Friday, June 25, 2010
Baptism
We celebrated Ella's baptism on May 16th at Church of St Timothy. It was a special day for our family and for our little girl. The baptism was held during the mass, which was different from Caleb's but just as nice, I thought. We had a lot of family and friends present: Grandma and Grandpa, Auntie Dua (and Godmother to Ella!), Uncle Joey and Auntie Steph, Grandma Karen, Grandpa George and Auntie Chelsea, Grandma and Grandpa from North Dakota, my aunts Ellen, Kathy and Louise, and my cousin Jenna. My cousin Michele, her husband Todd and their son Nicholas also came to our lunch after the baptism, which was held at my parents' house. It was a beautiful day and everything went well. Ella was able to wear Laura's (Dua!) baptismal gown, which made it even more special...since Laura is her godmother. We feel so blessed to have such supportive family and so many people that care about our kids!
Friday, June 18, 2010
Mom update
I'm usually about a month behind when it comes to posting family updates here, but I wanted to post this now in case anyone is actually keeping up with my blog!
My mom had knee replacement surgery this week, on Tuesday, and she is recovering well. She should be discharged from the hospital this afternoon. She's been such a trooper...this is surgery #3 in the past 5 years. Her goal is to walk without her cane and hopefully she is on the way there! So far everyone at the hospital is saying she's recovering ahead of schedule, so it sounds promising. She has a lot of therapy and rehab to come but we know she can do it! My sister Laura has been such a great support person for my mom and our whole family, I'm so proud of her actions this week...she's mature and responsible beyond her 19 years and really shows so much compassion! She will be a great help to my mom during her recovery.
My mom had knee replacement surgery this week, on Tuesday, and she is recovering well. She should be discharged from the hospital this afternoon. She's been such a trooper...this is surgery #3 in the past 5 years. Her goal is to walk without her cane and hopefully she is on the way there! So far everyone at the hospital is saying she's recovering ahead of schedule, so it sounds promising. She has a lot of therapy and rehab to come but we know she can do it! My sister Laura has been such a great support person for my mom and our whole family, I'm so proud of her actions this week...she's mature and responsible beyond her 19 years and really shows so much compassion! She will be a great help to my mom during her recovery.
Como Zoo
Ella had her first trip to the zoo in mid-May. Marshall's dad and stepmom were in town from North Dakota for a long weekend. They watched the kids during the day for us on that Friday (our daycare had the day off). Caleb was SO excited about this and couldn't wait to spend the day at the hotel. He had such a fun time! On Saturday we went to Como; it was a beautiful day and we had a great visit there. Caleb still loves the seals and had a great time exploring Como Town (the amusement park) for the first time. He even went on the big swings, I thought for sure he'd be scared but he loved it! We grilled at our house that night and then Sunday was Ella's baptism. Another fun visit with Grandma and Grandpa from North Dakota! 
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Mother's Day
For Mother's Day this year we headed up to the Farm, it's tradition for us to spend the day in Osakis. We used to always go out for a big breakfast or lunch with the Waldvogel family, but in recent years have started doing our own family thing that day. We all went in to Grandma's house to visit and then back to the farm for some lunch; Caleb had a great time playing outside. He wanted to ride on ALL the tractors. He drove his little tractor around and around all by himself. I followed around for awhile (I can walk next to it..that's how fast it goes) and he kept telling me "hop on!" The kids gave me some cute gifts (thanks to daycare!)...Caleb made a little birdbath and I got a cute picture frame from Ella. They are on display now in my office, along with many other cute drawings from Caleb!
Mother's Day is not yet a holiday for 'me'...it's still for my mom, my Grandma...those moms. It's hard to really comprehend some days that I have these kids...just how did it happen? How did I get this old, for one thing, and how can I be responsible for creating these little lives...being a mom has truly been the greatest joy in my life and it will continue to be so. It's challenging, no doubt, but hearing that little voice say "I love you Mommy", seeing the faces light up with smiles, being the one that can bring comfort...it's worth everything in the world. I recently finished a book, "That Hand That First Held Mine" by Maggie O'Farrell, and in it one of the main characters comments that being a mother is learning how to live with your heart outside your body...so true. I feel that every time I look at one of my kids.
Mother's Day is not yet a holiday for 'me'...it's still for my mom, my Grandma...those moms. It's hard to really comprehend some days that I have these kids...just how did it happen? How did I get this old, for one thing, and how can I be responsible for creating these little lives...being a mom has truly been the greatest joy in my life and it will continue to be so. It's challenging, no doubt, but hearing that little voice say "I love you Mommy", seeing the faces light up with smiles, being the one that can bring comfort...it's worth everything in the world. I recently finished a book, "That Hand That First Held Mine" by Maggie O'Farrell, and in it one of the main characters comments that being a mother is learning how to live with your heart outside your body...so true. I feel that every time I look at one of my kids.
