Fireproof

You have to see this movie! It was really good--funny, encouraging, warm, religious, hopeful...
Mike and I both enjoyed it. We want to get the book "The Love Dare" that is used in the movie. They used the book to save their marriage. Our marriage is strong and secure since we are united in Christ, but I think every marriage can be made even stronger and love can grow even more. I think it'd be fun to have a "daily assignment"! :)

Rent the movie!!

Twilight

What can I say? I'm addicted. I am on the 3rd book and will most likely be up all night reading it. I NEVER thought I'd enjoy this type of series, but I'm hooked.

This 'n That

Not much is going on around here. I have been pretty busy with transcribing which is awesome! There has been extra work the last few weeks and I am so appreciative of it! Tomorrow I get to sub in the 4 yr old room so K is excited to go to school with me. I really enjoy working with that class.

Mike and K's latest fun is making a K'Nex creation after supper most every night. They have made the Taj Mahal, bridges, helicopters and lots of other fun things. It's a nice quiet activity for K and it gives them quality time together.

Since last May, when we decided to make the move to Tucson, K has been struggling with bed/nap times. We figured it was due to all the chaos in our lives and things would settle down. Well, things were still pretty awful even after living here for 5 months. We had tried EVERYTHING, but nothing was working. Then I decided to make a chart of all the things he needs to do at nap/bed time. If he did them well, without sassing, he would get an X. Once a whole row was filled with X's he'd get a sticker. 3 stickers=surprise! Well, FINALLY we found a way to get bed/nap times back to happy times! It only took a few days and he was going down without incident. After a few weeks he was so into routine again (which, BTW, has never changed!) that we don't even need the chart anymore. OH, the other thing we do is have "quiet time" from 6-7pm each night. He only does calm activities the hour before bedtime. That really helps too! Of course, there are still the occasional moments of sassing or whining or tantrums, but he gets a time-out and then we go on. I am SO THANKFUL that bed/nap time is peaceful once again!

K made us laugh so hard the other day when we realized that he thinks he'll be driving himself to preschool in August!! :) We have been talking about how he'll be going to preschool alone when he's 4. (Right now he just goes with me when I sub.) So, he somehow thought that "alone" meant driving himself! Too funny!

The weather has been cool the last few days--only getting into the high 60s and low 70s. I enjoy that weather, but the mornings are rough. It's been in the high 30s so we've been cold. We don't know where our winter coats are so we just wear a sweatshirt and turn up the heat in the car. We refuse to turn on the heat in the house (it's about 58-60 degrees in the morning) since we are paying a large heat bill in WI. I know I sound like a wus, but if I'm cold, I'm cold.

We're going to a big Super Bowl party on Sunday! Should be fun!! GO CARDINALS!! :)

Two songs...

I love Christian contemporary music! It's pretty much all we listen to these days. There are two songs that I just love! The first one, "Happy", I don't hear as much anymore, but it makes me smile EVERY TIME I hear it! It reminds me that I have no reason for sadness, worry, etc...when I've got God! :)

A new song I've been hearing on the radio a lot is "Free to Be Me" sung by Francesca Battistelli. I need the reminder from this song that my life is in God's hands--he's got it all worked out for me! I love it!

Take a listen--I guarantee you'll be smiling! :)

Colossal Cave

Yesterday, we spent a fun day at Colossal Cave Mountain Park in Vail--which is just outside Tucson. We enjoyed a cave tour and picnic. Then we headed to the ranch in the park. There was a Butterfly Garden, a few museums, gift shop and ice cream place. K had a "Discovery Tour" sheet which had him visit sites all over the park and then mark that he'd been there. Once the sheet was full he could go to the gift shop for a treasure! He had lots of fun doing the tour and got some beautiful gems for his treasure!
The weather was sunny and very warm so we had a wonderful time in the sun! This was the second place we have been able to visit because of Mike's class! They gave us money to visit all the fun places in Tucson! We are loving this gift!! On Monday we are going to the Air & Space Museum! That should be fun too!

Here we are! (We actually took the photo on the way out.)

A big stalactite in the cave

K and the cowboy

Marking K's Discovery Tour sheet

Enjoying some ice cream

The Weather

My entire life I have spent winter in snow, cold blowing winds, ice, mittens and a warm jacket. I can remember building forts at recess and keeping ice chunks as "gold". There are memories of snow banks taller than I was when I was in grade school! I have built snowmen, gone sledding and tubing, made snow angels and caught snowflakes on my tongue. My back has ached from shoveling wet, heavy snow from our long driveway in Wisconsin. I have driven in snow storms with my hands clutching the steering wheel in a death grip. I have some good and bad memories of snow. Now, in my 34th year of life, I am not spending winter in snow, but in sunny, 70 degree weather. I thought it would feel weird and I would be sad because snow is what I've always known. But, I actually love this weather and feel so happy and uplifted by it. I am thankful that K got to enjoy a few winters of snow. I have so many fun pictures of him playing and building all bundled up in his warm, winter clothes. I have my happy memories too, but now we are here and can enjoy winter with short sleeves and sunscreen. It's where God has put us and I'm thankful for that. I love getting K in the car without spending 20 minutes getting the coat, mittens, hat and boots on. I love all the sunshine and cloud-free days! Now, summer is a different story around here, but I'll save that for another day! :)

