Crazy Dog!

We recently got Morgan a little pool to put on our very small patio and the only backyard we have right now. Needless to say Morgan has been enjoying her swimming adventures. There only seems to be one problem....I can't keep the dog out of the pool! The dog that fights me each time I give her a bath! What on earth is she doing in the pool??? I have to admit though, I think it is kind of funny, so the first time I didn't make her get out. But it has gotten to be something she thinks is as much for her as it is for Morgan! The craziest thing about her being in the pool is she has this "kong" (which is a dog toy) that she insists on having in the water so that she can dive for it, submerging her whole face and ears included! Look at her! Morgan thinks it is too funny!

I

Then we had some not so funny moments later that night.... While Ellie was in the pool she drank lots and lots of water and must have filled her bladder beyond holding. So she had two accidents in the house and Kyle even took her out before he took her to bed! About 12:30 am she had an accident in our bed! Kyle was about to kill her. So we had to take all the sheets off the waterproof mattress pad and redo the bed. Needless to say - she and Roxie slept in crates the rest of the night. Of course, they are not used to such cruel conditions and so protested all night long. It was a very sleepless night. Ellie is not allowed in the pool anymore!

ENT Visit

I have some great pictures to post of Morgan - hopefully I will do that sooner than later!

Thought that I would let everyone know that we saw the ENT yesterday for the second time. The last time was last summer. We have had ear infection after ear infection, it has been miserable at times since she is constantly in pain. Right now she has so much fluid behind both ears that she is having a hard time hearing and saying "what mommy?" I feel aweful for her, but her hearing will go back to normal once the fluid is gone. So yesterday the Dr, Kyle, and I came to a consensus that it is time to put tubes back in her ears along with having her adnoids removed. We are planning on scheduling that in mid-August. Hopefully it will solve some of the issues we have been having!

Pictures of Morgan

I thought that I would post some pictures I took of Morgan yesterday. She doesn't like to have her picture taken anymore - probably because mom wants too. She is in that kind of mood anymore. Also, we have been having issues with her ears again, so we will be going to the ENT again and we may be talking about having adnoids removed as well as another set of tubes. I think it might help with her moods too! Enjoy!

Cicada Mania

The cicada's are coming, the cicada's are coming, the cicada's are coming!!! Well, they're here, and have been here a few weeks now, finally gracing us after their 17 year break. At first they were very mild, you barely noticed them around, but now you can't step outside and hear yourself think for these silence piercing little bugs. And let me tell you they are one of the ugliest creatures I have ever seen. We notice them mostly around the club - especially since it is has been here for more than 100 years. But as you drive around town you quickly know which neighborhoods are infested and which are not by the noise and the dead carcasses lying around everywhere - ewe!!! Here at the club the wooden fence is lined with shell caseings, cicada's covering the bark of trees to the point the bark litterally looks like it is moving, and finally the worst is the fact that they fly around and into people as if they have been out at the bars all night. They land on you without notice and even though they do not do anything except make noise, they can still make my skin crawl. I went into the main club house one day to make copies, only to bend over and open a tray door to have one fall off me and into the tray! Yikes! Then later that day I drove home after work, got out of the car and the whole time I had been sitting on a cicada! I think the little guy is hanging around our house just to haunt me - especially since I haven't seen any others! Needless to say if I never see one of these bugs again - it will be too soon!

Rapture

I recently received this in a forward via email. I just loved it since I have such a passion for the lost and thought that I would share. Hope you enjoy!

Rude People

I hate to admit this but, one thing I have found, immediately since being back here in chicagoland is that people here are very rude and self centered. Mostly I encounter this while I am driving, but also in stores, and sadly even in our church. While driving I am frequently cut off having to slam on my brakes so I don't hit the person, honked at if I don't respond quick enough to a green light/arrow, and edged out of a line by someone who thinks they are more important by needing to be ahead of me at all costs. I have been at the store when an employee had to check a price of an item, while the customer chewed her out telling her that she was wasting his time and why wasn't she competent enough to do her job, to which she explained if she didn't do this she could lose her job. His response was flooring, when he leaned forward, pointing his finger and raising his voice "I don't care about your ******* job, don't talk to me about your job, you are wasting my time and I am the only one that matters here." To which I felt equally demoralized while standing in line next to him. On the employee side I am convinced that customer service does not exist here. When you try to ask someone while checking out how they are doing, they respond "fine" and the conversation is over. I have also found that most of the time they don't know where items in the store are and they don't care to find out for you. At church I have been chewed out by other church goers at the counter I work at because I couldn't specifically answer a question they had (which wasn't for me to know) but have given ample information to get the answers they were seeking. Or another example is when I have tried to help a person workin next to my counter over Christmas with the gifts they were loading up into their van to take to children who clearly could have used an extra hand and ignored as if I wasn't speaking to them. In general, people don't make eye contact with you, and you rarly see someone smile back at you when you smile at them. There is such a negativity all around, that it is hard not to be affected by it. This is especially difficult for me, because I like to be friendly to other people. So how do you flurish in circumstances like these? Or overcome the negativity? It is by far the biggest task I have to overcome while living in this area.

A New Addition to Our Golf Family

Congratulations to Lindsay & Josh Riley on the birth of their first child, Hayden Brian Riley!!!!! Kyle and I are so excited for them as they embark on this new adventure and chapter in their lives! Josh is Kyle's 1st assistant at Glen View Club, and we are both very honored to know and have Josh among us! Click on the link to the right to see baby Hayden!

Momentary Lapse of Geniusism

Is that a word? Anyway more on my inability to spell things later, for now, I thought that I might entertain you (besides my spelling), with something somewhat humerous! About a week and a half ago, on a Friday, I was hastily trying to get out of the house. My mind was not focused on the steps needed to be taken before I left, but rather on a matter I could not shake. Usually when I leave, I put the dogs in the den and put up the gate so that they don't go whizzing all over the house. Poor girls used to get the run of the main living area, until the wet spot appeared on a not necessarily expensive area rug (you know dollar store - $30). That ended it all. (Well, I am still trying to get them out of my bed too! They manage to find their way back though.) Evidently, my wonderful pooches thought that they would let me know exactly what they thought of their freedom and my leaving them.... No, they didn't whizz on the inexpensive new area rug (outdoor carpet this time - prices are rising - had to look elsewhere). They whizzed on the accompaning chair's cushion to our couch! No, I didn't beat them, although I would have liked to... It went all the way through the cushion, destroying the innerards (sp?)!!

Thank God for JoAnn Fabrics! They do sell high density foam for things not such as this, but rather for someone who is talented enough to make something exciting out of it. Being just so tickled pink I came home and quickly got my supplies and starting wrapping the batting around the foam. The lady at the store told me not to glue it but to use a string....well, I figured good 'ole packing tape ought to do the job, besides it's clear and it won't show like masking tape!!??? What!?! Yeah, it won't show like the masking tape would, you know, it's clear! So off I went to work - looked beautiful! I stuffed it inside the covering (that Kyle washed for me), and walla! Perfect! Except for one thing, it crinkles......every time you move.

No, I haven't changed it.......yet. So if you come to my house and sit on the chair, don't ask, just smile and chuckle a little, and I will too!

