I Smell Bacon!!!

Ashlen loves to read and has recently started to write her own 'books'.  She writes stories (using her kindergarten spelling, which I love) about all kinds of random things.  As I was picking up around the house, I happened to come across her latest 'novel'.  The cover struck me as funny!!!  A guy who refuses to be within a mile radius of a doughnut while in uniform will find this funny, right?  Of course, when you read the story, she was writing about an actual pig who likes to play in mud, but I will be sure to point this out to him as soon as he wakes up today! 



Winter Storm!!!

You know the saying 'God only gives us as much we can handle'?  I have always believed that, but now more so than ever.  Recently, I got a great opportunity to teach a class at Illinois Wesleyan. I knew immediately that I would love doing it, the only problem was that I found out about six days before my first class and my plate was already full. Had I known this opportunity would present itself, I might have lightened up on the 'extra' stuff at work this year.  But, I didn't know and I didn't lighten up and I just couldn't pass up such a great opportunity. Those who know me, know that if I am going to do something, I want to do it well (more a fear of criticism than a need for perfection, really). So, I have been a little overwhelmed lately. Thanks to God for my amazing husband, as he has brought his 'A game' around the house. Also, he not only puts up with my moodiness when I am stressed, but he is even nicer to me during those times that I really don't deserve it. I cannot sing his praises enough. So, anyway, back to my point (yeah, I know I tend to tell the long version of a story...sorry!). This week was especially tough for me...I had a lot of stuff going on and wasn't sure if it was even humanly possible for me to accomplish everything. I was pretty sure I would just have to catch up on food and sleep when the weekend arrived...then they started to call for the 'Epic Storm'. I didn't want to get my hopes too high, but having a snow day would be an answer to my prayers because it would give me enough time to catch up and maybe even...gasp...have some time to relax!!! As we are all aware, the storm did hit and we did get the snow day. I got all caught up with work. Then, the second snow day. I got some much needed time to relax. Now, the third snow day is upon us. I think I will use this one to get AHEAD of my work because you just never know what is around the corner! Poor Jason had to work through the storm.  He found himself in a few bad situations, but he made it home to us safely.  The least I could do was spoil him...we ate like kings over our 'snow break'!!!  Here are a few pictures from our snowstorm:

This is the girls during the blizzard...that is not the work of snow-in-a-can...that is the real stuff!

 Ashlen and her friend in front of one of the snow drifts

(not the biggest, but the easiest upon which to climb)

She has become quite the personality lately!!!! 

 Sledding the drifts!

 I was a little stir crazy...and I wanted a chance to use the giant snowblower when Jason was done with it!

I hope you all had a safe and snuggly 'snow break'!!!

Happy Birthday, Isabel!!!

 Eight years ago, on January 23, we were blessed with Isabel Dawn Roberts.  I will spare you all of the labor and delivery details, as they usually result in feelings of hatred towards me (at least from any woman that has gone through childbirth).  In contrast to my labor and delivery, Isabel was not the easiest of babies.  She was, for lack of a better adjective, ACTIVE.  I, being the 'follow the rules/directions/procedures' kind of girl that I am, had some trouble with this because all advice, directions, and books varied in the 'correct' way to deal with an 'active' baby.  I didn't want her to become dependent on us for entertaining every whim, but I also didn't want her to feel abandoned and alone.  I actually cried a little bit when she was diagnosed with acid reflux at 6 weeks old...these were not tears of distress for my baby...rather, tears of joy because maybe there was a reason she was so 'active'. 

 We made it through the first year and by her birthday, we were both a little more comfortable with each other.  We celebrated with pizza and cake with our family and friends.  I have always been pretty strict with my kids' diets...I never bought a 'dessert' jar of food and they didn't even know what juice tasted like until well past the second birthday (even now, juice is a rare treat and soda is off limits most always!!!).  So, giving her a cake of her very own was tough for me, but she loved it!!! 

 For her second birthday, we again had friends and family over for pizza and cake.  We had a Dora themed party...Isabel was a huge fan of 'Doda' and was always on the lookout for that pesky Swiper!

 Isabel was able to quote most of Cinderella by her third birthday (my favorite video clip of ours is of her acting out the entire "Oh, that clock...killjoy!" scene).  So, we did a princess theme and had friends and family over for, you guessed it, cake and pizza!

By her fourth birthday, she had been in preschool for a bit and had become acquainted with the neighbor girls, so we had our normal family celebration on the 23rd, but then had her first 'friend' party a few days later.  We did a Tea Party and the girls each decorated their own little cakes.  It was a blast...I think I had as much fun as she did! 

