I Need New Tunes

I know so many children's songs from my childhood, church camp, cds, tv shows, etc. I can usually sing along to the song when I hear it-word for word. So why is it, then, that when I am actually singing songs to my kids at bedtime or while rocking them, I can only ever think of about 6-8 songs that I sing over and over again.

* My Favorite Things (Sound of Music)
* Hail, Purdue (fight song-they don't stand a chance liking any other school)
* Take Me Out to the Ballgame (Go Cubs)
* Amazing Grace
* Rock-A-Bye Baby
* Jesus Loves the Little Children
* Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star or Baa Baa Black Sheep (Avery's requests)

The letter A, Dora's baby sister, and a Snoopy Truck

What do these three items have in common? They have all gone MIA at one time somewhere in the land of the missing toys. Thankfully, all of the aforementioned toys have been found and put back in their place.
This sort of thing really bothers some people and barely affects others. Some people stay awake at night thinking about the missing item. For me, it's mostly an annoyance...knowing that the stinking missing piece is somewhere in your home because you haven't taken the toy anywhere. So you spend minutes or hours looking all over the house for the piece until finally you find it somewhere you swear you've looked a hundred times. When the piece is finally found, it's such a relief. At least until the next piece goes missing and the hunt begins again.

Joy to the World!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Steps for Life Worth

I am in Washington D.C. this week attending a training class for work. We always have interesting (and sometimes not so interesting) guest speakers. This morning during breakfast we had a fun-spirited guy from The Summit Group, a consulting firm. The take away that I had has nothing to do with my training while I'm here, but I liked it for LIFE:

Steps for Life Worth:
1. Create a personal Board of Directors
2. Create a Master Dream List
3. Focus on Personal Development
4. Find your calling/passion
5. Be interested.....not interesting
6. Practice the art of savoring!

Tradition in the Making

The Christmas cookie elves visited yesterday. Grandpa and Grammie came to spend the afternoon with Jon and the kids while I was away in D.C. They spent the afternoon and evening making cookies. I'm sure time was taken out for playing with kiddies as well.
This will be a fun tradition to continue year after year and even better to sample!!
We're so thankful to have loving grandparents close by to make wonderful memories.

Little Man ACE

I can't believe how fast time flies. I remember taking a specific picture of Avery when she was about 7 1/2 months old and thinking how she didn't look like a baby anymore.

This picture of Austin is one of those moments...he just looks so grown up. He's just a little over 6 months but he's turning into a little charmer already. Kudos to Jon for the great photo shot!

Who knows if there will be any more babies in the future, but as we move from stage to stage I can't help wondering if this will be the last of these precious milestones.

PRICELESS

Last night there were a few minutes of Holiday Spirit in the house. Typically we're running around trying not to be late for something or doing household tasks...just busy. Last night, we all sat down and watched the movie "Polar Express" amidst the mess of unfinished Christmas Decorations and dirty dishes in the sink. Near the end as we were all snuggled on the couch...Jon and Avery sharing a bowl of popcorn....I was holding Austin....I had one of those "priceless" moments. God is Good!

We're Thankful For:

*Family~we were able to spend the whole weekend visiting with our families. We're so thankful that we enjoy being with our family. We're so very lucky!

*Our children~healthy and happy. What joy they bring to us.

*Friends~each one adds so much value to our lives.

*Our church~they impact the lives of thousands each and every day!

*Food~especially Peanut Butter Pie!!

*Daydreaming~sunny beaches, palm trees, golf, Mickey Mouse

Bragging Rights

We lost 'em....bragging rights that is. Yesterday my younger brother and his wife (who just ran a marathon in October) challenged us to a few games of Wallyball. Let's just say that this morning, we lingered in bed for a few minutes longer than usual resting our sore bodies. My parents played as well...can't imagine how they are feeling this morning.
We were both very athletic in our day...Jon is definitely more active now than I am as far as physical activity is concerned. Jon runs occassionally and I just chase the kids around the house. My brother and his wife play this game Wallyball most Friday nights and they're really good.
For two hours, we attempted to play this game to the best of our ability. It doesn't really matter if you were once a successful Volleyball player. This game is played in a raquetball court and you are supposed to use the walls....except the back wall. If our team would have received points for hitting the back wall, undoubtedly we would have one!
Today, I have bruises all over my knees, I swear my forearms are still swollen, and I notice a new (sore) muscle with each step.
Then just because we're completely nuts, we played a pick up game of 3 on 3 basketball after the Wallyball games. I'm sure it was a site....my team consisted of a 58 year old guy, a lady that just had a baby 6 months ago (that's me), and a 32 year old that probably thinks he can still play like a 20 year old. The opposing team had a 15 year old basketball player, a marathon runner, and a 6-4 former basketball dunking MVP.
We actually held our own and only lost by 2 points. Not bad.
Well that should be enough physical activity to last me through the holidays!
I do want to master the game of Wallyball and show these "kids" that we're not really so bad.
It was a great day ~ maybe it will become a new tradition in our family.

Imagination At It's Best

This morning, I took my Dogger...er Daughter to school. Yes, that's right, this morning Avery was pretending to be a Dog. Complete with barking and crawling on her hands and knees.
It started when she woke up. I said "good morning" and she rolled around in bed for awhile and then finally sat up and started softly "woof, woofing". I said "Hi, Avery". She said "No, I'm a doggy".
So the rest of the morning I refered to her as Doggy. "Can I put the Doggy's clothes on?, What would the doggy like to eat for breakfast?, etc." Evidently this doggy can talk a little bit. And I was able to persuade the Doggy to walk on it's hind legs out to the car and then into the school.
When we reached the door to her classroom, she was back on her hands and knees as Doggy again.
When I hugged her good bye, I said "I love you...Woof!" and she said "I love you too, Woof, woof!".

