Ciao Down

Ciao Down has been updated with a few new recipes over the last couple of days. Check it out if you wish.

7 Things About Me

If you've read more than 3 other blogs you know what's going around now...7 random facts about yourself.
I have no idea really how I'm going to come up with 7 random facts...but here goes.

1. I got a brand new '93 Camaro when I was a senior in HS. I was the first one in the little town I grew up in to get the new body style of Camaro and let me tell you I thought I was some kind of cool. Now days it's a 4 door family sedan with a car seat - and the little guy sitting in the back is the cool one, not the car or the driver. ;)

2. I went 4 years to a 2 year college - not because I was just playing around wasting time & moolah. I had 2 years of pre-requisite nursing classes then decided to go into Occupational Therapy (all the same pre-requisites thank goodness)...where I spent another 2 years. Mom jokes that she finally convinced me I could NOT get a Masters degree at a Jr. College. (Yes, I did go on to a University after that.)

3. I never cease to be amazed at all the connections in the "Blog World". It's amazing to me who knows who and who's related to whom. Some blog entries make me laugh uncontrollably and some make me cry.

4. I moved one time in the first 16 years of my life, and 18 times in the next 16 years.

5. From the time I was pretty young I always thought if I ever had a son his name would be Christopher James(my Dad's name)...but then I married someone with a long last name so I had to let go of that name. Yes, I did shed a few tears over it.

6. It hurts me when someone dies and someone else makes the comment "well, he/she is in a better place now". That may be true, but I feel like it de-values the pain someone is feeling over the loss of that person. The pain is still just as real no matter where you believe the deceased is.

7. I love my life and wouldn't trade with anyone else in the world. I'm married to the right man for me and we think we have be greatest son in the world.

So there you have it...7 random things about me. I'm not tagging anyone...play if you want, don't if you don't. ;)

Game Night

We had game night at Brad and Lesha's Monday - we all had a great time. Many of us played Cranium which is a combination of Charades, using clay to mold things, drawing, and answering trivia type questions. There are some interesting pictures in the slide show of different ones trying to act out something.




At the end of the evening Lesha gave the boys a bath...with MUCH help. ;)
How many pairs of hands does it take to wash two little boys? Five apparently!

Grandma S.

David's Grandma S. passed away Thursday afternoon. It was not unexpected but it's never easy to lose someone you love. Many people loved her for different reasons, but the reason I loved her most is she helped make the man my Father-In-Law is (her son), who helped make the man my husband is.

In going through some of her things, her children found this written in her handwriting:
(I took out last names and just left last initials.)

How we met
Cloyd LeRoy S. and (Alice) Pauline K. S.

She was 19, he was 21. She lived at Staples, Mn and He lived at
Long Siding, Mn.

She was born at Blue Grass, Mn, He was born at Adams County, Illinois.

They both went to a church convention at Hector, Mn in the fall of 1939 for 4 days.
She was visiting with a girl friend who said “There is Cloyd S. getting a drink out by the barn. Lets go get a drink.”
He smiled at her, she wrinkled her nose at him. A few days after, she got a letter from him - thus it started.
They were married August 2nd, 1941.
(They just celebrated their 67th anniversary, 5 days before she passed away.)

This made me smile as I read it as we usually can only think of our Grandparents as "old", but it gave a little glimpse into their younger days. I can just see her wrinkling her nose at him. She always had such a sense of humor and an infectious laugh. It's fun to think about our Grandparents when they were young and just flirting with each other. To think that that "wrinkled nose" lead to 6 kids, 14 grand-kids, and 16 great-grand kids!


"The history of our grandparents is remembered not with rose petals but in the laughter and tears of their children and their children's children. It is into us that the lives of grandparents have gone. It is in us that their history becomes a future."

