The Lance Family

Randomness / Update

2012-02-02T15:39:00.008-06:00

Since Christmas, things have not slowed down for us at all. This week, I enrolled Sean in KINDERGARTEN (yikes!) and Nathan in 3 year-old Pre-school at Judah! I'm not sure how this is possible that my kids are this old, but here we are! Surprisingly, I'm doing really well with it. I think the fact that both my kids will be at the same place (which means ONE place for drop off and pick up) is definitely helping. ;-)

Sean is doing really, really well in Pre-school. He LOVES his teachers (so do we!) and has so many great friends. His speech is developing nicely and he can now say "S" very well. He still my little snuggle bug, and loves reading, puzzles, and of course, his Nintendo DS / iPad. He keeps busy with church, and loves that there are so many kids from his school in his class. I'm pretty sure the fact that they get to play at the indoor playground at church on Wednesday nights doesn't hurt. He is a wonderful big brother, is developing such a great heart, and is so loving. This week, he said his very first prayer out loud. I was one proud Mama! "Dear Lord, thank you for my toys. In Jesus name, Amen." We're getting there. ;-) Here are a few random pictures from the last month of my sweet Sean.

Nathan has REALLY changed a lot over the past couple of months. He is talking up a storm, asks if we are going to church or "Papa's house" every time we get in the car, is sleeping in his full-size bed like a champ, got rid of the pacifier, and... wait for it... WENT PEE IN THE POTTY! I know those of you reading who don't have kids don't understand the excitement in this, but let me tell you, imagine winning the lottery. Same feeling. We have been struggling with getting him to even sit on the potty (full clothed even) at school. He will scream. And by scream, I mean top-of-his-lungs, like he is starring in a horror movie, scream. However, this week, he ASKED his teacher if he could sit on the potty! He was still fully clothed, but this was a HUGE step! Tuesday, he sat on it without his diaper on, and today, yes my friends, today I just got word that he pee'd on the potty! I can hardly wait to go pick him up and love on him! I'm just so proud! We haven't been worried about it since he's only 2 1/2, but he has to be potty trained (or housebroken as Jamie likes to call it) before he is allowed to attend Judah, so we've had it in the back of our minds that we only have a few more months. Other than this excitement, he continues to be our sweet, silly boy. You could just eat him with a spoon! (Well, most days.)

Fireplace

2012-02-02T14:46:00.000-06:00

One of the things that's great about being married to Jamie, is that he's such a "handy-man". I can't even imagine how much we would have had to pay for stuff if he wasn't able to do it himself.

One thing we've always dreamed about, is putting in our fireplace in our family room. Fortunately, that dream has come true!!! Jamie acquired a fireplace (that had barely, if ever been used) and we decided to put it in our house. Let me tell you, it is SO beautiful! I can't believe how much it adds to our family room. We've used it just about every night and I can't describe how awesome it is!

The pictures below show the progression of the install. From framing the "bump out" in the wall, too the finished product. If you are ever nearby, stop in a check it out first hand!

MVC

2012-02-02T14:45:00.005-06:00

We were invited by our good friends, Ryan and Jodi (sorority sister), to come to Peoria for the night to watch a Bradley game. Bradley is in the Missouri Valley Conference (same conference as SIU), and being Jodi's "home team", we've become fond of them as well! Our other friends, Nick and Jill (another sorority sister) live in Morton, which is not very far from Peoria, so they were also able to join us. It's always fun to get together with those girls... we relive a few memories, catch up on family, and usually have stomach pains from laughing so hard! Unfortunately, Bradley didn't win that night, but we didn't care. Getting to spend time together (especially with how busy we all are) was totally worth it!

Me, Jill and Jodi :-)

Merry Christmas!

2012-02-02T14:39:00.000-06:00

Christmas was just wonderful this year! Seriously, the kiddos make everything so much fun! We started Christmas morning at our house, just the four of us. Santa filled the stockings so full, he had to move them from the wall to the floor (Sean was very concerned that Santa had taken them)! Sean really, really got into Christmas this year, which was so cool! Nathan, well, he just wanted to eat. All day. :-)

Nathan enjoying drinking from his new snowman cup

Daddy enjoying his, er, I mean Sean's Christmas present

After playing with the toys from Santa, we packed up and headed over to Papa and Ba's house (what Nathan calls Grandpa and Grandma... don't ask about the "Ba"... no clue!) We met up with my sister and her family and did the Caspers/Lance/Stone family Christmas. It's a tradition that I look forward to EVERY year!

Ba and Nathan reading a quick book before presents

Uncle Rick and Nathan

Aunt Laine and Nathan... being silly :-)

Sean showing off his new toolbelt! He's SO excited to help Daddy!

My four favorite boys: Nick (12), Kyle (9), Sean (5) and Nathan (2)

Christmas programs

2012-02-02T14:38:00.003-06:00

Sean's Pre-school Christmas program at school was just beyond amazing. I cannot believe how well all the little kiddos did! There were three classes who each performed two songs, and then they all got together at the end to sing a couple of songs together. There is nothing that warms a Mother's heart more than watching her child sing about their love for Christ and really, really getting into it! I was SO proud of Sean and the amazing job he did! I was so grateful that my parents, sister and nephews came to support him too!

This isn't the greatest picture (it was taken on my phone), but he is on the end of the second row in a red vest. :-)

Nathan's class doesn't really have a program, but they did get in the Christmas spirit!! Their classroom was decked out for the holidays, and each day they did some fun Christmas-y activity! His teacher, Marcella, (LOVE HER) is so good about sending me texts/pictures of Nathan. Here is one she sent with some of the kids in their Christmas gear. Doesn't Nathan looked thrilled? ;-)

Happy New Year!

2012-02-02T14:23:00.004-06:00

Hello friends and family! I can't believe it's been two months since I last posted - Yikes! There is so much to catch you all up on, but first, let me say I hope this post finds you all well!

I'll start with where I left off with my last post. December 4th, Jamie and I celebrated SEVEN YEARS of marriage! Although it's not a "milestone" anniversary, I still think it's pretty cool! I can honestly say, each year gets better and better, and I am SO LUCKY to have him in my life! He is THE BEST husband and father I could have ever imagined!

We celebrated by going to dinner at Minnechi's (where we had our rehearsal dinner) following by "Christmas Vacation" at the Virginia Theatre here in Champaign. We watched that movie on our second date, so it was fitting. :-) We just love seeing anything at the Virginia... the atmosphere there is just so cool! We actually managed to get one picture of the two of us, courtesy of Rob (the owner of Minnechi's). This was taken right before Jamie surprised me with my present... a purse I had been ogling over for awhile! He had it wrapped and dropped off at the restaurant before we arrived. Isn't that awfully thoughtful? Here's to 7x7 more years together babe!

Sean - 5 year check up

2011-11-30T16:02:00.002-06:00

I promise I'll post pictures from Sean's birthday soon... I have to share all the fun stuff from my FIVE YEAR OLD's party! In the meantime, let me tell you about his five year old check up...

Let me start by saying he is as healthy, and for that, we are truly grateful!!! His pediatrician was very pleased with his growth, although she does want us to continue to see Dr. Green (his pediatric endocrinologist). We only see her once a year, and won't see her again until April. Despite the fact that Sean had to get three immunizations, the visit was pretty uneventful! Here are the five year old stats:

Height: 39 1/2 inches (3.26 percentile)
Weight: 29.6 pounds (0.13 percentile)

Just for comparison, here were his stats from the last couple of years:

4 year stats
Height: 36 3/4 inches (1.51 percentile)
Weight: 26.6 pounds (0.16 percentile)

3 year stats
Height: 34 1/8 inches (0.96 percentile)
Weighed 25.2 pounds (1.54 percentile)

So, he's still not gaining a lot of weight (only three pounds in one year, yet a big improvement from his third year to fourth year), but he's grown almost three inches - IN ONE YEAR! WAHOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! Although he hasn't grown much since April, he is growing. In regards to the weight, now that the weather is getting colder and we can't be outside as much, I'm sure he'll pack on a little "winter weight"... yeah, that's my excuse too. ;-)

Birthday pictures coming soon!!!!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T10:49:00.006-05:00

This Halloween was SO much fun! We decided to meet up with my nephews, Nick and Kyle, again this year, and Trick-or-Treat in my parents neighborhood. It's nice that they can see the boys and that they can all be together.

Nathan really, really got into it (which was super cute) and just melted everyones heart when he would say "Happy Halloween" (or what sounded something like that) in that sweet little voice! Sean had a ball as well, but really didn't care too much about the candy... he just wanted to ring the doorbells!
:-)

"Handy Sean"

My sweet puppy (or lamb as everyone called him... ugh!)

Nathan making friends with the real puppy

I just loved how his little tail wagged when he would walk! SO cute!

Nathan was fascinated with this skull that would repeat back to you whatever you said. He kept yelling "BOO" at it, and saying "Happy Halloween". I thought it might freak him out a bit, considering how loud it was, but it didn't seem to bother him at all! I think he would have stayed at that house all night if we would have let him!

My nephew Kyle... aka, the red M-n-M!

ABC Halloween

2011-11-01T10:15:00.000-05:00

It was kind of weird only having one kiddo with a Halloween parade this year, but it was still a ton of fun watching all the kids and their cute costumes! Grandma and Grandpa were even able to make it to see the debut of our sweet puppy!

Nathan, and his teacher Miss Marcela

Nathan and Kendal (his girlfriend... they are seriously obsessed with each other!)

Pumpkin Patch - 2011

2011-10-31T13:04:00.012-05:00

We FINALLY made it to the pumpkin patch a couple of weeks ago. It just seemed like we had a sick kid or something going on every weekend, so I was glad we finally were able to get there. The good thing about waiting a little bit, is that at least the weather was cooler. I have a hard time picking out pumpkins when we're in shorts and it's 86 degrees outside! :-)

I think Nathan is clapping because he just pushed his brother off the hay. :-)

But Sean didn't care!

Sean making a "silly face"

First school picture

2011-10-31T12:54:00.003-05:00

I remember planning for my school pictures. The dreaded, "What do I wear?" and "Am I going to have a good hair day?" We all know how the pictures turned out... everyone told you how great they were, but we all know there really was no excuse for a bowl-haircut, a mullet and that hideous sweater vest with fish on it. Really Mom? Really? Don't tell me that's what I wanted to wear! I'll never believe you! ;-)

Sean had his first school picture recently... it was so fun to have him help pick out what he wanted to wear and remind him to "show a great smile"! Fortunately, we don't have to worry about the bad hair day (helps when you have no hair). I was pleasantly surprised at how great they turned out! And I am NOT just saying that cause I'm the Mom.

Bowling

2011-10-31T12:40:00.005-05:00

Since Sean's pre-school was closed for two days a couple of weeks ago, I decided to take the days off and just have some one-on-one time with my sweet Sean. We had a fun couple of days having lunch, playing at the park, getting our flu shots (okay, maybe that part was a little less than fun), picking out a new toy and treat for Seabass's birthday, etc. To top the days off, I told him that we could go bowling! It's one of his favorite things to do! He was so strong carrying the balls all by himself. It was just too funny! Our friend Amy had the afternoon off, so she came with (and generously let Sean bowl her frames too)! :-)

Getting ready...

