You're going to have to help me out on this. I love the idea of traditions and want to start some with our own family of four, but I need ideas. Think about things your family did while you were growing up or things you do now for holidays or special times of the year: Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, 4th of July, first day of school, summertime, snow days, birthdays, all the major holidays and anything else you can think of.
Several years ago, we started part of our Christmas tradion. On Christmas morning we have a special breakfast-pancakes or waffles (I think it's going to be waffles), scrambled eggs, and fresh squeezed orange juice. Then Matt reads the Christmas story from the Bible. And you probably know what comes next. Presents. Just a few. Our goal is to get the boys 3 presents a year. I got this idea from a friend. If I remember right, their kids got new jammies, a book, and a toy. I like the simplicity of that. Our boys don't NEED anything, but I have so much fun shopping. And then the wrapping is even more fun for me. Then I get to admire the pretty presents under the tree. And then see a little face light up when the present is opened.
Although we have not done this yet, I like this Christmas idea I got from someone else. Dress the kids in their jammies, make hot chocolate and popcorn or whatever snack you want, and drive around to look at Christmas lights. I LOVE to look at Christmas lights and I really like the rest of this idea. I doubt we will be able to do it this year, but maybe next. And I plan on wearing my Christmas jammies too. Doubtful that Matt will participate in the jammie portion. Perhaps I can bribe him with the snack.
I'm looking forward to reading about your traditions. Please leave me a comment!
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Two Surprise Visitors
When someone tells me they had surprise visitors, my minds jumps to four-legged critters, wild animals, things like that. Our surprise visitors were quite the opposite, the type of visitor that puts a smile on your face. Cousins! I knew my parents were coming to visit, but my mom didn't tell me they were bringing Sweet Girl and Dude to play with Baden. We were thrilled to see them!
Laughter, shrieks, squeals, loud pitter patters, and lots of chattering filled the day. This is a brief re-cap of what 3, (well, 4) little cousins do for fun when they get together for an afternoon. (and if anyone knows tips on how to move pictures where you want them, PLEASE tell me! I had the hardest time with these and wasn't able to move them where I wanted.)
Laughter, shrieks, squeals, loud pitter patters, and lots of chattering filled the day. This is a brief re-cap of what 3, (well, 4) little cousins do for fun when they get together for an afternoon. (and if anyone knows tips on how to move pictures where you want them, PLEASE tell me! I had the hardest time with these and wasn't able to move them where I wanted.)
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| Fun on the teeter totter |
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| chalking the driveway |
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| modeling Sweet Girl's shoes |
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| some t-ball |
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books |
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| swinging |
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| Ryder made his appearance |
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| puzzles |
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| and no visit is complete without an adjustment |
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| and getting squished! |
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Discover The Y
As a stay at home mom to two young boys, I often feel like I'm not able to help others, serve, and make a difference the way I would really like to. Matt and I were recently asked to host a table for the Discover the Y fundraising dinner. My first thought was no way, everyone is too busy, broke, or already supporting something, whether it is their local church, Christian radio, Stillwater Life Services, FCA, missionaries, Disabled Veterans, Humane Society, and numerous other good organizations. However, we said yes, and I feel like this is a small way I can make a difference.
I don't know that much about the Y, but recently discoved it's our own little mission field right in the center of Stillwater, ministering to youth everyday, some that have no one to go home to when they get out of school, also known as latch key kids. I realize it's not up to me to decide who does or does not have money to support the Y. I believe it's more about the giver's heart than the giver's amount.
Would you please consider this an invitation for you and your spouse/guest to learn more about the role of the YMCA in our community and their vision for the future? The dinner is Tuesday, November 16, 6:30-8:30 pm at the Conoco Phillips Alumni Center. Dress is business casual and is FREE to attend. If you would like to attend or want more information, please personal message me on facebook or email me at kemberswan@hotmail.com
Thank you for considering this opportunity to make a difference in the lives of youth in our community!
I don't know that much about the Y, but recently discoved it's our own little mission field right in the center of Stillwater, ministering to youth everyday, some that have no one to go home to when they get out of school, also known as latch key kids. I realize it's not up to me to decide who does or does not have money to support the Y. I believe it's more about the giver's heart than the giver's amount.