Trip home for a few days

Jacob and I spent most of the week at my parents this week as it's probably the last chance I'll get to go home before Gertrude gets here...and I needed some good spoiling by Mom and Dad you know. ;) Actually, Brad and I don't get the "royal treatment" we used to get...that's all reserved for the Grandkids now. Oh well, I thought I'd try anyway. Plus I wanted Jacob to get to go swimming in their pool as it hasn't worked out for us to do that yet this summer. You would know, though, the pool was going through some funky something so we didn't end up getting to get in it after all. :( We did get to go down to the town where my Grandmother lives and see her and more family so all was not lost. Jacob and I got to spend most of the afternoon with my cousin Lena and her 3 kids, which was great for us both. Much fun was had by all. ;) These are a few pictures from the afternoon. Wyatt and Jacob are only 3 months apart. Little Mr. Wyatt was quite the ham for the camera and Jacob was so serious for some reason.



It was wonderful to go to my parents for those few days, but it sure felt good to be back home with David. Jacob was ready to see his Dad, and I was ready to see my husband. Ain't love grand. ;)

Flash Back Friday...

OK, so it may be a bit corny to call this "Flash Back Friday", but I though it would be fun for me to look back at the pictures from this week 2 yrs ago and 1 yr ago. And you, my dear readers, have to play along. Or just go on the the next blog you're hopping to. ;) I actually remember taking these pictures.



This one from 2 years ago was my favorite for a long time. That smile just melted my heart. He always woke up from his naps so happy.



This one from last year was when he was just learning to walk. He thought he was so cool in Daddy's shoes. We spent many hours walking in circles in that apt. while he was getting used to the walking thing.

Random July update

So I'm finally getting around to getting my July pictures downloaded, uploaded, sideloaded (???) and whatever other kind of loaded you can think of to get them up on this blog. All 4.6 of you who check in on us can see what we've been up to lately. ;) It's not been a very eventful month for us. And that's OK...a HUGE event will be happening soon so I'm thankful to be able to just put my feet up and relax a bit before all that is just a distant memory. ;) That leads me to something else...why are we starting over again with this whole baby thing? Is it to late for me to back out now? (Those are really rhetorical questions...I know why, I've just been thinking in practical terms lately). I mean, Jacob is almost 2 1/2 so the not so great parts about having a new born baby in the house are over with. He doesn't get up until about 9:00 every morning, he feeds himself, he can talk to me and tell me what's wrong/ what hurts, he walks on his own so I don't have to always carry him from Point A to Point B, he doesn't spit up his food, he actually runs to the toilet if he knows he's going to get sick (he's only been sick in that way 2 times in his life and the first time wasn't even at our house!), and we know what his little personality is. I know, I know, I know, once this baby girl gets here we're going to wonder how we ever lived without her and be amazed at all we would have missed if we would have only had Jacob and not "Gertrude" also. But for now, I sure am enjoying having only one child! Here's to you Jacob...XOXOXOXOX

I did have another ultrasound this week and Gertrude is still a girl...she hasn't grown any extra parts. I was quite amazed at what you can see when you're this far along. I could actually see her eyeballs! And let me tell you...she is cute, sweet, and very smart. I could just tell by looking at her. ;)

These first few pictures were taken a few Tuesday nights ago when we went to a friends house who lives in a lake community. Everyone played beach volleyball while Lesha and I took care of the boys.

Lexie - one of Jacob's many girlfriends.


Trace: "Dude, your hair is so cool...I want hair like that"
Jacob: "Yeah man, the chicks dig it"


Trevin: "Mom, you and Trace are so silly!"

What a serious game going on...ha ha ha ha!!

I finally got ahold of my senses and let Jacob go play in the water with Jack. I mean, a boy is supposed to get all muddy when he's at the lake right? I just wasn't a very prepared Mom...I wasn't thinking when we left the house about J. playing in the lake so I had NOTHING to change him into or towels or anything. Thank goodness for great friends!

Get a look at that diaper...oh my...where is that kids mother??

Meet "Special K" the rooster. We got him not long after we were married at Fernandina Beach. For some reason I really like him...and I'm not a "rooster person". I got him down to clean him the other day and Jacob decided he needed kisses. Then I decided he would make a good "measuring stick" to capture Jacobs growth. You'll probably be seeing more pictures of Special K as Jacob gets older.

Why is it that watching Jacob and David walking through Lowes together like this makes my heart all mushy gushy?? I just love watching Jacob "helping" Dad push the buggy and carry on some kind of conversation that only he can understand. Does something funny to a Mom's heart.

