Major Highlights.

Okay, I feel like lots of posts have a disclaimer in front of them, and I comment on the fact that I have been bad about keeping up...this is a record. I have not written in FOREVER!! And SO much has been going on - hence the reason for my MIAness. It's one of those things that I think about and tell myself I want to do and keep up with...and then it doesn't get done. And with all that has been going on in our lives these past months, there are a million things to catch up on! I know I won't be able to document the little things that have happened, which makes me sad...those are moments I don't want to forget either! But unless I decide to just give up on this thing all together, I have to just hit the highlights. I mean, for pete's sake, I missed all the holidays! Those are the picture times, right?! The moments you have to record! And here I am, mid-January...haven't talked about Halloween yet! Ugh. Here we go.

Matt had another good football season! They performed well and were proud of what they did on the field. Their season got cut a little shorter than they hoped, but were proud of their highlight, beating South! I had to get in at least one photo of the season...and Daddy's biggest fan!

Opa came to visit and we always love when family comes in town! We had a short, but very sweet stay with him (he was traveling through on business). We made the most of our time, as usual, and even got some time outside...it was so nice out! Opa got crafty and even made Siena a puppet stage for her new critters from Opa. Coley, Simo, Radar, and Kit Kat were the stars of the show!! Thanks Opa! We love when you're here!!

Halloween, Siena was Minnie Mouse! We went to Target (our very favorite store) and I went up and down the aisles with Siena for her to look at the different choices. She came up with Minnie. A perfect choice for her. We went to Robert and Sharon's house and walked around their neighborhood a little bit with Andrew, Kayla, and Isaac. A few houses and we called it good. She's still young enough when after 10 houses we can go back in and watch Monday Night Football and there are no complaints from her. :)

Moving right along...Thanksgiving! Due to a shorter football season than State, we made our way to Michigan for the holiday. A very smooth drive up there and a wonderful time spent with family. There's not enough time in the day to write about how great it is to spend time up there and be with the people I love most in this world. It's great to get Siena around them and to relax with family. We started out the "long weekend" with Pappa and Joyce. Delicious food, good conversations, late nights, laughs upon laughs...that's what we do there! The rest of the time was spent at Grandma and Grandpa's house with ALL the family. Again, late nights, card games, good conversations, football, great food...hello! Doesn't get better than that! Siena loves to be with Opa and Oma and keep them on their toes. Building fires, going to the zoo, eating multiple Olive Burgers and Yesterdogs. The good stuff. And at Great Grandma's house - there are lots of young people that can wear Siena of some of her energy. Thank goodness for Bryce and Lily, my youngest cousins! They saved this tired Momma from lots of running around. Everyone did for that matter...maybe that's why it's so great to be around family! :) Unfortunately, there aren't tons of photos to capture the moments of Thanksgiving, but one yearly tradition was...the annual family football game. They're vicious!
Winners...
Losers...
Opposing teams...and yet, teammates in their ability to be ridiculous?!
Bryce and Lily - the two people that can keep up with Siena best!! :)

Siena and Grammie - football fans!

After getting home from Michigan after Thanksgiving, we were in full swing of getting to Christmas! It's amazing (every year!) how that time flies! We were bound and determined to get our fresh Christmas tree up with enough time to enjoy it before we left for Michigan again. So a few days after Thanksgiving, we found the most perfect tree and got her up and decorated. Siena was very excited about her own Christmas tree in her room. She got to decorate it with the ornaments that she wanted and have colorful lights on it and everything! She was a happy girl!




Sinterklaas came to town on December 5! Siena put out her wooden shoe to make sure she got a few treats for being a good girl. Usually you give the horse some carrots. We were fresh out of carrots, so parsley and biscuits were going to have to do! I don't think the horse minded...Siena found a few Dutch treats in her shoe the next morning!

