From KS to PA

Sweet!!

2012-02-15T08:07:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of what was left of our combined loot the morning after V-Day. The cupcakes were from two different members (remember I said morning after so there are a few missing).

Emily has 24 kids in her class and Palmer has 12. That means they got about 34 Valentine's plus a few extra from other friends and the ones they made for themselves. OY!

Bret does not have a real sweet tooth. Candy can sit around for weeks right out in front of him and he never gets tempted. Palmer is the same way. Palmer would much rather have cupcakes than candy. We gave each of his friends one of those sticky and stretch bugs instead of candy. Emily gave sugar free gum. In return we got A LOT of candy. Most of Palmer's class gave one piece of candy with a little card. Emily's class all gave filled treat bags.

Emily, Logan, and I are the worst about candy. I have to literally hide it from us. I have candy hidden all over my kitchen and freezer. If it is out in plain site I will eat and Logan will beg for it. Emily knows this about me so she hides her own candy. What a bad habit I have created!!

Emily asked me very seriously last night what we were going to do with all of these treats! I have no idea. I hope they disappear quickly and preferably not on my thighs. Hope you had a great V-day!

Love Story

2012-02-09T08:10:00.002-08:00

Have you seen that quote that says "every love story is beautiful but ours is my favorite"? I love that quote and I feel that very strongly.

However, it's not always beautiful. Sometimes I thinking blogging gives off this perception of idealism or perfection. The reality is much, much less so. It is easy to blog about things when they are good or even great. When he does things that make him husband of the year it is very comfortable to write about. On the other hand when things are not so great it is much harder and feels too personal.

Bret brought home flowers for no reason one day last week. It was a really nice surprise and the first time he has bought me flowers in YEARS.

I could just tell you that it was just a spontaneous gesture of his love. The truth is that we had not been getting along really well for the past month or longer. No argument or issue in particular. We just were losing our temper more quickly, bickering over little things, and generally annoyed with each other. It happens sometimes. Sometimes it is just for a day or two other times for weeks. It has taken us years to learn that it is just part of living with someone for over 11 years. We are just not going to get along sometimes and that is OK.

The challenge is to work towards breaking the cycle and moving past that phase. So at the beginning of the month I mentioned to Bret that Valentine's Day was coming up and that I really wanted us to try and get along better. I suggested that we try to be nicer to each other kind of as our preparation for V-Day. Then I left it at that and focused on doing my part.

It has worked out really well. I think both of us has realized how much we take each other for granted. I also think we forgot how the little things really can make each others day go so much better. Bret didn't home for lunch one day after a long morning of surgery so the boys and I went and dropped off lunch for him at the clinic. I have been trying to stop nagging, give him time when he gets home from work to unwind, and just trying to be considerate. He has been doing things around the house without being asked, helping with bath time, cleaning up after dinner, complimenting me more, and spending less time on video games.

It probably sounds funny to say that we are working on being nicer to each other but for us it works.

The past few weeks have gone better than I could have hoped and we are both enjoying this "good" cycle. This morning for Valentine's Day he was ready with a gift that he was excited to give me. I think this is one of the first times it wasn't a last minute purchase and regardless of what it was I was happy that he thought about me ahead of time. He did really well. He got me a new Vera Bradley purse and picked it out by himself. Even better...I love it.

This year for Bret I tried something new. He gets a small gift each hour of the day today starting with his favorite breakfast before his 7 am meeting. Here is what he has in store for today:

7am- Breakfast
8am- Chapstick to condition his lips for later :)
9am- A framed picture of his family for the office to remind him of his blessings
10am- I took a mini fridge to his office and set it up
11am- I filled the fridge with diet soda and he gets to open the fridge at this time
12- His favorite Subway melt cause he knows how to melt my heart
1pm- a funny CD to listen to because he always makes me laugh
2pm- Peanut butter crackers for a snack to keep at the office
3pm- I am taking his truck to get it washed and will have it back by this time for him to see
4pm- I bought him some lottery tickets because I am the luckiest girl in the world to have him as a Valentine
5pm- I have his favorite beer at home waiting for him
6pm- I made his favorite dinner
7pm- I made his favorite pie for desert
8pm- A cigar to enjoy in the hot tub
9pm- One last beer to end the evening on a great note
10pm- :)

I know it sounds like a lot but it wasn't really. One little shopping trip and I got everything I needed. None of it was very expensive (except the fridge and it was on sale which is what gave me the idea) and most of it was just my time. So far today he has been a really good sport and I have really surprised him a couple of times. He was really excited (and very surprised) about the fridge. The look on his face really made the work of the day worth while.

This is our 12th Valentine's Day together. Some have been better than others. A lot of times we had no money so our gift to each other was doing something nice, giving our time, or sometimes a hand written note letting each other know we love each other.

Self Awareness

2012-02-01T09:06:00.000-08:00

Shortly after Logan was born his pediatrician set up a consult appointment for us to take him to a hand specialist at the Shriner's hospital in Philadelphia. It was overwhelming, scary, and yet very reassuring all at the same time. Once the doctors assured us that he was great and would be very functional and didn't need any intervention other than some therapy here and there as he got older they talked about his emotional well being.

I will never forget that when the doctor's started talking about self-awareness. Essentially they told us that although no one really knew for sure when a child first realized that they were different physically they knew that it happened very early. At the time he left it at "it will be hard but you will all get through it".

Just within the last few weeks (since he turned two) both Bret and I have noticed very clearly that Logan is beginning to become aware that his hand is different. He has a book that is called Finger, Toes, and Noses. It is a flap book that has mittens when you lift them up you see fingers, boots/toes, ear muffs/ears, etc. He keeps picking up the mitten flaps and then showing you his right hand and then his left. He looks at you with a question wanting to know why. It is kind of weird but when I asked Bret about it he too said that he noticed the same thing. Logan will put his hand in yours and grab your fingers over and over again.

The other day at the park a little girl (I think she is 3) noticed Logan's hand for the first time. She said look at your hand it is kind of funny. Why is his hand different? She meant no harm just curious. Logan in the past paid no attention to this. This time, however, he stuck his hand in his pocket (sometimes it was just his pants) and refused to bring it back out despite the little girls best efforts.

As with all of my Logan moments it pinged my heart a little, made me realize how much sooner than I had hoped we would be dealing with this, and then I dusted myself off and went to his rescue. One of the little boys who plays with them came over before I got there and said.."that is just how God made him". With the question settled they all went off to play (Logan brought his hand out when necessary to climb the slide but then put it right back when he remembered).

I told Bret that I feel unprepared on how to handle all of this. He laughed a little chuckle and hugged me. He said when are we ever prepared for this whole parenting thing. He is right but it doesn't make it any easier. So for now at least we will continue to love him no different.

Bird is the Word

2012-01-25T07:16:00.001-08:00

This year Palmer surprised me with fun birthday theme...Angry Birds. All of our kids (and Bret & I) love to play Angry Birds. Palmer is really good at the game and plays it all the time. It has also gotten very popular recently. I was very lucky that there were a lot of great ideas on Pinterest already so most of what I did was using their ideas and making them work for us.

The cake was one of the harder ones I have made. We don't really like the taste of fondant so I decided to make AB cake pops to use on the cake. I made and frosted green a large rectangle cake. We used nutterbutters to make the "wood" structures. Bret helped me cut and place them to try and make them as sturdy as possible.

PIGS!

I realized when I started putting the cake pops on the cake that I made them too big. I also forgot to put crisco into the chocolate to make the coating thinner. They still tasted pretty good. The sling shot was made from fondant and left out overnight to harden. I just used a rubber band to look like the sling.

The first activity for the kids was to make these masks. Since the kids were all 4,5, or 6 I went ahead and cut out all of the shapes so all they had to do was glue them on. I used craft foam from Walmart and stapled elastic to the sides. The kids loved them and wore them a ton.
Logan still wears his all the time.

The second activity was stick the beak on the AB. This activity was a bust. I ran out of time and didn't get the eyes/eyebrows on the birds so the kids didn't really know where the beak was supposed to go. Palmer didn't even want to play. Note to self...pin the whatever on the whatever is a great game until they are four. Afterwards...boring.

The last activity, however, made up for it. I saved boxes from Christmas and found a couple AB/PIG pillows at Walmart. We also added a couple balloons for more targets.

Palmer got a cool paper airplane from a friend of ours that came with a rubber band sling shot. Momma bird used felt and sewed a sling pouch onto it and behold an AB sling shot ready to go. We played this game over and over again. They band eventually broke so the kids just threw the bird. They still loved it.

After the games we had pizza and snacks.
Logan liked the Cheetos.

Then it was time for cake.
Palmer blew out the candles. Everyone got a bird or pig and some cake.

Palmer wanted to open his presents while his friends were still there. He started out of on the floor but was close to being trampled so I moved him to a chair. The kids were so excited it was hard to get them to back up a little or kneel or sit down.

These were the favor bags that I made for each of the kids to take home. I bought the bags at the dollar store (4/$1) and printed out the same template that was on everything. Cutting the faces out was the hardest part of the whole party. In each bag was a small Angry Birds notebook, crayons, some AB stickers, and some AB bandaides.

The most important part of the party was that the kids had fun...and they did. I was in Palmer's classroom working with the kids this week and several told me "Palmer's party was SOO much fun". That is such a good feeling. I have had several parents comment that it was a lot of fun too. I have no idea how I am going to top this.

Palmer James

2012-01-23T06:29:00.000-08:00

Dear Palmer,
Today is your 5th birthday!! Happy Birthday!

I can totally believe that you are five. This morning when I asked you if you felt any different you told me that you feel even older than five. I believe you.

Since you were born your dad and I have said that you are a little old man in a little boys body. Bret sometimes thinks that there is a lot of his grandpa Leonard in you. You would have gotten along great with all of your great grandfather's.

You make my heart melt when out of no where you tell me that you love me. Or when you say "mom, you are my favorite mom in the whole wide world". To which I reply "you are my favorite Palmer in the whole wide world".

In some ways you are my easiest kid to raise. You like routine, you have the same thing for breakfast every morning (Rice Krispies with milk and white sugar..aka a packet of Splenda), you would rather eat at home, you double check every morning whether or not you need clean underwear (only on the mornings after a bath do you not), and you follow the rules.

On the other hand you are also my most challenging kid to raise. You can be so ornery. You are definitely also my stubborn child. You once chewed the same piece of meat for over an hour until both Bret and I gave up and let you spit it out. I never thought a kid would be more stubborn than both of us together but you are. You throw fits like a champ with things aren't fair.

I know that every parent thinks that their child is brilliant. I am sure that I am no different. However, you assessment reports at school confirm what your dad and I already know. You are so smart. You got perfects on all of your preschool assessments for things you shouldn't really be ready for until April. You have tons of sight words already memorized and are so very close to reading. Math comes easy for you as well as puzzles, video games, and board games. You love to play outside and scored a ton of goals for your soccer team. Piano has been an amazing outlet of your talent. We are so very proud of you.

We have so much fun together. Your dad and I joke that we wish we could tell when you are excited. Your voice goes at least an octave higher, you start dancing around, using your hands to gesture a lot, you talk a million words a minute, and you use words like awesome for every other word. It is a great thing to experience and one I hope to see over and over again.

As close as you and I are and I hope to always be...you are still a boy. You worship your dad and adore your grandfather. You would play football in any fashion (touch, video games, watching it on TV, or just having your dad or grandfather toss you the football) every breathing moment. You long for the days you get to go to the cabin and just be.

You are an AWESOME brother, son, cousin, friend, and all round great kid. We love you to the moon and back. I hope your birthday is awesome.

Love, Mom

Kairos vs. Chronos

2012-01-20T10:42:00.000-08:00

The other day a friend on facebook linked to this article and made the comment that she could totally relate. I clicked on the below link and read one of the best articles geared towards real moms I have read in a very long time. OK, click on the link, read the article, I'll wait.

What do you think? In case you didn't feel like reading the whole article she basically states that as a mom of young kids (aka 0-20+) you get a lot of pressure to live in the moment. To constantly remember that kids grow older very quickly and that before you know they will be grown and gone.

I get this all the time especially since I am staying home with them. So many older people who have been there done that feel like it is their duty to remind us of this. I laughed out loud when the writer talked about how when she becomes one of the veteran mom's that she will tell the young mom in line that she is doing a great job, that she has great kids, and by the way let me get your grocery bill while you go on out to the car with the little ones. I think I want to be the one to buy "that mom" on the airplane a stiff drink..Ha!

So when Emily decided to paint Palmer's face with finger nail polish, Palmer decided to clean up the dog pee with a dish rag...and hang it back up, and Logan is laying on the floor throwing the most awesome tantrum because I told him he can't have another cookie I am going to remind myself that it is OK to count the clock down to nap time.

In the Greek language they had two different meanings for time. Kairos is a word for the supreme moment. Chronos is the word for the actual time moment or chronological. Fits, dog pee, fighting, spills, vomit, and the exhaustion of a rough day with no naps all fit into the chronos moments of my life. I will get through this with hopefully no one getting hurt to live another day and try again tomorrow.

The Kairos moments in my life are what I consider God's little blessings that I stumble upon each day. It's when Logan turns my head an plants a wet kiss on me and says "wub you momma" out of no where. It's when Emily get's a punch in school for a great day and is so excited to TELL ME about it. It's Palmer sitting in my lap to read a book or watch a movie and I smell his hair that is an amazing combination of little boy sweat and fruity shampoo.

I, like the author, have both of these types of moments in my life everyday. Even when the chronos moments are really really hard I would never trade them or give them up. I feel like they are part of my journey in life. On the other hand I think it is so important for us women to be real with each other. Encouraging each other is great. Pretending that is easy for us and someone else must be doing it wrong...not OK.

Happy Birthday Dad

2012-01-19T06:59:00.000-08:00

Today is my dad's 60th birthday. It has been a hard earned year for the both of us.

Over the holidays I had my dad over to make some Christmas cookies and candies. It was a great day. Dad and the boys had a lot of fun spending time together making food and memories.

There have been so many times in the past few years when I have all but given up on my dad. He has made me so disappointed and frustrated that at times I didn't even want to talk to him let alone have a relationship with him. The one thing that kept me trying is my kids.

My dad is a great grandfather to my kids. They adore their papa and I am so glad. All three of the kids have created their own relationship with him that is so special to both parties. The kids feel like his nursing home and his room is their special place. Dad always has snacks for them, he plays games with them, or he lets them sit on his bed and watch cartoons or whatever they want. He gives them rides on his wheel chair and plays his harmonica for them.

He loves to listen to them play the piano and hangs all of the pictures that they draw for him with such pride. He has their pictures and the pictures of my nephew proudly displayed for all to see. Dad went to Palmer's soccer game and watched Emily swim. He is as much a part of their lives as possible.

When we moved back this was my goal. I wanted my kids to know him. I wanted him to know them. Regardless of everything else that has (for lack of a better word) sucked this has been good. This has been the hidden blessing. So today we celebrate his birthday. I made his favorite cake and we are taking him out to eat. The kids will sing happy birthday and share his piece of cake when they finish their own. They will hug and kiss and tell him how much he is loved. They will warm his heart as grandchildren are meant to do.

Christmas Morning

2012-01-18T07:40:00.000-08:00

Every year for the past seven years our Christmas traditions and when we open presents and when Santa comes has been a little different. It drives me crazy. Our traditions have been moved around depending on Bret's work schedule, when we were going to be with family, and when we were going to go to mass. I am not saying that these are not good reasons to revolve around. What I am saying is that I always thought we would make traditions that would stick. As a kid we always opened presents on Christmas Eve.

This year was once again a little different than the previous years. We opened our presents on Christmas Eve after we got home from mass and had dinner. Since we were hosting Christmas lunch (with 25 guests) we decided it was best to have the present mania done the night before. Santa came that morning. Palmer and Logan's gift from Santa was big this year so Santa had to be creative in how he got them to their gifts.

That Santa is sure creative :)

Santa had a ribbon with each of the kid's name on it leading them to their gift.

Brinley and Emily had their gifts in the living room because they were smaller in size. Palmer had gotten sick the night before (the beginning of our battle with the stomach virus) so you can notice the pink puke bowl that he faithfully carried around with him for two days. Logan is not wearing any pants as a causality of sleeping with said sick brother to make room for our overnight guests.

It was kind of sad that Palmer didn't feel good on Christmas morning. He was such a trooper. In all the excitement I missed the money shot of him looking out the front door to see his 4-wheeler that he so desperately had been asking for for over a year. Palmer opened the door to follow his ribbon. He and grandpa looked outside and when Palmer saw what he was looking at he said "oh!! OH!! OHH!! it's my 4-wheeler". It was awesome. He ran outside and just as quickly ran back inside because it was really cold. That is my Palmer...so practical.

Then we followed Logan's ribbon downstairs. We have a lot of stairs. Logan loved his play house. He kicked Emily out of it right away saying "MINE". He would stick his head out the window and say "hi mom! hi dad!"

It was such a great Christmas. We were so very happy to be home and so very blessed. I hope that all of you had an amazing Christmas also.

Spelling

2012-01-17T06:41:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago Emily came home and announced that "we" needed to practice her spelling more to help her get ready for the weekly tests.

Emily's weekly spelling test has 12 words and 2-3 sentences using words that are not part of the original 12 words. Every week they have a practice test on Wednesday. If they score a 100% on the practice test then they get a sticker or pencil and they don't have to take the actual test on Friday, instead they get free time in the classroom as long as they are quiet. Emily had never gotten a 100%.

Feeling a little guilty for not noticing that she needed help I jumped right in and started testing Emily daily on her spelling words. It wasn't until that day that I really looked at her spelling tests (they come home once a month) and that last month had gotten worse with a few B's and one C. To help her even more I downloaded an app on the ipad that allowed me to input her words for the week. The app then tested her and to her it felt like a game. Emily has gotten 3 100% in the last month and only missed one on all of the other tests. The improvement has been awesome and she is so proud of herself.

Wipe Out

2012-01-13T10:39:00.000-08:00

Have you guys ever watched the show Wipeout? The kids and Bret love it. They crack up everytime someone bounces off their head or gets sucker punched. I can't help but laugh too when someone is running a long and out of no where gets knock off into the water. I learned this weak that getting wiped out is not so fun.

We had an amazing break (stomach bug aside) and had a lot of fun at the Cotton Bowl (even though our team lost). Coming back was another story. Trying to get all of my Christmas decor put away, laundry caught up, and our family of 5 back into routine was rough.

On Monday one of Bret's partners from work had a National Championship watch party to cheer on her beloved Roll Tide team. The game didn't start until 7:30 and we had very clear intentions of leaving by 8:15 so that our already tired kids would get to bed at a decent time. Instead we left just before half time and the kids got to bed just after nine. Not to bad right? Not so.

The first of my Wipeout experiences felt like getting sucker punched by surprise the next day. I can see myself in slow motion going "nooooo" and falling into the water. I went to pick Palmer up from preschool and it took me a minute to notice that he wasn't running towards me and the car like usual. Instead his head was bowed and he was walking besides his teacher. Not good people not good. His teacher proceeded to explain that Palmer and some other kids were playing tag at recess and things were getting too rough. The teacher asked Palmer and the other kids to stop. She had to ask Palmer a second and third time and told him he was not allowed to play tag anymore. This apparently made Palmer upset so when the teacher asked the kids to line up Palmer refused. The teacher then told Palmer he couldn't be the door holder that day (which was his job for the week) and this upset him even more so he threw down his hat and gloves and begrudgedly went inside.

I know that Palmer was tired and grumpy which made his reasoning skills and temper not a good combo for the day. So knowing that made me feel a little bad for him. On the other hand no mom likes to be "talked to" by the teacher about their child's behavior. Since this was his first infraction and because we knew he was really tired (and it was our fault) we went a little easy on him. He got a stern talking to from both of his parents and grounded from the TV and all other electronics for two days. I think Palmer understands how serious it was. Ironically it wasn't until he told Emily why he couldn't watch TV and he saw her horrified reaction that it really sank in how bad his actions were.

Moving right along this weeks course and I thought the worst was over. Again yesterday I went to the school to pick up my other kid, Emily. Emily has to "flip her card" every now and then but almost always for talking or not listening. Over all she rarely gets into "trouble".

This time my surprise was even more evident like the ones who are running a long and out of no where the wall moves out to knock them into the water. There stands Emily with her teacher. The teacher tells Emily to head to the car..which surprises me even more. The teacher tells me that today at recess Emily paid another girl in her class $2 to play with her. The girl took the money but then refused to play with Emily. Emily got upset and when asked by the teacher what was going on she wanted me to know from her (the teacher) and that she was going to be addressing why anyone would need to pay someone to play with them. I promised to talk about it with Emily.

I asked Emily about what happened and she told me that no wants to play with her and she has no friends. The sadness in her voice and the look in her eyes broke my heart right there in the car sitting next to her. Emily said that everyone has their own friends and that they don't want her as a new friend. She said that the kids are not mean to her but they don't include her either. She said she missed PA and her old friends.

We had no idea. Emily is such an outgoing kid. She loves school, gets invited to birthday parties, and seemed like the move was going great for her. We talked briefly about how paying people to be your friend isn't really a good solution (which she reminded me that she already figured out on her own). She had piano lessons and swimming so we dropped it and decided to talk about it later. I did what I do best and took the boys home and went and cried in my room.

