Snow Much Fun!

We finally made it a point this weekend to get out in the snow and play! The temps were up (upper 20's-talk about a heat wave!) and no big snowfall was forcasted (however now they're predicting 4-8 inches-ugh). The boys loved it-especially Brody since it was pretty much his first time getting out to play in it. We had him out last winter, but he was so little and couldn't move around. This year is a different story. He loves running in the driveway across the snow and scooting down the snow pile that has accumulated from shoveling. You would be impressed by the size considering we have hand shoveled the driveway this entire winter.
It was like a whole other world outside. We heard lots of "wow!" and "whoa!" from Brody. He couldn't get enough. You would think he would be satisfied and sick of the snow after tripping into snow piles he believed didn't exist, getting stuck, not being able to help himself up due to the bulk of winter gear or getting white-washed. However, he wanted more.
After his cheeks turned pink, nose started to run and snow got under his mittens, we decided to bring him inside. He was not happy. He kicked and screamed the entire way and signed more with his hands. I couldn't help but laugh. It's hard being little sometimes.
We can't wait to get outside on the next warm day and hopefully spend a little more time and go sledding.

Brody enjoying a warm winter day!

Getting a ride from daddy on the shovel. He wasn't too sure about it.

Why do we live here??!!

Oh my gosh is it ever cold out there! The kind of cold where it is almost hard to breathe outside. Yesterday when I took Hunter to school, I put on the full winter armor on both of the boys-jackets, snowpants, boots, hat, mittens. Do you know how long that takes when you're doing it by yourself and your 18 month old has learned to bite off one mitten as you're putting on the other? As of right now, 10:30 AM it is -12 but feels like -32. BRRR! I don't even want to know how cold it was at the crack of dawn. This winter, with all the snow and now the frigid temperatures I have been frequently asking myself, why do we live here?
I mean, we used to live less than 10 blocks from the Gulf of Mexico! Warm temperatures this time of year. Nice tan. Go to the beach (one of my childhood dreams was to live near the ocean. Who knew that would become a reality). Go to the pool. We could even go for a walk this time of year outside. Can you tell I'm missing TX right about now?
But, then I remember how hard it was being so far away from all of our loved ones. Our support system. Our family and friends. The people who mean the most to us. And it is very clear to me as to why we live here. And really, if I were to become a resident of TX, I think I would miss the seasons. I can't imagine a winter without snow. I can't imagine looking at palm trees vs. the beautiful fall colors. There is so much that I would miss. This is home.
So, even with all the complaining I may do about the weather, I am really happy that we live where we do.

He likes my cooking!

Mom makes the best banana chocolate chip muffins!! Makes for a very fun mess to start off your day with.
Good to the last bite!

Brody loves to eat! I feel like he eats every waking moment of the day. Ok, so I know that is not possible, but still. He is a machine. But, at least he likes my cooking :).

Adventures with Ned

This weekend we had a very special visitor at our house. Ned, the bear from pre-school, came home with Hunter. Ned came with a luggage back packed with clothing, his birth certificate and a journal for us to keep track of all of our adventures. Hunter loved being able to finally bring Ned home.

As soon as we got home, Hunter took Ned out of his suitcase. He noticed he was wearing a Twins t-shirt. Hunter practically sprinted to his room to find his new Joe Mauer shirt. He put it on so they could match. How cute is that? Then, Hunter proceeded to give Ned a tour of our house, including his two favorite rooms, the toy room and his bedroom.

That night, Ned met Grandma Julie. She came over to spend time with the boys so I could have a night out! Hunter fell asleep with Ned on the couch, but as soon as I opened the door he popped up!

So, we got Hunter and Ned ready for bed. Jammies on, followed by a good-night snack, then we went and brushed our teeth. Ned even came with his own toothbrush. How fun!

After getting the pearly whites clean, we headed to Hunter's room for a good-night story and Bible story. Well, lucky for us, Hunter also brought home a book buddy from school. It was Franklin (pictured above). He came with two stories where he was the main star. So, we read a Franklin book. Pictured above are Franklin, Willy, Hunter, Lamby, Ned, and BumbleBumble. Talk about a full bed! But, they snuggled in tight and slept all night long.

The next day, Grandpa Al came over to play while I had a chiro appointment and did a little shopping. We didn't do much that day, just the usual-cleaning, playing, etc. We headed to bed early in hopes of going to the cities in the morning for a birthday party.

Unfortunately, I didn't want to risk going to the cities based on the road conditions. But, I quickly planned a fun day. Something to get us out of the house.

We met Grandma Connie, Grandpa Neal and Auntie Melissa at Pizza Ranch for lunch. Hunter was concerned that Ned would get cold outside and that we should find a jacket for him. That was not packed in his suitcase. Quick! Think fast! I went to Brody's closet and came across an old Halloween costume. Perfect! It was a little big, but it kept Ned warm (at this point I was beginning to feel like I had a third child). We enjoyed pizza and cheese sticks then headed out to Grandpa and Grandma's house.

