Unedited Us!

A New Year's Wish

2012-01-09T13:05:00.006-06:00

Shawn here.*

So much for our intent to try to update this once a month. The reality of the seminary work schedule, where there's always something to do and always something due, kept that from happening. Perhaps once a year is a realistic schedule? In any case, this post will serve as our version of a year-in-review Christmas letter.

For those of you who have been completely out of touch, and who haven't read any of the previous posts on this blog, and aren't Facebook friends with us, and who haven't talked to any of our other friends/relatives in 2011, and ... is there anyone who meets all of these qualifications? If you do, you should know that we moved in July.

OK, there was a bit more to it than that. Let's recap. At the beginning of 2011, Shawn was employed by SAP as a computer programmer, Tami was employed by Thrivent Financial as a Financial Advisor, Megan was attending La Crescent Middle School in La Crescent, MN, and Nessa was attending La Crescent Montessori School. I'm happy to report that Megan is still attending La Crescent Middle School and doing well (more below). As for the rest of us, well...

Even last January, big changes were afoot. Shawn and Tami had both applied to and been accepted at Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque, IA, a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America--Shawn in the Masters of Divinity program and Tami in the Master of Arts, DiaconalMinistry program. Shawn had already been granted permission by the La Crosse Area Synod of the ELCA to enter seminary, while Tami was still working through that process.

In February, Tami left Thrivent Financial in order to concentrate on getting our house ready to sell. This became her full-time "job" for over two months. She was very, very good at it. She chose several realtors for us to interview, arranged the meetings, started going through all of the accumulated clutter in our house, and doing everything else necessary to get the house on the market. In March, we were able to take advantage of some unseasonably warm weather to paint the exterior trim on our house. Then, naturally, after weeks of warm weather and occasional rain and just after Tami bought lots of flowers to place around the exterior of the house for showings, it snowed on the day they were going to come take pictures for the listing.

On April 2nd, Nessa turned six, and had some of her cousins and a few friends come to our house for the party. Tami had her final interview with the Synod and was also given permission to enter seminary. Shawn learned that he had been nominated for a full-tuition scholarship through theELCA Fund for Leaders in Mission. Also, all of Tami's hard work on the house (Shawn helped some with the painting and hauled things to storage units, but really, Tami did 80%+ of the work) and the excellent advice of our realtor paid off when we got a signed counteroffer approximately 50 hours after the first showing of the house. Yes, two days. Yes, we realize how blessed we were--it was a major prayer answered. Later in April we had a major hailstorm which shattered the rear window on our van, broke a couple of windows in the living room, and caused damage to the roof. Fortunately, this did not cause the buyers to change their minds.

In May we closed on our house and moved to the old farmhouse on Tami's parents' farm inRidgeway, MN, 20 minutes west of the Mississippi River. For the next two months the upstairs floor of the farmhouse was our home. Thank you Grandpa and Grandma Groth! Almost all of our possessions were in two storage units, awaiting the move to Dubuque. It was no fun moving twice in two months, but it was so much better than some of the alternatives!

In June, Nessa had her bridging ceremony at La Crescent Montessori School, symbolizing that she had finished her time in one multiyear classroom and was moving on to another. It was bittersweet for all of us because Nessa wasn't going to be in that new classroom. Also in June, Shawn was told that he had been awarded the full tuition scholarship from the ELCA. Finally, on Thursday, June 30th, Shawn walked out of the door at SAP for the last time, saying goodbye to his career as a computer programmer. That wasn't bittersweet at all. He misses the people, but not the job.

On July 6th the moving trucks came to the storage units and we loaded up everything and headed for Dubuque. We were sad to leave our friends in La Crosse and La Crescent, especially our fellowship group at our home congregation, Good Shepherd in La Crosse, but we were excited to formally start this grand adventure we're on. We spent the next few weeks unpacking, arranging, applying, transferring, and all the other stuff that comes with a change of address, as well as the extra stuff that comes with changing states. On July 16th Megan turned 14. She continues to blossom into a mature, capable teenager. Soon after Megan's birthday, Dubuque was hit by tremendous rains one evening--it rained over 15 inches in 12 hours. We, and several others in seminary housing, got water in our basement. We were lucky--most of our stuff was unpacked and off the floor, and we were able to get the remaining boxes to safety in time. All we really lost were most of our empty boxes, which we had been planning to save, and a few days of unpacking time as we dealt with things. On July 25th Shawn started summer Greek at Wartburg, and seminary officially began. Meanwhile, Tami cooked, took care of paperwork, unpacked, and generally did everything else so Shawn could concentrate on Greek. Nessa contributed by making friends and playing outside a lot.

In August, Tami hit a milestone birthday with class and grace (it helps that she has a much older husband to help her feel young). The celebration was low-key. Nessa started first grade at her new school in Dubuque, Bryant Elementary. The differences between a regular public school and her Montessori school took some getting used to, but she has settled in and is doing very well. She gets glowing reports from her teacher, who can't believe Nessa ever causes problems at home. Nessa's reading has really taken off, and she is into chapter books in a big way. She regularly brings home reading from school, library books from the Bryant library, and library books from the Dubuque public library. We also still read to her--we spent the summer working through A Series of Unfortunate Events and have now moved onto others. Nessa is learning addition and subtraction, and generally does quite well on her spelling tests. She's at that charming stage where her writing is often phonetic and thus sometimes like code to read and decypher, but it's getting better as the year goes along. Nessa generally likes school, but she really likes the after-school room at Wartburg, a room staffed by work-study students where school-aged kids can go for a couple of hours to let off some steam and just have unstructured fun.

Also in August Megan once again started cross-country. She made big strides this year, improving her times and reaching some personal goals. She was pleased with what she accomplished and we are proud of what she has achieved. Megan continues to play trumpet in band and to do well in school. She has an additional distraction this year named Chris, but so far he doesn't seem to have affected her performance too much. However, between Chris and Megan’s girlfriends, we are very glad that our cell phone plan has unlimited texting. Megan continues to get outdoors whenever possible. She did not show goats at the fair for 4H this year, but did compete in several other areas. She also enjoys spending time with her friends at sleepovers and such. Megan is finishing up Confirmation at Good Shepherd and should be confirmed this spring.

Shawn finished Summer Greek a few days before Labor Day, having completed the equivalent of two semesters of Greek in 5 1/2 weeks. He likens it to sprinting a marathon. We all went back to La Crosse for a long Labor Day weekend.

In September, Tami and Shawn started fall semester. The first week was a one-week intensive course for everyone in our class year, and then normal classes started the next week. It took us a while to establish a routine of who does homework when and so on, but once we got it down we got into a rhythm. The semester was unlike anything Shawn or Tami have ever experienced. The amount of reading was huge, and one really needs to plan out when one does which assignments in order to avoid being overwhelmed. It is immersive in every sense, but it is also rewarding and can be exhilarating. Shawn went to Chicago at the end of September for a banquet where he was formally awarded his scholarship. He found it interesting, if a little strange, to be in a room full of bishops, seminary presidents, and other movers and shakers and yet be one of the centers of attention.

In October Megan came to Dubuque for a few days when on break from school. She doesn't get down here very often, so we look forward to it when she comes. Our niece and nephew Ahnika and Cully were here at the same time. Unfortunately, Nessa's break was a different week, so she was in school when her cousins were here. But they still had time to play in the afternoons and on the weekend. Shawn and Tami’s class organized a pumpkin carving event that weekend, and someone else in the community took some wonderful pictures of the kids. Nessa also took an acting class through a local community theatre in October.

In November, Megan got a buck while deer hunting. She was very excited. She had previously gotten a doe, but this was her first buck. Nessa joined a group of seminary kids who are the cheerleaders for the Running Reformers, the Wartburg basketball team in the Dubuque community league.

In December, Shawn and Tami finished their first semester of seminary classes. It was a little crazy getting everything done, but they managed to do it without imploding or exploding. Nessa was in two Christmas programs: she was a shepherd in the program at Good Shepherd, and an angel in the Christmas Eve program at our Dubuque church, St. John's in St. Donatus, IA. She enjoyed them both. We spent Christmas Day here in Dubuque, then went to La Crosse for a few days between Christmas and New Year's. New Year's Eve was a quiet one back in Dubuque.

January finds Shawn and Tami on J-Term. Tami is in Gettysburg, PA, for a required Formation Event in her Diaconal Ministry program, so Shawn is in Dubuque with Nessa and doing an independent study consisting of reading several books by C. S. Lewis. Megan and Nessa are back in school. Spring semester begins for Shawn and Tami at the end of January.

We had been working towards this year for quite a while, and now that we have finally experienced it I think it was everything we hoped it would be. The journey is far from complete, so stay tuned. In the meantime, we wish you all a happy, healthy, and blessed 2012.

Shawn

*Tami and I used to have posts to this blog automatically become Notes on both of our Facebook pages. I believe Facebook has disconnected that, but just in case I'm wrong, those who see this on Facebook should know who the author is (in case it isn't evident stylistically).

Back to School Time!

2011-09-05T16:35:00.000-05:00

Tami here, with a quick update (long overdue, I realize!)

In order to actually get this published, unlike the few times I started a transition post this Spring and Summer, it will be primarily done in bullet points. Since most of our readers are also facebook friends I will also leave the photos out as we have posted them there for you to see. However, since facebook posts get lost over time and there seem to many friends just catching bits of our journey, we decided that it is still a good idea to keep the family blog going, and one of us will try to post at least once a month.

Our permanent address is now Dubuque, IA. If you do not have this address, and would like it, please send us a private message or email. (We quickly and successfully sold our house in La Crosse in April! and then stayed at the farm (thanks Mom and Dad Groth!) until moving here in July)
We moved to Dubuque to attend Wartburg Seminary (we as in Tami and Shawn)
Shawn just completed Summer Greek as the first requirement for his M.Div degree at Wartburg. He finished with an A if any of you are wondering. This means he can translate New Testament Greek (or knows how to find and use tools to do so).
Tami and Shawn both start Fall 2011 classes this week! Watch for links to our blogs to follow our specific journeys more closely.
Tami is looking forward to getting into a fall routine that includes leaving Thursdays after class to go up to "the farm" to spend time with Megan. (This means I will spend all or most of each Friday studying somewhere in La Crosse -- let me know if you want to provide a study break sometime.)
Shawn is enjoying not having to mow the lawn or fix bugs!
Shawn embarked on a Paleo/Primal nutritional plan earlier this summer (with Tam's help), and has lost about 30 pounds and several inches (he didn't take great before and after measurements because the intent was solely for health reasons rather than weight loss. He is also walking and doing a few other exercise and feeling great!
Tami is exercising for the love of it rather than training for any races and now does as much walking as running as she looks forward to getting back to Yoga as well as possibly trying some new exercise classes her in Dubuque.

Nessa has always been slow to warm up to changes that are not her idea and takes extra time to transition so we are so thankful that she is making lots of new friends and doing wonderful here in the Wartburg community!
Nessa started first grade here a couple of weeks ago, and seems to love school. So far, she does her homework without complaint and is enjoying all subjects.
If asked, her favorite "subject" is still recess, lunch or possibly PE.
Nessa has decided to be a snow princess for Halloween. This is good news for mom because the most I will need to buy is a new tiara to replace the one that broke.
Nessa made the final decision on where our Dubuque church home would be, and she selected, St. John's Lutheran Church in St. Donatus, IA
Nessa lost her first tooth a couple of weeks ago -- while eating homemade ice cream! Doesn't say a lot for our ice cream making skills, but it will be remembered!
Nessa says her favorite thing about where we live now is "the kids!!!!" She LOVES playing outside and learning new group games (there are about 40 kids in our Wartburg student housing neighborhood)

Megan is remaining in the La Crescent area to attend school and is looking forward to starting 8th grade this week!
Megan started her second season of Cross Country by running her personal best one mile at the first meet!!! (we're so proud of you Megan!)
Megan again took many projects too the Houston County fair, and looks forward to returning to take goats again next year.
By observation I would say that Megan's favorite thing to do is hang out with her friends, and why not they are a wonderful group!

The much-appreciated cool weather that arrived today has me even more in the "back-to-school" mood, and has confirmed that this is indeed my favorite time of the year.

If you are interested in following our blogs that will focus on faith and our journey through seminary, you can find them here:

Shawn's is at: Leaving Myself Behind

Tami's is at: Love and Belief

And as always you can find our various brief updates on Facebook! (For those of you that are new FB friends, our family blog posts as a note in both of our FB feeds.) But if we neglected to tie up all the loose ends and answer your questions about what we are doing these days, please just ask! (And we know we never sent a Christmas letter last year ... we will try to send something out this year, but are not making any promises). We appreciate hearing from each of you in all ways (here on the blog -- please comment -- or in person or other places online).

The official listing links!

2011-03-30T15:56:00.004-05:00

I wanted to post this Monday but the activity on the house (and the rest of life) has continued to keep me busy!

So this is a nice link to use to see the shots of the house:

http://listings.listhub.net/pages/METROMLSWI/1192183/?channel=trulia

Or, you can see the original Trulia listing here:

http://www.trulia.com/property/3046993409-3323-29th-St-S-La-Crosse-WI-54601

Here is the Gerrard-Hoeschler site as well which is a good one to forward to people as you can easily request a showing via the online form :-)

http://www.ghrealtors.com/Shared/PropertySearch/Detail.aspx?ID=165289

There is an open house this Sunday April 3rd from 11 to 12:30!

and a bonus for pic for all of you --

From 2011-03-25

Nessa enjoying the new pillows she discovered in our bedroom!

As a reminder Shawn and I are both off of Facebook until Easter. This will show up as a note in both of our FB feeds. We will see comments via the emails we get but will not be replying via FB, so contact us privately or reply directly on the blog for any comments back from us please. Thank you for your support, thoughts and prayers this Spring and always!

The sign is up!

2011-03-25T16:06:00.007-05:00

Quick note from Tami (reminder to FB readers -- blog posts end up under BOTH my FB notes and Shawn's FB notes*)

I will update with a longer blog post and link to the full listing, but wanted to quickly share my own photo of Nessa next to the For Sale sign that went up in our yard this afternoon! Nessa is not thrilled with the fact that we are selling the house, but is I think glad that I won't be quite so busy prepping the house for sale (of course she doesn't know the reality of having a house for sale yet either).

Nessa learns to tie her shoes ... and a few other things

2010-11-05T11:02:00.005-05:00

Tami here -- I have been thinking about resurrecting this blog ever since school started so that I could at least update everyone on what the girls have been up to. I will start with Nessa because we are at the point where nearly anything I say about Megan online needs to be cleared with her first. :-) (But she has all As and accomplished a lot in her first Cross Country season). (Also, for new facebook friends, all of our blog posts show up on both Shawn and my facebook pages as notes)

Isn't that a gorgeous smile? I can tell how proud she is, and I can just hear her going to tell everyone that she can tie!

This morning as after I lifted Nessa into the van and had to quickly tie her shoe I mentioned in passing that she needed to learn to tie her shoes soon.

I was not really complaining though because she has been so busy learning so many other things. I am surprised her head is not swelling with all that knowledge -- like how to read! In a matter of a month things have totally just clicked (like I knew it would at some point) and Nessa has gone from just knowing all the letters and sounds to being able to sound out anything that follows typical phonetics, knowing the most common other rules (like silent e), and memorizing many many sight words! In fact this morning when I dropped Nessa off to school she asked me to stay so she could read to me -- I didn't realize I would be sitting there for 20 minutes! -- it was a long book by her standards (20 to 25 pages??) and while still a very early learning to read type book it was divided into three chapters so I was congratulating her on reading a chapter book. :-)

Nessa has also been busy with many math, science, sensory projects and more. In my next post on her Montessori kindergarten education I will include some specific experiments and works they do in these areas. Nessa went into the year with math as her favorite subject, but at least for awhile reading has claimed that top spot for her attention, and one of the blessings of Montessori is that when Nessa is really interested in working on reading she can chose to work on reading (and related works) most of the day rather than moving from subject to subject. She still works on a wide variety of subjects throughout the week however, and there excellent teacher makes sure the kids are meeting any requirements.

So, back to our story about the morning... Although I had only mentioned shoe tying in passing, Nessa quickly commented that she was going to ask her teacher to get out the tie board today so she could learn, and that is exactly what she did! When I opened my email mid-morning there was a message from her teacher with these pictures! :-)

I'm looking forward to a blessed weekend with a girl who can tie her shoes AND read!

To Nessa Rose On Her 5th Birthday

2010-04-02T15:59:00.001-05:00

Five years old! I don’t know why that seems like a bigger deal than any of your other birthdays, but it does. Some days you seem like you’re trying to be fifteen, and some days you seem like you want to be two again, but most days you’re just a slightly precocious little girl who (mostly) acts her age, and that’s fine with me.

I see so much of me in you, sweet girl. Sometimes that makes us butt heads because we’re so much alike, and you know how to push my buttons (much to the amusement of your mother). Sometimes it’s just payback; I often think your Grandma Brooks is smiling. But the rest of the time it’s why we have so much fun together. You love to be silly, and I’m very good at silly. You love when I give you ridiculous answers to your questions, and you love telling me my answers are silly. You love asking questions, and I love answering them for you. You love it (most of the time) when I tickle you, and you’ve started trying to learn how to tickle by practicing on me. You love climbing on me and rolling around with me and generally being goofy.

I see your mother in you as well: I often see her attitudes, her expressions, and her gestures coming from you. I enjoy seeing what you’ve drawn from me, what you’ve drawn from her, and what seems to be uniquely your own. We get tantalizing glimpses of the person you’re going to become, and it makes me so curious to know what you’ll be like as you get older. Not that I’m in any hurry—there’s so much to enjoy along the way, and I don’t want to miss it.

We have our struggles. You get very frustrated with the fact that everyone else gets to set the rules and you only get to obey them. You have so much to say and feel and express that you sometimes have trouble doing it all on someone else’s schedule. Your independent streak hasn’t gotten any narrower. I’m sorry for the times that I’m not patient enough with you. I hope someday you’ll understand why that happens. But we have so much fun as well: playing games, exploring the world through your observations and questions, going to the library or the Y or the park, reading stories, and all the other stuff we do. I cherish the good times with you more than almost anything, and every day when I wake up I hope that we’ll find something fun to do together.

A lot of your accomplishments this year have been just getting better at things you were already doing, but there have been some new achievements as well. You can now write your name very well without help, and have started writing other words as well. Your coloring is much better, as are all the other craft things you love to do. You can use a scissors very well when you want to and aren’t in a hurry. You’ve become a good climber, although getting down is sometimes a problem. You love to dance, and do it well enough that other people notice and comment. You’re singing is getting better as well, although stage fright sometimes keeps anyone but your Mom and me from noticing that. You can get milk out of the refrigerator and pour it yourself, even if you do have to stand on the inside floor of the refrigerator to reach the milk.

That brain of yours is a marvel, sweet girl. I am still astonished at times by the connections you make and the things you figure out all on your own. You can use complex sentences and put thoughts together in a logical order when you’re trying to explain or understand something. You have gotten very good at rhyming words and often rattle off a whole string of them, some real and some you’ve just made up. You’ve started exploring letters and their sounds in a serious way. You have a good memory; you’ve memorized the basic story of whole books and all the songs you learn in school and Sunday School. It feels like you’re so close to unlocking the reading code and taking off into whole new worlds all on your own. I will be so happy for you when that happens!

Lastly, you have truly become a child of God. You know that God will listen to you, that he is there for you and loves you. You talk to him regularly. You love Bible stories, videos, and all the fun things you do at church. We’re on that road together, you and I. Your baptism brought both of us to faith, and I look forward to continuing to teach and lead you as I learn and as we go along.

I say this every year, Nessa Rose, but it’s still true: your mommy and I love you, more and more with each passing day. I thank God every day for the two of you and for your sister. The three of you are the greatest of the many blessings I’ve received, and you, sweet girl, are my greatest treasure, my greatest joy, and my grandest adventure. Thank you for being my daughter, Nessa Rose. I can just hear you saying “Daddy, I didn’t have a choice,” and that’s true, but I thank you anyway. No matter what else I have or don’t have, you make me rich beyond measure.

I love you, Nessa Rose. Happy birthday!

Daddy

So that is how it works!

2009-11-18T09:49:00.002-06:00

Tami here.

Yesterday I was looking through Nessa's baby book with her and when we came to the page with pictures right after she was born I read the date listed at the top of the page, "Saturday April 2, 2005."

Nessa got very, very excited, "OH! I was born on my birthday!!!!"

