bathroom remodel...

While the kids were gone last week, I tackled a huge project we've been talking about for sometime, redoing our bathroom. Sunday after we got home from IA we went to Lowes and picked up all the stuff we needed. Monday was spent tearing down drywall and tile and putting up the new tub surround walls. Tuesday the drywall went up and the first coat of drywall mud went on. Wednesday second coat of drywall mud went up and Bob and I spent the rest of the night shampooing carpets and cleaning most of the house. Thursday I painted the bathroom and Friday the finishing touches went into the bathroom and the project was complete!! There is no way in the world I would have been able to complete this project in a week without my father-in-law, Bob's help. Thank you soo soo soo much!! And now without further ado...the remodel in pictures!

my whole world changed 5 years ago today...

Dear Brianna,
Wow! I cannot believe you are turning 5 today...I still think of you as that tiny baby with the little tiny chicken legs that we brought home from the hospital. I don't think I ever wrote down your birth story, so in honor of your 5 years on this earth, here is the story of your, and really our beginning.
It was a Monday night and I had just showered, that was the only way I could sleep anymore was to take a shower right before bed, I was uncomfortable and slow moving, even though I had 4 weeks to go. I laid in bed tossing and turning trying to find a way to sleep, with your daddy (of course) completely zonked out next to me. As I laid on my side trying to turn my brain off long enough to doze off I felt a little pop. Strange, but I didn't think much of it. Then I had to go to the bathroom, no surprise since I was getting up about 10 times a night anyway. When I got to the bathroom I knew my water had broke. I yelled for your daddy, he woke up startled and confused, but quickly jumped into action calling the hospital, packing our bags and putting the (uninstalled) carseat into the car. Remember you weren't supposed to be arriving for 4 weeks and we were not prepared at all. I could not stop smiling as your daddy raced around frantic. I stopped him and hugged him and said "you're going to be a daddy!". We drove to the hospital, your daddy freaking out about how we weren't ready and me bouncing up and down like a kid on Christmas morning. We finally get settled in at the hospital and I call your Grandma Susan at 1:30am to tell her we are at the hospital. She did not believe me. Not sure why she thought I'd be joking with her, but she was just as surprised as everyone else that you were going to make your entrance so soon. We settled in to wait, I wasn't having contractions so this was (most likely) going to take a while. I don't remember a ton of details between the hours of 1:30am and about 3:30pm the next afternoon. Grandma Nancy showed up at the hospital to wait for your arrival and I talked on the phone to work and your Aunt Angie during some of that time and we sat pouring over the baby books for a name, we didn't really know what your name was going to be. We had a boys name picked out but were tossing around a couple girls names, so nothing was decided for sure. Around 3:30pm it was time to push. I heard the doctor say to the nurse that I was going to be pushing for a while, I thought to myself...oh no...I am tired and I am ready to meet this baby! Daddy was such a great help, even though he was a bundle of nerves. About 30 minutes later you arrived (I found out later that you were born face up instead of face down like you were supposed to be, wanting to do things your own way from the start). The doctor said you were perfect with 10 fingers and 10 toes and then one of the nurses said "what is it, boy or girl??" Your daddy and I looked at each other and and thought...oh yeah, we don't know. The doctor said you were a girl. They asked what your name was going to be and daddy and I looked at each other and I said Paige hesitantly and daddy said "how about Brianna Paige?" the nurses let out a collective "awww" and we knew we had a winner. I called Grandma Susan and they were just outside of Cascade when you were born and then called Aunt Angie to tell her she had a niece. Grandma Nancy was the first person to meet and hold you (besides daddy and me of course). Papa Bob was at the golf course caddying for Uncle Brian, so daddy called the course and they put up a little notice on the leaderboard (we still have that). I remember calling Dawn, Alli, Marty, Jenn, Audrey, Jill and especially Amanda. When I talked to Amanda she was in the airport waiting on a flight. I told her we had a baby girl and she said "no you didn't" and I argued with her that we did in fact have a baby and didn't she hear her crying in the background? She told me she thought it was a doll! As soon as her flight landed she picked up Ben and came to the hospital to see you. There are so many other details I know I'm forgetting at this moment, but you get the idea of the day you came into the world, so many people excited and happy to meet you, but none more than me and your daddy.

At 4:11pm on Tuesday August 2nd, 2005 a 5lb 12oz baby girl changed our world. My world is immeasurably better with you in it. Thank you for making my life much more colorful and vibrant. My beautiful baby girl, I love you more than you possibly know.
Happy 5th Birthday Chicken!

Love always and forever,

mommy

relay for life...

