New Tree

We've had the same 4 foot tall Christmas tree for quite some years now and I thought it looked pretty dinky in our house. It was time for a bigger one! So last night I ran out and bought one and set it up (minus any decorations) to surprise the boys in the morning.

And...this is their reactions!

Xavier came down first with Daddy. The quality is horrible because there were no lights on besides the tree and it was still dark outside.



Next came Jordan. Matt is wearing a new hat if that explains anything...



A bit disappointing, eh?

My kids eat spinach for breakfast...

I discovered a month or so ago that if you put spinach in a smoothie that has blueberries in it, it is virtually undetectable. We make a smoothie most mornings and here is one basic recipe (and I use the word "recipe" quite loosely):

blueberries (all fruit is frozen)
strawberries
raspberries
spinach
green tea or juice or even Crystal Light lemonade
vanilla yogurt

Just don't try the spinach without the blueberries there to mask it!

Hmmmm...I wonder if we could use this trick to get Aunt Jamie to eat vegetables??? That might be the true test! ;)

On my mind...a random list of ten.

1. Due to the allergy situation in our household, I’ve given up peanut butter. I like peanut butter. This makes me sad. I need ideas for new quick lunches.

2. We’ve started reading packages much more closely and peanuts (or traces thereof) are in everything. I usually buy off brand or Aldi brand for almost everything. It seems from my package reading that the off brands are much more likely to have traces of peanuts in them. For example, Aldi brand dried cranberries are made on equipment that may also be used for peanuts, but Oceanspray is not. Target brand Teddy Grahams may contain peanuts, but name brand does not. This is not good news. We don’t have money to buy name brand of everything and I don’t have time to coupon clip to any large degree. Apparently, having allergies is expensive.

3. My mom bought me a copy of Dobson’s Bringing Up Boys when we were Black Friday shopping together. I read the first chapter today where he describes what boys are like. I suppose this was intended to make me feel better because my boys are “normal,” but instead I felt a bit depressed…you mean they are not going to grow out of this crazy behavior?? Perhaps I should read past halfway through Chapter 2 before getting too depressed though.

4. I’m thinking about joining a gym. And then I remembered that Jordan can’t bear to be separated from his mommy and I’m not sure what would happen. I don’t think I could get much of a workout in if they call me back after he’s been crying for 10 minutes. He’s a little spoiled with mommy staying at home and really only having been left with Daddy, Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Erica, Uncle Jon, Aunt Jamie, etc.

5. Speaking of leaving my kids with Grandma, Grandpa, and Erica…Matt and I went on a date on Friday night and saw the movie Today’s Special. It was good. It made us hungry. So then we ate Indian food at 9:30 at night. Yum.

6. I dug the Advent wreath out of the Christmas decorations tonight, put the new candles in, lit the first one, and THEN opened up the devotional. Which read December 1st. Darn. So I told Xavier that we would sing a song instead of reading a devotion. And what do you think he wanted to sing? Yes, Happy Birthday. To Jesus. It’s kind of appropriate though considering he celebrates everyone’s birthday for about a month leading up to it. So maybe we’ll sing Happy Birthday to Jesus every night before we blow out the candles. :)

7. Xavier was in his room for a timeout yesterday. When he got out of timeout, he asked Matt if he was ready to say he was sorry. When Matt asked him why he needed to say he was sorry, Xavier replied—for not coming to get me.

8. I’m probably going to run the Frostbite Series of races that the St. Louis Track Club puts on during December-February. I’m trying to decide between the long set of races (12K up to half marathon) and the short set of races (3K up to 4 miles). I need to decide quite soon because I either need to start running much longer or much faster in my workouts. Hmmmm...

9. Jordan refuses to eat meat for the most part. He’s had very small quantities of meat a couple of times in some soup (chicken) and one pizza (ham). But I seriously can’t remember him ever just eating a piece of meat before. Tonight he did for the first time. And it was….a hot dog. Great. So healthy and nutritious.

10. We watched the movie Babies this weekend with our kids around. Their reactions? Xavier said about forty times—“What are those babies doing?!” and Jordan wanted mama milk after watching…

Etsy

If you are looking for a unique gift to give this Christmas, I encourage you to check out www.etsy.com, where all of the gifts are handmade or vintage.

