5th Wedding Anniversary

I tend to dislike surprises but this weekend, Thomas surprised me with an amazing wedding anniversary celebration. We really kicked off the weekend with some big news earlier that week. Thomas told me that he would like to get me a treadmill! I have always wanted a treadmill especially knowing that we will most likely be living in Iowa for a while and the winters are just too cold to walk outside. I don't mind the treadmill at all! I actually prefer listening to my ipod and working out. And I enjoy being close to home working out so I can quickly get ready afterwards. So anyway, it was an amazing way to kick off our anniversary, not to mention we also purchased a new washer this week because our old one is shot. So, two amazing new machines in our home to keep me healthy and efficient. I love it! So, we picked up both the purchases on Tuesday and took off Thursday to go to West Branch for our church's fall retreat. We spent it at the pond and several people camped outside in tents and the Teepee. Some ladies stayed inside the cabin and others were spread among different homes (the Fawcetts and Luke's). It was a great time hanging out and getting to know each other even better. Ethan had a great time with his cousins and friends from Ames that were able to make it. It was a little chilly so they didn't swim much but they kept busy playing in the sand and eating smores around the camp fire. On Friday night, Sept. 3rd, I shared with the group some thoughts that I had put together around our anniversary and what Thomas means to me. I have copied it so it's documented in our blog. What a wonderful man I am married to! The next evening Thomas surprised me with a night away including dinner and a hotel. Thomas and I ate at a wonderful sushi restaurant and relaxed together the whole evening and even slept in until about 8! It was a great anniversary present. The Fawcett's took the boys and they had a great time with grandma and grandpa for the night as well as the entire weekend. Today was super windy so we flew kites before we had to take off and go back home. The boys had such a busy weekend that all three of them slept in the car on the way home! Good times. I love my family and extended family so much! Life is so fulfilling and rewarding when you share it with those you love.

The Man I married…

Five year ago marked a very important day in my life. September 3rd 2005 was the day that I was married and made a lifelong covenant to the man that I love so dearly. I had no idea that I could be so fulfilled and content with one person knowing that we live in a culture where marriages seem to fail all the time and a lifelong commitment to just one other person isn’t anything to look forward to. I have experienced quite the opposite. The five years we have been married have been full of rich conversations, endearing affection, and friendship that has bound us together and made for 5 very fast years and a joy that has abundantly filled our lives. In celebration of our love for each other, I have made a list of 5 things, one for each year we’ve been married, that are most important to me and that I love so much about Thomas.

Starting with the first being that Thomas is kind. He is the one that when present in a room full of people, will make sure everyone feels comfortable and is enjoying their time. He is one who extends a hand to those who need help. He is one who defends those who cannot defend themselves and he always thinks of others before himself. He has been this way since the day I met him. I love his kindness.

Thomas is a man of integrity. He walks about his life being trustworthy, faithful and loyal to his family and friends. He works hard until his job is done and even then, goes beyond what is called of him. He is never deceptive and will always strive to what is right, honest and true in any and all circumstances. He inspires me to walk with integrity.

Thomas is a patient leader. He is aware of the role that God has given him as leader of his family and he has embraced this role with a patient spirit. He is patient with my faults and lovingly guides and strengthens me in my weaknesses. He is a patient father, dealing with his children with grace and love, much like our heavenly father deals with us. He is slow to become angry and never does a harsh word come from his mouth. He has led our family, regardless of what the world thinks, in the principles of the Lord. He extends so much grace in his leadership. He is a patient and loving leader.

Thomas loves the Lord and His Plan. Thomas has placed Christ above anyone else and treasures the scriptures beyond any other work. He is committed to God’s church and lining up our lives to be a part of what He is doing through it. Thomas loves the gospel and it’s message and the reality of God’s grace and forgiveness overflows from Thomas’ life. He loves the Lord more than anything and I love that.

Thomas is a best friend. He is my best friend. I feel so blessed to be with an amazing husband, father and friend. We are like two puzzle pieces that are uniquely different and yet complement each other so well. We fit together like and puzzle and Christ is the glue that makes permanent the two pieces together. I could really say so much more and I feel as if this only scratches the surface of the qualities that he possesses, but I am hoping that we have many more years to share together and thank the Lord for how he has blessed our marriage. Thank you Thomas for loving the Lord and loving me. Thank you Lord for such a fulfilling marriage and giving me a wonderful man. Happy 5 years Thomas.

