Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Praying for baby Stellan!
This world of "blogging" is amazing. . . amazing how many people you can meet just by reading their blog. God has led me to some really amazing blog sites that are written by some really amazing Christian women that have gone through some really amazing things in their lives. One of the blogs that I check on a daily basis had a post today asking for prayers for baby Stellan with a link to baby Stellan's mom's blog site. I took the time to read through her latest blog enteries (I had gone to this site multiple times in the past to admire her pictures, her talents and her story) and the world (quite literally) is teaming up in prayer for this precious little boy. Although I may not have people all over the world reading my blog, I do have some pretty amazing people that know and believe in the power of PRAYER read my blog . . . join with me in praying for this sweetheart and his family as they spend their days in the PICU!
70 degrees one day, 2 feet of snow the next . . .
Yup, good old South Dakota! We enjoyed 70+ degree weather this past weekend and Monday morning we woke to a winter blizzard that dumped 2+ feet of snow on us and stirred up 40-60 mph gusts of wind! Monday our office finally got smart and closed the doors at 2:30 (after everyone else in the town, including the City of Spearfish offices closed 2 hours earlier). Thankfully Josh had the truck and was able to make it to Cayel's daycare (and the movie store :) to pick him up and get him home safely. I on the other hand got stuck trying to get out of my parking spot at the bank, barely made it up the hill on main street and managed to get stuck trying to get into our driveway. UGH! Once we all finally got in the house, we snuggled up on the couch and watched 3 movies hoping that the next day would grant us a "snow day." Wish granted! Tuesday we woke to a snow drift in our driveway that went to the roof of our garage and a drift in front of our house that went to the middle of the front door - there was no getting out! YEAH! We laid in bed until 9:30, watched movies and stayed in our pj's most of the day . . . it was great! Finally around 2:00 Josh and Cayel decided that they should probably attempt to "dig" us out. It took Josh almost 3 hours but he finally made a path out our garage door and shoveled enough of the driveway so we could get our vehicles out. Cayel was excited to play in the snow and felt like he could practice his new title of being a "big boy" by helping daddy shovel. I on the other hand went outside long enough to take a few pictures and shovel a few heaps of snow before I decided that was enough. Is Spring here yet?!?!?!?!
Monday, March 23, 2009
A Special Visit from Papa & Nana!
Since we moved to Spearfish in March of 2007, we have been lucky enough to have my parents come out and visit for a long weekend every March around Cayel's birthday. The timing is perfect because it helps break up the long months between going home for Christmas and making it back in late Spring/early Summer. March is also right before my dad dives into his busy season for work and better yet, Cayel gets his papa and nana all to himself . . . the best birthday present ever!
This year my parents came late Wednesday evening and stayed until Sunday morning. It was so nice to have them for 3 solid days! Thursday afternoon we took a cake to Cayel's daycare so he could celebrate his birthday with his daycare friends. He was so excited to be the center of attention and even more excited that his papa and nana were there. All the kids kept calling my mom grandma, it wasn't long before Cayel got fed up with it and said, "stop calling her grandma, hers my nana!" Granted it was a little selfish, it sure was cute :)! Thursday's birthday party was extra special because it would have been the 18th birthday for his daycare provider's son that passed away at birth. After Cayel blew out his 3 candles, we put 18 on his birthday cake and sang Happy Birthday to Eric! It meant a lot to Mark and Terri!
Friday Cayel got to stay home from daycare to spend the day with papa and nana while daddy and mommy worked. It was 70 degrees out so they spent most of the day outside playing. I got off work early so my mom and I could have the afternoon together. We went into Rapid City and did some birthday shopping and summer clothes shopping for Cayel and decided to treat ourselves to the Olive Garden. It was so nice, we sat there for 2 hours talking each other's ears off and filling ourselves to the max with great food! My mom and I have always had such a special relationship but it's amazing how much closer we have become as I've grown and matured - she is honestly my best friend!
Saturday we celebrated Cayel's birthday with a "Cowboy Themed" birthday party. Ever since we bought him his cowboy boots, that's been his newest phase. Take a look at his cowboy hat birthday cake!!!