I started my own etsy shop about a year ago and my biggest seller has always been my collage Cardinals print. I made this originally as a Christmas present for my brother Jon, but listed it on Etsy when I realized that there was quite a bit of interest in it. I have a few different size options--8x10, 10x20, and 12x24.

You can link to my etsy shop on the right toolbar or by clicking here.

If you are looking for something else, also check out my cousin Jamie's etsy shop here and my sister-in-law Jamie's etsy shop here.

Black Friday

Are you a Black Friday shopper?

I never used to be, but I have been for the last 6? or so years. My theory is I want to try to get the bulk of my shopping done so that I can enjoy the rest of the Advent and Christmas season for the true reason.

I had so much fun with my mom today! This was the first time in a while that we didn't line up at Sports Authority, but didn't really feel like it in the cold. So no scratch off card there. We headed out at 5:30 to Target, then on to the Mills for Children's Place, Old Navy, Nike, Gymboree, Bed Bath and Beyond, Bath and Body Works, and then also to Shoe Carnival and Family Christian. No wonder I'm tired!! ;)

I think perhaps my best deal was at Children's Place where I got 4 pairs of jeans for the boys, 6 shirts, 2 sweaters, and 2 hats all for $53.

So I think I'm pretty much done shopping in stores besides a few little items and a trip to Borders. Of course, I have some work to do on the computer still...

Where did you find good deals today?

Who He Is

This is going to be super short because I'm worn out and I'm getting up in 5 hours!

Pastor's sermon today had an impact on me.

Basically, he reminded us that Christian thanksgiving is not just being thankful for what we have and what we've been given.

No, true thanksgiving is being thankful for WHO HE IS.

Because as thankful as we might be for our home, the food on the table, and even our family, in a blink of an eye, they could be gone.

BUT HE NEVER CHANGES.

His love for us is a Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love.

(from our favorite book, The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name. post coming soon about why you have to go buy this book for your children!)

So this Thanksgiving, I am thankful for who He is and for his awesome love for me!

Thankful

They may drive me batty some days. Okay, most days.

And my wood floors may be caked in playdough and crumbs.

They may pull the cat's ears and they may tackle one another all day long and they may get be calling my name at 5:00 am tomorrow.

BUT--

I am ever so thankful for these two boys.

Erica

Since I'm no longer teaching, I don't have in my mind always a big countdown until breaks. But today, I got to hang out with my little sister on her day off school AND I suddenly realized when Matt got home tonight from the last two marathon days of teaching and parent teacher conferences, that he is on break now too! Yay!

So today, I somehow convinced Erica and Jamie to go downtown with me and my two boys and photoshoot it up! Thanks SO much to Jamie for entertaining my boys and making them laugh for the camera.

My mom and I went through and chose favorites from our photoshoot and came up with 74! Oops...a few too many!

But here's a small look at some of the ones of Erica!



Note to Mom and Dad: Thanks for reaching my blog. I just wanted to remind you that just because I took photos of Erica does not mean you are getting out of a family picture this year. Nope! :) I love you!

New Challenge

Jordan's health has been a challenge for us for quite some time. Not really any major issues, but quite a few minor issues.

He had bloodwork done after his 15 month appointment and we found out that we are going to be facing a new challenge--allergies.

Apparently, our little guy has fairly strong (severe? high? not sure of the terminology YET) to peanuts and egg whites and also mild allergies to soy, milk, wheat, and sesame seeds.

I've been doing some reading at www.foodallergy.org, but don't really know that much about allergies yet. We are being referred to an allergist, but our appointment is not until December 6th. The peanut allergy is severe enough that we are being prescribed an Epi-pen immediately.

Most of the foods (with the exception of peanuts/nuts, eggs, and milk) he has been eating on a regular basis. So I'm not sure if I should be eliminating all of those immediately or waiting until we see the allergist?

Any advice? Recipes? Websites? Experiences?

Thanks in advance from this concerned mama!

Fall Leaves

Any guesses as to what this is?


Well....this was Xavier's card that he drew for my cousin's little girl Hannah Joy. She was born just a month ago and her mama was lamenting the lack of fall leaves in Texas for photos after seeing these photos.

SOOOOO...Xavier, Jordan, and I went on a little leaf hunting expedition around the neighborhood, found the prettiest ones we could, and mailed them off to San Antonio! (We did cheat and pick them directly off the tree in hopes that they would be a little fresher and last longer).

