Thankful Thursday

I'm so thankful to be leaving for vacation today! I'm really excited to spend a long weekend at the lake with all of my dad's side of the family- there are 39 of us! Look forward to some fun pictures and stories. :)

I'm thankful for Kylee's continued enthusiasm about painting her nails. My neighbor overheard me talking to Kylee about needing to take off her chipped polish and she asked me, "Are you going to paint them red, white and blue for the holiday?" Why no, I wasn't planning on it and no, I did not have any blue or white polish on hand. Bummer because I love that festive idea! So Kylee and I decided to make do with red polish covered with a layer of glitter polish. I kept calling her Firecracker and she thought it was the funniest thing ever. They don't show up that well in the picture but it looks like she has mini fireworks on her fingers and toes!

I'm really thankful my grandma was feeling up to having visitors on Tuesday. She declares that watching the kids swim in her pool as well as being on the receiving end of their many hugs and kisses is the best medicine anyone could ask for. We might have to visit once a week!





I'm thankful for friends with good common sense. At the pool today my friend asked to borrow some sunscreen then she asked, "Do you need any?" I knew I had only brought SPF 50 and I usually use more like 20 or 25 so I quickly replied, "Nah, I'm fine I hardly ever burn." Well, joke's on me because I am now a lovely shade of red. Duh, Laura.


I'm thankful that I coincidentally ran into a family I used to babysit for at the park a few nights ago. I have seen them from time to time but hadn't had a chance to really catch up with the mom for far too long. Her middle child has some developmental/speech issues with a diagnosis similar to Kael's. It's so theraputic to share our experiences of navigating the special needs world and reconnecting with a friend is a guaranteed way to boost happiness.


I'm thankful my neighbors didn't call Child Protection Services on me last week. Let me tell you why.
1. Kylee fell out of the treehouse. Save the "I told you so's" because I know. I know that building a treehouse in your backyard carries the assumption that someone will eventually get hurt. If you know us, you know that "someone" probably means Kylee.

Truthfully, I have been a little overprotective and a lot strict about the treehouse. For example, when my babysitting kids or any neighbor kids are over, I have a rule that no one goes up the treehouse unless an adult is in the backyard with them. Well, I've relaxed a little bit as the summer goes on, so Kael and Kylee were playing in the backyard while I watched them from the kitchen as I started dinner. All of the sudden Kael comes in and says, "Mom, Kylee fell out of the treehouse."

I knew that Kylee would be too upset to answer, so I ask Kael (who conveniently for me, cannot tell a lie- one major benefit of his diagnosis), "What do you mean she fell from the treehouse? Like, where did she fall from? How did she fall?"

Kael didn't miss a beat, "She fell from the top."

Oh my. My heart raced and Kylee's cries got louder. She seemed to be making appropriate eye contact and had no scrapes or bruises. Was it possible that my Kylee had fallen from the treehouse and come away from that fall completely unscathed? I wasn't sold.


"What do you mean 'the top'?" I interrogated Kael. Was he talking about the actual "top" that's way up in the tree or the top of the ladder, or maybe he was talking about something else? He was done with my questions. "Uggh. Mom. I already told you- the top!"

After everyone calmed down I all but forced Kael to reenact the scene and from what I can gather, Kylee was going down the ladder, missed a step and fell the rest of the way down. So technically, her hands were at the "top" of the treehouse, but thankfully, her body was actually about halfway down before she fell.


2. Kael somehow crashed into Kylee while playing tag and totally bashed up his knee. Yes, you read that right. I'm talking about Kael Who Never Gets Hurt bumped into Kylee and HE was the one who came away injured. He has a pretty solid bruise on his knee and wasn't able to put much weight on it for a couple days. When he went to visit Grandpa Keith (who had knee surgery last week) Kael said, "I've got a bum knee like you, Grandpa."

