Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

While I might be a little late in posting a "Merry Christmas" post, I still wanted to send our wishes for a wonderful season. Our family had a wonderful Christmas. We feel very blessed during this time for what we have and the people we have surrounding us.

This last week or two has been busy (to say the least). Adam has been a very good boy through all of the excitment of Christmas. Here are some pictures from our time with family.

Here is Adam "cheesing" it up. He was so happy with everything he received.

This was a fun present that cousin Jack received. Adam loved wearing it.

Here is what Adam looked like after a long day of presents and playing:

Jeff and I could have crashed like this also, but instead we took this oppoutunity to "retire" some old toys so we could make room for the new toys.

Jeff and I hope that everyone is doing well and that everyone had a great Christmas. Again, we are so grateful that you are in our life. Please keep our family in your prayers as we head down the final few weeks of being a family of 3. We are very excited, nervous, and maybe a little scared about what lies ahead of us. We are confident that with God, our family and our friends that we will survive!

Birthday Pictures

I know it is a little late, but here are some pictures from Adam's 3rd birthday party.

Adam had a great time. Thank you to all of our friends and family for making his 3rd birthday really special.

One Sunny Morning

The other day, Adam wanted to read a book. It just so happened that the book he picked was a cookbook. So, he started flipping through the pages. He read "One sunny morning, they all had sandwiches." It was so cute. It is amazing how just within the last couple of months, Jeff and I have seen his imagination and cognitive thinking skills grow. He is getting to be such a smart little guy.

3 Fast Years

Tomorrow is Adam's third birthday. While it seems like it was just yesterday that we were bringing him home from the hospital, it also seems like ages. He is excited for his birthday. Me on the other hand just think about how time is getting away from us. Everyone always says that you have to enjoy this time. I understand that, but am sure I will have a better appreciation for that advice as Adam gets older. It is hard for me to think about how else to enjoy this time. What will I wish that I would have done differently when I look back 5, 10, or 20 years from now? Will I wish that we would have gone on more vacations? Maybe it will be that we should have taken those swimming lessons or gone to story time more. I don't know. I have a feeling it will be the things like turning off the tv and playing games together, or sitting at the dinner table having silly conversations or playing at the park at every opportunity (even if I have a million other things that I need to get done around the house).

I think I am enjoying everything now, but I know there will be things when I look back and wish I would have appreciated them more. If anyone has any great advice - please share.

When you have a second, you should check out this song by Mark Harris called "Find Your Wings". I love it. It really talks about how I feel right now. It is great. I hope you enjoy it also.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnA1XhEcROA

In the mean time, while I am trying to enjoy Adam - I also have what feels like an alien in my stomach! We are reaching the time that when it moves around, my stomach moves around and it feels like it's about to reach through my stomach. This is my favorite thing about being pregnant. I love feeling the baby move and watch it move around in my stomach. It cracks me up. Jeff loves it to. It just kind of blows our minds.

I will post more with birthday pictures.

Check out our pictures

Check out www.memoriesbybrandi.blogspot.com to view some of the recent family pictures that Brandi took. She does an awesome job! If you ever want pictures done, she's your girl. She always has a way with getting the kids in their most natural ways. She is wonderful.

Thank you so much Brandi! Can't wait to see the rest.

While you are there check out the other pictures that she has done. She is so creative. There is also a link on the side of my blog called "Memories by Brandi."

Guess what we're doing

I'll show you 3 pictures. Guess what we are doing:

This evening, Jeff and I were upstairs putting stuff away and Adam was downstairs. He started laughing and talking but we couldn't really make out what he was saying. Next thing we know he is upstairs with no clothes on. He proceeded to tell us that there was a mess downstairs and that there was water on the floor. He wanted me to go look at it. I said to Jeff "I am afraid to go down there." When I walked into the bathroom, I found water everywhere and the toilet was overflowing. Apparently, Adam had to go to the bathroom and decided to stuff the remaining toilet paper into the toilet. I do not know how much toilet paper was on the roll, but it was obviously too much to go down the toilet. So, along with of the other mess we had going on in our house with the carpet getting installed, we had toilet water everywhere. It has been great.

Oh, one other thing. Adam was playing with the doorbell and now it will just start buzzing for no reason. Probably going to have to get a new one of those also. Like I said before - It never ends!

What a day

Today has been an interesting day. It started that I woke up and felt really crappy. Had a sore throat and a big headache. I had a doctor's appointment scheduled for 8:30 (OB appointment) and was planning on going to work before my appointment. When I woke up and felt bad, I called work to tell them that I would just be in after my doctor's appointment. Then I slept for about another 45 minutes. That helped a little, but still have the sore throat. I am sure it is just sinus stuff. No big deal.

Anyway, I went to my normal checkup. It was my 28 week appointment where I had to drink that yummy (not really), sweet, sugary, orange drink and then get my blood drawn (after waiting one hour). Hopefully that all comes back ok. Everything is going well. The baby is very active and while the nurse was trying to hear the heart beat, the baby was moving all around like it wanted to be left alone. It was kind of funny.

