Back to Work

Last week I was working in my classroom (on my own time) getting things unpacked and settled into my new room. It is slowly coming along. Jake was with me Monday, Tuesday, and Friday for a few hours each day. Thankfully, Jamie came to get him on Wednesday and brought him to my parents' house. Her friend Christina came to watch Jake for the whole day on Thursday. I was so happy that day! It was a lot of work bringing him and his stuff up to the 3rd floor. You should have seen me! I am glad our stroller has a lot of room at the bottom. We were loaded down, Exersaucer and all! The elevator was working all the days, except for Friday. A nice custodian helped carry the stroller up the stairs for me to my room. When I left, I was all on my own lugging it all to the car. Jake was strapped into the Baby Bjorn while I made three trips up and down the stairs. The hardest load was the stroller. My arm muscles got their workout! My back is still sore. I have decided that I am going to get a babysitter next time. It is too hard on both of us to be there in the hot building. Poor Jake had to take a nap on the uncomfortable floor of my room. I could get a few things done when he was content, but it did not last too long.

I go back to work tomorrow morning. I have workshops all week. Jake is going to Cheryl's for daycare each day. My parents are on their annual trip to Hilton Head, that is why Jake is not heading to their house on Monday and Friday (as he would normally). I know he is ready to go, but I don't think I am! Wish us luck!

Johnsons visit and Girls' night out!

My friend Haley and her family were in town at the end of last week. I had not seen Haley since our wedding two years ago. She and her husband live in Bessemer, Michigan. It is quite the trek for both of us to make. We keep talking about meeting up in Duluth (where we met at UMD) but it has not happened in over three years. So, I was very excited when she called to tell me her family was coming into town. She has two children. Cade is 3 and is full of energy! I had not seen him since the wedding either, so he looked quite different. I love the hair! Cade gave Jake a ton of his old clothes, which we are very happy about.

Cade and Jake outside Olive Garden

Jake and I met Haley, Mark, Cade, Calli, and Mark's parents at Olive Garden on Thursday night. Calli was born a month after Jake. She is just a peanut! She has a lot of hair just like Jake, except she is not missing as much in the back. Both babies were tired and fussy. Cade was so cute with "Baby Jake". I am sure he was excited for another boy at the table. He loved to touch Jake's feet (his parents kept telling him to not touch Jake's face). On Friday, we met them at Nickelodeon Universe at the Mall of America. We had a fun time watching Cade go on the rides. All the kids hit the wall at one point or another while we were there. Too many people, too many noises, etc. We had lunch at the food court. Here is a picture of Calli!

Friday night was the second annual Girls' Night Out for the girls I teach with, or taught with, now that I am moving to the middle school =(. We went out for dinner and drinks in Uptown. It was a lot of fun to go out and catch up. I am so excited for Kasey, because she just accepted a new job teaching Kindergarten in Burnsville. I am going to miss working with her. We have a lot of funny stories from our Kindergarten group. I am going to miss Carrie, Michelle, and Anika, too. Luckily, we'll still be working in the same district, so hopefully we will see one another. All five of us promised to get together once a month.

Kasey and I

Kasey, Laura, Anika, Carrie, and Michelle

Rolling and Laughing

The past two days have been pretty exciting for Jake. Joe was able to get him to laugh (more than just a giggle). Joe made some goofy face and noise that Jake loved. It was cute. I have not been able to get him to laugh. Apparently, he does not think I am really funny. Just this morning Jake was able to roll from his back to his tummy (this skill has been mastered for some time) and ROLL back to his back. I was so excited for him and had to call Joe at work. Naps have been tricky because Jake will roll to his stomach and get stuck and cries. Maybe they will get better...who knows!

We had a busy weekend! Jake went to two parties! We all went up to Hugo to friends of Joe's from high school. It was their son's 6th birthday. Jake had a good time. He slept most of the time in the Baby Bjorn, which was nice. Jake was able to see his friend Oli at the party. Saturday night, we went to the Yungs for a BBQ. Jeff made amazing kabobs. Jake's friend Oli was there again! Chloe was also there, too. Lots of girls! Joe gave Jake a new toy to play with.

Starting Young!

Chloe Elizabeth Yung

I am enjoying the last few weeks before I need to go back to work. I am making a HUGE grade change. Kindergarten to sixth grade. I am trying to get excited about it, but it is not going so well. It will obviously be hard to drop Jake off at daycare on the 25th (for workshop week), but going back to something I am not excited about will be harder than usual. Jake went to meet his daycare provider, Cheryl this morning. He was very happy being there. Cheryl has a dog named Cookie. She is more Jake's size than Kirby is. I am sure she will be a lot of fun. Grandma and Joe met us there, so Jake was happy to see so many people he knew! We went to my new school and he met my principal, assistant principal, and secretary. He was not too excited to hang out in mom's room, so it was a short visit. He had lunch in the car before we went to my old school. It was hard to go back there, knowing I will not be returning there. I ran into a few friends and their kids, so it was a nice distraction. It was a long day, without all of the normal naps.

It was sad to hear about the stabbing of Todd Bachman and his wife in Beijing. My first friend in Bloomington was Leslie Bachman. Her dad, Paul, is a first cousin of Todd. I may have met Todd way back when, when I would go to work with Leslie to visit her dad. My thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Bachman family as they deal with the loss of Todd and the recovery of Barbara.