Application to my life in Christ: I am not perfect and cannot do these things on my own. Even with the best laid intentions, I am still a sinful woman, and can do nothing apart from Him.

Yes, an application even when it is just about a stupid cushion! Hope you enjoyed!

The Easter Principle: "You have to die - if you want to live."

On a personal level, this Easter and Good/Black Friday, this year, was huge for me. Why? Well, because this is the first time since being back in Illinois that I would mourn the death and celebrate the resurrection at my new home church. And as I reflect on last year at this time, I was in a very desperate place in my life being back near home. It wouldn't be until next Sunday at this time last year that I would "arrive" at my new home, just before I felt like I couldn't take it anymore being seperated from my flock. Also, my mom's mother died last year on Good/Black Friday. But out of that pain of loss came for me, a time that Christ would address my longings of a home church and feeling isolated and therefore place me with my family for an all important time of year. Thank you sweet Jesus.

This was the message Pastor James preached on this Easter Sunday. To add to my hightened anticipation of this special time of year, our church, Harvest Bible Chapel, that is nearly 10,000 strong and meets on 3 campuses (Niles, Rolling Meadows, and Elgin), would unite us for an extra special time of worship and praise at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates. On a quick side note, my church is big, but it is nothing like many other large churches out there. Pastor James is fired up about preaching the word of God - even if it hurts. And I personally, love that awesome ability to keep it real, even if it is not popular, and in the midst of critics. I think that is why God has poured out blessings all over this church and has grown it's numbers. Anyway, I am not sure how many attended just yet, but I will let you know when the numbers do come out! I have to say that I was amazed at how smoothly run, organized, and well thought out this outing was. From parking to childcare to seating, simply amazing. By and far the best Easter service I have ever seen. Next year, I am excited to be counted as one of the many serving instead of attending! I think I will start rotating every other year.

Even though the message today wasn't necessarily profound for a believer, I was still able to glean many aspects where the principle can be applied in my life itself. Most of us have heard:

Galatians 2:20 - I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, is by Faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (NIV)

Recently, I have been hearing God's call to die in areas of my life that I continue to hold on too. To make more of a daily, no hourly, conscious effort, to get myself out of the way, so God can do his work through me. Just when I think in some of these areas that it might be over, I have relinguished all control, all the signs and symptoms are there, I start spewing out things that are not from God. Or I have stepped in thinking God needs some help??? What is that??? There is certainly room in my heart still to be transformed in this area. It is not enough to know and think that you understand, it has to be lived out. And when it is lived out, is when we shine for Jesus. It has to get messages on that 6 inch highway, and start living it out through Christ. Easter is also a time when many unbelievers come and attend.....what a profound message for that unbeliever to hear.

Oh, heavenly Father, please come into the lives of those lost souls and speak to them personally. Tell them you love them Lord, and that you are sweetly calling their names. Lord, please also, I beg you to erase from their minds any work of man that was not from You. Give them a new and fresh perspective, and hope for a life lived in You. I ask this in Your Sons name, Amen.

Training for a 5k Race

Okay, so it is really only a 3.2 mile race, but I think 5K sounds more intriguing! Anyway, my sister asked me to run a 4 mile race with her this summer at Steam Boat Days in Peoria Which unfortunately, I can't do, but there are many other 5K races throughout the summer. After thinking it over some, I realized: #1 how much I love jogging, and #2 how much I desperately need to get back into a regimented workout schedule again after being unmotivated and lazy for the past 3 months.

Since my thyroid issues this past summer and into fall, I have struggled with energy and maintaining my workout schedule while sleeping 20 hours a day, during that period of time in my life. However, since then I never have any energy and even though I have pushed myself through my workouts this past fall and winter, it usually leaves me in almost a comatose state - I just can't function - litterally. It had gotten so bad, that I had no desire to workout at all. So, I had my thyroid retested recently and it is really good, hedging towards the hyper side - which is fine by me! But still have no energy. I have found life to be very difficult when you lack energy. It affects everything, you mood, your mind, your physical state, your relationships, and so much more.

Moving on, the program I am following is a modified version of "The Couch to 5K Running Program." Here is the link http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml
Starting at week 3 - 20 minutes of alternation between 90 second run/90 second walk to 1/4 mile run/90 second walk. Instead of 20 minutes I have stretched it to 40 minutes. With a 5 minute warm-up and 5 minute cool-down, totaling 50 minutes. This week I am doing 4 intervals of 90 sec run/90 sec walk, to two intervals of 1/4 mile run/90 sec walk, and then back to 4 intervals of 90 sec run/90 sec walk. Interestingly it is just difficult enough for me right now to keep me challenged - this coming from when I usued to be able to run 3 miles last summer no problem (before my thyroid issues). Getting back in shape is not fun. I will keep you posted as to my progress.

One thing I love about challenging your body with exercise is how much it requires you to rely on Christ, and to reflect on how much he suffered for us to ultimately pay that finally sacrifice for our sins. It doesn't necessarily make it easier, but it puts things in a whole new perspective. And when I am working out, challenging my body, that is when I feel closest to Christ.

The Post Office Incident

I will never go to the post office in Morton Grove ever again unless: 1.) Morgan is old enough not to be recognized or 2.) I have changed my hair style and she is not with me.

We have been having behavior issues with Morgan - as I am sure that most parents do with children of this age group - 2 1/2. I think about what people say about having a second child, you have probably heard it, that they are usually worst than the first. Well if that is to hold true, Morgan will be an only child! Today has to be the most embarrassing moment in all my life with her. I needed to go to the post office in the worst way today. My girlfriends birthday was last Friday as in the 16th and me being the aweful friend I am, has not gotten her birthday present in the mail yet! Plus I need to mail another couple pieces to another girlfriend that she requested I pick up for her for one of her friend's birthdays in April, which I needed to mail before we left for Canada! Please tell me that there are others of you out there who are as bad as I am when it comes to getting things done - I need support. So I really felt that I had to get this done today.

We were standing in line, as it seems we have been doing all day today, when she began playing on the heating vent that ran along the window. Now if it wasn't for the metal railing running above it about 3 ft higher she probably would never have even bothered. Admittedly, my hands were full with all these items and her Dora backpack, so I asked her to please get down three times, to which she ignored. It wasn't as if I really thought that she would listen, but like God does, I was giving her the choice to behave. Wrongly, I ignored it all while I felt the holy spirit inside of me telling me to pick her up, but like the sinful person I am, I ignored. Father, forgive me please. I figured, if I picked her up with all this in my hands she was sure to throw a fit. As we turned to corner I approached the lady behind the counter as Morgan began to scream! I told her she was going to have to come over here and just throw her fit. Well, I got what I asked for and more. She began throwing herself on the ground screaming her head off to the point people were starring at me and making comments all while I was busily trying to get all the packages together and addressed. I couldn't exactly walk out because I hadn't paid yet for the packages I had grabbed to use...so we stayed. I am glad I didn't take a shower this morning before running my errands because if i had, I would have had a second one in sweat! On a side note: My deodorant broke off today into a hundred pieces so, one pit was "fresh," while the other was not so (see Jami's blog, live, laugh, love for the inside on this). Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I was done and we left. I am sure they threw a "going away party."