She had such a huge grin on her face that I almost didn't want to explain to her that that was actually the way it works. :-)

Flowers for Emily

2009-11-15T20:31:00.004-06:00

Shawn here. I forgot to post pictures of the other flowers we got for Emily. Every year we sponsor flowers at church for each girl's birthday. Here are the ones they sent for Emily this year.

After we got back from the cemetery, these gorgeous roses were delivered to our house. They were a thoughtful and beautiful surprise from Tami's sisters and their families.

Thank you Ellen, Heidi and families. The roses are beautiful.

Remembering Emily

2009-11-15T19:28:00.011-06:00

Shawn here.

We went to the cemetery on Emily's birthday, Nov. 10th. It was a beautiful day, sunny and mild.

We took some flowers to place around the grave. Nessa wanted to put something right on Emily's stone.

For the first time, Nessa was interested in the rest of the cemetery, so we wandered around and let her look at some of the other stones.

This was my first time looking at the rest of the cemetery, too. I was saddened by how many stones had only a single day or year on them. We saw one stone that we'd like to know more about.

Stones like this, without a name, always make Tami sad.

It was a good visit. Sun always helps, and the fact that Nessa wants to know things about Emily helps too. After we leave, I'm always glad we went.

We love you Emily.

Nessa's Montesorri Preschool fundraiser

2009-10-25T20:25:00.003-05:00

Tami here.

Just a quick note to share the link for the Montessori school fundraiser. We only have about a week to order, and we need to submit the order directly with the school, so if you want to order anything, just let us know and we'll coordinate with you. You can look at the website to see what is in the catalog -- http://www.forsmallhands.com/store/ -- this appears to be the same as the products in the catalog (minus the sales items, sorry).

There are LOTS of great Christmas gifts here too...if you are on our Christmas list, let us know if anything looks great to you.

Thank you...

Remembering and Helping Others: IRIS Turkey Trot and Team Emily and Arianna

2009-10-22T12:40:00.007-05:00

Team Emily and Arianna

Please help IRIS reach their fund-raising goal, and specifically help us reach our fund-raising goal for Team Emily and Ariana. For more information http://www.irisremembers.com/events/TurkeyTrot2009/viewTeam.cfm?teamID=15(this link goes directly to the Team Emily and Arianna page and from there you can also get to more information about IRIS -- Infants Remembered In Silence)

If you are in the area, you can also join us on Thanksgiving morning for this race as our entire family will be doing it. Megan and I will be doing the timed 5K, Shawn will be doing the fun walk with Nessa, and Nessa is also signed up for the kid's fun run (we'll see how that goes). We appreciate all the support we can get.

Thank you,

Tami

A Powerful Reminder

2009-10-20T12:46:00.003-05:00

Shawn here.

Most mornings I'm the one helping Nessa get her day started. Tami and I settled on that schedule when we were both working, and it became habit. It used to mean actually getting Nessa dressed, but now it's mostly just encouraging her to finish so that she can eat breakfast, or watch cartoons, or whatever. However, on Tuesdays I attend the mens prayer breakfast offered by our church. This means I usually leave before Nessa is awake, or at most get to say a quick goodbye before heading out the door. Nessa seems to accept this as part of the rhythm of the week.

This morning Nessa woke up with a bloody nose before I left. Tami got her cleaned up before I headed out the door, but not dressed. As I was getting ready to leave, Nessa was asking Tami to come watch her get dressed. Tami laughed and said "Does Daddy watch you get dressed? He's spoiling you." Then she looked at me and said "This summer I usually just told her to go get dressed." I responded "Maybe Daddy doesn't need to watch her anymore."

When I turned to hug Nessa again, she had her classic trying-hard-not-to-be-sad expression. Thinking she just didn't want me to go (a frequent occurrence), I hugged her and reminded her that I'd see her at supper. Her face didn't change, so I asked what was wrong.

Quiver. "I like Daddy watching me get dressed."

I realized that she'd taken my toss-off reply to Tami literally and seriously, and although she was trying to be a "big girl" about it, she was unhappy. I told her that we would talk about it later, but she shouldn't be unhappy now. You'll have to ask Tami how well that worked, because I had to leave then.

This incident reminded me, powerfully, of several things I need always to remember.

1) Children take you literally. They understand silliness and jokes, but they don't understand nuance and subtlety. Watch what you say, because they won't pick up on how you say it.

2) You don't always know which time is quality time. My morning time with Nessa doesn't seem like much on the surface, but her palpable sense of loss made it evident that she values it greatly. The special "let's do something fun for an hour" times are good and necessary, but the routines and interactions that build up over time and develop a history of their own have a far greater impact--for good or ill. Make sure they're for good.

3) My daughter loves me. My presence is important to her, and the things we do together are shaping her in a million little ways that I don't always see or comprehend. I have to make time just for her every single day we are together.

4) God has blessed me beyond my ability to express. To have this rich pattern of relationships, to be surrounded by those I love and who love me--when I had accepted that I would spend my life fundamentally alone--is to realize that I have everything that truly matters in this world. I must treat those people and that love as the precious treasures they are, never taking them for granted and never squandering them.

Tami, Nessa, Megan--I love you. Thank you for making my life so rich and full.

O god, ... Now I pray

2009-09-15T07:36:00.004-05:00

Tami here:

-- I felt led to let you in on my morning prayer and meditation time -- it's not something I generally share here and yet it is such a part of my life, and this particular Psalm is really speaking to me, and I am trying to listen.

I have been meditating with the Psalms/Now modern paraphrase translation of the Psalms by Leslie F. Brandt for several months now, and this week I have been reading Psalm 119 (Psalms Now link to Amazon)

Parts of Psalm 119
(paraphrase, emphasis mine)

Now I pray for the wisdom to discern your will
and the grace to carry it out
in the difficult days before me.
You have shown me how much you love me, Lord;
now show me how to love You.
Your standards for me are clear.
I am to translate Your love into terms
that others can comprehend,
to demonstrate it before my fellow beings.
I can truly love You only as I proceed
to love Your children in this world,
I can serve You only as I commit my life to service
on behalf of my brothers and sisters.
I can offer sacrifices to You only as
I sacrifice to meet my neighbor's need.
This is Your law and standard,
Your design and will for my life.
This is the way in which I will be pleasing to You.

I do love You, O God,
and Your will for me is the delight of my heart.
I have a sincere love for many people
who cross my path,
and I rejoice in the privilege of serving them.
And yet, O Lord, there are so many people
whom I do not love.
The demons of bigotry and apathy,
jealousy and selfishness,
plague my soul and numb my sensitivities.
They stay my hand from reaching out
to help others.
I sin against You when I sin against them,
and I need to be restored and renewed
by Your loving touch.

How I praise You, O Lord,
because You love me even when I fail
to respond in loving obedience!
Whereas I cannot comprehend You,
you do understand me,
and You continue to hold me
within Your loving embrace.
While I fall short of my sincere intentions
to abide within Your will for me,
Your promises are eternally secure,
and You tenderly and patiently
rekindle the fires within me and empower me
to do that which I cannot do by myself.

