Pizza with the Petersens and a Christmas Tree

Yesterday I called my sweet friend Erica to see what she was up to and when we could get our girls together to play. We went back and forth on times for today, but finally decided she and Saywer would come over after nap, then just stay for dinner, with the daddies joining us after work. I was actually supposed to take food to my friend Rachel who recently had her second baby, but her family has been passing around a stomach virus and she didn't feel up to eating too much. Somehow Friday night has become homemade pizza night at our house, so Preston, Erica, and Sawyer joined in on the fun!



Sawyer and Kendall are WILD together!! I mean, absolutely WILD!!! It's really so much fun. Erica and Sawyer came over and we played outside for a while, then Kendall and Sawyer colored while Erica and I got the pizzas ready. (Kendall had been asking me all day if she and Sawyer could color together today.) At one point in the night, the girls kept taking their shirts off and we finally just gave up on making them stay dressed. I had to get my camera out because Sawyer was cracking us up with her leggings, one rain boot, and no shirt. Evan and Preston said she looked like a wrestler!!! Then, there was Kendall, putting on Sawyer's coat.

After we ate, the girls and the daddies had a tea party in Kendall's room while Erica looked through all five of my scrapbooks. (She asked to look at all of them, so I dug 'em out. It was fun...I haven't looked at them in forever!)

I mentioned in an earlier post that Evan spends most of the night hidden away in the basement studying. On the weeks I'm not working, I sometimes get bored. I mean, I can only do so-much TV watching and computering! I try to do other productive things, like bake, read, clean/organize, but even that gets old at times. I've been getting really excited about Christmas this year and have really had the itch to do some decorating. I haven't decorated much in the last couple of years just because of living in that small apartment the first year we were here, then traveling last year. However this year, since we are staying in Louisville, I feel the need to go all out.

I LOVE Thanksgiving, and have always been one of those people who thinks Christmas decor should wait until AFTER Thanksgiving is over, but for some reason this year I just couldn't wait! I thought putting out my mom's Snow Village would tide me over, but I was wrong...it really just made me want to put the rest of the decorations out. By Wednesday, I put out my Willow Tree Nativity and last night I put up our skinny tree. I will also justify by saying that the bulk of Evan's school work will be finished by Tuesday, so now that much of the decorating is done, my evenings next week can be spent with quality time/adult conversation. It's all about time management, right??!!? :)

I'm looking forward to getting a "real" tree for our living room. I've NEVER, EVER had one before, but figured since we have hardwoods throughout our house, this is the best time. (We'll see how our allergies hold up to it!!) I have plans for some primitive decorating on that tree and am hoping to get some of those fat LED lights. Evan even has plans for helping, so that should be fun!

I digress...

Anyway, for the last couple of years I have LOVED these fun, funky trees with all the jewel tones, but just haven't had the place/time for one. This year, I decided I would take the leaf out of our dining table and put a "fun" tree in the corner. I love it!

One of my wedding showers was a holiday themed, and I got all these fun ornaments that have been tucked away and not displayed. FINALLY, I have a place for them!!!

And somebody in my family please tell me where this soldier came from?!?! This is an ornament from my childhood (that I'm sure Kendall will have fun with!) and I'm almost positive all my cousins have one, too.

Overall, I'm pleased with the way the "fun" tree turned out. It's a little top-heavy with ornaments, but I figured that was safer with a two year old in the house!!!

week of nothing

I have really lacked a lot of motivation to do much of anything this week. Not sure what the deal is, but have had to fight off laziness like crazy! We had a very busy October and first couple of weeks of November, so maybe I'm just happy that things are slowing down a little bit? It always seems that when we've got stuff going on, it hits us full-force.



Evan's semester is coming to an end, and I don't have enough words to express my excitement! He took a total of twelve hours this semester (three online classes and one class on campus) along with working full-time and it's been HARD on our family. Evan usually gets home anywhere between 6-7, we eat dinner as a family, play with Kendall for about 30 minutes before bath/bedtime, then he hides away in the basement until midnight or after. It's just been rough! I'm very proud of the way he manages his time and balances everything, but I'm glad that we'll get a break for a bit. Evan has decided to scale back and only take 9 hours instead of 12 next semester. This puts him behind a semester on graduating, but for the sake of our family it will be worth it. (I guess it's just that much longer to figure out what we are supposed to be doing, right?!?!)



Evan doesn't have any vacation time until April, so we are staying in Louisville for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'm a little sad about not getting to spend AT LEAST one holiday in Arkansas, but the long weekends are really just not enough time to make traveling 8-10 hours seem worth it. With that being said, we are planning some fun things to make our quiet Christmas extra special. One of those is getting a "real" Christmas tree, which Evan has always wanted.

Let's see...what else...

