New Year Resolutions

I am going to make 3 this year. All about me and how I want to see my life change.

1. I want to get back down to the weight I was last March. I know I can do it because I did it once and stayed there for a long time. But since July I have gained and then started with excuses. SO I'm going to get back to the gym a little more, sign up for some 5k's, and get back what I had.

2. I am going to involve God in my life more. I want not only my kids and family to know my commitment and love of Christ, but the people around me to know it too.

3. I am going to love my family and friends to the best of my ability. I don't want to take time for granted. I want to cherish the moments I have with my kids, husband and all the other important people in my lives.

I think all of these are things that can be accomplished, the hard part like with all resolutions is to stick to them.

2012 Review

I could start this off with the cliche line "2012 has had its ups and downs" but really doesn't every year? Some years it seems the bad outweigh the good, others good outweighs the bad and some just seem to break even.
This year has had many challenges with Colin's health, my step mom's surgery going wrong, the dog being really sick and all the other small annoying things that happened along the way.

This year has also had its many blessings, my business has grown, the kids are becoming better friends, people are helping to figure out how to best help Colin, we had gotten many visits from and to see family. Chris and I are both skinnier and healthier than either of us have been in our adult lives.

This year over all is a success in my book. Are there things that I would like to change? Sure, but if every year was perfect and all happy then we really couldn't appreciate the small good things that happen.

I am not sad to see 2012 go, I am excited to see what 2013 brings. I know that it will have good and bad, but with my family and God on my side I'm ready!

Conversation

This conversation just happened.

A-"Mommy I want to buy you and Daddy a gift"

M-"What are you going to get us?"

A-"Stickers to decorate your room. I will get Daddy trucks and you Tangled. Then I will help you put them on your wall"

M-"that is very nice of you. Where are you going to get the money?"

A-"I can use my fake money from my cash register"

-M-"No stores won't take that money"

A- "hmmm, then maybe from your purse"

M-"But that is my money, shouldn't you use your money for a gift?"

A-"But I don't have a purse"

M- "You can use your piggy bank money"

A-"Okay but someone has to take me, I'm too little to go to the store by myself"

She is so cute the conversation continued that she would need to get pants and that she loves me and I'm her favorite Mommy with a hug to end the conversation. She can be so cute and adorable when she wants to be.

New Years Resolutions 2012

Here were my resolutions for 2012, lets see how I did.

1. Be 145 lbs by my birthday.- Well I was 145 by my birthday, in fact I was skinnier. Then the summer came, things got crazy and I gained some. I'm about 5 lbs average over this. I would like to get back down to this weight.

2. Tone up my body (by doing ab exercises and then walk/running when the weather gets nicer). -I do notice a difference in my body. Clothes that fit nicely last December are too big and don't fit as nice now, so I think this one I did.

3. Spend 7 hours a week with just my kids, no distractions.- I did this one. The kids get a lot of one on one time with both Chris and I, some weeks are crazy, others are nothing but family time but this was an easy resolution to keep.

4. Go on a date night with my husband every other month- This one was kept. In fact most months I got a date night. I think in the span of the 12 months there might of been only 2 that we didn't have at least one date night and there were a few months were we got two. 

5. Have my business see a profit- The official numbers aren't in, but my business did very well in 2012 with even bigger changes coming in 2013. I am very happy with what has transpired this last year.

6. Send out birthday cards on time to all family members- This one was a total fail! I did worse this year than any year in the past to send out cards. This was one I can't even say I did a fair job at. 

7. Get the basement organized and looking nice- This one is really funny. In January last year Chris and I spent about two weeks getting the basement looking awesome. Everything had a spot, papers were organized it was great. Then I started collecting items so that I could open a daycare center and now our basement looks worse than it ever has. You can barely walk anywhere down there. There is stuff EVERYWHERE and it is only going to get worse before it gets better, so this one will have to be a resolution again, but won't be able to be started until probably July. 

8. Have one month where neither kid goes to the doctor. I don't think this one ever happened. I think every month there was at least one doctor's visit. Some of them might of been re-checks or well checks, but we had at least one appointment every month and most months more than one. I am not going to make this resolution again this year. Maybe if it isn't a goal we can have a better health year.

So I would say there was success on 5 of the 8. That isn't bad as far as new years resolutions go. I haven't decided if I'm going to do any for 2013. I guess I better decide in the next 3 days. :) 

Christmas Day

Christmas Day I was sure that the kids would be up very early. Their normal waking time is about 6, so I thought for sure with all the excitement that Alyssa would be up closer to 5. I woke up at 5:35 and was shocked that no one else was awake. Of course in my excitement I wasn't able to go back to sleep.

Colin woke up at 6:15 and came to bed with us. At about 6:45 Alyssa came into our room exclaiming that Santa had come. At that point we got up and went to look at the tree. I told Alyssa she should go tell Daddy that Santa came, she told me she can't because he was at work. I told her no that he was in bed. That made her day, she went running back into our room to get Chris.

We came downstairs and let both the kids open their stockings. They both were super excited. We then cooked some cinnamon rolls and waited for Grandma and Papa to show up and Michael to wake up.

We went upstairs about 7:45 to start opening presents. After Colin had opened about 5 presents he was done. He was excited to play with the ones he had gotten. We would ask him if he wanted to open another present and he would say "no" After everyone was finished opening Colin still had about 5 presents left that he hadn't opened, so Alyssa and I helped him open them.

