Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Today my family and I are on a field trip day but I didn't want that to stop us all from celebrating this amazing day.

I always have the kids study Martin Luther King Jr., his life, his speeches, and his example of standing up for what you believe while making sure to not compromise your Christian beliefs.

In case you have no idea what to do or just need me to walk you through this because the caffeine hasn't kicked in yet, here are some things we've used to honor the day:

MLK Jr's "I Have A Dream" speech

I have the kids watch the "I have a dream" speech on YouTube and then we discuss it.  We talk about how 100 years before the speech was the Emancipation Proclamation and what had changed since then.  Then we talk about what has changed between the speech and present day.  I'm going to have them talk to their grandparents about the time period of the speech.  Last year I had them go and speak with my grandmother who passed away a couple of months ago.  She grew up in North Carolina and was able to tell them about how she was able to take a bus to school but the black children couldn't.  It was really good to hear an actual oral account of everything going on in the south and I cherish those times as she is gone now.  She was able to talk to the kids how she never understood why they couldn't ride the bus with them. 

Biography

One of my favorite websites is Super Teacher Worksheets. If you become a member it's only $19.95 a year to have full access but they also have a ton of free things!  This Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. biography is one of those free things.  You can print off however you need and it comes with a sheet to read, questions to answer, and an answer key. 

Cut Out Hands

Okay, I don't know how much of a craft you would call this, but you could have your kids trace their hands on black paper and white, cut them out and glue them together.  We do this and it's so cute to pull them out from the bin every year and see how little their hands used to be. 

We did this activity after we watched the speech and talked about the section where Dr. King said:

"...one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers."

So I hope that helps you with some simple things you can do today to observe Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. day. 

If you have any other ways you honor MLK Jr. let me know, I'd love to share!

This blog post may contain affiliate links that help offset the cost of running this blog.  You can read my full disclosure policy here. 

Field Trip Ideas for Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Coming up on the 18th is MLK Jr. Day. In our family it tends to be field trip day.   The past few years we've been trying to go and experience different things on this day.  One we are all going stir crazy because it is the dead of winter and two, there are so many venues that have free admission so it is amazing to be able to go to these places where each of them would cost us upwards of $100 and we can go for free or simply with the cost of donations.  Amazing!

Not gonna lie, homeschooling gets expensive!  So with these places we feel so blessed to be able to go!  Last year we went to Indianapolis, Indiana and did a whole boom, boom, boom, event of seeing lots of different places.  First we started out at the Children's Museum, followed by lunch at The Tamale Place because it's our favorite place ever.  Ever!  It was featured on the Food Network and is simply amazing, fresh food.  

After a huge lunch we headed downtown to the Eiteljorg and the Indiana State Museum.  We then went to Conner Prairie before we decided to call it a day and head home. 

This year we may go about the same route but I have found that the zoo is free so somehow we will have to work that in!  There are so many amazing places.  Here's some info that I found abnout the places in the Indianapolis area.  If you are in the Midwest these may be worth the trip for you as well:

Eiteljorg

The Eiteljorg Museum is free with the donation of a canned food item for Gleaners Food Bank.  The museum is open 10am-5pm. They have a lot of neat kid areas in the lower level of the museum and they have a huge Totem pole that the kids loved examining and trying to figure out what the animals were. They also have a cool winter wonderland diorama type display with model trains called Jingle Rails set up and MLK Jr. is the last day to see if to for the year!  It is so fun to explore and meander through. 

Indianapolis Zoo

is free with a canned good donation from 9 a.m. -4 p.m. weather permitting. The hardier animals will be out and the indoor exhibits are open as well. 

Indiana State Museum

Indiana State Museum is free with a non perishable food item and is open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. They have a huge S.T.E.M. learning center that is so much fun and they offer crafts related to the Civil Rights Movement.  They also have Martin Luther King Jr's "I have a dream" speech playing continuously in their theater.  Last year when we visited we were able to see the Emancipation Proclamation that President Lincoln signed.  We talked with the kids about what an important signature on that piece of paper was and what it meant in the time of Martin Luther King Jr. We discussed what was better and what still needed improvement then as well as today.  Check their website because other historic sites they manage around the state are also free so even if you aren't in Indianapolis you may find one that is closer to you.

