Pictures

My little beauty.

Sitting with "Baby Pink"

This is the cute dress she wore to the funeral on Tuesday.

This is the cute dress her baby wore to the funeral on Tuesday.

Just chatting

Duane's in Oooooooooooklahoma, where the wind goes sweeping down the plain! Which means sleepless nights for me (and therefore, Emma), because I'm certain that there are creepy bad guys lurking in every room of the house just waiting for me to fall asleep. Sigh. There was a lot of Jay Leno on in the middle of the night!!

Conversation during dinner last night:
(Dani pointing to Duane's work folder)
D: Is that Daddy's book?
Me: Yup.
D: Don't touch it? Daddy will get very mad at you.
Me: Okay.
D: Is Daddy a sneaky fox?
Me: Uh, what?
D: Is Daddy a sneaky fox like Swiper?
(Swiper is the fox on Dora)
Me: I don't think so.
D: Ya, Daddy's a sneaky fox.
Me: Okay.

Conversation during breakfast this morning:
D: What time is it?
Me: It's... (interrupted)
D: Is it 31? Is it 31 4?
Me: No. It's 7.
D: What time is it?
Me: It's 7.
D: O'clock?
Me: Yes, 7 O'clock.
D: Then it's time for juice.
(five minutes later...)
D: Mommy, do you remember me?
Me: Of course I remember you!
D: You remember me??!!

My days are never dull! :)

Mom's are GREAT!

Happy Mothers Day!!!
We just got back from a lovely trip to Bottineau. We got to go out with some friends last night and had a great time. Unfortunately we forgot we're no longer 21 years old, and our old bodies can't handle that stuff anymore! But even on our 4 1/2 hours of sleep we had a great Mothers Day.
Danica had a wonderful time in Bottineau as well. In fact, as we pulled into Minot and turned the corner to our street, she through a great big tantrum. She realized we weren't going to Grammy's house, and she did not approve of that decision. A few minutes, some milk and some Dora fixed the situation.
(And yes, I forgot my camera again)

Racing

Ready, Set...

Random pics

We had a really fun day outside yesterday. Finally SUMMER IS HERE!!!

It was a great family time for us. Until the weird kids next door came over and freaked us out. Of course the neighborhood weirdos live right next door to us. Luckily Dani is too young to know they're wackos, so she had a great time.

Looking pretty tough!

Here's our little sausage. I think it's about time we put these jammies away!

One of her many outfits. She's been changing clothes about 10-12 times a day now. She just goes into her drawers and picks out whatever strikes her fancy. Here's one of her most recent choices.

GOSH!

Danica was just going to go behind the couch and I told her not to. She looked at me with a crinkled forehead and said, "Gosh Mama, you're crazy!" I said WHAT??? Again, "Gosh, Mama, you're really crazy!!" I paused for a few minutes trying to think of where she'd heard that, and she said, "Stop it Mama!! I TOLD you! Gosh!"

No house and nice legs

Are you having blog withdrawls? Sorry about the absence of updates... it's been one of those weeks.
FYI - our house deal in Green Bay fell through, so we could use some prayers that another couple comes along to put in an offer soon.

On a cuter note, this morning I was putting my shoes on to go to the gym. Dani started rubbing my leg and said, "Ooh Mommy, I like your legs! You have nice legs Mommy!!" I didn't have the heart to tell her that I do not in fact have nice legs, that it's just her biased opinion, and she really hasn't seen anyone else's legs to compare to mine. I just said thank you. :)

Hopefully we'll get our heads out of our rears soon and start taking more pictures and videos to post.

Praise praise praise!!

I was just folding clothes in the bedroom and Dani asked me to lift her xylophone onto the bed. I put it up there for her and she said, "Oh, thank you Mommy! You did such a good job Mommy! What a big girl and what a big helper Mommy!!!" I think maybe she'll be a great Mom some day.

Points to ponder

I know it's kind of long, but it's very interesting. The last paragraph being the most powerful I think.

Nicole Lamarche, Miss California 2003 and now an ordained minister at Cotuit Federated Church in Cotuit, Mass, is speaking out.

She says:
"As a pastor and a former Miss California, I am often asked to interpret what the Word of God has to say on a particular subject. I am quite confident that God prefers that we human beings stick to speaking for ourselves. And yet there are occasions when God’s Word is used as a weapon, and I feel compelled to speak.

In the past few days, much has been made of the words of Miss California USA, Carrie Prejean. She stated that marriage is between a man and a woman. I write not in response to her opinion, but rather about her comments that followed: that the Bible condones her words. She said, 'It's not about being politically correct, it's about being biblically correct.' While this sentiment is shared by many who seek to condemn gay people and gay marriage, citing pieces of the Bible to further one’s own prejudice fails to meet the Bible on its own terms.