Then we got new carpet installed today in our 2 upstairs bedrooms. It looks really nice and I really like it. The bad thing is now the other carpet in our house looks old and bad. I swear it never ends. Our house is a mess. We had to empty out everything from upstairs. We have put a lot of the stuff back, and I just want to burn everything else. I do not even want to sort through it. We have so many clothes, it makes me sick. I am just going to bag it all up and take it to a church or something. I need to declutter.

So, I think that this is the first time that I have sat down all night. We have been moving stuff, Jeff had to trim the doors to the bedrooms and closets so they would close, and I have been trying to pick up the house a little and set back up the desktop computer - which is a pain in itself. After our desktop computer dies, we will never own anything other than a laptop.

If you have made it to the end of reading this post, thanks for caring. It makes me tired to go back and re-read it for proof-reading so I apologize if there are a ton of mistakes. I need to go to bed now. I am hoping that when I wake up in the morning, I will have found that the "house-cleaning/organizing fairy" came overnight and my house will be all organized and clutter-free.

Halloween Treats

Adam is finally over his little "cold" or whatever it was he had. So let me just say that he is a totally different little boy when he doesn't feel well. After my last post, you probably are thinking that he is a little terror. So, I will just say that I am so glad that he is feeling better. He is so much more fun to be around when he feels well.

Here are some pictures from Halloween.

A Royal Melt-down

Adam will be 3 next month. I have always heard of the "terrible twos" and have thought that maybe we just got really lucky because Adam has never been terrible - that is until tonight. Now I know that he doesn't feel good because he has a cold, and he didn't get a nap - so I know that is probably why we had a melt-down this evening. Oh my goodness. I have never heard or seen him act out the way he did tonight. He was hitting, talking back, and flailing all around.

It started at Lowes. We tried to look at carpet. He was good at first until we had to leave. He was pretty much on the ground in the parking lot screaming that he didn't want to leave. Then we got home. Things calmed down for a little bit. Then I wanted to put his Halloween costume on him so I could see where I needed to pin it. That was the worst decision I made all night, in fact it could possibly be the worst decision I have made this year. He did not want to take it off. Screaming and crying I had to peel it off of him. Let me just say that I have never felt so frustrated in my entire life. I had to tell Jeff that if I EVER say that I want more kids after this next one - that he is supposed to remind me of this night. I can't even re-live tonight anymore. I can feel my blood pressure rising just typing this. So, hopefully tomorrow will be a better night. If it isn't - I might be admitting myself into the Psych ward at the hospital tomorrow.

I hope everyone else is doing well and that there have been no major melt-downs in your life.

Happy Halloween!

Disney Fun

On Friday, Adam and I, along with Kelly and her kids attended Playhouse Disney Live! On Tour in Moline at the I Wireless Center. I think everyone had a really good time. At first, Adam was kind of in a bad mood because we woke him up from his nap, but that quickly changed. Here are a few pictures.

Here is a picture of the Handy Manny hard hat that came with cotton candy. Was it worth $10? Probably not, but Adam has barely taken it off since we got home.

Handy Manny is Adam's FAVORITE. He loves all of the tools.

After the show, we took the kids to Chucky Cheese for pizza and games.

I think that everyone had a good time. All of the kids were so well behaved.

They were very fun.

Daycare germs

So, one the joys of taking your child to day care is that they are exposed to a variety of different germs. Well, Friday was no exception at Adam's day care. He started sneezing yesterday and in the late evening he started acting like he didn't feel well. Last night in the middle of the night, he woke up to go to the bathroom and I went up to help him. He was burning up with a fever of 101.9. Poor little guy. I gave him Tylenol and he went back to sleep. This morning he seemed to feel good and was running around playing. Then around noon, he crashed on my lap and started running another fever. Thank goodness Grandma was able to drop off some more Tylenol. Right now, he is sleeping in my bed. I hope he feels better soon. I will say that this is probably the quietest afternoon I have had for a long time. It's kind of strange. Keep Adam in your prayers. We want him to get well soon.

A Big Day

Today was Adam's first full day of going to day care. Jeff has taken him a few days last week and stayed with him to play - hoping he wouldn't be so bad when we left him for the first time. But today I had to leave him for the whole day. It was a sad morning. We got there and went to the cafeteria and I sat there and ate with him, then I took him to his room where things went down hill. He knew I was leaving and clung to my legs. Then he started whimpering quietly with big crocodile tears going down his cheek. I reassured him (which didn't really help) and then left. I was so sad thinking about him in there crying. Then I got some good reports at a couple of different times during the day from other parents that were dropping and picking up kids. I also couldn't resist sneaking over there with Brandi to see if he was outside. Brandi was so nice to walk all of the way over to the day care center to look at thim playing outside. She reassured me that he was fine. That made me feel much better. I can't thank Brandi and Kelly enough for the support they gave me today and also during this whole thing. They have given me reassurance that it WILL BE OK! Christy and Cara have also been wonderful with their advice. It is so great to have good friends to work with.