Would you please consider this an invitation for you and your spouse/guest to learn more about the role of the YMCA in our community and their vision for the future? The dinner is Tuesday, November 16, 6:30-8:30 pm at the Conoco Phillips Alumni Center. Dress is business casual and is FREE to attend. If you would like to attend or want more information, please personal message me on facebook or email me at kemberswan@hotmail.com
Thank you for considering this opportunity to make a difference in the lives of youth in our community!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
76 Trombones
There are pros and cons with everything. This includes having children. Prior to having kids, it seemed near impossible to be somewhere by 9 am on a Saturday morning. Why would I want to wake up that early? Even if I did, I would stay in my jammies, relax, and be lazy for a while. I am a night owl. My ideal hours would be bedtime around 2 am, wake up around 10 am. Or noon.
Thanks to having kids, I saw my first OSU Homecoming parade this year. Planning goes into everything around our house, and if it doesn't I'm usually frustrated. All week long, I had mentally been planning out the morning so that we could get to the parade in time. Matt is training for a marathon, so he went on a 2 1/2 hour run and I had the responsibility of getting the other 3 of us ready before he got home. Sucess! When he got home, we greeted him in the driveway wearing our bright orange shirts.
Here is a rundown of the parade from 4 perspectives:
Matt
Man, my legs are sore from running. Baden, can you stand by yourself for a minute so my legs can rest? Man, my legs are sore. Yep, those are airplanes. We should have brought some chairs. Next year we should bring chairs. My legs are sore. There's Bullet. Oh, there's Bullet again. Baden, let's sit down so daddy can rest his legs.
Kember
Baden
Airplanes! Fly high. Up in the sky. More airplanes. There's Bullet! Me really, really like Bullet. More Bullet. (pouting). Look, more Bullet (as more horses march by). Drums, really really loud. Me like Bullet. Big truck. Sirens loud. Sirens scare Ryder. Lawnmowers go fast. Motorcycles. More Bullet. Me really really like Bullet. Oh, horse poop. Poop, daddy.
Ryder
Man, I'm tired. Ready for a nap. I'm all snuggly in the carrier that mommy is wearing. She sure is hoping I'll take a nap. BOOM BOOM BOOM (drums) CLANG CLANG symbols. WHOOO WHOOO (sirens) BOOM BOOM BOOM (more drums) This parade sure is loud. Hey, what's going on out there? Mommy, can you turn me facing out so I can see all the action? ORANGE!!! Why is everyone wearing orange? Oh good, mommy dressed me in orange too. And put my OSU bib on. I really like chewing on my bibs. Oh, horses. There's Bullet! Man, this parade is really loud.
There weren't 76 trombones, but there were a lot of bands. The parade really was good. We all enjoyed it. On the way to the van, we asked Baden what his favorite part of the parade was. His response, "the end".
Thanks to having kids, I saw my first OSU Homecoming parade this year. Planning goes into everything around our house, and if it doesn't I'm usually frustrated. All week long, I had mentally been planning out the morning so that we could get to the parade in time. Matt is training for a marathon, so he went on a 2 1/2 hour run and I had the responsibility of getting the other 3 of us ready before he got home. Sucess! When he got home, we greeted him in the driveway wearing our bright orange shirts.
Here is a rundown of the parade from 4 perspectives:
Matt
Man, my legs are sore from running. Baden, can you stand by yourself for a minute so my legs can rest? Man, my legs are sore. Yep, those are airplanes. We should have brought some chairs. Next year we should bring chairs. My legs are sore. There's Bullet. Oh, there's Bullet again. Baden, let's sit down so daddy can rest his legs.
Kember
Let's park here so we can walk by Aspen and I can get a drink on the way to the parade. We'll just stand on the corner by Aspen to watch. Oh shoot, the line is to the door. Let's get a place to stand and I'll go get a drink later. The line is still to the door. Baden, smile so mommy can get a picture. Matt, do you think it's ok that I'm standing in the landscaping? I want to be able to see. Matt, can I have the camera again so I can take another picture? Oh good, there's a pause, I'm gonna go get a latte now. Man, this drink is good. Matt, smile so I can get a picture of you and Baden at his first parade. Can you take a picture of me and Ryder?
