I'm so excited!!!!

I started this post with the title when I was at home on Wednesday and life happened so I wasn't able to continue.....so now I will explain why I was so excited! 

I am away for the weekend!!!! :)

On Thursday morning I left with two of my girlfriends to meet up with 12 other girls for a fun scrapbooking, crafting, projecting, girls weekend.  This is the sixth time I have been on this weekend trip and I look forward to it so much every year.  This year I think I was looking forward to it even more because I needed a little break from my daily life to take some time for myself, recharge, get some sleep and work on some projects.  I am so grateful that my mother and father - in - law came on Thursday morning watched the kids all day, stayed over night and watched the kids all day on Friday.  I feel very fortunate that I am able to leave and they are more than willing to help out.  Thank you Joy and Randy!!!  

Here's an update on what we have been up to at our house since my last post.  In my last post I talked about how Clara got the flu the picture of her was the next day.  Isn't it amazing how kids can just bounce back.  We also went to the park that week because it was 54 degrees!  We met friends for the last office park playdate until spring.  It was unbelievable how nice it was.  We have been very lucky with great weather this winter!  

Last weekend Jason and I went to my friend Julie's 30th  birthday party in Fergus Falls.  The kids went to Forman for the night and we went dressed in our best 80s attire.  Julie was born in 1982 so we flashed back in time.  

We have started feeding Clara rice cereal.  She doesn't love it, but she is getting much better with it.  She is now to the point that she isn't spitting out all of it.  

This past week she started not acting like herself.  Not eating well, sleeping well, crying, and a very low grade fever.  At first I thought it was her teeth (Hayden got his first 2 teeth at age 5 months) but then she started pulling at her ear.  I made an appointment and found out that she had one ear with an infection and the other that was red.  Poor little girl.  She got an antibiotic and seems to be doing much better.  

The last video is of Hayden saying his ABCs to Clara.  Lately he has really wanted to interact with her more and hold her.  I think because she is becoming more interactive.  Love that they love each other so much!  

Well, I'm off to continue my scraping and creating!!  Missing my babies lots, but know they are in wonderful hands and I will come back a much better mom tomorrow!!

What's the date???

Yesterday it was in the 50's!!!!  It's January!!  I can't believe it!  I even heard my dad went golfing in Forman yesterday!  If you know my dad this probably doesn't surprise you!! 

We have been fighting the flu this week at our house.  Hayden got it on Monday and then Clara got it on Wednesday.  It's always scary when your kids get sick, but having a 5 month old with the stomach flu is not fun at all.  She only threw up twice and was a hungry, hungry girl at around 4:45 on Thursday morning.  So we really were lucky, but it's still scary while it's happening.  We are all healthy for the time being.  Jason has not gotten it and I think I may have had a mild version on it last week.  Hopefully we are done. 

With the weather so perfect yesterday we had to go outside to get some fresh air.  I told Hayden if he took a nap we would go outside....of course he didn't take a nap, but he did lay down for awhile.  Naps are not an everyday occurrence anymore.  So we bundled up and went outside.  We probably could have gone without the bundling up.  It was beautiful.  Hayden ran around the yard, played soccer, went on the slide, swing, played baseball.  Clara even got to go in the swing.  She basically just sat in the swing, but she seemed to enjoy it.  Can't wait for this Spring/Summer for more outside times together with Hayden and Clara. 

2012

Do you do resolutions??  I usually don't.  I think the last resolution I had was about 7 years ago and I highly doubt I stuck with it longer than a couple weeks.  Well I am not going to say that I have made resolutions for 2012, but I would say things that I am looking forward to this year.  2011 was a wonderful year.  We made lots of great memories and our baby girl joined our lives.  So I know 2012 has a lot to live up to, but I am optimistic this will be a fantastic year as well. One sort of resolution that I started in December is to be better about posting more frequently to our blog.  Yes this is for our friends and family to keep up with us, but more importantly it's for my family to look back and remember what took place in our lives.  I hope someday my kids look back and are thankful that I documented their lives.  So there might be more posts without pictures but with stories.  Maybe something funny Hayden said or the first time Clara ate peas.  I want to be able to look back in 5 years and remember it like it was yesterday.    

