Tax Rebate, Tax Schmebate and...today I'm oficially closer to 40 than 30!

what a scam...I seriously should have known better. Am I the only sucker?! I thought rebate meant...

rebate ( ) n. A deduction from an amount to be paid or a return of part of an amount given in payment.

I didn't know it really meant...cash advance to be repaid later.

"The checks are an advance on next year's refunds, and most, if not all of the money, will be deducted from taxpayers' refunds in 12 months' time."

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/02/08/economic.stimulus/index.html

Nice...

And to top it off, today I am officially closer to 40 than I am to 30...what kind of birthday present is that?! To celebrate I plan to eat a 750 calorie banana chocolate chip muffin for breakfast, a bar (or 6) from the teacher's lounge with lunch, and have pizza for dinner. It should be all right though, I've heard your metabolism speeds up after you turn 35, right?! ;)

5 fingers, 6 toes, and maybe a nose?!

We had our "big ultrasound" yesterday!! We aren't finding out Lou-lu's sex, so this was really just an opportunity for us to see how things were going in htere. It was great to be able to see growing Lou-lu and know that once again all is going well. This u/s is considered the "big" one because it comes at a time when they tech is able to see that development is progressing as scheduled (hopefully.) The u/s tech looked for the 4 chambers of the heart, 2 sides to the brain, all the important organs, counted the fingers (5!) and toes (I thought I counted 6, but the tech swore there were just 5--even counted them on the screen for me...but I still saw something a little extra there. He is the expert though. I figure better too many than not enough, so either way we're covered ;) And measured everything--leg bones, head circumference, rump to head, etc. All checked out as normal. Little Lou-lu was less than cooperative when it came to seeing his/her face though (so we could check for cleft palatte), so I will have to stop back for another quick look-see during my next appt...I'm secretly happy about this as I'll be able to see him/her again ;) If we learned anything from this u/s we know that much like Alix, this baby is not a mover and a shaker (Lou-lou sat still the entire time...I rarely felt alix move through my pregnancy with her)...and does not like to be aroused when sleeping...could it be as sign of another girl?! (Alix sure hopes so!) Or perhaps it just shows us that Lou-lu is it has inherited a little family stubbornness (from Steve of course ;)

Not much else is new in the Bellus-Penz household. I am busy with conferences this week Tues/Thurs evenings until 8 (YUK!) Nothing annoys me more than conferences!!!!! I hate that people come when they aren't scheduled (you are not my only conference you cannot just show up and expect me to bump someone who did come at their scheduled time), people who act helpless about their child who doesn't do HW/school work (ummm, hello...take something away...TV/Video Games/Computer...your child doesn't NEED these things, especially if they can't do what they NEED to do), people who don't come at all, people who do not follow through at home....need I go on?! I'm sure glad I have a nice dinner to look forward to on Saturday though--Cafe Maude here I come (it better be good Lammers or you're in big trouble ;)

catch up

I know what you're thinking...What, Christmas pictures when it was a month ago?! And my answer is...Yeah, I'm a BIG slacker! BUT, I did just go TODAY with our friends (Chad, Nicole and Ben) to the Winter Carnival in St. Paul to check out the ice-sculptures and that picture is here today as well...how is that for promptness?! Now quit your whinin' and look at my cute pictures!

The kids at Christmas--Alix, Matt, Abby, Libby (at Sharon and Ed's)


Alix opening her stocking from Santa


We were thrilled to have my brother Mike, Sister-in-law Lindsay, and our beautiful nephew/cousin Marek join us for the holidays all the way from Colorado. Here is Marek with his fire engine.


Alix got the one present she really wanted...an i-pod. It was really a gift for all of us...she gets to enjoy listening to Hannah Montana and the Jonas Bros. and I get to enjoy NOT listening to Hannah Montana and the Jonas Bros!


Alix and Ben at the Winter Carnival...they are quite the pair of cuties!

bell peppers and forehead tattoos

Baby Lu-lu is now 18 weeks old! It seems like just last week she was only 17 weeks old ;) ...how time flies! Ha...I wish! Maybe it's because it's winter and below zero, maybe it's because nightfall seems to start right after lunch, but most likely it's because I am counting down every day until Lu-lu arrives, but whatever the reason-- time seems to be crawling by at a snails pace these days. Still it's hard to believe that in two more weeks I will be halfway through this pregnancy.

