Keepin' Up With the Geigers

Her Reaction

2012-02-08T15:19:00.004-06:00

I told Gemma that her birthday was next week and that I was going to make a 2-tiered cake for her and it was going to be pink and green.

I'm not sure what this means, exactly. I hope she shows a little more enthusiasm at her party next week...

Getting Into Things

2012-02-06T09:32:00.005-06:00

Gemma is of the age now where she likes to get into things. Everything. Literally.

She is also running off with stuff. Well, not exactly. Carter was a hider. He was really good at hiding things. Usually he would hide something in something else. Gemma is more of a drop-it-and-walk-off kinda gal. Which is exactly what she did with my phone Saturday afternoon. Think we could find it? Not a chance. Was my phone about ready to die when she walked off with it - of course! We couldn't even call it...

Jeremy and I went on a real date (no grocery shopping!!!) Saturday night so the kids stayed with my folks. When we got home, I went through the playroom and Jeremy looked over the rest of the house. We couldn't find it. Sunday morning, still couldn't find it. ALL Sunday afternoon - nothing. Then during the Super Bowl last night, Gemma comes strutting out of the playroom with my phone, like it was a trophy!! I have no idea where she had it. I looked through that playroom I don't know how many times. I'm just happy that she remembered where she put it and I don't have to get a new one!!

Done. Well, mostly...

2012-02-03T08:43:00.008-06:00

For the last several months I have been working on redoing my kitchen. We don't have a lot of money for major upgrades, so I worked with what I have on a budget. I think this entire project will cost us $300 or less. My 'Kitchen Makeover' involved painting my cabinets (don't worry - they were not high-quality wood to begin with. It's ok...), painting my countertops (yes,painting them!), painting walls, and installing tile backsplash. That's the 'almost done' part. We have some of the tile, but not all of it and we need to get it up. The other thing that's not quite finished, is the window. Jeremy needs to trim the window. Other than those two things, it's pretty well done!! YAY!!

Our house is not new. Have I mentioned that before? Couldn't remember. Our house is also a pre-fabricated house. I'm pretty sure that it was delivered in two halves and put together on site. Due the type of house it is, it doesn't have things that a 'normal' house might have - like sheet rock. Our walls are wall-board. The design that's on the wall, that IS the wall. So we had to do things a little differently. We had to use oil-based primer on EVERYTHING. Just to keep it from bubbling up and getting ruined. We also had a ceramic tile back-splash around the whole kitchen. When we ripped off those tiles, part of the wall came off with it. So we had to use sheet rock mud to repair that, prime and then paint. It was a process. I did all the work on the cabinets and countertops myself. My dad helped me pull off some of the tiles and my mom helped me prime and paint all the walls. Jeremy will be helping me with the tile.

On to the pictures!!

Here's what I started with:

And this is what we ended up with! I am SO happy with the way it turned out!!!

So now, we have this tile:

And it will look something like this on the walls:

We will put up just a half a sheet all the way around the island and then behind the kitchen sink, all along the north wall. We will completely cover the entire area between the cabinets and counters on the wall behind the stove.

And my mom is making me a curtain for the window. I'm so excited!!

I know these are kinda the halfway reveal pictures. But I will take pictures once the window and tile are done and the curtain is up and it is COMPLETELY done. I can't wait!!!

Thank you to my Mom, Dad and Jeremy for all the help - it's been a long process, but we're almost there!!

Birthday Party

2012-01-31T13:26:00.005-06:00

A couple weeks ago, my Mom celebrated her ?? birthday. She got quite the surprise when Mark & Heathers and kids showed up from MO unannounced! (Erica and I knew) We had dinner at a Mexican place in Clay Center and then we were off to bowling! The kids had a great time. Carter still says "Mom, sometime we should go bowling again!" After bowling, we went to Wendy's for coffee and ice cream.

Erica and I contacted mom's friends and family and put together a number of memories (a corresponding number with her birthday) and presented those to her during dinner. She read some during dinner, some while bowling, some at Wendy's and the rest on her own. We hope that she had a wonderful birthday!! There's no way we could have made it as special for her as she is to us!!

Surprise!!

?? number of memories in individual envelopes

(Sorry - really bad pic here, but it's the only one I got!! Oh wait, I have a short video...)

Soup's On

2012-01-26T13:12:00.007-06:00

I'm on a mission lately for better time management and organization (the word makes me cringe) in my life and in our home. I have never been a clean freak (quite the opposite, in fact) but in recent weeks I've noticed that I've been able to keep my kitchen, living and dining room table clean(ish). I've determined that one of my biggest downfalls in time management is dinner. I never know what to make and once I figure it out, I either don't have all the right stuff and have to start over or what I need is still frozen. Happens 5 days a week!

So in an effort to streamline dinner, I decided to do a more extensive menu plan. (I've done this before for 2 weeks at a time. I love those two weeks. But I can't seem to "find time" to do it again once those 2 weeks are up!) So now I'm introducing the 4 week menu plan. I will start on Monday and it goes for 4 whole weeks, excluding Saturdays. Those can be clean-up-the-fridge days. I am going to try not to make more than we will eat, with the exception of maybe an extra serving for me to take to work the next day or extras to be purposely used in planned meals later in the week. I hate having a fridge full of leftovers that no one wants to eat and then they go bad. Not good money management. I also am going to try and have all meals done by 6:30. That way I know what my schedule will be. Even if Jeremy's not home (he's usually not), dinner will be done for the kids to eat. This way, I'm not tempted to feed them unhealthy, convenience foods. (I've already turned Carter into somewhat of a chicken nugget/corn dog/scrambled eggs snob by doing that.)

And speaking of healthy, while I was at it, I decided why not make it look like a school lunch menu? I've added a fruit and veggie to each menu item. I know myself well enough to know that if I don't plan for it, I won't shop for it, I won't buy it and it won't make it to the table. We all could eat more fruits & veggies. I am trying to loose some pounds so I'm hoping by integrating more good stuff, I'll less of the not-as-good stuff at meals.

I took the kids (by myself, I will add) to go shopping for ALL our groceries for 4 weeks. Including most of the stuff I'll need for Gemma's birthday party in a couple of weeks. I wasn't quite sure where my budget would end up. I tried not to be too hard on myself, only because I haven't shopped for 4 weeks worth of groceries in a really long time. I think I did ok. I had some extra stuff for the party, and a few staples that I won't have to buy all the time, but overall I think I did well. Now I kind of can have and idea of what it might be like going forward and can budget more effectively.

Side note: I put the menu plan in a sheet protector and I hang it on my fridge. If I have printed off any recipes I find and want to try, I put those in the sheet protector behind the menu plan, so everything is right there. I also have started a new menu so I can add to it as I go along, instead of having to sit down and plan 4 weeks worth of meals at one time. That's time consuming and can be overwhelming. I can also have it done and shopped for before we eat the last meal on the previous plan. You might also notice that every Tuesday is a crockpot meal. Those are my Bible Study nights and I leave home at 6:00. Not having to worry about cooking on Tuesdays is a big deal - the kids and Grandma Connie can eat and Jeremy and I can eat when I get home.

Wanna see it? Here's my meal plan for the next 4 weeks:

Not the Only One

2012-01-20T09:20:00.004-06:00

Remember this?

Well now Carter's not the only one who loves "bull riding". Gemma loves it too. (She was constantly moving - it was hard to get good pics!)

Carter plays the rodeo clown and she grins so big her face must hurt! She cries when you take her off the bouncy ball and then she stands next to it bouncing up and down in anticipation that you'll put her on it again.

Meat Eater

2012-01-16T10:03:00.004-06:00

Carter is a picky eater. I'm afraid I made him that way. When Jeremy works late and it was just the two of us, it was SO much easier to make him something quick to eat and then make a meal for me & Jeremy when he got home.

Thankfully Carter and Gemma like meat. Which is good because we always have a freezer full of beef and sometimes pork. They are pretty darn good meat eaters. We start our kids off young, when it comes to hamburgers and steaks and ham and sausage and bacon and roasts and...

On this particular night, Carter was not digging the pork burger, but Gemma was!

Waffles & Tractors

2012-01-10T08:39:00.003-06:00

Believe it or not, we haven't done much since Christmas. It's always nice to get a week and a half off at Christmastime. It definitely has cut down on the insanity for me around that time of year as far as traveling and preparations go.

Since Christmas, we've just been hanging out. We haven't done anything fantastically exciting. Just being home-bodies. When we do that, I forget to take pictures... But this is basically what we do when we're doing nothing...

Eating waffles. With a side of ham!