Blueberry Muffins

Earlier this week, I decided to make some blueberry muffins. After making them, I ate one and had the rest sitting on the counter, in the muffin pan. Sure, I could have taken them out of the pan, but for some reason I did not. I ate one that night. When I got up in the morning, I noticed the muffins were all gone. I thought Joe took the remaining five muffins with him to work. I was not happy. I found out that he only took two with him. Well, guess who ate the other three muffins?? Yep, Kirby! There were no crumbs on the counter, floor, or in the pan. No sign of any muffin liners, either. I did notice Kirby was pretty lazy that morning. I am sure that was why. I would be tired, too! The story continues! Joe came home from work in the middle of the day. I took the advantage of an extra set of hands to watch Jake. I made myself a frozen waffle (something I had been craving for quite some time). The cover to the butter dish ended up getting butter on it, so I set it in the sink to wash later. I ate my lunch and Joe went back to work. I heard Kirby in the kitchen and thought he had put his paws up on the counter to try and look out the window to see where Joe went. After a while I went into the kitchen and noticed there was NO BUTTER left! Kirby licked the butter dish clean...completely! I could not believe it. I guess it was his way of telling me I was not giving him enough attention. Needless to say, Kirby spent some time outside to let things "move" through him. I refused to take him on a walk that day, or the next, because I did not want to be cleaning up after him.

We have now moved all food off the counter! Jake, Kirby, and I went on a walk yesterday and plan to today. I do feel bad for Kirby. But, muffins and butter? Really??

A long weekend!

We are back home after a long weekend in St. Cloud. It was a very fun weekend. We are all exhausted, even Kirby (who stayed in SLP with John...but he went on a little trip to John's neighbors Saturday night!)

Joe had a good time golfing on Friday. I heard that he did well on the first few holes. The guys all hit traffic coming up and barely made it on time to the rehearsal. I was glad Joe went to get his tux on Wednesday night, because some of the guys had to get theirs after sitting in traffic. Poor Seth had a shirt with very few buttons and his pants had a bit of a problem before the reception started. Jake joined mom and the girls for manicures and pedicures and lunch at the Olive Garden. He was a very good sport with all the "girly" things. The groom's dinner was at the Ferber's Cabin, which was a great place for the adults and little kids to relax. I had a hard time sleeping that night. I think I was just too excited! Both my mom and I were up from 3:00 to 5:00. Hailey-Bug was so tired! The boys slept very well, of course. It was fun to get my hair done and have a little time away from being a mommy. Hailey was so adorable getting pampered. Jamie painted her nails while she was having her hair done. She asked me to blow on her nails to get them to dry. I cannot wait to see the pictures of that!

The day was very warm, but not as hot as we had expected. It did get pretty warm in the church. Everyone made it through the ceremony. Many tears were shed by the big sister of the groom. Let's just say it was a very emotional weekend! At the end of the ceremony, after the couple kissed, Hailey joined both Matt and Katie and walked down the aisle with them. I thought this was a very special moment for all three of them.

It was great to see so many of Matt and Katie's friends and family at the reception. I had a good time catching up with my cousins, some old family friends, and of course Brittany! Matt and Katie's group of friends, mainly from Bemidji, is so much fun! They have a unique way of making you feel part of their group. Jake tried to make it until the first dance, but he wasn't able to stay awake. Grandma and Grandpa Bien to the rescue! I am sure they had more fun than either Joe and I did (well...maybe!). By the end of the reception, I was holding a very tired flower girl, who did not want to go to the hotel room to sleep. She had a busy weekend and did not want to miss out on any of the fun. It was so cute to see her dance with her daddy! I tried to hold her and dance with her as long as possible, but finally we just sat down and watch everyone else dance. She finally fell asleep and Papa carried her back to the room. I was finally able to sleep last night for a few hours, which felt so good. I had to listen to a lot of snoring though!

We are so happy for Matt and Katie as they begin a new chapter of their lives together. It is so fun to watch them laugh and smile together =). They are perfect for each other.

Well, after a weekend of many tears, my contacts are not wanting to stay in any longer. I think it is a sign telling me to go to bed!!

Matt and Katie's Wedding

New Adventure

Well, I thought I would be crazy and try blogging. So many people are doing it these days. I love catching a glimpse as to what they are doing, so I am going to give it a whirl.

We are getting ready to head to St. Cloud for the weekend for Matt and Katie's wedding (my brother). I have been so excited, that I have not been able to sleep for the past two nights! I have had so many things on my mind (like...am I remembering everything we need?). I know it will be a fun weekend, I just hope that Jake will not be too tired. It will be a hot one. I feel bad for Joe, along with the rest of the guys, for being in tuxes. It won't be fun for Katie and all of us girls, either.

I cannot believe that one year has passed since the 35W bridge collapse. I was out of town (just getting to Detroit Lakes for WeFest). I still can remember the faces of disbelief on the people in our group. I am thinking about all those people who were on the bridge and what this anniversary means to them. I am also thinking about the families who lost loved ones, too.

I will let you know how the festivities go this weekend!