Merry Christmas 2012

All I want for Christmas

4 years ago

It is the middle of the night and I cannot sleep. I fell asleep after reading Hadley a story and a few minutes ago just caused a flutter because I tried to make Hadley go to the bathroom. That scene woke up the whole house. She didn't go before bed and so when that happens she tends to kick her legs in the middle of the night, a sign she has to go. Well she cried the whole time and no pee, so back to bed she went. Now I am worried, I know she is fine, but I worry she could end up with a bladder infection. (shaking my head now!)

Anyway... 4 years ago right now I was google searching the terms, "amniotic fluid." My water broke around this time, well started to leak. I remember getting up and going to the bathroom, then having wet pants that kept getting wet even though I got up to change. I knew it must have been my water because the same type of thing happened to Shanessa. But, I google searched it just in case. I was trying to prepare myself for what was about to happen, however there is nothing that can prepare you for the birth of your first child. I didn't tell Robert right away, I left him sleeping and dreaming. Those were his last hours of childless sleep.

After my research, I knew it was indeed my water, so I went back to lay in bed for a little bit to relax and again prepare myself for the unknown. I laid there thinking about the items in my hospital bag, I took a couple deep breaths and thoughts rolled through my head like, "it will be fine or I am sure this isn't it or don't worry." I was nervous, I am not going to lie. I had no idea what to expect and the thought of it scared me to death.

Finally after an hour passed maybe a little longer since my initial wake up I nudged Robert. I told him this was it and we should go to the hospital. I didn't have any contractions but I didn't want to wait it out at home either. I wanted to confirm my findings, at least find out about the leak so if it wasn't my water, I could try to go back to bed. We got ready to go, jumped in the car and drove over to Onamia. The roads were empty and the the air was cold. It had snowed and the whole ground was freshly covered. Around 2:30 a.m. we arrived at the ER doors and the only moving anything was a snowplow. We pushed the button and Robert responded, "we think my wife's water broke." The door opened and we were greeted. I was given a robe and I remember thinking, "really a robe, you don't even know if I will be staying." But it was time, the baby was 9 days overdue.

I changed and I was able to rest in bed, they tested the water and it was amniotic fluid. So much to my denial, it was going to happen. I don't want to bore you with the rest of the details because I am sure I have written about them before... but my heavy contractions started around 9 a.m., I tried the usual but it didn't really help. The epidural was late because of surgery, so I didn't get any relief until around 3ish. I pushed from 5:30 to 7:30 and finally was in c-section around 8:30 and Hadley was born at 8:55 p.m. It was a very long day. But it was worth it!

Dear Hadley:
4 years ago today you decided it was time to come into the world and make Robert and I parents. We are so blessed each and every day with your gracefulness. My heart as well as your Daddy's is overflowing with love for you. You are tender and sometimes timid. You are brave and strong. You are a learner and a doer. You enjoy reading and playing. You love to pretend. You are open minded and have a mind that loves to tell stories. You are an amazingly patient big sister. You are our Hadley and we couldn't imagine this wide World without you. We know you give it your all in everything you do so we look forward to watching you grow. We love you to the moon and back!

An amazing end to November

The girls were playing together at The Wharf!

I swear Ellie's face is always dirty!

Mr. Bradley slept through our whole lunch!

Enjoyed lunch and laughs at The Wharf!

Hadley waiting to practice before her dance debut!

Teacher Tara and the girls!

Heading to the floor to dance.

Well the last day of November couldn't been any sweeter! We spent the day with Nicole and Bradley. They came to visit us Thursday and stayed until this morning (Saturday). Friday was wide open so we enjoyed lunch at Fishermen's Wharf and Mr. B napped the whole time, giving his mommy a relaxing lunch break. After we relaxed, the girls napped, made some yummy brownies and played with B. The evening came and it was time to get Hadley ready for her half time Just For Kixx performance at the Isle Girls BB home game. I was pretty nervous about this because ever since Hadley started dance she watches the people and doesn't really dance. But, something was different about her last night. She was all bubbles, sparkles and smiles. It was a 180 degree turnaround from her usual dance self. Maybe it was the costume, maybe it was all the talking we did this past week about dance, maybe it was just the idea that this was actually a real dance and not just pretend practice. I am not sure but I was more than surprised after seeing her practice before actually going out to the gym. She was adorable and even Kaylee's mom noticed the difference. Then it was time to go out to the gym and all four of the girls did a great job. No crying, they stayed out on the floor and they did their whole routine. It was a huge success! I didn't capture any more pictures because I used my camera to record the dance. Hopefully I can get a little snipet on here... but I was a very happy mom last night and I know Robert was a very proud dad and Hadley was a little girl who was all smiles!

