More Pictures

The year is almost over! I need to get these done! Here are some more of my favorites of our child from 2007!

This entry is from the Birthday Party shoot that Jaina & I did in August. I wanted to make some super cool birthday invitations, and really wanted to use the TUTU.

A little backstory. At one of my frequent Internet haunts "Two peas in a bucket" there are frequently little girls dressed up in Tutu's. And one day, one of my pea commrades posted instructions on how to make a Tutu. It was fantastic. And fantasically easy. A LOT of tulle. But I six sigma'd the process, so it went really fast. And, fortunately for me, Jaina also thought that the TUTU was REALLY COOL. So out we went, looking for the "perfect" picture.

She was fairly cooperative, at least as cooperative as a three year old can be. We got some decent shots, and the grass was still green, which was unusual for August. I posted some of my favorite shots.

More Tulip Time Pics - but, these are better

So, you may be sick of Tulip Time, but frankly, I don't care. The above pictures represent some of the best pictures of the year. Period. One is a close up of her. Primarily, I like it, because it shows that I am gaining some skill in this crazy thing called photography. And the second, it's a historical matter, okay? Anyone who has a dutch costume probably has a picture of themselves sniffing a tulip. I know my mother has one of me, and therefore, I have to have one of Jaina. It is a weird genetic thing, that I can only hope gets broken if Jaina marries a red-headed, green-eyed, Irish-Catholic Fireman.....

In the meantime, she gets to smell tulips......

Tulip Time

No blog would be complete with a little Dutch girl's first Tulip Time.

Now, I admit, I beat myself up quite regularly for the fact that I waited three years before taking Jaina to a Tulip Time. But honestly, things kept coming up (Primarily, some relative of Mike's got married for the last three years, to be exact), and this year, I said "Who care? We are GOING TO PELLA for TULIP TIME!" And lucky for us, no one got married. Lucky for us? More accurately, lucky for Grandma and Mom. Dad (Mike) had to sit through the bloody thing, and Jaina had to wear a horribly uncomfortable dress. But I feel accomplished. I have walked my baby through the Baby parade. And now wonder what particular brand of crack I was smoking......

Gramma and Me

I love this picture. I am not sure why. Maybe it reminds me of what a professional photographer would do. Maybe because I love my mom, and I love my daughter. It's hard to tell, but seeing the two of them together, watching the mass of geese come in, (which turned out to be the ending point of this poignant pic), or the fact that some form of water is involved, I don't know, but I think it is great.

June - zoo Month

Throughout the summer of 2007, we took numerous trips to zoos. So forgive me if I combine several favorite pictures into our "ZOO" theme. The first one was Zippity Zoo day at the Sioux Falls Zoo. They have this stone camel, which in and of itself is not THAT big of deal, but when you are using it to measure your daughter's growth from year to year, it becomes a largly big deal. So here is 2007's pic...

Some other Zoo trips we took this year included the Como Park Zoo, in Minneapolis, and the Omaha Zoo in, well, Omaha. We are strongly hoping that Aunt Alayna gets a job in Omaha, so we can visit more often. Have I ever mentioned that Jaina LOVES carousels?

This picture was taken in March of 2007. This was our "big" snowstorm of 2007. It started on March 1, 2007, and I was insane enough to attempt the 45 mile drive to work.

When I got to work, it turned out that anyone that lived within a 10 mile radius had already opted NOT to come in, so I felt both stupid and victorious. Of course, I left at 9:30. Then Mike and I proceeded to paint our bedroom for the next two days?

Where was Jaina, you may ask? She was in Pella, surviving the storm her own way with Grandpa and Grandma Willer. She had been gone for an entire week, and I was just aching to see her. Of course, with the interstates shut, that was an impossibility. Once I got her home, I took full advantage of taking her outside, and building our first snowman. This picture represents that fact that I got her home, and that we had a great time.

There is also a future story for this post, as you will see in December 2007 :) I love pretense, ans suspense :)

Top Ten Of 2007

As we draw to the end of 2007, I thought I would take a few posts to share (primarily with myself, since no one else reads this.....) some of my favorite pictures of our family throughout 2007...

Stay posted for more.....

