Pool Pass

I decided to get a pool pass this summer so that Nate and I could have another activity to do. We went for the first time today and Nate had a blast. And let me tell you he does not have any problem talking to kids twice his age. He told one kid to "turn around"(this boy had his back to Nate and was about to run into him) and he told another kid to "watch out!" We stayed for about 2 hours and took a picnic lunch. I have not been to a public school since I was in middle school and had forgotten about all the floating hair. I just threw up in my mouth as I typed that. So, after convincing myself that a little public pool has never hurt anyone, we will be going back tomorrow.

Tickled Pink!

As you know, we are having a little girl. We are so excited! I am a little nervous because I have no idea what to do with a girl. My greatest concern is her hair!!! I mean, have you seen Nates. It's crazy!!! Most days I don't even comb his hair (in fact, I think MATT combs his hair on Sunday, so that means I don't comb it at all!). Anyway, God has the perfect plan and I look forward to all he's going to teach me through this precious little girl.


We are naming her Ellie Grace. I have had this name picked out for about 5 years. When we were pregnant with Nate, Matt did not like the name Ellie. So, if Nate would have been a girl we probably would have named her something different. I was so excited when Matt told me that he now liked the name. See, God's timing IS perfect! :)


Here is a picture of our sweet baby girl.

Nate Story:

Matt and Nate were in the garage playing the other day. Nate had left the garage, when he didn't come back, Matt went to check on him. Matt found him in the front yard... pants down to his ankles...peeing!!! A couple days later, Nate and I were playing outside, I told him I needed to use the restroom and would be right back. He said, "Do you want to go in the frontyard?"

Easter Egg Hunt

Here we "grow" again!

Matt and I are expecting our 2nd baby Oct. 1st. I am about 12 weeks and anxiously awaiting week 13. I have been nauseous with this pregnancy, but otherwise I am feeling pretty good. I am soo tired! When I was pregnant with Nate, I never felt super tired. I started thinking that maybe most girls were exaggerating about how tired they really felt. Well, I was wrong! I am tired most of the day and napping is not helping.

Nate is pretty excited about being a big brother. I still don't think that he knows what's about to hit him, but he enjoys getting out his doctors kit and listening to the baby's heartbeat. When I ask him if he is going to help take care of the baby he says "yes," but he gives a very firm "No" to sharing his mommy and daddy.

I would love to share a picture of our little bean at 7 weeks, but I lost the CD! I know it's around the house somewhere, so when I find it I will post our first picture of our little one. Well, it's 9:45 and WAY past my bedtime!

Funny boy

Nate and I were at Chelino's last night picking up some food for our churches mission conference. I was waiting to pay and there was a man waiting for his food. Nate walks up to him, looks at the guy, looks at me, looks at the guy, looks at me and says "mom, is this guy scary?" I was so embarrassed! We haven't even talked about scary people with him. I have no idea where he gets half the things he says. I'm pretty sure this is a sign of more things to come. Too funny!

So, while I'm typing this, I went in Nates room to check on him. He was putting Mentholatum on his stuffed monkey's (George) feet! We did this once when he had croup because we heard it would help him breathe better. I took a picture and will post it later.

Christmas Goodies

I decided to make some Christmas treats for our neighbors. I made banana bread, chocolate covered pretzels and red velvet cake balls. I got the recipe for the cake balls from my friend Alisa. She has made them many times for baby showers and they are so yummy. Mine were yummy, but they didn't look has professional as hers! Oh, well.

I bought these super cute Martha Stewart Gingerbread Houses to put the cake balls and pretzels in. Aren't they fun! I am really liking all the fun Martha crafts. I'm not really a crafty girl, but every once in awhile, I like to think I am.

The Bug

On Sunday, Matt and I both had the nasty stomach bug that is going around. We have never been sick at the same time and adding a two year old made things a little more interesting. Nate and I stayed in the living room watching movies and Matt stayed in the room and slept the first half of the day, we switched after Nates nap. I gave Matt a bell to ring if he needed me. Nate and I were watching the Polar Express and I kept thinking that I didn't remember there being a constant bell ringing in the movie. Then it hit me, that's MATT! He told me he had been ringing the bell for about three minutes. Oops. We are all better now and it looks like Nate's in the clear.

Jingle Bells

So, my camera can take video. I didn't know this until about a year ago when my sweet friend Julie told me. We are debating about getting a camcorder, but I'm afraid we'll never watch home movies. After talking to a friend, I'm thinking we might just use our camera and buy something else with that money. Any thoughts?

Here's my first attempt at a home movie. Nate is singing Jingle Bells (kind of).

Thanksgiving

We had a great time in Wichita with Matts family. We pretty much hung out, played the Wii, and ate lots of food...which makes for a great Thanksgiving. Alissa and I got up at 5:00am to experience Black Friday. I love to shop, but there are 2 days that I avoid, Black Friday and the day after Christmas. For some reason I just wanted to get up early and experience it for a bit. We went to 3 stores and were back home by 8:30!

