Happy New Year Wishes

We would like to wish everyone a very Happy 2009! We hope that 2009 will be a good year for everyone. We know that we are expecting a lot of excitement in the upcoming year.

Did everyone have a good Christmas? We celebrated a few days early with my sister and her family, which was a lot of fun even though there was a blizzard swirling around outside!! Christmas Eve my mom came down and was with the kids and I while Brad worked. On Christmas day we opened our gifts, and had a "big" meal before Brad went to work. Sydney and Christopher really enjoyed their gifts, and a special thanks to all who thought of them!

Not really any other new news here. I have my next doctor's appointment on Friday, so I will post after with an update. Only 13 days or so until the ultrasound!

Happy New Year All!

15 weeks

I wanted to update everyone and let them know that the endocrinologist just decided to up the dosage on my thyroid medication, instead of having me come in. Then she wants me to have my thyroid hormone levels checked again, and I will see her on January 19, so I have to check my levels a week before that. I can't say that i notice a difference with the new medication, but it does take some time before that happens!

I also wanted to post some fun photos of the kids in front of the tree! :) Hope you enjoy!

Will post more soon!

Stacey

14 week Update

Just a quick update on me...I did a thyroid function test on Monday, and the OB office called me yesterday to let me know that my levels are off (which can be expected during pregnancy). They want me to see the endocrinologist to get my levels adjusted, which basically takes a change in medication. The earliest I can get in is next Wednesday afternoon. I am sure that she will adjust my medication dosage and then I will have to get another thyroid test in a few weeks...good thing I am starting to get used to having my blood drawn as it seems to be a regular occurrence! We will keep you all posted!

On another note, we will be having our ultrasound to determine the sex of the baby and other things on January 14, 2009. This will be a Level 2 ultrasound which is a more in depth one. WE are looking forward to it, though I must admit we really don't have a preference for which sex child we are going to have, we just hope for a healthy baby!

December Birthday Wishes

Happy Birthday to:

8: Shane Hopkins
23: Grandma Maller
28: Jeanne Hager

13 weeks

Well, I am happy to say that I have finally reached the start of my second trimester of pregnancy! I had a check up with my OB/GYN Dr. Sherren this afternoon. She tried to get the baby's heartbeat for us, but since my bladder was so full at the time, we had a hard time hearing one, so she took a peek by ultrasound and saw the beating heart, and thought that all looked great!The baby is measuring at 13 weeks, 3 days, which is pretty right on. I guess we will have to wait to hear a heartbeat until the next time!! This is the first time that I have got to see my actual doctor since I found out I was pregnant, my first visit was with a nurse practictioner, and normally with our clinic I would continue to rotate between doctor and nurse for visits, but due to my health issues (high blood pressure and hypothyroidism) my doctor wants me to see her for every prenatal visit, and if she is on vacation, I will see one of her partners. I will also have to have my thyroid hormone levels checked out often, and they will closely monitor me for preeclampsia (a condition that can happen with high blood pressure). My doctor also told me that because of the high blood pressure and thyroid condition that I will probably have more ultrasounds, just to keep an eye on the baby's size and growth. My next ultrasound will be between 18-20 weeks (so in about a month) and they will be doing a Level 2 Ultrasound, which is a more in depth look. We will speak with a perinatologist immediately after the ultrasound and be given the results in the same day. This will be the ultrasound at which we will learn the baby's sex if it cooperates with us!

Last week we had our first trimester screen (an ultrasound that measure nuchal translucency). Basically it shows any indications of what your chances are of having child with Down's Syndrome or Trisomy 18. Our tests came back within the normal range. According to the blood test, and what was found in the ultrasound, we have a 1 in 2600 chance of having a baby with Down Syndrome, and a 1 in 10,000 chance of having a baby with Trisomy 18. It was nice to have the chance to see the baby with some good photos, Brad said he thought the baby even waved at him!

My next Dr. appointment is on Friday January 2,2009! I will keep you posted on future ultrasound dates, etc.

Family Update

Sorry that it has been a few weeks since I updated anything! We have had a busy few weeks in our house....

Sydney had a great day for her 4th birthday on the 12th. We took her to the Mall of America where we had lunch in the Kokomo Island Cafe where she got sung too, and received a chocolate sundae! We then went on a few rides in Nickelodeon Universe. That night we had some friends over for her princess birthday cake!

Brad got his first TWO deer ever while hunting, so needless to say he was pretty excited by that (see photos), he was a little sad when hunting season ended, now he is focusing on getting things done around our house before baby arrives in June.

Christopher is talking more and more by the day. He even now says"Hi Gram" to my mom, he is starting to form more sentences which has been fun!

Unfortunately on the 16th, the pink-eye bug caught our family. Christopher came down with it first and by Wednesday, Sydney had it. I came down with it early this morning, and so I had to miss work. I hope that Brad won't get it!! The kids and I have also been suffering from colds, the doctor said I was fighting an upper respiratory infection, so it was good for me to stay home and rest.

Tomorrow at 3:15 I am scheduled for my first trimester ultrasound, so I will post photos if we get any that are viewable and will fill you all in on what we learn.

Sydney's 4th Birthday

We can hardly believe that our little girl is going to be 4 on Wednesday! It doesn't seem possible, time sure has flown by. She is very excited about tomorrow, she gets to bring birthday treats for her class and then on Wednesday we are going to take her to Nickelodeon Universe in the Mall of America, and we will have lunch. We are having a small celebration with a few of her friends Wednesday night. We will be having a little party with my family on the 22nd.

Brad will be hunting until tomorrow sometime. He will return home to work for a few days and then on Friday will be heading back up north, returning home on Sunday. I sure will be glad when hunting is over! I miss him when he's away.