Hannah's mommy has already taken some cute photos of her...

and you can see more here!

And back to Xavier's card...he just wanted to make sure they knew what to do with the leaves!


AAAANNND...if you are looking for a fun project with leaves, here is something that we have done the past two years. Press leaves for a day or two. Then paint both sides with Mod Podge. After a couple of layers, they become flexible and are actually preserved. Xavier had a lot of fun painting on the Mod Podge with me. Then we hole punched through the leaves, strung them on twine, and made them into a garland for the mantle:


This is last year's picture, because I was too lazy to take another one this year, but it actually turned out even prettier this year.

I've also read that you can preserve leaves using glycerin and soaking them, but I'm not sure where to buy glycerin...maybe we will tackle that next year!

You're wearing that?

So, to all those parents out there, what do you do when your child wants to pick out their own outfits AND you are going out in public?!

The outfit above started out fine, but went wrong somewhere around the tie.

He wore this to the barbershop and an Indian restaurant with Daddy tonight.

Perhaps this outfit just reflects his personality...

Drawing a blank...

Since I posted twice yesterday, maybe I should skip today...

I'll at least give you a little video of Jordan to watch:

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

We wish we could have been there to celebrate it with you, but we'll see you in a few weeks!



And then Daddy went away and we tried again. :)

Grady Jonathan

Introducing the cutest little nephew around!

Grady Jonathan
6 lbs, 10 oz.
19 inches

Brubba!

This is going to be a lazy post tonight because I'm waiting for my first little nephew to be born and am not capable of thinking deep thoughts right now!

I took this video this afternoon. Jordan usually wakes up from his nap before Xavier, probably because he actually falls asleep quickly. When I bring him down, he's always looking for and calling for his "brubba."

Well, today, Brubba refused to nap long enough that I put him on the couch and turned on the TV and he was asleep in 10 minutes. So this is Jordan's reaction to seeing Xavier asleep on the couch...



And no, this exchange did not wake him up!

Help!

So...last year, I made an ABC book for Xavier for Christmas. A is for Aaron, B is for Brother, C is for Cardinals, etc. with the whole alphabet personalized with pictures. I printed it at home and then laminated and bound it at Kinko's. I probably could have found a cheaper way to laminate and bind it, but I wanted it to be indestructible for his tear-the-flaps-off-rip-the-pages-boy-is-it-fun-to-destroy-things two year old self. And it has held up really really well.


Now, I would love to come up with another idea for a homemade picture book this year. Taking a children's book's words and substituting our own pictures? A counting book (this doesn't sound as fun because I would have to intentionally take pictures instead of using the millions I already have). Maybe I should make a new ABC book for Jordan this year since he is really into reading his brother's?



Does anyone out there (HEY YOU--I KNOW FROM MY SITEMETER THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE READING THIS EVEN IF YOU DON'T COMMENT :) have any great ideas or links to ideas on the internet?

Thanks in advance!

What has Days come to?!?! :)

So back in the day, like way back in the day, I used to watch Days of Our Lives. A couple of times a week during the summer when I was in high school. The amazing thing about soap operas is that you can stop watching for months at a time and watch for a day or two and catch right back up.

(By the way, I haven't watched in years, so I really don't think they are that "amazing"!)

I happened to catch a link on the yahoo homepage tonight thought about ridiculously blatant product placement on Days of Our Lives and I just had to click and read...and watch.

Ironically, I think I started watching Days in high school with Christine and Amy primarily to make fun of it...this was back in the days of Marlena being possessed and such. And now, it appears that it would be even more fun to mock.



Did NOBODY stop and say--Wait, a minute! This is weird?!?! Makes you wonder...

And perhaps the best one, Midol...


There are more, but I'll let you google them on your own...

Can't get in the way of ART

Matt announced to me one night that he wanted to have his 8th grade art class make turkeys out of clay and then paint them a la the painted cows. (Google "Cow Parade" if you don't know what I'm talking about).

I laughed in disbelief. I asked him if he realized how much work it would be to make that much playdough.

He told me would make it himself.

I laughed again.

I talked to my mom on the phone and told her about his idea.

She laughed in disbelief. She asked me if he realized how much work it would be to make that much playdough.

Five days later...

My mom and I made six full size (i.e. 3 cups of flour) batches of playdough. Yes, that's EIGHTEEN cups of flour.

So here's the recipe we used in case you need a good playdough recipe!

