I love this boy...

Kole recently turned 4 years old. I can't believe it! Unfortunatly, on his birthday he ended up getting a horrible flu bug. It came out of no where. He at least got to enjoy some special birthday pancakes before the bug came on. He was so miserable that we ended up skipping the presents & cake that day. We just didn't make a big deal out of his birthday that day. I figured that would save him some heartache of know he's missing out on an exciting day. We just saved the fun stuff for his actual birthday party... and I'm so glad we did!

things I want to remember...

*he definitly gives me a run for my money! He is the 'go-go-go-go... CRASH!' kinda kid. If only I had half the energy he does!

*he is such a good sleeper now. If you would have asked me when he was a little baby, my answer would have been totally diferent.

*he is a lover & a pleaser. He likes to sit by me on the couch in the evenings and rub my arm with his finger tips. lol! He likes to do it because he knows I like it. :o)

*he loves to do my hair.

*he ties anything he can get his hands on to pretty much anything else he can get his hands on. And damn if that kid can't tie a mean knot!

*he is VERY sensitive and he's got to be approached in a very careful way. He doesn't always know how to control his emotions. I'm still learning how to deal with this. It's something we struggle with pretty much every single day.

*he says the FUNNIEST things!!! Tim & I are always thinking, 'where did he learn that?!'

*he LOVES to play tricks on people and he is seriously good at it {just like his dad!}

*he likes to dress up and he's pretty good at picking his clothes out.

*that being said, he also likes to dress silly... bike helmet, life jacket & snow boots are among his favorite!

*his snow boots are his favorite shoes... whether it's summer or winter.

*he ALWAYS has somthing connected to his belt loop... ALWAYS. Whether it be a key chain or two or usually a make shift gun and/or sword through the belt loop {like a holster}.

*he ALWAYS tels me 'I wubs you mommy' :o)

I did a 'funny' the other day...

Having the baby formula right next to the coffee pot is not a smart decision on my part. But... that is where it sits. And that is where it has always sat. I often get up EARLY in the morning {like 4:45am now-a-days!} and I'm the one who typically makes the coffee. There have been a number of times that I have almost scooped the formula into the coffee pot instead of the coffee. Oops. But I always catch myself... until a couple of weeks ago. I actually did it. I put one full scoop of formula into the coffee pot... oh yes I did.

the 7 year itch... but I'm not itchen...

Happy 7 year anniversary to my hubby & I!!!
7 years sounds like a long time but it has gone by so quickly. 16 years of friendship... 10 years together... 7 years married... 5 years of being parents together... and he is still my very bestest friend. This guy makes me a better person and I love him for that. What a beautiful life we have made together.

{I wish I could find our jr. high picture from when we were 'going out' to add here}

let me just take a minute to show off my cute family real quick...

jeeeez... I love these guys!!!

Facebook Detox...

I just got done looking back at several years worth of blog entries. 4 years to be exact. While reading these entries, I kept thinking to myself, 'wow, I'm so glad I have these stories to look back on'. My entries range from, kids. financial wowes. house stuff. marriage. pregnancy. bedrest. wishes. wants. vacations. friends & family. hard times and good times. I can honestly say, I am so glad I have blogged over the years. CAN I SAY THAT ABOUT FACEBOOK???? Will I look back and say, 'wow, I'm so glad I facebooked about this & that'? No... probably not. And because of facebook, my blog has been horribly neglected. Facebook is a great way for people to connect. But I'm starting to feel too connected. Facebook is part of the reason why I didn't feel the need to go to my 10 year high school reunion. I already know what EVERY. SINGLE. person from high school is up to. I know if they're married, single, gay, how many kids, where they've been and what they ate for breakfast that day. And honestly, there are just some things that I don't want to know about certain friends & family. So my friends, this is why I'm doing a FACEBOOK DETOX. Starting on Monday, October 3rd , I will remove facebook from my favorites list and have Tim change my password. Instead, I will blog each day. I will do this for a week straight {and maaaybe even longer, who know!}. And I will be sooooo glad I did. :o}

I DARE YOU TO JOIN ME!!!!!!

