Saturday, October 25, 2014
The Zoo
It is official... we are members of the MN Zoo and I am so happy. Ever since we planned to move down to the area I have dreamed and waited for the day to happen where we could just run to the zoo. Thanks to Auntie Michelle and my Mother (who helped contribute) we can now enjoy the zoo for just an hour to an all day adventure. Another plus...drive time is 10 minutes give or take.
Friday, October 24, 2014
My Grandfather
The morning I received the call was a Tuesday... I was in the middle of getting my house in order for the day. Anne was here, she just dropped Rory off and needed to kill a few minutes and my phone rang. It was my mom and she told me that Grandpa has died. He just didn't wake up. At first I was relived, I was happy that he didn't have to live out months and years in a nursing home. I was shocked as I wasn't expecting this news to come. My Grandpa had a way of controlling almost everything and even to his last breaths he controlled his exit out of this world and into heaven. The blessing in this is he left us so peacefully... it was almost too perfect. That afternoon after talking with my cousins, I started to gather some images of him that I had. I was able to quickly establish 40+ pictures into a slideshow. I started to cry (hard) because my life would no longer have Eugene Pojanowski in it... he would no longer be in the background of my pictures nor my life. I realized that my whole life until now had a presence of my grandfather... he was usually always around. Grandpas funeral was October 11th, his birthday, he would have been 83. I am really gonna miss your grin, your laugh and just your quiet presence. I am happy you are with Grandma again and I hope you are smiling down on us. Give us peace and remind us that life is to be lived!
Monday, October 6, 2014
How come...
It is weird but when kids are little one tends to write more about them. I realize this as I look at the amount of posts I had when Hadley was 3 and Ellie was in her early months. Now... Hadley 5 and Ellie 3 are well, old, I guess.
So the milestone updates aren't as huge but life and things still exist.
Today... Monday...
It was a school day. Mommy was sore from running in the TC 10 mile. But after finally getting out of bed at 7:59am to help motivate the day forward, Hadley got motivated too. Mondays are always hard. We did our best and we walked to school, the three of us, around 8:52am. Maybe 8:57am... we were a little late! Nonetheless we made it on time. Hadley ate breakfast at school.
The rest of the day Ellie and I cleaned the house. Well I did. We were home all day. We left at 3:30ish (late) to pick up the kids from school. Usually Kerstin is outside of our home but this afternoon it was quiet at her house. I knocked on the door and suddenly Kerstin opened... stating, "is it time?" Yep, she overslept her alarm. Poor thing... every Monday she comes off of 3 days of no sleep. She rocked it and got the 2 kids in the stroller and away we walked! We weren't too late... actually not late at all but just later than usual for us! The kids usually never wait for us. We are always there... probably shouldn't set that standard.
The rest of the night went well! The kids ate supper well... They played with Hunter and Maddie. Around 7pm Hadley took a bath and bedtime was at 8:25pm. The girls both fell right to sleep!
Tomorrow is Tuesday... Rory will be over and Ellie will be happy to have someone to play with while Mommy does the cleaning and cooking!
So the milestone updates aren't as huge but life and things still exist.
Today... Monday...
It was a school day. Mommy was sore from running in the TC 10 mile. But after finally getting out of bed at 7:59am to help motivate the day forward, Hadley got motivated too. Mondays are always hard. We did our best and we walked to school, the three of us, around 8:52am. Maybe 8:57am... we were a little late! Nonetheless we made it on time. Hadley ate breakfast at school.
The rest of the day Ellie and I cleaned the house. Well I did. We were home all day. We left at 3:30ish (late) to pick up the kids from school. Usually Kerstin is outside of our home but this afternoon it was quiet at her house. I knocked on the door and suddenly Kerstin opened... stating, "is it time?" Yep, she overslept her alarm. Poor thing... every Monday she comes off of 3 days of no sleep. She rocked it and got the 2 kids in the stroller and away we walked! We weren't too late... actually not late at all but just later than usual for us! The kids usually never wait for us. We are always there... probably shouldn't set that standard.
The rest of the night went well! The kids ate supper well... They played with Hunter and Maddie. Around 7pm Hadley took a bath and bedtime was at 8:25pm. The girls both fell right to sleep!
Tomorrow is Tuesday... Rory will be over and Ellie will be happy to have someone to play with while Mommy does the cleaning and cooking!
Friday, October 3, 2014
Life
Today was a very busy day... as it seems everyday is now and again. Regardless... it was fun. We spent the evening at Doug and Rhonda's house for their house warming party in WBL. It was a chilly evening but it wasn't that bad.
Trying to wrap a few weeks into a few sentences is super hard. I know I am blessed with a awesome husband who helps me a ton and 2 little girls who melt my heart. But... it has been rough trying to adjust as a family to a new home, a little girls in kindergarten and a little sister missing her big sister. Even though we have made it through the worst of it so far... at least I hope! Every other day there are tears from Hadley about something regarding clothes, friends, school... something. And, there are tears from Eliie about wanting to do it herself or super tired tears.