The Iowa State Fair

Yes, we did visit the fair twice this year and I think the boys could have gone again! The animals are the hit and it's always fun riding a few rickety rides on the midway. I think I blogged earlier about going to the fair and maybe I even posted a few pictures already but these I just couldn't resist. They capture the lure of the fair so well! If I listed everything that Ethan ate, I think it would make me sick just thinking about how much sugar we all consumed...that's what makes the fair so special! I like to think it's more about the farm animals and the giant butter cow that is a hit among most fair goers every year. You haven't been to the fair until you've seen the butter cow, as well as the largest bull in America! It's gigantic!!! We enjoyed going with my family the first time around and then we met up with the Fawcett's the next week. The fair is definitely something we will be making a tradition every year! After all, it all started 5 years ago when Thomas and I went to the fair for a concert on a date that was very early into our relationship. We already have so many memories at the fair and are hoping to make many more! Every year seems to get more excited for us as we watch the kids grow and enjoy the sites even more. The first picture pretty much sums it all up! Two very tired children (you can't see Simon very well but his head is hanging very low), incapable of making it home to fall asleep in their beds!

A Child's Perspective

When Thomas told me that he would love to help me out one afternoon and take the kids to the grocery store to pick up a few needed items, I was a bit nervous. Not because I thought Thomas couldn't handle it but I just wasn't sure if he would ever go again. The kids really do a great job at the store but I really have a system down and if you aren't familiar with the system, it can get a bit crazy trying to get all the shopping done. Needless to say, Thomas did a wonderful job and Ethan documented the whole thing. I thought I would post a few pictures of what the grocery store looks like when you're riding in the "boat" with your little brother sitting up front and Dad smiling down at you! I think the camera was a quick way to buy some time for Thomas and it worked!!! He didn't even forget anything off the list! Way to go Thomas!

Summer's End

It's hard to believe that September is approaching so quickly and the neighborhood kids have all started school. Ethan keeps talking about going to school because he is all about doing everything that Caleb, his older cousin, is partaking in. He always assures me that he doesn't want to go to the school where Mommy can't come. We'll have to work on this a bit but in the meantime, I really enjoying the attention and the closeness that we feel. I am taking on a few new endeavors in the fall with the boys. I have researched and researched for a homeschool preschool curriculum and have landed on one that I think will suit our family just fine and am planning on starting this with Ethan in a few weeks. He is excited to begin his school and learn alongside Mom everyday as well as spend some special structured time with me while Simon is napping. Ethan has pretty much resisted naps for about a year now so will now officially spend that time doing his "schoolwork". We have also joined a preschool co-op that meets once a week in which all of his friends are a part of. He is super thrilled to join his buddies for a few hours of structured play and the best part is, I get to teach once every couple of months! All the "teachers" are mothers and most are good friends of ours. The co-op was created by a good friend of mine and we are really excited to be the guinea pigs this year and get things rolling. I am really looking forward to adding some more structure on to our day and really teach Ethan how fun it can be to learn and explore the world around him. We have also planned some "field trips" which hopefully I will get around to documenting and posting some pictures of. Should be a good time and a great year!

Here are some fair photos. The boys had a blast at the fair both times we were able to go! Thomas and I had a major realization while we were there...we cannot ride any child fair rides without feeling tremendously sick. =)

Good times!

Summer 2010

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It's hard to believe that we are quickly approaching The Iowa State Fair! It seems like the snow just melted and we were enjoying all the blossoms of spring. I know we always say it, but the summers do seem to go so quickly. This past week we spent in West Branch once again but this time we were able to stay for a whole week! It was great to see all the family that was back in town as well...cousins, aunts and uncles and distant relatives. We kicked off the week by enjoying a whole lot of sweet corn and celebrating Sweet Corn Fest. We picked, shucked, boiled and cut a lot of corn off the cob to then be placed into bags and into the freezer. It was quite a group effort and I couldn't believe how quickly we finished. The rest of the week we spent swimming at the pond, playing with cousins, enjoying long and tasty meals together and making many new memories with our family and friends. It was a great week! Thomas and Ethan even slept over night in an authentic Teepee that Grandpa Fawcett made at the pond! We all roasted marshmallows together around the camp fire and then the boys headed out to rough it overnight. Uncle Jon and Grandpa told stories to the boys (Cousin Owen and Ethan) before they went to bed. I don't know how much sleep either of them were able to get but they sure had a great time.