Where did the time go?

HOW DID I GO FROM THIS...

TO THIS, SO QUICKLY???

I still remember the day I found out I was pregnant with Allie. The day I found out she was a girl. The day I first felt her kick. The day she was born. We were new parents, neither of us had ever done any of this before. Everything that Allie did was new & exciting and at times, new and terrifying.

When she was a baby, I couldn't wait for her to role over, crawl, walk... go to school. Now, fast forward 5 years, and here we are. I always thought that I wouldn't cry when I let her go, but as the first day of school got closer and closer, I got a little more nervous. And then finally came the day. We were both excited! We got out of the car and I walked her to the playground. I could feel her clinging to my leg and her body was tense. As soon as the bell rang, all the kids scattered to their different line up spots. I quickly ushered Allie to her line and she was all 'nervous smiles'. I stood back and waved and and kept nodding my head while giving her the thumbs up to assure her that she could do this and she would be just fine. While standing in line, she just couldn't take her eyes off of me. So I kept reassuring her with my big cheesy smile and my thumbs in the air. Before I knew it, her teacher was leading them to the classroom in a single file line. Thats when MY tears came. I knew from there on out, I couldn't be the one to protect her when things got hard at school. I couldn't lead her in the right direction if she got lost in the hallways and I wouldn't be there to hug her when she needed me. I will never forget Allie's first day of kindergarten.

It's kind of a special time for me right now. I'm ushering my first born off to kindergarten, a time that so many parents dream about, while one of my very best friends is about to welcome her first child. Shane & I grew up together.... we were best friends, and that is an understatement. As we became older we sort of went our seperate ways but we never forgot about eachother. Shane has always held a special place in my heart. Today, I am so thankful to have her back in my life and help her welcome her first born.

Shane,

you will always remember the day you found out you were pregnant, and today... the day you find out if it's a boy or a girl, the first time you feel that little kick and the day your sweet baby is born. But don't rush things... take it one day at a time. Be patient. Because before you know it, you will be giving that big cheesy smile with your thumbs in the air, waving goodbye as your little one walks off to kindergarten.

10 minutes of free writting... READY? GO!

I'll be glad I did this once the 10 minutes is over! Just thinking about sitting down and blogging gives me cramps. We are one busy family right now but I love it! I think I thrive on it! Tim started school. So he's typically busy typing away at the computer most evening and sometimes early mornings. Although sometimes are hard not having him 'around', I am so glad he is doing this. There is no doubt in my mind that he is going to be where he wants to be {career wise} in the next 5 years. That makes me happy! He'll also be starting EMT school in the fall on top of working on his associates degree. As you know, we have 3 kids now. lol! That's why I don't blog much. My Hannah bug is 8 months old now. 3 kids sounds like a lot but I feel like I've really really gotten to enjoy this little gal to the fullest extent. I'm not a first time mom anymore... I've been there, done that so at this point nothing scares me. I kind of have a passive personality anyways. I'm naturally just not a worrier... and I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. But I kinda like it. It makes my life a lot easier. lol! In fact, on Saturday, Kole took too big of a bite of pancake and sausage together and was choking on it. I calmly picked him up, bent him over my knee and beat the hell out of his back and did the ol' fish hook down his throat. It eventually came flying out. All while Tim is freaking out, breathing hard, sweating & shaking. And he wants to be a fire fighter? lol! Anywhoo... I need to be better about this blogging stuff. I know I'll regret it in the long run if I don't. One night last week, I went back and read all of my blogs from the very beginning {2007}. I soooo enjoyed it. I laughed & I cried and I'm so glad I have some of those memories, whether good or bad, on record. Welp, there's my 10 minutes of randomness. I'll post photos someday. For now, those photos remain on my camera {all 1000+ of them!} because my laptop has a stroke anytime I try to download anything to it. :o}