Last year the kids (especially Emma) were obsessed with their Foucalt Pendulum clock.  It is so much fun to watch and wait for. Make sure you watch it when you are there!

Children's Museum

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis  is the best in the nation and it is HUGE!  If you haven't been there you can easily spend the entire day there.  Serious. Open 10-5 there is so much for kids to do I am sure you all will love it!

Conner Prairie

Conner Prairie in Fishers, IN is free on MLK Jr. Day.  Please note that this is just the inside exhibits...it would be freezing for all of the walking outside!  Still there was a ton for the kids to do last year and they got to experience all kinds of experiments with electricity, inertia, and other concepts.  It was so much fun!

Others

Some other free events include the IMAX Theater, the Indiana Historical Society, and the Rhythm Discovery Center

I am sure there lots in your area as well.  I googled "free Martin Luther King Jr 2016 Indianapolis" to get all of the ones above. 

Anyway, we usually study about Martin Luther King Jr. the Friday before the actual day.  I think it is a super important day.  We always watch the "I have a dream" speech video, discuss it and then do a craft,  One year we made wreaths of all hands made with all different colored construction paper.  Anything can be done to bring home the message of unity.  We then usually get books from the library about Martin Luther King Jr. and study his life.  Anyway, it helps to study these things before we go on Field Trip day so that when we see exhibits for the day the kids know what they are fore. 

If you find any other amazing places with free admission be sure to let us all know in the comments section below. 

Happy Field Trip Planning!

Thanksgiving Printables Roundup

The week of Thanksgiving is a major drag when it comes to Thanksgiving.  In essence I'm supposed to be teaching them something but really my mind is preoccupied about making the turkey, and did I remember to get the heavy whipping cream and did I tell my mom to pick up soda?, and on and on.  

Basically I'm a hot mess any other day but Thanksgiving just kind of sets a 450 degree fire under me to elevate me into a bunch a lotta fun mess. 

But you still love me, right?

So we will be doing a lot of worksheets.  A lot of printables.  A lot of turkey, gratitude themed worksheets that will hopefully sneak some learning into my kiddos without them figuring it out.  Oh the twisted webs we weave...

So here are some things I've found on the world wide webs.  

Do you like how I say that like old people say "the sugar diabetes"? 

Of course you do. 

Here's what I've scrounged up for you...

I've been a fan of Free Homeschool Deals as long as the day is short and let me tell you, this time of year is no exception.  

This downloadable packet from Only Passionate Curiosity is perfect for those of us who more than one child because there are sheets on different levels. 

Then there's this entire e-book from Apologia that I can't wait to tear into!  Apologia is the publisher of the chemistry book we are using this year and so far I have been loving it! There are lots of little science snippets, printables, craft ideas, and more!  Super fun! 

Over at the Proverbial Homemaker she has a neat Thanksgiving Lego Challenge.  This set features lego challenges, copy work, memory verses, coloring pages, devotionals, and more!  So amazing for those of us with little ones obsessed with Lego! 

Confessions of a Homeschooler has a really great Thankful Turkey craft.  Lots of fun to cut everything, assemble, and talk about what you are thankful for. 

Confessions of a Homeschooler also has an adorable Thanksgiving Preschool Printables.  Full of different activities you can have fun with puzzles, pre-writing, graphing, and more.  I just love all of her products! 

So there you have it, my list of printables I have found! 

If you have others you'd like to share, please comment below.  I love all of your comments and read each and every one of them.  You guys are so precious to me and I am so THANKFUL for each and every one of you!  I hope these printables help ease some of the stress around the holiday so you can have a blessed time with your little ones! 

Note: This blog contains affiliate links.  You can read my full disclosure policy here.

