A Tiny Prints Review

My favorite season is Fall, the beautiful leaves, the vibrant colors, and the perfect temperatures...and with that it means...

Time for family pictures!

Family pictures that will then be put on our annual Christmas Card!

This year Tiny Prints has some of the most ADORABLE Christmas Cards for us to choose from, some of which are not your standard Christmas card.  They have the traditional, but they also have little photo card books as well as ornament shaped ones (complete with a ribbon for you to hang up) 

The one that I have been admiring is called Berry Love, go and check it out...along with there many other selections!

We love sending our Christmas cards, but also receiving them as well, it is always fun to see how families have grown and one way we love to display our Christmas Cards is to cover our door with them.  Our kids LOVE to look at the pictures and they get very excited at who they all know!

We love Christmas and a tradition that we are excited about continuing this year is the "Elf on a Shelf" which is becoming more and more popular, but this gets the kids excited about Christmas the day after Thanksgiving because they know that "Buddy the Elf" will be visiting and keeping watch over them to see if they are being good or bad and then at night when they are sleeping he reports back to Santa.  Every day he is in a new spot and the kids always love to search to find him.  Another Tradition we love is being with my husband's family Christmas Eve and then being with my family on Christmas Day, spending time with those that we love, enjoying great food, and celebrating the true reason of the season which is the Birth of Jesus!

I know that we are not even at Thanksgiving right now, but it is that time to get the Christmas cards ready and sent out because before we know it, Christmas will indeed be here! 

I am really hoping to get the Berry Love Cards this year...so go check out Tiny Prints and let me know what fun Christmas cards you see and create for your cards this year. 

I have a confession...

There is a place I go to daily...

Where I can look at many different items...get many different ideas...

I can also go to this site and be uplifted, laugh a little...

And I am not the only one...

Do you want to know where I go to daily?

PINTEREST

Hello, my name is Traci, and I am addicted to Pinterest!

If you have not checked it out...you should!

So Go...check it out!

I'm back...it's been awhile...

I just realized tonight that I have not posted anything on my blog since August...wow!  

For the few people who read this, I am sorry...

An Update on our family...

Aspen has really been enjoying the first grade, but boy is she tired at the end of the day...

During the first quarter of school she took part in Science club and also gymnastics.  She is learning so much...she is reading at around a second grade level and LOVES math!  We also just recently began going to a different church and she has been memorizing scripture like crazy, and each time she recites verses to Zac and I it brings a smile to our face (and her little brother is even catching on).

Big news too...she accepted Jesus as her forever friend...something that Zac and I have been praying for since she was born. We love our little girl so much!

What's going on with our little red head?  He is still a mama's boy, does not want to leave my side and always tells me that I am his favorite!  He loves coming to work with me (and I love it to) and has made some really great friends there.  He is talking so much and LOVES cars!  We are working on potty training and we hope that it clicks soon...because sooner than later he will be turning 4 (I still cannot believe that)...my little man is going to be 4...WOW!  We love our little boy so much, he has a contagious laugh, full of energy, and is just so much fun!

Zac and I...this September we celebrated 7 years of marriage and we feel so blessed by all that God has given us.  He has brought the two of us together, he has blessed us with two beautiful children, a home, jobs, wonderful friends and family, we just cannot thank Him enough for all that He has done and all that He is going to do.  We are looking forward to many, many, many, more years together!

And here we are...the four of us!  We have been enjoying the beautiful fall MN weather...spending lots of time outdoors, going to the zoo, the park, spending time with family and friends, enjoying the crisp fall air, the perfect fall temps, and just enjoying EVERYTHING!  

Keep looking back at my blog...I promise you that I will be better at updating!  In the meantime with Thanksgiving around the corner, please take time each day to jot down what it is you are thankful for!

Last but not least...I need to give a shout out to my beautiful friend MISTY who took our pictures...she just did a wonderful job and PLEASE check her out on facebook under LiveLaughLens Photography!