Here's the data on the little one:
Head to bottom, your baby is approximately 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper), and she weighs almost 7 ounces. She's busy flexing her arms and legs — movements that you'll likely start noticing more and more. Myelin (a protective covering) is beginning to form around her nerves, a process that will continue for a year after she's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If your baby is a boy , his genitals are noticeable, though he may hide them from you during an ultrasound

Speaking of babies...I was recently reading Eat, Pray, Love and there was a line that cracked me up. It said that having a baby is kind of like getting a tattoo on your forehead...you better really want it! What a great statement! I have two tattoos, but somehow I am not ready for one on my forehead...thank goodness I think I am ready for this little munchkin to be part of my/our life. Maybe the forehead tattoo will come next...do you think I would look good with a flower or lizard up there?

ohhhh, and this...

from wonderfulgraffiti.com...they are words/designs that you can create and they just stick to the wall. I am definitely going to try this...now if only I had a quote for the nursery. I am thinking..."I love you to the moon...and back!" from Guess How Much I Love You...that lovable nutbrown hare--he is just the cutest! This is a monogram, but I'd definitely get writing of some sort.

ohhhh, Baby Stuff!

I have become addicted to wanting fun baby stuff. I know, I know, you are probably thinking what my mom keeps saying, "you still have 5 months left"...but I see cute baby stuff and I want it. Maybe it's because we aren't finding out the sex, but unlike most mom's I don't see cute outfits and want them, I see cute carriers, bedding, slings, diaper bags...accessories more or less. Stuff, I probably don't really need, but sure looks cute! Or maybe it's because we are not buying a bunch of things new. Lu-lu is getting Alix's old dresser, a crib from craigslist (if we can ever find we like and doesn't have recalls on it ;), and borrowed almost everything else (bouncy chairs, swings, etc) I guess that doesn't leave me much to really need/dream of, so I've turned my focus to fun "extras". Here are some of my favorites!

Sorry, I haven't written, but...

I didn't want to interrupt my continual eating ;) I have made numerous attempts to get on here and update, but it is so hard to type and eat oranges (or oreos) at the same time. I will try to do better. At least now that my energy level allows me to stay up past 8:00 (it is 9:30 as I type) there will be more opportunities to eat...I mean... get on here and keep things up to date. Unfortunately, I have raisins waiting right now. I guess I will just have to bullet up the highlights of the new year for you, so I can back to my real priority...

*I cut my hair...pretty short. It's at the hairline in back and jawline in front. No more ponytails for me...at least for a while.
*Our holidays were wonderful. We enjoyed lots of time with family, including my brother, sister-in-law, and one year old nephew who came in from Colorado. Little Marek was such a cutie as we wowed us all with his impression of Santa Claus.
*Lu-lu is doing well as of last appt. I will go back next week for an update and On January 31 for our big ultrasound. We are not finding out the sex of LU-lu, but it will be nice to hopefully see that things are still progressing well.
*I am getting fat...duh...I don't stop eating, so it was inevitable really.
*I have started walking regularly again...3 miles has never seemed so long...I really must get a TV hooked up near the treadmill!
*Steve is still as patient as ever!
*Alix has stated that Lu-lu will have to live with one of you if he is just Lu...no more boys allowed I guess. I'm not sure how that all will work, but she seems to have her mind made up ;)

Happy Eating...I mean, New year... everyone!

baby LuLu update

We were lucky enough to head to the doctor yesterday (despite having a nasty stomach bug traveling around our family) and receive an update on little LuLu! Our 3rd u/s showed her/him measuring at 12w5d and as healthy as ever. We went to have our first trimester screen done for some chromosomal abnormalities and everything looked in the normal range...what a relief...of course there are no guarantees. All I know for sure is that everytime I see the little heart beating, and now the arms and feet waving, it makes it a little bit more real and excitinng. I truly feel blessed, despite the sickness and tiredness that come along with it, to have what seems to be a healthy little one wiggling around inside of me!! I know Steve feels the same...and Alix is just excited that I'll finally let her tell all her school mates about her new bro/sis!

If I were Queen of the world...