His "I-just-got-a-strike" happy dance moves :-)

Getting tuckered out...

Tailgating 2011

2011-10-31T12:32:00.005-05:00

Every year, my friend Kelly and I try to plan a tailgate for a home Illinois game. This year was no exception! The weather was perfect, the food was fantastic and the company... well, it couldn't have been better! As usual, I wasn't very good at taking many pictures, but here are a few from the day.

Jamie and Mason (Kelly's husband) enjoy the BBQ

"Me man. Me Tough."

Me and Allie

Me, Avery, Allie and Kelly

Me and sweet Avery (Allie's daughter... couldn't you just eat her up?)

Colorado pictures (finally!)

2011-10-31T12:15:00.005-05:00

As promised, here are a few more pictures from the trip Sean and I took to Colorado in September (you can read about it here).

Sean posing with the shark at the Aquarium (in Denver)

Sean and his cousin Reagan

Sean and his buddy Natalie

Warning: Picture/Cuteness overload!

2011-10-31T11:14:00.010-05:00

I FINALLY got around to downloading some pictures off my camera, so now we get to backtrack to July! :-) Here we go... enjoy!

I received a flier in the mail, that our local Toys 'R Us/Babies 'R Us was going to have visitors. Plex and Brobee from Yo Gabba Gabba and Geoffrey the Giraffe! I thought it would be fun to take the boys since they are fans, so my friend Amy (and her boys Will and Jack) joined us. Sean was SOOOO excited to meet them... until we got there. Then, he would not get out of the cart! Go figure. ;-) Needless to say, he wouldn't even let me take his picture, so here are some great shots of Nathan.

The end of July was my God son, Kaleb's, birthday. I cannot BELIEVE that he is SIX! He's growing way to fast! He's such a sweet boy who is always full of hugs for me. Who wouldn't love that! Here are some pictures from his birthday party.

Kaleb ready to blow out his candles

Hmm, they must be TRICK candles!

Kaleb's Daddy (Mason) stepping in to help out

Owen (Kaleb's brother)

Nathan being "big stuff"

Sean and his friend Savannah (used to go to daycare together) :-)

Updates - October

2011-10-17T09:26:00.012-05:00

I must say, I've become bad about keeping the blog up to date! Let's just say The Lance's busy season has begun!

Although we are LOVING Judah, I do miss some things about Sean's class at ABC. The teacher in his class there, Ms. Alicia, planned an "ABC Reunion" for all the 2011 "Graduates" (those who moved on to Kindergarten this fall... and Sean.) Since Sean is the same age as the others that left, and also moved on to a new school, he was included in the reunion. We all met at a local park where the kiddos got to play, and the parents got to catch up. Ms. Alicia had drinks and snacks for everyone, and had all the kids talk about their new schools/classes and what they are doing now. It was SO neat! I just love that she truly cares so much about the kids. Here is a picture of the "Graduates". (Note: Sean is upset because we told him we had to leave after the picture.) :-)

September ended and October began with a house full of sickies! It started with me and then moved on to Sean. One morning, he literally woke up and just wasn't acting like himself. Then, the barking cough set in... yep, croup. We managed to last about four days before Nathan's bark set in... croup #2. It was a LONG two and a half weeks, but I think every one is finally on the mend. Nathan still has a lingering cough, but NOTHING like it was.

Here is a picture of Sean feeling his worst. (So sad isn't it?)

The boys are on the mend (can't you tell???) :-)

Two weekends ago, while Nathan was still working on feeling better, Sean and I went to the Pet Fair Extravaganza at Prairieland Feeds in Savoy. Although there wasn't a ton to do, it was a free event and provided a nice little outing for us! We got to see a tiger, lots of exotic birds, feed some goats (and a camel) and ride the horses. Please excuse the quality of the pictures - they are from my phone.

This past weekend was super busy, but SUPER fun! Jamie has really been enjoying his birthday present from me and the boys - Season Illinois Hockey tickets! Although they aren't having the best year, he has a great time at the games. Friday, Jamie and his friend, Joe, took our youngest nephew, Kyle, to one of the games. My brother-in-law knows the coach and was able to get Kyle in to meet a few of the players beforehand. They even gave him a signed hockey stick! He also caught TWO pucks during practice! He had a BLAST watching the game with Uncle Jamie... it was a pretty amazing memory for Jamie too! ;-) I had a pretty fun evening too! Joe's wife (Amy - a great friend of mine) and their boys (Will and Jack) hung out with me and the boys. It was a fun evening of watching them run around like crazies! I love it when we get them together to play. :-)

This past weekend, my work hosted a family day at Curtis Orchard. Unfortunately, these type of events tend to fall right at Nathan's nap time, so he wasn't able to join in on the fun. Jamie was kind enough to stay home with him (I'm thinking there was a nap in there for him too!), so that I could attend with Sean. We had such a fun time playing on the playground, bouncing in the bounce house/maze, riding the ponies, going on a tractor ride, etc. He didn't want to leave but Mommy was BEAT! I didn't get many pictures, but here are a couple of him on the pony.

The weekend was capped off by my friend Melissa's Thirty-one party! It was a GREAT party and we had a really nice time. While I was away doing that, Jamie and the boys raked all the leaves in a big pile and played in them for about an hour. Sean has been begging to do this since last Fall, but the leaves are finally perfect for doing just that. I think we'll be outdoors a lot the next few nights! I have the CUTEST video of them I'll have to post later. :-)

That's it for now! Until the next post...

5 Meals - 1 Hour, Week 10... and a confession

2011-09-26T14:19:00.002-05:00

So I have come to a conclusion... I'm lazy. Yep, there, I said it. Although I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE our 5 Meals - 1 Hour, it does take up time on my weekend. First, I have to really start the week before planning my meals (based on what's on sale), get to the grocery store (which I do anyway), set out any meat that needs to be thawed on Saturday (this is the kicker), and then prep it all Sunday. Really, it's not that much work, but sometimes I just get lazy. Now that football has started, you can bet your bottom that this plan is not going to work (I cherish that time relaxing with my husband, cheering on our teams, while the kiddos rest). So, after a great deal of thought - we are quitting this plan. Sort of.

Rather than making everything on Sunday, we are planning out the meal for the week, and then thawing what needs to be thawed. If there is something small we can do to speed things up, then we'll do that. But for the most part, we are "prepping" the meal the day of. This still is a pretty good deal for us, as the most frustrating part is trying to come up with what to eat. So, with our modified plan, here's what's on the menu! Do you have any good, easy recipes to share???

Monday - Onion Garlic Pork Roast (Pre-marinated - by Hormel)
*This is in the crock pot with golden potatoes, onion, carrots, salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder, one can of cream of mushroom soup, and one jar of beef gravy. SOOOOO good!

Tuesday - Poppyseed Chicken
*This is one of my all-time favorite foods!

Wednesday - Frozen Pizza
*Church night... nice and easy :-)

Thursday - Hamburgers, Sweet Corn and French Fries (baked)
*It's perfect grilling weather!

Friday - Jambalaya (Thank you Zatarain's!) and French Bread
*Add some sausage and chicken and you have a meal!

Hi - my name is Jenn

2011-09-22T16:02:00.013-05:00

I wasn't sure you'd remember since it's been SO long since I've posted. But lucky you, I'm back! Things have been SUPER busy in the Lance household, so let me try to catch you up.

September has kept us busy with the wedding of Kristen, a girl, (I mean, young woman), I used to babysit. It was a beautiful wedding and I'm SO happy for her and Jake as they begin their life together. But talk about making me feel old! Kristen's Mom used to babysit me and Elaine, so I imagine that is how she felt when WE got married!

The second weekend of September took Sean and I to Colorado! One of my dearest friends, Amy, and her family live in Fort Collins. For my birthday, Jamie bought a plane ticket for me - and one for Sean - to go visit. The last time I was out there was after she gave birth to her second child, Lauren - who is now 14 months! Their other daughter, Natalie, is just a little younger than Sean. They had a BLAST together and I LOVED watching them interact. Will, Amy's husband, was even kind enough to watch all three kiddos, so that Amy and I could spend the day shopping. When they lived in Illinois, we would often head down to Tuscola to hit Carter's and other places for the kids. We always had such a fun time chatting and just spending the afternoon together. I cannot go to the outlet without thinking of and missing her! It was a WONDERFUL visit and we cannot thank them enough for their hospitality. Amy and I both were frustrated with the lack of pictures we took, but at least we got a few! We were fortunate enough to spend a little time with Jamie's Aunt Wendy and Uncle Wade (Wendy was kind enough to pick us up from the airport), and his Mom, Becky, and niece Reagan. Although our visit with them was short, we were glad to get to see them and catch up!

Natalie and Sean

Last weekend was Jamie's birthday, and we were on the go non-stop! We had our annual tailgating weekend with our fab friends, The Divelys. It's something we look forward to every year, and it did NOT disappoint! The weather was perfect, and the company was even better! And as a little bonus, Illinois even won!! After tailgate, we headed over to our friends Steve and Ashley's housewarming party. Talk about some A-M-A-Z-I-N-G food! They have really done a lot to their new digs and have made it a beautiful home! After leaving their shin-dig, we headed out with our dear friends Joe and Amy to finish off the night celebrating Jamie's birthday. I swear we never laugh as hard as when we are with them. It was a fantastic day! Oh, and I think Jamie was very pleased with his birthday presents from me and the boys... Illinois Hockey season tickets, and a Blackhawks jersey! The next day, we headed to Jupiters to celebrate with my family. Pizza and games with the family - does it get any better???

The birthday boy

Me and Kelly at tailgate

I have been super busy with work, which is good! But I'm ready for a little less travelling in the upcoming months. Although the furthest I've been lately is Peoria (which has it's perks... I get to meet my bestie Jodi for lunch!), it does create quite the pile on my desk when I return. :-)

This weekend I will be SUPER busy with more Thirty-one parties. I am in my second full month as a consultant, and am just so blessed to have this opportunity. My Mom and sister, friends Kelly, Amy, and Heather have all hosted parties for me, and I had one who booked a party off of my sister's show. This weekend my friends Jodi and Val are having one too! I've already booked three for October and have a couple more in the works. This company and this opportunity have been such blessings for me and our family. I have never felt so good about a company and what it stands for, and am so proud to be a part of it. If you are not familiar with Thirty-one, you can read about it here. My sweet nephew, Kyle, wanted to do something to help with the party at my sister's. So he put on his clown costume, made a sign, and stood in the driveway to let the party attendees know where to turn! I love this kid.

Sean is keeping very busy with school and is just loving it! I love that he is making some great friends, and am so amazed at how much he has learned. Nothing melts my hear more than hearing him say, "Mommy, I can't wait to go to school. I'm going to obey on the first try, because God loves my heart." Couldn't you just melt? Judah Christian is an AMAZING school, and we are so fortunate to be a part of it!

Bedtime shenanigans

Sean "cold" as usual, in Jamie's sweatshirt (with a few alterations)

Nathan is starting to really talk up a storm which is SO much fun! His "terrible two" phase is starting to mellow out (THANK GOODNESS), and I find myself just delighting in the sweet little boy he's becoming. Here is the silly monkey at daycare... he's always the life of the party!

Nathan at "monkey game" (aka - Buffalo Wild Wings)

Here are a couple of random pictures from the last month. Until the next post...

