Happy Halloween

Woke up to a full moon which is still present at 7:45 am! It's a cold Halloween morning as the boys head off to school. They are very excited to head out tonight to go trick or treating. We have to hijack a neighborhood since we live in the country. I decided to be frugal this Halloween and we only bought Jordan a costume and he will be Batman. We are reusing the black cape from a year ago for Braedyn's vampire outfit and Cooper just wants to be a hockey player but of course he wants to be one that looks like he just came out of a fight with a black eye and some blood. So all I needed to pick up was some character makeup and practice my creative skills on Braedyn's face. We have so many costumes in the toy box, I felt we didn't need to buy anymore this year. Although, they do get worn even after the Halloween fun is over. Around our house, even though they are 3, 6, and 8 they still love to dress up and play ninja or superheros and saving people from danger. I love that they are so imaginative about helping people who need it. Will this continue out of costume as well? One can only hope....
Sometimes kids can say the simplest things and can make an adult reflect on those honest remarks. I hear people comment on how the stores already have the Christmas decorations on display in the stores and how it bothers them. They aren't the only ones. I realized last night kids pay attention to those kind of things too! I was putting Jordan to bed last night and while we were lying there he had told me he wanted some sort of new toy and I said, "well you know, Christmas will be here soon, maybe you can ask Santa for it." Jordan then said, "It's Halloween mom! What~it's almost christmas time?" I told him, "Christmas isn't for another 55 days or so." He had a funny look on his face and responded by saying, "but that is a long time from now, so why do they have christmas trees in the stores already."
As time has went on social media and the shopping world is so focused on moving from one holiday to another~and it's all about the $ ~ can we all just have a child like mind and think about one holiday at a time and live in the moments. The holidays are all for my children and just being together. We rush everyday, I don't want to rush my holidays away too.
I hope everyone has a safe, warm, and fun filled Halloween day and evening. Don't eat too much candy! ENJOY and may you only be haunted by happy memories!!
Enjoy some throwback Halloween pictures:)!

Jordan's first halloween my pea in a pod

Joe Mauer and Red Ranger

Super Cooper

Braedyn at 2 was a dinosaur but he thought it was an alligator! Even at 2 he knew he wanted to be a Gator!

at the Pumpkin Patch visiting Auntie Anita in Shakopee

Big pumpkins!

pumpkin cheeks!

Turtle at 3

this still is my favorite costume of all!!! Chicken Lil! Cooper at 1.

Love those cheeks!

Braedyn as Spiderman!

Gator Game

Here are some pictures from the football game in the Swamp in Gainesville at the University of Florida! I can't wait to go back and neither can the boys! That was a blast! It was a football experience I had never had before....Florida vs Kentucky with a Gator win 38-0!

It's great to be a Florida Gator!!!

UF (getting ready to come out)

Welcome to the Jungle!

I always saw this sign on TV now I got to see it in person which was better!

kickoff!

sea of Orange and Blue!

Like father, like son!

 

 

He's out! The heat got to him. But I guess the 90,000 screaming fans didn't bother him!

still to tired to walk back to truck~hitching a ride

Future Gators!

My Gator Boys

and even check out dad's tattoo ~ true Gator fan!

Charlie spent many hours here and now we are back tailgating!



Tailgating

Alligator on campus at Lake Alice

 

Don't feed the Alligators and
really a sign that says no swimming, does that mean someone actually did!

 

Momma's boy is what you
will always be
whether you are 10 or 23.........

A Toast to Friends

Came across this...I must have wrote this one night before going to bed in my journal after a couple cocktails! Charlie's grandpa who is in his late 90's has his wits about him and he is still that quick witted funny old man! He always has a toast for when we see him! I guess I was trying to be like Andy!

Here's to me
Here's to you
Here's to everything
we've been through
All the lows and the
highs
raise your glass to the sky
don't be shy
drink it up til it's dry
for friends like you never say goodbye
always by my side
until the day I die.

Me, my brother and sister at her wedding (well on the bus after the wedding)

A broken dream
is like a bird without wings

A child without wonder
is like a storm without thunder

A car without headlights
just gets you lost in the night

Hope is the dreams
Hope is the wonder
Hope is the lights
Hope will never put us under

The Funny Farm!

Yes, that is where I live!
I wish I had a recorder that I carried around with me all day. The funny things they say and do~ I wish I can remember when they will be grown and gone.
I try to write them down when I can but a lot of times that isn't really feasible. I just will treasure them as memories!
We make memories in this house and this is what I want the boys to have is a happy childhood they can look back at and just laugh at the good times and the fun they had growing up together so close in age. It goes by way too fast!
Sometimes when I am about to give them a lecture on their behavior, I stop myself and walk away and chuckle...they don't need a lecture, they are just boys being boys and having fun in a place they feel secure enough that they are allowed to be themselves and "let loose".
Also, that takes some pressure off of me!
Yes, sometimes they do need some correction but when you think back to your childhood, it is the silliness and fun stories you like to share with people~right!
So let them be silly and let them be able to share their stories. If they don't slip up from now and then they won't learn...give em a little rope and you may have to pull it in from time to time but cut em some slack and I am going to try and do the same.