3. I had been anxious to cross Backyard Camping off our Summer Bucket List so when it finally happened last Friday we went all out. Neighbors with lawn chairs, fire pit with s'mores, sparklers with Kylee....does one of those pairs seem like it shouldn't go together? You guessed it. After much warning about being careful with sparklers, sure enough, Kylee dropped her sparkler on the ground and before I could stop her, she reached down and picked it up. On the hot end. The blisters were immediate.

Before you pull my Mother of the Year nomination let me share some pictures of the fun we had in between injuries!

Kylee and s'mores- a much better match than Kylee and sparklers

The kids both caught fireflies- another item off the Bucket List!

Lastly, I'm really really really really really thankful for this last item on my list. On our way to the pool yesterday we decided to make a quick stop at Fountain Park. (As an aside, we call none of the parks in Ankeny by their actual name but rather call them whatever seems an appropriate name: Fountain Park has a fountain to play in, Yellow Park is obviously yellow, Froggy Park has a big frog at the top of the slide and so on....)

Ok, so there was a kid playing basketball who appeared to be a couple years older than Kael and I could tell Kael wanted to join. This kid let Kael join but Kael didn't seem to want to play against him, but rather take turns shooting. Another kid comes along and he and the first kid decide to start a pickup game of ball, leaving Kael to watch. They told Kael that he could play the winner. I wasn't sure if Kael would understand so I rushed over to explain to him that he'd have to wait but promised him that he would be included in the next game.


Well, the first kid lost interest so that left Kael and another kid to play. What I witnessed next was among one of the most selfless acts of kindness I've ever seen. Kael couldn't seem to follow the idea of playing 1-on-1 basketball. He kept asking this kid to pass it to him and every time this kid would explain to him, "No man, we're playing against each other so I'm going to try to shoot but if I miss, then you try to get it, ok?" Kael must have asked this kid to pass it to him ten times and this kid NEVER lost patience with Kael or shot him a weird look or anything.

I felt like this was too good to be true. Was I dreaming? Are there really kids this day in age who are just so honestly....nice? Every time I wanted to intervene and try to help Kael understand what was going on and every time this kid did it for me. I bit my tongue and kept watching.


After a few successful minutes of play, I could tell Kael was losing interest. It was like this other kid had a sixth sense because as soon as I realized it, this kid did too. "Hey bud, you wanna play PIG instead? I'll show ya." I saw this kid take a shot then pass the ball to Kael. Kael started to move but the kid guided Kael back to where he had stood. "You have to shoot from where I shot, OK? Then once I miss you'll get a chance to pick where to shoot from." This kid shot again, made it, then passed the ball to Kael. Again, Kael tried to move to a new spot. I saw the kid walk away and my heart started to sink a tiny bit. Had my dream finally ended? Had this kid given up on Kael? Then he walked back to the court carrying a small stick and he placed it on the ground right where he had shot from. "You stand here, on the stick, OK?" he said to Kael. "Then we'll just move it around the court so you can remember where to shoot from each time."


I wanted to cry. I wanted to follow this kid home and thank his parents for raising such an amazing, patient, caring, accepting kid. I wanted to ask for his phone number so he could come hang out with Kael in the future. I did none of those things but I left the park this with a sense of hope and was inspired to find that there are kids out there who Kael will connect with.


Have a safe and happy Fourth!

Change

We've got a little bit of news around here that I'm really excited to share.

After much debate and discussion, Kent has made the decision to accept a position as Transportation Manager at PurFoods.

Many of you might be thinking that this came completely out of left field as Kent has been happy with his job at Ruan. You're right- he wasn't looking for a new job at all. Here's how it went down.

Awhile back, Kent had the idea to register for the LoveTalk study at church. We were assigned groups that consisted of 4 couples. Kent recognized one of the guys in our group as someone he used to deliver to when Kent drove for FedEx. This guy told Kent that there was a position opening up at PurFoods that he thought Kent would be qualified for so Kent checked it out, applied and got the job! Coincidental that we were randomly put in a group with a guy who ultimately connected Kent to a job? I think not.

