It's his FIFTH birthday today!!!

Five years ago today I was first introduced to the joy and the world of boys...














I was excited and nervous all at the same time - but after my first day/night with that little boy, I knew that boys were definitely a gift from God. Colton spent his first night sleeping in my arms and would "whine" every time I put him down in his bassinet. I knew then I had a cuddly boy - and he still is to this day.



















The joy, the laughs, the wrestling (thanks Dad for the years of practice), playing any kind of ball and that contagious laugh of his! I'm so thankful that God brought him into my life - what a blessing he is!










































So to my biggest boy - Happy Birthday! :)
I'm so glad that five years ago today I got to meet you for the first time and enjoy the last five years of smiles, tears, laughs, wrestles, "tracking me down", snuggling, and enjoying everything that God created you to be!

Psalm 139:13-16 (The Message)
"Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother's womb. I thank you, High God - you're breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration - what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day."

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Here I sit in Kansas enjoying a Thanksgiving that's out of the "normal"...

• There's no snow...
• We don't need jackets today...
• I miss Leslie's laughter - but instead I'm listening to my daughter "oooohhh" over my sister-in-law's dogs
• I'm not hosting! So instead of running around setting the table, making food and staying WAY too busy - I went to the park with my kids, read my book for about an hour and am now catching up on my blogging.
• I'm surrounded by family of a different sort (than I normally see for holidays) - but we're really enjoying seeing them!

Basically - LOTS of family time which is MUCH needed! :)

I hope you all are surrounded by family, food and lots of love today!

EDIT.......................................................................................................

Now that Thanksgiving is coming to a close I just had one more thing to add...
This was really a great day! I miss the "traditions" of my family and friends - but an evening spent with my hubby's family was so wonderful (even if my boys wouldn't sit still except for 10 minutes at a time) having over 20 people gathered in a room eating a dinner prepared by one wonderful lady with the help of her hubby (my husband's brother) and their kids brought back SO many memories of holidays past with my grandparents and extended family (a tradition that my family has stopped due to WAY too many family commitments) it was wonderful (I almost cried).

Growing up we went to BOTH sets of grandparents houses for dinner and lunch on Thanksgiving and Christmas:

• 2 grandparents, 5 sisters and 5 spouses plus grandchildren on my mom's side (as well as a friendly face or a missionary or two)
  
• 2 grandparents (sometimes a GREAT grandparent or two), 5 brothers and 1 sister and 4-5 spouses plus grandchildren on my dad's side

It always turned out to be a VERY long and busy day with WAAAAYYY too much food - but it was family (that's what you did).

So today, I got to relive those memories with different, fun, friendly, family faces around those two tables - and as I sit here with a belly TOO FULL of all that great food... all I can say is I'm thankful (for more than I can ever begin to write) - but thank you Lord today for family.

I love it more than Diet Coke...

Shocking, I know - that I could love something more than Diet Coke...

But a good sunrise, with pretty clouds and amazing colors - it gets me every time!

What can you do with 8 minutes?

So I have long-loved Tae Bo - always a great workout...

I recently picked up a copy of Tae Bo 2 Extreme at the library and thought I would give it a try.

It had an "8 minute Extreme Workout" on the video that I thought I would try yesterday, after all - how bad could it be for 8 minutes...

I don't think there's a single place on my body that doesn't hurt right now (I've done it twice now and the pain feels GREAT!)

All this to make sure I'm looking my best (and to wear the "perfect" dress for a certain someone's wedding in Florida soon...)

Yeah for exercise - back at it tomorrow!

Dragon Warrior Po's Secret Ingredient Soup.... well, sort of

What makes a family meal special? The "secret ingredient" :)

Mr. Ping: The secret ingredient is... nothing!
Po: Huh?
Mr. Ping: You heard me. Nothing! There is no secret ingredient.
Po: Wait, wait... it's just plain old noodle soup? You don't add some kind of special sauce or something?
Mr. Ping: Don't have to. To make something special you just have to believe it's special.

Tonight, for dinner, we had "Dragon Warrior Po's Secret Ingredient Soup"... what is the secret ingredient? Imagination and believing it's the coolest dinner EVER!

I just told the kids that it was Po's soup, gave them chopsticks, did a bunch of "kung fu" moves (really, Tae Bo moves thanks to Billy Blanks) and laughed a lot (and took pictures)
















The "secret" soup...















He tried and succeeded...















She tried and succeeded...















He used the spoon... then mom helped him try the chopsticks! :)
















The "real" secret to Po's soup - Ramen soup and a little bit of imagination!
















:) Gotta love being a kid!

Home cookin strikes again!!

I don't claim to be the best homemaker or cook - but every once in a while I get a "thing" and I just have to make somethin... it struck twice this week!

Homemade ginger snaps (or ginger "softs" as we call them because no one in my house likes them crunchy - they like them soft)... that the Colton-man and I made yesterday.

And today... HOMEMADE (from scratch) Wild Rice Soup!!!

I took this:














(and I didn't add the "dry sherry" in case you can actually read this)
And turned it into this:














It doesn't look the best here - because this is just out of the fridge in the tupperware... it looked MUCH nummier in the pot!

This is my SECOND time making soup from scratch (on Sunday I made a Tomato Bisque that was also NUMMY!!) in my ENTIRE marriage (or life, for that matter) and it feels so empowering!
I'm not sure why - it just makes you feel like a "real" woman to take miscellaneous ingredients in your kitchen and make them into this fantastic tasting meal! :)

Now you all know what a dork I really am - I get excited about making a meal that tastes good and didn't burn to the pan! :)

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...

When we got just a "dusting" of snow the other day, my boys were so excited they ran all through the house cheering for the snow...















Connor couldn't WAIT to go out side and check it out...



















I personally love seeing the snow - just not shoveling it or driving in a storm of it.
What's your thoughts...