Thanksgiving Festivities

I took a break from blogging a few days in Iowa. I usually forgot and by the time I got around to it, I just didn't feel like it.

We had a great time. I loved getting to spend time with  both of my sisters. We all seemed to pack a lot into the few days that we were there!

We actually had Thanksgiving ON Thanksgiving this year. We changed the plans a couple of days before. I stuffed myself full of Thanksgiving foods, leaving room for my favorite pie and ice cream at the end.

Kendra and I always go to Kohl's on Thanksgiving night because we always get $10 Kohl's cash in the mail. Erica came along for the adventure this time. I have gotten this down to a science. We went in with a plan (well Erica didn't. She just panicked and gave her $10 to a stranger). I found the blanket and shirt I came for. We didn't wait for each other. We just got in our own lines. By 5:13 I was checked out, and had my 2 items that only cost me $5! Score!

We went to Old Navy after that and then to Target. I don't know why we do Target. We never end up with much. This year we didn't buy anything. We just wanted to get our of there. People were just scary around there!

On Friday we celebrated Daniel's birthday, along with James'. It was fun to watch them open their gifts from Mimi and Pa and the aunts and uncles. James got an airplane that lights up and moves, so he was beyond thrilled. Daniel got something called a Laser Maze. It's a STEM toy...and I swear it's over my head but he totally understands it.

Daniel also got the game Spoons, so we of course had to play a few rounds. My mom, sisters and I are quite competitive. There was definitely some diving and stealing going on. Ha!

After the boys went to bed, we sat a read Erica's middle school journal that she brought back with her. We. Were. Rolling. I swear it's the hardest I've laughed in ages!

Yesterday, Jacob and I took Daniel to see Wreck It Ralph 2 as a birthday present. Honestly, I think we had been looking forward to it just as much as Daniel. The movie theater was a pain the butt. They've remodeled, and for some unknown reason they have assigned seating now! What!? You literally have to pick seats before you go in. The first show only had "scattered seats" available. Um. Okay. So, I asked for the next show. Only front row. I ask about the show after that. Only front row. So, we went with the second show.

We had about 40 minutes to kill, so we took Daniel up to the arcade, where we spent $10 for him to win about 50 cents worth of prizes. But, letting him play and seeing him have fun makes it worth it.

We went back down and got our snacks before heading in for our front row seats. The only redeeming factor was that they now have all reclining seats. That was amazing, and made the closeness a lot more bearable. Not to mention, the movie was really cute. I think we all enjoyed it, and it was fun getting to take just Daniel out with us for a change.

After we got back the boys, Erica and I went to Kendra's house so that Erica could see it. We stopped off at the cemetery to switch flags at  Grandma and Grandpa's graves, so we said a "HELLLO!" in a grandpa voice. Gosh, I miss them. 

After that we headed back across down to James' apartment so that we could meet his dog, Bear. To say that Bear was excited is an understatement. My James wasn't sure about him for a bit, but I think they warmed up to him. 

 

Then back to my parent's for supper and to hang out. We watched The Grinch before bedtime. Then after the boys were asleep, my mom, sisters and I just hung out and talked, and then we of course watched some House Hunters. No trip to Iowa is complete with binging some HGTV. 

Today was a game of attempt to beat the snow storm and get home alive. That's another post in itself, so you'll just have to wait.

Already miss my sisters, but we'll be reunited in less that 2 weeks, in California!

Happy 7th Birthday, Daniel!

Dear Daniel,

Here I am writing your 7th Birthday letter. I'm not sure how that's even possible, but here we are. Technically, you're not officially 7 until 5:46pm but I suppose we'll still let you celebrate.

You finished your first year in school, and excelled all year long. We battled with a lot of sickness, but you did so well. At the beginning of the school year you had been pretty nervous, but you made many friends along the way.

You love learning, and like to explain everything. Sometimes it takes you a long time to get a story out because you're very methodical in how you share things.

This year, you started 1st Grade and you were excited from the very start. You love your teacher, Mrs. Lively. I was nervous because you were starting the year off with only one classmate/friend from last year. I should've known that you'd make friends the first day. You are very outgoing when it comes to making friends. You seem to fit in with just about everyone. I think that's because you are very accepting of anyone, and that makes me very proud. You don't see the differences, you just see the person. Never lose that trait.

You're so smart, but so far you haven't let that go to your head and I hope it stays that way. You know all of the first grade site words, so you moved onto the 2nd grade list. Within the next couple of weeks you mastered that last and have now moved onto 3rd grade words. Yet, according to you, you don't like to read. You are an excellent reader though, and if you would take the time you'd find your love I think.

What you really love is math and science. You didn't get that from me. You do so well and I've actually learned a lot of facts from you.

You have developed quite a passion for baseball. Particularly Cardinals baseball. This year you got to go to 5 games! Sadly, you still haven't seen a win, but we can always count on you to find all of the positive things. It hasn't gotten you down yet. Because we got you a Cardinals Kids Club membership you were able to run the bases after a game and "cut" to the front of the line which you thought was awesome! Dad and I took you to the Cardinals Kids Club party. It ended up being a total bust. Too many people and you didn't get one autograph. I think I was more upset than you because I didn't want you to be sad. Instead, you accepted it and we still had a fun day. The highlight was going to the Cardinals museum and you getting to hold game bats of Yadi and Matt Carpenter.

James is your best friend. You have many friends, but the bond with your brother is unmatched. You fight like cats and dogs multiple times a day, but you also play together, stick up for each other and share secrets.

You are truly an amazing kid inside and out. You enjoy going to church and learning about God. You share your faith and also impress me with the verses that you can so easily memorize.

