off to the races

This past weekend was a repeat annual tradition for Dave and his dad.

The Kansas Speedway!They are such big NASCAR fans....so a weekend at the Kansas Speedway is their idea of FUN!

Meeting up with old friends is always a highlight of the weekend! This is one of Dave's best friends from college...Quinci. Thanks for the pics Quinci!So this is one of the best parts I'm told...hangin out at "camp"! Another great friend, Kyle F. (red hat, sitting down) stopped to visit too...it's always good times with Kyle!Every year, I always ask "why don't I get to go?". And every year, he says that I can go next year. Well, this would mean that it would no longer be a GUYS weekend! But hey, I PROMISE that I would stay out of the way...I know there is LOTS of shopping right there by the speedway! So next year, I may try it out...but I'll even be nice and say that he doesn't have to buy me a ticket....I'll just stay busy ELSEWHERE! Isn't that so nice of me??? Even though it stinks to spend all weekend by myself with the kids...it is nice to know that Dave was off having his guy time and having lots of fun! He deserves it!!

look at what we're getting!

So my title sounds like we're getting something really exciting! Like a new pet, or a new car or something cool like that.

But oh no! This is better.

Check out what Dave's sister made tonight for Taylor.... or click here to read about itI saw these darling little things on one of my favorite blogs that I check daily. I showed it to Stef awhile back, thinking these would be fun and easy to make for our girls...she got on the ball with it first and got them done tonight!

So now I need to make more bows!
Way to go Stef...they are SO adorable!

productive

Don't you just love those days that you look at the clock and it's only noon and you have accomplished SO much!

I woke up this morning feeling somewhat motivated to get some cleaning done today. Although there's usually not a whole lot I'm able to do while trying to entertain 2 kids as well. Then at 9am, I was surprised to have Dave home from work! The crew is waiting for concrete to be poured for their next job. Good news....he's home all day with us. Bad news....he'll have to work on Friday. I'm sure I'll be in a bad mood because of that when Friday comes...but for now, I'm in a good mood, enjoying him being here today!

So back to MY productive morning that turned into OUR productive morning! It's so much more fun to clean with a partner! We cleaned both bathrooms, vacuumed and mopped the whole house, cleaned out the fridge, vacuumed the furniture and rearranged our living room.

WHEW!!! And we have more than HALF the day left! Feels so good! There's just something about fall that makes me feel SO productive! I love this time of year! Now if I can just get my fall decorations out soon!

Flashback Friday

Somehow, I just happened to get ALMOST the same exact picture of Taylor in her tie-dye dress, last year and this year.

So here she is at bluegrass in 2007, 11 months old...
notice the dress almost touches the ground!
Here she is this year, 23 months old...
Hard to believe she'll be 2 in less than a month


Lately, I've just felt that she has grown up SOOO much. Just looking at her...she looks like such a big girl.



I just can't believe how much she's changed...but I'm sure this is JUST the beginning! It's so bittersweet watching her grow into such a fun, beautiful, loving, independent little girl. She has done things lately that just make me stop dead in my tracks and wonder where my little baby girl went!

Calling all the Children Home

That's the title of one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite musicians at bluegras...John McCutcheon...he's actually a folk singer, not bluegrass. There's a new song by him in my playlist...called "I am Here" if you want to hear his stuff...it's a good one for baseball fans (well, kind of).

Bluegrass for me is kind of like going home. Well, it WAS my home...Winfield, that is.


I wish I could figure out exactly how many years I've been going...but I do remember having my 10th birthday out there, so I know it's been at least 17 years in a row. NEVER MISSED!


For Dave and I, it was our 6th year, Taylor's 2nd and Mason's 1st!



Some major things were working against us this year...

FIRST, no camping allowed due to this:This was taken just a few days before the festival started...AFTER the mandatory evacuation of all campers!


Luckily, we have friends we can always stay with, so we didn't have to worry about a place to stay.

Usually the entire fairgrounds, every where you look, looks like this:This year, everywhere you looked, it looked like this (luckily the water was gone just in time for the festival to begin!)Second, I was getting over being sick and Dave had the beginning stages of pneumonia...pretty sure people thought we were crazy for going.



