Among the Evergreens

Tiny Artists

2012-01-30T07:39:00.000-06:00

H's preschool teacher is just a little bit of amazing.

We love her.

Last week H started talking about Di Vinci in the car and I was stunned. He actually knew stuff about him! Then it was Michael Angelo.

Later in the week I was walking to my classroom and saw this in the hall:

All their little pieces of art.

So lucky I get to see all these displays.

If I didn't work there, I'd miss so much!

50 by 50: #6

2012-01-28T15:05:00.002-06:00

There's no turning back now. I've signed up to run a 5K.

(I may have just had a mild stroke typing that!)

I am bad at running. BAD!

My knees are bad. I'm really out of shape. I get bored. I'm prone to shin splints. I'm slow. And I generally just don't like it.

I want to like running.

It's great exercise and don't people who run always look strong and sexy like this?

Well the answer to that is no.

Because I look nothing like that when I run. With in the fist two minutes my face is beat red. As in, it looks like it's going to explode red. And since that's only 2 minutes in, barely even started, you can imagine just how not appealing I must look at the end of my runs!

I started about 4 weeks ago trying to get back into running shape. I've been there before. In college I used to run two miles nearly everyday and then come home and do TaeBo. Remember TaeBo?

Then I stopped.

And so the pendulum began: exercising, not exercising, exercising, not exercising.

Two years ago during the Biggest Loser competition at work I got very serious about exercising again. I was back to being able to do 1.5 miles at a time before I hit the elliptical and/or bicycle.

But soon after the competition ended, so did my drive. Fast forward to four weeks ago and I'd gained back nearly all of the weight I'd lost and completely stopped exercising. Again.

As stress eater, under a lot of stress this year, the whole not exercising thing wasn't working out too well for me, so I figured it was time to tackle #6 on my list. Run a 5K.

So anyway, four weeks ago I did my first run. I thought I'd try to follow the Couch to 5K program. That first run was bad. Really, really bad. I felt like my head was going to explode even though it could hardly even be considered a run with the short amount of actual running time involved. But I went ahead with it and finished the first week. Run three was much easier than run two.

Then I had a small procedure done on my shoulder and didn't think getting my bandage all sweaty was such a good idea, so I walked on incline three times that week, hoping it would keep me going.

Not so much.

Once the bandage came off I attempted week two of the program, and that first day back was brutal for me. (did I mention I'm in horrible shape?)

I've been running again for 4 weeks now (including the week of walking) and I've already ditched the program. It started feeling too slow. I know! How is that possible?

Today I ran 10 minutes straight before I had to stop. WhoooHoo! My distance covered in 20 minutes has increased by almost half a mile. I'm feeling pretty okay about the way it's going so far. Not that I like it. At all. The only thing keeping me going on that treadmill thus far is watching Season 2 of Justified while I run. What ever will I do when I finish all the episodes?

Signing up for the 5K will surely keep me motivated to stick with it. Trust me, I don't want to be that one person out there that takes an hour to finish, though I think they have a time limit on these races anyway. I want to run the whole thing.

I'm still holding out hope that I may learn to love running someday.

Maybe...

Concentrate

2012-01-26T18:53:00.000-06:00

Angry Birds.

It takes some serious concentration.

We got a new iPad a while back and lost all our progress.

It's been a task getting all those levels unlocked again!

But we are determined...can't you tell?!

SPLAT!!

2012-01-26T11:46:00.000-06:00

Last weekend H had a sleepover at Grandma B's.

He came home with this game.

It's our new favorite.

We've only played it seven times since then, so I figure we've got a good ten more to go before it looses it's appeal.

Five on Friday

2012-01-20T18:43:00.000-06:00

1. A while ago Joe says to me, we need to make a radical change to our diet - more home cooked, healthy meals, less freezer food. I'm not going to lie, my first thought was the dishes, the mess, the time..

We may or may not have had a small fight about this. But he's right. We don't eat so great around here. We're working on it. A couple of our favorite home cooked meals thus far: chicken stir fry, apple raisin pork chops, Joe's-absolutely-best-ever meat loaf (well, that's my name for it!), and this shredded salsa chicken over rice.

2.) After a crazy mild start to our winter, we're finally getting some snow. We had a snow day last Friday and got out of school due to weather 2 hours early this Friday. I should have been happy, a 3 day weekend, an early start to a weekend. But I'm testing. I'm sitting in a tiny closet of a room ALL DAY testing one student after another, feeling quite zombified by the end of the day. And all this snow is making it impossible for me to complete this task. I should have been teaching by now, but when Monday rolls around I will once again find myself in my tiny closet...testing.

3.) The one (and probably only) thing I really enjoy about all this snow is getting to wear my boots (The North Face). They are big and warm and have an absurd amount of fur and are oh, so comfy. Besides they keep my new favorite Blowfish shoes from getting all wet and salt stained.

4.) I have been coveting these beaded wrap bracelets from Sahalie. So cute, but they cost $35.00 I wasn't willing to spend plus shipping.

But then I found these, very similar beaded bracelets at Maurices. They had four colors and were only $12.00. Oh, how I love a good find!

5.) I am planning a baby shower for my sweet friend, Lisa. I think I'm nearly as excited to meet her little one as she it.

{Lisa and I at Breaking Dawn}

I went to my favorite little antique shop last weekend and found these old milk bottles which was exactly what I was looking for. Some other ladies were looking at them when I spotted them but they must have heard my silent commands, put them down and walk away, because they did just that. Lucky for me!

Bellaboos

2012-01-19T08:08:00.000-06:00

We love Bellaboos. The only thing you can complain about there is how hard it is to find. And probably you can only complain about that if you are me...severely navigationally challenged.

We had a birthday party there last weekend for a very special seven year old and as always, it was a blast.

{birthday girl}

"Painting faces is for girls..."

