Slowing Down

Boy, the past 3 months have just flown by!  I am back into the school routine (on a part-time basis) as the end of the year draws near.  May is always a crazy month at school, we have so much to do and so little time.  The Halbesma's are anxious for summer vacation because that means our Disney World trip is drawing near (July 12th to be exact).
Here is a look at my two little peanuts.

Have a super day and lets pray warm weather is on it's way soon!

What a Month!

Tomorrow Miss Addy is officially one month old, time is already flying.  We have been busy celebrating Isabel's 4th birthday and Addy's Baptism.  This week we will be celebrating Drew's birthday too!  Hopefully time can slow down a bit soon.  Here are a few pictures of what we have been up to.

It's almost March which means we are close to spring (hooray)!

Photo Sessions

We have been busy getting our photos taken.  Last Friday we had a session with Kimberly Ann Photography and just this past Tuesday with ESM Photography.  Erin (of ESM Photography) is a friend of mine trying to get her business up and running.  As you will see in the photos, she has such an amazing talent and I am so lucky to have a friend like her.  I was shocked at how beautiful these photos turned out, she really has a knack for this.  Thanks Erin for making memories for us!

Welcome Addison Wrigley!

Thursday started off as a normal day, Izze and I built a pink lego house, did some laundry, and had some breakfast.  Around 10:15am I took realized my water had broke.  I really wasn't sure if it really was my water so I got Izze cleaned up. called Drew, my mom and the doctor.  While waiting for Drew to come home I had 100% confirmation when I thought I wet my pants : )

Thursday was quite snowy so we finally got to the hospital around 12:30pm.  They had me walk around a bit until the doctor could see me and to speed things up a bit.  The doctor finally came in around 2pm and told me I wasn't going crazy, just in labor.  The day seemed to pick up from there when they brought some drugs to speed up the labor process.  Around 7pm everything went into fast forward and by 8am I started pushing.  Only 19 minutes later I was holding my beautiful baby girl.

Addison was just as perfect as Isabel and I am so blessed to have 2 healthy beautiful baby girls.  Drew brought Izze in first before the rest of the group.  She was more excited to use her new camera to take pictures of her baby sister than she was to hold her.  Izze did get some kisses in and finally held her before grandma, grandpa, Auntie Stephanie, Paige and Auntie Carrie joined the fun.

Life is great in the Halbesma house and we couldn't be more thankful for our family and friends.

Happy New Year!

Where did 2010 go? I feel like I just got used to writing (and typing) 2010 now I need to work on 2011.
Well, lots of exciting things are in store for us in 2011, we are anxiously awaiting baby #2's arrival any day now and I think I have been going through what they call the "nesting" stage.   This past week I have completely cleaned and organized our wine room desk, Izze's playroom and the baby's room.  I'm not sure how much time I will have in a few weeks, so the timing seemed great.

Last night we had a quiet New Years, just the 3 of us.  Drew made us steaks and I made crab legs.  Izze didn't like the crab legs much and it was funny because she thought they were called "crap legs".

After dinner we played Rock Band (again Izze's idea), she thinks she is playing even though her drums are not plugged in.  Izze was in bed by 8:30 and amazingly enough Drew and I made it until around 12:30am.

Well, here's wishing you a wonderful and prosperous New Year!

Let the Countdown Begin

Well, we are down to our final weeks, what a quick pregnancy this has been.  I remember waiting and waiting for Izze even though she was almost 3 weeks early, but this time I am just trying to enjoy my final weeks of being pregnant.  I really can't complain much, I never had morning sickness, haven't had too many completely sleepless nights, haven't put on as much weight as I did with Iz, and my hubby has been pretty good to me.  Besides the fluctuating blood pressure, all seems to be well with the world.

Isabel has been an amazing little girl, she always wants to help mommy out.  She has become such a little person with her own personality and I love every conversation we have.  Tonight we were making foam snowmen (craft of the day) and Izze said to me "mom, when I grow up I want to be just like you".  Maybe it's the pregnancy, but I was quite emotional : )  Either I have a super brown noser for a child, or she is very sweet and appreciates her mommy.