I love You, O God,
and I gladly accept Your will and purpose
for my life.
Now bless me and guide me
and grant me the grace
to walk within Your will and purpose
and have the joy of knowing
that I am pleasing to You.

~~~~~~~~~~
To everyone reading, thank you, and thank you for your continued prayer for my discernment and clarity for all of us along our journey.
Love and belief,
Tami

Sit-com Saturday (by Shawn)

2009-08-04T16:19:00.004-05:00

Shawn here. It started out normally enough. After lazily puttering around the house for awhile Saturday morning, Nessa and I were going to run some errands. First stop: the video store to return some DVDs. It was 20 feet from the door to the drop slot—15 seconds, max. I left Nessa in the running car and put the DVDs in the slot. When I got back to the car I pulled on the door handle and almost strained my arm.

The car door wouldn’t open.

I looked at the door with what I’m sure was a very stupid expression on my face, absolutely befuddled. It took a couple of seconds of staring at the door in disbelief for it to register that the door was indeed locked. That all of the car doors were locked.

With Nessa inside, strapped in her car seat.

OK, don’t panic. It’s not that hot out, the car’s running, the air-conditioning is on, Nessa will be fine. Tami’s home, and hopefully out of the shower by now. I’ll call her.

“Hi sweetie. I’m at Family Video, and I managed to lock Nessa in the car with it running. I need you to please bring the other van key here so I can unlock the car.” Tami laughed and said that she would be there as soon as she could.

Now I had to explain to Nessa what had happened. I told her, and told her that Mommy was coming. Nessa could hear me through the window, but between her soft voice and all the road noise, I couldn’t hear her very well. To pass the time, I started making faces through the window, playing hide-and-seek, and walking around the car.

Maybe the rear door is unlocked! Ooof...no, of course it isn’t, doofus.

I briefly contemplated trying to explain to Nessa how to unbuckle herself from her car seat, but between not being sure if she could exert enough pressure to undo the buckles, the problems hearing her through the window, and the fact that I wasn’t sure I really wanted her to know how to unbuckle herself, I decided against that. So I kept trying to amuse Nessa and talking to her through the window.

Soon enough Tami pulled up in our other car, but just as she got to me I saw her eyes close briefly and her shoulders slump. I walked up to the car.

“You forgot the van key, didn’t you?”

“Yes. Never chastise your spouse too much, even in your head, ‘cause it’ll come back to bite you in the butt.”

We talked a bit more, and then Tami pulled away to go back and get the other van key. I had to explain things to Nessa, so I went over to the van.

“Mommy had to go back home, sweet girl. She forgot the other key to the van, and has to go get it.”

At which point my four year-old daughter, with perfect timing, assumed an incredulous expression … which very clearly said “You’re kidding me—and I’m related to these people?” … and dropped her face into her left hand with a loud smack.

Cue laugh track.

A little gift for me (via Nessa) on the anniversary of the day I became a mother (by Tami)

2009-07-16T22:37:00.006-05:00

Tami Here

Today is Megan's Birthday, but I'm not really writing about that (it would change the focus too much ... but it was a great day in celebration of a GREAT young lady (12!)). However, it was because it was Megan's birthday that Nessa and I were cleaning and then decorating, etc. -- "to get ready for the party." Which really wasn't much of a party except that to a 4-year-old if you have cake and presents, then you have a party. And if you are the mom of a 4-year-old you discover that for a 4-year-old cleaning for a party can be much more appealing than cleaning or doing "chores" at any other time.

So, to set the stage --

Nessa and I worked really well together this morning after I explained how we were getting ready for a party that would happen later in the day after we picked up Megan from her Dad's house at 5 p.m. In fact Nessa was just a total pleasure to work with during most of the day. And it was all that much sweeter because the morning started out a bit rough with Nessa waking us up at 4 a.m., not going back to sleep, and then not being very cooperative through the beginning of the morning ... thankfully when I focused and restarted the day, she seemed to as well.

While getting ready we talked about how it was Megan's birthday and a day to celebrate Megan. Nessa never complained about it not being her own birthday, but did note it briefly. Mostly we were simply very excited about showing Megan how excited we were to celebrate her birthday.

At one point I hugged Nessa and told her what a great helper she was being and how much fun I was having with her as we were getting things ready for Megan to come home. Nessa smiled back and said something I don't even remember, and I hugged her again and went on to tell her how very thankful I am that God blessed me with her.

Nessa rarely misses a beat when I tell her such things. She shows that her mind is always putting things together and processing things we say -- often more than we process them before saying them!

And this time was no different and I could tell those wheels were turning as she started talking, but I was not ready for what she said.

She said, "yeah ... because if you didn't have me, you wouldn't have three girls." [emphasis mine]

I just hugged her and agreed with her, and said that each of my three girls were so special in their own unique ways.

Some of you reading this likely are already crying with me. Others may not understand it at all, so I'll explain just a bit of the whirlwind that goes through my mind when Nessa counts herself among my THREE daughters.

In some ways it is like anyone else remembering that I have 3 girls rather than only the 2 they can see all the time. But then it is so much more than that because Nessa only knows Emily though us. Unlike Megan, Nessa did not go through the experience of Emily's death at all. It is a past that she really does not share. And yet at only 4 years old she has been able to process that she does indeed have another sister.

I guess it was even more profound to me because I have never really heard Nessa mention Emily or refer to her in any way on her own initiative (without us talking about Emily first). So knowing that she does know and remember on her own was really meaningful to me. It was a huge gift on such an important and meaningful day -- the anniversary of the day I became a mother!

At least I'm not the Crazy One! ... So says Nessa (Written by Tami)

2009-07-15T17:06:00.005-05:00

Tami Here:

So today Nessa and I decided to get some groceries after her Allergy Associates apt. (all went well there). First I decided to brave the eating out while Gluten Free challenge and took Nessa to Culver's in Onalaska again since she had such a great time last time (it has been literally months and months since we had gone any place close to fast food). So after enjoying our meal there (GREAT customer service once again -- Nessa had a hamburger w/out bun, applessauce and a lemon ice cooler -- so not only GF but also GFCF), I was telling Nessa what stores we were going to go to next.

Nessa was listening carefully and said, "we're going to THREE grocery stores!"

I responded with "yeah, your mom is CRAZY."

(This is how I really felt because going to multiple stores is SO not me. But I wanted specific GF items from Festival Foods, fruit on sale at Aldi's and Woodman's to get some special raw honey that I LOVE...thankfully Festival had that same honey so I lucked out and we only had to go to two stores...still pushing it for me in one day LOL).

Nessa didn't miss a beat in replying though, "Mom, you're NOT Crazy...kinda funny sometimes, but not crazy."

Brief pause.

"Daddy is CRAZY."

Analayze that!

2009-06-29T17:57:00.004-05:00

Tami here:

I know I owe you all tons of pics and regular updates but here is a tidbit I didn't want to forget, so I'm blogging it quickly. :-)

Today Nessa was painting, and I have been trying to ask more open-ended questions and also make fewer comments such as "good job", "well done", and so on. Rather I want to hear more about what is going on for her as she creates art. Only sometimes I forget that I'm asking questions to a 4-year-old. and sometimes I'm not specific enough, and sometimes both of these things happen at the same time. This is an example of what happens when I forget this --

Me: "how did you feel while painting it?"

Nessa: After a long pause "Well, when I was painting it, I touched the paint and it was wet, ... and the dry ones felt kind of powdery, and ... (as she touches the nearby painting she did earlier) when they are done but not quite dry they are kind of sticky."

And of course she was dead serious answering my question, and I couldn't help breaking out in laughter. I mean that long pause had me thinking she was actually going to tell me that she felt happy while painting it or something. :-)

The Many Faces of Fred

2009-05-26T13:33:00.002-05:00

Shawn here. Fred is a very versatile guy at our house. I’ve been calling Nessa “Fred” at times for a couple of years now, often when I go into her room in the morning:

“Who’s this?”
“It’s your daughter.”
“Oh! Hi Fred!”
“No, your daughter Nessa Rose Brooks!” (usually said with a giggle, unless Daddy has bad timing or pushes it too far)

Nessa started taking allergy drops a year ago, and we need to count after placing a drop in her mouth. I soon changed the numbers to be:

“One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, Fred, ten”

This can be expanded if you need to count higher:

“… eighteen, nineteen, Fredteen, twenty …”
“… twenty-eight, twenty-nine, twenty-Fred, thirty …”

and so on. For a time I would count and stop at Fred, and Nessa would say “Tehh!” (“ten” without the “n” sound because she isn’t supposed to close her mouth or swallow), but that seems to have gone by the wayside.

This has been around long enough to become a running gag. Tami counts with Fred as well, and when she received her Garmin runner’s watch she named her virtual running partner Fred, because his pace is between nine and ten minutes. :-)

Recently, Nessa decided that Fred belongs between eleven and twelve. So now when I count, the conversation usually goes something like:

“No, Daddy! Fred comes after eleven.”
“Noooh--it comes after nine!”
“It comes after eleven. You can’t just move Fred!”

Notice that I’m the one who’s moving Fred. I guess that’s a measure of my success in introducing Fred as a number. Perhaps I can use Fred to teach Nessa base eleven arithmetic in a few years.

Beautiful Megan

2009-05-12T17:45:00.001-05:00

I just want to quickly share this great pic I found when going through the pics on Shawn's phone. It's from Christmastime (see the tree coming out of her head). What a fantastic smile!!!

Ack, what am I going to do when the boys actually start paying attention?!? (middle school boys apparantly don't do that yet thankfully!)

~Tami

Morning Musings

2009-04-29T14:01:00.002-05:00

Shawn here:

I realize that Sesame Street evolves to stay somewhat current, but this morning I heard a Muppet doing a hip-hop song about a letter (I think). That was just a little too surreal for my sleep-deprived state.

Later, I was nodding off a bit while watching Sleeping Beauty with Nessa. When it got to the point where the three fairies put everyone in the castle to sleep, Nessa turned to me and said "You're not supposed to sleep, Daddy."

I could be imagining it, but it seems like Nessa's voice has changed since having her tonsils out. It seems a bit higher pitched, but clearer and more defined. It will be interesting to see if it stays that way.

Nessa has finally started drinking more and eating some today, for which we are grateful. She is also exhibiting some typical Nessa behaviors again. It is obvious that she doesn't have as much energy as usual, which is most evidenced by the fact that she doesn't fight taking naps or going to bed at night. In true Nessa fashion, she hasn't touched any of the popsicles Tami made for her recovery. Maybe tomorrow...

Alarm 4, Tonsils & Adenoids 0

2009-04-27T18:37:00.004-05:00

Shawn here:

The day started at 4(:15) AM today. We had to get up early to take Nessa in to have her tonsils and adenoids removed.

Nessa has always been a restless sleeper with light snoring, and some research led Tami to suspect childhood sleep apnea. The only procedure to treat childhood SA is having the tonsils and adenoids removed (with a 95+% success rate), so we made an appointment to have Nessa examined. One quick look and the ENT doctor said "Yup, those are impressive. I can see where they'd cause sleep issues." So we scheduled a tonsillectomy, and today was the day.

Nessa was the first patient of the day, so we had to be there at 5:45. We just left Nessa in her jammies, bundled her in the car, and off we went. When we got there, Nessa got to put on the tiger jammies they showed her during our tour last week, and then she played while everyone talked to Mom and Dad. Nessa was very good and attentive during the pre-op stuff, although she did not like the medicine they gave her to make her drowsy. It also made her loopy, and she was pulling her surgery hat down over her face.

Our associate pastor came in and stayed with us during the pre-op routine, and when we had a moment said a wonderful prayer pitched right at Nessa's level of understanding. I got to accompany Nessa into the OR, just like in Rochester, and stay until she was under. That was not as wrenching this time as a year ago, but I still recommend avoiding seeing your child placed under general anesthesia if possible.

The doctor came out about half an hour later and told us that everything had gone fine. Nessa was in the recovery room for another 30-35 minutes before they paged us, so it was about 8:15 when we got to go back into the private post-op room. That's when the adventure started. Nessa was not happy about how much her throat hurt, and she did not want anything to drink or suck on. She cried her "I'm hurt" cry and pulled in on herself, making it hard to comfort or talk to her. Finally Tami got into the bed and held her, and I sang all of Nessa's old favorites to calm her down as I did when she was little. The combination of the two seemed to work, and Nessa fell asleep. Apparently I was singing a little louder than I realized, because when the nurse came back and saw Nessa asleep she said it must have been the wonderful singing that did it.

Nessa slept fitfully, waking up and crying every so often, refusing all liquids and popsicles, and then falling asleep again. At that point she sounded just like a percolator. (Yes, I'm old.) Every so often the oxygen monitor would go off, so after a time the nurse hooked up a hose and funnel that blew air past Nessa's face (much like my CPAP, but without a mask). That worked when Nessa was asleep, but it kept waking her up and she didn't like it when awake, so it was a bit of a battle for Tami, who was holding Nessa all this time. I was out of the room for part of this, getting some breakfast, making phone calls, and so on. At one point Nessa was awake long enough that we tried putting a movie in, but as soon as it got started she fell asleep again.

The nurse was getting a little worried that Nessa wouldn't drink anything or have a popsicle, and at 10:30 it was time to give Nessa more Tylenol. Nessa wasn't having anything to do with taking Tylenol orally, and after 10 minutes of trying and some increasingly agitated fussing, we gave up and let Nessa go back to sleep. A bit later the nurse came in and gave Nessa a Tylenol suppository, which went fairly easily and did not disturb Nessa. That solved that problem.

I went off again to find something for Tami to munch on and some water. We were both doing periodic Facebook updates, so some folks watched the whole drama as it played out. When I got back, Tami took off to walk around a little. The nurse came in to put a third bag of fluids on the IV. Originally they had planned to give Nessa about 1 1/2 bags, but they were worried that she wasn't getting any liquid and the anesthesiologist ordered the third bag. By this point Nessa sounded more like an electric hair clipper, and the oxygen alarm hadn't gone off in a long time. The nurse talked to the ENT doctor, and they decided that Nessa could go home about 1 PM. Finally, at around 12:30, Nessa woke up and agreed to take sips from her water bottle. That was enough to convince everyone that she could go home, and we got her out the door a little after 1:30.

We got home a little before 2 PM. Nessa seemed a little more alert, and started to watch The Little Mermaid II, but quickly fell asleep again. I went out to get more Tylenol and run a couple of other errands (including getting more movies), but when I got back Tami told me that Nessa was flatly refusing to take any liquid Tylenol. This worried us, so I took the just-purchased liquid Tylenol back and got some melt-away tablets. Nessa didn't want to take those either, but we got one into her mouth. We only wanted it on her tongue, but it went all the way down her throat. We were not her favorite people at that point.

Nessa kept sleeping, Tami kept watch, and I kept busy doing whatever else. Finally, about 6:30 PM, Nessa told us she was hungry, and she ate an ice cream bar. As I type this she has been awake for over an hour and is watching The Little Mermaid II again. We still have to figure out how to get more Tylenol into her before bed, and how to get her to drink more liquid tomorrow (the IV fluids will keep her hydrated until about noon), but she is responding like the Nessa we know and love. She's talking about what's happening in the movie, telling Tami what's going on--that's our Nessa. :-)

All in all it's been a tiring day. Tami was almost wiped out, but has come alive a little after getting something to eat and seeing Nessa revive. I'm going to crash any time now. I think it will be early to bed for everyone. We know that today will have been more than worth it in the long run, but it's scary to see your child in pain and not be able to help or comfort her. That's a pretty good definition of feeling helpless.

I want to thank everyone for the prayers, positive thoughts, and well-wishes on our behalf throughout the day. We truly felt surrounded by love and care, and Tami even said at one point that she was floating on it. It helps so much to know that others are sharing your burdens, even in a small way, and that you are not alone. Thank you.

Megan's First Communion & Seder Supper Photos

2009-04-23T16:28:00.002-05:00

Tami Here:

The Wednesday of Holy Week Megan had her official first communion along with a celebration Seder Supper. It was the first time I participated in a Seder Supper and I really appreciated the experience as it was very meaningful. I was also very excited for this milestone for Megan.

And as you can see from the photos Megan is turning into a beautiful young lady. Her poise and maturity nearly match her looks as well. ;-)

We also were able to spend some great time with my parents that day, but the photos of Megan with Grandma and Grandpa are on their camera I think so we'll have to try to get digital copies of those pictures to share.

Thankfully Megan did not inherit the "eye closing" for photos gene that my mom and I have ... Megan is much more photogenic!

Princesses on Parade

2009-04-23T16:23:00.003-05:00

Tami here:

I know you all have been wanting to see what Nessa does with her princesses, and you're especially curious about how Nessa uses the princesses when she plays with the legos. Well it's interesting to me anyway...

And actually we have pictures of the princesses in the toy tractor wagon and also in the Barbie van as well ... will have to gather those pictures and post a flickr and Facebook album. Until then, enjoy these quick photos...

Tonsilectomy Prep -- Nessa with her mask and her new teddy bear

2009-04-23T12:04:00.003-05:00

Tami here:

Nessa had her Pre-op appointment with the ENT at Gundersen who will do her surgery this coming Monday (we really like the doctor and everyone we have dealt with there through ENT), and she also had an apt. with their "Teddy Bear Care Program." We found it really helpful, and of course Nessa appreciated the stuff she got to take home!

Below she is practicing with the mask they gave her. She is to practice blowing out in it. Of course just getting used to it is the main thing I think (I hated putting a mask on when I first had surgery at 16 so I can only imagine a young child.). Then below that is her great teddy bear she also got, but Nessa did not want to actually be in the picture with the bear (this is just Nessa being Nessa). The bear often practices with the mask as well. Nessa also received a certificate with her name on it saying that she completed the program and she has been surprsingly protective of that piece of paper as well ... or at least she was in the hours after she got it.

Earth Day Lessons

2009-04-22T21:36:00.003-05:00

Tami Here:

I think both of the girls learned the lessons about how awful litter is today! It's so interesting how much easier it is for kids to understand that when they are picking up trash along the road!

I have been noticing some trash on the roadside near our house for awhile (up several blocks where there is a stretch that is close enough to the railroad tracks that there are no houses on that side of the road), but now that I often go running on that stretch of road I see it UP CLOSE. And it isn't pretty.

Every time I ran past it during the last week or so I thought, "we really should just come and pick it up." But I never scheduled a time to do it, so you know how without scheduling it, things rarely get done. Then today I was wondering what to do or say about Earth day with the girls, and of course had an ah-ha moment!

So, I sprang it on them after supper about how our family time was going to be spent picking up trash and they looked at me kind of dubious at first, but happily got things ready to go. Thankfully Shawn brought the entire roll of trash bags because I don't think I would have brought enough if it was me. I don't think I realized just how much trash there was there! We stuffed 6 large kitchen size trash bags full plus filled a large rubbermaid container that we also found along the road! And the sad thing is that there was still about another bag full in some thick underbrush near the tracks that is still left to pick up!

As a side note, it did not escape Megan's attention that most of the trash was fast food or convenience store wrappers, pop and alcohol bottles, and cigarette packaging. :-(

Nessa was very enthusiastic and very helpful until I picked up something she wanted to pick up and she melted. She was tired so eventually Shawn walked home with her while Megan and I finished. However Nessa had already picked up nearly a bag full of trash by herself and seemed happy to be doing it so I was very proud of both Nessa and Megan.

As we were finishing up Megan kept going on and on about how people could ever allow all that trash there! That is my girl. I hope she remembers and shares her lesson with others.

And my lesson -- IT WAS SO SIMPLE!

We need to do more of this. Each of us doing our little part to make the Earth a better place.

By the time we got home we were tired and dirty ... and we felt better inside than when we left.

~Tami
xoxo

This and that ... and the start of more posts

2009-04-21T23:40:00.005-05:00

Tami here, and it's late and I should be in bed so I'm sure there will be some funny typos for your enjoyment (that is why we call the blog "Unedited Us" http://brooksgroth.blogspot.com/)

I am committed to writing a blog post a day this week, and I also hope to actually get pictures posted and some other housekeeping done around here, but it's late so I'm starting slowly. :-)

Since being home I've noticed that I've started using Facebook even more as a mini blog site about what is going on around me than before, and that means it is extra easy to neglect the blog, and I apologize to our loyal blog readers for that as I do want to keep this blog up for Friends, Family, and simply as a record to us. :-)

So here are a few tidbits:

Tonight was Megan's 5th grade music concert. I didn't get a decent picture, but it was a nice concert and reminded me of my own music concerts at that age. We were also treated to recorder music at the concert, and that is something I do not remember from my own concerts.
Megan also has a Spring band concert, and I'm looking forward to hearing the difference between how the 5th grade band sounded in the fall and how they sound now.
Megan went through Gun Safety training this early Spring. It was a lot of hard work, but she studied hard and did well. She was nervous on her field day, but did great just as I knew she would!
Megan has been sucked into the Twilight books so I'll probably read at least the first one sometime soon. Megan bought the first book with some of her Christmas gift cards, and she finished reading it quite quickly. She is now nearly finished with the 2nd book.
Megan has also been keeping busy with the goats and their kids at her Dad's house. We hear stories about the kids regularly, and it sounds like Megan is having great fun taking care of them.
Megan took a babysitting class in March and is now certified, so she's looking forward to babysitting more than just her sister. I think she is going to be a GREAT babysitter, and of course I'm not biased at all. ;-)

Nessa continues to amaze us with the things she says nearly daily -- from the complex thoughts about time, emotions, numbers and more to the "where did she hear that?" moments! :-)
Nessa is really enjoying the nicer weather and often requests to go running with me. So, we run up and down the streets nearby, and of course every run is a "Ready, Set, Go" race! It is a lot of fun and I'm just tickled when she sees me running and wants to go with.
Nessa is preparing to eat more popsicles than she every imagined -- if you missed it, she is having her tonsils removed Monday April 27th. We pursued an apt. with the ENT after her 4 year old apt. due to hear continued heavy breathing, snoring, restless sleep and more recently strange sleep cycles. The ENT didn't have to look very long to let us know that Nessa's tonsils were "impressive." So, while any surgery is nerve wracking we decided that it would be best to remove them in hopes to ease these symptoms as well as avoiding future infections. (I had my tonsils removed when I was 16, and this is another genetic thing she can thank me for.) we have our pre-op apt. tomorrow as well as a tour of the surgery area that they do for kids (Teddy bear program). I will post notes on this on Monday afternoon to update everyone.
Nessa is also preparing to no longer be in daycare -- maybe just for a bit while I job search, and maybe longer than a bit ... not trying to predict this one. But I've been using this week to catch up on some things as well as allowing a good transition to Nessa being home full time by working on a schedule for us to follow, complete with lots of outings and activities ... but not over scheduled, don't worry, that just isn't me. :-) It turns out that Nessa's week of recovery from her tonsilectomy will make a nice transition to her being home. Nessa hasn't yet questioned the change, but simply seems to be accepting it.
