As It Goes

LOVE

2011-12-29T21:47:00.000-06:00

progression of a haircut

2011-10-23T17:05:00.002-05:00

I think these photos from September are funny. She actually did really well with the whole thing - the pictures show otherwise. :-)

and adlee is off....

2011-10-19T19:43:00.003-05:00

Adlee started crawling a couple weeks ago - she is now pulling herself up on everything and has even tried moving from one piece of furniture to the next, which usually results in landing on her head. :-) Anyway, I got this video a while back and have been neglecting my blog lately but I wanted to get this up there. It might be one of those things that only my parents like, but you do get a "Matea Original" song and a funny Dumb and Dumber quote at the end (which is the only reason I didn't crop this video, its pretty boring for a good 20 seconds).

I'll be trying to upload more photos and stuff soon....we've got my brother's wedding this weekend which is keeping this week pretty busy for us!

6 months

2011-09-02T21:44:00.002-05:00

Happy 6 month birthday, Adlee!
I am so glad that today is here. I remember when Adlee was born I thought, "I can't wait till she is 6 months." I know a lot of you are screaming inside, "but they grow up so fast! enjoy the time when they are little!" and while I can appreciate the sentiment, I just really have a hard time with babies. Now that Adlee seems like a little person I am enjoying her so much more.

Adlee can sit, she grabs for stuff, she is eating cereal and other veggies now, and laughs a lot. I love it. Her spitting up has decreased by about a gallon each day. She is finally fitting into 3-6 month clothes. :-) It is fun to see her start to wear some clothes that Matea wore. And it is fun to see the two girls interact with each other. I hope they grow up to be best of friends like I am with my sister.

Assuming the next 6 months go as fast as the last 6 months I'm sure I'll be writing about Adlee's birthday before I know it! Crazy.

I am thankful for this life God has given me.

some pictures

2011-08-12T17:00:00.001-05:00

Here are some updated pictures of the girls!
I did my most elaborate cornrows yet on Matea - I really was proud of myself. :-)

Adlee is getting more and more enjoyable every day! She "talks" to us often now and is pretty smiley. I love it.

We got Matea a bike and I think it was the best $30 we spent. :-) She is LOVING riding it! She has improved so much in the past week that the last few times we've gone out around the block I have to run because she is going too fast for me to walk. So I'm getting some good exercise too! (and in case you are wondering, I've got 6 pounds to go!)

That's all I've got for now, I just wanted to do a quick update since it has been a while!

house update

2011-07-18T22:04:00.003-05:00

I know there a lot of you who have been praying for our house in Duluth to sell so I wanted to give you a quick update -

Last Friday (as in over a week ago) we got feedback from a showing that we had that someone was "very" interested in our house and was going to schedule a third showing for this past week. We never heard anything, and after checking with our realtor we came to find out that the potential buyer's real estate agent currently does not have her license due to the government state shut down. (We are assuming she needed it renewed and has been unable to get it renewed). This
would explain why she has been unable to schedule another showing this past week.

We are hopeful that the government will start back up soon and this potential buyer will put in an offer soon. The buyer also has the option to go with a different realtor if they so choose. Ultimately we are still trusting in God to provide for our needs as he has in the past. Just wanted to give you all an update so you can pray specifically.

Thanks!

Duluth.

2011-07-10T22:38:00.002-05:00

We did it.
We moved, and now we live in Champlin.

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind, and I don't think it hit me what was actually happening until I was in our jam packed Subaru, by myself, driving away from our neighborhood. Yep, I cried.

Before Aaron and I left we spent some time praying and thanking God for all that he has done in our lives in Duluth and in our home. I'd just like to praise God publicly for a FEW of the MANY things He has done in our lives while residents of Duluth:

-we got married! (ten years in 2 weeks)
-we have Matea and Adlee
-our hearts have opened and embraced adoption
-we have friendships that will last a lifetime
-we grew spiritually through InterVarsity, small groups, and church
-we have mentored and been mentored spiritually
-the Lord has met every financial need we have ever had even when we had almost nothing
-God has provided for ALL our needs....not just financial...we have NEVER been without anything, and in fact, we have been abundantly blessed
-we have learned to view our possessions as God's and not our own and are still working on living that out better every day
-we have grown to have a deeper understanding of theology (I'm sure we've just touched the surface) and are working towards living that out daily

Those are the broad things that He has done....and there are more. Daily the Lord is providing for us and drawing us closer to Him - and yet sometimes I still doubt! Ridiculous. I am realizing how important it is to recount what the Lord has done so that we are encouraged and remember. There is a reason the Israelites would tell the story of what God did over and over and over in the Old Testament - perhaps we need to work on that a bit more in our household.

I am looking forward to this next phase of life and seeing what God does. Stay tuned.

pictures

2011-07-05T16:15:00.001-05:00

A few quick pictures of the girls - I am taking a short break from packing. We are loading the moving truck today...craziness. Our house still has not sold yet, prayers would be appreciated.

a new song to love

2011-06-15T15:24:00.004-05:00

My DAD of all people turned me on to this Taylor Swift song. I love it. And I love the video. Although I will admit the second and third time I watched the video I got more and more sad. :-) Anyway...enjoy!

love it

2011-05-30T11:38:00.004-05:00

You can find this on Etsy - the store has some really fun stuff on it! Here is the link.

update!

2011-05-27T20:48:00.002-05:00

FINALLY I am blogging again!! Wow, its been a while. Things have been going well here. Over the last month or so....

We went to Frederic over Mother's Day. We spent a bunch of time at the school playground in the great weather. Matea is getting more and more brave and coordinated every day - it is fun to see the progress in her. We had preschool screening this week and although I was not surprised by anything in the results, it was funny for me to see that she scored TWO points ABOVE the "minimum" for her motor skills!

We went to a Twins game with the Schunks, Jen, Brandon, and Robby. It was FUN. The weather was PERFECT, our seats were great, the kids did fantastic, there was lots of scoring...but the Twins lost. With the way their season is going it sure wasn't a surprise, but it was still disappointing.

Adlee is doing great. She has been sleeping through the night since she was 8 weeks old which, obviously, is fantastic. She is growing well, although she is still little! She weighed a whopping 8# 1oz at her 2 month check up. She has started cooing/talking a LOT and we can get her to respond to us pretty easily. I am enjoying her more and more every day.

And weight loss update: I have lost a total of 5 pounds in the last 6 weeks. So, I'm making progress. I was hoping for more. I have been exercising 5-6 days a week but I am going to really start watching my calories now!

Our last bit of big news is that we are moving to Champlin in July! After months of prayer and contemplation we decided to pull the trigger. Our house has been for sale since early April and we found a place in Champlin 2 weeks ago. The new house is not in the location or the style of house we were thinking we'd be, but this just seems right. There were a number of cool factors that are leading us to believe that this is the place God has for us. It will work really well for Aaron to keep his business in the home for a few more years and the price couldn't be beat! We are now trusting that God has the sale of this home in his hands. As I've mentioned to a few friends, here is where we get the chance to actually trust God, and not just talk about trusting Him! :-) If you know of anyone looking for a place in Duluth, send them our way!

working it out

2011-04-14T11:39:00.003-05:00

I had my six week check up with the doctor on Tuesday and was given a "clean bill of health." Those were the doctor's exact words. I didn't know people actually said that, I thought it was just in the movies.

Anyway, the only "problem" that I have is that my hemoglobin levels were extremely low - as in the nurse told me I am borderline anemic. I was actually kind of glad to hear that. I had been mentioning to Aaron that I seemed more tired than I should be - some days I will sleep until 9:00am, take a nap, and then be exhausted at 8:30pm. Even with a newborn it seemed I was way more tired than I should be. Turns out I was right. Bring on the vitamins, red meat, and spinach. Hopefully in the next week or two I'll be a little more normal.

My 6 week check up has officially ended my "take it easy" time and has ushered in "time to get back in shape." I stepped on the scale yesterday morning and officially have 21 pounds to lose to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I am planning on not buying any new clothes until I have gotten back to a reasonable weight for me, and with each day I am loathing my maternity pants more and more so I think I have great motivation. I decided I'll be blogging periodically about my weight loss in order to have a little extra accountability and motivation.

