Final Countdown!!

THANKFUL... yes with ALL caps...
for...



 A 4 day countdown to graduation!! Super extra special- not only done with Masters- but one regret I had when my dad was alive, and honestly I am super blessed that I can not think of other regrets with him- (soo thankful for our relationship!). I didn't walk in my graduation ceremony  from DePaul... we had moved to AZ and I was 8 months preg with Harrison & couldn't fly back to IL to walk in the ceremony. My dad was bummed. Very. I just blew it off like no biggie- but now- being the one paying for school & being more "into" my education & seeing what a big deal IT WAS for Matt's undergrad graduation.... makes me view school differently - and there would be nothing preventing ALL of us from going to AZ for grad now... so I am thankful that he can see me walk in graduation from Heaven :)

thankful for this little bundle of smiles, drool, mom and dad combo of spunk and adorable almost red hair. Watching his personality develop and his likes and dislikes are interesting. He does not like to have dirty hands. He does not like to sit still, unless he is exhausted. He is on the go with a smile and drool from the get go. His hair is getting long and has a little curl to it. So so cute. He  likes to be fed his smooshy foods like avacado or banana, not gettin' all messy with it- but he is ok with smooshing frosting from a donut?  He is very vocal & says lots of sounds. Today Hannah had her fingers too close to his mouth- and in they went. She just finished a candy cane...and said that he liked the candy cane juice :) I'm sure he did. GROSS. :)

 Thankful for a super duper deal on this adorable Mr Coffee Keurig Brewer

Little people shoes are too precious right?! Thankful that Hudson is almost walking and will have a need to wear cute little shoes

 Thankful for a fun spin on lunch... carb less meals are blah sometimes... but these mini romaine heads at Costco saved the day - yay for Avocado with Tuna!

 Thankful for a silly sister who is cracking this cutie up!

 Thankful for the kids gym time! When I workout, they do too, and this is them on the car ride home :)

 Thankful for a craft fair date with my mom. Scored adorable bows for Hannah and Gracie, and some homemade baked sale goodies. So old school to have homemade goods right? The money went to the Music Department, which made my mom super happy :) The SMore Cupcakes, had a layer of graham cracker crumbs- TOTALLY amazing!!!

Thankful to watch Hudson interact with his "twin friend" in the mirror. This age is so so fun!!

Thankful for KIWI- such a random power fruit- the fuzzy skin grosses me out to peel- BUT they are packed with health."Since kiwi contains a variety of flavonoids and carotenoids that have demonstrated antioxidant activity, these phytonutrients in kiwi may be responsible for DNA protection. The protective properties of kiwi have been demonstrated in a study with 6- and 7-year-old children in northern and central Italy. The more kiwi or citrus fruit these children consumed, the less likely they were to have respiratory-related health problems including wheezing, shortness of breath, or night coughing."
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=41

Have fab week!!
I hope to see some of you AZ friends this week :)
Seeing temps in the 80s back there is making us really excited :)

XO

Marchin' on to Spring!

March is here! That must mean some warmer temps are headed our way. I adore spring. Could be because Hudson's birthday... the big Numero Uno...  is in this season and mine too... :) Yay for birthdays!!



601- Thankful for a fun painting date -

602- Thankful that we could have another exciting date to pick up the pottery 4 days later :)

 603- What chases away winter blues? Getting Ranger Rick in the Mail! Thanks Memere for a great Xmas gift that keeps giving :) (PS Harrison is our man of many faces ;))

 604- Mani date with Hannah- and an amazing find at Gapkids clearance bin...97 cents later, she has perfectly stuck on sticker nails :)

 605- Scooter has been earned!! This was a V.E.R.Y big deal and she rode around the house in a high pitched joyous sound "This is the best day ever". She is allowed to ride it inside as long as no walls get crashed into...Yay for awesome sleep habits.
(On a side note, after researching her drinking habits, and her obsession for sippys at all hours of the night, we went cold turkey one nap time...thinking/knowing that sugar in milk is bad for teeth and bad for sleep...and the comfort she finds in a sippy needs to be diminished... so when she wakes up to an empty sippy she can self soothe... She gets ice water in my fancy water bottle and no milk at bed ever. I think this has worked wonders and I know her dentist will thank me :))

PS I loved this tidbit from a devotional:"It is reassuring to know you co-parent with God to pull off this impossible task of parenting. You cannot do it by yourself, but with your heavenly Father, all things are possible." (Wisdom Hunters Daily Devotional)

 606- Healthier habits for our kids... thankful this week that after 3+ weeks of stomach aches, and after seeing the pediatrician ... we both concluded that school lunches may be to blame.. weird right? Not really when somedays are "mystery" sandwhiches! Harrison loves the novelty of getting a bought lunch & I did too as a kiddo so we totally understood :)- and had for the past... 3 weeks!! So last week was a trial run of made lunch (which I adore doing actually!!) and each day- no tummy issues. Woot woot!! Sad for all the other kiddo's digestive tracks tho! Yikes.

607- Thankful for a small mini biz of selling stuff on Ebay... follow me! Crayonsandcupcakes is my id :) I love shopping, and I love digging at goodwills and salvation army...but my kids can only wear so much stuff- then what? Sell it! I love reselling stuff I bought for pennies - stuff my kids actually used- then resell for way more... that's amazing. But last week I went to Salvation Army (way cheaper than Goodwill btw) and I was kidfree (thanks to amazing naps and an amazing dad) and I was able to dig for stuff not necessarily my kids sizes... Brand new Gymbo stuff! Polo stuff! AF stuff!! Almost all my auctions start at .99 and I adore seeing the last hour bidding frenzy :):)

608- Thankful that our adorable little neice Gracie is home sweet home with her dad and Memere & Pepere.
We are all VERY excited to see her in 13 days! (JUST 13!!! YAY!!) And Hannah is over the moon that she has a "girl cousin". Family means so much to her- its so so precious. I love seeing her mind connect the family dots.