{chocolate cupcake smiles}

Baby Poop Brownies

2012-01-17T07:36:00.000-06:00

Confession: I have a sweet tooth. Not just one. A whole mouth full of sweet ~~tooths~~ teeth. I love chocolate. Love, love, L.O.V.E.

But we're trying to eat better. So when I found this recipe for brownies made with black beans and spinach and guaranteed to be yummy, I had to give it a try.

I'm not going type out the whole recipe, you can get it here:

The Natos

She writes it with a lot more humor than I would and plus her play list is way fun to listen to while you mix these babies up.

We did the whole thing in the blender.

After we mixed up the first ingredients H informed me it looked like baby poop.

It didn't smell, but he was convinced it would because of what it looked like.

Not going so well at this point.

After cocoa and vanilla, he was a little more convinced. At least now it looked like brownie batter.

We added dark chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet because they are supposed to be better for you. Ours immediately sank to the bottom. They weren't supposed to do that.

So we baked them. Not quite as pretty as the picture. You know how you stick a toothpick in the middle to see if it's done? Well something about the whole black bean thing makes it not stick to the toothpick...even if it's not done. Ours were not done. Which we found out when we cut them.

But...the taste was actually really good. Cooked longer, maybe even better.

So overall, I'd make them again. Next time I'm going to try swapping out 1/2 the oil for applesauce.

Maybe Stevia.

This whole post should probably come with a disclaimer that I am not a great cook. Not even close. Even the Pinterest board where I keep this stored is labeled: I Can't Cook.

But Hayden liked them and it had him eating black beans and spinach so I say it's a keeper.

Good Morning Sunshine

2012-01-15T19:34:00.000-06:00

"This is what the LORD says to me: “I will remain quiet and will look on from my dwelling place, like shimmering heat in the sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”"

Isaiah 18:4 NIV

Insta-Friday

2012-01-12T07:17:00.000-06:00

So it must have been a while since I uploaded phone pictures because this was on there.... Black Friday Shopping!! Waiting in a L.O.N.G line outside Old Navy!

Taking advantage of the last days of Christmas Vacation, we bundled up to go sledding. It really was the perfect day, not too cold, Plymouth went back to school that day so we had the hill pretty much to ourselves, kids were loving it.

The first actual day (for me) back to school I had to take off for doctor appointments. H was going to get the flu mist (finally). Except it was expired so he had to get the shot. It all went down with a lot of screaming, poor guy. But he rallied back quick and so we decided to treat our selves to lunch. I let him pick. Chinese! He is definitely my son!

50 by 50: #41

2012-01-10T04:02:00.001-06:00

#41: Donate to Locks of Love.

I almost didn't make this one. After a year, I just could not stand this hair any longer.

I held out for a few more months.

And now...

It sure doesn't look like much after it's all off.

But I sure am glad I did it.

#41, CHECK!

And I'm working on 3 others!

You can check out what I've already checked off here.

Necklace: Soleil Selene

Striped Shirt: Old Navy

The Cutest Snowmen EVER!!

2012-01-07T20:07:00.000-06:00

H's handprints made for the best snowmen ornaments.

Perfect gifts for family (and for mommy too!).

Stuck...Oh Well.

2012-01-03T07:44:00.000-06:00

I had hoped to get out yesterday to check off another item on my 50 by 50 list, but the snow had other ideas for me.

I'm not complaining. We haven't had snow at all this winter, but I could sure do without the drifting in my driveway and down my road.

So we did the next best thing.

And thank goodness for this crazy cat who serves as a great playmate.

Dino disappeared inside the snowdrifts a couple times. It was pretty funny.

And what's fresh snow if not fun to eat!

On My Mind...

2012-01-02T10:04:00.002-06:00

Get ready...
This is a ramshackle post about a bunch of unrelated thoughts cluttering up my mind. (along with some haphazard photos)

2012.
All over Facebook and Twitter I saw people talking about resolutions. Have you ever kept one? Me? Not so much. I did see a post, however, that talked about the true definition of resolutions. Most people set goals; loose 25 pounds, read the Bible, pay off the credit card... Goals. A resolution, this article says, are permanent changes to your life since you keep doing them every day and not just until a specific achievement is reached. I like that. I think we all should make some RESOLUTIONS this year.

Me?
I've got two. Two changes I believe we need to make, as a family, to live a more purposeful life.

First up is organization. At work I am organized, I have to be to accomplish what needs to get done in the short time I am there. At home, I fall short. I'm not talking about legos on the floor or disregarded sweatshirts on the chairs. That's just us living life and I'm not about to change that! I'm talking about the bigger things; budget, banking, taxes, groceries, cabinets, laundry. Things that take me much longer than they should because I am not organized and keep me from joining my little man in the mess of legos.

I started over break, H and I organized the basement. It was a wreck and we weren't using it because of the mess. More than half his toys are down there, so it was making me feel bad that I wouldn't let him go down and play, for fear he'd get hurt trying to navigate through my disaster.

It took a day and a half!! Seriously. Who let's their world get that messy? Apparently me. But it feels good now, to have usable space, a place for H to play, a space for everything. Organizing the basement though, left me with five bags of stuff that needed to be brought upstairs and put away. FIVE! Which, sent me into this annoying spiral of cleaning and organizing. Why? Because the things that belonged in the office had no where to be placed because behind the closed drawers and doors of the office I had...you guessed it...a mess. Then there were things for the bedroom, H's room, etc., etc., etc. You see how this progressed?

Unfortunately, the three of us played tag with an intrusive little virus all during break. First I got it just before I got off of school and passed it to H, who passed it to Joe, who passed it back to H (poor guy), who finally gave it back to me. I know, I know, you're not supposed to get the same bug more than once. Whatever. It morphed or something. All I know is H and I were both sick. Twice! Which totally slowed down my organization plans. There's a big fat check mark next to the basement and office, but the rest will have to wait for a bit. Changes over time.

