A Good _______!

A GOOD GIRL...

We have a little girl who is super sweet!  There are always smiles and snuggles waiting to be shared by her!  She keeps Mommy and Daddy on their toes, in a good way!

Dance Party w/ Daddy!

She just wants to be near you.  Not smothering you, not begging you to pay attention to her...just close!  So often times while I am getting ready, she can be found perched in our bed watching a show and peeking in to check on me and what it is that I am doing with this or that make-up brush?!

Lila loves accessories!  She is often found with sunglasses, a headband or a purse to accent her outfit!  Sometimes she wants all three -- trifecta! 

Don't let me fool you, every so often we have a hard day and the scene around the house tends to look more like this...

A GOOD WORK PARTY...

On February 10th we celebrated as a company!  We had a lot to celebrate this year!  We had a successful year in sales, we have welcomed several new employees, we moved into our new building and we hit our 10 year milestone!  Nothing captures a good party quite like a photo booth...

The party committee!

The "Amazing" Marketing Department!

A GOOD VALENTINE...

This year Valentine's Day was good to all of us, but Lila was spoiled!  Confession: I ordered her original Valentine weeks before and as of noon on V-Day the package had not arrived, so I found myself in a mad dash to not disappoint!  As I pulled in the driveway after picking her up that night, what was on the porch?!  Her original Valentine!  I guess it was a good year!

Her Valentine from Jason, Jen, Celia & Ruby was a hit!

Celia and Ruby loved their gifts from us, too!

Daddy got a bouquet at work...a cookie bouquet!  YUM!

A GOOD START...

We have been trying to conquer the art of potty training!  We had heard from a lot of people that we respect as parents that said, "just wait until they are ready or you will find that you are only training yourself to ask them every 30 minutes if they need to go the bathroom!"  So, we waited!  She is doing a really good job!  We need to have the potty mastered by August when she goes to preschool and I want this to be a non-stress event, if possible, so I wanted to get a good headstart so we don't feel like we are coming down to the wire!

She is SO proud when she has success!!!

We figured out that a Dora seat does the trick!
This seat was brand new, no germ issues!

If we let her, I am rather certain that her potty seat would be a welcomed toy!

We have a lot of time spent in just our underwear, notice even though there is minimal clothing, she still accessorizes!

A GOOD TIME...

Something to know about me is that I love George Strait, I always have!  He is wildly talented and quite frankly, I think he is very handsome for an older man!  Two years ago on my birthday my Mom wanted to send Mike and I to Minnesota to fulfill a "bucket list" item of mine -- see him in concert, but work interfered.  So, instead of getting me another gift, she said, "we will do this again, it is like a George Strait I.O.U."  This weekend I was able to cash in on the I.O.U. and we met my Mom and Terry in Des Moines on Friday to see George in concert!

One of his newest song lyrics is, "I'm not here for a long time, I am here for a good time..." and a good time is just exactly what we had!

The concert was fantastic!  Both Martina McBride and George gave an amazing performance!  It definitely secured a spot as one of the best concerts I have been to.

After the show we decided to continue our good time as we headed to a bar with live salsa music!  It was too much fun!  Lots of dancing, more drinks and even a second round of food (munchies) that would save us from feeling too bad the next morning!

Salsa beats!

Tequila shots!

I sent a text to a few of my friends that evening with a picture of this sign and the caption "It is time for me to..."

We definitely took the saying "a good time," literally!  The night is one for the memory books in several different ways!

A GOOD CAUSE...

While Mommy & Daddy were in Des Moines, Lila was with Grandpa and Laura spending some quality time!  My Dad was the executive chair this year for the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes in Cedar Rapids.  All of TrueNorth participated in raising funds for this most worthy cause and a lot of the employees all met at Westdale Mall to walk.

Lila was thrilled to learn that she would be going with Grandpa and that they would be meeting up with Celia and Ruby!!! 

Grandpa and his girls!



Lots of fun things to do for the kids!



Announcing the totals!  Way to go team!

The overall goal for the walk was $565,000.00 and they exceeded that with a grand total of $568,000.00!  What a wonderful thing to be a part of!  We enjoy exposing Lila to different kinds of philanthropy.  Granted she is little yet and doesn't totally grasp the concept, but we hope she grows up with volunteering being a way of life, as there are so many good causes worthy of our support in terms of donations and our time!

No Fair Warning

When you are expecting a baby everyone has advice.  How much and what to eat while pregnant, what book is the best to read to ensure your baby is sleeping through the night in a few weeks, who the best pediatrician is, they even have advice on naming that precious little being, the list goes on and on.  However, not one single person prepared me for those decisions that keep you up at night, the ones that weigh so heavy on your heart, that have you constantly asking yourself if you are making the right decision for this little person that you love beyond words, that you have been put in place to protect.
We have been faced with one of those decisions.  Our little girl will turn three in April.  I remember, even last year, three seemed so far away.  And to be honest, I am starting to feel like three is right around the corner with big changes: a big girl bed, fully potty trained...Preschool.

Ever since Lila was 3 months old she has been on the waiting list at one of the Montessori schools here in town.  I have a friend who had told me about the Montessori teachings and structure many years ago and I remember being totally impressed and rather convinced that would, someday, be where I sent my children.  Fast forward many years later, Mike and I tour the school, get the lay of the land, leave excited and ready for Lila to start preschool there, this was last August.  As the time has gotten closer and closer, Mom has gotten more and more stressed about it. 

Lila is fortunate enough to have the most wonderful in home daycare provider.  (Mom and Dad are lucky, too).  I often think of my daughter throughout the day, wondering if she is having fun?  Did she take a nap?  Never have I ever had that pit in my stomach wondering if she was okay?  Is our provider keeping a watchful eye over her?  Was she getting enough attention?  It is the most amazing feeling to know that your daughter is loved and cared for by someone who truly loves what they are doing and takes their job seriously about the role they play in these little ones lives.  That is why I am struggling so much with the idea of preschool. 

The biggest struggle is the thought of taking Lila out of her wonderful in home situation to a completely different place.  While preschool only lasts a few hours a day, at Montessori it would require Mike and I to make the decision to do wrap around care five days a week full time.  And while last year that didn't sound like that big of a deal, it seems like a much bigger deal now!  With our family being a two parent working household, Lila will need formal care for many years of her young life and when she goes to elementary school we will have limited options for care other than that of the school.  So, the question becomes while we have this amazing daycare provider, do we end that prematurely or is there another answer?  This Friday I think we found our answer!

Lila, Mike and I had received an invitation to another local preschool that has come highly recommended (thanks friends!) and thought, maybe we owe it to ourselves to check this out.  Our visit on Friday afternoon was wonderful and the best part about it is their program for three year olds is a 2 or 3 day program, so we can have the best of both worlds!  We would have the structure and learning environment more similar to "school," yet she will continue to have the love and nurture of our in home provider that has known, and had a hand in raising, our little girl since she was 8 weeks old.

As a Mom, we get those gut checks that sometimes hit you out of nowhere.  Here I was, so settled in my thoughts, Montessori was the answer, no doubt.  But then something in my gut told me I needed to explore our options and I am glad we did, because these decisions, that no one prepares you for, they are major and I just want the best for my little girl!