Merry Christmas!!

It is COLD and snowing and blowing, and I'm glad for now that we're cozy in our little home. I don't want to go out! Joel doesn't want me to go out alone, either-could this be because I got stuck in our driveway last night?! Because it's less than ideal conditions, he's taking me out this afternoon to get some necessary groceries for company that is coming for lunch tomorrow! His sister and her husband are bringing my new niece from Florida, and their flight comes in tomorrow morning...IF this weather cooperates.

Joel and I are celebrating our 5th Anniversary today! WHY did we get married in December? I wonder that too. :) Instead of getting to go out, we will most likely spend the evening 'trapped' in our basement. It's ok though-because there's no one else I'd rather be snowed in with. (aww...:)

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!

Milestones

We have a 3-year-old! It seems like the past 3 years have zoomed by-I can't believe Preston is no longer a baby!! To prove it, he's been sleeping in a toddler bed for the past few weeks. What a big change for him! I still think he slept sounder in his crib...and he does seem a little afraid of the dark now. He sometimes wants to sleep with his lamp on. I'm looking at getting him Twilight Turtle for Christmas. Anyone seen this great invention? It's a plush turtle that kids sleep with, and it puts little stars on the ceiling, making the room 'less scary'. I'm thinking that it's worth the $25 or so, if it means P will sleep longer and sounder because he'll hopefully feel safe in his room!

Here's some pics of his new bed:

Monday night, we had a small party for P's Birthday. It featured chicken (his most favorite food) and side dishes, and of course chocolate cake-with Cars on it...what more could you want? :) 

Heres some photos of the excitement:

In other exciting news, my new nephew has arrived! Nathan Mark Coates was born on 12/7, weighing in at 8 pounds, 7 ounces! Congratulations to Seth and JoAnn!! I think Luke & Andrew will make great big brothers. Here's a glimpse of the happy family:

What a good-looking clan, eh? 

Well, I hope everyone is enjoying this busy Holiday Season, as you get ready to celebrate Christ's Birth! I believe I'm about halfway done with my Christmas shopping, and hope to accomplish a bit more-today. We've also been enjoying the advent calendar that Joel's Mom made us. Although Preston doesn't really get it yet-and has put several pieces of felt animals/angels/etc. up while I've been on the phone...it's great to reflect on the true meaning of this Season! 

The Sound of Music...

I love singing. Not in front of people. Ew. But, I sing in the car, around the house, at church, etc. Unfortunately, Preston does NOT enjoy the sound of my singing. He yells, 'Stop singing, Mom!' when I'm trying to carry a tune. I always thought he was just being funny, and I'd say-'I can sing if I want to-it's my house!' Well, yesterday morning in church, we were singing a hymn-and I looked down and noticed that Preston, who was on my lap-had both ears covered. Ouch.

I'm posting some of the pics that Julie took of our family. She's an amazing photographer that has extreme patience with kids. She bribed Preston with Thomas the Train engines-genius! At least she got him to cooperate, I was impressed!!! Maybe I'll try train bribery with Preston as I try to potty train him. So far, the Hot Wheels I've been trying to persuade him with have not been enough...but consistence on my part would count for alot, too! I never thought I'd be one of those Moms that bribed their child...but, Preston will be 3 in December, and I'm ready for him to be out of diapers. ;) We'll see!

I have the Mums!

No, not a disease. This Spring I planted many beautiful flowers, but I was disappointed at the plants I thought would be pretty...instead they turned out to be huge green 'bushes'. Sometime in the last couple weeks, these bushes have flowered, and turned into beautiful deep purple and yellow MUMS. :) My In-Laws informed me that these Mums will return each season...oh, happy day! Low maintenance gardening is my idea of FUN. Apparently, I don't actually have a green thumb. Anyhow, I'm enjoying my beautiful Mums, and am reminded of the verse, Ecclesiastes 3:11a, "He hath made everything beautiful in his time..." I'd like to post a photo of these fancy Mums, but it is cold and rainy today, so that's not going to happen.

