me that one of these days she is gonna mail them to me." The poor mail lady almost fell over thinking there could be a child in that box. Grandma laughed and laughed but had to open the box in front of the lady to ease her fears.
She has always been an inspiration to me and always made me feel like I was the best in her eyes. She told me time and time again that I choose the best man in the world to marry and I am raising good kids. Which means a lot coming from a women that has done so much for her own family.

Goodbye grandma.

If you read this raise your hand

2010-03-31T21:38:00.006-05:00

How is it that I somehow missed 2 whole months of posting....Well let me explain..........
It all starts when the mom of the house takes on more then her little mind can handle. Not that I can't handle a lot- I just don't like to focus on "fun" stuff when I have other "plain" stuff to do. And I can't get my mind to settle down enough to focus this much energy on our blog. Not that all of our readers aren't extremely important in our life....I have just had to put you all on a very long hold for a minute or...err... 2 months. Well I am back and I promise to try, I emphasize the word TRY to be better at keeping you all updated with our never dull, always on the go life.
So what have you missed, well nothing of course!Since January 30th, 2010, Owen has turned into a "terrible" two year old- February 17th to be exact and Avril has somehow acquired a severe complex. She wakes up each morning picking out a dress to wear then asking, "mommy do you think (so and so) will say I look beautiful in this?" Hannah and Isaac go about their lives trying to dodge chores, homework and just about any other word, request, option, or simple command this mom might make. Joe has turned 30 and apparently survived it (Let's just say this was not his favorite b-day) however, we had one kick-butt "black and white" party to celebrate.
Swimming, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, gymnastics, play practice and school are soon coming to an end and I am happy to announce that the VanHoorik family is taking the summer off of all the running that I have signed myself up for in the many years of the past. Joe and I decided that it would be good to concentrate on relaxation this summer rather then trying to balance 4 kids and extracurricular activities. After the initial Hannah whine she realized that she would have more time for running the neighborhood and swimming off the boat. Two things she said she would "ok" with. So after Isaac finishes up baseball in June and a two week swimming lesson in July we are home-free of sports. (I signed Isaac up and paid for b-ball well before my spontaneous choice and swimming is always useful when you own a boat) Then we'll start all the madness over next year....We simply can't have our kids glued to us forever!
With that said, I will "try" to update you as the happenings happen because it's just not any fun to write about something that is 2 months old. Plus who wants to read that much in one sitting?
HAPPY NIGHT

Heeeelllloooo-hello-hello

2010-01-30T21:04:00.004-06:00

You have requested and I have listened....Hello to all of you. I know it's been a while but this is considered leisure and I don't get too much of that anymore.

I know I've written it before but geesh, life lets take this a little slower. Why doesn't that statement work like a new relationship.

So exactly 1 week ago we returned from our 8 day, 2229 mile, 35 hours 25 minute road trip to Arkansas and back. I know that's a long way for 4 children in a mini van for a week but we all survived. Our belief is that if you start them young they learn that we are a crazy family that will do this time and time again so you might as well adjust real quick. I'd like to announce that our trip brought us closer together but as you can see Hannah had music, Isaac had a video game, Avril had a movie and Owen had endless books handed to him. The only talking we did in the van was reading out of our states facts book and for one of the kids to announce that they were in need of a bathroom break. However, we proved that we can spend quality time amongst each other and no one was dropped of in Oklahoma.
But for real- our trip was great. We drove into 9 states and saw some of our country's finest landmarks. We also learned that in order to actually go into these landmarks you need: A. No small children, B. More money then we budgeted for and C. Naps ahead of time. But it was just fine for Joe and I to see the outside of Graceland, The lobby of the Gateway Arch and the outside of Lincoln's Home in Springfield. We know what we are doing when the kids are gone and we aren't upset because what kid cares where Lincoln lived with his family for over 15 years. I don't think it's worth 60 bucks for them to say, "that was so boring!" We did what we wanted to do on that trip and that was to spend time with grandma Nelson and visit my aunt Marlene. I know how much grandma loves to see the kids grow and the kids love her care free attitude. They can't jump on my beds or coffee table but at grandma Nelson's they can. And if grandma's not gonna come here because it's too cold then by golly we'll just have to go to her.
The last little leg of our trip was spent at a hotel in Chicago. I am such a huge fan of big cities! We met up with Auntie Barb and her beau Mark and took the train over to the Shedd Aquarium. Well worth the money....if you don't have a crabby toddler to carry around all day because some stupid mother decided not to bring the stroller on the train because she figured they would have them to rent when we got there. WRONG! So we had to cut that adventure a little short because Joe and I couldn't carry him for another second. But again- oh well...We have a lifetime to go again sometime. I am just thankful that we all got a much needed vacation, got to see grandma and made it home before the big ice storms that are now hitting the south.
Now we are home and back to the every day hustle and bustle of things. I don't know if Joe and I were together for a whole evening last week but I suppose there will be time for that in 20 or so years. Now we have to care for poor baby Owen and his terrible cough & teething at the same time. Avril turned "4" yesterday and I just got the notice in the mail today that she was picked to attend preschool for 4 days a week next year. Isaac had his 1st Pinewood derby race as a Tiger Cub Scout and Hannah got her 2nd "C" time at her swim meet today.
As fast as life is going I am afraid I am going to blink and it will be all gone. All my worries about what I don't get to do because of kids will be gone and I'll think, "what was I so worried about, it's not that big of a deal anyways. I sure wish the kids were with us to see this." Right?

Sunday Sunday

2009-12-27T11:33:00.003-06:00

I wish I could say that today was a super Sunday but it's not. I guess our luck has run out. I have 4 children and 1 sick husband laying around today. We haven't had any major sickness this year so I guess it's our turn. I just pray that I don't get it. Joe and I have big plans all day Tuesday and I have waited to long for them. In case your wondering we got Joe's sister, Beth to watch the kids overnight and will be going to a concert with some super friends of ours. I don't remember the last time someone took all of our kids-overnight. I guess it's a big job:) I also have a friend visiting from Iowa that I haven't seen in like 13 years. So NO sickness for me PLEASE! My theory is that mom's don't get as many colds and flu stuff because we are on the front line of it all. We catch it, clean it and cure it so we are more immune to it. ?Right?
Anyway, I can't believe it's almost 2010. We all had a wonderful Christmas this year with Joe's family on Christmas eve and my family on Christmas day. It was a little stressful leading up to the occasions but both Christmas's were carefree and very peaceful. Thankfully, on Christmas day we brought all the kids snow gear with us. It could have been more hectic with all the kids in grandmas 2 bedroom house. Oh and we give thanks to uncle Tony for bringing the 4-wheeler with a plow on it to clear off the lake. I think he covered grandma's entire side! I'm not sure who was having more fun....Tony or the kids...or is Tony still one of the kids??

2010 should be a good year with many things in the making already. Joe and Isaac will be going to WWE in January then we are off to Grandma's in Arkansas. We are hoping to GeoCache in 10 different states on the way down and back. Also in January is Girl Scout Cookie Go Day. So get ready for Hannah to call all of you:) Plus the start of a new semester for me. February brings Joe's big 30th b-day and my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary. WOW! Then in May my dad turns 50 and Hannah and I are going to see Taylor Swift. (her big Christmas present this year) We will also be continuing the parent taxi service as usual.

This picture is of what Joe does in his free time. He decided that the kids needed their own sledding hill in the yard. Oh- and he is making it look like he shoveled the whole thing- well he didn't he snow blowed the whole back yard into a pile.
So Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all. We love and miss all of you that we couldn't be with this holiday season.

Random Pictures

2009-11-26T11:58:00.003-06:00

I know it's been quite a while so I am just posting some random last month pictures for your enjoyment. Some are of the kids on Halloween, Isaac in gymnastics (his passion for the time being) and Hannah in "Alms for the poor" play (Hannah is in the pink).

Happiest Thanksgiving to everyone!

2009-11-26T11:48:00.004-06:00

Today I am thankful for all the wonderful people in my life. Many of you I don't talk to very often, yet you take the time to keep up with our family. We are so blessed!
I am thankful for my family that continues to love us unconditionally even when I can be a bit bratty. I thought Avril was our strongest willed in our house but I am beginning to think its me. (hehehe) I love everyone of you.
I am also thankful for the many friends I have met in the last 10 or so years. You are all my inspiration. All it takes is a smile from a friend and I know that even when life gets challenging your smiles keep me going. And it's those friendships that I know will last. Take it from me, friends have been pushed aside more times then not because we are more focused on raising our children. For that I am sorry but someday we be better connected.
Most of all I am thankful to my savior Jesus Christ. It sure would be lonely if I didn't have him to talk to 24/7.

So Happy Thanksgiving to all of you I can't be with today. Love you all!

Vacation Needed

2009-10-16T12:12:00.004-05:00

With this darn cold, crabby kids, snow and like 2 weeks of gloomy weather- I think we need a vacation! I keep telling myself that we just need to make it though Christmas then we are out-a here. To grandma's house we go! (Arkansas Grandma) Not that I want time to move to quickly...I do enjoy the holidays but even those mean more work.Anyways....We had our annual pumpkin carving over at Joe's parents last Saturday and as you can see....we ROCK! I love the mini competitions we all have and the general togetherness that the atmosphere brings. Isaac and Hannah both did their own pumpkins from start to finish this year, which to me was very impressive. So the winner this year was Barb but only because her pumpkin had a green tint around all the parts she cut and it looked the scariest. Hers is the one on the bottom row, right in the middle. (The picture does it no justice) Matt's MN Twins one comes in 2nd because everyone wanted to take it home.
Well ta-ta for now.

Mommy's little Boy Scouts

2009-10-08T06:37:00.003-05:00

Last week Isaac officially became a Boy Scout. He hasn't had his first Den meeting but he did get to go to a Pack meeting. I don't think he cares what the meeting was, I think he is just really soaking up this time with dad. However, their pack meetings are awesome....the first one of the year they brought in a Mad Scientist to show them how to make bottle caps shoot, mini-explosions and a lot of stuff overflowing. (Isaac isn't the best at explaining things back to me but his face tells me that it was great)

As you can see Joe has taken on the job of Committee Chair for the Pack. I am just so happy that he wants to be involved. He decided not to be his Den leader because of the possibility of that being a million year commitment because he just signed up to be an Official for the Sea Devils swim team. Our future Boy Scout, Owen is going to want his dad to be something anyways. So maybe in 5 more years he'll be a den leader.

