Yep, I'm Here

I know, I know. It has been about a week and a half since I've blogged. I have no problem admitting that I enjoyed a little break. I did write, but I don't know if I'll ever post what I wrote or not. This has been quite the last two weeks. Lots has happened. I don't feel like getting into it right now, but I did want to let everyone know that we're still here!

I spent the last week at my parents' house in the midst of a blizzard (literally snowed in for a couple of days) and came home to new flooring being installed! AND Munchkin has been sick. Again. Sigh. So needless to say I've been busy. My parents were great though and are always so helpful with Munchkin. I got a lot of "me" time, which was needed more than you know.

We head back up north on Friday for two more Christmases. Hopefully these celebrations won't get snowed out!

It has been a long day, so I'm off to sit and relax for awhile. Hopefully next week I'll get back into a routine and posts will become more regular again.

Until then...Happy New Year!

Now I "Know" My ABC's

Here is Munchkin last night singing his ABC's. It is currently one of his favorite songs to sing. The only way I could get him to do it on video was after he heard a train outside. I told him the train wanted to hear him sing. Then, as Hubby was taping, Munchkin was so cute I had a hard time not laughing at him so that made Munchkin laugh. We love our boy! What a blessing he is!

Mannheim Steamroller

Yesterday was a busy day. My mom came down to finish her Christmas shopping. I had a MOPS table leader Christmas party in the morning, so mom came and watched Munchkin for a couple of hours. They had lots of fun and it was nice for me to get out of the house by myself since I haven't been able to with Munchkin being sick.

After my mom left, Munchkin and I played. I got so distracted that I totally forgot to do laundry yesterday!! How could I have forgotten? Laundry day is always Thursday. So I'm doing it today and I just noticed I may not have enough laundry detergent to get all my loads done. I would just run out and get more, but Hubby has the car with the carseat today. Munchkin and I are stuck. I'll really be thrown off if I don't finish my laundry until Saturday. I am such a creature of habit it is ridiculous.

So what did I do yesterday instead of laundry? Well besides playing with the little guy I took a nap! A wonderful hour and a half nap. Ahhhh. I woke up 5 minutes before I was supposed to leave to go out to dinner with my sister, mom, and SIL*. My mom's birthday is in September, and she loves Mannheim Steamroller, so we bought her tickets to their Christmas concert which was last night. We met and ate at Zio's (yummy!) and then went to the concert. It was fabulous! I've always loved their music, but seeing them in person is a totally different experience. I think we need to make it a new tradition in our family to go see them every Christmas!

*sister-in-law

Last night really put me in the mood for Christmas. All I have left to do is wrap a few presents and then I'm officially ready. This morning for breakfast we had cinnamon toast and oranges. The house totally smelled like Christmas. There's just something about the smell of cinnamon and oranges that brings up feelings of the holiday.

Tomorrow we may take Munchkin to go see Santa. I haven't decided. He would probably love it...from a distance! :)

Making Munchkin Messes

Sometimes while I work in the kitchen, Munchkin watches Sesame Street videos on the laptop. But this day he got into my measuring cups and spoons drawer.

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I ended up wrapping presents last night and put them waaay back as far as they could go under the tree. Thankfully our tree is in the corner so he can't just walk around the tree to get to the presents. He will have to literally crawl under the tree to get to the them. We'll see if he does or not. This morning there was one that wasn't as far back as it should have been and as I was dryng my hair this morning he kept bringing me little pieces of wrapping paper. So sorry cousin Gabe, but you will have a little hole in your present! :)

Somebody...

...has got to teach this boy some table manners.

Notice the feet?

Gingerbread Boys

In my family it is a long standing family tradition to make gingerbread boy cookies for Christmas. It started with my Grandma Bradfield. When we grandkids were young, we would go to grandpa and grandma's house and help decorate the cookies. When we grew up and moved away, grandma always made sure to send us the cookies. This year with busy schedules and sickness, I wasn't able to get together with the ladies in my family to make them. So, that meant that I had to recruit Hubby and Munchkin to help me. I made approx. 160 cookies yesterday! Whew!

**Munchkin Update: We ran out of medicine for him two days earlier than we were supposed to, so I called the doctor today. They went ahead and rescheduled his recheck-up for today instead of Friday. If he was better, they weren't going to prescribe him more meds. If he wasn't better, they would give us more meds and see us again on Friday. So this morning we visited the doctor and Munchkin is good as new!!! Thanks for all the prayers.

And we have more news...he has a two year molar poking through his gums on the bottom left hand side of his mouth!**

Godsister's Wedding

Last weekend we were out of town at my godsister's wedding. Me, my brother and sister all got to be a part of her special day. It has only taken me a week to get these pictures posted - but better late than never!

