Our New Ornament This Year

Each year we buy a new ornament for our tree. This year we bought two. One was purchased when we were on our cruise in the Bahamas. The second, and more special one was purchased very close to home. When I saw this ornament in the store, I was touched very deeply. Something about it made me remember the true meaning behind Christmas. Something, that in the busy moments of rushing to buy gifts for everyone on my list, is easy to forget. I wasn't in the true spirit of the season, at least, not until I saw this ornament. It spoke to me in a voice that I haven't heard for a long time, and it's not because the voice wasn't there. It's because I hadn't been listening. I bought it and hurried home to show J and R my incredible find. I needed to share my moment with them.

This ornament will grace our tree this year and every year to come. I hope it helps to remind us all to remember what Christmas is all about. It's there for us all year long. All we have to do is open our hearts and our ears and listen.

I hope all of you have a very Merry Christmas, and a very Happy New Year.

God Bless!

KNEELING SANTA PRAYER

The sleigh was was all packed, the reindeer were fed,

But Santa still knelt by the side of his bed,

"Dear Father, " he prayed, "Be with me tonight.

There's much work to do and my schedule is tight.

My sack will hold toys to grant all kids' wishes.

The supply will be endless like the loaves and the fishes.

I can do all these things, Lord, only through You.

I just need your blessing, then it's easy to do.

I do this only to honor the birth of the One,

That was sent to redeem us, Your most Holy Son.

So to all of my friends, lest Your glory I rob,

Please, Lord, remind them who gave me this job."

~Anonymous

I have a headache...

"I have a headache."

That has been a common statement in our house lately. (And no. It's not been coming from me.) It seems R, has picked up on something...again. She says this whenever she doesn't want to do something.

Mom: "R, time to eat dinner. Go to the table!"
R: "I'm not hungry. I'm tired. I have a headache."
Mom: "You can't watch TV if you have a headache. You should go to bed."
(even though it's only 6:30)
R: "Ok...I'll eat, but only a little bit." "When I'm done with dinner do you want to play Zingo with me?"

Or the conversation goes something like...

Mom: "R, you need to pick up your toys. Come on, let's get the floor picked up."
R: (while playing with something)"I can't now mom. I have a headache."
Mom: "Guess I'm going to have to pick them all up and put them in this trash can."
R: (Jumping up quickly) "No! It's mine. Give it back!"

Funny how threatening to throw the toys away or no TV works better than Tylenol. Maybe I'm on to some new and fabulous medical miracle...

J's observation on this recent new sentence is, "Well, at least she has that one down early."

(HA HA...very funny J. Careful.)

-A

Kissing, Cursing and Pedicures. Oh My!

Ok. We've all said it.
Or at least we've all thought it.

Kids grow up so fast. TOO FAST!

Our little one is apparently not an exception to this rule.

Let me start with what happened on Friday. (and I suppose in this tale is the thing we need to worry about the least. For now for awhile at least for a few more years.)

R's teacher said she had a good day on Friday...then followed up that comment with, "But you may want to talk to her about not kissing boys..."

After I freaked out, laughed, was able to talk to R about what her teacher said, I asked her what boy she had kissed. The conversation went a little like this...

Mom: "R, did you kiss a boy today?"
R: "Yes" (said with a big grin on her face)
Mom: "On the lips or on the cheek?"
R: "The lips" (very matter of fact like)
Mom: "Did he kiss you back?"
R: "Yes" (another grin)
Mom: "Why did you kiss him?"
R: "Because I love him" (again, very matter of fact like)

Yikes! She's kissing boys. She loves him. She liked it!

Mom: "Maybe you shouldn't kiss boys anymore at school...ok?" (in a worried tone)
R: "Ok mom." (no sweat)

If only everything were that simple.

Our next adventure of the weekend happened on Sunday evening. Jackson (the cat) and Ozzy (the dog) were teasing each other a bit. Ozzy started barking at the cat.(nothing unusual or our of the ordinary...yet) Here comes R from the other room and asks...

R: "What the h*ll is the problem with Ozzy?"