Yum!

This summer I have had a lot of fun getting together with a fabulous group of women for a cooking club.  This is not a cooking club where we make food together, rather it is one that we bring our yummy recipes that we've made, eat together, and enjoy conversation.  Super fun time!  

We meet once a month and each time we meet is centered around a theme.  We met last night and it's theme was, "Appetizers and Desserts"...there were some AMAZING treats to indulge in...here is what I made...

With the MN STATE FAIR here I thought it would be fun to make something that you can get at the fair, I made...

Salted Nut Roll Bars

So yummy and so easy to make!

Here is the recipe:

1 jar of dry roasted peanuts (16oz)

12 oz peanut butter chips

3T butter

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 to 3/4 bag of mini marshmallows

Over low heat melt together the chips and butter.  Stir in condensed milk and marshmallows.  Keep on low heat until marshmallows are soft but still whole.  Grease 9x13 pan and put half the jar of peanuts on the bottom of the pan.  Top with marshmallow mixture.  Then add the rest of the peanuts.  Refrigerate.

Then ENJOY!

Easy right?  Let me know if you try and make these and if you enjoy them as much as we do!

Some other fun recipes that we had last night were...

*Frozen Strawberry Dessert 

*Dill Pickle Dip (served with crackers)...if you love pickles...you must make this!

*Kahlua Coffee Brownies (Oh my word, DELICIOUS!)

*Tomato, Brie and Basil Salad

*Texas Sheet Cake

*Cranberry-Pineapply Apple Dip

 

(I will post these recipes on here SOON!)

Being a part of this club has been not only fun meeting new people and enjoying fun conversation...but I have discovered some new and fun ways to cook and bake...I always love new recipes and this has given me an outlet to taste and try new things! 

So much fun!

GoGo Squeez

I know in my previous post that I would inform you all on how to make a Tie Dye Cake...however, this is something that has to go before that....

Here is a product that my kids just LOVE, let me know if your kids like them too!

So they have these at SuperTarget (and other grocery stores) in many different flavors - appleapple, apple strawberry, apple cinnamon, apple banana, and apple peach (my kids love the apple cinnamon) and here is what I love...

I LOVE that they are 99.9% all fruit...seriously, the ingredients in the apple cinnamon are, that's right...APPLE AND CINNAMON...they are all natural and no sugar added...

The also love that my kids do not have to dirty a dish to eat these and if they choose not to finish the applesauce (which rarely happens) you can just put the cap back on!

The only downfall...they are kind of pricey...for 4 it is $2.49...and I have not seen any coupons for this item (most of you know how I love my coupons)

If you haven't tried this product for your kiddos...just try them!  If you happen to come across a coupon for these...PLEASE let me know!

If your kids have had these...what is there favorite flavor?  If you try them for the first time, let me know what you think!

Where have I been?

I know that it has been awhile...

OK...a long while...

For the few of you who read my blog, I apologize for not having a posting in so long...for some reason I was unable to sign in and FINALLY I figured out what was going on and am now back on to the blogging world. 

I am now working on changing things up, trying to figure out what to post on here and I have decided to just post things that I love, my family, recipes (because I love to bake), deals that I find, and fun places to go on a budget.  

I will get better with posting more often...in the mean time, be patient...a post is coming soon to tell you all how to make this...

Inch by Inch

Hello to the few that read my blog, I know that it has been awhile and really there is no excuse as to why I have not been blogging, but thought it was FINALLY time to post...

Tomorrow is the day...

A BIG even happens...

For tomorrow I am no longer the mom to a kindergartener...

For at the end of the day tomorrow...my little girl, will be a 

FIRST GRADER!

I cannot believe it.

This year has gone by so fast.

So many things she has learned this year, the knowledge that she is holding on to.

She is such a great reader, communicator, creator (she loves art).

She is full of imagination.

Full of energy.

