First day of shepherd school

Day of rest

Nursing mothers

Blueberry yogurt caterpillars

All tired out from a day at the beach

Just like mommy

Adam & Mary Theresa's 4 year Anniversary Celebration!

I have to write a blog post about this for several reasons: 1. I am just so proud of myself for organizing it. 2. I had so much fun and don't want to forget it. This year we celebrated our four year anniversary. As my anniversary gift Adam tore up all the carpet in our house and finished the hardwood floors-hallelujah!! I have been wanting to do a fun thing for his gift but found myself limited by my pregnancy (we had talked about skydiving or doing a paint and pour or something like that). I searched around online (Groupon & LIvingSocial) for ideas near us. Over the past month I put together a little getaway for us. It works out great that Adam is off Thursdays and Fridays and I have a random schedule with nursing. I got my parents to watch the girls overnight (scary!) and put the rest together. I found a B&B in Kalamazoo for $60 with Groupon, got reservations for the #1 restaurant in the area, and got us tickets to attend Escapology. I did all this without Adam's knowledge!! (Yes, I'm amazing!) I put together a little travel brochure including our itinerary and fun questions for our 2 hour drive with my limited computer knowledge. I gave it to Adam the night before our anniversary and he was completely surprised-SCORE! My parents got to our house around 10am and we headed out after scarfing down our annual "recreate our first breakfast as a married couple" meal. It had been a hectic morning with the girls and I really needed to get out of there. We left the day after our anniversary, which coincidentally is Colette's "baptism day" so we had taken the girls to mass to get a special blessing from Fr. Vince and then given Colette her gift at breakfast. The first hour of the drive I needed to decompress. After a hard morning (a hard two days honestly-Colette has been giving me a run for my money) and still processing all that is going on with Baby Barnacle I just needed to rest. Once I recovered Adam and I rewound to us back before we had kids. There we were riding in his black Mazda, just the two of us, laughing and talking and having a blast. The questions were a success in getting us talking and the ride went by really quickly. We got to Escapology a few minutes early so we got some drinks at the gas station to cool off before we went in (90 degree day and no air condition in the car!) Escapology was awesome! We did a game called (The Antidote) where we were in a lab and had to find the antidote to a disease that had been released into the world and that we had just been infected with. WE had no idea what to expect as neither had done anything like this before so it must have been quite comical for the Game Master to watch on video. You're timed with 60 minutes to get out of the room and have to search the room for clues and such. There were locks everywhere and we had to find a bunch of numbers and codes to escape. The first 20 minutes or so we were a mess but we eventually started to figure things out...really slowly. I felt so dumb as one of the employees had told me that this was the easiest game! We had to ask for a few hints but we eventually won with 8 minutes to spare! It was cool that in the end Adam and I worked as a team. On our way to the B&B we found a Goodwill that was 50% so we obviously had to stop in. I found some maternity clothes and we got a few things for the girls and then headed on our way. It was little stops like this that were so much fun because we didn't have any kids with us and could just hop in and out! We drove thru downtown Kalamazoo and got an idea of the area-looked like a fun place to walk around in. Our bed and breakfast is associated with the Henderson Castle (which honestly isn't more than a tiny mansion) so we stopped there to check in. The receptionist gave us our key and drove us over to the B&B. It was such a cute house, very "period" with antiques and old paintings everywhere. We would be staying there with one other couple but the house was currently empty. She then left us to our own devices. I eagerly explored every nook and cranny of the house and Adam joked that after Escapology I thought