Now, J didn't hear her ask this the first time...and I wasn't sure I caught it correctly, so I asked her to repeat herself. J caught the look on my face and we both listened and caught it the second time around...

R: "What the h*ll is Ozzy's problem? Why is he barking?"
Mom: (trying not to chuckle) "That's not a nice word."
Dad: (also trying not to laugh) "You shouldn't say that word."
R: (looking very confused) "What word?"
Mom: "H*ll. Not a good word to say."
R: "Ok."

Yikes! Her first curse word. Upon further investigation, she heard it from another kid. So at least she didn't hear it from one of us. And I suppose, if you want to look at this in any way that's positive, she did use it in the correct context. So her language skills are good. Not sure if we got through to her about not using it, but we haven't heard her say it again.

Then to top off the "I'm growing up and you can't stop me" weekend we were having, she decided to give herself a pedicure. I don't know why all of a sudden she decided that she needed her toes painted, or what possessed her to try to do it herself, but she did. Now before you scold me for leaving nail polish out where a 3 year old can get to it, I will tell you that while it wasn't behind a locked and childproof door, it was in a drawer, inside a zipped up travel bag. Not out in plain sight. She opened the drawer, took out the bag, closed the drawer (so nothing in the bathroom looked suspicious) took the bag to her room, closed her door, unzipped the bag, found a bottle that she liked, unscrewed the top, and painted her toes.

Impressive eh? Not to shabby for a first attempt, not to mention the first attempt of a 3 year old! She's promised that the next time she wants her toes painted that she'll enlist the assistance of Mom or Dad, with the understanding that if she doesn't there will be BIG consequences. (and not the pleasant kind either).

J's only comment was, "She can't even color in the lines, how did she paint her toes and not get it all over herself or the carpet?"

J, I don't have an answer for that. Maybe it's that she was being careful. Maybe it's because she's a girl, and it's just genetic. Maybe it's a little blessing we shouldn't question (because she didn't get any on the carpet). Or, maybe she's "just talented like that". (reference post "Daddy's Talented")

-A

Mommy purrs

When you're congested and recovering from a cold, you snore.
When you're pregnant and hormones cause things in your body to stretch and relax, you snore.
Apparently, I snore...or purr, as R puts it.

I took a nap with her today (because she falls asleep faster if someone lies down with her although the real reason is because it's a good excuse for me to nap too). I lost count how many times she nudged me awake to tell me to stop purring.

"Mommy, you're making that noise....again."

She seemed to think I was pretending to be a cat. So I played along and told her that if she'd stop petting my hand and doing fingernails (which she's done ever since she was nursing - it's her comfort thing) that maybe "Mommy the kitty" wouldn't feel the need to purr. Somewhere along the way we both fell asleep and it didn't matter anymore. I just have to figure out how to handle it now when the charming 3 year old tells complete strangers that her mommy purrs.

-A

Reasons I love my Husband...

I love my husband because...just because

• He almost always puts the seat down on the toilet
• Because R thinks he's a human jungle gym, and he's OK with that
• He takes out the trash when I leave the bag in the middle of the kitchen floor
• He wakes R up in the mornings so I don't have to be the bad guy to get a cranky 3 year old out of bed. Sometimes he carries her into our room so she and I can snuggle ourselves awake slowly
• He calls me just to say "I love you"
• He doesn't make fun of my pregnant belly when I do my lower back stretches
• He makes dinner on the nights I don't want to, or don't have the energy to
• He reads R's bedtime stories better when he doesn't think I'm listening
• He cleaned out the garage so I could park my car in it for the winter
• He put up Christmas lights in R's room before he did any other lights inside or outside the house
• He almost never leaves his underwear on the bathroom floor...(socks by the couch is a different story)
• He tries hard not to bite his nails so R will do fingernails with him when I can't do them with her
• He doesn't complain too much when I haven't done laundry for a week.
• He gets R ready for bed and remembers to have her brush her teeth first
• He brought a Chai Tea Latte from Starbucks to me at 9:30 this morning just because he was in the area...and just because he loves me...just because's are the best reasons
  

And those are just a few of the reasons...Did I mention he puts the seat down on the toilet?