My hopes and prayers for you are always that you will love God and seek Him. I think you're close to accepting Jesus into your heart. You've asked many questions, and it makes my heart happy.
I pray that you always stay close to family as your grow and know that you can come to me with anything. There is nothing that could ever change my love for you.
And I pray that you always remember to be kind to everyone and treat people with respect. If you want to be respected, you have to also show to respect to everyone you meet. Be the example.

I love you more than words can really say, but I hope that you enjoy looking back on these letters when you're grown up.

Here's to another year of fun and adventures!

Love,
Mommy

So Many Things To Be Thankful For.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving (see, I haven't totally skipped over it with my Christmas love!), I bring you my thankful post.

1. I am thankful for my little family. There are days when I want to run away from them, but I also love them unconditionally. I'm thankful that Jacob works so that I am able to be at home for the boys. And I am thankful that I have Daniel and James. I cannot imagine my life without them.

2. I am thankful that I can call myself a Daughter of the King. The fact that God sacrificed his son, so that I could be forgiven and have eternal life is amazing. I am thankful that God is faithful, true, full of grace and mercy and forgives my mistakes over and over. I am thankful that his love never fails.

3. I am thankful for all of my extended family. My parents, sisters, soon to be brothers-in law, my in-laws, grandma, aunts, uncles and cousins. If I had the time I could write how each and every one of them has impacted my life.

4. I am thankful for my church family. It wasn't all too long ago that my heart ached because I missed having a church where I felt like I was at home. Literally from the moment the service started on my first day at Calvary, I just knew it was meant to be.

5. To go along with church, I am thankful for our Life Group. We just joined a group for the first time this fall, and I love it. We have a group of friends who we can rely on, who will pray for us, and are just fun to be around. We all have kids around the same age, and I love that they all get to play and bond each week as well.

6. I am thankful for our home. I'm not always thankful when things go wrong...like when poop comes up through my basement floor and my house smells like an outhouse (side note: I am NOT thankful for Roto Rooter, just sayin'). But, we have a roof over our heads. We have food, heat/air, beds to sleep in and so much more. The house may be small, but we make it work.

7. I am thankful for chocolate. There, I said it. Not everything we're thankful for has to be big and profound. Chocolate can be a danger for me, but it's also stress relief. Instead of eating an entire bag of Reese's now, I've scaled back. Stressful days where I just need SOMETHING to calm down? Handful of dark chocolate chips. Thank you, Lord.

8. I am thankful for anxiety meds. Do I still have anxiety? Yep. Of course I do. Do I freak out sometimes? Most definitely. But, it's so much less because of the medicine. I used to panic so much more. I'd cry multiple times a week because I would break down from stress. 

9. I am thankful for laughter. I love laughing. I generally try to find the humor in life. I willingly make fun of my own self at times. I got to see John Crist live this year, and I laughed all night long. It really is so good for the soul.

10. I am thankful for music and that God has blessed me with a decent singing voice. I love getting to serve on our worship team at church. I love singing to my kiddos. And sometimes I just love belting out old country songs with some country twang as I drive alone in my car.

Christmas and a Birthday!

After my post last night, I threw in the towel and let myself relax. I laid on my heating bag for my back, which was killing me and watched Call the Midwife in bed.

Today, I woke up to a fresh start. Although, the boys didn't make it easy on me this morning. They were at each other's throats all the way up until I dropped Daniel at school.

James and I went to Dollar General in search of a few birthday supplies and he found yet another car to fall in love with. I told him he couldn't get it today, but then remembered he had some birthday money, and he wanted to buy it. He played with it all day, and now it's sitting on his dresser watching him sleep.



When we got home, I got busy working on all of the household chores I wanted to accomplish. James even helped me take down the Fall decorations. At least the ones he could reach. I put them away in the basement. and wondered aloud if I should go ahead and put the tree up while I still had energy. James heard me, and next thing I know, he's dragging the tree box across the living room. "I got the tree for you, Mommy!" (The box has been in the living room since last week since I had to get a new one this year).  Can't say no to that.

Setting the tree up was easy peasy. I LOVE the Quick Set trees! I didn't account for the time I'd spend "fluffing" it. It took me a good 45 minutes to get everything spread out and make it look less pathetic.

I had the Christmas music going, my new Christmas shirt and a fluffed up tree by noon!



This afternoon, I got Daniel's presents wrapped and then tackled a new project. I've never put ribbon around my tree, but always admire trees that have it, so I attempted it. It's far from anything perfect, but I like it!



I don't know if I'll get the Christmas decor and ornaments up tomorrow or not, but we'll see. Lots to do before that.

This afternoon we celebrated Daniel's birthday at home, since we'll be gone on his birthday. I'd say it was successful. Presents, Wendy's, cake and ice cream, and family game night. He went to bed a happy camper.

So Much To Do, So Little Time.

Anyone else feel like they have to accomplish everything just so they can relax? Except then you realize that it's impossible to accomplish everything, so your brain just goes crazy trying to figure out how you're going to get it all done? No? Just me?

I fee like I'm still in the never ending loop of busyness. Almost all of those extra added activities have been fun and things I looked forward too, which has been great, but I also get that stressed out feeling knowing so much more needs to be done.

We're celebrating Daniel's birthday at home tomorrow after school. I still have to wrap his presents, which shouldn't take long, except that I'm the world's worst gift wrapper. I bought a chocolate cake at Kroger tonight. I hung up the birthday banners...and then realized I have no table decorations like I usually do. Nor did I get any fun plates or napkins...so I feel like I'm depriving him and now I'll have to go back to the store for stuff after I drop him off at school! I feel like he gets the short end of the stick at home sometimes since we're almost always in Iowa for his birthday, but he'll get to celebrate there too!