A few highlights for 2012

• My annual scrapbooking trip to Brainerd.  We are going in a couple of weeks and I can't wait.  This will be my first time away from Clara, but due to the fact that she doesn't sleep through the night yet I am really looking forward to some uninterrupted sleep and getting some scrapbooking done.  The first time I went 6 years ago I had never scrapbooked before.  Now it is a hobby that I love and am so glad I have.  
• A weekend trip to Sioux Falls for my niece Sara's birthday.  We did this last year and the boys had a great time.  My aunt and cousins will also be joining us.  We are staying at a hotel with 3 separate pools with a big slide. 
• Mexico!!!!  We are going in Mexico in February with 4 other couples.  I am soooo looking forward to this trip.  What I am looking forward to most is - laying by the pool or on the beach with my nook in hand reading, sleeping in, swim up bar, a massage and making great memories with some of our best friends.  
• My 30th birthday in March.  That's right!  I turn 30 this year.  I talked to a friend yesterday and she asked me how I felt about turning 30.  Honestly, it doesn't bother me.  It seems like my life just keeps getting better every year, so why would being 30 change that.  
• My plan/goal this year is to run the Fargo 1/2 marathon in May.  I started my "pre-training" this week.  My goal is to get in somewhat good shape before I start the actual training schedule after we get back from Mexico.  In 2010 I did the 10k and got the runner's high that everyone talks about and it made me want to do more.  I decided to do the 1/2 because I am turning 30 and I wanted to prove to myself I could do it.  I've never done anything like this so I know it will be a challenge, but I'm confident I can do it.   
• Wefest!  We got tickets to Wefest.  We are going with friends and are camping there.  I haven't been to Wefest since I was in college and Jason has never been.  
• Lots of fun times with Jason and my kids.  Playing outside yesterday made me excited for this summer.  Going to the pool and the park and playing outside in our backyard, bonfires with friends, their birthdays and so much more. 

 Here's to a wonderful year with lots of great memories. 

Genes/Jeans

It is really amazing to me how different 2 children can be that are from the same 2 parents.  When Hayden was a baby he was soooo laid back, didn't move until he was about 10 months old, didn't get too excited about much, spit up all the time, was a fabulous sleeper. He slept through the night at 6 weeks and pretty much every night from there on out, he took fabulous naps.  Clara on the other hand rolls and rolls, needs to focus when she eats, does not sleep well at all.   We are up at least 3 times a night with her and feed her around 3 or 4 and she only takes little cat naps throughout the day.  She never spits up but has major blow outs in her diaper on a regular basis, which Hayden never did.  Not sure which stains I prefer getting out!  The one thing they are completely alike is that they are happy, happy babies.  This morning at 3am I went to get Clara and she looked at me and smiled and was so excited her arms and legs were just a moving.  Hayden was the same way.

For the past couple months Hayden has been OBSESSED!!! with wearing jeans!  And he would rather wear "cowboy jeans" (they have a brown tag on the back - not sure where he heard that!)  Everyday it's a fight when we get dressed that he wants to wear jeans.  "Mom, can I wear jeans?"  "Mom, I wanna wear jeans today!"  On days that  we are just hanging out at home and don't have anywhere to go I have to work very, very hard in order to get him to wear sweaties.  And then about 500 times that day he will try and negotiate his way out of the sweaties and into jeans.  "Mom, I'm not sweaty, so I don't need to wear sweaties!"  "Mom, can I wear jeans, now!"  "Can I wear jeans tomorrow?"  It's neverending. 

Jason and I are what you would call kinda lazy when we are at home and don't have anything going on.  We both enjoy a comfy pair of sweaties (which we both put on as soon as we enter the house if we don't have anything to do) and we enjoy a good nap on a Sunday afternoon and both of us can pretty much sleep anywhere, anytime.  So it is very puzzling to me that 2 children that have our DNA do not have these "fine" qualities.  Maybe someday when they are lazy teenagers! :) 

We have a little boy that has the stomach flu in our house.  Not fun!  I'm hoping it's finished and that Clara doesn't get it. 

We hope you had a fun New Year!  We had a lot of fun at a party in Forman.  My parents graciously let us stay with them and watch the kids.  We are looking forward to what 2012 has in store.