Wisconsin Dells 2014

We just got back from 2 nights and 3 days in Wisconsin Dells with the Picker crew (Brent's parents, siblings, and their families).  We now consist of 15 people in all.  Last time we went, three years ago, there were only 13 of us when we stayed at Great Wolf Lodge.

This time, we stayed at Mount Olympus, which includes an indoor water park and theme park and outdoor water park and theme park.  It was quite the operation!  The only time we chose to leave the Mount Olympus "Complex" was for dinner two nights. We ate at Moose Jaw Pizza and Brewing Company and Sprecher's Pub.  Moose Jaw was good food and great service for our large group and Sprecher's had lots of unique menu items and great service as well.

We had two beautiful days to start our stay and one drizzly day to end it so we took advantage of all the resort had to offer indoors and out.

A few highlights from our trip:

• Wildflowers on the side of the interstate on our drive
• Annalise asking Gma if she could "Giddy up her house" (referring to "riding" her cane like a stick horse)
• Listening to Nora chatter happily while riding rides for the first time and retelling it after: We go in circles; Mommy, we almost there; Woah! (over, and over, and over)
• Waiting in line for the go-karts for 30 minutes then riding with Luke who says, with a big smile: "That was worth the wait"
• Hearing Nora say each family member's name when she saw them approaching us around the resort
• Convincing Luke that he could handle a roller coaster for a second time (it had scared him quite a bit the first time).  When I asked him what his favorite ride was, he said Pegasus (said roller coaster)
• Witnessing Ruth slip off her inner tube while attempting to get into the Lazy River and Kerry trying to help by grabbing her the head.  (This sounds cruel, but Ruth and I both had a great laugh at the situation and I was the only one in the family to witness it:))
• Eating at Sprecher's Pub and having a very difficult time deciding what to choose from their very unique menu
• Seeing Nora snuggled on Brent's chest for several trips around the Lazy River
• Giggles, lots and lots of giggles
• The joys of being on vacation time...no agenda, rarely knowing the time, no makeup and no styling hair, and time with the ones I love

Most of the pics I took are on Facebook, but here are a few others:

Squinty fail at a pic:)

These boys LOVED this roller coaster!

Discussing what was to come:)

Caught Brent's scowling face

Sweethearts

Caught Nora's scowling face

"Where are your ears?"

Behind the wheel

And, a few flashbacks to our 2011 trip to the Dells.  These kids have grown SO much!

Mekhi, Luke, and Ethan shooting Audra with water

Annalise

Family of three

Rides!

Racing Slide

Mekhi

One Mom Weighs In

I'm not entirely sure why, but I feel compelled to write about weight...specifically body image and health as a mother.  (Men, this may be TMI.  Ladies, I hope it's empowering.)

I'm sure you've heard the "Know Your Numbers" campaign from the American Heart Association.  I just had my numbers checked:

Total Cholesterol - 116           (Desired under 200)

HDL (Good) Cholesterol - 53 (Normal: 40-59)

LDL (Bad) Cholesterol - 54    (Desired under 100)
Triglycerides - 46                    (Normal under 150)

BMI - 24.2                             (Calculator if interested)

Now, for some important "mom numbers" as I like to call them:

Pregnancies: 5
Pregnancies carried to term: 2
Pregnancies lost in first trimester: 2
Ectopic pregnancy: 1
Abdominal surgeries: 2 (c-section and laparoscopic removal of fallopian tube after ruptured ectopic pregnancy)
Weight range in adulthood: 125-223 lbs

I am proud of the numbers in the first section above.  They show I am in a healthy range and that exercise and conscious eating have their benefits.  But, I feel like the numbers in the second section above tell a lot more about who I am.

I am a mother.  I am nearly 33 years old.  I will not weigh what I did at 18 (125lbs).  My body has grown human beings, stretched (with marks, all over, to prove it), delivered, nursed, shrunk, and it still jiggles to prove it.  Do I resign myself to these facts and let myself go?  No, because I have a lot more mothering left to do and I need to be healthy to do it.

This is not to say that there are moms who can still rock a bikini.  I am simply not one of them.  But, I can take pride in the efforts I make to be healthy, to be strong, and to keep up with my children, nonetheless.

I am Jen, mother, wife, employee, family member, and friend and I weigh 150lbs.  I embrace my soft middle, my smile lines (aka wrinkles), and my scars because they tell my story of motherhood.  I couldn't possibly have the same body I had in high school, because 14 years later, there is so much more to me.  

Happy Birthday Noni

Our baby girl is two years old today!  

