Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Not the brightest bulb on the tree...

My core is almost warmed back up to 98.6 degrees thanks to my caramel latte that I actually made--I know, who would of thought? I can almost feel my toes again thanks to my green and white cozy boot slippers. Let me explain myself...

This morning I took my daycare kids to Play & Pray at my church. One of my friends informed me about the Holiday Train stopping through town this afternoon. There was going to be Christmas music, santa, etc. That sounded like a great time. I called our transportation system to see if they could pick us up. The plan was McDonald's for lunch and then head to the train with some of the other mom's---this was going to be a fun surprise for the kids. Well, the bus was late to pick us up from the church to bring us to McDonald's. I knew there was not going to be enough time to eat there...we had about 25 minutes to spare. My girlfriend loaned me her van and I went and grabbed lunch for the kids. By the time I got back to the church the kids had 10 minutes to eat their food. The bus arrived five minutes early this time, but I had them wait so the kids could finish. We arrived at the park where the Holiday Train had stopped. One of my friends greeted us as we got off and she had brought a pair of boots for me to wear. As we were exiting the bus one of my little honey's has a major melt down, not sure if it's because she saw Santa, but she was determined for me to hold her the whole time. So needless to say, I never put the boots on. As we are walking towards the box car to join in the festivities I notice that a couple of the kids don't have their mittens on. They left them on the bus...fabulous. My kind friends gave us their mittens to my little kiddos. I have ballet flat shoes on, with NO socks on and only a North Face fleece and scarf (here comes the part of me not being the brightest bulb) and I gave my mittens to the little peanut that wouldn't stop crying. Initially I'm feeling no pain since I'm consumed with getting my kids bundled, but about five minutes later I was beginning to feel the pain; I'm sure the kids were too. Thankfully two of my friend's had vans that we could all pile into to warm up until the bus came to get us again. We maybe lasted 15 minutes out there.

I learned two things from this adventure gone sour...
1) I have the best friends in the world. I was overwhelmed by their thoughtfulness and kindness.
2) It was way too cold to be outside, even if the kids had hats, gloves, warm jacket and boots. I will always wear boots when taking daycare outings. I don't always know what the day holds, and today I learned the hard way.

Thankfully when we got home the kids didn't seem to bothered about being outside. They are all snuggled away in their beds for a nap. Learn from my mistakes, if the Holiday Train is coming to town make sure you and your kids have snow pants, hat, scarf, winter boots. scarf/face mask, gloves and hot cocoa in hand. I felt irresponsible and almost out of control (since I can't control the weather) that I even brought my kiddos out. We should have just went home, but I am thankful for Jesus protecting us from frost bite and for my dear, sweet friends!

Monday, December 13, 2010

Joy to the World

This year for Christmas the daycare kids and I "adopted" a family to buy presents for. Instead of me buying the kids/families presents I put that money towards this family. I hope that I can give the kids a glimpse of what it's like to serve others and to put other's needs before their own. I know they are small and by nature we are egocentric, but I think if we start to teach them at a young age it may be easier to do later on in life.

Last Monday, myself, Twyla and Mary ventured to Target with 13 little bambinos. The family that we were buying presents for has three children so each of us took a "team" and shopped for one specific child. It was so neat to see the joy and excitement they had shopping for the other children. I was so impressed that they didn't ask for anything either. I gave each team a specific amount of money they could spend, so the kids needed to be thrifty and get the best bang for their buck.

This afternoon the family stopped over to pick up their gifts. In the morning, the kids and I baked peanut butter blossom cookies and decorated sugar cookies. We designed a large "Merry Christmas" poster to hang outside the door to welcome them into our home. When the family arrived we had cookies and hot cocoa and the kids introduced themselves to each other. I asked if they could each open one gift, and the mom agreed. My kids were excited to watch them and told them who shopped for who. The kids spent the remainder of the time playing together. After the family left, I debriefed with the kids and asked them how it felt to give to the other kids, and they all had the same response---Good/Happy. I went on saying that their joyful giving delighted the LORD. It warmed my heart knowing how thankful and appreciative the family was. That is the true meaning of Christmas. God GAVE us the ultimate gift...his one and only SON. I challenge you this Christmas season to bless someone that wouldn't expect it. It doesn't have to be a monetary gift, it could be helping them with a project, cleaning, praying for them, calling them to say how much you appreciate them or love them, etc.