When I went to pick him up, I tried to sneak in hoping that I would be able to spy on him for a few minutes, but that didn't work. He spotted me right away and came over to me with a sad look on his face. When he got to me, he started telling me all of the fun stuff he did during the day. He colored me a picture and went potty on the red potty. He was pretty proud and had to show me the potty. He said he had a lot of fun and that he made friends. And while his cheeks are stained with tears, I think that he had a fun day and that we will try it again next week.

Why I love fall

I know this really has nothing to do with what is going on in our life, but I found this picture online earlier and fell in love with it. When I get rich, this is where I want to live in the fall. It will just be a vacation home. Isn't this picture the ultimate of what fall is? This is a picture taken in Southwestern Vermont. One of these days, Jeff and I will take a vacation and just drive all over Vermont and look at the fall colors. I only wish I was good at photography and could make a living doing it. I guess I will have to settle for Iowa falls for awhile. It's not so bad either.

My Favorite Cowboy

This past weekend we went to the rodeo in Ft. Madison. First we went to the parade and Adam loved watching the horses, tractors, and trucks. Then that evening we went to the rodeo. It was Adam's first trip to the rodeo, and although it rained, I think he really liked it. He even got his own cowboy hat. It's pretty cute.

Other than that, we have just been busy working on the potty training thing and playing outside. Things are starting up for the year. We start KinderMusik tomorrow night and then start Bible study back up on Wednesday. Unfortunately, I have to miss the first night of Bible study because I have a massage scheduled. I know, poor me! I can't wait for the massage, it will be wonderful. It is just scary to think that Christmas will be here soon. It seems like this time of year just flys by. Before we know it, Jeff and I will be bringing a new baby home from the hospital. Which reminds me - I felt the baby move for the first time last Thursday evening. Now everything seems so real. I always knew that it was real - but now it's REALLY REAL. It was my favorite part of being pregnant with Adam. I love feeling it move. When you think about it though, it is so weird. There is literally a human being in my stomach moving around and pushing on my stomach. It blows my mind. There is no real way to describe it, it's just awesome. I will admit though, when it moves around when it is about 8-9 months - things do get a little uncomfortable.

The potty-training extravaganza

So, we are on approximately day 5 of the potty training experience. We started last week around Wednesday or Thursday putting Adam in training pants and no diapers. He has had one accident at Aunt Mandi's on Friday, but other than that - no accidents. He doesn't like the feel of pee on his legs, so I think he is going down the right path. It is so true that they just have to be ready and there really is no use in trying to make it happen any sooner. I also must admit, there is nothing cuter than seeing his skinny little butt in real underwear. He is just getting to be so big and independent. It's good, but sad for mom and dad. He also enjoys going to the bathroom outside. With the weather being so nice, we have been outside every night. There is no time to run inside to go to the bathroom, so he has found a nice big bush to pee on. The joys of being a boy, I guess. Us girls will never understand.

On another note, I had a doctor's appointment last week. Everything is going fine. The heartbeat was 156. It is so amazing to hear the heartbeat. So far, my pants are tight but other than that I haven't felt any movement or anything yet. I've gained a little over 2 pounds, but it feels like 20. Sometimes it's hard for me to believe that I actually am pregnant, so it's nice to hear the heartbeat. According to Becky (my midwife) I should be feeling movement by my next appointment. That's my favorite part!!

A mommy moment

I do not know who it was that told me, or where I heard it from, but there is one piece of advice that I have received as a mom that I think is probably the best advice that any parent could ever receive. The advice - Always take the time to watch your child sleep. Out of all of the advice that I have gotten (which has been A LOT), I think that is possibly the best.

Yesterday afternoon, I layed Adam down for a nap and decided to lay with him for a little bit. He did his usual - singing, talking, rolling around - but then he got quiet and drifted off to sleep. Next thing I know I am laying there next to him just watching him sleep. He looked so peaceful. I just think that at the moments when I want to pull my hair out and scream, I just need to remember how he looks when he sleeps. All of the smiles, frowns, sounds, and movements that he makes is just priceless. I probably could have watched him for hours.

So this is my advice (well not really MY advice) that I am passing on. No matter what age your child is, I truly believe that you should take time to watch them sleep. It will be well worth your time.

It's starting to "pop"

First thing this morning I had 2 people say to me - You're really starting to pop. Not that I was offended or anything. It's not a bad thing. The only bad thing about this morning - I was just about to stand up in front of 12 people to do an orientation at work. All I could think about was "Oh my gosh. My stomach is sticking out. Everyone is looking at it. They all think I'm fat. Maybe I should somehow bring up that I am pregnant." Now, obviously the fact that I am pregnant would not come up in a new hire orientation so I basically had to suck it up and just let them think that I was fat. I hate this stage where things are getting a little too tight, but yet it's way too early to wear maternity clothes. Oh well, I guess I better enjoy it while I can.