Hi Ho Hi Ho

It's off to clinical...
4:53 a.m.
I am all dressed...
I still need to pack the car, my lunch and drink a cup of coffee...
I probably should eat!
Then off to Little Falls for Day 1 of clinical.
I plan on leaving the house at 5:25 a.m.
It is an hour drive!
Then...
I drive to Brainerd for class...
Test... Group presentation... and Role Play.... ISH!
Then Home!
5:00 p.m.!

I hope it is a successful day!
Then Clinical Day 2 tomorrow, same time as today!

December cannot come fast enough!

MOA to YMCA

I love to write, but right now all I want to do is nothing...
I want to drink a glass of wine, maybe 3 glasses of wine and watch Grey's...
But, I have this urge in me to document...
I guess I am meant for nurse work, because that is a big part in what they do...

We spent an nice night away, filled with a ton of adventure! We left the house yesterday at 0900 and we arrived at Auntie Michelle's house one hour later. She hopped in our car and we headed South towards the Mall of America. Hadley was excited! We arrived there at 1100 and we decided to go to the aquarium first. It was amazing! We loved all the sea life, especially the jellyfish and the sharks swimming over our heads. Next we had lunch at the Rainforest Cafe 1300, it was delicious and the girls were well behaved and even ate their lunch. Afterwards, we shopped a little and then it was time for rides.

Ride Time 1700:
Hadley, Ellie and I rode on the Azul Train. Then we all went for a ride on the carousel. Then we let Hadley ride on the Blue's Clue's ride by herself as well as the Semi Truck ride. In between it all the girls enjoyed some popcorn and I just marveled at their joy! Lastly, we (all three) rode on the Air Balloon ride, it was 6 points total, which is what we had left and Hadley, Ellie and I took off on a hot balloon ride under our red and white balloon. Hadley brought her froggy with and we all enjoyed the best and last ride of the night.

After we were done we went to one last store and escaped the MOA to find 70 plus degree weather... CRAZY!

Next we swiftly drove home to have some snacks and call it a night... a thunderstorm rolled in aka weather and the girls and I cuddled to say the least in Aunties bed for the night.

Then Sunday morning, Hadley got her first haircut at Great Clips, just a trim and we quickly shopped at Albertville before going swimming at the YMCA. While at the Y Hadley did great swimming on her own with a life vest on and Ellie was content just playing in the water. I was so proud of them both, little swimmers they are!

It was a great weekend and I apologize for the lack of pictures... my camera is broken!

Halloween 2012

4 hours of sleep

Here I am up after going to bed at 12:30 a.m. I worked last night and then this morning I have to go in to to my video taped head to toe assessment. I feel like I know the routine, but I am not to thrilled about the video taping. I hope I can pull it together and just breath through it...
Then I get to study for one hour for my mid-term in Med Surg. I have obviously studied for this material through out the semester so I hope it is lodged somewhere in my brain and the neurons start to fire around 1p. I do plan to review and have review a little...

But one day at a time right?

A few days at the cabin

Enjoying the last of the nice fall days!

We, my mom, Hadley, Ellie and I, spent Wednesday night through Friday afternoon at the Big Sandy Cabin. It was a nice and a very needed getaway. I had five test this past week and well a couple of days away from it all was amazing. We basically played, read books, spent time in the hot tub, visited Grandpa, explored McGregor and relaxed. We are so thankful that Auntie Jean and Uncle Tom have this cabin for us to use! Can't wait to go again, hopefully it will be sooner than 6 months!

Following Blogs

I follow a few blogs...
A couple are written by people I know.