I will, however post a photo that I do have, and it is of course, little P. 

The last few weeks of Summer...

We've been enjoying our last few official weeks of Summer. Even though school has already started - that doesn't really affect us yet.:) 

It looks like Noelle's and my business will be called Two Girlz Design. I like it. Kinda catchy.:) Speaking of Noelle, have I mentioned we're GLAD her and Clifton moved to Omaha? They've had us over twice for dinner (NOT the only reason we're glad they're here:) and my word! They are gourmet cooks! The first time we went over on 

Labor Day - and she had cooked amazing thick, juicy steaks with blue cheese on the top, an amazing salad, baked potato and smoked cheese casserole, fresh veggies, and hot apple-cobbler with vanilla ice-cream for dessert!! Wow. I think I should get on the elliptical now.

After Noelle moved into her new place, we had Joel's Grandparents come and stay with us for a night, and then his Aunt and Uncle and adorable baby cousin came to stay for Labor Day weekend. It was fun having them here. That Saturday they were visiting, we headed over to Iowa, and about 3 1/2 hours later, arrived at a cabin on the lake, to celebrate Joel's Great-Aunt/Uncle's 50th wedding anniversary. It was a fun day. And Preston caught his first fish!! Joel's Uncle Andy helped P catch it - and I'm glad Joel got a picture, because I didn't see it first hand, as I was locked in the upstairs bathroom. Don't ask. That's another post. :) 

Today has been a dreary and rainy day, but it's ok - because we took a nice long walk yesterday, enjoying this fabulous 'Fall-feeling' weather! We saw bugs outside of course, and P sure has been excited at them lately. He exclaims 'Crick-Crick!' when he sees what he thinks is a cricket. Cracks me up. That, and today when he called Joel's lunchbox 'Daddy's purse'...Ah, this kid keeps me most entertained.

Choices, Choices!!

Noelle and I have been brainstorming some more...I had been having 2nd (and 3rd) thoughts about the name we'd chosen for our graphic design business. Assuming some would think it to be too crude (even though those really ARE our last names.;)-we now have another name choice! Noelle has done two logos...My! She's fast!!:) Nifty website templates are in the works, for both! So, now it's time for you, dear blog reader friend, to cast your vote! YOU could determine the fate of our entire future. Ok, so not really-but you could help us decide on a business name. Thank you, and good luck.

Choice #1: Pee & Schmidt Creative

Choice #2: two girlz design

God is so good!

Last night, my college friend Noelle arrived from California. She made the entire trip in 2 days, just her and her kitty cat. We stayed up until after 2am talking, laughing, and making plans for our design business we want to run! It's called 'Pee and Schmidt Creative'. Those are our last names-really! I so am blessed by great family and friends, and excited that Noelle and Clifton are moving to Omaha! It will be great to have a friend in town...

I talked to Joel's Mom last night, and they are packing fast and furiously, to load the U-Haul Monday! On Tuesday morning, they'll leave to bring it here. We are excited to see what the Lord has for them-and Calvary! I think they'll be glad to get settled, and ready to start fresh. Holiday's will be soooo nice without making that long trip to Iowa. I think it will be great for Preston to really know both sets of Grandparents!

On a side note: last Friday I went to Lincoln to see my friend Tiffany. We spent some time shopping and most importantly, chatting.:) She is such an encouragement! Her son Nathaniel is 2 weeks younger than P, and he cracks me up!! He can't say 'Mrs. Schmidt', which Tiffany refers to me as-in front of her kiddos;), so he calls me 'SMART'. So funny!! Everytime he wanted to get my attention, I'd hear-'SMART, SMART!' I gotta tell you, that doesn't get old. So refreshing to have people recognize and proclaim your intelligence. Ha! Kids are funny.

Biggest cheese ever!!

Random thoughts...