This week my fitness goals are:
*exercise every other day (work out videos)
*take my vitamins daily (got to get my energy level back up!)
*work on a healthy 2-3 week meal plan that I can continuously rotate.

I think that's good enough for now. :-) I did exercise yesterday and it felt GOOD! It is a little weird to be back at the beginner level of my videos, but, I did just have a baby, right?

4 weeks

2011-03-30T22:30:00.002-05:00

We are officially a month into life as a family of 4. Well, technically four weeks in, but that's basically a month in my book. Things are going well, for the most part! We weighed Adlee on Aaron's shipping scale yesterday and she's a little over 7 pounds so she's gaining weight well. I can definitley tell that she is putting on weight - she doesn't seem as "fragile" as she did for a while. I know babies aren't fragile, but its nice to have some extra cushion on her. :-)

Nighttime is going well - I feed her at 11 and around 3am (or whenever she wakes up), and then Aaron takes the 7am feeding and I sleep in. It seems to be working decently, although I am learning that I really do not do well with broken increments of sleep. I am very, VERY thankful that Aaron works from home and is flexible enough to allow me an extra couple hours of sleep in the morning. That being said, I think we're both looking forward to when Adlee sleeps the majority of the night and we can get back to a "normal" schedule.

Matea is doing great as a big sister...she is super helpful and really seems to enjoy Adlee. Today I took Matea to the library for story time with some friends and it was nice to get out and do something one-on-one with her. Plus I got to visit with some friends, so that is always nice! Matea has had a pretty wicked cold the last few days so this afternoon she and Adlee both took 2.5+ hour naps and I took a 2 hour one myself. It was FANTASTIC.

So there's the one month update. Sorry no pictures...I'll get some on here soon. Surprisingly I haven't taken a ton...I should get on that. :-)

love

2011-03-10T22:34:00.000-06:00

Adlee Elizabeth

2011-03-09T16:08:00.004-06:00

A week later I am finally getting around to this blog post!!

Adlee Elizabeth was born March 2 at 9:56pm. She weighed 5# 70z and was 18.5 inches long. It was a LONG day, and I am so glad it is over. Here is our first family picture - not the greatest of me, but who really looks good after having a baby, right? :-)

We went to the hospital at 6am (I got induced) and they started pitocin at 7:30. My water broke early afternoon, and I got an epidural around 4:30 in the afternoon. I slept for a couple hours and woke up when my right side started to hurt. Between 4:30 and 7:30 I went from 5cm to 9.5cm and half of my epidural started working. They said it was pointless to get a new one at that point - I started pushing shortly thereafter. Apparently I'm not a very productive pusher because it took 2 hours. It was pretty brutal (for me - I'm not tough at all).

After Adlee was born we had Matea come in for a couple minutes by herself to meet her new sister. It was nice to have a bit of time as our little family - Matea is doing well with the baby (and all the extra attention from grandparents/aunts/uncles!).

We had a bit of an interesting beginning...Adlee had swallowed a ton of amniotic fluid and was very gaggy/spitty for the first 24 hours or so. She had to get "deep suctioned" twice to get the fluid out of her lungs and had to be watched constantly so she wouldn't choke. We also had a hard time with feeding early on and she lost a lot of weight quickly so we had to stay in the hospital an extra day. We were FINALLY able to come home on Saturday evening.

I haven't taken very many pictures this week, which is kind of weird for me. I am starting to feel pretty healed up and I think it won't be long before we are in a good routine with Adlee. I am looking forward to getting outside and going for walks with my girls!

I am so glad that this pregnancy is OVER...and I am so thankful that we had a completely 100% uneventful 40 weeks. That is a total God thing - thank you to all who prayed for us during the pregnancy. Adlee seems very healthy despite being a little peanut and we are looking forward to watching her grow and learn her personality!

unexpected comment

2011-02-24T20:27:00.002-06:00

I had a doctor's appointment today which was pretty uneventful. In an effort to try to jump start any chance of going into labor this weekend we spent some time this evening at the mall doing a little bit of shopping and A LOT of walking.

On our way out to the car we were stopped by an african american man who was outside. The abbreviated version of our conversation went a little bit like this:
"Is she your daughter?"
"Yes, she is."
"Well CONGRATULATIONS! I am from Mississippi and you just don't see multi-ethnic families down there. It is so wonderful to see the love you have for each other. Thank you!"
"Well thank YOU for saying that to us! It really means a lot coming from you."

I had a couple thoughts as we got into the car....
First, I am proud of our family, but I often wonder what other black people think when they see us. It was really cool to have someone go out of their way to comment positively on our family.
Second, I always say that I want to be more encouraging to people and I rarely seem to do that. When I have exceptional service at a store or restaurant I always say, "I should write the manager" but never do....I too often just keep my mouth shut. Being "complimented" (for lack of a better word) by this total stranger really made my night - how often can I do that for others just by being NICE? Really, it isn't that hard. I just need to step up and do it.

So, those are my random thoughts on the night. It was a good night. And, I guess that's all I've got!

It is February...

2011-02-10T12:13:00.004-06:00

February is here!

Last weekend Aaron took Matea to the Father Daughter Ball that is held every year in Duluth. This was Matea's first year going and we were both pretty sure she'd have fun...but...she's 3, so you never know. Turns out she loved it! She told me MULTIPLE times, "next time you should come to the father daughter ball because it is SO much fun!" Aaron got her a corsage that she thought was really fun to have. Aaron had a lot of fun with her (and our dad friends) at the dance, so it was a win-win.

They are a cute couple. :-)

Pregnancy update...
I'm 37 weeks today which puts me at full term. Ready to be DONE being pregnant. I'm really hoping that I have the baby THIS MONTH. We had a doctor appointment today and everything looks good. The baby had a growth check ultrasound and she is weighing approximately 5#6oz...if I go 3 more weeks she'll be about 7 1/2# according to my doctor. I am going to work really hard at enjoying these last few weeks as a family of 3 and not having a newborn to take care of! Here are a couple of pictures of me from today...it is a bit difficult to take pictures of yourself in the mirror. These are the best I could do. :-)

Finally....
Aaron got me a KitchenAid Mixer for Christmas and I've been experimenting with some bread recipes. I tried out this breadstick recipe the other day and it turned out really good, so I made them again today and mixed in a bunch of extra herbs, garlic, and cheese. The house smells amazing and the breadsticks look pretty good!! I'm excited to eat them with the chicken chili I've got cooking in the crockpot.
Well I am off to work for the afternoon...I've got a few days of work ahead of me which is nice. Well, the paycheck is nice! It is always good for me to get out of the house for a while, too. I tend to hole myself inside in the winter. The extended forecast is looking promising that spring won't be TOO far away - hopefully the bitter cold is behind us for the rest of the winter!

sneak peak

2011-01-28T13:43:00.003-06:00

We had yet another ultrasound today...we finally got a glimpse of the baby's face. Normally her hands are up in front of her face so we can't see much. These aren't the greatest pictures, but here is a glimpse for you....
Apparently her head was jammed up against my uterus or the placenta or something so the ultrasound tech couldn't get a good shot. But, its the best we've gotten so far! I am really looking forward to this baby being OUT of my belly and moving on to the next part of life. I've got to make one giant Target trip to pick up some things for me and for the baby and then I think we're ready!

health

2011-01-23T09:38:00.003-06:00

Despite my best efforts to ward of the stomach bug that has been going around Duluth for the last month, it finally hit us. Hit me, more like it. I don't even know where I got it, but all I know is that being sick while being 34 weeks pregnant is NOT FUN. Not that being sick is EVER fun, but it just makes it that much worse. I have a hard enough time sleeping these days WITHOUT throwing in an upset stomach. I'm praying that Aaron and Matea don't get it and we can be healthy for the rest of the winter.

In other news....
-Its finally going to get above zero today! Yeah!! I hate the cold.
-I am officially a Packers fan during playoffs. GO PACK, GO!
-I cornrowed Matea's ENTIRE head of hair last week, and I am very proud of myself.
-I am hopeful to not be pregnant too much longer. :-)
-I have been enjoying Phil Wickham on my ipod these days. Check him out.

