2010 is coming on us shortly...and that means it is time for a CHALLENGE!

August 22, 2010

What does this date mean?

It is my newest challenge...and while I am extremely nervous, I am also VERY EXCITED!

However, getting ready to run a half marathon is not the easiest thing for me, but I do enjoy running and I love the cause that we are running for...please go visit the site and if you are encouraged, please jump on the bandwagon and run the 1/2 marathon!

www.worldvision.org/team

Starting in January I am going to begin my training and then in April I will begin training runs with other people on the team.  I am excited because not only am I running this, but my husband and possibly some others from our family.  How exciting and something for all of us to share together!

Now, have I always been a runner?

NO!

To be honest, I was always the one that never finished the mile run and always ended up crying in the end.  I was always jealous of those that could finish and felt embarassed that I could not join in, in there excitement.

But that is all different now. 

I began my running last summer in 2008 and something inside of me changed and I loved every minute of running (both in and outdoors)

I ran my first 5K in the turkey trot and ran it in 35 minutes

I ran my second 5K in the Race for the Cure and ran it in 30 minutes

I ran my third 5K in my hometown with my husband and while he took third place, I ran it in 35 minutes

Before this half marathon I am going to be taking part in the Race for the Cure and hopefully an 8K and 10K, can't wait!

My running wishlist...

World Vision shirt...perfect for running!

New Running shoes

MUSIC

Must make a fun playlist as I will be running for quite sometime during this run and must stay motivated!

Any suggestions of songs would be greatly appreciated

I am sure there will be more to add to this list, but for now, this is good!

I am asking that you all pray for me and support me in this challenge!

I am so excited!

Inspired!

I was torn tonight...
Watch "The Biggest Loser" Finale or "So You Think You Can Dance"? 
I am so happy with my decision because I was truly inspired...

I watched "The Biggest Loser"

It was so good! 

After seeing all of the amazing reveals and hearing all about what each contestant went through...definitely encouraged me to go further with my workouts and to go further with my weight loss.  No more excuses, no more disappointments...this time I am going to continue and finish strong! 

Thank you "Biggest Loser" for not only enouraging and inspiring me, but doing that for many others!

Stressed!

For the few that read my blog, I apologize for not posting lately!

I have been tired and stressed a lot lately and have just been taking a little break, and honestly, just not a whole lot to post about!

However, tonight I thought it would be good to post about things that have been going on in the Holm Household....

*Next week Aspen has her preschool Christmas program and she is VERY excited about it!  Her teacher has told us that she is one of the louder singers in the group (she takes after her mommy).  I cannot wait to see her in her program next week...we definitely will be there with both camera and video camera.  And we are also excited that Grandparents and Aunt T will be there as well!

*This week Aspen has been very into singing "Jingle Bells" and so we have been singing it a lot lately...and it is really cute...I really need to post this video...but picture Aspen, Titus and I singing (if you will)
Aspen and I:  Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the way.  Oh what fun, it is to ride, in a one horse open sleigh....
Titus: HEY!
Aspen and I: Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the way.  Oh what fun, it is to ride, in a one horse open sleigh...
Titus: HEY!
It really is the cutest thing!  And he is so proud each time he says "Hey!"

*After LOTS of prayer...my sister who has been unemployed for awhile has found a job!  PRAISE THE LORD!  We look forward to seeing how God is going to use her!

*Our house if filled with Christmas decorations (pictures to come) and I just love it!  Titus is in awe of the Christmas tree!  It is finally starting to feel like Christmas now that snow has fallen and the kids cannot wait to go outside and play in it! 

*Tomorrow my husband (and MANY others) will be running in the Reindeer Run!  I certainly will be praying for him because it is going to be very cold...but he is going to have so much fun and I cannot wait to hear all about it when he gets home. 

There are so many more happenings going on in our family, something fun/funny/exciting happens each day!  I know that this blog post wasn't all that exciting (without photos), but I will definitely post some soon!

Hope everyone has a great weekend...and STAY WARM!

Thankful for...

friends!!!!

i am so thankful for friends! tonight i was sitting with my friend misty and it just made me just love my friendship with her, and just what an awesome gift friendship is! i love spending time with my friends whether it is over coffee (which is with most of my friends because we are all mommies), over a good chick flick, shopping, working out (right erica?), and best of all at MOPS!

speaking of MOPS...what a great ministry!

i was brought to MOPS shortly after i had aspen and it was the BEST thing! it was hard being a stay at home mom, not really knowing what to do, so many questions, and just longing for someone to talk to. my sister told me about MOPS (she had friends that were mommies) and so i did and found a group close to my home. it was great! i got to know other mommies and realized that i was not alone and it was just great to chat with other moms and also to be prayed for, comforted, and best of all just have fun with other women that were going through the same thing i was. God definitely does provide at just the right time! now i am blessed to be a part of MOPS at our very own church and it has been an answer to prayer because i have been desiring to have that happen and it did! i truly have met some of the most AMAZING friends from this group and i love how each one of us are so different, but yet the same in Christ! i could not ask have asked for a better group of ladies and look forward to what He is going to do within this ministy...He has already done so much!

soooooo...thankful for friends and thankful for how God has used my friends to impact my life in so many ways. thankful for friends that come and support me, pray for me, and uplift me no matter what may come my way. thankful for friends that love to laugh, have a great time, and just love to be crazy!

now, don't get me wrong, i love to be with my husband...he is my best friend! but there is just something about having a girl friend that is just awesome!

thank you very much to all my friends! i am truly blessed by each one of you, you truly are the best! each one of you have touched my life and have left many imprints in my heart. i have so many memories with so many of you and i will forever cherish those and look forward to creating many more memories.

and thank you to my Heavenly Father for blessing me with such amazing friends!

Free!

Today I was informed by a friend of mine that at Underwater World, if you are a teacher, you can get a FREE single membershp!

FREE???? Yep, that's right!