Learning to Celebrate Autism

My blog description says that I have a dab of Autism thrown in but lately I haven't been speaking the language of Autism lately.  

I think I've been hiding from Autism. 

Is that even possible? 

Not so much. 

Well I've been trying to.  I don't think it's been going very well but, oh well, I'm a gal who likes to try new things. 

For those of you who are new here, our son, Cal, is seven and was diagnosed with Autism when he was four-ish.  So we've been figuring it out for a little while.  We've been through a myriad of therapies and counseling and services and oils and supplements and anything and everything (it's felt like ) that we could get our hands on. 

When he was very first diagnosed we took him off gluten and anything else we thought that might help.

But nothing happened. 

So we resumed life and tried to figure out our life with our shiny new diagnosis.

Then this past year everyone kept saying "you really should take him off gluten", "you should really try gluten free" and I thought thanks you hippies but we've been there, done that and nothing happened.  It did seem to keep coming up though so we figured we'd give it a whirl maybe someday a long, long way down the road. 

But towards the end of the summer I was at my wit's end with the kid.  He was hitting and destructive and there seemed to be no end in sight.   He was like a human tornado. 

So one month I was out monthly shopping and I saw these great Bob's Red Mill mixes on sale.  And before I knew it I had sixteen gluten free mixes in my cart and I had sent a text message to Nick saying "we've gone gluten free. Deal." You can tell we're really in love,right?

And guess what?  The gluten free diet is working!  Working, I tell ya, working! I'm so thrilled to tell you all about that sometime but seeing as my vast knowledge basically spans me telling you it works and I'm happy...that's about it. 

I can tell you that is has helped him to be so much more vocal and to show us his emotions. When before he felt excluded by neighbor friends he would punch or kick or throw something.  Now he comes in with big crocodile tears to throw himself in my arms and talk incoherently about it until I can calm him down and work through what he could do in the situation. 

For those of you who are Mommas or more specifically, autism Mommas, I know you are smiling and nodding with me because as much as we never want our kiddos to be sad, you know that that is indeed a very, very good thing. 

Anyway, Monday we were at therapy; which even that I've been in denial about.  Cal goes to therapy but we don't really NEED to go, just finishing up probably...

That is until the occupational therapist gave me his evaluation of how he's doing. 

And reality gets to smack me in the face all over again with the clear message of "HELLO!  Your son has Autism!" I had clearly forgotten...almost. 

Sometimes you can run but you just can't hide. 

The fact is my son has autism and try as I would like to think he doesn't, he does.  Me burying my head in the sand doesn't seem to take that away.  Weird that doesn't work, right?

Sometimes it's really hard.  I am part of the strongest group of moms ever that I had always hoped I would never, ever would have to be a part of.  And yet I am learning after I get my head out of the sand to hold it high because, by golly, we are making it.  We are figuring this out.  

The broken windows. 

And the broken Nintendo 3DS. 

And the armrest that was bit through. 

All totally workable. 

And the evaluation that normally would have me locked in my house crying my eyes out?  Well I actually looked at the dern thing and believe it or not, we're at least making progress.  And that seems to be something to celebrate. 

Celebrate. What a word. 

Yes, I celebrate my son's autism. 

I celebrate that being gluten free is working, that he is talking and communicating more and we are able to help him in this small, super expensive way. 

I celebrate that I get to be his mom and he let's me snuggle.  Even if I have a three kiss rule to follow that he strictly enforces. 

And I will keep celebrating because there is so much to celebrate.  And there will continue to be.

Always.

Ooey-Gooey Caramel Apples

We have apples coming out of our ears.  

For real. 

You can read all about our apple picking adventures here.  For some reason I always say we're not going to get that many apples this year...

And then we wind up with gobs and gobs of apples.  Budget fail!  Because they always go bad, ya know?  It really is true that one bad apple ruins the whole bunch...

Anyway, so I've been trying to use up these dern apples and I decided to just go for broke and make something super nutritious...