Baby Update

Sorry that I didn't get on to post before this, but it has been a busy week in our household. Last Wednesday, November 5, I went to my first prenatal appointment. As of Wednesday I was 9 weeks pregnant. The nurse practicioner that I saw did an ultrasound to be able to see if there was a heartbeat. Brad, Sydney, Christopher, and I were able to see the baby on the monitor and saw its little heart beating, so that was reassuring for all of us. The nurse gave each of the kids, and us a picture of the baby, though Sydney admitted to us later that she didn't "see no baby"! It is so tiny now it just looks like a blob. I will get a more in depth ultrasound at 20 weeks or so, when we get those we will post them!

November Birthday Wishes

Happy Birthday to:

4: Mike Blaness
6: Hunter Hopkins
12: Sydney Dale Maller turns 4!
13: Jeff Hager
15: Mary Syverson
24: Jessica Rogers Carper, Cathy Weinkauf
27: Susan Rogers, Danielle Truax
28: Ashton Brandt

November

I can hardly believe that Halloween is over and that soon Thanksgiving, and then Christmas will be upon us! Time sure seems to fly by fast these days!

We sure are keeping busy here! I have been so busy lately between work, school, kids, hubby, and being pregnant, I didn't get a chance to get the Halloween cards that I made out, so if you get one, do not be surprised by the lateness! (Sorry about that!)

Brad is getting very anxious for the deer hunting rifle season to begin on November 8. In fact he went to the firing range this morning to practice shooting for awhile. We bought him some goodies/snacks/beverages to take with him yesterday. I think he is the most excited he has ever been to go this year because he has a brand new stand that is all his own to go to and he has his 4 wheeler, so now he is all set!

Sydney is having so much fun at school! Every day she goes she brings home a different art project that she has made and stories of all of the friends she has made. Last Thursday, (the 30th), Daddy got to go to school with Sydney, and she was thrilled! Daddy was proud to report that Sydney was the only child able to respond to the question "What color do you get when you mix red and yellow together?" Sydney was the only one who answered, and she of course said "Orange!" (Thanks in part to Brittany, who took her paint shopping for our bathroom, Blue's Clues, and one time when I painted with her we mixed colors)! It is so amazing to get to see your child actually learn something!! She is also VERY excited by her upcoming birthday in 10 days!

Christopher has been saying more and more words since I last posted! That is so much fun for us. We enjoy watching him grow and seeing him communicate more and more. He had his first experience with "school" this past Thursday. He attended the child care at the place where Sydney goes to preschool. Brad said that he was smiling and playing happily with toys when he left and doing the same when he returned. Luckily he is a well adjusted little guy! The teacher said he was the only one who didn't cry when she changed his diaper, so that is good.

The kids loved Halloween! Sydney was really into it this year and did not want to stop until she realized that her friend Andrew was done, then she wanted to go home too! Christopher wasn't totally sure about what he was supposed to do when it came to his bucket and the candy. Luckily daddy was there to help!

As for me, I am pretty exhausted! :) I suppose that is what happens when you are 8 1/2 weeks pregnant, going to school full time, working full time outside of the home as well as in the home. Good news at my outside the home job, I got a raise! So I was pretty excited by that. School is going pretty well. I am getting good grades and am able to get most of my assignments done on the weekends so then I don't have to worry during the week. That has been pretty helpful. I am taking Computer Information Systems (mainly about the Microsoft Office 2007 software and how it works), Keyboarding 1 (basically typing skills), and Medical Terminology.
This pregnancy is going well so far. I feel pretty tired most of the time, but I am sure that is to be expected. I actually go for my first appointment on Wednesday, so I will let you know how that goes. So far my due date is June 10. I have never went by my due date with either child, so I expect this baby to be born no earlier than the 17th, but I suppose I could be surprised!! :)

Love to all!

Christopher's Well Check

Christopher had his 18 month well check today. (I know, can you really believe that he is 18 months old already?!, Where did that time go?)
His doctor is quite pleased with his development. He weighed in at 22 lbs, 5 1/2 ounces and he is 32 3/4 inches tall. His weight is only in the 10th percentile, but his height is in the 75th. I voiced my concerns about him not talking a lot, but she told me that they are looking for them to say at least three words, and he says more than that, she also told me as long as he is babbling too, there is not a cause for concern. He does do these things...
His list of words is growing. In addition to mama, dada, all done, hi,& bye-bye, he is now saying car, ball, Blue (as in Blue's Clues), and CHEESE (anytime he takes a picture). He is pretty stubborn about saying words, but we know he does say them.

Birthday Wishes!

I am a little behind on my birthday wishes this month, so sorry! Between work, school, kids, husband, home and pregnancy, my plate is pretty full!

Happy Birthday to:
5: My friends Angie, and Tanya
8: My cousin, Nathan
9: My cousin Travis
12: My cousin Brett
14: My Uncle Henry and cousin Thomas Alan Chandonnet (who was just born!)
15: Brad's mom
20: My aunt/Godmother Judy
21: My cousin Steph
27: My cousins Amy and Bryce
28: our neighbor, Pat

Happy Anniversary to:
9: My cousin Shannon and her husband Shane
30: My cousin Jessica and her husband Chris

If I missed anyone, I am so sorry!

Fall fun with the Mallers!

This past weekend we spent a lot of time outside in the beautiful fall weather and so I thought that I would post a few photos from our weekend...

All is well here with us. Sydney is having lots of fun in school, this week they are talking about Halloween and pretending. They are also studying the color black. Tomorrow is wear black day!
Christopher is learning more and more words every day, though getting him to say them consistently can be quite a challenge! He likes to challenge us and keep us busy, that is for sure.
Brad and I had a fun date night last night. Our good friend Brittany stayed with the kids so we could go to the New Kids on the Block concert. For those of you who don't know, the NKOTB are my favorite band of all time, and my husband thought I deserved to see them again, since it has been about 18 years since I last saw them perform. He got me seats in the 11th row, closer than I have ever been, and my sister was going to go with me until she had somethings come up with work, so then Brad stepped in. We had a lot of fun, although it was a loud and late night!!
As for the new addition coming to our family, all is going well so far. I am seven weeks along. I have my first official appointment on November 5, though I have seen my family practice doctor already to do some of the tests. I have also had a thyroid hormone test done, and that came back normal. I will have to get tested for that quite often throughout the pregnancy. Overall I am feeling well, I am usually wiped out after work, and sleep really hard once I fall to sleep. In addition to working, and caring for the kids and our household, I am in school full time, but I am managing...I sleep as much as I can. Brad and the kids have been great!!
Hope you are all well. Happy Fall!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I can hardly contain my excitement....

