On the Road Again...

One year ago our precious little Elias came into our lives. He surprised us by coming a few weeks early and after that experience, I wouldn't expect his birthday this year to be any different. We had planned to have a quiet party at home with Eli on his birthday and over the 4th of July we were going to have 2 separate celebrations, 1 with each of our families. Needless to say, we got a surprise call that Ty had to go to the Maple Grove, MN to help Xcel bring power back to many who had been without for days after severe storms.

Surprise! That meant our quiet family gathering turned into a road trip to Wisconsin where Eli was able to celebrate his birthday with both families on his actual birthday. It also meant seeing cousin Jackson on their shared birthday :) The trip home was short lived and Ty was no longer needed in the cities so we went home to Fargo, where later that week, we had our small family celebration just like we planned. That meant we were up to 3 birthday celebrations.

Over the week of the 4th, we had 2 more parties. One party was with Ty's family on the 4th of July, and one on the 6th with cousin twin Judah who is only 9 days younger. Needless to say, we have had way too much cake and way too much driving, but all of it was worth it to see family and celebrate such a special time and special guy turning 1 year old.  

The Constant Change

For everyone who knows us, we have been undergoing changes constantly since Ty and I started dating 5 years ago. If it wasn't changing wedding plans or living arrangements it was of prospective degrees in school. Just when you think we are about to settle in we surprise everyone and move to Fargo! As children grow they change and Eli has been doing his fair share of changing since moving up here. From getting teeth and crawling to saying "mamma" and "dada" and beginning to stand on his own. He has just started to walk along the furniture in our apartment. He is growing everyday and changing all the time. But this post is about yet another change that we are going to be experiencing this Fall.

When we moved to Fargo we had a secret. We kept that secret for awhile until everyone could get adjusted to us being SO far away. When the time was right we told our families and now we are ready to tell all of you too! We are expecting a baby girl the end of September or early October. After having the experience we did with Eli we will just be prepared for an early or late delivery :) In the mean time, we are enjoying life as a family of 3 and looking forward to the change that will make us Four in Fargo.Here is a peek at what Mr. Eli has been up to lately.

New Faces, New Places

After living in Fargo for almost 2 months, I decided I needed to find some moms to connect with and began searching online for any group I could join. I cam across one on a site called meetup.com. I joined just to see what kinds of activities they did. The first thing I went to I immediately hit it off with the moms there. We just had coffee, 4 moms with no little ones to watch. It was a great time. One of the women was from Colfax, Wi only 20 minutes away from where I grew up and the other was from the U.P. and went to school at Eau Claire. Besides kids we had a lot in common. By the end of this meeting they had convinced me to go to another, this time it was a play group with our kids.

At 9am today we headed to a new place called Corts Plus. It is a fitness center that also has a huge play area similar to what McDonalds has, but much bigger. You pay $2 and your child can play as long as you want. It was a blast. Even though Eli was a little young to play, he crawled around dodging the few bigger kids that were about to step on him. Eli has become a huge flirt so it's been funny to watch him interact with the other moms and kids. He really took to one little girl in particular and flowed her around for a little while. Overall it was a great experience and I met two more very nice moms with kids that are similar in age. We are having fun meeting new faces and learning about new places here in Fargo.

The Joys of Teething

Recently, Eli as been going through a phase. I know the older they get the more time they want to be awake, but is sleeping in until 5am too much to ask? With this new phase in life for us, and Eli has been having many new experiences of his own. He has learned to crawl...sort of, I refer to it as the flop. He launches himself to get where he wants to go and flops each time he "crawls." He is also teething. Lately,that has meant early mornings for Ty or me. Eli wakes up before either of us and this little squawking voice comes over the monitor. When the talking begins, we know he will not be going back to sleep.

This new excitement for talking and moving has really had him enthusiastic about getting up in the morning. It hasn't helped to energize mommy and daddy any. No matter how cute he is, mommy and daddy still miss sleep. So far this teething process has proved uneventful. It seems as though it will last forever. Everyday I check for any sign of change hoping for a tooth. The bulging gums just seem to bulge more and no tooth has appeared.

In the mean time, mommy will have to get her naps in when eli does and enjoy this little ball of energy who is learning to communicate and crawl. I enjoy every new sound and new phase with Eli, but I am mourning the loss of the predictable schedule and the sleep we once had. Oh, the joys of teething.