It snowed Friday night and Saturday morning. The snow was so pretty, big white flakes. We came home that afternoon to warm weather so Matt was able to get more painting done. I think he finally sees an end to this project.

27 months

I have never been great at writing down Nate's milestones so I thought I should start. He is growing up so quickly and learning more every day. I hope as you read this list you don't see it as "my kids smarter that yours." I'm just a proud mama of a precious little boy. I don't think he's a genious and really don't care if he's one of the "smart" ones in his class. What I do care about is that he loves the LORD with all his heart and serves Him all of his days. With that said, here's what my little guy has been learning:



1. He knows his ABC's
2. He can count to 10
3. Songs he can sing (with me singing along): Jesus loves me, Zacceheuss, ABC's, head and shoulders, knees and toes (is that a song?)
4. He can put his own shoes on and velcro them
5. Gets himself dressed with little help
6. He has said up to 7 word sentences
7. Potty trained!!!
8. He points out letters on buildings.



Cute things he has said.

1. Me: Nate do you know that mommy loves you? Nate: No, Jesus loves Nate!
2. Me: Nate are you the cutest boy in your Sunday School class? Nate: No, Hutch is!
3. I can't remember what we were talking about, but Nate said something was big. I asked him how big? He sat there for a minute and then looked at me and in a serious and soft voice (which Nate doesn't use too often) he said HUGE!

Plumbing Issues

Life around here is pretty crazy. We are having some plumbing issues with the kitchen sink. I can't do dishes and we are running out of cups and utensils. Today it finally occurred to me that maybe I should go buy some paper goods! A plumber came out on Tuesday, but couldn't solve the problem so he connected us with another guy who is suppose to call us back....hopefully before the week ends. I wonder what the neighbors thought when Matt was outside doing dishes the other night!? I have come to realize how much I appreciate my sink, water, and my dishwasher (and of course my husband who is willing to do anything to help out). We also have some other things that need to be fixed, but I'll spare you the list.

On a more exciting note, Nate is potty trained!!! He is growing up too fast! I noticed on Saturday that he had stayed dry while we were out running errands so I decided to set him on the potty when we got home. He was so excited when he went. I put him in his Thomas underwear and the rest is history. It was so easy! I'm not sure I had anything to do with it. I think this is just a little blessing from the LORD. Funny story. Today Nate didn't quite get himself on the potty all the way and started going on the lid. I, of course, bent down to help him and he peed all over me!!!

By the way, I'm not sure there is anything more cute than a 2 year old boy running around in his underwear!

Trunk or Treat

We started the evening trick or treating at 2 of our neighbors houses. They loved seeing Nate all dressed up. One couple even had a special bag filled with candy just waiting for him. God has blessed us with such great neighbors. We then went to our churches Trunk or treat. Nate was so excited! He had this trick or treating thing down and was ready to play some games. We had such a great time and the weather was beautiful. We look forward to doing it all over again next year.

Nate's favorite car---of course, he's a monkey!

Kristen and David, a couple in our Sunday School class, made this great treasure chest. The kids had to stick their hands in and try to pull out candy. David was inside the car grabbing their hands!

Love the banana on his cheek.

Nate and Sophie. Sophie's mom made her costume!

Haunt The Zoo

Monday night we went to Haunt the Zoo with our friends Bryan, Tosha, and Morgan. Nate discovered real quick that if he said thrick or treat that he got candy! He was afraid of most of the booths, but I think this has a lot to do with his age. I think we will definitely do this next year.

Our little Monkey!

Nate and Morgan. I love her flower costume. Too cute!

Getting some candy.

The Tutts.

Pumpkin Patch

We went to the Pumpkin Patch on Saturday and had a great time. They have several mazes, hayrides, and a pumpkin patch where you get to pick out a pumpkin to take home. They also have a petting zoo. Nate was so excited to get to feed the animals. We went up to the pony first. He was being so sweet and then all of a sudden he bites Nates arm!!! I'm freaking out, Matt almost punched the pony, and Nate is crying. Thankfully no broken arm, just a nice set of teeth marks.

My boys!

New York City

A few weeks ago we went to NYC with Matt's parents and had a blast. NYC is our new favorite spot and we can't wait to go back. We were only there for a couple of days, but we were able to do so much. Here's what we did: Times Square (our Hotel was actually in Times Square), Empire State building, NBC tour, Rockefeller Center tour, broadway show Wicked, Central Park (we ate at The Boat House), ground zero, Wall Street, Grand Central Station, experienced the subway, had dinner at Serendipity, FAO Swartz, Trump towers, and the Statue of Liberty! I am still amazed at what we accomplished in 2 days.


Nathan stayed with some friends, so this was our first trip alone since Nate was born. It was well needed. Nate did so well and had such a blast playing with Julianna and with Jill and "coach."


I am so afraid of flying, so I spent most of my time in the air praying. I learned that God not only has the best plan for my life, but that he also has the best plan for Nate's life. I cannot control everything that happens to Nate, but I can trust that God loves him more that I do and that His plan for Nathan is far better than anything I could come up with.