Easter - Part 1

Pinterest has made our lives much more creative, crafty, and festive! Especially around the holidays! We found several Easter crafts, but Amaya chose this one as her favorite. We ran out of cotton balls and pink construction paper, but we're all set now with googly eyes and pipecleaners!!!

I also volunteered to bring dessert for Easter dinner at my parents. Amaya helped me make these cupcakes - also inspired by Pinterest.

And they were so easy to make! Just your regular cupcake mix - green frosting - and Cadbury Mini-Eggs!

Delicious!

I also made Berry Lover's Pie... I've made this on a few different occasions and it's been a big hit. Next time I'll need to add a bit more cornstarch to hold it all together when it's cut. But, beautiful nonetheless.

Later that evening, we decorated Easter eggs... Boil, boil, boil

We had just the right amount of colors for the eggs that I boiled.

Pretty...

Ta-da!

Amaya, with our finished eggs

Sunday morning, Amaya got her Easter basket and hopped on our bed to open her presents.

Can you tell that she's super excited!

First present... what could it be?

A Barbie!

Five little eggs... with quarters in them!

Pink bubbles and Twizzlers!

Amaya and I gave Steve a bunch of candy earlier in the week.

And Amaya picked out some flowers at Trader Joe's for Grandma and me.

And Steve gave me my favorite... white roses...

Part 2 continues to tomorrow...

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter celebrating our risen Lord!

Fundraising is Fun!!

Woot Woot! I'm so thrilled that we've just surpassed our donation total from the Crohn's and Colitis Walk last year!! We raised 748 dollars last year, and now we're up to 760 dollars!! Thank you to everyone who has already donated or signed up to walk with us! Formal thank you cards will be mailed out after the walk with pictures of our team, but for now - thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your support!

I'm not very good at asking for donations and/or support and it's certainly not my one my strengths. Leave it to a bright little 4 year old to encourage me to stretch myself a little. While we were sending out support letters, Amaya helped put on all the stamps and address labels and said to me, "Fun-raising is FUN!" And honestly, it is pretty exciting to track our progress at home and receive e-mails that a donation has been made on our team's website. And in that respect, it is fun. My only hesitation is that I understand what it's like to be on a tight budget. There are so many wonderful organizations that I would love to support financially! It's just that sometimes... the money isn't there to give what my heart WANTS to give!

Just today... my co-worker's son is participating in a bowling tournament for the Big Brother and Big Sister's club and asked for a donation. I wrote out my check and was embarrassed that it couldn't be more. But... Every little bit DOES help... and although it feels good to receive... it feels a lot better to give! So... lesson learned... Fundraising is Fun - and giving of money and/or TIME is even more fun!

Minnesota Zoo

A couple weeks ago, we took advantage of the beautiful weather and invited Grandma Horning to go to the Minnesota Zoo with us. Unfortunately, the weatherman missed the mark and instead of mid-60 degree weather, it was a little on the chilly side. Oh, well... we had a great time and with the weather being cool, the animals were much more active.

All three bears were out and about. We were mesmerized by this bear walking and balancing on this branch and this was one of our favorite exhibits of the day.

The Amur Leopard...

It was the opening weekend for the Farm Babies exhibit, so we spent quite a bit of time at the farm.

Amaya's favorite part of the zoo was brushing and feeding the goats.

"Feed me!"

Amaya said the goat's tongue felt, "tickly."

Pure joy!

After the goats, we looked at the cows.

And we were just in time for a Cow Milking show.

Newborn piglets.

Queen of the Pig?

After the farm, we finished the remainder of the Northern Trail and saw the Tiger up close. We then headed inside to get warmed up and have a little snack.


Then, we caught the bird show in the new auditorium. Along with the bears, this was one of our favorite shows! Steve grabbed us a great spot in the FRONT ROW! Close enough that the Snowy Owl flew down and touched my hair!

The zoo was closing soon, so we literally raced through the Tropics and Minnesota Trail. I think we've taken a picture of Amaya on this turtle every time we've been to the zoo.

Close up view of the White Wolf.

Grandma Horning and Miss Amaya

Steve, Grandma Horning, and Amaya in front of the turkeys.

We had a great time at the zoo! And we must have been tuckered out because all of us girls took naps on the way home. Thanks Grandma for a fun day!

Back Again

Where have we been? Obviously not blogging... We've been busy working, playing, and enjoying spring! We experienced a brief taste of summer a few weeks ago, and just last night I was praying for my plants to survive the hard freeze. Crazy weather!

Steve started a new job at Opportunity Services on February 1st working with the developmentally disabled and continues to love it! And all three of us love his schedule much better! No evenings, no weekends, no holidays. He's typically home between 3:30-4pm everyday so Amaya and I get a lot more time with him! All of his clients love working with Steve greet him with big smiles! It's been a great fit for Steve and we're thankful that God has once again provided for the needs of our family.

Amaya continues to enjoy school and from her conferences in March, she is gaining more self confidence and is becoming much more social. She's one smart little girl and picks up new skills quickly, but is often too shy to share her knowledge. Needless to say, we're so proud of her in that she's actively participating more in school. On Wednesday evenings, she continues to go to Awana at our church and keeps earning more and more patches for learning her Bible verses. (I've become an expert in sewing patches! Thanks Mom for teaching me!) Since the weather has been so warm lately, she's spent a lot of time playing outside. Amaya especially enjoys riding her bike and scooter around the cul-de-sac with the neighborhood kids.