I am really happy for Kent as this big job change will include a bigger list of responsibilites that I know he is ready for. Way to go Kent!!! :)

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful that my favorite father-in-law is doing well after knee replacement surgery yesterday.

I'm thankful we have 53 days left on our summer chain. That sounds like a lot of days but I don't know where the first 27 went.

I'm thankful for moments like these:




I'm thankful for the 30 Day Husband Encouragement Challenge for Wives. I'm on Day 17 and am finding this to be a real blessing in our relationship. I admit that sometimes it is a challenge to keep my comments and thoughts positive. But I'm finding it is so worth it.

While I am thankful for a couple rainy, fort-making, movie-watching, popcorn-eating, board game-playing type days I am ready for some warm weather so I can be thankful for sunny pool-going days. :)

Where I've been

The blogging has taken a backseat to summer fun. Here's what we've been up to!

Making Jell-O jigglers. I hadn't done this in years and they are just as fun as you might remember.

At Child Serve doing some Occupational Therapy and Speech evaluations for Kael. I'm hoping to get him involved in some social groups there and anxious to continue developing the skills he has as well as learning some new ones.

Toe Tappers with Kylee. Watching ten 3 year olds learn how to tap has to be one of the most enjoyable ways to spend an evening. Mostly it's an excuse for moms to dress their little girls up in dance outfits and go on and on about how cute they are. While Kylee did look absolutely adorable, she was actually pretty interested in learning all the new moves and has taken to practicing in our laundry room. This morning when she woke up she came downstairs in her nightgown and tap shoes.

Organizing this dreadful sight. Do you have an area (or a couple?) in your house that seem to collect all your papers, junk, etc? I promised myself I'd have this tidied up before summer even started....

Tee ball games. I can't believe the season is over! Kael has been really into baseball lately. Several times he hit the ball "all the way to the grass" and I could tell he was disappointed in himself if he didn't get it past the infield. It has been so fun watching him develop his baseball skills.

Kent wasn't really excited that his given team name was the Cubs, but he overcame the tough name and pulled out a great season! Way to go, Coach!

Making strawberry shakes for dessert. My mom makes the best chocolate malts in the whole entire world and I am ashamed to admit that I rarely make them! So last night I attempted some strawberry shakes and they were delicious. Just ask Kylee.

Watching Kylee give herself mani/pedis with these. Why wouldn't you paint your nails 10 different sparkly colors? Yes, I am that brave and yes, she does a fanastic job of painting her own nails without getting polish everywhere.

Winefest! We gave out samples of Chocolate Indulgance and Lucious Lemon cupcakes. It was so fun to be a part of this event! Cupcakes and wine? You can count me in any day of the week.

Kael had has his K-A-E-L letters on his wall since he was born. I always had other stuff up for Kylee but the other day I was at Michael's and found these perfect curly letters that were just screaming her name. She wants to paint them pink.

Having a lemonade stand. Seriously, does it get better than that in the summer? We didn't really have a price- it was more of a free will donation, but when our first customer asked, "How much?" Kylee quickly responded, "Five dollars." The guy turned around and walked home for more money. Only Kylee could talk someone into spending $5 at a kids lemonade stand. Well, at least we did have fresh lemons. :) Evidently the sun was in the kids' eyes because I couldn't get them to keep them open for a picture!

Aunt Chris and Uncle Richie's pool. Well, sadly I wasn't there (I was at Winefest that night) but Kent and the kids had an awesome time. Kael's big smile says it all. I'm hoping to invite ourselves up to Collins this weekend so I can join in the pool fun!

Washing the van. That alone doesn't sound very fun, but anything in the summer that involves kids and water turns into fun. They scrubbed and scrubbed until they were happy with how shiny it was then promptly took to playing sponge tag and throwing wet, soapy sponges at each other. That was a fun day- one I'll always remember.

