A must read!

I was reading through one of my favorite blogs, and it just so happened that she had linked to this post.  It is a MUST READ!

Enjoy!

One of those good days

On the fly we decided to go to Springfield afternoon.  (It is important to point out here that we hardly EVER do things on the fly - it's my fault; I'm a planner and not much on spontaneity.)  But for once, I went with the flow (the trip was all Justin's idea of course - me = planner remember).  And, it turned out to be one of those really good days.  You know, the kind that leave you feeling all good inside and happy to be exactly where you are in exactly that moment.

First, with the exception of one stop to change a poopy diaper (I was not riding in the car one more second smelling poop) the car ride was perfect.  This was a happy surprise as Gavin pretty much hates the car and usually will not ride for longer than 15 minutes before the screaming begins.  But not today; today he was perfectly content. 

Then there was the long walk through the mall in the stroller.  I had to pick up my engagement ring from the jeweler (it had been sent in to fix some loose prongs), and so we decided to keep on strolling down to the other end of the mall to let the boys play in the play place.  Another happy surprise: neither Logan or Gavin through a fit.  This is also unusual as Gavin tends to dislike the stroller only slightly less than the car, and typically we can't get Logan to sit still.  Logan played while Gavin sat - happily - on my lap playing with his diaper bag.  And, when we had to leave because it was time for the area to be clean Logan DIDN'T throw a tantrum! 

Next we took a walk around Justin's college campus.  After all, it was a nice day and the fountain is in working order, and Logan loves the water fountain.  There was a little whining here (Logan claimed to have very tired legs), but nothing crazy.  At this point, I was beginning to think things were going to well to be true.

Then it was time for our favorite stop:  Barnes & Noble.  My boys, they love themselves some books!  (This is also the point in time when I remembered that I brought our point and shoot camera with us and decided to start taking some pictures - I so like taking pictures!)  First, there were snacks in Starbucks...

There were treats too - cookies and oreo stackers - but we scarfed them before I thought to take pictures of their deliciousness...

Darn point and shoot kept giving Gavin evil eyes so I was forced to go black and white, but look how nicely they turned out!

Getting out of Barnes & Noble was the only tough spot of the day - Logan didn't want to go and he made sure we - and everyone in the store - knew it.  Dad set him straight in the parking lot and things reverted back to smooth sailing, and we were on to dinner!

Take a guess where we went...

Yeah, we went to Hooters.  You can't beat the hot wings there...or the curly fries and nacho cheese sauce.  Of course I have no pictures of the food again because we ate it too fast!

Gavin ate a jar of baby food...and his first french fry...don't turn me into the food police please...

Dinner was amazing because both boys sat through the entire meal with out a fuss...SUCCESS! 

Then it was time to head home...and we had two very tired children...

He fell asleep clutching his balloon...

Gavin NEVER sleeps in the car...this is a beautiful site for this mama...



Today was one of those good days.  I loved today.  Loved it.  I want to hold on to this day and others like it because these are the kind of days that keep me going on the hard ones.  These are the days that remind me about what is really important in life.  Today things don't get much better than this.
 

On our way home...

The thing about cats

The thing about cats is that you never know where you are going to find them...

My clean laundry...for this reason alone laundry needs to be folded an put away as quickly as possible.

In the Christmas decorations...thank goodness they only try to eat the tree and not climb it...

Even the car seat is fair game for a nap.

He is INSIDE of blanket on the floor by the foot of our bed...I nearly stepped on the turd walking by!

She thinks she rules to roost...can you tell?

They think they are hiding...

He always wants outside...not so much after he discovered what all that white stuff was...

He is crazy scared of both boys, but it doesn't stop him from turning their playthings into nap spots.

Under the bed is always a favorite...and looking at this picture reminds me why we had to have a new mattress a couple years ago!

As far as finding cats in strange places today was no exception.  She insisted on slipping into the book bag while I was trying to pack it full of books!

