Three Thought Thursday: Week 52!

1. Week fifty-two! Yea! Which means we made it to the end of the year. Wasn't the end of 2009 just a month or so ago!?! Sure seems like it to me. 2010 has just flown by. And what a fun, challenging, transitional year. Loved it. And loved Christmas too. We just returned from our trip to Houston on Tuesday and are still busy recovering. Mounds of laundry, un-packing all the "stuff" we didn't know we'd be coming home with, oh, and auditing our existing "stuff" to see what can go to other little boys and girls in order to make room for the new "stuff." That little procedure always has to take place while the boys are sleeping or it would be endless emotional meltdown. Our entire family was immensely blessed this Christmas season and loved getting to spend so much time with the huge Hefferly clan. We came home with lots of new books, cool new toys and movies, and a few new maternity items my mom picked up for my first summertime pregnancy. (my existing stuff is all winter wear!) Of course all the memories we made are just as valuable, if not more so. And man, it was so nice to have two boys at Pinkie and Pa's house instead of two babies/toddlers. I shutter to remember the past few visits when the boys required constant supervision or something would be broken, misplaced, eaten, ruined, etc. They're both finally to the age where they don't require constant supervision. Heck, they can both even man the staircase, up and down, on their own. And even better, they were so eager to go do things with their uncles like play at the park or pull out all the old action figures and not demand that mom be a part of the action at all times. Certainly gave me a much needed break! Guess I better enjoy it. Back to baby mode by next Christmas season. Yes, 2011 is certain to bring a lot of new changes to the Asmussen Family. Hey, we're the Asmussens! We're always changing or going through something, right? A new baby, a "baby" turning into a big brother, a new car ('cause the Camry ain't gonna cut it with three), and a new job. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, we are going through lots of changes, right now, the biggest being that Mark is now pursuing a new job. It's a long story but a good decision for Mark and our family, and no worries, nothing bad went on...just need to find the right fit for all parties included. Guaranteed to be many blessings in the new year to come!

2. So like I said, we just returned from The Woodlands on Tuesday. And man, was that trek home a long one! On the way there, we broke the trip into two days by stopping in Austin making it really not that bad of a trip. But the way home was a nine-and-a-half hour, hair pulling out, slamming my head against the dashboard disaster. Not even kidding when I say that we had stopped five times for Kolbe to pee before we even got to the outskirts of Dallas. He's a classic case of "once you break the seal..." I'm convinced that the element that made it so "enjoyable" was the fact that the boys never managed to fall asleep at the same time. Rudy fell asleep for about forty-five minutes in the morning; Kolbe fell asleep for about an hour and half during normal nap time (while Rudy wailed and pulled on the straps of his car seat, begging me to take him out); Kolbe woke up just in time for Rudy to wear himself out and sleep another hour or so. You wouldn't think this would be that big of a deal, but with one of them awake at all times, it gave Mark and me absolutely not reprieve from one or the other constantly begging for something. Oh yeah, and it rained for a chunk of the trip too. Good times. Other trips we've made have been better. And heck, others have even been longer. But sometimes they just don't run as smoothly as you'd hope for. Luckily when I take the two boys back in February for Kolbe's Shriners check-up, it will be on a plane.

3. As I said, we endured a solid nine-and-a-half hours of noise from the boys. And both of them have entered new stages of communication that added to the mayhem. But I'll drop the car ride issue and try my best to focus on their newly acquired skills. Kolbe really didn't start talking much until he turned two, so we weren't really worried when Rudy still wasn't saying much. Sure enough, at twenty-two-months, he's all of a sudden taken off with his talking. Previously he just made lots of grunting and groaning sounds...as if he truly had something to say but just didn't know how to open his mouth and get the words out. But now he's entered a phase of constant labelling. Everything he sees that draws his interest gets named.
"Cause!" (Clause...for Santa Clause)
"Bus!"
"Ocks!" (Socks)
"Up!" (cup...when he wants a drink)
He's also develop a repertoire of commands including:
"Go. Go." (he says this whenever we're out somewhere and he's ready to go home.)
"No, no, buh!" (no, no, brother....I'm sure you can figure that one out. Sure beats his previous method which was simply attempting to bite Kolbe.)
"Poo. Poo." (yes, technically a noun, but he uses it as a command. As in "I've just gone poo, now change me, lady!" Lord willing, this will turn into him telling me he needs to go on the potty soon.)

Cute little fella is growing up. Can't believe he'll be two in just six weeks! Kolbe's new phase is the question phase, loathed by parents world-wide. You know...where everything is a question. Really, I don't mind when it's something he truly wants to know because he's learning. Questions like:
"Why is urs vein blue?"
"Where does that squirrel live?"
"Is this way yeft (left) or is that way yeft?"
"Is this shoe on the right foot?"
The ones that get me are the ones I can't really answer or that he can't seem to understand the answer to. Here's a few scenarios:
(In the car, about four hours into our car trip...)
Kolbe: Mama, where's Pinkie and Pa's house?
Me: Oh, about four hours back in the other direction.
Kolbe: What direction?
Me: Behind us. We've driving this way now, but Pinkie and Pa's house is the other way.
(Ten minutes later...)
Kolbe: Mama, where's Pinkie and Pa's house?
(This continued for the duration of the trip. Mark even attempted to flip the script on him and ask him where Pinkie and Pa's house was...he simply decided to ask me to answer Dada for him.)

(While our whole family is driving to a party, trying to find the house that it's at...)
Me: (to Mark) I think you'll probably take a right up at this corner.
Kolbe: (from the back...eavesdropping) Mama, what's at that corner?
Me: Nothing. I was just telling Dada he should turn there.
Kolbe: What's there?
Me: There's nothing there. Just a stop sign and some grass.
Kolbe: Why turn at that corner? To go by the grass?
Me: No, just  because I think their house is this way.
Kolbe: Is it on the corner?
(and on and on.....and on.)

Love both of these boys so much. Love being their mom. Love getting to stay home and take care of them. Love not missing any of these endless, often mind-numbing but often oh-so-cute questions. Love that somehow God thought I would be good for them. They're just growing and changing. Becoming real people. Love that I get to be a part of it. This year and hopefully for many more to come.