So, I took my YMCA badge and Zac took his badge and we both got single memberships for free! We then added the kiddos onto my membership card and the grand total for our trip was $11 (Titus is free until 3 and Aspen was just $11 to be added)

$11 to have fun at Underwater World for a year!

Yeah!

Thank you Jen! Great idea! The kids (and parents) had so much fun today!

Pictures to come!

Thankful Thursday!

I am going to start "Thankful Thursday"!

Lately, I have been constantly complaining about all that we do not have or always wanting more...do you ever get that way? I think that we all do from time to time.

A couple of weeks ago I was able to go and volunteer at "Feed My Starving Children" with my MOPS group and let me just tell you, that really hit home to me. Just yesterday, witnessing families that need to go pick up food from a food shelf because they cannot afford groceries, that hit home to me.

There are many other times where I have been reminded just how blessed I truly am, how blessed my family is!

We have a wonderful home, great friends and family, neighbors, jobs. Very thankful for that. Thankful for a warm home in the winter, cool home in the summer. Thankful for cars to drive to and from places, for clothes on our backs, and for always having food to eat. Thankful for running water to shower and bathe with and clean drinking water. Just THANKFUL!

While I am thankful for all that and more, I am reminded of how thankful I am to have Jesus in my life as my Lord and Savior. He has blessed me with so much, the BEST husband, the BEST kids, the BEST family, and the BEST friends. I am so thankful that I know Him and that He knows me and that each day all that He has blessed me with are constant reminders of His goodness.

So today, on this Thankful Thursday, I am thankful that 12 years ago I came to know Him and accepted Him into my heart and again thankful for all that He has done and will continue to do in my life!

Great Weekend!

We had such a great weekend...here is what we did!

My sister came to visit...the kids loved having there Aunt T here!

Saw Aspen in her first parade at preschool, she was a High School Musical Cheerleader

Aspen and I decorated cookies for Halloween

Trick or Treat at the MN Zoo and Mall of America

Dressed up - Aspen was Cinderella, Titus was a Crocodile, I was a Queen, Zac a King, and Aunt T as the Fairy Godmother

Enjoyed an extra hour of sleep

Stayed up late watching old episodes of the Golden Girls

Watched the Vikings beat the Packers

Played our usual games of Fill or Bust and Baseball

Captured lots of moments with photos

It was truly a fun weekend! Always fun when Aunt T visits and today when the kids and I brought her to the airport Aspen said (as we were driving away) "I am going to miss my Aunt T!" And she truly will...she already is looking forward to Christmas when she can see her again!

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God answers prayers in many ways!

A few weeks ago Aspen was supposed to go to the Apple Orchard with her preschool class, but it ended up being cancelled due to rain. Aspen was so bummed out!

However, it did end up getting rescheduled!

Aspen said, "We should pray so that it does not rain!"

So we did!

This morning when I woke up and saw that it was not supposed to rain until later today, I was so excited to tell Aspen the good news!

As Aspen came down the stairs...
I said, "Aspen, it looks like you get to go to the Apple Orchard today!"

She said, "Why?"

I said, "Because it is not supposed to rain!"

She said, "Well it is a good thing that we prayed!"

That was just too cute of a story that I had to share it! Enjoy your day everyone!

What a weekend!

This weekend we had so much fun because Papa and Grandma came to visit! We decided to spend a good portion of our morning outdoors soaking up as much Vitamin D as we could, so we went to Pahl's market to pick out some pumpkins! While we were there we spent time on the swings! Aspen loved the tire swing and also enjoyed singing as loud as she could!
While Titus enjoyed getting pushed on the swing by Papa, laughing and giggling as he usually does!

Lots of different spots around there to get a cute photo, so we took the opportunity! Even though the sun was in our eyes, this is (I think) a great shot of us!

Spending time with Papa and Grandma is always so much fun! We were so glad they were able to come and visit and look forward to another visit in just a couple of weeks!

Aspen as we were leaving Pahl's (I think that she is annoyed of mommy now that she has a new camera to take pictures with)

Hope you all are enjoying your fall!

I can't resist!

I just cannot resist sharing this picture! My little baby boy...he is getting to be my big boy! Time sure does fly!

Pumpkin Spice Bread

It's the most wonderful time of the year...FALL! Enjoy this yummy recipe!

3 c. sugar
1 c. applesauce
4 eggs lightly beaten
1 can (15oz) pumpkin
3 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. bakine soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 c. water

In large bowl combine sugar, eggs, and applesauce. Add pumpkin and mix well. Combine dry ingredients; add to pumpkin mixture, alternately with water. Pour into two greased 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes or until bread tests done. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire rack. Enjoy!

Tonight this is what we heard from our little girl Aspen while playing games...

Aspen: I want to play duck duck gray duck!

Wait, I need a duck!

"Simon Says"

(Aspen was Simon and my sister and I were taking orders from her)

Aspen: Simon Says, run to me!

My sister and I proceed to run to her

Aspen: STOP!!!!!

My sister and I immediately stop (without realizing that she hadn't said Simon Says)

It was just a very fun last night hanging with my family! Playing fun kid games with the kids, watching Aspen do Zumba with her Aunt T, taking some last minute photos before my sister goes back to Colorado, and just enjoying a wonderful fall evening! Too fun!

5 years ago!

5 years ago....

I married my best friend!

Zac and I met at Northwestern

We were great friends for 3 years before we even dated and when we began dating we had so much fun! We continue to have fun each day and we look forward to more years to come!

We are definitely blessed with our lives together and are thankful for all that God has given to us!

I'm a big kid now!

That's right!

Aspen is now a preschooler!

Yesterday she walked through the doors at 9:15 and hung up her school bag, got on her name tag and went to her room!

Zac and I cannot believe that we are now parents of a preschooler! She loves each and every minute of her morning there. She goes three mornings a week, Tuesday through Thursday, and it's so much fun seeing the smile on her face and when she gets in the van she cannot stop talking about all the fun she had!

She is a big girl now!

The State Fair

We had a wonderful time at the state fair on Thursday! Here is all that we did...

