Apple Picking 2007

This is my favorite time of year...and the annual apple picking trip to Wisconsin, something I look forward to every year! This was the 7th year that my family has carried on this tradition. It was started by my sister and her family when Brigg was only 3 months old!!! I did not attend that year and one other year, but otherwise, I have gone every year. Each year, it is more and more exciting because there is a new addition it seems almost every year! We had such a great time this year as usual. I got TONS of great pictures! We went to the same "Pick your own apples" orchard that we go to every year, we celebrated Lani and Macy's birthdays like we do every year, we had a ridiculous amount of delicious goodies like we do every year and ate apples and homemade caramels like we do every year! A great time was had by all! This year we rented a log home that was BEAUTIFUL! It was on an acreage which allowed for plenty of play room for the kids. There was a hot tub and a pool table, a fire pit, screened in porch, wrap around deck and amazing scenery! The only thing that would have made it more perfect would have been if Sean and Ayla (our unborn niece) would have been there...otherwise it was absolutely PERFECT!

Bode didn't have ANY fun at all...he was miserable! ;)

Tate is so amazed with Brenda's teeth!

More from apple picking...

Smores before bed...why not?! We were on vacation ya know!

The Birthday Girls!

A rare moment when Bode is actually enjoying Tate. :)

The "Stewart" girls :)

Papa and Nana with all of their grand babies (minus Ayla)!

Tate and Mommy in the apple orchard.

The log cabin was such a great place to stay! As you can see, we spent a lot of time outside.

Heading Out...

Tate and I will be heading to Muscatine this evening to stay the night and then leaving for our apple picking trip from there. We are SO excited, but a little sad that Sean will not be attending this year. :( Tate has come down with a cold too, so that's no fun. Although, he doesn't seem to mind the constant stream of snot coming out of his nose...it's probably a bit more bothersome to me! My allergies are in full force as well which is pretty typical this time of year. I will be doped up on allergy medicine and Tate on cold medicine so hopefully all will be fine! Plan to see several pictures posted on Sunday or Monday! This trip always makes for great photos!

Yes it is!

Top 100 Reasons...

A fellow blogger was presented with a challenge to list the top 100 reasons why she loves being a mother. I decided to take the challenge as well...

