Doudican Blog

Girls Get Together!

2012-02-08T21:09:00.004-05:00

When we traveled to Cleveland...just the other weekend... my great friend Deidra hosted a Girls Day at her house! She made an amazing (seriously amazing) brunch for all of us and we got to spend the day relaxing, laughing and catching up on life. I love spending time with my HS Girls!

At night, my parents took us to go see the musical "Hair" downtown at the Playhouse.

It was interesting to say the least! :-) If you know about this play, you know what I am talking about!!

We enjoyed a fabulous dinner in Little Italy and then had so much fun at the show!

Brunch...egg casserole, fruit, potatoes, bacon, sausage, bagels, etc... Amazing!!

While I was in town, I also got to enjoy a night with Carisa at Bahama Breeze, but we never took a pic!!

I'm sure we'll be back there soon enough though! :-)

Good times at home!

Where's the SNOW??

2012-02-07T09:15:00.002-05:00

Since we have not seen any snow this winter, my kiddos went sledding in Mimi and Papa's driveway! :-)

Cleveland has not had that much snow either this winter, but they at least have enough to get out the sled.

I did not even bring home the kiddos winter stuff, but Mimi took care of that and wrapped them up in blankets.

These pics cracked me up when I saw them. My kids look a little scared to me, but I was assured they loved it!!

I can only imagine what Kayla was thinking... :-)

Update on Blake

2012-02-06T19:39:00.001-05:00

Yes! Blake is out of the hospital, thank you God!

It was a long stay at Children's Hospital, but Megan is now home with him, safe and sound and he is doing great!! Thanks for your prayers for this sweet baby boy!

My Love

2012-02-05T21:32:00.000-05:00

I often give Brad a hard time...

whether it's about buying a HUGE fish tank for a "goldfish" that Braden asked for (with the purpose of learning about filtration systems)

or, collecting 100 gallons of water to "water" our tomato plants on the side of our house (with the purpose of understanding rain water collection systems)

or, picking out outfits for our children (which I'm happy he wakes up early and gets out of bed just to dress them!!)

I guess we just have the kind of marriage where we like to joke around a lot, laugh a lot, and give each other a hard time about things... but really, really, really, the truth is that I could not be any more proud of my husband.

Lately, there's been lots of articles being published about him and what's been going on in his life...
He even just got nominated for a national award!!!

Of course, he only sends these articles to his mother and myself, (and would prob. not want me to post them on our blog)!

But, our blog is our life! And I want to remember it all!

So, whether you have a minute to read the article written below or not, I want to post it here so I'll always remember this time in our lives...

http://www.same.org/images/stories/YMCONNECTIONS_JAN2012_FINAL.pdf

Our Exciting Day

2012-02-04T20:44:00.002-05:00

Consisted of...

Making Homemade Playdough with Braden (this was fun!)

Family trip to Barnes & Noble, Target, and the grocery store (Woohoo).

Dinner at Frickers (Whole family ate for $20, we love this place...except for the part where Braden 'almost' hit a boy with a ski ball in the game room! Yikes, it was a close one!)

Yes, as you can see...It was an exciting Saturday around here, let me tell you!

Now, off to bed early with a great book to read (reading Heaven is for Real and I'm loving it).

Goodnight Friends, Happy Weekend! :-)

Preschool Buddies

2012-02-03T20:53:00.000-05:00

With this awesome warm weather this week, we were able to get outside A LOT to play!!

Braden's preschool class also got to enjoy some nice playground time outside.

I love getting pics every couple of days from Braden's preschool teacher to see all of the fun things that he does each day! He is making so many great friends, I love it!

Getting Organized!

2012-02-01T21:04:00.002-05:00

So, I would not describe myself as the most 'organized' person!

But.I.Try.

Let's talk about how life has changed in the past few years...

Before Kids, I would do everything in the morning before work...meaning eat breakfast, pick out my outfit for the day, check emails, do my bible study, etc...etc... Not that I got to work early or anything (I am NOT an early person!) But, I did have some time.

With kids (2 kids, I might add, because trust me, it makes a difference!) life is a bit different! :-)

Let's just say, I am lucky to get out the door on time in the morning.

Thank goodness for my helpful husband!

One of the tricks that really helps me is laying out clothes for the week, not just the night before, but for the entire week. As soon as the weekend hits, it laundry time, sorting and laying out clothes for the next week.

Yes, this is a pretty simple concept (I realize), but any little tips go a long way around here.

I would actually love a whole book of little tips to make life run smoother!

Ideas Welcome! :-)

This trick is also helpful for my hubby who dresses the kids each morning!

Does anyone else have the problem where your husband grabs a pair of pants and a shirt from 2 totally different locations in the drawers when the outfits are already on top of each other?

I just don't understand! :-)

2012-01-30T20:13:00.000-05:00

FIREWORKS are going off in our house tonight...

Because my Hubby GOT A JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He 100% "officially" signed on the dotted line today.

Yes, we are just slightly OVER the moon excited!

Kissing under the mistletoe at Christmas Time!

Let's just say, it's been a long four years and we've been waiting for this day for A VERY LONG TIME!

During the past 4 years, we've been...

Wondering... where this road would lead.

Hoping... that Brad would find his dream career.

Trusting... that God would provide.

This is what our life looked like when we made the decision for Brad to quit his job and start on this journey of getting a PhD.

Our family was just beginning and we did A LOT of number crunching to see if it would even work.

We decided to go for it and trust by faith the path that God was leading us down...

Brad working on his PhD with Braden in his arms! Many nights were spent like this!

Now, we are nearing the end of this journey and starting a new chapter in our lives!

Brad is ALMOST done with his PhD and found an incredible job opportunity that he could not pass up!

4 years later...our ever growing family! :-)

His official title is "Future Systems Research Engineer."

What does this mean exactly?? :-)

He will be inventing cool futuristic stuff, that's the simple way to put it!

Yes, he is pretty excited about this!!

And if you are wondering..."Didn't he want to be a college professor?"

The answer is still YES, but that's pushed down the road a bit...

For now, he found a company that he loves, and we are so excited and blessed beyond words for this answered prayer!

YEAH!

Congrats babe! SO proud of you!

Prayers for Blake

2012-01-29T20:43:00.000-05:00

Please pray for Blake, Megan's baby.

VERY shortly after he was born, he was diagnosed with RSV.

He's been in the NICU at Children's for the past few days.

Pray that his oxygen levels will rise and that Megan can feed her sweet baby boy with no problems.

Pray that they go home soon!!!

Head of the Table

2012-01-28T14:48:00.000-05:00

Last summer, when we were in Honduras, one of the guys on our trip told us about a game he plays at dinnertime called "Head of the Table." Each night, they pick a different child (they have 3 girls) to be head of the table and everyone goes around and gives her a compliment.

I thought this was such a cute idea, and I hoped to do something like this with my kiddos one day. Last week, I decided to give it a try and explained to Braden that we would all give each other a compliment.

We started with Braden and Brad and I watched him BEAM as we told him some things we love about him.
BIG BIG SMILES were seen from ear to ear on that kid!!

Then, Braden immediately wanted to give us a compliment.
He said, "Dad, you're a good cook."
And, "Mom, you're a good cuddler." (Yes, I loved this!)

And just about every night since then, Braden has said, "Let's do that thing where we say nice things about each other."

Clearly, this game is a keeper! :-)

I'm going to Disney World!!

2012-01-26T18:12:00.002-05:00

When I dropped Braden off at his Nana and Pops house tonight, they gave Braden a letter that came in the mail for him!

It was from Mickey and Minnie and it told him that he will be going to Disney World to see them!!!!

WOW! HOW EXCITING!! :-)

From the time Braden was born, his Nana had told him that she would take him to Disney when he turned 4! He's been looking forward to this for about forever!

They'll be going this May, although Braden won't be quite 4 yet...he'll be close enough!!

Isn't driving with both kids on your lap a little on the illegal side of life!?

2012-01-25T21:56:00.000-05:00

2012-01-23T16:52:00.000-05:00

Daddy is at a Very Big Job Interview Right Now!

Mommy is saying some prayers that we hear some news soon!!

Daily Affirmation

2012-01-22T06:45:00.000-05:00

Every morning at work, I receive an "affirmation" to start the day with. It's the first thing I look at when I walk into my classroom, and it's a great start to my work day. Here's one I wanted to share! :-)

Affirm this today:

Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light
for my path.
              ( Psalm 119:105 *NIV )

For all the negative things we have to say to ourselves,
God has a positive answer for us! After all.....