5 Meals - 1 Hour, Week 9

2011-08-29T11:13:00.002-05:00

Week 8 was one of my favorite - by far! Everything was new and tasty (except for the one substitution we had).

Here's my rundown of week 8:

Monday - Southern Pork Chops
*Yummy! The only advice I would give is to be sure to use thicker pork chops to avoid drying them out.

Tuesday - Garlicky Baked Shrimp
*We actually made spaghetti this night... I have been super busy (Thank you Lord!) with my new Thirty-One business, so Jamie was a trooper and helped me out this night, since I couldn't find Shrimp within our budget.

Wednesday - Grilled Bacon Chicken
*What's not to love?

Thursday - Ham and Cheese Sliders
*These were FANTASTIC! I would recommend basting the mixture over the tops, rather than pouring it over. The bottom of the sliders got a little soggy.

Friday - Dinner with friends!

I'm not going to lie, this week was kind of nice as there was very little preparation! It's a lot of red meat, but we're trying to use some stuff up from the freezer without making a run to the grocery store. Here's what's on the menu this week:

Monday - Jamie's Famous Spaghetti (requested by Sean) :-)

Tuesday - Breaded Chicken Sandwiches (frozen patties that we found at GFS... nice and thick. Not your typical small, flat patty! And the buns were given to me by my friend Melissa, who had several left over from a party this weekend!)

Wednesday - Meatloaf (MY recipe... requested by Jamie!) :-)

Thursday - Meatball subs (using day-old Jimmy John's bread... mmm!)

Friday - Eat out!

Until next week, happy cooking!

5 Meals - 1 Hour, Week 7 and 8

2011-08-20T13:00:00.002-05:00

Week 6 was delicious... lots of our favorites (see below), but last weekend when I would have been preparing week 7, I came down with some kind of sinus infection. Needless to say, after being feeling like crud Saturday and Sunday (and Monday), preparing dinners was the last thing on my mind. So, we decided to wing it. It was a frustrating week trying to come up with dinners on the fly and really energized me for this week!

Here's a quick rundown of week 6:

Monday - Salmon Patties

Tuesday - Meatloaf Balls (we decided to just stick with my meatloaf... even though I used MY recipe this time, altering the type - ball versus loaf - really impacted the taste.)

Wednesday - Jamie's Famous Spaghetti

Thursday - Tater Tot Casserole

Friday - Onion Ring Chicken

Saturday - Grilling out steaks!

So since we skipped week 7, let's move on to week 8! Here's what's on the menu this week:

Monday - Southern Pork Chops

Tuesday - Garlicky Baked Shrimp

Wednesday - Grilled Bacon Chicken

Thursday - Ham and Cheese Sliders

Friday - Dinner with friends!

Until next week, happy cooking!

Yearbook

2011-08-16T20:34:00.007-05:00

Today I receive an email from Sean's teacher at ABC saying that she stuck Sean's "yearbook" in Nathan's cubby, so make sure we got it. Since Jamie picked up Nathan today, I didn't get to see it until we got home. Good thing too... talk about waterworks! This was one of the most amazing, beautiful gifts I've ever been given. I know someday, Sean will be able to look back at this and see how much he was loved by everyone at ABC! I am so grateful that he has been so loved, and so well cared for up to this point in his life, and know it will only continue at Judah. But for now, I will read this yearbook often to remind myself how lucky we have been!

Watch out world...

2011-08-16T20:12:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was Sean's first day of preschool! And he did GREAT!!! (For the record, so did Mommy... not one tear!) He loved his new teachers, made some new friends, saw a few old ones, and had a fun time seeing all the new "stations" in his classroom. Oh, and of course he loved the playground! The only comment he made, "This school is a long day!" I tried to explain to him that it's the same amount of time as his old school, but ya know... ;-)

Is this not the CUTEST preschooler you've EVER seen?!?

Finding his name on his classroom door

Digging right in

Saying goodbye...

2011-08-16T19:58:00.006-05:00

This last week has been really tough for me. Obviously I have known that the day would come that Sean would be leaving daycare and heading to preschool at Judah, and we could not have asked for a more incredible school. But somehow, for some reason, I was a mess. Literally, I think I cried like four times. Parents meeting - cried. Preschool screening with his AMAZING teacher - cried. Wednesday night - cried. Friday (last day at ABC) - cried. In my defense, ABC is all we have known since Sean was 10 weeks old. How is it possible that my BABY is old enough for school?

I wasn't worried about Sean - he is an AMAZING boy who is so laid back and so loving. I knew he would love his teachers, make some fantastic friends, and learn so much. No, it wasn't him I was worried about - it was me. I do not like change. And my baby growing up - going to the school he will attend until he leaves for college... it's almost too much for me.

But I made it through. Sean made it through. And we are now moving on to the next exciting chapter in his precious life. I still get teary every now and then, but I'm SO proud of my little man and the awesome kid he is becoming. Afterall, he'll always be my baby. ;-)

Here are a few snapshots of some of his friends from ABC:

Sean and some of his wonderful, loving teachers

Big pizza and bowling

2011-08-16T19:51:00.003-05:00

The day after the Cubs game, we got invited to a birthday party at "Big Pizza and Bowling", or Jupiter's for those of you who know Champaign. Although it always costs us a small fortune in tokens when we go there, the boys love it... and we loved the birthday boy, so why not?

Cubs game

2011-08-16T19:43:00.006-05:00

For the second year, our broker at work has given us tickets to a Cubs game. It's about the one and only "perk" I get with my job, so I'll take it! They always offer for our families to go as well, so this year we decided to take them up on that offer and bring Sean, and our nephews Nick and Kyle (who came last year). It was a fun day, perfect weather, and... the Cubs won!!! Love making these memories...

My Birthday - Part 3

2011-08-16T19:34:00.008-05:00

The evening of my birthday, my parents came over to babysit so that Jamie and I could go out to dinner with some of our very best friends, Kelly and Mason. We always celebrate our birthdays together and honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way! We started at Kamakura for a WONDERFUL dinner, and then headed to Starbucks on campus for an after dinner treat. It was so nice to have time - just the four of us... I honestly didn't want the night to end! Great food, the best friends... what more does a girl need???

The gang

Kelly and Mason

Me and the hubby

Very pensive, no? ;-)

Our chef (really nice guy, trying to look... well... "tough")

The deliciousness

My Birthday - Part 2

2011-08-16T19:30:00.003-05:00

On my actual birthday, Sean had a birthday party to go to at the bowling alley (a friend from ABC) - he was SO excited! Although kids were encouraged to dress up in their favorite princess character, Sean decided to just go low key. ;-)

Paige, the birthday girl... I mean, princess.

He had SUCH a fun time, even though the ball just about weighed more than him.

My Birthday - Part 1

2011-08-16T19:18:00.003-05:00

Well I'm FINALLY getting around to updating the blog... so let's backtrack a little to my birthday! It was a wonderful month (yes, month) of celebrating! On the Friday before, my Girls Night group headed to Dos Reales for some delicioso mexican food and then went to see Friends With Benefits (cute movie). It was so much fun and I'm so blessed to have such an amazing group of girlfriends that celebrate with me every year! Love you guys!

Waterpainting fun

2011-08-07T15:23:00.003-05:00

I'm not sure how much water the actual paper got on it, but the table sure got a lovely "drink". ;-)

5 Meals - 1 Hour, Week 6

2011-08-07T13:22:00.003-05:00

Well, week 5 was kind of a bust. Nathan and I kind of shared some kind of stomach bug, so food wasn't really all that appealing to us. For example, sadly I cannot tell you how the Parmesan Tilapia was, as I just couldn't stomach the thought of fish! So, here is my sad review of week 4:

Monday - Parmesan Tilapia
I still am not sure if I could stomach this, this week. :-(

Tuesday - Frozen pizza
Umm, always good! ;-)

Wednesday - Bourbon Marinaded Pork Chops
Delish, but we discovered this week that these really need to be done on the grill.

Thursday - Onion Garlic Pork Roast with potatoes, carrots and onion (crock pot)
This was really, really good (I thought), but Jamie is just not a fan of pork in the crock pot.

Friday - Leftovers

Now that we are all feeling better, here's what's on the menu for week 6:

Monday - Salmon Patties

Tuesday - Meatloaf Balls (the name cracks Jamie up... I'm using MY meatloaf recipe and the concept from the post here.)

Wednesday - Jamie's Famous Spaghetti

Thursday - Tater Tot Casserole (two cans of cream of mushroom soup make this soooo good!)

Friday - Onion Ring Chicken

Saturday - Grilling out steaks!

Until next week, happy cooking!

5 meals - 1 hour, week 5

2011-07-31T13:24:00.005-05:00

Well, I cannot tell a lie. I enjoyed taking a week of from cooking. I mean, it was my birthday week after all... a girl should get a break on her birthday, right? ;-)

But, it's a new week and I'm back at it! So without further ado, here is what's on our menu for the week:

Monday - Parmesan Tilapia

Tuesday - Frozen pizza (don't judge... Jamie is working in St. Louis this day, so it's just me and the boys!)

Wednesday - Bourbon Marinaded Pork Chops (I'd like to say that I have a wonderful recipe for these, but in all honesty, they are straight from our local grocery store. I stock up when they are $1.00 each. YUM!)

Thursday - Onion Garlic Pork Roast with potatoes, carrots and onion (crock pot)

Friday - Leftovers

Saturday we have a birthday party to go to over the dinner hour, so that means no cooking for me! And, I'll count that as our one day this week to eat out. Talk about an easy week!!

Three more weeks

2011-07-27T19:42:00.002-05:00

I can hardly believe it, but Sean will start pre-school at Judah in three weeks. HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE??? August 15th is his first day of school, and he is so excited!! We know he is in the Charity class, and will have a meet and greet with his teachers in a week or so. In the meantime, we have been shopping for school clothes (limited dress code: no Spiderman, Batman, Transformers, etc.) and a new backpack.

So, here is what my big boy picked. I'm sure you'll all be SO surprised! ;-)

If you build it, they will come...

2011-07-27T19:34:00.004-05:00

A couple of years ago, Jamie built a swing set for the boys... it was really nothing more than that. Two swings. But, he always had the intention of adding to it making it a huge, fun play structure. However, we ended up getting a shed and it kinds of blocked the plans of adding on to where we currently have the swings set up.

Since Sean has finally outgrown the infant swing, we decided this was the time to finally start building the new structure. It's just in the beginning stage, and only has one swing so far, but Sean is loving it! (Plus, he's just like his Daddy... always happy when he can use his toolbox!) :-)

Nathan's 2 year old pictures

2011-07-18T14:37:00.004-05:00

We FINALLY got Nathan's two year old pictures!!! We will be ordering prints soon, so let me know if there is one in particular you would like. Also, we have rights to the pictures, so let me know if you would like me to email you the file to have printed yourself.

I like to call this his, "What you talkin' 'bout Willis?" face

This kiddo was not having the pictures that day. So what do we do to make him happy? Feed him muffins. Yep, he is the muffin man. I'm okay with it being in the pictures though - that's really how he is at this stage and I love it! Is he not just the sweetest thing ever???

What we've been up to... (all in one post!)