It was absolutely beautiful out so we spent most of the afternoon outside on our deck watching the kids play in the backyard - I couldn't believe how many people we got to fit on our cozy little deck!
As you can tell by the pictures, Cayel got showered with lots of FUN gifts and the word spoiled is an understatement!
He is finally at a fun age where he can enjoy outdoor/yard toys so thankfully he got lots of things that will keep him busy this spring and summer - especially when we go camping (speaking of camping, we just finished doing some extensive research on family tents and FINALLY decided on a 6-person Northface tent. We found it on eBay brand new for almost $100 less than what they are selling for in the store. We ordered it and got it a week ago and even set it up in our basement living room. It is a huge tent that is supposed to be great quality so hopefully we will get lots of opportunities to enjoy it this summer!)! Saturday night we continued the celebration and we went to our favorite Mexican restaurant with my parents, Josh's parents, Josh's sister (Anne), brother-in-law (Mark) and two nephews (Jack & Noah) and Mark's parent's Paul and LaRayne that were also out visiting from Minnesota. After dinner and once the birthday boy was tucked into bed, Josh got my parents talked into one of his competitive games of Monopoly. Although Monopoly is supposed to be an individual game, it was obvious that as the game went on, it was boys against girls. The boys ended up winning - more specifically, Josh!
Sunday was Cayel's actual birthday and the first day he got to attend Promise Land (or "Candy Land" as he called it) at church. Promise Land is the youth ministry at our church and much like what I used to call "Sunday School" but with many more bells and whistles! He had been talking about going upstairs to Promise Land for over a month before his birthday so the excitement that he had that morning when we were driving to church was adorable! We arrived about 20 minutes before the service because we wanted to make sure we had enough time to get him situated and comfortable in a new surrounding. Once they gave us the tour of his class room and the worship room and introduced us to his teacher and some of the other students, I asked Cayel if he wanted mommy to stay in his room with him for awhile. He looked at me (almost embarrassed that I even asked) and said, "no mommy, I a big boy. You too big. Go to church. Bye love you too." Hmmmm . . . hold in the tears Marcy! Great, he's going to be one of those kids that makes me drop him off for the 1st day of school a block away! After the service it was almost as if Josh and I were in a race to see who could get upstairs to pick him up first. We were both so excited to see how he had done and what he had learned. There he was, grinning from ear to ear with his very first piece of artwork from his very first Bible lesson. Needless to say, he LOVED it!
It was a wonderful weekend filled with lots of memories . . .
This year my parents came late Wednesday evening and stayed until Sunday morning. It was so nice to have them for 3 solid days! Thursday afternoon we took a cake to Cayel's daycare so he could celebrate his birthday with his daycare friends. He was so excited to be the center of attention and even more excited that his papa and nana were there. All the kids kept calling my mom grandma, it wasn't long before Cayel got fed up with it and said, "stop calling her grandma, hers my nana!" Granted it was a little selfish, it sure was cute :)! Thursday's birthday party was extra special because it would have been the 18th birthday for his daycare provider's son that passed away at birth. After Cayel blew out his 3 candles, we put 18 on his birthday cake and sang Happy Birthday to Eric! It meant a lot to Mark and Terri!
Friday Cayel got to stay home from daycare to spend the day with papa and nana while daddy and mommy worked. It was 70 degrees out so they spent most of the day outside playing. I got off work early so my mom and I could have the afternoon together. We went into Rapid City and did some birthday shopping and summer clothes shopping for Cayel and decided to treat ourselves to the Olive Garden. It was so nice, we sat there for 2 hours talking each other's ears off and filling ourselves to the max with great food! My mom and I have always had such a special relationship but it's amazing how much closer we have become as I've grown and matured - she is honestly my best friend!
Saturday we celebrated Cayel's birthday with a "Cowboy Themed" birthday party. Ever since we bought him his cowboy boots, that's been his newest phase. Take a look at his cowboy hat birthday cake!!!