 For her fifth birthday, we did a Spa Party.  The girls rotated through manicure, pedicure, facial, makeup, and hair stations...by the end they were nothing short of 'fancy'. 

 This was the year that Isabel developed her distaste for the 'Happy Birthday Song':

We all know that I am not a fan of winter, so when Isabel requested a pool party for her 6th birthday, I was happy to make that happen!  We did a beach theme and rented the indoor pool in Washington. 

Isabel's seventh birthday was divided into two weekends.  The weekend of her birthday, we went to Chicago and did American Girl and Shedd.  For this birthday, she took the 'pretend this is not happening' approach for the birthday song, thus the somber look on her face:

The next weekend, we solved an American Girl mystery at our house...the girls all played a part from a script.  For a group of first graders, it went much better than I expected!

Which brings us to her 8th birthday this year!  The morning of the 23rd, she opened presents and selected Cracker Barrel as her breakfast of choice. 

 It was the day of a big football game, so we made snacks and watched the game with family and our friends the Sweazys. I told her she could skip the birthday song at her friend party if we could do it on the day of her birthday with our family and friends:

 Ashlen has never shown much interest in real babies (she loves dolls, but that is where it ends for her most days).  So, I thought it was pretty cute when she wanted to feed baby Alexa...thankfully Alex was pretty patient with Ashlen.

The weekend after her birthday, we had the party...she invited her friends from school and we rented an inflatable obstacle course in my school's gym.  The plan was to wear the kids out as much as possible because I had finally caved to the idea of ...

A SLEEPOVER!  I tried for months to talk her out of it because I thought she was too young.  I bribed her with a trip to the Dells for her birthday.  I tried the 'maybe next year' line.  I said 'no'.  Many times.  Then, I finally decided this was one small battle I would give her (I am not good at remembering to give in to the occasional battle, so I figured this was a small one she could win).  We had 15 girls spend the night.  There was no vomit.  Everyone was still accounted for in the morning.  There was lots of laughing. There was no crying.  So, in my book, it was a success!!!!

I hope that Isabel enjoyed her 8th birthday as much as I am enjoying it being over.  (Okay, I will admit that I do actually enjoy planning her birthdays...at least in the early stages of the planning!)  We have come a long way since that first year...here's looking forward to the years to come, as I am so proud of the wonderful little girl she has become in the last eight years and I am certain that with more time she will become even more wonderful! 

Blessed...

Two days before Thanksgiving, I was in the grocery store shopping for the few last minute ingredients I had overlooked in my previous 3,547 trips to the same store that week. The aisles were crowded with carts and the lines were long, so I was not the happiest of campers that day. While searching for the right kind of Rotel, an elderly man nearby suddenly gasps and grabs his chest...needless to say, it startled me. Then, I realized he was staring at Isabel and Ashlen. His eyes got red and watery (I was more than a little nervous at this point) and he began to passionately explain to me that two little redheaded girls are a true gift. He said that his wife had had red hair just like theirs and that they had hoped for little redheaded girls just like mine, but they never got them. Feeling a little uncomfortable, yet appreciative of his nice comments, I said "Yep, we are pretty lucky!" He got very stern and pointed at the girls and said "No. No, you can't think this is just luck. They are a true blessing." I will say that I didn't mind the crowd or the line so much after that. Thanks to this kind man's shared perception, I feel so blessed to report that we have all remained healthy over the cold and flu season (so far...knock on wood!) and that we had a wonderful holiday season!

To start off, Ashlen had a Thanksgiving Feast at school...she was assigned the role of a Native American: Here she shows the world that Native Americans and Pilgrims really can be friends: Thanksgiving morning (Ashlen wanted to wear fancy shoes and Isabel wanted to wear comfy shoes...I am now even more certain that Isabel is a mini-me): It has become a tradition to take my parents' holiday card picture before Thanksgiving dinner and I am excited to announce that our group was a little bigger this year! My brother and his wife had a baby last spring (adorable little Cora has red hair like her cousins!). My sister announced at dinner that she is engaged to David, who brings his daughter Izzy to our family, as well. My girls are especially excited about this news because not only do they love David, but now they will have a cousin their age to play with at Grams and Papa's house!

The day after Thanksgiving, Jason's best friend from High School called to ask if we would be interested in meeting him and his wife Liz for a night at 'Fun City' in Burlington, Iowa. Due to some last minute changes with Jason's family plans, we were able to jump in the car and head to Burlington! They live in Kansas City, so it was great to get a chance to catch up and the kids loved the indoor waterpark and play equipment ALMOST as much as the adults loved the casino and the Japanese restaurant! I was disappointed when I realized that we were so busy catching up that I forgot to take many pictures...I only have one of Jason and Steven trying to climb the rock wall!

