2010

Here it is, the end of the year. What a year it has been for us. Through the ups and down, we have seen God's faithfulness through it all and we feel blessed. Here are some highlights from the past year.

January:

*The year started off with Sarah being crowned Homecoming queen. She deserved it. She is an amazing, Godly, incredible, encouraging (except for today, but we won't go there!) sister.

*Nic was coaching at the beginning of the year and ended the basketball season excited for the next season...which has already started and as of now is undefeated...I love to watch him coach...he has so much passion for the game.

February and March:

Nothing really exciting happened. :)

April:

*I finished teaching... for good. It was a bittersweet time. While I have a passion for teaching children and making a difference in their lives, I have a bigger passion for raising my children. This was a HARD decision financially. There were many tears and disagreements when it came to this decision. I was constantly on my knees crying out for God to give us a way for me to stay home with my babies. We made the decision to stay home but had NO idea how we were going to make it without 2 incomes. Do you know how much stress that can be? Of course you do. I started babysitting 2 extra kids, which has been great for Hayden! But, we knew God would see us through our decision and He has...which brings me to a different highlight you will see later...

*I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, Colton Robert (middle name from my brother and father). I fall more in love with him every day. I have loved being able to write him letters each month, describing the new things he accomplishes. He is the sweetest little thing in all the world. I can't even describe in words the love that I have for my children.

*One of my best friends, Jaclyn, got married.

May:

*Kristen and Sarah both graduated. Kristen graduated from Cedarville. I couldn't attend the ceremony because I had just had Colton. Two weeks later she left for Fort Wayne to attend PA school at St. Francis. Sarah graduated from high school and left in August for Taylor University. This was a hard time for me because I was now without all my siblings. It was hard but I am so proud of each of them. Adam and Jamie were here for graduation, Open House, and Jamie's baby shower. It was the first time this year that the WHOLE family was together. I always say my heart is content when we are all together.

June:

*Spent many days on the lake.

July:

*Jamie gave birth to my first niece, Rori Pearl. Folks, she is beautiful. She has these beautiful, big blue eyes. I can see both Adam and Jamie in her. I just wish we could live closer so the kiddos could grow up together. On the other hand, I could only imagine the trouble those 3 could get in to.

*More days on the lake.

*My other best friend, Tara, gave birth to beautiful Hannah Lynn. It is so awesome to watch Tara with her own little girl. She glows when she looks at her baby girl.

August:

*Sarah, Kristen, my parents, the kids, Nic and I went to Arizona to meet my baby niece. This was probably the most memorable vacation for me because once again, we were all together. On the ever hand, I knew that once we returned home, real life would happen. Nic back to work, Kristen and Sarah off to school and I would start babysitting.

*Nic and I took the kids to Tennessee for a week and had a blast.

*God opened a door for us and gave us the answer to our many prayers...we joined in a company called Shaklee. We found that this was an opportunity for us, as a family, to do. It has given us an income, which has allowed me to stay home with my babies. We have had an incredible time on this journey so far and can't wait for what the future holds (like the Bahamas and Bora Bora!)

September:

*Mom and I made a couple trips to visit Kris and Sarah with the kids.

October:

*My baby girl turned two years old. We celebrated one weekend while Kristen and Sarah were home and then had a small party with Nic's family and mom and dad and friends. We also went to Chuck E Cheese.

*Nic and I broke out as Director.

November:

*Adam, Jamie, and Rori came for Thanksgiving.

December:

*Nic and I took a weekend get-a-way to Kalamazoo....very much needed time together.

As for the fam...

*Mom and dad are still putting up with me...which is a hard task. They are still the most generous, amazing people ever. The love they have for us children is evident every day. It melts my heart every time I see them with my children. I pray to God every day that Nic and I will be to my kids what my parents are to us.

*Adam is still working for the Border Patrol and is my hero. He is my big brother and I am so proud of that. Him and Jamie are still in Arizona and I miss them dearly. Jamie is loving staying home with her precious daughter.

*Sarah is LOVING the college life and has passed her Praxis for her education degree. I am so proud of her.

*Kristen just finished her 2nd semester with high grades. Again, I am proud of her and her accomplishments. Although her head is usually buried in one of those 4-inch thick books, she always finds time to be with us and spend time with her niece and nephew.

*Hayden is starting to talk more and more, and RUNS EVERYWHERE she goes. She turned 2 this year and has more energy that I can even describe. She brightens up my day whenever she smiles and gives me hugs and kisses. She sure is a firecracker! My day wouldn't complete without her making me laugh until I have tears in my eyes. She is also fearless, which scares me to death. She had her first stitches in early June, which I know will NOT be her last. She climbs everything (mostly on the counters), she jumps off couches, chairs, rocks, pool ledges, she runs...everywhere, she is just FULL of life...and I would have it no other way...except maybe just a little less fearless.

*Colton is my baby boy...my cuddler. I call him my little old man because of the many expressions he has looks like an old man. He is almost crawling already and adores his big sister...even though she likes to sit on him, undress him, and put him in head locks. I am not sure if I am ready for 2 mobile children. I have to admit, I am a little scared about this. Colt and Hayden amaze me everyday. They are my life.

*Nic is still a Patrol Officer and just finished training his first rookie. He continues to amaze me everyday with his love for me and for his children. Like I said before, he is coaching again..which is pretty time consuming so I cherish the time I have with him. I am so proud of him.