Last night we went on a bikeride. It was super fun. I have to say that Joel's biking idea has been his best yet this Summer.:) I got a bug in my eye and mysteriously pooped on by a bird, but we still had a great time. We rode to a nearby park and found a bikepath close to it that led us over a neat little bridge. P did NOT want to leave the park, but was alas persuaded and we began our ride home. Uphill was not nearly as much fun for Joel, who was pulling P.

I could've sworn Preston was having a bad case of PMS this morning. I know it's not possible-because he's 2 and well, male of course-but man! He was crabby. He cried for various crises involving his juice cup being empty-and then because his juice glass was full-and also because I put away the bag of chicken nuggets we had just bought into the freezer and grabbed the already open one to make him lunch. His meltdown was a result of him thinking he was NOT going to get any chicken nuggets. Tragic. All of this makes me value naptime. He's still a really good napper-and when he's 7 or 8 and stops taking naps, I think I'll have a hard time with it. Ha!! I kid-really! 

The past couple nights P has been VERY affectionate. In church Wednesday night, he kept giving Grandma Sharon 'googly-eyes' and big cheesy grins. He loves her!! Then, last night-he began a hugging marathon-where he'd give Joel a big squeeze then me, then Joel, then me...This went on for about 10 minutes.:) I could say I got tired of it-but that would be a lie. I loved it!! I told Joel that when he's a teenager-he won't want anything to do with us. Basically, we need to enjoy this 'attention' while we can. After all-it makes up for the mornings he makes me endure the PMS!!

Here's my favorite pic from the hugging marathon! This is when he was playing 'My Daddy!' I like to egg him on by hugging Joel and saying 'MY Daddy'...

Monday Blues

The weekend was a blur. I hate it when Sunday night comes, and you wonder where in the world the weekend went! I'm hoping these Monday Blues are gone by tomorrow, but then again-it will be Tuesday, so that should be a definite. We had a great time with the In-Laws here, and Saturday was so fun, celebrating JoAnn's 30th Birthday!! We had a surprise-party for her, which she suspected!! Grrr! It was still fun though, and the kids all had fun playing together-as usual. My Mom made her famous double-decker, iced, chocolate-fudge cake. SO yummy!! That's the reason I was excited for the P-A-R-T-Y...oh yeah, and my sister's Birthday!!!:)

Preston with Aunt Annette:

Aunt Charity giving Preston a horsey ride!

Preston wanted to have a slumber party...didn't think that would work out!!

Vacation...so sad it's over.

It was great to get away...Nice to spend time just us again, see the sights, and enjoy being together. Our first night there was in a pretty nice hotel. We ate in the restaurant there, and then went for a drive. Pretty sure we saw a dead man...on the side of the road. A police officer was with him, shined a light in his eyes, and called it in. The man was either passed out drunk...or dead. Either way, he didn't move a bit. Didn't look good. We went for a swim in the cold hotel pool and called it a night.Friday we got up and checked out of our hotel, to drive to 'the strip'. Wow!! So much to see, we were overwhelmed with where to start. We've heard of things we should do in the area...places to go, etc. But there was SO much!! We parked our car in a casino garage and headed across the street to Ceasar's Palace. I'm convinced we could've spent the day there, seeing everything. The Forum shops were amazing (but over-priced.) We had fun looking around, and then met up with Leah and her boyfriend. We then checked into our hotel for the last 2 nights (the Sahara, what a dump!) After checking in, we went and ate at the Rainforest Cafe. What an amazing place!! Every half hour, it 'stormed' and you'd hear lightning and thunder...The ceiling looked like an amazing sky at night. That was by far my favorite place we ate!!

Saturday and Sunday were spent walking around...ALOT. I wonder how many miles we walked this weekend. Our legs were so sore! We got to go to the top of the Paris tower. What an amazing view at night!! I also enjoyed waking up in the mornings and heading out to swim and lounge by the pool. I could get used to that!!:)

Joel and I are already talking about next time we go...:) We want to go to the top of the Stratosphere, see a show, and drive out to Hoover Dam...(none of which we did this time.) I also never want to take a red-eye flight again. Just something about ending a vacation completely drained that puts a damper on the week ahead.