When You say, "It's impossible".
God says: "All things are possible". ( Luke 18:27 )

When You say, "I'm too tired."
God says: "I will give you rest". ( Matthew 11:28-20 )

When You say, "Nobody really loves me".
God says: "I love you". ( John 3:16 & John 13:34 )When You say, "I can't go on."
God says: "My grace is sufficient." ( 2 Corinth 12:9 &
Psalm 91:15 )

When You say, "I can't figure things out."
God says: "I will direct your steps." ( Proverbs 3:5-6 )

When You say, "I can't do it."
God says: "You can do all things in Me." ( Phil 4:13 )

When You say, "It's not worth it."
God says: "It will be worth it." ( Romans 8:28 )

When You say, "I can't forgive myself."
God says: "I forgive you." ( I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)

When You say, "I can't manage."
God says: "I will supply all your needs." ( Phil 4:19 )

When You say, "I'm afraid."
God says: "I have not given you a spirit of fear."
                                                       ( 2 Tim. 1:7 )

When You say, "I'm always worried and frustrated"..
God says: "Cast all your cares on ME ( 1 Peter 5:7 )

When You say, "I don't have enough faith."
God says: "I've given everyone a measure of faith."
( Romans 12:3 )

When You say, "I'm not smart enough."
God says: "I give you wisdom." ( 1 Corinth 1:30 )

When You say, "I feel all alone."
God says: "I will never leave you or forsake you."
( Hebrews 13:5 )

Always remember that; Every Word of GOD is
Flawless; HE is a shield to those who take
refuge in HIM. ( PROVERBS 30:5 ) For the Word
of GOD is living and active!
                                           ( HEBREWS 4:12 )

Have a faith-filled week!

Night Night

2012-01-21T19:21:00.003-05:00

And this is how I found Braden last night after I put him to bed...

What a silly boy!!

:-)

Just a few

2012-01-20T20:01:00.005-05:00

Random Christmas Pics that Brad's Mom took over the holidays!!

Tonight I am laying on the couch, under blankets, cuddling my favorite boy in the world while he watches a movie and I go into "Pinterest Land" while organizing all of my recent pics.

It's pretty much a perfect Friday night around here!

(Oh, and Brad is out with the guys, so it's a perfect Friday night for him too!)

Happy Weekend! :-)

My Soccer Player!!

2012-01-18T20:28:00.004-05:00

Tonight I am dreaming about summer!

Maybe it's because it's sooo cold out this week!

Or, Maybe it's because we've had no snow, so summer must be around the corner! Right!??

This summer will be unique!

I will not be traveling around the world (sadness)

And I will not be having a baby (sadness)

SO...what does one do with 3 months off!??

I'm pretty excited about the prospects, not gonna lie!

One thing that I am SO excited about is getting Braden on a soccer team!

He has been our Soccer All Star since before he could walk!

We would hold him and he'd kick the ball with his feet.

As soon as he was walking, he was running, and he was kicking the ball around with Dad in the backyard or the soccer fields every single night!

(Sweet Memories right there!!)

So, I can't wait to see my Little All Star play For Real this summer, Yeah!

I found a video of Braden kicking the ball around with his Daddy when he was only 1!

I remember taking this on my phone while we were at the soccer fields in our neighborhood.

Of course, I saved it! It's pretty amazing!

See, I am such a proud Soccer Mom already!!!

I think it's about time to get a sticker for my car! :-)

Hmm...

2012-01-17T21:16:00.004-05:00

Mom, this post is for you!

Since you got me the book, Cinderella Ate My Daughter for Christmas

(which is all about staying away from girly things! :-)

I thought you would enjoy seeing what your Reesie girl loves!!

:-)

(And she also loves tackling and biting her brother, so I guess she's not 100% girly!)

Our Weekend

2012-01-15T20:52:00.000-05:00

What a nice relaxing weekend!

My dad came down to visit us and to spend a full day with Braden, which as you can imagine, was Heaven on Earth for our little Bug!

Papa Bob (or Bobpa as Reese says) planned a really fun day for his little pal. He took Braden to the movies to see Beauty & the Beast, then out to lunch, then swimming at the Rec Center and then treated all of us to a wonderful dinner. A truly fabulous Day!

And since we had all of this extra free time with my dad helping out, we got something new for our family room!

We've been wanting a new TV for awhile now b'c, I don't know, ours is from the 1900's it seems. When Good Will won't take your TV, you know it's outdated! :-)

Over Christmas Break, Brad found an awesome deal on this TV below. We don't watch TV very much and didn't want it to be a Center Point in our family room, but we did want something on the wall, not too big, and that the kiddos couldn't touch (not like our 1 1/2 year old touches the buttons or anything all the time!)

This was really the perfect size for us and very inexpensive, double yeah!

(And Brad is planning to hide the wires into the wall, so those will be gone soon.)

And then we got the black shelf below it at Walmart for $25 dollars, which was another great find!

Now, we finally have a home for all of the new toys and board games that the kids got for Christmas!

I wanted them to be in a place where we could see them, access them easily, and play them A LOT!

Africa

2012-01-14T12:59:00.004-05:00

http://youtu.be/hg7CscidUKg

Another glimpse of Africa to keep these memories alive in our hearts.

This is at a Rehab Center for Street Children that have been abandoned.

Look at their smiles, look at the love they have as they sing and dance for us.

And then watch my brother do something really silly after he's plays soccer with the kids! :-)

My Sleeping Beauties

2012-01-13T20:38:00.002-05:00

Just an old pic I found on my phone that was too cute not to post!

Big News!

2012-01-12T20:19:00.003-05:00

We just had Meg's Baby Shower...

The 3 girls in the middle of this pic are all pregnant! :-)

And now Blake Austin Mosley is here!!

He was born this morning at 9:19am

7 pounds, 21 inches

BEAUTIFUL BABY BOY!!

Congrats Meg!

Can't wait to meet him soon!! :-)

Life!

2012-01-10T20:03:00.004-05:00

LOOK WHAT BRADEN DID AT SCHOOL TODAY!!

WENT ICE SKATING!!

How cool is this!?

He absolutely loved it and I absolutely loved spying on him while he was having so much fun with his friends!

I did sneak in to get some pics, though, I couldn't resist!

:-)

They were ice skating on shaving cream on a mat to improve their strength and balance.

When I said to Braden, "That looks so fun!"
He said, "Maybe when you get 3, you can do it!"

Bangladesh Slum

2012-01-08T09:56:00.001-05:00

http://youtu.be/MEDZOARqAHk

We visited the largest slum in Kenya, Africa where 75% of the population is infected with HIV/AIDS. I've honestly never been to anything like it in my life. We visited one family's home. Their entire home was the size of a little bedroom and 7 people were in their family. They all shared one bed, can you imagine!? We brought them some gifts and asked them some questions. These people have hard hard lives, and that is a huge understatement. They have very little and their basic needs are not even being met.

It's so easy to take for granted everyone we have, and to get easily frustrated by things that don't really matter at all. I hope to always have a heart of thankfulness and bless others the way we have been so blessed.

The children in this video are precious. They were sooo excited to see "white" people and have visitors. I'll never forget their smiles!!!!!!!!!!

Bangladesh is a crowded, densely populated area of five square kilometres. Initial estimates would suggest that 80% of residents live in a single room measuring two by three metres without access to proper sanitation or lighting. Most of those who are in employment earn less than €60 per month and still spend as much as 20% of this salary on their small rented room.

Calmness

2012-01-07T06:58:00.005-05:00

Loving this weekend!

Although I love holidays and enjoy every minute of being with family & friends...

it can be a bit hectic at times! :-)

So, right now I'm not missing the "shop til you drop" days, if you know what I mean! `

This weekend seems strangely calm without presents to buy, presents to wrap, decorations to put out, put away, meals to prep, and luggage to pack, unpack, etc... (you've been there!)

So, although we have a baby shower today, a Chuck-E-Cheese Birthday party tomorrow, church in the morning and house church in the evening, I feel like there's nothing to do!

Funny how that works!

FRIENDS

2012-01-06T18:20:00.000-05:00

As I might have mentioned (prob. a million times by now!), I LOVE to spend time with my friends when I am up in Cleveland.

Over Christmas Break, I got to see just about everyone (missed you Brooke) which made me one happy girl!

We did so many fun things together and here are just a couple of the highlights. I actually did not take many pics with friends, but we sure had a good time together, as always!

Carisa had a fabulous idea of taking Braden to the children's museum downtown. WOW, was this fun! There were tons of playrooms there that were perfect for B to explore!

Here they are digging in the Galapagos Islands for treasure.

