Birthday Lunch

Every Tuesday there is a playgroup up at our church. Today just happened to be my birthday, so some of my friends organized a lunch and it was so yummy.

Doesn't it look yummy! It really was...Thank you everyone for making me feel so special.
I guess JoDell sent out some emails, made some phone calls and it was amazing what they pulled off in such a short time!
Left to Right: Back row: Judy, Shantel, Serena, Anna, JoDell, Debbie Lou, Emily, Myself and Barb with some little ones dispersed among us!
Of course it is always great to have a showing of the male kind.... Larry Kastel brought his grandson up to play! What a great Grandpa! WE didn't want him to feel left out so he was asked to say the prayer.

It's funny how we get chairs out but most of us sit on the stage or the floor, even those pregnant mammas. I tell ya...they are troopers!
And....to top it off Emily, who we have met through Barb brought cupcakes and we had brownies too! We have decided to do this for the upcoming Birthdays too! It was really fun! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you to all of you that came, and to all of you that brought yummy food!

An Early Birthday.

Karsyn and I got to enjoy the mall and got some smokin' deals on Friday! I just love meeting up with Amanda, her mom and girls. We don't get to see one another often but when we do, it's as if time hasn't passed. I miss her and wish we lived closer to one another.

We also had an early Birthday celebration when we went to Glencoe to see my cousin Sam and her husband Glen's new kitchen, bathroom and living room remodel. It's absolutely Beautiful! I wish she would blog it! ;-)

We are having a family reunion over the 4th of July, but Benjy says we don't need one, now that we had a mini one! He was kidding of course....It was fun for a fraction of us to be able to get together. Do you see my awesome Chocolate cake on the table? Thanks Mom!

Auntie Karen, Uncle Doug, Aunt Judy, Uncle Roger, Grandma, Sam, Glenn, Belle, Gabe and my parents met Benjy, myself and the girls!

My Grandma and the girls.

I don't like this picture of myself, my hair was pulled back and I looked lopsided, oh well. It's my Birthday...what the heck! My batteries died on my camera so I didn't get the greatest pictures!

My Aunt Judy and Uncle Roger just got back from Wintering in Texas. It was nice to have them back although I am sure they are not too happy about getting back in time for a snow storm.

My mom and dad got me my much needed scanner, copier/printer. I guess they are tired of me taking pictures of my pictures in order to get them on my blog! I have wanted one for years and just couldn't get myself to buy one! Now I have one so who knows what old pictures will be popping up! In two hours I will be 34 years old! I am not sure how I feel about that, but so far I am having a great birthday!

The Cherry on Top.

Karsyn and I are off to the Mall of America today! We are meeting my friend Amanda, her two girls and her mom there. She is town for the High School Basketball Tournament. It is always such a treat for me to get a mall and a friend in.... all in one day and come home to Family Fun Night! Does it get any better than this?
Last night I went to a food party with the ladies from the Daycare at the gym. It was so fun to see them outside of their element of always watching my children while I get in a workout! It was really fun and the house was amazing. Such cute ideas. I am not sure Benjy liked me coming home with all these new ideas! ;-)
I then got the opportunity to help out a friend in need last night and spend some time with her darling little babies. Well to me anyone younger than my girls are babies! ;-)
During the day, yesterday, I worked at Champlin High School and only taught two classes with 3 students in each class. I got two prep periods and finished another awesome book! A quick read called, Premonition.
It became very apparent to me after this awesome week that as much as I loved our recent vacation to Disney..to be able to love the life I am living day by day is even more valuable to me. I think I am learning to make a decision everyday to experience the Joy in the Journey....To me our Vacations are just the cherry on top!
Of course I have good days and bad days, I am just glad that the good outweigh the bad and when they don't I am glad that I can make the changes to make sure they do!

A Call for Volunteers.

Last night Benjy recieved a call to meet with our Bishop in order to coordinate efforts to find volunteers that could leave at 5am this morning and return tonight at 10pm. The people of Grand Forks are pleading for volunteers to come help with the sand bagging efforts. They are hoping the colder weather over the next few days will slow the melting snow and delay the flooding.

This is a picture from the Grand Forks area and the flooding they had in 1997.