Anne, a friend, writes often about her family and important milestones that are happening. She has inspired me lately with her amazing blogs about the memories of her mother who passed away a few months ago. These posts remind me to be thankful for my mother, as well as, to be thankful for every moment my daughters have with their Grammie!

Stacy, another friend of mine, blogs about her boys. She has two adorable boys, both of which have a little spot in my heart. Tyler, her oldest gave me the longest hug one night at church, I will never forget that. Collin, her youngest, shares a special day with another special person in my heart, Nevaeh... they share the same birthday. She also blogs about her photography, which is amazing. She is so talented when it comes to capturing life's memories! She has done some work for us and we are so thankful and hopefully soon we can have her take some pictures again!

Some blogs are the not.

Our sweet baby girl, a CHD Mom, blogs about her daughter who had HLHS as well as her family. She lives in Seattle and I am not sure how I found this blog, but I did and her posts are humorous as well as uplifting. Maddie is 4 now and it is great to read about all her progress.

True Confessions of a Minnesota Mom, another CHD Mom Linsey, blogs about her two children who both have heart defects. She is very honest and I love that. It is nice to read the truth about congenital heart defects and how it effects families. Her posts are charming, heartwarming and often so real your heart hurts. But, they remind me to be so thankful for what I have as well as be thankful for what I went through.

Anyway, I write about these blogs because I opened by dashboard today and read about...
an amazing memory,
a 3 year old who passed away last January from his 4th OH surgery and his family is still trying to come up with the money to put the headstone on his grave,
and a 4 year old little girl who joined Jesus this month as she was on her make a wish trip after receiving her transplant heart.

Pretty heavy reading...
So I just want to take a minute to thank those that blog about their ups and downs because it helps us all open our eyes and be thankful for what we have today.

Friday afternoon

Ellie likes to knock down what Hadley builds.

Hadley and Nevaeh were making cakes!

Here is an aerial view of their cakes!

Nevaeh our big pre-schooler!

Parker wants to destroy the cakes.

Hadley with Cinderella and doing what she does, pile blankets on the couch.

These four were pretending to be on a bus!

Halloween is coming!

Hadley's new headband!

Ellie and Hadley loved putting up the sticky window decorations.

Ellie ran back and forth from window to window putting clings up

Hadley liked to make scenes out of them.

A couple of skull cheeks.

Ellie is 18 months!

Ellie spent the whole day outside exploring!

Yesterday Ellie turned 18 months old. She spent the day at the Heinsen property in Askov. It was a brisk fall day, the leaves were turning, the sky was ever changing and the wind was blowing but that didn't stop Ellie from exploring. She didn't sit down and if she did it was for seconds.

We arrived at Banning Junction just West of Askov a few minutes shy of 11:00 am. We waited in the parking lot for Aunt Jean and Uncle Tom to meet Hadley, Ellie and I. The girls were anxious and ready to be unbuckled. After their arrival we followed them to the tiny town of Askov where Tom needed to purchase supplies at the grocery store. Then we went down a long road that turned into gravel to take a right to the hunting property. The road into the property was long and curvy but level enough for the Jetta to make it alright. However, the car isn't pearly white anymore. We were all a bit sad to leave Daddy behind, he had to stay back and weld on a project at work. We decided to go without him, stay the night and enjoy the tranquil peace of the woods. There was a meager chance he might join us, if and only if, he got done super early. But as of that morning, he didn't think that was going to happen.

After our arrival I was asked by Aunt Jean if I wanted a bloody mary to celebrate her brothers marriage that hour. I said, "sure!" Then we unpacked our cars contents into my parents camper we had borrowed for the event. Over the next hour it was play time and soon it was chili time. We enjoyed lunch with great company, Tom, Jean, Jim (Tom's friend and part owner of the property) Hadley, Ellie and I. Just as we finished lunch we decided it was time to explore some more and when we went outside we saw Daddy! He surprised us with Talley!

Daddy surprised us!