Most of the tears break my heart! Some I just want to scream! Good timing as Halloween is coming!
Hadley picked out an angel costume and Ellie is going to be a renaissance princess. I am excited this year as we have great neighbors who are going to throw a party and many other friends on the block that we know.
Last weekend we went to Marshall for Abigail baptism and everything turned out great! It was a beautiful service and the dinner that followed was nice. I sure missed Chad! I just wish he was there. I have this soft spot in my heart for him and I am really not sure why? I feel bad because I haven't sent him a letter in a while. I have one done, just need to get it in the mail box. Really not that hard!
So lots on my mind from my new job to Chad to Hadley's new adjustment. Again I know it will all work out but like most of us... worry is something we do.
Let go and Let God!
Good night!
Trying to wrap a few weeks into a few sentences is super hard. I know I am blessed with a awesome husband who helps me a ton and 2 little girls who melt my heart. But... it has been rough trying to adjust as a family to a new home, a little girls in kindergarten and a little sister missing her big sister. Even though we have made it through the worst of it so far... at least I hope! Every other day there are tears from Hadley about something regarding clothes, friends, school... something. And, there are tears from Eliie about wanting to do it herself or super tired tears.
Most of the tears break my heart! Some I just want to scream! Good timing as Halloween is coming!
Hadley picked out an angel costume and Ellie is going to be a renaissance princess. I am excited this year as we have great neighbors who are going to throw a party and many other friends on the block that we know.
Last weekend we went to Marshall for Abigail baptism and everything turned out great! It was a beautiful service and the dinner that followed was nice. I sure missed Chad! I just wish he was there. I have this soft spot in my heart for him and I am really not sure why? I feel bad because I haven't sent him a letter in a while. I have one done, just need to get it in the mail box. Really not that hard!
So lots on my mind from my new job to Chad to Hadley's new adjustment. Again I know it will all work out but like most of us... worry is something we do.
Let go and Let God!
Good night!
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
School Days
Yesterday our first born went to Kindergarten. WOW is all I have to say. First of all I can remember when she was a baby and her first big milestone was moving from the bassinet to her crib. I cried then. Well I am happy to say I didn't cry too much yesterday. Just a couple little tears. Hadley was so excited to go to school.
Labor Day...
We left the cabin at 1:00 pm and we arrived home at 3:40 pm. It was a nice drive but felt weird that we weren't driving back to Isle. It was our first drive to Lakeville from Big Sandy and after a long weekend ending summer it just felt weird. It was weird to not have a pot luck to go to.
Our neighborhood was pretty quiet and right after we got out of the car Isaiah came over to say hi to the girls. Robert unloaded the car and I caught with Kirsten, we chatted about the kids first day of kindergarten. I ran to Target quickly and weaved through the masses to gather last minute supplies for Hadleys big day. After I got home we made tacos for dinner and the kids played together in the back yard. Around 7:15 pm we started the bedtime routine. Hadley kept saying, "tomorrow is my big day!" She fell asleep around 8:30 pm. I watched her sleep a little, my last night as my baby girl. I knew that after her first day of kindergarten she would grow up overnight.
September 2nd, 2014
First Day Morning:
Well Hadley woke up on her own around 7:00 am. She made her bed perfectly, put her throw pillows in place and put her dolls and ducky in the middle. She was focused. I could tell she was a little nervous. Daddy kissed her goodbye and went to work. Hadley had breakfast, she wanted oatmeal. She ate about half and drank a little water and OJ. She then brushed her teeth and got dressed. We had already laid out her outfit. After she got dressed we did her hair in a small braid to get her bangs out of the way. We took pictures and afterwards Hadley and Ellie ran around the yard. The neighbor kids came out to play too. More pictures. We left the house at 8:40 am to get to the school on time. It felt like a parade of students on their first day. Milt was outside and he waved as we trotted down Gannon Ave. The parade consisted of Hadley, Ellie, myself, Kirsten, Erik, Isaiah, Melena, Lucy, Krista, Hunter and Maddie. It was slow going all the way to school. As Isaiah and Hadley walked they held hands because they were already "kindergarten buddies."
We arrived at the school on time. Found Hadleys teacher and she waited in line to head inside.
Midday:
Ellie and I attended the ECFE open house. We signed Ellie up for Thursday afternoon pre-school with parent class. It is 2 hours long. Then we had lunch with Anne and Rory and Anne dropped us off at Daddy's work. We got our car and headed back home to get a couple more lunch box supplies and groceries at Target. Ellie skipped nap time.
End of School day:
We went to pick up big sister at 3:20 pm. We walked with the same crew as the morning. We found Hadley and Isaiah and attempted to bypass all the pick-up/bus chaos! WOW... now I can see how kids get on the wrong bus. But hopefully that didn't happen. Hadley looked like she had a fun day. I didn't ask her too many questions because I didn't want her to have to answer Mommy and Daddy twice so we waited until Daddy came home for questions. She immediately stated she wanted hot lunch at school and that she like recess the best.