2011-07-18T13:57:00.010-05:00

Well I'm REALLY behind in updating the blog, so be prepared for LANCE FAMILY OVERLOAD! Let's back track to the beginning of the month:

Jamie's Aunt (Wendy) and Mom (Becky) came for an extended weekend over the 4th. They drove all the way from Colorado just to spend some time with the boys (oh, and us)! It was a WONDERFUL visit (although I'm sure they were glad to be home... keeping up with the boys is tiring!) Being the horrible parent I am, I failed to get ANY pictures of the boys with Wendy and Becky, but here are a couple of pictures that Becky took while here.

This picture is Nathan in a nutshell:

I didn't get any pictures of the boys on the 4th of July, so you'll have to take my word that they were adorable in their outfits! We spent most of the day poolside at my folks, of which my incredibly pale skin did NOT like. Sean amazed us as how much braver he is this year! He LOVES jumping off the diving board (fully suited up of course), but is such a big boy! Jamie is loving it! ;-) Nathan is still a little unsure of the water. He still prefers being in a bathtub over the pool, but we're working on it! Speaking of my munchkin, here he is at his 4th of July party at school.

Last week was VBS at our church... and what a week it was! It is crazy for a working Mom to rush to pick up the kids from daycare, get them fed, and head out the door - but we did it! And it was worth it. Sean had a WONDERFUL time, and I loved seeing his faith grow. Hearing him sing songs about God, talk about the lesson, and even do amazing crafts was, well, heartwarming for this mama! I was a volunteer for the week in one of the 3 year old rooms. Holy exhausting! 12-15 three year olds every night for five nights was enough for me. It was rewarding - for sure - but exhausting! Props to ALL the teachers out there!!! Here is Sean after one night of VBS:

Finally, this past Saturday we finally took Sean to see Cars 2, while Grandma and Grandpa let Nathan nap at their house. Sean was so excited to finally get to see the "BIG" movie (see below):

He really enjoyed it, as did we, although it doesn't hold a candle to the first one. That evening, we went to dinner with our friends Erin and Nathan Hanna, to celebrate her birthday (as well as mine). We went to a new restaurant downtown called Destihl and had a wonderful dinner - But the company really made the night for us. SUCH a fun night! Here is our delicious birthday treat from our waiter (S'mores... of which my husband so nicely pointed out to everyone that I say incorrectly!) ;-)

The beautiful Mrs. Hanna getting ready to make her wish, modeling the bracelet we got her for her birthday. The waiter was so nice and came back with another candle so I could make a wish too. What you don't see, are the beautiful earrings Erin gave me!

Well, I think that's about it for now... this weekend Sean has TWO birthday parties, so I'm sure I'll have more pictures for you all soon!

5 Meals - 1 Hour, Week 4

2011-07-18T13:23:00.004-05:00

Did you miss me last week? We had to take a small break from our awesome new meal plan due to VBS. It started at 6:00, and since I was a helper, I was supposed to be there at 5:40 (I never made it there by then)! Considering we don't get home until 5:30, that didn't give us much time to even cook. Jamie - the rockstar this past week - would have dinner ready and waiting for Sean when we got home. I would change my clothes while he ate, and then we would fly out the door!

But, it's a new week and I was ready to get back on track! So what's on our menu this week?

Monday - BBQ cups (So good and so fun! From my 4-ingredient cookbook.)

Tuesday - Parmesan Chicken Tenders

Wednesday - Jamie's Famous Spaghetti (I precooked the meat Sunday)
*Here is a picture of Nathan enjoying Daddy's spaghetti.

Thursday - Grilled Italian Chicken (chicken breasts marinated in Italian Dressing)

Friday - Eating out

Since we are under an Extreme Heat Watch and will have heat indices in the 115+ range, we are going to try to limit the days we use the oven. Which fortunately is only Monday and Tuesday (the hottest days are supposed to be Wednesday and Thursday). Friday night, we are going out to dinner to celebrate my birthday, my friend Amy's birthday, and our friends (Steve and Ashley) engagement! Fun!

Stay cool!

5 Meals - 1 Hour, Week 3

2011-06-27T15:44:00.007-05:00

Well, we made it through week 2. I'm still LOVING this concept... my latest reason for loving this plan - less dishes! Don't get me wrong, there are a TON of dishes on Sunday while I'm preparing everything, but there is usually only a dish or two to wash the night of dinner. Less dishes = happier Mommy!

Here is my review of last week two's menu:

Monday - Creamy Bacon Fettuccine
*Absolutely, without a doubt yucky. I am in love with the idea of the new Philadelphia Cooking Cremes, but this recipe just did not deliver. It lacked flavor, the bacon was chewy, and the herb flavor was way too overpowering (which is odd since there was little flavor!)

Tuesday - Meatloaf Pie
*This was really different... It was edible, but I still think I like MY meatloaf recipe the best.

Wednesday - Onion Ring Chicken
*We love this one! I've made it before and will make it again. YUM!

Thursday - Caramelized Beef Skewers
*Not bad, not bad at all! The key to this recipe is to beat the steak to make it thin and tender (if you have a meat tenderizer, use it! Plus, if you're having a bad day, this is great therapy). ;-) Really, really yummy!

Friday - Eat out!
*Need I say more?

So what's on my menu for week three? It's a short week for us, so only three meals.

Monday *Happy 4th of July!* - Tater Tot Casserole
*Note: I use TWO cans of cream of mushroom soup, and add a little salt, pepper and garlic powder on top of the meat before adding the soup.

Tuesday - Poppyseed Chicken
*Note: I mix the poppy seeds in with the soup for better distribution within the casserole.

Wednesday - Schwan's Penne alla Vodka with Chicken

Thursday & Friday - I'll be out of town for work, so the boys will be on their own! I'm guessing pizza will be on the menu. ;-)

Happy Cooking!

Y-A-W-N

2011-06-22T19:52:00.002-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, Nathan was running a slight fever (silly molars), so I stayed home with him. He was in a really good mood as long as you kept the ibprofen coming! We had a nice day full of snuggles, books and Mickey. We read his phonics book SEVERAL times, and he loved the "Y" page when he got to yawn. Here he is!

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-22T19:45:00.004-05:00

The three loves of my life... Could I be any luckier? I sure don't think so! :-)

Happy Father's Day Jamie - you are the best husband and father that anyone could ask for! A special Happy Father's Day to my Dad, Alan, too! I love you more than words can say... thank you for being a wonderful, loving, supporting Father and a WONDERFUL Grandpa too!

5 Meals - 1 Hour: Week 2

2011-06-22T19:04:00.006-05:00

Well, it's official... I LOVE Living, Laughing and Loving! If you are not a follower of her's, go... now! :-) She is so funny, and just makes me - a reader - feel like I've known her forever! She is the one who got me hooked on the 5 meals, one hour meal plan that I told you about here.

So how was week 1? A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I mean, dinner made and eating in the snap of two fingers? Love it! Here is my review of last week's menu:

Monday - Balsamic Chicken
*Delish! Although I think next time I will use a little less dressing.

Tuesday - Tangy Meatballs
*I made fewer, smaller meatballs. Jamie thought it was a little too tangy, so next time I'm going to use my meatloaf recipe, but make meatballs instead. Loved it!

Wednesday - Ranch Pork Chops
*Super tasty, but VERY dry! I think next time I need bigger pork chops, or need to put them in frozen. Excellent flavor though!

Thursday - Broiled Steak Bites
*A new staple in our household! Really, REALLY good!!!!! Just needs to cook for only about 5 minutes to avoid overdrying the meat.

Friday - Blues, Brews, and BBQ Festival
*Okay, okay, I didn't cook this night, but the food at the festival was fantastic! Pictures to follow!

So what's on my menu for this week? Check it out! Don't forget to leave me a comment if you have a good recipe for me, or if you tried this new meal plan too!

Monday - Creamy Bacon Fettuccine

Tuesday - Meatloaf Pie

Wednesday - Onion Ring Chicken

Thursday - Caramelized Beef Skewers

Friday - Eat out!

Saturday and Sunday we'll have out-of-town visitors, so we'll be doing a lot of grilling. YUM!!!

Dinner - the WORST part of my day

2011-06-20T10:34:00.002-05:00

Have you ever had those days where you just want to go home, sit your you-know-what on the couch, and NOT MOVE? Yeah, that's pretty much every day for me. By the time I work all day, pick up the kids and go home, I don't want to do much else. BUT, there's laundry, bath time, swim lessons, oh yeah - and DINNER. I truly dislike this part of my day... the kids are "starrrrrving" and I struggle to come up with what to make that doesn't take four hours to prepare/cook.

While reading one of the blogs I follow, Centsible Savings, I am across a post from Living, Laughing, and Loving that has changed my outlook on dinner! It's called 5 Dinners - 1 Hour and IT IS FABULOUS!

The general idea is that you spend one hour preparing your meals for the week, up to the point where you actually cook the food. ONE HOUR! I can do that! She even gives pictures, great printouts (like the free meal planner printable which allows you to write the menu and your shopping list all on one page).

Here are my top five reasons I love this (so far):

1) It avoids the, "I don't know what to make for dinner so let's just go out" excuse, which in turn, saves money!

2) I avoid the stress of having to come up with meals on the fly, or, spending a ton of time to prepare the food once I get home (all the while trying to deal with two starving kids who have to wait another hour for the meal to be prepared/cooked).

3) It is forcing me to try new recipes from the 5,000,000 cookbooks I own (perhaps a slight exaggeration), rather than serve my family the same five meals week after week. :-)

4) Preparing the meals is actually quite therapeutic!

5) Hot, delicious meals - EVERY NIGHT! Even when we have swim lessons to get to!

I tried this plan for the first time yesterday, and the only tip I can give you, do it when the kids are sleeping. For real. Seriously though, it was super easy, and really fun! I'm telling every one I know to try this method... I love it that much! Hopefully I'll stick to this! ;-)

This week's menu:

Monday - Balsamic Chicken

Tuesday - Tangy Meatballs

Wednesday - Ranch Pork Chops

Thursday - Broiled Steak Bites

Friday - Blues, Brews, and BBQ Festival (I CAN'T WAIT... Jamie and I work this every year since my Bank is one of the main sponsors. It's SO much fun and SO yummy!)

If you give this a try, please let me know your thoughts, and be sure to share your recipes!!!

Hall of Famer

2011-06-15T13:34:00.006-05:00

Have you ever met a baseball Hall of Famer? Me either. :-( BUT, Jamie can now say he has! A couple of months ago, Jamie's friend (owner of This is It Furniture) asked him if he would be willing to go down to St. Louis to do some work on Lou Brock's house. If you are like me, I had NO idea who that was (thank goodness for Google)! But a few clicks of the mouse later, I was in awe that Jamie was going to meet such an amazing athlete!

You see, Mike met Lou several years ago and Lou is always very gracious with autographs, helping out for charity, etc. Since he does so much for Mike, Mike wanted to return the favor. All of Lou's amazing baseball paraphernalia was kind of unorganized, so Mike went down to his house and had things framed, put in cases, and basically made a room dedicated to his legend. What I find so cool, is that non of this was Lou's idea... in fact, he is very humble (per Jamie). His WIFE, Jackie, wanted to show off all of his accomplishments - she is so proud of him!

