~* Fun with Friends*~

The other night we made last minute plans to hang out with some friends of ours. Jake and Aaron work together, and all of our kids are similar in age. We love to hang out with them and see the kids having a good time. Their third daughter, Eilyn is the same age as Abigail (a few weeks apart). So it is fun to see the girls having a good time together. Hunter loves their middle child, Kaylin, and they were often found running around the halls and playing the leap frog toy together. It is nice when we can get out of the house and enjoy the company of others. I can tell we will all be friends for a long time and will enjoy watching our kids grow up together!

These two just love to play together!

All the pretty girls! *yes... Abby does not have her pants on...

Ring around the rosie was the game of the night!

~So Much To Be Thankful For~

                          What Abby is thankful for


                             What Hunter is thankful for

This Thanksgiving I again reflect on all of the blessings we have in our life. I could list everything (I won't), but I am thankful for it everyday. This year especially I have been thankful for the lessons learned in being joyful for what we have and treasuring everyday to the most possible. I will never know when our lives will change on a dime, but eventually I'm sure that it will and we will have a stronger family to get through it.

I do have to continue to be thankful for the wonderful marriage I have. Jake and I have shared and individual dreams, individual and shared frustrations, and work towards a happier family everyday. We don't have the perfect marriage, I can't say we don't fight, but we can work things out. This relationship gives our lives the platform to move forward with our hopes and dreams. I am so grateful for him.

Thank you for enjoying our lives with us and continuing to follow this blog. I don't write as much as I wish I did, but I hope that looking back I am able to show my kids that our lives that they don't remember were filled with laughter, fun, and challenges that we overcame together.

Looking forward to the holidays and a New Year, I'm sure we will have more stories to share!

~Verdon Kid Debate 2012~ The voters choice

 

He's a little right, she is a little left, and I'm not referring to political parties! 

My friend said she had a dream that there was a debate on, and it was between Hunter and Abigail... which got me to the cute idea of what it would look like to have these two debating right now and what would be said and who would win. Granted, Abigail cannot talk a whole lot yet, so some of the things she may say in this blog, would obviously be implied. 

So here are the topics:  WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU GET IN TROUBLE, WHAT IS YOUR STANCE ON EATING YOUR VEGETABLES, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR STANCE ON EQUALITY

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU GET IN TROUBLE: 

Hunter- When I get in trouble, the first thing I do is: ------------------------ I never get in trouble! I just know how to make it seem like my reaction is worse than my offense... so really, I manipulate how to get my way...

Abby- When I get in trouble, the first thing I do is: Give my award winning smile, laugh, and do it again. 

WHAT IS YOUR STANCE ON EATING YOUR VEGETABLES:

Hunter- If it is green beans, I'm all for it. Green beans are the only vegetable worth growing. Lets use all of that energy of producing other vegetables towards greater good like growing sugar cane.

Abigail- The true question here is whether I feel vegetables or fruit is more superior, which I would have to explain to you after I finish eating my grapes, strawberries, and oranges. 

WHAT WOULD BE YOUR STANCE ON EQUALITY:

Hunter- Well, most of the time I feel all people are equal, except when it comes to sharing my legos, which then makes me believe that not all people can play with them. Does this mean I have to share in order to run for president?

Abigail- I don't mind all things being equal, especially when it is with Hunter. However, some times I think that I am persuasive in arguments which cause me to scream at him. He then makes sure I get equal time playing with something, so I feel it is fair. At least my voice can be heard and I can use my assets to my benefit. 

Have fun at the polls everyone! If you can't make a decision, write in Hunter or Abigail... it might work better anyway!

~The Best of Friends~

I've been told many times about how siblings do not get along, how they end up hating each other most of the time while growing up... so for now, I'm going to enjoy where my kids are at (and HOPE that it won't change!). Hunter and Abby love each other so much and really enjoy being around each other. They are independent enough to leave each other alone but yet, still enjoy doing things together. They share pretty well (Hunter gives into her cries), and she will give up when he is stubborn about giving in. I find it interesting watching the two of them and how much they interact together. I'm sure things will start to change a bit when she is talking more... and I know that is right around the corner! She seems to be SO wanting to say more, but has a hard time coming up with the words. It is a matter of time... and that goes so quickly.