So with all the Scouting, School and all other Extracurricular activities around here we ended up with 6 different fundraisers in this house. If you want ANYTHING from wreaths to chocolates to magazines to household goods...PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE call me:) I must say that selling the wreaths is at the top of our list because it's for a new Pine Wood Derby Track and Isaac has been a very eager seller.

I just wanted to post 1 picture of Owen's new face. He does this anytime you give him an answer he dosen't like or if you make him wait to long for something.

Baby For Sale!

2009-09-22T07:30:00.003-05:00

He's cute, cuddly, about 2 1/2 feet tall and incredibly busy!

Okay, so selling your baby is not appropriate but, this momma is getting tired. How is it that 19 months can be my favorite age and my least favorite at the same time.
Let me tell you why...
Almost a week ago, Owen decided to brave the outside world my climbing gracefully out of his crib during nap time. Since then he's been on the run. Mommy lays him down, Owen climbs out...he barely waits until I'm around the corner now. Well fine I can be mean mommy sometimes but even that doesn't work! Nap times now consists of 1 hour, where he wakes up extremely crabby and mornings start at about 6:15. The hardest part of it all is if you don't happen to hear him creep out of his room, because if he's loose for any amount of time unsupervised the house is in ruins. I'm also upset about this because I figure if your going to crawl out of the crib then we can get rid of it. Right? Well in Owens world that would be a No! He loves his crib, he loves his blankies, and he loves his nuk. That sure is a lot of baggage for a 19 month old!

But, why do I want to keep him all the same? Because when the older ones think I am lame, Owen thinks I'm funny. When I need to relax I have a lap partner and he doesn't care what I am doing as long as it's with him. When he gets excited he screams in joy and when he gets mad he shakes his head and says, "NO!" He loves doing dishes and laundry and never complains when I ask for his help.
What's not to love about this bundle of busy?

1st week down

2009-09-15T07:44:00.007-05:00

1st week of school is in the past and we are coasting through the 2nd. Last week was so busy it came and went before I could blink. I am happy to report that all of the kids love their teachers and love school.Hannah loves being the oldest in her school. 4th graders are the big kids because 5th grade is now in Jr. High. I know it seems young but I have heard that they do just fine over there and the kids get to sleep in an extra hour. Anyways, she was a little disappointed on the 1st day that she didn't get to cart Isaac all around because the teachers helped the 1st graders. I'm just happy that she doesn't mind having her little brother around. She is actually quite protective over him and loves showing him new things. This however puts a little tension on Hannah when he starts joining the same sports that she is in or has done. (More to come in a minute) Keep in mind that Hannah is more of a social butterfly then a competitor so when her brother is around I don't think it will take him as much effort to be better then Hannah. I'm not saying this negatively, I just don't think it's going to go well when it happens.Isaac loves being in 1st grade. He walked off the bus on the 1st day with his chest puffed up like he just completed the most important day of his life. He couldn't have gotten a better teacher either. Mrs. Griffin, Joe and I all went to school together so we know each other quite well. Mrs. Griffin has reported to me that she loves having Isaac in her class and that he is always a good listener and is usually the 1st one ready for instruction. I can't say enough how proud of my kids I am. I am happy that I (so far) have had very respectful kids. Isaac also loves doing his homework as long as it doesn't involve coloring.And finally how was Avril's 1st day.....GREAT! WooHoo, am I glad this went well. She could have been a disaster but isn't it funny how kids surprise you sometimes. When I dropped her off last Wednesday she asked me if I could stay and I told her no and started walking towards the door. She was clinging to my leg a little but was soon distracted by a toy telephone. With the distraction I took it on myself to leave. So I pulled Mrs. Tara aside, instructing her to keep an eye out for Avril and I ran for the door. Mrs. Tara later notified me that Avril looked up for me but was once again distracted by the coloring station. When I showed up I got a great big smile from Avril and she said, "Oh- mommy you came back for me." I think that was all she needed...I think most of her fear was that I wasn't coming back. So, yesterday we walked in and went to the play dough table, I gave her a kiss and she let me go. That probably made me more emotional then the 1st day because it's a small sign that she is letting me go. ;(
With school off and running again so has the busyness...Hannah is now back on Sea Devils swim team, Girl Scouts and tonight will be joining the fall play "Alms for the Poor". Isaac has joined Boy Scouts and Gymnastics after we saw how good he is with the monkey bars at the playground. This is the sport that I think Isaac will surpass Hannah in. Isaac just doesn't have any fear in him! He is also very small so he can move quickly. Now, is Hannah very impressed? NO! She was in gymnastics for 4 years before giving it up for swimming and I think Isaac will be at the same level in a year. The boys program is a bit different, which I think may help Hannah's ego. The boys do mostly bars and rings where the girls focus on floor and beam.
All in all we are doing well. Busy but well! I will be doing a parent/child class starting next week with Owen to ease the separation anxiety that we might come across in the future.
I also want to mention that we have a new addition to the family......nope no a baby, it's a bird! Yep, we have added yet another living creature to our household. I can't keep a plant alive, but God has trusted me with all these little lives. I think I have found out what God's plan is for me; I am a test subject for stress. Just kidding....I wouldn't change this life for any other.

School Starts Soon!

2009-09-03T08:51:00.003-05:00

With the start of school fast approaching I find myself both excited and timid about it. I am excited because it will be 2 less kids bickering all day however, it also means on with the mad- running around. Hannah will start swimming 3 nights a week and Isaac has agreed to join the boys gymnastics team. (We have been watching him at the playground lately and are noticing some pretty good ring skills) Avril will be in preschool 2 days a week for 2 1/2 hours a day and Owen and I will be doing a parent/child class once a week. I am doing this with Owen so I don't end up with 2 children that can't leave my side. As everyone knows is how Avril is! On top of the normal sports both Joe and I will be active in Scouting. Joe took on a leadership role through Boy Scouts and I am still the leader of Hannah's troop in Girl Scouts. I truly believe that I choose to take on the job of parent and fully intend to make the best of it. I know it will be a hectic year but it can't be much different then the ones in the past or the ones still to come. And if that is a day brightener then I just have to think....17 years and they will all be off (hopefully Owen a Freshman in College, Avril a Junior, Isaac newly graduated and job hunting, and Hannah either career focused or starting a family). I know I hold high expectations but, don't we all for our children.

Inspirational Quote for the day: My life is my message. - Mahatma Ghandi

Little Bits

2009-08-05T20:14:00.003-05:00

Summer flew by and I know most of you out there are thinking the same thing. But for me the end of summer is really a time I look forward to. I love being a mom and being with the kids but sometimes it is a lot of work! Especially after this crazy summer. The end of summer also offers new opportunities for Avril and myself to separate a bit because she starts preschool 2 days a week in September.
For the last 2 weeks Avril was supposed to be in swimming lessons at the Monticello Community Center, however Avril and her stubbornness decided she wasn't going! Even with me standing right next to the pool she kicked and screamed that she wasn't going. So after 2 days of trying I gave up. I am not one to promote quitting but enough was enough last week. Well my thoughts now go to my delima of preschool....I have always known Avril is much stronger willed the the others but she must go. Thankfully I have had too many embarrassing moments in parenting that a little fit isn't going to work on me. So I must get my mean mommy face on and throw her to the lions. (Right?) I am sure that after 2 days of trying I have to sick dad on her:) -When mom fails send in reinforcements-
Other then not looking forward to Avrils adventures, I am happy to report that Hannah and Isaac are ready to go back. I just can't believe I have a 4th and a 1st grader. When did they grow up?

Super day everyone-more postings to come...

A day in the life.....

2009-07-14T08:55:00.005-05:00

I have recently been notified that there are VanHoorik followers out there that demand information. So back to the blogging I go:) As I say time and time again, "We've been busy." Is this a valid excuse or is this just my being lazy? I would point to the latter. ;)

Hannah just finished up with her swim club last week. Isaac finished baseball in late June. Avril starts swimming lessons in August and Owen is non-stop baby busy. (In fact I have him strapped to the table right now eating, so that I am not distracted while I complete my updates.)

Hannah did extremely well in swimming this summer and attempted all the strokes for the last swim meet. Unfortunately for her Joe has recently become an Official for USA swimming and disqualified her on both the Butterfly and Breaststroke. Her coach had a laugh about this and gave her her 1st disqualification (DQ) report back to put in her scrapbook. I must say that with practice she will pull it together and be great!~

Isaac's baseball went well also. We could really see the progression from last year but he still has lots to work on. Joe has been thinking about coaching next year but we'll see how much time he has. In the fall Joe will be the Pack Committee Chairman for Boys Scouts too. I believe I am rubbing off on him!!!
Isaac also passed level 2 of swimming lessons on his 1st try. He rubbed that in nicely because it took Hannah 2 tries to pass:)

As far as Avril and Owen go I don't have much to report. Avril is a little stinker that has everyone she meets wrapped around her fingers and Owen is a bundle of busy.

Our family activities this summer have consisted camping at Schroeder Park with good friends of ours and their grandkids, the Albertville Friendly City Days parade (Joe and Hannah walked in it for STMA Swim), a week long camp for Girl Scouts, box seats for the Twins game last week(Twins lost 10-2) and Joe and I soaked up some free time last Saturday at the Green Day concert. Which was the best show EVER!
We have also been spending most of our free time up at my grandparents. It's so great to have somewhere to go to get away from the hustle and bustle of life around here.

This and that's

2009-05-19T14:50:00.004-05:00

Updating my blog is not my strongest quality. Again, I apologize to everyone! The kids are great...just busy and growing like weeds! I cannot believe there are only 12 days left of school. I have absolutely no idea how I will manage this house this summer. When the kids are together lately they fight; but my threat is going to be summer school if they start up right away. :)Joe was offered and took a permanent job with Great River Energy and started a week or so ago. It's really no different then it was before but we now get the job security part and benefits that go on forever. (He was an outside contractor for just about 3 years for them) Luck for me he now works 4 10's and gets an extra day off each week. I don't mind the long hours when he's home random days here and there. Oh- he also gets holiday pay again- woohoo!Hannah received her first ribbons for swimming this past weekend. She swam her 1st 100 Free and placed 6th. I am so excited to see her progress.
Isaac also started baseball again for the season and really loves it. He has really come a long way from last year. He also signed up for Boy Scouts for fall and Joe is going to be taking one of the lead positions in the pack. Looks like we have scouting running though our blood around here.OK- so one more funny story of the week. We went to Valley Fair last weekend as a scouting event and I wanted to go on the Antique Car ride they have. It's a ride where you drive smaller versions of real cars and Hannah piped up that she was driving because she was tall enough. Well fare enough; I wanted to drive but she insisted so I let her! The problem was that I had Isaac and Avril with me so I had to sit in the back with them and Hannah had to be up in front alone. Well, the #1 rule of these cars is that you cannot switch drivers after leaving the entry gate and Hannah's legs weren't strong enough to push the pedal all the way down. So we caused quite the traffic jam with Hannah only being able to go about a foot or two per try. Well we made it around in about 15 minutes and I laughed the whole way! She won't be driving any more any time soon.