Scavenger Hunt

This evening we met with a group of friends and had a scavenger hunt. We had an awesome time! We had to go around town and do silly things. It was hysterical. My ultimate fave was watching Mike be a greeter at Wal-Mart. We got in trouble from the "real" greeter for taking pictures, but we were in and out so fast that she couldn't do too much. Here are a couple of pictures from our night.

This is Jeff washing the windshield of a stranger at Casey's gas station. The lady was very thankful!

Here is the group on the carousel in front of KMart.

Connie in front of the "Flavor of the Day" sign at Culver's

Brandi did a great job of putting it all together. We really had a lot of fun.

Fun with the cousins

Here are some pictures from the other day when Caitlyn and Jack came over and played.

Jack was more willing to pose for a picture than Adam.

They had a lot of fun. Thanks for coming over! We love you Jack and Caity!

Baby Poll

I have placed a poll on this blog where you can say what you are predicting our baby to be. Place your prediction and see where other people voted! Notice that I did not put the option of twins on there. If that ends up being the case, I will likely shoot myself.

Oh the joys of prenancy

There are lots of good things about being pregnant. I must admit that I liked being pregnant with Adam (until the end - then it was no fun). Anyway, it's funny how soon a person forgets all of the other little things about being pregnant. While I haven't had tons of changes and symptoms yet, there is one thing that is rearing it's little head. For those of you who have had kids - you will totally understand. Basically, I would give anything just to sleep through the night without having to make a middle-of-the-night trip to the bathroom. Last night I had to make 2 trips! Oh it just drives me crazy. I just want to sleep the whole night through. I guess maybe it's just your body's way of preparing you for when you actually have the baby and have to get up all night. Other than that, things are pretty good. My pants are getting tighter and my stomach is getting rounder and harder. Jeff says that it's getting harder because of all of the sit-ups I have been doing. I don't know what he's thinking. I hate to say it but I haven't done a sit-up for a LONG time. I think it's his way of trying to make me feel better.

Jeff is teaching Adam to "talk" to the baby now. It is so funny. Adam will only talk into my belly button (because otherwise the baby couldn't hear him - ha, ha). He says "Hi Baby" in a really high-pitched voice. On Saturday I was sitting on the couch and Adam came up to my belly and said (into my belly button of course) "Hi Baby, I love you." It was adorable. I wish I would have caught it on video.

Brandi and I checked the Chinese birth chart today. According to it, we will be having a boy. Although it has been accurate for almost everyone in our office and was accurate when I had Adam, I'm not placing any bets on it. Brandi is convinced it is wrong and we are having a girl. Guess we will just have to wait and see!

I will kick your A--

Today at dinner, Adam dropped the A-bomb. It was not appropriate at all, however I had to giggle a little to myself. It's so funny to hear a 30 pound 2 year old tell you that he is going to kick your butt. I'm thinking we need to start being careful of what is on the tv. However it is very hard when there is such horrible language on primetime, network television.

It's crazy how things have changed. Even cartoons are getting bad. We had Sponge Bob on the other day. That was a mistake. That cartoon is horrible. First of all, it is annoying. Secondly, they are so mean to each other on that show. On that particular episode, one of the characters said "Stupid, dumb animal." After that Adam started saying "Stupid Animal" and he says it still today. Drives me crazy. The other thing that annoys me about Sponge Bob is that it is on ALL OF THE TIME! Oh, and another thing is that it makes no sense. You are telling me that there is some sponge that lives in the ocean and has a creepy pink friend (Patrick, I think?). What in the world is Patrick anyway? Uugh. I would rather watch Caillou for 10 hours straight than watch Sponge Bob for 5 minutes. And for those of you who know how I feel about Caillou understand how huge of a statement that is. Ok, I'm done.

Right now it is 10:35 and Adam is upstairs in bed singing Old McDonald. It doesn't sound like he is going to fall asleep anytime soon...

Our News

So, as some of you might know - Jeff and I are expecting child number 2. We are excited, but a little nervous. I hope that we can handle 2. Honestly, I don't know how have we handled one but - we have. I am due in February, so I really am not very far along. Just about 12 weeks. We had our first doctor's appointment a couple of weeks ago, but it was too early and we could not hear the heartbeat. We went back this week and was able to hear it. It is so neat to hear it for the first time. We will not be finding out if we are having a boy or a girl. We didn't know with Adam, and it was a lot of fun. However, it would be very nice to know because if we are going to have a girl - I have a TON of boys stuff to get rid of. We will just have to wait until spring. So, my due date is February 11. I will probably write a lot about it in this blog, so hopefully you won't mind. Maybe this will help me journal things about my pregnancy that I didn't do very well with Adam. Anyway, keep our family in your prayers. We are doing well so far, but a little extra faith never hurt anyone.

Class Reunion Photos

Here are a few of pictures from my class reunion this past weekend:

Me and Jennifer - one of my oldest friends

Me and Mindy - oh what fun we used to have!!

