Nightly Prayers

Overheard from Katie at bedtime:

Dear God,
Help me not to bite.
Help me not to fight.
Help me to be a good listener for Mommy and Daddy.
The end.

I let her know she could say "Amen", but she replied that that's a funny word and she prefers "the end".

Isn't that sweet???

Answering the Challenge

I had a budget meeting today to prioritize Capital Improvement Projects and their funding. I knew it was going to be tough and that they would be after me. As the attendee that was requesting the most in funding, I knew I had much to lose. It was the fiscal equivalent of the Kumite, the martial arts tournament made famous in the movie Bloodsport. Who would exit unscathed???

Once discussion started, I knew certain people had targeted me like the character Jackson, who gets injured in the tournament. Also like the movie, I had friends jump to my rescue just as Jean-Claude Van Damme's character Frank jumped to Jackson's rescue. In the end, my friends took up the fight for one of my specific projects when I was ready to give up, and because of their heroics, my project was saved and will live to see another day. Hooray!

*****************************************************************

OK, so that is an overly dramatic version of what happened this morning, but Jennifer dared me to tie budget meetings to Jean-Claude, so I tried my hardest! In reality, yes, my one project was targeted for elimination. My manager, out on medical leave, had instructed me that I could let that one go if necessary to satisfy fiscal requirements for our overall department and CIP program. Surprisingly, 2 of my co-workers jumped in and defended my project more than I imagined, convincing the director we needed to leave it in! I need to write up a justification memo, but looks like my project has been saved. I did not expect that at all, but am very happy with the outcome.

The Simpsons Went HD...

... and so did we!!!

Our TV, only 5 years old, has been slowly dying an unfortunate death. It was maddening to all of us, except maybe Natalie, who is only interested in the TV because it has buttons to push. Anyway, Colin saw some good options on sale, and after scouting them out over the girls' naptime on Saturday, we all went out to Best Buy as a family and got a new Samsung 32" LCD HDTV. It's pretty awesome! Same screen size as our previous TV, but dang, it's just smaller all the way around! Wild.

Colin claims this has nothing to do with the fact that the Simpsons broadcast their first HD episode last Sunday, but I think that was the last straw when dealing with our old TV. :) Besides, we all watch Simpsons... do they really need HD for their 2D animation? Whatever...

That was by far the most exciting part of our weekend. I took Natalie running in the stroller on Saturday. We also did our regular errands, played with our neighbor Gavin, and baked a pumpkin cake.

Yes, I baked a pumpkin cake from scratch. Out of the blue Saturday, Katie said she'd never had pumpkin cake. I said I'd made it before, but I think it was when she was a baby (work Thanksgiving lunch 2005???), so she wouldn't remember it. Colin told her to remind me while making the grocery list on Sunday and I could buy some pumpkin and make her some. So she reminded me and I bought it. I had 2 recipes, one for bundt and one for 9x13, so I tried the latter (I'd previously only done bundt). I had a can of frosting leftover from all the birthday baking, so it worked perfectly. Dang, is it yummy!!! I'd hardly call myself a Martha Stewart, but I'm always so impressed with myself when I pull off something like this.

And back to work. I miss my manager! She's out on medical leave and has been gone 3 weeks. I can't wait for her to come back!!!

Happy Birthday Katie!

Katie turned 4 on Tuesday! We worked late on Monday making cupcakes to take to her friends in class the following day. After we got home on Tuesday, Katie and Natalie watched a little TV before having a webcam chat with my parents.

We had Katie's choice for supper: grilled cheese sandwiches with macaroni and cheese on the side. Then she blew out the candle on what remained of her cake from the party, and we all enjoyed the tasty dessert. Following dinner, Katie opened her gifts from us and the many gifts we'd received in the mail from family and friends. Thank you all so much!!!

After that, it was time to get ready to turn in for the evening in her new twin bed, complete with all-new Tinkerbell bedding!

Happy Birthday, Katie, our 4-year-old Big Girl!!!