Having a little girl is fun. Evan says that all girls love to dress up baby dolls, and that's why I have so much fun with Kendall. Recently, I took her picture a couple of times when I just thought she looked extra cute! The first little dress was a birthday present from Aunt Judy and family...she was SOOO cute in in yesterday when we were out running errands. The second one was before church a few weeks ago. After I got Kendall dressed, she went in the bathroom where Evan was at the time and he commented on how precious she looked!

Kendall loves to sing. In fact, she sings CONSTANTLY. Lately, when we get in the car, she doesn't even want the radio on because she wants us to sing with her. It's really cute. If we aren't paying attention to her, she also says, "Talk to me!" So funny! This video is her version of Three Blind Mice.

When we discipline/correct Kendall, we do various things with her to help her process (as much as a two year old can process) the incident. Sometimes we pray with her ("Dear God, help Kendall remember to obey") and sometimes we use scripture. Colossians 3:20 says, "Children obey your parents, for this pleases God" and is a little bit more simple than the Ephesians verse. Kendall caught on to the verse pretty quickly, and now say it with very little prompting. However, when she first started doing it, instead of saying Colossians 3:20, she would say "Colossians 3, 4, 5, 6,7" and just keep on counting. I think she does it in the video below....along with some other silliness...

She cracks us up constantly. Last night, Evan was changing out of his work clothes and Kendall said, "Daddy, you change clothes?" He said, "Yes" and Kendall replied with "Cool." Today after bible study I said, "Kendall, we're going to run a couple of errands" and she said, "Whatever!" Yesterday, we went to the grocery store and she was just hamming it up with EVERYONE in her sight. I said, "You are so funny," and she said, "No, Mommy, you're funny." Seriously, where does she get this stuff?!?!?

Conversations of the Week

Monday
This past week was a teaching week for me. On Monday in CARE, the topic of discussion was: "Tell one thing fun you did over the weekend."

Kayla: "Went to church, then went to eat."
Me: "Where did you go eat?"
Whole Class: "Golden Corral"
Me: "Did she already say this? How did everyone know that's where Kayla went to eat?"
Terry: "Duh, everyone goes to eat at the Golden Corral on Sunday after church!"

Note to self: Never go eat at Golden Corral on Sundays. Might be a hot-spot for students. :)



Wednesday
Me: "Evan, did you see the pictures of Henry's deer on Facebook?"
(Henry is the seven year old son of our close friends Scottie and Allyce.)
Evan: (In a very aggravated tone)"What??? Henry killed a deer?"
Me: "Jealous much?"
Evan: "That ticks me off. Because he probably killed it with my gun."
(Evan doesn't even have a gun. He just claims this particular one of Scottie's like it's his own.)




Thursday
My students at school get a discipline sheet each week that they have to keep up with/get signed over the weekend.

Jayde: (Thinking she is being oh-so responsible) "Mrs. Smith, I just get my sheet signed after I get it on Monday, so I don't forget over the weekend."
Me: "Jayde, that really defeats the whole purpose. The point of the sheet is for your parents to see how you've behaved during the week. They can't know if they sign a blank paper."

She still didn't get it.

Really, though. Who is at fault here??? The kid or the parent?? Seriously.




Friday
Kendall stood in a chair and helped me make dinner.

Me: (Cutting off ends of fresh asparagus) "Kendall, what's that?"
Kendall: "Veggie Tales."

Kendall, what can you do at two?

So, I'm almost a month late with this post, but I want to make sure I record milestones!

Eating-You are a really great eater. Off the top of my head, the only thing I can think of that you won't eat is roast, carrots, and potatoes cooked together. Good thing mommy doesn't make that very often! You love spicy things, any and all beans, and would make an entire meal off guacamole if we let you. You also have a very sweet tooth and love dessert! Although you can be very squirmy at times, I look forward to sitting down at the table each day with our little family.

Sleeping-You are a GREAT sleeper. (Although I think this last time change did something to your system since you are now waking up at 6:00 in the morning!) Usually, you wake up in the 7:00 hour and go to bed in the 8:00 hour in the evenings. You take one nap a day and it usually starts in the 1:00 hour. You have some routines that are fun...in the morning, you like milk and cartoons when you first wake up. When you go to bed, you like for us to hold you and sing "Rock-a-Bye Baby" before we put you in the bed. If we forget, you quickly remind us. Sometimes, you don't immediately go to sleep and we can hear you playing and singing. We love that. You like to sleep with your "miney" blanket, Hog bear, and a baby. You have never tried climbing out of your crib, so we have not moved you to a big girl bed yet, but probably should in the next few months.

Playing-You love to read books, play with your baby dolls, dress up (especially in mommy and daddy's shoes), and color. Really, you will do anything that we promote and play with you. You can play by yourself, but of course prefer when we play with you. You also love to play outside and take walks around the block.