1.I love Tate Kenneth
2.I love hearing Tate snore through the monitor
3.I love that when I hold Tate, he puts his hand on the back of my neck
4.I love it when Tate is standing up in his crib waiting for me when I come in to get him up
5.I love Tate's smile
6.I love Tate's laugh
7.I love it when strangers tell me how adorable Tate is
8.I love being a family
9.I love watching Sean tickle Tate
10.I love it when Tate makes Sean laugh
11.I love seeing Tate hug his stuffed animals
12.I love snuggling Tate before bed
13.I love watching Tate splash in the bath tub
14.I love how Tate smells after his bath
15.I love the smell of baby lotion
15.I love Tate's MANY expressions
16.I love that Tate intently listens when we pray before we eat
17.I love that Tate looks quietly up at me when I say bedtime prayers
18.I love it when Tate intently watches Praise Baby
19.I love watching Tate dance
20.I love watching Tate play
21.I love reading to Tate
22.I love seeing Tate with his cousins
23.I love seeing Tate with his aunts and uncles
24.I love cuddling with Tate in the mornings
25.I love how Tate feeds himself
26.I love it when I lay Tate down, he adjusts his taggie blankets and brown puppy so they're right where he wants them
27.I love hearing Tate say, "tha-noo" (thank you)
28.I love it when I hear Tate saying "uh oh" in his carseat just so I remember he's still there
29.I love hearing Tate "sing" along to the music in the car
30.I love how excited Tate gets at the beginning of Mickey Mouse Club House when Mickey says, "Hey everybody!"
31.I love it when Tate says "da da da da da"
32.I love how Tate imitates our expressions
33.I love it how Tate gets excited when he sees himself in the mirror
34.I love it when Tate "throws" his ball
35.I love Tate's open mouth kisses
36.I love when Tate smiles for the camera
37.I love bringing a baby home for the first time
38.I love the children I do not have yet
39.I love being able to experience the joys of adoption
40.I love knowing the feeling of a mother's love and realizing my mother feels the same way about me
41.I love that Sean is the father to my son
42.I love saying that I have a son
43.I love taking family vacations with my son and husband
44.I love how happy Tate is in the water
45.I love that Tate is in heaven anytime he's playing in a bed
46.I love sleeping next to my baby
47.I love that Tate is completely dependent on Sean and I
48.I love imagining what kind of man Tate will become
49.I love that I can always find joy just by looking at Tate
50.I love hearing Tate babble
51.I love Tate's tiny feet
52.I love Tate's big, bald head
53.I love when Tate plays peek-a-boo
54.I love baby clothes
55.I love lullabies
56.I love Tate's pouty lip when he's mad
57.I love sitting on the floor and Tate not wanting to leave my side
58.I love blogging about Tate
59.I love taking pictures of Tate
60.I love getting Tate's picture taken
61.I love folding a bunch of clean, tiny baby clothes
62.I love starting our own family traditions
63.I love when Tate reaches for me
64.I love it when Tate sneezes when the sun's in his eyes
65.I love how Tate looks in hats
66.I love watching Tate learn
67.I love that Tate loves animals
68.I love Tate's soft skin
69.I love seeing Tate with his birth family
70.I love the face Tate makes when he sucks on a lemon
71.I love that when Tate doesn't want to eat his food, he picks it up and puts it in the seat of his high chair
72.I love Tate's face when he sees Daddy walk through the door
73.I love Sean's face when he sees Tate after a long day of work or school
74.I love watching Tate play with wrapping paper
75.I love seeing Tate with little babies
76.I love imagining what kind of big brother Tate is going to be like
77.I love hearing Tate say, "ma ma ma ma ma"
78.I love how Tate gets so excited when he learns something new
79.I love telling the story of Tate's adoption
80.I love being able to share part of Tate's life with his birth family
81.I love feeling the deepest love I have ever felt
82.I love having a bond with other mothers
83.I love that my favorite magazine is Parents
84.I love having to shop for baby clothes
85.I love seeing a new side of Sean that makes me love him even more
86.I love watching Sean kiss Tate
87.I love kissing Tate
88.I love when Tate nuzzles his head into me
89.I love those brief moments when Tate lays his head on my shoulder
90.I love holding Tate while he's sleeping
91.I love how Tate looks in his pajamas
92.I love when Tate says, "done" when he's done eating
93.I love it when Tate sees his bottle and starts to pant and speed crawl over to us to be fed
94.I love seeing how proud Sean is to show off Tate or pictures of Tate
95.I love the way Tate waves hello and goodbye
96.I love talking to Tate about Jesus
97.I love talking to Tate about his birth parents
98.I love documenting Tate's milestones
99.I love when Sean and I are both on the floor playing with Tate
100.I love knowing that Tate was created by God, for Sean and I to raise and love!

Sophia Kay

Sean's cousin and her husband had a baby girl a couple of months ago and we were finally able to coordinate a time to get together last night. Sophia is so sweet, she is very good natured and barely made a peep the whole time we were there. Tate kept wanting to touch her, but he doesn't tend to be very gentle, so we had to protect Sophia from him. :) As you can see in the pictures, she has the most unbelievable hair! It is too funny! I love it and it makes me jealous! I can't wait for Tate to get hair! It made me kind of sad holding her. I miss my little baby Tate! He just looked so big next to her! It was great to meet the little sweetie and spend time with Tammie and Derek too!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, SEAN!

Well these last 3 years have been quite the ride! My life has been so much more than I ever expected it could be since you came into my life. The day I met you, I knew that you were like no one I had ever met. A short couple of weeks later, I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. You make me a better person. You challenge me and give me strength when I feel I have none.

