Paci

Well, I wasn't sure this day would ever come, but I think my baby Ivy is done with her paci! Last Thursday I took her to the grocery store when she was very tired. Chris was home and I had a feeling she would fall asleep if I didn't take her somewhere which would totally mess up bedtime! So I brought her to the store with me and I let her bring her paci in because I knew how tired she was and that it would be easier on me if she had it. During our shopping trip, the lady at the deli counter asked her if she wanted some lunch meat to sample and at that point she must have taken paci out and dropped it through the cart! We got to the car and I realized it wasn't with us. It was our last one and it was hanging on by a thread...Chris thought it was a choking hazard and it probably was!

That night at bedtime she asked for it about 100 times, but we eventually got her to sleep. The next morning she came downstairs and didn't say a word about it! In the days since then she has asked for it several times, but only once or twice each time and then gets distracted with other things. I think most of the time she asks for it out of habit. Blankey/Paci are one in the same to her so when she asks for her blankey, it just comes out. I realize this should have been done months, maybe even years ago, but it was so hard! I don't know if it's because she's my baby (and she lets me treat her like a baby so I do:), or if it's because it makes my life so much easier, but I sure had a hard time making her get rid of it!

In hindsight, there were a couple of times I should have gotten rid of it. I read her 1 year old blog recently and at that point I wrote that she could "take it or leave it most of the day" with the paci. THAT'S when I should have taken it away. And then also at 18 months when she knocked her two front teeth loose, we had to get rid of it for a few days and I GAVE IT BACK TO HER!! WHAT WAS I THINKING??!??!

The good thing to come out of this is that now I won't have to warn people that she still has a paci! I felt like I was always making excuses for her:) Also, I will never judge someone for letting their kid have a paci, suck their thumb, etc....no matter the age. I swear...even if your kid has a pacifier at age 7, you won't hear any "you don't need that paci, you're a big boy/girl" from me! Just a couple of days ago Chris leaned over to me in the car and gave me a high five. We hardly talked about the fact that she didn't have it anymore (almost for fear of jinxing it) but eventually we got to the point that we knew there was no going back! Phew! That was hard work:)

Now...a few of my favorite pictures of Ivy with her beloved paci:) There are 100's more where these came from!

Jasper in January

Last week when we looked at the weekend temperatures (in the 30's!!) we decided to head to the mountains! When I started looking at hotels in Jasper I realized that they were having a winter festival so our timing could not have been better. We found a room at the Jasper Park Lodge and we were pretty excited to check it out.

Saturday morning we left before 8:00 and drove straight through to Jasper. It took 3 hours to get to the mountains, then another 30 minutes to get to our hotel and then another 30 minutes to get to the ski hill, Marmot Basin. Chris got Max and Mya all ready to head out skiing. Mya was having a minor major meltdown because her feet were burning. (we're pretty sure her boots are a little too small), Max was having a meltdown because he thought he was going to stay on the bunny hill all day and Ivy was melting down because she wanted to go ski down the big hill! Chris's patience when dealing with this was unbelievable. I couldn't have done it. Eventually they got all ready and headed out! They skied for 2 1/2 hours! They did the learning hill a few times and then went up on the big hill for a few runs as well. It was a busy place and the language (and number of people smoking) at the bottom of the hill made it hard for Ivy and I to stand out there and watch for them, but we saw them come down from inside a couple of times. You can click here to see a video of them coming down. My favorite part is when Chris tells them they're doing good and Mya says "but you're doing better!"



After Max and Mya were done, we put Mya's coat (and lift ticket:) on Ivy and Chris took her down the learning hill one time. She wanted more of course, but Chris's back by that point, was pretty sore and he had to ski with her between his skis. She loved the chair lift and everything about it. Next year we'll get her into some lessons and she can join them!



After skiing, we rested at the hotel a bit and then headed to an outdoor concert on the hotel property. It was one of the coolest things I've ever been to. The atmosphere was amazing. There were little fires burning all over that people were sitting around, candles burning on tables, luminaries lining the walkways, the bar was made out of snow, and kids were playing in the snow and dancing in their snowpants. It was just so cool.