2009-05-01T08:34:00.003-05:00

I love this picture...what a ladies man however, I should teach him how to be polite. Or has he already learned how to tune them out???

On Monday, Isaac had his 1st Kindergarten music concert and he was so cute. He gets a very serious look on his face when he is deep in concentration. It was very short but nice.

April

2009-04-20T08:07:00.005-05:00

My apologies to all of you that watch our family via this blog. I am waiting for things to slow down a bit, and they will after May 8th. It's a big day because my 1st semester of college will be over!! Right now I have an English class that is all writing, so for me to write up stuff for our blog just doesn't happen as much as I would like. So I will wrap up what has happened this month as best I can.
Isaac turned 6 on April 6th. We spent the day bowling then went out for dinner at Space Aliens with Joe's entire family. It was a great day and I still can't believe he's SIX!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter...We did! We spent the morning at church then the rest of the afternoon with Joe's family. They hold a yearly egg hunt and this year they hid 80+ eggs. The kids love the hunt and the little treasures grandma and grandpa hide.
The rest of this month we have been outside!!!! I love Minnesota spring weather. There can't be anywhere else like it. Only in MN; do we put our coats away when it turns 40 degrees in the Spring then whip them back out when it's 40 degrees in the Fall.

Oh my a whole month has gone by!

2009-03-23T14:21:00.002-05:00

Oh my gosh.... I had no idea that it had been so long. I'm sorry!
Not much has happened but I wanted to share with everyone our new hobby. It's called Geocaching. Joe just goes online to the Geocaching website and finds the coordinates to where they are located. Then we head out with the GPS and find the little treasures. The website says that there are 754,445 caches around the world so this should keep us busy for a while. For example this weekend we went up to my grandparents house in Garrison and on the way home we stopped at a rest stop and headed into the woods and found 2 of them. Then we stopped in Elk River and found 2 more. So now we have found a total of 6 and the kids love this. Some of them are easy and some are going to be a challenge. But it's fun, fun, fun!
If ya look in Hannah's hand that is the container this one was hidden in. If you want something new to do on a Sunday afternoon go get a GPS and check it out: www.geocaching.com

Vacation

2009-02-20T14:38:00.008-06:00

2 weeks ago now... we spent Tuesday through Friday at The Great Wolf Lodge in Wisconsin Dells. The whole experience was exciting and exhausting. We choose to go there because for us it was full of fun for everyone. They had 3 large indoor water parks and a foam ball tree fort activity place. Owen and Avril didn't enjoy the ball playing place because they had these air guns that were extremely loud. But the water parks provided more then enough to keep us all content for the week. And Isaac finally broke out of his shell and enjoyed all the water slides. In previous years he wouldn't even try and this year is just hopped in line and went, no coaxing or anything. We were quite happy to return to normal life though....normal food....normal bed....normal shampoo! :)

Then Valentine's weekend Hannah had an amazing swim meet. She did the 50 freestyle in 53.68 seconds, which was 5 seconds off her previous best time. (Place 14 out of 24) Then on her 50 Back stroke she had a time of 58.13 seconds, which was 1.61 seconds faster then her best time. On that one she placed 9th of 23. This was a total bummer because they give out ribbons for 1st-8th place. I turned into one of "those moms," the moms that somehow become louder then the entire audience! I can't help it-Hannah rocked! And she is officially part of the Sea Devils Team. Her coach put her up to the Bronze level which is officially team however, over the summer she turns 9 so her time standards will be faster so she'll have a lot of work ahead of her.

Owens 1st birthday was a bummer because both Isaac and him had the stomach flu which worked itself through this house all of last week. We also found out over his week long birthday that he doesn't care for cake or being dirty. But sadly in the end my little baby is growing up way too fast.

2009-02-08T21:04:00.002-06:00

Ok, so right now I should be doing one of the 2 journals due tomorrow for English. But, instead I decided to do this. Not too much happened over the weekend but it was busy none the less. Joe and I both took on different shifts for the STMA swim meet yesterday. (Only to fulfill our time so we don't have to pay a butt load more for Hannah to be in swimming) Oh well we survived but it was a long day...Joe worked from 8:00 to noon then me from 1:00 to 5:30. Then it was off to bed early so I could get up for Hannah swim meet today. I hate to report that today was just not her day but better luck for her next time. She was between 2 and 15 seconds slower then her best time. It's still exciting to watch anyways. She has her last meet of the season in 2 weeks so I hope to report better then. I will report back in a week or so cuz we are off to the Dells this week.
TA-TA

2009-02-05T22:22:00.003-06:00

Not to much is new around here. Um let me think....Oh sure Avril is 3 as of January 29th and of course had a birthday that lasted an entire week. She is growing up far to fast for this mommy along with everyone else in this household. No more diapers, no more nuk, no more help with hardly anything. UGH!
We celebrated by going out to eat on her birthday to AppleBees. It's become a past time for us because they are always willing to sing Happy Birthday and give the birthday person free desert. The kids love the attention from strangers! Then we went to Joe's parents for the traditional dinner, cake, presents and so on. Then on the following Saturday we brought a group of 9 kids to Maple Maze out in Maple Grove. Wow was that fun(yes I had an adult count of 4) but boy can those kids go, go, go. Let's just say we all slept great that night.
I am extremely busy right now with Girl Scout cookies and school seems to be kicking my butt. My only time to do homework is late and I can't seem to concentrait too much by then but, I will make it. I hope.
Pray for my grandma that she makes it though her surgery ok and for Joe that he either keeps or finds a job.
I will leave you all tonight with a picture of what happens to my house when the kids "help" put grocerys away!!

Random Stuff

2009-01-22T09:09:00.009-06:00

Hannah is the Musketeer in the Middle

Life just isn't going to slow down enough for me to keep this updated as much as I should. Hannah was in a Hansel & Gretel this past weekend as a dancing cookie. She didn't seem scared at all, actually she seemed to know her parts better then most of the other kids. We are all glad it's over though, practice started way back in September and with Swimming also we have just been running, running, running. Then over the weekend she had to bake her 2 cakes for an Arts & Academics thing at school. The 1st cake she made last Wednesday and then they called school off Thursday and Friday so we figured we had better just eat it. She has decided to be a baker when she grows up and as far as I am concerned she is off to a good start.Tony got a new puppy Drake and he is just too cute. He and Buddy will be great friends but very annoying. They just don't stop playing. Drake grabs onto Buddy's cheek and won't let go but as soon as he does Buddy takes his paw and plows the little guy back to him.

Other then that things are pretty mellow. I finished painting our entire main floor and love love love it!
I am officially in college as of the 13th. I am loving it so far but am finding it a little hard to concentrate on homework. I'll get it done though. I am leaving you all with my favorite pic of the week. And until next time Enjoy!

Owen's Haircut

2009-01-13T14:28:00.004-06:00

What a little trooper! Owen got his 2nd ever haircut today and did fabulous. I took out the clippers and went to it. He did great for the 1st 20 or so swipes but, after that he decided to half way cry, half way whine. Pretty pathetic sounding if ya ask me. As you can see he was truly in need of this haircut.

Yet another game of Tag

2009-01-05T08:26:00.003-06:00

Aimee Libby and her tagging. See I started something...Joe and I act like kids building forts and such and Aimee just can't stop playing tag. Well I am always up for a quick game. She said the rules were to open your picture file and post the 4th picture. Well here it is. Seems like posting our 1st borns is the trend. Hannah is 4 1/2 here and obviously this was one of her dance pictures. She was only in dance this one year and boy was it cute. Cute sure but worth the money and time....um NO. Now TAG YOUR IT...Alie & Angela.

Happy Holiday Memories

2008-12-30T09:45:00.005-06:00

Christmas was fabulous as usual. Christmas eve was spent at Joe's parents and Hannah was a petition reader this year at the Christmas Eve mass. We are so proud that she was willing to step out of her comfort zone and do those things. After Santa came on Christmas day we headed over to Joe's parents again for chicken and shrimp dinner. YUM YUM! Joe's mom is the best cook! We spent the night playing our new games then headed home.

The next day Joe and I spent 3 hours making Avril a fort. We had a good time being children while ours were all gone. Parents don't really have to wait for them to have fun right???? The best part of the day though was while Avril and I were making our snow girl. I was rolling the final part of the head and low and behold I rolled up Joe's VAN key!!! It had been missing for about a week and sure enough there it was.

Finally our Christmas celebrations ended with us going up to my parents on Saturday. Mom and dad sent Sam, Stoney, Joe, Hannah , Isaac and me to a tubing hill not far from their house. What a blast!!! This hill his was mamoth compaired to the one I have been to in Maple Grove. Isaac took one look at it and said "no way" so we had to coax him quite a bit to get him to go. As a matter of fact he cried the entire way up the hill the 1st time around. He was fine once he went down. After tubing we went back to my parents and had yet another wonderful feast. Then we all played gutar hero and a few board games before heading to bed kindof early.

Sam woke me up at 2 in the morning with Avril puking. Not fun. I figured it was all the junk she ate but I was wrong because, Braeden then puked all over the kitchen floor in the morning and I was sick the next night. Hannah's friends mom just called and said Hannah was sick last night also. Watch out everyone it seems to be going around.

Aside from all the sickness it's been the Happiest of Holidays. I can't wait to see what the new year brings our family. Heres the part where I have decided to make some predictions for next year... Let's see if they happen.

Joe: He is going to put his mind to rest on weather or not he will have a job. I am guessing he will get 3 offers at one time.
Hannah: She is going to place in one of the top 3 in a swim meet.
Isaac: He is going to realize this year that there is no use in fighting with Avril anymore and he is going to learn to just walk away. Yep that's what he is going to do.
Avril: She is going to stop butting heads with Joe and I and become the best girl ever.:)
Owen: He is going to slow down a bit. I can't imagine there is much more for him to do. Unless he starts talking I guess I predict he will start talking this next year.
& Me: I am going to get 2 A's in my first ever college courses.

