snow day

In case you didn't know...it has been snowing a lot here in MN the last several days.

Clay & I took Parker out for his first sledding adventure yesterday morning at a nearby hill in Apple Valley. It was cold....and very blustery. After about an hour of getting us all ready (& a few snippy comments between mom & dad about how much time it was taking to get ready, where the boots were...you know the story...surely, if you live here in MN you've had this "conversation" with your spouse before! :)) and out the door, we were headed to the park. We pulled up & I realized that I left my camera at the house. We all piled back into the truck, drove to the apt where Clay ran up to get the "must-have" item. With all the cuddle duds, long-sleeve shirts, snow suits, coats, hats, gloves, mittens, etc., you can imagine how thrilled we were to have to climb back in Troublemaker & go home for the forgotten object (luckily, the snow hill was less than 2 minutes from our place so it wasn't too bad of a drive!). I did feel a little badly about the situation, but I couldn't miss a photo opp of Parker's first sledding experience! :)

After about 5 enthusiastic climbs up the hill & then the exhilarating rides back down, we were done with snow day. It was cold, windy & wet...fun, for a short time...but cold, windy & wet. At that point, it was lunchtime & we decided a treat to McDonalds for a cheeseburger & indoor playtime sounded like a great plan! Parker hadn't been in awhile, so it was a fun treat for him to get to run around & ride down the slides & such.

One of Parker's favorite things to do the past 2 evenings has been to take drives in Troublemaker with Mama & Daddy. He loves to see out of the truck & watch the wind blowing the snow into drifts. Though his mom isn't much of a "cold-weather" fan, I am glad he is experiencing these exciting wintry moments. :)

Be Happy, Young Man...

"Be Happy, Young Man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart..." Ecclesiastes

baking & wrapping, cleaning & decorating..loving our life

Whew! Tis the season for busy & fun times! I wanted to update sooner, but lately have found myself otherwise preoccupied with that thing called Life. Clay was gone all last week & we had a busy agenda for this weekend, so I was rockin' out all the time I had to get everything done & hold down the fort.

Baking, wrapping, cooking, cleaning, shopping, errands, open houses, playing, teaching, reading, planning, singing, coloring, and hosting one cookie swap...that was my last week. Challenging, festive, rewarding, enjoyable...just a few words to describe it. Parker is starting a new phase: "the I'm almost 2" phase that brings new adventures and frustrations all at the same time :) With the frustrations come just as many laughs as well though, so as I said before, it was a challenging but enjoyable week for us at home in Minnesota these last several days!

Tuesday night was my wrapping night. After I put the little tot down for bedtime, I sprawled out on the living room floor to wrap any and all presents that needed wrapping. 2:30am came & I literally fell in my bed...

As you can see, the baking started on Wednesday evening with yummy chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. I laughed and also almost cried when I realized that my "baby" can reach things on our counters now! I almost gave in when he came back in the kitchen with this innocent, questioning tone of asking "Tree, Mama?" (in our words that would be "Three" as in the number 3. Yes, I was feeding my (almost) 2 year old chocolate chip cookies at bedtime the other night...) But, I decided that with three, bedtime might not come so easily for Parker-man and knew that I had quite a long list of to-do's before mama could crawl in the bed that night! So...

...Happily enough, we ended our Wednesday evening with just 2 chocolate chip cookies, a beautifully lit Christmas tree, Chevy Chase's Christmas vacation playing on the tv in the background, one bedtime story & sweet baby hugs & kisses.

Love the festive feeling of Christmas & the sweet smells of baking in the kitchen... :) Amongst the busyness of the days & the crazy schedules, I love to make our home feel magical & serene in the evenings. Hopefully, one day Parker will be able to look back & when asked about one of his favorite memories of Christmas, be able to respond without hesitation..."the magical feeling of home!" My mom did such a great job of making us feel that way each year; it's something I want to carry through with our family.

The whole last week felt & looked like this around here in the evenings though. I loved to sit down each evening after Parker was in the bed & just take it all in. Every day came new aromas drifting from the kitchen...cookies, caramel apple crisp, red beans & rice, eggnog cookies, apple cider...If we weren't baking, Parker & I were reading Christmas stories, playing baseball, watching Thomas the Train Christmas movies, cleaning and so many other fun things getting ready for our weekend activities.