We packed our swimming suits just in case we wanted to stop at the hot tub after the concert. Turns out they also had a heated outdoor pool so we decided to do it! The pool was 92 degrees and the hot tub was 103. It was so fun except for when Ivy was waaaay overtired at the end and cried for 30 minutes straight when we got out.



The next morning we were planning on skating on the lake at the hotel, but we woke up and it was snowing and super foggy. We couldn't even see the mountains! We went into Jasper for breakfast, saw some elk just hanging out by the road and then headed back to the pool. It was pretty cool swimming outside while it was snowing. We had lots of fun in the pool and then packed up and headed home. It was a short, but very sweet trip!

Skating and Sledding

Since winter here lasts almost 6 months, we decided it would be a good idea to embrace all winter sports! The kids all got skates for Christmas and we have an outdoor rink that is really close to our house and we can skate anytime we want for free with our community league membership. We went last weekend and had a lot of fun even though it was snowing and we were the only people there! I'm sure we'll hit it up a lot more...Max and Mya are pretty good skaters from all the rollerblading they did last summer and I think I'll be getting Ivy new skates. I don't know why I didn't buy those double bladed ones in the first place!



We have also gone sledding or "toboganning" like they call it here quite a bit! Max and Mya got some snowboard type sleds for Christmas and they have loved putting them to good use. Chris wasn't going to be outdone by his kids so he had to give it a shot too:) Ivy absolutely loves sledding. She will stay out on the hill for as long as possible without her cheeks becoming in danger of frostbite! 90% of the time she carries her sled back up with her too which is a huge bonus for me!

Christmas in Review

It's time for the Christmas Review! I can't believe it was 3 1/2 weeks ago already that we left for our Christmas break back home. I'm going to do my best to summarize the trip without leaving out too many details.

December 20th: Flew out at 2:30pm, uneventful flight, picture below is how we roll through the airport! The kids loved seeing Chris's parents at the bottom of the escalator as we got to baggage!


December 20th: middle of the first night that we arrived, Chris and I woke up to someone puking. It was Max and I couldn't believe it. It was around 6 hours after we got there and someone was already sick! We have horrible luck at Christmas so I'm not sure why I was surprised. I won't dwell too much on us being sick, but we all got sick at one point...Max tested positive for Influenza A...the rest of us probably had it or a version of it. Being away from home and being sick is not too much fun, but it also can be a blessing. We didn't have to worry about meals, we had someone to go get prescriptions for us, plenty of help with the kids, etc. We felt really bad that we got lots of other family members sick and Uncle Jeff even had to miss a ski trip because he got so sick. After about 10 days we were all clear (and then had only 4 days left, but that's the way it goes sometimes) Below is a pic of Max watching something on the ipad while drinking hot water with lemon and honey. There was a lot of that going on!



December 20-25th: We spent that part of the trip in Maple Grove with Chris's parents and brother. Despite everyone getting sick, we enjoyed ourselves a lot. I got in some good quality shopping, had our annual trip to Nadia's cupcake shop (we're not bringing the kids next year...they just don't appreciate $3.50 cupcakes as much as Linda and I do:), played some cards, ate lots of yummy Christmas treats, visited family, saw some friends, saw Grandpa Bill a couple of times, Chris made it to a movie with his brother and dad, had his annual coffee with church friends, we made it to church twice, and I'm sure more that I'm forgetting! Present highlights: Ivy got a bitty baby (which she calls pretty baby), Mya got the stuff to knit potholders (haven't had time to help her with this yet, but she's asked over 1,000 times so hopefully we get to it soon!) and Max got Skylanders for his Wii. He was pretty excited about this because he didn't even wait for Chris to get it all set up. I opened the package and next thing I knew, he was playing!