Carisa, I hope you don't have lice from me putting that hat on your head! :-) xo

And then there was a huge barn with tons of animals..so, yeah, Braden was in heaven. He could dress up like his favorite animals and take them in and out of the stables. We were in there a long time!

The whole museum was incredible and we had such a fun day, thanks Carisa for planning this!!

I also got to visit with a friend that I have not seen in a whole year! Last Christmas, I went to the hospital to visit Candace and her new baby boy, Roman. This year, I got to see him for his 1st birthday! It was so fun to have our kiddos meet each other.

Val, I love this outfit you gave Kayla so much!! It's so stinkin cute!

Seeing friends is always a highlight of going home and I'm so thankful that I still keep in touch with so many of them. After all, High School was ages ago, seriously!

We are old now! :-)

But, what a fun stage of life we are in!!!

Someone turned 31!!

2012-01-04T19:37:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to my wonderful Hubby!

Since Brad is a "Christmas baby," we always celebrate on Christmas Eve.

This year, we did a birthday lunch at an amazing Thai Restaurant that just opened up in town.

If you live in the area, you must try it, it's seriously incredible!!

(I mean, sooo good that we went back for New Year's Eve!)

(And they even have a drive through window, so you can order take out...just saying! :-)

So our crew enjoyed a fabulous meal with food galore.

They even gave us a free appetizer and free dessert, yes, we love this place!!

Then, we had another round of dessert at our home. Susan always makes Brad his favorite oatmeal chocolate chip cookie cake with some funny saying on it (This year it said "Ho Ho Happy.")

This was one of his Birthday Gifts from my parents. At the top of the map it says, "The World Travels of the Doudican Family."

It comes with push pins to mark all of the places we've been...and yes, we hope to travel the world together! We already have 5/7 continents pinned! :-) This map looks so fantastic in our dining room/play room. Thanks Mom!!

And this was really Brad's birthday gift to himself! You see...

After Braden had "Pet Week" at school (RED FLAG already), he asked for a pet every single day in the most sincere sweet voice. One day I finally asked him what kind of pet he wanted and he said, "A goldfish named Sam." I was so relieved that he only wanted a goldfish that I broke down and said YES! When I informed my sweet loving husband of what I just promised our son, he was not too happy with me. If fact his exact words were, " I will not be a party to this" and "You will take full responsibility." (I mean, seriously, we are talking about a goldfish here!!) So, I said I would (of course) and planned to get Braden a little goldfish in a bowl. However, within hours, Brad had already talked to all of his "fish" friends and purchased a 45 gallon fish tank with a bio-cube filter. :-)

That's totally my husband!

So now, he plans to grow an entire ecosystem in our family room and apply his findings to helping others grow fish in 3rd world countries (Side note--remember how he watered tomato plants!??)

Again, totally my husband!

Love you honey!! Happy Birthday!

A sweet Update

2012-01-02T14:02:00.003-05:00

This cutie is growing up!

I can't believe she will be 1 1/2 this month...how is that possible?

(I swear I just brought her home from the hospital!)

Our sweet baby is turning into quite the rambunctious toddler these days, she is changing so much everyday now that I just can't wait until she is 'officially' 1 1/2 to do an update!

So, here goes...Kayla Reese at 17 months!

Height: 32 inches (73 %)

Weight: 24 lb (77 %)

Sleep: A LOT! This girl sleeps 12 hours hours every night and also takes a 2-3 hours nap!

Food: Loves Fruit esp. bananas, blueberries, strawberries, really any berries...and cheese just like her brother!!

Bottles: Yes! I am still giving her a bottle at night, it's my fav! She definitely doesn't 'need' one, but she loves it and I probably love it more! Books, cuddles, bottle, rocking, singing, praying.. putting the kids to bed has always been one of my very favorite parts of my day!

Speech: Wow! We are in the middle of a language explosion right now...which is what prompted me to do this update a tad bit early!

At 16 months, Reese could say: da da, ma, uh oh, hi, bye, ball, hat, hot, and Braden (which was her new favorite word and our favorite word to hear her say as well, so cute!!)

Now, she is saying new words everyday and trying to copy it all, but the words might not have exactly all the sounds quite yet. For example, "nana" for banana and "ish" for fish. She also has a word for waffle, up, book, brush, shoe, again, more, dog, papa, and Pop Bob.

Favorite new tricks: Playing "peek a boo," making animal noises (her 2 fav. are dog and duck), throwing her diaper away (she's been doing this for awhile though!), saying "shh" and putting her finger up to her mouth, blowing kisses, nodding yes and no and pointing to everything she wants, singing 5 little monkeys jumping on the bed and doing the motions, and cuddling in bed with us for a long time every morning when she wakes up *precious, and chasing her brother around the house which cracks her up but then she also attempts to bite him (and sometimes succeeds, we are working on that!)
Kayla is rough and tumble, but loves to take care of her baby doll most of all!

Our sweet girl is just growing up way too fast! We spend lots of time talking about how cute and precious she is every single day and what an easy fun loving baby she is.

Her mommy and daddy are totally in love with her!! (And her brother is too, 98% of the time!)

Hope you enjoyed some of our fav. pics from Christmas at Mimi and Papa's house!

(she is in an anti-bow in her hair stage right now!)

But she has a smile that lights up the room!! :-)

Happy New Year!!

2012-01-01T14:20:00.001-05:00

Our big plans last night consisted of driving home, and our drink of choice was a vanilla latte from McDonald's. It was quite yummy, I might add.

("My how times have changed." Quote from my hubby last night!)

Needless to say, we are all a bit exhausted right now from this whirlwind of fun these past couple of weeks. We have spent the past 11 days with family, and my kiddos have been spoiled just a bit, ya think!!?

So... let the madness begin as we unpack these millions of bags that we just brought in from the car, find places for all of the kid's new toys, take down the Christmas decorations and sweep up the pine needles everywhere. I won't lie, it looks like a tornado has gone through this place, that's a nice way of putting it! :-)

We will be busy today as we bring in the New Year!

And Braden was busy last night bringing in the New Year with Nana & Pops.

Their tradition every year is to go outside with pots and pans and bang them with spoons as they yell, "Happy New Year" to all the cars that pass.

Pretty cute, huh!?

Gotta love his reindeer hat too!

Happy New Year All!!

Just a few of our Christmas Favs!!

2011-12-28T21:57:00.003-05:00

Africa

2011-12-27T21:17:00.002-05:00

http://youtu.be/zIIjlegSABE

You MUST click on this link above, it's our African Safari!!

For Christmas, my brother gave us some videos from our trip!

This is just one segment of the video, but it's amazing!!

THANKS DAVE!!!

2011-12-26T15:05:00.001-05:00

Hope your Christmas was Wonderful!!!

We surely enjoyed ours! :-)

Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-24T08:25:00.001-05:00

It's been busy busy busy around here!

As I'm sure you are feeling the same way! :-)

We've been doing it all!!

Hitting the lights, staying up late, baking, shopping, cleaning, wrapping, cooking for a full house this weekend, getting ready for Brad's B-day celebration today (he's a Christmas baby), and listening to Christmas music non-stop! (Thanks Val for recommending Indie Holidays Radio on Pandora--Love it!)

We are ready to Celebrate and enjoy the next couple of days to the max!!

Woodland Lights! Love!

Our family wishes you the most wonderful Christmas!

Thanking Him for the greatest gift of all!

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

2011-12-22T13:39:00.001-05:00

God sent a star to light the night for
The Way, The Truth, The Life--His Son.
He sent the Light of Life to prove His heart
so we would invite His Son into our own.
God has given us all the light we'll ever
need to find peace on earth,
goodwill to men.

-Pamela F.Dowd

Early Christmas Present!

2011-12-21T14:35:00.002-05:00

I got one of my Christmas presents a little bit early this year...

AND I LOVE IT!!!!!!

My fridge cannot hold all of the precious artwork that our children make each day,

so I needed a place to display it all.

I got this idea on Pinterest (only the best website in the world...yes I am totally addicted, but let's not go there!!)

I knew it would be perfect for the play room,

Here's the whole view of the wall!

I've always wanted to display our kiddo's artwork on the walls, but never knew how!

Now, thanks to Pinterest, (I just wrote that for my hubby--who is not a fan! :-)

I have so many new ideas to try!!

Thanks, hubs, for the early Christmas Present!

I love it!!

My favorite Twins!

2011-12-19T22:01:00.001-05:00

Santa Pics are sooo cute and I couldn't resist sharing this one!

Here are Julie's boys, Henry and Louis!

Clearly, they loved seeing Santa this year! :-0

Love Him!

2011-12-17T10:42:00.000-05:00

Tenderhearted.