I leave you with this...

"Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for GOD LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER!"
2 Corinthians 9:7

Monday, December 6, 2010

Getting into the Christmas Spirit

This past weekend was icing on the cake for me...it's official, I"m SO excited for Christmas.
This is how it all happened...
Kourtney and I decided to surprise our mom with tickets to the BLENDERS. They are a group of four guys with amazing voices. While attending college, our family would drive to Fargo, ND to hear them sing Thanksgiving night. We always attended their Christmas Show. Of course we bought their Christmas CD and listen to it 24/7 during the holiday season. Kourtney found out tha they were performing at the Pantages Theatre so we jumped on the opportunity.

Saturday AM my mom met me in Alexandria and we proceeded to the Twin Cities to Kourtney's house. On the way there my mom was talking about how we should make the first weekend in December a girl's weekend and how it would be so fun to go see the Blenders some time. I acted dumb and led her to believe that I only thought the Blenders performed in Fargo. We arrived at Kourtney's around lunch time and headed to the General Store for lunch and to admire all of the Christmas decor and products. I found a darling plate for Santa's cookies and a Christmas Journal. It's used to record what you did every Christmas, who you were with, where you went, and a picture of the family. From there we went to Knollwood Mall & Southdale Shopping Centre to do a little Christmas Shopping. I struck gold at H&M for my little boys and found Josh some nice clothing at LEN and GAP. We ran into the Kellogg's from Wadena who recently moved to the cities. It was a fun surprise. I used to baby-sit for their kids and now they are in high school and way taller then me. We had dinner at Big Bowl in the Galleria and there is where we shared the surprise with my mom. She was so excited! Originally she thought we were going to the Gopher Game since Kourtney's brother-in-law plays for them, Blake Hoffarber, and then she thought it was a play. We all ordered the same thing at Big Bowl...we are so habitual---creatures of habit. and then headed to Minneapolis to see the concert.

Funny story (or at least it would be if you were there)...
We parked in a parking ramp and were taking the stairs down to the main level. The stairway was congested since their was a T-Wolves & Gopher game going on. As my mom was rounding a corner onto a platform she bumps the big, round, red "Emergency Button!" Now, Kourtney is leading the way, my mom is in the middle and I'm bringing up the rear. We stop and look at each other in shock and bust into laughter, everyone else has a panic look on their face wondering what just happened. We bolted out of there as fast as we could. It was almost one of those moments when you laugh so hard you almost pee your pants. We joked with my mom that the police will be looking for her and that we can't take her anywhere.

We finally arrive at the Pantages Theatre. Our seats were awesome---four rows from the front. I could see their faces so clear. The concert was amazing, as usual. They are celebrating their 20th year together so they did a mix of Christmas and their hits. Before, when we attended their concerts they were strictly acappella, but this time they had a band for some of the songs. I loved singing along to most of the songs. After the concert it official felt like Christmas!

My darling husband agreed to watch both of the boys--Logan, 3 years old, and Shane, 3 months old. This was the first time I was away from Shane over night. I missed all of them and was calling every couple of hours. I am so thankful that I have a husband that is so hands on with the kids and doesn't even think twice about watching them. I love how he invests so much time into their lives and makes it a priority to include them in his day to day tasks. Before I left he had to make a special trip to the store to buy "guy food"---fish sticks. french fries, pop, etc.

In conclusion, the weekend was so very sweet and I adored the time I spent with my mom and sister---My love tank is full! If you are looking for a great Christmas CD buy the Blenders, you won't be disappointed!

Merry Christmas!!

Friday, December 3, 2010

Big Fluffy Snowflakes = Giddiness

I am full of Glee! I feel like a child when big fluffy snowflakes fall from the sky. I just want to stay outside and take in every flake. Tonight the boys and I are going to get cocoa, of course at Caribou, and then drive around and look at Christmas Lights. I'm way too excited!