I know last year I posted "Farewell Baby Nora", but we still call her baby most of the time:)

One of Nora's nick names has been Noni (pronounced nah-nee) since, well as long as I can remember:)  And, oh how interesting life with Noni can be:)

• She's still chatting, but now she's graduating to sentences.  We frequently hear "I did it", "There it/he is", "Go Papa's house" as well as many other word combos with descriptors like "big house", "carry you", etc.  She also repeats many sentences after we say them, as if she's practicing.
• One of her favorite words recently has been "ouch", and she uses it liberally.  I even wonder if she does it to manipulate the situation, i.e. getting into a cart at the store, she says "ouch" (making me look and feel like a mean mom) because she doesn't want me to buckle her in...she wants to do it.  She even said "I got hurt" the other day when she was squeezing herself into a space to small for her growing body.
• She loves counting, singing her ABCs, and identifying colors.  She's actually gotten quite good with the colors.  I know she's identified white, black, green, blue, orange, yellow, and purple for sure.  
• She loves to swing.  We have one under out deck at home, which is wonderful!  She also loves them at the park.  I often try to coax her out so we can play something else at the park:)
• We've retired the high chair.  A couple months ago we moved her to a booster seat at the table and she enjoys feeling more included at the table:)
• She loves fruit!  If it were up to her, she would live on berries, bananas, grapes, applesauce, etc.  She's not too picky with food, but she always chooses fruit first.
• She LOVES Frozen, aka "the snowman movie" at our house:)  She dances around singing parts she knows while she watches the movie or hears the songs we play her online.  I don't know what it is about that movie, but it certainly has a cult following with young children!
• She's been practicing walking up and down stairs on her feet (instead of crawling). She still needs a hand to hold, but she seems to like being a big girl.
• She's got lots of opinions.  She likes to choose what shoes to wear, which stuffed animals are welcome in her bed at bedtime, and where and when she wants us to sit by her.  And, now that she's getting more conversational in her speaking, she's clear about what she wants.  
• She is a regular source of laughter and smiles for our family.  Her antics are entertaining and we just love watching her in this toddler phase as she plays, explores, and simply lives every day.  
• We are blessed beyond words to have Nora in our lives and our family feels complete after her long-awaited addition.  

Random recent pics of Noni

Noni and her "pretty" aka pony tail

Snuggles with brother in her toddler bed

Oh that sideways glance!

Checking out the calves at
Breakfast on the Farm

Lovingly pushing brother into the fountain:)

Tub time!

Enjoying fruit loops in style
with her choice of hat

Love this little dress on her:)

Crazy hair post-ponytail

Fun with the geese at Silver Lake

Capturing pure excitement in our girl
She was flailing her arms with giddiness!

Happy to be outside

Multi-tasking: eating spaghetti and coloring

Girls' night out with Aunt Bridgy

Loves to brush her teeth

Wearing Luke's underwear as a hat 

Because I love to look back at how our kids grow, check out last year's post on Nora's birthday.

One Year Stats
Height
33.8 inches
54%

Weight
27 lbs 5 oz
58%

Me, Myself, & I

Last week, due to last minute changes in work schedule, etc, I was left home alone.  (Kind of sounds like I'm a pet;))  Anyway, Luke had gone to Pine Haven Christian Assembly for Family Camp with Greg, Cally, and their kids for the week.  Then, on Tuesday, Brent and Nora left to join them.  I, on the other hand, worked Monday through Wednesday which made it not worth the 10 hour round trip drive to Park Rapids for one day at camp.

I'm an introvert, I like alone time, but during this season of life with young kiddos I don't get it very often.  So, I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to enjoy a quiet house, the ability to operate on my own schedule, and to remind myself of my self sufficiency:)  Below are my thoughts on each...

Thoughts on Mowing the Lawn - My attempt at self sufficiency

• If the mower is self propelled, I couldn't make it work (I later learned that the self propeller doesn't really work any more)
• I'm weak, especially in my upper body, and Brent makes it look easy even without the self propeller
• When I was about 2/3 done mowing the yard, the handle on the mower broke.  I tried fixing it like any genius...with duck tape...but that only lasted a few minutes.  I was reminded yet again how thankful I am for our siblings living in our neighborhood.  Ross loaned me his mower to finish up:)
• If I were truly by myself, I'd hire my yard mowed or live somewhere that I didn't need to do it myself (i.e. town home).

Thoughts on Operating on My Own Schedule

• It's nice having a break from the routine, but sometimes I forget it's meal time...then I get hungry and desperate and don't want to cook for myself.  Hence, I ate out most meals.
• There are no excuses for a dirty house, dishes in the sink, etc...I'm the only one there so the mess is my fault and my responsibility.  

Thoughts on a Quiet House

• Living with a two year old equals constant noise during her waking hours.  It was quiet...very quiet last week.  

I welcomed the break, but I sure missed my loves.  

We were reunited Friday at lunch and we are all happy to be back together...where we belong:)