Christmas cookies would not have calories
No one would start work before 9:00
Dinner would be delivered to your door every night...and it would always be either pizza, a cheese burger, or spaghetti with meatballs!
Backrubs would be part of every day
All clothes would be made of cashmere
10 year olds would pick up there rooms without having to be asked
People would not be allowed to name their kids crazy names like Precious and Mister
Crazy people would all be banished to a little island outside of the kingdom
Dog poop would magically pick itself up...

more to come

Holiday (lack of) Spirit

Me, this holiday season...


I used to be the kind of girl that would look forward to the holiday hustle and bustle--buying gifts, spending time with family and friends, decorating the house...This year though I'm a big ol' grinch and I'm not afraid to admit it. It's hard to feel festive when you have excruciating headaches, are in bed by 8:00-at the latest, and you always feel like you're going to throw up. I thought I was doing so well and I was going to turn the bend by Christmas, but I guess these symptoms come in waves and the tide has come in once again because the last few days have left me less than feeling festive. The worst part is that it's turned me into a whiner and a less than enjoyable person to be around...and I know it. It's one thing when you don't know you're a big pain in the ass, but it's quite another when you know you're being a grump and you just can't help it. I'm sure there are people out there who are able to grit their teeth and put on a happy face through it all, but somehow that gene skipped me. I want to do that...I really really do, but somehow my face refuses to smile...my words fail to come out in any more of a pleasant voice...my body continues to just want to sleep and sleep and sleep despite the fun plans that could be going on around me...what's a girl to do?! I vow right here and right now to give it the ol' college try and I hope if you see me around you'll give me a whack and tell me to snap out of it! Just beware--depending on how I'm feeling I may whack you right back and then use some choice words to tell you where to stick it. Hey, it's not me...it's the hormones ;)

Here's looking forward to a great next trimester--yes, we have entered the last week of the first one (thankfully!), so this come January, it will not only be the beginning of a new year, but the beginning of a new (and what I pray to god is better) trimester. This kid is sure gonna owe me once s/he arrives ;)

11 weeks...Jury Duty...and no family vacation

Happy Holiday wishes from all 6 of us!




Well folks, 11 weeks and counting. Hopefully baby LuLu is still holdin' strong in there. We have another u/s in about a week, so I look forward to seeing her progress! I am feeling slightly better recently...less nauseous! and instead of exhuasted I am merely really tired. Hopefully it's just a week or two before I turn the bend completely and I will have an energy burst right in time for Christmas! In the meantime Steve has really been picking up the slack and taking care of almost everything around the house. He is a godsend and a man of true patience with me these days. I love him so much!

Jury Duty next week for me....good times! At least I'll have a break from crazy kids and all the noise for a while. God bless 'em, for the most part they are sweet little things, but sometimes you just want some grown up time...even if it is spent hearing about crazy criminals.

No family trip out to CO this winter :( With Lulu on the way and me not able to ski/snowboard or sit in the hottub, we decided to cancel. I am very sad...just when I was starting to be able to snowboard some real hills! Hopefully we'll be back on next year! I will sure miss the CO mountains and the family time out there this year. Perhaps a trip in the summertime for some mtn. biking and hiking will be in order instead...

Well, that is all the news for the Bellus-Penz family of late. We are pretty boring as I go to bed around 8...steve amuses himself with TV, and late-night winter night runs... and Alix is just busy being a 10 year old.

Lulu Update!

2nd ultrasound today, to check progress after a "little too low" heartbeat of 117 the last time. Although I started out postive after seeing the heartbeat last time, as time passed I became more and more nervous...what does a "little too low" mean? How bad is that?

Luckily our AWESOME nurse fit us in before the holidays so we could make sure that all was on track. We quickly found that Lulu is growing just as planned...her little heart is now beating at 173 bpm and she grow 2 weeks worth, just as she should've! Yea!! I couldn't be happier and feel much more secure that all is well.

Lu is now the size of a raspberry and even looked baby shaped on the ultrasound. Hopefully I will find a way to put the u/s pix up on here soon!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone...This year I am truly thankful for our newest family member, for all my wonderful friends, my supportive and loving family, and for my handsome and much too amazing husband and my lovely, sweet, stubborn little munchkin! Ah, life is good!

Announcing...LuLu!!!!!!

