Easter

So this is a bit late, but better late than never. We had a great Easter weekend in Madison and combined Sadie's birthday weekend with Easter. We did Sadie's party on Saturday and then celebrated Easter on Sunday. And in classic Wisconsin fashion, we had fresh snow for Easter morning.

Wyatt and Papa shoveling off the deck so they could grill after church. Papa was out with his coffee, so Wyatt had to have a cup to hold as well. (Notice he's still in his jammies!)

The kids before church in their Easter clothes

I love this picture of Sadie.....she does this smile-thing where she squints and it just cracks me up!

Wyatt wanted his picture taken (all by himself) before we went to church.....definitely an oldest child used to having his mom take his picture all the time.

When we got home from church, Sadie was playing with her new stroller and it was so cute to watch her put things in the stroller and make sure she had something in there before she would push it around.....already becoming a little mommy!!

She was so impressed that she could push this chair around and as soon as it started to move across the floor, she'd make this face!

Check out those pipes!!!

Our fam on Easter...I think everyone is actually smiling in this picture.
We had such a wonderful time in Madison for Easter, celebrating the resurrection of Christ. Although Christmas is such a big holiday, there is no more important day that we celebrate than the day that Christ overcame death and rose to life, overcoming sin and death for all of us that trust in Him. Yes, the cute little dresses and Easter egg hunts are fun, but it's not what the day is truly about. It's about a Man who lived over 2,000 years ago who died a horrible death and rose again so that we could have life in Him. And for that, we are so thankful.

Sadie's Birthday Party

This past weekend, we had Sadie's first birthday party in Madison. Of course, the 1st party is really more for the rest of us than Sadie, but she seemed to enjoy it all. Here are just a few pictures from her party.

Wyatt opened all the gifts for Sadie and she just looked on....."What's in there?"

She got a little stroller for her baby dolls and immediately took off with it.

She was getting a bit cranky as the party went on....until the cake came out. She didn't just pick at the cake--she picked up the entire piece with both hands and dove right in. What a sweetie!
And I had to include this video. Up until her party, she had taken two or three steps on her own. But as you can see, when her brother upsets her, she can accomplish things she never knew she was able of. She hasn't repeated this many steps since this video, but now we know she can! And you can hear the amazement of all of our family watching as she just kept going.

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Happy Birthday Sadie Joan!!

Today is Sadie's first birthday! I can't believe that it's been a year already---it has gone SO much faster than Wyatt's first year and I've been able to enjoy it so much more (knowing that it doesn't last forever). And poor Sadie, she woke up this morning, March 21st, to this outside!!!!
But growing up in WI, it seemed I had many birthday parties canceled due to snow storms so maybe it's a sign of things to come for Sadie!

A review (in pictures) of Sadie's first year

This picture was taken in the hospital...notice the size of Matt's hand on Sadie's little head...she was so tiny!!!! (A full 2 lbs smaller than her brother.)

Sleeping on Daddy's chest at the hospital....already charming him!!

Laughing at her big brother!

What a cutie...sitting up all on her own!

The first wedding she attended....and the excitement was just overwhelming!

I love this picture....so much joy in such a little body!!

What great kids to both smile at the same time for their mother!

Doesn't she look so proud to be with her brother? "Look at me, mom. I'm a big kid just like Wyatt."

This picture was just taken last week after she got her first sucker...we were at a birthday party for several kids (including Sadie) and each kid got a treat bag. Sadie quickly found her sucker and wouldn't let it go.

Sadie is such a joy to our family and Matt and I are constantly amazed by all the 'personality' in this little body. She does not hesitate to show her disapproval (or approval) to anyone! She is content to be who she is, sassy when necessary, and can light up a room with her smile. We are so thankful to have her in our family and look forward to many more years of experiencing life with Sadie Joan.

You Made It!!!!

