Swimming Lessons

We are blessed to have an outdoor pool in town and even more blessed that they offer lessons at a severely cheap rate! We did Park and Rec swimming lessons in Eau Claire with Lillia, but she was beyond bored with the songs, games, and "all the babies"... and truthfully we were quite tired of the sub-zero temps of the indoor pool. We weren't really sure what to expect this time around, especially since we weren't going to be getting in the pool with her, but we were beyond impressed! Lilly's "boy teacher" and "girl teacher" as she lovingly called them were wonderful at keeping the kids focused and interested! I was equally as impressed with how well Lilly followed instructions and responded to direction... if only she would do that at home! She loved blowing bubbles and kicking in the water, but was not such a big fan of going under. We can't wait to do swimming lessons again next summer!

Vaca Continues...

After leaving the zoo we checked into a hotel for a little water park fun! Both of the kids loved the shallow kiddie pool although we did have quite a traumatizing experience on the mushroom slide. Lilly made friends with any and all little boys that came to play and Logan went down the slide with Daddy over and over! Saturday we attempted Bay Beach, but between Logan's outbreak of Leprosy looking rash and the Monsoon that hit we didn't get a lot of time to enjoy the rides. All natural disasters aside, Lilly got quite a bit of "Molly time" anyways, so she was happy! I'm not so sure Molly is going to fit in those bumpy bugs next year!

*New Zoo*

Sadly, with having to work everyother weekend and the multiple summer obligations we have this year, our trip to visit Tom's family doubled as our summer vacation. Not that we don't LOVE visiting the Hoopers, but we usually try to do a trip as a family as well. We did however, have a great time... minus Logan's trip to the ER! We woke up bright and early Friday morning and hit the road. We spend most of Friday at the New Zoo with John. He works as a volunteer there, so we he was a great tour guide.

Lilly was a little diappointed that they only had leaves to feed the giraffes instead of crackers like last year, but as tradition she chickened out before actually feeding them anyways! Logan had a blast as well... he giggled and pointed at all the animals... until he fell asleep that is!

Rub-a-Dub

Rub-a-Dub-Dub my little man in the {sink} tub!

Logan is a little bathtub fanatic... he comes running anytime he hears water running... and squeals the cutest little squeal until you let him in to play! And really, how can you say no to those dimples?!? While I am a little ashamed to admit it, I am a rare hand washer thanks to the modern convienence of the dishwasher! So when I did fill up the sink to wash a few pans that didn't fit in the current load Logan was all over me to get in! Needless to say the pans didn't get washed... but we had a lot of laughs!

Independance Day with the Becks!

4th of July was my "bonus" holiday this year. Falling on a Sunday... and not my holiday to work... I had a 1 day weekend... smack dab in the middle of two weekends off! That may sound like a small gift, but after working EVERY weekend in June it was a much needed break!

We spent the 4th with our good friends the Becks! Brooke, Shane, and Cameron have been great friends and everytime we spend time with them we leave saying "we really need to make more time to do stuff with them". We had a blast watching Lilly and Cameron run around playing "monster" in the basement with flashlights... eating WAY too much... exploding poppers (and making a huge mess) in their back yard... and watching the Carson Park Fireworks with the Johnsons. We really need to get together again soon!

3... going on 17

My dearest Lillia-

Ever since they held that sweet little bum of yours over the surgical drape and announced that you were a little girl I have secretly prayed you would be just a little girly! I couldn't wait to put you in frilly dresses, pigtails, and tutus!

Prayers answered... you are girly to the core! That's not to say that you don't enjoy jumping in mud puddles or playing trucks with your brother... but deep down you're a princess! You wear dresses everyday... and are very methodical about which ones you will wear for certain occasions! You love crowns, necklaces, make-up, and shoes!

On this particular day I found you in the bathroom... playing "Mommy"... not sure if this is a replication of how tired I look after a long night at work or not... but you were pretty proud of yourself! I just hope the cashier in the grocery store didn't mistake it for a black eye! There will come a day (too soon I'm afraid) when you will be hogging the bathroom... stealing my make-up... and picking out prom dresses. My little girly girl!

Blog Neglect

Who was I kidding... a blog... ha ha ha! Life has been busy... to say the least... but I am happy to report I have found a few minutes to attempt to catch up! Stay tuned!

Tugging at my heartstrings...

