"My Happy Birthday"

Happy 2nd Birthday Veronica Grace Elizabeth! Mommy and Daddy are so thankful that God blessed our lives with you! You 'complete' our family in the most perfect way!!!

Daddy had to be in Wisconsin today so we are going to do a casual celebration with the Hanson girls. We'll head to Fargo this morning for some fun that just might have to include a stop at Chuck E Cheese:) Friday we'll do our family celebration! And than it will probably be November before we do her big Halloween celebration here in EGF:) November...Halloween celebration...I know:) But we've kind of got this Disney World thing happening in two weeks here:)

Sister...best of friends or mortal enemies?????

It's 8:55 a.m. and I'm done...I'm ready to throw in the towel, crawl in bed and pull the covers over my head and hide. That is what some days are like in the day of a life with Sisters Extraordinaire, Isabella and Veronica.

It's 8:55 a.m. and I'm teary, glowy, walking on air. That is what the other days are like in the life of Isabella and Veronica. Those moments where there is such a sweet sister exchange, I am brought instantly to tears.

Those girls, those girls, what can I say:) There is a lot of conversation of late about Isabella vs Veronica, so I thought I would give my perspective.

As of late, I can not go anywhere without someone commenting on how much the girls look alike (or for that matter, how much they look like me) or for people that have known us since Isabella's birth how much Veronica looks like Isabella did at this age.

Physically here's the lowdown...

*Two defining differences in their appearances...noses and teeth. Isabella has these itty bitty tiny teeth...those are from Daddy. Veronica has these big chunky square teeth...her two front teeth a year ago had this gap that kind of became her signature...but the gap has minimized over the year. Veronica's teeth are all momma.

Isabella definitely has Daddy's nose which comes from the Rowe side. Veronica's while not completely mine, falls more on the Stromli side.

I guess another difference at this point in time would be their bodies. Isabella has these mile long legs and is taller than nearly all girls her age and a lot of boys. Veronica is squatty and is much smaller than most kids her age and those younger than her. In comparison she seems more the size of an 18 month old. Everyone comments on how tall Isabella is and how tiny Veronica is, it's funny!:)

Personalities...TOTALLY DIFFERENT. My experience with Veronica this past year vs Isabella at this age is like night and day. Isabella always seemed a lot older than she was, was very independent, easy to adapt, not super clingy to mom, very well behaved (that changed the day she turned two).

Veronica has a real 'baby' quality about her...it is very endearing and draws people to her. In the middle of August she started to let go of some of that, but is still very much 'baby'. Veronicas wants to be held/carried a lot, a rarity in Isabella from the age of 18 months on. Veronica is super attached to mom in comparison to Isabella, but not necessarily in comparison to other kids with attachment issues. She generally cries when I leave her, but will stop after a minute or less. Veronica is much more cautious of new situations, but definitely warms up to them in her own time. She isn't necessarily going to throw herself into a new experience/situation. And Veronica has been SO NAUGHTY in the last year...so naughty (but so naughty she's cute...part of the problem:). She is extremely aggressive and Bry, Isabella, and I have dodged our fair share of hits, kicks, spits, and claws at the face. We in fact visited a pediatric behavioral specialist this fall to tackle some of these issues and we have seen improvement...that is good:) Veronica is the temper tantrum queen, we deal with a pretty severe temper tantrum at least once daily, if not more. She is extremely sassy for a one year old, talking/yelling back frequently. In comparison, I could reason with Isabella quite well verbally...not the case with my baby Veronica:)

The girls are so different in the funniest little ways. Isabella loved her baths, would at times spend 45 minutes in the tub. Up until about 2 months ago, Veronica's bath consisted of her screaming her head off while we washed her as fast as humanely possible. Just recently she has started to enjoy her tubbies and is now comfortable with having Isabella in the tub and they have a grand old time together.

Veronica throws massive fits about having her diaper changed, what clothes/shoes/jackets she will wear...never the case with Isabella at this age.

Veronica can occupy herself with an activity (like trying on all the different shoes in the front closet) for a long period of time. Isabella always had a tough time and still does playing on her own.