When Bret got home we talked about it some more. Both of us can very clearly remember the struggles in making friends as kids. Bret told me a really sad story about a group of kids who had a club house and secret membership. Trying to buy his way into the group he made secret club flip badges for all of the kids. This plan also backfired when the kids laughed at them and threw them all in the trash.

I know that all kids go through this in some way or another. My first instinct is to fix it. To have more play dates for her and to help her try and make friends. On the other hand I want her to get through this on her own to help her grow and learn how to deal with this in the future. I feel like I don't know what to do. Both of us talked her some more last night. We talked about doing what the other kids want to play instead of what she wants to play all the time. Reminded her not to be bossy and to stop worrying about who was friends with her so much. We talked about doing what she thinks is fun on her own at recess (like the monkey bars) and that if kids see she is having fun they will want to play with her. I felt very unprepared to give advice on making friends when sometimes I feel like it is still hard for me too. We told her that too. Most of all we told her that we loved her and that she was an awesome person who will make friends.

I am so thankful that it is Friday and that I can start with a new week fresh. I am hopeful for no new surprises for a while.

Logan is 2

2012-01-05T05:44:00.000-08:00

Logan Blaine,

Today is your second birthday. I am so sorry that we are not home with you to celebrate. I know that you had an amazing time at the Great Wolf Lodge with your brother and sister and I hope that someday when you realize that your mom missed your second birthday you will be OK with it.

Every year that you kids get older it feels like the years go faster than the one before. In the past year you learned to walk, run, and talk. You have grown into a fiercely independent, stubborn, affectionate, and loving little boy. You love to play with any kind of ball or anything that has wheels. You adore your siblings and could play all day with your dog. You are my shadow during the days and love to sit on my lap and share anything that I am eating or drinking. You give the best kisses and have the most onery smile. You are the only kid we have ever had go and put themselves down for a nap during the day when you are tired. You make my heart smile everyday.

Love,

Mama

Mom's Guilt

2012-01-02T11:32:00.000-08:00

For the first time since our honeymoon Bret and I are going to leave our kids for a few days and take a trip south to the Cotton Bowl to cheer on our beloved Wildcats.

We have been very fortunate to go on several vacations and we have always taken our kids. We love to travel and we have never minded taking the kids with us. Because family had been so far from us the past several years it was always easier to take the kids and we never really had the money to take any extra vacations just us.

Now that both of those little hurdles seemed to have gone away we thought..why not? Bret's parents graciously offered to take on my herd and manage the home front for a few days.

At one point I almost completely backed out when I realized that we were going to miss Logan's second birthday. Bret was not to be swayed. So we decided to celebrate Logan's birthday early by taking the kids to the Great Wolf Lodge for a few days. We have never been there and all of our kids love the water. It is going to be a great little trip before the kids go back to school and before we go out of town.

I know Logan is little and will not know the difference. I also know that we are also still celebrating his birthday...just a little early. I am the only person who is at all stressed about this. I tried to explain to Bret that between the three kids this will be the 13th birthday celebration and the first one we have ever missed. It will be fine. We are going to have a great time at the indoor water park and plan to eat at the T-Rex cafe for his birthday dinner. The kids are looking forward to a few days afterwards with the grandparents and we will be back before we know it.

Happy New Year

2011-12-31T08:23:00.000-08:00

This time of year I am always amazed at what the past year has held. I always hope for a less eventful (aka stressful) year and yet we always manage to survive and come out of everything OK.

2011 was as busy of a year as any we have ever had. Bret finished residency, started a new job, passed his boards, and weathered a few storms professionally. I quit my job to stay home and steadied the boat that is our family as we made some major transitions. Moving, buying a house, furnishing said house, an amazing vacation, getting the kids started in new schools, saying good bye to our closest friends, and making new friends are just a few of our major points of the year. Not to mention welcoming a new niece. Moving both of my parents closer to us and helping them get settled was also a major part of our past year. 2011 went so fast. We are so thankful for all of our blessings..our health, job, home, family, and friends to name a few. I am thankful for all of you and hope that you have a very Happy New Year's and that 2012 is an even better year for all us.

Conced

2011-12-29T08:00:00.000-08:00

Round 4: Adriana was hit hard on Tuesday night. After four hours of being terribly sick she conceded and spent all of yesterday in bed trying to regain her strength.

Round 5: Bret was convinced that he felt great and wasn't going to get sick. So he took the older two kids and a close friend that was visiting to our favorite Italian restaurant for dinner. About 11:00 last night he regretted this decision. After getting sick the first time he came to bed and announced that that was it he felt better and was sure he was not going to be sick all night like Adriana was. Adriana smiled and patted his shoulder. She told him that all four of the rest of them got sick about once every half hour for five hours. Good luck. Needless to say Bret followed the same pattern. Many points are given to Bret though because although he was sick all night he got up and showered and went to work. He had three surgeries this morning and said that if he had to he would just get fluids in a drip at the hospital. Still feeling weak today Adriana didn't that was too bad of a plan.

We are hopeful that this junk is now over and gone. We have a lot going on next week so we need to be healthy. You won this match stomach bug but let's hope it's a long time before we meet again.

Not so Victorious

2011-12-27T17:28:00.000-08:00

And in this corner we have Bret and Adriana the seasoned parents of three, Emily, Palmer, and Logan. The have had a long on going battle with the challenger...The Stomach Bug. Thanks to their last man standing, Bret this family managed to break even with the bug about a year ago.

Round 1: Palmer was hit first and caught the parents off guard Christmas Eve night. Adriana wavered slightly when she deliriously told Palmer to stop running thinking he was headed for the presents downstairs when in reality he was making a mad dash to the toilet. Luckily their strong side, Bret caught the mistake and corrected it just in time. Round 1 goes to the parents for maintaining the mess and getting Palmer through the night and recovered enough to still enjoy Christmas Day. Although having gotten up several times during the night the parents still managed to host 25 family members that day for a 12:00 Christmas Lunch.

Round 2: The Stomach Virus laid dormant all Christmas Day and night leaving the parents to believe he had been defeated. Instead it made a surprise visit that caught the parents off guard by attacking the youngest team member Logan late the night of the 26th of December. The parents and Logan took a beating with the little one getting sick a couple of times every hour from 9pm until 2am. Although the Stomach Virus left Logan only a little weaker and tireder than before it made itself known the aftermath of diapers that were almost worse than the vomit. Round 2 goes to the Stomach Virus.

Round 3: Little time was given to the parents to recover for round three when Emily got sick first thing this morning. She has managed to get through it with the bathroom close by and long naps to sleep it off. Round three goes to the parents for teaching their oldest how to make it to the bathroom in time, rest when not feeling well, and take it easy with fluids and food until the stomach virus has passed.

Stay tuned to see if further rounds (hopefully not) manage to surface.

Happy Holidays!

Never Stop Believing

2011-12-23T11:22:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. The mood in my house with three small children is euphoric. As a mom I struggle to encourage the excitement of presents and Santa while balancing the true meaning and reason for the season.

Bret mentioned the other day that we should enjoy this Christmas because it might be the last one that Emily believes. He was about second grade when he stopped believing. His words stopped me cold. I couldn't believe that our little girl was almost old enough to know about Santa. It made me really sad. In fact the other night when we as a family were watching the Polar Express I cried just a little thinking about Emily.

I was older than second grade when I found out about Santa and I remember it being a really sad Christmas for me. Not so much finding out as the fact that it was also one of the first years I didn't get a lot of toys and more clothes. It was a feeling of not being a kid anymore and losing some Christmas' magic. It was also the first of many years that my parents were fighting a lot.

I saw a pin on http://www.pinterest.com/ the other day that was a letter from a mom to her daughter about the truth about Santa. It made me realize that I wanted to think about how I handled this with Emily. I want her to understand that Santa as a person may not be real what he stands for and what he represents is very real. For now I am thankful that she is excited and still believes. We will cross that bridge when we get to it.

Tasters and Helpers

2011-12-22T06:46:00.000-08:00

This week has been filled with Christmas baking and candy making around our home. Every year I have a set of recipes that I make. I usually make care packages for our neighbors, the labor floor, the clinic, and of course the rest is for us.

Emily and Palmer both enjoy sweets. Palmer's favorite is the cookies. He loves the peanut butter kiss cookies and the sugar cookies. He loves to help make them and he loves to help eat them. This year I invited my dad to come and help make some of the treats. It was a lot of fun...and a lot of work.

It was fun to see him and Palmer try to work together. Palmer is a rule follower and my dad is a "let's try it and see how it goes" kind of guy. I made the dough for the peanut butter kiss cookies and let the two of them roll them into balls and dip them into sugar. They were also responsible for the kiss part too.

Palmer kept telling my dad that it wasn't doing it right. Dad just wanted to try and get it done faster and not so perfect. It was fun.

I think dad enjoyed the day. I was exhausted afterwards but it was worth it.

Emily's favorite treat is the people puppy chow. She could eat it all in one sitting if I let her. Logan likes it all...especially chocolate.

He has eaten so much chocolate this week it boggles me. Nothing is safe when Logan is around. He pulls chairs over to the counter and uses his teeth to open containers. He carries the ones he can't get open to Emily or Palmer while they are watching TV and gets them to open them because they are not paying attention. He cannot be left alone in the kitchen and my candy that is trying to set up has to be watched constantly. It is a new battle that I am seriously loosing. Logan loves it and wants all of it so much more than his brother and sister ever have. Palmer will ask for a cookie and then be good until several hours later. Emily will eat it once a day. Logan follows me around asking for a cookie ALL DAY and then he gets frustrated and tries to go get it himself.

I am not a strict mom when it comes to that stuff I rarely say no unless it is right before a meal or they don't eat their meal. However, Logan has taken it to an entirely new level. I put together my care packages and got a large amount of the food out of the house. The rest of us are all doing our best to help get rid of some the food also :)

My Little Beethovens

2011-12-21T07:05:00.000-08:00

Both Bret and I took piano lessons for YEARS when we were growing up. Both of us are so appreciative to our parents for encouraging (forcing at times) us to do this. There have been many proven benefits to learning to play an instrument (do better in school, read better, increase IQ, helps with concentration, etc). It can also be a lot of fun.

The piano that we have it old. It was my grandmother's. My father practiced piano on it when he was a child. It is the piano my sister and I practiced on. Now my kids practice on it too. Shortly after we moved here I began my search for a piano teacher. There are two well known ones here in town. One does not start kids until second grade. So the other it was going to be. Emily loves playing the piano and she does well at it. I still sit with her during most of practices and it has been so good for the two of us to work on this together. She loves her teacher.

Once a month the two teachers in town have a recital at a local nursing home. This too has been so good for her. Before she begins to play she is required to announce her name, age, school, and piece that she is going to play. Public speaking!

About a month after Emily started playing I noticed that Palmer constantly hovered over her while she practiced. Palmer had always loved playing on the piano. On this particular occasion I saw something that really surprised me. Palmer was correcting Emily. If she didn't hold a note long enough he told her. If her hands were in the wrong position he would tell her. I even heard him play a song later that she had been playing.

So I started to work with Palmer out of Emily's books. Bret was in strong support of talking to the piano teacher about starting Palmer in lessons also. At first she said no. The teacher told me that she waits until they can read. At least kindergarten she said especially for boys because of their fine motor skills. Palmer can't read but he is so close. I asked her to try it and see. I told her that I had been working with him already and that since I am home during the day we can take a morning or afternoon lesson. She finally agreed to try it and see how it goes. I offered to pay for the full time even if he only lasted 10 minutes.

The teacher was amazed and told me so. She said that in her 25 years of teaching she had never taught a student so young (he is 4) and was very surprised at how well he does. Palmer has had two recitals now and he loves it more than ever. Both of my kids played for their great grandmother's 93 birthday party at her nursing home. Palmer plays everyday sometimes by himself sometimes with me. It is so good for him to be challenged and engaged in something.

I had another mom ask me who Emily takes lessons from and I when I told her that both my kids take lessons from this certain teacher the mom smiled. She said that teacher played for her church and was talking about this amazing four year old she was teaching. Our teacher is very talented. One of the most talented pianists I have seen. At one of the last recitals she played a piece that was incredible. Palmer loved listening to her play and said he is going to play like that someday. Maybe. For as long as he loves it we will continue to encourage it. If tomorrow he doesn't want to play anymore we will take a break for a few years and see how it goes.

Snow Day!!

2011-12-20T06:56:00.000-08:00

We are snowed in here in our little town in Kansas. This far south in the state doesn't see that much snow each year. Snow days here are much appreciated and are considered a rare treat. I have also learned that the snow is needed for the moisture for the many farmers' crops as well. So yeah for a snow day!

Snow days are such a special part of growing up. As a mom I look forward to the day filled with staying in our PJ's until late, the kid's red cheeks from playing outside, warm hot cocoa, holiday baking and cookie decorating, and maybe curling up to watch a Christmas movie later. I am so thankful that I can be home with my kids and enjoy this day with them. Palmer was up so early this morning watching the news trying to figure out if his school was canceled. He told me last night before he went to sleep that he has been praying really hard for snow. He was so excited to see it coming down. His Christmas break has now officially started. Emily will probably have school tomorrow and then she will be out too.

Can we really be only a few days from Christmas? The time has gone so quickly. I am almost ready. I have a few last minute gifts left to buy, a handful of presents to wrap, some neighbor gift baskets to deliver, and my house to clean one last time before guests arrive, oh and a playhouse from Santa to help assemble (aka bug Bret to get it done). Are you ready for Christmas?

Ready for the Holidays

2011-12-09T07:51:00.000-08:00

I have been online shopping, shopping locally, wrapping presents, trying to figure out Christmas cards, baking, listening to Christmas music, and planning for the biggest and craziest holiday we have had in YEARS. I LOVE it and am so ready for it.

We found out a few weeks ago that Bret is going to be on call for the entire Christmas four day weekend. Call isn't that bad. He has to take phone calls, round on patients, and occasionally go in to the hospital (to deliver those babies or if there is an emergency). The bad news was that we were not going to be able to leave town for the entire holiday.

Solution? Celebrate here. So Bret's immediate family comes in on Christmas eve, then his whole extended family comes in on Christmas day. My immediate family comes in Christmas night and will stay until the next day. Oh, yeah I also forgot to mention that Bret volunteered our house for the clinic Christmas party (it is potluck) on the 16th. We have also been to two Christmas parties and have to more to go besides ours.

This time of year was so different living away from family. We celebrated with Bret's coworkers and close friends. We planned a trip back to KS after Christmas and then went back to work. We worried about transporting packages to KS (usually having them shipped). We cooked a big meal for just us and went through the motions of recreating the holidays we remembered with family. It was very special for our little family but very different.

We couldn't be happier to have family all around us and to be welcomed so graciously into this tiny community with such open arms. We are so very very thankful for all of the many blessings this year.

The "woman" in my life

2011-11-29T14:35:00.000-08:00

I have a very dear friend whose birthday is today. We have been friends since freshman year in high school. We lived together in college and are closer than ever. We have always called each other "woman".

Memories made with woman include walking home from many a parties, random guys falling through my window thinking it was her window in the middle of the night, a very funny "you have got to be kidding me" comment involving a Riley guy, all night drives to Colorado to drink/ski/see current boyfriends for the weekend, a crazy spring break trip to Padre (getting lost in Mexico), every single home kstate game for four years and the tailgating, and playing HOURS of Dr. Mario on the Nintendo.

After all of these years though there are a few memories that stand out as my top ones so far.

5. Cheering on our other two roommates when they started a knock down drag out fight with each other instead of trying to break it up.

4. Kicking out the friends of one of our roommate because he was the guy who pissed in our living room at a previous party he didn't remember.

3. When you grounded Crow from pissing at our apartment for a year for leaving the seat up and you fell in during the middle of the night.

2. Breaking into the Beta Sig house (our neighbors) to "borrow" needed cooking tools and supplies to make sugar cookies for Christmas.

1. When you turned down this dorky guy wearing a Dolphin's jersey after a concert (he was in the band) when he asked you for your phone number and I took it anyways to spare his feelings. Then I got you drunk and convinced you to call him. Turns out he made you a pretty good husband and gave you two amazing kids.

Woman has always been the kind of friend I needed when I needed it. We could talk everyday or once every few months and pick up right where we left off. When I think about us I think about the two of us as two old ladies that spend our afternoons playing each other in cards or something. I love ya woman! I hope that you have an amazing birthday and love that you will always be older than me :)

Bucket List

2011-11-25T09:39:00.000-08:00

Today is my 31st birthday. So far I think the 30's are kicking the 20's ass. I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and those of you who shopped got some great deals.

This past summer Bret, the kids, and I went with his family to Hawaii to celebrate his graduation. It was the most amazing trip any of us has ever taken. The kids still talk about all of the amazing things we did and got to see. Palmer regularly asks Bret when we are going back. He has a list of what he wants to do again when we do.

One of the awesome things that Bret and I did was go scuba diving. We got certified while we were still living in PA. That experience deserves a post all it's own.

This was one of the many things on my bucket list. Life is so full and amazing. I hope to live every single day to the very fullest savoring the little things. So for my 31st birthday post here is 31 things off of my bucket list that I have yet to complete.

In no particular order:

Eat my way through Italy

Learn how to make amazing bread

Go whale watching

Write a novel

Learn how to knit

Kiss my husband under the Eiffel tower

Go to my mom's home country, Colombia and meet her family and see where she grew up

Give enough money to something to have something named after me

Make my husband cannoli's to die for

Take my kids horse back riding

Run some kind of race (let's be realistic here I think a 5K is awesome...maybe a 1/2 marathon)

Teach my kids how to ski

See the great pyramids of Egypt with Ossama and meet his family

Scuba dive off the coast of Australia

Go to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade

Kiss in Time's Square at Midnight on New Year's Even

Take dance lessons...WITH my husband

Eat sushi in Japan

Tour the Vatican

Sample wine at a vineyard

Sleep in a real castle

Watch a World Cup Game in person

See KState play football in the championship game (in person would be nice)

Learn how to arrange fresh flowers

Wave from the top of the great wall of China

Run for office

Serve in a soup kitchen on Christmas Eve

Visit all 50 states

Play in the rain with my kids

Make my kids laugh so hard they pee themselves

Blow Glass

Hidden Blessings

2011-11-23T09:12:00.000-08:00

The other day at my mom's bible study group one of the mom's was talking about reading something called 365 blessings. She explained that this woman wanted to focus on all of the many blessings in her life so she blogged each day about a different blessing. She said that at first it was all of the obvious big things like family, health, jobs, house, etc. After a while it was smaller things that were still big like great weather, getting to work on time, fresh pot of coffee already made, etc.

After a while she started to look for things that were blessings that she might not have thought of as blessings. Sometimes things that make us unhappy or that seem really hard can be blessings in disguise.

A family member that is close to me once wrote an article for her church talking about how getting breast cancer was one of her greatest blessings. She talked about how much more she appreciated her life and loved her family and especially how much closer it brought her to God.

This year as I think about the many many blessings in my life I have thought about some of the harder blessings too. It has been an amazing year for my family. We all have our health and Bret has a great job. We bought an amazing house and have really settled in to our new community making lots of new friends. We are closer to family for the first time in years. It will be our first Thanksgiving back in KS since before we moved. I am so so thankful for all of these things.

Then there are is the one harder blessing that I struggle with. Just weeks after we got settled here in our new town my dad made the decision to transfer nursing homes to our little town also. He went without my knowledge and got everything started. The next thing I knew I had doctors, social workers, directors of nursing, and the nursing home directors calling me. I had asked him to wait a few months so that we could get unpacked. He was very unhappy where he was and decided to move anyways.

Having my dad close by living in a nursing home has been really tough. The kids and I go visit him a couple times a week. He calls at least twice a day. He calls Bret at least four or five times a week. As his medical power of attorney they call me about every doctor visit, any changes to his meds, and any concerns that they have about his change in health. As his child they call me in regularly about plans of care, rehab, and disagreements with the nurses/other residents/etc. I go to mediation meetings. I come up with ideas of things to keep him busy and try to take him things that make him happy.

He is personally struggling with being a 59 year old man living in a nursing home. I know that. His limited independence has been a hard pill to swallow. He wants to be able to go wherever he wants to when he wants to. It doesn't work that way anymore. He has good days and bad days. His emotions are always all over the place. He is lonely and bored. Nothing I do ever is enough. He gets mad that I can't come visit more often. He gets mad when he feels like I am not including him. He gets upset when we go out of town because he wishes he could come too. He tells me that he is least important person in my life. That if I have time to post pictures to Facebook why can't I come see him more often. He thinks that we are ashamed of him. He threatens to move to a different nursing home in a different town regularly. He tells my sister, aunt, uncle, his friends that I don't come see him ever. Then hours later he tells me he is sorry and that he loves me. He tells me he knows that I am doing the best that I can. He cries, yells, and you never know which it is going to be. It is exhausting.

Taking care of my dad even though he lives in a nursing home is one of the hardest things I have ever done. The guilt, frustration, and hurt feelings circle around me all the time. Sometimes I don't want to answer his phone calls. Sometimes I don't even want to go visit him. Sometimes I wish he would move away so that we only had to visit a few times a month like my siblings do. Then I feel terrible for feeling that way.

We are going to my sister's house for Thanksgiving and he is very hurt. He thinks we are going out of town so that we don't have to include him.