If you are viewing this post, you have made it into the private world of blogging and we are so glad you are here!!!! I feel like I should have some great thing to post for those of you who are making the effort to set up an account, complete with another username and password to remember. But I don't really have anything all that astounding. I do, however, have this picture of the kids being silly right before baths tonight. Sadie loved looking at herself in the mirror and of course, Wyatt wanted to do the same thing.
Sadie also walked for the first time today. She's been standing on her own for quite awhile and crawling everywhere, but finally today she took her first steps on her own. And she took like 7 or 8 steps this evening on her own. I'm really hoping she starts to walk a lot now, especially with the weather getting nicer outside. It's such a pain when she wants to crawl everywhere....on the dirty floors in stores, on the muddy sidewalks and grass/snow combos, etc. But we are supposed to get 6" of snow this evening, so it looks like she'll have a bit of time yet to perfect her skills.

Through Child-like Eyes

Wyatt is such a thinker and he's constantly asking us "How?", "Why?", and "What?". The talking is endless in our household and at some times very exhausting. But there are precious moments when he asks such great questions and it's these times that I hope I'll never forget. So my post for this evening has nothing for you to look at, just a picture into Wyatt's little 3-year old mind.

After Wyatt had gotten up from bed a few times, I went and put him back in bed and this conversation ensued.

Me: Wyatt, you know that you need to obey Mommy and Daddy and stay in bed. (So hard to do after we just finished making chocolate chip cookies and some are still in the oven!) Because when you obey Mommy and Daddy, that makes us very proud of you.

Wyatt: And it makes God proud.

Me: Yes it does.

Wyatt: Mommy, when do we get to go see God?

Me: (trying to think quickly about the most correct yet age-appropriate answer) Well, we don't get to see God for a long time. But remember where He lives?

Wyatt: He lives in heaven and in my heart and your heart and Daddy's heart and Sadie's heart.

Me: Yes, God lives in our hearts if we ask Him to. And you can talk to Him whenever you want to, just like when we pray. God wants to hear everything you want to tell Him.

Wyatt: But how do we get to see God?

Me: (thinking about telling Wyatt how we can see God's creation and what He does, but realizing that Wyatt just wants to be able to see what God looks like) Well, not until we get to heaven.

Wyatt: How do we get to heaven?

Me: After we've lived a long life and we are old, we will die and then if we have asked Jesus to come into our hearts, we'll get to see God in heaven.

Wyatt: That's sad.

Me: No, it's not sad. It will be happy because we'll finally get to be with God.

Wyatt: (quickly moving past the sad thought--i'm not sure even really understands the concept of dying anyways) Can we take an airplane to heaven?

Me: No, airplanes don't go to heaven. God just takes us there.

Wyatt: Well then who will be here when I go to heaven?

Me: There will be other people here that God created.

Wyatt: I think my friends Drew and Gabe and Hayden will still be here waiting for me.

It was such a sweet conversation and I wanted to make sure I put it on here so I wouldn't forget it. I am so thankful for these precious times with Wyatt and hope that God gives me the right words to say to him.

Best Achievement?

Wyatt just completed his first session of gymnastics today. Of course, I forgot that it was today and didn't remember to bring my camera! I'll have to get some pictures next session. But I had to laugh when Wyatt brought his certificate to me at the end of the class. It listed his name, the date, the class level he was in, and then the kids' best achievement. The other kids' "best achievements" were things like walking on the balance beam, hopping on one foot, doing a somersault. But not Wyatt! Wyatt's best achievement was listening! He is definitely my son! I just had to laugh---at least he seemed to achieve this--I'm still working on it!

Happy Birthday to Me!! (March 10th)

So today is my birthday and I decided to copy my friend Kara's blog for today (hope you feel flattered Kara!)

Happy Birthday to me,

I am now twenty-eight

My life is so wonderful

And here are the reasons it's so great!

1. My personal relationship with Jesus Christ--I am so thankful for what He has done for me and for His constant love (despite my many downfalls and weaknesses).


2. Matt--I knew from our first date that this guy was unlike anyone I had ever met. And after just a few weeks, I knew I wanted to marry him (thankfully he felt the same way). I am continually amazed at how perfect Matt is for me and am so thankful to be married to my best friend.




3. Wyatt--he is all-boy but still has such a tender heart. He cares deeply for others and is such a momma's boy (I have to enjoy it while it lasts!)