It was absolutely beautiful out so we spent most of the afternoon outside on our deck watching the kids play in the backyard - I couldn't believe how many people we got to fit on our cozy little deck!
As you can tell by the pictures, Cayel got showered with lots of FUN gifts and the word spoiled is an understatement!
He is finally at a fun age where he can enjoy outdoor/yard toys so thankfully he got lots of things that will keep him busy this spring and summer - especially when we go camping (speaking of camping, we just finished doing some extensive research on family tents and FINALLY decided on a 6-person Northface tent. We found it on eBay brand new for almost $100 less than what they are selling for in the store. We ordered it and got it a week ago and even set it up in our basement living room. It is a huge tent that is supposed to be great quality so hopefully we will get lots of opportunities to enjoy it this summer!)! Saturday night we continued the celebration and we went to our favorite Mexican restaurant with my parents, Josh's parents, Josh's sister (Anne), brother-in-law (Mark) and two nephews (Jack & Noah) and Mark's parent's Paul and LaRayne that were also out visiting from Minnesota. After dinner and once the birthday boy was tucked into bed, Josh got my parents talked into one of his competitive games of Monopoly. Although Monopoly is supposed to be an individual game, it was obvious that as the game went on, it was boys against girls. The boys ended up winning - more specifically, Josh!
Sunday was Cayel's actual birthday and the first day he got to attend Promise Land (or "Candy Land" as he called it) at church. Promise Land is the youth ministry at our church and much like what I used to call "Sunday School" but with many more bells and whistles! He had been talking about going upstairs to Promise Land for over a month before his birthday so the excitement that he had that morning when we were driving to church was adorable! We arrived about 20 minutes before the service because we wanted to make sure we had enough time to get him situated and comfortable in a new surrounding. Once they gave us the tour of his class room and the worship room and introduced us to his teacher and some of the other students, I asked Cayel if he wanted mommy to stay in his room with him for awhile. He looked at me (almost embarrassed that I even asked) and said, "no mommy, I a big boy. You too big. Go to church. Bye love you too." Hmmmm . . . hold in the tears Marcy! Great, he's going to be one of those kids that makes me drop him off for the 1st day of school a block away! After the service it was almost as if Josh and I were in a race to see who could get upstairs to pick him up first. We were both so excited to see how he had done and what he had learned. There he was, grinning from ear to ear with his very first piece of artwork from his very first Bible lesson. Needless to say, he LOVED it!
It was a wonderful weekend filled with lots of memories . . .
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Happy 3rd Birthday Cayel!!!
Happy birthday to our dearest son . . .
You have grown so much this past year and each and every day you have put a smile on our faces reminding us just how much of a gift from God you truly are.
The first month of you turning two was a bit rough with your accident but as you always do, you amazed us with your strength and determination. It wasn't long and we were back home from the hospital and you were on your way to being an outgoing two year old. This past year you have hit so many special milestones . . . you love to sing your ABC's - actually, you love to sing ANYTHING, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, The Wheels on the Bus, Jesus Loves Me, He's Got The Whole World In His Hands, Happy Birthday, the list goes on . . . you can count to 20 (even though you skip a few numbers in between) and with the help of Dora The Explorer, you have learned to count to 10 in Spanish. So far every color is blue or green and it isn't until we play Candy Land that you show us that you do indeed know your colors. Speaking of Candy Land, you love to play games but you typically last a whole ten minutes before you decide it's time to move on to something else. Animals are your specialty and you can name nearly every animal under the sun, you have mastered jungle animals by diligently looking at the pictures from papa's trip to South Africa, you can recite all of the typical farm animals and the noises they make and you take pride in reading hunting magazines with daddy and naming pheasants, coyotes, ducks, elk, deer and even antelope. You LOVE the outdoors just as much as your daddy does and every night during supper you tell him that you are going to eat your food all gone so you can get bigger to go hunting with him. Your favorite toy by far this year as been the remote control train track set that mommy and daddy gave you for Christmas. You love to play it with daddy because he lets you take all the box cars to make the longest train. Your giggle is simply infections and there isn't a day that goes by that you forget to say "daddy, please tickle me." You love to look at books in your bedroom, if the house is quiet we know we can find you on the floor in front of your bookshelf with all the books in a pile on the floor. Not only do you love to look at the books, you LOVE to have them read to you. Before bed we let you pick 3 books to read, 1 of the 3 you pick is always "Where is my baby bear?" You also love a book that used to be daddy's when he was little called "What is a boy?" Although