.

Catching up....

2012-01-27T11:26:00.000-06:00

It has been a crazy couple of weeks. Jules and I went back to Iowa on Sunday the 15th and were there for 5 days. Even though the circumstances for why we were there were sad and hard to deal with, it was SO nice to be with family.

My sister Lauren and her husband Cody came up from Texas on Sunday too and it was SO GREAT to see them. It had been almost a year and that was too long! We were able to spend all of Tuesday with them and we had a blast together.

It snowed Monday night while we were there and Cody (being a southern boy and all) had never seen that much snow. He was up by 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday and outside playing in it and DYING to drive his new 4 wheel drive truck in it!!!! We indulged him and let him take us all to breakfast at a local diner. :) The most hilarious part of the day was that he doesn't get cold very easily, so he bummed around town that day in his Texas gear - shorts and a t-shirt! We got some strange looks, but he thought it was great! Courtney joined us for lunch that day and then it was the Three Bush Sisters, a husband and one child. Watchout world!! We laughed so much and had a great time - especially when we all almost went down in the icy parking lot of a restaurant and then Courtney bit it big time taking Jules down with her. If I wasn't laughing so hard, I would have tried to help her. :) Good times! Drew came into town Tuesday night and we all went out to dinner after the visitation. It was great to see our husbands together and getting along so well. We are both so blessed to have such wonderful husbands who love us more than anything. It makes me tear up seeing how much Cody loves Lauren and how great they are together!

On Wednesday Jan. 18th was Grandpa's funeral. It was seriously one of the most beautiful services I have ever been to. Lauren and I were honored to be asked to read 2 passages from the Bible during the service. I thought I could do it, but broke down mid-way through, but managed to finish my reading. It was just so tough knowing we had just seen him the month before and now he was gone.

I am so thankful for the time we did have with him and the relationship I had with him as an adult. He was very close to me, but also with Drew and especially with Jules. He meant (and still means) so much to all of his and we will miss him dearly. :(

My Mom and Tom came back to Columbia with us for a couple of days. It was so nice to spend time with them and Jules and Papa Tom were joined at the hip for 3 days straight!

On Friday night after a long exhausting week, Mom and Tom offered to watch Jules for the night so Drew and I could have a date night! Well you don't have to ask us twice! We haven't had a date night since we moved. So we prettied ourselves up and headed out. Mom had given us a giftcard to a steakhouse here in town for Christmas, so we used that and had a nice dinner, went for a drive, washed our new car and picked up some toilet paper. Oh yes, that's how we roll on a Friday night! :) We were home by 10, but it was just what we needed!

Mom and Tom headed back to Iowa on Saturday and then flew back to Phoenix on Sunday.

Such a nice week in so many ways and I am so glad we could all be back to celebrate the life of my Grandfather. I think my favorite moment of the week was looking through all of the old pictures of my Grandpa growing up and of us as kids with him. Precious. And those images will stay with us forever.

Love you Grandpa T. See you again one day!

My Wonderful Grandpa Tonsi

2012-01-13T14:36:00.001-06:00

Yesterday I received a call that I had been dreading. My beloved Grandpa Tonsi wasn't doing too well and had been admitted to ICU. The cancer he had been battling was just too much and by the end of the day he was gone.

I have been through so many emotions. Hurt and pain because he is gone and I will never see his sparkling blue eyes or laugh with him again. And relief and happiness that he is no longer suffering and is rejoicing in heaven with my Aunt Gayle.

He was the strongest and most determined man I have ever met. Last year he had eye surgery and Drew took him so he could drive him home. The Dr's told him to rest for a while after the surgery and then he could go home. The Dr. had no sooner left the room and he had his shirt on and told Drew "Let's go get breakfast at Perkins!"

He was so sweet and caring to me growing up and continued that sweet demeanor with Julianna. They had such a special bond - one that she can still feel. This morning she woke up and asked me how I was doing and said "I can feel Grandpa Tonsi in my heart, he is sitting next to Jesus holding his hand." How completely sweet is that. :)

Last night Drew and I were talking about what a blessing Grandpa was to us and we realized that all of the letters in "Tonsi" are in "Stinson". For some reason, we both took great comfort in that.

We will miss him greatly and we are looking forward to celebrating his life next week and I am glad that I will be able to see my Mom and Tom and Lauren and Cody too.

Rest peacefully Grandpa T. We love you and you will have a special place in our hearts forever.

Sue and Dad Came to Visit!

2012-01-11T14:45:00.001-06:00

Sue and Dad had a nice drive down to Missouri on Saturday. They had not had a chance to visit since we moved and it was nice to be able to show them around our new little town!

We drove them around and showed them Julianna's school, the University where I work and the restaurant where Drew spends his time. :) We enjoyed a nice lunch at a local brewery (thanks Dad!) and then explored the town some more. After driving for a couple of hours, we went took them to the Candy Shoppe and then walked around downtown and did a little shopping. It was a great day that went by WAY too fast! Hopefully they will visit more often now that they know it is seriously the easiest 4 hour drive they will ever make! :)

Jules had a welcome sign for them when they arrived!

After we were done driving, eating and shopping, Jules had to show Grandpa her shooting game (remember her dad's gift) and Grandpa, of course marveled at what a great shot she was and tried his hand at shooting the cans and bottles. They were cracking up and having a great time.

After some hugs and a few tears, it was time for them to leave. :( Sue is the new treasurer at their church and they had to be back for Sunday morning.

Such a fun spur of the moment day. Can't wait for lots more just like them from anyone who wants to come our way!!!!!!

One of my favorite Christmas gifts

2012-01-11T14:26:00.000-06:00

I like to think that I am pretty 'hip' and keep up with certain trends. I mean I did have a blog before EVERYONE started having a blog! :)

With that being said - I started couponing WAY before any of these crazy tv shows came out and are now causing people to roll their eyes at me as I come through the check out line. That will never stop me though - I can coupon with the best of them. I very rarely buy anything without a coupon attached to it. And if you get me a gift card to somewhere, you better believe I will wait to use it until their is an instore coupon to stack with it ($10.00 off $25.00 purchase at Penney's with $100.00 in gift cards - HELLO!)

Anyway, so my cutie pie husband has been known to call me "Sexy" when I pull out the Sunday Paper and start clipping away. Saving money - doesn't get any sexier in his opinion.

So imagine my delight when on Christmas morning - I opened some of my gifts to see - New Scissors, a calculator and baseball card protectors! HELLO!!!!

My couponing has never been more organized! It takes a little work, but it is so worth it. Our weekly budget for groceries is $100.00. This past weekend I spent $43.00 and saved over $20.00 with coupons!! I didn't clear any shelves and I don't have a borderline "hoarders" stockpile in our house, but I do stock up on a good deal when I see one and I only buy what our little family will use. I am curious to see how much we will save this year. I have never tracked it, but I think I will just for fun.

Anyway, you know me and my pics - I had to take a picture of "Limey" my green coupon binder. I named it Limey because obviously it is lime green (my favorite color), but what else is green - MONEY. And what is this binder all about - SAVING MONEY!

So thanks babe for hooking me and Limey up. Be prepared for all of our sexiness to come out in full glory on our next shopping trip! ;)

Yay!

2012-01-06T10:35:00.001-06:00

Sue called last night and said that she and Dad are coming down tomorrow to spend the day with us. We are going to show them around and go to lunch some place fun! Can't wait!

New Years Eve Party at the Stinson House!!!

2012-01-04T15:41:00.000-06:00

:) Not really. Drew was REALLY sick and Jules was still getting over her cold, so we made roast and baked potatoes and settled in for the night.

The plan was to watch movies, but we were drawn into the countdown on t.v. They had the 40 best performances over the past 40 years and they brought back some nostalgia for Drew and I, and we watched the whole thing until midnight! Jules loved doing the countdown with us and we celebrated with a little sparkling grape juice and then went to bed. I know we are getting so wild in our old age! :) You know it's bad when your five-year-old can out last you on New Year's Eve! It was a nice night together as a family and we all really enjoyed sleeping in the next day! :)

Jules enjoyed dancing to all of the music we grew up with!

Silly (hyper) girl!

The highlight of her night of course, was having her picture taken with Justin Bieber!!!!! :) :)

Hope everyone had a safe and Happy New Year!!!!

Christmas Day!

2012-01-04T15:18:00.002-06:00

After our nap, we woke up and finished opening our stockings and opened our gifts from Julianna. She got me a very nice lime green (my favorite color) pearl bracelet and gave Drew a pocket knife. She got a real kick out of her stocking this year. Lots of little goodies.

Who doesn't love Travel Farkle in their stocking! We LOVE this game! Great game for teaching your child to think and work on their numbers. :)

Dinner was lookin' good!!!

She was DYING to open up the rest of her gifts, but I wanted to make the day last, so we snuggled in at watched Santa Clause 1 & 2 and prepared dinner. Please note that I attempted to clean up after Santa, but it was pretty much a lost cause, that the living room would be clean and tidy that day!

All set for dinner!!!!

And dinner was AMAZING!!! Smoked brisket and pork ribs. Grilled Sweet Potatoes and......

....Jalapeno Mac-n-Cheese! To.die.for!!

CHEERS!!!

After that it was time to open gifts. Are you able to see Julianna in the picture below?!?? :)

She was SO excited to give us these gifts she made in school. Adorable.

Her facial expressions are the best. Just what a parent wants to see when they give their child a gift they think they will really like!

New purse and wallet from Grandma Lili!

Every year I get Julianna a gift that is just from me. Something special that I think she will love. Drew does the same. From me she received a bracelet with the word "Daughter" on it, in a special box with a poem. She also got a matching ring and a jewelry box to put it in. I can't even describe the look on her face when she opened it and the hug she gave me afterwards. I love this precious girl so much and I am so blessed that she is my daughter! Oh, what did Drew get her you ask? A pretend gun with cans and bottles to use as target practice. Yep. Loved it just as much as the girly jewelry. Actually she might like it a little more. She plays with that thing non-stop....and so do we! Every time she plays it she sayd "This was a REALLY good gift, Dad!"

Earlier in the summer, Drew and I saw these Lite Sprites advertised on t.v. We thought FOR SURE this would be the must have of the Christmas season. So we ran right out and got the set for Julianna. Well I never saw the ad again and never saw them on any must have Christmas list. BUT, Julianna LOVED them...and so did her mom. We played with these for hours on Christmas night. Seriously, where was this stuff when I was a kid. Lauren and I would have had a blast with this set! SO much fun! If you have a little girl, Google "Lite Sprites" and watch the videos of what these little sprites will do. They.are.AWESOME!!

At the end of the night, we told Jules she could play with whatever she wanted and we would put everything away the next day. After we cleaned up dinner, this is what Drew and I found her doing. Working on math problems in a workbook Grandma Lili got her. Gee, could she be my daughter? You will have to ask my mom sometime about the time we took at trip to the Grand Canyon and all I wanted to do was go back to the hotel and read my book! :)

Before bed, Julianna reminded us that we still had a Gingerbread house to make. Drew and I were pretty much down for the count by that time, but we had promised her the night before that we would do it on Christmas Day, so Daddy got out the mixer and started making frosting. I must say, this was my favorite memory of the day. It was so much fun to work on it as a family and get all of the "detail" just right. :) Perfect way to end a perfect day!

I had to post this, because I am known for coming right behind you as you open a gift with a trash bag to get it off the floor. Or a storage container to put the toy parts in right away. Drives Drew nuts! This year, I didn't care. We let the living room stay like this for a couple of days and let Jules have her fun. She played with every toy over and over again and had a blast! In fact I am going to get the Lite Sprites out again when we get home tonight! SO much fun!