-A

Teachable Moments...

As I sat in the parking lot of my daughters school today, having to replace a fallen beret (if that's what those little clippies are in her hair...) I decide to combine one of my favorite things (technology) with teaching my daughter more words for her vocabulary. I have one of those Sirius satellite radios on my dash. Lots of lights and an LCD screen. Who could ask for more? Anyway, she starts pointing out the various words on the module: MENU, MEMO, BAND, POWER. I praise her, and then starting changing the channel. As you change channels, it lists the various band and song titles that are playing on that particular channel on the LCD screen. On all the different pages, there were words that she knew, and asked about others. Makes a dad feel good in the morning....

FYI... According to my lovely wife... it is "barrette" not beret. If she were wearing a beret, she would have starred in a John Wayne film some years ago...

-J

Daddy is Talented...

So the other night we were out running around. I think we were on our way to meet J's parents and Gma K for dinner, and out of R's mouth came something that made us laugh...as usual. (She can be quite the little comedian, wonder if stand-up is in her future?) From the backseat we hear, "Mom, Dad can drive with one hand." I reply with a "Yes." (Because I have learned that if you don't reply to her statements you will hear something to the effect of...

"Mom, Dad can drive with one hand."
"Mom, Dad can drive with one hand."
"Mom, Dad can drive with one hand."
"Mom, Dad can drive with one hand."
"I said, Mom, Dad can drive with one hand."
"Mom, Dad can drive with one hand. Are you hearing me?"

So after I replied "Yes." she came back with a, "Yeah, because he's talented like that."

Always something...never a dull moment with her.

(Just don't let it go to your head there J.)

-A

It's a....a.....a.....Boy! (bless you)

Well, the results are in. The ultrasound is done. We're having a Boy! Yes we peeked. Sorry for all of you who are surprise junkies. We ruined the surprise. But it's good to know what to expect. We're more planners. Now it's time to clean out some of the baby girl things we've been storing in the attic for the last 3 plus years. R is very happy she is getting a baby brother. She would like to call him Caillou (after the character on the PBS cartoon. It's pronounced Kai-you) We told her that could be his nickname for now.

The little guy was quite active during the ultrasound. The tech was a little frustrated with him not cooperating and posing just like she was hoping for some of the photos. But we got to see him wave his fingers at us, and open his mouth. All the parts were where they were supposed to be and everything was functioning as it should. He measured 2 days bigger than normal, which is fine. My OB is still keeping the due date as R's birthday. So, sometime mid-March, we should have a new edition to our family!

Here's a little preview of the heartbeat from our earlier ultrasound...

Proud Papa J is trying to figure out what to buy him first. Something tells me it'll be something sports related. Just a guess on my part, but probably right...at least knowing J like I do.

We are really thankful that this pregnancy is going well and mom and baby are both healthy. It's such a miracle to stop and think of all the things that have to come together just right to create life. We thank God everyday for all the blessings he has bestowed on us. R is a joy to have. She makes us smile everyday. We can't wait to see what this little miracle will add to our days too.

Love,
A&J

Back from Vacation...bummer

Well, we're back from our Bahamas Cruise. Boy did it get cold in Nebraska while we were gone. What did you do? We left you here with temps in the mid 70's, and when we got back it was in the 30's! That was a shock to the system after a week in the Bahamas with highs in the mid 80's and lows in the lower 70's. Next time we leave town, we expect you Nebraskans to hold the temps a little more steady. Got it?