It's been only 3 years and what a journey it has been! We looked forward to starting a family right after we married and you stood by my side and were the best support I could have asked for when things didn't go as planned. You kept me positive and dealt with my mood swings through many fertility treatments. You still loved me when I was probably not the most loving towards you. You jumped on board when the topic of adoption came up and put your heart and soul into it as not many men would do! You were genuinely excited and that made me fall more in love with you!

We have traveled to Florida many times, played many games of cribbage late at night, attended several Hawkeye games, talked until the wee hours, gone on drives for no reason, taken weekend trips to see family, moved 4 times, changed jobs, and started a family and I have fallen deeper in love with you every step of the way. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for us. I cannot wait to grow old and gray with you, to watch our kids grow and become adults, to go on this journey with you as you start a new career and to love you unconditionally all along the way.

You are the most amazing father to Tate and the most amazing husband to me!

You make me laugh when I am sad, strong when I am weak, look up when I am down and you make me a better person. I love you with all my heart! Happy Anniversary Sean!

On the move...

Now that Tate is on the move, we have realized that he is so much happier when he's in large, open spaces that he can move around in. We gate him off in the living room where it is completely childproofed so we don't have to worry at all, but that doesn't have a ton of room for him to roam. He loves it when he is able to crawl down the hall and in and out of his room and our room, but that is on the opposite end of the house and I always have too much to do to stay in that part of the house all day, plus all of his toys are in the living room. When we take him to Chris and Brenda's, we've realized he is in HEAVEN. He can crawl all over the place and isn't confined to one area because of the way their house is layed out. So, we decided we needed to do something so that he had more space to move...especially because he has a couple of toys that he could push around and also he has a walker that he has practically no place to use. So today, we decided that his need to move is more important than our want for an aesthetically sound living space in the basement. We originally had it set up all cozy and comfortable...in a way that worked best for us. We are no longer the priority! It needs to work best for Tate, SO we moved pretty much all of the furniture up against the walls so that he has a big open space in the middle of the entire living space that he can play, crawl, walk (eventually on his own) in his walker, push and ride his toys and just move around! It is actually not too bad for our needs either. I think we're really going to like it, and I know that Tate will love having his own BIG playroom!

On the agenda...

So plans always seem to change around here. I can have everything planned out to a T and things just don't work out like I expected. That's ok though, I try to just go with the flow.

Last week I wanted to get my rings saughtered and sized, but that never happened. Hopefully that will get done this week. I was going to meet a friend for lunch on Saturday, but that never happened. Her daughter has pneumonia and wasn't feeling well so we're meeting at my house today for lunch and haircuts and a birthday gift exchange...her birthday is in September too! I am looking forward to that (in 2 hours, so I shouldn't even be blogging, I should be getting ready). :) Sean is working until 9 tonight and then has class in the morning tomorrow until 11:30. He has to go meet his new patient in the late afternoon and then we're meeting with his cousin, her husband and their new baby in the evening. Tuesday is Sean and my wedding anniversary. This has not even come up yet...I have NO idea what we're doing (probably nothing), but I should at least go buy a card for him sometime between now and then I think. Sean has class until 11 and then Tuesday night Sean will be going into work from 5-7. Wednesday Sean has...you guessed it...class until 11:30 and then he has something for school again around 4, but I can't remember what it is. Then we're back to Thursdays which are not our favorites. :( Although, this Thursday, Grey's Anatomy Season Premier is on!!!! I can't wait! Amidst all of these things, I need to fit in several loads of laundry, cleaning the house, baking some items and packing for our annual apple picking trip which we...minus Sean :(...leave for on Friday. So that's the plan for the week. I can't wait for the weekend to come so we can go apple picking in Wisconsin! Woohoo! Then, the next weekend is Tate's birthday party! My how time flies!!!!

Lots of celebrating...