-Riding the bus to the fair...Titus insisted that we sing "Wheels On the Bus" and we did!
-Eating Corn on the Cob
-Aspen and Titus trying cotton candy for the first time, Aspen LOVED it and Titus didn't really care about it
-Lots of rides, Aspen had a ball at the Kidway going on the balloons, swings, train, airplanes, and the fun house
-Titus got to go on his first ride - the carousel...and Zac, Aspen , and I joined him. He enjoyed waving to everyone and when the ride was all over he said "All Done"
-Visiting the barns; however, when we went they were cleaning...NOT A GOOD TIME TO GO there.
-Trying the "Deep Fried Reese's peanut butter cup" freshly made...warm...ooooey gooey goodness (and yes, i did share)
-Papa and Grandma after a long morning and afternoon took the kids home and my sister, Zac, and I walked around some more...we went on the really tall swing ride in the Midway (pictures to come)
-Finally, enjoying a night of worship with the Casting Crowns and Barlow Girl...one word...AMAZING! We along with Anderson's and Goldfarb's had a great time and the time of worship was wonderful.

There were many more fun memories of the fair, but I will save that for later, and I promise to have photos! We had a great time, great weather, great food, great experience! I have to say a HUGE THANK YOU to our insurance company for the tickets to the fair, tickets for food, and for rides...it definitely made our day SO MUCH FUN!

Bald?

The other day this is what I heard when Aspen was talking to her daddy...

Aspen: Daddy, are you bald? (pointing out that her daddy is losing his hair)

Daddy: Yes

Daddy: Aspen, are you bald?

Aspen: No daddy, Just you are! Followed by laughter from all of us!

It was just too cute! Something I wish that I could've recorded!

He can always make me laugh!

This video was taken when we had received balloon animals from Papa and Grandma. The kids love these, and so while Titus was playing with his he put it in his mouth, and well...you know what happened (it's in the video). His reaction was great and it made us all smile and laugh!

I know that is has been awhile since I have posted a blog, and I am sorry! It has just been crazy busy around here and now it is a Sunday afternoon so I feel like I have the time to post something!

What we have been up to lately:
*We attended a wonderful Go Fish concert - thank you Selness Family
*Spending LOTS of time with Papa and Grandma
*Many trips to the park
*Getting Aspen ready for PRESCHOOL! I cannot believe it, in just a few weeks she will start school...WOW!

Things to look forward to:
*Zac's brother Gabe is getting married this weekend to a wonderful girl named Abbie, we love them both dearly and are looking forward to this day!
*State Fair with my family, and my sister from Colorado will be in town!
*Casting Crowns and Barlow Girl concert at the State Fair
*Spending September with my sister...she is actually going to be here the whole month!

Zac is officially back at school teaching and loving it, but keeping very busy! He enjoys being back at work and is glad that he is finally getting over his sickness that he has had for awhile! Aspen is testing the waters and getting more of an attitude, but we are working on that and both Zac and I have been praying for her and each day is getting easier and easier. I am loving how great of a big sister she is, she really truly loves her brother. My favorite is when her and Titus give each other hugs and kisses. They are now sharing a room together and they truly have a great time! Aspen, even though sometimes her disobeying gets in the way, we just truly love her so much and love watching her learn and want to learn. She loves working on her preschool books, singing songs, coloring, and just PLAYING! Titus is learning so many new words and doing LOTS of animal sounds. He LOVES books, just like his sister! He also watches lots of Go Fish, plays lots with puzzles, and just loves to be around us...no matter what we are doing!

I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful husband, and two wonderful children!

What a fun birthday weekend!

This weekend has been such a blast celebrating Aspen's 4th Birthday Party!

This year she wanted to have a High School Musical party and that is what she got. From pancakes, to decorations, to even lots of gifts, she enjoyed it all!

Friday, on her birthday, we enjoyed the day with my parents. They took her to McDonald's for lunch and then we enjoyed a free pass to the Nickelodeon Universe at the Mall of America where she enjoyed LOTS of rides, face painting, and a yummy meal at the Rainforest Cafe - they even sang Happy Birthday to her!

Saturday morning we woke up and enjoyed a fun time at the Farmer's market, Aspen enjoyed picking out her flowers. Then it was time to get the food all prepped and set out before all of the guests came! When the party started it was time to nibble on snacks, then it was game time, followed by gifts and cake (the video is of everyone singing Happy Birthday to Aspen), and then ended with one final game.

Aspen truly enjoyed her birthday and is thankful for all of her friends and all of the presents! We are so blessed to have her as our daughter and look forward to many more years with her. We love you Aspen - as we say, "You are the best in the midwest!"

Guess who's turning 4?

That's right! Aspen is turning 4!

She has been looking forward to turning 4 since she found out that when you turn 4 you can go to preschool.

I cannot believe that our little girl is going to be 4...wow, time flies!

I remember it like it was yesterday...it was over 100 degrees and I was two weeks overdue with her and was ready to be induced and 6 hours later, our beautiful angel was born.

Aspen was 6 lbs. 10 oz. and almost 22 inches long...she was a peanut and still is today!

She is learning so much each and everyday and is definitely a daddy's girl. She loves singing and dancing, playing with her friends, loves to read books, and is such a great BIG sister to Titus.

She is a little girl who has definitely been through a lot and God has definitely taught us so much through her life and we thank Him everyday for her.

This is a fun time for her and on the day of her birthday we get to celebrate it with her Papa and Grandma. They are coming down in the morning and will be with us all day. Aspen and Mommy get to enjoy time at a fun sprinkler park with her MOPS friends, lunch at Culver's, then it is off to Nickelodeon Universe with Papa...Grandma...brother...mommy and daddy, dinner, and of course opening gifts!

Saturday is her HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL party! Yes, that's right, she loves HSM! She knows all the songs and loves to dance to each and every one. Lots of her friends will be over and it will just be a fun time celebrating her life and we look forward to many more fun years with her.

If you can remember, on this day, if you can say a prayer for Aspen or share a fun memory of her, that would be so great to hear!