P had a great time with his Grandparents! We're so greatful he was in good hands. He keeps talking about Sharon going bye-bye...He really misses her! I think we're all sad vacation is over.:)

Vegas, baby!:)

Ok, Vegas-here we come! NWA adjusted our flight schedule so that we would arrive in Las Vegas 2 hours later than original, so Joel called and talked to them today, and now we get to fly out on the 4th (instead of the 5th) at no extra charge! VERY impressed with Northwest Airlines. They get 2 thumbs up. I'm busy doing laundry and trying to get things together for myself and P, who will be staying with Grandpa and Grandma Wiese! I'm nervous about being away from him for 4 nights!! But, I know he's in good hands. Mom said she bought a boys' potty-training book to read to him. Well, that's GREAT! If she can accomplish that while we're gone, she definitely gets extra credit!! Actually, maybe we should just stay away an extra week or two...

We're so excited to take a trip together! The last time Joel and I traveled was to Denver, Colorado and I was 6 months pregnant. It was a GREAT trip though, and we knew it would be our last for a while. I'm excited for Vegas, it seems like there is so much to do there! It looks like our hotel the first night will be close to Hoover Dam and there are SO many outlet malls in the area, deep breath, and there is the Las Vegas Speedway where you can eat lunch in the crew pit and DRIVE a racecar!! Ok, that part sounds so fun to me, but would probably cost a small fortune. Also a must is the M&M's store. A whole store, devoted to M&M's candy, gear, etc! Who knew?!

I'll post pictures and a trip "review" when we return. Thankfully, I'll be taking pictures in style, because Joel surprised me with a new digital camera of my very own!! I think he's glad I'll stop using his, ha! Here's the first picture I took with new said camera. Viva Las Vegas!

Wonderful Water Weekend

The weekend went too fast, as usual! We were finally able to go to the Water Park on Sunday. It was a little breezy, but Preston didn't seem to mind. He had a blast in the water, with Daddy! He is normally 'afraid' of the toddler play area and doesn't want anything to do with it. In fact, last time I was there with Mom, the ONLY place P would play was the motion ocean. Well this time was different, and P was pretty much a FISH! He played and loved the spouting water and did NOT want to get out! Every time I got close he would CLING to Daddy and insist on staying in. I thought he looked too cold and should cuddle in a towel for a while, but NO way!!:) It was a fun time, even though we weren't there for that long. Maybe we'll go back on the 4th? That may be a little crazy though.

Preston, lounging-on a rare moment OUT of the pool!

Bless You

Sometimes I miss that cuddly baby stage, where P would just nap on me and cuddle! Soo fun. But, then I'm reminded that the older they get, the more it gets entertaining, with PERSONALITY kicking in, big time!...Wherever he is, if P hears me sneeze, he runs in saying, 'Bless you Mommy, Bless you!' Sometimes it's just nice to be noticed.:-) 

We had the In-Law's here for the weekend. P had so much fun showing Aunt Charity all his toys. She's 6. It sounds weird to say he has a 6-year-old Aunt, but she is loving her role! She is Aunt to 3 toddlers, and is a little mother to them!! I should've gotten some pictures of them to post, but it was such a busy weekend, I didn't even think of it, until they had left!

We've been enjoying riding bikes! Since we've been married, Joel's wanted us to ride bikes together. So, 4 1/2 years later, we got ourselves some bikes! Of course now we need the pull-behind carrier, for P. He loves it! The first time I took him for a ride, I didn't hear a PEEP out of him the whole way, until the very end. I went down a steep curb and he came down it and said, 'Whoa!' from behind...That's the only thing I heard out of him the entire ride. Now he points at the bikes in the garage and says, 'Fun bike!' Yep, he knows. When Joel's Dad was here, he took him and his brothers riding out to Lake Cunningham. I'm going to ride out there one of these days, too. But haven't made it that far yet. When I go, I'm gonna make sure Joel's pulling P, because those hills are killer with him riding behind!:)