1, 2, 3

I don't know if I just have an unusual child or what, but the kid never wants to eat! Getting her to eat dinner is such a chore sometimes. I am not sure how it happened but last night dad got her to eat by playing a game. He said "let's eat our meat at the same time, okay?" To which Morgan replied "Yeah!" Then he said "on 3! 1, 2, 3!" And they both ate at the same time! He got her to finish her meal by playing this game until all her food was gone! It is amazing to me at how hard somethings can be to get a stubborn, independent toddler to do, but yet when you come at it from another angle, it is equally amazing how easy it can be too!

If you have an example, please share!!!

Kind of Like Going to a Mini Zoo...

To get out of the house for a while, Wednesday, Morgan and I decided (okay I decided) to go to Petco to look at the animals. Petco in my opinion has the best selection of animals to gaze at followed by Petsmart and then Pets Supplies Plus (which hardly has any - not really worth the trip). I know this because after we spent an hour in Petco we decided (yes, I) to go checkout what Pet Supplies Plus had. I have to admit, we had a hard time finding the pets and I almost decided to just go home. However, the store is set up in such a way that you are directed all the way down aisle one, before you are permitted to enter anywhere else in the store. They must have all those impluse items there.... Anyway, after our disappointment, we (still I) decided to go to Petsmart. And low and behold the never often seen, mysterious, pet of all pets was starring us in the face. Of course Morgan says, "mommy, what's that?" To which she asks another 3 times before I can explain! It was a baby chinchilla!!! Okay, so maybe not a "baby," but in Morgan's world everything is a baby_______. Have you ever seen one of those critters? They are quite interesting to watch. I wonder does God say the same thing about some of us???

Here are some of the animals we saw, rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs, rats (in all varieties - don't ask!), mice (they were actually cute - did you know they come in apriocot??? Me either!), hamsters, birds or all varieties (yes, that one was easy), fish of all sorts (fresh & salt water), turtles, lizards, snakes, spiders (I wish God had never made them, but what do I know they are useful for something - couldn't they have at least not been so ugly?), cats, and many other things! Why pay to go to the zoo when you can spend a couple hours going to pet stores and seeing all the wonderful (strike the spiders) animals? We had so much fun and the best part...Morgan hugged me all loved on me when we left because she was so happy to see all the pets!

Satan Up to his Dirty Tricks....Again

"The Jesus Family Tomb"

To read the biblical response to this hype, click below!

http://www.harvestbible.org/Content/4/25526.pdf)

One thing: In my opinion, Don't you think that if a scandal as claimed here was going on in biblical times, it would spread like wild fire and be known the world over, supressing the bible forever? Have you ever seen a scandal remain secretitive that didn't eventually get out? And yet the most hated tool used by Christian's, the bible, has survived centuries, remains the best seller, and has been copied more times and published in more languagues than any other book on the planet. I have a number somewhere as to how far it exceeds the 2nd most published book, but I am too lazy to look it up! Regardless, it is not a close 2nd by far!

Ok, off my soap box!

Drawing the Line

Who said "doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity?" Well, don't we all do that from time to time? And sometimes do you just feel lost for ideas as to what you should do differently?

Tonight, we were able to hopefully leave a lasting impression on correcting Morgan's behavior and more importantly what undesirable behavior would cost her. We have been going to "The Little Gym" now for about 6 weeks maybe? Our first "trial" was so much fun and she loved it so much that I went ahead and signed her up for the next session which will be over sometime in June. Since that initial visit, we have been experiences the law of dimenishing returns.... Each time she enjoyed less and less, to the point where the last few times, she has been down right nasty. It is very frustrating to me because, we spent good hard earned money for her to be able to have something she might enjoy and an outlet to release a little energy during the latter part of the winter and early spring season. The idea of not going or leaving kills me because I envision a toliet with dollar bills going down as the handle is flushed.

I realized though the value of a lesson learned is like that toliet regergitating with dollar bills flying out of it.... Okay, so you get the idea that the return is much higher than the cost!!! So each time she has been nasty and mean to me, I have tried reasoning with her, letting her sit out for awhile until she got herself undercontrol and I gotta tell ya, it is exhausting!!! This is supposed to be enjoyable for her and I, but it is not anymore. It is a battle of her will.

Tonight I had had it. I was done. I told her we were leaving and I took her out into the waiting area while I put my shoes on, grabbed her shoes and jacket and we left - her kicking and screaming, barefoot and all. Don't worry - it was 67 out tonight so she was just fine with no shoes and a jacket for our short walk to the car! She screamed all the way home and I think the message was quite clear.

When we got home I took her upstairs, sat her on my bathroom counter and explained to her why we left. And then I made her tell me why we left. I also explained that we would not go back if she was going to be nasty and mean to mommy. I told her that she was going to sit in her room until she could come downstairs and say she was sorry. Which she did immediatly and of course I asked her why - and she could even tell me!!! Oh, my - I think she understood!!! I just thank God for finally getting me to just do it and I pray that this will have a return on my investment.

Congratulations Gina!!!!!

I am so happy to announce that my wonderful girlfriend Gina is spoken for!!! March 16th was Gina's birthday to which her equally as wonderful boyfriend, Brent, proposed to her! All her girlfriends, and especially her mother are so excited for her - she is such a great person and deserves all the best! Congratulations!!!

Whistler, British Columbia, Canada Trip #3

Can I just say hallelujah!?! I am very happy to relingush the title of "world traveler," but also thankful to have been able to go on all these trips! I am looking forward to starting work again and having some different activity in my life!

Our third trip started out with leaving Morgan sick and me being sick from Morgan! We left on the 6th of March. It was such a long trip!!! Our flight was 4 hours to Vancouver, then we waited for an hour to take a bus another 2 1/2 hours to Whistler. Once we got there and checked in we unpacked relaxed a bit and then went down to get some dinner. We ate there in our hotel and I had awesome chicken quesadillas. As I said I was sick, so I went to bed at 7 pm (which would be 9pm central time) only to wake up to aweful stomach pains at 9 pm. For the next hour I would be gripping the sides of the toliet as I sat there in horrifying pain from guess what??? Food poisoning. So back to bed about 10 ish, then up at 3 am in horrible cold sweats to take a bath, and again at 5 am! I woke about 8 am again. So Kyle and I went to get something to eat, and me being the tough cookie I am decided that I WAS going to ski. So I suited up, sweating all the way, and down to the ski lifts. It only took me two runs and I felt terrible. My lungs hurt so incredible bad I thought that I might have walking pneumonia. After talking to my mom, I decided that it might be a good idea to see a doctor, just to be sure. Of course, I was fine - I had the typical flu with a cold attached to it. She gave me some antibiotics just in case it didn't get better. Thursday, I rested all day and sat in the steam room in the spa downstairs a few times, which was heaven to my lungs. Later when Kyle came in after skiing, we went down to lower Whistler village, and I filled my prescription. I figured that it couldn't possibly hurt, since I had not had an antibiotic since having Morgan. After my day of rest - and a dose of antibiotics - I felt really good! Friday I went out and skiied all day, and felt as though I could have gone all night! Talk about a 180! Well, Saturday I was exhausted and it took me a lot longer to get moving. We skiied about a half a day and called it a day. Everytime I think about Sunday, I thank God for the rain, not only at the village level but also for the rain that reached the summit. Needless to say we stayed in and went out for lunch and dinner only!!! What a great way to spend a day - in bed. I was so tired I really could have slept the whole day. I wasn't feeling well either, but this time I felt weird. I remembered that I was allergic to an antibiotic that I couldn't remember the name of, when it was given to me in Louisianna when I had bronchitis. Well, as I felt weirder and weirder I realized that this was that antibiotic! So I stopped it immediately. However, the lasting effects of it was almost a week. I struggled the rest of the trip to feel good and only made it out one other day to ski. What a huge blessing God gave me to just relax. There was no point in being mad or disappointed because for one I just didn't have the energy to be and for two, I had already been given two other wonder ski trips. How nice, to be able to relax and not worry about a toddler or dinner or laundry!

