First Time Bowling.

Yet again, another milestone with no place in the baby book for remembering.

Bowling.

Friday night we celebrated T's eleventh birthday with friends at a local bowling alley. (Ironically enough the very first birthday party we celebrated with both sets of parents was at a bowling alley too. More thoughts on that to come.)

I'm not sure why but we've never taken H bowling before. I knew he'd love it and all day long on Friday he was counting down and asking when it would be time to go to the bowling alley.

Oh, how he loved it. As he does most things. But to see my three and a half year old son jumping up and down, pumping his muscles in the air like this... {click to enlarge}
Life couldn't get better.

He loved the shoes. He loved the balls. He loved the dark lights. It was one heck of a good time for him.

He may not have had the high score of the night but he didn't care.

Heck, I don't even think he knew there was a score to begin with.

That's what makes being a parent so delightful. It's seeing and experiencing the game of bowling like I've never done before. With fresh, unworn eyes. As though we have uncovered some hidden gem of a place to add to our family fun repertoire.

Of all the things to uncover, bowling was this weeks joy.

Our Dear Little Stinker.

"And would you like to add handset protection for your phone?"

The sales rep at our cell phone provider's store asked me this summer as I stood replacing my old phone.

"Nope. No need. Just keep it on my husband's phone, mine's no big deal." I told him with babe on my hip, preschooler going haywire and two school agers trying to convince me why they need cell phones too.

Murphy's Law would have it that of course my phone would be that one that our almost 14 month old daughter would drop into the bottom of the toilet on a Saturday afternoon.

I had only ran downstairs for a moment. But as I came up the stairs and heard her whimpering I knew something was amiss. I thought perhaps she had gotten herself stuck someplace or climbed too far for comfort, but no, it was instead a cell phone left out inadvertantly coinciding with a bathroom door left open and kerplunk.

I know the right reaction is to be upset, annoyed and just plain irritated. And believe me, I am annoyed. Taking a trip to the cell phone store and waiting for my turn, plus the additional expense of a new phone and SIM card isn't terribly appealing to me, it isn't.

But how can you not look at this girl and smile, while all the while wondering, what else have you got in store for us, you dear little stinker?
So in the meantime, my cell phone now sits in a ziploc bag of dry rice. According to my friends on Twitter, this will help dry it out. Either that or they are having a really good laugh at me.

It's just a cell phone, right?

Eleven.

And today, just like that, he is eleven.

First day of kindergarten. Fall 2004.

How on earth did he go from a tow-headed tot to an almost-as-tall-as-me middle schooler?

First year of baseball. Summer 2005.

Can you even wrap your mind around the way time flies? It's as though you blink and years have passed like moments.

Summer 2009.

We have had our share of moments. And I have said so many times before that T didn't get to pick me as his broomstick riding stepmom. (I'm kidding. I think?)

YET...even so he loves me. Even though he doesn't have to. Even though sometimes I'm sure I make it hard to.

In fact, he's full of love, he's a great big brother and loves his baby sister and his brother so much.

Of course, he loves M too but showing it would be so uncool for a middle school boy like him, ahem.

He is ready with a smile. The first to forgive when others have wronged him.

He is a good kid. And I know that I don't tell him that enough.

So, T, please know that I don't just think you're good, I think you're great. I love you more than you know. And just so we're clear, you're the best eleven year old I know. Happy Birthday!

Count Your Blessings.

I drove home yesterday after a crazy, busy morning of playing with friends. A chaotic lunch and a last minute trip to the doctor and pharmacy for E. Her ears. Again.

I was driving home thinking of texting a witty Twitter update/complaint. About being tired or E's ears and the constant copays/prescriptions it seems we spend money on or maybe even the weather and the blowing snow and cold air that is growing old quickly.

The roads were terrible so I posted nothing.

I arrived home and read news of a neighbor's passing who's been heavy on my heart and mind for sometime.

He leaves behind a beautiful wife and four beautiful young children. All younger than M.

I felt so selfish and silly and stupid.

Because most of my complaints are selfish and silly and stupid.

I mean, really, a crazy, busy morning playing with friends? Is that something to complain about? Having money to be able to take my kids to the doctor and get them meds when they need them? Is that something to complain about?

Will I ever learn and realize just how fortunate we are?

I am alive. I am healthy. I am happy. And every night my husband walks through that door. I still have my husband. And my kids, they might give me moments, hard moments, but they are here and they are happy and they are healthy and they still have a daddy.