After all the presents were opened we had 4 adults helping to get all the kids toys out of packages and ready for play. The kids had a blast playing with all their new toys. The hits of Christmas were Alyssa got a barbie house, and Colin got a new train.

Chris and I both got Kindle Fires from my mom and Step Dad. We were excited to get to play with ours, yet that had to wait until the kids were settled.

After lunch and a nap for Colin we headed to Chris' parents house for round two of opening presents. The kids were once again spoiled rotten and got many wonderful gifts. Chris and I also received many nice things.

Michael went with us and kept Colin entertained while the adults were opening presents. This was super nice that once again Chris and I would relax a little knowing our kids weren't getting into too much trouble and were taken care of.




It was a good Christmas for all and the kids are still really enjoying all their new toys.

Christmas Eve

The night before Christmas Eve we drove to my Grandpa's house and spent a few hours with him, my mom, step dad, and brother. The kids had a blast with so many people to pay attention to them, and Chris and I actually had a few minutes to sit down and talk to people.
We spent the night at a hotel and Alyssa thought that was fantastic. All day Sunday she was asking all kinds of questions about hotels and what was in them. So she was excited to see the hotel and explore. We tried to take the kids swimming on Sunday night at the hotel, the pool was heated but the air temperature wasn't warm, so the kids (and us) got cold really quickly. After about 15 minutes Colin's lips were blue and he was shaking so we had to get out.
 After a warm shower we put on pj's and watched a movie before bed.

On Christmas Eve morning we got up to find that Santa had paid for our hotel room. I don't know who the kind soul was that paid for our room but it was greatly appreciated. We then met my mom and step dad in the lobby for breakfast. The kids had were excited to see them and went to their room after breakfast to help pick out ear rings for my mom and check out their room.

After hanging out at the hotel for a bit we decided to go walk around Wal-Mart before heading back to grandpa's house. While at Wal-Mart Alyssa decided that everyone needed presents. I told her I had gotten them presents and they were at Grandpa's house. She wanted to pick out more presents for them. So we picked out a pretty little church for Grandpa, a blanket for Uncle Steve, a Santa's hat for Michael Michael, a necklace and earrings for Grandma Patti and a teddy bear for Papa. The gifts were super special because Alyssa picked them out with minimal help from me. She put a lot of thought into the gifts and was really proud of them.

We then headed back to Grandpa's house. I helped my mom in the kitchen getting the meal ready, while the kids enjoyed playing with Papa, Daddy and Michael. Papa spent most of the time snapping pictures and so I don't have a single picture from that day, but lots of good memories.

After a delicious meal, we sat down and opened a few presents. We then had some more yummy food with dessert.

After dessert was over, the kids, my brother and us packed up to head home to get ready for Santa.

It was a great day. The kids had a blast and were the best they have ever been at my Grandpa's house and I enjoyed spending time with my family.

Christmas

Alyssa has decided this year she wanted to leave Santa some Cheerios and milk. She also wrote a note and drew a picture of flowers and Chris.

Ct Shooting

Since Friday almost every other post on Facebook has been something about this horrible, senseless, and tragic shooting that happened on Friday. I understand it, my heart is heavy, I am sad. But I'm starting to get annoyed with all the people that have already started to place the blame everywhere but on where it should be. This should be about helping the families grieve, helping the first responders as they deal with what they saw.
I was a teacher for 5 years, my last two years I taught 1st grade. I remember how hard it was to make sure I was doing everything in my power for the minds of my students to grow. I spent more waking hours a day with most of them than their parents did. I knew about loose teeth, trips to the zoo, and what they ate for dinner last night. They looked to me for guidance and wisdom. I truly hope at most got it from me. I also know that I would have done everything in my power to protect those kids had I been in that situation.

My last year teaching a parent brought a gun into the school. It was later found out he was doing it to intimidate some students he felt were bulling his kid. The day he brought it in construction was going on in our building. So they had moved the entrance for people to enter the building. The door that people came in was right across from my classroom. Had that Dad wanted to harm children my classroom would have been the first one hit. I wouldn't of had time to lock my door, or any of my other lock down procedures.

As I sit here tonight counting my blessings of my two children and that nothing like this ever happened to me while I was teaching, it is hard to try to move past it knowing how scared, those kids and teachers must of been. It hits a little too close to home for me.

Dance Recital

Today was the day of Alyssa's dance recital. She has been practicing for 2 months for this big day. Well she woke up pretty sick this morning. I told her she probably wasn't going to get to go to dance. She told me that she was okay and she could still dance.
 I took her to the doctor and he said it was just a nasty virus and she probably shouldn't go to the dance but since she didn't have a high fever it was my choice.
  I kept going back and forth and finally decided that she could do it. I knew it was only going to be a half hour long and she was so looking forward to it.
   Her class performed two songs. There are only 4 kids in her class, which is the smallest by far of all the classes. The whole recital was super cute to watch and Alyssa seemed to have fun. She didn't do every move but she did GREAT! I was/am so proud of her.

Afterwards we asked her if she was nervous and she said "No".

I'm so glad she got to go.

Christmas Lights

Tonight's plan was to go drive around and see some Christmas lights. There is a nice park by our house and drive through a few neighborhoods that are known for awesome lights.

At dinner Alyssa ate and ate and then she said her stomach hurt and didn't want to see the lights. We told her she was fine and we were going to go see lights. We pulled into the park to see the lights and before we got more than 100 yards into the park she started to throw up. We threw the car in to reverse and started to back up. The people directing traffic started to yell at us. Chris rolled down his window and said his kid was throwing up. They stopped traffic so that we could get out.