Reposting this to remind those of you who haven't donated but still want to, or to encourage those of you who are on the fence about donating. :)

Hello blog readers! I just wanted to write a quick post to remind you all of the Relay for Life I'm participating in on August 6th. I set a goal for myself to raise $1,000 this year. Currently I am at $510, which is completely awesome and I'm so grateful for all who have donated. But, I REALLY want to hit that $1,000 mark. The American Cancer Society does such great work and is so dear to my heart, I want to do everything in my power to raise as much money as I can. So, here is my proposition for you dear blog readers...if you donate between now and August 6th, you will be entered to win a free piece of jewelry from links of love. You can customize it anyway you want if you win. Go here to donate. Thank you so much for your love and support.

pictures...

New pictures going up in the July album of the wedding of these two wonderful people!

Congratulations Carl and Alaina! We are so happy for you and wish you many, many years of happiness!

a week of work...

My mom and dad are keeping the kids this week and bringing them back on Saturday in time for Brianna's birthday party. You would think relaxing would be in order for a week without kiddos, but instead we are trying to tackle some big projects. Our main project is fixing up our bathroom. We are replacing the drywall and putting up some surround walls above the tub, painting, etc. On top of that I have plans to clean carpets, and stain the deck, in addition to a massive cleaning and preparing for Brianna's party. I may not sleep a lot this week, but I hope when this week is over I have a great sense of accomplishment. Posting will be light this week...but I promise I'll be back and attempting to post more often! Have a great week everyone!

great new blog...

We are heading to Iowa today for my cousin Carl's wedding, and since I have nothing interesting going on in our lives to share...I will direct you to a website far more entertaining and smarter than mine! My friend Abbie has started this blog, Greening Sam and Avery. She has great projects that she has adapted for her young girls it is a great resource for teaching kids about the environment. Go check it out, I promise it will make you want to go out and learn more about the environment that surrounds you! Happy reading and happy weekend to you all!

a little about my little man...

Some days my little man stomps all over the last nerve I have. I know it is shocking that my children are not perfect (haha!). Being home all day every day with them has a lot of benefits, however...by the time Bob walks in the house at the end of the day I am usually done. Even if we have a fabulous day together with few fights/tantrums, etc. Usually the hour before Bob gets home they lose their shit (pardon my language). I have no idea what happens in that last hour, it is like their bodies are taken over by the devil. Does this happen to anyone else or is it just my kids? ANYWAY, it seems like I focus on too much of the "bad" so in an effort to remind myself of how adorable my little man is I just wanted to write out this post. More for me than for anyone, because someday (probably soon) this little phase will be over and I'll miss it. Bryce STILL will not say mama. What is up with that. He looks at me with a gleam in his eye and calls me dada. GRR. Lately the only way I can get him to hug/kiss me is to pretend I'm crying. I stick my bottom lip out in a pout and make crying noises. He will stop what he is doing and run over to me and hug me and give me a kiss. I usually smile at him and say "thank you". Sometimes I continue to pretend to cry. He will hug and kiss me again, and maybe a third time. But then he takes his hand and pushes my bottom lip back in, as if to say "enough mom, I know you're not really crying". This always makes me laugh. So I guess when I want to stop the insanity from now on...I'll just pretend to cry.

work in progress...

Lots of changes around here. Hope you like what I've done. Everything that was here before is still here...just in a neater fashion! I'd love to hear your thoughts on the changes. I'm not totally happy with the links of love and photo tabs, so I may be changing those, and I'm working on getting the links that are clicked on to open in a new window, it just might take me some time. I am not a webdesigner by any means, so things that would take some people a few minutes takes me hours! :)

of course...

I thought it was a good idea to start messing around with my header at midnight and of course it doesn't work the way I want. But I really need to go to bed now, so rest assured you are at "all the small things" I am just an idiot!

afternoon at the lake...

Since Bob has Fridays off this summer, we've been trying to do some family stuff on the weekends that we are home. This past Friday we decided to head up to Powers Lake to spend some time in the water and the sand. Nancy and Bob met up with us there and we had a fun, relaxing afternoon. Brianna and I spent some time finding pretty rocks and looking at snail shells. We found a shell with a snail still inside and we looked at it for a little bit and then put it back in the water. Hopefully we didn't disturb him too much. We also just floated for a little while in the water, talking and laughing...it was a great family day! (photos taken and shared with me by Nancy!)

This is a terrible picture of me but I'm posting it anyway because it is one of the rare pictures of me with my family.

a craft semi-success...

Brianna and I were making a trip to Michaels, I was getting a few things to put the finishing touches on some things I was working on (I will post details at a later date, as they are sort-of gifts) and she wanted to make something with me. So we looked around and found some flip-flops that we could decorate. Perfect craft for my little shoe lover! We started off and I realized the little string they had to hold the flower onto the flip-flop wasn't going to work very well. I decided to try hot glue. Well...that apparently doesn't work very well either, because the flowers were off in a matter of hours. Oh well, she still wears the flip-flops and they looked cute for a little while! We had fun making them together so that, in my book, makes it a semi-success! :)

fourth of july...