So today, we got home from a trip to Eau Claire, and we all went out to pick our pumpkins since it froze hard last night and killed the plant. We had a great time all together getting the pumpkins on the wagon. I enjoyed getting some time to take photos of my kiddos. They turned out great, and I would be tempted to use them as Christmas photos. The kids love getting their picture taken together, but Abby... oh Abby... she will NOT look at me when I want to take a picture of just her! Most of the time when I get one of just her, all I get is her attitude. But I remember this phase with Hunter, and the more acts like a ham for the camera, the more she will too. He loves getting his picture taken, just so he can look at it. Goof ball!

After we picked our pumpkins, we walked around the yard picking up "Fall things" for Hunter's classroom. This kid gets a lot of homework. Almost every night we have to do something different for the next day. I also have to keep on top of what letter he is learning in school now. This will be difficult just staying ahead of what he needs for each class! Oh well, good thing I'm done with classes now, just in time for him to start! Enjoy this fall weather... I know we are happy for the change of the season, but yet, like every year, where did the time go? In just a few short months, the snow will be falling, the kids will be stuck inside, and we will be enjoying getting ready for the holidays. Stay warm everyone!

***Hunter's First Day of School***

Hunter- First day of pre-k 3

Checking out the little sink!

So I had myself completely convinced that 3k was not really school, that he really was just doing more of a 'playdate' type thing twice a week for a few hours... that was until I saw the entire set up on the first day of school! We went to see the classroom last week Tuesday. We met the teacher, took his picture, talked to the principal, everything a normal student does on the first meet and greet day of the year. Tuesday was a breeze, the kids were fun, we were all smiles. But then, for me, there was Thursday.

Hunter was pretty excited for school. He wasn't overjoyed, but I don't think he really knew what to expect. I was not sure how he was going to take it. For a long time he told me he wasn't going to school this fall, that he would go when he gets older, and then I had to convince him he really was signed up for school. After meeting his teacher on Tuesday, he really relaxed about it all and even at the open house he was pretty casual with having his parents there. He was running up and down the halls and talking to everyone who would look at him (yes, my "I'm shy" boy!). So by the first real day on Thursday, he was humming to himself "Mrs. Canfield, Mrs. Canfield, Mrs. Canfield" on the way out to the car.

We got to drop off and we walked up to the school. We went in the side door, and there it was... it was real. There were kids and tables and worksheets with their names on them, and hooks with his name on it... I helped him with his assigned duties of signing in at the board and answering the question of the day (again, another thing with his OWN name on it... the name I gave him 3 short years ago...). Then he sat down at the table where the sheet had his name, and that was it. He was set, the time was for me to go. I looked at him, he was calm, waiting for the next direction from one of the aids. I told him to have fun, he said ok, and looked back to his work. It hit me like a brick in the throat and I had to get out of the room. Luckily, his friend Ed was there so I could say hi to him and get my mind off the intense feelings I was having! I walked out of the room... thinking to myself that there really wasn't anyone I could talk to after his school day besides for him to find out what happens. I wouldn't know the little details of what he learned, the songs he sung, the friends he made, the toys they played, the little things he will pick up on. I now need to realize that he can do these types of things in the hands of others and that from this point forward a school will be a part of my life with my son. Even if for now it is just two days a week for a few hours...