The week after Thanksgiving, the girls had their school's Christmas Programs: Ashlen's was first...here she is waiting with a few of her friends from class: Isabel's class was instructed to dress as snowmen. She was pretty unsure about stuffing her dress with a pillow, but when she saw everyone else doing it, she was a little more 'okay' with the idea: Here she is post-show with one of her best friends...she thinks it is 'so cool' that they have known each other since she was 6 weeks old.

We were lucky enough to get some snow before Christmas! Now, I am not normally a fan of snow, but before and during Christmas, I love it! Isabel and her friend from across the street had heard somewhere that if you get stranded in the cold, you are supposed to bury yourself in snow to keep warm. They decided to test it out. Isabel said that she was warmer under the snow than out of it, so I guess it worked!The girls were as excited for the last few days of school as they were for Christmas itself! On this day, Ashlen was having a Hot Cocoa Party at school...the kids all wore their jammies to school and drank hot cocoa while watching Polar Express. The night before, I happened to run across a cute pair of 'I -heart- Cocoa' fleece jammies...she was excited to wear them to her party! Isabel's class had their Christmas party on this day too.We spent Christmas Eve with my parents and family...it was a snowy and relaxing day! It is my rule that Christmas morning is spent at home with just the four of us...no exceptions! I like to light the fireplace and have the cameras ready for their first sight of the living room on Christmas morning. Of course, they wake up crazy early from the excitement and they have to walk through the living room to get to our room, so we asked them to stay in their rooms and just jump on their bedroom floor when they woke up...it is right above our room. At 5:55am, our ceiling sounded like it might collapse! But, it was worth it to see their faces (Ashlen is growing like crazy but refuses to give up her favorite softie nightgowns, so the first picture is almost not family friendly...sorry about that!!!):

Checking out the goods from Santa:And then opening the presents from us...they have been asking for a dollhouse all year long, so they were pretty pumped to find this under the paper:We have a christmas pickle ornament. If you are not familiar with the German tradition (we are Norwegian, but I like the tradition anyway), there is a glass pickle hidden in the tree on Christmas morning and the person who finds it gets a special present. The girls had practiced hiding and finding the pickle for weeks and left a note asking Santa to hide it. Ashlen was interested in looking for about 30 seconds, then she wandered off to play with her new toys. Isabel searched and searched until she finally found it!!!I am afraid she might have been a little disappointed to find that the prize was a digital math facts game, but she hid her diappointment like a champ!Just before Thanksgiving, Jason's parents lost a very important member of their family...their dog Moppy Jo. She had been with the family since before I even met Jason and she was VERY loved. Here is a picture of Jason and I with Moppy Jo about 6 months after we 'became more than friends':Moppy is still missed very much, but a couple of days before Christmas, they welcomed a new puppy into the family. The girls were thrilled to play with Muffin all day...in fact, they were more excited to meet Muffin than they were about the Christmas presents!This is the first time in many years that all of the grandkids were together at Christmas. In fact, the last picture we have like this, Ashlen was just learning to walk. Devyn (in the far back left) just announced her engagement to a very sweet guy. David (far back right) will be heading to Afghanistan in the spring, so it will probably be at least another couple of years before the grandkids are all together again for the holidays. It was great to see everyone!After a perfect holiday celebration with Jason's family, we headed towards Iowa to see my extended family. My best friend Brooke lives in Iowa City, so we decided to make that our half-way point. At 8pm on Christmas, the four of us were at the hotel pool (selected for its indoor curly water slide!!!) eating Dominoes! Sounds strange for Christmas night, but it was fun! The next morning, Brooke brought her three adorable boys so the kids could swim and we could exchange our gifts (Brooke is always an amazing gift-giver and she did not disappoint! Thanks again, Brooke!!!) We managed to talk all five kiddos into a quick picture:Then, we headed to the Des Moines area to have Christmas at my dad's sister's house. My aunt Miriam has always wanted a sleigh for her front yard at Christmas time, so that is exactly what my dad gave her this year:Before we headed back to Illinois, we stopped to visit my grandparents (my mom's parents). It is so hard to see your loved ones in poor mental and physical health, but it meant a lot to get to spend time with them. I am just sad that my own kids will most likely only have memories of them in poor health, but I suppose that is life and I am just glad that I have the memories of them in better times.

So, now the holidays are over and I am busy planning a birthday party for Isabel and looking forward to spring. Although, I did decide to put a little winter decor on the front porch this year...maybe if I welcome winter with open arms, it will seem to be over faster?!?! One can only hope!