Katie's Wild and Crazy Party

We had Katie's birthday party at the local Y on Sunday afternoon/evening, a gymnastics/bounce house party. It was NUTS!!! First of all, I think just walking in that gymnastics room gives you 2x your normal amount of energy. So fun! Second, with 12 kids there, that energy was contagious and just kept everyone hopped up for the entire hour of play. Some of my favorite photos:

Katie and Deanna on the bounce house slide.

Cherie pulling Gavin out of the foam pit.

Katie hesitating before joining her friends in the foam pit.

Katie getting spun upside down!

The party crowd: Elizabeth, Katie, Brady, Gavin, Rachel, Jackson, Birthday Girl Katie, Natalie, Michael, Kirby, Deanna, and Brandon.

Who needs a fork!?! We definitely needed a shot of the birthday girl enjoying some cake.

All in all, it was a great time. For the relatively reasonable price of the party, you can have up to 25 kids attend, making it a better deal per person than some other party locations in town. The staff was a huge help in setting up and cleaning up afterward, as well as supervising the kids on all the equipment. We got one hour of free play and one hour of food/cake/present time in their conference room. We'd been to a couple parties at the Y before and had a lot of fun, but it was also fun as the host because of their excellent staff. We'd definitely do it again. :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Colin surprised us girls with flowers and a balloon on Friday night!

Valentine's Day itself wasn't terribly exciting. Much of the day was spent preparing for Katie's party. We also had small valentine gifts for the girls to open, and my parents sent them each a book as well. The highlight of my day, as with most holidays, was not having to cook supper. :) We ordered to-go meals from Chili's, and it was DELICIOUS!

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you!!!

Double Party Throw-Down

This time of year gets hectic at our house... besides Valentine's Day, we also have Katie's birthday! This means lots of party preparation around here.

Wednesday I shopped for items for Katie's party and also made a bunch of cookies for Katie and Natalie's Valentine parties at daycare/pre-K. Katie helped me frost and sprinkle the cookies when she got home. I also spent Wednesday and Thursday evenings working with the girls on valentines for their classes -- Tinkerbell for Katie's class and Barbie for Natalie's. The girls both had parties on Friday so I was happy to have those out of the way!

Katie's birthday party is tomorrow. This morning we baked the cake and double-checked all the supplies we have. Her party will be at the local Y, so I need to make sure everything's ready to take over there. We have a lot more people coming than I expected. Never have we had such a high percentage of "Yes" on the RSVP! Sooo I need to make extra sure we have enough plates, forks, etc, since it's not like we'll be at home and can just pull some more out. I'm really looking forward to her party. It should be a good time.

And while we're partying, Colin and his dad are going to set up Katie's big-girl bed. I'm pretty excited that she'll be able to sleep in it tomorrow night, Tinkerbell bedding and all. After all that, I need to make cupcakes to take for Katie's class on Tuesday, and then, finally, I'll be partied out. For now. :)

A Long, Challenging Week

Actually, more like the last 2 weeks.


First, our much beloved co-worker and friend Waymon passed away on Monday Feb. 2. After a long, difficult fight with cancer, he's now up in Heaven, and we will miss him very much.


Second, my Grandpa Swede passed away on Wednesday Feb. 4. The last 5-6 years have really been a struggle for him with various health problems, and he had gone downhill rapidly just since we saw him at Christmas. I think it goes without saying that we will also miss him very, very much.


Colin and I decided that I would travel alone for my grandpa's funeral and he would take care of the girls. After attending Waymon's funeral last weekend, it was a whirlwind to get myself ready to leave and to get the house ready to make it easier for my family while I was gone. And then Sunday morning I took off on the trip to Iowa.


It was a real blessing to be with my family for Grandpa's funeral on Monday. Although the weather left much to be desired, the service at church was fantastic. My dad delivered the eulogy for his father-in-law, and while he had some parts that got all of us (especially the rowdy grandkids like myself) laughing, it was very touching and a good reminder of how Grandpa loved us all and was proud of us all. We then had the graveside service with full military rites. My brother and 2 of my cousins are in the military and participated in this. It was very emotional, especially watching them fold the flag and thinking about how proud Grandpa was of them. The church put on a wonderful lunch afterward, and I was really touched at the love and support that's being shown to my grandma from her church family as well.