Well, as I begin week 33 of my pregnancy and my countdown to Christmas vacation (7 more teaching days to be exact), all seems right with the world.  Merry Christmas : )

Holidays

This is my absolute FAVORITE time of year! I just love the glistening Christmas lights, the smell of cookies in the oven, the adorable knit hats for little ones, the chill in the air, and just the mood of those you are around. Our house welcomed our "Elf on the Shelf" on Thanksgiving morning. Isabel was shaking with excitement! This year Santa sent her a girl elf which Izze named Snow. Snow watches Izze over the next month taking note of the good and bad things she does. Snow then "magically" reports to Santa each night. Drew and I LOVE our little elf Snow, she brings out the best in Izze.

This Wednesday we start our Advent calendar countdown. Stay tuned, more excitement to come....

One of those days!

Have you ever had one of those days where you forget to actually sit down? Today was one of those days. I am 7 months pregnant and worked my buns off from 7am until 5pm. It actually hurts to sit down if you can believe that. My doctor appointment went well despite my high blood pressure (go figure).

The Halbesma's are looking forward to hosting Thanksgiving this Thursday for 22 people (the last time I counted). It should be a nice event and despite the work, I do enjoy having family to our home.

Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving! Please know that I am thankful for you!

Fast Lane

At times I wonder when life will slow down. Time continues to fly for me, we already have 2 months of school under our belts, I visited DC with my 8th graders, and meetings are in full swing. To top it all off in around 3 months my life will again change and our family of three will become the perfect 4. I pray things will slow down by then so I can enjoy every minute of it.

Lovin Fall

There's something about fall that I just love! Maybe it's because the weather is changing, maybe it's because we are back in the school routine, maybe it's because we celebrate my birthday, or maybe it's a little bit of everything. There is nothing like a chilly fall day when you can snuggle up with a cup of warm carmel apple cider and a good book (currently I am reading Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert). The Halbesma's have been enjoying the change in weather. You can still occasionally find us playing baseball in the yard or racing bicycles up and down the driveway, but it sure is fun doing some cooking, reading and snuggling.

This weekend we celebrated my birthday with some nice dinners, family an

d rest. Today we supported our parish and attended the Fall Festival. Drew and I enjoy the chicken dinner, while Izze enjoyed the kids games and painting a pumpkin. Isabel was our lucky charm today. She won so many tickets from the games (mostly by luck) and tripled her money in a betting game (shh I know she is only 3 years old). Finally, Auntie Stephanie had her peel a special matching game ticket and won her $25. I think she needs to go to Vegas when she is older : )

Happy Fall Everyone!

Let the Sickness Begin!

Well it looks like Izze and I have had the our first bout of the stomach flu. Luckily Drew is still holding strong (which is amazing to me). We did end up getting to go to another doctor appointment yesterday (before I crashed hard), where we had another ultrasound. Last week our little one wasn't cooperating as well as she should have so we got to go back for another round. The baby was doing exactly what the doctor wanted and we were able to get some amazing pictures! The doctor let us see the baby in 4D, which we didn't get to do with Isabel. I couldn't believe all of the tiny features and how amazing it was to see how she will look. Modern technology still amazes me each day!

It's A Girl!

Today we had our ultrasound appointment, we brought Isabel along to get her first glimpse of her new baby. It took a while to get the baby to cooperate, but once she did we were 100% sure it was a girl. We spent 45 wonderful minutes as a whole family looking at our new addition and it was amazing watching her wave her little arms and kick her little feet. The doctor showed us that everything looks WONDERFUL and we even got a little picture of her smiling : )

Tonight Izze had to be sure to kiss her baby sister goodnight and give her a big hug before going to sleep. I know she will be an amazing big sister, she is so gentle with babies and just loves them to pieces.

I am thankful for my wonderful husband who was just as excited about having a girl as he would be if he were having a boy. Drew is an amazing dad and I know both Izze and her baby sister will always be daddy's little girls.

I am a lucky woman!

My Niece's First Day of School

Well, as promised here are pictures of Izze taking her cousin Paige to her first day of first grade. You can tell Iz looks up to Paige : )

Back to School

Going back to school can be so bittersweet for me. I always enjoy getting back into a routine, but miss the lazy summer days with Izze and Drew. We officially have 2 days of school under our belts, which means come Tuesday it's go time!!! I am blessed yet again this year to Drew's parents and my parents helping out by watching Izze during the week. Izze loves to be home and this is such a nice way for her to play with her own toys, sleep in, and take great naps.