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, we celebrated 7 years of marriage! What a treat it is to spend my life with Matt. He's a wonderful husband whom I love dearly. He makes me better and I'm as happy to be married to him now as I was in the little chapel in Michigan that snowy December evening. Cheers to 7 years - and Fogo de Chao...and a late night free coffee stop at Rumor's on the way home. Love you, babe!

It was also imperative that we go to see Santa! This year Siena has really embraced this man in the red suit. She was bound and determined to sit on his lap and tell him what a good girl she had been. Last year she wanted nothing to do with him, so we were thrilled to hear that she wanted to meet with him! Bass Pro, once again, was the hotspot for Santa. She dressed up in her pretty dress and was ready to meet him. We asked her what she was going to tell Santa she wanted for Christmas...her response: "A pogo stick and a candy cane!" A. I have no idea where a pogo stick came from. Not sure she would know what to do with that or where she got that idea in the first place. B. A candy cane was a sure fix for Santa - nothing like instant gratification for Siena! Good job, Santa! The experience was pleasant and we enjoyed the company of Grandma and Grandpa too!

Then, Christmas Break! We started our time off up in Michigan. The first part was spent with Opa and Oma. It's always a magical time at Christmas - and being there adds to the "wonderfulness" of it. We weren't busy, we weren't rushed...it was just perfect. The first couple days were pretty normal and low key. We ran errands, did a little shopping, and just took it easy. After all, those first couple days off are needed to just unwind from the busyness of school! Then, on Christmas Eve, we enjoyed a tiny bit of snow (that's all we got this year!), attempted to slide down the front hill a couple times, went to Christmas Eve service, ate a super delicious meal, and then started the fun of opening presents and stockings by the fire till late in the night. Siena got to open hers first, before she was off to bed. We never think it's going to take as long as it does...but before you know it, it's 2:00 in the morning and we're still going! Worth every minute of it and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Those are sacred times that I look forward to every year.

There wasn't much, but beggars can't be choosers! We went for it! And Siena got her first (hopefully not last) sled in of the season!

Christmas Day starts the second half of the Michigan trip and we're off to Great Grandma and Grandpa's house. Everyone meets there and from then on, we're in relax mode and just hanging out with family. We did a "white elephant" (with good gifts) exchange this year to try something new. We ended up with a beautiful painting of The Point (Up North) made by Heather and some darling Anthro bowls that are too sweet. A couple Euchre tournaments, many rounds of food, puzzles, games, football games on TV, and good conversation took the rest of the time. We had a Christmas get together with Kim, Kellie, Brad and the gang before we left too. That's always a fun time with little ones running around everywhere!!! It was everything we were hoping our time up there would be.

Siena getting a pretty princess dress for Christmas - complete with "magic magic poof" wand, crown, and pink heels!

Siena helped Great Grandpa (and everyone else, for that matter) open his Christmas present.
Cute story. We went to meet Mom up at the hospital for lunch a couple days before Christmas. At the gift shop, Mom bought Siena a balloon puppy. This puppy, who was named Finky, was the cutest balloon you have ever seen. It had string legs and just enough air that when Siena held the balloon by the "leash" it set on the floor and looked like she was walking a real dog. She ran all through the hospital with that dog! For the next few days, Finky was the family pet! Hands down, the most wonderful pet 2 parents could ask for...all the playing fun and none of the hassle of a real dog! Everyone was happy!! :)

Wednesday morning we headed back home to celebrate the holiday with Grandma and Grandpa back in KC. We spent a few days with them and pretended to wake up all over again Christmas morning. Matt set up a flag football game with friends from high school, college, and now. They had a great time pretending they were young again! We had a great time with Robert and Sharon and it was special to veg out with them too...

I can't say I quite know what's going on here, but she sure has the Christmas spirit!