I would love to hear everyone else's predictions. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Owen's 1st Steps

2008-12-13T10:04:00.003-06:00

Part of me is excited and part of me is extremely sad. Our little boy is growing up. Watch the video to see Owen's 1st steps.

Little Stinker

2008-12-12T07:20:00.003-06:00

I can hardly get Owen to eat his baby food anymore. Last night at dinner Joe made some egg rolls and I thought that would be to greasy for his little belly so I tried to feed him a baby food chicken dinner. Well NO! Owen screamed in between every bite until I gave in and gave him some rice. He somehow knew that our dinner was different and he demanded to eat the same. He does that for everything, if Avril is eating a bowl of cereal and he has baby food he will turn his head away until he gets some Cheerios. 10 months old and already telling me what he wants.

No Title

2008-12-02T07:51:00.005-06:00

I think what I have is writers block. When I sit down here to tell you all about our lives nothing comes to me. I know something must have happened since last Monday...

So I think I am getting somewhere with Avril and her attitude. When she throws a fit I just ask her if she can please find mommy's nice girl and for the most part she does. Ha isn't it funny what works sometimes with kids. I realized after picking up the Strong Willed Child book that the program is going to be way to hard for me to follow. She is almost 3 so I should be able to reason with her a little bit better and we have had a really good couple of weeks. So wish me luck.
Avril and I also decorated the house for Christmas last Friday. I had no idea how much she loved this holiday. When I set the tree up she started jumping up and down chanting "I love this trick-or-tree". I know trick-or tree! There is no correcting her though I have tried. So how the whole day went was I would put something up somewhere and she would turn around and take it down. This was good for Avril to do just with mommy because when Hannah and Isaac came home she was so proud to show them all that she had done. We did save decorating the Christmas tree for everyone though.Isaac is really coming out of his shell for wrestling. A few weeks ago he was unsure about the sport but, last night he really got into it. Funny Story...So when we were walking down the hall to go to wrestling this little boy started walking with us. I asked Isaac if he knew him and he said "no". The little boy chimed in that he did too know him! The little boy said he saw him at his sisters swimming meet. So obviously because they have seen each other somewhere they are bonded. I then asked the little boy if they have ever talked and he said "well no but we have the same shoes". This is why I have 4 kids. Don't ya just love what they say!

Oh yea, Thanksgiving was fabulous! We spent the entire day at Joe's parents and had a great time. I just love being around our family.

2008-11-24T11:24:00.004-06:00

Sorry that I haven't updated anything for like EVER! I took on the volunteer job of Crow River Service Unit cookie manager so I have had pretty much no time for much else. I am really excited to have the big meeting over with tomorrow night because I have noticed that the more speaking I do in a public setting the worse I get at it. My heart starts beating like a million miles per minute, I forget things and I loose my voice so tomorrow night should be interesting considering the fact that I have to speak for an entire hour. I guess I never thought of all this before I took on the position. Oh well.. N-E-Ways enough about me..

Hannah had her 1st ever competition on Friday for swimming and she ROCKED! She competed 1st in the 25 yard freestyle race and got 4th only because she didn't know that she had to touch the wall. She would have been 1st or 2nd if it weren't for that. Then her 2nd race was the 50 yard backstroke and she placed 4th of 7 against 9-12 year olds. 3rd race was the 25 yard backstroke and she placed 2nd of 5. Then she was in a 100 yard freestyle relay and her team placed 4th of 5. I am one of those dumb emotional moms who tears up over everything. When she jumped in I tear up, when she touches the wall I cry, and especially when there is one kid that can barely finish the race so everyone cheers super loud until they make it I really cry! UGH! I really hope I can get over this and no I am not pregnant- its just how I am lately. Just overjoyed I guess. But, Joe and I are extremely proud of her she did great and had such confidence in herself and really gave it her all.

Little Braeden turned 2 on Friday. I just can't believe he's that old already. He's just a bundle of energy and a little sassy but it's cute because he's not mine. Sam had his birthday party on Saturday and we all had a great time. Sam did a good job preparing food for everyone. Her 1st family gathering didn't go that well and she didn't have enough food to feed everyone so this time she really pulled though. Sorry Sam but 1 cup of gravy for 15+ people does not cut it. ;)
Then when that was over my mom came back to our house and watched the kids while Joe and I went Bowling with Tony, Jamie and her dad. Joe didn't bring his A-game but I did manage to get my 1st ever Turkey (3 strikes in a row). YEA ME!

Well that's all this Zoo has to report. HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!

2008-11-18T07:53:00.002-06:00

It's been an exhausting week and a half. Owen has yet another ear infection and had a fever for 3 days over the weekend. He insists on being held and won't let Joe or I get more then a foot away from him. Well with Owen requiring so much attention, Avril goes into one of her moods and is extremely needy too. I have decided to go get a book I heard about for Avril. It's called 'Parenting the Strong Willed Child'. My hairdresser suggested it and I am to the point that I will try anything. Just yesterday she decided to go into one of her fits for like 15 minutes while I was making lunch so I set her out on the deck for a second and when I let her back in she was back to normal. Well enough about our little problems.
Isaac started wrestling last week and I am a little frightened because Isaac isn't an aggressive child. So we have to see how it goes. Hannah also has her 1st swim meet this Friday!!!

2008-11-02T20:52:00.006-06:00

Halloween was super great this year with weather you just couldn't beat in Minnesota. As the kids get older you can see how competitive they get.

Hannah hit every house in our neighborhood in less then 2 hours. Isaac gave up at about 7 and went home with his friends. Avril and her cousin Hazel made it 2 cul-de-sacs. Not too bad for little ones.

We have almost a full paper grocery bag full of candy that will probably last until next Halloween. (Ugh!)

Mom has to brag!

2008-10-27T20:42:00.003-05:00

I am not usually one to brag about anything - well maybe I have never had anything important to brag about.

Well this last week I got 2 exciting bits of info.....

Hannah's principle Mrs. Brown called me on Thursday night; not to say anything was wrong but to deliver good news. She said Hannah's teacher passed a note onto her saying Hannah is responsible, caring, treats others well, is always ready when asked and a whole lot more. I always knew Hannah was the best but when you get to hear it from someone else (the principle of a whole school) it feels super great!

Then on Saturday I went out and grabbed the mail and there was a post card saying Isaac got "Caught Being Good." St. Michael schools follows the Six Pillars of Character program which include trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, & citizenship. So Isaac's postcard stated that he showed responsibility for always turning his homework into the blue bin right when he gets to school.

Every parents should have moments like these. :)

MEA

2008-10-21T11:12:00.005-05:00

Last Thursday morning we hit the road and drove up to my parents in Brainard. Other then our stop at McDonald's half way up it was an uneventful drive. Buddy (our doof of a dog) provided entertainment for the whole restaurant by sitting in the drivers seat waiting for us to come back out. He looked really funny sitting there-it looked like he was really driving. The kids had a nice time following grandpa around the yard all day and that night we went for a walk across the street to see the horses. At 1st I was kind of disappointed because they were 1/2 way across the field but grandpa saved the day by making horse noises at them and all 5 of them came trotting over to us. Dumb Buddy was so excited to see them that he went to run to them and ran right into the barbed wire fence so I had to go get his leash.

Friday we headed for home again and stopped in Garrison to visit great grandma and grandpa. I had a great time chit chatting while the kids ran up and down their new handy cap ramp. Funny what kids will find to play with.

Saturday was our nieces 3rd birthday and we celebrated at Joe's parents house. The kids had a blast playing with Hazel. Avril and her really got along well. (which doesn't happen to often) Joe, Barb, & Beth went to a haunted house in Anoka that night. Joe & Beth said it wasn't that scary but, Barb was so scared that it made it fun for them. Beth got a good beating from Barb though. Barb would get scared and start running with Beth out in front of her. Well that was all fine and dandy until the hallway suddenly turned and Beth was smashed into a wall. (No I didn't go-I am far too scared for that stuff)

Finally, Sunday was truly a day of rest. We did absolutely nothing all day!!

Tag- I think I have played this game before

2008-10-20T09:21:00.003-05:00

Sorry Aimee that I am so slow at this stuff so here you go. I hope it's everything you were hoping for. :)

The "rules" of the game are as follows:
1. Post the rules on your blog
2. Write 6 random things about yourself
3. Tag 6 people at the end of your post
4. If you're tagged, DO IT and pass on the tagOkay,

1.) I drive a mini van. Yes I know a mini van!!!
2.) I might not be 25 anymore. SHOCKING but, I will always lie.
3.) I am a registered Girl Scout. Just so everyone knows you are never too old!
4.) I wish it was easier to maintain friendships. Life seems too busy sometimes.
5.) I don't like the state of Arkansas much but, I wish I could help it out somehow.
6.) I am more in love with my husband today then I was 8 years ago.

And I tag these 6 people. Are there even 6 people that read our blog. Huh I guess I will find out.
1.) My fabulous aunt Dorothy
2.) My super aunt Deanna whom I wish I talked to more
3.) My lovely sister Sam
4.) My oldest friend Nicole B.
5.) My friend that lives in ummm whats that state again....Oh yeah Iowa - Alie
6.) Last but not least... Barb yep you- now you have to tell me some good stuff.

Have a super great day everyone. Happy Monday!!!!!

Avril

2008-10-15T13:18:00.005-05:00

WE (as in Avril & I) did it! She finally lost her little battle against the potty and is trained. It almost sounds like she is a dog. I have never in my life struggled so much with a child to be potty trained. It took almost a month and this last week she has been perfect. She even wears undies to bed at night.

Here's a fun little story about Avril being potty trained.........About a month ago while we were working on potty training we went up to my parents house for the weekend and Avril had been really good with no accidents for a whole day. However, as so as mommy and grandma went into town to get lunch Avril pooped in her pants. Instead of getting daddy she thought she would clean it up herself in grandma and grandpas bathroom. Well that didn't go so well and she got poop all over their bathroom. Joe was not very happy but cleaned it up. Grandma and mom came home and heard about the little oops and grandma went to wash Avrils cloths and her rugs and noticed that Avrils undies were missing. Grandma thought Joe just threw them out. However, about 2 hours later grandma opened a drawer in the bathroom and Ta-Da there were Avril's yucky undies. She knew she did something wrong and thought she would hide the evidence. What a laugh!

Avril also traded her nuks in for a new Dora toy today. Wish me luck with this one!!

Long Time

2008-10-10T07:27:00.003-05:00

I am so sorry for not updating in a while. Life has been going at warp speeds!

Last weekend we went on a hayride out in Rogers. The weather was perfect and surprisingly it was a whole hour ride. Joe was out of town so I was a little nervous about going alone but the kids were all very well behaved and enjoyed the relaxation too!

