The Boeckmann's

Finally!

2012-01-19T18:28:00.000-08:00

How long can I wait to put out a new post? Apparently a long time! I also left my camera at my brother's house for two weeks, so that didn't help the situation either. Anyway, the holidays are always crazy and this year was no different. I had the week between Christmas and New Year's off and it was wonderful! My mom and dad, Gracelyn, and I all traveled down to Madison for a couple days to watch my nephew and niece which was fun! Gracelyn loved every second!

Over the holidays we got to spend lots of time with friends and family and Gracelyn got way too many presents. I often wonder how all of her gifts will fit in our house, birthday after birthday, Christmas after Christmas...and I only have one! What do I do after I have 3 kids when they are all receiving presents? We will have to be good at donating toys as we are receiving new ones!

Gracelyn is our little ray of sunshine..she has a ton of attitude. Yelling out demands constantly. I am saying, "How do you ask me nicely?" about twenty times a day. She comes in our room in the morning and says, "It's good morning time" "Get up Momma". When we play house she says to me, "You are the Gracelyn and I am the Momma". She often tells me that things are "ridiculous" or "terrible"...Sometimes she says things and I think to myself, "Where did you learn these words?" And I have been known to get myself in trouble....One morning not long ago she woke up and said, "I feel like crap this morning!" Oh no! Where did she learn this new phrase? Then like a week later I find myself telling Ben, that I "felt like crap". So I officially need to start watching what I say in front of her. She is a 13 year old in a 2 year old body. She keeps us on our toes!

She loves gum (thanks grandma), playing babies, painting, watching "Good Luck Charlie", pickle chips, brushing other peoples hair, and dancing. She has made my dream of having a dancer come true. I taught her a whole routine the other night and we performed it for my family last weekend in the Dells. We went to the "Wilderness"...tons of fun was had by all! So she is my funny, dancing, smiley girl who sometimes "feels like crap"...

Perfect example of her attitude...

I step away for one moment during "paint" time and...

The "Torud" Cousins on Christmas Eve

The Fam...

Auntie Mandy!

The Fredrickson Kids! - Ben's Nieces and Nephew

Madison Children's Museum!

Getting ready for the pool!

Slide!

Our Gracelyn Girl

And I will leave you with one more cute story. Gracelyn loves to dance on her own, but, of course, occasionally enjoys having a partner. Recently, whenever she is dancing hand and hand with another person she will say, "we are married". The stuff two year olds come up with. The other night Gracelyn asked her daddy to dance with her and she told him that they were "married"...it is true that the first person that little girls imagine marrying is their dad. She is no exception. When asked who she wants to marry when she gets older, she always answers, "my daddy"..It will be a sad day for daddy when her answer eventually changes!

Photo Card

2011-11-14T17:14:00.001-08:00

Bold Bright Wishes Christmas

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Weddings and Halloween!

2011-11-05T13:21:00.000-07:00

So, I realize my blog posts lately have really just been a million pictures...but really that is all you want to see right?? That is always my favorite part of blog posts. So we start with the most adorable chicken ever to waddle and quack...I love two year olds!! (Most days) Then we have some pictures of my cousin Lora's wedding, which I was honored to be a part of. You will notice the family picture..yeah that was the best one of the night!! Lastly, we end with pics from my sister-in-law's sister's wedding. All of which were a blast!!! For the dance portion of the last wedding the bridal party came out in 80's apparel! Hilarious! How creepy does my brother look?? Also, their wedding was in early October and it was beautiful - notice the short sleeves on Gracelyn and Camden! Now on to thanksgiving and christmas...my two very favorite holidays! I can't wait for sledding, hot cocoa, pumpkin pie, squash, christmas movies and books, my family all snuggled in under a tree, the macy's christmas walk through thing in the cities...anyone know what I am talking about? Oh and black friday, cookie making, snow painting, and so much more!! Love this time of year!!

October

2011-10-01T19:37:00.000-07:00

So, I haven't blogged in forever and my sister keeps reminding me of it! So here we go! I am so happy that is finally fall! Summer is fun while it lasts, but I am much more of a fall/winter girl. Most people tend not to agree with me on this one. My daughter included. The first day it really was chilly out. She walked out to the garage and said, "Ooo, its cold!" And then she insisted on having a blanket on her in the car, along with her coat and boots.

We are having lots of fun with our two year old these days. She says the funniest things and there is never a dull moment. She does not like to go to bed, so that has been a challenge. However, tonight she zonked out at 6:00pm. This has never happened before..really ever...so her father and I decided to let her sleep. She didn't get much of a nap today and since she has been fighting going to bed her bed time has been pushed back for the last 3 weeks. We will see how I am doing at 4:00am when she wakes up! Ha!

Here are a bunch of pics from summer and some more recent ones too!

This is Gracelyn and her good friend Griffin...she used to go to daycare with him.

This is Gracelyn when she first learned how to peddle! She was inside, due to rain, and insisted on no pants and her dress shoes!

She was so proud of herself!

This summer Gracelyn got to be in her first organized "class"...gymnastics! She loved it :-)

Her favorite pastime is still playing with her babies!

We went to the beach a lot this summer...she loves the sand and water! This pic was from our last trip of the summer :-(

Little Miss also loves to dance. This is her dancing with her daddy at Ben's cousin's wedding in September!

She also LOVES to dress up!

On our way to my cousin's wedding shower! Her wedding is coming up in a few weeks! We are going to have soo much fun!!

Lastly, here are some pics from our apple picking trip! I made apple cobbler tonight with our fresh picked apples!

And 2 months later...

2011-08-07T08:59:00.000-07:00

So, we have had a super busy summer! We went up to the cabin for a long weekend, went to Madison a couple of times and went on a mini vacation to Milwaukee...But now things have finally settled down! I wanted to post some pictures of Gracelyn's new big girl room. We are renting so I had to be creative with no paint and no holes in the walls :-)

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I am so relieved that Gracelyn is in her big girl bed and doing well in it! Also, her accidents have been minimal and we have officially not been in diapers for almost 2 months! She currently loves chocolate milk, Tangled, Mickey Mouse Club House, her blankie, and her daddy! She talks constantly and tells me "2 more minutes" after I tell her it is time to go to bed!

She continues to be the very best part of our lives!

My Crazy Life

2011-06-16T10:37:00.001-07:00

Our lives have been crazy since the move! I haven't had time to do anything! In the post below this one you will find a whole bunch of pics from the last couple of months! My best friend LeAnn got married, we welcomed our new niece Kinsley into the family, and Gracelyn turned 2! Also our 2 year old is going potty on the big girl potty and wearing underwear! Now I just need to get her out of her crib...which I am nervous about! She throws tantrum's at bedtime occasionally, so I am worried for the fight...eventually I will just pull off the band-aid and deal with it! We love our new place in Altoona and I am glad that summer has arrived!

