Happy Easter!

Merry Christmas

Sign of Chirstmas

Our kids love the movie ELF! To be honest, I love it too. They ask to watch it everyday, but we have to pace ourselves since we still have a couple weeks til Christmas. There are so many funny parts, this is just one that I picked for today!

Us

Thanksgiving 2007

Thankfulness

Being thankful is on everyone's mind this week, and it on the majority of blogs too. I have been trying to formulate something in my mind about describing what I am thankful for without being too cliche about it all. I don't just want to make a list because that's doesn't describe or clearly illustrate for my kids or readers why I am thankful for it. I wanted to put pictures up for everything with detailed information and description, but lets be honest, who has time for that. That's why I have unfinished scrapbooks. So, because I believe Jesus is the giver of all good things, I decided to write out my prayer of thanks that I would have probably said tomorrow, so here goes....

Jesus, it's be another busy year since the last Thanksgiving. There have been so many changes; from physically losing 45 pounds, new jobs and packing up our first home and relocating to another town. You have challenged me spiritually to rely more on you and less on myself and others. You have revealed your continual faithfulness to me even when I am seem faithless. When the walls around me felt as if they were going to cave me in, you lowered your loving hand held the walls together. You have showed me how to be a better mother and how to be satisfied and content and love where you have placed me. You have shown me how to forgive others when I feel as if they don't deserve it or I don't want to give it. You have ALWAYS provided MORE than we needed, and blessed us with so much that we wanted. I crave for more time with you in silence, but I know you are with me in all the chaos of day to day. Your spirit is real to me and shakes me when something isn't right, and gives me peace when I need to stop worrying. Lord, I desire to follow your lead, and do your will. I desire to bring enormous amounts of glory to your name. How you want me to do that, I haven't figured out, but I am sure you will reveal it me. Jesus, thank you for the trials, struggles, frustrations that I have encountered this year. For you know that I hate when I am in them, but I rejoice when I see the path I have successfully walked to reach the answer. I am very slowly learning to run to you first rather than something or someone else and I think that is my biggest praise of thanks. Thanks for opportunities to be a mom- to raise Jacob, Isabelle and Andrew are awesome blessings and huge responsibilities, I ask you always be involved with the protection and teaching of these children because if I was left to do it alone, I can guarantee that I would mess them up. Thank you for a husband that can admit his struggles and walk the journey of healing with his head up even when it means stepping away from his passions and dreams to make sure his heart is in line with yours. He is man that respects and loves me and loves our children with everything he is. Lord, there is still so much to thank you for, I don't think I can type it all. Jesus you know my heart better than I do so I pray you see all the things and people I am unable to describe right now. I pray that I will take more time like this to reminisce about the blessings in my life and be more intentional about speaking gratitude and thanks to those people that have blessed our life. Thank you for a day like Thanksgiving that we can stop and remember. I pray all of this in Your Precious name, Amen

Be prepared

Anyone who has children knows that they come out of the womb with a master's degree in catching and passing germs. With the Cold and Flu season in full swing here are some helpful reminders. We hear it all every season, this is just my 2007 refresher.



1. Eat right, exercise and get enough sleep. Sticking to a diet that includes plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit each day, as well as exercising regularly, will make it easier for your body to resist any kind of infection, including colds and flu. If your diet is less-than-perfect, add a multivitamin to your daily routine. In addition, if you are well-rested and get eight hours of sleep each night, you will be less vulnerable to catching a virus.
2. Get in a lather. Wash your hands frequently with warm water, particularly around your rings and under your nails. Use liquid or plain soap, and lather for at least 20 seconds. The friction and lathering is what is most important. When turning off the water, be sure to use a paper towel to prevent recontaminating your hands.
3. Vaccinate. Flu shots aren’t for everyone . . . but if you’re over the age of 65, have a chronic disease affecting your heart and lungs, have diabetes or kidney problems, take certain drugs that affect the immune system, or work in institutions that care for these people; you should consider getting the flu vaccine. This preventative measure may lesson your symptoms or keep you from getting the flu altogether.
4. Help clean the air around you. From sick children and allergens to mold and fungal spores, the air we breathe inside our homes can be worse than the air we breathe outside. To help clean the air in your home, use an air sanitizer, such as the revolutionary, new Germ Guardian.
5. Don’t touch! Colds and flu are spread most often by hand-to-hand or surface-to hand contact. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth after being exposed to viruses or bacteria.
6. Sneeze safely. If you have to sneeze and can’t find a tissue in time, sneeze into your shoulder (not your hands) to avoid spreading germs.
7. Disinfect, disinfect, disinfect! Be sure to clean and disinfect frequently used surfaces such as telephones, countertops, door knobs and stair rails to avoid hand-to-hand spread of viruses.
8. Open the windows. Germs like stagnant air and will remain there. Weather permitting, open windows to circulate fresh air.
9. Avoid smoking. Smoking is a respiratory irritant that increases susceptibility to viruses that cause colds and the flu. Avoid smoking, as well as second-hand smoke.
10. Stay away from sick people. Saving the best advice for last . . . because colds and viruses are shared when these infections are coughed and sneezed into the air, try to stay away from people who are ill; and avoid enclosed, crowded places. If you’re sick yourself, be sure to stay away from work and other public places if at all possible.