After the wedding we headed to Wentzville to pick up the kids and spend the 4th of July with my sister and her family. Bob and I were a little slow all day and definitely still recovering from the wedding. We had a great time with Angie, Nick, the boys and Nick's family though and the food was as good as the company. On the downside, the kids slept horribly Sunday night. Both Brianna and Bryce were up until after 1am and even then both fell asleep on the couch, while I was attempting to sleep in the recliner. At 3am I decided to put Bryce in the pack-n-play so I could lay on the couch and ran into Angie and Nick's coffee table. Pretty sure I broke a toe (really not exaggerating). Oh well, it happens I guess. Monday Angie and I did manage to sneak away to go see Eclipse. We both liked it, but I think we were both too tired to really enjoy it! :) After the movie we headed home and headed back to reality. (Bryce was sleeping during the following pictures...I wasn't playing favorites with my kids!)

vince and shelley...

Our friend from Knox, Vince, got married on July 3rd to a wonderful girl named Shelley. Bob had the honor of being a groomsman in the wedding, so we headed down to Champaign on Thursday for a long weekend of fun. Angie and Nick kept the 2 kids so on Friday while Bob was off playing golf (where he shot a 68 by the way...30 on the front 9...he was on cloud 9) I drove 1/2 way to Wentzville, MO for a kid drop off. Friday night was the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner and we had so much fun hanging out with our Knox friends that were there...we even played a couple of games of caps in the hotel. (If you have never been to Knox or gone to school there or have a friend who went there...you will have no idea what this game is, but trust me it is one of the best games ever invented!). Saturday I had the luxury of laying in bed, reading, taking a nap, etc. I seriously did not leave the hotel room until I left for the wedding. Bob even brought me breakfast and lunch...heck I don't know if I even got out of bed until I got up to get ready! It was heaven. That is definitely not a luxury I have much of these days! The wedding was beautiful as was the reception. It was a beautiful day and they are such a great couple and we are so happy to get the pleasure of watching our friends get married. Especially those who were there with us the day we got married. Bob and I certainly enjoyed our kid free night and dance and laughed the night away with old friends. Congratulations Vince and Shelley!

photo stolen from Holly :)

busy summer continues...

Lets see...we're up to the weekend of June 26th/27th now. Bob's cousin John and his wife Kelly got married back in February in Jamaica but were having a reception back here in IL on June 26th. So we were excited to go to the reception and looking forward to seeing a lot of family, some of whom we hadn't seen in a long time. Friday Bryce started running a fever. It wasn't extremely high so we just wrote it off to teething (he is working on some molars). By Friday night/Saturday morning he was extremely crabby and just not himself. Bob went off to play golf on Saturday morning and I took Bryce (and Brianna) to the doctor. Bryce looked good...except for his throat. The doctor said that it was unlikely he had strep unless someone else had it. He mentioned that hand, foot and mouth disease was going around and that you don't necessarily present with the blisters. He didn't get a good look at Bryce's throat (other than to see that it was very red) and when his strep test came back negative he concluded that it was most likely hand, foot, and mouth disease and it would probably be best to keep him away from other kids. So, no reception for me or Bryce. What a bummer! Bob took Brianna and they had a great time, but I was sad to miss it! Bryce never spiked a fever all day on Saturday and since that is how you know you're not contagious anymore, we decided it was safe to go up to the lake on Sunday. We had such a great time at the lake the weather was fantastic...and I of course got my first burn of the season. We spent most of the day in the water and Brianna had so much fun playing with her cousin Joe. She is now writing him letters (he lives in Virginia) and they are going to be pen pals since they don't see each other much, but have so much fun when they are together. Enough with my rambling...here are a few pictures!

father's day part 2...

I forgot in my previous Father's day post to show you Bob's Father's Day present. While cleaning out his grandma's lake house Bob and his dad ran across a couple of his grandpa's old clubs. Bob's dad cut them down so the kids could use them. So for Father's Day I decided to have some pictures taken of the kids with these clubs...sort of "golfing" pictures. The results far exceeded my expectations!

father's day...