Baden
Airplanes! Fly high. Up in the sky. More airplanes. There's Bullet! Me really, really like Bullet. More Bullet. (pouting). Look, more Bullet (as more horses march by). Drums, really really loud. Me like Bullet. Big truck. Sirens loud. Sirens scare Ryder. Lawnmowers go fast. Motorcycles. More Bullet. Me really really like Bullet. Oh, horse poop. Poop, daddy.
Ryder
Man, I'm tired. Ready for a nap. I'm all snuggly in the carrier that mommy is wearing. She sure is hoping I'll take a nap. BOOM BOOM BOOM (drums) CLANG CLANG symbols. WHOOO WHOOO (sirens) BOOM BOOM BOOM (more drums) This parade sure is loud. Hey, what's going on out there? Mommy, can you turn me facing out so I can see all the action? ORANGE!!! Why is everyone wearing orange? Oh good, mommy dressed me in orange too. And put my OSU bib on. I really like chewing on my bibs. Oh, horses. There's Bullet! Man, this parade is really loud.
There weren't 76 trombones, but there were a lot of bands. The parade really was good. We all enjoyed it. On the way to the van, we asked Baden what his favorite part of the parade was. His response, "the end".
Monday, October 25, 2010
City Girl Meets Country
Our trip to Calico Acres Farm all came about because my friend wanted to milk a cow. I told her I knew a family with goats, contacted my friend and scheduled a day and time. A goat is close enough, right? All we really needed was a pair of, well, nevermind...
The four of us-my friend Elena, myself, Baden and Ryder-loaded up the van and were on our way to milk some goats. When we arrived, Baden was distracted by two cats on the sidewalk, a beautiful Clematis full of purple blooms captured my attention, Elena noticed the aroma of goats, and Ryder was just thankful to get out of his carseat. Linda and a couple of friendly dogs welcomed us at the front door. After some chit-chat and meeting one of her sons, we stepped outside to the meet the goats.
Once again, Baden was distracted-this time it was by a giant jungle gym that he really wanted to play on, but I told him we were there to see the goats. After passing through the first gate, we met the male goats. An unexpected sight on the fencepost caught our attention, a spider carrying a cricket. What a sight! Elena and Linda paused to take a few pictures. I'm pretty sure Linda's turned out the best because she had some help from Bibs, one of her goats.
Next, we were at our destination-the female goats. We went into the milking barn and Linda's son got a goat ready and gave us a brief lesson on the "how to's" of milking a goat. I had the pleasure of going first. I did some "milking" and did all right for a city girl with very little experience, unless you count nursing children and I've got 23 months of experience so far. I've milked a goat once before at the fair so I wasn't an official rookie. When I was done, I noticed Baden was kneeling to watch me-kneeling in some goat poop to be more specific. Elena had her turn milking and I was able to capture some pictures. I suppose in the world of milking goats, she was successful and was thrilled to get to fulfill her desire to milk a cow-except that it was a goat. Baden liked to pet the goats, was comfortable standing close to them, but he passed on the actual milking part. Maybe next time. Oh, and Ryder had fallen asleep by this time so I didn't even bother asking him what he thought about the goats. Or the milking. Or the poop.
After the milking we thought we were done, but Baden noticed a horse standing at the fence. He's into horses these days so he and Elena walked over to meet the horse and pet it. I was busy taking pictures. I tend to miss out on some of the actual experiences in lieu of getting a record of the memory, but someone's gotta do it. We said goodbye to the horse and goats, walked through some more poop, and were escorted back to the house by algae covered dogs who had just taken a dip in the lagoon.
I guess this is normal life on a small farm. Nice people, animals, pretty flowers, more animals, poop, bugs, wet dogs, and "nice" aromas. We thoroughly enjoyed our adventure and are very thankful to Linda and her family for letting us interrupt their day to welcome us to their home, teach us a few things, and spend time with us!
The moral of this story is, you never know where you will end up when you're in the mood to milk a cow.
The four of us-my friend Elena, myself, Baden and Ryder-loaded up the van and were on our way to milk some goats. When we arrived, Baden was distracted by two cats on the sidewalk, a beautiful Clematis full of purple blooms captured my attention, Elena noticed the aroma of goats, and Ryder was just thankful to get out of his carseat. Linda and a couple of friendly dogs welcomed us at the front door. After some chit-chat and meeting one of her sons, we stepped outside to the meet the goats.