That evening we played with the neighbor kids. Hadley officially decided to try out the lunch line. She said she wanted a tray. She told us that her thermos leaked and chocolate milk got all over her backpack, lunch bag and her rest towel. Her teacher told her she would take it home and wash it. We had hamburgers for dinner and ate outside.
Her teacher sent out an email:
I replied back with a big thanks for the updates and another thanks for washing her towel. I have been really impressed with her teacher and how much she communicates with us. I love that she sends us emails, it is so helpful, especially for us so called helicopter parents.
Labor Day...
We left the cabin at 1:00 pm and we arrived home at 3:40 pm. It was a nice drive but felt weird that we weren't driving back to Isle. It was our first drive to Lakeville from Big Sandy and after a long weekend ending summer it just felt weird. It was weird to not have a pot luck to go to.
Our neighborhood was pretty quiet and right after we got out of the car Isaiah came over to say hi to the girls. Robert unloaded the car and I caught with Kirsten, we chatted about the kids first day of kindergarten. I ran to Target quickly and weaved through the masses to gather last minute supplies for Hadleys big day. After I got home we made tacos for dinner and the kids played together in the back yard. Around 7:15 pm we started the bedtime routine. Hadley kept saying, "tomorrow is my big day!" She fell asleep around 8:30 pm. I watched her sleep a little, my last night as my baby girl. I knew that after her first day of kindergarten she would grow up overnight.
September 2nd, 2014
First Day Morning:
Well Hadley woke up on her own around 7:00 am. She made her bed perfectly, put her throw pillows in place and put her dolls and ducky in the middle. She was focused. I could tell she was a little nervous. Daddy kissed her goodbye and went to work. Hadley had breakfast, she wanted oatmeal. She ate about half and drank a little water and OJ. She then brushed her teeth and got dressed. We had already laid out her outfit. After she got dressed we did her hair in a small braid to get her bangs out of the way. We took pictures and afterwards Hadley and Ellie ran around the yard. The neighbor kids came out to play too. More pictures. We left the house at 8:40 am to get to the school on time. It felt like a parade of students on their first day. Milt was outside and he waved as we trotted down Gannon Ave. The parade consisted of Hadley, Ellie, myself, Kirsten, Erik, Isaiah, Melena, Lucy, Krista, Hunter and Maddie. It was slow going all the way to school. As Isaiah and Hadley walked they held hands because they were already "kindergarten buddies."
We arrived at the school on time. Found Hadleys teacher and she waited in line to head inside.
Midday:
Ellie and I attended the ECFE open house. We signed Ellie up for Thursday afternoon pre-school with parent class. It is 2 hours long. Then we had lunch with Anne and Rory and Anne dropped us off at Daddy's work. We got our car and headed back home to get a couple more lunch box supplies and groceries at Target. Ellie skipped nap time.
End of School day:
We went to pick up big sister at 3:20 pm. We walked with the same crew as the morning. We found Hadley and Isaiah and attempted to bypass all the pick-up/bus chaos! WOW... now I can see how kids get on the wrong bus. But hopefully that didn't happen. Hadley looked like she had a fun day. I didn't ask her too many questions because I didn't want her to have to answer Mommy and Daddy twice so we waited until Daddy came home for questions. She immediately stated she wanted hot lunch at school and that she like recess the best.
That evening we played with the neighbor kids. Hadley officially decided to try out the lunch line. She said she wanted a tray. She told us that her thermos leaked and chocolate milk got all over her backpack, lunch bag and her rest towel. Her teacher told her she would take it home and wash it. We had hamburgers for dinner and ate outside.
Her teacher sent out an email:
Hi Families,
We had such a great first day of
kindergarten! :) The children quickly started picking up on the
routines and worked hard all day! We also read some stories, drew a
picture of how we looked today, sang songs and talked about
our math tools!
I have made another change in our daily schedule. I moved our snack time up so we will now have snack at 2:00.
Tomorrow morning, I will be outside holding the
red square again!
I replied back with a big thanks for the updates and another thanks for washing her towel. I have been really impressed with her teacher and how much she communicates with us. I love that she sends us emails, it is so helpful, especially for us so called helicopter parents.
Her response back to me:
Hi Genal,
I'm glad you like the updates! I will be sending a weekly email every Friday as well. No problem about the towel! I felt bad it was all wet. Hadley is such a sweetheart!
I'm glad you like the updates! I will be sending a weekly email every Friday as well. No problem about the towel! I felt bad it was all wet. Hadley is such a sweetheart!
Have a great night,
My reaction: A huge smile and warm thoughts that she thinks Hadley is a sweetheart.
Day 2:
We walked Hadley to school in the rain with Daddy and the crew. Ellie and I took it easy, we organized, worked on coloring, the letter A and read a book. I worked on entering events into the calendar to stay on track.
Today is more of a normal day for us at home. Ellie is napping. It is quiet here today, rainy, cloudy and missing our sweetheart!