I had my Mary Kay Open House Thursday & Friday afternoon & evenings and Saturday morning. It's always nice to chat with girlfriends & sip warm apple cider while you do your Christmas shopping! :) Saturday evening, Clay & I hosted our first Annual Holiday Cookie Swap with friends from church. I'm already looking forward to next years because it was so much fun..& yummy! :)

Our cute friends, Brent & Kelli. Brent & Clay fly together so we have known them since almost the beginning of our move here. Kelli is due with their first baby in March! (it's a Girl!)

Luke & Katie White...such a sweet & giving couple. They have been the coordinators/instructors of our Dave Ramsey Financial Peace Bible Study this fall. Can't wait to share many more memories with them in the future! Katie is due with their first baby in June!

Amy & Andy Nordquist - what a fun, dynamic couple. They are into everything from semi-pro water skiing to marathons...would love to be in their space more! :)

Craig & Kristen Petersen - LOVE these two! Outgoing, friendly & fun...so glad we met y'all! These two can have you rolling on the floor in a matter of seconds! ha!

Laurie & Mike Coddington - She's a school teacher (sweet as they come!) & he's a wrestling coach with a never-ending sense of humor (Clay jerked his head around so fast the first time he found out the Mike was into wrestling that I could have sworn I heard a pop/snap!...they have plenty to talk about! ha!) Laurie is expecting their first baby in June!

While the guys visited, the girls chatted, baked & decorated cookies (eggnog cookies) in the kitchen.

Everyone brought some to share too... a few of our cookie choices to swap were Eggnog cookies, chocolate chip oatmeal, chocolate peanut butter crackles, chocolate mint cookies, & peanut butter cup cookies!!!

It was such a great evening of fun & fellowship!

On another note, Parker is LOVING his Daddy being home this weekend...

Sunday: FPU Graduation Night at the White's!!!

The Dave Ramsey Look-a-like's: Some of the guys thought it would be funny to dress as Dave does...what do you think? Are they characters or what?! ;)

So glad we got to meet & know each of these couples better throughout the length of the Bible Study!

As I look back on our last week, I am so thankful for good friends & blessings. It is such a joy to be able to work in our home full-time right now. I am itching to scrapbook & record some of these memories & feelings. :) Maybe I should take a double-vitamin dose to be able to pull some more late-nighters! jk

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

The Christmas tree & ornaments are up, the stockings are hung, presents are wrapped & underneath the tree (except for the ones I haven't bought yet!), and my kitchen table is decorated for the holiday! It is definitely starting to look & feel like Christmas around here!

I love how the first thing Parker does in the morning is run up to the Christmas tree, point to it & say "Lights! Lights! Mommy!" meaning he wants me to turn the lights on right away!

Today, I realized once again how blessed I am to be at home with him right now.
10:15am: Sesame Street, sitting in recliner, Christmas tree lit up, overcast & chilly outside, Parker sitting in my lap, me snuggling my face into his soft baby hair...it couldn't have gotten any better than that!

It's "December-time!"

Yesterday, after flying in from the South, we decided it was time to pack away our fall decor & get out our Christmas goodies! Parker enjoyed helping us hang ornaments on the tree (when he wasn't playing with them!) until the super glue incident.

We had left a small tube of super glue sitting out on the counter & Parker decided to grab it & bite into it. Clay & I didn't think he had gotten any on him until a few seconds later Parker was fussing and we noticed super glue had started gushing out the back of the tube...he had bitten a hole in it. Clay fervously worked on his upper tooth that did the main biting & his upper lip, while I soaked his 2 little fingers that were glued together. Meanwhile, the Poison Control said that everything was fine...no worry over him swallowing the stuff...as long as his fingers come apart. 10 minutes & a quarter of bottle of nail polish remover later, the worst of it was over....his fingers were free! Poor little guy. By the time that whole fiasco was done, we decided dinner out sounded like a nice plan. :)

Last year for Christmas, Parker received Elf on the Shelf. I was excited to start the tradition with him this year. We haven't named little elfie yet, but here he sat waiting for Parker to notice him this morning!!
More Christmas fun to follow soon!