And playing tractors. Well, to be fair, Jeremy and Carter were playing cows and tractors on his new play rug he got for Christmas. Gemma has taken the role of "Mother Nature" very seriously and tries to make the destruction as life-like as possible.

She's a hurricane.

Projects

2012-01-02T09:18:00.007-06:00

Before Christmas I became enthralled with sewing. I stole my mother's table and I set up my sewing machine in my bedroom in a semi-permanent status. My mother would very much like to have her table back so I'm working on something else to house my machine. I have a goal to make a blanket for Gemma for her first birthday in mid-February, but time is quickly passing. It may be Easter.

Anyway, I wanted to share with you just a couple of the projects I made that I had a lot of fun doing.

For my mom and my friend, Laura, I made journal covers. I used this pattern from allpeoplequilt.com. (I've really like this website - they have a lot of easy-ish beginner patterns.)

For Carter, I made a car blanket/quilt. I used this pattern, also from allpeoplequilt.com.

I really had fun making these gifts. Carter's blanket didn't take as long as I thought. I don't have a quilting machine, so I tied it. I've been researching 'free-motion' quilting (watching YouTube videos) and I think I could do it. I need to practice and I need to figure out the settings on my machine.

I think I decided to make this one for Gemma. This one wouldn't require any 'quilting'.

It says the approximate crafting time is 8 hours. For me that might be doubled, and when you can't sit for 16 hours and do it start to finish, it's hard to tell... Hopefully, but her birthday. Now I just need to go fabric shopping. I've been hearing a lot of good things about shopping online for fabric. I may just give that whirl...

Long term goal is to make a queen sized quilt for mine & Jeremy's bed. I think I might even have a pattern picked out. Need to narrow down colors. Our walls our white(ish) and we don't have a set color scheme in our room. I figure I might want to paint a wall or two and I should do that first.

Uncontainable

2011-12-30T11:30:00.002-06:00

I don't even really know if 'uncontainable' is the appropriate word, but Gemma is a master at spilling. Anything. Drinks. Snacks. You name it, she can make a mess out of it.

Several months ago I bought some snack cups with lids at Target, thinking they were the coolest invention. Cheerios and crackers contained by a lid with access. Love it! Not so fast, Mom.

Insert hand, hold on tight, and shake.

Task complete.

For Christmas, Grandma Connie was smart and got her a GyroBowl. Have you seen them? They are advertised as "The Kid-Proof, Spill-Proof Bowl". Right on the package - see?

Well, sirs, you haven't met this little lady who can spill anything, sometimes without much effort.

Spill proof, huh? Really. Don't get me wrong, she tries plenty hard to get everything all out on the floor, but spill proof? I think that's a little misleading, don't you? The search to contain all things spillable continues...

2011 Christmas

2011-12-28T08:54:00.007-06:00

I'll spare you every picture of every gift anyone opened this year. For some reason my picture taking skills left much to be desired and about 1 in 5 pictures actually turned out good!

We were blessed to be able to spend the week before and Christmas Eve with Jeremy's sister and her family who traveled from El Paso. Carter and Andre had so much fun catching up with each other!! They started off good, but it wasn't long before they were back in the ole swing of things and telling on each other and fighting over toys. Just like the good old days!

Christmas day was spent with my family at my Mom & Dad's. A good time was had by all!! We are so thankful for our family and friends and already we're looking forward to next year!! :)

It's That Time Of Year

2011-12-21T10:52:00.003-06:00

...when I sign off for a few days. I won't be working, so I figure I won't be blogging.

Jeremy's sister and her family are here from Texas! With a 3 year old and two dogs it was a long trip for them - I think I heard 18 hours. Yikes!! But they brought some news with them from El Paso - I'm going to be an aunt again!! YAY!!! Even though I have vowed to never set foot in Texas (have you seen Texas Chainsaw Massacre???) I might have to break my rule in June if she doesn't make the trip back here... I'm terrible I know.

We have the Geiger Christmas all day Saturday. I love having Christmas Eve with the Geigers. The guys are out all morning doing chores and such and the ladies stay home to cook. This year Carter & Andre are big enough that we might send them with the guys! Then we spend the day munching and playing games, opening gifts and having a great time together. We have a fooz-ball tournament every year, so that should be fun.

On Christmas morning we go to the Julotta service at church at 6:00 am. That is one of my all-time favorite Christmas traditions. The entire service is by candle-light. Every year different people in the congregation do a special musical number or reading and our pastor tries to tell the Christmas story from a different point of view each time. We take the kids in their pajamas and it's a very casual but meaningful service.

Then we high-tail it to my mom & dad's and have our Christmas with my whole family! This year will be a real treat because my brother and his family will be here for Christmas day!! Normally we do Christmas with them a week or so before, and we just save a few gifts for the kids to open on Christmas day. This year we get the whole shootin' match! It's mass chaos and I love it!! We've been on dad to start on the addition because their living room gets smaller every year. :)

Then, we head home and have our small family Christmas with all our gifts from Santa. This is also a very special time for me. There's not the distraction of other people or other gifts. It's just us and memories!

Check

2011-12-19T10:33:00.006-06:00

We attended our first Christmas of the year. Check. One down, two to go. It is fun to get together with family and play games and watch the kids play together. Carter and the others played so good this year that after lunch, I never once saw Carter until it was time to open gifts! It was Gemma's first time to open a gift or anything, so she was having a ball. As a matter of fact most of the pictures I have are blurry because she never quit moving!!

From the Rundquist Christmas, we headed over to Olsburg to see Santa, aka Grandpa Warren. Gemma did just fine. She never batted an eye.

Carter, however, well I don't think he knew what was really going on. He told me later that he thought Santa looked like Grandpa Warren, but apparently, that wasn't good enough.

They are calling for snow - 8-10 inches I hear. People are starting to talk here at school... :)

Projects and Opinions

2011-12-15T15:32:00.009-06:00

I have really enjoyed sewing lately - it's my new favorite hobby. So much in fact, that I have been considering how (and where) to make a permanent home for my sewing machine. Currently it's sitting on a borrowed folding table in my bedroom, and I'm sure my mom will want her table back soon.

Anyway, I can't share pictures or too much detail with you as most of the projects I'm working on or have finished are Christmas presents for people I know read this. At least I think they do. They tell me they do...

I will tell you that I've been doing a lot, a LOT, of looking for sewing projects and quilt patterns. I was recently introduced to Pintrest and that has been a lot of fun. I never knew you could do so much with a t-shirt! I actually made a scarf from a t-shirt the other night, but mine didn't turn out at all like the tutorial. Whatever. It's fine.

Projects I'm looking at doing in the future:

*Quilt/Blanket for Gemma's 1st birthday in February

*Quilt for our bed

*Sewing machine cover

*Making clothes and/or accessories for the kids and myself

*Making more Christmas and other gifts for friends and family

Now for your opinions - Here are a few ideas I have for Gemma's blanket/quilt. I'd love to have your vote/comments/opinions on any or all of them.

1.
2.

3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

And here's one I'm thinking of doing for me & Jeremy, only bigger and in different colors:

What are your favorites and why?

New Record

2011-12-13T09:00:00.004-06:00

We always thought that Carter was a super-star when he was little. He was crawling at 5 months, walking around 10 1/2 or 11 months, and was speaking pretty clearly by 1 year.

We'd always heard that successive children typically do things slower because the older kids do everything for them. Carry them around, talk for them, that kind of thing.

Gemma has just broken Carter's record. She will be 10 months on Friday and she started do this last Tuesday. Look. Out. Folks.

Graham Cracker House

2011-12-08T14:08:00.006-06:00

I don't consider myself to be a very creative person, but I also think that I'm growing my own sense of creativity in my, uh, older years.

For instance, today, I had a blast helping Carter make his graham cracker house in preschool. (Have I mentioned how thankful I am that I work across the street from the preschool and in the same district?)

As "we" were making this house, my mind kept going in different directions, thinking of neat things that could be done. I had to remind myself that this was Carter's project, but I definitely see my hands all over the finished project. But, I'm certain Carter had fun making this house. In fact, he was so proud of "his" creation, he decided to leave it on my desk "so everyone can see it!" He should be proud - it turned out great. And some of it was even his idea!! :)

We started off with graham crackers, frosting, an empty milk carton, and lots of choices for decorations.

Then we added lots of candy, fun and love!

And voila!

Done

2011-12-06T09:36:00.006-06:00

I'm almost done with my Christmas shopping. We still have to get something for Jeremy's dad and Mindy's husband, but other than that I'm mostly done.