Riding bikes to Casey's for donuts. Kylee found a quarter when we were in KC and I promised her that at some point during the trip we would be at a restaurant that would have a gumball machine and she could spend her quarter on that. Our Mexican restaurant in town has a gumball machine, but the one in KC did not. Kylee was devastated. The morning we got back from KC she woke up with a plan. She walked out of her room and said, "Let's go to Casey's and I will spend my quarter on a donut there." What a great idea! I rationalized that if we got exercise by riding bikes there, I wouldn't have to feel guilty about feeding my kids donuts for breakfast. Extra sprinkles? Yes please. This is how my little fashionista chose to dress for the occasion. Princess socks and sparkle flip flops. Perfect.

The Zoo. Another really fun day. Our zoo isn't the biggest in the world, and in summers past we've spent at most a couple hours there. When we went a couple weeks ago we were there for the better part of 5 hours! There was a dinosaur exhibit that was really fun. I also let the kids ride a camel. Why not, right?

The Best Dad

I have The Best Dad. I have so many great memories from my childhood of my dad. I would declare his greatness to my friends, but I didn't have to. I suspect they already knew that my dad was the best.

My dad and I after Black Friday shopping last year. Well, I did most of the shopping but he was our driver and waited in line for us! If that doesn't qualify him for Best Dad, I don't know what does!

When Kent and I first got married, I held him to a pretty high standard. I expected him to do everything my dad had done and more.

I didn't have to do that.

When Kent gets home from work, the kids run and greet him at the door with an excited, "Daddy's home!!!!" followed by a barrage of hugs and kisses. He definitely has rock star status around here.

Kylee draws him pictures while he's at work and leaves them on his pillow so he finds a surprise from her when he goes to bed. Sometimes she accompanies it with a piece of gum or candy, her most prized possessions. And she shares it with him.

Every day, Kael wakes up and asks, "Does Dad have to go to work today?" If it's a Saturday or Sunday, his eyes light up, knowing there will soon be pancakes and sausage for breakfast followed by baseball in the backyard, then a trip to the pool.

I can see it in their eyes, they know they have The Best Dad. And they're so right.








Hope all you fathers out there had a wonderful Father's Day! You're the best!

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm thankful for nice weather. We've had a lot of rain around here and I am ready to spend some time at the pool!

I'm thankful that my grandma's recent surgery went well and she is on the mend. Hopefully she will get to go home from the hospital soon!

I'm thankful for long, lazy summer mornings and snuggly kids in their pj's.

I'm thankful for dinner out with the girls last night. Kent had fun at home playing croquet then watching hockey with the kids.

I'm thankful for my sisters. We had the best time together in Kansas City. Friends are wonderful, but there is nothing like sisters.

I'm thankful for the opportunity to help a friend out at Winefest this weekend! Check out the Creme Cupcake booth if you're at Winefest!

I'm thankful for Special Agent Oso. Kael loves to follow his "Three Special Steps" for doing anything. I'm pretty sure Oso is how Kael learned to throw a football.

I'm thankful for grilling season. I love, love, love to cook but having Kent get home from work and put something on the grill sure is easy. And delicious.

I'm thankful for well-behaved kids. This is something I often take for granted but for the most part, my kids get along really well and I can take them anywhere and know they will be good.

I can't belive it's Thursday already. Is your week flying by too?

Kansas City and Home Sweet Home

What a wonderful surprise to come home to such a sweet, thoughtful and heartfelt blog post by my husband. Isn't he the best?

I also came home to:

a clean house
an empty laundry basket (all clothes were clean, folded and put away!)
a kitchen full of groceries
and a husband literally waiting on the front step (at 10:15, in the rain) to see his family

I am such a lucky gal!

Our trip to Kansas City was awesome! Thanks to Tam and Rob for being such wonderful hosts and opening your home to our family. And thanks to Mandy (and Brooklyn, or "Brookie Baby" as Kael calls her) for riding along with us and helping me out with directions and navigating in the pouring rain!