Here are some of Gracelyn's 2 year pics! She is getting soo big!

2011-06-09

2011-06-16T10:34:00.001-07:00

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Altoona, I'm back!

2011-05-01T11:59:00.000-07:00

We are moving! The past few weeks have been crazy! In one week I found new tenants for our side of our duplex, a new daycare provider, and a new place to live. Ben needs to move to Eau Claire for his job and we thought this might be happening for a little over a year now. We finally got the confirmation and I worked my tush off in order to get everything done in time! We moved in with my parents today and will move into our almost brand new duplex in the one and only -Altoona, WI on May 15th! We needed to find a place on the South side of Eau Claire and after a lot of searching we found the perfect place in my hometown! It is just as close to where Ben needs to be as many of the places we were looking at in Eau Claire. Also it is on a quiet residential street a block away from 10th street park! It will be wonderful!

I am a little nervous about missing our duplex in Osseo. It is where we were living when we got married and it was the place we brought Gracelyn home to, but we still own it. So who knows? We will probably live in Altoona/Eau Claire for the next two years and then we will decide at that point where we want to settle down. It is probably going to be between Osseo and Altoona....our hometowns. My job is in Osseo and his can be in either Osseo or Eau Claire...we will see! I am just excited to be moving! It has been so much work and it will continue to be, but I think it will be fun living in Altoona again.

We have found a wonderful new place for Gracelyn to go to daycare and our new duplex is beautiful! We get to be landlords and renters at the same time! Eventually I would like to sell the duplex in Osseo, just not yet. We have some decisions to make in the next couple of years, but I am totally content to not worry about it all yet. We have time! I will post pictures of our new place once we move in :-)

Mommy Lessons

2011-04-03T19:20:00.001-07:00

I have found that I am constantly learning new things about being a mother. It is an ever changing job. As your child gets older, so many things change. In the beginning you find yourself concentrating so much on meeting their basic daily needs. Your life becomes making sure they take naps, are fed, and their diapers are dry. As they get older, things get a bit less black and white. Do I let her do that or not? Do I allow her to do that herself or help her? Do I stay firm with the decision I just made or do I cave? Is the decision I am about to make going to scar her for the rest of her life? Aaahhhh... the list can go on and on.

Here is a perfect example of one of my dilemmas. Osseo-Fairchild High School put on a production of the "Beauty and the Beast" this weekend. Many people told me I should bring Gracelyn to this play. I thought she might be a little young yet. So I struggled with whether or not I should bring her. I finally decided that if and when she couldn't sit any longer, we could just leave. I knew she would love the singing and the dancing and that might be enough to encourage her to sit and watch. I finally decided to tell her that mommy was going to take her to a "big girl" show. I told her that only big girls got to go to shows with their mommies. She was very excited and kept telling her daddy that ONLY "big girls" got to go.

We show up at the school all ready to go to the show and find out that the show is completely sold out. I never thought about getting tickets ahead of time! I felt horrible! I had totally built the whole thing up and now we couldn't even go! Thank goodness I learned this lesson when she is only 22 months old! She didn't even let it bother her. I told her we would go home and do something else special. She was fine with that! Her daddy told her that they could make strawberry shakes together and she was in heaven! So I learned that I should buy tickets ahead of time before I tell my child we are going to do something! At four, Gracelyn might not have been able to brush it off like she did today.

As the due date of my brother's baby girl gets closer, I would be lying if I didn't say I was thinking about having another baby. I see little babies all around town and it makes me want to get pregnant again. But, then there is the responsible part of me that says now is really not the time. Financially, it is much more responsible to wait another year to try to get pregnant. Also, I want to be in a home where there is enough room for four of us. Our duplex is really not big enough for another baby. We also might be moving to Eau Claire in the next few months. I know that now is just not the time to bring another baby into the fold. Gracelyn must agree. She LOVES babies. Loves them! If we see a baby at a restaurant she will say, "My go see baby" over and over until I take her over to go see the baby that we don't know. We probably freak a few people out, but most people think her interest in babies is cute. So the other day we were chatting and I asked her a few questions. I thought I knew what her answers would be. I was wrong!

Me: Gracelyn, do you want a brother?
G: No
Me: Do you want a sister?
G: No
Me: Do you want mommy to have a baby?
G: No, You are my mommy!

Now, you might look at this convo and say, "yeah this might be a reason why she does need a sibling". And don't worry we will try to give her a sibling eventually. But it actually made me feel better. Even though she LOVES babies, she obviously understood that she wasn't quite ready to share mommy and daddy. Eventually she will have to, but not yet...

I think there are advantages and disadvantages to having your kids spaced apart or vise versa. Clearly there is no right or wrong answer. It is such an individual decision that each family makes. For us, we are in a situation where space makes most sense. I also am familiar with space, since my siblings and I are spaced 5 years apart. Ben is familiar with not much space at all! He is exactly one year younger than his older brother and a little more than a year older than the next in line! Families are such a gift no matter the space! I am feeling the baby ich and eventually it will get scratched...right now I am just enjoying my almost 2 year old!

Below you will find a picture of Gracelyn and I all ready to go to the "big girl" show. Below that you will find pictures of what the real excitement was for the day - making a strawberry milkshake!

Pudding...Enough Said

2011-02-17T19:09:00.000-08:00

And take your daughter to work day...on a Sunday afternoon. Welcome to the life of a Tow Truck Driver!

Parenting 101

2011-01-17T18:43:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2010! We had lots of fun. My camera lens broke :-( So, I had to use my old camera for some of the following pictures. You will be able to tell which ones. You don't appreciate how nice your camera is until it is broken! I have ordered a new lens...got it for half price on Target.com...but I have to wait like a month to get it.

How do you all feel about time outs?? Is Gracelyn too young? I can tell you that I know she understands most of what I say and knows exactly what she is doing when she is naughty. I will tell her not to do something, she will do it, and then she will look up at me, tilt her head, smile, and say, "hi mama". Seriously! I am going crazy! Any input would be great.

I have learned, however, that a 20 month old knows way more than I thought they did before I became a mother! Way more! We have full blown conversations! "Do want some milk?" - mama "Yes" - gracelyn Pause "No night night ma-ma" - gracelyn "No you don't have to go night night yet" - mama "I love you mama" - gracelyn (backstory - I usually ask her if she wants a drink before she goes to bed. So now if I ask her if she wants something to drink at night - she assumes its time to go to bed - smart cookie that girl!)

