Growing Up Way Too Fast

The past couple years of sleepless nights, temper tantrums, and somebody always needing something has often led me to wonder why people say "They grow up way too fast."  There have been many times I wished I could fast forward through.  "Enjoy every minute" doesn't seem to fit when you are trying to comfort your colicky baby who has been screaming for hours or when you have to carry your 2 year old out of the mall kicking and screaming because he decided to throw a fit when it was time to leave.  Why would we not want to speed this up?  Now I get it.

Last night, we were all sitting at the dinner table when the phone rang.  Dan and I chose to ignore it and check it after dinner.  Brandon says "I go get it Mommy."  He's never "got" the phone before and I didn't even know he paid attention to where it was. Surprised, I said "Ok".  He got down from his chair and said "I be right back and eat".  Then he ran all the way out of the kitchen, through the living room and into our bedroom.  He came running back with the phone and said "Here ya go, Mommy."  Seriously?  When did he become "old" enough to do this?

Tonight, I was giving him a bath.  He said "Mommy, I sing a special song for you."  He's never sung a special song for me so again I was surprised.  I said, "Great, I'd love to hear your special song."  He sang "Momma, please get me outta here."  He can be so funny.  It was the sweetest song I have ever heard.

Even though I have been "enjoying every minute", trying not to blink, and taking thousands of pictures, my son is growing up way too fast.

Remembering Alan

It has been a long time since I last blogged.  Mainly because I just haven't taken the time.  Tonight however, I really feel like blogging.  I think I need to.  Sometimes you just need to put your thoughts into words.  

The world lost a beautiful, young soul this morning.  Alan Schlehuser was welcomed into Heaven, leaving his family and friends devastated and shocked.  On Sunday morning, Alan had an accident on I-65.  He was life lined to Methodist where he was in a coma due to brain swelling and had many other injuries.  He left us this morning.  He was only 21.  His birthday is Monday.  I have so many questions. These are just a few.

Why did this happen?
Why did God not protect him?
Why did God not answer the hundreds of prayers asking for his healing?
How do I continue to believe in the power of prayer when it didn't "work" this time?



I feel angry.  This is so unfair.  
I feel betrayed.  Did God not hear me or the hundreds of others praying for him?
I feel heartbroken for his parents and sister.  How do you bury your son?
I feel heartbroken for all his friends.  Parties, get togethers, weddings etc. will never be the same.
I feel scared.  Will this happen to me? Will I have to bury my kids?  The thought is unbearable.


Somewhere deep down inside, I KNOW that God does love us.  He does protect us. He does hear us.  I am confident that God welcomed Alan with open arms.  I am confident that Alan is smiling down on us from Heaven. He has the sweetest smile.

I guess that's the answer.  Our life here on earth is such a small blip in time.  God has promised us forever.  It's just not on our terms.  He never promised that life would be easy, He just promises that He will be by our side and get us through it.  We will all have a wonderful reunion in Heaven someday.  Everyone we loved, who loved the Lord, will be there, no matter how they died or how early they left us.  Once we are reunited we will never have to say goodbye again.  What a wonderful thought.  As Carrie Underwood sings so beautifully "This is our temporary home."

Alan's life on earth was full of happiness and everyone who ever knew him will talk of his sweet smile.  I haven't seen Alan in a long time.  I didn't really "know" him as a teenager/young adult.  To quote another famous singer and Seymour native, "I was born in a small town."  I grew up with a HUGE extended "family".  I went to White Creek Lutheran School until the 8th grade.  Yes, it is in the middle of nowhere but there is no other place I would rather have been raised.  At one time there were 70 kids in my school (from kindergarten thru 8th grade).  Needless to say, we were close.  We knew everyone, most of us were related in some way.  If it happened to a White Creeker everyone knew about it.  You were loved not only by your own family, but by everyone else as well.  That holds true today.  Alan and his family are White Creekers.  They will always be a part of my extended family.  

My mom also had a daycare when I was growing up.  Alan and his sister Betsy were two of the children she took care of.  Growing up I saw them at least 5 days a week.  We played, celebrated birthdays and holidays.  I remember snuggling with each one of them when they were babies.  They lived just a few miles from my house and I used to babysit for them.  Such great kids.  I still cannot believe he is gone.   

I went through a couple old photo albums tonight and found a couple adorable pictures of Alan and some of the other kids I "grew up with".  Some of them continued a lifelong friendship with Alan.  I wish I would have "kept up" a little better. You just always think there is plenty of time.  I guess there will be, at our reunion in Heaven. 


Below is a picture of me "supervising" the kids swimming.  Yes, that is me with the bangs and crazy long hair not looking at the camera.  The kids from left to right are:
Kendra Phelps, Brittany Meyer, Alan Schlehuser, Brandon Goecker, and Tyler Ross.