The planning committee - Thank goodness this night was here!

Jeff and I - Aren't we cute?

It's 9:30 and all is calm

For the first time in a LONG time, it is 9:30 and I am in bed ready to go to sleep. If you were to ask me when the last time I was ready for bed at this time, my best guess would be that it was before Adam was born. Today Adam and Dad had a busy day. It was so nice out that they pretty much stayed outside all afternoon and played. So busy in fact, that there was no time for a nap. Now every once and awhile, we skip naps and Adam still goes to bed around his normal time (which I hate to admit is around 10:00pm - maybe 9:30 if we're lucky). Anyway, Adam must have been so worn out that at 7:30 tonight, he was sitting quietly on Jeff's lap just zoning out. By 8:00, he was out. Jeff got a little snuggle time in with him and we put him to bed at 8:30. Jeff and I were so excited that we didn't know what to do. So what would any normal married couple do with this quiet, alone time?? DAIRY QUEEN, OF COURSE!! I enjoyed myself a mint oreo blizzard that I didn't have to share with anyone. Jeff got a peanut buster parfait which he normally doesn't get to enjoy because of Adam's allergy to peanuts. Oh, what a wonderful evening it was. As long as Adam doesn't wake up at 11:00 tonight thinking that he was just taking a nap, we will be in good shape.

Well, off to bed I go. Sweet dreams.

You have to be patient

Earlier today, we were sitting around the table for lunch. Out of no where, Adam says "You have to be patient." Where do you think he has heard that before? I'm thinking he has heard me saying it to myself. It was so funny to hear a 2 year old talk about being patient. I'm thinking that most 2 year olds are the polar opposite of patient. Of all people to be saying that you need to be patient. Give me a break.

A Quick Update

Peace and quiet at last - or at least, that's what I thought. Adam is on this kick where he wants daddy and only daddy to lay with him at night before he goes to sleep. Mom just isn't cutting it anymore - or at least isn't for this month. Anyway, Jeff and Adam were laying down upstairs, so I decide (after a little encouragement from Connie) to do some writing. Notice, I said "were laying down upstairs." Jeff is now downstairs in the living room and Adam is upstairs yelling "Mommy, Mommy." All of a sudden, at the exact moment I start to type, Mom is the person he wants, not daddy. Whatever.

Anyway, real quickly. Not much happening on our home front. We went to the balloon glow in Ft. Madison last night. I must say that it was pretty pathetic. At least, I wasn't impressed. Then they had fireworks after the glow. Adam is so cute. He calls fireworks - thunderworks. It is darling.

(Oh, if you are wondering - Adam is quiet right now. Maybe he has gone to sleep...)

Other than the balloon glow, we haven't been up to very much. Just playing outside and going to the park. My 10 year class reunion is this weekend. I am excited to see friends that I haven't seen for years. This past Saturday a few of us got together to print the memory books. It is so neat to look through the information that people submitted. We've still got some work to do this week, but things are falling into place. Now if I could just figure out what to wear. Jeff says that he is going out and buying a new tuxedo t-shirt to wear. Can you imagine him showing up wearing that? I would honestly probably have to ditch him at the door. Hopefully I will have some fun pics to post after the reunion. There will be NO pictures of Jeff in a tuxedo t-shirt, however there might be some pictures of me dancing on the tables. Oh wait, did I say dancing on the tables? What I really meant was napping on the tables. These days, I would rather nap than dance.

Fun in the Sun

Today Adam got to go and play with his buddy Hunter. They had fun playing on Hunter's slip n' slide. Although the water was pretty cold, it didn't slow either of them down.
Adam had a great time. Thank you Hunter and Christy for letting us come over and play!

What does a 2-year old eat?

Lately, Adam has become much more picky about what he will eat. He used to be great about eating his vegetables and fruits. He would pretty much eat anything we gave him. Now, for some reason eating is becoming much more of a challenge. His menu is limited. He pretty much wants to go to McDonald's and eat chicken nuggets and french fries. We are trying to limit the fast food, so McDonald's usually isn't an option. Other that that, he would love to eat cookies, cake, and Curious George snacks (gummy fruit snacks) for every meal. Oh wait, he also eats pancakes. How could I forget about that?

So last night, we all went to the store. I was in the cat food aisle and spotted some cat treats. I thought - Well, I don't treat the cat the nicest, maybe I should get him some treats. I asked Adam if we should get the cat some treats. That was my first mistake. I said the word "treat". All through the rest of the store Adam kept saying that he wanted a kitty treat. I thought that he would forget about it by the time that we got home, but I wasn't so lucky. When we got home, we had all of the bags sitting on the floor and he started looking through them trying to find these treats. So I think - Well he thinks he wants a treat. Maybe I should let him have one. So I open the bag and hand one to Adam. (Second mistake) I told him to smell it thinking that there is no way he will stick it in his mouth after he smells it. Wrong again. He put it in his mouth, chewed it and the swallowed it. He actually ate the treat and wanted another one because it was "yummy". Of course I didn't give him another one. So apparently Adam likes Salmon and Tuna flavored cat treats. Who would've guessed?