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Blessings
Yesterday we welcomed Abigail Pearl Rogers to the family. She was born via c-section at 9:42am. 7lbs, 9oz and 20 inches long. We made the trek over to Marshall to visit her and she was doing well. Born with a little fluid in the lungs she was to stay in the nursery. Peaking at her through the window we fell in love with her beautiful skin and her chubby cheeks.
So at this point no auntie or cousin kisses but they will come to little Abby soon. We will just keep them stored for the next time we see her and those cheeks!
Congrats to the whole family! Chad and Laura will make great parents.
Today...
Happy 60th Birthday Papa! We hope you have a great day. Hopefully your gift is holding little Abigail this morning before heading back to Isle. We quickly gave Papa his gift yesterday when we left. We got him a kreg tool, clamp and proper screws for furniture building. I am sure he will get some use out of it.
So at this point no auntie or cousin kisses but they will come to little Abby soon. We will just keep them stored for the next time we see her and those cheeks!
Congrats to the whole family! Chad and Laura will make great parents.
Today...
Happy 60th Birthday Papa! We hope you have a great day. Hopefully your gift is holding little Abigail this morning before heading back to Isle. We quickly gave Papa his gift yesterday when we left. We got him a kreg tool, clamp and proper screws for furniture building. I am sure he will get some use out of it.
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Babysitting
Friday, July 18, 2014
We live where?
Lakeville!
Wow it is official. We live at 16718 Gannon Ave W. in Lakeville. We closed at 10am at Burnet Title in Eagan and at noon the girls and I joined Robert at the house. We looked around. Auntie Michelle soon came and Robert left to head back to work until the moving truck arrived. Hadley, Ellie, Auntie and I had a picnic lunch and then I ran to Target to get some groceries and picked up some beer and pop to offer to those that help unload the truck. Ellie even took a nap on a makeshift bed on the floor.
David Miller arrived at 4:15pm and Michelle and I started unloading. Robert soon came after work and the neighbor Milt arrived. Not too long after Danny, Cody and Alex helped. The general Tom came shortly after with Jean. Tom was just 10 days post double knee surgery. Jean took charge of supper. She ordered pizza, subs and kids meals for the girls from Ol' Piper. That was a big help too! Devon and Joe joined us for supper and we used our deck for the first time and certainly not the last!
We can't thank our family and friends enough for all their help in our moving process. From my parents to not only helping us pack and unpack but letting us live with them for 3 months. Nicole and Brian for our one week stay at Coady Cottage prior to closing. We appreciate the Target trips, babysitting and the heavy lifting by Auntie Michelle. The crew of Danny, Cody and Alex for extra arms. We are so excited to live closer to Uncle Tom and Aunt Jean and appreciate all their help to make this move a ease for us as well as letting Robert live in the basement for almost a year! We are thankful to know David Miller and were impressed with his hauling service. We appreciate the storage space from Shanessa and Geoff and Pat. Gratitude to the arms up in Isle who loaded the truck this past week.The list could go on and on.
A big Thanks to everyone who thought about us and prayed for us! We appreciate it all more than you know!
Wow it is official. We live at 16718 Gannon Ave W. in Lakeville. We closed at 10am at Burnet Title in Eagan and at noon the girls and I joined Robert at the house. We looked around. Auntie Michelle soon came and Robert left to head back to work until the moving truck arrived. Hadley, Ellie, Auntie and I had a picnic lunch and then I ran to Target to get some groceries and picked up some beer and pop to offer to those that help unload the truck. Ellie even took a nap on a makeshift bed on the floor.
David Miller arrived at 4:15pm and Michelle and I started unloading. Robert soon came after work and the neighbor Milt arrived. Not too long after Danny, Cody and Alex helped. The general Tom came shortly after with Jean. Tom was just 10 days post double knee surgery. Jean took charge of supper. She ordered pizza, subs and kids meals for the girls from Ol' Piper. That was a big help too! Devon and Joe joined us for supper and we used our deck for the first time and certainly not the last!
We can't thank our family and friends enough for all their help in our moving process. From my parents to not only helping us pack and unpack but letting us live with them for 3 months. Nicole and Brian for our one week stay at Coady Cottage prior to closing. We appreciate the Target trips, babysitting and the heavy lifting by Auntie Michelle. The crew of Danny, Cody and Alex for extra arms. We are so excited to live closer to Uncle Tom and Aunt Jean and appreciate all their help to make this move a ease for us as well as letting Robert live in the basement for almost a year! We are thankful to know David Miller and were impressed with his hauling service. We appreciate the storage space from Shanessa and Geoff and Pat. Gratitude to the arms up in Isle who loaded the truck this past week.The list could go on and on.
A big Thanks to everyone who thought about us and prayed for us! We appreciate it all more than you know!
Sunday, June 1, 2014
45 days later
Today it has been 45 days since we closed on 625 Main St. West. In the last weeks we have lived at my parents house and time has gone by fast.
Recap...