Three Thought Thursday: Episode 51

1. First and foremost, Merry Christmas to you and yours! I hope your holiday week has been filled with lots of smiles, lots of family, lots of good food, and lots of laughter. Just like ours! We finally made it down to The Woodlands yesterday and have been enjoying lots of fun and relaxation ever since. The relaxation parts are usually induced by food comas, but hey, prior to this week, I hadn't gained any weight at all with this pregnancy. Quasi-dreading what the scale is going to say when I return to Lubbock. But then again, I'm nearing the end of my first trimester so it's just about to get to the time where a pound or two won't be such a bad thing. Bring on the chocolate dipped, peanut butter lined Ritz crackers! The boys sure are loving Christmas, just as I dreamed they would in my mind. Man, it is so much fun to see Christmas through their eyes! All the excitement at the massive decorations they see out and about the town, the mere anticipation of getting to open the endless presents under Pinkie and Pa's tree....not to mention the fact that both Kolbe and Rudy are totally aware of "Santa Claus" this year. Kolbe gets the whole idea. Rudy is just well aware of who the character is. Meaning everywhere we go that he sees a picture of Santa he excitedly exclaims "Cause! Cause!" So precious! Another thing that just continues to make my heart smile is how the boys beam with pride and wide-spread smiles each night at dinner when we sing "O Come, O Come Emmanuel." And are eager to go to mass each week to see them light a new candle on the wreath, knowing they'll get to light theirs that night too. They love it. And I love that they love it. I really has made my holidays. I hope there's been something special, whether small or big, that has made your holidays as well.

2. I'm convinced my three-year-old has a sleeping disorder. For real. There's got to be something not right! In fact, I'll be honest. Though I won't "publish" this till the morning, I'm admittedly writing it at 10:30pm Wednesday evening because I don't know what's going on the morning but with something like fourteen people staying at my parents' house, I'm not so sure I'll have time to write my post. Anyway, I'm sitting here typing away while said three-year-old flails around on the bed, refusing to sleep. I know. I know. Part of it is all the excitement of being at Pinkie and Pa's house. Part of it is the wonder of knowing that everyone all the cool aunts and uncles are in the other room and he just has to know what's going on. But really, part of it has got to be some weird sleep thing because really, this goes on at home every night too! I'm really at my boiling point with the whole thing. You know, the point where the bottle of Benadryl is tightly clenched in my fist with my rosary in the other as I try to convince God to help me make a good decision not to medicate my child merely for the purpose of sleep. (man, he slept well when his allergies were completely out of whack and it was the only we could use to get his sneezing to stop!) The scenario is simple: we do our best to tucker him out, making him as active as possible, and then put him in bed at appropriate times. You know, a nap and bed time. We do the same for his little brother. Only his little brother is a professional sleeper. Sure, he may take five or ten minutes to nod off into peaceful dreams, but he goes to sleep and sleeps well every nap and every bedtime. Not Kolbe. The fights he puts up last usually from forty-five minutes to two and half hours. Not even kidding. Like I said, I'm writing this post at 10:30pm while I wait for him to fall asleep. Nap time isn't nearly as bad as bed time. Usually I put Rudy down for his nap first and then spend some quality one-on-one time with Kolbe, going over letters, reading books, or playing a board game. That's enough to make him drowsy and he often falls asleep quickly. (only when at home, though) Bed time is a whole different ball of wax. It's endless getting out of bed, making loud noises in his bed, basically anything but sleep. We recently tried shortening his nap and have thus far found it to only make things worse. He sleeps less making him horribly grumpy in the afternoon which usually results in at least one or more melt down. Then he proceeds to dwell on the fact that he knows he's tired and forces himself to stay up late, even though his nap was short and he's completely exhausted. I just don't get it. He has the sleep pattern of a college freshman at the age of three. And yes, I know people write books on stuff like this. And I've read them. And I suppose I'm just going to have to keep trying out all the endless tactics that the obviously more intelligent parents than me suggest. Bottom line is: I'm tired. I want to sleep. Even if I lay with him, he doesn't sleep. Must get child to sleep so I can sleep. The end.

3. I can't believe that this is episode fifty-one. As in next week is the last week! I really can't believe it! I created a new year's resolution and actually stuck to it. Didn't miss a single Thursday. Man, time flies. And for my holiday reading, I really am going to go back through all the weeks of this past year and re-read some of the things I've written. I'm fully expecting to laugh at some of my ridiculousness, cry at some of the long gone emotional moments, smile at some of the bits and pieces that may not be the same now as is months gone by, and appreciate all that has happened in my life over the past fifty-two weeks. I'm not sure what I'll do next. I haven't decided just yet. Continue Three Thought Thursday? Change it up and try something different? Give it a rest all together? I doubt I'll choose the last option, because man, if anything this has been a huge outlet for my sometimes completely closed off world that I live in. Sometimes I wonder, if not for my weekly post, did I really say anything to any adults other than my husband this week? You know, other than "What aisle are the almonds on?" Who knows. Maybe Three Thought Thursday Volume Two. Or maybe something new. I've got a week or so to decide!

Three Thought Thursday: Episode 50

1. We're taking off on the long trek to Houston on Monday so this week has essentially been crunch time for all things Christmas. I'm just about done with shopping...just one little outstanding item that I'll probably pick up in Houston considering we won't celebrate Christmas with the recipient until after we get back to Lubbock. But truthfully, I haven't wrapped a single thing. Lord willing, that will all go down this weekend. Hopefully with the assistance of my dear husband, considering Friday is his last day of work for a while. 'Cause really, instead of wrapping, I've been busy baking all week. Primarily for Mark's co-workers. Believe me-- trying to come up with a suitable gift for people who have everything is difficult! You want it to be heartfelt but if definitely can't break the bank! So I did come up with a few "gift gifts" but also decided on lots of home-baked goods. Who doesn't love that at Christmas!?! As long as I get the royal icing done on the sugar cookies today and everything packaged up tonight, everything should be ready to head to work with Mark tomorrow!

2. The balance of "things" have been kind of tumultuous in the Asmussen family lately. Can't really expound on things now but we definitely could use as many prayers as possible. Don't worry...we're all safe and healthy...including Baby Three. And God has always, always, always provided for us, taken care of us, and led us in the right direction when needed, time after time in the crazy history of our little family. So we have faith that now will be no exception. Really. No worries! Hopefully by next week I'll be able to explain a little better.

3. Tomorrow marks the eleventh anniversary of the day I was diagnosed with active lupus.

Eleven years.

Kind of getting to the point where I don't remember what it's like to not have it. And there's so much I hate about it. I hate that I've been on steroids for eleven years. I hate that I can't do lists and lists of the physical things I was capable of as a child. I hate that I see someone do a cartwheel and feel jealous. I hate that my boys find my arm braces around the house and wear them around to "be like Mama." I hate that some mornings Kolbe will ask, "Do you feel bad today, Mama?" I hate that they'll always know me as sick in some way or another. I hate feeling unstoppable in my mind and so limited physically. And really, I hate the pain. I can't even describe it but it happens so often that I don't know any different. And I'll probably spend the rest of my life feeling this way.