New Year's Eve! This year, we decided no kids! The Sterlings, Whitworths, Meyers and us decided we were going to pretend to be young for a night and have fun without our little ones. We did a murder mystery dinner party and had a BALL! We all came dressed the part and had to figure out who done it. Matt was a goth, pessimistic videographer. I was an actress who thought she had it going on...but didn't. Oh, we laughed...a lot. We had fondue, snacks, and delicious beef tenderloin. There was nothing not to like about that evening. We love our friends dearly and they make doing life a whole lot more fun. Happy 2012!!!

And there you have it. The most eventful time of the year, captured in January, in very short snippets. I guess I have to just get over that. At least it's there, sorta. I really am going to try...
We were very blessed in 2011. God richly blessed our marriage, our child, our work, our play...God was very faithful to us. We have so much to be thankful for and pray that 2012 is no less of a blessing and learning experience. Until next time...

Girly Moments

Siena is becoming quite the "princess" these days and has lots of avenues to be a true girl! It's fun to see her come into her own and really start finding her own personality and character! Here are a few examples in the past while...
I'm not sure how this opportunity first came about, but Siena has had the privilege of going to some photo shoots with Hallmark. Through a few different connections, she has had 3 outings with them! The very first one was for Father's Day greeting cards sold at WalMart. Her and Matt (and I, as moral support) went out to a park in Kansas to capture some "Daddy/Daughter bonding" moments behind the camera. We had no idea how she would do, if she would like it, if they would like her...but everything went better than expected! She loved every moment of it - I guess when you're the center of attention and you get to wear cute clothes, why not, right?! She listened to direction well, had fun with Matt (which made for great photos), and held it together for 2 hours! We were impressed with her! She did great. Apparently, Hallmark did too. She was called back a few weeks later to do another photo shoot for a different set of greeting cards. This one seemed even more of a "big deal" because they were staged in a beautiful house, with wardrobe, lighting, more people on staff, and it was really great! They were teaming up with Disney, so Siena got to hold a Mickey Mouse the whole time, which for her - major score! She did great!! She kept it together for over 2 hours and minded really well. I do have to quote one thing she said, which really gave the Hallmark crew a laugh. We were just about finished and we were outside doing some photos by a tree. We were in the middle of the shoot and she said, "Hold on...wait...I need to take a break..." while putting her hands on her knees and acting out of breath. Yes, as if she owns the place and is really working hard. Oh my. But they laughed, so I guess that's a good sign right? She went to one more with Matt a few weeks after that and I guess did a great job with that one too. Both Matt and I promised each other that if she started to not enjoy herself or if it became a problem, we would stop going. But, up until this point, she has had a lot of fun doing it and doing really well with the shoots. So, for now, way to go! Proud of you girl!


Siena, Matt and I also had the opportunity to attend a Princess Party held at Valley View. This was the first we had heard of this event and we jumped at the opportunity. Everyone we mentioned it to said how great it was and what a fun time their girls had going to it. Siena dressed up in her pretty princess/church dress and headed to the Party! We were NOT disappointed! It was darling! They went all out to decorate the place. It no longer looked like a school (or our church)...it was a fairytale princess land with sparkles, crowns, and fun activities around every corner! Siena got to meet the Tooth Fairy, get her make-up done, get her picture taken with princesses, watch the princesses sing their movie songs, make a crown, a bracelet, decorate a cookie...there were so many things to see and do! We could not have asked for a more enjoyable party to attend! This will certainly be a tradition we try to uphold. So sweet. (As a side note, another really sweet thing was that Matt was one of the only dads that went with his little princess to the party. He had so much fun with her and it was fun to watch the two of them together. He's such a great daddy and so supportive of his little girl. Love him!)


Siena's favorite princess, Tiana! Miss Tiana was walking by Siena and she stopped her to see if she could have a picture with her.

Writing a letter to the Tooth Fairy...maybe a few years early, but a little practice never hurt anyone!

Who wouldn't pick up that pretty princess in a carriage!
Siena and her PRINCE!

Very serious...she means business when it comes to make-up!

The Things She Says...