The bride. My Godsister.

Me and my sister. We were the candlelighters.

The bridal party.




The ushers. My brother is on the far left.

Pretty. Pretty. They were married in the same church that Hubby and I were.

The bride and her family. My family has been friends with this one for as long as I can remember. We've been neighbors my whole life. When we kids were little we'd pile all into one car and go out to eat. We spent Christmas Eves together, and even went on vacation together. And the bride's mom even taught my sister, my brother and me in Kindergarten.

At the reception they had a craft table where kids could make snowflake ornaments. Munchkin was in love with the glue stick.

Munchkin and my sister, Auntie D.

Munchkin dancing with mamma.

Yes, that is Munchkin lying on the floor. Break dancing perhaps?! I didn't ask.

**Munchkin update: He continues to improve. No more getting sick to his stomach - thank goodness. Except for the occasional nasty cough, he is doing great!**

Christmas Decor

Per my sister's request, here are some pictures of our Christmas Decor.

Our tree. (Obviously. Ha!) I am debating whether or not to put the wrapped presents under the tree this year. They may be too much of a temptation for our little guy.

The mantle. I have my Willow Tree nativity up in the middle. On the left is a little nativity carved out of a coconut that Hubby and I bought on our honeymoon in Hawaii. On the right is a painted wooden nativity that we got as a wedding present. I really like it.

Our stairway. Did you notice the stockings weren't on the mantle?

Our mantle is curved so the stocking holders I bought don't sit on it very well. Since I figured Munchkin might be pulling on and touching the stockings this year, I decided to put them here so he won't have a heavy stocking holder falling on his head. The pine cones in the garland are from my parents' trees. Munchkin and mamma picked them together so I found a place to use them.

The end table. My Boyd's Bear nativity that Munchkin loves to play with.

The wreath that hangs on the inside of our front door. It was given to our family last December when my Granny K passed away.

Our front door. We didn't have any lights on the outside of the house this year, so it looks pretty simple.

The sled sitting by our door.

I bought this wreath at Kohl's a few years ago.I like it because I can keep it up all winter.

I don't decorate in our kitchen (although I'd like to) but I did put this cookie jar out this year.



***Update on Munchkin***

He is continues to do well. However, this morning he threw up. We're hoping it is just from his medicine.

Play dough

In order to keep Munchkin from overdoing it, we've been finding some nice quiet activities. Here we are playing with homemade playdough. Yes, he is wearing an apron. Yes, I already heard about it from my husband.

We used the Christmas cookie cutters to make fun shapes.

Munchkin decorated the gingerbread man and the snowman. If you look closely you can see that Munchkin gave the gingerbread man socks, shoes, mittes and a hat. He also gave the snowman an extra hat!

Look at this sweet face. Melts my heart.

It's gonna be a long one...

Today the cabin fever is really starting to kick in. After breakfast this morning Munchkin kept going from window to window saying, "See snow!" Then he went to the front door and knocked (he wanted the door open) and then went to the garage door and knocked. He is really wanting to go play in the snow. Here he is looking longingly outside. And then please note in the bottom right hand corner his breathing machine sitting on the table next to the couch. Yep, it is going to be a long one.

***He did sleep through the night again! And I may have to go outside and get a bowl of snow and bring it in for him. Poor guy.***

Update #2

Munchkin slept through the night again! Woohoo!
He has been such a trooper and I am feeling much better and more energized today.

Munchkin continues to have a bad cough and you can tell there is gunk in his lungs just by listening to him breathe. However he continues to be in a good mood. He hasn't run a fever but he does get pooped out earlier than usual. He is also getting used to not being as active as he wants to be - because when he does he has trouble breathing and has a coughing fit. So we've been finding quiet activities to do at home. Today we made homemade play dough. So fun!

And since I have more energy today I am actually putting more pictures on the computer so I can post them here. Be looking for more pictures coming up in the next few posts!

Update

Munchkin slept through the night without needing a breathing treatment and hasn't run a fever since Sunday night.

Please keep me in your prayers as I am feeling really run down. I don't feel like I'm sick, just really tired. Hopefully tonight will be another night without having to get up with the sick guy.

Gosh Darn

I didn't post this weekend because I was in my godsister's wedding. Yes, I have pictures, but don't have time to load them on to my computer and upload them onto my blog. Why? Because Munchkin went to the doctor today and we found out he has pneumonia!!! With a sick one I don't have lots of computer time.