Thanksgiving...
This year we ventured to Wadena and spent Thanksgiving with my mom, dad, Kourtney & Adam. We had a lovely time. The food was amazing, but the company was even better. The holiday season fulfills my desire to have quality time with my loved ones---it's one of my love languages. I love to just "be" with my family and friends. Thanksgiving was great having the (little) boys to entertain us, but it wasn't quite right now having my other siblings there---Lucas, Eva and Andre. They all live out of state so their visits are not often enough. My dad gave us a sneak peak of his light show, all I can say is he had out done himself again. The drive to Wadena is really worth it. This year the program is almost an hour long. He has had to rebuild a lot of his light show since the tornado hit this past summer. He has put some many hours into the light show--I admire his passion and perseverance. He added a ten foot wreath this year with a projection screen in the middle that plays video with various songs...so cool.

Friday when we got home from Wadena we partook in the Black Friday madness. Granted it was already after 11AM, the mall and Walmart/Target were still crowded. Josh & I managed to Christmas shop for the boys while they sat in the cart. It really was a team effort to pull it off. Our strategy included two shopping carts, walking up and down all of the toy aisles so Logan can tell us what he likes and then Josh takes the boys to get wrapping paper and I go back for the kill. I came to the conclusion that anything we buy Logan he will love. This year Santa will be coming to our home. Logan wants to make sure he's on Santa's "Nice" List. He is all excited to have cookies and milk for him. The holidays are more alive with kids. It's so fun to see the joy in their faces & their innocence is so sweet. I want to make everything extra special & start to set traditions.

My darling husband walked in the door with dinner in hand so I best be signing off!
Until next time.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Crazy Week!

What a week I had, it was a whirlwind! I'm not even sure where to begin. The main event was hosting Thanksgiving Dinner for my daycare families. I feel it's important for the kiddos to practice serving others, just like Jesus did when he was here on earth. Throughout the week, we made decorations for our "Thankful Tree" went over job duties, talked about what we are thankful, etc.

Tuesday I did spin class for the first time in 2 years. It rocked my world. I spun for an hour, the first 30min was "climbing a hill" and the last 20 min were sprinting down it. I used to pride myself in never having the urge to throw up from a work-out, but Tuesday changed that. I was on the verge of running to the garbage. (I guess it didn't help that I had a latte right before either.)

Wednesday was crazy! It all began when my food program lady, stopped for a surprise visit at 8AM. I was in the middle of making breakfast for six little kiddos and Shane in my arms since he wasn't feeling. Immediately the kids start to act up and I knew I was going to be in trouble since I wasn't up-to-date with recording my meals. I became so frazzled I forgot to make the toast to go with the eggs, fruit and milk which my food program lady reminded me of. On top of that my of my kids missed the bus to preschool. School started at 9AM and it was already ten after. Thankfully my food program lady watched the kids so I could drive her in to preschool. At nap time I went and dyed my hair brown, so it's official: I'm a BRUNETTE! It was entertaining watching the facial expressions of my daycare parents and husband as they saw my new hair. After work, I went with the boys to the bowling alley for a Sertoma event, did a Target run and picked up extra tables and chairs. By the time I got home it was already 8:30PM. I was feeling anxious and overwhelmed. I hadn't even started prepping for tomorrow night's Thanksgiving dinner. Mary, my mother-in-law, stopped over and dropped off the pumpkin cookies and ended up helping me peel 10lbs of potatoes and made sure I knew how to make everything. Josh was helpful too, clearing out the living room and setting up tables and chairs. I hit the hay at twelve bells.