In the past year I have prayed a lot about my dad. That he find happiness and peace in his new circumstances. That I find patience and compassion no matter what. For the past few weeks I have prayed that I find the blessing. I love my dad. My kids love my dad. He is their papa. Logan loves going to visit him. They know who he is and he is getting to know them. My dad is becoming a special part of my family in a way that he otherwise never would have. On good days my dad is witnessing my love and how much I do for him. Most of the time we have good visits. They are never long enough or often enough but we do what we can.

Taking care of him has challenged me personally in way nothing else ever has. I am thankful that he is alive. I am thankful that I get the opportunity to be the kind of daughter I always wanted to be. I just didn't know it was going to be so hard. I am still working on seeing the blessing but I know that it is there.

Deck the Halls

2011-11-21T06:32:00.000-08:00

This weekend Bret and I went to a charity dinner. We get invited to a lot of charity dinners and fundraisers and so far this year we haven't been able to make it due to other obligations. This was one we wanted to make for sure because it was for a great cause. In our little town there is a child development center. This organization offers free services to children at all levels of need. They offer services for children with speech, hearing, mental, and physical needs. They came and evaluated Logan and have been working with him on some speech things and some physical therapy to build up his left shoulder more. It is an amazing organization and they do everything absolutely free of charge. They will only bill insurance if you give them permission but anything insurance will not cover is still covered by the organization.

So the event is a lot of fun. It is a very dressy event and they had great appetizers and desserts to eat. It was a cash bar and this mama brought her purse :) Bret was on call so he drank diet Coke all night.

The event was a Christmas theme. There was a silent auction and a live auction. They had fully trimmed trees that we auctioned off for $1000's of dollars. They had nativity sets, pictures, toys for kids, and all kinds of things. We bid on a lot of things but most things quickly went well outside of our price range. The only thing I bid on that I really really wanted but didn't get was an outdoor nativity set. It was amazing. Bret and I joked because we never made it to that side of the room so I only saw a picture in the program and what they were showing around the room and on the screen. If I had seen the whole set before hand I wouldn't have stopped at the $$$ that I did. Let's just leave it at the bottom line that it went for $700.

So the end of the night was drawing near and we still had not bought anything. Like I said before we had talked before hand that we wanted to leave a donation (besides my drink tab and the cost of our tickets to get in).

Behold what we purchased. Again we only saw this from across the room. I saw the lighted branches at the top and thought it looked nice. A couple girls around me said they liked it and that it would look nice out on our porch. I was a few drinks in and although sober Bret was in the mood to bid too. So bid we did. Surprisingly enough we got this thing for less than the valued price..but not by much. It is OK. It looks nice on the porch all lit up. It is not something I would have bought at the store. I am not crazy about the snow balls. They seem a little out of place. Oh, well...it was for a good cause and they delivered it. This sucker is huge!!

My mom thought it was funny. It is really big and not at all like something Bret and I would normally use to decorate. It is growing on me.

So speaking of decorating for Christmas I had someone come out and give me an estimate to put up lights. I had to sit down. It was a lot. Bret said it was still a lot less than what it would cost us for him to break an arm/hand/etc. It's true but still a lot. I had already priced the cost of the lights and it was a lot too. When we bought this house both Bret and I commented that we had already pictured what it would look like at Christmas. We just didn't picture the cost of making it look like that. So I am getting another estimate.

Although I am the one is all about the Christmas decorations for the first time ever Bret is totally on board. I figured he would take some convincing but he has even done some online Christmas shopping for the kids already. You guys this is the guy who barely gets me a present in time for me to wrap for myself some years. He even suggested we get a big wreath. I am not sure who this guy is anymore. The biggest shocker was when we were on the way to the charity dinner he played Christmas music in his truck. Christmas music before Thanksgiving is a big deal but willingly is even bigger.

Stay tuned for pictures when we finally gets some decorations actually up!

"That Mom"

2011-11-17T06:18:00.001-08:00

This past weekend Emily had her first swim meet. I was so nervous we didn't know what to expect. Emily did awesome. She even metaled! She is so tiny that I worried that she wouldn't do well. Not that it matters to me but she really wanted to do well. She told me that she just wanted one metal. I knew that with close to 300 entrants that would be a tough act to pull off.

Since this was Emily's first meet it was really important that she get times in all of her events and not get disqualified. For her age (7) her two most difficult strokes are the breaststroke and the butterfly. She got disqualified in the breastroke but timed great in the butterfly.

This is Emily getting ready for the 25 meter backstroke. She did awesome.
Look at the girls behind her...notice any size difference?
I would just like to point out the girl on the block next to Emily's. Her leg is as big as Emily is. This was Emily doing the 50 meter freestyle. They don't have an 8 and under range for the 50 so she gets bumped up to 12 and under. It didn't bother her at all.

This is Emily's swim coach. When I first talked to her about Emily joining the swim team she gave me some resistance. She doesn't usually start the kids until they are 8. She is now one of Emily's biggest supporters.
Some of the older kids wrote on their backs for encouragement for their meet. Emily loved the idea and had one of the older girls write on her back too.

Overall it was an awesome experience and we can't wait for this weekends' meet. Every time Emily got ready to swim in a race my heart raced and tears pooled in my eyes. I can't believe I became "that mom" so quickly. I am so proud of her. At one point she took the lead in her heat and I got so choked up I could barely speak let alone cheer out loud for her. Of course I quickly got it together and started yelling my head off. This video is of Emily in her backstroke race. She won her heat and looked awesome!

Adriana

Which Season?

2011-11-07T08:35:00.000-08:00

I love Thanksgiving. My birthday is the 25th of November so I have always claimed Thanksgiving as one of my favorites. I love the food, family, and the spirit of giving thanks. We look forward to it every year and celebrate it with much gusto each year. One year even though it was just the four of us I cooked the entire meal (turkey, stuffing, potatoes, rolls, green bean casserole, pies, etc, etc).

That said I am admitting to a little secret. I start thinking about Christmas the first of November. Bret has a rule that no decorations show themselves until the day after Christmas (which is when our tree and everything goes up). However that does not preclude me from looking or listening (when he is not around). I spent more time than I care to admit browsing Pinterest and listening to Christmas music on Pandora as I dreamed about what decorations I am going to use in this house.

I have looked online and through tons of catalogs dreaming about our tree this year and what classy decorations for the house I want. I have my Christmas shopping lists made and have looked at Christmas cards to order. My head and heart are ready for December.

I don't think it takes away from Thanksgiving. In our house it is such a joyous time of year that I am eager to extend it in my mind as long as possible. So how about you? Do you hate hearing Christmas music early and seeing all the decorations in the stores or are you anxiously ready too?

Belated

2011-11-06T20:29:00.000-08:00

During the month of October 3 very important women in my life celebrate their birthdays. I just wanted to take a moment to tell them all that they are very special to me and that I hope they had a wonderful birthday this year. I was so happy to celebrate with them for the first time in many years.

It is such a fun an exciting blessing to be close to family once again. To sing happy birthday and eat cake at the same table and not have to ship their presents was just one example of something we missed.

On the other hand this keeps our weekends packed with dinners and trips out of town or visitors. We are getting used to our new normal and schedules that keep us running in all directions.

As our kids get older our schedules are filling up with practices, homework, play dates, and games. With the happiness from the many blessings overflowing in our home I hope to spend part of November giving thanks and preparing our hearts for the coming of Advent.

Today I am thankful for the time I spent this evening cuddling with my kids as we watched a movie together and they fought over who was going to sit in mommy's lap (Logan won). For the quiet time spent reading books before bed and kisses as they closed their eyes.

Made By Mabelette- Ghostly Treats

2011-10-31T08:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

I hope that your day is filled with lots of treats and not so many tricks.

At the kids' new school they do not allow Kindergarten or older kids dress up at school. Kind of a bummer and disappointment for Emily. Palmer was super excited and Emily was happy to see him excited. She made my heart swell a little when she told me thanks for making the fun treats at least it feels kind of like Halloween still when I dropped her off this morning. I swear that kid is something else.

So here is the super easy Ghost treats that I made for her class of 24 and Palmer's class of 12 plus extras for home. All in less than an hour and for little cost!

To make these fun treats make a batch of rice krispie treats (you know butter, marshmallows, and rice krispies) and press into a sprayed cookie sheet. Then using your favorite Halloween cookie cutter cut out your ghoulish shapes and place on wax paper. Then melt some candy melts or chocolate and dip your sucker stick in the chocolate and gently insert into the bottom of your rice krispie. Once they set up a little then I used more melted chocolate and frosted them. I used candy coated chips for eyes but chocolate chips would work fine. Super easy and super yummy!

Miss Sadie

2011-10-24T20:43:00.001-07:00

We have had Miss Sadie for just over two weeks now and we are all very much in love with her. I was worried that the "new puppy" excitment would wear off quickly but it has not. Sadie is a member of the family and much adored by all. The first week was pretty much what I expected it to be with a few accidents and a little whinning but since then it has been smooth sailing. She has not had a single accident and tells us when she needs to go out. She is super smart :)

I have been wanting to post pictures but do you have any idea how hard it is to take pictures of a puppy? She is a constant blur in all of my shots and since things have been pretty busy I haven't had much time to put some real effort into it. So here is a couple shots to give you an idea. I hope to spend some one on one time when the older ones are at school and the youngest one is napping to get some better shots. These two pictures do not do her cuteness justice at all.

Bret & Emily

2011-10-21T12:25:00.000-07:00

Emily started taking piano lessons about 6 weeks ago. She really likes it but I can honestly tell you that learning to read and play music has been the hardest thing she has ever done. It requires a lot of focus and practice for her to learn the notes and learn everything involved with reading music. It is really really good for her and we hope that she continues with it for a long time to come.

However, because she is in the early stages of learning to play Bret or I have to sit with her while she practices and help her. Last night while I was giving the boys a bath Bret sat down to practice the piano with Emily. Both of them were tired and patience waned a little.

Bret got really frustrated when Emily got confused about right hand (notes with lines going up) and left hand (notes with lines going down) or something like that. Soon his patience were gone and he decided to give the boys a bath instead while I practiced with Emily. Don't get me wrong sometimes when I work with the kids I get frustrated when we go over something several times and they just don't get it.

The difference for me is that my patience usually goes faster for Palmer than Emily. Today Bret and I had a chat about his blow up last night and his patience with Emily since when I went down stairs she was in tears.

Emily (like her mother) may not be the smartest kid in class. However, with her confidence, drive, ability to make friends and get along with others, and because she is still really smart she can do anything she puts her mind to. She just learns differently than Bret or Palmer.

Bret and Palmer can memorize everything the first time they see it. When Bret practices the piano with Emily he expects her to remember things she learned four practices ago with no problems or reminders. He wants her to know the notes immediately because they worked on memorizing them. Emily (again like her mother) has to work really hard to read the music (just recently the little numbers for which finger is supposed to play has gone away) but she can hear the music. She knows she played the wrong note not because she knows what note was supposed to be played but because she heard that it was wrong.

I was looking through pictures the other day and noticed that Emily and her dad are always adventure seeking together. I have pictures of the two of them riding roller coasters, four wheelers, and jet skis together. I have photos of Bret teaching her to boogie board big waves while holding her hand. Emily went parasailing with her dad and is the first to jump on every opportunity to be outside with him. They rock climb together at the gym and he can talk her into trying ANYTHING. She is fearless when it comes to trying new things and her confidence stems directly back to him.

The bottom line of our conversation is that Bret has to understand that Emily needs to know that he believes in her and that he is proud of her when it comes to school and learning no different than it does in their adventures. When Bret gets frustrated with her so easily she gets even more frustrated with herself. If he questions whether or not she can do something she doubts herself even more. These frustrations are his admitted failure not hers and we are all working on them.

Although me and Emily are good Palmer and I struggle a lot also which is a whole post by itself.

There are no instructions that come with parenting. Bret and I are a team and are always working together towards the same goal...raising healthy and happy kids. Sometimes it is Bret that is helping me understand how best to set limits on electronics for Palmer and how to continue challenging him and keeping him stimulated or even how to understand what Palmer is trying to express. Other times I am trying to help Bret build his daughter's confidence and to reassure her fragile feelings. While no one loves anyone any more/less/differently than the other sometimes our ability to understand one or the other and giving each child the kind of help and support they need is different.

Breaking Mama's Heart

2011-10-20T09:12:00.001-07:00

It's almost Halloween and instead of frantically sewing costumes for my three kids I am wandering the house sighing. Just kidding but I am pretty bummed.

For the first time in SEVEN years I am not making a single costume. I love Halloween. It is such a magical time for kids. They get to wear makeup, and spray paint their hair, and be anything THEY want to be. This year my husband had to really remind me that they should be what they want to be (not what I think they should be). So when we asked the kids at first Palmer wanted to be Spiderman. No big surprise there. Just put a knife in my heart. I counted 4 spidermans in his preschool class of 12 last year. 4!! and that was just his class. I was so relieved when after watching a big K-State game he changed his mind to a K-State football player. Still not as much fun as what I thought he should be but still a big improvement. I guess the saddest part is that we just borrowed/bought the whole costume. Every single part of it and there was NO creativity involved what so ever.

To keep the piece it was quickly decided that Logan would be a football player too. The arguments over the helmet came so fast that we were relieved to find another costume with helmet for them to play together. Like some of our past costumes this one is one the kids will play with forever and they are excited. So I sigh.

Emily's choice was not much better. She wanted to be Smurfette. Cute but the reality was that it would be easier and probably cheaper in the long run to buy the costume. I took her to the store to pick it out and lo and behold she changed her mind. I don't blame her the Smurfette costumes were not great and she wasn't real keen on the blue. So she picked a witch costume. I quickly offered to make her one but was quickly over ruled with her "love" for one in the store that she had to have.

The good news was that at least with the witch costume we can really add to it with make up and accessories. A tiny bit of creativity.

Oh well. I am hopeful that once we get through the next year or so the older kids will once again want mom's creative help in coming up with the most awesome costume. In the mean time I will just try and enjoy their joy.

New Looks

2011-10-19T07:06:00.000-07:00

I have a really bad habit of reading blogs through my google reader and never really going to their site unless I want to comment (which sadly is not as often as I should). All of that to say that I understand if you do the same thing. Either way be sure to stop by and take a look around as I am very excited to tell you that we have gone through a make over.

I stumbled upon a high school classmates blog and realized that I had finally found a blog designer (the same one who updated her blog) that was very close to my style. With just a few questions she sent me the new header and it left me speechless...which rarely happens.

I started this blog when we first moved to PA when I was lonely and had few friends and no family close by. I was searching for a way to express what I was going through and looking for community. I found it and I love you guys. It warms my heart when I talk to family and friends about something and they mention that they read about it on my blog. I also love the new friends that I met along the way that share links in life (either high school, kids, having a physician spouse, crafting, cooking, or just enjoy a good story).

Kristi wrapped all of those feelings and the purpose of my blog into her designs. The circle feels very much the story of our moving to PA and back. I am also really excited to start featuring more tutorials and hopefully getting my etsy shop up and running soon. Thanks always for reading and let me know what you think about the new look!

Made by Mabelette- Filled Cookies

2011-10-17T11:55:00.000-07:00

There is something about fall that fills my heart with memories of my grandmother. As I have mentioned before there is nothing that makes me feel closer to her than cooking some of her recipes. One of her most popular amongst my family was her filled cookies. It is an old family recipe that she remembered her grandmother making. If you love raisens then this cookie is for you! Reading her writing can sometimes be the trickest part of making her recipes but here goes:

Filled Cookies:

1 c sugar
1/2 oleo
1 egg
1/2 c sweet milk (sweetend condensed milk)
1 tsp vanilla
3 1/2 c flour
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp soda

Filling:

1 c cooked raisens
1 c raisen juice
1/4 c sugar
2 tsp flour

*cook filling until thick and allow to cool (tip- mix the flour into a small amount of juice to disolve so it will not be lumpy before adding to raisens)

Cream sugar & oleo. Add egg and mix well. Sift dry ingredients & add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Chill. Roll dough out between wax paper and cut in circles. Place 1 tsp of filling on each cookie & cover with another cookie. Slit the top cookie. Bake at 350 for 12 min.

I used a pumpkin cutter this time.
This is what the raisen mixture should look like. You want it to be cool so that it will not run when you put it on the cookie.

I use my cookie scoop to add the filling. You want enough but not too much..make sense?

When you add the second cookie you want to press around the outside to seal the two cookies together so that your filling will not run.

When you bake the cookies be sure to watch so that they don't get to brown.

Enjoy! Let me know if you make them what you think.

We are expecting

2011-10-05T07:25:00.000-07:00

...a new puppy.

For YEARS now our kids have been begging us for a dog. Even though we loved Lulu very much it was still not a replacement for wanting a dog. We had a dog named Missy. Bret and I got Missy as a graduation gift from my sister (surprise!). She was a great dog and part of the family. However, she was a hunting dog that like to be outside, run, and hunt. None of which was going to happen in our tiny apartment in PA. So we left Missy behind with Bret's parents when we moved.

Emily was devastated. To make matters worse a few months after we moved Bret's dad called. His dad was a guide for a hunting lodge in KS and took Missy hunting with him regularly. During one such hunt a hunter approached Bret's dad about buying Missy. When he called to talk to Bret about it Bret told him that Missy wasn't for sale. Then his dad told him that he offered $1500 but would probably pay $2000. SOLD!

I know that sounds terrible but we needed the money. It was going to be at least 4 years before we would be able to take Missy back and his dad already had his own dogs to take care of. This guy would give her a GREAT home and she would be much happier hunting. So off Missy went to Alaska.

Emily on the other hand had a really hard time letting go and poor grandpa bore the brunt of it. Emily would quietly ask her grandfather to please get Missy back. She was never rude or obnoxious about it. Rather when he would give her a penny to throw in the fountain she would quietly wish for Missy back. Needless to say this was really hard on grandpa.

So the day that Bret signed his contract in KS. Grandpa began the search for the puppy. As big hunters *cough* it is important to have a good hunting dog with good blood lines, blah blah blah. Bret and I decided on a Vizsla breed. His dad had a lot of luck with this breed and we really liked their temperament for our family. Grandpa paid the deposit (which I won't tell you how much this dog cost because it is a sin) and it will be ready to pick up on Friday.

Bret has spent a ton of money (kennel, dog house, flooring, crate for inside, dog bowels, collars, leashes, toys, etc, etc, etc) and work (putting the kennel together) getting ready for this dog.

We have already named this puppy, Sadie. It feels a lot like expecting a new baby except it's a dog. We have been counting down the days and every morning Palmer tells me how many days are left. There is a lot of love in this house waiting for this new member of our family to arrive. Stay tuned for pictures and more about the adventures of Sadie Heskett.

From Auntie with Love

2011-10-04T07:09:00.000-07:00

My sister in law is patiently waiting (two days past her due date) for our new niece to be born. I thought it was time for the two of us to have a chat :)

Dear Miss Brinley Rose,

As a former diva myself I know the importance of making a fashionably late entrance. However, it is very important to remember to not be too late as it may be considered rude. I think you have made your point.

There are many who are anxiously awaiting your arrival. Your cousin Miss Emily is one of the most excited. Not only is she thrilled to have a new cousin but a girl none the less. Emily will guide you in all things girly. She will paint your toe nails and fix your hair. She will help you pick out dresses and of course accessories.

Your mommy first painted Emily's toe nails when she was 9 months old (red of course). She also let Emily put on her make up and brush her hair. Emily and your mommy were two peas in a pod for a long time (while your mommy lived with us) as I am sure you and Emily will be and maybe you and me too. Emily and the boys love your mom and dad a lot. They love you so much already that they don't mind at all sharing them with you.

Your uncle Bret will be excited when you get here. Then he can stop worrying and focus on enjoying you. Uncle Bret is a doctor and sometimes he has a hard time shutting the doctor part off and turning the uncle part on. For this reason he has insisted that we go no where near your town or hospital until you are safely in your mama's arms. Your mama has called him a few times and although he always plays it cool with her he stresses about it a lot. He cares a lot about you and her both. But have no fear we will be there soon and often.

I, as your Auntie, have been paying very close attention to what makes a good aunt. I am still very close to a few of my aunts. I have seen my kids adore their two aunts and grow very close to them as well. I am not the cool hip aunt (sorry you are a few years to late for that...I'm a mom now too) but I do know how to spoil you rotten. I know how to talk your mom and dad into anything. I know how to keep secrets. I know when to give advice (even though it may be the same thing your parent's might tell you). We will take you on lots of vacations with us. We will spends lots of summers swimming and lots of trips to Colorado. I will make you the best presents and most importantly I will give you lots of love.

Your grandma and grandpa are also very excited for you to come also. I know first hand that they are great grandparents. This big scary world you are coming into is hopefully a little less scary when there are so many people waiting with open arms for you. Safe travels and can't wait to meet you soon.

Hugs & Kisses,

Auntie

Feelin Fall

2011-09-23T07:32:00.000-07:00

There are so many things that I love about fall. The clothes, the food, and the smells just to name a few. However, there are a few things that I really don't like.

Namely, socks and laundry. Laundry in the fall and winter is so much more than in the summer. Jeans, sweatshirts, and other heavy clothing makes for more loads of laundry during the week. The worst is socks. I have five sets of feet in my family and none of them are the same or share sock sizes. This means matching five different sizes that are not always easy to tell apart.