Brody fell asleep on the way out to their house. When we got there I went inside to put him down. Then, we brought in our winter clothes and let them warm up for a few minutes. Then, we hit the hill to take Ned sledding. Talk about fun! But, it was very cold. Ned only lasted one run. He and Hunter went down, but Ned got white-washed so we figured he should go inside. Melissa, Hunter and I continued to sled until we couldn't take the cold anymore.

Check out Ned and Hunter at the bottom of the hill. I had to go and rescue them. Talk about deep snow! I felt like I was going to get stuck. We spent the rest of the afternoon at Grandma and Grandpa's and played Wii and Legos. We didn't do much after getting home, but Hunter made sure that Ned got ready for bed and slept close to him once again.

On Sunday, we got up to go to Sunday School and church. Check out my three boys in the backseat! Yes, Hunter made sure that we got Ned buckled. Safety first! Hunter and Ned had a great time at S.S. Hunter's teacher even told me that Ned sat still and when they were coloring asked the teacher if Ned could have a crayon to color with too.

After church, Grandma Connie and Grandpa Neal came over for lunch. Then they raked the snow off our roof. Ned stayed inside with me. We thought he might get too cold. While they were outside, Ned and I enjoyed a cat nap on the couch. :)

That night, Hunter wanted to make banana chocolate chip muffins for breakfast the next day. So, he and Ned helped me measure things out. They were both great helpers.

Happy to help! Hopefully this attitude stays around for a long time.

The next morning we enjoyed the muffins they made for breakfast. They were delicious. We didn't do much that day. Grandpa Al came over to play for awhile and we watched a Thomas movie. Pretty laid back.

Today, Ned had to go back to school and get ready for his next visit to someone else's home. Hunter was pretty sad about it and hugged Ned for quite awhile before packing him back in his suitcase. Hunter told me that at school today, his teacher read our journal entries and showed the pictures to his classmates. Hunter told me that he told his teacher that he didn't want Ned to leave and asked if he could bring him home again. She reminded Hunter that he needed to share Ned with everyone. He still wasn't thrilled with this response, but I think has come to accept it.

Now this gives you a glimpse into a busy weekend in our home. It was kind of fun having Ned around because it helped us keep track of our day to day activities. Something we don't usually take the time to do. Thanks for the fun and adventures Ned! You are more than welcome in our home anytime you want.

"Speak Now"

I am not afraid to admit it-I am a big Taylor Swift fan. I love her songs and her. She seems so real and really speaks from the heart. I feel as if she is a wonderful role model to the youth of today. It appears that she is grounded and is really focusing on what is important to her-her fans and her career.
For Christmas I received her new CD, "Speak Now". (Thanks, Heidi!). I love it! It is amazing. And, it is crazy to believe that she wrote all 14 songs on it. I listen to it anytime I get the chance.
The other night I was reading the prologue of the CD and loved the words Taylor wrote. They are too good not to share, so here we go:

"'Speak now or forever hold your peace' the words said by preachers at the end of wedding ceremonies all over the world, right before the vows. It's a last chance for protest, a moment that makes everyone's heart race, and a moment I've always been strangely fascinated by. So many fantasize about bursting into a church, saying what they'd kept inside for years like in the movies. In real life, it rarely happens.

Real life is a funny thing, you know. In real life, saying the right thing at the right moment is beyond crucial. So crucial, in fact, that most of us start to hesitate, for fear of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. But lately what I've begun to fear more than that is letting the moment pass without saying anything.

I think most of us fear reaching the end of our life, and looking back regretting the moments we didn't speak up. When we didn't say 'I love you.' When we should've said 'I'm sorry.' When we didn't stand up for ourselves or someone who needed help.

These songs are made up of words I didn't say when the moment was right in front of me. These songs are open letters. Each is written with a specific person in mind, telling them what I meant to tell them in person. To the beautiful boy whose heart I broke in December. To my first love who I never thought would be my first heartbreak. To my band. To a mean man I used to be afraid of. To someone who made my world very dark for a while. To a girl who stole something of mine. To someone I forgive for what he said in front of the whole world.

Words can break someone into a million pieces, but they can also put them back together. I hope you use yours for good, because the only words you'll regret more than the ones left unsaid are the ones you use to intentionally hurt someone.

What you say might be too much for some people. Maybe it will come out all wrong and you'll stutter and you'll walk away embarrassed, wincing as you play it all back in your head. But I think the words you stop yourself from saying are the ones that will haunt you the longest.

So say it to them. Or say it to yourself in the mirror. Say it in a letter you'll never send or in a book millions might read someday. I think you deserve to look back on your life without a chorus of resounding voices saying 'I could've, but it's too late now.'

There is a time for silence. There is a time waiting your turn. But if you know how you feel, and you so clearly know what you need to say, you'll know it.

I don't think you should wait. I think you should speak now.

Love, Taylor

PS: To all the boys who inspired this album, you should've known. :)"


Now, I don't know if I would have the guts to say all my feelings, but I hope that I do try to "speak now" and show and tell people how I really feel about them, how I feel about life. I completely agree with Taylor Swift in that now is our time to speak now and not let things go left unsaid. We all have things we wish we would have, could have said. And we all have things we wish we could take back. So, think before you speak, but don't be afraid of taking a chance!