Excited about learning (let's pray this stays)

She LOVES school!

She cannot wait until first grade...although it makes me sad because that means she is gone all day long next year.

As sad as I am about her getting older, I love watching her grow up.  

She has been through a lot in her 5 1/2 years (she turns 6 next month).

God has definitely been by her side in everything that has happened.

Zac, Titus and I love her so very much and are blessed by having Aspen in our lives.

We love you Aspen, CONGRATULATIONS on completing Kindergarten!

Looking forward to celebrating with you tomorrow!

 

I will leave you with a saying a friend left on my facebook page yesterday when I posted that Aspen was almost done with Kindergarten and it will definitely stick with me as both of my kids get older...

Little by little, inch by inch....By the yard it's hard, by the inch what a cinch.....Never stare up the stairs, just step up the steps.....Little by little, inch by inch.

Time sure does fly by...

I cannot believe it....

Starting next week my little girl...will be going to school all day....

That's right...

ALL DAY...

At Aspen's school the last 4 weeks of the quarter everyone goes to school all day to get them ready for first grade, which I think is great and definitely what will help Aspen out in her transition to First Grade.

I can't believe that my little girl is going to be a First Grader soon...

However, Titus is sure going to be lonely without his big sister around to play with during the day

These two sure do love each other and I know that they are both going to miss each other starting next Monday...

So, if anyone wants to get together and meet us at the zoo, a park, the library...let me know because this little boy of mine...

and his mommy will definitely want to get out and do more things to pass the time!

By the way...

It's another beautiful day here in MN!  I love the sun shining and the PERFECT temperature!  Time to get out and enjoy!

A fun Easter treat!

Found this adorable cupcake and decided to bring it to our family gathering today!

1 pkg. (2-layer size) white cake mix

1 cup  boiling water

1 pkg. (3 oz.) JELL-O Strawberry Flavor Gelatin

1 tub  (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed

Few drops food coloring, any color

24   JET-PUFFED Marshmallows

24 JET-PUFFED Miniature Marshmallows

1/4 cup  colored sugar or colored sprinkles

 

PREPARE and bake cake batter as directed on package for 24 cupcakes; cool completely in pan. Pierce cupcakes with wooden skewer or large fork at 1/4-inch intervals. Add boiling water to gelatin mix; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved. Spoon over cupcakes, adding about 2 tsp. to each. Refrigerate 3 hours.

TINT COOL WHIP with food coloring; spread onto cupcakes.

CUT each large marshmallow crosswise into 5 pieces with clean kitchen shears. Arrange 5 on top of each cupcake to resemble flower. Place 1 miniature marshmallow in center of each. Sprinkle with colored sugar. Keep refrigerated.

God Gave Us So Much

We have many books by Lisa Tawn Bergren including, God Gave us You and God Gave Us Christmas and now we are so glad that we have God Gave Us So Much in our collection.  This truly is a great book for you to read with your children.  

In this book Little Cub is looking for answers and to help him out and help him are Mama, Papa, and Grandpa Bear.  This book focuses on...

God Gave Us The World

 - talking about God's creation, the animals, the seasons, and our great big world

God Gave Us Love

-focusing on how God is love, talking about the different ways to love: between mommy and daddy, parents towards children, friends, etc...and how every time we show love to one another we are sharing His love.  And finally, touching base on there are times that we do not want to love, but to love one another even in those hard times is the right thing.

God Gave Us Heaven

-Little bear wonders what Heaven is like...a question that many of us ask.  A place where we will get to be with Him forever, and that when our life here on Earth is done we will get to be with Him in Heaven.  Really focusing on how wonderful Heaven is and how things on this Earth are not ours, but God's and how we do not bring what we have with us to Heaven.  The part I like is, "Sometimes we think we need stuff, but it's just more weight for us to carry.  Our best stuff doesn't weigh anything at all - stuff like love, family, friends, and faith.  That's where our real blessings are."