Thank you Father, for Aspen, her life, and the JOY that she brings us!

Oreo Bon Bon's - By Request!

While co hosting a baby shower today, I was asked to post this yummy bon bon recipe! Here it is!

1 package of regular oreos
1 package of chocolate almond bark
1 8oz package of cream cheese
package of toothpicks

*Finely blend the oreos using a Food Processor or Food chopper
*Make sure the Cream Cheese at room temperature and use hands to combine the oreos and Cream Cheese together to form a big ball
*Then from that ball make tiny balls, as many as it will make (it all depends on how big you would like them)
*Line a cookie sheet or platter with wax paper to place the oreo balls on
*Once you have those all made, place a toothpick inside each one
*Place in the freezer for 1-2 hours
*Before you take them out of the freezer, place the almond bark in a deep bowl in the microwave for 90 seconds, stir, and if needed place in the microwave for another 15 seconds until melted
*Take and dunk each bon bon in the almond bark making sure you cover the entire bon bon and place back onto the wax paper
*When the almond bark is hardened, twist and pull out each toothpick
*Take another toothpick dunk into the remaining almond bark to fill each hole on each one of the bon bon's
*Enjoy!

Tomorrow's the day to run another 5K!

Tonight after work we are heading to my parent's house for the big Water Carnival celebration - we go there every year on Father's Day weekend because there is always lots to do! Parades, food, carnival, fireworks, and especially time to spend with my wonderful hubby, who is an amazing dad, and my father, who is the best in the world! I am pretty lucky to have such wonderful men in my life.

Besides celebrating Father's Day, enjoying the Water Carnival, and hopefully some wonderful weather...I will be running in another 5K. This run should be lots of fun because it is along the river and I get to run this one with my hubby! This is our first 5K together and we are both very excited. I do not know if we will finish together because he is a foot taller than me, but it will definitely challenge me...and who knows...maybe we will finish together, I would love that!

*Sorry about no recent pictures...I always forget to get the cd's to download them on the blog. Hopefully soon...the challenge is to get some posted after this weekend!

The results!

Thank you all so much for your prayers...

Just checked on our "my chart" with our clinic and the results to aspen's ct scan are that everything is NORMAL! PRAISE THE LORD!

Tomorrow is the day!

It is Tuesday night and Aspen is just about to hit the sack for her big morning tomorrow.

My wonderful parents are so gracious to come up to help out with Titus while Aspen and I head to the hospital for her CT scan. We are having a CT scan done because she has had 3 febrile seizures and we just want to make sure that there isn't anything more wrong and maybe find out some answers to questions we have been having as each seizure has come and gone.
So tomorrow we will head to the hospital and we need to be there at 8:30AM and if all goes well and Aspen cooperates and lays there still for at least a minute, they will not have to sedate her, and if she does not lay there still then they will have to sedate her. Our prayer is that they will not have to sedate her, so PLEASE PRAY for that! Also, just be praying that they find nothing, that everything is just fine! If there is something, we just pray that we take the right steps in what we then need to do.

Thank you all for your prayers and I will definitely update you all on how she does and what the results turn out to be!

What a Day!

I feel like a walking zombie today!

This morning at 2:30 Titus woke up just continuously coughing and so I brought him downstairs so that he wouldn't wake Zac up and so from 2:30 until about 5 Titus was "sleeping" but coughing and Aspen was doing the same thing, only she stayed upstairs in her bed...but I still had to hear it! It was crazy, and definitely not fun to hear.

I am tired...I should have stayed home from the gym this morning, but instead...I went...which felt good at the time, but that did not last long.
Titus was tugging very hard on his ear...and so I thought to myself, another ear infection, brought him into the Dr. and turns out he is getting his back molars in.
Went to work, and that just did it...it drained me! I found myself snacking on food to keep me awake which defeated the purpose of my workout today, OH WELL!
Came home and had a nice dinner with my wonderful family and will definitely be turning in early tonight.

Tomorrow is another BIG day. It is our MOPS garage sale and I am very excited about it and praying that the rain will hold off for at least most the day. Despite the rain I know that is is going to be fun!

And I know that is has been awhile since I have posted photos...I will definitely post some tomorrow. I finally took all the photos off of our computer and have them on discs and so now when I am on Zac's laptop I can post them on the blog...I am super excited!

BIG PRAYER REQUEST...
On June 10th Aspen goes in for a CT scan. This is just to make sure that the seizures that she has been having are indeed febrile and are only caused by fevers. We are praying that all goes well and that Aspen will cooperate that day and we are also praying that it is nothing, but if it is something different that we will know what to do further. So if you all could pray her her this coming Wednesday, her scan is at 8:30 AM we would greatly appreciate it and I will definitely keep you all updated on how things go!

My family!

It has been so long since we have had a family photo taken and so while we were in Breezy Point with my parents we finally had one taken! I absolutely love it, but it also makes me very sad because our kids are growing up way too fast.
It's hard to believe that in just a couple of months Aspen will be turning 4 and this fall will be attending preschool. I cannot believe how much she is saying, that she can spell her own name and write it, that she interacts with other kids and has actual friendships, how she can memorize songs (just like mommy) in record time, etc... My little girl is not a little girl anymore, she is growing up...but in my heart she will always be my little girl. Even though it is sad that she is growing up, I am having a lot of fun watching her grow up...I love being able to have conversations with her, sit and listen to her sing and pray, hear all about how much she learns in Sunday School, and just continue to make memories with her. Moments with her that I forever cherish.
It's hard to also believe that in just a week Titus will be turning 16 months old! That's right! He no longer is a baby, but is a toddler. He is walking, climbing, and speaking more and more. Pretty soon we will enter into my least favorite stage of parenting...POTTY TRAINING! Don't get me wrong, I love the fact of not having to buy any more diapers...but I hate the whole potty training phase. (Any of you moms with boys, if you have any tips for me I would greatly appreciate it). One thing I can listen to Titus do over and over is GIGGLE! Seriously, he has the best laugh and the best attitude. He is constantly smiling and laughing and just brightens up the room when he enters. He too will always be my little boy, even though he is getting bigger each and every day.
My family is wonderful...I am blessed by a wonderful husband and two beautiful children. I could not ask for more!