After some unwinding time Ellie took a nap, I relaxed a little and Hadley and Daddy went for a four-wheeler ride. Hadley calls it four-wheel! Ellie slept just under two hours and shortly after she woke, Daddy, Tom and Rick went grouse hunting. They hunted for about two hours and came back with three birds. Aunt Jean, the girls and I never really sat down. Jean created a great fire and we tried to take a break around it every now and then. Soon, the boys returned and it was time for turkey dinner with potatoes, squash, cabbage and carrots. It was delish! Then all of a sudden it was night time.

The girls went to bed easy. I got Ellie to bed first and then Hadley next. Hadley slept next to her sister and Robert got the couch bed. I took a break and went inside for some adult conversation and a Jameson and ginger, which by the way, is very yummy! At 11:00pm I went to bed myself expecting a quiet camper, but got the opposite. Hadley was awake crying in her Daddy's arms. She must have had a bad dream. She was over tired from no nap and it took me some time to calm her down, with that, she woke Ellie. So finally I just took Hadley and Ellie and laid in bed with them and soon they both fell asleep. Meanwhile, the heat stopped in the camper and after an hour of trying to fix it we decided enough was enough and we would brave the cold. And, yes we did brave it alright. The low was in the 20's and after finally falling asleep at midnight, Robert and I managed to stay asleep until 5:30am. We both woke up and tried to fix it again but to no a veil. Now it was officially freezing in there. The girls did okay under their piles of blankets and Robert and I again managed to fall back asleep from 6:30am-8:30am surprisingly.

It was a fun day and a frigid night with a funny little 18 month old and a fantastic family!

Ellie Tidbits!

Food: Ellie loves pretty much everything. She loves to snack. She like cheese sticks, cookies and yogurt raisins. She tried mustard tonight and said icky and made a sound. It was pretty funny. She tries to eat with her spoon but defaults to her hands.

Clothes: She isn't too picky here yet. She like to roam, so the more comfortable the better. Oh and she keeps her hat on and thinks socks are pretty cool! She is in size 18-24 months. She is pretty normal for her height and weight. Shoe size is a 5.5 to 6.

Skills: She is a runner, climber, jumper, swinger, slider... you name it, she does it!

Loves: She loves Hadley and Ve Ve (Nevaeh) and is still a Mommy's girl. She is pretty needy. She loves her monkey blanket and she enjoys playing with babies and likes to listen to stories.

Doctor: Ellie gets to see Dr. Rios this week at the Children's Heart Clinic in Minneapolis for her one year check up. She will have her 18 month check in November. Opps, I was a little late on the 15 month check... oh well no biggie!

Time just flies...
18 months already! Wow... we love you Ellie to the moon and back again and again. Thank you for being our crazy little maniac! You keep us on our toes!

Dancing Queen!

Hadley's first night at Just For Kixx! 30 minutes of dance Tuesday nights.

What's new?

Already one week into September and I am ready for summer again. It is cold outside tonight... 50's, good sleeping weather, however, my bed is full right now. Hadley, Ellie and Robert are all sacked out. They were out when I got home from work at 10pm tonight.

I decided to have a glass of wine, munch on chips with cheese and watch Leno... well listen to Leno as I type. I am currently very interested in this election. I was very confused about who I was going to vote for... I voted for Obama in 2008... and I am proud to say I plan to vote for him in 2012. I watched his speech last night and it was so moving that my eyes misted. Everything he said, I can identify with...

• The manufacturing because that is the industry my husband is in... 
• The Made in the USA because again that effects Robert's work but it also helps my brother-in-law who is in the shipping business and if our products are popular and other countries want them, it will help him...
• The wind energy, because my brother Chad is going to school for wind energy... 
• College funding because I am in school as well as Chad and many others I know...
• His health care reform, because Ellie has a pre-exsisting  condition and I worry about what the future may bring.
• There are many other items but I can't remember them all... 
• One last thing... he put the change on US and that is so true... we are the change! He is the facilitator who is willing to lead us and tell us the truth!

I hope that when I look back at this blog in 2020, that I can honestly say the Mr. Obama was able to live up to his promises for our Country and for our future, first thing first... he must get elected. I think I need a big sign in my yard, if only my husband would let me!

I am really looking forward to fall programing on TV. I love having shows in my DVR to watch at night while I relax alone and have my quiet time! Soon...