Dear Morgan,

It's been almost 3 months since you left us now... your new house must think I'm nuts for writing you a letter... but not a day goes by we don't think of you and miss you like crazy. We watch the videos posted for new glimpses of you and pray every night that you will find a home filled with love, room to run, and lots of pigs ears ;) I can't apologize enough for leaving you, I can't imagine how confused you must be, but please know we didn't know what else to do to help you. We are forever thankful to everyone at Bob's House... we didn't know if we'd ever see that cute little tail wag again. It's nice to see you playful and not shaking and crying... sure wish we could have done that for you here.

Everyone told us that Lilly was young enough and would soon forget... but they must have underestimated the love the two of you shared! She asks about you everyday and laughs when she sees the videos of you running with the other dogs... "Morggy is happy again!". I know how hard it has been on her to lose her best friend... and although you probably don't miss being used as a landing mat, dressed up, or being walked around the house on your lease for hours... I'm sure you miss her too!

Logan is getting big and you would LOVE all of the food he now drops on the floor! That was when you first started to appreciate Lilly... when she could feed you :) The vet wasn't too happy about all the weight you put on those few months, but we laughed and just took a few extra walks! :)

Things just aren't the same without you here... but I'm so thankful that you're not as stressed and you're in good hands.

We love you Morggy! Big hugs and belly rubs!

The start of wedding season

With Tom out of town for a bachelor party, I was left to fend for myself at the start of wedding season! Now, normally I wouldn't complain. Free beer, good music, great company... but I had two small children in tow... and I wasn't quite sure how they would do. As it turns out Lilly LOVES weddings! She danced every song (minus the father/daughter dance where we had to drag her off the floor and bribe her with a sip of sprite... not my finest parenting moment... but I did what worked at the time). A true social butterfly she made friends instantly... it was so much fun to watch! Speaking of watch... Pa never took his eyes of her... especially when she was slow dancing with her "boyfriend". I guess having three daughters makes you attentive to those kinds of things... I should've known he'd be equally as protective of his granddaughter! Bring on wedding season... the Hooper kids are ready! Congrats to Katie and Cory... we had a wonderful time at your wedding!

ODE to my {taller} little SIS

To the little sister who drove me insane always following me around, stealing my toys, crashing my slumber parties, and throwing tantrums at the most inopportune times... I love you! I can't tell you how incredibly thankful I am to have you in my life. Yes, you are my {free} babysitter anytime I need you... but you are also one of the kindest most accepting people I know, you have become a shoulder I can lean on, cool aunt "Tinzie", and one of my best friends. I'm so proud of the woman you have become. Good Luck Friday... we believe in you!

Techno Savvy

Dear Children,

I never thought I'd say... "When I was young..." but here I go. Believe it or not, when I was young we had phones attached to the wall! I burned through many a phone cords in attempt to stretch it to my room and shut the door for a little privacy... and yes I've used a rotary phone. In fact, I remember the first cordless phone my parents bought. It had horrible reception and took hours to charge! There were NO cell phones {gasp!} and if I needed to get a hold of someone while driving I had to stop and find a pay phone... I think there is one in the Smithsonian... maybe I'll show it to you one day. :)

My techno savvy kiddos... you are always on the phone (although Logan chews on it more than anything) pretending to talk and text, you can run our iPods better then we can, and you love to "surf" the web! I have a feeling it will not be long before you are teaching us a thing or two. And it makes me chuckle to look towards the future when you are telling your children about the "old days"... when the iPad is a thing of the past!

Love,

Mommy

Summer Splashing

Ahhh... summer... so glad you're here! We have taken advantage of a few *hot* days to get out and get wet! We finally broke out the slip 'n slide that Tom just HAD to register for as a wedding gift. Logan... not so much a fan... we spent most of the evening sidelined cheering on Lilly and Daddy! A few wipe outs, but no major injuries occurred. We had lots of laughs!

Thursday Tom surprised us by leaving work early and planning a trip to the pool! You can imagine Lilly's excitement to find out the pool was open... I (admittedly) tell her it's closed every time we drive by so I don't have to listen to her whine about wanting to go... bad parenting I know! My little water baby... we practically had to drag her out as the pool as it was closing! She even considered braving the water slide once, but chickened out when she found out she had to climb the stairs... maybe next time :) Thanks for the surprise honey!

A family of nurses...