Potty Training-You are still doing GREAT with the potty. You rarely have pee-pee accidents and are for the most part trained in that area. In fact, just last night you went in the bathroom and took care of business all by yourself! I was so surprised and proud! The poop part is taking a little bit longer. You like to be at home with mommy and daddy helping you! (Although I can't blame you!) :) You are in panties any time you are with mommy and daddy and when you are at school, but are in pull-ups for church and nap-time. I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel...

Talking-Oh boy! You say anything and everything! We have full conversations with you and are amazed at your level of understanding and the sentences that come out of your mouth. It's so fun. Just the other night you asked your daddy, "You have juice?" to which he replied yes because he was drinking a Mountain Dew. You then said, "Awesome!" Hilarious. We never know what you are going to say!

Clothes/Shoes-I'm not sure of your weight and height (we go next week for well-baby check up) but right now you wear 24 month/2T clothes and a size 6 1/2 or 7 shoe. (6 1/2 is difficult to find!) You certainly have an opinion about your outfits and sometimes it's not a battle that is not worth the fight.

What do you know?-You can say all of your ABCs and count to ten. You know many, many songs...more than I can name--Wheels on the Bus, Old McDonald, Jesus Loves Me, Hokey Pokey, He's Got the Whole World In His Hands, Chris Tomlin's Holy is the Lord, Itsy Bitsy Spider...the list could go on and on. We've worked so hard on your colors and you can finally recognize pink, red, orange, black, brown, silver and gold. (Yes, my child knows her metallics.) We are still working on blue and green. :) You can also say Colossians 3:20 with some prompting, as we use this bible verse when we correct/discipline.

How do you help?-This is one area where I have been completely amazed. Before bath, you always take your clothes to the dirty clothes hamper. I don't really remember teaching you this...you sort-of did it on your own. Sometimes you will even take your dirty dishes to the sink after a meal. You are very good about helping unload the dishwasher and put away groceries. Last week when we were putting away grocery items, I gave you some items to take to the bathroom. Later I went in the bathroom to put them away, expecting everything to be either in the floor or in the sink and you had put EVERYTHING in the correct place!

Oh, Kendall Grace, we love you more than you know! You fill our lives with so much joy! Our prayer is that you will grow up to KNOW and LOVE God and have a desire to serve Him only. We look forward to watching you learn and grow during year number three!

Fall Fun

We didn't throw a big party for Kendall's birthday, Evan's birthday was yesterday and then Halloween falling on a Saturday seemed to be enough reasons to invite some friends over for fun!

I really love having people in our home and I'm thankful that I learned it from my mom. She was really good at opening up their home to people. She never felt the need to be elaborate--she would find a new recipe to try out or buy a new serving piece--just something to make the event special. My parents never lived in a fancy house or had fancy things, but they entertained anyway, and entertained all kinds. Oh how I cherish these lessons!

I think we ended up with about six families at our house this evening. It's always so neat to see how space and food expand! At the beginning of the week, there was a 70% chance of rain and I came really close to cancelling, since the plan was for the kids to play outside. I knew I could clean up the basement for some extra space, but what in the world could we do inside with the kids??? By yesterday morning, the rain chances decreased to about 20%, and we ended up with no rain at all! It all came last night, and the weather ended up being decent enough for the kids to enjoy being outside.

The great fall comfort foods of hot dogs and chili were served, and we ended up having enough chili leftover to send some home with one family, plus more for us to put in the freezer! I made homemade iced sugar cookies in the shape of pumpkins and leaves for dessert. I also had each family bring a bag of candy and we set up a "candy bar" for the kids to fill paper sacks.

Costumes were optional, although I think most ended up being dressed as something. We had a puppy, Yoda, Snow White, Beauty Queen, Dallas Cowboy football player, a bride, a dinosaur, and a lady bug. All the kids were super cute!

I have to be honest and say that I've really struggled with Halloween costumes for Kendall in the last two years. I don't know...I guess I'm cheap. She's not really "into" anything yet, and it's not like she's got a sibling that I can dress in coordinating costumes. I looked at a couple of costumes with wings and masks, and even showed Evan, but he didn't think it was worth it because she probably wouldn't keep them on for very long. I just can't fork over the money for a costume that she will only wear once unless it's something she could put in her dress up basket. Maybe next year I will come up with something...we'll see!

For the party, I was just going to let her wear jeans and a fall shirt, but Evan said, "She can be a Razorback cheerleader!" So we put her in her cheer-leading uniform and she was cute all the same, especially since she wore her red and black lady bug boots to match.

The kids spent most of the time outside playing. The swing set is always a hit and Preston and Erica brought their inflatable bouncer over, which was tons of fun for the kiddos.

