Thankful

The last few months I have been reading, One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. The book is about developing a heart of thankfulness; finding blessings in every aspect in life- the exciting things, the mundane things, the good, the bad. And it has really changed the way I look at life. All of life is a gift to be cherished. (If you haven't read this book, it's worth reading. It's poetically written and not a quick read. But it makes you think and reflect and learn to look for the blessings in everyday life).

This Thanksgiving season I have much to be thankful for.

~I am thankful for the newest addition to our family- Haley Marais. She is our littlest baby yet- born at only 5lbs 9oz. She is 3 weeks old today and still not 7lbs! She is a little bundle of cuteness and we have all fallen in love with her.

~I am thankful for Luke. He is an amazing man! He's a great father to our children, he's a wonderful husband, and my best friend. There is no one I would rather walk through the journey of life with then him. It was 9 years ago on November 16th that Luke asked me to be his wife. I am so glad he asked and that I said yes. One of the best decisions of my life!

~I am thankful for our oldest, Silas. It's hard to believe he will be 6 years old in about 2 months! He is a great brother and such a fun kid. I am thankful that he loves going to school each morning and loves to learn. He is loving being apart of AWANA and learning more about Jesus.

~I am thankful for our princess, Eliana. She is 3 going on 13. She is LOVING her role as a big sister to a baby girl. She is a helper, a snuggler, and an all around wonderful girl. She loves to color, dance, wear jewelry, and paint her fingernails.

~I am thankful for our fiesty 1 year old, Levi. He is all boy- loves trains, throwing and kicking balls, screaming, and hitting. :) He has a strong will, but melts quickly when he gets a hug or gets in trouble! He is a mama's boy and we weren't sure how he would do with sharing me with a new baby. I am very thankful that he loves his baby sister and has had no issues with sharing my attention.

~I am thankful for Luke's new job and our new church. We are so thankful that Luke has a job that provides for our family and gives our whole family health benefits. Luke love his job and the team he works with. He is learning and growing in a great environment where he enjoys going to work each day and is valued and appreciated. We are so happy that Woodmen is a church that fits our family- a worship style we love, solid Biblical preaching, and a great children's ministry. We have a church home again as a family and that is something we are very thankful for.

~I am thankful that I have the opportunity to stay at home with my children. They are only young once and life is flying by. I am thankful that I get to be in the trenches each day and have an impact each day on their lives.

~I am thankful for food. I come from a food based family. Food is a central part of all family activities. There are so many who don't have the simple luxury of food. I am also thankful for water. Water that pours out of the faucet to drink, to cook with, to wash little hands, to shower.

~I am thankful for friends. Friends that I have had for a lifetime and friends who are newer. It's great to have people who really know you. Friends who support you through the good and bad- and still love you!

~I am thankful that we live in Colorado (and yes, that means I am thankful that we don't live in California. California is a great place in some aspects, and we miss many things about California- especially people! Friends, all of Luke's family, my brother, our church family. But it was not a great place for a young family to live.) We love living in a state with so many beautiful outdoor activities in our backyard. We love living in a state where we can take road trips to see family rather then always flying. We love living in a state where we can afford (to rent) a house with a yard and garage. We pay less for rent then we did for our 2 bedroom apartment in California. We love living in a state with seasons and snow (or at least I do!).

~I am thankful for my parents. My parents are our only family that live here in Colorado. They make life easier and richer on a daily basis. Our children absolutely adore them. Levi? He might actually like my dad more then he likes me and Luke. The vote is still out. As an adult, my parents are some of my best friends. And I am thankful that we get to be a part their lives on a regular basis- and that they get to be a part of ours.

~I am thankful for my siblings. They are some of my most favorite people ever. My sister? We pretty much talk every day. It's great- because with little kids running around she is someone I can abruptly end a phone call with because of a toddler meltdown. She is someone I can call for advice or to share funny stories with. My brothers? They make me laugh. They debate with me (well one brother in particular). They are great uncles. I also equally adore my brother-in-law and sister-in-law and nieces and nephews. My absolute favorite tv show is Parenthood. Seriously, I might like it more then Friends. And THAT is saying something! I cry during every episode. Every. Episode. And part of the reason is because it reminds me of my family. Since we live in 3 different states right now, I am hoping in heaven we can live next door to each other.

~I am thankful for the country we live in. It's far from perfect, yet still better then almost any other country out there. I am thankful for the men and women who put their lives on the line and sacrifice each day to keep our country free.

~I am thankful that all of these good things aren't just an accident. I am thankful for my Lord Jesus Christ- who ALL of these good things are from. I am thankful that through the known and the unknown of life I can trust in Him. I am thankful for the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross; because His death and resurrection, we can experience true LIFE. 

Bittersweet

Another long absence from blogging, but that's life right now. Busy! This week life is going to get busier. I am scheduled to be induced tonight! Our little girl will be here before we know it. And I must say, I have never felt the mix of emotions before delivery that I am feeling right now. I am excited to meet our baby girl; though honestly? It's still very surreal that we are having another baby. I am excited to not be pregnant. Since moving to Colorado, I have basically either been pregnant or nursing. And we have lived here almost 2.5 years! But at this same time, this is it. We have our 4 kids. And we have had them closer together then we ever would have thought. So it's not as if I want to have more babies, but at the same time, to know that this phase of our life is over forever... it's sort of sad too.

When I look down at my stomach which is literally rolling with the constant movement of this baby- I am vastly aware that I am carrying a miracle. Being pregnant and giving birth is all a miracle- and for me, this is the last time I will experience it. Part of me is excited to move onto a new phase as a family, and part of me is full of sadness that this phase is already coming to an end. As long as I can remember, I have wanted to have babies. And I am so thankful that my dream came true and God has blessed us with 4 healthy pregnancies, and now wonderful children. I warned Luke a few days ago that I just may be emotional this week. So far, I have had held it together just fine. Through this whole pregnancy, I have really tried to cherish it. Even though it's probably been my most complicated pregnancy since I have been high risk. I have known that this is it- and I have wanted to really just enjoy it for what it was.