Thursday was the big day! My mom came to visit to see the boys. Once all of the kids arrived we headed to Caribou before we were ready to work hard. Caribou is motivation in a cup! The kids excitement was contagious. They thought it was so cool that the couches were gone and tables were set up, the "thankful tree" was upstairs with all of the decorations on it and the thankful poster was hanging. I had them help me make the fruit salad and decorate the tables. Josh came home to help me get the Turkey in the oven and bring me the items I forgot at the store. At naptime I cleaned the house, mashed the potatoes, cooked the ham, brewed the coffee, and made sure everything was in order. Once every was up we divided into two teams---greeters/coat takers and beverage order. I also had each guest fill out a card of what they wanted to eat so that the kids could "serve" their parents by bringing them their food. By now the younger kids are out of control or should I say overflowing with excitement! THe parent's arrived between 5:30-5:45pm, the kids did awesome! The food turned out (minus the gravy) and no one went home hungry. It was an awesome night of fellowship. I am so thankful for the awesome daycare families that God has blessed me with! They are the best!

Friday was my Birthday, I turned the big 2-8! My Birthday has a whole new meaning to me. Last year at this time I was mourning the loss of a baby. I was newly pregnant and was so excited for Josh and I to tell our parents that we were expecting again that weekend. The night of the Thanksgiving dinner for my daycare families I noticed that I had began to bleed. I immediately thought the worse. I went to the doctor the next AM and they confirmed that I had loss the baby. I was a wreck. I was only about 8 weeks along, but it still hurt. I now look at my Birthday as a celebration of another year of life and another year that my precious little baby is with the Lord---It's my earthly Birthday and the baby's heavenly Birthday. I decided to name the baby Morgan since it could be either boy or girl. I can't wait to meet him/her one day. I know that God sees the big picture and can trust in his sovereign plan for my life and my children's. This year, Josh took me out to Bella's for a romantic dinner. He also surprised me. Earlier this month I hinted to him that I would really like a heart rate monitor. He made it a point to let me know that he thought it was ridiculous and all of the exercise equipment have heart rate monitors. I was actually annoyed that he had such an opinion. When he got home from work he told me that my present wasn't ready and that I would have to wait until next week. You see, I have a love/hate relationship with surprises. I can't handle the anticipation of what it is and but love the surprise of opening it. I was really disappointed. I began to question him, "where did you buy it from," "when did you order it," "can you please give me a little hint?" He led me on to believe that it had bought me gifts from clothing and sporting goods store. I had no idea what it could be. On the way to bringing the boys to his parents house he took a corner too fast (on purpose) and this box fell down to me feet. He asked me to pick it up and told me to open it. It was pitch dark so I had no idea what it was. He did it, he had bought me my heart rate monitor and it was pink!!

The week was fast and furious, but so memorable. Again, I'm sorry for it being so wordy. I have hard time summarizing. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Loving Life

As I tucked the kids into bed for their afternoon, I caught myself smiling and thinking, "I love my job!" I feel so blessed that everyday I get to have a Godly impact on my daycare kiddos and my own children's lives. I can't wait to see what seeds God is using me to plant in their lives. I was craving a latte this AM (I know, pathetic) and posted my feeling on Facebook and had two friends volunteer to bring me one. This morning I get to enjoy God's creation at the park, I'm in awe of who he is. I can't wait to meet him one day, face to face. I can't wait to bask in his glory and to worship the most high at his feet. I can't wait to sing songs of praises (and my voice will sound good) to him. Music moves my soul and stirs something in side of me that nothing else can. I always have dreamed of singing in front of a crowd and have prayed for that gifting, but God has a different plan. When I was a little girl I would practice singing all around the house. I remember specifically belting out "Amazing Grace" in my parent's garage thinking I sounded like Rachel Lampa (Christian Artist)...a girl can dream right?! I feel so blessed to have a loving and supportive husband. A husband that I can laugh with, that can hold me accountable, that is unconditional, that thinks I"m "smoking' hot" without make-up, that is a great provider, that is an amazing husband, that is handy around the house and the list goes on. I'm so thankful that God has blessed me with two sons. I can't imagine my life without them. They bring so much joy to me. I don't know what I did for fun before them. I'm thankful that they have helped me not to be so egocentric. I am thankful for a loving family and in-laws that I couldn't live with out (not everyone can say that)! I'm thankful for the rich and abundant friendships God has given me. My cup is overflowing!

Now that I have started a blog I find myself through out the day thinking of titles for my different blog posts, pretty cheesy! I have all of these little stories that I want to write about, but when I get to my keyboard I draw a blank & write about something completely different.