Although I haven't blogged about it yet, Nessa did have a nice birthday as well as a nice birthday party (and mom and dad survived the 6 little girls let loose with paint too). Nessa now tells you proudly that she is 4. She also tells us often that she dreams of being a grown up so she can "drink pop and eat popcorn" ... I suppose I should let the girl have popcorn sometime. ;-) oh, she thinks she can do these things when she is 13 because that is older than Megan.
Nessa still loves her princesses, especially Ariel, and especially Ariel with legs, is her unquestioned favorite but she will watch/listen to/ play with any of them. In fact my mom nicely made Nessa a Cinderella napkin and we had to request at least one more because that was the only cloth napkin (all we use) that Nessa would use ... she now has two to take turns using -- thanks Grandma Karen!!!!

Oh, my I'm running out of steam before getting to me, and I'm thinking Shawn might have to do his own updates. ;-)

Much of my focus right now is on sticking to my running training schedule. My first goal is a 15k in Rochester in May 2nd -- Yes, I'm running this before my mom's 60th birthday party at the farm that day, so if I'm tired by 8 p.m. at the party, that is why. Then I'll continue to run, but take about 6 weeks off of really pushing the training (faster, longer, harder each week) because I'll be participating in a deep tissue detox to continue to heal. Then I'll start really training for a half marathon this Oct. in Ashland, WI with my wonderful sisters -- goign to make it a great sisters weekend too!!

I'm also volunteering at Megan's school with the Great Books program that she was asked to participate in (I thought that was great -- I remember doing it as a kid), so I'm looking forward to that starting tomorrow.

And I can't forget my wonderful Monday night women's Bible Study group. I've been privleged to lead a few sessions this year which has really helped me use all the Bibles (different versions) we're blessed to own now as well as helping me make all kinds of new discoveries as I read and research ... and best of all the actual meetings. We had a fun outing this past Monday where we went out to eat before the event we were going to and I had fun introducing some to sushi for the first time ... and I was introduced to edamame for the first time (and I think I'm hoooked!). What a great group of women ... the time together has been a special blessing this Spring.

Well, I'm sure I have forgotten many things from just March and April, but it's a start. Shawn and I continue to be thankful for our many blessings, starting with each other and continueing with all of our family and friends.

May you too experience gratitude and blessings today and always ~

Tami
xoxo

Oops...

2009-04-10T10:59:00.002-05:00

Shawn here. The fact that Tami didn't include her name in her post on getting laid off--coupled with the fact that our blog posts are automatically imported to both Shawn's and Tami's Facebook Notes, but without the author information that is at the bottom of the post on the blog--led to some well-intentioned confusion on the part of one of my Facebook friends. This person thought at first that I had been laid off, and was curious as to why I was thinking of becoming a Deaconess, since I am not female.

For the record, I (Shawn) am still employed. I am still pursuing ELCA Candidacy, but have no news to report on that front. All option-considering taking place at this point is Tami's.

Keeping my options open...

2009-04-09T13:51:00.006-05:00

The fact that it took me nearly two weeks to write this note either means that I'm very busy (true, I think) or that I'm more than a little conflicted about what to announce to the world (likely also true).

Friday March 27th I was "let go" from my position with ECi La Crosse due to a "workforce reduction." That is the official word.

I expected it to some extent. I actually expected it months ago, but then when it didn't come started to wonder when and if it would ... until Thursday when it became obvious that something was happening in my little cooperate world.

Honestly I felt relief at the moment when it happened. I didn't have to wonder if it would happen or when it would happen any longer, and I now would have time to focus on finding that new job that I had been wanting for a long time. Or, I could focus on contract work and moving toward other opportunities. (For the record, I'm keeping my options open at the moment.)

I think back to the other times that this has happened in my life (thankfully not recently), and this feels so different. Is the situation different or am I different?

People ask me how I'm doing and I quickly reply, "Great!" without even thinking about it, and then when we start talking I can see them get confused when I tell them I'm not currently employed and explain what happened. And yet so often I still really do feel great. I can only conclude that I do not identify *how I am* with my employment status. I say this while certainly understanding how being unemployed can bring a lot of stress on an individual and family.

I had been praying a lot lately about my future path (and continue to do so!). I have not yet told many people but I feel strongly about pursuing a path of serving others -- but what that path is and when I am to pursue it still has not been revealed to me. One option I am considering is becoming a Lutheran Deaconess or working in ministry in another way; however, those are opportunities primarily in the future if for no other reason than I need to continue on the discernment path, and then if I continue to feel called I must apply, and so on before beginning the education process.

Yet, in some way I know that my current situation is a part of that future path. I'm not sure how yet, but as is each leg of the journey, this is an important one.

Presently in addition to checking out contract opportunities and many local job opportunities, I am also continuing to work on various opportunities with The Raw Divas, and hope to have an ebook out soon!

I have to admit that I also hope I will be able to catch my breath a little bit and catch up with the many things I have been putting off -- from posting photos to writing elaborate personal blog posts! :-)

So stay tuned for more photos, details about Nessa's birthday, and of course our request for prayers as Nessa gets her tonsils out at the end of the month. Of course many of you that see my hurried bits and notes on Facebook already knew much of this ...

Love and belief to all -- and send any job opportunities my way. ;-)

Poetic Nessa

2009-04-08T08:19:00.003-05:00

Shawn here. While Nessa and I were playing this morning, she wanted me to keep my hand flat, so she said "Daddy, open the doors of your hand." I think that's a wonderful phrase--very poetic and beautiful. I'm going to remember it and pull it out in the future when appropriate.

To Nessa On Her 4th Birthday

2009-04-02T12:27:00.001-05:00

Four years old! Wow! It seems like just yesterday that you were only three…

It’s been another year full of changes. It might not seem to others like you’ve changed all that much: you’re only a couple of inches taller and a few pounds heavier than last April 2nd. But your mommy and I know how many things are different.

The biggest change has been your diet: with your Celiac Disease diagnosis we all had to change what we eat, but what a difference those changes have made. You don’t get sick nearly so often. You’re a picky eater like I was, so it gets tricky to feed you sometimes, but at least we know everything you eat is helping you to grow and not harming you.

Your attention span is getting longer. You can sit through an entire movie, and if you like it you can sit through the same movie over and over. When you play you can concentrate on one toy or one scenario for a long time before switching to another, especially if you’re playing by yourself. If you have several choices you like, you still want to do everything, but after sampling them all you often settle on one and stick with it for a while. Your play scenarios are getting more elaborate, and you’ve started adding things from movies you’ve seen and stories you’ve heard. I love to listen to you play when you don’t know I’m doing so, and to hear the things that come out of your imagination.

You’re getting better and better with language. Although you often want to play a role and speak like you’re younger than you are, at other times you astound me with sentences you put together and the ideas you express. You have the classic four-year-old hesitation & repetition when your brain gets ahead of your ability to frame the words exactly as you want them to come out. I know I’m not as patient with that as I should be sometimes, and I’m sorry. But it’s so much fun to listen to you incorporate new thoughts and expressions into your speech.

You can do so many more things than you could a year ago: put together puzzles, write your name without help (even if the s’s often turn into z’s), color a picture using different colors in each area. You’re getting good at climbing, and are learning how to use items to help you do things. You recognize more words every month. Your mommy and I wonder when you’ll unlock the reading code and be able to read to us. You’re also starting to make up songs, much to my delight.

You’re still learning how to get a handle on your emotions, but that’s OK. It’s hard to want so much to do something and to not be able to do it. You have an independent streak a mile wide, and someday that could be a wonderful thing. You’re learning that God will listen to you when you are having trouble, and that sometimes that helps.

Your mommy and I love you so much, Nessa Rose…more and more with each passing day. Occasionally we’re wistful about days that are gone forever, but I’m so excited about the girl you’re becoming and everything that’s ahead of you that I don’t think about the past much. You are still my greatest joy and my greatest treasure. Thank you for being my little girl, and for helping your mommy to make my life rich beyond measure.

Happy 4th birthday, Nessa Rose!

Love,
Daddy

What Nessa Eats (Gluten Free menus for a PICKY 3 year old)

2009-03-03T21:10:00.004-06:00

OK, I'm going to put this here (and hence FB) for future reference. I'm writing it because I've had more than one friend ask me about this recently, and many more than that request gluten free info. So, there will likely be some additional posts after this as well.

First for your entertainment, I asked Nessa what her favorite foods are:
"Tacos and peach-strawberry smoothies"

She was eating Tacos at the time and I have no idea about the Peach Strawberry smoothies except that I have NEVER made her own ... but I will be Thursday as I told her we could have them when Shawn is gone on Thursday.

So, Shawn said, "what about Pizza and hamburgers?"
Nessa: "OK, I like tacos, pepperoni pizza, peach-strawberry smoothies ... AND THAT IS IT"

Well, we know that she eats other things but she really does LOVE tacos lately -- and that would be the wonderful hard shell corn tortillas like I grew up with (memories!) or soft corn tortilla wraps (recently discovered the sprouted ones by Food for Life and we all LOVE those because they simply taste wonderful, yes even I eat them).

I then asked Nessa about Breakfast, and she said "cereal." Well, that has been her favorite lately. Mostly Enviro Kids ones, but also Erwhon rice krispie like cereal (be careful both companies have both gluten free and non gluten free cereals). There are also a number of other GF cereals available at all of the grocery stores around here, but those are the main kinds we get. And we're kind of happy Nessa is finally eating all the cereal we bought awhile ago as otherwise she was on a GF waffle a day kick (Van's all natural). She also eats her toast w/ peanut butter (or sunflower butter as is the case currently) and/or jelly (usually simple Kinnikinnick bread straight from freezer to toaster). And sometimes I get her to drink a green smoothie (gasp).

Her favorite packaged snacks right now are the following:

Smoreables from Kinniknnick We only found these recently and boy are we happy to have found a gluten free graham cracker!
Glutino pretzels
Jennies Macaroons
Fruit Leathers (the organic ones at the co-op can't think of the name ... need to make more of these homemade)
Edy's frozen fruit bars
Enviro Kids "granola bars" really cereal bars ... and really any GF of these types of bars but the EnviroKids is what we get the most of and she is usually only allowed to have them when we're "on the road."

Remember Nessa is also Dairy/Casein free right now too ... so no more yummy cheese crackers (at least not until Enjoy Life food comes out with some like I've heard rumours of), but for those of you that do not have that worry, you may get addicted to the Cheddar Cheese Almond Nut Thins!!

Snack cracker I most like Nessa to have (other than those I make in the dehydrator with flax and other seeds and veggies): Mary's Gone Crackers (and yes she likes them as do most people that try them).

Favorite non-packaged snacks:

bananas
smoothies
ham! (that kid will eat Beeler's ham almost any time we will let her)
my homemade granola (this is new so we'll see if it lasts)
grapes
raisins (could be considered packaged I guess, but naturally GF)
applesauce

MENU for the WEEK (compliments of daycare)
Monday
Breakfast-- Kinninnick English Muffins, apples, Vanilla Rice Milk
Lunch -- Pizza on GF crust, broccoli, pineapple, Vanilla Rice Milk (I'm not saying she eats all of it)
Snack -- GF crackers, juice

Tuesday
Breakfast -- Toast (Kinninick), pineapple, vanilla milk
Lunch -- Tator Tots and hamburger, green beans, applesauce, vanilla milk
Snack -- GF bread sticks (glutino ?) w/ dipping sauce, juice

Wednesday
Breakfast -- GF waffles, mixed fruit, vanilla milk
Lunch -- Peanut Butter sandwich, french fries (few different GF brands, including specific ore-ida ones such as Ore-Ida Golden (Crinkle, Fries), peas, pears, vanilla milk (note, if PB and fries seems odd it's because most of the other kids were having chicken patties, we told them it was OK to substitute PB sometimes like that ... she likes it better anyway I bet)
Snack -- GF graham crackers (Smoreables by Kinninnick)

Thursday
Breakfast -- GF cereal, bananas, vanilla milk
Lunch -- GF noodles (rice pasta) and sauce, mixed veggies, peaches, vanilla milk
Snack -- rice cakes, juice

Friday
Breakfast -- GF muffins (?? there are a variety of mixes this my have been another kinninnick one as most of the special daycare items are), peaches, and vanilla milk
Lunch -- Tacos, Mexican rice, corn, mixed fruit, vanilla milk
Snack -- jello, bananas, and juice

Favorite Suppers and other
Well, you've already heard she loves tacos and pizza. We do tacos at least once a week now, and pizza not quite that often (she uses the only GFCF cheese we can find here -- Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet). We also do A LOT of "Hamburgers and Fries" (often actually buffalo meat) and we do it with our own potatoes cut in wedges in the oven mostly. Sometimes if I'm cooking I'll do meatloaf (Shawn doesn't like it but Megan requests it) and I love that because then I can hid veggies in it!. We also do chicken in a number of ways but mostly Nessa only wants to eat the PLAIN chicken breast so if there are any "green things" or fancy sauces we cook hers separately or pick them off (I told her that her uncle Scott had to pick his own green things off when he was a kid!). And we do all sorts of potatoes from scratch with the chicken as well as rice or other GF grain dishes like quinoa. Recently I made a dish that Megan and Shawn loved so we'll do it again -- just chop chicken breasts into cubes, potatoes into cubes, (and sweet potatoes into cubes), and put some garlic, rosemary and olive oil to coat them and put in baking dish and bake all together ... I think that will become a standard one). We also do A LOT of spaghetti but most of the time Nessa just wants naked noodles anyway which makes no sense since she loves pizza sauce to dip things in otherwise. She also loves ketchup (Annies' Organics but Heinz is GF if you don't mind High Fructose Corn Syrup). GF pasta is more expensive than regular pasta but we still do it at least once a week. And there is always the Beeler's ham when it's just the two of us and I have a salad (might get her to eat some carrot sticks and applesauce with her ham). :-)

On weekends Nessa eats a lot of eggs and hash browns (homemade). We used to make a lot of Buckwheat pancakes back when I was eating pancakes but I can't remember the last time we made pancakes or waffles homemade since I stopped eating them.

I'm sure I'll think of more later .... I do have a few recipes I need to post in the next few days too ... like the Millet squares that everyone likes so much.

~Tami

P.S. I'm trying to gather a good list of resources to pass on to others so if you're gluten free and reading this, please comment with your favorite one or two resources (sites, blogs, etc.) as well as any of your own favorite foods!

Also, I can't believe it's been 2 weeks since we last posted ... that is what happens when deadlines hit at work! I hope to make up for it this weekend!

Yup, She's My Daughter

2009-02-13T21:42:00.002-06:00

Shawn here. Yesterday I was helping Nessa get dressed, and we had a little disagreement about who should move so we'd be closer. I meant to say "You should move because you're the young person," but I actually said "You should move since you're the young girl." Nessa picked up on that immediately, saying "I can't be the young girl, because you're a boy." I was flabbergasted. It was impressive enough to realize she was capable of advanced relational reasoning at age three, but given how often her words get away from her, it was even more impressive that she expressed her understanding so succinctly.

And yes, she's excellent at splitting hairs. Her Grandma Jan will tell you she gets that from her Dad...

Sweet Dreams

2009-02-13T21:10:00.001-06:00

Remember how I said that sleeping children are one of God's secret weapons? That weapon has extra powers when the parents have been away for a few hours ...

Saturday night when we came home from the theatre, I went to check on Nessa and found her sleeping so sweetly I had to take pictures ... or at least try (bad camera for taking night pics)

Notice the little "breathe right" strip? I bought them in desperation when she was having a hard time breathing at night last week. Of course in true Nessa fashion she now wants to wear one every night! Of course she only wants the green ones!

Look on the headboard and you'll see the entire lineup of what Nessa is now using most nights out of ritual ... the breath right strips, some rescue remedy, some "mellow" essential oil (lavender and sandlewood I think), and some saline spray. Now if only our sweet girl could be as obsessive about teeth brushing and saying prayers!

Commentary or just a tired girl?

2009-02-09T20:58:00.004-06:00

So tonight Shawn is working late and I opted to let Nessa stay up to "watch" the President's Press Conference with me. I hyped it up by saying we could eat some banana ice cream while we watched and we could snuggle up in our jammies ahead of time. Well, Nessa opted not to put her jammies on (well, she had her nightgown on only to her wait over her jeans), but she sure remembered the icecream part...and then we settled in to watch...

... apparently President Obama talking about economics isn't as exciting as hearing him talk while on the campaign trail (oh, wait Megan fell asleep during a debate I let her stay up and watch ... never mind).

The best time to take pictures of Nessa is when she is sleeping though, so of coruse I did! Do you love the headband? I can't even remember where it first came from, but I've had it for years and mainly use it in my stash to keep my hair out of my face while washing my face. Nessa has decided that it is her headband now and wears it as often as possible, and of course she puts it on by herself. It's SO cute!

I had asked her to lay next to me (I was sitting right next to her), and she just looked at me sweetly and explained that she WAS laying next to me. So I had to specifically ask her to lay her head on my shouldar or lap ... she declined, and that is SO Nessa.

By the way I think that the fact that even older children are adorable when sleeping (babies are a given) is God's secret weapon in assuring that the next generation survive. :-)

I just LOVE that sweet little hand!

Christmas Thank You Shout-Outs ... part two of many (Heidi, Ben, Jake and/or Marcus)

2009-02-09T11:45:00.001-06:00

Tami here with more Christmas Thank You Shout Outs --

These were the great gifts that Nessa received as part of the gift exchange the cousins do on the Groth side...but I can't remember which one of Heidi's boys actually had Nessa's name (oops). Either way it was a great and much-appreciated gift -- THANK YOU!

Curious George is still a favorite, so this new book was especially appreciated!

And if you look closely you can see Nessa holding the great clothes that were also part of this wonderful gift. I'm sure if you look at our photo stream over the winter you'll see Nessa wearing this great shirts A LOT. She loves them and likes to wear them a lot.

Below is a picture of Nessa wearing the flower shirt on Christmas ... after a big day at the zoo she ended up falling asleep in the chair while watching a video ... sadly the great flower shirt doesn't always have such magical powers. :-)

Christmas Thank You Shout-Outs ... part two of many (Grandma and Grandpa Groth)

2009-02-09T11:33:00.002-06:00

Don't let the cheesy smile fool you, Nessa LOVES her Cinderella sweatshirt! Nessa has been wearing her sweatshirt(s) from Grandma Karen nearly every day this winter!

And here is Nessa holding tight to all her goodies stashed in the great Toy bags Grandma found!

Of course this post would not be complete without an official thank you to Grandpa and Grandma Groth for ALL of the wonderful gifts we received at Christmas (whether they were Christmas gifts or not) -- from little things like the great scarf to the BIG things like the WONDERFUL time spent in the timeshare in Brownsville. And while there aren't great photos to share, Megan LOVED her gift cards too (So far we've had one awesome night at Barnes and Noble and many hours since then watching videos and reading books that she got that night.)

THANK YOU!

~Tami (and family) :-)

New Years 2009

2009-02-08T07:08:00.000-06:00

After returning from our Texas trip we were tired, but not too tired to make it to the Big Event La Crosse New Years Party (at Logan this year). It was a blast, and it was made even more fun by being joined by good friends. :-)

Below is a pic of all the kids after we got home that night.

Nessa had so much at the craft tables at the New Years event that she decided (with mom's help) that she would have a "Craft" birthday party this year. In fact she'll be having her first birthday party in a few years, and her first ever kids birthday party. And mom is a little worried at how fast that date will be coming up ... wow, Nessa is almost 4!!!

Christmas Day 2008: Brownsville Zoo

2009-02-07T22:21:00.001-06:00

So have we told you all where we were on Christmas? ;-) Now that I'm finally getting my pictures uploaded from the various cameras to my computer and various websites (check Flickr for more pics), I thought I should remind you that Christmas Day for us was gloriously sunny, and yes the girls were able to wear shorts on Christmas.

We spent the day at the Brownsville zoo, and it was great fun, and simply a joy to be outside in the sunshine. :-) Below are Nessa and Max -- first in the baby animal area and then stopping for a moment to pose for us.
~Tami

Top Ten Reasons You Should Join Us on Facebook

2009-02-07T16:50:00.000-06:00

Tami here, just having a little fun...

10. You can see pictures of us in our pajamas (Christmas Eve / Christmas Day album I just uploaded)

9. Shawn and I average a half a dozen updates between us on Facebook ... unfortunately our blog update ratio is more than a bit lower than that.

8. If your friends with the right people you can observe Shawn securing babysitting services via Facebook. ;-)

7. You can learn all about my food and exercise habits by watching what I do in Facebook

6. I almost always upload more photos and faster to Facebook than anywhere else, and more importantly I add notes/descriptions to them!

5. If you observe carefully you can watch Shawn and I flirt like school kids ... it's rather sickening I'm sure.

4. You can see what groups we join and what causes we care about.

3. You can read all of our blog posts as notes right in Facebook (both Shawn and I import these blog posts into our notes)

2. You can chat with us on Facebook's Instant Messenger feature.

1. We want to see and hear all about YOU!!!! :-) (If you don't know the slightest thing about FB but are interested, you can even ask us to help you get started. It's really easy, seriously.)

P.S. If you are only Shawn's friend, and can't see all of those wonderful pics I upload, well I'm sure you can fix that! Need help finding us on facebook -- start with my profile here: http://profile.to/tamigroth ... oh and if you're on twitter you can connect with me there too: http://twitter.com/tamigroth

Christmas season 2008 flashback

2009-02-07T12:41:00.000-06:00

I don't think I shared this picture of Nessa from when we were ringing bells at the nearby Shopko for the Salvation Army. I want to be sure to share is because it was a very nice couple of hours and It hink it was good for Nessa too. I had been thinking about contacting teh Salvation Army when our church facilitated us with a sign up sheet. I think Nessa was our secret weapon even when she wasn't wearing the apron as she would smile and look as the money went in teh bucket and then the person would often reach in to their wallet and take out another dollar and ask Nessa if she wanted to put in in the bucket -- and of course she did. :-)

Creative use for Fruits and Vegetables ... or, Fun in the Snow

2009-02-07T09:22:00.007-06:00

This is Nessa's snowman from last weekend! Nessa had help from a certain wonderful Daddy, but I believe that she was the creative force behind the development of this unique little snow person.

Wondering what is making such a cheery smile on the adorable snowman? That would be a slice of red pepper! Two grapes for eyes and a carrot nose complete the look...oh and one of Megan's old hats. :-)

Nessa and Daddy had a great time out in the snow last weekend. Due to the extreme cold this winter it was actually the first time Nessa was able to just go play in the snow in our yard. It seems to be a winter of extremes in some ways as we'll be outside again this weekend as the snow melts -- either it has been too cold to be outside or it's warm enough to start melting things into a sloppy mess. Well, hopefully we'll get at least a little sledding time in yet this winter.

~Tami

Future Diva?

2009-02-01T22:26:00.006-06:00

Honestly, I'm not sure what to think of Nessa's way of dressing up with all of the dress up clothes at ONE time. Well, OK we actually have more dress up clothes than these, but that was my first thought when I saw Nessa -- "she put them ALL on" LOL.

You can see more of Nessa's dress up photo session as well as many more photos now on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brooksgroth/ But as of tonight I have not edited or made comments on of the pics I uploaded (all from my phone in Dec/Jan) because something is making doing such things on flickr right now REALLY slow. I hope to add photos from the other camera as well as add notes, etc. sometime this week. Oh, and I didn't delete anything, but just uploaded it all so you'll see the good, the bad, the ugly ... and ... food that I took pics of for one of my food blogs. :-)

We enjoyed a warm weekend here in La Crosse and are hoping for another one next weekend. We only managed a small snowman though because the snow didn't cooperate much with making snowmen. It sure felt good to get outside though - I even went running outside AND I liked it LOL ... it's amazing and wonderful.

Until later -- xoxo
~Tami

My Deepest Apologies!

2009-01-31T17:21:00.005-06:00

No, I'm not apologizing because it has been nearly a month since we have posted here although there should be many more posts coming soon (assuming normal bed time routines continue!). No, I'm apologizing because I've been neglectful in spreading the word about the new Ecopolitan website, and an exciting new program the Ecopolitan's Dr. T has teamed up with the Raw Divas to do -- a professional 90 Day Detox!

See so many of you -- lots of online and real life friends and acquaintances have been asking me for recipes and nutritional information. And that is GREAT. I LOVE and feel honored to help out as I'm able to, including sharing recipes and ideas. In fact I'm excited to start doing more in-person "Green Smoothie Parties" soon too ... what could be more fun that nourishing our bodies while also nourishing our social selves?!?

However, because I didn't want to be pushy I always held back and didn't push many of the programs (except for maybe the many awesome free programs and information), and honestly I figured people might be scared of the term "detox." If you are like I was 6 months ago you may think that term should be reserved for those dealing with street drug withdrawal or something else similar ... however, sadly anyone eating anything close to a standard American diet (SAD) or exposed to environmental chemicals (we all are), is carrying a high toxin load in their bodies.

The results of such toxins can be as "harmless" as extra weight in order for our wonderfully smart bodies to store the toxins or it can be much worse -- all kinds of chronic and degenerative illnesses can be related to these toxins (please, go read at the links and the blog entries -- and listen to the audio Q&A here http://tinyurl.com/bs97rz and if you have more questions, leave comments on the blog there).

I have learned much of this through the last 6 months, but I still didn't think I was ready for a professional deep tissue detox ... and then I listened to the Q&A with Dr. T and Tera, and now I know that I am ready. I'm not scared or nervous, and I realize to really regain my health I need to follow a doctor-advised professional program.

So, what about the cost??? I suggest you compare it to other things you have done in your life, especially health care related, or that you are willing to do in your life. Or if you are just focusing on weight loss, compare it to the many programs available for weight loss and what they charge. I have a feeling that will put the cost in perspective.

For me the thing that immediately comes to my mind is the FIRST appointment I had with La Crosses' "Alternative Doctor" ... it was $500 when I walked out of there with a bag FULL of supplements, a few sheets advising me of what foods NOT to eat (but nothing telling me what TO eat), and of course directions to come back many times for more appointments. I spent a few hundred more dollars before giving up and moving on to another alterntaive-minded doctor in the area -- this one covered by insurance so co-pays were only $15 but I had so many appointments that I'm sure it was easily $300 before I quite seeing that doctor after very little change in my condition and many lost hours to me in over a YEAR's time. And of course many of the therapies were not covered by insurance -- Acupuncture alone cost me several hundred dollars, and I was also still on a number of supplements and prescriptions. Heck even the FREE info from the Raw Divas and Ecopolitan (and many other sites I will link to this week from my Learningtoeat.wordpress.com blog), helped me more than all of those expensive therapies!

So, yes, that put the cost in perspective for me!

And with the results of only changing my diet, why should I be shy about letting you all know about how you can find results even faster and with more assitance than I did!

I thank God daily for the abundance of REAL FRESH food He provides ... AND I thank him for the Raw Divas (there is an entire sisterhood) and other knowledgable and encouraging friends I have found along the way!

And again I'm sorry that I didn't let you all know about this as soon as I found out! The official deadline for signing up for this LIVE version of the 90 day detox is February 1st!!! However, I think I could twist Tera's arm to let you still join on day 2, 3 or maybe even 4. ;-)

If now isn't the right time for you, then listen to the Q&A anyway so you have the info for when you ARE ready. And then sign up for the FREE 7 day detox ... Green Smoothie Challenge ... or just join in the blog or twitter chatter! :-)

To your health!
~Tami

P.S. There really will be more blog posts all around soon ... Love you all xoxo

I Thought They Were Tough

2009-01-04T18:34:00.003-06:00

Shawn here with another episode of "Overheard."

Nessa, watching a football player place a mouthguard hanging from his face mask into his mouth: "Why is that player using a pacie? Pacies are for babies!"

A Few Christmas Eve Pictures

2009-01-02T23:19:00.004-06:00

Here is Megan right before going to bed on Christmas Eve. She put out a plate of Gluten Free Cookies, a glass of fresh Texas Orange Juice, and a glass of rice milk. Nessa insisted on the rice milk. I think Santa really appreciated the refreshing fresh orange juice.

Megan took this one when I wasn't paying attention:

The following pictures are from right after we returned home from church on Christmas Eve. We found a wonderful Methodist Church in Brownsville to attend while we were there, and we enjoyed the service that night with all of the singing.

As you can see we took our stockings with us to Texas and even managed to hang them above the fireplace at the timeshare. :-)

Home Sweet Home

2009-01-02T23:11:00.002-06:00

OK, so I'm a little late on this. I guess I'm used to keeping everyone up-to-date via text messages and facebook/twitter updates! So, for those of you not yet joining us on those pages, please do. :-)

For everyone else, and for the record -- we arrived home on Tuesday afternoon about 3 p.m. and were able to get in the house about 3:30 after Shawn cleared the driveway a bit! We got a little snow while we were gone (sorry, no photo of that this year). The weather this morning said we're way ahead of snow fall for the season so far and had the 4th snowiest December on record. This makes me especially glad to have missed some of it!

I have to tell you that I miss the warm weather of Texas. I don't know what other warm-weather spots are like this time of year, but even with their "unseasonably cool" weather, I could get used to Texas weather in the winter and now totally get why there are over a million Winter Texans "in the valley." :-)

By the numbers:
14 days,
3454.2 miles, and
67 hours 32 minutes driving (includes all miles/driving time in Brownsville area)

See all those little tracking numbers in the mini-van are good for something!

I have to admit that we were all getting a bit stir crazy by the time we arrived home. We learned a lot about traveling during the trip, and in general I really enjoyed it and think it went well. One of the biggest things I learned about myself is that I will NOT get the zillion things done that I take with me when I have girls to interrupt me with requests every few minutes ... besides someone had to read the AAA books we took with us.

Now, it's on to posting pics and more from the trip!

Tidbits from the road

2008-12-28T21:25:00.010-06:00

Tami here.

I'm online at our hotel in Blackwell, OK doing a bit of research to plan out our trip tomorrow, and thought I would quickly share a few tidbits ... mostly Nessa humor.

Nessa about 10 minutes ago: "I'm going to work at a coffee place when I get bigger."
Me: "Nessa, do you like coffee?"
Nessa: " Well no, but when I'm older I will. And I want to work at a coffee place because it will be fun."
All of us: "Oh, OK."

This morning Nessa informed me that her name is "Fernando." She has continued to use this name, although luckily for us no longer corrected us by this afternoon when we slipped and called her "Nessa." I just asked her if she is still Fernando, and she said, "I'm going to be Fernando every day." When I asked her why she wants to be Fernando, she said "Because I want my friends to say Fernando." Shawn promptly said "because if I was only Fernando every other day, it would be too hard for my friends to remember." :-) After we laughed Nessa explained that when we were in Mexico and she was with Grandma and Max, she watched Lost in the Woods. Well, now we know where it came from. :-)

As many of you may have noticed, especially those of you on facebook or twitter*, Shawn and i have been taking advantage of our smart phones to post status updates, text message, and use GPS (some kudos to NavTel GPS for helping us find places along our route, and taking us to some awesome gluten free restaurants). So this has not gone unnoticed by Nessa (or Megan who is text messaging a lot herself these days, but does think we can become a bit addicted to facebook ... I think it's a vacation thing because it's an easy way to stay connected while away). So just now Shawn was reading a text message and after asking him about it, Nessa proclaimed, "When I'm older I want to get a text message from Aunt Jo." :-)

Other things Nessa did:

Removed all the threads from a sombrero hat pin one at a time --
"because I'm hungry" (she didn't actually eat them.
She sang "rock star larry boy" very loudly for awhile, and we let her because she was happy and not screaming like yesterday! (In fact I think this is the first day she fell asleep in the car without screaming! It was a good day indeed!)
She watched Monsters Inc about 3.5 times as the road had already lulled us into a parental stupor that influenced us to just say "sure" when she asked to watch it again and again ... besides we already have a floor full of "pretty pictures" colored by Nessa -- if you're family, there is probably more than one that Nessa designed just for you -- I hope you all don't mind if they "get lost in the mail" as I'm sure your fridge can live without a piece of paper with one sticker on it and about 4 squiggly lines and one very nicely written "N."

Seriously, we had a pretty good day driving today, and even though she isn't speaking to me at the moment (only Daddy), Nessa or er, Fernando, has been really sweet. Thank you God. :-)

Megan, has been great as well. She has been having her own movie marathon -- Princess Diaries and Cinderella Story. Megan was not feeling well when we left TX, and I was afraid we were going to have to find a clinic to do a strep test or something, but thankfully she is MUCH better now, and just sounds a bit stuffed up!!! Thank you God. :-)

Shawn has been doing an AWESOME job driving. It allows me to cater to the girls' needs as well as do just a bit of reading, looking out the window, talking to Shawn, and yes, text messaging or otherwise playing on my phone, so I really appreciate it. Thank you Shawn and Thank you God. :-)

So far no adventures or misadventures on the way home, and that is a great thing. :-)

Today we woke up to chilly weather and realized we really did have to go back to jeans and sweatshirts and put away the shorts. But the Sun did come out to play during our lunch and play time -- Shawn found us a great little park in West, TX (as Shawn pointed out it is in Central Texas). We had a great time enjoying our last picnic until summer arrives in WI, and playing on the great playground.

Unfortunately our hotel tonight doesn't have a pool. Or, rather it has a pool, but it's broken. So our plan it to get to sleep a bit earlier than we have been, get up earlish, and hit the road so we can stop along the way at some type of play spot such as a playground, zoo or library. We'll let you know what we find. :-)

Before I forget I also want to do a quick shout out to the Little Aussie Bakery and Cafe (http://www.thelittleaussiebakery.com/) in San Antonio. It's 100% Gluten Free!!!! And it made a GREAT early supper spot for us on Saturday as we started heading back North. They also had some awesome sandwich buns and cookies that we purchased to take with us on our way. The buns have been great for our barbecue pork sandwiches (or rather everyone else's sandwiches as I've been sticking to salad and fruit to keep going and healthy). And who doesn't love cookies for snack time. :-) While we were at the Little Aussie Cafe we all enjoyed yummy food too -- Nessa had GF pizza (sans cheese too but still yummy), Shawn and Megan had great sandwiches and side salad, and I had an awesome spring green salad with the BEST citrus dressing. I HIGHLY recommend the place. And the owner was great to talk to as well. :-)

OK, time to get myself ready for the challenge of getting Nessa to sleep in a hotel room.

~Tami

Howdy Y'all

2008-12-25T18:04:00.000-06:00

This is actually a picture from earlier in the week when we were still on our way down to Brownsville. It's at the Visitor's Center just inside the TX border on I35. We had a great picnic and enjoyed the first taste of Texas sun on our trip.

We've had a great time as long as we allow for both 3-year-old (and parent!) fatigue. More pictures soon.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Wishing you all peace at this time and always.

Christmas Thank You Shout-Outs ... part one of many: 2008

2008-12-14T21:02:00.003-06:00

In an effort to share with not just the giver, but with our entire community I'm going to try to share photos of our gifts in action. :-)

This is one of the wonderful shirts my sister Heidi (oop, I mean nephew Marcus (we draw names with the kids)) got for Nessa. Besides beign adorable, this shirt reminds me of some of the great shirts I had at this age. I don't know if you can see the zigzag rickrack decoration on it, but that was a classic part of my "under-6" wardrobe. :-)

Now, getting pictures of Nessa that morning was not all that easy, so the pics aren't great as the ones she actually smiled were in locations that the lighting was really, really bad in, but you get the idea. :-)

this one is Nessa tickling herself to try to get her to smile!

Christmas 2008 Photo and Letter

2008-12-13T23:16:00.003-06:00

Shawn here. Wow. Big year. Lots happened, lots has changed. I’ll only hit the highlights to keep this from being a novel. Sorry if the funny quotient is down.

Nessa turned 3 in April. Shortly after that, in the process of having her tested for allergies, we discovered that she has Celiac disease. Three trips to the Mayo Clinic, the second of which included biopsies of her small intestine (I pray you never have to watch your child go under general anesthesia), confirmed the diagnosis. Celiac is an auto-immune disorder where gluten—found in wheat, rye, and barley—attacks the small intestine and prevents it from absorbing nutrients. The only treatment is total gluten avoidance. Sadly, this is not as simple as avoiding wheat, rye or barley in the food she eats, which can be hard enough. Cross-contamination is a real problem, both in the processing of packaged items and with crumbs from the food of others. Gluten can be absorbed through the skin, and even trace amounts are enough to cause a reaction. So Nessa should not touch things with gluten in them, much less eat them. People who have touched gluten should not touch Nessa or her food. It can be a nightmare in large groups with people who aren’t aware. Fortunately, our families and Nessa’s daycare have been educating themselves, and we have a routine down for most things.

The gluten-free diet has led to a remarkable change in Nessa’s health and behavior. We can now tell when she has gotten something she shouldn’t have just based on how she acts. This has led us to eliminate dairy from her diet as well. (Celiacs often have casein intolerance as well.) When her diet is going well, we see our “sweet girl” much more often. On her good days, she can play by herself for hours, and is very imaginative. She often narrates what she is doing, so we can keep tabs on her pretty easily. Only rarely is it true that if she’s been quiet for a while it means she’s getting into trouble. Nessa loves to dance, to play with her dolls, to have tea parties, and to be read to or look at her books herself. A lifelong dream of mine was fulfilled recently when I read to Nessa from the copy of Winnie the Pooh that my parents bought for me when I was her age. She has picked up my habit of singing little improvised ditties as she goes about her day. Occasionally she will sing to me to ask me to stop singing. She has an active intelligence, asks lots of questions, and makes lots of connections. Never assume she isn’t listening, or doesn’t understand what you’re saying! She can now do 24 piece puzzles by herself, but hasn’t yet mastered her tricycle. She loves to go to the playground when the weather permits, and we are looking forward to making snowmen. Nessa went to Vacation Bible School for the first time in August and loved it. That love transferred to Sunday school when Nessa started in September.

Megan is 11 and in 5th grade, but you’d never guess it if you didn’t know her. Megan has matured and blossomed in the last year. She is a young lady now, very confident and sure of herself much of the time, and quite gracious and graceful in most situations. She has a beautiful smile and a fun sense of humor. Only occasionally does she do something that tells you she’s only 11. Megan loves school and the friends she has made there. She does well at almost every subject, but especially at math and reading. Megan started playing trumpet this year, and had her first concert this month. She went to Oregon with Tami’s parents on vacation in July and met relatives she didn’t even know she had. Megan is also a wonderful big sister. She has started teaching Nessa how to do addition, and Nessa loves playing school with Megan. It’s great to hear them laughing and giggling together. Megan also reads to Nessa, which Tami and I love to see. She is very active in 4H, and still raises goats at her dad’s house. She didn’t do as well showing her goats at the Houston County fair this year, but she learned a lot about how to do better next year. Her craft project did well again. She didn’t have any luck either turkey or deer hunting this year, but loves it and will keep trying. Megan has become a good baker, and will often make things all by herself. She also occasionally takes charge of meals for us and does most or all of the preparation herself. Megan is a joy to be around and to have around, and we always look forward to the days she is with us.

Tami is still working for ECi La Crosse as a technical writer. This fall she moved to salaried status from part-time, which was full of mixed emotions. Let’s just say that work isn’t the favorite part of Tami’s life and leave it at that. The favorite part of her life right now is probably food. After years of food issues, Tami has finally found an eating regimen that really works for her. She is at least gluten-intolerant herself, so once we started eating gluten-free around the house she started feeling better. Then her research led her to try green smoothies and a diet consisting almost exclusively of raw fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. She started this about the time we started getting the weekly box of organic Community Supported Agriculture produce, so with the aid of her new blender and food dehydrator and cookbooks she was able to spend the summer trying all sorts of raw food recipes. Tami has more energy now than she has had since she became pregnant with Nessa, and she is gradually acquiring a new wardrobe…all of her old clothes are too big. If you’re interested in learning more, check out the blog links at the end of the letter. Tami is very active at church, participating in Bible studies and occasionally helping in Nessa’s Sunday school class. She is also on the committee helping to design the new church website.

In January my company, Business Objects, was acquired by SAP, a German company that is one of the four largest software companies in the world, so I now work for a company with 50,000+ employees. It was fun to receive a formal tender offer for my shares of Business Objects stock that I had acquired through the employee purchase plan; it made me feel like a Wall Street player. Work had a lot of ups and downs this year, although currently it’s OK. I continue to be active at church, singing in the choir and lectoring regularly. I’m still on the church council, and in February I became president of the congregation. That sounds grander and more important than it really is, although it has been interesting. As president of the congregation I’m on the Admin/Exec/Finance committee, so I’m seeing all of the inner workings of the church, including a supervisory role over our church daycare, which Nessa attends. In April and May, our interim associate pastor, who didn’t sing, asked me to cantor for her on a couple of occasions. In June I was a delegate from our congregation to the synod assembly, where we elected a new bishop.

As my involvement at church has increased, my interest has increased as well. I have been feeling unfulfilled at work for a few years now, and have been searching for something to fill the empty places. In May, after I had been staring at the idea on my own for a few weeks, I turned to Tami in the car on a trip to her parents:

Shawn: Can I tell you something that may sound crazy? What would you say if I told you I was thinking about the possibility of going to seminary?

Tami: Oh my God! A week or two ago I suddenly had this vision of you as a pastor, but I said to myself “He’d never be interested in that!”

Shawn: So you’d be willing to let me explore the idea?

Tami: Yes.

I’ve been actively exploring the idea ever since, talking with my pastors and select relatives and friends. In October Tami and I visited Luther Seminary in St. Paul, and I came back convinced that I am indeed being called to be a pastor. In November we visited Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque, IA, and we came back convinced that is where we belong. I have entered the ELCA candidacy process in our synod, and hope to begin classes at Wartburg seminary in 2010, when Nessa is starting kindergarten, with the goal of becoming an ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

There are still days when I think “I can’t believe I’m doing this!”, but it’s not doubt, it’s amazement. Even a year ago I would never have predicted I would even think about seminary, much less apply. But ever since I have made my decision public I have felt a great sense of peace, greater than I have ever known. People I talk to have been very excited and supportive. There is much to accomplish before this process is complete, but we trust that, so long as I do what I need to do on my end, things will fall into place.

In August we were reminded to appreciate everything we have been given and to take nothing for granted when we were involved in a major automobile accident while heading to Rochester. Nessa and I were basically unhurt, while Tami had minor whiplash and some problems with the thumb on her right hand; Megan was not with us. As far as we know, the people in the other car sustained no serious injuries. We pray that they have made a full recovery as well. The front end of our van looked awful, but after three weeks it came out looking as good as new. I was a mental wreck for about a week, thinking about how close I had come to harming my family.

So that was our year—a whirlwind of health questions and life questions and big decisions that really all just seemed the natural thing to do at the time. We feel like we’re in a really good place right now, and hope that it will only get better. We will be having a grand adventure for Christmas, driving to Texas to spend time with my parents and my bother Kevin and his family. We plan to wear our shorts even if the temperature is only sixty. We hope that this blessed season finds you in a place of peace and love, and whatever your beliefs, we hope that the love God sent into the world through his son Jesus Christ will find an expression in your life, and that you may know the joy and comfort of friends and family.

God’s peace be with you.

Shawn, Tami, Megan, and Nessa

As always, you can learn about the changes in our lives as they happen at www.brooksgroth.blogspot.com. If you’re on Facebook, you can find Tami and Shawn for up-to-the-minute updates. You can learn more about the wonders of green smoothies and a raw food diet at both http://www.greensmoothieblog.com and http://learningtoeat.wordpress.com.

Megan With Her Trumpet

2008-12-13T23:05:00.002-06:00

Here's a picture of Megan with her trumpet:

Unfortunately, the band director raised the stand before they started playing, so every picture I have of Megan actually playing only shows her face from the eyes up. We'll try to capture a still from the video Tami took and post that.

Megan's Band Concert

2008-12-13T22:46:00.004-06:00

Megan had her first band concert on Thursday. She played a number of pieces with the full band, and had a duet with another trumpet player. She's only been playing since July, but she sounded pretty good. Although she was a little nervous beforehand, you couldn't tell while she was playing, and I think she had fun.

As you can see, she also looked great.

We have a beautiful young woman on our hands. If we don't start dressing her in gunny sacks and putting her hair into a bun, the line of boys is going to stretch down the block...

The best cook in the house!

2008-12-03T23:17:00.000-06:00

Nessa loves to mix, blend, and yes even cook/bake things. She also LOVES hats! She had a paper chef hat that finally disintegrated from use, so Shawn offered Nessa his chef hat, and she was more than happy to pause and pose for some pictures. (watch for a few more on flickr).

100 hundred things I'm thankful for at this very moment...

2008-11-26T10:53:00.006-06:00

I decided to take a moment to simply list out some of the many things I am thankful for ... I started with some big ones of course, but then I just kept listing every single thing that came to my mind that I appreciate having in my life. With a grateful heart I share this list with all of you. May we all have hearts of gratitude this season (and daily!).

1. My God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and my growing relationship with God

2. My Husband -- Shawn -- my best friend, lover and true partner

3. All 3 of my wonderful girls ... each have been a blessing in their own right, including Emily who continues to bless me with lessons even as she waits for us in Heaven

4. My Health -- this year I have been blessed beyond measure with a return of good health and I am thankful beyond words

5. Family -- not the just the delightful ones that live with me, but those that we travel to see on Thanksgiving, Christmas and more

6. FOOD -- pure wholesome food that seems sent straight from God to me (sometimes via our friendly CSA, market or family farm). I have learned an entirely new appreciation for food and its healing powers this year

7. Our Church -- our Good Shepherd family continues to bless us in many ways and I am thankful for the community for faith and fellowship

8. Our jobs -- even with tight deadlines or crappy projects at times, our jobs always provide us with more than merely a pay check

9. My family's health and safety -- between a car accident and Celiac diagnosis I do not take these things for granted ... we have been blessed in so many ways

10. The Internet and the communities and opportunities is brings me

This picture of my family is the background for my computer monitor at work right now so I get to see it a lot, and it always reminds me of just how blessed I am. Oh, and I love how Nessa is showing us the stamp on her hand (or simply not letting it get covered by her sweater!). :-)

11. Shawn's grateful heart and ability to share all of those things with me

12. Nessa's smile

13. Megan's smile

14. Laughter

15. Instant Messaging -- and the winks and more from Shawn via IM each day

16. All the Raw Divas -- the knowledge and support they have brought me is incredible

17. All my BES (Body Enlightenment System) buddies

18. Goodwill!!!! (I'm truly becoming addicted to the selection ... and how else do you refill your closet when you remove everything that is suddenly too big?)

19. The Green Smoothie Blog -- an opportunity to grow and learn with other fantastic contributors.

20. GMAIL -- there is no other way I would be able to manage my massive email inbox

21. ICAN (International Cesarean Awareness Association) and the wonderful women that make the organization what it is -- I use what they taught me a decade ago, each and every day

22. The Off Topic list and all my wonderful friends there :-)

23. The ICAN Loss and Recovery list ... I never want new members but I'm so thankful for the community we've become

24. Facebook -- I've rediscovered old friends and gotten to know new friends better ... addictive but wonderful

25. Our own blog :-) ... communication as well as keeping memories for us!

26. Our van ... sometimes I feel guilty driving it but it's ever so useful at this time in our lives

27. Heated seats in our van (yes, this deserves its own line!)

28. Cell phones

29. My new Blendtec Blender ... worth every penny when needing nutrient-dense food to heal!

30. My massage therapist/yoga instructors ... again an important part of healing...

31. My chiropractor ... especially thankful during my post-accident recovery time :-)

32. Our home ... plumbing problems and all ... it has been a wonderful place to grow and nourish our family and it will indeed be hard to say goodbye when the time comes

33. Quilts!!! All the quilts that my mom made and gifted us do get used constantly ... especially now that cold weather is here!

34. My wool socks and wool slippers ... that house I love is a wee bit drafty. ;-)

35. My new size 12 jeans that fit!!!! :-)

36. Our Honda Civic ... although I prefer not to actually drive it, it's very reliable and the gas mileage is great.

37. My hair stylist that always works magic

38. Our credit union that is being helpful as we make plans to consolidate, pay off debts, and become students again (are we crazy or what?)

39. Being able to watch Nessa and Megan play and giggle together

40. For all the people that remember Emily Lin each year (she would be 7 years old and in 1st grade ... and ever so beautiful with brown eyes, I just know it)

41. For the beautiful memorial stone that we have at Emily's grave and for all those that help us decorate it each season.

42. For my parents that go out of their way to see all of their grandchildren as much as possible.

43. For all of Nessa's grandparents being there to watch her when Shawn and I need to go do things like visit seminaries for a weekend. :-)

44. For Nessa's daycare and the wonderful teachers there that not only stimulate her mind so she's learning new things faster than I can keep up, but, and this is really important to us, they feed her food safely (gluten and also dairy free) -- they are SO good and we are so blessed to have that center as part of our lives.

45. That my husband seems to actually like doing dishes ... or rather he likes a clean kitchen enough that he is more than willing to do the dishes (I am SO lucky).

46. That my dear husband doesn't mind cooking even more often because I'm busy making (not cooking!) my own food most nights (sometimes I do both but we do like to eat before bedtime too).

47. That my dear wonderful [inset more adjectives] husband is more than willing to do the grocery shopping - even when it includes a long list of vegetables and fruits that not very long ago he would have had no idea how to recognize. :-)

48. That my entire household loves to listen to and sing Christmas music (bring it on!)

49. That my parents are here on earth to get to know my daughters and all of their grandchildren.

50. That Shawn's parents are here on earth to get to know their grandchildren.

51. For the family I "married into" ... you won't hear me complaining about in-laws. :-)

52. Shawn's sparkling eyes. When Irish eyes are ... (you get the idea)

53. Megan's contagious giggling

54. Megan's big hugs

55. Megan's email messages -- even when it's just a big smile or "love you too" message

56. Nessa's quiet "I love you mommy"

57. That Nessa loves to read ... when she snuggles in to read on my lap it's the best!

58. The Bible Study groups at church

59. My rebounder ... the only way I get my 20 minutes of exercise most days (it must be working!)

60. Hot water ... especially in the morning

61. Our food co-op

62. The Farmer's Market (and farmers!)

63. Our CSA and our ability to be a part of a CSA this year!

64. Sisters!

65. Our 90 day Bibles and the blessing that it is to read through it together with Shawn :-)

66. The ability to have intelligent and interesting dinner conversations ... not just with Shawn but also now with Megan ... and Nessa is starting to ask good questions too ... what a blessing to have intellect and curiosity!

67. Doctors that were able to help us -- especially the Mayo Clinic and Allergy Associates with Nessa's Celiac

68. EMTs and First Responders!

69. People who stop after and accident to check on us and just be there.

70. Teddy bears for Nessa to hug!

71. An abundance of books to read!

72. Friends that understand

73. All the support and enthusiastic well wishes we/Shawn is receiving about our news that Shawn has entered the ELCA candidacy process and is applying to seminary

74. The stimulating intellectual communities at Luther Seminary, Wartburg Seminary, and the ELCA synods

75. The wonderful staff, volunteers/students at Wartburg, including those that opened their homes to us, that make us feel so welcome (they even were able to happily accommodate my food needs)

76. Megan's school and the teachers and friends that have helped her thrive there
77. Megan's trumpet that I love to hear her play :-)

78. My little MP3 player

79. Pod casts and recorded teleseminars

80. Wisconsin Public Radio!!!

81. Friends that are photographers!

82. Google ... sure helps satisfy my curiosity in a hurry!

83. Amazon ... they always have what I'm looking for

84. e-Bay ... for when Amazon doesn't have it or I want it used

85. Social Networking online ... connections and more info!

86. All the of the wonderful people that write helpful books about Celiac and avoiding gluten

87. The Celiac support groups (Raising our Celiac Kids and more!)

88. HyVee in Dubuque ;-)

89. Friends and family that love me/us no matter what

90. Coconut oil ... and finally discovering a healthy oil that I love (and I no longer need to buy expensive facial moisturizers!)

91. Raw Food bloggers

92. Vegan bloggers

93. Celiac / Gluten Free bloggers

94. Our kitchen table

95. My dehydrator ... what I can create and the food I can save from spoiling by using it!

96. "Ice Cream" made by a Champion Juicer (thanks mom!)

97. Having to think about which shoes to wear in the morning

98. A choice of wonderful warm winter coats, hats and mittens

99. Having abundance to share (Nessa donated to Toys of Tots last weekend and it was so nice to see her doing it)

100. Grace ... my life is filled with Grace -- thank you God.

In gratitude,

~Tami

Photos!

2008-11-20T23:20:00.010-06:00

Shawn has done a wonderful job keeping you all updated on the wonderful happenings around our home, so it's about time I show you some pictures to go with all the news. :-)

I just took 144 pictures from our memory card ... the 80 that made the cut to the "Fall Photos 2008" set on flickr can be found here: http://flickr.com/photos/brooksgroth/sets/72157609598167776/

Or you can check out the crazy pics Megan took of Nessa here: http://picasaweb.google.com/tami.groth/NessaByMegan#

And if you're lucky enough to be our facebook friend, you have a nice album I just uploaded there *complete with descriptions* so go check it out. :-)

And for posterity on the blog we have to include a few classic fall photos complete with commentary:

There has been a whole lot of reading and cuddling with Nessa going on, and since it's one of our favorite things, it's also one of our favorite things to take pictures of. Often as one of us reads with Nessa, the other one will grab the camera and sneak a quick picture. I do not think Nessa appreciates these interruptions. :-) Nessa's current favorite books are all part of the Curious George series. If you saw her look at Curious George Goes to the Hospital by herself you would swear she is actually reading it (she's not, we're sure), and if we try to change the words she gets a little perturbed to say the least (tonight, I got several "just read it Mommy").

This is Megan and Nessa concentrating as they make "ice cream" with the juicer. We've been having lots of fun with Grandma Karen's juicer (Thanks Mom!), and it's a good thing Grandma is traveling a lot right now or else when she sees all the yummy stuff we've been making, she would want it back. :-) Of course the girls' favorite thing to make is ice cream. We simply put frozen fruit through the juicer using the blank plate and it comes out like soft serve ice cream! Bananas and cherries were our favorite so far, but they have all been yummy. :-)

Leaves, leaves, and more leaves! That's our front yard. I think this was the day Nessa helped Daddy so nice outside. Of course she had to take a few breaks to play in the leaves, and I just happened to go out to say hello about that time. I know that looks like a lot of leaves, but sadly their were still a lot on our tree after that day, and even the wind yesterday didn't get them ALL down. Tomorrow is the last day the city picks up leaves for the season so I spent a COLD half hour raking up the lawn again today, and there was no jumping and playing this time. :-( (We have had a tiny bit of snow, but nothing that would stick so far. Also, Shawn will tell you I'm still impressed that the city comes and picks up the leaves, or rather sucks them up with their big leaf vacuum, so I didn't want to miss out by not having the leaves raked to the street.)

It's the scary pumpkin!!!
Nessa was determined to be a pumpkin for Halloween this year. I have a commitment to never make Halloween costumes (OK, I just made that up), so we headed off to Goodwill and lucked out by finding this pumpkin costume that Nessa loved, and the hat just was the perfect topper.

After Nessa took a normal picture in her costume she said she wanted to be scary so that is where this picture comes from. It was taken in the morning before she went to day care. They had a little party and did some trick or treating to local business during the day at daycare. And as parents of a 3-year-old celiac we decided that was enough candy for us to sort through (Nessa was good about it), and we had our own pajama party in the basement instead. We watched Cinderella and ate popcorn. Nessa loves Cinderella now (prior to the movie!), so I guess the princess stage had to start sooner or later. :-) BUT, Nessa is already telling us that next year she wants to be Superman for Halloween! Go Girl! :-)

Well, as these few pictures tell you, we have a busy and happy house. While the big news about our future (no way around it, "Pastor school" as Nessa calls it is big news) has taken up most of our "what's new" time, there are certainly lots of other things happening as well -- there always are with kids. :-)

I'm feeling abundantly blessed these days, and I pray that feeling lasts long past Thanksgiving.

Irony, or the Sincerest Form of Flattery? You Be the Judge...

2008-11-20T12:48:00.003-06:00

Wednesday evening, as I was getting supper for Nessa and me, I was singing a little improvised something-or-other about what I was doing, as I often do.

Nessa requested me to stop, as she often does (some people just don't appreciate creativity): "Daddy, please stop singing."

Thing is, she was singing it to an improvised tune...

You Can't Argue With That Logic

2008-11-13T08:09:00.002-06:00

Supper conversation last night:

Shawn: And if that happens, it's not the end of the world.
Nessa: The world doesn't have an end, Daddy, 'cause it's a circle.

Guess The Joke Was On Us

2008-11-11T11:05:00.004-06:00

My mischievous side wanted to call this post “God Spoke To Me In The Grocery Store (And He Looked Just Like George Burns)”, but being that misleading just for the sake of The Funny isn’t good.

Tami and I visited Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque, IA, this past weekend. Remember a couple of weeks ago when we said we didn’t think Wartburg could overcome what we perceived to be the advantages of Luther Seminary? Well, God (and Wartburg, and Dubuque) have been quietly chuckling ever since.

We loved it at Wartburg. The sense of community is overwhelming, in a positive way. All weekend long we heard and saw little things that point to what a safe, secure environment Wartburg has. Students talked about leaving backpacks in the auditorium unmolested all day long. Spouses talked about kids playing together, and about the great Youth Room (staffed by work study students) available for use after school by kids 5 and older. We attended a coffeehouse where kids of all ages were running around without causing trouble, and parents were helping/dealing with any kid who needed it in a very “it takes a village” fashion. We kept hearing one positive comment after another about the schools, the public library, the other colleges in town, and the city of Dubuque in general. The housing at Wartburg is both less expensive and better suited to our needs.

From the student point of view, the first professor who talked to us said “You will not be able to hide here. People will find you and support you and help you face whatever you need to face.” We heard again and again that students, spouses, faculty and faculty spouses all become close, and that in particular you bond with your class, and they and their familes become your support system. This is very appealing to me. The average class size is 35 people, and no one gets lost in the crowd. Gifts are acknowledged and respected; shortcomings are allowed for. I learned that my call story is neither unique nor outlandish.

Dubuque is much like La Crosse, down to being roughly the same population. It’s a little more hilly, but it has beautiful old homes and interesting architecture. There are attractions for children and families and lots to do, including four other colleges/universities with all of their events. There is a wide variety of shopping, including the comfort value of familiar stores like Target and Best Buy. No food co-op, but there are many farmer’s markets and lots of organic produce available, including CSAs.

By Saturday evening Tami and I were wondering if we’d been a little bit hasty in our assumption that Luther was the place for us. By Sunday evening we were actively evaluating pros and cons, trying to make sense of our growing conviction that we belong at Wartburg, not Luther. On Monday I was actively wondering if I should even bother visiting Luther again or applying there. All the while we were praying, asking God to give us some sort of sign of his will for us. As we were getting ready to leave town, one big remaining question mark was the availability of gluten-free food for Tami and Nessa, so we decided to stop by the largest grocery store in town to see what they had. We were directed to their Health Market, a whole separate section of organic products, including a gluten-free section that is equal or superior to that in any of the La Crosse grocery stores or co-op. Almost all of our favorite products and brands were present, as well as things we have a hard time finding in La Crosse. As I was getting more and more excited about what we were seeing, Tami turned to me and asked “Is this a sign?” I had to concede that I thought it was.

At one point during the weekend, a current student said that when she was visiting Luther someone told her “Well, if you want to be a pastor, go to Wartburg; if you want to be a theologian, come to Luther.” That really resonated with me. I've never had any thoughts of becoming a theologian. I want to be a pastor, in a parish. We could be happy at Luther Seminary, and being closer to our families would be great. But that is the only advantage we can see, and we wonder if we will be too busy while in school to really utilize that advantage much anyway.

I am learning the folly of definitive declarations during this whole process of discerning my call, but I am also learning to trust my feelings, and realizing that when I find something unexpected and wonderful in my heart it’s God’s way of telling me something. Right now, our hearts tell us we belong at Wartburg Seminary, so we’ll trust that until it's no longer true.

Daddy’s Little Helper

2008-11-03T14:31:00.001-06:00

Nessa was helping me do chores Saturday morning. No, she really was helping. You could actually tell where she had been sweeping leaves on the deck, and she raked them all into the leaf shovel by herself. She was quite a sight, maneuvering the broom and rake all by herself—I was very impressed. She also held the nails and handed them to me when I was putting up plastic over the sliding door on the deck.

All the while we had a great conversation. We talked about all sorts of things: why we were sweeping the leaves off the deck, where God is, what to do when you’re scared, why we were putting plastic over the sliding door, how many boards I was going to need and how long they should be, what she did at daycare last week, what we should do next, where we were going to put the leaves, and many other things. It was absolutely delightful to get such an extended glimpse into how her mind works and what kind of connections/comparisons between things she’s making now. Between Sunday School and what we read to her, Nessa’s been exposed to lots of Bible stories over the last year, and they often surface when she can make a connection between something she’s doing and something in a Bible story.

Afterwards we just played for awhile. I pushed her on the swing, and then we played Tag. Nessa seems to have Tag confused with Hide and Seek: she thinks that after you tag someone you’re supposed to go hide from them. Then we climbed up by the top of the slide and took the ship to Egypt, to the new playground there. Nessa has a wonderfully inventive imagination, and things from all over get conflated in her play scenarios.

Saturday afternoon Nessa helped me rake leaves. She did a good job of raking leaves into a pile…until the pile was big enough for her to jump in. Then the rake got abandoned and the pile succumbed to entropy. This happened several times in different places in the yard. She was having such fun that I was having fun watching her, so much so that I didn’t even mind raking. Now there’s a first!

Just to update ... found my cell phone

2008-10-23T20:57:00.002-05:00

Or rather, Megan found my cell phone. She wants me to remember that. Of course she found it in her room. I didn't even think to look there (not sure why).

Not nearly as exciting as Shawn's recent post ... exciting news huh. :-) On a practical note, please send us any advice for releasing our possessions to the universe to downsize the household prior to moving.

Unforeseen Paths

2008-10-23T17:03:00.002-05:00

I said good-bye to a good friend at work today. She and her husband are moving to California, to work out of the SAP Palo Alto office. I have known her since my very first day at Firstlogic, and we have worked on the same projects for much of my time here. Although I know this move is very good for them, I can’t help but be saddened that I will no longer see her every day.

I’ve said good-bye to several friends leaving SAP over the last few months. Some are still in the area, but the sad reality is that, since I don’t see them at work, I never see them. It’s on my mind a lot at the moment because, if all goes as planned, I can see my own good-bye coming down the line.

I have felt unfulfilled at work for a couple of years now. Although programming is still intellectually challenging and sometimes even fun, working for a large corporation, making money for people I’ll never meet, is empty and not good for the soul, or at least not good for mine. This really hit home when Tami and I were in Annapolis last May for my brother Kevin’s retirement from the Marine Corps. While ruminating on changes, transitions, and the old giving way to the new, I realized that I am not in the right place.

What is the right place? After months of soul-searching, prayer, talking to people, and other forms of discernment, I feel that God is calling me to become a pastor in our denomination, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. I have officially started the process—candidacy--leading to attending seminary and eventual ordination. Tami and I have told our families, and I have made this public at our church, so it’s time to start telling everyone else.

Surprised? Believe me, it came as a surprise to me at first, too. But the more I explored the idea, the more right it has felt. It was cemented earlier this month when Tami and I spent a weekend at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, at an event for prospective seminary students. Tami summed up that weekend so well in an email to our families that I will just quote her:

“Our main concern going into the weekend was that Luther wasn't going to be a good fit as far as family life, but those worries have been erased from our minds.

“I [Tami] was likely the more skeptical one there of the two of us, and by Monday afternoon I was wishing we could move there sooner rather than later. I was also doing my best to figure out how we could BOTH be taking classes as Luther offers a number of M.A. programs, including more than one that interests me. So, while we're there we just may both figure out what we want to do when we grow up. :-)

“I don't know what I can briefly say about Luther other than it is a vibrant place totally alive with love of learning and love of God ... a community of faith and a community of life-long learning.

“Other points of note -- Shawn's fears of being the oldest were totally put to rest both in seeing the current students and in conversing with the other prospective students. It is a very diverse bunch there (and what a blessing that will be for our family as well!). I also think he/we are a little less scared of Greek now. :-)

“Now the scary part is getting our house ready to sell and our lives ready for transition. So keep us in your thoughts and prayers on that note!

“I also do not yet know what this will mean for Megan's schedule. Megan and I have begun talking about it, and I assured her there is time to decide and that we'll take her wishes into account. … Again, another area where we can use all the positive thoughts and prayers possible.”

I [Shawn] came home from Luther convinced that my call is real, and that seminary is the place for me. I submitted my name for the candidacy process the next day. To have Tami feel so strongly positive about it as well is a blessing of incalculable worth. While I would love to start next fall, we feel that the best time to make such a major transition is when Nessa starts kindergarten, so we are targeting summer of 2010 for our move. This gives us more time to get the house ready and to sell it as well.

We will be attending a similar event at Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque, IA, in a couple of weeks, but (to quote Tami again): “we would be surprised if we didn't still prefer Luther. Since Luther has a better geographic location going for it in terms of where we want to be located as well as proximity to resources in the Twin Cities, Wartburg would have to overcome all of that by its community and seminary offerings. Considering we fell in love with the Luther community, we're not sure that is possible, LOL.”

I have been feeling a great sense of peace since arriving at this decision. I feel even better now that we are beginning to share this with everyone. If you pray, please keep us in your prayers. If not, please wish us well and keep us in your thoughts. As Tami says, “Regardless of the challenges, we pray we are ready for them as we venture on a journey that we don't know where we'll end up.” I never expected to take this path, but now that I’m firmly on it I’m very excited to see where it leads. And I thank God every day that I will have my soulmate by my side as I go.

The rest of pictures and a few updates

2008-10-22T21:21:00.005-05:00

If you likes the preview earlier this month, you'll enjoy seeing all the picts from the family fall photo shoot: http://racheleagle.com/groth/index.html. Rachel did an awesome job! Now to pick a "Christmas photo."

A bit of this and that:

I don't want to make too big of an announcement only to find out it's a premature own, but we're pretty excited around here about Nessa not using a pull up on over a week! Yes, this means at night and during nap times too!!!! Of course this started right AFTER we ordered another case of pull ups (7th generation via Amazon).
Nessa is excited to be a pumpkin for Halloween. Please do not tell her that this isn't very creative. Not only is it what she wants, but I don't want her to learn that her mom isn't very creative when it comes to Halloween costumes either. She's dressing up at daycare, but we're not going to go trick-or-treating this year. (Megan will be with her Dad.) Nessa won't know what she's missing, and we decided that neither of us will miss it this year, and that way we don't deal with going through and figuring out what candy she can eat or not (what is gluten free in other words). I'm sure she'll go in the future, or we'll start hosting a fall party each year, but this year is going to be low key. We did find a costume at Goodwill last night that Nessa thinks is great, and that is all that matters to me. :-)

Megan has gone to a Halloween party already, but still doesn't know what to dress up as for trick-or-treating. She wore her Dad's old dress blues Navy uniform to the party. Aah, that brings back memories from a previous life.

I'm really settling into our fall schedule and really enjoying having more time with Megan this year. I don't even mind the car rides to La Crescent--not even the early morning ones when Megan has safety patrol in the morning. I've found some of our best mother-daughter conversations happen in the car/van! (And boy is it the age for that! For the record, being a big sister doesn't really prepare you for these talks.)

Megan and I have still been doing yoga most weeks, and the last two weeks we've been doing restorative yoga instead. Megan loves this so much I don't think she's going to let me go back to the regular hatha yoga sessions (with her). It seems to restore Megan right to sleep she gets so relaxed! I have to admit it is great stress relief, and I highly recommend it.

Megan is doing great with her trumpet, and I just found out she has her first band concert in December!!!! :-) And more importantly, she said she still loves playing it. Some of the songs are recognizable now.

Nessa discovered barbies. I'm not sure if she knows that is what they are or not because usually they are just called dolls, and that's fine with me. They are all Megan's old barbies, and I don't anticipate actually buying any more, but I may be on the look out for more barbie clothes because apparently barbie clothes disintegrate with age or something. Well, what's your explanation for all the naked barbies I found? If you have an answer to that one, maybe you can tell me why half off them also didn't have heads, or rather didn't have heads attached? I don't understand how this happens to dolls in storage for years. They came out of storage because Nessa discovered the Barbie van (I honestly don't remember where that came from because I certainly don't remember buying it.), and then Nessa wanted dolls that fit in the van. So, softie that I am, I dug out a couple of barbies, and then when she wanted to fill ALL of the seats, I dug out more.

Nessa has possibly learned to "play sick" in order to get to stay home and hopefully get to watch movies and do other things she normally doesn't get to do. :-( She was very convincing until she got what she wanted. OK, really I think Monday when I brought her home from daycare she was just a little under the weather, but Tuesday when she tried it again she couldn't keep from smiling so she wasn't able to fool anyone.

We have already gone through the stomach flu (Nessa then Megan at Applefest time, and then Shawn and I at Oktoberfest time -- one reason there are no Oktoberfest photos this year), and now we all kind of went through or are going through some other virus. I'm hoping we're getting things out of the way so that we can be all healthy for the holidays!

I also confirmed the over the last couple of weeks that gluten is total poison to my body. I am so used to feeling well now, and it feels SO GREAT, that when I feel ill, it feels REALLY bad. :-( Three times in two weeks I got gluten ... once by cross contamination of some sort when eating out, once because I plain wasn't careful enough when eating out, and once because I thought I would try "gluten free" oats and realized that even labeled gluten free I can NOT handle oats either. :-( So, to help heal and feel really good again the last few days I've gone to a 100% raw food diet, and I feel SO good again! What a difference from Monday night when I was sicker than I've been in a long, long time. I've gone 100% raw for days here and there, but generally it about 75 to 90% raw.

Speaking of food -- I've also been busy blogging on the Green Smoothie blog! Please check it out, and please comment on the posts, and if you don't want to comment then let me know directly what you would love to read about there (or elsewhere, lol). Right now it is taking a chunk of my time, but I'm hoping once I get going it won't be as long. However, the inspiration I get from doing interviews and talking to the other bloggers is SO worth it. My posts may sound like I don't need inspiration, but I do need it -- A LOT. I mean you would think that feeling normal again would be enough inspiration, but nope, I'm human. :-)

In other news, I've lost my cell phone. :-( I'm sure I'll find it right after I get a new one. I'm just trying to decide if I'm just replacing a phone or changing plans, etc. So, stay tuned for a possible new number, and in the meantime if you need to talk to me, ping me for an alternate number or call Shawn's phone on nights/weekends.

And in really BIG news, Shawn and I are finally reading the same book! The Bible. ;-) Okay, not that we each haven't read from Bibles over the last five years, but now we're really reading the same one (okay Shawn ended up buying his own). It's the "Bible in 90 Days" which lays it out in 12 pages a day reading and has larger text which is surprisingly important. I'm really loving it even when I realize why I never read the last several chapters of Exodus before. :-) I'm reading lots of other inspirational stuff too, but I'll save that for another post.

Well, I know there are some things I forgot ... and a few things I intentionally left out because this is already a book. Hey does anyone remember when I actually hand wrote letters this long back in my other life (pre-email and yet living away from family and friends)? Well, I did. So, if you made it this far count yourself lucky that you're not having to read this hand-written.

Much more soon ... maybe even photos ;-)

Pride Goeth In The Fall

2008-10-07T07:51:00.002-05:00

Remember how proud I was a couple of weeks ago that Nessa picked her Vikings shirt to wear? Well, on Sunday I received my comeuppance.

For some time now Nessa has been saying that her favorite colors are green and yellow (which can make choosing clothes from her predominantly pink wardrobe a bit tricky, but that’s another story for a different day). This has filled me with foreboding, and now my worst fears have been realized.

Nessa (seeing football on TV): “Are the Packers playing?”

Daddy: “No, they played already and lost.”

Nessa: “Maybe they’ll win tomorrow!”

Daddy: “Well, they don’t play tomorrow, sweetie. But we don’t want the Packers to win, we want them to lose. We want the Vikings to win.”

Nessa: “No, I like the Packers!”

Sigh. Nessa has been known to say things just to push Daddy's buttons, so I'm hoping that was the case here. On the other hand, perhaps--like so many parents before me--I’m discovering that it’s difficult to keep your children adhering to traditional ways in a new land.

I told Tami I thought we needed to move to Rochester, into the Mayo High School district. At least there green and yellow are acceptable, as long as there isn’t a big white “G” in the middle.

Now I know how my father, a Bears fan, felt when I was growing up.

Family photos and family fun all in one day!

2008-10-05T20:13:00.003-05:00

Is that a great picture of Nessa, or what?!? Anyone that has tried knows it isn't easy to get good natural pics of our sweet girl. ;-)

We met Rachel at Tweite's Pumpkin Patch near Byron, MN as we were spending the day there as part of my niece Rebecca's birthday party. The bright sunny fall day was great for fun, but a bit challenging for pictures. From the few preview pics, I think Rachel did a great job.

You can see the rest of the preview pics on her own blog:
http://www.welikedogs.com/?p=772

After pictures we had lunch right at the pumpkin patch which is a nice treat for us. The Tweite's are familiar with celiac and were able to tell us what was safe for Nessa and I to eat. While picnics are great sometimes, it's also nice to just come and play and eat when we're hungry.

Then we went and played, and played, and played. There are many different playground areas, including slides and fun for the big kids. There are lots of fun make believe areas as well as a large corn maze too. And then there is the large sand
box that kept Nessa's attention for over a half an hour late in the afternoon. There are lots of amateur pics of the day too, but not on my camera which was left at home...when I get some from my family I'll post a link to them.

As the rain came throughout the day today (Sunday) Shawn, Nessa and I still had one reminder of our fun fall day that was filled with sun -- sun burned noses and cheeks! Apparently MN in October is still sunscreen weather when you're outside ALL day! :-( It's pretty mild, but still a good lesson. Hopefully we got a nice dose of vitamin D too. ;-)

And in other notes --
It was a nice break between hectic weeks. Last week we were recovering from Nessa and then Shawn being ill with a mild stomach flu when Wednesday evening I got sick as well. Of course I had to do it while trying to have a fun night out at Oktoberfest with Megan. Poor Megan didn't get to go on many rides this year.

This week is my work customer conference, so along with my normal deadlines I'll be making sure all my business clothes are ready to wear. Then Shawn and I will be preparing for a couple of nights away while Grandma and Grandpa Brooks stay with Nessa next weekend.

And Megan and Nessa just keep growing and learning each and every day. I sometimes wish I had a recorder going 24/7 just so I could remember and share all the wonderfully entertaining, and sometimes impressive, things they say. Nessa's not too entertaining new thing is to be a back seat driver. Megan did the same thing so I'm not surprised, but why it it that I have to teach my children the rules of the road when they're THREE or else they don't stop asking why we don't "get in front of that truck" or numerous other questions or demands concerning driving. Nessa also likes turtles lately and she said that yellow lights are like turtles because I told her yellow lights mean "caution / slow." (Why do we teach kids that anyway?) Oh, and Megan is learning just a bit about politics this fall although I wasn't actually able to take her to see Obama when he was in La Crosse this past Wednesday. Megan did however fall asleep while watching the VP debate. And that was the exciting debate. ;-)

Atta Girl!

2008-09-22T08:16:00.002-05:00

I set out several different items of clothing for Nessa to choose from this morning, and when she got to the shirts she immediately said "Vikings!". So she wore her Minnesota Vikings t-shirt this morning.

It makes a father proud...

Hey mom, look at me ...

2008-09-21T23:02:00.001-05:00

DCP_5740
Originally uploaded by Tami of BrooksGroth

Nessa loves goofing off with Daddy like this, and I love watching it! :-)

Just wanted to post this quick along w/ brief updates:

--Busy week, including Nessa home sick with the stomach flu :-(
--Spent a night up late w/ Nessa after she slept all day ... was able to finally start really using facebook which was cool
--Spent the weekend catching up on housework and other things -- even rented a steam cleaner to try to really get some things clean and sterilized around here
--Megan got sick Sat. with the flu. :-(
--Nessa and I got a nice long bike ride in on Sat. ... I think she's finally starting to enjoy it!
--I did get some photos uploaded to flickr, so click this photo and go look around ... didn't get around to adding descriptions though so you'll have to guess. :-) And of course you'll notice lots of food pics since I'm trying to prepare for posts on my "learningtoeat" blog ... but if you look hard you'll still see some smiling girls! Maybe I'll get around to video next weekend.
--ignored all the work I should be doing to watch Emmy's and read/write email ... at least I got cleaning done today :-)

Speaking of cleaning -- just a short note about one of the many ways Shawn made me smile today. When I was getting not so motivated about the steam cleaning while waiting for it to heat up again, he smiled and said that he loved watching me do all this cleaning -- NOT because it needs to be done, but because I simply would NOT have been able to physically do it a few months ago. I would have been worn out after a few hours Saturday, and needed a nap to recover on Sunday! He is so right! And here I was wishing I could get more done ... when I feel good I just want to keep going. I guess after about 4 years of low energy (pregnancy, post-partum, chronic fatigue) I have a lot of time to make up for. Luckily the dust will still be there next weekend. :-) (hey, shawn, I love you)

We're gearing up for another busy week. I'm also hoping the wonderful weather continues. I love the nice fall weather.

Fundraiser Time Again

2008-09-20T10:32:00.006-05:00

The beginning of the school year in La Crescent means fundraiser time. I'm posting this here to help facilitate friends and family that we won't see in the next week or so (Orders must be in by Oct. 1st). It's easy to order online, and I'm including details below.

The money raised by the fundraiser is used primarily for field trips and other items to enrich the educational experience at La Crescent Hokah Elementary.

So, follow the link and check out what they have for sale. They have a lot of different items, including lots of wrapping paper and other Christmas items. You'll know you're on the right page because I included a picture of Megan.

http://www.helpsupportourschool.com/index.asp?PID=21133

Or, if that doesn't work try the tiny url I made (or try copy/paste as recommended below)

http://tinyurl.com/2dbupd

THANK YOU!

If you choose not to participate in the type of sale, a tax-deductible cash donation can be made to La Crescent-Hokah PTO to help reach their goal.

Nessa: I can only eat one bannana a day!

2008-09-18T00:13:00.002-05:00

Nessa threw up while napping today. :-(

She then went back to sleep for the rest of the day. Then at ten tonight she woke up, was thirsty and also said she was hungry. So, we were talking about what she could eat, and after everything I mentioned she said: "but then I'll still be hungry." She said this after I suggested a banana and so I said she could then have another banana, and she said,

"I can only eat one banana a day."

I'm not sure why but I thought this was extremely funny. Maybe it was because I knew I was likely to be up with her for awhile.

By the way she didn't keep the water down so she didn't get to eat even one banana. :-(

At midnight I gave in and let her start watching cartoons. We started with Dragon Tales and now we've moved on to Signing Time.

I guess I should at least try to catch up with some of my email.

Taking a 3-year-old to the zoo is ...

2008-09-15T21:57:00.002-05:00

Exhausting!

Taking a 3-year-old to the zoo as part of a group with another 3-year-old, a 1-year-old, a 5-year-old, a 5-month-0ld, and an 11-year old ... in the rain ....

Well, we'll get back to you when we recover ...

OK, seriously, it was a great day in many ways (what's up with us and getting rained on though?), and Megan was a HUGE help. And, yes, we ended the day as tired as the napless little girl who won the award for most determined to walk rather than ride in the stroller when she got tired. I do have to say that she also did NOT ask to be carried. Of course she also did not walk very quickly when we were trying to not get totally soaked either. And only the promise of ice cream got her to put on her rain coat (I was being hopeful and left my raincoat in the car). As far as seeing animals -- the monkeys and gibbons (look like monkeys to a 3-year-old) were the big hit of the day with the under-11 crowd (Megan said she must not remember what it's like to be 3 because she couldn't stare at the monkeys that long.), and the rest of us enjoyed any glimpse we were allowed between chasing after kids that were ready to race on to the next thing!

Sunday we arrived back home in La Crosse shortly before 5, and Nessa was in bed and asleep for the night by 5:30! (OK, I know Shawn is going to call me on this -- she was in bed for the night and other than waking up several times and making noise to wake up and alarm her parents, she was asleep most of the night.)

There are a few pictures of the zoo ... I have no idea when I'll get around to posting them, but I will eventually.

And in other news -- we have our van back!!! :-)

Parenting Rule Number 474

2008-09-03T22:02:00.003-05:00

At least that is what I think Shawn called it when I walked by Nessa's bedroom and noticed she was standing on her head while Shawn was trying to put her pants on! Technically she was on her head on her mattress with Shawn helping to support her of course ... but still.

He then told me --

Parenting Rule 474: Do not offer choices (even in jest) that you are not prepared to follow through with.

He then explained what had happened --

Nessa was kind of crabby this morning, and as usual Shawn used Humor as part of his tactics to change her mood and get her through the morning routine. We also like to offer her choices when we can so that is a common reaction for us as well.

So, Shawn asked Nessa "would you like to put your pants on sitting down or standing on your head?" And of course, Nessa being Nessa, immediately said, "Standing on my head!"

So, there we were helping Nessa stand on her head while we put her pants on her. Afterward she was indeed smiling and giggling. I am a little worried about her asking for this routinely in the future though.

Home Sweet Home

2008-09-01T23:30:00.005-05:00

It's past my bedtime again, but I needed to quickly log on and share that while we had a wonderful weekend visiting not one but both sets of grandparents, it is again so good to be home. Just walking in the door renewed my energy and spirits after a long car ride home today. And I'm so grateful that I feel that way (it wasn't always true in my life).

Our long weekend began Thursday when we headed up to Cumberland to visit my parents and spend some time on the lake. We were also blessed to be able to see Rebbecca, Charlotte, Ahnika, Cully, and Ellen. As usual I have lots of pics and Flip video to process ... maybe next weekend. I do have just a few tubing pics that Grandpa Don took that we managed to upload to Picasa Web albums before we left Cumberland so I could access them from home.

We also spent time swimming... (Tami with Nessa and Rebbecca)

While scanning the web album, Shawn saw this nice picture of us on the tube, but when looking closely I realized this was NOT from this weekend (earlier this summer or last year?). These are the errors that happen when the camera doesn't have an accurate digital date. :-)

It was a gorgeous weekend though!!!

Friday evening we left for Walker, and we barely made it there before Saturday morning appeared! We did spend awhile in Duluth as we stopped at their food co-op and enjoyed shopping there a bit too much apparently because we were there quite awhile. Some day we have to arrive in Walker at a normal time again. :-)

Saturday Megan and I explored downtown Walker, and Sunday Shawn, Megan and I managed to sneak off to a movie while Nessa napped at Grandma and Grandpas. Of course there was also much relaxing, and Megan did manage to finish her book before the weekend ended and school started.

In other news -- the drive was uneventful other than Nessa's screams when she wanted a neck pillow like mom's (thank you Jan -- it worked wonderfully), and when the portable DVD player broke ... we did get Nessa a similar pillow at a Wal mart along the way, but the DVD player may still be broken. We did miss our van several times along the way (we were in the rental; a Camry), and we appreciated all of Megan's help with Nessa in the back seat!!!! We are so thankful that this was the extent of our challenges on the way home.

We're trying to get geared up for the fall/school year schedule this week. I'm not really ready and unlike many moms I really wasn't ready for school to start, but it is so we adjust. Megan starts 5th grade tomorrow! Nessa starts preschool Sunday school this Sunday, and it will be our only year with both Megan and Nessa in Sunday school.

I have a week scheduled full of physical therapy, chiropractic, and massage appointments to help with my neck injury. I'm also off of yoga for at least another week. :-( And I have way more than a lot of work to do, so I'll have to find other ways to de-stress ... like prayer and looking around at the wonderful family I'm blessed with!

Happy Fall and blessings to all --

We're Shaken Up, But OK

2008-08-24T22:16:00.003-05:00

Tami, Nessa and I were in an accident on I-90 between La Crosse and Rochester this afternoon (Sunday). We were on our way to Northfield to pick up Megan from her shopping weekend with Tami's sister Ellen.

We think everyone is basically OK, but now that the adrenaline and emotions have worn off, Tami and I have enough minor issues that all three of us are going into the doctor and chiropractor tomorrow to be checked.

Our van was damaged enough to need a tow. It was towed to St. Charles, MN, where Tami's brother Scott picked us up. We met Megan and Ellen at Scott's house in Rochester, where we had supper. I was able to rent a car at the Rochester airport, and we got back home around 9:30 PM.

We'll post more as warranted, but for now know that we're safe at home, with no major injuries that we know of. Please keep us, and the family in the other car, in your prayers.

Surprisingly sleepy Nessa...

2008-08-24T01:04:00.001-05:00

DCP_5602
Originally uploaded by Tami of BrooksGroth

Last Saturday night Nessa crawled up on the couch at what should have been bedtime, but we indulged her request to just cuddle for a bit. She was actually cuddling with Daddy while Tami was writing on the computer. About five minutes after she crawled up there Shawn asked me if she was sleep.

She was.

A short while later I scooped Nessa up so Shawn could get up. Then I thought I could finally get some time with Nessa just snuggled in rather than moving all over the place as she so often is these days. So we snuggled for an hour or three. :-)

Water play

2008-08-24T00:59:00.001-05:00

DCP_5626
Originally uploaded by Tami of BrooksGroth

Last weekend Nessa was excited to go play in the new slip and slide (courtesy of a silent auction prize), and Megan was a good sport and played with her for awhile.

It certainly brings back my own memories of when I thought running through the sprinkler was the best way to spend a sunny August afternoon ... childhood ...

Too beautiful not to share...

2008-08-24T00:49:00.001-05:00

DCP_5586
Originally uploaded by Tami of BrooksGroth

Shawn surprised me again this year.

We are so blessed to have had these years ... may this only be the beginning...

Who needs a stove anyway? (cross-post)

2008-08-24T00:12:00.002-05:00

Below is a post that is part of my new blog.

Occasionally I'll share posts here as well so friends and family are sure to see some of the things that are such a large part of our lives right now. But I wanted to start a separate blog so that I wouldn't be subjecting all of you to tedious food posts, and so I could make the "food blog" public and optimized for search engines to find. It's about my journey to wellness though nutrition and whole foods (primarily raw foods at this point).

If you're interested, scroll through the dozen or so posts already there. You can skim over the posts about what I'm eating all of the time if that is just a bit much, or if all you want to know is "what the heck" I eat anyway, then you can skip the philosophical posts. :-)

You can find it here: http://learningtoeat.wordpress.com/

DCP_5658

Originally uploaded by Tami of BrooksGroth

This is what my stove looked like when I woke up Saturday morning.

I smiled remembering unpacking all those veggies Friday night before collapsing on the couch with Shawn. Some of them are from our Friday CSA box, some are from neighbor's gardens, and a few are left from "the farm" (my dad's family farm which now has a family garden). I have many plans for these veggies this week!

But today I spent the day with veggies that didn't even make this picture -- dehydrating all items over a week old that we haven't eaten yet from beans to green peppers to onions to celery. I didn't even get to start on the zucchini and potatoes today!

The stove still looks like that ... if it was just me, they would probably stay there. :-) But I'm thinking that Shawn will want to use the stove this week, so I'll have to find a place for them elsewhere.

Tribute to International Green Smoothie Day

2008-08-17T23:19:00.002-05:00

Tribute to International Green Smoothie Day
Originally uploaded by Tami of BrooksGroth

I have more still photos to upload, but decided to put together a short video to make my official toast to International Green Smoothie Day! This was my last green smoothie of the weekend. Do you love the beautiful light green color? It's always a pleasant bonus when my smoothies look as good as they taste.

This one was satisfying my margarita craving--complete with the "salt" and lime! If you want this original recipe, inspired by my craving and what I've learned about using these fruits and veggies in smoothies over the last few months, please let me know. Usually I do more greens in the evening, but this is so light and refreshing that I think I'll be ending these dog days of summer with this one frequently.

Yours in health,
Tami

A whole lot of Olympics watching going on ... (quick updates)

2008-08-17T14:39:00.011-05:00

I want to take a few minutes to let you all know we're still here just in case my plan for some blogging during the Olympics doesn't quite work out since multi-tasking during swimming and gymnastics this past week certainly hasn't worked. :-)

Where has this month gone!?! (OK, it's not over yet)

August 2nd: Tami's Birthday :-) Yes, the month started out delightfully as I was treated to a very lazy Saturday from sleeping in to making things in the kitchen with my new blender and cookbooks. There are pictures of me yet to uploaded smiling with my new "cook" books (or uncook books as Shawn calls them since most of them are raw food books). That is exactly what I wanted to get my year off to a great start now that I'm 37. Much of my spare time (?!) this month has been spent reading those cookbooks as well as experimenting with raw recipes beyond Green Smoothies. Most of the time I've felt great in comparison to much of the last few years (chronic fatigue/allergies/Celiac symptoms/low thyroid function fibromylagia symptoms/cadida-related symptoms), but there have also been some days of detox symptoms as my body heals. The detox days encourage me even more than the days I feel great because it means my body really is healing. This post isn't all about that so I'll stop here -- but if you want a less biased opinion just ask Shawn about how he fells about having "his Tami" back.

August 7th -- Our Anniversary! :-) There are photos of my wonderful flowers -- those gorgeous red, yellow and orange roses like we had at our Wedding. Shawn got extra bonus points for not only sending the flowers to work, but then stopping buy and picking them up for me when I ended up not going into the office that day because Megan was sick so I worked from home after returning from the clinic (no strep this time). We went out on the weekend for a combination birthday/anniversary dinner and a movie so we spent the day just appreciating the every-day wonderfulness of our marriage and our family. It has been 4 wonderful year, and my only hope and prayer is that it is only the beginning.

Vacation Bible School: Megan went to VBS at Prince of Peace in La Crescent Monday thru Wednesday (because she was sick Thursday and Friday) the week of August 4th. She had lots of fun and also enjoyed seeing friends from La Crescent. Then starting Sunday evening August 8 we had VBS at our church. It was Nessa's first experience at VBS or "macation Bible School" as she called it even though she says "vacation" perfectly well by itself. I stayed to help in the preschool room and to help be sure Nessa didn't accidentally get any gluten. Shawn stayed nearby at church most nights as well, and it made for a busy week for the family.

Olympics -- starting on about the 9th Shawn and I started watching Olympics most nights. Who else out there knows how late those gymnastics events went? Well CST, it was way past our bedtime, but we watched anyway. It was particularly fun to watch with Megan the last half of the week as she is old enough to appreciate the athletes and ask good questions. In addition the gymnastics, you may have guessed we really enjoyed watching the swimming. :-) I'm sure we'll find some new favorites this next week too.

Houston County Fair -- I'll do a post with photos and/or video on this, but as a quick bullet point -- Megan showed two of her goats on Thursday August 14th and then Megan, her friend, and I went back on Saturday to spend some time with the goats as well as go on rides and do other fun fair things. Megan did get a Reserve Champion while showing one of her goats and received blue ribbons for her goats in their respective classes. She also learned a lot about what to do to improve her standings for next year! It was the first goat show I've watched, and I look forward to watching more.

Sand on the Riverfront (http://www.riverfrontinc.org/sand/) The event was Friday August 15th and Shawn was on the Business Objects team. It took nearly all day Friday to build the sand sculpture, but for Shawn's team it was worth it -- they won Best on the Riverfront and Best Interpretation of the Theme! Unfortunately my picture isn't very good, but hopefully you can get an idea of their "Farmer in the Dell" themed sculpture. There were also many fun kid's games and inflatables so Nessa had fun playing without getting frustrated at not being able to play in the sand on Friday afternoon.

International Green Smoothie Day!!! Yes, Friday the 15th was also International Green Smoothie day, and I was ready to have an excuse to celebrate! I'm always ready to toast to the drink that has helped me along my path to wellness -- AND gets Nessa to eat greens as a bonus! For more info go here: http://therawdivas.com/blog/?p=287 / http://www.greensmoothiequeen.com/and if you need and more ideas or recipes, just let me know. I've developed many favorites over the summer from juicy nectarines to fresh berries! And I've explored all kinds of greens as well with many thanks to our CSA Farm for providing me with a wide variety of chard, kale, carrot greens, beet greens, lettuce and more. Pictures and possibly video coming soon. I know I've forwarded my original green smoothie post, so if anyone out there has been inspired to try green smoothies due to my sharing please leave a comment or email me. I want to know and so do the Raw Divas ... so let me know you're favorites or even your flops (even I still have those sometimes). Shawn is becoming a sometime green smoothie enthusiast too, but my urge for a post-workout smoothie of banana, celery and frozen blackberries didn't go over as well with him, but I didn't mind too much because that meant there was more for me (yum! ... oh there was one chard leave in there too just for good measure). And by the way the rest of you are not allowed to say "eww" until you've at least tried it ... it wouldn't hurt to read about the health benefits of blended greens as well. Who else has managed to have more than 10 fruits and veggies by noon and two bunches of greens each day this week? Smoothies are the best way to keep up with my increasingly busy schedule ... but wait this is just a quick update post so more on that later ...

Coming up before the official end of summer:

This Wednesday I'll be taking Megan and a friend to the WI Dells to a water park for a fun day that she requested instead of a birthday party or big present. So far the weather looks ideal for such a day.
Then Thursday Megan leaves to go stay with Aunt Ellen for a long weekend. Megan will be going shopping with Ellen as only Aunt Ellen is really good at shopping according to Megan. :-) We'll go up to Northfield to get her on Sunday. (And I hope to sneak a few smooches and baby snuggles with Cully as well.)
Then it will be time to start getting ready for our Labor Day weekend trip which will include visiting both sets of grandparents. We'll stay in Cumberland for a few days and then move on up to Walker for a bit.

We did manage school supply shopping today, so we're officially prepared for school in that regard. The weather has been great this week (not too hot or humid!), and we hope to spend a bit of time outside with water toys yet this afternoon, fit a few more evening trips to Erickson pool in yet this month, and I personally hope to get many more bike rides in not only this month but also throughout the fall.

I hope everyone else is enjoying the last days of Summer!

Megan

2008-08-01T10:57:00.001-05:00

I’ve been meaning to post this for awhile, but the pictures and Tami’s comment on them make this the perfect time.

I just want to echo Tami’s comments about what a wonderful young lady Megan has become. She has matured so much in the last year in every way. Here are just a few of the things I love about Megan:

She is a wonderful big sister, and Nessa adores her. Nessa gets excited every time Megan returns to our house, and sad when Megan goes away. Getting to go into Megan’s room and play with Megan’s stuff is the coolest thing life has to offer Nessa right now, and Megan allows that on a regular basis. She also reads to Nessa and plays with her, getting goofy and giggly and matching Nessa’s energy level in a way that Mom and Dad rarely manage.

She is becoming more and more self-confident. She handles herself well in a wide variety of situations. Hand-in-hand with this comes a great degree of politeness and emotional maturity.

As Tami mentioned, a Megan smile is truly a joy to behold. It lights up her face and makes her radiant.

She puts up with my attempts at humor, and some of them even get genuine laughs.

Megan is probably going to be somewhat uncomfortable with what I’m about to write, and I’m sorry for that. I hope someday that will change. But I want everyone to know that I couldn’t be more proud of her if she were my own daughter. I’m glad she’s part of our family, and I love her.

Not quite as good as Grandma's cupcakes...

2008-08-01T09:21:00.003-05:00

My mom has this recipe for egg free, dairy free chocolate cupcakes. She made them once with our Better Batter that we got for her to make gluten free things for Nessa (http://www.betterbatter.org/), and they were SO good -- I mean, really, really, can't eat just one good. We made them with her recipe last night and they're good, but certainly not "can't eat just one" good. Hmmm, is it just Grandma's touch or did we do something wrong. I suggested to Megan that she make them with Grandma sometime just to see if we can learn anything. :-)

So, mom if you're reading this, you now officially have the "Grandma touch" when it comes to baking... oh, and we love you!!!

Portraits of Megan

2008-07-31T15:20:00.004-05:00

At the beginning of July Megan had a Portrait session with Nick at Lechnir Designs. The photos were taken in our back yard and came out wonderfully! I hope Nick doesn't mind that I share one directly here and link to the rest. I'm ordering a few, but if family wants more, I'm sure we can order additional ones as well. What a beautiful young lady we have!

You can see the rest of the photo proofs here: http://lechnirdesign.com/accounts/groth/20080706/

Now, how am I supposed to decide what to order!?!

Overheard

2008-07-30T10:10:00.003-05:00

Here are a few things heard at our house recently:

Shawn (while Nessa is putting on her underwear): There's no need to fear, underwear is here! (Think Underdog...)
Nessa, 10 seconds later: We don't need to care, we have underwear!

Shawn: Time to get up sweet girl, it's a daycare day.
A very tired Nessa: No! No more days!

Grandpa Don: Should we count your ribs?
Nessa, giggling: I don't have ribs!
Grandpa Don: How about bones--do you have bones?
Nessa, laughing: No! Only dogs have bones!!

Beautiful Beets!

2008-07-27T22:44:00.001-05:00

DCP_5524
Originally uploaded by Tami of BrooksGroth

Yes, those are beets. They are from our CSA box. I think they are the most beautiful beets I've ever seen. Not that I'm a beet expert or anything (I can't even remember the name of this variety). They also made WONDERFUL beet fries (seriously, sweet!).

Has anyone noticed all of the food photos on our flickr stream? Well, besides being seriously overjoyed by pure food lately, I'm adding those photos in case I ever get time to start a food blog. Stop laughing. I might find/make time! Oh, you're laughing about me in the kitchen ... well, that can happen too. Regaining my health (slowly but seriously) and discovering new ways to eat my veggies (and fruits too) is bringing so much joy that I'm going to have to share it soon. Shawn is probably a wee bit tired of me dancing around the kitchen and talking about my beautiful greens (I never knew fresh Chard and Basil were so gorgeous before!)

For now, maybe you can be inspired by the pics (ask you if you want to know what something is before I get around to labeling items).
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brooksgroth/tags/food/

Eat Well. Be Happy!

Megan and her trumpet

2008-07-27T22:31:00.004-05:00

Megan started summer band lessons last week. She is playing the trumpet, and so far loves it! Both of her teachers think she is a natural at it (I admit, I can't tell yet.)

By the way this wonderful girl is officially 11 now! No practically about it, we have a beautiful (and talented!) young lady on our hands!

Nessa -- morning and night

2008-07-27T22:19:00.002-05:00

Nessa was being so pleasant and looked so cute in her dress that I asked Shawn to take a few pictures ... the best is the last one he took after the photo shoot was actually over...

this was the first picture where he let her be goofy ...

and this is her "look at me and smile" pose ... this kid does NOT have a modeling career ahead of her! So adorable in many other ways though!
This was all before church. She stayed pleasant through church (first time I think she has made it through church without having to leave the sanctuary since hitting toddler hood!) After church she soon showed us she could still give us some grey hairs though!

One of the ways she tested our patience was by not napping. Some may say she simply doesn't need naps anymore. Maybe they should spend a napless afternoon with her! She did however sit quietly and look at books for nearly an hour, so I relented and we went about our day. We had an early supper because we knew bedtime had to early. I took Nessa on a bike ride after we played in the back yard after supper. We left on our bike ride about 6 p.m. ... I was home by 6:30 and these are the pictures I took ... (bedtime on a regular day is about 8 p.m.)

Next time I think we'll go for a bike ride mid-afternoon instead so she has a nap instead of falling asleep and then refusing to wake up to put jammies on, go potty, etc. ...

On a more positive note I'm glad she's starting to enjoy bike rides more!

Home Sweet Home

2008-07-25T13:06:00.004-05:00

OK, a few of you may be thinking that we got lost on our way south. No, we made it home from Walker in a very timely manner last Saturday. Then we spent Sunday basically recovering from the drive and unpacking a bit (I couldn't just say unpacking because *I* still have a suitcase in the bedroom). Then the week started, and here it is Friday already!

Megan came home Monday afternoon, and she needed a little recovery time too. Monday night Megan showed me all the fun stuff she found or purchased while in Washington and Oregon, and we also watched all of the video she took with the Flip camera (SOME of it will be posted later). Megan had SO much fun I can't even begin to express it here. I'm glad she was able to go on this trip and I was even more happy to have her home again (that's a mom thing). :-)

We did get back into the swing of things this week though with going to band lessons (stay tuned for an update on that), going to Wednesday night Yoga (Megan and Mom), and Shawn going to game night as well as a movie with friends. And of course how could we forget work. Tami returned to meetings and more meetings as well as more deadline work, and Shawn returned to a week of Java training.

My nights were spent soaking up time with my girls and attempting to catch up on my sleep. At least some after-bedtime time the next couple of weeks will be spent working with photos and blog entries ...

... of course there are a couple of big events coming up too ;-)

Up North Vacation

2008-07-18T10:18:00.001-05:00

DCP_5466
Originally uploaded by Tami of BrooksGroth

We're on vacation ... check flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/brooksgroth/) for photos I uploaded this morning not only from vacation but also from our busy time before that!

Stay tuned for more soon ...

Is It Just My Imagination...?

2008-06-26T12:39:00.003-05:00

Or is my daughter brilliant? :-) I need others to filter out the doting parent factor and tell me if this is "normal" for a 3.25 year-old:

This morning Nessa got both legs into one side of her big shorts, with some room to spare. When I noticed it and asked her to fix it, she said "If I left both legs on the same side it would be a skirt, right, Daddy?"

Now, it's certainly possible that she heard someone else say that, to her or in her presence. But if so, it wasn't anyone in our immediate family.

Sophisticated Connection, or Obvious Observation? You be the judge.

My Really Cool Birthday Present

2008-06-24T12:33:00.003-05:00

As is often the case, I’m a little late to the party (see First-time Fatherhood at Forty-Four), but I’m having fun. Tami and Nessa gave me an iPod Classic for my birthday, and I’m just starting to really get going with it. I’m slowly loading my CD collection, which means I have access to much more music at work. In fact, I'm listening to it right now. :-)

As I always suspected would be the case, the real beauty is being able to get individual songs on the fly. Last night I heard a beautiful daddy-daughter song on the car radio (“Cinderella” by Steven Curtis Chapman). When I got home I went on iTunes, bought the song, put it on my iPod, and was able to play it for Tami about 90 minutes after I heard it for the first time.

Now that’s what I call instant gratification! This “internet” thing just might have a future…

Ground 1, Nose 0

2008-06-24T12:20:00.003-05:00

Sunday Nessa was swinging in the back yard and wanted to change which way she was facing. When I put her back on the swing, she tried to scoot forward in the seat without grabbing the ropes. All of a sudden she was face down on the ground, crying. When I got her up, her nose was bloody. We started for the house, and it kept bleeding, and bleeding, and bleeding. Nessa was being very brave and following directions very well through her tears. Megan was just coming out the front door, so she got some tissues while Tami got a wet washcloth and a towel.

For a while it seemed like there was blood everywhere: all over Nessa’s shirt, on her face, arms and legs, on my hands… But after a few minutes the bleeding stopped and we were able to get her cleaned up. By that point she had regained her composure and realized she was OK, and she told us she didn't hurt anywhere. There was no swelling--mostly she had gotten shaken up and scared. She was able to have a picnic with Megan as soon as we finished cleaning her up.

Tami worked hard on the shirt and by the next day you couldn’t tell that it had been bloody at all. We have a couple of drops of blood on the sidewalk and steps to remind us, but otherwise our sweet girl came through her childhood rite of passage just fine.

What Does Your Daddy Do?

2008-06-24T12:16:00.003-05:00

Our pastor heard this story from his wife, who works at Nessa’s daycare. Apparently, when the kids went on a daycare outing recently to play on the playground equipment at a nearby school, someone asked Nessa what her Daddy does:

“Oh, he leaves early in the morning and plays on computers all day.”

Cake in the Morning...

2008-06-19T14:52:00.001-05:00

DCP_5380
Originally uploaded by Tami of BrooksGroth

OK, I meant to get this out as a Happy Birthday post yesterday, but got distracted by several other things ... the picture is too adorable to chance many of you not seeing it though --

Shawn didn't mention that we started the day yesterday with cake! It's a little tradition I've started that works especially well when we are not able to plan a bigger celebration later in the day, and now I find it helps me not feel bad about not calling ahead to ask about getting/brining a gluten free cake along. Instead we fill up on other yummy things at dinner since we've already had cake (OK, OK we had more cake later too).

Nessa helped me mix and bake the cake the night before, and then she got up early yesterday morning to help me frost it. As many of you might imagine Nessa's favorite part was putting the sprinkles on the cake.

Then Nessa sang Happy Birthday to her Daddy without hesitating while I just smiled and held the camera. Then we ate cake. Nessa was a little sad that we had to cut it even though she did indeed want to eat it, so Shawn took the opportunity to impart a bit of wisdom about not being able to eat your cake and have it too.

There are a few more photos on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brooksgroth/sets/72157605700269975/
(or click the photo as this is a flickr post)

Time For Recommended Service?

2008-06-19T12:42:00.003-05:00

My life odometer flipped to a new digit yesterday. For those who want to know the exact number:

Nessa’s age x 16 = Shawn’s age

It was a good day. I took the day off work, not because it was my birthday but because I was helping our new Associate Pastor move in to her apartment. When that was done I went and bummed around my favorite stores for a while, seeing if there was anything I wanted to buy myself for a birthday present. I ended up getting a VeggieTales DVD. For supper we went to Hackberry’s (a restaurant run by our food co-op, where we can get gluten-free food) and then I went off to the weekly meeting of the La Crosse Board Game Group. They let the birthday boy pick the games, but showed no mercy otherwise: I came in dead last in all three games we played. True, I’d never played any of them before, but still…

I received many nice cards and other well-wishes from family, friends and co-workers. My darling wife and delightful daughter also gave me a wonderful present: an iPod. I’ve been thinking about getting an MP3 player for months, and now I have a really good one.

Thank you Tami! Thank you Nessa! I love you!!

Dancing Girl

2008-06-16T15:02:00.000-05:00

Nessa loves music. She likes having songs sung to her at bedtime, and likes the songs she learns at daycare. She likes the songs on VeggieTales, DragonTales and Signing Time. She will sometimes surprise us by breaking into whatever song she has recently learned.

Nessa also loves to dance. Last Friday we were at a Farmer’s Market in a park in La Crosse that had a band playing bluegrass/country, and she couldn’t stay away. When she was done eating before we were Nessa wanted to go over by the music. When Tami and I were trying to buy vegetables Nessa wanted to go over by the music. We finally had to promise her we would go listen to the music when we were done to get her to be good while we were shopping.

Once we did, she couldn’t stand still for long. She started swaying, then bopping, then running in circles around us while swinging her body back and forth. It looked more like running to me, but she said she was dancing. During the Tony Awards she kept wanting to sing along and dance whenever one of the musical numbers came on. The fact that she had no idea what they were singing (or what she was singing, for that matter) didn’t matter in the least. She was gonna dance!

Flower Girl

2008-06-16T15:00:00.000-05:00

Every morning Nessa gets 10 nickels. During the day, when she wants us to do something for her that she should be able to do herself (such as putting on her coat) she has to pay us one or more nickels. Any nickels she has left over get converted to quarters on a regular basis, and Nessa can spend the quarters on anything she wants except candy: cheap trinkets in the 50 cent vending machines, kiddie rides by stores, toys at the dollar store—whatever catches her eye.

Lately she often wants to spend them on flowers. Nessa really likes flowers, both getting them and giving them to others. We go to a nice flower store close to our house and they show her the different inexpensive flowers like daisies and carnations. Nessa never has trouble making up her mind; lately she’s been choosing daisies, I think because there are multiple blossoms on the same stem so she feels like she’s getting more than one flower. She carefully counts out her quarters (Dad takes care of the tax) and gives them to the salesperson, then clutches the flower in its wrapper and smiles from ear to ear as we walk out the door. She’s always very polite when she’s buying something for herself.

Once she went with Tami and bought some flowers to take to the teachers at daycare…I believe it was her idea, too. She takes so much delight in flowers wherever she sees them that it’s fun to watch her.

Questions

2008-06-16T14:58:00.003-05:00

We’ve entered the “Why?” phase in a big way. Not so much when we ask Nessa to do something, but more when she sees us doing something, or just when something catches her attention and strikes her as unusual.

“Why did you go downstairs, Daddy?”
“Why do you have a red napkin?”
“Why did you put my pants so the legs were by your feet?”
“Why did that bird do that?”
“Why do you have that shirt on?”

(At least when Nessa asks that last question, I know she’s just being three and not commenting upon the suitability of my sartorial choices.)

We also get some questions that are much more interesting. At the park last Friday, Nessa was listening to a song about “riding the wheel of emotion” when suddenly she asked “What’s an ocean?” So I explained that the song was about emotions, being happy or sad or angry. Then she wanted to know about riding them. I said something lame about how being happy and then sad was confusing, and then looked at Tami and said “It’s a metaphor, kid. Just go with it.”

Sadly, none of my vaunted liberal arts education—even the parts that involved textual analysis—prepared me to explain the concept of metaphor to a child of three.

Overheard

2008-06-16T14:55:00.001-05:00

Things Nessa has been saying lately…

On being given a choice of what to drink: “Well, I will try the __”. Or sometimes: “Well, __ will be fine.”
(She’s been saying these for a while, but they still crack us up because she’s usually so serious about it.)

When she really wants something: “Pretty please can I have …”
(This one’s new. We think she picked it up from Megan.)

On being kissed on the forehead: “Hey, those are not for foreheads—they are for mouths!”
(Or for anywhere she has an owwie…which can make for interesting moments, like when she backs into something in public that pokes her, and then wants Daddy to kiss the owwie. “Kiss my butt, Daddy.”)

Happy Father's Day!

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Shawn proudly wore his new shirt to Church in addition to posing in it for me later that night. Unfortunately he went to Church by himself since Nessa wasn't feeling well. We also had to cancel our plans to go to brunch, and Tami had to scramble to try to make some fun brunch foods at home (good thing Shawn doesn't love me for my cooking!). The entire weekend was spend doing more relaxing than chores due to both Nessa and Tami not feeling well. After some much-needed rest we hope that the week starts out healthy.

Happy Father's Day to all Dads, Grandpas, and favorite Uncles out there!

Signs of Summer

2008-06-15T19:12:00.003-05:00

End-of-the-year slumber parties: Megan and a friend had a blast dressing up in the formal dresses that Aunt Heidi gave Megan (rumor has it they played "What Not to Wear" (!) ... I think the dresses were the makeover result), as well as watching movies and spending LOTS of time giggling!
Tired Girls: Busy summer days and nights lead to tired girls ... sleeping peacefully. This was taken the morning after I returned home from Philly (I think) as I can see Nessa tightly clutching the little koala bear that I brought home for her (received from an attendee from Australia).

Swimsuits and Sunburn (!): Hopefully this will be the only sunburn shot you'll ever see of Megan, but she was complaining heavily so I wanted to show it. She did say "Mom, you were right" when she discovered she was burnt and I asked what/when she applied sunscreen during her first outing to the pool with her friends (she didn't) this year.

Last Tuesday Megan was thrilled to spend all afternoon at the pool, and then we all went to the pool as a family as well that night. Megan had a blast, and so did the rest of us. Nessa actually did great in the water, and was excited to get to go down the water slide on mom or dad's lap as well. We're looking forward to more fun days and nights at the pool this year.

Unfortunately not all of our early summer days have been full of sunshine. The region has received way too much rain as well. South La Crosse, is fine, but areas just south (east and west -- WI, MN, and Iowa) have once again been devastated. I really hope raising funds for flood victims does NOT become a La Crosse summer tradition. :-(

Nessa dressing herself ... ready for anything!

2008-06-15T14:28:00.001-05:00

DCP_5315
Originally uploaded by Tami of BrooksGroth

This was taken back at the beginning of May, and I've been meaning to share it. Check out my Flickr stream for more photos I finally as able to upload.

Nessa was getting ready to leave in the morning -- it was sunny, but was supposed to rain so she wanted to be ready. She also wanted to wear her new skort and fixed the chilly legs problem by wearing some (wool!) baby legs. :-) That's our girl!