So if you happen to be up through the night tonight, say a prayer for me and Luke. We are supposed to check in at the hospital at 8PM. Pray that the delivery goes quickly and smoothly. Pray that our little girl will be born healthy and without any issues. Pray that the other kids will sleep well and behave for my parents. Silas and Eliana are over the moon with excitement to meet their baby sister- especially Eliana. Poor Levi has no idea that life is about to change; he will no longer be the baby. Pray that the adjustment will go well for him. I am so thankful that Luke has 12 days off work- this is the most time he has ever taken off when we have had a baby.

I will try to blog soon with an update on our sweet girl, and of course, pictures!

Summer... where did you go? (And update on life)

Literally, the title says it all. Life seems to be FLYING by right now. I can't believe that summer is over and that my firstborn started kindergarten this past week. Not to mention that in about 10 weeks, we will be adding another child to our family. Life is moving fast!

We had a great summer, though in went by fast. In June we took a trip to Minnesota to visit my sister and her family, as well as friends. We had a few days up in northern Minnesota visiting some of our favorite Minnesota spots (and restaurants!). We came back to Colorado on fire- literally. The fire in Colorado Springs was insane. I have never in my life seen anything like it; it was hellish. We were put on pre-evacuation status, and thankfully did not have to actually evacuate.

Hiking Gooseberry Falls in Minnesota. Levi was on my back.

World's Best Donuts- Grand Marais, MN 

Levi playing at the lake in Minnesota.

Cousins! Teddy Bear Park.

Though we did lots of fun things this summer there are so many things we never got the chance to do - because it seems that summer just flew by in a blur of appointments and naps and playdates. Next summer I am going to make a list of the things we want to do so that we can be a little more intentional about doing some of the fun things that are close that we so often forget to do.

Silas had a little surgery at the beginning of July. He was born tongue tied and it was never corrected as a baby because it didn't cause any problems. This spring we came to realize that being tongue tied was effecting his speech and decided to have the surgery done to correct it. It was a simple procedure- and the recovery happened amazingly fast. Literally, he didn't miss a beat. We walked out of the hospital- less then an hour after surgery- and he wanted to know where we were going to eat breakfast. We are so thankful it went well! Silas started kindergarten last Wednesday and LOVES it. He loves bringing a snack each day. He loves all of the "specialist" classes- he was very excited for today (computer day!). His teacher seems very sweet and the class size is great- not too big, not too small (I think 18 kids). He is only attending half day kindergarten- so he is done by noon each day- which I think is making it an easier transition for me. :)

Silas- all prepped and ready for surgery.

First Day of Kindergarten

Eliana is FULLY POTTY TRAINED. It happened in June- and we are so proud of her! She really needed to learn on her time table it seems. But now that she has it, she has it. Some days, a little too well. Last week I told her she needed to go to bathroom before she went to swimming lessons (so it was about 4:30PM). Her response? "Mom! I already went today!" Yep, she had been to the bathroom one time all day- and thought it was ridiculous that I would ask her to go again. :) She can hardly contain her excitement for her baby sister to be born. And asks just about every day when she will be coming. :)

Eliana at swimming lessons

Levi just turned 18 months old and has just started making some improvements in walking last week. Up until this point, he has showed really no interest in walking. He was just last week evaluated to see if he needed physical therapy (which they said he did). And now he is starting to get brave and take 3 or 4 steps here and there. And Saturday? He fell out of an arm chair in our living room. After much crying, I took him to urgent care. They did x-rays and found that his bone had a buckle fracture. In babies, it's very uncommon for bones to actually break because they are still softer. So his little arm is now splinted- and will be put into a cast on Wednesday. In the meantime, crawling is basically impossible because he can't put any weight on his wrist without crying. So he has started to walk even more. The only problem is that the walking is so new that sometimes it leads to falling- and falling on his hurt little wrist. :( On the plus side, he now has a good little weapon to defend himself against Eliana and Silas, who are less then thrilled when he hits them with his splinted arm. :)

Levi with his little splinted arm after leaving Urgent Care.

I am almost 30 weeks pregnant now- and feeling pretty good. A Walmart employee told me I looked "HUGE!!!" Yes, as you can imagine I was slightly less then thrilled, especially because I am not huge! :) I am actually measuring a little small right now, possibly because the baby is still breech. We have another ultrasound in 2 weeks and are hoping the baby will NOT be breech so that we can confirm it is a GIRL! Right now the baby is very active- which I am thankful for this pregnancy more then ever.

And possibly the MOST EXCITING news in our life right now is that Luke has a new job. Seriously. So exciting- so thankful. Luke started his new job this past week at Woodmen Valley Chapel as the Tech Director. Woodmen is the church I have been attending for Bible Study for the past 2 years, so I am already somewhat connected there and some of our best friends attend there too. It's a church we are excited about attending as a family. They have a children's ministry that we feel good about putting our kids in; we trust that they will be cared for, loved, safe, and taught about Jesus. It's closer to our house (thus cutting our gas bill in half each month- which will be a great savings!). It will better provide for our family financially and the benefits are great. We finally have health benefits for our whole family! We are so thankful to see how God provided this opportunity in His time; it was definitely a God thing and not something we can claim any part of orchestrating. My parents were over for dinner a few nights ago and my dad commented to Luke about how he just looked happy. Happier and more relaxed then he has looked in a long time. And that is how he feels. We feel like God has brought us to a great place and we are so excited to see what He has planned.

A love not lost...

Well some of you may remember about 6 months ago, on Silas' 5th birthday, I lost my wedding band. You could say that it was a rough day. I was devastated and have spent many hours searching craigslist and ebay hoping that I might find it being resold... But that hasn't happened. We aren't in a place right now with 3 young children and a 4th on the way to just go replace it. And every time I look down at my ring finger and see only my engagement ring, I am reminded of my lost ring.

