Little Life Moments

Another Season, Another Sport

2012-01-28T13:53:00.006-05:00

Kaden started his second sport last week. For the next 7 weeks our Saturday mornings will be spent learning, growing, watching, playing, and coaching basketball! Fun! He loves it already, and although we didn't think it possible to play any closer than our 4 minute commute to the soccer fields, we were wrong. This league is played a mere 2 minute drive from our front door! Gotta love it!

Managing and corralling little miss here, may be the most difficult part of this 7 week exercise. She thinks she's ready to play too! Soon enough little one, soon enough.

Marin and Dora

2012-01-24T08:43:00.000-05:00

Not sure how long the fascination lasts with most girls, but Marin still loves Dora. She's getting pretty good at this puzzle too.

Thanks Aunt Judy and Uncle Larry!

Martin Luther King Day

2012-01-22T08:38:00.000-05:00

Monday Kaden had the day off school. He got to come with Marin and I to Bible study, then we went to lunch with daddy. We got to try out a new restaurant downtown. It was a hot dog place and we all liked it. It was a fun treat to have lunch with daddy and to have Kaden home.

Christmas Break (the abbreviated photographic version)

2011-12-31T06:58:00.015-05:00

With a few minor exceptions we had a most glorious Christmas Break. The kids and I have had a great balance of staying home and going fun places with friends. Christmas weekend itself was a successful whirlwind as we celebrated 4 times in just over 48 hours with various sets of family. Our kids did amazingly well and I think they *may* be learning, gradually the joy of giving and the art of being thankful and patient at Christmas. They truly LOVED everything they received. So, without further ado, here is a brief recap of the past two weeks around our house. (Not that it matters to most of you, but these photos are NOT in chronological order...me and blogger have issues)

playing in the snow Dec. 27th

Kaden at Grandpa Mike and Grandma Teri's

Marin and Auntie

Brielle and I

Annelise and I

Cousins on the couch: Brielle and Marin

Grandpa Mike and Brayden eating pizza

Marin singing while she waits for her turn to open a present

Kaden's new Cardinal's sweatshirt from Grandma & Grandpa Steckel

Kaden with Grandma Steckel

Marin with her new Hello Kitty...the first thing out of her stocking at Grandma & Grandpa Steckel's

Reading the Christmas story at Gramie's house

Daddy opening his Christmas presents from the kids

Leaving cookies for Santa

Sprinkling reindeer food on the front yard

petting a real reindeer at WonderLab

Marin and the Dinosaur at WonderLab

Kaden at WonderLab

Catching a bubble...yep, at WonderLab

Making candy cane cookies (yummy, but hard for kids!)

fishing at Jolly Days at the Children's Museum

Kaden wore this hat, quite literally 24/7 for the two weeks leading up to Christmas...so cute!

The note Kaden wrote himself for Marin's present: "Marin, I hop (hope) you lic (like) my prasit (present) I got you so it is sbachil (special). Love Kaden"

Kaden hugging Marin for her gift to him

jumping on their new gift from Great Grandma Sauder

Christmas at the Zoo

2011-12-15T21:43:00.000-05:00

A fun annual tradition...wish we could somehow get a VIP pass, so we didn't have the fight the crowds. The kids loved the dolphin show, the polar bear, the tiger, the sea horses, and the penguins. We went early and were so glad because it got REALLY cold!

Stage Experience

2011-12-14T21:38:00.001-05:00

Sunday Kaden sang in his first Christmas program at church. He was in the front row and did SO well! He really listened to the directions and was so responsible with remembering what to do. I didn't get a picture of him on stage, but I'm going to ask around to see if anyone else got a good one.

Grinchy Tuesday @ the Library

2011-12-13T21:34:00.002-05:00

Tonight our local library had a Grinch themed event from 5-7pm. We didn't stay the entire time, but we did get to do a craft, see the Grinch, get the kids' pictures taken, listen to stories, and undecorate a Christmas tree. It was a fun event because it was so open ended and laid back, all of us could enjoy it. Hope you get a laugh out of these pictures!

Roger and Peggy Christmas card 2011

2011-12-07T11:14:00.002-05:00

Pictures Galore Christmas

Turn your favorite photos into Christmas cards at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

2011-12-06T14:51:00.004-05:00

Three!!!

2011-11-28T21:02:00.004-05:00

The cake

The birthday girl at her long awaited party with her much anticipated cake

("It's gonna taste nummy!")

Our big 3 year old!

Marin and I at dinner tonight at Red Robin

Marin opening her gift from Kaden

(he said watching her be so surprised and happy was the best part of his day)

Marin and her pillow pet from Kaden

(she said her pillow pet was the best part of her day!)

Marin with daddy

(not related to her birthday, but we needed a picture of daddy and his girl in here)

Halloween 2011

2011-11-04T14:00:00.008-04:00

I am wondering if I'd blog more if I just gave you photos instead of feeling like I needed to write something witty to go along with it. Who needs whit when you have kids this cute?

New Bike Rider

2011-10-01T10:30:00.000-04:00

Oh my...I really still can't believe this is true...but take a look for yourself and see who's the newest rider (with training wheels, of course) in our family! Hint: It's the same precious girl who will also be turning THREE in a couple months!

Fun Run

2011-09-29T10:24:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago Kaden had a fundraiser at school. It was unlike most fundraisers in that they did not sell anything. He simply ran/walked for 30 minutes and got pledges. It was a fun day overall (he had a cold, so the final lap was not much fun). Marin and I got to go watch. I was able to walk his last lap with him, but siblings were not allowed on the track, so Marin hung out happily with the other moms. Kaden's total was 7 laps, or just over 2 miles! Yea Kaden! Our vote is this was a great way to raise money for a school.

Soccer Star

2011-08-27T14:47:00.000-04:00

This is the highlight of our fall so far. Kaden is amazingly good (one could almost say embarrassingly good) and LOVES it. He's got one great coach too (daddy)!

First Day of Kindergarten

2011-08-24T15:13:00.003-04:00

Oh, so Kaden has been in Kindergarten for 2 weeks now. Yes, they started SUPER early this year (Aug. 10th) in an effort to have a longer Christmas break (can I start counting the days already). The first days were rough. Very rough, on all of us (well, all but Marin who is thriving in her new found role of "only child at home"). Today many others started kindergarten, so I decided I was finally up for posting these pictures.

Perhaps part of the difficulty starting kindergarten was because we've had such a wonderful summer. We've gotten to do so many small, but fun things as evidenced by the 200+ photos I'm trying to squeeze into a Shutterfly album without much luck. We've soaked up this summer, and starting a new routine is hard.

Kaden is going to all day every day kindergarten. It was a choice. I'm still questioning it. He's gone from 8am-4:15pm every day. It's long and he's tired. He loves lunch and recess and I think he's growing to enjoy almost everything else about his daily routine too.

Indianapolis Indians

2011-06-03T14:12:00.003-04:00

Last night was family night at the Indians game. We thought the kids would get a kick out of seeing a game and getting to go downtown at night. Plus, with buy one get one free tickets, how can you go wrong, right? We'll, it was better than we expected. We got four FREE tickets from a local bank, Jason was home early from work and the weather was near perfect for baseball watching (overcast and 80). We had a fun family experience for a grand total of $15! WOW, only God can orchestrate all those factors. Thank you Jesus for a fun frugal family memory. Here's "Hollywood" herself on the way to the game.Kaden's favorite part was seeing the home run and seeing a bat break.