Like I said, this is a great book to read with your children, children of any age will enjoy this book!  You will not be disappointed!

Couples Who Pray

 For a long time Zac and I have been trying to find a book about prayer and how we can grow in our prayer life together and this book is one that will do that.  I highly recommend reading "Couples Who Pray" to not only grow in your own individual prayer life, but in your prayer life together.  

This book challenges you to pray together 5 minutes a day for 40 days, not a hard challenge right?  As a result the writers say by doing this "spousal communication will elevate, agreement becomes the norm, satisfaction in lovemaking soars, respect rises, and happiness is a way of life."

What I also love is that the authors have many stories from celebrity couples that share how prayer has changed there lives, some couples include: Pauletta and Denzel Washington, Patsy and Les Clairmont, Kathie Lee and Frank Gifford, Tracie and Scott Hamilton, Luci Swindoll, Kay and Rick Warren, and many others.  

I highly recommend this book if you are looking at a way to be more intimate as a couple and draw closer to your Heavenly Father. 

Could have done better...

This is what I started this week...

I don't know how many of you watch THE BIGGEST LOSER, but I do know that if I were a contestant on that show...I would definitely want Jillian as my trainer. I definitely am one that needs to be pushed and she does a great job of doing that!  

This week my goal was to do this dvd everyday.  I did both level 1 and level 2 over the course of the week; however, I did miss my workout both Thursday and Friday...ugh!  No excuses...it's back into it today!  What I like about this workout is it's about 20 minutes of warm up, cardio, strength, abs, and cool down and just in those 20 minutes I get a great workout and I can definitely feel it the next morning (which lets me know that I am doing the workouts correctly).  

I really want to start running; however, the running shoes that I do have, have a lot of mileage on them (they are the shoes that I trained in for the half marathon and also ran the marathon in).  So it is time I buy new shoes and I am hoping to do that within the next week or so, then with this BEAUTIFUL MN weather, I will definitely be running outside!  

Want to know something else?  

I gave up CAFFEINE...you may be saying to yourself..."Why would I ever do something like that?"  This is definitely not something permanent, but it is definitely something that I am going to do for awhile.  Lately I have just been over indulging in both pop and coffee and having way more migraines than usual, so I am trying to see if giving this up it will help.  So far it has been 6 days, and I am feeling great!  I have had a migraine this week, but that was due to my time of the month (if you know what I mean) so will see how the rest of the month goes...I will definitely keep you posted.

I also gave up SWEETS...I have done this before and I will admit that it is crazy, but one of the reasons I do this is to just get me to not snack as much and to just eat more fruits and veggies rather than the sweets.  Again, this is not a permanent thing, but for the time being it is definitely what I am going to do.  

On a side note...

Would any of you like to run in the RACE FOR THE CURE with me?  This year I have put together a team called TEAM TARA...my sister was diagnosed with breast cancer just this past November and I am happy to say that she is now CANCER FREE because of early detection.  This year on Mother's Day, May 8th, we are participating in the 5K run and there is also a 5K walk  and if you are interested please let me know! 

FINALLY getting my butt in gear...

Over the weekend I went to an event put on by Prior Fat Girl and it was definitely what I needed to get my butt in gear.  My friend Misty invited me and at first I did not know what to expect but what I liked about it was that we went around the room, introduced ourselves, and then shared what we hope to do this summer...however, what that turned into was every women shared about there life, how much weight they had lost, what inspires them, etc...  Every woman in that room had a story to share and continues to write there story and continue to have goals and what I took from what everyone said was, no matter what, I can do this!  NO MORE EXCUSES!  It's time to get my butt in gear!

As many of you know a couple years ago I took up running.  Never in a million years did I ever think that I would ever run a 5K and then my friend Misty invited me to run in the Turkey Day 5K and let me tell you, that was just the beginning.  I LOVED running that race, LOVED seeing my husband cheer me, and achieving a goal of mine to finish and to finish well! 