609- Thankful for two phone calls this week...that got us thinking & praying.
 Both from different schools in the city (of chicago) needing a teacher ( for 6 vacant spots...in March!?- weird right?) The 1st school I said no instantly because the simple logistics of our kids means I am a stay at home mama..... The next day I got another call - So then we thought it over... I am interviewing Monday. Demographics are exactly who I love teaching...underprivileged kiddos...99.8% African American...98.1% Low Income. Melt my heart. Maybe some even live at PGM where we help? Maybe I can be a light there? These 1st graders have had NO real teacher since Xmas. Really!? That's insanity. I know that even in my shot 3 week maternity leave with ONE sub- there was a transition... Pray that if its the right place for me- that the Lord opens the job door AND the MASSIVE childcare door... We have a house nearby we are looking into as well, and it's available ASAP. It has been available since November- and we loved it then, and love it now. And the price has dropped. We have a person in mind to be a live in nanny- but the Job door 1st ... then house door... then live in nanny is a done deal :)Wow. So much to bring to our Mighty Counselor!! Prayer Warriors Unite for us :)


610- Thankful for the start of Spanish lessons  with a friend from church and the SAME tutor I had back in college! Hannah is starting Spanish this week - yay for Dora's good example :) (this is just one of several activities that would have to go if I worked though.... )

I hope you had a FAB week & are excited for awesome God things to happen in MARCH!
XO

590-600!

590-Thankful this week for Hannah's fish like abilities...even with a new swim teacher who I am not super excited about. Funny what kids respond to though. This teacher is NOT warm and fuzzy AT ALL but Hannah listens and has learned alot.

 591- Thankful for Hudson's love of his siblings. Hannah is a little mama to him during our time together. When Harrison is home, he delights in playing with big bro too. This little bundle is sooo fun and soo smiley and soo vocal :)

 592- Thankful for a Saturday morning date with Dad- Harrison had a bday party to go to, so Hannah got some hang out time alone .... super special memories doing simple things :)

 593- Thankful for crazy sleep positions :) These silly kids!!

594- thankful for answered prayers....matts brother mark gets full custody of his daughter Gracie on thursday !! 

595-thankful that Hudson is "fiesty and strong " according to the nurse team that tried to do some tests on him... Dislike that we have get him retested though... look at that sweet little gown he had to wear! I was just glad to see a smile- he went through too many pokes for a little guy!

596-thankful to have an upcoming movie date w sweet friends

597- thankful for whole wheat spaghettios (is it horrible that our kids love and request them?! At least they are the whole wheat kind:))

 598- 16 days til AZ!!!

599- thankful for our bbsitter sarah!! 

600- thankful for uncle dusty who woke up early on his day off to get H off to school and back ...and to DQ and to toys R Us ;)....so I could support close friends at a funeral

This week we have seen and watched Gods hand move. The custody battle is just another glimpse into Gods perfect timing!!

We heard recently of two other friends hit w leukemia....prayer warriors unite for Mr Hull and little Josiah Dyck

XO

Thankful Thoughts 580-590

580-Numero uno this week was yesterday!! My brother obeyed the Lord's command and was baptized!

Matt spoke at it, which was beautiful & tears of joy were shed. We believe that my dad saw the whole thing and rejoiced greatly. "Isaiah 25:1 O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things"

581- Thankful for special Memere & Pepere time

582- Thankful for my mom's friend Ray who is a super handy man and has fixed endless things around the house. He and the kids have a beautiful bond & we are thankful for his care but most of all he has a Love for God, which he shares with our family, and its very sweet.

583-  Neon orange tootsies make the crazy snowy days seem warmer

584- Temps forecasted this week in the 40s- Heatwave, which meant today my kids were coat-less but oops it started snowing, so leaving the gym we got a few evil eyes!

585- Matt's awesome company that is pure genius & changed Take Your Child to Work day from April (when it's a school day, to today, which is a holiday)


586- Valentine's love at our mini party with fun friends

587- Aveda Valentine treats from my Cupid

588- 25 days until we arrive in sunny AZ and 26 days until I graduate

589- Thankful that this Thursday we get to know the extent of Hudson's "ranula"

590- Thankful that our incentive chart for Hannah (fingers crossed) may be working. She is a non sleeper at nights & a roamer & hungry at all hours (easy as a newborn- hard as a 3 1/2 yr old??) ( and yes we know a possible cure could be to limit naps- but that seems totally not cool for this mama :)) So she gets a happy face for each night she stays in her bed or in her room( she loves "camping" so we make her a sleeping bag area sometimes)....and a happy face each day at nap. We just need 8 more happy faces and then..... Princess Scooter is hers!!! (Those 8 happy faces could take just 4 days or 4 months- yikes! Pray for us ;)) If you have sleep tricks- lmk!

Random photo "dump" :)
XO

New Princess Bible from Mimi

New Action/Comic Book Style Bible

so so cute : heart raviloi's

joining harrisons class at school

hannah fully enjoying the Vday craft w Harrison's class

dont you miss his spikey hair?? ohhh the days of no stocking hats needs to hurry up!