Tomorrow begins a stretch of lots of activities and lots of celebrating in our household. Tomorrow I turn 27. I can't even believe that I am 27, it seems like yesterday that I turned 16! Anyway, I feel old. We don't have much planned, but we will be celebrating it by going out to a nice dinner just Sean and I on Saturday. Then, Tuesday is Sean and my anniversary, Wednesday is Sean's dad's birthday, Friday we leave to go on our annual apple picking trip to Wisconsin and will be celebrating Lani and Macy's birthdays there and then the next weekend is Tate's 1st birthday! I love this time of year!

I am actually a bit emotional lately. This weather and these events just make me think of what I was doing this time last year. At this time last year, we were waiting to see if we would be getting a baby that we were being considered for. Then in a few days after that, we were being considered for twins and were devastated when we found out that we had not been selected to be their parents. Just 10 days later, we got the call about Tate and in that moment knew that we didn't want anything more than to be his parents. We knew that those other babies were not "our" babies and Tate was. Just 8 days after he was born, we took him to Wisconsin on the annual apple picking trip. It is so emotional to think and remember all of those feelings we were experiencing during this time last year. What a whirlwind of a year it has been!

My Father's World!

I am so excited today! I went to my favorite Christian Bookstore here in Des Moines. It is huge and I could spend hours in there! I went to the children's section and immediately saw it...a NEW Praise Baby DVD! It's called "My Father's World". I have God of Wonders, Praises and Smiles, and Born to Worship, but that's all they have had for several years now. I had no idea that they were making more, so I was so happy to see a new one! I think I like the DVD's just as much (if not more!) than Tate does. I love the music in them! I almost held Tate off from his nap so that we could watch it before he went down because I am not very patient, but I did the right thing and put him down first. I can't wait for him to wake up so we can watch it! :)

Sleepy Boy!

Tate took a fantastic nap this morning. It was 2 1/2 hours which is about 30 minutes to an hour longer than he typically takes in the morning. I was happy...that is until this afternoon when he absolutely wouldn't go down. He's survived just fine on one nap in the past so I thought it wouldn't be much different today. I knew he'd be heading to bed early though...I had no idea just how early it would be!

We're having a nice dinner and Tate is acting just fine. He's eating slowly, but he's not whining or anything. I am eating and all of a sudden happen to look over at him to see him doing this...

He even adjusted himself to get more comfortable at one point!

This is a first. He's never fallen asleep in his high chair before. We did eat kind of a late dinner tonight, so it wasn't like he was sleeping at 6 pm or anything, but he was sound asleep by 7:20. I wiped off his face and hands and took off his bib before he even flinched. He did open his eyes when I took him out of the high chair, but he then sucked down a bottle with his eyes closed and I layed him down sound asleep! Little sweetie!

Tate update...

Well we had Tate's x-ray today and he was SO GOOD! He had to lay on his back and Sean and I each held an arm down and he didn't move an inch...he was so still. What a little sweetie! The technician was even going on and on about how great he did...she was surprised. Then he had to get the picture taken of his side and he wasn't too fond of that position, but still he did great. Also, he weighs 25 lbs. 3 oz.!!! 3 weeks ago when we took him to the doctor he only weighed 23 lbs. It must be all of the solid foods he's eating now. After the x-ray, the tech gave him a cow sticker and he got SO excited! He was going, "ooooooooo" as he looked at it and was smiling at it and kicking his legs. It was pretty funny. After the x-ray, we went to the mall and picked up his Halloween costume...a turtle. He looks absolutely adorable in the turtle hat and I am sure the rest of the costume will look great on him as well. It's funny, we got a size 12-18 months and the hat is borderline too small (but it looks fine) and the booties are probably twice as big as his tiny feet! It's hilarious. We got home and Daddy had to head out to do something for school for an hour and I was left with a really nasty diaper to change. Hopefully this little tummy bug he has goes away soon because it's pretty gross! We've managed to keep his diaper rash under control with thick layers of Desitin though. So that's the update for now...we should know if Tate has pneumonia within the next day or two they said.

Not Again!!!

