Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to everyone!  It has been an exciting time around our house - it has been a fun Christmas season.  It has been so much fun getting to do many new and different things with Maddie.  And she is actually enjoying it this time around!  :)  Each time we do something different than our ordinary activities, I hear her say,"I like doing these things with you, Mom."  It warms my heart!  So far, we have made Christmas cards, dipped pretzels in chocolate, and made cut-out cookies.  I heard of a good way to let kids "paint" cookies by mixing egg white with food coloring . That alone kept Maddie busy for at least a half an hour!  Wonderful!  Norah even got into the action, using her little rolling pin, and of course eating the dough.

Other things we have enjoyed this Christmas season have been trying to teach our girls the importance of giving and serving others.  I realize it's not clicking with Maddie quite yet....but it's never too early to start.  This past week, we were invited by some people at church, to go caroling with them at a nursing home and assisted living.  There were many kids to help sing, which the residents loved to see.  Maddie just kinda stood by our side, singing maybe to jingle bells, but it's beginning to seem like Norah is going to be our little entertainer.  She would go right out in front with a big smile on her face, swing her arms, and dance a little.  I even found her in a resident's lap at one point!  She's not too shy!  We had a nice time, and look forward to making caroling a tradition.

AND since I haven't blogged in forever, here are some things we did in November, just to catch you up!  Maddie turned 3 years old!  I can't believe how fast my little girl is growing up.  She had a lovely family birthday party, as her friend's one was cancelled because she came down with the stomach flu.  (We all have had it since then....it's been a winter of lots of illness already....bummer.)  We spent a few days in Mankato visiting Kelly and Brian after Thanksgiving.  We are anxiously awaiting to see if Maddie and Norah will have a baby boy or a baby girl cousin, at the end of January!  So excited!  I celebrated my 27th birthday, December 3rd.  I'm getting old!  I think that's about it!

We are enjoying this Christmas season and filled with our joy at the many blessings God has given us.  We have much to be thankful for.  Praying your Christmas is filled with hope, joy, and peace as well!  Maybe in the new year, I'll get better at keeping up with our blog.

Can a day get more perfect??

Today, our family took advantage of the free tickets you can pick up at the library to some favorite places around Duluth, and took the drive up to Split Rock Lighthouse.  I hadn't been up there since I was in middle school, and Brandon hadn't ever had a tour of it.  It was a gorgeous fall day - a great day for a drive, especially when it was so peaceful with 2 sleeping little girls!!  :)  It was such a special day, after a busy week of hardly seeing one another.  We hiked around the lighthouse a bit and took in the beautiful scenery.

We tried to stop at Betty's Pie for some tasty pie, but of course, it was packed to the brim.  I was pretty disappointed, as it's been a few years since I've gotten to eat some pie there.  Oh well!  But then we went to Menards and ran into my dad, who took us out for ice cream at McDonalds!  We were parked right next to each other at Menards - how crazy is that?  It was icing on the cake to run into him.  Then we went for a walk in the woods, where Brandon is doing some hunting this fall.  Beautiful fall day - I think it's peak leaf changing time right now.  Thank you God, for such a perfect!

Slumber Party!

On Friday night, the girls and I experienced their first ever slumber party with their pals!  I know - sounds crazy! It was!  My good friend Christy, whose husband was out of town for the weekend, invited me and our other good friend, Jenny, over to her house for a slumber party.  Christy has 2 girls - Ella (3) and Isabel (1), and Jenny has Zander (almost 3) and Aubrey (1).  So our kids are all very close in age and LOVE each other.  It was an adventure - and very little sleep was had by all, but it was still fun.  Maddie thought it was pretty great getting to sleep over at her friend's house.  I don't think we'll be doing it again soon, but I don't regret it!  I had a great time with my dear friends.  Here are some pictures of the kiddos and you can check out Maddie, Zander, and Ella's music video.  Pretty sweet.

The one year olds - Norah, Aubrey, Isabel

Maddie & Norah, Zander & Aubrey, Ella & Isabel

Mad chaos!!

Fall is here in Duluth!

I just love fall in Duluth. It makes me feel all warm and cozy inside. Our household kinda gets revved up for the new activities and routines that come with fall. The girls aren't in school yet, but we kind of get into a good rhythm around here with our fall schedule/activities. It's busy, but a good busy. It's been awhile since I've posted - so here's what we've been up to around here!

We were all a part of our best friend's wedding, September 4th.  Emily and Ryan Schlimmer are now married!  It was a beautiful day - couldn't be happier for them.  Maddie was the flower girl, which she absolutely adored.