Father's day was a bit crazy this year! We took a very long weekend and first drove to Galesburg for the Knosher Outing. I usually go with Bob and watch but this year things were a little complicated so I just went to say hi to Harley and stop by the business office for my annual visit! I had the kiddos with me so they got to meet some very important people in our lives. I love taking them back to Knox, because that is where this little family started. Anyway we had a great visit with our friends in Galesburg, then we headed to Moline to visit with Alli and Gavin for a little bit. It has been a while since we've seen them and catch up and let the kids play together. After that stop we headed to Mom and Dad's. (Remember this is just the kids and I and we've been in and out of the car for the last 12 hours). On Friday my friend Jill and her kids came out to mom and dad's to play. We had great weather to start off the day, but after lunch the rain came. We tried to have the kids watch a movie...but they weren't having any of that. They ran around like crazy people! Friday night mom and dad watched the kids so I could go out for a girls night with Jill and her friend (my new friend) Lindsey. We had such a good time, it is amazing how much you don't even realize you need those times out until you have one. Saturday we went to my aunt and uncles 25th wedding anniversary party. It was nice to see a bunch of the family, but it is hard with 2 kids and no hubby to help out. Brianna danced for hours with my little cousin Nicole and was wiped out by the time we got home. Sunday we headed back home to see daddy for a little bit of Father's day! OH, while the kids and I were doing all of this...Bob was off playing golf in Galesburg and then in Michigan for our friend Vince's bachelor party. He had a very relaxing fun weekend and it was well deserved for being a fantastic daddy! :)

lots of work and a fun filled weekend...

In addition to the old catch-up posts that are scheduled to post I'm going to try to keep up and post some stuff that is going on now. So you will be jumping back and forth from the past to the present...that should be fun for you!

This past weekend we were actually home! I know...it took us a while to get used to it too. We definitely made the most of it trying to pack in as much stuff as we could! A few weeks ago, Bob and Nancy (Bob's parents for those of you who don't know)saw a swing set up at the lake that one of Grandma's neighbors was giving away. They called to ask us if we wanted it and we said Of Course! (free is our favorite price!). So last week Bob(dad) went up there and dismantled the whole thing and drove it to our house. On Friday when Bob was off work, his mom and dad came over. We spent the morning putting together the swing set and surprised the kids with it when it was all assembled. It is perfect and the kids love it. I have video of Brianna's reaction in seeing it. She just ran over to her daddy and gave him a big hug and then ran over to me and gave me a hug too! They are really enjoying having swings in the yard. After we had some lunch and put Bryce down for a nap, we decided to do some landscaping. We have a few bushes that were 1/2 dead and just overgrown for the space so we removed them, along with trimming the bushes we kept and trimming the trees as well. It was hot, but we got a lot done and we were happy with the results! Friday night we all but collapsed in our beds. Saturday we decided to go see Toy Story 3. The kids were pretty good during the whole thing and I personally loved the movie. Very cute, funny, and sweet. I'm sure that will become part of our dvd collection! Sunday, Brianna had a playdate with 2 of her friends from preschool. She had a blast playing with the girls and was super tired by the end of the day. We had a busy weekend, but it was filled with laughing, smiling, and a whole lot of fun. It was truly a weekend where I appreciated all the small things!

weekend with the creech's...

Angie, Nick and the boys came up to visit the 2nd weekend in June. We decided we were going to head up to Bob's grandma's house in Powers Lake, WI for the weekend. The kids could swim and play on the beach and we could do the same. We got up there about 4 on Friday afternoon, Angie and I went for a run and the kids played in the lake. We had dinner and hung out assuming we would have the rest of the weekend to play in the water. Well Mother Nature had other plans. Saturday it was rainy and cold all day. We did end up going in the water for a little while...but it was very cold, so it didn't last long. The kids watched movies and played puzzles and ate junk food, and the adults played cards and ate junk food. Saturday night after we had hosed down the kids Bryce fell and hit his head on the piano. He got a good sized goose-egg right away, he seemed like himself and didn't lose consciousness but we decided to play on the safe side of things and head to the ER anyway. The doctor's said his exam seemed fine, but to keep an eye on him. We could have pushed for a CT scan but he was throwing a ball, talking and walking just fine so we took him back to the lake. I woke him up every three hours to make sure he was still OK. It is really hard to wake up a 1 year old when they don't want to be woken up. We made it through the night just fine, but he woke up with croup...of course! Sunday was more of the yucky cold weather so we didn't get much swim time...but the kids had a lot of fun together and so did the adults, we played many games of euchre! All-in-all a great trip to the lake, if you disregard the weather and the ER trip :)!

summer fun...

We have been trying to spend as much time outside lately as we can. We have had some crazy weather...tons of rain...and on those days we cuddle up on the couch and watch a movie, or I make a fort in the basement (or anything else I can think of to get us through the day!) When we can go out...we have spent some time in the pool. Both kids are hesitant of the pool at first...but usually end up loving it after I make them stay in kicking and screaming for a while! I'm hoping that we'll get a bunch more pool time this summer even though we have a lot of things going on! (I apologize that these posts are not very exciting...It is hard for me to remember back 2 months!)

another review...

