It Won't Be Long

It won't be long before Colson will be riding around on the quad.  He looks pretty good on it!  Love how happy he always is.  We are so blessed.

We enjoyed a nice, but busy, fall evening doing chores and getting ready for our trip to Spokane.  We love this time of year and we are thankful for the beautiful day! 

Cannon's big toy arrived today (in many heavy boxes) and he is very excited.  He showed all of the neighbors the picture on the box!  Daddy (and probably Uncle Greg) will have to get to work putting it together soon! 

Enjoying every moment!

One on One Time

We always enjoy the simple moments that we have together.  Those moments are what make up our days....many simple moments strung together. 

What we have learned lately is that one on one time is important, too, especially for Cannon.  Now that he is in school and I am back to work, sometimes we find ourselves in the middle of the bedtime routine before we know it.  The bedtime routine is one of those special times when it's just Cannon and I or Cannon and Daddy.  However, we need to set aside some more time just for Cannon.  Tonight, we could see how important that was to Cannon.  Just time to play only with him and not worry about Colson, or anything else.  I know that we do a lot with the boys.  I know we talk a lot with them.  I know we include them in many things.  I know we play.  I know we dance and sing and laugh and read together.  But a little bit of one on one time is needed, too.  Time that isn't focused around routines.  Just time where it's all about Cannon. 

Chris and Cannon playing together.

Tonight we did just that and we all loved it!

Enjoying every moment.

Thankful Thought

Today I am thankful for Chris.  He:

....picked up the kids from Jacie's house.
....rushed home to feed both of them.
....changed Colson into clean clothes and Cannon into swimming gear.
....and got to the pool on time for Cannon's swim lessons.

I showed up to the lessons 10 minutes late (after a school meeting), but all was taken care of because of my wonderful husband! 

Thanks, Dear!

Enjoying every moment!

The Fair

I love going to the fair. 
I love walking around.
I love to see the little piggies!
I love to look at the artwork.
I love to walk through the agricultural buildings.
I love to see the the 4-H dogs.
I love people watching.
I love browsing through the booths.
I really love the scones!

Chris and I had a great time this morning at the fair.  Just the two of us.  It was nice to be kid free.  However, we did discuss a number of times how much Cannon would enjoy the many things we saw.  Next year!

Hello, Fair!

The baby piglets...

Checking out the artwork.

Enjoying every moment.

Grandma Eva

Grandma Eva went to be with Poppie last night. 
I'll miss our weekly phone calls.
I'll miss visiting with her when we are in Spokane.
I'll miss sending her photos of the boys.
I'm sad she is not with us anymore, but I'm happy she is at peace. 
She lived a long and fulfilling life. 

"If we have faith, death shouldn't scare us but we should be able to smile at death as it will be the ship that brings us to the embrace of God."
Here are a few photos from our last visits:

Christmas Night 2010

Four Generations

Cannon loves to give Grandma hugs!



Colson with Grandma



Our June 2011 Visit

Grandma with Colson in July. 

Cannon and Colson visiting "Grandma by the Elevator"

There are so many wonderful memories with Grandma.

I am so glad for photos.
I am so glad for memories.

Enjoying every moment.

Ice Cream

We are a family who loves ice cream! 
We love it so much that we DON'T buy it because we would eat way more than our share.

However, we do treat ourselves at times and tonight was one of those times. 

It was a beautiful, warm (but muggy) day....one we knew we needed to cherish since Fall is officially here and the cooler weather is right around the corner.  So we cruised the Chevelle into town for a visit to Baskin' and Robbins. 

Yum!

Chris, Cannon and I each got a cone and I shared mine with Colson.  I do believe he ate almost half of mine!  We were all a sticky mess by the time we were finished, but that is part of the fun! 

I so love to do spur of the moment things like that!
Hooray for Friday's, too! 

He wanted to hold the cone himself.

Red face from the 'cold' ice cream.



He's serious about his ice cream!


Enjoying every moment!

Baths in the Kitchen Sink

The kitchen sink is where Colson takes his nightly baths.  We started it when Cannon was a baby and now Colson continues the "tradition." 

It's definitely easier.
No bending over for us and hurting our back. 
It's central...where everything else is going on.
I can still keep my eye on Cannon and talk with Chris. 
It's just easier. 