I have a list, a very long list of iCal reminders that tell me when I have a quiz, test, paper, project due. I also took that list and put it into a spreadsheet and it was 5 pages long. I have my first test Tuesday in multiple classes. I haven't studied much yet... probably should be doing that now, but it is too late to really get into something like that... I plan to get a start on it tomorrow and spend time Sunday and Monday night...

Ellie has a terrible diaper rash, it doesn't bother her but it has been around for a week. I have tried the cream, corn starch, new diapers and running naked. But... I am thinking it is probably time for a doctor appointment. She is running now everywhere and she loves to eat grapes which scares the crap out of me, so I cut them up super tiny. She also still loves to cuddle and she enjoys playing with her sister. She likes to dance to music and can master the new park without a problem. Our plans for the fall include enrolling her in ECFE and attending Faith in Action at Church. She is also a huge fan of books, she loves to be read too!

Hadley has learned the word "NO"... she is now starting to use this more and more and it is something we are working around. I hope she gets over it, I think it works best when we offer her choices. She still likes to pick out her own clothes and she is pretty good at matching. She enjoys playing with her babies. I would say that is her favorite thing to do. She loves to pretend play. She also enjoys cartoons more, she gets it. We have worked a little on reading and when we ask her questions about the stories she can come up with the answers most of the time. She has requested a Tinker Bell birthday party theme. And, she loves the new park, we have to go everyday! This fall we are going to go to ECFE in Onamia on Thursdays with Ellie and hopefully have head start visits. We have a meeting next week with the program to see if we qualify. I hope we do because Shanessa has said that was the best thing she ever did with Nevaeh. We will see...

This is what they do at Grandma's house

Day one

This morning I was awoken by Robert at 5:30 am. The time my alarm was set for, however, I was sleeping in Hadley's bed with Ellie so I didn't hear my alarm. Robert had just showered and knew to get me going. I proceeded to shower and while I was rinsing the dove our of my hair my three-and-a-half year old came in to see what was going on. She wanted Daddy so I told her to go downstairs and find him, she was set up with of bowl a cereal and Nick Junior. I finished getting ready and Robert left for work, while Hadley watched Nick, I made my lunch. It was a little after 6 am so I sat down and sipped some coffee, which I remembered to set the night before and ate a bagel. I was able to catch up on facebook and then it was time to get going. I made a quick trip out to the car for the first round of stuff, books, backpack, lunch bag, coffee, water, purse... then I came in the house and went upstairs to get Ellie. She was out! I picked her up, carried her out to the car and she finally started to gain some consciousness. Hadley walked along side of us and she got herself in the car, buckled and away we went to Grandma's house. It was 6:25 am and I was on time! I dropped them off with Papa who tucked them in with Grandma and away I went to start my first day of the LPN program at CLC in Brainerd. It was a overwhelming first day, like all first days go. But, the way I am looking at it is I have one day done already!

Looking forward to a great year!
Another morning to be had tomorrow... I need to get my coffee set and go to bed, I hope Hadley decides to stay in her bed and Ellie in her crib!

17 months of bliss

Well well our little Ellie Bell is 17 months old. WOW! She is adorable, when you look at her you can't help smile. The thing is Ellie has this spirit about her, this aura that you know controls who she is. She is a little maniac as well as a calm shy soul. She is a dreamer and a chaser and a screamer... man she has a scream! She loves to eat cookies and she loves anything, and I mean anything sweet. She is healthy and normal... even though she had a small set back early on in her life, she is normal, doing all the normal things she needs to do. She runs and talks and walks and pulls hair... yep... she beats her sister up already, pulls hair, pinches and hits. Hopefully this is short lived... but I don't think so. I do think these two are going to be super close best friends... let's hope!

So Happy Happy 17 months Ellie and thanks for making us laugh every day! We love you so much! More than you know... more than ever!

Daddy's sidekick

Hadley finally got to ride in the fire truck! She was Daddy's passenger during the Wahkon Day parade. She has been talking about this for weeks. It was adorable! She had the wave down. She can't wait to do it again, and she was really happy that Mommy and Ellie collected candy for her!