Selfish, silly and stupid, have I been in my petty complaints. Haven't we all been?

So, today, as you go about your day and you want to complain of the cold or the lack of coffee or the kids driving you up a wall, instead of all that, can you please remember to count your blessings?

Because I tend to believe most of us are blessed beyond belief and sometimes just need a good wake up call of what we're really complaining about.

Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.

-Johnson Oatman, Jr.

The CaringBridge site for Mike Talley can be found here and the post I wrote previously about this family is found here. Please keep Nicole and their children in your prayers, not just now when everything is fresh and new but continuously.

Well, Good Morning!

Is there a better way to start a Monday morning than to see this smiling face perched atop her brothers desk?I don't think so.

Clearing My Name.

Wednesday afternoon found me at our county courthouse waiting (anxiously) for my case to be called.

State of Minnesota vs. Sam-are-a Lewis Past-oom-a. The judges voice boomed as I walked towards the podium.

I corrected him and got quite the stare from the court clerk, but how can I swear in to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth if I don't even tell them my correct name?

In the case you missed it via facebook or twitter late Wednesday afternoon, my stubbornness paid off (this time) and I walked away with no fine and no record from my late November infraction. (You can read my previous post on my first court experience and what I was doing there in the first place, here.)

Partly due to a technicallity (if you call having the officer walk into court while my case is simultaneously called and then asking for a recess or continuance, a technicality, ahem) and partly because since I'd had over an hour to hear other cases and attorneys go over miscellaneous cases before the judge so I learned the proper verbiage and terms to use when it came to be my turn.

But the best part of my court experience was hearing the judge say; "Well said, Ms. Postuma. The prosecution's request for a recess or continuance has been denied and this case has been dismissed. Have a great afternoon."

And I looked over and gave my new friend, the prosecutor and his officer a big, giant smile as I walked out of court.

Because I've never seen my name in lights on the court docket before and have no future plans to I just had to snap a quick cell phone picture. To protect the others that were there with me that day I've xx'ed out their names. Click to enlarge.

My Superhero.

"Mama?," He says. "You be the villian and I'll be the superhero." He'll say again and again.

And we'll play and he'll laugh a laugh that comes so strong and deep from within as though it's come straight from his heart.

I'll give up the cat and mouse chase and he'll capture me claiming he's taking the Villian Mama to jail and he's won. He's saved the day and his grin goes from ear to ear.

Then he'll catch his breath and I'll tell him that I love him and he looks at me and says, "Well, I love you to the moon."

"I love you more than that." I say and he'll reply real simply that since he is the superhero I can't really love him more than he loves me.

I look at my superhero and wonder why the good Lord decided I deserved such a gift as this.

And there are days I really feel like a villian in his world, when I've raised my voice or not been slow to anger. Time out, I'll say for just the 13th time that morning. Yet, he loves me, despite me. To the moon, even. And he makes me feel like I'm a superhero mama. Even when I'm not.

Because he is my superhero and when he's not busy asking me to play the villian, I am his.

Feed My Starving Children.

Tuesday night, myself along with 39 other Minnesota area bloggers met up in Eagan for a night of connection and service.

Missy of Marketing Mama put out an invite and organized the event for area bloggers and the response was amazing.

It was fun to meet new people and reconnect with the few I had met previously even if it was an hour drive. Each way.

I fell in love with the ministry of Feed My Starving Children and can't wait to go back. And I can't wait to bring my children.

There is a big difference between being hungry and being starving and we long ago told our kids that the word starving is not acceptable in our house. They have no concept of what that means.

Together, our group of 40 bloggers, plus some other volunteers that were present Tuesday night packed 13,824 meals in an hour. That is enough to feed THIRTY EIGHT people for one year.

And those meals we packed last night, they're on their way to Haiti. Though the event was planned long before the earthquake, it was even more satisfying to know that our work, our hour of chatting and packing assembly line style were going somewhere where it's especially needed right now.

Trish VanPilsum of Fox9 news was there and wrote an amazing testament of what the evening meant to her, please go read it. And because Trish has connections Fox9 news was there to film Minnesota bloggers in action, because I wasn't home from my hour long commute by the time it aired I missed it, but if it becomes available online I will definitely post the link.

Photo credit: Carrie.

For more information on Feed My Starving Children and volunteer and donation opportunities, please visit their site.