Hmmm, once a month

I guess I indicated I would be a once a month sort of gal. A little less, I would say. The truth is, I forgot my password. A truly humiliating experience, really. I try to keep all of my passwords the same, but you know how picky websites can be. This one needs a special character, this one needs an uppercase letter, and this one needs the middle initial of your mother's unborn child.

But, seeing as I haven't posted since June, I thought it was time for a few updates......

Let's see........

In late June, Mike, Jaina, and myself took a small vacation to Omaha, and met up with my parents. A GREAT idea to split the trip halfway. An added bonus is the ability to stay in a hotel, with a pool, which then allows Jaina to spend a LOT of energy.

We also got to go to the zoo. Jaina loves the zoo. And the Omaha zoo is a mite bit bigger than our usual Sioux Falls zoo, with it's multitude of ducks.

Also in June, we also had Jaina's first fishing trip. She caught a fish. If you ever want to hear about it, just ask her.

She tells everyone at daycare all of the time.

Let's see, what else? Oh yeah, we went to a couple more zoos. :)

And then school starts.

Fun summer, huh?

Trust me, more updates later.

Wow, I can't believe that I appear to be a once a month type of poster. Anyway, where was I? We went to Pella over Memorial day weekend, and saw Ma & Pa Willer. We had a great time, and also got to see my extended family on Sunday.

Additionally, in the last month, Jaina has been the educationally overstimulated. We have been:

- Blank Park Zoo - Des Moines

- The dentist

- Seratoma Butterfly House

- Great Plains Zoo - Sioux Falls

And next weekend is the Omaha Zoo. Wow, she may be zoo'd out! Doubtful.

Mike is officially done with school, so I got my maid, nanny, and chef back. He is trying to work on lesson plans this summer, so I hope that in some way I can support him to get some of this stuff done.

Other than that, there is really not much new. For those of you out there that may not have a speaking toddler yet (Fox's, this is for you) Be CAREFUL what you watch in front of your toddler. First, a little back story:

Friday night, Mike and I had a "date" and let Mike's sister Jodi watch Jaina for the evening. We went to see Ocean's Thirteen, which we both highly recommend. Yesterday, Jaina, Mike & Myself all went to Zippity Zoo day, and purchased our annual membership. After the zoo, we surprised our excited toddler with some ice cream. While in the middle of our visit to Culver's Jaina and I had a conversation that went something like this:

Jaina: Mom, remember all those kids at the pool?

Me: Huh?

Jaina: Yeah, when all of those kids jumped out of the pool because they didn't like the poop bar?

Me: The poop bar?!?

Jaina: Yeah, there was a poop bar in the pool, and everyone jumped out because there was a poop bar in the pool, and they all thought it was poop.

Me: WHAT?!?

Jaina: But it was just a candy bar, and that guy ate it.

Me: Jaina, where did you see this?

Jaina: At home, with you, Jaina, Mommy, and Daddy.

Now, for those of you who don't know what scene she is describing, it is Caddyshack, where Bill Murray eats the candy bar from the pool. Very funny scene, except when you have a toddler giving you the play by play in the middle of a busy restaurant. And I KNOW for a fact, that I have never watched it with her. So I turned to my chef/nanny/ maid with a look.

Turns out, it wasn't him. It was Jodi. The crazy thing, is she only watched those two minutes of the movie, and then changed it per her good judgement. But that two minutes is now stuck in my daughters head. I can't wait to see what she tells the kids at daycare.

Although I intended to make you laugh, there are also some pearls of wisdom. Bill Murray has a surprising effect on children. Don't believe me? Try it out on your husband, you will get what I mean immediately.

But, hope you had a great weekend. Enjoy our latest pictures of the sassafras.

Seriously....

It is May sweeps, so I should definitely gear up and make sure this is a good one. I want to get good ratings.

So, if anyone has been reading along at home, it has been a while since I posted anything signifcant. Wait a minute, I guess it has been a long time since I have posted anything at all. :) Silly Erica.

I don't have anything new to report, except maybe a few updates. No, we did not get the house. Yes, we did have an offer in, but someone came along that the owners and God felt needed the house more than we did. We were disappointed at first, but then reminding ourselves that we still have enough room, a heckuva good mortgage payment, and a lot of things we can still do this house was enough to let us move on.