Well I am currently reading, "one thousand gifts" by Ann Voskamp. An amazing book that I would recommend to just about anyone. It's about learning to live with a thankful heart each day. After reading a chapter of the book the other night, I turned the light off and my mind went to my wedding ring. And it occurred to me, that though I have lost my wedding ring, I still have my marriage. I look around at people in my life and in our world who have lost their spouse through death or divorce. And probably many of them would gladly give their wedding band and much more, just to have a healthy, loving marriage.

So though I still wish I hadn't lost my wedding band, I am approaching it with a new perspective. The symbol of our love has been lost, but I have not lost my love. Our marriage is stronger then ever. There is no one I would rather be on this crazy journey called life with then Luke. I am so thankful for the amazing man that God has created him to be- and thankful that he is mine.

And life changes again...

Again, not a lot of blogging. I have great intentions of blogging, but it just doesn't happen in reality right now. Maybe it has a little something to do with three little ones. And a fourth on the way. That's right! We are pregnant again- due (as of now) on November 8th. Though we did want one more baby, this was sooner then we were planning, thus quite a surprise! But a good one. I went to the doctor pretty much the day after I found out I was pregnant. I knew that there were risks with being pregnant and having thyroid issues. Well five tubes of blood and many tests later, my doctor told me that I have Graves disease, an autoimmune disorder. So NOT postpartum thyroiditis like I had hoped. So the Graves makes this a high risk pregnancy. Needless to say, after having three basically typical pregnancies, it's a little overwhelming/frightening. And thus, the whole learning to trust God thing is forefront yet again. Maybe this time I will learn better. :)

So the biggest reason I share the news about my pregnancy is that I am asking for you to pray. Pray that this pregnancy goes well. Pray that the baby develops perfectly. Pray that the Graves disease will not be passed to the baby. Pray that the baby will be able to be born full term and that he or she will be healthy. Pray that the doctors will be able to the prescribe the appropriate medicine to keep the Graves under control. Pray that through this whole journey ahead that both Luke and I will learn to trust God in a new way.

I did some research on Graves and found that naturopaths believe that one of the main causes of Graves is stress. Well we have had a bit of stress in our lives over the last two years (quitting jobs, moving, finding new jobs, pregnancy, financial). Thus, I do believe that it is possible that this has been caused by stress. The two most common ways to treat Graves are pretty drastic (radioactive treatment to kill your thyroid or having surgery to remove it). I am considering alternative options that might be a better and not so permanent fit. Graves can go into remission or disappear completely. And when Graves appears after a pregnancy? Sometimes a subsequent pregnancy will actually cause Graves to disappear. So friends, there is another prayer request. Pray that after this pregnancy, the Graves will be gone. That would be awesome.

One thing I am so thankful for is my endocrinologist. I was referred to her by my OBGYN. And this endocrinologist1? She is also an OBGYN. So the only patients she treats are those who are pregnant with thyroid issues. And she only sees patients one morning a week. She is one of the doctors doing research and writing papers on thyroid issues while pregnant. So I don't have just any old doctor to help treat this- I have an amazing doctor who is very knowledgable and truly an expert in this field.

So there you have it! The newest news in our life- exciting and joyful, but a little scary too. Thank you for caring and for praying!

Late Night Ramblings

Well it's late, and I feel like I have fallen off the blogging bandwagon. I have a few random things I want to write about, so here it goes!

When I heard the news of Whitney Houston's death, I was overcome with sadness. There have been plenty of "stars" that have died over the last few years. But for some reason, her death really struck me. Partly because she was too young. Partly because she has left a daughter with no mother. I know that Whitney Houston grew up in a Christian home- and got her start in music singing in the church choir. Her life is an example of how our world (and Hollywood) can so easily eat you up and spit you out. Her life was destroyed by addiction. Addiction gets ahold of your life and so often, it doesn't let go. I heard one of her more recent songs this weekend and it encouraged me. I pray that Whitney Houston knew Jesus and even though it seems that addiction ultimately destroyed her life, I hope and pray that she is with her Maker.

On a lighter note, we started potty training Eliana in earnest yesterday. I have heard many times to wait until your child is ready. Well she wasn't. But we were. She melted into tears when I told her that she was going to get to wear a princess pull-up. She wanted a diaper. She did not want to be a big girl. After attempting to reason with her, I convinced her to try it. Over the next few hours she ran to the potty more times then I can count. Nothing. About 4 hours later, it happened. She peed in the potty. (And during those 4 hours kept the pull-up dry, I might add). And it's all been up hill from there. She has already completed one line on her reward chart for going potty, and seems to get it. No reminders are necessary, and sitting her on the potty when she doesn't want to sit there is pointless. She goes when she is ready and managed to be accident free all day. Tonight another victory. She pooped in the potty- and for those of you who know our first child, who will remain nameless, it was months before he did that. She may or may not have gotten a small handful of jelly beans and two more stickers on her chart. It's been a big couple of days around here!

And today, Valentine's Day. I love Valentine's Day. Making cookies with my kids. Making valentines for friends and family. Valentine's Decorations. It was a (mostly) great day. Silas had a fun Valentine's party at school. We did our weekly Target trip with my parents and had lunch there afterwards. Luke brought home some beautiful red and white tulips for me. Tonight, we had a fondue dinner. The cheese fondue was delicious and very similar to one that we like at La Fondue. We had a cooked chicken tenders, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, cherry tomatoes, and bread to dip in the cheese. The kids were not fans and stuck to Mickey Mouse chicken nuggets, carrots, and fruit. We had chocolate fondue for dessert- so good! We had strawberries, bananas, marshmallows, cookie dough, Snickers, rice krispie treats, and rolled wafers to dip in. I have a doctors appointment in the morning and I am hoping my cholesterol is not checked. I am glad we only do this fondue dinner once a year- I love it but it's so heavy and full of fat. I feel like somehow I *must* work out tomorrow. Hopefully it will actually happen! :)

Perspective

Alternately titled: Welcome February!! January, don't let the door hit you on the way out...

Today is February 1st- a new month! I could not be more excited. January was a rough one for us. An ER visit for me with my not so great insurance. A speeding ticket for Luke on a road where the speed limit changes 3 times in less then a mile. I lost my wedding ring. My kids lost their insurance because a payment took over a week to go 50 miles with the good ol' USPS. Thankfully, I have reapplied for the insurance and everything on that front will work out eventually.

