Family style Football

The pro bowl is on and its pretty lame, so the boys in our family started their own game of football. I sat back with my camera and enjoyed.

I couldn't help but include two videos of them playing. The first is of them getting lined up, its entertaining but shorter, the second is of the actual chaos. I love watching John interact with our boys, its fun to see him enjoy being a dad. The boys love playing with him, there is a special bond between father and son =)

Our faithful friend

I was watching our dog interact today with my kids and thought today I would thank God for our dog, yes our dog =) I have a love/ can hardly stand relationship with my dog. He is absolutely fantastic with my kids and is very well behaved. We got him from the Humane Society and I had been shopping on their website for a few months. I don't think that all dogs are cute so I wanted to make sure to find one that I thought was and was also not high energy (crazy labs). I was looking for a few specific things but its amazing how few dogs fit this criteria. FINALLY Sawyer popped up on the website, we went and met him, spent 10 minutes with him and brought him home.

What more could I ask for!? A potty trained, medium sized, great with my children dog! He was 2 years old when we got him and weighed 30 lbs, just a little guy. We get asked all the time if he's a puppy. The kids often follow me into the kitchen when I'm letting Sawyer back in and squeel to see their friend.

I think its a really great thing for kids to have experience with animals. I used to make the comment that kids can't grow up right if they don't have a dog but I've made too many friends that don't like animals that I don't want to offend (even though I actually do still believe this). We always had a dog growing up, my mom loves animals and we never lasted long without a dog. Watching my kids with their dog makes me realize how God really looks out for us. This dog loves my kids, when one of them is sick he sticks near their side. He howls when the kids play their recorder or when the kitchen timer goes off. He takes a nap with us everyday and heads right for his bed when we all head up for our naps. He follows the kids from room to room and lays there watching them play. He even cleans the floors under the table where the kids dropped food so their poor mother doesn't have to clean it up =) Its funny how crazy your dog can drive you when he's shedding or just wants some attention but he's a good dog, a faithful friend to our family. The combination of my children and our dog makes me laugh, three balls of energy flying through my house.

Ready or not...

My sister in law Michelle is getting induced today with her first baby girl. Its such a life changing experience when your first child is born so I thought today that I would tell the story of Devon's (my first born) birth =)

It was the beginning of August and I wasn't due for another two weeks, we had gone up to my in laws to celebrate my brother in law Bob's birthday. I walked in the door and was greeted with my father in law telling me about this pizza place in Texas that is known for putting women into labor, all I could think was "sign me up for that roadtrip". It just so happend that we were having pizza for dinner that my sister in law Michelle made and it was SOOOOO good. I ate SO much pizza and the joke at the table was that Michelle's pizza was going to put me into labor... Well I ate so much I had to go lie down after dinner, so I found a comfy place on the couch. When everyone started filtering into the livingroom, someone said something funny that made me laugh so hard I felt like I peed my pants a little... not too out of the normal but I headed for the "little girls room". I COULDN"T STOP PEEING! I was sitting there wondering what was wrong with me and it suddenly occurred to me that my water broke. But another thought came to me VERY quickly, what if my bladder control has hit an all time low and I go out and annouce that my water has broken and it is really me just not able to stop peeing... So I waited, and waited and waited some more. Someone came to the bathroom to check on me and I said I was fine. Then I finally waddled into the livingroom and announced "Either I'm having major bladder control issues or my water just broke". John's face turned white, he flew up out of his chair and started pacing the room trying to remember what we were supposed to do. Someone grabbed me towels to sit on and I sat down to relax. John wanted to fly out of the door as quickly as possible so I called the nurse's number that I had and asked what to do. They told me to get into a hospital as soon as possible. We ran to our apartment to pick up our things and John told me to stay in the car, I wasn't about to do that, what if he forgot something important! (My bags were packed but needed my toothbrush and deoderant.) I gushed with each step and laughed uncontrollably at such a situation. John couldn't believe that I thought this was all so funny and almost seemed upset by my giggles. Back to the car!