And if you plan on going to volunteer there, please let me know, I'd love to join you.

If you're an area blogger and would be interested in a future event like this please let me know so that as decisions are made about moving forward and doing this again I can pass along thoughts/ideas from others who may have not been able to attend last night's gathering.

My Best. 2.

Last weekend, a new friend, interviewed me for a project she's doing. She asked questions about modern motherhood, how things have changed from my perspective and what I think about having it all. We talked strollers and my strange obsession that has fully utilized the third stall of our garage. (We're at 6 right now, which is down. But I'm contemplating another. Is there a strollers anonymous out there?)

One portion of our conversation stayed with me long after and it was because mostly as I said the words I realized how very much I meant them and how in that moment, in this moment, how content and blessed I really am about life and my roles.

It is not perfect. Oh, it is so not perfect.

Where I once struggled with this idea of success and feeling I was far away from where I thought I wanted to be, I have found this sense of peace. Of knowing that I am doing what I need and want to do right now.

For one of the first times in my life I am not considering jobs or resumes or options. The document on my computer with my resume intact hasn't been touched in almost 2 years now and I wonder when this switch flipped.

I think that old Mommy War thing still happens today and I was never exempt. I'm just not fighting it right now.

Don't get me wrong, I still have dreams and aspirations and the idea of writing a book is still something I'm yearning for.

But...

I am happy and blessed and truly believe I am living and doing my best right now.

My kids, all four of them, are happy and healthy and loved.

And isn't that the goal of every mother out there?

It's not having the child who's the fastest runner or best speller. It's not having the cutest kids or the ones who never get in trouble at school. It's not who's child is in the most activities and speaks the most languages. By the third grade.

It's not having the child who always complies, it's having the ones who question and give us things to ponder and make us realize that sometimes our own rules make no sense. It's having children that struggle to listen or love to tattle on their siblings.

The goal isn't the balance in our checking or the most beautifully designed home.

At the end of the day, we may not have had a gourmet dinner and I may have lost it. Only once or twice.

Though there may be shoes scattered across my entry, loads of laundry waiting in my laundry room, dishes needing to be rinsed and paperwork needing to be gone through, as long as I have heard my kids laughing and playing and living life, I will have succeeded.

The rest of it, details.

And that to me, is living and doing my best as a mom and a stepmom.

To see the first part of this post, you can read it here.

Not Walking.

She was days away from walking. Or so I thought.

She's mastering new things each day.

Her newest favorite trick....

...she just loves the drawer beneath the oven....

Sharp edges. Sliding cookie sheets beneath her.

Apparently, living dangerously is something she likes to do.

Haiti.

The people of Haiti have been on all of our hearts and minds this week. It certainly puts our every day complaints aside when we think of what these people have lost.

It is hard to feel helpless and not know what to do besides watch, wait and pray.

We sponsor a child through Compassion International and yesterday I received an email from them asking for help.

Compassion sponsors and donors serve more than 65,000 children in Haiti. At least a third of them live in the areas that were hardest hit.

Because I believe in Compassion and the ministry they provide to not just Haiti, but many other countries, I have decided and felt called to have our family donate to Compassion's Haiti relief fund.

How Compassion's funds will be used: All funds raised in response to the Haiti earthquake will be used immediately to provide for Compassion-assisted children and families affected by this crisis. Any funds raised in excess will be stewarded by Compassion for additional and future disaster relief efforts.

Today, through Sunday, for every comment left on this post we will donate $1. So in the case that you've never left a comment, here's your chance for a good cause to speak up.

*A donor that would like to remain anonymous has also come forward and offered to match our donation. So for every comment, $2 will be donated to Compassion International's Haiti relief fund. $1 from my family and $1 from this donor.*

If you are interested in matching, please email me. If you're considering making a donation or seeking a way to help the people of Haiti, please consider Compassion.

Donate Online

My Best. 1.

It's completely predictable yet somehow, someway there is no way around it.

I pride myself on timeliness, yet I can't think of anything farther than the truth somedays.

I notice the clock on the stove reads 11:15 and I stare down at my pajama clad self, H dressed but covered in remnants from lunch and E, whose ponytail is sliding out of her hair and face needs a good scrubbing.

In an hour, it is over and we hop into the van halfway presentable and soon we find ourselves waiting in the preschool drop off line.

And then I notice that his shoes are on the wrong feet, and his undershirt on backwards sticking out beneath his shirt and his teeth as he kisses me, missed the toothbrush this morning.