So there you have it - our first Christmas without running around from 5 a.m. til' 2 a.m. And yes we stayed in our pajamas ALL day and we enjoyed every minute of it! And before I forget, we did take time throughout the day to reflect on the true meaning of the day and talk with Julianna about the true reason for the season and the faith Drew and I both share and the love we have for Jesus and the love He has for us. Her response "I know about Jesus' love, I carry it in my heart every day!" :)

Hope you all had a wonderful and blessed Christmas!

One of my favorite gifts this year - given to our family from my Mom and Tom. I love thinking that this print will be in the family for years/generations to come. Thanks Mama!

Santa Came!

2012-01-04T14:28:00.003-06:00

Christmas Morning. Such a delight. We are treasuring it as much as we can as our little inquisitive one may not be a believer for too much longer. This year she was in awe with her gifts and couldn't believe that Santa brought her what was on her list - an easel, a pottery wheel and a gift card to a paint your own pottery place! I mean when you have a five year old that would rather create than get new toys, what else can Santa do, but give her just what she wanted! :)

Something special for the whole family - A NINJA blender! We are making green smoothies every morning to boost our immune systems and stamina for the day. This again was Julianna's idea.
A blender. For Christmas.

This is what she saw Christmas morning. Don't judge. I am a bargain hunter after all. But we did want to make this Christmas extra special since it would be her first without the rest of the family and her sister (which is still too hard to talk about) so we may have amped it up a bit for Jules. But I will say, she is the most gracious child and was so thankful for everything she was given. And we have all had a blast playing with it all! :)

And this was her face, when she saw the treasure trove that awaited her. Yes, Julianna there IS a Santa Claus!!!! And he sure does love you. A LOT!!!!!

After that we played with some of her new things and I looked over and found her fast asleep. So we all headed back to bed for a nap and didn't wake up until NOON!!!!! Merry Christmas Drew & Adrian! :)

Christmas Eve 2011

2012-01-04T14:16:00.000-06:00

We had a great Christmas Eve this year! Because we weren't running around crazy, we were able to enjoy the day as a family. Jules and I baked all afternoon while Drew started to get things ready for Christmas dinner. Then we lazed around all night watching Christmas movies and eating our baked creations. It was just wonderful!

Jules getting the marshmallows ready for our "Christmas Wreaths"

What's Christmas without sugar cookies!!!! I believe they are Santa's favorite!

Um, let me just say, this "Christmas Wreath" idea was easier said than done. It was SO messy. And let's just also say this - I will never eat one of these if someone else made them. Your hands are literally all over them. My own creations are fine because I know where my hands have been. So let's just keep this project for eating at home - ok folks!? :)

We had so much fun making everything and snacking on it ALL weekend. Um, hello extra 5 pounds. :)

Every Christmas Eve Julianna gets a new book, stuffed animal and movie. This year my mom provided the book and stuffed animal, and something a little extra......

....a nice and soft blanket. I have tried to steal it a few times, but she always finds it. :) It is awesome! We all snuggled under it on Christmas Day.

I love it when Jules gets a new book. She will look over it for hours. Too cute!

Right before bed we made sure to put out the food for the Reindeer - they must have loved it because it was all gone when we woke up! ;)

Working really hard on her letter to Santa. I love that we have a picture of her doing this every year! :)

All ready for Santa!

O.k., so I had to post this picture. My mom saw this sign and ordered it for Julianna. It has been hanging by our front door since Thanksgiving. On Christmas Eve, Jules asked me to take it down. She didn't want Santa to see it and then decide that she didn't need him (or his presents) anymore because she has her Grandma. :) Precious.

After she went to bed - Santa's "helpers" came out and got the house ready for his arrival! :)

Julianna's stocking

My stocking

Drew's Stocking

I love our stocking tradition. It started for me as a child with Sue and Dad having stockings filled to the brim with lots of goodies and little gifts that meant something to each of us. Ex. a jar of green olives and new pens. I love those things and don't necessarily buy them for myself all the time. So we have carried on the tradition in our home. Sometimes I think the stockings are the best part! Lots of thought and effort go into them each year! :)

6 Months!

2011-12-21T12:15:00.000-06:00

I can't believe that six months ago today we were sitting in an Iowa City hospital room praying all was well with our baby bear. That day was the hardest day of my life so far, but was SO worth it. In the past six months, Julianna has not had one.single.heart.episode. Not one. Her asthma has been better under control, she has been more active, she is barely sick and has been a happy and energetic 5-year old!

I said it before, but I will say it again, we were so blessed to have Dr's who knew just what the problem was and how to fix it! We will be forever grateful to them!

So thankful for my precious little girl and the new life she has. Full of life and spunk. I love it!

Christmas with G&G Stinson!

2011-12-21T12:07:00.000-06:00

After Grandpa Tonsi's we headed over to Bob and Diane's house. They had a delicious lunch waiting for us and it was nice to sit for a bit and catch up. Bob made the most delicious ham! I couldn't get enough of it. Thankfully Diane packed some up for us to take for the ride home. :)

Santa gave Grandma and Grandpa Stinson some hints on gifts this year and that made for one VERY happy little girl. The looks on her face when she opened her gift was, well you can see for yourself........

.......PRICELESS!!!!!

Grandpa Stinson has his own priceless moment when he opened his Cubs duffle bag! The perfect gift for all of the traveling he does! :)

LOVE..

After we said our goodbye's to G&G Stinson, we stopped by Sue and Dad's for a few hugs. Sue was sleeping and Jules didn't want to wake her (we now know to wake her no matter what - she was disappointed to miss out of goodbye hugs and kisses from Jules! :) ) But she did get plenty of snuggles in with Papa Bush before we left! Drew was busy trying to re-load the car to fit all of the gifts. It was TIGHT squeeze on the way home, but we managed.

After that, a quick stop by G&G Howard's house for some more hugs....

....and we got to see Uncle Lee and Aunt Barb one more time. They were in town from Colorado. So good to see them and we hope to make a trip out to see their beautiful home in the mountains soon!

Before we left, I had to take pictures of our stockings. My grandpa handmakes these and there is one for every family member and we all have a different picture on them. I look forward to seeing these each year! :)

Well it was a great weekend and we survived it....though I have been pretty sick the past 2 days, so I am looking forward to Christmas Even and Christmas day with just Julianna and Drew. I have never had a Christmas at home for the entire day. So I can't wait for a day of rest and relaxation and no stress!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE!!!!!!

Christmas with Grandpa Tonsi

2011-12-21T11:27:00.000-06:00

We spent Sunday morning with my Grandpa Tonsi. He is going through chemo treatments right now, but looks as good as ever and was SO happy to see his favorie great-granddaughter! She was SO happy to see him too. In fact when we pulled into town on Friday night the first thing she said was "are we going to see Grandpa Tonsi first?" She has been so worried about him and prays for him every night, so it was good for her to see him looking well and wanting to love up on her.

Angie was there too and Jules always refers to her as the "the model" so she was happy to see her too! :) Lots of hugs and snuggles and once again she was blessed with some pretty great gifts. Aunt Ginny came by for a bit too. I am so glad we were able to see everyone on this trip home!!

Christmas at Aunt Joyce's

2011-12-21T11:23:00.000-06:00

We had a nice time Saturday night at my Aunt Joyce's house. We ate, we opened gifts, we played bozo bingo, we spent time with family, we left with a trunk full of gifts. All in all a good night! :)

Christmas with the Family!

2011-12-21T11:19:00.000-06:00

We celebrated with my family on Saturday morning. Morgan had just flown in from Texas that morning and it was SO great to see him! We had a wonderful lunch prepared by Sue and we were very blessed by some of our gifts and we loved watching everyone open what we found for them! We always have a great time together and I am glad that we were all able to make it work to celebrate together!

We did miss Lauren and Cody though! Maybe next year we will just drive down to Texas and surprise them Christmas morning in their new house!!! :)

Crazy Uncle Mo. Someone was really excited to see him! :)

Picture Julianna picked out just for G&G. They loved it! :)

Not everyone gets their own homemade one-of-a-kind wrapping paper! :)

We read these books until they were falling apart growing up. Now we have a set for our house!

Christmas with the Chapman's!

2011-12-21T11:14:00.000-06:00

After seeing Reagan and Rochelle we headed over to Shawn and Mariah's new home to join them and some of their friends for an evening of fun! It was so much fun, we didn't leave until after midnight and Julianna decided to camp out with Keaton for the night. Fine with me - it meant that I got to see Mariah one more time the next morning. It was great to see them and get caught up. We miss them SO much. It's very rare that you find friends where both the husbands AND wives get along. We are so blessed to have them as friends and can't wait for thier road trip to Mid-Mo soon!

At one point we look in the kitchen and see all of the girls rubbing their dad's shoulders! Too cute!

Christmas with Reagan!

2011-12-20T08:56:00.000-06:00

After Julianna's Christmas program we hit the road. Only made two stops and were in Des Moines by 6:00 p.m.

We stopped by Reagan's house first so she and Jules could exchange their Christmas presents. The girls couldn't have been any cuter together! Jules LOVED her craft set and lip glosses. We are getting into the "I want to wear make-up all the time" stage and the lip glosses were perfect! And I think Reagan loved her big girl backpack and books from Jules. She didn't want to take it off and was checking out her books right after she opened them!

It was great to see my girls too - Rochelle and Annette were good for my soul. I miss them both SO much and can't wait for our girls weekend in February!!!!!

Miss Reagan!! She has grown SO much since we saw her in October and she says so much now! Adorable!

"Um, excuse me while I read now. Thank you."

Great first visit of the whirlwind of a weekend!!!

Julianna's Christmas Program and Open House

2011-12-20T08:49:00.000-06:00

I was able to get off work early on Friday and race home to change and load the car, then we headed out to Julianna's Christmas program at school!

We.were.so.proud!!!! She did it this year and had fun doing it! They were all SO cute and she was told by her music teacher today that the Kindergartner's did better (in behaving and listening) than the 3rd, 4th and 5th graders. She was pretty proud of that!

After her program, we went to her classroom to see what she had been working on since conferences. Lots of cute stories, entries in her writing journal and a gingerbread house!!

I couldn't get good light in the auditorium, but you can still pick her out in the crowd! :)

Daddy had to stop and get her a rose on the way. Just to show how proud of her we were!!

Pretty great afternoon, I must say!!

She Did It!!!

2011-12-19T14:30:00.001-06:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QC8tss3CSK8&feature=share

SO excited!!!

2011-12-16T11:04:00.000-06:00

In a few short hours, we are heading to Iowa for a fun filled ~~jam-packed, yes we are crazy~~ weekend!!

Before that however, Drew and I are headed to see Julianna in her Kindergarten Christmas program. Now we all remember what happened last year. She got nervous and walked right off the stage! Well she is ready to go for this year - so she says - she says she can't wait to show us her songs! I asked her last night if she was still excited and was going to do it - her response: "Now Mom I would never tell a lie and I told you I was going to do it, so I am going to do it!" :) Precious.

Once her performance is over and we check out her gingerbread house and writing journal in her classroom, we are hitting the road! Hope to be in town by 6 and then in less than 48 hours we will visit 8 family and friends houses! It is going to be crazy, but crazy fun!!!

Hope you all have a great weekend! And, well you know me - I will have plenty of pics to post on Monday!!

Cherry Hill Christmas!

2011-12-12T10:43:00.000-06:00

There is this beautiful neighborhood just around the corner from us, that really does it up for Christmas. Last week they had a fun family event there. We had SO much fun. There were crafts to do, foods to eat, horse and carriage rides, face painting and you could see Santa too!