The weather while we were there was very much like spring - no not necessarily warm, it rained or snowed everyday we were there!!! How depressing.... It would rain mostly in the village or at base level. So they had these bubbles on the chair lift up the mountain to keep the rain off you. We started off up the lift with rain, then sleet, then a huge cloud, and then better visibility and snow at alpine level! Weird, very weird! Most of the good skiing is alpine level to the peak, but because of the weather being so crazy, you never knew when a storm would blow in as we would travel to the peak making conditions so aweful you could barely see your hand in front of you let alone the person in front of you or the terrain of the mountain. Then in 30 minutes it would be clear! Crazy. There are two mountains in Whistler: Whistler and Blackcomb. We both agreed that Blackcomb was by far the better mountain. It opened in 1981 and I am sure after realizing the mistakes made on Whistler, made getting to runs and the layout of the mountain better.

We finally saw the sun on Wednesday 8 days later, the day we left to come home! It made for some wonderful pictures on the way back to Vancouver. I think of all the trips we had been on this year, Whistler to Vancouver was the most beautiful I have ever seen. I just wish the sun would have been out more to enjoy more of the beautiful surrondings.

Vancouver, is also the site of the 2010 winter olympic games. Whistler will hold the skiing events, bobsled, and louge. Hopefully, it will be good weather, so everyone can see how beautiful this creation is. Vancouver also is an absolutely beautiful city. There is the ocean, the mountains and and the sky scrapers making for a beautiful backdrop.

You want me to pay what??? For that???

Ok, so Kyle and I have started the home shopping process and I realize that your dollar certainly doesn't go nearly as far in Chicago as it does in most normal places. So what do you think this home is worth? Take your best shot! It will shock you! In fact, you might want to sit down.... Would you pay $150k? How about $300k? Me either but what about over a 1/2 million? How about 549K? Yep, I can't believe it either!?!?!? What has this world come too? Can you believe that some one would actually ask that for a dump like this??? The inside - oh watch out - it is seriously scary! And to make matters worse ok, this home is sitting on one of the busiest 4 lane roads in this town! Now you still gaging??? Or have you fallen over from a massive heart attack yet?

Needless to say "sticker shock" is beyond the actual meaning. I am stunned at what the prices of houses are...I can't get over it. Everytime I pull up realtor.com I guess I am expecting to see a revelation or something. But, to my dismay it never seems to happen.... How will we ever afford to live here? And you know what makes me even more sick? Is when I see these ugly little sad houses being bull dozed only to errect a massive mansion on top of it! And I wonder why the prices of house soar???? It gets worse too....there is this nice community where the glenview air naval base used to be that is gorgeous, but there isn't a home in there for less than a million. How sick??? There are tons and tons of these extremely overpriced houses - everywhere. What the heck to people do for a living???? Are they morgaged to the max? Because I refuse to be house poor. What is even more sad is that there are hundreds of these huge mansions out by Lake Michigan - huge - gigantic - gargantuan - what do they cost? Who the heck lives there? What on earth do they do for a living? Talk about culture shock. My small little bubble has been burst.....and I am sad....I just want a place to call home.

Girls in Chicago

Shortly after the return from our ski trip, a couple of my girlfriends from the east side of Cleveland, OH came to visit me! Tanya is on the left and Patti is on the right. I was so happy to see them! What a wonderful break from all the craziness of returning home from a trip. It is so nice to be with the girls and go shopping - not necessarily to buy things (although I did), but just to enjoy their fellowship and catching up on what is going on in one another's lives! Since their flight got delayed on Friday - it was to late to go downtown shopping so we grabed some lunch and I showed them around Glenview a bit, the club, and where Morgan's daycare is. Saturday was our big outting on the town, specifically Michigan Ave! We enjoyed searching for the best deals, eating cookies, and taking a carriage ride around downtown. We topped the night off by eating dinner on Rush St at Carmine's. I was sad to see them go, but I look forward to a future summer visit!!!

Ski Trip #2: Steamboat Springs/Vail, Colorado

As you have read by now we are very thankful to be home! Ski Trip number 2 started off great! We landed in Denver airport on Monday the 5th to wonderfully warm temps. It was hoovering somewhere in the 50's. Talk about a heat wave in comparison to what we had been experiencing here in Chicago, -25! I called my mom to tell her I was ready to get out my bathing suit and spreadout in some snow! She thought that I was kidding regarding how warm it was but I had to assure her that I was not! So from the airport we went to get our rental car and begin our 4 hour journey to Steamboat Springs. It took about 45 min to an hour just to reach to the base of the mountains! I loved driving through the mountains - it is so beautiful, especially when you realize how small and insignificant you are in the world. On our way, I quickly realized that Colorado is not just all mountains in the mountains! Their are countrysides and many, many ranches! I have never seen so many ranches! Who knew?? I just had always thought that once you reached the mountains all it was, was well, mountains! It was beautiful and very enjoying!

When we finally reached Steamboat Springs, I was a little shocked at how different it looked than Snowbird, UT. Completely different! The mountains looked more like huge hills! The community was very different. And the skiing was different too. We stayed in Steamboat for 6 days, in a condo and Kyle's assistant from Sand Ridge and his wife joined us for 4 of those days! We very much enjoyed their company and it was a nice lift of spirits after someone had stole Kyle's skis after just a day and half!

We also met up with Kyle's Titlest rep that had been in town for already a week plus. He had us over for some drinks, and to look at his timeshare at the Christy Club, which was very nice. It would be a great set up for any family as Steamboat is very family friendly year round. Kids ski free up to 12 years of age! That is huge savings! Plus they have all kinds of things to do in the summer, that makes it more appealing.