So when we left our home on the 14th of April knowing it was not ours anymore we cried. It was super hard. We cleaned all day and then I ran to the store and bought flowers to give to the neighbors, new soaps for the sinks, toilet paper and a 6 pack of beer. We left the TP, soap and beer at the house for the new tenants. We went and got the girls and brought them back over to the house so they could see it empty. Man was it empty and clean. The girls ran around and said good bye to their house. We walked across the lawn to Joan's house and gave her some flowers. We sat and talked and I started to tear up a little. I was able to control myself and dial back the tears through the rest of the visit. When we got up to go... Joan stated to cry and then we, both Robert and I, started to cry. It was bittersweet.
Closing on the 15th went very well. The new owners are super friendly and that made it easier for the both of us to let go of our home. See it is funny how a person views their home, one really takes it for granted but honestly it is more than just walls and a roof... it is memories. Our home had it problems, it wasn't very big and it was smack dab in town... but I am pretty sure both Robert and I would take it back in a heartbeat because it was where our family started. Of course we are happy to move forward and we both know more memories will be created in the next home but lesson learned that it isn't the house that makes the home... it is the family inside!
In the past 45 days we have done many things...
Enjoyed Easter at the cabin and spent time with Aunt Petra.
We finally celebrated Ellie's birthday. We had a small party on May 4th.
Hadley graduated from Pre-school on May 5th. That made me tear up a little too!
We went to the Little Falls zoo for Hadley's preschool field trip. Rode the bus and all.
Spent opening fishing and Mother's day at the cabin.
Went to Bradley's 2nd birthday party. Then spent a couple days in the subs shopping.
Spent Memorial Day Weekend at the cabin!
Spent the last weekend in May at home with Papa and Grammie. We made some yummy food and enjoyed some wine. Shanessa and the kids came over for supper Saturday night. We signed a purchase agreement for the sale of the land and best of all Kendra had baby Sophia on the 29th. So little Sophia was really the topic of conversation all weekend. I can't wait to go to Denver to meet her. But I have a feeling I will probably meet her in Minnesota first... who knows though!
Future plans include house hunting! Oh and I watched the movie The Secret Life of Walter Mittie. WOW that movie rocked. It has been a long time since I have watched a movie that good. It was very heartwarming and again I teared up a little at the end. It made me realize that less is really more so I can afford to "live life" like I have been the past 45 days!
Recap...
So when we left our home on the 14th of April knowing it was not ours anymore we cried. It was super hard. We cleaned all day and then I ran to the store and bought flowers to give to the neighbors, new soaps for the sinks, toilet paper and a 6 pack of beer. We left the TP, soap and beer at the house for the new tenants. We went and got the girls and brought them back over to the house so they could see it empty. Man was it empty and clean. The girls ran around and said good bye to their house. We walked across the lawn to Joan's house and gave her some flowers. We sat and talked and I started to tear up a little. I was able to control myself and dial back the tears through the rest of the visit. When we got up to go... Joan stated to cry and then we, both Robert and I, started to cry. It was bittersweet.
Closing on the 15th went very well. The new owners are super friendly and that made it easier for the both of us to let go of our home. See it is funny how a person views their home, one really takes it for granted but honestly it is more than just walls and a roof... it is memories. Our home had it problems, it wasn't very big and it was smack dab in town... but I am pretty sure both Robert and I would take it back in a heartbeat because it was where our family started. Of course we are happy to move forward and we both know more memories will be created in the next home but lesson learned that it isn't the house that makes the home... it is the family inside!
In the past 45 days we have done many things...
Enjoyed Easter at the cabin and spent time with Aunt Petra.
We finally celebrated Ellie's birthday. We had a small party on May 4th.
Hadley graduated from Pre-school on May 5th. That made me tear up a little too!
We went to the Little Falls zoo for Hadley's preschool field trip. Rode the bus and all.
Spent opening fishing and Mother's day at the cabin.
Spent Memorial Day Weekend at the cabin!
Future plans include house hunting! Oh and I watched the movie The Secret Life of Walter Mittie. WOW that movie rocked. It has been a long time since I have watched a movie that good. It was very heartwarming and again I teared up a little at the end. It made me realize that less is really more so I can afford to "live life" like I have been the past 45 days!
Sunday, April 13, 2014
I am feeling...
Excited
Scared
Nervous
Anxious
Sad
Here we are...
Last night at 625 Main.
The house echos, everything gone except beds, few clothes and couple kitchen things.
Tomorrow we move everything and clean. Tuesday we close.
We will live with Papa and Grammi for a few weeks.
Should be fun!
Scared
Nervous
Anxious
Sad
Here we are...
Last night at 625 Main.
The house echos, everything gone except beds, few clothes and couple kitchen things.
Tomorrow we move everything and clean. Tuesday we close.
We will live with Papa and Grammi for a few weeks.
Should be fun!
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
3 years
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| Ellie turned 3 on March 22nd! |
She is spontaneous, she changes her moods often and she is strong. Her strength is what help her out 3 years ago and continues to help her today. She still wants to be a baby at times and longs to be held and wants those cuddles. She loves to sleep. She is our child that will sleep in as long as she can. She doesn't really want to go to bed early but loves to sleep in.