Hunter, the hunter.

Before I even met Craig, I knew that I one day wanted a little boy named Hunter. Well, with Craig's passion for hunting and when suggesting the name, he loved it. It was probably one of the easiest decisions we have ever made together.

Little did we know that our son, Hunter, would have a deep love for hunting as well. I mean, we kind of guessed that he may, but we could have been wrong and he could have loved sports and balls more than it.

For Christmas, Hunter received a shot-gun from my sister. Don't worry, it's not real, just pretend. He was so excited and didn't want to open the rest of his presents. He had one thing in mind and it was to get the gun out of the package as fast as possible. We convinced him that he needed to open the rest of the presents and thank everyone for the gifts. After prying away his fingers from the gun and hiding it in a back bedroom he opened the remainder of his gifts. While we were packing up to leave he had the look of panic on his face because he couldn't find his gun. We brought it out and he told us he was going to hold it on the way home so it didn't get lost again.

He had a Christmas program that night at his school and really wanted to bring it with. We realized then that this gun was now his new best friend. We compromised and said he could bring it with in the truck, but during the program it had to stay in the truck. Deal.

That night all he wanted to sleep with was his gun. He convinced us that it would protect him if a bear came into his room and he needed to shoot it. Somedays he thinks he is so clever. So, we let him keep it by his bed, not in it. Before heading to bed that night, I peeked into his room for one last look. To my surprise he had the gun in his hand and even had a pretend shell in the other. He was ready for that bear!

I have a pretty good feeling that this little boy will grow up to be an avid Hunter. I know Craig can't wait for the day to take him out to a deer stand and teach him all he knows. Hunter is a boy who will live up to his name.

"Mom, take my picture with my new gun!" Let's just say he was a little excited.

Ready for a bear to come his way. Shell and all.

"Mom! Take a picture of me pretending to shoot my gun!"

MIA

No, I have not forgotten about my blog. Although, at times it feels like it. I feel as if life has been going 100mph and there is no slowing down. I promise, I will be back soon and update you on all of life's crazy events. But for now, I'm going to go and get ready to head out with some friends for the night!

Happy Birthday, Hazel Bear

Last night, as we counted down for the New Year, I could see the excitement in Hunter's face. (Yes, he made it all the way to midnight! And Brody woke up just in time for the new year too.) The way he yelled "10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1! Happy New Year!" It was exciting to see it. After giving Craig a New Year's kiss and hugging the boys tight, I instantly felt my heart drop into my stomach. It has sat there the remainder of the day. I knew what this day meant for some dear friends of ours.

A year ago today, Hazel Marie was brought into this world. A beautiful baby girl. I will never forget being woken up by a text message from her mom saying that Hazel had arrived with all of her stats. I was so excited and woke Craig up saying "Ryan and Angie had their baby!" I was so excited! Finally, friends of ours had a baby.

Two days later, after looking at Facebook, I found out something was wrong with her. They airlifted her to St. Mary's Mayo in Rochester. How could this be? She was healthy, right? But if she is, then why are they bringing her there? We later learned that Hazel had a Congenital Heart Defect (CHD-did you know 1 in 100 babies are born with heart defects?) known as HypoPlastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS).

I watched her journey unfold as her parents left journal entries daily on her Caring Bridge site. I remember checking the site multiple times a day seeing the latest news. Hunter would always come and check on me to see how baby Hazel was doing. We prayed for her so many times each day that God's will be done in her life, that God would be with her parents and family. I continue to pray for that family every single day. Hunter still asks about Baby Hazel and has so many questions as to why her. Questions I can't answer and it's hard to explain. But we know that she is safe, loved and in the best care anyone could possibly have.

God had big plans for this little girl. A girl I wish I could have met, but know I will one day in heaven. A girl that only lived 13 short days, but made an impact on so many people across the country. I can honestly say that because of her, I appreciate life so much more. I cherish every moment with my children because we don't know what God has in store for us. We assume we are going to live long healthy lives, we'll get old and pass on. But that is not always the case and it is so painful watching people who are so deserving of a baby get their dreams taken away in an instant.

In memory of Hazel Bear (the nickname her daddy gave her in the hospital), who would be one year old today, I wore my t-shirt from a walk with her footprints on it for an organization called It's My Heart in her memory. I know, nothing amazing, but I wanted to be reminded of a little girl who has changed the lives of so many in just a year. I have shed tears for her today and for her family. I even dreamed about her and her parents last night and woke up in tears. I know this isn't easy for them. Everytime the calendar flips to a new year they will be reminded of what they should have. It breaks my heart to watch them in pain. Their hearts ache. It is a reminder of how blessed so many of us are but forget to take the time to acknowledge it. We get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of life and forget to look around and see what is important to us.

So, Happy Birthday, Hazel Bear. I know you are celebrating with Jesus in heaven. Your mommy and daddy miss you so much and love you more than you'll ever know-along with many other people. Thank you for making a lasting imprint in my life. I will never forget you and will share your story every chance I get.