MidWest Side Story

Taste of Spring

2010-03-10T17:10:00.002-06:00

I've been away a while! I've been taking care of my family and working at our church as usual. I love the weather we had last week, it was a kind reprieve from the bitter winter of my state. This week is still spring-like: wet, rainy, cloudy and cool! I'm sure we have another good snowstorm or blizzard coming yet this year, March isn't over yet!
I hope your winter has been kind to you!

I love fall

2008-09-11T16:16:00.004-05:00

"I like spring but it is too young. I like summer but it is too proud. I like best of all autumn; its tone is mellower, its colors richer, and it is tinged a little with sorrow. It knows the limitations of life and is content."-Lin Yutang

Carnival Roses

2008-08-15T21:12:00.002-05:00

Dave got me the coolest roses when I got back from NY, they're called "Woodstock" and are so fragrant!

Hello Hand

2008-08-06T21:18:00.000-05:00

It was hilarious but sweetly naive. Dave was joking with Darien at lunch, I don't remember the conversation but Dave ended with "Talk to the hand" and put up his hand.
In the sweetest voice he could use, as if he was talking to our Kitty, Darien said "Hello hand".

Is four the cutest age?

2008-07-03T12:45:00.003-05:00

Darien woke up this morning late so he didn't get to see Daddy off to work. When he woke up he said seriously "Did Daddy awedy weave for work?" I said "Yes, is that OK?" He replied "No!" I asked "Why?" "Because I want to give him a hug and a kiss!"

Whistle while you work

2008-06-29T15:21:00.004-05:00

Dave hums, sings and whistles a lot in the morning; (more evidence that he is the sole morning person in the house, much to my annoyance;)) Usually I bear up under such "distress" very well, but it never fails that somehow, sometime every Saturday or Sunday morning he will, on the two days of the week I could be free from it, whistle the main theme song to "Elmo's World".
Why?

Family fun!

2008-06-22T21:48:00.002-05:00

This weekend we visited family! Darien had such a great time with his younger cousin. They played in the baby pool, the water was cold but that didn't stop them from splashing each other!

Sweet Comfort

2008-06-11T20:52:00.000-05:00

My baby saw me crying and wrapped his little arms around me, gave me a kiss, and said nothing. What sweet comfort.
Did he learn that from Daddy?

Sleepy Mommy

2008-05-29T12:08:00.003-05:00

We were talking at lunch and Darien started talking about when he gets up from nap and bedtime. He said "when it's four on the left or eight on the left I can get up". I smiled proudly and said "that's right, what would I do without you?" Without missing a beat Darien replied "you'd go back to bed." We all just laughed!

Love this quote

2008-04-28T14:02:00.005-05:00

"The cure for anything is salt water-
sweat, tears or the sea"

-Isak Dinesen

Wedding ring. Toe ring. A ring's a ring!

2008-04-02T13:21:00.006-05:00

The other day I had taken off my rings to do some shoveling; yes, snow shoveling, March went out like a Lion. I forgot to put them back on and I left the house for work. I was driving and I realized what I'd done and spoke under my breath what I'd done and how I was already running late and couldn't go back.
Darien asked what I'd said and I repeated the issue louder. Since he's my little problem solver and he's a male after all and wants to fix everything, he asked if I had my toe rings on. Confused, I replied yes, since I never take them off. He then suggested I use my toe rings on my hand to replace my wedding rings! Creative thinking at work.

1/2+1/2=2?

2008-03-30T17:35:00.005-05:00

Darien had a package of cookies and he had eaten two of them and I asked him to wait until after dinner to eat the other two. He chose a different dessert after dinner so I suggested that Daddy could have his cookies. Darien replied that Daddy could have one of them and he wanted to save the last one. I suggested that he give Daddy two cookies and to this he replied that we could break the one he offered in half and then Daddy would have two!

hope for another

2008-02-15T15:38:00.002-06:00

I'm submitting my friend and her family for the Oprah's Dream Home Makeover. I don't know how to get pics of the house like they require but my Dad is on the job. Their house is at least 80 years old and is falling apart, it's unsafe and too small. I hope they are selected.
Maybe my submission will give them hope for the future, I think that's what everyone needs.