"Moooom!! Can't a boy get some peace around here with OUT that camera??"

Jacob got up from his nap yesterday when he heard Brad's voice...Scooter Scooter Scooter (Brad can not be traditional, he has to have an "uncle name")...as he runs down the hallway looking for him. The whole step of getting dressed after you get up from your nap, he had no time for that, there were important people there to go see!!

Trace & Trevin...

...are 10 months old now!! Where has the time gone? They were just born yesterday it seems! For those who haven't followed my blog for 10 months, T&T are the twin sons of my favorite brother...ok, ok, ok, only brother. He just happens to be my favorite one too. So everyone can see what adorable little nephews I have, here is a link to their 9 mo. pictures.

Trace & Trevin 9 mo. pics

The photographer is Lesha's (my sis-in-law) sister. She did an outstanding job...she had such adorable subjects which always helps. (Not taking any credit away from her photography skills...I'm just saying she had some great "material" to work with.) ;)

Enjoy, and by the way, they're even cuter in person as their little personalities are charming.

A Proud Aunt

(About the helmets you'll see in a few of the pictures: they're wearing them because they have/ had some asymmetry (flat spots). Some have asked if Lesha and Brad put them on so they won't hurt themselves when they fall, which cracks us up...L&B are typical parents and don't want their boys to get hurt, but they're not THAT anal about it! There have been various other reactions to them which we thought were funny, crazy, etc. So...T&T are fine, we just want them to have nice round heads without flat spots. They should be able to get them off in 4 to 6 weeks.)

Hilarious Post

I blog hop a lot and came across this tonight...I've laughed until I cried. Jacob has been watching me not really knowing what's going on...he's not sure if he should laugh with me or cry with me. ;) I'll be getting a personal post up soon, but just had to share this with anyone who might be interested...the title of it is "Poop Talk". Just so ya know what you're getting in to! (Has potty training/pending new baby requiring lots 'o diapers been on my mind to much lately??)

http://thesmocklady.com/blog/poop-talk_175/

Finally...an update!

So, I'm trying to get back in the saddle again with this whole blog thing. Where to start?

As I said in my last post, a few weekends ago we spent some time at my parents and went to a small town rodeo. It was quite an experience for Jacob...he LOVED it!


Eating the obligatory hamburger and fries from the Lions Club booth...sooo good!


Under the watchful eye of a proud Papa.


No county rodeo is complete without a "sausage on a stick". Yes, he ate the entire thing on his own! "Good" he said.

Then that Sat. we took the boat out to a local lake...once again Little Mr. J had a grand time...watching the fish jump and the water go by was great entertainment.





(Who's heart could that face not melt!!)

The next weekend we had some friends over for game night - what fun that was! We're now doing game night every Tuesday this summer and it's been fun. We each take turns hosting it so no one couple has to do all the work...so far it's been great. We didn't do it tonight as most of the people are leaving for our summer convention tomorrow....these pics are from the first one.


Shelley & Nathan A. (Nathan's my hero...he kept me from loosing ALL my pictures and documents as my external hard drive was crashing...thank goodness for computer savvy friends!!)


A little guitar picking from Michael & Matt S.


...and someone pretending he knows how to play the banjo. ;)


What's game night without a little tattooing going on...I think it's classy. ;) (This is also thanks to Nathan...that guy's got multi talents!)

This is my "June update"...July will come...sometime! Now feel free to leave a message...please...let me know that there may be 2 or 3 people who have not given up on checking my blog. ;)

It's me again...

just to let you all know we are still alive...kind of. ;) No, Gertrude has not made her apperance yet and everything is fine with her. It's her Mom, Brother, and Mom's computer that have been sick. I know you don't really want to know the details, just that Jacob and I are on the mend. Wish we could get all 50,000 parts of this computer working agian...so frustrating!! I don't have access to ANY of my pictures or files as they're all on an external hard drive that my computer will NOT recognize at the moment. It feels like I don't have a right arm when I don't have access to my pictures or files! HOPEFULLY the problem will be resolved soon. I don't really have much to post about right now anyway...we went to my parents for the County Fair and Rodeo a few weekends ago which was fun. Jacob and David got to experience their first rodeo together. ;) The 4th was completely uneventful for us...David mowed the lawn while Jacob and I laid around as we were feeling quite rotten at that time. How's that for a celebration!! ;) Maybe next year we can make up for it. Since then it's been working on potty training with Mr. J and hoping the Braxton Hicks contractions don't get any stronger from Gertie. How's that for TMI?? ;) Here's hoping all of you in "Blogger Land" are doing fine. Even though I haven't posted on my blog in a while doesn't mean I haven't enjoyed looking at all of yours!