Tonight Hannah starts practice for the Hansel & Gretel play she is in. So check back to find out how she is doing as a Cookie Dancer!

From now on out I will try to update our life as it happens!

Sleeping Angel Photo Contest

2008-10-02T15:36:00.005-05:00

I just had to try out for this little contest. I do have hundreds of photos of my kids sleeping but this one is my favorite...Avril would love the Lily Rose set if she were to become the winner. To submit your sleepy head photos just go to http://www.5minutesformom.com/. Good luck to everyone!

I just wanted to put this one on here for everyone to see to but, the top one is my submission. Isaac likes to play Ninja Turtles and in his back is his sword. TOO CUTE!

2008-09-23T12:50:00.001-05:00

Thank you to everyone who informed me that our page was virtually unreadable. Hope this is better. XOXO

Weekend Update

2008-09-15T08:19:00.007-05:00

Friday was pretty uneventful but we did have my nephew over for the night because Sam had to work on Saturday. At about 9:30 - 10:00p.m. I heard a thump in Avril's room so I went in to check well Braeden had fallen out of bed and fell asleep on the floor sitting up. It was quite funny to see him sitting below the bed sleeping. Funny little feller.

Saturday was a mommy day and I went to a 12 hour scraping event in Andover. Before I left I heard Owen playing in his room so I thought I would be nice to Joe and get him up and feed him before I left. I walked in his room to get him and he was hanging on to the side of the crib STANDING!!! Why can't he just be a baby for a bit longer.

My scraping event was great and I learned a few new things and met some great women. I really enjoyed not having to get up every 2 1/2 seconds.

Sunday was the St. Michael Church's fall festive and unfortunately is was quite cruddy outside and we froze our butts off. Joe ended up bringing Avril and Owen back home while Isaac, Hannah and I stayed back and played kiddie games and BINGO. Hannah won $5.00! I am still waiting for them to call me about the car I was hoping to win. Huh better luck next year right!

BINGO!!!

Chit Chat

2008-09-12T08:23:00.005-05:00

It's been another hard week.... Owen is getting between 4 - 6 teeth in right now. ALL at the same time! His top gums are so red and swollen but I think they are almost ready to come through. Let's just say he has been extremely irritable this week! As any other mom knows -if I could take the pain away I would but I can't so for now I just bear with him as best as I can. Thankfully; tomorrow I will be at a 12 hour scrapbooking event all by myself. It will be nice to have a whole day with no baby on my hip.

Owen also got his 1st real haircut last night. He is not impressed with the buzzer and cried through most of it. It turned out real cute - he looks much older now.

Other then that all is going well. Hannah & Isaac are having fun in school and Avril still tries to go everyday. She thinks that if she puts her backpack on then she can go too. Oh and I almost forgot, Joe's garage completion is nearing the end and we can officially call the outside done. He'll be moving in shortly ;)

XOXO

This and That

2008-09-05T14:04:00.003-05:00

TGIF! It's been a very eventful and long week. With all of us battling this cold all week and school starting I am officially ready for the weekend. I just wanted to update everyone since I forgot to earlier in the week....Owen is sitting up all by himself and crawling all over the house. I am a little sad about the whole thing because that means my last baby is growing up.

Avril playing house with Buddy

Our family picture

1st Day of School

2008-09-04T11:04:00.004-05:00

Well Hannah and Isaac's 1st days of school went great for them both. I am truly blessed that they are both such great kids and enjoy school so much. Hannah went back on Tuesday and had a great day. I am a little concerned though....the only people she knew in her class we a bunch of boys. Do I start to worry already. She said her teacher is awesome because she makes math fun and for Hannah that is good because she struggles a bit in math. I just can't believe she's already in 3rd grade. Time goes to fast.

Isaac had orientation on Tuesday then actually rode the bus yesterday. I was so nervous because Isaac is such a quiet and shy kid that I thought he would cry and not want to go. Ha I was so wrong...We were out their waiting for the bus like 20 minutes early. He was a bundle of excitement the whole morning. (Isaac has afternoon kindergarten and gets on the bus at 11:00) He came home just fine and was excited to tell me all about his day. Their are 2 kids from his preschool class in his kindergarten class so to me that made the whole transition much better.

Hannah got home stating that she was so worried about Isaac all day! She was worried that he wasn't going to get off the bus at the right stop so she sat with him on the way home. It makes me feel so good that they care about each other so much!

GO Saints!!!!!!!!

2008-08-21T10:09:00.002-05:00

OK so I really have to get my momma butt in gear. I am the worst at bringing my camera to outings. However, Tuesday night we went to our 1st ever St. Paul Saints game. I really truly wish I could report that we had a blast and will be going back in the near future but that's not how the night went. We got a good deal on the tickets so why not try but with 4 kids 2 adults that was probably not wise on our part. The game started at 7:05 so there was mistake #1 because Owen usually gets dinner and bed around 7:30. So Joe and I spent the 1st 2 innings trying to get him to sleep with all the commotion around us. HA! Then I am listening to this family behind us talk about their pop being set on the floor because if it spills it will just go down the bleacher to the ground.......WELL it didn't - someone kicked it over and it ended up all over Isaac, Avril's and my feet. I knew that was gonna happen but, I am not the type to notify people of their ignorance. I was just thankful that it wasn't my kids to spill their pop this time. And they should make a rule that once your in your seat you stay there because we were smart and got isle seats due to having the kids but the people on the inside got up probably about 10 times. Well at the bottom of the 5th inning Owen spit his nuk out and it landed below the bleachers so Joe called it a night for them and headed out to the van. We were going to stay for a couple more innings but only made it to the top of the 5th. So that was our experience and we wish for better luck next time. As you can see it was just a all around bad combination of events.

Big Boy Owen

2008-08-08T18:51:00.003-05:00

Well Owen and I were sitting in his room after his nap today playing and oh my gosh he sat there all by himself. (Yes I sat him up right but, he stayed on his own) 1 1/2 months ago he started rolling over, last month he got his 1st 2 teeth and now he's sitting up. I am starting to see why we have 4 children. Life just goes by soooooo fast. However, that doesn't mean we will be having anymore.

Valleyfair

2008-08-08T09:47:00.003-05:00

The Crew minus Joe
Avril's 1st ride EVER - The scrambler As you can tell we spent yesterday at Valleyfair. Our girls have no fear in them. Avril's 1st ride was the scrambler and I thought for sure after it started going that we had made a mistake but oh no she loved it! Isaac wouldn't go on much until he got to pick the milder ones 1st and as the day progressed he got a little braver. Hannah however went on anything she was tall enough for. Her favorite ride of the day was the extreme swing and she went on that one twice. You couldn't pay me enough to go on that ride ever again! I don't know if it's that I am getting old or if it's just that I have had children but that ride almost killed me. The drops are so extreme and it just doesn't quit. I got off shaking terribly and Joe's dad didn't let go until most everyone else was off. Steel Venom was the best though and I almost walked out of that line in fear. I am glad I didn't. We all had a great time with the family and are going to spend today recuperating.

The end of July

2008-08-01T11:09:00.007-05:00

On July 20th Owen was finally Baptised. It was a great day with all the family. He is blessed to have such great God parents Dorothy (my aunt) & Mike (Joe's longtime pal).

Last week we went to the Holiday Inn water park thanks to some anonymous free tickets, which for our family is a huge deal. That would have otherwise been a $100 trip. The kids had a blast and we even got Isaac down the water slide 3 times. He is not big on the thrill rides but, he did it after much pressure. Avril made friends with any other child that got within 3 feet of her and even Owen had fun kicking his legs in the water. We also had a free dinner at the new Sonic which I must say had the best fast food ever.

This past weekend we went to our friends parents house on Pleasant Lake in Annandale and had a great time. There where a total of 11 children over there and I can't tell you how well they played together. You could barely tell that there where that many of them running around. We did some tubing and Joe tried to wake board but failed this time. My brother said it took him 22 times to finally get up on it so Joe's got about 10 more trys to go. I will be trying next time. I am a little nervous because if you fall on those you typically get pulled onto your face which doesn't sound to pleasant. But I guess you have to try everything once right.

Last but not least we said our "goodbyes" to grandma last night. She has been here for 3 1/2 months and is going back to Arkansas. I think she has had her stuff packed for a week. It's not that she doesn't like being here she is just tired with all the excitement all the time. She celebrated her 75th birthday this June but as you can see she still thinks she's 5. Love you Grandma!!!

2008-07-19T18:27:00.005-05:00

I am kind of slacking on the bloggin'.

Hannah and Isaac have been in swimming lessons for the last 2 weeks. They finally wrapped it up last Thursday and they BOTH PASSED! I am so excited. It's a bummer when you have to tell them that they have to redo the class and I didn't have to do any of that this round. As you can see Isaac thinks he's Superman. Most the kids in his class had the teachers assistance dropping them into the water but not Isaac. Now Hannah has the option of joining swim team. However, she also has to make the decision of weather she wants to do that or gymnastics. Swim team is 3 days a week and gymnastics is 2 so we just can't be stretched that thin.

And on a side note - Owen got his 1st 2 teeth in on the bottom. We can totally handle it if he gets them all in 2 at a time. I am really hoping he cheers up a little in life now that they are though.

Owen is also being baptised tomorrow. I know it's about time right. He's already 5 months old.

This that and the other thing.

2008-07-11T09:20:00.005-05:00

Two weeks ago we went to Como Zoo with my parents and had the best time. Avril had never been to a zoo and she has a small obsession with monkeys so we just had to go. She was so cute the whole day. She loves the little spider monkeys however, she did not like the orangutans with her little baby or the gorillas. She had a little melt down by those 2. My dad was so patient with the kids, he spent the whole day down at Avril's level making sure she could see. Then at the end we were all exhausted from walking in the heat all day so we went back in the park to get some ice cream and Avril spotted the monkey cage outside and went running towards it. I have no idea where she got that energy but, there was nothing stopping her.

Our 4th was pretty uneventful- we did go up north to my grandparents which was really nice. The kids go to go tubing on uncle Tony's boat and the fireworks were kind of a bummer because we were attached by these annoying little bugs. We are going up to Grand Rapids (Tony's) this weekend so we hope to get in some good fishing and more tubing.

On Wednesday I brought Hannah in for a hair cut and she decided to go short with it. She cut off about 6 inches but, I think it looks great on her. Its much easier for her to take care of.