But I have to tell you--I really don't hate everything about having lupus. I don't. I think of all the things in my life that would be different if I didn't have it. What would I be doing? Where would I be? Really. Where? Because I was diagnosed mid-way through my senior year of high school and at the time I had equal scholarships to Tech, Auburn, and Alabama. My parents were moving back to Texas and all my extended family was in Lubbock. So my sickness kind of made the choice for me. Lord knows I would have never found Mark in Alabama. And while I have something that no one would want, I also have many things that tons of people yearn for. So many things. Everything happens for a reason. And most of all, I have so much of my relationship with God to thank lupus for. I need him so much. Going through all I have experienced would have been... and will continue to be impossible without God.

So it's a trade off. Some days I'm bitter...and I guess it gets worse around the ol' anniversary...but on most days, I wouldn't completely give it away if I had the option. Ironically, as "off balanced" as it makes me feel, it really keeps me balanced. God knows what he's doing. Now and always. And I'll continue to trust him with my health--hoping for the best and knowing that anything is possible.

Sorry for all the heaviness this week! Next week will be much happier! Promise!

Trimming the Tree

The boys got their first chance to participate in putting ornaments on the tree this year. In previous years, I had always done them while they were asleep to avoid a pile of broken ornaments. And while this year's decorating did result in a few that ended up in the trash can, they did better than I thought they would. Once they realized that it was kind of tricky to get the ornament on the branch, they decided to just start picking out the ones they liked and handing them to me. They're so proud of their little tree and love to go stand and look at the different ornaments. Especially the snowman one that lights up. I tried to take a few pictures of them during the process but it was next to impossible so we'll go with the more posed ones that took place after.

"Two brothers!" as Kolbe always says. Poor kid has entered the awkward, forced smile stage of life.

See what I mean!?! How do you explain it to a three year old? "No, the other smile...the normal, natural one..."

Pointing out the light up snowman ornament. Too bad the camera flash drowns out all the lights!

So proud of all his decorating!

Three Thought Thursday: Episode 49

1. Monday was the feast day of St. Nicholas. When I was a child, we had a tradition of putting our shoes outside our bedroom doors in hopes that St. Nick would leave us our favorite candy. And not a lump of coal, of course. The whole shoe thing was very European of us, but we did live in Germany when I was a little girl. So it was fitting at the time. And it's a tradition I still want to carry on with our family. Don't get me wrong. I love Christmas. But it's fun to celebrate the actual feast day of St. Nicholas too. So I set out with lofty goals in my mind of having the boys set their shoes out beside their door and explaining the tradition along with more about who Saint Nicholas was, coloring pictures, etc.

That was until I decided to pick up the stomach bug and couldn't peel myself away from the toilet, the couch, or a bed for the entire night and day. So none of what I planned happened. Instead, the boys were really, really good for me, pulled out every toy and book in the entire house, tried not to get in any squabbles and were very understanding of the fact that Mama was sick. I spent the whole day thanking God that I don't get morning sickness. There's nothing worse than throwing up! I just can't take it! When Mark gets sick, he does his business and feels better right after. Not me. I feel better for like three minutes and then it starts building up again. Ugh. Glad it's just a twenty-four hour bug!

2. It's official. I absolutely hate doing laundry in the winter. It's so demoralizing! In the summer time, when clothes were half the size of what they are in the winter, I was able to get all of our laundry done in one day. Mine, Mark's, Kolbe's, and Rudy's. Now, no matter how hard I try, it always over-flows into a second day. Or third. 'Cause see, on day one, I'm energetic and bound and determined to get it all done. When the morning of day two rolls around, I'm offended that it didn't happen and usually turn a blind eye to the piles and piles on our couch. By the afternoon I decided I better go ahead and finish it off but by then I've underestimated how much was left and realize that finishing on day two isn't going to happen either. By day three I'm just annoyed that when I peer into the closet, the hamper is already nearly full again. It never ends! Really, I don't think I would hate it as much if there was somewhere to process and store it all. I end up folding it on our couch, the same way my mother always did, and building stacks along the top edge of the couch. I suppose I could put each stack away after folding each load, but can you imagine how much time that would add to the whole process!?! In an ideal world, laundry rooms would all come with processing centers where the folding and stacking could go down without being in the way. And washing machines would be big enough to hold a whole week's worth of a family's dirty clothes. I'm just saying.

3. Mark's office Christmas party was last night at a steakhouse here in Lubbock called Las Brisas. We're not used to having a date night in the middle of the week. (ok, really, we're not used to having a date night ever...) But I wasn't going to pass on a chance to get a steak from there. A free steak. Have I ever mentioned that steak is my favorite meal? Really, there's nothing better in my books than a well-cooked steak, caesar salad, a baked potato, rolls, and a good margarita. I know. I sound like a man. Other than the margarita part. This restaurant was a little more up-scale so the rolls and baked potato were replaced with steamed asparagus, some type of cheese and garlic mashed potato dish and a lobster tail. But man, the steak was fabulous. I resisted the urge to ask for ketchup, my usual topping of choice for steak. Yes, steak. And I passed on the margarita in exchange for a virgin strawberry daiquiri. Really classy, I know. But it was fun to get out in middle of the week with Mark. Sometimes with his high-stress job it seems like it's hard for us to connect during the week. This was a nice little chance to do that. Not to mention that I got to meet lots of his co-workers. The boys stayed with Mark's mom and had a blast as usual. Now if I could just figure out a way to sneak a visit to that restaurant into our budget before it's free again next Christmas....

Guess What, Brother!?!

Guess what, Brother!?! I have the best news ever! We're going to have a new little brother or sister! You get to be a big brother just like me!

See, here's our new baby! He or she is eight weeks old and is due to join the world on July 15th. (we'll be ready by early June though since both boys were 36 weekers!)

What do you think, everybody!?! Please pray for Rudy and my little brother or sister, for our mama, and for our little family!

Check out our other blog to see a little Christmas gift we put together to include our third little one!