Oh, and in my sorting, tossing, organizing, I found my 50 by 50 list and took a few minutes to read through it again. It hit me hard; I need to get going. These are goals, yes, but goals I want to accomplish before I'm 50. I'm 31 ya'll. I need to get cracking! Starting today (if I can make it down the road with all the snow) I'm crossing another one off my list. I'll share that tomorrow!

And now, finally (I told you this was a brain dump!), my second resolution. This one is much more important and will take some time, but it's been weighing heavy on my mind for a while now. It started here when I came across Reece's Rainbow and continued through the holidays. I'll be the first to commend my child on being kind and thoughtful towards others. His heart is big. He nearly cried during Chipwrecked because Theodor's necklace was getting ruined and H knew he'd be upset. He's soft hearted. But still, there were moments this Christmas when gift getting got the best of him. Presents! Presents! Are there more presents?? And then two days after all those presents, he announced, "I'm bored."

So maybe I haven't been doing such a great job teaching him about appreciation. He still has his Act My Age Jar and I'm pretty good about making sure he has his own money to buy himself toys or apps on the iPAD, but still, we make a McDonald's run when he's craving nuggets, we get movies at RedBox weekly, he sees me make a run to Walmart for whatever I need/want. He wants, wants, wants.

Yesterday Joe and I were watching HGTV, an episode called Million Dollar Rooms. We were both so blown away by the way these people spent their money. Wasted really. One room had spent $250,000 on hardware. We're talking doorknobs! All I could think is, what if they only spent $200,000 on doorknobs (still completely ridiculous!) and used $50,000 to buy food for the starving children on the UNICEF commercial, vaccinations, mosquito nets. Or used that money to help a caring family save a child with Down Syndrome from a neglectful orphanage or from going into a mental institution.

I said to Joe, "Promise me that if we ever find ourselves in a place where money is disposable, we don't lose sight of what is important." To which H says, "Maybe if we get a lot of money we can build a nice house first." "We have a nice house," I replied, "Wouldn't it be better to help these kids who don't have a home, that don't even have enough food to eat?" "Yes, but maybe we can build a house like that, to make ours even nicer, and then when we get more money, help the kids."

OUCH! He has no concept of what it is to really want, need, or go without. His young mind cannot put it into perspective. I blame myself for that. I've not taught him well and have not modeled this behavior for him. And it's time to make a change.

That very day I read a post by Casey Wiegand who linked a similar post from Jami. It's like these two ladies were speaking straight to my heart.

It's hard to know how to go about this the right way. We've participated in Operation Christmas Child twice and H got that. We've bought chicks for World Vision - Child Sponsorship. But it's not enough. I don't want to weigh down his little heart with the hurts in the world, but it's time we all start giving a little more thought to what we can do to help others lives, instead of focusing on helping ourselves.

These are our resolutions.

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12 NIV

A Year in Photos

2011-12-30T16:03:00.001-06:00

A happy 2011.

A Happy New Year!

Dinosaurs and Thunder Storms

2011-12-29T06:34:00.002-06:00

We took advantage of being off school and Michael being off work and headed to visit him in Chicago just after Christmas.

It was a snowy mess on the drive to the train station, but after that, it was fun relaxing on the train.

After cramming into a taxi (all 5 of us) we visited for a bit at Michael's place, checking out his fabulous new kitchen and H playing with all his Christmas decorations, making himself quite at home!

Third stop (these pictures are backwards) was the Field Museum.

Huge totem poles...

Christmas lights...

And Sue the T-Rex...

H was crazy with excitement as soon as we walked in.

We spent some time in an earth dwelling and checking out some Indian headdresses.

A little time in an Egyptian pyramid.

And then took a walk through time.

I never knew there were so many mass extensions in our history!

This was by far the favorite part of the museum.

"...from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved."

Second stop: Rainforest Cafe!

"This is my favorite place." ~Hayden Hensler

Every time it 'thunder stormed' he was amazed all over again.

Dreams They Wish

2011-12-28T20:45:00.004-06:00

It's been about two weeks since I was on a site, that led me to a site, that led me to Reece's Rainbow. I'm telling ya'll I couldn't exit the site. And I haven't stopped thinking about since. An organization that helps raise money to support the adoption of children with special needs, most often Down Syndrome. I felt like I couldn't leave until I'd looked at each and every child's picture from orphanages spanning countries around the world. All waiting, all needing love, many in places where they are cared for poorly. Very poorly. Down Syndrome, FAS, HIV are the labels that are placed beside their name, but still they are children. Just beautiful children wishing for a family.

{Tabitha}

When I got ready to write this post I came across this News Video from ABC. Such sadness and hope and love in a single story.

{Natalie}

There have been times that Joe and I have talked about adopting. I've spent my whole life watching my blessings pile up in front of me and yet I know I've done little to pay those blessings forward. I look at these faces and think I would do it right now if we could.

{Isabel}

But while I cannot jump on a plane and give one of these precious little babies the safe, loving home they so deserve, I can help spread the word to anyone who may read this blog. I can donate when I'm able to help someone else bring their sweet child home. And I can pray for them. Pray that they may look into the eyes of a parent who loves them with out end.

{Juliet}

CLICK HERE to share Reece's Rainbow on Your Blog! Thank you!

And because it seemed fitting and I love this song:

Merry: cheerful, bright, joyous, lighthearted, smiling, festive....

2011-12-28T08:48:00.000-06:00

On the faces of the littles we love...

In an unripped piece of paper...

In smiles...

And time together....

In peaceful dreams...

And hugs...

And silliness...

In love...

Among family...

And new slippers...

And wonderful food shared between us.

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas too!

Christmas Morning

2011-12-27T06:57:00.000-06:00

It all started with a little sprinkle of some Magic Reindeer Food to guide Santa's reindeer to our house.