We got to the hospital and I told the nurse I could walk just fine to the room but she insisted on wheel chair, good thing because I soaked it... We got to the room and waited and waited and NOTHING was happening. Apparently my body hadn't gotten the message that my water had broken and it was time for this baby to come out now. So they brought in petocin(spelling?) which induces your labor, you have to have your baby within 24 hours if your water breaks. My contractions became crazy, having no rhyme or reason to them so I wanted an epidural as quickly as humanly possible. The poor anesthiologist (again, spelling!?) was on call and had literally just left to get home so they had to have him come back. I got the epidural and passed out for a few hours of sleep. So wonderful. At around 12:30pm I started pushing. My doctor was out of town so I had the on call doctor. She came in and would look at me and tell me "Your just not doing it right" and then leave the room. I cried and cried because I couldn't figure out what she was telling me. The nurses were encouraging me and I made progress everytime the doctor left the room. This baby's head was turned and making it alot harder to do what I needed to do. After 2 1/2 hours of pushing (I only remember the first hour) Devon James was born. I cried for SO many reasons!

Thankful that he was safe, thankful that I didn't have to keep going. I had wanted to hold Devon right away but the doctor said he needed to be cleaned up first, which was ridiculous. After about 10 minutes of the room spinning and starting to slow down, I asked "So what did we have?" I was SO out of it! I had blown blood vessels in my eyes and knots in my arms and legs, I looked like a wreck. The doctor was awful, not only did she discourage me while I was trying so hard but she didn't let me hold Devon or let John cut the cord. While those things might have been nice what mattered was that he was here, and he was safe. Each birthing story is so unique and amazing in completely different ways. I know how much I appreciated my mom after experiencing what she went through for me. Today I'm thinking about my beautiful sister in law Michelle and how soon she will be holding a beautiful baby girl, God is so good.

Ready or not, here they come! From there to here, from here to there, funny things are every where.

I wonder...

Today's post is about one of our children, one that we haven't even met yet. Curious? John and I are adopting so lately I've been wondering, where is she?

John and I knew that we wanted to pursue either foster care or adoption before we were even married. After having two boys of our own we've felt called to grow our family through adoption. Its interesting the mixed opinions that I get from people. I honestly don't care what other people's opinions are, we are doing what we have prayed about and feel is best for our family at this time. We just sent in our formal application and are starting our home study in the next few weeks.

We were told that we will more than likely have a baby within a year so I began thinking that it could happen any moment that she might be conceived, I know its almost weird to think about but I'm dreaming about her. We have no idea what color hair or eyes she will have. We are not making specific requests on race so it leaves a range of possibilities. The process usually takes 18 months but since we haven't set restrictions they said that it will more than likely happen sooner. I'm SO excited, she is going to be so loved and have two older brothers that will adore her.

I share this with you to ask for prayers as we go through this process, its going to take a lot of faith as we walk into the unknown, something we've never done before. Tonight I'm wondering about my daughter and praying for her because I love her already =) Someday I'll get the chance to tip toe up to her crib, hold her little hand and pray for her. I love you baby girl, wherever you are...

ABC Dancing

The boys love playing with this toy on our fridge that sings the ABC's. They take turns hitting the button and dancing to the music, enjoy =)

Today we celebrate.... WINTER

With it being 0 degrees with wind chills well into the -20's I thought why not celebrate it. Its easy to get discouraged at this time of year and I know with my boys being trapped in the house can have us all bouncing off the walls. So today we celebrated a little... well in our own sort of way. We began with a little picnic breakfast, cinnamon raisin bagels on our little blanket in the livingroom while Mommy enjoyed her coffee and we watched Curious George. Its my favorite way to start the day, a cup of coffee in peace. You know what I'm talking about Mommies! The blanket idea is brilliant, when the kids are done I bring it in the bathroom and shake it into the tub and BAM my carpets are cleaner. Its called being resourceful =)

So this is actually a cake that I made for a Mom's group that I'm apart of that got together, so yes it was leftovers but it was STILL winter festive appropriate with the blue frosting and snow sprinkles. Devon was quite fascinated by them as you can see. He picked each one off and ate them first of course, then devoured the frosting and then picked at the cake... like any child's order of eating cake.

Jack cooperated quite nicely with his huge goofy smile. He ate his cake with a little more of the shove as much in my mouth as possible tactic, this is obviously a before picture where I captured his anticipation =) How did I celebrate winter? I stayed in my pajamas till 3:30pm and only got dressed for my husband's sake. It was the first day in weeks that I woke up from my afternoon nap feeling refreshed instead of exhausted which is FANTASTIC! I hope this means we're on the up with the whole mono thing. I have bloodwork this next week to make sure its out of my system and that my liver is functioning properly, making sure there was no permanent damage. Prayers appreciated.




While feeling couped up in the house I tried to think of fun things to do with the kids, something we don't do everyday, so we made a fort in our livingroom. The kids absolutely loved it, I used my camera tripod to prop up the middle which worked wonderfully and then chip clips to hold the blankets. We've done this a few times, John does the best job but I thought for today that I would try it out with the kids.

