Thankful Thursday

WOW...I have so much to be thankful for! A snippett...
I am thankful for...
my two adorable children. They always make me smile. The things they say amaze me. Their hugs are calming. Their minds are open. Their laughter fills a room. They are mine.

the friends who inspire me to be a better mother, better crafter, better wife, better follower

my XXL sweatpants and sweatshirt (my mom bought for me when I was pregnant - very pregnant). As soon as I get up in the morning or walk in the door from work I can't wait to put them on. They are huge and SO comfy! I hope you never get the chance to see me wearing them! (although I did run to Target in them tonight!)

Halloween. It gives me a reason to have all of my favorite chocolate candy in the house (aka 100 Grand)

North Run Preschool. I have never met a more dedicated and nurturing group of teachers. Thank you, Dawn, for finding it for me!

my photo printer. Seriously, it has to be the best one on the market. Thank you honey for getting this for me for Christmas last year. Each time I print a perfect picture from it (any time I print something), I am amazed at the quality of the product.

date nights with my honey

e-mail

EBay...I think I'm addicted!

Cox Farms

We spent the day yesterday visiting with a college friend and his son, who is Connor's age, in Northern Virginia. We went to Cox Farms (http://www.coxfarms.com/). They were having their annual Fall Festival. WOW! When I tell you this place was at least twice, if not three times the size of our local Berry Farms, believe it. It was huge! They had everything you could imagine for kids to play with, on, and in. They had slides of all different heights, an enormous corn maze, a rope swing over cushioned mats and foam, a hayride, a goat farm, pigs, chickens, pony rides, and so much more. They had yummy eats, too, like candied apple slices, cider, kettle corn, and burgers and hot dogs too.
Luckily we got there soon after it opened so there wasn't much of a crowd and the kids didn't have to wait in long lines. But by the end of the day, it was crowded and the children were getting antsy waiting in line. We stayed for about 6 hours and the kids were pooped by the time we left (and so were the adults!) It was great fun! Thanks, Greg and Alex, for showing us such a great time. (And thanks, Diana, for sharing this photo mosaic website...love it!)

Carving Day

Today was the day. I decided it was time to carve our pumpkins. This is always such an exciting time for me - not so much for Matt. He complies because he knows it has to be done. Carving pumpkins is not exactly his favorite thing to do. Of course I won't let him get away with simple faces, either. Last year I couldn't find our carving tools so I ran to the store at the last minute. The only tools they had were part of a kit, including a pattern book. What fun! I perused the pages, found my two favorites, and shared them with Matt. There was no talking me out of those two designs. So, here is what we ended up with last year...

So this year as I was looking through that same pattern book, I was disappointed with the remaining pattern choices. I spent some time online browsing free pumpkin carving patterns and was quite impressed with what I found. One of the neatest sites was Better Homes and Gardens (http://www.bhg.com/). They not only had some neat patterns, but they also had a pumpkin stencil maker. It allowed you to select from a variety of face parts and create your own pattern. Then you could either print it or e-mail it to yourself. Although I didn't choose to go that route, I thought it was a neat concept. Check it out... http://www.bhg.com/bhg/multimedia.jsp?multimediaId=/templatedata/bhg/multimedia/data/PumpkinStencilMaker.xml

After quite a bit of searching, I found my two favorites and shared them with Matt (the poor thing...even if he didn't like them, he would never say so and if he thought they were too difficult, I would just try to convince him that we could do it, so he really has no choice in the matter...such a good guy!) and then "traced" my pattern on the pumpkin. Connor helped remove the insides, although he wasn't too excited about touching them with his hands. Matt completed his pattern and got Carly's assistance removing the insides. She, too, did not want to touch the slimy "guts" with her hands. Matt and I both began carving while Connor and Carly played in the rain. They finally got bored with that and decided to come inside. Matt and I were left on the porch carving their pumpkins by ourselves. We joked and laughed as we wondered what anyone driving by watching us would think as we sat on the porch by ourselves carving pumpkins without our children. Who's pumpkins are these anyway!? Anyway...we were thrilled with the end products - and so were Connor and Carly! This year I decided to get some of those battery powered flickering "candles" to put inside the pumpkins rather than using candles. I'm probably the last person on earth to think of that, but I am excited that they really work. So, what do you think...???

This is the one I did... (and it was marked "beginner", by the way)and here's Matt's...