Oh, where has the time gone?

I wish I had more to update you on, but so far life is just going by one day at a time. I remember when I was in school how it just seemed like the days and weeks dragged on and on. Now, time just flys by so fast. I cannot believe that June is almost half over AND the year is half over.

I have my 10 year class reunion next month. While so much has changed over the last 10 years, it seems like it was just yesterday. When I think of some of the major changes and accomplishments that I have had during this time after high school, it makes me wonder what will happen in the next 10 years. By far, the thing I am most proud of is my family. Although Adam is pushing me to my limits lately, he and Jeff make me so happy. (I will save my frustrations with the "terrible twos" for another post - trust me I have plenty!)

This past weekend, we had our "girl's night (day) out." We went to the Medium downtown and painted pottery. It was a lot of fun. I painted a "birthday plate" that you get to eat your cake off of when it is your birthday. Check out my masterpiece:Here is a group picture:

We had a lot of fun. I can't wait to go back and do another piece. I think I need to do a bowl for the ice cream!

PS - We missed you Shawna!

This is my life

I know, I know it has been a few days (ok, maybe more than a few) since I have posted. I have a valid excuse, although maybe it is not the greatest. Ever since Adam got his big boy bed, either Jeff or I have had to lay with him when we lay him down. So, during my normal time when I can get on the Internet, I have probably been laying in bed with Adam. The good news is though, that for the last 4 nights, he has slept all night without getting out of bed. We normally lay with him until he falls asleep, and then around 3-4:00 am, we hear his feet hit the floor and then the stairs start creaking. However, the last 4 nights have been good. No middle-of-the-night carrying him back up to bed. Right now, Jeff is upstairs laying with him. So, here I am. I am also enjoying Nashville Star. By the way - where is Tony Marques??? http://www.tonymarques.com/ He should totally be on here. He would win - right Kelly?? Love it.

So, what has been going on in our life you ask - not a whole lot. Just work and home. Jeff is working really long hours on the weekends, so Adam and I just hang out. I am starting to teach a Sunday School class at church for the summer. Last Sunday was my first day, but next Sunday will be my official first day when I will be on my own. It will be a great experience and I am really looking forward to it. So that's my news. Jeff has just been working hard and lovin every minute of it (not really). I would love for him to get a new job. These long days are not good on him. He gets little sleep, but he is always a good sport about it.

Adam is being a little (a lot) ornery. Jeff swears he doesn't act like this when I am not around. So apparently, I bring it out in him. For the life of me, I cannot get him to listen. He constantly plays with things that we ask him not to. I think I had a small breakthrough this evening though. He thought it would be funny to throw all of his Alphabet magnet pieces on the floor. Then he started banging the cabinet doors. He sat in time out, and then I asked him if he would pick up the magnets - and he actually did it! I about fell over I was so surprised.

If you don't believe me that he is being a little stinker. Check out this picture. Earlier this evening, I was in the other room and walked into the living room and found Adam there holding this:Yes - that's sunblock. All over our carpet. If you look really closely, you will see the smile on his face. He thought it was pretty funny. Jeff and I didn't agree. I guess that you live and you learn. Don't leave a bottle of sunblock within a 2 year old's grasp.

Other than the sunblock incident, we did have one other funny thing happen. We had a little visitor to the neighborhood this evening.

There was a little deer that just walked through our yard and then through all of the neighbor's yards. He enjoyed a little taste of the neighbor's rhubarb and the corn she has sitting out the squirrels.

So that brings you up to date. Hopefully the next time I post will be before Adam graduates high school!! :)

Someone give me some Tums, please!

Holy cow! Tonight has been one of the most annoying, frustrating nights EVER. I do not know what Grandma gave Adam today, but I do know that it must have included sugar, caffeine, and more sugar. Adam was so wound up this evening, I wanted to pull my hair out. It started about 15 minutes after we got home. All he did was run around, mess with things that he shouldn't and not listen. First, he had his normal 2 minute time out. Then there was another 2 minute time out - followed by another. Finally I got so frustrated, I made him sit in time out for 5 minutes which ended up being about 10 because he wouldn't sit still and be quiet. I was so happy to see Jeff when he got home.

After a little bit, Adam got distracted (for only about 5 minutes) and I was just sitting on the floor - not knowing if I should cry, laugh, or scream. Then I realized that my stomach was in knots. I was so stressed that my nerves were shot. I was finished. Then Adam got bored with whatever it was he was doing and he started climbing on me. I decided at that point that I might as well give up. There really is no hope anymore. Adam is 2 1/2 now and I think that it is only going to get worse.

Like Father, Like Son

I just wanted to post a couple of pictures. Adam LOVES to help mom and dad! Whenever I get out the vacuum, he always gets his toy vacuum out and helps me. Jeff was mowing the lawn this evening and Adam wanted to help. These pictures were just too cute!