Marin's favorite part was "eating my ice cream!" Hard to believe, eh?

Staying out until WAY past bed time was a bonus summer treat.

Fall Forcast

2011-06-02T09:37:00.003-04:00

Here's a hint at what fall (late summer actually) will look like around our house!

Easter 2011

2011-05-06T15:08:00.000-04:00

Easter at our house was not without the typical fanfare of egg hunts, baskets, fancy clothes and bunnies. It was a nice weekend, very nice actually, I just haven't taken the time to blog about it. So, before these pictures are old and outdated, here they are for your enjoyment.

my little cutie's grow'n up!

2011-05-05T15:03:00.002-04:00

Oh my! Everyone around here keeps telling me she's growing up and when I look I too can see it. She's no longer a toddler, but a little girl! She talking in complete sentences and asking inquisitive questions ("What are you two talking about?" "Can I have candy?") and she's potty trained. I had to take the photo last week because she looked so cute and the outfit she was wearing was a combination of hand-me-downs from 3 people (thanks Amber, Sara, and Karin!)!

Don't worry, we're squeezing those chubby legs and cheeks as often and as long as we can!

Sunday Morning in Spring

2011-04-26T15:00:00.000-04:00

He is Alive!

2011-04-24T00:00:00.001-04:00

Oh the Wonderful Cross, oh the Wonderful Cross bids me come and die and find that I may truly live. Oh the Wonderful Cross, oh the Wonderful Cross all who gather here by grace draw near and bless your name.

When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of glory died my richest gain I count but lost and pour contempt on all my pride...

Oh the Wonderful Cross, oh the Wonderful Cross bids me come and die and find that I may truly live. Oh the Wonderful Cross, oh the Wonderful Cross all who gather here by grace draw near and bless your name.

Easter Understanding from a 5 year old

2011-04-21T14:42:00.000-04:00

Today at breakfast Kaden prayed, "Thank you Jesus that part of your plan was Easter." Oh my! I loved it.

We've been doing Resurrection Eggs after dinner each night (if you haven't heard of them... You've gotta check them out! VERY COOL!). Last night we did the 7th egg which had 3 nails in it. So, we talked about how they hung Jesus on the cross. Then I asked him why Friday is called Good Friday when it's the day Jesus died. He did not hesitate long before he said, "Because Jesus took away our sins!" Praise God that boy has Truth in his precious heart! I am so stunned at his level of comprehension, memory and understanding.

Meanwhile Marin has found a new stall tactic for bedtime. She tells Jason she wants to put him to bed. She makes him go to his room, take off his shoes, get in bed, and get under the covers. Then she proceeds to sing him a song (usually Twinkle Twinkle) and pray for him. It's really cute!

Egg Hunt #1

2011-04-16T11:55:00.004-04:00

Today we went to an AMAZING egg hunt at Kaden's preschool. WOW was there a ton to do! After the egg hunt the kids bounced in the bounce house, listened to live worship music, Kaden got a tatoo, Marin played the duck pond game, Kaden played the ring toss and we all enjoyed popcorn. What a FUN and well planned event! I was soooo impressed and thankful to find a great family activity. It was wonderful to have Grandma and "Papa" Steckel here to provide extra hands with everything!

Preparing for Easter

2011-04-13T14:54:00.000-04:00

Piggies

2011-04-09T15:29:00.000-04:00

We love to read at our house. Kaden and Marin can often be found sitting in the play room with books spread all around them. Kaden has long been able to (mostly) remember the words to various books and can be heard "reading" them to himself while he's in his room. This morning he "read" this book to me. I love this book (Piggies by Don and Audrey Wood) and it was so fun to listen to him recite the words. He knew them almost perfectly along with when to turn the pages. He also had to point out some of the funny illustrations. Oh how I love these early stages of reading. I know it won't be long until he's reading on his own, so for now I will savor the joy of reading aloud to him as often as I can.

Potty Training=Doll House

2011-04-08T15:21:00.000-04:00

Marin has been potty training for several weeks. It has been a totally different experience than with Kaden. I was fully prepared to wait with her, but she's shown some serious interest. With Kaden, we told him when he went pee on the potty he would get a scooter. Well, the first time he went potty he looked up and me and said, "Where's my scooter?" With Marin we didn't mention a potty training "prize" until recently (to encourage her to poop on the potty). Now, granted she's not TOTALLY, completely trained, but she is well on her way. She is out of pull-ups and wearing undies during the day (all of her own initiation). I think we have only had to change wet pants two or three times this week. So, last night when she FINALLY pooped on the potty, she got her doll house as a reward. She is excited and we are very proud (and relieved that it wasn't a 6 month process this time!).

Cake Pops

2011-04-07T15:19:00.000-04:00

My newest craft-y experience. In short: fun, time consuming, and YUM!

Monkey Joe's

2011-04-06T15:14:00.001-04:00

This week we had spring break. While we didn't go anywhere warm or do anything fantastically exciting, we did have a chance to do a few fun, out of the ordinary things. Visiting a "bounce house place" was one such thing. Both kids enjoyed it (and got quite worn out I may add). We hope to go back again in the future.

Family Party

2011-04-05T14:25:00.001-04:00

Saturday Kaden celebrated his birthday with our extended family. He had looked forward to the day for months and it did not disappoint. He was surrounded by grandmas and grandpas who adore him and they showered him with love, attention and gifts. I always love getting to see my children interact with our families, but as they grown older it's even more fun to listen to the conversations that take place. This year he REALLY liked all of his gifts (even the clothes) and was able to play with each and everything he received. I'm so proud of the little man he's becoming (but more on that in another post) and the happy, fun, polite (usually) boy he is to be around.

**My dad is the only one who I didn't get a picture of! Ugh! Hate when that happens. Sorry dad! Unfortunately he spent the better part of the day trying to convience Marin he wouldn't pretend to use her new pony tissues again! Who'd have thought that would upset her.

Friend Party

2011-04-04T14:15:00.000-04:00

This was the first year Kaden invited friends over for his birthday. We just had 4 and 3 of them were our neighbors. They came after dinner and played, ate cupcakes and then Kaden opened his gifts. It was neat to watch Kaden learn how to treat his friends like guests, see them all play and interact, and help Kaden practice showing genuine appreciation to each of them for their gift and for coming. I never imagined what a hands-on learning experience it would be. At all ages, I'm so aware of the joy friends bring into our lives.

Little O turns 1

2011-04-03T14:07:00.000-04:00

We have been babysitting little O part time since last June. In March she turned one and we had the honor of being invited to her birthday party. The kids were very excited to be included. Marin ended up having a fever, so she stayed home and Kaden and I went. It was so sweet to see her reach with excitement to Kaden. It's like he's her brother too. She squealed when we came to the door. What fun it has been to love on another baby and watch her learn and grow! We love you little O!

Rain Walk

2011-04-02T14:06:00.000-04:00

Love this. I pray these two can always stay close and enjoy the simple things like walking to the mailbox in the rain.