Last night I just finished up Carter's teacher gifts. I found the idea on Pintrest, right here in fact. Now, you might notice a slight difference in mine and the ones I found, but that's the point, right? Make it your own.

I started with a white mug from Wal-Mart for $1.50. I printed off the letters of the teachers' first initials and taped them on. Then I traced around them with a red fine-tipped Sharpie in the same color as my paint marker.

I got the paint marker at Hobby Lobby for $2.99. There was a variety of colors.

Next, I traced over the Sharpie outline with my paint marker. Some of them I filled completely, some I scribbled in and some I left alone.

Here are the finished mugs. I filled them with Christmas candy. Not too expensive and I think a fairly nice teacher's gift. I may just do this for all of Carter's teachers in years to come.

Oh!! Spoiler alert if one of Carter's teachers (or future teachers) is reading this! ;)

Untangling Christmas

2011-12-01T10:26:00.003-06:00

I came across a book a while ago that I would very much love to get my hands on. It's called Untangling Christmas.

You can find the website here. Have any of you read it? I think it looks like a wonderful book about making Christmas more about Christ and less about all the other stuff. I won't go so far as to say that we boycott gift-giving, but I would definitely love to have a more Christ-centered Christmas season. I would love to hear some of your ideas. I really want to do an advent activity of some sort, but it is December 1st already and I have nothing together and no idea where to start.

Day 30 - I'm Thankful For...

2011-11-30T09:00:00.000-06:00

... my family. Aside from Christ, they are the single most important thing to me. I love them and couldn't live without them!

Day 29 - I'm Thankful For...

2011-11-29T08:57:00.003-06:00

...the birthday cake my family made me last night. My husband even made me homemade cream cheese frosting - I never lifted a finger to help him at all. I told Carter I wanted it to be blue. I think they did a fabulous job!! (Try to overlook my mid-reno kitchen.)

(Yes, I was tired and not really feeling that well. But, it was an amazing cake!!!)

And, I was presented with a present after the cake - a gift certificate to a local salon for two one-hour massages! Oh, my husband knows me well... :) Love you guys so much and thanks for making this birthday memorable!!!

Day 28 - I'm Thankful For...

2011-11-28T08:53:00.004-06:00

My birthday. Yes, today is my birthday. The fifth grade class came in to tell me Happy Birthday today - it was cute. They were all guessing my age. The guesses ranged from 27 (thanks!!) to 144. Funny. Let's just say I'm somewhere in the middle. ;)

My good friend Laura put on a Birthday Extravaganza for me over the last several days. Wednesday night last week they had us all over for dinner and she made a presentation of my birthday gifts.

First up were my new shears. Laura's husband Mike was more excited about these than she was. He had to set up the ground rules - Jeremy was not allowed to use them to cut wire or tin with these, no matter how tempting! :)

Apparently Ginghers are quite the scissors! I used them yesterday and they cut fabric like a hot knife through buttah.

Next, she presented me with my very own rotary cutting system. I've been borrowing hers while working on a Christmas project (which is almost done!!).

Then, while we chatted after dinner, I got to pick out some fabric and she whipped me up a quilted bag before we left. :)

Then yesterday, Laura took me out for lunch after church, just she and I. Steak and lobster. Mmmmmmm.... She's really something else!

AND tonight, my hubby has promised to make me dinner! :) AND tomorrow night my mom & my sister and I embark on our traditional Christmas shopping trip. That will be the most fun of all!!

Day 27 - I'm Thankful For...

2011-11-27T08:46:00.001-06:00

...Birthdays.

...And those yet to come.

Day 26 - I'm Thankful For...

2011-11-26T08:53:00.001-06:00

... Carter's dreams of being a bull rider. God help me... :)

Day 25 - I'm Thankful For...

2011-11-25T09:00:00.001-06:00

... Muddy fun!

Day 24 - I'm Thankful For...

2011-11-24T09:16:00.001-06:00

... All of God's creation and all that He has blessed us to be able to experience!

Day 23 - I'm Thankful For...

2011-11-23T09:17:00.004-06:00

(my mom & her sisters)

... Girl time.

Day 22 - I'm Thankful For...

2011-11-22T09:39:00.003-06:00

... The basic sewing skills my mother taught me. Also the willingness of good friends (and neighbors) to teach and help me complete a project very special to me. Soon to be revealed...

So Sore

2011-11-21T09:44:00.005-06:00

Ever heard of Jillian Michaels? They say she's the toughest trainer on TV. I don't usually watch TV with trainers, but recently I decided to challenge myself and I bought The 30 Day Shred DVD. Yes - she's tough. I did my first session on Friday night. Saturday morning I was stiff and sore. I did another session first thing Saturday morning and once I started I was feeling better. By Sunday morning, I couldn't hardly move!

I always liked to think that between hauling kids and car seats around that I was fairly strong or tough. Boy, was I wrong! The DVD is broken down into 3 levels. Once you "master" the first level, you move to level two, then three. Each level has 3 circuits: 3 minutes strength, 2 minutes cardio, and 1 minute abs for a total of 20 minutes. I do ok with the cardio and the abs, its the strength that kills me. every. time.

I've completed 3 days so far. I have every intention of going the full 30 days, no matter what gets in my way. Except maybe Thanksgiving Day. I might purposely skip that day. Since I didn't follow through on my goal to loose 30 pounds by my 30th birthday, I'll try again, Jillian-style.

Day 21 - I'm Thankful For...

2011-11-21T09:10:00.005-06:00

...Riddick. I am glad that he was rescued and that someone thought of us and that Jeremy said yes. The kids love him, most of the time. He keeps the chickens away from Carter, and he is very gentle, yet playful, with Gemma - and she loves every minute! He is a wonderful dog and obeys pretty well! He has learned to sit and lay down. Titan never did lay down on command. Even though he's growing big he still has plenty of puppy in him! Now if only I could teach him to not go to the bathroom in the yard. Any tricks on training him to go in the trees? I can't hardly walk to the shop or the clothes line!! :)

Day 20 - I'm Thankful That...

2011-11-20T09:23:00.001-06:00

...Fire place ashes are not harmful when ingested in small quantities.

Day 19 - I'm Thankful For...

2011-11-19T08:00:00.000-06:00

... Our wooden high chair. We got this as a gift when Carter was born and it was old then. It has so much charm and character. We will NEVER sell this or get ride of it. Jeremy and I always knew that we didn't want a modern plastic *safe* high chair for our kids. We wanted something antique-y. We got it. Jeremy has had to replace various screws and reinforce it with wood glue. But we love it!!

Day 18 - I'm Thankful For...

2011-11-18T11:16:00.005-06:00

...County living. Jeremy and I are both so thankful that we are able to raise our family in the country where they can be a part of "real life". They have the opportunity to experience first hand so many things they otherwise would never see or do.

Day 17 - I'm Thankful For...

2011-11-17T08:43:00.003-06:00

...Where we live. We are so fortunate that we live close to both our parents and my job/school. We are also very lucky that there is an old boat dock about a mile away down at the lake. We love to go down there and throw rocks & sticks in the water. We don't do it as much as we should, but it's a good way to spend time together without having to go too far!

Day 16 - I'm Thankful For...

2011-11-16T08:47:00.002-06:00

... Siblings who get along - at least for now. :)

Day 15 - I'm Thankful For...

2011-11-15T12:11:00.005-06:00

... All the places Carter's been. And all the places he has yet to go.

Day 14 - I'm Thankful For...

2011-11-14T09:05:00.004-06:00

... my husband's many talents! He can farm, wrench, repair, weld, build, and more and still be in a good mood at the end of the day!

Day 13 - I'm Thankful For...

2011-11-13T08:00:00.000-06:00

...Our neighbors. Our good friends. Our mentors. There are not enough days in November to tell you how truly thankful and blessed we are to have the Renfros as our neighbors. {I don't have enough pictures, either!}

Day 12 - I'm Thankful For...

2011-11-12T07:00:00.001-06:00

..."Thank You Envelopes". This was Carter's fabulous idea. He made a bunch {like he found a whole box of envelopes, kind of a bunch} of these "thank you's". Just to have around, I guess, in case he ever needed to send one. Great idea, buddy!!

Day 11 - I'm Thankful For...

2011-11-11T10:24:00.003-06:00

... My dad and my father-in-law who fought in Vietnam, alongside countless others, as well as all other past and present members of the Military who have fought (or currently are fighting) in any of our nation's many battles, wars and "conflicts". My brother-in-law, Jeremy, who is stationed in El Paso, is also a member of the Military. It hits pretty close to home. If not for these brave and selfless men and women, who knows where our country might be today. I shudder to think.