Thankful for...

Family





Health
Food on our table
precious memories made...
Our Thanksgiving this year was bittersweet. Missing loved ones who weren't able to be with us this year at the Thanksgiving table, but cherishing the moments we had with others who were present. I don't know about you, but I love Thanksgiving. I love what it means and stands for. I love the colors. I love the delicious food (oh, the dressing & pecan pie! mmmm..) I love the crisp, fall weather that Thanksgiving brings. I love the family and friends we get to see during the holiday. I love the memories that are made, as well as the many memories remembered during this time. I am thankful for the holiday itself and how it brings people together at one table during such a busy time of the year.



Parker and I flew down to Grenada, MS the Sunday morning before Thanksgiving. We spent a glorious 8 days in the South visiting and living it up with friends and family!!! We're always so spoiled when we go down there! :) I have to be honest...I was a terrible photographer this last week and am ashamed that I didn't get some of the pictures that I should have with family members. However, I have forgiven myself and promised myself that I will do better next year!! I am thankful I captured some of the fun and sweet memories that I did though!!

Playing football in the front yard, going on leisurely neighborhood strolls, playing one afternoon with Case (Parker's little buddy), going through and finding some of my old children's books for Parker to read, playing Rumikub at night with mama, visiting our family & friends, watching Abbey (my brother, Taylor's dog) run around and chase things in the yard...that was one of Parker's highlights, having Thanksgiving dinner at the Penders...thank you Anne & Buddy! (I must remember to get the dressing & potato casseroles recipes!), talking to my grandparents about family history stuff, watching Christmas movies, observing Parker finding and playing with my brother's old tractor and other intricate toys that Taylor played with when he was Parker's age, sleeping in my old bed with the fan on (I still have my old t-shirt sheets from highschool on there!), sweeping leaves off the front porch with Parker, seeing the joy that Parker got from sitting in the fire truck, wearing the fireman's hat and sounding the sirens like the big guys do while visiting Granddaddy and the others in Oxford, watching Parker sit contentedly in Papa's lap while he plays with his little trucks over at Grannie and Papa's, hearing our little man rolling on the floor with laughter at his cousin Collin who had been chasing him around the floor, seeing old things that I had forgotten I had in my room in Grenada, finding Shorty pushing my happy son around in this old wheelbarrow all the while clutching his stars and stripes football, and listening to my mom read to Parker...these are some of the memories from this Thanksgiving that will never be forgotten and always be cherished.

Happy Thanksgiving!
Love,
Us

"miss you daddy!" love, parker

"I love my Daddy."
"My daddy can make me laugh like no other."

"My dad is the coolest; he lets me wear his pilot's hat sometimes."

"My daddy teaches me new things every day. I love it when we go on outside adventures!"

"My daddy lifts me up..."

"But most of all, I love it when my daddy comes home from work to play with me. I get a little playtime (even if it's my bedtime) & lots of snuggles & kisses! It makes me so happy to be with my Daddy."

"I love you Daddy! Mama & I miss you & wish you were here with us! Thank you for working so hard for us! Mama says to eat healthy & catch up on rest in between flights! We'll see you soon!"

Mwwaaaaahh!!

Love,

Your little man

celebrating Thanksgiving with family & friends in MS!

Parker & I are in MS visiting family over the Thanksgiving holiday!

Enjoying good conversation, eating my mom's homemade chicken salad, observing the magical storytime between Rassie & Parker before bedtime, taking simple strolls through the neighborhood, shopping at the local Walmart & gift shops, seeing friends & other family members, looking through old family photos, watching Parker exuberantly play with his "new" toys at Rassie's, sleeping in my old bed in my old room...missing my husband...wishing he could be here enjoying this memorable week with us....

I am so thankful for these sweet moments with family!

this week

I've snacked a little here & there on this yummy kibbles & bits mix (it's one of my favorites that my mom would fix for our family & friends when we were growing up...most remembered in the fall! Thanks Mom!)