We left Steamboat Sunday, the 11th and traveled about 2 hours to Vail. We also took a different route to Vail so we got to see more of the countryside - how beautiful it was! I just wonder if the people who live among the mountains ever take them for granted??? Their massiveness and beauty are just breathtaking. Vail was gorgeous! Needless to say I fell in love with Vail in like 3 hours! The mountains are steeper and closer together making it feel as though you are nestled between God's creation. Vail is just massive in terrain. My favorite places were the back bowls, which just took my breath away and the openness and vastness of this giant! So much so that people looked like ants on the hill. One on the 5 bowls had to be a 1/2 mile to a mile long - and you could see all the way to the end of it! Just to lay out some stats on the 3 places we have been - it is amazing:

Because I can't get this to post the way I would like the stats go in this order:

Snowbird, UT. Alta, UT. Steamboat Srings, CO. Vail, CO. Next Trip: Whistler, Canada
Average Snow fall: 500" 500" 334" 348" 396"
Vertical Drop: 3,240' 2,020' 3,668' 3,450' 5,280'
Base Elevation: 7,760' 8,530' 6,900' 8,120' 2,140'
Top Elevation: 11,000' 10,550' 10,568' 11,570' 7,494'
Skiable Acres: 2,500 2,200 2,965 5,289 8,171
Number of Runs: 89 116 164 193 200+
Number of Lifts: 11 11 ~21 ~24 38
Longest Run: ~2 miles ? 3 miles 4 miles ?

I am so thankful that we have been able to go and enjoy these trips. I am sure next year will not be the same! I guess this was Kyle's year to really get into skiing. I am thankful to be his wife!!! God has revealed so much to me during these trips and it has been a great spiritual journey as well. Thank you Lord!

Finally Home...Stolen Skis...Missing Skis...

Oh, I am so happy to be home! More on the actually trip later, but here is what is going on now...we have had a whirl wind of a ride home. We skied all day yesterday until 4 pm and got in the car and on the road by 4:25 pm. Of course the conditions were a lot worse than we expected as it started snowing about noon yesterday. But I figured it was because we were in the mountains. So last night we drove 2 1/2 hours in a blizzard to get to the airport. We had plenty of time but had issues with finding the check in place, then we had to move clothes around 3 times until we got the weight right in all our bags. After that we searched for security for 20 mins -ugh! Our flight was a little late because the plane arrived late from California, then we had to de-ice. Finally we got in the air! Fortunately, it was a smooth ride and nice landing, so praise the Lord for that! Especially considering the conditions. So once we got off the plane, we went to baggage claim and waited another 45 mins for the bags to get there. Not fun when you are dead tired and just want to go home, but also not the end of the world. Because Kyle's were stolen the 2nd day of our trip (yeah, can you believe someone would have the nerve and we were mid-mountain too! Unbelievable), we only had my skis, boots, and his boots to pick up after we got our luggage and guess what??? No skis! I found out that they were left in Denver and that they are supposed to deliver them today. So, okay, not a huge deal....we didn't get home until 2 am and finally to bed at 3. I called this morning to find out what the status on my skis were and they don't know where they are! Can you believe that???? It is not like it is the end of the world, but such headaches! And to make matters worse - guess what else happened? We got a call from the General Manager and the golf shop was flooded last night too! So, we have a bit of a mess today and besides we are supposed to pick up Morgan and the dogs. But God is good and he will work everything out, so I am not really worried, but we could use some prayers! How boring would life be if we didn't have these little hiccups! Praise God for excitement! Nonetheless, we are just happy to be home and to get back to a normal life again - at least for awhile!

Who Knew...

that potty training would be so easy? It has been 3 weeks since I pulled the diapers and Morgan has taken to potty training like an all-star! Over the course of 3 days when we started we had 1 full blown accident when she was with dad at McDonald's and created a puddle big enough for the mop to be brought out and just a few mini accidents where she started and stopped before she made more than a teaspoon full of pee in her underwear, but then proceeded to the bathroom to finish. Even #2 has gone smoothly - only two accident with that as well one of which was at daycare! It is so hard to know when the time is right to start potty training your child as a first time mom. I'm just thankful that everything went so smoothly and hardly any hiccups!

Akiane, Child Prodigy

Has anyone heard of this girl? Strange thing happened to me yesterday at Barnes and Noble... I approached a woman working in the kids section to find out if there was a "religious" section for the kids - I was looking for a book for Morgan, and there just are not very many christian book stores here, except for our church, which I never have time to enjoy. Anyway, she began asking me if I knew about this amazing little girl who began drawing at age four when she either had a vision or God showed something to her. She was apparently born to atheistic parents, which she lead to Christ at age 4! I am interested in reading her book, but just typed in her name in google to see what it was all about. She has poetry, paintings and drawings, and her book for sale. Her paintings are amazing. But as fasinating as it was too hear about her in the moment, later I realized that I may have missed my opportunity to share with her the good news and how Christ has worked in my life. She said she had a boyfriend who is very into God and that he is turning her onto Christ and she is very interested in learning more. I did make some comments about the holy spirit as I chatted with her. I also informed her that God can reach us anywhere - even a 4 year old born to non-believing parents. That God reveals himself to everyone at some point in our lives.... Well, anyway, I just found it all very interesting and wondered too if in some way God is divinely directing my steps in all this...

Here is her website if you are interested in checking her out: http://www.akiane.com

We Did It, We Did It, We Did It - Hooray!!!

Well, amazingly taking the diapers away has been a success....at least with #1! The rest of the afternoon she went potty twice on the big girl chair! I was so proud of her that even when I bribed her with candy, she went right in, sat down and tinkled! I can't believe it, she actually CAN do it! Left to her own choices, she would be content to continue going in her diaper. So, I didn't know what to do today as we had daycare. I certainly did not want to send her in big girl underpants and she have accidents all day, but on the other hand I didn't want to put her back in a diaper after I told her we were not wearing diapers anymore. So I let Morgan choose and she insisted on wearing big girl underpants. We went into daycare, and I politely explained that I told Morgan yesterday that mommy was done with diapers and that since she has used the big girl potty with no accidents. So I left her with a change of clothes and said good luck! Kyle and I had been anticipating picking her up all day to see what would transpire. We really didn't know what to expect. I knew she could do it and with the other kids there going, I figured it would be just more encouragement. On the other hand, in a different enviroment, playing with the other kids, getting distracted, I wondered if she would forget and relapse. So initially we were downhearted when we went in to see her in the change of pants that I had sent with her. But once we talked with her teacher she said Morgan went on the potty all day, except when she laid down for a nap, which I forgot to tell her to put a diaper back on her. Sometime between sleeping and standing up after the nap she had an accident. So her teacher changed her, and Morgan wanted her big girl underpants back on! That is a good sign! I think that is it, she is pretty much trained for #1, except for nights. She has even gone once since we have been home and when I took her diaper off her when we got home it was dry! She has not gone #2 yet, so I am anxious to find out how that will work....stay tuned for more updates.....

Is Creamer Bad?

This morning after Morgan and I got up, we went downstairs and while I was making coffee I took some of those little portable creamers out (because we need to go grocery shopping) and poured it into my coffee cup as I awaited my coffee to finish. Of course Morgan wants to do everything mommy does and says "what's that mommy?" I told her it was cream for mommy's coffee, of which she responded "Morgan needs some." So I indulged her by asking "would you like to try a little bit of mommy's cream." Naturally she said "yes." So I gave her a little taste, to which she replied "mmm, mommy, that's good." So I asked her if she would like some in her milk this morning and she said "yes." She thought this was really something neat, because she said she was drinking coffee like mommy! I can't imagine that creamer would be bad for her, if anything it's got more calcium. Of course, maybe not the portable ones!