That is one of the top 3 words I would use to describe my son.

He is at a stage right now where he really loves his Mommy.

A stage that I clearly love.

A stage where he tells me he loves me all the time, just to see the smile on my face.

A stage I don't want to ever end!

"Here is a flower I picked for you Mommy. Smell it, it smells good! You will love it!"

When Braden was one, a teacher friend of mine told me, "Just wait til he gets a little bigger and then goes up to you to tell you that he loves you and really means it."

I still remember when that started. It was right before Braden turned 3. The same teacher friend told me, "If I could freeze my son at 3 1/2 forever, I would. That was my favorite stage.

Braden turns 3 1/2 on Christmas Day. I have truly loved every stage, and think every one is better than the last as we see our children change and grow.

But, this 3 year old business. Yeah, it's a keeper!

Treasuring these days.

Good-bye Fall

2011-12-15T20:43:00.000-05:00

I feel like I just wrote my post "Good-bye" summer, when Braden was eating popsicles on the hammock out back.

Now, another season has passed!

I sort my pics by season, so as I start my winter collection of photos, I want to make sure I have posted all of my Fall Favorites!

Hopefully, I"ll be caught up by Christmas! :-)

Here are my boys out back eating s'mores by a campfire, one of their favorite fall memories I"m sure.

And yes, Braden is wearing a headlamp. He is his father's son! :-)

Not gonna lie, I'd do just about anything for a bite of that s'more right about now!

Good thing there will be lots of sweets coming my way very soon!

Love the holidays! :-)

Chicago Fun

2011-12-13T20:39:00.001-05:00

My Boys had lots of fun in Chicago last weekend!

Here are some of their memories...

Jail for Mimi! (She is a probation officer, if you didn't know! :-)

Ice Cream, yum!

Mommy wishes she was there!!

Homemade Pizza!

Looks Chicago-ish to me!

Lots of Festivities in Chicago to enjoy at Christmas Time!

But, I think Braden had too much fun!

Our bug was wiped out!! :-)

What a Weekend!

2011-12-10T19:35:00.001-05:00

Well, our Christmas Cactus is blossoming, which means...

Christmas is just around the corner!

Our Tree went up last weekend.

Love it!

And this weekend the Christmas Shopping Began!

I know many people already have their shopping complete, but I usually just begin about the week before Christmas. So, I'm actually ahead of schedule this year! :-)

While Reese and I hit the stores this weekend,

Brad and Braden were in Chicago visiting Uncle Brett & Aunt Val!

(More pics to come!)

Thanks Brett and Val for hosting our boys this weekend.

It sounds like you did so many fun things in such a short time.

Can't wait to hear about all of your adventures!

See you soon for Christmas! :-)

Video

2011-12-09T19:33:00.001-05:00

Have you ever felt like you've been in the presence of God?

Like you've talked to an Angel?

Hanging on every word ... and enjoying every moment of the company you are in?

Not wanting to leave, soaking in the wisdom, encouragement and joy that you are experiencing...

I just watched a video that the pastor (of our old church-Apex) posted on Facebook.

It brought me to tears. Actually it made me cry. Hard.

This is a video of a 10 yr. old boy who is autistic and blind and was adopted at 15 months. He is musically talented and is singing one of my all time favorite songs in the world.

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FrWVXssmK&h=4AQHMlL92AQGYPHGmZmUROo34Dg9EyNCBcMlz9w9CeXSBjg

I think this video really hit home with me for many reasons...

When I was in college I tutored a boy named Josh. He was 5 years old and he was autistic. I instantly fell in love with Josh. I went to his house weekly to work with him and before leaving each week, his dad made me stay for dinner. He dad was one of the most incredible people I've ever met. Loving. Caring. Wise. And sadly, dying of Cancer. There were days that he could not get off the couch, but he was still positive. He knew his days were limited here on earth and each week I was there, he shared with me his thoughts on what really matters in life, and what does not. He let his kids eat dessert first! :-) He thanked the Lord every night that he got in bed and could hug his wife and tell her that he loved her. He made the most of every opportunity, every minute. Josh and his dad taught me so much and I cherished my time at their house. I really miss those days. I still have Josh's picture in my wallet and think of him often.

This video brought back so many memories...of Josh...of his Dad... and most importantly of what really matters in life. I hope you get a change to watch it. It's pretty awesome!

H.S. Girls Reunion

2011-12-07T20:56:00.001-05:00

The BEST part of Thanksgiving Vacation was seeing so many people I love!

And I don't know if it's just me, but I love time with my girls.

Time to chat, laugh and eat!

This time is precious to me!

Brooke hosted our annual cookie exchange at her house

(because she is the best host ever!!)

This year we had 2 new additions to our gang!

They were the highlight of the visit for sure!!

Kimberly's son Collin!

Jenny's son Mason!

And TONS of delicious JUNKY food as always to enjoy! :-)

We had a fabulous time and I can't wait to do it all over again at Christmas!

Too Funny

2011-12-06T21:20:00.001-05:00

Background: Doudican's are fast paced people!
Cibik's are not, to say the least! :-)

So, when Braden moves slow...Brad always tells him he is a Cibik.
And Braden often asks his Daddy, "Why are you doing that so fast!?"

Tonight at dinner, Braden asked in a completely serious voice, "Are Snails Cibik's?"

I couldn't help but to burst out laughing!

That's our inquisitive little guy! :-)

Hello Santa

2011-12-04T16:16:00.001-05:00

"Look at my cowboy hat, Santa!"

ALL SMILES!

Braden LOVED sitting on Sant'a Lap!

Kayla, however, did not!!

She was all screams!

My Favorite pic!

Merry Christmas!! :-)

Finally...

2011-12-03T21:46:00.001-05:00

We have found the PERFECT place to pick out our Christmas Tree!

Year after year, we keep trying new places. The first couple years, our tree cost over 70 dollars!

Way too much!!

Last year, I loved where we went, but there were so many people there and events going on, it felt a little like going to Disney World. Just too much (esp. for my hubby!)

This year, once again, we tried a new place and it was Perfect!!

All the trees cost $32.00, which was nice!!

It was pretty empty, we only saw a couple of families in the whole place.

Our kids could run wild through the trees, great fun!

Braden loved to ride around...

Reese had a blast!

It was sooo warm today (almost 60 degrees!), so we didn't even need jackets!

But, of course Braden needed his cowboy hat.

Why wouldn't you take a cowboy hat to pick out a Christmas tree, I mean really!

And here is the winner!!

Timber!

And now to take it home, decorate and begin our Christmas Season!

As we were walking out, I said that I loved the place, but it would be a thousand times better if there was Santa, hot chocolate and cookies.

When we went inside to pay, I was pretty excited to see all three of those things!

Yes, this place is a Keeper! We will be going back every year!

Santa Pics coming soon, and trust me, they are fantastic! :-)

A confession!

2011-12-02T19:54:00.001-05:00

Now that the weather is freezing and it's get pitch black by 6:00pm, we head straight home after work!

But, there was a time when I got a little addicted to shopping while the weather was still gorgeous.

And I hope my husband is not reading this! :-)

But, it was just too fun! I picked up my kids after work, and headed to an outdoor mall right by my sitter's house.

(Yes, as you can see, that clearly was the problem. There is there is an outdoor mall right by my sitter's house!)

So, it became a little habit forming, not gonna lie.

And Now that I am hidden under a hundred blankets (even though it's 70 degrees in our house), I am missing those sunny days shopping around with my little loves.

Smoothies for Reese.

And new scarves for Braden...my favorite fall purchase by the way!!

I mean, I need to involve my kids IN the purchase if they are going to shop with me, right!!?

Sweetness

2011-11-30T20:02:00.001-05:00

Brad was working on our church's website tonight (www.covenantcreek.org/honduras) and updating the Honduras part of the website. He asked me if he could put this picture on the website...

Braden saw the picture and asked who the little girl was. I told him a little bit about her and explained that she lives in an orphanage because she does not have a mommy or a daddy.

Braden's response, "Can I share you and Daddy with her?"

Melt my heart! Seriously!

Then he said, "And you know what? Those kids don't have anything so they need me to share my toys with them."

Love my son and his sweet heart!!

Peek-a-Boo

2011-11-29T21:26:00.001-05:00

Thanksgiving

2011-11-27T20:41:00.001-05:00

We just got home tonight from a fabulous 5 days at home in Cleveland with our loved ones!

Brad's parents hosted Thanksgiving...and I am always SO THANKFUL that our 2 families celebrate the holidays together! It's such a blessing! And my cousin Julie and my Dad's best friend Rudy were able to join us for Thanksgiving as well! So nice! We enjoyed lots of relaxation, quality time and delicious food together!

