not so good

Why am I having the longest pregnancy ever? Feels that way, especially with a horrific oxygen-depleting sinus cold and now lower back pain! Recently we had supper with our friend Yesika when we had a major lost in translation moment. I asked her how long the typical maternity leave is in Peru and she answered "nine months". Imagine how dumb she must have thought I was asking how long pregnancy is in Peru.

While gasping for breath, I have also been watching my new favorite show, My Fair Wedding. Turns out we have it On Demand so I can catch up on planning for my next wedding (I really couldn't do better than Jake but you already know that). Have you seen it? David Tutera makes me want to have a gay son. My mom is searching for the perfect dress for my brother's wedding in August (it's on Jaimie's farm). If you have any great ideas, let her know. Jake, Nori, and myself are IN the wedding so we are really excited! Honey will have to nurse off the cows while we are busy.

Off to try not to die...

33 years not normal

straight from Hol's vag to your computer

It's official, I am 33 today!! I shall celebrate by taking a yoga class then sconing at a coffee shop followed by a lazy day at home. Last night we went out for sushi and I already got the royal treatment (meat loaf) during my relaxing two days in Winona with my mom. What more could I want? (digital SLR camera).

33, 33 and 3!

Being 3

Hot chocolate & yogurt

Making her tummy "big like Templeton's" in Charlotte's Web

Flat Tootie

Princess Aurora

"beautiful shoes"

REAL clip-on earrings

another day to dress however she wants

Happy Birthday Wendy!

Happy Birthday Linda!

a bit behind...

Before the hate mail starts pouring in (Mom), I just want to acknowledge that I know I am slacking off on my blog. Genius like this can't be forced. Also, I was afraid you might be getting cuteness fatigue from too many pictures of adorable 3-year-olds, so this post will be photoless. What can I say? In addition to growing a life, working full-time (.8 is full-time, just ask HR), raising a prodigy, living with a dog with some rare intestinal gas disease, and being married to a faux tennis phenom/ Jim Cramer, it's hard to find time for my online pastimes. Also, I am rather boring.

We have been keeping busy in a post-birthday party world seeing friends from Peru, making chocolate covered strawberries, visiting the Indoor Waterpark of America, putting on lotion, cleaning and cleaning the house, cuddling, drop-ins from Aunt Jill who brought a sprinkle donut and Papa Bill who brought an easel with a chalkboard and dry erase board, taking long naps, turning up the heat, Life Group, eating Golden Grahams for supper, cleaning dry erase marker off the walls, coffee with my friend Angela, tracing life-size outlines of ourselves to hang in the house, trying in vain to convert my Flip videos from 2010 into a format to save on DVD, and Baby Zoey's dedication...just to name a few.

Really, you didn't miss much.

p.s. Oh! I forgot to mention the leg cramps!!!

Happy Birthday Jaimie!

Happy Birthday Papa!

Made by Megan and her protege Princess Aurora

Happy Birthday Norelle!

3 years precious! Best daughter in the whole world!

The Dave Berhow Theory...

After extensive scientific research and exhaustive studies (n=2), we can confirm that the Dave Berhow Theory is true and should now be referred to as the Dave Berhow Law. Break out the pink, it's all estrogen up in here! Nori announced the news at her party yesterday by slicing into a pink cake. It's little sister time!

Honey in 4D

Profile and hand

whole body

first and (hopefully) last time my daughters' privates appear on the internet

itty bitty foot

A very Nori birthday party!!

V.I.P

Our snowbanks are twice her height!

Casey ready to take on Mt. Highland

Jake & co-pilot Nori get air

Frozen cheeks and toes

Bill & Kenz race, guess who's body weight propelled him to victory?

Not too old for fun

Pat & Liam perfected the backwards slide

3 wonderful years of Norelle!

Gramsie breaks out her artistic flair

bunny & butterfly go WILD

Too homely for primetime

The Tinkerbell card was a hit!

time for a little singing...

Big sister Dorothy celebrates

I'm (almost) 3!

the golden girls

ladies with babies...due in May

A happy day!

Dave Berhow Theory

finger painting in her "lady dress"

Will it be true? Do you even know what it is? According Prof. Charles R. Seltz of the University of Nowhere, manly men only have boys and men more in touch with their feelings with a love of yoga and personal shoppers name Percel only have girls. Evidence comes from Uncle Dave Berhow who loves to hunt, fix cars, and grow beards, hence his 3 boys. Prof. Charles thinks that this means that Jake will only have girls. Only one week until we find one once and for all the validity of the much debated Dave Berhow Theory!

Bookworm health nut

Speaking of new age husbands, thanks to Jake for taking over the grocery shopping duties. I have become a terrible grocery shopper as of late, what with the food aversions, extreme cold, long lines, and general fatigue. He offered to man the cart until I get back in the mood. What's better than waking up from another nap to a well-stocked fridge?

taking after me

Another weekend has come to a close which brings us one week closer to our Bahamas trip. Our birth family came down from Duluth for our winter visit where we ate, bowled, and talked. It was great to see them again and to hear that everyone is happy & healthy!

strong muscles and bumpers required

free air

bowling with the birth fam

Congrats Char!

Charlie just graduated from Southeast Technical College with a degree in accounting and landed a new job at Composite Products in Winona in accounting/HR! He is Oscar and Toby. Drinks on Funcle Char!

cold. snap.

I'm a bit behind on my SoS updates, but I have a good excuse...I am lazy. We have been really busy doing lots of fun things like going to the Children's Museum, taking down our Christmas tree, testing out our new mop, visiting friends in town from Seattle, down-dogging in prenatal yoga classes, planning our birth family visit this weekend when we will go bowling, preparing for Nori's 3rd birthday party with a snowflake theme the following weekend, and switching midwives due to an insurance gaffe on my part. But I still love you, you know.

On the baby front, it is also growing out the back. Why do I have back fat? This is more than I expected! Yesterday we went to the new clinic, University Specialists in Women's Health, where we heard the heartbeat again and marveled at my awesomely rotund fundus. Next week we tour Fairview Riverside where I will give birth and Nori gets to come along so she can see where Baby Honey will enter the world. I would be lying if I said I haven't aways really wanted to wear one of those faded hospital gowns. Maybe it was nine month of watching my mom wear them, but I really do think they are kinda cute in that "tend to me, I'm very a special patient" kind of way. We are trying to choose a birthing class although we have heard some of the ones at the hospitals are a waste of time, yet not sure we want to take an expensive 12 week all natural childbirth class either. I have no idea how badly it is going to hurt, just I want to keep all my options open. I told Jake I was worried I might be too embarrassed to give birth in front of him (you know, all the moaning, breathing, and awkward squatting you are supposed to do) so now he is on mission to learn more about it so he can help me so I won't feel silly. Oh!! I think I have felt movement the past 4-5 days! It's not the fluttery, bubbles people describe, it is definite poke/kick feeling. Really cool!

Nori is having a tough adjustment going back to Tammy's after 3 weeks at home so we are working on giving her extra love and talking about her great friends at daycare who she should never "ROAR" at, even if they take her blue teddy bear. She misses staying home everyday and tries to talk me into "not helping the students today" so we can "stay in our pajamas and snuggle". Heartbreaking! I love that girl, she gets better every day.

p.s. our toilet is NOT frozen!

Happy New Year!

Buddies

Andy's delicious Italian meal

Ringing in the New Year at 8:00 p.m.

Someone discovered dress-up at the Royal Ball

and a love of glass slippers ( I know what I am getting her for her 3rd birthday)!