Pirate Party

2011-04-01T13:59:00.001-04:00

Kaden went to a fun pirate birthday party in early March for a friend from his old preschool who we stay in contact with. What fun!

Indoor Water Park (Feb 2011)

2011-03-13T17:28:00.004-04:00

Not much time or motivation to blog lately, and for some reason, I'm having trouble adding pictures where I want them. However, we've had lots of fun life events to share. So...these next several posts will be mostly pictures!

In late February we enjoyed a fun weekend at our local water park with Grandma & Grandpa Steckel. It was a great break from the ordinary (and getting dull) activities of winter.

Thanks for a fun weekend Grandma and Grandpa Steckel!

A Dream Come True for Kaden

2011-03-01T21:56:00.003-05:00

A couple weeks back Kaden got to do something he's wanted to do since Christmas...ride on a snowmobile. He loved it! I have a feeling we'll have more photos like this in our future!

Milestone Week

2011-02-23T20:12:00.004-05:00

This week has seemed monumental on many occasions at our house.

First, Marin started wearing these:

and doing more and more of this:

Then, Kaden's bottom front tooth started looking like this:

And finally we ended today looking like this:

I *sniff* on the other *sniff* hand have been *sniff* bonding with the *sniff* tissue box!

Not really, but oh my! Slow down my precious children!

I'm trying to soak it all in...let's not rush it!

My Two Snuggle Bugs

2011-02-09T20:46:00.001-05:00

When it's 16 degrees out, just looking at this picture will warm you up!

(photos from last week's ice/snow storm coming soon)

Coffee-Mate Party & Muffin Exchange

2011-02-05T08:18:00.006-05:00

Last night I enjoyed the privilege of hosting a Coffee-Mate Flavor tasting party for a few friends. We had a smaller than anticipated turn out, but it was super fun to relax and enjoy each other's company by a warm fire over a cup (or two, or three) of coffee. I asked each of my guest to bring a dozen muffins, so we sampled the muffins along with our coffee. My guests all enjoyed sampling both new and older creamer flavors from Coffee-mate, and all of us had at least two cups of coffee. At the end of the night we bagged up a collection of the remaining muffins to take to our families. Each guest left with a fun goodie bag from Coffee-mate and I was also able to hand out two "door prizes": a nice red apron and a fancy leather bound recipe book. It was a great night and much needed after a week of crazy weather.

Caption This...

2011-01-28T19:36:00.001-05:00

I'm sure there has to be a clever title out there for this photo, I just can't think of it. Any ideas?

Go Colts!

2011-01-09T12:12:00.000-05:00

(photos taken January 2, 2011)

Christmas 2011 Recap

2011-01-07T19:33:00.000-05:00

Ok, so it's been almost two weeks since Christmas. Our decorations are down, the wrapping is all tossed, and we're home from our short trip to Illinois. We had a really nice Christmas weekend and have plenty of pictures to help us remember our fun for years to come. Here are a few:

Likely Kaden's favorite gift...his remote control ("that you don't have to charge") car from Marin.

Marin's most unusual Christmas present...VERY girlie flip-flops for next summer.

Kaden and mommy on Christmas Eve (it wasn't cold inside, he'd just been given a really cool hand-me-down coat from my cousins, so he chose to wear it most of the weekend)

Kaden, daddy and Grandpa plowing snow on Christmas morning. They got about 6 inches, so we had lots of white stuff to play in!

Marin and mommy in the snow. I may never has been as glad to have a pair of Carhart bibs to borrow as I was on Christmas! They were WARM!
Christmas Day with Grandma and Grandpa Steckel

Marin and her stocking at Grandma and Grandpa's house.
Marin with her brother's new magnifing glass.

This is how you'd find Kaden on and off all weekend...wearing his motorcycle helment (that wasn't even a Christmas present).

My mom with all the grandkids (ages 1, 2, days away from 3, and 4.5)

Marin's new doll and high chair

Dad and Teri with all the grandkids

Marin and Brayden...so cute together!

Dad trying on Kaden's night vision goggles...another favorite. Is anyone else seeing a pattern in what Kaden likes to do? Seems items you wear and dressing up are high among his current favorite activities. If you're ever at our house for a day, this will quickly be validated!

Visit with Santa & a Jolly Time at the Museum

2010-12-21T12:22:00.007-05:00

Yesterday we had the rare opportunity to hit the children's museum with some of our favorite neighbors. The kids had a grand time, especially enjoying the special winter exhibit. They baked cookies, ice skated (in socks), brushed reindeer, had a (fake) snow ball fight, slide down a hill like penguins, sat on Santa's lap, and went down the giant slide. They also hit the ever-favorite dinosaur exhibit. Oh how thankful I am for a FANTASTIC local Children's museum, especially in the winter when we need to get out of the house. I'm also thankful for good friends to share the fun with us.

Marin's first time on Santa's lap. She liked it and told him she wanted a "cookie" for Christmas! So sweet!

Kaden told Santa a couple of the top items on his list (Hot Wheels race track and a Colts jersey) and Santa kept saying "and what else?" UGH! Verbalizing a laundry list really isn't something I want my children to associate with Christmas.

Marin helps brush Comet.

Kaden thoroughly enjoys the snowball fight and was sweating afterwards.

Kaden bakes cookies. Inside this pretend oven, it even smelled like cookies!

Marin LOVED sliding down this slide on her belly, like a penguin. I seriously think she went down 20+ times!

Checking out the dinosaurs on the computer.

Kaden's best dinosaur growl!

Going down the giant slide! Kaden and Marin are on the right.

Christmas at the Zoo

2010-12-13T17:39:00.000-05:00

This weekend was our dedicated "do Christmas things" weekend. Friday night it was WARM (like 40 degrees!), so we bundled up and headed to see the lights at the zoo. Kaden and Jason have been to this for the past 2 years with our neighbors, but this was the first year for Marin and I. It was fun, but BOY, O BOY were there a TON of people! We finally decided to just stay outside (instead of trying to go inside to see anything) and look at the lights and not try to find the animals. The inside exhibits were EXTREMELY crowded and made me claustrophobic!

We were really excited (and thankful!) to get the kids a zoo membership from my Grandma Sauder for Christmas. I'm looking forward to getting to take them to the zoo many times this coming year. We love our Children's Museum membership and I'm hoping we love our zoo one just as much.

First Snow & Santa Parade

2010-12-10T19:51:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we had our first snow of the year and it was BEAUTIFUL! It wasn't much, but covered everything and was enough for the kids to go out to play in it twice in one day! They had a ball (well, except when Marin did a faceplant in the snow and when she tipped out of the saucer sled...). We were lucky that Grandma Steckel was staying with us, so she helped me get the kids in and out of their snow clothes THREE times. In the evening we all bundled up and went to our town's Santa Parade. It was cold, but really it's an event you can't skip since it's the only evening parade in town and it's just so fun to see everything in lights.

Santa Breakfast

2010-12-05T19:42:00.006-05:00

Saturday morning, bright and early (7am!), Kaden and I went to our second annual Santa Breakfast at the local middle school. It was great fun. This year Kaden was much more interested in the crafts and had a BALL trying out instruments at the "instrument petting zoo". He played the trombone, trumpet, marimba, gong, cymbals, snare drum, base drum, violin, and clarinet. I think we have a musician on our hands!

