Meet Zeke

When Ryley was 9 months old, and I was finally back to my pre-pregnancy weight, we found out that we were expecting again! This time, the weeks flew by as I was still so busy with a little toddler. Life was busy as we moved out of our one bedroom home into a new house in town. Before we knew it, it was Baby Day! In the end of August, 2005, Zeke arrived. Again, we hadn't known the baby's gender, and we were thrilled when we realized we had a little boy. Zeke has always been a lovable little guy, colicky for several months, but much happier once he could get around on his own. He loves his friends, running, playing wii, and riding his bike. Although he no longer says, "Mom, you are my best friend", he's still my little buddy.

Meet Ryley

In the summer of '03, some friends (who had also gotten married in '01) told us that they were expecting. I was extrememly happy for them, but almost cried because I wanted a baby too. It turns out, that we were already expecting ourselves; we just didn't know it yet. I was so excited to meet our little person, that the pregnancy seemed to take forever. I had fun shopping for baby gear, but didn't buy many clothes as we wanted the gender to be a surprise. My maternity leave began, and still there was no baby. I was finally induced 11 days after my due date and met my little "punkin" Ryley. She was a very mellow baby, and turned into a strong-willed toddler and stubborn child. She is smart, often too smart for her own good, but doesn't like to work hard. She's in first grade now, loves soccer and basketball, thought T-ball was boring, loves to read and write, hates doing homework, likes broccoli and bread and not much else, and absolutely loves our dogs, Tucker and Brodie. She's a piece of work!

Meet JD

JD and I were acquaintances due to mutual friends that we had. I was 18 when we started hanging out at the county fair one August, and the rest is history. We were married two years later, and celebrated our 9th anniversary this summer. JD has a strong work ethic and loves to work long hours (and had a hard time dealing with coworkers who don't work as hard as he does...). He is talented with big equipment and enjoys running excavators, bulldozers, etc. He dug the foundation for our house, built our driveway, and did all of the other "dirt moving" to create our yard. He's a country boy and loves hunting, fishing, and being outdoors. Together, we've done many projects including building patios, finishing a basement, lots of trimwork, painting, and more. Sometimes we work great together; other times, not so much! He loves his kids and me, and that's the short version of the Story of JD.

Making Strides

Today I participated in my first-ever "Making Strides Against Breast Cancer" event. I walked for (and with) my friend, Christa, who was first diagnosed with breast cancer five years ago when she was only 29. Our friend Helena and I drove up to the event and met Christa, her mom, and her little nephew there. It was windy and cold, soggy and muddy, and wonderful. I had never seen so many people wearing PINK. Because of the cool temps, I had several layers on; most were a shade of pink. It was emotional for all of us seeing Christa take her place on the stage with all of the other survivors. For five miles we planned for next year, how Christa should have her own team, how we would fundraise, what we would wear, and as we planned, the sun came out, we ditched a few layers, and we enjoyed m&m's and Ben & Jerry's ice cream at stations along the way. It felt great physically to do the walk AND mentally, knowing that we were doing it to help make a "world with more birthdays."

Soccer Mom!

I used to drive a Yukon. Before that, there was a Rendezvous, a Durango, and a Subaru, not to mention a Cavalier, and my very first car, a Beretta. Back to the Yukon. It was nice. It was loaded. The only problem was that it wasn't big enough. Well, it was big enough, there just wasn't enough room in it. For two kids, it was great. Add another and the back seat had to stay up, and there was just enough room for a row of groceries, not enough room for a stroller or any other baby gear that we'd be toting around. Could we get by with a Yukon? Yeah, we could, and that was the plan.

In November of 2009, we went to Florida. We rented a Dodge Caravan. We experienced a minivan. We loved it. Minivan pros: automatic sliding doors (LOVE THEM, no more worries about kids opening their door and hitting the car parked next to us), tons of room for people and stuff (not sure where it comes from as they appear smaller than Yukons and the like), and lots of options (leather, heated seats, moonroof, DVD player, navigation, back-up camera, etc). Cons: it's a minivan (why is that such a stigma?)!