We put the $1 Walmart tub in the sink, give Colson a measuring spoon and a Tupperware and he's happy as a clam.  And so are we! 

When Colson gets too big for the tub, we'll have to officially 'retire' it.  By then, it will have probably seen a Cannon or Colson butt over 600 times! 

Enjoying every moment!

The Yellow Hat

The yellow hat has been a joke in the house for some time.  We laugh because it makes who ever is wearing it look very silly.  It's been lost...and then found.  It's been worn a lot....and then set aside. 

Cannon found it again this morning and had a good time putting it on Colson and then wearing it himself.

Love these boys so much! They make me laugh!



Enjoying every moment.

7 Bags...But Who's Counting?

Being prepared is key to getting out of the house on time. 

I'm prepared, but I think I've only left the house on time twice so far. 

Here is a photo of the bags I have to pack each day:

My school bag.  My lunch bag.  Cannon and Colson's lunch bag.  Breast pump.  Bag for the babysitter of Cannon and Colson stuff.

There are two bags missing from this photo.....the diaper bag and a bag of books from the library. 

That's 7 bags.  But who's counting.

And here is a photo of the bags Chris takes:

Zero. 

At least he offers to take all my bags to the car each morning!
Love you, Dear!

Enjoying every moment.

Today we...

Today we slept in (a little).
Today we had chocolate chip pancakes.
Today we dressed warm...fall is upon us.
Today we (Colson and I) went to church.
Today we were happy to be home as a family.
Today we watched the Seahawks lose.
Today we played outside.
Today we had fish for dinner.
Today we ordered the boys new play toy!
Today we wrestled in the living room. (Well...I just took pictures.)
Today we are wondering when Cannon will lose the silly and crazy attitude!
Today we are grateful that Colson is such a happy baby.
Today we read new books from the library.
Today we relaxed a little.
Today we love each other more than yesterday.
Today we are blessed.

Enjoying every moment.

Saturday

Busy, but great Saturday.  Lots accomplished. 

The rain came today and the temperature had dropped.  It feels like fall. 

A story from today about Cannon:
We had an impromptu stop at an RV show in the Walmart parking lot this afternoon.  The first thing Cannon noticed was a huge hitch on the back of a truck.  It was not a real hitch, but one for show, and was probably 10 inches in diameter.  Cannon couldn't get over how big it was and wanted to know what it towed!  He checked out every trailer hitch and had a great time checking out the inside of the trailers and 5th wheels, too!

Love this kid!

A story about Colson from today:
Colson was a great eater today.  Especially this evening.  He ate prunes and oatmeal for dinner and then ate a third of a banana on his own.  After that, he chewed on a graham cracker!  Tonight was the first night for prunes and he liked them fine.  I'm glad he is liking a variety of foods.  Hopefully he'll continue to be a great eater!

It doesn't look like he enjoyed the prunes...but he really did!

He's much cleaner here!

Enjoying every moment.

6 Months

Yesterday was Colson's 6 month birthday! 

6 months of growth.
6 months as a family of four.
6 months of joy.
6 months of photos.
6 months of moments.

Happy 6 month Birthday Colson!

We are so incredibly blessed to have you in our lives. 
You have shown us so much love.
We love to watch you learn and grow and you amaze us daily!
Your smiles are contagious!

We look forward to many more milestones!

Brand new!

1 month

2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months

6 months

Enjoying every moment.

Challenges

A challenge Cannon faced today:
Cannon's preschool doesn't begin until 9:30, so he spends 25 minutes in my room after he is dropped off in the morning.  School starts for me at 9:00 am.  Cannon is supposed to sit quietly and not bother me.  I have brought some toys from home, have books ready for him and a white board out.  He has done all of those things, but not for the entire 25 minutes.  He is still learning he can't have my attention during this time.  He can't come up in the front of the room and talk to me or stand up with me!  He doesn't like being re-directed, especially in front of the first graders.  I know it will get better when he fully understands and learns the routine. 