Brad, Sydney, Christopher, and I are very pleased to announce that there will be a new member coming into our family sometime in June 2009. My due date is actually June 10. My first "official" doctors appointment is on November 5. I am currently 5 weeks along. It was a little bit of a shock, but a good one. We are all really excited. Sydney has insisted that she is getting a sister, and we have been trying to explain that it may not happen that way....

We will keep you all posted! Keep us in your prayers!

Love,
Brad, Stacey, Sydney, Christopher, and Baby

Update

Brad spent this past Saturday and most of Sunday up at the deer shack. He and Reed went, along with one of my uncles and a couple of my cousins. He was able to complete his deer stand, so that is good. He won't be making a return trip now until hunting season in November. I would post photos, but he took them to work, so I will try to add some at some point.

With Brad gone, the kids and I headed to my sister's place to hang out with her and her kids for Saturday and part of Sunday. The kids had lots of fun and my sister and I got to have some quality time, which is always nice.

Two weekends ago we got to have a nice visit with Brad's grandparents, sister and nieces. We went to visit them at their hotel and went swimming. We also went out to eat a few times. The kids were all excited to be together.

Sydney and Gabby (I am not sure about anyone else), both ended up with skin infection from the hot tub at the hotel. Sydney is on oral antibiotics and an antibiotic cream until Wednesday. It seems to be healing up nicely, so that is good.

Sydney LOVES school! She has been making lots of art and having lots of fun with her new friends. She always has lots to tell us after a day at school. Tomorrow is teddy bear day, so she gets to bring a teddy bear with her.

Christopher is doing so many cute things, as well as many mischevious things lately! He has been starting to dance (which is SUPER cute!), he also likes to spin in a circle like crazy and then keep trying to get up...then he falls down, which he thinks is hilarious! He loves to give mommy kisses and is getting very good at it! He doesn't like to kiss daddy much because of daddy's mustache! He also LOVES to climb. Brad was taking a shower one day when Sydney came running into the bathroom yelling that Christopher was on the table! He climbed the chair and was sitting on the table top, drinking a juice box that he wanted! At my sister's this past weekend, he would repeatedly climb on to her recliner, stand up and jump making the chair rock. We would take him down, and he would get right back on again!

I am done with school until the 6th. Then I start up again with three classes. I got A's in both my classes last quarter, so I am excited about that. I am really enjoying myself. My health is still good. My thyroid levels are better than they were with a thyroid! I am finally feeling normal again. I have a physical in November, so we will make sure that all is still well.

I am also thrilled to report that my wonderful husband got me tickets to go see NKOTB on October 21 at the XCEL and they are in the 11th row on the floor! My sister is going with me and it will be a blast. I can hardly contain my excitement!!

We have a busy weekend ahead. Our wonderful friends Brittany and Kevin are getting married on Saturday, we are also getting family photos taken on Saturday.

We hope this finds you all well!!
Love,
Stacey, Brad, Sydney, and Christopher

P.S. Shantell, I hope that you aren't too terribly uncomfortable! I feel for you dear, I was in your place not that long ago, but you know the rewards are priceless! LOVE YOU!! Let us know when he arrives! :)

Life

Sydney's first week at preschool went well. She loves going, and has even made some new friends. She has mentioned a little girl named Olivia a couple of times!

Brad had a good time at the Deer Shack last weekend even though it rained the whole time. He (with the help of some of my cousins) was able to get his deer stand built, next time he goes hopefully he will have the chance to take it into the woods.

The kids and I had fun with my mom, sister, and my sister's kids last weekend. We took a little shopping adventure on Saturday afternoon, what a trek with 5 kids! It was a good time for all though.

This weekend we have Brad's grandparents, sister, and nieces coming to town, we are looking forward to that!!

I finished finals for my first quarter back in school last night! I don't start my new classes until October 6.

Hope all is well with everyone!

September Birthday and Anniversary Wishes!

Happy Birthday to:
Aunt Kathi on September 4
Uncle Dave and Grandma R on September 5
Katie Cronin on September 9
Tyler Fetters on September 25
Kathy (Brad's step-mom) on September 28

Happy 10th anniversary to my sister Sara and her husband Reed on September 26! Congratulations you guys!

Love to you all!

Sydney's First Day of Preschool

Sydney's first day of preschool was this morning. She goes from 9:30-12:00 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I was at work as usual, but Brad told me that she was very excited about going to school today, he said she was almost bouncing off the walls. I wasn't so sure she was going to be this way because yesterday she kept telling me she wanted to stay home with daddy. We kept talking about it though, and I think that helped. She said she had a lot of fun at school. They had fruit snacks and water for snack, they got to draw a picture, she said hers was of daddy's head! They played outside and they read a book called Clifford Goes to School. She also told me that she made some new friends, but she couldn't remember their names. Brad said that when they got home she was sad and wanted to go back to school!

Sydney meets her preschool teacher!

We took Sydney to school this morning to meet her preschool teacher and her assistant teacher. Her teacher's name is Gaye Lynn and her assistant is Jeri (I believe). When we got to school we had her practice hanging up her backpack by her blue crayon name tag like she will have to do everyday that she goes to school. She found her name without a problem, however hanging up the backpack was a little hard because the hook was slightly out of her reach. So mommy and daddy helped her. Once we got in the classroom, Sydney played playdough with Jeri while mommy and daddy talked with Gaye Lynn. Then she started to explore other areas of the room, and for those of you who know Sydney well, she did what she always does when she is having fun and she has to leave something, she started to cry. She was very sad that she had to leave school! We reassured her that she would be back next week and that she would get to play again, but she was still sad. Hopefully she won't do this everytime she leaves school (or Brad will have his hands full!)