Mom's Christmas Card 2010

2010-11-30T17:29:00.002-05:00

Classic Black Christmas

Shop Shutterfly for elegant custom Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

This is the photo card I created for my mom on Shutterfly.com. I actually have made Shutterfly Christmas cards for many years and this year made them for our family, mom, and Jason's parents all to send out as Christmas cards. Hope none of you are on mom's Christmas card list! (Shutterfly has offered me a $25 gift certificate for posting this on my blog! yea for me!)

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T20:40:00.007-04:00

To say the kids have been looking forward to Halloween this year would be an understatement. Kaden has been counting down the days for the past week and Marin has been saying " happy ween" every time she sees our door banner the past couple days. What a fun evening we had with our neighborhood friends. It's become a tradition to start out with pictures by our front door and we did great to get a TON of kids all looking at the cameras this year.

The big kids then separated ahead of the younger ones and went to the houses together, taking turns ringing doorbells and *trying* to patiently wait for the younger set to catch up after each house. Marin LOVED walking by herself and going to each door.

She proudly carried her candy and by the end would put it in her bag and say "more" as in, she wanted to go to more houses. Also by the end she was asking for "lollies", her favorite candy. She was so cute, she usually got exactly what she asked for.

After a good hour of trick or treating we circled back around to our house. Marin went up to bed and Kaden and I went with our friends Jen and Owen to the local fire stations open house.

I'd call the entire evening a success. Especially considering the fact that a certain 4 year old hasn't stopped talking about firemen and has been wearing his snow boots, winter coat, and fire helmet around all week putting out "fires" around the house. Today he even made an air tank out of paper to put on his back. Yes, I'll call that success indeed.

Feast with the Witches

2010-10-29T10:24:00.000-04:00

This past Saturday we went to our second annual Feast with the Witches at the Children's Museum. Our group grew this year and we had 4 adults and 7 children all from our neighborhood. In case you're not familiar with the Feast with the Witches, here's the low down. You get to dress up in your costume, eat breakfast with many museum volunteers dressed up like witches, get your face painted, see some entertainment, and go through the haunted house with the lights on. It's really a fun time! Here are some pictures to prove it!

Pumpkin Painting

2010-10-21T21:15:00.005-04:00

This is what we did this morning. Amazingly, BOTH kids LOVED it and it they actually painted until the paint ran out (as opposed to the 2 minutes I anticipated).

Fall at Town Hall

2010-10-20T14:38:00.006-04:00

Our town has a hay bale decorating contest. Unique, yes, and also an amazingly fun time (and did I mention ... FREE????). This year there were 90 entries all displayed at town hall (by a busy street which makes for lots of backed up traffic, I might add). We went to check them out Sunday night. It was a perfect evening and the kids had a ball running from one entry to the next. Kaden quickly picked out his favorite (bonus points if you can quess which one it is). It didn't take long, but we all thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact, the kids are asking to go back. The display only lasts until next week, so I guess I better get them over there again. Not sure which they liked more:the hay bales or running in the green, green grass afterwards.

Pretty Girl

2010-10-11T15:48:00.000-04:00

Marin is inching closer to 2 daily! She's learning to say more and more words and is getting more independent. She got tubes in her ears last month, so we're hoping that positively affects both her health and her behavior (she got extremely fussy when she had an ear infection).

We love our little girl and can't believe how quickly she's growing up!

The Start of Fall

2010-10-07T15:43:00.000-04:00

Fall just started around here. The temperatures are FINALLY cooling off and we've had our windows open for a couple weeks enjoying the cool nights.

Here's what the kids are up to getting ready for a fall filled with fun.

Marin totes around a pumpkin just her size from Grandma and Grandpa Steckel.

Kaden sports his Halloween costume. The day it came in the mail (I found a deal on eBay), he wore it almost all day and wanted to sleep in it! Guess we chose the right costume this year. He's our little racer in the making!

Scary Fall?

2010-10-05T15:38:00.004-04:00

Do these pictures mean we have a scary fall coming up? I don't think so. Cute maybe, hilarious even, but not scary!

**Kaden got these fun glasses from a class trip to the local eye doctor. They've provided many laughs!**

1st Day of Preschool

2010-08-18T21:31:00.000-04:00

Kaden started his second year of preschool on Monday. This year he's going to a new school. He was excited from the start and walked right in without a tear or even turning back to say "good-bye". I'm so proud of him and it's so amazing to see how much he's grown in confidence from a year ago. He talked and talked about his day and really seemed to like the new program. He told me Tuesday morning that he wants to go to school every day, not just Monday, Wednesday and Friday! His favorite part was the toys (especially the two seat-er race car and the doll house with stairs) and he said he didn't have a worst part. He's growing so fast! I really need to savor this year. Kindergarten is coming way too quickly.

Indiana State Fair 2010

2010-08-17T21:24:00.008-04:00

Last week, on one of the HOTTEST days of the summer, we hit the state fair. Kaden LOVED the state fair last year and it is one event that he has talked about and remembered all year long. He couldn't wait to go again.

This year Jason joined us. We got there bright and early and spent the morning looking at tractors, feeding goats, seating, tasting ice cream, sweating, eating corn dogs, watching the pig races, sweating, working the kids farm, sweating, seeing the animals and sweating some more. By the time we left at just after noon, all of us were HOT and tired! It was lots of fun, but next year I'm praying for cooler weather!

4th of July

2010-07-09T15:12:00.004-04:00

We had a ton of fun last weekend. Here's a few of the things we were up to:

Friday night Jas and I went to an adult birthday party for a great lady from church, Saturday the kids and I went to the local parade then to the library, Saturday night we had friends over for dinner, Sunday night Kaden and I went to the fireworks and Monday we enjoyed having another day off! Hurray for Independence Day Weekend!

Milestones

2010-07-01T14:29:00.000-04:00

Today is our 10 year anniversary...TEN years! WOW! I'm not that old, how can that be? I'm very proud of how far we've come and what we've made of our life. It hasn't/isn't always easy, but I know we're both changing and God is working on us individually and as a couple, for the betterment of our marriage and our family. Thank you Jesus!

In other news...Kaden learned to ride his bike without training wheels last night. See?

I also joyfully harvested the "first fruits" of our garden this week. They just happened to be two 5 inch banana peppers. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the other 5+ banana peppers that are hanging there. The past two I put on top of hash brown quiche and nachos.

Our tomato plants have 40+ tomatoes growing on them! I'm anxiously awaiting canning day, when I'm hoping to have lovely cans of red sauce to show you!

Hmmm...what else has happened since that day long ago when I last posted? Let's see...both kids currently have their toes painted. Yes, I said both. It was hard to get Marin to get past her fear that the polish was going to hurt. Kaden on the other hand, begged me to paint his, even after the "other people may make fun of you" chat. He sat very still.

Think that's all for now. I'll try not to be a stranger, but, as it is summer...not sure that's a promise I can keep!

Summer's a Coming...

2010-06-05T09:17:00.000-04:00

...and judging from the start of things, it's gonna be a HOT one!

Race Weekend

2010-06-02T13:07:00.000-04:00

This was the first year we really took note of the Indy 500. The kids and I went to the track a month or so ago, we've been following along with all the fun May activities around here, and listening to news updates about the drivers and car positions. We even actually listened to the race on Sunday and enjoyed knowing what was happening just down the road.