Summer Fun

We had a busy week last week with VBS every morning. Bible school was a Summer tradition for us growing up, so I'm glad for the chance to be a part of one again. This was Preston's first year of VBS, and being in a classroom setting for Bible school. I think he really enjoyed his time with the kids and for the most part really liked the puppets and songs everyday...when he wasn't too busy trying to run from me.:) All in all it was a fun time and while he was in class with his buddies, I got to help out with the Juniors, (4th through 6th grade.) WOW! They are such a smart bunch!! Do you know you know the show, "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" Well, I know I'm not...but being around these kids showed me exactly how smart they are...and the fact that I am not! The theme this year was dinosaurs, so Preston got to take home an inflatable dinosaur! JUST what we needed.

We're looking forward to celebrating Father's Day...hopefully with a trip to the Fremont waterpark.:) Tonight we're having friends over for dinner, so it seems it will be a very fun weekend. Next weekend Joel's family will be coming!! They haven't made it out since last August, so it will be neat to have them here again.

Here's a picture of Preston from church last Sunday. LOOKS innocent enough, doesn't he?:)

Memorial Day 2008

Memorial Day weekend was wonderful. Good times with family. Good food. I've really earned myself some extra time on the elliptical this week with all the wonderful sweets we had! Joel's sister Hannah graduated on Monday. She's the 5th to graduate. It's so crazy to me, because when I met Joel, Hannah was 10. She performed a beautiful concert with amazing piano solos and a fantastic vocal performance. Then we got to visit with family all evening at the reception. Tuesday, we played softball (our team won:-) and just had fun being outside. Preston was wiped out after so much fun with his cousin Micah (who is 4.) They had fun playing together, and wanted to be outside every chance they got! Since this was the first time all of the siblings and spouses were together in a year and a half, we HAD to get some family pictures. My Father-in-Law is a creative photographer, so I have to post some of the pics we took. Here's the whole gang:

In this one, Joel's sisters and I were supposed to be 'strangling' our husbands.

This one cracks me up. The wives had the money and the husbands were supposed to be showing their empty pockets. I think it's pretty funny that I had to borrow the cash from Cristi, to my left. My husband's wallet really was empty!:)

In this photo, I enjoyed feeling 'tiny' for once:

Here's Joel's parents with their grandkids:

1-866-HATRED

866-209-6227. Memorize it if you have to. This is an awful phone number. I get at least one call from this number everyday. During Preston's nap time usually. They are Discover Card. They want to sell me fraud insurance for my credit card or something like that. Not interested. DEFINITELY not interested. If I was, I would call THEM!! I am on the National Do Not Call List...I have called these Discover Card fraud obsessing people and have been placed on THEIR do not call list, which could take 30 days to process? during which time I could still receive calls. And I have been.

Well, today they called again...and I did not answer it of course. Caller I.D. is a wonderful thing. But, tomorrow...I'm ready for them. I'm going to answer the phone and say, "Pizza Hut, may I take your order please?" If they stutter or say, what? I'll respond with "Would you like to order one of our special large hamburger pizzas for only $8.99?" This charade will continue (I hope) until they decide it is best to stop calling my pizza place.:) 

Wow, I feel better now. I also just found an amusing article online that may help stimulate your creative juices if anyone else has trouble with persistent, annoying telemarketers. Some of the good ideas I found include: repeatedly asking for Bill throughout the duration of the telemarketing call and also to pretend that you have taken hostages and proceeding to list your demands. I'm not wanting to go to jail though, so I think I'll stick with the pizza plan...for now.

Wow, we had a busy weekend with family and friends, and today we are all dragging.:) Saturday morning I hosted a baby shower brunch for my second cousin and her new bambino. There were about 15 of us. JoAnn was in charge of games, and we had some good ones! First,we were divided into 2 teams and had to change and pass a 'baby' around the room until our team was done. It was funny seeing people change and basically throw the baby to the next person, with a backwards diaper on or a haphazzardly taped diaper. All I can say is good thing they weren't real babies. We ate good food too. Then, Saturday night we went to Matt & Becca's for a super fun outdoor-grillin' party! Great times, and fabulous weather!!