Things I Want My Daughters To Know by Elizabeth Noble was a complete 180 from Life Laughs. Barbara is a mom of four daughters, three from a previous marriage and her youngest daughter, Hannah, a product of her marriage to her current husband, Mark. Barbara is diagnosed with terminal cancer and in her final days writes letters to her daughters and also writes a journal for them to share. It is hard for me to review this book objectively, because as a mom my biggest fear is leaving my children too soon and not being able to tell them all the things I should be able to if I had a lifetime. At the center of the book is the theme that love is strong and especially that of a mother for her child. Children sometimes look at their parents as if they are perfect, but they are not and these girls find out that their mom was just a woman, a fallible human being who loved them with every ounce of her being through her letters to them.
One of my favorite passages "Please know that you had mine, unconditional, and powerful an awesome. So strong that I cannot believe it will die with me. I want to imagine it as a living thing that goes on beyond my body, and my death, as a vine that has grown and wound it's way through the very core of all of you and cannot be uprooted or destroyed, but rather will hold you up erect when everything else is crumbling and withering inside you."
I'll be honest this is not an easy read, it is heavy and sad and to be completely honest I didn't know if I'd make it through it. BUT, it made me think, it made me cry and I'm glad I finished it. It is hard to say I enjoyed it, but I though it was a good read. If you end up reading it, let me know what you think!

life laughs (a book review)...

Last week we headed to the library, one of my favorite places ever. Normally I go in there with a couple of books I want to check out and then end up finding a bunch more that catch my eye. I read (and enjoy) all kinds of books. It isn't strange to see me walk out of the library with a mystery novel, a biography, another nonfiction work, and some other novel. All of this is to say last week I went in with nothing in mind. All of the titles that I have been wanting to read were checked out so I wandered. I actually became sort of frustrated it was probably close to 30 minutes before something caught my eye. That us crazy for me, I can usually have 6 books in my arms in 5 minutes. Anyway, I ended up with 6 books, and since I am attempting to write on the blog more I decided to review a couple of them (maybe all of them).
Life Laughs by Jenny McCarthy was at the top of my library pile. I had previously read Belly Laughs and really enjoyed her straight-forward no holding back humor. This book was definitely more of that. She says things that many of us think but don't say out loud. Reading this book is like talking to an old friend over several glasses of wine where your conversation hops from one thing to another. She writes openly and honestly about marriage and divorce and being a mommy. I really enjoyed this book it was a light easy read that left me noddingy head and laughing. If you're looking for a quick fun read I suggest you pick this up.

graduation day...

Brianna graduated from preschool at the end of May. It was an adorable little ceremony where the kids wore caps, sang songs and got diplomas. It was so cute and a little heartbreaking to see Brianna up there in the first of many "graduations". I am having a hard time believing my baby will be turning 5 in just a few weeks. Here is a couple of pictures from graduation day and a video of the ceremony (I've been having problems with it so hopefully it works!)

Brianna & Miss Sandy (her teacher)

a new craft project...

It has been awhile since I've posted a craft project that we've worked on. For Mother's Day, Brianna made for me (at school) a flower pen. I thought they were so adorable (I have seen them other places before) so we decided to make some of our own! They are pretty easy to make, you just need some artificial flowers, green flower tape, pens, a flower pot (or something to put the completed pens in) and rocks (we used colorful ones we got from Michaels). I should have taken progressive pictures, but I was not that prepared. :) Hold the flower and pen together, wrap the flower tape around both to completely cover the pen. And voila...flower pens! I love these because we now have a colorful bouquet on our table at all times and I always know where our pens are!

mother's day...

Whew...2 months behind? What the heck have I been doing? Anyway...be prepared to be transported back in time for the next few posts!

This was our Mother's day to be in Iowa. We headed there Friday night after Bob got off work. We had a great weekend hanging out with the family. Mom and Dad hosted the gathering for both sides so we headed out to the Sportsman's Park. Everyone was a little nervous because the weather had been sketchy all weekend. It turned out to be a perfect day. There was a great turnout and it was so nice to see so many of our family members! The kids had so much fun playing with all of their cousins! I love these two monkeys that have given me the privilege to celebrate Mother's Day!

a few pics to hold you over...

I know...I know...I've been promising updates. Time just slips away from me these days! I am so far behind I don't even know where to start anymore! So, I will just leave you with 2 of my favorite images from the last 2 days. (there are a bunch of pictures uploading to shutterfly as I type...so go check them out!)

These two really love their daddy...and so do I. He is the best!! :)

fitness challenge...