you are an independent little boy who usually insists on doing everything yourself, you sure love to have your "tuddle" time and will take a break from playing anytime to "by-yo" with mommy. Last week we took down your toddler bed and put up a "big boy" bed, it was hard for mommy to do because it was a reality that you are a big boy now and no longer her baby Cayel. But she got over it when after saying your prayers you asked her to "tuddle" in bed with you! You sure love your grandparents and know exactly how to have them wrapped around your little finger . . . you and papa Mark play like 2 three year olds and tend to get yourselves into trouble, all you have to do is smile at "danpa" Dick and he is on the floor playing with you for hours, grandma Linda still spoils you with your favorite sippie cup filled with milk and nana Julie, well . . . you were her first little boy, you say "jump" and she asks "how high?" This year you are 1 of 7 boy cousins (5 on the Horak side and 2 on the Hoeft side) but your cousin Jada K has always held a special little spot in your heart. Today was your very first day to attend Sunday school at church. You were SO excited to go upstairs to Promise Land (you call it "Candy Land" :) and be a big boy . . . you loved singing the songs in worship and when we picked you up after the service you asked daddy, "where is Jesus?" Oh honey, we pray that you continue to carry your excitement for the Lord as you grow older!
Mommy and daddy love you so much Cayel Mark. You are a special little boy that was put on this earth for a special purpose. We thank God every day for entrusting you to us.
Happy Birthday Love!
You have grown so much this past year and each and every day you have put a smile on our faces reminding us just how much of a gift from God you truly are.
The first month of you turning two was a bit rough with your accident but as you always do, you amazed us with your strength and determination. It wasn't long and we were back home from the hospital and you were on your way to being an outgoing two year old. This past year you have hit so many special milestones . . . you love to sing your ABC's - actually, you love to sing ANYTHING, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, The Wheels on the Bus, Jesus Loves Me, He's Got The Whole World In His Hands, Happy Birthday, the list goes on . . . you can count to 20 (even though you skip a few numbers in between) and with the help of Dora The Explorer, you have learned to count to 10 in Spanish. So far every color is blue or green and it isn't until we play Candy Land that you show us that you do indeed know your colors. Speaking of Candy Land, you love to play games but you typically last a whole ten minutes before you decide it's time to move on to something else. Animals are your specialty and you can name nearly every animal under the sun, you have mastered jungle animals by diligently looking at the pictures from papa's trip to South Africa, you can recite all of the typical farm animals and the noises they make and you take pride in reading hunting magazines with daddy and naming pheasants, coyotes, ducks, elk, deer and even antelope. You LOVE the outdoors just as much as your daddy does and every night during supper you tell him that you are going to eat your food all gone so you can get bigger to go hunting with him. Your favorite toy by far this year as been the remote control train track set that mommy and daddy gave you for Christmas. You love to play it with daddy because he lets you take all the box cars to make the longest train. Your giggle is simply infections and there isn't a day that goes by that you forget to say "daddy, please tickle me." You love to look at books in your bedroom, if the house is quiet we know we can find you on the floor in front of your bookshelf with all the books in a pile on the floor. Not only do you love to look at the books, you LOVE to have them read to you. Before bed we let you pick 3 books to read, 1 of the 3 you pick is always "Where is my baby bear?" You also love a book that used to be daddy's when he was little called "What is a boy?" Although you are an independent little boy who usually insists on doing everything yourself, you sure love to have your "tuddle" time and will take a break from playing anytime to "by-yo" with mommy. Last week we took down your toddler bed and put up a "big boy" bed, it was hard for mommy to do because it was a reality that you are a big boy now and no longer her baby Cayel. But she got over it when after saying your prayers you asked her to "tuddle" in bed with you! You sure love your grandparents and know exactly how to have them wrapped around your little finger . . . you and papa Mark play like 2 three year olds and tend to get yourselves into trouble, all you have to do is smile at "danpa" Dick and he is on the floor playing with you for hours, grandma Linda still spoils you with your favorite sippie cup filled with milk and nana Julie, well . . . you were her first little boy, you say "jump" and she asks "how high?" This year you are 1 of 7 boy cousins (5 on the Horak side and 2 on the Hoeft side) but your cousin Jada K has always held a special little spot in your heart. Today was your very first day to attend Sunday school at church. You were SO excited to go upstairs to Promise Land (you call it "Candy Land" :) and be a big boy . . . you loved singing the songs in worship and when we picked you up after the service you asked daddy, "where is Jesus?" Oh honey, we pray that you continue to carry your excitement for the Lord as you grow older!