Rudy took this Family Pic for us! :-)

And on a side note...this is what my daughter can do to a house in a matter of minutes! She is good!

(This house was spotless before my crew showed up!)

Thank you Mimi and Papa for taking care of our family for 5 days!!

Hope you can rest & recover now! :-)

Happy Thanksgiving...

2011-11-25T17:51:00.001-05:00

From Our little Turkeys!!!

I cannot keep up with posting the artwork Braden & Kayla make because they bring home such amazing things every single day!! But, these turkeys were too cute, so I had to share!! :-)

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, we sure did!

And we have sooo much to be thankful for!

Extremely thankful to be spending Thanksgiving with Family & Friends, for our incredible parents, our 2 sweet blessings, and His amazing Grace in our lives every single day...

The Doudican Gang

2011-11-23T06:43:00.001-05:00

LOVE spending time with Family!

It's really the BEST!

A couple weekends ago, we celebrated Brad's Uncle Bob's 60th Birthday!

He was in the army, hence the army theme! :-)

We really enjoyed our time with everyone... and now we get to do it all over again

for Thanksgiving!

Mimi and Papa, the kiddos can't wait to see you so soon!!

And the Raking is Done!

2011-11-21T21:32:00.001-05:00

Uncle Dave, this one's for you!

2011-11-20T19:12:00.001-05:00

I let Braden pick out his own video to post! It was a tough decision between riding Mimi's horse and flying a helicopter with Uncle Dave, but this one won! :-)

Clambake 2011

2011-11-19T21:17:00.001-05:00

Good food, friends, family, pumpkins, campfires, smore's, cornhole, hot cocoa and cold weather!

(And a new shed!)

Clambake 2011 was a huge success!! :-)

This Girl Has Got some Moves!

2011-11-17T16:33:00.000-05:00

I don't post videos nearly enough!

I love taking them, and I love watching them on my computer!

I really loved watching them on my computer this past week!

So, I will make it a goal to try to get some more up here.

Enjoy! :-)

Home Sweet Home

2011-11-17T12:24:00.001-05:00

I am just a tad bit excited to say that I am finally back home!!!!!!

It's been a long week away from the kids! A really long week!

This has been one bad virus to say the least...7 days of high fevers, and everything else that goes along with that...

(I"ll spare you the gory details, Yes they were gory and No, you don't want to know!)

Trust me!

So, today I am just soaking in being home and counting down the minutes til I see my kids.

I feel like it's Christmas, I'm that excited!

But, as soon as I pick them up today, we are off to the doctor to get their flu shots. So, it won't be the sweetest of reunions for too long, unfortunately.

But, at least I can be the one to hug them afterwards and that makes this mom happy today! :-)

Friends & Family,
I want you to know how much we have appreciated the ways you've cared for our family this week. Through prayers, phone calls, texts, dropping off meals for my hungry brood, driving my kids around so my son can still go to school, and offering me a place to crash for the night (or 2 or 3) until this fever broke, you were the blessings that got us through this tough week. We seriously could not have managed without you! Thank you for showing God's love to us! It was humbling. Love, Jill & Brad

Pumpkin Patch

2011-11-15T14:00:00.001-05:00

So let's move on to happier things, shall we??

Here are the cuties that I've missed so much!

Truly, our last 'family' day together (before I got hit with this bug) was spent at our very favorite fall place, the pumpkin patch!

This is one of our favorite fall adventures every year, but this year we went much much later than usual. We've had a busy fall with weddings and other fun festivities!

But, I'm so glad we finally made the trip!

As you can see, the pumpkins are a little less attractive at this time of the year!!

This is Braden's "ugly" pumpkin face!

And Braden actually snapped this pic of us!
Pretty good, I'd say! :-)

It was a short visit, but I'm still glad we went...to pick out pumpkins, buy apples, eat pumpkin bread, etc...

It makes our fall complete!!

Moving on...

2011-11-14T18:45:00.001-05:00

Well, maybe I have not turned the corner yet... but I am still trying to be hopeful!

One of these days, this virus must leave, right!??

Prayers greatly appreciated for tomorrow being that day!

I'd love to move on to happier things but, unfortunately I can't post pics from where I am staying.

So, blogging is not too exciting without my little loves covering every inch of the screen!

Hoping that my next post will be filled with their faces! :-)

Meditating on this scripture today, "Be joyful always, pray continuously, and be content in all circumstances..."

On the Mend

2011-11-13T15:01:00.001-05:00

I think I am turning a corner with this virus (finally!)...

I still woke up with a fever this morning, but it was a little lower (102.6) I"ll take it!

I did go to the doctor yesterday and he perscribed some great meds for me (codine being my favorite).

Needless to say, I finally slept great last night for the first time in several days! I slept 10 hours straight after taking 3 naps during the day. It was glorious!

Yes, my weekend has consisted of sleeping, drinking gatorade, eating crackers, watching tv and reading.

Try not to be jealous!

I did finally finish reading The Help, which has been on my to do list for months now!! See what sickness can do for you!? That's the up side!

The down side? You can't play with your kids during the only 2 days of the week that you get to actually be with them all day. (Big Sigh)

And you know how I got banned to the bedroom? Well, that only lasted for a few mintues, then I got banned from the house.

The kids knew I was in there and it was too sad listening to them pound on the door trying to get in and me not being able to hold them. Yeah, it was the worst. So, I left...

So thankful that we have extended family here! I have a whole house to myself. I'm trying to enjoy the 'quietness' but it's really hard when you are used to the chaos of 2 rambuctious little ones running around.

Can you tell I miss them!? (A LOT!)

Thankfully, Brad's dad came down to help us this weekend and he has been a great distraction for the kiddos. They are having a blast with him. So thankful for this!!

Feeling blessed! Hopeful for what tomorrow will bring! :-)

Sick Sick Sick

2011-11-12T05:57:00.001-05:00

Sorry I've been MIA this week...sickness has hit our home and this time it's me!

I usually blog after I put the kids to bed, but since I've been going to bed before the kids the last few nights, my computer has been untouched!

Kayla was sick with croup last week and it was a rough week of very little sleep b'c she would cough during the night. I actually went on a 2 hours stroll around the neighborhood with her from 1-3 am one night to see if the cold air would break up the cough. It didn't really work (it wasn't that cold last week), but the steriod she got at the doc. did help. Thank Goodness.

Now, I got sick this week and I have no idea what is going on.
Monday I had a headache
which turned into a cold on Tuesday
which turned into a fever on Wed
and now my fever has just gotten higher every day since.. (103.3 this morning)

Are there any doctors/nurses reading this? Is this the flu?

Is there anything to do for this? My husband has banned me to the bedroom to keep me away from the kids.

The only problem with that is that he has a million things to do for his dissertation this weekend..

Anyone want to watch 2 adorable kids this weekend!?? :-)

Oh how I wish our parents lived closer -esp. in times like these!!

Glowy

2011-11-08T21:02:00.001-05:00

All Moms Out there: This is a MUST have baby item!!!

I've been told by many moms that their baby can't sleep without it!

This seahorse lights up AND plays music, it is so adorable!

I did not have this for Braden, so when I got pregnant with Kayla, it was the first thing I asked for! (This and Sophie the Giraffe of course! :-)

Kayla loves to snuggle her Glowy.

And of course, when you get something for one...you need to get it for two!
Love the Blue!

So if you are expecting, know someone who is, or have your own little ones, you really need to invest in this! You'll be so glad you did!

Field Trip

2011-11-07T20:36:00.002-05:00

Braden and Lexi

Braden went on his very first field trip with his Preschool Class!

They went to a Pumpkin Patch and had a blast! :-)

Orphan Sunday

2011-11-06T12:59:00.000-05:00

Today is Orphan Sunday!

Exactly one year ago I remember listening to a sermon at our church and being greatly impacted by it. When I left church, I really wanted to get involved with orphans in some way.

During our trip to Honduras last summer, I really wanted to visit an orphanage. We were going there to work on ways to provide clean drinking water, build houses, and do medical brigades in the villages. Visiting an orphanage was not on the list, but I was praying that we could still visit one.

Sure enough, towards the end of our trip, there was an opportunity to go to one. I didn't know what to expect. I knew it would be heartbreaking, but I still wanted to go and hold babies, play with them, pray for them and love on them.

The babies that I played with that day will never be forgotten. I think about them all the time. Every night when I read books to my daughter, cuddle her in the rocking chair and sing songs to her before bed, my mind goes back to those orphans.