It was a great family night and we really enjoyed going out to see more of what this town has to offer.

The best part of the night though - was when Rudolph followed us home!!! :) (see pics below)

Cherry Hill has a "Magic Tree". it is the most beautiful lit tree. You can see it from our neighborhood and we just fell in love with it! I was SO excited to be able to take Julianna's picture by it and that they actually came out so you could see how cool the tree looks. There is a gentleman in town who works on it for days to make it look so great. We just LOVED it!

We waited in line for over an hour so she could get her face painted.......

.......it was SO worth it!!!! :)

She could chose the horse and carriage ride, or facepainting - the line for both were crazy long. But she was excited when we were through with facepainting that the horse and carriage were right there for her to take a picture. I love this one!

Now, have you ever seen a cuter Rudolph?

Drew's....35th Birthday! :)

2011-12-12T10:34:00.002-06:00

So my handsome husband turned 35 on November 30th. He is now just about up that hill towards 40 - as I like to remind him everyday! :) SO nice marrying someone older than you. You can always give them grief!

We had a great family night together. Jules and I made dinner for him and his favorite cake and he was able to come home and take it easy and just enjoy the night!

Once again we missed our families, but it was nice to have it be just the three of us too. I think Drew had a great birthday and was so thankful for all of the calls, texts and emails he received!

Jules and I realized the night before that we didn't have any regular birthday wrap. So we improvised with the reverse siede of Christmas wrap. :) Jules and I decorated them and he LOVED it! :)

Jules was a BIG help in preparing the dinner of Chicken Parmesan, pasta, crescent rolls and salad with our homemade dressing!

DELISH!

Drew LOVED his 'better than anything (wink wink) cake'!!!!! We had fun making it!

SOOOOOOOOO good! This is why I can only make it once a year. The calories!!!!
But oh so worth it!

LOVE.

Deck the Halls - 2011

2011-12-12T10:17:00.001-06:00

We also spent a lot of time decorating the house over Thanksgiving weekend! I love this time of year! We cranked up the Christmas tunes and got to work. Jules really got into it with me this year and I love how much of a helper she wants to be. She is just so stinkin' cute and I love every minute with her. She added a special touch to everything we decorated and I love walking into our home right now. Makes me smile every day!

Getting the fireplace all set up!

We have this portable fireplace that we never know where to put. So we have it in our dining room right now and I LOVE it! Another great place to decorate!!

Living room all finished! I love the way it turned out. Now I want to change out all of my tree ornaments for more rustic ones - pinecones, birds, berries etc. I just love that look. So next year all of these ornaments will have to go on a tree in another part of the house. Is it weird to have a tree in a bedroom? Maybe with some Christmas themed bedding, but then we would have to carry it over into the bathroom too......hmmmm - hope Drew doesn't read this post - I can already see the $$$ signs going off in his head! :)

Stinson Famly Tree

2011

Front entry way decor. Could NOT figure out what to do. I had a bunch of extra ornaments and some leftover glassware from her birthday party. Threw it all together and I am happy with how it all came together!

Julianna's table by the front door. Her Advent tree and Nativity set. We have since added some trees and snow. She loved having her own area to decorate. I love how cute it all is! :)

One more of the fireplace. I just love how cozy our house is at night. I never want to leave!

Happy Decorating to All!

Thanksgiving Weekend!

2011-12-12T10:05:00.000-06:00

I know this post is a couple of weeks late. I have just been SO busy and have neglected my blog. Hoping to keep up on it more now!

We had a nice Thanksgiving this year. It was a little tough being away from everyone, but Drew was excited to be able to prepare the meal this year. And man oh man did we eat good! My mouth waters every time I think about it!

We had my Aunt Laura and Uncle David over. Both of their kiddos are away at college right now, so it was nice to have them over so we were both able to spend time with family this year!

While Drew took charge of the preparing of the meal, Jules and I were in charge of the decorating! And thanks to my Mama, who blessed us with some new items, we set a pretty nice table!

We had a great day and I loved being with Drew and Jules for the entire day. That night we surprised Jules and took her to see The Muppets. It was so cute and brought back some nostalgia for me and Drew. We both loved The Muppets when we were kids and we were glad we could share our love for them with Jules!

All in all a wonderful day. And I didn't over-induldge, so I wasn't a complete zombie when I headed out at midnight that night with a new friend to shop it up! We hit 6 or 7 stores and didn't make it home until 4:30 a.m.! It was a great night, probably won't do it again, but it was definitely an experience!!!

That weekend we did a little more Christmas shopping and then headed to Bass Pro so Jules could see Santa. Bass Pro took a great picture, we however did not. I will see if I can post that one later. Jules also saw Frosty and Rudolph and had a great time doing crafts and playing with all of the toys!

It was a great weekend, but the best part was that Drew was off the entire time too, so we really got in a lot of quality family time. We all can't wait for Christmas break, for more time together and creating more memories!

Adult Table is all set~!

Julianna's table. She wasn't too thrilled about sitting be herself. In fact she asked my Uncle David if we would mind sitting at the kids table so she could sit with the rest of us. :) We comprimised and moved her table right beside ours and she was fine after that. :)

Homemade DELICIOUS Pumpkin and Apple Pies! I wish I still had some of the pumpkin waiting for me in the fridge at home right now!

Sign Julianna made - LOVE

Quite the spread before we even had dinner! This is where I get in trouble....I always fill up on the appetizers!

I can't even describe how amazing these were. Toasted Crostini with blue cheese/cream cheese spread with candied pecans on top. A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!!!!!

Turkey from the smoker. Who knew turkey could taste this good!

Jules and her buddy - Uncle David. He was such a good sport playing with her and keeping her entertained!

Aunt Laura and Uncle David - two of Julianna's favorite people!

Getting ready for the Muppets!!!! SOOOOO Excited!

Fall Pics for Jules

2011-11-11T11:03:00.000-06:00

Last weekend Julianna and I did some exploring and found this amazing park/garden near our house! There was an old one-room schoolhouse on the grounds and everything!

I had been wanting to get some pictures professionally taken of her, but decided that I would make do with that I had and take them myself. The day was perfect and the backdrops were amazing. So we got the camera and started snapping away! I love how they all turned out and we had so much fun taking in the beautifulness of the day and being together.

I have said it before and I will say it again - I LOVE this kid!

Happy Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T10:37:00.002-05:00

We had a good time last night trick-or-treating. Our new neighborhood wasn't as into it as we were, but we still managed to have a good time. We only had a few trick-or-treaters, but Jules had fun passing out candy and going from door to door herself. And her costume was awesome. I mean, have you ever seen a cuter Bat Girl!?!? :)

A "scary" decoration she made at school yesterday. She was SO proud of it! I had to hang it on the door last night to "scare" the kiddos. :)

She also wanted to decorate our garage. This is the best we could come up with on short notice. :)

We still have PLENTY of this candy leftover. :(

BAT GIRL!!!!

Sunday night Jules and Drew worked on carving her pumpkin. Well, Drew worked, Jules watched and gave him advice and direction. She'll make a good wife one day! :) :)

VERY happy with the finished product!

SPOOKY......

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!!!

Des Moines Visit

2011-10-28T10:48:00.000-05:00

I know what you are thinking - didn't you JUST move - a visit SO soon!?!? Well it isn't everyday one of your best friend's baby girl turns TWO! A little girl everyone prayed for and wished for so much! A little M.I.R.A.C.L.E. So Jules and I knew we had to be there for her birthday!

We had a great time seeing everyone and handing out plenty of kisses to Reagan. I need to get used to not calling her "Baby Reagan" anymore. She is no longer our baby. :( Goes by so fast doesn't it Ro!??! :)

We had a great time at the birthday party and then headed out to see some family and Mariah and Keaton. No trip to Des Moines would ever be complete without seeing them! Things are going great for them and they too will be moving to a new house soon! REALLY hoping that one day they will be joining us as Drew and Shawn hopefully start a new business venture together! Some day. Some day! That's the dream anyway. :)

Happy Birthday Reagan!!!!

Mmm hmm...it was hard for me to stay away from this table. :) Delicious cakes all around and other goodies. Rochelle's mom made the Dora cake. Isn't it adorable!?!

Mama and the Birthday Girl!

Jules and her "Aunties" - hard to say good-bye again. But they will be joining us soon for a Girl's Shopping Weekend!!! Can't wait!

Jules and her bestie. I love when these 2 are together. So much fun and laughter. We LOVE the Chapman's!!!

It was a great quick visit. Not sure when we will be back again - probably not until December, but we are always ready for visitors. So pack your bags and come join us for a weekend! :)

New Town ~ New Life!!!

2011-10-28T10:31:00.000-05:00

This move has been therapeutic for all of us. It has been a hard year emotionally for our family. As most of you can tell someone has been missing from our lives for most of the year. It has been a heartache and crushing battle that we have had to deal with. One that we have all cried over, been hurt by and struggled with. And while I can't want to go into all of the details on this blog, thankfully our family has come out of it all stronger and better than ever.

When this opportunity came along for Drew we knew that this is what God had planned for us. A fresh start and a fresh outlook on things. Everyday we look at each other and say - "I am so glad we made this decision" "Life is going to be really great here!" Heartache aside, we know that God planted us here for a reason and we are going to make the most of it and enjoy everything that we can!

Here is a pic of our new house. Can I just say that - I LOVE IT!!! It is so nice and spacious - even without a basement! Jules loves her new room - especially the desk we set up for her. She has homework every weekend (I know - homework in kindergarten!?!? Who knew!) and loves to put on the latest GLEE CD and sit and do her homework! :) We love the kitchen and spacious Master Bedroom and at night I especially love the jetted tub. :) Overall we love everything about it...except maybe the HUGE spiders we see from time to time! Let me tell you when I was unpacking everything I about died when one made an appearance!

The scenery here will take your breath away! Just beautiful! I feel like I finally have my falls back! In Iowa it seemed like we would go from Summer to Winter and Spring and Fall got kind of lost in there. It has just been beautiful here from the first day down here. I am loving every minute of it!

A couple of weeks ago Jules was eating a Turkey sandwich and started crying and came to me with a bloody mouth. Missing from her mouth was another tooth! She must have not realized it came out, because she accidentally swallowed it!!! Poor thing! She was SO scared and SO worried the Tooth Fairy wouldn't come. So, after I calmed her down, she wrote the Tooth Fairy a little note........

"Dear Tooth Fairy, I swallowed my tooth." :( Love, Julianna

The Tooth Fairy LOVED her note and still left her a little cash and even kissed her tummy where she knew the tooth was hiding. When Julianna woke up the next morning, she told me she could feel the Tooth Fairy kiss her tummy and couldn't believe she still left her $$$ even though there was no tooth. :) I love this kid!

Jules and I had fun decorating our new front entry way. I like that I now have a place to do a fun display for each holiday. So be prepared for more pictures! :)

Fun with Friends and Family Before Moving!

2011-10-28T09:58:00.000-05:00

Before we moved Julianna and I got in some much needed time with friends! We knew it was going to be hard leaving people we love SO much, so I am glad we were able to see everyone before we left!

Jules and Genevieve. They were able to come over the week before we moved to help with some of the packing! We will miss them dearly.

Veronica and our God-Daughter Olivia. We love this little girl SO much! Is she not the most adorable thing? I could kiss that little forehead all day!

Jules and Keaton. Two peas in a pod. Besties forever, just like me and her Mama!

This was the day of the Iowa/Iowa State game. I found these shirts for $1.40 each on Clearance and couldn't resist buying them for the girls! Too cute!