James picked pizza for his birthday, and Daniel picked Wendy's, so supper is taken care of tomorrow night.

Since Daniel is getting a couple of games tomorrow, and he's been begging for a family game night, we're going to do that after supper. He doesn't know about that, but I know it will make him happy!

Then I still need to fit in household chores. I also really wanted to get Fall decor put away before we head to Iowa and start getting Christmas up. I KNOW I shouldn't stress myself out about it. It CAN wait, but we'll see. I get things in my head and feel like I have to do it. It's not like I'm letting people down, but I feel like I'm letting myself down.

Tuesday is much of the same, only add in making sure 24 cupcakes make it into the school without getting dropped, picking up a prescription, doing all the laundry, and packing suitcases. Oh, and hopefully a workout. I may have to lose the workout which bums me out.

But, THEN I get to spend time in Iowa and relax. My family is amazing. I tend to go into lazy mom mode. My parents help so much, and the boys will get to play with Aunt Erica, Aunt Nens and even Uncle James. I'll just be chilling and watching Christmas movies or HGTV.

Bring on Thanksgiving!

Fight Fight Fight For Iowa!

Quick post tonight because I'm trying to blog from the van on my phone. Excuse any typos because my auto-correct it crazy sometimes.

We had a fun day. We drove to Villa Grove to celebrate Daniel's birthday. He's not officially 7 until Friday, but he gets a bunch of mini celebrations, which he thinks is great.

Jacob and I were given free tickets to the Illinois/Iowa game today. We were almost at the very top of the stadium, but we were on the 50 yard line and still had a great view. It was cold, but not awful. I'd rather sit in the cold than sit in the heat. It also helps when your team literally dominates the entire game!

Fun day had by all. The boys had a good afternoon with Mimi and Pa. I'm tired and by the time we're home, get the boys to bed and take a shower, I'm going to crash. I have a busy day tomorrow!

Blame It All On My Roots

This girl is going to see Garth Brooks...AGAIN!

Let me go back and remind you that when I was younger and Garth "retired", I said, "Mark my words, he will come out of retirement and I WILL see him live!"

Fast forward to 5 years ago when he announced he was back. I called in "sick" to work at the Y (shhh) so I could try to get tickets to the very first show in Chicago. I got tickets for the 2nd show and I was ecstatic...but karma got me. I ended up in the hospital with pregnancy complications and had to sell our tickets.

Then he came to St. Louis, but James was only a month old, and there was no way I could do it (but believe me I wanted too)

2015, mom and I saw him in Omaha, NE. Kendra went along for the ride and to babysit James at the hotel.

2017, I saw him in Champaign for my birthday.

2019: Ya'll...I got FLOOR seats!

2021: (Front row??)

When I saw that he was kicking off the new stadium tour in St. Louis, I was itching to go. I really wanted my mom to go with me again though. It dawned on me last night that today tickets went on sale, so I was messaging her, but she just couldn't justify driving 4.5 hours for overnight when she's got plenty of other big events coming up. She did agree that if he ever hits up Kinnick Stadium, she'll go. I was bummed, but fully understood. It's only an hour and a half drive for me.

I didn't even think about it this morning. I had kind of just decided I probably wouldn't go. At 10:20, 20 minutes after tickets went on sale I logged into Ticketmaster just for the fun of it, and got the same screen everyone else got. "2000+ people are in line ahead of you." They had this little icon of a man walking, across the screen and the further he'd get, the closer to the front you were.

I told myself I'd wait a bit and just see. I checked out what other people were saying, and no one was having much luck. People who were in the "waiting room" an hour early were stuck. People who logged in after 10 had tickets. Some people couldn't even get stuff to load at all. I assumed I would have no luck, because do I ever?

I also tried logging in on my phone but my little man icon was going slow, and I closed out and decided to wait on the computer which was further ahead. After an hour, I was in. They had an interactive map that showed tickets and I knew single tickets would be easier to come by for closer seats.

Imagine my surprise when seats near the front were popping up! I was so excited. Literally for the next 30 minutes I'd click on seats and they'd disappear. I'd click on seats and they'd be taken already. I'd click on seats and it would refresh everything and all of a sudden "no" tickets were available. The next refresh would show seats available again. I couldn't even get a nosebleed ticket to take. I KNEW that those dang floor seats were there though and it was driving me crazy. One in particular kept showing up every time, but it just wouldn't let me get it! I promised myself I was only going if I got good seats.

I gave up at 12:10. 40 minutes after I promised James his lunch. He didn't notice until noon, and then he went and got out the bread, butter and cheese, which alerted me to the fact that I was neglecting my child. LOL! I closed out and put Netflix on for James.

As I was making his grilled cheese, I popped open my internet browser on my phone...and I hadn't actually closed out of Ticketmaster earlier. I was still in the waiting line and my little guy was close to the front....so back to my obsession of watching the phone while making lunch.

Next thing I know, I'm back in. By now 20 minutes has passed since I logged off the computer, so I'm positive the whole show is sold out, or I'll be in the nosebleeds.

Guess what I saw? That ONE dang spot near the front on the floor, that I couldn't get earlier after clicking it a million times.

I wearily click it, and a screen pops up that my ticket is secured and I have so many minutes to confirm and pay. WHAT!?! Even at this point I'm sure I'm going to lose the ticket. There's NO way out of like 65,000 tickets I'm getting a floor seat 2.5 hours after tickets went on sale, right?
I entered my credit card info. Braced for rejection. Then a miracle occurred.