 This next picture is from a Halloween party one year.  I can't tell who everyone is but I'm in the back with the bangs (always) and pigtails.  Erin Jones is the blonde beside me on the left, her sister Morgan Jones is the blonde beside me on the right.  I think my sister Mandy is the one dressed up like Raggedy Ann. Brandon Goecker is in the middle in the red sweat suit. Lindsey Ross is behind the little tiger.  Alan is the adorable clown on the far right.

Keep smiling that sweet smile, Alan.  We'll catch up on all that I missed, next time I see you.

Team UmiZoomi

Brandon has fallen in love with a "new" cartoon.  First it was Mickey Mouse, then Elmo, then Caillou, then "Rocket" Little Einsteins.  Now he is obsessed with Team UmiZoomi. 

That's Millie, Bot, and Geo for those of you not lucky enough to watch it ALL THE TIME. :)  Sometimes its good.  If I need to give Madelyn a bottle, or cook supper, or anything "without interruption",  I can turn on the UmiZoomis and he is almost immediately in a trance...

Often though, I worry that he watches too much TV.  Can't blame the little guy.  It's in his blood.  His Dad turns the TV on before turning the lights on.  Anyway, I guess its not like he just sits there all day.  He really gets into the show and is quite active.

He jumps.

He yells and points. Besides, it is educational.

Today the UmiZoomis went to the grocery store to buy bananas, blueberries, and yogurt for a little boy's snack.  Brandon had to put on his "Umi goggles" so he could find the grocery items.

Sometimes it gets a little intense and he gets a little nervous. He really gets into his shows.

Sometimes he needs to take a closer look.

Of course, its always a happy ending. Time to celebrate. "2-4-6-8 everybody crazy shake!"

He enjoys it and sometimes it gives me a "little" break.  I'll take what I can get. :)

A Beautiful Day to Play

Another gorgeous day today!  I am loving this weather!  After being inside all winter long it is so great to get outside, play, and visit with wonderful neighbors!  It's going to be another great spring/summer! Earlier today Brandon was in the middle of a super long nap and Madleyn was really fussy and didn't want anything.  I couldn't wait to get outside but was trying to wait until Brandon woke up.  I decided to take Maddie out to get the mail and as soon as we stepped outside she stopped fussing.  She just wanted to enjoy the nice weather too!  I brought the mail back in and she instantly started whining.  So, outside we went.  I sat her in the grass so she could play.  She was soon engrossed in leaves and blades of grass.  I love seeing her experience things for the first time.

 
After a few minutes we went inside to check on Brandon....still snoozing.  We went back outside and played in the little blue car Brandon got for his 1st birthday.  I was sure she would be too little for this.  Guess she's bigger than I think...

It was gorgeous out but a little windy so I put her hoodie on her.  Soon it was time to check on Brandon again....still asleep!  She seemed to be a little cool in the wind but really liked being outside so I decided we could play in the back of the car. She was pretty happy with that. :)

She played, I took pictures....our typical day. :)  When we went to check on Brandon again he was finally awake!  He didn't want to go outside and Madelyn wanted a bottle so inside we stayed.  Oh well, maybe I can play outside longer tomorrow!

"Jammies"

I LOVE "jammies" for my kiddos.  It's just one of my things.  To me, they never look sweeter or more huggable then when they are in their jammies.  I recently ordered Valentine's jammies, Easter jammies, and "Number" jammies.  Sometimes I just can't resist.  Why should I?  They spend more time in jammies than any other clothes (11 to 12 hours a night) right?  Besides, they are just too cute.

Seriously...I could look at these pictures all day. :)  It is super hard to get Brandon to stand still long enough to get a good picture.  The above were taken as he was trying to tackle me and "get" my camera.  Hence, the mischevious (and adorable) smile.

I think the "Number" jammies are just too fun.  I ordered both kids a set but since Madelyn isn't "1" yet she won't wear hers until July.  Brandon wore his "2" jammies tonight though.  Couldn't get him to stand still but I still love the way he looks in jammies.

Can't wait for Easter!!! :)

Valentine's Day Treasure Hunt

I have to work tomorrow ( I know....shocking :)) so we decided to celebrate Valentine's Day today.  Inspired by a friend and fellow blogger (she's amazing) I thought this Valentine's Day should be made up of things we love.  Brandon loves to hide and find things, look for clues, and help his cartoon characters take the right path.  I decided we would make a Valentine's Day Treasure Hunt for the kids to find their "treasure".  We took a picture of each room of the house, cut out paper hearts and put them together for our "clues". Then we placed them in various places around the house.  Each one leading to the next clue and finally to the "treasure".

It was a huge hit.  He loved  it!  He would look at the picture on the clue, tell us what room it was (the potty room, the kitchen room, me crib) and run to find the clue. 

  The "treasure" was in the upstairs playroom.  We put each child's gift in a red gift bag with his/her picture on the front.  Unfortunately, when we got to the playroom he wanted to find another clue.  He went right past the "treasure" and searched the room for a clue.  Too cute.  Good thing he liked his gift.  He soon was too distracted to worry about finding another clue.  Brandon loves to dump and pour.  He does this with anything he can find.  Dirt outside, water and cups inside, decorative rocks etc.  We bought him a sand art set so he could dump and pour to his heart's content.