Lately I have been thinking about perspectives. I need to continuously remind myself that my perspective is not the be all of every organization in the universe, namely, Groen household. Or work, for that matter. Lately, I have been overly stressed, and wondering why doesn't everyone empathize with all of the stress that I am feeling, and frankly, feel sorry for me? Then I remember that they are all thinking the same thing about themselves, and then I get it.

But enough philosophizing. I know all you really want to know about it Jaina. I can't help it, the name brings a smile to my face. We recently went to Pella to celebrate the annual Tulip Festival. I am not sure what I was expecting, but when we got there, I was surpised to see that everything was....... the same. The same food vendors (the BEST eggrolls are at this Dutch festival - go figure), the same tulips, the same programs, even down to the exact same script being read on the tour wagons.

In fact, I was almost dreading going home, because, you can't go home again. Right? And I vaguely recall comments my elders have made about so and so, and such and such, and can you see how she has let herself go? Did I really want someone to say that to me?

But I got over myself. And when I realized that I was having a good time, I took a look around, and realized, we all look the same, we are just older.

So, if you have any grievances about your past, any hesitation about seeing old friends, or new friends, or people that fought with in high school, or your parents who you fought with in high school, get over it. Just take a look in the mirror, say, "Yeah, I look the same, just older." You know what? Everyone else does to.

Where did that tangent come from? Okay seriously, look at the pics of the princess. I love my new camera, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE Jaina's new cheesy smile. Priceless.

Have a great week!

Should I stay or should I go now?

Sounds like a bad song, doesn't it? Pretty much sums up my day.

There are some weeks that you are windshield, some weeks you are the bug. This is definitely a bug sort of week. :)

It has been a whirlwind. We went to look at houses last week, and wouldn't you know it, I went and fell in love with one. After having both of our parents look at it, they gave it the 50 times over, and then we put in an offer. The offer, of course, is contingent on us selling our house. And we put in a REALLY low offer to get the ball rolling.

That is where the roadblock hits. After speaking with the realtor today, he says he doesn't think our house will get any more than $7000 less than what we paid for it. Hmmmm, that does put us in a bit of a quandry. So, hence the title, should I stay or should I go now?

The last several nights, I prayed that I didn't want to worry about it anymore, and that God can have it all. Now it feels as though he has generously thrust the ball back in our court. When I meant you can have it, I meant it. Really, it's all yours, just light the path.

And yet I feel as though the path has a series of tests. Like test #1, do we put our house on the market, and see what happens? Or is the news from the realtor the answer we need? Do we stop here? And assume that they will say no, and leave it be?

Or is this a discouragement from Satan? Is he putting in another whisper, "See, you aren't good enough to have that bigger house. Nothing ever works out for the Groens."

I just don't know. So today, I have no words of wisdom, no pearls of faith. I am struggling to find my faith path as well.

So God, if you happen to be out blogging tonight, this ones for you......

Nothing Significant

I have been reading a really good, really thought provoking book. It is titled "The Battlefield of the Mind." by Joyce Meyer. Very mind altering in the way that it makes you realize how many things that you think are a) truly not YOUR thoughts; and b) just plain wrong, and not in keeping with a God fearing spirit.

It has been a challenge to get through many of the chapters, in fact, I will have to read them again. Many times, I feel I am just plugging through. Many of the points that Joyce explains is that negative thoughts lead to negative actions. And negative thoughts are generally placed into your brain by Satan. This threw me for a loop.

I was not surprised to learn that Satan messes with people. That was a truth that I had long ago realized. However, I was under some mistaken impression that Satan could not get into our heads, but I am quickly learning I was wrong. For example, were you aware that worry, a simple thought pattern, is actually a sin? It is us, trying to take the place of God, of attempting to prove that we know more than he does.

So, while getting ready for work the other day, I was pondering this more. Why would Satan and all of his minions pick on me? I am nothing special, nothing significant to anyone. Simply put, I am pretty plain. Then it hit me, like a lightning bolt: That is step one. I almost dropped my curling iron.

You see, Satan is the master of baby steps. He rejoices in every small victory. He knows that for every negative thought that you believe, that is one less he will have to create in your mind. He knows that every thought is one more chip at your self worth, your postivie outlook, and even worse, your willingness to step out for the kingdom of God. While we as God's children are waiting for the pillar of lightning to guide us on our path, powers of darkness are at work, showing us where we are already unworthy.