that any door unlocked must be explored! We then went to explore the Castle itself since most of its rooms were unoccupied and could be looked at (each of the 12 rooms is decorated a different theme). The rooftop of the castle had a hot-tub! There was also a sauna and steam room on the floor beneath that. All of those were available for our use! WE hoped we could go to the hot-tub after our dinner as long as it didn't rain (we had brought our bathing suits just in case!). After exploring the castle we drove downtown to walk around until dinner. We found an awesome little Catholic bookstore where we bought a few things. It was such a breath of fresh air to go into, to talk with a fellow Catholic and be surrounded by so many things that made us feel at home. We stopped in several little artsy shops and got chocolate at "The Art of Chocolate". mmmmmm. Coconut cluster, mango chile truffle and chocolate covered caramel marshmallow made us feel like royalty. It began to rain and we made it to our restaurant right before it really began to pour. We ate at "The Food Dance Cafe" a "farm-to-table" restaurant that was painted with a fairy garden theme!! It was such a fun treat to get to get whatever we wanted and try not to think about cost. Adam got duck and I got steak. We had crabcakes as an appetizer and a blueberry ginger mint crumble for dessert! It was still bubbling when we got it! Everything was delicious and it was just so great to talk with my husband! Who knew?! We sat by a large family celebrating a 1st birthday and when they were leaving the mom came and apologized to us, hoping they didn't scare us out of having kids! Adam and I laughed to think that we came across as childless!! Woohoo! After dinner we went back to our hotel and got changed into our bathing suits. We got to the hot-tub right as they were re-opening it after the storm!! The rain had cooled everything down and sitting in that hot-tub while the sun began to set was simply glorious. We took a quick dry-off in the spa and then ran to a liquor store down the street to get snacks. Once again, those little store trips were so much fun! We felt so devious for buying $10 of candy and chips! Upon our arrival back to our B&B we finally met the other couple. Oh. My. Goodness. Meeting them simply made my night. WE had seen this couple earlier at the castle and laughed at their "tourist" appearance! The wife had been wearing a t-shirt with pug dogs dressed as Disney princesses and had a Minny Mouse ear headband on while she snapped photos of everything in site. And the hubby, well, looked like the typical tourist. Turns out that they were celebrating their anniversary too! 13 years July 26th! They had driven up from Chicago and never traveled and were just having the time of their lives. It was the cutest thing. I relaxed in the shower with the essential oil shampoos provided and put on the B&B robe feeling like a queen. We "ate ice cream" then watched Ocean's 12 while we ate our snacks. Woke up in the morning feeling like a million bucks, but a little sad too as we knew it was almost time to leave. It took us only about 20 minutes to get ready and packed up and then we went to the Castle for our complementary breakfast! It was so fancy, I felt like we were at Downton Abby. We were served orange juice in wine glasses and given three courses. Our first course was a fruit kabob with a lemon and almond yogurt. Next we had warm croissants with butter and marmalade and then we got scrambled eggs with toast and strawberries. It was all delicious and a perfect end to our trip. We were on the road by 9:30am, anxious to see our little ladies! Another impromptu stop led us to Sweetwater donut shop. Holy Moley was that a good call! They had donuts the size of plates and they simply melted in your mouth. We got a half dozen to share with my parents. Finished up our car ride with a rosary, more good conversation and a few more fun questions. I'm sad it all had to come to an end, but I find myself thinking that it also started a new beginning. Adam and I were able to talk about so many things going on in our lives, and I feel a brand new connection to him as well as a new motivation to conquer life together. I love my husband and am so blessed to have had four years with him as my spouse.