As a parent, there are probably a million things we find funny when raising a child. And usually, those are the very things that no one else gets...let alone finds funny. I get that - and am fully aware. However, for my own record, I just have to write some of these things down. My memory is not my strongest quality (by far) and I know that before I know it, these memories with fade with the new things I'm sure she'll come up with. So...bear with me. But take it from me, these stories in person are really great.
So, my last post was about potty training, and I said I wouldn't talk much more about it, but this is hilarious. When Siena has to go #2, we go into the bathroom and I sit her down. She looks at me and says, "Momma, I need my 'privacies!'" I answer with a dumbfounded, "You need your privacy?" "Yes, get out of the bathroom, please!". What else is a mother to do in that situation...get out of the bathroom! Not two seconds later, when I think she is going to want me back in there, she says, "Momma, I need a book!". Yes, this situation really happened. And it happens every time she has to go. Go with it, right? Take this to the next level now. We are at a football game and in a public bathroom. She says the same thing to me, which I have to inform her that I am not going to leave her in the stall by herself. So, she tells me to turn around!! Whose kid is this?! There I sit, in the corner of the stall, turned around so that I can't watch my two-year-old go to the bathroom. And then she tells me that she's trying not to fall into the big potty. Seriously. To be a stranger in the stall next to us. I can't make stuff up this good. That's a classic.
Another fun thing these days is our Thursday nights. Thursday night the "boys come over". Matt's position players come over for spaghetti and meatballs every Thursday. Siena has come to look forward to these dinners. She loves those boys! The boys are really good with her and give her the attention she so needs from these really cool boys. So, as the season has gone along, she now knows their names, asks about them all week, and cheers for them at the games. In fact, one particular game, she looked at me and said, "Momma, I love Dante.". This was a huge surprise to me as I didn't know she knew to love anyone else other than her Momma and Daddy! I told her that she better not tell her Daddy that after the game (knowing full well that she would...or I would for her). So, when she told Matt after the game, he cleverly said, "You can only love Daddy and Grandpa. Not Donte.". So, from the on, she said, "I like Donte, I no love Donte." Out of the mouth of babes. Yes, it's cute now. When we're reading these posts 10 years from now, and she's saying the same thing, maybe not so funny. :)
Love that girl...and her antics!

PT!!!

I don't want to be one of those moms that talks about her kid's bodily functions all the time...who really wants to hear that anyway? I don't even want to hear about my own kid's nastiness, so I will spare most of the details...
However, there is one exception. And if you have ever gone through this experience, and succeeded, you know...it's worth the conversation. Ladies and gentlemen, Siena may officially be potty trained. There, I said it. I'm almost scared to post this due to the fact that last winter I also thought we were there. But this time, I think it's the real deal. Can you even believe it?!
Every once in a while, I would get brave and tale Siena to the store in panties or other places in public...to test her out. Most of the time, she did great. No major embarrassing moments. Or, unknown to me, Matt would stick her into the children's nursery at church with panties on and just hope for the best. That's riskier than I would have been, but that's why I love our partnership...and Siena rose to the challenge. But we wanted more than just "crossing our fingers and praying we wouldn't get mortified in public". :)
I guess it's true when they say it's really about when the KID is ready...not the parents. She really just decided one day that it was her time. She gets a "giddle" (skittle) for going "peeps" on the potty and a "sucka" for goings poops. I am sorry to share all that. And judge me if you like, but I was just about ready to do anything to get her trained. We'll work on getting off the "giddles" and suckers soon.
Oh, and one other thing about the training...I have always been told that you have to find something the child totally wants and is motivated by. The candy wasn't cutting it for a while, so I tried something else. At a consignment sale the other week I found a super cheap Leap Pad with a bunch of books. I thought she would totally love it. And I was right, especially the Dora and the Princess stories. So I went with it. If she had a dry day at Grandma and Grandpa's house all day, she got to play with Leap at night when we got home. She was super pumped to play with Leap, Lily, and Tad. So for a week, out of nowhere, she was dry! Mission accomplished!! That worked and now she just goes when she needs to and plays with Leap when she wants. It is lovely.
I am sure there are other horror stories that totally overshadow this one (and this one isn't even that bad), but to each his own. I think we got it. We'll disregard the little sickness she got right after getting trained and we had to put her back in a diaper for a week because, well, she just couldn't hold what was coming out. Oh, gross...I have crossed the line. I am done and that's over.
Congratulations, Siena!! Momma and Daddy are so very proud of you!! Way to go, girl! As you can tell, Siena is quite proud of herself too! As you should be, sweetheart...