I have always been so lucky, Dave is awesome when it comes to packing things up for trips...he does so much. I stick to getting my clothes and the kids' clothes and he usually takes care of the rest. The day we were trying to leave, he was not able to do much of anything other than sit...so if we were gonna go, it was up to me! It took me hours...but I got everything packed...clothes, coolers with snacks and drinks, baby supplies, blankets, and LOTS more!



We finally made it to the festival on Friday afternoon!

Here's the main stage...you saw a different view at the beginning of this post with all the water. Water was up to the stage and covering the ground where you now see all the people!



It's ok to laugh at Mason in this picture...I did. Yet again, another one of his crazy-faced photos!

On Saturday, we just planned to go with the flow of our kids...not knowing how they would do all day, and especially without being somewhere for Taylor to take a nap.



Well, to our surprise...

She slept for almost an hour and a half! This of course helped the rest of the day!

Our friends, Brent and Alyssa came on Saturday to get their first taste of the festival. We were excited to have them with us!

Enjoying music at our favorite stage on the hill...

fitting...
Finally, a picture that we don't have to laugh about! We weren't sure how late we'd get to stay, depending on how the kids did past their bedtime. AGAIN, to our HUGE surprise, this is the way they finished the night! We got to enjoy the festival till 11:00pm!! What SUPER kids!So, another year of Bluegrass over and done. It was quite a different year...having both our kids with us, Dave who was fighting pneumonia, not having camp right there to go back and lounge, no Stage 5 (they relocated to the lake), my mom and dad didn't make it this year, we didn't get to see most of the friends my parents camp with every year due to them being spread out in all different places due to the evacuation, we were there for only 1/2 the amount of time we usually are....BUT, it was still GREAT as always!

We can now start the countdown for next year!

happy birthday to me

Today I turned 27. I THINK! Well, okay, I know, because I figured it out. But all year long I didn't know if I was 26 or 27....sometimes I said I was 26 sometimes 27. Last year on my birthday, I thought I was turning 27. So I think that's why I've been confused all year. Hopefully this year I'll get it straight.



The day started at 6am...nope, not breakfast in bed or a sweet morning kiss from my husband...but 2 kids screaming their heads off from their rooms.



I thought it was a dream. They don't wake up that early...well, maybe Mason SOMETIMES, but not that upset. I must have been sleeping hard, because I think Mason screamed long enough that it woke Taylor up. So at 6am we were all up...well, except Dave...he was still dead to the world, sick in bed.



I would have loved to just make the most of it and have that "oh well, let's have a good day" attitude. But I was not feeling the greatest either...I just can't seem to get rid of this icky stuff. Needless to say, it was not a fun day. We luckily got to sleep for a couple of hours in the afternoon and woke up feeling a little better...even Dave. He even suggested we go out to dinner for my birthday. We were suppossed to go to our small group tonight, but figured we'd be better off not going and exposing everyone. So instead, we decided to take the kids to grandma and papa's and go out for dinner to Aggies in Hesston.



This wasn't the most ideal birthday dinner...I went with no makeup and jewelry (no jewelry, can you believe that!)...it was hard enough getting out of my sweats. Neither of us were feeling the greatest, I'm sure we looked quite pathetic sluggishly walking into the restaurant and climbing into the booths where we both probably could have just LAID...but we needed some good food which our house is empty of. It was nice just to get out of the house.


We came home, put the kids to bed and now Dave's asleep on the couch. It's always so sad when he's so sick. Poor thing. I just wanted to hug all over him for wanting to take me out to dinner even though he wasn't feeling the greatest...how nice of him. I decided not to hug all over him though...I'm trying to keep my distance so I don't get what he has.



He apologized so many times today that I was having such a rough birthday...of course, he didn't need to do this, and there was nothing that was his fault...but he made me feel better every time he said it. He said that we'd continue to celebrate all weekend at bluegrass! (That's a whole other post....what is going on with bluegrass?? The flooding has completely changed everything...it's hard to even make a plan because we just don't know what to expect when we get there.) Yes, we're both under the weather and STILL planning to go to the festival...that's DIE HARDS for ya!!! Yesterday as Dave was practically on his death bed (ok, a little exaggeration), I said "we may be better off not going to Winfield this year"...his answer in all of his pain and suffering was "we'll just take one day at a time"...there was no way he was giving in YET!!!



