Day 12 - I'm thankful for sharing a meal with friends and family

Oops!  Forgot to post yesterday!
Day 12 - I'm thankful for sharing a meal with friends and family!  :)

Yesterday I spent all day cooking and cleaning.  A few times a year I get excited about cooking a big Thanksgiving-style meal.  Yesterday seemed like the perfect day with the weather getting cold and it being early November and all.  So at 7am I began preparing our dinner!

I love cooking my turkey breast in the crockpot!  It comes out moist and delicious and takes little to no effort.  I simply put the turkey in, fill the crockpot half full of water, and put in on high for the day.  I turn it to low or warm when the turkey is falling off the bone.  ;)  A whole turkey breast is a lot of food (even for the 5.5 of us having dinner together).  So I always end up with meat going in the freezer!  This is great for enchiladas, turkey and noodles, or turkey tortilla soup.  I also end up with lots of broth (I add a couple bullion cubes to the water) which I save and freeze for another time when I make soup.  :)  Waste not.  ;)

After my turkey was started I got my sweet potatoes ready.  When we were shopping I asked Michael to get 6 sweet potatoes or 3 lbs, whichever came first.  Michael misheard me and we ended up with 5.25 lbs of sweet potatoes.  :P  My sweet potato casserole called for butter, eggs, brown sugar, and salt mixed into my sweet potato mixture.  It was going to be very dessert-like for a side dish.  :P  It also had caramelized pecans on top, then marshmellows on top of that.  If your sweet potatoes on Thanksgiving don't taste like pumpkin pie, you're not doing it right.  These were delicious!!  After I got the mixure put together and the pecan mixture spread on top, I set the casserole to the side to wait until 30 minutes before dinner time to pop it back in the oven and add the marshmellows.

Next I prepared my green bean casserole.  Super easy to prepare, not going to dry out, delicious...  I love green bean casserole!  I always make it with French Cut green beans.  I make this one several times a year.  It's just so easy and yummy!  And I can eat it all on my own if Michael decides he doesn't want any.  ;)

In between doing all this cooking I was also changing diapers, feeding Connor, preparing food for Avery and Dayton, and refereeing debates over who various toys and books belonged to.  I managed to take a couple videos during that time.  One of Avery and Dayton wearing fairy wings from Avery's birthday party and running around like they were flying, and one of Avery and Dayton saying sweet potatoes very clearly.  It was so cute!  :)  Connor didn't really want to be put down yesterday.  He might still be feeling a little under the weather after his shots on Monday.  So unless I was holding him or he was sleeping, he was crying.  It's hard to get much done in that environment, but I managed.

After the kids went down for their naps (I managed to keep them up until 1pm) I worked on cleaning.  I picked up the living room, dining room, breakfast nook, kitchen, and kids' bathroom.  After getting things picked up, I worked on some more food.  I had to make a pan of cornbread for stuffing.  When I realized I didn't have a can of cream of chicken soup, I searched the internet for a recipe to make my own.  And I found one!!  :D  I finally got the stuffing put together and was ready to move on to my last prep food.

I peeled, cubed, and put my potatoes into water so they were ready to boil when it was almost time for dinner.  This was about as much as I could ready before hand.  So I took some more time to clean before the kids woke up from their naps.  In the chaos of the day, I had forgotten to eat breakfast or lunch.  Needless to say, by dinnertime, I was starving!

Jason (one of Michael's co-workers) and Ashley (Jason's fiance) came over for dinner.  Nate was here as well.  We all stuffed ourselves and still had plenty of leftovers!  :P  Avery took a while to warm up to our guests, but was eventually happily playing with Jason.  Connor was thrilled to be getting lots of attention from Ashley, who's got a little baby fever.  ;)  We all had a very nice meal and evening together.  :)  We don't do big meals like this often, but I'm excited we get to do them ocassionally.  It was so much fun to share our meal and evening with these friends and family.  :)  We are very blessed!