I know this may seem like just rambles, but this was my year. I can't wait to see what God has planned for our family in the year 2011.

Christmas Memories

Can you believe that Christmas is already over? It seems like we were just decorating the house with decorations and watching every Christmas movie we could find. Nic and I just keep thinking about how truly blessed we are...friends, family, and most importantly, the whole 'reason for the season'...Jesus Christ.

We enjoyed Christmas Eve with Hayden and Colt opening our gifts to them while listening to Christmas music and the fire place on. We then headed to my parents and enjoyed the evening watching Christmas movies and just being with each other. Nic and I had planned on going to a Christmas Eve service but we were both not feeling well. We fell asleep to Christmas movies and woke up bright and early to open presents. As we were opening presents, I just kept thinking back to when we were kids and we would try to stay up all night so we could see Santa. We would all sleep in one room and watch movies and play video games. We would then get up before the sun was up and stand by the stairs until we got the OK from my parents to come down. We would unwrap presents as fast as we could and then spend the morning in our rooms with our new toys. Grandma and grandpa would come and bring a cake and we would sing Happy Birthday to Jesus. Dad would have The Christmas Carol on the TV and a fire in the fireplace. It made me excited to start traditions with our little family and make memories for Hayden and Colt.

As we celebrated Jesus' birthday yesterday with family, I just sat back several times and just took everything in and didn't want the day to end. The conversations, kids playing with their toys, the puzzles, the fire, the food (Oh, and Nic made the breakfast casserole AND a cherry pie!), family. Yes, we are blessed.

This year was extremely fun for me because I got to watch my baby girl's face light up as she tore open (very carefully) her gifts one by one. It was also special because it was Bubby's first Christmas. Although he wasn't quite as expressive unwrapping his gifts, he still could help take off the paper and loved playing with his new toys. All I know is I have some VERY spoiled kids thanks to their grandparents!

Christmas Festivities

This past week has gone faster than I can even blink my eyes. Here are some highlights of the week:

-My sisters came home last week for their breaks...which you know me...I am ABSOLUTELY thrilled about.

-Nic and I celebrated our 4-year anniversary on Thursday. He surprised me with the most beautiful pink pearl earrings. They are gorgeous and I feel beautiful in them. He also brought me 4 beautiful red roses. What an amazing guy, I tell ya. We did have Nic's shift Christmas party this night...which was ok because I LOVE the company we were with. It as so nice to talk to other wives and police officers. They really are a blast. I do wish we got together more with them.

-Mom and I did our Christmas shopping together on Friday...without kids. We enjoyed ourselves greatly, taking our time going from store to store, not rushing through lunch. I love every second on days like this day. I enjoyed the conversations with my mom and just being with her. Thanks, mom! Dad and my sisters tag teamed watching the kids. Needless to say my dad looked TIRED when we finally got back to the house. I am so thankful for their willingness to watch my babies. I know Hayden just loves him so much. She always has such a blast with him. Thanks, Dad! (and Kristen and Sarah!) We ended the night watching Santa Claus 2 at our house with my parents and sisters. I soaked in every minute.

-Saturday the kids and I met my family and grandparents for breakfast...YUM! Nic has a basketball tourny thing all day, but we did get to meet him and his dad for dinner...again...YUM. I am finding it harder and harder to control 2 children at nice restaurants...hmmm.

-Sunday we celebrated Christmas with Dad's side of the family. Even though our ever growing family is starting to outgrow the little duplex, it was still a blast. I LOVED watching all the little kids run around and play together. They played more with the boxes instead of the actual toys, but hey, they were having fun. And as always, it is so good to chat with the adult cousins! Good food, good chats, good time.

Now, tomorrow my little guy turns 8 months. What?!?! I thought I would go ahead and do his letter today since we will be in Michigan City tomorrow.

Dear Sweet Colton,

You are now 8 months. You are growing so fast and learning so many new things. You are starting to gain weight, which is an answered prayer! This is partly due to you learning how to finally take a bottle! I was about to give up when your grandpa brought home a bottle they use in the hospital and you took it RIGHT AWAY! I couldn't believe it. It is a simple standard nipple, but it is the tan colored one. You even started formula, even though I was trying my hardest not to do any formula at all. You still love to nurse and prefer that to any bottle. You also started eating actual food. You still eat baby food...sometimes...but you love the food we eat. You have eaten macaroni, spaghetti, graham crackers, Kix, and yogurt. You LOVE food! I am not sure if I am supposed to already be introducing these foods to you...but you love them. You are learning to hold food as well, but still have a little trouble getting the food from your hands to your mouth. You try hard though. You are also starting to go from sitting to your hands and knees. You aren't quite sure what to do from there but you are so close! I don't know if I am quite ready for you to be mobile. You still love watching your sister and thinks she is the funniest person around. You also had your first over nighter with grandma and grandpa. You were an absolute angel they said. I was SO proud of you! Although it killed me to leave you, I knew you were in excellent hands. You have started taking baths with your sister, which you also LOVE. you sit and splash the whole time. Water doesn't bother you one bit!

Colt, I love you so much. I fall in love with you more every day and am so blessed that God has given me you as a son. I continue to pray for you every day. I pray that you continue to grow into a healthy little boy. You are so special to me. People continually tell me what a happy baby you are and how wonderful you are...you certainly are.

I love you my son.