On the similar side, the girls are both very loud, very wild, and very energetic. I cannot stress these similarities enough:) They also both very much love their dance, gymnastics, and swimming classes

Isabella started really challenging us as parents at age 2, Veronica at age 1. So we're wondering if Veronica is going to let us off the hook tomorrow when she turns 2...ha ha ha:)

Veronica Grace Elizabeth - 2 years ago

I went into our 'photo archives' to pick just one photo of Veronica's birth-day, but I couldn't help myself...these are a variety of photos from Veronica's first month of life...when we became the title of this blog, "3 Hanson Girls and a Prince Charming". I hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane as much as I did:)

Veronica Grace Elizabeth...one year ago

A trip down memory lane with some pics of Veronica's first birthday...

Get your motor runnin'...Head out on the Highway...oh yeah!!!

Watch out world! The Hanson and Wadholm girls hit the road Saturday night for a quick road trip to MSP!!! WHAT FUN!!!

We stayed at a Holiday Inn in Maple Grove! To all our family and friends there...we absolutely know we are more than welcome to stay with you, but Bryan has rewards points for Holiday Inns, so it was free! And with three children ages, 4, 3, and almost 2...it just seemed easier. And to be honest, Isabella, Veronica, and I LOVE staying in hotels. This was also our first road trip with Mindy and Gretchen, so it seemed like a super fun idea!

Since we were getting the room for free, I thought this would be a pretty basic Holiday Inn! Far from it! Quite swanky with one of the funnest water park/pool play areas ever!!! What fun! Here's a bit of a run down of our fun time!!!

*Great drive down with a fun stop at the gas station which found Veronica roaming the aisles in a leotard and two different shoes:) It also found me accidently activating the alarm on Bry's car, but we resolved that issue quickly:) We also enjoyed pumping up the girls for our adventure and led by Isabella they decided they would stay up all night for a party!

*We arrived to the hotel with great excitement as we realized how nice it was! We walked into our room and the girls immediately went to work checking it out. The phones were taken off the hook as they began their games of play, pretending to talk to people, 'checkin' schedules' as Isabella said, and more! The blow dryer in the bathroom was tested out by all, music was put on and the dance party began. Isabella checked out the refrigerator and proclaimed the freezer 'the ice cream refrigerator. Tickle fights were had under the covers of the hotel bed, elevator buttons were pushed as we went and toured the pool and a little story time helped to somewhat settle the crew down. My ladies were a bit wild in bed, but I'm guessing we fell asleep somewhere around the 11:30 p.m. hour...yikes...late for two little girls who are in bed by 8!!! Veronica has yet to ever really sleep with us, so it was fun to have her in bed with me and to see the way she naturally gravitated towards me in her sleep. I wish someone could have taken a picture of us...Isabella's head were at my feet for awhile, Veronica was nearly sideways and I was diaganol.

*6:30 a.m. - they're awake...all three of them...well, Gretchen probably would have slept longer if my girls hadn't been 'whispering' so loudly! That's ok, it just meant we were down at the pool at exactly 8 a.m. when it opened! Oh what fun!!! They had the funnest little kids water park. Two great little slides with lots of splash and a half foot of water to run/crawl around in. Veronica who loves to swim, but in new situations tends to cling to mom LOVED it!!! She didn't need me for a security blanket at all! Up and down up and down up and down the slides she went over and over and over again! Sometimes she would end up changing position as she came down and she'd land sideways and get her face in the water pretty good, one time she even ended up coming down head first. Normally this would result in massive crying chaos, but Mindy and I would just clap and cheer and she'd bust out in a smile and off she'd be, ready to go again! We took a break for a quick 'breakfeast' if you want to call it that...it wasn't exactly breakfeast food...oh well. Two bites in and Veronica was saying, "I go swimming, I go swimming"! SHE LOVED IT!!! Baby V is really coming into her own, getting braver step by step. It is so fun to watch her fully embracing things of this nature!!!

*And of course, time with my Mindy! What fun! My buddy, my buddy, my buddy, my buddy, my buddy and me!!! Remember Min, when we decided that 'buddies' was the highest form of friendship, it wasn't enough to just be best friends, you had to be best buddies:)?????? How wonderful to talk about everything and anything, to have tickle fights with our girls together, to hang out in pj's, to start the next generation of slumber parties and road trips. It is experiences such as this weekend that continuely keep me focused on the fact that it is people, memories, and experiences that truly bring us our greatest joys. I AM SO THANKFUL!!!!

Mindy, Mariah, and Jenny...THE NEXT GENERATION!!!

Friends for Life...

