A Special Birthday!

Today, my husband, Adam, turns 32.

Adam, you are a wonderful man. You are a man of integrity and character. You take the time to not only say you care, but you show it as well. You’re not afraid to do the hard thing. You stand up for what you think is important & you stand by those you love. I respect that so much.

You are a loving husband. I trust you & the way you take care of me & our children. All those “little things” you do simply speak volumes of the kind of person you are. You never stopped wooing me! I can come home from a meeting & you have the electric blanket already turned on. You go to Indiana & bring me home chocolate truffles. You stop at a store & pick up flowers…for no reason, other than to say “I love you.” You make me laugh – it’s why I fell in love with you! Well that, and I also happen to think you’re hot! (can I say that? Sure – it’s my blog! 🙂 )

You are an amazing father. You come home from work & play with our kids. You pay attention to them & that means so much. Oh, if you only knew how much they look forward to seeing you! Every time Payton barks after it gets dark, they all run to the door saying, “Daddy!” You build snowmen with Ava, even when the last thing you want to do is freeze outside! You wrestle with Garrett & let him do the horrible “butt drop.” You chase Grady & he lights up. In fact, he walks around with my cell phone going, “Da-Da! Da-Da!” They simly adore you!

I couldn’t imagine my life without you in it & I love that we get to go through all of life’s joys & trials together.

Happy Birthday Took!

I love you!

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A Night at Chuck E Cheese’s

My parents came up to visit us yesterday & we headed to Chuck E Cheese’s for some family fun!

Note: NEVER go there on the weekend – boy, was it crowded!

Here are a few highlights of our evening:

 

Here’s Ava & her daddy playing “Star Wars”

It was pretty intense…

 

Garrett & Grandpa Dave

 

 

Garrett loved the “Whack a Mole” game!

 

 

Okay, I admit it…

I am a Skee-Ball FANATIC – I love this game!

I got my all time high score…41,000!!!

 

Here’s how I got it…

I’m totally kidding! My score was legit

 

 

 Grady enjoying the salad bar

 

 

 Grady & Grandma Bev

 

 

Having fun on the slide

 

 

Having fun together

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Mix Match

Ava usually does a good job picking out her own clothes.

Apparently, she was feeling extra “colorful” today!

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For Good

This phrase has been coming up a lot recently. My friend, Dennis, took his wife, Kim & their daughter, Shellie to see Wicked this week for Kim’s birthday. It’s so funny – we’ve been talking about this musical for a long time without ever going into specifics (I’d seen the musical, he’d only listened to the soundtrack about a million times). It was nice to finally have that conversation where we could talk about all the “surprises!”

“For Good” is one of my favorite songs. There is a line that goes, “because I knew you, I have been changed for good.” Every time I sing along with this, I get choked up. You see, that is something personally that I desire so strongly. I want to have that effect on the people in my life & I want them to have that effect on me.

I want to be able to say I am a better person because of the friendships in my life & vice versa. I want my friendships to be about not only loving the other person for who they are, but helping each other grow in a good way.

I also think about eternity when I listen to this song. Our time here is so fleeting. Because someone took the time to share God’s love with me when I was younger, I have been changed – for good.

I have a desire rooted deep in my heart to serve my God, & to help grow his Kingdom. I try so hard to be a living example of God’s love. I know I fall short, but I just keep thinking that if my thoughts stay focused on Him, then He alone will do good things through me. And if one day, when I’m standing in heaven, I am able to embrace a fellow sister or brother because they knew me…

Let us love one another.

Let us forgive one another.

Let us change one another – for good.

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Snowflakes

This is just too funny! I had to share it:

Ava has really been into making snowflakes lately. She makes about 7 a day & hangs them all over our house. They are taped on my pot rack, on the pantry door, the walls, etc.

I vaguely remember making snowflakes in school. So, when she asked me to show her how to make them, I recalled as best I could.

Here’s an example of a snowflake she made the way I showed her:

 

 

Last night, while I was at worship practice, Ava & Adam made snowflakes.

Here’s an example of a snowflake her daddy made:

 

 

Needless to say, Ava’s jaw dropped when she beheld her daddy’s work of art!

I think I need a refresher course in snowflake making…

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Another Birthday!

My little sister, Lindsay, turned 25 on Saturday!

We all got to have dinner with her, her boyfriend, Steve, her good friend, Rachel, & my parents. The kids actually behaved all through dinner – who could ask for a better present?

Linz, I love you. You are such a joy to our family. You have that natural way of making people feel good about themselves. I admire how quick you are to build another person up. You pay attention to the little things & know that they matter. I can’t tell you how many times Ava has been excited over getting a card from you & loving that you remembered to give her a sticker. Life is sweet baby girl, because there are people like you in it! Remember that.

Hey, guess what? You get to rent a car now!

Happy Birthday Aunt lele!

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Sweet Dreams

One of my good friends just asked me last night:

“What is something you never dreamed you’d love about being a mom?”

So, I’ve decided to give little examples here & there, as opposed to one long post.

 

Last night, Grady woke up around 2 am. I let him cry for a bit, hoping he’d fall back asleep.

No luck.

I then gave him a bottle and went back to bed.

He continued to cry.

I was exhausted from a very long week – all I wanted to do was sleep!

But, I got back up & went to his room again.

He was standing in his crib & when he saw me, he smiled and said, “ut, ut!” (up, up).

 

I never dreamed how much I would love rocking my baby at 2 am.

I never dreamed how feeling a little heartbeat against my chest would move me.

I never dreamed how much I would love having him fall asleep in my arms & just be amazed at watching him simply breathe.

I never dreamed that someone who used to fit inside of me, will one day be taller than me.

I never dreamed how complex time can be. How years can fly by & yet, how moments like these seem to last forever. 

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3 Questions

1. Guess what Ava & Garrett had for a snack today?

2. Guess who can reach things off the kitchen table now?

3. Guess who had quite a mess to clean up?!

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Random Quotes

I was getting Ava ready for school the other day.

I finished her hair & she examined my work in the mirror.

“Mommy,” she said, “Why does Daddy do better hair than you?”

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Better Watch Out Panera!

   

 

I took the kids to meet Adam for dinner in Downers Grove last night.

We went to Sweet Tomatoes. 

I love Sweet Tomatoes.

I love it so much that I’m doing another Top 10: 

 

1. THE SALAD BAR – it’s enormous! They have either tasty premade concoctions or you can make your own.
2. THE SOUPS – you had at least 5 different options to choose from. 
3. THE BREAD – I love bread…they had a nice variety, which is important to me!
4. VEGETARIAN CHILI – what?!?!?! I never get to have chili when I go out to eat – there’s always ground meat in the mix.
5. IRISH POTATO LEEK SOUP – again, what?!?!?! Usually, potato soups have bacon in it or a chicken base. This one was completely meat-free baby!
6. THEY’RE NEVER OUT OF ANYTHING – don’t you just hate it when you go to a buffet style restaurant & they’re out of the thing you want to try? By the time it’s replaced, you’ve moved on, leaving you with a “could have been so beautiful” feeling.
7. KID FRIENDLY – my kids had pizza, mac’n’cheese, pastas & veggies. They loved it!
8. MINI BLUEBERRY MUFFINS – oh, so good! I came thisclose to stuffing a couple into my purse for the drive home.
9. THE BROWNIES – they were warm! Top ’em with a little vanilla icecream and it’s heavenly!
10. IT’S SELF SERVE – you just go get what you want when you want it. You wanna start with that brownie? Go for it! Maybe you want soup, & then a brownie? Or maybe you want a pasta, then salad, and then the brownie. The possibilities are endless…

 

It’s probably a good thing they aren’t any closer. I’d eat out all the time!

 

 

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Adventures in Grocery Shopping, part 4

Thought this would be appropriate this week 🙂

 

If you have been following this series, you know by now that my cart is always full.  We are on our way to the checkout line, when I hear those dreaded words:

“Mommy, I have to go potty!”

You have got to be kidding me

Me: “Ava, why didn’t you go before we left?!”

Ava: “Because you didn’t tell me to!”

Whoops – score one for Ava.

Oh, when will I learn? I’m just terrible about reminding my kids to go to the bathroom before we leave the house.

So, Ava, Garrett, Grady & I stuff ourselves into the bathroom.

I can’t put the baby down, because who knows what is on the floor. Also, remember this is the little guy who LOVES taking toilet paper off the rolls. So, I assume the stance of a wrestler & attempt to put toilet paper on the seat, while holding Grady.

Garrett keeps trying to open the door.

Garrett: “Bye, Mommy!”

Me: “Leave the door alone.”

Garrett: “No Mommy, bad boy, you!”

Me: “Garrett go sit in the corner. No, wait! Don’t touch the floor!”

Poor, Ava is literally dancing because she’s about to burst.

Why is it that when you are in a rush, everything just seems to work against you? I was trying to put paper on the seat, and seriously, it seemed like every other piece kept falling into the toilet.

Ava: “Mommmmmmmmy!!!!”

Me: “I know Ava – I’m hurrying!”

Garrett: begins to sing “Scooby-Dooby-Doo, where are you…”

And then, in the midst of this chaos, I decided this was the perfect moment for a lecture.

Me: “Why didn’t you tell me earlier? Why did you wait until the last minute? Why didn’t you go before we left?”

Ava: “Because you didn’t…”

Me: “I know, I know – I didn’t tell you. We covered it already!”