 My journey did not stop there...that May I ran the Race for the Cure 5K and what a different race that was and one that I will always sign up to run in.  The purpose for this run was to raise awareness about breast cancer and raise money to continue the research in one day finding a cure for breast cancer, and as many of you know...breast cancer hit home this year as my sister was diagnosed and because of early detection she is now CANCER FREE!  This year in 2011 I will be running in honor of my sister with family and friends and I cannot wait.  

After a few 5K's behind me I then took the LEAP of faith and signed up to run in the World Vision half marathon...and what a challenge to take on.  Not only physically, but mentally.  There were many days that I would have to deal with I can't do this, but then I would have to push through that and say that I can do it!  With just that little switch from I can't to I can...what a difference that made in all of my runs!  I had so many friends and family standing by me, supporting and encouraging me, and in the end it paid off and I was able to finish a goal that I never ever thought would have been possible.  When I finished the half marathon I told myself NEVER AGAIN...but who knows what the future holds...

Here is where I confess something...

After my all the running I did for training, and after completing the running in the half marathon...I had no desire to run.  To be honest, I just did not feel the push to well, push myself.  I had nothing to work towards...my goal was complete...what was next?  My running became less and less and my workouts in general were decreasing.  This is hard to admit to you all, but that is what I need to do to again, get my butt in gear.  

This feeling of neglect...NO MORE!  

I am going to get my butt back into gear...no matter what I will do exercise Monday through Friday and this blog will hold me accountable.  No matter what I post from now on, I will always end with and update on how I am doing with my workouts and as well as how I am doing with my eating habits.  This is what I need to do and from now on rather than saying, Why...I am going to say Why not!  No more excuses!

It is definitely not going to be easy, but I know that I can do it!

The Pajama Diaries

Saw this today in our Sunday morning newspaper...

They are getting so big...

 

Two of the best gifts in my life! 

My kiddos bring me such joy and I love how they have grown and how they continue to grow.  I love how they truly enjoy every minute of every day.  I love how excited they get when we pray together and do devotions.  I love there giggles, smiles, and even there cries.  Even though there are ups and downs, in the end I love them so much, more and more each day.  I am so thankful to be there mommy, they bless me so much and I learn so much everyday because of them. 

Suspicious Driver?

You may be wondering about the title of this blog...well here it goes...

 

Did you know that I am a suspicious driver?

 

The other night I was on my way to the gym and rather than taking the normal way, I decided I was going to take the back roads.  On my way I drove by a police man and I don't know why, but I had a bad feeling about it.  Sure enough, after my first turn, he was on to me.  

 

Keep in mind, I was doing NOTHING wrong.  I was driving the speed limit, stopped at the stop signs, etc...

I remembered that I needed to put gas in my car, but then all of a sudden I thought I didn't have my wallet.  So I began to turn around to head back to my house to get my wallet when I remembered that I did have my wallet in my purse...YAY!  However, the cop was still on my tail and was not leaving me alone.  

Once I realized that I did have my purse I continued driving, but instead of going to the gym, I went to the gas station. 

It was then that I saw the lights flashing and the cop pulled me over, as soon as I pulled into the parking lot.

 

ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? 

You got it!  The cop was pulling me over.

As soon as my window went down and he approached he asked, "Where are you off to tonight?"

I said, "I was on my way to the gym, but realized that I needed to put gas in the car."  He said, "well I was following you, and your driving seemed suspicious so I was wondering where you were off to?"  I then proceeded to tell him that I thought I had forgot my wallet, so I turned around and then I realized that I had my wallet and so I continued to head towards the gas station...etc..."  He asked for my license and insurance and went into his car.  At this point I was so annoyed, I was doing nothing wrong...I did not think it was wrong to take back roads, but maybe it was my Ford contour that I was driving???  Did he not like my car, sure it may be old...but come on...