And yes, we have THREE cats!  By the way, three is too many.  I won't ever have three at a time again.  But, we are stuck with these three until the end because by now I'm way to attached!  Stupid cats making me like them....

You Capture - Flowers

So Beth's challenge this week was flowers, and I feel like I need to be honest about something.  The fact is that when it comes to growing plant life - flowers, bushes, grass... - well, I have the black thumb of death.  I have managed to kill every plant ever given to me and that includes a bamboo plant (there was an ice storm, we lost electricity for 10 days, moved in with my in-laws, and I might have forgotten to take the plant with us and it might have frozen just a lot).  With all of this being said, I had some trouble finding flowers to take pictures of this week.  I was afraid to stalk my neighbors flowers (I try to avoid entering other's yards...you never know), and I drew the line at dragging my camera to Lowe's to shoot in the garden center.  Oh, and I was feeling lazy this week.

I was left looking for flowers in my house, and here's what we have (which is not much by the way).

These bears were our cupcake wedding cake topper...they sit on my dresser now and hold the only kinds of flowers I can't kill - the fake kind.

This flower is part of a picture that hangs above our bed...I can keep metal flowers alive too - way to go me!

And these blooms, they are from a plant that my mother-in-law gave me for mother's day having forgotten about my black thumb of death.  They are still thriving only because Justin has forbidden me from touching them - he has taken over the care of this particular plant.  (He really likes growing stuff and is amazed by his wife's ability to kill things with out trying.)

So there you have it!  Happy Capturing everyone!

"Aunt Dango"

My baby sister, Dannielle, is five years younger than me.  Of course, she's not really a "baby" anymore since she now has a career, an apartment, a car payment, and a pile of students loans (Welcome to adulthood, Sissy - isn't it swell???).  She's also an awesome aunt to my two boys and is affectionately referred to as "Aunt Dango" in our house.  She had a bunch of time off this past week and drove down to spend a few days with us, and while here, she joked that I should blog about her...this should teacher her not to joke about such things!

As kids we only played together because we happened to have the same parents and sleep under the same roof.  See, I was terribly OCD a little fussy about my toys, and well, Dannielle, she wasn't.  I swear she was on a mission to destroy my perfectly created Barbie dream lands.  I guess I threw such incredibly fits that my mom started barricading me in my room to play by myself (there are pictures to prove this phenomenon).  Poor Dannielle, I made a rotten playmate.  Luckily, she had my brother through those years....

Now fast forward a few years.  When I left for college, Dannielle was in middle school, and somewhere in those four years of higher education, my sister and I became friends (probably because Barbies were no longer apart of the equation).  And then she became one of my best friends. 

I can tell her anything and everything...and do.  I can cry to her over the phone or in person...and have.  She was my Maid of Honor.  She has made countless changes to her schedule in order to come visit us seven hours away - first with our parents and now by herself.  She even drove down for a week once to babysit when Logan was unexpectedly kicked out of a daycare (now there's a story I should tell...).  She has been a fixture in the lives of both of my children, and they love her dearly.  Seriously, I would want her to care for my children if there ever came a day when Justin and I could not.  What more could you want in a sister?

So here's to you, Aunt Dango.  I love you, my family loves you, and we all hope you come back to visit again really soon!

And because I feel a strong need to post pictures....oh so many good pictures but so little time and space...

With Logan...

With Logan again...

With Gavin...

With Gavin again...

And finally, a picture from this weekend with both boys...

And to Dannielle - Be grateful all of our childhood pictures are tucked safely away in Hometown, IA with Mom and Dad because I so would have posted some if I could. 

A Candidate for "What Not to Wear"?