Dress up time!

Peanut butter play dough !

Garden harvest

20 week ultrasound

The girls are excited to see baby barnacle!!

A coral kind of day!

Happy 7-Eleven day

Happy fourth of July!

Tea Party

With limited options on a 90 degree day without a car we are choosing the option of the prim and proper.

Questing

We went on a family exploration hike today and discovered a new lake!

Faith fest 2016

Matt Maher concert!

You are my sweet little one.

Colette, if I had a nickel for every time I heard "enjoy this time, they grow up so fast" I could pay for your college education...including your medical degree! I try not to take this statement lightly because I have heard it so many times I am smart enough to realize that it must ring true. However, I know no matter how hard I try to soak up these moments, they will still be gone in a blink and I'll be left standing there, a few gray strands on my head and wrinkles around my eyes telling a new mom to embrace these precious times. You're already getting too big too fast. Not a day goes by where your dad and I don't comment on something you said or did that amazed us. How we delight in you! Every little word that comes forth from your mouth oozes cuteness. Your dad said yesterday that even when your in the midst of one of your crazy fits of rage you are so cute! We love you from the tips of your piggy tails down to your little painted toes. Thank you for the gift you are to us. It makes me sad that you'll never really know or be able to see the way we love you right now, the way we gaze upon your little body in awe of all you accomplish. I suppose we'll always look at you in this special way, but it will bear its own changing image as you age. I don't want you to grow up. I'm afraid we'll lose our precious little girl. My little girl that walks out of our bedroom every morning as I'm doing my prayer time, hair looking like she was just electrocuted, eyes scrunched shut saying "I'm up mom". My little thinker who spends hours alone in the playroom accomplishing puzzle after puzzle with her little mouth open and tongue hanging out in concentration (just like dad). My little dynamite who is so fiercely stubborn that she refused to eat an animal cracker the whole ride home from church unless she could hold the container (to which I said no so you persisted in screaming for it the whole drive). My little mom who admonishes her sister saying "no no Mae Mae..." time and time again. My little acrobat who is always jumping from couch to chair, climbing over and under pews at church, and running down the hall to jump onto the couch. My little dancer who is always spinning around in her "pretty pretty" skirts to music sometimes only she hears. My little musician who asks me to sing songs over and over and over, right now she is especially into "Old MacDonald" to which she insists there is a reindeer and Santa on the farm! My sweet girl who asks for snuggles, and "rock a baby" and gives me sly little kisses when no one is looking. I delight in you my little joy. My gift. My lover, my friend. My dear girl I hope that the world can appreciate all that you are and all you have to give to it. She may be little, but she is fierce. This girl is on fire.

2016

It is a new year. Last year, or the end of 2014 rather, I spent a lot of time preparing for the new year; planning my resolutions spanning from fitness, to family, to faith. This year, however was somewhat the opposite. While in years past I've not had time to plan and state that the new year "snuck up on me" this year came without a lot of planning on my part but I was ready for it none the less. I have been writing "2016" on my checks since day 1, I haven't set high expectations but realistic ones: 1. 10 minutes of daily prayer a day 2. as a couple, Adam and I want this to be God's year. We're ready to totally give everything over to him. 3. Trying to be more present in my role as wife and mother and less focused on others' lives (AKA less Facebook) The nice thing about the resolutions is that they are either very measurable (1) or completely relative (2 & 3) which allows me to start each day with a clean slate. I'm very much looking forward to our year ahead. It will be our first full year living in our new home. It will be our first year having a dog. The girls are getting older and more manageable and I'm hoping to do more than "survive motherhood". We are in a relatively stable place financially and have built a foundation in church and with our friends. We are getting comfortable in our role as a family and have established our place in relation to extended family. We're blessed to have my dad retired and my mom well enough so that they can spend time weekly with our girls. That is truly one blessing I will always be grateful for I'm sure, that my parents have shared such an intimate part of the girls' childhood memories. Colette is our little pistol. She is testing the limits on everything but she amazes me every day. She may be VERY hard to understand but she is talking so much and is so intelligent. Today she kept asking for "more puzzles" because she was accomplishing them so quickly. Adam and I laugh embarrassed that we have to confess that we treat our children like little gods. It is so hard not to! God help us to form them rather than worship them. Maelyn's vocabulary on the other hand is limited to "da" and "eh" and "ah" which somehow mean like fifty different things. I'm just glad she is finally walking. She is so sweet, what with giving kisses and hugs all the time, and she is very good at snuggling, but she has gotten a disobedient side to her and has began smacking as well so we need to work on that. Hopefully by the end of 2016 Colette will be potty trained, we will understand what both of our girls are saying to us, and as a family we will have grown in love of each other and the Lord.

Wondering, wandering...my mind this winter.

