they are playing together!  building a tower together! no one is knocking it over!

Cade is so proud to be building towers like his brother.  Ignore the junk on the couch, that's what we do when we vacuum, and Dane parked his "work car" up there.

Dane helping me with a Christmas gift. Really only the edges and sides needed painted but he was such a good little helper it was fun to work on it together.

The last bit of dough leftover from making cookies.  I let Dane have at it with the rolling pin and cooking cutter, not hovering at all.  After several tries he actually was able to get one more little guy cut out.  We baked him in the toaster oven and Dane got to eat him.  It was a proud moment :o)

Cade looking on, while Dane had all the fun, next year little buddy, next year

Decorating a gingerbread house.  Every year growing up my mom made houses from scratch and we all decorated our own.  Good intentions fell short, but wanting to keep with my favorite tradition I ran to Target and bought a ready made kit, fortunately they were already marked down a little!

Mustaches and Baptism

No they have no correlation except that they seem to be two of Dane's current fascinations.  About a month ago we were able to witness the new Uncle Ryan (my sister's husband, not my brother) get baptized.  It was the second baptism Dane has witnessed and he has really gotten a grasp on the word 'baptize'.  That is he has used it in every context imaginable, from baptizing his french fry in ketchup to Cade sneezing in Mo mo's face and Dane saying "We just got baptized".   He has shown me how when he takes a drink he is baptizing his mouth or tongue.   The other day I was spying on him playing and he was baptizing his little people, pinching their nose and laying them down flat, then bringing them back up in pretend water of course.  He realized I was watching and said "I just baptized my guys.  They trusted Jesus first."  He has told us that in a few years he will trust in Jesus, when he is bigger, he reassures us. I love how he is fascinated and slowly putting some of the pieces together and starting to understand bits and pieces.

Now on to the mustache segment.  The other morning Dane woke up super chipper and ready to get dressed for the day.  We enter his room and he excitedly tells me "First I have to put my mustache on!"  I say "OK" curious as to why he has even thought of doing this. He runs over to his little table and grabs an imaginary mustache and goes through the motions of attaching it to his face.  Then he gave me one to put on.  For the last week or so, throughout the day he periodically put his mustache on before doing something, usually when he is getting dressed, but I haven't quiet figured out what or where he got the mustache fascination.

One more thing since I am writing about some of my favorite Dane moments.  Fairly consistently when asked what he wants for Christmas he will say "paint, so I can paint the walls when I get bigger." I still don't think he quite grasps what is going on with all the gifts and presents.  Though I bet it all clicks once he starts tearing into the presents Christmas day.

he built this giraffe all by himself. (it's the one pictured on the front of the bag)

And to wrap this up, I just wanted to remember how sweet and funny my little three year old Dane can be.  We hit a rough tantrum phase a while back, but I am so glad that that has passed.  Well until the next tantrum phase hits of course.  Lately he has been giving me the sweetest little neck rubs and being my best little helper. One of my favorite moments every day is when he climbs in my bed in the morning with me to 'nuggle'.  Sometimes I will lay there for awhile knowing I would be better off using the time to get ready for the day, but not wanting to miss out on my 'nuggle' time, so I wait till I hear those little pitter patter sprinting steps to my room.  Who needs to shower anyway?

Dane isms

The other day while playing pretend, Dane had this conversation with Aunt Mo Mo
Dane:  It will take three days time.  (to get wherever they were going)
Aunt M :  You have been watching too much Veggie Tales
Dane:  No, it's from Tangled.