Most people seeking to condemn gay people point to the Book of Leviticus, where we read that men lying with men is an abomination. However, we rarely hear of other verses found in the book of Leviticus that are equally challenging. For example, Leviticus also tells us that eating shrimp and lobster is an abomination. And that a person should not wear material woven of two kinds of material—an impossible mandate for a pageant contestant!

In Paul’s letter to the community in Corinth we read, ‘For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church….’ And yet these words have not prevented Christian denominations from ordaining women, such as myself. Sadly, the Bible has been used to further prejudice throughout history. We have used it to permit ourselves to enslave people; to conquer and kill; and to denigrate the earth.

The truth is that it is difficult to know for sure the intentions of the biblical authors, but we do know something about God. Those of us who know God through Jesus of Nazareth know that he went to great lengths to express God’s love to people who were labeled as outcasts. He spent time with children, prostitutes, and lepers, all of whom were labeled as outside of the grasp of the Holy. As we continue to seek God’s vision for us as a nation grounded in a love for justice, I pray that we might move closer to the cause of grace.”

Outside fun!

I just realized I haven't shared in a while. And I wish I had cuz there were so many funny things that've happened, and of course they fall right out of my head after a couple hours if I don't write them down.
One conversation that I do remember:
(Getting ready to go to the gym the other day... putting on my shoes)
D: I like your new shoes Mommy!
Me: Thanks honey!
D: Did you buy them at Target?
Me: (chuckle) No, I didn't get them at Target.
D: Where did you buy your new shoes, Mommy?
Me: I got them at Sears.
D: At Sears? Is that by Daddy?
Me: Um, I guess. It's in the mall and the mall is by Daddy's work.
D: Ya, Sears is by Daddy. I like your new Sears shoes Mommy!!
Me: Thanks honey.

We went to the playground at Oak Park a couple nights ago. Dani had so much fun sliding and swinging and running. Some of the other kids got a kick out of her because she's such a mother hen. When another kid would be climbing a ladder or something Dani would say, "Is she okay? Is she okay?" Then once the kid got up by her, "It's okay. You're okay." Then she'd hold out her hand to help the kid to the slide. Too sweet! These are kids that are 6, 7, 8 years old by the way. ??? Apparently it looked very dangerous for them to be on those ladders.
She also got her first little boyfriend. A blonde curly haired little daredevil that I must say I do not approve of. He was a very bad influence... trying to get her up ladders that were way too big for her. Next he'll be offering her vodka and cigarettes! Sheesh!

Fun weekend

Duane and I had a great weekend. The comedian was really funny, and the whole weekend was just lovely. Thanks Grammy and Papa for babysitting! Danica had so much fun, I'm still hearing all about it! Today she told me all about riding in Papa's car.
As they drove away yesterday she started crying (which she normally doesn't do) and she said, "I love Grammy and Papa." Awwwww!!

Who's the boss?

MMMM, tomato soup and grilled cheese is a great lunch for a cloudy day!

The other day Duane and I were fighting (tickling and pushing) for the chair. Dani said to us, "Take turns guys, share!"

Yesterday she came into the living room, looked around, and said, "Oh my gosh!! Dis is ridiculous! Look at dis mess!! OH MY GOSH!!"

Where does she get it?! Certainly not me! :)

Girls playing

These two had a great time together. Here they are playing hide and seek in the pack-n-play. I caught the tail end of it so they were running out of steam, but you can still hear Hannah giggling while she's "hiding."

Itchy bunny stuff (as Hannah says)

Easter stuff

Easter pics

What a cutie pie!!

We tried getting one with Emma... didn't quite work out.

Who's that creepy guy sitting next to me?

The three stooges

The five stooges?

Adam, Jaycie and Brenna (smiliest baby in the world)

Almost had all of them looking!

Unfortunately we didn't get a picture of Wyat, Carissa and Hannah together... next time. We all had a great Easter and it was so fun to all be together again (except Jared, he had to work). Dani and Hannah are finally at the age where they can play together. It was nice to see them running and giggling all weekend. Soon Brenna will be joining them!!

Thanks for a great Easter everyone!

Oh jeez!

It's 10:30 at night, we're locked out of our bathroom, and we both have to pee.

Wheeee!!!

This reminds me of a very funny Cosby Show episode.

Play, play, play, that's all you do!

Daddy fell for the sweet "pleeeaaasssee!" and brought in Dani's tricycle the other day.

Trying to lure Emma into her fort.

She's not falling for it.