And some cookies (that I almost forgot!!).

And the next morning...

When H told Santa he wanted a house made out of cardboard I was a little lost.

Luckily I figured it out in time.

Connectagons!

Daddy and H got a hunting blind so he can sit out during turkey hunting.

Which means he needed some camo.

Marshmallow shooter!

The sky was amazing Christmas morning. I'm always up early enough, I just never have the time to look out and enjoy it.

Cabellas big game hunting on the Xbox.

And then cooking commenced for our family breakfast. My poor family came over to me and Joe still in our jammies!

Christmas Eve.

2011-12-26T07:39:00.001-06:00

DATE and CREATE

2011-12-24T06:03:00.000-06:00

It's Christmas Eve.

I'm feeling like the holidays crept up on me this year. I'm prepared (mostly) because Joe and I took a day off work to have a shopping date. We finished up our shopping, went to lunch at Chili's, and watched the movie New Year's Eve.

It was such a fun day and it's been so long since we've spent the day just us two.

This is what Joe bought.

For himself. Ha.

If we make it to Christmas Eve dinner, it'll be coming along!

I say 'if' because we've been a bunch of sickies over here for about two weeks now. I missed the two days prior to our shopping date because I was sick. And now, just in time to ruin his Christmas, H can't keep anything down. I think that's why I'm feeling a bit out of the holiday spirit and not quite ready for it to already be Christmas Eve.

In all this we forgot to make Christmas cookies for Santa and we have two mid-completion Christmas crafts left on the kitchen table.

Fingers crossed, H's stomach settles soon, we finish painting our gifts, and Walmart has some Oreos left (or poor Santa may end up with cheese and crackers instead!).

If not, it's still okay. We'll all be together at least and we have so much to be thankful for this Christmas. We won't let a little stomach bug bring us down!

And in some other randomness, I found this fantastic company and CANNOT wait to use it for H. Too bad I didn't find it before the holidays!

It's called Child's Own Studio and they take a drawing your child has done and turn it into a custom toy. Amazing how close they look. H would love this. Maybe for Valentines day....

How cool is that!!

I truly hope you all have a blessed holiday and cherish the time with your loved ones this Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

Holy Walk

2011-12-23T06:19:00.000-06:00

If you've never been to the Holy Walk in Bremen at Christmastime, you need to go.

Sure we had to wait FOREVER to get on the bus that led us there.

And, yes, we had some littles meltdowns at the end of the evening because they were up way past bedtime and beyond tired.

But, the fact that so many churches come together and volunteer there time to put on such an amazing production makes it completely worth it.

A walk through time to learn the real meaning of Christmas.

I wish I could have taken some pictures during our journey, but I wasn't sure it was appropriate.

So instead, the pictures from our LONG wait in the gym.

We were a little bored...

Pillow Pet Party

2011-12-21T10:37:00.001-06:00

Couple days ago, H explains to me, all upset and exasperated that his pillow pet is zero still because he hasn't had a birthday party yet.

Well..that set this whole crazy day in motion.

He filled out a left over invitation for Tia and her pillow pet.

They decorated a cake.

Decorated it a lot.

We made headbands (it was a Christmas theme!).

Tia brought a party dress and presents.

Hayden bagged three of his toys for gifts.

The guests all got headbands too.

Dinosaur Pillow Pet blew out his candle and magically went from zero to five!

For the activity (and because I had already planned to do this with them) they made gingerbread houses.

A perfect pillow pet party.

Merry.

2011-12-15T13:09:00.000-06:00

Joe's been working 7 days a week, so getting out tree as a family meant scouting the field at 6:30 in the morning. Not ideal, but at least we were together.

Luckily we didn't have to venture too far from the house for the perfect tree.

And inside, things are looking bright.

I spent no money this year on greens. All the sprigs here were pulled from the burn pile of disregarded Christmas trees. I even made three swags for the outside garage windows. Not nearly as pretty as the ones we've bought from the farm in the past, but free makes up for it!

All set and ready for Christmas morning breakfast. Now just to make the grocery list.

Glow.

2011-12-07T21:25:00.000-06:00

Plucking each ornament out of the box this year was Hayden's job.

He was as interested in them as I always am, remembering when he got them, identifying

the old one's from Joe and my childhoods.

Recalling the best times from our cruise when he unwrapped that red Mickey Mouse.

Christmas memories just get better every year.

And besides the evergreen smell, the excitement of days to come, the anticipation, I just love the glow.

fear.

2011-12-05T05:50:00.000-06:00

A couple nights ago I had a dream. A nightmare really. The kind that had me jumping out of bed to make sure H was alright and getting up several more times to double check. It was a short dream, only one event really and I'm sure it was a manifestation of the CSI or Criminal minds I had watched. In the dream Hayden was gone. I don't know where or how, just that he'd been missing. I had run out of the bedroom one night because I heard screams and he was there, on the deck, trying to open the locked door, before whatever was chasing him caught up. It got weird after that, completely unrealistic. But still, it was the look on his face, the fear in his eyes that was so real. The part that turned me inside out. Normally I forget my dreams within minutes but days later the image is still seared behind my eyes.

It's my biggest fear.

That he will be hurt or scared or lonely. That I won't be there when he needs me. That he would feel one second without love. It's kept me from doing many things because I can't shut off the 'what if something happens' mantra in my brain. It's made me lie to people I care about because they wouldn't understand. It overwhelms me at times. But I can't shut it off.

A couple months ago I stumbled across a blog. The writer is a young mother who is battling an illness. She doesn't know me, I don't know her, we've never met, or spoken, or seen each other and while I follow her blog, I'm quite sure she doesn't even know I exist. But I want to ask you, when you say your prayers, if you would take just a moment to include her and her family. I'm sure there are moments when she falls apart, but the way in which she continues to live her life with faith and hope is inspiring. I don't know, when being faced with the possibility of leaving my family behind, if I could live with such grace.