Fargo or Siberia?

Well, we have been moved in for a little over a week now, and life is starting to settle into place. Eli is a little confused as is his sleep schedule, but that could be partly due to the terrible cold he is finally getting over.

Ty is really enjoying his new job here and the people that he works with. It seems to be a really good fit for him. The job is going to be very interesting and he is already on the road to his first seminar in Maple Grove, MN to learn all about what he will be doing as an Associate Designer at Xcel Energy.

Blizzard has certainly taken on a new meaning. Here we aren't talking about the endless combinations of cookies and candy mixed into ice cream. We have been here just over a week and already there have been two warnings about blizzard conditions with around 10-12 inches of snow in the first two days. Roads were closed due to huge drifts. Which begs the question, "Did we move to Fargo or Siberia?"

Thankfully, today has been sunny but still cold. At least the sun makes sitting in the apartment not seem quite so sad. Checkout what Eli learned this last week. It's super smart, but you will see why mom isn't too thrilled about it.

A is for...

Apartment Search

This weekend we set out to find an apartment in Fargo. We drove up to Fargo Friday night and started to take in the sights. We were out for dinner and then checked out the mall Down the road.
After a night on the town we went back to settle in at our hotel. The next morning we were set to look at 8 different apartments. But that wasn't necessarily in the cards.

Appendectomy

When we got back to the hotel Ty was having severe pain and we had to find an emergency room. After many different tests, the doctor finally decided to take out Ty's appendix. At 4 am the doctor removed his appendix. That meant I was going to be searching for apartments while Ty recovered. The search was over after looking at just 2 apartments. I chose the first one I had looked at and I was able to go back to the hospital to be with Ty. After being awake 36 hours straight we were on the road heading home, short an appendix but with a new place to live. Ty is doing well. He is still in pain, but he is taking it easy. Hopefully, Ty will be ready to help with moving in 2 weeks. It's coming so fast! So much to do, so little time.

Eli playing with Mia while staying with Grandma Leslie

How Far(will we)go?

As many of you know, we have been really trying to get back to the Chippewa area. It's been hard to do that. Ty has been on the job hunt and finally had a major breakthrough. We affectionately call it a "big boy job." Sadly, we have had to debate throughout this process how Far(we will)go for a job. Well, if you haven't guessed by now, we will be moving to Fargo, North Dakota. Ty was hired on at Xcel Energy as a Gas and Electric designer. This has all been a whirlwind and we are saddened and excited by this news. We are looking forward to starting out in a new city and trying to make it our home. We are sad to be leaving so many friends and family behind, but we know we are doing what is best for our family in the present and for the future. If anyone is looking to spend some time in a windy subzero climate, you are more than welcome to come for a visit! We would love to have you!

In other news, Eli as been growing like a little weed recently. He is 7 months old now! Where does the time go? He starting to crawl and is a smiley little guy in the midst of teething. Eli loves eating avocado and enjoys playing with cousin Judah whenever he gets the chance. Mommy loves taking his picture and playing with her smiley guy on the floor. Since we will be moving, I will try to be more timely with my posts.

Playing Catch Up

With Christmas almost here, we have been very busy. Mainly, Eli has been keeping me busy, not so much the Christmas shopping and decorating. Eli has been growing and changing SO much. At 4 months Eli needed his first hair cut, and at 5 months we experienced his first cold. It is amazing how little the cold effected Eli, but how it just wiped me out. Maybe that is because the cold made it difficult for Eli to sleep making it near impossible for me to get any sleep :)

Since getting over his cold, Eli has begun eating solid foods. His Doctor recommended we start with Avocado and Egg Yolks. The egg yolks were not a hit at all. The avocado, on the other hand, he has loved eating. We even tried some sweet potatoes and carrots. He is a really good eater and so far not picky AT ALL! Now we are looking forward to his first Christmas and spending time with family. We already had Christmas with Great Grandpa and Grandma McDaniel and have many more to go. We can't wait. 

Here are some pictures, I have been TERRIBLE about posting. 

Sleep? What's that?