Three Thought Thursday: Episode 48

1. Usually I have my Thursday post up first thing Thursday morning. But usually I don't have the kind of week I've had. Or the kind of morning I've had. Ugh! It's been a mess. Let's just begin by saying that Mark has been on call for the whole week. And most days, we've seen him for no more than 30 minutes. So in other words, when he's on call, I'm on call. 'Round the clock. Mark has been on call a few other weeks so far in his brief career, but those times have seemed to run more smoothly. This time, it's been a case of if-it-can-go-wrong-it-will-go-wrong. Simple things like letting Kolbe help me run the vacuum cleaner turn in to events that end with the whole house smelling like electrical fire and a trip to the vacuum cleaner replacement parts store. Vacuums and Christmas tree skirts don't mix well. And right now I'm typing away on our laptop while sitting on a couch that, despite the hours worth of scrubbing, still smells like vomit. Why? Because kind little motherly me decided to give her sweet little Rudy a bite of her English muffin. And he just happened to decided to swallow it at the very same moment he decided to start a coughing fit. Gobs of previously eaten yogurt, banana, and milk later, the electrical fire scent has been replaced by something far more intestinal. Really. I'm half tempted to get the car seats out of the car (you know, since they have the safer five point harness instead of just the lap belt that their kitchen booster seats have), install them on our kitchen chairs, strap the kids in and sit and stare at each other until the week is over. Surely that will keep anything else catastrophic from happening, right? This should be grounds for getting take out or going out to eat for the rest of the week since obviously turning on my stove would be a major risk.

2. Another event from our fabulous week deserved a paragraph all of it's own. And a picture.

Who ever said that mascara couldn't be fashionable when used to write in Chinese all over one's face!?! Certainly not Rudy. Yes, my lovely child decided to do this just minutes before loading the car up to leave for mass. I was frantically trying to finish putting my make-up on when I went to throw a cotton ball in the bathroom trash can. Finding it full, I rushed it to the kitchen trash can to empty it. Of course, this caused the kitchen trash can to fill up so I'd tied off that bag, threw it in the big can in the backyard, put a new bag in and.....
Returned to the bathroom to find this little face. Kolbe cheering all the while. Some thanks I get for not putting things off. But thank God I had a full bottle of eye make-up remover on stand-by. The worst part was the large clump that was up in hair. You can't really see it in this picture. Even with all the scrubbing the front chunk of his 'do was definitely darker than normal.

3. On a positive note, it's so exciting to see the boys, Kolbe especially, get in to Christmas this year. This past Sunday began the first week of advent. Back on the day before Thanksgiving when I got all the other Christmas decorations set up, I got out our advent wreath and set it up too. At mass on Sunday I showed Kolbe the church's advent wreath and he was so excited to make the connection to the one we have at home. Even though, with Mark away at work, we've been having pathetic meals like grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner, I've still been lighting the advent wreath each night and singing "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" to the boys before eating. Literally within just a few nights they're both already singing along--Rudy mainly humming and Kolbe usually one or two words behind me. Despite all the fascination with Santa Claus, snowmen, and such, it makes me so happy to see that Kolbe really understands this year that the reason we are celebrating Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Christ. I asked him at dinner last night:
"Kolbe, what is Christmas?"
He replied, "Jesus' birthday!"
"That's right!" I said.
"Mama, Christmas is Jesus' birthday but then we still get presents too."
"Well, yes, we do exchange gifts with each other to celebrate Jesus' birthday, but we need to give gifts to Jesus too. Like being a good boy for Mama. I think Jesus would like that very much."
(after some hesitation) "No, I think he would like to ride my new scooter instead."

At least we're somewhat on the right track! I'm bound and determined to have one of my Christmas crafty works-in-progress finished today. Hopefully I'll have some pictures up tomorrow!

Three Thought Thursday: Episode 47

1. First of all, Happy Thanksgiving to all!!! I'm sitting here on the couch in the early morning hours watching Kolbe and Rudy peruse the pile of Christmas books that just yesterday made the journey from our storage shed to the coffee table. And watching their fascination with the Christmas tree lights in the dark family room too! And enjoying the smell of Baked Pumpkin French Toast pouring out of the kitchen. (Can't wait to dig in!...I'll let you know if it's good!) These are the moments I look forward to each holiday season. They're so special, so magical...little moments that i hope are creating memories in the boys' minds that will last until they have their own families some day.

2. We will be heading over to Mark's mom's house for Thanksgiving today and I'm really looking forward to spending time eating good food and just relaxing. (possibly even sneaking in a cat nap??? With these never-ending colds that the boys and I have had, the waking up at night time has been killing me!) Mark's mom is the queen of side items. It's something I look forward to at each big holiday meal we enjoy over there. Beyond the turkey and ham, I'm sure there will be no fewer than about ten additional items--salad, green beans, corn, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, gravy, chili (a spicy meat and green chili based topping they like to put on their food), fruit salad, rolls, tortillas...not to mention the desserts! I think when we went by last night there were four different varieties of pie on standby for today. I love getting my plate and getting just a little bit of everything! So yummy! Really, to be honest, the Martha Stewart in me looks forward to hosting our own Thanksgiving meal some day. I know that right now we are in the season of our lives where the grandparents are just desperate to get to spend these special holidays with their grandbabies and I must admit that just showing up and eating is nice. But one of these years it will be our turn to host them. And I'll have the pressure on to create the perfect meal. All the yummy sides included! The boys and I spent yesterday morning making pumpkin pies and then in the afternoon, Miss Lora volunteered to watch the boys for a few hours so that I could put all our Christmas decorations up. While decorating, I threw together some fresh banana bread and the beginnings of this morning's breakfast. Not exactly the full Thanksgiving kitchen explosion but enough to put me in the holiday mood. And getting all the Christmas decorations set up by myself (other than the ornaments, of course...we'll all do those together) was awesome! The boys came home from G-ma's last night to their own little winter wonderland. And again, their faces were priceless!

3. Well last week I wrote about my lethargy surrounding getting my Christmas act together. I suppose saying that I got all of the Christmas decorations up would suffice to say that I've somewhat remedied my problems. And thanks to Amazon, I did get a little bit of shopping done. My Shutterfly order is still entirely in the works though. I did get one little project done. Ok, "little" should only be used to describe the size of this project's pieces. In my mind, I imagined this to be a quick, easy, little Christmas project. And in reality, it took for.ev.er. Really, about half way through I almost threw in the towel or set it aside till next year. But I managed to press on and get them done.

Christmas countdown chains. Two of them- each twenty-four links long to count down the days until Christmas arrives. (One for our family and one for my cousin Mandi's) Growing up, I remember making these with construction paper and a stapler, but I recently had an idea that it would be so cute and easy to have one made out of adorable Christmas fabrics. Cute--yes. Easy--no. Between cutting the fabric, applying interfacing, sewing around multiple times, adding a metal snap to each link...it took way longer than I thought it would. Good thing this guy will probably last forever, because I'm not making one ever again! And instead of getting to staple the paper together every year, the boys will get to snap the pretty links together to make our long chain. Perched beside our advent calendar, I hope it will be a nice little addition to our Christmas collection. On to the next project!