It comes with great pleasure that Steve, Alix, and I announce our little blueberry sized (for now) love, LuLu (or Lu if it's a boy...Alix is hoping LuLu though). Although it is stil early in the process we figured that we'd make our news available in sneak preview fashion to anyone who might wander by our site. Everyone else who is not so lucky to check out our happenings on a regular basis will be stuck waiting until our paths cross to hear about our new addition...If you still don't get it, Yes our family hopes to welcome another child into our home come the end of June! It depends on who you ask (the Dr. or me), but we are somewhere around week 8 and all seems to be going well (minus the tiredness, nausea and onset of full fledged m/s). I was able to see a heartbeat last week and little LuLu is measuring right where I'd expect her to be (about the size of a blueberry). We will go back in a couple of weeks to make sure she is progressing as she should...we know it is still early, but were extremely relieved to see that flicker on the screen as her heart was fluttering away! We look forward to sharing more news as it comes, so check back often.

Week Eight
Cartilage and bones begin to form - At the end of this week your baby will have already completed 1/5th of the journey 'til his birthday!
The basic structure of the eye is well underway - The position is more "newborn" like already!
The tongue begins to develop
Intestines move out of the umbilical cord into the abdomen.
Body grows and makes room - Two months along and this little one is growing inside and out by leaps and bounds!
The fingers and toes have appeared but are webbed and short
Baby's length (crown to rump) is 0.61 inch (1.6cm) and weight is 0.04 ounce (1gm)

Ashley Tisdale, the MOA, and my lost mind

For some reason I decided that I would be glad to take my 10 year old and her friend to the one and only Mall of America to see Ashley Tisdale...you better not be saying, "who's that" right now...and if you are, it's time to brush up on pop culture ;) I don't know why it seemed like a decent idea, but boy I couldn't have been more mistaken.

We arrived over an hour early to find a spot standing on the second level overlooking the rotunda. Well, we would've been overlooking the rotunda, but we ended up behind a bunch of loud pushy teenagers and parents. Of course my two could not see over them and were very disappointed. As we stood for over an hour (don't you dare try to sit down...apparently that is against the MOA police rules!) the lil ones got more and more frustrated at their apparently decreasing chance of actually seeing the superstar. Finally we were on verge of tears, so we decided to abandon our spot and move to the main floor where we could maybe at least walk past the stage and catch a glimpse...traffic was kept moving by very serious bloomington police officers! Luckily we heisted a spot where they had given up and let people gather...the girls could now see! Yahoo!! The best part was that it was right near a Starbucks, so I went in and got myself a caramel macchiato and avoided the crowds and the screaming masses...life WAS good!

Click her to check out the video of Ashley from the performance (disclaimer...it is not my video!)...you know you wanna ;)

I will admit that it was kind of fun to watch Alix and her friend jump around and scream...along with thousands of other pre-teens. Bit don't get me wrong..I would still pawn the job off on Steve next time!

Honeymoon part 2!

After 3 days in wonderful and beautiful Girona we headed back to the big city on the train. We arrived in Barcelona and headed off to The Barri Gothic area where our hotel was located. When we arrived they told us that our hotel room was not ready for us--the lights were not working--so we had been relocated down the street to another hotel for the night. It didn't seem so bad,so we plopped our stuff down and took off walking several miles to Sagrada Familia--a chathedral started by Gaudi, but yet to be finished. It was amazing and a little surreal. Definitely worth the walk through town! We headed back for dinner and an early night after a long day of travel. The next morning we realized the room we were sent to wasn't all it was cracked up to be after all...we couldn't wait to get out of there as the sink was clogged and the shower didn't work. We gladly trekked back down to the hotel to see if we could check in. We were assured the room was now fixed and ready, but it was not cleaned yet, so we'd have to come back in a couple of hours. So...off we went to explore the rest of the city. Barcelona was much bigger than I could have ever imagined. The Barri Gothic area we stayed in was filled with charming little streets packed with stores. We spent the day getting lost in the streets, checking out little placas and exploring all that we could find. The next day we did more of the same, while also traveling the Rambla (main street in town) down to the port. Along the way we checked out the Boqueria (market), ate some tapas, and visited the main cathedral (which was sadly covered on the outside due to construction. Luckily, Steve knew a couple of people who were living in Barcelona and they were kind enough to take us away from tourist central one evening. We traveled by metro to a little area that held the most charming little restaurant. It was an old building which used to house a wine warehouse type place...we ate rabbit and snails and drank wine with good friends. It was a perfect night full of traditional catalan food! The next day we found our way up to Montjuic with its castle and olympiv remnants. We took a gondola (that took us high above the city and up the mountain) and you could see the amazing view of the huge city that is Barcelona. It was the perfect way to cap off our visit. The next morning we were off to home. A wonderful trip had come to an end, but we know it marked just the beginning of all sorts of adventures yet to come for us!