A very sad fact was brought to my attention by my husband and sister this past weekend:  my wardrobe could easily land me on the show "What Not to Wear."  School is out for the summer and my work clothes are on hangers probably not to be touched until at least November since they are almost all more cool weather clothes and it has settled in the mid-90's here...and it is only June!  For a week now I have been getting up every day and dressing in stretchy pants and rib knit tank tops.  Or stretchy pants and nursing tank tops.  I own exactly one pair of shorts (that I bought with my sister this weekend), and the majority of those tank tops I have been wearing?  Well, they're maternity tank tops, and well, this means they may be a touch baggy.  (This may be a good time to mention that I am not pregnant, and my youngest, my "baby,"  he's almost ten months old right now.)

I took this wake up call as an opportunity to go through my stored pre-pregnancy clothes only to realize that I didn't have any pre-pregnancy summer clothes left.  In all honesty I probably packed them up two summers ago and dropped them off at Good Will realizing I would be pregnant the next summer (we were trying to get pregnant) and come the summer following that I wouldn't like any of them anymore (or deep down inside I realized they probably wouldn't fit right).  And, if I'm really honest with myself, it doesn't matter that I don't have any summer clothes packed away because they probably wouldn't fit anymore because despite the fact that my baby is ten months old, my body insists on hanging onto the last 5-10 pounds of pregnancy weight gain.... 

And this leads me to the next sad conclusion I myself came to this past weekend:  I'm too squishy in places that shouldn't be that squishy, and I'm in desperate need of a healthier diet and more regular exercise. 

Keeping all of this in mind, I've decided that it is time to make some summer goals.  I think I'll start here:

1. Walk the dog everyday (regular exercise people!!!)
2. Exercise 5 days a week (this is ON TOP of walking the dog!)
3. Eat a healthy breakfast every morning (I like to skip and binge at lunch...oops)

I think three is a good number...  And, no, I have not attached any weight loss goals to this because looking at the scale will depress me and send me to the couch with a pan of brownies and Netflix at my fingertips. 

And yes, I'm well aware of the fact that none of this solves the fact that I'm a candidate for "What Not to Wear" right now because I'm not giving up my maternity clothes yet (I can't go naked, people, and money is a factor here...if you're overly concerned about my frumpy wardrobe feel free to nominate me for the show...(do they even still make that show?))  I do, however, promise to good will them all at the end of July and buy new clothes (preferably in smaller sizes...)  

P.S.  I considered taking pictures of my closet and favorite dresser drawer (you know, the one with all the tank tops and stretchy pants), but it was too depressing...and I didn't want to upset myself my camera...

Aftershock

Justin went to Joplin with a work crew last Thursday.  Today, he had to admit two things.

1. He was sick.  Need a doctor sick.  Due to his exposure to the elements (including a large bag of sulfur) while wokring he had chemically induced bronchitis.
2. He also had to admit that emotionally the trip had rocked him more than he imagined possible.  He hasn't slept well since returning - too many dreams.

No worries...he'll recover from both, but it got me thinking.  Thinking thoughts I have been avoiding thinking. 

If spending one day cleaning up in a town one only has loose connections with can leave one reeling from dreams for nights, how are those who live there - those who lost jobs, belongings, homes, and people - doing?

This tragedy goes so much deeper than some lost buildings and a huge recovery project.  It is going to follow - even haunt - the citizens of Joplin for a long time to come. 

I can hardly bear to think about this part - it sends me to near tears every time, even now.  It leaves me thinking two things.  One (and this one seems so very selfish), I am so very thankful that this didn't happen to my family.  Thankful that my children are still safe, protected, innocent of anything as tragic as this.  And second, I'm reminded of how blessed and sheltered we are here in America.  Most of us in this country (thank God) have never (and hopefully will never) experience this kind of destruction, and again (with a little guilt involved here too) I'm so very thankful for this too. 

Every night I continue to pray for the people of Joplin as they recover both physically and emotionally from the wrath of this tornado.  And, I pray that people don't too quickly forget what has happened here in Southern Missouri, that the volunteers and donations continue to stream in for this community until every need is met in the best way it can be.

Prayers seem like so little at this time, but I have faith that God is listening and working in this.  And, again, I'm so very thankful for that.