We were able to get in a quick dinner at Monterrey with Rochelle, Annette and Staci (not pictured) before we left. I LOVE these girls and I am looking forward to all of our road trips and shopping adventures in the near future!

Mmm hmmm....what's a girls get together without a little treat from Let Them Eat Cake. Oh how I will miss this place!

CUTE!!!

My last day of work at Stowe was Friday September 23rd. That night the Principal had a going away party for me at her house. It was a great night filled with lots of fun and laughter...and a few tears! I will miss everyone SO much. :(

Jules and Maddie. Friends Forever!

My mom came to visit the last week we were in Des Moines and we were able to see quite a bit of my Grandpa Tonsi. Jules loves him so much and asks me at least once a day about him and we pray for him every night and hope that he will be healed of his cancer. I love this pic of them!

L.O.V.E.

The last weekend we were in town, Julianna had her first sleepover with Miss Keaton! She did really well and can't wait for the next one!

The next morning was hard because we knew it was good-bye. Mariah and I have been friends for the past 14 years! I can't even believe it! We have been through good times and bad, different relationships, births of our children, but we have always been there for each other. I love her dearly and we are all hoping one day, they too will find themselves south of Iowa living the good life with us! :)

On Julianna's last day of school, there were a few tears from both of us and a few others too. It was a hard day, but we knew that the next day we would be on to bigger and better things! We still miss everyone, but we have adjusted so well here, especially Julianna that I am confident we made the right decision!

Jules and her beloved teacher Mrs. Bainbridge! Can't wait to come back and see the new baby this winter!!

Life is Good!

2011-10-27T15:48:00.000-05:00

Well we have been here for a month now and I must say, we are LOVING it!! Our house is great, Jules loves her new school and we both are enjoying our jobs. I started my new job this week and I think I am going to really like it! I am working for the University and it is great to be working in Higher Education again. My co-workers are wonderful and I get along really well with my new boss. I think it was a great fit!

I have many posts and things that I need to update and of course LOTS of pictures to post, so I will be doing that soon. I can't believe it is the end of October already. Where did this year go?! Christmas is just around the corner and I still have some shopping to do. Hoping Rochelle and Annette can come down for a girls weekend before Christmas and we can hit the outlet malls in the area! :)

Quick Update!

2011-10-06T11:04:00.000-05:00

Hello! Sorry it has been a while since my last post. We have been having some internet difficulties at the new house. Well, we are here!! And we are LOVING it! This town is so beautiful and fun! It was a long 2 days of moving, but we arrived last Wednesday and hit the ground running. Jules started school this week and LOVES it. Such a huge relief to me. I was so worried about how she would adjust after being with me at Stowe everyday, but she did just fine and loves her new teacher and classmates.

Drew has been busy working. LOTS of caterings this time of year. And I have been busy working on the house and going on interviews. Really hoping something works out in the next couple of weeks. But for now I am enjoying the life of a stay at home wife and mother. :)

Drew's dad and step-mom came down for the weekend last weekend and it was fun to show them around the town. Hoping Courtney and Sue and Dad will be able to make it down soon. Grandma and Grandpa Howard drove down with us when we moved and they said they thought it was a great town too. Hoping they are able to visit again soon and can stay for the weekend so we can show them around. It has only been a week and I feel like I am starting to know my way around. I found a Kohl's, Target, Walgreens, Hobby Lobby and the Mall. So I am good! :)

I will get on here again soon and post more. So much to do. I know I always say this - but why do we have SO much stuff?! The garage is still full and I have been working on it for days! Oh well, it will get done and we plan to enjoy this beautiful house to the fullest extent. :)

Hope everyone is having a great week! Talk to you soon!

BIG Changes!

2011-09-14T13:36:00.000-05:00

Big Changes are happening for our family! We are SO excited! We are moving! New town, new opportunities, a new life! Drew and I have been wanting a change for a while and were just hoping things would fall into place. And fall into place they did!

A few weeks ago he applied for a job in our new city, had an interview the next morning and was offered the job during the interview. It was amazing. A blessing.

He and I went back the next weekend and to look for our new home - trusting if it was meant to be, God would provide something wonderful for us. Boy did He! A 2 year old home in a beautiful community, close to walking trails, an amazing school district, nice yard and on a cul-de-sac. And lots of neighborhood kids for Jules to play with! Perfect. So Drew accepted the position and he moved into our new home last week and has already started his job.

Jules and I are finishing things up here and we will join him at the end of the month! It has been kind of hard knowing I will be leaving a job I love so much, but I am excited to see where God will lead me in our new adventure!

So wish us luck! We are so grateful and blessed. It has been a rough year for us in so many ways and we are glad for this fresh start and new family adventure! :)

I love my child.

2011-09-14T13:12:00.000-05:00

This morning Julianna told me "Mom, do you know why I get SO excited at school during the day?" "Because I know I get to come see you in the office at the end of the day!" Is she the most precious thing ever or what?!? We are so blessed. :)

State Fair 2012

2011-08-30T13:12:00.000-05:00

We were blessed with free tickets this year, so we headed to the Fair after work one day and took in as much as we could. Anymore we just go for Jules and let her do the things that she wants to do. It was a fun evening, but I am glad the Fair only comes once a year. Traffic is C.r.a.z.y.! And since I work on the same street as the fairgrounds, it was a little tricky getting to and from work most days!

We started out at Little Hands on the Farm like we always do. I love to see her grow each year through these pictures!

Then we went to see all of the baby animals. Thank goodness there was a lot of hand sanitzer around to use....because they were SMELLY!!!! Jules loved them though and we were able to watch the beginning of a new goat being born. I thought it was really gross, but she was fascinated by it. She would haev sat there all night if we would have let her! :)

Baby piggies born a couple of days before.

This was Julianna's favorite exhibit. The fresh veggies. She saw this display and said 'Oh I could just eat that all up!" I love this kid and I am so thankful that her favorite things to eat are fresh fruits and vegetables!

It was declared one of the best days of her life.......because she got to meet Clifford! She LOVES Clifford! I mean loves him. Reads all of his books, watches the show and has plenty of Clifford and Friends stuffed animals. I knew the moment I saw him there that she would go running towards him. A far cry from the child who was scared of every character at Disneyland earlier this year! :)

Mini Family Vacay - Part Two!

2011-08-30T12:45:00.002-05:00

The next day we headed to the airport to pick up my step-dad and drove 2 hours to Columbia. What a beautiful town! We totally fell in love with it and can't wait to go back! ;)

We had a nice dinner with Tom's family at his sister Laura's house. We haven't seen Laura and David since our wedding 7 years ago! His sister Michelle was also there with her family. I haven't seen Michelle and Eric since their wedding over 10 years ago! It was nice to finally meet their son Liam and they were glad to finally meet Drew and Jules. It was a great night filled with lots of laughter and hilarious stories! :)

On Sunday we headed back over and Drew made his famous Creme Brulee French Toast for everyone. Delish! And they were all impressed. :) We spent the rest of the day with them and then toured the town a bit before we left. Again - LOVE that place!

Aunt Laura and Aunt Michelle were so sweet and each bought Julianna a gift since they were meeting her for the first time. :) Very thoughtful! And of course they knew just what Jules would like!

Liam showing off his "Jedi" mind tricks! :)

Jules and the new love of her life - Cousin Emily. She was attached the second she met her! And how could you not be - Emily is amazing and so much fun!

Jules and the other love of her life - Papa Tom! She LOOOOOOOOOVES him so much! And they are pretty adorable together! :)

My Uncle David and Aunt Laura!~

Sad to leave. :( No worries! We will be back soon!

My Aunt Michelle, Uncle Eric and Liam! :)

I had to post this picture. It just cracked us all up seeing the size difference between my Uncle and Drew. :)

Jules and her new buddy Cosmo. She was t.e.r.r.i.f.i.e.d. at first when she met him, but quickly warmed up and was in love by the time we left!

And....two of my favorite goofballs. :)

GREAT weekend and a great way to end the summer before school started!

Mini Family Vacay - Part One!

2011-08-30T12:05:00.001-05:00

Whew! I have some catching up to do on my blog! :) A couple of weekends ago we took a quick trip down to Kansas and Missouri. My step-dad was coming in to the KC airport to visit his family in Columbia, MO for the week and Drew and I decided to pick him up and go with him! We headed down to KC a day early and had some family fun. We spent the day at the Deanna Rose Farmstead. If you have little ones and have never been - it is a MUST. The place was amazing, fun and cheap! We spent the majority of the day there and only spent $16.00! It was awesome!

Old School House

They had apple trees all over and each one produced a different kind of apple. Jules was fascinated by all of them!

She was able to "mine" for "gold" and other treasures. This was one of my favorite parts of the day. She found quite a few rocks and proudly has them on display in her room! :)

Anxiously waiting to.......

.....ride her first horse!
She was a little nervous at first, but once she got on "cowboy" she was LOVING it! She kept wanting to go back. :)

She fed baby goats, but was a little too scared to go into the pen with them. Good thing. We saw them jump on a lady wearing all white and well she looked like swamp thing by the time they were done with her! :)

The place was just beautiful. Lots of gardens and different animals. This is their gorgeous butterfly garden. We had a nice time there just taking in the beauty.

Again, it was a perfect day. Drew and I both said that this was one of the best days as a family. I can't wait to go back - hopefully this fall when they have their pumpkin patch ready! :)

First Day of Kindergarten!!!!!

2011-08-25T12:00:00.000-05:00

Julianna started Kindergarten today!!! She was such a big girl and there were no tears......from either of us. :) :)

We are blessed that she is coming to Stowe right now. So I get to see her everyday. She has already been in to see me, as she is the office helper for the day. And I have already been into her classroom to tell her teacher something. She is doing great. I peeked on her as she was recess and she was chasing all of the boys and had a crew of girls following her every move. Not sure how I feel about that, but at least she is having fun and loving every minute of it! :)

All ready for the day!

Putting her lunch in the office fridge. There are some perks to having your mom work at the school! :)

Jules and her teacher Mrs. Bainbridge. I think she is the reason Jules was able to get up this morning. She loves her and could not wait to see her!

Jules and her proud Daddy!

And her proud Mama. LOVE this girl!

(Please pardon the hot sweaty face - I had just been helping 6 new families register for school. Nothing like waiting until the last second!)

HAPPY FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN JULIANNA!!!

Things that Make Me Smile Today....

2011-08-11T19:10:00.000-05:00

~ I am so organized at work and ready for the school year that I am almost bored. Almost.

~ This beautiful weather!

~ $2.50 sunglasses from Target

~ Sobe Pure Golden Pineapple Water

~ Using coupons to get FREE school supplies

~ My Mom

~ Today is my Friday

~ And finally, tomorrow we leave for a weekend getaway to Kansas City and Columbia, MO!!!!! Tomorrow we are spending the day as a family in KC taking in some of the sights and enjoying some great food. On Saturday we will pick my step-dad up at the KC airport and head to my Aunt Laura's house in Columbia for the weekend! Some of his family have never met Drew and none of them have met Julianna yet! Looking forward to catching up and having some fun. Can't wait to leave in the morning!

Have a GREAT weekend everyone!

Happy Birthday Maddie!

2011-08-10T11:31:00.000-05:00

On Sunday we celebrated with Maddie for her 7th birthday! She had a pool party at their Country Club and we all had a blast! Drew made the birthday cookie and it was delicious. We swam for hours and had a great time. Jules even SWAM. The big pool was pretty deep and went right up to her chin, so she had a little trouble with her balance and all of the waves. So we headed to the kiddie pool and she loved it. She swam the length of it a couple of times. I was so proud of her. I took a video and will try to upload it tonight.