Kaden has been asking Jason to get his old motorcycle helmet out of the attic for about a week. I'm not sure this has anything to do with all the talk about "the race", but it coincided none the less. Here are some pictures of my favorite racers.

The big manly racer...

...our pint-sized feminine racer.

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-05-31T12:55:00.000-04:00

On Sunday we took a little jaunt and met Jason's parents at The Beef House for dinner. It was SUPER good and fun to get out and about. The kids loved it....especially when, as we were leaving, a helicopter landed in the grassy field right next to the parking lot! Both kids were ecstatic!

This one may need some explanation...the sun was in Kaden's eyes, so here he's holding his eyes open for the photo!

As you may or may not have noticed, I had a ball dressing the kids in red, white, and blue stars and stripes in honor of Memorial Day. Both had totally fun themed outfits that were handed down to them!

Bath Tub Buddies

2010-05-12T16:24:00.001-04:00

I'm not sure these pictures need any words... These two have been bathing together since they were young. Neither of them would have it ANY OTHER WAY. Kaden will even choose to take another bath, even if he's clean, just to splash around with Marin. They recently discovered laying down as a means to rinse out their shampoo. Oh that these days of simple, "clean" fun could last forever!

Mother's Day 2010

2010-05-10T13:47:00.001-04:00

We were all set to have a VERY productive Mother's Day weekend. I wrote out a wish list of things I wanted to get done, we had little else planned for the weekend, we were set to go. Well, Saturday was COLD. Not just a little chilly, it was actually COLD outside. I think it may have reached 50 later in the day, but needless to say, we did not get done what we had hoped to do on Saturday.

Thank goodness for Sunday. The sun was out, the weather warmer, and even with fewer hours to be productive, we got a ton done! Here's what we did (and by we, yes, I mean the entire family, although I'm not sure much of what either child did could be considered "helping"):

Flag hung by the front door and planted large pot of flowers(OK, so it's not really large enough for you to notice it in this picture, but it is there...right side, green pot)

Hanging basket and Shepard's hook "installed"

Flowers planted around the front tree

Vegetable garden plotted and planted! Yea! I can't wait to start seeing those little seedlings sprout up!

We also had a yummy steak dinner. Thanks Jas for making this a fun day for me!

Marin 17 Months

2010-05-03T10:12:00.001-04:00

Yep, it's true...my baby girl will soon be one and a half! I can't believe it!!! At the same time as I watch all she's learning and seeing her grow, I can believe it. Every day she's getting to be more of a toddler and less of "baby". Sad, yes. Exciting, absolutely.

Next on her list of things to accomplish: Pacifier Detox Week. YIKES!

Life is Good

2010-04-26T18:58:00.000-04:00

Sunday in the frozen food aisle of Kroger, God Himself smiled on me!

Honestly, how else can you explain the discovery of this:

in Indiana?????

I am reunited with (one of) the loves of my life!

***insert Hallelujah Chorus here***

Little Chef

2010-04-25T08:44:00.000-04:00

Taking the term"little chef" to a new level of delicious cute-ness!

Chocolate War

2010-04-23T08:42:00.001-04:00

Can't say the girl's not picking her battles now can you?

No Fooling....April 13, 2010!

2010-04-13T20:14:00.001-04:00

Yes, you read the date right. It's only April and this is what we were up to today:

Call me crazy (I won't be offended), but it was HOT (our back yard has NO afternoon shade) and I knew both kids would get a kick out of splashing in the kiddie pool. After retrieving said pool from the attic, blowing it up, finding and attaching a hose to the closest location, and filling it all of 2 inches, we were in business. Kaden played and played and played. Marin took awhile to warm up to it (no, the water never did warm up, it was like ICE!), but soon loved splashing around. I had to strip her to her onesie and even then she was soaking wet. She especially loved playing with the purple ball Kaden brought in. Imagine the fun these two are going to have this summer. All without leaving the comforts of our very own back yard! (they will be clad in swim suits this summer though!)

Summer Weather in the April

2010-04-10T12:03:00.000-04:00

Here's a pictorial of what we've been up to the past week. Can you say, outside, outside and more outside? What fabulous weather! Here's hoping we can get some yard work done this weekend!

How DOES this happen?

2010-04-08T19:54:00.000-04:00

Really, could someone clarify? I just don't understand how this happens! Was I sleeping? Did I blink? Literally yesterday I had this big beautiful baby boy and now he's four! He's bargaining like a teenager, picking out his own clothes, making his bed, riding a bike, and going to preschool. Note to self: Do Not Blink or Sleep for the next 10 years! Who knows what I'll wake up to find!

Happy 4th Birthday Kaden!

2010-04-05T20:17:00.000-04:00

We had a VERY fun day celebrating Kaden. He's old enough that he helped "plan" certain aspects of the day and was really looking forward to "everyone" coming. He's been to two parties for his classmates in the past month, so I was worried he'd want friends to come this year (which just isn't possible with out of town family all coming). He asked once, but didn't bring it up again. And, after the big day, when asked what his favorite part of the day was, his reply was "Having all the grandmas and grandpas come."

Playing outside with Grandma Steckel

Marin and Daddy (this may have been one of the twenty minutes Marin wasn't crying on party day! Poor girl is just getting over an ear ache that lasted about a month.)

Birthday boy!

Enjoying his new balance bike (notice, no pedals)

Oh my, a real guitar! It is a lot easier on the ears than the 50 cent garage sale one he's been playing for a year!

The cake. Only my second Wilton cake and I was pleased with how it turned out (tasted yummy too...I like to use almond extract instead of vanilla). It did take me forever to decorate though...we're talking at least 3 hours! Whew! I wasn't quite ready to let everyone eat it . I was thinking more along the lines of museum display for a week or so, then cut into it!

Daddy, Grandpa Steckel and the kids

Florida Favorites

2010-03-28T14:33:00.000-04:00

I'm quite certain you'd rather not view all 164 photos from our trip to Florida last week, so here are a few highlights.

Sitting at the bus stop...one of our daily rituals.

The girls

Enjoying the beach! I once again realized just how much I *heart* the beach!

Love. Love. Love it!

(you may remember this photo from last year)
The "OH MY GOODNESS" she is clone photo

My sister and my niece

Marin LOVED her first time swimming. She is delightfully brave.

Marin and Grammie. Our trip was a style show for her of all the AWESOME clothes she just got from Miss Sara, Leah and Carly!

Cousins minus the littlest guy

Kaden turned 4 while we were there... where does the time go?

Kaden and Brayden with great Grandma

This is a family tradition...the second youngest steals the baby's carseat

Memories are made of THIS!

Up next: Kaden's 4th Birthday Party!

Prayers and a Plan for Teaching Easter

2010-03-17T10:21:00.000-04:00

Hi again! Remember me...the lady who tries to keep this blog updated? It has fallen down a couple notches on my priority list, so hence, the long lapses between posts. Here are a few recent pictures.