Also, the girl has her dad wrapped around her little finger. How am I supposed to raise a empathetic, respectful, non-spoiled child if he always gives in?? Can you tell I am having one of those days? I have a bad cold and a child who is testing me at every corner!

Night Night!

Let it Snow!

2010-12-13T19:36:00.000-08:00

So, it has been an interesting weekend for us Wisconsinites hasn't it? My husband has been working nonstop since the snow started. Unfortunately we financially benefit from other's misery... So, I can honestly say that while this storm was unkind to all of us, we will be able to pay our property taxes next month no problem. So, there are ups and downs to every situation! This is a picture of my car...buried in snow!
So while my husband was out working, Gracelyn and I were stranded in the house. Now, this has its advantages. I am all caught up on laundry, the house is clean, and Gracelyn and I got to spend lots of mother daughter time together. Gracelyn also went pee pee on the potty twice this weekend! While she is not ready to wear big girl underwear yet...she does like to practice! She insisted on wearing her big girl undies over her pants. And yes she is holding a tampon in her hand. I did take it away from her right after I took the picture. She is convinced that they are some sort of "treat".

We also did some holiday banking!! She thought this was quite fun and tasty! Christmas 2010 here we come!

P.S. Notice her pretty toes! We did that too, after she poured an entire bottle of clear nail polish on her pants. Yeah, her mom didn't think she was strong enough to open it herself. I was so wrong!

Christmas Card 2010

2010-12-11T12:14:00.001-08:00

Mod Snowflakes Christmas Card

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Gracelyn - 18 Months

2010-12-02T19:32:00.001-08:00

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Shutterfly

2010-12-02T18:48:00.000-08:00

Thanks Anna for this amazing idea!! I love Shutterfly and have been using it religiously since I had Gracelyn. The photo quality is wonderful and Shutterly is the only place I go to when I need to get my pictures printed. I also have used Shutterfly for my Christmas cards, Gracelyn's First Year Scrapbook, Calenders, and the list goes on! Love, love, love Shutterly!! You have to check out their desk calanders and their birth announcements as well! They are the one stop shop for everything photo related! I also have to say that the scrapbook looked awesome and was a LOT less expensive than what it would have been if I would have done it by hand! My parents also use shutterfly exclusively! They have made photo books of the grandkids, holiday cards, calenders, and ordered pictures as well!

Here are some of the beautiful new designs they have out for 2010!

Look above in our newest post for our 2010 Holiday Card! It was so easy to make and I think it looks awesome!

Here are a few pics from Thanksgiving! Gracelyn is obsessed with Elmo! Loves to watch the 3 dvd's that we own! And she likes to pretend she is cookie monster and eat cookies, hence the last picture with the cookie shoved in her mouth!

She is talking up a storm! Says absolutely everything. No, ma ma...night night...Elmo!...Love you....Night night baby....play dough...num num...nu nu(nuk)...blankie...and my personal favorite "poopoo on the pottie" among many others...and yes she has gone poopoo and pee pee on the pottie! I am not holding my breath, but I am encouraging her ambition! She also sings the Elmo song...you know, "La la la la la la"..."Elmo loves his Goldfish, his crayon too.."

I can't believe she is old enough to do all these things! My baby is growing up into a little girl :-( Next post will be her beautiful 18 month pics!

So Many Events!

2010-10-24T18:02:00.000-07:00

We have been busy having lots of fun lately!!

We went the the children's museum on my last weekday off. I have gone back to working 5 days a week. Kind of a bitter sweet situation...excited to make a full time salary again...sad to not spend as much time with Gracelyn. But we made that last day a good one! Love the Eau Claire Children's Museum! She had a blast - her favorite part? The car sitting next to the "bank". I could not get her away from it!

Then Camden came to town! We hadn't seen Camden since August so it was nice to see him! Gracelyn has started to walk since the last time they saw eachother so they got to interact a little more. They love eachother, but sometimes it is hard when they want the same toy...Welcome to the next 10 years of their relationship! Fighting over toys will probably be something we will all have to get used to!

One night while taking her bath..she decided she was done and wanted to get out. She is still too short to do it herself, but that certainly didn't stop her from trying!

And we will leave you with this. Daddy was trying to fix his lawn mower and Gracelyn decided she needed to help him. These are the moments that make me so very grateful to have my very own family. My dream has come true!

Oh, how I love fall...

2010-09-26T20:26:00.000-07:00

This is the hat I crocheted!!

2010-09-26T20:22:00.000-07:00

2010-09-26T20:14:00.001-07:00

Fall

2010-09-26T20:14:00.000-07:00

Hanson Family Reunion 2010

2010-09-15T19:35:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful weekend about a month ago for my family reunion!

It was soo, soo much fun!

Blogging

2010-09-15T18:47:00.000-07:00

Hello!

I have to be honest, I have not wanted to blog. I don't know why I have such a bad attitude about it, but I have. I like to look at everyone else's blog, but I guess I just haven't really wanted to write myself. Finally, I am in the mood!

So what have we been up to? Ben has been working a crazy amount because they are currently down one man. It has been hard, but in the end we are both just grateful to have our jobs. Not everyone is that lucky.

I don't really write about my job much on here, but it is really a pretty large part of my life. I love my job and am usually excited to get back to work every Monday morning. It can be really stressful at times, when problems arise, but it also keeps me on my toes. Lately, I have been doing a lot more closings instead of searching. When I first started working at Total Title 3 years ago, I was deathly afraid of doing a closing...it meant I had to work with numbers and sound like I knew what I was talking about in front of other people. So scary! Now I love it and enjoy meeting new people every day. Simple refinances are fun because they are usually pretty laid back and there isn't much pressure. Sales are fun because it means that someone has just bought a house or a piece of land - and they are usually pretty excited about the whole event!

I also love searching because the inner historian and researcher in me likes to get in deep figuring out the legal description and putting the puzzle pieces together. Love my job! I also work for my mother in law who is very flexible and understanding of the fact that I am a working mom! So nice. The plan is for me to buy the title company one day and I am excited for the opportunity! I never ever had a goal to own my own company some day, it just kind of fell in my lap and I am very grateful!

So now for an update on little miss diva....Gracelyn is all girl! She loves to play with her babies!! She also loves chocolate!! Her most favorite thing to do would probably be dancing. She loves to dance. And the girl has rhythm, seriously. I don't mean to brag, but....I guess it runs in the family :-) She has been grooving to music since she was like 5 months old, but she has gotten more coordinated as she has gotten older. Her favorite song? If your happy and you know it! She dances around the room every time we sing it. When the song is done, she does her "more" sign and then we start all over.