My heart just goes out to them. I am regretting not finding a place for Karsyn to go to today and that I didn't just jump in that vehicle and go! I guess I came up with excuses why I couldn't go, who would get Kaydree off the bus, who would watch Karsyn? We have a Primary Activity tonight. Yet, these people are trying to save their homes again! We had flooding in Marshall in 1993. I remember we got a call in the middle of the night and someone told my mom, "the water is coming. It has filled our basement, it's running in our basement windows." Those people just lived a block from us. It was such a scary and helpless feeling. We were lucky, our house kind of sat up a little higher, but the river ran right through our backyard. My brothers took a motor boat right down the street and yet we didn't have anything compared to what these people and the people in Iowa went through last year! My prayers go out to these people, I am feeling regret that my abble body isn't shoveling or tossing sand today. :-(

In The Early Morning Hours:

This morning I woke up feeling so refreshed and full of energy, so I went for my first run of the season, outside! It was so beautiful. It is somewhat foggy and overcast but to be outside and listening to the birds and feeling the wind on my face just felt so refreshing! I am so grateful for the turning of the seasons. I just love this time of the year! I love change and you can definitely feel change in the air. I did hear we might get a little snow in the next couple of days, but it won't stick around! In the early morning hours I feel like I get so much accomplished, it is so quiet and peaceful! Yay....Spring!

Double Coupons at...

Just in case you missed it, double coupons at K-mart this week. You can do up to 75 coupons up to a $2.00 value. Meaning you end up getting $4.oo off those 2 dollar ones. If you have those 2 dollar ones, by the time you double them...you can usually get free mouthwash, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, toothbrushes, cleaning supplies and very cheap razors, lotions and band aides. You don't even have to spend a certain amount. Well worth your adventure! Happy Shopping!

Some of My Favorite Products.

About two years ago my friend Andrea introduced me to Fiber One bars. They are so handy to throw in your purse for a snack or for Kaydree to bring to school. I am always struggling to find enough fiber in our diet. I have a husband and two daughters who refuse to eat any whole grain products. It makes me soooooo sad. I love wheat/whole grain products. I have finally found products that they will eat and enjoy. On Saturday I made Fiber One Banana Nut muffins. Benjy actually ate the tops off of two of them. He prefers the tops only. I guess I need to invest in one of those fancy muffin top pans. He tells me he almost threw up on the first bite because I forgot to tell him they had nuts in them, so he thought he was crunching on one of my fingernails or something! I know....gross, but once he realized they were nuts he actually really liked them!

Here is a little disclaimer: when you first start eating a lot of fiber it may give you a little gas. A little flatulence is a small price to pay for the benefits of fiber! Once my body got use to it, I didn't even notice it. Benjy is still a little sensitive....;-) however at least he is getting his much needed daily fiber in!

Are you Sure that is MY DOG!

There was a reason why we needed to get Charlee groomed. This picture was taken on one of his very dirt days! With the Spring melt down every year, Charlee comes in dirty and his long fur makes it difficult to keep a white dog clean. So I took him to the groomer and said that we wanted him shaved down. Which we have done before. They had a new groomer and something went wrong.

Our Bishon turned into a wiener dog! I laughed so hard but when Kaydree gets home she will cry and when Benjy sees him, he will die! I think of all my horrible hair cuts and they were nothing compared to this!

Poor Charlee he is acting embarrassed of his new look. The positive side, he will be easier to keep clean!

This is what a Bishon is supposed to look like. Poor, POOR, Charlee!

The Glass Castle

There are a couple of different covers.

My friend Jody gave this book to me to read right before we left for Florida. Even with Disney World at our fingertips I couldn't wait to get a chance to read this book. It saved me on the plane. I don't like flying but between Karsyn being sick on the way there and having this book to read on the way back, flying didn't even phase me! I am telling you if you ever question those tough days as a parent and wonder if you are ruining your children or scarring them for life, you need to read this book. Or if you think your parents could have done a better job, you need to read this book! It will make you feel like you are doing a great job and that your parents could have been much worse. (Not that I think that mom and dad...at all, you know you were and are amazing parents.) It is an amazing book about perspective, adventure, neglect and forgiveness. Amazing, absolutely thought provoking, inspirational, heart wrenching and unbelievable. It's a quick read.

The Healthy Eating Bomb!