The kids and I leave TODAY!!! for Florida. I'm begging for your prayers. This year my mom, sister, niece and nephew are flying separate from my kids and I, so I will be traveling alone. Please pray. Pray for peace, organization, happy and cooperative kids, easy time through security, and a quick, safe, calm flight. Marin will be on my lap the entire flight, which is my biggest concern. Also pray we all (4 adults and 4 kids) can enjoy each other and communicate/relate well to each other. I'm sure I'm going to have some GREAT stories to tell when I return.

On another note, can you believe it's spring? WOW! Yea! Didn't 2010 just start? Kaden will be turning 4 while we're in Florida and I just can't believe how quickly time is going by, especially since we've had kids. Unreal! So, spring begins. Easter is around the corner. Have you thought about how you're going to teach/talk to your child about the TRUE meaning of Easter. I've been challenged to be intentional and informative and I'm really excited to get started. I did something similar at Christmas and was blown away by the results. So, if you're interested in seeing my plan for what/how I'm going to teach Easter to Kaden you can check out my outline (it's a 12 day "program"), you can e-mail me at alleciasteckel @ earthlink.net (no spaces) and I'll send it to you. I tried to figure out how to put a link to it on here, but I can't figure it out and don't have any more time to try.

Check back with you in a few days!!!

Cute and Crazy

2010-02-26T13:25:00.000-05:00

It's been awhile since I've posted any pictures or updates of Marin. She's 15 months already and moving all over the place. She has a new infatuation with the dog, loves cheese, knows where her nose is, her hair is getting quite long (esp. on top!), claps when she hears music, likes to be held, and is a signing pro. She just started attending the Bible Study Kaden and I go to and seems to enjoy it (i.e. there's no separating issues). She and I also just finished her first "session" of baby story time at the library. She was an adventurous one...never really sitting and paying attention to the story, but always up walking around. She did get the hang of it more by the last week and I could tell she really had fun with the songs and rhymes. Next week she goes in for her well visit with the dr., so I'll have stats and comparisons then.

Bob the Builder Exhibit

2010-02-23T17:03:00.000-05:00

Our local Children's Museum has a Bob the Builder exhibit for the next several months. Kaden and I had been looking forward to checking it out and we weren't disappointed. We could have spent our entire visit there (it did get crowded as the morning went on though). There were TONS of things to do, many if not all of the machines to sit on, and even a book corner. It was a great place for Marin too, because she could crawl around and explore. It was a bit tricky keeping them both in my field of vision! Here are some of my favorite photos of our fun visit to the exhibit!

Marin and Pilchard

Kaden, Bob and Pilchard

Kaden and Muck

Kaden and Lofty

Kaden in Benny

Kaden trying to fix a sink in JJ's workshop. He spent a majority of his time here and LOVED all the hands on projects. It was so fun to watch him "work".

Marin assisting Kaden with the faucet project.

Kaden in Rolley

Kaden and Dizzy

Kaden and Scoop

We have plans to head back to the museum later this week and I'm SURE we'll be hitting this area again. If you're in our neck of the woods before June, be sure to stop by...I'll almost guarentee your whole family will enjoy it.

Quotables

2010-02-21T16:58:00.000-05:00

Kaden: "Mom, if you were on the menu I'd order you."

Kaden to Marin: "Marin, if you do that again, I'm going to sell you at the garage sale."

It's been a rather nasty weekend around here. Marin came down with the flu on Wednesday night and by Friday night we'd all been hit. We spent all of Saturday in various stages of sick and recovery. Today has been more of the same. I'm VERY done with the flu, but oh so thankful it wasn't last weekend when I was having a great time in Columbus, or during the week when Jason is gone all day at work, or next weekend when I'm suppose to attend a women's conference at church. Gotta look on the bright side, right?

As for my lack of posts, I'll try to post a more upbeat one with photos later this week!

Swim Lessons---Take 2

2010-01-30T20:27:00.000-05:00

Kaden had his first set of swimming lessons in September. I can't remember if I wrote about it here, but suffice it to say, it was traumatic for both of us. I was not impressed at all with the maturity or skill of the teachers, the water was FRIGID, and the head instructor was very loud, unsympathetic, and demanding. (I was going to add a picture here, but it makes me sad just looking at them, remembering how he cried on and off through the entire 45 minute lesson every day even though trying to be brave, and was so cold because he spent most of the lesson sitting on edge of the pool...so, no sad picture)

Inadvertently, I quite literally ran into a local indoor water park that offers swim lessons. The price was reasonable, the staff knowledgeable, and the water WARM (85 degrees compared to the previous 70 degrees is HUGE, especially to a 3 year old!). I was cautiously impressed on our first visit with both the facility and the staff. Kaden hesitated the first two lessons, but hasn't looked back since. He asks to go to swim lessons and he has FUN! He's moving his arms, blowing bubbles, kicking with a noodle both on his belly and on his back, and jumping in! I am so thrilled. It's not a battle any more and he hasn't been left with a "bad taste in his mouth" due to our first experience. Praise the Lord!

This week he has his final two lessons of the session. Now I have to decide whether to sign him up for the next session. Guess it's good to have that option instead of counting the hours until it's all over!

Forgot to mention...he is one of three students in his group and he really likes the two other little girls.

This is what Marin does for the 35 minutes while Kaden has his lesson...plays and snacks in her stroller. If given a choice, she'd be in that water too!

Overheard

2010-01-25T11:28:00.000-05:00

While trimming his finger and toe nails the other day Kaden asked to see one of the clipped toe nails. So, I gave him the largest one off his big toe. He looked at it awhile and held it. Then he turned to me and said, "Can I keep this for decoration?" What?!?! I mean, where did that come from? After laughing out loud the answer was an emphatic "no, toe nails are not decoration!"

(We recently installed a bulletin board in his room where he hangs up misc. pictures and memorabilia. Perhaps he thought a toe nail would fall into the "needs to be displayed" category...who knows.)

SN*OW

2010-01-15T13:44:00.001-05:00

These pictures are from our first "big" snow of the year last week. It was chilly, but I bundled the kids up and out we went. If I was sweating before I got outside (and I was!), I was glistening greatly by the time our walk was finished. Pulling 60+ pounds worth of children through 4-5 inches of fresh snow was A LOT of WORK! The best part was as we started walking and I heard Kaden say, "Weeeee!" and Marin (who was sitting between his legs) started giggling! Made it totally worth all the effort!

This is Marin dressed in Kaden's old (24 month) coat and 2T snow pants (they were SO BIG, but so warm). She was so bundled she could barely sit up without falling over...here, she fell over!

Ready to ride!

Marin LOVED being outside in the snow!

Snow buddies

This is one of the things Kaden likes to do in the snow...shovel it. He also likes to 1)drives his big monster truck (garage sale find this summer) through it and 2) use a piece of scrap wood board as a snow plow and "plow" the yard.

Photographic Christmas Recap

2010-01-05T20:25:00.001-05:00

Ok, so I'm WAY late and TOTALLY not into blogging lately, so bear with me. I had close to 200 pictures on my camera, these are just a few favorites.

Here's a quick recap of our very fun Christmas:

Christmas Eve morning at our house (Marin's room opening gifts)

Kaden gets Cars Memory

Marin gets tired of waiting for breakfast, so she snacks on Kaden's new walkie talkies

Marin likes her new drum (and other instruments) set. This photo is followed by a break in photos for several hours while we travel to Illinois.