The biggest news with the little one since the last time I wrote is that she is now a walking woman!!! She took her first few steps on August 30 and now is walking all over. I have been waiting for this moment and it has been worth the wait! I love that she can walk now, even if it is more work. She walks around with a huge smile on her face. She is so proud. And, it is also easier to dance when you know how to walk :-)

Can't wait for fall!! We are going to go pick apples next weekend! I crocheted Gracelyn an adorable hat for fall with a cute flower on it. I am going to crochet another one soon! I love coats and hats and snow and hot cocoa and christmas and thanksgiving and all of it!! Bring it on!

Just like Mr. Ledebuhr, Gracelyn got her hair cut for the first time since I posted too...Here are the before and after pics...

2010-07-29T19:51:00.000-07:00

We are back!

2010-07-29T19:49:00.001-07:00

So, we haven't really been blogging lately...obviously. So far we have had a very busy summer! We spent a week at the cabin. Gracelyn loved being outside and on the lake!! Then Ben's brother got married - Congrats Bruce and Shannen! Ben had been waiting for the "father/daughter dance" since the day we found out that they were getting married!

I have only been working 4 days a week so I am really enjoying the extra time off. We try to do fun things on my day off so we take advantage of the beautiful summer weather! Yesterday we went to the Madison zoo with my cousin Lisa, her two kids (Delaney and Dayne), my mom and dad, sister, sister-in-law, and my nephew Camden. We had an amazing time. I have noticed that watching Camden walk has peaked Gracelyn's interest and she wants me to walk her around more often. She still wants to hold on to both of my hands, but I am hoping within the month she will be walking on her own! She is frusterated and I want to end her frustration.

On a sadder note, and partly the reason I haven't wanted to blog, my cousin Kjersten passed away on July 14th. We were blessed to have 30 wonderful years with her and know that God must have really needed her in order to take her away from us so soon. She will always be in our thoughts and hearts.

Gracelyn at 1...

2010-06-19T19:49:00.000-07:00

Well, we now have a wonderful, beautiful 1 year old.

At 12 months old she loves:
Bananas
Popsicles
Her water table
Swinging
Being outside (she would love to be outside 24/7)
Her blankie (really blankies, I switch them out so that they will last longer, she drags them everywhere)
Giving kisses (we haven't learned to close our mouth yet though so they are juicy!)
Her sunglasses
To sleep!! We are lucky, lucky people!

She dislikes:
Cuddling (except when she is tired or sick and in the right mood)
Being inside
Mommy not letting her play with her cell phone
Being held by a stranger or even being talked to by a stranger (friendly huh?)

She is quite attached to her mommy and daddy, which is hard at times. We are working on it!

The picture below shows gracelyn snuggled up in her very favorite blanket, with her fingers intertwined in it, sleeping away...

Diapers...

2010-05-21T18:58:00.000-07:00

I had no idea how much fun it would be to crawl into a room, pull out all of the diapers out of their package, throw them around myself, and then try to eat them. No clue. But I guess it is fun, because she had a ball!!

Below you will find something very rare. Pictures of Gracelyn and I. There aren't many of these! The picture quality is really crappy once I put them on here. I don't know why. They look much better on my computer. ....??? Oh well!

Grateful

2010-05-04T18:27:00.000-07:00

I have had a very difficult last 3 weeks. I have come away from the entire experience a very grateful wife, mother, daughter, and sister. Lets start from the beginning. Ben and I made the extremely hard decision to change daycares. It was one of the hardest things I have done. We are very happy at the new place, but miss our old sitter as well. The new daycare has kids closer to Gracelyn's age and it has been fun to see how she has adjusted. She is loving it. So while this was a very tough ordeal, it has turned out well.

The next weekend we got to surprise my brother at the Wilderness in the Dells for his 30th birthday. It was a super fun weekend filled with water and great times with our family. Gracelyn LOVES water, so even though she was under the weather she had a great time!

We got news Sunday night, the 25th of April, that my cousin Kjersten was in the hospital again. On July 28, 2005 Kjersten was diagnosed with gastro-esophogeal cancer. She has been battling this for almost 5 years. She is now 30 years old. There was a period in there that she was in remission, but unfortunately the cancer returned. We were told on Tuesday that all the chemo had permantly damaged her heart and her organs were shutting down due to the fact that her heart was only working at about 10%. She was given days to live. All of her friends and family rushed to La Crosse in order to say goodbye to her. We also prayed, and prayed, and prayed that she could get more time. More time with her husband Travis, more time with her mom and dad, her brother, her sister, her nieces, her nephews, her family and friends. We were not ready to say goodbye to her. Let me just tell you that my cousin in no ordinary young woman. She is a superwoman. Seriously the strongest, most positive woman I know. Never did she accept that the cancer would ultimately take her. She has fought extremely hard and everyone keeps saying that it is a miracle that she is still with us on this earth and seeming to get better each day. I think they are right. I think that God has given us a miracle. I also believe that Kjersten is an amazing person. And if anyone in this world could beat the odds it would be her. She inspires me to hug my husband more, enjoy Gracelyn (every little bit of her) crabby or not, savor each conversation I have with my family,and be so very, very grateful for the life that God has given me. Thank you Kjersten for all that you have given us, your friends and family, you have given us strength, hope, love, and inspiration beyond anything I could have ever imagined. And thank you heavenly father for showing us how POWERFUL you are. Miracles happen every day!

As always I need to end the post with pictures. The first is of my beautiful cousin. The rest are Easter and Justin's B-Day... Tell someone you love that you love them...now!

Changes..

2010-03-21T17:53:00.000-07:00

Since the last time I posted soo much has changed! Our baby has become an independent little girl overnight. She started to crawl on February 26 and started to pull herself up to stand on March 6. It amazes me how quickly things can change. One night she isn't crawling and the next she is crawling all over the house! She is also starting to learn what "no" means. The consesus is - she doesn't like it. She would like to swallow bugs, fall off beds, put her hand into light suckets, break the computer, and pull her mommy's hair. And yet we tell her she can't... I love picking her up at daycare and having her crawl right to me. She does the same thing when Ben gets home from work. So even though we have to tell her "no"...she still loves us to pieces. She will learn that saying "no" is really one of the many ways we will show her how much we love her. She is also drinking very well from a sippy cup. They are babies for such a short amount of time...Overall, we are really just enjoying life and the warmer, sunnier weather! Osseo girls and Altoona girls are going to State!! Congrats ladies!!