Santa Clause is coming to....Knox!

2011-12-04T08:12:00.000-06:00

This weekend we went to the Starke County Library to meet with Santa Clause.

(Santa just walked in)

(He says, "I want a house made out of cardboard."- well, okay?)

("Mister The Grinch")

Dino Dig

2011-12-03T21:11:00.000-06:00

A much loved gift from H's party.

He literally worked on and off all day.

My little paleontologist.

Five in a Flash

2011-11-28T09:50:00.002-06:00

[game prize]

[party favors]

Party!

2011-11-27T06:27:00.000-06:00

The morning before the party H awoke to this: a trail of balloons leading up to his gift.

I tried to make dinosaur pancakes. I resigned to the fact that I'm just not good at pancake animals, but H thought it was cool and that was the only point anyway.

We had a nice quiet morning; breakfast, opening gifts in jammies, and then...

playing of course!

At 2:00 the first guests arrived. Hayden was so excited to see some of his friends from school walking up to the door. Once they came in, everyone got shy, but it didn't last long. Once they hit the toys, it was all good.

Once everyone got there, we played pin the mustache on Hayden. I was a little worried about hurt feelings or disappointment when they didn't win (they are preschoolers!) but everyone thought it was too funny to see a mustache on Hayden's chin, forehead, cheek, or teeth so it was all laughs.

Then came the presents.

So spoiled, my little man is.

So loved by his family and friends.

Blowing out the 5 candle, eating cupcakes.

And some time to play with his friends.

See the blur. That's H.

He had so much fun.

These two are the best of friends.

Stella Corinne.

And the most important part of the party: the guests.

From our makeshift photo booth:

Peek into our Thanksgiving

2011-11-26T20:55:00.000-06:00

{Perfect day}

This Is A BIG One

2011-11-25T19:10:00.000-06:00

For me at least, this birthday is a milestone.

To be honest I'm having just a bit of a hard time with it.

On the 27th Hayden goes from a toddler to....not a toddler.

He's school aged. A big kid. Almost a Kindergartener.

{dino cake for school party}

He's growing into a caring, polite, smart, little person and I'm so very proud of him.

His heart is huge for others.

For now, I'm holding onto the snuggles, the silliness, the innocence.

I'm going to try with all my might to remember every moment, every "I love you mommy," every dimpled smile and kissing away tears.

{his best buddy Trevor}

Because now he's five.

I just blinked and he's five. Blink again and he's ten.

If only I could slow down the clock, hold on just a little longer.

{an early present arrived when we got home. Thanks Uncle Matt}

I really do look forward to the future, I just wish it didn't come so quick.

I'm thankful because...

2011-11-23T21:29:00.001-06:00

When thinking about this post, I'm filled up. I know how blessed I am. There's so much I could write, so much to give my thanks over, my friends, my family, a home full of love.

There's also so many things to be thankful for that if I'm not careful I might miss...

I'm thankful for the crumbs inside my sheets that poke my legs at night, because it means we've had breakfast in bed, watching cartoons, and easing into our morning.

I'm thankful to be exhausted, to work into the night, or go back to work after H is asleep, because it means I have a job in a time when so many struggle. It's a good job that I care very much about.

I'm thankful for the sand burs that cling onto our jeans and I find hiding in our bath towels, because you only have sand burs if you live smack in the middle of the country.

I'm thankful for the dirty socks and sweatshirts I find scattered around the house because they belong to the man who picked me, and who continues to pick me, everyday, even when I least deserve it.

I'm thankful for the people who dislike me for reasons even they don't understand and every time they act out in anger towards me because they help me to practice forgiveness.

I'm thankful for 4 am wakeup calls because my alarm clock is tiny feet padding down the hallway and a tiny warm body snuggling up next to me whispering "I love you" in the dark.

I'm thankful for the sticky gunk I can't get off our T-shirts because they came from the kindness of our little man passing out stickers.

I'm thankful for the naughty kitten that rips holes in our screen trying to get into the house because he loves attention so. Naughty as he may be, Hayden loves him.

I'm thankful for the little bits of wood and bark all over the tile because there is a real crackling fire burning warm in our house.

And as cheesy as this sounds, I'm thankful that I am able to see how much I have to be thankful for.

It's so easy to get caught up in these little things that wear us down, and believe me, I'm just as guilty, but given just a moment to really consider, I'm pretty sure all those little trials are directly connected to those big things we just couldn't live without.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Five Random Things

2011-11-21T19:59:00.001-06:00

Things have been crazy busy lately and I'm slacking on the blogging a bit. But...this is a short week of work, I'm staying home tomorrow to clean (yes, I realize how bad that sounds!) and get H's birthday ready, and I'm feeling like this is the perfect time for a hodgepodge of some recent things I didn't have the proper time to post about.

1. Joe and H filmed a commercial for the farm. I had to work so I couldn't be there, but it seems they did a perfect job. Check it out here:
Hensler Nursery Commercial

2. Lisa and I went to see Breaking Dawn Part 1 with my mom and some of Lisa's friends. Loved it...except for the talking dogs bit. That didn't go over too well. Can't wait for the next one. In fact there are three movies I just can't wait for: Breaking Dawn Part 2, The Hunger Games, The Lucky One. Nothing better than movies based on books!

3. Birthday party decorating is in full force around here:

4. Today I came home with a Wild Indian. Literally....wild!
Notice the marker on the face. We're going with an attempt at war paint?

5. And I've had time for one, teeny, tiny craft in all this craziness. Love post-it's!

I'm very ready for this holiday break and the time I'll get to spend with friends and family. Lisa and I are heading out at midnight for some bargain shopping after Thanksgiving dinner and Hayden is so excited for his party. Hopefully I'll find a few minutes to share it all with you all!