My mom has been staying with us and last weekend she did some laundry. I came home to a basket full of clean socks...not matched or put away. I gave her a hard time about it and she laughed because she knew that it was kind of a daunting task. One tip I have found is that each kid has their own "type" of sock. Emily's are the easiest because they are ruffly or pink girly colors on them. It is Palmer and Logan that are the hardest. So I bought Hanes socks for Palmer (they have red writing on the bottom) and some other brand for Logan that are grey toes and heals. It has made life much simpler.

Socks and extra laundry aside we are enjoying the amazing weather and start of a new season.

Play Nice

2011-09-20T09:06:00.000-07:00

There is a group of mom's that have lunch every Monday at the zoo (which is free where we live). There is a perfect little park inside and it is really something I love about our new home.

"YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW TO GO DOWN THE SLIDE RIGHT. I THINK YOU SHOULD NOT GO DOWN THE SLIDE AGAIN UNTIL YOU CAN LEARN THE RULES. YOU ARE HURTING ME. WHY ARE YOU NOT LISTENING!!!"

The next thing I know the little boy bursts into tears and starts to cry...loudly. Of course I am already over there...and the little boys mom happened to not be there at that moment (she had to run to her car). I brought Palmer off the slide and made him apologize and explained that he really hurt his feelings.

Palmer was very confused. He used his words. The boy did not listen. Apparently Palmer thought that yelling was the next step of handling the situation. I told Palmer to go play on something else for a while.

I told Bret the story that evening and was shocked at his response. Bret was proud that Palmer used his words instead of hitting. I was to but Palmer can't go around yelling at kids and making them cry. Bret disagreed and said that the boy was bullying Palmer and he was standing up for himself. Bret didn't argue that I handled the situation wrong but he did feel I needed to give Palmer more credit.

Out of my three kids Palmer is the one I have the hardest time with. He is not a bad kid I just don't always "get him" as easily as I do the other two. Palmer is a rule follower. He feels that the world is a better place if everyone understands and follows the rules. He wants things to be fair and black and white. He is usually very flexible as long as someone explains what is happening. It does not take a rocket scientist to guess who this sounds like. He is so much like his father and what I can only imagine what his father was like as a little boy.

Usually parenting the play group is easy...be nice, don't hit, share, etc. Of course nothing is that simple with Palmer. OY

Keeping Busy

2011-09-18T09:28:00.000-07:00

I have not yet gotten my craft room the way I want it to be yet. I did buy a table to sew on but I need to get a light, shelves, and a peg board to start with. However, getting the table did get me motivated to work on something. I had some Halloween fabric that I bought on sale last year and the cold weather had me wanting to work on something fall related.

So here is my first project...a Halloween shirt. It is a simple applique shirt but Logan loves it. Emily and Palmer have already put in their orders for the individual shirts too. I hope to have a few listed in my etsy shop before the first of October. Stay tuned!!

Our Cabin

2011-09-17T09:19:00.000-07:00

Actually it's Bret's parents' cabin but you wouldn't know it by the way the kids tell people about it. His parents have put a lot of work into making the cabin what it is. The cabin is a place where the kids can be themselves. They can enjoy things like fishing, hiking, finding rocks, smores and campfires, riding four wheelers, and even target shooting.

For Bret and I it is an escape from everyday life and a chance to slow down and spend great time with each other and our kids. There is no cell phone signal or internet and literally we are off the grid.

Even Logan gets to be one of the big kids. He loves to be outside ALL THE TIME. He loves to play with the dog, Buffy, and of course he could ride the four wheeler all day.

When Bret and I were both kids we each had a special place like this to grow up going to. For me it was the Muddy Pond and for Bret it was the farm. There was nothing really special about either place except the people we saw there and time we spent just being kids, getting dirty, and getting away from everyday life and back to nature. We are so thankful that our kids have something so great and we are also thankful that it includes an indoor bathroom (with shower) and a working kitchen to boot.

1st day of school Pics...Bette late than never

2011-09-16T09:05:00.000-07:00

Emily has been in school for three weeks now. This week was Palmer's first full week of school (he goes three mornings a week). It is finally starting to feel like we are all getting into a routine. I thought I would post our first day of school pics since this is kind of like a record for my kids someday to read.

Palmer has a hair style that he loves..he calls it his Mohawk. Palmer was not the only one excited for his first day. Logan doesn't miss his older sibling at all when they are gone. I think he enjoys having the house and his mom to him self.

Emily is also loving her new school, friends, and teacher. One thing that I didn't expect was how much she was going to like her new school's lunches. In PA Emily wanted to pack almost everyday even when I thought it would be something she liked. I guess the cooks in KS know how to cook because she has not packed once and comes home telling me how good the food is.

She is finally getting used to her uniform and actually likes not having to decide what to wear.

Our school year is off to a great start and is already flying by.

Prayers

2011-09-14T08:24:00.000-07:00

Bret and I were raised Catholic. Both of us had grandmothers that were vigilant prayer warriors. Over the years I have relied on their examples and lifted up my prayers. Here lately it seems like my prayers are going something like "thank you, thank you, thank you, for all of the blessings in our lives".

One of the areas with our kids that I kind of feel like hasn't been as strong has been praying with our kids and trying to teach them how to pray. No one ever taught us. As Catholics there are standard prayers that everyone is expected to know and repeat. We pray as a family before every meal and during most bedtime routines.

Palmer made a comment the other day when we were at church that really surprised me. He asked me what people were doing when they were kneeling and when I told him that they were praying he replied "oh, yeah I pray and talk to God at night before I go to sleep".

I asked him what he and God talked about and he said "I tell him thanks for my toys and my new room. Sometimes I ask him to help me listen better". As a mom it felt grate to see my 4 year old building a relationship with God. I think it was about this time that I felt like I wanted to do more than just go to church on Sundays. I think sometimes I avoid talking about God with my kids because of the tough questions that come. The questions are not easy ones to answer and something that I really don't feel confident in knowing all of the answers to.

So I have done what I always do when I feel unequipped. I bought a book and I started attending a mom's bible study group at our church. I LOVE it and even though sometimes I feel way over my head (the first book was all about the mass and why we do what we do in a Catholic mass) it is really fascinating and makes me really happy to be Catholic. I have been going to church for 30 years and I had my first tour of the church (I am sure I had this when I was in CCD as a kid but I don't remember anything about it) and again I am in awe.

Here is the biggest kicker, Bret started going to the men's group too. They meet once a week and have lunch. The read the chapter during lunch and discuss as they go. No prep work needed and it fits into his schedule. It feels right starting this new chapter with the Church and God as a bigger part of it. We are forever grateful for everything we have been blessed with and feel like this closeness is just one more blessing.

Student Loans

2011-09-13T11:59:00.000-07:00

I worked in financial aid for 10 years before I became a stay at home mom. It was a field that I kind of fell into and ended up really liking. Bret likes to joke that this experience was preparation to manage the mountain of student loan debt that we have.

For 12 years Bret had student loans that we kept in deferment for the majority of that time making payments when we could. Undergrad and med school were not cheap even with all of the scholarship money that he got. I too have some student loan debt from undergrad and from my MBA. Each time we took out a loan we knew that it was for things we needed (ie tuition and books) and we worked pretty hard to only take out what we needed.

Still we had the think about it later mentality because we knew that eventually Bret would have a job that would make it all worth while. Bret has now had officially two pay checks. On the other hand we have made two house payments also. The scary thing is that our house payment is only slightly more than our student loan payment each month. We have other debt that I would really like to get paid off quickly but then we have a house to furnish too. My background is finance. Debt is not something I am crazy about and I long for the days when we will be essentially debt free. By my calculations it will only be a few years for this to happen. We have a plan and I have to have patience. Still I feel pretty overwhelmed as I write checks and realize that it will take time to pay these loans off. I remember what I thought about when we took the loans out...we needed the money, we used the money, this is what student loans are for.

Please excuse me while I go drop some more money off in the mail.

Lost but not found

2011-09-08T06:22:00.000-07:00

This week we have had some amazing weather. When Emily was running out the door Tuesday morning after a long weekend we realized just as we stepped outside that it was cool. For the first time this year she is attending a private school with required uniforms. One of the rules is that she has to wear a red sweater at school if she is cold (or a PSO sponsored sweatshirt which has not gone on sale yet this year) and on Wednesdays and Fridays for mass. So Emily ran back inside at the last minute to grab a sweater to wear during the day.

Since it has been 100+ degrees everyday so far this year it was the first time she was wearing the sweater and unfortunately I had not had the chance to label it for her yet. Of course she wears it one day and forgets it at school. The next morning she went to look for it and it was no where to be found. The teacher sent her to look in lost and found and again it was not there. This morning I went to look for myself and I found a large and a very used youth small (Emily's is a YXXS). We are out of luck. I mentioned it to the secretary but I am pretty sure we are just out of luck. Emily has one more and I have already gotten it labeled. It is going to be tough on both Emily and me to keep track of and keep clean one sweater for the rest of the year but I am kind of punishing both of us by not spending the $40 for a new one.

I am still hoping against hope that it will turn up but that is a long shot. Sometimes when you do things like this you just want to kick yourself (and the little one who lost it too).

New Reality

2011-09-07T08:44:00.000-07:00

Our life routine is sometimes like a new pair of jeans...it takes some wear to feel comfortable. We are finally getting into a routine with Emily in school and Palmer just starting. Logan and I are getting to know the gym quite well and I joined a mom's group at our church. We are making friends and spending lots of time with family. It feels right and it is starting to settle in that this is our new life in this house and in this town.

There are things that I miss and am not crazy about here (our friends, restaurants, and a craft/fabric store) but overall we are all very happy.

The weather this week has been awesome and for the first time I opened all of the windows in our house and shut the air conditioner off. I LOVE IT. I still have to pinch myself to believe that this is our house. I love it more and more everyday. As I hang pictures, put up new curtains, and add little touches here and there it is feeling more and more like our own. There is still so much I want to do but it takes time.

I am loving staying home. It took a while to find my routine but I am getting there. I am working on setting up my etsy shop and have some fun projects in the works. I have a new niece that I am working on some stuff for and some Christmas presents I am trying to get a jump on. Did I mention I have been going to the gym again? Bret and I started a new diet and we are really working together to drop some weight. I won't even mention how much I have gained since we started this move. It is sad but something I am working on.

I am looking for someone to give my blog a face lift and I hope to get back into some of my craft tutorials. Halloween is just around the corner and I can almost taste fall. Things are going blissfully well. I hope you all are doing just as great.

Schedules

2011-09-02T06:49:00.000-07:00

As parents Bret and I have always wanted to have our kids be active. We want them to try new things and find what they like to do and what they are good at. At the same time we don't want them stretched so thin that they have every minute scheduled with some sort of activity and have nothing left for home and school. It is a much harder task than we ever imagined.

Most activities don't just have one night of practice with games on the weekend. Instead they meet two sometimes three times a week plus a day on the weekend. Swimming meets on Tues, Thurs, and Sat. If Emily was to do soccer or basketball they meet on Wed and have games on Sat afternoons. She is starting piano lessons and that is another 30 min one night a week plus practicing. On top of all the activities meeting several times a week it is really hard to say no to new activities. The teachers (bless them) go over the pamphlets that they are sending home and of course all of the kids in class say they are going to do the activities. The last one we said no to was Girl Scouts.

Neither Bret nor I were ever in Scouts. Emily had gotten a flyer sent home from school and said that she really wanted to go and join. We had a long conversation about what Girl Scouts involved and what she was already in. Not wanting to give up anything she was already in we decided to table Scouts until January where we would revisit. The other activity we had a long chat about was dance or gymnastics. I have a really hard time saying no. I some how reason in my head that maybe one more activity wouldn't be that bad. I also think well maybe she should take a break from swimming and see if this would be better. Bret, on the other hand, is a tough sell on anything. He wants Emily to play basketball and keep swimming. Period. If she hated it or wasn't very good he tells me he would be more flexible.

So we have a plan for now. We are very lucky that Emily is pretty easily swayed and just wants to be doing something. She loves swimming and excited to start piano. She is nervous about basketball but loves playing with her dad. Palmer is going to do soccer and we are going to see about piano lessons two after meeting with the teacher.

I am exhausted just thinking about it all and hoping that we are making the right choices.

Change of Address

2011-09-01T06:43:00.000-07:00

UGH. So about a month ago I was shopping on Etsy for favors for my sister in law's baby shower. I found the cutest homemade soaps that looked exactly like animal crackers. Perfect! I convo'd the seller to make sure she could fill and ship the order in time and whala. It was done. Almost two weeks before the shower I got an email letting me know that the order was shipped and should be here in no time. The first week came and went and still the order had not arrived. Starting to worry a little I went online to try and track the order and couldn't come up with anything.

Long story short my order was sent to my old address in PA (which I forgot to update) and was then in the process of being forwarded to KS (or so I hoped) or maybe being shipped back to the seller. Either way I was in a panic not only because I was going to be without favors for my shower but what the heck was I going to do with all that soap?

I contacted the seller and she promised to watch for it too. I checked the mail everyday saying a little prayer of hope just to be disappointed. At 10:00 the morning of the shower (which started at 1) we got the soap. *happy dance!*

You would think I would have learned but I did the same thing when I ordered Emily's piano lessons books from Amazon. I had to reschedule her first practice because the books are in route from PA back to KS. I almost did it again when I logged in to order Pizza online too. Whew! What a little treat it would have been for the new residents in our old apartment if I wouldn't have caught that!

One for the grandkids

2011-08-26T06:47:00.000-07:00

My mom recently transferred jobs to a location less than an hour away from us. While we look for an apartment for her to rent she has been staying with us. We all love having her and it has been so helpful for her to be around even though she is working all day.

The other night Bret and I decided to go out to eat by ourselves. We left dinner for the kids and mom and skipped out the door (it is awesome having a babysitter living with us). When we got home we put the kids to bed and sat down to watch some TV. Very quietly my mom told me that she had something she needed to show me. With tears in her eyes she showed me a really awful scratch in my new kitchen table that we custom ordered from an Amish person while we were living in PA. My mom started to apologize and say that she was really sorry and wasn't sure how it happened. I quickly reassured my mom that the culprit was actually my husband and that it happened early that very day.

Bret had been messing with some framed medals from high school and put the nasty gash in himself. The relief my mom showed me was very evident in her face. She told me that she had asked the kids what had happened and they both said it wasn't them. Worried that they were going to get in big trouble and feeling as though she wasn't paying close enough attention to them she was going to take the blame.

Bret and I thought this was sweet and pretty funny. When we went back downstairs I told Bret that mom confessed to making the scratch on the table. He laughed too. It is awesome how much grandparents love their grandkids and would do anything for them. Even if meant taking the blame for something they didn't do.

1st Day Jitters

2011-08-24T08:14:00.000-07:00

Today was Emily's first day of 1st grade. She looked awesome. Emily was a little nervous but very excited as well.

At the end of last school year there was a great Scholastic book deal where you bought a random package of books for a low low price. One of our favorite books that came in the package was First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg. The first time Emily read this book to me we both ended up cracking up. The story is about someone's first day at a new school and the whole time you are reading it you are thinking it is a kid that is nervous. Turns out it is a new teacher. Emily LOVED it and so did I.
Turns out this book was very relative to Emily and I's first day of school experience this morning. Emily is attending a private school for the first time and we are both very new to the whole uniform thing. As you can see from the picture she looked awesome this morning. Bret didn't have to be to work until later this morning so the boys got to sleep in. Not wanting to be late and unsure of how long it was going to take to get to school we got there more than 15 minutes early. As we sat for a minute both Emily and I noticed right away that all of the kids (at least 40) were wearing navy shorts and white or red polos who were standing around outside waiting for the doors to open. No one was wearing their jumper. Emily started to worry a little and I started to worry a lot. At the last minute I decided to run the 5 minutes home and grab her shorts and sneakers instead. Emily tied her shoes on the way to school and we made it just in time. Turns out that there were still a handful of kids wearing their jumpers and I realized sheepishly that she would have been fine.

I should have just reassured Emily instead of running home so I apologized to her as we walked into her new school. Emily replied by saying "It's OK mom, I know you just wanted my first day to be perfect. I think it is going to be fine." Then off walked my baby girl who is now a big kid as she smiled and waved as she went to get in line. My heart only broke a little and I made it to the car before I shed a few tears.

Little G Man is 1

2011-08-23T13:27:00.000-07:00

This weekend we celebrate G man's first birthday (my nephew). It was a fun filled day with swimming, cake, and presents. It was once again a reminder why we moved back to KS. These are things that I don't want to always have to miss.

Dear G,

It is a couple days past your first birthday but it will be years and years before you notice. A year ago on your birthday I sat in the waiting room of the dentist's office on the other side of the country from your mom. I quietly calmed your mom down over the phone when they whisked you away to the NICU because your heart was beating so fast. We were all scared but had faith that you were a fighter. It killed me to not be there.

The next day we left Pennsylvania and drove like crazy people through the night straight to the hospital. There is something so different and special about holding your niece or nephew than holding any other baby. You may not be my own child but you are the next closest thing to it.

You are the sweetest and happiest little boy I have ever met. You go with the flow and are always smiling. You are my kids' first and only cousin right and they all adore you. You are one of the boys in every way. I am so excited to spend summers and holidays with you as part of our family. I am so thrilled that I can say proudly I will always be your favorite aunt...since I am your only aunt :)

You love to eat and will eat just about anything. You love playing with your cousins even if they are rough sometimes and don't always share the best. You are going to make an amazing big brother someday too (hint hint). We love you and are so happy that you are in our lives. Happy Birthday and we can't wait to celebrate many more.

To the Newest Diva

2011-08-23T13:14:00.000-07:00

We have a new little diva on her way....she is my niece that is set to be born at the end of the next month. However, since she is a diva already we know that she will most likely be late or early depending on her mood. To celebrate her coming Emily and I hosted an animal print themed baby shower in our new home. It was a lot of fun and for a most deserving new momma. I was exhausted and couldn't have done it without the amazing help of my husband (I know shocking right?) and his aunt and cousin who came from Denver to spend the weekend with us and help.

To the mom to be and her little diva on her way...we love you so much and can't wait to meet you!

Emily's 7th Birthday Party

2011-08-12T08:28:00.001-07:00

Before we left for Hawaii Emily had already decided that she wanted to have a Hawaiian themed birthday party. It was really great to have family at our birthday party for the first time in four years. We love being back in KS and even though we were still living out of boxes (sort of) and didn't have a lot of furniture yet we had a great time. In typical Kansas fashion the temperature reached well over one hundred degrees for the day. It was hot but fun.

For activities the goal was to keep it simple. We put together fun Hawaiian frames, jumped on the trampoline, had a dance party in Emily's room, and sand art.

Emily was very clear about what kind of cake she wanted and I was glad that it was simple and fun to make. We made flip flops (pink and purple of course).

For food we tried something different and made shish-kabobs, pasta salad, potato salad, and lots of fresh fruit. The food turned out amazing!

More than Friends

2011-07-31T14:42:00.000-07:00

Graduation was a joyous celebration of what the residents completed in the past four years. It was also the time when most of us were getting ready to move on to the next chapter in our lives...in different parts of the country. All of us knew that it was going to be hard to say goodbye..but it was even harder.

These people were not just our friends. They were our stand in family during the past four years. They were our neighbors and our community. We saw most of them everyday. We celebrated showers, births, baptisms, birthdays, promotions, anniversaries, and holidays together. We supported each other when we were sick, in the hospital, during the death of family members, during difficult times in our marriages, the stress of work, homesickness, and many sorrowful moments of life. We were each others rocks.

We had fun and explored the area together. We had countless BBQ's for no reason and shared endless cups of coffee (or stronger drinks). I am not exaggerating when I tell you that we could not have survived the four years of residency without each other. More than survive we helped each other enjoy our time and celebrate the good times.
Since we have left we have still exchanged daily emails, texts, and phone calls. We have made plans throughout the upcoming year to meet and see each other. It isn't the same...it will never be the same. All we can do is say thank you, tell each other how much we mean to each other, and say until we meet again.

House Tour

2011-07-30T18:24:00.000-07:00

So we are finally getting settled in our new house. We have ordered/got a ton of furniture and curtains and are down to the last few boxes. I mentioned this to a friend and she gave me a hard time about never finishing the house tour on here so that she could see the house. So in one tour here is the rest of the house.

This is the bar in the basement. Bret loves this because it goes along really well with the soda bottle collection that he has had since he was a little kid.

This is the main part of the basement where a very large TV and sectional now sit. Although we are not crazy about the green carpet it is in really great shape so it stays for now. We spend a lot of time down here already.

This is the master bedroom. The lovely green and lace curtains are already down and we now have some new bedroom furniture that fill the space.

There is a fireplace in the master bedroom and the little nook has a chair that is going to go in it and I plan to spend lots of quiet time reading here.

This is the office. There is lots of built in bookshelves and we decided to go with a less expensive desk for now that Bret still has to put together. Right now the office is a big dumping ground that we have yet to tackle.

This is the living room. It is the first room on your left when you walk through the front door and was the hardest room for me to furnish. It is a really large room and I wanted to maximize the seating. I still have some things to order and the curtains are on their way. I really like this room and can't wait until it is finished.

Don't you just love the lace? We have filled three large trash bags with all this lace in the house. I have yet to figure out what I am going to do with it all.

See all those windows? Rods and curtains for these 7 rooms were not cheap but the lace had to go!!

