10 Years

Happy 10th to my best friend!

10 years
5 homes...soon to be 6
3 towns...soon to be 4
3 kids
So many fun times, challenges, adventures & amazing moments. The last 10 years have been truly wonderful & I look forward to what God has in store for us in the future! ;)

This is the highlight portion of our wedding video...my boys watched it & kept saying, who's that...they look different...

Wordless Wednesday

The day it all began...

It all began on October 18, 1997...my freshman year in college. I went to a party with a few friends & first laid eyes on this guy. He just happened to have a camera & for some reason wanted a picture with me & my friend Danielle.

We chatted some, but the party got broken up by some, ahem, officers, so the night ended early. Over the next 3 months, I stalked the guy...at the Rec center...at the library. Ok, I really didn't stalk him, but I did see him frequently at both places, but only from a distance. We were both 'too cool', or 'too chicken', to acknowledge each other, besides a quick wave.

Fast forward 3 months exactly. We met up at another party, after I begged a friend to call his apartment 3 times to convince he & his friends to come over (so maybe I was technically stalking him) :) We chatted the whole night, munching on stale popcorn out of a 2 1/2 foot tall KC Chiefs plastic pop bottle & discovered we had a lot in common. We exchanged phone numbers & the rest is history.

He popped the question 11 months after we started dating - on December 18th, 1998. My dad was so mad that Aaron didn't ask his permission first, that he punched Aaron in the face. I admire him that he was still able to smile for our first picture as an engaged couple.

Kidding...I have no idea why Aaron's nose is blue in this picture...the original doesn't look that way, so I'm not sure why it scanned that way.

1 year anniversary of dating


July 7, 2000 - He was such a romantic back then...he sent me 15 roses because it was 15 days until our wedding day.


To be continued...

Wordless Wednesday

Living with Wild Animals

At times, I think I am living with wild animals. Someone is always running, jumping, climbing, howling, roaring, scratching, biting, hitting & hiding. I know it is typical in a house with boys...growing up with 3 brothers taught me that...but wowsers, they are energetic.

We had spaghetti for supper tonight & the boys said they were T-rex's and proceeded to eat their spaghetti with their mouths...off their plates, rather than using their hand & forks. I know that I was not teaching very good table manners by allowing them to eat this way tonight...but #1: they cleared their plates & #2: Aaron and I were able to hold a conversation while they did so.

Time for corn!

Zoe had her first ear of corn last night. I just love watching babies try to figure it out. Big brother Brecken stepped up to help her. She couldn't decide whether or not she was a fan yet, but I'm sure she will be down the road!




Here's pics of my other babies eating their first ear of corn - they all used the same method :)

Tag! You're It!

I was tagged by Ann, so here goes :)

1- What’s your staple meal (ie. what meal do you cook most often when you can’t be bothered to be adventurous)?
I'm having a hard time coming up with this...I love trying new recipes, so I mix things up a lot! In order to have an answer...I'll say Broccoli Chicken Casserole.

2- What do you want to be when you grow up? I honestly am still trying to figure that out :) I have no idea what I will do when my days are not filled with entertaining & playing with preschoolers & babies!

3- What book are you reading at the moment (if any)?
I'm reading Family, by Karen Kingsbury. It's a series...and I read the prior two books in the series over our long weekend in KC. Thank goodness my hubby's ok with me reading while he's driving ;)

4- How do you relax? Reading or walking. Piano used to be my top choice - but it's not as relaxing when 4 other hands are assisting you :)


5- What color are the interior walls of your home?
Taupe, a sagey green & a light blue for the kids' room.

6- What is your guiltiest pleasure?
Homemade ice cream...or Food Network tv...

7- What time is bedtime and getting up time?
Bedtime - around 10, unless I'm reading a good book...then 11. Uptime - I usually get up by 6.

8- How long do you spend reading blogs (per day or per week)?
WAY TOO LONG...what can I say, I'm addicted to them :)

Now, I get to tag a couple of people. I'm tagging Kara. Sometimes I think she is my equally anal, overly organized twin :) I'm also tagging Courtney, a) because I like her AND b) she is way overdue for a post!!!