A headline, "Get Ready for Goosebumps"

 

You guys...this is where I'll be.



My email confirmed once more that I indeed have a ticket. I was shaking like crazy! I'll probably pee my pants trying to get in and out of St. Louis, but I guess going to see Garth again, trumps my fear of traffic.

Snow Day!

I didn't sleep great last night. It was the anticipation of the snow. When I looked out the window at 1:30 this morning there was a little dusting of snow. When I woke up at 4 it was a winter wonderland. And when my phone started ringing at 5:30 I knew it was a snow day! I think I saw we only got 2.5 inches, but that's more snow than we normally see, so the boys were ecstatic. 

Unfortunately, last night before bed I had a raging headache, and when I woke up I still had it. I knew I had already promised the boys we'd play outside if it snowed, so I started preparing myself. It took me about an hour and a half to really be ready to head out with them. Thankfully Jacob was home too, and although he wasn't feeling good, he helped get the boys ready. 

I realized this is only the third time James has ever really gotten to play in the snow! We had to much fun. The snow was perfect for making snowballs, and the only fight was who got to use the little shovel to help mommy. They took turns fairly well though.

After about an hour and 15 minutes the boys decided they were ready to go in. It was a miracle they both were ready at the same time!

Since they needed baths tonight anyway, I decided just to give them baths before lunch, and put their pj's on to chill at home for the rest of the day.

After I put James down for his nap, I went and laid down on my bed and watched This Is Us, as my head started throbbing again. I kept getting dizzy too. I finished that, and started another show ,but ended up passing out for about 40 minutes.

Had worship practice tonight and sat through most of it. Head was still hurting. The dizziness returned. And my face hurt. I was sure I was getting a sinus infection again. And, maybe I am, but right now as I type this I feel okay, so who knows? We'll see what tomorrow brings.

It's The Final Countdown!

You know me. I'm always counting down to everything. Did you know there's only 47 days of 2018 left!?

Let's see...

There's a few hours until the snow hits! You guys. I am so excited. We never get snow that sticks in November around here. I haven't had a snowy winter in ages. I'm even halfway on board with a snow day tomorrow if it happens (which it will).

3 days until Jacob and I get to go to the Illinois/Iowa game, where I will hopefully see my Hawkeyes have a good week and crush the Illini. Or, I'll just be frozen to my seat. The forecast is 38 with a wintry mix. Look, I'm cool with freezing my buns off for a fun and exciting game, so they'd better make it one. I am not cool being sleeted on though, so that best hold off. Anything has to be better than sitting in the scorching heat though.

7 days until we go to Iowa and the whole Thatcher clan is reunited! Erica flies in that day too.

8 days until Thanksgiving...which has turned into "un-Thanksgiving" We got used to celebrating on Friday after Grandma's stroke because that's the day they could transport her to the house. This is our first year without her, but Kendra's fiance works Thursday, so the un-Thanksgiving tradition continues. And Kendra and I will be nuts as always and go to Kohl's that night to spend our Kohl's cash on blankets or socks. LOL! (Maybe we'll drag Erica with us too)

9 days until my first born turns SEVEN. I still can't wrap my mind around that. And we have a Thanksgiving/Birthday party!

16 days until Girls Night Out with my Life Group Ladies!

17 days until the Ladies Christmas Brunch at church, which is one of my favorite events of the year!

21 days until I start hyperventilating over all the things I need to make sure are packed.

22 days until the boys and I fly to San Diego with my parents, a million suitcases and 2 big ol car seats!

24 days until Erica and Chris say, "I Do!"

26 days until LegoLand

41 days until CHRISTMAS!!! (Please note that behind these exclamation points is a girl already panicking because I haven't done any Christmas shopping!)

My Babies

Since it's birthday month!
Feel free to copy and paste your answers below! I love hearing about pregnancy and babies. <3 p="">

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? Yes

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Yes

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? Excited and disbelief. I went and bought another pregnancy test just to make sure.

4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? Not at all.

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 26

6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? I had a suspicion, but I had thought that before and then was disappointed, so I waited until I was almost a week late to let myself test.

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? Jacob, then the grandparents to be.

8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? I always thought I wouldn't want to, but by the time I was pregnant I knew I wanted to know.

9. DUE DATE? November 21, 2011

10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? Only once!

11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? Nothing out of the normal. I ate a lot of Mexican and DQ Blizzards....so like I said. Normal.

12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? Never ending acid reflux

13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? Boy

14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? No. I did think he was girl for awhile and then a few weeks before my gender scan, I had a dream it was a boy and from then on, I pretty much knew it was a boy.

15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? 30

16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? Yes. I had several. I was a very blessed Mama to be.

17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? I knew all but one. Well, technically 2. My friend Sandy was moving away and she threw me a surprise shower before they left. And the teachers threw one for Jacob. So, I wasn't there, but I also didn't know about it. They showered us with lots of diapers!

18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? Only one little scare at about 20 weeks. I made a trip to the ER, but thankfully all was good, and we found out the gender a day early. :)

19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? St John's.

20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? 9ish.

21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? Jacob

22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? Jacob, my OB, and the nurses. Plus this kinda freaked out intern, which was hilarious.

23. WAS IT VAGINAL OR C-SECTION? Vaginal

24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? Sure did. Got myself an epidural. Then I got myself another one because the first one didn't take. And then that one didn't take so they had to add more numbing stuff.

27. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 8lbs 4oz

28. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN ? November 23,2011

30. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Daniel Jacob

31. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? Almost 7!



1. WAS YOUR NEXT PREGNANCY PLANNED? Yes

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Yes

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? Excited and shocked because I got pregnant super fast unlike with Daniel.