Mommy and daddy love you so much Cayel Mark. You are a special little boy that was put on this earth for a special purpose. We thank God every day for entrusting you to us.
Happy Birthday Love!
Monday, March 9, 2009
A night at the ball . . .
We got the pleasure of attending the Hospice Ball again this year. We went with our friends Boyce and Kylie and had so much fun! It brings back memories of prom . . . the formal up-do's and the fancy dresses . . . Kylie and I spent the afternoon at the salon getting pampered and thankfully I was able to borrow one of my cousin's old prom dresses (my they are expensive these days, I think they cost about what my wedding dress cost!)
It was the 12th Annual Ball this year and the turn out (even with this crummy economy) was amazing! Couples of all ages attend and the attire ranged from men in sports coats to black tie tuxes and women in sleek black dresses to puffy ballerina dresses. They have a wonderful 4 course meal, a silent auction, a vocal auction and an awesome band that plays real ballroom dancing music (it's a good thing that I have a physical education major for a husband who can confidently lead, not sure how many times I stepped on his toes :). Speaking of the vocal auction . . . last year Josh had bid (and won) on the hunting rights to a gentleman's land here in Spearfish for deer season. We got the pleasure of hunting this property for a weekend during the first part of Black Hills deer hunting and in one weekend, me, Josh and his dad all shot a buck (mine being my very first buck in my life). It was a pretty special weekend for the three of us! Well, my hubby (being the very grateful and appreciative man he is) wrote this gentleman a letter thanking him for giving us the opportunity to hunt his land and expressing how much it meant to him. Well, that gentlemen just happened to be the Auctioneer at the ball this year and he read Josh's letter (tears and all). It was so neat and incredibly moving. The landowner went on to explain that his property has been passed down in his family for many many generations and because of that, he keeps the hunting to his family. But because of his strong appreciation for Hospice, he decided to donate a hunt last year to help raise money - after receiving Josh's letter, he stated to all of the guests at the ball, "this young man is why I am choosing to donate again this year, I was able to provide a memorable experience for him and his family, while also giving to an organization that I love." Have I ever said how much I love my husband???? So, once the letter was read, of course we had to make sure that we won the bidding again this year - and we did!
The night was perfect . . . good friends, good food, good music, great purpose!
It was the 12th Annual Ball this year and the turn out (even with this crummy economy) was amazing! Couples of all ages attend and the attire ranged from men in sports coats to black tie tuxes and women in sleek black dresses to puffy ballerina dresses. They have a wonderful 4 course meal, a silent auction, a vocal auction and an awesome band that plays real ballroom dancing music (it's a good thing that I have a physical education major for a husband who can confidently lead, not sure how many times I stepped on his toes :). Speaking of the vocal auction . . . last year Josh had bid (and won) on the hunting rights to a gentleman's land here in Spearfish for deer season. We got the pleasure of hunting this property for a weekend during the first part of Black Hills deer hunting and in one weekend, me, Josh and his dad all shot a buck (mine being my very first buck in my life). It was a pretty special weekend for the three of us! Well, my hubby (being the very grateful and appreciative man he is) wrote this gentleman a letter thanking him for giving us the opportunity to hunt his land and expressing how much it meant to him. Well, that gentlemen just happened to be the Auctioneer at the ball this year and he read Josh's letter (tears and all). It was so neat and incredibly moving. The landowner went on to explain that his property has been passed down in his family for many many generations and because of that, he keeps the hunting to his family. But because of his strong appreciation for Hospice, he decided to donate a hunt last year to help raise money - after receiving Josh's letter, he stated to all of the guests at the ball, "this young man is why I am choosing to donate again this year, I was able to provide a memorable experience for him and his family, while also giving to an organization that I love." Have I ever said how much I love my husband???? So, once the letter was read, of course we had to make sure that we won the bidding again this year - and we did!