Good memory

For those of you who are interested in reading a VERY funny mom blogger, check out this site:
www.dooce.com

Dani and I stopped at the grocery store on our way home from the gym this morning. It's a store that we haven't visitted in a couple weeks. Last time we were there, the older gentleman that bags groceries tried talking to Danica. And those of you who know her well know that she of course flipped out and screamed bloody murder.... always fun for me in public. So we had a little talk about it being okay to talk to men while she's with Mommy.
This time he did not try talking to her (learned his lesson I guess). As we pulled the cart away from him and his bagging, she said to me, "It's okay Mommy, he's a good guy."

Orange ya glad I didn't say Banana?

Dani and I were just having some oranges for a snack. Hers was cut into pieces and mine was cut into 8 wedges. After a few minutes she looked at my plate and said, "Mommy eating a orange just like Danica?" I said yup. She said, "You have 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 oranges Mommy?" I said huh? She said, "You have 8 oranges." I said, "Well ya, I guess I do." She said, "Well, that's good."
Either she's rainman or that was a really good guess.

Karma, is that you?

I finally got around to washing Danica's coat yesterday. It was so nice and sparkly clean! Then this morning as we were walking from the YMCA to the car, I had just let go of her hand to get the keys out, and she fell in a mud puddle. What is that???

Ads

Okay, don't freak out. It's just something I'm trying. I'm sure you'll notice there are ads on my blog now. I'm not even sure how I would get paid for this (maybe just people c licking on it, maybe some other way?). I'm just gonna try it for a bit - I've heard of others doing it and making a few extra bucks from it. If nothing comes of it, I'll take it back off.

Caffeine

Up at 11 with no sleepies in sight. I knew those M&Ms were a mistake after dinner. Damn the chocolate... DAMN ALL THE CHOCOLATE!!!

What a kid

I was just getting ready to go to the gym and I asked Dani what she wanted to wear today. Her answer:
"Um, clothes and diapes, and jammies, and maraca, and peaches."
Alrighty!!!
A few minutes later she came in the bathroom and said, "MOMMY!" (very accusationally).
"What?"
"I told you!"
"You told me what?"
(She throws the brush on the floor).
"I told you to pick up put away!!!"
And she storms out of the room with her sternest look and hands on hips.

Eeewwwww!

Well, as I was finishing my last post, Dani came in here with her hand held out and said, "That's tasty!"
I said, "What's tasty?"
"That's num-num, poop."
"WHAT??!!"
"On da finger."
"Did you stick your hand in your diaper?"
"Ya, that's num-num poop."
(Oh dear God)
Yes, we rushed to the bathroom and washed her hands well, all the while giving a lecture on how yucky that is... I'm sure she wasn't listening to a word of it however, cuz soap is so much fun!
Luckily I had just changed her poopy diaper so her bum was nice and clean, but still!!!

Lessons everywhere

I got pulled over for speeding on our way to the gym this morning. As the nice lady cop was walking slowly and cautiously up to the car, I though, "Well, I guess it's okay... I definitely deserve it."
It's amazing what a friendly smile and an apology will do. After checking my plates, she let me off with a very nice warning and thanked me for wearing my seat belt.
It got me thinking, that's really what we all want from someone when they do something wrong. No grumpiness, no arguing, no excuses, no ignoring the problem, no defensiveness, no justification (every one else does it), just a smile and a genuine apology, "Yes, I did it, I shouldn't have, I'm very sorry, and I'll try not to do it again."
Wouldn't we all be much more forgiving with each other?

Baptism

Here are some pictures from Brenna's baptism a couple weekends ago. Nice shiny face Mommy... sweat much?

Fun with Grandpa.

Visions of many duets to come!

Too bad we weren't smart enough to get a picture of all 3 girls together... next time!

Weekend fun

Duane and I had a surprise birthday party to go to in Williston this weekend, so Grandma and Ali came to babysit and play. Looks like a great time was had by all!

Kinda look like twins, don't they?

Oh, so cute!

Thanks a billion for coming to help guys! Dani had a great time and is still talking about you both!

And we had a great time also. It's so nice to be out and have a good time knowing our precious gems are in good hands. We actually slept until 9:00!!! I haven't done that in about 4 years!

Daddy fun

Danica is so blessed to have such a great Daddy.

Dora tunnel

Emma tried to get away from the madness.

It didn't work.