We got home and got her and the car cleaned up and she asked for us to go back out to see lights. We told her no.
She acted fine the rest of the evening and went to bed just fine, so hopefully she just ate too much. Because cleaning up tonight was enough fun to last a year.

Colin's First Date

Tonight Colin went on his first date and didn't even know it. Too bad he took his sister, mom, Jenni, Jeff and her parents out with him.
There is a little girl in the daycare that we will call "A". Colin and her have been together since he was like 4 and a half weeks old and she was about 12 weeks old. They have taken to calling each other "ya ya". They both know how to say each other's real names but for some reason "ya ya" it what they call each other.

Tonight I was going to take the kids to a park that was having a festival with a fire truck, Santa, reindeer, a movie and hot chocolate. I invited Jenni to come along and also "A's" family. Everyone agreed. So we met at McDonald's for some food and play first. The kids were shocked to see each other outside of the daycare. So they ate their food and then went to play for about 15 minutes. Both Colin and A weren't able to really get up into the climber so they just chased each other around while Alyssa and another little boy (also from the daycare that just happened to be there) played inside the climber.
Then we all met up at the park and saw the fire truck. Any time we would get to far away from A, Colin would call out "ya ya" come here. And she would come over.
After some walking around we ended up splitting up and going our own ways, but until we got back in the car Colin kept wanting to know where she went.

Hopefully his first real date will be as uneventful and have as many extra people involved as this date did.

Silly Times

Tonight after bath time, both kids were sitting on the counter. Colin was brushing his teeth and Alyssa was getting her hair combed and dried.

Alyssa started to make faces and tell us what they were. "This is my sad face" then she would pout. "This is my mad face" and then she would scrunch up her face and look out the top of her eyes. Well after she had gone through them a few times we asked Colin to show us his sad face. So with a smile peaking out from behind his pout lip he pouted. It was so cute and funny that everyone started laughing. This made him want to do it again. As he pouted this time I saw his dimples come out stronger than ever and the twinkle in his eye shine so bright. We then asked him to do a mad face. Once again trying to hide a smile he scrunched up his face, held it for about 2 seconds then started laughing.

At night bath time is usually a fun time to spend with the kids. At times it can be very trying and more of a horrible chore to do, but most of the time the kids come up with the funniest things to say and the interaction they have with each other and us is a lot of fun. I will be sad as the kids get older and bath time becomes a thing of the past.

Daycare vs. House

This is the time of year I really really dislike having my business in my home. For the past two weekends I have spent time moving furniture up and down the basement steps so that I could host parties. When hosting a party I have to remove all the daycare big items such as cribs, swings, jumperoos, and high chairs so that people of normal height have a place to sit and move around.

Then comes decorating for Christmas. I can't put my tree downstairs, I cannot put any decorations on a low shelf and forget the floor. I also have to be careful of any hanging or noisy decorations as that could scare or hurt a kid.

I think next Christmas I will put every decoration I have on a super low shelf or floor just because I can. (Really I know I wouldn't do that, but the option will be AWESOME.)

It is funny some of the downfalls you find of having a business in your home that you would have never considered before.

Colin's Train Party

Today was Colin's actual party. I decided in about October I wanted to have a train theme for his party and decided I wanted to go all out. So I started finding ideas for train kids parties on line. So it started with the invite that looked like a train ticket.

Most of the people that came to the party today could have cared less if I had one decoration up or not, however I really enjoyed finding the ideas, making the stuff and seeing the look on Colin's face and he walked around the house and yard taking it all in.

We had railroad crossings on all the doors. The front door I did up the most since that was the first thing people saw.

I also used diaper boxes and made a big train that went across the front yard with tracks that lead to the front door. The tracks didn't turn out too well. It was winding and I had a hard time finding any kind of tape that would stick to the cement. 

Once you walked in the front door I took the cribs and decorated them with paper, making it look like a crib with a sign for presents.

Then we had a train holding all the snack items and a drink and sweet station set up. The cake was made by a friend who worked super hard to make sure it was perfect. She did an amazing job and the cake got more compliments than my decorating.

I had a friend make his shirt to match the decorations used by the plates and balloons.

I think a good time was had by all and hopefully some day Colin will look back at the pictures and think his mom did a good job.

He had a blast at the party, and got to enjoy playing with friends and cousins. He enjoyed opening and playing with all of his new presents. He was asleep within 10 minutes of being in bed which is a record for him this week.

Dear Colin (2 Years old)

Dear Colin,

   Today you turn 2. I can't believe how fast the last two years have gone. I have enjoyed watching you grow  from a baby to a toddler.
  You are talking so much now. In the car you tell us "this way" and point in whatever direction you want us to go. You have insisted that you want trees for your birthday. You know that you are two years old but like to tell people three. Just this past week you have learned my name is Shannon and your dad's name is Chris. You have taken to calling me "Shannon" during the day. You think it is funny when I respond.
   Two nights ago you moved to a big boy bed. The first night we put the mattress on the floor and you slept on that. Last night we actually took your crib apart and put together the full size bed for you to sleep on. You thought it was awesome and after playing on it for about 15 minutes you went to sleep.
    You love trains, trucks, cars, airplanes, or really anything with wheels that you can push around. On Saturday you are going to have a train party.
     Tonight you will get to eat pancakes, sausage, and cupcakes with your sister, mom, dad, grandma and grandpa and Jenni. While there are other people that play an important role in your life I feel very blessed to have these people come to celebrate with you on your actual birthday.
    You now weigh 31 pounds and are a little over 3 feet tall. On more than one occasion we have been asked if you and your sister are twins.
     You are full of mischief and try to get away with doing things you aren't supposed to by giving a big smile.