*Summer Fun*

Wow, this summer sure has flown by! Between parties, and finishing up college, and chasing two kids, we haven't had much time to sit and relax much! We did however get away for a little bit a few weeks ago. Jake and I were hoping to get to Yellowstone this year, but with a job offer coming the week we were planning on possibly going, it just wasn't feasible. But we did the next best thing, we went to the zoo! We were not planning on going on our vacation with the kids, but things worked out perfectly for us to have a mini vacation with them.
We got a reservation at the doubletree in Minneapolis. We spent the first day at Mall of America, the kids rode rides, we went to underwater world (disappointed as always!) And then went back to the hotel to get some swimming in. I was fighting a stomach bug the whole day, so it could have been better for me, but the kids had fun. The next day we spent at the Minnesota zoo from 9-5pm! We were VERY impressed with the renovations that they have done there. Much nicer than it ever has been. We took two tired kids to dinner at which Abby had a melt down and Hunter literally slept the entire time in Jake's arms. It was a long day for them! On our final day of vacation, we just went to the machine shed to eat and then headed home. It was so much fun to take the kids out, however, at this age they are a lot of work to take anywhere let alone on a vacation at a hotel!
I started my new job as Administrator at a Nursing Home in Strum two weeks ago. I am loving it so far, although I'm still in a sharp learning curve and my head is spinning most of the time when I go home!
We are planning on enjoying the rest of the summer that mother nature will give us and hoping that we can continue to play outside in the evenings for a while longer. We are also getting excited as we are now in the real planning stages of our house that will be built in a year. Hunter states that it is to be a red house. Today he was curious if it would have a roof. Very cute talking to him about it!
Until next time!

~Camping 2012~

Abby after bath last week...

Hunter after bath last week...

Before I get into the weekend fun... I had to share the two cute photos after bath last week... just a glimpse into a night of my life :)


Another wonderful year at the Cook Family Campout! Oh I was really excited for our camping trip this year. I was ready to be relaxing and have the kids outside all weekend. To top it off, the weather was calling for highs in the 80s and low dew points. Could not have been more perfect!
We got there Friday after work. It did take us a bit longer to get ready, but with the fair in town last week, we just didn't have nearly as much time to get ready the night before like we have in the past. We unpacked and played some games that night. The kids fell right asleep in the tent and they slept great all night! On Saturday, we went to see the house that my parents bought in town. They will be moving in the next few months and we were able to get a glimpse at what they purchased. This is also the reason why this year was our last year at my parents house camping. We will be moving our campsite elsewhere in the future. Who knows, maybe next year it will be in OUR back yard! That is a GREAT thought!
Saturday night we had some great corn on the cob and a nice campfire. We played Apples to Apples for a bit, until it got too dark to see the cards. I went to bed early, I was wiped out! On Sunday, we woke to rain, so we moved camp inside the "lodge" aka the house. After it stopped raining for a bit, we went and packed up camp. We wanted to get home since the kids were tired and needing some good home naps. With the kids in bed, Jake and I were able to get everything in the house and unpacked by noon!
I seriously had a very productive day today. After unpacking, getting laundry done, thank you cards written, bills filed, and organizing the entire shed... and catching up on the blog... I'm feeling that the weekend was not wasted! Thanks to some caffeine and lots of resting so I had lots of motivation, I feel that I've gotten done a lot that I've been trying to get done for some time.
Enjoy the photos of the weekend camping! Unfortunately, my SD card was full, so I was pretty limited on the number of shots I took, and most of them included naked babies in the pool, so inappropriate for the blog, but they will be great for that senior slideshow!

Abby moving the wood for the fire

Hunter LOVED lounging in the pool!

Abby say "Cheese!"

Happy Everett!

Friday Break

Well it is a little after 6:30 on Friday morning. I'm trying to get a blog done before the kids wake up and we have to commence our day. I feel like my our blog has been neglected. So I'll do what I do best to catch you up to speed with my two favorite little people.

Hunter- Hunter is now almost 3 1/2. He is still the sweetest little boy who loves to come up to me and say "Mommy, I love you to the moon and back!". He is sensitive, silly, and really in tune to what people are feeling (empathetic maybe?). My favorite moments with him is when he gets in these "moods" which are silly and crazy and sweet, and then he gives me that million bucks smile. I melt.

Abigail- For how sweet Hunter is, Abby is spicy! She has her own sweetness too, don't get me wrong, she is a great kid, but she definitely likes to make sure we know she is around! She chatters a lot, most of the time we have no clue what she is saying, she likes to pick up toys and suck her thumb, and she likes to do things that make us laugh (so she can keep doing it and laugh herself). She is not shy, she loves to meet new people and make them laugh too. Oh and shoes, she LOVES shoes. She can even say it :) She will be 1 1/2 on August 1st. Where did the time go? I'm guessing that potty training will come early for her since she already tries to pee on the potty and says "Pee". We will probably start sometime in the fall.

