Titus

So hard to believe Titus turned 2 - it seems forever and yesterday all at the same time since he joined our family. I constantly marvel at how everything fell into place from the start to finish. I'm not sure I've ever felt so many emotions in a 4 month period. 

Dear Titus,

How can you possibly be 2? I remember so clearly the day we met you in the hospital - so tiny and helpless in the incubator. Your entrance into this world was a little rough and unexpected but very much welcomed! I was so nervous to hold you - afraid you would break. Looking into your sweet face, I instantly fell in love. We spent some emotional and scary days wondering if you would truly be ours - wishing and hoping and praying. And then we took you home.

What a sweet boy you are! You have stolen the hearts of everyone in our family with your happy-go-lucky, funny, and affectionate personality. You try to be old beyond your years and you are a complete daredevil - making me one extra watchful mommy. While you crawled and walked early, you have taken your time on talking but that has not stopped you from communicating! You have about 35 words now which you use when you feel like it. :) You are adept at animal sounds, identifying body parts, and singing. I love the way you hold up one finger and tell us you are, "Two!" when asked your age.

You are a little foodie - amazing me with your palate and willingness to try new things. You often go to the silverware drawer, pull out a spoon, and bring it to me to sample whatever I am making on the stove. Usually a declaration of "yum" follows. You also enjoy talking on the phone and having conversations with varous members of the family. You think my cell phone is your personal phone as you pick it up and say, "Hewwo" or sometimes "Hello" depending on your mood. And you have mastered the word "no" as most two-year-olds have.

Life is an adventure to you and you embrace each day with gusto. You love life, you love your brothers, and you love Pippi. You can't wait until Daddy gets home - squealing and running to give him a great big hug. I love the moments you spend cuddling with me. You are often my little shadow and I love it.

I think of your first mom almost every day and feel so thankful to her for giving you life and for choosing us to be your forever family. It was a tough decision for her but she truly wanted what was best for you and we will always love and honor her for that. 

What a sweet and wonderful son you are. It's a joy watching you grow and develop - to see your ideas, opinions, and personality emerge. I'm incredibly thankful and privileged to be your mom. I thank God for you daily and as I look into your beautiful eyes, am the recipient of your sweet hugs and affectionate kisses, I fall even more in love you, little man. I love you forever, always, and unconditionally, Titus. Happy Birthday, baby boy.

Love forever,
Mommy

Sometimes I'm Ditzy

Our Jeep has been in the shop this week.
I took Andrew to pick it up this morning.
And decided to run errands.
I completely forgot that Calvin's speech therapist was coming for a session.
She called when I was checking out at Kohls.
Thankfully, she was awesome about it.
We made it home in about 10 minutes.
I left while he had his session...
To take my brother coffee.
(He had his wisdom teeth out on Wednesday).
And to pick up the gift my parents forgot for a wedding.
I was at Kohls to buy a gift for the same wedding tomorrow.
The wedding is about 3 1/2 hours away.
Andrew is staying home to get things done...
Both work and home things.
Like using our new mower since our old one finally died.
My sister, Margaret, and her husband are riding with the boys and me.
We will return home late tomorrow night...
To get ready for a big 2 year-olds birthday on Sunday.
He has chosen chocolate cupcakes made into fishbowls
They are super cute but I'm not sure when I will get them done. :)
We decided not to have a party this year.
I am SO glad.

Whew, hopefully no more ditzy moments. I'm tired just thinking about the weekend. :) And I can't believe my baby is turning 2. I'm feeling a little mushy, emotional.

Tales

Calvin is hilarious. The kid has an impressive imagination and an inquisitive, very deep side. Recently, he offered to tell me a story. I agreed that I would certainly love to hear a story and thus began THE STORY. It was long and involved and so funny. It included, "once upon a time," "over a bridge and through the forest," lots of "ginormous" things, and characters named Calvin, Patrick, Titus, Alaina, and Daddy F as well as an old man. Those characters were not any of us but rather different people. The setting of the story was during the time of dinosaurs and a T. Rex had an important role however the daddy was ginormous - bigger than the T. Rex. There were also 3 pigs and 3 foxes ("Do you know what colors, Mom? Black, dark blue, and brown."

What a tale it was and included a conversation with God. I was entertained and amazed at the detail. All of this came from my son who has a goal of, "tearing down all the big buildings and building one great big one up to heaven." (Yes, we've discussed the tower of Babel and what a mistake that was.) He keeps us laughing for sure!