My travels were near perfect, and I was thankful for that. That doesn't happen often in the airline industry! It was wonderful to be in Iowa with my family, but I was also happy to get home to Colin, Katie, and Natalie. I missed them!!! Although I was back in town on Tuesday, I took Wednesday off work as well. I think I needed the time by myself to not only do all the errands I would've done on the weekend, but also have some quiet to just think and pray and remember Grandpa. He's up in Heaven now, too. Knowing both of our new angels, I have to say I'm pretty sure Grandpa and Waymon would be friends -- I bet they are up there, talking about construction equipment as they look down on all of us.

25 Things

As with many other things this time of year, this theme is going around... It may be a struggle to come up with 25, but I'll give it my best shot!

1. I grew up in Iowa and miss the Midwest, especially in the fall.
2. I met my husband in college. We were friends for over 7 years before we started dating. After that, though, it was not long until we were married.
3. I used to want to run a marathon by the time I was 30. Since that did not happen, I'm now giving myself until I'm 50.
4. I went skydiving once. Once was enough.
5. A hug from one/both of my girls can really make my day.
6. I would eat pizza almost every day of the week if you'd let me.
7. I still have a crush on Indiana Jones, the character as well as the actor who plays him.
8. Even though I was co-valedictorian, I skipped my high school graduation to go to the national quiz bowl tournament held in the Chicago suburbs. We also went my junior year, and thus began my great love of the Windy City.
9. Growing up, I never would've imagined that I'd end up working in solid waste. Now that I'm in the industry, I can't imagine working anywhere else.
10. I'll admit that I'm one of those who gets much of their news from The Daily Show.
11. I have played clarinet since 4th grade and still play, 20+ years later, only now for my church orchestra.
12. Even though I live close to many beaches, I don't always like to go because I hate seagulls. They are disgusting birds that get their lunch at the landfill.
13. I like to watch Dora the Explorer and Go Diego Go more than I ever thought I would.
14. I hate bananas but love banana bread.
15. I spent 2 summers in high school at science/engineering camp at the University of Iowa. This really made my brothers think I was a nerd!
16. I was drum major of my college marching band for 2 years.
17. One of my best college band memories was when I got to play the Vehicle solo usually reserved for trombones on my clarinet. It even surprised the director that the trombones and tubas helped me with the notes so that I could play it at my last game my senior year.
18. For my last birthday in Chicago before I moved to Florida, my friends took me to dinner and a drag show. Unconventional but very memorable.
19. Colin and I went on a cruise while we were dating. He proposed to me the weekend before the cruise so that I wouldn't have to be nervous about that possibility while we were actually on the cruise.
20. I would like to travel to all 50 states and still need to hit 12 of them.
21. Many women are coached to envision a relaxing beach scene during labor. I chose to relax with Niagara Falls because I couldn't remember seeing any of the aforementioned seagulls the time I visited.
22. It is so fun to see the world in new and exciting ways as my girls grow up and discover more things about their surroundings.
23. We had a cannibalistic goldfish named Floyd while we were growing up.
24. I used to think New Balance shoes were for old people. After I had my first pair, I don't think I'll ever run in another brand of shoe again.
25. The first time I saw Harry Connick Jr in concert, I touched him and wiped his sweat on my friend Ingrid. 12+ years later, I still think he's the hottest guy to ever play piano! I think Ingrid would agree.

Y&R Alert!

Oh boy.

A developing plot line over the past week or so has taken a turn that I just don't like. Sharon's teenage son Noah was out skating on the ice in a snowstorm, trying to impress a girlfriend. Noah fell in and managed to get out of the freezing water safely. But who saved him? Brad Carlton, the man who's been pining for Sharon (not so secretly) for years. And what happened to Brad? We found out on today's episode that Brad didn't make it; he died saving Noah.