Want a little update on us "big kids"? Jake- is working out at the gym, getting his newly exposed muscles toned. He is enjoying this new journey of smaller clothes and working out. I'm so happy for him, he has done an amazing job! Nicole- is looking for a job. If you hear of anything, let her know.

Have a great weekend! We are off to Minnesota to visit some friends, it should be a fun time! Talk at you later, the kids are getting up!

~*Graduation*~

Today is my college graduation party. I'm graduating with a Bachelors of Science in Health Care Administration and Bachelors of Liberal Arts- Psychology degree. Wow, I can't believe it was over 4 1/2 years ago that I stopped working full time to return to school. What a fast 4 years! Two kids later, here I am! Although I'm spending the day celebrating no more homework (after August 3rd- my last day of classes), I truly am celebrating family. The ability for my family and friends to encourage me in pursuing my dreams.

I know I would have quit without the love and support from two very special people, John and Debbie. They have supported us more than anyone in making sure that it was a successful college career. People always would say "wow, two kids, a job and school, how do you do it?" My answer has always been and always will be "The support of my in laws.". I COULD NOT, WOULD NOT have been able to do it without them. They are the success behind it all. So,without going on and on, John, Debbie, thank you. I love you both, to the moon and back, and I am so eternally grateful. You are the success.

{Knock Knock} *Anybody out there?*

Wow! Where has the time gone!? I think this is a trend among the beginning of my posts lately is to ask where the time has gone! I find most days that I just don't have enough of it, yet it goes so fast. A lot has been going on in our lives as you can imagine, so finding some time to write a blog has been back on the list of to dos. A lot of it has to do with getting a new camera and I didn't think it would work with my little laptop, but I found out today that my computer handles those big photo files like a champ! Yay!

So- what all has happened since the last time I blogged? A lot! Wow, May flew by... lets see, the first weekend in May I ran a 1/2 marathon in Eau Claire. My time was under 2 1/2 hours. It was a huge accomplishment to a goal I had set for myself a long time ago and was happy to see the finish line that was for sure!

The second weekend in May we went to Oshkosh at the last minute. I was on my way home from work on Friday night and Jake's parents were planning on heading over to visit his brother in Oshkosh, we were planning on being home all weekend. After realizing we didn't have much to stick around for we decided to head over to Oshkosh that night. What a whirl wind it was getting the kids ready! But we made it there in good time. We celebrated Gavin's birthday that weekend at Chuckie Cheese. Hunter and Abby had a blast.

The following weekend I was in my cousins wedding. That was so much fun. I don't think I've had so much fun being in a wedding before! The kids ended up going home before the dance since they were tired, but I think Hunter had all intentions on dancing up a storm! Oh well, I made his absence up for him... I was quite sore for a few days afterward with all of the head bouncing I did while dancing!

The weekend after that was the weekend between Jake and my birthday. We were invited up to a mud bog up north so we went from Friday through Sunday. We had a most fabulous time and met some really awesome people. This is something we would love to do again in the future. I have attached a clip of what the mud bog is like up there... something I would never had known existed!

Now looking into June Jake and I are excited for our upcoming trip to Texas to visit some friends. We are thinking of things to do down there and looking forward to relaxing and just having a good time. I'm currently getting into my job search and have an interview tomorrow for one of the positions I've applied for. I'm hoping to hear more in the future with my job search and to land a great job. I also will be taking my Nursing Home Administrator Licensing Exam probably this month. I'm studying for that currently.

Abigail is doing fabulous. I would love to post what she IS doing, but I feel that the list would be shorter if I posted what she ISN'T doing! She is so incredibly smart and we LOVE watching her and Hunter talk and communicate together. They love each other so much (for now...) and get along great most of the time. She loves to boss people around and she is such a ham. She will put on a show for pretty much anyone these days. Give her a giggle and she will the same action again and again for you!

Hunter is also doing wonderful. He is a great 3 year old, and although we have to deal with his whiny ways sometimes, he is more sweet than not the rest of the time. I taught him last night how to play Mario Bros. on the WII so I'm guessing our lives will start to have that incorporated into it! He loves when Jake and I take him on extended walks/runs out on the road, Abby on the other hand... she doesn't have patience for us to take extended runs, and she will let you know!