Here are some pics - The first one is Gracelyn crawling. (P.S. The flower in her hair I bought from May Day Studio! Love her hair clips! The owner of May Day Studio is a friend of my friend Ashley Phipps)Then there is one of Gracelyn out in the snow before it melted and then a few of her 9 month pics! Enjoy!

Lately

2010-02-14T18:07:00.000-08:00

I know I haven't posted in a while...so I thought I would go ahead and update.

Lately, Gracelyn has been allowing us to get to know her better. Her personality shows through a little more every day. We have determined she is smart cookie and she knows how to get her way. I can't tell you how many times she will start to scream and then two seconds later be just fine...She loves to dance, giggle, be dropped (and then caught again of course). She also loves to stand up like a big girl. And...I have to say it...she is also a little bit of a flirt. Usually when she sees a new person (correction a new man). She looks at him a bit, and then dips her head down, looks up, and smiles. I am not joking. She only does this with men, not women...so I think we are in big trouble!

She, of course, loves her mama and both her grandmas...however I think she is going to be a daddy and grandpa's girl. As soon as she sees those men she gets a huge smile on her face and needs to know where they are so they don't get too far from her.

Last weekend we spent time with my family in LaCrosse. It was fun to see Camden and his mommy and daddy and my sister too! On Sunday we went to my Cousin's daughter's baptism. It was so nice to see everyone and my aunt's house was full of kids - which is always fun!

This week our sitter had to take some time off for medical reasons (don't worry she is fine, Thank Goodness!), so Gracelyn got to come to the office with Mommy and Grandma. She was a very good girl and it was fun to have her there (although we didn't get much work done). Also Friday afternoon (the second day our sitter was sick) Grandpa Mike came and picked Gracelyn up for the afternoon so Grandma Kris and Mommy could work. He is so good with the kids and Gracelyn loved it! He even brought Gracelyn to Grandma Rachel's school so she could show her off.

Oh and by the way, Happy Valentine's Day!!

Christmas 2009

2010-01-04T16:59:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Greetings from Osseo, Wisconsin. We have had quite the year. Well, actually it has been the very best year of our lives. Gracelyn has given our lives a whole new meaning. Being "Mommy" and "Daddy" are not only our new identities but those roles have changed our lives. It has been wonderful. Spending the holidays with our new family was soooo much fun! Gracelyn is at such a wonderful age. She laughs more, dances when she hears music, rolls around on the floor, sings, talks our ears off, and she melts our hearts with her gorgeous smile. Gracelyn also got to meet her Uncle Brian for the first time over the holidays. She loved him!! In the first picture Gracelyn is sitting with Brian. We had five Christmas's! I will explain the pictures below as best as I can. The first christmas was the Gunderson Christmas (Ben's Mom's Family). What a goofball, my husband. The second (but 3rd picture) was Ben's immediate family christmas. Gracelyn received a monkey the size of Texas from her uncles - Brad and Barrett (also her Godfathers). The next Christmas was the Hanson Christmas (My Mom's Family). That is my beautiful cousin Lora posing with Gracelyn and I. Britt was sick so no Brittany or dad at this christmas:-( We missed them! Then Christmas with the Torud's (My dad's family) P.S. Gracelyn LOVES Pickles. (Notice the picture) My immediate family christmas was next! It was so fun just hanging out with my family. We don't get to do that enough! By the way...the cute red head in the pictures below is none other than my nephew - Camden Michael. Happy 2010!

6 Month Photo Shoot

2009-12-19T17:59:00.001-08:00

Gracelyn is now eating baby food like a big girl!! Not spitting out each bite five times..... She is also rolling over both ways and sitting up! She is getting sooo big...pretty soon she will be walking and talking - I can't believe it!

Here are her six month pictures:

Weddings and Thanksgiving

2009-12-03T20:17:00.001-08:00

Can I just say.....future dancer???

These are pictures of little miss and I at Ben's cousin's wedding in Minnesota (he was unable to make it - he was working)

Here are some pics of Gracelyn at Thanksgiving dinner at my parent's house - Gracelyn is eating some delicious squash!

This picture of Gracelyn in the green dress is of wedding no. 2 - Ben's cousin on the other side!! Busy, busy!!

And she just looks adorable here....agreed?

The Best

2009-11-07T19:39:00.000-08:00

Can I just say that I am in heaven. I have so much fun every day of my life. I am incredibly blessed and I know this sounds really mushy lovey dovey...but I don't really care. I know a lot of people might look at Ben and I and say, "Why did they get married so young? They will regret it!" Or, "Why would they start a family so quickly?" I wouldn't change our choices for anything. We are having the time of our life! Ideally we would like to space our kids apart so we needed to have a child sooner rather than later in order to do so. I am so glad we did!! I also have to say that Ben is the best daddy in the world. I have walked in on him slow dancing with Gracelyn in the kitchen....it is moments like that that make you fall in love with your spouse all over again. She loves him so much and as soon as he comes home from work she gives him a huge smile and waits patiently for him to pick her up.

This picture shows Gracelyn showing her great strength. Her jumperoo is probably her favorite thing in the world and part of it was falling off and she grabbed a hold of it. Yeah, she is amazing!

Gracelyn loves to suck on apples in her "fresh food feeder"!

Reading books with daddy!

This is Gracelyn in her Halloween costume. We went down to visit auntie britt in Madison for Halloween and had fun, fun, fun!!

We Love Getting Dressed Up for Church!

2009-10-13T18:16:00.000-07:00

The bottom two pictures are Gracelyn wearing one of my dresses!

4 Months

2009-09-29T11:03:00.000-07:00

We would like to let all of you know that....

Gracelyn Kate is now 4 months old.

She weighs 16.5 lbs - 96th percentile
She is 23 inches long - 23rd percentile

and she is the light of our life!!

Off to pick apples!

2009-09-26T19:27:00.000-07:00

This morning we went and picked some apples with Grandma, my cousin Lisa, and her two kids - Delaney and Dayne. We had tons of fun, even though I was feeling a bit under the weather. Here are some pictures from our adventure!

Fun, Fun, Fun!

2009-09-24T10:10:00.000-07:00

Smiles...

2009-08-18T15:07:00.000-07:00

These make every day the best day of my life!

Finally!

2009-08-02T09:39:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I know I have been really bad at blogging...that is what happens when you become a mom! I always say that every single time she falls asleep, I have a choice of about 50 things I could do. I guess blogging usually is at the bottom of that list. Gracelyn is a doll...loves to smile, coo, tummy time, and her baths... Lately when we know she is getting tired we just wrap her up in a blanket and put her nuk in and she is out like a light. We are so lucky!