Mike paid for the gas and material for Jamie to go down there, and Jamie basically "donated" his time. He took his good friend Steve with him for assistance, so that was nice Jamie wasn't travelling alone. They both said that Lou and his wife were SO nice, modest and just really amazing people. Mrs. Brock even insisted they stay for dinner!!! She made them fried chicken, homemade sweet potato and curly fries and sweet corn. Apparently they all just kind of stood around the kitchen talking, sharing stories, laughing and just having a good time! Mrs. Brock even asked if Jamie would be willing to come back soon and do some additional electrical work on their house! (Of COURSE he said yes!)

I just think this is such a neat experience for Jamie and am so glad his talent allowed him to do something so amazing! Plus, the stories he was told from Lou from "back in the day" are SO cool!!!

Jamie and Lou Brock

Jamie telling Lou what I'm sure is a "FANTASTIC" story ;-)

Lou and his wife (See the ceiling fan blade next to Lou? That's from a fan Jamie took down for them. He signed the fan blade and gave it to Jamie!!!)

Steve with Lou Brock

First trip to the Dentist

2011-06-14T10:32:00.003-05:00

According to what I read, you are supposed to take your child to the dentist starting at age two. Um, really? Two? Maybe I am just that uneducated, but that seems a little ridiculous to me... I mean, my kids didn't even get their frst tooth until they were almost a year, and still didn't have all their teeth at age two! Needless to say, we didn't abide by that "recommendation". ;-)

But since he is 4 1/2, it really is time for him to make that trip, so about two months ago, I had Sean go with me to my dental appointment so he could see what all happens. I thought that was a genius idea! Not so much - he really could have cared less. Thank goodness we brought the ipad. :-) Last Thursday, Sean had his first trip to the Dentist! We had been talking about it all week, and had even made a friendly "wager" as to how many teeth he had (I guessed 22 and Sean guessed 20). He was fantastic at his appointment and of course had all the ladies swooning over him... such a charmer! They counted his teeth (of which he was right... 20!), brushed and flossed them. And of course, got to pick a "prize" out of the treasure chest when he was done. He was SOOOO excited about the new toothbrush (which is green with sparkles. That's it. Really? His at home is way cooler, but whatever!) ;-)

Check out my big boy...

All clean and NO cavaties!!!

Swaddling

2011-06-10T16:30:00.001-05:00

If you are my friend on facebook, you've seen this picture. Jamie and Sean were playing the other night, and for whatever reason, Jamie had him wrapped up like a burrito... he called it "swaddling". What's so interesting to me about this picture is how happy he looks. He HATED being swaddled as a child!

What you DON'T see in this picture is a few minutes later, he was walking down the hallway and fell. The funny part... he couldn't get up! Jamie and I laughed so stinking hard as he looked like a fish out of water! In our defense, Sean was cracking up too! I know, parents of the year.

Biker cutie

2011-06-10T16:19:00.002-05:00

I suppose all kids learn to ride a bike in their own way, but I like to think Nathan is just being creative in his attempt. ;-)

Bath time fun

2011-06-10T16:15:00.003-05:00

It's been awhile since I've posted some pictures of the boys in the bathtub. I don't know if you all think they are quite as cute as I do, but they are just some of my favorite pictures ever!!! I will be super sad when they stop being able to bathe together... they just have so much fun (and I have so much fun cleaning up all the water that gets splashed out *insert scarcasm*)!

Please excuse the poor quality of the pictures, they are from my phone.

Check me out!

2011-06-10T15:57:00.002-05:00

It's been awhile (a looooong while) since I have posted on my other blog. But, I've finally gotten back into posting some good deals recently. If you haven't check it out, or, if you don't follow-me there, head on over to "Make-UP me Over" and see what you think!

Scovill Zoo - Memorial Day 2011

2011-05-31T19:27:00.004-05:00

We had a WONDERFUL weekend... Jamie decided he wasn't going to work at all, so we got lots of family time in! Since Monday was Memorial Day and there was no work/school, we decided it would be a great day to go to Scovill Zoo in Decatur. Since we have had incredible amounts of rain and major storms over the last few weeks, we wanted to take full advantage of the nice day together!

Although you can't tell by the pictures below, Nathan L-O-V-E-D it! The last time we were there with him, he was about eight weeks old! He did get a little hot (it was about 93 degrees that day), so the trip was cut a little short, but he would have stayed all day if we let him. He really enjoyed the petting zoo and seeing all the baby goats. He was cracking up chasing them all over! Sean, on the other hand, really liked the train ride around the zoo, but really just wanted to play in their massive play structure there.

All-in-all, it was a great, fun family outing and I can't wait to do it more this summer!

Mother's Day Tea

2011-05-31T18:02:00.006-05:00

Last week, Sean's pre-k class at ABC hosted their annual Mother's Day Tea. Since I was able to enjoy this fantastic event, I thought it might be nice for my Mom to attend since it was open to any Mom, Grandmother, Aunt, etc. Of course Grandma was THRILLED to attend! ;-) It was a fantastic morning of which Sean thoroughly enjoyed as well! He actually sang the songs this year, and was a very gracious host for Grandma! He pulled out her chair, asked her what she would like to eat/drink, served her and of course, charmed with THIS smile:

Sean and Grandma

Mommy and Sean

Sean's painting of what I look like... spitting image, don't ya think? ;-)

Grandma reading the book Sean made for her "Things my Grandma likes" (very interesting I might add!) ;-)

Getting ready to serve the Mommies and Grandmas

The performance. Although where I was sitting I didn't get a great shot of Sean singing, you can still get the idea.

Joplin, Missouri

2011-05-23T17:32:00.002-05:00

I, like many of you, have been glued to my TV watching coverage of the devastation of the storms this year. The latest round that hit Joplin, MO yesterday, hit closer to home. You see, our pastor and his wife, along with Tyler (our Student Ministry Coordinator) and his wife Margo (Early Childhood Coordinator) spent several years there prior to coming to Champaign. They all attended Ozark Christian Church, and in fact, Margo told me today, "Joplin, MO is where I fell in love with my husband, where I made my best friends and where I got my education...it's so hard to see so much suffering there. But, we are so very thankful that our friends are okay."
Knowing that their friends and family, who thankfully are okay, have lost homes, businesses, vehicles, etc. really made me sad. I wanted to do something, but I didn't know what. Fortunately, my church made that easy for me! A member of our congregation donated the use of a semi-trailer, along with a driver, to take supplied down to Joplin. All we needed to do, was fill it!

I was actually home with Sean today, as he wasn't feeling well this morning. When he got a burst of energy this afternoon, he and I went through our pantry, bathrooms, closets, etc. to find items to donate. A lot of what was requested happened to be baby items, so my house was the place to be! I wanted to take this situation and use it as a learning experience for Sean. We talked about how God has blessed our family immensely, and how it was our time to help those who are in need. Although it was a little difficult trying to explain what a tornado is, he got the idea of very strong winds. I explained that those winds knocked down homes, schools, hospitals, churches, etc., so the things we were getting together were going to be taken to those people.

He was in complete awe! You could see it in his sweet eyes... trying to wrap his head around what I was saying. He listened, so intently, and told me "tell me the story again Mommy!" Once we finished, we loaded up the car and headed to church to drop off the items. Sean wanted to get out and see everything, and fortunately, there weren't many people there (yes, my child was still in his pajamas. He was sick after all!) We unloaded the items, and the next thing I know, this lady from the news wanted to interview me and Sean! YIKES! Are you kidding me??? My child is in his Mickey pajamas and I am a dirty, sweaty mess from packing boxes! Sure. What the heck.

Needless to say, I don't think those families in Joplin will care that I looked like hell and my child was wearing jammies at 4:00 p.m. But I can tell you that my heart, and Sean's, is full today knowing that we were able to help... even in a small way!

I ask that you all say a quick prayer for those who have been impacted by this tragedy, and continue to pray for them in the upcoming weeks. God is good!

Pre-school bound

2011-05-18T14:03:00.002-05:00

Today, I OFFICIALLY registered Sean for pre-school at Judah Christian School for the Fall of 2011! I'm not sure how it's possible that he is old enough to be going to an actual school, but I guess it's true!

I must admit, I generally don't deal well with change, so writing the registration check and putting the stamp on the envelope gave me a lot of anxiety. BUT, I am super excited for this next chapter in Sean's life!

Judah is an AMAZING school (both of my nephews go there), that provides an exceptional academic education in a Christ-centered environment. We feel truly blessed that we are able to send Sean there and that he will be getting a truly wonderful education, all while bringing him closer to God. Our plan is for Nathan to start pre-school there in the Fall of 2012, when Sean will move up to Kindergarten.

Sean is super excited that he will be going to "Nick and Kyle's school", although I'm not quite sure he understand that they won't be in his class! ;-)

Go Tribe!

Spaghetti night

2011-05-18T13:47:00.005-05:00

At least once a week, Sean will ask if we can have spaghetti for dinner. Now you may be thinking, "Sounds like a kid... every kid likes spaghetti!" But the thing is, he doesn't. He ONLY likes Daddy's spaghetti, and I have to admit, IT... IS... THE... BEST!

We usually have to strip Sean down to just his underwear (please click here to see why), but always try to get him to use a fork. In his defense, why use a fork when you can shovel more into your mouth faster by using your hands?!? Well this week, Sean asked if he could use a fork and didn't start stripping down! I was literally stunned! I very willingly got him a fork, and nervously watched as he excitedly twisted the spaghetti around the fork and took a bite (all the while Mommy was thinking of new stain removal tricks for pasta sauce).

HE DID GREAT!!! He ate 2 1/2 plates of pasta and did not get one drop on his shirt! He was so proud of himself and I was so proud of him! When I asked him where he learned to eat spaghetti (thinking he'd say, "From you Mommy!"), he sweetly said, "From Special Agent Oso of course!"

Great. My kid is learning his table manners, not from his parents, but rather an animated stuffed bear. Mother of the year award - right here! ;-)

Update - Jenn

2011-05-18T13:27:00.002-05:00

Well, it's officially been over a month since all of my healh craziness, and I can honestly say - I feel great! So far, the procedure seems to have worked!!! For everything that happened after the surgery, it better have! ;-)

I have been experiencing a little bit of pain, much lower than before, and not NEAR as painful (more annoying and uncomfortable). My co-worker finally convinced me to call my doctor just to let her know and see if she had any thoughts as to what was going on.

Long story short, they ran a test which came back negative, so they scheduled me for a "STAT" ultrasound, of which I had done this past Monday. I suckered my Mom into going with me as it was a lot of sitting around and waiting in between the procedure and seeing the doctor. Plus, let's face it, who doesn't like to have their Mommy with them at the doctor's office? :-) The results showed a cyst on my left ovary, which showed fluid surrounding it. Since this did not show up on my ultrasound from April 15th, they are going to check me again in eight weeks. Oh joy...

I don't think it's anything to worry about, but I am glad I had it checked out. The pain comes and goes and doesn't limit me from doing anything, so that's good. I'll keep you all posted!

My little worm

2011-05-09T16:01:00.001-05:00

Nathan's teacher sent me the following picture today... she thinks he's trying to do the worm. I think he's trying to lick the floor. What do YOU think???

While Mom's away...