It took up our entire livingroom, it was pretty big. If mommy was going to climb in there, it was going to be roomy.

So what spurred on my Winter appreciation day? I called and talked to my mom this morning, and she tells me "I'm sitting out on my veranda and I need to move into the shade because its just too hot." BOO! I can't go outside because my nostrils will freeze shut, its cold! So instead of feeling bad for myself or jealous at how great my mom has it (which I am a little jealous but we'll be with them in February!), I decided to appreciate the moment and make the best of it. I think far too often we get caught up in what is wrong with the world instead of what is right. I've ALWAYS tried to be a glass is half full kind of girl so I hope today that I could pass it along to you. Today we appreciated winter, the beauty and the wonder of snow from the warmth of our house. I love living in Wisconsin, having 4 seasons makes you truly appreciate each one. We can get caught up in what we don't have (sunlight, warmth or the ability to feel our fingertips) or we can look to what we do have. Have a fantastic warm night! Go light some candles, cuddle up with a blanket and movie.

Puzzles and Books, Books and Puzzles

These are two things that the boys enjoy just about everyday, I'm not quite sure how I lucked out so much. Devon will ask to sit at the table and make puzzles and Jack is usually standing there asking to do the same.

Here Devon is sitting at our kitchen table with a book of puzzles, its one of his favorites. Its pretty impressive at age 3 he can make 48 piece puzzles by himself (the one here is only about 16 pieces). He loves finding me after he's completed the puzzle so I can jump up and down with him and be excited over what he's accomplished. Its AMAZING to me how long he can spend doing puzzles, sometimes over an hour. I never have enjoyed such a thing but I guess its just how we are wired differently.

I like to think that Jack is wired like me but then he can sit at the table for an extended amount of time as well. He watches intently as his older brother works on his puzzles and mirrors this. He can whip through this ABC puzzle pretty fast now, he does a great job and I love hearing him babble as he's working (usually a mixed up version of the ABC's). Jack usually doesn't last as long as Devon at the table but can sit for a long time as well. I love watching children grow in knowledge and character, there is something just miraculous about it. To think that not too long ago Jack was just an infant relying completely on me and now has achieved so much indepence. I guess its what we all want as parents, makes us feel like we're succeeding.




This video I took I had to do a few times, anytime the boys catch me with a camera they often freeze up and stop whatever cute adorable little thing I've tried to catch! So I sat in the office pretending not to watch and caught them in the act of being just too cute. Devon has enjoyed the role as big brother and one of his favorite things to do is read to Jack, it gives him a sense of responsiblity and accomplishment as his little brother looks to him to hear what the story is about. Again I find alot of joy as a mom in moments like this, so I thought I would share =)

And okay, one more picture of Jack. We were all ready to go out the door to go somewhere and all of sudden Jack isn't around, so I start calling for him to come and I hear "No!" from the toyroom. I found him sitting reading books all bundled up and ready to go. I thought it was pretty cute.

My babies and blocks

Ah brotherly love, funny how that Jack is grinning in this picture and Devon is crying. Devon threw a block at Jack, Devon got in trouble and Jack got his "owies" kissed.

One good thing about being a little more confined to the house is the amount of playtime I've gotten in with the boys. I'm often too busy trying to get things done but I've had ALOT of time to sit down to play trains, blocks and do puzzles. One thing we've been working through is the boy's frustration when playing with blocks, they get SO mad when their tower falls and they didn't want it to yet. Its hard as a parent to incorporate life lessons into play time, trying to figure out how to guide our children as they work through their emotions and feelings. I definitely don't have everything figured out when it comes to parenting but one thing I've definitely noticed is how our kids can mirror us. Its hard to stay calm when we've burned dinner, broken a dish, or tripped over a toy. I know there have been SO many times that I've blown up or lost my cool over the smallest things. Then when either of my boys bursts out in frustration I scold them for it? Its something that I'm working on, its hard to keep in mind how much our kids see what we do and how to work through things based on how we do.

Devon sat at the table for an hour and a half today making puzzles, it amazes me his attention span for that. I could NEVER do that! Jack's shenanagens (spelling?) for the day is his curiousity with the potty. He took off his little pants about 3 times and sat on the potty with his diaper on. I'm not sure if I'M ready for it! We cuddled this afternoon and watched "How to Train Your Dragon" and ate popcorn, I love those moments =)

I had some quiet time tonight as John took the boys with him to volleyball aand I stayed home.