Here are some of the photos from the past month!

After my 1/2 marathon

Abigail emptied this basket to try to get on top of the couch arm!

Hunter fell asleep mowing the yard with papa!

My handsome boy

Goofy little show off!

~April 2012: A Recap~

A Bit of This, A Bit of That

Have you all been wondering where I've been? Me too! I wish I knew if I was coming or going. I am stuck in this pattern of too much to do and not enough time and then realizing I have too much to do and trying to get it done, just to find out I missed something which means I have more to do and less time to do something else... the cycle has been continuing! It is tiring! But the good news? I have time right now to do this. So here it is, my recap in April in all of its glory. I hope you enjoy it, because it is a LOOOOONG one!

Golf- Dad Gives A Lesson



Dad shows Hunter how to "square up"




Hunter is strategically placing his ball for a stellar hit!



Project- Bathroom Tile

One thing that has been on my mind the past year or so was tiling the bathroom with vinyl tiles. We saved our money (Dave Ramsey Rocks!) and with a total of $50.00 and four hours I was able to transform my bathroom into the look that I was wanting so badly! I'm so happy with the way it turned out, and even better? I did it myself!

Before photo (minus the large lines in the center right...)

After

After

Sandbox Fun

One of the favorite activities for the kids to do during week nights or on the weekend is to play in the sand box up on our porch. They do have a big sand box at Nana and Papa's house, but the one by the house has really soft and dry sand. They like to dig right in! Abby's favorite part? Eating the sand and crunching it in her teeth! Yuck! But she finds it hilarious... can't hurt her right? Plus, after one or two bites, she is pretty much done and then starts spitting.. Making mud on her face! Silly peanut.

Hunter likes to dump the sand out of the box with his John Deere toys... this doesn't make Dad very happy!

Laughing about her eating the sand!

 A Fun Weekend

This past weekend was a fun-filled and family-filled one! It was Gavin's birthday (Jake's oldest brother's son). We spent a lot of time outside and playing with the "kid cars". They brought Gavin's 4 wheeler (the one Hunter is driving below) and Kylin's Barbie Jeep. Hunter LOVED that they brought them. He was pretty much done with his Gator all weekend! Like I said to Jake, he loves his Gator, but these new ones were something NEW to drive! Hunter loved Gavin's birthday party. He finds them so much fun and Gavin even let Hunter open one present. Abby just loved being around people... she was BUSY BUSY BUSY like usual! The best part of the weekend? Seeing the two of them needing to be "Towed" back to the house because the Barbie Jeep ran out of juice!



I loved watching her lean against this giving faces and twiddling her toes... it was so adorable!



Hunter driving the Jeep- and Abby needing the helmet more than him at this point!

Kylin and Jake- I love this girl so much!

Hunter giving Gavin a ride on the "forff wheeler"

They don't look alike do the? :)  (and Abby is rocking the mullet look)

The Jeep ran out of juice and needed to be towed back home! Too funny!!!!



*Easter 2012*

Wow! An update on a holiday, in nearly real time!

It was a very nice Easter. We started the day at Nana and Papa's house with a very delicious brunch. The kids then did an egg hunt. Inside was candy and each kid found a gold egg that had money inside! Hunter squealed with delight after finding almost nearly every egg that he put in his basket. Abby stuck close to dad and tried to understand why one egg wasn't enough. But she had fun being outside. Their cousins were here too and they all enjoyed spending time together.

We then went over to my parents house and spent the afternoon with them. Neither kid took a nap in between parties (which explained the break downs, crying, and falling asleep an hour early!). But we had a splendid time there as well. We had another egg hunt and Hunter was just going crazy looking for those eggs. He was pretty excited to get more candy and then some money coins! He will be putting them in his piggy bank as soon as he wakes up tomorrow. Yup, he didn't make it home on the way back from their house. We had so much fun outside finding eggs and presents, flying kites, and painting with finger paint that he tuckered right out at 7pm and didn't want to wake up again. Abby as well had a great time. She kept getting on the couch and walking on it... and when Grandpa tried to tell her no, she pointed her finger right back at him! She is very SPICY! It was a fabulous holiday. Thanks to all of you who made it so special.