2011-05-09T15:51:00.004-05:00

This weekend when I was hosting the shower for my cousin's fiance, Jamie took the boys to the mall to run a few errands. And where there is a mall, there is a carousel! This was Nathan's first time on the carousel and he LOVED it! I was sorry to miss it, but was happy that Jamie took a picture.

Clearly it was too much excitement for him!

Justin and Emily

2011-05-08T17:45:00.003-05:00

This weekend, my sister and cousin threw a Bridal Shower for my cousin Justin's fiance, Emily. I call her that, but she is also a dear friend of mine. She and Justin are getting married in Key West in June and then will have a reception locally in July. I'm so excited for them and was so happy to do this for such a wonderful couple!!!

Party Pics - FINALLY!

2011-05-08T17:03:00.010-05:00

Since there are about a million pictures, I won't say much except ENJOY!

Preview of the party pics...

2011-05-08T15:58:00.005-05:00

Here is a little preview of Nathan's birthday party... my dear friend Heather from Pirates-n-Princesses, made the banner, delicious cupcakes, darling cupcake stands, and helped with the table decorations. I was so pleased with how everything turned out... just too cute for words! Nathan loved all the Mickey (even though Daddy was Mickey'd out!)

Yes, we're those parents

2011-05-08T15:47:00.002-05:00

We let our kids bounce on their beds and the couch. It's just too cute and funny to watch them! Of course they have to be supervised, and CANNOT do it at someone elses house, but it's something we let them do. How can you not when you see them having so much fun?

Birthday dinner

2011-05-08T15:41:00.005-05:00

It's a tradition in my family that when it's your birthday, you get to choose where you want to go out to eat (or what you want to eat at home). Although Nathan is somewhat of a picky eater, there are a few places that he just LOVES, and is guaranteed to chow down. El Toro is one of them... (I attribute that to the massive craving for Mexican food I had during his pregnancy.)

So the family packed up and headed to El Toro for a yummy feast, and as you will be able to tell from the first couple of pictures, he liked it! :-)

Good morning birthday boy!

2011-05-08T15:35:00.004-05:00

Had to snap a few pictures of my OFFICIAL TWO YEAR OLD the morning of his birthday. I swear he gets cuter every day!!!

Big brother playing with one of Nathan's new toys from Aunt Elaine

ABC Birthday party

2011-05-08T15:28:00.006-05:00

Since Nathan's birthday was on a Sunday, I took cupcakes in for his class the Friday before. I got there a little early and some of the kids were still sleeping. Okay, well my kid was still sleeping. Apparently getting ready to turn two wears you out!

Love the drool on this one. Takes after his Mommy. :-)

Since we had to wake him up, it took him a minute to get into the celebration. You'll be able to tell that from the look on his face in the first few pictures.

Easter 2011

2011-05-08T15:11:00.007-05:00

I know, I know... I'm very behind in posting! But, I'm trying to get caught up! Easter came and went so quickly! I was still trying to recover from the medical issus I had in April, so Easter was pretty low-key. Fortunately, I did have the kids Easter baskets prior to my surgery... I mean, the Easter bunny still visited out house! :-) Sean was SO surprised, it was too funny! Nathan wasn't very interested in the basket, except for the food. Very typical for him! :-) Since I was on the mend, our Easter lunch consisted of McDonald's, but we did get over to my parents for Easter Dinner/Mom's Birthday celebration (which was the next day).

Here are a few pictures from the day... hope you all had a wonderful Easter too!

The very fancy Easter lunch! ;-)

All I can say to this is monkey see, monkey do.

2-year well baby check-up

2011-05-05T15:33:00.002-05:00

Okay, so I know at this point it's just called a "2 year old check-up", but it makes me feel better to say well-baby check-up, so go with it. :-)

Monday I took Nathan in for his well-baby and we got a great report. He's growing and healthy as can be! He did have to get one shot (which was major drama for about four minutes), but he was a trooper none the less. The good news... no more shots until he's 4!

Here are the stats:

Height: 32 5/8 inches (10.32%)
Weight: 22.4 pounds (2%)

I always think it's interesting to see where Sean was at the same age. At two, Sean was 30 5/8 inches (exactly two inches shorter) and 19 pounds. Quite a difference!

He's really starting to talk more, which is fun! He still babbles a lot, but he's starting to babble in sentences. When you ask him to repeat what he said, he'll babble the exact same thing - so I know he's trying to tell us something! He loves making animal sounds, Mama, bye-bye, hi, more, uh-oh, baby, circle, square and yucky. Those are the words we hear most, but it seems like he adds a new word to his vocabulary every day. But what really impresses me is his comprehension. He understands so much and can follow directions so well. It's really apparent when we read (which he LOVES to do... just like his big brother)!

I promise to post pictures from the big party soon!

What a month

2011-05-02T21:45:00.000-05:00

Wow... it's been awhile since I've posted, and man is there a lot to catch up on! I think most of you who read my blog know everything that has happened in the last few weeks, but just in case, here we go!

On April 13th, I was scheduled for an outpatient procedure called an Endometrial Ablation. This was to help with some issues I've been having since Nathan's birth. Once I got to the hospital, I also found out I was going to have a D&C (guess that's why you should actually read the releases you sign... I might have noticed that! Ha!) Regardless, I was already going to be under, so it was no biggie. Everything went great with the procedures and I was home that evening. Thursday morning I woke up feeling a little crampy, but doing well. Thursday evening, however, something changed. The only way I can describe it is it felt like I was in labor. MAJOR contraction pain... and let me tell you, it's not fun when you are not going to get a sweet little baby out of it! :-)

I woke up Friday feeling much better, but very sore (like when you do too many sit-ups the day before - so I've heard :-) ). Friday afternoon came, and again, something changed. The contraction-like feelings were back and so was the pain. My dear friend Ashley was kind enough to take me to the ER as Jamie was working in a muddy ditch and couldn't get away at that moment. Once Jamie was able to get to the hospital, Ashley generously took the kids home (and took AMAZING care of them) so that Jamie could stay with me. After running some tests, they determined that I had an infection in my uterus. Once they got the pain under control, they sent me home with what seemed like an entire pharmacy full of prescriptions!

Saturday, well, I just don't remember. Not at all, which is really bizarre. Kind of the same with Sunday, but I do remember the pain increasing and moving further up into my abdomen. Back to the ER we went... they were so busy that day that I was in the hallway of the ER on a bed for two hours before finally getting into a room. Several more tests later, they determined that the infection had spread into my ovaries (and even found a touch of pneumonia in my lungs). If they couldn't get it under control, they were going to have to do a hysterectomy.

I was admitted to the hospital on Sunday, and the rest is kind of a blur. I remember bits and pieces, but Jamie will tell me a story or something that happened during that time, and I just don't remember! The good news here is thanks to IV antibiotics, I was improving. Fast forward to Wednesday when I was released... when the doctor came in, I really thought that she would tell me to take the rest of the week off, but that I should be good to return to work on that Monday. WRONG! She said that it was going to take awhile for me to recover and she wasn't releasing me until May 2. MAY 2???? I was floored. Two weeks?

I really do understand why she said that though - it WAS a long recovery and I didn't start to feel like myself until about last Wednesday. I am now back to work, feeling SO much better (just get tired easily) and happy to be back into a routine. Today is my last day of ALL medicines too! I'm thrilled about that!!!

Jamie has been a saint through this whole thing. I mean, truly AMAZING. I don't know how I got so lucky to have such a wonderful, supportive husband, but I'm so thankful that I do! He really had to take care of everything the last few weeks - me, the kids, the house, and work full time! We also had a lot of help and support from our family (real family and church family) and friends - especially my parents, my sister and Ashley. I was truly humbled by the outpouring of love and support!

So that's about it in a very long nutshell! Enough about me though... it's time to talk about my TWO YEAR OLD!!! Stay tuned...

Step 1

2011-04-07T13:01:00.003-05:00

After several hours of research, talking with Sean's pediatrician, and some prayer, Jamie and I decided to proceed with testing to see if Sean does, in fact, have Celiac Disease. There were some things from his appointment Monday that just weren't sitting well with us. Malnourished, vitamin deficient, decreasing iron, concern with his constant complaining of a tummy ache (of which I'm still not 100% convinced isn't partially an excuse to not have to do something... eat, go potty, go to sleep!) etc. I think at first we were so happy to hear the news that Sean's growth made great progress, that it didn't really set in on what else the doctor was saying.

Once I thought more about it, I kind of felt like I had been kicked in the stomach. All this time, we have been SO focused on Sean's height - GROW BABY GROW! - that we may have failed to notice other things. I felt terrible. What kind of Mom am I that I may not have seen these signs and symptoms? Enter good solid cry.

After the cry, my Mommy-mode set in. I knew we had to find answers and that's what we are going to do. I contacted Sean's local pediatrician and set up an appointment to have the lab work done. We are going to test his vitamin levels, iron, other important levels, but most importantly, for Celiac Disease. Is it life threatening? No. Will he be able to enjoy a great life? Yes. Does the thought of it scare the hell out of me? MOST DEFINITELY. If you know me well at all, you will know patience is not a virtue I posses. But strangely enough I feel very calm right now. It is out of my hands. My daily devotion the other day was about how when we feel the most out of control, unsure of what path is coming, stop. Remember that God has already chosen the path for us, and we're just waiting to find out which one it is. That has brought me an insane amount of comfort! Why it's taken me almost 35 years to figure that out... ;-)

So today I took Sean in to have the blood work done. He was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Sadly, I think he's used to being poked and prodded, and he loves going to the doctor. Hmm, maybe it's because there is usually suckers and a trip to Sonic afterwards??? Regardless, he didn't even flinch, cry, nothing. Love that boy. On Friday, April 22nd, we will go back to meet with his doctor for the results. Until then, we wait and pray!

Since my Father was recently diagnosed with diabetes, I'm beginning to wonder if Sean is just trying to be like his Grandpa (changed diet)!!?? What a booger.

"Small Body, Big Spirit"

2011-04-05T11:40:00.003-05:00

After feeling very overwhelmed from Sean's doctor's appointment yesterday, and dealing with an almost two year old (who is definitely in the terrible two's!... God love him...), I received the following. It is a daily parenting email that I subscribe to, and let me tell you, it's JUST what I needed to read today!!!

THE DAILY GROOVE ~ by Scott Noelle
www.enjoyparenting.com/dailygroove

Mother Nature doesn't aim for mediocre. She imbues
every child with HUGE creative potential.

Children are born *knowing* they're supposed to be
BIG -- innately powerful, free, and continuously
expanding to new horizons.

Today, no matter how physically small your child
may be, notice and appreciate his or her BIGness in
spirit. That spirit is easy to see when your child
is expressing pure Love and Joy. But it's no less
present when s/he's "misbehaving." In those trying
times, remember...

Our children are always doing the best they
can to stay connected to their BIGness --
in a world that expects them to be small.

Sean - St. Louis update

2011-04-04T19:48:00.003-05:00

Today we took Sean to see the endocrinologist to see how he has progressed in the past year. We got some GREAT news! At this time, NO GROWTH HORMONES!!! On average, doctors like to see a child Sean's age grow no less than 4 cm in a year. Since our last visit, Sean grew 6.8 cm! That's about 2 1/2 inches, which for him, is great! He's still not on the chart, but showed a great incline closer to the line.