Day 11 - I'm thankful for veterans

Day 11 - Today I'm thankful for the men and women who have served and are currently serving in our military.  Thank you for your sacrifices to keep my family and me safe.  Also, thank you to the military spouses, children, parents, family and friends.  I know you too make sacrifices in having a family member in the military.  Thank you all, for the freedoms you protect and your willingness to serve.  My family and I are truly grateful.

Day 10 - I'm thankful that we live in Wichita

Day 10 - Today I'm thankful that Michael and I were able to move to Wichita after finishing school.  My sister, brother-in-law, and nephew are practically across the street and came over for dinner tonight.  My mom helps with the kids all the time and came over today to watch Avery and Dayton while I took Connor to the doctor.  She and I also began our holiday baking today!  It means so very much to be here with my family.  :)

Day 9 - I'm thankful for the little things

Day 9 - Today I'm thankful for baby snuggles and sleeping in my arms, for toddler hugs and kisses that come at a full sprint, and for holding hands in the car and a gentle squeeze that says hang in there, I love you, and everything in between.  How did life get so good?  :)

Day 8 - I'm thankful for my husband

Day 8 - Today I'm thankful for my wonderful husband.  He's my better half, my helper, my friend, my partner.  He makes me smile and laugh.  He makes me feel loved and appreciated.  He keeps me positive and trying to do better and be a better person each and every day.  I love him dearly and am grateful for each day that I get to spend with him.  We've been through so much in our 7 (almost 8) years together.  He has been faithfully by my side through everything.  Good and bad, my loving husband is there.  He shows me in everything he does that he loves me.  He tries always to make me happy.  He's selfless.  I'm so incredibly in love with this man God made for me.  I am a VERY lucky woman to have him!  Today I'm thankful for my incredible husband.  :)

Day 7 - I'm thankful for a weekend away

Day 7 - Today I'm thankful for weekends away.  :)  We leave for Topeka tonight when Michael gets home.  Looking forward to a little time away from home, visiting the family, and K-State basketball beginning on Sunday!  Stoked for our mini-vacation!  Probably our last little trip before the holiday craziness begins.  :)

Tonight we'll hopefully get to Topeka between 7 and 8.  The kids will be tired from the long drive and may even be asleep already since it gets dark so early.  But they'll stay up late spending time with Glenn and Linda.  Avery and Glenn will rough house and be silly.  Linda will snuggle with Connor.  Michael and I will enjoy a moment's peace having other people attending to the kids.  ;)  Hopefully the kids sleep well while we're out of town.  Avery will sleep in the second bedroom and have the room and the full-sized bed all to herself.  She did well there last time we visited (which was right before Tugfest, far too long ago).  Connor will sleep in the pack and play in Michael's and my room.  He makes noise while he sleeps, so Michael and I tend to sleep lightly.  :\

Tomorrow we'll probably see Nathan, Nick, and Maggie and the kids.  No plans for tomorrow other than watching the K-State football game.  I think it would be fun to go out to Glenn and Linda's property and let Avery run around a bit.  :)  I don't think she's been out there since last Christmas, and I know Connor's never been out there.  Can't wait until Glenn and Linda get their house started out there!  It's going to be such a fun place for the kids to play.  :)

Then Sunday we'll pack up and head to Manhattan.  Sunday is K-State men's basketball season home opener!  Michael and I are SOOOOO excited for basketball to start again!  We miss Manhattan dearly!  We're taking the kids to the game with us.  We have their headphones to keep their ears safe and healthy in the crazy noise of the Octogon of Doom.  ;)  We all have our purple too!  :)  And since it's the first game of the season it's a nobody team.  I think we're playing Washburn.  So if the kids don't do well and we need to leave early, it's no biggie.  We'll be back next Friday (without the kids).  ;)

So that's what our weekend looks like.  :)  Looking forward to a nice relaxing time.  Here's hoping the kids cooperate.  ;)  I love my life.  :D

Day 6 - I'm thankful for gamenight!!