The boys and I were at the mall with my dad running some errands and we stopped for a few minutes and watch the Christmas train and figurines moving around.  When we started to leave Dane piped up, "wait, I want to see that guy in the red!"

the little changes

I decided to switch up my curtains since I found two packs of two 84" curtain panels for less than $5 at Target a couple of months ago.  I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to do with them and this week I decided I need to switch up my curtains in the family room.  The previous curtains had been made out of painter drop cloth, I loved that they pooled up on the floor, but I was starting to worry about the curtain rod getting yanked out of the wall since the boys were always sitting or yanking on them and it was starting to bow quite badly in the middle.  I  thought it was perfect that I had the extra panels so I could add on a few inches so they would still reach floor to ceiling, but as I ripped out the original hem, I realized that they just might be long enough without adding on some more fabric. I tried it out with the curtain rings and it added the few extra inches that I was needing!  Perfect that project only took about 25 minutes!
Now what to do with the left over curtain panels.....so many options, though I worry about it being to busy of a print to put it in more than one place.

before

After

almost to the floor

What we have been up to: photo edition

 I just remembered that the last couple of years I have been a part of a December Photo Project, I am usually late jumping on the bandwagon and of course my pictures, well, are just for my own memories.  So I thought I would post a few pictures of the Christmas activities we have been doing.  Dane asks every morning if he can "look at that house thing and find the paper behind the door".  Speaking of getting a late start on things, I didn't even get my Advent calendar filled until the 4th, and I copied a list one of my friends posted on her blog, with a few changes and additions to fit our family. I am lazy and I have friends with great ideas.  Here are a few of the things we have done this week:  Also does anyone have a great little kid versions of the Christmas story or do you just read the the KJV version out of Luke? :o)  Seriously though I have tried a few tactics to tell or read the story to Dane, but haven't been able to capture his attention.  Looking for suggestions.

Not in chronological order, our activities from the week so far:

We rode the train at the mall.  Yes, we as in me and the boys.  Cade knew something fun was going down and he was not about to be ditched in his stroller, putting up quite a fuss I might add.

you can barely see Dane in the blue car.  Cade started giggling and shouting 'daddy' every time we circled around and saw Andy.  Fun memories.

Jolly Holiday Lights: Andy wore his ugly sweater so it would seem more festive.  Dane now thinks he is an expert at driving.

homemade play dough.  it was a huge hit.  same stuff we made when I was little

It kept them busy for over an hour this morning.  I think this is D's stack of pancakes.

And just because I like how this picture turned out.  He actually called Andy while I was trying to take this picture.

Christmas season is here!

well the tree is up, for some reason I can't bring myself to put a topper up there on that crooked branch., maybe because I don't have the right one or maybe I like it without.

 I decorated the week after Thanksgiving, after we unburied from the wedding extravaganza.  So it has been up for about a week.  I have had big dreams, the past 2 years, of having a thick, wispy, evergreen garland around my front door, maybe the columns wrapped in lights, a Christmas tree on the porch and all sorts of pretties out there and then being minimalistic inside the house.  Someday... maybe next year I will be able to make it happen.

love my moss covered reindeer I found at a thrift store this fall

pretty excited about this shed my cousin brought for me, all I had to do was ask!

My front porch:  leaving a lot to be desired but I have dreams of making it look pretty, some day when it is warmer out and my fingers won't freeze.

maybe if my porch looked a little more like this or this or this  it would complete my vision.

The Kitchen's new coat of paint

 It has been a busy couple of weeks.  Today I feel like posting a few of my favorite pictures (from my camera) that represent the whirlwind of our last two weeks.

On the way home from Grant's benefit a few weeks ago.

 Three Sundays ago we went to a benefit for my cousin Grant.  He made it home just in time to attend his own benefit and it was amazing to witness people's generosity as they were bidding on items and turning around and giving some items back to Grant. For instance, a Packers football signed by last year's team sold for over 1 grand to a guy who turned around and gave it to Grant.

Last Sunday my parents arrived and we began wedding preparations.  I only got a couple of shots of Thanksgiving dinner before I headed out to work on wedding stuff.

The Thanksgiving table

Turkey Carving- Andy's masterpiece. Magnum is waiting for a free sample.

 Black Friday- no shopping for us, just a little rest and relaxation before the rehearsal and dinner.

The bride the day before her wedding

Our Black Friday consisted of manicures, pedicures and wedding rehearsal

Wedding Day!  Did I mention our house hosted the Bride, since she lived here, plus the rest of my immediate family including my parents and littlest sister and brother.  The final night 2 of my cousins stayed also, since one was a bridesmaid and the other was doing hair.  I wouldn't have had it any other way, but it has made for a crazy, fun, busy weekend!