No success yet

Things on the bed front are not going so well. Adam has slept in his bed a couple of nights, but the past couple of nights, he has not even wanted to try to sleep there. We still have his crib up in his bedroom (this could be the problem) and he wants to sleep there. He has told me the last couple of nights that he wants to sleep in his "baby bed." If anyone has any advice - we would love to get it. It's just that he just sleeps so good when he is in his crib. He normally sleeps all through the night, where when he slept in his bed those couple of nights, he wakes up at every little sound. Who knows, maybe he will be sleeping there until he turns 16.

Other than that, things have been pretty quiet around here. No major stories to tell. The weather has been nice, so we have just been outside playing and having fun. Adam says something new everyday. We are just amazed at what he picks up (and a little worried). We are trying to work on "Please and Thank you" because he is BOSSY and DEMANDING! "Mommy come here now. Daddy pick me up. Kitty get down. I NEED a cookie!!" He is also now able to tell you what the difference between a boy and a girl is - and it's NOT that boys have short hair and girls have long hair - if you know what I mean.

Big Boy Bed

Adam got his first "big boy bed" last Thursday. So far he has only slept it in one night. The other 2 nights he has opted to sleep in his crib. Tonight is going to be the second night that he has slept in his big boy bed - or at least that is where he is now as of 11:00pm. We will see if he stays there the whole night. It is quite a transition and I imagine that it is kind of scary for him.

It is kind of hard to see in the picture, but we bought him some car sheets with the hope that it will entice him to sleep there. They are, however, probably the ugliest sheets ever made.

Wish us luck!

Our Family Trip

Jeff, Adam and I just got back this afternoon from a little trip. We went for an overnight stay up in the Quad Cities. We didn't have huge plans, but we did get to do plenty. I thought that I would share some pictures that chronicles our trip.

First we went to the Family Museum. Adam mainly liked to sit on the car, fire truck, tractor, and truck that they had on display.

After we left the museum, we went out for dinner and then Adam and Jeff went swimming.

After we got Adam out of the pool (which he wasn't very happy about), we went back to our room and tried to go to sleep. This was Adam's first night in a hotel so it was interesting.

Today we went to Niabi Zoo. It is a nice little zoo. Adam liked it, but was more interested in the train that they have that you can take a trip on. Although you cannot tell by this picture, the train was probably his favorite part of the zoo.

For our first family trip, I would say it was successful. Adam has talked about going to the zeeum (a.k.a. Museum) and riding the train all afternoon today. While I would not pick the same hotel, we will probably plan something like this again next year. The travel time was perfect and the places that we visited were not too big and not too small. It was just right for a family traveling with a toddler.

However, I couldn't be happier to be home. There is some great truth to the saying "Home Sweet Home."

Happy Mother's Day

Today was Mother's Day. Adam and I hung out all day together while Daddy was at work. We didn't do too much. We did get to visit Grandma Karen, Grandpa JC, Aunt Steph, Grandma Pam and Grandpa Greg so that was nice. Then we just came home and played and ordered pizza. There was no way that I was cooking on Mother's Day.

It is so hard to believe that I am actually a mother. I am responsible for another human being. As mind blowing as that is, I love it and can't imagine our life any different. Adam has been the best thing that has ever happened to me. God has truly blessed Jeff and I with a happy, healthy little boy. We are so thankful.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day!

Nudd the Stud

Jeff has this memory from school of this older kid, who for some reason, chose to pick on him. Jeff swears that this kid just had something against him for no reason, but he would kind of pick on him. I know, I know ... poor Jeff. I think he got over it and has had no permanent issues from this experience. Anyway, to this day Jeff will still talk about this guy and how much of a jerk he is and how he cannot stand him. No matter what this guy is like today, Jeff will always think of him like he was in high school. I can't blame him. I would probably do the same. Anyway, the one thing Jeff remembers about this kid was that he would always call him "Nudd the Stud." I think it is hysterical - mainly because I bet that Jeff really did think that he was a stud back then.

Anyway, so tonight Adam has really been on this kick of repeating everything we say. He has been repeating us for quite awhile, but tonight we could pretty much get him to say anything we told him to. So, first I asked him to say this full name. Adam has never done this before. If we have asked him what his name is he will just say "Adam." Tonight I asked him if he could say his whole name, then I said it and had him repeat me. He said his whole name and hearing him say it was just adorable. Then we asked him to say "Nudd the Stud" and he said it, and said it again, and again, and again. It was awesome. I think Jeff might develop a complex hearing this again, and from his own son! So next time you see Jeff, be sure to call him "Nudd the Stud" - I am sure he will just love it.

The Wheels on the Bus

The other day I was driving to work grooving to the tunes that were playing on the cd player. (Picture me grooving - it was awesome!) Anyway, I got about half way to work when I suddenly realized that I was "grooving" to Adam's KinderMusik cd. This cd consists of songs like "The Wheels on the Bus" and "I've Been Working on the Railroad."