Day 6 - Today I'm thankful for game night with my hubby.  I'm thankful for a man who still wants to be a kid with me.  And finally, I'm thankful that he's such a good sport when I kick his butt at Settlers!  :D

Michael's Day 5 - I'm thankful for Autumn

Day 5 - I love this weather and this time of year. Summer is hot, Winter is cold, and Spring is fickle and rainy. But Fall, oh Fall is sunny with a high of 70. It's hoodies, soup, and football. It's the season that invites you to curl up in a blanket and watch a movie. It's means no more mowing the grass, and no shoveling yet.

Fall is fleeting, and all too soon, it will be the dead of winter. But we can enjoy the time we have while we have it. 

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.

-Ecclesiastes 3:1

-The Byrds: Turn! Turn! Turn!

Day 5 - I'm thankful for our photographer

Day 5 - Today I'm thankful for our photographer, Courtney Unruh, who's been taking pictures for us since August 2012, who's captured some of the most amazing moments in our lives, who freezes time and life so we're free to live it and remember it later, and who finds a way to create beauty in the chaos that is my family.  :)  I love the little preview of our session from yesterday and can't wait to see all of them!  Thanks, Courtney!  :D

Courtney has taken the following shoots for us:
-Maternity #1 (Avery)
-Avery's Newborn photos
-Avery's One Year photos/Family photos
-Maternity #2 (Connor)/Family photos
-Connor's Birth photos
-Connor's Newborn photos
-Family photos

She's got a lot of our money, but it's totally worth it!  I'll try to attach a couple photos from all of the sessions she's done for us, including our 2 previews from out shoot last night.  :)  The value of a professional photographer cannot be understated!  Money well spent!  :)

Michael's Day 1-4 Thankfulness

Hello All! 

I may be running a bit behind, but I still have things I am thankful for!

Day 1 - I'm thankful for  Jen

She is my rock and my muse. She keeps me on track and keeps me sane. I'd be lost without her.

Day 2 - Avery's silliness

Just about everything that little girl does makes me laugh. She is so smart and so focused. I can't wait to watch her grow.

Day 3 - My Job

I have a pretty cushy job. I get annoyed every now and again, but I have a great job with great people. I have a lot of flexibility in what I want to work on, and I have a lot of clout around the office, which is fun.

Day 4 - Feeding Connor

When Avery was a baby, we used a lot of formula so I could get up in the middle of the night and feed her. With Connor, Jen has been exclusively feeding him, so I don't get a lot of changes to feed him. As he gets older, we are starting to break into the freezer milk stash, so I can finally start feeding him. I enjoy it. It gives me some one on one time with my son, which is always awesome.

Day 4 - I'm thankful for my right to vote

And you should be too!  Ever get frustrated with the people who are elected to lead our community, state, and nation?  Then do something about it!  Go out there and exercise your right to vote!  I know, especially living in Kansas, that all of the people I vote for will not get elected.  However, if I don't think my vote matters, and don't go out and vote, then there's no chance my candidates will win.  Just because you're in the minority doesn't mean you should give up.  Do your part, make your voice heard, and VOTE!  Same goes for those in the majority, your candidates only stay the majority leaders because people go out and vote.  I know almost everyone who reads my blog won't vote for the same candidates I do, and that's ok.  What's most important is that you get out there and make your voice heard for the candidate who best represents you, your values, your position on the issues, and your interests.  :)  I haven't voted yet, but I've made plans to make sure I can.  I hope you do too!  :D  This is democracy my friends.  Do your part!  VOTE!!!!

Day 3 - I'm thankful for quiet time with my son.

My weeks are loud and crazy.  Avery and Dayton love to run and play.  They pull toys all over the house and leave food remnants on the floor.  Connor is learning to crawl, but gets frustrated after working at it a long time and gets fussy.  The dogs whine in their kennels when they hear I'm awake upstairs.  Then, after I let them out, they bark and howl up the neighborhood at the slightest sign of life anywhere around our yard.  I usually get a little break during nap time if Connor's schedule matches Avery and Dayton's and they all nap at the same time for a bit.  However, this happens far fewer times than I hope for.

On some days, though, I'm treated with a break amidst the crazy.  :)  At this moment, Avery and Dayton are playing in her room.  I can hear them playing which keeps my worries as bay that they're doing something they shouldn't be.  ;)  Connor, up early as his little body hasn't become used to the time change yet, is ready for a nap.  So in the middle of the crazy that is most of my days, I know that the toddlers are playing safely, and I am enjoying quiet time with Connor.