Caramel apples.  Which sounded super easy until I realized I have never made them.  So here's what I came up with and what I learned along the way...

Crock-Pot SCCPVC605-S 6-Quart Countdown Oval Slow Cooker with Dipper, Stainless Steel

I made my caramel sauce in the slow cooker.  I found a bowl that fit in my crockpot that still had room around it so I could lift it out.  I am sure this will be different for everyone so just mess with your bowls until you can find one that works for you. 

And by the way if you need a crockpot you can buy the same one I have on Amazon.  And right now it looks like it's on sale for 45% off for only $29.99.  You can click here to check it out. Deal!

Anyway, I then opened up the two bags of caramels that I bought at the store.  I got about half way through unwrapping one when I got this great idea and called in the kids to finish the rest.  I have no idea how many they ate.  I decided to turn a blind eye and not judge them. 

Anyway, a few minutes and a ton of wrappers later they were done and all of the caramels were ready to go. 

I then poured water carefully AROUND the bowl (not in the bowl).  You have to play around with this too.  I think I ended up with about 6 cups of water.  I say I think because I dumped a bunch of water in there and then when the bowl began to float I had to take some out.  As difficult as caramel apples are I didn't want to complicate things by having to follow a bobbing bowl around in the water. 

I then turned my slow cooker to high and let it go.  I stirred it about every half an hour to see how it was coming along.  My caramel took about two hours to get soft enough to dunk apples into.  The photo is what it looked like when it was time to dip.  I posted that one to show you what it should look like.  I didn't think it would be ready but upon completion of stirring it was ready and we were thrilled! 

I dipped the apples just as a precaution but the caramel didn't get too hot so I probably could have let the kiddos.  But safety first!  As you can see I used popsicle sticks and just jammed them in there about half way through the core.  None fell out which was good.  And no one had kabob skewers to try to impale each other with so even better! 

I would like to point out that these caramel apples are not what you would call "magazine perfect" but they are what you could call "kid perfect" because they helped and loved them and to me that's all that matters.  And besides who doesn't like an apple with ooey-gooey caramel running down the sides?

We dipped half of the apples in sprinkles and the other half left bare. I was thinking nuts but we had these when we had new friends over and I wasn't sure about nut allergies.  So maybe nuts would work next time.  I'm also posting these AFTER Halloween because I thought that chopping up leftover candy and using it as a topping would be a really great idea!  

My mother hen piece of advice here is to make sure you really scrape down the bottoms of your apples before you put them on the wax paper.  The caramel will ooze that way as God dictated that's how gravity works, so only scraping a wee bit off results in this big boogery end.  Which is just all caramel and sprinkles which can't be totally bad, right?

Oh and I thought that was my last bit of advice but it wasn't.  Make sure you spray your wax paper with a cooking spray.  We did not and on some of the apples I was stuck (get it? ha!) trying to pick wax paper pieces off of the apples.  Not so fun.  

I hope you enjoy making your own ooey-gooey caramel apples!  

Note: This blog contains affiliate links.  You can read my full disclosure policy here. 

When the Fun Starts Feeling Like a Job...

Again, life happens and I haven't been on here much.  I'm so lame.  

But more than that the transition to this new blog has left me feeling like this just wasn't fun anymore.  

Which just shouldn't be true.  

I love to write.  I was the girl who would ask to stay in from recess to write.  The girl who went to her diary first to scribble through tears.  I was born to write. 

So boo to this feeling like a job because this should be fun.  The reason I started this blog (in case you were wondering) is to keep a record of our family for me and for the kiddos to read when they are all grown up. 

And it is so edifying!  Recently my cousin who is also the web designer was able to transfer ALL of my old blog posts onto this site.  It was so fun to read through and see how God has moved in our lives. For example...

When Calvin was a year and a half old Nick lost his job.  It was horrible.  Joy sucking bad.  And the kids were young enough that we made a vow about (or at least figured we'd take a stab at) them not even knowing what was going on.  We didn't want anything to change for them.  So Nick stayed home but Emma still went to preschool and we still had Christmas and we muddled through. 