So this month I have posted a few of my bemoanings on facebook, normally with regret later. I mean, we all have bad days. And typically it annoys me when people spout off negativeness all over facebook. And then? It was me this month. Ugh. I hope I learned my lesson!

Despite the suckiness of January, we had some great times too. My friend, Jeanette, came for a visit with her two cute kids. My sister and her family came for a visit which was super fun. Silas turned 5 years old- which I can hardly believe. He had a fun birthday party with friends. Eliana is still not potty trained, but that's ok! Her hair seems to be growing longer, so that is exciting. :)  Levi got three new teeth, which is not awesome for him, but does mean he can start eating more food. And Levi has started crawling.

Through some of my pity parties this month I have also been reminded of the many things I have to be thankful for. I know people who have sick children, people whose marriages are struggling, people who have lost jobs. And I am sure most of those friend would give *anything* to have my problems, which really aren't huge in the grand scheme of things.

It's all about perspective. And choosing joy. Choosing to be content in all circumstances- knowing that God is in control. God is bigger. I feel like it's a lesson I am continually learning. To trust Him through it all- the good and the bad. Choosing to look at what is great in my life rather then what I want to change. I have an amazing husband who thinks that I am the most amazing woman in the world. (I really have him fooled!) And I have three precious, adorable children who make me laugh and bring joy to my life each day. And I have a God who loves me unconditionally, whether I am singing Him praise or questioning the way He works. I am glad that January is done and look forward to what God has planned for February and the rest of the year.

I Corinthians 4:18

So we don't look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.

Deuteronomy 31:8

The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

John 16:33

I have told you these things, so that in my you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

A week of milestones

This week started with me spending part of Sunday night in the ER. Probably not my favorite way to start a week. As you may remember, I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism in the fall. Up until this point, I haven't been on any medicine for it. My hope has been that it is just a postpartum issue, and will eventually go away. I don't have great insurance so I didn't want to spend money on something that could resolve itself eventually. And, for the most part, I have felt like I could live with it. And honestly? My favorite "symptom"? The weight loss! I have been able to eat like mad and still lose weight. It's been great! The best post-pregnancy weight loss program ever is definitely hyperthyroidism. Some of the other side effects haven't been fun though. So this weekend, I had some symptoms that led me to feel awful, so I googled "Can you die from hyperthryroidism?" Yep, I really did. And you know what? It turns out YOU CAN! I had some symptoms of a thryoid storm, which left untreated, kills you. I tried to weigh out if I should go to the ER, because I knew it would end up costing us a bundle of money. And since I wasn't sure what the problem was, I wasn't sure it was worth it. But I ultimately decided to go. It wasn't worth the risk. So arrived at the ER a little after 2:00AM. And of course, it was a busy night there. The guy being wheeled in behind me was cursing and moaning. And his leg? Dangling! Very broken!

I had a great nurse who had to do an IV on me. And I hate IV's. For some reason, it's hard to get IV's going on me- normally I end up have multiple veins blown during the process. I waited a couple of hours before the doctor checked in on me. During that time I attempted to sleep on the gurney in the cold, brightly lit hospital room. After doing blood work, it was deteremined that I was not having a thryoid storm but did need to get on thyroid medication soon. I will be seeing an endrocronolight next week.

So the first step to finding out of the hyperthyroidism is a postpartum issue is I need to stop nursing so that my hormones can start to get back to normal. With Silas and Eliana, I was done nursing by the time they were 6 months old. We started supplementing with bottles early on since I was going back to work full time. And as many of you may know, once you start supplementing with formula, it's a slippery slope. With Levi, he had a few bottles early on, but after the first month he was exclusively nursing. Fast forward 8 months, he absolutrly refused to take a bottle. We tried every night for a few weeks and he screamed his little heart out and eventaully I gave in. So this week, I decided we needed to try bottles in earnest. And on Tuesday? Levi bit me twice while nursing. Thankfully he only has one tooth, but when it comes to biting, that is one tooth too many. So Tuesday night, his only option before bed was a bottle. He drank 1 ounce. 3:00AM rolls around and the crying begins. I told Luke that it was really all him that night- because I knew Levi wouldn't take a bottle from me. So Luke tried. A half an hour later, there was no luck. Just one very unhappy baby. Luke put Levi back to bed and Luke fell promptly to sleep (he's not use to these middle of the night feedings). Well Levi IS use to these middle of the night snacks. So he proceeded to cry for what seemed like forever. Twenty minutes later, I got him up. And he drank the entire bottle. We had won! I was elated- but then realized that just because he did it once, that didn't mean the next time would be a piece of cake. But you know? It was! He has taken a bottle easily since then- both pumped milk and formula. It's a milestone for sure!

Silas had speech therapy today and I had to work. So Luke took all three kids to the appointment by himself- seriously, Dad of the Year. At the end of his appointment, his wonderful therapist told Luke that she would test Silas next week because she thinks he is where he needs to be for speech. So it's looking like next Thursday will be his last day of speech therapy. Another milestone!

So the next milestone still needs to happen. I want to potty train Eliana in the 6 days. I am sure some of you think I am crazy, and I am. I am just ready for her to not wear diapers though. And she is ready to on some level. She talks about it all the time- she just needs to actually do it.  This precious girl has a mind of her own, so this is not something I can force her to do. I have to convince her that it's her idea. We will see how it goes!

Goals for 2012

-To grow in my relationship with God. If I had to pick one word to describe it right now it would be shallow. I need to grow. I want to grow. I don't want it to take some tragic experience to grow my faith. I want to spend time with Jesus everyday. I want to pray continually. I want my relationship with God to be the most important thing in my life.

-Be more patient. To play with my children more rather them have them play by me while I do something.

-Cherish the time I spend with my children and Luke. To not take forgranted my great family; they are one of the greatest gifts that God has given me.

