A Fantastic Weekend

I wish all weekend could be like this past one. Although our calendar was jam packed we couldn't have enjoyed our weekend anymore (minus one flub).
Friday night - Andrew and I had dinner plans at Redstone in Eden Prairie, Mn. We met up with Travas and his wife Heather for a great dinner and conversation that consisted of catching up from the past 8 years. That is how long it has been since we have seen them. The hours quickly flew by and as we left the restaurant with big hugs I was so pleased with the time we were able to spend and look forward to many more.
Saturday - Nyla was up and out the door EARLY - she had an all day Girl Scout event at a park in Bloomington - Although the weather was cold and windy she was bundled and prepared for fun. Jordan and I had a "date". (That's what he calls any alone time with me) We went to.... THE MALL! Yes my little guy loves to shop - and I will say he is really good at finding good items. We were on a mission to get a shower gift and we succeeded! I had so much fun with him - races up and down the escalators, sending him on "treasure hunts" for items on the gift list. Then finishing the "date" at Chipotle. YUMMY! When we arrived home Andrew had spent part of the day cleaning the garage. Nyla arrived home and was so excited to share all that she learned from her daycamp.
Saturday night - Andrew and I attended a "Gridal Shower" for his coworker and good friend. I absolutely love cocktail parties - the casual atmosphere, great food that you can graze on all evening and tasty beverages and to top it off - conversations with people you don't generally see very often but when you do it is a treat to catch up on their family lives. We left the party completely entertained by celebrating our friend's upcoming nuptials to a fantastic woman. If you want to see happiness all you need to do is look at them. She glows from the inside out.
Sunday - Nyla had a soccer Tournament in Eden Prairie - She rocked it! Her sweet spot is Striker (defense) and the common phrase we heard was "Nyla boot it!" And she would! It looks like an entire year of soccer training has paid off. I never imagined that I would enjoy sitting on the sidelines of my children's sporting activities and feel overwhelmed with pride and joy. I truly can say I am a soccer mom and love every single minute of it. We celebrated with ice cream at Dairy Queen. (Where else would we celebrate?)

Now... the part I would eliminate from this past weekend. We were accidentally (of course like someone would do it on purpose) hit by another car in the soccer parking lot. My poor Durango took a sucker punch to the passenger side front end and will definitely need some cosmetic surgery. :( Fortunately we are all fine and the Durango is fixable.

I will post pictures or maybe even a short video clip Nyla's soccer this evening! Stay tuned!

Someone Stole My Bike...

I couldn't believe it - Someone stole my bike...

If you see this person on my bike please let me know....

Yes, Nyla decided this past week that her purple and silver bike was not "cool" anymore - now my bike as been deemed "our" bike and she rides it everyday. Guess I am in the market for a new bike.

Not to be left out of the excitment - Jordan has been working away on his pedaling skills and has officially went on his first real bike ride (to the park). Everyday he gets it out and pedals up and down the sidewalk - what he doesn't know is that Everyday Andrew changes the balance of the training wheels - Maybe just Maybe one day he will get it.

MS Walk - May 3, 2009 - Minneapolis, MN

On Sunday May 3, 2009 I will be walking in the MS (Multiple Sclerosis) Walk in Minneapolis.
Although I have no one close to me that is experiencing the pain of daily living with MS – I have heard many stories through friends about the trials of living with MS. By taking part in this walk I hope to help raise awareness and needed funding to find a cure for this disease.
If you would like to support the cause and can not walk please feel free to donate via the link below.

http://walkmnm.nationalmssociety.org/
Click on Donate on the left side bar
Search for my name
Heather Gosen
Our team is Holy Walkamolies

Thank you for your support!!!

Derby and Dairy Queen Day

Every Wednesday for the past 2 months Nyla and Jordan have diligently worked on their Pine Wood Derby Race cars at church. With the guidance of "Godly Men" they successfully completed their cars last week and are all geared up for the big race tonight....

I have the privilege of tucking in the 1st place finisher for the 2nd & 3rd graders in the Pinewood Derby Races at our church. That's right - Nyla and her pink and blue race car competed in the Race and with mom, dad and Jordan cheering her on she cruised right into 1st place!