At this time the police officer came back to my car and asked me if I had anything to drink...I said "No" and he then gave me a warning....

UGH!

I then began pumping gas and he continued to watch to make sure that was what I was there to do.  When I was done, he left and I continued to go to the gym...

It was the last day of the month...maybe there was a number he had to meet, maybe he was bored?  I don't know...but now you know the story...

Do you think the next time I go to the gym at night...should I...

a. go the normal way

or 

b. the back roads

I cannot believe that I got pulled over for being a suspicious driver...

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Praise God!

To Him be all the Glory!  He is the Great physician and our helper in time of need.  He is our healer, our support, our hope, and peace, He is our EVERYTHING!

This whole week while being out here in Colorado with my family has revealed alot of who God is, who He always has been, and who He will always continue to be!

Tonight I give thanks and praise to my Heavenly Father for taking care of my sister during her surgery.  Praise God that everything went so smoothly and that there were no more surprises.  I am so filled with thankfulness and with peace. 

Praise God!



Pink and Zumba

YAY!  We have arrived safe and sound in Colorado and it was so great to see my sister!  Once we landed we got our rental car, checked in at the hotel (thanks Gerry for hooking us up), and then went to Old Chicago.  It was a great first night, beautiful weather here, and are now looking forward to what is going to happen today.

You might be wondering about my title...PINK and Zumba?

Many of you know that my sister is a Zumba instructor and if you haven't tried it...YOU NEED TO!

It is so much fun and while you are having fun you are getting a great workout.

You may now be wondering, why PINK?  The reason my family and I are out here in Colorado is because my sister is having surgery on Monday, she was diagnosed with breast cancer after Thanksgiving and this Monday she will have surgery.  Tonight we are wearing PINK for her and for breast cancer awareness, it's going to be a great night!

Leaving on Tuesday...

Hello to all of my friends and family!
This Tuesday is an exciting day...I finally get to leave on an airplane and fly to Colorado to see my beautiful sister and spend a whole week with her, my brother, mom and dad.  Although I will miss my husband and kids LOTS I have been so anxious to see my sister that I just cannot wait to be with her.  And thank you to some of my wonderful friends I get to flly out and see her...thanks girls, you know who you are, and I am so thankful for all of you to help me fly out there and spend time with her.  Most of you know that my sister has been diagnosed with breast cancer and although she is in the early stages, she will be undergoing a double mastectomy on Monday February 21st.  I am asking, along with my family, for prayers during her surgery and after.  I remember the day she told me that she did have breast cancer and I remember asking her how she was dealing with it and my sister responded with this, "No matter what happens, God's glory will be revealed!"  I truly believe that.  He is the GREAT PHYSICIAN and I am also reminded that Our God is Greater and He is in Control.  I have to hold onto that, that is the only thing that has gotten our family through this battle.  His Glory will be revealed!
I just want to thank you for all of your prayers and I will continue to update you!

It's FINALLY here!

The debut of the new Spring/Summer line with Lia Sophia!

Come for as little or as long as you like and check out the AMAZING new jewelry that Lia Sophia has to offer...you will not want to miss it!

I will have beverages and appetizers to share as well.

There will be a drawing for a chance to win a FREE piece of jewelry...and if you bring a friend or book a show with me you will be able to enter the drawing more than once!

I hope that you can join me and if you cannot, but are interested in either booking a show with me or ordering jewelry from the new line you can either email me at zatholm@msn.com, or visit my website at www.liasophia.com/traciholm

Tomorrow, Saturday February 12th from 1-4PM
at my home...
441 Tamarack Trl
Farmington, MN 55024

Decadent Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars

 

These are delicious!!!  Thank you Kristina for the recipe...

Here it is:

Cookie Layer

1 white cake mix

1/2 cup flour

2 eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup chocolate chips

Cream Cheese Layer

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  With spoon, mix cake mix, flour, eggs and oil together.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Press half of dough into a greased 8x8 inch pan.