Speaking of covered…by now I’ve finished with the seat.

Me:  “Okay Ava, go!”

Ava:  “Mommy, I can’t get my belt off!”

The belt.

Of all the days to put a belt on my kid!  So, I’m still holding Grady (my purse is somewhere in the mix), trying to undo a belt. Garrett is now belting out “Scooby-Doo” and with my luck, someone’s probably taken our grocery cart.

But wait! There is a happy ending in sight!

I got the belt off…

and Ava got to go potty.

FINALLY

We leave the bathroom and I swear to myself that I will never forget to remind the kids to go potty before setting one foot outside the door.

Oh, who am I kidding, right?

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And the Award Goes to…

Hey, overall it was a great day!

Garrett went 4x in the potty and 2x on the floor.

We called it a day around 3:00 pm. It was 65 degrees outside and the sun peeked out for a little bit, so I took the kids to the park. We were definitely tired of being cooped up in the kitchen!

Here is a recap of our day:

 

Coolest Moment of the Day

Ava not crying when Garrett got rewards today and she did not. I know it wasn’t easy sweetie, but I am proud of you!

 

Oddest Moment of the Day

Garrett getting his nebulizer treatment while sitting on the potty.

It just doesn’t seem right…

 

Grossest Moment of the Day

And the award goes to Mister Grady Newton.

While Mommy was fixing lunch, Garrett ran over to tell her that he went pee-pee in the potty.

Mommy walked over to find Grady splashing his hand in big brother’s pee.

 

Best Supporting Sister

The Academy would like to recognize Miss Ava Grace Newton.

Ava asked if she could pick out her own clothes today. Normally, this means that she’ll chose her frilliest dress.

Instead, she came down in her underwear & a shirt. Garrett didn’t want to wear his underpants at first. Ava wanted to show him that it was fun!

 

Best in Show

Little Einsteins

We must have watched this show at least 5 times today.

 

Best Costume

Diego underpants.

Spiderman came in a close second, with Thomas the Train bringing up the caboose.

 

Best Comedy

The Academy would like to recognize itself for this one. When Mommy couldn’t find her camera, she absentmindedly looked in the fridge for it.

 

Best Tragedy

And the winner is…Payton, the dog.

Mommy didn’t pay any attention to him today, since she was focused on Garrett. To get back at her, he too, peed on the floor.

 

Best Overall

The top award of the day goes to…

drumroll please…

GARRETT

Great job today Garrett – 4x in the potty. Way to go buddy!

Garrett goes back to school tomorrow, but we’ll be at it again in the morning.

Have a good evening!

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Today’s the Day

At least I hope it is.

Right now, I am sitting on my kitchen floor & this is where I’ll be all day (except when I take Ava to school).

Today, I am potty training Garrett.

My friend, Katie, let me borrow the book, Toilet Training in Less Than a Day a few months ago. I am hopeful that Garrett is now ready.

So, the snacks (rewards) are stacked, the grape juice is a-flowing & all his new underpants are ready to go. We’ve sung songs & we keep talking about what a “big boy” he is!

Right now, he keeps taking off the pee deflector…not a good idea.

We’ll see how the day goes!

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Sticky Fun

Adam likes to pretend that he doesn’t like my Mac.

That is, until he found the “Stickies” icon.

“Stickies” are basically electronic post-it notes. He’s been having lots of fun leaving them on my screen.

Here’s a little taste of my hubby’s humor:

(and yes, he knows I’m posting these 🙂 )

 

• You are the best wife a husband could ask for. Can you take my clothes to the cleaners tomorrow?

• Thanks for taking down all of the Christmas stuff. I didn’t want to do it.

• Sorry I didn’t bring home a dessert for you tonight. I went to my friend’s house to play Guitar Hero.

• I will be watching football all weekend. Please order a pizza. Pepperoni. No veggies.

• I love that your New Year’s resolution is to make our bedroom a clutter-free zone. This is an ’08 resolution, right?

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Happy Birthday!

Happy 23rd Birthday Brandon!!!

 My brother, Brandon, just moved back to Illinois after having lived in California.  Boy, did we miss him!

Brandon, you know how much I love you & I hope you also know what a powerful influence you are on my kids. Ava just adores you & Garrett talks about you all the time (and that means a lot coming from him!). As for Grady, well, it looks like he’s already following your example!

Thank you so much for being such a wonderful brother, brother-in-law & uncle. I simply couldn’t imagine life without you in it! Continue to pursue your goals & know that we are always here to support you & stand by you.

I dedicate today’s daily dose of sunshine to you. It’s a quote by Joni Eareckson Tada:

 

God specializes in things fresh and firsthand. His plans for you this year may outshine those of the past…He’s prepared to fill your days with reasons to give Him praise.

 

Happy Birthday B! 

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