Getting Outside!

Now that school has started and we don't get to spend every day together, we all try really hard to make the best of our time together. I don't mean to say that we didn't before or that we do all these crazy things now, but we just try to be intensional with our time and do things together instead of wasting days and time together. The end of the summer ended on a HOT note, so outside stuff has been hard to do. But a few rare occasions as of late have allowed us to get outside and really enjoy it!

Last weekend, Siena and I went down to City Market. We just needed to get out of the house. So, while Matt was at football meetings, Siena and I took a drive downtown. We really had a lot of fun! We bought some basil (for pesto - yum!!), peaches, and a few veggies. We walked around and looked at all the stuff...and sat down to enjoy the weather. It was pretty warm, so we needed to stop for a drink and a little snack. While doing that, I had a impromptu photo shoot. Caught some really cute photos of Siena...and a few of her many faces.

On our way out, we walked by a little train that pulled kids around the market. Had to stop. Too cute not too. And now that Siena is getting to the age where SHE wants to do these things, it was a well-spent $2.00. Oh, she loved it! She was the caboose and she had a smile on her face the entire time. It was precious. I was a proud Momma, watching from afar. It's funny how quickly that happens - 5 minutes ago it seemed I had to be by her all the time, helping her with everything. Now, off she goes on a train ride, waving to me as she passes by, all the while saying, "...see you in a little bit, Momma..." Sheesh.

Then, this weekend was quite a treat weather-wise! Today was like 7o and sunny! I think everyone was out of their houses, enjoying the ability to be out of the house and not sweat to death! Just a couple days ago it was over 100! But hey, it's not worth trying to figure out. We just enjoyed it. After dinner, Siena wanted to go to the park, so off we went! Again, the last time we went to this park, we were helping her onto everything, showing her how to do things...and now, I mostly sat by and watched her climb and slide! Again, she loved being outside and loved her independence. She is a very "...I do it like a big girl..." kind of girl. You know what, I'll take it. She's doing great. And I love to be along on her adventure!

Noteworthy Odds N Ends

Okay, so...once again, I am playing catch up. I guess it just happens. I'm over it. :)

There are a few things that have been happening since Siena's 2nd birthday that I want to make sure I document them. With the whirlwind of school and football starting, as well as totally changing the face of KidsQuest (the children's ministry that I lead at our church), we have been busy to say the least. And when we do have some time, it's spent together and with Siena. We wouldn't have things any other way, but it makes for busy weeks, weekends, and every moment in between.