So, you’ve followed these tips and you still got sick? Not to worry. According to Dr. Reynolds, “The best treatment is to rest, keep warm and drink plenty of fluids to help flush the germs out of your system. Although there aren’t any drugs to specifically cure the cold or flu, there are some nonprescription medications to help relieve symptoms such as headaches, sore throats and coughs. Always check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any new medications, as they may have negative interactions with prescriptions you are already taking.”

And while you’re on the mend . . . it can’t hurt to try some comforting cures, from chicken noodle soup to tea with honey – sometimes these remedies can do wonders in getting you and your family back on your feet.

Taking the Leap

We are taking a BIG leap of faith this week. We are packing up and moving to Northfield, MN (Our new home on the right). This has all come about in less than a week, and it means big changes for us. It also means great loss as we part from incredible family and friends! We are excited about our new chapter, it comes with great amounts of faith and leaning on the leader and doer of all good things. We are planning on renting my parents home. It's been for sale for over a year. We are praying that someone will rent our townhome so we can pay to rent my parents. This change means great things for us. Brenton will only be 18 min from work with NO traffic to deal with. I will be coaching the 9th grade girls basketball team alongside my former high school coach- gotta love that! With today's technology it will easier to say in touch with those we love in the Northern suburbs, it will seem like we are only a few miles apart. The kids are very excited! When we moved a couple things in this weekend, they ran throughout the house searching for their new rooms! We are so thankful for my parents generosity in allowing us to move in even though we don't have renters in our home yet. Our deepest prayer is that we would sell the townhome, but in reality, that just might not happen. I still believe God is bigger than this junky housing market and can sell our home, so I will continue to hold tight to that! Please keep us in your prayers as we try to transition to this BIG change.

Family times

It seems that the past month has been filled with business. We all seemed to be running in different directions, so over the past week we have been trying to slow down and make intentional 'family time'. On Tuesday we had family night. We had pizza, wrestling, ice cream and watched a movie with the kids. And today was gorgeous so we ventured out to the apple orchard and after preschool, we went on a mini nature hike. Jake could have stayed out there all day. He was loving making the leave piles and then pumping in them, and throwing sticks in the river. I love fall and I really love my family!

A Monopoly

Early early Sunday morning looked like this in our room. Brenton fell asleep on the couch and I in my bed. When I woke up at (can you read the clock- 4:35am?) there was no more room for me. I had to stumble through the house to find a camera. I ended up curling on the end of the bed until I got fed up and squeezed my way in. I guess Brenton woke up at 5:00 to make his way to bed, and noticed it had been monopolized, so he headed back to the couch.

Thankfulness

Family is something that has always been important to me. I think it's because I was raised in such a great family that did everything they could to provide more than we needed. But today, I am very thankful for me mom! I am thankful that she came up on her day off to clean my house so that I could stress less about it tomorrow as we prepare for our first open house. She has cleaned for us several times, and we love it every time. It really is a blessing that doesn't get enough praise and recognition. Coming home from the hospital with each of our children and not having to worry about dishes, laundry or the dreaded dusting. Being gone on vacation and coming home to a sparkling, fresh smelling home is so wonderful as well. She is gifted at cleaning- really it's amazing. We love it! THANKS mom for working so hard on our house today, I know you didn't feel the best and you would have loved to play and read with the kids, but you were serving in a way that I really needed you. I appreciate and love you very much! Have a great weekend!

Family Fun day

Another catchup from the month...
Someone that I love blessed us with money and told me to make sure I did something fun with the kids with it. So, Brenton had a day off and we planned a family fun day! First we went to the Children's museum- Love it!!! One great thing about having all the kids close in age is that they are all interested in the same thing. The museum was featuring Curious George and all 3 kids love Curious George so we had a blast there, not to mention all of the other fun things to do. Then we drove down to Minneapolis where we could get on a train to the Mall of America. The kids also love trains, so they thought is was great that were really riding on one. We ate lunch at the mall and had a quick ice cream and cookie snack before getting back on the train and heading home. We were all exhausted! I love family days, even with the stress of keeping everyone together, I get recharged and realize why I love my husband and my family so much.

New nephew

I am catching up on the month...

Our new nephew
Anthony "Tony" John Ianfolla
September 13th 2007
8lbs. 8 oz

Jacklyn is going to be a GREAT big sister!!!