Sailing Trip Log

2008-06-24T11:28:00.004-05:00

The Sanctuary
June 16th – 19th 2008
Apostle Islands Lake Superior

June 16th
Arrival into Bayfield was pleasant with sunny skies and beautiful weather. Some of us toured the shops in Bayfield while awaiting approval to check into the Sanctuary. We were finally allowed onto the 49’ beauty at about 5:30 where we completed the inventory checklist and familiarized ourselves with our little home on the lake. I want to note that this trip was Sanctuary’s and our 1st time sailing.
We had dinner and drinks at a cute little restaurant called Maggie’s. The restaurants décor was quite unique. The outside was one of the brightest pinks I have ever seen and the inside was full of flamingos in every shape, size and form. We returned to the Sanctuary at nine or so and sat around chatting while waiting for the last couple to arrive. They had a late start to their trip and finally arrived just after eleven. We visited for a short time then went to bed.
June 17th (Mostly sunny with good winds to sail)
7:00a.m. we woke up to get ready to depart. The goal was to depart at about 9:30 however, there were a few kinks to be worked out first. We realized when we were loading the boat that the refrigerator was not cooling and the captain’s room bathroom was not working properly.
10:30a.m. was departure from Port Superior Harbor. Captain Jim of Port Superior marina took us out of the pier, checked the sails, took pictures and left us to sail. Five minutes into our trip Captain Phil announced it was “Miller Time”. I thought that was the first sign to a good trip.
11:00a.m. Captain Phil & Todd started to teach Joe the basics of sailing. I’m pretty sure he’s gonna be hooked.
12:00p.m. The winds got heavy for a short period and Ae-nan was thrown from her seat. She decided to stay there for a while.
1:30p.m. we arrived at Raspberry Island. We set the anchor and took the dingy to the island where we took a ½ mile hike to the Raspberry Island lighthouse. Tim Williamson gave us a wonderful tour of the head lighthouse keeper’s home and the tower.
After returning to the boat Todd & Phil decided to show everyone up and jump into to the frigid Superior waters. I am pretty sure Phil regretted that move as soon as he hit the water.
We had a 5 star dinner thanks to Chef Phil and Ae-nan. They made a spicy kielbasa ravioli soup for an appetizer and bulgogi with rice as the main course. WOW! We also had mojitos then went around the tip of Raspberry Island to watch the sun set. We couldn’t have asked for better weather today and the sun set was absolutely stunning.
Phil twisted our arms into watching “Waking Ned Devine” and we went to bed. I do have to note that I really liked the movie and am glad I watched it. (Thank you Phil)

June 18th Sunny skis with brief breezes
9:30a.m. we departed from Raspberry Island.
10:30a.m. We decided at this point that it would be best to use the motor or we were guaranteed to get to the next destination by 2020.
Noonish we arrived at the west side Devils Island where we monkeyed around on the dingy viewing it’s stunning caves. It was surrealistic to see nature at its best.
1:30p.m. At this point the bugs caught up with us and made it almost impossible to talk to anyone. I think some of the crew ate their fair share. It’s protein right?
2:00p.m. we left Devils Island by motor
3:00p.m. We are sailing once again however, the crew did several tacks to get any sort of wind. We did make it up to 4knots for a while.
7:05p.m. Most of the crew is pretty liquored up. We had lots of fun conversation including the teaching of “You can do it put your ass into it” by Ice Cube to Ae-nan. Thanks to Jeff for bringing his very diverse I-pod we had one heck of a laugh. After our conversation about just about everything imaginable we had Sam’s Club chicken wings of which Ae-nan decided to make her way even though it wasn’t her turn to cook. On this trip everyone learned that Ae-nan is the “Queen” of the kitchen and no matter what you thought you were doing in it she is in control.
8:25p.m. We have arrived at Stockton Island. We throw down the anchor and enjoy the evening.
Sometime later we notice that we have lost Jeff to the Rum & Cokes and he decides to sing to the crew. Chewbacca must be very influential in his life. The crew did their part in making sure Jeff didn’t fall overboard and called it a night.
June 19th Sunny skies with no wind
8:00a.m. we woke to eat breakfast and head out on the dingy looking for the shipwreck in Julian Bay off Stockton Island. The wreck was an old schooner named “Noquebay”. (No Jeff though)
Sometime later we leave Julian Bay heading towards the marina. Captain Phil & Todd decide to try doing a wing-on-wing maneuver to get some wind and failed since there was just no wind. Well I guess they didn’t completely fail – we would have made it back in approximately 28 hours.
12:30p.m. At this point Phil taught me all about the GPS since she was too afraid to do the whole sailing thing. (Brief appearance by Jeff)
2:15 We have arrived at LaPort on Madeline Island. We were going to go tour the island however, we ho-hummed around to long to go so we headed back to the marina.
3:30p.m. Jeff has decided to try to join us today but feels pretty rough.
4:00p.m. we are back on dry land at the Port Superior marina. We did a bug scrub down of The Sanctuary and said our “goodbyes”.
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” –Mark Twain

As you can see it was a wonderful vacation away from our kids. I will post more pictures when I get them.

2008-06-08T13:12:00.003-05:00

It's official - Our kids are getting older which only means Joe and I are doing the same. Hannah turned 8 last Wednesday and just loved her new room. We let her see it a day early because that is how we do most holidays around here. She loves it! I might love it more then her but, that's because I know how much work went into completing it. We stimulated the economy by getting her new dressers and a nightstand because her new room doesn't have a closet. Which is fine at this age because all their cloths are so little. In a couple years we will rethink the furniture situation. We also have some shelves that will go up behind her bed for all her little collectibles and such. Joe has officially wiped his hands clean of this project and is off to his garage again.

-BEFORE-

- AFTER-

(It's hard to get a good after picture with her room now having a door)

Then on Friday I did what any other loving parent would do...I let Hannah invite all her little friends over for her birthday celebration. There were 14 girls total with 7 spending the night. OH MY GOSH! Everything went wonderful except for the sleeping part. I last checked on them at 12:30 and only 2 of 8 were asleep. I thought a movie would knock them all out after playing outside all afternoon but, of course I was miserably wrong. They just don't stop! By the time I got to sleep Owen decided to wake up for his once nightly feeding then I dozed off again only to hear the girls playing "don't let the balloon touch the ground". This was at 7:00 A.M.! I knew they could be early risers but, I assumed that would only be if they went to sleep early. HA! Oh well they all had fun and Hannah said she had a great birthday and that's all that matters to me.

Owen eating cereal

2008-05-28T15:09:00.004-05:00

I know 2 posts in one day seems to be a bit much right. I just wanted to share with everyone that Owen tried cereal for the 1st time today. He is still a few weeks shy of 4 months old but he always seems to be hungry. Well lets just say he's not impressed with the stuff. Did I actually think he was going to just gobble it all up and ask for more?

Memorial Weekend

2008-05-28T14:15:00.004-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial weekend. We sure did and it was really nice to have a 3 day weekend. On Friday Joe and I went out with a group of new friends and it was wonderful. We went to a little place called Psycho Suzie's in Minneapolis somewhere. I must say their pizza was well worth the jaunt out there. We had a nice time being adults for a while. Funny enough though we had an 8:00 curfew. (Babysitter couldn't stay all night but, I think we could have.)

Then on Saturday Morning we went up to Brainard to celebrate my parents 25th wedding anniversary. It was supposed to be a surprise party but when there are more then a few people involved things just don't stay that way. Oh well it was still wonderful and my parents had a great time. We got in some 4-wheeling too and the kids actually used theirs almost the whole day. They are really brave and a little too daring sometimes but by the end of the summer they should both be pros. Hannah wanted to spend the whole day at the gravel pit by my parents house. I guess if I was 7 I would have wanted to too. It sure beats going around in a circle all day at grandma and grandpas.

Aside from a little hail damage to the back of the house it couldn't have been a better weekend.

Were children created to embarrass thier parents?

2008-05-19T16:08:00.003-05:00

So today I had to run to Chanhassen to pick up stain for our house. Yes all the way to Chanhassen. We got their at about 12:30 or so and it was a little past Avril's nap time. When Avril gets tired she is quite the bear. Well instead of yelling at her in the quiet little office and showroom I just let her do her own thing. When I finally decided to get her she was messing around a display of different railings. Well I went to pick her up so we could go and she grabbed one of the railings and sent them all tumbling in a domino effect! All I could do was stair as they slowing toppled over one by one (about 8 in all). The noise was horrific! Thankfully we didn't leave in handcuffs and I surely didn't know what to do. Well a very nice man helped me put them all back up while Avril sat there with her hands over her ears. So next time your kids embarrass you just think of this little story and I think you will see that it could be worse a lot worse.

2008-05-17T10:04:00.009-05:00

On Wednesday Isaac and me went to the Como Zoo for his preschool field trip. If you weren't planning on going to Como this year I would like to help you change your mind. First off its FREE (donations only) and secondly they have a new baby orangutan. He or she is so cute! We had a great time. It's not very often now that our kids get us alone anymore so that makes it more special.

Then on Thursday Isaac had his 1st ever baseball game. I only got to see him bat once which made me sad but, I had to go to Girl Scouts. He had a big cheering section thanks to Uncle Matt, Auntie Barb and grandma & grandpa being there. In minors baseball they don't keep score, there are no outs and everyone gets to bat before its the next teams turn. They learn the fundamentals and just plain ol' have fun.

We also brought Isaac to the Albertville Primary this week for a kindergarten open house. Surprisingly he's not afraid to go to kindergarten next year. I hope it stays that way thoughout the summer.

Weekend update

2008-05-04T21:12:00.003-05:00

I finally feel like we are getting somewhere on the garage addition. This weekend we worked on the huge dirt pile that the diggers had in the back. It's down to almost nothing. Joe also got all the sheet rock hung last week and a large majority of the initial taping done. WOW! Owen was quite the little crab all weekend so these jobs were very difficult. But, the sooner Joe gets the garage done the sooner we can start Hannah's new room. For those of you who don't know...we are turning our silly little sitting room into a bedroom for her. Its going to be a little surprise for her. She knows she is moving however, on the weekend before her b-day she is going to have a sleepover at one of our families houses then she will come home to a completely finished new room. She's getting a some new furniture, bedding, different colored walls, and hopefully some shelves for all her nick-knacks. I am so excited about the whole thing. And this will get Owen into his own room. YEA! Well that's it for updates. Feel free to come over all of you to lend a hand anytime. We only have a million other things to wrap up this summer. :) I will post a before and after photo of her room soon.