The night was perfect . . . good friends, good food, good music, great purpose!
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Creative Cayel . . .
With turning 3 just around the corner, Cayel is sure getting an imagination of his own. While I was working on the "Honey Do List" for the weekend, Cayel decided to make his very own fort out of the pillows from our couch and love seat. Once I showed interest in his new little hiding place, he let me take a glimpse of what was inside . . . stuffed under all those pillows were a blanket, his pillow, his Cabela's gun, his fishing pole and a Ducks Unlimited magazine . . . oh my, can you say he is his father's son?!?!?!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Happy First Birthday Aaron!
This past weekend we had the pleasure of celebrating our precious nephew Aaron's first birthday! Josh's sister Betsy and her family live in Cedar Rapids, IA so to help make this little dudes first birthday EXTRA special, we all met in Sioux Falls for the weekend!
We started our journey Friday afternoon in hopes that we would make it to Sioux Falls at a decent time but because of the March snow storm (gotta love South Dakota!) and treacherous road conditions, we only made it to Chamberlain before Josh decided to call it quits. Josh's other sister Anne (who lives in Rapid City, SD) was about an hour a head of us and they decided to make a "pit stop" for the night also. It actually ended up being a really fun evening . . . the boys were happy because they got to swim their little buns off!
Saturday morning we woke up early so we could get back on the road in hopes of making it to our final destination. Thankfully the roads were crystal clear and it wasn't long before we made it to Sioux Falls. And boy did we have fun . . . the kids spent most of the afternoon swimming (Cayel surprised mommy and daddy by swimming all by himself - with a life jacket of course) and we ended the night with an amazing dinner at Bracco's Restaurant. Once the kiddos were fast asleep the adults talked until wee hours of the morning (party animal Anne even stayed up past midnight :)! It was a great weekend . . . so much fun to watch Cayel get so excited to be with his cousins and such a blessing to have such loving sister-in-laws and brother-in-laws! And that little Aaron was absolutely ADORABLE!!
Happy Birthday Sweetheart!
**I was lazy with picture taking this weekend so I will post pictures once I get them from Josh's sister**
We started our journey Friday afternoon in hopes that we would make it to Sioux Falls at a decent time but because of the March snow storm (gotta love South Dakota!) and treacherous road conditions, we only made it to Chamberlain before Josh decided to call it quits. Josh's other sister Anne (who lives in Rapid City, SD) was about an hour a head of us and they decided to make a "pit stop" for the night also. It actually ended up being a really fun evening . . . the boys were happy because they got to swim their little buns off!
Saturday morning we woke up early so we could get back on the road in hopes of making it to our final destination. Thankfully the roads were crystal clear and it wasn't long before we made it to Sioux Falls. And boy did we have fun . . . the kids spent most of the afternoon swimming (Cayel surprised mommy and daddy by swimming all by himself - with a life jacket of course) and we ended the night with an amazing dinner at Bracco's Restaurant. Once the kiddos were fast asleep the adults talked until wee hours of the morning (party animal Anne even stayed up past midnight :)! It was a great weekend . . . so much fun to watch Cayel get so excited to be with his cousins and such a blessing to have such loving sister-in-laws and brother-in-laws! And that little Aaron was absolutely ADORABLE!!
Happy Birthday Sweetheart!
**I was lazy with picture taking this weekend so I will post pictures once I get them from Josh's sister**
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