D.E.A.R

When I was a teacher, we had DEAR time in our classroom. It stands for Drop Everything And Read. Last night I was tired and there was work to be done around the house, but I decided to drop it all and read my Parent's magazine that I got over a week ago and haven't gotten around to yet. I've read other parenting magazines, but this one is my favorite for many reasons. Typically I can flip through a magazine in 10 minutes, but after 30 minutes I hadn't even made it through half. There was so much to read. They were not long articles that I was reading, it was a tidbit here and there and some more lengthy articles, but I thought it was all good. I think everyone should check it out. There are barely any adds, lots a great parenting advice, cute stories, party ideas on a budget, receipes that the whole family will love, decorating tips, seasonal ideas, and much much more! Also, I found a new blog that I plan on frequenting often. It's the called the .
I would be willing to say that if you don't like it I would refund your money, but I'm not going to do that for the fact that I might get scammed! Just check it out- let me know if you like it!.

Baby Announcement

No it's not me! Congratulations to my favorite brother Jason and his wife Janelle on the birth of their new baby boy!!!!! Anthony (Tony) Ianfolla. I haven't had the chance to meet him yet, but I will be headed there tomorrow and be taking lots of pictures of my first nephew!

Busy Weekend

I am exhausted. It's been a fun, sugar-filled weekend and I am really glad that tomorrow is Monday and some normalcy will reenter our lives. On Friday we celebrated 3 birthdays at our house. It was a celebration of Andrew, Aiden Freiwald, and Jacob. Our house was filled with family and friends and lots and lots of noise. On Saturday we continued the festivities with my parents in Northfield. Everyone was so generous with gifts and money for Jacob. We officially need to get a rental garage for all the new additions to the toy area. Thank you to everyone that came and helped us celebrate. We love you all!

Notre Dame

We were at a game that was history in the making. The bad part is, it was not something most Notre Dame fans ever want to remember or talk about again. We witnessed the worst ever Notre Dame home opener defeat against Georgia Tech 33-3...ouch.
The whole weekend was really fun. I have never tailgated for anything, so I was not understanding what the big deal was when everyone was talking about it. I was wrong... Notre Dame people are CRAZY about football and about tailgating! We were at our spot at 8:30am, and the game didn't start til 3:30p. And to my surprise, we were NOT even close the first group there. It was blazin hot on Saturday so I was trying to find and stay in some shaded area as much as possible. Once the game started we headed into the stadium which seats around 80,000 people. I don't think there was an empty seat in the place. We had AWESOME seats- 12 rows from the field next to the tunnel where all the players run out from! The atmosphere was incredible. The loyalty to a team and a game was something I have never experienced, but really enjoyed. There was not a cloud in the sky so with an outdoor stadium there is little chance of avoiding a sun burn, so by the end we were all scorched, and bummed at the turnout of the game. All in all it was a great weekend. Who could ever complain about hanging with friends without kids, eating lots of food (esp/ hot dogs), and watching sports live!! THANK YOU ANDREA & JESSE FOR A GREAT EXPERIENCE!!!! And THANK YOU DAN & MICHELLE FOR LOVING ALL OVER OUR KIDS FOR A FEW DAYS- I know they had just as much fun as we did.

The great MN get together 2007

Who could pass up The great MN get together when you have FREE tickets!?
Last year after walking around the MN state fair my water broke and I had Andrew. This year, it was a fun day with family and friends (Daryl & Amy) being overstimulated with smells, odd fashion choices, and more options of anything you could think or dream of fried and on a stick. The fair is a little challenging with a 2 and 3 year old that think everything they see it the greatest thing they have ever seen and want to take off and run towards it- I conveniently had a sharpie in my purse and we wrote our phone number on each of the kids arms in the case that they got lost (good thinking babe). It brings Brenton and I great joy as parents to see their faces light up and to see their brains thinking about what they are experiencing. Kiki (Carrie-Brenton's sister) was so gracious to take Andrew so we didn't have to worry about him eating everything off the slimy ground, that was a huge relief.

We had a couple low moments in the evening as well. There were a few meltdowns from the darling Isabelle, there were some constant begging moments for a "Fair souvenir" from Jake, and there was an unfortunate bee sting to Brenton's face, just below his glasses. But the majority of the night was really fun, and I am sad to know that it will be another year before we can do again. The fair is always a mark that summer is over, and winter is just around the corner.

Here are some of the highlights- my favorite was going down the big slide as a family...

R & R

A few weeks back we got to enjoy 'The cabin'! Anyone that has been to the Balvin cabin knows how peaceful and relaxing it is. It sits on beautiful Lake Mary in Emily, MN. Nothing but God's amazing creation all around. We swam, played pinball, went paddle boating, got ice cream, laughed, played games, sat by the fire, and more. It's always a refreshing time to be up there. The kids are now at an age where they love to explore outside and enjoy all the different activities. Jacob got to experience a leech this summer- he was standing in the water and Papa Craig saw that it was enjoying a snack on Jake's foot. Thanks Craig and Kris for building the beautiful cabin for all of us to escape to- we love it, and can't wait to go again!