Happy Labor Day!

It's hard to believe that summer is coming to an end and that soon fall will be here! Where did all of the time go?
We were supposed to go to my cousin Paul's wedding on Saturday, but Christopher came down with some sort of bug on Friday, and has been running a fever ever since. We've had him in to the doctor, but they think he just has a cold. Hopefully he will start feeling better soon, poor little guy!
Have a wonderful labor day!

Love,
Brad, Stacey, Sydney, and Christopher

Where did the Summer Go?

Wow! I can't believe that it is nearly the end of August. I cannot believe how fast the summer has gone. We have had a pretty busy summer, and the fall is shaping up to be busy for us as well.

Brad is busy gearing up for hunting in November. He has been on a hunt for building materials to build himself a deer stand, since he will be going up to the deer shack for a work weekend in September for sure. He has also been working a lot of overtime. In fact, he isn't going to have a day off for the next two weeks.

I have been keeping busy with my school work. Three more weeks of classes left, before I start the next quarter. I am getting A's so far, so I am excited about that. The last month or so I have been sent home from work early a lot, so I have had lots of extra time to study, which is also why Brad is working so much overtime. This will all be changing very soon as a lot of my co-workers go back to school.

Sydney starts preschool on September 9. We are going to a parent orientation tomorrow night, and then next Tuesday we take Sydney to meet her teacher. She is pretty excited about it.

Christopher has been saying more words by the day. Today he said "up" for the first time. He has also been starting to drink from an actual cup with no lid and he does a great job! We have been working on eating with a spoon too.

This weekend our family is looking forward to going to my cousin Paul's wedding in St. Cloud. It will give us a chance to see many of my relatives again.

Hope all is well with everyone. See you soon.

Best Wishes for a speedy recovery!

We would like to send out our love to Brad's sister Michelle as she recovers from unexpected gallbladder surgery. We are thinking of you and send our love and prayers your way!! Let us know if we can be of help in any way. We will talk to you soon!

Birthday and anniversary wishes!

With last week being my first week of being back in school, I was not able to keep on top of my birthday wishes, etc...So here goes and there is going to be a lot so bear with me!!!

August 1: Happy Birthday to my cousin, Tonia.
August 2: Happy Birthday to my cousin, Donnie and Happy Anniversary to my cousins Tim and Amy!
August 6: Happy Anniversary Dad and Kathy
August 10: Happy Anniversary Aunt Kathi and Uncle Dennis
August 11:Happy Anniversary Mike and Stacy (good friends from college)
August 14: Happy Anniversary Greg and Kristin (good friends from college)
August 17: Happy Birthday Uncle Gary
August 18: Happy Birthday to my cousin Rand and his son Matt
also on the 18th, Happy Anniversary Uncle Bill and Aunt Ila.

Early birthday wishes to: My cousin Shantell and brother in law Matt on the 26th, happy birthday on August 29 to my cousin Heather, and happy 1st birthday (also on the 29th) to my niece, Audrey. Hope you have a great day "Audrey-doodle!" Love you!! :)

If I forgot anyone, I apologize!!

Busy times!

Last week was a crazy week at our house. Luckily it has slowed down a little bit here. School is going great for me. I am doing okay with keeping the pace for my two classes along with my home life. I am getting an A in both classes so far!

Sydney went to preschool screening yesterday and she did great, she is right where she is supposed to be for her age, so we were very happy to hear that. She was excited to get to see where she will be going to school. We also found out that when she goes to Elementary school she will be going to Washburn Elementary, just like her daddy! :)

I have posted some photos from our crazy busy week last week. We had a great time at the Wiggles show, the NKOTB show and at the family reunion.

I will post more news later....Dad and Kathy, so sorry that we missed your anniversary last week. We hope that you had a WONDERFUL day! Love you guys!

My return to college/update

After 8.5 years away from any type of schooling, I have decided to return to college! I will be attending Rasmussen College Online and studying medical transcription. I am so lucky that I will be able to take all of my classes totally online, which will fit into my schedule so well. I will be able to do school work in my down time with the kids while I am at home (naptime, bed time). I am nervous and excited all rolled into one. My first classes start on August 11. The first two classes will last for six weeks. From that time on, I will be taking three classes at a time. I would like to take a moment to thank my fabulous husband for being so supportive and encouraging through all of this. I couldn't do this without you!

We are sort of on a mini-family vacation for the next few days....Brad and I are both off from work through Monday. Today we are taking the kids to see the Wiggles at the Target center. What they don't know is that their cousins Nick, Eric, and Audrey will be sitting really close to them with Auntie Sara and Uncle Reed (should be fun!) right after the Wiggles we have to go to New Horizon (my work) for an open house (It's my day off and I still have to go, yuck!) Tomorrow we are headed to the Mall of America so that I can fulfill a childhood dream of meeting my favorite band as a kid, the New Kids on the Block. I am so excited, I can hardly contain myself. I bet the guys will be cuter in person, than on the posters I used to have plastered to my bedroom walls! On Saturday we are headed up to Onamia for the Rogers family reunion. It will be fun to get to see most of my cousins (there are 17 of them) and their children (I think my grandma has like 30+ great-grandchildren)....I will try to post photos of all these events next week, which may be hard with school, etc!

Christopher went in for his 15 month well check yesterday. He now weighs 21 pounds, 7 ounces and is 31 1/2 inches tall. His doctor was not concerned about his weight this time because she said it has started to go in the right direction. He is a pretty skinny boy, but he eats like a horse . I think its because the boy cannot sit still!

Sydney goes to preschool screening on Wednesday. Can you believe its time for her to start school already?! I know that we can't.

Garden update: Tomatoes are starting to get red!! We have about 14. We also have 2 zucchini so far!

Have a great day everyone!

Meeting Blue and Dora

Yesterday we took the kids to Nickelodeon Universe at the Mall of America to meet Blue from Blue's Clues, which is one of their favorite shows. Christopher loved Blue, and tried to grab her nose. Sydney on the other hand was terrified of Blue and wouldn't go near her. Then a little later after a few rides, the kids got to meet Dora the Explorer. Sydney did much better that time, but she was still a little skeptical. They are pretty excited though because next Thursday they get to see the Wiggles! It should be a fun time...