This has got to be a sure sign that I have officially become the mother of a toddler. The saddest part of the whole thing was how long it took for me to realize what I was listening to. I was actually enjoying singing along to these songs. Now don't get me wrong, Adam and I love to sing these songs together. I even turn the wipers on when we sing about the wipers going wash, wash, wash and I honk the horn when we sing about the horn going beep, beep, beep (which I am sure everyone we are going past just loves). It's just that things are a little different when your 2 year old is not with you and you are singing those songs. I quickly turned the cd off and put the Bob and Tom Show on. I needed something totally opposite of KinderMusik and you can't get much more opposite than the Bob and Tom Show.

So, if you ever pull up beside me while I am driving and you see me singing, I will probably be singing about the Wheels on the Bus. If you can see in the backseat and see that Adam is not there, please try to get my attention and bring me back to reality. If Adam is in the backseat, feel free to honk your horn and turn on your wipers, and join in. Trust me - it's a great time!

P.S. - I have a feeling that there are other moms and dads out there reading this that have done the same thing - Admit it!

It's been one of those days

Maybe it's the fact that it is Thursday and the week is almost over. Maybe it's the fact that the weather is crappy out. Maybe it's the fact that I am tired and just wanting to relax. More likely - God is testing my patience. Adam is usually a very well behaved little boy. Sure he has his moments, but normally he is a joy to be around with very little problems.

Tonight has been something else. We have KinderMusik every week. Usually it is on Tuesdays but this week it was moved to Thursday. We thought that it would be fun for Grandma and Grandpa attend KinderMusik with us tonight. That didn't work out as well as expected. While it was very nice to have them watch, that is all Adam could concentrate on. They ended up leaving after it got started. I felt really bad, but they were understanding. Jeff's mom is probably the most compassionate person I have ever met and his dad probably takes the award for the most patient person on the face of the planet. However, no offense to them or anyone else - we will probably not be inviting anyone else to KinderMusik again.

The evening just went downhill from there. At least it seemed like it at the time. Honestly as I sit here typing this tonight - I realize that Adam didn't really act up the rest of the night. I feel bad now thinking that he was being bad. He was just being 2. He wanted to jump, run, climb, and play. I wanted to relax, relax, relax, and relax. Unfortunately for me, that wasn't going to happen. The more I think about it, the more I think that I really need to cherish this time when he wants me to play with him. One of these days before I know it, he will want to go to his room, shut the door and have nothing to do with Jeff or me. Those will be the days that I get to relax. At least, that is what I am hoping.

March of Dimes

I am going to participate in the March of Dimes walk the first weekend in May. If you are interested in sponsoring me, you can click on the link on my blog and donate. I am sure that the babies would appreciate it. There are so many great causes out there, but this is something that I feel strongly about. Also, if you are interested in joining our team, let me know. It will be a fun morning plus it will be great exercise - all while raising money for a worthy cause!

Dead raccoon - A lesson in life

Yesterday Adam and Jeff went on a walk around the neighborhood. During their walk, Adam discovered a dead raccoon laying along the curb. He asked daddy if he could "Pet the kitty?" How do you explain this to a 2 year old?

Thank goodness for girlfriends

Tonight was our monthly "girls night out" night. We visited a wine tasting shop in downtown Ft. Madison. It was a very quaint setting with hardwood floors, brick walls and dark red-painted tin ceilings. They feature wines from local vineyards. It is called Meier's Den. I would highly recommend it to anyone. I am usually not a wine type of person, but did find a couple that I really did enjoy. In fact, I bought 2 bottles to bring home. Now, those same 2 bottles will probably be here next year at this same time - but that's ok.

The best part of the evening was spending a couple of hours with friends. I love spending time with Jeff and Adam, but there is nothing like spending time with other "girls". We just get to laugh and be silly. A few of us do not know each other as well so it is great getting to know them. It is also awesome to get to keep in touch with others who you know pretty well but do not get to talk to as much as you would like. We had a great time and I can't wait until next month.

When I got home, Adam and Jeff were looking out the bathroom window on the second floor. Adam was yelling out the window to me that he went poopy. What a wonderful thing to come home to. Now if he had only meant that he went poopy in the big boy potty - THAT would have been something to be yelling from the window. One of these days it will happen, we just don't know when.

Next time won't you sing with me

Adam loves to sing. I was able to catch him singing his ABCs on camera.

Second Chance

He's still available...

You better act quick!

Side note: picture.girl if you read this - I miss you and hope you feel better soon!

Fun Day

Today Adam and I went to the park with a friend. We had fun running around, climbing, swinging, and sliding. It is such a beautiful day! I am so excited that it finally feels like spring is here and winter is OVER! After the park, Adam and I went to Dairy Queen. Adam got his own ice cream cone and he ate the whole thing! He loved it.

After our fun afternoon, he crashed.

HAPPY SPRING!