-Plan menus every week. I used to plan menus (when I worked full time nonetheless!). Menus make cooking dinner so much easier. I hate that feeling at 5:00PM of not knowing what I am going to make.

-To get to a doctor and get my hyperthyroidism treated. I am tired of feeling tired. It's been 6 months now and crappy insurance or not, it's time to get this figured out. I am still hoping that it's just a postpartum issue and it will go away once I am done nursing and my hormones start to balance out. But in the meantime, I need something to get me through.

-Spend less time on the computer. Enough said.

Christmas Stockings!!!

When Luke and I got married, we bought Christmas stockings at Target. When Silas was born, we never got him a stocking because we couldn't find one that we loved. Well fast forward four years. None of our kids have Christmas stockings... and this year, that all changed. A good friend of mine from high school owns a stocking company, so I decided to check out what he sold. There were so many great options, it took me awhile to narrow it down. Our stockings arrived on Friday- and they are beautiful! I love how they look, I love the great quality, I love that they are personalized, and I love that they are stockings we can use for many years.

Close up of my stocking.

We were excited to see that the stockings
were lined, which means no stretching out!

If you are looking for Christmas stockings this year, check out Merry Stockings. My favorite stockings are the Modern Stockings. I know you will find something that you love. Did I mention that all of the stockings come personalized? And the best part is, it's not too late to order for this year. If you order by Wednesday, December 14th (tomorrow!), you will receive your stockings in time for Christmas. And you can receive 10% off your order by using the discount code ELF. Shop over at Merry Stockings today and support a great small business (based in Minnesota!).

25 Days of Christmas

Here are the 25 special things we will be doing for Christmas (see my last blog post about the Christmas Advent house we got this year.) This is the plan for now. I will probably make changes in the order of things, as our month goes along and our schedules change. One thing that is not listed yet is we are planning to do something as a family at a rescue mission downtown. I am waiting to see what that looks like... It might involve on going to the place and doing something. It might be buying presents for kids who will spent their Christmas at the mission. Since we aren't sure what this is yet, I haven't added it.

1- Decorate Christmas tree for playroom 

2- Make Christmas cookies

3- Go to a Christmas parade

4- Get out Little People Nativity set, read Christmas story from the Bible

5- Present: new Christmas sock

6- Present: Christmas Bereanstean Bears Movie
7- Do a Christmas craft

8- Go to the Broadmoor Hotel to see Christmas Lights and make s'mores

9- Christmas candy!

10- Go visit Santa Claus at the Bank

11- Watch a Christmas Veggie Tales

12- Make Christmas cards

13- Make Christmas cookies and presents for teachers

14- Present: Stockings (my kids have never had stockings and we finally ordered some this year. More to come on that later.)

15- Read Christmas stories and have hot chocolate

16- Go to the Electric Safari at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

17- Christmas Shopping as a family

18- Present: "It's a Meaningful Life" Christmas Veggie Tales

19- Decorate Gingerbread House

20- Go to Polar Express Night at Chick-fil-a

21- Make cut out cookies and decorate

22- Bring cookies to the Fire Station

23- Drive around and see Christmas lights

24- Make cupcakes for Jesus’ birthday

25- Read stories about the first Christmas and open presents

So we will see how this all works out! My point is to have something fun everyday from now until Christmas. Lots of this is regular stuff we would be doing anyways, but doing it like this will be extra fun for the kids. 

What are some special things your family does each Christmas? What are some new traditions you are starting within your family?

Three Things on Thursday

1. This fall, I overcommitted myself. I went from doing nothing in the summer; Just play dates and shopping at Target to doing way. too. much. At the end of August, Silas started speech therapy once a week, about 25 minutes from where we live. I also started working, about 10 hours a week. In September, I started doing Bible Study every Wednesday morning, a small group every Wednesday night with Luke, and MOPS every Thursday morning. Somewhere in there I committed to helping with Children's Church every week, which isn't a lot of hours, but just something else on my plate. So not only was I busy, I was dragging my children all over the place too. The end result of trying to do this much has been, I have not done everything well and I have been flaky about some of my commitments. In January, I am doing less so that I can really enjoy what I do commit too.

2. During the last few months of being busy, I have also noticed that when I am overcommitted, I spending way less time with my children. (I know, that should have been pretty obvious to begin with. Sometimes I am a slow learner.) And then when I do have time with them, I am tired from all I am doing (and from my insomnia), that I feel like I am giving my children my leftovers. And I am not ok with that. I can hardly fathom that Silas will be in kindergarten next fall. Life speeds by and I am staying at home with my children so I can spend time with them and enjoy them. This fall I have allowed myself to by too busy doing "stuff." But even good things can take away time from what really things that are really important- like my family.

3. Christmas. My absolute favorite season of the year. I love everything about it! I love celebrating the birth of Jesus. I love the time with family. I love the music (and start listening to it, often, in October). I love snow. I love Christmas plays and musicals at church. I love all the cookies and candy. I love Christmas Eve church services. I love shopping to buy special gifts for family. I love traditions. I. LOVE. IT. ALL. Tomorrow is December 1st which is exciting. We are starting a new tradition in our family. I bought an Advent calendar that we are filling with special things for each day until Christmas. Some of the things do relate to the real meaning of Christmas- and some of them are just fun. Here is a picture of the one I bought. (And I was so happy to find a picture of it tonight on the internet because I was not feeling very committed to taking a picture of it myself to upload.)

It looks like it belongs in the game "Candyland." Silas calls it the candy house. If you know me, you know that I shop and buy, and then often return if I find something that I like better or if it's a better deal. So when I bought this house, that is sort of what I had in mind. Well, once we had it, it was ours. Silas loved it and there was not going back!

Tomorrow I will post the list of what we will be doing for the 25 days. The kids are excited and I am too!

24 Things I am Thankful for...

I have much to be thankful for- something I try to remember every day. Rather then try to post on facebook everyday what I was thankful for, I thought I would make a list here instead.