So another year of my life down. 27 sounds kind of old to me. It's the first age that has made me think of 30. Looking back over this year, I just have to smile....what a great year....

Mason joined our family,
we found a new church home that we LOVE,
Premier has had the best year ever...doubling and almost tripling the year before,
and I finished my job as a teacher to stay home full time with the kiddos!

All of that just makes me feel so blessed and thankful!

sick daddy

If you read my previous blog, you heard all about me and the kids being sick.

So of course, it was inevitable...

I had to drive to Hutch today to pick up Dave from work because he was so sick. I was quite worried about him. His chest hurt so bad he could barely breath, he had the chills (which we later found out at the Dr. he had a fever), and could barely move. We went straight to the doctor.

After chest xrays and blood tests, they determined it must be something viral. So no meds. AND, he's contagious...so they warned me about myself and the kids.

He came home and went to bed at 5. I am now being forced to feel MUCH better than I really do. Sunday was my last day that I was actually down all day...then, I think I did too much Monday, because today I just felt icky!

Our dinner plans for my birthday are now postponed. My birthday is tomorrow...I'm sure Dave will be home all day...any other time that would be a WONDERFUL birthday having him home all day...but I'm guessing tomorrow may not be so wonderful.

These Days

(FYI, this post was written 4 days ago and I have been trying ever since to get it to post...I'm having horrible computer/internet problems....so this info is now history)


Our house hasn't been the most fun place to be the last week.

Mason was sick earlier this week...fever, stuffy nose, vomiting. One afternoon he wouldn't let me lay him down...so he just laid on me all afternoon with a fever...causing us both to sweat to death. A few days later as we were playing I noticed a little sliver of white on his gums...sure enough...his first tooth is popping through! Not sure if that explains his sickness or not....but if it does, oh man are we in for it. In all of Taylor's 23 months, we have NEVER even known when a tooth was coming in....no fever, no stuffy nose, nothing! So he may be showing us YET again that he will be different than his sister!

Taylor isn't "officially" sick (whatever constitutes that) but definitely not herself and MUCH whinier than usual. She's going through a new stage at bedtime too....screaming at the top of her lungs. She has ALWAYS gone down so easily, so this is a little rough for us. When I go in to calm her, she cries for "dada". When Dave goes in, she cries for "mama". I think we've decided we just aren't going in anymore...no matter what!

Then guess what? Friday I woke up sick! What a bummer...I was suppossed to scrapbook all day and go spend my Scrapbook Garden gift certificate. Instead, I pretty much laid in bed and on the couch all day Friday and Saturday. Dave has been SUPER...he's taken care of everyone and everything!

The kids are a little better...I'm getting better. This is just NOT the way I'd like to go into this next week...my birthday and bluegrass....my favorite week of the year! So hopefully the next few days are much better. Oh yeah, did anyone see the news this weekend...they evacuated all the campers in Winfield at the festival! The Walnut Valley Festival is held right next to the Walnut River....so you can only imagine what that valley looks like! The forecast is a beautiful week...so hopefully they can all get back in Tuesday and the festival will be underway by the time we get there on Thursday!


Since this is a pretty random post, I'll just share a few more random things:

**Dave built a pretty sweet swing for Taylor in our front yard...I watched the process since yesterday (in involved 2 trees and some chains) and I was a bit worried...but what was I thinking...he is the MASTER at building anything! I sure wished I had my camera when she got the first ride on this evening!

**My camera had a line across the LCD screen...so it got shipped back to Michigan where we got it and hopefully I'll be getting a new one soon....I'm going crazy without it!

**I got the cutest cover for my ipod for my birthday from Dave's sister and now am up to over 2000 songs!!!! It is the most "skitsofrentic combination" of songs you could ever imagine. I stole that word usage from my friend Kristi W....except I think she knew how to spell it...I went with the way it SOUNDED!