I actually met Mindy Hauger in 1st grade...we were in different classes, but somehow ended up next to each other at a lunch table. She was funny and silly and tried to tell me there were butterflies on the ceiling. Later in 4th grade, when I was a bit geeky and awkward and chubby and had a really bad haircut, there was a group of girls who decided that everyone in the 4th grade should not like me...by the way, I still remember the names of those girls...one reason I will ALWAYS encourge my girls to be kind to others...there are some hurtful things that kids will never forget. But what I will also never forget is Mindy Hauger...she didn't do what others told her to do. All the other kids ran across the playground yelling horrible names at me and while I ran off crying, it was Mindy who followed me and refused to treat me so horribly. She has been my best friend ever since, and I admire more than ever for her actions that day.

I met Mariah McKechnie on the first day of 8th grade. She was the new girl with super long flowing hair and she dressed like nobody else in school. Clothes like I'd never seen before...I'd learn later that some were her mom's old clothes, some were from thrift stores. She had her own style and didn't care what anyone else thought. She also ran for homeroom rep against the boy who had been the rep for the whole 7th grade the year before and beat him...WOW!!! I was so impressed with her confidence and her spirit. Over the year she became one of my closest friends and has been one of my best friends ever since.

Jenny, Mindy, and Mariah...over the years our lives took different turns and paths. Mindy started a family, Mariah went to France, I chased the Miss ND crown and became Jenny Wylde. I don't know if you could find three girls more different...or three girls who love each other more.

This weekend Mindy and her daughter Gretchen and the girls and I road tripped to Maple Grove to celebrate the 1st birthday of Mariah's twin daughters, Lily and Josephine. I could not walk away from this weekend without spending several minutes in prayer and thanks to God for our friendship and the unique role we each play in one anothers life. It is such a gift to have close friends who are such a big part of your life's history and who have really seen you through it all - teenage drama to parenting joys:)

I love you girls!!! Looking forward to our slumber party weekend!!!

Goodbye Miss Jennifer...we'll never forget you!!!

What an odd odd odd day. I'll cut to the chase, even though there's a lot of back story going on in my head. Our gymnastics teacher is moving...to Ohio...tragedy (trust me, I'm being somewhat serious, somewhat joking, but fully realize that if this is tragedy in our home we are very blessed:).

What can I say about Miss Jennifer to do her justice? Does she have any idea how she inspired me as a dance teacher? Does she have any idea of how her attitude, love, joy, and total acceptance of my daughter while many others were looking at her as a problem helped to get me through a major mom crisis? Does she have any idea how much she means to me and my family? I hope and pray she can feel a fraction of our love and appreciation. Her impact on our lives will be everlasting.

Miss Jennifer sent me an email to let me know about her big move this evening and I've been teary ever since. Calls to Daddy, Debbie, and sharing in Chips Ahoy cookies with the girls have helped us through the initial shock:) I told Isabella as we were eating the cookies...Miss Jen has been her teacher since she was two and they seem to have a pretty special bond. I didn't know how she would react, maybe she'd just brush it off. But nope, she made a face and she even looked teary for a minute. She asked me if Ohio was far away. She asked why Miss Jennifer had to move. Knowing that Miss Jennifer, her husband, and the baby growing in her tummy would be closer to grandparents helped Isabella to understand...after all, our G and G live across the street:) Than we talked about sending letters, pictures, etc...and Isabella decided we will visit Miss Jen in Ohio someday:) Isabella asked me if I was sad and I told her a little because I really love Miss Jennifer, but that I was happy that she would be close to her family in Ohio.

Thank you Miss Jennifer for loving my daughter for the unique gift that she is.

Thank you Miss Jennifer for putting my daughter in her place when it was needed.

Thank you Miss Jennifer for letting her be whatever animal she needed to be during stretches on her antsy days.

Thank you Miss Jennifer for helping my daughter with her itchy mosquito bites.

Thank you Miss Jennifer for wiping my daughter's runny nose with the bottom of your shirt and not even batting an eye...YOU WILL BE A WONDERFUL MOTHER:)

Thank you Miss Jennifer for calling our house to check on Isabella after she left class with a limp that came out of nowhere.

Thank you Miss Jennifer for praising my daughter on the days she was a superstar good listener.

Thank you Miss Jennifer for loving the way Isabella danced:)

Thank you Miss Jennifer for your perfect balance of discipline, expectation, and love.

Every child deserves to have a Miss Jennifer in their life. We will never ever forget you, Miss Jennifer and we will always be thankful for the way in which God intertwined our lives!