It was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

Happy Birthday Maddie!!!

Drew will tell you - he is not a cake/cookie decorator and was frustrated with the writing. I told him it was for a 7 year old. It looks fine. She LOVED it and thought it was perfect. :)

An Evening with Grandma and Grandpa Stinson!

2011-08-10T11:10:00.001-05:00

On Friday night we were invited to attend the Iowa Cubs game with Bob and Diane. As you can see from the photo below there was excitement in the air for the game. However, Mother Nature had other plans - for the second night in a row we had to come up with Plan B for the evening due to rain! (On Thursday we were headed to the Balloon Festival in Indianola had to turn around - caught a movie instead)

So we headed to Chuck's for dinner - delish, then DQ for dessert and back to Bob and Diane's for a fun evening of Scrabble. Drew won. I came in last. Typical.

Still we had a wonderful night and hopefully with catch another I-Cubs game before the season is done. :)

Two handsome Stinson men!

I had to post this one too. Lately Jules has nothing but love for Grandpa Stinson. Always hugging him and chatting with him. This pic was just too cute. Taken on the way back to the car after dinner. Priceless. :)

Kindergarten Camp

2011-08-10T10:53:00.003-05:00

I am not sure if I have posted this yet or not, but after a long and hard discussion, Drew and I decided to have Julianna come to Stowe (where I work) for kindergarten this year.

My baby is going into Kindergarten. Even as I type it, I can't believe it! It just happens so fast. I can't believe this moment in her life is already here. I am thrilled that we will be together everyday, though I am sure she will quickly tire of seeing me and having me pop in and out of her classroom for school related things from time to time. But I love that she will be so close. I miss her SO much during the day and this will definitely help me get through the day.

Last week our Kindergarten teachers held a Kindergarten Camp for 2 hours each morning. Jules loved every minute of it. She made new friends and fell in love with her teacher. She has Mrs. Bainbridge this year. She is completely wonderful and Jules will do great with her this year!

Here she is with her Certificate of Completion - all ready for Kindergarten in 2 weeks!

She is pretty proud of her artwork. Their theme for Kdg Camp was based on the book "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" So here she is with her Coconut Tree! :)

Saturday with Grandma Howard

2011-08-10T10:37:00.001-05:00

On Saturday the 30th we headed to the Pleasant Hill Parade. We try to go every year and always have a great time. This year it was nice and cool and we enjoyed spending the morning with Grandma and Grandpa Howard. And Holy Cow, you should have seen all of the candy. I wish I had taken a picture. It was ridiculous. I had to leave 1/2 of it with G&G. We could never eat all of that.

Jules had a good time and so did her "baby" :)

Best picture of the day!

After the parade Grandma treated us to lunch at the Sisters of the Heart Tea Room in Prairie City, IA. We had a wonderful time at this adorable place! We will definitely be going back!

Lucy

2011-08-10T10:24:00.000-05:00

So a couple of weeks ago, Drew called me to tell me that KCCI had a news special on about 40 dogs that had been rescued from a home in Southern, IA. They were all at a rescue shelter in Clive and he wanted to go take a look at them. We have been talking about getting a dog for about 3 months and he really wanted it to be a rescued dog. I told him to go check them out and give me a call if he found one. Well one found Jules. She fell in love, the dog fell in love and it was all over after that. Drew showed up here at school a couple of hours later with the new addition to our family. We named her Lucy that night and got started on potty training her and getting her to listen to us. She was a very good and mild mannered dog.

The next day, I noticed that my eyes were itching. I didn't think much of it, but it got worse that night. Then we noticed that Jules had the sniffles and red streaks on her cheeks the next day. By the following day Jules could barely get out of bed. She was miserable. Coughing, itchy eyes, scratching at her throat, streaked face and rubbing her nose constantly. I knew those signs well. That is exactly how I am around cats. EXTREMELY allergic. :(

So, Drew called the shelter back. They said that they would take Lucy back no problem. So we had to tell Jules....That was probably one of my hardest days with Jules. She cried and cried. She was devastated. Thankfully as soon as Drew took her back, another family was interested in her. That made Jules feel a little better. She is still sad and gets upset sometimes, but she realizes that we did it for her health. My mom has researched some dogs that are good with children with allergies, so we are planning on going to see a breeder of that certain breed and letting her play with the puppy for an hour or so, then coming home to see how she does and if she has any reaction and then go from there. If anyone has any recommendations on dogs that are good for kids with allergies, let me know.

In the meantime, Drew has cleaned our home like I have never seen him clean before. Anything for his baby girl. I am pretty sure all of the dog hair is gone and out of the air - I mean it's been almost two weeks, but he is still a cleaning machine. And I am not complaining! :)

Here are a couple of pics I snapped of Jules and Lucy that first night. They bring a little comfort to Jules as she latched onto Jules right away. Really praying that if we are able to get another dog down the road, they have a connection with Jules like Lucy did! :)

Still Alive!

2011-08-09T15:19:00.000-05:00

I know if has been a while since I have posted on here. Things have been wildly busy at our house and at work! I am hoping to post a couple of updates tomorrow regarding:

~Kindergarten Camp for Jules

~ Our new dog

~How we had our new dog for only two days......

~ Family Nights

~ Friday night fun with Grandma and Grandma Stinson

~ Pleasant Hill Parade

~ Tea Party with Grandma Howard

~ Pool Party

~ New Friends

~ Reconnecting with Old Friends

Like I said lots and lots going on. I will try and post tonight and tomorrow to update you all on everything! Hope everyone has been having a great summer. I know we have and I can't believe how fast is has gone by. School starts in 2 weeks! Can't wait to get back in the swing of things!

11 days

2011-07-21T11:07:00.000-05:00

11 days folks. 11 days. That is how long I have been unable to take a bath. :( Now I have showered everyday of course (Thank you Sue and Dad for letting us make your water bill higher this month), but this exhausted mama needs her bathtime.

It is a nightly ritual I look forward to and what keeps me sane. A long bath and the latest copy of People magazine are pretty much all that I need to keep me a happy woman. And, well 11 days without one is slowly driving.me.insane.

We are now waiting on some gasket to be installed on our water heater in order for it to produce hot water. One thing after another. Drew is ready to blow up and I am about to take our neighbor up on his offer to bathe and shower at his house.

Fingers crossed that I will be more sane by this evening. Please Lord.

The Cupcake that Saved our Lives!

2011-07-18T11:57:00.000-05:00

Like I said below, on Sunday we came home to our house smelling like gas. We had Mid-American out to check it. They found the leak, turned it off and we called someone to come out on Monday and fix the leak. They claimed they did, so we went about our business.

On Wednesday morning, we wake up to find Cupcake (Julianna's precious fish) d.e.a.d. in his bowl. :( At first we didn't think much of it - just thought fish die unexpectedly all the time, but Drew got to thinking and asked me if I thought he might have died because of the exposure to natural gas from the leak. The more we thought about it, the more we thought we better have Mid-Am come back out to check to see if the gas leak was in fact fixed........IT WAS'NT. It was worse than before. We had the same people back out to fix it two more times and each time they kept making it worse. Finally my husband found someone else and they are coming today to fix it. Hoping it is done correctly and we can finally have hot water again!

But in the end, we are fairly certain Cupcake saved our lives. We wouldn't have had them back out the check the leak if he hadn't died. Jules was SO upset and devastated by his death. So much so that she doesn't want another fish because she is afraid of it dying too. So, Drew now wants to get her a dog. :) We will see what happens with that. We all had a good cry over his death, but also over the fact that it could have been so much worse. So Rest peacefully Cupcake, but know that you always have a place in our hearts because you very well could have saved our lives.

Fun Week with Grandma Lili and Papa Tom!

2011-07-18T11:45:00.000-05:00

We headed to Omaha to pick up Mom and Tom the day before the wedding. We had a great family weekend and then came home on Sunday. On Monday we took Jules to the zoo. It.was.hot. But nothing like it would be later in the week. Mom and Tom brought the heat with them, but the humidity. Oh Lord. It was ridiculous. We made it through the zoo on Monday in a little over an hour. Then met Grandpa and his friend for dinner that night. Oh, did I mention that we came home Sunday to a gas leak in our house? Yep. And as of today it STILL isn't fixed. So we spent the majority of the week without hot water and had to shower at Sue and Dad's and Granpa Tonsi's. What a lovely time to have guests!

On Tuesday I worked all day and made a nice Iowa dinner for Mom and Tom that night - BLT's and fresh sweet corn! Heaven! We have pretty much had fresh picked corn every night this week. LOVE it!

On Wednesday, Drew and I my Grandpa spent the day making my Grandpa's famous Polenta. Our house smelled g.o.o.d all day long! And dinner was delish! Hoping Drew will make it more often now!

On Thursday everyone waited around all day for the leak to be fixed. It was, but not really, so it was kind of a wasted day. Drew, Jules and Tom had planned to take her to a movie that morning, but had to change plans while waiting for the guy to come out to fix the leak. So Mom, Tom and I took her to see Mr. Poppers Penguins that night. Cute movie!

On Friday Mom and I took Jules shopping for new school clothes. It.was.hot. But we got some good deals, so that made up for it! :) And of course, no visit with Grandma would be complete without a stop at Build-A-Bear. Oh yes. 3 times in one month for this little girl. Spoiled much? I think so. :) So we now have a new "puppy" in our house named Sally. :)

Friday night we headed to my Aunt Ginny's to celebrate my Grandpa's 83rd birthday! We had a nice night celebrating the man who brought us all to be! :)

He loved his gift from Jules. A little something for his garden. :)

And look who came! The bride and groom! Jules again was in love with Britta! They are moving to Omaha next month so Britta can attend Creighton, so we are hoping to sneak in a few visits with them when we head to the Omaha Zoo this fall!

Tom and my Aunt (yes you read that right) Angelina

On Saturday we loaded up the car and headed back to Omaha to take Mom and Tom to the airport. Someone wasn't too happy they were leaving. :( We are hoping to see Tom again next month as he comes to Missouri to see his side of the family. It was a nice week, but we are exhausted! Drew woke up with hives all over his body yesterday and we spent most of the day in the ER trying to get them under control. We are looking forward to a regular week and trying to stay cool!

Wedding Weekend!~

2011-07-18T11:22:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we celebrated the marriage of my cousin Robbie to his wonderful fiance Britta! We love them both so much and we were honored to be a part of their big day!

Drew prepared the rehearsal dinner the night before. It.was.amazing. Everyone was raving about his Pasta Carbonara, Pork Chops and Green beans! Delish! My Aunt decorated the lodge where we were staying and we used some of my Grandma Tonsi's china for the dinner. Made us feel that she was there and a part of everything.

The Lodge where we stayed was unbelievable! The views of the countryside would take your breath away. You could see for miles. The first night Drew, Jules, Tom and I went outside and laid in the grass looking at the stars. It was so peaceful and beautiful. Makes me want to pack everything up and move to an acreage in some small town in Iowa!

Jules made a new friend with my Aunt's dog Deno. She followed that poor pup around all weekend. I don't think he had ever seen so much excitement! :)

The wedding was beautiful and they were both so in love and happy. I loved being a part of it as their scripture reader and loved seeing the love radiate from both of them!

Someone else was in awe of the day as well. She loves everything about Britta and loved seeing her look so beautiful in her wedding dress! :)

My handsome date!

The HAPPY COUPLE!!!!

Jules had fun hanging with Papa Tom. Adorable.