4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? No

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 29

6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? Oddly enough, it was this metallic taste in my mouth that I had in early pregnancy with Daniel, that made me suspect that I was. And I confirmed with with a pregnancy test.

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? Jacob and then close family

8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? Yes!

9. DUE DATE? November 21, 2014   Yes, You read that right. I had the exact same due date for both boys!

10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? Only once or twice

11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? Ranch. Generally I'm not a big ranch person, but I wanted to dip all the things in ranch. Oh, and for like a week, I ate the heck out of potato salad.

12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? Another round of endless acid reflux and people telling me how to get rid of it. Most people didn't understand that I literally could not get rid of it. I could drink only water for hours and still have it. 

13. WHAT WAS YOUR SECOND CHILD'S SEX?Boy

14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? I was kinda hoping girl, but I was 99% sure it was a boy even though Jacob was convinced it was a girl. I knew I would  be happy either way.The tech told Daniel he was getting a brother. I had the smallest wave of sadness, and it faded to complete excitement! I loved having 2 sisters, so I was super excited for the brother bond.

15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? Ugh. 40 because I ate like a cow.

16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? No baby showers. We had almost all that we needed. My mom did have a card shower though, and people sent gift cards for diapers and wipes which was very appreciated.

17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? I knew she was planning the card shower.

18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? Yes. Placenta Previa. Landed me in the hospital overnight once. Landed me another 4 days/3 nights a few weeks later. And then landed me in the delivery room 3 weeks early.

19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? St John;s..

20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? I wasn't. I had to have a c-section. They started at 7:58am and he was out at 8:02am!

21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? Jacob

22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? Doctor, nurses and Jacob.

23. WAS IT VAGINAL OR C-SECTION? C-Section

24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? Once the numbness wore off I did.

27. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 7lbs 8oz

28. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN ? November 3,2014

30. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? James Michael

31. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? 4

Struggle Bus

I've hit the time of year where my mind is going in a hundred different directions, and I can't stay focused long enough on anything to actually accomplish any given task.

I'm very much struggling with birthday and Christmas gift ideas for Daniel. Besides the St Louis Cardinals, there's nothing he is super into. He loves games, so he'll get some of those, but I need ideas that don't require me to have to help. I don't mind having activities to do together, but Daniel needs to learn to play more independently too. So, if anyone reading has a few ideas of some STEM type toys, book series or even non-toy gift ideas, send them my way!

I feel like I've been non-stop since October and while most days I don't mind, I've felt myself "crashing" here and there lately. Saturday, I finally had a down day, and once I got to sit down on the couch my whole body shut down. Every ounce of energy was sucked from me!

I thought this would be a slower week, but all of a sudden I have something on the calendar every day until Monday. Nothing I can't handle though. Most things I'm looking forward too.

Next week is our trip to Iowa, where we'll celebrate Daniel's birthday and Thanksgiving...but at least I don't have to drive the whole way this time!

2 weeks after that, the boys and I jet off to California. I didn't let myself stress until this past week. Now I just keep thinking of all the things I have to do, and praying that the boys do well on the plane. But mostly, that I won't lose my crap on them because I snap when I get stressed in situations I'm not used to. Thankfully, my parents are flying with us...but my mom stresses too, so we'll probably bite each other's heads off at some point!

I need to get Christmas shopping. I need to plan my daily advent activity calendar. I'll have to wrap gifts. I need to get my fall decor down and Christmas up. BUT, I did just order our Christmas tree while I was blogging. I could've just bought it at WalMart, but they have free 2 day shipping and it'll get dropped off at my door. Doesn't get better than that!

I also need to remember that I don't need to stress. That I'm the only one that expects so much out of myself. I need to stop and enjoy the moment!

You Might Be a Mom If:

• words like "potty" have become a normal part of your every day language, and you find yourself excusing yourself to the potty when you're with a group of adults.
• your minivan has become a graveyard for millions of goldfish crackers, froot loops, and toys that roll under the seats and are forgotten.
• you've ever spent 20 minutes trying to teach a toddler how to put their fingers into the correct holes in their gloves.
• you've ever realized that you're walking around with food or boogers from your child on your clothes. You might even discover you've been walking around with a granola bar stuck to your butt. Ask me how I know...
• you have discovered toys, pacifiers and other random objects in your purse.
  Fun fact. I once found a 3 day old, unopened container of milk in the bottom of my purse in the middle of church.
• you have used the bathroom in front of an audience. The good news is, sometimes they cheer you on. It's especially fun in a public bathroom.
• you've ever nursed a baby and forgot to replace your nursing pad. Nothing more fun those early days of motherhood where you've finally escaped the house and you end up sporting a wet spot or two on your shirt.
• going to the grocery store alone feels like the most amazing vacation.
• you've sacrificed yourself and your clothes by catching your child's puke, so you only have to wash your clothes and body and not have to strip all the bedding or clean the carpet.
• you use bribery for just about anything. (Or maybe that's just me)
• you've thrown away of your kid's pooped in underwear because of how disgusting it was. Buying new underwear is easier than losing your sanity.
• you love your child so unconditionally that you can't imagine life without them. You live for their hugs and kisses. You've lost sleep and gone in to check to make sure they're still breathing. (But pray that you don't wake them up because all you want to sleep!)

*Disclaimer...some of these can apply to dad's and other child care givers as well

20 Years Ago Until Today

20 years ago- 1998

1. I was 14 years old.
2. It was my freshman year at Jefferson. Go J-Hawks!
3. My family FINALLY got cable TV. I spent the whole first day watching Court TV. Apparently I've always loved True Crime stuff.