Kolbe Boy is THREE!!!

I'm only about two weeks late on getting this post up, but really, it's been on the to-do list and just hasn't managed to make it to top priority till now. Two weeks ago, on November 9th, we celebrated the day that our first little boy came in to the world. To think of how much has happened since that day! And even to look back to just a year ago and see how much he's changed from two to three. The biggest change being his massive language explosion. He went from saying only a few words at two to unlimited, endless (and I mean endless) chatting. He's still full of spunk, totally boy, and the best big brother that Rudy could ever ask for. The day he came into our lives is the day that Mark and I truly grew up. And we continue to grow and grow as we watch him do the same. Happy Birthday, Little Boy!

We decided to put an end to the big birthday party every year- for every kid- for every birthday and just had a little low key get together with immediate family. As expected, Kolbe loved it and was thrilled with all the excitement. We ate chili, enjoyed cake and ice cream, and got to open presents! Here are the pictures:

Kolbe and Rudy are in love with their baby cousins! Rudy is still learning what to do with babies but Kolbe is just fabulous! He's gentle, sweet, and knows just what to do when. Like I said...the best big brother ever.

Kolbe's only request for his party was a "blue birthday." I suppose he's heard other kids talk about the various themes of their parties and he just decided he wanted "blue." So we decorated his cake with blue M&Ms, had blue balloons, wore blue shirts, etc. He loved it.

Every good big brother should teach his little brother how to sneak a swipe of icing!

One of Kolbe's only gift requests this year was a "Fight Raiders Fight like Pinkies." My mom has had this little stuffed fella at her house for several years. It plays the Tech fight song and it's literally the first thing Kolbe looks for every time we go down there. She searched high and low (as did my brother Dave here in Lubbock) for one for Kolbe but couldn't find one. The company that made them went bankrupt! So Raider Red made the move from Pinkie's to Kolbe's and let's just say that he's been more than thrilled.

Adorable, right!?! Pa bought this awesome pilot jacket for Kolbe at a Nashville airport, of all places! Kolbe is so proud of it. And although the weather hasn't exactly been cold enough to wear it more than once or twice, I think a big cold front is just around the corner! We can't wait to pass it down to all the other Hefferly boys in the future so they can be just like Pa!

Pinkie also gifted Kolbe with a singing and dancing Frosty the Snowman, one of his other winter time obsessions. (Yes, Pinkie is attempting to drive me insane.) Here they are dueling together.

G-ma gave Kolbe a cool new scooter after seeing him thoroughly enjoy Cousin Adan's a few months back. And needless to say, Rudy was not very happy about not having one of his own. And Kolbe wasn't too happy about having to share! Luckily, after witnessing the squabble, G-ma snatched up another for Rudy at super sale.

We had Kolbe's party on the Sunday before his actual birthday. But on the actual day, Uncle Dave came over and ate dinner with us and brought Kolbe an awesome black forest mini-cake so he could blow out candles again! Happy Birthday, Kolb!

Three Thought Thursday: Episode 46

1. Christmas is something like thirty-seven days away. Seriously. Usually by this time, I have my whole shopping list made up, some... or better yet, most of my Christmas presents purchased and a whole game-plan made up for all the little this-and-thats I want to do for the season. Not this year. In fact, I haven't even started on the annual Christmas calendars for the grandparents. Usually they're already ordered by now so I can get the good discount deals! And it's not that I've been too busy to do it. There's been time available. I just haven't really been thinking about it. Or I'll think about it a bit, get a little piece of it pulled together and and then totally get side tracked with something else. And then I walk into a store a see all the Christmas decorations and get that panicky feeling inside. And I know, I know. It's not all about the presents. Really, it's not. As a matter of fact, our family seriously doesn't need anything year. We've been hugely blessed so much already. But I really love the gift giving side of Christmas. While we don't exactly have the money to be giving extravagantly, it's still fun to put thought and effort creating the perfect little something for each little person. (even though on my side of the family, we do draw names. Can you imagine having to buy gifts for the whole clan!?!) So that's my goal for this week: get on the ball with my Christmas game plan. I don't want my favorite time of the year to pass me by! (notice I said "time of the year" and not "season." Brr! Bring back the warmth!)

2. Do you ever have something that's driving you crazy but you can't quite put your finger on it and then all of a sudden it hits you and moves your crazy to absolute nuts? Ok, I probably sound a little off my rocker here, but let me explain. We don't have a tiny house, but we don't have a huge house either. I'd say the house itself is just the right size for our family. But it's always messy. Even when it's clean. Something about it just feels messy. And cluttered. And overwhelming. Part of this problem has been clear as glass to me for a while: our family room furniture. It's big. Like the huge, overstuffed comfy cushy stuff that would be great in a movie room or basement. It's way too big for the room. But I've accepted it and realized that I should just be thankful that I have furniture. It's not like twenty years from now we'll still have these same couches sitting in our family room. (At least I hope not!) But there was still something else nagging me. Something messy. And then a week or so ago Mark made a comment about how it drove him nuts how the large collage of framed pictures on the big red wall in the kitchen never seemed level. And he was right! Even though this wall isn't technically in the family room, it might as well be as it's visible from pretty much any point in the room. When we bought the house it was painted an obnoxious UT burnt orange which had to go immediately. So we went with yellow but that didn't work either. So a few years ago we switched to red. And while I still love red in the kitchen, I realized it's not the paint that just doesn't seem to fit, or the collage of pictures, or even the hideous intercom system motherboard that doesn't even work (seriously, why would anyone need an intercom in a house our size!?!). It's the way too large, way over the top bold textured plaster treatment on the wall. You know, the style that was popular about 10 years ago or so where someone comes in with a huge bucket of plaster and rubs huge random streaks all over the wall in every which way. So that when you hang a picture on it, it can never stay balanced. It's hideous. And it's exactly what's making the social area of our house look messy! Like scribble all over the walls! And there's nothing I can do about it! Literally, to get rid of it I'd have to have someone come in and sand down the entire kitchen and then refinish the walls. It doesn't matter what shade of the rainbow I paint them.  Can't hide ugly. But I did take the collage of pictures down, deciding that, while subconsciously they might have been an attempt to cover up the wall, they were really just emphasizing the messiness of it. In their place I added a few little shelves I had on hand, a mirror to reflect light from the other side of the room, the clock that's always been there, and a couple other little ditties on the shelves to have something there. The one consolation is that the mirror (which previously lived in the guest room/ office/ sewing room) rests on a shelf and completely covers the super 70s intercom.

And that's my rant for the week.

Note to self: Get over it. You have a kitchen. With an eating area. With electricity. Which is far more than many, many people have in this world. Stop sounding like such a brat.