Hurricane Sandy 2012

Just so you all know back in the Midwest, just because they say Hurricane, it doesn't mean we will see any major effects of it this time, thank goodness! Now if we had a beach house I would be a little worried! We are pretty far from the coast..at least a couple hours.
Luckily, we are out of the eye of the storm and the nasty weather this thing is going to bring. I am praying for our friends that live in the Northeast that everyone will be safe through this monster storm! Some are trapped in the homes on the outer banks and some in Long Island.
Yesterday, was overcast most of the day and it started to get cooler. It was raining when we woke up on Monday and the wind was blowing most of the night and throughout the day. Today is cold again and spitting rain! I remained inside Monday all day. It was a good excuse to get cleaning done and get a dinner started in the crockpot and get in some cuddle time with my lil guy while he is home with me.
I was watching the coverage last night and I am just in awe of the ocean's fury! It washes away and rips apart everything in it's path. I can't think of anything worse than watching water rise in front of your eyes and their is NOTHING you can do.
Blizzards I can deal with, hurricanes on the other hand is a whole new level of weather I don't ever want to personally experience!
I pray everyone stays safe and that this massive storm is over soon and they can start rebuilding what it has taken away. For us, this crazy weather will be over soon but those in the NE it is not over by any means.

But I do have to say this is the type of cold rainy weather is what I am used to at Halloween! In Minnesota we would got trick or treating in our winter jackets and people would have to guess what our costumes were! We just knew Halloween may bring nasty weather... But this is crazy!

An angel for me

Something I am working on...

This morning playing outside

Told my momma

to swing me up so high

swing right up to the sky

cuz not a day goes by

I still want you by my side

It makes my momma cry

When she tucks me in bed so tight

prayin to Jesus ~ keep us safe at night.

 

Drifting off to sleep by moonlight

wonderin what is heaven really like

Can you ride a bike

how high can you fly a kite

can you ride a rainbow like a slide

What type of treasures can you find.

 

Do you still look the same

Does God really make it rain?

Will he have a spot for me

Can it be upon your knee

Where those stories you told

Never tire or grew old.

on your lap

and I’d crawl up and take a long nap.

You are my poppa angel

I can feel your love

It wraps me up like your warm big hugs

 

An angel just for me

Watching over me

I will be calling on you when I need

Your guidance and honesty

Set me straight and let me see

you aren’t far but still near me.

My angel just for me….

 

 

Allison Jacobson

Now What?

I never really understood what runners were talking about when they explained the sadness when their event was over...You work hard training for this one day and then the day comes and the excitement and thrill of it is over...Now I get it...You start thinking what's next...I guess they call it Post Marathon Race Blues. I guess from what I have read, most people sign up for another event and set a new goal for themselves. I think I might need some time to think about that:)!
I am enjoying the run for the fun again for awhile and maybe I'll think about training for a race in the spring. I went running yesterday for the first time after the Half and it felt great and I was actually thinking the hills were nothing compared to what I just ran on Sunday. Five miles felt like a warm up.
I will be signing up for the Tar Heel Ten Miler again but I think I am going to do the 4 miler this year and I am going to be setting my goal high as to win it for my age group.  I came close one year and came in 4th.
So if anyone wants to do some shorter slower paced runs this winter let me know and I will go head out with you! I am going to cut back on the longer ones!

Patience

I am writing on this topic today because I feel like it is something I have to work on daily. I am not very good at it! It definately does not come natural. I know with God's help I can work it out. I feel like it pops up everywhere and I am praying the same prayer over and over to give me patience. I think God gives us a test everyday to see how we are going to deal with life's situations today. It may come along with the children or a spouse. It may pop up on the road sitting in traffic or at the grocery store standing in line. It may come to a head when I think I will have time to do what I wanted to do today but instead something else calls. Maybe you are waiting for prayers to be answered. It is hard not to be discouraged when something you have been working on, is just hanging in the clouds and you pray that one day it will all work out....I know it is all in the timing. I feel like he holds my time clock. If we can learn to wait and be patient he will show us the way. Maybe patience is the seed that grows and along with it our faith also grows. To deeply understand God, I feel like my patience and discernment is the basis of this. Faith comes out of my patience as patience will enhance my faith...you have to put your faith in God and you wait and by waiting you see what wonderful things he had in store for you. When you look back on history everything was in waiting right...?
Creation, humankind, we all wait for redemption, restoration, reconciliation and just be put back in place with a relation to God. We wait and wait for what is not here yet. He can read between the lines and we put our deepest thoughts, concerns, and doubts before him and he does not ignore them but answers us where we are in a language we will understand.
When I slow down, be patient and still I am more open to God and more open to what he is trying to tell me or where to lead me....I am also more aware of the blessed life I have and see the joy in my children's eyes.
Today, I am praying that I can be more patient and with that will come kindness to my children, my spouse, a friend, a stranger, and neighbor. We are less likely to fly off the handle, be annoyed, and just be happy when we are patient. Why is this such a hard skill to master! It is a gift that some are blessed with for me I have to work on it. I hope for you today that you will also find that out of patience comes many good things!