Oh my goodness, yet again I have been overcome by a melancholic ambush of thoughts. It is in the midst of these that I find myself wishing I had the time to sit, and to type, for hours. I feel as if I could go on and on, exploring all that is going on in my mind and attempting to expose it in written word rather than have it laying stagnant within me. This particular occurence began with the oncoming of Advent. Yes, my mind is blown by the fact that Advent is already here, nay, that Advent is already two candles in! It is December and a year has almost reached completion, a year that feels as if it has just begun its course. So Advent approached, out of nowhere. There I was in Nebraska for Thanksgiving and two days later getting ready to return home I attended mass and stared up in shock at the purple vestments before me. I was not prepared. However, I can say that I very gracefully and efficiently transitioned into this time. I was taken with a desire to make the most of this time given to me. Something about the structure of a planned span of time such as Advent, Lent, summer, etc. gives me the sense of an alotted time to make something happen. So, without fail, over the first day of Advent I came up with a plan: simplify. Yes, it is a little more detailed than that one word, but really that is what it boils down to. So many things I've been struggling with are due to a lack of it in my life, in our culture, in the world. As a melancholic introvert I am constantly overwhelmed to the point of shutting down when I think of the pure number of everything in our universe: people, things, relationships, jobs, grains of sand...oh my goodness. In this sea of everything it is so easy to feel forgotten, neglected, and commonplace. In a world where millions of things are added daily to the world wide web, how can anyone think they've done anything significant? Take this blog-I do it purely as an online journal, I don't expect any eyes but my own and a few bored family members to ever look upon it, and I am lucky if I post monthly amidst the craziness of my life. Yet, somehow, there are thousands of moms, busier than I,(homeschooling moms with dozens of children) who are posting daily the amazing doings of their family composed of several DIY crafts, incredible candid photos, delicious recipes, and advice. Jeez, if that doesn't make you feel insignificant I don't know what does. Wow, I'm getting so far off the beaten path right now I'm having to read back several sentences to find where I was going...Oh yes! SIMPLICITY! So, I have a few tasks for this Advent that I am attempting to accomplish. Of course, being me, I've already failed at several, but I'm not perfect, and I'm not giving up. 1. Get rid of one thing a day (particularly clothes) 2. No phone (other than calling or texting) 3. No Gilmore Girls :)

This is my first post from my new nook that my hubby got me for Christmas! Speaking of Christmas, this was Colette's first and it was full of beautiful memories!

Happy Feast Day to us ladies!!

Spontaneous Apple Picking

This week has been crazy. Daddy's only night at home was Tuesday and we decided to make the best of it. It is a blessing that, right now, we live only ten minutes from Erwin Orchards, so as soon as dad got home from work we whisked the kids away on a family adventure. I've learned already that family outings don't always live up to expectations, especially with a 15 month old and 1 month old, but this one exceeded my wildest dreams! Colette loved every minute of it! We got there just in time to hop on the next wagon to take us out into the orchards and quickly filled a bag of McIntosh and Gala. Colette was having so much fun up on daddy's shoulders picking apples and then eating them! Once on the ground she was overwhelmed by the food all around her feet (her Heaven considering she loves eating food on the floor!). She thought she was queen of the world when we got back on the wagon. When we got back we filled our bellies with apple cider and warm, fresh donuts. Obviously we all enjoyed that. In the meantime, Maelyn was sleeping away in the Moby. We took Colette to check out the Hay Maze, and then came the best part of the night...the goats. Oh my goodness, Colette loved the goats! She had no fear and walked up to them squealing away. Daddy showed her how to feed them and she had a blast letting them lick her hands. She smacked one goat across the face though when he attempted a lick!! Oh that was a great memory!!!

Baking with the ladies

Here we go Pistons!

Sunday we took the little ladies to their first Detroit pistons game! Colette loved all the things going on around her! She yelled cheers along with the crowd, tried cotton candy for the first time (with a lot of coaxing because she didn't believe it was food!), and watched all the excitement with delight! Maelyn wasn't as big a fan of all the noise but she took it all like a champ and snuggled with her God father Uncle Natee for most of the game!

Happy Birthday my Ladies!!

Well today was the first time (probably of many) that we celebrated both of your lives together. With a heat warning of temperature in excess of 100 degrees we prepared for the day loaded up with popsicles, ice, and a sprinkler. As soon as the guests arrived it began to storm! Well, God is good and the sun shown again but it wasn't as hot due to the rain! Grandma and grandpa were visiting from Nebraska and we had plenty of other family and friends as well! WE all love you both so much! Maelyn, I hope you don't fret that you didn't have your own huge first birthday party.

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

So tomorrow is the second week of Advent and oh my goodness is the Christmas season underway! It's a Saturday morning and I'm feeling so blessed to be living in this home in to have the family that I do my town did Husband Adam is outside riding the shed and my crazy daughter is want to be outside with him despite the 30 degree weather so they're bundled up from head to toe and enjoying every second of watching new that outside I'm in Julienne standing inside watching them and being warm this is one of those times and I'm really glad for what I have really grateful it's weird to think that I have 2 children 3 children one in heaven god is good