3 cups flour
3/4 cup salt
3 cups water
3 T. oil
6 T. cream of tartar

(I'm writing that down so the next time I want to make playdough I don't have to google it!)

And by the way, if you need 24 individual portions for your 8th grade art class, just multiply everything by six...

Who's laughing now? :)


(I have photos of the mass quantities of playdough in my house BUT I took over a thousand pictures this past week and I just can't bring myself to upload them and resize them right now...sorry.)


(By the way, the 8th grade class is also making their own ice cream in science class by shaking bags of milk, cream, sugar and vanilla tomorrow. How's that for a sweet lab? It almost seems like too much fun in one day...maybe I'll go to 8th grade tomorrow.)

Remembering

Between All Saints Day a week ago and Veterans Day on Thursday, losing three of my grandparents this year has been on my mind and in my heart lately.

On Thursday, I ventured out to the Kamphoefner farm with the boys to work on a project. This video was not the intended project. I'll write more on that (and my failure to use common sense) later.

But this is what came of it. The song is from Sara Groves. I had just gotten her CD "Fireflies and Songs" in late spring when we knew that Grandma was not going to be with us much longer. I listened to this CD over and over again on our trips back and forth to the nursing home, so much so that some of the songs make me emotional. This is one of them...

(Photos are all taken on two days in the last few months--one during the early summer and the other recently in the tail end of fall.)



I've been mourning the loss of Grandpa Estrada and Grandma Alma and Grandpa Ruben and just yearning, wishing that they could somehow see my boys grow up, that somehow life could just intersect.

And then I realized. That intersection I'm yearning for is HEAVEN.

Ten on...Friday?

I've seen a lot of bloggers do "Ten on Tuesday" with a random listing of whatever comes to mind. Well, my edition is going to be on Friday instead.

1. Xavier's prayer in the car today: Dear God, Thank you God that Christmas is over...Thank you God for two pumpkins at the new house...Thank you God for three pumpkins at Mason's house (neighbor's little boy)...Thank you for a pumpkin on Mason's door...Thank you God for Mason's new little sister...Thank you for Hobo Duck Isaiah...Amen. (Yes, you read that correctly: Hobo Duck Isaiah.)

2. What is up with the people who have to sweep and blow and suck up every last leaf on their lawn? I mean, every single leaf! Are they trying to make their neighbors look bad? Does it really bother them that much if there are three leaves left on their grass? I say, RELAX.

3. I called my neighbor today and told her that I really would like to put her newborn in a pile of leaves and take her picture. And so we did. And I don't think she thought I was completely crazy.

4. Jordan has started calling me "Mammy" some of the time. I'm doing our best to change that to Mama or Mommy.

5. I think this is the last day in the 70's. And then this wonderful weather will be all gone. And winter will come. And I will be sad and depressed. I'm sad and depressed that I will soon be sad and depressed.

6. I read this devotion today and could relate to it, especially in relation to my post on letting go.

7. I'm so behind on updating my photography blog. It's so much faster to upload on facebook and most of my clients are on tehre anyway. I hope it's not a lost cause. I think sometime in a few weeks, I may be able to catch up. Maybe. You know...because there is always so much extra time around the holidays. Is there a faster or easier way to upload photos to blogger?

8. I'm so excited for my nephew to be born! No pressure or anything, Katie! This is what I made for his room and if you notice, N is for November. So I'm proud of this little guy for staying in there until November. But now it's time to come see us. :)

9. We are headed to San Diego for Christmas. I'm excited to see Matt's family and a little sad that we will be gone for Christmas Eve with my family. I haven't missed that since my freshman year of college when a certain basketball coach thought it was necessary for me to be in Nebraska for Christmas instead of with my family.

10. I did something really stupid yesterday. But nobody got mad at me. It's really nice when people are understanding and loving and helpful.

The end...now what am I going to blog about the rest of the weekend?

Oh, how I love...

...this scrunchy nose smile...


...and when little boys play independently...



(photos are a few weeks old)

Camping

Well, I was going to write that this was going on in my backyard as we speak.

But my campers just came inside after an hour. Maybe next time they'll make it through the night.

We are having crazy warm weather lately--mid to high 70's in November! Xavier was begging to sleep in a tent outside tonight. We don't have a tent except for this little kid's one, but Matt agreed to take him out and they had sleeping bags out there and everything with Matt right outside the tent.

