That's a wrap...

It is always entertaining to pause and think about the year that has unfolded before me. 2010 started out with a bang with me completing the Walt Disney World Marathon with my dad in January. Not to mention the great time we had at Disney too... then the world was quiet for a bit until I had some odd high blood pressure drama that left us perplexed and landed me in the ER for a bit...followed by a series of appts at Mayo clinic to diagnose me with well, nothing other than MS. I endured a new brain lesion with my MS and some new symptoms have popped up here and there including some pretty extreme forgetfulness! Sometimes I can't remember people's names at church even! A bit embarassing but I am managing just fine. We waited patiently for Mother Nature to grace us with her presence in Minnesota and give us some sunshine. We made it up to the cabin several times this summer and that was indeed a highlight. An equal low was my step mom Jan being diagnosed with breast cancer at the end of July. It seemed as though the remainder of the year has been a bit of a blur since her diagnosis. My folks traveled to Mayo for appts and I put my working knowledge of all things cancer to the test and went to most all of the appts expanding my own understanding of cancer and the field I have devoted myself too. We cancelled our annual trip to the Blueberry festival in Michigan since Jan had just had surgery and I looked forward to seeing my family in October to ring in my 30th birthday. Yikes. 30. I must say I never really looked to accomplish much in life other than marriage and motherhood and so far both of those are pretty good for me. Everything else has either been a blessing or a boulder in my life. Don't worry, it's way more blessings than boulders for sure.

Oh and did I mention I have a kindergartener now? That has been a real adjustment, not just for her but for me as well. The purse strings had to be loosened and I let Anna into the world to learn for herself and be exposed to life outside my control. Believe me, this has been a true adjustment. I know it has been challenging for her to see how everyone is not the same but at the time she has maintained her sweet innocence and I plan to treasure that as long as I can. I have adjusted better than expected too I would say. After I got over the initial fear of not being able to control her every encounter, I have greatly enjoyed watching her learn and grow so far this year. She is starting to read, loves to do stories and enjoys math. I really like her teacher and that definitely helps mom relax. I got to be a helper in her class for the fall party and it was really fun because it reminded me of my mom and how much I loved her. Some days I just look at Anna and want to freeze time. I imagine what my mom must have felt having me as a daughter and not knowing that she only had four years left with me before cancer would defeat her.

And then there's Emma. My eternal baby. Don't worry I am not complaining... I actually quite enjoy having her as my cuddle bug who loves her blanket and sucks her thumb. She is quite small compared to her sister and wears a lot of 2T clothes still even though she is 3 1/2 now! My peanut she is. She has an awesome sense of compassion and she is the caregiver in the family for sure, she gets that from her daddy. She adores her sister 99% of the time and argues with her the other 1% of the time. The girls get along remarkably well and I am very happy with their age difference. Only time will tell how they handle the teenage years.

Adam's job has remained stable despite the ever fluctuating automotive industry. We have been very blessed to have maintained our lives and our home throughout these unpredictable times. We enjoy the occasional date night and really just have fun being a family.

My M.S. has been stable this year with no actual episodes in 2010. A statistic my doctors didn't expect. They predicted I would have another attack in 2010 as the disease is most active in the first three years. Well here we are on the eve of 2011 and no attack in sight. I am grateful for the dormant nature of my condition and hope that it maintains this mild course until there is a cure that is... I am no longer doing daily injections. Some may say it is a risky endeavor but a risk, I decided was worth it. Time will tell if the decision was a wise one as I go back at the end of 2011 for a visit with my MS team at Mayo Clinic.

My work has been great this year with a significant promotion in October that opened up an opportunity to lead our Patient services team for our division. I am adjusting to the stresses of my new role but feel an immense amount of gratification for the opportunity to work with such compassionate people and touch the lives of cancer patients and their families on a daily basis.

So as we launch into 2011, I wish for a year of health, stability and happiness for all who read this and all who don't. My heart is filled with joy and love for those who I get to encounter in life and those I have yet to meet. God has guided the path of my life to this point and I am grateful for the bounty of blessings I have received. I hope you can reflect with joy on the year 2010 and look forward with anticipation to the joy that is ahead in 2011.

Merry Christmas and a Joyous New Year to you and your's...

Mini Mascot!

I should preface this story to say that Anna is one lucky girl! Anna's good friend Tori won a contest with Subway to be the mini mascot at the Minnesota Twins game. She got to invite a friend to be a mascot with her and she picked Anna! So Anna is indeed a lucky girl to have a great friend like Tori!

Now for the details... We arrived at the NEW Target OUTDOOR stadium (believe it or not, Minnesota used to have indoor baseball - trust me, it is WEIRD) and waited for our contact to bring us down to the field. We thought only 1 parent per child was allowed to accompany the girls down to the field area but the guy who worked for the Twins let us all come - it was seven people total! We got to take a secure elevator down under the field to a waiting area where the girls got into their costumes. They looked like the cutest little bears I ever saw and honestly they resembled "ewoks" from Star Wars.