10 years ago- 2008

1. I was newly engaged.
2. I still lived in Iowa and was going on my 5th year working in the infant room and as the assistant director at 5 Seasons Learning Centers.
3. I was driving a total of 9 hours every other weekend to Illinois and back.

5 years ago- 2013

1. I was working part time at the YMCA
2. We traveled to Minnesota for the first time to visit Rachel and Micah. That was the furthest we had traveled with Daniel before.
3. Daniel had is first trip to the ER because his momma had a "mom fail"! He was okay though!

3 years ago- 2015

1. Daniel was the ring bearer in a wedding, and was the cutest little kiddo in a tux.
2. In June of 2015 my grandma had a massive stroke, and we weren't sure she was going to make it.
3. James could walk with the assistance of a walker or something to hold onto.

1 year ago- 2017

1. The nightmare trip to St. Louis for Kendra's marathon. Daniel was sick and at home puking. Kendra had a horrible race. Mom fell into a pothole and needed stitches, and I passed out in the hotel and hit my head on the wall!
2. Daniel started kindergarten.
3. Jacob and Daniel were in a car accident and our van was totaled, which resulted in lots of car shopping!

So far this year- 2018

1. I got to see a lot of family at the beginning of the year. It was an unfortunate circumstance because we lost my grandma very unexpectedly, but it brought many of us together. 
2. We got to do family pictures in a sunflower field, which was exciting for me because sunflowers are my favorite!
3. I have hit my highest weight, since then have lost 29lbs and counting!

Yesterday

1. Took the boys to the dentist.
2. I was giddy with excitement because it was snowing and sticking!
3. Went to a marriage enrichment seminar at church, and laughed so hard all night!

Today

1. Spent an hour working out the the Y. 30 minutes rowing. 30 minutes biking. And a one hour true crime podcast.
2. Had to go to Wal-Mart. Ended up buying a super cute Christmas table runner because the spirit has hit.
3. Watched the rest of the Hawkeye football season circle the drain.

Tomorrow

1. I will spend the whole morning and most of the evening at church.
2. I'll do the mountain of laundry in the boys' basket, then forget to fold it until I'm ready to go to bed.
3. Hopefully relax and watch Netflix for a couple of hours in the afternoon.

In the next year

1. Fly to California with the boys and my family for my sister Erica's wedding to Chris.  
2. I will get to see my other sister, Kendra get married to her James. :)
3. I'll be hoping and wishing that one of my sisters will make me an aunt. LOL! (But really!)

Let It Snow!

I can't help it. I got excited last night when I saw we might get a dusting of snow. Yes, I still love Fall! I love that even though a lot of leaves have fallen, there's still color on some trees. I think God has given us a pretty fantastic showing of the leaves this year.

I opened the curtain this morning and what do I see? Not much snow. We had a tiny bit on the grass, but there was a dusting on the trees and rooftops. Seeing the boys' excitement was great. "It SNOWED!!" They didn't care that it was barely anything. To them, there was snow. Although, I read Springfield got almost 2 inches!

We had to drive to Pana for dentist appointments this morning and there were still little flurries falling, so we of course listened to Christmas music on the way!

Their appointments went great! No cavities. James had is first ever dentist visit. I wasn't worried about him. He's always up for anything as long as it's not me trying to feed him food he doesn't like. Daniel does not like people poking around his mouth, so I was a little nervous. He did great though. He needed to know exactly what the hygienist was doing and what she was putting in his mouth, but she did such an amazing job explaining everything. He even went off with her and let them get an xray this time.

James just hopped right up. The only thing he didn't like was getting his teeth sprayed with water and he could not grasp the concept of closing his lips around the suction straw.

It was a strange day. Sunshine. Then clouds. Now it's snowing a little bit again.

You know what would be awesome? An actual white Christmas this year! I think the last one we had was 2009. I remember I used to hate it. I would sing, "I'm Dreaming of a Green Christmas!" because Iowa winters always came with a lot of snow.

Then I moved to Central Illinois, and I found out that "a lot" of snow is way less than what I defined as a lot! We've only had one year since I've lived her that we had snow quite often. No, I don't like driving in it, and I get why others hate the snow because they have to drive in it. I'll just take what I can get, but I'm kinda hoping for a bit more of the white stuff this year!

Scatter Kindness

I love to do nice things for people. I always have, but sadly I don't always put my thoughts into action. This year I made a resolution to do one act of kindness a week. Obviously, more opportunities arise during an entire week to show kindness, but I wanted to find one purposeful way each week to brighten someone's day. I started out strong and recorded what I was doing to keep myself accountable. Then summer came, and I started losing track. While, I'm not sure I've hit every single week, I know I've been close.

This isn't to brag on myself. It's to encourage others to try to do the same as well. It can be something small, or big. It doesn't matter. Sometimes all someone needs is a nice smile.

Here are some ways I've found to scatter kindness that maybe you can try too!

I've sent out many cards during the year. I would pray and ask God who needed a little encouragement or maybe just some cheer. I LOVE getting handwritten letters, so I like to share my love of it by sending them to others. I even sent one to a McDonalds we frequent on road trips to thank them for their amazing service one day when Daniel spilled an entire frappe all over the tables, chairs and window.

Another super simple thing it just giving out compliments. I'm an introvert. A lot of times in public, I avoid eye contact and don't initiate conversation with a stranger. I made it a point a few times to step out of my comfort zone to compliment someone's hair, outfit or just to smile and say hello.

Baked goods. A perfect way to anyone's heart. Almost anyone enjoys receiving some homemade cookies or brownies!