Love,

Mommy

Happy Anniversary Nic

You see, there is this guy that I kinda like. It was 10 years ago that I laid eyes on a very handsome boy...back then I used the word hot because, you know, I was young. I didn't know anything about him, except that he was a year older than me and his name was Nic...I didn't even know his last name. I remember getting in the car after school that day and telling my mom that I found the guy I was going to marry. She laughed. For some reason, I don't think she believed me.

We became fast friends after a little flirting on my part...hehe. However, that was all that we were...for a whole stinkin year until he came to his senses and realized he had the same feelings for me. We started dating my sophomore year of high school and continued to date the next 5 years before he asked me to be his wife. We got married that next year....exactly 4 years ago from today.

I am one lucky girl...I got to marry my best friend and I get to spend the rest of my life with him. I am madly in love with him and couldn't imagine my life without him...On the day I married him, I never thought I could love him any more than right then. Little did I know that every single day that I have with him, I fall more and more in love with him. He is my best friend, he is my other half. In the past four years we have had many ups and downs...we had to experience the loss of our first baby, but then the birth of 2 perfect babies. We rejoice with each other but we also cry together. The most amazing thing about these past 4 years is that he still loves me...can you believe that? He still loves me no matter if I am a complete wreck after a day of temper tantrums, tears, screaming (from kids, not me...ha), he loves me in the good times, and in the bad times...He even loves me when he gets home from work and there is no dinner on the table and the house is a complete disaster! He is pretty much amazing. I don't think there is anyone else out there that would ever be able to put up with me like he does. I would write more...but 2 of those results of falling in love are needing my attention...one is running around naked and the other is trying to eat my shirt because he is hungry!

Happy 4-year Anniversary Nicholas! I love you!

A Weekend Away

Nic and I just returned from a wonderful weekend away. For months now we have been planning just a simple weekend away for our anniversary. Obviously we wouldn't be able to go on our actual anniversary, so we just planned a weekend that Nic could get off, which happened to be this weekend. Because I knew we were going to be gone overnight 2 nights in a row, I began to prepare myself early...mostly because I have not been away from Bubby for over 3 hours at a time...and not to mention his unwillingness to take a bottle from anyone but me until about a week ago. As you can imagine, the anxiety inside me was starting to rise. I knew Nic and I needed this time to reconnect as a couple and get some much needed sleep that we haven't been able to get in over 8 months...but I was scared to death to leave my baby boy. Hayden has been spending the night with my mom and dad since she was 4 months old, so I knew she would be just fine. It isn't because I don't trust my mom and dad...because I totally do and I had complete trust in them...after all they have had 4 kids. I think part of me just didn't want them to get frustrated with my kids and not want to spend time with them. I am always afraid my kids would be a bother to people. Anyways...back to the weekend. Nic and I left after he got off work on Friday and headed for Kalamazoo. We were originally going to go to Chicago...then we were going to go to Frankenmuth....then on Thursday we decided to just go to Kalamazoo. Nic's rookie is from there and told us a whole bunch of different things we could do...which I was TOTALLY fine with...as long as there was a mall...ha.

The first thing we did when we arrived at the hotel was...TAKE A NAP! It was wonderful, my friends...simply wonderful. A couple times I would wake up thinking I heard a crying baby, but then smiled to myself as a realized it was just in my head. After the wonderful nap, we headed out to a restaurant at the Radison. It was kind of weird to just sit there and not have to rush through the meal due to a rowdy 2-year-old and a needy 8-month-old. So we just sat...and talked. We talked and talked. It was like we were catching up on the last 8 months of our busy life. Because of Nic's work, overtime, and basketball duties, we haven't seen a ton of each other.

After a marvelous dinner, we walked down to a piano bar to just listen to the live music and talk some more...and listen to Nic sing along to the songs...hehe.

Then...get this...we SLEPT THROUGH THE WHOLE NIGHT. I could tell that my body wasn't used to that when I woke up and my whole body was stiff as a board because it hasn't been that still that long since Colt was born. I also woke up thinking I was going to completely explode...any nursing mommas know what I am talking about! Even though I didn't have to nurse Colt this weekend, I still had to take time and pump...pump a lot. But I didn't care. After finally getting ourselves out of bed around 10:30, we showered and headed our for a day of SHOPPING! We went to a mall and seriously went into almost every store they had. Although, we didn't buy much, it was so fun to walk hand-in-hand with my husband and look at everything. We pointed out things we would want to get in the future for our house, saw things we would love to eventually get our kids, and even tried on WAY TOO expensive clothes for the fun of it. We did, however, find some really good deals for Christmas outfits for the kids and a good smelling candle...hehe. After hours of the mall, we headed to Toys R Us and found some AWESOME deals on toys for the kids for Christmas. I am sooooo excited for them to open them on Christmas morning! We then set out for an early dinner at Olive Garden...yum yum...and then a movie. That's what I call one perfect day with the man I love. Since the movie ended early, Nic made a last minute call to a friend and met up with him. It was so nice to catch up with him and hear how life was going for him.

We then got another great night of sleep and headed home to our babies. My parents kept telling us how perfect the kids were...which calmed my heart in so many ways. They said that Colt was such a great eater...took the bottle just fine and ate his fruits and cereal like a champ...way to go Bubby! Hayden was an angel as well. They said that Colt didn't fuss one time...except at night...oops. Now that I know he did fine while I was away, maybe my parents can watch him more often...right mom and dad?!?!!?!? Just kidding.