At least I thought we muddled through.  But looking back through those blog posts helped me to see how awesome we were doing.  We had apples to pick and pumpkins to carve along with picnics to celebrate with and "happy pumpkin carving" decorated cakes to enjoy.  We weren't starving, or scared in the pictures.  We were happy and laughing and enjoying watching how our babies were growing.  And so I have this blog to celebrate how far we've come and how much God can carry us through.  We are better, we are stronger, we are here.  And this blog can be a testament to that.  

And while that was why I started writing this blog I have continued writing this blog because I have had countless parents tell me through so many different avenues that our transparency in the struggles of homeschooling and autism and marriage and everything else is so nice to see.  Because when you are in the trenches it is so nice to sometimes hear someone else saying "geesh, this is just the worst."  Because sometimes it is.  And sometimes it's the best.  And I'll say that too.   

So I'm getting back into blogging.  Nick's head has hurt, our son has been crazy, I've been marketing a sale, organizing curriculum, planning a school year, and cleaning a house.  But mostly I've been with two little guys trying to find fun things to do as we celebrate the end of the summer and the welcoming of Autumn.  

May you find the joy in that too.  

Tigers and Bridges and the Randomness of it All

Sometimes life is a bit odd...

Like maybe you have a tiger for dinner.  

His name is Hobbes by the way.  

He wasn't thrilled with us not having tuna but he was a trooper and stuck around. 

There are some deep conversations going on.  

Deep. 

And then there's this girl.  Oh my, she has our whole big heart.  This girl is now a Junior Girl Scout.  No brownies for us around here.  

Sniff, sniff.  

I usually can make it through things pretty nonchalantly.  

Like sands through the hourglass...so are the days of our lives...

But this was taken during bridging ceremony which had me tearing up.  I think specifically because I kept remembering this silly girl in a blue daisy vest who had no problem wearing pigtails wherever she went.  

Where have those times gone?  

She just looks so grown up, I can hardly stand it!!!  

Aah!  

So that's the gist of what we've been doing in these parts.  

Oh and traveling.  

Lots and lots of travel.  In the last month we've been to Illinois, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky.  Whew!  I'll blog about those sometime but not now.  

Now is built for randomness.  

Along with randomness comes random thoughts and here ya go...

 I was thinking about this past year that happened. I know that is something that generally people do around the first of the year but I am a late bloomer so here I am. 

I am just in awe of how God has shaped my life.  I have made peace with things I've struggled with for years.  FOR YEARS!  Things that you want to talk to people about and wrestle with and fret over and then it just eats you up .  Anyway, I finally took the plunge and answered God's calling to make things right and you know what?  It really was no big deal.  I mean it was a big deal but not nearly as big as my worried mind had made it into over the years.

I've also made things right with someone I was mean to in the past.  Do you have those people where you think about your past with them and kind of cringe?  Am I the only one who has done that?  Anyway, this person isn't really in my life anymore, but thank goodness for Facebook and its reconnecting ways!  I was able to reach out and apologize and I felt so much better.  Whether it was accepted or not I at least tried to make things right.  And you know what?  They forgave me and we were able to move past it which is so amazing.  God is just so good!

And on the other end of things I was able to finally bury the past with someone else who it just didn't work out with.  Someone who we had tried to make things right with and it was not reciprocated.  Shortly after we decided to cut ties (by we I mean Nicholas and I as we try to make decisions together) I read this devotion about not being close with everyone.  It gave the example of David not being all buddy buddy with Saul when he was trying to kill him but fled.  So I have felt such peace with the need to flee after a season of trying.  

And that's just the way God is.  I am so reminded of Romans 8:28:

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

And I could go on and on with other examples about how God has helped us in family situations or I've seen God stand up for me.  In things with our house and car and traveling mercies, so much God has done this past year.  God is working everything out for our good.  It's so awesome to know that and have the peace that that brings. 