These babies are basically raising themselves, there is no one there to comfort them at night, read them books, sing them songs. But, these babies are surviving because they are at this orphanage. They are receiving food and nourishment. They have clothes on their backs and a bed to sleep in at night.

I think of these babies all the time. I pray for them and hope to go back next summer to be with them again. I am helping our church send a team back to this same orphanage. Are you interested in coming too!??

When you hold a baby with no mommy or daddy, your heart breaks for them in more ways than you can imagine. There are so many ways to help these children that are forgotten.

Please take a moment to think about how God would want you to get involved!

Nanny David to the Rescue!

2011-11-05T15:41:00.000-04:00

Croup hit our house this week! Ugh!

We have had a few sleepless nights this week with Kayla coughing pretty bad. We finally took her to the doctor to find out she had croup. I missed work on Thursday to take care of her, but could not stay home on Friday due to Parent Teacher Conferences....

So, I knew of a guy an hour away that is jobless. :-) He came to the rescue!

Would you let Nanny David watch your kids!?

:-)

Shed Rebuild!

2011-11-04T19:59:00.003-04:00

Now that is a fine looking shed!!

6 years ago...

2011-11-03T19:01:00.001-04:00

Every Year around Halloween Time, we have our Annual Clambake! Before I can share pics of This Year's Clambake, I must go back to our Very First Clambake 6 years ago...

If you've known us long enough, you know the story... I am sure of this!

But, just in case your new around here, here goes :-)

It goes a little something like this: After our first successful clambake, a night of fun, good food, friends and family, campfire and s'mores,everyone went home for the night. The next morning, Brad and his brother (2 boyscouts I might add!) decided to take the ashes out of the fire pit and store them in the shed (you know, on top of the sticks that were piled up in there as fire starters). (Insert humor here!)

(In their defense, and before I get yelled at by my husband, the ashes were cool to the touch and it did drizzle a bit during the night). But still...

So, We headed to church in the morning and then to the library afterwards. By the time we got home, our shed looked like this!

The fire department had already been to our house to put out the fire that began in our shed...somewhere in those COLD ashes, there was a spark! And it didn't take long for that spark to light the whole shed up in flames.

The fire department left a note with our neighbors to call them. They were suspicious of kids setting arson in our shed. My husband assured them that is was him who put the ashes in the shed. :-)

It was a sad day to see our new lawnmower and weedwacker get burnt to a crisp, along with many many other things in our shed! But, the good news is that Brad has just taken the propane out of the shed. Phew! So, thank goodness our shed did not burn our whole house to the ground!

This story remains one of our very favorites! Brad will never be forgotten for burning his own shed to the ground. Mr. Boyscout, Mr. Engineer, Mr. PhD., (Ok, I will stop here, I really don't want to get in trouble, this is very shaky ground I am telling this story on!) But, it gives me lots of leverage when I make a mistake, so it can never be forgotten!

Brad has talked about rebuilding his shed for 6 years now, and this year he finally made it happen! :-)

Love you honey!!

Trick or Treat!

2011-11-01T20:53:00.000-04:00

So, you know how I said that Braden was NOT going to be a cowboy this year for Halloween?

I lied!

I didn't mean to lie. He was not suppose to be a cowboy...

But, you see, we went shopping at Target together a couple days before Halloween and he spotted a pair of Woody Pajamas. At that moment, I knew I was not going to be leaving the store without them.

So, just as we were getting ready to put on our 'costumes,' Braden says, "I want to be Woody!" Of course he does!

And of course he was... :-)

And here was his official Halloween Costume, Buzz Lightyear! Which, he loved I might add! And he has worn his wings (if not the whole costume) every day since he's had it, so it's still a keeper!

And here's the most adorable sweetest cupcake I've ever seen!!

I told you I could eat her up!!

CANDY CANDY CANDY

And some for her too!

Kayla was a little hesitant to go up to some houses...

But Daddy always helped!

And she ate more candy than any of us! She is my chocolate lover, Yes, she takes after me!!

Hope everyone had a fabulous night Trick-or-Treating!

We sure did!

Happy Halloween Friends!

2011-10-30T20:30:00.001-04:00

Me and Meg (and her baby boy Blake)

Hope you have a Happy Halloween tomorrow and get lots and lots of good treats to eat!

This weekend has been busy busy busy for us, can't wait to share about it soon!

But for now, enjoy as much candy as your heart desires tomorrow, it is the whole point of the day, right!??

Can't wait to take my little loves Trick or Treating! Braden has already worn his costume for the past 6 days straight! I'm thrilled he loves it and isn't missing his cowboy costume too much! :-)

Cute pictures coming soon!! Stay tuned!! :-)

Happy 15 Months

2011-10-27T20:10:00.004-04:00

To A Very Special Little Lady!

From the moment I was pregnant with her, I was hoping that the Lord would bring me my sweet baby girl!

Kayla Reese has been such a gift to us. She has completed our family.

(Not that our family is 'complete' and not that is 'isn't' Only God knows this! :-)

But, I do know that Kayla has made our family feel full.

A playmate for her brother, a Daddy's Girl, and a bundle of love for me!

I can't imagine life without her.

And every minute she toddlers around our house, I grab my camera because I think she's the cutest thing I've ever seen! I know people say you take less pictures of your second (and that's probably true, but I can't stop). I want to capture every moment! Even when she pouts and screams, we think she's cute. Yes, we are obsessed!

And Now that our Reese is 15 months, the pouting and yelling has become a bit more of the norm. In the past week, I have convinced myself that she had to be either teething or sick, because our sweet girl never gets upset about anything! But now I know... it is a 'stage!'

A stage called the terrible 2's that start usually around 18 months (she must be advanced :-) and end around 3?? (I don't know exactly b'c Braden is not completely out of it yet.)

So here we go, on our next adventure as parents with a new 'toddler' in the house. Our very easy going baby has become quite independent and strong willed. She knows what she wants and she is determined to get it. And when we say "No," we watch her put that thumb in her mouth and try to calm herself down and it is the cutest thing we've ever seen.

Happy 15 months old to our sweet sassy little thing! We sure love you more than words can say!! xo

What a Fantastic Day...

2011-10-25T20:30:00.007-04:00

I got to sleep in (which means I slept until 6:00am, Yes that is sleeping in once you have kids-2 kids!)

I took a personal day from work so that I could go listen to Brad present at a Big Engineering Conference at the Convention Center. It was so neat to hang out all day with my hubby in his world. He did an awesome job presenting on DSEC, which is a Non-Profit Organization that he founded. Check out the website: http://www.daytonsec.org/

He mostly spoke about ways to help others by using your skills in the developing world.

And since we were in Columbus, my brother was able to join us for lunch on very short notice. Dave and Brooke are living in Columbus these days, so I am trying to take advantage of seeing them more than twice a year since they are so close!!

I got my kiddos their Halloween Costumes and they spent the evening outside running around in them in this 70 degree weather I might add!! Braden loves his (I am so glad!!) and Kayla is soooo cute in hers I could eat her up!! Seriously, cute! And I was very excited that each costume cost $6.00!! I was hoping for some awesome deals since I waited until the last minute! :-)

My good friend (and amazing childcare provider) made dinner for our family and she is the one with the newborn! Actually, her husband made it! Thanks Eric, your baked ziti was a big hit in our house tonight!! It was so nice not to cook!

Oh, and back to lunch...we went to Max and Erma's and the waiter gave us a free big bowl of the Chicken Tortilla Soup (my Fav!) and he also gave our table several free chocolate chip cookies for no reason at all! And we had a coupon for a free ice cream bar, so pretty much, it was heaven!!

Yes, food makes me very happy, can you tell!? :-)

And so does quality time with family and friends!!!

So Thankful for this fabulous day!!

Loads of Wedding Pics!

2011-10-24T11:03:00.000-04:00

The following is for Carisa because she just got back from her honeymoon and everyone is asking to see pics and she has none, so she is showing people my blog! :-)

This is how the day began...miserable weather! Seriously horrible! Rain, High Winds, and Hail! But the bride?? She was not worried one bit! Honestly, I have never seen a calmer bride!!
But, despite the weather, we still did our fun girl things, like getting our hair done at the salon...we just had to wear a plastic bag over our heads when we left! (Wish I had pics of that!!)
Here is Carisa writing her vows just hours (or wait, minutes) before the ceremony! I love this girl!
Can you tell we got our makeup done too? My eye makeup lasted for 5 days after the wedding, it was pretty great! :-)
Just waiting for the bride!!!And here she is... the weather cleared up right before her ceremony time! Thank Goodness! She was able to have her dream outdoor wedding!
I am reading 1st Corinthians 13 ...Love is Patient, Love is Kind...
The whole Bridal Party
My sweet hubby who raked ALL of the leaves away from the ceremony site in the pouring rain all morning! He had quite the job to do!
Us Girls
Carisa made us flowers for our hair!
My sweet girl!
Love her!!!
So glad my parents could be at the wedding.
My mom sat by my side for hours after hours playing the piano with me as I grew up! Wish I still had that talent!
The Dessert!! Cheesecake! :-) Next to smores, cheesecake is Carisa's favorite dessert. This was an awesome idea! In fact, all of the food served at the wedding were Carisa and Robb's favorite foods, it was pretty incredible!
A very special Etsy Purchase! :-)
Congrats to the new Mr. and Mrs. Adams!!
So thankful I could share in your special day!!!! xoxo

Back to Cleveland...