Fun times in KC

We spent several days in Kansas City this week & the boys were in heaven with all of the 'dino-stuff' we did! We ate at the T-Rex cafe one evening - the boys were thoroughly entertained during the meal, which doesn't happen very often!


We also visited the Union Station to see the exhibit, Dinosaurs Unearthed. They were quite impressed, although Leighton did cover his ears most of the time because of all the dinosaur noises.

Zoe even enjoyed the exhibit - she roared right along with the dinosaurs.



We spent a good amount of time in Science City. The boys had fun exploring everything. Aaron & I enjoyed listening to them - they had all kinds of adventures - in the rocket, in the helicopter, in the underground pipes (mommy joined them on that one).


We spent an afternoon at Faulker's Ranch & Leighton caught a fish. He was pretty nonchalant about it...I expected a little animation :)

1 year stats

Zoe's 1 year appointment was this morning.
Stats:
14lbs 10oz - .03 %
28" long - 18th%

She is smaller than either of the boys were at 6 months...we have a petite little peanut on our hands!!! She handled the shots pretty well. Unfortunately the blood draw didn't go so well. The tech was a newbie & had problems finding her vein...she poked her & then moved the needle around for awhile as Zoe screamed :( The experienced tech came in & felt Zoe's other arm & said she could stick her again, but that she would prefer to wait until she's a little bigger because her veins are so tiny. Sounds good to me! I know newbies have to learn on someone...but I don't really like my baby being the practice child!




Here is her "As You Grow" page I made for her scrapbook. It's fun to see how much she's changed through the year!

Happy Birthday Zoe Lynnae!!!

1 year ago at 9:19am, you came into the world & changed our lives forever! We were so excited to hear the words, "It's a Girl!". You are truly a little blessing! You were 7lbs 8oz and 20 inches long. We will see tomorrow at your appointment how big you are at 1 year!

Today....a year ago...

I went in for my 40 week appointment...2 cm dilated...not much happening. Dr stretched my cervix. I had contractions off and on all afternoon, but nothing consistent. We went to friend's house for birthday cake & went for a country drive to watch the wheat harvest. It was during the drive at 8:30pm that I finally started timing contractions...Daddy brought up names again...made one last plug for Zoe as the girl's name & I gave in.

I made Aaron take a picture before he went to bed...because I was pretty sure it was going to be my last night pregnant. Lordy Pete, I look huge.

Birthday Celebration

We celebrated Zoe's 1st birthday on Father's Day.

The invitation

The birthday girl


She didn't really get into the opening presents thing, although she would pull on the paper a little bit with some help. She got a lot of fun girly toys :)


She enjoyed the frosting on her cake, but didn't dive in like her brothers did with their first birthday cake. The little lady didn't take a very good nap, so she was a bit on the tired side.




The cousins on the Gisselbeck side had their first picture taken all together :)

Crazy Sleepers

Brecken has been creeping into our room almost nightly & sleeping on our floor for the past few months. I used to think it was because he woke up scared, but I'm pretty sure I know the reason. Leighton is atrocious to sleep with. He's all over the bed & in a different position about every hour.

And yes, our boys sleep on the pull out couch...you do what works at the moment & with only 2 bedrooms...everyone sleeps better this way :)

Berklee Lu

Josh, Kwalonn & Reese welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world on June 11th. Berklee Lu weighed 8lbs & was 21" long. We are so happy she's here!

We're going to miss her!

These past 3 weeks have been tough for our family.

My Grandma Lulu went to the ICU on May 24th with pneumonia in both lungs. Due to further complications, she went to be with our Lord on June 7th. We held a beautiful memorial service on June 10th.

She was a wonderful woman & role model for our family. She was a true example of love & you knew that at first glance when you saw her with my Grandpa Jack. She loved her children, grandchildren & great-grandchildren with everything she had & she will be missed greatly by us all.

She & my Grandpa met when they were 13 years old, married when they were 19 & had been married for 62 1/2 years.

Grandpa Jack & Grandma Lulu - on their wedding day.


Dancing at my cousin's wedding November 2008.