Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Decade

The end of the decade is here and as I sit here remembering all that has happened, it had brought back many memories. Some of those memories are great and then some not so great. I thought I would share some of those memories.
Good Memories of the last decade:
1. Ashley and Abbey being born. By far, the best thing to ever happen to us. I am so thankful that they are healthy, happy girls. Yes, we have had a few bumps in the road with recent illnesses, but it could be worse. They are such delights. I would even go through all of the trials and tribulations just to have them again.
2. Celebrating our 10 year anniversary this year. It doesn't feel like we have been married for that long and we love each other more now than when we got married. We have been through a lot in those 10 years and it has made our marriage stronger.
3. Becoming a stay-at-home mom. Yes, that has been such a plus. Yes, we have struggled at times financially however it has worth it. I will never regret it that I was able to be home and take care of our girls. I believe that they have become such nice, well behaved little girls because I was their to help guide them into that.
4. Health of our extended family. We are very grateful that Shannon's parents, his sister and my sister (and family) have remained healthy this last decade. Again, minor things have come up but we all can live with that.
5. That God is still a part of our lives and that we continue to see His goodness in our everyday.
Here are some of the things that weren't so good in the last decade.
1. The loss of my mom and dad. This was the hardest thing I have ever endured. I still wish that I could just call them up and talk to them. I wish that they were here to see my girls. I really miss hearing their voices and sharing the simple things in life with them.
2. Sept. 11, 2001. What else is there to say. It was the scariest day that I can ever remember. When we went to bed that morning, I wasn't sure what it was going to be like the next morning. Would there be more attacks while we were asleep? We sat and watched most of the day unfold on tv and cried at the loss of life and what has now happened to our country.
3. The murder of Dan O'Connell. How anyone could hurt this person or this family is beyond me. Dan was a rock when we needed him to be helping our family through my dad's funeral. It still saddens me that someone could do this.
4. The loss of friends and friendships. Life changes people, circumstances changes people. In the last ten years, we have not only lost friends because of death and illnesses but friendships as well. We mourn all of those losses from this last decade.

On to the next decade. It will be exciting to see how it all goes and what will happen. We continue to ask God to bless our friends and family. We continue to all grow and to learn new and exciting things about each other and we can't wait to find out about any new (no-not from me) family members that may come into our lives.

Happy New Year!!!! Love to all.

Sunday, December 13, 2009
















Illness continues

We have continued to struggle with illness in our family. There has been ear aches, sinus infections, strep throat and now we are fighting some sort of intestinal bug. This is almost comical if you ask me. The girls have been sick off and on since Tuesday night. Poor Abbey has gotten sick at the Holidazzle ( we were eating at Subway) and then again last night at Burger King. Auntie Tania and Uncle BJ brought the girls to see the Christmas Train and then afterwards she got sick. Ashley is also fighting something as she keeps getting covered in hives.

Needless to say, we continue to struggle with this. I don't know what else to do. We talked about visiting a chiropractor. I feel so bad for the girls.

In the in between time we have been having a lot of fun decorating the house for Christmas. We have a real tree for the first time ever. It has been so great smelling the tree. We have visited Santa, done some shopping and enjoyed family time and talking about why we celebrate Christmas. I am so thankful that they realize that the greatest gift that was ever given was Jesus.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

The continuing saga...

Abbey has strep throat and a sinus infection. She has been put on meds and was checked out by our pediatrician and our ENT specialist. Now after a wonderful day of playing and being outside, Ashley is coughing. We are hoping that it is a fluke but seriously we are dreading the next few days.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Sick Bug

Yes...we continue on this journey of sickness in our house. After Ashley having pneumonia and a double ear infection and Abbey being diagnosed with the sinus infection, we thought we were done. No. I am taking Abbey back in today as her sinus infection symptoms have all returned. Today they seem better of course but I am still going in. She has had crusted over eyes, her face was swollen, she had a rash on her face and on different parts of her body. Never a fever so that is good. Her cough is horrible at times but it is a drainage cough/irritation. Thankfully she hasn't missed any school because of this latest round. The sad thing is we just finished her medicine and this came back within two days of stopping the medicine.
I am just thankful we have the doctors and the ability to visit whenever we need to.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Frustration

Abbey is getting sick all over again. Ashley was up all night coughing and crying. She was literally shaking last night when she woke up. We have been sick since August 15 in this household. I am so frustrated right now. This is how it was when the girls were in three year old preschool. We were so sick that first year. I just wish there was something over the counter I could fgive the girls to get healthy besides eating healthy and drinking lots of orange juice. The only good thing is this is MEA week and we only have two days of school.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Cookie Making Time








The girls wanted to make cookies. Abbey wanted to make Peanut Butter cookies and Ashley wanted Chocolate Chip cookies. They love to bake and enjoy learning how to bake.

Princess Dance Camp























The girls particpated in a Princess Dance Camp this summer. THEY LOVED IT! They dance around the house, singing and twirling and this was a great way for them to see if they wanted to be in dance. Of course, they want to be in dance.....






Bike Ride on the St. Croix












The girls wanted to ride their bikes down by the St. Croix so we did. They had fun riding down the long road and then going down to the beach looking for shells. They love their bike helmets.



Lake Elmo Beach



One of the few days we spent this year at Lake Elmo. The weather was much cooler this summer and we only made it to the beach a few times.

















Renaissance Fest 2009





































We went to the Renaissance Fest this year with our friends Shane and Chris and their girls Emily and Beth.
We had a great time walking around, watching the shows, enjoying the sights and sounds. The girls were able to ride on an elephant and ponies. They also were able to make up their own magical wands. The girls would love to go back.







Mall of America

RainForest Cafe
Abbey on the carousel
Rainforest Cafe


Ashley on the carousel



Riding the rides.



















Before school started, we spent the day at the MOA and going on rides. The girls love going there. This was a great afternoon of laughter and memories.