One of the reasons I love nursing my kids until they're a year old is the bonding and sweet moments we share.  This is one of those moments I drink in and enjoy because I know they'll be gone all too soon.  My handsome baby boy laying across my lap, eating groggily as he falls asleep, his little hand wrapped around my finger, his wheezy breathing as he still hasn't gotten over that cold, these are the moments I love and live for. 

My baby boy will be 6 months at the end of this week.  Time is going by way too fast.  :(  So I sit back again and drink in the moment.  My sweet baby boy is still a baby, but time is fleeting and soon this stage will be over.  So today, in this moment, I'm thankful for a quiet reprieve from the regular madness and gentle snuggles with my son.  His life makes mine even more worth living.  I love you, Connor.

Day 2 - I'm thankful for my dirty, messy, expensive home

Today I'm thankful for a toy littered living room (my kids have things to play with and they're happy).  I'm thankful for a kitchen full of dirty dishes (my family has food to eat).  I'm thankful for the mountain of laundry (my family has clean clothes to wear each day and to add to the pile each night).  I'm thankful for my gas bill (my family has heat to keep us warm as winter approaches).  And I'm thankful for some time to clean and be reminded of all the blessings I have.  Happy Sunday, Friends.

Day 1 - I'm thankful for weekends with my family

On facebook every year I (as well as many friends and family members) take the month to say what I'm thankful for.  Each day of the month I reflect on one (or more) people, places, things, ideas. blessings, feelings, etc to be thankful for.  I thought I'd try to keep up with my thankful posts on the blog this year as well.  (I might even try to get Michael to join me as well!)  So as I post my one to two sentence thankful thought each day, I'll also try to come over here and at least copy and paste the thought, if not elaborate on it even more.  :)  Wish me luck!!

Today, to begin things off, I'm thankful for weekends with my family.

I love having Michael home on the weekend for a number of reasons. 
I love getting to spend more time with him.  We had so much fun yesterday taking the kids trick or treating at his work, then showing their costumes off while we visited my grandparents last night.  I love watching football together on Saturday and Sunday with him.  We spend most of the days being lazy and watching the games.  I love when the kids take a nap and we can just lay in bed and snuggle with the dull roar of the football games on tv.
I love having some extra help with the kiddos over the weekend.  Yes, I chose the stay at home mom life, but it is seriously a full-time job.  Michael is so great and helps out so much over the weekend.  He helps keep Avery fed and helps with diapers for both kids.  He also helps with bath time (which is almost always his realm anyway) and bed time.
I love being able to cook for him all weekend.  I usually make a big breakfast on Saturday morning for all of us.  It's a special thing for the weekend when the whole family is together.  Sure, it's basically the same stuff that I make for the kids all week, eggs, pancakes, toast, bacon, etc.  But over the weekend I put it all together and we have a big breakfast!  Add that to the fact that it's usually a little later in the day because we sleep in, and we usually have 2 big meals on Saturday instead of 3.

It's nice for me to be home on the weekend.
I love being a stay at home mom.  Thanks to my wonderful husband, who provides for our family, I'm able to stay home with the kids during the week.  When Connor came along I decided I wanted to stay home during the weekend too, and my loving husband agreed that I could.  I no longer have to go to work on the weekends.  I'm so grateful for this opportunity!
It's so much fun to go out and about with the family over the weekend!  Yesterday was Halloween, so we did all of our out and about yesterday.  That means today and tomorrow get to be lazy days.  Michael is grateful for that.  Sometimes our outings are a simple trip to the park, other times we go to the zoo, the museum, the farmers market, or out to eat.  It's nice for me to get out of the house at least a time or two on the weekend.