I just started reading "The Coffee Mom's Devotional" by Celeste Palmero. I think it was very fitting since I obviously have a love for coffee (specifically lattes) and coffee shops. A group of gals were doing this study at Caribou (where else) and I thought it would be perfect for my quiet time. I'm also excited that I'm going to be starting another Bible Study with a few gals. I'm sure you'll be hearing more about it once we start.

So speaking of quiet time, while the kids nap I'm going to squeeze in a little before my little honey bear needs to eat!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Back to the Grind

Today is my first official day back to work. I am forever grateful to Twyla. She allowed me to have some sweet time with baby boy. It went by fast, but I was able to cram in some fun outings---family trip to Duluth, shopping trips to the cities, spending time at Gull Lake, daily stops at Caribou, girlfriend time, etc.

I can't believe I'm admitting this, but it is nice to get back into a routine, especially for my little honey bear. Since I new my time off was limited I tried to make the most of it and do all of the things I can't do when I'm working.

Well, this is going to be a quick entry, I have to get snack ready.
Bless you!

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Procrastination at it's finest...

Today is my official last Tuesday of "freedom," so naturally I shall spend it at Caribou. This morning as I was getting Shane and myself ready (Logan is at "Naughty Boy Tuesday") for our big day, I was thinking of all the errands that need to be ran and projects that need to be finished. I started to feel stressed. I got out my trusty iPhone and started to make a list. I felt better that I wrote it down and couldn't wait to start to cross them off. As I got settled in at Caribou and began to cross off my list I found myself on Facebook... not staying on task & now I"m writing on my blog. I have accounting work to do for my business and I'm dreading every minute of it. I haven't began to enter anything from the beginning of the year. My last job I quit because a huge part of it was accounting and now I find myself my own accountant---scary. (The Lord has a sense of humor) I'm feeling overwhelmed at the amount of items that need to be entered, so anything sounds better then data entry.

Yesterday I signed our family up for the YMCA. I am really excited to get back into shape and to feel good about my body. When I had Logan I felt too guilty to work out after work since I had been away from him all day. Now, I feel privileged that I get to be home with him all day and won't feel guilty working out afterwards. I love that the YMCA has drop in daycare so that Josh & I can work out without interruptions. I know that when I feel healthy, weight wise, I'm a better wife, mom and friend. Today is the start of me making better food choices, so that means I'm taking a break from sweets and fried foods. I'm telling you this so that you can hold me accountable. When it comes to sweets it's all or nothing. I am a closet eater and think that if I eat them all now then I don't have to have them around later. My Senior year of high school and Freshman year of college I struggled with my body perception. I took diet pills, was bulimic, and couldn't leave the gym until I had burned 1000 calories on top of being on the dance team. God brought me through this lie that I was believing. He showed me that I was fearfully and wonderfully made and that there is only one Kelsi Malone Timm and that I didn't have to look like anyone else. I had a tendency to compare myself to my sisters who are naturally thin and my friends. Because of God I don't have those desires anymore. I do struggle with over eating and am embarrassed by it. I know that overeating is a sin, it's gluttony. So I'm confessing my sin to you all and asking God to forgive me. I'm sharing this with you because it's tough being a woman. There are so many pressures to look a certain way and it's easy to get wrapped up in a size. God has designed us all differently and we are not all meant to be a size 2. God asks us to treat our body as His temple---to make healthy food choices and to exercise so that we are healthy for how he designed us. That looks differently for everyone. I pray that if anyone struggles with this that God would open your eyes to how beautiful you are that you would quit believing the lie. If you ever need some to talk with I'm here for you.

Wow, I wasn't expecting to share that, but I type as God leads. Well, I better get back on task. Have a blessed day and don't forget to exercise your right to Vote!

Saturday, October 30, 2010

The never ending drive home...

Yesterday I ventured to Maple Grove with Shane & Taylor. I purchased a "man house" (a.k.a. dollhouse for boys) last week at Home Goods for the daycare. I didn't have enough room in my vehicle to bring it home so I needed to pick it up. I was planning on having a shopping date with Laura--my final Friday of freedom, but my sub for the daycare, Twyla, and Josh both got sick over night. We had big plans---Ikea, Arbor Lakes, Caribou, girl talk, etc, but I told Laura to go with out me.