Mom and dad, if you read this, just know how much it meant to me that you were willing to watch the babies while Nic and I got to get away for a little bit. I know how much my children love their grandma and grandpa and I know they were in GREAT hands. I know that they were taken care of and had a BLAST...and were completely spoiled! You too, Kris...thanks for staying up with Colt from 2-4 in the morning! You will never know how much I appreciate what you did for us!

Even though it was hard to leave my babies for a whole weekend, I know that Nic and I needed this. We needed to be together...just him and I. He is my best friend and I love the fact that we can still have so much fun together even after 4 years of marriage and 2 kids!

Early Christmas present

After months of trying to find the “perfect” dog for Hayden to grow up with, we have finally found one. I know, I know, yes, we are just downright crazy…but we love our new addition. After Sam not working out due to not being able to handle the stinkin’ dog, we figured we would just wait for a couple years. However, Hayden’s love for dogs grew and grew and we just knew she would love a dog around the house. The problem we kept running into was what kind of dog?? The dog would have to be a special dog because he/she would be dealing with kids pulling, jumping, tormenting the poor thing. We also knew we wanted a big dog, but we knew that could be kind of dangerous with small kids (like Sam). So…we went from Lab to Golden Retriever to Goldendoodle to Cocker Spaniel to everything in between. We researched, we looked…then one day we went to the mall to just look at the puppies. We came to a window with 2 beautiful HUGE puppies. I knew right away that would never be an option because I knew nothing about the breed and we didn’t want to get a puppy from a mall (there was no way we could afford that)…however, Nic fell in love with those puppies and wanted to research them a little. When we got home we immediately started reading about the breed and found that my previous thoughts were way off. This was the perfect breed for our family and fit just what we wanted in a dog. Laid back, lazy, perfect family dog, great with kids, gentle, great guard dog, big, not high maintenance, and the list goes on. We loved everything about these dogs and immediately started searching for our new dog. We wanted the dog for Hayden’s birthday. We searched and searched. Finally one day Nic came across a breeder in Goshen who he went and talked to and we immediately knew this was our guy. However, the dogs were only 1 ½ weeks at the time and wouldn’t be ready by the time we needed her for Hayden’s birthday. But we also knew we trusted this guy and knew his dog would be perfect for us. So…about every 2-3 weeks we went back and would watch the puppies. It was a long 10 weeks, but he called Nic yesterday and said we could pick our puppy up anytime. We were shocked and just started loading the kids up. We were very excited. When we got to the house, we were greeted with 2 HUGE Bull Mastiffs and the momma English Mastiff. Hayden’s eyes lit up and she wanted down to play with the dogs that towered over her. These dogs were so gentle with her and just so mellow. They brought out our puppy and we watched Hayden interact with her. The breeders told us everything we needed to know about how to feed our new puppy and her schedule. Although she is only 10 weeks old, she is already 25 pounds. Her dad is 240 pounds and her mom is 190 pounds. They told us she would be a little smaller than her mom.

We loaded up our new member and headed for home. I am telling you, I have never fallen in love with a dog faster than I have for miss Iris. She loves Hayden and Colton and just walks around and lets Hayden torment her and love on her. Hayden spent the rest of the evening playing with her new best friend. I am telling you, this dog puts up with everything. I think the thing I like best about her is she isn’t in the kids’ faces and doesn’t jump or bark. She just kind of walks around and lays down. Her favorite spot so far is under the little table by the couch.

Today Hayden woke up and went straight to her friend. She has been just wonderful and I am so thankful. Nic was able to get up at night with her only a few times and she went right out and did her job and came in. Good puppy!

Merry Christmas, Hayden!

She would stay like this all day!

Iris, the English Mastiff

Poor Iris...Poor Bubby

Hayden, on the other hand has been quite the challenge today. I thought the girls were playing in her room with the books and so I thought I would quick take the dog out and change Bubby. I heard them giggling, and all the sudden Hayden came running to me with 4 shirts on…but the arm holes were up her legs. They had taken down EVERY hanger in her closet and were trying on all the clothes. Ever since then Hayden keeps wanting to change over and over…she does make me smile though.

Colton, on the other hand is now pulling himself up by grabbing my arm. He is also somehow scooching/crawling to where he wants to go. Every time I have food in my hands he thinks it should go into his mouth and he looks like a little bird!

Basketball season is in full season as Nic has been watching films, reading speeches, scouting, and everything else that goes into coaching. I forgot how time consuming this was, but I know he has such a strong desire for his boys. Tomorrow is his first home game and I know he is so anxious/excited. Can’t wait to watch him coach with his cool sweater vest!

Things are changing so fast in our household and I am not sure I am ready for all of it! I am just trying to take one day at a time, praying that God will give me the strength and energy I need…which he has. He is such a faithful God. I am telling you, I am one blessed momma and couldn’t be more thankful for my little family.

You know you are tired when

You know you are tired when:

-you watch your daughter strip down to bare skin and then run around the house and don't care one bit because you can't stir up enough energy to even put a diaper on her.

-you sit down to fold clean laundry for about 15 minutes, go to the bathroom, come back and throw all the clothes in the hamper and then put them all in the washer...dumb, dumb, dumb.

-you listen to your daughter screaming in her crib and just stare at the ceiling thinking that maybe, just maybe, she might fall asleep again...even though she just slept 2 hours.

-you can't remember the last time you ate...or the last time you even fed your children.