Well, I am going to try to take a nap and re-hydrate myself while Aaron and Matea are at church this morning. I am thankful that I got sick on the weekend so Aaron didn't have to take time off of work to help me out with stuff. He is a great husband and father!

pregnancy update

2011-01-03T15:15:00.000-06:00

It is EXTREMELY painful for me to post this horrendous picture of myself on the blog. This is honestly the first time I've intentionally taken a picture of my belly....so....its pretty much one of the only ones I've got! This is me at 30.5 weeks-ish. Yep. That's pretty much all I've got to say about that!!

In other pregnancy related news........
-my blood pressure has been pretty good so far. It started creeping up a bit the last 2 appointments but nothing to worry about
-I am now at weekly appointments. Good times.
-I had an ultrasound last week to check the growth of the baby (my HBP and my medications can cause the baby to not grow very well). My sister was in town for a few days and was able to come with me. It was REALLY fun for me to have her there (especially since we sat around FOR FOREVER at the appointment). We got to see the baby yawn and then stick her wrist in her mouth. The baby is a bit on the small size, but nothing to worry about at this point. It sounds like they'll check again in a few weeks.
-Oh yeah, have I mentioned on this blog we're having a girl? I don't remember.
-I have been feeling nauseous a lot lately. EXTREMELY annoying.
-I am fine to deliver at St Luke's ("our" hospital) anytime after 37 weeks. February 10 is 37 weeks. Keep that in mind.
-I am SO ready to be done being pregnant. It has been a very easy, uneventful pregnancy which I am very thankful for, but I am just ready to be done. I miss my clothes that fit, being able to cut my toenails comfortably, and my exercise videos.

So, I think that's all I've got! Things are moving right along..........!

matea's hair

2010-12-07T15:45:00.004-06:00

Today was "hair day" at our house...I put Matea's hair in 35ish box braids today and I LOVE how it turned out. I took a really quick picture of the front and one of the back - they aren't the greatest pictures but give you the idea -

I let her hair "stretch" out for a day in a few chunky twists before I braided it. I was surprised at how much length was retained after the braiding was done, since her hair was only slightly damp during braiding. I am always amazed by the length of her hair when I am washing it/styling it, but usually the styles that we do don't really show how long it is. If I braid it right after washing it shrinks up quite a bit which is totally normal and fine! However, it is fun every once in a while to have it be really long - plus, she enjoys whipping it around!

I am trying to get more creative with styles, but I usually find myself doing some form of twists (or "chunkies" as matea calls them!) or braids. Those styles seem to last a while and we can usually tweak them as the days go by (for example, I'll put her hair in pigtails, cornrows, barrettes, and headbands with the box braids she has in now). We can usually have a couple days of a twist-out or braid-out with these styles which are probably my favorites! The photo below she has a couple day old twist-out. Super cute, in my opinion!
So, there's the hair updates from our neck of the woods. We're hoping to take some family pictures this weekend with the tripod, so if any turn out I'll post them. Also, I'm entering my 3rd trimester this week so I'll take a couple belly pics and post them as well. yikes!

Lead Me

2010-11-11T16:46:00.002-06:00

I've really been liking the song "Lead Me" by Sanctus Real lately - today I went to their site and was happy to see not only do they have the music video posted, but they also have a "story behind the song" video! I LOVE LOVE LOVE(!) to find out why songs were written (I'm a lyric girl) - I feel it adds so much more to the music. If you've got a few minutes check these videos out.

The Story Behind "Lead Me" - Sanctus Real from BrightBulb Entertainment on Vimeo.

ladybug!

2010-11-01T15:00:00.000-05:00

I Love My Hair

2010-10-13T09:43:00.001-05:00

Here is a super cute Sesame Street video about hair! Enjoy. :-)

shoulder ride

2010-10-12T21:16:00.002-05:00

Aaron is such a good dad.

pregnancy post

2010-09-29T15:54:00.003-05:00

Since posting on facebook that I'm pregnant, I figured I'd do a quick blog post answering some questions I got, mainly concerning my blood pressure.

First off, YES, I still have controlled hypertension. It didn't just miraculously go away, although, I sure wouldn't argue with God if he ever decided to do that.

My pregnancy isn't going to be too much different than a normal pregnancy (not that I'd really know, since I'll never have a "normal" one - does ANYONE have "normal" ANYTHING?). Basically I'll just be monitored a lot more than someone who does not have pre-existing hypertension. Following our ultrasound on October 18th I will be getting ultrasounds every 2-6 weeks to monitor the baby's growth. I go in every month for a check rather than 12 and 20 weeks. And at the end I'll go weekly for the last 2 months rather than just the last month.

Other things we haven't discussed with my doctor yet...but...there is a good probability I will be induced early to prevent pre-eclampsia. We'll figure this out as the time gets closer, I suppose. Other than that........I guess I'm 'normal.'

I feel basically fine.

I have had one craving: Sweet onion chicken teriyaki subway sandwiches. Oh yum. And lately every night I've been wanting a bowl of cereal before bed, which is rare for me. Too bad I'm not craving something healthy like carrots or broccoli or something.

Yes we are finding out the gender.

Someday I'll post a belly picture.

I am 18 weeks today. Two more weeks and we're in the downhill slope. Yeah!

Chipmunks & Salt Water Taffy

2010-09-13T21:06:00.000-05:00

Posted by Aaron:

Did you know that chipmunks like salt water taffy? It's true. At least they like to try it - I don't know if they're connoisseurs of fine salt water taffy or not. You might wonder how I know this. I know some of you who know me think it's just one of the many useless trivia items I might know. Well the truth is, it's not.

We have a semi-domesticated chipmunk that hangs around our place. We've had a few run-ins with it, but none that notable. It usually just gives us a nervous look as it runs across the deck (especially when Page is out). We saw it a few times today while going in and out and Matea asked if she could "go chase it." Go ahead I told her... anyhow...Matea was playing outside while I did some work in the garage. I had the door open to let some fresh air in and keep an ear out for Matea. When it was time for dinner I went to go in and Matea was near the door. She said "the chipmunk went in there." I said where? And she pointed under this cart that's right inside the door. I looked and nothing. She's at this age where she's starting to do more and more imaginary play that spills into her reality, so while I didn't completely write her statement off, I figured chances were she was playing. Fast forward three hours. Matea's in bed, I run out to the garage (my office) to do a couple things. It's dark except for the computer screen and I heard a little noise that I didn't pay much attention to, then more noise. AHHHH!!!! THE CHIPMUNK'S IN MY OFFICE AND SCURRYING OVER MY SANDEL-CLAD FEET!! Not to sound like a complete baby, but it did freak me out for a few seconds. I spent a good chunk of time trying to scare it out, but can't tell if it's still here or if it ran out the door I left open when I went in the house to get some closed-toe shoes.

Dirty little bugger left some "droppings" as Bear Grylls may call them on my window ledge and worst of all he ate at least two of my salt-water taffy's. And as if to taunt me he left the shredded wrappers right in the middle of my desk. Argh - I'll get you little chipmunk....I'LL GET YOU!!!

Fall

2010-09-09T09:39:00.002-05:00

As I sit here on my couch with a blanket on and a cup of coffee, trying to NOT turn the heat on, I am trying to focus on the good things about fall. Typically my favorite season. However, when it comes like a slap in the face rather than that slow, enjoyable cool down into sweatshirt weather I have a hard time adjusting. Seriously, what happened to upper 60s/low 70s for a high?! We just go right into the 50s this year? Frustrating. And it is so dark so early. sigh. So, anyway...here are some things I'm enjoying right now:

-International Delight's Dark Chocolate Cream coffee creamer. I LOVE IT.
-I stopped at Caribou the other day and they have their fall flavors out!! Pumpkin Spice Latte, here I come!!
-I made chocolate chip cookies on Tuesday. They are delicious. And it warmed up the house a degree or two. I made this recipe, and it is great! Aaron says they are the best cookies he thinks I've made.
-I'm going to make pumpkin bread today and will be trying out another new recipe. Looking forward to it.
-Fall scented candles. On my list of things to purchase in the next couple of days.
-Smartwool socks, how I love thee.
-Football season. I love napping on the couch on Sunday afternoons while a football game is on. Go Vikes!
-Hot apple cider on the stove. Yum-o.
-Crock pot meals. Somehow they seem so fitting for this time of year, and so effortless. And I am a low-effort type of girl.