Mother's Day!

What did I do early in the morning on Mother's Day? I ran in the Race for the Cure at the Mall of America! This was my second 5K run and it was a blast! This is my dear friend Misty, her daughter Sydney and myself at the Kare 11 tent before the race. We had the best of time, so many people and it was just so inspiring! It was such a nice run and I will definitely be doing this every year. I am praying that one day there will be a cure for breast cancer! Until then I will pray for those in the midst of cancer and going through treatments and give praise for those that are healed!

Race For the Cure!

Tomorrow is not only Mother's Day, but it is time for another 5K and this one is very different for me, as it is the Race For the Cure. So, tomorrow morning I will get up very early to head to my friend Misty's house so that the two of us and her daughter Sydney can all venture to the Race.
Not only am I running a 5K for me, but I am running it to celebrate lives that have been healed from cancer, for those that are going through cancer right now, and to remember those that have passed away. I know of many both relatives and friends that have been through cancer and tomorrow I run for all of them, especially for my grandma who passed away from cancer when I was just in middle school and for my other grandma who just found out that she once again has cancer and is going through some tests right now to find out all that is going on.
Tomorrow will be a fun day to celebrate being a mom and to celebrate with my mom, but it will also be a day to Race for the Cure!

A treat that is hard to put down!

oreo cream cheese bon bon's
1 package oreos1
8oz package of cream cheese
1 package of almond bark (vanilla or chocolate)
toothpicks

*use a food processor or chopper to finely chop the full package of oreos
*let cream cheese set to room temperature
*in large bowl, use hands to mush together the oreos and cream cheese in one big ball
*roll oreo mixture into several small balls, as many as it will make and place them on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper
*place a toothpick into each one of the bon bons*freeze for one hour
*prepare almond bark - microwave for one minute and then stir and if it is not all melted then repeat but only for 15 seconds until it is all melted (but make sure it is not too runny)
*dip each oreo into almond bark until covered and place back on cookie sheet or just on wax paper*when bark has set, twist toothpick and remove
*after dipping all oreos and removing all toothpicks, use one toothpick to fill in each toothpick hole with a small amount of almond bark
*ENJOY!

I'm back!

It has been a long time since I have posted on my blog and I apologize (for the few of you that read this)...
So much has happened since I last posted and here are the exciting events:
*Aspen is going to be starting preschool this fall...three days a week! She talks about it daily! I cannot believe how big she is getting, and how much she is learning.
*I have lost 8 pounds since I started a weight loss challenge with my friend Erica back in February and still working hard at it!
*I will be running my second 5K in May, on Mother's Day, the Race for the Cure
*Titus is no longer a baby, he is a big boy that can walk!
*Zac was home with us for a month while on break from school and we were able to go to Breezy Point with my parents for a wonderful time away...a whole week...where we had lots of fun swimming, exercising, making yummy meals, watching Titus learn how to walk (he is so good now), and just enjoy spending time with family.
*Watching Aspen and Titus play together is such a treat...I definitely need to catch this on tape next time because it is simply ADORABLE, but it is so wonderful watching them interact...she is such a great big sister

So many things have happened since I last posted and I PROMISE that I will post pictures. At the moment I am on my husband's work computer because my computer has a virus, so I do not want to do much on that computer until I figure out what I am going to do with that. Once I get all of our pictures on a zip drive I will post them on my blog for you all to see!

I am off to relax right now though...it's been a long day and I need to get some rest so that I can go for a run and work at a garage sale all day tomorrow!

*Pictures to come soon*

He did it!

So tonight I went to a movie with some friends of mine and on our way to the movie theater I mentioned that after the movie I have to go home and make Banana Cream cheesecake for MOPS tomorrow. My friend Beth said, "Wasn't there a time when you needed to make cookies and you came home and your husband had already made them?" I said, "Yes!" She then said, "Well maybe he will have your cheesecake already made when you get home tonight."

She was right!

Tonight when I got home and walked through the door, the smell of cheesecake filled my nostrils up and I immediately smiled, said thank you, and gave my husband a kiss!

He again wins the Best Husband award!

What a week!

It seems like every time my husband is on break from school, something happens to one of our cars. Just this Sunday our van was sounding fine, as Zac drove both kids to church...but later on that day while we were out and running errands, every time we stopped our van was so loud...and I just could not handle the grinding noise. Immediately we said, "Well if it was going to happen, at least it happened now while both of us are home." For the next few days we put the car seats in the car and drove everywhere together as a family, to the gym, to my work, etc... We made it work, but we needed to figure out what to do. Our friend Ben, from college, cameover to visit yesterday afternoon for lunch and he offered to help look at the van to see where we should go with it, he couldn't do it that day...but he came by today and he said it was definitely the brake pads and could also be the rotters (I know that I didn't spell that right). We decided to take it to the shop just a few blocks away from our house because we knew that he would have the best price and he is such a nice guy...he has helped us with many of our car problems. We took it there and for the price that he gave us we decided to have him do the work. A couple of hours later our van is as good as new...and so we are just praying that we will not have to deal with a car problem for awhile!
This week has also been one of those weeks where I just do not want to go to the gym, but know that I do need to get there because I am not where I want to be yet. Yes, I am proud that I have lost inches as well as 6 pounds, but I still am not at my goal and I do need to work on working towards my 5K goal. It is hard and this week has been hard as far as running goes, but I know that I will get there.
I am looking forward to tomorrow night...getting together with some girls and going to a movie! How fun! I haven't been to a movie in awhile and I am just really needing some time with great friends.
Then Friday is MOPS and I just cannot tell you how much I look forward to MOPS days. I love these women and this group truly has blessed my heart in so many ways.
Saturday is a down day and then Sunday we are going to see Chris Tomlin and we just cannot wait! We are going with some friends from our church and are just excited about a wonderful night of praise and worship!
This week has had lots of to do's, but has also been fun. I love having my husband home and it's nice to have more "breaks" during the day and it is just nice to watch the kids and there daddy. I am not going to complain that it is nice to have the two of us at home because more can get done and I have help in the middle of the night if either Aspen or Titus choose to wake up. I also just enjoy having him home on break because he can just relax and have fun without having so much school work to focus on. I definitely cherish these weeks that he is at home with us and definitely miss them when he goes back to work.
I must get going though...it's time to lay on the couch and relax from a busy day and watch a fabulous movie, "Facing the Giants"

*I will definitely post some pictures, but for now I cannot because I am on Zac's computer for work and all of our pictures are on our computer upstairs!*

Down 6!