We should all be thankful for their sacrifices.

Day 10 - I'm Thankful For...

2011-11-10T07:00:00.004-06:00

...Jeremy always making time for the kids. No. Matter. What. Even when he's working. I'm also thankful that Carter loves some of the same things Jeremy loves. Like this. :)

Day 9 - I'm Thankful For...

2011-11-09T10:03:00.005-06:00

... Cousins. I'm so thankful that on both sides of the family Carter and Gemma will have cousins close by to grow up with and hopefully be very close friends with. I'm very thankful for that!

Day 8 - I'm Thankful For...

2011-11-08T08:25:00.003-06:00

... Carter's first snow angels last year.

Day 7 - I'm Thankful For...

2011-11-07T12:24:00.004-06:00

... my Bible. My neighbor and good friend, Laura, got it for me. It is a parallel Bible.

It is a parallel between the NIV and the Message. I recently discovered The Message and I love it. I really love this book because both versions are side by side and it makes it so much more easy for me to read and compare both.

I don't know if you can read it or not, but this might give you an idea of how The Message reads, and why I love the parallel!

Day 6 - I'm Thankful For...

2011-11-06T08:54:00.001-06:00

...our church. It's a wonderful feeling knowing that we have a whole congregation thinking of our family and including us in their prayers. Which is clearly evidenced by this adorable Prayer Blanket made by the ladies of our church, each knot tied by members of the church and prayers whispered each time. A "blanket of prayers". :)

Day 5 - I'm Thankful For...

2011-11-05T08:38:00.001-05:00

...cows. They are my husband's job. He gets paid to take care of the them. It just so happens that they are his favorite hobby! How lucky is that?

Day 4 - I'm Thankful For...

2011-11-04T08:20:00.005-05:00

...Grandma Edie and the chance to know her. She left England when she married Jeremy's Grandpa Geiger during WWII when he was stationed there. She left her family and home and came to America without knowing anyone and set up her new home and her life on a farm in the middle of nowhere. I learned so much from her and I adored her! She passed away a couple of years ago. I'm also thankful that she was able to be here for Carter's birth and I'm sad she never got to meet Gemma.

Thankful November

2011-11-03T15:02:00.008-05:00

This upcoming holiday season I need daily reminding that life is not about things. It's not about what I have or don't have, it's not about what gifts I give. It's not about how much money I spend. During the month of November, I am going to try to do daily photographic posts of things I'm thankful for - past or present. I need to remind myself that all things I have are a gift from God and that I need to put more focus on Him than myself. Since it is already November 3rd, here are the first three posts.

Day 1 - I'm Thankful For...

Little 2 year old boys helping Grandma make mashed potatoes at Christmas

Day 2 - I'm Thankful For...

Freedom

Day 3 - I'm Thankful For...

My little man being such a good big brother!

Sneak Peek

2011-11-01T14:30:00.003-05:00

I don't have the full Halloween post ready yet, but here's a little sneak peek:

Party On!

2011-10-27T14:33:00.004-05:00

Today was Carter's first school party. I think he had fun. There are 9 boys in Carter's preschool class. There was a Superman, Buzz Lightyear, a couple of Transformers and a few others. Only one other Cowboy. Although, Carter isn't really a Cowboy, he's a Calf Roper.

I just popped across the street for a few pictures.

Carter shared his funnel cake with me. :)

Superman is Carter's buddy Landon, from church.

Miss Kim is a cute little Green Crayon. She helped spin Carter around for Pin-The-Nose-On-The-Pumpkin. How'd he do?

Pretty good, I'd say!

Be sure to check back next week for hopefully a complete post of Halloween weekend fun. I hope you all have a safe and Happy Halloween weekend!!

Traditions

2011-10-25T08:51:00.004-05:00

I have never had much for our own traditions for holidays other than Thanksgiving and Christmas. We dress up for Halloween and go trick-or-treating, but other than that, I haven't done much on my own for my family when it comes to holidays. This will be a year of firsts in our house.

We have had pumpkins around the house before but we've never really carved them. (I don't like to pay for pumpkins, so if we can't "find" them, we don't get them.) This year, we landed on 5 pumpkins. So we decorated them - potato-head style.

My mom found us a set of these fun little plastic eyes, mouths, noses and ears a few years ago. Carter had a ball using these! He's big enough now where he can almost punch them in by himself, but he still needed a little mom-muscle.

I think I might try to talk Jeremy into carving the other 3 sometime this week if he can get home before dark. :)

Things on My Mind...

2011-10-21T10:47:00.004-05:00

This is me just jotting down some things that have been clogging up brain space lately. You don't really have to pay attention - there will NOT be a quiz later. Although I do welcome comments and/or advice on any or all of the following.

Why do I...

always seem to need one and a half times as much conditioner as I do shampoo? My conditioner is always out when I still have half a bottle of shampoo left...
not mop or vacuum my floors more often? I'm pretty sure sweeping doesn't quite cut it.
get frustrated and, dare I say it, mad (yes I said it) at Gemma because she wants to be held all the time? She's a baby and I'm her mommy and she's putting in four teeth! Of course she wants to be held.
put my kids off so I can do housework? Like my housework is growing older and older by the minute and not my kids.
use my clothes dryer so much? Would it really kill me to save a little money and hang my clothes out on the line? Especially now that we've had a frost and most of the spider and creepy-crawlys are gone?
still hang onto my favorite hairbrush even though the handle broke off? Even though I've tried twice to glue it and it still keep breaking off? Because it's my favorite, I guess...
put off quiet time/prayer time/time with God? I benefit from it for sure, which in turn means my family benefits. Something I need to be more diligent about.
come home with so much "fluff" from the grocery store? Do we really need it? It's been close to six weeks since I was last at the grocery store. That's not to say I haven't bought milk, bread or other items, but I haven't really gone to the store in about 6 weeks. We're getting down to the bare bones but we're surviving. It's good to get right down to the shelves in the pantry every now and again. To clean out the freezer. I'm kind of liking it.
hang onto mistakes I make for so long? I'm getting better at this, and I'm trying to let it go and make the best of what is right now. It's tough.
dwell on the fact that my kids are constantly growing and growing up? I can't make them stay little and in all reality I don't really want them to. Every stage in their lives is amazing and I just need to do all I can to preserve the memories we make everyday. I need to start journaling... Wait - isn't that why I'm blogging? :)

Gigglin' & Babblin'

2011-10-20T13:46:00.003-05:00

There are few things in life better than a babbling baby. Maybe a giggling baby. But for sure nothing better than a baby that smiles and giggles and babbles. ;) (Although Dove dark chocolate and corn flake chicken are close seconds!)

As you can tell, it was a bit awkward for me to be holding the camera and try to help her stand up on the slick floor, but don't worry - no one was hurt in the making of this memory.

Gemma is working on teeth. She's eight months old now and just in the last 3 weeks she's got almost 6 teeth! Her bottom two and top two are in. You can see top eye teeth on either side of the middle ones but they just haven't broke through just yet. Poor baby!! It does my heart good to see her smile and giggle like this, knowing that she probably doesn't feel very good right now.

Goofing Around

2011-10-19T08:58:00.004-05:00

Who knew pictures in a kitchen by a 4 year could have turned out so good?

Fore!

2011-10-18T15:49:00.004-05:00

My dad loves golf. He loves to play golf, he loves to watch golf. I don't. I think is one of the most single boring-est sports out there. To watch at lease. To play, that's different. Before we start, please note - I do not play golf. We get a golf cart, some clubs, maybe a few adult beverages, and we have fun. Playing golf. That's what Jeremy and I did with our friends Cory & Wendy this weekend. A little breezy, but the weather was lovely.

We didn't keep score - but if we did, I'm sure the girls would have won!! We had a great time with plans to do it again soon, before the snow flies!

Uno!

2011-10-13T10:12:00.004-05:00

Carter's new favorite game (that Mom & Dad will actually play!) is Uno. Jeremy and I are not big fans of Candyland when Carter doesn't like play by the rules. It can drag on and on, similar to Monopoly or Life. We like Uno. It focuses on colors and numbers. We still don't exactly make him follow all the rules just yet, but we are working more on number recognition. He's good with colors. I guess last night, Gemma thought she would get in on the fun!

I'm so proud of Carter as a big brother. He very rarely gets frustrated with Gemma. If she's in his way, he (sometimes gently) picks her up and moves her to another room or area. Sometimes he'll even find her something else to play with if she's getting into his things. But last night, he just let her play. He played around her. He would nicely tell her not to chew on the cards, but he didn't let her bother him. I love his patience with her!!