I have a love/hate relationship with nursing. I love how good it is for her and I love extra bonding time that we enjoy. However, I hate nursing in public - hate it! I also don't like leaking all over the place...but we continue for now...

I have started back at work part time which has been bittersweet. I would love to stay home with Gracelyn, but financially it is not possible. I like to shop for cute clothes for her as well and without a job it would be hard for me to do that as often as I do! Right now my mom is taking care of her and she will go to day care full time in September. I am soooo grateful for my mom's help, she has been a God's sent. It is easier to leave her with my mom during this transition. She has done tons of extra stuff - laundry, weeding, dishes, etc. the list goes on. I keep saying that those are all the things I will do for Gracelyn when she is in need of my services! I am also very thankful for my mother-in-law for allowing me to go back to work part-time at first! It makes it easier to go to work when you know you can be at home with your baby the next day!

So I suppose I will get to the best part...new pictures!

One Month

2009-06-24T15:12:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that Gracelyn will be one month very shortly! I think the last month has gone faster than any other. I can't even explain how wonderful it is waking up every morning knowing I have a baby in a nearby room. I love spending my days with her. Every time she does something new Ben and I are amazed! She still isn't smiling - but we know she is on the verge!! She enjoys tummy time, her baths, snuggling, sleeping, playing, and (probably her favorite) eating! She doesn't enjoy getting her diaper changed (well I suppose only when she would rather be eating)...and being cold (like when she gets out of her bath). Otherwise she is a pretty happy baby! She will get her first pictures taken tomorrow with Ben and I and we are very, very excited!!

Here are some pictures of the last month!

In order from the top!

Gracelyn and her Daddy!

Gracelyn at a week and 1/2!

On our way out!

Gracelyn snuggling with Mommy!

Gracelyn on Father's Day at her first parade!

Gracelyn at 3 weeks!

Gracelyn with her cousin Camden!!

Welcome to Motherhood!

2009-06-05T10:26:00.000-07:00

So, I can easily say that this has been one of the hardest and one of the best weeks of my life. Being a new mom is not easy, but it is the most rewarding thing on this earth. I look at this little girl and I can't believe she is mine. That her dad and I created her. Well, God actually created her but we had a little something to do with it. I feel so incredibly lucky because she is our "angel baby". She is soo good! She hardly ever cries, eats good, sleeps good, she is just perfect! We are the luckiest parents in the world.

I don't know if you heard but Gracelyn arrived into this world after 55 hours of labor. Was it pleasant? Not so much, but you forget it all as soon as they place that baby on your chest. You realize in that second why people go through all of that pain over and over again. It truly makes you excited to do it again - I remember Ashley saying this in her blog after Caden was born - and I thought are you crazy? But now I get it. We aren't in any hurry, but it does definately make you want more kids. It is the most wonderful feeling in the world holding your child for the first time. She was sooooooo worth it!! And...she is also the most beautiful baby in the world! I know I am a little biased...but she is so darn cute. She looks just like her daddy! She is our little lovebug.

Here are some more pictures!

Pics of Baby!!!!

2009-05-29T14:34:00.001-07:00

Welcome baby Boeckmann

2009-05-28T12:48:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to give all of you followers an update:

Gracelyn Kate Boeckmann was welcomed into the world today at 11:41 am. She was 7lbs, 10 oz and 19 1/2 inches long. Accourding to Mama she looks just like her daddy but she has really dark hair!! Jenna did an amazing job delivering after 55 hrs of labor! Yes, you read that correctly. She has more strenth then any other woman I know!! Mommy, Daddy, and baby Gracelyn are all doing well. I have truly never seen them all so happy!! Congrats to the Boeckmann/Torud Family!!

Mandy (SIL)

So....Where have I been?

2009-05-19T19:21:00.000-07:00

I will be honest..I have been feeling sorry for myself. Soooo sick of being pregnant and yet I haven't even hit my due date yet! I have posted some pics of myself...I have stopped caring what I look like...I am just warm, fat, and uncomfortable. I just want to meet this little girl. So progress....I think I have contractions, but I really don't know because I have never been pregnant before! I had an appointment last week on Thursday and I was not dialated or effaced. That was depressing....but I know I just need to be patient! I went in this morning and she told me that again - I was not quite a centimeter but I was 60% effaced...so that wasn't horrible news. I am just so sick of this whole thing...I am crabby and need a change!! I need to not be pregnant any more! Now I just want to remind everyone that I know I need to wait until she is ready but I am just eager...and I am 39 weeks on Friday...so it isn't like I am asking for something outrageous..Wish me luck! I promise I will try to be in a better mood when I post again!

34 weeks

35 weeks

36 weeks

37 weeks

38 weeks

Honey....We are sad that we haven't gotten to meet you yet, but when you are ready we will be waiting for you...

love you,

mommy and daddy

Belly Pics!

2009-04-28T18:18:00.001-07:00

Here are some new pics of the large belly!

32 weeks

33 weeks

BEWARE Bare Belly Pics Ahead!!

I was not real into the whole pregnancy pics, but my wonderful cousin Lora...a graphic designer/photographer convinced me!

This is not edited at all...I just liked it...

I can't wait to meet you little girl!!!!

Camden Michael Torud

2009-04-10T15:23:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to announce the news that Ben and I have a brand new nephew!! Camden Michael Torud was born on Wednesday the 8th of April. He was 7 pounds 12 ounces and 19.5 inches long. He is the most adorable baby in the world!! We got to cuddle him up yesterday and it was such a great day! We also were very honored to be asked to be his Godparents!! I am just a really proud aunt....isn't he handsome??

My new camera!

2009-03-31T19:26:00.000-07:00

I got a new camera for my birthday! A Nikon D40! I love Ashley's photos so I asked her what kind of camera that she owns. She told me and I love it!! These are some of the first photos that my sister and I took with it. I have a lot to learn, so we aren't doing anything too fancy with it yet. My sister, mom, dad and I went and visited my cousin, Kaija, her husband Thad, and her four kids in Kansas City last weekend. That is where we took a lot of these pictures!

Here is a picture of Kasia, Remi, Brittany, and Hattie

This is our goddaughter Kalea...she is adorable!

Here is a picture of my mom's hand, my hand, and my baby belly!! It was Britt's idea...what a clever girl she is!

Here is a current picture of me at 31 weeks.

Sneak Peak at Nursery!!

2009-03-14T18:52:00.000-07:00

Little by little we are getting ready to bring this little girl home.

