Anna Catherine Bellus Penz's Dedication

This past Sunday Anna took part in our church's Celebration of New Lives. Think Baptism, but without the fancy gowns (although she did look purty in her argyle dress!), cleansing away of original sin (this is not an idea that our church embraces) and the godparents (I'm counting on everyone to help Anna along her spiritual path.) This ceremony signified a public commitment to the child by both us as her parents and by the congregation. I feel so proud that Anna will have the support of such wonderful people as she grows and begins to follow her own spiritual path...I know doing so will allow her to live a life full of integrity and joy! We followed up the event with a small family gathering at our house. It was fun to have everyone together for the day!

Wow, that's not a great picture (but it's the only one we have of the actual ceremony)


The "after party"






Our latest progression--Anna in her bumbo seat

I like it...wait....no I don't...get me out of here!!





More Pictures:

Bath Time Fun...this is actually one of Anna's favorite places. She LOVES the water and splashing around. We like to do funky stuff with her hair. Good times for everyone ;)




Sleeping...there is no bad place to do it!

We CONCUR...Steve's new job is just about perfect

Whew...Steve found a new job! In this economy, and at the end of the fiscal year (which I hear it is...not that I understand why the fiscal year would be different than the calendar year, but my lack of business knowledge is not really the subject here), we were thinking that now might not be the best time to be looking for something, and the job search might be a long haul...BUT we got lucky and Steve was able to find something just as his severance ran out! After numerous interviews and speaking to over 9 people in the company, he has been named a new account manager for Concur Enterprises which is based out of Washington, but has an office in Eden Prarie, MN (as well as other places around the country). It seems like a great fit for him and fulfills exactly what he was looking for... it's such a blessing that he didn't have to settle for something just to have a job!! He starts Wednesday!

I think we both feel truly blessed that during this "adventure" Steve was able to leave a job that was less than perfect, spend a bit of extra time with Anna, AND find a new position that should be a good fit...all without us having to dip too far into our savings! Life IS good!!

Thanks everyone for your support and good wishes during this stressful time. Just knowing that we have so many loved ones that will be there for us no matter what made a world of difference! Sometimes I wonder how we got so lucky to have so many wonderful people in our lives!!!!!

Giddyup...and away we go!

After one year and 3 months Steve and I finally got our wedding carriage ride. If you remember way back to the day on June 22nd, the carriage was suppose to come and whisk us away from our reception and on to the rest of our lives. Well, the carriage must have turned back into a pumpkin because it never arrived that night. However, all is well that ends well...just last night (after a great dinner at Nyes to celebrate my mother-in-law and brother-in-law's birthdays) Rolley (the white belgian) and Annie (the driver) pulled up with our carriage and whisked not only Steve and I, but also Alix and Anna, away for a family adventure. It was a great trip along Main street (Alix waved to just about everyone at St. Anthony Main ;), across the Stone Arch Bridge, along some great bike paths near the river, and finally back across the river home. The most amazing, and honestly a little crazy, part though was to think about the fact that we sat there with another little human being that wasn't even in our lives the last time we were suppose to ride that carriage. It was a beautiful evening full of sunsets, warm fall temps, beautiful scenery, lots of smiles...a wonderful way to celebrate family.

Alix and Anna

Alix as we pass over the stone arch bridge

The family

Some scenery from along the way

Rolley and Annie--our horse and driver

Alix the future photographer

Some big sisters poke their little sisters, some rock them to sleep, some call them names, others take their picture...Here is a progression that alix created...cracks me up!!

no news is good news

No news on Steve's job prospects...you know the old saying, "no news is good news", so we are happy as can be ;)

I will pass the time posting pictures of Anna--I just can't help it, she's so darned cute!!

Anna's newest favorite pasttime--her jumperoo. She LOVES making it bounce. I think she is tired of laying on the ground and is ready to finally see all that's going on around her.



I love my tummy time so much!!


An early Saturday morning walk to our favorite spot--the coffee shop!

Big Shots

Alix is now one of the "big shots" at her school...6th grade. It's hard to believe it, but my little girl isn't so little anymore. Her school is K-6, so it's not until next year that she'll transition to all of the craziness of Jr. High...thankfully! For now I am lucky that she LOVES school and is a hard worker (most of the time ;) Here she is on her first day of sixth grade...




Anna also had "big shots" today. It was her first well visit and not only did she get a clean bill of health, but she also got 3 shots (and she was none too happy about it according to dad, who was the one to take her to the appointment. Luckily, I was at work and missed all the screaming.) Apparently she is growing, growing, growing...2 inches in length (80th percentile) and up almost 2.5 lbs (90th percentile). A healthy and happy little girl!

Here she is 2 mos. old today!!

and a sly little wink just for fun

Way to go Lou-lu!!

Go Lou-lu!! 7.5 hours last night. That makes 2- 7 hour nights this week. Keep it up little lu! This could not be better timing. Baby starts to sleep through the night (fingers crossed this is not just a fluke) and I go back to work all at the same time?! Is it too good to be true? If my luck keeps up like this the next thing you know Steve will have a job.

And the cuteness continues

The Bellus-Penz household has been taking it day by day...Kristin back at work, Alix waiting for school (yes, she actually looks forward to it), and Steve as he looks for new work. Nothing very exciting has happened lately on any of these fronts, so for now I'll just share some more cute pix of little Anna who will turn 2 mos old on tuesday Sept 2nd! She is a great little baby...very little crying, sleeping 7 hours at a time first time last night!), giving her mom/dad/big sis smiles all the time!


my onesie says it all, "bad hair day!"

nature girl

our friend Jen gave us this onesie that says, "My name is Lu-Lu and I'm a ladybug". So cute! Especially since my little girl will always be Lou-lu to me!!