And anyone is vulnerable. Especially those feeling insignificant. They may even be more at risk, already feeling that they provide no value. As far as Satan is concerned, that battle is in the tail end.

I challenge every one to take the baby steps back. God created babies, therefore, he created baby steps. Stop waiting for the pillar, look for the small bursts of light throughout your day.

"You are insignificant." Satan Whispers. Your response? "If I am, why are you even bothering? Obviously I know something."

"You can't do that, you aren't strong enough." Your response? "And who do you think you are? Didn't God crush your head with His heel? Back off."

"You should really worry about........." Your response? "Why? So you don't have to? That's a stupid reason. Besides, I already talked to Jesus about it today."

What? Where are you going buddy? Oh, did I say Jesus? That's right! I forgot you fear the name Jesus. I don't know why I keep name dropping Jesus like that, how rude. Go back where you came from. (Have to be a little smart alec, it is in my nature.)

So hopefully, I have shed some insight into your day, and you can go share it with others. Have a great week!

Of Superheroes and Barking Spiders

Hello. Happy Thursday. I would like to introduce you to Super Jaina. She has many miraculous powers, including the ability to wrap myself around her finger. And she is strikingly confident. Minutes after taking this picture, she announced "I'm Super Jaina! Aren't I cute?" How can you resist that?

What you don't see from looking at this picture is how the rest of the night went. After an hour or so of play, it was time for a bath. Then came the barking spiders.

Now, for those of you who do not know, barking spiders is another term for flatulence, passing gas, tooting? Catching my drift, are ya? Anyway, earlier this week, our very own Super Jaina released a barking spider in the bathtub. I asked her if she "tooted," and she said no. In my infinite wisdom, and truly believing myself to be humorous, I inquired, "Was it a barking spider?" Did I fail to mention that I forgot that I am a mother to a two year old? Did I fail to mention that two-year olds don't really understand adult humor, especially to bodily functions? So, now we have barking spiders in our bathtub.

What I found most intruiging about this turn of events is that two hours ago, I had the most brave, self-assured, sassy little girl. And now I have a quivering toddler, scared of the ferocious barking spiders that are lingering in her tub. However, it always takes a toddler to show adults the most basic principles of life. Don't we all have times that we feel invincible, able to leap tall buildings, beat deadlines, and cook the best pot roast in a single bound (take that, Clark Kent.) And in the next breath, are quivering for fear of the next turn of events.

Fearing the valleys is just another one of opportunities to walk in faith. There will always be times when we don't know what the next step is. And what steps do we take in those times? What do we do to get through the valley of the barking spiders?

For me, I turn to God. I will be the first to admit that I am occasionally lukewarm in the area of showing my faith. It is still there, but I fall into the rest of human nature that it is easy to forget those faith basics when I am wearing my superhero cape. Skinned knee, no problem! Need a new solution at work, I am your girl! Need a laugh, stop on by! But where is the cape when the road seems icy, when the money doesn't quite seem to meet the bills this month, when I think that I am the most worthless person in the world?

So, my new lesson of the week is this. The cape is on loan. God has only loaned me the cape because he feels I am worth it. I can use the cape, but I need to remember where it came from. Additionally, before donning it every day, we need to ask for it, we need to pray for the strength to wear it. New resolution: Always ask for the cape, every morning. Talk to the owner. Use his strength to get through the day. After that, the cape becomes an accessory.

Bring it on, Barking spiders! With my cape in my hand, I'm ready.

Welcome to a new frontier

So......

I am a blogger now, huh? How interesting. I have to admit, when I first heard of "blogs" I had several questions that sounded strangly similar to "What the $$%$?" Journaling online, how is that private? But in keeping with the fact that I do truly type faster than I write (and even think, occasionally), this seems to be the natural evolution.

It always takes me a while to catch up to what is "hip." (See, I still use "hip":)) I am still using a VCR to tape Grey's Anatomy on Thursday night. Seriously.

I can't guarantee where this blog will take me, or the rest of our family, for that matter, but for those of you daring enough to jump into the lukewarmness of NW Iowa, Welcome. I am glad you are here.