After a few drinks, Drew and I hit the dance floor. He impressed everyone with his moves and we snuggled in close as they played the song we danced to at our wedding as the last song of the night. :)

Hot and sweaty after dancing, but more in love than ever. We kept saying how nice it was to see another couple as happy as we are and truly, truly in love with each other. We wish Robbie and Britta all of the happiness and love that we have shared over our 7 years together! It just keeps getting better and better!!!

On Sunday on the way out of town we had to stop by Albert the Bull (wedding was in Audubon, IA) for a picture. If you look closely you can see Jules by his foot. Albert was HUGE! It was a fun way to end a great weekend!!!

Things that make me smile today....

2011-07-07T10:19:00.000-05:00

* Drew and Jules just dropped breakfast off to me at work and I got some love from both of them :)

* My house is clean (enough)

* 59 cent fountain drinks from QT

* Friends with swimming pools

* I got more work done in the past 2 days, than I can in 2 weeks during the school year

* My Mom and Tom will be here TOMORROW!!!! I am looking forward to a week of fun, good food and a little shopping!

* My cousin is getting married on Saturday. Going to be a fun filled weekend with family and friends. We are staying at the cutest lodge in Audubon, IA. Love it when we can get away as a family and enjoy being with more family! :)

* And finally - Jules in her Mama's shoes. I love to catch of glimpse of her walking around in my shoes. I remember doing this when I was a kid. I could not WAIT to grow into my mom's shoes. She always had the coolest shoes. A pair in every color that went with every outfit (that was all the rage in the 80's). Jules feels the same way and says that she can't wait to be just like me when she grows up. Of course I want more for her, but I will take the love and adoration while I can! :)

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-07T10:03:00.002-05:00

We had a GREAT 4th! We spent the day at the Chapman's pool swimming and ~~baking~~ soaking in the sun! Drew had to still take it easy, but Jules and I enjoyed every part of the pool. It was the perfect day for swimming! Jules was thrilled because there were so many kids there. Keaton's cousins from California were in town and she had a great time that day playing with everyone!

The girls entertained us all day long with the dance routines, plays and all around goofiness. Here is Keaton as Lady Gaga at the pool. :)

Jules and Lady Gaga!

Jules did really well in the pool. She tried a couple new things and went all the way under 8 times. Just ask her, she will tell you! :)

Cutest picture of the day!

Fletcher was pretty exhausted from all of the activities. :)

We all headed out to watch fireworks that night. Jules didn't last too long before we had to leave. It was a LONG day, so we caught the fireworks as we were driving by them on the way home. All in all it was a wonderful day. So thankful to have the friends we have. We are very blessed the Chapman's. Not too often you find a friends where both the husbands and wives get along so well. :) Hope everyone else had a safe and happy 4th!

Grrr...blogger issues - again.

2011-07-03T17:49:00.000-05:00

Ugh! I have lost almost all of my pictures on the side of my blog and can't upload any new ones. Anyone else out there having problems?

Peace

2011-07-01T21:51:00.000-05:00

We have been dealing with a lot recently. I wish I could post it all here, but I can't. Not yet.

We took this picture when we were in California and I don't think I posted it before. It's almost like it is too personal for us. Today I want to post it. I can't explain why, but when Drew and I look at this picture, the only word to describe it is...Peace.

Father's Day 2011

2011-06-30T12:45:00.000-05:00

The day was hectic as we got everything packed for Iowa City, but we still took time to celebrate Drew. He is the most wonderful dad and I am so thankful I married a man who is a great father. Jules is definitely becoming a Mama's girl, but there is a special place in her heart reserved just for her daddy. They are two perfect peas in a pod. :)

The balloon she just HAD to get for him.

All of his loot. Jules made most of it. The cards and the subway art. She came into work with me one day a couple of weeks ago and told me all of the things she loves about her dad. So I played around with them a bit and added a couple of quotes that I love and created this piece of art for him. I plan to get it properly framed soon.

This was the best gift of the day. Before Julianna left pre-school they made their Father's Day cards. He was so surprised to see it that morning. It is so precious and cute. Here is what she wrote:

- My daddy is 80 years old

- He weighs 20 pounds and is 70 feet tall

- His hair is black and his eyes are blue

- My dad love to relax by watching tv shows with me

- and he likes to wear long sleeved shirts and shorts

- He loves to cook spaghetti

- His favorite household chore is dusting

- His favorite TV show is CUBS

- Daddly always tells me I Love You

- It makes him happy when I clean my room

- When my dad shops, he loves to buy eggs

- If he could go on a trip, he would go to California

- and he would take my mommy and me

- I really love it when my dad scratches my back

Happy Father's Day
Love, Julianna.

Isn't that so adorable!! :)

Hope everyone had a wonderful and blessed Father's Day as well!

Iowa City

2011-06-30T11:33:00.000-05:00

We headed to Iowa City a day early, so we could take some time together as a family and enjoy ourselves a bit. We thought we would swim and have a good time at the hotel pool, but the moment we arrived we could tell that the amount of chlorine in the pool was going to be too much and Jules and I and our asthma issues. We peeked into the pool right when we got there and Jules immediately said "Oh no, Mama I can't breathe in here, I better not go swimming." I thought she would be so upset, but she was more excited about being in the hotel room. Remember when you were a kid and how much fun going to a hotel was? Well Jules definitely gets all giddy when she knows we are going to one. In fact the day we left she said "I don't want to leave, I could live here forever!" So that first night we lounged around, went to dinner and played Julianna's favorite games at the moment - Farkle and UNO. We had a blast!

On Monday she had to go in for the testing that needed to be done before her surgery. Drew and I decided to take her to Build a Bear first, so she would have a friend with her during her surgery.

She was so happy and thankful when we showed her surprise! She quickly settled on a panda bear and named her Sprinkles. :)

As we were walking out of the mall, Daddy saw a pink cowgirl hat in the window of a store. He actually stopped, pointed it out to me and told me to go in and check out the price. Now if you know Drew, you know he HATES the mall. Cannot wait to get out of one. So for him to actually want me to check something out in a store is unbelievable. I went in, saw it was a good price and bought it for Jules. She LOVES that thing. I think its stinkin' adorable!

After that we headed to the hospital. Jules was so scared about getting poked while having her blood drawn. In fact all she would talk about leading up to the surgery was her concern of getting an IV and having blood taken. Never mind that they are performing heart surgery on her, she was just worried about the "pokies." I will say it again - Iowa City has the BEST nurses and doctors! After they weighed her and took her blood pressure, the nurse opened up a tube of white cream and put some on each arm. Jules was a little concerned until the nurse told her it was NUMBING cream and she was putting it on there so Jules wouldn't feel anything while they were drawing her blood. HALLELUJAH!!! She was still a little scared when they went to draw her blood, but we blocked her eyes from seeing what they were doing and they were done before she even knew it and she didn't feel a thing. Thank you Lord! I wanted to pocket that stuff and take it to every Dr. appt from here on out for her! If your child ever needs blood drawn, ask for it. It will be so much better for all of you! :)

Big girl!

After all of her tests were done and we met with the Dr. - who once again was amazing and explained everything to us on what was going to happen the next day. Before we left we took Jules out to the playground to play for a bit. She was so drained from all of the tests that she needed to unwind. I just love everything about University of Iowa Children's Hospital. I can't say that enough!

On Tuesday we went in to get everything started. Jules was SO brave and did so well. Even when we walked with her into the operating room, she looked around and said "This is SO cool" They got her up on the table and started hooking her up to everything and that is when she started getting a little scared. Drew and I tried SO hard to remain strong for her, even though I was fighting back the biggest tears. Once she laid down, she was so upset and antsy, that they just blasted her with the anesthesia and she was out. And...that's when Drew and I just lost it. We were both a sobbing mess. I have never seen Drew that upset and emotional in all of our time together. It was so hard for both of us. That was our baby. I am crying as I type this, just thinking about it. When we walked out of the operating room, there was her surgeon who took us both in his arms, gave us hugs and with tears in his own eyes assured us that he would treat her as if she was his own take great care of her. Seriously, this man was the.absolute.best.

We were told the surgery would probably be around 4 hours. Once they got the catheters into her heart, they would have to try and cause her heart to have an "event" - basically trying to get it to start beating irregularly - and this process sometimes takes a while. Once they find the pathway that is causing the problem, they would either freeze it shut or burn it shut depending on what side of the heart it was on. They hope for it to be on the right side because then they can freeze it. If it is on the left side, there is a flap that they usually have to pierce for the catheters to make it through and then they have to use heat to seal of a pathway on that side of the heart. A small percentage of patients have the flap open and they don't have to pierce it, but that isn't common. They gave us a pager and said that they would keep us updated on her progress throughout the surgery and sent us to wait it out. Hardest time of my life. Hands down.

Drew and I made our way to the family waiting room where my Dad and Courtney were as well as Drew's dad Bob and Step-mom Diane. We are SO very thankful for our families. Drew and I don't sit too well at home, so you can imagine how we were holding up in the waiting room. So we decided to go get some coffee and walk around. It wasn't even a half hour into the surgery when we got the first page - "Julianna is doing GREAT and we have all of the catheters in" We made our way back to the waiting room to tell everyone and about a half hour later we received another message "Julianna is doing GREAT! We found the arrhythmia - it was in the LEFT side and we are sealing it off now." At around 9:45 (only 1 hour and 45 minutes into surgery) we received another page "Julianna is doing GREAT! We have sealed the pathway and are making sure there aren't any others. Please make your way back to Pediatric Cardiology." We just looked at each other in disbelief. They were done! She was going to be o.k.!

We pretty much ran there. :) The surgeon came out and told us everything he had done and showed us a picture he had taken of her heart and showed us where the problem was and where he applied the heat to seal it off. He said that as soon as the catheters were placed in her heart it went right into the arrhythmia. Thank you Jesus. We were SO afraid that once they got in there her heart wouldn't cooperate and they wouldn't be able to find the problem. Miracle #1. Then he said that she was that small percent that had the flap between the right and left sides of the heart that was OPEN. So they didn't need to pierce anything, the catheters went right over into the left side of her heart. Miracle #2. He said that his team was just finishing up and making sure there weren't any other pathways that needed to be sealed off, but that they had not seen the arrhythmia in a half hour. Good sign. Miracle #3. And...she was alive. Just fine. Going to be alright. Perfect. Miracle. #4. I am not going to lie. I had the worse case scenario planned out in my head. I didn't share that with anyone, until Drew and I were talking about everything that night. And he had done the same. I was just so sure something would go wrong. I can't explain it, but when he told us that she was going to be o.k. I almost threw up. Months of worry and aching for it to be over with and here it was. It was just a day of so many emotions. Emotions I didn't even know I had.

He stayed and talked with us some more about his family and what a great marriage he has and how he could tell what great parents we were and how strong our marriage was. He was just so comforting and amazing with us. Drew and I both agreed that we wouldn't have been able to get through the day without him. God truly lead us to this man to be Julianna's surgeon.

They wheeled Jules out shortly after that and she was taken to recovery for an hour. We were able to stand there and be there with her when she woke up. The first thing she said was "Hi Daddy, I slept through the WHOLE night!" :) (She always says that to us when she sleeps through the whole night without getting up.) She was in and out of it for a while, but once she woke up we reminded her that she had to keep her legs still, so they wouldn't bleed where they made the incisions and inserted the catheters. This was the hardest part for her. She did great at keeping her legs still, but as she did, she continued to say "this is SO hard" :) And she had to keep them still for....5 hours. VERY hard for a 5 year old to do that.