In a separate bowl, mix cream cheese, sugar, and egg together until smooth.  Spread cream cheese mixture over bottom layer.  Crumble remaining cookie dough evenly over top.  Bake 24-28 minutes or until light golden brown.  Cool, then cut into bars.  Store in refrigerator.

Captivating...

You might be wondering why I am doing yet another book review...well, did you know they have sites where you can choose a book, receive it in the mail FOR FREE as long as you post a review on your blog and post it on a consumer website, like amazon.com.  You can go to either www.booksneeze.com or Blogging for Books, two wonderful sites...and there is my plug for them!

Now to the book "Captivating" it is yet another book by John and Stasi Eldredge and it is about "unveiling the mystery of a woman's soul, and that is truly what it does.  I am not big on reading books, but this one captured me, truly a great find and I recommend it to everyone!  It is about remembering what it was like to be a little girl, what we held in our heart, what our dreams were.  I know that I had many dreams as a little girl, dreamed about what I wanted to be when I grew up, wanting to be married, have kids, and many more.  As I got older I longed for romance, for a guy to sweep me off of my feet, but yet to get to that my heart, my desires got trampled and pushed aside and it left me wondering, do I deserve the desires that I once had as a little girl?  The answer is Yes, and this book tells you so!  What I love is the message that Captivating is teaching throughout this book, "Your heart matters more than anything else in all creation.  The desires you had as a little girl and the longings you feel as a woman are telling you of the life God created you to live.  He offers to come now as the Hero of your story, to rescue your heart and release you to live as a fully alive and feminine woman.  A woman who is truly captivating."  

For quite awhile my husband and I have been wanting to do a devotional together, but have not been able to find the right book.  This time I think we may have found the one...It is called "Love and War Devotional for Couples" by John and Stasi Eldredge.  This is an eight week - 5 days a week to go deeper in our marriage.  I love it.  It is short, sweet, and to the point.  It consists of scripture, a devotional, a prayer and then at the end of each week it will give you questions to ask one another, a little activity. It's a great way to end a day together reading a book, hearing scripture, and learning more about each other.  A definite good read!

Gleek Out!

All that I have to say is FINALLY!  I do not know if anyone who reads my blog likes this show, but my husband and I are definitely GLEEKS!  We love this show, especially there music!  Now I know the Superbowl is this Sunday, but to be honest more of my excitement is for what happens after the game, that's right, the NEW season of Glee!  Yay!

  

So far, so good!

 How many of your kids love this thing?

Our little red head was attached, especially when it was nap and bed time.

We thought about taking it away when he turned 2...but then as that year went on it got pushed back to when he would turn 3...

Well you all know that just this past Monday he turned 3, which meant, no more NUK!

The morning of his birthday he said, "Mommy, no more nuks."  But I could tell that made him sad, which made me nervous.

However, as he said "goodbye" to his beloved friend of 3 years, he proceeded to play with his other toys, and when it came to nap time he went to sleep all by himself and even took a 2 hour nap (a little longer than usual)!  And you may be wondering, how was bedtime???  GREAT!  He slept from 8pm to 6am!!!  The longest he has slept in a long time, yay!

You may now be wondering, how has the rest of the week gone...so far so good!

The Big 3!

 It was a cold day today, the coldest it has been in awhile and tonight as I sit here and update my blog I am reminded of the wonderful event that happened 3 years ago.  The birth of my little red head, Titus!  Here is a little photo journey of Titus through the years and after our fun birthday weekend, there will be more to share...Enjoy!

Just a few days old....

 Turning 1...

 Turning 2...

 Picture taken one month before his 3rd birthday...on Christmas Eve!

Even though my little boy is getting bigger, he will forever be my baby boy, Love you Titus!

