Our 9th Anniversary

Today is our 9th wedding anniversary. As usual, we aren't doing anything just the two of us. Because it is a holiday, we are usually hanging out with friends and family. Aaron's parents have a tradition of Mexican night on New Year's Eve. We are going to participate in that. The food is AMAZING, so why go out and pay for food?

I dug through the old pictures and chose this one, because it is probably the first picture of us together. Aaron snapped this shot shortly after we started dating in the summer of 1997. Don't I just look smitten?

Merry Christmas!

Snow Fun and Bird Feeders

In the summer I am in a hurry to get the kids outside. Hey, I get a bit of a tan and they burn some serious energy. But, in the winter, it is another story. I have been glad for the past few years that my kids were not fond of the snow. That is all beginning to change. Ethan really likes the snow now. So, I have to bundle up more often than I want. On Sat. we headed over to Brad and April's to try to sled. The kids were pumped until they realized how hard it was to climb a hill and how much snow flew in their face on the way down. We did have some fun just playing in the snow, though. Aaron caught a mouse scurrying across and under the snow. He made a mini fort with a tunnel, which lasted about 1 minute before it was destroyed. I had to suffer through being in the snow with my brother, who is still like he was when we were kids. He constantly tried to knock me down and get my face in the snow. I held my own pretty, well, though. I am much stronger than I used to be!


I do think the daddies had the most fun, though. Aaron was doing flips and the boys covered Brad in snow. He though he would burst out of the snow when I came back with the cameras, but I was smart to it, and used my camera as my protection. He'd never take me down and run the risk of ruining my camera!



We went to see my Grandma this weekend to give her her Christmas gift. While there we noticed a nice bird feeder outside her kitchen window and a variety of birds coming to eat. It was very neat to watch. So, Aaron made a bird feeder with the boys yesterday. While they napped he did much of the prep work, and when they woke they were ready to go use some power tools. I could not get those kids to come back inside. It was pretty warm out there, but our fingers were cold. But even still, they wanted to stay out in the garage. Such little men!

Christmas Crafts

The boys and I have been making almost every ornament I have seen in a magazine or on a website that is at their level of ability. Yesterday we made these light bulb and felt snowmen. I had to do a lot of the work, but I let them draw the eyes and pick their colors, spread the glue and place the scarf on the bulb. I can't figure out how to hang them, though!



This is the runner we made in our Mom's Group. My friend Lisa picked out the fabric and pattern, and my friend Michelle cut out all the fabric for all of us. So, I really just sewed my pieces together. Lisa, bless her heart, took them home with her and was just going to do the next step. Well, she ended up finishing them for us completely! What a blessing! I am ready to make another one ... probably because I only did a fraction of the real work that is involved!


For the past 3 years in my mom's group we have been doing an ornament exchange. Last night we exchanged and here are everyone's ornaments. April made button wreaths, Shannon made card stock stars, Megan made hand-sewed embellished mittens, Julie made a bird's nest on a branch, Amber made a glittery wire star, I made a wishing spool, and Emily made a miniature stocking. It is always so much fun to see what everyone makes!



These are my ornaments from last year (I can't show the one from the year before, because it broke and I had to throw it away ... it was too fragile ... Aaron warned me of this). And, the kids made the craft stick and button snowflake ornament.

Packing Peanuts Santa Clause Art

Church Christmas Program

We practiced the lines and the song. They both had it all memorized by heart. But, under the stare of the congregation, neither said a word. Oh well, maybe next year.

Emmett nodded his head while everyone else said the poem they learned (as if to say, "that's right, you are all saying the right lines.")

Up in Flames

Recently we purchased an investment property along with my Dad and brother. The place was a total dump and needed to be demolished. We could have done this with a bulldozer or with fire; we chose fire. The city fire dept. came to the property around 6:00 on Sat. morning and did some search and rescue practice with small fires inside the house. Then, about 8:00 they lit the whole place on fire. It was amazing to watch how it consumed the buildings. I have never seen a fire of such size. The boys and I were sitting in the fire truck to keep warm and even through the truck we could feel the heat of the fire! The sight offered opportunities to tell the Bible story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. I think it was more meaningful with a raging fire as the story "prop". Later, we headed to the station and fed the fire department lunch.

Although it was quite an amazing sight, it was a bit too much for my little Ethan. He had a very hard time wanting to go to sleep last night. He had a million and one questions about if our house could start on fire and how it could if it could and how he could get out etc. etc. He wanted me to pray that God would get him out of a fire (and wanted to know how God could ... and concluded that it was like "magic"--the understanding of a little boy. We'll clear that up in a year or so.) He also wanted me to pray that God would take any fire dreams out of his head. And, then wanted to know where God puts the fire dreams. He asked if the people all got out of the house. Oh my! I felt awful that he thought there were people in there and the fire fighters just stood by and watched it burn! He also saw a life size and lifelike dummy in the back of one of the trucks with its legs all bent weird and unclothed and asked about that guy. I told him when he saw it that it wasn't a real guy, but it must have been the image. To top it off, he has fire trucks/hats/coats painted on his walls! He couldn't escape the images last night. Thankfully he DIDN'T have any fire dreams! I was really praying that God wouldn't let those dreams come. Despite how sad it made me feel that he was feeling that way, I loved that it brought him closer to God. I also loved that it gave him a very healthy fear of fire!


