Vegetable Soup

It’s after 11pm on Saturday night, & I’m just sitting down with my laptop after a full day of celebrating not only our little 5 year old boy’s birthday, but also my mom’s.

Garrett had his very first “friend” birthday today at Chuck E’ Cheese’s.  We invited his preschool class along with our neighbor friends to share his special day with us.  He had a blast!  He’s been looking forward to this day for quite a while now.  In fact, I think he was up by 6:30 this morning!

Garrett is my strong guy.  He gave my tummy the toughest kicks while I carried him (future soccer player!).  He is known for his “butt drops.”  If you haven’t been on the receiving end of one of these, consider yourself lucky!  A butt drop is literally him plopping his rear down right on your stomach while you’re lying on your back.  He has quite a knack for sneaking up on you & catching you when you’re least expecting it…

But, Garrett has a wonderful quiet strength about him too.  He stands his ground, not in an “in your face” defiant sort of way, but with a determined “this is the way it should be” attitude.  He’s smart & he’s always thinking.  He adjusts when he’s wrong about something (hey, “whores” is now a clear “dwarfs!  If you have no idea what I’m talking about, then you’ll need to catch this post).

Garrett is also tenderhearted.  He wears his heart on his sleeve & every emotion he feels is painted across his face so vividly.  He is loving.  He won’t let you leave without giving him a hug & kiss.  He’s devasted if you ever forget & he’s quick to remind you of that when you come home.

Garrett is willing to try anything when it comes to food – he’s very open minded!  He’s seems to have taken quite a liking to my tofu & enjoys sharing my dinner.  I wish I was generous in return – I’m constantly pushing his fork off of my plate!!  Hummus has become a new favorite of his & if I’m not mistaken, he’s even delved into Adam’s sushi.  But, I think his favorite is steak.  And tonight, for his birthday, he got to enjoy a steak dinner from Lonestar with Grandma Bev & Grandpa Dave.

Speaking of Grandma Bev…

Today is also my mom’s birthday!  After Garrett’s birthday party, we made a surprise trip to Rockford to see my parents.  It was such a great day & I’m very thankful for my family.

I can’t say enough wonderful things about my mother.  I admire her like no one else.  She has the most generous nature & such a compassionate heart.  She also is a great listener.  Many times I’ve called her & monopolized the entire conversation as I share my life’s ups & downs.  And she listens.  She never tries to project any sort of agenda when she shares her opinion, but will tell you plainly what’s on her heart.  I’ve always respected that about her.

Garrett, you are growing so fast & your daddy & I love you so very much.  We are proud of you Garrett!  You make us smile.

Mom, I love you.  Thank you for everything.  I know that’s not saying much, but I think it says it all.

Happy Birthday you two!!

Okay Aunt Carol…here you go!!

3 lb beef boneless chuck roast

1½ cups water

1/3 cup soy sauce

1 tsp dried rosemary leaves

1 tsp dried thyme leaves

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 dried bay leaf

4 peppercorns

2 loaves (1 lb each) French bread

1.  Trim excess fat from beef & place in a 3½ to 4 quart slow cooker.  Mix remaining ingredients (except bread ) & pour over beef.

2.  Cover & cook for 7-8 hours on low setting.

3.  Remove beef & cut into thin slices (we then used a fork to pull it apart).  Use broth for dipping!  Makes 10 sandwiches.

Enjoy!!

I can’t believe you are three years old already!

Here’s a bit of randomness on a few things that come to mind when I think of you…

You make me smile like no one else.  You are all boy – total frogs, snails & puppy dog tails!  You remind me of a little Huck Finn with your mischievous ways & fishing adventures.

Your heart is so sweet.  You hurt for other people when they hurt.  And you seem to have the best timing when it comes to hugs.  I love that you still fit in my lap & every once in a while, fall asleep there.

You are fearless – my goodness, you have enough scars to prove it!  We just have to work a bit on getting you to slow down to balance out that bold nature of yours.

I love you dearly.  Your daddy & I love watching you grow.  But, take your time growing, okay?  Don’t grow too fast because I know I’ll miss these little boys days of yours.

Happy Birthday!

Oh my word…

The amount of candy we have in our house is INSANE!

I thought I had collected all the kids’ candy (no, not for myself…well, maybe a little )

But, nooo, I was wrong.

Guess who hid his candy bag up in his room?

I couldn’t believe it when he came down with FOUR suckers in his hand – ha!

If you need a sugar fix, you know where to come.

Whoo boy!  Well, it took a while, but I finally got my pics organized.

The album details our 4 days in Florida.  We spent the first day at SeaWorld, the second day at DisneyWorld, headed back to SeaWorld for Day 3 & concluded our trip at DisneyWorld on Day 4.

We did a lot of cool things at SeaWorld.  The kids LOVED feeding the dolphins.  It’s amazing the way the dolphins feel & they are so sweet.  We enjoyed a sea lion/sea otter show & the dolphin show.  Garrett especially loved seeing Shamu.  As many of you know, I’m a huge animal lover.  Watching the trainers interact with the animals & seeing their love for them was awesome.  What a cool opportunity!!

We had a blast at DisneyWorld.  The boys got to meet their hero, Buzz Lightyear & Miss Ava Grace got to spend time with her favorite princess, Snow White.  And hey, Grady got his first kiss (from a Disney princess!).  There are lots of pics of the kids on rides.  The ones of us on the “Pirates of the Caribbean” are priceless – the kids were both enthralled and scared at the same time!  We enjoyed watching the fireworks both evenings in front of Cinderella’s Palace.  We concluded our trip with tickets to “Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.”  The kids got to dress up in their Halloween costumes & trick-or-treat around the park.  It was so much fun!!

Adam & I shared the camera duty & between the two of us, we really captured some special moments.

So, without further ado…

Here you go – enjoy!!!

Florida Trip 2009

Well, I finally finished going through all our pics from our trips – there were over 400 of them!!

I’m through deleting, now I’m in the process of resizing them (it makes uploading a lot faster).

Unfortunately, I still don’t have my computer back yet, so I’m working with a different photo program than what I’m used to.

All that to say…

I have everything up by Monday – I promise!!

: )

Las Vegas & Orlando!

We spent the last two weeks vacationing as a couple & a family.

Some of my friends are really good about scheduling posts while they’re away.  Alas, I am not.  But, I have little trip stories to post throughout the week.

I’d like to say I’ll put up pics too.  However, I’ve been using a loaner computer for the past two weeks, as my mac is in the shop…AGAIN.  Unfortunately, the loaner doesn’t have all my programs, so I may have to wait until my mac is back in my arms again.

Now, it’s back to reality…and a lot of laundry!!

I just posted this on my facebook status, and thought all my non-facebooking family & friends might enjoy a little laugh from my blog…

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“Dwarfs”…such a tricky little word.  Especially for Garrett.  This morning, I got to hear all about “Snow White and the Seven Whores.”

Such appropriate timing considering our upcoming trip to Disney World!

She was so brave!

When we got to the store, the first thing the girl told me was “Just so you know, we can only do one at a time tonight.”  I thought she meant they could only pierce one ear today & then we’d have to come back tomorrow for the next one.  All I could think was, there is no way Ava will come back!  I think I must have had a confused look on my face because she quickly added, “We don’t have two guns tonight.”

Ahhhh, then it clicked!

They could only pierce one ear at a time.

Yeah, I tend to operate a beat behind…

Anyway, Ava chose little pink crystal earrings (those were the ones I secretly liked the best too!).  She only cried a little & we held hands until it was over.  She got a lollipop & then we headed over to the Disney store.  By the time we headed home , she was all smiles.

Doesn’t she look so grown up?

She’s 7 years old today.

Really?

Ava, I remember when you first came into our lives.  And no matter how much I am able to teach you, the truth is you will always teach me more.  God knew exactly how much I needed you.  There are times when I’ll look at you & simply be overwhelmed that He entrusted you to your daddy & me.

Baby girl, we love you so much.

And yes, today you can finally get your ears pierced!

Garrett came running up to me last night.  He was soooooooooooooooo excited!

“Mom!  MOM!  MOMMY!  LOOK MOMMY!”

He held up his finger.

I looked at his finger.

I looked at him.

I looked at his finger again.

I didn’t get it.

Don’t you hate it when your child is showing you something they think incredible, & you just don’t see it?

But, I covered with a “Whoa!  What do you see?” 

“Mom, I lost my nail!”, he replied.

Sure enough, he broke his nail.  I thought he was going to ask for a Scooby-Doo bandaid, but instead he exclaimed…

“Now I can put it under my pillow & the nail fairy can leave me a coin!”

Ha – I admit it, I actually snorted.

Yesterday, Adam & I celebrated our 10 year anniversary.

Our journey together has been quite the ride.  And here we are, 10 years later, still standing strong…even stronger.

I love this clip.  It’s from the movie “Parenthood.”  In it, the grandmother compares two rides – the roller coaster & the merry-go-round.  It not only is a great life metaphor, but it’s message is so applicable to marriage.

You know what?  I like the roller coaster too.

10 years ago I chose the roller coaster.

I’ve never regretted it.

And I’ll choose it every time…

My husband, I love you.

Today, we had a meeting today at Garrett’s school.  As I’ve shared before, Garrett is part of the IEP program.  Each year, he is evaluated to see if he qualifies for the program.  Last week, his teacher called to let us know some great news.  Garrett has met basically all of his goals & is doing incredible.  She wanted to give us the heads up that most likely, he will not qualify for the program.

All together now…

WAY TO GO GARRETT!!!

Adam & I are so proud of our little guy.  To look back & see where he started & how far he has come is truly overwhelming.

His teacher also needed to make us aware of another factor.  You see, the state paid for Garrett’s schooling since he was part of the IEP program.  However, now that he would essentially graduate & be a “regular” preschooler, we would be responsible for his tuition.  Honestly, Adam & I didn’t know how we were going to swing the extra monthly expense.  But, it was important to us that he continue at his school.  I knew that this was where he needed to be & that somehow we would make it work.

Then came the second sticky part.  While at the meeting, we also found out that there is a waiting list for kids to attend the school.  So, the team we were with couldn’t guarantee that Garrett would even be able to attend.  I admit, that was discouraging.  I was concerned about how Garrett would handle transitioning to a new school.  I shared these feelings in the meeting & told them that if we could make it work, then we wanted Garrett there.  The staff is incredible & we still wanted him with them.  On a whim, someone suggested that he be evaluated for pre-kindergarten assistance.  It turned out the woman was in the building that day & could see Garrett this afternoon.  We gave our consent & left.  I felt a twinge of sadness that he may no longer attend his school.  But, it didn’t in any way affect the joy of witnessing his progress.

And then this afternoon I received a call.

Not only will Garrett continue at the same school, with the same schedule, in the same classroom, with the same teacher, but his tuition is also being covered.  Isn’t that incredible?!?!  So, while he did move out of the IEP program, he still qualified for pre-kindergarten assistance.  I can’t begin to tell you how thankful I am right now!

The only difference is that he will no longer ride the bus.  I wasn’t sure how Garrett would react to the news.  However, when I told him that Mommy & Grady will now drive him to school & pick him up every day, he started beaming.

What a day!

Thank you God for our son.  Thank you for providing for his educational needs & for placing people in his life who have directly influenced the amazing boy he is.  You know how rough it’s been & how much I needed this extra touch today.  Thank you, my God.

Ava lost her front tooth last night!

I swear, this child has an obsession with her teeth.  She very well may follow in the footsteps of her Aunt Laur Laur & Uncle Brandon.

She came home from school & showed me how she could twist it & wiggle it around with her tongue.  Sure enough, later that night, she managed to pull it out.

The tooth fairy leaves dollar coins in our home.  Now, you would think that after last time, we would have invested in a few coins.  But, alas, Adam & I are sometimes slow to learn.  But, we are resourceful…

So, we took the original coin she got for her first tooth & put it under her pillow.  This morning I just made sure she spent the entire time downstairs with me, so she wouldn’t go looking for the coin.  She was so surprised when I brought down her clothes & toothbrush.  We were working on birthday stuff, so I told her I’d take care of getting her things ready.  Luckily, it worked!

This afternoon, Graders & I are going to the bank & buying lots of coins.  This time, we’re getting it right – ha!

The timing of the video in this post couldn’t have been better.

About a month ago, I had this strange pressing that I should walk down Rainbow Drive.  It came completely out of the blue.  You see, Rainbow Drive was a block away from the street I grew up on.  I haven’t been on or thought about Rainbow Drive in 25 years!

I shared this with one of my friends the day before I left for Nashville last month.  The very next day, I was in a studio on Music Row.  I met one of the coaches there & in the course of our conversation we discovered that we grew up in the same small town in Illinois.  And he lived on…wait for it…Rainbow Drive.

AHHHHHH!!!!  To call this a “coincidence” would be insulting to God.  No freaking way does a random small town Illinois street from one’s childhood pop into one’s head & then does said “one” meet another person the very next day, in the middle of Nashville, TN who lived on that very street.  Nope.  God-moment all the way.

It was such a sweet moment.  For me, it was a little affirmation from God that I’m taking the right steps down a path He’s laid out before me.

Anyway, I realized just this week that I never did take that walk.  So, Graders & I took a little trip on Friday.  Adam was working from home that day & would be there when Ava & Garrett got home from school.

And yes, Grady & I took a walk down Rainbow Drive (well, I walked…he rode in the wagon).

It was surreal.  I was amazed at all the memories that came rushing back.  I walked past our old house.  It’s still like I remember it, but the tree that I used to fall asleep under in our backyard is now ginormous.  I am thankful to have many wonderful memories from my childhood.  There are parts of it I definitely miss.  As I walked the old streets I could almost here the sound of the tires from our old bikes as we used to race up & down the sidewalks.   However, once you got on Rainbow Drive things changed.  One of the most unique things about Rainbow Drive is there are no sidewalks.  So, you had to ride on the street.  And to this day, there are no sidewalks on Rainbow Drive.  Hmmm…maybe I’ll use that as a lyric.

We watched this Trace Adkins video in church this past Sunday.  It’s called “You’re Gonna Miss This.”  It’s a cool depiction of taking the time to enjoy moments as they come.  Sure enough, one day you’ll look back & miss it.  Of course this isn’t true for all moments.  But, every now & again, we want to rush through life & hurry things along.  And it isn’t until we look back in our rearview mirror do we appreciate what we had when we had it.

Enjoy!