But with that, comes the "bad" news (if you can call it that). Last year he weighed in at 26 1/4 pounds. This year, he weighs 27 1/2. Unfortunately, that is not good as he is beginning to grow, but level in weight. They really need him to gain more weight. She mentioned a disease (that begins with an "S" that neither Jamie nor I can remember), but looked up his lab work and he has been tested for it. It's basically when your body doesn't process wheat. Since he complains all the time of his tummy hurting, she wants to monitor this closely. So every six months, we'll go in for a weight check and blood work here locally. We'll go back to see her in one year to see what's happening with his weight. But the good news here, is that her office is moving to Springfield, IL in June of this year! If it has continued to level off, then we will have to run further tests to see what seems to be the problem. In the meantime, we are going to try to pump him full of healthy, but fatty, non-empty caloric foods, which with him being a picky eater is going to be a task! (Seriously, I'm bummed that he isn't gaining weight, but how unfair... I wish I could transfer some of my body fat! LOL!)

I realize that the good news should outweigh the bad, and it does, but part of me is still frustrated that we can't just officially move on. BUT, this is God's plan and we can handle this. Sean was a trooper all day (7 hours in the car for a less than one hour appointment) - I'm just so proud of him! I am thrilled with the news about his growth though and just know it's thanks to the prayers of our friends and family. Thank you all for your continued support and know that it means the world to us!!!

Fun at the park

2011-04-03T21:14:00.008-05:00

The weather was SO nice this weekend (at little windy)... sunny and perfect to finally be outside! We took advantage of the gorgeous day (and the fact that we had nothing going on in the morning) and went to the park. Watching Nathan was the funniest thing ever... he is definitely his happiest when he is outdoors. Be prepared for picture overload!

And the "Mother of the Year" Award goes to...

2011-03-30T23:27:00.000-05:00

Let me start by saying both boys are just fine.

It's a long story, but in a matter of five minutes, Sean managed to crack his head (of which he likes to tell everyone that a piece of his head fell out) and Nathan smashed his nose creating a fun, bloody mess. Yeah, I'm just that good. *Sigh*

Random cuteness

2011-03-30T23:06:00.003-05:00

Since I haven't posted in a couple of weeks, I'll share a few pictures of what we've been up to!

Silly Sean (this is what happens when Mommy isn't home in the evening!) :)

Nathan "posing" in his new room at school (the two-year old room)

Being this cute is hard work. It makes Nathan so sleepy he can't even make it all the way onto his cot at school! :)

A little outdoor fun (although we had a couple of nice days, it did snow here again this week... gotta love Illinois weather!)

Last week was Spring Break in Champaign, so our church had lots of activities planned for the kids while out of school. Aunt Elaine was nice enough to take Sean on Friday to Bloomington to Chuck E Cheese! Don't let his shy face fool you, he loved every minute of it and hasn't stopped talking about it since! Literally.

Jeff and Allie

2011-03-30T22:53:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday, we attended my dear friend Allie's wedding. Allie is a sorority sister of mine of whom I just adore! Some of you may not have met her, but she was a "there in spirit" bridesmaid at our wedding. Allie was seven months pregnant (with triplets!) at our wedding, and was on bed rest. So although she was not there in person, she was there in spirit! :)

Allie has been through a lot in the last six years, and I can honestly say she is one of the strongest women I know. Saturday, she married the love of her life (and high school sweetheart), Jeff in a small ceremony that we were lucky enough to be a part of. Being the ding-dong that I am, I have no pictures of Jeff and Allie or of me and Allie, so you'll have to take my word for it that she was G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S!

Here are a few pictures from the reception

One of those days...

2011-03-30T22:31:00.000-05:00

Just to warn you, this is a different kind of post. :)

Do you ever have one of those days? No, not that kind, the kind where everything just seems right in the world? Don't get me wrong, I have a lot of stuff going on in my life (don't we all?), but a couple of days ago, I really, really had a good day. The weather was beautiful, my husband made me laugh and I just relished in the time with my children. I LOVE being a Mom!

I always love my children and thank God every day for the blessing he has given me in the form of two sweet, amazing boys. But Tuesday, I literally stepped back for a minute and watched my boys play, giggle and "be silly with me" (as Sean likes to call it). At that very moment, I fell in love with my life.

I am working to grow in my relationship with God and become the woman he wants me to be. But, it's hard. Really, really hard. Sin creeps up, negative thoughts and words come out of my mouth, and I wonder, why would God love me? Then I turn to scripture (something I haven't done much of in the past) and find that God has always loved me, even when I don't deserve it. Isn't that amazing? He loves me. ME.

Psalm 36:5-7
Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the skies.

Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your justice like the great deep.
O LORD, you preserve both man and beast.

How priceless is your unfailing love!
Both high and low among men
find refuge in the shadow of your wings.”

Lamentations 3:22–25
Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him. ”

The Lord your God is with you.
He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you,
He will quiet you with His love He will rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17

I don't deserve his love but I am SO grateful to have it. When I have days like this past Tuesday, it helps me remember how much God does love me and how much he has blessed my perfect little family. I may not deserve it, but I am going to continue working to make my life a life for Christ. Thank you Lord for the blessings you have given me and for reminding me on days like this, how great our God you truly are.

Psalm 52:8b “I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever.”

Missouri Valley Conference - 2011

2011-03-17T18:11:00.001-05:00

The first weekend in March, Jamie and I headed down to St. Louis to attend the Missouri Valley Conference basketball tournament with our dear friend Ryan and Jodi. You may remember that we went with them last year, and just love the memories we made. Needless to say, we were so pumped to head down that way again for some time with friends, great food, lots of drinks... and of course... basketball! Our beloved SIU was oh so lucky (please note the sarcasm) to get the Thursday night game again this year. I'm confident I will see them play in a Friday game at least once before I die! LOL! Our seats were awesome, but we were sad that our dear old friend, "Weird Old Lady" and her "I live in my Mom's basement" son were nowhere to be seen. Regardless, the four of us had an amazing time and even got to catch up with a few other friends from our SIU days. SIU did win their first game, but heartbreakingly lost their second game to Missouri State in the last 1.6 seconds. It was such a disappointment. Even the MSU fans thought we should have won. Sigh... there's always next year!

The view from our seats

An impressive turnout of Shockers fans

The Saluki mascot (now with no teeth... apparently the teeth were scaring little kids. Seriously??? Still kind of freaky looking to me.)

The fab four

And no trip to St. Louis would be complete without a trip to Pappy's Smokehouse! We were introduced to this heaven on earth place thanks to the T.V. show Man vs. Food. It was WELL worth the 45 minute wait. Feast your eyes on this feast... go ahead, be jealous! The best part... Ryan's Rhythm and Blues themed love song to his ribs. Priceless!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-17T15:45:00.000-05:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day from the two cutest leprechauns ever! I couldn't get one of them together (Nathan was NOT having it), but they still are cute as can be! Please excuse Nathan's food face... he was also NOT having me trying to clean him up! ;-)

Cute as a... booger?

2011-02-21T22:58:00.000-06:00

I think the pictures speak for themselves. Enjoy! ;-)

Sleepy Sean

2011-02-21T22:53:00.000-06:00

Saturday, Sean would not take a nap for anything. I think he is slowly starting to phase that out, but I knew it he was getting kind of sleepy as the day progressed. He asked if he could watch the Baby Einstein DVD, which for those of you who don't know, is classical music set to toys. It's hard to explain and kind of weird, but relaxing to the kiddos! Next thing we know, we look over and see our sweet Sean zonked out! I just love this picture...

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-21T22:32:00.000-06:00

What a WONDERFUL Valentine's Day it was! I was fortunate to spend it with my three favorite boys. It was truly one of the best days of my life! The boys were in FANTASTIC moods after school, so we came home, got in our pajamas, made the heart shaped pizza we got from Papa Murphy's and just spent time together as a family. We played games, jumped on the bed (yes, I let my kids do that) :-), went through all their Valentines from school, watched a little tv, and snuggled... A LOT! I'm telling you, it was a perfect day!

Here are the Valentine's that the boys gave their friends at school

Sean's Valentine

Nathan's Valentine

But here's the best Valentine... MINE! Jamie and I don't usually exchange Valentine's gifts since our anniversary and Christmas are just two months before, but we decided to meet for lunch Monday as a nice treat. When I arrived and sat down at the table, there was a heart shaped box of chocolates sitting there waiting for me with a card on top. I was pleasantly surprised that Jamie did such a thoughtful, unexpected thing! Little did I know that when I moved the card, the candy box was from Rogers and Hollands! See for yourself.

BUT WAIT! It gets better! When I opened the box, imagine my surprise when I saw a beautiful pair of diamond earrings!!! My amazing husband had been planning and saving for months - I was floored! They are gorgeous!!! I am so lucky!

Thank you Aunt Wendy, Uncle Wade and Grandma Becky

2011-02-13T15:46:00.003-06:00

Friday, Sean and Nathan received lots of goodies in the mail! Grandma Becky sent Valentine's cards with money (of which Sean quickly pointed out should be used at the "Monkey Game" - aka, Buffalo Wild Wings) and Aunt Wendy and Uncle Wade sent both boys Thomas the Train Bath sets! Here is the look on Sean's face when he opened it:

Needless to say, he LOVED it! When Nathan heard the word "bath", he didn't even stick around to find out what it was. He was already in the bathroom trying to get in the bathtub! It was too cute!

CIB Holiday Party

2011-02-13T15:41:00.002-06:00

So every year before we venture out to my company's holiday party, I have to have the "talk" with Jamie. It usually goes something like this:

"Please don't embarrass me. Please don't say anything that might get me fired. Please keep all of your clothes on. Please remember how old you are and that break dancing / disco / crumping always make your back hurt in the morning."

Well, per usual, I found myself hiding in the corner shaking my head at disbelief a majority of the night. Mr. Lance was the only guy on the dance floor, surrounded by 6 - 8 women the entire night. Fortunately, all clothes remained on, I'm still employed, and he has gotten over his backache from attempting to "crump". :-)

On a positive note, he did win a $10 gift card to Panera for winning the hula hoop contest (see picture below)... around his neck.

Happy Birthday Kel!

2011-02-13T15:37:00.002-06:00

I have posted before about our best friends - The Divelys and The Welchs. We celebrate each others birthdays and any other random occasion we can get together for! A couple of weeks ago, we headed to Kamakura for a delish Japanese Hibachi grilled meal. It was an amazing time! Although the men didn't make the picture, here are Kelly, me and Meagan. Aren't they just gorgeous?!?

Girl's Night

2011-02-13T15:32:00.003-06:00

I am blessed to have such am amazing group of girl friends! Every month, we make it a priority to get together, chat, laugh, usually eat WAY too much, and get caught up in each others lives. It's pretty hit or miss to get most (or all) of us together (coordinating that many Mommies schedules it pretty tough), so I don't usually post many pictures. However, January's Girls Night brought a majority of us out, so I wanted to post some pictures of my good friends!

Me and Kel

Beth and her Sister Gwen

Meagan and Camilla

Stacy, Ashley and Nichole

Stephanie and Holly

Chillin'

2011-01-27T16:39:00.003-06:00

Doesn't everyone double fist their chicken fries? Hey, if he's eating, he can have one in each hand, ear, foot as far as I'm concerned! (Okay, not really - that's gross) ;-)

Random daycare pictures

2011-01-27T16:36:00.003-06:00

Here a few random pictures I received from daycare. Always makes my day a little brighter to see this sweet face pop up on my phone!

