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!*