Once again, Baden was distracted-this time it was by a giant jungle gym that he really wanted to play on, but I told him we were there to see the goats. After passing through the first gate, we met the male goats. An unexpected sight on the fencepost caught our attention, a spider carrying a cricket. What a sight! Elena and Linda paused to take a few pictures. I'm pretty sure Linda's turned out the best because she had some help from Bibs, one of her goats.
Next, we were at our destination-the female goats. We went into the milking barn and Linda's son got a goat ready and gave us a brief lesson on the "how to's" of milking a goat. I had the pleasure of going first. I did some "milking" and did all right for a city girl with very little experience, unless you count nursing children and I've got 23 months of experience so far. I've milked a goat once before at the fair so I wasn't an official rookie. When I was done, I noticed Baden was kneeling to watch me-kneeling in some goat poop to be more specific. Elena had her turn milking and I was able to capture some pictures. I suppose in the world of milking goats, she was successful and was thrilled to get to fulfill her desire to milk a cow-except that it was a goat. Baden liked to pet the goats, was comfortable standing close to them, but he passed on the actual milking part. Maybe next time. Oh, and Ryder had fallen asleep by this time so I didn't even bother asking him what he thought about the goats. Or the milking. Or the poop.
After the milking we thought we were done, but Baden noticed a horse standing at the fence. He's into horses these days so he and Elena walked over to meet the horse and pet it. I was busy taking pictures. I tend to miss out on some of the actual experiences in lieu of getting a record of the memory, but someone's gotta do it. We said goodbye to the horse and goats, walked through some more poop, and were escorted back to the house by algae covered dogs who had just taken a dip in the lagoon.
I guess this is normal life on a small farm. Nice people, animals, pretty flowers, more animals, poop, bugs, wet dogs, and "nice" aromas. We thoroughly enjoyed our adventure and are very thankful to Linda and her family for letting us interrupt their day to welcome us to their home, teach us a few things, and spend time with us!
The moral of this story is, you never know where you will end up when you're in the mood to milk a cow.
Friday, October 22, 2010
The Why and What's To Come
Why a blog? I'm not an avid blog reader. I've probably only looked at 10 or less. My passion for journaling plus my love for connecting with people on facebook led me to want to blog. I am a woman of many words (my poor husband) and there is a lot I want to say. Growing up I was very shy, not so quiet around close friends, but shy. And very insecure. After I got married, I was still a pretty private person and did not want everyone knowing my business. Now that I am on facebook, I think I may have gone the other way and share too much information. At some point, I'll learn the balance.
I don't think life is meant to be lived alone. There is so much to learn from others and opportunites to help others. To put it simply, my purpose in life is to love God and love others. My desire is that I will make a positive difference in other's lives, whatever that may be. My blog will be sharing bits of my life and things I am passionate about, with hopes that whoever reads it will be a better person in some way.
So what are the bits of my life that I will write about? Childhood memories, people who have influenced me, my struggles, my joys, my sons' birth stories, life as a mom, funny things that happen, and pretty much anything else that happens in day to day life. There are also things I am passionate about and I love to talk about them. A few of my passions are my journey as a Christian, organizing, homebirth and natural family living, health, good food, and being creative.
For some reason, people are fascinated with other peoples lives, but it is odd to me that anyone would care to read about ordinary me writing about my simple life. I hope you enjoy my blog. I hope you leave comments. I welcome questions and I hope you will be bold enough to ask.
I don't think life is meant to be lived alone. There is so much to learn from others and opportunites to help others. To put it simply, my purpose in life is to love God and love others. My desire is that I will make a positive difference in other's lives, whatever that may be. My blog will be sharing bits of my life and things I am passionate about, with hopes that whoever reads it will be a better person in some way.
So what are the bits of my life that I will write about? Childhood memories, people who have influenced me, my struggles, my joys, my sons' birth stories, life as a mom, funny things that happen, and pretty much anything else that happens in day to day life. There are also things I am passionate about and I love to talk about them. A few of my passions are my journey as a Christian, organizing, homebirth and natural family living, health, good food, and being creative.
For some reason, people are fascinated with other peoples lives, but it is odd to me that anyone would care to read about ordinary me writing about my simple life. I hope you enjoy my blog. I hope you leave comments. I welcome questions and I hope you will be bold enough to ask.
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