So there you have it. Kind of weird that most things of fall have to do with eating or drinking. Oh well. This weather also is nice for going for walks in the woods. :-)

what we've been up to

2010-08-10T10:53:00.001-05:00

We've had a fun summer so far...lots of playing outside, going to the lake, hanging out with friends, and barbecuing, and not much blogging! Here are a couple pics of life...

Gary and Angela came up for a weekend in June - it was a ton of fun! We picnicked on lake superior, watched Grandma's Marathon, landscaped, and just had a good time hanging out.

Jen came home from the world race!! Here is the Duluth crew at the airport. It was a good time!

We had a family weekend in Giants Ridge over the 4th of July. The weather was awesome. We did not catch much fish...but we ate like kings!!

I let Matea start to use scissors. She can only cut with her mouth open - I hear this is normal? I don't know, I think it is hilarious.

So there is a brief update, I'll try to be better at staying up to date!

doll

2010-06-23T21:05:00.005-05:00

Matea is really into her "babies" these days...babies and purses. :-)

for fun

2010-05-16T22:36:00.000-05:00

There is a dandelion field across the street. It can be kind of pretty, I guess!

pasta - perfect!

2010-05-13T15:15:00.002-05:00

I don't know about you, but I have THE WORST time figuring how much spaghetti to put into the pot. It is ALWAYS way too much or way too little. So. Annoying. I found this
online today, and I TOTALLY WANT IT.

So, that's all. I just wanted to share. :-)

Meal Plan

2010-05-10T11:49:00.002-05:00

Ok, so I know I talked about this a few blog posts back...so I figured I'd post a follow up! Here is my meal plan for the upcoming week.

Today - dinner at Jesse and Jodi's - bring a salad
Tuesday - Grilled cheese with Apple* and tomato soup
Wednesday -Lasagna* with spinach salad
Thursday - tacos with small group - we're providing meat, tomatoes, and lettuce
Friday - Rachael Ray's Lime and Honey glazed salmon with warm black bean and corn salad
Saturday - burgers on the grill with sweet potato fries
Sunday - Blueberry pancakes*for a late breakfast

Breakfasts will be cereal/oatmeal/yogurt with granola
Lunches will be sandwiches (pb and j or lunchmeat), veggies, yogurt

I'm trying a few recipes from the cookbook "Cook This, Not That" this week - the pictures look delish so hopefully the food will too! I put an asterisk by the recipes that are coming from that book.

My grocery list is made...I'm heading up to Cub this afternoon! I LOVE grocery shopping when I have a plan!

May 9

2010-05-08T21:03:00.005-05:00

May 9, 2008. We got The Call, and The Email, with The Picture. It was, of course, what we had been waiting for. I remember scrolling down the 1o page PDF file not caring what anything said because all I wanted to do was see her face. And, there she was.

And the most common question I STILL hear? "So, how do you like being a mom?" My answer? "Its great! She is such an easy kid." And she is easy (usually). And FUN. (usually) We know we are lucky. :-) The picture below is from May 2009.

So on this Mother's Day, I want to shout out to a few people:
...My mom - for showing me how to be a good, godly woman. And for being my friend.
...Aaron's mom - for raising a good kid. :-) And for being a mother-in-law that I enjoy!
...My friends who were moms before me - that I call with questions and who have been supportive. You know who you are - Thank You!
...And to Matea - for making me a mom! (pictures below from last month)

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

get away

2010-05-05T16:14:00.002-05:00

I just like this picture of Aaron and Matea.
Anyway.
After a month or so of deliberation, we have finally decided on a getaway locale. Good old MINNEAPOLIS. Yep, that's right! We were only wanting to be gone for 4-5 days, and after reviewing airfare, time spent traveling, places we ACTUALLY wanted to visit...nothing really made a lot of sense financially or time wise. So, we're ditching matea at grandma and grandpa's and we're going to spend 4 days downtown!

So far we're hitting up a Twins game, the science museum, IKEA, Nicollet Mall, and an Ethiopian restaurant. And anything else we feel like doing because we really have no schedule! It'll be fun to actually spend a few DAYS downtown instead of a few hours for an event or restaurant or something. And if the weather stinks (like it looks like it might) it doesn't matter...because we didn't spend 700 bucks just to GET there! So its nothing totally crazy, but we're looking forward to it and we're hoping to do a BIG trip for our 10 year anniversary next year (CRAZY!).

If you have any suggestions of things we shouldn't miss while in minneapolis let me know!

30

2010-04-13T22:08:00.002-05:00

And...my 30th birthday is just about done! I had a FANTASTIC day...here are some highlights.
-flowers from Aaron and my coworker
-free Caribou coffee!
-fun cards and phone calls from friends and family
-UMD sweatpants from Aaron (yes!! I've been wanting some for FOREVER)
-a GIGANTIC cookie cake delivered to work from my parents
-Pizza Luce pizza at home for dinner
-an afternoon nap
-GLEE was on tonight! Watched it with 5 of my close girlfriends - and ate peanut butter m&ms!
-65 birthday messages on facebook (yep, I'm a nerd)
-got to talk and SEE Jen today!

So if today was any indication of how my 30s will go, it should be a pretty good decade. :-) Thank you so much everyone!

roaring twenties

2010-04-11T14:02:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday Week to ME!!! Birthday's are a big deal in my family, so I will take the opportunity to induldge myself basically all week. Don't mind if I do. I turn the big 3-0 on Tuesday and I was just thinking about all the things that have happened in the last 10 years of life. I figured I'd share some of those things with you...so without further adieu and in no particular order...."My Twenties."

1. Graduated from college
2. Got married. :-)
3. Owned 2 homes
4. Became a mother!
5. Became an aunt
6. Traveled internationally to Brazil and Ethiopia (Mexico and Canada don't count as "international" in my book)
7. Paid off all our loans (besides mortgage)!
8. Got in my first and only car accident (thank you, snowy duluth hills)
9. Found out I hate substitute teaching
10. Quit my job (last normal scheduled day this week, I think!)
11. Grew spiritually
12. Discovered my 2 favorite books (Redeeming Love and Pride and Prejudice)
13. Continued to watch You've Got Mail countless times and NOT get sick of it
14. Learned to play guitar
15. Started intentionally learning about photography
16. Discovered my strengths and how to use them(took StrengthsFinder test)! Maximizer, Developer, Communication, Strategic, Activator
17. Got high blood pressure. :-(
18. Became ok with having high blood pressure. :-)
19. Started wearing pink.
20. Got a dog. :-)

That's all for now. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!!

vietnam

2010-04-07T22:02:00.002-05:00

Jen's team is heading to Vietnam for the month - I told her to say "GOOD MORNING" to the country every day. Here's some inspiration!

MLB

2010-04-05T18:04:00.000-05:00

GO TWINS!!

love it

2010-04-01T14:59:00.003-05:00

The next person I know who gets engaged might get this card. It is pretty much the best card EVER.

You can find this card here!

SMILE!

2010-03-11T21:22:00.000-06:00

This just makes me smile. :-)

family weekend

2010-02-23T21:14:00.001-06:00

This past weekend my parents came up for a visit! They watched Matea for us on Friday night while Aaron and I went out on a date, then Saturday night they stayed at the Inn on Lake Superior. It was great - we got to go swimming, go to a few shops in Canal Park, and do s'mores! I do think that my mom is really the only one who actually likes s'mores - in the words of my dad, "these would be great without the marshmallows." I TOTALLY agree!

gnocchi. delicious.

2010-02-17T17:22:00.001-06:00

I've been making an attempt lately to work on the "food" part of our lives. My goal is to regularly have a meal plan for 7-10 days, grocery shop according to the recipes, and EAT THE LEFTOVERS. Theoretically, this should help us save money and calories since I can plan healthier meals. Last month when I attempted this plan we saved about $70 on our monthly grocery bill. Now if that isn't motivation, I don't know what is! Truth be told, I have done this in the past and not stuck with it, so here is to turning over a new leaf...or something.

