cleaning out

So I'm in the process of decluttering the house and decided that I don't need to keep this bouquet any more. Some how in conversation I asked Wendell what we should do with them. Oh the things kids think and say...















Wendell's idea - Put them in my fish tank for my fish!



















Great idea but I don't think they'll fit.. and I don't think they're aquatic safe. Maybe next time bud.. but for the time being you sure gave your mama a good laugh.


















Gotta love 'em!

2011 is here..

The new year is here and life is the same but different, especially compared to a year ago. Harlie and Wendell have changed so much that it's just incredible. As Wendell exits the rascally toddler stage, Harlie enters it. So far, this has been the best winter I've had in a few years because both kids are old enough to go out and play in the snow.. so we actually spend some time outside.. all bundled like marshmallows. Wendell is already 4, next year will be my last winter with him home, which saddens me.. I think it's just starting to get fun and then he'll be off to school. Harlie is learning to talk and use words so next year I bet she'll be chitter chattering my ear off. And I hope for me.. well I have a lot of plans for the year ahead of me but I'll save that for another time. So I leave you with some pictures to kick off the year.

Our wonderful family...

This first one is me on my birthday... yep, I'm 33 years old now.

Wendell and his baby.. one of his new best friends. Her name you
ask? Well it changes everyday.. so far it's mostly been Lexi, B, and
Jesus.

Phil and "Cooper" our lego dog we've had for a few days now. Don't confuse
this with Odie, Wendell's imaginary dog we "see" every once in awhile.

My sweet girl little girl (except from 5-7pm). Isn't her pony
cute? She can now say 9 words - thank you, all done, dada,
what/what's that?, mama (not for me though) and out.

1. Ta-da, Wendell got his hair trimmed! Now he looks like a little boy.. not a shag muffin like his dad. : )

sanity

They played happily for over an hour and asked to go in the next day. I know I will have to limit how often I do it or it won't be "fun" but it gave me the sanity I needed to get dishes done, supper cooked and the triple bonus was it kept their toys contained. (It actually forced them to play with them too!)

facebook and a few random thoughts

Just thought I'd let you know that I'm on facebook now. It's more for my family who is addicted and continued to harass me until I finally decided to cave... so in case you're interested you can request to "be my friend". I just posted a very corny video I made of Wendell and me on youtube which is attached to my facebook page. So here I am going all technical on everyone... I hope I don't start texting on a regular basis... that will be the end of me.



Anyways.. the new year is coming. Have you thought of your goals for the next year? Me neither but I do think it's a good idea to reflect on the past year and to think of what's coming. I'm pretty sure I'll be doing at least one if not two triathlons next year. I didn't think I could do a sprint triathlon and it was actually pretty easy.. so now I wonder if I should challenge myself to a olympic distance? I'm not a person to want to go faster so improving my time just doesn't really motivate me. It might depend on schedules as I don't plan to spend my whole summer training for a race. I do have another goal to drag one person along to a 5k to kick start them into exercising and then another person to a triathlon. I have some people in mind for each but neither has fully committed... plus it's a ways off to think about. Spiritually? I need to think of that one.. I think a good place to start exploring my "issues" and trying to tackle them. Like my disappointment with God.. and continue to read and learn from the book I've been reading. I hate when I complain about the same things over and over; and when I become a stereotype. So I guess I might be working on that... becoming the opposite of certain areas. One example of that is that I don't want to be a "nag" to my husband but I also want and need him to fulfill his duties around the house. So we need to find a balance with that.. but in the end, I don't want to be that stereotype.



One last thought. Today is another Turkey day. Yep, I'm roasting another turkey. I even got a giant roaster pan last night from Target so I'm excited to see what happens. Then I'm making a dinner for a family Christmas that is on Friday. I'm also making homemade caramel out of sweet and condensed milk. Yum, Yum! I'll let you know how it all turns out.



See you on facebook and Happy New Year!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

Wow... I'm not sure how much snow we have but.. it's A LOT! So since it was warm (or should I say not freezing cold) outside, I took the kids outside to play. Harlie is still a little unsure of what she likes.. one minute she likes the sled and the next she doesn't. One thing for sure is she doesn't like doing a face plant in the snow. Wendell however, love, love, LOVES the snow! He likes to sled, "dig", or just watch life go on outside (like plowing, talking to neighbors, or the snow blower down the road). Luckily, our neighbor has a plow and he plows our alleyway which creates this mini mountain in our back yard, perfect for sledding or looking around like you're at the top of the mountain. So here are some pictures of our fun today.

On a more important note, today is Christmas Eve and the time of year has come to celebrate Jesus' birthday. Yep, that's how we say it around here. Recently I have been reading a book called "Disappointment With God" and I'm reading about how all through history there has been disappointment with God. In the Old Testament there always seems to be a barrier between a Holy God and very unholy people. After many years of silence from God, something very special happened, Jesus was born... so why is that special? Because for the first time God put on human skin. Jesus as a baby meant God felt the cries, pain, hunger, and even disappointment himself just like a human. I don't know how the book will end but for the next few days I hope to think about Jesus and how his birth and life can help me learn about my own disappointment with God. Anyways, great book... good thoughts. I hope all of you take a moment to reflect on Jesus' birthday and what makes it special to you. So I leave you with a jingle mix: Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Jesus! Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! : ) Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

4 Years Old!

What a day for our little boy... I still can't believe how fast time flies.. now that we are out of the terrible two stage... he's now in the fantastic four stage where most of the time, he's really fun to be around.

So here he is with the hat they made him at preschool and him showing us how old he is.






















Here is Mr. Wendell with the birthday cake that grandma made him. I made a cake today for preschool so I let her make one for our birthday party with the grandparents.




















Wendell got a lot of great gifts.. one was binoculars. His other favorites are a camera, a pillow pet, and a firetruck.

Wendell started the day at preschool where I stayed along as a helper. It was great seeing all the great and creative things he gets to do at school. Then Phil joined us about 1/2 through the morning while my parents watched Harlie (as she napped : ). After preschool we went home and Wendell found a surprise, big Grandma and Grandpa (my parents) and Little Grandma and Grandpa (Phil's parents), were there.. and that is what Wendell calls them, not us. We went out to eat at Pizza Ranch then came back for gifts. He finished the day watching Curious George, a DVD he got this past weekend for Christmas.

We had a great day, Happy 4th Birthday Wendell!

Movie Trivia - Rambo

Phil and I have Netflix and every once in awhile we get a classic. Well, after the movie sat around for a few more days than normal, Phil and I both agreed that we weren't so excited to watch the movie and neither of really knew what it was about. I vaguely remember watching one of the Rambo movies when I was a kid but who knows which one I watched. So for fun, I present you with a quiz... testing your own memory and having a little fun.



Keep in mind this is Rambo - First Blood (the first movie).



1. The main them of Rambo is

a. a war movie

b. a gorilla warfare

c. post traumatic stress

d. aliens



2. The movie takes place in

a. China

b. New York City

c. South America

d. Washington



3. Rambo is

a. a veteran

b. a member of the Mafia

c. a marine

d. an assassin



4. Rambo is a

a. a good guy

b. a bad guy

c. a disturbed man



5. Did Heather fall asleep while watching Rambo?

a. yes

b. no



And for fun, I'd like to know one of your favorite old movies and soon I will post the answers along with one of my favorite movies when I was a kid. Good luck!