I was playing with my camera today, as you can see from the pictures I chose a single color to stand out in the pictures. It was fun to play with a little.

I've started praying over my kids every night, something I love doing and I hope that it is a habit I keep. Right before I go to bed, I tip toe into their room and kneel beside each of their beds and pray for them. Pray that God would keep them strong and grow them spiritually. That the things they struggle with would be overcome by God's Almighty Power and that they would know how much I love them and God loves them. Theres just something about a sleeping child that makes everything in the world seem alright, even after the worst day its something that melts my heart. I'll often try to touch their little foot or place my hand on their back as I pray for them, sometimes startling them a little in their sleep. I know that God will hear my prayers for my children and bless their socks off =) I'm excited to see what God is going to do in the lives of my boys, what grand adventures he has in store for all of us.

We've been out of bread and Devon asked for peanut butter and jelly so I put it on a tortilla and rolled it for the boys for lunch. The entire time the kids were eating they were making "mmmmm" noises and thanking me for their lunch. Its funny to me when I feel like the kids go above and beyond on the gratitude thing, thanking me after almost every bite =) I guess you could call them obnoxiously polite.

Packer Backers

Its interesting to think back to my early experiences watching the Packers. I remember the phase where I was thrilled to sit next to my dad watching the game, pretending I knew what was going on and yelling whenever he did. Then there was the phase where I was annoyed with having to have football on every Sunday, wanting to watch something else on tv and not understanding the importance. In highschool and college I hardly missed a game and wanted to see every one. I met my husband and he enjoyed watching football but definitely wasn't as passionate as he is now. I think that John and my dad bonded alot over football, they would try to arrange to watch it together most weeks. I can remember last season when it came down to the last play of the season for us, my dad, John and Devon standing infront of the tv holding hands, yes holding hands praying the Packers to pull through. It was a pretty sad moment when their little "holding hands" moment didn't come through. But that was last season.... This season has been a different story. Both the boys get so excited over wearing their Packers gear and Devon will bend down to "hike" his imaginary ball as soon as he's dressed. Jack immediately runs away because this often means he will be tackled.

While I do think my husband can be obsessed, wanting to see every football game on, I do still enjoy the excitement. Its one of my favorite things about living in Wisconsin! I really enjoy watching Aaron Rodgers play, thats talent. I remember loving to watch Brett Favre and it actually makes me sad the way things played out for him. I wish he would have retired and gone out with Wisconsin loving him still. There are those that still love Brett but then are those (including myself) that feel a bit cheated, like an ugly breakup. I will admit I wrote this during the playoff game where we beat Atlanta but I've always been a great multi tasker. Theres something about the loyalty I feel towards the Packers, I was born in Wisconsin and therefore they will always be my team. I find it interesting that the Packers have the most loyal fan base, but I can say its not something that surprises me. I mean who doesn't love Donald Driver? Clay Matthews? Enough said =)

Its fun for me to think that my dad and grandpa were Packer fans and I'm raising two more =) Go Pack!

No pictures today...

So I thought it would be such a good idea to take a really hot bath, to try to relax and feel better. I filled the tub, lit some candles and climbed into a luke warm bath, definitely not hot or relaxing. I had run out of hot water, something John said he could fix and either he didn't fix it or what he tried to fix didn't work. So I started trying to heat water on the stove, running around the house in my towel. This continuing the "unrelaxing" I was doing, making me feel more tense. Finally I got the water warm, still not hot but I figured if I used all that water I should try to take this dang bath. I climb in and just as I sit back, screams come from the livingroom. They were hurt cries so I flew out of the tub. Jack had bitten Devon and then Devon pushed Jack over and he hit his head. Both kids are screaming, crying, pointing at eachother and yes I'm standing there in all my glory (towel-less) trying to console them. I think both of my boys earned a counseling session down the road for that moment. I should more than likely keep track so that when both of them are in counseling at least I can point to the specific moments that attributed to it. I gave up on the bath, showers are faster and more practical. I share this story mostly to remind myself of the humor in it, because at the time it wasn't funny and part of me still won't laugh about it. But I know in a few days when I come back, read this post and relive the moment, I'll laugh.

"From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere..."

A little tooooo ironic, yes I really do think...