Anyway...I was on eatingwell.com and came across this recipe and we really enjoyed it. I substituted spinach for the chard and also added some turkey sausage for a bit of meat....and ENJOY!

pictures

2010-02-06T16:02:00.003-06:00

So, I'm learning more about photography...and one of my wiling subjects has been Jodi! Its a win-win - she gets pictures during her pregnancy, and I get to practice on someone who is so patient with me! Here are a few photos we took today...

January update

2010-01-29T22:57:00.006-06:00

Haven't blogged much this month...here's what's been keeping me busy!

Hair hair hair. I'm learning more about taking care of Matea's hair - and honestly getting a little frustrated at times. My styles don't last very long and it takes me quite a while to do them. Regardless, I am learning and getting better each time I do Matea's hair. She has A TON of hair, its unreal! I love the way it looks right after I wash and condition it - it has these beautiful ringlets that are just gorgeous. Someday we'll figure out how to get those ringlets to stay after her hair dries (I think!). In the meantime, here is her hair after a few days of it being free...and my first time doing bantu knots!

We moved Matea into a toddler bed about a month ago...she loves it (can't you tell by the picture). She hasn't tried getting out yet when she isn't supposed to, which has been great!

We took a quick 4 day trip to Missouri with Jesse and Jodi to visit Aaron's grandma for her 90th birthday. It was REALLY fun and really really good to see Grandma Grace! I am so glad we could make it down for the party - it was really special to us that Grandma got to spend some time getting to know Matea.
Aaron got me a new external flash for Christmas and I also got Lightroom for the computer to work on some photo editing stuff - my brain has literally been on overload trying to learn things. I finally figured out I need to just learn one thing at a time, so I am slowly starting to figure things out.

Took Matea to the MD today for her 2 year appt - she grew 3.5" in the last 6 months - which would explain why we keep thinking she is looking so much like a KID and not a TODDLER. The doctor said she has the language of a 4 year old - but she's a bit behind in the gross motor skills. Nothing to worry about though...we decided we'll start playing Twister. :-)

I also put in my "i'm quitting" notice for my job - so my last day will be May 1 unless they find a replacement sooner. I'm not moving to a new job, I'm just going to be done and stay home! Aaron's business has picked up quite a bit and we feel this'll be a really good move for our family. So...there you have it!

Christmas

2009-12-30T16:47:00.002-06:00

Christmas was great this year! We headed to Frederic on Wednesday afternoon and then on Christmas Eve went to Coon Rapids for a few days. It was such a relaxing few days and we completely missed having to travel in any bad weather! It was great! The only downside of the entire few days was coming home to our driveway which was completely covered in almost 2 feet of packed down nasty frozen snow. Thankfully Jesse was around - it took Aaron and Jesse 3 hours with 2 snowblowers to clear our driveway!!

Above: our makeshift sled (a boogey board)
Below: A cute picture of my mom and matea

Bentleyville

2009-12-21T21:27:00.002-06:00

Saturday found us with nothing to do - and a visit to Bentleyville to be checked off our list - so we picked up Brandon and headed down to the light display in Bayfront Festival Park. Personally, I think the display was talked up a bit much, but it was completely worth it to go. We think it is great that the display - and cookies, popcorn, marshmallows, cocoa, and coffee - are all FREE to EVERYONE. Thanks Mr. Bentley and Duluth! We were a bit chilled after spending an hour outside looking at lights so of course we had to stop at Starbucks on our walk back to the car!

Christmas City of the North Parade

2009-11-24T20:13:00.002-06:00

Friday was the Christmas City of the North Parade in Duluth! Aaron and I haven't gone for a few years (too lazy, too cold, too boring...) but we headed down there this year with a bunch of our friends. The weather was PERFECT - low 30s, no wind. Anna brought cookies and we could actually see what was going on! Matea and Kylie (the youngest kids in our group) hung tight and did great until 8:45 when we FINALLY saw the end of the parade.

The highlight of the parade was a toss up between Matea seeing a gigantic Curious George on the PBS float or seeing our friend Jon, who was in the parade with his work, handing out carebeaners (I'm sure that isn't spelled right) in the shape of dollar signs. Yes, he is a banker. :-)

shaving cream

2009-11-18T14:11:00.002-06:00

Matea needed a bath the other day, so we decided to let her "finger paint" with shaving cream. Which turned into a "cover your entire head with shaving cream." This video might only be interesting to family. :-)

cornrows!

2009-11-05T16:57:00.002-06:00

Well, after getting some tips from Juli (braid UNDER not OVER) I gave cornrows an attempt! Here it is - they are short, loose, and messy but I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now I need to practice. Matea's hair was damp when I braided it today, I think dry would be easier, but I have no idea really. She was a pretty good sport which was helpful because it sure took me long enough to do these. I am excited to continue practicing - hopefully I'll get good at this and we'll have another go-to hairstyle that'll last a long time!

Jack-lyn

2009-11-01T09:14:00.002-06:00

Last Wednsesday Jodi was over for dinner and we decided to carve our pumpkin. It was a little disappointing - there weren't that many seeds and our pumpkin was starting to rot even though we bought it on Sunday! Anyway, Matea was surprisingly really excited to stick her hand in the pumpkin and grab all the gunk that was in there. Aaron carved the pumpkin with a KNIFE - I was surprised he was able to make the face! Growing up we always used those little pumpkin saws.

Anyway....Matea couldn't say "Jack-o-lantern" so "Jacklyn" sat out on our step - and was still there this morning!!!

Happy November everyone!

cold day and citizenship!

2009-10-28T07:50:00.004-05:00

Two and a half weeks ago my parents and grandma came up for a visit! We had a fun weekend hanging out and relaxing - with the exception of our trip up to Two Harbors to go walk on the breakwater thingee. IT WAS FREEZING. I have been outside in the middle of winter and it has been more pleasant than it was that Saturday afternoon. The wind was INSANE - it literally was pushing Matea! Here are some pictures from our excursion!

On October 13 Matea FINALLY became a US citizen!! It took us a while to file the paperwork, but now EVERYTHING is complete. The court hearing took a whole five minutes - the judge was really nice and seemed to be fully sincere when he said "God bless your family." Brandon was able to take some time off of work to come to the court hearing, and then we went out to Starbucks afterwords since we were in the car driving away 16 minutes after our 1:00 hearing! Matea is now OFFICIALLY Matea Mimi!

Finally - an update!

2009-10-17T12:55:00.002-05:00

The month of September really wasn't THAT busy, but blogging just didn't happen! We've had some fun weekends lately. A few weeks back Dan and Danica Troolin came to visit - it was a last minute trip and was so much fun! Aaron and I had a blast getting to know their kids, and I think Maddy became Matea's new best friend. :-)

I know this picture of Matea is a little out of focus, but I love her expession. :-)

The weekend after the Troolins were up Nate and Angie were here for a couple days! Despite the COLD weather we had fun going up to Enger Tower and just relaxing!

It has been such a blessing to be able to connect and re-connect with college friends - and we are thankful that they are willing to come up and visit!

rose garden

2009-09-07T15:59:00.003-05:00

we hung out at the rose garden and the malt shoppe the other day...here are some pictures. I've been playing around with photoshop again, so this includes some fun with that. :-)

triple play!

2009-09-01T10:59:00.002-05:00

Even if you aren't a baseball fan you've got to see this. Eric Bruntlett turned an unassisted triple play on August 23!! Check it out!

Ethiopian picnic

2009-08-28T22:11:00.005-05:00

Several weeks ago our friends Chad and Ajay organized a picnic for Ethiopian adoptive families in the Duluth/Superior area. We had a great time connecting with other adoptive families! Al and Lyndsey of On3Design were gracious enough to take some photos to document the event. Here are the ones of our family - thanks Al and Lyndsey!

Happy Birthday Jen!

2009-08-17T08:57:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday Week, Jen!!
I hope you have a great week and a FANTASTIC day on Wednesday!
We love you and miss you!

Favorite things!