3. Our house has been bombarded by the annual winter cold for the last week or two. The coughing, sniffling, sneezing cold. Started with Rudy, add Kolbe, and finally Mark. Mama Bear is still unscathed, though last night my throat did feel kind of raw. We'll see how today goes. I wish kiddos came in to this world with the natural ability to blow their noses the way they know how to suck. Though I have been lucky in one case. My poor little Kolbe was not born with the ability to suck. But he always has been able to blow his nose. Seriously! I'd say from about nine or ten months on. What a cool trade off! Once he knew the meaning of the phrase "blow your nose," he's been able to do it. I suppose the fact that his mouth and his nose were once completely open to each other internally kind of helped. Rudy is on the more normal side of things. You ask him to blow his nose and he naturally blows out of his mouth. And then when I suction it with the bulb syringe, he gags like crazy. Like to the point where he barfs on my face. For real. I made the mistake of standing him up on the changing table instead of laying him down, thinking gravity would play in to drawing the snot down. But it just made him gag more and as he leaned forward to grab on to me, he up and barfed his juice on my forehead. (Inner self says, Repeat after me: I love being a mom. I love being a mom. I love being a mom!) Lord willing these colds will clear up soon. It doesn't exactly help that children their age can't take cold medicine. All I can really slip them is some Tylenol or Motrin here and there to alleviate some of the pain they must be feeling in their throats. Or as Kolbe says, "The back of my mouf hurts." I guess I shouldn't complain. I don't remember Kolbe's cold being too bad last year, and Rudy, other than a couple days of pink eye when he was three months old and one little bout with the 24-hour bug last February, has never even been sick before. And he's almost two!

A Handsome Little Visitor

We were really blessed to get to see our sweet aunt/ sister-in-law, Casey and our adorable little cousin/ nephew, Jackson a week or so ago. Casey was in Levelland for a wedding and of course she brought the little guy along. We got to see them three separate times, though I only had my act together enough to get good pictures at one of these gatherings. And although Jackson is adorable in pictures, let's just say that he's even cuter in person. We could just eat him up and really hate that they live so far away! (near Boise, Idaho!)

Pinkie flew up for a chance to get to see Casey and Jackson as well as to celebrate Kolbe's birthday. And when she's in town, the boys insist that she sits in the back with them. Even if I'm the only other adult in the car.

We got together at Abby and Andy's for dinner, where the boys attempted to show Jackson all the cool features on the exersaucer.

Pinkie wanted desperately to get a picture of herself with all four grandsons. Here you go, Pinks. This was the best I could do. They're all four in it, right?!

The lack of affection that I experienced with my wild man, Kolbe, has long since been forgotten with Rudy in the picture. He's a kissing machine and will love on just about anyone in his path. In this case, we told him to give Jackson a hug and he went for the real deal.

See what I mean!?! So cute!

I love this picture for several reasons: First of all, the obvious-- Jackson's face is hysterical! The boys were trying to show him how to make the saucer bounce and I guess it caught him a little off guard. Secondly, though Rudy looks nothing like me, I love that he inherited my trademark protruding tongue when he's really focusing on something. And thirdly, doesn't this just say, "Boys" !?! I can see these same exact faces as they push Jackson down the street on a tricycle or something! I love it!

Probably one of my favorite pics of the whole year. Pinkie+John+the camera going off at just the right second= priceless!

Poor Jackson was getting sleepy. Sweet little thing.

We can't wait to see everyone again soon...in just a few weeks at my parents' house for Christmas!

Three Thought Thursday: Episode 45

1. My sweet little boy, Kolbe, turned three this week. Three! Meaning we've officially kicked off his fourth year of life. Sounds strange.  Has it been that long? Or has it been longer!?! Sometimes it seems like both. Because really, the memories of his (dramatic) birth seem like yesterday. Yet, it's honestly hard to remember life before being a mother. I mean, I know it existed and Mark and I managed to not be bored to tears in some way or another, but really, what did we do before kids!?! Kolbe's little life as been such a fun journey of highs and lows and ups and downs. I wouldn't change a single thing about it. In fact, I'm so glad to have gone through everything we have with Kolbe. And glad he was our first. Talk about an initiation into motherhood! I think if I would have had Rudy first, I may not have truly known what it would require to be the mom I want to be. (You know, the whole major self-sacrifice thing.) Kolbe is such a bright, fun, fascinating, energetic, spunky, sweet little boy. The hilarious things he says keep us in stitches daily and his fun, carefree attitude helps remind us that there's so much to enjoy about life. Such as being his mama. It's one of the best things to ever happen to me.

2. Speaking of the years flying by, where has 2010 gone!?! Someone once told me that the older you get, the faster the time goes. I think he must be right. 'Cause right now it feels like last Christmas was so recently and here we are with this Christmas right around the corner. But somehow, the days often seem to take so long. Like the ones where I look at my watch and think, oh come on, bed time! Yet hundreds of days have passed since the year began and still it feels like it just started. Part of wanting to start this whole three-thought-Thursday thing was not wanting to miss anything from this life as a mother. Wanting to be able to keep track of all that really goes on. So in years to come, when I find our house a quieter, a little less rambunctious...a little more lonely...I'll be able to look back and re-live such a precious time. I guess I don't have to wait till then, though. Maybe if I read back through all of my posts from the passing year, I'll be able to see and fully appreciate all that has gone on this year. And not just dwell on how fast it is going by.

3. Of all the new things our home has seen in 2010, the start of my little business has been one of the biggest. At least for me. Most of the males in the house could really care less. 'Cause other than running to the post office, they're pretty much un-aware that it even goes on. I didn't know what to think when starting up the shop. Would I even sell anything? And originally my hopes were that maybe I'd sell something once a week. Or twice on a good week. I had not idea that it would quickly grow into once a day. Which on one hand is super exciting. I love it! But on the other, I feel like I've reached the point where this is as big as I want it to get for now. I promised myself in the beginning that the only way I was going to do this was if I could keep operations to just nap time, and right now I'm about at my max. Each nap time is filled with a list of custom orders or things to make for the shop and while the competitive, business-minded side of me is thinking Great! Do more! The mama side of me is thinking any more than this will infringe on either my mama time or my family time (when Mark gets home). And I really don't want to compromise that. I'll gladly push it to the back of my mind in exchange for time to bake cookies with the boys. Or go drive around with Mark and the kids. But overall, just really exciting to see this actually turn in to something fun, profitable, and challenging for me.