Phoenix

We spent an awesome day in Phoenix with friends Robin and Dan. They were in town from SC visiting family. We have not seen each for over 5 years!!! It was so much fun going to the zoo, having a picnic, riding the train, disc golfing and eating ice cream. K had a blast getting to know his new friends and Mike and I enjoyed catching up with our "old" friends! (Robin is the one who taught me drive many years ago AND she got me into scrapbooking!) The weather was beautiful (in the 60s) and the conversation was non-stop. It was a perfect day with good friends! (BTW, the Phoenix Zoo is amazing! I highly recommend a visit if you are ever in that area!)


Robin, K and Dan on the train
Talking turkey
Dan and K playing at the children's farm
A saguaro cactus slide--now how cool is that???

K and the wallabies
K and me on elephants
Robin, Dan, K and Mike
Robin and me (Robin, you made it onto my blog!!) :)

Fun at the park

It is a beautiful sunny day so we got out to enjoy the weather! Kaleb and I found a little park in our development that was empty. It was all ours!! We had fun running around, playing in sand, climbing on play structures and enjoying the sun. I don't know why we don't go everyday!

FAMILY DAY

Three years ago today we flew to Guatemala to finally meet our little baby in person! We got to the hotel, tired and a little disheveled from the trip. We were supposed to check-in and have time to get the gifts ready for K's foster parents and freshen up a bit before they brought K to the hotel. Well as we were checking-in we heard a voice say "Family Peek?". It was someone from our agency--there already!--with K and his foster parents! We turned around and there was our beautiful baby boy! I will NEVER forget that moment!! I took K in my arms and hugged and kissed him--crying tears of joy at finally holding my baby! I had looked at his pictures for 5 months, spent hours in prayer for him, cried many times because I just wanted to hold him and it was finally happening!!!!! And what a bittersweet moment for K's wonderful foster parents--they had to say goodbye to a little boy they had loved for 5 months, but at the same time were so happy that he was going home to be with his parents. There were so many tears that day and so many laughs and new discoveries. God blessed us with the most wonderful baby. What an awesome journey God took us on!
And now three years later we are still thanking God for bringing K into our lives. I can't imagine becoming a family in any other way. We are so thankful for God's goodness!!



Our first family picture
New Mama
New Daddy
One happy baby
Fun in Antigua, Guatemala (we'll definitely go there again!!)

Christmas Pictures

Make a Smilebox slideshow

New Years Survey

Take the survey and post it on your blog!!

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before? Moved across the country

2. Did you keep your New Years’ Resolutions, and will you make more for next year? None for me!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yes!

4. Did anyone close to you die? Thankfully, no

5. What countries did you visit? None

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? A little more order in my house--it has been crazy since we moved

7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? The day we drove out of Neenah :(

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Packing up an entire house, getting it ready to sell, taking a vacation in the midst of all that--all within 2 months!

9. What was your biggest failure? I haven't scrapbooked much at all--so many pictures too!

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? I think there were a few colds

11. What was the best thing you bought? Plane tickets to MN

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration? K decided to be potty-trained in August!

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed? K having a sassy 3 yr old moment

14. Where did most of your money go? Target, Walmart

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Moving to a new place

16. What song will always remind you of 2008? Mom Song

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

happier or sadder? happier

thinner or fatter? Fatter

richer or poorer? POORER!!

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Exercise

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Eating junk

20. How did you spend Christmas? here in Tucson with my boys

21. What on-line users did you meet? Lots of people

22. Did you fall in love in 2008? with my new dog, Kasha

23. How many one-night stands? Ah, N/A

24. What was your favourite TV program?The Amazing Race, Biggest Loser, NCIS, The Mentalist

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? I'm not much into hating

26. What was the best book you read this year? Oh boy, I read so many...

27. What was your greatest musical discovery? Go Fish Guys

28. What did you want and get? I have so many blessings!

29. What did you want and not get? A buyer for our house

30. What was your favourite film of this year?Mamma Mia!!!!!!!!!!!!

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? 34 and I can't remember--sad isn't it?

32.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? It was a pretty good year!

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008? outdated

34. What kept you sane? Prayer, Friends, Family

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Sarah Palin

36. What political issue stirred you the most? Adoption issues in Guatemala--very sad

37.Who did you miss? Friends & Family

38. Who was the best new person you met? Wow--I met so many new people in 2008!

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008? God puts us where he wants us! We are there for a purpose!!