After the parade, we met up at home and all four of us went to the food and beer gardens for dinner. We had a turkey drum stick, cheese curds and a corn dog. A mini taste of what the state fair offers. We are sooo looking forward to a quiet Sunday. Then Monday night we head to Michelle's for the night to do something fun Tuesday! We can't wait!
Wednesday will be my last day at the Messenger and then... Thursday through Sunday off!

Bath Time

Sickness and a cool down...

I am in a fleece sweat shirt with the windows open and it is August 9th. It was a beautiful day, a nice cool down from such a hot few weeks. We like hot but it is nice to actually be outside and not sweat to death.

This past week has been a week of tears...
Both girls have been under the weather. Ellie was brought to urgent care last Thursday and diagnosed with strep. Hadley has just a cold, but it is enough to make her whiny. I brought her in on Monday, but nothing like strep, just a cold... so we are on Advil and water to cure it. Then tonight, even after Ellie has been on antibiotics for a week, she puked... yep... not really sure... she was quiet today, didn't really eat and then this evening, while I was rocking her around 5ish, I knew she wasn't herself, so I went to lay her down in my Mom's bed and she puked everywhere, we ran to the toilet and the poor little gal just kept saying ouch... she went into the bath, got on jammies and ate some chex cereal. Didn't really eat any dinner.

Robert and I had plans to eat out tonight, a date night, we went (because we knew Ellie was in good hands) and had some yummy food at Lonesome Pine on Bay Lake. Love that place, great salads and bread and then wonderful meals. Always great service! I tried a new drink, Andrew's drink, a Jameson and Ginger and it was delicious.

We pick the gals up at 8:30pm and came home. Gave Ellie a dose of Advil and she went right to bed, she has woke up once and I laid her in Hadley's bed. Hadley is sleeping with Daddy right now... we play musical beds here at the Heinsen House.

School update:
I got a B in my A&P class, I am okay with that... I worked hard but I also didn't make myself sick!
I went to my LPN orientation on Tuesday, kinda a waste of time but it did give me anxiety. I am hoping this next year goes fast. Basically I have a full time job PLUS and I am not getting paid for the next year.

August 27th... I start my full time unpaid job (school)... I need my books still and a white lab coat and something else but I can't remember. I still want to apply to the accelerated nursing program through St. Scholastica and I need to work on my application but I think I have until Nov. If I were to get into that program, I would have my BSN one year earlier. That is is my goal, to attain by BSN... So drinks with Genal in 3+ years!
I put in my two weeks at the Messenger and will be done there on August 22nd. Actually made me kinda sad!

Tomorrow, I work at the Mess and then at the nursing home until 11pm... a gal asked if I would work for her and I said yes. I probably should have said no, because I work Saturday night and then I leave for Vegas on Sunday through Tuesday very late, so probably won't put the gals to bed until Wednesday of next week. That is very crazy to write! WOW... quite the break for me... probably good timing before I start my full-time unpaid job, but I will still miss them a lot!

They are my world, I am doing what I am doing for them!
Night!

Let the games begin!

We spent some time between ceremony and reception at Munsinger Gardens

Happy Anniversary to Robert and I today... 7 years! Whoo hoo!
We celebrated tonight by grilling some nice steaks and having dinner with the gals. The girls were their usual, Ellie wanted to be done before everyone and Hadley didn't want to eat. We deal with this every night so we are used to it. Hopefully, they will understand that meal time is a good time!
This past weekend we celebrated a wedding for my cousin Brandon. His wedding was in St. Cloud and it was a very nice ceremony along with a gorgeous reception at the Civic Center. We all had a good time, the girls loved to dance and run around and of course Mommy and Daddy loved "trying" to talk to all or the people we knew... but for the most part it was a nice night out! Ellie even took a mini nap, with the help of an old babysitter Fran, who rocked her too sleep.

A little bit of everything

Whew...
Today I had that feeling... you know the one, where your kid is crying and you just want to scream yourself, then shortly after feeling that way, I felt... like... I wanted to cry for thinking that my kid was so annoying.