A box of sunshine! What is that you ask? Well, look no further than Pinterest. A person dear to my heart was having a rough week after some of her family moved out of state. A box of sunshine is a gift basket filled with yellow goodies. Treats, candles etc. Anything yellow can go in a box of sunshine.

Pay it Forward in the drive thru. I've never been the recipient of this, but I've done this a couple of times. Driving away knowing that someone else is going to have something good happen to them is a fun feeling.

Donate clothes/food/toys.

Take a few extra minutes to stop and help someone who looks like they need some assistance.

I think my favorite thing we've done this year is our, "Kindness bags." I had several food items that either the boys got sick of or I bought and didn't like (not disgusting stuff, just things I didn't enjoy). Since the boxes were all opened, I figured donating was out (although things were individually wrapped.) I took Ziploc bags, put a few treats in and slipped an act of kindness card inside so people would understand what they were for. I took Daniel with me and explained what we were going to do. We picked some high traffic areas around town and distributed the bags. He had fun placing them around (although I had to remind him a few times that we didn't need to HIDE them!)

There are so many other ways, but these have all be successful. There is so much bad in the world. Go out and be the good!

Don't Follow In My Footsteps...I Run Into Walls

We all know that I am the most accident prone person on the planet. I decided to share my top 4 stupid injuries of 2018 (so far).

1. In January I was taking a class at the Y. I had decided to get myself back into shape after hitting my highest weight. My pastor's wife, Shelley teaches the class, and my friend Leslie convinced me to start going with her. I had gone a few times, and minus the part where I felt like I was dying a slow death and there were people twice my age that could move better than me, it was rather enjoyable. One day at the end of the month, Leslie couldn't go and I knew I needed to because I was going to Iowa that week. I went alone. Class went totally fine. I stopped to talk to Shelley and ask for prayer since the reason we were going to Iowa was for my grandma's funeral. Because of that I was one of the last people to leave the class (thank the LORD!). I almost always forgot there was a step up into the room. This time I biffed it, and I biffed it hard.

I remember my phone flying across the floor. I remember hearing my stainless steel cup crash. I remember the pain that shot through my ankle. In that moment I was sure I had broken it. By this point I have Shelley and 3 other people surrounding me. Part of me wanted to cry, and part of me wanted to die of embarrassment. I was finally able to move my ankle and someone brought me an ice pack. An xray showed it wasn't broken, so I walked limped away with a swollen foot and a bruised ego. Only I could miss one step and hurt myself so badly.

2. In March, I went on our church's ladies retreat. Our theme was all about finding balance. After a refreshing time, I came home, went to carry laundry downstairs, and promptly lost my balance, and fell face first down the last 3-4 stairs. I clearly did not find my balance.

3. Because I apparently like to invent knew ways to get injured, I really outdid myself on Mother's Day. I was on worship team that day and needed to be to practice at 7:30. I was doing my hair and my straightener fell on the floor. Instead of reaching down and picking it up right away, I stepped out of the bathroom to answer one of the boys. I forgot about the straightener. See where this is going? I proceeded to walk back into the bathroom and burned my toe. 390 degrees of heat seared through my toe, as I hobbled to the nearest bed and rocked myself back and forth. Jacob came in to see what was wrong, and I told him, "I Michael Scott-ed myself!"

4. Have you ever given yourself a black eye? I did! Last night. I was lying on James' bed because I needed to relax for a few minutes before we left for Life Group. I had my phone above my head, and honestly I think I was talking to one of the boys and was talking with my hands. Next thing I know, I dropped the phone on my eye.  Not a good feeling, my friends. 

I'm sure I've pulled more stunts this year, but these are the most memorable. I live to entertain people with my pain. Ha!

Oops

Just had a post finished, and it got all messed up when I posted it. In my effort to fix it, I somehow deleted the entire middle section, so that's fun.

I'm not redoing it tonight though.

I would like to announce to the world that I almost gave myself a black eye tonight by dropping my phone on my face. I have a beautiful bruise and a bump on my face now. How I manage to do things like that is beyond me.

The rest of this year is crazy. I can't believe how quickly the end of the year is approaching. We still have Daniel's birthday, a trip to Iowa, a trip to California and Christmas! Plus a million other little things thrown in there. It'll be exhausting, but worth it.

That's about all. My brain is shutting down. It's been a busy day and I have another busy one tomorrow. Off to watch Netflix until I drift off to dreamland.

25 Things About Me---CHRISTMAS EDITION!

I always have fun doing the random facts about me posts, but I thought I'd mix it up a little and do a post of Christmas facts about me instead...because Christmas is coming people!

1. Christmas is my favorite holiday, but December is my 2nd favorite month. (October is my favorite).

2. Every year on November 1st, I blast, "All I Want for Christmas is You" and jam out with Mariah Carey.

3. I can sing like the voice in "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas", but I probably won't if you ask me to sing it.

4. I still love Thanksgiving too, and show no disrespect. If there were Thanksgiving songs, I'd be blasting those I just feel that I can enjoy my Christmas music and eat turkey at the same time.



5. There are actually a lot of Christmas songs that I hate. "Santa Baby" is probably my least favorite.

6. I'll always sing along to, "Baby It's Cold Outside", but can we all agree that the guy is a total creep?


7. I like multi-color lights on my tree. One color is too plain for me.

8. I LOVE ornaments. It's my mom's fault. She has an obsession, and gives us more every year.

9. All presents that are wrapped by me, look like a 3 year old wrapped them. In reality a 30 something year old spent a lot of time trying to make it look good before giving up, scrunching the paper and slapping some tape on it.

10. I love the idea of making treats for people. In reality, I end up stressing myself out just to get it done. Yet, I keep doing it.