Totally reorganized all my coupons...it felt great! To the local grocery stores (Target & Rainbow): "Watch out! I am coming in on a mission & will be saving money! Be prepared to scan..." :)

Inspired by this...

loved every minute of getting to watch our little man play hard...

missing this guy terribly...love you babe!
enjoyed each & every minute with this precious one!

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Clay came home from a long trip the other night. Since Parker hadn't seen him in almost a week, I kept our little man up a little past his bedtime so he could greet his daddy when he came home. Parker was just getting out of the bathtub when Clay walked through the door. I couldn't even get his diaper on him before he was taking off for his daddy! :)

A few minutes later, after the big greeting, lots of hugging & babbling about the week that he had (this was Parker telling his daddy), Parker proudly pee pee'd on the floor & made sure to tell his daddy all about it. "Daddy! Daddy! I pee pee!"

For the next 30 minutes I got to watch these two romp around (Parker being in all his glory as you can see by the pics! ha!). I did finally get a diaper on him; it just took a little teamwork. :)

Bermuda scrapbook & details

Here's a peek into my latest completed project...do you remember this trip?

While on our trip to Bermuda, Tressa gave each of us girls a matching stack of scrapbooking supplies to use to help put together our individual albums. At the end of the post, I'll try & list as many of the supplies as I can remember. Anyway, I'm really looking forward to seeing the other girls' albums; it will be fun to see how everyone used the same supplies in totally different ways & techniques!

I started & almost completed this album shortly after we got back from our summer trips. ("almost completed" meaning I had put together all but about 4 of the pages & still had the journaling to do. I think it took me a total of somewhere around 8-10 hours to complete the 34 pages). I finished the journaling & put the finishing touches on it this week. I LOVE the feeling of a completed project...it's almost up there with chocolate!!!

In my scrapbooks, I like to not only include the details of the trip itself, but also the history & some fun facts about where we are visiting (because there is no possible way that I will remember ANY of it when we get back if I don't...the history of the place I mean!)

So here's what I did with all the memorabilia...I attached things like a postage stamp, a brochure, airline ticket stubs & a cut-out from a menu from my favorite restaurant that we visited while there...all of this went on the first page of the memorabilia stuff. Next, I slid the rest of my collection down into 2 clear pocket page protectors. (Before the brochures & such went in the album, they were in my "memorabilia box," which is this cute, black decorative box that sits on the floor in Parker's room. One of the reasons I get so excited about scrapbooking is that by completing albums I weed out "unnecessary" clutter that just sits in the memorabilia box. I go through the items cutting, trimming, tearing & only keeping the things I really want. I actually end up throwing away most of what I bring home from trips...Now, my husband who does not hold on to clutter, would say, "There wouldn't be clutter to go through in the first place if you just opted not to bring it home from the trip from the get-go." However, I will bring the "paper stuff" home because it's important to me...it should be a part of the scrapbook. So...my husband just shakes his head & loves me for it anyway! ;) To hold the things in place, I found some handy office clips & paper clips that added to the charm of the page, but also worked as nice little placement holders.

In the very back of the album, I included the story of how the four of us met & came together as friends.

One of the things I love to do in my scrapbooking is to include some trip memorabilia on the pages as embellishments! Postage stamps & postcards are favorites of mine! Some people collect match boxes & pilsner glasses...I collect postcards & postal stamps. :)

I had fun playing around with the rub-ons that came in our supply stash. As you can see in the picture below, some went right on the picture rather than on the paper itself.

Cost-saving techniques: Use your scraps as embellishments. Also, grab the stapler out of the office; it can present a fun look to the page!

My scrapbooking style is chronological...I have tried other ways, but it bugs me so much to not have the pages in order, that in the end, I have to go back & reorganize them all. So for this trip, the pages go from beginning to end & then I have a "summary of the trip" that has details & journaling. Next, is the memorabilia & then lastly, the story of the MN Girls.

The album is an 8x8 (which made it so much easier & faster to complete!).

Supplies: Euphoria by Basic Grey(basically used the entire line), Bazzill cardstock, Zip black & brown pen, Archival spray, adhesive, "our story" by Ali Edwards, misc: staples, office clips, paper clips