The truth is... they cry... they whine... they want attention... they want you (mommy/daddy/papa/gramie) always...
The truth is... it is okay to be annoyed... it is okay to want to pee alone... it is okay to do the silent scream.
So... after the crying by Ellie... while I was trying to comb Hadley's hair. I picked her up and she had poo in her diaper, plus, I knew she was crying because she was ready to nap. But, the poo was more concerning, considering, she has a sore bottom from some constant poo. Here I am... silently screaming inside, while Ellie is screaming because her bottom hurts from her second poo of the day. She already poo'ed... So I wasn't thinking this could be another... I just thought she was tired. Turns out, I was wrong and then of course I went from the silent scream to the silent tear.

Work at the nursing home...
I picked up a short evening shift tonight to start off a 4 day nursing home adventure. I am confident it will go okay. The next three days are day shifts... I am not too thrilled about it and getting up at 5 am to work at 6 am is not my cup of tea either. But, what else is new, I get up at 5 am a lot these days for school as well as I barely sleep because the girls still wake up a ton.

Breastfeeding...
I don't think I blogged about this. I am done! I quit right before we went to Lutsen cabin. So my last day was June 28th. Ellie wasn't phased by this at all because when I quit she had Hand, Foot, Mouth disease as well as she was teething... so she didn't feel good at all, the nursing didn't help... so it was a perfect time to quit. However, I had milk for two weeks to follow. It wasn't super painful, but it was annoying. All good now... no hard boobs, no milk... I miss it! A lot! I cried that first night I stopped. I will never nurse again... super sad! I think that is the reason why I nursed Ellie until she was 15 months.

A&P...
I am almost done... two classes left of which one is the final. So really only a lab/lecture to go. I need to study. I am on the verge of getting an A, even after bombing my muscle's lab exam. But... I am thankful, my lecture is going well. If I get an A, I will be very pleased. I will also be more than please with a B. I am happy with either... it is a very hard class, and even harder to take in the summer considering one must learn so much in such a short time. So with that being said, I need to study a lot for the final. I plan to do this pretty much the Tuesday before, because I don't think I will want to do it after working these next three days...

Isle Days/Fun Run...
Great turn-out for both the fun run and our parade party. I got to say hi to a lot of people. Hadley loved getting candy this year. Ellie figured out that candy was yummy and screamed the whole parade to get some. Ellie slept through the fireworks. Hadley watched them with Nevaeh and Livia. Those three girls get along so well. It is adorable... they were sharing a baby, baby Sara to be exact and listening to their comments and conversation from afar while we were waiting for fireworks to begin was beyond cute. They would just giggle!

VBS...
This week Hadley went to Trinity for VBS. The first night was Sunday. Shanessa and I walked both gals down at 5pm. We were the first to arrive. We signed them up and had dinner with the girls. We were nervous... a) because we have never really left them somewhere without at least one of us being there and b) because they didn't really know anyone... this church is unfamiliar as well as the people. So, we were thankful that they were okay staying because they knew Abby and she was going to be a crew leader for the pre-school. Basically when the bell rang, it was time to go in for singing... Shanessa and I just watched the girls as the crew leaders found a pre-schooler to take up to music. Nevaeh went with Abby and Hadley went with Monica... they all four walked away and Shanessa and I just walked the other way... out the door. We walked back to our house and both of us were nervous. Abby could text if there was a problem, but we never got one and the girls continued to go every night for the whole week. Sunday through Thursday, 5:00-5:45 was dinner and then VBS until 8pm. Every night I was able to attend the evening skit and songs at 7:40pm, except tonight because I picked up that shift. But... Robert went... and I think Hadley was happy to know that Daddy was going to pick her up and see all her new friends!

Life couldn't be sweeter!

Happy 4th!
We arrived at the Lutsen cabin at 11pm last night (the night before the 4th)… it was a late night for everyone. Parker and Ellie went to bed at midnight. Hadley and Nevaeh dozed off at 1:30am and all of us adults went to bed around 3:30am. Yawning now…
Today we are just going to relax and make some yummy food. We hope to go into Grand Marais for fireworks at dusk. The girls have explored the rocks down by the shore, and they even figured out a creative way to swim.

Hadley swimming in the rock indents at the little red cabin Lake Superior shoreline.