It's been a very busy time of the year for me at work - with the early start of spring and pollens in the air, allergy symptoms and asthma have been worse for our patients. Me included! Perhaps this allergy nurse should take her own advice and have a formal consultation! Anyway, once again God offered an opportunity for me to increase my hours at work on a permanent basis. I struggled and wavered back and forth with this decision mostly because I've always wanted to be a stay at home mom. I feel guilty enough being away from Amaya. I've experienced enough criticism and judgement for being a working mom which only adds to my guilt. However, in reality... lay offs happen... we know this from experience... illness happens... we know this from experience... the economy fluctuates... we know this from experience... Pushing the "mommy guilt" aside and putting the needs of our family first, Steve and I decided that I'd thank and praise God for His provision and work an extra two days during the month. I haven't really noticed much of a difference in our schedule, however I LOVE pay day even more now! Plus, when you love your job so much, an extra two days really isn't that big of a deal. Dave Ramsey would be proud!

Crohn's and Colitis Walk

Dear Friends,

On May 12th, we will be walking in the Take Steps for Crohn’s & Colitis walk, the nation’s largest event dedicated to finding cures for digestive diseases. Our team goal is to raise more than $1000 for this worthy cause and I need your help to reach this goal!

More than 1.4 million patients across the country suffer from Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Beyond raising money for research, Take Steps brings together the community in a fun and energetic atmosphere. Participants are encouraged to make noise and be heard—raising awareness of these little known diseases in their community and across the nation.

You can support our efforts by making a tax deductible contribution to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation:

Donate or register to walk with us online at http://online.ccfa.org/site/TR/2012TakeStepsWalk/Chapter-MinnesotaDakotas?px=2306614&pg=personal&fr_id=3168

Mail a check, made payable to CCFA to : Jan Gatzke, 3860 Cobblestone Lane, NW Rochester, MN 55901

If you would like to do more, you can also join our team and walk with us! You can register today by following the link above and following the prompts to register for the Walk at Silver Lake in Rochester, MN on Team Gatzke. When you register, you will receive valuable fundraising tools and information from the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, in addition to your own personal fundraising Web site. There is no registration fee for the walk, although to receive a t-shirt, a person needs to raise $100. If you are a new to the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation, there is a link to fill out to register to walk as well. https://secure3.convio.net/ccfa/site/ConsProfileUser

On the day of the walk, a variety of activities will be available prior to the walk. Dinner and beverages are provided for all registered walkers. All ages are encouraged to walk or ride via strollers – there will be a bouncy house, temporary tattoos, crazy hair, balloon animals for the kids, and entertainment for all.

This year is particularly important to Steve and me. Last year, Steve was unable to participate in the walk because he was hospitalized. This was his third surgery in less than 2 years. We are celebrating his recovery and are grateful for his continued health. Steve is also being recognized as the "Honored Patient" for the walk! I am also on the planning committee and it is a privilege to be part of the Crohn's and Colitis community.

With your help, we will fund important research and raise awareness of diseases that affect millions of people. We would love to have you If you have questions about Take Steps or the work of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thanks,
Jan

Pictures from Great-Grandma's Party

Here are the pictures we took when we celebrated Great-Grandma's 93rd birthday!

Singing Happy Birthday

Excited for cake and ice cream!

Delicious!

Great-Grandma got several beautiful flower arrangements.

Snuggling up with Grandma!

Amaya's 4th Birthday - Part 2

Amaya's big birthday party was on Sunday, January 22nd. We had all of our family in Rochester, with the exception of Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa, and our friends - the Hull family - over for cake and ice-cream.

I'm not sure where Amaya got the idea of having a pinata at her birthday... but she really wanted to break open a pinata and get a bunch of candy.

There's another baseball player in the family - Miles! That kid can really swing!

Amaya took a few whacks at it, but it proved to be difficult to bust it open.

Once the kiddos got the top off, Steve emptied out all the candy. Cooper and Tess are picking out some loot.

Amaya and Lydia filling up their bags.

After the pinata, we had cake and ice cream. After going back and forth several times, Amaya finally decided she wanted a princess castle cake.

Getting ready to blow out the candle!

Amaya also wanted spritz cookies, cake pops, and Grandma Gustafson's mints!

After cake and ice cream, Amaya opened presents.

She received a bunch of craft supplies (construction paper, markers, color wonder paper and markers, tape and glue sticks!) from Grandma and Grandpa Gustafson.

The Hulls gave her Belle ...

She also got her very own American Girl Bitty Baby! I took some video of her opening it and at first she thought it was going to be a book! When she saw her baby, she said, "I was hoping for a crib too!" Guess she'll be saving up her money!

Mike, Arwen, Carol, and Dan and families gave her a new outfit for her Bitty Baby.

Grandma and Grandpa Gustafson also gave her a bunch of clothes and blanket to dress her new doll.


Grandma and Grandpa Horning gave her a recorder. She's beginning to learn a few notes, but her fingers are still a little too small to reach some of the other notes.

They also gave her two puzzles... This Hello Kitty one was a little tricky because it was 100 pieces and Amaya and I quickly discovered that it had too many pieces! We had four extra puzzle pieces that didn't belong to the puzzle! Crazy!

Paul, Debbie, Emily, and Brian gave her the game Cooties (which we've played numerous times!)

And they gave her several Fancy Nancy books!

After some help from Annika and Lydia, Amaya's Bitty Baby got dressed in her new outfit.

This little 4 year old had a great time and crashed pretty hard... with her sweet baby girl, whom she named Pearl - (Lydia's middle name and my grandma's name!) Good night, sleep tight....