So on February 18th I posted a blog that my friend Erica and I were on a challenge to lose 5 pounds by April 1st. If we achieved that goal we would reward ourselves with a girl's night out that would include dinner and movie and our husbands would watch the kids! I was pumped and very excited and could not wait to get started.
Since that day I have been working out 6 days a week, still sticking to my no sweets, watching my calories, and making sure that I drink MORE water.
Workouts have been great doing an every other day system where one day we do one hour of cardio, the next day 1/2 hour cardio and then lift, and continue that throughout the week and take Sunday off (at least I do). It has been so much fun seeing the improvements that have been made. Back in the fall I was training for the Turkey Day 5K and I started running the 5K at 45 minutes, the day of the Turkey Day I ran it in 34 minutes and now I am running it at 32 minutes! I am increasing my weights during lifting and it is so much fun! I have really enjoyed this challenge and will continue to challenge myself.
So if you are wondering what "Down 6" means in my title...it means that I have met my goal of losing 5 ounds and 1 additional! I am so happy and excited! I am still going to continue to push myself each day as I workout as my next goal is to run the "Race For the Cure" 5K in 30 minutes!

Before and After

This past weekend the kids and I went away to my parent's house so that my dad and hubby could work on the main level of our home! When we first moved in we weren't crazy about our white kitchen floor or our white carpet (especially with kids) and so it had to go. Finally what was now our polka dotted carpet and scratched up lenoleum is now beautiful wood laminate flooring! It was a lot of trips to menards, staying up late, cutting, and working hard to get it done in a weekend and now it is done! I must say that for there first time of putting in flooring they did a great job! I am so proud of them and so glad that it is finally done!

It's definitely still weird to me to walk in our home or just come downstairs, but I love it! It's beautiful!

What a fun birthday!

Today I turned 27 and what a wonderful day it was!

Even though it was a blustery and very cold day, I still had a great day!

First of all, my husband and I both took the day off from work. My husband did this so that I could enjoy the day however I wanted to. What a great guy!

I got to SLEEP IN! Erica, I did not get to the gym, I enjoyed my sleep too much!

We enjoyed a nice breakfast and then ventured out to get a tour of a preschool for Aspen next year and fell in love with it and will definitely be enrolling her, she loved it so much that she cried when we left! Too cute!

After that the kids went home with Zac and I met up with two of my best friends that I have known since junior high. We met up at TGIFridays and it was so much fun. We just talked, enjoyed great food, and just had a blast! After our meal we went to the Mall of America. We grabbed some Caribou and just enjoyed chatting while walking around the mall...however, what was annoying was always getting stopped by the kiosk people, "Excuse me miss, let me try this product on your hair...it was straighten it in no time." Well if you already know me, you know that my hair is already very straight (and the same goes for my friend Rachel who was with me). It was so annoying and there was no way we could avoid these people, but it definitely added humor to our shopping experience. Even though I did not buy anything, it still was wonderful!

When I got home my husband had made a wonderful homemade lasagna and a banana cream cheesecake...both were super yummy! *And if you want to know...tomorrow I am back to no sweets and definitely will need to work out HARD tomorrow*

Now to end my birthday my hubby and I are going to watch a movie, my choice, and I get to enjoy another night of not having to get up!

Thank you Zac for being such a wonderful husband and for making my birthday so great! You definitely deserve the Good husband award! Love you!

It's time to be challenged!

Since I have joined our gym I really haven't changed at all as far as losing inches or pounds, and to be quite honest, it's down right frustrating. The same thing has been happening to my friend Erica...and we work out almost everyday every week! It's really wrong!
Today while we were stretching Erica and I talked about a challenge and if we met that goal that we would reward ourselves with dinner and a movie, and leave our husbands with the kiddos! It's very exciting and I am so ready for this challenge.

The challenge:
To lose 5 pounds by April 1st!

I know that 5 pounds may not seem like a lot, but considering we really haven't been losing anything for awhile now, this is quite a challenge that we are both hoping to meet, we would even like to lose more...but we are setting our eyes on 5 right now!

So it is time to really buckle down and count those calories, make sure I am getting all the workouts in, and just being very aware of what I am doing and I will definitely be using the blog as a way to hold me accountable!

The challenge starts today!

I love my valetine!

My husband is such a sweetie and what a blessing he is to me!
Thursday I was having such a terrible day, just everything that went on from the beginning, kept getting worse. That night I was supposed to have a MOPS meeting and so my husband was going to pick up the kids from the Y so that I could go to my meeting...well my meeting ended up being cancelled and so my husband called my friend Misty and left her a message saying that I had, had a bad day and needed some cheering up.
Thank you Misty, coffee with you was great...I definitely think that we need to do more girl outings, it definitely brightened up the end of my day.
After my time with Misty and her daughter Sydney...I ventured home finding my adroable husband working on Valentine's for his students. Well he wasn't working on Valentines for his students, yet...he was working on something for me. He proceeded to tell me (when he was finished) by telling me that he was done with my gift and that I could open it tonight being that I had a rough day. This is what my sweetie did...
He took our biggest vase and filled it with little tiny scrolls of paper that were tied with ribbon and each one says something that he loves about me. He made enough for me to open one per day for a little over two months. Girls, this brought the BIGGEST smile to my face! It definitely gives me something to look forward to each day!
Another reason why I love my Valentine is that he took me out on a wonderful date last night. He had this planned earlier in the week and had talked to his mom to babysit our kids so that we could go out, just the two of us, for Valentine's Day. We enjoyed a wonderful meal at The Good Earth in Edina...you MUST try it...SUPER YUMMY! After that we went to the mall to shop, which was super nice without our children...and then finally to end our night we enjoyed coffee and Cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory...we shared the White Chocolate Caramel Macadamnia Nut Cheesecake and it was to die for...so yummy!