The Mayor

As we were sitting at the table enjoying our dinner, it occured to me that Pre-School Picture Day is tomorrow. Connor's hair has been in desperate need of a haircut, and I really wanted it to look decent for pictures, so I ran him across the street to Great Clips for a haircut. Matt has taken him there before so I knew they'd do a nice job.
As we walked in, there were people already waiting. A man, and a woman with her two children. Connor walked right in and sat down next to the little boy. Feeling a bit embarrased, I encouraged him to come sit next to me, but he insisted on sitting next to the young boy. The conversation began...
"Hi"
"Hi, my name is Connor. What's your name?"
"Aidan. How old are you Connor?"
"Four"
"I'm in first grade. What grade are you in?"
"Pre-K. Do you like Star Wars?"
"Yes, how did you know?"
"I like Star Wars too...C-3PO and R2D2 are my favorite."
The conversation continued for quite some time. The little boy was telling me that Picture Day was tomorrow so he needed a haircut. He went to Longan Elementary School. He was showing Connor all of the different types of candy in the dispenser...
"Those are M&M's. The ones with peanuts in them."
"I'm allergic to peanuts"
"You are? There is a girl in my class who is allergic to peanuts"
"Yeah, but I like peanuts with butter on them (peanut butter)"
Then, Aidan was called to get his hair cut. Connor had to use the bathroom, so we did that. When we came out, there was another mother sitting in the waiting area with her two boys - one sitting next to her and the other sitting across the way near where we were sitting. Connor immediately went and sat next to the boy near our previous seats.
"Hi my name is Connor"
"Hi Connor, I'm Donald"
"Donald, how old are you?"
"Ten - how old are you?"
"Four"
Then "Baracuda" came on the radio and Donald said,
"Hey, this is Baracuda. I can play this on Rock Band."
"I can dance to it...wanna see me dance?"
"Sure"
I began to get a little nervous about what was going to happen next (since he definitely gets his dance moves from his father and the waiting area had now filled up completely) I tried to convince Connor that maybe this wasn't the place to show off his moves and that maybe we could wait until we got home. He said, "No, mom, it's all right." He proceeded to break dance in the middle of the waiting room floor. Everyone was smiling and trying real hard not to laugh hysterically out loud - myself included. Matt must be giving him lessons on the evenings I'm out! We (I) was saved when Connor was called to the chair. Sigh.
After his hair was cut, we headed for the door and Connor stopped to say goodbye to Donald's brother and asked him to say goodbye to Donald for him (Donald was getting his hair cut).
I think Connor is practicing to be Mayor. Such a social butterfly...must get that from his Daddy too!

Another Great Weekend...

The weekend began Friday night with the ladies. Liz and I hosted another Bun Bun Bag party since the last one was such a hit. They have added several new styles to their collection, and the fall fabrics are so cute! While the consultant was busy displaying the bags before the party, I immediately found my favorite. It is one of the new styles which is not even up on the website. Since I had previously viewed the fabrics online (bunbunbags.com), I already knew that I would be ordering the brown and white polka dot pattern. Love polka dots! All of the ladies had fun checking out the styles and getting each other's advice regarding colors, fabrics, monograms, etc... It's so nice to have other ladies around while you're designing a new handbag. I know Matt wouldn't have been much help in that department. The nice thing about this company (which was started a few years ago by a woman in Chesterfield County) is that you get to design the bag. You choose the style, fabric, lining color, pocket number and location, monogram vs. applique, snap, zipper, etc... After the bag is ordered, it is custom made and delivered 4 weeks later. I just love this concept. In fact, so much so, I am considering becoming a consultant myself. The best part of the night...The hostess (which would be me) receives a custom bag from the next season's designs for free that night! Mine is adorable.

Saturday morning we played around the house - in our pajamas. Our good friends, and Carly's godparents, called because they were on this side of town (yet another close friend who moved to the southsided!) and wondered what we were up to. We invited them over to play and have lunch. Because I didn't have too much time to plan, I ran to Ukrops (so conveniently across the street) to get the fixins for soup and sandwiches. We enjoyed our time together catching up and Connor and Carly had fun playing with Jacob. If only we could see them more often.

While the kids were napping, my mom came over to finish the wallpaper in the foyer. We ran out of paper 3/4 of the way through and it took me several months to order another roll. Thanks mom for the nudge on that one! It looks great!

My mom invited Connor and Carly to spend the night with her, so Matt and I had a date night. We had intended to have dinner and catch a movie (I wanted to see Nights in Rodanthe). The best laid plans...our dinner ran a little long so we missed the movie. We decided to check out nearby Five Below, and the new Trader Joe's . It was our first visit to Trader Joe's. Neat place. We looked like alcoholics walking out of Trader Joe's with our three bottles of "Two Buck Chuck" and a six pack of beer.