There is so much to see and do in the KC area but mostly we were excited to just all get together and hang out. Tam and Rob have a wonderful pool (complete with waterfall) at their apartment complex and that's where we spent a lot of our time. We also went out for Mexican (a pretty serious tradition that we have every time us 3 sisters get together), had some delicious Orange Leaf frozen yogurt, played some tennis, saw some KC friends and family, visited Tammy's new school, played some baseball, and checked out The Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead. If you are planning a trip to KC, I suggest going to Deann Rose- there was a lot for the kids to do, plenty of shade and it was FREE! The highlights for us were the pedal tractors and the pony rides. I could write so much about all the fun we had but I'll just post a few pictures instead. :)

Table for one.....

Hello to all that read and appreciate my wife's blog. As a 1st time blog writer, I must say that this is something that I have been meaning to do for quite sometime. I cannot begin to tell you how much this means to me. To be able to hear and see my wife's words, ideas and plans put into writing is truly a blessing. She really is my guiding light and I love her with all my heart. Thank-you Laura for all you do for me and this family.

The title of my post is table for one and here is why.

Table for one is what my life would be like, without my wife. As I sit here alone in my house while they are gone, I start to see the importance of them in my life. If you know me, you know I am a very loyal family man. I try to live my life through them in every way. The highlight of my day is when I come home and the kids still yell "DADDY" and run to give me a hug. It truly recharges my battery. It doesn't get any better than that. And to my wife who spends countless hours teaching, mentoring, researching, writing, cooking, cleaning, etc, and somehow remains to keep a positive attitude with a smile. I just don't know how she does it. I wish I had the same drive and passion as her. Hope is not lost and someday I hope to have it as well. She is the glue that keeps this family together. She is my one and only...My beautiful Wife.


Here is a photo of us...I am glad my kids got their looks from my wife!

Thank-you for taking the time to read and be a part of our lives. I leave you with a song that hit home when I 1st heard it and still does. Thanks, Kent
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLr6G8Xy5uc&feature=player_detailpage

The Summer House

Is the mood around your house completely different in the summer than it is during all other seasons?

Our Summer House....

*is far less tidy than usual

*is filled with vases of little "flowers" (some might call them weeds) picked by little hands

*rarely has on the Wii, TV, or computer

*has time to make chocolate chip pancakes

*has a doorbell that rings frequently with neighborhood kids wanting to play

*has a mom who frequently stays in her pj's until noon

*always has 2 pitchers in the fridge: one for lemonade, one for iced tea

*smells a little bit like chlorine from frequent trips to the pool

*has watermelon smiles

*has lots of sticky spots on the front step from melted popsicles and/or spilled bubbles

*is often filled with friends and family

*has finally settled into a summer routine

*sometimes takes the morning coffee outside

What's different about your house in the summer?

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful for kids who are so incredibly well behaved at the doctor's office. We spent the better part of yesterday morning at a post-op ear check and hearing test for Kael and both of the kids were soooo good.

I'm thankful Kael's hearing is great and his new tubes are functioning properly. They're sky blue, in case you were wondering. Wish I could remember what color tubes he had put in the first time around. I think green.


I'm thankful (but exhausted) that my kids love to swim and are very capable swimmers. We were at the pool for over 4 hours yesterday afternoon and loved every second of it. I should have packed more snacks. For myself. I can't go that long with only a handful of chocolate animal crackers!

I'm thankful for chocolate animal crackers. (See above.)

I'm thankful that Kent and I were asked to be Brooklyn's baptism sponsors. What an honor to be involved with helping her grow in faith. God has a wonderful plan for this special little girl.

I'm thankful that it's still the beginning of June and we have crossed this many things off our Summer 2011 Bucket List: Adventureland (by the way, Kael rode The Dragon 5 times! He LOVED it!), took a trip to Tropical Sno, had a park playdate in Polk City with Mandy and Brooklyn, went to the beach, planned a trip to KC, went fishing, learned some new card games, started the library summer reading program, and had s'mores with the neighbors. By the end of this week we should have another little vacation booked and we are also heading to the zoo on Friday so that can be checked off our list soon. If weather permits, there's rumors of backyard camping this weekend too. :) We have fit in a lot of fun in a few short days!