I thought I would include some photos of our garden here in Ames. Thomas built an amazing fence around it to keep the rabbits out and we started planting right away in late March. We planted quite a bit this year, and are planning to learn through trial and error. This year we planted beets, tomatoes, beans, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, zucchini, 5 herbs, brussel sprouts, onions, radishes, and swiss chard. Everything is growing quite well now that we FINALLY caught the ground hog. It took some time to keep plants early on because she kept eating all the young sprouts right away before they had time to establish. So, with some persistance and several different traps, we caught her and took her out to the country. The garden looks great and it's really starting to produce. We've had so much rain, so we are still waiting for tomatoes to ripen but there sure are a lot of green ones. The peppers unfortunately also taking a hard hit. They caught an airborne fungus (or so we believe) and I sprayed them with fungicide but I think it's going to be to late to come back. Next year, we will be on top of it!

Today, we decorated cookies and Ethan got a tummy ache from eating too much frosting. Every time he got some "accidentally" on his fingers, he "had to lick it off". It was a joy to watch the two boys create and make a mess all over themselves. I wish these days would last forever!

Trip to West Branch

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Last weekend we went back to West Branch and had so much fun visiting with everyone! Grace is getting so big and talking so well. She and Ethan have quite the relationship. They get along so well and Ethan treats Grace so protectively as if she was his little sister. They are too cute together. We picked strawberries together and headed out to see the pond. We all went swimming in the pond and even got to see the new TP that Grandpa Fawcett built. It was amazing and we're excited to come back and spend more time there! Back at home we have been busy playing outside in our pool, sand box, play house and garden! Ethan and Simon love to be outside as well as both Thomas and I. We bought a new patio table and some outdoor lanterns to create relaxing atmoshpere for all our friends that come over to eat and hang out. I have really been enjoying planting and replanting all of our perennials around the house and fixing up the outside in general. I never thought I would enjoy gardening as much as I do. Thomas built an amazing fence around our vegetable garden to keep the rabbits out. The most frustrating thing about the garden is that in spite of the fence that Thomas built, something was continuing to eat the garden. Arggg, so frustrating and after trying several organic and home made repellents, nothing seemed to work nor could we figure out what was eating it. Yesterday, I finally found the problem! It is a beaver or perhaps a groundhog that is hopping over the fence! I was so angry and tried to kill it with the hoe but it got away. This is to be continued...

Enjoy the pictures.

Step back into time...

Let me explain the title...I feel that Simon's Bday was a pretty big event and worth documenting, and I just never got around to doing it until now so it's now June and Simon was born in March but better a few months late then never, right?!? I thought I would jot down a few random thoughts and memories of the day and include a few precious pics of all the family and of course, the man of the hour, Simon Douglas. It turned out to be great weather and we had everyone over to our place for a brunch and cake. Mom Fawcett made the official bear cake much like Ethan's 1st Bday cake. Simon didn't hesitate to get right into it and rip the cake apart. He scarfed down the cake as quickly as possible without stopping to let us get any real great photos so we had to do our best. We also celebrated my Bday and my favorite cake was made as well! Simon went with the chocolate bear and I went with black walnut poppyseed cake! Yummy! I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend my Bday than with friends and family, sharing Bday wishes with my beautiful 1 year old son, Simon. Ethan was a great helper on that day and didn't at all hesitate to help Simon open his gifts. He was even ok with the reality that they weren't for him this time and that this new baby in the house was growing up and actually recieving toys that were pretty cool for him too. Once again we had a great time having the Fawcett's (Mom, Dad), the Vincent's (Troy, LEanna, and Grace), the Sanchez's (minus 2 because of illnesses) Jon and Hanna, Mom and Dad Shiplett, and Shelly all join us. Thanks to everyone for making it such a special day for Simon and I. We love you all!