-you sit down and stare at the television for about 10 minutes before realizing it isn't even on.

-you drive home only to pass your neighborhood....twice.

-you stare at the dishes in the sink trying with all your might to somehow use magic powers for them to wash themselves.

-you wake up in the middle of the night with your shirt around your neck and your tatas hanging out after forgetting to cover back up after the midnight feeding.

-you run into the stupid wall...twice.

-you sit down to write this post and it takes you about twice as long because you can't get your stinkin' fingers to work correctly and you have to press the delete button every other letter.

-you wake up during the night with a HUGE pile of drool under you.

-you forget that both your kids are sleeping and that you are wasting your time on this computer muttering and whining when you could be SLEEPING!

Although Colton is doing a little better at night, he is still waking up at least three times. I know this is only for a short time so I am doing the best I can just to make the best of it...but man am I a tired momma. Ha...and I only have 2 kids. But I think I get to count Hayden as at least 2 kids...you gotta love that girl. I write this so someday I will look back and realize that this whole being tired thing was just a moment in life...maybe!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Here we are on December 1st, beautiful snow falling and covering up the gross browness left from fall, christmas tree lights on, our little electric fireplace glowing in the corner, scents of pine tree lingering throughout our house (from our candle, not our fake tree), christmas decorations scattered through the house, christmas cookies and candy everywhere, christmas movies on 24/7 thanks to the Hallmark channel, little kids snuggled in their PJ's till at least noon because there is NO way I am leaving this house while I am so warm, hearing, "ohhh mom" while pointing to the snow and seeing it for the first time...yes...yes...this IS the MOST wonderful time of the year. It is a time for celebrations and traditions, with the biggest celebration being the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. I am excited to be able to start new traditions with my family of 4, while keeping some of our old traditions as a couple. I think the thing I am excited for the most this Christmas season is I get the chance to share the story of the birth of Jesus to my baby girl. Yes, we talk about Jesus all the time and sing our songs, but what better time of year than now to really share with her about Jesus and his birth?! Yes, I know she is only 2 and might not understand at all what we are sharing with her...but I want my children to grow up always hearing about Jesus.

On a totally different note, my siblings have all left me...again. It is always a bittersweet time when my entire family gets together because I wait and wait for the day that everyone comes home and then the time flies while they are here and then they have to leave before I can even blink an eye. But...that's life. Monday night Nic and I were able to decorate the house while Christmas music blared in the background. Hayden was quite the helper. I remember last year we couldn't put ornaments on the lower half of our tree because of our little toddler who kept taking them off. This year she helped put them on the tree and hasn't even attempted taking one off...it is amazing the difference in a year. I can tell that this year is going to be SOOO much fun with Hayden because she gets so excited and she is starting to understand different things.

Last night was Nic's first game. He is the JV coach for Elkhart Christian and is loving it. They played Clinton Christian and beat them by a whopping 40 points (or around there!). I love watching Nic coach because he has such an amazing passion for the game. I know I will never fully understand, but I will always support Nic in what he loves (somehow I didn't get the athlete gene so I don't understand most sports). On the business note...we are absolutely loving working together and helping others learn how they can keep their house safe and how they can stay healthy. I never imagined Nic and I having the same passion for something like this and I am so thankful for this business. Yes, it takes a lot of work, but the rewards are amazing! The business is growing before our eyes and we can't help but thank God for placing this opportunity in our lives.

That's all for now...I am going to get back to the Christmas movies...which I can honestly say the girls are enjoying as well!

So much to be thankful for

So I have been trying to “wait” before I posted because I have been trying to soak up every minute of this Thanksgiving week with my family. I mean down to the second. I wanted to be able to remember every little moment of this week. It has been a very special week to me. Those of you who know me know that I am a VERY family oriented person. My brother and sisters are my best friends. Now that I have both of my sisters of at school and my brother and his family all in Arizona, you can see why I cherish moments like these. Although we haven’t done a whole lot besides sit around the house and just BE together, I have been in heaven. Some people don’t understand my excitedness (yes, I made up that word), but Adam and Jamie live in Arizona so we see them only a couple times a year, and Kris and Sarah are gone to school, so that just leaves me. Lucky mom and dad that they still have me!

Adam, Jamie, and Rori came in on Sunday afternoon, so as soon as our Open House was done we bolted towards my parents. We spent the evening trying to catch up on as much as we could while we stuffed ourselves with Olive Garden that my parents ordered and brought home.

Sarah came home on Monday and Kristen came home on Tuesday. Wednesday we were ALL together and my heart was happy. We just hung out and tried, yes, TRIED to watch Toy Story 3 and The Family Stone…but with 2 babies and a toddler, not much watching was happening. Wednesday night we had a smart idea that the kids and I would spend the night at my parents…probably the worst idea ever. I ended up with both kids in the same bed with me and was climbed all over all night long. No sleep for Tori. Thursday we got up and I took the kids and met Nic over at Nana’s house for the morning. Nic had to work until 2 so I went back to my parents for our huge meal and he met me there when he was done working. I tried taking everything in around me, the smells, the conversations, the company. We had over 20 people for dinner and I just wanted to sit and talk to everyone. Both sets of grandparents were there, my uncle, aunt, cousin and her family, my whole family, the Hams, and the Mastersons, which was AWESOME to see. It has been a couple of years since we have celebrated Thanksgiving with them, so it was great to have them there. Throughout the day, there were many visitors, which made the day exciting and I didn’t want it to end. The Clems came over in the evening since we won’t be able to celebrate Christmas Eve this year…thanks to someone having TWINS! The Spiveys also graced us with their presence! All-in all…FABULOUS day!