Prep = Fun+Stress

2011-11-20T08:06:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving is at my house this year, something

I'm so happy and excited about.

But you know what comes along with all that.

The prep work.

And, if you are like me, tons of decorating ideas yet to be acted upon.

And that means...a messy house.

Right now, my dining room looks like this:

My new chairs from IKEA have yet to be put together. I have these big plans to sand and re-stain the legs in a nice dark warm brown.

Before Thursday. Right.

But we did get head start on the decorating, thanks to H's preschool project.

Doesn't his expression just seem to say, "Yep, I made that. I'm awesome!"

He's such a crack up!

Out my windows I see....Christmas.

2011-11-19T19:19:00.000-06:00

A couple days ago, this is what I could see from my kitchen window before I left for school.

And this afternoon, this was what was going on outside my dining room window.

Bring on Christmas!

{Hensler Nursery}

Operation Christmas Child

2011-11-10T18:22:00.001-06:00

Last year was the first year H and I packed shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child. Now it's no secret I'm an American Idol fan so you can imagine my surprise when I got to church last Sunday and Scotty McCreery was up on the screen.

Turns out, he packs shoe boxes too!

Anyway, we did two boxes this year, one for a boy and one for a girl.

I think the best part of the whole thing is seeing H shop for these kids. I share with him some videos of the Christmas box deliveries from years past and I feel him understanding.

He has such a big, kind heart.

If you have never thought about donating, you should.

There is information on the link above about drop off locations.

Before it ends..

2011-11-09T05:51:00.000-06:00

The weather last weekend was perfect. Warmish. Sunny. Still colorful.

We wanted to get out and enjoy it before it ends and everything turns cold and white.

We headed to the part in Plymouth for a bike ride/walk and a little playground time.

It was a perfect day. One that I let pass without a thought of school work or housework.

It's just what we needed.

I hope you are all enjoying these last bits of autumn.

Regular Things

2011-11-08T02:43:00.000-06:00

Ever notice how sometimes it's just the regular everyday things that make your day special and fun?

Like washing the car on a cool fall afternoon...

Just a little bit more....

2011-11-07T05:57:00.000-06:00

It seems ages ago that we painted H's old playroom and turned it into the office/spare bedroom.

But then school started and all my free time ended.

It's been slow going since then!

Remember those lovely place mats Hayden made for our kitchen table?

Well, they were looking a little worse for wear (not that I ever really settled into the idea of coloring book pages taped all over my table anyway!) so I convince him they had to go before they were all ruined. He wasn't thrilled, but I had a plan.

I'd always known I was going to hang his art above his computer in the office, so we took four of the best, non-food stained pages and got to work.

I've been wanting to try these hooks and now, I'm hooked.

Yup. I just went there.

Seriously though, I love these!

Here's the wide open space of wall above his computer.

Look how easy and neat. No tools!

I got these frames at Walmart, $2.00 or something like that.

Stapled a little twine across the back, add clothes pins and....

Changeable art!

H was thrilled and no longer upset about the whole wrecking the place mats he spent hours on thing.

And here is a horrible picture, but the none-the-less shows my second project for the day.

Wall decals that I adore!

Too bad it's so dark and some little person had been wallering (spellcheck says that's not a word - whatever) all over the couch so the cover is wonky and I'm too tired/busy/lazy to take another picture to do it justice.

That's God.

2011-11-05T16:58:00.001-05:00

"Mommy, I drew this for you. There's a baby dinosaur at the bottom trying to get up to his mommy. And do you know who that is watching to make sure the baby is safe? That's God."

- Hayden

Family Friday

2011-11-03T18:53:00.002-05:00

The giant pumpkin drop happened again at Hensler Nursery.

H was still running a low fever, but we had to get out there to see those giant pumpkins fall.

He was way too excited to skip it.

After a couple huge pumpkins splatted, it was time to smash the van.

I tried to get a picture of him, but he wasn't wanting to look away.

It was chilly, and a little rainy, but H loved it, and we love when he's so excited about things!

School Spooktacular!

2011-11-02T06:40:00.001-05:00

H just before leaving for school.

He wasn't the only little pirate in his class.

I spotted them playing outside just before it was time to go.

Since I had my camera for the Halloween parties, I grabbed a couple pics.

I always love to see him playing when he doesn't know I'm watching.

After school, and a quick run through McDonald's, H and I both got dressed back up for the Spooktacular.

We met up with Tia and they went Trick-or-Treating at the school.

H and I hung out for the whole time passing out candy.

The PTO did a fantastic job organizing the event and there were a

bunch of kids who came out for the fun.

Lazy Pumpkins

2011-11-01T03:43:00.000-05:00

I was bad this year.

We didn't carve pumpkins.

Instead we found these stickers at Target and H thought they were cool, so we took the lazy way out.

He didn't mind.

In fact, I think he enjoyed this more because he could do it himself.

And in doing so, decided to put on 4 faces so you could see one from every angle.

Notice the lovely coloring book place mats still on my table?

I finally got him talked into taking them off a couple days ago, with a stipulation.

I'll share that in another post.

What a goof!

Love that kid!

Preschool Mummies

2011-10-31T03:32:00.000-05:00

And....we're back.

2011-10-29T14:47:00.000-05:00

It's been nearly 3 years since my counter has looked like this.

...since I've had to record administration times of medicines because there was too many to keep track of in my head.

...since he's worn the dragon mask.

This time, God willing, it's going to be short lived. We get to stop it all in just a few days and hopefully will not be back again for...well...ever.

Through all this week (in which I've barely worked!) I've felt so blessed and thankful for the people in our lives.

Thankful for my mom who stayed with H on the worst day when he was struggling to breathe so I could get observed while teaching. (Yeah...I wasn't all that focused as you might imagine.) He's lucky to have family who loves him so and I'm lucky to have someone who will miss a day of work and e-mail all day with updates to ease my mind.