Week of fun

We're back home! For those of you avid readers wondering where we've been - we were in Bottineau all week. Averie and Tate came to visit and we went to help take care of them while everyone was at work. It was a GREAT week. They were so well behaved and were so good with Danica. Averie especially was a wonderful little mother hen, and her help made it very easy for me to watch 3 kids.
I'm very upset however, because I forgot my camera... AGAIN!!!! Danica had the absolute best time of her life and I didn't get to capture any of it. Boo hiss Mommy!!!! I've never seen her so happy and active. I'm really glad we got to spend some time with them, and only wish we could see them more!
Here's hoping and praying that they have a safe trip back home tomorrow.

Joy

I was just getting Dani a glass of orange juice, and she put her hand on my leg, looked up at me and said, "I love my Mom."

Snoring

Dani was up on my bed today while I was vaccuuming. Because she said, "Mommy's scared!" When I got done vaccuuming I heard snoring and sure enough she was napping. If you turn up your sounds you can hear her snore.

Goofy girl

That's quite an outfit she put together today! She found her Dora pullups and decided she's got to have those on over her diaper today. So she's got a very bulky bum!!

Pigtail fun!

Just Tuesday

I've noticed a very pregnant lady at the gym every day and have been curious about her. Today she was at the machine beside me so I asked when she's due. Next Thursday was her answer. Then I looked at how much weight she was lifting with her legs... it was nearly double the weight I do on the same machine. Sigh... I told her she was an inspiration. She said it was either the gym or be at home shoving her face with food. I remember when I had a week to go in my pregnancy. I was NOT at the gym. I was barely even walking. It took a fork lift to get me from the couch to the kitchen to get another cookie.
Then I looked up and saw an 80 year old man wearing the very same sweatshirt I have - my favorite sweatshirt in fact.
It's gonna be that kind of day.

Bottineau

Danica just started putting on her shoes and said, "We're going to Bottineau! Get ready to go to Bottineau!!" Then started singing (to the tune of Frère Jacques), "Where is Bottineau, where is Bottineau, here I am! Here I am!" What a character.

Too smart

Yesterday Dani and I were listening to music while we were eating lunch. Jason Mraz came on and we were bopping our heads to it. It's the same song I have as my ring tone on my cell phone. A very cute conversation ensued:
Dani: Just like Mommy's phone!
Me: Yes it is! Are you so smart???
Dani: Yes!
Me: How come you're so smart?
Dani: Cuz I'm 2! (With 2 fingers up in the air).
Me: You're smart cuz you're 2?
Dani: Ya, I'm 2... How old are you? You're one.
Now, I'm not sure, but I think she may have been trying to tell me I'm stupid.

Dancing with THE Star

She's loving Dancing With the Stars. She gets those hands in position and dances the night away.

Huh?

This one she's trying desperately to think of something to say.

Draw you?

At the time I thought she was saying, "Draw a U." But she's actually saying, "Draw you." She calls herself you, so she was wanting to draw a picture of herself like I did.

Our week

Cleaning off Mommy's masterpiece.

Fun with bath colors.

During one of the many times I had to wash my bedding this week, Dani found herself a little cocoon of sheets and pillows.

@#%* $%&!!

I'm washing my nice clean bedding... AGAIN! And I mean ALL my bedding. It seems that a certain someone had diarhea, and as I walked into the bedroom to take care of the situation (the smell had wafted out into the living room, you see), that certain someone jumped and landed on her butt, squirting rank diarhea out the sides of her diaper and onto my NICE CLEAN BEDDING!!!! Somehow the squirt was powerful enough to get on the sheet, the fitted sheet, the quilt, the mattress pad, and all the pillow cases. How is that even possible????
The worst part is that the smell has taken over every inch of the house - there's no escaping it. Febreeze has no powers against this evil force, and unfortunately it's negative a million degrees outside so I can't open the windows.
Someone upstairs is messing with me and enjoying every second of it!
Ugh, I have a stink headache.

Perspective

I get daily inspiriations on my facebook page and I thought today's was very good. It's a little long, but read all the way through. It's so true:

Everything is amazing & nobody is happy.
I recently saw a comedian (Louis CK) on Conan O’Brien. He went off on a bit about how everything’s amazing and nobody is happy. You can find it on YouTube…Louis CK talks about how funny it is how we get impatient when our cell phone calls don’t go through automatically – because it gets sent TO SPACE and we won’t even give it a second. He pokes fun at how we used to be frustrated with a rotary telephone when someone’s phone number had a zero in it…and it took far too long to turn…
He then mentions how horrible people’s flying stories are. “It was the worst day of my life. First of all we didn’t board for 20 minutes! And then they made us sit there! On the runway! For 40 minutes we had to sit there!”Louis CK says, “So what happened next? Did you fly, through the air, incredibly? Like a bird, did you take part in the miracle of human flight? Everybody on every plane should just be going “OH MY GOSH! WOW!” You’re sitting in a chair – in the SKY.”I like that perspective.
How amazing are things like cell phones or airplanes? Geez, do we take most of the things in our life for granted.And take a look – take a serious look around. We have more at our fingertips than any other generation has ever had…ever. We don’t use things like encyclopedias anymore – we just google. If we want to get somewhere 1,000 miles away, it doesn’t take 5 years – it takes 3 hours. Heck, I even have a remote control sitting next to me – back in the day somebody had to walk up to the tv to change the channel – and I can’t imagine that horror…
God himself has gifted us with intelligence and resources beyond belief, and we let it complicate our lives. We are so spoiled. I recently led a trip of high school students out to Bozeman, MT to do some skiing & snowboarding. One of the kids had lived in Fargo his whole life – and up until a month before the trip had never even been to Minneapolis. I watched his eyes light up as he gazed out of the bus window and took in the Rocky Mountains for the first time. The Rocky Mountains are amazing – and he took notice. His innocence inspired me to take in God’s majesty with new, unspoiled eyes.
Everything is amazing. Technology & advancements – family – friends – education – science – mountains – sunsets – love – pets – church – entertainment – microwaves – and so much more. It’s all wickedly amazing.If everything’s amazing, then why aren’t we happy? Maybe we need to recognize the root of what deserves our glory…Give glory to God for all His incredible doings. In Psalm 138:5 we read, “May they sing the ways of the Lord, for the glory of the Lord is GREAT.”
See this world through innocent, new eyes today. Everything really is amazing, and I want to be happy.
Erik Hatch

Yum yum!

We went today to visit Grandma Doris in the hospital. She had surgery yesterday for an intestinal obstuction, but is doing well now and on her way to recovery. While we were there it started to snow and storm (which was odd because it was warm as spring today). So on our way home we decided (Duane decided) to stop at the Dairy Queen because that's where you stop when it's blizzarding outside and you're on a diet, which we are. Oh the guilt!! The oddest part was that there was a line of about 5 cars waiting at the drive thru. Only in North Dakota!!

Cuteness

Interesting outfit she put together.

Grammy showed her how to paint!

Such a good little artist.

Cheese!

Oh, hugs. She's been such a good Mommy lately. Her baby gets fed often, gets walked around in her stroller all day, gets her diaper changed and gets lots of hugs and kisses.

HOLY SMOKE! What's cuter than this??

Kisses!

More kisses.

Even more kisses.

Dani had lots of fun with Grammy spending the night last night. We had lots of tri-generational giggles. Thanks for visiting Grammy!!

Thundercats go!

Operation Wean From the Blankie has begun. Phase one is a go.
We left her best friend, Blankie, home today when we went to the gym. There were a few tears, but it was quickly forgotten, and she already seemed like more of a big girl. I was surprised to find that upon getting home she didn't run to look for it immediately either... a good sign maybe?
After phase one is completed and there are no more tears when we leave without dear Blankie, we'll start phase two. Blankie will only rear it's yellow head at naptime and bedtime. It will be an in-the-crib-only friend. There may be a couple exeptions when boo-boos happen... I'll keep you posted.

We've been having fun looking at houses. Danica especially loves it. I have to chase her down any time we're going to leave a house. I think that's a sign she's ready to get out of this place. Our realtor's name is Julie, so anytime we look at a house Dani says, "Go to Julie's house?" She must think Julie has a LOT of houses!!

Skip-a-dee-doo-dah

Danica was singing and playing ring around the rosie in the living room. All out of breath she says, "Dis time, let's skip! Skip around the rosie, pocket full of posies, ashes, ashes, we all fall down!"
HUH?? How does she even know what skipping is?

Phone calls

Duane called me yesterday evening when I was doing dishes. I answered and he was asking in a very hurried and worried voice if I was okay. Well, of course I was okay, was my answer. Apparently he called my cell phone and Dani answered. Here's how it all went down:
Duane: hello?
(no answer)
Duane: hello?
(no answer)
(click, she hung up the phone)
So he tried calling back again:
Dani: Hello?
Duane: Hi sweetpea! How's my girl?
Dani: Good.
Duane: (thinking I'm right there telling her what to say) What are you doing?
Dani: Nothing.
Duane: (not hearing me whisper to her, he wonders) Where's Mommy?
(no answer)
Duane: Danica, where's Mommy?
(click)
So Duane was thinking I was lying dead on the floor or something and was about to rush home. Turns out I can't hear my cell phone when I'm doing dishes.
I guess we'll have to teach Dani to bring me the phone when she answers it!

Fun with markers

What a sweet girl.

We played with our new markers today!

This is what I get for doing dishes while she colors in the other room.