Delanie's 1st Day of Kindergarten

Delanie is starting Kindergarten today! She is so excited. No hesitation. This girl is ready!

Raleigh 2 Years

Delanie 5 Years

Where Did Summer Go?

I cannot believe that summer has gotten away from me and I haven't updated this! Delanie participated in dance this summer and enjoyed it. She passed level three in swimming lessons and was very proud. She and Raleigh love the water. Raleigh attended daycare two days a week this summer as he really needs to be around other kids. We were sad that our neighbor and her family moved and we no longer can run down the street to play, however we wish them well on their new adventure. Our family went to the Omaha Zoo this summer for a little vacation. We all had a good time.

Brownie anyone!

So I do still enjoy a sweet every so often. I have come up with a recipe for a brownie you can make in a little pyrex 2 cup container. So here it is! 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder 2 tablespoons plain greek yogurt 1 tablespoon almond coconut milk 2 teaspoons coconut palm sugar 2 teaspoons PB2 (If you desire, a tablespoon dark chocolate chips) Mix well and add yogurt or almond coconut if the mixture is too dry. Throw it in the microwave for approximately 1 minute 20 seconds. Add 10 seconds at a time until the center looks cooked. Enjoy :)

New Hobby

Lately I have thrown myself into the food fight! I have always pushed healthy eating, but lately I have really tried to make changes. I have been following the food industry and the fact that so many companies are fighting against labeling GMO foods. I side with the fact that they should! I have also just recently found out they will no longer be able to use antibiotics in organic apples. There is so very much to learn. Another thing I have been preparing for is the fact that Delanie is going to be in kindergarten next fall which means lots of packed lunches! I am not a big fan of processed foods. There are a lot of ideas out there online and I am looking forward to the challenge! I have her lunchbots coming in the mail on Tuesday. Delanie and I have been making different "green smoothies". I have found we can make them, fill silicone containers, and freeze them. I can pop those into a lunch box and it should thaw by lunch for her. I am excited to also try some fruit and yogurt recipes. We went through the process of making homemade almond coconut milk, which can be a bit of a process and only lasts three days in the fridge so we are back to store bought. (Blue diamond brand only) One of the things I have learned:) However all of them available in our area have carageenan in it, which I despise. Hopefully companies will start taking this out of food and drink sooner than later. If you are interested in some great websites, check into foodbabe.com, 100daysofrealfood.com, and livingmaxwell.com. These are my main go to sites that I love and trust!

Catholic School or Public School

So today Bruce and I went to our church and officially transferred our membership from the church where Delanie was baptized and we were married to the church we have been attending for the last five years. While we were there we heard about this pretty amazing program that made Catholic school for Delanie a little more realistic for us. You can actually by gift cards at the catholic school for stores like Menards, Hy Vee, and gas stations. You then take the gift cards and use them just like cash. The school writes down a child's name and 5% of the gift card goes to the school. 1.5% of that can go towards a child's tuition. Now whether this was for my child or another child I thought that this was a pretty amazing program. It made me wonder why I wasn't doing this all along while she was growing up! Had I known of such a program, I would have been more on top of buying the gift cards for every run to the grocery store, etc. So here I am again. Where do I send my child next fall for kindergarten? Yes, it would be wonderful to have her at the school I work at. However, I am in two different buildings. I am a bit of a self proclaimed helicopter mom just a little bit! I think that might be hard for me to back off of things if she was right there in front of me! It would be pretty amazing to have that foundation that the Catholic school system has to offer. As for now, Delanie has kindergarten screening set up for March 21st. That is a month and half away. So I suppose I better get on it and make my final decision!

Delanie and Uncle Doug on Christmas Eve

I took this picture on Christmas Eve. Delanie loves her uncle Doug. Today she saw a picture of him and said I miss him. I asked her to put her pajamas on and she ran and did it right away, which never happens. She ran back up the stairs and asked if she could call him. It was very sweet. She told him she missed him and asked him to come watch a movie with her:)

Is it December Already?