Many mothers can relate, sleep  is not something that you get much of when you have children. I can remember people telling me when I was pregnant, "You had better enjoy all of the sleep because soon you won't be getting any."

Its funny to me, when I talk to my friends who don't have kids, they always ask, "How are things going?" I tell them, "Really well, Eli slept for 4 hours at a time last night." They laugh and then ask, "Is that a lot?" I just smile and say, "It sure is better than waking up every 2 hours." I am getting used to the schedule that Eli has me on lately. The problem comes when he switches things up...

Elias normally goes to sleep anywhere from 8-10pm and will wake up every 4 hours until 8:30am! That's right he usually sleeps in, it is SO nice. But the other night, he decided to wake up for his 4am feeding and and it became a 4am wake up call. The only thing that put him to sleep was the swing. So, two hours after Ty had left for work, he FINALLY went back to sleep. It really makes me appreciate the mornings that he sleeps in, because I rarely have to say, "Sleep? What's that?"

Rolling with the Changes

Over the last year, we have had some significant changes in our family. We have lost a great man, who we were finally able to bury this weekend, but where we lost my grandpa we gained Judah and Elias. Of course there were the weddings, two in less than seven months. My parents are officially empty nesters and grandparents. Who would have thought that a year would bring so much change?

People always say, "Children grow up so fast. Enjoy every minute." I never really believed them. I can remember my mom saying, "It seems like yesterday you were a baby. What happened?" Now, I can see why they say that. Just two months ago Eli weighed 5lbs 11oz. At his last check up he was 11lbs 7oz and had grown two and a half inches. His feet have started to hang off my lap when I hold him. He is so interactive and alert. He is soaking up every little thing including food. He now smiles and laughs and plays with us while we hold him. Although I miss the days when it was easy to get him to nap, I am enjoying every moment I have with him awake. Today, he rolled over for the first time. I couldn't believe it! He is growing up so fast I feel like if I blink I will miss it.

On The Move

Ever since Elias was born, we have been on the go. Only 9 days after Elias was born, my sister and her husband had their beautiful baby boy Judah Harrison Cohoon. We were so thrilled that we had to drive all the way to Milwaukee. Eli is a trooper in the car. He didn't fuss once and loved meeting his new cousin. We call them cousin twins because they are so close in age. We have been home on the weekends trying to introduce Elias to everyone. He met his new friend Malachi and Great Grandparents. Cousins took turns holding him and friends from church were excited to see him. This weekend, we are just going to be staying in River Falls.

cousin twins

Elias and mom are ready to relax, so this week, we are just staying around the house. We are slowly getting into a routine, but when all he wants to do is sleep all day, it is hard to see when one nap ends and the next begins. We are just trying to get caught up doing all of the things I meant to do before Elias came.

The Best Day of our Lives

On Saturday, Ty and I headed for what we thought was a nice relaxing trip to visit my grandparents in Waseca, MN. The morning started out with what I thought were just some braxton hicks contractions. We drove the two hours thinking, "We are 36 weeks pregnant there is no way that the baby is coming today." While we were eating dinner and chatting with my family, I started to notice that the contractions were getting stronger and closer together. On the way home, we started timing the contractions. When we got to the car in Hudson, we thought we would just stop over to the hospital and ask a few questions. We were admitted and after two hours they decided to keep us.

Daddy holding Elias

Proud Papa and Nana Mac holding their first grandson

Grandma Leslie holding Elias at the hospital

I couldn't believe it! I kept telling Ty, I am not ready. It can't be happening now, because I am not ready. They broke my water and about three hours later at 4:48am. He weighed 6lbs 8oz and was 19.25in long. I guess even when you aren't ready the baby comes and some how you get ready. We couldn't be happier. Welcome to the world Elias Tyler Perrenoud, Mommy and Daddy are so happy you are here!

UPDATE

It has been forever since I last posted. So much has changed since I started student teaching in January.  Where do I even begin!?

In May we graduated from UW-River Falls. We both walked, but I still had to finish student teaching. Ty was bored for about 3 weeks so while he was bored he started moving us. That's right, all by himself. That was only possible since we moved across the hall to a two bedroom making more room for baby Perrenoud. Which brings me to our next piece of news. Ty was offered a job at Xcel Energy in Minneapolis so we are staying in River Falls.