So Tate has had a cough since a few days before his 9 month check up which was on July 9th! We took him to the doctor at the end of August and he thought Tate could have asthma and/or allergies and gave us some Singulair to try for 10 days. If he didn't improve, he told us to come back and we'd try something else. Well, he didn't improve. So today we took him back and again our doctor was stumped as to what the problem may be. He ended up scheduling and appointment for Tate to get a chest x-ray at Blank Children's Hospital tomorrow to make sure he doesn't have pneumonia again! Ugh! He said that if he doesn't have pneumonia than he wants to start treating Tate for asthma with regular nebulizer treatments...ugh again! I hope it's neither, but we will soon see. Other than his cough, Tate hasn't been feverish (aside from his low-grade teething fevers) or anything. In addition to this, Tate has a nasty Rota Virus like bug that has been causing him to have severe diarrhea for the last 24 hours. It is SO STINKY and his bum is so sore! Poor baby! As usual, he's still as smiley as ever...even when I can smell his stinky diaper from across the house! I am not kidding, I was walking down the hall to get him up from his nap and I could smell his poopy diaper down the hall even with his door closed! It is pretty gross! So when we find out if Tate has pneumonia or not, I'll update!

Tip Tuesday

Squeeze Citrus Juice Now, Use Later

If you have leftover lemons and limes from a cocktail party (or you could just but them and do this as a time saving tip), squeeze them and freeze the juice in an ice-cube tray. Once they're frozen, store the cubes in zippered plastic bags and use them for recipes that call for fresh lemon or lime juice. (One cube equals about one tablespoon of juice.)


Homemade Pop-cycles
For a snack, save the juice from canned fruit, add a little water, freeze and you have free homemade pop-cycles.

Something New For Dinner

A friend of a friend created a blog for all of us out there who may struggle with new dinner ideas. The address is somethingnewfordinner.blogspot.com. It's so great! Check it out and post your favorite recipes under the correct category!

End of the weekend...

Most people are sad at the end of the weekend...not us! We love Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays because Daddy doesn't work! This week, we have a few things planned, but nothing too major. Tomorrow I will be coloring some hair and just spending time with my family all together! Also, it is my "cleaning day"! Then on Tuesday or Wednesday we are going to take my rings in to get sized and sauttered. You would think after having been married for 3 years, that would have been done already, but it hasn't. Originally I didn't want my rings sauttered and the size was fine, but then Sean got me an anniversary band which is a bigger size than my wedding ring and my wedding band. My wedding ring is a bit wider than the bands I have, so it is a bit larger than my wedding band and now I have this anniversary band that is even bigger than my wedding ring, leaving me with 3 different sizes of rings that I wear all on the same finger! In addition to that, they twist and turn all over my finger and goo and gunk get stuck underneath them and just a couple of weeks ago, I developed a nasty rash thing under my rings so my skin was all bubbling up where my rings would go and it was irritated and itchy. So I haven't been wearing but just my wedding band lately, so I figured it was time to get them all sized the same and sauttered together so that they don't twist and turn on my finger and maybe this rash thing won't happen again. So there's my ring saga.

On Thursday, Sean starts his "work weekend" and I am going to be meeting a friend for lunch and possibly Nana and Papa P at some point in the day as well.

Then Friday is my birthday!!!! I don't have anything planned right now, but will be celebrating by going out to dinner with the hubby on Saturday night. Saturday morning I am doing a friend's hair for a wedding and then meeting Sara, Delaney and Olivia Knutson for lunch.

So that's the plan right now. I am sure our week will fly by!

I decided to add a couple of cute pics I took of Tate this evening. :)

A sad Hawkeye family...

Well, you never can predict the IA vs. IA State game's outcome. It seemed that the Hawks should have easily won this one, but the Cyclones seem to always play their best game against the Hawks each year. And this year was no different...they out played us and left with the victory. It was sad and very frustrating, but it happens. We are a bunch of sad Hawkeyes, but I am not going to be a poor loser. The Hawks did not play a great game and that's all there is to it! Aside from the loss, it was a very fun day of food, family and football! :) Sean was able to join us after work for a dinner of Nacho Dip and Hank Panks and was able to watch some football with us. Tate was SO GOOD today. He played all day long and ate like a horse! By 8:30, he was ready for bed! When we got home, we fed him and hewent to sleep immediately! Thanks Chris for a fun day at your place! Mommy and Tate were all smiles BEFORE the game started!