Your Card is in the Mail

2011-10-12T10:00:00.005-05:00

Today is Erica's birthday and I didn't get her card to her on time. It's in the mail. Well, it was supposed to be in the mail this morning, but I left it on the counter. I know.

I'm sure most of you know that Erica is my sister. She has been my sister all my life. We did not get along all my life. I'm sure it was the typical older-younger sister relationship. She was bossy, I was perfect. You know. But now, things are much different - much better. I learn from her "experience" as she's older and wiser now. She's a Christian firm in her faith and I look up to her and seek her advice. But, I'm still perfect and she's still bossy! :) And I still hope that one day I'm as cool as she is.

Erica, I truly treasure spending time with you and can only look forward to growing closer and closer.

I love you and I hope you have a wonderful day - your card is in the mail.

New Tricks and Some Treats

2011-10-10T15:42:00.008-05:00

Gemma, Gemma, Gemma. That girl amazes me every day. Now that she's a pro at standing up next to everything, and recently standing without holding on to anything, she's braving new adventures and new heights. Literally.

C'mon girlfriend - at least Carter waited until he was 3 before his first broken arm (knocking on wood that it will be the ONLY!!!!). Give me a break!

Meanwhile, back at daycare, Carter and his buddies helped Tiff in her garden.

This is Kaden, Jarin & Carter. And monstrous carrots. :) Gee wizz, Tiff, need a little Miracle Grow? This is a pretty darn good group of boys. Every. Single. Morning. Kaden greets me with "Whasurname?" Every day. Last week I told him Crocodile Dundee - He says "noooo, that's not right!" And Jarin. I like that kid! When I leave after feeding Gemma at lunch I always give Carter a hug and a kiss. Most days Carter suckers an extra hug out of me by saying "Mom-do you know what you forgot? A hug!" And Jarin says "Want. Hug. Too, Kay-tee" Of course Carter throws a fit and Jarin usually settles for a fist bump or hi-five.

Everyday brings new stories and new adventures!

Go Cats!

2011-10-04T12:14:00.004-05:00

We ventured with kids on Saturday to the KSU v. Baylor game. Whoa. What. A. Game.

Gemma was ready for her first big football experience!

And yes - that is a little bitty pigtail up top!

Anniversary Gift

2011-09-30T08:40:00.007-05:00

Last weekend on Sunday was our 7th wedding anniversary. The last seven years have been trying, hard, fun, and some of the best times of my life all rolled into one big ball of happiness. We've lost friends and family members, pets, and we've celebrated additions to both sides of the family. We celebrated our own additions to our family, and Sunday we added one more.

This is Riddick. (I know some folks give their dogs middle & last names, we don't.) Riddick was found abandoned on the side of the road somewhere out West by Dodge City. My co-worker's daughter's boyfriend picked him up. Just for us, I think. He's not a pure bred German Shepherd. The vet said his ears are shorter and his paws are white. Based on his teeth they are guessing he's about 3 months old and based on his size for his age, they are thinking he'll be about an 80 pound dog. That's what we're used to. :)

He is definitely already part of our family. He was supposed to be "Carter's dog" but not so much. Carter likes him fine, from a bit of a distance. He doesn't like it when Riddick tries to play with him, or runs off with one of his toys.

Gemma, however, now that girl is in love. She will follow that dog anywhere and she plays with his toys more than her own!

Our Rottweiler, Titan, died when Gemma was about 3 weeks old. So this might possibly be her dog. He's fairly obedient for only having been with us for less than a week. He can sit and lay down (sometimes without treats!) and he's getting used to coming when called. We're still working on house-breaking him, even thought he'll mostly be an outside dog. He likes to hide things. We have a few inside toys and chewy-things. If he's not chewing them, he tries to hide them - behind furniture, in corners, under the couch, anywhere. Jeremy says that's because he was on his own and he wants to hide the things that are his. So sad.

We are so thankful that this dog found his way, all the way, to our family!

Riddick, you're a perfect fit!

Great-Grandma & Gemma

2011-09-26T08:42:00.004-05:00

At Maddie's birthday party a couple of weeks ago, Gemma got to hang out with my Grandma, her Great-Grandma Rundquist. Even though our kids are young and probably won't have too many more years with these Great-Grandparents, they are the only ones my kids have. All of Jeremy's grandparents are gone now. My Great-Granda Frieda died when I was pregnant with Carter, so I was still able to know her in my adult years. I remember tea parties and cookies at her house before she moved into assisted living. She would put those little edible silver ball decorations on her cookies. Memories like that make me sad that my kids will not have as much time with the only Great-Grandparents they have. So, pictures like this really make me smile!

Comparisons

2011-09-22T14:19:00.006-05:00

While I try not to compare my children's milestones, I do think it's fun to compare their differences and similarities as they grow. For example:

These are pictures of the kids learning to stand up at about the same age around the table, albeit different ones. I think while Carter & Gemma certainly look like siblings, I think Gemma is starting to look like her own person. I'm betting that she's walking by Christmas.

Leisurely Walks

2011-09-19T15:09:00.004-05:00

We took a walk on Sunday afternoon. Gemma was in the stroller - and she didn't stay awake very long. She has been battling teeth *still none yet* and as a result she doesn't sleep very well. She's up still at least once during the night and her naps are short 30 minute cat-naps. So it was anticipated that she'd snooze. Carter started off riding his bike, but unless he's on smooth flat concrete, he gets frustrated easily and gets mad and gives up. So we left his bike by the side of the road and he tried to convince us that he should be allowed to ride in the stroller. I said that was fine, but because Gemma was sleeping, I made him hold her. That was the stipulation of being in the stroller. He agreed and the rest of the walk was nice and quiet. A little too quiet...

Gemma woke up shortly after we got home, but I ended up waking up Carter after we had been at home for an hour. Don't they look pretty comfy, though?

No News

2011-09-13T08:56:00.006-05:00

Friday night was Grandma Connie's birthday. We were going to go putt-putting (because you know Grandma loves it so much!) but we got rained out. We were able to visit the new Long John Silver's in Manhattan. It was pretty nice! We ate outside and watched the rain roll in. Carter ate pretty darn well - he had his chicken strips, hush puppies and both Grandpa & Grandmas corn on the cob! Since it was promising rain, we went to Wal-Mart and rented a Redbox movie and went home and had cherry cobbler for Grandma's birthday.

Carter had a fever of 102 all day Sunday, so I stayed home with the kids yesterday. That was a nice change of pace... :) Carter was feeling much better by the afternoon so we did a little playing in our newly cleared out playroom. That's right, folks! There's room to play in the playroom! So we did.

While we practiced standing, "bwuh-vie" (as Carter so affectionately refers to himself) was doing some bull-riding. Yep - still doing that. :)

No news is good news!

By the way - Happy Birthday Mark! We love you!!!

Couldn't Have Been Better

2011-09-06T11:42:00.003-05:00

This weekend couldn't have been better. Jeremy and his dad went to the ABATE rally at Perry Lake Saturday and came home Sunday. Saturday morning I took the kids to watch Garrett's FB game and then we went to Erica's to hang out the rest of the day. Saturday night we went to Longford for the parade and rodeo. Good thing Grandma Donna came prepared with beach towels and blankets - we were all 'freezing' in the 60 degree weather. In our defense it was very windy. You can imagine Carter and Owen's excitement over the whole thing! There was bull fighting and everything. Very fun!

Sunday after church we stayed for the Rundquist Family Reunion. It was fun catching up. Only one hiccup - Carter fell off the top of the slide and landed on his face. It's not as bad as it sounds. He didn't break anything. Praise God! He had a bloody nose for a short time and his nose is a little bruised. I'm still waiting for the black eyes to come, but so far, nothing...

Sunday night we went camping with some friends down at the State Park. It got chilly! But everyone had a great time!!

Back to school today for Carter. He still sounds surprised when all his friends are there "again" today.

Is this Supposed to Happen?

2011-09-01T11:56:00.004-05:00

Really? Is this supposed to happen at not-even-seven-months of age? And I thought Carter was an early bird...

At least I can make sure this happens every day.

Told Ya So

2011-08-31T09:12:00.005-05:00

By day 2 of preschool I discovered that one of the 'perks' of working at the same school where your kids go is getting to hear about every. little. thing. they do. Or don't do.

Example: I got two emails from the preschool teacher yesterday. One said "we had PB&J for snack today and Carter was VERY mad to discover that the jelly was already on the sandwich. He refused to eat it." I think he ended up eating a PB sandwich, though. I coulda toldya that, teacher! He won't eat jelly! As far as I know, the kid has never had jelly in his life, but has a borderline anxiety attack if it comes near his food. Same thing happens with ketchup, ranch & BBQ sauce. Been that way all his life. I offered to go through the snack menu and give her heads up on all the things I'm assuming he won't eat. Just to see if I'm right.