It came with 5 different colors which lasted about 2 minutes.  Now all the colors are mixed into one but he didn't seem to mind.  He had a blast!

Brandon also got a Hot Wheels ramp and loop because he loves his Matchbox cars as much as he loves to dump and pour.  He really loved  racing the car down the ramp and watching it fly off.  I think Dan enjoyed it as well.

Don't worry, Miss Madelyn was not left out.  I carried her around while Brandon found all the clues and she loves to watch him.  She gets so excited when he is around.  Her "treasure" was a Taggie ball.  She loves to play with tags.  She is really becoming a great player.

After the treasure hunt we had supper.  We had waffles because Brandon loves waffles.  Who doesn't?  Madelyn had apples and she loved  them!  Madelyn also loves  to "spit" at us. 


We love this face!  Don't you?  Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Boiler Up!!!

Tonight we went over to the Briscoe's to watch the Boilers beat the Hoosiers.  Madelyn wore her Purdue dress that Uncle Nick got her for Christmas. Thanks Nick!

We watched the game and ate pizza with John, Kitty, and the Reffetts (Chris, Mary Beth and family).  Well, I really only saw some of the game.  Brandon wanted to play with "those silly kids" (Anna, Lauren, Charlie, and Molly) but he didn't want Mommy to get too far away.  Regardless, it was a fun night and another great win for the Boilers! 

Thanks, John and Kitty!  Boiler Up!!!

Rockin' Teal 4 Robin

Our dear friend Robin was diagnosed with a very complicated cancer this past July.  After seeing numerous oncologists she ended up at MD Anderson in Houston.  Doctors there told her she had about 1 year to live.  Robin, however, knew this was in the Lord's hands and that with Him all things are possible.  With a determined and winning spirit, supportive family and God in charge she is beating this dreaded disease.  It is a very long road for her but we know that God will see her through this.  Robin set up an account with Caring Bridge and has been journaling about her journey.  She has undoubtedly changed many lives and continues to be an inspiration to all of us.  Her journal entries are so uplifting.  She shares her feelings and progress but she also quotes Bible verses and gives Glory to God.  Through her fight she is "expanding His Kingdom beyond belief."  Robin had surgery today to remove some cancerous tumors and finally get some relief from the pain she has been in.  A friend of hers set up an event on Facebook "Let's Wear Teal Monday in support of Robin...".  We all proudly wore our teal today!  God answered all of our prayers once again and brought her safely through surgery!  Please pray for her and her beautiful family as they continue this journey.  She has an amazing husband and 2 adorable little girls. 

Here is my adorable little girl, Rockin' Teal 4 Robin!

"So Excited"

Go Packers!!! Super Bowl Sunday was more fun than usual this year because my team (aka my husband's team) played and won!!  Unfortunately this was Dan's week to work which meant we wouldn't be attending any Super Bowl parties.  I decided that we would have our own little party....just the 4 of us.  When Brandon woke up from his nap I told him we were going to have a party downstairs.  At first he didn't want to have a party. Then I told him that we were going to have cookies and cupcakes and he was all for it.  He was so excited when he got downstairs. 

He wanted to eat a cupcake as soon as he saw them.  I was making chili and several appetizers so I told him he needed to wait.  He ran in to wake up Daddy and show him the balloons, cupcakes and cookies.  I was in the kitchen when he ran in and said "Mommy, you so excited for a party, eat cupcakes?"  It was the sweetest thing. I have never heard him say "so excited" before.  I said "Yes, honey. I am excited for the party.  He said "You so excited eat cupcakes?"  I said "Yes, I'm so excited to eat cupcakes."  He went back into the living room for a few minutes then ran back in the kitchen and said "Mommy, you come a party too?".  I quickly finished up and went to the party too. :)  

  

I was "so excited" that we had our own little party.  Dan was "so excited" that the Packers won.  Madelyn was "so excited" to get her bottle and go to bed, and of course Brandon was "so excited" that he got to eat his cupcake!

A fun filled family night!  I love my life!  How exciting...

What Are You Wearing?

It's amazing to me how the everyday ordinary things in life can suddenly become the most fun thing in the world for a 2 year old.  I was folding laundry this morning when Brandon decided he wanted to wear one of my old t-shirts that I had just folded.  I put it on him and he was sooo excited.  Little did I know, he would wear the shirt almost the entire day.

He watched TV in it, played with his binoculars and cars in it, ate lunch in it, and even slept in it for his nap.  He did not want to take it off.  The laundry basket also became super fun.  Even Madelyn got to play.

After nap he decided he wanted to switch shirts with me.  He wanted to wear my shirt and he wanted me to wear the shirt he had been wearing all day (also my shirt).  We switched and he wore that shirt until it was time for bath. 

Wonder what he will want to wear tomorrow?  By the way, I did eventually get some laundry done. :)