Well...I had grand plans of updating the blog while I listen to Bryce scream from his bed (I hate when he doesn't nap!). However as I sat down to start the abundence of posts to catch up on May, the laptop keeps shutting down on me randomly. Fantastic. So, no pictures for you today. Instead, I will just update you (from Bob's iPod) on my new fitness adventure! A few weeks ago my sister and I were chatting and I mentioned wanting to do the couch to 5k program. She had never heard of it so I sent her the link, we discussed it some and decided we were going to do it. We are on week 3 of the 9 week program and so far so good! We are looking into a 5k to do together so that we actually follow through...but we are doing it! It is sometimes really hard to find the motivation to get my butt moving to do the workout. But, with every day it slowly is getting easier. I really want to be one of those people who enjoys going for a run, for it to be a way for me to relieve stress and just make me feel better, I am definitely not there yet. Right now it is still a chore, it is not something that I look forward to, but I'll get there. I'll keep you posted on how it's going and I'll be sure to share when we finally decide on a 5k. OK...that is all for tonight...I think Bryce is finally asleep so I'm going enjoy the quiet for a moment. I'll be back soon!

i've been mia..

So much to blog about...sorry I've been slacking. I'm really going to try to catch up this weekend. It has been crazy here...I think Bob and I have talked for a total of 10 minutes this week! Thanks for hanging with me...I'll catch you up on all things Carroll soon...graduation, a craft project, kiddo updates and my new fitness adventure all coming at you! Stay tuned!

seven...

I figured out why it is a bad idea to marry someone so close to their birthday. It is hard to write 2 posts about the same person so close together! No, actually it is easy to write things about my hubby, but I figure that everyone doesn't want to read gooey, mushy things about him so close together. :) But here we are...so you can move on if you want...things are going to get gooey.

Seven years...wow. Where has the time gone? So much has changed...and yet I mostly think of us as that young 23 year old couple walking down the aisle. Except when I see pictures of us from back then and look at us now. Life has been pretty good to us, and most of that is because of you. You are the one who encouraged me when I wanted to leave my job a year and a half ago when we had Bryce, even though it was going to be tough, you knew it was best for me, and for our family. Things are not always sunshine and roses but we've gotten through it. I thank God every day for our beautiful, healthy babies, for the roof over our head, the food on our table and for you, the one that works so hard for us every single day. We don't always see eye-to-eye, but how boring would life be if it were that way? I think we compliment each other in the very best way, we don't have a perfect marriage, but we bring out the best of each other.
So, here is to seven years of the best of each other.
I love you babe...Happy Anniversary!!

thirty...

Today, dear husband...you join the ranks of the 30-somethings. Welcome...there is alcohol...and maybe some cookies...help yourself. Most of what I wrote in my birthday post applies to you...because...well...we did all of that together. We have fallen down and picked each other up, we have laughed and cried, we have argued (oh boy have we argued :) but through it all we have walked side by side for these last 10 years. Every major life changing thing that has happened to me or decision I have made since leaving high school you have been there for, supporting me, helping me weigh out the pros and cons, reassuring me when I doubt myself, and still loving me even when I make the wrong decisions. You are my rock, you can make me laugh always. I know I went a little overboard for your birthday...but to me it was a drop in the bucket...I would give you the world if I could...because I feel like that is what you have given to me. I feel like I can do anything with you at my side. I hope your 30th is all that you dream it to be and I look forward to spending the next several decades with you.
I love you! Happy Birthday.

i will return shortly...

To tie you over until I return with some real posts....check out these things.

• New stuff over at links of love. There will be new things posted every day for the next couple of weeks.


• I'm in the process of uploading a BUNCH of pictures to shutterfly. I've been really good about uploading them to facebook...but not so much to shutterfly. The new pictures are just from April (well the end of March too) so I know I'm still a couple of months behind...but honestly I don't even think I took many during that time. Anyway... check them out.

If those two things aren't enough for you...I don't know what to tell you...I do have some stuff to post...I just haven't slept much in the last 5 days...so give me another few days to let my brain recharge and I'll be back. In the meantime...here is a picture of some darn cute kiddos...if I do say so myself!

the big 3-0...

I think it is probably a bit indulgent to write a birthday post for myself, but sometimes I need to remind myself of the things that got me to where I am today, in the hectic day-to-day I often don't stop to appreciate the small things, but rather tuck them away to sit and think about when I have "more time". Well today I'm dusting off those old memories to remind myself what the last 10 years have been like as I say goodbye to my 20s (I really have no idea where Brianna gets her dramatics!)
The 20s were good to me for the most part, though they did have their share of bad times...the loss of my grandpas, two dear sweet men that I was so fortunate to have in my life for so long, a miscarriage that although was 6 years ago has left a hole in my heart that will never quite heal. The loss of Bob's grandmas, sweet women who will forever be missed. While these events were devastating, there are so many things that happened in my 20s that have brought me so much joy. Meeting and dating Bob, graduating college, making some of the best friends anyone could ever ask for, getting engaged, getting married to my best friend, witnessing many, many, many (like 50ish) of our family and friends get married. Buying our first house, having 2 beautiful babies, becoming an aunt, watching my children grow, and falling more in love with my husband every day.
These things and many, many more have made a mark on my 20s. These are the events that shaped my life over these last 10 years. I feel so very very blessed in my life...I have wonderful incredible friends and a loving supportive family. By looking back at the last 10 years I am looking forward to what the next 10 bring! Bring it on 30...bring it on! :)

links of love update...