We were able to sleep in a little this morning before heading to church. We enjoyed Pastor Rick's final message in the "I Do I Don't" series titled Family First. We were happy to hear him encouraging the congregation to eat together as a family each night. Something Matt and I completely agree with. When we arrived at my mother's house, this is what we found...


My mom had prepared brunch for us...delicious! Afterwards, Matt took off Connor's training wheels on the 16" bike my mom has for him at her house. We were anticipating that he might have some difficulty since this bike was a bit larger than his bike at our house. Nope...check him out!

We got home just in time for naptime. Afterwards, I had fun snapping some shots of Carly outside. I bought this dress for her a while back and just fell in love with it. I have been waiting for the weather to be cold enough for her to wear it, as it is made of sweater material. I wish I could have a matching one...
I am a little biased, but is she not the cutest thing you ever saw!?

And while I was at it, I snapped a few pictures of the front porch, as promised...

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for my two healthy, sweet, and lovable children. They fill my days with so much joy and my heart with overflowing and unconditional love.
I am thankful for my husband. My sweet, hardworking, selfless, and dedicated husband.
I am thankful for my mother. She the primary inspiration in my life, and she never stops giving to others. She is an amazing grandmother to my children. I can only hope that I am half of the mother she has been to me.
I am thankful to have married into such a wonderful family. My in-laws are the most generous and thoughtful people I know. They adore their grandchildren and spoil them rotten.
I am thankful for the flexibility my job allows - that I can work as often or as little as I want to and I can create my own hours.
I am thankful for the MOPS group I am a part of, and for all of the things I've learned from the other moms in the group and the speakers we've had.

A fantastic, fun-filled weekend!

WOW! What a weekend! I can't remember a weekend like this one in a long time. It was perfect! It started Saturday morning...

Matt cooked us all cheese omlets and them we headed to the "Touch a Truck" event held at Short Pump Middle School, sponsored by the Junior League of Richmond. I had never heard of this before, but apparently this was their 3rd Annual. It caught my attention after a friend, and fellow blogger, forwarded the flyer advertising the event. This was incredible, and if you've never been before I highly recommend it. There were 30 plus trucks of all types for the children to explore. There was a dump truck, bulldozer, excavator, 18 wheeler, ambulance, city bus, firetruck, cement mixer, etc... The children could climb on and IN them. They got to sit in the driver's seat and push buttons and most importantly, honk the horn! It was so much fun, and because we were among the first people there, there were no lines to wait in. They had inflatables for the kids to jump in, games, crafts, and carnival type food.

We left from there and headed right to the University of Richmond for the Down Syndrome Association of Richmond's Buddy Walk. We had joined Team Katiebug (a friend who's daughter, Katie, was born with Down Syndrome) and were walking in support of her. We picked up our t-shirts, had a bite to eat, and began the 1 mile walk around the campus. What a beautiful place. It reminded Matt and I of Elmira (where we went to college) and agreed that we'd love our children to attend there (although our bank accounts won't). Connor walked with Will (Katie's brother) and they had a great time entertaining each other - most of the time bopping each other in the face with their balloons and Carly had to be carried some of the way. We were pooped, hot, and tired by the end so we headed home for naptime!

This morning I worked in the Nursery at church, this time with the 2 and 3 year olds. It was my first time in there and they were so much fun. We had at least 15 little ones in there. I even got my fill of crying children! There were a few times, after mom and dad dropped off their little one, that I was able to hold and comfort a crying child. I loved every second of it! They stopped crying and played happily the rest of the time.

After church, we stopped home to pick up everything we'd need for a picnic lunch - and bread to feed the ducks - then headed over to Crump Park for a picnic lunch. We fed the ducks first, of course, and then enjoyed our lunch. Back home for naptime. During naptime, I ran over to the Greenhouse and purchased some mums and a haybale to display on the front porch (I'll post a picture of that later). Matt got some time to relax in the sun before the kids woke up. After naptime, Connor and Carly played outside a bit with neighbor Hayden, throwing the frisbee and riding bikes. We had been talking with Connor about removing his training wheels - although I felt I needed to purchase some protective gear before we actually did it. This afternoon, though, Connor was so excited about it and Matt was ready to go, so I went along with it. As soon as the training wheels were removed, before I could even get the camera ready, Connor was off riding - never looking back. He rode around the driveway, then down the small slope, into the road and all around the cul-de-sac...all the time pedaling and smiling. None of us could believe it. He never fell, not once! Yahoo!!!

A jam-packed weekend!

These boots are made for...

Carly!