Birthday and anniversary wishes!

I would like to wish a very Happy Birthday to my brother in law Reed on Sunday July 27. Also on the 27th, Happy 3rd Birthday to our nephew Eric, and Happy 4th Birthday to our niece, Samantha. Happy Anniversary Uncle Gary and Aunt Sue (on the 27th as well!!)

Birthday wishes go out to our nephew Nicholas who will be celebrating his 6th birthday on the 29th! Also Happy anniversary to my cousins Terri and Donnie, and Travis and Jaime! Hopefully I got everyone right!!

Check out our new photos

If you'd like to see photos of what we have been up to so far this summer, please check out our Maller Family Photos, and be sure to click on Stacey's public gallery. There are lots of fun photos!

Family Update

Greetings from a very hot and humid Minnesota!

Fortunately our air conditioning is in perfect working order for the hot weather that has come upon us. So I am happy to report that we are staying cool.

I met with my thyroid surgeon on the 7th for my post-op. She was happy to report to me that my incision was healing well and that my calcium levels are getting closer to normal, so that is all good. I will return to the endocrinologist on Monday August 4, and she will go over the thyroid hormone levels, etc. So I will let you know what I find out there.

Brad is trying to stay cool at work, and has been working a lot of extra shifts this past week. My mom was down to help care for the kids while he had some training classes for work last week, so that was nice.

We got all sorts of information about Sydney's preschool in the mail last week, so needless to say she is VERY excited about that. We took her out this past weekend and got her a backpack. She picked out an Ariel (The Little Mermaid) one. She will be going to preschool two mornings a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30-12. It will be so good for her to make some new friends and prepare herself for the school setting. Her latest accomplishment is drawing people. She made a picture of herself and my friend Brittany for Brittany's birthday and she added all the details as well. If I can figure it out, I will try to add one of her drawings on here.

Christopher has gained two more teeth, is walking like crazy and has graduated from his crib to a big boy bed (see photo). I can't believe how grown up my little boy is! Where did the time go??

Hope you are all having a fun summer!

Stacey's Return to Work/Happy 4th of July!

I am happy to report that I was able to return to work on Wednesday as planned. I am lucky though to have an extra day off for the 4th of July holiday. It was a pretty easy return to work.

The thyroid surgery went smoothly, and the pathology reports came back cancer free, not that they ever thought there was cancer, but pathology reports are normal with this type of thing. The most exciting thing to date was being able to remove the steri strips from over the incision, but I think the glue there may remain for months to come! The incision is not that large, so the scar should be small. I am pretty self conscious about it though and feel like people are looking at it all the time. If I get brave, I will have Brad take a photo and post it.

In the mean time, we hope that you all have a very happy and safe 4th of July holiday weekend.

Special Birthday wishes to our family friend Julia Hager who is 5 years old today?! (How can you be that old already? It seems like you were just born yesterday) and Birthday wishes to my cousin Jenny Truax on Sunday!

Walking Boy!

In the little bit of time that I was away from home during my surgery, my son decided he was going to start walking everywhere! He is walking quite far already, though he does still revert to crawling at times. When he walks he is so proud of himself though! So adorable!!

Update

It has been a crazy month in our household! Yesterday our nieces (Gabby, Miranda, and Samantha) left at about 6:30 p.m. I wasn't real sure what to do with the quiet!! I just decided to relax and have some me time. Sydney and Christopher were devastated that their cousins had to leave, but fortunately they will see them soon!

Sydney is 3 1/2 and really loving the time to play outside. She especially loves to play with her best friend Andrew (who is also our neighbor). She seems to be really into sports, as she requested a black and white soccer ball instead of the pink one that we have. Now she says she will be able to play soccer. She also loves to play basketball, and baseball. She is very excited because this coming Sunday she will be going to her first MN Twins game with Daddy, Uncle Reed and Nick. She is also a little bit of a girly girl, and loves to play dress up and use her imagination. She has a great one at that!!

Christopher is nearly 14 months old. He is not walking on his own yet, but I have a feeling that he will be any day now. He cruises around furniture quite fast. He's a hard one to keep up with. He is also quite the daredevil. Brad took him to Chutes and Ladders while the girls were here and Christopher decided to go down some of the slides on his tummy. I think we are going to have to break him of that habit so he doesn't lose a tooth or something!! He also enjoyed his first "ride" the other night at Chuck E. Cheeses and absolutely LOVED it (see photo!) He is becoming more and more affectionate everyday. He gives hugs to the people that he loves/likes a lot and goes to them wanting to be picked up. He gives the GREATEST hugs.

The countdown is on for my thyroid surgery. I had my pre-op on Monday, and haven't heard back on all my tests yet, but my doctor thought that all would be well from what she had seen already. As long as all my tests are normal my surgery will go on as scheduled (as far as I know now) on Tuesday June 24 at 8:00 a.m. at Methodist Hospital. I am having a total thyroidectomy and the surgeon told me the operation would be approximately 3 hours long. Brad and my mom will be at the hospital with me, so between the two of them, I am sure that they will send out updates. There is a likelihood that I may not be able to talk for a while, so if you call, please understand that I may not be able to talk. Please pray for me and my family. We will take all the prayers we can get. This may be my last post until I am feeling better.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all of the dads, grandpas and uncles today. We hope that you have a wonderful day and that you get some time to relax and enjoy yourself!!

Week Two with Emme Girls

We have had an eventful second week with the girls....last Saturday we went to the Mall of America where we spent the afternoon going on rides and topped the evening off with dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. During the week the kids went grocery shopping with Brad (yes, all five) and to Chutes and Ladders again. Yesterday we went swimming at the Bloomington Aquatic Center and last night we went to the Drive In Movie in Cottage Grove. We saw Kung Fu Panda, it was quite an adventure. Today Brad is making up our very own water park in the backyard. It should be lots of fun!! I will try to post some photos from our week soon!