Let's start with the Connie story. I referenced it in my last post, so I suppose I should detail that story a little bit. Yes, Connie was a birthday present. And yes, she is doing just great in the house. But she is replacing another little creature we had in our house for a short time. On Memorial Day weekend, we brought Cole, a black lab puppy home. He was a wonderful puppy and I'm sure he will make a wonderful dog someday, but we are not the family to find that out. What we did find out is that having a dog - no, let me rephrase, a puppy - is not in our cards right now. It's just about impossible. Between our schedules, our lack of energy when we get home, and a 2-year-old, a puppy was not a good idea. For anyone - including Cole. We found that out as the weeks went on and it just wasn't getting better. So, we had to swallow our pride a little bit and admit that it just wasn't working. We put some feelers out and tried to find a home for him that would be better than what we could do for him. Long story short, we found someone. A friend of my dad's. He lives in Northern Michigan and has a wonderful family with 2 boys, ages 9 and 11. The perfect set-up for Cole. All worked out. The only situation we were facing then was that he couldn't take him till Labor Day. Not that we wouldn't have been able to suck it up and keep him for another few weeks, but Em was in town for Siena's birthday and no one had any plans to be going to or from Michigan in the next while. It would have been the perfect situation to send Cole home with Em and that way Cole would be closer to them when the time came. My mom, bless her heart - seriously, said she would take him in for those few weeks in between. Her and Peter took care of that puppy for long enough to realize that we weren't completely crazy in saying that we just couldn't do it. Since that time, Cole has been given to his new family and everyone is happy. It was truly a blessing to find a good home for Cole so quick. He's going to be a great dog. We hope to see him someday again! Siena still talks about her "Coley" and I think she does miss him...or at least the thought of him. But we know we made the right decision and it's what's best for all parties involved. But, back to Connie. We promised Siena that when Cole had to leave to go to another home, she could get a fish. We were trying to ease the leaving of her pet. It seemed to work and her focus turned to the fish instead of the dog. The timing was really great because Cole left the weekend of Siena's birthday party and we were able to get Connie a few days later, on Siena's birthday. All worked out. And that's the story of Connie and Cole.

Cole, we know you're going to love your new family!

Another really big thing that has come up somewhat recently. Siena has moved to a big-girl bed. A couple weeks before summer was over, we got new carpet in our house. We are still wanting to sell our house and we figured carpet would help that process. While moving all the furniture off the old carpet, we on-the-whim decided to take Siena's crib apart and just go for the big-girl bed. After the new carpet was put in, we put everything back and we set up Siena's room with the door closed, trying to make it a really big deal. When she finally walked in, she saw her mattress on the floor with her blankets, Ya-Ya, and a couple extra little friends to keep her company in her new bed! We totally overdramatized it...but anything to get her to think that's really cool! And she did. She was pretty excited. We were both a little nervous about what she would do that very first night now that she would have free reign in her room. But she didn't move a muscle. She didn't cry (or make a peep for that matter), didn't move around or out of her bed, and that was that. We couldn't believe it! We stared at the monitor to see what she would do. I don't think she really knew what to do with herself! Well, that was the honeymoon period. She soon figured out that she could get out of bed and that she could open her door and walk right out of her room. So, for a couple of weeks, we had to fight that one out a little bit. Unfortunately, the latch on her door doesn't completely shut, so she can just push the door open. I found myself holding the door shut while she cried on the other side. We did that for a few nights and then she realized it wasn't worth it. I am proud to say that now she goes to bed and stays there. She still makes sure to get plenty of hugs and kisses before bed, but you will never hear me complain about that "staller". And I don't mind it one bit when she wakes up in the morning, opens her door, walk out, closes the door behind her, walks into our room and curls up in bed with me for a little bit in the morning. That snuggle time is priceless and I love every minute of it.

Nothing special, but she loves to say she's sleeping in a big-girl bed!! Another step closer to not being a little kid anymore...sigh...

And as a side note, we have started school. Matt started football the week of Siena's birthday (she was born the first day of practice two years ago - so she will always have football surrounding her birthday) and that has preoccupied a lot of his time. He really does love being a coach. And we love him being a coach. Siena and I plan to be at all of his games this season, cheering him on! Go Cats!

Matt and I have also both started teaching again. I am thrilled with my class - they are wonderful and a treat to teach. Matt is excited about some really great opportunities at the high school too. It's a good start to the year. Of course it's hard to be away from Siena and we both miss spending every day with her, but it's just the way life goes. I think I am a better mother because of my job...it's just my personality and how I operate. Matt loves what he does too and I know he loves Siena to be a part of that as much as possible. We are blessed to have jobs that allow for us to be with Siena as much as we are. We thank God all the time for the situations He has given us and the way He calls us to live a life for Him. We are very blessed. And as we start a new school year, we look forward to it all...