Here are some pics of the nursery!!

A huge thanks to my mom for all the hard work she put into this nursery. She is the reason it

looks soooo great!! I am the luckiest daughter in the world!

Fabric!

2009-03-01T11:03:00.000-08:00

Here is the fabric that we have picked out for the baby's bedding.

We are very excited and grateful that my mom has agreed to

make it for us!

When are you due??

2009-03-01T09:38:00.000-08:00

Happy March!! March is probably one of my favorite months... It finally starts to warm up a little bit, it is my birthday month, and it also means I am one month closer to meeting my daughter. I am feeling her move around so much lately and I am sooo anxious to finally be able to stare at her, hold her, and love her to pieces!! I have to say that I am finally starting to feel large. I am having a lot of heart burn - which I never had before I became pregnant. I am also finding it a bit harder to get up out of bed. My back and feet hurt a bit more as well. All of which are a blessing because that means she is getting bigger and stronger!

So almost everyday I have a stranger ask me when I am due. I understand this because that is a question that I would ask a pregnant person as well. When I tell them that I am due May 30th, they kind of gasp and say, "Wow, you still have a long way to go!!", while implying, "You are going to be HUGE in May!". I really don't mind at all. It is true! I am pretty big, but it is only because I am so short. I have a really short torso and that is why I am showing so much at this point. So I am comfortable with it. I have asked the doctor if I have gained too much weight (17 lbs at my last appointment), and she said no that I have gained by the book so far. So hopefully I should be ok!

Here are some more belly shots!

23 weeks

24 weeks

25 weeks

26 weeks

Update on crib and bedding!! After looking through fabrics and such my mom and I decided to not use the rosebud fabric for her bedding. We will just make another quilt for her with that fabric. It was too hard to find other fabric to go with it.

Here is the crib we ordered!

My great idea!

2009-02-08T19:21:00.000-08:00

My great idea is to post some pictures of our plans for our baby bedding, our stroller, and a few outfits that I have picked up in the past four weeks. I loved when Ashley posted these pictures when she was still pregnant with her baby boy and so I thought what the heck! Someone might find it all as exciting as I do!

Our baby bedding...this was a very hard decision for me. I am a picky lady and could not decide what I wanted. So in the end I bought a bumper and asked my mom if she would make the rest!! The cool thing about it is that we will partly be using left over fabric from a quilt my mom made me 3 or 4 years ago. When I was born, my mom called my grandma up and said, "Mom, I finally got my little rosebud." So, since I was my mom's rosebud I wanted to have rosebud's on my quilt. At the time I did put away the extra fabric, just in case, one day, I would have my own little rosebud. Well the time is here and we will get to incorporate that fabric in her bedding!!

This is the bumper

This is my quilt and the fabric we will be using for our little girl's bedding!

These are some "signs" that I plan on putting in her room. The brown one was given to us by Grandma Kris and it is one that looks like it is painted on the wall.

Here is the stroller!!

And finally...here is a sampling of the clothes that I have tried not to buy, but have bought anyway. However, I am going to try not to go overboard and buy too much more!

I love blankies!!!

I should mention that Grandma Kris is making a rag quilt for this baby as well. We picked out the fabric last week and it is going to be adorable! So, she will have many blankets and that is just how I like it! My mom and I are going to look at more fabric for her bedding on Wednesday!! I am so excited! We will also be looking for cribs in another few weeks!

More Belly Pics...

2009-01-31T19:14:00.000-08:00

I had some requests to put up some more belly photos so I decided to put some more up. I am definately bigger, but I don't feel like I have grown much in the past two weeks. You can judge for yourself!

18 weeks

19 weeks

20 weeks

21 weeks

22 weeks

Kick, punch, kick, punch!!

2009-01-28T18:10:00.000-08:00

I was reading some of my older posts and I was reminded that I haven't written at all about feeling this little one move!! In hindsight I think I started to feel her move quite a while ago, but I didn't know for sure if it was her! January 1st, 2009 I felt her kick me for the very first time. I was watching Marley and Me with my mom and sister and I felt something kick me. The funny thing is that I didn't feel her kick that hard again for the rest of the day. So, of course, I questioned whether or not I had really felt her. The following Monday (January 5th, 2009) I was driving home from the Trempealeau County courthouse (for work) and she started to move around like crazy. That was the moment that I stopped second guessing myself and I knew that it was truly my little baby that I was feeling. It is the most amazing feeling in the world!!

I have heard that feeling your baby inside of you feels like "butterfly wings", "popcorn popping", "little bubbles", "muscle twitches", and "gas". I would say that it literally feels like a baby moving around inside your tummy. The only other thing I can compare it to is gas. For me, it really did feel like gas bubbles in my stomach, but a little different. So I love feeling her kick me. It can get uncomfortable at times, but only when she hangs out real low. All that pressure on my bladder, along with the kicks and punches, make me feel like I am going to wet myself. And sometimes it even hurts. So I am very pleased when she hangs out a bit higher!! That is my update! Can it be May already??

It's a girl!!

2009-01-15T17:24:00.000-08:00

I haven't written for a while because I was waiting very patiently for this day! Today we had our ultrasound and it was perfect! We got to see a beautiful little head, feet, hands, arms, legs, etc. She looked perfect! It is so weird to be able to say "she". I was shocked when I saw with my own eyes that we were having a little girl! I thought that we would definately have a boy, but I was wrong! I am still in shock! I know that she is going to have her daddy wrapped around her cute little finger! I also think that I will be in huge trouble too because there are way to many cute things to buy for little girls. I am going to have to show a lot of restraint...so wish me luck!

I am getting bigger!

2008-12-26T19:34:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how big I have gotten! It is fun to feel more "pregnant", but it is a little strange as well. Sometimes I forget that I have a belly and I bump into things. I thought it would be fun to put a little progression of belly photos up on here. I put some pictures up on facebook but I figured I should put some up on here as well. I have been slowly but surely feeling better! Thank goodness! Christmas has been wonderful. It has been great hanging out with family, eating good food, and enjoying our life in general. That 20 week ultrasound is coming closer and closer and we couldn't be more excited! Here are the photos!

9 weeks

11 weeks

12 weeks

13 weeks

14 weeks

15 weeks

16 weeks

17 weeks

The Waiting Game

2008-12-13T16:45:00.000-08:00

I would just like to take a moment to say thank you to everyone who has wished me well and given me advice on this pregnancy! You have no idea how wonderful it is to feel like kind of support from everyone. It is very comforting! Ashley I have tried some of your tips and it is working! I am finally starting to feel a little better. So THANK YOU! At this point I feel like we are playing the waiting game. I am waiting to finally feel this little one. Which will be wonderful!! Of course, we are also waiting for our ultrasound!! I think that it will be on January 15, but I will probably get more info at my next appointment - next Thursday!!! We will finally know if we are having a boy or a girl!! I can't wait. I am also sooo very excited for Christmas! The house is decorated and I plan on wrapping presents tom. during the packer game. Merry Christmas!!