Now, I am home and finally able to begin "nesting" and preparing the apartment for the baby to come in July. We are SO excited for the baby to finally be there. Last night Ty was actually asking him to come out so that "Mommy could feel more like herself." The news this trimester has been back pain and swollen feet! I am not up for walking like I used to be, but I keep telling myself its all going to be worth it when I look into the eyes of my baby boy. Only 5 weeks left!

Mommy and Daddy put together the changing table last night now its time for the crib

Auntie Taylor and Uncle Jason got this for baby. Can you tell we like Sock Monkey?

Week 1:Student Teaching

What a week. It all began with a snow storm and a 2.5 hour commute that should have taken only 40 minutes. Not the best way to begin the new semester, but it was unavoidable. I am slowly adjusting to the early 5am wake up and the 40 minute drive, but so far I have enjoyed my placement. The teacher that I work with is all ready for me to take over her classes whenever I want. I have learned how cute and yet how incredible naughty students can be, but I am quickly learning the importance of classroom management. Today I worked with one of the most difficult classes I have ever seen. Students that were sitting on tables and making rude and loud comments throughout the class. I have also had many adorable moments with my new students as well. They are always asking the silliest questions like, "what color is your bed?" or "what color is your window? Some students are taking to me quickly and sitting right at my feet at circle time. I have learned a lot already in this first week, and I can't wait to learn more. I know that the learning curve is high with student teaching and I can't wait to figure out what it will be like to teach in the classroom full-time. The school I am in has 1000 students and I will see 500+ students every 6 school days. That is a lot of names to remember and I only have 9 weeks to learn them. I now have a new found respect for teachers who actually know their students' names. 

Tyler has been in classes and adjusting his schedule so that he can commute 3 days a week to Chippewa for his internship which they have extended again until he graduates. For the first month he will be commuting 3 days a week and then he will being working from home most of the week and commuting on Wednesdays. Needless to say, it will be a busy first month of the semester with a ton of driving, so we decided that we will be staying in River Falls most weekends until the end of February. If you are driving by, stop in and see us or if you are bored on the weekends we love company. We just keep telling ourselves, push through this and we will be home in Chippewa Falls again soon.

A Great Man Lost

Today, I had to experience the loss of a grandparent. My Grandpa died today at 86 years old. I have so many fond memories of him. From camping in the RV to fishing on the Lake. He was always such a good sport playing restaurant and pretending to be interested in dress up and our games with the barbies in the barbie house Grandma built. He was a veteran from WWII who I was incredibly proud to have known. Although this time has been rough for all of us, we have some comfort in knowing that he has gone to heaven where there is no more pain or suffering and we will see him again someday. He was fighting a battle with dementia and was slowly forgetting who we were, but even at the end he still smiled and said in his signature raspy voice, "Hey peanut." He didn't know our names, but he knew that we were someone special to him. This man has given me so much happiness in my childhood and into my adulthood with his quirky saying and funny anecdotes. He will greatly missed. Grandpa, you are loved and you will be missed. Thank you for fishing and fun, for wisdom and history. I am only sad that he will not be meeting my little one too. This child's grandparents have some big shoes to fill. Love you, Grandpa. Can't wait to see you again someday!

The Final Hurdle

What a whirlwind this last few weeks has been. With final projects, finals, and my re-test for licensing, I have stayed rather busy and a little stressed at times. Finally, it is all over and the holidays have come and are almost gone. Now, I get to unwind before the craziest semester of Ty's and my life begins. I found out that I passed the more difficult version of the Spainsh test and now I have officially passed the FINAL hurdle has been jumped to finish my education. Ty and I will both be graduating in May and looking forward to facing the real world head on. The reality of finding jobs is hitting and we are excited to hopefully be back in Chippewa with our families. There is still a long road ahead, but we are almost there and I feel my second wind coming. This last semester I felt ready to give up, but now, the senioritis has passed and we are ready to face our FINAL semester!

There are SO many updates that I just don't even know where to begin, but they will come with time. I AM off until January 23rd afterall. Wishing everyone Happy New Year, and we are going to enjoy our time off together before its over and the hustle and bustle of the semester starts all over again!

