A Milestone

This week marks a milestone in our house. 

Our 4 year old, almost 5 year old, graduated from preschool on Wednesday night.

Exciting, yet bittersweet.  Our littlest boy is growing up and will be in kindergarten in the fall. 

My how time has flown since the day he was born.  I remember the day we brought him home like it was yesterday.  It was a warm June day in 2007, he just 2 days old.  Wrinkly, pale, and so tiny.  He was so tiny; I didn't remember that the other two older ones were ever that tiny but I am sure they were.  Daddy could literally hold his head in the palm of his hand while the rest of his cute tiny baby body laid on his forearm.  Those first nights at home, I could barely sleep not because he was waking up often, he actually was a pretty good sleeper but because I was a nervous mom.  It was as if I was a first time mom but I wasn't, it had been 9 years since I had a baby so times had changed.  I had changed.  I was now a mother of 3, another little boy to nurture and love and teach how to be a god loving, good man (someday).  I know he is only 4 so there is alot more nurturing and loving and teaching to be done but so far, he is everything that I have hoped he would be. 

He is the sweetest, most adventurous, inquisitive 4 year old.  He questions everything.  Dotes on his little sister.  Follows his big brother around like he is his shadow. He loves life and playing outside til he wears himself out silly.  He loves his mom and dad and tells us often.  He loves his Grandma D and uncles. He is a snuggle bug and can't get enough of Calliou (the only cartoon he will actually watch).  Even when he is the most onery, he is still the cutest and sweetest little boy.  His crooked little smile and dimples just melt my heart.

Congratulations Mr.Hayden!  Mommy and Daddy love you, sweet boy!  We are so proud of you and the little boy you have become.  Here is to many more adventurous wonderful years with you!

Father's Day Tablet Time iPad or $540 Cash Giveaway

It's that time.  Time for the Father's Day Tablet Time iPad or $540 Cash Giveaway. 

Hosted by Measuring Flower, The Anti-June Clever and I'd Rather Be Changing Diapers and sponsored by Springcoin.

The giveaway starts NOW and ENDS June 15, 2012, at 11:59 PM EST.

Prize Details:

new iPad Option

• 16 GB Wi-Fi new iPad tablet in black or white
• polyurethane Smart Cover in dark grey, light grey, prink, green, or blue
• optional 2 lines of engraving on back of new iPad (up to 28 letters/characters per line)

Cash Option

• Entrants intending to select the cash option MUST have an active PayPal account.
• $540 will be remitted to the winner as a gift via PayPal.

Easy to enter via Rafflecopter. 

And remember the more of the

participating blogs that you follow,

the more chances to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

F.A.T.

So I am a bit fluffy but F.A.T. has nothing to do with my body weight.  I am however working on that (the fluffiness) and F.A.T. for that matter.

Hayden says to me yesterday, "Mom, when we go to the parade next Saturday can we bring some snacks?"  "What kind of snacks do you want to bring?", I respond.  He says, "Like carrots, broccoli and white broccoli (cauliflower)."  And I say, "Of course!"  That's my boy! 

But F.A.T. in this form means something far different.  We moved, if you didn't know a couple weeks back and as I have been going through our stuff I have found one thing that has been consistent.  We have A LOT of paper.  Now I am not a hoarder by any means but I  will be the first to admit we have A LOT of paper that we probably have no need for.  A lot of misc mail.  Old magazines that I probably will never refer back to even though I saved them thinking I would.  Old birthday cards.  Christmas cards.  You name it. 

Therefore I am starting with this new acronym that I ran across in one of my magazines (ironic huh?  a new magazine not an old saved one) where one of their contributors used the term F.A.T. for:

File--important documents

Action---bills to be paid, letters/requests to respond to

Toss--junk mail, solicitations, old magazines, flyers,etc

for paperwork, mail, etc....But make sure to shred anything with personal information.  And some of the important documents that you keep should include tax returns and receipts for AT least 3 years and maybe even longer depending on your own situation.  Visit the IRS website for specific situations where you should keep them longer.

I have a bin by the door now where I am throwing all the paper into and will purge or F.A.T at least once a week so not to get the better of me.  I figure by doing it this way it won't be so overwhelming and I won't misplace important documents (which I have been known to do unfortunately) or miss deadlines.


How do you do away with paper clutter?

Source



A Baby Dedication, A Zipline & S'mores

This weekend was BLISS.  Just what the doctor ordered.  A productive, yet somewhat relaxing 3 day weekend.  I feel refreshed.  It is a wonderful feeling after a few weeks of chaos.

On Saturday we went to Bonneville Dam Fish Hatchery.  It was a beautiful day out in the gorge.  The kids loved seeing all the fish small, medium and large.  There are some sturgeon in the ponds there that are 6 ft long and several hundreds pounds.  And the Rainbow Trout.  Honking large.  We had a picnic and used this little trip as a teaching moment (or tried to as much as we could with a 2 yr old and 4 yr old).

On Sunday our 2 year old, Kaylyn, was dedicated along with 3 other small children at our church.  Kaylyn was so cute up their on stage in her daddy's arms (except when I had to remove her finger from her nose a few times).  Listening to the pastor as he talked with each of the families about their hopes for their childrens futures.  I HOPE that our daughter will continue to walk with the LORD and become a happy, healthy little girl, woman, wife, and mother.  I know "With God, all things are possible" and I pray that she will learn this as well.

On Sunday afternoon we went over to a friends house, a husband and wife that I look up to.  They are such giving and thoughtful souls.  They talk the talk and walk the walk.  Something our family is inspiring to be.  They live on some property out further in the country so the kids had a hay day!  They jumped on the trampoline.  Played in the sand box. Swang on the big swing.  Ate some hot dogs roasted on an open camp fire. Explored.  Ran free.  They were in heaven.


And rode the ZIPLINE.  Hayden, who is usually afraid of going high on the swing, rode the zip line that crosses their cow pasture.  I thought for sure he would be silly scared but he wasn't.  I think since his friend Samantha did it, he had to do it too.  Again and again and again. 

And of course what goes down, must come back up.  He had a bit of trouble at times bringing the seat back up the hill.

And S'mores!  Can't forget the S'mores!  Look at that marshmellow, chocolatey gooeyness.  How you do you make your S'more?  I make a little slit in the marshmellow, slide a small piece of Hershey Chocalate in the slit and then roast with both the marshmellow and chocolate.  Kaylyn loved her S'more. She wanted S'more!


How was your holiday weekend?  What did you do? 

Hope everyone had a safe and memorable Memorial Day weekend shared with friends and family.  And to those that have served our country and given their lives for our FREEDOM:  I thank you for your service to our country.

One Is The Loneliest

One by Three Dog Night

One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do
Two can be as bad as one
It's the loneliest number since the number one



One lone Iris





No is the saddest experience you'll ever know
Yes, it's the saddest experience you'll ever know
`Cause one is the loneliest number that you'll ever do
One is the loneliest number, worse than two

It's just no good anymore since she went away
Now I spend my time just making rhymes of yesterday

One is the loneliest, number one is the loneliest
Number one is the loneliest number that you'll ever do
One is the loneliest, one is the loneliest
One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do
It's just no good anymore since she went away
(Number) One is the loneliest
(Number) One is the loneliest
(Number) One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do
(Number) One is the loneliest
(Number) One is the loneliest
(Number) One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do

One lone leaf