After recovery and she was completely stable, they moved her to a regular room. Everyone came in to see her and sit with her. She was able to order anything she wanted to eat (lasagna, string cheese and a cookie) and they brought her movies and a DS to keep her occupied while she was there. To be honest the afternoon flew by. Before we realized it, it was 3:30 and the surgeon came in to check her progress and said that if she was able to get up, use the restroom and walk without her incisions bleeding, we could go. So she did! He said that most kids get up, go to the bathroom and start to bleed. So the 5 hours has to start all over again. We were so worried about that, but she was just fine and feeling great! Miracle #5.

So once we heard that she was cleared and we could go, she wanted to be changed into her nightgown, get the IV taken out (which thankfully they put in when she was out in the operating room, so she didn't feel a thing) and was ready to get the heck on out of there!

It just all happened so quick. Seriously, Drew and I thought we were there for the long haul that day. 4 hour surgery. 5 hours of recovery and probably 5 hours more. In fact we planned on just spending the night at the hospital. (all pre-op forms said to plan on it. You rarely get to leave the same day as the surgery), but here we were with our precious child - able to leave.

So we scooped her up (once she was out of the wheel chair) and took her back to the hotel! She was amazing. When we got back to the hotel, Drew and I were just SO exhausted, so we thought we would all just rest and take it easy the rest of the night. Not Jules. It was like a new child. So much energy and ready to go. :) After a little down time (we insisted) we told her she could have whatever she wanted for dinner. So we dined that night on a lovely dinner of Olive Garden Salad and Lemon Creme Cake, and Chicken Nuggets from McDonald's. We hardly ever eat fast food, but last week we pretty much let her eat and have whatever she wanted:)

On Wednesday morning we got up and headed home. You would never know that she had just had surgery the day before. She was just so amazing. I know I keep saying that, but she was truly amazing through everything. The perfect patient. The whole way home Drew and I just kept looking at each other and breathing sighs of relief. It.was.over. She.was.fine. We.were.fine. Life.was.good! Thank you precious Lord Jesus. Thank you.

So don't think I am weird for posting these pics. They are mainly for Grandmas and Aunts to see what a brave and wonderful little girl Julianna was through the whole thing.

Post-Op Recovery.

Getting ready to be discharged = one happy little girl!

Sprinkles was happy too. :) Jules had to wear a heart monitor for 24 hours after the hospital. Sprinkles got one too. :)

Leading up to the surgery - the one part Jules was most excited about was....the wheel chair ride to the car. She couldn't wait to be in that thing. And for me to push it. :) I think Drew actually pushed, but I was by her side the whole time just loving on her and being so thankful for her.

So this is kind of a neat story - see the little stuffed puppy Jules is holding in this pic? When we were leaving her nurse came in with 2 new beanie babies - a pink, blue and purple butterfly and this puppy. She told her Jules could take one home with her. I thought of course she would pick the girly butterfly, but she immediately said she wanted the puppy. Earlier that day while Bob and Diane were still there we were talking about Drew's childhood and family pets and we chatted for a bit about the dog Drew had while he was growing up. A dog named Bernie. Jules loved that name and thought it was a cute name for a dog. Well after the nurse gave her the stuffed puppy my dad asked what his name was. He was joking around that he already knew the puppy's name was "Bob." He, Jules and the nurse had some banter back and forth about the puppy being named Bob and not being named Bob. So the nurse took the plastic cover off of the paper heart that said what the puppy's name was and can you guess what name was printed on the tag........BERNIE!!!! I just thought it was such a neat coincidence. Literally the perfect ending to a pretty perfect day. :)

Post-Op(s)

2011-06-30T09:24:00.000-05:00

Well what a couple of weeks it has been. If you aren't friends with me on Facebook, then you probably wonder what the heck I am talking about. I am talking about surgeries. Two of them. Last week. Oh yeah, when we do something, we do it the craziest way possible.

Last Tuesday Julianna had surgery on her heart. Over the past 2 years she has had issues with her heart racing and beating at times up to 220 beats per minute Scary for us, scary for her teachers and especially scary for her. We met with a surgeon in April and he informed us that she had a condition called SVT and advised us that surgery was the best option to take care of the problem. Thankfully once her problem was corrected it should never come back again. This surgeon (who happens to be one of the most amazing people we have ever met) also is from Iowa City, so we had to travel there for the surgery.

I can't even beging to explain how wonderful everyone we came in contact with there was. I tear up just thinking about it. We have never been in better hands. Any of us. The care and compassion they showed Drew, Jules and I can't even be described. No one wants to watch their child go through any type of surgery and they understood that and did everything they could to comfort us, reassure us and make sure we fully understood everything that would be happening. Amazing. The only word I can use to describe it.

Julianna went in for testing on Monday, had surgery on Tuesday and we were home by Wednesday. It was unbelievable. She was so wonderful through the whole thing. Listened to everything the Dr's asked and did everything she was suppose to. I know I say it quite often, but our child is absolutely amazing. We are just so blessed.

So once we got Jules home and settled, Drew and I got up at the lovely hour of 4 a.m. the next day so he could have hernia surgery! Oh yes, what fun. He has had a hernia for a few months, but did something to it the weekend before Julianna's surgery that put it over the edge. Poor guy. He was in so much pain and suffered a bit while we got through Jules' surgery. But our Dr. advised us that he would be in NO condition to help me or help her if he had the surgery before hers.

His surgery went well, however they had to cut him open to repair the hernia instead of using a scope. So his recovery time is going to be a little longer than we expected. He is doing well and I have taken on the role as nurse. My cousin is getting married on July 9th and Drew is preparing the Rehearsal Dinner, so he needs to be well and rested by then!

Both of my patients are doing SO much better this week and it was actually a great week of just being together as a family. However, I am SO grateful it is over with. Now if we can just keep me healthy for the rest of the summer we will be good to go! :)

Thank you to everyone who helped us so much last week. Parents/sister who came to the hospital, parents who gave us gift cards for food and extra cash, Grandparents who gave us extra cash to help with the hotel bill, friends who brought cards, coloring books, dinner, dessert and for everyone who prayed for us and with us. We are so blessed to have such amazing friends and family. I could have NEVER gone through last week without any of you. I love you all!

Julianna's 5th Birthday!

2011-06-17T14:19:00.000-05:00

Well after 3 birthday parties, we finally got around to her actual birthday! :)

We had a great day celebrating Julianna yesterday! Despite Drew's pain (saving for another post), he was a trooper all day and helped Julianna have a great birthday!

We started the day with her gifts from us...

...and one from Grandma Lili!

I must admit after seeing "Never Say Never" we all have a little Bieber Fever....

...one of us has a HUGE fever! :)

Her response to this gift? "Finally! I have wanted this for YEARS!"

We headed to the zoo for a couple of hours. Again Drew was a trooper. We took a few breaks and just casually made our way around the zoo. Lots of construction going on, so there wasn't much to see, but Jules loved it.

Don't let the picture fool you. She was terrified of this T-Rex...

...but loved this huge blue guy. Hilarious!

We have a picture of her feeding the Giraffe's on her 3rd birthday too. It was a really neat thing to do. :) She talked all night about it!

When we got home she opened the rest of her gifts from Grandma Lili and Grandpa Tom. Spoiled much? :)

Yes, that is a travel cup she is holding. She is OBSESSED with these things. Always wants to put her tea or pop from the convenience store in them. And pretend she is drinking coffee. Right now I am refusing because fountain drinks are CHEAP right now (those of you from Iowa know what I am talking about) so Grandma to the rescue! Now she has one she can just bring with her to fill up. She hasn't put it down since she got it!

All dressed up for dinner. We took her to our favorite place - Latin King. She absolutely loved it. Kept going on and on about how delicious everything was. She is definitely a foodie like her dad!

Can you see the pain in his face? Poor guy. And me, well I have had better days. LONG day in the sun at the zoo and I didn't feel like getting ready, but dinner was SO worth it!

We ended the night with a trip to Julianna's new favorite place - Gateway Market for some birthday dessert (carrot cake for her and Drew and Lemon Velvet cake for me), some iced tea, a cute movie and some snuggle time! We all had a great day together. Just what we needed before we embark upon our surgical adventures next week!

HAPPY 5th BIRTHDAY JULIANNA! We love you so much and we are so blessed to have you as our daughter!!!

Julianna's Restaurant!

2011-06-17T13:53:00.000-05:00

Last Friday night Drew and I dined at a FABULOUS new restaurant! ~Julianna's Restaurant!~

Haven't heard of it? Well come on over anytime and you will be in for a treat! :)

On Thursday Jules and I looked at a whole bunch of recipes on the internet and she picked out a few that she wanted to try and make for Drew. She and I were the Chef and Sous Chef for the night! We had fun make the house into a restaurant and cooking dinner for our favorite chef! We can't wait to re-create the meal and ambiance for Grandma Lili and Grandpa Tom when they come in from Phoenix in a few weeks!!

Menus - she wanted the restaurant colors to be Green and Black!

Entree: Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken

Sides: Roasted Parmesan Broccoli - Fresh Corn on the Cob - Tomato Cucumber Salad

Dessert: Julianna's Homemade Strawberry Shortcake with Homemade Almond Whipped Cream

Seriously - one of the most delicious meals ever! Drew was so impressed. He even said he has been thinking about this meal all week and can't wait to enjoy it again!

The Big Girl Bike!

2011-06-09T11:34:00.000-05:00

This week Jules used all of her birthday money and gift cards and bought herself a big girl bike! As you can see Jules is tall just like her daddy and the 16 inch wheeled bike just wasn't cutting it, so she purchased a 20 inch wheeled bike and some training wheels.

Jules is usually pretty shy about trying new things, but for some reason she was all about getting on that bike. Drew put the training wheels on it yesterday and she spent all day getting on and off it and was so proud to show me when I got home. We had to run right to Anna's party after work, but as soon as we got home for the night, there was only one thing on her mind - THE BIKE!

She got right on and started peddling away! She just needs to learn to watch where she is going and not to stare down at her feet the whole time. Once she masters that, she will be riding it by herself in no time and hopefully those training wheels will come off before the end of the summer!

SO proud of herself!

Two thumbs up for being such a big girl!!! :)

Happy 7th Birthday Anna!

2011-06-09T11:25:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we celebrated Anna's 7th birthday! She had her party at the CUTEST little shop in Beaverdale. With the invitation each girl received a $5.00 gift certificate to spend in the store. Such a cute idea! The girls made cards, ate delicious cupcakes and had their hair professionally done. It was so much fun!

Jules getting her hair done. She LOVED it! I actually had to try and re-create the styly this morning before she left on a movie date with Daddy. Mine definitely didn't turn out as good.

So pretty!

We attempted to get a picture of all of the girls. Um, not so much. Sun was too bright!

Jules and Anna BFF's FOEVER!!! Seriously, couldn't ask for a better friend for Jules. And the fact that I adore Anna's mom and we get along so well is just icing on the cake! :)

HAPPY 7th BIRTHDAY ANNA!!!!!

Our Summer Vacation Home

2011-06-08T11:12:00.002-05:00

Ha! Did some of you think we had won the lottery or something?!?

We are very blessed to have friends who have parents who have a pool! Every summer we pack up all of our kiddos with their summer gear and head there to cool off. All I could think of on Saturday as I was sweating my behind off getting everything done for her party and cleaning up, was "You will be poolside by this afternoon!" And don't you know it was the perfect day to lounge by the pool. We had a blast and got some sun (maybe a little too much. My shoulders are still suffering and Drew, well all I will say, is - that man will never learn)! We swam Saturday, all day Sunday and went back last night for a refreshing dip after I got off work.