Of course our life is in limbo now as it was then... this time the limbo is nothing compared to what we endured emotionally 3 years ago. But, unfourtunantly we haven't moved out of our home yet. Maybe that is good, maybe we needed a little more time here before we say goodbye. We now close on the 15th of April which I am hoping is going to stay that way. Funny as we left Children's with Ellie on the 16th of April, of course limbo continued with her for a bit as it will continue with us for a bit yet too.
Those days with Ellie in the Children's make me a better person. I realize that life isn't always sunny and 70 as it can be cloudy and rainy and to just make the best of it (I am sometimes not that good at that)
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| A quick bite for pizza... Daddy picked out the cake. |
It has made me more compasionate and has given me the empathy I need to be a better nurse. I now find it easier to be in the families shoes. In my line of work I occasionally comfort family, when a resident is on comfort cares or we have a new family arrives with a loved one who has been victim of a stroke. It is not often in LTC but it is still needed.
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| Ellie got to open a present. A Frozen swimsuit! |
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Nevaeh is 6
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| The 4 amigos! Best cousins FOREVER! |
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| Happy girls to be having lunch together! |
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| Happy 6th Birthday Nevaeh. Where does the time go? |
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| Driving the Big Rigs |
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| Nevaeh was scared at first but then had fun! |
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| The gang! |
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| Coaster looks like sooo much fun! We want to ride! |
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| Waiting for the big girls to get off the coaster. |
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| Met Nicole and Corabelle for lunch in Woodbury. Hadley loved the noodles |
This is hard
Lets be honest here... moving is hard work.
Of course extra emotion plays into all this as I am sure it is that of the unknown. We are going to live in limbo land for a while and as excited as I am about not having a mortgage or utilities for 2 months, I am sure this is harder because I don't have a new home to look forward too.
Regardless it is just plain hard to leave the home where one brought their babies through the door. It is hard to imagine not being able to host the parade party or walk uptown to the farmers market on a sunny Saturday. It is hard to think that I won't be able to put on my running shoes this spring and run the Father Hennepin loop. It is hard to leave wonderful neighbors (Joan, Bev and Bruce) who care about you. It is hard to imagine what our new routines will be like?
Of course I shake my head thinking that all this emotion is plain nuts. I should be thankful that I have this opportunity and I am. I am very excited for the future and hopefully the best is yet to come.
- Always thinking about packing. Always.
- It is messy! It is like living in clutter. EVERYWHERE
- It is stressful.
- It is heavy.
- It is EMOTIONAL
Of course extra emotion plays into all this as I am sure it is that of the unknown. We are going to live in limbo land for a while and as excited as I am about not having a mortgage or utilities for 2 months, I am sure this is harder because I don't have a new home to look forward too.
Regardless it is just plain hard to leave the home where one brought their babies through the door. It is hard to imagine not being able to host the parade party or walk uptown to the farmers market on a sunny Saturday. It is hard to think that I won't be able to put on my running shoes this spring and run the Father Hennepin loop. It is hard to leave wonderful neighbors (Joan, Bev and Bruce) who care about you. It is hard to imagine what our new routines will be like?
Of course I shake my head thinking that all this emotion is plain nuts. I should be thankful that I have this opportunity and I am. I am very excited for the future and hopefully the best is yet to come.
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
A memory...
Ummm... where do I begin? I have the world's worst memory. Really I only remember highlights. I am probably going to end up with dementia at a young age. Regardless I will try my best. Here is my purchasing house story. I am sure Robert has a way better version. He continues to this day to say that I talked him into this home. I think I was just ready to be done looking. We bought in 2004 and we started looking in the spring. We viewed several homes and they all needed a ton of work. When we stumbled across this one, it was just listed by Tara's grandma Betty. Anyway, Tara knew about it and she told us to take a look. I remember it was Kendra's graduation party the day we looked at the house. Weird to think it was that long ago. Anyway we liked that the fix up part of the home was more cosmetic and those were things we could do as we lived in the home. I don't really remember the rest of the story as far as negotiation details and so on. I do remember we had to reschedule the closing which really ticked us off because Robert had to take another day off of work. He worked in the construction industry at the time.
Of course there were things we didn't love about the home, but we had the best intentions of staying 5 years and selling. Well... that didn't happen, we stayed 10 years. It is scary to think about selling and it takes a lot of hard work. But I am so glad that we were given this opportunity to overcome our fear of selling the house. Robert's new job gave us the courage to open the door. No one likes to have people trample through their home inspecting it and criticizing. Over the past 10 years we have fixed many items but it is an older home and there are still items to address. We hope that the new owners continue to move forward with those and recognize what we did.
The past couple days we have begun the packing process. Thankfully I have a great friend who works for 3M, which benefits me to no end on the price of bubble wrap. I currently only have 30 feet left out of 100 ft. We have officially packed around 5 boxes, I am sure that is just a small portion of the total. I have concentrated on the kitchen mostly and I have given up on the baking because I hauled everything to my mom's house. This house has no flour, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla etc. I figured with the business of packing I wouldn't be baking. So it is sad to think that my last batch of cookies was made 10 days ago on that snowy Thursday. Weird!