And so whatever you are going through, whether it has to do with having tigers over for supper or big girls walking over a bridge towards you and their future, just know that God works it all out for your good.  

Love you friends! 

Thankful For My Babies

What a rollercoaster of a year this has been!  

As we roll into the week of thanks, I find myself particulary thankful for these precious children of mine.  

So blessed God chose me to be their Momma!

As we go through life doing this super, crazy busy life, I am thankful for the opportunities God has afforded us...that I can stay home, that I have such an amazing husband, and such a great family network surrounding us.  It's just amazing.

Not sure how much I will be on here this week with Thanksgiving preparations under way.  So in case you don't see much of me I hope you have an amazing holiday with your family and stay safe!

Count your blessings, name them one, by one, count your blessings...

Unhealthy Picnic Date

Sometimes in life I think you just have to say "screw it" and make yourself a very unhealthy lunch...

I'm talking with sugar, white bread, white flour, and jelly...lots of oozy and goozy jelly.  

What do you do with this lunch?

Why would you commit such a diet sin?  

Well today I did it so I could sit on the living room floor on a blanket a little boy named Cal tried his best to spread out.  We put our lunches on the floor and had a little picnic.  

Emma was at art class so it was just the two of us.  

I got a jelly kiss from a little boy whose face was covered with it.

I'm in love.  

And today I made a memory with a little boy who got to eat junk food...on the floor!  With his Mama!  On a picnic date!!!

Be still my heart...eating white sugar and flour it totally worth it for this! 

How I Cook with Kids

I've had a lot of people ask me how on earth I cook with the kids.

Don't they make a mess? Doesn't it take so much time?

Definitely yes to both questions. I do not cook with the kids all of the time because quite frankly, it would be a disaster. I don't want to cook with the kids when I am stressed or running on a strict schedule, because I don't want it to be something they remember as me screaming at them or herding them away.

Today though was a day of freezing cold weather so we are staying in all day. Why not make cookies? Better yet, gingerbread cookies. Here are some of my pointers for cooking with little ones:

Tip #1: Be patient and breathe: just lower your expectations from the beginning. You can be sure not all of the ingredients will make it into the bowl...there will be a lot of unhygienic practices, and probably not a lot of sharing. Just know that going into it.

Tip #2: If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail. I think that rings true here too. The kids are not patient people so them waiting for me to get the chair to climb to the tippy-toppy shelf to look for some forelorn ingredient usually is a recipe for disaster. So I've gone to measuring everything out ahead of time so we can just dump and mix. A lot of times we will measure out because that is good of course for math and all that, but with the two kids and just one Momma, I often time just pre-measure...especially when the recipe has a lot of ingredients as this one did.

Tip #3. Laugh. I found humor in our "friends" baking with us today. I know some people think this to be gross but the cookies are just for us, and for Cal it helped him stay involved longer...let the toys bake too :)

Tip #4: Have the kids be prepared. I put the kids in their own aprons so they feel ready and excited. Thanks to my very generous Aunt Jan the kids have a great variety of cooking tools, pot holders, and all kinds of fun things, just for them. I think these help keep their attention a little longer and keep them excited

Chef #2!

Tip #5: Find age appropriate jobs: I've learned this one through a lot of trial and error. Emma loves to cook but I've often given her jobs that were just too hard. She's frustrated, I'm frustrated, and then it's just no fun. I try to give the kids things they can do and feel a sense of accomplishment from doing.

Cook with your kids...you'll be glad you did :)

Sobbing With Thanks

Today I just started reading "Louder Than Words" by Jenny McCarthy. Have you read this? I am in the first chapter and had to stop because I was crying so hard. Her experience with her son's seizure was so much the same as mine...the feeling helpless, the feeling of your son being ripped away from you. The experience of begging God to take your life so your son can live. The fear of not knowing if your son would ever wake up. How she described the seizure too was painfully similar: the goneness of his soul, the gasping for breath like a fish out of water, the whispering to him that mama's here, mama's here. Watching the minutes pass and thinking "seizures don't last this long". All of it just ripped at my heart and although I could stop reading I couldn't stop sobbing.