Nathan and his former infant room teacher, Adrian (now in the 3 year old room)

Wanted... for being so cute! :-)

Nathan and his bestie, Zach. They are only about 3 months apart!

Da Bears

2011-01-27T16:32:00.003-06:00

I have noticed a trend in the Lance family since September. Every time all our of us would wear our Chicago Bears attire on a game day, they won! But it had to be all four of us... the days it was only me and Jamie or only Sean and Nathan, well, it didn't bring the luck.

So you'd better believe that last Sunday all four of us were decked out head to toe in our Bears gear, hoping for a win against the Packers that would send us to the Superbowl! Well you all know how that worked out. :-(

Regardless, are these not the two cutest Bears fans EVER? Seriously.cute.kids.

Globetrotters

2011-01-27T16:23:00.003-06:00

I'll admit it... I've always wanted to see the Globetrotters (Jamie too!). I'm not sure why, I do know it's a show and not real basketball players, but I've always loved seeing their commercials and wanted to go. So me being the awesome Mom I am, took my desire to see them and placed it on my child. I mean, what 4 year old boy wouldn't want to see them... right?

We had the opportunity to get discounted tickets with my nephew's boy scout group, so we jumped on the chance to see them! Mom and Dad were kind enough to stay home with Nathan (concrete stairs + Nathan = heart attack for Mommy) so that we could truly enjoy this experience with Sean.

So did the show live up to my expectations? Well, let's just say I won't be as disappointed if Nathan doesn't want to see them when he is older. But we did have a good time! The humor was probably a little old for Sean, and there weren't quite as many tricks as I had hoped, but it was a fun night with my sweet Sean!

Living up to my childhood nickname

2011-01-19T10:35:00.002-06:00

My Uncle Jim... I just love him to pieces! When I was little, he used to sit me on his lap in his pick up truck, and let me "drive" through the corn fields. I must say, I was quite the steering fool! ;-) While I never actually crashed, he gave me the nickname "Crash Gertrude". I still giggle every time he calls me that!

Last night on the way home from the Illinois basketball game (of which we WON), we were in a car accident. The freezing rain and falling temperatures helped form a nice sheet of ice on the roads. While approaching the intersection where we needed to turn, we began to slide... fortunately, we were able to stop JUST in time before hitting the car ahead of us. The car was starting to turn right, so there was just enough room between that car and the car in the forward lane next to us, that it allowed my car to turn about 45 degrees without hitting anything. Except...

The car that was behind us was unable to stop, and ran right into the back of my car - that started a chain reaction of about seven more cars hitting each other. Fortunately, no one was hurt. Even more so, the kids were NOT with us (I'm still so grateful to God for that!). The gentleman that hit us had his front bummer dented and partially off (the rear part of his car did not fair so well), but amazingly, my car had NO damage!

Jamie and I are doing well... a little stiff and sore today, but I think that's more from tensing up than being hit. The roads are much better this morning, although there are still some slick spots (I did see one car go in the ditch this morning). They are calling for 3-5 inches of snow tonight and into tomorrow, so who knows what the next couple of days will be like. But for now, we are all safe and sound.

Bath time fun

2011-01-03T20:05:00.002-06:00

Monday night I was going to take a bath and enjoy my "bubble spa machine thingy". Yes, that's the official turn. Well, enter two kids and forget that - THEY wanted to play! It was worth giving up my relaxing time to see the fun they had with all the bubbles!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-03T19:53:00.000-06:00

2011. Just seems bizarre! I remember thinking 1999 seemed SO far away! This year, my parents were gracious enough to watch the kids so that Jamie and I could actually go out! Now, don't get too excited - our dinner reservation were at 5:30. I mean, come on, I can barely make it through the news!

KoFusion, one of my favorite restaurants here in downtown Champaign, was having a New Year's Eve special so we thought - why not! So our besties Kelly and Mason joined us for a yummy celebration!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-03T19:38:00.004-06:00

Christmas morning brings another set of traditions! Each morning, we celebrate Christmas at our respective homes (ours, Mom and Dad's, the Stones) to see what Santa brought! This year was especially fun for two reasons: 1) Sean really got into it this year, 2) Nathan didn't sleep through the whole thing! Normally Jamie and I don't exchange gifts (just very, very small things under the tree... everyone needs something to open), but I must have been a VERY good girl this year. Santa brought me an iPad!!! I was SO shocked and very pleased! Needless to say, between my husband and two boys (don't let their ages fool you), I haven't been able to play on it too much. ;-) The boys loved their presents, although Nathan was done after the first one (too many distractions with his current toys in the same room).

After we get cleaned up, we head over to Mom and Dad's. The tradition there is stockings first (from Santa) and then some snacking/brunch before presents! A couple of years ago, Mom actually invested in matching stockings since our mismatched childhood stockings had seen better days. Aren't they beautiful?

The cousins - take 2! Excuse the laundry basket... it's the only way we could get Nathan to stay still!

Christmas Eve 2010

2011-01-03T19:25:00.001-06:00

Christmas Eve is one of my favorite days of the year! I think I almost like it more than Christmas Day! It's been tradition in our family to go to Christmas Eve service and then head back to Mom and Dad's (used to be my Grandmothers) for Christmas dinner, and then the kids get to chose one gift to open. This year, Jamie's Dad, his girlfriend and her daughter were able to join us! It's always so nice when they are able to come to church with us and celebrate such a wonderful holiday!

Dinner was delicious (as always) and the boys all have such a fun time playing together! The gift Sean chose was probably one of his favorite gifts this year... a SECOND Wii Motion Plus controller! Yep, no more sharing remotes for this family!! Plus, Grandma and Grandpa didn't know it yet, but Santa was brining them a Wii for Christmas! Nathan opened a gift card to Toys 'r Us! Can't go wrong there. ;-)

It was a wonderful service, yummy meal, and priceless time with the family!

My little reindeer (Rudolph's got nothing on him!)

Brotherly love... Nathan loves giving Sean hugs, Sean likes to run away. ;-)

The cousins

My sister and her family (I LOVE this picture)

Teacher Christmas gifts

2010-12-21T11:54:00.002-06:00

So I'd like to consider myself a creative, crafty person. But, the reality is - I'm not. This was my attempt and creating something cute for Sean and Nathan's teachers for Christmas. I have to say, I was pretty pleased with how the turned out!

Each teacher got a Bath and Bodyworks Christmas soap (either Twisted Peppermint or Winter Candy Apple), a Christmas scented hand sanitzer (the opposite scent of the soap they received), and three white chocolate dipped pretzel rods. What do you think... kinda cute, eh?

They were delivered to each of them this morning, and seemed to be a big hit!

Christmas program at ABC

2010-12-21T11:43:00.003-06:00

Sean's pre-school class had their Christmas program last Friday. It was SO cute!!! Although Sean didn't sing (of course that's all he's done since), he was of course the cutest little munchkin up there!

Here are a few pictures (excuse the poor quality... I need a new camera).

Thank you Snodgrasses!

2010-12-21T11:36:00.003-06:00

The other day, we received a package in the mail from our dear friends Will, Amy, Natalie and Lauren. Jamie loooooved the Nutcracker M-n-M dispenser (so does Sean!), and the boys have really been enjoying their gifts too! Nathan got a Melissa and Doug magnetic fishing puzzle (being enjoyed by Sean below), and Sean got a Toy Story 3 Picture viewer... his very first! What a neat suprise to come home to. Thanks guys!

Christmas 2010 photo shoot

2010-12-15T20:46:00.006-06:00

Once again, my uber talented sister came over to take the boys Christmas pictures. Since both boys have been battling a sickies, neither were really in the mood to have this done. However, E is quick with the shutter so we were able to get some good ones for our card. Here are a few that didn't make the cut... cards should be mailed out this week, so stay tuned for the final outcome!

Our 6th Anniversary

2010-12-15T20:45:00.000-06:00

December 4th marked our sixth anniversary. SIX YEARS! Where does the time go? I can honestly say that I would never have imagined six years ago, that my life would be so amazing. I have an incredible, loving husband who is an AMAZING father, and two beautiful, healthy boys who are my world. I truly am blessed and am really trying to remember that every day.

My bestie from college, Jodi, invited Jamie and I to come to Peoria to see a dueling piano dinner show. It just so happened to fall on our anniversary, so we thought it would be fun to make a weekend out of it! The kiddos stayed with Aunt Elaine and off to Peoria we went! The show was SO much fun, and so was the group we were with. I can honestly say I don't remember the last time I laughed so hard. The next morning, my cheek muscles even hurt! It was a great way to celebrate and we are so grateful we got to do it with an amazing group of friends!

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree...

2010-12-15T20:36:00.005-06:00

A couple of years ago, Jamie and I decided we really needed a new Christmas tree. The one we had (which had been graciously passed down) had definitely seen better days. So after Christmas, we waited until the after Christmas sale got to 85% off. We ended up getting our pre-lit tree for under $40! I just love it, and I love all the mis-matched decorations. I can tell you where each one came from, and I honestly wouldn't have it any other way!

Check out those guns!

Isn't it beautiful?!?

Cute Nathan video

2010-12-15T20:29:00.003-06:00

Nathans LOVES to "talk" on the phone. Normally he carries around the real phone (of which I am close behind him making sure he's not calling China!), but he does love the play phone too!

Boys will be boys

2010-12-15T20:19:00.003-06:00

Yes, this is what my life consists of... watching my four year old and my one year old wrestle! It's all fun and games until someone loses and eye. ;-)

4 year check up

2010-11-23T11:17:00.002-06:00

So I'm not gonna lie... it kind of makes me sad that Sean's doctor's appointments are no longer called "Well-baby visits". In my head I know he's growing up, but in my heart, he'll always be my baby!

One thing is for sure, he is a big boy when it comes to the doctor! I'm not sure if he's just used to seeing doctors (not that we've had to see that many, but more than many 4 years olds) or what, but is he a trooper! From getting his flu shot (of which he looked at his arm, looked and me and said, "Ow") to getting his blood drawn (not a fan, but no tears!!) - he does so well! He was super excited about seeing his pediatrician since the road into the clinic is very curvy (hey, it's the little things).

We got a good, clean bill of health which makes Mommy very happy!! Although he is still very petite, he is growing! We will go back to the St. Louis Children's Hospital in April for a re-check (growth hormones are still not out of the question), but he is FINALLY on the charts!! They did draw some blood to check his thyroid and iron levels since he is always complaining that he is cold. But I tend to think that it's just because he has no body fat! :-) I guess that's one of the draw backs of being skinny-minny!

4 year stats
Height: 36 3/4 inches / 93.4 cm (1.51 percentile)
Weight: 26.6 pounds (0.16 percentile)

3 year stats
Height: 34 1/8 inches (0.96 percentile)
Weighed 25.2 pounds (1.54 percentile)
So there's not a lot of weight difference, but a good 2+ inches!

At our last appointment in St. Louis in April of this year, he was 88.2 cm - so that's a difference of 5.2 cm! That is great! We're hoping for even more great news this coming April!