Thankful for the pediatricians that I can trust. And thankful for the friend I have who works at the dr. office and could sneak Hayden in at the same time as my own appointment so we didn't have to make two trips in one day.

Thankful for all my co-workers and friends who are genuinely concerned about H and ask about him frequently all the while helping while I'm gone and making adjustments so I can be home.

And most of all, thankful, so very thankful, that Hayden responded right away to the medications and was able to take a good solid breath. We've been through a lot with H and his tendency to catch EVERY single virus going around, but when he can't breathe...that is scary.

Gross. But Awesome!

2011-10-27T08:33:00.001-05:00

Ever get fruit flies?

We do all the time.

Drives. Me. Crazy!

By chance I found this on Pinterest...and it worked!

Scrap paper in rolled into a cone (with a tiny opening at the tip), a scrap of fruit, and a cup or jar.

That's it. A fruit fly trap.

First Birthdays

2011-10-26T20:29:00.000-05:00

Birthday boy, Levi with his grandpa and great grandma.

Big sis.

H and Levi.

Best part of the whole party!

Haunted Houses

2011-10-24T06:46:00.001-05:00

Because He's Mine

2011-10-23T18:35:00.001-05:00

We were riding home from the store the other day and Hayden says he's going to draw a picture for me when he gets home. He goes on to explain to me exactly how it's going to look saying, "I can see it in my head."

The teacher in me was initially thrilled with this. Imagery. Details. A logical plan.

The mom in me quickly realized how this little project would no doubt unfold, and it wasn't going to be good.

He is mine after all. And how many times have I envisioned a picturesque holiday, every moment anticipated and imagined, only to end in tears when something went wrong? How many times have I planned out a vacation, thinking of all the fun, happy, memorable, picture perfect moments we would have and then felt so let down when just one tiny little thing goes awry?

I've gotten better, learned to enjoy the moments however they may come, but I've had 31 years to get here. H has had 4. And he had a perfect picture planned out in his head for his mommy.

I could have told you that he wouldn't get the heart just so. I could have predicted it would end with tears. I could have foretold he would end up giving up his drawing all together because it wouldn't look the way it looked in his head.

And all that happened.

After two attempts at a heart, he was up from the table, in his room sobbing.

"I can't make it. It doesn't look good for you. That's the only piece of white paper."

Oh, my child. How I feel your disappointment.

I only hope, because he's mine, and I understand how high his hope can soar and consequently fall, that I can help him learn to accept these moments and (maybe) even embrace them as part of life.

The ups and downs and every range in between.

Here is the finished product:

After I got him back to the table, convinced him that I loved his original heart and helped him make the one he envisioned, he was able to bring his vision to paper.

I sure do love that boy!

Family Friday

2011-10-21T08:21:00.000-05:00

I've neglected my Family Friday post for almost three weeks!

It's not that we haven't done family time, it's just that things are so busy around here that I don't have the time to blog about it.

But this week we're on fall break and so I'm finding a couple minutes with H and Tia play in the basement playroom to fill you in on our trip to Guse's Tree Farm.

Hensler Nursery also has a pumpkin patch, and we'll be heading there next weekend for the giant pumpkin drop, but it was the corn maze that made us want to take the trek to Guse's.

It had been raining all day but decided to clear up for us just before we left. Arriving the kids were initially drawn to the play ground and corny box, but things were just a little too wet!

So we took to the corn maze. This year's maze was shaped as a tractor pulling a wagon of pumpkins.

This was the first year we made it all the way through without getting lost! And we found all CORNundrums which earned the kids a free mini pumpkin each.

After we finally got out of the corn maze (we may have cheated a bit to find the exit!) the kiddos hopped on the little train ride.

And while they rode, we waited....

No trip would be complete without a stop at the snack shop. For some reason hotdogs, popcorn, and nachos always taste better at the pumpkin patch.

This was the sign next to the bathroom.

Made me laugh.

And then the search for the perfect pumpkin commenced.

What did you do as a family this week?

One afternoon...

2011-10-19T21:25:00.002-05:00

It's no secret, fall is my favorite.

I wish it could be fall forever.

Maybe it wouldn't be so great if I got to experience it all the time, but I can't imagine how I could ever get sick of the cool temps and gorgeous colors.

H and I spent an afternoon at Potato Creek.

It's something we do each fall, sometimes twice, to check out the leaves.

It didn't disappoint. The trees were a riot of color and it could not have been a more perfect weekend for a bike ride (H) and walk (me).

We stopped at the lake, admired the tree sap glinting in the sun, had those great conversations you can only really have when you have no other distractions.

Quality time we are so often missing.

But in all this wonderfulness there was also a moment, a terrifying moment. The kind that made my heart leap into my throat and had us both in tears before it was over.

Let me explain.

H is just learning to understand his bike breaks. And if you've ever ridden bikes at Potato Creek, you know how the trails are in parts.

Steep hills.

Sharp curves.

Deep drop offs.

Things were going beautifully. H was all smiles.

He rides his bike at about the same pace as a quick walk so we were sticking together, laughing when I had to pull him up the hills, watching the chipmunks...

Then he decided it might be funny to speed up to see if I could keep up.

A little jogging.

No big deal.

It was a funny four year old joke.

He got just a bit ahead of me.

And by a bit I mean, literally, 5 or 6 steps.

He thought it was completely hysterical.

Until he started down a hill.

It was a big hill.

I wasn't too concerned, we'd practiced the brakes.

I told him to push his petals backwards and slow down.

He tried, but he didn't slow. He just kept going faster.

The gap between us was growing, I was jogging, saying again, "Push your petals back."

And then that moment happened.

I saw the bottom of the hill. It ended in a sharp curve. One that if he didn't take it, he was going to go over the edge and not stop.