Pictures don't do any of the trip justice...but they are much more beautiful in full size...you can always click on them to make them bigger...sorry some are sideways...I am too lazy to change them.


Sagrada Familia

Steve posing on Montjuic

YUMMY tapas at the Boqueria

Not a true report without some fashion...Tapered pants were all the rage...ugh, thank goodness i don't have to do that!

Our usual meal of coffee and ham sandwich...they do love their bread and ham!

The square right around the corner from our hotel where we ate and drank and watched...

The Placa Catalunya...the main plaza area...it was filled with pigeons to chase and feed and apparently if you're 5, to sit down and hang out with.

View from the balcony of our hotel room (the one we liked, not the scuzzy first one!)

La Taverna de Marguerite where we ate with good friends, Marco and Savita

Some of the roman walls

Us high above Barcelona

Placa del Pi

Barcelona from up above

La Boqueria...where you can find anything from rabbit to snails to fruit to fish to tapa bars

Church passage way...so beautiful as it sits high above the street.

Good friends at dinner

sitting in the placa you see the strangest things...like dogs in side cars...how cute!

views in La Boqueria...who knew it was foreshadowing of dinner yet to come

Gondola to Montjuic

Graffiti is everywhere in Spain...most of it very artistically done, but everywhere nonetheless...from train stations to gates that pull down over stores...

Honeymoon!

After flying into Barcelona and spending the night...where we literally walked in to our hotel above the train station and fell asleep (which was fine b/c the room wasn't much to look at or enjoy), we headed off by train to a little town about 1.5 hrs away from the big city. We weren't sure what to expect from Girona, but it truly was a gem! Our stay in this charming town was amazing...even with the cathedral chimes waking us up in the middle of the night.

It all began as we took a taxi from the train station in Girona and were amazed as it woun up the hills to the top of town. These road has literally enough room for one car, so when someone came the opposite direction they performed quite a dance in order to both get where they needed to go. Our hotel was at the top of what was called the "Jewish Quarter" which was full of charming narrow streets filled with cute restaurants and little shops. Just before we reached the top of the hill, and our hotel, we saw a wonderful old cathedral that was built in the early 1700s. It was just steps from our hotel and the base of which became our morning hang out...where we drank ourcoffee and watched the crazy tourist groups who flocked to the church (and blocked the roads as they walked aimlessly without concern for those cars which were trying to maneuver the steep narrow roads of the city).

Finally we reached our hotel and I can not recommend it enough! From the charming rooms with exposed stone, to the modern amenties, to the awesome location, to the great staff...it was truly one of a kind! Inside the hotel you could see the signs that this town is training grounds for many professional cyclists...there were signed jerseys thanking this small hotel (maybe 12 rooms?!) for their great accomodations while they trained on the nearby hills.

Our days were spent seeing the sights of this beautiful city...charming gardens, the wall you can walk on that runs around the city,and all sorrts of beautiful little nooks and crannies. We also took a drive...yikes...where steve drove (a stick shift...which he is not used to) and i navigated (of course I am directionally challenged). It was quite a trip! We saw a beautiful town called Pals that looked like it came out of a movie set, and also a seaside town called Begur that plays home to the tourists of N. Europe during the summer (although it was almost deserted when we stoppedy by...luckily we missed the busy tourist season!) Our last stop was the Mediterranean Sea itself as we visited the beach of Aguiablava and it's green blue water and white washed homes with spanish tile roofs standing beautifully in stark contrast.

Here are some of the sites.


This is the crazy leg that sat in every restaurant. They carved the meat right off that hoof that sat on the counter...I'm not sure what I think about that!

Steve and I walking the wall that ran around the city

The beautiful building of Pals

Steve driving on our way out of Girona on our adventures

The view from the balcony of our hotel

The cobblestones that covered the roads

a typical Girona street

The Gardens of Girona

More Girona streets

The River Onyar divides the old and new parts of town and is lined with colored apartments that result in quite a site!

Beach at Aguiablava...our trip to the coast.

Begur...a resort town just up from the coast.

Mediterranean sea...how beautiful!