Oh my it is already December 7th! The time is flying this year. I am as busy as ever at school. During classroom guidance yesterday a little boy told me that I was his favorite thing about school. Warmed my heart like no other:) When I got home last night I had the most amazing email. In the subject line it said When *** grows up....and when I opened the email it said...she wants to be you. What a fantastic thing to hear at the end of a long day. I love these elementary kids! I am also very busy with the AdvoCare health and wellness business. I am loving this as well as my counseling degree complements this nicely. I love helping people get healthy and find energy. I love Spark! Bruce is busy working away as the Commercial Superintendent at American Fence. He is so busy that he is working in the office one day and working a job in the field the next. I know that he is trying to do his best job there and still try to be home in time to see the kids before they go to sleep. We appreciate that about him. Delanie is growing up so quickly that I am seeing her looking more and more like a kindergartner. It is hard to believe that she will be in kindergarten in the fall. She loves the Superstar Tumblebus that comes to her prekindergarten. They do gymnastics on a bus! She also loves her teacher Ms. Julie. She is the most amazing teacher. We are feeling like this center is the most amazing place and had we known it existed before this we would have been there sooner. Raleigh is a busy little stinker. Every time I turn around he is climbing something. He does not want me to put him down in the evenings. I don't mind so much since I am away from him all day, but this boy is a momma's boy. He also loves his teachers. Every day I set him down and he is off playing in a matter of seconds. He doesn't even say goodbye! I would rather have that than the alternative however!

Advocare Distributor

Over the summer I decided to become an Advocare Distributor because I have used their products since 2008. I love this health and wellness company and feel so great on the products! I was always so tired and decided it was time to feel good again. I would love to share with any of you if you would like to learn more about the products. In the meantime check out my website at https://www.advocare.com/120723638

Here comes Fall!

It's been awhile again. Over the summer Delanie participated in swimming, tennis, and soccer. I wanted it mostly for her motor skills, which you would have now never know she was a bit clumsy and behind. Tonight is the last night of soccer. Delanie started prekindergarten this year and loves it. Her and Raleigh attend the same place however they are in opposite sides of the building. Raleigh already sits up to a table on a tiny chair to eat. They tell me when they see each other they run to each other and hug. Warms my heart. Had I known a child care center could be so amazing I would have sent them sooner! We couldn't be more happy. Raleigh loves his ladies:) Delanie gets to attend Superstar Tumblebus gymnastics on Mondays. They come right to the daycare. She loves it! Mastered her somersaults and did them all over the soccer field last Monday! Delanie landed in the hospital the first week of September. She and Raleigh somehow contracted an unknown virus that killed off their enzymes that digest lactose. Delanie was off milk for 6 weeks? She just yesterday started milk and so far so good. They said it could take up to three months to regrow the enzymes. Raleigh is still off dairy. I am truly dreading that fun hospital bill! It is my favorite time of the year due to different reasons than my hunting loving husband. I am looking forward to seeing the family that I rarely see! I am missing my aunts and uncles:) Enjoy some pictures as Delanie is 4 1/2 this month and Raleigh will be a whopping 18 months in November, crazy!

Two months have past since my last post. It seems like days are so busy and time is flying buy! It is hard to believe that Delanie turned 4 years old in April and Raleigh turned 1 year old in May. It has been an exciting couple of months and I have been enjoying my first few weeks of summer off from work. This summer Delanie will be in swimming and tennis. I would love for her to be in dance, but she would rather dance at home. I want to say that in a few years Raleigh will be in soccer because he spends most days kicking a soccer ball all over the house and yard! His favorite words are mama and ball. I don't mind! I am pretty sure that he even calls peas, balls. Please enjoy some updated pictures that include their birthdays and Delanie's 4 year old pictures. Raleigh's pictures should be done in a week.

Raleigh's 9 Months!

My first Ash Wednesday!

Hanging Out

It seems as though Delanie wants to be right next to Raleigh at every moment. He has been crawling since about 7 months and seems to fancy being near her also.

Disney

Delanie and I met up with a friend of mine and her daughters to attend the Disney Live Three Princess Fairytales show. Delanie loved it so much:)

We got to go to Mitchell to cousin Oakley's baptism and thank goodness aunt April had a bag of cheerios in her purse!

Catch up!

Well, here we go again. It has been awhile again and I seem to have let the blog go again. Well, I will try my best to play catch up. This year Delanie's Valentine is Uncle Doug. He surprised her again. The door bell rang and a medium size box sat outside, however when we opened the box a gigantic bear popped out. Thank goodness she has a full sized bed! Meet Dewey bear!

It's been a good break!

It has been nice to have a break from work! The kids have slept in for me in the mornings a bit. We were able to catch up with a friend for a play date. The not so fun part is taking the Christmas tree down and trying to fit it into the teeny tiny box it came with. Thank goodness for Bruce and getting it to fit. Another cousin was born over our break as well. Bruce's youngest sister Mckenzie had a baby girl on December 27th. Her name is Oakley April and we can't wait to meet her. Last, but not least I was able to catch these beautiful smiles at the dinner table and had to share with you all.