Uncle Mike, Aunt Lindsay, and good bud Marek sent Anna this adorable shirt to go with her "rocker hair"!

Daddy is a wonderful daddy, but he is still learning front from back on Anna's little outfits ;)

It's hard to see, but this is the way the cute outfit should look (are you paying attention, daddy?!) The cute heart pockets and ruffle detail along the neck go in the front...buttons in the back.

Anna in one of her favorite spots...playing in her rainforest activity gym. It is SO fun to kick the rattle and make it make noise...goooooood times!!

Up in the woods

Steve, Anna, Dino and I took a jaunt up to the Bellus cabin this past weekend (Amy joined us too!) We had beautiful weather and a few cold brews (not to mention some very tasty spanish wine)... what more could you want out of a weekend (well, besides having Alix there with us)? We needed a little relaxation after Steve's job news, and with my upcoming start to the school year, so it was perfect timing. During the weekend, Anna got her first chance to take a dip in the lake, as did Dino. Neither one was too fond of it. Dino is not a water loving dog, but I was able to pull him far enough out on his leash to know that he can at least swim a little bit. Anna on the other hand doesn't mind water...in a bathtub...but apparently lake water left a little to be desired in her mind. Both found their first boat rides, walks in the northwoods, and cabin sunrises to be much more enjoyable...lots of smiles all around. There was one scary moment with Anna and a run in with a bear, but luckily all turned out well (see the picture below for the story.) All in all I think Anna and Dino enjoyed what is sure to be the first of many cabin adventures.


Some pictures of the fun:

Anna and Steve enjoying sunrise at the cabin...Steve's story is that Anna crawled over to beg him (in perfect spanish nonetheless) to take her to see the sunrise, so while I was sleeping they headed down to the lake together (and with Dino) to check it out. Now there are several oddities to the story which makes it almost unbelievable...but despite the crazy story, the pictures are BEAUTIFUL!


I left Anna in the bedroom unattended for just a moment and when I returned I found her being attacked by a northwoods bear. No worries though, we came to find out he was a friendly bear and only wanted hugs.

Pure leisure!

So you see Anna, back in the day all trees looked like that. That's just how it was. It's not like these days where... (And the crazy dad stories begin.)

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

Walkin' in the woods...you can't tell it here, but Anna couldn't get enough of looking at all the trees along the way.

There's gotta be a window to crawl through somewhere!

I guess they say, when a door closes a window opens. So, Steve is now looking for this elusive open window. Yep, the failing Cash Systems Inc.(Steve's employer) was bought by what is apparently the biggest cash access business around. what does that mean? Who knows. All I know is that it leaves my wonderful hubby out of a job as of today. I know that losing a job is never fun, and hunting for a new job is even less fun, but I've also come to realize that this crazy little thing we call life has a way of working itself out in the long run. Steve is one of the hardest working people I know...any company should find themselves lucky to have him. The best part of all this madness is that this gives Steve a wonderful oportunity to find a job where he feels fulfilled and challenged. Here's to new opportunities that await...now, where is that damn open window???

Meetin' and Greetin'

On August 10th we held a family meet and greet BBQ for Anna. This was a great chance for us to be forced to clean our home, as well as have our extended family over so they could meet Anna before our next scheduled get together in November for Thanksgiving...when she'll look much different and not be a "baby" anymore. It was a beautiful day, filled with wonderful family...the makings of a great memory!

We were also lucky enough that this event brought my bro (Mike) our sis-in-law (Lindsay) and our one and a half year old nephew (Marek) to town for a visit. It is so hard to go months at a time without seeing them, especially now that there is a little one to watch grow up! Last time we saw Marek it was Christmas and he couldn't even walk...now he's walking/running and talking up a storm. We had a chance to go up to the cabin where his favorite activity was cutting the grass with his plastic mower...he must have said, "mowing, mowing" about a hundred times throughout the weekend...he was so excited to cut that grass...what a cutie!!! We also enjoyed a fun time on his first trip to the zoo. It's amazing to think that in a little over a year that's what Anna will be like.


Enjoying some good company on the patio during the meet and greet BBQ


Anna meets Mackenzie at the BBQ


BBQ fun


Big Kisses from Marek to baby Anna


Marek...such a big boy!

our trip to the zoo

only a couple of days left of summer and today was too beautiful to pass up getting outside and just enjoying something fun, so...Anna's first trip to the zoo!! She loved it so much that she just couldn't contain her glee and slept through it all. The rest of us actually kept our eyes open and it reminded me just how much I enjoy the simplicity of the Como Zoo...it brings back treasured memories of my childhood and I'm so happy to be able to pass those memories along to my children too.


getting ready...is that a smile???

Anna and Alix enjoying the view of the lillypads

What's a trip to the zoo without a ride on the carousel?

Gammy and her 2 grandgirls after our picnic

Power to the People!

zzzz...I love the zoo...zzzzzz

momma and baby...too cute!

Much awaited Patio Photos

The old patio...green, red and yellow pavers that only a previous owner could love. During their removal we found out that they had actually been placed right on top of a layer of bright green pavers--bad taste on top of bad taste...nice.

Getting ready for the new beautiful patio

Our new lovely patio complete with a privacy screen (thanks Steve, Ed and Dad!) I couldn't be happier!!