Yesterday, after we dropped Connor off at school, Carly and I ran to Wal Mart to pick up a few things. Somehow I ended up in the shoe department. I wasn't really looking for shoes, but I came across these black patent leather boots as I was scanning the shelves of little girls' shoes. I thought they were so cute and wanted to see how they'd look on Carly. I took her out of the cart and squeezed the little boots onto her feet. They were adorable, and I could tell Carly liked them because she immediately began clinking around on the floor walking and clicking all around the shoe department. There had to be about 4 women employees in the department and I could hear them all excaliming about Carly and how cute she was flittering all about in those adorable boots. It didn't take me long to deciide that we HAD to get those boots! I tried to get her back in the cart, but she wanted to walk, dance, and click around the store. So that's what she did for the remainder of the shopping trip. She wouldn't even let me take them off when it was time to get in the car. She wanted to keep those boots on...and I must admit, they did look awfully darn cute! See for yourself!

Here she is dancing and clinking around

at Nonnie's house later that morning

(I failed to mention that, just as I was about to remove her from the cart, she - in a squatting position - said "Look Mommy." I glanced down at the floor below her and there was a large puddle. I quickly realized that I had completely forgotton to put a Pull Up on her that morning...OOPS! Poor thing. One more reason why I just had to get those boots!)

WOW!!!

We have all commented at some point or another, and even more than once, that this has been such an inspiring, informative, andenjoyable experience. We've met countless other mothers, learned from acclaimed authors and speakers, and listened to some of the most beautiful and angelic-like voices. Our minds are jammed, our hearts full, and our suitcases PACKED (with all of the wonderful things we've purchased at the Resource Center) as we prepare to leave this convention tomorrow. I know I speak for everyone when I say that we are leaving here not only equipped with new ideas for our local MOPS groups, but also refreshed and overflowing with the inspiration we need to take home and, once again, embrace our roles as mothers.

There are certainly some highlights from our trip to share...

Julie Barnhill...hilarious mother and author of One Tough Mother

Go Fish...music group consisting of three men (also daddies) whose upbeat music is guaranteed to get every parent and child bopping to their beat

Erwin McManus...pastor, motivational speaker, and author of Living Wide Awake

Plumb...mother of three children and singer

Nic Gonzales and Jaci Valasquez...husband and wife duo (also parents), whose amazing voices I could've listened to for hours on end. They were so cute together and their banter back and forth on stage made all of us smile.

Getting to see and hear from Lynn Spears (mother of Brittany and Jamie Lynn)

"Real" moms and MOPS members who got up and shared their touching, and very personal stories about the roles MOPS had played in their lives.

Dr. Tim Kimmel...parenting author of many books including Grace Based Parenting, which all of us thoroughly enjoyed

The Gaylord...WOW! This place is amazing.

Spending time with the amazing group of women and mothers on our MOPS Steering Team. They all have such tremendous gifts to bring to our MOPS group and are truly inspiring people.

Our dinner together last night (at Rainforest Cafe) laughing and having a great time.

Talking by cell phone to our families back home...hearing "I miss you mommy" and "we can't wait until you get back home" and the excitement we all have to get back home and hug each one of our children and our husbands!

Day 1 in Dallas

We didn't realize this, or at least we didn't remember, that the only session we had today was a general session this evening from 7-9:30pm. That meant we had the whole day free!!!

Courtney, Heather, and I decided to get up this morning and get some exercise. Heather went out for a run, while Courtney and I visited the fitness center. WOW...what a place. There had to have been at least 12 treadmills, 5 elliptical machines, bikes, weights, and so much more. I must admit, I was quite impressed when the towel boy handed me a towel as I was walking on the treadmill. (He gave everyone one) Afterwards, Courtney and I went to the Riverwalk Cafe (modeled after the Riverwalk in San Antonio) inside the hotel to enjoy their breakfast buffet. Since it was $18 per person, we took full advantage and filled our plates, several times. It was delicious. It was just as we were about to leave that we were reminded that we were in Texas when a man seated nearby stood up, and as he put his suit jacket back on, revealed his gun in it's holster on his hip.

With all the free time on our hands, I knew immediately what I wanted to do. Sit by the pool! This pool was absolutely beautiful. Courtney and I picked out some chairs in the sun and relaxed while Heather and Liz took the shuttle over to the mall, as they both wanted pedicures. Here is where we spent the remainder of the day!

Megan and Sally had later flights, so they both arrived later this morning/early afternoon. Once Liz and Heather got back from the mall (which was apparently more of an outlet mall) with their newly painted toenails, we all sat together and caught up. We were all so excited to be laying at a pool without children to attend to. It was so relaxing, the scenery was beautiful, and the temperature was in the 80's with NO humidity. Just perfect!