When we found out we were expecting #3, I started looking at Toyota Siennas on ebay and craigslist (Sienna because they are available AWD). I liked them. We didn't NEED one. Somehow, at the beginning of the summer, we bought one. Our Yukon had over 100,000 miles on it. We owed on it what it was worth and JD wanted to trade it in while it was still worth something. We got a minivan, and I love it! My brothers and sister referred to me as a soccer mom. It was okay; I am a mom.

My first grader, Ryley, started playing soccer this fall. That meant that I was really, truly a soccer mom. She had her first game yesterday. We all went. Her grandparents came. She scored the winning goal! I was a proud mama. I drive a minivan. I'm a soccer mom. I love it!

10/10/10 A Lucky Day?

Yesterday was 10/10/10. People planned weddings and other important events for this "lucky" day. I don't believe in luck. My mom won't even buy greeting cards that have the word 'luck' in them. Will I say "Good Luck" to a sports team or student? Yeah, probably, but I don't believe in luck. I believe everything happens for a reason, and that God has his hand in it. Nothing happens by chance. So, for some, yesterday was a lucky day; for me, it wasn't lucky, but it was blessed.



Baby Quin was baptized yesterday during our church service. I am so blessed to have a healthy baby. He's been colicky, and I've been deprived of sleep, but he's healthy, and that is a huge blessing. I have a friend whose 6 month old baby has lived all but two days of her life in a hospital. Every day, there is a fear that little Kayla won't make it through the day. Kayla's mom's posts on facebook are tear jerkers. I have so much to be thankful for! Along with Quin's health, I have two other beautiful, healthy children. JD and I are healthy. One of my best friends faces cancer every day, and even as she faces that battle, she faces never having biological children. I am blessed. We had a full house of family and friends celebrating Quin's baptism with us, including a friend who stayed later and helped clean up, which including scrubbing baby poop stains out of a baptism outfit. Only a true friend would do that!

One-handed Typing

Lately, whenever I'm on my netbook, I have a sleeping babe in my left arm. Hence, I've been pecking at keys with one hand, and it is sloooooooow! I could try to move him, but he might wake up. Besides, like the words of a country song... It won't be like this for long... and... I'm gonna miss these days... So for now, I'm going to work on speeding up my one-handed pecking of the keys and enjoy the warmth in my arm and the adorable noises coming from my littlest bud.

Fall in Vermont

Vermont. I've lived here my whole life (except for 4 semesters of college in Iowa). My mom and three of my four siblings live within three miles of me, and family is the main reason that I will never move away.

There are definitely things I dislike about living in Vermont with number one being the cold winters. It seems like I'm always cold, that I never really warm up all winter. I live with goosebumps on my legs, even when indoors. BRRRR. I'm not looking forward to December-March.

Right now, though, it's beautiful in Vermont, and while cooler than I like, the temperature is bearable. The leaves are changing colors, bright mums are being planted in what's left of the flower gardens, and pumpkins and corn stalks adorn front porches. There is a local corn maze which has become a favorite family tradition. This year, they added a hayride which the kids also enjoyed. While I love visiting warmer places and often threaten to move to a milder climate, I think I'd miss Fall in Vermont and such things as apple picking, fresh cider, corn mazes, scarecrows, and the like.

Blessed with a Baby Boy

On August 16, our precious baby boy was born. JD had always said that he only wanted two kids, so after our first two children were born, we got rid of all of our baby stuff. I always wanted more, so now, with a 6 1/2 year old and a 5 year old, I have a "got my way" baby :) Shortly after Quin was born, Ryley and Zeke headed off to school, Ryley to first grade and Zeke to kindergarten. I began a few weeks of maternity leave, which was wonderful for a little while, and then Quin became a fussy little guy. I'm back at work now for just a class a day, and Quin is starting to be a little less fussy. We've found a good balance, and I'm loving life, and especially my little guy!