You see, now we are on the opposite side of it. Calvin is healthy and thriving, and mine. All I could do is lift my hands in my dressing room and thank God for his mercies. Feeling those raw emotions again in the midst of Calvin growing and maturing was awe-inspiring. It was like God gave me his scrapbook and said "look at what I have accomplished with him". Amazing.

I just checked on Calvin tonight and he was sleeping so peacefully. Again I found myself sobbing with gratitude to God. Two months ago I didn't know what was wrong with Cal...ever. I never knew what if he was hot or cold, in pain or uncomfortable. Nothing. His words changed everyday so his word for milk could me something different every single day. It left him completely frustrated and it left me feeling like such a complete failure as a mother..."what kind of mother can't help her child?" This evening he bumped his head and was able to come to me and point to his head and say "boo boo, mama, (kiss noise)". How unfathomably awesome that he can tell me he needs me to kiss his booboo.

I know this sounds simple but watching him starting to emerge and be silly and kind is something that is just amazing to me and is such a priceless gift from God. Its as if his personality has been covered with a giant piece of swiss cheese. Sometimes I can peek through a little mousey hole and see his silliness and kindness, but most of the time its masked with this stinky cheese layer of not being able to communicate.

I know that all things are from God and all of this is God inspired and made. Our new therapist said that Calvin was healed and I believe that with all of my being. With two different therapists from two different institutes diagnosing him with severe apraixia I know it wasn't a mis-diagnosis. I know that God heard all of our prayers and has been massaging his little mind to get those neuro pathways carved out. I can't thank you enough for your prayers and support.

Here's to what God holds in our future. :)

A Week in Pictures

Here's the way this last week looked.

We did a little sledding at our neighborhood hill, which I LOVE:

As you can see they loved to sled. Then we went to Lowes. What do you do when you're bored with Lowes? You're silly of course!

And maybe a little contemplative of if your family MIGHT have gone off the deep end. Especially when you look in the rearview mirror to see....

'Sup?

And then there's our little diva, Miss Kazoo

Also we are not really keeping Gingerbread house kind of people...

We also like to play dress up althought to Aunt Jan's chagrin, this is no dress...

I have no idea what in the world is going on here. Do I even try to ask?

So that's us in a nutshell. Enjoy!

The Nutcracker

Since Emma is only two we didn't know if she would be ready for the ballet. We decided to chance it and try it. She loved it! She was very still until almost the end when she decided that she was a ballerina too! I could tell she was getting restless so I asked her if she wanted to go. No she said. But when I said do you want to go get ice cream she jumped up and yelled "Bye Daddy!" Apparently she thought Nick was going to stay for the ballet's finale while we wined and dined on icecream! All together it was a wonderful day and I could ourselves blessed that we can take her to things like this...I know this is just one thing that is lending itself towards cultivating our little girl into a cultured, polite little lady.

Here we are at the ballet

Here we are at the icecream shop...they have a playground!

My New Home!

So I am going to be blogging here. Unless I absolutely am hating this, and then maybe I will move back. Either way, here I am right now. Well this weekend went well. I think that I am really liking this whole, cool weather thing going on this October. At first I was freezing, but once your body gets used to it, its not so bad. We went and got a pumkin at the pumpkin farm. As you can see, Emma is not too sure that she wants to share her wagon with a pumpkin.

We went to Babies R Us today and I can now say that we have all of the bedding for Baby Calvin. It is going to be cute. When we got home, Nick primed the walls and Emma and I booked it to the library (ha, gotta love puns!) He is now officially done with sanding the drywall so I was even able to hang some of Calvin's clothes in his closet. Here's a question for you...how is it he still isn't even born and yet Calvin has more clothes than me? Life is just odd. So I hope you enjoy this blog. Let me know what you think with comments. Love you all!