Here they are in the truck: Carson (my sister's little boy), Ethan, Brodie (my cousin's little boy), and Emmett.

Under the Weather

On Sunday early morning, Ethan got sick about 6 times. Throughout the wee morning hours we were up changing sheets and rinsing buckets and mouths out. By mid-afternoon he was doing better.

Yesterday was great until about 10:00 pm. We had a couple over for supper and I made some "heavier" foods than we usually eat. I had no bread-type food all day until supper. We had cornbread and hot artichoke dip. Ugh, as I think it, it makes a lump form in my throat. So, I figured it was the heavy food. Well, at 12:30, we woke to Emmett crying for us and puke again on the just-washed bedding and comforter. So, once again, we washed bedding and jammies and mouths out. Aaron, again, such a great dad, climbed in bed with him and helped through the next two rounds of puke. Then, I switched with him. He slept most of the night, just one more puke episode. I didn't grab the bucket fast enough, so more stuff to be washed. I was up a few times thinking I would puke, waiting to puke, almost hoping to puke, but just a dry heave and then nothing.

I woke this morning much later than usual to find Aaron was gone to work, despite saying he felt a bit ill mid morning. Ethan was asleep in our bed and I hoped that school had been cancelled so I wouldn't have to muster the energy to take him in.

Emmett woke soon after and was feeling fine. My wonderful boys pretty much fended for themselves today. I fed them breakfast around 9:00 and then we watched some Extreme Makeover Home Edition together. I had to sleep. So, I asked them to be good and went to bed. I woke an hour later with Aaron home to plow our driveway and feeling just as run-down as I. The boys and I read some books and I snoozed a bit longer. About an hour later he came home with McDonald's burgers for me and the boys. I was so hungry, but I couldn't eat much. Then, we turned on the Polar Express and took a long nap. The boys played so well together today and were pretty good about being quiet for us. They didn't make a huge mess, either. I got up and directed them to clean up and they did it all themselves! Very impressive.

I went into the laundry room to tend to bedding and jammies and washcloths that accumulated and my sweet boys came in and started to grab things that they could put away. I didn't even ask them! They insisted on doing more than I even was willing to let them do. It turns out they are capable of more than I expect from them! What a great learning experience!

I am feeling pretty well. I had enough energy to put bedding on Ethan's bed, although I was pretty wiped afterward. Aaron is a few hours behind me, but feeling a little better. We are off to town to just get out of the house for a bit. Now, I hope we are done with this bug!

Random Events

Friday I must have been feeling crafty. I think it happened because we made our table runners at Mom's Group the night before. The boys and I made various cookies and then we made a homemade ornament. Using pipe cleaners, I shaped the ornament into a star. The boys then pushed small beads onto the cleaners. When they started I wondered if it would require fine motor skills that were too unrefined, but they succeeded. Emmett really wanted to give his to Uncle Jeff.




While they napped that day, I made a shirt for my niece, Lily. Inspired by Merranda's freezer paper stenciled and fabric patch shirts and by my new found abilities on the sewing machine while making our runners, I picked up some girly fabric I've had my eye on for a while and a cheap shirt and gave it a try. It really ended up turning out pretty cute. I did have to rip out seams here and there, especially when I sewed the front of the shirt to the back of the shirt! Now, with the extra fabric I'll have to make one for my niece, Kennedy, and some of Aaron's baby girl cousins. Or, Tabitha, if you want some I'll pass it on to you.




Finally, this morning Aaron took the boys to All American to make a gift for me. Afterward, he took them to work with him to make a few strings. He even let Emmett push buttons and Ethan watched Transformers on his computer. Then, after lunch, they left again to go to Menard's. We were watching my brother's kids, too, so Aaron took Brayden along. Half way home they all zonked out in the car. I can't imagine HOW that happened since they usually all have SO much to say. What a good dad he is, though. He had kids all day doing things that required much patience. Why am I sitting here and not giving him some much needed babying?

Christmas Lights

Yesterday we put up our Christmas decorations. The boys and I worked for a few hours straight searching for places to set trinkets, sticking Santa clings to windows, and putting up the tree. When we were done, we headed out to see the Rotary Lights in a nearby town. It was a great night to go; there were no crowds. We saw Santa and his reindeer and a live nativity. We walked through the park and stopped at the warming tents which were really very warming and made the next leg of the walk doable. We made it through most of the light displays and then headed back to the car to drive through to see the rest.