I wanted to post some pictures of Izze taking her cousin Paige to her first day of 1st grade, but my sister is still getting them to me, so stay tuned.

Also the 13th of Sept. we find out what baby Halbesma is, any guesses??????

I Can't Believe....

I can't believe Izze is 3 years old.

I can't believe they don't make all pink Starburst bags.

I can't believe I have already been married for over 8 years.

I can't believe my husband is still my best friend in the whole wide world.

I can't believe how much I miss Izze when I am away from her.

I can't believe I now find myself watching American Pickers or Pawn Stars when Drew is not even around.

I can't believe how much I love the smell of freshly washed babies.

I can't believe how well the Glowinski's/Halbesma's all get along : )

I can't believe how happy I am when my floors are freshly washed.

I can't believe how quickly time flies when you don't want it to.

I can't believe I am in my 30's, I still feel like I am 21.

I can't believe I will be a mother of 2 in a little over 5 months.

I can't believe summer is almost over for me : (

I think I could keep going on forever, feel free to leave your own

Laubers

So, many people who read my blog do not actually live in East Troy, but maybe you have heard or even been to Lauber's Ice Cream Shop. Once you step inside you feel as if you have gone back in time. I have been going there since I was a wee little lady, and I remember my parents giving me $.50 to buy a ton of penny candy. It was such a special treat to have ice cream sundaes and candy too (especially in my house where my mom NEVER gave us sweets). Well, we have begun the same tradition with Izze, she gets so excited to have her kiddie cone "Banilla" (or vanilla for everyone else), and she ALWAYS picks out a candy lipstick as we are leaving.

Right next to Lauber's is the trolley, and Isabel is obsessed with the trolley. She always has to check out where the trolley's are and if anyone is onboard. Sometimes I take for granted all the cute little things we have for kids right in our own home town.

Anyways, if you are ever in the area and want some great ice cream, feel free to give us a call we can't pass it up : )

Izze on the trolley last October

I Love My Bug!

So yesterday I decided to tackle Izze's clothes and move her into her new closet. I am so jealous of the space she now has. I have to share a closet with Drew and as many of you already know, he sure has a lot of clothes for a man. It was great going through stuff that didn't fit her anymore and separating Goodwill piles and keep piles. As we were going through clothes Izze came across this:

Mind you this adorable costume is a size 18months and Izze is in a 3T. She wore it proud and danced around for a good hour in it.

Here is a glimpse of the new closet, I told her she must ALWAYS keep it clean even when she is 16 years old. She said "ok mommy". Note to self, show Izze this blog in 13 years : )

Movin On Up...

Well, Izze has officially moved into her new room. We thought now would be a good time seeing she is having a baby brother or sister in early February. I wanted it to be a special thing for her and really didn't want it associated with the baby quite yet. Isabel helped pick out her bedding and paint. I am quite happy with the results and so is Isabel. Thank God for Drew, he has been a saint throughout all of this! Here are a few before/after pictures.

Please note: I actually did the taping and part of the trimming, so Drew did have help.

I had to put this picture in because Drew is vacuuming : )

Well worth the time and effort!

If Izze Had it Her Way

If Izze had it her way she would:

-Take 3 hour showers

-Wear pj's all day

-Eat goldfish crackers in bed

-Play outside naked

-Never wash her favorite blanket

-Be 5 years old and in Kindergarten

-Have tumbling class everyday

-Have a baby sister

-Name her baby sister Izze

- Have crazy hair like this...

Summer So Far!

Enjoying the goodies from the picnic

Izze has a new chore, she can set the table. It's cute because she puts things

wherever she wants.

Paige, Grace and Izze playing in the kiddie pool.

Izze and Nana

Well, it has been a busy few weeks so far. I am amazed at how jam packed a summer day can get. The good thing is that I am trying to enjoy every moment, and I think Isabel is as well. I have Izze on a great schedule, she naps at least 2 hours a day and sleeps from around 7:30/8pm until 7:30am. She is so much happier when she gets her rest, and Drew and I enjoy playing with her when she is not crabby : )

This weekend we are heading up to Princeton to spend some relaxing time with Aunt Bev and Uncle Jim. We always enjoy going up there, doing a little kayaking, shopping and sightseeing. I am sure I will have more to report when I return.