I didn't think I would be able to bring the boys in order to put the house in the back of my car. I called the store when they opened and got the measurements---Jack pot, it would fit in the back! I scrambled to get myself ready and load the kiddos in the car. (I even skipped getting my skinny latte at Caribou) We arrived at lunch time and met up with Laura. We had ate at Potbelly's---mmm, mmm, mmm

Laura and I spurred the economy of Arbor Lakes. Stopped in at Anthropology (one of my fav stores) found a couple of Christmas presents, headed to Express and found some "work" shirts--that was my excuse to buy them and to J.Crew and Banana Republic where we both were able to find new jeans. Finding jeans on is like tearing out a hang nail, ok not that bad, but I never look forward to it. Banana Republic jeans fit the best out of any other brand that I have tried on. My old jeans from there actually fit now, but when I went on to try on the same size--no such luck. I guess I really have stretched the other ones out. I was really impressed with the customer service I received there. The ladies were so helpful and even didn't mind my wild son running around and jumping off chairs. They brought Logan crayons and books to keep him entertained in the dressing room. They went out of their way to find the perfect jeans and too top it off I only paid $37!! (they were on sale)

After an exciting shopping outing with Laura, the boys and I head to Home Goods to pick up the man house. Annie met up with us there and we headed to Starbucks for a spontaneous coffee date. We were on the road at 6pm, tummy's were full & diapers were clean. I called my hubby to let him know we would be home soon and that I would pick up dinner. Both boys were asleep by the time I hit Rogers & I was looking forward to a quiet ride home. As I approached the exit signs to St. Cloud I hear Shane start to fuss. Fussing quickly turned in to screaming. I was in trouble. Shane was hungry and I didn't have anymore food with me. I quickly take the next exit off and head to Target, all the while Shane is still crying. The boys and I hurry in, purchase some formula and set up camp in the restaurant area. Since we were going to be there for awhile and it was 7pm I figured Logan and I should eat too. We ended up sponging 1.5 hours there between eating and changing diapers. Logan was over tired (my fault, no nap) and didn't want to eat, so I had to use bribery (not something I like to do, but I was desperate). Logan faced the ICEE machine, which he just experienced for the first time a month ago, so I said if you eat your food you can have one. Of course it worked So, once again, tummy's are full and diapers are clean and we are back on the road; it's now 8:30pm. As I drive through West Port Shane starts to cry (again). I'm now officially speeding and thinking the Osakis exit can't come soon enough. I wasn't about too pull over on the side of the road in the dark. Finally, I'm off the freeway. I race out to see what Shane needs. He doesn't want his nuk or his bottle so I decide he is just going to have to cry it out. The tension headache has set in. I crank up the radio and dream of pulling into the garage and handing Shane to Josh. We reached our destination at 9:30 and I couldn't be more happier to be home.

Sorry for my rambling and possibly boring you with this post. I have decided that next time I will do a couple things differently 1) have another able body in the vehicle to help with the kiddos 2) have better time management 3) keep bag up formula in the car with a bottled water. Overall it was a really fun afternoon with my friends and boys. Logan did very well for not having a nap and was a good listener for most of the time. My boys' wives will one day appreciate my hard work of introducing my boys to the art of shopping...and enjoying it.

Well, I'm off to a Halloween Party and am not very excited about dressing up. I"m going to be a sailor. It was a last minute purchase I picked up at Target today. I'm feeling a bit on the frumpy side today, so my fat pants and a sweatshirt sound way better. The boys are going to be staying with grandma and grandpa since Logan did not nap today. My darling husband is trying to convince me otherwise. I have to follow through on consequences and really am not in the mood to deal with his over tiredness. I'm looking forward to just being with my man.

Pictures to follow soon.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Inspired

It's a windy, rainy day in A-Town and I'm sitting in my fav coffee shop feeling inspired to begin a blog, so here I am. I plan on using this as my journal. I am a mother of two little boys and a daycare provider so I always have fun stories to share.