2011-10-23T20:50:00.002-04:00

We just got home from another fabulous weekend in Cleveland.

We were able to spend some time with Brad's parents and Mimi couldn't wait to take Braden to ride Jeep (Mimi's horse)!

Here he is riding the real Jeep! Can't you see him glowing!! :-)
And Reese loved all of the horses too! I think we have a cowgirl in the making!
Mimi and Papa, thanks for the special trip to the visit all the beautiful horses at the barn!

We sure had fun!

Sweet Times

2011-10-20T19:36:00.003-04:00

Felt so blessed to have spent 4 days with my best friend...

My treasures
My heroes
My love
For this incredible celebration

Clams Please

2011-10-19T18:00:00.000-04:00

Not for me (of course!!), but for all of the other people at Carisa and Robb's rehearsal dinner.

And this little one was so excited to get his clams, but wasn't so excited after tasting them! Ah!

The clambake was at a gorgeous spot on the lake. The only problem was that it was a super cold and windy day, can you tell? But, we still had fun inside watching the waves through the huge glass windows!Hmm, I don't understand this love for seafood, but others enjoyed eating these little critters!
Watching the waves, they were huge!
Then, we headed to the church for rehearsal.
Even though it was a cold, windy, rainy day...you can't even tell from the pics!
It was just a GORGEOUS place to get married and we were all hoping hoping hoping that Carisa could have her dream wedding there 'outside' the next day with another cold rainy windy day in the forecast!
This bride-to-be was not worried about the weather, though. She was determined for an outdoor wedding and even a monsoon was not going to stop that! :-)

Bridal Tea

2011-10-18T19:06:00.003-04:00

Carisa's "Wedding Weekend" started off with a bridal tea...

I discovered something about myself that day that I never knew existed!

I love tea! And I love the whole idea of sitting in a tea cottage sipping on tea with your best friend for hours talking away while sampling lots of fun new fabulous foods.

It was simply amazing, I loved every ounce of being there and I didn't want to leave!!

Fabulous Food!
Delicious Dessert...what's not to love about getting a plate with 6 different desserts to try!
Our time there went by way too quickly...
But, Rosepointe Cottage, I am coming back next time I am in town!! I promise!
Carisa's sister is next to her in the pic above. Miranda came in from Africa for Carisa's wedding, she has lived there the past few years! How awesome is that! :-)

Amazing...

2011-10-16T09:19:00.003-04:00

We just had an incredible weekend celebrating my best friend's wedding!

Everything could not have turned out more perfect. This wedding was by far, the most personalized wedding I have ever gone to.

We had a blast and I can't wait to go through all the pics when I have time!

Congrats Carisa and Robb!! Your wedding weekend was simply amazing!!

Yeah for Fall!!!

2011-10-14T21:11:00.000-04:00

Preschool Update

2011-10-13T17:40:00.004-04:00

Everyone asks me all the time, "How does Braden like Preschool?"

My answer 100% of the time, "He LOVES it!!!"

We all love every single ounce of it..

We Love his teachers (all of them)!

We love his little classmates (there are 7 kiddos in his class).

We love the units he does each week (Pet Fun, 5 senses, Dinosaurs, Bears, etc...)

We love the adorable homework assignments we get to do with him!

We love the daily communication and pictures we get from all his teachers each day!

We love listening to Braden tell us about his day, the stories are so cute coming from his mouth!

I love spying on him throughout the day (especially during gym class).

I LOVE getting him every day after school...this is actually my very favorite part! I look forward to 2:30 all day long!!

And Brad loves seeing him each day at lunch time when he drives him to preschool!

Seriously...I could keep going and going...

This preschool thing is a blast, an amazing adventure that we are all enjoying to the fullest!

That is how Preschool is going! :-)

Uncle Dave

2011-10-11T20:19:00.003-04:00

My brother passed through last weekend and spent a couple days here with us!

I had to run into one of my favorite stores, Charmin Charles...

(LOVE LOVE LOVE that place!)

And apparently so did they! :-)

They tried on lots of hats and danced all around the store. A women even came up to us to say, "Everything about that boy (Braden) was adorable!)" It was sweet.

I didn't have my camera with me, but I had to snap a pic on my phone to capture the moment, and I"m glad I did!!
Once I download my pics from my camera, I'll share more Uncle Dave memories! My kiddos had a blast with him!!

Aunt Brookie, Braden missed seeing you and asked all about you! xo

Parenting Tricks

2011-10-10T22:07:00.003-04:00

Question: When you need a moment (or two or three) of silence, what can you do??Answer: Give your children Apples!! :-)

It's amazing how much you can get done when your children are occupied by this lovely fruit!

Just Practicing...

2011-10-08T20:01:00.001-04:00

No, Braden is not being a dragon for Halloween.

(at least I don't think...)

But, he is practicing for the BIG day by wearing a fun costume my mom picked up for him at a Garage Sale.

We sure had fun strolling around the neighborhood...

(And even though we might have gotten some strange looks, like "Aren't ya a little early for this? I decided it's never too early to just have fun, right!??)

And He sure does make a cute dragon, don't ya think!? :-)

Loved my Affirmation from Work Today...

2011-10-07T21:10:00.007-04:00

Choose your words carefully and remember that positive words bring positive results and negative words bring negative results!

After all, “Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.” ( Proverbs 16:24 )

Enjoy this Indian Summer Weekend!!

1st Trip to the Dentist!

2011-10-06T19:42:00.003-04:00

Open Wide!!
I was super impressed by how well our little Bug did! He was just perfect! :-)

(And we could have never attempted this at a younger age, trust me!)

Happy B-day Jules!

2011-10-05T19:49:00.002-04:00

Somebody turns 31 today...and now I'm not the only old one anymore! :-)

Wishing you a Wonderful Birthday today! Lots of love to the Seyer/Edwards Clan!

Summer Bliss!

2011-10-04T07:44:00.000-04:00

Just a random pic I found from the Summer that I love!!
I.seriously.could.eat.her.up!

Honduran Classroom

2011-10-03T07:49:00.000-04:00

One of my many highlights of our trip to Honduras was visiting a Primary School.

This was a Kindergarten Classroom.

These were the teachers.
These are their toys.
I was very impressed by the curriculum and the teacher's ideas, but my heart still broke for the need...

They are desperately in need of materials, such as pencils, paper, crayons, scissors, etc... (stuff that I have an abundance of in my own classroom, stuff that I sometimes throw away at the end of each school year!)

They are also in need of another classroom. This is the only Kindergarten in the village and as you can only imagine...there are a lot more children than seats in this classroom! Right now, they are in the process of trying to build, but are in need of funds to finish the project.

If you have any desire to help these teachers, these children, please let me know!! I'm sure they would be more than grateful for any donation of any kind, big or small!

In the Paper

2011-10-02T14:44:00.001-04:00

Here is a newspaper article from the 5k last weekend...the Wiseman Wild Run!

I know it's hard to read from the text, but the proceeds from the race will go to to scholarship fund to be given to a Beavercreek High School student who attended Parkwood.
Ryan (Brad Wiseman's son) is on the left, and here we are on the right.

Off to an Adventure Race...

2011-10-01T12:02:00.000-04:00

Brad's words this morning, "This is what a Mini Van is supposed to look like!"My Words, "My husband is crazy!"

It is a freezing windy day today, and Brad is actually paying money to go out there and bike, kayak, and run! (While not in shape I might add! :-)

As always, I can't wait to hear stories and see pics from his crazy adventures!!

Finally...Honduras!!!

2011-09-30T19:35:00.000-04:00

I'm going to start with the Engineers!

You see, A LOT of people went on our trip, like 60!!

But, these 60 people represented 4 different groups:

Apex (our old church)

Covenant Creek (our new church)

DSEC (Dayton Service Engineering Collaborative)

East Side Community Church (a group from Kansas)

Fortunately, Brad and I got to engage in all of the various projects with all of the groups to some degree, but the main focus for us was definitely 'water'!