What A Week

2008-04-25T22:01:00.005-05:00

What a rough week at the VanHoorik household:

So last Friday I had a minor little surgery for an umbilical hernia caused from having 4 children and obviously not taking care of my stomach muscles. Well that went just fine and I am going to be so stoked to have a belly button again:) However, due to the fact that I couldn't use my stomach muscles I pulled my back out. COMPLETELY...I mean I woke up on Sunday a.m. and I moved just a little bit and I was down for 2 whole days. (Bed ridden down) It is now almost a week later and my back is still not normal. I blame it on getting old cuz I had no problems until my birthday last week.

Then on Wednesday Buddy started puking all over. Well it wasn't good so I brought him to the vet they ran a bunch of tests took x-rays, pushed fluids....yaddi-yada... then day 2 he was still puking and not eating a single thing. I brought Buddy back to the doctor and they repeated day ones events and still no improvement. So at this point we were thinking like gosh this is a huge financial burden however, Buddy is only a year old. And I did figure he must have swallowed something because he is always, always chewing on stuff so the vet said we should do some charcoal treatments to watch how far though his digestive system it goes. Well finally today we had the answer...something was stuck in his stomach making it so he couldn't digest anything further then that. Well he went into surgery and they took 2 or 3 things from his digestive system and now he is at the puppy ER being watched for 36 hours. A person doesn't realize how much they love their pet until something like this happens. I was beside myself thinking what will we do if he's just not ok. Well thank God we don't have to think about that.

And in the mist of all this doggy trouble Owen got his 1st shots and let me tell you he was not happy about that. But I have heard that bad things happen in 3's so I think our luck is gonna change from here on out.

We ended tonight with my favorite Girl Scout event, the annual sock hop. I really needed some fun time. And yes I am a total mom when I wrap my week up with a Sock Hop. I love seeing my kids have the time of their lives and I am sure Hannah had a blast.

2008-04-17T08:35:00.002-05:00

Funny, funny, so this is new to me. Someone tags you and you have to reveal 10 deep dark secrets about yourselves. Well thanks to my friend Amiee its my turn. See nothing comes without a price. So here goes...

1.) Like Amiee I have also lived in a trailer however, I have lived in one with my parents and have chosen to live in one in my adult life. So I am like super trailer trash.

2.) I cannot say "no" to anyone. I usually have too much on my plate at any given time because I will either raise my hand to volunteer or will not say no.

3.) I still hold grudges like an elementary school student. I am mad at 2 someones I thought was close to because they forgot to say "happy birthday" to me yesterday. I will be over it tomorrow.

4.) When I get time for myself I usually waist it by pacing around accomplishing nothing.

5.) Avril really is Joe's child. ;)

6.) I am deathly afraid of insects. Yes even butterflies.

7.) I secretly feel really cool in my minivan despite my protests.

8.) I hate doing anything alone.

9.) When I was little I used to sneak up at night and eat bread...We would put sugar on it and eat it like that.

10.) I love to get my mail the second it is dropped off. I get kind of angry when Joe beats me to it.

TAG: Deanna, Mom, & Alie

Happy Birthday to me!

2008-04-17T08:15:00.003-05:00

I have the most wonderful family...Yesterday I turned "25" again and out of nowhere my parents showed up. They live all the way up in Brainard so for them to just show up its a pretty big deal. Well I thought they were just visiting for a little bit and then going home. Well they weren't they came all the way here to babysit for us so we could go to the casino for the sea food / prime rib buffet and a little money waisting. I was really not expecting all this for my birthday and it was so wonderful. I am so nosey that it really surprises me that they pulled this off without me having the slightest idea of what was going on. My parents were quite winded when we got back however, they made them all dinner, did dishes, put Owens laundry in the dryer, gave Avril a bath, got Hannah to finish her homework and had them all in bed when we got home. I wouldn't have even attempted all that! Above all that Joe got me a genuine Coach purse for my birthday. He even did research on purses to see which hold up the best and such. (Anyone who knows Joe knows that he researches everything) But purses I never thought. Well I want to say Thank You to all my wonderful family for making these miserable birthdays so enjoyable.

On a side note Owen has been sleeping from 9:30 to 6:30 for a week or so now too. :)
And lets all root for WILD tonight!

Isaac's 5th Birthday

2008-04-08T10:33:00.004-05:00

Our kids are growing up just too fast. On Sunday Isaac turned 5. We spent the day at the Shrine Circus which was wonderful. Isaac really wanted to go to the Twins game but, I conned him into the circus instead. That way we could all go and enjoy it. And what do ya know he loved it. Avril really liked the acrobats and she clapped like crazy. Then after the circus we went back to our house and had cake and ice cream with grandma & grandpa VanHoorik, Barb, Beth, & Matt. It was a wonderful day and he got to finish it off by doing his favorite thing....Spending the night at grandma & grandpas.

That's a wrap!

2008-03-27T20:43:00.005-05:00

Life is gonna settle down right? So we finished the busiest week of our lives and I am happy to report that it all went pretty darn good. So last Saturday Joe and I completed Confirmation. It was really an amazing experience for me I was really moved by the Holy Spirit. I really believe that God was calling us to join the church this year. As some may know we pondered on the idea of a religious life for most of our marriage. I always thought to myself "I don't have to go to church to believe in God." Well oh boy did I have the wrong idea. So much has changed for the better since bringing the church community into our home. I really think it has improved our family life by 100%.

Then on Tuesday we convalidated our vowes with the big church ceremony. It was beautiful and I really thought I wasn't going to cry however, as soon as that dun, dun, da, dun music started I just couldn't hold back. (I think I was crying because Joe said "Yes" twice to me.) Oh and it doesn't help that my dad was all teary eyed. I was like "come on dad I have been married for eight years already". But oh well it was absolutely perfect. The reception was so wonderful too thanks to my ultimate personal attendant Barb. For a Tuesday night we had a really nice turnout. Towards the end of the night alot had happened. Lets do a short recap:

1.) Great food (prime rib and stuffed chicken)

2.)Free beer & wine

3.)Thousands of kids with glow sticks (everyone I know has at least 2 kids)

4.)Thousands of kids break dancing (with Isaac as their leader)

5.)Shawna throws the bouquet for all the single ladies and it goes to her sister Sam who then gets tackled by Tony's girlfriend Jamie and looses the top of her dress (Sam has been dating new boyfriend for like 2 weeks, Jamie has been dealing with Tony for almost 3 years)

6.)Shawna wasn't wearing a garter but the boys still wanted to see who was gonna get hitched next so Joe concocted one out of glow sticks and threw it (Here you go Jamie, Tony caught this one)

5.)Shawna does the main dance to Thriller by Michael Jackson (I thought I was in the video)

6.)Joe's little brother Matt does the Colbert dance (its the poor kids idol)

7.)Shawna's little brother Tony gets too drunk to continue DJing for her so a pregnant beauty steps up to the plate

8.)Joe and sister Barb drive those who are to drunk to drive home and we then get home by 12:30.

All on a Tuesday night.

God bless you all as we ourselves have been blessed.

Avril already acting too old for her own good.

2008-03-19T09:43:00.002-05:00

So Avril (Our 2 year old) is already acting like a little teenager. Now every time I call for her she hollers back "WHHHAAAATTT". It's hard to explain but her voice has irritation in it like I am too much of a pain for her to deal with right now. I thought I had it rough with Hannah and her stomping and makeup stuff but look out world here comes Avril.

Your Prayers

2008-03-16T13:19:00.002-05:00

Today I just ask everyone for your prayers. My grandpa is in the hospital for the 3rd time this week with what started out as bronchitis. Now he cannot walk on his own. So if you will all say a little prayer for him to return to good health I would appreciate it. God Bless!

Oh my goodness

2008-03-11T09:51:00.002-05:00

OK- so the routine around here is Joe takes the last feeding of the night for Owen around 11:00p.m. Then I take the middle of the night shifts which has been like 2:00a.m. and about 6:00a.m. since day one. I thought that was pretty good for a new baby however, last night I didn't have to get up at all. Owen slept until 6:30a.m. I know I am probably blowing my horn too soon but that was so nice. Hannah, Isaac & Avril never slept all the way through the night until they were about 1. Avril still gets up about every 3rd night and has to be ushered back to her room. Wouldn't that be something if he decided to sleep thought the night already.

With that said he is a wonderful baby and everyone has adjusted to him very well. Half the time life is no different then it was before.

1 week old

2008-02-25T09:11:00.003-06:00

Well after all that wait Owen is already a week old. Now the time is flying. We have somewhat found our routine around here and everyone is really helping out. Owen only gets up about every 3 hours at night which is wonderful. But I do wish they would make better diapers for boys because about every other changing we have to change his entire outfit due to leaking. Anyone else with boys knows where I am coming from.

Aside from that we are now getting into our busiest months as a family. Joe turns the big "28" tomorrow. Then on Easter Joe and I will be completing our religion classes that have taken up every free second of our life for the past 6 months. And 2 days after that we have our convalidation ceremony. Which really is the final step towards becoming true members of our church. And to wrap it all up on April 6th is Isaac's 5th birthday and on April 13th is Hannah's 1st Communion.

After that life is almost going to be too easy but, I think we're ready for it.

Owen William

2008-02-19T09:29:00.005-06:00

The wait is over! Now that Owen William VanHoorik is here it seems almost unreal.

On Saturday at about 6:00p.m. I thought I was having contractions but they weren't timable at all so we went to Joe's home away from home Menards to walk around a bit. However, at 11:00p.m. all the pains stopped so I got a little frustrated figuring that they were just braxton hicks and went to bed. Well low and behold at about 1:00a.m. I woke up with those same pains but, this time we were looking at about 4 to 5 minutes apart so after about 3 sets of those I woke Joe and my sister up and said lets go.

We got to the hospital at about 2:30a.m. and I was already dialated to a 5/6. What a relief! So this time around I opted for an epidural at around 4:00a.m. and my water broke about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes after recieving it. Then I dialted to a 9/10 right away so we did a couple trial pushes and they called the doctor right in. I only had to push about 6 to 8 sets and he was delivered at 6:06 a.m. on Sunday. (I have to note that all of our beautiful children were born on a Sunday) He suffered severe brusing on his face from coming out so fast and the whites of his eyes are blood red but other then that he is perfectly healthy and is doing great. They couldn't believe how big the little guy was - a wopping 9lbs 13.9ozs, 21 1/2" long and I didn't recieve a single stitch.

I feel great and it is so good to be home with everyone. The kids adore him and are pretty helpful and Buddy has taken his command post right next to him 24/7. I guess after sniffing him for about 1/2 a day he decided to be the protector.