Trip to Minnesota

OK - so I'm fianlly getting pictures posted from our trip to MN. We had a wonderful time...you think we could get that MN weather down here??

(click on the images to see them larger)



Our first stop after we left the airport was the Mall of America. A few characters we encountered...Sharky, "Buddah Belly", and a WWII pilot. ;)


There was an amusement park in the middle of the mall with amazing rides. Shane and Shaelyn rode one of the roller-coasters.


Jacob and Shane enjoyed a ride on the "Biiiiig Kucks". Mr. Jacob though he was some kind of cool.


Lego Land was a huge hit also. Jacob was memorized with all the Legos.


More Lego Land


We made a special stop at Cabella's so Uncle Darwin could show Jacob the fish...he was quite impressed.


This hat was David's Grandfather's when he was in the Army-Air Force during WWII. Jacob had such a great time in it.


L to R
Aunt Darla, David, Jacob, Shane, Aunt Nita
Uncle Derald, Uncle Darwin, Uncle Dwayne (3 of the 4 boys)


We got to go out to lunch with G'pa and G'ma on Monday.
Aunt Karen, Shaelyn, G'pa, David, Jacob
G'ma, Uncle Dwayne
G'pa, Jacob, David



Shane, Shaelyn, and David enjoyed a few games of Ladder Golf. It was a gift to Darwin for Father's Day, but you can see who was playing. ;) Later Darwin, Shane, and David went to check for new calves while Shaelyn and Jacob kept an eye on the cows up front. Sahelyn quickly became Jacob's new best friend.



Saying our good-byes to Darwin & Karen and family. The picture on the BR is one of G'pas Army photos.


Hugs for G'pa and G'ma.


"The history of our grandparents is remembered not with rose petals but in the laughter and tears of their children and their children's children. It is into us that the lives of grandparents have gone. It is in us that their history becomes a future."

Justin & Jacob

Jacob's friend Justin came over to play yesterday evening...the boys always have such a great time together. And of course Beth and I have a great time yacking about "girl stuff". ;) I'll be getting pictures up from our trip to MN sometime, but in the mean time, thought I'd share this picture of the two boys.

We Are Alive!

I know, I know, I know...I haven't updated my blog lately...but we ARE still here and doing just fine. Thanks to those who have sent me e-mails wanting to know if everything is OK - it is, even though I haven't replied to your e-mails yet either. ;) We got in about midnight last night from a trip to MN so MAYBE tomorrow I'll have pictures from our trip up, but then again maybe not. I have that icky apt. with the doc. tomorrow for diabetes testing - drink this nasty orange juice stuff then have labs drawn and see the doc. for all of 5 seconds then write a million dollar check for him to tell me I'm just fine and baby girl is still growing. And is she ever growing!! She's a rather active little thing too! I never cease to be amazed at the movement I'm feeling - and how heavy she feels now, sometimes I feel like she's about to fall out and I've got 3 more moths to go!

Say what???

Background: I tend to say "what a mess" a lot to Jacob. There are always little messes throughout the house no matter how hard I try to keep things straightened up. David and I also talk about "Little Sister" a lot to try to help prepare him for Gertrude.

Conversation last night as Jacob lay on top of our bed with a blanket that originally had been neatly laid on top of him but in all of his wiggling wasn't laying just perfect.

Jacob (exasperated): "what a mess"
Kristen to David (sarcastic): "hummm...wonder who he's heard say that?"
Jacob (serious): "Little Sister"

I thought I was going to split a gut...I mean, she's not even here yet and he's already blaming her! Is this a sign of things to come?