This is my last full week of maternity leave--tear, tear. I have quite enjoyed my time off from working and would have no problem changing my career to Homemaker. That isn't in the cards right now, so I will savor my last days off. I'm a little nervous adjusting to working 10 hour days, running a business & caring for my boys and home. Little Shane isn't sleeping through the night and his feeding schedule is still every 2-3 hours. (The boy can eat!) With God on my side, all things are possible! I will need to start to ween myself from my daily coffee stops. I have felt pretty spoiled these last 9 weeks doing what I want to when I want too. I guess it's my reward for carrying my precious little boy for the past nine months and working up until the day he was delivered. (side note...next time I am prego, remind me not to do that) I am so thankful that I do not have to bring Shane to daycare; that was so hard to do with Logan. God has blessed me with the opportunity to run my own and I couldn't be happier. The few years that my sweet little boys will be home are that too savor.

I can't believe how much Logan has grown up--he's such a big boy! We just celebrated his third Birthday last week. He brings so much joy and energy into our home. From the moment he wakes up he is ready to go; I think his feet are running from the moment he gets out of bed. He reminds of Jack Jack from one of the Disney movies. It's been so sweet to watch him interact with his new baby brother. His names for his brother are "My Baby," "Peanut" & Shane Taylor. When Shane starts to cry in the car I can hear Logan sweetly say to his brother, "Peanut, it's OK. When we get home I'll take you out of your car seat and hold you. It's OK Peanut." He melts my heart! Logan is all boy and a total daddy's boy. He loves to do whatever dad is doing. You will often find him dressed up as a construction worker "fixing things." (Him fixing things, leads to Josh re-fixing them, but it's the thought that counts, right?) He also loves to play monster, football, baseball & wrestling. He is a huge fan of Frett Favre (Brett Favre) and re-inacts how he throws the football. He turns everything into a gun. For his Birthday he asked for a Pink BB Gun. We told him when he starts to go potty in the toilet then he can have one. Logan is very compassionate. He makes sure that everyone around him is included and actually is good at sharing. I'm constantly amazed at his memory and how he remembers the little things. Tuesday's (a.k.a "Naughty Boy Tuesday") he gets to spend time with his MiMi and Papa. He gets to be a part of MiMi's prayer group, shoot the BB gun, drink pop, eat M's (M&Ms) and visit KaKa (Auntie Erika & the Twins) and then gets sent home to his father and I. Logan also loves Toy Story. He's a huge fan of Woody & Buzz Lightyear. He received a Buzz Lightyear costume for his Birthday and loves to run around the house saying "To Infinity and Beyond," "No push my buttons, I'm a real space ranger!" Logan loves to help. It doesn't matter what Josh or I are doing he wants to be a part of whatever it is--cleaning the house, organizing the garage, making dinner, etc. I can't wait to see what God has in store for my son's life. I pray that one day (soon) he will come to know the Lord as his personal Savior.

Shane Taylor came into this world Wednesday, August 25th. He was 7 lbs & 9 oz, 20 1/4 inch and had a full head of hair! He has a very sweet disposition. He is a fabulous eater and started sleeping 4-5 hours at night the first week of life. He can burp and pass gas like a man and is already standing. He coos at us and has a great smile. It's so fun to have a baby again. I have been cherishing my one-on-one time with Shane. Snuggling and kissing him is one of my favorite pass times. A couple of weeks ago we brought Shane to the ER late on a Sunday night. He had spiked of fever of almost 103 degrees and was making a grunting noise. We had just returned home from our first family vacation in Duluth. The doctors ran tests on Shane and found out he had pneumonia in his right lung. Shane and I ended up spending the next two nights in the hospital. He has fully recovered and is back to his sweet self.

God has given me the most amazing man, Josh. We met my Sophomore year in college and the rest is history. He is everything, and more, that I prayed for. (I seriously had a list) I am amazed at how he father's our children. He is a great leader and my best friend. I am blessed to call him my husband.

Well, you have now read a little bit about me and my boys. I hope you enjoy my blog.