I can't believe we are now a family of 6. I truly feel like the most blessed person in the world.

Baby update

2008-02-14T11:00:00.002-06:00

Just a quick update. As of today this little guy is 2 days overdue. I went in for an ultrasound this morning and all fluids look great and he should be about 8 1/2 pounds. He's stubborn but pretty cute. We have one more doctor appointment on Monday and then next Wednesday they will induce me. I truely hope he doesn't wait that long.

2008-02-04T12:14:00.000-06:00

Joe's happy little home is about 1/2 done. I just can't wait until he can move in. :) HA! No but I give props to anyone that builds a whole house this way. There is so much that goes into a project like this that you never realize. Like the window frames come in like 1 million different colors. Who Knew! I would also like to have the yard cleaned up. We have to bring Buddy out to the front becuase of the huge mess he gets himself into.

On another note the baby has not yet arrived. We had one false alarm last Monday and since then nothing. Dr. said that after next Mondays appointment he will do an ultrasound to check his size and go from there. I told my doctor that if this baby doesn't come before next week he might want to take the day off on Monday because I am not going to be very happy. I know our due date isn't for 1 more week but, this is sooooo uncomfortable.

Hopefully we will have an update real soon on that situation.

2008-01-18T09:43:00.000-06:00

Well we only have about 3 1/2 weeks to go until we are officially due. This last month of pregnancy is making me a little crabby. So I want to thank everyone who has just dealt with me lately.

On another note Joe's garage addition is coming along very well. We didn't think it would happen this year due to the fact that the city sat on approving our permit for almost 3 weeks. The colder it gets the harder it is to dig a hole so we are thankful all that got done before this horribly cold week. (For those of you in the warmer states we are looking at -0 tempratures for about 3 days straight)

Other then that it's been pretty uneventful around here so I will update everyone soon on anything else comes along.

Hello

2008-01-06T12:23:00.000-06:00

Hi All,
I hope you are all having a wonderful start to the new year. I can see already that ours will be a busy one. We have buddy our 11 month old dog going in for training. He just needs to stop jumping on anyone who comes through the front door. Avril will celebrate her 2nd birthday on January 29th, then we will have the new baby (Owen - so long as he comes out a he) around February 12th. (Which is also Buddy's birthday) Hannah will be starting gymnastics again in March or so and Isaac is sooooo excited to turn 5 this year so he can be in baseball this summer. Joe and I are going to be finishing up our adult religion classes and convalidating our vows all before April.
Hannah is going to be receiving her 1st Communion this year too.
We feel very fortunate to be blessed with such a great family that being so busy doesn't bother us at all. I actually haven't done much outside of the house lately and have been going stir crazy. I need the ciaos to function sometimes. Especially right now at 8 months pregnant - if I stay home all I think about is when the baby is going to come. It's enough to drive a person mad! Well thank you to all of our support and the wonderful group of people we have in our lives. Happy 2008 to everyone!

The Very Merry Christmas

2007-12-07T12:56:00.000-06:00

For all those who are parents you can understand my frustration with the yearly Christmas card pictures. This year we did them on our own due to the fact that our family will have an addition shortly. Well what a bad idea! By the time we Buddy (the 10 month old Boxer) settled down Avril was done being good and Isaac just wanted to stick his tongue out. So when you get your cards from us this year take some time to enjoy them. They were a lot of work.

Thanksgiving

2007-11-26T13:29:00.000-06:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. My little sister decided to take on cooking with her boyfriend Aaron and they did great. I think that means that they will be doing the cooking next year too. It was my little nephews 1st birthday celebration on the same day and as you can see he loved the 4 wheeler he got. Without any direction from anyone he decided to stand on the seat to ride (keep in mind he just turned 1) he would then lift one leg like a little pro. It was extremely cute. Well I hope all of you had as nice of a day as we did. Happy Belated Thanksgiving to you all.

FLORIDA

2007-11-16T11:28:00.000-06:00

I am sure you have all been waiting on the news of our trip. For those who didn't know we went to Florida for 14 days. This was the first time the kids were ever on an airplane and it went pretty well. Hannah got bored of looking out the window so she shut it and Isaac laughed at the turbulence. (Which was minimal thankfully).

When we got there we rested up and went to Magic Kingdom. That was just perfect. Joe's little partner Hannah wanted to go on every ride and wasn't scared of anything. Isaac however was a different story. He reached the 42" requirement to go on Splash Mountain so he thought sure I will go. Well he didn't like it at all and he was mad at Joe for it. It was a flume type ride and the drops were way to much for his little body. So for the rest of the day he wouldn't go on anymore rides with Joe unless I could go on them too. (Isaac knew that mommy could only go on the slow rides) Which was just fine because they offered a lot of things that the whole family could enjoy. The kids got about 20 different autographs and got their faces painted. Notice Avril's face in the Donald Duck picture - she did that to every character and she actually pushed Pluto. The whole day was a blast and we didn't have any crabby kid moments.

Day 3 was spent at Sea World and unfortunately it seemed too much like an expensive zoo to us. The Shamu show was super short with little appearance from Shamu. It was also a lot of walking for a pregnant mom and 3 small kids. Maybe we were a little to worn out from the day before. That's OK though it was still part of the Disney experience.

Day 4 we were off to Sanibel Island to be with Joe's family. They rented a house on the island which is best known for its shelling and oh boy did the kids get their shells. Isaac mostly wanted to collect dead crab legs and Avril was off collecting sticks and dead fish. The 1st night there I was almost asleep when a cockroach crawled across my head. I made Joe sleep with the light on after that. The beach was fabulous and the weather was about 76 -78 the whole time. We watched someone catch a Hammerhead shark from shore. Joe, Matt, and Barb watched someone catch a Sting Ray. Joe, Matt and Barb each caught one little salt water fish each. I think Barb is calling hers a shark just for a better story. Matt was out about shin deep in water fishing when a Sting Ray swam right past him. (He was out of the water after that) We all had a great time and wish everyone in our lives could have shared that time with us. We missed all of you and its good to be back.

Pumpkins

2007-10-29T17:29:00.000-05:00

Isn't it funny how sometimes you can find a million things to tell people then other times you can't find one thing to say.

Well this weekend we spent carving our fabulous family pumpkins. There were ten done total. WOW! This is Hannah's first year doing her very own...start to finish. She did wonderfully as you can see. Isaac got tired just outlining the design so his was finished by mom. He has taken full credit however. Joe's little brother and sister have won the contest with the hardest designs done. Matt did creepy hands on a fence carving the word Beware (lots of little carvings) but, Beth's was a Turkey with tiny little half circles all over the thing. So that was that. It turned out to be a great day.
I will have lots to write about in the upcoming weeks with our trip to Florida only 3 more days away. We can't wait for the kids to experience flying and seeing the ocean. Talk you to you all soon.

YEA!

2007-09-27T19:47:00.000-05:00

Baby #4 is gonna be a BOY! I love that things will be kept even. So anyways I have to go research some boy names now due to the fact that I truly thought this little one was going to be a girl. So I guess Lily won't work. Well we couldn't be happier either way and baby is forming as he should with no problems.

Dress Day

2007-09-24T07:09:00.000-05:00

So for those of you who don't know, we are convalidating our vows on our anniversary next year. (March 25th) So this weekend my mom, sister, Hannah and I went to David's Bridal and had a blast. I am so happy that I get to experience all of this stuff. My dress is right out of a fairy tale. I actually only tried on 2 and fell in love with the 1st one. My sister looks stunning and Hannah had so much fun. She tried on the most dresses at about 6 or 7. The most surprising is my mom...she looks beautiful and I hope she has the best day of her life. I have never seen her so dressed up! Well I can honestly say this weekend turned out much better then last weekend.

The worse weekend ever!

2007-09-17T07:51:00.000-05:00

OK so on Thursday Avril woke up as Hannah said "making funny noises". Turned out that she had the stomach flu. So that day was spent by her side taking care of her. She did not handle the situation too bad she just didn't seem to understand it. Well that night she was just fine so I thought we were in the clear. That was until 4:30 Friday afternoon. I then started to feel rough and as the night went on I got worse. I ended up going into the ER at about 9:00 just because I was concerned for our unborn baby. I was puking like every 5 to 10 minutes with no relief in sight. Well the doctors put me on fluid IV's and gave me nausea medication and I felt much better. Baby's heartbeat was 167 and everything else was fine. Pregnant women tend to freak out more about their bodies then they normally would. On our way home my saviors (Sam & Aaron) who was watching the kids called and said Isaac started throwing up. Super it was already 12:00 by then and I had no energy to give him and Joe is really not into taking care of pukers. Well he gave in and stayed up all night with him and Hannah cuz she started at about 1:00. I don't think Joe got a wink of sleep and he ended up washing about 20 loads of laundry that night too. Saturday was the same story with Isaac, Hannah and I all not feeling well and finally Sunday afternoon we could all move again. Today we are all about 97% better and a few pounds lighter. Joe is on high alert he says there is no way he's going through what we all went though. My sister said that's what ya get for having a million kids! (Thanks for the support.) This week is going to be much better I can see it already.

Last Weekend

2007-09-11T10:00:00.001-05:00

Well this weekend was lots of fun. On Saturday we went Bowling as a family. This was Isaacs 1st time and he was so funny. He insisted on running the ball down which was hilarious cuz the ball was so heavy he never went in a straight line. So after that we went fishing for a second because it started to rain. It's nice that the rain waits until you get everything all set up to come down. Well that was our Saturday. Then on Sunday we went to our Church's fall festival which was a lot of fun. The kids played lots of games, watched a clown show, and went on those huge inflatable things. I didn't win any of the raffles I put my name into but oh well better luck next year.

One Week Down

2007-09-07T07:56:00.000-05:00

Well Hannah and Isaac both made it though the first week back to school with no tears. Hannah thinks 2nd grade is the best because she hasn't had to do any homework yet. HA. She is in for a big surprise. Avril doesn't know what to do with her time to herself. She just kind of wanders around until Isaac gets home. (He only goes 3 days a weeks for 2 1/2 hours a day.) I however am enjoying the piece and quiet. Hannah and Isaac have been arguing alot lately which leaves me to believe they are spending too much time together. So thank goodness for back to school.

Here Goes

2007-09-06T07:51:00.000-05:00

Hi All-

I just decided what better way to update everyone on our lives this this. So this is where you can go to get updates on our life. Which can get pretty hectic at times. I don't have much time to talk to you all personally but your all always in our thoughts and prayers.