This is the formal dining room and the only empty room in the house yet. When you walk out these doors it takes you to a really neat side porch. I brought four rockers from Amish country to KS with me and this is where they sit. There is a shade that we can put down but with the 100+ heat everyday we have yet to use this very much.
We are waiting to get the rest of the house set up (and a few paychecks) before we get to this room.

The last room is the kitchen. It is reason I fell in love with this house and it has not disappointed.

Here sits my huge table for 8 and another TV.

It may be a while but eventually I will post the updated pictures as we paint and decorate each room.

Roommate

2011-07-25T12:07:00.000-07:00

This is Bret's last week before he goes back to work full time. When we were negotiating his contract back in October we thought it would be best to have a start date of August 1st. Then several months later reality hit us and we realized that we needed to move his start date up 1) because we couldn't go that long without a paycheck and 2) we would drive each other nuts home all day with the three kids for that long.

It has gone much faster than I ever could have imagined and surprisingly we have got along well. Don't get me wrong we are both ready for him to spend more of his days in the hospital again. I guess the main reason the time home has been so amazing is because of the kids. The kids have devoured the time home with their dad. Having dad fix breakfast or lunch and playing games and jumping on the trampoline out side has been the highlight of their summer. The hours spent in the pool or just watching TV together has been such a treat for them.

Logan wanders the house yelling for Bret until he finds him and then once he finds him it's like "oh there you are" and he wanders off again. When Bret goes to run errands during the day even to the hospital he takes one or both of the older kids and they about knock you over trying to get their shoes on and out the door before he changes his mind. We have gone to water parks, other people's pools, to the movies, to the mall, to visit grandparents, and spent a lot of the hot hours indoors just hanging out as a family.

Although there have been days when neither one of us want to do anything for the most part he has been a huge help getting the house in order. I am really going to miss his help when he is gone back to work. This week and last Bret has been going in to work for just a few hours a day to get "orientated" and he started to assist on surgeries and take some call this week. It has been a gradual return to work and has been a nice adjustment for us all.

Emily is 7

2011-07-21T11:55:00.001-07:00

Dear Emily,

I am not sure why but you turning seven feels like a very big mile stone. It's like you are just one step closer to becoming a teenager. This past year you started kindergarten, played soccer, swam on a competitive team, lost a bunch more teeth, and grew several inches. Steak and salad are still your favorite foods (of course you insist on having your steak a nice medium rare). You are still no heavier than a wet paper bag but you are definitely hanging in there with your height.

You have the biggest heart of any little girl I know. You care about God and everyone around you, on TV, and even people you think might possibly be out in the world somewhere. You care about animals and the environment. You care about everything so much that we worry about you sometimes. We are relieved that your compassion is not worry but simply love. You are a nurturer in the truest form.

Sometimes you exhaust me and your dad with the speed of thoughts that fly through your mind and out your mouth. You have an answer for every question and reason. Justifications and explanations are just the beginning. Dad says that he is lucky I was in debate for so long just to have a chance against you. Both of us still throw up our hands in the air after days of endless banter when you really really really want something.

You are also very adventurous. I think the pictures speak for themselves but you are always up for trying new things and testing your limits. Even when you are nervous it is more of a nervous excitement then the fear of not wanting to do something.

When we were in Hawaii I saw lots of young (20 somethings) that had decided to move to Hawaii for a couple of years to living in paradise for no other reason than they loved it here. I thought a lot about you. It was another reminder that it will be nearly impossible for dad and I to keep you in KS forever. You are traveler by heart and will see the world. Just make sure it is some place fun for us to visit.

As my only daughter the dreams that I have for you are big. Thank you for making us parents. As your parent we get to experience things through your eyes which is always with amazement and excitement. I hope that you have an amazing birthday and loads of fun.

Love,

mama

Aloha!

2011-07-21T11:44:00.000-07:00

So it has been a while. A LONG WHILE.

Here is a brief recap of what has been going on around here.

We moved and then our stuff came about 3 weeks after they said it would so we lived out of suitcases for about a month.

Hawaii was AMAZING. We will go back and I have a lot to tell and show you about our trip.

We are still unpacking boxes and it feels as though it may never end.

Bret started back to work this week on a very casual part time basis. We are both ready to get back into a normal schedule (read: we are tired of being together 24/7 with our kids with 100++ degrees so we are stuck inside all day avoiding the boxes that still need to be unpacked)

Tomorrow is Emily's birthday and we are having a small party for her on Saturday.

I am still working for the same college for another few weeks from here in KS. Not sure it was my best idea ever but it was worth the extra money.

That is a very brief run down of how things are going for us. I promise to be on here much more regularly. I miss you all! What have you been doing and how has your summer been?

Jet Planes

2011-06-29T04:50:00.000-07:00

So to say that the last few weeks have been a whirl wind would be the understatement of our year.

Graduation went well. The move went pretty uneventful. The trip home was as easy as could be hoped for. Our stuff is still in PA sitting in a warehouse as our moving company tries to find a driver. The estimated date of arrival is July 8th....about 8 days later than the last day of our guaranteed arrival date window. So we have been making the best of it living out of a cooler, eating out, and doing laundry at our in laws house. Someone very smart (ahem) planned ahead and made sure that pretty much everything needed for our trip to Hawaii came home with us to KS in our own suitcases. So we are ready to go.

It is very early in the morning on the day we fly out to Hawaii. For some reason I can't sleep. We made a very smart last minute decision to drive the 5 hours to Denver and get a hotel room last night. I am not sure why we didn't think about this earlier but 3 kids in a car for 5 hours to turn around and fly the insane number of hours it is going to take us to get to Hawaii is not a good idea. So last night we swam in the hotel pool and went out to dinner with family who live here. Today we will start off our morning fresh and well rested. In addition we have an included breakfast, parking, and shuttle to the airport. Sometimes I amaze myself in how well we plan things.

In other news since our house is still empty we have been shopping. We sold almost all of our furniture in PA in the anticipation of getting new furniture here in KS for our new house. We have bought furniture and appliances galore. This has been fun and little overwhelming. I keep trying to tell myself that I don't have to love the couch I buy FOREVER just the next 5-10 years at least. They tried to deliver the wrong fridge twice. We finally figured out that the problem was that the sales person sold us a clearance floor model (this explained the great price) but had told us he could order a new one to be delivered. Unfortunately after we figured this out the floor model was already sold to someone else who had taken it with them. The next one comparable was about $1000 more than what we had already paid (yep it was that good of deal). We were fortunate that the sales manager was really great. We paid $250 more dollars and he ordered us that way more expensive model and it should be delivered the day after we get back. Yeah!

As we get ready to go on this vacation I am much less excited and relaxed about than I had hoped. I am worried about the kids on a plane (and being quiet) for that long, worried about staying with Bret's family for that long, and worried that our trip is much less planned that is usual for us. Bret teases me about how much I plan our trips but when he gets up in the morning he looks at me and says "so what's the plan for the day". Not wanting to spend a big portion of our short vacation trying to figure that out I usually have a flexible idea of what the plan is. Bret also teases me but I usually do lots of research on what the best souvenirs are for the area too. We always get a Christmas ornament from our trip but I usually like to know what the area is "known" for and where good places to shop are. It saves me lots of time later when trying to decide where the best prices might be.

With little access to the internet I am letting go of my stress. I did spend some time last night reading about souvenirs in Maui and we did book our luau. I figure we can always go to the beach and the kids will be happy. As for the kids on the plane I have lots of snacks, the DS' are charged, and we have movies on our iPad. See you in a week! Aloha!

June 14th

2011-06-14T04:24:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I got a text from my babysitter confirming what time I needed her for on Tuesday June 14th. For the life of me I could not figure out what I had needed a babysitter for. I started to panic thinking that I was forgetting something scheduled and worried that there was something else I might have needed to do also. I fretted and stewed until Bret got home and I mentioned my dilema to him. Bret smiled and said...it's our anniversary.

For the record I did not really forget our anniversary because I did get a babysitter lined up and turns out I even made dinner reservations. Doesn't matter that later that weekend I tried to schedule dinner with friends on our anniversary until she mentioned the word babysitter which reminded me once again that we were busy that night.

I will be the first to admit that an anniversary does not make a marriage. However, I still want to take a moment in all of this madness and celebrate all that we have accomplished in the past 8 years.

Four years ago we started this amazing journey together. We packed up everything we owned, sold our house, and moved our two small children thousands of miles away from everything and everyone we had ever known. We moved to a place that both of us combined had spent less than a week in. We hit road blocks from the very beginning (living in a hotel for 10 days because our apartment wasn't ready, I couldn't find a job) and thought long and hard about whether or not we could really do this. That first year there was more than one time we looked for a way to move back to KS and more than one time we asked God why this was his plan for us.

With time and perserverance things got easier. We made friends and literally made a decision to enjoy our time here. We made a choice to have fun and really experience this place we were living. We traveled all around this part of country and immersed ourselves into the local culture. We made friends and built our own suedo family to spend holidays and birthdays with when our own family was so far away.

Through this whole process we grew up together, became better parents, and learned how to rely on each other completely.

8 years ago we were in the midst of joyful chaos as we celebrated our marriage with all of our family and friends. 4 years ago we were sad and stressed out as we started a new journey and unknowingly recommitted ourselves in a way we did not yet understand. This week we are once again in the midst of chaos...some of the best yet as we once again start a new chapter in our journey through life together. There is no one I would rather have as my traveling partner. Eight years ago when I said I DO, I thought there was no way possible for me to love you any more than I did at that very moment. I could not have been more wrong. Thank you for loving me back.

Adriana

Final Countdown

2011-06-13T04:04:00.000-07:00

So last week was quite the whirlwind. On Wednesday I got the crazy idea that maybe I should check the weather for the weekend and realized that it was going to rain all morning Saturday and that the next few days were going to be great weather. On a total whim I decided to move the sale to Thursday and Friday morning. So I ran around our apartment like a crazy person, made signs, rented a couple tables, and sent Bret out to hang said signs.

Bret and I got up at the crack of dawn on Thursday and hauled all of our junk out to the front lawn. The sale went great but it was hot as holy hell so I was really glad we had advertised that we were packing it in by noon. Since Bret was working I hauled everything with my very pregnant friend (aka door holder) who was also trying to sell somethings before the move. I was so hot and exhausted that I didn't do much other than sit on the couch in front of the air conditioner for the next three hours (except go to my last annual doctor's apt before the move).

Bret was on call Thursday night so he was 50/50 on whether he would be around Friday morning. Turns out he was stuck in surgery and didn't make it home until I was already packing it in for the day. However, in all of my glorious wisdom I had asked my babysitter and her boyfriend to come at 6:30 Friday morning (when I originally planned to have the sale on Fri/Sat) to help me carry things out. I had completely forgotten this until they knocked on my door bright and early Friday morning as I was getting ready to do all the work myself. I was so happy to see them and so proud that I had thought that far ahead.

Friday right after the sale Bret and I went and signed all of the paperwork to buy our house. We close on the 15th. So far everything is a go and has gone very smoothly.

This weekend was whirlwind tour of BBQ's with friends. The OB residents had their final one of the year. A few times last week and on Sunday we have been having what we have been calling our community dinners. Two other families and us are moving at the same time and all trying to empty our freezers and pantries. So last week one family invited us for hamburgers and brauts that they needed to use up. The rest of us dug through our pantry and brought what we had. We did the same thing yesterday with a full pork loin that we cut into pork chops. Everyone has been baking and throwing together some interesting sides. It has been a great way to use up the food that we have without having to buy extra things to complete the meal. We have all been freezing some desserts for the graduation BBQ this weekend also.

Besides all of this fun stuff we have been selling things on craigslist which means lots of people coming by the house to look at/buy our stuff. This means eating at the card table, sitting in bag chairs, and the kids sleeping on cots. We are all definitely ready to move into the new house and get some new furniture.

This week involves Emily's last day of school, dinner with friends, family coming into town, and graduation. Oh yeah and the movers coming to pack and take all of our stuff and driving across the country. Oh yeah and our anniversary and Father's Day. Whew..I should just go back to bed.

Lulu

2011-06-08T05:36:00.000-07:00

Lulu is our pet bunny. We bought her for the kids three years ago to try and ease the homesickness of missing grandparents, our old house, our old dog, and old friends.

We knew that living in a small apartment we would not be able to have a dog or a cat. We knew that we did not want a bird or rodent (hamster, gerbil, etc). We definitely knew that we DID NOT want something that slithered or was slimy. Fish seemed not enough pet for our kids. We also knew that money was a factor so it had to be cheap to obtain and cheap to maintain (aka no ferret, chinchilla, or ground hog). Thus my google research lead us to a bunny. At the pet stores these bunnies were going for $50+. So I contacted our local bunny (there is another name for it but I have no idea what it is) 4H leader. We were in luck because she was expecting babies any day and we could have one for $5.

Lulu has been a great pet and I highly recommend bunnies as a pet. They are sweet and easy to take care of. You can pet them, feed them treats of fresh veggies (all of our not OK to eat anymore produce), and they are pretty low maintenance. Shortly after Bret signed his contract and we started to talk logistics about moving back to KS we both thought it would be better to find Lulu a new home here in PA. The very long drive back to KS is enough for us and the kids let alone getting a bunny there. The kids have also been begging for a dog so we knew we could "talk" the kids into a trade (Lulu stays here because she would not want to live with a dog).

We talked a lot about Lulu and made a lot of promises to the kids about her "new" home. In the meantime Bret and I asked everyone we knew and some we didn't if they were interested in a bunny. Despite Bret's threats to release her into the wild we both knew that if we could not find a home for her she was coming with us. Some suggested the animal shelter but I felt strongly that she was our responsibility...not to mention part of our family.

The college I worked for has a list serve for people selling or giving things away. In one final attempt to find Lulu a good home I sent out an email with a picture. I also offered a $20 gift card to Pet Smart. Not as a bribe but because I did not want money to be a deciding factor and wanted to reassure that she is a pretty cheap pet (I would say cheaper than a dog or cat by a lot). To my surprise I got a couple of emails back (you really can get rid of anything on that list serve). The director of our fitness center is a single mom of three and was thinking about getting her kids a pet. It was a match made in heaven.

The kids came to get Lulu with their mom last night. They were so excited and thanked me and Emily and Bret and Palmer at least 20 times. The older two boys (8 and 10) listened very carefully to Bret's instructions on changing her cage and caring for her. They asked a lot of questions. The little girl had a big heart like our Emily and promised to send pictures by email and write her to tell her how Lulu is doing. Emily didn't cry until they left but she was sure to tell me that she thinks Lulu is really going to like her new home.

Home Stretch

2011-06-06T20:03:00.000-07:00

This past Friday was my last day of work. We are moving in two weeks. Bret and I are officially scuba diving certified and it was one of the most terrifying yet thrilling experiences in my life. I am so relieved that diving in Hawaii or the Caribbean will be nothing like what we did (aka full wet suits, hoods, gloves, 50 degree water, and barely visible in a quarry) and so much less scary. This weekend is our yard sale. We have a ton of BBQ's, dinners, and just crap going on.

I am keeping it together....barely.

When we were 50 feet under water there was a moment of panic that I had. The only thing that I kept thinking to myself was breath and breath out. Take deep breaths and calm yourself down. When you are scuba diving panic is your number one enemy. You start to breath more shallow and quicker and then you get light headed and the panic sets in even worse.

So just like I did under water I am keeping myself calm and focusing on what needs to be done next. All the while I am reminding myself to breath in and out. I want to enjoy our last few days with our friends and enjoy this area. I don't want our final days to be pure chaos.

We got great news today that we are actually getting back money at the closing of our house we are buying. Unexpected and fun news to get and will be spent on furniture for said house. Stay tuned as From KS to PA starts the journey back to KS sooner than we ever thought possible.

Farewell

2011-06-02T12:13:00.000-07:00

Today was my going away lunch with my office and reception at the college. I am so thankful to have worked at place that valued their employees and was willing to be flexible and allow me to work from home. I could not have written myself a better job description for what I needed the past three years. I am sad to leave some amazing people and a great college but am way to excited about where we are going to let it get to me. With two weeks left until we move I feel like time is whirling by me.

My family and I have been coming down with some serious allergies/sinus infections/cold crap and it is really starting to get old. I don't have the time or energy to be sick right now yet my head is still swimming/pounding and my nose is still running and I am still coughing. Bret has been fighting the same thing for a week now and I know that Emily has been getting headaches too. I pray that we all start to feel much better soon than later.

Summer Reading

2011-05-28T06:03:00.000-07:00

It is no surprise to anyone who knows me that I am an avid reader. I LOVE reading and always have a book going. A few months ago there wasn't anything I was really interested in reading and I felt very lost. I spent a lot of time reviewing the best seller lists, asking friends, and still nothing sounded appealing. A friend brought over a couple of her chick lit books that have kept me reading but I have been putting together a list to get me through the summer.

Summer reading is something my mom started when I was a kid. She went to great lengths to make sure we had a set of books to get us through the summer. A lot of times I would start a series of books and try to finish the series before the summer was over. Growing up some of my favorite series were

The Baby-Sitters Club. I lived my summers reading about Kristie and her Logan. Thinking about how great it would have been to have such fun and caring baby-sitters. Ironically I hated babysitting when I got older but I loved the idea of having a close group of friends that were always there for you.

Little House on the Prairie is still to this day one of my all time favorite series. My grandmother watched this show religiously and loved all of the characters. She always said that I reminded her of Laura. I took that to heart and loved reading about hardships of living in a place similar to where I was from only many years earlier. I loved that even though the books took place many years before there was still "Nancy's" even then.

Anne of Green Gables to me always felt very similar to Little House on the Prairie only years later. I read the first book much sooner than I did the rest of the series. It wasn't until I was a few years older that I could relate to the characters. I was so happy the day Disney started the series based on these books. I always wanted an apple tree outside my window because I thought about waking up smelling the blossoms.

One of the last times I went to spend a whole week of my summer vacation with my grandmother she was reading this series she got from a friend. I picked up out of sheer boredom. I know it was a Christan romance and was not interested at all but I quickly fell in love. One of the best love stories I have ever read this amazing journey has touched my heart and has a soft spot with me forever.

In the past few years here in PA I have picked back up with my summer reading goals. One summer I tried to read "classics" that I had never read before. Man some of those books were tough and really challenged me. I am not really a "classics" kind of gal I have decided. Here are three series that I read and loved.

The Sookie Stackhouse is fun, steamy, and totally addictive. There is a series on HBO that follows the books pretty closely and I have to say...seeing Eric in on the screen is very fulfilling :) The newest book just came out and is at the top of my summer reading list.
The only summer I wasn't working here in PA I decided to read the very popular Left Behind Series. Although at times I thought the books were a little cheesy I was fascinated by the authors ability to make biblical references apply to a somewhat realistic play in current times. It was definitely worth reading although there were a ton of books in this series and none of them were very short.

One of my other favorite authors is Beverly Lewis. She writes books set in Amish communities. I love that a lot of the little towns that she has as her settings are located all around where I live. Her books are light reading and compelling. I also love that she writes in little mini series about the same characters.

Although I have a ton of favorite authors and a list a mile long of favorite books these are my top favorite series. What are some of your favorites?

House Tour- Upstairs Bedrooms

2011-05-27T10:49:00.000-07:00

If I don't get this house tour moving along faster I will be living in the house before you get to see it all.

One of my favorite parts of the house is the stairs. I love how such a simple part of the house really is very unique to it's own style. So I took a picture of the stairs going up.

The is the upstairs landing. Upstairs we have the master bedroom and two other rooms, the bathroom, and the laundry room. The first door is the master bedroom, then the linen closet, and then Emily's room. On the right across from Emily's room is the boy's room.

Here is Emily's room. I love the little corner. I have plans to make this a fun and cozy reading area for her with a fun lamp, comfy chair, and a bookcase with all of her favorite books.

Here is the other side of Emily's room. Yes this girl gets two closets. She couldn't be happier. The room is a light taupe color but of course Emily has big plans to change this. Her color of choice...purple (what else?). We picked out some great bedding for her at Target and this room is really going to be full of color which screams Emily. We were going to buy her a full size bed but decided that if we were going to buy a new bed why not buy us one? So Emily gets our queen size bed. We think that it will be nice to have when we have extra guests.

This is the boy's room. This room is really big and has plenty of room for both boys and all of their toys. Palmer has always shared a room and was a very unhappy camper when he found out that he was no longer going to share with Emily. He has cheered up some when we have talked about a "boys only" room with Logan. On the left of this picture is their really big walk in closet.

This is the other end of the room. Even though the room is large we plan to get the boys bunk beds. We have a set picked out that has a full size bed on the bottom and twin on the top.

Stay tuned as there is still a lot of house to see!

So Long

2011-05-25T06:05:00.000-07:00

I dread the days that are coming too soon where we will have to say our goodbyes to the amazing people we have met in our four years here in PA. Sadly these goodbyes are coming much faster for our kids as the end of school is drawing near.

Emily's soccer team that she has played with for the past two years had their parents vs. kids game and pizza party this past weekend. There was a make shift podium at the place they were eating pizza so the kids all took turns giving speeches. Some thanked the parents for pizza, several thanked the coach for a great season. Then several of Emily's team members went and said thank you to Emily for being an awesome player and friend and that they were going to miss her a lot. Emily very stoically smiled and said that she was going to miss everyone too. After hugs and a few tears we said our goodbyes.

Palmer has two classes left of preschool. I think he understands that we are moving and that he won't see his friends again but at his age it is really hard to grasp what he really understands. Emily still has class until the week before we leave in June. As we get closer and closer to the end of school I know that the reality of these goodbyes are constantly on their minds as the questions are endless.

I am relieved to know that although the goodbyes are hard both of my kids are so excited about the move. The new house, being closer to family, and that dang dog we have been promising them are all on their horizon. For every moment of sadness there are 10 of excitement and happiness about what is to come. I have talked to the parents of some of their closest friends and hope that email and letters will help to ease the hurt until time heals all. I pray that God wraps his arms around my kids and their friends and helps to quickly heal their hearts as they begin to understand what saying goodbye means for the first time.

OB/GYN Residency

2011-05-24T08:20:00.001-07:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

The adventures of Bret and Adriana

2011-05-24T08:06:00.001-07:00

Bret and I love to "do" things. We love to try new experiences and to be active in our lives. Even though we love a lazy Sunday every now and then we really look forward to having fun and being adventurous. We are not talking about jumping out of an airplane adventurous but going places and trying our new things.

This past Friday a friend of ours that works with Bret calls me and wants to know if we can find a babysitter for Saturday. I was pretty surprised to find out that my friend (who usually wants to go shopping, fine dinning, theater, or concerts) wanted Bret and I to join her and a few other friends at a clay pigeon shooting range. Surprised wasn't quite right...speechless was more like it. This friend had never shot a gun in her life. I haven't shot a gun in over 10 years and Bret goes hunting as regularly as possible. So never one to turn down a new experience I called and got a babysitter and Bret got our "stuff" ready to go the next day.

I would be lying if I didn't say it was a little intimidating. I feel pretty comfortable around guns. I grew up around them as my family were all big hunters. Bret feels very comfortable around guns as well. It was having everyone else around us having guns that made me a little nervous. Luckily it quickly passed. Everyone was very cautious and very safe. After we got all checked in and moved to the first range we didn't see a lot of people the rest of the time and we had a really great time.

The place was set up a little like a golf course. There are 17 stations and two "birds" per station. We had a sidewalk that we stayed on the entire time as we made our way around the course. It was a lot of fun and I didn't do to bad for it being the first time in a long time. Bret was in hog heaven and is trying to figure out how to fit in another trip before we leave. It was really fun to be doing something so different together.

The kids had a great afternoon with the babysitter. They got dressed up and had a dance party in my living room...with videos to show for it. They played outside and took long naps to recover. Overall it was really a great day for everyone.

Made by Mabelette- Diaper Cake

2011-05-23T09:40:00.001-07:00

I have thrown a few baby showers in my day and one of my favorite gifts to give that doubles as a great decoration is a diaper cake. They are just so cute and practical. A friend of mine is throwing a shower for her sister and asked me to help her make one. So I gave her the list of things to buy:

About 100 diapers (she bought size three so we used 72...you will need more than that is you use a smaller size)
Small and extra large rubber bands- thin is good
Ribbon
bottle
anything else you want to add- I usually sneak onesies, washcloths, burp cloths, receiving blankets, and or hooded towels on the inside of the cake. Sometimes I will buy a package of cloth prefolded diapers and personalize them to use as burp clothes. I also hang toys, socks, and pacifiers on the outside. My friend really wanted something that was really simple and more for decorations so she opted to only add a few stuffed animals on the outside.

Platter- I use the cheap plastic ones that you can find in the party section

To start I tape the bottle to the center of the platter. I have found this helps keep the cake in place when wrapping the rubber bands. The second step is to wrap a diaper around the bottle and secure with a rubber band. Then start rolling your diapers. Start rolling from the waist section of the diaper in. My friend did not want the print section of the diaper showing so she rolled it to the inside. Then secure each diaper with the small rubber bands.

Then you stack the diapers in a circle around the bottle. I wrap a large rubber band around each circle to help give it more stability.

When you get to the largest circle you may need to wrap the circle in sections with the rubber band. Our rubber bands were OK to go all the way around each circle until the large layer. Then we wrapped half of the diapers with one band covering the bottle and then the other half (also including the bottle from that side) with a second band.

Here is a view from the top. If you wanted to add things like onesies, bibs, etc you can roll them similar to the diapers and stick them here and there as you go. When I am giving this as a gift I love to do this so that when they are "opening" the cake later on they find all kinds of things besides diapers.

To start your second tier wrap a second diaper around the bottle and secure with a rubber band. then start stacking diapers around it securing each circle with a large rubber band.

For the top tier I usually use a rolled diaper as the center and stack diapers around it. My friend happened to have a rattle that was a zebra (her theme was jungle) so we used it instead. Once you get your diapers the way you want them then you wrap the ribbon around it. Sometimes I wrap a receiving blanket around the outside of each tier to give it a very clean look. My friend picked out the Tiffany blue ribbon and the different animal ribbons to go over it. We used hot glue to secure the ribbon in place. Try to use as little of glue as possible to save on the diapers. This cake has to travel about 3 hours to get to the shower so we wanted to be sure it held up. Sometimes I use tape if I am having the shower at home and don't have to move the cake very much.

The last step is to decorate the cake. You can pin pacifiers or socks to the ribbon. You can stick rattles inside the ribbon here and there. You can use stuffed animals for the top of the cake or laying up against it. For my friend's cake she found some really cute cardboard animals that we glued to the ribbon on the sides. I happened to have the tiny stuffed animals left over from another cake I made. The point is to have fun with it. On one cake I made the theme was ABC's so I used blocks on the cake and made the cake square instead of circle. I love that you can really personalize a diaper cake to the mom and baby you are making it for.

Let me know if you have any questions!

House Tour- Basement

2011-05-16T05:54:00.000-07:00

For the most part Bret has claimed the basement as "his domain" which is fine with me. His big TV with all of his game systems, etc will be in the basement. He and his buddies will have a great place to hang out and relax and we both couldn't be happier. The carpet in the basement is in great shape...and of course going along with the rest of the house it is hunter green. At least most of the walls are a nice taupe color.

Here is the stairs going to the basement. There is a small storage area under the stairs that we plan to put toys into.

This bar was very strangely just right for us. Bret has a collection of old soda bottles that will look perfect in this bar. We have a ton of Coke memorabilia that will fit right in with this style.

Bret has big plans for an overstuffed wrap around couch set and a big TV. Like I mentioned before..this is his area so I have strict instructions to stay away. There is a lamp for a pool table hanging as well. We don't have a pool table and neither of us play pool so maybe a foosball table or something will go there instead.

You have already seen the bathroom in the basement and here is a picture of the one bedroom in the basement that will be a guest room and my craft room. Your eyes are not decieving you...the paint is pink and the carpet is hunter green. What room in our house would be complete without lace curtains?

There is a nice size walkin closet as well. I have big plans for this corner of the room for my craft and sewing stuff.

There is also a storage closet in the basement that will be really nice. Less than a month until we close and so far...knock on wood....everything is moving along really smoothly.

Golden Anniversary

2011-05-12T05:54:00.000-07:00

Sunday is my aunt and uncle's 50th wedding anniversary. I am very close to this aunt and uncle. My dad is several years younger than my aunt so when we were kids it was kind of like we were her first grandkids.

They came to every birthday, dance recital, and spent every holiday with us. My sister and I even went and stay part of our summer vacation with us.

If someone was to ask me whose marriage mine was most like it would be theirs. They were high school sweethearts who got married right after his first year of bootcamp in the marines. They spent their first few years of marriage at Camp Pendelton in California away from all of their family and friends. I always loved their stories of how hard it was to have their first baby so far from home because it was a clear and concrete example of how moving away from famliy and making it on your own can strengthen your marriage.

They would argue and get frustrated with each other regularly and to our amusement at times. The one thing that never waivered for them was their love and respect. They respected each other and even when I was a kid I could see this. They didn't always get along and sometimes they drove each other nuts but they still respected their partner.

Since they had three kids at very young ages they spent a lot of their married years as empty nesters. My uncle spent his retired years gardening, working as a volunteer firefighter, and collecting civil war memorablia. My aunt worked for several years longer than he did but spent her free time caring for my grandmother and quilting.

A few years ago my aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer. After her masectomy and treatment my uncle jumped right in and became her primary care taker. My aunt joked that she would have gotten cancer years before if she would have known that was all it took for him to do the laundry, cook, and clean for the first time in their 40 some years at the time together. Laying in bed was too uncomfortable for my aunt after surgery so the two of them slept on side by side recliners for months.

50 years of marriage these days are becoming more and more rare. Headlines about the divorce rate and that the instiution of marriage is dead are more and more prevalent. I believe in marriage. I believe that you can spend your life with one person and still love them as much in fifty years as you did when you first got started. I hope that in 42 more years Bret and I look at each other with the same love, respect, awe, and admiration as my uncle looks at my aunt, and my grandparents looked at each other.

Big Deal

2011-05-06T12:42:00.000-07:00

In the past few months Bret has been spending some serious money on things like his board exams, a board review course, his KS license to practice, his KS license to prescribe meds, etc, etc. The nice thing about him having a job already is that the new hospital will reimburse all of these expenses. We also got to submit our quick trip to KS back in March for reimbursement as well.

For the most part the hospital has been great about getting everything back to us. Until recently. I turned in receipts for reimbursement in March and here it was May and I had still not gotten anything back. After two phone calls and several emails I decided to have the doc give them a call.

Nothing frustrates me further than when someone gives Bret the royal treatment after blowing me off. Unfortunately this has happened more times than I can count.

So Bret made a phone call and two days later we had our check that had been over nighted to us. What is really crazy is that Bret gets to play the nice guy just checking in. BLEH.

I voiced my frustration to Bret and he smiled. He told me in his most reassuring voice that in every aspect of his and my life I am in charge.....except in the hospital. At his hospital he is in charge and he is the big deal. At first I tried to explain that it had nothing to do with that. Even when I am talking to the mechanic/car dealer/insurance company/etc/etc I still felt like Bret was given more respect. After I thought about it though I realized what he was trying to tell me. Bret is a big deal to this hospital and this town. It is a feeling he has worked for for a long time. So I let it go. He has always been a big deal to me.

"Mudder"

2011-05-05T07:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Palmer wanted to wear a new t-shirt that we had got him. He kept tugging at his shirt and stretching out the collar all day and both Bret and I kept getting after him to leave it alone. When we got home after soccer practice I was getting him ready for bed and found that he was covered from his neck to his waist both front and back in hives. I am still not sure why he never mentioned that he was itchy when I told him to leave his shirt alone. Instead he just so "OK mom" and went on playing.

Earlier that day it was raining pretty hard and we were running late in the morning. Palmer couldn't find any socks so I told him to hurry up and just wear his flip flops that it would be fine. We drove Emily to the bus stop but I decided to run a couple of errands right after. On the way into our third stop I mentioned to Palmer that wearing flip flops that day wasn't our best idea ever. With his head bobbing and everything in his most sarcastic tone possible he said "yeah you said it's fine Palmer just wear your flip flops..and that was a bad idea".

This morning Bret had to get to work early and Logan woke up when he did. So Bret picked him up and put him in bed with me. Logan slid all the way across the bed to get as close to me as possible. He put his hand on my cheek and stroke it and closed his eyes to go back to sleep. Logan is my only kid that loves to cuddle. Not just when he is tired or sick but anytime you want to hold him he doesn't just let you hold him...he actually snuggles in and cuddles. I love it.

Every month Emily brings home her kid writing journal. This is one of my favorite school projects that they work on. It is so fun to see what she writes about that is going on in her life. This was my favorite from this month

It says "I saw the wedding. Everybody was fancy. I did not know why it was long." Makes me laugh out loud.

I think that being a mom is such a gift. I am really sure how to describe why it is such a gift except that I get to be a part of these lives as the grow and learn and discover who they are and who they will be. It is the everyday moments that make me laugh and feel so very loved by these tiny beings that is my greatest blessing. To watch with such pride as Emily scores her first goal, as Logan takes his first steps, and as Palmer plays catch with his dad.

To have my kids exclaim that I am the best "mudder" ever for making goulash for dinner. To see the excitement in their eyes as they quietly tell me that they have a surprise that they made for me at school for Mother's Day but they can't tell me what it is.

Emily was sitting at the table talking about her day at school while eating a snack and all I could think about was that even though I am really biased she is so pretty.

Don't get me wrong being their mom at times is exhausting, frustrating, and at times absolutely the hardest thing I have ever done. The love for your kids is indescribable.

House Tour

2011-05-04T06:42:00.001-07:00

It is cold and rainy here today and I am feeling pretty unmotivated. Here are a couple of pictures of the other three bathrooms in the house.

This is the basement bathroom. It is in good shape. The blue counter top and checked linoleum is not my favorite but we can work with it. At least the toilet is white :) I think some paint, a rug, and some decor will change the whole room. Stay tuned for this one.
This the second upstairs bathroom. Don't you just love the blue toilet, sinks, and shower? I love it better than the pink but I am definitely not crazy about the pink counter tops. We have a contractor giving us an estimate on redoing this bathroom. We really need a tub for the kids to take baths in so we are planning to take out the cabinet and put in a tub shower combo.

This is my favorite bathroom in the house even though it is only a half bath. Funny story is that I didn't realize this bathroom was here until the second time we looked at the house. It was a fun little surprise to discover. This bathroom is on the main floor just off the kitchen.

Just over a month until we close and move. We can't wait but there is still so much to do.

Appreciate

2011-05-03T05:47:00.001-07:00

This week is teacher's appreciation week, nurse's appreciation week, and of course Mother's Day.

WHEW!

Each day this week I have been sending in little gifts gifts with fun sayings on them for the kid's teachers. Palmer only has two days of class and two teachers.

Monday- A picture frame with a piece of cardstock with the words "Thanks for make my year "picture" perfect Love, Emily" inside it.

Tuesday- A little flower to plant with a flag in it that says "Thanks for helping Emily/Palmer Bloom"

Wednesday- A tin of Altoids that says "You were "mint" to be a great teacher"

Thursday- A box of chocolate dipped strawberries that I made with a note that says "You are the "berry" best teacher.

Friday- An itunes gift card with a note that says "Your a rockin' great teacher".

For Bret's nurse he only wanted to take something one day. She is a great nurse and really works hard to make his day go much smoother. Bret has nothing but great things to say about Amber and even I appreciate that. She really is super sweet. In the past I have gotten her smaller things like Bath and Body works sets, etc. This year Bret wanted to spoil her a little to say thanks for everything since he is leaving. For Christmas I got her an awesome Vera Bradley purse and she loved it. She uses it everyday. So for this week I got her the matching wallet. She will love it. For added fun I filled it with a couple of fun gift cards and little sayings like "Your a rockin great nurse" and "To my wise and "noble" nurse".

Mother's day gifts have all been ordered/shipped this week hopefully to arrive by Saturday. Like I said "whew".

All of these people (teacher's, nurses, mother's) are so under appreciated sometimes. My goal this week was to hopefully let them know that someone appreciates them. As for my plans I laid things out pretty clearly for Bret. I want a new purse (that we will pick out together) and possibly a wallet :) and we are going for the best Mother's day brunch. It will be great.

To all of my reader's that are teachers, nurses, and mom's you guys are awesome and thank you so much for all that you do. Our kids, our sick, and your families owe you so much. I have said it many times. I could never be a teacher or a nurse. The reasons are endless but I am so very thankful that there are amazing people who can and do everyday.

Turned the Corner

2011-04-29T08:17:00.000-07:00

Emily and I got up this morning and started watching the Royal wedding at about 5:45 eastern time. It was perfect. We cozied up on the couch in our PJ's with a warm blanket and watched as the soon to be princess walked out of her hotel and got into the car with her dad. Emily was just as fascinated as I was and kept saying "everyone looks so FANCY" and "I LOVE the hats". I did too. It was perfect and I hope that someday when someone asks her if she watched she will remember that her mom woke her up and we watched it together.

This weekend is Bret's last weekend call of residency. Let's hope for a slow weekend. The weather here is scheduled to be beautiful. We have swimming and soccer this weekend and that is about it.

I titled this post turned the corner because that is definitely how I feel. I am not nearly as overwhelmed and feel like we are getting close to the end of our time here. With the nicer weather out I have been running outside more. I meet a friend at the track late in the evening after the kids are put to bed. I love running on the track. I finally understand this saying because literally as I turn the corner of my lap I feel the energy coming back to me and I feel as though the end really is in sight. The "I can really do this" feeling is a great feeling.

My last day of work is June 3rd. That weekend we are having our big sale and Bret is spending that week after memorial day in Philadelphia at a board review conference. Needless to say that we will all be very happy to have that week behind us.

Today as I was making my grocery list for the week I spent some serious time in my freezer and pantry. I am doing really well at focusing on what we have already and trying to use as much of it as I can. There are still some odds and ends that I am not sure what I am going to do with it. I also have a serious baking marathon planned to use up the flour, sugar, etc and giving things to neighbors before we leave. The lists have begun. It was an awesome feeling to cross things off my list.

Next week is teacher appreciation week and the following week is nurse appreciation week. I have some really fun things planned for both. Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Sneak Peek

2011-04-27T05:45:00.000-07:00

We have a contract on a house in Kansas that we cannot wait to move into. We close (keeping fingers and toes crossed that nothing goes wrong) on June 15th. I thought it would be fun to show you glimpses of the house before we move in. I was going to start with my favorite room in the house then thought it would be better to end with the best and start with the worst.

There is one room in the house that is pretty awful. It is probably one of the reasons that the house stayed on the market as long as it did. Bret and I, however thought about the potential this room has. We have a contractor that remodeled other parts of the house giving us an estimate. In the mean time though here is the worst room of the entire house...the master bathroom.

While there are a lot of positives such as it is really big and it has nice oak cabinets there is still a lot left to be desired. To start with your eyes are not deceiving you those are pink sinks. Yes that is also a hunter green Formica counter top. The laminate in the bathroom is black and white checks. Please notice the lovely lace curtains as they are a theme throughout the house. Of course the ruffle at the top is a coordinating lovely hunter green.
What bathroom would be complete without a pink shower?

The highlight of the room is the corner jet tub...also in pink and surrounded with hunter green Formica. Until we toured this home we had never seen a pink toilet either.

We love the house so much that we didn't care that the master bathroom was not really our taste. We can't wait until the contract can get in there and literally start over.

Skipping to the Airport

2011-04-20T05:58:00.000-07:00

Ok so actually we are driving but I feel like we could skip we are so excited. My mom is coming to visit for a few days over the holiday and we pick her up in less than four hours. I am not sure who is more excited, my mom, the kids, or me. Tears spring to my eyes when I think about how excited I am to see her and how much I have missed her.

I have not seen my mom since Christmas. I think that living so far from family has been the hardest part of the last four years. We never went longer than a couple weeks without seeing our parents or siblings and now we go at least 3 months at a time sometimes longer.

My mom has come to visit us here in PA at least once a year for the past four years. It is so surreal to realize that this is her last visit here because we are moving back to KS! If you had asked me four years ago if my mom would get on a plane by herself and fly to PA I would have said no way. I totally underestimated the power of grandkids.

Not much longer till we get to see her and this trip the goodbye when she leaves will be less bitter because we know exactly when we will see her again!

Made By Mabelette- Popcorn Cake

2011-04-18T05:05:00.000-07:00

Every year since Bret was in kindergarten (this year makes 25 years) he has taken a popcorn cake to either school or work to celebrate his birthday. This year he wanted to take it today because last Friday there was no morning conference. I went to a friends house to watch movies last night and didn't get home until really late. As I was setting my alarm for this morning I was thinking to myself that Bret had a great birthday and it occurred to me that I almost forgot about the dang popcorn cake. So I set my alarm for even earlier (bummer since Em is on spring break which meant we all could have slept in) and made the cake this morning.

Popcorn Cake

16 cups of popped popcorn

1/2 cup oil 1/2 cup margarine 1 lb marshmallows 1 lb roasted peanuts 1 lb M & M's Melt together oil, margarine, and marshmallows until smooth. Set aside and let cool to room temperature. Mix together popcorn,peanuts, and M&M's. Pour marshmallow mix over and mix using buttered hands. Press into a sprayed angel food cake pan. Turn over onto a plate and enjoy!

Old Man turns 30

2011-04-16T06:01:00.000-07:00

Bret, I can call you old man because you are younger than me by 5 months. Remember the other day when we were at a Hibachi restaurant and we overheard Palmer telling the family next to us how old he and his siblings were. The next thing he told them was that his mom was a lot older than his dad. We all got a good laugh out of that. We had our second date on your 19th birthday and have spent the next 11 together as well. On your 20th birthday you paid for our dinner because I didn't have any money. For your 21st birthday we celebrated a week early with a big party because you spent the day after your actual 21st birthday taking the MCAT's exam. We went to the casinos instead. We are both completely different people now at 30 than we were when we met at 19. We have become working adults and parents. I would wager that we have changed more in the last 10 years than we will during any other decade of our lives. I love this new you now more than ever. I am so proud of you. This last year has been one of the more challenging of our 11 years. Not the most challenging but more so than others. Your integrity and strength continues to awe me. I am proud that the foundation of which is our marriage and family is rock solid for us to continue to build upon in the coming years and with many changes in our near future. For your birthday I wish for you to have a smooth rest of your residency, success on your boards, a replenishing trip to Hawaii, new friends in Garden City, good health, and a profitable first year of practice. You are my best friend, your children's hero, your family's pride, and a gift as a friend. Love, Adriana

It's the chocolates fault

2011-04-15T05:59:00.000-07:00

So this week my Fatty Friday update is that there is no change. I gave up chocolate for Lent and it has been the hardest thing I have ever done. I have not cheated once and there are days where most of my day is spent thinking about how much I want a piece of chocolate. I say it's the chocolate's fault because when I have a sweet craving since I can't have a simple piece of chocolate I turn to other sweets...which usually are much worse than a piece of dark chocolate. Only about a week left and I have some serious plans for our Easter deserts.

Snack

2011-04-14T06:49:00.001-07:00

In the last few weeks Palmer has started a really bad habit of wanting to snack all the time. Constant pleading for something to eat or a snack has reached an all time high. The kids get 3 meals a day and two snacks. The other day after the 10th time Palmer asked for another snack I told him that he could have carrots if he was so hungry. Remember when we talked about how much of a struggle it was to get my kids to eat their veggies sometimes? I never thought in a million years he would actually go and get the carrots out of the fridge but he did.

Even more surprising was that the bag he grabbed was shredded carrots (which I use to cook with and toss into salads). So the rule is now that Palmer can have his two normal snacks a day as usual. If he wants anything more than that he can have carrots. This is working out great but we shall see how long it lasts.

*As a side note I know that a lot of my posts lately have been complaining about the stress and things going on. I hope that you all know that we of course are very grateful for all of the many blessings in our lives and that just because I post about what is happening in our lives (and it happens to feel stressful) doesn't mean that we are taking these blessing for granted. We are thrilled to have these stresses in our lives but it does not make them any less stressful. No more than a new parent who complains about morning sickness or sleepless nights the first few days does not make them less grateful for their new baby or even the pregnancy. We have worked very hard and for a long time to get to this very point and are so thrilled to have it all pay off. Thanks for reading and being so loyal.

Jump In

2011-04-13T06:51:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid there was nothing we would rather do than jump rope. Didn't matter if it was on the blacktop at recess, in my driveway, or at the Jump Rope for Heart event, we were always jumping rope. One the hardest things was to do double dutch. Remember when two people turned ropes in the opposite direction and your job was to run in and start jumping without getting caught in the ropes. I was a good rope jumper. The hardest part for me was getting up the courage to run in and start jumping. Once I made the decision to go I was fine. Sometimes I would stand there for what seemed like forever swaying to the movement of the ropes waiting for just the right moment to jump in. That is kind of where I am at right now. There is so much to do. SO MUCH! I feel paralyzed and just can't get myself started. There are mounds of paperwork to complete. I need to mail in everything for our taxes, documents for our mortgage application, and some paperwork for my dad. Bret's birthday is Saturday, Palmer's Easter party is next Tuesday, and my mom flies in on Wednesday. Then it's Easter. We have something going on almost every weekend until we move. I feel completely frozen unsure of where to even start. Bret was giving me a hard time the other day wondering where my 20 some odd lists that he assumed I had going with everything we need to do in the next two months. I haven't written even one. I am so worried that I am going to forget something. That some how these twenty plates that I am so carefully spinning are all going to come crashing down on me. My urge is to do nothing but I know better. So I try and focus on the now. I tell myself that today I am going to get laundry done, vacuum, mail in our tax info, and make the copies for the paperwork to send in for our mortgage application. Tomorrow I am going to pick up groceries, one last present for Bret, and mail our mortgage paperwork. If I focus on the things I need to do today and the next few days it helps subside the panic on the overwhelming things that need to still be done. Yesterday I was reading Emily's newsletter and I almost burst into tears because there was a note from the principle as a reminder that if your student was not returning next year there was paperwork in the office that needed to be completed. Add that to canceling our gym membership, shutting down our utilities here, turning them on there, the sale, the movers, graduation, gifts I am making for the graduates, finishing working, etc, etc and my list will be finished in no time. Can't we just skip all of this and head straight to Hawaii?

Fatty Friday

2011-04-08T05:58:00.000-07:00

Since our trip to Colorado I have not been doing a very good job of sticking to the program. My eating has been terrible and before this week I haven't worked out more than once or twice. So it was no surprise to see that I gained just over a pound back. But just like the song I get knocked down but I get up again. I worked out everyday this week and worked on my food choices and portions. Although the scale did not reflect my efforts I feel so much better and am kind of excited to have sore muscles this week. With a glimpse of spring coming our way next week I am thinking about sun dresses and swim suits. This has been a great motivator. As a small reward for my hard work I went and got a pedicure. I still have about 13 pounds to go (at a minimum) but I am ready for the challenge. I ran outside this week because it was nice and I can't wait to do this more often. Bret and I took the kids to the pool one evening and took turns swimming laps. I almost have him convinced to train for a 5K with me that is coming up in August at his home town church picnic. I am not going to hold my breath but I am not going to give up either.

Presentation

2011-04-06T11:12:00.000-07:00

Emily has been learning all about health and fitness at school lately. She has been bringing home lots of pamphlets and fliers about how to eat and be healthy at home. I am really proud to say that if I had to grade our family and our health and fitness at home I would give us a B+ to A-. This only because we still eat fast food and out at restaurants more than we should. My kids are not picky eaters. However, they are still kids and are very likely to turn up their nose to almost everything new they encounter. This drives me insane and forces me to remind myself constantly that they are still just kids and that it is not a personal attack on my cooking skills :) Recently I have been trying something new. I have been trying to present their meals and different foods in new ways. For example none of my kids will eat banana bread. I have no idea why. I guess it is the way it looks (brown with weird things inside says Emily). Something they love, though is muffins. So instead of making banana bread I pour the batter into muffin wrappers in a in an whalaa. They can't eat them fast enough. Palmer even called them desert. I tried the same thing with zucchini bread and same results. I found a couple of recipes online for other types of veggie muffins that I plan to try as well. Lunch is something that Palmer and I go round and round about. He doesn't want to eat anything except cereal and chicken nuggets. About a year ago Bret's mom found the most awesome set of metal dinosaur cookie cutters. Although we have yet to make dinosaur sugar cookies we have used the heck out of them. We make dinosaur sandwiches. Doesn't matter if it is peanut butter and jelly or ham and cheese if it is in the shape of a dinosaur Palmer will devour it. Sometimes the dinosaur is bigger than the sandwich so I cut the tail out of a different part of the sandwich and he loves it all the same. I read in a magazine that a great way to get kids to try new foods is to use the bento box. The idea is to have small portions in their own space. Kind of like a lunchable. I used a muffin tin and cups and Palmer loved it. He still wasn't to crazy about the veggies but at least he tried them. I have trying to introduce new foods like hummus, cherry tomatoes, etc. It is a slow process for both boys. Palmer will try something and if he isn't crazy about it he will chew the same bite for 20 minutes unless you stay on him. Logan will put something in his mouth and then literally spit it right back out and if he decides he doesn't like it good luck trying to get in his mouth. Emily has grown up a lot and will try everything but will tell you if she doesn't like it very much. She will eat what you tell her to but no more. She tried sushi for the first time the other day and said it wasn't her favorite. We were still proud that she tried it and didn't spit it out. Who knew that food could be such an issue. I want my kids to be healthy. They are all pretty skinny and very active. There are certain habits that I really want my kids to have that I never had. For instance breakfast. In my house growing up we had poptarts or granola bars except on weekends. My kids sit down every single morning and eat breakfast. It may only be cereal or frozen waffles but they start their day out with breakfast. I think this is influenced more with Bret has eaten breakfast every morning of his life too. I also want me kids to drink water. My mom and dad hated water. We never drank water with our meals let alone throughout the day. As I have been working on my weight this has been a really big shift for our whole family. I have a water bottle constantly and my kids drink from it as much as I do. I never realized how often they were thirsty throughout the day before and they actually ask for water regularly now. I can see that the change has hit Emily the hardest. We never put water in her sippy cup and now she is not the biggest fan unless she is really thirsty. The boys drink it all day. Logan rarely gets juice and when he does it is kind of a treat. Both boys still drink a ton of milk and will as long as the want to. With regards to the fitness part we are all doing things everyday. We walk with our kids or take them on long bike rides several times a week. The kids swim, play soccer, and run around the backyard with Bret and I. In our society is more important than ever to be setting good habits in our kids starting at a young age. Although I feel like we are working pretty hard at it I want to keep doing more. I want my kids to have a solid foundation.

43

2011-03-31T13:59:00.000-07:00

Work days left. 43!! I didn't think I would be this excited about quiting my job and not having any plans to get another one in the very near future. I thought I would be more stressed about. I'm not crazy about my current job. It's OK. That is not the real reason I'm excited about quiting though. Emily starts soccer practice next week and we got her game schedule. I was super bummed to realize that I have to miss her first game because I am working my last open house. I even emailed my boss to see if there was anyway of getting out of it and she pretty much told me that she was missing her kid's first game to so suck it up but in a nice way. I have been really lucky in that even though I have worked pretty much full time since all of kids were born I have not had to miss very much. I didn't get to help with the kids' school as much before I worked from home but I did what I could and worked through lunch hours to leave early and used vacation time when I had to. When there was no way for me to get out of it then Bret would go instead. What I realized is that by quiting my job I don't have to miss things anymore. I don't have to make tough choices or juggle around work. I can be there 100% for my kids and I couldn't be happier about it. I am also really excited about some of the plans that I have for starting my own business down the road. I have been toiling around the idea for a while and Bret has really pushed me to give it a go. I want to wait until we get the kids settled and back in school before I do anything but just thinking about it makes me excited for the future. There is so much that is going to happen in the next 43 days and the few weeks right after that and as stressed as it is sometimes I still cannot wait.

Date Night

2011-03-28T06:05:00.000-07:00

*Mabel is taking this Monday off because she had to work over the weekend and didn't have time to do anything new but will be back next Monday! Saturday morning we took the kids to swimming lessons and then I headed off to work an open house at the college while Bret took all three kids home for the afternoon on his own. Needless to say we were both tapped and ready for a night off (we love our kids but sometimes we just need a break). We got a babysitter and then tried to decide what to do. Dating your spouse when you have kids can be a very expensive (but necessary) endeavor at times. Adding the babysitter bill to the cost of anything you decide to do even if it is just a movie makes it kind of expensive. We are really looking forward to having family close by to be a burden on for times like these. For Christmas one of the docs gave Bret a gift card to a fancy resturant and we decided this was just what we needed. So I quickly made reservations while Bret jumped in the shower. Just having a reason to dress up for the night started our evening out just right. We had a really nice time. We got slightly buzzed on some fun martini's (although Bret insisted the second drink he ordered come on the rocks instead of a martini glass) and had a fabulous dinner. Most importantly we had a kids free night and felt like Bret and Adriana for a few hours instead of mom and dad. Bret made a joke that we were celebrating 11 years of dating that started just a few weeks from now. That is over a 1/3 of our lives together. The time goes by so quickly but it makes me feel good to know that even after 11 years we can still go to dinner and have a really great date. We spent a lot of our time talking about how the following morning was going to go. In anticipation of our vacation this summer to Hawaii Bret and I are in the process of getting our scuba diving certification. I have been very nervous and feeling a bit in over my head about this whole experience. The one thing that keeps me from running from the room screaming is that Bret is doing it with me. He on the other hand is so excited and can hardly wait. The first class was in a classroom going over the basics of the equipment and safety. This I can handle although after seeing how quickly Bret has completely memorized everything gone over briefly once I have some studying to do. Yesterday was our first day in the water with equipment. To say that I was nervous was an understatement. Turns out I really liked it. No, I loved it. I am so excited to go scuba diving and the nervousness has really faded away. It is great that they show you how to handle any situation and knowing what to do totally takes away my panic. Maybe next week I will remember my camera although we look pretty silly in our scuba gear.

Decorating

2011-03-24T11:40:00.000-07:00

When we had our house in Wichita, KS I had decorations for every holiday. During their off season they were all neatly packed away in our storage closet in a labeled tub. When we moved into our tiny apartment our "storage area" was so so small that getting to anything was a hug ordeal. It mean completely turning our closet area upside down trying to find things. Much to Bret's dismay almost every holiday I still insisted that we dig through piles to find the decorations and get festive for the seasons. This year...not so much.

I decorated for Christmas. I hung my Halloween wreath and got out the Halloween table cloth (only because I needed the kids' trick or treat buckets and it was in the same tub). Otherwise that is about it. As I was driving home from the planning meeting for Palmer's school egg hunt I only then realized that I have not gotten a single Easter decoration out. I love my Easter decorations because it is first glimpse of spring my house. As much as I love them I am still not quite motivated to dig them all out just to pack them all away in a few short months.

I have tried really hard to live in the now the last four years. Sometimes it was a real challenge because in the back of my head I sometimes thought "what is the point we are moving in a few years anyways". My kids are the point. I want them to feel like we have a home here. I want them to remember our years here in PA as home for the years we were here. The only room in the apartment I took anytime to actually decorate is their room. Everytime I think about how much I would like a new couch or how our bookcase is falling apart I stop myself from spending anything because I KNOW that this is only temporary.

This year all effort has gone out the window. With us being so close to moving the little motivation that I had is gone. We will still decorate eggs, have our egg hunt, and set out our baskets for the bunny to fill (and to take to church to bless on Easter). It will still feel like Easter and next year I promise to out do myself.

Call

2011-03-23T06:15:00.000-07:00

The other day at swimming lessons Emily was talking to one of the doctor's kids. I was (like any good mom) listening in and was surprised by what I heard. Emily told the little boy that her dad was on call that weekend. The little boy said yeah that his mom was DOD (doctor on duty for their clinic) that weekend. The little boy then asked Emily if it had been a busy weekend. Emily replied that it hasn't been too bad. At that point I almost laughed out loud. Who are these kids?

Because we took a few days off for our vacation Bret has been making up some call. He was on call last Wednesday (the day after got back), this weekend, and last night. You counted right...he was on call the last 5 out 0f 7 days. Most of the time being on call isn't so bad. Last night for example he came home about 6:30, had dinner, went back in to the hospital for a c-section, and was back home by 9:30 and had no other pages the rest of the night. He gets off today at noon and since he slept last night it will be a nice afternoon.

Unfortunately it doesn't always work that way and there is NEVER any way to tell what it is going to be like. This weekend was not good. Nothing bad really happened but they were swamped. Lost of sick people, surgeries, and babies of course. We almost didn't see Bret at all this weekend and he was so tired and stressed that when we did see him I wondered if it wouldn't have been better for him to stay at the hospital the whole time. The kids saw Bret on Thursday evening and then briefly on Saturday morning for breakfast. They didn't see him again until Monday.

Doctors are generally know for two things 1) they make good money and 2) they work all the time. The money will be good I won't lie. But now I understand why. To say that they work all the time is such an understatement. If they got paid hourly they would make twice as much as they do through billing.

Not trying to write a big whiny post. This year has actually been not too bad. This was the worst call of the year by far. Most have been not to bad. We are really looking forward to moving to Garden City. Not only with the practice be smaller but he won't be spending so much time managing younger residents and the extra things that are part of residency. Only a few more months. The truth is though that even in a few months there are still things about his job that we will forever deal with. Long hours, working weekends and holidays, stress, and missing things in our lives for work. These are things I hate but reality.

Ring Ring

2011-03-22T13:13:00.000-07:00

It's your butt calling!

My name starts with Ad which means that for several of my friends I am at the top of their contacts list. This also means that I get a ton of butt dials. You know when you unknowingly call someone because you bump your phone. Some of these are pretty embarrassing.

I am not completely innocent of the butt dial. I had a good friend who for several Sundays in a row were getting the most strange calls...it was a Catholic mass on her message or when she answered. At first she thought God was trying to tell her something. Then she figured out that it was probably one of my kids playing with my phone. We both had a good laugh about that one.

Most of the time it is just a bunch of static but every now and then you hear an argument between spouses, a mom yelling at her kids, kids screaming, one time a couple that had just left our house after dinner were talking not very nicely about Bret and I , and once a blip of inappropriate chatter about the night before...ewww! I always try and hang up or delete the message right away but it is hard not to listen to. I mean it's kind of like not looking at a car accident as you drive by. I also kind of feel that if you don't lock your phone you are kind of asking for it too. I have learned to ALWAYS lock my phone shortly after the church incident years ago.

Today I was surprised to see a call from a friend I haven't talked to in close to a year. Turns out she wasn't calling to talk. In fact she didn't realize she had even called me. With kids screaming in the background as she tried to order McDonald's for lunch I could tell she was a little busy. Maybe her butt was trying to her something.

Made by Mabelette- Jean Skirt and Bunny Shirt

2011-03-21T05:46:00.000-07:00

One of the tough parts about having kids is that every season of every year they need new clothes because they have grown out of everything. The worst is when they start to grow out of everything before the season is even over. The other day Emily put on these jeans and the first though that came to my mind is that there was no way she was going to wear a pair of ripped jeans to school the second thought was that I couldn't believe that the jeans she was wearing came to just above her ankles. I have seen several different tutorials online to get the general idea of how to make a jean skirt out of an old pair of jeans.

Supplies for Skirt:

Pair of old jeans
*2 strips of fabric 24x6 inches (I used scrap fabric so I had to sew two strips together...if you have enough to make it 48 inches long you will be able to skip a step)
thread
pins
sewing machine
sissors

Supplies for Shirt:

Shirt
Fabric large enough for your design
Wonder Under
Iron
Thread
Sewing Machine
Pen

To start cut your jeans at the crotch level so that it is open like a skirt. I used 6 inches wide strips because I measured the skirt on Emily and determined that to be a good length for her. You will want to measure your child and adjust accordingly.

The next step is to press your fabric. Besides getting your wrinkles out you want to press your fabric for a hem on the bottom. To do this turn your fabric about 1/4 inch and press.

Then turn the fabric over again and press. This will make sewing your hem so much easier.

Then you will want to sew your two seperate pieces together.

Sew your hem.
To make the skirt have a little bit of a ruffle to it the next step is to baste the fabric. Essentially this means to sew a very loose line of stitches so you can gather the fabric. You will want to sew two lines just to make it more sturdy. Nothing is more frustrating that gathering the fabric to have the thread pop. Set your stitch controls to be the longest stitch possible and sew a line close to the edge of the fabric. Don't worry if your fabric starts to gather on it's own.

Then sew your second line.

Once both lines are stitched start to pull the strings gently to gather the material. I always over gather as I find it easier to let it out later than try to gather it more.

Using the jean skirt as your measurement gather until it seems about right. Then you will want to sew your two ends of fabric together to create a circle. When I first made this I didn't do that step and had to sew the ends together after I had it pinned. It worked much better the second time I made this skirt to sew it first. Just make sure your basting strings are not sewing in so you bunch some more or let it out as you need to later. From here you just pin the gathered fabric to your skirt right side together.

Make sure you adjust your settings back to normal before sewing.

Then sew your fabric to the skirt.

To make the shirt I printed the bunny off of my computer using a clip art. Then I traced the bunny to my wonder under. Wonder under is found at any fabric store and is basically an iron on. I then ironed the wonder under to the wrong side of my fabric. Then cut out the fabric.

Next peel the back piece of wonder under off the fabric and iron it to your shirt. I don't have a picture of the next step but you simply zig zag stitch around the entire shape.

Emily loves her outfit and I love that it was basically free as I had everything I already needed and she will get a ton of use of these torn jeans for the rest of the summer too.

http://www.skiptomylou.org/2011/03/21/made-by-you-monday-44/

http://hopestudios.blogspot.com/2011/03/tutorial-tuesday_21.html

http://angieasplund.blogspot.com/2011/03/i-made-this-tuesday-19.html

Home Sweet Home

2011-03-18T05:47:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the long absence. We went on a mini spring break vacation and although I meant to have a few prescheduled posts that never ended up happening. I also was going to tell you that I was going to be gone but I read somewhere that you shouldn't post exact vacation dates as it could result in robbery or something like that.

A few months ago Bret and I were going through the typical winter blues and wanted to plan a quick vacation to look forward to and for us to get away before things got really crazy. His parents have a cabin in Colorado so we thought why not kill two birds with one stone and meet them out there for a few days. Then I got all ho hum about not getting to see our house before we close on it in June and came up with the brilliant idea of driving to the house from Denver staying overnight and then driving back to Colorado for the rest of our vacation. OK so that idea was not the brilliant part. That came in when I thought to ask our phyiscian recruiter to reimburse us for the plane tickets, hotel, etc for our "housing trip". YEAH!!

So we went and spent some major time in our new home and I am thrilled to say that I LOVE it more than ever (good thing because it would cost us some major moolah to get out of our contract). We took a ton of pictures and measured every room in the house. By some miracle I also talked Bret into going to a furniture store in town while killing some time.

The trip was great and the kids loved seeing the house, grandparents, etc. They were also excited to see their new school. As scary as moving can be sometimes the kids are ready. We have always said that Kansas is home. I will be the first to admit though that getting back to PA and sleeping in our own beds and showering in our own shower reminded me that home is home no matter what state you live in. Our bodies still have no idea what time it is (2 hour time difference in CO plus the daylight savings change) and we are ready for a nice weekend of R&R (except for Bret he is on call...for the last time ever in residency).

C+

2011-03-03T06:41:00.000-08:00

In dental hygiene in our house. I couldn't believe it when they told me that Palmer had two areas that needed to be watched for next time as they could turn in to cavities if we are not diligent. Emily had two small cavities. The dentist said that they were between her back teeth and that it was very tight between those teeth which is most likely what caused the cavity. Doesn't matter. I felt like a horrible parent and of course Emily burst into tears. I have to take her on Monday after school to get them filled and I am not sure who is dreading it more Emily or me. Maybe I will send her with Bret. He is much better at that sort of thing.

Bret and I have excellent teeth. In fact only with in the last couple of years did we get our first cavities and neither of us has ever had anything other than fillings done (no crowns, root canals, etc). Our kids brush their teeth everyday and almost always twice a day. Flossing is probably our downfall. Neither Bret or I were very good about flossing daily until about a year ago. This was after our first visit where we both ended up with more than just one simple filling. We found these little tools that no longer require you to use the nasty dental floss with your fingers. Gross. Since we found those handy little things (helps that Bret's sister is a dental hygienist) we are much more diligent about our flossing habits.

The kids would floss every now and then but not usually on a daily basis. Let me tell you people this has changed. The next day after Emily's appointment I went to the store and made some dental health purchases for our family.

I found these at Walmart for $2 and the kids really like them a lot. They are very similar to the flossers that Bret and I use but they are fun colors and wild fruit flavored (yuck but the kids love them).

The second thing I bought was this mouth rinse. The kids rinse their mouth with it before they brush and it turns their mouth blue. Supposedly it covers areas with more plaque a darker blue so the kids will know where to brush extra. I'm not sure about that but it does turn their teeth blue and especially for Palmer it really helps me and him both see where he needs to brush more. The back molars are usually the culprits still needing extra brushing but it turns it in to kind of a game to make sure they got it all. I am not sure how long the new fun feelings will last before I have to figure something else out (maybe a different color) but for now we are all trying a little harder.

This is one of those things that should have been in that parenting instruction book I never got. Most adults have a hard time keeping on top of their own oral hygiene let alone three little ones too. The list of things a parent is responsible for (making sure their kids are eating healthy, staying active, limiting television, learning how to read/write/math, staying safe, staying healthy, becoming a good human being) is endless. This mom was an A & B student her whole life and doesn't plan to change that now. All we can do is try harder and hope that some day our kids look back and think "my mom did her very best".

Booked!

2011-03-01T05:50:00.000-08:00

We are officially going to Hawaii this summer!!! We are so super excited that we can hardly contain ourselves. Let me tell you people this was not the easiest trip that we have ever planned. With us Bret's parents and his sister/BIL are going also. Bret's parents rented a condo and we booked our tickets and 7 glorious days in Maui here we come.

Like anytime we make a major purchase there was some buyer's regret and stress about the costs (4 plane tickets to Maui is not cheap) but overall we are so ready for a great well earned vacation. After talking about it forever and thinking about it we are really excited to have it done. Now we are working on getting our scuba diving certificates, reading tour guide books, and making plans (beside relaxing on beach as we plan to do that everyday) for our trip. Besides thinking about the sun dresses and swim suits I plan to buy Emily and I there is so much going on.

We have moved up the date for the movers to come (so our stuff will be sure to arrive before we leave) and our date for the sale. Bret has tossed around the idea of having a sale early in the spring and then one only a few weeks before we move. I think he has forgotten how much work these sales are. We still need to plan a date for us to go back to KS to close on our house. I was really really hoping to make a trip back to see our house before we closed but it doesn't look like that is going to happen anymore. We decided to go to Colorado in a few weeks and visit Bret's family and spend a few days having fun instead. I am only regretting that decision a little. I miss my family terribly but soon enough we will be back.

Plans for Bret's graduation are up in the air. One of the doctors has offered to have a big party at her house but hasn't really said when. It would be great if she had it the night of graduation so we don't have to plan anything extra. I know some would say that a graduation party is not really necessary but the chief residents have worked really really hard for this day and we plan to do it up right. Funny how much time and effort goes into celebrating high school graduation yet every single resident and member of their immediate family would tell you how much harder they worked to graduate from residency. Bret and I have plans to have a house warming/graduation party when we get settled in our new home as well.

So that is what we have been up to. My sister asked me this morning if I had started to think about decorating and furnishing my new home. Not even a little bit. I have been so overwhelmed with everything else that we have to plan and think about that we plan to move into an empty house and fill/decorate it as we go. Not ideal but it is what we have to do right now. Hopefully we can have a fridge and beds other than that we will sit on the floor for a while.

Made by Mabelette- Hair Bow

2011-02-28T06:32:00.000-08:00

Posting my tutorials on Monday really give me some extra motivation to tackle at least one craft project. Hair bows are all the rage for little girls these days. I almost passed out the first time I saw that they charge between $6-$15 for a hair bow. I know that a big part of the cost is the ribbon and that they are time consuming to make...but still. So every now and then when I saw ribbon on sale or when I had my coupon with me and everything else I was buying was already on sale (couldn't use my coupon) I would pick up a roll of ribbon with the future intentions of someday stock piling some hair bows for Emily. Hopefully before she outgrew the hair bow phase.

Although there are a ton of patterns that you can pay for I searched the Internet for free tutorials on making hair bows and found very few. Turns out that it is kind of hard to "show" someone how to make one with pictures and words. This tutorial has 17 pictures and I still feel like looking back I could have added a few to make things more clear. Please ask questions if something doesn't make sense. Remember this is my first time so hopefully they will be cuter as I practice a few times.

Bow Recipe:

Alligator Clip
Hot Glue & Gun
Straight Pin
Threaded Needle
29 inch piece of 7/8'' grosgrain ribbon
4 1/2 inch piece of 3/8'' grosgrain

Start by measuring and cutting your ribbon.

For this bow I wanted to have the traditional "bow" ends. To make them somewhat even I folded the end of the ribbon in half and snipped the end.

Once this is completed you want to carefully heat seal the ends of the ribbon using a lighter or match. Be careful not to catch your ribbon on fire or burn yourself. For safety reasons I failed to get a picture of me doing this part :)

You know that the ends are heat sealed when you see a little edge of wax form on the very tip of the ribbon. This keeps the ends from fraying. Make sure to heat seal your smaller piece of ribbon as well.

Now you are ready to start making your bow. To start lay your ribbon right side down. Fold one end of the ribbon to the 3 1/2 inch mark. Place your finger in the middle of the loop to hold in place.

Now bring your other end of the ribbon back over and move your finger to hold the new layer in place. Make sure that when you bring the ribbon back over you just wrap over the end of the ribbon to make it even.

Continue to wrap the ribbon around. You should have three loops on each side of the center where your finger is. Stick your straight pin to hold the bow in place.

Now spread the three loops out.

Now take your threaded needle that has a knot at one in and sew the three loops together.
When you are sewing the bow together you are trying to scrunch up the middle. It doesn't have to be perfect because we are going to cover this anyways.

I then wrapped the rest of the thread around the center of the bow to secure it. Once your center is secure use your best judgement and arrange the bow as you like.

Now using your hot glue and smaller piece of ribbon you are going to cover your alligator clip. Starting on the inside bottom add a small amount of hot glue and secure the piece of ribbon.

Now glue and secure the ribbon around the outside bottom.

Continue wrapping it over the back and glue to the top.

Finish gluing to the inside top of the clip. You will want to hold the clip open just for a few seconds until it finishes drying. Remove any stray glue strings.

The next few steps is where I start to feel like I didn't take enough pictures. This is probably because I was trying to figure it out as I went. Essentially what you are going to do is use the last little bit of your smaller piece of ribbon (you may need a third piece) to secure the ribbon to the alligator clip and around the center of the bow.

Start with a small dab of glue on your clip. Use your bow as a guide beforehand to decide where this should go. Then secure your bow to the clip. Then using the small piece of ribbon and glue wrap the ribbon around the bow and clip finishing underneath the inside top of the clip.

I have not had a chance to have Emily model the bow for me and though having one of the boys do it would not go over so great with their dad so I will wait until she gets home from school and add the last picture. Have fun bow making!!

http://www.skiptomylou.org/2011/02/28/made-by-you-monday-40/

http://hopestudios.blogspot.com/2011/02/tutorial-tuesday_28.html

Reality Setting In

2011-02-24T09:18:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Palmer and I both had dentist appointments. When the appointment was over and we went to check out the receptionist started to schedule our next appointment. Except that would be six months from now and...we won't be here anymore. In fact unless something crazy happens we won't be back to that dentist's office ever again.

Although we are not that crazy sentimental about our dentist it is just an example of a regular occurrence these days. Things like handing back the school registration packet for Palmer, turning in my notice at work, and setting a date for Emily's moving away party at school makes June seem so close.

Although the overwhelming emotion about our move is excitement in our house there are lots of other emotions floating just under the surface as well. Everyone is a little sad that we will be saying goodbye to a lot of really nice people. We are nervous about all of the changes that we are going to go through with a new job for Bret, new town, new schools, new home. Of course I start to have panic attacks as soon as I start my do to list with the logistics of closing on a new home (that we have to furnish), getting ready for Bret's graduation, the huge sale we plan to have, not to mention the actual move itself.

Four years ago when we first found out we were moving we told ourselves that we were going to take complete advantage of our time here. We knew that it would go fast. The time has gone so fast. There is still so much we want to see and do. Our schedules are filling up. The tease of warmth last week reminded us again that our time is almost done here. We are excited, a little sad, nervous, and more ready than ever.

Beating the Blues

2011-02-23T05:30:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you but I was really bummed to find out that we had enough snow on the ground for the kids to have a 2 hour delay yesterday. More snow is coming. BOO!!

In the past four years of residency February and March are always the hardest months of the year. Part of this has to do with how Bret's schedule has fallen (partly through his own doing and partly out of his hands for things like other resident's maternity leave) with his hardest rotations front loaded in the winter and his great rotations saved for spring and summer. Including this upcoming weekend Bret only has 4 weekend calls left. EVER!

Here are our top five tips for beating the winter blues and getting through to spring and warmer weather.

5. Recognize the blues. Sometimes when I feel really blue and can't figure out why remembering that it is February makes me feel a little better. Just knowing that the month is rough and that it will end soon makes things not feel so bad. It also motivates me to put some of our other tips in place and try harder to avoid getting stuck in a low rut.

4. Schedule. Things like family game night, family movie night, and date nights have never been more important. It gives you a positive focus to put your energy into. The kids seem to feel like they are bouncing off the walls more than ever but knowing that on Wednesday night this week we are going to have sloppy joes and family game night gives them something to look forward to the whole week and talk about the rest of the week. Pizza, PJ's, and a movie on a low key Friday night gives all of us a chance to relax and doesn't cost a lot of money. Date night is one of the most important tips for Bret and I to get through these two months. It keeps us from snapping at each other when we are completely drained because it allows us to replenish our relationship. Simple dates like going to eat sushi and a movie, playing bingo, going out for drinks with some of our kidless friends, or even a quick trip to the casinos lifts our moods and helps us get through another week.

3. Celebrate the Season. Attitude is everything and instead of thinking of this last snow as a disappointment I try and think of it as a last chance for the year to have a snowman building contest, quick sledding trip, an excuse to have cocoa, and some cozy soup. We also try and spend our weekends doing "indoor" activities that don't sound as exciting and fun when we can be in the pool over the summer. We visit museums, aquariums, go to the theatre, ice skating, and other indoor happenings in town such as the pet expo or trade shows.

2. Stay Active. In my family we are all much more naturally active during great weather. Whether we are swimming, playing soccer, or going for long walks we spend every second outside during the summer that we can and what we do outside naturally is more active. When the weather is crummy we naturally spend the time inside doing inside activities. In our tight apartment running is not feasible. Going to the gym has really saved me year after year. Just that one hour makes me mentally and physically feel so much better. For the kids we try and take them as often as possible to indoor agility set play areas, swimming indoors, and anything else we can come up with that will allow them to run off some energy. Unless the weather is really really bad we also still try and stick to a short walk outside everyday. Just getting outside even if you have to really bundle up makes you feel so much better even if it is only for 20 minutes.

1. Plan something to look forward to. This can be big or small. Over the years this has been anything from a family member from KS coming to visit, a planned trip to KS, or a mini vacation. Nothing makes the days fly faster than when you have something coming up to look forward to. We print a calendar for the kids and give them stickers to help count the days down when their grandparents are coming to see them or when we are going to a conference for Bret's work. A weekend away to an indoor waterpark or even just a hotel stay out of town can lift everyone's spirits just thinking about it coming. The first year we were here for Bret's birthday we took at day trip to Atlantic City and he signed up to be a player club member (it's free). They started sending us coupon and special each month that included free hotel nights as long as it wasn't on Friday or Saturday night. We would leave post call one day and take a vacation day the next and spend the night in a very posh hotel for free. Bret would hit the casino (I might have hit a couple slots too) while the kids spend hours in the amazing indoor pool. It's a cheap couple nights away but so much fun. This year we desperately needed a relaxing vacation so we booked tickets to go to Colorado. We are going to spend a few great nights staying in Bret's parents' cabin and we can't wait.

What tips helps you get through the winter blues?

Ice Skating

2011-02-22T08:03:00.000-08:00

Emily and Palmer are as different as a brother and sister could possibly be. Emily is outgoing and fearless. Palmer is shy at first and afraid to try anything new. Palmer worships Emily and trusts her to no end. No matter how terrified he is, Palmer will always do what Emily asks him to. He desperately wants to be like Emily and often times finds himself doing things unimaginable only because Emily did it.

Going to a kid's theme park last year was the first time Bret and I realized how strong this commitment is for Palmer. Emily wanted to ride everything. The faster and scarier the better. Emily would have Palmer so pumped up excited until right before the ride started and then the look of horror and fear on his face could no longer hide his terror. While Emily laughed Palmer screamed. While Emily threw her hands in the air Palmer would get a green look on his face and whisper to Emily that he was going to be sick. As Emily ran to get in the next line Palmer could barely find his legs to exit the ride. Emily would ask Palmer if he thought the ride was fun and he would always find a way to smile big and say yes it was awesome. When Bret and I asked if he wanted to ride again he would look at us like we were insane and quietly say no thank you. The good part of all of this is always the confidence that it builds in Palmer. He is always so proud of himself for doing something he was so afraid to even try.

From the moment I mentioned ice skating to the kids they were thrilled and talked of nothing else. The moment Emily's skates were laced she was gone. My friend took Emily and the first time around she held her hand. The second lap Emily used one of the traffic cones that they had to find her balance and by the fourth or fifth lap she was skating all on her own. She still fell a few times but overall she was a natural determined to continue to get better and of course go faster.

Palmer was a different story entirely. I held Palmer's hand the first lap and I thought we would never make it all the way around. Learning to skate for the very time is hard for anyone. It takes a little practice to find your balance. To learn how to use your feet and how to keep from falling is only a matter of time. Palmer hated it. For every tiny step he took all I heard was "I don't want to do this anymore", "I can't it's too hard", "I am going to fall", "I can't do this", "I want to just watch", "I can't do this", "I just want to stop", "I don't want to do this anymore". He wanted to quit so bad that when we finally made it around the rink he let go of my hand and stumbled to the exit without me. I thought for sure it would be an impossible task to get him back on to the ice ever again. Never underestimate the power of Emily.

Round two Palmer was convinced to try the cone (via Emily's advice) but he still wasn't ready to give up my hand either. So with one hand on the cone and holding my hand we made it through lap two with much less complaining and much steadier skates.

A few more laps and Palmer was skating hands free. He was so proud of himself. He loved skating (like really loved it not just because Emily loved it).

If someone asked me what one of the best parts of being a parent is this has to be one of the top five. Watching your kids learning how to do something new. It could be watching them roll over for the first time, walking for the first time, learning how to swim, riding their bike without training wheels, or learning to skate. The look on their face because they are so proud of themselves is priceless.

Vomit, Explosive Diapers, and Ice Skating

2011-02-22T07:40:00.000-08:00

Ok so not all at once just in one weekend.

Palmer was sick last Thursday but felt back to normal by the end of the day. When we woke up on Friday morning realizing no one else had gotten sicken during the night and seemed fine we thought maybe we had been in the clear.

Friday was a beautiful day outside so I decided to take the kids to the track and let them run around and kick a soccer ball while I jogged with Logan in the stroller. Two miles felt great and the kids had a lot of fun just being outside.

Just about the time I got home I realized...hmm I don't feel so good. I mentally went through the normal check list and thought that I wasn't hungry so it wasn't like a "forgot to eat before I worked out" sort of nausea. Two miles for me isn't really that big of a push either so it wasn't like a "over did it working out" sort of nausea. About the time I had a "oh crap I caught Palmer's stomach bug" thought I was running to the bathroom. Then I just had the repeat button on for the next 10 hours.

Thank goodness Bret was home. In my blur of running to the bathroom and then collapsing on the couch I somewhere off in the distance realized that Bret later that night was cursing the decision to order pizza for him and the kids. You know since Logan decided to get sick in crib all night. Then even later in the evening in her own words Emily said "my mouth turned into a faucet but instead of water came...". Awesome.

It was bad. Like really bad. I think my stomach finally kept tiny sips of water down at about 2 am. At about 4 am Bret helped me back to bed and we passed out in exhaustion. Come Saturday morning all three kids were up by and at it by 8 am like nothing the night before ever happened. Everyone wanted breakfast and they were ready to go for the day. I could barely lift my head up without the room starting to spin and every muscle in my body throbbed. My head felt like it was going to explode. You guys I have never felt so weak before and I just don't recover like I used to. So we spent the entire day in our PJ's. We (the kids and Bret) had cereal, PB&J, and whatever else they could find in the pantry to eat for the day and we did nothing. Absolutely nothing except take some awesome naps.

Earlier in the week I had made plans to meet some friends at the ice skating rink with the kids. Bret took a well deserved afternoon off at home with Logan. After spending the morning cleaning (disinfecting), doing laundry (Bret did laundry cause I couldn't even open the door to the back porch were we kept the sheets, towels, etc), and groceries the kids were bouncing off the walls excited to go. Ice skating with the kids was a blast. Pictures and more to come.

Made by Mabelette Monday- Ruthie's Banana Bread

2011-02-21T06:17:00.000-08:00

My mother has a sister that has always been a big part of our lives growing up. Ruth never married or had any children so she has always been sort of a second mom to me. We have always been very close.

There is nothing in the world that Ruth loves more than Banana Bread. Most specifically she loves my grandmother's recipe of banana bread. When I went off to college I still came home a lot of weekends. As a special treat I almost always made Ruth a loaf or two of banana bread. One such time I must have used eggs to small or added to much flour or not enough banana but Ruth made the comment that the bread seemed a little dry that time. I gave her a hard time about it and told her she was cut off. Although I meant it as a joke life got a little busy and hectic and it was long time before I made her banana bread again and I haven't ever really gotten back into making it regularly ever since. Ruth blames it all on her grave mistake of telling me that it was dry. It is now the running joke in our family that you keep your criticisms to yourself or you might get cut off :)

Banana Bread

3 ripe bananas mashed
2 eggs
1 3/4 C flour
1 C sugar
1/2 C vegetable oil
1 C chopped walnuts
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 C plus 1 TBSP buttermilk
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt

Mix as for a cake. Pour in a greased loaf pan. Bake for 30 minutes (or until knife comes out clean) at 350 degrees.

Fatty Friday

2011-02-17T10:12:00.000-08:00

I made it to the gym three times this week. That alone feels really good. Bret has been doing an amazing job with his portion control and food choices and that has really motivated me as well. It is not a good feeling when I look at his portion at dinner and then look at mine and realize I am eating more. This has motivated me to put some back before I even start to eat and that is always a good thing. Bret says that it takes a week or so but then it gets much easier because your stomach is smaller. He also told me that even if I need a small snack later that is better than over eating at dinner.

I decided to start all of us taking vitamins more consistently. Lots of colds, flu, strep throat, have been floating around and I figure it can't hurt. Water has been the biggest challenge. There is nothing worse than a terrible headache in the evenings from dehydration and I get them a lot. I want my kids to have healthy habits and have found that by having water in a sippy cup for the boys and a water bottle for Emily readily available naturally encourages them to drink more water during the day. Neither of my parents ever drank water. EVER. My mom is from a country where water is never a drink you choose to drink. My dad just never drank water. We have been working harder to encourage them to drink water with their meals more often.

When it comes to cooking I have decided I need new motivation. I love our family recipes and our tried and true favorites. However, a big portion of them are not low calorie. So my goal this weekend is to get some new recipe books. I plan to start at the library and then maybe head to a book store. We still have a couple of gift cards from Christmas to a bookstore that I may decide to get. My frustration in not getting enough veggies into my children continues. Emily and Palmer do OK at dinner. Logan not so much. Lately he has been more and more stubborn when it comes to eating his veggies. At this age there is no threats to make. He will pick around things he doesn't want to eat and if you try to feed it to him he spits it back out. We keep trying and trying. I have heard a lot of good things about the Deceptively Delicious cookbook that has you puree veggies and sneak them into meals kids love. At this point I am willing to try anything so we may see if that one is available at the library also.

I have to keep telling myself that this process is a journey. I am not trying to diet. I am trying to make permanent lifestyle changes for myself and my family. Sometimes this seems like so much work. I keep waiting for something to get easier or to become an automatic habit.

In the end this week I am down a total of 8 pounds. I am happy that I continue to lose the weight albeit slowly. It has helped a lot that people seem to be noticing and commenting a lot. Bret thinks I have added a lot more muscle from the workouts and that the inches are coming off faster than the pounds for me. I hope he is right. Either way I am only two pounds away from my next reward and that is a great motivation this week.