Senioritis

The end is coming! We are SO close to the end of the semester. We are really getting antsy to come home for Christmas Break. Thanksgiving was busy, but nice. Ty has started back working with his internship, but they made it so that he could work from school. It is so great to have him making money without have to spend it in gas to Chippewa. My student teaching placements came over break and I am getting the paperwork ready for taking my Spanish licensing test. Everything is coming together and this just makes me want to be done with school all the more, but there are still 3 weeks of classes and lets not forget finals! There is so much left to do, and so little time to do it. It is starting to hit us both that we are almost at the end and we just can't wait to move back home to be with our families. Senioritis is hitting and hitting hard! We can FINALLY see the end! Now all I have to do is finish my silly e-portfolio and pass my test and the real fun begins, STUDENT TEACHING! No more sitting in class, I will be TEACHING the class. Sorry Ty, you still have one more semester. Anyway, thats what's been going on. We are just praying that I pass this test, because I have to in order to student teach and graduate.

Adoption: A Beautiful Reminder

This last week Matt preached about adoption because it was Orphan Sunday (link to the sermon).  With one beautiful niece who was once an orphan, the sermon hit harder than expected.  I don't think that I stopped crying completely at any point in the sermon.  Not only did it challenge me to think about how I could help the orphaned, but reminded me of a beautiful picture that we sometimes forget. If we are in Christ we are all adopted and He has loved us as He loves his own son.

As our family has been waiting for the next baby Lukowitz (Sophia) to arrive from Ethiopia, I have been reminded of this picture.  The beautiful reminder that I did not do anything and God chose me to be his child and he loves me as His child in a perfect way no one else ever could.  Like my sister-in-law is doing now, he has prepared a place for me (in heaven) where I can be with Him someday.  Adoption is a beautiful reminder and I am so happy that God has placed Annie and soon Sophia who will be a daily reminder of how much He loves us and that He adopted us into his family.  We can't wait to move back to Chippewa so that we can see it and be blessed by it all the time. We are so blessed to have this beautiful reminder.

Up date and Family Photos

We have been busy to say the least. School is picking up and birthday season is back in full swing. Taylor's was at the beginning of October, Mom's was yesterday, Brittany's is coming in two weeks and so many more. We have been coming home every weekend and trying to see everyone which is SO great, But...school has kinda taking the backseat and it is starting to creep up, on me at least. Last Friday Brooke was kind enough to take some pics of Ty and I and of course I got to process the pictures. If you are my facebook friend you have already seen one. Here are the rest. Sorry that this couldn't be a longer post, but I have to get back to homework. Oh, and if you are interested, my amazingly talented friend Hannah has started her own etsy shop:)called RufflesandTulle. you should check it out by clicking on the name. Here is a preview of our little family's pictures! Hope you all are having a good week!

 

Weekend with a Capital W

This past weekend we spent in Madison. Hence the "capital." It was a LONG weekend. Ty had a Cartography conference down there starting on Wednesday night through Saturday. It was a nice little get away. He entered a giant research project in a poster contest with 22 other maps made by people from across the country. There were people who were grad students from Madison and Penn State (apparently two of the best schools for his program) who entered their posters, so his expectations weren't high. I am still SO proud of him. While he was listening to people speak from Google Maps and ESRI (the company that makes the software he uses in school), I was galavanting around in Milwaukee with Brittany and Alyssa, my sisters who live there. I was great to FINALLY see my sister's house they had bought last winter and hangout with them just spending time catching up. I hadn't seen either of them in months! WAY TOO LONG!

After a busy day of pretty much nothing but getting coffee and eating(its what McDaniels do),I headed back to Madison to see Ty. Friday was another day of conference and I was able to see Brittany and her husband Eric with Ty for lunch. We ate on state street and after they left I did a little shopping....AT GOODWILL! Thats right, there is a GoodWill on State Street! AMAZING! Call me crazy, but a brand new Banana Republic shirt with tags still on for 3 dollars is worth looking for! After the conference, Ty and I walked around the State Capital, and saw a familiar face, someone from Chippewa (Sarah Wallace) was there touring the capital with a friend for the State Tennis Tournament! Lyssa came Friday night and hungout. We ate(of course) and chatted. Then we walked around the Mall. Over all, it was a good trip. We enjoyed every moment with family and realized just how much we missed them.