Yesterday I signed up for a half marathon in April, on the 9th. I want to keep up with running and training and haven't had the motivation or energy these last 3 weeks to do it so I figured registering would get my butt in gear. Today I got a phone call from my Doctor telling me I have mono and not just any mono! Mono that apparently attacked my liver causing my bilirubon (spelling?!) count to sky rocket and on top of that the mono has made me anemic. Whats interesting is that I NEVER would have thought I had mono, I honestly don't feel too awful. I lack energy and my body aches but other than that I feel okay. I was at my sister in laws baby shower and wasn't feeling myself. My sister in law Christina said that my eyes looked a little yellow and when my mother in law agreed I made a doctor appointment, otherwise I never would have gone in! We're pretty sure that John has mono as well, we kiss each other everyday... and its called the kissing disease =) My children more than likely have it too... but I'm trying not to kiss them just to be careful. Which let me tell you, is actually pretty hard! I have to be very conscious about it! So today, I have Alanis Morisette's song "Ironic" going through my head. So instead of feeling sorry for myself I take this moment to rejoice in the excuse that I have to rest and take it easy. I feel alot less guilty about the 3 baskets of laundry that haven't been folded or the fact that I have NO idea whats for dinner. So I've pretty much canceled everything for the weekend and will just enjoy some down time. If I gave anyone mono, I am SOOOO sorry but I really had no idea!

Boys?

I've often thought of myself as a girly girl, I like to wear make up and I think its fun to shop. When I found out I was pregnant I would have SWORN that I was having a girl each time. I'm not exactly sure why but I envisioned little dresses, hair clips and baby dolls. I thought about playing dress up and teaching a little girl what it is to be a girl. Then it happend, out came a baby and the doctor announced that, "Its a boy!". I wasn't quite sure what to do with that, so I asked, "What did I have? Did you say a boy?". I wasn't prepared for having a boy, not ready for what it all entailed and yet here I am, mother of TWO boys. When Jack was born, AGAIN I asked, "Are you sure? A boy?". Its not that I was dissapointed but its that when you don't know what your having (boy or girl), your mind plays games with you as you try to figure out what is inside. Boys are a whole different breed, I am in awe of the amount of energy that can come from such small bodies. Just when I think I've done an activity that will "knock them out for the afternoon" they run laps around the house. We speak dinosaur and dragon, sword fight and wrestle. We throw anything small enough to fit in our hand and find such entertainment in using one object to hit another (bat and ball, stuffed animal and blocks). If someone would have told me that I was going to have two little boys, I'm not sure what I would have thought. There might have been a little fear, so maybe its a good thing I didn't know what I was getting myself into either time.

I may not have been prepared for what it was to be a mother to boys but God shaped me through it. I now know how fun it can be to just run in circles or build a train track to fill our toyroom. Being a mom to boys is better than I could have ever imagined. Its almost like God knew what was best for me, knew that I wasn't quite ready emotionally to handle little girls so He gave me boys to "prepare the way". Now I dream of when my kids can play sports and camping adventure trips. I've become a different person since having my boys and I like myself better because of it. Today we talked about self esteem with my Mom to Mom group and I think its something that we all struggle with. Trying to figure out where we fit in the world, what role we are supposed to play and asking ourselves, "do we fit in?". Sometimes its not going to be a natural fit, its like shoving a block that is a circle into a square hole. If we set who we are as being a certain way, setting it in stone that we can't change, we won't fit. BUT if we allow ourselves to be flexible, softening our edges (lets envision some playdoh here), a circle can fit into the square hole. Softening our edges, our attitudes, our hearts we can enter into a place with others that we feel like we fit. I've noticed that people with very strong opinions tend to only get along in certain crowds of people, people that think like them. When they are surrounded by people that they don't necessarily agree with, theres often conflict. God softened my edges when He placed beautiful baby boys in my arms, softening my heart and allowing me to become a mother that loves having her boys. There is a book called "I love you forever", if you haven't read it, what kind of childhood did you have? Just kidding, but you should probley go out and get the book from somewhere and be prepared to cry as you read it. The line that repeats itself throughout the book is "I love you forever, I like you for always, as long as I'm living, my baby you'll be." At the end of the book, the son crawls across the floor, scoops up his elderly mother and rocks her and tells her, "I love you forever, I like you for always, as long as I'm living, my mommy you'll be." My prayer as a mother of boys is that I express love to them enough that they feel good about who they are. That my boys feel secure in themselves but "soft around the edges" that they would accept others for who they are as well.

As I write this I listen to sounds of the boys in the toyroom. Occassional screams, alot of banging and Devon just told Jack, "I'm not happy with you. Don't be sassy to me!" Jack's response, "No! Naughty!"... I think its time for naps...

"From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere..." 

