Happy Halloween (one day late!)

As you can see from the pictures we had a very fun filled Halloween. Stella really caught on to the "Trick or Treat" and asking for candy, however we did get a couple of greedy moments where she wanted ALL the candy in her basket! I think Lola even liked her costume, or she at least tolerated it long enough for me to take a picture!

There was a little girl, who had a little curl.........

OK, so Stella doesn't have any curls but when I think about her attitude lately the following poem comes to mind:

The was a little girl
who had a little curl,
right in the middle of her forehead.
When she was good
she was very very good,
but when she was bad,
she was very very bad!

So today a daycare Stella did not get the "Best behaved child" award! On top of picking up a toy and chucking at one of the babies heads she also decided that she did not want to wear pants or a diaper during her nap! This is the second time she has decided to take off her pants and diaper and peed all over the pack and play! So I come home from work and want to be so mad and then she makes one of cute faces or tells me a crazy story and I can't help but smile!

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Our 1st BIG Girl haircut!!!!!

At some point after having Stella I had the idea that I had the grand idea that I had my cosmetologist licence and I thought I could cut Stella's hair. Unfortunately I can only cut mullet looking haircuts and I did not want Stella to be the kid with the mini-mullet so we took her for her first "Big Girl" haircut tonight. She looks so grown up!

Steamboat Springs Colorado

So I am almost a week late on getting these pictures posted, but I had to share some pictures from Ryan and my recent trip to Colorado. My high school and college friend, Gretchen, moved out to Steamboat after our graduation from University of Wisconsin Stout and was married to a wonderful guy named Vince on Saturday September 13th.

LeaAnna and Heather at the top of Loveland Pass at 12,000 feet above sea level! It was very chilly up there!!!!!!!

Our condo; The Crosstimbers

Fishcreek Falls

Ryan and I at Fishcreek Falls.

The dancin Stout girls! Lt-Rt Busty (Jessie), Gretchen (the bride) Ann (behind the bride), LeaAnna (next to the bride), Beth, and Heather.

POTTY TIME!

So we had potty success yesterday! Stella went potty in the toilet FOUR times yesterday! She has been very interested in the toilet since she got her first pair of "Big girl panties" from Grammy, so we have been putting her on the toilet every two hours to try to get her to form the habit. However I am open to any potty training advice, or warnings, that anyone has!

Our trip to the Dells

You can tell how behind I am on my posts as I am FINALLY getting pictures from our trip to Wisconsin Dells July 28- July 30! Ryan, Stella, & I spent a very relaxing three days hanging out and visiting LOTS of animals, swimming, and just spending time together as a family. Here are some picture highlights!

Heading to Stella's first Dells Duck Boat ride.
Feeding the deer at Wisconsin's Wild Deer Park.
Getting ready for Stella's first Circus Performance at Circus World Museum in Baraboo, WI
Stella and Ryan going down the waterslide for about the 25th time in a row!
Eating at Moose Jaw Pizza & Brewery. The whole family highly recommends this restaurant if you are in the Dells!

Time is a flyin!

I don't know about anyone else but summer if flyin' by at the Paske house! I would try to explain what we have been up to lately but I always feel pictures do a much better job at explaining things!

We visited SVJ Designs a great little garden statue shop between Plainview and Wabasha. Stella loved getting down and talking to each of the "animals"! (Also note the pigtails as I have not had another day where she has left the pigtail in for more than 20 min!)

We have replaced the carpet in our entire upstairs, excluding bedrooms, with new hardwood laminate! Definitely helps update the house!Still working on potty training, or at least sitting on the toilet for more then 10 seconds. (I am quite sure Stella will HATE me later in life for knowing that I have posted this picture to! :)
Hanging out basking in the sun with Lola on a lazy Saturday morning!
Last but certainly not least walking around the house in the house in our new favorite Octopus outfit accessorized with Mom's peep toe heels! I have to say as a Mom I am pretty proud of how well Stella has mastered walking in heels!

An afternnon at Oxbow park!

Stella, myself and my friends Kelly and Wendy Jo spent Saturday afternoon at Oxbow park visiting the animals and enjoying the sun. Besides the wind (which you can see blowing pretty good in most of the pictures) the day was pretty nice and not nearly as hot as the day before! I think the otters were Stella's favorite. The following are some of my favorite shots from the day!

What we have been up to!

So it has been a while since I have posted and for those of you that we have not seen for a while so much has been happening Stella read her first book, wrote her first term paper, and created her first hypothesis... OK maybe I am just exaggerating a little bit! However some days I feel like she picks up on these amazing things and have no idea where she learned them! Besides Stella's ever growing desire to be more independent, we have had success going potty in the "big girl toilet" twice already. Now I am sure that it was all coincidental, but I figured I don't want to hold back any desire to want to go to the bathroom all on her own! Our other big feat is our first Spanish phrase; "Hola me llamo Stella" translation "Hello my name is Stella!" Thanks to Dora the Explorer the Hola part was no problem and now anytime she says Hola Stella responds with "Hola me Llamo Stella." So I am pretty certain Stella doesn't have any concept of what the phrase means, but we keep practicing any way! I can not say that Stella has not shown typical toddler signs as well, like our trip to Home Depot last night that was cut short because Stella decided that she was too big for the regular carts and there were none of the race car cart left! Lets just say I am sure the ENTIRE store heard Stella's objection! Here are some pictures to help everyone get their "Stella-fix"!