I halfheartedly joke with the mom next to me and she agrees saying; At least you made it here.

I drive home listening to E hum herself to sleep and again am struck by the fact that I'll be transferring her to bed from the carseat. No time for books or a song or even a good little rock in the chair

And there is guilt there. Though I know there shouldn't be.

At least she's napping. I tell myself as I walk her inside and lay her sweet limp body down.

It's not perfect, this motherhood thing, but that's the beauty of it, isn't it? It's being real and it's trying and it's doing the best I can.

...More thoughts to come on this another day soon...

Such Simple Requests.

Please, Lord, please, may they live lives of joy.

Please, Lord, please, may they be full of love.

Please, Lord, please, may they laugh until their sides hurt.

And please, Lord, please, may they always be friends.

A Little Something, Something.

I've had a little secret under my sleeve the last couple weeks.

(And no, it's not a baby. So please don't ask.)

Have you ever had V8? How about V8 V-Fusion?

Take a look at what our family (and friends) thought of it here and enter for a chance to win a $100 Visa giftcard.

Yes, you read that right. ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS!!!

Comments are closed on this post.

My Weekend.

If someone would have told me four plus years ago when I sat down and typed in my name and email address to create an account on blogger that down the road, four plus years down the road, I would spend five hours in a car to meet twenty eight perfect strangers, I mean, other Midwest Mommy Bloggers, I would have laughed.

I'm still laughing. Because I did. And it was lovely. And inspiring. And really, really neat.

I was so busy last week getting ready and now this week catching up but I went into it a tad bit nervous. How would this go. Who had read my words before. Who had not. Who had I read or heard of and who was new to me.

I fear my words wouldn't do the event justice but I met some very neat women with neat stories that tied us together and made us different at the same time. Some who've blogged forever, others who are newbies.

We ate, we drank, we laughed and talked about every possible thing we could in a beautiful lodge. But we especially talked about motherhood and the important little people in our lives.

We talked about why we blog, our goals, where it started and where we're going. Who we are without our blogs. And it was thought provoking to listen to others and also ask myself within the same questions I don't linger on too often.

And while it was a blogging event, it was something more and something else. Realizing and meeting people as people and not just as some other blogger on the internet.

While I'd love to tell you about each and every woman I encountered and what I thought of them, that might get old quick here. So please, if you're interested and have some more time to add to your blog reading repertoire, click over here and take a wander through some of the other bloggers sites.

And just so you know, I came home to a happy, albeit tired, husband, two bigs who had laundry lists of feedback to give me on the weekend and especially their younger brother. A freshly bathed superhero pajama clad little who asked me never to leave him again and my babe, who waited for me.

Sorry for the low quality picture. It was a quick cell phone shot.

She did not walk without me. But did you really think she would?

Don't Walk Without Me.

H and I are enjoying the lull of the day. E's snoozing away in her crib. We're playing play doh while simultaneously baking pumpkin bread. Dinner's in the crock pot. The house is tidy. Laundry going. M will be getting off the bus in the next little while and then T. My dad's joining us for dinner.

It's a good day.

I'm getting packed up and ready to go to my first blogging conference/retreat in Oregon, Wi. Looking forward to meeting twenty-eight other Midwest bloggers.

I have to admit, though I think I'm pretty extroverted these things kind of make me anxious and sometimes, it's hard for me to meet new people.

This is also my very first time away from E. Now, I'm not nervous about J and all four kids or how that's going to go down. Sure, H might wear the same Batman shirt the entire time I'm gone and the others might also pull off the ragamuffin look (which I mean in the best possible way) but J's a great dad and can pretty much handle anything. Most likely better than I do at times. Plus, he always remembers how much I love coming home to a clean house. Was that too direct of a hint?

But what I am nervous about is E and her walking. I have spent every single day with her since she was born 13 months ago, not missing a single milestone, both mundane and monumental. And now I will be gone less than 48 hours and I fear that when I return she will be walking. I can't imagine her walking without me. Those first walking steps alone.

She is so stinking close. Last night, at 10:30pm, when J and I were hanging out with E, who was boycotting sleep for what we thought was an ear infection, I told him my fear that she would take her first steps and I'd miss it.

"I'd be crushed!" I told him. "Can't you just knock her down, hold her, anything to not let her walk without me?"