Throughout my meal, I started thinking about what I was thankful for. My brain kept rolling and rolling as I started making a list in my head of everything I had to be thankful for. Here are a few things that I am Thankful for this year:

I am thankful for:

*2 beautiful, healthy, growing children.

*a husband that works so hard to provide for his family.

*my siblings and sibling-in-law who love me as me despite my imperfections (which are many).

*the chance for my family to be whole for a week.

*a mom and dad who love each other

*my friends who I couldn’t live without.

*the blessing of being a mother and a wife

*my Savior Jesus Christs.

*a roof over my head.

*my beautiful niece.

*God’s protection over our family.

*forgiveness.

*a healthy family.

*the chance to stay home to raise my children.

*the love my family has and gives.

Of course there are MANY more things I am thankful for, but like I said before, I really want to spend as much time with my family as possible so I am gonna jet!

Bye Bye Pacifier?

So lately I have been processing my thoughts on how and when to take the "paci" away. I have been asking around and kind of delaying it for the fact that I am just plain scared of the results. I tried cold turkey the other day at nap time and I have never heard a child scream that hard and loud...not such a great day to be making changes. Several people have now told me to clip the end of her paci off a little bit at a time and then she will no longer want it thus ending the pacifier era. Well, I took this advice this morning and clipped just a tiny bit. After she was done with breakfast, she went to her paci, put it in her mouth. It took everything in me not to laugh as I watched her face turn to confused and then just plain disgust. After a few seconds she took it out, looked at it, turned to me and said, "it broke, mommy. It broke." She then threw it across the room, walked over to Bubby, pulled out his paci, and placed it into her mouth. Oh dear. She is smarter than I gave her credit for. This might be a long process. She cracks me up.

The Teething Monster

Well, as you can tell, it has been awhile since my last report…well for me it’s been awhile. The only reason why I have the time right now to blog is because my loving husband is tackling the 2 kiddos (and that is NOT an easy job!) while watching Toy Story 3. You know, it’s funny…you would think I would have the all the time in the world to sit down and right about what’s been going in the Minder household because I am at home with my kids all day long. HA…that is SO not the case. No, I do not go to work all day…but I DO work all day. If you are a mom, you know what I mean. Colt has me working overtime these past few weeks as his 2 bottom teeth have finally decided to merge from beneath the surface. I find it comical in a way how completely OPPOSITE my children are in every way possible. Hayden slept, Colton doesn’t. Hayden didn’t mind her teeth coming in, Colton does…a lot. Hayden didn’t like to snuggle at all, Colton wants to snuggle all the time. Both children are so unique and I love that about them. Anyways, it has been quite difficult emotionally and physically with these changes but somehow God continues to give me the strength to get through each day. I think Tuesday was my lowest point yet where I just wanted to crawl up in a ball and just cry just to cry. But, like I have said before, this is just a time. It won’t be like this for long.

Another struggle we have been having since Colt was born was him taking a bottle. He has taken a few since he has been born but recently just won’t take one. We have tried every bottle we can find, every different shape and size of bottle nipples. Nothing. He just would NOT take a bottle. Last night mom and I went to Babies R Us. I thought maybe we were just wasting our time but we came across and Playtex bottle that had a tan nipple. It was a different shape than the rest. We thought we would give it a try. I got back to my parents and stuck it into his mouth. To my surprise he started sucking. I was almost in shock! Praise the Lord. I tried a couple times today after pumping and he ate a little…but still not a lot. But hey, I will take that. He will get used to it.

So, to recap the last week…sleep has been little, crying has been a lot, prayers have been lifted overtime, patience has been lost, tears have been plenty. This is only a time. God will get us through this time.

Randomness

So…life here has been crazy busy…I have come to finally realize that the house will never be “clean” with four kids occupying it most days, 2 of which are running around like crazy, getting into drawers, getting out every single toy and bringing it from the playroom to the family room because heaven forbid they play with the toys in the actual toy room, changing diaper after diaper after diaper, and the list goes on…but the truth is, I would have it no other way. So many times I start to get so frustrated with all the crying, screaming, throwing fits, no sleep, but then I think, this is only for a little while. I can do it…right?

Nic and I have also been meeting with a lot of different people that want to know more about what we are doing and what Shaklee is all about, which has been so awesome to see. I think the thing I love most about it is we get to do it together. It isn’t just something I do, it is something WE BOTH do. I have loved watching Nic get so excited about it. We know that it won’t always be this busy, so we don’t mind it at all.

This week Colton has mastered sitting up! It is so awesome to watch! It was just like all of a sudden he was sitting…by himself! He has also been rolling from one side of the room to the other, which makes me laugh. He is also grabbing for EVERYTHING IN SIGHT, which then goes into his mouth. I just can’t believe how much he is growing. Well…not physically. We had his 6-month appointment last week and he is 14 pounds…which is the 4^th percentile…he hasn’t gained ANYTHING from his appointment 2 months ago. He has started on food, so hopefully that will help. He still won’t take a bottle so I am wondering if that has anything to do with it. Probably not.