   You have been healthy for most of the month of November and I am hoping that December will bring the same.

  Colin you are a blessing to our family and we love you very much. You have so many people that have prayed for you and ask about you on a daily basis.
  I look forward to seeing what the next year holds in store for you.

Happy Birthday Big Boy.

Love,



Mommy

Ear Pericing

We took Alyssa to get her ears pierced tonight. She has been asking for it for MONTHS and so we told her when she stayed dry all night we would do it. Well tonight was the night. She was super excited until the lady put the gun to her ear. Then she freaked out.
We couldn't convince her otherwise, so we left with me buying the whole ear piercing package because the ear rings had already been opened. I'm pissed that I didn't just have the lady pierce my ear since I had to buy the stuff anyway, but didn't think about it until half way home.
She threw a fit the whole way home and is still throwing one in her room now because she is mad she didn't get them pierced. 

How long do I make her wait until we try again? My initial response is until she is 10 but another part of me thinks when she asks again. I guess time will tell. I know she still really wants it done so hopefully she will agree to do it again soon. 

Big Boy Bed

Tonight is Colin's first night in his big boy bed. We haven't put together the full bed yet, so tonight he just is sleeping on the mattress on the floor but he was excited and went to sleep almost easier than in his crib.
We told him good night he ran, climbed on it, laid down and stayed there until he went to sleep.

We will see what the night and tomorrow night brings, but I'm hoping this might be easier than when we moved Alyssa to a bed.

4 Days

This post is titled 4 days and it is going to go in two different directions.

4 days off. That is what we had. Besides my trip out to black Friday shop in Thursday night our family has always been together.  All other shopping, playing, whatever was done as a family of 4 and it was awesome. I'm not sure how 4 weekend days can go so fast when four week days can go so slow.
For Friday morning the kids played mostly by themselves while Chris and I arranged things, ordered Christmas cards and did other odds and ends. Every so often we would stop and just listen to the kids laughing and playing together.
We still had our occasional melt down and time where I was super frustrated with the kids but for the most part they are really really good kids.
I am sad that it is Sunday night and tomorrow things return to the normal grind. One bright spot is that in 5 weeks we once again get a 4 day weekend.

Part 2- 4 Days

In 4 days my baby turns 2! I am having a hard time with it all. The fact that I know he is my last makes it even more bittersweet. I know that another isn't right for our family and I am truly okay with that. I get my baby snuggles at work and then send them home. I look forward to him getting older so that we can enjoy vacations and other things. But in the same breath I don't want him to grow up. His personality is so charming and I love his way of being, I will write more about his milestones in his letter to him on his birthday.
I just can't believe that 2 years ago today I looked like this:

and was wondering what the baby inside me was like.

Zoo Lights

Last night we bundled up and headed off to see the zoo lights. Of course the high temperature yesterday was 37. We layered the kids and ourselves.

We stopped at got some dinner first and then got to the zoo about an hour after they opened. I think this worked out better than past years of getting there right as the opened. The crowds had thinned out a little. Both Colin and Alyssa were amazed at the lights. They kept pointing at the lights with big smiles on their faces.

It was so cold, but I bought a deal so that we could get some hot chocolates. So while walking around looking at lights the adults got to enjoy hot chocolate. The kids had a blast and ran ahead looking at all the lights. We walked through some parts two or three times just enjoying it. We also got to see the penguins and some swans.



It was a fun night had by all and we will look forward to doing it all again next year.

Thanksgiving

We hosted Thanksgiving yesterday for 18 people. It started by us cleaning the house Wednesday night. Then Thursday morning about 8:30 I started cooking and getting things set up and ready. People started showing up about 12:45 and we ate right about 2. After we ate, we took a break and sat outside drinking and watching the kids play in the yard. By 5:30 everyone was gone and by 6:30 everything was cleaned up and put back in place.

It was a great Thanksgiving, the food was awesome like always and the company was very enjoyable.

Last night I then braved my first Black Friday sales. I hit up Wal-Mart and Target. I was able to get some good deals at both places. I then came home and wrapped presents until I ran out of Christmas paper.

Today I got our Christmas cards ordered, almost all the rest of the presents bought, wrapped, and got to enjoy time with my family.

I am looking forward to two more days of family time.

#21

Thankful for being healthy and able enough to host Thanksgiving tomorrow for 18 people.

#20

I am so very very grateful for God and all he has done in and through me. I know that without him my life would be nothing. He has given me so much more than I could ever have hoped for in a family and in my life.
I have gone through dark times and have tried to push him out, but as I look back on those, the harder I pushed him out the harder my life became.

I feel that God has played a huge role on my life for the last 3 years. I am grateful that I have taken the time to listen to him. I'm not perfect and I know I really do need to listen closer and more often. It is something I can work on, but for now I am grateful for him and all he has done in my life.

#18 and 19

My grateful posts today are superficial but they are still things that make a difference in my life.