Christmas Eve with Grandma and Grandpa Steckel

Forget the Cheerleader, this girl's going straight for starting quarterback!

Kaden gets Cranky for his Thomas train set!

Climbing on daddy

Christmas morning...my first time holding new nephew Brayden John!

All the kiddos...between my sis and I, we currently have 4 under the age of 4. It was SO fun to see them together.

Kaden and daddy at Auntie's house on Christmas morning

My mom (gramie) and my kids on Christmas night at my aunt Ellen's.

Jason's dad (Grandpa Steckel) with Marin

Great Grandma Steckel and the kids...we don't usually get to see her, so it was a treat to have her come to town for a few days.

The kids with Grandma and Grandpa Steckel

Final Christmas get together with my grandma, dad and Teri at Auntie's. Here all the kids get a picture with Great Grandma Finley. Check out Brayden's Santa outfit...so cute!

Kaden and Grandpa Mike

Kaden loving on baby Brayden with Great Grandma Finley and Grandma Teri

Daddy and Marin...needing to head home, but not wanting the fun to end!

Shhhhh.....It's a Surprise!

2009-12-24T06:41:00.000-05:00

The kids and I went and had this picture taken Monday as a surprise for Daddy for Christmas!

I'm not sure if it (the surprise) will last that long!

Breakfast with Santa

2009-12-21T20:24:00.000-05:00

A couple weeks ago Kaden got to go to the local middle school for a "Breakfast with Santa" event. WOW! What an event it was! Crafts, games, breakfast, middle school musicians, face painting, Santa, cookie decorating, and a Santa Shoppe. It was 3 hours long, but Kaden wasn't interested in many of the crafts, so we didn't stay the entire time. Still totally worth the $8 per person ticket price for the amount of Christmas fun.

Focused. Centered. Grounded.

2009-12-17T12:54:00.001-05:00

Those words describe what I desire Christmas to be in our family. Focused on the birth of our Savior King. Centered on the spiritual gift of Christmas. Grounded in Truth and void of greed.

How can I accomplish this goal? This goal which seems so unattainable and lofty in a world so full of self and stuff!

One step at a time. This is my only hope for change. One step at a time with a desire and commitment to continue taking steps on this journey. Even though I know it will be like running a race uphill (with a 50 pound backpack), my children's souls depend on my dedication to taking steps.

This year it is a chain. A count down to Christmas chain. Each day we focus on one part of the Christmas story, one Biblical Truth, or one song/hymn of hope. I am blown away by what Kaden comprehends and how much he can remember from day to day. It is amazing what 5-7 minutes a day can add up to over 20 days. My efforts are bearing fruit.

Now...how do I put into practice what I'm teaching? How do we keep the chaos which surrounds December 25th focused, centered, and grounded? How do I show my children that Christmas is Jesus in the midst of a 24 hour (or longer) gift getting blizzard? How? Someone tell me how? My heart longs to change the past patterns and put in place meaningful, enjoyable, relaxed traditions that point away from self to the One in the manger.

Can I challenge you? (this IS my blog, so I guess I can)

What step are you making toward the manger and away from the mall this year?

Pictures with Gramie

2009-12-15T13:24:00.001-05:00

Mom got the kids all darling Christmas outfits, then had her picture taken with them to send out as her Christmas cards. It was quite an ordeal just to get two kids dressed up and smiling, so, at least for this year, I'm glad my sister and I didn't try to get one of all 4 of them together. The pictures did turn out cute though.

My sister's cuties. Brielle (almost 2) and Brayden (born Nov. 18th).

Santa Siblings

2009-12-14T13:19:00.001-05:00

Thank you CVS for the fun, free Santa hats...I'm looking forward to many more years of pictures like this one!

Eye Candy

2009-12-01T16:18:00.000-05:00

Here's something to feast your eyes on until I get my act together and get another, more meaty post written!

Happy 1st Birthday Sweet Marin!

2009-11-25T14:37:00.000-05:00

Marin turned one at the end of November! OH MY! How does time go so quickly? Well, we had her party all planned for the weekend before her actual birthday, since her birthday falls so close to Thanksgiving. We also had baby dedication at our church, so we figured why not roll it all into one big celebration. Yes, I was a bit over ambitious! Needless to say, things didn't turn out as planned...Kaden had some type of flu (4 day fever), so we rolled all the celebrating into one day, Sunday. It was fun and Marin LOVED every part of it.

Here are the pictures, again, better late than never (is this the new mantra for my life? I think from November-January it just may be!)

Marin and Gramie

Marin and Grandma Steckel before Baby Dedication (thanks Auntie for the cute dress!!!!)

Kaden and Grandpa Steckel

Marin in her new "car" from mommy and daddy

Marin in her new chair on her new phone

Getting ready for cake (she loved the hat!)

Cupcake was a HIT!

Mommy's birthday girl

Birthday girl with daddy and Grandpa Steckel

Getting snuggles from big brother

Purely Random Pictures

2009-11-13T10:30:00.000-05:00

First pony tail

Outside in the sun...in November! Life is good!

Thinking about walking

This is what happens when your mom tries to make a knotted lovey without reading directions

"Beaver" teeth from Grandpa Mike: Scary, no. Hilarious, yes!

Halloween 2009

2009-11-04T19:55:00.000-05:00

We had a super fun Halloween weekend last weekend. Dad, Teri, and my Grandma came to visit. How fun it was to have family around to share the excitement! Kaden liked dressing up, LOVED having Grandpa Mike, Grandma Teri and Great Grandma around, and had fun trick or treating with his friends. Marin hung out in the stroller. She was tired, but didn't make a peep the entire hour we were out. Kaden was ready to quit after an hour (even though his friends kept going) because I told him he could eat a piece of candy when we got home and, well, he spotted the candy he wanted...a FULL SIZE Snickers bar! After that indulgence, he passed out candy, raked leaves off the front side walk and chatted to his friends.

What a great year of Halloween celebrating!

Marin with Great Grandma

Our sweet Bee

Buzz, the Firefighter and his trusty Dalmatian dog (baby brother)

The Neighborhood Gang

Trick or Treating (aka: racing to see who could ring the door bell)

Buzz retires early to enjoy his Snickers

Mommy's favorite super hero!

(Notice the pumpkins...we ended up with pumpkins decorated 4 different ways this year: painted, Mr. Potato Head-ised, carved, and poked with lite-brite type pins! We had fun for weeks ahead of time and what an eclectic display! Thanks to generous grandparents we had 8 pumpkins!)

Pumpkinstein

2009-10-29T12:54:00.000-04:00

Sunday night we used some Halloween Mr. Potato Head pieces to make our own "Pumpkinstein". It was super easy, no mess, and a lot of fun. We all enjoyed the process and the final product is both silly and cute. We're hoping that it will also last longer than a carved pumpkin (which we also plan to do).

Marin's 11 months

2009-10-28T14:42:00.000-04:00

I can't believe the next "chair" picture I'll be posting is on her 1st birthday. My baby is becoming a toddler right before my eyes! Thanks again "Miss" Sara for passing along another great outfit! She'll be wearing it from now until Halloween. The pumpkin lights up, which Kaden thinks is TOTALLY cool!