1. Luke- He is an AMAZING husband and my best friend. I cannot imagine life without him by my side.
2. Silas- I love this sweet boy! He says funny things that make us laugh everyday. He continues to have an amazing memory. He "read" to me an entire Curious George story tonight- from memory.
3. Eliana- I love this silly girl. She is silly all the time. Seriously. I am enjoying the time I have with her when Silas is at preschool. She is all girl- babies, pink, purses, and shoes.
4. Levi- He is 8 months old today. So hard to believe! He is probably our happiest baby (and that's saying something, because our other babies were happy, easy babies too!). He learned to clap his hands this week. There is almost always a smile on this face.
5. My parents- I love living close to them. They are not only my parents, but great friends. They light up our kids world, and ours too. They have set an amazing example for me, in marriage and parenting.
6. Kelly and family- My sister is one of my best friends. I so wish they lived closer to us! We talk multiple times a week (sometimes multiple times a day!). Her husband, Corey, is pretty amazing too. He has been in my life since I was 14 years old. He's a great brother. I adore Natalie, Connor, Teyla, and Kieran. They are awesome kids and cousins.
7. Michael and kids- Since becoming adults, Michael and I have been great friends. He is an awesome father to Jordan and Madison- and a pretty amazing man in general. One of the benefits of living in California was that we could drive down for a long weekend visit. I wish we could see him and the kids more often. Jordan and Madison are super fun kids- and Silas and Eliana love playing with them!
8. Jonathan and Kelly- Jonathan is 4 years younger then me and is a great little brother. (Which if you know him, isn't accurate. He's tall. I guess I should just call him my younger brother). Jonathan and I have done a lot together. In addition to growing up together, we worked together, we went to college together, and I was a a youth group leader at church for his grade. (So that meant retreats, summer trips, and missions trips together too). He married Kelly almost 2 years ago. And she is amazing too- a beautiful person, both inside and out. They are great for each other- and I know that God brought them together in His timing for each other.
9. Luke's family- Luke has an great family that I now how the privilege of being a part of. Often, Thanksgiving ends up being a big holiday for Luke's family- cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents are all together. We have spent the last three Thanksgivings with his family- and we will miss them all tomorrow! Everyone lives in California- so we don't get to see everyone much. We miss them.
10. God- He is my life. Without my relationship with God, I would be nothing. Moving to Colorado has brought my relationship with Him to another level. I am learning to trust more, worry less. My favorite name for Him is Immanuel (God with Us).
11. Freedom to worship- I am thankful that we have the freedom of religion in the USA. There are many people in other countries around the world who don't have this privilege.
12. Our home- We moved into our home last January. It's great! Luke and I have always lived in apartments. We love having space (double the space of our last apartment). We love having a garage (especially when it snows). We love having a fenced in yard where the kids can play.
13. Our cars- We have two cars that seem to be sent from God. Both cars we got for a good price, with super low mileage. I am thankful that Luke has a car to drive to work. I am thankful that I have a car so that I can go to Bible Study, MOPS, and just get out of the house while Luke works!
14. Clean water- This is something that is so easy to take advantage of. So many people in the world don't have access to clean water. I am thankful that I do- and I want to help other people have access to clean water too.
15. Food- I love to eat. I am thankful for good food that God created for us to enjoy. And can I be specific and say I am thankful for Chick-fil-a? Because, I am! We love that place and eat their often. I am not sure I could live somewhere that didn't have Chick-fil-a.
16. Computers and Telephones- I am thankful for technology that helps us keep in touch with people.
17. Health- I am thankful that my family is healthy. There is so much sickness in our world. Being healthy is something very big that I am thankful for.
18. Mountains- One thing I love about Colorado is the mountains. They are big, beautiful, majestic.
19. Weather- I love weather. Specifically, different types of weather. Hot. Cold. Rain. Snow. Sun. Clouds. Hail. Rainbows. And Colorado has crazy weather. And I love that.
20. Friends- I am so thankful for friends. Moving is hard. And it's made me realize even more how thankful I am for friends. Friends that love us. Friends that encourage us. Friends who walk through life with us.
21. MOPS- I have been in MOPS for 4 years. And it's great. My MOPS group in California were some of my great friends- and still are now.
22. Bible Study- I love having the chance to gather with a group of women every week and study God's word. I have a great group here in Colorado, that I have unfortunately missed a lot this fall. Hopefully next semester I can make it more!
23. The YMCA- We became members of the Y when we moved to Colorado. I love being able to take the kids swimming there (and our Y has a great pool for kids). I enjoy working out a few mornings a week, while the kids play in childcare. And after I work out, I can take a shower without little hands banging on the door. :)
24. Our country- I am thankful for the many freedoms that we have in the USA. I am thankful for democracy. The United States of America is not a perfect place, but it's better then anything else.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving! May it be a day filled with love and laughter. And a day to remember the many blessings in each of our lives.

Operation Christmas Child

For a few years, we have been participating in a project called Operation Christmas Child. OCC provides Christmas boxes to thousands of children through out the world. For us, it's a perfect opportunity to let our children learn and serve. People who live in the United States of America are RICH compared to most of the world. Check out the Global Rich List- it's an interesting website that helps put into perspective how much money we make compared to the rest of the world. Americans, by in large, are in the top 1% of the world. Over half the world lives on less then $2 a day- less then what many of us might have spent on coffee this morning.

I want our children to grow up with the realization that we have much to be thankful for. We are thankful for our home, for heat and water, for our beds to sleep in, for food to eat, for the freedom to go to church and worship God, for jobs, for cars, for health insurance. We are blessed. And I want our children to grow up being thankful- and realizing that there are many people throughout our world that don't have some of the most basic things, like clean water.

We started talking to Silas two years ago about how some children in the world don't get any Christmas presents. So we got a shoebox, took Silas to Target, and he picked out things for boy his age. We picked out some basic "need" items: a toothbrush, toothpaste, a bar of soap, a washcloth, a comb. Then we picked out "fun" stuff: a coloring book, crayons, a small toy, a shirt, candy, sunglasses, a flashlight... you get the idea. And the neat thing about it was that we were able to get Silas involved- and let him pick out things he would want to get himself.