18. I am thankful for early bed times. My kids are in their room by 7:45 each night and asleep shortly after. It gives me time in the evening for myself, for the gym, for reading, or whatever else I want/need to do. It is nice to have some time for myself

19. I am grateful for a short week. Monday has been trying and I'm glad there are only two more days this week.  

#17

I am thankful we have found people that we trust to leave our kids with so that we can have a date night. For a long time we only left the kids with Chris' parents which was okay but we didn't ask them very often. Our church now offers once a month a Parents night out. For a small amount of money we get to drop our kids off at church for a few hours. Out of 12 months we use about 6-8 but it is nice to know the kids are well taken care of and safe and we can enjoy a dinner by ourselves or with friends.

#16

Tonight I'm grateful for snuggles. Tonight we went out to see them light the town's Christmas tree, we then came home, got PJ's on and snuggled while watching a movie. I held Colin until he was almost asleep (I think he would have gone to sleep if Alyssa hadn't come to join us.) Then I got to snuggle with Alyssa and Colin went to snuggle with Chris. It was definitively the highlight of my day.  

#15

Today I'm thankful that I have the ability to work out from home when it just seems so dark and cold to go to the gym. It makes it a lot easier to flop on the couch when you are done. The harder part is then getting upstairs to shower and go to bed.

#14

I am grateful today for caffeine and its ability to keep me moving on days where I just don't think I can. Today was a soda day. I think one more might be in store to get me through the night. 

#13

I am grateful for the modern convinces that we have today. I couldn't live without my cell phone. It is my all. I call/ text/ play games/ check social media on it all day. It is my phone book, my calendar, my watch, my phone book, my weather checker and so much more. I also use my computer, TV and microwave daily. I might not have the top of the market anything but I do enjoy my convinces that I have.

#12

I am thankful for our church and the role it has played in our life. 4 years ago we were not faithful in our going to church. About 2 and a half years ago I knew I needed a change and one of the changes I made was to start attending church.
From the first service that we went to I knew I was "home". It only took a few months before we became member of the church. We are now well known and have our "spot" in church. Last Sunday we were in a new Sunday School group and one lady told another "this is the mom of the little boy who cries at the end of children's time every Sunday". She is right Colin knows after children's time he goes to the nursery so as the Pastor gathers the kids for prayer he starts to cry.
I love the church and now it will be the home to my new daycare so I don't see us moving any time soon.

#9, 10 and 11

#9 I am thankful for extended family and friends. This weekend we traveled down to visit my grandpa, uncle and Aunt and their two boys. I hadn't seen them in over a year and after an hour of catch up we fell into a wonderful conversation that made the next few hours fly by. It is so nice to have family that can do that with. I really wish I lived closer to my family but it does make it awesome when I can see them.

#10 I am thankful for the material things that I have that make my life just a little easier. A roof over my head, two cars that run, toys and furniture that make my life so much easier.

#11 I am thankful for all our veterans that have fought/are fighting for the freedom we have in America. Both my Grandfather's were in a war, and while I have not experienced it first hand of having someone close to me in war, I do know and have enough friends with loved ones fighting over seas. I am grateful for the sacrifice they have made so that I can have the life that I have.

Day #8

Today was a hard day to think of something grateful, I was/am tired and worn out from the week, but really in all that comes my thankful idea. I am thankful I have a job and a business that is booming. This week has been busier than usual and while I could take that and list out all the things that have made this week hard, instead I'm going to turn it around and think at least I have a job. At least I have a business that even when things are running perfectly they are still running smooth enough that the clients are happy and job still has more good than bad moments.

Thankful Day #7

Today I am Thankful for the awesome doctors and hospitals that we have access to in the St. Louis area. Colin has 2 specialist that he sees on a fairly regular basis. They are both based out of St. Louis Children's Hospital. He has also seen two other specialist there and had 3 hospital stays there.
Each time I am impressed with the nurses and doctors. They all take time to listen to you and try to come up with solutions that are best for the kid.
I hope some day in the near future I won't see the specialist or nurses on the 7th and 8th floor of the hospital but I will always be grateful for what they have done for Colin and our family.

#6 Thankful

Today I'm thankful for my employee/assistant/ soon to be business owner Jenni. She is an awesome person and a great friend.
She came into my life taking a risk just like I was and I think we will both see have already benefited greatly from each other with only more opportunities at our footsteps.

She has taken over without a single complaint or issue when Colin has been in the hospital. She puts a smile on and does whatever is needed to keep the daycare running smoothly.

On days when she is gone from the daycare it shows, and the kids and I miss her dearly.

I am so lucky that our lives crossed and I'm excited to see how the future unfolds on our new business adventure.

Day 5 Thankful

Today I am thankful for my former boss who decided teaching was not what I was supposed to be doing. That one decision changed not only my career path but my whole life for the better.
I am now doing the job that I love, I get to be home with my kids, and I have bigger growing opportunities than I would have ever had teaching.
This is a job path that I thought would never be attainable, yet here I am attaining the dream I have had along with more happiness than I have ever known.

DayCare updates

Last week I met with the State Plumbing inspector. He loved the church except for the kitchen. This week I meet with the Local Health Department, so we will see how that goes.
I have also met with a few people for quotes on fences, I need to make a few more calls tomorrow.
My list of people to call tomorrow keeps growing.
To get this daycare up and running is going to take a lot of man hours, phone calls and hard work, but I'm excited to take each step even if the stress level keeps going up.

Colin

Colin is doing much better. Today he only coughed a few times and his mood seems to be improving. I am writing this down in my blog not only as a reminder for his book, but to help me remember when he started to feel better.
I am going to document the winter so that when we go back to the doctor I can have a good idea of how many days he was well and how many he was sick. Also it will help me keep track of the medicines he was on and how that made him feel. So it took until day 10 of the orapred for him to feel better (though nose is still running) and day 5 of the steroids.
Tomorrow will be his first day off steroids and a new batch of the orapred. Lets see how long he can stay healthy.