The girls like to help with the packing. Ellie has been cutting bubble wrap and trying to wrap things. We sat down last week and had a talk about what is going on, what the boxes mean and so on. I think it helped.
Of course there were things we didn't love about the home, but we had the best intentions of staying 5 years and selling. Well... that didn't happen, we stayed 10 years. It is scary to think about selling and it takes a lot of hard work. But I am so glad that we were given this opportunity to overcome our fear of selling the house. Robert's new job gave us the courage to open the door. No one likes to have people trample through their home inspecting it and criticizing. Over the past 10 years we have fixed many items but it is an older home and there are still items to address. We hope that the new owners continue to move forward with those and recognize what we did.
The past couple days we have begun the packing process. Thankfully I have a great friend who works for 3M, which benefits me to no end on the price of bubble wrap. I currently only have 30 feet left out of 100 ft. We have officially packed around 5 boxes, I am sure that is just a small portion of the total. I have concentrated on the kitchen mostly and I have given up on the baking because I hauled everything to my mom's house. This house has no flour, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla etc. I figured with the business of packing I wouldn't be baking. So it is sad to think that my last batch of cookies was made 10 days ago on that snowy Thursday. Weird!
The girls like to help with the packing. Ellie has been cutting bubble wrap and trying to wrap things. We sat down last week and had a talk about what is going on, what the boxes mean and so on. I think it helped.
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| Post-it note ART! Guessing the yellow represents warmth. |
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| Probably get a lot more done if I pack her first! |
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| And pack her second! Just kidding! |
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Teaching Hadley about surviving the cold
So in response to the 6 year old that died Thursday morning from the -40 temps in Bemidji I feel horrible for those that loved her. Maybe the mom didn't even know it was that cold out. Who knows but reading that she was dressed for the weather makes me realize that the mom was prepared. I am not sure how their morning routine goes but on that day it wasn't routine at all. It breaks my heart and even if someone was at fault who am I to judge. It already happened and blame won't change anything.
Last night on Facebook I saw a post to the likes of "where were her parents?" I just ignored it. I also saw a post of a shared message. It was a message calling for action. To sum it up, it stated something like, ask your kid what they would do if they were in the cold? We and the schools teach our children what to do when a tornado strikes or a fire starts but we don't talk about cold weather survival.
So this morning I asked Hadley about what she would do if the bus dropped her off from school and the door to the house was locked. She said, "I would call for mom to let me in." I then said, "well mommy and daddy aren't home. For some reason there was a mix-up and you got on the bus when you were supposed to go somewhere else and now you are home and the door is locked." She said, "I would go back on the bus." This answer was very good, it made me happy but I said, "the bus is already gone. They don't usually wait around to see if the kids are inside." She looked a little puzzled and said, "I would probably have a key to the car, the white car, and I would go start the car and drive it to town and buy a phone to call you." I smiled and said, "honey you are too short to drive a car. Your legs won't reach the peddles and you will have a hard time seeing out the window. Plus, you probably wouldn't have money to buy a phone." This is where I took a break from asking her what she would do. I now explained to her that it was so cold outside. It was windy and cold. I said that our bodies can only handle extreme temperatures for so long. I asked her what she thought would happen to her if she were outside for say as long as a Dora episode in this cold windy weather. She said, "I would blow away." I said, "yes you could blow away to heaven." She looked at me and her blue eyes were huge. I again explained the temperature idea to her letting her know that even if it was too hot outside her body could get hurt from the sun, heat and warmth. I told her that our bodies are supposed to be at or near 98.6 degrees to stay functioning properly. I said if our body temperature dips down too cold or spikes way up that we could die or get really sick. So now I asked her again what would you do if you were outside in the cold and you couldn't get into the house and she didn't have an answer. I told her this was an emergency. Think outside of what you are supposed to do. This is where Robert joined the conversation. I caught him up while Hadley was listening. And, I mentioned quietly to Robert that this is where I am going to tell her to go to the neighbors house. I am not sure if she heard. I don't think so because after I reminded her again that this was an emergency and Robert said something like you need to get inside. She said, "I would find a friend like Nevaeh to help me." I said, "yes that is something you could do but Nevaeh isn't probably going to be near by. You have to think of those near you." Then she said, "I would go through the snow with my snow pants on and walk over to Joans house." We both said yes and we both told her to pound on the door hard and loud so Joan could hear her outside. Then we asked what would you do if Joan wasn't home. She was silent and looked outside the door window towards the other neighbors house. She said, "I would go to the neighbors house and she pointed." We said yes you would go to Bruce and Bev's house. Then we asked again what if they weren't home. She pointed to the other neighbors house and we shook our heads up and down. And that was it. She was done listening and learning, she ran off to play with her sister.
I made coffee and cleaned up the kitchen and wrote this blog and all the while I can see why we give our 5 and 6 year old cell phones and teach them how to use them. And, I am thinking about wherever we move too I am going to make damn well sure I meet the neighbors.