A challenge Colson faced today:
Colson struggled to nap for Jana this afternoon.  He had a great nap this morning, but she said he wasn't acting himself this afternoon.  He threw up a lot, and was crying, which isn't like him.  He napped for maybe 10 minutes a couple of times, but it seemed like he wasn't feeling all that great.  Poor guy.  He had a great afternoon and evening for not having had a nap, but did go to bed a bit early since he was so tired!

A challenge Janel faced today:
As we near the 10th day of school, I am continuing to work with my class on routines.  Today, we had to do a lot of review and practice!  I also have one challenging student who tries my patience.  I hope to find some solutions for this child soon so we can both have a successful year! 

A challenge Chris faced today:
The motor home had some "issues" on Chris' trip last weekend and he barely made it home.  Chris worked on the motor home tonight, trying to diagnose the problem.  He thinks it is a bad wiring connection somewhere, but he hasn't found the problem yet. 

Yes, each day brings its own set of challenges.  This is normal.  This is part of every day life.  We learn from these challenges.  They are part of our "moments."  Some moments we enjoy more than others!

Enjoying every moment. (Even the challenging ones)

Cannon's First Day of Preschool

Today was Cannon's first day of preschool.  I was very excited.  Cannon wasn't as excited as I was.  He picked out his clothes this morning, ate a good breakfast, got his backpack and was pretty patient while waiting in my room for his school to start.  As we were walking out to his classroom, he did get a little teary eyed and said that he didn't want to go.  But as soon as we got in the room, he was fine.  He gave his teacher an apple, put is backpack in his cubby and sat down to color his name.  I took a few photos and left.  He came to my room when school was over with a smile on his face!  Some of the things he shared about his first day:

"We hand sanitized."
"We had recess."
"There is a sink with two steps."
"We all picked books.  I picked one with a bus on it."
"We had snack.  Goldfish." 
"They have trains."

He talked about a bit more, but I can't remember his exact words.  I did have to pull some of it out of him. Hopefully he'll open up more and share about hi days. 

Here are a few pictures:

He did NOT want me to take his picture.

"Are you done?"

Putting his backpack away.

Getting hand sanitizer.

Cannon and I on his first day!

 Enjoying every moment.

Dillon's Party

Yesterday we spent the afternoon celebrating Dillon's 3rd birthday! 

We had a great time.  There was a lot of yummy food.  A bouncy house for the kids (and the adults, too!).  A pool to cool off in and lots of toys! 

Cannon played and played and played and played.  He had so much fun. 
Colson was an absolutely wonderful boy.  He loved watching everyone. And he really loved eating watermelon!

Both boys ate lots of ice cream!  Cannon loved Mindy's rainbow cake, too!

Thank you to Mindy, Sebastian and especially to Dillon for inviting us to a such a fun party!

Enjoying every moment.

9/11

John 15:12-13

¹² This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. ¹³ There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

On this 10 year anniversary of 9/11, I am reminded that wherever hate abounds, love does more so abound.

Thank you Pastor Roger for the great sermon today.   




God Bless all of those who lost their lives too early. God Bless the families who lost a loved one...and God Bless all of the heroes who are committed to keeping our way of life strong through their selfless service.

We will never forget.

Celebrate Childhood

I am reminded constantly about how Cannon and Colson are overjoyed by the smallest of things.  I find myself sitting back to take in their wonderment....their amazement....their happiness.  I am learning so many simple life lessons from my two young boys.  I am blessed beyond words.

Life. Is. Good. 

Some of the ways Cannon and Colson celebrated childhood today:

Eating pears.

Making chocolate chip waffles.

Reading books.

Buttons on the games kept him busy for a long time...and
no money was spent!

Eating squash, while Cannon and I eat pizza!  Cannon received
a coupon for a free pizza for completing the summer reading
program at the library.

Colson likes the pizza crust!

A pretend spider at Scholtz Farms caught Cannon's eye.

The sign above Cannon says, "Please don't squeeze the peaches."
Oooops!

Sitting in the driveway, watching Cannon play and chewing
on a plastic spoon.  What could be better!?

Cruising the Chevelle.

I couldn't keep it away from him!  He
started to cry when I took it to have a bite.

The evidence!



Cannon had Cookies and Cream.



A bath in the bathroom sink.  Why not?
No....I didn't know he was doing it!

Etch-A-Sketch.  Simple and fun!

Enjoying every moment.