11. I love practical gifts. Give me all the useful things!

12. Going to look at Christmas lights is one of my favorite things to do and something I always looked forward to as a kid.

13. I once saw a mall Santa in my 20's that made me believe again. I swear, that man could've been the real deal. I literally spent a good 15 minutes just watching him with kids. It was magical.


14. I get extra homesick for Iowa in December.

15. My favorite Christmas movies are, Elf, Home Alone and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (I can quote almost the entire movie).


16. Confession. I've only watched White Christmas and It's a Wonderful Life once. I thought White Christmas was dumb (ducks and covers!) I'd totally watch It's a Wonderful Life again.

17. My favorite guilty pleasure Christmas movie is, I'll Be Home for Christmas". It is literally so stupid, but I have fun memories attached to it which makes it awesome.

18. My favorite religious Christmas songs are "Oh Holy Night", and "The First Noel".

19. I always go out Christmas shopping by myself at least once, but I never buy much. I do most of my shopping online.


20. I make a roast on Christmas Day because turkey and ham are just "meh" to me.

21. Reese's Christmas Trees beat all holiday candy, hands down.

22. Watching the boys open their gifts is one of my favorite parts of Christmas.

23. We always got to open a few gifts on Christmas Eve as kids. I carry on the tradition in a sense by giving the boys a new pair of Christmas jammies to open on Christmas Eve.

24. I spend way too much time stressing over gifts because I like to put thought into everything I buy...but I end up overthinking.

25.  I can't wait to put my tree up! But...I have to because I currently don't have one.

10 Things That Drive Me Crazy

Let's talk pet peeves. For some reason it always comes up as an ice breaker at group events, and I always draw a blank. Turns out, if I sit down and think about it, I have many. Most shouldn't annoy me as much as they do, but I guess everyone has their own annoyances that may seem weird to others.

1. Toilet paper goes OVER the roll, not under.

It seems that most of the world knows and understands this, but it drives me insane when people put the roll on backward. My dad is guilty of this...and I may or may not switch the roll in the bathroom I use when I visit.

2. Stop leaving the toilet lids up!

Not just the seat...the lid too. My mom always made us put both down and that stuck. I have to take a deep breath when I see a lid open, especially when it's on my toilet. If a toilet has a lid, I close it. Thank you 20/20 for showing me that when a toilet flushes, water and fecal matter spray out several feet and can contaminate your toothbrushes. Just remember that. Do you want to brush your teeth with poop?

3. You didn't SEEN anything.

That one gets me every time. My whole body shivers when I hear those words come from someones mouth.


4. People who won't pull into the intersection.

If you're making a left hand turn, you are the first car, and the light is green, pull into the intersection! At least a 4 times a week I get stuck behind someone who sits behind the line and when the light turns yellow they don't budge. Dudes, you could have gone...and I probably could've too if you had moved your caboose!

5. Tall girls want cute things too.

Listen up fashion world, this is for you. Yeah, it's gotten easier to find tall clothes, although 9 out of 10 times I have to order stuff online and hope for the best. All I want are a cute pair of those matching family jammies at a reasonable price and that have pants long enough for me! Even the men's inseams are short in them. I don't get it...but it's maddening.



6. It's the school drop off line...NOT the park, walk your kid into school and give them 10 kisses line.

For real. At least once a week I watch a parent park their car IN the drop off line. (There are literally parking spaces a few feet away) I don't mind if you're going to hop out to just get your kid's door open. It's cool. I get it. Sometimes your kid is telling a story and won't get out. It happens. I know you're probably yelling that they need to get out. But, for the love of everything, DO NOT get out and walk into the building, thus trapping everyone else. Not cool.


7. Please stop peddling your "not" pyramid scheme stuff.

You aren't a business owner/boss babe. Sorry, you just aren't. You might be making some extra cash, but you've got a bunch of people above you and you're supposed to recruit other people to be on your team? That is a pyramid scheme. I don't want added to parties. Have I ever purchased stuff like this? Yes. Very little though and mostly because I felt obligated. If you sell it, that's cool, but stop adding people to your groups. Most of us don't want in there.

(Re-reading this, I feel like this one comes off harsh. I'm just being honest on how I feel...it doesn't mean I'm right. You do you!)



8. No company is giving you $100 off their groceries because you comment and say, "Thanks Kroger!"

WHY do I see this weekly? If it's not a fake coupon, it's a free trip to Disney or an all inclusive cruise. You guys...if it seems to good to be true, it is.

9. Don't pressure me to do things I don't want to do.

This is a totally me thing. I just hate it. I always have. I hated when people wanted me to play group sports games at youth group. I hate when I feel pressured into praying in a group of people. Is it good for me to be pushed? Maybe. But I HATE it.

10. KEEP YOUR KIDS SAFE IN THE CAR!!!

I don't know why I saved this for last, but anyone who knows me, knows my passion for car seat safety.
My toes curl when I see pictures of kids improperly buckled in a seat or not restrained in the proper seat if any at all. I don't understand why anyone would want to forward face their babies so early when the recommendation is 2 years or for as long as they fit in their seat rear facing following that seats guidelines. (Thankfully, in January it will become illegal to forward face before a child is 2 in Illinois!)
Read the guidelines. Have someone make sure the seats are installed properly. Keep them in the safest seat you can for as long as they fit. Daniel turns 7 in a few weeks and he's still using a 5pt harness. He will switch soon to a high back booster, but that's going to be a hard one for me!
For real though, if you have questions about car seat/booster safety, please ask me. If I don't know the answer, I'll find someone who does. I've had several friends message me with questions and I love helping them keep their kiddos safe!