<3 Rose

God's artwork

Today I have to say goodbye to my family, my parents and siblings as they leave for Arizona. I'm still not ready for this day and yet here it is. I don't mean this post to be sad but for it to be a moment where I appreciate who my family is to me and how they have shaped my life. Maybe it will reveal the origins of my theme, "Funny things are everywhere" as I've been raised with humor all around me.

My dad is my hero, I remember being a child and convinced that he was the best basketball player in the world. When I asked him why he didn't play professional basketball he told me it was because he loves Jesus more than basketball and wanted to tell others about him. And that is just who my dad is, loves Jesus and wants to tell others, he has a real servant heart. He went to Haiti this last year and I couldn't be more proud of what God did in and through my dad because of that trip. I feel a connection with my dad that we never had before, we're missionaries. We maybe always were, but now I really know it. He has such a heart for his children and a love for us that I can hardly describe while keeping my emotions together. Okay, back to to funny. I still think he's the best basketball player in the world =)

My mom would sing us songs when we went to sleep at night, crazy silly songs about lollipop trees. "Under my lollipop, lollipop, lollipop, lolli, lolli, lollipop tree." I always felt safe going to sleep at night after she would sing to us, like everything in the world was the way it was supposed to be. She worked so hard with us on our schoolwork, putting in hours to help us finish projects. My mother's love I would describe as "full of grace". She has never ever looked at her children with any less love than the first time she held us, even when we've hurt her or disappointed her. I love telling her my stories, she laughs harder than anyone and has such a joy for the humor in life. God has done great things in the last year healing my mother and I think despite what has all happened, she will be stronger because of it all. I think sometimes the potter looks at his clay and decides that He's going to make a new creation, even more beautiful than the old. Its a process that is painful, not easy to go through or understand. But when its complete, the glory of the Lord is SO apparent. God's fingerprint is not just on our heart but on our entire life.

This post could be the longest post ever if I talked about each of my siblings individually as I am the oldest of seven. As you can see from the picture we're quite the crew. Growing up was never boring and I actually remember thinking to myself, "Another one?!" when my parents would announce they were having another baby. God's plan was bigger than our own. I love each of my siblings in completely different ways. There are times where I've felt that insecurity with my brothers where I wonder if they even like me =) But then there is that moment and it doesn't happen very often but I get a glimpse of the real love they have for me. I know without a doubt how much each of my siblings loves my kids, I watch the interaction with more joy than I could have imagined. I'm proud of all of brothers and sisters, not because of the things they have done or haven't done but because of who they are. I'm an artist and I see them all as creations of art that have just begun. The fresh paint is still on the canvas, God is still trying to decide whether to the leave the original color or blend another into it. The final outcome hasn't been decided, there is still room on the canvas. God is still working on me as well but right now I appreciate each of my brothers and sisters.

Justin, Charles, Rebekah, Timothy, Miriam, and Theresa =) We may be on opposite sides of the country but we will be JUST as close as if our bedrooms were just down the hall. I remember holding each of you for the first time, okay slight exaggeration when it comes to Justin seeing as I was 4... but anyway, I was in awe of such a small person (I continue to be in awe of midgets). So much life in such a small being, so much possibility and opportunity. While you travel far away from me, remember the good times. Remember the times we've laughed over the most ridiculous things because that is what makes us family. From Wisconsin to Arizona...

"From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere..."

Rocketship anyone?

So we're sitting and eating lunch and as ANY parent knows who has small children, vegtables aren't necessarily the easiest things to always get your kids to eat. So I've been trying to figure out how to get my kids to eat raw carrots and today I tried thinly slicing them, handing them each a baby carrots cut into four pieces. Devon, my 3 year old, looks at it and says, "Its a rocketship!" Which I have no idea where that came from but I took that thought and ran with it. We proceeded to have each piece of carrot "blastoff" from his plate and into his mouth. He would make comments about how yummy the rocketships were and he ate 5 whole baby carrots, which he may have eaten more but I didn't want to push my luck. Jack this whole time is watching me carefully and starts blasting off his carrots as well to be eaten. Jack doesn't quite have the molar abilities that Devon does so he held a whole carrot in his mouth for about 15 minutes before deciding to go back to Peanut Butter and Jelly (spitting out the wad of carrots onto his shirt). Its hard to find the humor each day but when you stand back and realize that you spent the last 45 minutes pretending that carrots were rocketships to get your children to eat decently you realize, its funny. So instead of feeling sorry for ourselves for the ups and downs of life I take this moment to say..."From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere."