Rejuvenation

I have been heard to utter the words..."I need to runaway, I need a vacation, I need to do something besides fold laundry, prep & clean meals, and be a referee."  I think all of us mom's can relate.  Sometimes we need a break...an hour, a day, or for me 5 GLORIOUS days.  Last Wednesday I hopped on a flight out of Austin and headed for sunny Orlando, FL.  I went to visit friends who are more like family.  I left for 5 days, Ben took time off from work and took on the task of 3 crazy kids full-time.

The airplane ride was AMAZING!  I have forgotten what it is like to fly by...my...self!  I ordered my snack (didn't have to share), got a soda (didn't worry about which stranger my kids were going go to dump it on), and sat back and watched a movie (with NO interruptions) and just relaxed.  It was simply heavenly!

Once in Orlando Wilsons picked me up and we were off for a quick sandwich at Fire House Subs, and some Italian Ice at Rita's (I would be in big trouble if there was one of these here...sugar free Italian ice is fabulous)

Thursday we went and had breakfast at Mc Donalds (a long time tradition) and started the celebration of this little man turning 1!!  We ran errands all day and that evening had a celebration for the birthday boy. A extra bonus was we could see the last and final launch of the Discovery Space Shuttle.  Although it was more of a smoke trail in the sky ( I could see the orange of the boosters) I still thought it was pretty cool to witness.

(the big birthday boy)

(The Discovery Space Shuttle)

Friday was a day that will go down as one of the top 10 best days EVER.  We went to Disney World first and then that night went to WICKED.  I have waited a long time to see this musical, and it was well worth the wait.  A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!

I walked around the whole day saying, "This is so FUN!"  

 I am in LOVE

Saturday was full of shopping.  We hit up several malls, outlets, etc.  H&M...MAC...etc.  (Have I mentioned there is NO shopping in Temple TX)  Ate at Panera Bread, and finished the night with some great Mexican Food and more Rita's.  Let's see...shopping and eating...great combo!

Sunday we got a few last minute crafts in and shed lots of tears as we said goodbyes.  It was a perfect trip.  I had soo much fun and by the end I had started to miss my family (it took a good day or two).  It was just I needed.  Some "me" time.  Trips like this don't happen often so I need to document every minute, so I can look back and remember how rejuvenating this time was.  Thanks to my wonderful husband for making it all work so I can go and to great friends for letting me come (and spoiling me)!

Happy Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day

We started the morning with some valentines goodies, both from mom & dad, and grandparents. 

For dinner we had breakfast, always a hit in our house.  Orange juice, bacon, berries, and HOT PINK pancakes.  How did I get them HOT PINK you ask?  I'll let you in on my secret....I added pureed beets. Ssshhhh...don't tell my family, they don't know.

 We finished dinner with some play time in the backyard and chasing bubbles.  It was a great day.  I even got some red roses and a large diet coke!  What a smart hubby.

Snow Day

Apparently the term "snowed in" mean two very different things to Texans vs. Iowans.  While most here in Temple ran to the grocery store to stock up (not sure if it was for food or amo) and get ready to hide in doors for the snow "storm" (please understand I use the word "storm" very lightly) we Fluhmans laughed & taunted the snow storm.  It came, it dropped a WHOPPING 1 1/2 inches, and we woke up with some VERY excited kids.  I had to dig through a box to reclaim all our snow apparel, and we put it to good use all morning.  After about 20 minutes Isaac announced he was done and went inside, but the rest of played for awhile.  The snow was very dry, not snowball or snowman kind of snow, but still white and fluffy all the same.  By 2pm that same afternoon it was melting.  This is the kind of snow storm I could get use to.  Proof that it really does snow in Texas.

That Face

Ya...I get that face a lot.

Little Man

I love this little guy.  This stage, 21 months, is pretty dang cute.  He runs around the house playing chase.  When his dad comes home he runs to the garage door and waits for him to come in, and squeals in delight.  He is getting more opinionated with what he wants to eat.  He refused to eat a quesadilla and instead scarfed down lasagna.  He loves to go down the slide head first.  He thinks he is such a big kid.  I just took him to the doctor (ear infection and nebulizer treatments) and he weighs 26lbs.  He IS a big kid.    The other day Ben tried to read him a book.  Spencer refused to sit on his lap and ran away.  Ben looked at me and said, "when did this happen...he's not my baby anymore."  It's true.  As much as I try to hold on and force him to lay in my arms like a baby, the truth is he is getting bigger.  It has it's perks, and I know it's what's suppose to happen. But, man...it happens so fast.  In April he will be 2!!!  I'm not ready.    But with all that said, he is still my sweet little man.  And I really do LOVE this stage.

The Teepee...

I've mentioned before about the teepee that my Grandma Chase made for us when we were little kids.  I have fond memories of setting up blankets & pillows and playing inside of it.  I LOVED watching my kids play with in when we stayed with my mom in San Diego two summers ago.  I dreamed of how I could fit in my car and drive it back home with me.  The day finally came when the teepee made it's to Texas via good old UPS.  It was like Christmas.  I was so excited for my kids to play with it and fall in love with it like I had as a child.  And all I can say is the teepee has not disappointed.  The other day we set it up outside (it's January and we are playing outside...love it) and we pretended to be Indians hunting and gathering in the backyard.  It was pretty great!

 Isaac working on the fire

Natali smashing the acorns with a stick

V-day subway Art

Looking for some cute V-day decorations & inspiration.  Head over and check out this talented lady.  Too cute if you ask me.  And a FREE printable too, pure awesomeness!

Craftily Ever After

He knows it...

Isaac knows he is giving me a run for my money lately.  If you couldn't pick up on it in earlier posts, he is kinda going through that 3 year old phase/metamorphisis into well...a well established THREE year old.  For some it's the terrible two's.  Not us...it's the torturious 3's!  And just as much as he knows how to be naughty he knows how to turn on the charm.  And what a charmer he is...

 cute face

 happy face

 sad face

scary face (more like chimpmunk face)

Always Eating...

Sometimes it feels like I am always preparing or cleaning up food and the subsequent messes that occur.  I dream of kitchens, the heart of a house, and try to envision what my dream kitchen would look like.  Especially since I spend so much time it seems in there.  There are a lot of things on my "wish list" but one thing I know for sure.  I want it to be a place where my family can gather.  Where we can talk, do homework, share secrets, and laugh.  Make homemade cookies, pizza, bread, etc.  Who knows if I'll ever get my "dream" kitchen, but at least I have these guys.

They're Mine...

There are times where I feel like I was very "misguided" or "hoodwinked" about this whole thing we loving call motherhood.  I mean, (deep breath) this is hard stuff.  It's not for the selfish, weak, easily tired, type of people.  There are no sick days, and the benefits at time seem nonexistent.  So I find myself at times thinking, "why do I do this?"  And even more sick and twisted, why would I want to do it again?  (not a announcement).  BUT, at the end of the day...when they are all fast ASLEEP (that is the key part here), I find myself looking at them with an overwhelming amount of love.  I do it all because they are mine, and I love them to pieces I tell ya'.  Some moments are not so sweet, and right now it seems like those sweet moments don't happen near enough.  But they are young, very young.  And right now I feel like it's all about enduring.  Some days are harder than others.  But I am lucky.  And on these good days I need to remind myself that.  I'm not a perfect mother, but I am trying.  And I love them very much (despite the hitting, crying, talking back, irrational tantrums, potty accidents, and general chaos)!!!

Grandma & Grandpa Fluhman Visit TX

We LOVE visitors, especially Grandma and Grandpa!  We picked them up on Monday (after Christmas) and reluctantly returned them to the airport on Friday.  As we drove away from the airport waving goodbye (and crying) Isaac yells out, "Don't leave me, Grandma!".  It nearly broke my heart.  It's hard to say goodbye after a week of being spoiled...eating out, buying presents, watching Bowl games, and getting Grandma & Grandpa's undivided attention.  We ALL look forward to Grandma & Grandpa's visits!!

Grandma & Grandpa loved Texas.  And who wouldn't, great BBQ, warm winter weather (no snow or ice), no inversion, and best of all...these cute kids!  Pretty sure Texas has a lot to offer for G & G.

Come back soon, we love you Grandma & Grandpa!

1.1.11

Last night as I laid in bed I thought back about 2010.  A lot of changes happened for our little family this year.  For journal purposes I thought I should record some of the "bigger" things that happened to us in 2010.

January:  We finally were back in Des Moines as an entire family.  After experiencing many months apart and living with parents (which was SO fun & such a blessing), it was nice to be back in our own frozen over tiny house.  Ben turned to big 3-0!   Old man.

February:  Not a whole lot except anticipating match day in March.

March:  MATCH DAY, big trials, and finally realizing we were moving to Temple, Texas.

April:  Found a home to rent in Temple...very excited.  Took a trip down to see some of the church history sites in MO. I turned 25 29 and Spencer turned the big 1!!!

May:  After 4 years of lots of hard work and many tests, Ben graduated DMU, and became Dr. Fluhman, DPM.  Ben's folks came out and celebrated with us.  We also celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary.

June:  We finished packing, cleaning, and CRYING and with much sorrow/excitement/anxiety drove away from Des Moines (home) and headed out on a new adventure in Texas.  17 hours later we arrived in Temple.  Natali turned 5.

July:  Ben started residency at Scott & White.  My mom came out to visit.  We discovered some tasty Texas BBQ and what the true meaning of HEAT meant!  We got our house set up as our home, and felt pretty homesick for friends and all things familiar.

August:  Still adjusting to Texas.  Slowly figuring our way around and starting to feel "apart" of things.  Natali started school, kindergarten.  We were blessed to get an AMAZING teacher for her.  It helped ease the transition for me.  Isaac turned 3!

September:  Getting into the swing of life in Texas.  Pretty sure we visited every splash pad in the area multiple times and did a lot of swimming.  Drove to Round Rock/Austin and discovered where the shopping really was (and Costco).  Ben trying to survive the first few months of residency.

October:  Ben's sister Liz came out to visit us with her baby. It was so fun to have family here and to show someone our new place we call home.

November:  Busy with school, kid biz, preschool, playgroup, church callings, etc. We enjoyed Thanksgiving with some families here and did some SERIOUS black Friday shopping with Shauni!

December:  Enjoyed doing our first activity/advent calendar.  Drove through the lights at BLORA.  Took Natali to A LOT of holiday performances for Kid Biz.  Natali & I went to the Nutcracker on a mommy daughter date.  Spent Christmas Eve down in Austin with my Aunt & Uncle.  Had our very first Christmas at home.  It was surprisingly really nice.  Grandma & Grandpa Fluhman came down two days later and spent the week spoiling us.  It was a perfect visit!

Looking back the year had it's ups and downs (like getting riped off from our movers, Budget Van Lines ).  Overall the year was wonderful.  We reached some huge accomplishments and embarked on some new adventures.  There were a lot of tears shed this year it seems.  There were also a lot of blessings poured out on us this year as well.  We have been blessed.  It's always very overwhelming to realize how blessed we are at times.  It's easy to complain and get caught up in meaningless things/aspects of life.  I have a wonderful husband, 3 beautiful kids, a warm home, food on the table, and the knowledge of the gospel.  Here's to a great 2010, and wishing for happy 2011!!!

Christmas 2010

It was our first year staying home for Christmas and I was pretty worried about it.  But it was really nice. Not dealing with traveling and pre-opening gifts was kind of nice.  Especially once kids started getting sick with things like strep & double ear infections.  Although, for the record we did miss the family events and playing with cousins.

Christmas eve we went down to Austin to celebrate with the King family.  The kids dressed up and acted out the nativity, we read The Night Before Christmas, enjoyed music, and ate great food.  We returned home and let the kids open one present.  I made matching pajama bottoms for the boys and had saved some Christmas jammies for Natali from last year.  They LOVED it.  Then we listened to a book Grandma  Gerry sent about the First Christmas. 

The kids slept in till 8!  Every year Ben and I wonder how more years we have of them sleeping in like this.  It was nice.  The kids were EXCITED!!

I love the boys in matching jammies.  The kids checking out their stockings full of goodies and surprises.  Thankfully Santa ate his cookies, drank his milk, and gave some of the carrots to the reindeer. 

Before the whirlwind hit. 

My ever sweet baby Spencer who is getting big too fast!  He loved all the festivities. 

Natali enjoying her Princess Barbies (Isaac might have been a little more excited) 

He was all smiles about his new trike. 

Daddy helping Isaac getting things set up. 

I braved doing a Christmas dinner at the house.  It was so fun to finally use my Christmas dishes and use Grandma Chase's English crystal.  We had turkey & ham (per Ben's request).  We did our traditional brined turkey.  Third year running.  It was so nice to be at home have a few families come and celebrate with us.  It was such a nice Christmas.  It helped to know that Ben's folks were coming on Monday.  We knew family would be here  soon.  It's soon fun doing Christmas with the kids.  They have such excitement for all things fun and festive!  Merry Christmas.

Zoo Day

On the Thursday before Christmas the kids (minus Spencer with his double ear infection) headed up to Waco with Shauni & her kids to go spend a few hours at the zoo.  (yep...you can do that in the middle of December when you live in places that don't ICE OVER).  It was a great outing.  The kids ceased their holiday whinning, epounded large amounts of energy, and saw the animals roaming about.

Some of the cutest butterflies ever!

Isaac was very concerned about the proximity of the bear in the background.  None of us were really convinvced that the two meager strands of barbed wire and mini ditch offered much protection.  Thanks Shauni for a great outing!  We had a LOVED it.