Second Cousins Moving In!

If you've read previous posts you know about Aphia's imaginary friend Ellian that came over one night. But that is all she did, was come one night. Then she never came again. However for several weeks now we have had some other visitors who are frequenters at our house, playing with Aphia! They have practically moved in!

Their names are Hunter, Charlie, and Greta. Now if you are part of my mom's family, you know that these are actually my cousin Molly's children. They are great kids and Aphia got two chances in late July & August to play with them. She ADORES them. And now they are her new imaginary (kind of...) friends.

They have been making daily appearances at our house since Jonah has started being at school all day long. I put two and two together today when Aphia and I had this conversation in the car:
Aphia: "Mom, Hunter is old enough to be home alone, so if you and dad want to leave you can."
Me: "Oh really? (laughing, because that was darn cute!) He's old enough for that huh?"
Aphia: "Yep, he likes to come over and play and so do Charlie and Greta."
Me: "Yes, and you like to play with them too, don't you?"
Aphia: "Yep, I do. They always come over to play because Jonah goes to school all day."

It kind of broke my heart because she misses her older brother. But it makes me smile that she is creative and using her imagination in "playing with other kids."

Some of the recent, imaginary activities that Aphia has had with the three second cousins are:
*going to the movie theater to see Toy Story 2
*all three of them had birthdays (with a huge party that Aphia was at!) last Thursday
*at least one of them always travels in the car with us
*one or more are usually sitting at the table with us
*Aphia frequently talks or texts one of them on her play cell phone
*And if she is not doing something "with" them, she is telling me about them in one way or another, ie: things they do, like, say, play.

In 9 days we are going to Lamb's Resort on the north shore with my mom's whole family. I am PRAYING that Hunter, Charlie and Greta are there (or at least Greta- who Aphia actually plays with the most) so that she can have actual face-to-face play time with them!

First Hair Cut

Today was a big day for the "Big-o-Boy"... that's what we call him. He lost his long, Justin Bieberesque locks as Grandma Lollie turned him into a little man. I held it together and didn't cry, only because he was so darn cute during the process AND because I was busy helping to hold his head still. He did amazingly well for being 10 1/2 months old and not really knowing the meaning of "Isaiah, hold still."

So without further ado... The hair cut!

Before...

After...

The PR

For my 30th birthday I was blessed with a few amazing gifts. A few of them had to do with my new Project Room (some inadvertently). For a while now, the "office" on our main floor has been consumed with boxes that all needed to (still) be unpacked. I didn't really want to do it though, until I had a grand idea for the room in mind. Jeremiah's mom told me that for my birthday she would come and help me organize it and buy some stuff to help with that process. When she told me that, I ran with it! I was also blessed by Jeremiah's dad and stepmom with a Menards gift card and paint supplies, so I quick did some painting (which I really enjoy doing) for the room to take shape. My mom and dad also gave me some money and I was able to buy my project table to put in the room! It was a joint effort by me and all the moms and dads :) For which I am extremely grateful! I finished painting with little time to spare before my MIL came to put it all together with me... or should I say I helped her? She was the main brains behind the operation!

Here's the "office" turned Project Room from start to (almost) finish.

Here it is, just prior to painting the trim. All of main boxes have been moved from the room.

Here is the room, after the white trim is all done.

A look-see into the freshly painted closet and a peek at the aqua walls. It's hard to see the actual aqua of the walls, because they look rather blue in these pictures. I assure you... They are a beautiful aqua!!

Here is my project desk all ready to be utilized! I have to put up two more shelves over in that corner, and also have to decide whether they will be used for function or decoration...

This is a sweet little cubbie that we were not really sure what to use for when we first moved in. Now it holds my adorable orange baskets and the kids "project books."

Here is the closet all filled up, organized and ready for action!

Just really love this cute little whiteboard with orange ribbon and marker!

And finally... My orange trash can! I just love the orange with the aqua. It makes me smile.

I Remember

I remember when you were at twinkle in my eye.
I remember when you in my tummy all day and all night.
I remember when you gave us a scare and decided to spend some time at Children’s.
I remember when you came home to our house.
I remember when you slept through the night.
I remember when you first smiled at me.
I remember when you got your first tooth.
I remember when you took your first step.
I remember when you said “mama”.
I remember when you became best friends with your buddy Jack.
I remember when you loved Thomas and his train friends.
I remember when you sang “Jesus Loves Me” to me.
I remember when you called motorcycles “motodackas”
I remember when you welcomed your little sister with joyful love.
I remember when you memorized your first Bible verse.
I remember when you told your first knock-knock joke.
I remember when you discovered your love for jumping off the dock on your own.
I remember when you started to dress yourself.
I remember when you went off to Cubbies.
I remember when you started to read.
I remember when you went off to Pre-school.
I remember when you welcomed your little brother with incredible love.
I remember when you said some of the funniest quotes I’ve ever heard.

I will remember your first day of Kindergarten just like I remember all these other things and more.