Week One with Emme Girls....

We have had a very busy first week with our nieces Gabby, Miranda, and Samantha! We went swimming at my friend Brittany's apartment complex, they got to go to Chutes and Ladders in the Highland Park Reserve, we've played outside (as much as they would, they all seem to have a slight fear of bugs), done crafts and last Saturday afternoon we went to the Mall of America. It has been busy around here. There sure is a lot of laundry and dishes involved with having 7 people in the house, I am starting to get a feeling for how my Grandma used to feel at times!!

More Birthday Wishes!

A Very Happy Birthday to my darling husband Brad on Monday June 2. He will be 33! And also a very happy birthday to Brad's Grandma Sonja, on Tuesday June 3. I am posting these wishes now because we have a busy weekend ahead. We are having a garage sale here tomorrow, the kids are getting photos taken with my sister's kids for my mom and we are getting ready for having the Emme girls with us for the next two weeks!! We are gonna have a blast!

Happy Birthday Wishes

We would like to wish a belated happy birthday to my cousin Paul Rogers (May 26). Also happy 6th birthday to Joey Hager (son of our friends Jeff and Jeanne) on May 28.

Congratulations Chris!

I would like to take a moment to congratulate my cousin, Chris Weinkauf on his graduation from high school! Sorry that we missed the party. Hope you had a great time!

Happy Birthday Michelle!

Happy 40th Michelle!! (on Sunday the 25) We hope that you have a wonderful birthday....we are so looking forward to getting two weeks of quality time with the girls! It was really great talking with you on the phone tonight, it's nice to have an older sister (especially since I was always the older sister!) Love you!

Congratulations Severin Family

I would like to take a moment to congratulate my cousin Heather and her husband Marc on the birth of their second son Zavier Taurino Severin! He sure is a cutie, like his big brother Zachary. I can't believe how much he has grown since I last saw him!! Keep the photos coming. We love you guys and hope that all is well! Zavier was born on April 10, 2008 at 8:18 a.m. He weighed 8 pounds, 14 ounces.

Happy 4th Anniversary to us!

Brad and I will be celebrating 4 years of marriage tomorrow (May 22). It has been an exciting 4 years, that's for sure. I've never had more fun in my life! I couldn't ask for a better partner. I feel like I am the luckiest woman in the world. I look forward to sharing many more years together. I love you honey!

Maller Family Garden

We planted our first garden this past weekend. We are hoping that some of the vegetables and fruits that we planted will actually grow. We also planted a bunch of flowers, seeds as well as plants. We thought that we should add some color to our yard. Sydney loved the idea of being able to dig in the dirt with mommy! It was a beautiful weekend here in Minnesota, and we were fortunate to spend most of it outside.

Happy Anniversary Jeff and Jeanne!

We would like to wish our good friends Jeff and Jeanne a very happy anniversary on Tuesday May 20! Here's to many more happy years for you two. We love you guys!! :)

Rogers' Cousins Sleepover!

This past Saturday (May 10) I got the chance to get together with some of my female cousins for a little reunion/slumber party. What a great time! We had lots of good food, good conversation and a lot of laughs! I brought movies with, but we had so much to catch up on we didn't have a chance to watch them! We have decided to make it a yearly thing. Sara, Shannon, Jenny, and Shantell, I just want you to know that night was one of the most fun I have had in a long time! I love you all and look forward to many more gatherings like this one!

Happy 33rd Birthday to Me!

I am a few days early, but I am very excited about my upcoming birthday on Saturday May 17. I get to have a date night with my husband, which I am SUPER excited about because we don't get to do that very often. We are going to go out to eat and probably to a movie. I've made reservations for us at Ciao Bella. The rest of the day I hope to get in as much relaxation as possible!!

Happy Birthday Wishes!

I would like to wish a very happy 10th birthday to my Godson, Phillip Truax on May 11. I hope that you have a wonderful day!! :)

I'd also to wish my cousin Trisha a happy birthday on May 13. I hope you have a great day as well.

Stacey's Surgery

I met with my general surgeon for a consult this morning and have scheduled my surgery for Tuesday June 24 at 8:00 am. I am having a total thyroidectomy done. The surgery will take approximately 3 hours, and I will have to remain in the hospital for one night for sure. I really like the surgeon, so I am hopeful that all will go well. Please keep me in your prayers as I wait for the surgery to happen and for me during the surgery as well.

Happy Birthday Greg!

I would like to wish a very happy birthday to my good friend Greg Cisewski, who I met back in the good old days at Stout! Hope it's a great one my friend and that we'll see you soon!

Spring has finally arrived! (Hopefully)

This past weekend sure was beautiful here in Minnesota. We got a lot of stuff done outside. Brad and our neighbor Pat spent the majority of the weekend building a playground area in each of our backyards for our children. These areas also included sandboxes, which we've yet to fill. They also planted two new trees in the Cronin's yard and one in ours. See our shutterfly gallery for photos of Sydney and her best friend Andrew helping their dads with the trees! When the playground area was finished, Brad tilled our area in which we have decided to plant a vegetable garden! We have already started (in containers to be transplanted) tomatoes and strawberries. What an exciting adventure.

On another note, I meet with the thyroid surgeon tomorrow morning to schedule my thyroid surgery, which will probably be in mid to late June, I will let you all know when we know! Don't forget to check out the photos from Christopher's first birthday in our shutterfly gallery as well!

Christopher's Big Day!

Christopher had a blast at his first birthday party! He loved playing with his cousins and friends who were in attendance. And he also thought that his cake was yummy. Mommy and daddy made Christopher two special birthday cakes (moose and zee from the noggin cable channel, they are Christopher's favorite characters.) Check out our photos on our shutterfly web gallery!! :)

Congratulations Shantell and Tom!

We would like to congratulate my cousin Shantell and her boyfriend Tom on the upcoming birth of their first child. We wish you all the best!

Happy 30th Birthday Sara!