2009-08-15T20:24:00.007-05:00

We've been having some massive issues with all the pictures on our computer, thus the lack in blogging. Therefore, I decided to not only update the look of the blog (something new, I guess), I decided to do a Favorite Things post. Here goes!

Current Favorite Breakfast Food

I was watching Food Network's Giada At Home where she made this breakfast. I decided to try the ricotta cheese/yogurt mix, and to my delight I LOVE IT! I've been eating it for breakfast along with some fresh fruit and yogurt - delish!

Skype
I got to talk to my sister when she got to Ireland this week -and hopefully we'll be able to talk periodically while she's gone. Enough said about that!

Favorite Quick Unhealthy Snack:
A couple tablespoons of peanut butter chips and dark chocolate chips in a tiny dish or in my palm. Or sprinkled on ice cream. YUM!

Infant Tylenol
This is currently one of my favorites, as Matea is getting several teeth in right now. Why don't they sell Tylenol in bigger bottles?

I'm digging this band...
Need to Breathe
We currently have both of their albums (The Heat and Daylight). Their music seems to be a perfect mix of upbeat, mellow, rock, alternative, melodic, rhythmic...I don't know. I like them.

And this song....
Mat Kearney's Closer to Love. Here's the video!

happenings

2009-08-01T11:03:00.004-05:00

One year ago today we met Matea for the very first time!! I can't believe how fast that went.

Today is our last full day with Jen before she heads out to become a missionary. We're at mom and dad's getting ready to have a party with family and friends. Tomorrow we go to a Twins game (and hope Matea lasts longer than 3 innings!).

My plan is to become a really good blogger while Jen's gone. :-) That way if we miss each other online she can know what's going on by checking the blog. So if anyone is still reading this blog...well...theoretically there'll be a lot more to read over the next 11 months or so. Ha!

So here's to blogging, Matea, and Jen!

the Great Urban Race

2009-07-14T16:41:00.007-05:00

Last weekend was girls weekend with my mom, sister, and grandma. On Saturday Jen, mom, and I did The Great Urban Race, which is basically a giant scavenger hunt in Minneapolis. We walked over 9 miles in 4 hours, 45 minutes before we finished. We were the last official team to finish - however, ten teams did not finish, and 3 teams had penalties which put their time after ours. It was really fun - except for the last hour and a half when we were tired and ready to be done. :-)

We had to figure out the clues, and then find the location in Minneapolis.

We had to take pictures to prove that we found what we were looking for - in this clue, we figured out that we were supposed to go to First Ave and find the Black Eyed Peas star.

This clue we were supposed to make a pyramid in front of the upside down pyramid
sculpture on Nicolette Ave.
We decided if we did it again we would get a few teams together and race against each other since we know we'd never win!! The winning team finished in 1:47!!

a-b-c

2009-06-22T22:30:00.003-05:00

Matea (17 months) has been able to say her ABCs (mostly) for several weeks, and I FINALLY got it on video. So, enjoy. I've got a couple more funny Matea videos to post later. And we'll also focus on other aspects of life later too. :-)

one child

2009-06-16T15:36:00.003-05:00

PLEASE WATCH THIS VIDEO!

Please sponsor a child.

sandwich

2009-06-09T08:32:00.003-05:00

We FINALLY figured out that she has been saying "sandwich!" Jen and I thought this was pretty funny. :-)

eating dirt

2009-05-21T08:29:00.001-05:00

First time eating dirt!

for Gary

2009-05-20T08:36:00.004-05:00

One year later...

2009-05-09T12:37:00.007-05:00

This is the first of what I expect to be several "one year later" posts. One year ago today we received the phone call that we had been waiting for! It is hard to believe that it was a YEAR ago that we got our referral for Mimi and first saw her picture. The details of that day are still crystal clear to me, and I hope they stay that way.

I remember looking at this picture for several months wondering about this girl who was our daughter - I wondered about her personality and temperament. Mostly, though, I wondered what her smile was like. It is strange to only have one picture of your child for several months and a few paragraphs of information - it leaves much to the imagination.

A year ago we looked at this picture of this child and wondered how she would fit in with us. Today we can say that she is a perfect fit. We are having so much fun with her. Aaron and I used to say that we thought our favorite age would be 2, when our child is getting into talking. Matea Mimi is 16 months and is talking up a storm and we are having a blast! We are a little shocked that this little kid who has only heard English for 9 months is talking so much! She cracks us up with the things that she says and we are so proud of the new things she is learning every day. We are also constantly amazed at how much hair she has. When you pull those curls straigt her hair is about 6 inches long!

Here are a couple recent pictures -Matea loves reading and will read books literally for hours if she could. I like her expression in the outside picture - it is her "what are you doing/what is that" look. Very typical look for her!

It is fun to look back and reminisce...

concept

2009-05-04T22:16:00.005-05:00

I saw this on another blog....I really like this concept! It hits close to home because Duluth has no money, and my husband owns his own business. Granted, Macdaddy Music is not a brick and mortar store, but it makes a difference in our home when people choose to buy from him rather than a national chain. I'm going to try to chose a local more often!

a GIANT leap of faith

2009-04-27T16:13:00.003-05:00

This is my sister, Jen:She probably won't like this picture of her, but I think it is funny. :-)

Anyway.
I love Jen and I am really proud of her. She has been growing leaps and bounds in her relationship with Jesus and is taking a large step of faith this summer.

In August Jen is going on a long term mission trip. She will be going to 11 countries in 11 months on a trip called the World Race. I am going to miss her VERY VERY much for those 11 months, but I think the Jen that comes home next June is going to be even cooler than the Jen who leaves in August. You can read her story of deciding to go on the race here.

While Jen is on the World Race she will be living in a community of around 6 people. She will be learning how to use her spiritual gifts and strengths. She will be figuring out what area of ministry she is passionate about (she will have the opportunity to experience a wide variety of ministry opportunities). Jen will be keeping a blog. You can check it out here.

If you are interested in supporting Jen through PRAYER or FINANCES you can do so through her World Race blog. Please take a moment to look through her site and check out the World Race. You'll be glad you did.

photo shoot

2009-04-21T21:34:00.006-05:00

Last Saturday we had professional photos taken by Alison of Alison Lea Photography down in Minneapolis. We met Alison a month ago at my grandma's church and we were able to meet up for a photo shoot! We had a great time. Through the wonders of Facebook, we have also come to realize that we have quite a few mutual friends! You can get a sampling of our ph oto shoot (and some more great pictures that Alison has taken!) at her blog. Thanks, Alison!

30

2009-04-20T07:58:00.003-05:00

image from etsy

HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY, AARON!!
love: Matea, me, and the Happy Birthday Hippo. :-)

29

2009-04-12T22:35:00.004-05:00

Happy Birthday to me!
image from here

Happy Twins Home Opener day!

2009-04-06T09:51:00.004-05:00

Today's the Twins home opener! I thought I'd post a picture of Matea in her Twins shirt to mark the day. GO TWINS!!

What to do when it's just me and Matea home...

2009-04-02T19:07:00.004-05:00

Katie's gone tonight and Matea and I are spending some quality time together. Katie was using this program that uses our webcam to distort images today so Matea and I have been spending some quality time with that. I thought I'd share some of the results. I give you:

Three eyed Matea

The Cowardly Lion Matea

Cyclops Matea

Hungry Matea

Pray for Josh

2009-03-30T13:39:00.001-05:00

Please pray for Josh, my pastor's son. He is facing possible permanent paralysis from a ski accident. You can stay updated here: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshsorvik

flowers

2009-03-23T21:45:00.003-05:00

What can I say, but the weather has got me down. March is currently a lion, and if the extended forecast is correct it will NOT be going out like a lamb. So, here's to hoping that March showers bring April showers, which hopefully will bring flowers in May. Then again, we do live in Duluth. Even May flowers may be a stretch.

image from here

Happy St Patrick's Day!

2009-03-17T17:31:00.001-05:00

coffee!

2009-03-05T16:55:00.002-06:00

I am of the persuasion that coffee tastes better in a mug that you love. For Valentine's Day my sister gave me this mug, and I love it! As I usually tell people, my idea of camping is staying in a mediocre hotel. This mug is inspiring me to get rid of all the mugs that I don't like and only keep the ones I love. Thanks, Jen! My coffee is tasting great!