Three Thought Thursday: Episode 44

1. By a rare and somewhat absurd stroke of good fortune, as of Sunday we have a sweet 42" HDTV living in our family room. Yes, us. People that would never in a million years think if owning something like that at this point in our lives. Don't get me wrong. We've dreamed about it while gazing at our old school box-style 27 incher, but it was always a "maybe someday we'll be able to get a fancy TV" kind of thing. I don't think I'm exactly at liberty to disclose how we happened upon such an item, but I'll divulge before too long. Yes, it cost us nothing. And no, we didn't do anything illegal to obtain it. Let's just say a far-to-kind-someone-we-know thought it might look good in our house. Though we certainly feel completely unworthy. I keep glancing over at it and thinking what is that sweet TV doing in the poor-folk's house!?! A totally huge surprise, not expecting it, what-just-happened kind of addition to our week.

2. Did any of you make pumpkin seeds this past weekend after carving your jack-o-lanterns? Growing up, my mom always used to make us a batch while we worked on our pumpkins. I remember a few years when I was really little, thinking they were nasty. Then the older I got, the better they tasted. Kind of like Corn Nuts. I'm not sure what was going on, but I didn't make them last year. This year, I had to revive the tradition. You just can't go wrong with crispy, crunchy, salty, and buttery all in one. Yuuuummmm! The recipe we use is pretty simple:

• boil a quart of water
• add an eigth cup of salt and the cleaned pumpkin seeds
• allow to boil for 10 minutes stirring occassionally
• drain the water and add 2 tbs of melted butter
• spread seeds out on a foil-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with salt (we use Lowrey's Seasoning Salt too)
• place in the oven at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, flipping half way through.
• Watch carefully! Seeds may need a few more minutes or a few less. You know they're done when they're a crispy golden brownish color.
• Enjoy!

If you haven't tried it out, do! They're so good!

3. And lastly, I really haven't had much to whine about with motherhood lately. But alas, a new dilemma has arrive. This past week, our dear sweet RudyRoo figured out how to climb out of his crib. We knew the day was coming but I was just hoping and praying that it wouldn't be till he was at least two. Here we are- twenty months old- and he has it figured out. And the fact that we're so shocked about it just encourages him all the more. Of course we all know that this is dangerous and we can't just let him sleep in his crib and tumble out at night, right? Especially since I've seen him do it will my own two eyes and it's no graceful fall. So a few nights ago I took the front railings off of his crib, turning it in to a toddler bed. And now I'm back to having to sit inside their room or outside the door in order to keep monkeys from escaping. And yes, Kolbe still gets out of bed every.single.night. But he knows what's going on. When we say, "Go get back in bed," he knows that we mean business. Rudy, I'm sure, will figure this out too. But right now, he thinks this is some game. Some adventure where he has free reign of the house. Why stay in bed when there's so much to explore!?! In the dark! And just to think...potty training: round 2 is just around the corner!

Halloween 2010

Here's our Halloween 2010 in pictures! (ok, and some comments too...I can't help myself!)

Working on the pumpkin! Isn't that face just too cute? Where did our baby go!?!

Kolbe was actually into it this year...for about three minutes.

And it was decided that he looked just like Kolbe in pumpkin form.

Easier to tell in the dark!

Kolbe dressed as his patron saint, St. Maximillian Kolbe.

Trick or Treat! Rudy was a candy corn!

Trying to get a picture of the cousins together is like trying to re-create the parting of the Red Sea. Plus, my camera was on some weird setting and I didn't realize it. So much for the photo op! Kinsey and Shelby were adorable in their puppy costumes. Though Kinsey was obviously distraught over the whole situation.



Professional Candy Taster

Our godson, John Hefferly is Fuddrucker's new poster child: World's Greatest Hamburger!

And his dog-brother, Wayne Dog made a great hot dog

Yes, he's sweeter than all of the candy combined!

Stopping by G-ma's house! (my camera died right after this shot so no pics of going to Ben and Erin's or the meltdown that occurred afterward)

Hope everyone had a fantastic Halloween! : )

Fall Fun 2010: Part 1

My favorite season is here! I love fall! A while back I did a little series of posts about all of the summer fun we were having. Well the fun has managed to carry over into fall. Maybe I love fall so much because it tends to be kind of a crafty time of year. Lots of "projects" and adventures. We've been busy exploring the ever-changing outdoors and exciting elements of autumn. The boys have been pumpkin crazy ever since we went to the grocery store at the beginning of October and saw the massive display they were setting up out front. We've brought home the cheapy "pie" pumpkins on more than one occassion so I decided that I'd let the boys create their very own masterpieces and paint the pumpkins. Eventually I think they'll get the point that you're supposed to paint a face on the pumpkin, but for now, they were just thrilled to get to go hog wild and do as they pleased.

 Oh, the excitement!

And in true Rudy fashion, he had to taste-test the paint. Goof ball.

 Don't disturb the little Picasso!

Rudy had to be immediately transported to the sink. This picture is after his scrubbin' but lets just say that more paint ended up on his body than his pumpkin. And he was quite obviously pleased.

Three Thought Thursday: Episode 43

1. This has been a good week, thus far. Don't know why, just has been. Positive attitude makes a difference, I suppose. I've spent the past few days frantically trying to get the boys' Halloween costumes ready. In a matter of two days I've made three costumes. Yes, I still have just two kids. And no dog either. You see, I planned on Rudy being a cute little clown. And spent a whole nap time creating an adorable clown costume out of the most annoying fabric in the world to sew with: satin. If you haven't tried sewing with it, don't. What a pain! Never again. (of course you know that's probably a lie...) But near the end of constructing the suit, I started to realize that it was way too big. Since they were both asleep, I couldn't tell for sure, but as soon as they awoke I realized that not only was it too big for Rudy, it was too big for Kolbe too. Apparently the size two is for a four-year-old. With patterns, it's usually the opposite. I'm typically a size six and in patterns I wear like a 14 or something. It's weird. Guess the same sizing doesn't hold true for babies. So I abandoned the clown suit...and considering the fabric, my arm didn't have to be twisted very hard. Maybe I'll return to it next year if the boys have grown a bit. Desperate to pull something together quickly, I pulled out some felt that I had on hand and opted for a candy corn suit for Rudy. Seriously, it took about 20 minutes to make. I think it's adorable. Mark think it looks like a dress. We'll both be lucky to keep the hat on Rudy's head for more than five minutes. So all of that was on Tuesday. Yesterday was much more successful. Time to make Kolbe's Maximillian Kolbe costume. Mark and I decided some time before Kolbe was born that one year for Halloween we'd dress him as his patron saint. Figuring we better do it before he has the mind to tell us he'd much rather be Superman, we decided to go for it this year. And the sentimental side of me couldn't help but relate back to my own childhood. I was a nun for Halloween the year I was two. Crazy Catholics. Let's just say that Kolb's outfit came out exactly how I pictured it in my mind. Priceless! Hopefully I'll have pics of both of them up this weekend.