Does this ever happen to you?

Morgan is such a joy and blessing in our lives. I couldn't possibly imagine my life without her. I can't imagine waking up every morning not going into her room to see how her night went. The first picture is the way I saw her Tuesday morning. The second picture is her in our bed Wednesday night....again. Periodically I wake up to Morgan in strange place or sleeping in weird positions, this by far is the craziest I have ever seen! On the other side of the sleep pattern, is at night when we try to get her to go to bed, and for the most part it is pretty easy, but from time to time we head up to bed only to be startled by Morgan in our bed! So, I am wondering if others of you have as interesting sleeping patterns from your children as Morgan does? Oh, by the way, the flashlight, yeah that's her reward for going to bed since she is terrified of the dark and will sleep with every light on in her room - yes, even the flashlight shinning in her eyes, she has still managed to fall asleep!!!

Diaper Crutch?

Is there such a thing as a diaper being a crutch and aiding in holding a child back from potty training? I am thinking that that is where we might be right now. I gotta say I had it today! Morgan and I came home after MOPS this morning and as I was checking some email, she came up to me to let me know she had poopy pants. So like any good mom, I took her up to clean up the mess, only to open one of the all-time most disgusting diapers since she has entered our lives! I had it! So right then and there she and I had a talk about using the big girl potty from now on. I told her I was done putting diapers on her and done cleaning up the mess.

So my question is when is enough, enough? She fully well understands the whole potty concept and has on occasion used it. She knows when she goes in her diaper and every stuffed thing under our roof has used the potty. She gets it! So when does a diaper become a crutch? Is this the point you pull the plug and say no more? I did end up putting big girl underpants on her this afternoon and kept remindering her to let me know if she needed to use the potty - and guess what? She did do it! So going forward do I no longer allow a diaper at home and while she is awake? I need advice, if ya gotta it post it!

Ski Trip #1, Snowbird/Alta Utah

Well, we have been home now for about a week since our 8 day trip out to Snowbird, UT. Besides all the wonderful skiing there is, and we had, the most amazing thing to me so far in my short, somewhat senic, sheltered life are the mountains. What a creation they are! My mouth just drops in awesome wonder to the creation God has made. To me, if anyone has not pondered the meaning of life and if there is a God, I don't know how you could look at something so magnificent, so powerful and not begin. When I look at the mountains it is as if I can hear the seraphim shouting from the heavens "holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, the whole earth is full of his glory." The moutains scream creation all over and they are flooded in the glory of God. Just look at this picture! However it does no justice at all to being there surronded by them.

Thankfully, I would say that we had a successful trip. No one came back with any broken bones and I am so thankful for that and the fact that God has provided Kyle and I with something we can enjoy together. So, picture this a hotel room with 2 beds, a small love seat, and a bathroom. Yeah, all four of us slept there for 8 nights! Leslie (my sister) and I bunked together, and Brandon (Kyle's brother) and Kyle bunked together. For the most part we all got along really pretty well. There were a few spats, but nothing that couldn't be worked out with some sleep. While, Kyle can be a snorer (sp?), I had no idea the amount of noise a nose can produce - and it wasn't Kyle. One night I found myself not being able to fall asleep because of the penetrating sound of Brandon's nose! So, I headed off to the bathroom floor with a blanket, comforter, 3 towels and 4 pillows. The first time I awoke was to my sister needing to use the bathroom. While my head was at the opposite end of the toliet, it seems I awoke nearly on top of it and was confused to exactly where the door was! Eventually after some good feelin' around and assurance to my sister that I was coming, I did find the door. The next time I awoke was Christmas morning!

The other most amusing thing that happened was Brandon's gracefully shot down the hill off a jump, landing perfectly, continuing on down the hill to finally arrive in some fresh powder! Picture this: Brandon and Kyle were at the top of the hill and while les and I were skiing with them on a green run, we waited halfway down the run for them to catch up. So in our leisure time we decided to take a picture with her camera phone. We were standing at the edge of a little ledge smiling at her phone as Brandon, wosh down the hill ski tips pointed straight forward with no sign of making turns or slowing down. As he picked up speed nearing us, he went of the ledge we were at and shot up into the air to some 5o feet later land the jump and continue like a maniac down the hill picking up more speed all while les and I are screaming "sit down, sit down, sit down." So you gotta understand something, this was only Brandons 3 time skiing ever, so what we were witnessing was terrifing in the moment. Evidently, Brandon found a soft landing spot and vered (again sp?) off into some powder. After thinking it all through, he realized how scary it was, but we all got a good laugh in the end reliving the moment!

Both Kyle and Brandon became pretty decent skiers by the end of the trip. Kyle wound up chasing Les and I down some black diamond runs, some that we wanted to wring leslie's neck for, but others not too bad. Brandon upgraded to some blue runs. We also enjoyed celebrating Kyle's birthday the day before Christmas. All in all we had a wonderful time, and even the drill sargent (which is what they were calling me) was tired by the 8th day of straight skiing! Thank you Leslie and Brandon for accompaning us and making our time more enjoyable!!!

Bauer Christmas

Here are pictures of the Bauer side Christmas before we left for UT. Morgan passed out all the presents to everyone there. As she passed them out she would say Happy Birthday! Poor kid is so confused with having mom's birthday in November and Celebrating Kyle's birthday before we left and then Christmas! Well, I take that back, she is correct it was afterall Jesus's birth! How confusing! We finally got her to say Merry Christmas as she delivered presents. She even said Feliz Navidad a couple times! It was so cute. Her most beloved gift this year was her Dora backpack, which she never takes off and has even slept in once! As you can see she also received an Illini outfit as well....looks great with the backpack on!!!

A special visitor stopped by bearing a gift - Santa Claus! Needless to say she was shocked and almost scared out of her wits!!! We enjoyed our time there together. When it was time for us to leave, she didn't seem to even care that we were leaving her behind with the dogs that night!

Christmas with the Stafford's

We also celebrated Christmas with the Stafford side on Saturday the 16th. We kicked it off with a wonderful dinner that included, turkey, ham, creamed corn, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, au gratin potates, pumkin pie, apple pie, and cookies!!! Needless to say we had plenty of leftovers to get us through the rest of the week until we leave for UT.

I think Morgan caught on this year as to opening presents! However, once she openned one she would want to play with it - I can't blame her!!! She had so many in comparison to us, that we had to continually keep her on task of openning presents. Mama and Papa Stafford got her many outfits for this summer, which are adorable, Dora's talking house, a Dora tree house tent, and a butterfly plack thing to hold her outfits on (so she can choose what to where). Aunt Les, got her a water table, which we filled with rice and is now all over the basement floor, a dora ABC game and a necklace and bracelet. We are headed down to Mama and Papa Bauer's tonight for our Christmas celebration there

Happy 32nd Birthday Kyle!!!