Some pictures

2009-03-03T15:06:00.002-06:00

Page likes to take naps in Matea's room -
there is usually a nice sunbeam shining in the afternoons!

Ah yes, we are storing toilet paper in a plastic bag again.

My parents came up Sunday night and took Matea swimming in the pool at the hotel. Unfortunately, the pool pictures aren't that great. This is Matea and Grandma before swimming, and Maeta just looking cute in her suit.

quote

2009-02-24T07:40:00.002-06:00

I found this quote on a wall hanging in Hallmark the other day - I love it!
***************************************************************

Just think,
you're here not by chance,
but by God's choosing.
His hand formed you
and made you the person you are.
He compares you to no one else--
you are one of a kind.
You lack nothing
that His grace can't give you.
He has allowed you to be here
at this time in history
to fulfill His special purpose
for this generation.
_{-Roy Lessin}

Ever store your toilet paper in a bag?

2009-02-19T08:49:00.003-06:00

posted by Aaron:

Have you ever stored your toilet paper in a bag? All unrolled and loose? Well we're doing that right now. We're not trying to start a new trend - there's a logical reason for this.

I was home with Matea the other day and she was in her room playing. Or so I thought. I went to check on her and she was standing in the bathroom next to the toilet, holding the plunger with an entire new roll of toilet paper in a huge pile on the floor (one of the "double rolls"). I'm to cheap to just throw it away, so for the last couple days we've been using a pile of toilet paper out of a bag. So if you happen to come over in the next day or two and need to use our bathroom, the toilet paper is safe to use...it's just in a Target bag on the floor.

Spain - the 51st state?

2009-02-09T17:40:00.002-06:00

posted by Aaron:

So today I had a customer from Spain contact me and ask where a his package was that he should have received by now. "A quick call to the USPS should get the ball rolling" I thought.

I called the USPS 800 number managed to navigate their efficient automated system and was speaking to a person in a mere TEN minutes:

Auto-Attendant: "Please say yes or no." (to a question that is not yes or no)
Me: "Customer service"
Auto-Attendant: "I'm sorry, I can't tell what you're saying"
Me: "Representative"
Auto-Attendant: "I'm sorry, I can't tell what you're saying"
Me: "CUST-O-MER SER-VIIIICE"

I don't remember how I got through that, but finally did and was speaking to a person.

USPS Agent: "Hello sir, may I have your tracking number please."
Me: "123456789"
USPS Agent: "Ok sir, I'm showing that your package left Duluth on January 19th for SPAIN and no further information is available at this time."
Me: "Yes, I'm aware of that - I looked that up on your website. I'd like to start a claim on this since it was shipped Express and should have been delivered by now."
USPS Agent: "Ok. Is this an INTERNATIONAL shipment?"

I should have just hung up there.

Me: "Yes."
USPS Agent: "Ok."
awkward and lengthy silence....
USPS Agent: "Sir, I'm sorry, but I can't process this claim right now. Our systems are down. You'll have to call back later to process this."
Me: "I have an idea. How about I give you my phone number and YOU call ME back when your system is back up?"
USPS Agent: "I'm sorry, but we don't make any call backs."

President Obama, since we're giving away money I make a recommendation to throw a few million at the USPS for geography lessons and a new "system."

6 months

2009-02-08T21:10:00.004-06:00

Aaron and I just realized that Matea has been home with us for six months as of today! She sure has changed a lot over the last half a year. When she came home she couldn't even sit, and now she's on the verge of walking and literally does not stop talking. And her hair is huge. I just posted pictures of her from about a week ago, so here is a picture of when she came home to refresh your memory.
So happy six month anniversary to us!

Tell Me What You Know

2009-02-07T20:05:00.006-06:00

Have you seen this video yet?

I saw this on a blog a while back and thought it was pretty amazing - lyrically, musically, and visually. I started checking out the album this song is on - Tell Me What You Know by Sara Groves. After reading the inspiration behind the album Aaron and I decided to pick it up.

I had high expectations for the album and when I started listening to it I was a little disappointed! There were only two songs that I loved right off the bat. However, after listening to the album a few times it has really started grow on me! I am really loving the song When The Saints. The lyrics are, in my mind, incredible. You can listen to the whole album here and check out the lyrics. Take a listen, see if you like it!

First year pics....?

2009-02-04T19:33:00.007-06:00

Here are Matea's first year pictures that we attempted to take. We actually weren't super thrilled with how they turned out, but, here they are. Matea refused to give us any great smiles! She is just too interested in the camera. I did minimal editing - I wonder if they'd look better if someone with real skills did something with them. I might try to throw them in a collage and see how that looks too. Anyway, enjoy.

cookies

2009-01-30T13:41:00.003-06:00

I bought some Thunder Cookies from the bakery yesterday afternoon and brought them to a friend for her birthday. I put the extra in my purse in a ziploc bag. Matea and I came home, I set my purse on the floor and went to check my email. I heard Matea playing with shoes and when I went to go check on her this is what I found. Cookies in both hands, in her mouth, and on the floor! That'll teach me to leave my purse full of cookies on the floor!

Redeeming Love

2009-01-26T19:10:00.003-06:00

I have neglected my blog because I have been engrossed in a book! I just read Francine Rivers' Redeeming Love and I can't recommend the book highly enough. The book is a riveting retelling of the biblical story of Hosea set during the California gold rush. I read the book originally 3-4 years ago and it had just as much of an impact on me now as it did the first time I read it.

If you are looking for a good love story to read, pick up this book! It tells not only the beautiful love story of Angel and Michael Hosea, but puts into a word picture the love story of a Savior and His bride that allows me to say "oh wow...I think I am starting to understand..."

1 year pics - take one

2009-01-16T20:21:00.002-06:00

better ones to follow soon! these are just for fun.

Favorite Things - baby edition

2009-01-16T14:36:00.004-06:00

A little over five months ago I became a mom, and over that time we've developed a little list of baby gear that we love. I decided to share a few of those favorites with you!

Anka High Chair
My number one favorite thing that we purchased was our Anka high chair produced by Svan.
We love this chair for several reasons, the main one being that we leave the tray off and Matea sits at the table with us. Not only does it make feeding her and meal times more enjoyable with her being RIGHT THERE, but she is learning table manners and appropriate behavior while at the table! The small size of this chair and the ability for it to grow with Matea as she grows makes it a winner in our book. This high chair is well worth every penny.

Baby Bjorn

We have one of these on loan from Aaron's sister. It was a lifesaver in Ethiopia and has come in handy for everything from walks in the woods to the store.

Target Brand Travel Baby Wipes
LOVE THESE!!!! They stay moist, are cloth-like, and are inexpensive. I tried the regular wipes (non travel type) and they lost their moisture really quickly so I started making my own. For on the go, the Target wipes are fantastic. I would even recommend keeping some in the car for wiping your hands, spills, etc. kid or not! I don't know why I haven't had some in the car before! They are great!

Footie zip pajamas

image from here

Aaron and I ask ourselves these questions all the time:
1. Why do people make fleece/flannel pajamas WITHOUT feet for kids? If it is cold enough for long sleeve/pant fleece pj's, they've got to have feet
2. Why do people buy snap pj's? I know the diaper argument, but give me one zip over 20 snaps on a squirmy child any day.

We love the zip up footie pjs, and we won't buy anything else!

There you have it - a few more favorites!

frist birthday

2009-01-14T16:30:00.001-06:00

January 8 marked Matea's first birthday (and five months of being home)! We had a little shin dig with a few friends on the Tuesday before. It started out with the power going out for an hour...Aaron, Jen, Brandon, Matea, and I all ate dinner in the dark. :-) The power came on literally as our friends were walking through the door.

There were a few kids over so I made cupcakes for them. I had one too.

Matea was pretty clueless as to what was going on, and, unfortunately I realized I have basically NO pictures of the evening. I can't believe it! Anyway, here Matea is with her cupcake. We had a nice evening, and it was nice to have a small celebration with family and friends!