This was Tate's reaction at the end of the game when they didn't quite get a touchdown to win it!


This is one SAD Hawkeye!


Okay, he's over it! :)

Big Game!

The Hawks play the Cyclones today and it's the first year in 4 years that Sean and the boys won't be attending! :( Sean's bummed because he can't even watch it due to work! This is a BIG DEAL to him. He'll get over it I am sure! :) Tate and I are sporting our Hawkeye gear and heading over to Chris and Brenda's to watch the Hawks be victorious (hopefully!)!!! Go Hawks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Enough Already!!!

Well, the "bug" is back in full force! I got 2 days of feeling better (but not completely better) after my flu bout and this morning I awoke to a pounding headache, fever and nausea again! I tried with all of my might to maintain my motherly duties, but I just simply couldn't. Sean called me on one of his breaks to hear that I had gotten sick a couple of times and through tears I expressed that didn't think I could swing it today. He tried to make me feel better, but nothing but sleep was going to do that! So, my wonderful husband decided to come home from work and take care of Tate and I! After consuming probably my 12th Ibuprofin of the day and having a bite of toast and a dose of Pepto Bismol, I fell asleep for a couple of hours to wake up to no more nausea or fever and only a slight headache. I am not going to get too excited though because I don't feel 100% and I know that this "bug" seems to like to sneak up on me. Hopefully I will continue to feel better and won't be dealing with this for a LONG time!

Sushi Night

Well, sushi night may have been the best yet! I think Chris made his best sushi to date! It definitely hit the spot and Tate loved it too! The rice was really sticky, so he managed to get it all over the place! He even tried a spicy noodle which he didn't seem to mind although he chugged a ton of water after eating it! Ha. Chris and Brenda even let me take several pieces home for Sean to enjoy once he got home from work and did he ever enjoy them! Tate probably would have liked at least one left over for his lunch tomorrow, but Daddy ate them all! :) After sushi we all hung out and played and Tate had a ball crawling all over and having new toys to play with! We didn't get home until 9:00 and for some reason Tate was wound up and as happy as could be, so I decided to let him stay up for a few more minutes until Daddy got home at 9:15. Both Daddy and Tate were SO HAPPY to get to see each other since Thursdays they usually don't get to. Daddy put Tate to bed at 9:30 and Tate was out like a light. Thanks Chris and Brenda for having us over and making us dinner...it was FABULOUS!!!Tate picking out his own piece of sushi.

MMMMMM...that was good!

I think I'll have another!

I am THIRSTY after all of that sushi!

Do I have anything on my face?

Okay really, I wouldn't give an 11 month old sushi!!! He actually did eat A TON of the rice though and he LOVED it! I am sure he will be a sushi lover some day, but we'll wait a year or so before we give that food a try! :)

FINALLY!!!

Tooth #7 popped through sometime between last night and this morning! Woo hoo! Although, we're not in the clear yet, tooth #8 is hopefully within a couple of days of popping through too. Tate is still a drooling mess and chewing on everything in sight. I can see the 8th tooth plain as day through the skin. :)

Much Better...

I didn't have the greatest day yesterday for a few reasons, one of which I was still not feeling great from being sick. I was SO TIRED and weak all day. I tried to act like everything was fine and go about my day, but I think that made me more weak and more tired. So, after heading out to dinner with the family, we got home around 6:45 and I got all of the items ready and set out for Tate's bedtime routine (which I usually do) and hoped Sean would manage because I went to bed! I was sleeping for the night by 7 or shortly thereafter and didn't wake up until 8:00 this morning! Wow, I feel great!!! I needed that long night of sleep! In addition to my great night of sleep, Tate had a long night too! He was in bed at 8 and slept until 8 this morning! So we are geared up to keep ourselves busy today so that we forget that we won't be seeing Daddy all day long! :( This is his busiest day of the week. Tate and I plan to go out and run a few errands today and then we're heading to Chris and Brenda's for dinner tonight to eat sushi!!! Yummy! It's my favorite! Although, Tate won't be able to try it yet, I look forward to the day that he can. I think he'll love it because he loves rice! :)

Yuck...