Business has been booming over at links of love! Thanks to my sister, her coworkers and mom I've gotten to make some new pieces recently. My sister is again involved in the Relay for Life in Wentzville, MO again this year. I gave her a necklace to put in a basket they were raffling off and then she asked me to make a bracelet to go along with it. So, of course I found the most perfect thing to make. I am now selling these bracelets as a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. $5 of every bracelet goes to the American Cancer society. Contact me if you or anyone you know is interested. They can be a customized color to represent a particular cancer, just let me know.

cake experiment...

I've been wanting to try decorating a cake with fondant for a while now. I believe I watch too many cake decorating shows :) I found a recipe for marshmallow fondant that seemed relatively easy so today I decided to try it out. The fondant is super sweet and rich...but it is really very good and was pretty easy to make. I should have rolled the fondant out a little thinner, and I will the next time, but for my first attempt it wasn't too bad! I had a ton of fun making it (although it was pretty messy) and decorating the cake, I went a little crazy on the polka-dots, if I were doing it again I would make fewer of them and make them bigger. I will definitely be trying this again. Good thing I have a couple of birthday cakes to make in the near future! :) (I apologize for the crappy picture...it is from my phone)

bryce update...

Well...our little guy had his 15 month checkup this past week. He is now a whopping 23lbs and 30inches (which was the same measurement they had last time so someone measured wrong according to the doctor). He is in the 35th percentile for weight, 16th for length, and 6th for his head circumference. Yes, my baby has a small head. :) It has always measured on the small side, but it is growing on the right growth path so it is nothing to worry about (not that I was). He is all over all the time. He never...I mean NEVER stops. He is most of the time a huge sweetheart who loves to laugh and sit on your lap and play with toys or look at books. He does have his mean streaks (most occur when he is tired or just really excited). He has a tendency to bite...which I HATE. I think maybe it bothers me more than it normally would because Brianna was always the kid that got bit, so I know how it feels to be on that end of it. Thankfully (I guess) Bryce really only bites me and occasionally Brianna and Bob. In all honesty, I believe he thinks he is playing...he thinks we are joking when we react and he laughs. I don't in my heart believe his biting is mean-spirited or even because he wants to hurt someone, to him it is just playing. Other than that and trying to eat his crib or tearing the wallpaper border off the wall...he is an angel! :) Seriously...how can you not love this little guy?

the joy...

I'll admit it, I've been in a funk...a monumental funk. I've been worried, wondering if there will ever be enough time, enough money, heck even a moment of quiet. I've been quick to anger and slow to let it go. I'm tired of the snow, the cold, the grey. I crave the sunshine, the fresh air, the trips to the park. I'm burnt out. I feel like this. But here I sit at 2am so overcome with joy that I have to write this post before I go to sleep. Normally, hearing a crying baby at 1am immediately makes me sigh and get just a tad bit angry. I know it isn't his fault, but when you're used to him sleeping through the night, it is hard. Anyway, tonight was really no different, I sighed got out of bed and picked him up. He had a dirty diaper. Seriously?? Changing a poopy diaper at 1am is no one's idea of fun. After I changed him, he was wide awake, so I tried to lay down with him on the futon, he of course, had other ideas and wanted to get down and play. Normally this would dance on my last remaining nerve, but tonight I let him down and he went to get a book. He brought the book back to me...we sat and looked at the book. He got to a picture of a dog and he looked at me and said "woof, woof" as he petted the dog. He got this huge smile on his face and then planted a big kiss on me. As I lay on the futon looking up at him and what was left of his mohawk saying woof, woof to himself and alternately giving me kisses...I felt this weight lift off of me and was so glad to just be in the moment with him. Knowing that if I had been angry when he woke up I would have missed this. Is this is what I'm missing while in my funk...just getting through my day without being in it...I mean really in it? Someday there will be enough money, enough time, and enough quiet and I will wish I had all of this back. I know in my head that this will happen, but it is hard to think about that while you're changing your 10th diaper of the day and filling your 100th cup of the day, and hearing mom for the 1 millionth time of the day. I am glad I had this little reminder today. The joy is right there waiting for me to see and enjoy. It is in these two faces.

I'm not saying that tomorrow will be perfect...we are definitely not all sunshine and roses around here, but you can bet even in the thick of it (for tomorrow at least)I'll see the joy. I thank God everyday for these two angels and for opening me up to feel the joy tonight...it was just what I needed.The joy is all around us...we just have to let go and feel it.

the lost symbol...