December 25-28th: We spent these days in Decorah! Chris's parents lent us their car for the week so we didn't have to rent one which was so awesome. We got to my parents house and the kids were asking for Livi, Grace and Grady about 2 minutes in! They all came up and we caught up and did our Christmas that night. We had my favorite meal(heavy hors d'oeuvres and wine:)The rest of the time was spent hanging out with family, having sleepovers (the big kids slept at my aunt Mary's one night, Grace and Livi spent a couple of nights at my parents), being outside, swimming, playing, going to my aunt Mary and uncle Geoff's new house for a fun night, met a high school friend of mine at T-Bocks, we met my aunt Marilyn and uncle Adrian for brunch on Sunday at my favorite restaurant in Decorah, we played some 500, ate more good food, and tried to get healthy without passing it onto my family!

(Apparently I like to take pictures of people holding my nephew Grady! You can see why though...that kid is sure a cutie!)


December 29-Jan 1st: We hit the road to go visit some friends! First stop was in Parkersburg at our friends Joe and Tracy's. It was so fun to see them and their kids and their gorgeous new house! The kids see each other once or twice a year and they pick right up like they saw each other yesterday. We played some fun games (including bean boozled (you can buy it here if you're interested...I never thought I would ever eat a jelly bean that tasted like skunk or dog food or vomit or baby wipes...etc.) On Tuesday we got up early and headed to Dubuque for all 5 of our dentist appointments and then saw some good friends and headed over to our old neighbor's house for dinner and a fun night! New Years Eve day we were lucky enough to see some other friends and then celebrate New Years Eve the same way we have for the past few years..with the Errthums! We had a great time and it just about broke my heart when we left because Max had tears in his eyes and didn't want to leave. He just loves his Dubuque buddies.



Jan 1st-Jan 3rd: We went back to Decorah only to find my parents had gotten our illness! Luckily, I don't think they had it as bad as we did and they didn't seem to be too bothered by it. (at least they acted that way..:) We spent the next day and a half watching some football, catching up on laundry, began the packing process, saw some cousins of mine that we don't see very much, saw my cousin Kelsey play a basketball game, and Mya had a sleepover at Olivia and Grace's house! We were gone 14 nights and Mya stayed at 7 different houses during that time! She went from someone who would never have a sleepover to someone who wanted to sleep somewhere different whenever she possibly could!

(That whole section was our family watching Kelsey play bb!)

(this is one of my favorites from Christmas...these three girls all with their "frozen" blankets and american girl dolls sound asleep:)


Jan 3rd: We flew out of Minneapolis at 11:30 so we got up realllllly early and made it to Grandpa Bill's by 8:45 or so. Had a cup of coffee, some breakfast and got a ride to the airport from Chris's parents. We had a couple minor mishaps at the airport and our gate got changed, but we ended up making it in plenty of time and had a smooth flight home! It was a great trip and it was great to get home. Our neighbor picked us up at the airport and dropped us off to a cleared driveway that he spent part of the morning doing so that was definitely appreciated! Thanks to everyone who made our Christmas such an enjoyable one! We appreciate everything you all did for us and we love you all so much!

December one-photo-a-day

Happy New Year Everyone! Below is a little of what we were up to in the month of December! I waited until there were only a few hours left on January 1st to decide if I was going to do one-photo-a-day again and I decided to give it a go. The kids are really into it...always asking me when I take their picture if it is going to be the photo of the day and wondering which one I chose, etc. Plus, it makes for an easy blog entry to keep everyone who is not an instagram junkie up to speed with what's going on! Here goes...


Day 335: Mya is really into drawing people and on this day she drew a picture of my parents. She said my mom needed long hair in order to not look like a boy. Notice my dad's tie:)
Day 336: After 3 lost pairs of mittens in early December, I got out the old mitten clips. I can't really blame the kids on their "mitten losing issues". They come by it honestly. My mom threatened to make me wear mitten clips in high school.
Day 337: I've got my passport, my suitcase and my coffee ready to go on this day! I was pretty excited for a short weekend trip to see my friends.
Day 338: Part of my bunco crew enjoying a nightcap at a local dive The Dog House:)


Day 339: The Happy House girls in Decorah!
Day 340: Fun day with my college friends...complete with some wine from former bachelor Ben Flajnik's winery in Sonoma;)
Day 341: As much fun as I had, I was pretty excited to be home with these three crazies! The weekend with Dad went really well...and after 6 1/2 years of having a daughter, Chris finally learned how to put in a ponytail!:)
Day 342: We held off as long as we could....time for Alberta license plates. And we thought the Iowa DMV was bad....