I would like to take a moment to wish my favorite (and only) sister Sara a happy 30th birthday on Saturday April 26. I hope you enjoy your vacation! I will be having a blast watching my nephews and niece!! Love ya!!

Happy Anniversary Trisha and Joe!

We would like to wish a very happy 4th anniversary to my cousin Trisha and her husband Joe. I know I am a couple of days early but this may be my only chance all week! We hope you have a great day!

Susan K. Dunkley Center of Excellence Awards Banquet

Many of you may be wondering who Susan K. Dunkley is. Well she is the founder/owner of New Horizon Academy, the company that I work for. Each year a center is chosen by the higher ups in the company for this award. My center, Minnesota Center #53 in Bloomington was chosen as this year's award winner. We are invited to an awards banquet this Thursday night! What an exciting occasion, finally all of our hard work has paid off!!

Week of the Young Child

This week in my profession (as an Early Childhood teacher) is known as the week of the young child. This is a week when we celebrate our children, their parents and teachers by doing special activities throughout the week! Today for example was pajama day so all the kids in the center were supposed to wear their jammies. Each day this week there is something fun going on. It's a fun week! After all, children are the future and they deserve to be celebrated!

Congratulations Rogers family!

We would like to congratulate my cousin Tim and his wife Amy on the birth of their third child, a baby girl named Ava Margaret Rogers. She was born this morning! I am sure that her big sisters Alivia and Ashley are very excited about her arrival! We can't wait to meet her! :)

Update

I know I just updated yesterday but there has been some news in our family in the last 24 hours!

Brad's court case came back in our favor. We do not have to pay anything! We are excited and hoping that this will finally bring a close to the chapter of the accident in our lives.

On another note, I saw the endocrinologist this afternoon. For those of you who do not know this past September I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism when my OB/GYN found that my thyroid gland felt enlarged. I then went to see my primary doctor, who had an ultrasound performed, which told us that I had a goiter. The goiter was caused by the hypothyroidism. Things seemed to be better for awhile, and then I noticed that my goiter appeared larger, I went in to see my primary doc who agreed with my feeling and then referred me to an endocrinologist, who I saw today. My primary doc also had another ultrasound performed. 

While at the endocrinologists office today she informed me that while there were no nodules, tumors or cysts, the lymph nodes around my thyroid are swollen, which is an indication of an autoimmune disease called Hashimoto's Disease. Basically what is happening is that my immune system is attacking my thyroid gland, causing it to not function properly. Dr. Ngo recommended that I have my thyroid surgically removed (as the goiter is large enough that I am having problems with swallowing, etc. She referred me to a surgeon and I have an appointment scheduled with them on May 7. I will not know until then when my surgery is scheduled. 

What I know about the surgery right now is that I will have to be in the hospital overnight at least and that I won't be able to work for at least a week. There is a possibility that my voice could change. I will have a scar on my neck, but from pictures I have seen online, its not too horrible. We will keep you up to date on when I am having surgery, etc.

Family Update

Brad went to court yesterday over his accident that he had in November. We will find out the judgment in three to five days. He said that it went well and that the other guy didn't have much of a case, so he thinks that things will be ok. We are hoping for the best in that arena! We will keep you all posted as we find out more.

Sydney was excited to go to the Mall of America on Sunday and take a look at the revamped amusement park there. She only went on two rides, but she loves to tell everyone about them. Her favorite was of course the Blue's Clues ride. 

Christopher is working on getting those top teeth in! He has four coming in at the same time...but he is still the same happy go lucky little guy! HE has quite the little personality now, that is for sure. Such a lovable guy and so interested in learning new things.

I am still in the process of trying to get everything straightened out with my thyroid. I am seeing the endocrinologist tomorrow afternoon so hopefully things will begin to go in the right direction now!! 

Happy Birthday Carol, Caleb, and Steve!

We would like to wish very happy birthdays this week to Brad's aunt Carol, my cousin Caleb, and my cousin Steve. We hope you all have wonderful days and know that we will be thinking of you!

Also belated birthday wishes to my cousin Brian Weinkauf! Hope you had a great day!

Congratulations Kate and John

We would like to offer our congratulations to Stacey's co worker, Kate and her husband John on the birth of their first child Henry David Ostlund. He was born on April 2, weighed 8 pounds, 2 ounces and was 21 inches long. He is such a cutie!!

Congratulations to the Ostlunds

Hello

Hi all!

Sorry if I don't post on here for awhile. We are having some computer problems, so currently I am typing this from the library and with two kids it isn't easy to get here.Hope all are well. Brad goes to court on Monday, so I will try to get online sometime next week to let you know what we find out. We have a real busy week next week....

Happy Birthday Dad!

We know it's not until tomorrow Dad, but we wanted to wish you a happy birthday and let you know that we are thinking of you. Your gift will be late, as we just got it in the mail today! We hope that you and Kathy are both well. We think of you often and we miss you. Hope to see you soon!

Happy Birthday Gabby and Christopher is 11 months old today!

We would like to take a moment to wish our niece Gabby a very happy birthday. We hope you are having a terrfic day Gabby, you deserve it!! We have a gift for you at our place, we just don't want to send it through the mail!

Christopher is 11 months old today! It is very hard to believe that we have less than a month to go until our baby boy turns 1!! Time sure does fly by fast!

Snowstorm Headed Our Way?!

I could hardly believe it when someone mentioned that we are supposed to be hit with another snowstorm by tomorrow. I thought it was supposed to be spring?! I am so tired of the snow, I just want the sun and the warm weather to come so we can be outside more....I know, I know in a few months I will be complaining that it is too hot! But today it was almost 50 degrees outside and tomorrow snow?! No wonder people keep getting sick...the weather can't make up it's mind....

Check out our new photos

We have a web album, just click on the Maller Family Photos link on this page to get there. If you are interested in looking at many photos, check out my public gallery! Hope you are all having a good week!

What Happened to Spring?