CLEAN DRINKING WATER!!!

In order to learn more about the source of water in all of the villages that we visited, hiking was required! (and I don't mean our weekend hikes that we take as a family!)

I mean serious hiking...hiking for hours....hiking through cornfields taller than us...hiking through streams...up hills....mountains....with animals like cows all around us....not knowing how long it would take to get and not knowing where exactly we were going....

I've never done anything like this, it was intense, but pretty incredible to find the source of water that a village was using.

Usually the water was completely filthy (think waste water), sometimes people gathered rain water in buckets or bottles, sometimes people walked hours and hours just to get to a stream of water...

Every time I was amazed- amazed at the need, amazed by how they live, how they are surviving without access to clean drinking water.

So, the engineers on our team went to help with this VERY important need.

Here is just a random mix of some of the 'hiking' that the engineers did during the week in Honduras.

Water Counsel

One of my very favorite Engineers! :-)

Some Serious Cornfields
Looks a little dangerous to me!!

This was how we did lunch, every day.

Hiking through cattle

I love my engineer husband and they way he uses his life to make such a huge impact on others.
Here are the engineers that were UD Alum (I got to join in too!)
And I would just like to say that I was blown away by all the engineers on our trip...by their passion, determination, and desire to help every person they met. They worked LONG hours, never complained once (even when feeling sick), with temps over 100 degrees, while hiking for hours, and not eating (giving away any power bars they had to the Hondurans). These people were tough (and I def. could not keep up-not even close!) They are truly using their gifts and abilities to make a difference in thousands of lives....They challenged me and I admire them all greatly.

Bedtime Prayers

2011-09-28T16:31:00.002-04:00

Braden: Mommy, can Jesus do anything?

Me: Of course!

Braden: Then I'd like for him to make me breakfast tomorrow morning!

Me: Hmmm.... :-)

A Picture Worth a Thousand Words!

2011-09-27T21:50:00.002-04:00

I have to admit, there are some days when I go to work and think, 'I can't believe I am getting paid for this right now!"

This morning I had one of those moments...

As I am linked arm in arm with my principal, pretending to be blind, and picking up marshmallows off the ground and throwing them at all of the other "blind" people in the gym!

If ONLY I had this on video... we may have won America's Funniest Home videos! (I swear it was that funny, at least to me!)

Let me explain! :-)

I have spent the last 2 days at a Bullying Prevention Workshop being trained in a new program that we will be rolling out in our school next year!

I have learned a lot about bullying behavior, and it's really been quite interesting!

What does this have to do with throwing marshmallows at people??

Great Question! You see, bullying occurs because there is an imbalance of power between 2 people. The two parties involved are not on equal ground.

In this game, there was no imbalance of power. We were all blind and had no advantage over another person. Silly way to learn this you might be thinking??

You should have seen us all with our eyes closed trying to make animal noises to find our mate! We really felt silly doing that!!

Hmm, sounds to me like we have some new fun games to play at our Clambake this year!! :-)

And that, my friends, is what I did at work today! Try not to be jealous!

Can I fly my Helicopter Now???

2011-09-25T20:43:00.002-04:00

Those were Braden's 1st words as he woke up this morning!

That means Uncle Dave (& Aunt Brookie) were in town!

They brought Braden back a toy helicopter from South Dakota.

If you know Dave and Brooke, you know they live out of a suitcase and are always traveling...

This past summer, David had an amazing summer job giving tourists helicopter rides over Mount Rushmore, a very popular place! Brooke also had a job there working in the office.

Now, they are onto their next adventure and spent a couple days visiting both families before they take off to ??? We'll find out soon!

Their visit here was very short but sweet. It was great to see you guys!

Braden LOVES his new helicopter, we flew it a bunch today!! :-) Thank you both!!

Lots of love and can't wait to hear about your next assignment! xo

Brad Wiseman Run

2011-09-24T13:51:00.005-04:00

It was a gorgeous morning for a 5k in honor of Brad Wiseman, a teacher that I used to work with at Parkwood for the past 7 years.

Brad passed away of colon cancer at the beginning of the school year, last year. He was 33 years old and his son, Ryan, was a student at Parkwood (he is now a 3rd grader).

Brad's wife orchestrated a 5k event, so that the profits could go towards a scholarship fund for a Parkwood student.

It was really awesome to come together as a staff along with many others (close to 300 people) to run (or walk in our case) in honor of Brad.
We had fun walking together as a family, but our walk was not leisurely like I expected it to be. My husband's competitive side came out and he wanted to beat all of the other strollers!!
Do you see this guy in front of us? We had to run to get past him, so that we would come in 1st place in the stroller division! :-) Yes, we ran!
Our kiddos did great for the whole race eating, chatting, playing, being silly!
We got Reese some new kicks. Unfortunately, she won't "walk" in them! She will just stand still.
And then sit down, and take them off! Hmm... we might be returning these!
Braden had a buddy to play with, he loves Lexi! They are in the same preschool class and they have so much fun together.
Brad had a friend there too! But, Ben was at the front of the pack, he finished in 22 min! Good Job!
Our kiddos got lots of fresh air, they were ready to pass out as soon as we got in the car.

(love his little football face painting he got today!)
And she fell right asleep too, in the most unusual position! Kids can certainly bend!
Thankful for such a beautiful fall morning for this special event.

Brad loved Parkwood, he loved to teach and he brought a lot of humor and joy to everyone.

He is really missed by all.

Song

2011-09-22T17:26:00.004-04:00

The stories of Africa and Honduras...

The reasons why we need to share 'their' stories...

Is explained quite beautifully in this song.

Thank you, Brad, for sending this to me. I love it!

Lyrics:

I am sitting still
I think of Angelique
her mothers voice over me
And the bullets in the wall where it fell silent
And on a thousandth hill, I think of Albertine
there in her eyes what I don't see with my own
rwanda

[CHORUS]
now that I have seen, I am responsible
Faith without deeds is dead
now that I have held you in my own arms, I cannot let go till you are

I am on a plane across a distant sea
But I carry you in me
and the dust on, the dust on, the dust on my feet
Rwanda

[CHORUS]

[BRIGDE]
I will tell the world, I will tell them where I've been
I will keep my word
I will tell them Albertine

[CHORUS]

I am on a stage, a thousand eyes on me
I will tell them, Albertine
I will tell them, Albertine

HONDURAS

2011-09-20T19:19:00.004-04:00

I was just sent an email with a video in it that someone created from our Honduras Trip this summer.

It brought me to tears to watch as I was deeply reminded of all that we experienced in our short trip there.

And I was also reminded that I have shared very little from this trip, if anything at all.

So, here is the highlight video if you have a few minutes... it will touch your heart.

http://youtu.be/PcR0W5wn2B4

And stories will be shared soon, I promise!

Hidden Treasures

2011-09-19T21:53:00.005-04:00

I love finding surprises throughout my day...And I know these days won't last forever...

So I'm just embracing the simple things they do that make me smile! :-)

Love these Peeps!!!

2011-09-18T11:28:00.000-04:00

Good-Bye Summer!

2011-09-16T19:12:00.002-04:00

Hello Fall! :-)

As I am laying here on my couch nice and cozy under blankets, I am watching my boys outside...

wearing hoodies (my very fav. thing to wear by the way!)

and building a campfire

I will be out there (very soon) with smores! (another huge favorite!) :-)

Our Hammock and Popsicle Days are slowly coming to an end..
But we sure enjoyed the summer and welcome this beautiful fall weather!!

Happy Weekend to You!

Happy Birthday Cecelia!

2011-09-15T20:05:00.003-04:00

This sweet girl just turned 3!!And she is also now a BIG sister!!
Meet her new baby sister Delilah! She is such a cutie!
The party was a HIT!
The boys had lots of fun being boys! :-)
And ALL the kids LOVED the bouncy house that Lindsay bought! Yeah, that's right, we have the coolest sitter ever!
Even little Reese loved to bounce!
Isn't this the most incredible birthday cake!
Highlight of party: The 'floating lanterns.' You had to see the movie Tangled to understand the importance of this! :-)
The men had fun lighting the lanterns.
And the kids loved watching them float through the sky.
I LOVED the cake the most! No big surprise here!
And my hubby and I had a great time at Cecelia's 3rd Bday Party!

My New Favorite Thing!

2011-09-14T20:42:00.002-04:00

In.Love.With.This.Drink.

Please don't tell me how bad it is for me!

Because I see many many more in my future! :-)