4. Sadie--she has such a great smile and lights up any room. I can't wait to see her personality develop!


5. My parents--I am so thankful to my parents for the home I grew up in. I am mostly thankful that I was raised in a Christian home and taught God's Word, yet our home was always open to discussion and questioning issues. I am so grateful that I wasn't taught to believe anything blindly and that my questions were welcomed. I was encouraged to make my faith my own yet I always had their support. And they are such great grandparents. Wyatt and Sadie love going to "Nani and Pops" house.




6. My sisters---The three of us are SO different and this is what I love. We learn from each other, tease each other, grow with each other, and are each other's biggest defenders. I love my sisters so much and hope Sadie will someday experience the joy of having a sister.


7. My in-laws--They say you marry your husband's family when you get married and I truly could not have picked a better family. They have welcomed me into their family with open arms and made me feel like one of their own. They raised a wonderful son and I am thankful that my kids have such great grandparents and aunts and uncles (hopefully they'll have cousins someday as well!)


8. My friends--I can't imagine experiencing life without the support of friends to get me through it. Each of my friends holds a special place in my heart and have each meant something different to me. I am especially thankful for the friends who have challenged me on issues and told me things I may not have wanted to hear at the time. These friends truly love me and care about me and I am so blessed to have each of my friends in my life.


9. My physical ability-I am so thankful that I am able to run (something I love to do), ski and be active with my kids. I try not to take this for granted as I know there are people who aren't able to do these things. But I couldn't imagine living life with it.



10. My job--I love being a stay at home mom. I didn't always love it, but I have learned to accept some of the not-so-great things about it (like lack of recognition). I love being able to help my kids when they get hurt, spending time teaching them new skills, and having the freedom to be able to do what we want to do when we want to do it. I couldn't imagine not being there for them and having someone else raise them.



11. Living in a place with all four seasons---Right now, I'm dying for it to get warmer out. But I truly love each season and the changing of seasons.



12. Music--I LOVE music and just about every kind. My iPOD is loaded with songs by so many different artists and genres of music. There are so many times in my life that are marked in my mind by a particular song. And I love hearing about other people's favorite music. Music makes life so much richer and I don't know if I have ever gone through one day without listening to it or singing something.



13. College basketball--although I used to know EVERYTHING there is to know about college basketball and now don't have the time to stay up to date on it all, I still love it. Just watching one game on TV takes me right back to my days of playing. And this is just the best time of year---March Madness!! (One of my dreams is still to go see UNC vs. Duke)




14.My optimism--I'm not sure why God created me this way, but I am eternally optimistic. I rarely worry about anything and always think things will turn out fine. This isn't always a good thing, but I am thankful for this outlook on life--I don't worry about things I probably should, but I don't even realize it! (Ignorance is bliss:)



15. Internet--I can barely remember life without it and am so thankful for it. It has allowed me to stay in touch with so many friends and family. I can listen to sermons online, buy clothing or books, download music, blog, check email--the list is endless!



16. Learning that life is a marathon--not a sprint. I have a tendency to sprint through life and I am learning to slow down and experience things to the fullest--thanks mostly to my kids! I can't even fathom all the things I have probably missed in life because I was moving too fast. But I am learning to try and slow down (notice I said learning--I'm not fully there yet).



17. Cameras---I have discovered a new passion I have for photography. I am not very good at it, but I love taking pictures of all kinds of things (especially my kids) and being able to "freeze a moment in time" just with the click of a camera. And someday I think I'll be so glad that I took so many pictures.



18. Change--I have always loved change and am so thankful that things don't always stay the same. It can sometimes be difficult to experience change, but I always end up being a stronger, more balanced person because of it. I love the new experiences that change brings about and a different side in people that you might not have seen otherwise (did that sentence make any sense???)



19. Gifts--My love language is gifts and I LOVE any kind of gift. Big--small--a card--a car :) I love giving gifts and receiving them. And my husband did a GREAT job for my birthday this year. What woman wouldn't love to see this box on her birthday?! Matt got me the ring on the right, but mine is in brushed silver (couldn't find a pic online of it). I love it!!!

20. Naps--I've never been a "napper", but I am so thankful that my kids are! Wyatt still takes a 2-3 hour nap everyday and I love it. It still gives me a bit of "me" time and allows us all to "regroup". Sadie is a bit more like her mother and doesn't nap quite as long as Wyatt, but I'll take whatever I can get at this point.