A little later…
So we just finished a delicious lunch that consisted of brats, beans, italian pasta salad and fruit. We are all full and the big girls need to get down for a nap. Ellie just woke up from a 3 hour nap (oh and I took a nap with Ellie for a hour, nice!) and Park 'o Lark needs to maybe take a little snooze in a hour or so. Shanessa and I have showered, and we are going to Lutsen for a bloody mary!

Evening review…
While Shanessa and I were at Lutsen a storm started to roll in… bummer, but is felt amazing to put on a light sweater. We enjoyed our bloody mary and picked up some beer for at the cabin. When we got back the girls were still asleep. We started the grill and had a beer while we prepared garlic pork tenderloin along with teriyaki roasted red potatoes and strawberry spinach salad. I also worked on a layer red, white and blue jello throughout the day for dessert. Our 4th of July dinner was amazing! The girls had a red, white and blue kiddie cocktail too! The rain continued on and off and around 8ish it was off. So we decided to try the fireworks in Grand Marais. We found a great spot by the harbor, Parker and Ellie threw rocks for an hour while waiting for the sun to go down. Hadley, Neveah, Robert and Geoff went for a walk to the light house. Thunder was heard over head and the rain was on again. We boogie out of there and found the Dad's and big girls. Unfortunately we didn't get to see the fireworks over our heads at the harbor, however we could see the fireworks in the distance, the rained slowed so we pulled over along side the road and watched the fireworks from afar. We could even hear the echoing booms.

Kiddies 4th of July Cocktails

Red, White and Blue Jello!

The cutest little 4th of July kiddos ever!

The day after the fourth…
After another late night we got up and had a glorious breakfast. The sun was shining and we had a little bonfire on the rocks while the girls swam in rock puddles again. Ellie and Parker took their morning nap when they awoke we ventured into town to eat lunch at Sven and Ole's pizza. Simple pleasures are found in Grand Marais and one is Sven and Ole's pizza. They have this lunch special that consists of a slice of pizza, a salad and a soda for $4.59. This deal can't be beat. I went with sausage while Hadley and Ellie had a slice of cheese each. Yummy! Afterwards we split up for a bit, the dad's took the little ones while the mom's spent some shopping time with the big ones. Hadley and Neveah both found a headband. Then we came up empty throughout the next few shops. We met up again with everyone and Shanessa and I took all four so Robert and Geoff could have a bloody mary at the Gun Flint Tavern. Another simple pleasure! The girls and Parker explored further and we found a kid friendly resting spot at a art and craft store. While there Hadley sprouted a pink hair for $3 and off we went to another shop. We were found by Robert and relieved of our parental duties to enjoy the simple pleasure of a bloody mary at the tav. While we were sipping our scrumptious spicy mary's the guys took the kids to the World's Best Donuts for yet another simple pleasure. And, sigh… Robert even thought to buy an extra one for me. How sweet!

Matching headbands. I see future shoppers!

Robert and Geoff golfed Superior National, and they loved it! While they golfed we hung at the cabin and then we played at the park with the kids. Both of us Mommy's were really tired but we wanted to get out and about to do something.

That night we relaxed, made an adult dinner which happened at 10 pm... But it was worth it. We stayed up later again and enjoyed the beautiful evening weather.

Friday...
Shanessa, Geoff, and the kids... left us... it was about noon. I cried a little... it was such a blessing to have them join us. We all get along so well. I wasn't sure if I wanted to stay another night, I was actually thinking maybe we should leave. Well we didn't, however that day was a rainy day, we (Hadley and I) went to town for a bit, then we came back, Hadley napped with her sister.. then we  made some grilled bbq chicken with salad for dinner. It was nice day and evening just bittersweet since it was getting so close to being over.

Saturday... we decided to stay... we relaxed, spent some time on a quiet beach, had Sven and Ole's pizza, made a great dinner at the cabin and packed what we could to get an early start Sunday.

Sunday... home... not too excited, however... it was a nice car ride and the girls really missed gramie and papa..., we brought them straight there and they spend the night. I had to study for a bones test. Not what I wanted to do! Thanks for the wonderful and amazing 6 days and  5 nights away.