Now - not to be left out - Jordan did run a good race. His bright blue race car placed 2nd in the first heat but couldn't muster up the horsepower to finish the Championship round. We are very proud of the work he put into his car.

As many of you already know - We tend to celebrate events in life such as marriage, adoption, soccer wins and even Pinewood Derby Races with a trip to Dairy Queen. Tonight was no different - we rolled into Dairy Queen ordered our ice cream treats and celebrated the 1st place and consolation winners!

Is it really the end of April?

As I flipped through our daily calendar of events I couldn't believe my eyes that it is truly nearing the end of April. Where has this month gone? I keep trying to convince myself that life will slow down - although as soon as one time slot opens something quickly fills it up.

We have had an incredibly busy April - Here is a brief recap: I do hope to justify the important highlights of this past month in a future blog. But for now please enjoy the tidbits of events that have consumed our time.



First up.... and probably the most important event this month!

April 10, 2009 - My big sister Angela marries her Prince Charming Andy.

Stay tuned for more details and photos on the trip to San Francisco, CA and the wedding.

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Second...

Nyla's soccer season is in full swing - and with that I watched our calendar fill with the words "Nyla's Soccer" 3 nights a week/weekend. I thoroughly enjoy watching her play and love to see the excitement and enthusiasm she emits at each practice and game. It is a highlight of parenting to watch your children do something they love.

Third....

On April 16, 2009 a dear friend of the family passed away unexpectadly and has left a saddness in us. We will truly miss Donnie Krohn - forever friend and family. We laid him to rest with Our Heavenly Father on April 20, 2009.

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As this month quickly begins to close and Spring Fever starts setting in I am anticipating time flying by even more quickly. I have learned this month to hold tight to the memories and continue to create new ones. You never know when your time is up.

Happy Birthday Nyla

Happy 9th Birthday Peanut!!!

March 30, 2000 - One of my most favorite days of my life. On this day I not only became a mother - I learned what the true meaning of Love at First Sight is all about. On this day 9 years ago, at 1:04pm, Nyla Quinn Gosen entered the world at a whopping 5lb 12 oz and my life has never been the same.

Andrew and I had the privilege of enjoying lunch with the Birthday Girl today(at school) - her choice of dining - McDonald Chicken Nuggets with a Sprite and apples. As we sat at the round cafeteria table waiting for our bubbling baby to join us all you could hear was the sound of 100+ elementary students conversing ever so loudly - but as soon as she sat down all that noise was drowned out by her happy tone and sparkling eyes. Nyla would glance at the clock in anticipation of 1:04pm to arrive - That is when she would truly be 9 years old.

After lunch she begged for Andrew and I to stay a few more minutes and watch her turn 9.

How can you say no to that? I went back to her classroom and waited anxiously for the clock to tick tock to 1:04pm. The SECOND the clock hit 1:04pm - these two green eyes looked right at me and said "Do I look 9?" - My response was "Yes, Yes you do" - Any more and I would have probably cried. In a moments notice she was eager to dismiss me and go about her day as a newly turned 9 year old. With a Big Hug and kiss I was on my way back to work.

Those 6 minutes of waiting were worth it and will forever be etched in my memory.

This is what my 9 year old looks like!

Happy Birthday Andrew

March 24, 1973
A little baby boy - Andrew Kirk Gosen - was born into this world and 36 years later he is the most wonderful, sincere, honest, caring, and supportive man.

A wonderful dad and fantastic husband.

We are so Happy to wish him a very Happy Birthday!

We love you!

Google Girl

Friday night the kids and I decided to go shopping for Daddy's upcoming birthday. After finding the perfect gift for him we ventured into a nearby pet store to LOOK! 20 minutes later we are walking out of the pet store with two new pets... Goldfish named Flip and Flop.
Now, this purchase was not on my agenda nor was it something I would ever put on my agenda. With two overly happy children carefully carrying their plastic bag to the car and the million tooth grin that spread across their faces, I am sure you can identify with the inability to say no.