It appears that the excitement was too much and sleep did not look likely, so they headed back in since it is a school night. But here are a few pictures of my boys...

Nicknames

Of all of the videos that we have taken with our Flip video camera in the last year and a half, this is my favorite.



I love it. I love that Jordan is 5 days old here and the nickname that my little 22 month old gave him then is still alive and well. He is our "B," our baby. And he might always be.

A funny thing about this is when we named our boys I insisted on names that could not be shortened to one syllable because our last name is so short already. But nicknames have a way of appearing even if you don't plan on them!

Today Xavier and I were discussing this video. As in, I asked him, remember that movie where you said, "On no, B Jordan"? And then he tried to convince me that he had said "Oh no, Hobo Duck."

Yes, Hobo Duck. Because that is his new nickname for B. I mean Jordan.

We don't know where Hobo Duck came from. But we do find it quite funny and Matt tries to use it as much as possible.

Xavier's nickname from Jordan is "Brubba" (brother). I'm looking forward to more of these as the boys grow up...

By the way, when we watched that video today, you know, to check to make sure it didn't say "Oh no, Hobo Duck," Xavier told me that he was so little--he was only two! I had to inform him that he actually was only one here (although almost two). Oh, how time flies...

Just two brothers...

...bonding over Sports Illustrated!

Our Family Portrait!

I actually made it posting every day this past week! I'm surprised...as I'm sure are the three of you who read this are too!

Anyway, it is time to reveal our family portrait! I'm excited to show it to you...

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That wasn't what you were expecting, huh?

Well, too bad. :) I love seeing what Xavier comes up with when he draws! The big heads with legs coming directly out of them are so much fun...

Here's the work in progress:


And the artist:

(I think he's one of those leave-me-alone-while-I'm-working types.)

And in case you were confused, here's the labeled family portrait.


Yes, I'm laying down. Because I'm lazy. And all I do is lay around. :)

Lunch

Lunch can be a difficult meal at our house. Who are we kidding--all the meals are difficult and result in my floor being covered in food.

But, anyway, I saw this great idea to make a face out of food.

And I decided I might as well give it a try. So here's what I came up with:



(Sharks (i.e. Aldi brand goldfish) for hair, string cheese for eyebrows, vanilla wafers and grapes for eyes, pear slices for ears and nose, frozen grape halves and cherry tomatoes for the mouth)

Here's Xavier's reaction to his "surprise lunch."



At first, he wouldn't eat anything because he thought it was so fun to look at. But he came around and ended up eating every last bite. We will definitely be trying this again.

And Jordan's reaction...this is his "This is going to be more fun to throw on the floor than usual" face. And that's exactly what he did. :)



Anybody out there have any other great ideas for creative (but still easy!!) lunches?

Letting go

I won't deny it.

I am a perfectionist. I am Type A.

I like to be in control.

The past three years, one month, and three days have taught me over and over that I am not.

In so many areas of life, trying your best and working the hardest and having a little talent besides will get you a long ways. And I like to be good at what I do.

But being a mother has challenged me to the core. The harder I try to hold things together, the sooner it falls apart. The more that I feel the need to be in control, the sooner I realize that I absolutely am not.

Somewhere in the middle of this mess, I have to stop and ask myself what my goals truly are. Because as much as I strive to raise well-behaved, good-mannered children who are always kind, respectful, intelligent, and loving, I am failing. And sometimes, I'm not just failing, but I'm drowning.

And as I'm going under, there is nothing to do but to reach up.
To ask Him to pull me out and rescue me.
To beg Him to take this mess I've made and turn it into something beautiful.
To let Him be in charge again.

And maybe if my kids can look at me and see that I am nothing without my Lord and Savior, I will actually have taught them something worthwhile.

I've been reflecting on the story of Abraham and Isaac today and imagining what it must have been like for Abraham to be willing to give up his only son, to trust that God's plan was better than his own.

I know that I need to let go.
To release my children to God's control.
To trust that His plan is better than mine could ever be.
To stop worrying about being a good mother and instead pray that I can show them Jesus.



I am trusting you to guide me. You alone shall lead.
Every day and hour supplying all my need.