**Sunday, Mason was dedicated at our church. I'm hoping to get pictures from that soon (we don't have a camera right now...we had to send it back:-(...but someone is suppossed to be emailing those to me).

**So far, so good with the football season...our house stays a happy place as long as the Sooners continue to do well. So GO SOONERS!

**Did I really just say that?!? I can definitely not end on that...I had to grit my teeth to even type that, so I'll end with GO WILDCATS! We're hoping to make it to a game later this season with the kiddos! They both have their KSU outfits and are just ITCHING to wear them!

That's all for now....we have a fun filled week and weekend ahead! So stay tuned!

Fair Fun!

Tonight we made the trip to Hutch for the State fair...along with 2 other families!
I hadn't been to the State Fair since elementary school. It was about time.

The rain threatened our plans all day...but it turned out to be a BEAUTIFUL fall evening...my absolute favorite!

We stopped FIRST thing for our favorite....roasted corn! We were pretty much going for the food...and this was JUST the beginning!For $1.50 you can ride this:So Dave took Taylor and the other dads took their kiddos too! SO FUN! A great dollar-fifty thrill! We saw lots of animals...Taylor calls them all by their sounds, not their names. But wait, what does a bunny say?The highlight of the night...BABE!! Taylor loves Babe, the movie...maybe a little obsessed actually. So she was so excited to see Babe....and another Babe and another! If all goes as planned, just wait till you see what her bday cake will be!!!
This is Taylor and her friends Ollie and Eli. They liked the goats.

Have you ever seen a giraffe at a petting zoo? Not me.
And yet, another highlight of the night....Merrill Teller, weather guy for Channel 12 News!
"Merrill, will you take a picture with our babies?"
I can't remember his exact response...but his look said it all. I don't think he hears that request very often...and I think he thought I was asking him to hold all of them.

What I find funny about this photo is the expressions of the kids. Eli is wondering who on earth this guy is. Taylor is concerned as to why all the parents have walked away from the strollers. And Ollie...well, if you know Ollie's mom, Kendall, and her strange excitement for weather....then it is obvious that Ollie knows exactly who this is!

Oh yeah, and as I was the brave one (or dumb one) to suggest this fun little picture to Merrill...my husband walked away and pretended he didn't know me. Go figure.

Flashback Friday

This is probably TOTALLY not allowed...but the photographer (Visual Memories, here in Newton) who did all of Taylor's first year pictures, had these pictures on his website...so I HAD to post them!

This one is so precious...one of my favorites! (weeks old)We have plans for Taylor's 2nd birthday party underway! It's about a month and a half away and I just can't believe our little baby is going to be 2!! So I thought a flashback to her first year would be appropriate today.

If you've been in our bathroom, you've seen this picture before...so cute!

(6 months)

(6 months)

I am just cracking up at how chubby her face is!

(9 months)

This isn't really a flashback...but fitting for this post...

Mason is now 6 months old....WOW!! I remember saying with Taylor that the 6-9 month period was SOO fun...we are starting to see that with Mason already!

He's such a little bundle of joy! He smiles bigger than Taylor EVER did! It's so fun!

He's also starting to notice Taylor and what she's doing a lot more. Last night in the car, she was making noises at him and causing him to laugh out loud. Of course, every time he laughed, she thought it was so funny and she'd do it more. So back and forth they went for about 5 minutes...it was such a precious moment! There's no better sound than the sound of the giggles coming from our two little ones!

Oh yeah, at MOPS yesterday when I was introducing myself and telling about my kids...they all laughed at me and made noises of "shock" when I said I had a 22 month old and a 6 month old...I've gotten that reaction a lot lately! But what really gets me is when they then ask "are you going to have any more?" If you had a 22 month and a 6 month old...would you be thinking about having more???? Probably not the best stage of life to ask that question!

mopping around

This morning we had our first MOPS morning.

If you're thinking we MOPPED all morning....that's just plain silly!

MOPS is a group that my sister-in-law, Stef, invited me to join at her church in Wichita (Central Community). She's actually one of the directors, who has brought this nation-wide program to her church. So I have to say it is VERY well organized and so much FUN! MOPS stands for "Mothers of Preschoolers" and it's for any moms with at least one preschool or younger aged kids (I think).