Ok for the best part, all the pictures we took - it was a great time at the game and the girls had a BLAST! (Mom and dad and Emma too!)

Emma's birthday

Well I feel old. I now have a three year old and a five year old... boy where does the time go? I know that phrase is so cliche but I can't think of anything more appropriate to describe the last five years of child rearing... It goes by so fast. So fast.

Anna starts kindergarten in the fall, Emma is potty trained and dresses herself... the days of total dependence are slipping away. You would think I would be thankful for this new found sense of freedom but there is something about your children growing up that makes you sad about losing the need for total dependence that I clung to the last five years. Don't worry, I'll adjust to my new freedom and allowing myself a few extra minutes of sleep in the morning because the kids can pour their own cereal or letting them play in the yard while I polish my nails and relish in the quiet moments... I'll survive :-)

This weekend, as I said marked the change from having a toddler to a preschooler. Emma turned the big 3... She is my needy child although she is starting to exhibit her own sense of Independence and total stubbornness (I don't know where she gets it)... Here is a recap of her birthday celebration at the Mall of America, complete with a trip to the American Girl store where we pampered our dolls and then ourselves at the restaurant in the store. The day was complete with a mid-day nap for the entire family and an evening back at the mall for more rides and fun times!

Anna the Soccer Star!

I couldn't help but share this picture of Anna - she is so grown up to me here. She has scored two goals this season and regularly gets knocked down but she gets back up, no tears! Some of the kids on the other teams have been less than friendly but Anna is so strong and just goes up to them and says they hurt her feelings. That's my girl. She's a good sport all around - win or lose... wish I could say that for all the kids (and parents) out there... Enjoy!

The Miracle of Life

As my baby girl woke up on May 28, 2010, my mind flashed back to the awful day of her birth... Yes that's right I said awful. She was 6 days late and I was dilated to a big ol' ZERO. After being induced overnight, I was only 1 cm!! My water was broken and the contractions kicked into gear... the epidural was great until it wore off at 3p.m. The doctors couldn't readminister it so natural labor here I come... It hurt. Boy did it hurt. For all the natural mothers out there, you know the burning ring of fire and the intensity of pain beyond compare. But then she was there. In all her glory, looking all sweet. In that moment, my life changed forever. I was no longer just Jaime. I was someone's mother. I was now responsible for another human life. A life that literally depended on me for its survival. What an incredible responsibility I had just took on.
Fast forward five years and here we are today. I have a budding five year old girl who is vivacious, energetic and so incredibly thoughtful, I can be brought to tears with her kindness. She is a part of me. She is an extension of my own mother and grandmother. What a wonderful gift to experience life.

Magical May...

It has been a busy month and it's not over... next week is Anna's friend party at a local indoor playland (not Mickey D's) and then Friday it is her actual FIFTH birthday! Wow... where has the time gone? She is so ready to start school too - asking me daily how to spell things and trying to learn new words... Emma is rapidly following in her footsteps, copying most of everything Anna does. Poor Emma is still a bit small so some things like bike pedals, aren't quite within her range yet.

Our month has been highlighted with the start of soccer practice. Our team, Orange Crush, and no I didn't pick the name all my Harding friends... is starting to mold together and at least kick the ball in the right direction down the field... I am the coach and my throat is sore from yelling (nicely) to get the kids to run the right way on the field and stay inbounds. It brings floods of memories of my days of soccer - not my best memories. I was the fat goalie and was afraid of the ball. Not the ideal combination for a team. None the less, I am trying to mold these little soccer players to have integrity and sportsmanship on the field and hopefully it will stick with them off the field too... they are only four year old but it is never to young to learn how to play nice.

Anna was in her first wedding as a flower girl. She was absolutely glowing in her dress with hair done up and nails painted. It was as if I was seeing her years down the road at her prom and then her own wedding... its enough to make a mom panic that the years will slip by.

Overall a busy month in our family - we can barely sit down to dinner as a family more than once a week... yikes. Not our norm. Thankfully soccer only goes through June... we'll see what activity Anna is interested in trying in the fall once the real chaos begins with school and homework and activities galore. Anna is in speech classes now through the local elementary school so we are getting a taste of what life will be like in the fall. She loves her school and her friends and I think she'll enjoy school very much. I was never in love with school but I am determined to help her enjoy it and be involved.

Adam and I are good - work is busy for both of us and we are thankful to be employed as we know of others who are losing their jobs left and right... Stability is a blessing by itself in our lives right now.

Enjoy the slideshow of the recent family adventures...