So this year, we involved Eliana too. We went to Target and the two kids picked out all sorts of stuff to pack in their shoebox, so that a child somewhere in the world would get a present for Christmas. I put a picture of them in their shoebox. They are going to color a picture too. We want the children who receive the boxes to know they are loved. And that another child across the world picked out these gifts for them.

A girl at the Bible Study I have been attending grew up in what is now the Republic of Georgia. When she was a child, she received an Operation Christmas Child box. She was able to tell our group how much it meant to her as a child. It was neat for me to hear her experience- and to know that this very little thing that we do, does make a difference in a child's life.

If you would like to be a part of this, act quick. The last day to drop off  boxes is November 21st. I would encourage everyone to be a part of this project and help make a difference in the lives of children around the world.

Here is the stuff that Eliana picked out for her box.

Here is the stuff that Silas picked out for his box. 

To happy kids with their Christmas present boxes for a child in need.

Three Things on Thursday

1. Busy. I feel like that describes my life right now. I need a day to slow down, rest, and get things done around our house. Maybe this weekend!

2. Conflict. I am not a fan of it. I would rather deal with a problem then pretend it doesn't exist. But when dealing with it, I still always get that sick feeling in my stomach. Because I don't want to hurt somebody's feelings and I don't want to get hurt either. How do you deal with conflict?

3. Luke took some pictures of this kids a week ago. And I am loving them! Here are a few:

Maple Pecan Scones

One of our favorite fall treats from Starbucks is their Maple Pecan Scones. Luke got me hooked many years ago, and they are still one of my favorites. Last Saturday, I decided to try and make some at home. The result? Maple Pecan scones even better then Starbucks. Seriously. Try them for yourself and you will love them. I am thinking that these would be perfect for breakfast on Thanksgiving day.

Maple Pecan Scones (I found the recipe here)
1 cup oats
1 1/2 cups flour
2 T sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 T baking powder
2 T maple syrup
2 1/2 T cold butter (cut into small pieces)
1 large egg
1/2 cup half and half (or heavy cream)
1/2-3/4 tsp maple extract
2/3 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Glaze
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp maple extract (I think I used slightly more)
5 tsps hot water

*Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Use a food processor or blender to finely grind oats. Using a mixer, mix flour, oats, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Add maple syrup and butter; mix well. In a small bowl, beat the egg, cream, and maple extract. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and mix well. Add pecans and mix.
*Place dough on a floured surface (note: dough is very sticky at this point). Knead dough 8-10 times and pat into a circle. Use a pizza cutter to cut 8 wedges.
*Put scones on a a greased baking sheet, slightly separated. Cook 13-15 minutes, until slightly brown. (Note: I checked my scones at 12 minutes and they were brown and done). Remove scones from pan and put on a wire rack to cool. Cool for 3-5 minutes.
*Mix glaze ingredients until smooth. Add more or less water depending on the desired consistency of the glaze. I kept the glaze fairly thick, because it thins out on the warm scones. Spread glaze on scones and wait about 15 minutes to serve (to allow the glaze to dry).

The end result is yummy, better then Starbucks, scones. I added sprinkles to a few of the scones, because everything is better with sprinkles in the mind of child. Silas loved the scones- and ate an entire one. Both Luke and I loved these scones- this recipe is a keeper!

Three Things on Thursday- Kids Edition

1. Silas... I cannot believe this boy will be 5 in January! He says funny things every day that crack us up. Lately, when we tell him something, he will say, "You've got to be kidding me!" Always makes us smile. He is loving preschool- and the new friends he is making there. Today at school they had a Pumpkin Party. He dressed up as a firefighter. They paraded through the offices and had special activities. After school today, he told me, "Mom, this is a really fun day!"

2. Eliana... She is 2.5 going on 16. Seriously, this girl was born with a little attitude. But she completely melts us too. She is very sweet and lately has been completely enamored with Levi. When he wakes up from a nap, she runs to him and says, "Hey little guy! How are you doing?" She loves her dolls and continues to be a pack rat with about everything. I am hoping to start potty training soon. She has zero interest at this point, but I would love to be buying diapers for only one child. Silas was very motivated by candy and a reward chart when potty training. Eliana could care less. See? Kids from the same parents can be completely different!

3. Levi... This little guy is growing bigger by the day! He is 7 months old now, which is hard to believe. He is the first child I have exclusively nursed, and this week we have tried giving him bottles. It. Has. Not. Worked. Our other babies have always taken bottles, so this is new for us. We will continue trying and hopefully he will take a bottle some day soon! Levi is sitting up on his own. He isn't super excited about baby food. He has no teeth yet. And he is the happiest baby ever. His smiles light up a room!

Road trip to Minnesota

Last Saturday the kids and I embarked on a quick, last minute trip to Minnesota. My parents were going to hold some meetings for the new ministry they are involved in. And me and the kids? We were going to have fun. Play with cousins, visit family, soak up some fall weather, collect fall leaves, and of course, eat!

The drive to Minnesota takes about 15 hours without stops. We were set to leave on Saturday morning at 9AM. My parents had our van and were planning to pack up and come pick up me and the kids. Well Saturday morning we awoke to SNOW! Yep, on October 8th. And it was snowy pretty hard. So my parents eventually arrived at our house. And our van? The "Check Engine" light lit up on their drive over. So we unloaded and reloaded into their van, which was not a quick process. (Read: 3 car seats). We got on the highway, and found out the highway was closed due to an accident. At that point, we completely rerouted our trip and drove through Kansas and north to Iowa. We arrived on Sunday night, ready to not be in the car for a few days. The kids did great on the drive, which I was happy about.

So Luke wasn't scheduled to arrive until late Wednesday night, so I was a single parent for a few days. And during that time, I learned that I never want to be a single parent. It's tough work- props to those of you who do it day in and day out.