I'm thankful there are still 67 days left of summer. We might just get through every item on our Bucket List!

I'm thankful for a husband who says, "I think you'd feel better if you went for a run," when what he really means is, "Laura chips don't count as lunch, especially if you followed them with a piece of chocolate cake." Busted.

I'm thankful for children who ask questions like, "Mom, how does it feel to be a mommy?". I told her there are hardly words special enough to describe how wonderful it feels to be a mommy. She smiled and replied wistfully, "Yeah, that's what I thought it would feel like."

Happiness Project

Our last LoveTalk group session is this week which means I have finished reading the book and doing all the exercises. I feel like both Kent and I got a lot of valuable information and tips from this group and are both anxious to apply some of our new knowledge to our relationship.

Perhaps the most important little pearl of wisdom I learned was this quote by George Sala, "It is difficult to say not only the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment."

Do you also find that nurturing a relationship can bring you happiness? I am the first one to admit being guilty of putting our kids first and taking Kent and my husband/wife relationship for granted. Yes, we do weekly Sunday Night Dates, we go out occasionally, but the day to day stuff and my attitude towards Kent as a husband is something in which I'd like to invest more of my time and effort. So, today I'm starting the 30 day Husband Encouragement Challenge for Wives. Check it out!

Right now

The kids just finished playing in the backyard with friends: water balloons, slip and slide, water guns and icees. Now they're having some downtime watching TV.

I'm going to sit down and enjoy this:

Does it get much better than a glass of ice tea and a good book in the summer? I think not.

By the way, have you read this book? I realize I've written so much about The Happiness Project that perhaps you think it's the only book I've read. :) I really love to read, espcecially books that I can learn something from (and more importantly apply it to my life): a new parenting technique, some new recipes, some new tips for working with Kael, things like that.

How To Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk is brilliant. So many fantastic no-brainer parenting tips. I kind of can't believe that I haven't read this book before (I think it was first published in 1980). If nothing else, it inspired me to mix things up a little in dealing with the kids.

What good book have you read lately?

Thankful Thursday

I'm really thankful for the new Lemon Tree Frozen Yogurt in town. We stopped there last night and enjoyed some frozen yogurt sitting outside on the picnic tables- it was such a beautiful night. Kael had Cupcake flavored frozen yogurt (it was the closest thing to orange, color-wise) with one mandarin orange and a scoopful of mini M & M's while Klyee opted for the Watermelon with two blackberries and mountains of sprinkles. As I sat there, I couldn't help thinking, "This is what summer's all about."

Evidently, it's also about trying to balance (orange!) spoons on your nose.

I'm thankful for these hilarious pictures. We call this photo session "Is Brooklyn bigger than a Bitty Baby?"

Well, no doubt Kylee is. She seriously looks like a giant! How can that be my little girl?

I am thankful for some B-E-A-utiful pictures of my Kylee Kay. If you're my FB friend you've already seen these but yes, I'm sharing them. Again. I love to get the kids' pictures taken but they tend to love the experience a little bit less than I do. I always go into any photo session thinking, "If I get at least one decent picture, I'll be happy" but this time I got lots of wonderful pictures of KK. Yeah, we call her that.

I'm thankful that Kent gets to go away for a long weekend fishing trip with the guys. If anyone deserves a break for all their hard work, it's Kent. It's always a different dynamic around the house when Kent is out of town. The kids and I will no doubt go out for Mexican (at least once, maybe twice) and stay up way past bedtime having slumber parties downstairs.

I'm thankful for memories with my sisters. Mandy e-mailed me yesterday reminding me of how much our "Summer Mix" CD that we burned 8 years ago still rocks. I think I've actually blogged about that CD before- it's not really that the songs on it are so wonderful (well, they are a little bit wonderful- I think the first track is Summer Girls by LFO, maybe you remember that one?!), it's just that every time I listen to it, memories of summers past come flooding back and that never fails to bring a smile to my face.

Happy Thursday everyone!