The holidays are here!

I am so excited it is Thanksgiving week which also means Christmas is not too far behind!  We always love an excuse to head east back to good ole' Naperville, and Thanksgiving is especially one of our favorite times.  It doesn't quite have the "craziness" that Christmas brings along with it, and is really just a great time to relax with family, catch up with friends, and reflect on what we are truly thankful for in our lives.  Here are just a few our the many blessings the Lord has blessed (and trusted) me with:


7 Wonderful Years of Marriage to this guy. 
Love him to pieces, and don't know where I would be in this world or life without him.  Every day he makes me (and many others) laugh.  He is a wonderful father to Coop and Claire and it is evident how much they love him in the way their faces just light up when he walks through the door each night.  We are both amazed at the fact that when we turn 30 (this Feb and April) we will have dated for half our lives (yep that's 15 years!)

 

The Lovebug and Bear

These two angels are my world and it is hard to imagine that it was only two short (or long) years ago that we entered this crazy thing called Parenthood.  Some days it feels like I am failing (when my kid scratches my face, runs away from me in the mall, throws his plate on the floor, pees his pants, then proceeds to bite my thigh......sorry Coop those were all you, Claire hasn't learned any of those tricks yet!), but some days they make me feel like a million bucks (when he tells me I am the best, those I love you's, hugs, high fives, kisses, sweet smiles, etc.) 

 

I could go on (and would love to share more), but Bear just started her sweet crying from her crib (which to me basically sounds like "mom, save me!"). 

Happy Thanksgiving to all.  Praying you can look around and see all you have been truly blessed with this year!

Quick Update

It's a rainy Tuesday morning and I dropped off Cooper at his Mom's Day Out Program with no tears this time from him (yeah!).  I had high expectations of putting Claire down for her morning nap and then having two quiet hours to myself.  A nice hot cup of coffee, a few minutes of Kathie Lee and Hoda, and then a load of laundry and some sweeping.  Never a good idea to set too high of expectations in life though (with two small kids that is), I should have learned this by now.  Way to easy to get frustrated or disappointed when things don't go as planned. And let me tell you, things are not going as planned right now.  My quick stop at CVS on the way home put me in a sour mood as they did not have the right cord for my phone to print pictures (and it seemed like the guy had never even seen an Iphone before, really?!)  I did get a cup of coffee made and half-drank, then attempted to put Claire down.  But she was not having it.  She has become a little spoiled and thinks she needs me (more specifically my boob) to fall asleep.  So I am doing a little sleep training with her and trying to let her fall sleep on her own, but I am one of those moms who hate to hear her cry.  Plus I think she may be teething......so now she is swinging in the swing next to me in my room.  So I thought since things are not really as planned, might as well blog/vent a bit, and share some of our happenings over the last few days.

Turning 5 Months!

 

 

Halloween

 

Husker Game

 

Sunday afternoon at Costco



Now it's about that time to go get wild man.  I only have these 2hrs and 45 minutes a week without him, but you have no idea how much it restores and reenergizes me. Everyone needs a little quiet every now and then! But I am always thrilled to see him each time!!

 

Fullness of Fall

Every year when fall rolls around I look at our calendar and think the same thing, "wow, we have a busy fall".  Full of tailgates, football games, family get togethers, visits from friends, Halloween parties, etc.  Full of fun events and moments that at times seem overwhelming but when I look back at them are nothing short of wonderful.  And this fall has not been any different.  Especially the month of October, and it's not even over yet!  Here's a look at some of our fall memories thus far (not necessarily in order) :


Richard Family Vacation to Bonita Springs, FL. 

Quick Stop in Chicago on the way home from Florida for Heather's graduation from Nursing School and a girl's day to celebrate:

 

 

Congrats Heath we are all so proud of you!  I was honored that I got to be there and be a part of her ceremony!  As a fellow nurse I got to go up on stage and pin her as an official nurse ;)

Getting ready for winter by trying on our winter gear as the cold starts to creep in..

 Enjoying a beautiful fall day (maybe one of the last before winter!).  We are lucky to have three huge gorgeous trees in our yard but unfortunately they just dump leaves, leaves, and more leaves in to our yard.  But fun for a photo shoot and playing in!  (we were supposed to be raking and bagging leaves but realized way to late into the process we only had 2 yard bags left.  This yard needs at least 15.  Oh bummer, guess we just have to jump in them for now!)

Sig Ep Annual Reunion (Kieper Cup).  Love these boys ;)

 Nebraska V. Illinois Game.  Got to spend the weekend with this wonderful couple!

Hating the rice cereal.  Who wouldn't, it tastes like dog poop (yes I tried a little sample before I gave it to her, would not recommend doing this).  We have since moved onto sweet potatoes and bananas, both of which she is doing fairly well with.

 

 

That's our full fall.  

Stay tuned for Halloween pics later this week!