Hayden has been keeping the house in excitement. She is such a funny little person. Seriously, she is such a crack up. Sometimes I don’t think so at the time…ha. In the last week I have seen her start to talk even more…putting a couple of words together at a time. Sometimes I get worried about her not talking when I see others her age that are talking in full sentences and counting. I just think she is too busy. She doesn’t have time to talk! She just runs constantly room to room, clearing out drawers, packing them up again, climbing on everything, falling, getting back up to do it again, torturing her brother by sitting on him, you get the picture. Hayden and Kinsley did get to have a play date with Bella Cramer, which was fun for them. It was extra fun for me to get caught up with Jaymie. We grew up together and have always had a special friendship. Even though we haven’t gotten to see each other in like a year, it felt like no time had passed. It was also just a great time to sit and visit with an adult!

This is a very random post, but this is our life….and I love it. Oh, and in a couple of short weeks my WHOLE family will be together. That’s right…Adam, Jamie, Rori, Kris, Sarah, Mom, Dad, Grandmas and Grandpas, Toni, CoCo, Mark, Nancy, Tom, Nic, Hayden, Colt, and me in the SAME place!!!!!!! I have to charge my camera! Hehe! Life is good! God is GREAT!

Here is Colton sitting up:

And I forgot to post some pics of Hayden's Halloween costume, so here you go! We did not go Trick-or-Treating, but we still dressed her up!

Hide and Seek

Me searching around the house for Hayden:

"Hayden??? Where are you???"

I check her room...nope.

I check the playroom...nada.

I check the bathroom...nothing.

I check Bubby's room...hmmm.

I see our door shut.

I open our door.

I start hearing giggling.

I see our bathroom door shut.

I open the door.

I see Hayden with chapstick in her hand smearing it all over her face. I see deodorant all over her shirt. I see her huge smile plastered on her face. Then I see...a WHOLE ROLL OF TOILET PAPER laying in the toilet. Really? The whole thing? How do you get that out? Hayden is so pleased with herself she starts jumping up and down. awesome. All of this while nursing Bubby.

I need a morning re-start

After a restless night with Colton, my alarm went off at 8:00 this morning right when he was starting to get hungry and right as I was starting to fall asleep again. So, I thought I would feed him as I drifted off to sleep for 15 more minutes of sleep. As I waited for the alarm go off for the second time, it started to feel like these 15 minutes were taking forever...and then it hit me, I had drifted off into that state of sleep where I had a fuzzy dream about my best friends, Tara and Steve were being very mean and decided not to be my friend anymore. I immediately woke up, almost in tears wondering if that dream was really true (don't worry, I called Steve and texted Tara and it wasn't real) and glanced at my phone...8:45...Sweet Jesus, I had Colt's appointment in 15 minutes in downtown Elkhart. I am telling you, I have NEVER gotten ready so fast, and what I mean about ready, I mean I: rushed in Hayden's room, scaring her to death, throwing a shirt and pants on her and then had to take the pants back off to put on a dry diaper (oops), shoved shoes on her feet, then had to take them off and put them on the RIGHT feet, ran and changed Bubby as he was screaming his face off, put on tennis shoes without socks, ran Colt out the door and strapped him in his seat, ran inside to get Hayden, well...search for Hayden, found her playing in the canister of sugar (great), strapped her in her seat to find that her hair was a crazy rat's nest and her face was covered with dried drool, figured I should maybe put on a coat to hide my pajamas (that's right..didn't even put on real clothes), ran inside to grab the first coat I saw, ran out to the garage for the 15 millionth time, glanced at the fridge on my out, looked at the card with the appointment time on it, stopped dead in my tracks, realized it said 9:50....took a breath, WALKED to the garage, unstrapped Hayden, bring her inside with her eyes in wonderment, walked to the garage, unstrapped Colton, bring him inside...still crying...and took another breath, realized I wasn't late and that I am a retard...SOOO...I walk to the bathroom because now I know I have time to actually get to looking decent, so I look in the mirror...hellooooooo white trash...I couldn't believe I was actually going to go out in public looking the way I did, brushed my teeth, brushed my hair, put REAL clothes on with the proper under garments, brushed Hayden's hair, put socks on Colt after realizing he had nothing on his feet (my poor children), fed Hayden, wiped her face, change Colt, headed back out the door...this time feeling like an actual human being, got to the appointment right on time, carried both kids inside because heaven forbid Hayden use her legs, held Colt while he got his shots, watched Hayden's face in complete terror, watched Hayden hold her legs all the way out to the car (even though she isn't the one who got the shots), put the kids back in the car and headed home....now it is 10:30 and I can breathe again. Hmmm...maybe next time I will make sure I have the right time the night before.

Hello November

Helloooooo November! Is it me or are the months going by too fast?? I believe so. Well, this weekend was sure full of excitement!

Hayden had her 2 year appointment on Friday. I took the kids over to Mishawaka early so my mom and I could take Hayden to Toys R Us to pick out a toy with her birthday money from Aunt Maureen and Great-grandma Corten. Let me tell you, mom and I were laughing so hard watching Hayden parade around the store and stack up her own shopping cart with random toys that sparked her interest. We did, however, end up with a toy shopping cart and a baby doll….go figure. After naps, my mom offered to support me and go to the appointment with me. I can usually handle both of the kids on my own and am not afraid to tackle appointments on my own…but I was happy she offered to go! And let me tell ya, I am so THANKFUL that she did come…2 hours of waiting and only 5 minutes with the actual doctor kind of made for a crazy afternoon from a 2 year old and a 6 month old. They both did well, but it was still crazy. Hayden is now 26 pounds and 35 inches long. She is in the 52^% ile for weight and 92%ile for height. Nic is quite proud. The doctor said she looked perfect. I am excited to see Bubby’s growth this coming Friday…let’s hope and pray that it doesn’t take another 2 hours!