Half Marathon ~Ramblin Rose in Durham 2012

I can cross a Half Marathon off the bucket list!
It was a cold chilly morning on Sunday, October 21st about 48 degrees in Durham, NC. Amy and I headed down early to get settled and warmed up (tried warming up but I think we got as far as the portojohns).

The Before Shot at 7 am

The gun went of at 7:30 am and we were off through out the streets of Durham. It started at the Durham Bulls Baseball Field and winded through the city with the finish just up from the ball field on the same street. It was a very hilly course. It was a pretty time of year as the leaves were starting to change colors. People were lined up and down the course cheering on about 1,800 women. It is empowering to see that many women running. It was amazing standing at the finish line watching people come across the finish line! Women of all different types of backgrounds, body shapes, ages, and ability! If you set a goal it can be reached with hard work, anyone can do it if they set their mind to it! My goal was not to walk and to finish at 2 hours. I made that goal with a finishing time of 1:57.04. I was drained. At mile 10, I figured I won't be running for awhile because I plan on taking a break so I pushed it in to the finish. I had been in the zone with my music when I hit mile 10 I was surprised I was almost done and feeling good. A couple of times I had to stop to adjust my brace on my leg that I had for my IT Band pain and reapplying the Icy Hot. It did help! Just kept telling myself keep going and thinking about all the work we had done to get to this point I wasn't going to walk. I was going to finish strong. I think I about fell over when I crossed the finish line because of exhaustion and elation. The Duke women's basketball team towered over me as they handed me my medal at the finish.  I am very happy with how we did. My first half marathon experience was fun, exciting, exhausting, and successful. I hope the soreness will wear off after a couple days. Feels like a combination of a really bad hangover and being hit by a truck!

ugh!!! Done!

After training and running the Half, I think a full will be a long time from now!

Completion! Great Job!!

North Carolina State Fair 2012

Charlie, Braedyn, and Jordan and I went to the State Fair for the first time. I didn't really know what to expect. I have only been to the MN State Fair. Let's just say the NC State Fair was like the county fair I used to go to in Rochester! It was a lot smaller!
Cooper wanted to stay home with Grandma and Grandpa Baudoin since they were visiting and he doesn't really like loud noises. We were going to see Jason Michael Carroll perform at Dorton Arena at the fairgrounds. He is a country music artist. We love his music in our house and he is a local NC musician.The boys were excited to go to the concert and to top it off we got to meet him and talk to him for a couple minutes.

The boys wanted to go on rides, so after filling up on greasy fair food we had to go and buy tickets. That booth happend to be by his bus and he was outside of his bus chatting with people so we made our way over there and Braedyn wanted to meet him. He was a very nice guy and we snapped a photo with him.
The boys then went on some rides and this was Jordan's first fair that he can go on the rides, as he was just over the height restrictions now. His face was priceless! Braedyn and Jordan had a ton of fun riding rides together.
Then Braedyn wanted to do the basketball toss. We watched for awhile and no one was making it in. He said he wanted to try and so he did it and got one in and won a prize...a big stuffed pokemon. Then, of course Jordan wanted a prize too so he wanted to win one for Jordan. He did and made it again. After the concert was over, we knew Cooper would be sad that he didn't have one, so we went back to the game and on the last shot Braedyn shot it up it bounced off one rim into the other basket! He won another one! He was smiles from ear to ear! It was the same carnival worker from earlier and she said was telling people all about this 8 year old who made two shots and now he made 3! She said there's a lot people that couldn't make one especially kids! So he was liking that attention.
We attended the concert with two huge pokemons and Jordan wouldn't put his giant pig down...he fell asleep on Charlie's lap during the concert holding his stuffed pokemon.

The concert was great and I look forward to seeing him again! I really enjoy his music! He is playing at the Long Branch in Raleigh on Sat, December 1st so I got tickets for that too:)!

Kasey Kahne's car

cool lawn mowers!

"think I can take this for a spin"

Braedyn on trampoline!