Last night we had some friends over for a little BBQ. They are from California, and are considering moving to Nebraska. WHY-you may ask?! For law school...certainly not for the change of scenery. They looked at houses yesterday afternoon, and then last night we went ACROSS the street, and looked at a county-owned foreclosure!! How great would it be to have friends RIGHT across the street?! Pretty great, especially since they are super fun to be around AND the house they like has a pretty awesome swingset.:)

Preston really bonded with them, especially Jeremiah. Jeremiah is a friend of theirs, and a fellow-PCC grad. He came over last night as well, and Preston immediately took to him. He led him outside where Jeremiah PUSHED him around the yard in his Little Tyke's car. They are friends for life now. I should've got a picture of that, but instead I got a photo of them on the couch, cuddled up watching Franklin-the Green Knight-which is pretty much the cheesiest movie ever.

Oh, I'm also posting pics of Preston helping Daddy mow the yard. By 'helping' I really mean getting in Joel's way mainly, but it did make for a fun photo shoot!:)

P might need a Sibling

Someday, Lord-willing, we will have another kiddo. In the meantime though, Preston will probably continue to be his own imaginary friend. The other day, after his nap, he was sitting at the table eating a cookie. He said, "Hey, Preton-whatcha doin'? Eatin' a cookie. Oh." I just stared at him. What a crackup! Do we not give him enough attention? Does he somehow crave conversation with himself? Sometimes throughout the day, I'll here him say..."You ok, Preton? Yeah, I okay."

Yep, someday it will be nice for him to have a sibling to talk to. Until then, he'll be his own best buddy!This is Preston with the little girl I've babysat a few times. As you can see, he loves her!

Hungry...but not that hungry!

Well last night I decided (again) to try and get Preston to eat something "different". He's so picky, and it seems like at times we cater to that, because in reality it is easier to give him what we know he'll eat, so meal times do not have to be a fit and we can all eat in peace! That has left us very limited...mainly to the 3rd stage jarred spaghetti and their turkey with veggies (ew) and his infamous chicken nuggets.So, last night for supper, I made him a grilled cheese! We've tried it before on him, but no luck. I make his with dairy-free cheese (he's allergic) and vegan butter....It's actually still an awesome grilled cheese! Anyhow, the first attempt failed...He wouldn't eat it, and got sent to his room. Well, I know he's hungry, because he's hanging around the fridge, wanting FOOD! He asks for rice milk and whines around and finally I make another sandwich, because the kid has got to eat...(So I think!) I had told him this is it, all that you get for supper. Our second attempt went better, at least he sat up to the table longer...and TOUCHED his food. After he was done, his plate looked like this:

Which WOULD have been exciting, but the centerpiece on our table looked like this:

Ah, well...You can't win them all!

Locksmith??

So today, I went out to the garage to take the garbage out, and shut the door behind me. I told P, 'just a minute'...While I was heading back inside, I heard it. Click. He locked me out. My mind instantly went to the other entrances to our home. All of them locked. Even if I opened the garage door and went around to the front, it wouldn't do any good. It was LOCKED! I banged on the door, 'Preston, open this door...NOW!' Click. He unlocked it. He was sitting on the steps, wide-eyed when I entered. I'm just glad he was able to unlock it. I've seen him mess with the lock before, but didn't know if he would be able or willing to unlock it...I bent down and said, 'Now, NEVER lock this door again, ok?' I hugged him, so thankful he let me in. I realize now I've GOT to get a key to put in the garage. Just in case.

Should be Mandatory:)

Today is "Take Our Daughters And Sons To Work Day". Really. It says so in my planner. Clearly it must be a real 'holiday'...Guess I'm just not understanding why Joel didn't want to take P with him today. I mean, who wouldn't want to take this guy to work??