Day 343: Big haircut for Ivy. She refuses to let me do anything with her hair and runs away when she even sees the brush so I decided a bob was in order. I'm not sure why I waited because I love a little girl with a bob!
Day 344: Ivy was in a really bad habit of needing to fall asleep in our bed and then Chris would move her when we went to bed. This night she needed all of her animals to sleep with her as well. Notice they are dressed courtesy of Mya. The only thing I see is more laundry for me. My kids just look at clothes and throw them in the dirty laundry.
Day 345: Was cleaning Mya's room and found this note. Good to know I can leave and she'll still love me:)
Day 346: I taught Ivy how to use the tape dispenser. I'm not sure why.


Day 347: These two thought making Christmas cookies was pretty funny I guess. Ivy is all about baking with me these days, but only if she can lick the dough.
Day 348: Thank goodness for technology. We get to see Quinn several times a week on facetime and I think (I could be crazy) she's starting to recognize us!
Day 349: Ivy is really into giving compliments these days. On this day she told me I was really good at buckling her into her carseat. I thought she deserved the photo of the day for that. Later that day she told Mya her socks fit her perfectly. I have no idea what got into her, but I'll take it.
Day 350: When it gets really cold I turn on the heated seats for Chloe for a few minutes when we get into the car. I wonder if the person who watched her the last couple of weeks did that?!? Highly doubt it:) #spoiledrottendog



Day 351: Thank goodness most everyday is sunny or I'd be going insane! The days are pretty short around here. I see the sunrise on my way back HOME from taking the kids to school (8:45ish) and I see it set when I'm taking them home after school. Sunglasses are a necessity in the winter here.
Day 352: All ready for their Christmas concerts!
Day 353: We exchanged family presents this night and Chris gave me a couple of Olivia Pope wine glasses. I figure if I drink wine out of a glass like that I can be as cool as Olivia.
Day 354: Santa got our letter! He said he would be in Edmonton for a different reason on this day and that he could drop off the presents early before we left for home. The kids were pretty excited to wake up to their presents! Ivy was pointing to Mim (our elf on the shelf up in the tree), Mya was modeling her new fake glasses and her gymnastics suit she got for her American Girl doll. Max got lots of magic stuff that he loved.


Day 355: Mya got her baby fix on this night! We visited some of our good friends from the twin cities and got to see their adorable little girl Avery and their little guy Landon. It was great to catch up!
Day 356: Ivy getting some quality reading time in with Grandpa!
Day 357: This was the year of the Canada Christmas presents:! Pretty much everyone who got a present from us got something from Canada. We told them next year we would cut down. My mom did give me a spatula with the US Flag painted on it to balance it out:)
Day 358: Every Christmas Eve at Chris's parents Church they let kids participate in the Christmas Story. Max has done it once before, but this year we thought all three would be able to do it! Ivy decided last second she didn't want to be up front, but Max and Mya got to go up and participate.


Day 359: While the adults had a few minutes to open our presents the kiddos were all settled in for movie night! These 5 (Grady was asleep) don't miss a beat when they're not together. I think Mya asked for Grace and Livi within 2 minutes of walking into my parents house!
Day 360: I love this picture for 2 reasons...that the kids are outside on December 26th and that my dad took this picture! Gotta love a tech savy grandpa:)
Day 361: Two of my very favorite people....my aunt Mary and uncle Geoff. I don't think they have made a photo in the one photo a day so I thought it was time!
Day 362: This cutie is going to break some hearts someday!


Day 363: Having a fun night with the Neymeyer crew making homemade pizza!
Day 364: Mya got some quality time with her Maggie on this day:) There aren't a lot of things that could top that for her!
Day 365: Phew! 365 photos. I decided to end it with this pic. Love this guy!

Stay tuned for a Christmas post...could be awhile though!