Benjy and I recognize that our biggest weakness in sticking within our budget comes in the Restaurant tabs. Benjy often gets to go to nice places and order whatever he wants for lunch on the firm's dime. I feel a little bitter when I think about that most of my lunches are spent trying to please my daughters. Here in Minnesota the McDonald's play land is a lifesaver! Today we had a lunch play date and I thought this picture was fitting for what McDonald's play dates represent on my healthy eating plan! I got a salad however I always find myself sneaking bites from the delicious double cheeseburger Karsyn didn't finish and sharing fries with her!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Yesterday Karsyn had green eggs at school so this morning she would only eat green eggs. Here is the Shamrock Benjy brought home yesterday. I love how they close up at night and in the morning they greet me wide open and vibrant looking!

Karsyn showing off her green earrings, too!

The last of our vacation posts! We just loved hanging out by the pool in the afternoon. WE enjoyed our rest and relaxation during our afternoon breaks from the Disney Parks. The 86 degree weather was an awesome change from the long Minnesota winter.

I am feeling a little feisty these days... I think the nice weather gives me some renewed energy? I am also trying to think of a creative way to incorporate green into our dinner.

I just love St. Patrick's Day! It always represents spring is near and so is my Birthday. Not that I get as excited about turning a year older, but every year has been a gift and we saw a couple of families with mothers who looked like they were battling cancer and child in the Make a Wish line at the Disney Parks. It made me realize all that I have been given and have to look forward to. Really after reading the Last Lecture....I feel the need to recognize that each day is truly a gift.

Magic Kingdom

Our little flowers waiting to take the shuttle over to Magic Kingdom. Kaydree got picked out of the crowd to participate in an interative show because of her Sunflower headband! It was funny, Benjy did not want them to wear them, but after Kaydree kept hers on, Karsyn took hers off, so Kaydree got to get asked questions in front of a thousand people or so?? She told Karsyn, "Too bad you didn't keep yours on, or you would have been on the big screen too!" It was really neat!

It is so pretty when you take the ferry boat across the lake to the park.

Kaydree snuggling up with Walt Disney and Minnie Mouse.

It's funny we actually had a little tiff after this picture. I noticed when we all started to get tired or hungry... we needed to either rest or eat! Especially Kaydree and I. The Famous Tea Cups ride. Benjy and I had a little disagreement over who had to do this ride with the girls. Neither one of us wanted to spin round and round, guess who lost? Since he did the water ride two extra times, it was my turn to do the undesirable ride. We decided to save the best for last. After having a blast at Epcot and Animal Kingdom, we didn't think it could get any better. We started our last day off pretty slow at Magic Kingdom. We were all pretty tired and there were huge crowds. After being at Magic Kingdom for a couple of hours and it being really hot, we decided to go back to the Hotel for one last dip in the pool.
When we came back at night we really had a fun time. It was so beautiful and magical. The crowds had died down a little and we were able to walk up to most of the rides and get right on!

I don't know why some people think this ride is soooooo fun????

Kali River Rapids

One of Kaydree's favorite rides was the River Ride at Animal Kingdom. I thought ahead and brought a change of clothes for the girls but of course not for Benjy and I. The first time we went on it as a family I got soaked from head to toe. So I opted to sit the next two rides out and take pictures and video! It was funny, I could hear the girls screaming from around the corner. Thank goodness it was a nice warm day.

Kaydree showing off being wet.

Karsyn got soaked on the last time around. In the video below Benjy describes it!

The Animals and Trees of The Kilimanjaro Safari

I just can't believe how close you get to all of these animals. It seems so surreal.

A Warthog and the bottom side of and Ostrich. They were so close it was hard to snap the picture fast enough.
Do you see this white rhinoceros, we went around the corner and there was one standing close enough to touch. Kaydree was a little freaked out and so was I!
He was kind of cute though!

Benjy pointing to the hippos.

This tree is so cool. It looks like it is growing upside down. It gets leaves only 2 months out of the year.

Another...too close for comfort Elephant! Gigantic!

Some big cows with big horns from Africa.

It was so warm and nice! You could just see these crocs soaking up the sun!

Some sort of African deer?

And one cool looking 3 foot bird. I thought that beak could do some real damage if you ticked him off! I really enjoyed the feeling of doing something kind of dangerous....being this close to all of these animals.