I started running.

Flat out running as fast as I can ever remember running.

Shouting the whole time, "Push your petals back, push your petals back."

H was crying, calling for me.

He kept going faster.

And I just knew I wasn't going to catch him.

Call it adrenaline, or pure fear, whatever...but somehow I did.

I caught him by the shirt.

Pulled him right off his bike, knocked the bike down, pulled them both down on me.

A few tears, an offer of help from a friendly couple, a moment to catch my breath and whisper words of thanks and we were back on the trail.

It took a little convincing to get H back on the bike, but I wasn't about to let the episode cause him to be afraid to be on his bike. (or me afraid to let him ride it!)

We worked on the breaks a bit more with me at least 10 steps ahead every time.

Turns out he had been pushing down instead of back, and it worked, unless the petals were vertical (like they were on the hill!!).

It was probably 30 total seconds, but it was a terrifying 30 seconds!

All in one afternoon!

I Love the Country.

2011-10-16T17:38:00.000-05:00

So... I like going to Chicago.

And on my 50 by 50 list there are a bunch of big cities to visit.

But I could never stay there.

I'm just a country girl at heart.

It's something about those wide open spaces...

fast.friends

2011-10-13T19:39:00.001-05:00

One of the two kittens we found the other day decided to stay.

This is Dinosaur Lumpster. Dino for short.

Dino loves everyone, but he loves H the most!

These two play every night; Dino following H around where ever he goes.

They've been on safari's through the jungle (pine trees), climbed to the top of the castle (play fort), and ran races down the lane.

They play with...well, anything they find. Kittens and little boys are fun like that!

H takes very good care of him, worries about him when it's cold, and never forgets to feed him.

They are great friends.

Eight

2011-10-10T19:32:00.000-05:00

Smiles, fights, vacations, silliness, family nights, stress, kisses, decisions, laughs, birthdays, worries, memories, fun, fears, hugs, weirdness, happiness....love.

For eight years, I've had it all. I love our 'weirdness'. My life if full, because of you.

Happy Anniversary Joe,

I love you!

done. for now

2011-10-07T21:16:00.000-05:00

the last part of the barn is done for now.

the roof is on.

the rest will wait until next year.

we've had the best help, from great friends

h is the ever-present helper.

he loves when the guys come over to work.

One Morning Among the Evergreens

2011-10-06T20:46:00.000-05:00

Chicago Day Trip

2011-10-03T18:02:00.001-05:00

Our trip to Chicago in photos:

Train Ride

Garden

Zoo

Taxi Rides

Rainforest Cafe

Dont' let him fool you, he's a softie!

2011-09-30T19:59:00.000-05:00

Yesterday H was hearing something outside but we couldn't decide what it was. Later, when going out to help Joe with at the barn, he comes running in saying, "I found the noise!" It was a half starved looking gray cat in our garage. Very friendly, and very thin. After a little talking into it, I convinced Joe to let me go buy it some food (under the agreement that I feed her FAR away from the house). So I jumped in the car, mismatched clothes and after school messy ponytail, to run to the store.

When I got back she was gone. I went back out a few times that night, it was pouring rain, but she didn't come back.

Then tonight Joe came in the house and said, "Better bring out that food. There's two kittens at the barn with me."

Aww, what a softie.

Maybe they belong to that mama cat?

Sure hope they stick around. They are cuddly and sweet.

And it's about this time of year, we get field mice in the garage.

H was thrilled. That's all it took for Joe to start asking if he wanted the kittens to stay here.

H has been wanting a pet for quite some time now, but with his allergies, anything more than a reptile in the house just won't work.

That guy, he acts all tough....but who can blame him.

When we came in, H says, "Thank you daddy."

Cutest thing ever.

Fall Above the Fire

2011-09-27T19:31:00.000-05:00

Fall is my all time favorite time of the year.

I was so happy to finally get my fall deco out from the basement and add a few new things.

My little man made this and I love having his art as part of our family room focal point.

This little owl bank and wooden barrel lid came from my fav antique store.

So cute up here.

Some sticks and dried flowers from JoAnne's in the vase that always sits on the mantel.

I nabbed two mini pumpkins from the farm and left up H's 2yr. old picture.

I think I'll never remove that picture. The leaves and his shirt, make his eyes look adorable and incredible. Plus those squishy little toddler cheeks.....!

Here's how the kiddo art went down.

My goodness, do I love that smile!

Happy fall!

Laundry Room Face Lift

2011-09-26T01:50:00.001-05:00

If your laundry room is anything like mine, it's not just a laundry room. It's a closet, a clothes line, a place to deposit random pocket items, recycling center, broom/mop storage, shoe drop off, and all around dust/dirt collector.

The room for cleaning out clothes is probably about the dirtiest room in our home any given day.

But still, it's the first room off of the garage, and therefore, often the door friends and family use.

What a great first impression right?!

"Hello, please come in and plow your way through the clothes pile, overflowing recycling, and general dusty disarray....."

After I swiped these hooks from the laundry room to use in the entry way, it was really in need of a face lift (and a good cleaning, but one thing at a time!)

I had this bright idea about using all different styles of hooks on the wall and staggering the height so that H could reach some too, but when I got to Lowes they only had one style in the color I wanted. Yeah, that didn't go over so well. Once I get going on a project, I don't like hold ups so I got these:

The middle color is what I was looking for, but I figured the silver could be fixed with a little spray paint. Have I mentioned how much I love spray paint?

A while back I picked up this frame at my favorite little antique shop. Joe brought me home some chicken wire and I was in business.

A little cutting, a little more spray paint, and a

little staple gunning (I'm thinking that's probably not a a word, right?).

And now...

So now when people enter in our little messy room, at least there will be ONE cute organized space on the wall. Maybe someday I'll find a solution to our other laundry room issues.

Maybe.