I'm absolutely crazy about my kids!
Miss Avery is always going!  She is happy and so smart.  She's beautiful and full of personality.  Every day she's learning new things and showing us another facet of her personality.  She's an amazing big sister and a loving daughter.  She's also a turd sometimes, so I'm happy I have her Daddy to pass her off to on occasion.  I'm looking forward to seeing the woman she becomes as she continues to grow!
Connor is such a happy baby!  As long as he's got a full belly, a clean diaper, and a little attention, he's got everything he needs.  I can't believe he'll be 6 months old this month.  He's growing so much every day!  I love seeing his little personality as he gets older.  I can't wait for him to begin walking and talking (I know, I'm crazy).

Well, don't expect a big post like this every day.  ;)  But I'll try to get back on every day.  :)  Happy Thankful November to you all!

Royals

Bummer.  :(  No pun intended. 

I really don't like Madison Bumgarner.

This is the life of a Kansas sports fan.  Hopes up, then dashed.  :(

Good season and post season Royals.  We're very proud!

Cute Kids

I have the cutest stinkin kids!!  :D  Enjoy!!

Cold Season

Well, it's about that time of year again.  Time to put boogie wipes on the shopping list.  If you are the parent or grandparent of a little one, let me tell you (later) how wonderful these little contraptions are!  ;)  But that's not my point now...

Connor woke up this morning with a cough and a runny nose.  :(  Normally I wouldn't think this was because of anything but the rapidly approaching cold and flu season.  However, my sweet little boy has never been sick.  And, to top it all off, he had one minor change in his routine this week...  He went to the nursery during church on Sunday, two days ago.

So I can't help but wonder...  Did Connor get his little cold from being in the nursery on Sunday?  Chances are, he did.  However, we did go to the Pumpkin Patch and had a guest at the house this week, which he could have picked something up from as well.  Who can really tell?  I just can't help but point my finger at the nursery, where there were over half a dozen babies, and Connor was laying on the floor with a toy in his mouth when I walked in.  :\  But who knows?  I suppose it's cold and flu season, and this was bound to happen eventually.

That being said, I've learned a little about myself as I look for the reason my son is dripping from the nose.  I'm much more of a "Granola Mama" with Connor than I was with Avery.  If you were around us when Avery was a baby, I didn't worry about germs much with her.  I always said they'd build up her immune system.  Being born at the beginning of fall, she hit cold and flu season at an early age.  We were in the doctor's office on Christmas Eve with her first cold (because we were still new parents and it was worth the $35 copay for the peace of mind to hear the doctor say she had a cold).  Avery had formula at less than one month old.  Most of the reason for that was that I wasn't producing enough to keep her satisfied.  I continued to nurse, but not exclusively, I gave up on that dream.  Everyone knows I use cloth diapers for our kiddos, but because of diaper rashes here and there, Avery has spent month long stints in disposables before, although I always return to the cloth in the end.  That was the story of our first child...

Then Connor came along.  Connor is the baby, and always will be, as he is our last child.  Born in the late spring/early summer, the cold and flu season took much longer to get to him.  Connor hasn't been sick until now, for the first time, at 5.5 months old.  My milk lasted longer, and I'm proud to say I'm still exclusively nursing him, and that he's never had formula before (despite a stockpile of freebies I received when I was pregnant with him).  Connor hasn't had to be in disposables much, because he's never really had any issues with diaper rash.  Once his circ healed up, he's been almost exclusively a cloth diaper baby (with the exceptions of when I haven't got diaper laundry done, when I need his diaper to fit into a smaller pair of pants, or when we're going out for the day or an extended period of time, and disposables are just going to be easier.  See what I mean??  I'm a crunchy, granola Mama!  :P  Add to that the fact that my kids don't get sugar (if I can help it) for the first year of their lives and the fact that I make their own baby food (which Connor will start in a couple of week), and the fact that I've never bought a SINGLE jar of baby food for my kids, and you'd think I was close to a full blown hippy.  And that's fine.  Because I still vaccinate, I'm going to send them to public school, I'm going to buy them new toys and clothes when I can, and we'll eat fast food on long days when I just can't stand the idea of cooking dinner.  :P

This post has turned in a different direction than I was originally anticipating.  :P 

I think the nursery made Connor sick.  :(  He's my baby.  I don't like him being sick.  :(  He doesn't seem to know or mind.  He's always such a happy baby.  He also doesn't have a fever, so that's good.  Just not fun seeing my little one under the weather.