Ryan & Emily's wedding, 9/4/10

Maddie & Mrs. Emily Schlimmer

Maddie started swimming lessons last week. She goes into the pool with Daddy and is learning how to do "scoops" with her hands while swimming on her front, the back float, and putting her face under water. It has been challenging and stretching for her, but I know one day she will be thankful for these lessons, just as I am to my parents for making me do them when I was young!! She loves being in the water, but is pretty tentative about learning these new things. Other things with Maddie is she is loving that we are going to school now - as we attend Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) classes and she gets to go to MOPS and play with other kids in the childcare area. She is a social butterfly! She wakes up every morning and says - "What are we doing today, Mom?" I think I've created a monster with her - because when she was a baby, I was such a do-er; now I want her to be content to be home at least one full day a week! I am happy she enjoys being with other children though. She truly is a little social butterfly!

Maddie and some of her buddies - Zander & Ella

Norah is walking like crazy now; she started walking at about 13 months, at the beginning of August. She loves being on the go, and I actually love it as well. It keeps her much more occupied, and her and Maddie spend more time playing together, since she can keep up with Maddie more. She continues to be a very happy child. She now loves to look at and read (babble) books. She is just how Maddie was at that age. She'll sit in the little rocking chair, open a book, and start chatting away, like she's really reading the words on the page. I love that both of my girls love to read. Such a great activity! Norah is down to just one nap a day - she's growing up! She is saying things like dada, momma, uh-oh, up, down, yes, no, and she'll bark like a puppy anytime she sees one. My little baby is growing up quickly! I can see how youngest children can get babied....you just want them to stay that way forever! Her and Maddie are great friends.

Norah at 14 months, Sept. 2010

I thought this comment was really sweet today. So, Norah is now trying to push the envelope with me - seeing what she'll get in trouble with, etc. Well, the big thing is throwing her food on the floor. She was doing it today at lunch, and Maddie said to her, "Norah, we can't throw our food on the floor. Jesus wants us to be kind to others." :) I guess she is hearing the things we say to her!! That's great! Those are my most favorite moments.

Big news for Brandon - he shot 2 deer last weekend, on the opening day of bowhunting! So he was busy on Sunday, butchering a deer for the first time, on his own. We are happy to have meat in the freezer! Brandon's job continues to be a huge blessing. He just got home from a business trip Tuesday night. I am so thankful he doesn't have to travel much, but can't complain when he does - because he has such a great job!

The groom, Ryan, and best man, Brandon

I of course stay awfully busy with the girls and don't get to do much of my own thing, hence why I cannot ever get a post on my blog, but lately I have been trying to pick away at my scrapbook. I also am in a book club, which I enjoy one night a month, mostly because of the time with the other women and it gets me to read books I might not usually read! I am going to be a table leader for MOPS this year, which I'm nervous yet excited about. Late this summer, I joined a women's running group. We meet 3 mornings a week at 5:30 a.m. and run about 4-5 miles. It is exhausting and has stretched me, especially with the getting up so early thing, but it feels so good when I'm done! I am also going to be doing a women's Bible study. We are doing a Beth Moore study on Esther. Can't wait for that!

Actually got a picture taken of the two of us!  That doesn't happen much these days!

Well, this post has gotten long, but hopefully I've updated you all a bit on our lives!

Visiting our good friends in Fargo, end of August
Paul, Krisanne, and Jonah

Spending time with Crowleys and Kinnicks in Fargo - love them and miss them!

Norah is ONE

My little baby is not a baby anymore. She turned one last week! So hard to believe. She is certainly at a fun age - chatting away all the time, really close to walking, giggling with her sister, and making the silliest faces to make people laugh. I love it. She is a joy! Happy Birthday, Norah! Love you

An update

It's hard to believe, but in less than a week, Norah is turning one year old! I can't believe how fast this first year of hers has gone by. It is fun to see her getting close to walking. She is a chatterbox and adores her sister. I am looking forward to celebrating her birthday! Her big party is on Sunday. I'll post some updated pictures now - it has been awhile. I just don't seem to have much time or energy to write anything on here lately. Summer is supposed to be a more slow time, and every year, I expect it to be....but then a million things always come up. We are enjoying our summer so far. We are getting in some good family time and have a few camping vacations planned. I am looking forward to those. Brandon got our house re-roofed with lots of friends and family. It was a huge project, but looks great and feels wonderful to have done.
Hope you all are enjoying your summers too!

Easter fun

We had a blessed Easter celebrating our risen Christ! We shared the true meaning of Easter with Maddie and now when we talk about why we celebrate, she says, "Jesus!" I love it. Blesses my heart. We had a great day celebrating with family. My Aunt Lynn and two of her boys, Jonathan and David, were there, as well as my grandparents. It was great catching up with Lynn, as we don't get to see her very often. Maddie enjoyed an Easter egg hunt in the yard, though I hid too many eggs, as she quickly lost interest. I kinda forgot about that short attention span!! It was a relaxing day. The girls looked beautiful in their new dresses from grandma. Norah crawled all over my parent's livingroom. Pretty soon I'm going to have to be watching her like a hawk, because she'll be getting into everything! Here are some pictures from the day!