Breakfast with the Witches

2009-10-25T21:41:00.001-04:00

Saturday we went with our neighbors to enjoy the annual Friendly Feast with Witches at our local Children's Museum. What a fun event! Kaden and I were able to go while Jason stayed with Marin. He got to wear his costume (well, one of them...he has several options for Halloween, but so far, this one is the front runner), eat breakfast (it was catered and really quite good...Kaden ate 6 sausage links! and a half of a chocolate muffin), get his face painted, see Ruditoonz in "concert" (it was actually a short, 20 minute show. He reminded me of Jim Gill . He sang and played his guitar, so Kaden was in heaven), and go through the haunted house during "friendly hours" (with the lights on and a staff member handing out goodies in each room). We left our house around 8:30am and didn't get home until close to noon. Whew, I was tired. Kaden loved that everyone said, "Hey, look, it's Buzz Lightyear" when they saw him and said his favorite part was the haunted house (he got stickers, tattoos, candy, and a florescent band-aide). It was a fun kick off to our Halloween festivities (and a good chance to get to dress up in his costume!).

Oh, and guess I should mention that there are no pictures with the witches because Kaden wouldn't take one with them. They were SO friendly and all had HOT pink hair. Even when his friend had his picture taken with 4 of them, Kaden didn't want to join him. So, no witch pictures. Maybe next year.

Go Buckeyes!

2009-10-17T14:59:00.000-04:00

No, she is not wearing this outfit today. Yes, they are playing today. No, they are not playing well. Yes, she could make any team look good!

GO BUCKS!

10 months

2009-10-16T13:05:00.000-04:00

As promised, here they are (and even right-side-up!)...

CRASH

2009-10-15T09:44:00.001-04:00

Our computer recently got the swine flu...or something like that. We took it to the computer dr. and there it stayed for 2 WHOLE WEEKS! Unbelieveable. It was a hard two weeks for me as I learned how much time I spend communicating, browsing, and honestly, wasting time on the computer. I got lots of great things done around the house, was able to enjoy the kids more and even had some good days to play outside.

It's back. We're slowly getting all the applications and programs reloaded. I have a post in the works with Marin's 10 month picture, but, well, I can't edit it at this time, so she'd be sideways to you.

So, hopefully I'll be back soon with more stories and pictures. I am however, reevaluating how much time I'm on the computer, so my posts may not be as frequent.

Chicken Hunter in Princess Shoes

2009-09-24T09:56:00.000-04:00

Check out this get up!

Overheard Telephone Conversation

2009-09-17T19:36:00.000-04:00

This is what I heard from the office while Kaden was talking on Marin's play phone:

JB: "Hi Bud!"

Kaden: "Hi Jimmy Buffet."

JB: "I never seen you before."

Kaden: "Well, I listen to you on my daddy's iPod."

So funny. And, yes, Kaden had both sides of the conversation. I was cracking up! I So wish Jason could have been here to hear it. Kaden loves Cheeseburger in Paradise and, like I said here, listening to daddy's iPod is a favorite activity in the evenings around here.

Spiky Hair

2009-09-16T09:46:00.000-04:00

The object on exhibit is Marin's spiky hair. However, as an added bonus, you'll be getting a few totally sweet pictures as well.

It all happened as an accident really. One night in loo of a bath, I simply put lotion in Marin's hair and combed it (I won't mention what I was trying to comb out of that mop, but, you can safely assume it was something she had for dinner).

The result was roll-on-the-floor hysterical! The bad part: I was the only one home to see it. So, I took pictures! Now you can laugh too!

Oh, and check OUT those teeth! She's cutting #7 and #8 and I can see bumps for SEVERAL others.

Labor Day Getaway

2009-09-09T13:42:00.001-04:00

We enjoyed a Fun-tastic weekend in St. Louis last weekend with extended family on my mom's side. While the weather wasn't much to brag about, getting to spend time with family, stay in a GREAT hotel, and just have a break from the everyday routine was wonderful. Kaden adores his cousins, my cousins and his great aunts and uncles. He practically floated through the weekend. Swimming, eating out, sleeping with gramie, playing in the gym, more swimming... what's not to love, right? Monday night when I went into his room to kiss him good-night, he told me, "I'm a little sad." When I asked why his response was, "We didn't get to stay in St. Louis very long." (These pictures are in no apparent order...for some reason I'm not able to move them around as I typically can.)

Our fish who was often found splashing around independently with his wings and his ring

Swimming

Ball Girl

Grandma's birthday

Me and my kiddos

After dinner at P.F. Changs

Gramie's girls

Sharing an ipod...one of Kaden's favorite activities

Teething???

2009-09-01T14:58:00.001-04:00

You know it's bad when she goes from chewing on a dog....

to chewing on the rope!

Thank goodness she's still full of smiles!

9 Months

2009-08-29T09:29:00.000-04:00

Marin turned 9 months on Friday! WOW! It's such a fun age. She is babbling ALL.THE.TIME. and has tons of personality. She's not getting her knees up under her to crawl yet, but she is scooting herself around in a circle on her belly, which is entertaining to watch. She had professional 9 month pictures taken yesterday too, but I'm not sure how to get them scanned so I can show them off. She looked so cute and so grown up! Hard to believe next time I take her to a photographer will be when she's a year old.

Little Life Moments

Another Season, Another Sport

Marin and Dora

Martin Luther King Day

Christmas Break (the abbreviated photographic version)

Christmas at the Zoo

Stage Experience

Grinchy Tuesday @ the Library

Roger and Peggy Christmas card 2011

Three!!!

Halloween 2011

New Bike Rider

Fun Run

Soccer *Star*

First Day of Kindergarten

Indianapolis Indians

Fall Forcast

Easter 2011

my little cutie's grow'n up!

Sunday Morning in Spring

He is Alive!

Easter Understanding from a 5 year old

Egg Hunt #1

Preparing for Easter

Piggies

Potty Training=Doll House

Cake Pops

Monkey Joe's

Family Party

Friend Party

Little O turns 1

Rain Walk

Pirate Party

Indoor Water Park (Feb 2011)

A Dream Come True for Kaden

Milestone Week

My Two Snuggle Bugs

Coffee-Mate Party & Muffin Exchange

Caption This...

Go Colts!

Christmas 2011 Recap

Visit with Santa & a Jolly Time at the Museum

Christmas at the Zoo

First Snow & Santa Parade

Santa Breakfast

Mom's Christmas Card 2010

Halloween 2010

Feast with the Witches

Pumpkin Painting

Fall at Town Hall

Pretty Girl

The Start of Fall

Scary Fall?

1st Day of Preschool

Indiana State Fair 2010

4th of July

Milestones

Summer's a Coming...

Race Weekend

Memorial Day Weekend

Bath Tub Buddies

Mother's Day 2010

Marin 17 Months

Life is Good

Little Chef

Chocolate War

No Fooling....April 13, 2010!

Summer Weather in the April

How DOES this happen?

Happy 4th Birthday Kaden!

Florida Favorites

Prayers and a Plan for Teaching Easter

Cute and Crazy

Bob the Builder Exhibit

Quotables

Swim Lessons---Take 2

Overheard

*S*N*O*W*

Photographic Christmas Recap

Shhhhh.....It's a Surprise!

Soccer Star

SN*OW

CRASH