Love Him or Hate Him...

Football season is on it's way and the Vikings still don't know if this guy will return to lead the charge. I saw this display featured at Barnes & Noble yesterday.

Which would you buy?

Dear U2,

Dear U2,

I thought you should know that you recently lost one of your biggest fans.

My brother, Derek, had been a U2 fan for many years. He owned every album (and single), was often the first online to buy concert tickets, scoured E-bay for rare collectibles, and could quote you the next album release date at any time. He was a passionate fan.

In January of 2009, he purchased tickets for himself and three friends to see your Las Vegas concert in October. It would be his fourth U2 concert experience, a fact which brought him much pride. He had no idea at that time that he would engage in a battle for his life, and would never attend your concert. In March, a rare malignant tumor was found in his leg. Despite aggressive chemotherapy and surgery, the cancer spread throughout his body. By August, it became very difficult for him to walk, and a seizure caused a fractured shoulder. In spite of increased physical challenges, he was determined to go to the concert and mentioned it often. He began to look into handicapped accommodations. When pain became more of a constant, he remarked that “he could catch you on the next tour”. It was the first sign of surrender I witnessed in him.

In September, the cancer had spread to his brain and his illness was deemed terminal. My family was by his bedside on September 30th as he waged his final physical battle. In the early morning hours before he passed away, we turned on his U2 albums, hoping the familiar would bring comfort.

As the day of the October concert arrived, hundreds of Derek's friends dusted off their U2 albums and played them in memory of Derek. Even the grocery store where he was employed turned on a tune and cranked up the volume. He, no doubt, enjoyed his front row seat from Heaven.

Derek respected your band and it's music, not only for your musicality, but for your message. He was a devoted follower of Christ, and loved informing us of the meaning behind your lyrics. The fact that many songs are inspired by Bible verses was not wasted on him. As our large church was packed with friends and family to pay respects, a collection of U2 songs was played, and attendees received a program graphically inspired by your album covers. It was a great day of celebration and remembrance.

I want to thank you for the way you influenced and inspired my brother's life until the very end. We have great pride in the way he lived and the legacy he left.

Sincerely,
Jamie Stavenger

(Rich Baker, Derek, Dan Baker)

Who Needs Sleep?

There have only been two times in my life I wanted to punch my doctor in the face. The first was immediately after birth when she was viciously kneading my belly like a giant pile of dough. The second was yesterday.

I visited my OB-GYN again for yet another round of Mastitis, where she gave me the following news: "It's great that Kendall is sleeping through the night! Unfortunately, because you are prone to this, you can't do that anymore. You'll need to get up and pump." (Definition of "prone"- five cases of Mastitis in four months.)

So...after keeping careful track of Kendall's sleep patterns for the last 26 days and finally getting her on a loose schedule, on which she often sleeps through the night, I can't reap the benefits in the area of sleep. Last night I set my alarm three times: Twice to take an antibiotic and once to get up and pump. And after crawling back into bed the third time to a SNORING husband, I wanted to punch HIM in the face.

To sum it up: Everyone is sleeping in the house but me.

On the plus side, I got to put Kendall in her baby scrubs so we could visit Daddy at the office! Here's a doctor I NEVER mind seeing!

Two Years Down...

...and a lifetime to go.
Two years ago I married my best friend.
I loved him so much that I moved to Duluth, Minnesota.
That's love, people.

Our wedding day seems like so long ago.
Much has happened since then.
I remember being surrounded by the most important people in my life.
I remember laughter and my husband in his hot tux. Yowsaaaa!
I remember my whole family smiling with pride.
It was a beautiful day.
And now we have a beautiful daughter.

Life is sweet.

Mad Culinary Skills.

Looks good, yes?
I have been ambitious lately, planning and cooking more meals now that Kendall can entertain herself or watch me.
The above was a yummy, easy pasta dish.
It was hot and ready at 5 o'clock, in time for Chris to eat when he got home from work...
Except he didn't get out of surgery until 7:00 p.m...
So it was cold and didn't look this pretty (good thing I took a picture!)...
And, because he is finicky about eating leftovers, I ended up eating most of it throughout the week...
Which is why I don't like cooking.

But here is the recipe nevertheless.

ZUCCHINI, CORN, and BASIL FUSILLI WITH BACON
Serves 6 (or two, with one of us eating a WHOLE lot more than the other...)

6 bacon slices (I added more...because it's BACON!)
1 lb fusilli
3 ears corn, kernels cut from cob
1 1/2 lbs zucchini, coarsely chopped
1 (5- to- 7 oz) container basil pesto
Accompaniment: Parmigiano-Reggiano to top

Cook bacon in 12 inch heavy skillet over med heat, turning occasionally until crisp. Drain on paper towel, discard drippings.
Meanwhile, cook fusilli in a pasta pot of boiling salt water until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then add veggies to pasta in pot and cook, partially covered, 2 minutes (water will stop boiling). Drain.
Add pasta with veggies to skillet along with pesto and 1/4 cup reserved cooking water and toss. Season with salt and moisten with additional water if necessary.
Top with crumbled bacon and a generous amount of freshly ground pepper.

Seeing Pink

Kendall's outfit today consisted of a pink shirt, pink pants, brown and pink shoes, a pink fuzzy jacket...all accompanied by her pink blanket as we strolled around the mall.

Man at the mall: "Your baby's cute. Is it a boy or a girl?"

Sigh. Sometimes you've just gotta trust your observational skills, people.

P.S. I reckon it's no coincidence that there are ALWAYS creepy old men sitting on the benches outside Victoria's Secret. Those are MY observational skills at work.

"Free Time"

My Uber-Talented Friends.

I've said many times that I have THEE most talented friends on the planet. You may or may not be one of them. ;) There are a few, however, that have been rolling off my tongue more than a couple times lately- so I thought you should get to know them, too.

Like soup?
The RedMolly Picayune-Democrat
This is a friendship that goes waaaaay back to childhood, an acquaintance through church (her sister was my age). I am a new fan of Molly's blog, on which she is in the midst of 365 days of SOUP. Her recipes are creative, delicious, and quite witty- entertaining reading even if you have no intention of cooking. :) Go there...and tell her I sent you.

On3 Design
If it's photography you fancy, here is a brilliant collection to inspire you! Our new Vineyard friends Al & Lindsay are the culprits responsible for Kendall's adorable first photo session. Check out their blog and find that they've been working their magic on others, too. Eye candy.

Day to Day Wonderments
Allyson Baker married my good friend Richard a few years ago, and has been bringing her creative touch to us on her new blog. She is a wicked awesome graphic designer (here's her wedding invitation to prove it...) and has a Martha Stewart-like keen eye for crafts. Wanna know how she announced her pregnancy to her co-workers? Check out these cupcakes! And if you support Hume Lake Christian Camps, you're probably already familiar with her work (and her husband!).

By the way, I FINALLY updated my blogroll (hello, spring cleaning!) and added some that I should have added long ago. If you feel you were unjustly deleted, well, get blogging, kiddo!

Kendall's First Easter

I know, it's been photographic overload on the ol' blog lately, but hang with me...I'm just trying to get caught up! Easter sprung (pun intended) on us quickly, and with it came a rash of beautiful weather (finally!). We made another road trip to Moorhead, MN, to celebrate Chris' birthday (April 2) along with Resurrection Sunday. Before that, however, we stopped for a quick overnight at the new-and-improved Stavenger lake house for the first time. Last summer's sacrifice was worth it, as we enjoyed the sparkling amenities and homey new getaway. Then it was on to our final destination, where we were greeted by Stavenger grandparents, aunts, uncle and cousins...all excited to see our growing Kendall!

15 Ways Babies Change Your Life.

1. You finally stop to smell the roses, because your baby is in your arms.

2. Where you once believed you were fearless, you now find yourself afraid.

3. The sacrifices you thought you made to have a child no longer seem like sacrifices.

4. You respect your body ... finally.

5. You respect your parents and love them in a new way.

6. You find that your baby's pain feels much worse than your own.

7. You believe once again in the things you believed in as a child.

8. You lose touch with the people in your life whom you should have banished years ago.

9. Your heart breaks much more easily.

10. You think of someone else 234,836,178,976 times a day.

11. Every day is a surprise.

12. Bodily functions are no longer repulsive. In fact, they please you. (Hooray for poop!)

13. You look at your baby in the mirror instead of yourself.

14. You become a morning person.

15. Your love becomes limitless, a superhuman power.

ht: BabyCenter

Rub-A-Dub-Dubby

Our little chicky...all ready for the bathtubby!

...."yeah, I know I'm adorable."

...."seriously, guys, get outta here so I can take my bath!"

...."whew! All clean! I am one hot chick!"

Let's Cut the Crap.

Chris and I were recently at Barnes & Noble and, well, we finally got it...a healthy cookbook (the recommended Hungry Girl series). We've been talking about it for a long time, and with his fun run training and my post-childbirth poundage, we decided it's time to start incorporating some healthy choices into our diets. This is easier said than done, however, because both of us are admittedly picky eaters. Our lists of dislikes include:

Chris- tomatoes, onions, celery, bell peppers and a smattering of other "green stuff".
Jamie- cream cheese, seafood, yogurt and beans. of. any. kind.

Try finding a healthy substitution recipe that doesn't incorporate at least a couple of the above mentioned items. (Suggestions, anyone?) SO, I'm carefully picking through books and internet sites trying to make this work for us. Discouragement set in today upon visiting the grocery store and finding that these alternative ingredients practically doubled my total. Darn you, fresh produce!

I need your help. Come on you culinary geniuses, I need recipes!

Big Girl Toys.

Since Kendall now has fairly good head control (still sporting the bobblehead, but she's almost there), we decided to invest in some toys that will assist and entertain her in this next phase of development. The first, her Baby Einstein jumper, is still a bit too mature for her. Rather than jump and play with the toys on the tray, she's all about leaning down to chew on the seat. She enjoys a few minutes at a time here and there, and I'm sure she'll be jumping in no time!


Secondly, we tried out the highly-recommended BUMBO chair. It's highly recommended for a reason...she pretty much rocks that seat. Just watch all the smiles it produces!


Sorry...this video is knee-deep in baby talk. Can't help it.

A Carnivore in the Making.

WOW! COOL! Is this for me?

It looks so delightfully yummy...I need to try this thing!

Om nom nom...

Yep...I'm gonna like chicken!

Old Job, New Job.

At my old job, I was showered, dressed and out the door by 7:30 a.m.
At my new job, I'm lucky if I shower or get out of my pajamas at all.

At my old job, I spent nights and some weekends grading papers and filling out report cards.
At my new job, I spend nights and weekends playing, holding, feeding and changing...24 hours a day.

At my old job, my floor at home was littered with books and papers that needed to be read or graded.
At my new job, my floor is littered with swings, activity mats, toys and burp rags.

At my old job, I lived for the smile on a student's face when they finally "got it".
At my new job, the smile of one baby gives me all the confidence I need as a mommy.

At my old job, I dealt with all kinds of parents...the good, the bad and the ugly. I took copious notes.
At my new job, I'm putting into practice what I learned from successful families, and gleaning from new examples in my life.

At my old job, I received a paycheck and benefits.
At my new job, my pay and benefits are not monetary.

At my old job, I raced the clock to grab lunch and eat it in time.
At my new job, I can grab some food out and take a post-lunch stroll if I wish.

At my old job, I came home with marker-stained hands.
At my new job, I consistently smell like spit-up and baby lotion.

At my old job, I spent hours planning memorable experiences for my students.
At my new job, my daughter gives me memorable moments daily.

My old job: TEACHER.
My new job: MOMMY.

Ahhh, The Memories.

Happy April Fools Day!
I've been behind many April Fools Pranks, but this one was one of my favorites. :)
I'm still laughing...

APRIL FOOLS 2007

Muuuaaaahhh hahaaaaa....