Since we will be gone during Christmas, we celebrated Kyle's birthday this past Saturday before we celebrated Christmas with the Stafford side. As many of you know, Kyle, is so difficult to shop for and when his birthday is the day before Christmas many family members are caught scratching their heads in deliberation as to what to get him. For the record, I came up with the absolute best gift idea for him over the summer, a GPS system. He had even alluded to the fact that it would be a neat thing to have. Besides it seems that he can be directionally challenged at times, and refuses to listen to me! I am not quite sure how, but he figured out what I was planning on getting him. After extensive research and even considering getting a hand held one to take on our ski trips where he can buy the maps specifically for mountains and skiing, he decided against it! Arghhh!!! Foiled Again! Here are some pics of his birthday celebration. I decided to get him North Face boots for the snow and some long sleeved fleece shirts.

Small Group Christmas

Saturday the 9th of December our small group met to celebrate Christmas by enjoying a nice lunch, exchanging gifts, and some fellowship time together. Most of the time, during our bible studies, it seems there is so much to get done and discuss that we don't always get to go into really deep conversations about the things going on in our lives. So this time together was all that much more special in sharing the birth of Christ and fellowship. I think we all had an incredibly good time together and I am especially greatful for my fellow "groupers." God has found me a wonderful group of women, whom I have been able to identify with and enjoy their love of Christ with. I love getting together with them and digging into the word. From top to bottom and left to right pic 1: Marla (our leader), Suzanne, Kathy, Bonnie, Olga, Me; pic 2 Marla, Suzanne, Kathy, Char, Olga, Me.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!!

Here is our Christmas photo:

Unexpected Blessings

I love when God does this! This past Monday, Kyle and I flew out to Orlando, FL. Now, we often live on two different schedules and sometimes they don't get communicated as well as they should, which is actually what makes this blessing so special. I didn't realize we had a trip to Orlando scheduled until about a week and a half before we left. I didn't really know what it would be like or what kind of hotel we would be staying at - in short I had no expectations. I did however, have an itinerary that outlined what he would be doing and when I would be invited to join in. Basically this trip was hosted by the PGA Ambassador program in which they had invited Kyle to become a part of earlier this fall. He ran it by me at that time and I was like that sounds interesting, do it. The whole idea of this trip is that they fly him down, pay for his meals and accomodations, he plays the golf course and attends an hour and a half business meeting in the morning. Once golf is over he is free until dinner, when the spouses/significant others join in. For the spouses/significant others, we get dinner and had a gift certificate for one spa treatment of our choice. So, I figured we would go down, he would be gone until about 2pm and I would sit by the pool, read, relax, and workout by myself and join him later. The whole purpose of the trip is to experience the resort in hopes that it will become a golf destination that the pros will recommend to their members.

So this is what actually happened: At about 11:30 am, we checked into this hotel that was absolutely gorgeous, with awesome veiws of the landscaped poolS and golf course, in which I was blown away. Our room wasn't ready yet so they took our phone number and we went down by the pool to have some lunch while we waited. After lunch we checked in and actually took a cat nap and then got up and we went down to the fitness room to work out. At 6:30 pm we attended the welcoming dinner and that's where we meet some phenomenal people! The dinner was fabulous, although it started as fine dining portions, Kyle and I were thinking "we'll be ordering some room service later", but ended up with a nice sized veal chop, potatoes, and greens. The next morning I had remembered one of the girls room numbers and so called her to see if she wanted to get some breakfast before we worked out later that morning, and after finding one of the other girls room numbers we all met up for breakfast. All I can say is that it was a wonderful experience, more than I could have imagined and beyond anything I expected! God knew exactly what I had been longing for - and that was some meaningful conversation and girl time! We bonded and enjoyed one another's company immensly. It was as if we had been friends for years - there was never in my mind an akward moment of silence! It was just something so unusal to see and quite an unexpected blessing! God is so faithful to provide our every need, even ones we haven't asked for. I am so thankful for those women and the time we were able to share!

Too Quiet....Awe peace!

It is very quiet around here..... As I am eating my lunch this Sunday afternoon and after arriving home from church to an empty house, each time my fork hits my plate I expectantly wait for some barking in the background, but all is quiet. Almost erie, and as if I have gone back to a different place in time. And so I think about my life, and how things were back before Ellie, then Roxie and finally Morgan. What on earth did I ever do with my time??? And as I contemplate what to do right now with an empty house, I am perplexed by the many options....should I do some last minute shopping, put together my christmas letter, or forget it all and just be at peace with my Savior and King? I think I will relax...

You may be wondering where on earth is her family? Did she leave the doors wide open to let them wonder out??? Did she lose her mind and sell them to the lowest bidder? Not Yet! It is the day before Kyle and I leave to go down to Orlando, FL for a PGA Ambassador program trip (don't ask, just go with me on this - it is free time for me to spend with God for 3 days - and time for Kyle to be wined and dined and play golf). So in short, everyone has been shipped off in anticipation for our early departure Monday morning and I have a few free hours! But I can't get over how my body wants to be reactive in anticipation of the day to day small events in my life, such as the dogs barking at my fork hitting the plate because they think an intruder is invading our house.... (I mean come on what are they really going to do??? All I know is Roxie will be armed with pee, as the intruder looks at her weird and she rolls over as a foutain of urine sings praises to someone who might pet her - trust me I know! Crazy dog....) So anyway, off to do nothing!!!!

YAM - Young Adult Ministry

Well, I finally made it! I have been desiring to go to YAM from about May of this year, but between settling into a new place, starting a new job, getting plugged into a small group, suffering through thyroid symptoms and then finally our small group switching nights, the time to check it out never presented itself until this week. My small group leader called and told me that we were not meeting this Thursday, which happened to be a YAM night. YAM meets the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month from 7 - 10pm. So, I once again found myself in the undesirable position of sticking myself out there and going to something where I virtually knew no one. As excited as I was and have been in anticipation to go now for 7 months, I have to say, I was slightly let down. In my expectations, I thought that there would be people my age, which there were, but also in the same area of life in which I was, but there was not. I quickly came to realize that most of the yammers there were single. There were however, a few whom were married - but I am not sure there were any who had children. Of, course, I can't say for sure, because there are some 200 young adults who attend on any given Thursday and I couldn't have possibly met them all. But the people whom I spoke with who have been in YAM for a while know. I am certainly not saying that there is anything wrong with being single or married without children - I just know in my experiences that people who are not at the same point in your life as you are, have more difficulty relating to your life. Certainly friendships can be born, my best friend is single. I guess my biggest fear is that people will leave me out because I am at a different point in life than they are. I fear being written off and missing out on developing new christian friends. Sure, I would ideally like to meet some couples and make friendships that way but that isn't always how God operates. I just find that being out of school and having moved 3 times makes it more difficult to connect with people. All I desire is to have some friends my age to worship God and do life together with.

Anyway, the whole production itself was impressive! The pastor of young adults was great to listen too - he had a powerful message! After worship and the message, all the yammers go to Cornerstone Cafe in the church to enjoy some fellowship time with food and beverages. I was so surprized that the church made the food for us and it was free!!! I get so excited about little things in life that send such powerful messages - this one love. It was great and so awesome that a church can put on something so wonderful! As, I am learning more about the church I am so happy to call this place home!

Want to Ski?