Walk for Kaz

We are working hard to have a successful 1st Annual 5K Walk for Kaz! I'm so honored to be planning it with three amazing ladies. We have been busily working to promote and fundraise for it.

It's a cause that is so important to our family. Spending time in orphanages and with the sweet kiddos in Kazkhstan has forever changed our perspective on the world and challenged us to make a difference! I'm excited to play this role in event-planning and fundraising to provide for more of the needs of these children. 100% of the proceeds will go to Two Hearts for Hope to continue their work and I have seen first-hand that the funds go directly to bringing hope and providing basic necessities for the children of Kazakhstan.

Our family would love to have you come out and join us September 25 at 8:30 a.m. for a day of family fun, walking for a cause, and giving back. We have hotel information on the website if you live out of state and want to participate. If you can't walk but would like to be a sponsor, there are opportunities for that as well. You can sponsor a specific need for the walk, give a general donation, or sponsor our family or other walkers. Early registration ends this week on August 15!

Please check out our website! It's going to be a great time!

The Camping Trip

What a fun weekend!

We enjoyed:
- Yummy food cooked over the fire.
- Swimming.
- A 2-mile hike - yep, all 5 of us - with some stream stomping!
- The Nature Center.
- Lots of great family time.

Here are some photos from the weekend (side note: Patrick was not into having his photo taken therefore there are not very many of him. :)):

Camping

We are going camping this weekend! I can't wait...we haven't been in a couple of years and I've missed it! I grew up camping - it was our annual vacation. The boys are THRILLED. They simply cannot wait and I'm excited for them.

Calvin is sad that Pippi will be remaining at home with the dog sitter (aka my brother) but he is looking forward to zipping the tent. Patrick couldn't contain his smile and beam as we discussed our weekend. (We didn't tell the boys until tonight.)

It will be such a relaxing weekend. We decided on the primitive section of the campground - more shade and less people. There is a pool at the campground, hiking, and the all-important campfire. :) It will be wonderful to be away with all of my boys!

Workout Buddies

My kids are morning people...me...not so much. :) So, I typically do my workout after they are up which is interesting. Two of them (the oldest and youngest) peel off their shirts to workout with me and the middle one critiques them. The oldest makes fun of the workout host while giggling and the youngest has to be stopped from jumping on me when I'm on the ground. Yesterday, the car alarm was set off and two of the doors were opened while I was working out (from the key fab). Yes...interesting... However, they are very motivational in that they are excited about it every morning, so there's a plus. :)

The first week of my new health/fitness plan is going great! I'm doing a combo of high impact (30-day Shred) and lower impact (pilates). I have found in the past that doing straight high impact is too hard on my previously (and sadly, permanently) injured back and neck, so I alternate days. I'm feeling the workouts which is precisely the point.

I'm eating lower carb, lower fat, and lots of fresh - not a diet just consistently healthier choices. My daily breakfast, which I'm eating regularly (a good thing in and of itself), has been nonfat plain yogurt, blueberries, and flax seed. It's delicious and includes some of the dairy I need to be including in my diet (I'm not a milk drinker).

All in all, successful so far. Hoping for continued success and motivation! While we generally eat fairly healthy and lead at least a somewhat active lifestyle (we have three boys after all :)), it was important to me to be more deliberate about health and fitness. I would like to be in better shape and just chasing the kids wasn't enough!  So, there you have it - that's the report from week 1. :)

4 Years Have Brought Change

If you've been following my blog since the beginning, you may remember this post and this post. But one day I woke up and realized that my previous posts were no longer true. Sushi is amazing. And that is that. I have joined the world of sushi lovers.

Random & Question

- Today is day 1 of my new workout plan - yay!
- Everyone seems to be healthier after a couple of the boys were sick last week.
- We are making some great progress towards continuing on our organization quest.
- School starts in one month.
- Teething seems to be in full force with Ty - upper molars.
- Getting excited for the Walk! Really hoping for a good Indy turn out - please consider walking or volunteering! It's a great family event!
- We are completely cutting our dish (we've gone to the very basic package but really don't need it) and joining basic netflix instead.

And finally, any ideas on keeping toys more organized? We have done bins and we try to weed out toys fairly regularly but it doesn't seem entirely successful. Any shelving units (inexpensive) you would recommend for the play area?