Second email contained this:

This was just the cutest thing they had every seen! Really? I coulda called this one, too. Apparently they've never seen this before:

No Tears

2011-08-29T09:06:00.005-05:00

Update: The day was a success! I picked him up at 11:00 and as we were walking away, all the other kids were waving and yelling "Bye, Carter!" and Carter turned to me and said "Those are all my friends." :) Adorable... He said he painted me a picture of a school bus and they played in rice. Sounds like a good day. He was a little confused and worried about leaving all his school supplies there, but once I explained that he would go back every day and use them for other projects that seemed to help. Did I mention I got a call from the teacher 5 minutes after school started. Already? They were concerned about a bug bite on his leg that he said I "didn't know about." I told Miss B. that he was more than likely allergic to those like I am and not to worry.

I didn't cry! I almost did, but then I remembered this is part of life. Carter's going to preschool today is not the end of the world - it's the beginning of a whole new one! Kids are meant to grow up. Really, life would be pretty boring if our kids never grew, never did new things, never moved on. Up to now, I've noticed myself having two thoughts about my kids - either I can't wait for them to grow up and move out of the house or I wish them to stay little and cute forever!! I'm getting to the point now, especially with Carter, that I can't wait to see what God has in store for my kids!

These pictures were taken with my phone. Phone=poor quality.

I'm hoping he loves it. Nothing could be worse than for him to come home and NOT want to go back tomorrow... Crossing my fingers!!

Crazy Week

2011-08-26T11:12:00.004-05:00

This week has been pretty crazy at our house! My Bible study got moved to Tuesdays. We had carpet installed in our living room on Wednesday and Carter's preschool open house last night. So Tuesday night after I got home from Bible U (clever, huh?) Jeremy and I sat down to eat together at 8:30ish and then proceeded to move all the furniture out of the living room. No TV for 36 hours! (And we all lived to tell the tale...)

Wednesday, Jeremy worked late mowing hay and I took the kids to town shopping. Fun. I started steaming the new carpet at 10:15 pm.

Thursday night after work we started moving some things back into the living room. Carter had his preschool open house at 6:00. After that Jeremy went back to mowing hay until 9:00 or so.

Because of the interruption in our evening, Gemma did not get her 6:30 nap. By 8:00 she was hungary and really tired. She had some oatmeal, then she & Carter hopped in the bath together. (It's so much easier that way.) I put on her jammies and put her in the living room to play while I finished up some laundry. I was hoping to put her off just a bit and nurse her and put her to bed at the normal time of 9:00. She didn't make it 10 minutes out of the bath tub...

Carpet looks good though! (Thanks, Erica!!!)

Britt Nicole

2011-08-25T12:20:00.003-05:00

I just recently found Britt Nicole and I'm really liking her music. You can find more on youtube and Godtube.

Home Cookin'

2011-08-22T11:53:00.002-05:00

At least Jeremy and Carter liked it...

Patriot Guard

2011-08-15T12:06:00.006-05:00

Saturday was a life-changing experience for me & Jeremy. We participated in the Patriot Guard at the funeral for a 19 year old soldier from Holton. I took close to 70 pictures and I promise you, they don't do any justice to the actual event or emotion of that day. There were close to 500 people there, "leather-clad" as WIBW news stated. Most of the pictures I took were from the back of the Harley as we were riding.

We all met in the Wal-Mart parking lot. They roped off 2/3 of the parking lot for all the motorcycles. People were standing in the other 1/3 taking pictures. The staff there was wonderful. Churches had set up tables and were handing out coffee, water and cookies & brownies.

Our first stop was at the church, where we stood with American flags all up and down the streets surrounding the church 1 hour before the service. As we were going from the Wal-Mart to the church, it was amazing to see the townspeople standing on the street corners in groups waving their own American flags! Such patriotism!!

Once the service started, we were all sent to the cemetery where we stood in lines again up and down the drives and around the burial site with flags. Once the General's vehicle passed, everyone crowded up by the burial site for the remainder of the service.

As I said, the pictures don't do it justice! Imagine a sea of bikers proudly standing with our country's flag, honoring a young man who died for our freedom. It was breath taking!!

This is all the motorcycles lined up along the sides of the streets around the church.

We took up almost 6 blocks.

The above photos are everyone lining the streets around the church where the funeral was held. There were also several citizens joining with us.

We stood in silence holding the flags for about an hour.

Note the community members standing on the streets as we rode by.

I don' t know how well you can see, but we were somewhere in the middle of the line here. There are motorcycles all the way up the road as far as you can see.

By the time we got to the cemetery, riders were already lining up with their flags along the roadways throughout the cemetery.

This is the first circle of flags around the burial site.

Jeremy and I got moved down the road. You can still see the green tent in the upper right corner, where we were originally and would eventually end up.

And of course - this is the whole reason we were there...

I cried when I saw the mother wearing her son's dog tags.

Everyone who attended the funeral, and some that were riding with us, wore a black T-shirt honoring Cody Baker with jeans. Pretty cool!

I have always respected our soldiers and what they do. It was amazing to meet so many veterans who rode with us. Several from Desert Storm and other Iraq wars, but the majority of vets were from the Vietnam war. My dad and Jeremy's dad were both in the Vietnam war. It brought a whole new sense of "personal" to me. Most of the Vietnam vets said they do this because they were not treated well when they returned home from their duties and they didn't want that for anyone else - especially those who returned home in these circumstances.

After we were finished, we ate at a local cafe and people were telling us Thank You for what we had done. No. We should be thanking those who are are making the sacrifices for us to even be allowed to do what we did. Thank a soldier and a soldier's family.

Not that I want to bring any more attention to them, but we were told that Fred Phelps' group was there. We never saw them. The town only has to give them a 10x10 space and 60 minutes. After that, they are loitering and can legally be kicked out of town. I was told their 10x10 space was in a snow fence down near the hog sheds at the fair grounds.

Look Out!

2011-08-12T08:33:00.004-05:00

In other words - her little bald spot is starting to fill back in. She's been messing around with this for a few days, but moving like this just started last night!!

Mobility. As as parent, it's a little bittersweet. As much as we want them to stay little longer (most times) it's exciting to see them grow up and do new things. But now, we can't go back. She's 6 months old, she's crawling, she has her first ear infection (officially as of last night) and no teeth. Before I know she'll be walking and talking. Sigh.

She just started this and she's already into things:

And looking just as innocent as she can...

And these two knot-heads:

Couldn't be having more fun together!

School starts next week. Carter starts preschool on the 29th. (tear!!) It was just yesterday... you know the rest.

Jeremy and I are going to ride the Harley tomorrow in a Patriot Guard for a fallen soldier in Holton. I can't imagine what that experience will be like. Hopefully I will be able to share some pictures next week.

My Grandpa Rides a Harley

2011-08-08T09:33:00.001-05:00

Look at What I Can Do!

2011-08-05T08:40:00.002-05:00

Now that Gemma can officially do this:

she thinks she's ready to try to work on this:

and when she gets mad about that, she'll sit and do this:

Water Bug

2011-08-02T10:05:00.003-05:00

We took an adventure to the Manhattan City Pool "Water Park" last evening. There was quite a group of us! My mom & dad, Kael, Grady (two of my brother's kids), Jeremy, Carter, Gemma, myself, Erica, Garrett, Maddie, Owen, Mindy, Andre, Jeremy, Connie & Warren. It was a ton of fun! I don't have a bunch of pictures to share because as much as I'd love to get a new camera, I kinda like the one and I have and the words "water logged" just aren't that appealing to me.

Carter spent most of the time in his life jacket. It could be worse, I guess!

And Gemma loves the water. She napped for quite a while but I think she would definitely have spent more time in the water.

We Are Family

2011-08-01T07:51:00.005-05:00

Jeremy's sister and her family are here visiting from El Paso, Texas! They arrived last Wednesday and we have had a lot of fun while they've been here! Friday night we went out to dinner and we went putt-putting. Carter LOVES to play golf - his first time was on his birthday a few weeks ago. Papa Dave may just have a long-time golfing buddy here...

Carter is walking next to Grandma Connie and Andre is standing at the front. They are so close in size, even though Andre is 1 1/2 years younger.

Mindy's husband, Jeremy, showing proper form

Deciding who is better!

Fist bump! Carter & Dad make a great team!

Yah! Made it!