Life moves on...

2008-12-05T18:17:00.000-08:00

I haven't written for a while because I didn't want to write complaints about how I am feeling. However, since that is what is going on right now I might as well blog about it. I will warn you ahead of time that I will be writing about not so pleasant things. At about 11 or 12 weeks I started throwing up - first every other morning, then every morning, and then all day long. I am currently still in the "throwing up all day long" phase and I am getting a bit sick of it. I have to say that I know that it will all be worth it in the end, but it just kind of stinks. I also am having a hard time sleeping but I hope I found a solution! Tonight I ordered a pregnancy pillow and I am hoping that it will give me some relief! We will see!

This weekend I am planning on finding some more energy somewhere and decorating for Christmas. We will see how that goes... My wonderful mom bought me some "preggie" pops to suck on to alleviate my nausea. The wonderful thing is that when I am sucking on them they work! However, when they are gone the nausea comes back. Oh well! I love her for thinking about me and trying to help when she can. She is the best mom in the world!! Also my husband is taking me on date tom. night and I am very excited! We haven't gone on a date in a while due to his job. Being a tow truck operator/manager keeps him very busy and many, many nights and weekends he is on call. So needless to say I treasure special events like dates in Eau Claire. So that is the update for now. I am excited to feel the baby move! Hopefully that will happen soon! Right now I just feel large, but I think once I feel the baby move I will feel pregnant. So that is what is to come. My next dr. appointment is on the 18th and I will get to hear the baby's heartbeat again!! I am very excited!

The heartbeat...

2008-11-25T18:46:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we got to hear the most amazing sound in the world. Obviously I have known for quite a while that I was pregnant. That means that I have known that there is a little baby growing inside of me. But yesterday was the first time that I had proof of it being real. We were able to actually hear our baby and it was wonderful! I can't wait for my next appointment so that I can hear that little heartbeat again. I finally received some information to confirm that I am indeed pregnant and that everything is progressing as it should. It seems like I wouldn't need that reassurance, but I think I did. Obviously, the positive home pregnancy test, the absence of my period, and my pregnancy symptoms all gave us hints that we were indeed pregnant. But until now there was no way for us to know if everything was alright - if there really was a baby in there. Now we know that there is! I have been dreaming of becoming pregnant and having a baby since I was a very little girl. So, I literally feel like I am living my dream. We have a son or daughter and each day they are going to grow stronger and stronger until the day that we finally get to meet him or her!! I definately enjoyed my appointment yesterday and I am going to continue to enjoy this journey with every new milestone!! Also, I think I am starting to get a little belly so I thought I would show you some pictures.

12 Weeks!

2008-11-15T07:18:00.000-08:00

I have been so lucky because I have felt pretty good in the last three months. I have heard horror stories about the first three months of pregnancy and while I didn't feel "up to par", it really hasn't been that bad. That being said, I am very very excited for what is to come. I am excited to not feel sick at various times during the day and most importantly to have my energy back!! I can't say I am there yet but I know in the next few weeks it will get better. I am also excited for second trimester because of all the wonderful things that happen - we will get to hear the heartbeat, I will finally get a little belly, I will start to feel him or her move, and we will get to see a picture/movie of our baby on the ultrasound. And lastly, we will get to find out if we are having a boy or a girl. So, while the first three months have held some excitement (finding out your pregnant, telling people, etc.) I can honestly say I am more excited for the next few! Thank you to everyone who has congratulated us!! We are very excited and I promise I will work on updating this blog more regularly! I finally have something to write about!
Thanks again!

Baby Blog

2008-11-12T15:16:00.000-08:00

This Blog is officially becoming a baby blog! I am so excited to finally be able to talk about my pregnancy! We have been sooo lucky the past couple of months and have been blessed with the most wonderful gift in the world! It still seems a bit surreal that I have a life growing inside of me. I can't wait to feel him or her move and to start showing!! Maybe then it will start to feel more real. Our baby is due on May 30th, 2009, which is the perfect time! My mom will have the whole summer off to offer her help and my sister will be home for the summer as well! We are very, very fortunate.

We are also lucky because my brother and his wife, Mandy are also expecting! They are due April 15, 2009, so the babies will only be 6 weeks apart! I am very close with my cousins who are near the same age as me and I am excited that our child will get to experience that as well! So far I am feeling really well and hopefully that will continue! Our next appointment is on November 24 and we will get to hear the heartbeat! I can't wait!

Italy

2008-08-31T12:37:00.001-07:00

Norway was amazing, but we were still very excited to get in a plane and head to Italy.

We didn't really know what to expect but we were excited to exprience Italy. It was very warm and the gelato and italian lemon ice tasted amazing on those hot afternoons. The pasta was really wonderful at times and really not so wonderful other times. The history that has been preserved in this country is absolutely breathtaking and I felt very fortunate to have the opportunity to experience it. Milan, Italy

Venice, Italy

This is a picture of us in the front of our hotel right on the canal..it was pretty neat!

Ahh...Venice was so beautiful and it was exactly how you would picture it to be. It was awesome.

And then there is Rome, our favorite city in Italy!
Each time you walked up to another beautiful historical monument an indescribable feeling kind of washes over you.

Here is a picture of Britt and I in front of the Trevi Fountain.

Italy was wonderful and the vacation was a blast. However, I did miss my husband so I was very glad to come home!!

Europe!!

2008-08-31T12:17:00.001-07:00

The first two weeks in August my sister, mother, and I went to Norway and Italy! It was an amazing trip and these are some photos from the trip!

This was one of the beautiful landscapes that we were able to see in Norway.

We also were able to see the very unique Sculpture Park in Oslo, Norway.

We also got to see one of the most famous fjords in Norway.

Probably the coolest thing that we were able to see in Norway was the land where my great grandfather grew up on as well as the farm that he took our name from. The Torud Farm...

It has been a while

2008-08-31T11:37:00.000-07:00

I don't know if I should really have a blog, since I am not really very good at keeping it updated but I am going to really work on it. For some reason it is hard for me to figure out how to work this whole blogger program so if anyone has some good tips please let me know. My next goal will be to change my template and to put pictures up in my blog. Wish me luck..