Black Friday

Trying this Black Friday post again.  Will have to save every few minutes in case something happens.  ;)

I love going out and shopping on Black Friday.  I have tons of great memories from growing up and going Black Friday shopping.  I love getting up in the middle of the night (or staying up late) to join the crowds of crazies and look for the great sales on Christmas gifts.  I love driving through Starbucks in the middle of the night for a much needed caffeine pick-me-up.  I like planning our route and making my list on Thanksgiving day so we have a plan of where we're going the next day.  It's just a fun event!  :)

That being said, Black Friday is also getting a little disappointing.  I get emails from bfads.net.  They keep me up to date on the latest Black Friday news.  Last week I got an email from them that mentioned some of the stores had released their start times for Black Friday.  I was disappointed to read that several stores are opening to begin their sales as early as Thanksgiving morning.  :(  Now I've gone shopping on Thanksgiving before, because the sales have been leaking from Black Friday into Thanksgiving for several years, but usually that means that sales begin at 8pm, 10pm, or midnight (I know, technically midnight is Friday).

I'm disappointed in the stores opening so early on Thanksgiving for several reasons.
1- I was in the retail industry not that long ago, and it's just mean of the big corporations to make their employees, who are making minimum wage or right around there, miss this special holiday with their families because their employers are open now.  Not to mention, it encourages others to cut their Thanksgivings with their families short in order to go out shopping for the best deals.  This is not what Thanksgiving is about.
2- Black Friday is going to lose all it's meaning, because hardly any shopping will actually take place on Friday.  Now that someone has started the ball rolling and Thanksgiving is no longer off limits, it's only going to get worse.  Eventually sales will begin the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, then the week before.  Eventually we'll forget that we waited until the day after Thanksgiving for our shopping at all.
3- Great deals are not that important!!  I think it was Wal-mart last year that had a sale starting as early as 6pm on Thanksgiving.  I didn't get to Walmart until around 8pm.  Because, frankly, nothing was worth that sacrifice.  Family comes first and Thanksgiving is about family, not stuff.

So no, I won't be skipping dinner on Thanksgiving to go shop.  No, I won't be hitting a few stores before breakfast on Thanksgiving.  During the early afternoon food coma, when everyone is sitting around watching football, full, happy, and dreary, if a store has an online sale running, I may order a couple things.  But other than that, until 8pm (or later) on Thanksgiving, I won't be out shopping.  I wonder if the Walton's and the other megacorp families will be out working on Thanksgiving day like their minimum wage employees are forced to do.  Just sad.  And, because of this, when I do reach the stores this year (because let's face it, I'll still go) I'll try to smile and say Happy Thanksgiving to the employees just trying to keep their jobs, forced in on what used to be a holiday, and missing time with their own families in order to provide.  Because while Black Friday can be a little crazy, that's no reason not to be civil to one another.  We are all human, after all.

Well, I don't think that's exactly where I was going when I started this post last week, but it gets most of my points across.  I'm not as focused this morning.  No coffee yet.  ;)  Hope you have a nice day, and I hope you, too, will be an example of civility come Black Friday.  :)

October 15th

Is Infant and Pregnancy Loss Rememberence Day.  I didn't even know a day like this existed until a friend posted something on facebook this morning.  If you've been reading our blog for a while, then you know Michael and I had a miscarriage in June of 2013.  I'm not going to say a whole lot more about the day, I'm feeling a lot of different emotions.  I think she summed it up well, so I'll leave you with her words (slightly changed to fit our situation).

I am a mother of three.  One brilliant little girl, one sweet baby boy, and one too beautiful for Earth.

Ugh!!!

You ever get 2/3 of the way through a decent project, text, email, etc, only to have something happen and all your work to be gone?  Yup.  That's what just happened to me.  Ugh!  Over halfway done with a post about Black Friday when Avery crawls onto my lap, hits my phone, and loses all my work.  *sigh*  I might try to reproduce it later.  For now I'm too irritated.  Ugh.  Bye.