And of course, this is what Gemma did most of the time. :)

Hot Stuffs

2011-07-26T08:56:00.007-05:00

This weekend was Nick & Brianna's wedding. Everything (as far as I could tell) went off without a hitch! The Bride may not have felt that way, but as a guest and the Best Man's wife, it was smooth!

I have to tell you, my guys were looking sharp! My pictures are not very good because everything was either so dark, or I was too far away. It was REALLY hot but the guys complained minimally for being in their getup. They were all troopers!

Carter & Camryn at Rehearsal

This is Nick's sister, Kim, and her husband Chase. She had an emergency C-Section on Monday and was at rehearsal Friday night and did the whole Bridesmaid-thing all weekend. Tough chick!

Kids horsing around at the hotel

Nick & "Geiger"

Nick, Jeremy & Darin

Carter did such a great job! I didn't get any good pictures because I was sitting with the Grandparents in the second row farthest away from the isle. Gemma was sleeping in my lap.

Nick and Brianna bought all the guys & girls Ariat boots as their wedding gifts! Very cool!! Brianna wore hot pink Fat Baby boots.

Jeremy and the Matron of Honor, Chelsie

The reception: Gemma loves balloons!

This is Phil. He & Nick went to Northwest Missouri State together. Wonderful guy! He now lives in California coaching at a JUCO.

This girl is a party animal!!

(You can see Brianna's & Chelsie's boots under the table)

Jeremy's speech was very simple (and not at all prepared!): "I shouldn't tell all the stories about me & Nick...

...welcome to the family!"

Carter got the garter. There was a big crowd of guys and Darin yelled "I got it!!!" and everyone stepped back and Carter jumped in and grabbed it. He was very excited!!

We're very happy for Nick & Brianna & Camryn and wish them a lifetime of happiness!!

Hot Hot Hot

2011-07-25T10:03:00.002-05:00

Weddings and Other Weekend Stuff

2011-07-20T08:21:00.006-05:00

This weekend both my guys are in a wedding. The Best Man from our wedding, Nick, is getting married on Saturday. My best man will be Nick's Best Man for the day and Carter will carry the rings. It should prove to be entertaining if nothing else! Carter is very excited to go to 'Uncle' Nick's wedding. I told him that he will have to carry something very special up to the alter and walk with Kamryn (the bride's daughter). Carter informed me, "No, Mom. I hafta carry rings!"

They both have to wear a tux, which I think is hilarious. Jeremy didn't even wear a tux when we got married!

Nick's sister, Kim, had her baby on Monday. Her husband, Chase, is a groomsman and Kim is standing up with the bride as well. Maybe I'll get to hold little Norah during the ceremony!!

I realized that I didn't post anything from our July 4 weekend! So here it is: We spent Saturday morning getting the kids pictures taken at Sears (which turn out much better than I thought!) and then the afternoon at the Randolph Fourth of July Celebration. Carter is not a big fan of the big fireworks but loves the little ones. The snappers, the Roman Candles, the sparklers, the tanks. Here are a few pics from Sunday night:

And, of course, again, this one is an angel through it all!

Can't wait to share pictures of my boys in their wedding duds!

Gifted Tuesday

2011-07-19T07:48:00.004-05:00

Last night at Bible study we discussed Matthew 6. A wonderful chapter in Matthew. I recently was gifted a new study Bible (The Message version parallel to NIV) and I'm loving the different wording. It puts things in a whole new perspective - makes me think about it differently. We talked a lot about stress and worry. What provokes it, how we handle it, what it really even is. We read through chapters 7 and 8 in 1000 Gifts. Next week we read through 9 and 10.

We only have two more meetings left. I'm already missing the time together with the other ladies at church. I've come to really enjoy on the wisdom of those with more life experience than me. :)

My Gifts:

368. Hubby pushing the stroller

346. New sheets

299. Rumbles of thunder

323. Ice melting in my glass

262. Baby lotion

187. Overflowing deep freeze

99. Opportunities to talk about Jesus with my kids

86. Opportunities I get to be an example to others

Gifted Tuesday

2011-07-12T07:45:00.003-05:00

Last night we had another Bible study last night. I am LOVING this time with other ladies in the church. I am learning so much from others' points of view!

Last night we had a wonderful discussion about what it means to love God with all our heart, mind and strength. We also had discussions about what it means to teach our children about Christ daily and what to do during a "dry spell" in our relationship with Jesus among many other topics.

My Gifts:

49. Compliments

131. Hot Shower

123. Air Conditioning

164. Elephants

228. Bare Feet in the Garden

211. New Socks

263. Fireworks

303. Sunglasses

#4

2011-07-11T10:47:00.005-05:00

My oldest baby turned 4 on Saturday. He goes to preschool next month. Sigh. I can't believe it. Since we had done his party with Owen a few weeks ago, and my folks were in Canada, we got together with Jeremy's mom & dad and took Carter out for some fun Saturday night. First we went to Carlos O'Kelleys for supper. That was fun! Carter got to wear the big sombrero and we got a free dessert. Always a plus!! Next we took him to play put-put. I wasn't sure how it was going to go, but it turns out it was a huge hit! He is ready to go "golfing" again soon!

I kid you not - this one (above) was one of two that Carter made a hole-in-one! We couldn't believe it!

And of course, this little cutie was an angel the whole time!

2011-07-05T08:51:00.002-05:00

Carter is the only one that can make Gemma really giggle and laugh. He's really good at being silly...

You have to get past the first minute before you see it and hopefully you can hear her laughing over Carter's yakking.

Um... Excuse Me...

2011-06-29T07:31:00.005-05:00

You're in my dill.

Yes, and you, too.

Um, and you.

What's that?

Yes. My dill probably is good. That's why we planted it.

Unless you want to be pickled and made into a cucumber, maybe you should find another place to feast.

Gifted Tuesday

2011-06-28T11:45:00.004-05:00

Last night we continued our Bible study and book discussion of 1000 Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are. Did you get your copy or ebook yet? I highly recommend that you do!

Last night we discussed (for close to 3 hours!) Colossians 3 and Chapters 3 and 4 of the book.

Chapter 3 is about making the change to be purposely thankful. It takes intention. This is when the Author starts her Journal. She writes down gifts she already has, not gifts she wants. She talks about learning contentment. Learning thankfulness. Good stuff!

Chapter 4 is my favorite chapter, so far. It's about time. How we spend our time. Why we think we don't have enough time. Why do we rush through life like we're being chased? Consider everything we miss out on because we're rushing. What do we accomplish by being in a hurry?What are we really late for? Think about everything that we could be and should be thankful for, but we missed it because we're running late and barking at the kids or hubby because they're lolly-gagging and you're all gonna be late for... what? The author challenges you to slow down to ponder and be truly thankful for everything in that moment. She reminds us that God is I Am. Not "I will be, when you finally get here". (Although He'll be that too). Be here. Now.

My Gifts

267. My grandparents' example of Christian marriage - 67 years

182. Rag rugs full of dirt at the front door

210. Cherry Limeade

194. Lace Tablecloth

155. Greasy hands on my boys

173. Baby's yawn

82. The realization of the importance of my job as Wife and Mom

106. Carter's spurs on his boots and they sound they make clinking through the church hallways

Big Weekend

2011-06-27T08:51:00.009-05:00

On Friday night we went to Kim & Chase's to help them prepare for the wedding shower for Nick and Brianna on Saturday. Chase is a HUGE International Harvester guy. He "collects" old IH's and gets them running again. I believe he has 4 at his house. He took Carter for a ride Friday night. (sorry the pictures are pretty dark...)

Carter thought that was pretty cool! He and Gemma spent some quality time together...

Carter also got to spend some time with Kamryn. She's Brianna's daughter and will be the flower girl in Nick & Brianna's wedding. Carter is the ring bearer. Kamryn says she's gonna marry Carter.

Then on Sunday, Carter & Owen had a birthday party together. Owen turned 4 on June 18 and Carter will be 4 on July 9. I'm pretty sure both boys got everything they asked for and more!

Jeremy and I got him a guitar. I may regret that later...

And boy, does Papa Dave know this kid, or what? That will go in his bedroom for sure!

And Jeremy and I also got Owen & Carter beta fish. Carter's is red and he said he would call it Fishy-Fishy.

Finally - the cakes! Owen is a HUGE Royals fan, so Erica did a jersey and Carter chose to have a motorcycle on his ice-cream cake from DQ.

Oh, and Gemma was there too!

Gemma the Jumping Bean

2011-06-24T07:52:00.004-05:00

Carter HATED the Jonny Jumper. Gemma, however, does not. She really likes it. She doesn't actually do a lot of jumping, but she loves to twirl!