Last night on Facebook I saw a post to the likes of "where were her parents?" I just ignored it. I also saw a post of a shared message. It was a message calling for action. To sum it up, it stated something like, ask your kid what they would do if they were in the cold? We and the schools teach our children what to do when a tornado strikes or a fire starts but we don't talk about cold weather survival.
So this morning I asked Hadley about what she would do if the bus dropped her off from school and the door to the house was locked. She said, "I would call for mom to let me in." I then said, "well mommy and daddy aren't home. For some reason there was a mix-up and you got on the bus when you were supposed to go somewhere else and now you are home and the door is locked." She said, "I would go back on the bus." This answer was very good, it made me happy but I said, "the bus is already gone. They don't usually wait around to see if the kids are inside." She looked a little puzzled and said, "I would probably have a key to the car, the white car, and I would go start the car and drive it to town and buy a phone to call you." I smiled and said, "honey you are too short to drive a car. Your legs won't reach the peddles and you will have a hard time seeing out the window. Plus, you probably wouldn't have money to buy a phone." This is where I took a break from asking her what she would do. I now explained to her that it was so cold outside. It was windy and cold. I said that our bodies can only handle extreme temperatures for so long. I asked her what she thought would happen to her if she were outside for say as long as a Dora episode in this cold windy weather. She said, "I would blow away." I said, "yes you could blow away to heaven." She looked at me and her blue eyes were huge. I again explained the temperature idea to her letting her know that even if it was too hot outside her body could get hurt from the sun, heat and warmth. I told her that our bodies are supposed to be at or near 98.6 degrees to stay functioning properly. I said if our body temperature dips down too cold or spikes way up that we could die or get really sick. So now I asked her again what would you do if you were outside in the cold and you couldn't get into the house and she didn't have an answer. I told her this was an emergency. Think outside of what you are supposed to do. This is where Robert joined the conversation. I caught him up while Hadley was listening. And, I mentioned quietly to Robert that this is where I am going to tell her to go to the neighbors house. I am not sure if she heard. I don't think so because after I reminded her again that this was an emergency and Robert said something like you need to get inside. She said, "I would find a friend like Nevaeh to help me." I said, "yes that is something you could do but Nevaeh isn't probably going to be near by. You have to think of those near you." Then she said, "I would go through the snow with my snow pants on and walk over to Joans house." We both said yes and we both told her to pound on the door hard and loud so Joan could hear her outside. Then we asked what would you do if Joan wasn't home. She was silent and looked outside the door window towards the other neighbors house. She said, "I would go to the neighbors house and she pointed." We said yes you would go to Bruce and Bev's house. Then we asked again what if they weren't home. She pointed to the other neighbors house and we shook our heads up and down. And that was it. She was done listening and learning, she ran off to play with her sister.
I made coffee and cleaned up the kitchen and wrote this blog and all the while I can see why we give our 5 and 6 year old cell phones and teach them how to use them. And, I am thinking about wherever we move too I am going to make damn well sure I meet the neighbors.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Homemade
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| Pounding the dough |
I looked up the recipe for noodle and it was simply eggs and flour. Our noodles consisted of 3 eggs and 1.5 cups of flour. I mixed it with my hands and then the fun of pounding, kneading and picking at it began. Ellie wanted in on the action.
Another note to the picture is the wall in the kitchen. When we moved into our home in 2004 I painted those squares on the wall in blue and green and then added cream lines. I got the idea from my mom because she had done that in a previous home. Many times guests would mistake it for real tile. After tens years here I am ready for a new look on the kitchen walls but I guess I will leave that up to the buyers!
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| Tasting the sauce |
Of course one can't make homemade sauce and then not taste it as it simmers. Hadley wanted in on this process. She loves spaghetti and her take on the sauce was that it was a little spicy. I guess I let the 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes slip a little!
The dough rested on the counter for an hour and after we rolled it super thin. Well as thin as we could get it. Both of the girls helped.
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| Rolling it as thin as we can |
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| Rolling... Ellie please don't cut it yet! |
Hadley rolled the dough and didn't want to stop to pose for a picture. So we got an action shot!
We cut the noodles with a pizza cutter. We didn't have one noodle that looked alike but we tried. We added them into a bowl and kept cutting. This process was done mainly by me but the girls each helped cut one. They also helped put the noodles in the bowl.
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| Left over noodles |
Then it was time to cook the noodle. I put them in boiling salted water and cooked until soft. The recipe stated 2 minutes but it was more like 5 minutes and the noodles were perfect. Slightly firmish and not too mushy. We had enough for all of us to eat plus this left over for Robert to take for lunch.
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| Yummy |
Hadley loves loves spaghetti and she enjoyed the noodles, sauce and veggie. She had to pose for me with a noodle in her mouth and she was concentrating pretty hard hence the lack of a smile!
I am pleased with the turnout of our first homemade noodles. I have always wanted to make them. They are easy but do require some labor. But worth it. Hopefully someday I can purchase a pasta maker, that would save a ton of time. The cutting process is a bit long with a pizza cutter. Regardless I look forward to making again and again.
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