I am heartbroken! There are only 2 guys I really, really like on that show because of their nice mix of good and scheming evil -- Brad and Jack. And now they're taking Brad, the most attractive one, away from me??? Unfair! My friend Ella doesn't care one way or the other -- she never liked the way Brad would follow Sharon around like a puppy, trying to disrupt her marriage.

I'm glad I didn't see that Wiki link before watching the show. I would've cried. Y&R without Brad? It'll never be the same...

Family Activities - January

Since I spent much of January moving things over to the new blog, I didn't take time to write on the things we were actually doing as a family! Here's a quick update on things that have gone on since our Christmas trip.

Play Area
Colin and his dad are constructing a play area in our back yard. They designed it themselves and are building it how they envision, similar to commercially-available wood play swing sets but customized for our girls. So far, they've built the sandbox, elevated platform, and swing. They still need to add a way to get to the elevated platform (stairs?), a slide, and likely a rock climbing wall, as well as other accessories. Katie calls it the Princess Fort (sometimes Forch). It is currently natural wood but Katie has many ideas for color schemes should they choose to paint it. I have a few pictures but since it is still in progress, I'll wait until it's done before I post any.

Big-Girl Bed
Katie has been sleeping in a toddler bed since she turned 2, and she is getting a little tall for it. We are getting her a twin bed for her upcoming birthday, so I've already bought all the appropriate Tinkerbell bedding for her (this won out in a discussion of Tinkerbell vs. Disney Princess). Colin had actually envisioned getting her an entire new bedroom set, so one Sunday afternoon we visited 2 furniture stores to check their selections. The first store didn't impress us, so we went on down the street to the 2nd, Rooms to Go Kids. Oh boy. This was like furniture paradise for Katie. The entire 45 minutes we were there, she bounced around from piece to piece like a girl possessed. Colin and I kept trying to ask her questions and get a feel for what she liked, but she was too busy testing everything out to bother with a response. We worked with a saleswoman who was extremely helpful and narrowed it down to 2 sets we wanted to think about before purchasing. When it was time to go to the car, Katie started sobbing. I asked her what was wrong, and she replied, "But you didn't even ask me what I wanted!" Good grief -- what had we been doing for the last 45 minutes??? I had to pick her up and carry her to the car, where she kept screaming that she didn't get her bed yet. She eventually calmed down but was still a little peeved with us the rest of the evening. Since Colin and I still couldn't come to a decision, he went to a mattress store and purchased the mattress and box spring. It comes with a basic metal frame, but at least it will get her started in her bigger bed as we decide what bedroom set to buy.

Teeth
Natalie has gotten 3 new teeth in the last 2 weeks! I'm very excited, because I do want all her teeth to come in and they've been a little slow. Not too much else has been new with Natalie, just growing and smiling and getting more bold in her adventures every day. You never know what she's going to get into. And she doesn't like to take "No" for an answer. I don't think any amount of babyproofing can stop this girl when she's got her eye on something she wants.

Under the Weather
We've all had our turns at being under the weather over the past month. The girls each had an ear infection when we came back from our trip. Katie's cleared up well, but Natalie's sort of got better, then her other ear got infected. Finally, she's feeling well again. Colin had a respiratory infection a week or so ago and went to the doctor. I just thought I had a cold, but now my throat hurts terribly and I'm going to the doctor later this morning. I know this time of year is prime time for getting sick because you're inside with other germy people, and I'll be glad when it's over!

Party Planning
Yes, as mentioned above, Katie turns 4 this month! We've planned to have her party at the local YMCA, where they open up the gymnastics room for open play and a bounce house. After an hour of play, you get an hour of food/cake/gift time in the conference room. It's a good price compared to other places you could host a kids' party. We think it will be fun, and we're also kind of excited that since it won't be at our house, we won't have to do any extra cleaning. :)

That's the latest... Off to the doctor!