We get home and place Flip and Flop into their newly purchased home and Nyla gets a little inquisitive - She is asking all kinds of questions about their ecosystems, digestive habits, life expectancy etc. After trying to answer questions that I truly didn't have an accurate answer for I decided to show Nyla the miracle of Google.
Little did I know that she has now become addicted to Googling - she googles everything if she doesn't know the answer and this morning it was - Goldfish poop. She wanted to know why it looked the way it did and I will tell you I learned something more about our new pets today all because an 8 year old learned how to Google.

Whistle While you Work

He did it!! After I would say a good couple months of wet lips and lots of spit - He did it!

Jordan finally whistled!

Now, at first it sounded like a faint blow with a little tweet - But as of today it is officially better then any whistle I can produce. Very clear and did I say constant? Well, It is constant - a new found trick must be practiced in order to perfect.
Today we have experienced whistling at breakfast, lunch, in the car, at soccer, in his room playing, at dinner, in the bathroom (good acoustics) and as he drifts to slumberville. Yes, I do believe that boy might have whistled himself to sleep.

I will not be surprised if he wakes up whistling.

The Reward

There are many times in your adult life that your little ones can literally make you speechless and overwhelmed with pride and complete joy. The other day Nyla came home from school with a report of having a FABULOUS day. Since we reward good behavior, we asked her what she would like as her reward or treat. The next sentence that spilled out of my beautiful peanuts mouth brought tears to my eyes warmed my heart.

"I want to sleep with you tonight mom - I want that as my reward"

The smallest thing is by far the largest reward.

"I" was the reward - ME - MOM!

We snuggled in bed that night and as she drifted off to dreamland I watched peace and comfort come across a face of an angel.

Where has the time gone?

I can' believe it is already half way through March and my feeble attempt at staying connected and making an effort at blogging has not even occurred yet. Where has the time gone? What have I done with the past couple months?
As the end of the month approaches we have many things to celebrate. Today, for example is my niece "Avy Baby" - 5th birthday. I can not wait to call her tonight and sing in my not so wonderful voice to her. Followed by a "Who's your favorite Auntie?" I am sure she will have tons to say in her toothless raspy voice.
For Avy Baby's Birthday my sisters and I took all the girls to Disney on Ice - I will have to admit that I was a little apprehensive about this. I thought it would be more toddler orientated. I was in for a complete shock and pleasant surprise. Disney on Ice was thoroughly entertaining for ALL AGES and not just for little girls. I felt a bit of guilt as I realized how much my little Jordan would love it. I guess that means next time they are in town I will be taking him as well!

In a couple weeks we will then celebrate Andrew's Birthday - 36! Officially Late 30's. Now, Andrew is no where like me when it comes to birthdays. He would rather skip right over the day and not truly acknowledge the importance of the day. THE ENTIRE REASON YOU EXIST IS BECAUSE YOU WERE BORN AND HAD A BIRTH DAY!

Then, The very end of the month is my sweet Peanut's 9th Birthday - The final year of single digits. She, like myself has been excited for this day to arrive for let's see... about a year now. She has been trying to plan the most elaborate and time consuming birthday party ever. I do believe we have condensed it and agreed on a jam packed, fun filled day - set aside for Her and only HER! Stay Tuned to see the end result of our Month full of wonderful people and the Birthdays we get to celebrate.

Meet the Gosen's

Papa Bear (Andrew) - Wonderfully devoted husband, father and friend. Known by many as The Rockstar Husband and Dad. He is unselfish, hard working, forever spoiling and continuously loving to his family and even friends. He's a gear head by heart and loves the trends in technology.

Mama Bear (Heather) - Mom, Wife, Friend, Sister, Daughter. Keeper of Peace and goes with the flow. Light hearted and fun loving yet a little stubborn. Energetic and Outgoing. People person by nature but enjoys moments of solitude.

Sister Bear (Nyla) - An angel with a crooked halo. Full of love, life and laughter. Very stubborn, opinionated and picky. A sports enthusiast and a wanna be American Idol. Best Big Sister a sibling could ask for.

Brother Bear (Jordan) - Sweet, sincere, small and mighty. Pokey, Patient and Creative. Superhero mentality with costumes to go with. Considerate and loving to all.