At first I drug me feet to commit to going. Having to get 2 kids up, dressed, fed and to Wichita by 9:15am just sounded too stressful. Stef's always good at talking me into things...she reminded me that if I can just GET there (regardless of how stressful it could be), I would then have 2 straight hours of ME time. Dave thought I was crazy. He's gotten some of those early morning calls when I'm at my wits end before the day is even a quarter of the way over....just trying to get out of the house and be in a good mood when I arrive where I'm going. So he was thinking I was better off just staying at home. But I decided to give it a try. Even though it's tough sometimes, a morning away from home is good for us all.

The "mock" MOPS meeting, 2 weeks ago, helped us know where to take our kids, where to take ourselves, and just get introduced to everything and everyone. Taylor is stepping up a little bit and going to the 2 year old class so she can be with her cousin, Paige. It's her first experience of doing more than just "play" in the nursery...they are actually doing old bible school curriculum...so she brings home cute things that she made and colored (this is a fun new experience for us!)

So what do the moms do??? Well, the food may just be the best part!! A buffet of breakfast casserole after breakfast casserole, cinnamon rolls, scones, breads, bagels and much more...they feed us well! We were told to fill our plate when we get there, that's our breakfast, and then fill it again towards the end and that's our lunch....GOOD PLAN!

Today we had a guest speaker, Ginger Millermon....an amazing singer with a truly amazing testimony that spoke wonders about the power of God....and caused me to have to completely control myself from crying OUTLOUD!

We also have small group time with our "mentor moms"...I think this will be my favorite part other than the food...just to chat, be lifted up, and encouraged. My "mentor mom" is awesome, one of those ladies that just puts a smile on your face each time she speaks to you. I'm so excited to get to know her and the girls in my group better.

We'll have other guest speakers, do some service projects, crafts, and other fun stuff! I think I'm going to really like it! In fact, sitting there today, I was just thinking about lots of my friends who would absolutely LOVE this too. I wish I would have been on the ball and invited you before it started. They said today that the room is maxed out at 49 moms, If things change, they'll allow us to bring friends later in the year...I would love to take anyone along that would like to try it out.

There's just something refreshing about time with other moms...especially when it's a time of encouragement and opportunity to grow closer to God all at the same time!

Labor Day Weekend

We spent Labor Day weekend with my parents in Ozark, Missouri. We spent the first night at their house and then went onto their cottage near Branson and Tablerock. The cottages were so cute...north east, cape-cop style...I wanted a red one....but they don't take requests. View from the top of the hill, overlooking the cottages.
We spent one afternoon at Branson Landing...shopping, eating and playing. The MUST-stop places for me were Yankee Candle, The Children's Place and Charlotte Russe. I didn't end up finding anything cute for me...but Taylor got lots of cute stuff...surprise, surprise!This was the first trip to visit my folks that my sister and her husband were able to come at the same time. Now that she lives in Texas rather than California, I think we'll see her MUCH more...well, we better!
Taylor loved the water and fire show...Mason was less than impressed...We spent one evening at the pool near the cottage....isn't Mason SUCH a big boy, sitting and playing in the water by himself!We spent Sunday on Tablerock...boating, swimming and tubing. My sister with Mason...Our little dare devil had so much fun jumping off the boat to daddy...over and over and over again!

The weekend was going to include Silver Dollar City until we re-thought that plan...being the BIGGEST weekend of the year, we weren't sure if that would be the most fun place to be or not.

This was the first trip we decided to drive back home at bedtime. The kiddos did fairly well on the way up (thanks to grandma's car with the DVD player)...but the trip home with them sleeping the whole way, was even better. At least we didn't have to listen to "Finding Nemo" 3 times in a row. We got home this morning at 1:15 am. It was rough for a couple of hours...fighting hard to stay awake, trying to come up with ANYTHING random to talk about, stuffing our mouths with pop and Reeses pieces until we thought we were gonna throw up! But we made it.

Thanks mom and dad for a great weekend...we had so much fun and can't wait for next time!