Friday night Nic had to work so I took the kiddies to my friends’, Jason and Whit’s, church for their little fall festival event. I forget what it was actually called! Anyways, Hayden had a blast. They had these huge blow up things for the kids to jump in and then different games. They also had face painting and of course Hayden just had to pick out the basketball…ha! I wish this church were a tad bit closer…I really like the people there! All-in-all…GREAT NIGHT.

Saturday Nic got off work early and went to the Notre Dame football game with his dad while I took the kids to the mall with Tara and Hannah. Tara and I always get in trouble when we go to the mall together…oops! Hayden ended up with some CUTE black boots though! We then ventured over to the Carlock’s where we spent most of the afternoon before dinner.

We continued the birthday celebrations for Hayden throughout the weekend as we celebrated with her Grandpa Jack at Bonefish. It was a nice time even though Colton blew out his pants and ended up in just his little jacket…even his shoes suffered. Hayden LOVED her presents and had to wear her new pink fleece yesterday. She cracks me up.

Sunday the kids and I got to spend the WHOLE day with Nic. We had a training meeting at the Flemmings…which was so great. Nic and I are so pumped to see that our dreams can actually be reality if we work for it. We are so thankful for all the support we have with our team and that our “work” is actually fun and filled with time with our friends. It was so fun to sit around and talk about how we will be going on free vacations with our friends and cruising around town in our free vans (hahaha!). This is our answer to prayer that we have been praying for for over a year. This is something we can do as a family, together. Yesterday was also a big accomplishment for Nic and I because we reached DIRECTOR!!!!!!!! We are so stoked and couldn’t sleep last night from all the excitement. We are so thankful for Kara and Kyle for sharing the Dream Plan with us and thankful for the Rahns for busting their you-know-whats until 11:30 last night.

After our meeting we took the kids over to Papi and Grammy’s. Although we kind of missed Trick or Treating, we still dressed Hayden up as a bumble bee. We were going to dress Colt up as a giraffe, but because of his fever, we thought that wasn’t the best idea.

Colton came down with a fever Saturday and was just not quite himself. Yesterday it spiked to 103.7…which scared me to death. We have been faithful in giving him Tylenol but he is just not himself. My dad tried giving him a cool bath in an attempt to cool him down. Tara even said that he didn’t seem to be his smiling self on Saturday. I just thought it was teething. He is still warm today but he is back to smiling and playing. The only good thing about all this is he is so cuddly. I absolutely love to cuddle with my babies.

Now that I read through all of this I have realized I am just all over the place, but oh well.

Happy November everyone!!!

Also, because Nic and I became DIRECTORS in FastTRACK, we were asked to write “Our Why” story. Kara always tells us that we have to have a why that makes us cry. This is our why:

New Shaklee Directors- October 2010

When Nic and I found out I was pregnant with my first child, we knew that there was no other option but for me to continue to work. I have always dreamed of being able to stay at home and raising my children and go to all the class parties and field trips. I dreamed of being able to be there for my children. Unfortunately we knew this wasn’t a choice that we had at this time in our lives. I continued to teach after my daughter was born and all through my second pregnancy. I cried most days, wishing to be at home with my daughter. It was the hardest thing to get her up in the mornings, get her ready, take her to school with me, and then release her to my mom for the rest of the day. Although I knew she was in the best of hands with my mom, I still wanted to be the one to be with her. I was so afraid I was going to miss all her firsts. The first time she rolled over, the first time she sat up, the first time she stood alone, the first time she walked. By the time I came home from any meetings, late afternoons of grading/planning, or conferences, I was totally exhausted and felt like I had no energy.

Not only did I have no energy for my daughter, but I had no energy for my husband. I felt like I couldn’t be a good mom, wife, or teacher. My heart was at home. We prayed and we prayed. We kept thinking there were doors opening for different opportunities, but they ended up shutting. There were many nights I stayed awake in tears knowing I had to work the next morning instead of being with my family. After my son was born we decided I would not return to teaching. I finally thought my prayers had been answered.

However, after a couple of months of worrying about finances and finding that our money was running out, my husband and I knew the only way to fix this was me going back to work. Again, I was in tears almost every day thinking about it. I sent in applications to different schools and daycares. I heard nothing and I still didn’t know what we were going to do. Many times I would call Kara Sears because I knew we were all in the same boat. Our passion is to be a mom and a wife.

While I was in Tennessee on a family trip, Kara called me and told me she knew a way that I could live out my passion. As soon as I returned home, I called Kara and met with her and her mom. It was then she presented the Dream Plan to me. I kept thinking, “this sounds way too good to be true. Is it?” I talked to Nic when I got home and we thought maybe this is our answer that we have been praying for. We continued to meet with Kara and Kyle and learn more about this business opportunity. This could give us the life that we want for our family, for our kids. Not only could be change the way we are living for the better, but we could share our passion with others and help them achieve their dreams as well.

Shaklee has provided a life for us that we could be healthier and wealthier. We have fallen in love with the products and see that they always work, always green, and always safe for our WHOLE family. This has become our passion, as a family. It is something that, together, we can share with others.