My bed room became a hair salon.

The ring bearer posing as a photographer

The girl cousins

And Sunday morning: the wedding aftermath: my front room

Congratulations Ryan and Rachel!!

Cross Country

what happens after you cross over a creek several times

My dear husband talked me into running LHF race with him this morning.  He figured if I could run a 5k why not a 7 mile cross-country race?  Leading up to the race I thought I might die or my legs might fall off if they got too tired. But, I made it, it was fun and thankfully not completely freezing cold.  Just the right running temperature actually.  If you aren't familiar with this race it is known for people dressing up in crazy costumes.  I got just a little crazy and put satin nighty over top my running clothes.  Which is nothing compared to those running in leopard print leotards, men in thongs (gross), prom dresses, daisy dukes, a herd of reindeer with Santa-well you get the idea.  I am tired now and my legs hurt to go up the stairs. But I am glad I did it!

Andy threw mud at me because I was too clean.

Thankful

Well I suppose I fell off the daily post bandwagon.  We have a houseful of company arriving tonight and a week of wedding festivities begin, along with Thanksgiving and the wedding of my sister and her man on Saturday.  Did I mention our house will probably be the center of the hubbub?  More than likely?!  I imagine it WILL be considering the bride is living here.  It will be fun, but not much time for blogging.  We have many reasons to be thankful this year but most of all because God is truly an amazing God who loves us and wants what is best for us.  He has chosen to show our family a miracle through Grant's circumstances and has blessed us abundantly even though we deserve nothing.

Thankful XII

Thankful for fun days with the girls and time well spent with friends.  We had a great morning going out for breakfast and shopping at a handful of intriguing antique shops and a few other shops in the East Village.  I found this cheerful little teapot and I think it goes wonderfully with my newly painted kitchen walls.  Never would have pegged myself as a gray person, but I am really loving this new color. 

So very Thankful VIII - XI

Well I am four days behind, so much for the daily posts.  I mean I do have 2 toddlers, yup Cade is starting to walk!  And there is a wedding in two weeks, and the bride lives here, and that means my family will be staying here in a week, and that also means I think I am doing a Thanksgiving dinner, and whatever other busyness that entails.
day 8 (tuesday) -  Grant went home today.  Cade started taking steps today. Yeah Grant went home to his house!  We are all so thankful and rejoicing in this!  If you had been watching Caring Bridge they haven't kept this information on the down low so he could have some quiet time at home adjusting and resting before he had a ton of visitors.  We went to visit Child Serve on Wednesday hoping that he wasn't there.  Cade cried and Dane was visibly disappointed when we turned around and left instead of visiting Grant. They just don't know that the farm is way more fun to visit than a rehab facility!
day 9 - Thankful for sisters, whom both live here and help out. 
day 10 -I am thankful for the boy's naps.  Especially when they nap at the same time and I have some time to myself!
day 11 - I am so thankful for my brother-in-law Jeff, who is deployed right now and the sacrifices his family is making.

Thankful Day VII

Wow this is going to be a busy month.  It may be a stretch to try and get on the computer to do a daily post.  Today I am thankful for running. I think.  It seems as though it has gotten easier in some ways.  I still never want to get out there and get going but always feel better after I do.  The past week or two I have been able to run with Andy several times which has been quite fun.  I got out there and ran again today, wouldn't it be great if the good weather of earlier today would last most of the winter?  One can dream can't they?  Then I could keep up this running regimen.

Thankful Day IV, V, VI

It's been a super busy weekend and I didn't have time to blog, but living life is way more important that blogging anyway.  So I am going to have to cram three thankful posts into one.  I did try to keep a mental list of things I am thankful for throughout the weekend, lets see if I can remember.