*I know, I know, I told you all that I was not going to eat any sweets, and trust me...I did not eat even half of the cheese cake I just took a couple bites, and now I am back to not eating sweets and I still am not drinking pop*

My valentine is such a great guy and I am truly blessed to have married my best friend! He is such a great dad and is truly the whole package both inside and out. I love the man that he is and all that he does for our family. I also have really enjoyed our new habit every night, after the kids are in bed we sit together and talk about our day and what we need prayer for and then we proceed to pray for one another. It truly has been such a blessing and is something that we definitely needed to start doing.
I love you Zac! You really are the best! Thank you for a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Polar Bear?!?

So, all day today Aspen kept saying, "Mom, tonight are we going to Polar Bear?" I said, "No, Aspen, we are going to Build A Bear!"
Too cute!
Tonight we got to enjoy a fun evening out! Because of our wonderful Mortgage Insurance we got to go to Build a Bear at the Mall of America and make not only a Bear for each of our children to take home, but they each got to make one to be sent to a child at a Gilette's Hospital. There were lots of people there and the hallway was filled with many puppies and bunnies to be sent to children, how fun!!!!!
Aspen chose a bunny, she named her Chloe. Aspen dressed Chloe in a jean skirt and a white t-shirt that said Forester's on it!
Titus chose a puppy (ok, we chose it for him), he named it Yahtzee (ok again, Zac named it). He is wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Too cute.
We chose two bunnies to be sent to children, and we know they are going to enjoy them!
After we did Build a Bear, as a gift we got $20 to use at McDonalds. So after making our bunny and puppy we ventured up to McDonalds and enjoyed a dinner together! Even though it wasn't the healthiest of places, it was free, and Aspen enjoyed it because she got a Hello Kitty watch in her happy meal.
Tonight was just great and we just truly enjoyed spending time together as a family. We are very thankful for our insurance company and love the fact that they give back to the community and do many outreaches.
Thank you Forester's for a wonderful evening!
*Pictures to come!

Titus' Birthday (With Photos)...sorry it's so late!

Aspen with her friends Britten and Ella eating nummy birthday cake!

Daddy, Titus, and Mommy - Titus was really into his cake!

He had so much frosting everywhere that just when we thought he was "clean" we found more behind his ear!

Yummy! Thank you Byerly's!



Misty, Chloe, and Amanda




Grandma Holm and all her Grandkids!




Titus and Grandma Tepley




Happy Birthday Titus! You are 1!




Big Sister picked out this balloon! It is still alive and well in our living room!



The wonderful cake from Byerly's! And it was free!
*For those of you that do not know this...Byerly's gives free First Birthday cakes! They are sooooo good!




Titus' first birthday was so much fun! We still cannot believe that a year has gone by since we had him...it still feels like it was yesterday! We had a wonderful celebration and are so thankful for all of our friends and family that came and for all of the birthday wishes that were received! Titus loved everything about the day and even though he was not really aware that he was turning 1, he definitely realized he is loved, and by so many, and had a blast! He did not nap that day and so that night he was wiped out...he still did not sleep through the night, but we are hoping that day happens soon! All in all it was a day that Zac and I will never forget and are so happy to have two beautiful and healthy children. We definitely feel blessed and are thankful each and everyday!







*On the side note...I tired to get rid of this huge blank spot, but as you can see, there was no success!*

What a wonderful way to end an evening!

Tonight was so much fun! There is nothing better than getting together with girlfriends.
After work I headed over to the Atlantis Theater (beautiful theater by the way, you should check it out) to meet up with some girlfriends from MOPS to see the movie "Bride Wars"! Thanks to my brother, three of us were able to get in for free and the other tickets we were able to get at discount. The movie was great, the time with friends was even better. Next time girls, I think that we definitely need to go out afterwards, what do you think?

Thanks girls for a wonderful night! It was so nice to get out with great friends, and we'll definitely do this again! Thanks to the hubbies who stayed at home and watched the kiddos - what a blessing you all are!

So another great thing happened that meant so much to me...
On my way home tonight I was thinking to myself about how much I had yet to do tonight. Making cookies for MOPS tomorrow, wrapping birthday gifts (for MOPS tomorrow), and taking a shower.
As I walked in the door I saw my hubby was making my cookies for me! WHAT A SWEETHEART! They look so good and from what he says, they taste good too (I could not taste any).
Thank you honey, you are so wonderful, and I just can't believe you made the cookies for me, that meant so much!

I don't know if I told you all this, but I am not eating sweets or drinking pop (I am drinking coffee), and I have not done so for a month. I have been doing so well, and it's really not for any particular reason...I am off of those two things until my birthday and who knows, I may just go back on it again. I thought it would be difficult, but actually it's pretty easy, and as a result, I just do not snack as much!

Anyways, back to my night...it was SO WONDERFUL! And I just am looking forward to tomorrow morning at MOPS! It's been too long!

Happy Birthday Titus!

Happy Birthday Titus! One year ago today we met you for the first time and we love you more and more each and every day. Each day we wake up we say a prayer for you and your life and know that God has a special plan for your life!

Titus, thank you for bringing our family so much joy!

Favorite memories from 2008:

-Meeting you for the first time after a whirlwind of a C-section

-Watching your sister and you build a relationship with one another (she pushes you around now, but just you wait...)

-Hearing you smile and laugh, which happens a million times during the day

-Watching you do all of your "firsts" and trying to capture them all

-Loving your red hair...it is simply adorable!

You are just so special to your mommy, daddy, and sister and we just enjoy each and everyday with you. Thank you for being such a happy baby! Happy Birthday Titus...we love you!

Remembering one year ago, before the big day!

So as I sit here in front of the computer and look over at my husband and darling son, I am having flashbacks to this time last year....
This time last year Zac and I were already at the hospital with our brand new baby boy, enjoying his first day being introduced to his mommy and daddy. This time last year he was already 10 hours old. It's crazy! Last year, it was this cold outside when he was born. I remember everything as if it had happened yesterday. Some vivid memories:
*Spending special time with my sister as she came to MN just at the right time to be there to meet her nephew...I love it when she comes to visit and she was able to be there for both Aspen and Titus' births. (Well not in the room when they were born, but she got to see them shortly after)
*The look on my parent's faces meeting there grandson, the tears, and the glows, and the memorable pictures.
*Aspen meeting her baby brother, she was just too precious! She smiled, kissed, hugged, and posed with him...she definitely showed me that she was ready to accept him into our family.
*I remember being wheeled into my room after my C-section (2 hours afterward) and seeing Zac's proud face as he got to spend those two hours alone with his baby boy...he just was beaming and was also thrilled to finally see me.
*Getting a visit from my nurse Carol, she was with me from the time I was induced and all throughout my C-section...I am so thankful for her, and so blessed that she was my nurse and got to be through both of my deliveries. She came and visited Titus and myself before she left that night to make sure we were doing alright and just to sit and chat...that meant so much to me!
There are so many more memories, but I could seriously write a book on all that I remember. But honestly, I really cannot believe that a year has gone by...tomorrow at 12:10pm Titus will officially be a 1 Year old, and I just cannot take it in. It has just flown by. He entered the world as an 8 pound 3 ouce baby and at the age of 1 he is 20 pounds and 10 ounces. That's crazy! He was 20 1/2 inches long and now he is about 29 1/2 inches. I cannot believe how much he has grown. He has always been a happy boy...full of smiles and laughs! He is so independent, but takes the time to come and get a hug and kiss, and of course cuddles. And even though he is not sleeping through the night, I really do enjoy (not all the time), but I enjoy those moments of laying with him (whether in our bed, or on the couch). He is defintely my baby, I will totally admit it.
As tomorrow approaches and the party begins I will take everything in, take lots of pictures, and share with you all how his big day went. We are looking forward to being with our family and friends to celebrate his first year of life and look forward to what God has in store for him in the years to come. We feel so blessed to be parents to both Aspen and Titus and know that there lives are a gift from God above and we feel so thankful that He has allowed us to be there parents here on Earth.
I am looking forward to sharing with you all about tomorrow and want you all to know that on Monday the 26th....Titus will be featured on Channel 11 during the First Birthdays segment which is sometime between 10 and 11. We did this for Aspen and taped it and are looking forward to doing this for Titus as well, what a great memory saver!

Oh what a night...

Tonight we ventured out to downtown Minneapolis to Target Center to see Sesame Street Live! It was actually a lot of fun, both Aspen and Titus had so much fun. We all enjoyed dancing and the singing. At dinner Aspen was talking non-stop about it (as were we).
After the show however, as we were driving our van...our van completely shut down, luckily it kept restarting, but we were very confused (and scared) as to why this was going on. Mostly because this morning we took our van into the shop to get a routine oil change and they also put new air filters in. Our van before this morning was driving great, had no problems at all....until this evening when we left the show. We made it to Perkins, ate our meal, and then when we were on our way home...at a stop sign, the van died again. This time though, our van did not restart. Zac kept trying and trying, and finally it did start, but the engine light was on the whole way home. Needless to say...we will be calling the shop where we took our van for a routine oil change...I have a feeling they did something to trigger this problem and hopefully we find something out because it makes us very unsettled about driving the van. Until we know what is going on, we will be driving our car, Praise the Lord for a second vehicle (let's just pray that nothing goes wrong with this one too).
A funny moment while we were stalled at Perkins:

Aspen (what we thought she said): "Can I have some more of my cookie?"
Me: "No! I told you in the restaurant that you could have only half tonight."
Zac: "You weren't supposed to have a cookie in the first place!"
Aspen: (Crying) "But I don't want the cookie!"
Zac and I: (Looking at each other) We just began to laugh because we totally misunderstood what she said in the first place.
*Sorry Aspen that we didn't understand you!

A New Year!

First of all, wow! It has been a long time since I have posted, and I apologize (not that too many of you read my blog, but for those that do...I'm sorry)

We had a wonderful Christmas...it was so much fun watching Aspen open up her many gifts and Titus celebrate his first Christmas. They truly got way too many things, but we love all the gifts that they got because they play with every single thing they got! On Christmas Eve we were with Zac's family in Stacy, MN. Christmas day morning we slept in, had a yummy breakfast, opened gifts with just the 4 of us and then we ventured to my parent's home and enjoyed a fun weekend there.
*Pictures to come, hopefully sooner than later*

We celebrated the New Year at the Anderson Home. We had such a great time and it was nice being able to bring the kiddos along, and we are very thankful that we were able to stay overnight (thanks again!) We enjoyed yummy tacos, bean dip, veggies, and brownies with ice cream...played lots of games...and rang in the New Year!

With the New Year in full swing I have made some resolutions that I am sticking too:
*Draw closer to my Lord and Savior, growing more in my personal relationship with Him and devoting more time in prayer
*Spending more quality time with just my husband...I feel that we spend a lot of time together as a family, but not with just the two of us...so we are going to work on going on more dates and having more us time.

*I am not drinking pop, or eating sweets...and honestly, this has been very easy and because I am not eating sweets...it is helping me to not snack as much.
*Working out at the gym 5-6 days a week...daily with my dear friend Erica, and then Saturday mornings with my hubby

Those are just a few of my resolutions, and so far so good!
God Bless everyone in 2009, may you have a wonderful year filled with many blessings!