So we spent 15 minutes having her walk between the two of us thinking maybe she'd let go of one of our fingers and just do it and I wouldn't miss it, but she didn't.

So while I'm away I won't be worrying about what my kids eat, drink, how much sleep they're getting or even if they're having fun. J (and babysitter Rachel who will be here part of Saturday) will ensure all these things and more. But I do worry about E and those first beautiful steps she's about to embark on. No walking allowed is the one rule I care about the most this weekend.

Is it wrong to request my family to keep her crawling while I'm away? Just a little tap and she'll be back on her bottom if she happens to stand up? Whatever you do, do not let her walk without me!

Horrible?

Please don't walk without me, E, it's really not allowed. At least until I get back.
I can't stand the thought of missing it so won't you just wait for me?

Baby Beep-Beep.

She truly lives up to her in-utero nickname. She wasn't born the color green and didn't have four tires and a steering wheel but I'm pretty sure H has influenced trained her well that cars are pretty fun.

She even makes the noises to go along with it.

I'm pretty sure that she's the cutest baby beep beep I've ever seen.

This is Not Legal Advice. This is Pretty Much Crazy Speaking Crazy.

I like to think of myself as a rule follower. I do what I'm supposed to, what is asked of me and for the most part, really don't like to get in trouble.

But sometimes it seems trouble finds me.

Back in November, right about the time I had a crazy trip to Chicago and also found out E needed tubes in her ears, I got a ticket.

Thinking about it tonight I did get one ticket way back in 2002 for speeding in Wisconsin that I promptly paid off but besides that I've been ticket free.

So I got pulled over on 94, along with half a dozen other cars, for failing to move over to the left lane when an emergency vehicle was on the side of the road.

Did you follow?

In case you're wondering, that, my friends, is the Ted Foss Law. Consider this your lesson in criminal justice and traffic laws today.

The law states: When approaching and before passing an authorized emergency vehicle with its emergency lights activated that is parked or otherwise stopped on or next to a street or highway having two lanes in the same direction, the driver of a vehicle shall safely move the vehicle to the lane farthest away from the emergency vehicle, if it is possible to do so.

Did you know it was a law? Or were you, like me, thinking it was just the right thing to do?

Regardless of that (because ignorance may be bliss but is not the best defense), I was unable to move over to the left lane (along with the other half a dozen cars that were pulled over simultaneously) because of the heavy traffic on 94 that day.

Now, I definitely could have stopped, holding up traffic, but just after going under an underpass that happens to be under construction, I noticed the lights in front of me and then behind me and all around me as myself and, wait for it, the other half a dozen cars.

So after I was written a $300 ticket I was pretty fuming and knew that I would definitely attend my court date. Which I did, this morning.

I had no idea that there were that many interesting people in the county I live in, but oh dear, there are.

In the courtroom, I stood in line with the rest of those charged with petty misdemeanors right next to the line for misdemeanor and assault. Does that strike anyone else as funny? Because it was pretty darn hysterical to me.

When it was my turn to plea my case with the prosecutor, I felt hopeful, until he pretty much deflated my hopes for leaving with a fine of $0 and no record and instead offered me a deal of $150 and the possibility of having it on my record.

No, thank you. I said. And just like that a trial date was set. I am my mother's daughter, you know.

Two weeks from today, I will have to plea my case in front of the judge alongside the officer who wrote my ticket that cold November day.

The good news is while waiting for the judge to make a statute change on my violation and paperwork (since the officer that ticketed me wrote the wrong one. Again, hilarious, right?) I met someone else who was pulled over 20 minutes prior to me, in the same area, by the same officer. Our tickets are one digit apart. And get this, he was pulled over with a half dozen other cars too.

A trend?

While he got a better deal from his prosecutor than I did, he did offer to help me out with my trial since he was there same day, same place, same officer.

All this to say, I think I'm a magnet for crazy. I'm not sure if it's just the way I react to things or just my personality or what, but it seems that crazy things tend to happen to me more than the average person.

The less likely the odds, the more likely it will happen to me, or one of my kids.

What I would give for a week of no crazy. But then again, I might not have much to talk about.

Star of the Week.

There are few more exciting things for a 3 (and a half) year old boy than being "Star of the Week" at preschool.

If only he knew that he is always my star.