Race for a Cure - TEAM TARA

  This year will mark my 3rd year running in the Race for the Cure 5K.  It is the best activity I can think of doing on Mother's Day!  This year will, however, I will be running for my sister.  In my past entry I mentioned that my sister was diagnosed with Breast Cancer just this November and will undergo surgery in February.  This year I will be running for her, that is why my team is called TEAM TARA.  I am also praying that she will be able to join me.  I did create a team, so if you would like to join my team please let me know.  It is on Sunday May 8th, Mother's Day, and it is at the Mall of America.  If you do not want to run in the 5K there is also a 5K walk that takes place after the run.  Would you consider doing this event? 

It's been awhile...

I realize that I am a little late in posting Christmas pictures, but as you can see that lately I have not  been blogging as much.  I apologize (for the few that follow my blog).  I do however want to continue posting special events, yummy recipes, and things that I am learning to just be able to remember special moments in my life.  I hope you will check back regularly and I will do my best to be better at posting.

This photo of my family and I was taken on Christmas Eve.  We had a wonderful Christmas this year, but it was definitely different because my sister was not able to be with us this year.  We definitely did miss her!  I will talk more about my sister later...

As for our Christmas, on Christmas Eve we spent it with Zac's family and as always it's a fun time of food, fellowship and of course opening presents.  But one present that we never overlook is our relationship with Jesus and just how important it is to have Him in our lives.  Here are some pictures from Christmas Eve!

Christmas Day we woke up and enjoyed our Family of 4 Christmas where we enjoyed a yummy breakfast of cinnamon rolls, eggs, sausage, and orange juice.  The kids got to open there gifts from us and then it was off to my parents for the rest of the weekend.  What fun!  Here are some pictures...

The time with my parents is always a blast!  We always enjoy eating lots of great food, playing the Wii, going to movie...this year was "Yogi Bear", staying up late, and playing lots of games.  But again, we missed having Tara around.  

My sister lives in Colorado and with her job she was not able to come home this year.  This was the first time that she has been away from us over the holidays.  I knew that she was missed when we walked into my parents house and Titus said, "I miss Aunt T!"  He knew that she was missing.  We did have fun, don't get me wrong, but you could tell that something was missing, and that was my sister Tara.

Here is a picture of Tara with the kiddos on Thanksgiving weekend...they sure do love there Aunt T!

The past month has been a tough month with the news that my sister has the early stage of breast cancer, she is at Stage 0 because she caught it so early, but still has to undergo surgery soon to remove the cancer.  I never knew before but breast cancer definitely runs in our family and so I have become more aware and definitely will continue to do monthly exams...that is what my sister did and that is how she found her lump.  Praise the Lord that she caught it early, but I cannot imagine being in her shoes.  It has been so hard hearing this news and not being able to be with her to just love up on her, be with her at her doctor appointments, and to just BE WITH HER.  I am thankful however at the many friends she has made out in Colorado that have been an awesome support to her.  Our family can definitely feel all the prayers for Tara and she continues to tell us that she definitely feels them as well.  From the day she told us that she had cancer she said, "God's Glory will be revealed!"  I believe that, we have to believe that and we have to believe that our God is Greater and that He has a plan, and plan with a hope.  My sister has always clung onto Jeremiah 29:11 and I do too.  What a great life verse!  Right now we wait...there is a surgery date set for February 21st but we are praying that it would be moved up sooner.  Please continue to pray for my sister...pray, pray, pray!  We know that God is the great physician and that He is in control and we continue to trust and know that "Our God is Greater and that He is might to Save!"

Every Mother's Day I run in the Race for the Cure and all the money raised goes towards Breast Cancer.  If you would like to join me and be a part of my team, let me know!  This year I am going to especially run in it for my sister and I am hoping that she can fly home and be there with me (hint, hint, tara) But I would love to put a team together and I am planning on doing the 5K run and also the 5K walk.  It's time to really do something and I hope that you will consider being a part of this awesome event!  

So, there is my first blog of 2011...as promised I will continue to do more posts and continue to update you on my sister.