And looks who also has learned to LOVE the pool? Jules was very brave this year. She can completely touch the bottom this year, so she loved every minute of being in the water. Last night she even went under and tried to swim a little bit on her own. I love swimming and was in a pool every summer growing up, so seeing her learn to swim and love the water as much as I do makes me so happy! Hoping one day we can have a home with a pool. There is nothing better than being poolside all.summer.long!

Got to spend a lot of time this weekend with these lovely girls. Keaton and Grace. Seriously, we are so blessed to have such wonderful caring and considerate children. These girls were so paitient and sweet with Jules. They helped her learn a few new things and cheered for her when she accomplished them. LOVE them!

SO big!

Kids in a Candy Store!

2011-06-08T11:01:00.001-05:00

On Saturday we celebrated Julianna's 5th birthday with family and friends. I had her birthday party early this year because she has a surgery coming up (I will explain that in another post) so we had everyone over this past weekend. This crazy mama did 2 parties in one day. I did a party for her best friends from 10:30 - 12:30 and one for our family at 1:00. Crazy? Yes. Smart? Oh yes! I was done with both parties in one day and only had to clean up once. It worked out well. :)

The Birthday Girl!

Her invitation. I had so much fun making everything for her party. Now people are lining up asking me to design things for their child's parties. Maybe something to consider in the future. :)

We added a little more pizazz AND candy to what we did for her party for her friends from school a couple of weeks ago. Please pardon that the last "P" and "E" are missing from "Julianna's Sweet Shoppe" my printer ran out of ink the night before :( AND I forgot to get a purple balloon. No one noticed, but it bothered me all.day. That's just how I am.

We have quite a few licorice lovers in our family, so I knew I had to add a few choices. The black licorice went surprisingly fast. Thank goodness. Can't stand the stuff!

Pink Lemonade Bar

Jules loves root beer, so we made a special purchase just for her. She called it her "Sweet Brew" :)

Girls in a Candy Store!

Lots of fun gifts. Jules is all about Squinkies right now. I must admit, they are simply adorable. Where was this fun stuff when I was a kid?!

Jules and her BFF Anna. We were ecstatic when Anna's mom called to see if Anna could spend the day with us, since her mom had to be at a conference all day. It.was.the.best. Jules had a friend all day to keep her occupied and Drew and I didn't have to play "pretend" with her once that day! :) After the friend party they had a quick lunch and sipped on some sweet brew. Too cute!

This picture is precious and hilarious to me. They just kept each other entertained all day and had so much fun! I love it!

Besties

For the family party, Rochelle, Reagan and Annette came. Since they are more like family anyway! :) The girls had a blast with Reagan. Reagan loved up on the girls too. :)

What do you get a girl who loves rainbows and draws them on anything and everything? Why, a Rainbow Cake of course! Gotta love a Costco cake! Seriously it is the best cake ever!

This could very seriously be Julianna's favorite gift from that day. The girl loves her some band-aids and Grandma Howard didn't disappoint. She also received cash, but she was more impressed with the box of band-aids that was ALL HERS. And sure enough about 20 of those things were used by that night! The girl will put a band-aid on ANYTHING!

Thank you everyone who came to help us celebrate our little babe's 5 years of life!

7 Years!!!!

2011-06-08T10:02:00.001-05:00

On Sunday Drew and I celebrated 7 years of marriage! 7 years! I just can't believe how fast it has gone by. We were joking around and asking if either of us had the "7 year itch" and we both very happily said no. :)

After 7 years we are more in love than ever and we have probably been through more than what most people go through in a lifetime, but we have done everything side by side with full support, love, patience and understanding from the other.

I am so grateful for a loving husband who is faithful, tenderhearted, romantic, funny, compassionate, considerate, sincere, amazing and completely adorable.

The best compliment I have ever received is when a friend was dating her future husband she said "I think I found My Drew and I hope we have a marriage as wonderful as yours!"

I love this man so much and I am looking forward to many more years of marriage with him.

Jules and the Carousel - Through the Years

2011-05-31T13:21:00.000-05:00

So every year on Memorial Day (or shortly thereafter) we take Julianna to ride the Heritage Carousel at Union Park. I think I have posted a pic of her on here every year. Today I put them all together so you can see how much she has grown over the years. I just can't believe what a wonderful little girl we were blessed with. She is so amazing and sweet and I am so blessed to be her mother.

Memorial Day 2011

2011-05-31T12:43:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was a beautiful day here in Iowa. A bit windy, but gorgeous nonetheless. We had a nice morning at home just relaxing and watching movies.

In the afternoon we headed to Union Park for our annual tradition of having Jules ride the Carousel. After she rode once with me and once with Drew, she decided she was big enough to just ride by herself. :( She had a blast once again being a big girl.

After that we visited a few graves and then headed home. I worked on cleaning our room (am I the only one, or does this room alway seem to be the most neglected?!) while Drew worked on an AMAZING dinner. Seriously one of the best he has ever made me.

We finished off the night with some classic 80's movies on cable and laughed at the cheesiness of them all! It was a great day spent with my two loves.

Can't wait for school to end this week so my schedule will be a little more flexible and our summer of fun can begin!!!

Doesn't it look delcious! Oh my gosh! Can't wait to have it again!

"Um, Mommy, I know this doesn't make any sense...

2011-05-31T12:21:00.001-05:00

...but I think I have a loose tooth!" These were the words that came out of Julianna's mouth on Thursday night. And, by Friday night this is what my baby looked like...

....not my baby anymore. All about being a big girl! :) I am still in shock that she lost her first tooth at the age of 4, but I guess that isn't unusual. I will admit, I shed a couple of tears. I just can't believe how fast she is growing up!

New Do!

2011-05-25T12:42:00.000-05:00

As you can tell from previous pictures - Jules was long overdue for a haircut. On Sunday we took her to the salon and the pampered Jules for a bit and gave her the best haircut ever! Seriously, we just love it! And I think you can tell that she loves her new look too! :)

Does she look like her big sis in this picture or what!?!

Fun on a Wednesday Night!

2011-05-19T13:19:00.000-05:00

Last night we hung out with our friends the Chapmans and the Peils! What a fun night! We grilled out, made smores and watched our kids (and husbands) have a great time! I need more nights like this. Looking forwawrd to the summer and more fun times with friends!

The kids loved the new HUGE marshmallows. They were extremely messy though!

This is how I like mine. Slightly burned to a crisp! :)

Like I said...MESSY.

But oh so fun!

Proof that Scott is pretty cool. :)

Drew and Shawn - Best buds.

This picture makes me tear up. I have know Keaton since birth and now she will be a third grader. And well. you all know how I feel about Julsie growing up. It happens too fast!

So proud!

2011-05-19T12:51:00.000-05:00

She's Growing Up!

2011-05-18T10:22:00.001-05:00

So, today is Julianna's LAST day of pre-school! By tonight we will have a KINDERGARTNER in our house. I just can't believe how fast time has gone. My precious baby no more. She is now a fiesty, independent, hilarious, smart and still precious little girl! I love her so much and I am SO excited that she will be near me next year as she starts Kindergarten at the school where I work! Can't wait to see her throughout the day!

Here she is on her first day of school this year...

...and here she is this morning. The baby face is gone and the little girl is here to stay. Makes me sad and happy at the same time. Couldn't have asked for a more amazing child. So blessed!

Lucky Woman!

2011-05-18T09:19:00.000-05:00

Last night I came home to see this! Drew and Jules made me an amazing dinner of flank steak with chimichurri sauce, homemade mashed potatoes and corn. It.was.delicious!!! Drew and Jules will be home all summer together and I can't wait to see what else will be waiting for me when I get home at night! I am such a lucky woman!! :)

15 years ago today....

2011-05-17T17:14:00.000-05:00

...I graduated from HIGH SCHOOL!!! I can't believe it has been 15 years!

I think back on that poor naive girl and all that she has learned in the past 15 years. All of her hopes and dreams. Some she has seen come true, some she hasn't.

The girl who thought she knew it all and quickly realized she didn't. The girl who made mistakes, learned from them and sometimes made them again.

The girl who found God again and wouldn't settle for less than HIS best.

The girl who yearned for true love and found it to be so much more than just love.

The girl who became a loving wife, mother and friend. And most of all a girl who found herself.

The girl who grew and grew in so many ways and became the woman she is today. She has seen many bumps and obstacles over the past 15 years, but she has learned from them, grown from them and created a pretty amazing life.

And this woman wouldn't trade those years for anything.

Julianna's Sweet Shoppe!

2011-05-17T12:26:00.001-05:00

On Saturday we had a small birthday party for Julianna. She wanted to do something with a few of her friends from school since school would be out when her actual birthday rolled around. It also gave me a chance to try out some of the things I want to do for her BIG party in June! This year she wanted a "Sweet Shoppe" theme! Jules, Courtney and I made everything and I love how it all turned out!

Jules made this sign. Isn't it adorable?!

Jules and her friend Jazi!

Pixie Stix! I haven't had these for years! So...I had my fair share at the party. :) Delish!

The Girls made jelly bean bracelets. They all turned out so cute!

Cute!

The girls pretended they were watching a 3D movie and had to have their glasses on!

I felt bad giving the girls all of that candy, so I added some toothbrushes and a cute poem at the last minute. Hopefully the parents forgave me for their child's sugar rush!

It was a great afternoon. There is nothing like a house filled with Children's laughter to make you feel good! Can't wait for her BIG 5th birthday party next month! (she can't either!) :) :)

Mother's Day 2011!

2011-05-11T11:33:00.000-05:00

We had a lovely Mother's Day this year! Drew smoked a bunch of pork and chicken and even made his signature BBQ sauce. Mmm - amazing! We had everyone over to enjoy a delicious lunch. As usual, we had a great time and I am so blessed to have such a wonderful and loving family!

Fresh Lilacs picked from Sue and Dad's Lilac tree. The scent always brings me back to my childhood. I just loved watching that tree bloom every year and opening the windows and breathing in the fresh smell of lilacs. I just wish they would last longer!! :)

Sue and Grandma opening their gifts.

Jules picked out a nice garden stone for Grandma. It had a bird on it (her favorite things right now), so she just had to get it for Grandma. :)

LOVE.

I tried my hardest to get a picture of Jules and I that day, but she was pretty shy about having her picture taken that day for some reason - as you can tell in the picture above. She did however make me the most beautiful cards and gave me a new Bible and a cookbook that she made with her class. Oh and a new hanging plant! And lots of hugs and kisses telling me how much she loved me and how I am the best mommy ever! Totally in love with this girl!

Pride of Iowa!

2011-05-11T09:51:00.000-05:00

On Saturday afternoon, Drew and I had the privilege of seeing Drew's dad perform in the Pride of Iowa Barber Shop Chorus. The concert was wonderful and we loved every minute of it! My friend Maggie's husband is also part of the chorus, so it was neat to see them both perform and sing! We also enjoyed watching the Iowa Children's Chorus perform as well. What a fun way to spend a Saturday!

During one of the songs, Bob and Mike came down on stage and showed off their moves to help get the crowd involved! I love this picture of them showing off their talent!

The Youth Chorus was amazing. Such a great group of kids!

At the end they all sang together. It was amazing. Brought tears to my eyes and Drew's. :)

Chef Drew and His New Crew!

2011-05-06T15:55:00.000-05:00

This afternoon Drew taught a culinary class to the best students ever!! They all had a great time making chocolate covered strawberries for their moms! Drew loved every moment. Especially when he was leaving and one boy shouted out - "Goodbye Chef Drew", I LOVE YOU!!! Precious.

I posted all of the pictures I took. They are all just too cute! Enjoy! And Happy Mother's Day to you all!

This class means so much to me and I will be so sad when they move to another building next year. :( I love that they have now included Drew into their little circle of friends. :)