It seems that there has been a trend recently in our invites of two couples out to Colorado for one of our ski trips. Of course Kyle has been as giddy as child on Christmas day to go out and ski this year, as many of you may know, that he has asked two different couples now to accompany us. Each couple has now resulted in becoming pregnant. His 1st assistant is expecting a baby boy in April. And now, his good buddy and prior assistant at Sand Ridge is also now expecting a baby this summer! Congratulations! Anyone else want to ski?

No Nap, No Tears

Lately, I have been having problems with my little angel taking naps. I don't know why but at 2 yrs old she insists that she doesn't need a nap. Thankfully for me, my thyroid has been better. So again today after some repeaded attempts at putting Morgan down for a nap, I finally have come to an agreement with her. It's really quite simple - I told her that if she crys at all, she WILL be taking a nap. As I put out my hand to her to offer to shake on the deal, as if a 2 yr knows what that is???, I said expectantly "Deal?" at which she slung back "No Deal, Mommy!" What!?!?! I think someone's been watching too much TV...

Irregardless of her "no deal" remark, it has seemed to work all day. Although it is quite exhausting to feel like you never get to take a break, it certainly seemed to be working! Whenever she felt like throwing a fit the rest of the day, all I had to do is remind her that if she crys she takes a nap. Of course, she is much to smart for this to last long and I am not quick to come up with new material. I just pray that is will hold for awhile...

Back At It

Yes, IT has been awhile since my last post....i have been considering shutting down the blogging operation, but after careful consideration, I have decided to give it another go around. I am hoping that someone will login and start leaving comments from here on out. If not, I will just consider it more conversations between myself and my almighty creator. From this point forward, I do plan on trying to leave more regular updates.....stay tuned!

Ski Trips & Looking Forward to Winter

The golf season is finally winding down, & I don't think we could be more thankful. It has been a very long and stressful summer, but a fairly smooth and successful one for our first year at Glen View Club.

Kyle has been diligently researching our winter vacations. He gets 3 months off starting in January through March. He has planned out 3 ski trips and possibly one warm weather destination. I think the guy needs some r&r wouldn't you say??? We have two out of the three trips hammered out. The first trip we will be returning back to Snowbird in Salt Lake City, UT over Christmas. We absolutely loved it out there last year and the trip has really inspired Kyle in skiing. Brandon and Leslie will be accompaning us. Brandon is a little nervous to be "stuck" with us for a WHOLE week - oh my gosh! I think he will have fun and be fine, he just needs to invest in an iPod so he can shut us off when he needs. I mean isn't that what they were made for? Leslie is just so excited to go on vacation I think we could take her to Alaska during the dark part of the year and she would be utterly thrilled! The Second trip we are planning is going to be to Steamboat, CO in February. Flights are a steal to get out there, and we have invited Rob and gretchen (kyle's former assistant at Sand Ridge) to accompany us. We are planning on asking possibly another couple or two. Kyle was lucky enough to find us a condo to stay in free of charge - whoa!!! So, we are very excited about that one. He just needs to finalize dates and purchase flights. Lastly, we are planning to go to Whistler, Canada. This will be a private vacation in March for us to relax, ski, and possibly do some snowmobiling. Kyle found some great agency to do all the research and put together the trip for much, much less than we could have. We are very much in anticipation of our getaways. We have even bought our skis and boots!

This summer I had a battle with my thyroid that probably started mid-june in the decline and lasted until late August. Just as I started to feel better and begin exercising again after no exercise for 2 months, I caught the classic flu lasting a nearly a week, then the stomach flu the following week lasting another 5 days. UGH!!!!

When your thyroid goes untreated in thyroid disease you lose ability to function day-to-day; massive, horrible fatigue, your brain stops processing information, memory loss, & hair loss are just some of 16 symptoms. I also learned just how important it is to be your own advocate when it comes to your health. Many people go misdiagnosed with thyroid disease because the labs ranges in most practitioners office are way to wide 0.35 to 5.5, and anything over 2.0 is hypo!!! If you have these symptoms get tested and ASK for a copy of your results!!! Okay, I will get off my soapbox for now!

First Bike Ride

Here is Morgan taking her first bike ride on mom's bike! Yes, that is an Elmo helmet!We had a trailer previously, but I decided to give it to my mom (as she and my dad have invested in some regular bikes), as where we are located here on the north shore there are not always sidewalks making the trailer somewhat inconvienent and questionable on safety. I thought that the child carrier just made more sense.

So Saturday we set out on our first adventure on the bike together. Morgan had so much fun! I think she throughly enjoyed our trip that lasted an hour and 45 minutes!!! Wow, does time fly by! When we got home I began to take her out of the carrier and she got mad! However, I convinced her with some kitty cat treats.

The Power of Kitty Kat Treats!

Hold on, No, I am not feeding my child cat food! No, what I have discovered is the power of bribing a 2 year old! As you may not know, I have no formal training on raising kids (okay so most parents don't) or any kind of resource to fall back on, as I never really cared much for kids. I don't know what makes them tick, especially when they start leaking for no good reason! I know how that sounds, but I just was never interested in kids, so I am learning on the job as a mom.

Recently, as usual, I was having difficulties with getting Morgan ready for daycare. We were battling, again, with her independent spirit (why doesn't she just give up? Oh yeah, that would be easy, and God said this life wouldn't be - awe...). Then I remembered some Hello Kitty fruit snacks that her and Kyle had picked up the night before at the grocery store - he is always letting her choose what to get at the store, which is very cute, but hey what does a 2 year old know anyway??? So, I told her that if she came downstairs and put her pants on she could have a kitty kat treat. H-o-l-y cow! I have never seen anyone put pants on that quick in all my life!!! Of course, then for the next couple weeks she was working like a slave for that illusive kitty kat treat. Since then, it has lost some of it's luster, but I am sure I will come up with something new - stay tuned!

Morgan's 2nd Birthday!!!

Saturday, July 29th marked Morgan's 2nd birthday! Although I think that she has hit the terrible two mark much before her chronical age as we have discovered what a true temper tantrum is really like! She has gotten to know the four walls of her room at a much more deeper and intimate level since the outrage has continued escalating! However her second birthday has also marked many other interesting developments as well. She can easily count to 10, she knows how old she is, what her name is - so don't call her suzy! She is often successful at taking her clothes off and especially her diaper! The daycare recently informed me that I need to tape her diapers at home and when I take her there as she has run around the playground one to many times with her diaper in hand. I am sensing that she is ready to potty train! I don't know that mom and dad have the time right now to really concentrate on it with the golf season still in full swing and I fighting off the debilitating symtoms of tyroid disease right now. So, I will be doing some more research on potty training so that when everyone is ready - hopefully it will be smoother sailing! Twice this week now, Morgan has gotten out of bed on her own and wondered downstairs to turn on the lights in the kitchen and dining room before she crawls up on the chair to hang out until mommy and daddy get up! While this has been distrubing for us, I am mostly thankful that she is relaxing while the diaper is still intact on her little bottom! Morgan is also saying many new words and starting to string together small 5-6 word sentences. She has quite a fiesty little attitude and can be very stubborn much like mom and dad! All and all we are enjoying the new surprizes in our life and the joy and tribulation that she brings!