Our trip was great. We left on Sunday to fly into Miami. We stayed overnight there and boarded our ship the next day. R was thrilled to be on a really really really big boat. She thought that having the pool and the massaging pools (i.e. hot tubs) was really neat. Our first stop was Freeport on Grand Bahama Island. The port is really industrial, but a quick cab ride with a fare of @ $30 for the 5 of us took us to a nicer resort area. There we spent half the day on the beach and the other half shopping in the local straw market. SJ had quite the time and left the market with quite a few of her "Straw" finds. Daddy and O'W took R for a stroll and let her get a braid in her hair. She was quite amused by her braid for the rest of the trip. She liked making the beads swing around when she'd move her head. We stopped at Xanadu beach for a photo by the sign for me. (It's all about me you know...and Xanadu was one of my favorite movies when I was a kid. I liked to dress up and dance around the living room to the music...hey, I was a kid. Cut me a little slack.) The beach we played at was Lucayan beach near a couple of the larger resort hotels. It was a very nice beach. White sand, blue water, sun shine...you know, the perfect photo beach. (see photo-it's that simple)

Our next day was in Nassau where we had a city tour that took us around the city with a great tour guide that gave us a good history lesson on the Bahamas and Nassau. We toured a couple of the old British forts that were built there to protect the island. Also had a stop off at the Pirate's Museum. It was a little corny, but informative about the history of the Bahamas and the Pirates that frequented the islands. They had a few artifacts in the final room, but it was more of a gimmicky kind of museum than a "real" museum. But it was still fun. Of course they make you exit through the gift shop, so we HAD to buy a few trinkets there to commemorate our experience.

Our final day was spent at The Great Stirrup Cay. Let me tell you, they don't call it "Great" for nothing. It's the day that we most look forward to. Pretty much all you do there is get off the boat and pull up a beach chair and sit. Enjoy the view, enjoy the sun, enjoy the water and well....enjoy! We rented a floaty tube to float on (imagine that) for the day for $25. It was vacationing at it's best. There is great snorkeling around the rocks at the Cay. NCL owns this island, so anything you rent or buy as far as equipment or drinks are charged to your room. Food is all included and is available most of the day. They do allow locals from neighboring islands to boat in and set up a small straw market that sell t-shirts, jewelry and other islandy things. But mostly they leave you alone if you aren't wanting to purchase anything. They don't spend the day prowling the beach asking you every 5 minutes if you want your hair braided or if you'd like to buy a necklace. (you get a lot of this on the public beaches at the stops and from vendors near the port in other places.)

So, would I do it again. OH YEAH! Just get me to Miami, and I'm off to sail away! I love cruising! J didn't get seasick this time. R had a blast, and for the most part (aside from the lack of a normal sleep schedule) was very well behaved. We learned a little more about vacationing with a little one, and will do a couple of things differently next time, but all in all it was a terrific experience for all of us.

I'm really glad that SJ & O'W were able to go with us. It was nice having adult time with them for dinner in the evenings, and I think R really liked riding around on O'W's shoulders. Thanks O'W for that BTW.

Until next time...take care!

Halloween is almost here!

Here is our craft project from this week. They acutally turned out really good, considering we're amatures in pumpkin carving and all.

R thought cleaning out the insides was "gross" and "disgusting". It's amazing that now that she's in pre-school how she's coming home with some new words...hrmmm...

She likes having them glow with the fire inside.

-A

Grrrrr!

Grrrrr! We made it to our first Lancers hockey game of the season! They won, which was kind of surprising because early in the game they were down 0-3 to Des Moines. But they made a huge comeback and ended the game with a 8-3 Lancers victory. It was also the first win of the season for them. (yeah yeah, it was only their 3rd game of the season, but it was the first win)

We also bought tickets right on the glass, which for R was really exciting. She hadn't sat that close to the action since she was a baby and Daddy was working for the Omaha Knights before they left town. She was fascinated by the hockey puck hitting the boards and the glass right in front of her. At one point a couple of the players were in a bit of a "scuffle" right in front of us.

I think the most memorable part of the night for all of us was when R decided she wanted to get her face painted. Here's a photo of our little Lancers Tiger. (Too bad the tiger isn't their mascot, or we may have to start making some marketing arrangements)

Take care!

-A & J

Welcome

Welcome to our family Blog page. We decided to create this to update family and friends of the happenings in our lives. Many of you miss out on the "little" things that make life special to us. We thought this would be a good way to share some of those moments with you.