Please keep Munchkin in your prayers. He has asthma so now that he has pneumonia I am watching him ever so closely. I have to stay on top of this or it could be bad news for the little guy. Last night I slept on the air mattress on the floor in his room. I will probably do that again tonight because if he has a coughing fit in the night I am to give him a breathing treatment. (Daddy is giving him a breathing treatment right now) Last night I slept in his room because we weren't sure what he had, but knew he had a terrible cough and was having some trouble breathing. By being in his room I could monitor his breathing better. Thankfully he hasn't had a fever since last night. But the doctor warned us it could come and go over the next few days.

Please also say a prayer for me and Hubby as Munchkin is contagious until about Wednesday morning as that is when he'll have been on medicine for 24 hours. You know how it goes, I don't have time to get sick!

I'll try and keep you updated on the little guy. Everyone stay safe in the big snowstorm that is headed our way. I'm especially thinking of my dad as he carries mail on those country roads in the bad conditions.

Christmas decorations are up!

Yesterday Munchkin and I put the Christmas decorations up. Christmas is going to be so much fun this year because our little guy is starting to really get into it.

When I opened up the first box and started pulling stuff out, you should have seen the look on his face. His little face just lit up and he squealed. He was so excited! He wanted to see everything and touch everything. He played and played. It was so much fun to watch.

Last night we decorated the tree. Munchkin loves it and calls it the "tistis tee." It was so much fun because he actually helped put ornaments on. That was probably the most fun I have ever had decorating a Christmas tree. Of course he only put the ornaments on the low branches, but then he started putting more than one on a branch so that it was too heavy and the ornament would fall off. Every time that happened he said, "Too big." and came looking for a different ornament to place. We've only had the tree up since last night, but the lower half of it has been redecorated several times already! I love how much fun he is having.

I have a small Boyd's Bear nativity that I set on a table within his reach. He has been having lots of fun playing with all the figurines. I've been having lots of fun using that play time to tell him about the real meaning of Christmas - who each of the figurines is and what role they play in the story. So much fun!

What a wonderful time of year!!! This Christmas will be so much fun!

New carpet

It is difficult to tell much of a difference in these pictures, but believe me, in real life, the new carpet looks totally different than the old. Part of it also might be because the "before" was taken at night and the "after" was taken during the day. We put it in our living room, our main stairs and the upstairs hallway.

Living room before

Living room after.

If you look in the bottom left hand corner of this picture, you can see the old carpet next to the new. We still have the old carpet in our dining room (which is what you see in the picture) for now, but soon we'll be replacing it with some new flooring!!! So excited!

Another living room shot - Before


After

Stairs Before

Stairs After

Hallway Before

Hallway After

Still here

I haven't touched a computer since Friday (until now) so I apologize for my lack in posts. We were out of town Thursday through Sunday. Munchkin spent an extra night at the grandparents' because yesterday we got new carpet. It was easier to not have him around and be in the way. So I'll be posting before and after pictures tomorrow. Hopefully more substantial posts will be coming later this week. Munchkin is now offically 22 months old!!! Yikes! So I need to update you on his latests.

Still being thankful...

Our Thanksgiving celebrating started yesterday. We drove up to Hubby's parents and at with my MIL's (mother-in-law's) family. Last night Hubby and I went on a date and left Munchkin home with the grandparents and aunt and uncle. It was so nice! It was a little weird going on a date as husband and wife going to the places we used to go when we were just dating.

Today Munchkin and Hubby stayed at his parents' while I went shopping with my mom. My sister met up with us for most of the day. No, we didn't wake up in the middle of the night to catch the mega sales, but still faced the crowds and got some more Christmas shopping done. It was almost Munchkin's bedtime by the time I got back tonight. He had quite the day too. There's nothing like playing in the good country air! He also made some sugar cookies with grandma. I'm not sure what all else he did, but let's just say when I got back he was literally running around in circles and "screaming." He is having the time of his life.

Tomorrow we have another family dinner and we'll be watching the Mizzou game. Tomorrow night we're having a get together at Hubby's parents' house. Friends and family are coming over for games, football, socializing, and my MIL's famous nachos!!! (As if we're not eating enough! Ha!) And Sunday we are getting together with some more family for some more eating before heading home.

I hope everyone is enjoying Thanksgiving as much as we are!

Thanksgiving Eve

Today I am thankful for my ordinary life. I get to stay at home every day with my Munchkin while Hubby goes off to do a job he loves. My days consist of cooking, playing, doing dishes, cleaning, laundry, reading books, changing diapers, dancing, wrestling, exploring outside, capturing bugs (for fun...oh how my life has changed), coloring, and building with blocks.