Friday Day IV -
I was and still am thankful for a helpful husband that can cook and is handy in the kitchen.  I didn't start making what turned out to be five dozen muffins until 8:30pm friday night and I still needed to make a yummy cream cheese spread and apple dip, and a Walmart run. Andy of course jumped right in and cleaned my kitchen up and assisted me in all my kitchen endevours.  He's pretty much amazing. God (and my mom) knew I would need a husband that could cook.

Saturday Day V - I am thankful for family and friends and facials.  We had my sister's bridal shower hosted by an amazing generous friend.  My mom (and little brother) came all the way out from Colorado for the weekend and surprised my sister for her shower.    Then we had some great girl time getting facials.  It was a first for all of us....so wonderful and relaxing.  Then off for some shoe shopping.

looking beautiful

Sunday Day VI-  I am thankful for church, family, and time spent together.  Well so far there has been a theme with being so thankful for family.  A big group of us went and hung out with Grant again for a little while.  Love that kid.  He may be in a wheelchair in this picture, but you have to understand that he walked back to his room and got a wheel chair.  Keep praying for his appetite to return and for him to eat.  That is the biggest hurdle right now and then shortly he can probably go home.

Grant and Cade

Dane's favorite thing when we visit Grant. "the hand thing"  or more technically pinpoint needle art.  Those are impressions of the boys.

Thankful Day III

Today I am thankful for new carseats.  It made all my errands and the battles of getting ready a lot smoother, since both of the boys were super excited to try out their new seats each time we got in the car. And I am thankful for leftovers so I didn't have to spend time cooking tonight.

Thankful Day II

playing air hockey with Dane

picture taken by his sister Emily this weekend.   Walking with his niece Olivia.

Today I am thankful for life, in particular Grant's life.  I am so thankful that God allowed him to live and allowed us all to watch this miracle.  We were called to let us know Grant had his appendix removed and hours later they told us the Dr.s didn't think he would make it through the night. There is no reason he should be alive after having his aorta cut 3/4 of the way through and no one realizing it for 19 hours, then dealing with all the repercussions of not having blood flow to organs and limbs for an extended period of time.  For weeks no one knew if he would make it or not, no one except God. He even remembers thinking he was going to die.  But he didn't.  They thought for a while they would have to amputate his legs even after having a fasciotomy, the didn't think it would be likely that we would walk again.

Two weeks ago when the boys and I went to visit him at the rehab facility, he could barely move his wheel chair, actually they had just finished teaching him how to maneuver it on his own and he had raised his hands 'touch down' after he finished his first lap exhausted.  Early last week he stood and played a game of air hockey with Dane, but had to take breaks every so often because of pain and fatigue.  Then the end of last week we showed up to have him tell us he walked, by himself, unassisted, that morning. 

He took off over the weekend walking everywhere.  Just read his recent Caring Bridge post how he had a home visit yesterday and was able to spend the entire day at home on the farm! 

We visited him again today, we were too late to get in on any PT but he was up sitting on the edge of his bed. He played catch with Dane, one time he even jumped up and walked to chase down a football like it was the most normal thing in the world.  Hooray for normal right?!  He walked us to a few places that he knows Dane really enjoys.  And as in walked I mean with out a walker.  We brought a desk chair along if he need to rest.  No more wheel chair for him!   He really needs his appetite back so he can get the feeding tube out and home, home for good, is within reach!

So I am thankful for life!  And for a God who cares about us and shows us miracles!

Thankful Day I & Family photos

Since it's November, the month with Thanksgiving I thought I would copy an idea from my friend over at The Truth from Where I'm At and write a daily post on what I am thankful for.  Right now that feels like a big undertaking, not being thankful, but doing a daily post.

Since today is November 1st  and I just received a CD full of family photos, it made my day and the first of my daily posts.  I am thankful for family and family photos.  I am thankful for two sweet little boys and a loving husband. 

Is this too many pictures for one blog post?  Nah, and but seriously they are ALL my favorite.  We spent a sliver of a morning with a renowned photographer from C&A Productions:)   Andy even commented a few times, "man she takes good pictures!"  So thank you a million times over Alisa!