She is growing up SO fast. She really is the happiest baby. I had some ask me at church "Does she really ever cry?" Not very often. She always wakes up in a good mood. As soon as she rubs the sleep out of her eyes in the morning and she sees your face, she is all smiles! Honest!! She doesn't even hardly cry when she wakes up. Most times she'll lay there for 10 minutes or so before you even know she's awake.

She has been eating cereal for about a week now and gets along pretty well. We tried some squash last night. That might take some getting used to, but she did good. She's getting better at sitting up. Which is good, because that little bald spot in her (almost red!!!) hair is killing me!!

Gemma LOVES her brother just as much as he loves her! He's the only one that can make her giggle. It is adorable!! Her face lights up when he sits next to her at the table.

Speaking of Brother, he has a birthday coming up on July 9. Since Grandma Donna and Papa Dave are headed to Canada next week and will be gone for his birthday, Carter and Owen are having a joint birthday party on Sunday. Should be fun - we have a big surprise for Owen!! (Erica, you can thank me later :)) Carter has been having fun playing in our pool at home (read: stock tank with a slide) and the slip n slide at Tiff's.

Also coming up this weekend is Nick & Brianna's couples shower. We will be traveling to Topeka to night to help set up for that. Carter is really looking forward to that because Chase (Nick's brother-in-law) "collects" and restores old tractors. Since it is supposed to rain Saturday, Jeremy and Carter were given the charge of helping Chase clean out the shop. Carter is very excited to "move the tractors".

Monday we pick up again with our Bible study. We skipped last Monday because a group from our church left for Poland. :) I'll be back on Tuesday again with more gifts. Have you started your list yet?

CSN Giveaway

2011-06-23T09:32:00.002-05:00

Remember when I used to do those product reviews from CSNStores.com? Well, they are hosting a 4th of July giveaway. Head over here to see how you can win!

South African Style

2011-06-20T07:52:00.005-05:00

Last night we had dinner South African style. Jeremy's dad's boss always hires guys from South Africa every year to help with the summer farming and harvest. We had the absolute pleasure of meeting Buzz last night. And he cooked us a traditional South African dish - more on that in a minute.

I was very very interested to meet Buzz and hear more about South Africa since I have a cousin who has been there for the last year doing some missionary work. South Africa is a very volatile state right now. Buzz told us that if/when Nelson Mandela dies, the whole country will be in chaos. According to Buzz, the country is 70% black and 30% white. His dad owned a farm for 47 years and employed several black men and their families. They were treated well, given brick housing, and meals, etc. The children of the men would grow up to work on the farm as well. The families cried when his dad sold the farm several years ago. The reason he sold it was because there has been an uprising in deaths of white farmers. A neighbor 3 miles away and his wife were murdered years ago and that really bothered his dad. Buzz said that there is a group called "Adolph Youth" and it's just as it sounds. They are training black youth to hate white people, especially white farmers. They feel they are entitled to the land and want to "take" it back - not buy the land to farm. And I won't go into great detail, but the deaths are not humane. They are very brutal, tragic deaths. Buzz says there is no law and order there. They have the law enforcement entities, but they are most likely being paid off by other organizations to not enforce the law.

I was telling him about Christine and how she was living in Carolina and her host family moved to Swaziland. He got a little nervous and asked how much longer she would be there. That made me nervous. He didn't think she had too much to worry about, but he said Swaziland was a very rural area. People live in huts, etc. He didn't talk too much about Swaziland.

He made it sound like the white man is on the very bottom of the totem pole as far as jobs go in South Africa. Buzz has a job waiting for him when he goes back, but that's the reason he has been here for eight months - jobs for white men are almost nonexistent.

Honestly, while all of this fascinated me, it made me very very heavy hearted to hear of all the racism and crime and murder and stealing and lack of justice (not to mention the military) that are happening in that country. Of course, Buzz says he will stay and defend his family (girlfriend and 16 month old daughter) to the death. Literally. Twice, their house has been completely emptied - clothes, beds, shoes - everything. A passerby would tell him that all their things were four blocks away at a home around the corner. They called the police, but have never heard back from them, nor have they ever gotten their things back. If he confronted the people that live at the house four blocks away, around the corner, he would most certainly be killed. It was, to say the least, a night of memorable conversation and truly a humbling experience.

So. Onto dinner. Buzz (whose real name is Gerrit, pronounced hherrrritt) made us a traditional South African dish called potjie (pronounced poit-key). It was made in a cast iron dutch oven outside over coals. I believe he started at 10 or 11 and we finally sat down to eat at 9:00. A long process. It is made with authentic South African spices and Indian curry that he brought with him (illegally) and lots of veggies. Carrots, brussel sprouts, mushrooms, potatoes, squash and zucchini. And sheep. Yep. He used a leg and the neck. It. Was. Amazing! It was soo good.

I was a little apprehensive at first. Only because we had lamb chops for Christmas a few years ago and they were NOT good. But this... This was amazing!

We have an open invitation to go visit him in South Africa. He said that if we don't come visit, he will find us and drag us down there. He also said that if Jeremy's dad flew down to South Africa, he would get married to his girlfriend that very day.

Buzz was enamored with Gemma. She reminded him of his little girl Teegan (sp?) and how much he missed her after 8 months of being gone! She was in full cheese mode too!

I Dare You - The Beginning

2011-06-14T09:48:00.004-05:00

Last night we started a Bible study on the book 1000 Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are.

It is written by Ann Voskamp. If you haven't read or even heard of this book, I highly recommend you find the nearest bookstore and buy it. Today. Right now.

The book is about her quest to find true joy and a full life and she realizes that it starts with Thanksgiving. Echaristeo. She takes a dare to come up with 1000 things she's thankful for. 1000 gifts from God. 1000 gifts to her. I have accepted this challenge.

My very good friend and neighbor, Laura, is leading this Bible study. She also has used me as a sort of guinea pig and made up a Gratitude Journal for me a few weeks before we started this study. I am up to 134 and adding several daily.

The author has published her journal on her blog. I believe she's up to 2,516 or more!

I dare you. I dare you to find 1000 gifts (or more) in your life. You'll be amazed at the self transformation that takes place when we slow down and realize how blessed we are with every.little.thing. And the big things. I challenge you to start your own gratitude journal. I will be checking in every Tuesday with a few entries from my own journal.

110. Color

65. God's timing

3. Dark Chocolate

115. Long, sweeping eyelashes on a sleeping baby

Hog Wild

2011-06-06T09:21:00.002-05:00

We have several people from our church going on a mission trip to Poland this summer and in order to help raise money, they put on a Hog Wild fundraiser. It consisted of several kids signing up for Hog Wrastling and then the missionaries having to catch the pigs. At the end the pastors had to catch them. Carter was the first one to catch a pig and he got a wonderful sack full of prizes! Check it out...

Weekend Getaway

2011-06-01T12:06:00.003-05:00

Every year over Memorial weekend, we go camping with several other families. This year there were 5 families on our camping trip near Milford Lake. Our "regular" spot was under water, so we went a little further from home this year. The kids had a wonderful time! Here are just a few snapshots.

This little cutie (Emmett) and Gemma became quick friends. He is 3 weeks younger than Gemma.

There is still some debate over who is making the first move, here...

Are You Talking To Me?

2011-05-20T12:21:00.005-05:00

Yes - she is.

I always enjoy reading Jill Savage's blog, specifically her Friday Quotes. A link to her blog is on my sidebar. Today, I'll save you a click:

“Children may close their ears to advice, but they keep their eyes open to example”.

~Edwina Patterson

Unexpected House Guest

2011-05-17T12:20:00.004-05:00

One day a few weeks ago, it was really nice out so I decided to open the sliding glass door (with no screen) while I was baking. I was folding laundry while I waited for the cookies to bake. When I went into Carter's room to put his clothes away, I found her:

This is our cat, Pudy. She really is a wonderful cat. She was abandoned down at the ranch house we used to live at by the previous owner's. Jeremy and Carter fell for her so she came with us when we moved. She catches all sorts of critters, like mice, birds and bunnies. (Not always a good thing...)

Carter couldn't believe she was in his bed! But he did his best to make her feel welcome. ;)

We can't upset a house guest, now can we?

In other news, Gemma is becoming quite efficient at sitting up. She is 3 months and 1 week old and she has excellent head control. She is always full of smiles, especially first thing in the morning (just like Daddy), when you change her diaper (who wouldn't love that??) and when she's done nursing (can you blame her?).

And her favorite past time is standing, as long as you'll hold her.