Well, the happiness of Sean's birthday yesterday came to a screeching hault when I found myself sick with the flu...again! I just had it a few weeks ago and never thought I would get it again in the next year. I usually only get it once a year. Anyway, I couldn't sleep last night and I felt a headache building all night until it was probably the worst migraine I had ever experienced. It was awful! I took probably 10 Ibuprofins in the course of 3 hours and the headache wasn't budging. Meanwhile, I was praying that I could keep whatever was gurgling in my stomach down. Well, my prayers were not answered...not even close. I was SO SICK all night. It was terrible! I think I slept off and on a total of about 20 or 30 minutes the entire night. Sean awoke to the noises of my getting sick (sorry Sean!) and came rushing into the living room where I was to make sure I was ok. I must have sounded pretty bad because he isn't one to get too worried. I just started crying as I layed in a heap on the floor. I really don't think I have had a worse night in my entire life! Sean had to be at the hospital by 7 for school and Tate woke up just as he was leaving. I honestly didn't know what I was going to do. I felt so weak that when I went to pick him up, he felt SO HEAVY! I fed him a bottle and prayed so hard that I could lay him down in his crib and by some miracle, he would go back to sleep so that I could too! Well, believe it or not, the little sweetie went back down and slept for almost 2 1/2 more hours! I was so happy to get some sleep and by the time he awoke, I was still VERY tired, but my nausea was gone and my headache was no longer unbearable. He was so sweet...I think he must have sensed that I was not well because he sat on my lap and cuddled in and layed his head on me as we watched 2 episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Then I put him down to play and he was a little angel and played so well while I rested on the couch until Sean got home at 11:15 and I was able to go to bed! I slept most of the day while Sean had some much needed quality Daddy and Son time! Hopefully the flu bug is out of my system for at least the next year! I am off to bed now!

Tip Tuesday

Today my tips are about products that I LOVE...

Reynold's Slow Cooker Liners...they are SO GREAT! It saves so much time when you don't have to scrub, scrub, scrub the crock pot. You lift them out and your crock pot's clean!

Magic Eraser...absolutely amazing! If you've never used it, you're missing out! It cleans up ANYTHING!

Happy Birthday Sean!

Today was Sean's 31st birthday. We had such a great day! It was very low key and relaxing. Sean had class this morning until 11 and when he got home he opened his gifts and then we all went out to HuHot for lunch. Tate ate a TON of rice and some mushrooms and tomatoes. He loved it! Then we headed home and put Tate down for a nap. I was REALLY tired ( I couldn't sleep last night), so I napped too. We slept for 2 hours! While we were sleeping, Sean had to go run some errands for school and work. When we got up from our naps, I started dinner and had it ready and waiting when Sean got home. We all sat and ate and chatted. Then we all sat around and played. Sean is now happily watching football upstairs! It was a great day and Sean's first birthday as a Daddy! Happy Birthday Sean, we love you so much!

Sean was so happy to get to spend a lot of time with Tate today. He's been so busy these last few days that the time he spent with Tate was probably his favorite gift of all!

Now that Sean has a desk at work, Tate decided to get him a picture of himself to put on his desk. As you can see, Tate may have been more excited about the gift than anyone! Ha.

Tate loved the gifts. He especially loved pulling the tissue paper out of Sean's gift bag.

We realized today that Tate is going to have a hay day at his birthday. He may like the wrapping paper better than the gifts! :)

Sean got a Hawkeye Tailgate game that you throw golfballs on strings at a ladder like thing. He was pretty excited!