Empty arms, heavy hearts

2008-01-29T15:08:00.002-06:00

We had some tragedy in our little family recently.
We were chosen as adoptive parents in December for a child to be delivered this month. A precious baby girl made her dramatic appearance on Friday January 18th at 2:29pm. She weighed 6 lb. 10oz. at birth and measured 19.5 inches. Her birthmother requested that we attend her birth, which we throughly appreciated. We brought her home the following Sunday night and cared for her until Saturday January 26th when Dave placed her back into her birthmother's arms as I wept. We had so hoped that this little one was our daughter and sister and are sad that we had to say goodbye.
Darien was interested to feed her and change her diaper and clean her bottles. What love and hope coming from a little heart.

Bootiful sty

2008-01-09T12:48:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we were traveling near sunset and Darien looked out the windshield and said "Dod did a dood job make a bootiful sty, it's orange and puple". Translated from his language into ours it was "God did a good job making a beautiful sky, it's orange and purple".

Pirate Cooties

2007-12-10T15:14:00.000-06:00

This morning Darien was playing with a preschool game called "Cootie". If you're not familiar with it (where have you been?) you roll a die to build an insect; head, body, legs, antennae, and eyes. So we were building our bugs and discovered we wouldn't have enough eyes for every bug. Darien took a single eye and put it on a bug and said it was a pirate bug! Where does he come up with this stuff?

Now it's gone, gone, gone

2007-11-29T20:46:00.000-06:00

I finally did it, ten inches are gone. I'm talking about my hair. Those long brown wavy tresses that I have cherished for years, all gone. I keep telling myself it's for a good cause, (Locks of Love) and it'll grow back, after all.
My friend Gayle inspired me years ago when she and her sister grew their beautiful dark brown and red, respectively, hair to donate. I know it's all the rage now with Hillary Swank and Oprah but I admired my friend and her plan and that's why I did it. I even invited my two nieces to do it too but they declined. Too bad, their hair is longer than their back pockets, their necks are still warm, unlike mine!

Ice Cold Ice Cream

2007-11-24T20:32:00.000-06:00

Today we were driving home and Darien suggested that we go to Dairy Queen. When asked why he said "it's a good day for ice cream". It's 35 degrees outside! The perfect day for ice cream in a three year old mind!

High waters and worn knees

2007-11-07T17:19:00.000-06:00

I just can't keep this boy in jeans. He wears thru the knees because he's either pushing cars and trucks around or playing tackle football; and if there's no holes they're above his ankles! I resorted to putting patches on the inside of some of his newest jeans to keep them alive longer, I know, lame. What's worse, high waters or holey knees? For me, it's high waters, so it's time to get to WalMart and buy more jeans!

Halloween

2007-10-31T15:43:00.000-05:00

Our second Halloween with Darien is here, we didn't do anything when he was a baby. He's using Dave's "vintage" little league baseball uniform, you know before they just used a t-shirt. He'll look good, I bought a hat and added the logo because we didn't get that part of the uniform. I'll give him a big wad of chewing gum to complete the look!

Baking with 3 yr old

2007-10-29T14:45:00.000-05:00

Today I decided to make pumpkin cookies, you know with halloween coming and all, and there's no choice but to include my three year old. He said "we go fast 'cause I help you". He loves using and watching the stand mixer and he actually knows what I mean by "low speed". Measuring is more of a challenge, flour isn't everywhere, but close!
Afterward I let him lick the beater, I know, raw eggs, but I can't help it, it's so tradition.
While they baked he rode his trike in the driveway and ran around the house four or five times. The energy level of a child is amazing.