Displaying his poster and his Star of the Week bag which held his sharing. And he proudly chose one of his new Batman t-shirts and Batman socks. (I have indeed come along way when it comes to characters, have I not?)
Reads: I am 3 years old. My birthday is April 17. My favorite color is green. My favorite food is macaroni and cheese, chicken and fudge. My favorite thing to do is play with my Batcave, Batmobile and Bat motorcycle. At preschool, I want to play.
Practicing what he'd say to his class about each picture.

Dear God,

Please let him always live his life as excited as days like today. Let no one squash this overwhelming enthusiasm he has for everything. I just love him and Lord, thank you for the gift that Henry is to me. To think that the love I have for him is just a little bit like the love you have for me, simply amazing. Thank you God!

From a mama who's got her hands full but a heart that is simply overflowing.

Thirteen Months And One Day.

Thirteen months and one day, that's how old this girl is today.

Realized this morning that besides pictures at Christmas, I didn't have too many of just her chronicling her age right now. So we had a little photo shoot in her bedroom and I like to think I captured her just how she is right now.

Busy! What happened to our calm little girl who was content to stay in one place?

Well, she turned one. That's what happened.

It's as though a switch flipped and she went from stationary child to on the prowl busybody. She has moved to the mode where she is curious and into everything.

I complain about this stage only because I think I'm supposed to. I secretly love that her busier self has broken through. It's fun and she's just trying to keep up with her brother, H. The busiest body of all.

She has become more and more animated. Almost as though she realizes how hilarious we think she is as she makes different sounds and faces throughout the day.

She is still very much a mama's girl and becomes very jealous of anyone else I happen to be paying attention to. Even going so far as to smack them in the head in the church nursery if I so much pick up another child. Yes, we're working on this.

As of last Wednesday, I'm done nursing. Symbolizing her official transition from babe to girl. Though I thought I would struggle with this transition and ending, it ended seamlessly. Reconfirming the fact that it was time. For both of us.

She is learning how to love life from no better teacher than her brother, H. He loves to show her the world and takes great pride and joy in her every accomplishment, just as T and M have done with him and continue to do with her.

She is a beauty with light in her eyes and she has improved our lives in a way we didn't know needed improving. I love her. And everything about her toothy grin, piggy tailed, blue eyed self.

Happy 13 months, Evelyn, with more love than I knew we had.

Glimpses.

And just like that, it's 2010.

Here's a quick glimpse of 2009, I love going back and looking at the year like this. It's crazy the things we forget about in such a short time or even the things we think seem ages ago when they were just three months earlier.

2009 wasn't such a bad year, as a matter of fact, it was pretty good.

January: We adjusted to being a family of six. E was dedicated. T turned double digits just about the time we had to sign H up for preschool. And Boppa returned from a very long sabbatical.

T's 10th birthday.

February: H was officially potty trained. I reminisced about my wedding planning while helping a friend with hers. I wrote to Caribou Coffee, and they didn't really care.

My littles. February 2009.

March: How could it be that E was 3 months old already? I wrote about being a mom and missing mine. My sister got married. M turned 8 and I turned 27. I admitted that being a blended family isn't always easy.

Playing in the snow. March 2009.
Smiley girl. March 2009.

April: E started rice cereal. J and I celebrated five years of wedded bliss. H turned 3.

H is 3. April 2009.

May: We took the littles to their first Twins game. T and M planned a party without parental consent. E's hair went flat and I wrote a letter to Jon and Kate Gosselin.

Craguns. May 2009.

June: Six month old E started wearing hair clips and also tried a french fry.

Strawberry Pickin'. June 2009.

July: H went to the dentist and E wore ponytails. I reflected on my middles and the relationship they share. J turned 36.

The Middles. July 2009.

August: I wrote about how I felt about our blended family and my email inbox went haywire. I unplugged. My friend Hayley got married.

J and I at Hayley's weddding. August 2009.

September: E said Ma-Ma. T started middle school, M started 3rd grade and H started preschool. We walked to remember my mom once again. And T, was a football star.

Trying to get a picture of all four on the first day of school. September 2009.

Henry and I at the Apple Orchard. September 2009.

October: I felt out of my groove and didn't post nearly as much as I typically would. E started crawling and H turned 3 and a half.

November: I blogged every single day. Celebrated the month with Thankful Thursday. Was featured in the St. Paul paper. Had a whirlwind trip to Chicago.

T and E while out shopping. November 2009.

December: E got tubes and turned one. All in the same week. Remembered my mom after two years.

Miss E. on Christmas. December 2009.

Happy New Year! Here's to 2010....