I again found myself working on another important day... Lindsay's graduation! Luckily I had a co-worker willing to come in early... just in time for me to make it to her convocation ceremony! Such a proud day to watch my baby sister graduate... and seeing as how she's following in my footsteps (as a UWEC grad) it made it that much more special! The last of 3 nurses to graduate (although she was the only smart one... doing it without acquiring a useless degree) we now have a family full of nurses! The ceremony was long and hot... and Logan didn't make it long... but Lilly sat through the whole thing... cheering "Yay Tinzie" when she walked across the stage!

After graduation we went to BWW's with the family... and what better way to celebrate than with wings and beer... perfect college combo! So proud of you Lindsay! There are some very lucky patients in your future!

A Day to Remember

To the man of my dreams...

Call me a sap... it's been done before... but all of the wedding talk surrounding us takes me back (5 years ago) to the day we stood before our family, friends, and God to declare our love and commitment for each other. That day I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that you and I were destined for greatness... but this "great" was beyond my wildest dreams! You are the most patient man I've ever met... with the kids... and yes, me too! You are kind, generous, truthful (sometimes to a fault), motivated.. the list goes on and on. Though our life may not be a fairytale, you always make me feel like a princess... and I'm positive there will be a happy ending! I love you... more than I did that day (and I didn't think that was possible)!

Peanut

Cabin Fever

Just wanted to share a little piece of one of my favorite vacation spots! It's nothing fancy, but it elicits a state of relaxation beyond any other (could have something to do with my Mom's cooking)! It's the place Tom and I shared our first days as husband and wife... writing out 'Thank You' cards, cuddling by the fire, taking long walks through the woods, and indulging in too much candy from our favorite candy shop!

This Memorial Day at the cabin was especially sweet because it was Logan's first trip! Unfortunately, we just haven't made a lot of time for the cabin since the kids arrived. We packed up as a family... Lindsay stuffed in the back seat between car seats (what a trooper)... and headed up Friday afternoon to join Pa. (Nana made the trip after work). We enjoyed a boat ride, watching Lilly attempt to fish for the first time (thank goodness for floating poles), and even a trip into town for ice cream and a local craft fair. It's the first Memorial Day I can remember that it didn't rain... it was absolutely perfect! We were even blessed enough to stumble upon a fawn, just born and learning to walk! Such a little miracle! We headed home Sunday afternoon well rested, over fed, bruised and bug bitten... can't wait to get up there again!

Let them have cake... and 4 party hats!

Lilly turned 3 on a Friday... and even though I had requested it off to spend it with my BIG girl... the new implementation of 3 days weekends put a big wrench in our plans. (Such is the life as a nurse) To celebrate we wanted to do something special for Lilly... even if we couldn't make a trip to the underwater world. Everyday we asked what she wanted for her birthday... and the answer was always the same... "cake and 4 party hats"! Ah, the simplicity and stricking innocents of a 3 year old... love it! When Lilly awoke Friday morning we had a tea party set up just for her... complete with cupcakes and 4 party hats! Such a sweet blessing to be able to spend the day with my kids! And as an added birthday bonus, I was placed on call for work and we were able to spend the afternoon in the park as a family!

Lilly turns 3!

Where oh where did the last 3 years go? To my sweet little Lilly... you are an amazing bundle of creativity, energy, spunk, and determination. At 3 you can run faster than most adults, count to 7, identify all the colors, color for hours on end, empty your dresser quicker than I can make a trip to the bathroom, and make me smile even after the worst day at work. You love to swing, color, jump on beds, run in the rain, "water" flowers, play hopscotch, bake with Mom, go to the park, push down your brother. You are kind to animals, partially potty trained, stubborn to the core, and give the best hugs! You are the little girl I prayed so hard for... just stop growing up so fast -- deal?

Welcome to my Sweet Little Blessings...

Welcome to my Sweet Little Blessings... a place for me to document and share all the wonderful (and not so wonderful) events of our crazy little life! It recently occured to me that my children are growing at an alarming rate (This may have occured about the time Logan blurted out "Tiger"... yes, Tiger was his first word)! Being the dedicated (or not so dedicated as of lately) scrapbooker I am... I have committed myself to preserving these memories for my kids... however small they seem. That being said... I am currently an entire YEAR behind in scrapbooking and feeling a bit overwhelmed by having to scrapbook each event twice. So, as my solution to not forget all of the sweet details of these little blessings... I introduce the {blog}! It will also be a great way for friends and family to keep track of us! Enjoy!