I think Kendall's dinner consisted of a couple of bites of chili, two Capri Suns, and lots and lots of candy. She was in bed before 8:00 tonight without ever hearing a peep! Hopefully, she'll sleep right through that extra hour we gain tonight! :)

It was a fun way to spend the evening!

end of an era

fall is a special time of year for me that always makes me nostalgic, especially october.

october brings lots of birthdays in our family and is also the anniversary month of when evan and i began dating, then a year later were engaged. i get a little teary-eyed thinking about it. not because of sadness, but because i'm so thankful.

six years ago was also when evan began his job at courthouse data, which later turned into a job at clear title. while his career at clear title ended about a year ago, we still look back and are grateful for his time there and how God was so gracious to let that job extend into our move to louisville.

when evan started at courthouse data, he was given this coffee mug.
not just any stainless steel coffee mug. the perfect one. it held the right amount of coffee that wouldn't get lukewarm before drinking it all. it had the right type of spout at the top that didn't leak. it also fit perfectly into the car's cup holder.

in six years, this coffee mug has been to the golf course, to church, and on long car trips. it's been fought over, misplaced, and even put in the dishwasher. it's cracked at the bottom and all the insulation is gone. we have several other stainless steel mugs, but for some reason, nothing compares to this one.

while we were in memphis this weekend, evan's mom gave him a brand new coffee mug. a plastic arkansas razorback one that is made exactly like the beloved courthouse data mug. evan was actually very excited about his gift.

why then, are we having such a hard time throwing the old one away???

i tried monday evening, and couldn't bite the bullet. i told evan that i couldn't do it, that it was like the end of an era! he told me he would do it, but it continues to sit so lonely on our counter...

somebody help us. we are oh so pitiful.

Birthday Number Two!

What a fantastic birthday weekend!!! Here is the birthday girl herself! Notice her crocs...Kendall has become very opinionated about what shoes she would like to wear, and it's just not a battle I'm willing to fight. At least they are pink, right?!?! :)

Here we are are with our sweet friends, Brian and Kendra. We love them. I really wanted to pack them in my suitcase and bring them back to Louisville. Maybe next time.

The boys wanted to eat ribs at the Rendezvous on Friday night, so I took cupcakes for dessert to celebrate Kendall's big day. The Rendezvous is well known for a fun atmosphere before Razorback games, and that it was! We got there fairly early, but it was getting pretty hype with Hog calling as the evening progressed. Kendall was pretty antsy from sitting in a car seat for six hours already that day, and wasn't real keen on sitting in a high chair for dinner. She also got a little overwhelmed at all the noise. While she knows and loves "Woo Pig Sooie" she flipped out a little at the full-fledged Hog call!

Lets CALL THOSE HOGS!!!

Evan's birthday is this coming Friday, so he got to blow out a birthday candle, too!

I was very excited to see two of my good friends from high school, too. Robin (far left) lives close to Memphis and drove over for Kendall's birthday dinner. She and I have been friends since pre-school. Adriane (middle) missed the dinner, but got to drive me back to the hotel that night, then I saw her for a few minutes after the game on Saturday. Love them!!!

Evan's mom, dad, and sister were all able to come celebrate with us, so we shared a hotel room with them. After dinner, Kendall had a few more gifts to open. She was so very excited to open up her new pack-pack!

Saturday morning, we got up bright and early to get ready for the game. Kendall stayed with her Nana and "Aunt Merenith" so mommy and daddy could go to the game with their friends. She makes a pretty cute cheerleader, huh???

The game stunk.

It's not fun being at someone else's field watching your team lose.

Kendra and I got some good visiting in while watching the game, and we also experienced the guy sitting next to us throw up. GROSS!! Kendra then overhears the girl with him say, "He'd been eating and drinking all morning, I had no idea he had a bleeding ulcer!" Really, people. Not smart!

When the game was over, we walked to The Grove and found The Pond's tailgate. We got some good food (I ate two brownies and a huge iced sugar cookie. Both were GOOOOOD!!!) and I got to visit with my sweet friends for a few minutes before we had to leave.

Evan and I then drove down to my dad's house for the night. When we arrived, he had dinner all ready for us--complete with the table set and a plate of pickles, cheese, and banana peppers. He even made cornbread from scratch! We ate and let him play with Kendall for a little bit before we all CRASHED before 10:00. Kendall slept in a big bed for the first time all by herself, and did GREAT! (Maybe we should bring the twin bed up from the basement?!?!)




On Sunday, both sets of grandparents, Aunt Judy and Faith all came for lunch. We had a great time visiting and eating!

Evan and I loaded up and made it back to Louisville around 10:45 last night. We didn't even get the 4-Runner unloaded all the way before we crashed! It was a whirlwind trip, but I'll take it. I'd rather see my friends and family for a short period than not see them at all. We leave a little piece of our hearts every time we go home, but are confident that Louisville is where we need to be for now! We are so loved and so very blessed...and so thankful for such a great weekend!