I am soooooo TIRED of the snow. I was so excited that we had no snow in our yard, and now we can't see the ground again. So much for spring. I am hoping that the weather will continue to warm and the snow will melt fast....Yesterday looked more like Christmas than Easter. Even our pastor made a comment about that at church.

Christopher's 1st B-day Party Part 2

We will be holding Christopher's 1st Birthday party on Saturday April 26, 2008 at our home. The party will start at approximately 2 pm, as the birthday boy may still be napping at the party start time (we never know with that boy!) :) There will be cake and knowing me lots of food as well! Please come if you can make it, and no gift is necessary. Spread the word to anyone you think would like to attend....

Easter Blessings

Greetings Family and Friends,

I know that there are still a few days until Easter, but I wanted to take the time to write and wish you all a Happy Easter now, while I had some free time. We hope that you all have a blessed holiday and that you know we all will be thinking of you, with much love.

New Photos

Hi all! I have added many new photos to our family photo page so feel free to check them out. I am still in the process of adding captions, etc!

Family Update

I am very happy to report that all are healthy again in the Maller household. February was a tough month for us! Hopefully now we will be able to get out and do a little more visiting again! I feel like we haven't seen anyone for a LONG time.

Brad is still plugging away at the airport. He was excited to get a raise last week, so that is nice. He has also been having a lot of fun with his newest toy, a 4 wheeler, which he bought for hunting. He now has every toy imaginable! :) We also found out last week that he is being sued by the person he got into the car accident with, so he has been busy doing research so he will be prepared for the hearing, which is on April 7. Please pray that we will not have to pay anymore on this accident than we already have.

I am still at New Horizon Academy. I believe that is where all the sickness came from since most of the kids there seem to have a bug at all times. Hopefully I will remain healthy this month since I was out for two weeks last month! I have a busy schedule planned for this month during my free time since I am helping with a baby shower for a friend at work and getting a much deserved day of hanging out with my sister (child and spouse free!)

Sydney is feeling much better after her bought with the same virus I had. She has been busy reading books, and her newest thing is playing her guitar and singing for us. It's adorable. I know she is also very anxious for it to warm up so she can play outside more.

Christopher's newest achievement is pulling himself up to standing on furniture. He has even begun to stand in his crib when he isn't ready to go to sleep. He has also started drinking whole milk with meals and he loves it (we are beginning the transition from bottle to cup). He is eating his meals like a champ. He really loves grilled cheese sandwiches, as we learned today at lunch!

We are also very excited for June when our nieces Gabby, Miranda, and Samantha will be coming to stay with us for two weeks while Michelle and Matt are in Australia. We have already started planning some fun activities for us to do! We will get to see what life with five kids is like! :) What an adventure!

Christopher's 1st Birthday Party

I know that we have about a month and a half to go, but I have started planning his party so I thought that I should put the date out there so that people can save the date in case they want to come! We will be having his party on Saturday April 26, 2008 sometime in the afternoon (I haven't decided on a time yet) his actual first birthday is on Sunday April 27! So please save the date, it will be at our house! Time to be announced.

Tired of sickness!

I am so tired of the illnesses going around! We are currently going through another bought with illness in our house. I have been sick since Saturday with this horrible bug and now poor Sydney has the same thing. Christopher may be showing some signs of it as well. Brad appears to be okay for now. I was at the doctor on Monday and she did tests for strep, mono, influenza, and a chest x ray for pneumonia. All came back fine. She also did bloodwork, which came back fine. I have had a fever since Saturday and I lost my voice (which still has not returned). I return to the doctor tomorrow a.m. I will try to keep you posted on how we all are doing. Please keep us in your prayers.

Happy Birthday Miranda!

Just want to wish a very happy 5th birthday to one of the sweetest girls we know, our niece Miranda! We hope you have a truly wonderful birthday. We love you and hope to see you soon!

Sydney's Going to School

I am pleased to report that Sydney will be attending preschool in the fall through the ECFE program,which is affiliated with the Bloomington school district. She will be going on Tuesday and Thursday mornings throughout the school year! She is very excited about her chance to go to "school". Her friend/neighbor Andrew will be going at the same time too.

Our little girl sure is growing fast. She absolutely LOVES to sing and dance. Whenever she hears songs she knows she will automatically start dancing and singing along. It's so CUTE!

Welcome

Welcome Family and Friends!

I thought that this might be an easier way to keep you all updated on what is happening in our lives and this way I don't have to try to update two webpages all the time!

February has been a busy month for ou family so far! On February 4, 2008 Brad was taken to the hospital via ambulence, which was scary for both he and I. He was having sharp pains in what he thought felt like his chest, but it ended up being his liver that was giving him pain. He was hospitalized for 4 days due to an inflamed liver, which was brought on by some sort of flu bug. I am happy to report that he is much better. He had a check up with his regular doctor yesterday, but we won't know what his tests look like for a few days. Other than that, he has been keeping busy with both of his jobs (caring for our kids, and his paying job at the airport!)

I have been keeping busy at work myself! I am working in the infant room at my center, and it has been so much fun being with all of these beautiful babies, what can I say I just love kids!! On this past Monday I attended a Professional Development Day that my company hosts once a year as an opportunity to get inservice hours that we need. At that conference the center that I work in was selected as the Susan K. Dunkley Center of Excellence, which makes us the number 1 center in the organization out of 62 others. This is based on a number of criteria. It is a wonderful honor! We have been invited to a banquet in April to celebrate our achievement. For those of you who do not know, Susan K. Dunkley is one of New Horizon's founders.

Sydney is talking so much and developing quite a personality! She loves her little brother so much (a little too much at times), she is completely potty trained and even stays dry all night now. She loves doing art projects with mommy and she is a great helper around the house. She especially loves to put laundry down the chute!

Christopher is nearly 10 months old (he will be on the 27th his cousin Miranda's 5th Birthday!)He is pulling himself up to standing on furniture, and getting into everything. His favorite thing is trying to get into Sammy's food, which we have to keep blocked all the time! He loves all music and musical toys. He is eating all table foods and does excellent with a cup, he is down to 3 bottles a day! He is a very happy boy!