Smelling the summer flowers!

Stella's silly face!

The slide Gramy and Grampy put on the back deck at the Lake just for me!

Movie Star in the making!

Stella and her friend Adie!

To our dear Megan

Megan

Please click on Megan's name to view montage!

To all of my friends who knew Megan please view this and remember the great times we had with our great friend! For those of you who did not know Megan please watch this and remember how important each and everyone of your friends are and cherish everyday that you have with them!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's day to all those mothers out there near and far! This is a great day to celebrate the wonderful blessing that it is to be a mother! Stella and I also spent the day celebrating two amazing breast cancer survivors; my mother and my friend Lori! Here are some pictures from the day at the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure today at the Mall of America. (Just and F.Y.I. my mom just had eye surgery and is still experiencing some bruising around her eye area and is not allowed to wear any eye make up for a couple of more weeks!)

She keeps going and going and going..........

Like mother, like daughter!

Much needed rest at the end of the day!

Chatty Cathy!

April showers bring May flowers!

Much like the weather this month, things have been very unpredictable here at the Paske household. As I stated in my last post we entered into the month with our first ear infection, however unlike the cold weather, the infection came and went pretty quickly after 10 days of the "yummy" pink medicine. While Ryan and I spent a long weekend in Colorado skiing with some college friends Stella spent a week at Grammy & Gramppy Johnson's house (which probably helped "cure" Stella of her ailments!)I have to admit it was nice to have some adult time but seeing all the "mini" skiers in Colorado made me so excited to get Stella out on the hill and have her join the Paske skiing clan!

Sticking with my weather analagy the "showers" of no's are falling just about as regullarly as the rain out side! It is amazing how defiantly the word no can come out of something so little! Of couse along with the no's has come the tantums! Ryan and I sometime have a hard time not laughing becaus it is amazing how dramatic Stella can get over the removal of a particular toy or the end of outside time! On the flip side Stella has really been "blooming" like our much anticipated flowers and is becoming more of my little girl then my little baby! :( or maybe a little :)


Here are some recent pictures from Stella's 1st trip to the zoo:

There is a first time for everything!

So I knew that we would be to lucky to not EVER have to deal with the dreaded ear infection! Growing up Ryan and I were the poster children for ear infections! Well tonight Stella was diagnosed with a bi-lateral ear infection a.k.a. an ear infection in both ears! We think it might have started on Friday, but sometimes Stella is such a trooper we don't always know when she is really sick. However today when her temp hit 102 we were pretty sure that something was going on. So after a quick trip to the ER and a little "pink medicine" and the amazing numbing drops we are back to a playful active little girl! Now Ryan and I can leave for Colorado with piece of mind.

Almost here!!!!!!

The Fabulous First Fourteen Months!

My Montage 3/1/08


Enjoy some pictures from the last year and some months! It was hard to pick just a few pictures to fit in to the 9 min time frame!

A special post for Grammy & Grandpy 2 in Florida!

Dear Grammy& Grandpy 2,

I heard that you were having troubles viewing these pictures through your email so I had mom set them up on her blog just for you! I hope that you are having a good time in Florida and enjoying some of that Florida sun like I did last year with you!

Anyway I wanted to let you know what I have been up to since you left! I finally have enough hair to put in a ponytail! Although mom had to put right on the top of my head! Today a ponytail next week pigtails! I have also had a lot of fun playing peek a boo with Lola. Sometimes she doesn't want to play and just licks my face, but I have been helping Mom & Dad by taking care of Lola while they are cooking dinner by playing with her! Last but not least I have been enjoying my new pink sweatshirt you bought me! I have really needed is as it has been very chilly her in Minnesota! Well I have lots of playing to do and I hope to talk to you soon!

Love, Stella

A little girl knows the way to her daddy's heart!

Well as you can see from my lack of posting it has been a very busy January! Sometimes the bussiness makes me happy because it makes the weekdays go by faster and I can get to the weekends and spend time with my family, but it also makes me a little sad because I think that the quicker the days go by the quicker Stella grows up!!!! (Enough of my mother pitty party! LOL)

So today our family headed out to Welch Village Ski area for our Sunday Courage skiing with Ryans little brother Adam. Of course Stella is not quite to the point where she can get on a pair of skis, but she really enjoys the time she gets to spend with Grandma and Grandpa Paske while Mom & Dad ski. Today as she was hanging out with grandma and grandpa watching all the skiiers out side she truly became daddy's litle girl. As she was looking out the big picture window she points outside and says "Skiiiii" followed by "kno" (translated for those of you not fluent in baby talk that was "snow".) I thought that maybe it was a fluke so I had to "test" her out so I asked her what was outside? Again she points and says "skiii" & "knooooo" The news put a huge smile across Ryan's face and I can tell he is just itching to get out on those ski hills with him!