Beautiful Soul

Mike and I are unbelievably blessed that we have the most amazing friends, friends that have crossed the line from average friendship to family.  Some of our most favorite people are our friends and two of those favorites have so much to celebrate this week!    



Scott and Racquel welcomed their sweet baby girl to the world on Wednesday!  After being a week overdue, it was time...Quel was a true warrior and worked hard, but as all of us mother's know the pain and discomfort quickly fades away the second that beautiful soul is placed in your arms! 



Congratulations Scott and Racquel!  Sloan is a beautiful representation of your love for one another!  We couldn't be more excited for the adventures that lie ahead of you and to watch our little girls grow-up together...creating a friendship that lasts a lifetime!  XOXOXO!

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!

Where did January go?!

How on earth is it almost February?  My blogging is almost therapeutic and in someways ends the week for me, something I generally do on Sundays, and I have been neglecting it.  The past few weeks have been super busy with all sorts of fun stuff, 2012 has definitely gotten off to a good start!

We finally had our first "big" snow of the winter season.  It was well after Christmas this year and quite frankly, I was bummed about it in December, but totally over it by the time it decided to show up.  I was just getting used to not having to have your coat, mittens, hat, boots and scarf with you wherever we went!

Bundled up for an outing!

I have to share that Lila has a pretty amazing Daddy!  She puts him through his paces.  At any given time she has him dancing around the room, playing on the floor, chasing her down the hallway, acting like a goof ball, singing songs, and the list goes on and on...he is a trooper and there isn't anything he won't do to put a smile on her sweet face!

Pretty face decorations - courtesy of Lila!

We spent some time over at Grandma and Grandpa Eddins' house this weekend and Lila was introduced to Grandma Elaine's famous chocolate malts!  The malt was a HIT!  However, after a full bowl of marshmallows, some Teddy Grahams and her chocolate malt she was BOUNCING OFF THE WALLS!!!!

We had to strip down to fully enjoy this malt!

Celia and Ruby both celebrate their birthday's in January.  Ruby turned 5 on the 17th and Celia turned 7 on the 26th.  It is hard to believe that these little girls are growing up.  To think that Ruby was younger than Lila is now when we welcomed Lila to the family is crazy to think about, and she seemed so big when Lila was born! 

The girls had their joint birthday party this weekend!  It was a brunch and a small gathering of family.  The girls are so sweet and enjoyed spending time with their family and opening all their gifts, of course!  They got a lot of great things, American Girl is big with them right now!  They got the girl of the year while in Chicago for their birthdays and were pleased to get a lot of the accessories that go with her!

The birthday girls!  Lauren turned 16 in January, too!

Board games are a hit with the girls!  So we couldn't help but get them the sequel to the game Headbandz that we got them for Christmas.  This version is Disney Headbandz, you can tell by the Mickey Mouse ears as an addition to the traditional head gear!  We had a blast playing, there were a lot of giggles as Grandma tried to guess her card -- she was Piglet! 

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you!"

Another special birthday in the month of January is Little Miss Henley's, she turned 2 earlier this month!  We were so excited to head to Center Point today to partake in a craft day with just the girls!  I can't share the craft just yet as it is a very special present for Baby Girl Pfeiler who isn't here yet, but we had A LOT of fun creating this special gift!  So much fun that Monica and I have decided we will get together once a month, if possible, to do some kind of fun, creative activity with the girls.  (Disclaimer: the girls basically ran around like mad women while the Mom's were engrossed in the craft!  Several times I found myself ignoring Lila due to my fixation...bad mom!)

Move over Elmo!  We're comin' in!

Darling little girls having loads of fun!

Another thing keeping me busy has been our new building at work.  When planning the new facility we had timelines that started back in January of 2010.  The final date on most of those timelines was January 19th, 2012 -- our open house and PM Exchange.  We would look at those timelines, crossing each bridge as we came to it, hitting milestones along the way, but none quite as fulfilling as our event on the 19th.  The Mayor of Cedar Rapids, Ron Corbett and Duane spoke to the whole TrueNorth staff and some of our clients, we hosted a ribbon cutting to help make it all feel official, and most importantly we celebrated -- we celebrated all that has been, all that is, and all that is yet to come for us as a business and our community!  

The 19th marked the end of the beginning, if you will. We are finally in the building, living and working and after we were able to share it/christen it with some of our clients, community and friends it feels like we can finally take a deep breath and in some ways, "get back to business."

No wonder January has gone so fast!

Twenty Twelve

What a year 2011 was for us!  We had very little time for rest this year as we were on the go up until the last day!  We wouldn't change a thing about it, but we are looking forward to a slower 2012...is that possible?!

On New Year's Eve we decided that finding a sitter was too complicated and opted to ring the New Year in as a family!  The Hahn's came over to join us for dinner and some time for the girls to play as it has been awhile.  Lila couldn't help herself, she just had to wear her new dancing skirt from Santa, so we made sure Henley knew the dress code! 

Ready to party!

For dinner we had a delicious salad, pork loin and roasted red potatoes.  And for dessert a fantastic french silk pie!  YUM!

It was a casual evening of the girls playing and the adults giggling at their antics!  Lila's new Camaro was a source of laughter as Lila would take the car from in and out of reverse and drive back and forth in the garage with Henley in the passenger side!  I hope neither of them has whiplash!

Can you imagine what this picture will look like 13 years from now?!

Giddy up!

Brandon and Monica brought party favors for the girls!  They had so much fun playing with their noisemakers!  It was comical watching them as they figured out how to blow in them to make them work!  They also got confetti poppers that were too much fun!  You twist the bottom of them and POP! out comes the confetti and streamers, it rained down on the basement floor!

I have to give the girls an A for effort on ringing in the New Year, they did a good job of trying to hang in there!  At about 10:00 it was time for the Hahn's to go with a tired little girl in tow and it was time for us to put our tired little girl in bed, as well. 

Partied out!

After snuggling Lila in for the night Mike and I spent the rest of the evening ringing in the New Year together.  When a year is coming to a close and another is beginning it is hard to not reflect on what you have just been through and what is yet to come.  We had a lot of adventures and blessings in 2011!  We both agreed we had a wonderful 2011 with all the travel, the weddings, the busy work schedules, and the celebrations.  However, we are very much looking forward to what 2012 has in store for us, we are hoping for a bit slower year with more time at home getting projects done around the house and making memories as a family!!!

We wish you a happy, healthy 2012 and may this be the best year yet for all of us!