I've got another book review for you! :) I just finished Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol.

The Lost Symbol brings back everyone's favorite professor, Robert Langdon. Langdon is brought to Washington DC to use his expertise to uncover once and for all the Mason's most treasured and highly guarded secret. (I think this is where I always fail at book reviews I'm not good at summarizing the book without giving stuff away)

I have mixed feelings about this book, I was really looking forward to reading it because I have really enjoyed all of Dan Brown's other books, and while I liked it...it was definitely not my favorite work by Dan Brown. For starters, it took me a really long time to really get into the book, I would say I was almost 1/2 way through before I got to where I was really involved in it. I'm not sure why it didn't grab me right away. It had some twists in it that I didn't see coming, which I enjoyed, because most of the time I have the end figured out before I get there, but even with those turn of events this would probably be 4th on my list of Dan Brown novels. This book is definitely worth the read, it just wasn't one of my personal favorites.

Happy Reading!!

separate rooms=better sleep...

Things are going well with the kids in their own rooms. We knew there would be an adjustment period, especially with Brianna....BUT the kids have done wonderfully. The first night Brianna ended up in our bed in the middle of the night, but the last 2 nights she has slept in her new room with no problems. Bryce goes to bed and stays asleep until morning...which is wonderful! He slept until after 9 yesterday morning and until about 8:30 this morning. Another HUGE bonus (for me at least) is that the kids are playing in their rooms, the toys are contained and my living room is still in one piece. Things are still on the shelves that I put them on! It is a miracle! I think I pick up toys in Bryce's room about 3 times a day...but it doesn't bother me, I can let him play in there and not worry that he is going to break something. In fact, I am typing this from his room while he plays. I'm waiting on some work stuff, so I brought the laptop up to his room and am sitting on the futon while he plays. The kids seem happier and mommy is definitely happier! I know I still owe you pictures or video or something...I haven't forgotten, things have just been a tad crazy this week. Hang tight, promise they will be here soon! :)

just filler...

I have a horribly sore throat today and a mound of work to get done tonight, so you you are just getting pictures of the rings I just made. They are my first attempts at rings..but I like them (I think) :) What do you think?

to tired for anything significant...

Sunday night already?? Ugh! We spent the weekend cleaning and moving furniture and purging the house of some of our junk. We moved (after much internal debate on my part) Brianna to her own room in the "basement" (we don't really have a basement, but we call it that or as Brianna likes to call it down-down stairs) Anyway, it was a pretty overwhelming task, but with Bob and Nancy's help (by taking the kids for the weekend) and Bob and I working our tails off we got it done. Along with a good cleaning of the house. I feel good about everything we accomplished this weekend, but I am now exhausted. I didn't post about my workouts/eating on Friday well because frankly I sucked last week and didn't do much of anything. I know I should still post that stuff but I was busy! :) I am planning on posting video tours of the kids' rooms tomorrow, so that should keep you all on the edge of your seats! Until then...enjoy what is left of your weekend!

**How cool is it that Kelly from The Girls from Ames left me a comment on my post? I'll be honest...I squealed out loud when I read it. I have no idea how she found my little piece of blogland, but I'm honored that she took the time to leave me a comment. Yay! Thank you Kelly, you made this Iowa girl's day!)**

the girls from ames...

I don't often write reviews on books but maybe I'll start. I have this fear of raving about a book I love and having people I recommend it to hate it. (Plus, I'm terrible about describing books...I'm a reader not a writer! :) But that is life...we all like different things and I happen to LOVE this book.

"The Girls from Ames"is about a group of 11 girls that have been friends since childhood (they are all in their mid-forties now). It discusses their friendships, the ups and downs, the hurt feelings and the joys. And more than just reminiscing about their pasts it discusses their interactions with each other, their support of each other during the toughest times in their lives, and how even though they now are spread all over the country they are still deeply entrenched in each others lives. It is an amazing story of true friendship.

Here is one of my favorite passages from the book

"Having these women in my world has meant not only acceptance, but radiant joy and laughter that knocks me right out of my chair. Through our darkest moments, we have lifted each other up. In every moment of grief we've shared, our laughter is a life vest, a secure promise that we will not go under."

This book made me think about the friendships I have, the million little things that have made them what they are, and how incredibly lucky I am to have such amazing people in my life.

funny conversations...

I posted this originally on facebook, but some of you out there aren't on facebook so I couldn't resist posting it here as well.

Brianna (after throwing something): "go get it buddy, go get it boy!"
Me: "Brianna, he is not a puppy"
Brianna: "But he chews on shoes!"

I had no response to that because...it is true.
She really does crack me up!

**not sure what is going on with the videos I've posted...I'm trying to fix it**
**aren't you impressed with my consistent posts for the last week or so?**