I'm working on one-year pictures for her - I'm hoping to just do them myself, but I'm finding that photographing toddlers is tough! I'm planning on enlisting Aaron's help and hopefully we'll can get a few good shots this week!

Christmas

2009-01-05T16:40:00.007-06:00

I am finally getting around to blogging about Christmas! It was a great Christmas - as most Christmases are. It was fun having a little kid around, although, I think for the most part Matea was pretty oblivious to what was going on. Next year I think she'll have a blast. Here are some pictures in no particular order - I am leaving them how they ended up uploading.

We had the Peterson Christmas in Duluth this year the weekend before Christmas...

Matea heard "The Night Before Christmas" from Grandpa Flavin for the first time - on the night before Christmas!

Jesse brought over his guitar hero and we played for a while during the Peterson Christmas - here is Aimee and Becky playing for the first time!
Our tree. This was my favorite tree so far! It had a great shape.

Aaron got a kite to go snow kiting for Christmas. Here he is trying it out for the first time.

and it is in the air!

I think Aaron will be spending a lot of time outside playing with the kite and figuring it out. He tried it with his snowboard strapped on the other day - I know he's looking forward to snowboarding with it on a lake or in a field soon!

FIrst Christmas present!

2008-12-17T20:20:00.001-06:00

Aaron and I have started a tradition to exchange an ornament every year when we put our tree up. Last Christmas Jen lived with us so she is now included in our tradition! This year Jen gave Matea not only her very first ornament but also her very first Christmas present ever! Naturally, it is a pink sparkly shoe. :) Perfect ornament from Aunt Jen!

Misc. Matea

2008-12-17T16:55:00.001-06:00

Matea found a pair of sunglasses to play with the other day,

and I thought they looked cute in her hair. :)

We have some decorations hanging from the windowsill and she was quite enchanted with them!

Attempt #2 at hair.

Christmas season...

2008-11-30T19:49:00.003-06:00

Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone and Christmas is arriving at the Peterson household. We spent Wednesday to Friday morning at mom and dad Peterson's house with Brandon and the Libby's to celebrate Thanksgiving. Saturday morning we got up and headed out to Pine Knob Tree Farm with the Bailey's to cut down our Christmas tree. We have been to this tree farm for about five years now, and it has become a fun tradition.

We pulled out our Christmas/winter decorations which turned into "lets re-arrange the living room so you can see the tree from wherever you sit." So, we have furniture lining the walls of our living room which in theory I don't like, but it is perfect for Christmas.

I also found that I had finally accumulated the perfect Christmas decorations for our old house, and for our new house nothing seems to fit. So, once again, I am going to slowly accumulate decorations for this house, and by the time I have what I want we'll be moving, I'm sure! :) Good thing I only decorate for Christmas, I can't imagine doing this for all holidays.

Anyway, we were bad parents and let Matea play with the Christmas lights so we could take some pictures. So far she hasn't gone near the tree....we'll see when that happens. I'm going to try to put to use some of the photography skills I acquired at my class last spring and see if I can get some cool pictures of the tree. If I get some, I'll post them!

Favorite Things!

2008-11-23T21:45:00.004-06:00

I thought I'd make a few posts documenting some of my favorite things. Unfortunately I can't give away all my favorite things like Oprah can, but I thought it might be fun! So here goes...

STUFFED SWEET POTATOES with pecan and marshmallow streussel

We made these for Thanksgiving last year - they will be made again this year. And next. Here is the recipe.

my PINK SIGNATURE TRENCH COAT
Stacey and Clinton on "What Not to Wear" always say you should have a "signature trench coat." This fall my lovely sister found me a pink coat that I LOVE. It looks a little different from the one in the picture, but the color is similar. It was exactly what I wanted! Everyone should have a "signature coat!"

FLAVORED COFFEE CREAMER
Pumpkin Pie Spice is currently my favorite. We try to not buy International Delight because Aaron says that the container has an "engineer flaw" to it or something - it drips and gets sticky. Anyway, we prefer the CoffeeMate containers but International Delight has much better flavors. So there.

GUITAR HERO
LOVE THIS GAME! I am now on the second level. I don't own it, but I play it when I can when I'm at friends' homes.

KEEN SHOES
They are ridiculously expensive (for me!), but completely worth every penny. I'd like to get a pair of boots for the winter. Aaron and I each have a pair and are by far the most comfortable shoes we own!

YOU'VE GOT MAIL.
best movie ever. watch it when you are happy, sad, bored, melancholy, tired, content....
ELF.
second best movie EVER. This has become a holiday tradition in our house.

That's all for now...maybe I'll have a part two in a few days. Any suggestions??

crawling!

2008-11-10T15:43:00.003-06:00

Ok, I think the video is finally working! I've been having technical difficulties this afternoon.

Anyway - Matea learned how to crawl on Friday! She did it the first time when I was at work. I got home and I was able to get her to take a few "steps" throughout the day. Saturday morning I was curious to see if she remembered her new found skill, and lo and behold, off she went towards a toy! She has not yet figured out that she can follow us from one room to another - we'll see when she figures that out.

Here is a brief clip of her crawling. You get the general idea. :) You can also see that she is trying to pull up on me at the end - she is now trying to pull up on everything and LOVES standing and taking steps. It'll be interesting to see if she will be walking by Christmas.

vote!

2008-11-04T13:18:00.001-06:00

Happy Election Day! Yep, I dressed her in red, white, and blue.
Here's to NO MORE POLITICAL ADS for another 2 years...
till they start campaigning for the NEXT presidential campaign.

first hairstyle

2008-10-27T18:17:00.001-05:00

Today I gave Matea her first hairstyle. I have been thinking that I need to start trying things since parts of her hair are getting really long. I really wanted to try to do twists, but I think the sides are still too short. I put it in six puffs instead. I definitely need to practice doing straight parts and getting her hair tied closer to her scalp, but I think it looks ok for my first time! I do prefer it to be out and wild though, I think.

I know these pictures aren't the best, but they get the point across. I love that expression Matea has in the last picture. She is constantly making faces!

This past weekend I went to a cabin with 3 of my girl friends. We had a blast doing absolutely nothing. Literally. It was really fun to be gone and not have any responsibilites or anything to do for the weekend! Aaron and Matea had fun - it sounds like they had a somewhat busy weekend which was the exact opposite of mine!

We have a busy week ahead of us with Jesse and Jodi's wedding on Saturday, but it should be a lot of fun. We're hoping to get Matea in the pool at the hotel this weekend!

Smile, its Friday

2008-10-24T16:19:00.000-05:00

It's Friday. This picture makes me laugh. So, enjoy.

it's over!

2008-10-21T22:08:00.002-05:00

Today was the last day of my "maternity leave." It's back to work tomorrow. It won't be too bad...I'll be working 3 hours a day, 5 days a week. It is just hard to believe how FAST this time went. Everyone said it would fly by, and I knew it would...but.... I feel like I was just starting to get in a groove of being a "stay at home mom." I guess starting tomorrow I'll work on getting in the groove of being a "mostly stay at home mom." :)

I haven't taken any good pictures of Matea lately, so, sorry. I'll try to get some pictures up in the next few days.

Till next time....stay strong. ;)

drain tile installation

2008-10-14T10:59:00.005-05:00

Here are some pictures from our drain tile installation. Our front and side yard look horrible - thank goodness our neighbors don't care!! I'm getting excited to do some landscaping in the fall. I'm hoping to come up with a plan for plants and flowers over the winter so we can get started as soon as spring shows up.

We are so glad that the construction bit is over - and even MORE glad that our basement is totally dry!! We've had rain off and on over the last week which has been a total answer to prayer. We are getting new carpet installed tomorrow and it is nice to know that everything is dry and the carpet won't get ruined. We are really looking forward to working on the basement and getting it to be how we want it.

(On a completely unrelated note....if anyone knows how to get Picassa to blog more than 4 pictures let me know. It drives me nuts that I can save 8 pictures in the "holding area" and it will only upload 4. Also, I don't know how to add pictures to the BOTTOM of my post. Right now when I upload additional pictures they all go to the top and I have to rearrange them. Irritating. So, any help would be great.)