Two lessons learned while on our trip:

~Don't pack attempt to pack light. That means that you will end up doing laundry on vacation- maybe more then once. I don't have a ton of clothes that fit right now thanks to my hyperthyroidism. On our car ride to MN, Levi's dirty diaper leaked onto my jeans. I washed them. The very next time I wore the jeans, he had another dirty diaper and you guessed it. It leaked onto my jeans again. Two leaky diapers all week- and both times on the same pair of jeans- that happen to be the only pair of jeans that actually fit right now.

~Don't bother trying to keep your kids out of classes or the nursery before a trip. You might think by doing this you will be more likely to have healthy kids for your trip. Wrong. I kept the kids out of numerous things last week because I did not want them to get sick while we were on vacation. Guess what? All 3 kids got sick with a nasty cold that included a fever. Guess who is sick now? Luke and I. Seriously, I heart winter. But I do not heart all of the sickness that comes with it.

There were more lessons I wanted to blog about, but I can't remember them anymore.

I saw some friends while in MN, but the best thing about being in MN was just spending time with my family. I happen to have one of the greatest families in the world. And it completely stinks that we are spread out over all over the country. I cherish the time I spend with my siblings- and for my kids, their cousins. We had a great week with Kelly and Corey, and my nieces and nephews.

On Friday, we went to the Children's Museum in Minnesota. It's a fun museum, probably the best that we have been to. While we were driving to meet my sister and her clan for dinner at Cafe Latte (which was my 3rd visit there in 5 days. And for the record, I would have happy to go every day!) Anyways, on the drive, I asked Silas if he liked Minnesota or Colorado better. He said, "Minnesota!". I asked again... but threw in California. And I honestly didn't know what his answer would be. And he said, without hesitation, "Minnesota!" That is my child! But his reason for liking Minnesota the best is because of the Children's Museum.

One of the benefits of driving to Minnesota was we could bring lots of stuff home. We went shopping at Trader Joe's, Byerly's and Cub and brought home lots of our favorite things we can't buy here. We also visited two apple orchards. I think we brought home 50 pounds of apples between my parents and us!

We drove through the night on Friday, home to Colorado. Poor Luke spent only 48 hours in Minnesota, and then 20 driving. It was my crazy idea to drive through the night. And it was hard for Luke and I. But it was definitely easier for the kids. We did pull over in Iowa, and we slept in a parking lot for a few hours. And the sun arose, and we started driving again. We stopped at McDonald's for breakfast because we are die hard Monopoly fans. We WILL win some year! It was the busiest McDonald's I have ever seen for breakfast. There were only a few tables open. Lots of senior citizens! We were quite the sight, as the kids walked inside in their pajamas, with messed up hair and crusty noses (the kids, not us).  We were thrilled to be home last night. Silas isn't sure he ever wants to drive to MN again because "It's SO FAR!"

The kids said lots of funny things on our car ride. The best was yesterday though. Eliana collects everything. I am constantly telling her to not pick up things on the ground (like cigarette butts). Yesterday in the car, she was throwing a fit because Silas had her empty fruit snack wrapper. Silas looked at her and said, "Eliana, don't be a hoarder! Throw garbage away!" Amen!

All in all, a fun but very busy week! I have feel like I have fallen off the blog bandwagon. I want to go back and blog about the last 2 months, but have realized that is never going to happen. I will do a few brief recaps and move on!

Terrific Tuesday: Vacation Edition

Our second to last day in San Jose was packed with fun. It started off with breakfast with friends. After breakfast we headed to one our favorite parks. This park was within walking distances of where we lived. We often walked to the park after dinner so the kids could play. We had Eliana's 1st birthday party there. We have many happy memories there- and the kids were exited to go back.

After the park, we went to Los Gatos to meet with up with some friends at the fountain. We had lunch and the kids splashed in the water. Simple things like this are things that I miss the most.

The kids aren't the only ones who like to play in thefountain- I do too!
I love chasing them around- I just try to stay somewhat dry!

Reagan, Maddy, and Eliana

Next, we hit the road for Watsonville. We were thrilled to find out that Gizdich was still picking strawberries. I convinced Luke that I had to take some home with us. We arrived and the fields were practically empty. But the strawberry bushes were full of huge, red, juicy berries. They were so good! In a half an hour, we picked 10lbs of strawberries. Luke looked at me like I was nuts and I know was silently wondering how we would get all of them home...

Yep! The strawberries were delicious!

The strawberry fields of Watsonville... 

Now how are we getting to get these home!?!?

Next stop was Capitola! Capitola is a little town south of Santa Cruz, right on the beach. It has a cute little downtown with shops and restaurants. It will always hold a special place in my heart because it was where Luke and I had our first date... Anyways, we grabbed pizza at Pizza My Heart, and walked down to the beach to eat. A cool breeze was coming off the ocean and it was a beautiful start to our evening...

Our final thing for the day was the Santa Cruz Boardwalk: Take Two. We met our Boardwalk friends (Brian, Marny, Maddy, and Reagan). It was basically a repeat of the last week. Lots of rides. Time for the adults to talk. Fair food (cotton candy, corn dogs, soda, ice cream). You know, healthy stuff. I thought that Silas might enjoy going on the sky ride from one end of the park to the other. When I suggested it, he was excited. And so were all of the other kids- and me! But Luke, Brian, and Marny weren't particualarly thrilled. Luke took one for the team and went. Luke rode with Reagan and Silas. I rode with Maddy and Eliana. Maddy was screaming at the top of her lungs at Luke- just calling him name- for no particular reason. Half way through the ride she looked at me and said, "I'm so funny!" It was so innocent and cute; it cracked me up.

Maddy and Reagan on the airplanes!

Silas driving the Pepsi truck

One of the rides that is the kid's favorite is the race car ride. The cars ride around an oval shaped track, and the cars whip around the end of the track and the kids go sliding in their seats. Their expressions always make us laugh!

Eating ice cream at 10PM before heading home! 

When we go to the Boardwalk, we always intend to leave at a reasonable time. And that never happens. We are lucky to leave by 10PM- and then we will have an hour drive home. This night was no different. We quit the rides at 10PM and then went to ice cream. Who sugars up their kids before bed? We do! Because that is what vacation is about!

Goodbye Boardwalk! Can't wait to come back again!