Ok, so in all fairness, this was nearly a year ago-while I was packing up boxes, getting ready to leave our Lincoln house. P didn't waste any time before he began emptying boxes in the pantry. So helpful! I had been wondering where we were going to pack all that heavy pasta, and those Cheerios, what a load! He's much more helpful now. More hands on. The other day he was throwing the laundry out of the basket-into the closet. I'm sure there's a method to the madness. I just haven't figured it out yet.

A Traveling We Go...

We've been taking Preston to a Natural Doctor, and are quite positive about the progress he's made so far. One of the positive? things is that he's got so much more energy now, and is sleeping less. Also, the eczema on his feet/legs has improved, along with his appetite improving! We're doing 'the cleanse' this month, and will be hoping and praying that we can improve his allergy issues/tummy problems. He hasn't even had intense tummy pain since April 3rd!!

Our weekend in Iowa was...awesome! Joel's Mom really noticed a diffe

rence in Preston, as he is such a 'happier kid' now, and that is a relief to us. (He's still naughty though.) It was so nice this trip, to have him playing (outside even) with his cousins, and not constantly having a fit, over SOME thing!! He also slept through both nights too, which is always a relief when being away from home~but especially news worthy when he's in the SAME room we are for the night!

I have to say, that each time I'm with my In-Laws, I love them more and more, well~like FAMILY! Oh, the irony, huh? They are such a great bunch, and really love the Lord with all their hearts. Joel's Dad has been Pastor in Farmington for 18 years. 18 YEARS! They are still on fire for God though, and their heart and vision for the ministry are inspiring to me!!

Besides having time to chat and "referee" the kiddos, we got to go to the Dutchman's store~which was an amazingly quaint "trading post" type store, run by the Mennonites. I thought it was so adorable that all the cashiers had on little head pieces, and wore long, flowing skirts. I could have spent the day there! But, alas~$20 and about 45 minutes later, we were on our way. I was able to procure some of Joel's long awaited chocolate-minty-fancy-candy things, that he was way excited about. I think it's safe to say I've eaten at LEAST half the bag. Yum!! I also bought a doily~wall hanging thing that looks hand made. I couldn't ask for more.

Our trip ended with a stop in Des Moines, where we visited Joel's Uncle's church. He is also a Pastor, and their church was amazing. They are a fairly new work (about 2 years old) and the people were INCREDIBLY friendly. We went to Culver's afterwards, with his Uncle and family, and chatted until after 9:30, which put us home just before midnight Sunday night. Whew! We knew it was time to leave the restaurant because Preston had thrown his second salt shaker into the trash, and we really didn't want to get caught. Sometimes I wonder whatever possesses him.

I'll sign off with a photo of me from the Dutchman's Store. For just over $7, I could have owned one of these:

Target Fun?

Today we went to Target. I am always way excited to shop at my favorite 'upscale' department store, and today was no exception! I met my friend Julie with her adorable baby at the awesome Target at 168th & Maple. There were Clearance Clothing items to peruse, discount merchandise to FIND, I was salivating over the possibilities. 

Then, it began. By 'it', I mean the WAR of 2 minds, which is inevitable, whenever I take my toddler out on any 'pleasure outings'. It started with him wanting to play hide-and-seek with me. Only, I wasn't really playing. I'd find him, bring him back to the cart, and off the little maniac was again. Hiding behind a clothing rack. Running to another aisle. The possibilities were endless. And annoying. I took off my sweatshirt, because I was really starting to feel the burn! By the time we got to the dressing rooms to try on our clearance collections, P was being LESS than cooperative. I would step out to show Julie an outfit, and he would slam the door. Repeatedly! No chance for us to go unnoticed, in a store!

While an hour and a half is JUST right for me, in Target-wonderland, it's apparently WAY too much for my 2-year-old ball of fire to handle at this point. I'm just going to have to accept that from this point until he's oh-12-that being a stay-at-home Momma means I'm gonna stay AT home. It's not like I'm going to have to start turning down friends' offers, they're just going to STOP asking!