On the other side

Tonight we had family photos taken by a friend of mine who also has a photography business. I was excited to finally get some pictures taken of the four of us. I spent a couple of hours shopping and coordinating (not matching, coordinating!) outfits and SHOES (Jordan got to wear his Air Jordans for the first time)! We prepped and bribed and cajoled Xavier and prayed that he wouldn't run away ;)

I also prepped and cajoled my husband, but stopped short of bribery. I told him that as long as you look like you're having fun and you love us in the photos, I will be happy! As a photographer, one of my pet peeves is husbands who are too crabby to bother smiling or looking happy for just a few minutes.

I learned tonight to not bring vanilla wafers for bribery in a bag that does not close or zip. Because your kids will run out of the frame to go get another cookie. Hopefully there are not vanilla wafers in ALL of our photos. But I wouldn't be surprised.

Anyway, it was good for me to get on the other side of the camera and to experience what it is like to try to get your children to behave and cooperate for family photos. I think Jennifer did a great job with the boys and I'm excited to see what she came up with! I'm happy that we were able to get our photos done before it got too cold outside or too brown outside.

If I was cool enough to have one of those lists where you want to accomplish 101 things in 1001 days, getting our family's photos taken would be on that list. So, let's just pretend and go ahead and cross it off!

And now, a COMPLETELY unrelated video from earlier this month...Xavier singing Jesus Loves Me.

I run.

One month ago today I completed my third half marathon.

I ran my first half marathon in 2005 in 2 hours and 2 minutes.
I ran my second half marathon in 2006 in 2 hours and 12 minutes.

Then I had two children.

I ran my third half marathon in 1 hour and 52 minutes.

Running has weaved its path through my life since the time I was young...
Dashing to the fountain and back, a mile by our dad's car's calculations, when I fought with my brothers. Jogging around the neighborhood on crisp winter mornings with my dad and brothers. Sprinting to outrun my dog Ernie at the end of a four mile run. Winning my first cross country race ever. Learning that my family loved me just as much on my worst day, dropping out mid race, as my best day, winning the state meet. Missing cross country so much that I quit playing basketball in college. Surviving the humidity and heat of July in St. Louis and the cold and wind of January in Nebraska. Learning to run while being stared at during my semester in India. Running trails with Matt even before we had gone on a date. Getting engaged while on a run. Training for a marathon around the same three mile loop in India. Coaching and running with my cross country and track athletes and fostering their love for running. Getting to know friends even better as we share miles and conversation. Running through most of my first pregnancy, including at a cross country meet on my due date. Starting to run a week after my first c-section. Rebuilding strength and finding that stride again. Learning to cover miles while pushing a stroller, handing out snacks, breaking up fights, and picking up dropped baby shoes. Training with my beautiful little sister and watching her confidence and love for running grow.

When I run, I feel strong. I feel sane. I feel complete.

I feel like me.

I often think that two things help to keep me sane--reading the Bible and running. Yet, when times get busy, those things tend to disappear from my schedule. As easy as it should be to dismiss them, they are really necessities in my life.

And that is why I cling to this half marathon I completed a month ago. It allowed me to prove some things to myself.

The idea that I can run faster after two children, that I can schedule time for something I love to do.

The idea that I can run step by step for 13.1 miles with a teammate that I haven't seen for ten years.

Ten, twelve years ago, we bonded over sixty mile weeks and facing similar issues in life. And even though ten years had passed, when we started running on October 3rd, it felt natural and easy. And we carried each other through that race.

The idea that I feel closer to God when I'm running in his nature than any other time.

The idea that I am a runner and that's what HE intended me to be.

And so, I run.

Happy Birthday, Rebekah!

Wish we could be there with you to celebrate with some funfetti cake with rainbow chip icing!

National Blog Posting Month

Did you know that November is National Blog Posting Month? What are the chances that I will actually blog every day this month? Well, since I haven't posted since August, it probably isn't very likely. But...here goes, I suppose...

So we'll start off November with a video of or two of my boys!

First up...Xavier! Here he is reading aloud his Halloween cards from his grandmas. I don't think he understands Halloween yet, and that is just fine!



And next up is Jordan! Yesterday I ran to the park with the double stroller and we played on the playground and the boys ran around the tennis courts. Nobody else was around at all, so I was doing some squats, pushups, lunges, etc. Jordan decided to join in with me on the squats! This is later that night...he's showing off his squatting skills while eating potato chips! (They were baked chips at least).



If you want me to keep posting every day this month, leave me a comment :)