2. Mark and I got a much needed date night this past weekend. Determined to not do what we normal do on a date night...which is dinner and a movie...we decided have our friends Ben and Erin come along and convinced ourselves to go to a new place on 82nd called The Funky Door. Shortly after arriving (like as soon as we walked in), we realized that we were fish out of water in this place. 'Swanky wine bar' would be a good explanation. We stayed and split between the four of us a nice bottle of wine and a yummy gouda cheese fondue with croutons and chicken. The atmosphere was, indeed, cool and sophisticated, and I'd totally go back. Just a little more prepared. And possibly with someone else footing the bill! After we transferred somewhere a little less up-scale (you know, where less cultured folk like us fit in) and headed to Fox and Hound where my brother is the doorman. There we pigged out on more typical fare: chicken strips, fries, and nachos. Mark then got his anticipated phone call from his co-worker, Sixtus, who had previously been at a wedding, and we headed to our final destination, a new bar called Nick's. This was my first chance to meet Sixtus and his wife though I hear about him day in and day out. He's the PA that Mark works with and is from Cameroon. The six of us spend a couple of hours just chatting and listing to Sixtus's fascinating stories. One thing that made the night unique was that neither of the two other couples with us has children and therefore, we didn't spend the entire night talking about the kids. A la our typical date night. And while I love my children dearly and talk about them all the time, I must admit that it was a breath of fresh air to just have normal adult conversation. With adults! Now if we could just arrange for that to happen, say once a month, we'd be set.

3. I think I've created a monster. And his name is Kolbe.
This kid is saying the craziest things! And the scary part is, they all seem to be direct reflections of me. Like he's a parrot. For example:
Kolbe: Mama, read me this book.
Me: Excuse me?
Kolbe: Please.
Me: Ok, just a second. Let me finish tying RuRu's shoes.
Kolbe: Mammmmmma! Listen to me. Listen to my words. I. want. you. to. read. me. this. book!

See!?! A monster! Or this:
Me: Kolb, eat those meatballs.
Kolbe: What this is? I not like meatballs.
Me: Well, they're not meatballs. They're called Buzz Lightyear bites.
Kolbe: Buzz Lightyear bites? I like Buzz Lightyear bites.
(proceeds to eat the entire rest of his meal...quickly)
Kolbe: RuRu, oooo needs to eat urs Buzz Lightyear bites. They good for oooo. And taste mmm mmmm.

Scary to think he's that easily influence by me. Lord, I hope I'm doing right by him.

Three Thought Thursday: Episode 42

1. First of all, could this really be week forty-two!?! Sheesh. Only ten weeks left in this year.  Has it not flown by?

So only ten weeks left means that it's got to fall. Or at least you'd think. But most of the days around here have still be up in the eighties. I got my hopes up when the weatherman forecasted sixties for yesterday and today, but yesterday was way above that. We'll see about today. I don't mind eighties. Really, that's my kind of weather. The only frustrating part is the variation from morning to afternoon. When we wake up (which is always way too early in my opinion) it's cold. Like long sleeves, pants, and a jacket kind of cold. Close-toed shoes too. But by three in the afternoon, both boys are stripped down to undies/diaper and I'm cranking up all the fans. Speaking of clothes, I just don't know what we're going to do about little Kolbe. The summer time is by far the easiest season to dress him. He can slip in to the size eighteen month shorts and get away with it just fine. Then winter rolls around and pants are required. He's by no means tall, but, at just weeks away from turning three, he definitely needs the length of a 2T. And the waist of an eighteen-month-old. With shorts, the length is not an issue. With pants, it's our biggest problem. When I pull 2Ts on to him, they literally fall down to his knees. Like I can fit my whole fist in there with his tiny waist. The only thing we've found to work are the pants with the adjustable pull tabs on the inside. Old Navy makes them as does Carter's. We stretch that elastic as far as it can go and button it down into place to create the perfect fit. Poor little fella. He's got his grandma Pinkie's genes.

2 Most of our mornings lately have been spent doing this:

And afternoons too. It's the boys new favorite activity. Other than The Wheels on the Bus, of course. But usually a good ploy to divert their attention from their favorite DVD. The little bike that Rudy is on was a hand-me-down from one of my old co-workers who owns three adorable little grandsons that aren't so little anymore. It was Kolbe's until his other grandma, G-ma, bought him the Texas Tech bike from our local grocery store. When Mark's brother and sister-in-law were in town we all went there for breakfast, and when the boys spied the bike, she decided they just had to have one. Actually, she decided they just had to have two, but Mark and I talked her down to one by convincing her we already had a very capable one at home. So Kolb cruises on the larger, Texas Tech model (he's known how to pedal for almost a year now) and Rudy scoots around on the old guy. Fred Flintstone style. They absolutely love going up and down the street on the sidewalk. And of course crossing the road to ride on the other side is always the highlight. Kolbe chooses to remind me that "I looked both ways, Mama. Now I can go." It's a fun way to get some of their energy out, pass some time, and get in a little walking for myself.  Next thing  I know they're going to be riding real bikes. The kinds that require helmets. Gees, they're growing up fast.

3. This week was Mark's second official week of being on-call. "On call" is hospital speak for "human torture." You know, it wouldn't be that bad if their group of doctors took a typical call schedule. Like each person is on call one or two nights a week. But no.
No, no.
Not Mark's group.
They've decided that each doctor should take a full week of call. Seven straight days of responding to each and every patient that comes in to the hospital that has a complaint even remotely connected to the head, neck, or back. Which means essentially no sleep at all, considering most accidents relating to these areas are from people doing shenanigans in the wee hours of the night or morning. And on top of that, they continue to carry on their regular surgery and clinic schedule as if they aren't on call. I don't know about you, but I think I'd take my chances on paralysis and opt out of the emergency surgery if I knew the person that was operating on me was running on little to no sleep.
Anyway, Mark was completely wiped out on Monday when he came home from work for a bit around five in the evening, and even more annoyed when he got called an hour or so later telling him he needed to come back in. The sky had been threatening rain all day but had never managed to produce anything, so Mark was pleasantly surprised to see this as he left the house to head back to the hospital:

Of course he immediately called me and told me to take the boys out front to see it. By far the brightest, most beautiful double rainbow I've ever seen. I think I could have stood there and stared at it for hours. Just a little reminder of God's presence in the gleaming as well as the not-so-sunshiney parts of lives.