At about 4:00, we decided we'd had enough sun and came back to our rooms to shower. Since none of really had lunch, we were all starving, and decided to go to the Texas Station restaurant (a full size restaurant inside the atrium) for dinner. It was a sports bar with the largest television screen I'd ever seen. We all enjoyed our meals very much.

Here we are outside of the restaurant

The general session was great. We heard from several motivational speakers, including Elisa Morgan, the founder and CEO of MOPS International. But I must say, the highlight of the evening was listening to the bang GoFish. They are a Children's Christian band, who's philosophy was to create music for children that wouldn't drive their parents BONKERS. When I tell you that they were fabulous, I mean it. Moms knew the words to their songs and were dancing in the aisles. The six of us were dancing on our chairs...

As soon as the session was over, we ran downstairs to the Resource Room (books, vendors, and resources for mothers) and get one of their cd's. I can't wait to play the music for Connor and Carly! Check them out...http://www.gofishguys.com/guys/index.html

It's time for bed now...tomorrow morning our first session is at 9am...

Until then...

Oh, does it have to be bed time already?

Mommy's down South, Connor's up North. It's Daddy-Daughter time! Although the evening flew by, it was memorable to be able to do nothing more than spend time creating dialogue and learning from the mind of a two year old girl. I often expected Carly to be the social butterfly of the family and was slightly concerned and/or curious when she assumed a passive role in the family in these early years (that is, besides the temper tantrums). However, it is more clear tonight that she was simply adapting to being the second born child and has developed an incredible sense of perception and skillful observation. As I picked her up from Nonnie's house through bedtime, we talked, played, sang, ate, learned and laughed with each other. On our way home, I decided that I would rather go home than get a haircut, which I spoke very briefly about in her presence when I got her for the evening. On the way home, we talked and I began to tell her we were going home to spend time together. She was quiet for a moment and gazed out the window. Then, she turned to the front and we made eye contact through the rear view mirror. "AWWWW, Daddy, you can get your haircut, it's OK", she said. I told her that I could get it another time and she insisted, "No Daddy, I watch you get your haircut and I can get a sucker, OK?" Naturally, I gave in and we went. During the haircut, she walked around and I asked her to please come back so I could see her. When she returned she rubbed my knee and said, "It's OK Daddy, I'm here. You're OK." Even the hairdresser stopped cutting to make a comment and compliment her empathetic comment. It didn't stop there. Carly approached again as I was getting up from the chair and said, "Oh, you look so nice......nice haircut". Any parent would have felt the warm, fuzzy feeling I did after that. So, we went to find the dinner of her choice at Ukrops. This was not easy and she was more fascinated with the pumpkins and displays, but gained the attention of many as she wandered around the store and I followed her like a puppy (trying to keep up). We finally agreed on a healthy meal that would satisfy us both. I chose a table in a corner and turned my back to everyone to only face Carly. I let her guide the discussion and she talked freely about her day with occasional waves to strangers and sporadic dances in her chair. At one time, she asked about mommy and wanted to know if she was home. I explained she was away and she turned to the beverage shelves at a distance away and pointed to a row of Mountain Dew bottles, "Mommy's drink,........dat is mommy's drink over there". I laughed, ...she was right. Several older spectators in the room approached us and shared their admiration of Carly's innocent smile/laugh and our daddy/daughter relationship that they apparently had been making judgments on through the meal. I had no idea, as I turned my back on everyone but Carly. She behaved so well that we walked to the ice cream section and picked a "treat" for us to enjoy together at home. Actually, Carly grabbed my hand and began to run instead. When we arrived home and put it in a dish, we laughed so hard and had so much fun talking that she did not even eat half of it. Instead, she asked to go upstairs for a nap and wanted me to lay with her and sing some songs. She did not move a muscle the entire time I sang to her and was an angel. She asked, "Daddy, can you sleep in my bed?" When my reply was no she persisted and whispered, "Daddy, can I sleep in your bed?" I almost gave in. Does it have to be bed time already? It was a good night and I didn't want her to go to bed so soon. Sweet Dreams Carly! Love, Daddy

And We're Off!

The time has finally come! The MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) Convention this year is going to be held at the Gaylord Texan Hotel in Dallas, Texas. Several members of the Steering Team, of which I am a part of, are attending this convention. Four of us are flying out this evening, and the other two are joining us tomorrow morning. We will be busy attending workshops during our stay, but I'm sure we'll have some time to do some sightseeing and sunbathing by the pool. The hotel where the convention is taking place (also where we are staying) looks absolutely breathtaking. Take a peak...

I am really looking forward to spending time with this special group of ladies, and having some time to relax and refresh. I hope to come back energized and equipped with some new ideas for our MOPS group.

Until then...