I love you so very much my little JJK. You are a joy and a light in my life. May the Lord bless your days in school. My you enjoy much, learn much, listen much, and laugh much. May you show respect, love, and kindness to your classmates and teachers. May the Lord go with you and guide you as you start this chapter of your life, “The School Years.” I love you!

2nd Most Fun Game

On Sunday night, after a long, fun weekend of camping, Jeremiah, Jonah and I headed down to the new Target Field to take in a Twins baseball game.

Jeremiah got tickets from his boss to sit in the Legend's Club! And so there we sat, on cushioned seats in the first row almost directly behind home plate. The stadium and field in itself are incredible and we were very fortunate to be able to go!

Jonah was very excited for the game, telling us about 7 times on our way there that he had never even been to a stadium before! He was excited to see Joe Mauer, TC the Bear and Dad & Mom on the Jumbotron. At one point he also wanted to know why all the people on the Jumbotron were kissing! Another fun thing was that Jeremiah was inches away from catching a foul ball! If only he had long arms ;)

Here are some pictures from our night there.

Oh and I say that this was my 2nd most fun game because the MOST fun game that I've ever been to was the High School Basketball State Championship a couple years ago. It was between Armstrong (my high school) and Buffalo (my current city). There were 3 pointers galore, most of the time it was within 2 points and finally Buffalo won by 2 points! It was a riot!

September 7th, you are still too far away

On September 7th, Jonah starts Kindergarten. Holy cats. I can't believe he's going to be in school all day, everyday. A piece of me is really sad about this. And today when I say "A piece" I actually mean "Not one little tiny ounce!"

After breakfast I let the kids go out on the deck after breakfast to blow bubbles. And why wouldn't they proceed to pour the big jug of bubbles all over the deck and table, only to slide, glide and run through it, rub their hands in it and then their hands in their hair and all over their clothes? That makes perfect, logical sense to me! ugh.

When the knock came on the deck door asking me to open it up so they could come inside, I of course dropped everything I was doing and came to their rescue. Never would I open the door the teensiest bit and say, "You told me you were going to blow bubbles. You proceeded to make a huge mess that I am not ready or prepared to clean up right now. When I am ready to deal with you, then you can come in. Until then, you need to stay on the deck in the mess you made," and then shut the door and go about my business in the kitchen.

Not 2 minutes later, Jonah as picked up the dogs leash thingy and decided that he should wrap it around his sister's neck I came screaming (because I know they can hear me even through the sliding glass door) and running towards the door to make him stop. He drops the leash and looks at me like, "What???" ugh again.

Bored. Kids. In. Need. Of. School. To. Start.

I love Fall. It's my MOST favorite time of year and this Fall is no different. I am so excited for the start of structure and routine. I've made countless schedules as to what our weeks will look like, making and re-making in different color schemes and such. NERD. I know.

I'm excited for the crisp air. I'm excited for the everyday routine. I'm excited to go to Lamb's Resort at the end of September (a long standing extended family tradition). I'm excited for MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) and Community Bible Study to start. I'm excited for early bedtime routines. I'm excited to make lunches to put in lunch boxes.

Fall is a magical time when all seems to turn and make everything good in the world. At least in my world.

Last Day in my 20's

Today, August 2nd, 2010 is the last and final day in my 20's. I'm not really sure how I feel about this. I think that fact is quite possibly because I don't really care. I thought that I would care a lot more. Some have told me that the turn to 30 is a tough one to take and so I have geared up for disaster and catastrophe- impending dooooooom! But it does not feel like that. I am very content and satisfied with where my life is at, at (almost) 30. God is good and has abundantly blessed.

Last summer as I hit the big 2-9, I decided to make a list in my journal. It is titled, "Some things that I love in my 29th year" and here they are in no particular order, just things I wrote down throughout the year:
*Jesus
*Flip flops
*MOPS
*Dove dark chocolate
*Roasted Red Pepper Hummus (induced by my pregnancy with Isaiah!!)
*Big bulky necklaces
*Digital cameras
*My family!!
*Doing kitchen things: cooking, canning, baking (but not cleaning)
*Satin
*The internet (facebook, blogs, etsy, google, etc)
*Watching my children play together splendidly (they really are BFF's)
*The fact that Jonah LOVES pre-school
*Naptime
*Journaling
*Shopping with my Phia or going to "Caribou's"
*Snuggling up with JJ after the kids are in bed to chat or watch a movie
*Vitamin D
*Being able to stay home with my children
*Starts of new seasons
*Leadership of many sorts
*Pentel RSVP fine tip pens- in black
*Scrapbooking
*Our new home!
*School supply shopping
*Dates with Jesus at Coffee Connection
*JJ doing breakfast with the kids so I don't have to hear the crunching of the cereal :)
*When a child or two gets a "getaway" weekend at Grandparents homes
*Laughing with my kids
*The occasional Happy Hour
*Watching JJ's softball games
*Our mattress
*Shopping by myself

It will be interesting to see if my enjoyment shifts when I turn (gasp!) 40.