Thankful #3 and 4

I missed yesterday because I was out of town. I guess I could have blogged from my phone, but that is harder to do.

So #3 that I'm thankful for is my in-laws. There are not many people that can say that they get along with their mother in law. I am very lucky that I get along with all of my husbands family. When Chris and I got married we knew that we wanted our kids to know their aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. We knew the best way to do that was move close to his family. While I miss mine like crazy it is so nice to have my in laws to help. I just spent the whole weekend away with most of the women in Chris' family and it was a blast.
It is also nice to have the grandparents willing to take care of our kids when Chris and I need a night out. They have no issue coming up to our house to go out for dinner, or to help me with the daycare or the million and one other things we bug them for.




#4 I am thankful for my family. It is unfortunate that in order to be close to Chris's family we have to be far away from mine. What is nice is that they are only a phone call away. I talk to my mom, dad and brother usually once to a few times a week. Sometimes the phone calls are brief and sometimes they are long but no matter what I know they are there. My kids still know their Grandma and Papa, their Grandpa and Nana and their Michael Michael. We talk about them often and Alyssa knows where they live and get excited for their visits. Though my family isn't close enough to see me on a weekly basis, they are always there when I need them.

Thankful Day #2

Today I am thankful for my kids. They are truly my biggest stress but also my biggest blessing.

I love watching them grow and learn each day.

With Alyssa I am loving watching her personality and brain just pop. She is forming friendships and her imagination is amazing. She is a bright little girl. She is stubborn and when she gets an idea in her head she wants to accomplish it no matter if it can really be done or not, but at least she is trying.

Colin has caused me more sleepless nights than Alyssa and he started sleeping through the night at 4 months old. His health issues have kept me on my toes for the last two years but I wouldn't trade him for all the money in the world. He has taught me more about standing up for what I believe is right and how to question. Thanks to Colin there have been challenges and changes in my life that I would have never expected but they have all been for the best.
Colin is also very smart. His words are coming more and more each day. When he feels good and is in a good mood his is the best little boy to be around. He can light up the whole room with his smile and laugh.

My kids have been one of the best gifts God has ever given me.

Thankful

Photo taken by JB photography

It is November, so that means it is time to take notice of all the things I'm thankful for. I am also trying to keep my blogging spirit alive so each day in November I'm going to try to blog about something I'm thankful/grateful for.

Today I am thankful for my husband. He is a wonderful husband and an amazing father to our kids. I have said it many times before, but I would not be where I am today without him.
He has been by my side in the best and in the worst times. He has loved me when I didn't even truly love myself. I know it is cliche but I really can't imagine my life without him. (And I really don't want to.)

Up all Night

Yesterday morning Colin started coughing. For nap all he did was lay in his bed and cough. So by the time we put him to bed last night he was tired and coughing even more even after a few breathing treatments.
At 9:15 he woke up crying and so we gave him some more albuterol. As soon as we gave it to him his breathing got really short and shallow and he was panting and grunting.
I called the after hours line. Thank God they called back quick cause if they didn't I probably would have ended up calling 911.
The lady listened to Colin's breathing, calmed me down and then we started to go through Colin's history. Finally we decided that we were going to do 3 more treatments back to back and she would call back in an hour.
So Colin and I came downstairs and watched some TV and he bounced back and forth between Chris and I until the lady called back. She didn't like that he was still coughing so much so she decided that we needed to give steroids to help open his airway.
  After giving him the steroids I tried to put him back to bed. Within 10 minutes of laying down in bed he was coughing again. So back downstairs we came, where he and I slept in the rocking chair. It was not a good night for either one of us. Every time he tried to rest his head too low he would start coughing. He is also very long and it is hard for both of us to curl up in the chair.

This morning I called the doctor and he wanted to give the steroids 24 hours to work, and for us to keep doing breathing treatments. So that is what we did all day.

For nap we kept him downstairs and elevated a cot so that he could sleep in a more upright position and it worked pretty well, he got a good nap in, but not long enough.
All afternoon he was very cranky and threw one fit after another.

Tonight we tried his crib at first but he woke up coughing within the first 45 minutes, so I took a cot upstairs and elevated it. I'm hoping this helps him sleep better tonight.

Tomorrow I'm going to call his doctor with an update and I'm also going to call his pulmonologist and let him know what is going on.

I am supposed to be going out of town tomorrow and I hope that Colin is well enough that I'm comfortable leaving him.

Happy Halloween

Only in Alton IL area is Halloween so big that it takes two nights to celebrate. The kids always go out trick or treating on the 30th and then there is a big Halloween parade on Halloween night.
So we started the day with a Halloween party at the daycare the kids had a blast putting on their costumes and doing art project and making rice krispie treats.
Then after dinner we put the costumes back on and they kids get out to trick or treat. I sent Alyssa to run up stairs for something and she came down with more eyeshadow than I use in a week. I also let her eat candy that turned her lips black, so instead of a cute innocent princess she looked like this morning she was now an overly made up princess.

We weren't sure if Colin would do it or not since he wasn't a fan of trunk or treat. But he took off with Alyssa and Chris and was super happy when he came back. He was excited to show me all his candy.

Once they came back they helped pass out candy to the kids that were coming to the house. It was cute to watch the kids put candy into their bags.


As we tucked Alyssa in to bed tonight she told us, "Now we need to start planning the Christmas party". That is my girl always thinking ahead.

Adventure Review

Yesterday morning at 9 am Jenni and I headed off on our adventure. It took us almost exactly 3 hours to get to the daycare. We stopped at the local grocery store for lunch. It was actually a super small store so and we went to the deli for a sandwich. The deli was a joke but we were able to get sandwiches and some chips.

We then got to the daycare that was closing. We spent about an hour walking around looking that things and making a list of everything we wanted. We then spent some time talking over the list to make sure no one felt shorted.

We then started loading. That took awhile because there was only 3 women and a 14 year old to load everything and a lot of the stuff was super heavy.

When we went to leave the truck wouldn't start and we had to find someone to jump the truck. Once that happened we were able to hit the road to come home.

We pulled in the driveway at about 7:45 last night. Jenni had called her husband and friend to come help and Chris had called a friend of his to come help so we had many hands to unload and took less than an hour.

So in total we spent $3,075 on stuff, $320 on the truck, and $158 on fuel. Today we did a total if we bought everything brand new and it would have cost us over $10,000.

It was a very successful trip. Now off to meet with the fencing people to find out how much that would cost. 

Adventure

Tomorrow I will be taking a road trip with Jenni and this HUGE truck. I ordered a 10 foot truck. They didn't have any of those so I ended up with a 24 foot truck. I have NEVER driven anything bigger than a mini van. I drove it home from the place we rented it from. I found out that anything below 30 miles per hour make it bump. Sitting still the truck is VERY noisy and bumps a lot. The brakes are hard to use. I practically had to stand on them to make the truck stop.
We will be driving with a fair distance from anyone and anything. I am going to be that person everyone hates and can't wait to pass because I'm driving so slow.
We are driving 3 hours away to a daycare that is closing. We hope to come home with many treasures. This lady has promised us some very good stuff so I hope it is in as good of condition as she says and that we get the great deal we want.
No matter what tomorrow will be one of many adventures I think we will take (probably not anymore in a rental truck) getting this daycare up and running. 

Trunk or Treat

Tonight was our annual Trunk or Treat at church. We did a trunk again this year. Last year we ran to the dollar store and picked up a few things and threw it up.
This year we put some effort into our idea and we took the train theme we are using for Colin's birthday and did a train theme for our trunk.
We had a lot of people that came by and said it looked cute and I was pretty happy with the way it turned out.


It was cold but the kids had fun and after they ran around for about 45 minutes we sent them to the nursery to hang out where it was warmer and they had toys and movies not just candy to eat.
The only down fall to the evening was that I was told about an hour before it was supposed to end that Colin had a 102.5 fever and that he needed to leave the nursery. So I packed up my car and brought everyone home.
He is still running a fever and he isn't eating or drinking much but he was having fun playing with Alyssa this evening so we will see what tomorrow brings.

Doctor

Colin has a doctors appointment tomorrow. It is his first appointment with this doctor since his bronchoscopy.  I am really interested/nervous to hear what he has to say and see where we go from here.
Colin has been having breathing issues for the last 21 days. I hope tomorrow the doctor can shead some light on this and we can have a plan of action going into winter.

Corn Maze

On Sunday we hit up the corn maze that is near our house. This is also something we have done every year since the year I was pregnant with Alyssa.
We let Alyssa take the lead and for the longest time we were going in small circles but never getting very far into the maze. So Chris took over and took us further into the maze. Then we let Colin take over and we were having a problems trying to get out of the maze. So finally we got out of the maze.

They also have a huge box filled with corn kernels, Alyssa had a blast playing in it. We also let the kids ride on a small train thing. We weren't sure if Colin would go by himself and he was nervous as first but did fine once it took off. It was gone for about 15 minutes. During that time Chris and I sat and talked, it was weird to be at a kids event without the kids for that long.



When the train came back we let Alyssa play in the corn a little longer and then left. The kids had a lot of fun and enjoyed running through the corn.

Next weekend is about decorating pumpkins, doing trunk or treat and getting ready for Halloween.

Grant's Farm

On Friday night we took the kids to Grant's Farm for their Halloween celebrations. We have done this every year since Alyssa was born.
This year Alyssa is dressed as Rapunzel and Colin is a monkey. It was chilly that night and I had tried to convince Alyssa to wear something under her Halloween costume but she would hear nothing of that so she ended up wearing a heavy jacket over the top of it.

Before we went to Grant's Farm we went to The Bread Company for some soup and sandwiches. Alyssa is in love with their broccoli and cheddar soup. So we had dinner then headed over. For the second year in a row we have gone on a night when the Cardinals (baseball) team has been playing a playoff game. This has helped keep the crowds down.



To get into the farm you have to take a train and they have the drive to the farm decorated in spiders, witches and many other creatures that light up.

Once in the farm we saw a magic show, rode the carousel, fed some goats and then danced. The kids had a blast and enjoyed it. 

Knight's Day Care

Today after many months of meetings, paperwork and discussions the first big step to opening a center took place. Today the 3rd and final meeting with the church happened. The vote was yes. So now my business plan is going into effect.
  We have many more big steps to take, but one of the biggest ones has been taken. Now we have many more things to do before we can open our doors. This will probably happen in June.

I am so excited but super overwhelmed with all the things that need to be done between now and then. I know it will all happen, just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other and take one piece at a time instead of looking at the big picture.

Stalling

My mommy friends have spent the last few months talking about the stall techniques their kids used so they didn't have to go to bed.I always thought I was so lucky. Well tonight she tried them all. In a 15 minute time she had to pee 3 times, she needed covered twice, she wanted to sleep in my bed, and she needed a hug. Finally I said enough is enough and that if she got up again something would happen. Good thing she didn't ask what cause I wasn't sure what.
I haven't heard her in about 10 minutes so I'm hoping she asleep.

Still waiting

Colin is still having a hard time breathing. Over the last few days he has started to cough more, yet still no fever or huge decrease in O2 stats. So with that we wait. I have no idea how long we will wait until this passes or he gets bad enough I have to take him in but I know that every day/hour we wait it breaks my heart.
There are times where he is still super happy and you would have no idea he wasn't feeling good unless you lifted up his shirt and saw his ribs. Yet there are other times you can look at his eyes and see the bags from not sleeping as well, hear the cough and watch him lay around because his energy is gone from breathing so hard.

I really hope he gets a break soon.

Pregnancy and Infant Loss and Rememberance Day

Today is a day to remember and cherish the little ones that touched our hearts but not always our arms. Today I remember the little one I carried in my womb for 8 weeks, but never got to hold.

Pedicure

Today as a special treat I took Alyssa and my mom to a nail place to get either a pedicure or manicure. I wanted my toes done. My mom wanted her fingers done and Alyssa decided that she wanted her toes done as well.
We got there and her eyes got really big. She watched what I did closely and tried to follow. The only problem was her legs weren't long enough to fully reach the water. So for a while she just dangled her toes in the water, then she stood up and just stood in the water.

We decided it would just be best to paint her toes instead of a true pedicure. So she picked out an orange and the lady did a nice job painting her nails and even put a flower on each big toe. Since she didn't do a full pedicure she also let Alyssa pick another color to get her fingers done.
The whole time we were there Alyssa had the biggest smile on her face. She was so happy to have her nails done and even happier when she realized that she got BOTH her finger and toes done, when mommy and Grandma only got one done.
I think she will enjoy going back, though I think we might need to stick with manicures for awhile.

Pumpkin Picking

The plan for today had been to go to the corn maze. But a last minute check of hours, and we found out it didn't open until 1pm. So we changed our mind and headed to the pumpkin patch. We knew it would be chilly but we didn't know that there was going to be a breeze and be COLD.

When we got there, we did the mandatory pictures that I require every year. Then we got on the tractor to head out to the pumpkin fields. Colin thought it was more than awesome to get to ride on a wagon pulled by a tractor.

We usually don't go pumpkin picking until later in the season so it was a nice surprise to see so many pumpkins in the field to pick from. We only spent about 10 minutes looking for a pumpkin because it was so cold. We then headed back to the tractor.

Once back at the start, the kids decided that we needed to check out the play area. We spent about 15 minutes doing rides, seeing goats and horses, before it was just too cold to stay any longer and we headed for home.

The kids had a blast and we could have stayed much longer had the weather been warmer.

Baby Boy Sick

He started with a cough on Monday. He hit a brick wall last night around 4:30. All night I listened to his labored breathing, wondering if I should take him to the ER or not. I called as soon as the doctor's office opened this morning and got him in at 9:30. The x-ray was inconclusive. So we were sent home with orders to just to keep watching him.
His breathing is still very labored, his heart rate is on the high side, but he is in really good spirits. He is eating ok and still drinking. I'm hoping that he will start to get better as the weekend goes on and not worse.

I hate having a sick boy. I know I have said it time and time again but it sucks. I hate that every time his nose starts to run in the back of my head I start to make back up plans for work because we might end up in the hospital. I hate spending half the night running to his room to check his breathing. I hate that I have to own stethoscopes, o2 meters, nebulizers, and liquid steroids on hand at all times.

When Alyssa gets a cold I know she will get over it. When Colin gets sick all I can do until I know he is on the mend is think about how long the hospital stay might be this time.

When he had the bronchoscopy I thought it might buy us about 4 months of health. He has been off antibiotics 15 days.

I just hope we can stay out of the hospital this weekend.

15 years ago....

15 years ago tomorrow I met my best friend and my soulmate.

We had been talking on line for a few months and had convinced our parents that we should meet. My mom and his mom agreed we could meet at a Lutheran North football game. Chris was playing in the band.

We got there right before half-time and sat in the stands. Somehow we totally missed seeing Chris' mom before sitting down. So we watched the half time performance and I watched every saxaphone player intently trying to figure out which one was Chris. After the performance he came up and said "hi". I was so nervous and everything that I don't remember anymore of the game or what happened there. I do know we meet up with his mom.

After the game was over Chris rode with my mom and brother and I to a mall to get me a pair of shorts because it was like 90 degrees in October in St. Louis.

That night our families met for dinner and a wonderful game of mini-golf.

Wow what dorks we were then!

9 years ago tomorrow my best friend and soulmate asked me to be his wife. He flew in from Phoenix to Flagstaff. My roommate picked him up from the airport because I had class. After class, we drove to Sedona. That night we went out to a really nice mexican restaurant. After dinner we went back to the bed and breakfast to look at the stars and he proposed out on the deck.

Our lives have changed so much in the last 15 years! My parents have divorced and re-married other people. There has been a few moves, new jobs, but one thing has always stayed the same; Chris has never left my side.

I love him more today than I did 9 years ago and way more than I did 15 years ago.

I don't know what the future holds for us, but I know that we can weather any storm or any paradise together.





I love you Chris and look forward to walk the road ahead hand in hand.