When people ask me "What's new?" my answer is usually "nothing." Don't get me wrong, Munchkin is learning, growing, and changing every day, but really, nothing in my life changes much. And for that, I'm thankful. Granted, sometimes I would like some change - a chance to get away from my every day routine. Even just a chance to get out of the house is as appealing as a Hawaiin vacation! But pretty much, my life is constant.

I feel like I should be knocking on wood or something. Now that I've written about how my life is the same every day I can just feel it- something is going to happen and cause upheaval. Well, even if it does this thing will remain the same: my God is who He says he is and always will be. And for that, I'm especially thankful.

Thankful Tuesday

Today I am thankful for my family: parents, siblings, grandparents, in-laws, Hubby and Munchkin. I am so blessed to be surrounded by family who loves me, loves Christ and loves each other.

My family, and Hubby's, actually enjoy spending time with each other! What a gift!!! Not every family is this way, which honestly is difficult for me to imagine. Not only do I love the family I grew up in, but I love the family I married into.

My prayer is that the family Hubby and I are starting will enjoy spending time with each other and will make it a priority. He and I both have such a rich family heritage that is so important for us to pass on.

I am really looking forward to being able to spend time with family over this holiday and continue to share Munchkin with them. I hope that he is learning how valuable they are.

Thanksgiving Week

With this being the week of Thanksgiving, the next few days I would like to write about those things that have currently been on my mind that I am thankful for. Today, I will start with that which is most important to me, my faith.

Lately our pastor has been preaching on the book of 1 Peter. The letter was written to a people, much like the Christians of today. Just as the Christians during the period of the letter, we too live in a world that does not accept us. We are seen as "wrong" and "evil" for what we believe. Daily we are in constant struggle to keep the rights that we have. Furthermore, we feel more and more like we are refugees, aliens, etc. We feel this way because simply, this is not our home.

Man, have I been feeling that way lately. Did anyone watch the American Music Awards last night? If that didn't make me feel homesick for Heaven, I don't know what would. Our culture today is shocking, and it is getting worse. I am so incredibly thankful for my faith and the knowledge of Christ and what asking Him to enter my life has done. Because of this faith I can watch things like the American Music Awards and be heartbroken over the things people without faith value. I know that happiness is not what is most important. I know that a life with Christ provides a peace and hope that is more valuable than momentary happiness. I know that joy isn't found in having a lot of money, everyone knowing your name, and wearing expensive clothes. Because of my faith my heart is filled with songs about grace and mercy, hope, peace, comfort, joy, holiness, etc. not things like having sex, being powerful, breaking up, or how wonderful I am.

So today, and basically every day, I am most thankful for my faith. What are you most thankful for?

Helping Daddy

Helping Daddy put a new water filter on the kitchen faucet. (Notice Munchkin is trying to climb onto the counter. Surprising? I think not.)

As Seen In...

...my kitchen.

Notice the two guys on the right. Apparently there were fatalities in the accident! Ha!

A Day At the Arboretum with Daddy

These pictures clearly weren't taken today because this morning we woke up to snow on the ground - just a light dusting. It quickly melted and rain returned.


The other day while I was out and about, Hubby took Munchkin to the Arboretum. Hubby is just the best daddy. He loves our little guy so much. He is such a help with him at home and loves spending time with him. And Munchkin is pretty attached to his daddy. He wants to be just like him.

On a walk.

"You comin' dad?"



Taking a break for a quick snack.

Playing in the sticks and leaves.

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You may have noticed my "Praying for Stellan" button is gone on the right. If you have followed his mom's blog, you will know that God performed a miracle and Stellan's heart is healed!

It finally happened

It is no secret that I have struggled with Munchkin's napping situation. A couple of weeks ago he finally did what my mom said he eventually would.



He was watching a video and I went to the kitchen for a couple of minutes. When I got back, this is what I saw...

He slept for over two hours!!!! Praise God!

Birthday Celebrations

Last night we celebrated my dad's 60th birthday at my sister's house.
After supper we had some play dough time!

Playing with Papa.

My sister, Munchkin, and Dad.

Next came the cake. This cake was so yummy! My sister had it made at a local bakery. It was white cake with strawberry mousse between the layers. Yummy!

Taking the frosting off and eating it while we sang to Dad.

Helping Papa open his presents.

"Look Papa! A laptop!"

Dad speechless because of his new toy! :)

This morning we met for brunch and then headed to my sister's house to spend more time together. It is quite rare getting us three kids together at once.

Me, My Sister, Dad and My Brother

Papa, Munchkin, Mamma

Dad and all his "kids."

Happy Birthday Dad! I hope you enjoyed your weekend. We certainly had fun celebrating with you. We love you!