Birthday Wishes!

Happy Birthday Jonny! We all love you so much and we're so proud of you as a hubby and a Daddy!

Love You~

J, A, & A

Boilermaker Fans----avert your eyes!

This is what happens when you leave your child unattended with Uncle Andrew, a die hard Notre Dame fan.

Really...is it fair to take advantage of the little guy?!

P.S. Don't tell anyone, but we'd actually be okay with it most days. However this photo was taken the weekend that Purdue was playing ND.

Family Pictures

Looking through albums of days gone by it is so wonderful to look at all of the family pictures that have been professionally taken. I have a large album of all of my own pictures from when I was growing up. Somehow they usually turn out pretty good. I'm sure my Mom would have stories to tell about each of those pictures.
When I look at the pictures of my kids, it reminds me of the story/events leading up to and the moments during the actual picture taking session. The time when Avery was sleeping and we had to take all of her clothes off just to wake her up.....learning to wear a bib during the drive to the studio so when the baby spits up all over the place it doesn't ruin the outfit.....the time when she was so sick that she could barely keep her eyes open for the pictures....the time when we actually walked out of the studio because someone wasn't cooperating....the bribing with Starbucks chocolate milk for a good smile....learning to request a favorite photographer, because really that makes all the difference.....timing it just right so that everyone is smiling at the same time.
Every picture tells a story. I'm sure we'll have a story to tell tomorrow when we attempt to take our first family portrait since Austin's arrival. We'll cross our fingers and I'm sure we'll walk out with a memorable story.

Braggin' on Dad

This past weekend, my Dad was inducted into the County Sports Hall of Fame at a wonderful banquet honoring the superb athletes from our area. He was honored for his athletic ability in Basketball among other sports. Not only was he a county scoring champion during his high school days, but also made his mark at the collegiate level at Indiana State University, and then provided great leadership as a coach for many years.
I've always thought of my Dad as invincible (in‧vin‧ci‧ble–adjective 1. incapable of being conquered, defeated, or subdued). As an adoring young daughter I thought my Dad was the greatest. I still do. He has set a wonderful example: a team player, a leader, strong willed, compassionate, filled with God's grace, devoted husband and father, and outgoing-he's never met a stranger. He has conquered much and I'm so proud of him.
It was great to be there Saturday night where some (not nearly all) of his accomplishments were celebrated.
We love you Dad!

Trick or Treat

Yesterday was Halloween. What to do with all that candy? One dentist office in the area is offering to pay children $1 for every pound of candy that they surrender to the dentist's office. How long do you suppose it will work to tell her that Mommy or Daddy need to sample the candy to make sure it tastes okay. Avery was a bubble bather and Austin was a little elephant. It was a cold night, so we just made it to a few homes up and down the street and then handed out candy to those that stopped in at our house.
Here's a question that I have.....can you deny candy to someone that is not dressed up in costume? Not sure why, but every year there are a few older kids that ring the doorbell and then just hold out their pillow case for candy-no costume and rarely a thank you.
Here are a few of my favorite Halloween memories:
+Costume parade at the Hardware store downtown with Apple cider and doughnuts
+Dressing up as Strawberry Shortcake
+Taking Stacey trick or treating for the first time at age 21
+Uncle Dean's family Moo-ing in our front yard a few years ago

Jonny Appleseed

This weekend, our kitchen took a beating!
Saturday night, Mom and Dad came over with a truck full of apples. What kind? Not sure...no one's quite sure what kind they are. We spent several hours making APPLESAUCE! Yum-O!
I can probably count on both hands, the number of times I have actually purchased applesauce at the store. I was raised on homemade, sweetened applesauce and that's just what I prefer. We had a pretty efficient system going..washing and cutting the apples, we had 4 pots going on the stove cooking the apples, mashing them in the processor, and then adding sugar and vanilla and putting them in bowls to freeze. In between all of that, we were feeding the baby, and entertaining the toddler. Sometimes she was entertaining us as well. This batch should last us well into next summer or fall.

So by midnight, the kitchen was cleaned up and all the pots and pans washed. But Sunday night, we were messy again. Pumpkin carving. We chose two of our pumpkins to carve and light with candles. At first Avery wasn't thrilled about putting her hand in the sticky mess, but by the end of the project, she was having a great time. We're going to try to toast the pumpkin seeds tonight to see how they taste. It was a great weekend!

Power Struggles.......With a 3 Year Old

Well, you know that they say the Apple Doesn't Fall Far From the Tree. Having children sometimes makes you more aware of your behaviors towards your own parents. If I haven't said "I'm Sorry" lately to my parents for many of the times when I was stubborn and unwilling....then "I'm Sorry" again.

My daughter....looking sweet and innocent in the picture to the left.....can be very stubborn. I think I know where she gets it. The last few mornings have been very interesting. After praying for more patience for myself, I've decided that tomorrow if she really doesn't want to change out of her pajamas then she will just go to school in them. And if she wants to open her own banana while splattering smashed pieces all over the kitchen, that's fine. Everything's washable, right?!

Choose your battles. Life is never perfect and each opportunity makes us stronger in some way.

We've arrived!

We are the latest family to arrive in the world of Blogs. We'll be using this means of communication to proudly (or somtimes embarrasingly) talk about the lives of our children, and perhaps sometimes our own adventures as well. Although, most of the things we do revolve around our little ones, so that is what you readers have to look forward to.
We're looking forward to this new endeavor.
Ciao!