21. Our housing--Although I would love to be a home owner, I am so thankful for our "resident housing" situation here. With Matt being a resident, we are able to live in resident housing with all the other residents. Of course there are some downfalls, but it's been so great to be so close to other moms and for Wyatt to be so close to other kids. We are all in the same stage in life and it's great to be able to support and care for each other.

22. Laughter--How horrible would life be without laughter? I think I laugh at myself more than anything. But I just watched "Business Time" on YouTube by Flight of the Conchords and I couldn't stop laughing. Anything that makes me laugh outloud is worth watching again and again--this includes my husband, my kids, and myself!

23. YMCA--The kids love going and playing with the kids there and I love getting work out. The girls that work there are great with the kids and I know they don't get paid all that much, but I am so thankful for the work they do so that us moms can get a break and work out. Wyatt has started gymnastics this year as well as "SuperTots" and loves both classes. We love going to the Family Fun Center and playing and I am really going to miss the Y when we move.

24. Politics--I love hearing all the different points of views that people have and how an interest in politics forces people to have a defense for what they believe. I love all the debates on TV and the entire political process. I am so thankful that we live in a country where we have access to all this information and can take part in the political process (don't complain if you don't vote).

25. Books--I have recently rediscovered how much I love to read and I can't seem to get enough of it. My kids both love reading books and I really hope that they'll continue to love reading as they grow older. Matt has always been a reader and I'm getting back in to it. I love reading everything from memoirs to fiction to self-help type books. So much to read with so little time.

26. Shopping--I know it's not important in the grand scheme of life, but it's something I really enjoy doing. I love finding a cute boutique with clothing that you can't find on every other person you see. I could shop anywhere--from small boutiques to the Mall of America. And if I'm with a friend, it's even better!

27. Drive-Thru Starbucks (or drive-thru anything, for that matter)--Being a mom, it takes about an extra 30 minutes to get both kids out of the car, go into a store, keep the kids hands from breaking something, and leave with whatever I needed to get and load them back in to the car. The drive-thru is a lifesaver!!!

28. I love my birthday! And really, who doesn't? Twenty-eight great years on this earth and hopefully many more to come!

As I was working on this post, I took the picture of myself at the top of the page. But Wyatt really wanted to be in on the picture, so I took one of myself and the kids. I am so blessed to get to spend each day with these great little people!

A Potpourri of Recent Days

I never posted any pictures from Wyatt' birthday party back in February, but I have been meaning to. I took this picture as Wyatt started to eat his food...notice how he placed his napkin on his lap and held it there. I'm not sure if he's ever done this before, but he was so excited to have all of our families here for his big day of turning 3 and being a 'big boy'. He loves to emulate everything Matt does and obviously pays close attention to all the details.
His favorite gift was his very own vacuum. As he said, "Now I can vacuum just like Mommy does." After just a few days, we realized it definitely would have been worth the extra $10 to buy the vacuum that actually picks stuff up!

Matt, Pops, and Papa trying to put together one of Wyatt's new toys.

And Wyatt, perfectly content to play with his zamboni. But I think Matt, Pops, and Papa were more excited about the firehouse than Wyatt was--maybe it was because they finally figured out how to put it all together!

Sadie is full of personality! She was playing with the bulletin from church and was fascinated with opening and closing it.(Here she's doing sign language for 'all done')
So focused!

She's SO close to walking! I just can't get her to try it---she'd rather just crawl.

This picture was taken a few weeks ago and I just forgot to put it on here. Sadie was playing so quietly in the kitchen---always a concern. I came in and found her playing with her favorite non-toy--toilet paper! We had a roll in the family room next to Wyatt's little potty and she got a hold of it.....notice the trail!
I finally ordered a new carseat for Wyatt, so we moved Sadie our of her infant seat and into Wyatt's old seat. They thought it was so cool to have their carseats in the house!

Sadie LOVES babies--especially her dolls. She has a few dolls, but this one we keep in her crib and everytime she wakes up, we pick her up and then have to pick up her baby so she can hug her baby. Then we lay the baby back in her crib and say, "Night, night baby".